Holding Court

NEW GIRLS BASKETBALL BLOG

2008-12-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

This is the new Courier News girls basketball blog address. Please bookmark it:

http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/holdingcourt/

NEW BLOG!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE READ!!

2008-04-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

My blog is changing addresses and the newspaper has no way to redirect you from this site to that one. So if you have this address saved on your favorites or bookmarked, please change the address to:

www.mycentraljersey.com/patsblog

This will be the final post I make on this blog. If you have any difficultly accessing the new blog, leave me a comment here and I will answer it, but go to the new blog for new information and please start leaving your comments there.

Thanks.

Knight starts, not pictured

2008-04-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

You might have seen my story on Brandon Knight, who is the Opening Day starter Friday for the Patriots. You might also have noticed that the photo with the story is not Brandon Knight. That's newcomer Steve Kelly, who is expected to start the second game.
Not sure how that happened, but we are sorry for the confusion. I don't want any fans going up to Kelly and asking for Knight's autograph because of something on the paper's end.
Here is the link:

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/SPORTS01/804240305/1011

News & Notes as spring training ends

2008-04-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

In case you missed Wednesday's paper, the Patriots released shortstop Pete Moore (who "made" the team out of the open tryout), catcher Michael Muscato and relief pitchers Joe Welsh and David Humen. No surprise here, really. These four guys had a combined one game of experience above Single-A, and it belonged to Humen.

Muscato, however, is not completely out of the picture. He accepted a job as the team's bullpen catcher early in the season. It might not sound it, but this is a very undervalued job. Lots of dirty work, but impacts the game by getting relief pitchers ready without straining the backup catcher. Muscato showed during spring training that he can hit -- though not with much power -- and he appears to have potential behind the plate. I definitely think he could play in a lesser independent league -- say, the Frontier League, where most players are in their mid-20s and not the typical Atlantic League veteran. Patriots officials said they are going to try to get Muscato a job there, so we'll see keep an eye on that.

Frank Moore missed Wednesday's practice as he flew back home to tend to a family issue. The team expects him back for Thursday's practice and, if not, definitely by Friday's opener.

The team's parade was Wednesday night. I did not attend, but check out the front page of Thursday's Courier News for a story by my colleague Marty. Thursday night is the barbecue for season ticket holders, and I'll likely see you there.

Around the league: Rumor has it Greg Blosser has made the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. For more on why that is interesting, check the info from two posts ago.
Lancaster Barnstormers beat writer Jason Guarente is reporting that the team has released outfielder Dominick Ambrosini because first-year manager Von Hayes did not like his lax attitude. This is downright shocking news considering Ambrosini has been an All-Star caliber player during his three Atlantic League seasons. He hit .316 with 20 doubles, 19 home runs and 70 RBIs last season for a team that wasn't very good. I love the guts it takes to make a move like this as Hayes is clearly sending his players a message, but I think it might backfire. Ambrosini is good enough to sign with any team in the league if he wants, and I see him hitting the home run to eliminate Lancaster from playoff contention in September.

Cut day

2008-04-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is cut day, as the Somerset Patriots will cut their roster from the 29 players who are in spring training to the 25 who will be in uniform Opening Day. I confirmed that the team is going to carry 25 -- no more and no less.
You be asking yourself, more? Isn't the Atlantic League active roster maximum 25?
The answer is yes, but apparently the league is considering allowing teams to carry as many as 28 early in the season in order to better asses the talent. I've always thought a week of spring training was too short to get an accurate read on players on the bubble, but this seems a little silly.
One of the disadvantages to not being in Florida with the rest of the league is I get left out of news tidbits like this. Lancaster Barnstormers beat writer Jason Guarente is in Florida and here is the excerpt from his blog. Give credit where it is due.

"There could be some transactions Monday. It depends on an Atlantic League ruling. The league is considering allowing teams to carry 27 or 28 players in the early part of the season for evaluation purposes."

Who gets the axe from the Pats? I've been told two pitchers and two position players, but there was a front office and coaches meeting scheduled for Monday night to finalize the names, so I don't want to publicize them until its official.
Would you want to read you were losing your job on my blog before your boss told you?

Around the Atlantic League...

2008-04-20T09:21:00.001-07:00

Here are two scoops from around the league....

-- Former Somerset Patriot Greg Blosser is in spring training with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Blosser, who has not played professionally since getting released by the Patriots in 2003, told me last season that he was planning a comeback but I did not expect much of a market for a 36-year-old outfielder who has more recent experience as a private investigator than he does as a baseball player. Shows you what I know. From everything I hear, Blosser is a good guy for the league and his comeback would make a great story. The wrinkle? If he makes the team, Blosser's first game would be Friday against the Patriots at Commerce Bank Ballpark, where he hit that memorable two-out three-run home run to tie Game 4 of the 2001 Atlantic League Championship Series against Newark.

-- Randall Simon is expected to join the Newark Bears. The team plans to announce this signing Monday, but I figure it is safe to release the news since he was on the roster the Bears gave me Saturday. The 32-year-old first baseman is a career .283 hitter in 537 major-league games and should fare well versus Atlantic League pitching. However, Simon will forever be most remembered for a July 9, 2003 incident at Miller Park in Milwaukee when, leaning over the dugout railing, he struck a woman in a mascot costume with his bat during the between-innings sausage race. I expect he's tired of answering questions about this by now, but there are plenty of Atlantic League writers who will be dying for this guy to come into town. I am not one of them.

2008-04-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Home runs continue to fly out of Healthquest Park at a high rate.
After two days of balls crashing into the scoreboard and shed behind the left-field fence during batting practice, Jeff Duncan hit the only home run Thursday during the first intra-squad scrimmage.
The pace picked up again Friday as Brandon Larson and Vito Chiaravalloti connected for back-to-back home runs off left-hander Andy Van Hekken.
Right-hander Casey Cahill worked into and out of trouble while tossing a scoreless inning.
Regular catchers Travis Anderson (first base) and Jason Belcher (third base) got a well-deserved break from squatting as Michael Muscato and Matt Hagan handled the catching duties for the two sides.
Saturday's scrimmage against the Newark Bears at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium is set for 12 p.m. I am looking forward to getting a look at another Atlantic League team. By this point in years past, I've had a decent feel for most of the other teams, but not being in Lakeland, Fla. with the rest of the league has an isolated feeling.

Spring training has started

2008-04-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you caught my Brandon Larson feature from the first day of camp in either the Courier News or Home News Tribune. If not, here is the link:

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/SPORTS01/804160315/1011

The first two practices have been pretty uneventful with pitchers fielding grounders and throwing to the bases. The hitters have taken batting practice in three groups while the other two groups field routine grounders. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Thursday's intra-squad scrimmage.

I heard from a friend in Florida -- where the Atlantic League is holding spring training minus the Patriots and Newark Bears -- that Southern Maryland manager Butch Hobson is putting his team through some intense practices.
Patriots manager Sparky Lyle said that would happen because he remembers Hobson's Nashua Pride teams as very prepared. He remembers them working on fundamentals and plays for hours.

The interesting thing to me is this seems to be similar to one of the things that cost Frank Klebe his manager job with the Lancaster Barnstormers last season.
Now, you cannot compare Hobson -- a former major-league player and major-league manager with a resume of success -- to Klebe, who had a limited resume walking into Lancaster and who made on-field decisions that raised the eyebrows of many of his peers.
I would listen to Hobson over Klebe, too.
While the Barnstormers practically revolted against Klebe during the middle of last season for a multitude of reasons -- and I'm not going to pretend to be an insider to all of them -- one certainly was because they felt his harping on the basics was demeaning to their professionalism.
Seems like the source is more important than the words.

