Destiny : The Ball Finds You

Picture: Bruce, Dave, Paul and Marc

We make the playoffs at 3-3 and find ourselves among the low seeds scheduled to face a top seed -a team called National Pastime that features the Yankee logo but with a P in lieu of the Y.
Your faithful correspondent warms up and is feeling very good entering the game.

Somewhere in the back of my mind lurks the John Locke character from LOST! warning Jack that he is supposed to stay on the island as if he has a destiny slated specifically for him. As we go 3 up and 3 down in the first inning , I stride to the mound wondering if our team has a destiny today or perhaps are merely an obstacle in the destiny of National Pastime.

We get two outs but with a runner on third they loft a routine fly ball to left field that drops in safely. I have to admit some disappointment as the ball looked like an easy or routine play from my vantage point but a run scores giving them the lead. In our previous game against the Tuscson Toros we had some difficulties if left as well with a fly ball dropping and a throw that found its way into the third base dugout allowing two runs and giving the Toros a lead. In the next two innings we have two more fly balls to left that drop in and soon the National Pastime leads 3-0. The baseball gods have given up on us as they know the rigid rules of the game. They are a humorless lot and show no mercy on teams not making plays.
Charlie Zunda leads off the 4th with a single and advances to second on a fielders choice. the National Pastime has a nice pick off play with a runner on second and employ it again and have Charlie caught off second. Realizing his circumstance, Charlie races to third and the pick off to second goes into goes into center field. Charlie scores on a ground ball and we are back in the game at 3-1.
But in the 5th they get two solid hits and with two out and runners on second and third their hitter lines a clean single to right scoring 2 more and giving them a 5-1 lead. The rest of the game was quiet as they did not have a baserunner thereafter but we did not get a runner to second . In a way it reminded me of the Game 2 in the 1996 World Series when Atlanta's Greg Maddox shutout the Yankees 4-0. I took my son to his first ( and only) World Series game that night but it was devoid of suspense. The Yankees got one or two runners to second and trailed 4-0 early and soon the game was over without any drama or excitement. And so it was with our game. We never mounted a threat and trailing early put more pressure on the hitters.
At the playoff level if you have a weakness it will manifest itself. Teams that make all the plays throw strikes and keep hitting the ball have a much better chance to fulfill their destiny.
If you take the field with less than championship level players then you should expect the destiny to be somewhat less than championship level. The National Pastime went on to win the championship by pitching, defense, and hitting . They were the better team today and deserved to win.

So we trudge off the field with disappointment and the realization that to win the championship we need to be better. In this way , we are fueled with a determination to improve and with a lot of work next year maybe we will be good enough to win the championship- we are not that far away -and when you are good enough winning is your destiny because you have earned it.

Games 5 and 6 : vs. Tri Valley Giants and Tucson Toros

Teddy discusses strategy with Eddie Steve and Paul

We head into game 5 against the Tri Valley Giants in a must win mode to keep alive our playoff hopes. Last year the Tri Valley Giants resembled a bunch of bikers in a remote bar off a desert highway. They did not win a game and their team was not very capable. This year they have revamped the roster and won 3 games already and I recognize only one player from last year and he is coaching first base. He still looks like he would be more comfortable in a biker bar but now he is the only one on the Giants team needing a bandanna. The Giants seem to resemble actuaries this time around with clear cut looks and manners as opposed to the brawlers of years past.

Charley, Paul, Dave and Teddy Ballgame

Manger Eddie Jusino turns to Dick Mondello in a surprise move to start the game on the mound. Mondello is eager and “jacked up “as he aims to gets us back on winning trail. But his eagerness does not help him on the mound as he gives up a few early hits and also hits three batters and we quickly fall behind 4-0 in the second inning . We face a very average pitcher but against us he pitches like Sandy Koufax as mount only feeble rallies and lose the game we needed to win.. Mustering only 5 hits on the day we know the offense has to pick it up for us to progress beyond the pool of also- rans. There is not much good to report in this game and now we prepare to face the Tuscon Toros , who are winless to date in an effort to sneak into the playoffs.


The Toros are not looking to go home empty handed though and after making the playoffs last year they are disappointed to be winless and plan to give their best shot to winning a game. Ed Jusino counters with Steve Kunken on the mound. Steve was the winner in the Metro Rebels game and will give us a good chance to win.

