2009 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW
A comprehensive review of the 2009 season.
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| 2009 WINTERBALL GAME
 December 5, 2009:
A great turnout for the 9th annual "Winterball" game hosted
by the Boston Mens Baseball League. Team Rudolph managed by
Ryan Bere of the MABL BlueJays and Brett
Rudy of the MABL Ben's Dream White Sox once again had
youth on their side by beating Team Santa managed by John
"Smokey" Moore of the MSBL Lynn Lugnuts 8-6. Normally
"Winterball" is a game that pits MABL vs MSBL but because of
the tremendous turnout this year, teams had to split up regardless
of age. Lots of bartering before the game of who would play
for what side. Toys for
Tots were on hand to collect the dozens upon dozens of toys
that were collected. Temperature was 42 at game time with a
light drizzle.
The "older" MSBL - Team Santa team had very good pitching performances
by Franz Strassman of the Middlesex Brewers,
Paul Anderson of the Medford Angels and also
of the Boston Red Sox management team pitched an inning himself
and was gracious to let a few of the kids wear his actual 2007
World Series ring after the game had finished!! Also pitching
for the  "old
timers" were John "Smokey" Moore who finished
the game by striking out the last 3 batters of the game whose
ages combined were still younger than Smokey himself.
Sung Hoi An from the Wayland White Sox had a fine inning
of work himself by also fanning the 3 batters he faced.
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| BOSTON MABL ALUM JOINS
MLB NATS FRONT OFFICE
 November 16, 2009:
Jay
Sartori, formerly of the MABL Red Sox from 1998-2002,
was named
Director of Baseball Operations for the Washington Nationals.
Sartori, a BC alum, previously worked in the MLB Commissioner's
Office as the Salary and Contract Administration Manager in
the Labor Relations Department. Congratulations, Jay!
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2009 MSBL WORLD
SERIES
 November 1, 2009:
The Boston Wolfpack were defeated in the MSBL World Series Championship,
4-2, by Team New Era. The Pack represented Boston well in the
35+ American Division with only one player under age 46. Paul
Rousseau led the Wolfpack with 14 hits (.438) and catching
5 of 9 games over 6 days.
The Rhode Island Cardinals, led by Duxbury's Tony LeGreca,
won the Father/Son National Division Championship with a 5-2
win over The Athletics. Later that day, LeGreca was inducted
into the MSBL World Series Hall Of Fame.
Several other BMBL players participated in various divisions
at the World Series including Steve and Dave
Joseph, Joe Berolini, Chicky
Rodenbush and Teddy Mansulla (2 SB's
in one game in the 65+ Division).
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MABL AWARDS BANQUET
October 29, 2009: The MABL held their year
end banquet at The
Greatest Bar in Boston and Board Member Jason Bressner
presented trophies to the League's
top performers. Rich Wlodarczyk of
Ben's Dream White Sox received Cy Young, Omar Ortiz
of the Dbacks received Manager of the Year, Jose De
Los Santos of the Orioles received Rookie of the Year,
and Jonathan Pollard of Ben's Dream White Sox
received his 3rd straight MVP Award.
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2009 Ben's Dream
Baseball Bash
 October 17, 2009:
On Saturday, October 17th, the MABL's Ben's Dream White Sox
battled the Yawkey League's Brighton Brewers in a double-header
at Moakley Park in South Boston. The charity baseball event
was organized to raise research dollars and awareness for Ben's
Dream: the Sanfilippo Research Foundation (www.bensdream.org).
In game 1, Anthony Tomaro of the White Sox
and Brewers pitched a complete game going all 9-innings for
the Sox to beat Brewers ace and Cy Young candidate Kevin
Christina, 6-4. Mike McLaughlin's
2-run single in the first gave the Sox a lead they would not
relinquish. Game 2 featured former White Sox great Al
Wiesner going up against the Brewers' Sean
Tupper. The Sox held a 4-2 lead into the bottom of
the 7th. Tony Iafolla led off the inning with
a single. After a Mike Pollak sac-fly tied
the score 4-4, Iafolla mysteriously reappeared in the batting
order in the 5 spot to hit a walk-off single and earn a split
of the Ben's Dream Baseball Bash.
