8/21/2000 - The eighth seeded Boston Beer Garden gave the number one seed Sidewalk Cafe all they could handle in game one of the playoffs. Trailing by a run in the fifth, the Beer Garden tied the game with a two out hit by Peter Drummey. The game remained deadlocked at 5-5 until the bottom of the ninth inning when Steve Fabian singled in Brian Shaughnessy from second base with the game winning run for Sidewalk. Sidewalk's firstbaseman, Bobby Dobay led all batters with three hits.

8/25/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe advanced to the semi-finals tonight with a hard fought extra inning win against the very stubborn Boston Beer Garden. To their credit, the eighth seeded Beer Garden forced extra innings in both games.

Sidewalk started the scoring early when Steve Fabian cleared the bases with a triple that drove in three runs in the top of the first inning. The Beer Garden answered back in the bottom of the first with two runs of their own. In the bottom of the third inning, the Sidewalk defense let their guard down (committing 3 errors) and the Beer Garden capitalized as they scored four runs to take a 6-3 lead. Mark Landolfi's triple in the fourth plated another run which gave pitcher Jimmy McNiff a comfortable four run lead to work with.

The lead didn't last long as Sidewalk's Bob Dobay smacked a 2-run double in the fifth and Jason O'Connell connected for a 3-run single in the sixth giving Sidewalk a 9-7 lead.

Sidewalk's lead quickly evaporated when the Beer Garden answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score 9-9. The tie would stand until the top of the eighth inning when Sidewalk's Joel Melendez forced Charlie Diblasi in from third on a ground out. Sidewalk would plate another run in the eighth to take a 11-9 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning.

Like they had done all series long the Beer Garden didn't go down quietly as they managed to load the bases with one out. Sidewalk's pitcher Mark Senna, then managed to get the next batter to pop out and the last batter to ground out putting and end to a hard fought two game series.

8/22/2000 - Quiet Man Pub was clinging to a one run lead in the top of the sixth inning when the Moran Club managed to get a runner to third base. With two outs and the tying run only a few feet away pitcher Larry Lucas struck out Steve Couturier to end the threat. Couturier would redeem himself later by making a great leaping catch against the fence in left field. But Quiet Man didn't let that take away their momentum as they rallied for six runs many of them unearned as the Moran defenders committed some critical miscues. Quiet Man's Manny Arruda led all batters with 4 hits. Charles Zaniboni and Brendan Flynn each collected 3 hits for the Moran Club.

8/24/2000 PART I - Folks this game was well played and as heated as a game can get in this town. Personal insults and verbal attacks were flying back and forth between the benches. I'm not sure if I remember a game being as heated as this one. It ranks right up there with the Sidewalk Vs Moran seven game final series in 1997. However, this game had another interesting element added to it, a father Vs son match. Moran's second baseman Joey Sr.. Vs Quiet Man's pitcher, Joey Magee Jr.. These two had to face each other in crucial situations during a very close game. Junior even nailed his dad in the thigh and left a bruise that will take some time to heal. Imagine the conversation the two had in the car on the way home. Moving on to the game itself.

Quiet Man trailed 3-2 entering the top of the sixth inning. Moran's pitcher Steve Lannon got into a bases loaded jam and had to face Quiet Man's Greg Conlan. Conlan quickly got ahead in the count and drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game. Lannon got the next batter to pop out to avoid further damage.

In the bottom of the sixth, Bobby McGarrell, Lannon, Brendan Flynn, Charles Zaniboni, and Paul Gurley all connected for hits to give Moran a 7-3 lead. Many thought the game was over at that point, including me.

Halfway through the four run inning young Joey Magee was replaced on the mound by Larry "The Rifleman" Lucas. Lucas did his job and quickly extinguished the out of control blaze that the Moran Club had ignited. Although trailing by four runs, Lucas' crafty work gave the Quiet Man Pub a reason to rally.

In the top of the seventh inning Chris Neff sparked the comeback with a one out double down the left field line. Steven Muldowney then drew a walk to set the table for the leagues most feared hitter, Robbie Rogers. But Lannon fought back and managed to get Rogers to ground out to first. Both runners advanced on the play. Manny Arruda then stepped up to the plate and delivered the two-out clutch hit to right field that tied the game at seven.

In the bottom of the seventh inning with two men out, Moran's Steven Couturier nearly ended the game when he smacked a Lucas offering to deep left field that took Rogers to the fence before he hauled it in. It was on to extra innings.

