Sports Beat column - August 1, 2008

Sports Beat

August 1, 2008

Sports Beat by Bill McCaffrey

Well the Orioles finally won a Sunday game beating the Angels and then going into Yankee stadium and taking two from the Bronx Bombers making it 3 in a row the Yankees finally woke up and bombed the Birds 13-3. When I was growing up the Chicago White Sox who was known for pitching on Sunday and that was Ted Lyons who went into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. He had a career record of 260 wins and 220 losses, an ERA of 3.67 with 356 complete games. Well the Red Sox dumped Manny Rameris on the Dodgers, "Pudge" Rodoiguez goes to the Yankees and there wasn't really that much action, oh yes, Mark Teixeira goes to the Angels.

I was sorry to learn of Chuck Stobbs passing, he wasn't a bad pitcher and had some decent seasons during his career but will always be remembered for the 565 foot home run that Mickey Mantle hit off him. I was lucky to have been there that day and even though they said over 4,000 were on hand I think around 2,000 was a more realistic number. One who was with me was Chuck "Chuckles" Enterline who's other baseball connection he's had was that he went to Maryland with former Washington Senators play-by-play man Ron Menchine. You know I miss those holiday and Sunday doubleheaders, also I think the All Star baseball game should be played in the afternoon, yes, I know it's because of the almighty dollar but if baseball wants to cultivate young kids to the game they have to give them more exposure to the game.

Are the Washington Nationals for sale?

The best B-W has to offer MASN are: Nationals Johnny Holiday great Nationals Ray Knight great Nationals - Don Sutton great Nationals Debbie Taylor very good Orioles Jim Palmer great Orioles -- Dave Johnson good Orioles Amber Theoharis decent All the rest on the Orioles and Nats just don't do it for the fans thus the very poor ratings on radio and TV.

BLUE JAY WAY PAVES OVER CAMDEN YARDS
By Timothy Tilghman

Only the Baltimore Orioles could deliver a really poor performance losing to the Toronto Blue Jays not once but twice in the same day on July 24, 2008. Because of a downpour on Wednesday night, the July 23 ballgame was postponed. That suspended ballgame was resumed at 12:05 pm in the sixth inning on the following afternoon.

Toronto was leading against Baltimore. At the top of the eighth inning, the Blue Jays scored two runs in row as a result of two errors in a row at home plate. A third run was knocked in to add further injury. That final score was Toronto 5 - Baltimore 1.

Being an afternoon ballgame, there was no particular demand for Orioles tickets. A handful of fans and scalpers were hawking spare tickets in the No Scalp Zone. There were actually a few entire sections that remained empty throughout the game. However, the best seats were those undercover in the shade.

The scheduled ballgame for Thursday started just shy of 2:00 pm. The Blue Jays and the Orioles strove to put runners on base and score. Unfortunately, it would be Toronto that took the lead in the third inning with two runs. Next inning, a third run was secured.

Then, a serious moment occurred at the plate when Blue Jays #9 Gregg Zaun lost control of the bat during his swing at the ball and the bat was flung into the stands, sailing over the club dugout. Curious: does the fan get to keep the bat if its caught in the stands?

Toronto notched up its fourth run in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded for the Blue Jays in the sixth inning and no outs, Zaun drove in their sixth run. Although replacement Orioles pitcher #26 was put in, an error at second base generated the seventh run for Toronto.

Baltimore managed to eke out a single run against Toronto in the bottom of the sixth inning. The ballgame concluded after 2 hours & 45 minutes: Blue Jays 7 - Orioles 1. The Orioles abysmal performance may be attributed to pitching deficiencies. Toronto batted 13 hits.

The Orioles have been disappointing their ardent fans for far too many seasons. Toronto won three of four visiting ballgames on the road against Baltimore. Club manager Cito Gaston cited the Blue Jays teamwork as a factor in their success on the diamond.

This season's Orioles losing streak for Sunday ballgames was reminiscent of their infamous record breaking losing streak in the Spring of 1988. The Bird's last World Series pennant was 1983. The Charm City team has essentially limped and labored in the shadow of that historic victory ever since.

Baseball Hall of Fame legend Baltimore Orioles #8 Cal Ripken, Jr., was a mega-star attraction for the club. With his departure after the 2001 season, the Orioles have struggled to draw attendance. The misanthropic actions of Angelos that have negatively impacted the Orioles have been an impediment to their recovery and advancement.

