August 20, 2002 - game one of the best of seven semi-final saw Shannon's Tavern comeback and get within two runs late in the game but Sidewalk then hung on for the 8-6 victory.

Pitcher, George Pratt, collected seven strikeouts in his seven innings of work. Pratt was cruising to an easy win until Shannon's strung together five straight hits that resulted in four runs in the sixth inning.

Peter John, Scott Rosemond, and Eddie Yalmokas led the Sidewalk offensive attack with each collecting three hits. Brendan Flynn set the table for Shannon's at the top of the order as he collected three hits in the loss.

August 21, 2002 - Sidewalk's pitcher, George Pratt, dominated the game tonight by scattering seven hits and one run in six strong innings of work. Pratt struck out another five batters bringing his total to 12 K's in the series.

Sidewalk scored runs in every inning but the fourth as they collected seventeen hits off of Shannon's pitcher, Bobby Noto. Noto pitched well though and kept his team within reach until the sixth inning when Sidewalk plated three insurance runs that gave them a commanding 8-1 lead. Manny Arruda answered with a three-run homer in the seventh to cut the lead but it wasn't enough as Sidewalk breezed to an 11-4 victory in game two.

The pressure will be on Shannon's in game three as they must try to solve Pratt before going into a deeper hole. They will need good pitching and some timely hits from the middle of the order to get back into the series.

August 26, 2002 - After struggling to hit through two games, Shannon's batters finally solved Sidewalk's pitcher George Pratt for nine runs on twelve hits. However, Sidewalk's bats were also hot tonight as they lit up the scoreboard for twenty-two runs on twenty-three hits.

Sidewalk scored five runs in the fourth, seven in the fifth, and nine in the sixth to close out Shannon's 22-9 in game three. Sidewalk's, Eddie Yalmokas led all batters with five hits and 3 RBI. Fellow infielder, Adam Mancini, also had a big night at the plate collecting two hits and 6 RBI.

Sidewalk will be looking to close out the series on Tuesday night and advance to the finals for the sixth straight year.

August 27, 2002 - With their backs against the wall, Shannon's Tavern took advantage of their opportunities and handed Sidewalk their first loss of the playoffs.

For the first two innings it looked as if Sidewalk was going to have an easy night as they led 7-2. But Shannon's fought back with three runs in the third behind RBI singles by Manny Arruda and Mario Perrella making it a two-run game. Arruda and Perrella then cut it to a one run game with a triple and SAC fly in the fifth. While Shannon's hitters were chipping away, Sidewalk's offense got stuck in gear and couldn't get anything going from the third inning on and were trying to hold on to the narrowing lead.

In the sixth, Shannon's tied the game when Chris Neff reached on an infield error and later scored on Michael Duffley's single to right. With momentum in their favor, Shannon's won it in the seventh when Arruda led off with a triple and scored on Chris Neff's single to right center.

Shannon's will need another strong outing from their starting nine in game five if they are to avoid elimination.

August 28, 2002 - Facing elimination, Shannon's Tavern got a great performance out of pitcher Manny Arruda but couldn't give him the run support he needed as they fell 3-2 to Sidewalk.

Shannon's had rallied to take the lead in the top of the seventh inning when Bobby McGarrell doubled home Chris Neff from first. However, that lead would be short lived as Sidewalk scored two of their own in the bottom of the seventh to end the series in five games. Sidewalk's Charlie Diblasi got the game winner with his pinch hit single to left field.

George Pratt was his masterful self on the mound for Sidewalk tonight as he scattered nine hits and held Shannon's off of the scoreboard until the sixth inning.

In the sixth, Shannon's tied the game when Chris Neff reached on an infield error and later scored on Michael Duffley's single to right. With momentum in their favor, Shannon's won it in the seventh when Arruda led off with a triple and scored on Chris Neff's single to right center.

Although Sidewalk won the game and the series they didn't play their best for the second night in a row and that has players and coaches concerned. They will have to elevate their game again if they want to make it a series against the well rounded Murphy's Law team.

August 20, 2002 - Quality Painting flexed their muscles early tonight when Andy Quinn and Brad Morrill hit long homeruns to left field that gave them a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The offense attack continued for the next three innings as Quality built an 8-0 lead.

However, Murphy's fought back in the fourth with three runs of their own highlited by Steven Couturier and Rob Rogers' homeruns. They would then add two more runs in the fifth to get within three but then couldn't keep Quality off the scoreboard.

August 21, 2002 - Murphy's Law fought back and evened the best of seven series at a game a piece tonight with an impressive 8-3 victory. Pitcher, Mike Homer, scattered eight hits and three runs in picking up the win for Murphy's.

Joe Broderick was the offensive star of the game as he smashed three hits including a 2-run homerun in the sixth inning. Broderick was backed up by Rob Rogers, Sean Malone, John & Chris Martin, who all had two hits each for Murphy's Law.

