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Randy's Ramblings
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   Randy Seidman is a constant at Washington games and has offered to file reports. We appreciate his hustle. Randy graduated from Washington, which his two sons have also attended. Randy is an award-winning producer of televised sporting events, in addition to doing free-lance work for major networks. His career highlight -- producing games, on back-to-back days, when Julius Erving scored his 30,000th point and Mike Schmidt slammed his 500th homer. He may be reached at rseidman9@aol.com.
   Ol' RRs: 2002 . 2003 . 2004 . 2005 . 2006 . 2007 . 2008 . 2009 . 2010
 
  This marks the tenth anniversary of Randy's Ramblings on tedsilary.com. A 50th anniversary is commemorated by gold, a 25th by silver, and a 10th by tin, so I guess I could expect a tin cup from Ted any day now. Even though I blogged at the end of last season that my ramblin' days were over, how could I not present the exploits of the guys playing Public League baseball? It's not as if they get noticed anyplace else (except for Ted's articles in the Daily News, and on this site)! So if the Pub guys can promise that they'll give it their all in 2011, then I will do the same.
    Division A has morphed once again, this time back to the more workable eight teams. Longtime members Edison and Lincoln have moved to Division B, and one of them may return as soon as next year. Moving up to Division A will be Masterman, so program your GPS, their home field is at 33rd and Diamond. This season should prove to be a wide-open race. Since Central and Frankford have played in five of the last six championship games, they should be considered the teams to beat. GAMP is always a threat under coach Art Kratchman, despite their limited enrollment. And could this really be the year that George Washington wins its first title since the first term of the Bill Clinton presidency? 
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PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 
    The weather was hot!! Players, coaches and reporters were wilting under the sun. Oh, did I say the weather was hot. It was! But two semifinal winners were feeling pretty cool on their rides home, knowing they would play the next day for the Public League Championship. And what a game it should be. Frankford took advantage of six Central errors en route to their 9-3 win, and Edison raked three Washington pitchers for 14 hits in their 15-8 win. Should be a festive atmosphere when Edison and Frankford square off for the title at Richie Ashburn Field at FDR Park at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, June 1. Frankford has appeared in seven of the last eight Public League championship games, winning five times. Edison last won the Public League title in ... well, never. Plenty of storylines for this matchup. Stay tuned, and bring lots of water and sunscreen tomorrow, it will be another scorcher.
  Frankford 9, Central 3: Frankford made no mistakes in the field, Central made six errors. That's all you need to know about this one. The Pioneers pounced on the Lancers miscues, and despite scoring nine runs, only had three RBI, thanks to the generous Central defense, or lack of. Hector Cerda was the pitching star of the day, going 6.2 innings. Frankford coach Juan Namnun was trying to will Cerda through the final inning, but finally had to remove the junior with one out remaining. On such a hot day, Cerda was the only one of the four semifinal starting pitchers to last more than four innings. Play of the game: Leadoff batter Augusto Ortega's perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt in the fourth stretched the Pioneers lead to 4-0.
  Edison 15, Washington 8: Any way you look at it, the Edison Owls have created a little bit of history for their school. They will be playing in their very first Public League championship in the 55-year history of the school. Washington jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead, and fell behind 6-3, before tying the game, 6-6, after four innings. The rest of this game belonged to the Owls. In the final three innings, Edison scored nine runs on seven hits. First-year Edison head coach Matt Fischer replaced starter Johnny Pagan in the fifth inning with Nelson Coronado, and all Nelson did was strike out all six batters he faced, three on called third strikes. The Eagles did plate two runs in the home seventh, but at that point, the game was well out of reach. By the way, Nelson's brother, Nate Coronado slammed a pair home runs (both cleared the leftfield fence) to lead the Edison offense. According to Nate, it was the second time he hit two dingers in a game. His other two-homer game was for his American Legion team, the Olney Redbirds.

PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 
  The 2011 matchups will be played at Ashburn Field in South Philly's FDR Park. Game one pits the two-time defending champion Central Lancers against the team they defeated in the last two title games, the Frankford Pioneers. Frankford swept the season series, 15-5 at home, and 16-7 on the road. Each team is stacked with First-Team All-Pub performers: Central - seniors Mark Gervasi and Dan Quinn and juniors Julien Blancon and Mike Cavallaro ... Frankford - senior Israel Diaz, and a trio of juniors, Augusto Ortega, Omar Cruz and Kevin Montero.  
First pitch is set for 1:30 pm. SUNSCREEN ALERT: Game time temperature will be 86°.
   Game two will feature the Edison Owls, making their first semifinal appearance in the tedsilary.com era. Edison had lost 19 straight quarterfinal games, before last week's destruction of Division A regular season champion Masterman, 9-0. First year coach Matt Fischer has plenty of offensive weapons and pitchers in the Coronados (Nate and Nelson), Johnny Pagan, Joshua Fontanez and Martin Nolasco. Washington is looking to make its first championship appearance since 1999. They are led by seniors Tom Marano, Dan Meade and Bryan Reiss, and sophomore Jake Wright. 
  First pitch is approximately 4:30 pm. SUNSCREEN ALERT: Game time temperature will be 88°.
SEMIFINAL STUFF
  Frankford is the only team to qualify for the Public League semifinals in each of the last twelve seasons. They have been in every title game since 2003. Central and Frankford have played in the last six championship games, with each team winning three titles.
   SINCE 2000         Semifinals      Titles Won       Runner-Up     Last Appearance  
   FRANKFORD           12                     6                      3                     2011              
   CENTRAL                 11                     4                      3                     2011             
   NORTHEAST             8                     0                      3                     2009             
   WASHINGTON          8                     0                      0                     2011             
   GAMP                        6                     1                      1                     2010             
   LINCOLN                  1                     0                      1                     2001             
   EDISON                      1                     0                      0                     2011             
   BARTRAM                 1                     0                      0                     2000             
 

MAY 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE

CLASS AAAA QUALIFIER
Washington 12, Olney 1 (5 innings)
    With the raindrops falling, Washington was able to get the job done in five innings, just before the scattered thunderstorms hit the far Northeast. Playing against an overmatched opponent, the Eagles scored nine runs in the first inning and coasted to the 12-1 win, in their 2011 playoff opener. Dan Meade pitched all five innings, allowing just two singles and a walk, while recording ten strikeouts (four looking). The senior righty and Nate McLouth look-alike, took a page out of the Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee pitching textbook by working fast. With the imminent storm, Dan would throw a pitch, and after receiving the ball back from catcher Bryan Reiss, was already in his windup for the next pitch. Despite the 13 total runs scored, the game was played in a very economical 62 minutes. Meade also contributed on offense with a single, double, and three runs scored. Juniors Dan Yost and 3B Dean Grande smacked two-run doubles in the nine-run first inning. Grande also had a two-run double in the third. With the win, Washington advances to the quarterfinals with a home game, possibly against Esperanza. 
TROJAN VIRUS
     This season certainly was a trying time for longtime Olney head coach Barry Strube. With a roster featuring only ten players, including six freshmen, Olney had just one win on the season, May 2 against Swenson. His starting lineup against GW included five frosh. By virtue of finishing last in Division B, the Trojans are headed to Division C, where they should be competitive with a slightly more experienced team next season. Juniors Runyon Holness (RHP) and Henry Aponte (C) could be counted on to provide leadership for Olney in 2012 ... if they are not recruited by other area teams, an annual event.
PLAYOFF HISTORY
    With the win against Olney, Washington has now won their last 11 opening round games of the playoffs. Of course, their only loss in the tedsilary.com era was in 2000, when the top-seeded Eagles were shocked by 16th-seeded Saul. Since that devastating loss, GW has beaten their first round foes by a combined 131-18 score. In that span, they have defeated Kensington and Olney three times each, Overbrook twice, and Mastbaum, Roxborough and Prep Charter once. Olney has now lost in the first round seven straight seasons, their last win coming back in 2004 against Bartram. (Thanks to Ted Silary for his extensive baseball record keeping over the past decade!)  