Photos courtesy of Danielle Wiesner
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MILTON BREAKERS
REPEAT AS AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
October 4, 2009: The Atlantic Division Champ
Milton Breakers defeated the Baystate Division Champ Newton
Red Sox 2-1 in 10 innings at Cunningham Park in Milton in the
third and deciding game of the finals to repeat as American
League Champions. For the second year in a row, Milton won in
walk-off fashion as Rob Kisiel drove in AJ
Joy, who doubled to lead off the tenth, with the winning
run. Milton's Rich Kisiel and Newton's Gary
Keil kept the game knotted at one through eight innings,
while Chris Festa held the Red Sox scoreless
for the final two frames.
Both semi-final series went the distance with the Breakers
defeating the Roxbury Panthers and the Red Sox besting the Medford
Angels in two well matched series.
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SCITUATE TIDES
WIN NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
October 1, 2009:The Scituate Tides swept the
Somerville Senators to capture their third National League title
in 5 years. Dave Iava tossed a complete game
gem as the 6’6” lefty kept the Senators off balance all night.
Team MVP Rob Monti, who pitch a complete game
victory in Game 1, homered twice in Game 2, the second of which
gave the Tides an insurance run in the 9th. Jason Pithie’s
2-run double in the 5th proved to be the difference while Miguel
Miranda (2H), and Brendan Stone (2B)
also chipped in at the plate.
Adam Colantuoni pitched well in defeat. Justin
Crisafulli, Paul Rousseau and Mike
Kalfopoulos paced the Senator’s offensively as Somerville
knocked off both of last year's finalists on their way to the
finals.
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METRO RED SOX
WIN MASTERS DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
September 30, 2009:The Metro Red Sox repeated
as Master's Division champions behind a strong pitching performance
by Kevin Curtin going the distance. The Orioles
gave a valiant effort with several key pitchers going down to
injury during the season. Eric Kimble and Scott
Ellis led the offense for the Sox.
Orioles pitcher Charlie Tinchert no-hit the
Sox through 5 innings in Game 1 as Acton built a 5 run lead.
But the MetroSox broke through scoring 4 in the 6th and 1 in
the 7th to tie the game before rain suspended action. In the
continuation, the Sox Steve Bessette knocked
in the winning run. Rick Hoffman led the Orioles
with an impressive hitting display.
In playoff action, the North Andover Thunder 40's and Quincy
Grays 40s both took their series to the limits.
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CUTTER WIN MABL
CHAMPIONSHIP
September 29, 2009:The Cutters won their 2nd
MABL championship in three years, 3 games to 1, over the Ben's
Dream White Sox. Adam Del Rio earned Finals
MVP honors going 1-0 over 8.1 scoreless innings while batting
a solid .417.
The Cutters' pitching and hitting were strong but it was the
defense that was the difference maker. The up-the-middle duo
of AJ Bucciarelli and John Kostas
earned defensive MVPs for their solid and sometimes spectacular
play. In game 4 alone, they recorded a combined 11 assists and
7 putouts.
Playing together since 2000, it was the fifth championship
for Mike Moloney, Greg Crossman
and Jeff Coveney. Congratulations to the White
Sox for a hard fought series.
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4th ANNUAL CENTRAL
MASS 40+ FALL CLASSIC
 September 26-27, 2009: The
4th Annual Central Mass 40+ Fall Classic began this weekend
but only one day of the two-day tournament go in before the
rain wiped out day two and the playoffs. Representing the BMBL
are the Boston Wolfpack (2006 winners), Mass
Minutemen (2007 winners), and Quincy Grays.
(2008 tournament was rained out)
After two successive weekends of rain, the tournament resumed
October 10th. In the playoffs, the Central Mass Storm defeated
the Leominster Diamondbacks and the Boston Wolfpack won over
the Mass Minutemen. The Storm defeated the Wolfpack in the finals,
12-0.
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2009 MABL AWARD
WINNERS
 September 16, 2009: The
MABL announced their year end awards. Jonathan Pollard
of the White Sox won MVP honors for the third year in a row.
Rich Wlodarczyk of the White Sox was the high
vote getter for the Cy Young award and Omar Ortiz,
manager of the Dbacks, won Manager of the Year. In the closest
race, Jose De Los Santos of the Orioles edged
Dave Callaghan of the Reds for Rookie of the
Year.
See the complete 2009 MABL
Award and Player's Choice Voting.
