ALL-STAR GAME THIS THURSDAY

There are only nine games remaining before the start of the playoffs yet several teams are still jockeying for those last couple of spots. A recap of last week’s action where many of our teams rose and fell in their respective divisions is below. Monday’s early game saw the Below Average Joe’s rally from four runs down in the seventh to beat the Masterbatters, 18-17. The win would have qualified the Masterbatters for the playoffs but they let it slip away. For Joe’s the victory means they have a shot at catching Telegraph Hill at the top of the standing in the Moran division. The middle game saw the Ole Rebels move a step closer to the top of the Feeney division when they trounced Stats/BSB squad, 16-4. The Rebels (9-6) have been plagued by rainouts so they will be a busy group here in the last week of the season. At 9-7-1, Stats/BSB is still holding onto first place for the moment but they have plenty of company closing in on them. The late game was the game of the week as the Playwright and Nexus locked horns for seven entertaining innings. Pitcher Keith Zewiey was back on the mound and looking sharp which gave the Playwright a bit of their swagger back. In the end, Zeweiy and company outlasted the Nexus (9-7) and Joey Venuti, 7-6. Although it was a great win for Playwright, at 5-10 they will need to win their remaining games to climb out of the basement of the Lucas division. After rain fell hard on Tuesday the league was back in action on Wednesday with the Stats/BSB squad taking on the Junction. Stats rebounded from a loss earlier in the week and edged the Junction, 8-6 behind Jason Atton. Wednesday’s middle game saw the newly named George Pratt Club (formally the Sidewalk Café) take on the upstart Pat’s Trattoria team. Although they had the second worst record in the league, Pat’s came to play and it should be noted that they are a talented team that will be tough to beat in the future. In the end, the Pratt Club’s offense was just a bit too much as they escaped with a 15-13 victory. The Stingers closed the night with an impressive 24-3 win over Telegraph Hill. The Hill boys were hoping to win this last game and avoid a one game playoff for the Moran division with the Below Average Joe’s. However, the Stingers (9-7) were just too much to handle so it will be Joe’s and the Hill on Wednesday (Aug 10) with the Moran division to be settled. Thursday’s action saw The Place (9-6) beat up on the Stats Bar & Grille (8-8) which moved them to within a game of first place in the Feeney division. Stats will now have to win their last game against the Swingers to qualify for the playoffs. The middle game was another great match of talent and skill as Makepeace took on Nexus with third place in the Lucas division at stake. In the end, it was Jimmy Pinkston and the Makepeace group that slipped by the snake bitten Nexus crew. Both teams played well and look more than ready to make a serious run at Shennanigan’s and the league title. The late game on Thursday saw a desperate Cranberry Café team, which needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, take on the now tired Makepeace bunch in the second game of a doubleheader. But as he has done all season long, Pinkston was up to throwing the fourteen innings needed to get the two wins and he delivered in style, a 4-0 shutout. Cranberry Café (8-8-1) now needs the Swingers to beat the Stats squad or they are finished for the season. That would be an upset as Cranberry has a talented team and was expected to make a deep run in the playoffs with the pitching they feature. Also, for the second week in a row the league had several forfeits to deal with on Thursday. Last week it was the Dorset Club that bowed out and this week it was NGRR. Unfortunately, several of their players decided they couldn’t make games that were previously scheduled. The players who enjoy the competition the league offers will move on without them. The week closed on Friday with the Quencher Tavern beating up on the Playwright, 15-7. With the win, Quencher (7-8) assures itself it cannot finish any lower than fifth in the Lucas division. The middle game saw the Ole Rebels outslug the Stats Bar & Grille squad, 18-6. It was another win and another move up in the standings for the Rebels. It looks like they will be in a dogfight with the Place for first in the Feeney division. The two clubs face each other on Tuesday (Aug 9) which will decide the outcome of the division in what should be a great game folks. The week closed with the Rebels getting by the Junction to complete their doubleheader, 9-2. Although they are new to the league, this team is hot and appears ready to make a nice run in the playoffs. Speaking of the playoffs, they are scheduled to start with the Preliminary Round on Monday, August 15th with game times starting at 630 and 815. The playoffs will continue