If there was to be an independent poll among fans taken at Oriole Park, which answer would be the popular response: the Orioles are a solid team with an inaccurate reputation or a weak club with an exaggerated reputation. Doubtful they wish to know fans opinions.

Roadtrips cyber link

Folks, Here's the answers to Danny Morrison's question of last week ---
Now name 1 Pitcher, 1 catcher, and 7 position players with 5 syllable last names?
============================= answer key P - Valezuela; Valentinetti; Portocarrero; Albaladejo C - Garagiola; Pagliaroni; Pignantano IF/OF - Garciaparra; Valdivielso; Incaviglia; Amalfatano; Pagliarulo; Encarnacion (J & E); Fiorentino; Echevarria; Biancalana; Catalanotto; Conigliaro (T & B); Saltalamacchia; MGR - Amalfatano Respectfully, Danny Morrison

NEUENBERGER VISITS MCCAFFREY

Donnie Neuenberger was on my PGCTV "Inside Sports" this week and what a Super guy. He has four more races coming up starting at Michigan International Speedway on August 14th . Later he'll be running at Dover. Donnie played on one of Larry Gandee's Gwynn Park State basketball championship teams in the late 1970's. We talked about a lot of NASCAR's events and Donnie is our man! He's on a mission and has a new sponsor coming aboard. Congratulations to Donnie on the fine 2008 season he's having.

DONNIE NEUENBERGER AND ROYAL FARMS-BEST FINISH YET AT TALLADEGA TOP 15

"It was great to get our first top 15 finish in such a tough series while wishing we had the financing to run more often. I want to thank all the great sponsors I have and the support of so many fans."

BLUE CRABS BOTCH BALLGAME
By Timothy Tilghman

The Lancaster Barnstormers are enjoying their fourth season of Minor League Baseball in an outstanding facility. Clipper Magazine Stadium opened in May 2005. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are a brand new franchise from Waldorf that launched in May 2008.

Both teams are affiliated with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs, founded in 1998. Lancaster is with the Freedom Division, and Waldorf is with the Liberty Division. Lancaster's front office has been discounting the cost of weekday tickets for families feeling the painful pinch at the pump.

The ballgame got underway with the first pitch at 7:07 pm. The first inning proved to be an exciting clash between the opposing division clubs. Blue Crab #25 Jeremy Owens began the first inning by knocking in one run. A second run followed for Waldorf. Barnstormer #20 Danny Gonzales batted in a run for Lancaster at the bottom of the inning.

It was during the third inning that Lancaster had loaded the bases. #41 Matt LeCroy reached first safely after sending a runner home. Then, #31 Manny Mejia successfully drove two more runs home, which gave Lancaster a 4 run lead over Waldorf.

The Lancaster Barnstormers remained active on the diamond in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on two wild pitches. A catcher error and a second base error proved to be costly for Waldorf. Barnstormer #12 Francia stole second base and then third base, which placed him in scoring position. #15 Michael Woods batted a single that enabled Francia the seventh Lancaster run in the sixth inning.

#11 George Sandel doubled to deliver Waldorf's third run in the seventh inning. However, #10 Luis Perez swatted in a home run along with another runner, boosting Lancasters lead to 9 runs. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were trailing heavily behind Lancaster with only three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Waldorf kept Lancaster in check with three quick outs in a row at the top of the ninth inning. Out of the blue, Waldorf came alive in the bottom of the inning. #6 James Shanks batted a solo home run. Batters #9 Maples and #14 Ketron were struck out at the plate. The crowd jeered with #11 Lloyd Turner in the batters box, but he was walked to first base.

Blue Crab #16 John Ramistella's powerful swing knocked the ball 400 feet deep for a stunning home run. The stadium crowd were silent as Sandel and Ramistella crossed home plate in the bottom of the ninth. The umpire called #19 Pride out at bat, which ended the ballgame at 10:05 pm. Lancaster had prevailed over Waldorf 9 to 6.

Upstairs on the second level, the Lancaster facility features 5 Party Suites and 22 luxury boxes in addition to offering several concession amenities. Ticketing options include the Home Run Pavilion, the Barnstormers Picnic Deck or general admission lawn seating.