Jonathan Pollard
White Sox
Most Valuable Player |
Rich Wlodarczyk
White Sox
Cy Young |
Jose De Los Santos
Orioles
Rookie of the Year |
Omar Ortiz
Dbacks
Manager of the Year |
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2009 BMBL POSTSEASON
 September 9, 2009: The Postseason
begins today with 3 MABL first round games. The MSBL National
and American Leagues kickoff their quarterfinal series on Sunday
and the Masters Division begins Monday night.
The 2009 MSBL National League ended another
exciting regular season with Natick and Scituate each having
19+ wins. Scituate clubbed a league high 196 runs. The league
standings were very tight with great parity. Somerville, with
the additions of several new players, should be a strong contender.
East Boston continues to mash and with the addition of some
pitching depth should be hard to beat. Last year's champs Waltham
is solid 1 thru 9 and will vie to defend their crown. Winchester,
Wayland, and North Andover all had strong seasons too and could
advance in the playoffs.
As the 2009 regular season comes to a close, we look back and
see another competitive regular season in the MSBL American
League. Several teams brougut in new additions to add to
their respective rosters in the already competitive AL. The
two division format made for wild card races right down to the
final week. Many teams showed improvement in 2009, with the
biggest turn around from the Brockton A's, as some perennial
winning clubs lead the charge into the postseason.
2009 was another banner year for the Boston MABL,
with the league gaining two new franchises (Blue Jays, Spinners)
and adding a third division (Commonwealth). Teams battled from
April to September, with old mainstays such as the Reds (defending
champs), Cutters, White Sox, Tigers, and Rangers filling out
the 8-team playoff bracket, and with the Orioles, Dbacks (first
franchise berth), and first-year Spinners claiming the remaining
spots. |
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AUGUST |
Player of the
Month |
Pitcher of the
Month |
MABL |
Jose De Los Santos
- Orioles
16-36, .444 AVG., 6R, 4 2B, 11 RBIs & 2 HR
2-0 pitching. |
 Neil Doherty -
Rangers
3-1, 2.30 ERA w/12 Ks in 30 Innings. |
MSBL 30 |
David Lightbody - Boston Bombers
12-21 .571 AVG., 3 2B, 3 HR, 5 R & 13 RBIs
John O'Brien - Milton Breakers
19-28 .679 AVG., 7 2B, 4 3B, 11 R & 14 RBIs |
 Ramon Antiqua - Wayland
White Sox
3-0, 1 SV, 2.76 ERA w/16K in 25 Innings. |
MSBL 40 |
James LeGacy - Wellesley Monarchs
9-13, .692 BA, 5 R, 7 RBIs, 3 2B & 1 3B |
 Greg Byrne - Boston Townies
2-0, 1.50 ERA w/13Ks in 14 Innings. |
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15TH ANNUAL CAPE
COD CLASSIC
 September 4-7, 2009: The
15th Annual Cape
Cod Classic was held this weekend on Cape Cod.
The 16 team tournament concluded on Labor Day as the Bourne
Division winners, Framingham Orioles, defeated
the Sagamore Division champs, Mashpee Pirates,
3-1 to capture the 2009 Championship. The game was played at
Veterans Field in Chatham under perfect conditions. Eric Cormier
and Phil Shaffer were the O's tournament co-MVP's as each had
a win and a save. In the Championship game, Shaffer got the
win going 7 2/3 giving up just 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 0 walks
and 2 k's. Cormier was 1-3 with 2 RBI including the game winner
and save in the title game. For the Orioles of the Metro
West Adult Baseball League, it was their first
CCC championship in 6 years at the tournament. In the semi finals,
the Orioles edged the Worcester Stars, (2008
finalist) 2 - 1 while the Pirates nipped Club Franz
4-3 (2007 Champion).
Full results can be found at CCC.
Boston Men's Baseball League teams included Club Franz, Waltham
Red Sox, Scituate Tides, and tournament
host, Middlesex Thunder. |
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6TH ANNUAL 100
INNINGS BASEBALL SPECTACULAR
 September 5th & 6th, 2009:
Curt Schilling and the ALS Association of Massachusetts hosted
the 6th annual
100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular over Labor
Day Weekend, September 5th through the 6th. The game lasted
the entire weekend, about 33 straight hours. All members of
the Boston MABL and MSBL are welcome and encouraged to participate.