There wasn't any real scoring threats in the eighth and ninth innings. But in the tenth the game was nearly over when Quiet Man's Steven Muldowney crushed a Lannon pitch to deep center field. The ball one hopped the fence as Muldowney pulled into second base. With no outs and Rogers and Arruda up next the outcome was not looking good for the Moran Club. But Steve Lannon dug deeply and somehow escaped the inning with out allowing the go ahead run. Moran didn't threaten in the bottom of the tenth inning and the league commissioner was forced to call the game due to light restrictions. This game will be completed on Monday at 8:30 pm.

8/28/2000 PART II - The two teams that played 10 heated innings and couldn't determine a winner, locked horns again tonight for another three innings before a winner was finally declared.

Quiet Man's catcher Mario Perella connected for a one out triple to right center and later scored the go ahead run on Terry Flaherty's line drive that struck pitcher John McGrath and rolled out of reach. That run would stand as the Moran bats went quietly in the bottom of the thirteenth inning. The loss marks the end of a six year dominance by the Sam Moran Club.

8/22/2000 - Trailing 3-2, Quality Painting's Ruben Alicia and Steve Pascantili led the fifth inning off with back to back singles. Derek Milano followed with a single to center that tied the game after a twelve pitch battle against John Gregorio. Quality's Ralph Terrazano then delivered the game winning hit when he doubled to right field clearing the bases. Quality Painting would score two more runs in the six run fifth inning to put the game away. Ronny Purcell, Billy Collins, and Jeremy Bragg each had three hits to help aid the offensive cause for Quality.

8/24/2000 - Quality Painting was looking for the sweep but they knew Mirisolas' was not going to lay down and make it easy for them. Quality open the scoring in the second when Ruben Alicia forced a run in from third on a fielders choice. The run would be the only run scored up until the fifth inning.

In the fifth, Quality's shortstop Derek Milano delivered what proved to be the game winning hit, when he tripled in Mark Dillon from first base. Mirisolas' answered back with a run in the fifth inning on Joe Curran's sacrifice fly that scored John Gregorio from third.

With his team ahead by a run in the sixth inning, Quality's coach Billy Collins then made the coaching move of the game. Collins inserted Bobby Diggins into the game for defensive purposes and Diggins came up big with the glove and the bat. Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Mirisolas' Sean Dwyer hit a rocket up the middle that Diggins backhanded and threw to first to get Dwyer by a step. Diggins then brought his hot hand to the plate when he led off the top of seventh with a double and would score on Dillon's single to center.

It was Diggins' glove again in the bottom of the seventh when Mirisolas' tried to mount a last inning comeback to keep their playoff hopes alive. With two outs and runners on first and second, Joe Curran hit a low liner back through the box but Diggins knocked it down and flipped the ball to the second baseman who was covering the bag for the series ending out.

8/21/2000 - Seapoint Restaurant used a four run fourth inning giving pitcher Jay Malley all the run support he needed as Seapoint won game one of the best of three series. Timmy Malley, Brian Ahearn, Michael Whitney and Jimmy Burgio each collected a pair of hits in the win. Mike Smith was really on his game and made several outstanding plays at third base for Murphy's Law.

8/25/2000 - Murphy's Law may have caught Seapoint looking ahead to the next series as they handed the Seapointers a humiliating 11-4 defeat. With the score tied at four, Murphy's sent eight men to the plate in the sixth and scored four runs to take a 8-4 lead over the stunned Seapoint club.

It was all Murphy's again in the seventh when Chris Martin, Sean Malone, and Jack Rogers all scored giving Murphy's an 11-4 lead. Malone, who was the DH in the game, then entered the game as the catcher which is an illegal substitution. The move prompted Seapoint's coach Brain Ahearn to file a protest with the league. The protest was granted and the game will resume on Monday with Murphy's leading 11-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Stay tuned!

8/28/2000 - In the replay of the seventh inning, Seapoint couldn't get a rally going as they fell to the upstart Murphy's Law 11-5 forcing a deciding game three.

8/28/2000 - Murphy's Law took the early 1-0 lead in game three and could have had three more runs if it wasn't for Seapoint's right fielder Jimmy Glynn, who made a tremendous catch in deep right field.

Seapoint's bats then came to life in the third inning when Timmy Malley and Pat Sullivan reached with back to back singles. Jimmy Burgio then smacked a home run to right center that scored Malley and Sullivan giving Seapoint a 3-1 lead. From that point on the momentum had swayed to Seapoint's side as their pitcher Jay Malley found his groove and struck out four batters over the next three innings. Seapoint's bats also continued their attack as they added four more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.

