The GPD Five-O's were in action on Thursday night when they faced the McKownville Fire Department at Strawberry Park. It took 10 innings and nearly two and a half hours to decide the winner. When the dust settled, an eight run 10th inning by the Five-O's would be too much for McKownville to overcome and GPD would walk away the winner.
It has been a long time since the Five-O's took the field and sometimes it takes some time to shake the rust off which was the case on Saturday when the Five-O's lost to the Our Lady of Mercy team after nearly a three week layoff. The Five-O's would have to cancel their game on Sunday due to lack of numbers so they were about due to right their wrongs.
A few hours before gametime, Five-O's management weren't sure if the weather was going to cooperate and didn't even know if they would be able to field a team. With only one name on the signup sheet, the game was in doubt and the rest of the season was hanging in the balance. John Ginder decided to take matters into his own hands and worked the phones like a true general manager to get enough players to play. "I just wanted to play today. We had a horrible game on Saturday and I wanted to get this thing going in the right direction". The Five-O's had three regulars in the lineup on Thursday, but yet had ten on the field.
"We had to piece together a team at the last minute and it paid off", J.J. Mazzone said. "We got outstanding starting pitching from one of the band-aides (Kevin Krosky, UPD) and we had a solid outfield by three others (Jordan Carnibucci, Brian Williams, and Travis Stevens)".
The Five-O's shutdown the MckFD Team and were able to score a couple of runs in the early going to take a small lead. Kevin Krosky was outstanding on the hill and was able to get the opposition to put balls in play and allow his fielders to make the outs which they did. The Five-O's aren't used to solid defense but received it today from everyone.
With the game going at a blistering pace, the Five-O's got an outstanding play from second basewoman Amy "Cirque du Soliel" Boyt. Boyt charged in on a popup and stuck her glove and arm out to make the catch, and displayed her excitement with some loud cheers and perhaps some jumping up and down. The rest of the Five-O's seemed to take notice of her defense and got back into the game......for the time being. "Next time I might even keep my eyes open", said Boyt of her heroics.
The one thing that this writer has kept having to write is the comedy of errors and inability of the Five-O's to close out games. I am not sure what the cause of the meltdowns are, but be sure if you come out and see a game there is a chance for the opposition to have a big inning. Tonight was no different. John "Bill Buckner" Cordi had his struggles at the hot corner with some ground balls which led to some runs by McKFD but he wasn't the only one. Firstbasen John Ginder had some decision making farts and instead of throwing home to get one of the runners out he decided to hold on to the ball and watch the run score. "All I could think about was...here we go again." Ginder said "We play great at times and sometimes it looks as if we have never played before. There was no excuse as to why I held on to the ball" he added. The Five-O's squandered a four run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and had to play from behind in the seventh.
Cordi would make up for the fielding hiccups and would score the game-tying run in the top of the seventh inning. He would end his season debut going 6-6 with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored.
The play of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning when McKFD had a runner on second with two outs. One of the firemen hit a line drive single beyond the reach of shortfielder Mazzone and the runner that was at second was rounding third and was headed home for the game-winning run. Mazzone wouldn't have any of that. He would pick up the rolling ball and fire a bullet to home where Todd Roberts was waiting and got the runner out by two steps to save the game. It was the best play of the season so far.
The Five-O's would put the game out of reach in the tenth inning by batting around and scoring 8 runs to secure Krosky's first victory. The O's needed this win to get back within rach of .500. "It was a great victory. We really missed some of our regulars but we had some different players step in and step up to make the victory possible" Ginder said.
For the first time this season, the CapitalRegionSports.com Player of the Game isn't going to the best offensive player. Instead it is going to the player who saved the game with a great defensive play. J.J. Mazzone is the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game.
The Five-O's are back in action this Saturday at 11am at Strawberry Park. Maybe some of the band-aides will become regular players. Time will tell.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Back To .500, Five-O's trounce MKFD
After a dismal start to their inaugural season, the Five-O's have gotten back to level ground on the heels of a three-game winning streak after demolishing the MKFD Team by a score of 22-4 Thursday night at Strawberry Park, bringing their record to 4-4 in league play.
The Five-O's faced a 2-0 deficit after the top of the first inning which has been something they have gotten accustomed to during the course of the season. The game would be knotted at two after the O's had their turn at the plate with hits by the Ginder brothers who would eventually score both of the runs in the inning. "We are used to playing from behind. It is something that happens every game we play" John Ginder said. "Aint no thang" Roger Ginder added on having to play from behind.
Jenna Govel would start for the Five-O's again and would dominate the MKFD hitters all day. In fact, MKFD would attempt to file a complaint against Govel for the way she was pitching. A few players on the opposing team said that Govel's pitches were illegal and something needed to be done about it. A representative from both sides met on the first baseline after the top of the fourth inning. "This team (MKFD) has beaten us both time we have played them. They never said anything about the pitching then. Now they can't even buy a hit or a run and they have a complaint" John Ginder said after the meeting. "She has pitched the same way every game and nobody said anything about it before" John Govel father of Jenna added.
The Five-O's would respond after the "controversy" in their half of the fourth inning by scoring four runs on seven hits to take a 6-2 lead. "The worst thing to do is make them mad" 19-month old Andrew Ginder (son of first basemen John Ginder) said through a baby translator. The Five-O's had an opportunity to score more runs in the inning but struggled with runners in scoring position.