The game was played at historic Adams Field in Quincy, MA.
Through the first
five years, more than $450,000 has been raised for ALS from
this game. Fundraising this year will hope to push the event
total beyond half a million dollars raised!
The 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular is far more significant
than just 91 extra innings. The game continues to bring awareness
and raise funds to help eliminate Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. 100 Innings
of Baseball proceeds benefit the ALS
Association MA Chapter and its Curt's
Pitch for ALS program - the initiative started
by Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and his wife Shonda. Both
Curt & Shonda were in attendance at the 2008 game, and Shonda
has played several times over the years.
To learn more visit http://www.100innings.com. |
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JULY |
Player of the
Month |
Pitcher of the
Month |
MABL |
 Jon Letourneau
- Eire Pub Red Sox
6-17, .350 AVG., 5 RBIs & HR |
Kevin Brennan - Cambridge Spinners
2-0, 0.50 ERA w/8 Ks in 14 Innings |
MSBL 30 |
 Jose Toledano - Roxbury
Panthers
10-13 .770 AVG., 2 2B, HR, 4 SB & 7 RBIs |
Rich Kisiel - Milton Breakers
3-0, 1.08 ERA w/12K in 25 Innings. |
MSBL 40 |
 Kevin Curtin - Metro
Red Sox
10-17, .588 BA, 6 R, 9 RBIs & 3 2B |
Larry Shade - Acton Orioles
2-0, 1.25 ERA w/5Ks in 11.2 Innings. |
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2009 MABL ALL-STAR
GAME
 July 28, 2009: The
Ganley All-Stars defeated the Doucette All-Stars,
4-1, in the 2009 MABL All-Star Game played
under the lights at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA, home
to the Lowell Spinners (Single-A affiliate
of the Boston Red Sox).
The Ganley All-Stars scored 3 in the top of the 2nd on a Eddie
Fernandez (Dbacks) 2-rbi single and a John
Pollard (White Sox) rbi double. The Doucette All-Stars
scored 1 in the bottom of the 7th on a Mike Byrne
(Tigers) rbi single which plated Tony Ricupero
(Tigers). The Doucette Stars loaded the bases twice in the last
3 innings but couldn't bring in a run. Nelson Castillo
(Dbacks) stole the show and got the victory with three scoreless
innings of relief, topping out at 87 MPH on the gun in front
of his legion of fans. Bo Gillette (Orioles)
worked out of a jam in the 9th for the save. For more photos
from the game, click  .
All-Time Home Run King Mark Doucette
and 2-time Champ and 400Hitter creator Mike Ganley
were inducted into the BMBL Hall of Fame before the game.
Photos courtesy of Kevin
Michael Photography For the rosters of the 2009
MABL All-Stars teams,  .
BMBL All-Star Game gear can be purchased
at  |
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2009 MSBL ALL-STAR
GAME
 July 27 2009: In
one of the more exciting All-Star Games in league history, the
National League, trailing 4-1, 2 outs, bases loaded, 3-2 count,
score 5 unearned runs to defeat the American League in the first
of two BMBL Midsummer Night's Classics played
under the lights at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA, home
to the Lowell
Spinners (Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red
Sox).
Rob Linn (Scituate Tides) hit a slow grounder
to short with the runners going that was thrown away. Otis
Lester (Wayland White Sox), scored from first base,
jarring the ball lose at the plate to tie the game. Abdias
Gonzalez (Medford Mets) then hit a pinch hit single
to plate the go ahead runs. Mike Barthel (Waltham
Red Sox) picked up the win.
Rich Hartman (Milton Breakers), Franz
Strassmann (Middlesex Brewers), Steve Hare
(Boston Braves), and James Sweeny (Brockton
A's) limited the NL to one earned run. Offensively, Darwin
Hernandez (Roxbury Panthers) had a single and a sac-fly
RBI, Hare had 2 hits and an RBI and Steve
Busby (Cambridge Warriors) had an RBI single. Also
Chris Gobeille (Wellesley Orioles) & Ryan
Radabaugh (Lynn Lugnuts) both singled & scored.
Lester was picked game MVP and received a free
Nokona baseball bat. Bob
Wood and Teddy Mansulla were inducted
into the BMBL Hall of Fame
before the game. For more photos from the game, click .