Murphy's tried to rally in the top of the seventh inning but it was too little to late as they fell 7-2 in the deciding game.

8/29/2000 - The Seapoint Restaurant scored the first four runs and then hung on to claim a victory in game one of the best of five series.

Already ahead 2-0, Seapoint added some insurance runs in the top of the fifth when Jimmy Burgio doubled home Pat Sullivan and Mike Prendergast singled in Burgio. Those runs would prove costly for Sidewalk as they fought back in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings only to fall a run short.

Sidewalk had their chances to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh when lead off batter John Oliviera reached second on a two base throwing error. Charlie Diblasi then moved the runner over to third and Sidewalk's chances of tying the game were looking good. But Seapoint's pitcher, John Kenney, stayed calm under the pressure and managed to get Pat Egan to bounce out to the third baseman (Derek Basciewicz) for the second out of the inning. With the game hanging in the balance, Sidewalk looked to their leadoff hitter Jason O'Connell. With a 1-1 count Kenney got O'Connell to ground out to the shortstop to end the threat and the game.

8/30/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe completed a dramatic two-out four run rally in the top of the seventh to win game two and even the best of five series at a game a piece.

Donald Bolstad and Derek Basciewicz put Seapoint on the board in the first with back to back RBI singles. Mike Prendergast then hit a sac fly that scored Mike Whitney and Seapoint led 3-0 after one inning of play.

Seapoint added another run in the second when Pat Sullivan knocked in Timmy Malley. Sidewalk then fought back in the top of the third when Jason O'Connell hit an RBI single and Tommy Connolly knocked in two runs with a single to right field. Seapoint was still maintain 4-3 lead and were very upbeat about their chances of winning.

Basciewicz came through again in the third with another RBI single that scored Prendergast from second base to increase the lead to 5-3. They added another run in the fourth when Jimmy Burgio reached base on a fielder's choice. Seapoint would take a 6-4 lead into the top of the seventh inning.

In the seventh, Dennis Lynch stroked a one-out double to center field. Jason O'Connell then flew out and Sidewalk was down to its last out. Lefty, Bobby Dobay was next and he lined a two strike single to right that scored Lynch making it a two run game (6-4 Seapoint).

With the tying run at the plate, Tommy Connolly was then walked. Another lefty, Steve Fabian, who has been real hot at the plate, represented the go ahead run for Sidewalk. Fabian got the count to 2-2 before he roped a pitch to center field that eluded the outfielders. Dobay and Connolly raced home to tie the game at six. Mark Senna then reached on an infield error with Fabian moving over to third on the play. With two outs and runners on the corners Seapoint's catcher made an attempt to pick Senna off of first base. The throw sailed over the first baseman's head and into right field allowing Fabian to score the go ahead run 7-6.

Seapoint did not go quietly in the seventh as they managed to load the bases with two outs. But Senna got Steve Rosemond to produce a ground ball to third to end the game. The two teams will play a pivotal game three on Thursday and game four is scheduled for Tuesday.

8/31/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and then hung on for the win in game three of the series. The two teams will play game four on Tuesday.

Seapoint led 3-2 in the fifth when Tommy McGrath and Pat Egan hit back to back singles off of Seapoint's starter John Kenney. Dennis Lynch and Brian Shaughnessy then followed with singles that put Sidewalk ahead 4-3. Bobby Dobay then hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Lynch from third increasing the lead to 5-3. Shaughnessy then scored Sidewalk's sixth run of the game on the next play when Seapoint's third baseman couldn't come up with a hot grounder. Sidewalk led 6-3 entering the top of the sixth inning.

Seapoint's Michael Whitney led the sixth off with a single against Sidewalk's pitcher Mark Senna, who was pitching his third game in a row. Senna retired the next two batters in the inning but then had to face Derek Basciewicz who has been having a tremendous series at the plate. Basciewicz delivered again with a hard single up the middle to cut the lead to a run. Senna then got Steven Morrill to fly out to center to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Sidewalk was looking to add an insurance run or two when they loaded the bases with two outs. Seapoint's coach made a pitching change and brought Jay Malley into the game to face Bobby Dobay. The move worked as Jay Malley got Dobay to ground out to first to end the threat.

