Sports Beat column - August 10, 2006

Sports Beat
August 10, 2006

Sports Beat by Bill McCaffrey

Its been a long time coming but it finally happened the DC Divas won the Super Bowl of Womenâ¤s professional football by putting a major league whipping on the Oklahoma City Lightning 28-7 to win the NWFA title.

Rachelle Pecovsky rushed for 186 yards and three TDâ¤s to lead the Divas to the big win. Allyson Hamlin directed the Divas attack and the teamâ¤s defense was outstanding.

If you havenâ¤t seen the Divas play you have missed something really good. The football and team work displayed by Divas is super. In previous years the Divas had lost to Detroit in the first round but this time the Divas advanced to the Super Bowl of Womenâ¤s football.

The team finished 10-0 for the season. My personal favorite, Donna â¤¦The Animalâ¤? Wilkinson switched from running back to linebacker this season but was hammered by injury. Another favorite of mine is Raynette Savoy, sheâ¤s a graduate of Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, Maryland.

Our hats off and we extend congratulations to GM Rich Daniels, coach Ezra Cooper and his coaching staff and of course the 2006 edition of the DC Divas.

The last two Sundays I went to Camden Yards to watch the Baltimore Orioles host first the World Champion Chicago White Sox and then the New York Yankees. Chicago has some very good players in Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Jermaine Dyes, Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez, Freddy Garcia and Bobby Jenks.

The ChiSox are managed by the very colorful Ozzie Guillen and he does a good job with this team.

Back when I was growing up the ChiSox were anchored by shortstop Luke â¤¦old aches and painsâ¤? Appling who would stay alive at the plate by fowling off pitch after pitch and had players like Wall Moses, Tony Cersccnillo, Johnny Dickshot, Eddie Pat, Thornton Lee, and Mike Tresh. The manager was Jimmy Dykes.

The Yankees back then had the likes of Nick Etten, Stuffy Stirnweiss, Frank Crosetti, Joe Page, Ernie Bonham, Red Ruffing and the Yankees manager was the ledgendary Joe McCarthy. Stirnweirs won the batting title in 1945 with an average of .309.

Today the Yankees have the likes of Alex Rodriquez, Jorge Pasada, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, and Cheien Ming-Wang. The Yanks are skipper by Joe Torre.

PELECANOS SCORES AGAIN

My two favorite mystery writers are George Pelecanos and Nick Nicolaus. Pelecanos scores again with his new novel â¤³ The Night Gardener. His stories are about the DC area (Southeast, Silver Spring, Georgia Ave and Prince Georgeâ¤s County). His writing rivets the reader to the story as it unfolds. The reader feels he is right in the story and personally knows the characters as they are met in the story. Pelecanos is like a great painter as novels unfold and you get the complete picture. Get the Night Gardener, its well worth it as you travel the streets of the DC area through the pen of Pelecanos.

BIG TRAIN REPORT

T'BOLTS UPSET # 1 & # 2 SEEDS TO ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP
On Wednesday afternoon at Povich Field, the fifth seeded Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (14-26) pulled off two upsets to force a winner-take-all championship game with the Rockville Express on Thursday August 3 at 7 p.m. at Blair Stadium. During the regular season, the Thunderbolts played the Big Train and the Express 16 games. The T'Bolts won three. Wednesday they played their Montgomery County rivals two games and won two.

Here's the story on Wednesday's games by CRSL executive director Alex Thompson:

The five-seed Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts continued their improbable run through the 2006 Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Championship Series Wednesday when they battled the sun, heat, and top two seeds in the tournament to force a deciding second game of the Championship Finals Thursday night at 7 pm at Blair Stadium.

The Thunderbolts cruised against the top-seeded Bethesda Big Train in a game that began under 100-plus degree conditions. The Big Train struck first when Preston Pehrson (Texas) singled home Steven Leach (Jacksonville State), who had reached on a walk and advanced to second on a Matt Long (Santa Clara) single.

The Silver Spring pitching staff would settle in from there, however, allowing just five hits and no runs the rest of the way. Jared Yecker (St. Johnâ¤s) relieved starter Matt Montgomery (Montgomery College) in the third inning and tossed six innings of shutout ball. He scattered three hits and did not walk anyone, while striking out five Big Train batters to earn the victory. Meanwhile, the Thunderbolts bats got hot in the sixth inning. With the score tied at one, Nate Toth (Radford) singled to lead off the inning.