That wouldn't be the case in the next inning. After another dominate pitching performance by Jenna Govel the Five-O's looked like a team possessed knocking the MKFD starting pitcher out of the game. Mike Barber the reliever for MKFD would take the brunt of a 14-run inning by the Five-O's which marks the most runs scored in one inning in Franchise history. "There was a time when the baserunners could have easily held up at third but didn't" J.J. Mazzone said, "I think we all felt the same way about the complaint by the other team" he added. The Five-O's would bat around in the inning before making the first out and would just come up short for batting around twice. It sounded like a scene in "The Karate Kid", all in attendance could hear the rumbling "No Mercy!, No Mercy!" from the Five-O's bench. When asked what was meant by that there was no comment.
The Five-O's looked like an entirely different team on Thursday night. Solid starting pitching, great fielding, and outstanding hitting. The Five-O's actually had opportunities to turn multiple double plays but just fell short on a few of them. The team looked loose and full of life for the first time since opening day. The offensive onslaught was one for the ages. I really do think this team has turned the corner. Unfortunately we won't be able to see if they can make it four in a row for a couple of weeks due to scheduling conflicts. This isn't the same team that we have seen and read about all season. This is the eighth different lineup in eight games that the Five-O's have had to use. "Rome wasn't built by the Greeks in one day" outfielder Todd Roberts offered when discussing all of the changes. I guess he means it is a work in progress and the sky is the limit. Either that or some of the wind got to him after his violent strikeout swinging in the first inning.
This team is becoming one with each other. After the game several of the players went out for a celebratory drink and some eats at the "Across the Street Pub". If you are a member of the team and are hearing that last remark for the first time and weren't at the pub to celebrate, I was only kidding. Each player went there seperate ways and had to celebrate the win alone or with a loved one.
It sometimes can be an arduous task coming up with the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Alot of thought goes into it unless John Ginder has a few RBI's or a few hits then it is easy to choose. When the team busts out 22 runs the award could be anyones. Believe me I tried to justify just about anyone getting this award but it is impossible to pass this recipient by with the kind of day he had. Going 5-6 with a double, a run scored, and six RBI's, the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game award goes to J.J. Mazzone. This is his first award of the season and well deserved after the kind of year he was having in the field.
The Five-O's are off for the next couple of weeks due to scheduling conflicts. It will be interesting to see if they can carry this momentum over to their next game after an extended layoff.
The Five-O's faced a 2-0 deficit after the top of the first inning which has been something they have gotten accustomed to during the course of the season. The game would be knotted at two after the O's had their turn at the plate with hits by the Ginder brothers who would eventually score both of the runs in the inning. "We are used to playing from behind. It is something that happens every game we play" John Ginder said. "Aint no thang" Roger Ginder added on having to play from behind.
Jenna Govel would start for the Five-O's again and would dominate the MKFD hitters all day. In fact, MKFD would attempt to file a complaint against Govel for the way she was pitching. A few players on the opposing team said that Govel's pitches were illegal and something needed to be done about it. A representative from both sides met on the first baseline after the top of the fourth inning. "This team (MKFD) has beaten us both time we have played them. They never said anything about the pitching then. Now they can't even buy a hit or a run and they have a complaint" John Ginder said after the meeting. "She has pitched the same way every game and nobody said anything about it before" John Govel father of Jenna added.
The Five-O's would respond after the "controversy" in their half of the fourth inning by scoring four runs on seven hits to take a 6-2 lead. "The worst thing to do is make them mad" 19-month old Andrew Ginder (son of first basemen John Ginder) said through a baby translator. The Five-O's had an opportunity to score more runs in the inning but struggled with runners in scoring position.
That wouldn't be the case in the next inning. After another dominate pitching performance by Jenna Govel the Five-O's looked like a team possessed knocking the MKFD starting pitcher out of the game. Mike Barber the reliever for MKFD would take the brunt of a 14-run inning by the Five-O's which marks the most runs scored in one inning in Franchise history. "There was a time when the baserunners could have easily held up at third but didn't" J.J. Mazzone said, "I think we all felt the same way about the complaint by the other team" he added. The Five-O's would bat around in the inning before making the first out and would just come up short for batting around twice. It sounded like a scene in "The Karate Kid", all in attendance could hear the rumbling "No Mercy!, No Mercy!" from the Five-O's bench. When asked what was meant by that there was no comment.
The Five-O's looked like an entirely different team on Thursday night. Solid starting pitching, great fielding, and outstanding hitting. The Five-O's actually had opportunities to turn multiple double plays but just fell short on a few of them. The team looked loose and full of life for the first time since opening day. The offensive onslaught was one for the ages. I really do think this team has turned the corner. Unfortunately we won't be able to see if they can make it four in a row for a couple of weeks due to scheduling conflicts. This isn't the same team that we have seen and read about all season. This is the eighth different lineup in eight games that the Five-O's have had to use. "Rome wasn't built by the Greeks in one day" outfielder Todd Roberts offered when discussing all of the changes. I guess he means it is a work in progress and the sky is the limit. Either that or some of the wind got to him after his violent strikeout swinging in the first inning.
This team is becoming one with each other. After the game several of the players went out for a celebratory drink and some eats at the "Across the Street Pub". If you are a member of the team and are hearing that last remark for the first time and weren't at the pub to celebrate, I was only kidding. Each player went there seperate ways and had to celebrate the win alone or with a loved one.
It sometimes can be an arduous task coming up with the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Alot of thought goes into it unless John Ginder has a few RBI's or a few hits then it is easy to choose. When the team busts out 22 runs the award could be anyones. Believe me I tried to justify just about anyone getting this award but it is impossible to pass this recipient by with the kind of day he had. Going 5-6 with a double, a run scored, and six RBI's, the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game award goes to J.J. Mazzone. This is his first award of the season and well deserved after the kind of year he was having in the field.