We open slowly as the offense again stalls and the Toros jump to an early 3-1 lead.
But in the fifth we get a a walk from Marc Brenner with an out to give us a base-runner and then a single bringing up Dick Mondello. Dick, also known as “Teddy Ballgame”, responds with a line drive to left center field that rolls to the wall scoring two and teddy races to third . We are tied but the momentum seems to have swung our way. We follow with a single by Vito Pepe and take the lead. Baseball is a game where one seemingly small event can lead to another and soon the spiral of events cascades to a waterfall.
The LI Athletics then continued the rally to take a commanding 6 run lead and coasted home thereafter to give us a 3-3 record. Steve pitched a complete game and we awaited the playoff designations knowing we would be a very low seed. On the defensive side Dick Mondello threw out two would be stealers with great throws to second.

The Best Swimmer on the Titanic? or the Road to a Championship?

Tempe Diablo Stadium

Spring training home of the Angels.

Todd Harrison, a writer for financial site Minyanville offered his observation that the greatest wisdom is bred as a function of pain. I doubt Todd was a baseball player but his lesson is universal. Last fall , in the playoffs the Rhode Island Mavericks and your faithful correspondent trudged off the field following a narrow 4-3 loss to eventual champ the San Antonio Yankees. Certainly disappointment was the dominant feeling but the disappointment of not reaching the championship was a source of pain. ( to read about that tourney : http://rimaverick.blogspot.com) . And the wisdom? When we reviewed the loss it was readily observed we did not hit enough, especially in the clutch nor we were strong enough defensively. The baseball gods may have weighed in and deemed the SA Yankees the better team as they played flawless defense , threw strikes and put the ball in play. If you want to dance as champion then you better be in rhythm with the music. To win the championship we understood we were going to have to be better. As you move up the ranks toward the championship caliber any weaknesses will be illuminated or as the baseball veterans observe" the ball finds you". We were going to have to play better and perhaps bring some better players.

This year the Rhode Island Mavericks will not be in Arizona as they have opted to play in a Florida tourney instead of Arizona. But your faithful corespondent and his fellow Connecticut players will once again play with the Long Island Athletics. You may recall our adventures in 2007 which evoked references to many historical figures but none of them were baseball champions and we struggled. (http://davemoriarty.blogspot.com/)But this year's team is much stronger than the 2007 team. Seven new players , all capable and productive will improve our chances to play at the highest level and reach the goal of winning the championship.

There are 21 teams in our division this year.The San Antonio Yankees return to defend their title and we are eager for another rematch in the playoffs. The 21 teams are divided in 3 groups of 7. Each team in the group plays each other and after 4 days 12 will make the playoffs. In our division we are scheduled to play in order:

Mon : The Chicago Bears
Mon : The San Antonio Texans
Tues: The California Cardinals
Tues: Metro Rebels
Wed: Tri Valley Giants
Thur: Tucson Toros


Fri Single Elimination Playoffs ( 2 rounds)
Sat Championship

There are over 300 teams that emigrate to Arizona in quest of the World Series ring for their specific age group competition. The team names are often quite colorful. I would not be surprised to see the "Somali Pirates" entered one year ( it is likely they would be a team that uses the hit and run to their advantage)
This tournament is simultaneously a sprint and a marathon. To win through the playoffs requires 9 or 10 games in six days - a tall order especially in 95 degree heat. But if you don't win early you don't make the playoffs so every game is important. Charles Darwin wrote the Origin of the Species in which he advanced his theory of evolution around the process of natural selection. He may as well have observed this tournament as he did the birds and wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. Pitching and defense advance teams a long way in this survival of the fit contest but to win the championship a team needs to bring timely hitting along with pitching and defense. The baseball gods and Darwin have the same view- the team that executes wins and advances. or as Yogi might have observed, if you are gonna play in the championship you gotta get there to play.

During the six games we expect to keep an eye on all the teams as we plan to make the playoffs and oppose teams from another division. The standings can be found here :

http://www.scorebook.com/msblws55 where the Long Island Athletics are in the Central -2 Division.

Introduction to Players

Along for the journey this year is Charlie Zunda, our catcher for the Wilton Red Sox. Charlie is a guy you have likely had some peripheral connection in that he has designed all the packaging for Paul Newman's products . So next time you settle in for some popcorn or salad dressing you can ponder that the guy who designed it is a baseball player. Charlie has been playing with me since the beginning back when we first decided to start playing again around 2002. Since then Charlie has been lifting weights and getting stronger each year so now if he decides to block the plate --well no one is scoring. Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Outliers talks about the 10,000 hour rule. He points many successes such as the Beatles worked 10,000 hours on something to get good at it. I know I have thrown well over 50,000 pitches to Charlie over time and we are getting good at it. When I throw to Charlie it is as if we have one mind and see the same thing and evolve to the same pitch selection and location. The relationship between a pitcher and his catcher is one that evolves and grows stronger with success . As an added bonus Charlie drives the ball and should be an important hitter out there.This is Charlie's first trip out there and having him with us is huge plus for us. Bringing a strong catcher and hitter now is regarded as manifesting wisdom!