Tim Park (MC-Rockville) followed with an infield hit. Nick Popp (Belmont Abbey) plated a run on a sacrifice fly and Corey Greene (Coppin State) followed with another base hit. Joe Maca (Catholic) then doubled to center, scoring Park and Mike Sheridan (William & Mary) followed that with a double of his own to score Greene. Sheridan finished the day a home-run short of the cycle, with two runs scored and two RBI. Greene also had three hits and scored twice in the ballgame.

Two more Thunderbolts runs in each of the eighth and ninth innings ended Bethesda's tournament run. In the Championship Game, the Thunderbolts fell behind the two-seed Rockville Express, 3-0, when Ivor Hodgson (Mt. St. Maryâ¤s) walked to start the fifth inning, moved to second on a groundout, stole third, and scored on an Eric Oliver (Orange Coast) sacrifice fly. Ben Orloff, who was hit by a pitch after Hodgson moved to second, eventually came around to score on an error. The Express added another run in the sixth on another Silver Spring error.

The Thunderbolts refused to quit, however. Two Rockville errors in the seventh inning and a Tyrone Wethers (New Orleans) sacrifice fly tied the game at 3-3. The next inning, the Thunderbolts put a man on base after a single and a fielderâ¤s choice. Nick Popp then blasted a home run to left field to give the Thunderbolts a 5-3 lead that they never relinquished. Matt Peterson (Salisbury), who pitched 3.2 innings of gutsy relief to close out the game for the Thunderbolts, earned the victory. Rockville would have wrapped up the Championship with a win tonight. Instead, the Thunderbolts return to their home turf Thursday night with a chance to cap off their magical run through the CRSCBL Championship Series.

SS-T Thunderbolts (3-1) 001 003 022 â¤³ 8 15 0
Bethesda Big Train (1-2) 100 000 000 â¤³ 1 7 1
W: Yecker L: Saris
2B: SS-T â¤³ Sheridan, Popp, Maca; BT â¤³ Leach
3B: SS-T â¤³ Sheridan

SS-T Thunderbolts (4-1) 000 000 320 â¤³ 5 7 3
Rockville Express (3-1) 000 021 000 â¤³ 3 2 3

W: Peterson L: Gross
HR: SS-T â¤³ Popp.

For game summaries and box scores of all 10 CRSL playoff games, log onto:
http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org/

MONDAY JULY 31 CRSL PLAYOFF GAMES
Maryland Redbirds (# 6 seed) defeated Youse's Orioles (# 3 seed) 3-1 at Povich Field. SS-T Tâ¤Bolts (# 5 seed) defeated College Park Bombers (# 4 seed) 10-6 at Blair Stadium. Youse's Orioles defeated College Park Bombers 2-1 (10 innings) at Shipley Field. College Park Bombers eliminated. Bethesda Big Train (# 1 seed) defeated SS-T Thunderbolts 9-2 at Povich Field. Rockville Express (# 2 seed) defeated Maryland Redbirds 8-5 at Blair Stadium.

TUESDAY AUGUST 1 CRSL PLAYOFF GAMES
Youse's Orioles (#3 seed) defeated Maryland Redbirds (# 6 seed) 7-6 at Blair Stadium. Maryland Redbirds eliminated. SS-T Tâ¤Bolts (# 5 seed) defeated

Youse's Orioles (# 3 seed) 7-6 at Blair Stadium. Youse's Orioles eliminated.

Rockville Express (# 2 seed) defeated Bethesda Big Train (# 1 seed) 7-4 at Povich Field.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2 CRSL PLAYOFF GAMES
SS-T Tâ¤Bolts (# 5 seed) defeated Bethesda Big Train (# 1 seed) 8-1 at Povich Field.
SS-T T'Bolts defeated Rockville Express (# 2 seed) 5-3 at Povich Field.

CRSL FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Bethesda Big Train
28-12 .700 --
Rockville Express
25-15 .625 3
Youse's Orioles
23-17 .575 5
College Park Bombers
20-20 .500 8

SS-T Thunderbolts 14-26 .350 14 Maryland Redbirds 10-30 .250 18 The Montgomery Cup sponsored by The Gazette: Bethesda (11-5), Rockville (10-6), Silver Spring-Takoma (3-13).

