It was "Opening Day" for the M Street Softball League as all twenty-one teams took to the field and saw plenty of action. The games are played nightly (Mon-Fri) with game times starting at 6pm, 7:30, and 9pm. The weather has been great and the guys enjoy playing in front of softball fans. Come to the park and catch a game or two - admission is still free!

This year the league is divided into three divisions with the Lucas teams featuring the top six elite teams, the Feeney division houses the up and coming teams, and the Moran division is the home of the first and second year teams. Each division is competitive in its own right with plenty of great players both on the offensive and defensive side of the field. The major difference between the divisions is the quality and depth of pitching.

Speaking of quality, the EOG's (experienced old guys) of the league have shown they can still contribute and put up numbers with the best of them. Playwright's/BBG (3-3) Mario Perella (52 years young) started his 2010 season with a three hit night against one of the top pitchers in the league. A couple of nights later, Perella banged out three more hits making him 6 for 8 with 6 RBI's to start the season. Though his team has aged another year, Coach Peter Hourihan would enjoy making a return trip to the finals this year to finally win it all. Their chances will rest on pitcher Keith Zewiey, who's MVP like performance was just two runs short of a championship last season.

After a five year layoff, catcher Jim Sullivan (53) of the Swingers is making a nice return to the league and is leading his team in doubles and is second in RBI's with five. Sully is a class act who brings enthusiasm, game experience, and skills to a very young and inexperienced team. Coach Dan Chan is very thankful to have him on board.

Topping off the list of senior ball players in the league is Sidewalk's (4-0) pitcher George Pratt. The sixty-year young Pratt is playing in his 42nd year of competitive softball and has vowed that this will be his last year. Instead of pitching softballs next summer Pratt will be trekking the 2,178 mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Based on his early stats it appears that the tall righty wants to go out on top; sporting a 3-0 record with a 2.50 ERA. Sidewalk returns the majority of their lineup from last year but the expectations are higher now that they have another year of playoff experience behind them. The team bolstered their lineup with the additions of slugger Marty Jemenez, Kevin Ohara, and Sam MacDonald.

                  EOG's from left to right: Mario Perella (52), Jim Sullivan (53), and George Pratt (60).

While the veteran players are showing that they have plenty of great games ahead of them some of the young stars in the league have also been shining brightly. One player who comes to mind is The Playwright's (5-1) shortstop, Peter Needham. He is a defensive wiz who is also putting up some great offensive numbers (.600 average with 8 runs scored). Whether it's a hot grounder in the hole, a line drive, or a ball hit over his head Needham gets to EVERYTHING and makes the play. With Needham, pitcher Joey Venuti, outfielder Charlie Conners, and slugger Robbie Rogers, first year coach Pat Pickup has assembled a very talented team that will challenge the defending champion Shennanigan's for the title. Venuti's thirteen strikeout performance last week against the hard hitting Stinger club put the league on notice that this team is to be taken seriously.

Speaking of Shennanigan's (2-1), the champions have most of their lineup back from last year with the exception of pitcher Sammy Acevedo (shoulder injury) and outfielder Josh Horton. Acevedo is a big loss but Coach Dave Conti landed hard throwing Domenic Lemarra in the off season and there are rumors that Mike Hoadley could be making the long drive from Worcester to join the staff in the near future. In any case, Lemarra is looking fit and ready to carry the work load also has pitchers Jerry Thomes (2 MVP's) and Eric Malerba ready to step in and provide some relief. With the majority of their lineup in tact Shennanigan's is the team to beat until further notice. Dan Brown, Al Martin, and last year's co MVP's Luis Colon and Steve Stalcup provide Conti with a great nucleus.

Rounding out the very competitive Lucas division are Tom English's Stingers and the Shamrock Pub Brewers. The Stingers (3-3) are led by twins Stephen (SS) and Dave Ballas (1B) who I still can't tell which one is which unless they are on the field and playing their positions. Stephen leads the Stingers with eleven RBI's while sporting a .636 batting average. Brother Dave is second on the squad in RBI's with eight. Chris Unglaub (.667), Jimmy Peters (.588), and Christian Mills (.556) are all hitting the ball very well as they pace the Stinger attack. Hard throwing sinker-baller Steve Mills returns to the mound and is joined by brother in-law, Bobby Silva. Silva is 2-0 with a 1.11 ERA - sounds like a great addition for the Stingers.