Clipper Magazine Stadium is family friendly. Activities to occupy children are available in the Weis Kids Play Area which includes a Merry-go-round, the Birthday Zone welcomes small parties to celebrate that special day, and the premiere Bumper Boats water ride beyond the outfield. Cylo is Lancaster's popular mascot.

Roadtrips cyber link

WIETERS WALLOPS CATS

The Baysox bats stayed hot and the bullpen shut down the Rock Cats lineup to take Tuesday nights' contest, 9-1 over visiting New Britain. Rommie Lewis got the start out of the bullpen and had one of his best outings of the year, working 3.2 shutout innings and striking out seven batters while allowing just four hits. Offensively, Lou Montanez continued his tear, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Matt Wieters had his most productive night as a member of the Baysox, going 4-for-5 with a homerun and five RBI.

Bowie got on the board in the bottom of the second when Wieters led off with a double to the gap in left-center. Steve Torrealba came up and crushed his fourth homerun of the year over the wall in left field to give the Baysox an early 2-0 lead. They added two more in their next turn at bat when Montanez led off the bottom of the third with a single up the middle. Nolan Reimold pulled a double down the left field line and Montanez held up briefly at third base. The left fielder relayed the ball to the shortstop who fired it home, but the ball got by New Britain catcher Rodolfo Palacios, allowing Montanez to score and Reimold to take third base. Wieters picked up his first RBI of the night with a single through the hole at short to make the score 4-0 Baysox.

The Baysox kept rolling in the bottom of the fourth, putting up four more big runs. Sebastien Boucher led things off with a walk and Alex Cintron singled to right field. Boucher hustled to third base on the play and the throw was late, but Cintron took a wide turn at first and New Britain third baseman Luke Hughes threw behind him at first base for the out. Carlos Rojas struck out and Montanez smacked another base hit up the middle to score Boucher. Nolan Reimold walked to put runners on first and second with two away and Matt Wieters stroked a three-run homerun over the wall in left-center to give Bowie an 8-0 lead.

Felix Romero came on for Lewis to close out the top of the fourth and worked a perfect fifth. David Winfree led off the top of the sixth with a single to left field and Romero committed a balk to move the runner to second. Erik Lis grounded out to short, moving Winfree to third and Brock Peterson brought him in with a triple to right-center field. Romero got out of the inning without further incident, striking out the last two batters.

Bowie got another run in the bottom of the eighth, also off the bat of Wieters. Carlos Rojas was hit by pitch to lead off and Montanez reached on a fielder's choice to put a man on first with one away. Nolan Reimold laced a base hit to left field and Montanez held up at second base. Wieters stepped in and guided a ground ball right up the middle to plate Montanez for his fifth RBI of the game. Wieters had a double, a homerun, and two singles on the night. He came up his last two times with a chance to hit for the cycle, something he's never done before, "I have not hit for the cycle before, the triple always seems to elude me. I think I've only had two triples before, both in college. This is a pretty good 3-4-5 here. I've been fortunate to be a part of some pretty good lineups growing up but I don't know if any are better 3-4-5 or top-to-bottom at getting on base for us."

Lou Montanez is red hot in the middle of the Bowie lineup, with RBI in each of his last five games. Over that span, he has collected 12 RBI, including a five-RBI game Sunday. Montanez attributes a lot of his recent success to his teammates, "I feel great, it's contagious when everybody starts hitting, you also start hitting. It seems like everything I do, Wieters matches it or does it better, it's pretty impressive. I gave him a bow after the game, he deserved it. When he's behind me in the lineup I get more pitches to hit. This lineup is a hitter's dream, it's kinda like a big league lineup on a smaller scale. I think we're the most dangerous lineup in the league. When you combine that with our pitching staff which is one of the best in the league, you have a very dangerous team."

The Baysox used four pitchers Tuesday night, combining for one run on nine hits allowed. The four hurlers also recorded 15 total strikeouts, the most combined strikeouts in any game this season. With the victory, the Baysox improve to 63-48, matching their high-water mark for the year of 15 games over .500. The Baysox remain in second place in the Southern Division.