With Sidewalk holding on to a two run lead, Seapoint put the tying runs on base to lead the seventh inning off. An exhausted Senna then had to face Seapoint's top of the order, Timmy Malley, Pat Sullivan, and Jimmy Burgio. Malley grounded into a fielders choice that moved Glynn over to third. With runners on the corners Sullivan grounded to second baseman Dennis Lynch who flipped to shortstop, John Oliviera for the second out of the inning. Jimmy Glynn scored on the play making it a 6-5 game. With a runner on first and his team's hopes riding on his shoulders, Jimmy Burgio stepped into the batters box. Burgio had been in this position in the past and often came through for his team. But this time it wasn't to be as he chased a 2-2 pitch that produced another ground ball to Lynch who flipped to Steve Fabian at first to end the game. All three games in the series have been decided by one run.

9/5/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe advanced to the finals for the fifth year in a row when they defeated Seapoint Restaurant 6-5 in eleven exciting and well played innings. Pitchers Jay Malley and Mark Senna dueled for several scoreless innings before Sidewalk's Tommy Connolly slammed a two-run homer to left center field to break the tie.

Seapoint opened the scoring in the third inning when Timmy Malley reached on an infield error and was followed by Michael Whitney's single to left. Jimmy Burgio then followed with a single that scored Whitney from first on an overthrow from the outfield. They would increase their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth with a hit and two Sidewalk miscues. It was now getting late in the game and Sidewalk's offense was being stymied by pitcher Jay Malley.

But in the top of the sixth inning the Sidewalk offense came to life. Dennis Lynch (3 hits) led off with a single and was followed by Jason O'Connell's double. Bobby Dobay (3 hits) then hit a grounder to first baseman Burgio who didn't have a play on Dobay so he alertly threw to catcher Donald Bolstad. Bolstad had Lynch caught between third and home so he proceeded to chase him back to third. While Lynch was performing his best Houdini act O'Connell was also on his way to third. Dobay also got into the act by taking the unoccupied second base. Confusion set in on the Seapoint infielders and somehow Lynch scored on the play, O'Connell managed to get back to second, and Dobay trotted back to first. Sidewalk still trailed 3-1 with no outs and runners on first and second.

Tommy Connolly then hit an infield single that loaded the bases for Mark Senna. Senna struck a mighty blow when he drove a ball to deep left center field that rolled to the fence. O'Connell, Dobay, and Connolly scored easily but Senna tried stretching the hit and was tagged out at the plate. The hit put Sidewalk in the lead 4-3.

The lead didn't last long as Seapoint fought back in the bottom of the sixth. Donald Bolstad ripped a 1-0 fastball to deep center that fell for a triple. Bolstad scored on the next play and the score was tied 4-4.

From the sixth inning to the eleventh both teams got great pitching and good defense. Jay Malley and Mark Senna kept the batters off balance as they mixed speeds and locations. Seapoint had the only real threat in the eighth but Senna wiggled out of the jam with two strikeouts.

In the eleventh, Bobby Dobay reached base on a fielders choice. Sidewalk's Tommy Connolly then stepped into the box with a chance to be the hero. Connolly came through in the clutch when he lined a ball that split the left and center fielders going for a two-run homerun. Sidewalk had a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the eleventh.

Seapoint again didn't lie down and make it easy for the boys in green. Steven Morrill led the eleventh off with a double to left. After Senna got the next batter to ground out, Timmy Malley came through when his team needed it most and singled to center. Morrill scored on the play and Seapoint had the tying runner on base with one out. Pat Sullivan was next and he hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Dennis Lynch who fielded it and flipped to O'Connell who was covering the bag. Seapoint's last chance rested in the hands of Michael Whitney.

With Seapoint's season on the line, Whitney wasn't taking any pitches as he fouled back the first pitch he saw. The count then grew to 2-1 and Whitney was sitting on a fastball. Senna gave him one and Whitney turned on it and smashed the ball to deep left field. "I thought it was gone the moment it left the bat," stated Senna afterward. As the ball neared the fence in left, all in attendance thought they just witnessed one of the most dramatic walk off homeruns in M Street Softball history. Instead, Sidewalk's left fielder Bryan Shaughnessy, who is a student at Harvard University, used his speed to get back to the fence and squeezed the ball for the game and the series' last out.

In the aftermath, a relieved Sidewalk team rejoiced in their win with hive fives, pats on the backs, and hugs. On the other side of the diamond, one had to feel for the dejected Seapoint ball club. They had a one game series lead and were one strike away from going up 2-0 when they led by three runs with two outs in the last inning of game two. But the resilient Sidewalk team rallied and all Seapoint could do was watch Sidewalk steal the game and eventually the series.

8/29/2000 - The powerful lineup of the Quiet Man Pub came to life tonight as they shellacked Quality Painting in game one of the best of five series.