The Five-O's are off for the next couple of weeks due to scheduling conflicts. It will be interesting to see if they can carry this momentum over to their next game after an extended layoff.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Five-O's Winning Streak Up To Two
The Five-O's continued their winning streak Saturday morning by defeating the WFD/WTRS Softball Team, by a score of 13-6 in regular league play. This is the second league win in a row for the O's who brought their record to 3-4.
The Five-O's struck gold early scoring three runs in the first inning with four straight singles by, J.J. Mazzone, Jon Boyt, John Ginder, and Tylor Stevens capped off with a two-run triple by Kyle "The Gazelle" Haines. It looked as though the conversation about what to do with the lineup during the off-week by manager Mazzone and managing partner John Ginder paid off. The Five-O's still needed to take the field.
A well rested Jenna Govel was on the mound making her seventh straight league start with a questionable defense behind her. "One of the things we wanted to focus on was trying to figure this whole thing out" John Ginder said of their struggles, "It all doesn't add up. We have good players on this team but can't seem to get it all together when we need it" he added. The O's would squander the lead in the bottom of the first by giving up three runs. They would give up another three runs in the bottom of the third to trail the game 6-3.
After a few uneventful innings Ginder made some minor lineup changes putting in Anthony "The Real Deal" Scaccia and Mr. Pantelones himself Nick Deso. This would prove to be the right decision although one of the more difficult decisions he has had to make so far this season.
After missing a few games with undisclosed injuries or "More important things to do", Nick Deso was called to duty. "You could see a little rust in his swings. He didn't look too comfortable up there" Matthew Brust said (son of Five-O's right fielder). Deso was able to make decent contact with the ball with a seeing eye single. It is too bad that the single didn't get to see what everyone else did. Deso was motoring down the first baseline. That wasn't the only thing going down the first baseline. In what could only be called pure speed, Deso ran right out of his pants forcing him to hop the rest of the way to safety. That was the turning point in the game. The rest of the team had a good laugh which lifted to pressure off of their shoulders and allowed them to play better. Deso would eventually come around to score (with his pants on) that inning bringing the game to 6-4.
The Five-O's had a nice three up three down inning in the field and were back on the bench ready to make a game of it. Back-to-Back doubles by Tylor Stevens and Anthony Scaccia brought the O's within one of WFD/WTRS. Then the flood gates opened. The Five-O's would have eight hits in their next nine at bats to take the lead for good tallying nine runs. "I saw no quit from these guys today" manager J.J. Mazzone said "We could have easily let those big innings by the other team get into our heads but we didn't" he concluded. "The 1998 Yankees in their first seven games had the same record as we do now. They went on to win 125 games including the playoffs and were world champs" Anna Brust said (daughter of Five-O's right fielder).
The win should bring this team closer. It will be interesting to see if they can continue their winning ways this Thursday when they face the team from the McKownville Fire Department who are responsible for two of the Five-O's losses.
Most times the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game is a player who has success at the plate or just an all-around good game or the two awards that were lobbied for by Roger Ginder and Jon Boyt. This award will have to be different. Although he did enjoy success at the plate going 2-3 with two runs scored, the rest of us enjoyed more then we wanted to of him. The CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game is Nick "Pantelones" Deso.
The Game Thursday is a 6pm start at Strawberry Park.
The Five-O's struck gold early scoring three runs in the first inning with four straight singles by, J.J. Mazzone, Jon Boyt, John Ginder, and Tylor Stevens capped off with a two-run triple by Kyle "The Gazelle" Haines. It looked as though the conversation about what to do with the lineup during the off-week by manager Mazzone and managing partner John Ginder paid off. The Five-O's still needed to take the field.
A well rested Jenna Govel was on the mound making her seventh straight league start with a questionable defense behind her. "One of the things we wanted to focus on was trying to figure this whole thing out" John Ginder said of their struggles, "It all doesn't add up. We have good players on this team but can't seem to get it all together when we need it" he added. The O's would squander the lead in the bottom of the first by giving up three runs. They would give up another three runs in the bottom of the third to trail the game 6-3.
After a few uneventful innings Ginder made some minor lineup changes putting in Anthony "The Real Deal" Scaccia and Mr. Pantelones himself Nick Deso. This would prove to be the right decision although one of the more difficult decisions he has had to make so far this season.
After missing a few games with undisclosed injuries or "More important things to do", Nick Deso was called to duty. "You could see a little rust in his swings. He didn't look too comfortable up there" Matthew Brust said (son of Five-O's right fielder). Deso was able to make decent contact with the ball with a seeing eye single. It is too bad that the single didn't get to see what everyone else did. Deso was motoring down the first baseline. That wasn't the only thing going down the first baseline. In what could only be called pure speed, Deso ran right out of his pants forcing him to hop the rest of the way to safety. That was the turning point in the game. The rest of the team had a good laugh which lifted to pressure off of their shoulders and allowed them to play better. Deso would eventually come around to score (with his pants on) that inning bringing the game to 6-4.
The Five-O's had a nice three up three down inning in the field and were back on the bench ready to make a game of it. Back-to-Back doubles by Tylor Stevens and Anthony Scaccia brought the O's within one of WFD/WTRS. Then the flood gates opened. The Five-O's would have eight hits in their next nine at bats to take the lead for good tallying nine runs. "I saw no quit from these guys today" manager J.J. Mazzone said "We could have easily let those big innings by the other team get into our heads but we didn't" he concluded. "The 1998 Yankees in their first seven games had the same record as we do now. They went on to win 125 games including the playoffs and were world champs" Anna Brust said (daughter of Five-O's right fielder).