through the week with Friday’s being used as a makeup/rainout date. Before the playoffs get underway, the league is holding its All-Star game this Thursday, August 11th at 730pm. There will also be a homerun derby prior to the game which starts at 6pm. Several of the league’s best sluggers are expected to take a shot at the homerun title so the event should be an enjoyable one. At the conclusion of the derby, the league will announce the winners of the performance contests. As of this writing, Cranberry’s Joe Magee led the “Fastest Pitcher” category with 64 mph, Nexus’ Steven Couturier still leads the “Longest Throw” with a toss 289’ 10”, and nobody has come close to beating Nick Traveler and Anthony Garofalo’s 11:10 race around the bases in the “Fastest Man” contest. With all this talent to showcase Thursday’s game and derby should be an enjoyable evening. We hope to see you at the park. s came to play and it should be noted that they are a talented team that will be tough to beat in the future. In the end, the Pratt Club’s offense was just a bit too much as they escaped with a 15-13 victory. The Stingers closed the night with an impressive 24-3 win over Telegraph Hill. The Hill boys were hoping to win this last game and avoid a one game playoff for the Moran division with the Below Average Joe’s. However, the Stingers (9-7) were just too much to handle so it will be Joe’s and the Hill on Wednesday (Aug 10) with the Moran division to be settled. Thursday’s action saw The Place (9-6) beat up on the Stats Bar & Grille (8-8) which moved them to within a game of first place in the Feeney division. Stats will now have to win their last game against the Swingers to qualify for the playoffs. The middle game was another great match of talent and skill as Makepeace took on Nexus with third place in the Lucas division at stake. In the end, it was Jimmy Pinkston and the Makepeace group that slipped by the snake bitten Nexus crew. Both teams played well and look more than ready to make a serious run at Shennanigan’s and the league title. The late game on Thursday saw a desperate Cranberry Café team, which needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, take on the now tired Makepeace bunch in the second game of a doubleheader. But as he has done all season long, Pinkston was up to throwing the fourteen innings needed to get the two wins and he delivered in style, a 4-0 shutout. Cranberry Café (8-8-1) now needs the Swingers to beat the Stats squad or they are finished for the season. That would be an upset as Cranberry has a talented team and was expected to make a deep run in the playoffs with the pitching they feature. Also, for the second week in a row the league had several forfeits to deal with on Thursday. Last week it was the Dorset Club that bowed out and this week it was NGRR. Unfortunately, several of their players decided they couldn’t make games that were previously scheduled. The players who enjoy the competition the league offers will move on without them. The week closed on Friday with the Quencher Tavern beating up on the Playwright, 15-7. With the win, Quencher (7-8) assures itself it cannot finish any lower than fifth in the Lucas division. The middle game saw the Ole Rebels outslug the Stats Bar & Grille squad, 18-6. It was another win and another move up in the standings for the Rebels. It looks like they will be in a dogfight with the Place for first in the Feeney division. The two clubs face each other on Tuesday (Aug 9) which will decide the outcome of the division in what should be a great game folks. The week closed with the Rebels getting by the Junction to complete their doubleheader, 9-2. Although they are new to the league, this team is hot and appears ready to make a nice run in the playoffs. Speaking of the playoffs, they are scheduled to start with the Preliminary Round on Monday, August 15th with game times starting at 630 and 815. The playoffs will continue through the week with Friday’s being used as a makeup/rainout date. Before the playoffs get underway, the league is holding its All-Star game this Thursday, August 11th at 730pm. There will also be a homerun derby prior to the game which starts at 6pm. Several of the league’s best sluggers are expected to take a shot at the homerun title so the event should be an enjoyable one. The league has been holding several performance contests and as of this writing, Cranberry’s Joe Magee led the “Fastest Pitcher” category with 64 mph, Nexus’ Steven Couturier still leads the “Longest Throw” with a toss 289’ 10”, and nobody has come close to beating Nick Traveler and Anthony Garofalo’s 11:10 race around the bases in the “Fastest Man” contest. Those contests will complete on Friday (Aug 12) and the winners will be announced here next week. With all this talent to showcase Thursday’s game and derby should be an enjoyable evening for everyone.