ALL-PUBLIC
    Although the All-Public teams have not yet been released, GW had a pair of players chosen. Senior RHP/IF Tom Marano and so 1B Jake Wright were selected by the coaches for Second Team All-Pub. Congratulations to Tom and Jake and their families!
HOME RUN DERBY RECAP
    The sixth annual Andrew Farrell Spirit of Courage Home Run Derby took place last Saturday and continues to be a first class event. Congratulations to sr OF Steve Leibovitz, the 2011 Spirit of Courage Scholarship Award winner. I am sure the $2,500 award will help pay for tuition, books, and pizza in his freshman year at Temple. The home run derby itself was probably the most competitive in the history of the event. In the 19 & under category, Rider's Sean O'Hara won the event for the second time in three years. He had to hold off Jake Wright in the final round. Also reaching the finals were Bryan Reiss, Steve Leibovitz and John Murray. In the 20 & over category, GW alums Stan Borodyansky and Will McFillin put on a big-time power show, with Stan prevailing. Also reaching the final round were Mike Werb and three-time winner Thomas Wilmer. Werb provided one of the funnier moments of the day. That is, if your name is not Randy Seidman. In the opening round, Mike hit a foul pop behind the cage near home plate, where I was sitting. I reached out with one hand to grab the ball, but instead it hit the cup holder of my chair, and splattered my Dunkin Donuts coffee all over me. He couldn't have done that if he tried! Thanks to Coach Calvin Jones for the paper towels to clean myself up, and Werb you owe me $2.04 for a large Hazelnut. For more info on the Andrew Farrell Spirit of Courage Fund, go to http://www.andrewfarrell.org/

MAY 11
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Masterman 6, Washington 2

    I have been writing for tedsilary.com for ten years, and not once have I written a love story ... until now. I am in love with Julia Masterman! At least, with her baseball program. So go get your tissues, this might get a little gooey and mushy. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to watch the Blue Dragons in action this season, their first in Public League Division A. They have entered the division and taken it by storm. After winning their first three games of the season against Esperanza, Northeast and Frankford, Masterman was defeated by Central, all the way back on April 6. They have not lost since, riding a nine-game win streak into their season finale vs Franklin Towne Charter. They stand alone at the top of the division with a 12-1 record. It really is quite miraculous. How did it happen? Great pitching and coaching, and not giving up, that's how. 
    With one of the best pitching staffs in the league, Masterman is able to rely on three players: a senior, junior and sophomore. Even with little publicity, most fans of The Pub know about David Ashbridge. The talented senior and MVP candidate is the ace of the staff, and was coming off an 8-strikeout win vs arch-rival GAMP (More about that rivalry coming up). Junior RHP Nate Varhedi, who hurled the complete game victory against Washington, has a fastball that has been clocked at 85 mph. Rounding out the trio is soph Harry Taggart, who has provided quality innings in 2011. Guiding these pitchers, and the rest of the team is coach Alex Dejewski. He is so right for this team. The even-tempered coach also teaches on the field as the game unfolds, and offers plenty of encouragement. Finally, this is a team that does not quit. On more than one occasion this season, they were down to their last out (and last strike), and still found a way to come back and win.. Oh, Julia, how I love thee!  
GAME STUFF
    This quick-paced game was one of the most enjoyable games to witness in The Pub in many years. Unless, you were a Washington or Masterman parent on the verge of a nervous breakdown, that is. Although both teams squandered several scoring opportunities, the Blue Dragons entered the seventh inning clinging to a 2-1 lead. They had scored first in the second inning when 6'5" so 1B Jack Christmas came home on a two-out error. Nate Varhedi's two-out single to center plated Harry Taggart in third inning to extend the lead to 2-0. GW so 1B Jake Wright delivered the first of his two RBI doubles on the day, to close the gap to 2-1 in the bottom of the third. Varhedi and hard-luck Washington righty Tom Marano then threw goose-eggs for the next three innings. Masterman was opportunistic and scored four runs in the seventh. After sr C Chris Woods came through with a sac fly, it was Christmas-time again. Jack was credited with a two-out, two-run double on a fly ball that should have been caught. But guess what? That is baseball, you have to make the plays to win. G-Dub's Wright closed out the scoring with his second RBI double, enabling Masterman to sweep Washington on the season. Just a quick note to a GW player, who probably knows who he is: You did not cost your team the game. Baseball is a team game, you win or lose as a team. Sure, one player can have a major impact on what happens, but it is a team sport. Learn from this game, and move on! 