The Shamrock Pub Brewers (2-5) are new to the elite division as they have worked their way up over the past six years. So far the move has been a frustrating one for Coach Tom Yeo as his squad hasn't been as competitive as they had hoped. Their hopes were riding on pitcher Joey Magee's shoulders and so far the hard throwing righty has struggled against the top hitting clubs. Magee has the stuff to be a dominant pitcher in the league so it's just a matter of time before the Brewers and Magee put it all together and start winning games.

Making noise in the Feeney Division is the Bob Carlson led Junction (5-3) softball team. Carlson has done a great job transforming the former Full Tilt squad into an instant winner. This is a young up and coming squad that has already proven it can contend with the league's best teams. Carlson leads the team with seventeen RBI's (.542 batting average) and has plenty of sticks behind him in the likes of Jesse Carlton (.647), Adam Senter (.444 with 12 RBI), and Tyler Tessier (.500). The team has always hit with the best of them but this year they have added pitchers Jimmy McNiff and Jim Innocent. Both have been very impressive so far and will give this young club a chance to win a lot of close games.

Tim Benham's Bulldogs (4-1) have been let their bats do their talking as they have out slugged their opponents to four victories so far. Benham (.556 average), Charles Bork (.529 with 10 RBI's), Mark DiPierro (.563), Steve Holmes (.643), and Chris Holmes (.500) have led the way. However, the team is still hoping to land a pitcher who will give them that added boost they will need to stay competitive in the division.

The Cranberry Café (4-2) is just off the mark but have first place in their sights. Coach John Silva's rebuilt team is a much improved squad from last year. Though he lost pitcher Jim McNiff to the Junction, Silva was able to grab M Street veteran pitchers John Gregorio and Joey Burke. The combination of the two should be enough to stay very competitive in and outside of the division. Providing the offense so far is Pat Sullivan (.889 average with 10 RBI), Michael Donovan (.471), and Mike Caputo (.476 with 9 RBI). This team is pretty good and could surprise a lot of teams down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Sitting in the middle of the division is the Place (4-4). The team is coached this year by Kevin Snow and he has all of his players back from last year's squad. For one reason or another, the team has failed to enter any game stats so I can't tell you who has performed well so far. Get the stats in there boys!

Also carrying a five hundred record and sitting in the middle of the Feeney division is the Blood, Sweat, and Beers (3-3) squad. Kevin Burke is in his second year at the reins of this team and may have a winner here. Joel Kershner (.765), Erik Joncas (.500), Burke (.471), and James Thompson (.615) have provided the spark for the offense so far while newly acquired pitcher Paul Fabianski has given them two great outings from the mound.

Just off the playoff pace is Joe Pillar's L Street Tavern (2-4) squad. Coming off an impressive 17-6 win over the Cranberry Café, L Street then dropped their next two games in ugly fashion. Pillar and his teammates need to right the ship quickly before they fall too far behind. John Clancy (.500), Aaron Jacobson (.500), Mike Scanlan (.500), and Josh Lucier (.429) have given L Street some needed offense while Pillar and Jonathan Neil have spilt the pitching duties.

Though they lead their division in runs scored with eighty-six, Clarke's (2-6) is behind the playoff pace and will need to turn things around very quickly to qualify for the playoffs. Coach Matty Clough has a loaded lineup of hitting stars in Dan Barron (.611 with 9 RBI), Johnny Collins (.545), Owen Collins (.560), Matt Lovetere (.643 10 RBI), Ryan Campbell (.429), and CJ McCarthy (.429). Clough himself has also chipped in with a team leading .692 batting average and 10 RBI's. However, too many walks and hard hit balls have prevented Clarke's from staying competitive in the division. Pitching is the key and it will need to improve.

Unlike Clarke's, the Murphy's Law (0-6) softball team has found that scoring runs is a difficult task in the league. Murphy's has been limited to just four runs a game which is asking a lot from their pitcher (Paul Llewellyn) in a division where high scoring games are the norm. Coach Mike Doran does have some offensive weapons on the team but needs to figure the right combination that will lead to runs. Dave Byrne (.500), Mike Larkin (.600 with 12 RBI), and Jeff Mcgahan (.538) are all enjoying a great start to the season.