Photos courtesy of Kevin
Michael Photography Click  for MSBL American League All-Stars.
Click  for MSBL National League All-Stars.
BMBL All-Star Game gear can be purchased
at |
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RED HOT NO HITTER
 July 18, 2009: David
Callaghan of the MABL Reds threw the season's second
no-hitter against the MABL Brewers. Callaghan had two hard hit
balls off him in the first inning that went directly at infielders
and then after that, no batter was able to get good wood on
a pitch. One error and 2 walks were all the runners allowed
on base for the Brewers.
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2009 DOWNEAST
WOOD BAT CLASSIC
 July 3-5, 2009: Defending Champions
Medford Mets and North Andover Thunder competed in this year's
Downeast Wood Bat
Classic. The Mets had to move into the 35+ division as there
were not enough 45+ teams while the 25+ division had only a
single National Divison.
The Mets successfully defended their championship with a 5-0
win over the Maine Diamond Dog 35s. Ramon Antiqua
pitched a complete game for the victory and was named tournament
MVP. Medford went 3-0 in pool play with wins over Seacoast 35's,
Maine Marlins, and Granite State Mets then beat the Marlins
again in the semi-finals. The Thunder went 0-2-1, tying the
Portland Tigers in game 1 but then falling to the Maine Diamond
Dog 25s and the Rhode Island Riptide.
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JUNE |
Player of the
Month |
Pitcher of the
Month |
MABL
|
Omar Ortiz - Dbacks
5-11, .455 AVG., 3R, 3 RBIS & 2B |
 David Callaghan - Reds
3-0, 0.67 ERA w/21 Ks, 1 BB in 21 Innings |
MSBL 30 |
Dakota Happas - Scituate Tides
9-18 .500 AVG., 5R, 7 RBIs & 8 SBs |
Rob Monti - Scituate Tides
3-0, 0.30 ERA w/25K in 23 Innings. |
MSBL 40 |
Geoff Trussell - Metro Brewers
8-9, .889 BA, 6R, 7 RBIs, 1 2B, 1 3B. |
 Glenn Watson - Metro
Red Sox
2-0, 1 SV, 2.50 ERA w/20Ks in 18 Innings. |
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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
DAY
June 27, 2009: Former Heisman trophy winner
and Natick Knight second baseman Doug Flutie
ledoff the game with a single and scored their only run as the
Doug Flutie's All Stars were defeated by the US Military All Stars 8-1
in a match-up on Holman Hereos Nite at Holman
Stadium in Nashua, NH. The game raised money for the Special Olympics and the
Doug Flutie, Jr Foundation
for Autism.
BMBL players who participated were Doug and
Darren Flutie, Steve Heuston,
John Collins, Steve Wolf,
and Richie Figueroa.
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BMBL T-SHIRT DISPLAY
June 23, 2009: Over the past 22 years, there
have been many MSBL/MABL t-shirts. Here are some of the recent
ones. If you have others, please send in a picture of it to
include in the display.
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MAY |
Player of the
Month |
Pitcher of the
Month |
MABL |
Phil Meador - Brewers
10-17, .588 AVG., 8 SB |
Rich Wlodarczyk
- Ben's Dream White Sox
3-0, 0.00 ERA w/17 Ks in 19 Innings |
MSBL 30 |
 Darwin Hernandez
- Roxbury Panthers
13-18 .722 AVG., 2 3B, 2HR, 13 RBIs
Including a 6-6 day against the Black Sox. |
 James Sweeney - Brockton
A's
4-0, .424 ERA w/34K in 33 Innings. |
MSBL 40 |
 Marco Vittozzi
- Metro Red Sox
3-3, 4 BB, perfect 1.000 BA and 2.000 OPS in 3 games. |
Mike Smith - Acton Orioles
2-0, 2.55 ERA w/16Ks in 11 Innings. |
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BMBL ROAD TRIP
May 16, 2009: On an overcast Saturday in May,
the Mariners and Senators took the field for the second annual
Muzzy Field game. Muzzy Field, built in
1939 and formerly home to the Double-A Bristol Red Sox, is the
subject of local lore as Babe Ruth was rumored to have hit the first
home run at Muzzy while traveling with a barnstorming team following
his retirement from professional baseball. But as was the case
in the Muzzy Field game between the Mariners and Orioles during
the 2008 season, this game was all about the pitchers
The Mariners got on the board first with an RBI single from
Eric Rodriguez that scored Jamie Aldoupolis.