Spring training begins Tuesday

2008-04-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Remember to check out the Courier News or Home News Tribune newspapers or Web sites every day beginning Tuesday for live spring training coverage. I will be at all eight practices/scrimmages as I have been for the past two years. The only difference is instead of being in Lakeland, Fla., I will be in Flemington, N.J.
Here is a list of the top five things I will be miss about spring training in Florida.

5) The sun tan. I am 75% Italian, so I'm pretty good at getting a tan without getting burnt.

4) Writing my stories for Play Ball and the daily newspapers sitting poolside.

3) The Steak 'N Shake next door to the hotel. Cheeseburgers, cheesesteaks, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes anytime you want them. During the past two years I've had milkshakes as early as 9 a.m. (cookie dough) and as late as 2 a.m. (oreo).

2) The hotel gazebo. A good place for nightlife.

1) Sharing a cramped hotel room for 8 days with another person. It's like freshman year of college, only you and your roommate have the same exact schedules so you are always together. OK....maybe this is one thing not to miss. But spring training does make me think of former colleague Matt Apgar, so here is a shoutout to Matt.

Kalafer mentioned in NY Times

2008-04-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this article in the New York Times features minor-league baseball in New Jersey and is centered around Somerset Patriots owner Steve Kalafer. There is some news on the stalled Kalafer-owned Bergen Cliff Hawks, who are supposed to join the Atlantic League one of these days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06colnj.html?ex=1208318400&en=2a08da69e614ed0b&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Spring training schedule announced

2008-04-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the Somerset Patriots spring training schedule. All events except the April 19 scrimmage take place at Jack Cust Baseball Academy in Flemington and are open to the public.

Tuesday, April 15th
1 p.m. workout
Wednesday, April 16th
11 a.m. workout
Thursday, April 17th
10 a.m. workout
Friday, April 18th
10 a.m. batting practice
1 p.m. intra-squad game
Saturday, April 19th
12 p.m. Exhibition game vs. Newark Bears at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, Newark
Sunday, April 20th
12 p.m. Exhibition game vs. Newark Bears
Monday, April 21st
10 a.m. batting practice
1 p.m. intra-squad game
Tuesday, April 22nd
10 a.m. batting practice
1 p.m. intra-squad game
Wednesday, April 23rd
TBD

OTHER NEWS: I have not been able to contact Keith Ramsey despite my nagging phone calls. I heard a rumor that a team from Taiwan inquired about his rights, so maybe he is there. It's not like Ramsey not to call back.
No, other teams do not chip in when a big name comes to the Atlantic League. As an example, when Juan Gonzalez signed with the Long Island Ducks, his salarly was the responsibility of the Ducks only. While I was not around at the time, I've heard that when Jose Canseco was in the Atlantic League in 2000, other teams helped foot the bill, but that policy since has changed. Verifying that would be virtually impossible at this point, but I know that whether it used to happen or not, it does not now.

LeCroy joins Atlantic League...

2008-04-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

The first big-name newcomer to the Atlantic League for the 2008 season has signed, and the real news here is that the contract is not with the Long Island Ducks.
Former Minnesota Twin Matt LeCroy has joined the Barnstormers, a franchise that is notorious for not paying players the league maximum $3,000 per month.
It's very interesting -- and good for the league -- to see LeCroy pick Lancaster instead of a big city market such as Long Island or Newark.
Here is the press release with the relevant information on LeCroy, who, not too long ago, was considered a decent option at catcher on your fantasy baseball team.

LANCASTER, Pa.—The Lancaster Barnstormers have signed one of the most experienced Major League players in club history. Former Minnesota Twins catcher-first baseman Matt LeCroy has signed a 2008 contract, club vice president of baseball operations Keith Lupton announced today.

LeCroy, 32, made his debut with Minnesota in 2000 and has spent at least a portion of the last eight seasons in the Major Leagues with either the Twins or Washington Nationals. The Belton, S.C., native owns a .260 career batting average at the Major League level with 60 homers and 218 RBIs in 476 games. He clubbed 17 homers for Minnesota in both the 2003 and 2005 seasons.

“Matt is a bona fide number four hitter,” Lupton said. “That’s going to give the guys ahead of him, and probably the guy batting after him, some pretty good pitches to hit.”

He has also gathered experience on the national stage, playing in the post-season with the Twins for three consecutive years (2002-04) and posting a career .269 batting average in the playoffs.

The New York Mets drafted LeCroy in the second round of the 1994 June draft, but he chose instead to play collegiate baseball at Clemson University. After three big years with the Tigers that included two trips to the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb., a stint with Team USA in 1996, and All-American honors in 1997, he was a first round sandwich pick for the Twins in 1997.

LeCroy joins Lancaster after being released from the Major League spring training camp of the Oakland Athletics.

“We’re tremendously pleased to have a seven-year veteran like Matt,” Lupton said. “He’ll be a valuable asset to the club on and off the field.”

LeCroy’s signing brings the total number of players under contract with the 2008 Barnstormers to 21. The club will head to Lakeland, Fla., for spring training on April 14 and will return to open the 2008 season at home against the Bridgeport Bluefish on Friday, April 25.

Saturday's Tryout Postponed/Fan Fest still on

2008-04-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Somerset Patriots have postponed their open tryout Saturday morning and rescheduled it for next Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
The FanFest at Commerce Bank Ballpark that was supposed to follow the Open Tryout will go on as scheduled Saturday from 12-3 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine.

Here is the press release:

The Three-Time Atlantic League Champion Somerset Patriots have announced that open tryouts for the team has been postponed and will now be held at Commerce Bank Ballpark on Saturday, April 12th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

There will be an administration fee of $40 to tryout, with proceeds being donated to the Patriots Charity Fund, which has been established to give to various charities supported by the Somerset Patriots.

Players are to report to Commerce Bank Ballpark at 8:00 am for registration. Participants must be high school graduates and at least eighteen years of age. All those present should provide their career statistics and must supply their own wooden bats and baseball gloves. All participants will be required to sign a release form before trying out for the team.

Coaches and representatives from the Patriots will be on hand to evaluate the players at the ballpark, including Manager Sparky Lyle, President/General Manager Patrick McVerry, and Vice President/Assistant General Manager Rob Lukachyk.

The Patriots have signed a player from four open tryouts held by the team, including Tony Gsell, who played for Somerset from 2003 through 2006, and Jim Burt Jr., who played for the team throughout the 2006 season.

“The tryouts have been successful in the past at giving players a chance to be rediscovered and get back into professional baseball. Each year the talent level has gotten better at the tryouts, and the players that have signed, have made an impact on the team,” said Patrick McVerry, President/ General Manager of the Somerset Patriots Baseball Club.

Nettles joins the Orioles

2008-03-30T16:22:00.001-07:00

Jeff Nettles was not unemployed for very long.
The former Somerset Patriots star third baseman was released last Tuesday by the Kansas City Royals despite a spring training in which he was 9-for-24 splitting at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Royals loss became the Baltimore Orioles gain Saturday afternoon as Nettles signed to play for Double-A Bowie.
I exchanged text messages with Nettles on Sunday afternoon and he said he was headed to Maryland for his physical.
Nettles deserves better than Double-A at age 29 and having played well at Double-A last year for the Royals, but he was in no position to bargain.
This is good -- and surprising -- news for Nettles since most teams are looking to cut players after spring training, not add them.
This blog will check his progress periodically throughout the season.