Quiet Man sent fourteen batters to the plate in the first inning and scored twelve runs. Quality Painting never caught their breath as the onslaught of hits and runs continued through the first three innings.

In the end, Quiet Man had collected 18 hits and 19 runs. Manny Arruda, Tommy Cherry, Greg Conlan, Joe Pano, and Robbie Rogers were just a few of the hitting stars for the Quiet Man Pub tonight.

Joey Magee Jr's pitching performance could not go unnoticed as he limited Quality's offense to 4 hits and only one run.

8/30/2000 - Quality Painting proved that the first game of the series was a fluke as they rallied for the victory in game two.

Quality's chances of tying the series didn't look good when Quiet Man Pub scored four runs in the top of the first inning. Quality answered in the first with a run of their own on Derek Milano's homerun but still trailed by three runs.

Steven Muldowney doubled home Chris Neff in the second inning increasing Quiet Man's lead to 5-1. They added another run in the third when Mario Perella sacrificed home Manny Arruda, who had tripled. Up until this point, Quiet Man was in complete control of the game and it looked as if their offense was just too much for Quality's pitcher Ruben Alicea.

But Alicea got tough when he needed to and kept them scoreless for the remainder of the game. While Alicea was doing his part, Quality's bats came to life in the fourth and fifth innings as they scored nine runs. Steven Pascantilli connected in the fourth for a two-run double that was followed by Ralph Terrazano's triple.

The score was tied at six in the fifth inning when Billy Collins came to the plate with runners on the corners and one out. Collins hit it down and hard as he advocates and Quality had their first lead of the game. Collins would later score in the inning on Jeremy Bragg's (3 hits) two-run single to right.

The fifth inning proved to be a costly one for Quiet Man as Alicea only allowed one hit through the last three innings of the game to snag the well deserved win.

8/31/2000 - Quiet Man Pub used an early offensive attack and got great pitching from Larry Lucas and Joey Magee as they cruised to a 7-2 victory in game three of the series.

Joe Pano led the game off with a triple and would later score on an infield error. That error was the first of three costly ones for Quality Painting as their defense played poorly throughout the game. Brian Linehan drove home what would prove to be the winning run in the first when he sacrificed Rob Rogers home from third.

Quiet Man added two more runs in the second on Terry Flaherty's deep drive to center that fell for a triple. Tommy Cherry followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Flaherty from third. Chris Neff then singled home Pano, who had reached second via an error. Another two runs were scored in the fourth when Steven Muldowney drove in Tommy Cherry and Brad Morrill to increase Quiet Man's lead to 7-0

Quality scored two runs in the fifth as they tried to climb back into the game. But Quiet Man's coach, Michael Duffley, wisely made a pitching change and young Joey Magee was brought in to end any hope of a comeback for Quality. Magee finished with two strikeouts in two innings of work. Game four is scheduled for Tuesday at 7pm.

9/5/2000 - Quality Painting forced a deciding fifth game when they upset the Quiet Man Pub 6-5 tonight. Winning pitcher Ruben Alicia mixed his pitches well and used a great changeup to keep the powerful Quiet Man offense in check.

More to follow....

9/6/2000 - The Quiet Man Pub advanced to the finals tonight by defeating Quality Painting 3-2. Pitchers Larry Lucas and Ruben Alicea were both very sharp and very effective throughout the game. Lucas carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before losing it on a homerun by Derek Milano.

Robbie Rogers started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning by roping a two out double down the left field line that scored Joe Pano from first base. Quiet Man Pub added another run in the second when Steven Muldowney doubled to center and was brought home on a hit by Brian Linehan.

Quiet Man added another run in the third to put them up 3-0. At this point in the game Quality Painting had yet to get a runner on base. Lucas continued to shine through the third and fourth innings as he struck out two batters and was still clinging on to his no-hitter.

Leading off the fifth inning was Quality's shortstop Derek Milano. Milano quickly put an end to the no-hitter by croaking the first pitch he saw over the fence in left for a homerun. Quality finally had a hit and a run. Lucas didn't let the blow get to him as he sat down the next two batters.

In the sixth, with one out and Quiet Man leading 3-1, Quality's second baseman Bobby Diggins was drilled in the arm by a Lucas rise ball. Diggins quickly took his base and was then moved over to second on a fielders choice. Ralph Terrazano then put Quality within a run by stroking a single to center field that scored Diggins from second. Quality only had two hits but both were timely ones.

Quality's pitcher Ruben Alicea continued to work effectively through the sixth and seventh innings keeping his foes from scoring the all important insurance run.