KIZER & USA U18 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CLAIM GOLD

Kizer averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.0 ppg in the tournament With the assistance of incoming Terrapin Lynetta Kizer , the USA U18 Women's Basketball National Team went 5-0 at the FIBA America U18 World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, capturing an automatic berth into the 2009 U19 World Championship. Lynetta Kizer (Woodbridge, Va./Potomac) , who will be a freshman in College Park for the upcoming season, averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game at the international event. She was fifth on the team in scoring and was second in free throws attempted per game at 4.6 per game. Kizer shot 45.2 percent from the floor, also adding five assists, five steals and five blocks. In game one of the tournament, Kizer scored a team-high tying 13 points to lead the U.S. to a 112-49 drubbing of Venezuela. She matched that high in a blowout 116-36 victory over Puerto Rico two days later, making 50 percent of her shots. She was second on the team in scoring in that game. In the following game against Brazil, where the U.S. won, 96-51, Kizer was second on the team in rebounding, grabbing seven boards, a tournament-high for the 6-foot-4 post player. She also helped the Americans post convincing wins over Canada (72-56) on the second day, and host-Argentina (81-37) on the final day to sweep the tournament. Kizer is a McDonald's, Parade and Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American. Her stint with the U18 team is her second with USA Basketball. She won gold at the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival last year. For more information, box scores and full results, visit USA Basketball at www.usabasketball.com.

A GRAND OLD PARTY AT THE BALLPARK
By Timothy Tilghman

The Aberdeen IronBirds welcomed State Senator Nancy Jacobs and First Congressional nominee Andrew Harris onto the pitcher's mound on July 10th. Jacobs threw out the first pitch to audience applause with Harris as her confident companion on the field.

The Maryland Republican Party and the Harford County Republican Central Committee jointly sponsored a fundraiser evening at Ripken Stadium. The GOP sold 110 tickets and gathered together on the catered party deck situated beside the third base foul pole.

Hosting fundraising groups at the ballpark is a great way to gather family, friends and fans in the stands. The guess-the-image segue that appeared on the jumbotron for this ballgame resolved as one of the late President Ronald Wilson Reagan.

The first pitch of the evening came at 7:10 pm. Before another anticipated capacity crowd, the IronBirds took the lead in the ballgame right from the bottom of the first inning. The first run was actually scored as a walk. #13 Tom Edwards batted in two more runs, and an error at first base gave Aberdeen a fourth run.

Although Auburn brought in #30 Marcus Walden to pitch, the IronBirds loaded the bases. Aberdeen drove in two more runs during the second inning. A seventh run was knocked in by #5 Lee Ellis at bat in the fourth inning. Finally, the Doubledays scored their first and only run in the seventh inning.

The IronBirds advanced their winning streak in the eight inning by scoring three more runs. #27 Caleb Joseph sent two runners into home. An error by the Auburn catcher provided an opportunity for a tenth run. With a line drive caught by the Aberdeen pitcher, the IronBirds defeated the Doubledays 10 to 1 at 9:37 pm.

IronBirds ballgames are broadcast on WAMD 970 AM. A selection of Beatles songs including "Birthday" were piped over the stadium PA system throughout the duration of the ballgame. Aberdeen has two mascots: Ferrous & Ripcord.

Ripken Stadium features several dining options that include the Crab Shack party pavilion, an open air Cafe positioned behind homeplate, and an oversized party deck under cover. The Kids Zone is a hang out to keep children occupied during the innings.

With skyrocketing gasoline prices impeding summer travel, Minor League Baseball is the best bet for the average household to enjoy an evening out together. Having six ball clubs around the state to choose from guarantees Maryland families will not have to travel all that far to enjoy quality sports entertainment.