Response to Comments

2008-03-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I'm SO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, to see all these comments. This is great. It really energizes me to see confirmation of my opinion that people are interested in Somerset Patriots news but they just were not posting comments. Keep 'em coming..

IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ASKING ABOUT THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS:

1) Teuris Olivares -- He will be back. The team has not announced it yet, but that is because they have a rule of not announcing signings until the player actually returns his signed contract, but the agreement is in principle. TO loved Somerset and the coaches and front office loved him.

2) Jose Morban -- I have not heard his name mentioned at all this offseason. I would be very surprised if he played for Somerset again, but I know the BASA group and the Mexican League liked him a lot last season. If he is not in Mexico, don't be surprised to see him in York, Southern Maryland or Lancaster.

3) Danny Garcia -- Last I heard he suffered a setback while rehabbing the injury that forced him to miss most of the 2007 second half and would not be ready to play again until mid-summer. If he ever gets healthy again, he instantly would be welcomed back to Somerset. He's still young and talented enough to make noise in affiliated ball.

4) Keith Ramsey -- Great question! After the way last season finished (with the coaching staff ignoring him in the playoffs) Ramsey will not be traveling across the country from Los Angeles to make nice with the Patriots. I've been thinking about calling him to check in for a few days, so that comment pushed me over the edge. Hopefully I'll know what Keith is up to by the middle of next week. My guess? Surfing and playing guitar. Living the dream.

Somerset Patriots: Who they've got?

2008-03-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is the first of what will be many, many Somerset Patriots-related posts from now through the end of September. I encourage anyone who checks the blog for Patriots information to leave a comment because seeing comments is my main way of knowing there is interest in this blog. People often told me last season that they were reading, but I rarely received more than 2 or 3 comments per post. More than that is needed.

Here is the team's roster so far, in case you have missed some of the signings. An * indicates the player is new to the team. You can find my thoughts on the team at the bottom.

INFIELDERS:
Josh Pressley
Gerardo Alvarez*
Frank Moore*
David Housel*
Vito Chiaravalloti*

CATCHERS:
Jason Belcher
Travis Anderson

OUTFIELDERS:
Elliott Ayala
Michael Ryan*

PITCHERS:
Jason Richardson
David Humen*
Steve Kelly*
Casey Cahill
Brandon Knight
Scott Wiggins
Bret Prinz*

MY OPINION: This is a classic Somerset Patriots team.
The offense will have speed and gap-to-gap hitters.
In the field, there is tons of versatility. Every infielder except Josh Pressley plays multiple positions, Ayala also plays shortstop and third base, Belcher also plays the outfield and Anderson also plays first base.
The pitching is very solid. Knight and Wiggins proved themselves as good starters last season and Kelly has career numbers that indicate he will do the same.
If Cahill pitches like he did at the end of last season instead of at the beginning, he is an effective middle-to-long reliever and Prinz will be the best closer in the Atlantic League for however long he is around (which I'm guessing is not past May).
I don't know enough about Humen, though it appears he is a middle reliever.
The real wild card here is Richardson. The hard-throwing right-hander has GREAT stuff. He throws hard and his ball moves. But he battled control issues all last season. If those problems are corrected, he can be electric. If not, will pitching coach Brett Jodie and manager Sparky Lyle keep him on board for another inconsistent season just because of potential?
A quick glance at the roster compared to what other Atlantic League teams boast at this point leads me to believe that the Patriots again will be near the top.
Look for the Lancaster Barnstormers to rebound from a dreadful season, the Newark Bears to viably defend their title and the Long Island Ducks to be strong for the zillionth season in a row.

The Last Word on All-Area

2008-03-24T05:07:00.001-07:00

Now that I've had some time to digest the NCAA Tournament and Easter dinner (penne and meatballs followed by prime rib), and you've had time to digest All-Area, here are some explanations.

Player of the Year: Daisha Simmons, Gill St. Bernard's.
Why? Simmons was at her best in big games. Criticizing Gill's schedule does not work because it included Somerville, Bridgewater-Raritan, Franklin, Marist, Montgomery, West Morris, Ridge, Immaculate-Lodi, Hillsborough, Trenton Catholic, etc. Criticizing Simmos' defense does not work either, because it is much improved from last season. She guards the opposing team's best perimeter player and gets in her face at halfcourt with tenacious man-to-man tactics. And you cannot criticize Simmons' offensive game because....well...it is impossible. She easily is the best open-court 1-on-1 player in the area, but she also showed an ability to hit the 3 and find the open teammate. Simply, as a sophomore, she was the best player. But it was close...

Coach of the Year: Joe Marino, Westfield.
Why? 1929. That's the last time the Blue Devils girls basketball program won any kind of championship, that was the year. Nearly 80 years later, Marino guided Westfield past a severe case of the injury bug and to the Union County Tournament title. It was the finishing touch on a very long rebuilding process for the ninth year coach, and enough to push him past several other strong candidates.

Top-ranked team: Rutgers Prep.
Why? Why not? Rutgers Prep dominated the Prep B Tournament on the way to a state championship and ran through the Somerset County Tournament, becoming the only local program to win two titles. This season left me begging to know how Rutgers Prep would fair in the NJSIAA Tournament. I think this team was good enough to win the Non-Public B sectional title.

My toughest decision: Who to put on Third Team All-Area?

Make sure you check out: The end of the year notebook. It has several smaller teams such as all-defensive, all-rebounding, etc. It's a good way to recognize some players who work very hard at one aspect of the game and fly under the radar.

All-Area stories

2008-03-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the links. I'll comment Sunday or Monday. Just wanted to get these up for people who don't see the paper.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080322/SPORTS03/803220326/1013

COACH OF THE YEAR:

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080322/SPORTS03/803220325/1013

END OF THE YEAR NOTEBOOK

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080322/SPORTS03/803220331/1013

(THINGS WE DON'T PUT ONLINE)

Top-ranked team: Rutgers Prep
First Team All-Area: Jessica Zigarelli (Watchung Hills), Brittany Myatt (Piscataway), Blaire Houston (South Plainfield), Erin Miller (Westfield), Daisha Simmons (Gill St. Bernard's)

Final HS basketball podcast has been posted!

2008-03-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the final podcast of the season recorded by Jerry Carino and I:

http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/frezza0318.htm

I suggest listening to it because, as always, it's entertaining. But also because it reveals some insight as to where our respective minds are at in regards to All-Area. Who is on our short list for Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, number one team in the final Top 10 and First, Second and Third Team All-Area. It will tell you what we had an easy time selecting and what has us losing sleep.

***Remember, boys and girls basketball All-Area runs in the Varsity section of the newspaper this coming Saturday, Dec. 22. It is the one thing we do each year that I am most proud to be a part of and most relieved when it is over.

I will post once more on this blog after the picks have been revealed to give a brief explanation of each choice and then I will turn this blog over to the Somerset Patriots and their fans. Hope you all enjoyed the hoops coverage.