The game came down to the top of the seventh inning with Quality's John Pagel, Derek Milano, and Tommy Fitzpatrick looking to find a way to tie the game. Lucas quickly went to work against Pagel striking him out in four pitches. Quality's hopes then turned to Milano, who had delivered a homerun earlier in the game. Perhaps a little anxious in this at bat, Derek went after the first pitch and flew out to the center fielder Joe Pano. It was down to the last out and all eyes turned to Quality's Tommy Fitzpatrick, who needed to find a way to get on base.

Lucas again went to work and quickly got two strikes on Fitzpatrick. After fouling off a pitch, Fitzy chased a low pitch for strike three and the series was over. A quick celebration took place around the mound area as the Quiet Men players gathered around and congratulated their ace pitcher on his masterful performance.

9/7/2000 - Quiet Man's Manny Arruda and Joey Magee combined for a six hit 3-0 shutout win over the Sidewalk Cafe in game one of the best of seven finals. Arruda pitched six scoreless innings and Magee struck out the side in the seventh to record the save.

Quiet Man opened the scoring in the first inning with back to back hits by Joe Pano (2 hits) and Chris Neff (2 hits). The 1-0 lead would stay that way through the next four innings as pitching and defense took over the game.

In the top of the fifth inning, Terry Flaherty and Brad Morrill reached base on two costly Sidewalk errors. Flaherty scored in the inning when Neff delivered his second hit of the game. Steven Muldowney then delivered Morrill from second on a bloop hit to center field giving Quiet Man a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

Sidewalk put the first two runners on in the bottom of the fifth but left them stranded. By games end, Sidewalk would leave ten runners on base.

Joey Magee was brought in to pitch the seventh inning an immediately fell behind and walked the first batter. For a moment it was looking like Sidewalk was about to pull off another come from behind win. But Magee stayed focus and struck out pinch hitters Harry John and Pat Egan. Dennis Lynch then singled and Sidewalk had the tying run at the plate. Again Magee focused on the task at hand and went to work against Brian Shaughnessy. On a 2-2 count, Magee fired a fastball past Shaughnessy for strike three to end the game.

9/8/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back as they cruised to a 7-3 over Quiet Man in game two of the best of seven series.

With a run already across the plate, Steve Fabian delivered two more for Sidewalk when he lined a single to right field in the first inning to put sidewalk up 3-0. Quiet Man answered with a run of their own in the first when Chris Neff tripled to left field and Steve Muldowney hit a sacrifice fly.

The 3-1 Sidewalk lead would stand until the fifth inning when Tommy Connolly was hit by a Joey Magee pitch. Mark Senna then singled to right field with Connolly taking third on the hit. Senna drifted a bit too far away from first base on the hit as Quiet Man's center fielder Joe Pano alertly threw behind Senna which forced a run down. Senna wisely remained in the run down long enough to allow Connolly to score what turned out to be the game winning run.

Sidewalk added three more runs in the sixth inning to chase pitcher Joey Magee from the game. Dennis Lynch and Jason O'Connell struck the big blows for Sidewalk in the inning.

Trailing by six runs in the seventh, Quiet Man saw an opportunity to sneak back into the game. John Young started the inning with a hit to center and was followed by a walk to Joe Pano. Senna then regained his focus to get the next two batters before walking Manny Arruda to load the bases. Mario Perella was next and he came through in the clutch for Quiet Man. Perella's single to right scored Pano and Terry Flaherty to make it a 7-3 game.

With runners on first and second, Senna had to grind it out before getting Brian Linehan to bounce out to the second baseman for the games final out.

9/11/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe scored two runs in the first and two in the third and never looked back as they took a two games to one lead in the best of seven series.

Jason O'Connell led the first inning off with a solid base hit to left field. O'Connell was followed by Bobby Dobay who smashed the first pitch he saw to deep right field. O'Connell took third on Dobay's hit. Tommy Connolly then hit a sacrifice fly to left that plated O'Connell with the games first run. Dobay scored on the next play when first basemen Steve Fabian tripled to right center field giving Sidewalk a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.

In the third, O'Connell and Dobay were at it again as both reached base to start the inning. Tommy Connolly then followed with a single to right that scored O'Connell from second. Two batters later Brian Shaughnessy ripped a line drive down the third base line that scored Dobay. Sidewalk led 4-0 after three innings and it was curtains for Quiet Man's starting pitcher Larry Lucas.