The win should bring this team closer. It will be interesting to see if they can continue their winning ways this Thursday when they face the team from the McKownville Fire Department who are responsible for two of the Five-O's losses.
Most times the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game is a player who has success at the plate or just an all-around good game or the two awards that were lobbied for by Roger Ginder and Jon Boyt. This award will have to be different. Although he did enjoy success at the plate going 2-3 with two runs scored, the rest of us enjoyed more then we wanted to of him. The CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game is Nick "Pantelones" Deso.
The Game Thursday is a 6pm start at Strawberry Park.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Five-O's Earn Split Over The Weekend
The Five-O's must have made a deal with the devil to have to play back-to-back games in the Heat Wave of 2008. They were able to scratch out a win Saturday morning against the staff of Our Lady of Mercy, but wouldn't be as lucky on Sunday when they faced the softball team from the SUNY Police Department.
-Saturday-
It has been written many times in the past, but the Five-O's found themselves in familiar territory Saturday when they trailed Our Lady of Mercy in the first inning. Tylor Stevens who was missing in action last week put the Five-O's on the board with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the first inning. First basemen John Ginder would put the Five-O's on top with an RBI single. "All I wanted to do was just put the bat on the ball" Ginder said.
The Five-O's would squander their lead by giving up three runs in consecutive innings and would trail Our Lady of Mercy 4-3 going into the bottom half of the fifth inning. Then something clicked. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was finally stability at work where the day before the game Carol Lawlor was officially sworn in as Chief of the Guilderland Police Departrment. Whatever it was the Five-O's looked impressive. They scored seven runs in their half of the inning to take a 10-4 lead. "It is kind of like Scrabulous. Sometimes the tiles just fall your way. That inning the pitches fell our way and we were knocking them down" leftfielder Todd Roberts said who contributed two RBI's in the inning. "I think it was just that the team was focused. Everyone was seeing the ball well and were finally hitting it to where people weren't" catcher Kyle Haines would add on the inning.
Jenna Govel pitched again and didn't let the heat slow her down. "It was a nice change to see batters from the other team actually swinging at pitches." Govel remarked on teams in the past just standing there taking pitches. "It made the game go by alot quciker" she added.
The Five-O's could have won this game by forfeit because Our Lady of Mercy didn't have enough players. Manager J.J. Mazzone didn't want to take a win that way although they should take one whenever they can. "We were lucky enough to have more players then we needed so I didn't see a problem lending them a couple to ROUND out their team...no offense Travis" Mazzone said on lending Our Lady of Mercy two players. "It is never easy to decide who should stay or go in an event like that" John Ginder said, "Without hurting any feelings of the regular Five-O players, it made sense to send over two players we didn't want playing with us" Ginder added. It almost came back to bite both of them because both players they sent over had good games for the opposing team which almost sent the Five-O's to the loss column yet again. Lady Luck must have been on their side because they left Strawberry Park with smiles on their faces after a much needed and much deserved victory.
I have been getting way too much grief for my selections for the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. I have battled with the players of the Five-O's every single game trying to justify my decisions. Some are saying I am playing favorites because I am: sports writer/ player/ manager. Leaving that out I will let the statistics make the decision for me. Oh look at that.....going 3-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in......John Ginder has been named player of the game for Saturday against Our Lady of Mercy. That is his well deserved third player of the game honor.
-Sunday-
Fresh off their 10-4 victory Saturday against the team from Our Lady of Mercy, the Five-O's looked to take their momentum into an exhibition game against the State University of New York at Albany's Police Department. They wouldn't fare well dropping the game 20-10 in the sweltering heat.
The Five-O's would get off to a slow start and would front the underdog UPD team a 12-0 lead after the second inning. They would push their first run of the game across in the third inning on a double by manager J.J. Mazzone scoring recently exiled Travis Stevens. "It was good to have him (Travis) back in the lineup after opting to play for the other team yesterday" Mazzone said. "ROUNDING out the lineup is always a good thing......sorry Travis that never gets old" Mazzone added.
The Five-O's would be on the business end of an offensive onslaught by UPD all afternoon. And UPD would be the benefactors of horrific fielding by the Five-O's. Ground balls were finding their way to the outfield, flyballs were finding their way over the outfielders heads, there was even one instance where starting pitcher Kyle Haines was able to stop a groundball in enough time to throw the runner out at first, but first basemen John Ginder was in the middle of a conversation with his brother Roger who was playing second base at the time and wasn't covering the bag. "In all honesty I didn't think any of us were actually going to stop a groundball from going into the outfield so it kind of caught me off guard" John Ginder said. At one point I actually lost count of how many popups the Five-O's dropped. Third basemen Mike Deso struggled at the hot corner dropping multiple popups in foul territory. One time while being locked on to one to end an inning, Deso's teammates were shouting at him not to drop it and the ball found its way out of his glove and kept the inning alive.
One popup would leave a lasting impression not only on all in attendance but for the ground he fell on. In one of the lengthy innings Kyle Haines tracked down a popup in foul territory and caught it moments before he would end up with a mouthfull of dirt. "Ouch" Haines would say of his early game heroics. Haines is not usually a man of few words but he is in this event because I don't want to ask him anymore questions.