All-Area update

2008-03-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

So I've put together my first, second and third teams for All-Area.
The problem is I have 18 names for 15 spots and I think my editor is going to notice.
That means I have to make a final cut of three names, which isn't going to be easy to do.
I think that there is a definitive top 18 and those three cuts are going to end up on "Honorable Mention," categorized alongside some 40 other girls.
I initially thought it was going to be easier to sort through All-Area this year after all those talented seniors graduated, but, after watching this season play out, it turns out I was wrong. The playing field was so level that it is hard to decipher a Third-Team All-Area player from an Honorable Mention player, and I really do not believe in arbitrary tiebreakers such as giving an edge to the senior or whose team played a stronger schedule.
And I am always constantly getting flooded with information about a player being named All-County or All-Conference.
Please realize that - while it might not sound like the most prestigious - Courier News All-Area might be the most competitive of any postseason honors a player in this area can receive.
Very few conferences have 34 teams to draw players from like I do, and The Star Ledger splits their honors by county and separates prep schools. That means I'm taking first-team players from their section and putting them on Third Team or Honorable Mention in mine.
As you can see, I am very stressed about this selection process.
One question: IS IT SOMERSET PATRIOTS SEASON YET?

Driving to Deptfod

2008-03-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

I was far from thrilled about driving to Deptford (1 hour 55 minutes from my house for the Central Group I state final Wednesday, but I here is what I will say. The folks at Deptford put on a great show for the following reasons:

1) A courtside press table, just like Cranford High School had the night before. For a writer with me with unimaginably early deadlines, you have no idea what a relief it is to have a power strip for my laptop and a table where I can lay out all my notes.
2) A free bottle of water. Pumping out stories on deadline gets a sweat going and being hydrated is key.
3) MOST IMPRESSIVLEY, someone at Deptford kept an official box score. The kind that reporters get at professional and college games. It included shooting percentages, turnovers, second-chance points, points in the paint, etc. I have this person to credit for writing a very informative game story, which is difficult to do at the high school level.

NOW...To summarize the past few days...

1) New Providence made a great run to the Group I semis. The Pioneers' victory over Highland Park in the Central I sectional final is a candidate for Courier News Game of the Year. I wish fans were allowed to see how the game against Wildwood would have unfolded without Shelly Montagna in foul trouble because I would have given New Providence a puncher's chance, but it is just as well because neither team is coming close to beating University in the Group I final.
2) It was a difficult sight to see Watchung Hills lose to Columbia in the North 2 Group IV sectional final. I've come to know those five seniors and coach Sandy Whelan very well during the past three years, and I can tell you they epitomized the good in high school sports. While the group went 0-3 in championship games (2008 Somerset County Tournament final and two straight sectional finals), they turned a former perennial loser into the best public school program in Somerset.
3) Gill St. Bernard's plays on! How many of you even knew that the Knights were still alive? Not many, but that's just the way the school near the cow farms likes it. Gill faces Marist in the Non-Public North B sectional final at 5 p.m. tonight at Belleville High School, and most people I've talked to say it's a 50/50 game. What this unheralded team is doing is very special, and you should join the bandwagon now. If you haven't seen Gill play, the team -- especially sophomores Daisha Simmons and Niiya Ruth -- is worth the price of admission. Even if that is a steep $6 for state games.

DON'T FORGET TO KEEP POSTING YOUR OPINIONS FOR COACH OF THE YEAR, PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND THE THREE ALL-AREA TEAMS....Nobody has correctly guessed the Top 5 I have penciled in right now, though one person did guess four out of five.

It's not too early too start talking postseason awards

2008-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

The best debate ever on this block came last March when it was time to talk about Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and the 15 spots on First-, Second-, Third-Team All-Area. I hope we can duplicate that this year because I think the field is just as wide open as in the past. I certainly have my frontrunners and secondary candidates but don't want to get myself in trouble for leaving anyone out.
SO YOU TELL ME...Who is the best player? Who did the best coaching job? If you get really bored and adventurous, tell me who the top 15 players are.
Just remember, I cover 34 teams. That includes all of Somerset County, all of Hunterdon County, Westfield, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Governor Livingston, Plainfield, New Providence, Union Catholic, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Middlesex, Piscataway Tech and Dunellen.

Central Jersey Group I preview story

2008-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

In case you missed my preview on tonight's Central Jersey Group I final, this is it from the Home News site. Our stories sometimes only appear on that paper's site and not www.c-n.com, so I encourage you to check both if you are looking for something. Sorry for the inconvenience.

http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/SPORTS03/803030409/1047

North-South game

2008-02-28T08:49:00.001-08:00

In case you haven't heard, North Hunterdon's Emily Tewksbury, Piscataway's Brittany Myatt and South Plainfield's Blaire Houston have been selected to the North-South All-Star game. Tewskbury will play for the North team against the two Middlesex County stars on the South side. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. March 22 at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.

(For an update on the state tournament, scroll down to today's first post)

State update

2008-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

To the poster who asked where the roundup from Wednesday's games are, I have attached the link below:

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/SPORTS03/802280372/1013

To no surprise of mine, it has been an enormously successful first three days of the state tournament for local teams.
The area has only had seven teams (Plainfield, Mount St. Mary, South Hunterdon, Governor Livingston, North Plainfield, Franklin and Montgomery) eliminated, and North Plainfield and Franklin each lost to another local team (Somerville and Piscataway, respectively).
I attended three games so far (Montgomery vs. South Brunswick, South Plainfield vs. Union Hill and Somerville vs. North Plainfield) and must say I was wowed by South Plainfield's performance. I had not seen the Tigers play since late December and was surprised at just how good some of their lesser known players have gotten.
The Somerville vs. North Plainfield game was as good of game as I've seen all year for the following reasons:
1) The atmosphere was great. Both team's students and fans did a great job showing up and being loud.
2) It was competitive from start to finish, no big leads.
3) It was well-officiated. The free-throw disparity was huge, but that is not the officials' problem here. It was a result of Somerville attacking the basket and North Plainfield settling for too many jumpers.
This is a candidate for my "Game of the Year" in the postseason wrap-up.

Have you seen any really good games? Or really good plays? Tell me about them. I will be at Watchung Hills-Piscataway on Friday night and Saturday remains TBA.

Start talking state tournament...

2008-02-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

You saw my bracket-by-bracket predictions and analysis in Saturday's Varsity section. Now it's time for you to tell me who you think is going to win what sections and why:

To review, I picked:

Piscataway in North 2 Group IV
Shabazz in North 2 Group III
Trenton in Central Jersey Group IV
Rumson Fair-Haven in Central Jersey Group II
Highland Park in Central Jersey Group I
Morris Catholic in Non-Public North A
Marist in Non-Public North B

My rankings of the five local teams with the best chance of winning a sectional title (in order):
1. Piscataway (North 2, Group IV)
2. Middlesex (Central Jersey Group I)
3. North Hunterdon (North 2, Group IV)
4. Watchung Hills (North 2, Group IV)
5. New Providence (Central Jersey Group I)

Congratulations to winners & a personal gripe

2008-02-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Hunterdon Central and Rutgers Prep on winning their respective county tournaments Saturday night. My preseason number one and three made me look good, and my preseason number two (Piscataway) and number five (Westfield) can keep it going today in their respective county finals.