MASTERMAN MVPs
     OK, so everybody knows about Ashbridge and Varhedi. But to me, it was a no-brainer who the MVPs of this team are. And one of them does not even play on the field. Not only that, that person is a SHE! The player that impressed me was catcher Chris Woods. I have always been partial to catchers. They are, after all, the quarterbacks of baseball teams. Woods is very involved in every aspect of the game, and is an intense competitor. He will be attending Pitt next school year. For all the knocks Public League baseball gets, there are several quality receivers in Division A this season. OK, so who is the other MVP? She is Laura Hildebrandt, and she is the team manager. But really, how can a manager have an effect on a team? Well, by being a second coach. Head coach Alex Dejewski does receive excellent support from assistant John Katizner, but Laura is constantly barking out what batters are up, what the opposing batters did, and offering lots and lots of vocal support. The Pub is nothing like the Catholic or Inter-Ac, or Suburban Leagues, in terms of assistant coaches. Laura has been a real godsend to this program, and will be missed in the future. She is graduating, and has been accepted into the prestigious Penn State Schreyer Honors College.  
LIFE ISN'T FAIR DEPARTMENT
    Masterman and GAMP are both in the "A" classification in the Public League based on their limited enrollment. They are also two of the better teams in a league that includes 44 teams in four divisions. They will meet next Wednesday in the playoff championship of the smaller schools, with the winner advancing to the state tournament, and to the Public League quarterfinals. The losing team is done. That is an injustice. Teams with non-winning records (Washington and Northeast) will play against opening round opponents without the qualifications of a GAMP or Masterman. Not to slight the opponents from Division B that GW and N-E will face, but their road to the quarterfinals is much less hazardous than the survivor of the GAMP-Masterman tilt. How does Masterman get rewarded for possibly winning the most talented division? By playing a tough team like GAMP with star RHP Dom Raia?
Note to the Pub head honchos for baseball: I know you must be getting sick of my recommendations, but there should be a solution that would allow the best eight teams to reach the quarterfinals. But, hey, what do I know? I am just concerned about getting it right!
TOP TEN LIST
     Here are one person's opinions of the Top Ten events/people over the past decade in Public League baseball:
10 - SOPHS OF NORTHEAST - The Vikings boasted an all sophomore infield in 2007 (Alan Logan, Lance Lempert, Jose Delgado, Brian Susten), along with catcher Tim Freiling. Most of these guys played together for three years, just falling short of a Pub title.
9 - THE RITTERSON BROTHERS - George Washington High's Charlie Ritterson was an outstanding lefthanded pitcher, and was followed by kid brother Rob Ritterson, who went on to play at Cecil Community College and Rowan University.
8 - DOM RAIA, GAMP - Starting as a ninth grader in 2008, Dom matured during his four years into a dominating pitcher and team leader for the Pioneers. He will be attending Chestnut Hill College in the fall.
7 - "SHORTIE" - Frankford's Esteban "Shortie" Meletiche was a star SS/RHP for Frankford from 2005-08 helping the Pioneers to win three championships in four title game appearances. He is concluding a brilliant career at Keystone College, and hopes to be drafted anywhere from the late-teens to the mid-20s of June's Major League draft.
6 - JARED FARBMAN, Central - An overpowering righthanded pitcher for the Lancers, Jared helped lead his team to the 2006 title. That same season, he and the Lancers won two state tournament games, losing in the semifinals.  He competed at Philadelphia University, and finished with a career 14-9 record, 4.16 ERA, and 144 Ks in 195 IP.
5 - CENTRAL LANCERS - Winning the championship in 2001, 2006 and 2009, under Bob Barthelmeh, they prohibited Frankford from having a monopoly in the league over the last decade. Barthelmeh's successor, Rich Weiss, was at helm of last year's championship team, in his first season.