Roadtrips cyber link

BAYSOX TAKE FINALE IN GRAND FASHION

The Baysox got another strong outing from starter Jason Berken to go along with two four-run innings to take the finale against the SeaWolves, 10-1 Sunday. Lou Montanez was responsible for half the Bowie runs, going 2-for-5 with 5 RBI on the night. Berken was excellent in earning his ninth win of the season, allowing just one run on six hits over 5.2 innings while striking out eight batters. The Baysox opened the scoring in the top of the third inning when Carlos Rojas hit a one-out double to left field. Rojas moved to third base on a wild pitch by Josh Rainwater, and Lou Montanez drove him home with an infield single to third base to give Bowie a 1-0 lead. Bowie got their first of two four-run innings in the top of the fifth. Sebastien Boucher led off with a double to right field and moved to third on a base hit by Carlos Rojas. Montanez grounded out to second base, plating Boucher and moving Rojas to second. Nolan Reimold flied out to center for the second out of the inning and Rainwater walked Matt Wieters intentionally to put runners on first and second. Jeff Nettles stepped in and drove a three-run homerun to left-center field to make the score 5-0 Baysox. Lou Montanez supplied the next four-run outburst in the top of the sixth. Blake Davis hit a one-out single to left field and Boucher followed suit to put runners on first and second with one out. Carlos Rojas got hit by a pitch to load the bases and set the plate for Montanez. The Eastern League homerun leader crushed his 23rd bomb of the year over the wall in left for a grand slam to make the lead 9-0 Bowie. The SeaWolves got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Ryan Roberson reached on a fielding error by Jeff Nettles. Jeff Frazier hit a single to right field, allowing Roberson to advance to third. Santo De Leon hit a ground ball to shortstop but Blake Davis threw wide of first. Roberson scored on the throwing error and Frazier moved to third. Ryan Keefer got the call to take over for Berken and got Jeff Kunkel to strike out to end the inning. The Baysox picked up another run for good measure when Boucher led off the top of the eighth with his second double of the game. Carlos Rojas poked a single into right field and Boucher advanced to third base. Lou Montanez came up in another RBI opportunity, but grounded into a double play. Boucher came in to score on the play, but Montanez did not get credit for a potential sixth RBI. Chad Thall came on in the ninth and closed out the game, giving up just one hit while striking out two more. With the victory, the Baysox improve to 61-48, second place in the Southern Division.

CATS CAN'T SCRATCH BERGESEN

Brad Bergesen needed just 95 pitches to shut down the Rock Cats in a complete game nine-inning shutout 7-0 Monday night. Bergesen was a maestro on the mound, allowing just six hits while striking out three batters. He pounded the bottom of the zone all night, collecting twice as many ground-outs as fly-outs to earn his 13 th victory of the year. Carlos Rojas had his second straight three-hit game, going 3-for-4 and scoring twice.

Bergesen's 13 victories ties him for the Baysox single-season record, and his resume doesn't stop there. After closing out tonight' game, Bergesen has thrown 14 straight scoreless innings in winning his last three decisions. He has won six of his last seven starts and has 13 wins in just 18 games this season. Over the course of those 18 appearances, he has collected just two no-decisions and has never thrown fewer than 5.0 innings. He has thrown seven or more innings seven times and has only allowed more than one walk five times. Bergesen has only allowed more than three runs to score three times this season.

The Baysox spotted the righty two early runs to get him started and they never looked back. Sebastien Boucher led off the bottom of the first with a walk and Rojas lined a double down the left-field line to put runners on second and third with no outs. Lou Montanez drove a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Boucher and open the scoring. Nolan Reimold stepped in and slapped a base hit to left field to bring Rojas in to score and give the Baysox a 2-0 lead.

Bowie added two more in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Tucker drove a one-out base hit to right field and Blake Davis crushed his fourth homerun of the year well over the wall in right field to make the score 4-0. Davis has been on fire at the plate since early June, hitting almost .300 in that span, "I'm just not trying to do as much. That first month I was trying to do way too much and rushing everything. I think now I'm being more aggressive with the strike zone, not to swing at just anything. I just try to hit the ball hard somewhere, if you get a hit you get a hit and if you get an out you get an out."

The Baysox put up three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for good measure. Carlos Rojas hit a one-out single up the middle and Lou Montanez ripped a triple over Steven Tolleson's head in center field to bring Rojas home. Nolan Reimold drew a walk and Matt Wieters stroked a base hit up the middle to score Montanez. With Mike Rodriguez batting, Kyle Aselton threw a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. Rodriguez poked a single up the middle that brought Reimold home to give the Baysox a 7-0 lead.

Bergesen came out for the top of the ninth and gave up a couple hits before retiring the side to seal the complete-game shutout. Bergesen felt good after the game, "This is my second complete game so it¹s a great feeling out there. If I'm really trying to nitpick, I guess in the last inning I didn't put Luke Hughes away with two strikes that¹s one thing that I noticed. I'm just trying to go out there and give it my best and try to help the team. It was a special night, my dad and my stepmom came out from California so it was nice to have them see that one."