But the real reason for this post is that I want to put out there something that the area coaches are to classy to talk about.
I thought the officiating in the Somerset County Tournament this season was notably disappointing.
People always say that officials are doing a good job if you are watching the game and don't notice they are there. Well, that was impossible in the SCT. Whether it was ticky-tack calls in crunch time or whistles blown every five seconds for an entire 32 minutes, the SCT officials certainly made their presence felt in every game I attended.
I admit I attend more SCT games than any other county tournament, but in the few games of the Union County Tournament and Hunterdon/Warren Tournament that I did see in person, this was not a problem.
Yet in the SCT, officials owned the spotlight. Officiating is a tough job and one I am not cut out for -- seriously, I did it for a while at the junior high school level and could not hack it -- it just seemed like the officials in this tournament played too big of a role in dictating outcomes.
Some examples:
-- Rutgers Prep shot 18 free throws to Watchung Hills' four in the SCT final.
-- Rutgers Prep had a similarly large advantage in free throws attempted (I don't have the exact numbers) against Franklin in the SCT semifinals.
-- While the foul calls were evenly distributed, there were far too many in the SCT semifinals between Bridgewater-Raritan and Watchung Hills. Several fans in the area of the stands where I was sitting could not believe how often one particular official blew the whistle. It literally was every possession down the stretch.

FOOTNOTE: This is not meant to taint Rutgers Prep's victory. I've said all year that I felt RP was the best team in Somerset County, and its method of attacking the rim certainly lends itself to attempting more free throws than its opponents. This is just a recurring theme I am left with after watching seven SCT games.
Care to comment?

County/Conference Finals Predictions

2008-02-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

(THIS IS THE THIRD -- AND HOPEFULLY FINAL -- POST OF THE DAY. MAKE SURE YOU SKIM DOWN TO CHECK OUT THE OTHER TWO)

I'm hoping the tournament finals bring more juice to this blog than the semifinals did.
Debate with me. Debate with each other. That's what the comments section is for, but I urge you to hold off talking about the state tournament until Monday. It's too much for me to think about right now with a crazy weekend ahead.
Saturday's Varsity section will have scouting reports for each of the four games, a full story advance on the Somerset County Tournament final and a section-by-section preview of the state tournament.

Here is the link to the basketball podcast where boys basketball writer Jerry Carino and I talk about the games and mention the state tournament:
http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/frezza0221.htm

Now for predictions. I warn you the scores might here be a little different than on the podcast, but I will keep the same winners. I threw those podcast scores out without much thought.

Somerset County Tournament final, 1 p.m. Saturday at Franklin High School:
Defense and rebounding will rule in this much-anticipated game. The fewer fouls whistled, the better the odds of a Watchung Hills victory.
***Rutgers Prep 49, Watchung Hills 44

Hunterdon/Warren Tournament final, 7 p.m. Saturday at Voorhees High School:
Hunterdon Central has the more talented roster, but picking against Voorhees in this game is dangerous. Carmen Cook's teams always overachieve and winning here would be another example of that.
***Hunterdon Central 46, Voorhees 42

Union County Tournament final, 3 p.m. Sunday at Roselle Catholic High School:
Westfield beat Elizabeth by double-digits twice during the regular season. I see no reason why this is different.
***Westfield 44, Elizabeth 34

Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final, 1 p.m. Sunday at South Brunswick High School:
I've been saying it all season and some of you have been disputing it all season: Piscataway is very good. Good enough to make a run in the state tournament and definitely good enough to win a third straight GMCT crown.
Piscataway 66, Cardinal McCarrick 59

Hillsborough's Jim Reese retiring....

2008-02-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it in Friday's papers -- which probably are buried under six inches of snow somewhere on your doorstep -- Hillsborough coach Jim Reese retired Thursday after 14 years at the post.

Here is my story with two quotes and Reese's record and background:

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/SPORTS03/802220394/1013

Reese was great to me during my three years covering girls basketball. He would talk after a win or a loss, or I could call him at home anytime for a quote about anything. Personable coaches like him make my job easier and more enjoyable. He will be missed.
As my friend Geoff Mosher, who preceded me covering girls basketball and had the beat for six years, said upon hearing the news:
"They should hang his sweater from the rafters."

Reese's last act of good will as a head coach was to help me preview the Somerset County Tournament final. Hillsborough lost to Rutgers Prep and split two games against Watchung Hills this season. Here is what he said:

"The key for Rutgers Prep is if they don't turn it over a lot, I'd give them the edge. They have a freshman point guard (Jacquie Pizzuto) who is going to be a great player -- she is a very good player -- but she is a freshman in the finals for the first time."

"I would think that (Jessica) Zigarelli has to have a big game for Watchung Hills to win. She's the one player on their team can really step up and deliver a big game."

Key matchups: Forwards Stephanie Lupo (Watchung Hills) vs. Ranait Griff (Rutgers Prep) & point guards Susie Schaffer (Watchung Hills) vs. Jacquie Pizzuto (Rutgers Prep)

"I think given the two (Rutgers Prep's one senior but a deep bench versus Watchung Hills' five seniors and small bench) I like the depth factor, but you're talking to a coach who won two county championships in the last three years with no depth."

"I think (Watchung Hills coach) Sandy (Whelan) has done a great job. That program was terrible when she took over."

"Being in many finals, the one thing I've noticed is most of the time both teams play well."

Reschedulings....

2008-02-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

All 3 girls basketball tournament finals scheduled for tonight have been rescheduled. Here is the new schedule:

Saturday:
Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
at Voorhees (site change)
Hunterdon Central vs. Voorhees, 7 pm

Sunay:
Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament
at South Brunswick High School (site change)
Piscataway vs. Cardinal McCarrick, 1 pm

Sunday:
Union Couny Tournament
at Roselle Catholic
Westfield vs. Elizabeth, 3 pm

Hunterdon/Warren Tournament quarterfinal results

2008-02-15T19:10:00.001-08:00

1-North Hunterdon 45, 8-South Hunterdon 15
2-Hunterdon Central 71, 7-Warren Hills 22
3-Belvidere 62, 6-Delaware Valley 43
4-Voorhees 59, 4-Philipsburg 34

The Belvidere-Delaware Valley box score will not be in the paper because I did not get it until past deadline, but some highlights for the Terriers included 13 points by Candita Curcio and 10 rebounds by Chloe Early.

Voorhees-North Hunterdon and Belvidere-Hunterdon Central are the match-ups for Tuesday's semifinals at Hackettstown High School.

Somerset County Tournament semifinals predictions

2008-02-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

Predictions are back...even though I am proving only to be good at picking the obvious winners and bad at guessing the upsets. I do deserve credit for trying to pick upsets, though, don't I? My record would be much better if I picked only the favorites.
That said, I will now pick the favorites, but I URGE YOU TO READ SATURDAY'S NEWSPAPER. It has much, much more on the games, including a coach's analysis for both games. I figure you are more likely to listen to a coach than to me.
Special thanks to Immaculata's Jen Hilgenberg and Gill St. Bernard's Mergin Sina for agreeing to help me with those scouting reports.