Murphy's played like a desperate team tonight and it showed as they played one of their better games of the season. The two teams will play again on Monday with both looking to win the pivotal game three.

August 26, 2002 - Murphy's Law put runs on the board in every inning tonight as they cruised to an 18-3 win in game three.

Providing the offensive punch for Murphy's was Mike Smith (4-4 with 3 RBI and 4 runs) and Sean Malone (2 hits, 4 RBI). With that kind of support, Jack Rogers, had little to worry about as he threw strikes and watched his defense make the plays behind him.

It wasn't all positive though for Murphy's as they found out their star player, Chris Martin, dislocated his shoulder over the weekend and will be out of action indefinately. Get well Chris!

August 27, 2002 - A classic pitchers duel took place tonight in a league where offense is plentiful. Bob Homer and John Gregorio locked horns for seven innings in a game that Quality desperatley needed to win. However, it was Homer's Murphy's Law who gave him the runs that he needed to notch his third win of the playoffs giving Murphy's a commanding 3-1 series lead.

With the score tied 1-1, Paul Gurley got the game winner in the fifth by singling home Tommy Russell who had reached with a single. Steven Couturier then gave Homer some breathing room with a two out single that scored Paul Lawrence from second. From there, Murphy's and Homer hung on to win game four. Quality's Andy Quinn and Brad Morrill were the only players who had two hits in the game.

The banged up Quality team will need another great pitching performance from Gregorio if they are to avoid elimination in game five.

August 28, 2002 - Murphy's Law wasted little time in showing Quality Painting the door tonight as they jumped out to an early 6-1 lead that was highlited by Robbie Rogers' 2-run homerun to deep right.

Murphy's continued the offensive barrage in the fifth when they scored eight runs and then added another five runs in the sixth to put the game way out of reach. Mike Smith (2 hits, 4 runs), Brendan Smith (3 hits), Rob Rogers (5 hits, 4 runs), and Steven Couturier (3 hits, 2 homeruns) led the way for Murphy's Law. Steve Lannon held the punchless Quality team to three hits and a run through seven innings of work.

With Murphy's moving on to the finals maybe we will see the Smith family from Vermonth in attendance next week. Murphy's matches up well against their opponent (Sidewalk Cafe) and have played some memorable games against them in the past. Hopefully, the finals will be just as memorable with plenty of highlites to talk about for years to come.

September 3, 2002 - the Sidewalk Cafe scored four runs in the second inning to pull ahead of Murphy's and then never looked back as they won game one 10-6. Charlie Diblasi, Peter John, and Jason O'Connell all drove in runs with key hits for Sidewalk in the big innning.

Sidewalk's pitcher, Mark Senna, got tough through the middle innings as he recorded 12 outs in a row from the second inning to the sixth. That effort gave Sidewalk's offense time to heat up and they answered the call with another four run inning in the fifth. Tommy Connolly led all hitters with three hits and three RBI.

Steven Couturier and Jack Rogers led Murphy's attack with two hits each. Murphy's will be looking to regroup and get seven strong innings from their pitcher in game two.

September 4, 2002 - Jack Rogers pitched seven gutsy innings for Murphy's Law while pacing them to an impressive game two win over Sidewalk. Rogers, who scattered eight hits and five runs, had little trouble getting through Sidewalk's seemingly tough batting order.

Teammate, Joe Broderick, started the night right for Murphy's by leading the game off with a double and then scored on Rob Rogers' triple. Murphy's added three more runs in the third when Tommy Russell led the inning off with a homerun to right center making it 2-0. Broderick singled and Rogers followed with a deep homerun to left giving Murphy's the 4-0 lead. Murphy's added another run in the fifth on a double by Jack Rogers that was followed by a Sidewalk error.

Sidewalk finally broke through in the fifth with a run but it seemed too little too late for the boys in green. In the home half of the fifth, Murphy's let Sidewalk know that they were still around by tacking another two runs on the scoreboard. This time coach Sean Malone came through with the big two out hit.

Sidewalk wasn't finished as they managed to load the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth. A single and a SAC fly later had Sidewalk within reach at 7-4. As Jack Rogers strolled to the mound in the seventh he must of been feeling the heat and pressure of pitching in the finals. However, as he had down all evening, Rogers kept with his game plan by mixing his pitches and picking his spots. His efforts kept the Sidewalk batters off balance and it showed as he quickly recorded two outs in the seventh. Rogers then ran into trouble as Sidewalk scored a run and then loaded the bases. On a 1-1 count, Rogers got the Sidewalk batter to ground out and Murphy's had hung on to the 7-5 victory in game two.

September 5, 2002 - Like he had done in game two, Murphy's pitcher Jack Rogers had held the Sidewalk offense in check through four hitless innings. While Rogers was having his way on the mound he was also getting plenty of run support from his teammates. By the fourth, Murphy's had built a 6-1 lead with timely hits by Rob Rogers (3 hits, 2 RBI) and Mike Smith (1 hit, 2 RBI). More importantly, they were in control of the game and had the Sidewalk bunch very frustrated and dishearted.