As in most of the games the Five-O's would struggle in the field and not make up for it at the plate. "It is frustrating" John Ginder would say, "I don't know what else to do. I would like to blame the heat for the loss, but 90 degrees or higher doesn't make flyballs go over heads or ground balls go under legs" he added. "I just hope we can get it together next week".
What people need to remember is that the Five-O's are an expansion team. With the exception of the 1997 Florida Marlins, no expansion team has achieved success early. "It is a process" Todd Roberts said "Rome wasn't built in a day" he would add.
It is hard to want to pick a player of the game when the team is embarrassed, but it has to be done. Going 3-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and three runs batted in, Roger Ginder is the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Maybe that will take some of the slack off of me in the future but I am sure it won't.
The Five-O's are back in action this Saturday at Strawberry Park against Howard's Hoopers. It would be nice to get it all together again and win back to back league games.
-Saturday-
It has been written many times in the past, but the Five-O's found themselves in familiar territory Saturday when they trailed Our Lady of Mercy in the first inning. Tylor Stevens who was missing in action last week put the Five-O's on the board with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the first inning. First basemen John Ginder would put the Five-O's on top with an RBI single. "All I wanted to do was just put the bat on the ball" Ginder said.
The Five-O's would squander their lead by giving up three runs in consecutive innings and would trail Our Lady of Mercy 4-3 going into the bottom half of the fifth inning. Then something clicked. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was finally stability at work where the day before the game Carol Lawlor was officially sworn in as Chief of the Guilderland Police Departrment. Whatever it was the Five-O's looked impressive. They scored seven runs in their half of the inning to take a 10-4 lead. "It is kind of like Scrabulous. Sometimes the tiles just fall your way. That inning the pitches fell our way and we were knocking them down" leftfielder Todd Roberts said who contributed two RBI's in the inning. "I think it was just that the team was focused. Everyone was seeing the ball well and were finally hitting it to where people weren't" catcher Kyle Haines would add on the inning.
Jenna Govel pitched again and didn't let the heat slow her down. "It was a nice change to see batters from the other team actually swinging at pitches." Govel remarked on teams in the past just standing there taking pitches. "It made the game go by alot quciker" she added.
The Five-O's could have won this game by forfeit because Our Lady of Mercy didn't have enough players. Manager J.J. Mazzone didn't want to take a win that way although they should take one whenever they can. "We were lucky enough to have more players then we needed so I didn't see a problem lending them a couple to ROUND out their team...no offense Travis" Mazzone said on lending Our Lady of Mercy two players. "It is never easy to decide who should stay or go in an event like that" John Ginder said, "Without hurting any feelings of the regular Five-O players, it made sense to send over two players we didn't want playing with us" Ginder added. It almost came back to bite both of them because both players they sent over had good games for the opposing team which almost sent the Five-O's to the loss column yet again. Lady Luck must have been on their side because they left Strawberry Park with smiles on their faces after a much needed and much deserved victory.
I have been getting way too much grief for my selections for the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. I have battled with the players of the Five-O's every single game trying to justify my decisions. Some are saying I am playing favorites because I am: sports writer/ player/ manager. Leaving that out I will let the statistics make the decision for me. Oh look at that.....going 3-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in......John Ginder has been named player of the game for Saturday against Our Lady of Mercy. That is his well deserved third player of the game honor.
-Sunday-
Fresh off their 10-4 victory Saturday against the team from Our Lady of Mercy, the Five-O's looked to take their momentum into an exhibition game against the State University of New York at Albany's Police Department. They wouldn't fare well dropping the game 20-10 in the sweltering heat.
The Five-O's would get off to a slow start and would front the underdog UPD team a 12-0 lead after the second inning. They would push their first run of the game across in the third inning on a double by manager J.J. Mazzone scoring recently exiled Travis Stevens. "It was good to have him (Travis) back in the lineup after opting to play for the other team yesterday" Mazzone said. "ROUNDING out the lineup is always a good thing......sorry Travis that never gets old" Mazzone added.
The Five-O's would be on the business end of an offensive onslaught by UPD all afternoon. And UPD would be the benefactors of horrific fielding by the Five-O's. Ground balls were finding their way to the outfield, flyballs were finding their way over the outfielders heads, there was even one instance where starting pitcher Kyle Haines was able to stop a groundball in enough time to throw the runner out at first, but first basemen John Ginder was in the middle of a conversation with his brother Roger who was playing second base at the time and wasn't covering the bag. "In all honesty I didn't think any of us were actually going to stop a groundball from going into the outfield so it kind of caught me off guard" John Ginder said. At one point I actually lost count of how many popups the Five-O's dropped. Third basemen Mike Deso struggled at the hot corner dropping multiple popups in foul territory. One time while being locked on to one to end an inning, Deso's teammates were shouting at him not to drop it and the ball found its way out of his glove and kept the inning alive.
One popup would leave a lasting impression not only on all in attendance but for the ground he fell on. In one of the lengthy innings Kyle Haines tracked down a popup in foul territory and caught it moments before he would end up with a mouthfull of dirt. "Ouch" Haines would say of his early game heroics. Haines is not usually a man of few words but he is in this event because I don't want to ask him anymore questions.
As in most of the games the Five-O's would struggle in the field and not make up for it at the plate. "It is frustrating" John Ginder would say, "I don't know what else to do. I would like to blame the heat for the loss, but 90 degrees or higher doesn't make flyballs go over heads or ground balls go under legs" he added. "I just hope we can get it together next week".