Rutgers Prep vs. Franklin, 2

Girls basketball might be a guard's game, but this match-up is for the forwards. There are quite a few on both sides (Darnae Beverley, Taylor Jeffers, Felicia Mgbada, Ranait Griff, Kelsey Rene, Ranjana Chakravarthy) capable of coming up big. Both teams have plenty of experience, too, and I am expecting an extremely well played game. I think it will be up for grabs with 2:00 to play, and the Argonauts execution in the halfcourt makes for the slimmest of differences.
Rutgers Prep 49, Franklin 48

Watchung Hills vs. Bridgewater-Raritan, 4

Before I knew anything about girls basketball in this area, Watchung Hills supposedly was a downtrodden program and Bridgewater-Raritan had a strong program. You can all verify that -- I have, no matter how difficult it is for me to believe. For the three years I've known Somerset County basketball, it's been the complete opposite. Watchung Hills has been knocking -- maybe even pounding -- on the door to the SCT final and Bridgewater-Raritan has immensly struggled. Would I be surprised if Bridgewater-Raritan played another great game with its nothing-to-lose underdog mentality? No. But I think the door opens this year for the Warriors.
Watchung Hills 52, Bridgewater-Raritan 41

Minor-league baseball: The Surf will do anything

2008-02-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

Remember the Atlantic City Surf? They were the Somerset Patriots big Atlantic League rival before splitting for the shorter-season Can-Am League after the 2006 season. Well, here is something from The Associated Press that I read today:

"Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposed toll hikes are influencing even minor league baseball.The Atlantic City Surf will refund the game-day tolls from the Atlantic City Expressway near Exit 4 for fans attending that night's game. Patrons will get $1 off the price of their game ticket, covering the 50-cent toll coming and going at the Pleasantville interchange.The Surf play at Bernie Robbins Stadium, just off Exit 2 on the expressway. The season starts in late May."

Somerset Patriots: Chiaravalloti inks deal

2008-02-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

One day after the Somerset Patriots lost their first baseman from last season (Josh Pressley) to the Florida Marlins organization, the Patriots replaced Pressley with former Road Warrior Vito Chiaravolloti.
The slugger from Middletown is a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy and a former farmhand for the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. He had a career year with the 2007 Road Warriors when he hit .296 with 32 doubles, 18 home runs and 91 RBIs. He also had more walks than strikeouts.
Here are some quotes from Chiaravalloti, who I spoke to Tuesday night via telephone:

"I was fortunate that I set myself up well with a good year and there were tons of teams calling."

"I wanted to play for Somerset all along and I was hoping they were going to come in with an offer. Once they expressed interest, all I needed to hear was that I was going to play every day. I felt in independent ball that's the best place to be. It's a beautfiul stadium, great fans and it's 30 minutes from my house. My family was real excited I was going to be close to home."

He said his disappointing stats from his two Double-A seasons, 2005 and 2006, were a case of injuries, namely a pulled oblique muscle and an elbow injury that required surgery

"Last year was important to me come out and I had to prove that, if I was healthy, I could still hit. Every year, I was healthy I've made an All-Star team in what ever league I've played in."

"It was a matter of me getting back on the map. I think Somerset is going to be the perfect place for me to hopefully make a splash."

"I told my agent I don't like playing the game of wait until the last second and scrounge for a team. Number one, I don't think it's fair to the teams to lead them on. Also, for myself, I want to put my mind at ease that this is where I'm going to play this year. I have a place and I'm ready to go

On being with the Road Warriors:
"I really did enjoy that. I learned a lot about myself and what it takes to grind out a season. For me, it was an experience I'm glad I had, but you only want to have once. The majority of the time you're there just there to lose, so it's nice to have some expectations, and try to win a championship."

Somerset Patriots: Pressley to the Marlins

2008-02-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Somerset Patriots first baseman/designated hitter Josh Pressley has inked a deal with the Florida Marlins and will report next Monday to spring training with the Triple-A team. He was planning on returning to Somerset for a second season and had even begun recruiting other players to the team before the Marlins called.
Pressley hit .281 with 92 hits, 18 doubles, 13 home runs, and 55 RBI in 327 at bats over 102 games played for the 2007 Patriots. During the playoffs, Pressley hit .333 with eight hits, two home runs,and six RBI in six post-season games.
In a gutsy move that proved his desire to win and loyalness to the team, Pressley, who played through various injuries most of the season, delayed knee surgery needed at the end of the regular season until after the season so that he could participate in the postseason.
He was a fan and media favorite for his work ethic and approachability.
Pressley has experience in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, KansasCity Royals, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Florida Marlins organizations. He began the 2006 season at the Triple-A level for the Red Sox, then split the rest of the season in Double-A for the Cardinals and Marlins, who liked him enough to re-sign him Monday.
I talked to Pressley over the phone for a few minutes after the the deal was announced and here is what he said:

"I know a lot of guys in their front office. It's a real opportunity to play every day in Triple-A. Spring training is only 35 minutes from my house (in Florida) so it's a really good fit."

"It was going to take a very good opportunity to get me away from Somerset. I just wanted to go into an opportunity where I was going to get to compete and be at as high a level as I was in Somerset."

"I'm at the point in my career where I need to know I'm going to be getting at-bats."

"It was hard for me to make that call to (general manager) Pat (McVerry) and to (director of player procurement) Brett (Jodie) and to tell them. But they were great. They said, 'This is what we're here for.' Their support even now has just been amazing."

"It's going to be weird not playing there. I wish I could play there and at the same time have the opportunity that the Marlins are offering. Unfortunately but fortunately I had to move on."

"When they brought me in to their Double-A team (in 2006) I wasn't really prepared. When they brought me in (this time) they said, 'We know you didnt really have a opporunity here.' I have a relationship with them which is important. It's really all about relationships, and I've know these guys going all the way back to my Devil Rays days."

"The whole (Somerset) atmosphere was so refreshing. It got me back to loving the game of baseball."

"I had every intention of coming back (to Somerset). I've been recruiting. After I had my surgery and came out on other side it was a question of 'How was it going to feel after my third knee surgery.' It felt better than it did all year.'"

Hunterdon/Warren Tournament seeds

2008-02-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

I think these are the seeds in the HWT as decided by the coaches Sunday afternoon. I say "think" because a colleague called me but I had trouble hearing the message and no coaches called me. If I hear that I'm wrong, I'll make the changes ASAP.
I must admit that I was surprised that Belvidere jumped ahead of Voorhees even though Belvidere is undefeated and Voorhees has six losses. I thought the level of competition faced made enough of a difference.
That's enough of my thoughts, what do you think of this tournament? It's only a 10-teamer, but some of the best basketball in the area is played out west.

1. North Hunterdon
2. Hunterdon Central
3. Belvidere
4. Voorhees
5. Phillipsburg
6. Delaware Valley
7. Warren Hills
8. South Hunterdon
9. Hackettstown
10. North Warren

HWT ballot and SCT Quarterfinals Predictions

2008-02-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my ballot for the Hunterdon/Warren Tournament, which gets seeded Sunday. If you want analysis on why I placed teams where, you will have to read the girls basketball notebook in Saturday's paper. It is addressed.

1. Hunterdon Central; 2. North Hunterdon; 3. Voorhees; 4. Belvidere; 5. Phillipsburg; 6. Warren Hills; 7. Delaware Valley; 8. South Hunterdon; 9. North Warren; 10. Hackettstown.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS:

I'll give you a score and one or sentences on each game, but, again, for more in-depth analysis...wait for it...wait for it...READ THE NOTEBOOK. I can't give everything away without getting the company 50 cents in return.

Rutgers Prep 56, North Plainfield 42: A close game initially, Rutgers Prep eventually wears down North Plainfield.

Watchung Hills 50, Immaculata 47: Be careful picking a blowout here. Immaculata plays its best basketball at this time of year on Saturdays and will be hungry to make up for Thursday night's 12-point output.

