How come it seemed like only two kids did anything? Maybe it's because only two kids did anything! Hong Kee Bang was the Pal Park pitcher, which reminds me of two years ago, when one of their teams made the regional final, and their #1 pitcher (or was it #2?) was Yogi Yamaguchi. The other one was Oriental, too. Anyway, Bang had all three RBI for his team with his two shots, and the one in the 5th was the gamer. Of course, it didn't hurt that the flag was blowing out all day. And I guess it was in this one that a homer was protested because they thought the bat was illegal. This is Little League, coach - I don't care about a Bambino tournament in Delaware, since this isn't Bambino ball!
Game 2
This one didn't have much controversy, just some interesting baseball. Remember last Friday's district final where John Polatz was hit with the pitch to drive in the go-ahead run, and then Pat Hoarle hit a grand slam? Here's the replay. Actually, Paxton Provitera walked, he wasn't hit, but it's all the same after Dave Janusz hit his shot. There we see the big difference - Fair Lawn proceeded to let Paramus back into the game. Steve Van Den Henden (a mouthful) got out of trouble in the 5th, but needed help from Janusz in the 6th.
Game 3
By the time we got going, Alex Czarkowski was already complaining about the mound. Czarkowski's complaint was that the rubber was something like six inches off center, so he should be allowed to pitch off the rubber. The home-plate ump, the beloved Leon Dussault, told him to pitch from the right side of the rubber - and just before the first inning ended, it was discovered that he was working from 6 inches off the right side, which is illegal. When he was informed of it for the second inning, he went back to the rubber - and got into trouble when John "That's the" Way put one out for a 5-0 Little Ferry lead. Then Closter tried to protest. Too late, guys. We had a lightning delay in the top of the 4th, and it was finally stopped after 4. Tournament rules say you play everything out, but Closter's manager chose to forfeit instead after taking a look at the scoreboard. I don't blame him. It went 4, so everything counts and we don't even talk about the forfeit.
This one almost was a harbinger of what was to come during the Yankee game later on. The teams matched runs in the first, and Chris Mazerolle scored the go-ahead run in the second, before Wood-Ridge came up with 4 in the bottom of the 3d, capped off by Jeff Dato's two-run single. That should be enough, right? Wrong. Bob Freschi, who sailed through the first seven men he faced in relief, got in trouble, and walked in runs #5 and #6 in the top of the 6th. It was up to good old Jim Centrello to bang in Steve Trudell, who reached on an E-3 and moved up on an E-9 on the same play. Tough way to lose a ball game.
Game 5
Funny thing about all these homers. Yesterday, the wind was blowing out. Today, the wind was perfectly calm. I don't think I've ever seen a day like this, where the wind didn't blow at all the whole afternoon. I guess Bobby Dorphman can hit. Oddly enough, the only player with a perfect day was Taylor Kimberly, 3/3 with a double. Sandy Mardvinov allowed just 2 hits and struck out 7 (but he walked 8). And our favorite crybaby pitcher is eligible again on Wednesday. He was 1/4 at the bat. Sad thing about it is that Elmwood Park got knocked out in a matter of under four hours. I think that's the main reason why doubleheaders are prohibited in Little League.
Game 6
I'm glad to see North Bergen go. At least they didn't complain about any illegal bats today - this time, it was pitching eligibility. They tried to tell me that Tom Foley was eligible today after pitching 3 innings yesterday. Nice try, coach. For one, he needs a day off, and for two, he went four innings anyway. Violadores seran procesados. Translated, that means "violators will be prosecuted". Void where prohibited by law. Brad Rosenberg was perfect in every inning but the 4th, when he gave up 6 hits and 4 runs. How did that happen? Reminds me a little of Bob Ojeda. Mike Sabino was 3-for-3, John Mosca 2/2, Keith Bland 2/3, Dave Battafarano 2/3. Their shortstop, Ray Marato, is fantastic in the field. It should be interesting to watch them struggle back. They could do it.