That was all the M's could muster, as Senator hurlers Eric
Wilkins, Andrew Bonnette, and Bill
Sinopoli kept them off the board for the remainder
of the day. The Senators' bats sprung to life in the bottom
of the 3rd with RBI singles from Nate Laliberte
and Matt Meuse. Jason Ackerson's
2-RBI single in the bottom of the 7th provided some added insurance,
leading to a 4-1 Senator victory.
The Mariners and Senators celebrated the occasion with a post-game
barbeque in the grassy area behind the right field wall, not
far from where Muzzy field's first home run off the bat of Babe
Ruth might have landed.
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SEASON OPENING
NO HITTER
 April 25, 2009: Pitching
under the lights on Opening Day at Kelly Field in Hyde Park,
Chad Griffiths spins a no hitter against the
Cambridge Spinners. Griffiths was brillant striking out 12,
including the side in the 3rd and 4th innings, while scattering
4 walks. He did not allow a baserunner past second until the
6th, when he "clawed" out of a bases loaded jam. Congratulations
Chad!
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2009 OPENING DAY
 April 24-26, 2009: Winter is
finally over and the BMBL began our 22nd season.
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MABL opened their 17th season with a rematch of last years
finalists, the Athletics vs. Reds in a special Friday night
start at Chelsea High School.
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National League defending champs Waltham Red Sox opened
at home on Sunday against the Somerville Senators.
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American League champions Milton Breakers began the season
against the Lynn Lugnuts.
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Masters Division begins their 11th Season on 5/4 with
the defending champions Metro Red Sox home against the Wellesley
Monarchs at Breed Junior High in Lynn.
The BMBL welcomes three new teams into the league; the MABL
Blue Jays, the MABL Cambridge Spinners and the Masters Division
Metro Brewers. Good luck to everyone. |
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2009 BMBL Season
Kickoff Celebration
 April 22, 2009: Thanks to all of you
who attended the BMBL Kickoff Event at the
Uno's Chicago Grill at 731 Boylston Street.
We were treated to free hors d'oeuvres and several lucky individuals
went home with prizes. Matt Dumas was the big
winner, taking home the night's grand prize of a new Rawlings
gold glove. Jason LaPointe won a $50 gift certificate
to Garment Valet as donated by Bryan Healey.
As a reminder, the 731 Boylston Uno's location has generously
offered to provide a half-off dine-in dinners for BMBL players
during the season. Nick Novin of the Blue Jays,
who manages this location, has kindly asked that you provide
him with ample notice if interested. The number for this location
is (617) 267-8554.
 Garment Valet, a full-service delivery laundry
and dry-cleaning company in Boston, has made a similarly generous
offer to the BMBL, providing a 10% discount for every order
player place. In addition, Garment Valet will also be giving
a 5% royalty back to the league for all orders placed by those
who take part in the promotion! Interested players should sign
up here and use the promotional code bmbl17827a
when prompted.
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BMBL 30+ TRYOUT
 April 4, 2009: The BMBL held the
2009 tryout for 30+ Divisions at Satori Field in East Boston.
Rob Murray of Carolina Clubs pro wood
maple bats and Andy Katz of the Grip N Rip Club were
on hand. |
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BOSTON MABL/MSBL
POKER CHALLENGE
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March 21, 2009: The Boston Mens Baseball
League held an online Texas Hold'em poker tournament on
Full Tilt Poker. The tournament was not a qualifier for
the World Series of Poker. |
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BMBL 2009 OPEN
TRYOUT FOR 18+ MABL DIVISION PLAYERS
 March 10 & 16, 2009:
The MABL hosted our 2009 tryout at Extra Innings- Woburn. MABL team managers scouted
prospective players as they threw off the mound, fielded grounders
and took BP. The MABL draft was held directly afterward, where
managers select 20+ players to round out their 2009 rosters.
Follow link for complete list of drafted
players.
A special thanks to Extra Innings - Woburn
for graciously hosting the 2009 MABL tryouts, as well as to
Powerade for providing refreshments.