Montgomery 46, Bridgewater-Raritan 39: This is one of those "How difficult is it to beat a team three times in the same season?" kind of games. I say difficult. But not difficult enough for an upset.

Gill St. Bernard's 64, Franklin 62: To be honest, I don't have any inkling who is going to win this game, and that is why I am picking it close. Franklin can run with Gill St. Bernard's in a way not many teams can, so how will the Knights react to that?

GMC Tournament seeds announced today

2008-02-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

The following is from my colleague Mark Spivey at the Home News Tribune:

The two-time defending champion Piscataway High School girls basketball team was awarded the No. 1 seed for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament for the third straight year with the event was seeded at East Brunswick High School Friday morning.

The Chiefs wrapped up their Red Division schedule a perfect 14-0 by beating East Brunswick on Thursday. New Brunswick and Cardinal McCarrick, which finished undefeated in the White and Blue Division play, respectively, received the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds. None of the top three seeds have gone head-to-head this season.

Five of last season's top six seeds were also seeded within the top six this time around, with South Brunswick and South Plainfield going fourth and fifth.The tournament will commence with a single play-in game between No. 25 South River and No. 24 J.P. Stevens tomorrow and will include eight first-round games on Monday and second-round games on Wednesday.

The quarterfinals will be played at South Brunswick High School on Saturday, Feb. 16; the semis will be played at Middlesex County College on Monday, Feb. 18; and the final is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway.

The seeds:

1. Piscataway (16-6)

2. New Brunswick (16-2)

3. Cardinal McCarrick (19-2)

4. South Brunswick (12-7)

5. South Plainfield (11-7)

6. Colonia (12-7)

7. Woodbridge (14-7)

8. South Amboy (11-7)

9. Bishop Ahr (14-6)

10. East Brunswick (11-9)

11. Edison (10-10)

12. Middlesex (14-7)

13. Spotswood (12-7)

14. North Brunswick (7-8)

15. Sayreville (9-10)

16. Perth Amboy (6-11)

17. Highland Park (13-6)

18. Old Bridge (8-13)

19. Carteret (6-13)

20. Monroe (4-17)

21. Dunellen (11-7)

22. Metuchen (4-16)

23. J.F. Kennedy (3-18)

24. J.P. Stevens (2-19)

25. South River (1-20)

Union County Tournament seeds announced today

2008-02-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the Union County Tournament seeds:

17-Roselle vs. 16-Benedictine, winner vs 1-Linden; 9-Governor Livingston vs. 8-Plainfield; 21-Roselle Park vs. 12-Dayton, winner vs. 5-Roselle Catholic; 20-Union vs. 13-Union Catholic, winner vs. 4-Elizabeth; 19-Oak Knoll vs. 14-Summit, winner vs. 3-A.L. Johnson; 22-Brearley vs. 11-Hillside, winner vs. 6-Scotch Plains-Fanwood; 23-Rahway vs. 10-Cranford, winner vs. 7-New Providence; 18-Kent Place vs. 15-Mother Seton, winner vs. 2-Westfield.

You Union County readers have quite te challenge ahead of you. I've had two posts about the Somerset County Tournament generate 30 and 21 comments, respectively. That's quite a lot for a blog of this nature. Can you Union County readers meet that challenge and prove there is as much interest in what happens in that tournament as in the SCT?

P.S. Thank you Terence for the early post on the top nine seeds.

Weekend Review

2008-02-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

So I went 3-for-4 on my Somerset County Tournament predictions as Immaculata, North Plainfield, Bridgewater-Raritan and Gill St. Bernard's advanced. The only one I got wrong was picking Hillsborough to beat Gill St. Bernard's, which is ironic because early in the season I was on the Gill bandwagon, saying "Gill and Rutgers Prep could meet in the SCT final" to several of my colleagues.

Also, let us make sure not to lose track of big wins by South Hunterdon and Plainfield on Saturday that qualified both schools for the state tournament at exactly .500. Timothy Christian had an opportunity to do the same this weekend but finished one game under .500 thanks to a loss to Ross Corners (N.Y.) on Friday night. The Tigers responded with a too-little too-late win Saturday afternoon.

***A major theme during and after the game was the play of Immaculata sophomore point guard Shauna Mulkerin, who reminded reporters, fans and both coaches of former Somerville native and Immaculata star Lindsay Melone.
Melone owned the Somerville-Immaculata rivalry for the past four years, not just with points, assists and steals, but with savvy, unheralded little plays.
Mulkerin -- who even looks a little like Melone -- did those same things Saturday during an 18-point effort, and the comparisons couldn't be helped.
I chatted with Melone, who was in the stands as a fan, after the game but did not ask her about Mulkerin.
Hilgenberg did mention after the game that she thinks Mulkerin greatly benefited from battling one-on-one in practice against Melone, who told me she has left Richmond University where she started the year as a walk-on and is attending Delaware.

Here are some leftover quotes from the Immaculata-Somerville game that I attended Saturday night but wrote only a few paragraphs about because of the late starting time.

JEN HILGENBERG, IMMACULATA COACH:

"It was just a huge game for them (our players) because we've been struggling all year. And it's Somerville-Immaculata. They are just more pumpe dcup when it comes to play Somerville."

On her team:
"When they play intense, they are a very good team."

IMMACULATA SENIOR GUARD BRITTANY MUSCATELL

"I've never lost to Somerville and I never want. I told them (my teammates) that. This is a game you don't want to lose. It's all about pride."

On scoring eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, all from the free-throw line:
"I couldn't score earlier in the game, but free throws are an important part of the game."

SOMERVILLE COACH CORBY SWAN

On Mulkerin:
"I've never seen her play like that. She picked a great game to play like that."

"I can't make it anything else (than just any another game). I can't allow this game to deter our path. We still have the conference and the states to worry about."

Upset Alert

2008-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks for Somerset County Tournament second-round action Saturday:
(Every year I pick at least one major upset at this level and I've never been correct)

9-North Plainfield (46), 8-Mount St. Mary (42)
The Canucks won the first meeting by three points and Noelle Hynes and Lori Nieves are playing too well right now.

10-Immaculata (39), 7-Somerville (36)
When is Somerville going to beat Immaculata? The Pioneers struggles in this rivalry are well documented (1o straight losses and its uglier if you go back further). They might have the better team, but psychological roadblocks can be tough to overcome and the Spartans won the first meeting a few weeks back.

6-Bridgewater-Raritan (51), 11-Pingry (34)
The Panthers won last season's meeting in the first round of the tournament by 28 points and were nowhere near as good of a team as they are right now. That spells trouble for the Big Blue. Do I expect Pingry to lose by 28 or more? No. Do I expect Pingry to win? Definitely not.

AND THE BIG ONE...

12-Hillsborough (66), 5-Gill St. Bernard's (60)
It would mark the second consecutive season that the 12th seed has beaten the fifth seed in this tournament. The only question is whether or not Hillsborough can score enough points to win a high-scoring game because Gill St. Bernard's is going to get its points. My feeling is the Raiders are a team you don't want to play right now, having won three of four, including beating Watchung Hills. And, as one opposing coach said to me this coach, the mere presence of veteran Hillsborough coach Jim Reese is worth a few points on the scoreboard.

