Umpires STILL Needed

$15 per game / t-shirt / endless refreshments.  Contact:  Butch Roche, 708-228-0401, roche399@comcast.net

 

Standings after Week 3

 

Game 3 Recaps

 

PIE Northeast: Walton 9, Krokos 3

This game was close until the 3rd inning when Team Walton exploded for 7 runs, and Krokos never recovered.

Walton was lead once again by pitcher John “You talking to me? You talking to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to?” Leahy.  Arguably the most intense and disciplined pitcher in the league, Leahy stalked the mound all game and brought his second-in-the-league ERA down to 5.7.

 

Offensively, Walton got good play from Don Kolkebeck, Tom Maher, Dan Brennan, Scott Rushton, and Randy Justin.  Justin, despite batting last in the order due to late arrival, hit a clutch 2-run, 2-out single that sparked the 7-run 3^rd inning. Defensively Walton got great play from the entire infield (2 double plays), with SC Shawn Kane snagging a Web-gem nomination for his over-the-shoulder grab of a ball into mid-CF, ignoring CF Tom Maher who was barreling down on him.

 

There were few bright spots for Krokos, although holding Walton to less than 20 runs could be considered a small victory. Walton’s John Leahy struck out – looking – so Walton has a case for next week.  And Krokos also made 2 nice defensive plays by throwing Tom Maher out trying to score from 2^nd (case #2) and picking off a lazy Garrett Adamczyk as he dawdled at first after a single (case #3).  “I’m concerned about staying sober during our big game against Kelly next week,” Ken Walton worried after the game.  Guest umpire Cary Cisko called a very good game.

 

PIE Northwest: Phelan 11, Cisko 7

Phelan broke with first-inning tradition by both scoring runs (2) and playing error-free defense.  Unfortunately, a highly motivated Team Cisko batted around with clean shots in the bottom of the 1^st and took a 7-2 lead into the 2^nd inning.  But Cisko’s bats went silent after that, and Phelan scored 3 in the 2^nd, 5 in the 4^th, and 1 in the 7^th to add some much needed cushion against the dangerous (and angry) Cisko batters. 

 

Phelan’s big hitters were Jeff Butler, Tom Martin, Dan O’Connell, and James “Gentleman Jim” Epley, whose 2-run double in the 5^th broke the game open.  Phelan also got great defensive play from Epley, and from LF Jeff Butler who chased down several line shots.  Pitcher Jerry Ashe settled down for a great 6 innings after the shaky start.

In addition to Team Cisko batting around in the 1^st inning, Cisko got multi-hit games from Larry Daly, Keith Otto, and Ed Lehner.  Not much more in terms of details since captain Craig Cisko failed to file a post-game report.  Rumor has it he is negotiating with the Irish Footballers who practice at PIE to see if they could use another big, brawling, beer-drinking, 15-man side in their league.

 

PIE Southwest: Roche 16, Neylon 6

Pre-season #1 favorite Team Roche got off the snide with a nice victory over a struggling Team Neylon, although it should be noted that “a struggling 2006 Team Neylon” made it to last year’s championship game.  Roche’s Mike Moriarty hit a bases-clearing double to spark the Yellow, and Pat Black also had a good game for Roche.  With captains John Neylon on vacation last week and Butch Roche this week, the details on this game were thin.  But umpire Dan Starnicky did his usual great job behind the plate.

 

PIE Southeast: Schumacher 8, McGovern 4

Schumacher spotted McGovern a 4-run lead to start the game, but then the Big Orange clamped down and came back to snare their first victory.  Pitcher Mark Kosiek and the left-side vacuum of 3B Mo O'Connor and SS Jim Nelson turned McGovern's fast start into a series of 3-and-outs.  On offense Schumacher got standard good plate appearances from John Campbell, Matt Flaws and Phil Connors, and for the 2^nd week in a row Kevin Krasowski and Dan Omiecinski played instrumental roles in battling from behind. 

 

McGovern got good games from Mark “Big Mark” Kendryna who showed surprising nimbleness by turning a double play with Al Schumacher bearing down on him at 2^nd, and Matt Glavas, who proved to be an able replacement for absent pitcher Mike Smith.  Web-gem nomination goes to Schmacher 1B Kevin “Thank God I’m half-Irish” Krasowki for his rally-killing, groin-cushioning catch of a Jim Nelson rifle throw from short.  “The difference in the game was Mark Kosiek,” Al Schumacher said afterwards.  “His mound wizardry {great name for an alternative rock band} was too much for McGovern to handle.”

 

Lawn Manor South: Kelly 15, Carberry 14

In a barn-burner that definitely lived up to it’s “Marquee” billing, Kelly led by 4 going into the bottom of the 7^th.  Carberry roared back to tie it at 14, had a man on third with 2 outs, and the power-hitting Mike Conway coming to bat.  Conway hit a blast into the left-center gap that was a sure game-winner until Kelly LF Rick Leonard made a running, jumping, out-stretched, finger-tip, Web-gem nominee grab to retire the side.  Kelly scored a run in the top of the 8th and held on for the victory, with accolades going to Leonard, RF Demetrio Arroyo, rookie 1B Bill Brown, and captain Sean Kelly, who didn’t strike out this week.

 

Lawn Manor North: Hughes 5, Moss 1

In a true pitcher’s battle, Hughes’ John Sanchez shut down Moss’ batters, throwing a complete-game 7-hitter.  Chez got strong backing from SS Jim Burke and SC Bill Snoreck, and 1B Chris McGinnis snared a Web-gem nomination for his diving stab of a liner down the line.  His acrobatic (for 6’4” / 250) “fall” to the bag, with the ball clenched between his knees, cut-short a Moss threat.  On offense Hughes got good at-bats from Chez, J.P. Barkmeier, and Jason Ma . 

 

Nothing positive happened on Moss’ side of the diamond, although the Brothers Riemersma had decent nights at the plate, and Dan Dw er continues to pound the ball.  In what some believe to be the beginning of “The Wombat Slide,” Team Moss went completel limp.  The onl  entertaining part of the game was when rookie captain Kevin Hughes got picked-off at second on the “hidden ball” trick.  So rare an occurrence is this in a Men’s league that veteran umpire Mike Carberr  was heard to mutter, “In the 20+  ears that I have been a professional umpire I have never seen such poor base-running from a captain,” or words to that effect.

 

Asked to comment after the game, captain Bill Moss complained, “We came into the game a little too cock .  Don’t get me wrong, I love cock .  But this was arrogant cock , and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” 

 

Week 3 Web-gem Winner

Kelly LF Rick Leonard for robbing Mike Conway of his game-winning blast. 

 

Game 3 – Thursday, 6:30 PM

Lawn Manor North: Cisko v. Krokos

Lawn Manor South: Schumacher v. Phelan

PIE Southeast: Hughes v. Roche

PIE Southwest: Walton v. Kelly*

PIE Northwest: McGovern v. Moss

PIE Northeast: Neylon v. Carberry

* Marquee Match-up