Last week marked the halfway point of the season for the M Street Softball League which meant it was time for the annual All-Star game. This year the league went all out and organized a Homerun Hitting contest and a three game series against a traveling all-star team from Staten Island, New York.

The homerun contest was first up and it took place last Thursday evening in front of a nice crowd of onlookers. After a dull first round that saw the twelve contestants manage to hit only seven softballs out of the yard the contest heated up when Rob Roger's and Dan Brown stepped in to the batters box for their second round of swings.

After struggling through the first three pitches Rogers got hot...very hot. On the next offering, the right handed slugger sent one high into the air towards the light tower in left - it was a majestic blast that sailed high and deep over the Wall on First Street. Rogers then followed the smash with his 3rd, 4th, and 5th homeruns (all clearing the Wall) before cooling off. He would add another blast giving him a total of 6 homeruns which put him in the lead.

The last contestant would be the Dawgs power hitting catcher Dan Brown, who hit two homeruns in the first round, would need at least 4 homeruns to tie Rogers. The slugging righty wasted little time in making his run as he homered on the second and third pitch he saw giving him a total of 4 homeruns. Two outs later he connected on his 3rd, and then quickly smacked his 4th to tie Rogers. His fifth, which won the contest, was a deep shot to center field that cleared the wall on First Street. Rogers, who was standing next to me added, "Now that was a shot." Brown, who stepped out of the box to take a quick breather, continued to rake em...homerun numbers 6, 7, and 8 also cleared the wall which gave him 10 total homeruns and a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. What a show!!

Topping the contest would be a tough act to follow but the M Street All-Stars, led by the brilliant pitching of Joe Venuti (Doran Mechanical) and Sammy Acevedo (Shamrock Pub), shined when called upon as they blanked the stars from Staten Island, 9-0! Mike Selig's (Doran Mechanical) three run homerun in the third inning put M Street in front 5-0 and for all intent and purposes the historic game was over at that point. Rob Rogers (Shamrock Pub) and Paul Koslowski (Dorset Club) led all hitters with two hits each in the game. The series was supposed to move to the North End on Friday but the North Enders cancelled so the two teams concluded the series with a doubleheader at M Street. The M Street stars took the first game, 11-6 behind clutch hits by Chris Holmes (Bulldogs), Dan Nash (Shennanigans), and Joe Cavaleri (Shennanigans). On the defensive side of the field, shortstop Steve Stalcup (Shennanigans) proved why he is an all-star with several brilliant plays throughout the game.

The final game of the series saw New York jump out to a 7-0 lead behind three towering homeruns. At that point, Sidewalk's Tommy Connolly was summoned from the bullpen to try and keep the game from getting out of reach. Connolly would do a lot more than that as he gave the M Street stars five innings of one run ball. During that span the offense got rolling with a 3-run fourth inning behind Eric MacDonald's (Southie Sox) bases clearing single. New York answered with a run in the top of the fourth making it 8-3 but M Street fought back in the home half of the inning. It was MacDonald who struck again with another RBI hit and was followed by a pinch hit RBI single by Chris King (Brewers) which narrowed the gap to 8-6.

As the skies began to darken, the game moved to the seventh and final frame with Connolly quickly setting them down in order. With one out and runners on first and second, Joe Cavaleri was looking for a pitch to drive. With the rain now falling steadily Cavaleri launched the second pitch he saw to deep left and from the bench area it was looking like it would be a game winning homerun. But the speedy New York center fielder raced after it and somehow came up with a miraculous catch against the fence for the second out. Incredible! Both baserunners alertly tagged up on the play and it was now up to teammate Steve Stalcup. This time M Street was not to be denied as Stalcup lined a single to right that scored both runs tying the game, 8-8. After an intentional walk to Tim Benham (Bulldogs), Jude Senese (Doran Mechanical) completed the comeback win with a base hit up the middle that plated Stalcup with the game winner. It was another dramatic finish on the diamond at M Street.

In conclusion to the all-star week, the league would like to thank the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's Steve Forcillo and Joe Dwyer's crew for getting the field in tip top shape for the event. We would also like to thank all of those players who took part in the games and in homerun hitting contest. Your passion for the league and the game of softball was very evident this past week. A special thank you goes to the Staten Island Blue Jays and their manager, Bob Riley. Riley and his troops spent their own money and gave up a weekend of their own time to travel here and play against the M Street All-Stars; all for the love of the game. Now with the all-star game behind us it is time we turn our attention to the pennant race going on in the Buckey Feeney Division. This is a great race that most likely won't be decided until the final game of the season is played. Three teams are within a half game of first place and six teams are within two games of fourth place. Unfortunately, only the top six teams will qualify for the playoffs so that means three teams will miss out by the slimmest of margins. With that said, let's take a look at the teams in the Feeney division and break down their chances for the playoffs.

The Boston Beer Garden (11-1) - after a slow start where the team was having difficulties fielding nine players the Beer Garden has really turned it on and are currently in first place. Coach Pete Hourihan has made all of the right moves and is getting tremendous production from several players. John Batchelder, Joe Broderick, Matt Brooks, Peter Drummey, Mark Hindman, Matt Keating, and Dennis Toner are all enjoying a great season at the plate. Hourihan himself is even chipping in with a .500 batting average. On the mound Drummey, Mark Landolfi, and Hourihan have all notched wins and are all undefeated. However, their chances of success in the playoffs will fall in to the hands of ace pitcher Keith Zeiwey who is carrying a sparkling 2.41 ERA and a 4-1 record. It's more than likely that the division and a first round bye will be decided when the Beer Garden meets the Sidewalk Café twice to end the season, August 4th and August 7th. Mark those dates on your calendars as both games should be great ones.