Log onto http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org/ for up-to-date boxscores and standings.
Sign-up for CRSL email alerts: http://ripkensrcollegebaseball.org/maillist/program/action.cgi?actionfiltered=adduser

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BIG TRAIN
For more information, please log onto www.bigtrain.org or call 301/983-1006. Or email us at faninfo@bigtrain.org.

CAL RIPKEN, SR. COLLEGIATE BASEBALL LEAGUE
2006 is the second season of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. The Maryland-based collegiate wooden bat league is comprised of six teams: Bethesda Big Train, College Park Maryland Bombers, Maryland Redbirds, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, and Youse's Maryland Orioles. The teams play a 40-game regular season that starts on Friday, June 9 with the Maryland Orioles visiting the Big Train at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda. The Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League has a license agreement with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation for the use of the name Cal Ripken, Sr. and is not affiliated with nor sponsored by the Foundation or Ripken Baseball. For information, please log onto www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org.

BIG TRAIN 2006 SEASON SPONSORS

Thanks to these organizations for their generous support of Big Train baseball for the 2006 season: Chevy Chase Bank, Grossberg CPAs, Ledo Pizza, Miller & Long Co., Ourisman Automotive, and Sandy Spring Builders.

DIETZ & WICKSWAT WIN CRSL FINAL WEEK AWARDS

First baseman Josh Dietz (Bowling Green State University) of the Bethesda Big Train has been named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Hitter of the Week for the week of July 24 to July 30. For the week, Dietz led the league with 10 hits, seven runs scored, one home run, seven RBI, nine walks, and a .655 on-base percentage. He batted .500, hit two doubles, and slugged at a .750 clip. He hit in five straight games to finish the regular season, had three multi-hit games in a row from July 25 to July 27, and knocked in six runs in two games from July 25 to July 26. Against the Maryland Redbirds on July 26, Dietz hit a grand slam. Honorable Mentions for Hitter of the Week include: Will Greenberg (Bombers/Washington College), Chris Taylor (Big Train/UNC-Charlotte), Vincent DiFazio (Orioles/Alabama), and Jeremy Jakubowski (Bombers/! St. Joseph's).

Lefthander Matt Wickswat (Santa Clara University) of the Bethesda Big Train has been named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 24 to July 30. Wickswat tossed a complete game against the second-place Rockville Express on July 27. He scattered five hits and two walks in that game, allowing just one run en route to the victory. Wickswat struck out three Express hitters in that game. Honorable mentions for Pitcher of the Week include: Evan Frederickson (Big Train/Virginia Tech), John Farrell (Bombers/Longwood), Michael Bell (Bombers/Catonsville CC), and Brian Anderson (Big Train/San Francisco).

SILVER SPRING-TAKOMA THUNDERBOLTS WIN CRSL PLAYOFFS

CRSL FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Bethesda Big Train
28-12 .700 --
Rockville Express
25-15 .625 3
Youse's Orioles
23-17 .575 5
College Park Bombers
20-20 .500 8
SS-T Thunderbolts
14-26 .350 14
Maryland Redbirds
10-30 .250 18

The Montgomery Cup sponsored by The Gazette: Bethesda (11-5), Rockville (10-6), Silver Spring-Takoma (3-13).

SPORTS NOTES

The regular session of "Talkin' Baseball" will be held on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 9:00 AM at Barnes & Noble, 4300 Montgomery Road (Longate Shopping Center), Ellicott City, MD.

The speaker will be author Charlie Vascellaro who will talk on his book, "Hank Aaron". http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0313330018&itm=1

You all come now. (301) 854-2244

A few birthday greetings:
To Phil Sullivan, 72 on August 3rd; to Sharon Biggam, 36 on August 16th, and to Rhonda (Dale Poole Sawyers daughter) on August 9th. Opsasnick to speak on JIM MORRISON this Sunday afternoon.
LECTURE/BOOK SIGNING
Sunday, August 13, 2006, 2:00pm.
St. Elmo's Coffee Pub
2300 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia
703 739-9268 (free event)

MARK OPSASNICK discusses and signs copies of his book â¤¦The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia.â¤? In addition, the White Whale New Orleans Band will perform a variety of jazz, blues, and rock classics. There was a STANDING ROOM-ONLY crowd at Opsasnickâ¤s Kensington Row Bookshop appearance last Thursday night, so get there EARLY!