They played a tournament game in Wood-Ridge tonight. It wasn't Wood-Ridge - they were in Dumont. That had Chris Doherty confused when I saw him at the 7-Eleven. He was playing a Babe Ruth game against Bergenfield. In Wood-Ridge, we discovered that when the Oriental Connection fails, Pal Park can win behind blue-blooded Americans. Hong Kee Bang was walked three times, twice intentionally, and popped up meekly to first base. He said later that the game was "boring". And it was. Take the first inning. Please. 7 runs, 1 hit, 2 errors, 2 left. The missing factor was 6 walks. 5 by the starter, Brian Pacelko, and one by reliever Andy Del Tufo, who wasn't that bad for a little kid. The one hit was an RBI single by John Mattessich. Matt Wynans did the job, though - he walked 3 and struck out 11 over his 6 innings. Fair Lawn just didn't have it. What else is there to say?
The scoreboard conked out, maybe around the 5th or 6th inning. By the end, I couldn't clear 2 balls or 3 outs, and the score wouldn't move. Innings and strikes were kind of okay, though. Not that it mattered. And not a homer in the bunch. Jim Centrello, the winning pitcher (7 strikeouts, 1 walk), was 4-for-5 with a double and 4 RBI. Bob Freschi, not to be confused with coach Bob Fritsch, was 4-for-5 with a double and 3 RBI. And there wasn't much else to say. Except that Centrello didn't allow a runner past second base all night. Want a weird inning? Top of the 4th: Tom Scancarella grounds out to second. Rob Nixon singles. And the fun starts. Jason DiGuglielmo bounces one back to the pitcher, who throws it to the shortstop - who fails to step on second base. All hands safe - but Nixon doesn't know it, and he gets tagged by that same shortstop. Two out. On the next pitch, DiGuglielmo is thrown out stealing. No runs, 1 hit, 1 error, none left.
The scoreboard got lazy during the 2d inning, and again in the 5th. The microphone conked out during the 7th, but recovered for the 8th. And they kept going until Tom Gonnella and Mike Nobile decided it was too dark. Good thing, too - if they had lights, they probably would have gone 18 before curfew. Paramus got two on a two-run single by shortstop Ray Morato off starter Eric Rounds, but Fair Lawn tied it on a two-run homer (with a deBeer ball - more later) by Steve Van Den Henden, off starter Mike Sabino. Dave Janusz singled in Joey Ferlanti to put Fair Lawn on top, but then Paramus got two in the 5th on Kurt Wilcomes' groundout and Greg Caufield's double. It wasn't over, though - Alan Del Tufo doubled home Andy Tolep in the 6th, and it took two putouts by catcher Wilcomes to preserve the tie (after a non-balk was called on Sabino - they're not calling them in this tournament). Wilcomes had another putout in the 7th (Steven Feintuch pitching), and then came fun time. Van Den Henden took the mound for Fair Lawn, and Keith Bland hit one to Morato at short, who played it cleanly and threw to Caufield at first. Who dropped it. Sabino (now the left fielder) doubled, and Feintuch walked. So what happened next? Van Den Henden then struck out the next three batters (and the first two in the 8th). We'll finish it Saturday at 1.
This tournament is getting crazy. Closter opened up the day by complaining about the failure to switch the bracket in the middle, so teams that met in the winner's bracket don't play again in the loser's bracket a couple of days later. Sounds like he didn't want to lose 15-1 again, something he didn't have to worry about. Closter had another beef, when they put Sandy Mardvinov on the mound and I told them they couldn't do it. Now they had been granted an exemption to make Sunday the last day of last week, which would make Mardvinov eligible tonight - except that there's a tournament rule saying that a pitcher who throws in 4 or more innings in one game can't pitch in the next game, which Mardvinov did. So they stuck Matt Lake up there, and he had trouble when John Way hit one out in the 3d, and he allowed another run in the 4th, but then he cracked down, finishing with 8 strikeouts. Our favorite crybaby, Alex Czarkowski, cried over being put out on the second strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play of the game (each team had one), but he led off the 6th with a single, Lake singled and Czarkowski scored on an error, and then Mardvinov averted another suspended game by sending one in the general direction of 8th Street.