What people need to remember is that the Five-O's are an expansion team. With the exception of the 1997 Florida Marlins, no expansion team has achieved success early. "It is a process" Todd Roberts said "Rome wasn't built in a day" he would add.
It is hard to want to pick a player of the game when the team is embarrassed, but it has to be done. Going 3-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and three runs batted in, Roger Ginder is the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Maybe that will take some of the slack off of me in the future but I am sure it won't.
The Five-O's are back in action this Saturday at Strawberry Park against Howard's Hoopers. It would be nice to get it all together again and win back to back league games.
Friday, May 30, 2008
McKownville Offense Too Much For Five-O's
Coming off of a frustrating loss to Delicious and Howards Hoopers last Saturday, the Five-O's had something to prove not only to the league but to themselves. The only thing that could stand in their way was the McKownville Fire Department. Unfortunately for the Five-O's that would be enough. McKownville would beat up on the Five-O's and win the game by a score of 16-7.
The game was alot closer then the 16-7 score. The Five-O's were charting uncomfortable territory by taking a lead in the top of the first inning, but it would be short lived as McKownville would answer back with a little six run rally.
"It's really confusing", firstbasemen John Ginder said, "If we score some runs early we end up giving them back, if we don't score early we allow them to score and have to play catch up". The Five-O's defense failed them again. Misplayed balls in the infield, missed flyballs in the outfield, and batters not swinging lead to the teams demise Thursday night.
The Five-O's were without two of their team leaders Thursday night. J.J. Mazzone (Hits Leader) and Tylor Stevens (Batting Average Leader) were away and not available for comment. "It is never easy when you are missing players of their caliber" Five-O's starting leftfielder Steve Witham remarked without knowing about it in a postgame press conference that didn't take place. "We could have used the speed in the top of the lineup and the power at the bottom" he added.
John Ginder was able to make up for both during the game. Ginder went 4-4 and appears to have gotten past his hitting slump that was weighing heavily on his mind. "I just took a different approach during my AB's" Ginder said. Ginder put the Five-O's on the board in the first inning with a 2-run double. He wouldn't stop there. He would add a Ground-Rule Double and an inside the park homerun. "We saw flashes of Ginder's speed last week with his infield single" shortstop Ed Rickert said "But I didn't see that coming". "I would have been happy with a triple" Ginder said of his homerun, "But winning is too important to me, and my quarter ton frame can't stop on a dime like it used to" he added. Ginder almost didn't make it all the way home. Some loose dirt along with his exhaustion almost made him do a faceplant on the thirdbase line. "It would have been great if he fell then got tagged out" John's less talented, softer hitting brother Roger said who has to use comedy to make-up for his lack of playing ability.
For the second game in a row, the Five-O's opponent forced starting pitcher Jenna Govel to throw strikes by standing in the batters box and not swinging. "The umpire was coaching their hitters but nobody on my team listens to me" catcher Kyle Haines said. "At one point I heard them say not to swing at anything" he concluded while rubbing the dirt off his brow after the game.
The Five-O's really need to start getting their act together before the season passes them by. There are still plenty of games left but the inconsistency of this team seems to make them fall by the wayside.
It was down to two players for the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Todd Roberts and John Ginder. Roberts was handed over the leadoff spot for the absent Mazzone and thanked managment by striking out to leadoff the game. Ginder went 4-4 with two doubles, a homerun, three RBI's and three runs scored. It went to a best three out of five coin toss, but Ginder came out on top and is this games CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. It is his second this season.
The Five-O's are luckily off this Saturday but will be back on the field next Saturday June 7th at 11am at Strawberry park.
The game was alot closer then the 16-7 score. The Five-O's were charting uncomfortable territory by taking a lead in the top of the first inning, but it would be short lived as McKownville would answer back with a little six run rally.
"It's really confusing", firstbasemen John Ginder said, "If we score some runs early we end up giving them back, if we don't score early we allow them to score and have to play catch up". The Five-O's defense failed them again. Misplayed balls in the infield, missed flyballs in the outfield, and batters not swinging lead to the teams demise Thursday night.
The Five-O's were without two of their team leaders Thursday night. J.J. Mazzone (Hits Leader) and Tylor Stevens (Batting Average Leader) were away and not available for comment. "It is never easy when you are missing players of their caliber" Five-O's starting leftfielder Steve Witham remarked without knowing about it in a postgame press conference that didn't take place. "We could have used the speed in the top of the lineup and the power at the bottom" he added.
John Ginder was able to make up for both during the game. Ginder went 4-4 and appears to have gotten past his hitting slump that was weighing heavily on his mind. "I just took a different approach during my AB's" Ginder said. Ginder put the Five-O's on the board in the first inning with a 2-run double. He wouldn't stop there. He would add a Ground-Rule Double and an inside the park homerun. "We saw flashes of Ginder's speed last week with his infield single" shortstop Ed Rickert said "But I didn't see that coming". "I would have been happy with a triple" Ginder said of his homerun, "But winning is too important to me, and my quarter ton frame can't stop on a dime like it used to" he added. Ginder almost didn't make it all the way home. Some loose dirt along with his exhaustion almost made him do a faceplant on the thirdbase line. "It would have been great if he fell then got tagged out" John's less talented, softer hitting brother Roger said who has to use comedy to make-up for his lack of playing ability.
For the second game in a row, the Five-O's opponent forced starting pitcher Jenna Govel to throw strikes by standing in the batters box and not swinging. "The umpire was coaching their hitters but nobody on my team listens to me" catcher Kyle Haines said. "At one point I heard them say not to swing at anything" he concluded while rubbing the dirt off his brow after the game.