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BOSTON WOLFPACK
TITLE DEFENSE KNOCKED OUT IN VEGAS
 March 16, 2009: The Boston
Wolfpack finished 2nd in the 2009 Las Vegas Kickoff Classic,
losing to Team Victory 5-4 and failing to defend their 2008
title. The 'Pack got pool game wins from George Johnson
and Chris Arconti.
The Wolfpack tournament win streak was ended
at 5.
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MSBL CARIBBEAN
WINTER BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - Puerto Rico
 February 15, 2009: The
New England Bandits and Rhode Island Cardinals competed in the
15th Annual MSBL / MABL Caribbean Winter Baseball
Championship in Puerto Rico.
The Bandits finished 2nd and earned a first
round bye to the semi-finals by getting outstanding pitching
and timely hitting during the 5 game round robin. New England
picked up wins by Aris Sakerillidis, Dickie
Pacino and Mike Monkevicz. Round robin
games were highlighted by Monkevicz from the RI Riptide going
the distance against last years and this year eventual champs
the Chicago Legends beating them 8-6. Scituate's Rob
Linn caught all 6 games for New England and still had
enough in the tank to be throwing out runners in the semi final
game. Waltham's Dana Levensaler was the Bandits
offensive MVP leading the team in hits and RBI's. One of New
England's players Miguel Walker (pic below)
is a relative of the late
Roberto Clemente.
In Semi-Finals - Levensaler goes 8 but New England could hold
off the Chicago Legends a 2nd time and after staying close through
5 fall to the Legends 9-3
The Rhode Island Cards, led by Tony Legreca,
went 5-0 in pool play with wins over Borimets (twice), PR All-Stars,
and All Timers (twice) in 45+ division, but were defeated by
the Borimets in the Finals, 10-4.
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DISNEY HOLIDAY
CLASSIC 2009
 January 19, 2009 : Four
teams from Boston competed in the 10th Annual
MSBL / MABL Disney Holiday Classic. The Boston
Wolfpack repeated as champions in the 45+ Division defeating
the San Antonio Bombers in the Finals, 14-1. Bob Iandoli was
named Tournament MVP, batting .800 with 12 hits while playing
flawless 2B. Sean O'Connor went 8-innings to pick up the victory
with Russ Ward going 3-4, BB, 2R and Dave Garofano belting a
3-run double as the Wolfpack plated 13 runs in the 7th inning.
Richie Figueroa picked up the win in the Semi-Finals against
the Bethlehem Stars, 18-0, pitching the complete game.
The Cutters went 2-1 in the 18+ aluminum bat division but lost
the tie breaker to advance to the playoffs. Tournament standouts
were Sean Magee, Jonathan Pollard, Tony Breslau, and Pete John.
Cutters lost Game 1 to The Zorros, who capitalized
on errors, 5 walks and 2 hit batsmen to push across 13 runs.
John had 2 triples and 3 runs scored, Pollard 4-5 and Magee
2-3. They won Game 2, 4-1, behind a complete
game effort from Tony "The Growler" Breslau. Bres went the distance
allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. The Cutters got a big 2-out hit
by Josue Feliciano to score Mike Morgan and in the top of the
8th, Pete John led off with a single, stole 2nd and 3rd base
and scored on a Pollard sac-fly. Bres then retired the last
9 batters he faced. John was 3-5, 1R, 3SB's and Dan Dileo 3-4,
1R.
Rich Wlodarczyk and Jay O'Hara pitched well to beat the Philadelphia
Yankees 15-3 in Game 3. Pollard continued his
hot streak going 2-4 and scored a run. The Cutters end up 2-1
in pool play and miss out on the playoffs for the first time
in 3 years attending the Disney Holiday Classic.
The Boston Braves and Natick Knights both went 1-2 in the 35+
Division, not making the playoff round. To see the history of
Boston teams in the Holiday Classic
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2009 Holiday Classic Champions
45+ |
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Bobby Iandoli, MVP
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2009 Boston Cutters 18+
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AJ Bucciarelli and Jon Pollard
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Boston Cutters 2-1 |
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Natick Knights 1-2 |
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Boston Braves 1-2 |
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Boston Wolfpack 5-0 |
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January 8, 2009: The BMBL announces
the first players in our 22 year history to be selected for
the 