Sunday, September 17, 2006, 1:30pm â¤³ New Deal CafÃ© (Greenbelt, Maryland) For additional information, visit www.capitolrock.com and click on â¤¦Appearancesâ¤? and â¤¦Latest News.â¤?

Thanks to everyone who turned out at the Kensington Row Bookshop last week for making the evening a great success. It was a fantastic night!

Hey, I had a â¤¦Black Tuesdayâ¤? just like the â¤¦Black Saturdayâ¤? I had several weeks ago.

Our deepest sympathy goes to the family of Elden Auker who passed at age 95. He was a great pitcher with the Tigers, Red Sox, and St. Louis Browns. He was a submarine type pitcher much like Dick Hyde and Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell and high school pitcher Jack Pope of McKinley Tech.

Phil Sullivan is back he was out of circulation for awhile due to phone and computer problems.

WE GET LETTERS

Bill, Do you know Robert "Pewee" Morris an Orphan's Court Judge here in Queen Anne's. He went to Anacostia and Georgetown Law. Worked at No. 11 Police Boys Club. He married "Flossie" (I forget her last name). She was in Rho Sigma and went to Anacostia. She graduated in 1953. Jay

Dear Jay, I am very familiar with Centreville.....I know Gene Ramson a County Commissioner and Frank Kratovil the States Attorney in Queen Anneâ¤s County....I lived on Kent Island for two years....When its cooler I will come over and go to lunch with you. Pee Wee was a good friend of Bill Collins, Sr. and I think he was an outstanding softball player. Bill

From John Zaljc
Thirty-five years ago this Thursday, sixteen men gathered at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library to form the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The baseball research world has never been the same.

August 10, 1971. The founding of SABR (and the birthday of catcher Sal Fasano). When SABR was founded, Joe Torre was second in the NL in batting average (he finished the season in first). Now he manages the Yankees. When SABR was founded, dues were $10. The same $10 was worth $47.57 in 2005 when adjusted for inflation.

In SABR's 35-year history, we have sent members over 250 issues of The SABR Bulletin and mailed out over 100 books/journals. Weâ¤ve held 35 more annual get-togethers of the membership (the annual convention) with the best attended being the 2002 Boston convention with 712 attendees.

On August 10, 1971, there were 16 members. SABR grew to 100 members by May 20, 1972 (284 days). Today, there are over 7,040 members worldwide. On July 24, 2006, SABR surpassed the 7,000-member mark for only the second time in its history. The all-time record is 7,155 members in 1998.

While SABR's impact on baseball and the study and preservation of baseball history has been important throughout the past 35 years, the last few years have shown that SABR is truly an organization that will continue to grow in stature. In addition to the membership levels climbing above 7,000 members this year, SABR has also seen increases in money donated by members each year for the past four years.

SABR's Endowment Fund, a very real commitment to SABR's long-term future, has more than quadrupled in just the past 3 years (from just over $4,400 to just shy of $20,000). We have more work to do with the Endowment Fund before it is able to generate income that will make a lasting impact, but momentum is growing. I invite you to celebrate SABR's 35th Anniversary by making a donation to SABR's Endowment this week. By giving what you can to the endowment fund, you are helping to perpetuate the core research values and principles established by the founders thirty-five years ago.

To make an online donation, point your browser to http://tinyurl.com/mht6j. You can also call the SABR office at 1-800-969-7227 or mail checks or money orders to SABR, Endowment Fund, 812 Huron Rd E #719, Cleveland OH 44115.

For a list of members who have made donations of $100 or more to SABR see: http://www.sabr.org/cmsfiles/incentiveprogram.htm

This weekend in Cooperstown, three of SABR's founders, Cliff Kachline, John Pardon, and Tom Hufford, will return to the Hall of Fame Library and be recognized for founding SABR and the contributions they have made to all of us who love the game of baseball so much. The other living founders who could not attend are Dan Dischley, Dan Ginsburg, Ray Gonzalez, Bill Gustafson, Bob McConnell, Ray Nemec, and Joe Simenic. On behalf of all the members of SABR, I thank them for their love of the game and its history to create this wonderful community.

And to all of you, thank you for your continued support of SABR!

John Zajc Executive Director
SABR web site: www.sabr.org
Membership Office Telephone: 800-969-7227 or 216-575-0500
Membership Directory: http://members.sabr.org

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