And around the 5th inning, we had a visit from Joe Vietri, the Palisades Park manager, and one of his coaches. ("We" was myself and Dennis Brubaker, since the Wood-Ridge contingent was off to Dumont for a tournament game. Earlier, I wished Tom Schmidt a happy 12th birthday over the PA.) Their complaint was that Saturday's pitcher can't come back for either final game. I tried to tell them that they should have squawked before the tournament started. I'm going west on Wednesday!
All three runs Fair Lawn got were unearned as a result of a ball misplayed by the third baseman, but that doesn't take anything away from Steve Feintuch, who struck out the side. Steve Van Den Henden singled, Mark Wyka struck out, Eric Rounds reached on the error, Joey Ferlanti walked, Bobby Chiego struck out (should have been 3 out), and then Fred Wilson fouled off a couple of pitches before depositing another 0-2 delivery down the first-base line. I still like the Paramus ball club. Actual time elapsed - 67:07. Official time - 2:06, not bad for 9 innings.
Game 11
Well, isn't this nice? Crybaby Czarkowski, who couldn't pitch last Saturday because the pitching rubber wasn't centered correctly, goes out today and throws a no-hitter. Actually, the term "no-hitter" may not apply here - Czarkowski got wild in the 6th, walking two, giving up a sac fly, then walking another before hitting Paxton Provitera with a pitch to load the bases. Then Dave Janusz skied out to center for what should have been another sac fly, except that Bobby Chiego got nailed at the plate. T - 1:08. Don't blink.
Game 12
Poor Chris Tarzia. He did his job for 3 innings, striking out 5, walking 2, and allowing just two second-inning hits. And what does he get for it? Squat! Yes, sometimes the scoring rules are unjust. I wonder what Paul Durante thinks - he who had the game-winning RBI in the last game didn't even get his ups today (but Pal Park didn't catch it, so there's no problem). Bang didn't have it this time, striking out 7 but walking 6, yet both runs were unearned. You figure that out. And when was the last time you saw three pitchers combine on the same shutout? It looks awful good for Wood-Ridge, who seems to have more pitchers than the International League. Then again, whoever said they can pitch in Triple-A?
The loser's bracket of this tournament is turning into The Sandy Mardvinov Show. Today, Mardvinov was 3-for-3 and was hit by a pitch, and totaled 6 RBI. Pal Park played him all the way back to the fence, but that was no defense against his shot in the third inning, which nearly sent the scoreboard to its grave for good - it cleared it by maybe a foot. Bobby Dorphman doubled, and took third on a wild pitch. Luke Gervaise then hit a pop fly just foul of first base, which was caught by Jim DeSantis. And Gervaise took one out of Pal Park's book - he tagged up and scored. On an infield popup. No sac fly, but it is the game-winning RBI. Later on, Mardvinov, still being played at the fence, blooped two into the shallow outfield, for a RBI apiece. He's got 12 RBI for the tournament now, all in the last three games. But who's going to pitch tomorrow? Wood-Ridge has pitching. I'm not too sure about Closter. Then again, it could rain.
It took three umpires only an hour and twelve minutes to preside over this mad scene. Sandy Mardvinov screamed, "They're home?!", when he learned that Wood-Ridge won the toss, and it was downhill from there. I had company in the booth tonight, not only Dennis Brubaker, but Beverly Centrello doing some filming. I nearly threw her out of the booth when she screamed, "He dropped the ball!", when Tom Schmidt scored run number two. Then Chris Tarzia singled home two more runners. And it was still only the first inning. While Dorphman pitched and pitched, Tarzia practiced conservation of energy - 63 pitches in 5 innings. No homers today, but Closter still tried for a miracle on 6th Street with four doubles in the 6th, knocking Tarzia out of the box. Bob Freschi struck out Andy Amoroso on three pitches to end it, and they had a nice little ceremony. See you in '87.
Actually, see you later on at a place on state highway 4. Jahn's, it's called, and it's a nice ice-cream parlor I never noticed before, between Paramus and Saddle River Roads by the entrance to 208. I rushed back home, totaled and entered the game, and went back up there to narrate my story of the tournament (eliminating all references to Crybaby Czarkowski if I could - he was, after all, only 11 at the time) and say hi for one last time.