The Five-O's really need to start getting their act together before the season passes them by. There are still plenty of games left but the inconsistency of this team seems to make them fall by the wayside.
It was down to two players for the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. Todd Roberts and John Ginder. Roberts was handed over the leadoff spot for the absent Mazzone and thanked managment by striking out to leadoff the game. Ginder went 4-4 with two doubles, a homerun, three RBI's and three runs scored. It went to a best three out of five coin toss, but Ginder came out on top and is this games CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. It is his second this season.
The Five-O's are luckily off this Saturday but will be back on the field next Saturday June 7th at 11am at Strawberry park.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Delicious, Hooper's Down Five-O's
The Five-O's couldn't keep their momentum going from last week, and were downed by Howard's Hoopers 9-8 on the strength of a "Delicious" walkoff two-run single, Saturday afternoon at the McKownville Park.
For the first time this season, the Five-O's jumped out to an early lead and held on to it until the bottom of the fourth inning. In what can only be called an annoyance, the Hooper's basically stood in the batters box with their bats on their shoulders and drew walks which put themselves in position for a big inning, and left the fourth with a 7-5 lead over the heavily favored Five-O's.
The Five-O's would claw their way back into the game, but would come up short. "It is just frustrating" Five-O's managing partner John Ginder said, "It wouldn't have surprised me if they didn't swing at anything" he added about the aforementioned annoyance. Ginder's hitting woes continued until the fifth inning when he broke an 0-8 slump with a blistering infield single. "I knew I was fast, but I didn't think I was that fast. Maybe it was our new form-fitting uniforms" Ginder said about his infield single. When asked what the cause of his brief slump was Ginder offered "In all honesty, it was my Grand Slam. That was the worst thing to ever happen to me".
As for the rest of the game, The Five-O's had a very solid defensive effort from everyone. Thats right everyone. I don't have to beat the dead horse about outfield blunders this week. Maybe the worst is behind him. Or maybe it was because nothing was hit to him (I am sure you all know who "him" is). But this team has learned how to play the field very well over the last couple of contests. I don't think it is a coincidence that J-I-M-M-Y is out in rightfield. But he seems to be the true backbone of the Five-O's outfield.
Jenna Govel was on the hill again and for the most part shut the Hooper's down. It all came down to one bad inning. Govel looked a little winded near the end of the game but that is to be expected when you throw over 100 pitches in a softball game.
Although he was not thrilled with having to bat ninth, Tylor Stevens didn't allow it to bother him at the plate. Stevens raised his team leading batting average to .813 with a double and an "inside the park homerun" which made the scorers argue because it was actually a single with several errors but after much deliberating, Stevens was credited with a homerun.
Roger Ginder returned to the lineup today and continued where he left off and showed everyone that for an old man he still has some wheels, when he scored from first on a double by Kyle Haines. Haines is continuing to tear the cover off the ball which he reminds me of every time I see him. Haines reached base all four times he was up today. The one thing that was missing from his game was his direction while in the field. The Five-O's looked a bit lost in the early going while on defense because Haines never yelled out where the play was supposed to go. Haines wasn't available for comment but that might actually be becuase I didn't really feel like asking him any questions.
It is confusing for this writer as to why this team can't get it all together at one time. The team can hit. The team can field. They have one of the more dominant pitchers in the league, but still fall short. "There will be more changes in the lineup for our next game" John Ginder said, "We will be without our lead off man and our bottom of the order guy for the next two games, but we'll manage" he concluded.
As always there has to be a CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. I guess there doesn't have to be but in order for everyone not to think that this player of the game was started because John Ginder hit a grand slam in the first game, I have to keep it going. It was an obvious choice this game, mainly because of his lobbying every time he reached base, but Jon Boyt is the player of the game. He almost bounced himself out of the running with an errant throw in the sixth inning but was able to stay in my good graces.
The Five-O's are back in action this Thursday night at Strawberry Park. It will be interesting to see if they can start climbing the standings and put a couple of good games together in a row.
For the first time this season, the Five-O's jumped out to an early lead and held on to it until the bottom of the fourth inning. In what can only be called an annoyance, the Hooper's basically stood in the batters box with their bats on their shoulders and drew walks which put themselves in position for a big inning, and left the fourth with a 7-5 lead over the heavily favored Five-O's.
The Five-O's would claw their way back into the game, but would come up short. "It is just frustrating" Five-O's managing partner John Ginder said, "It wouldn't have surprised me if they didn't swing at anything" he added about the aforementioned annoyance. Ginder's hitting woes continued until the fifth inning when he broke an 0-8 slump with a blistering infield single. "I knew I was fast, but I didn't think I was that fast. Maybe it was our new form-fitting uniforms" Ginder said about his infield single. When asked what the cause of his brief slump was Ginder offered "In all honesty, it was my Grand Slam. That was the worst thing to ever happen to me".
As for the rest of the game, The Five-O's had a very solid defensive effort from everyone. Thats right everyone. I don't have to beat the dead horse about outfield blunders this week. Maybe the worst is behind him. Or maybe it was because nothing was hit to him (I am sure you all know who "him" is). But this team has learned how to play the field very well over the last couple of contests. I don't think it is a coincidence that J-I-M-M-Y is out in rightfield. But he seems to be the true backbone of the Five-O's outfield.
Jenna Govel was on the hill again and for the most part shut the Hooper's down. It all came down to one bad inning. Govel looked a little winded near the end of the game but that is to be expected when you throw over 100 pitches in a softball game.