Baysox pitching coach Mike Griffin was pleased by his starter's effort as well, "I thought he did a heck of a job, obviously. He was pitch efficient, that¹s number one. I thought he stayed with the plan that me, Matt, and Bergy talked about while he was stretching in the outfield to prepare for the game. He worked the strike zone very well tonight, his sinker was really working well he got 16 ground ball outs. He mixed in some sliders and changeups, but his sinker was outstanding tonight, for the 16 ground ball outs." With the victory, the Baysox improve to 62-48 on the year, second place in the Southern Division.

BOWIE STATE BULLDOGS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN CIAA EASTERN DIVISION

Redman, McCurdy and Frost Selected to CIAA Pre-Season Team The Bowie State University Bulldogs football team have been picked to finish third in the CIAA Eastern Division when the 2008 Predicted Order of Finish and Pre-Season All-CIAA Team was announced at the Annual CIAA Football Press Conference Thursday morning at Jones Dining Hall on the campus of Virginia State University.

BSU was picked to place third in the CIAA Eastern Division behind defending divisional champion Virginia Union University Panthers and the Elizabeth City State University Vikings. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the CIAA. After the Panthers, Vikings and Bulldogs in the East, Virginia State and Saint Paul's were picked to finish fourth and fifth respectively.

The Shaw University Bears, last year's conference champion, was selected to repeat atop the CIAA Western Division. Fayetteville State University, Saint Augustine's College, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College and the CIAA's newest member Chowan University round out the predicted order for the Western Division.

Seniors Isaac Redman (RB / 6-0 / 230 / Paulsboro, NJ) and Dwayne Frost (OL, 6-6 / 300 / Largo, MD) were selected to the All-CIAA Pre-Season Offensive Team and junior Willie McCurdy (DE / 6-4 / 245 / Annapolis, MD) was named to the All-CIAA Pre-Season Defensive Team. Redman led the team in rushing last season (825 yards in seven games), scored 13 touchdowns and was named to the All-CIAA First Team, Daktronics All-Southeast Region Second Team and Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-Southeast Region Third Team. McCurdy started all 10 games in 2007 and recorded 18 total tackles, which included six tackles for a loss and three sacks. Frost was a 2005 CIAA All-Rookie Team selection and was a member of Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-South East Region Third Team in 2007.

The Bulldogs will open the 2008 season on the road against Cheyney (Pa.) University on Saturday, August 30 at 1:00pm. For a complete schedule and more information on BSU Athletics, visit www.bsubulldogs.com .

WE GET LETTERS

Bill, Here is where my oldest grandson, Nick Berch played basketball. http://northwesths.net/content/view/138/126

Stay well, Marlene (Krupshaw) Wolsky

Award Night Congratulations to the winter sports teams! At last night's Awards Night, the championship Poms and Cheerleading teams presented their trophies to the Principal. The coaches also announced the Jaguar Award winner for their team. The Jaguar Award goes to the student-athlete that best represents their program on and off the field.

Here are the winners:
Cheerleading: - Jessica Lynch
Boys Basketball - Nick Berch
Girls Basketball - Nikki Day
Boys Indoor Track - Managi Biggers
Poms - Samantha Lescheck
Boys Swimming - Lawnie Taylor
Girls Swimming - Robin Stone
Wrestling - Sean McCarty

Sean McCarty received special recognition. Coach Vukovich described to the audience Sean's career as a Wrestler. Sean now holds every record for a Northwest Wrestler. Sean also established a new county record with 146 career wins. Congratulations to all of the student-athletes and coaches who participated with winter sports.

Bill, I know it's hard to believe but it's been 10 years since we launched WNST in the summer of 1998. But here we are about to turn a decade old and we want to CELEBRATE and I want you to join us as a "Complimentary V.I.P. Guest" at the Sports Legends Museum on the evening of Friday, Aug. 8, 2008 for a toast to the old times and some cheers for the future of WNST. Feel free to bring another WNST fan! We'll be naming the King of Baltimore Sports that evening and will have some special announcements and an evening to catch up on the old times. You'll have full admission to the museum and the opportunity to meet and mingle with the friends, sponsors, family and celebs who've helped us in our mission to be Baltimore's best. So far, Bruno Sammartino and Brian Billick have RSVP'd. The party starts at 4 and will run until we feel like leaving. There will also be ballpark-style concessions available from beer and sodas to pit beef to hot dogs to pie from our great sponsors at Budweiser, Kibby's, Zach's Hot Dogs and Dangerous Pies. The Orioles are also are home that night against the Texas Rangers at 7:05 next door. Feel free to drop me a personal note by replying to this email with your address for mailing and email and cell phone for contact purposes by replying to this message. Our guest list is limited and we'd love to know by Aug 1st if you'll be joining us. Just say "YES" and we'd love to add you to the guest list for the evening of fun, memories, stories and laughs celebrating 10 years of WNST! "Need a custom invitation like ours? Let Graphic Imaging design and print whatever you need, business or personal. Go to www.graphic-imaging-inc.com or call Laurie at 410-467-7071." Nestor Aparicio nasty@wnst.net