Over in the Moran Division it's the first year Master Batters (4-1-1) that is sitting on top in the division. Their very organized coach, John O'Malley (.556) has put together a well balanced team who are enjoying their first season of M Street Softball. Sumi Basnet has been tearing the cover off the ball and is leading the team and possibly the league in batting average (.636) and RBI's (17). O'Malley also has Jason Corderio (.533), Mark Eaton (.600), Vinny Gingle (.500 11 RBI), and Martin O'Malley (.455 11 RBI) in the very deep lineup. On the mound they mainly look to Mark Eaton, 3-0 with a 4.20 ERA, to carry the workload.

Just a half game off the pace is Below Average Joe's (4-2) who are coached by Joseph John. So far it appears that this club doesn't have the offensive depth that the Master Batters have but they have found ways to win games. The dynamic duo of hitting stars Wayne Harrington (.692 with 7 RBI) and Jeff McSharry (.769) have been enough so far but they will need more production from the rest of the squad as the season moves along. On the defensive side of things, pitcher Ben Deane (2-0 with a 6.00 ERA) has done an admirable job on the mound.

Sitting in third place is Michael Clark's AK's Restaurant (4-3). I would enjoy writing about all of the great players he has on this team but again, the game stats were not entered so I don't have anything to work with. Teammates get on your coach or get the book from him and enter them yourself. It's a pretty simple form to fill out at the end of each game and only takes a couple of minutes of your time.

Moving along, the Southie Sox (3-3) are just off the playoff pace in what should be a very tight race all season long. Coach Bill Davis has handed the ball to first year pitcher Danny Morrissey (3-2), who is doing a pretty good job in converting from the arc style to modified pitch. Morrissey and the Sox have received the offense support from Jared barber (.529 with 12 RBI), Jim Crowley (.467), Pat Kelly (.778 9 RBI), and Eric MacDonald (.563).

Trailing closely behind in fourth place is the Dorset Club (2-3). Coaches Mike Sweeney and Wes Lisek are in their seventh year of playing in the M Street Softball league and are hoping for another playoff run. Sweeney (.800), Paul Koslowski (.611), Chris Lisek (.500), Scott Lynch (.471), and Paul Ruzik (.563) lead the squad in hitting.

In fifth place is the first year team Stadium Sports Bar (2-5) who are led by Mark Harris. This team is scoring plenty of runs but is also leading the league in runs against. Brendon Barry (.526), Harris (.643 with 12 RBI), Matthew Matalos (.458), Sean Marshall (.615), Steve Marcotte (.444 9 RBI), Jon Miarecki (.500), and Lou Orfanos (.625 11 RBI) have provided more than enough offense for the team. However, the Stadium started the season without an experienced pitcher and has a few guys who are trying to learn on the job. There is no question that they will be competitive if one of them can figure it out in time to save the season.

Looking up from the basement are Dan Chan's Swingers (0-4-1). In a bit of a surprise, the tie came against the top team in the division so it appears this team has the talent to be competitive in the division. Brendon Duca (.583), Carl Iannacci (.538), and TK Skenderian (.500) are leading the team in offense while Chan has done a decent job of pitching. This team is near the bottom when it comes to scoring runs so they need to find a way to produce more offense and the wins should start coming.

In closing, the league would like to make a couple of announcements/reminders to the coaches and players. Because of the full schedule we have and limited field use, Friday is the only night we have available for make up games. The league has rescheduled the rainouts from last week so please check the schedule and plan ahead.

Also, the league has always frowned upon forfeits as it feels they can quickly kill a league. Guys look forward to playing and some come from far away to make the game only to find out that they or their opponent doesn't have the required amount of guys to field a team. To avoid the forfeit, the league has allowed teams to "borrow" players for the game as long as the opposing coach agrees to the move. However, when doing so we ask that the team who is borrowing the player not put him in a role where he can have a huge impact in the game. For instance, borrowing a pitcher and sending him out to the mound is neither approved nor sportsmanlike. It's OK to use the pitcher in the game but put him at first base or play him in right field and bat him last in the lineup. Failure to comply could result in the game having to be played over if it's brought to the league's attention.

Lastly, we made it through the tough stretch of the schedule and are now limited to just the M Street field as the Fire Department league starts this week. We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices many of you have made on your schedule and family life. From now until the playoffs in August, most of you will only have a game or two a week so enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing you on the diamond at M Street.