4 - JOE FARINA, Frankford - This RHP was dominant in his years at Frankford, winning seven championships in three sports (football, wrestling, baseball), for an unbelievable 97-2 overall record. Joe now teaches at his alma mater!
3 - 2011 MASTERMAN - They went from Division D, to Division C, to Division B, and finally to Division A, where they are in first place with a 12-1 record in their first season. An amazing accomplishment!
2 - 2002 GAMP - This was the little school that could! Under coach Art Kratchman, they shocked a powerful Frankford team in the 2002 semifinals, and went on to defeat Northeast to capture the Public League championship, despite a 5-9 regular season record.
1 - BOB PEFFLE, Frankford - The great coach retired from The Pub in 2007, after leading Frankford to five titles in his last eight seasons. A great teacher of the game, he left the program in excellent shape for successor Juan Namnun, who went on to win a title in 2008, his first season.    
HOME RUN HITTERS WANTED
    This Saturday (May 14) is the sixth annual Andrew Farrell Spirit of Courage Home Run Derby at GW's home field. This event continues to grow each year, and is a great way for players from opposing schools to come together for one day. For more info, go to http://www.andrewfarrell.org. Come out and support a great cause, and maybe even get heckled by yours truly, as I will probably do a running commentary during the HR Derby. 
ALUMNI FILE
    David Ashbridge will attend Dickinson College in the fall, and hopes to walk-on to the baseball team in Carlisle, PA. There is one Masterman alum who played college baseball this season. He is Billy Powers, a freshman at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In limited action in his freshman season, Billy had a .250 batting average.
 

APRIL 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE
GAMP 11, Washington 0 (6 innings)
    In the words of the immortal Harry Kalas, "Dom Raia ... you are The Man!" Sure, Harry uttered that phrase about Phillies second sacker Chase Utley, but that's probably because he never followed the GAMP Pioneers. Raia, who is concluding a brilliant Public League career, turned in a gem against Washington in their almost-annual spring break regular season game. The GAMP-sters traveled up I-95, and only had to play six innings, thanks to a 14-hit onslaught, and the one-hit pitching of Raia. The Eagles were very generous in the field allowing extra outs in several innings, and Art Kratchman's squad took full advantage. GAMP was opportunistic in the first inning, scoring two runs when the inning should have already ended. Tyler Criniti, batting out of the cleanup spot, had the first of his four hits on the day with an RBI double, and that was followed by sr 2B Joe Garofalo's RBI double. In the third inning, Criniti had a one-out single, and Garofalo followed with his second double of the day. They both scored on jr Des Drummond's two-run single, giving GAMP a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Raia was making GW look as anemic as the recent Phillies offense, and kept them hitless until there was one out in the bottom of the fifth. The Pioneers tacked on three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to "ten-run" rule the Eagles, with an 11-0 win in six innings.

    Raia allowed just one single (by fr 2B John Santos), and walked one batter. A fielding error by GAMP, their only miscue in an otherwise flawless game, accounted for the other GW base runner. None of them went past second base, and Raia finished the game with ten strikeouts, on a very economical 79 pitches (28 balls, 51 strikes). Four of the strikeouts were called third strikes, and at least five of the K's came on his very impressive curveball. Dom will be headed to Chestnut Hill College in the fall, but he and his teammates still have one goal in mind ... the Public League championship.
STANDING TALL
     He is not 6'5'" like Central catcher Julien Blancon. He is not a sturdy receiver like Washington's Bryan Reiss. But not too many catchers in The Pub have as big a heart as GAMP catcher Dom Garofalo. The senior, if you stretched him out on a rack might reach 5'7" is pretty impressive in his own right. The regular catcher for the past three seasons at GAMP, he is a very calming influence behind the dish, and has had lots of fun catching Dom Raia over the years. Not only are the two Doms battery mates, but they are also best friends. Dom and Joe Garofalo will be headed to Neumann University after this season.