Speaking of the Sidewalk Café (10-1) they are enjoying a turn around season and are one of the three teams that are at the top of the division. Although it's a rebuilding year (only 6 returnees from last year) Sidewalk is getting key contributions from first year players Mike Mercier, Adam Ralston, and Dave Seermon. In the middle of the order Mike Smith and Tommy Connolly are both enjoying one of their best seasons at the plate. On the mound for Sidewalk, at 56, is the never aging George Pratt. The powerful righty remains undefeated and is at the top of his game. He and the rest of his teammates will need to be at their best as Sidewalk has a very difficult schedule ahead.

Shamrock Pub (10-2) - after losing to the Dawgs in last year's finals the Pub felt they needed to add a few more proven players who could extend their lineup. Jose Diaz and Richie Obart might be the answer as they are second and third in RBI's. However, aside from Charlie Conners and Matt Traft the rest of the lineup is struggling a bit offensively and will need to find their swing come playoff time. On the mound is the trio of Sammy Acevedo, John Gregorio, and Joe Burke which gives Shamrock an advantage over most of their opponents. Their remaining schedule isn't too tough which probably means they will grab one of the two playoff byes in the division.

The Playwright (9-4) is currently in fourth and in contention for a first round playoff bye. Steve Bonelli, Matt Hannan, CJ Kenney, Chris Kenney, Gary Marden, and Jeff Wilkinson are all putting up big numbers at the plate for Coach Ken Starr. Mike Raditz is the team's pitcher and is also enjoying a fine season on the mound. Although they have three tough games remaining it appears that the Playwright will still qualify for the playoffs regardless of the outcome in those games.

Il Giardino Café (8-4) - their biggest win of the season came when they knocked off a previously undefeated Sidewalk Café just a few weeks ago. They have since gone 4-1 and are now knocking on the door for the top two positions in the division. Coach Marc Cerone is pushing the right buttons and is getting great fielding from his starting nine. Mark Stagno, Billy Robinson, Mike Kenny, and Kevin Cronin have been the top hitting stars for Cerone. On the mound is Nick Kleimola who continues to carry the workload for the Café. With four losses, they may not catch the top two teams in the division but they will sure be a handful in the playoffs for any team that draws them.

Doran Mechanical Contractors (8-7) - as a first year team, DMC and coach Pat Hill are enjoying a great season. Hill and company struck gold before the season started when they landed pitchers Joey Venuti and Mike Selig. The duo had posted an add looking for a team to play for and Hill was the first to respond. While Selig is still learning the craft Venuti (5-1, 2.05 ERA, with 59 strikeouts) has been lights out for DMC. Jude Senese, Selig, Hill, and Justin Campbell provide the offensive spark for the club. With only one game remaining on their schedule and DMC clinging to a playoff position it will pretty much be a must win for them to qualify.

Booze on First (7-5-1) is another first year team that is very close to qualifying for the playoffs. Coach Kyle Benedetti has done an excellent job of recruiting and tweaking his roster where needed. Nick Hoehn, Benedetti, Marc Cuellar, Chuck Stefanelli, and Jae Yi have been consistent offensive threats all season long. Cuellar is also the ace of the pitching staff and is enjoying a decent first year at M Street. Benedetti and his troops have three challenging games remaining on their schedule which makes the path to the playoffs a difficult yet rewarding one.

The Rippers (6-8) playoffs hopes are still alive but they will need to win both of their games and get some help at the top of the division. Coach Pat Kelly and his youthful teammates have enjoyed their first year in the league and have been a great addition. Pete Black, Blair Bartlett, Tim Longdon, Jared Pavey, John Pels, Matt Zibell, and Coach Kelly are all batting near or above the .500 mark which has given the Rippers plenty of offense. Bartlett and Black have shared the workload on the mound with both hoping to lead their team into the playoffs.

Bulldogs (5-8) are another first year team that can look back at this season as a learning experience. Coach Tim Benham wasn't sure what to expect when he entered the team and has since learned that quality pitching is a must in the league. Benham, Jay Greenblatt, Chris Holmes, Mike Kiely, Craig Maurer, and Matt Olds have all enjoyed a great first season at the plate and in the field. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs face three of the top teams in the division and would need to win all three games to have a chance at qualifying for the playoffs.

Dorset Club (4-8) is currently out of the playoff picture but can help themselves with some big wins down the stretch. Coach Mike Sweeney has always carried a small roster but his loyal troops are always there ready to give him everything they have. Chris & Wes Lisek, Paul Koslowski, Andrew Dieter, John Maceachern, Niall Murphy, Paul Ruzik, and Jan Stryjewski are the heart & soul of the Dorset Club.

Full Tilt (4-8) is also currently out of the playoff picture and have a very difficult road in front of them as two of their four remaining games are against very good teams. Coach Justin Klaassen is in his first year at the helm and has had to deal with the loss of some of last year's key players. Jason Scarfo, Sean Smith, Jeremy Lastarza, Greg Irons, and John Gulino have not let the losses of personnel and games affect their swing at the plate as each are enjoying a fine season.

Clark Club (4-11) is another first year team that will use this season as a learning experience. Coach Mike Clark and his players, who I'm told are all graduates of UNH, have enjoyed their time in the league and will be looking to build upon it next season. Matt Blair, Brad Cole, Brandon Fitzpatrick, Robert Rist, Matthew Roy, and Joe White led the offensive attack this year while Cole put up some decent numbers on the mound for the Clark Club.

M Street Softball games are played at M Street Park Monday through Friday with game times starting at 6pm, 7:30, and 9pm. Please come to the park and enjoy a game or two from our brand new stadium seats. We hope to see you there!