Bill, Just saw a sports note that on this day in l962 Warren Spahn hit his 31st home run off of NY Met, Anacostia, Bunker Hill Legion pitcher, Craig Anderson and set such a record for pitchers in the NL. Ron Winters, EHS; 54

Ron, Thanks for the information. Bill

Bill, Thanks for the column. Wish we could get the tv program here. Hearty congratulations on your latest recognition, Dean Emeritus of the Rogers Hornsby Society!!! You keep this up and you will need a special room in your home for awards, accolades, certificates, appreciations, clippings, photos of you and friends, celebrities, public servants, family, etc. and so on. Looking forward to a successful season for our ever changing hometown boys, our Washington Redskins. Blessings to you and yours, Dale

Dale, Thank you. Bill

Bill, Lerner/Kasten need to get real with the $$$ and flush their box of can't play at this level bandaides down the Nats park toilet. The Wizards starting 5 almost equals the Gnats entire major league roster. Sad, sad, sad. Danny Morrison

Bill, One of the speakers at our SABR/Blue Crabs event in Waldorf on Saturday, August 9, is Ryan Hutzler, but he needs transportation. Ryan lives in the District and can meet at a Metro station. Most convenient might be the Branch Avenue Station, which is on the way to the event from DC, If you can help Ryan with a ride, please call him at (508) 560-0384 or e-mail him at rhutzler2@gmail.com . BTW, there are still a few spots available for the event for those wishing to attend.

Bill, Glad you had Danny on your show and sure will look forward to watching the Terps more than ever this year. Also, don't know about me and Mike dancing but sure saw alot of people dancing to Lou's music, and still are...J

J, He was a great guest. Bill

Bill, Speaking of ironman pitchers, Dan recently sent me two articles where Sonny Wise (Eastern) struck out 25 batters in a regional playoff in Parkersburg, WVa for Bunker Hill and then came to Griffith Stadium and pitched 16 innings in a 2-1 win in 1951. Believe Sonny lost one game in 3 years of high school and don';t remember anyone beating him in Legion ball. Bunker Hill picked up Billy Wright (Roosevelt) and he pitched in Parkersburg and Griffith Stadium in these playoffs. J

J, Sonny was a great one. Bill

Bill, Appreciate the commentary on the new hit Batman film. I will not see it, don't like to be scared or depressed but I am sure my 15 yr. old grandson will see it and will tell me about it. I prefer romantic movies, comedies, biographies, musicals, adventurous but not frightening, films ever since I watched Christian Bale in Stephen Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" (in my opinion one of the top ten films ever made, sheer genius in every area, but especially by the then 12 year old Bale) I have been awed by this gifted actor and of course, Heath Ledger was a genius, and a good man according to his friends and family obviously troubled tho in some way sooooo sad. Dale

SPORTS NOTES

Connecticut catcher Pablo Sandoval is the winner of the Bank of America Eastern League Player of the Week Award and New Hampshire left-hander Brett Cecil is the winner of the Bank of America Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Award. I wonder where they are now----Pat Little, "Diamond Dan" Schultz, Jamie Carter, Jack Lynch, Rod Langway, Rusty Cuthbertson, Shirley Brown, Terri Miller, and Nancy Appleby?

Our deepest sympathy goes to the families of the following:
William Foy Ballard (Played football at DC's Sidwell Friends, graduated in 1953)
Margaret Maciulla Hansen (Bladensburg HS grad)
James Simpson Allen (Central (PG) HS grad)
Lee Clagett Warfield, Jr. (Gaithersburg HS grad and retired C&P Telephone employee)

Our 1,000th PGCTV "Inside Sports" is coming up soon. It will be catered by Bernard Brooks "Henry's Soul Cafe" Home of the World¹s best sweet potato pie.

SUPPORT SOUTHERN MARYLAND SPORTS!!