FREE FALLIN'
     Washington started the season with three straight wins, but has fallen on hard times since. With their fourth straight loss, they conclude the first half of the season with a 3-4 record. The good news is, there is still a half-season remaining. But unless one or more of their players can step up and be a team leader on and off the field, they are destined to have a fair or good season, but not a great season. A couple of bright spots are freshman John Santos, who could develop into a solid middle infielder, and senior Dan Meade, who came in to relieve sr RHP Tom Marano. Meade always gives it his all, and coach Calvin Jones would love to have a team of Dan Meades.   
DOUBLE TAKE
     When I jotted down the GAMP lineup, I thought for sure that the team managers made a mistake. Inquiring about the class of each starter, I heard senior, senior, senior, junior, senior, junior, senior, senior, sophomore. Art Kratchman's teams have never been so senior laden. Usually he is singing the blues about how young his team is. He was not so blue this time around, and was quick to point out that the last team he had with so much experience was the 2002 version of the GAMP Pioneers. By the way, that was the season GAMP shocked everybody and captured their only Public League championship.
ALUMNI FILE
    Penn State Abington boasts two former GAMP players on their roster, Anthony DiVincenzo and Nick Coppola. After losing his first two starts of the season, DiVincenzo has given head coach Joe Pavlow plenty to smile about. Since then, Anthony has won all four of his starts, with a 1.50 ERA. Washington's sr SS/RHP Tom Marano is headed to Penn State Abington in the fall.

APRIL 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 13, Washington 5
    Even with the 8-run win, this game was not as close as it seems. Central took a 13-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth when coach Rich Weiss emptied the bench. GW was finally able to get something going against sr RHP Pete Rowe in the home sixth, and plated some meaningless runs. Rowe has had many big games in his career, and this one certainly ranks up there with his best. Allowing just one hit through the first five innings, he would pitch a complete seven innings, and issued zero walks, and striking out 14. Pete's K total by inning: 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 1. Of the 14 whiffs, six were called third strikes. Supplying the offense was the number 6 & 7 batters in the lineup: so DH CJ Walsh and jr C Julien Blancon. Walsh had a pair of doubles, on his way to a 3-for-4 game with a career high 6 RBI. Blancon went 2-for-3, with 3 RBI, including a two-run single. Blancon who seems to get taller every time I see him play, said he is now 6'5", and joked that he added ten pounds. Eagles starting pitcher Dan Meade took the loss, but who knows how this game could have turned out. In the top of the first, after getting two quick outs, he walked Rowe. That set the stage for the Randy's Ramblings Turning Point of the Game. Clean-up hitter Mark Gervasi hit an infield grounder that should have ended the inning, but I guess you figured out what happened next. An error, and boom Central goes on to score four unearned runs in the inning.

    Gervasi is headed to Temple to possibly study Environmental Science, and Rowe is going to Millersville, with the hope of walking on to a very good squad. The 20th-ranked team in Division II, the Marauders are 25-7 this season. Central improves to 4-2 on the season, after losing their first two games against Frankford and GAMP. Washington started at 3-0, and has now lost three straight, to even their record at 3-3.   
WHAT UMPIRE CONTROVERSY?
     Thanks to everyone who responded to my semi-lashing of the umpires at the GW-Frankford game last week. I am very respectful of umpires and appreciate the difficult task in front of them. The news to report on this game is that there was nothing to report, which is the case in a very high percentage of games. Obviously they are an important part of each contest, and hopefully don't become the focal point (Cowboy Joe West always comes to mind). Half of the responses I got were supportive, the other half, shall we say, were not, but at least I gave the coaches something to talk about at their most recent meeting.
WEISS IS NICE
     How 'bout a round of applause for Lancers head coach Rich Weiss? Sitting on a 13-1 lead in the sixth inning, all he needed was another three outs from ace Pete Rowe, who had been mowing down G-Dub the entire game. But Rich made the decision to get his reserves into the game. I believe most coaches would just stay with their starters, and hope to get out of Dodge early, but Weiss' philosophy is to reward the guys who practice hard every day, and rarely get into the game. So of course, what happens ... some loose fielding, and a couple of Eagles hits trimmed the score to 13-5, and extended the game (and Rowe's pitch count) for another inning. Weiss made a couple of vows when he became a head coach: 1) get your extra guys some playing time and 2) if you have to cut a player, do it in person. Weiss had 60 players come out for his squad, and had the unpleasant task of talking to 40 of them in person ... but that beats the alternative of posting the roster on a bulletin board.   