Steve " Doc" Parsons is a 20 year veteran of playing in Arizona. Steve spent some time in his youth playing ball in Mexico as his dad ran Sears down there for a while. He played in college at Kansas in college and has been pitching ever since. He is a pitching encyclopedia has been very helpful in my development as a pitcher . We hope the Doctor can win us a game or two out.


Jeff Carroll, another 20 year Arizona veteran and a Harvard Business School grad brings the analytical skills from his education to hitting as he offers his approach is "see the ball- hit the ball". The approach has worked thus far and we will need a lot of production from his bat.

Vito Pepe journeys to Arizona and is afforded the chance to see his son who lives in Tucson. While there we expect Vito top play some infield and get some big hits. Vito, Jeff and Doc play for the Westport Cardinals in theFairfield County Men's League.


Bruce Butterfield, a senior on my Amherst college baseball team when I was a freshman, joins us from St Louis. Bruce was 8-0 his senior year at Amherst but went on to Harvard for a master's . This is his third season playing with me out in Arizona. He started playing again a few years ago and this season was 9-0 in his league. We expect Bruce to continue his form and win a couple big games . Bruce now has two children at Amherst as his daughter Liz, is a senior and son Tim, a sophomore. Bruce and I played for Bill Thurston who retired this spring after 44 years as the baseball coach at Amherst. I know Bill gets a kick out the fact that over 35 years later his guys are still playing-and together.


Jim Scott and Jim Sypher join us from a league in upstate Ct. Both players have played with us before and we expect Jim Scott to pitch some meaningful innings and Jim Sypher to play great defense in the outfield and use his speed as an offensive asset. Jim Sypher's son just returned to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty. Thank you to the Sypher's for their service!

Players From Long Island:

Dick "Teddy Ballgame"Mondello joins the A's. When I moved to NYC in 1974 after college I played in the Queens Alliance league for the Woodside Saints. ( home field Alley Pond park which you might have seen if you ever drove on the Grand Central Parkway). A teammate on that team was Dick Mondello who often spoke to people as if he were being interviewed on the old Mets post game show Kiners' Korner. Teddy in fact often referred to whomever he was speaking as Ralph and generally offered that he " was seeing the ball real well Ralph". Well, Teddy brings back his magic and offers a solid bat and versatile defense as he can catch and play the field. I am sure you will be hearing about Teddy over the next week. I stopped playing in Woodside around 1980 and lost touch with Teddy until I ran into him in Arizona while playing for the Rhode island Mavericks back in 2005. Teddy in fact is the one who helped get this team of CT guys together with his LI guys. Occasionally, Teddy will speak in the third person such as " Teddy feels good today, he's goona hit the ball." We all look forward hearing from Teddy directly or otherwise.


Ed Jusino, manager/catcher. Eddie manages several teams each year competing out in Arizona in a different age groups and a father and son competition and has done so for years. Rumor has it he will be voted into the Men's Senior Baseball League Hall of Fame (and yes it is an honor) to acknowledge his many years of valued service. And he is a good player who should hit for us while he manges 20 guys in pursuit of a dream

Johnny "Mac" McCormick is a big personality and carries a big bat. In 2007, he was the most productive hitter which on that 2-4-1 team which was akin to being the best swimmer on the Titanic---good skills ...but still doomed. Surrounded by better players Johnny Mac should have a very productive tournament. Rick Cyyzak plays centerfield and has a rare quality in this age group--he can run well. With Rick in centerfield fly balls are outs and he is a threat to steal at any time.

Paul Regensberg will be our shortstop. A terrific fielder who wields a strong bat he will be key element in teams success. Steve Kunken comes to the A's as an "Ace" pitcher as well as solid third baseman. He should be dominant and when he takes the mound everyone will be confident we are headed for a win. Marc Brenner will be the Keith Hernandez of this team providing sterling defensive work at first base and team leadership. Marc is going out with winning as his goal and he will be keeping everyone focused on achieving the goal.

We learned last year that we need to be very good to win. For myself I threw about 100 innings this year and feel primed for a great tournament with a great group of teammates. Now it is time to play.