Quiet Man got themselves back into the game in the fourth inning when Mario Perella singled and Brian Linehan reached on an infield error. Greg Conlan then walked to load the bases for Tommy Cherry. Sidewalk's pitcher Mark Senna got Cherry to pop out to second baseman Bobby Dobay. But Joe Pano was next and he delivered in the clutch with a big hit to center that scored Perella and Linehan putting Quiet Man back in the game at 4-2.

In the bottom of the fourth, Sidewalk got one run back off reliever Joey Magee when John Oliviera scored on Jason O'Connell's double to right field. Sidewalk threatened for more but Magee stood his ground.

From that point on it was all pitching and defense for Sidewalk. Only one batter reached base over the last three innings of the game for Quiet Man as they failed to mount any kind of comeback.

9/12/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe moved one step closer to capturing the elusive championship by downing the Quiet Man Pub 3-2 in extra innings.

As they have done in the previous three games, the Cafe boys came out of the gate early in game four by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Jason O'Connell (2 hits) led the game off with a double down the third base line. O'Connell scored on the next play when Dennis Lynch (3 hits) poked a single to center. Bobby Dobay then followed with another single and it was looking like Sidewalk was going to put up a big number on the scoreboard. Steve Fabian kept the rally alive with a single to knock in Lynch from second and Sidewalk had a quick 2-0 lead. Quiet Man's pitcher, Manny Arruda, kept his composure and got out of the inning without further damage.

Neither team scored in the second but in the third Quiet Man looked to tie the game when they put the first two runners on with no outs. Chris Neff then scored Quiet Man's first run on a fielders choice and suddenly Quiet Man had some life. Sidewalk's pitcher, Mark Senna, then got another groundout and a fly out to end the inning.

Arruda kept his team in the game by blanking Sidewalk through the next five innings. In the sixth, Rob Rogers led the inning off with a walk and was followed by an Arruda double. With runners on second and third and nobody out Quiet Man was looking to finally put some runs on the board to go ahead in the game. But Senna worked hard and got Mario Perella to ground out to second baseman Dennis Lynch, who held the runner (Rogers) at third. Quiet Man's Tommy Cherry then hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Rogers to tie the game 2-2. Senna then got Terry Flaherty to pop out to the catcher to end the inning. The game was tied through six but Quiet Man had missed a golden opportunity to take the lead.

In the seventh, Sidewalk put two runners on base via the "hit batsman rule." The first Sidewalk batter failed to make an attempt to get out of the way of the ball which drew heavy fire from the Quiet Man bench. In game three one of their own did exactly the same thing and also got a base. As umpire, Mark McHale pointed out it is a rule that the league needs to do away with. After calm was restored Arruda managed to wiggle out of the jam without any runs crossing the plate. Quiet Man went down 1-2-3 in the home half of the seventh.

In the eighth, Sidewalk's Pat Egan (2 hits) led the inning off with a double to right field. After Arruda got Charlie Diblasi to fly out Jason O'Connell hit a sharp grounder to third. The Quiet Man fielder tried to hold Egan on second but in doing so made an errant throw to first which allowed Egan to score the go ahead run. Arruda then got the next two batters on ground outs.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Quiet Man's chances of tying the game and the series were in the hands of Steven Muldowney, Rob Rogers, and Manny Arruda. Muldowney fell behind 1-2 and grounded out to the pitcher. Rogers was next and he was looking to tie it with a big fly as he has done in the past. But it wasn't to be as Senna got Rogers to fly out to center fielder Tommy Connolly for the second out. Quiet Man's chances then were in the hands of Manny Arruda. Ironically, it was Arruda who almost single handedly kept his team in the game was now faced with trying to keep the inning alive. But Senna went to work and got the big lefty to fly out to Connolly for the games last out.

9/13/2000 - The Sidewalk Cafe won the M Street Softball Championship tonight with a 10-3 win over Quiet Man Pub in game five of the best of seven series.

Quiet Man looked as if they had finally solved Sidewalk's pitcher Mark Senna when Joe Pano, Rob Rogers, Manny Arruda, and Mario Perella lit Senna up for three runs in the top of the first inning. The three-run first lifted the teams spirits and gave Quiet Man hope of climbing back into the series.

Sidewalk countered in the first with two runs of their own on hits by Dennis Lynch, Tommy Connolly, and Steve Fabian and the message was clear that game five was going to be an offensive showcase.

But in the second inning, Quiet Man went down in order and it appeared that Senna's pitching effectiveness had returned. Feeding off of the quick inning, Sidewalk's offense quickly went to work in the bottom of the second. Pat Egan led off with a single followed by an infield error and a walk to Jack Levangie. With the bases loaded and one out, Jason O'Connell hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Egan from third to tie the game 3-3. Magee then got Lynch to bounce out to end the Sidewalk rally.