Although he was not thrilled with having to bat ninth, Tylor Stevens didn't allow it to bother him at the plate. Stevens raised his team leading batting average to .813 with a double and an "inside the park homerun" which made the scorers argue because it was actually a single with several errors but after much deliberating, Stevens was credited with a homerun.
Roger Ginder returned to the lineup today and continued where he left off and showed everyone that for an old man he still has some wheels, when he scored from first on a double by Kyle Haines. Haines is continuing to tear the cover off the ball which he reminds me of every time I see him. Haines reached base all four times he was up today. The one thing that was missing from his game was his direction while in the field. The Five-O's looked a bit lost in the early going while on defense because Haines never yelled out where the play was supposed to go. Haines wasn't available for comment but that might actually be becuase I didn't really feel like asking him any questions.
It is confusing for this writer as to why this team can't get it all together at one time. The team can hit. The team can field. They have one of the more dominant pitchers in the league, but still fall short. "There will be more changes in the lineup for our next game" John Ginder said, "We will be without our lead off man and our bottom of the order guy for the next two games, but we'll manage" he concluded.
As always there has to be a CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game. I guess there doesn't have to be but in order for everyone not to think that this player of the game was started because John Ginder hit a grand slam in the first game, I have to keep it going. It was an obvious choice this game, mainly because of his lobbying every time he reached base, but Jon Boyt is the player of the game. He almost bounced himself out of the running with an errant throw in the sixth inning but was able to stay in my good graces.
The Five-O's are back in action this Thursday night at Strawberry Park. It will be interesting to see if they can start climbing the standings and put a couple of good games together in a row.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Stevens Homer Propels Five-O's To Victory
After two lackluster performances on the field, the Five-O's got back on track Saturday beating the staff from Our Lady of Mercy by a score of 8-7. Tylor Stevens hit the eventual game-winner in the top half of the seventh inning and for the time being returned the Five-O's back to their winning ways.
The Five-O's had some new faces in new places, with one familiar face not in the lineup. Former cleanup hitter John Ginder was AWOL from this game and was not immediately available for comment as to his where abouts. Ginder did leave a note in the team bag that is carried in by managing partner J.J. Mazzone. The note simply stated "The Grand Slam was the worst thing to ever happen to me". Trying not to look into this any further, one can only hope that Ginder's muscle is back in the lineup this Saturday.
For the second week in a row, the Five-O's defense seemed to be something worth talking about. Something that is not worth talking about because it has been mentioned in every single game recap this season are the continuous fielding blunders by Mazzone. Mazzone almost let the game pop out of his glove with a flyball but was picked up by the fielding prowess of Jim Brust. Brust recorded the last out and secured the win for his team. "The fielding really came together today" catcher Kyle Haines wrote on the games scorecard. What Haines didn't mention was the error by team manager Mazzone. Maybe he has fears of being dropped down in the lineup. Nevertheless, this team seems to be going in the right direction.
The Five-O's started this game in the same manner as all the rest, getting into a hole by giving up three runs in the first inning. They weren't able to scratch off a run until the top of the fourth inning. Jenna Govel (2-2) pitched her fourth game in the row and was ineffective in the early going but seemed to have gotten it back together to secure her second win of the season.
Up is the only place this team can go. The hitting is starting to come together, and for the most part the fielding is following suit (except for you know who) so it will be interesting to see all of the pieces of the puzzle come together.
It is so much easier to pick a player of the game when the team wins, but the hard part is to choose only one. For his bomb which ultimately led the team to victory, Tylor Stevens is the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game.
The Five-O's are back on the field this Saturday May 24th at 11am. Their victim will be Howard's Hoopers who they pounded in the first game of the season. One can only hope the "Delicious" is on the hill.
The Five-O's had some new faces in new places, with one familiar face not in the lineup. Former cleanup hitter John Ginder was AWOL from this game and was not immediately available for comment as to his where abouts. Ginder did leave a note in the team bag that is carried in by managing partner J.J. Mazzone. The note simply stated "The Grand Slam was the worst thing to ever happen to me". Trying not to look into this any further, one can only hope that Ginder's muscle is back in the lineup this Saturday.
For the second week in a row, the Five-O's defense seemed to be something worth talking about. Something that is not worth talking about because it has been mentioned in every single game recap this season are the continuous fielding blunders by Mazzone. Mazzone almost let the game pop out of his glove with a flyball but was picked up by the fielding prowess of Jim Brust. Brust recorded the last out and secured the win for his team. "The fielding really came together today" catcher Kyle Haines wrote on the games scorecard. What Haines didn't mention was the error by team manager Mazzone. Maybe he has fears of being dropped down in the lineup. Nevertheless, this team seems to be going in the right direction.
The Five-O's started this game in the same manner as all the rest, getting into a hole by giving up three runs in the first inning. They weren't able to scratch off a run until the top of the fourth inning. Jenna Govel (2-2) pitched her fourth game in the row and was ineffective in the early going but seemed to have gotten it back together to secure her second win of the season.
Up is the only place this team can go. The hitting is starting to come together, and for the most part the fielding is following suit (except for you know who) so it will be interesting to see all of the pieces of the puzzle come together.
It is so much easier to pick a player of the game when the team wins, but the hard part is to choose only one. For his bomb which ultimately led the team to victory, Tylor Stevens is the CapitalRegionSports.com player of the game.
The Five-O's are back on the field this Saturday May 24th at 11am. Their victim will be Howard's Hoopers who they pounded in the first game of the season. One can only hope the "Delicious" is on the hill.
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