But in the fifth inning, Sidewalk came to life and sent thrirteen men to the plate with nine of them scoring. Eddie Yalmokas (2 hits, 4 RBI) struck the first blow when he hit a grandslam to bring Sidewalk within a run. The hit parade continued through the inning as Sidewalk finally got to Rogers in chasing him from the game. Bob Homer took over in relief and ended the rally but Sidewalk had moved ahead, 10-6 through five innings.

Showing that they are a team that has character and determination, Murphy's answered the call in the top of the sixth inning when Tommy Russell (3 hits, 1 RBI) homered to right center and Steven Couturier (2 hits, 2 RBI) followed with a two-run homer to deep right. Rob Rogers then followed with a double and the tying run was in scoring position with no outs. However, Sidewalk's pitcher George Pratt, then beared down and retired the next two hitters with a strikeout and fly out. Pratt then got some defensive help from firstbaseman, Scott Rosemond. Rosemond dove after a foul ball in the Murphy's bench area and came up with a tremendous catch. The play seemed to re-ignite the spirits of the Sidewalk players as they made their way in from the field.

In the bottom of the sixth, Sidewalk collected a pair of insurance runs on RBI singles by James McCarthy and Jason O'Connell. With a three run lead in his hand, Pratt then went to work and quickly got the first two Murphy hitters to lead off the seventh. Tommy Russell, who has been swinging a hot bat, then singled and Murphy's had life and the tying run on deck - Couturier, who had homered his last at bat. However, he wouldn't get to bat as Pratt got Joe Broderick to line out to center fielder, Tommy Connolly, ending the exciting game three.

Both coaches will have some tough decisions to make in filling out their next lineup card. In any case, the starting nine from each side will be giving it their all in the very important game four to be played on Friday night.

September 6, 2002 - for the second game in a row, Murphy's Law jumped to an early lead only to see Sidewalk rally for another come from behind victory.

As they had in game two, Murphy's had everything going for them in the early going. They were getting great pitching from Steve Lannon, who had held the Sidewalk offense in check with a run on three hits. The defense was also coming up big as Mike Smith (3B) and Steven Couturier (SS) made several outstanding plays in the field. With pitching and defense guiding them, Murphy's also managed to put seven runs on the scoreboard and led 7-1 through three innings of play.

However, the game would take a turn for the worse for Murphy's in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs and runners on the corners, Sidewalk scored six runs to tie it at 7-7. Bobby Dobay (2 hits, 3 runs), John Oliviera, and Peter John (3 hits, 2 RBI) all came through with clutch hits. Although stunned and in disbelief, the Murphy players sprinted off of the field with plenty of life after the third out was recorded.

The boys in maroon would load the bases in the fourth but couldn't plate a run to retake their lead. In the fifth, Lannon had regained his rythym and retired the side in order. Feeding off that performance, the bats came to life again for Murphy's Law. With one out and runners on first and second, Joe Broderick (2 hits, 2 RBI) hit a three-run homer to right center that put his team ahead again. Before the inning was over Murphy's tacked another run on the scoreboard and led 11-7 after five innings. The see-saw battle had now taken another turn with Murphy's looking to hold on to the lead and tie the series.

But in the sixth inning, the Sidewalk Cafe fought back again and showed why they are the two-time defending champions. The boys in green sent fourteen men to the plate and scored eleven runs on seven hits. Tommy Connolly (2 hits), Charles Zaniboni, and Adam Mancini struck big blows in the inning to fuel the Sidewalk fire. Now with the lead again, Sidewalk decided to pull their starting pitcher in favor of fireballer George Pratt. Pratt went to work like a professional in the sixth and seventh innings and shutdown the Murphy offense. The see-saw thriller of a game had finally come to an end with Sidewalk winning 19-11.

September 9, 2002 - With their backs against the wall and in need of a win to keep their season alive Murphy's Law fought hard for seven innings but fell a run short in game five.

Sidewalk led 5-2 entering the fourth inning and was looking to put away the stubborn Murphy's team. But in the fourth, the lawmen had runners on the corners with coach, Sean Malone at bat. On a 2-1 count, Malone hit a line drive homerun to right field to tie the game. Murphy's celebration wouldn't last long though as Sidewalk answered back with a two-run homerun in the sixth by Charles Zaniboni. That homerun would stand up as the game winning hit as Sidewalk's pitcher, George Pratt, retired the side in the seventh inning.

With the championship series win, Sidewalk became the third team in the M Street Softball league to have won three straight championships. They still have a ways to go though to catch the L Street Tavern's five consecutive championships (1990-1994). Congratulations to the Sidewalk Cafe and Murphy's Law for a great season!