Knowing that his team needed a big hit, Steven Muldowney croaked a Senna offering to deep right center in the top of the third that fell between the outfielders. As Muldowney rounded second, center fielder Tommy Connolly was in hot pursuit of the rolling ball. Connolly picked up the ball and threw it to cutoff man, Jason O'Connell. O'Connell, who has a very strong and accurate arm, then fired a strike to catcher Charlie Diblasi who applied the tag to Muldowney before getting knocked over. The next batter flew out to center and Quiet Man missed a golden opportunity to pull ahead.

Sidewalk failed to score in the bottom of the third and Quiet Man went down in order in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth, Brian "Epstein" Shaughnessy led the inning off with a walk. Diblasi then singled Shaughnessy to third and Sidewalk was threatening to take the lead for the first time. Jason O'Connell then delivered the go ahead run by stroking a single to center. After a walk to Dennis Lynch, Quiet Man's coach Michael Duffley, replaced starting pitcher Joey Magee with Manny Arruda. Arruda gave up a single to Bobby Dobay that scored Diblasi before getting the last out of the inning. Sidewalk had taken over the lead 5-3 through four innings.

In the fifth, with one out Quiet Man's Tommy Cherry hit what looked to be a sure single to left field. But rookie Brian "No I'm not Epstein" Shaughnessy used his blazing speed to make a tremendous sliding catch for the second out of the inning. That catch was key as Quiet Man's next two batters, John Young and Joe Pano both reached with base hits. Chris Neff then stepped in with a chance to even the score. Like Cherry, Neff swung and hit a ball that looked destined to find the open field in short center. Tommy Connolly came charging in and dove for the ball. For a moment it looked like he was too late but somehow Connolly got a glove under the ball and managed to hang on to it through the somersaults that preceded the catch. As they made their way in, Shaughnessy and Connolly were greeted with high fives by the Sidewalk players.

Sidewalk went down in order in the bottom of the fifth as reliever Manny Arruda kept his team in the game.

Trailing by two runs Quiet Man held a brief team meeting before the start of the sixth inning. They were still very much into the game and knew they were running out of outs. Senna fell behind lead off batter Steven Muldowney before battling back to a full count. On a 3-2 pitch Muldowney grounded out to shortstop Jason O'Connell. Rob Rogers then followed and hit a hard grounder to third. But third baseman John "I have super glue in my glove" Oliviera, who was voted the "Tenth Player," fielded the ball cleanly and made an accurate throw to first to get Rogers. Senna then got Arruda to bounce out to second baseman Dennis Lynch for the third out of the inning.

Sidewalk was holding on to a slim two run lead entering the bottom of the sixth and were looking to widen the gap. Harry John pinched hit and reached on a walk. John Oliviera then followed with a single to center and the Sidewalk rally was underway. Jason O'Connell followed with another single that scored John putting Sidewalk up 6-3. Dennis Lynch joined the act with a single to right that scored Oliviera from second. After a walk to Tommy Connolly, Steve Fabian hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored O'Connell and Sidewalk was finally beginning to sense that a win was in the cards for them tonight. The hits kept coming, Tommy McGrath and Brian Shaughnessy each singled to drive in a run. By the end of the inning, Sidewalk led 10-3 as they scored five runs to blow open the game.

Now trailing by seven runs, Quiet Man had a daunting task of trying to score seven runs against a pitcher who had only given up three hits and no runs since that rough first inning. Mario Perella nearly got the rally going when he lined a ball to right field that seemed destined for extra bases. But Bobby "Larry Walker" Dobay quickly moved over and snared it for the first out of the inning. Brian Linehan then reached on a base on balls. Greg Conlan was next and Conlan roped a hot grounder to shortstop O'Connell who fielded it cleanly and made the flip to second baseman Lynch covering the bag for the second out. Tommy Cherry then stepped in and tried to keep his team alive. On a 2-2 pitch, Cherry swung and missed a Senna curve ball and the series was over. Sidewalk had won the championship!

The winning celebration began in right field and went long into the night for the boys in green. The Sidewalk Cafe, a team that had made it to the finals four times only to lose, had finally broke through and won a championship.

Sidewalk's pitcher, Mark Senna was voted as the playoff Most Valuable Player and third baseman John Oliviera took the honors as the Tenth Player. Although the above two took home individual awards, this win was a total team effort. Congratulations gang!