PIECE ON REISS
     Look for the profile on Eagles senior catcher Brian Reiss in next week's Northeast Times. Sports editor Melissa Yerkov was in attendance, and interviewed the Archbishop Ryan transfer after the game. Reiss is a very well respected member of the team, in his first and only season in The Pub. Yerkov, by the way, has done a fantastic job of highlighting Northeast Philadelphia student-athletes, on the field and off. Kudos to her doing a fine job after replacing the semi-legend himself, Jumpin' Joe Mason.  
ALUMNI FILE
     Central assistant coach Dan Winterstein was all smiles at the game. Enjoying the Lancers building up a double-digit lead, he was beaming at the mention of his son, former All-Pub Micah Winterstein. Now a redshirt sophomore at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, Micah has enjoyed a standout season on the mound for the Quakers. After yielding two earned runs in their season opener all the way back on February 5, he has been called upon in relief eight times since, and has allowed just one earned run in his last 13.1 innings. After going four scoreless innings against Emory & Henry (VA) on April 13, his season ERA was lowered to 1.72.

APRIL 6
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Frankford 16, Washington 8
    The Frankford Pioneers raked a trio of Washington pitchers for 15 hits, and came from behind to win an entertaining, if not a very pretty game, in this traditional Public League rivalry. Frankford had dominated GW over the last decade, but the Eagles have held their own in this series in recent years. The turning point for Frankford was their five-run fourth inning, highlighted by a 3-run homer over the fabled Gray Monster in right field. It came off the bat of jr RF Hector Cerda, that blew the game open and resulted in an 11-4 Pioneers lead. If there was an official media guide for the Public League, Hector's height would be listed as 5'7"-ish. Another hitting star was sr SS Israel Diaz who had hits in each of his first four at bats, and finished with four RBI. Coach Juan Namnun changed his normal batting order after a 9-8 loss at home to Masterman just two days earlier. He kept his cleanup hitter, Kevin Montero, in his usual spot, but changed everything else around. The Pioneers responded by hitting line drives to all parts of the outfield. Although their fielding was suspect, the offense proved to be the difference in this game. A GW highlight was the 390' home run powered by so 1B Jake Wright, who should continue to mash Public League pitching for the next couple of seasons. 

WHERE'S JOE LIEBERMAN WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
    I rarely criticize umpires. I respect the difficult job they have. The split-second decisions ... cold weather ... being disrespected by coaches, players, and unruly parents ... lopsided contests ... getting nicked by foul balls and wild pitches. That being said, this game was almost comical by the inconsistency and ineptitude of the men in blue. Their actions did not alter the outcome of the game--Frankford was clearly the better team--but their actions did alter each coach's use of their pitching staffs, and confused the pitchers and the hitters on both teams. If you're going to stink, at least consistently stink. First inning pitches at cap level were strikes, but called balls in the next inning. Conversely, balls at the shoetops in the second inning were called for strikes. It wasn't just balls and strikes, either. Several plays in the field and at the plate were missed. It was a definite learning process for all of the players involved. The one unusual thing that was that the competing coaches, Frankford's Juan Namnun and Washington's Calvin Jones, actually agreed on one thing...the poorness of the umpiring! It was primarily the man behind the plate, but the base ump must take responsibility, too. When the home plate ump had the wrong count at 2-and-2 (it was actually 3-and-1), an appeal was made to the base ump. Even though he had the correct count, he would not overrule (or show up), the other ump. "He's my partner," he apparently uttered. What the heck, these guys are not cops, they are umpires who embarrassed the PIAA crest on their cap. I can't even reference Ted Silary's hysterical classic line, "Only in The Pub," as these guys could be assigned to Catholic League games. Note to the umpire assigner: "Hey, give us all a break!"   
MEADE-IUM WELL
    Eagles senior Dan Meade is having an outstanding senior season. In two mound appearances, Dan has allowed just one earned run. When not pitching, he has been steady at shortstop. Each team needs a player like Dan, who isn't afraid to get his uniform dirty.
BROTHERLYGLOVE.COM
    Phillies website brotherlyglove.com and its authors have been getting a lot of attention recently - most notably by Tom McCarthy in the first inning of Tuesday's Mets-Phillies telecast, and by Rhea Hughes on WIP's morning show ... not to mention heavy quotes from Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. OK, so I am a little biased ... it is written by Eric Seidman and Corey Seidman, my kids, and former George Washington players  
ALUMNI FILE
    Updates on Frankford alums: Ramon Reyes recently graduated from Eastern University, where he had a stellar career on the field and in the classroom. Esteban "Shortie" Meletiche is a junior at Keystone College, where he was conference Rookie of the Year in 2009, Player of the Year in 2010, and will be a high selection in this June's Major League draft. His high school teammate, Edwin "Tito" Rohena, is also playing at Keystone, and although seeing limited playing time as a freshman, is excelling in academics. Wander Nunez, who went from Frankford to Western Oklahoma State University, and then was drafted by the Washington Nationals, will be playing for the Nats affiliate in the Gulf Coast League this season.

MARCH 28
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Washington 15, Northeast 3 (5 innings)
    GW head coach Calvin Jones looks to have an exciting and athletic team this season. The opening day lineup featured five seniors along with four underclassmen (2 juniors, one soph and one frosh). The opening day pitcher should be their staff ace, and he delivered on the mound and at the plate against Sam Feldman's inexperienced Vikings. Tom Marano pitched all five innings, walking just one and striking out seven. Marano, the 6'2" senior righty also crushed a triple to the deepest part of center field at The Eagle's Nest, and finished the day with three RBI. His battery mate, Bryan Reiss, also knocked in three runs. Reiss is a commanding presence at catcher, and will also probably be the #2 pitcher. The senior is a transfer from Archbishop Ryan with definite baseball instincts. The three and four-hole hitters, jr 3B Dean Grande and sr LF Steve Leibovitz, were on base all day, combining for eight of the 15 runs scored in the five innings. But perhaps the best sign for G-Dub, was that they committed zero errors in this opener. The Vikings, however, were credited with five errors, not to mention several other plays that should have resulted in outs. Bright spots for Northeast included sr SS Luis Contreras (two singles, stolen base, run) and sr 2B Ivan Pichardo (RBI double, stolen base). Shahir Gates, batted third and played third, is only a sophomore, and should develop into a force for Northeast. With just three seniors on the squad, Northeast does not appear to be a top of the division team, but they always progress during the season, and will certainly have their say in who will be the division champion. It did not help matters that NE lost a couple of key players from last season, who had a sudden change of address, and now are on an unnamed team in Division B.

WHERE'S THE TRACK COACH?
    One of the turning points was in the home first. GW had two on, two out, and no runs across. On a wild pitch delivered to so 1B Jake Wright, both runners attempted to move up a base, and the throw to second appeared to nail Leibovitz. However, Steve was able to leap over the tag, and was ruled safe. Instead of the end of the inning, the Eagles stayed alive, as Wright went to the opposite field with a two-run double, and the team scored four runs in the inning. Leibovitz, the Second-Team All-Public selection a season ago, could offer to run hurdles for the track team in his spare time. 
SOPHOMORE CLASS
    Vikings catcher Ramon Class will probably have a lot of black and blue marks this season, but he is a tough, little guy. He will be dealing with a pretty green pitching staff, but is always heads up and encouraging to his teammates. Best of all for Coach Feldman, he is just a sophomore.  
ALUMNI FILE
    It is not easy to be a talented player, and not get any playing time. That is what happened to former Viking Brian Susten, now a sophomore at Gwynedd-Mercy College. After an outstanding senior season at Northeast, Brian was on the Griffins roster as a freshman, but only appeared in 14 of the team's 40 games.  However, his patience paid off, as he is now the every-day starter at first base, and has hit .296 in his first 11 games this season, including his first homer of the year, and third of his career. Way to hang in there, kid!