Patriots: Marsonek signs with Nationals

2008-01-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

In one of the more surprising announcements I've ever come across, former Somerset Patriots right-handed pitcher Sam Marsonek has signed a contract with the Washington Nationals. It is unknown at this time which minor-league affiliate Marsonek will report to.
Marsonek accumulated a 6-8 record, a 5.03 ERA, and 59 strikeouts in 93 innings over 35 appearances for the 2007 Patriots. He made 14 starts.
Marsonek, who was coming off major shoulder surgery when the season began, was 3-1 with a 4.88 ERA in six games pitched in August and had a 0.93 ERA and ten strikeouts in five games pitched in September.
His struggles returned during the postseason, however, and his ineffectiveness out of the bullpen was a major reason why the Patriots lost Game 1 of the Atlantic League Championship Series.
But the key word with Marsonek last season was "potential." Pitching coach and director of player procurement Brett Jodie saw that potential in Marsonek, and it is the reason he never was released despite constant rumors that he might be sent home.
A former first-round draft choice of the Texas Rangers, Marsonek has three seasons of Triple-A experience with the New York Yankees and made one major-league appearance for the club.
Off-the-field, Marsonek is a quiet person who largely kept to himself and that was often taken for arrogance by members of the Patriots. I had little interaction with him, but found he never shied away from talking after a performance -- no matter how good or bad -- and that is rare in the Atlantic League.

Patriots: New Scoreboard at Commerce Bank Ballpark

2008-01-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

Straight from the press release:

SOMERSET PATRIOTS TO INSTALL NEW STATE OF THE ART SCOREBOARD USED BY MAJORLEAGUE TEAMS Bridgewater, NJ-
In celebration of the Tenth Season Celebration of Commerce Bank Ballpark, the Somerset Patriots have announced that the team will install a brand new high-definition digital scoreboard designed and manufactured by Daktronics Inc. of Brookings, S.D for the 2008 season.
The high-definition technology of the new scoreboard model is currently being used by the Pittsburgh Steelers with installations this spring by the Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Indianapolis Colts.
The scoreboard model is also the same that will be used by the New York Mets and the New York Yankees when their new ballparks open in 2009.
“We felt that this was a great time to install the new state-of-the-art high definition scoreboard to add to our fans’ enjoyment of the Somerset Patriots experience. Entering our tenth season at Commerce Bank Ballpark, we wanted to upgrade certain aspects of the ballpark to keep the entertainment valueat its highest possible level. The scoreboard has always been a big part of the entertainment here and this new scoreboard is going to take us to a whole other level as it will be one of the best throughout all of sports,” said Patrick McVerry, President/ General Manager of the Somerset PatriotsBaseball Club.
The state-of-the-art system features the latest Daktronics video technology with the capabilities to present live and recorded video images, colorful animation and vivid graphics with incredible brightness and wide-angle visibility.
The video display is approximately 36 feet wide by 13 feet high. Daktronics HD-X technology offers a long lifetime with minimal maintenanceand low power consumption, providing value and excitement for years to come.
The Patriots are also adding a full color, digital LED lower board to the replace the current section of the scoreboard. The lower board display willmeasure approximately 36 feet wide and three feet high.
The display uses LED technology to present images and information with wide-angle visibility and incredible brightness for even greater flexibility of messages. The line score portion of the scoreboard will also be upgraded with LED technology to better display the balls, strikes, outs, runs, hits, errors,and the player at bat.
The installation will be about a two-week process beginning on April 1st to be ready for the middle of April. The 2008 Somerset Patriots schedule has been released and can be viewed at www.somersetpatriots.com. The Somerset Patriots have placed Season Tickets and Group Tickets on sale for the upcoming All-Star Season.

Math & Basketball

2008-01-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to seed the Somerset County Tournament (and others like it) based on math?
At least one area coach thinks so.
I had an interesting conversation with that person Thursday night.

The basics:
Each team gets one point for a victory, plus additional points depending on the size of the school it beat. In other words, a victory over Ridge would be worth four points (one for the win, three because Ridge is a Group III school).
The same formula would be used for all winning teams with victories over non-public schools counting for points based on enrollment. If Pingry has a Group I enrollment, it would be a group one school, and beating the Big Blue would be a two-point win.
When it comes time to seed the tournament, the team with the most points is the top seed and the team with the least points is the 16th seed.
No challenging for seeds. No coaches wasting an off day at a 2-hour meeting.

The problem:
Why would a Group IV school ever want to play any Group I team? If the Group IV school wins, there is little to gain -- even if the Group I is a powerhouse such as University. If the Group IV school loses, there is plenty to lose.

Of course, I became a writer because I'm bad at math (not realizing at the time how many box scores I would have to handle) so someone else would have to tell me if this is a valid idea. If it is not, how can it be tweaked to become valid?

Updated SCT seeds

2008-01-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is my updated ballot for the Somerset County Tournament field. An original ballot through last Thursday's game ran in this past Saturday's paper, and below you fill find the link to the podcast featuring boys basketball writer Jerry Carino and I analyzing our ballots. Keep in mind, however, that what you hear on the podcast was taped prior to knowing any of Tuesday night's results. If you want the most recent ballot, read here. If you want some a good laugh or two, listen to the podcast.

http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/frezza0122.htm

1. Rutgers Prep 14-1
Locked up the No. 1 seed with Watchung Hills' lost Tuesday night
2. Watchung Hills 10-3
Tuesday night's loss to Franklin hurts, but enough to drop past this spot
3. Montgomery 10-4
Another team that didn't help itself Tuesday by losing to Immaculata. Still, this position should remain theirs.
4. Franklin 8-6
No doubt the Warriors get a double bye after beating Watchung Hills
5. Bridgewater-Raritan 5-9
By virtue of not getting the Panthers' result against Hillsborough on Tuesday night, they stay where I had them all week.
6. Gill St. Bernard's 8-3
Would be fifth if it beat Bridgewater-Raritan. Would likely have beat Bridgewater-Raritan if leading rebounder Niiya Ruth had played.
7. North Plainfield 7-3
My pick as a "team to watch" before the season is finally clicking. Erase an early season loss to Somerville and who knows how much better this seed becomes.
8. Immaculata 3-10
Yes, Immaculata is 3-10. And, yes, I still put them eighth. The Spartans' schedule is one of the area's most challenging and wins against Somerville and Montgomery in the past four days greatly improved this stock.
9. Hillsborough 2-10
No latest result (See: 5. Bridgewater-Raritan). Tough schedule (See: 8. Immaculata).
10. Mount St. Mary 8-3
Eight straight wins -- including five in the county -- made the Mount Lions a great story. Three straight losses, including one to North Plainfield on Tuesday, has cost them lots of ground at the seeding table.
11. Somerville 9-4
That loss Saturday to Immaculata doesn't look so bad anymore thanks to Montgomery's duplicating the feat.
12. Pingry 9-4
One county game, one county win (against Ridge), and one Katie Occhipinti. She's good. Go see her.
13. Ridge 3-10
Lost to Somerville and Pingry head-to-head. Could get a rematch with one in the 12-13 game.
14. Bound Brook 3-8
Moved up from 15 by beating Bernards last Friday. Could win a first-round SCT game, too.
15. Bernards 5-9
It used to be this team was thought of as a sleeper in the SCT. No more. Graduating a 2,000-point scorer can do that, you know?
16. Manville 1-12
Anyone know the last time the Mustangs won an SCT game? If so, post it in the comments section. Thanks.

Surprise Weekend

2008-01-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

What a busy two days.
My notebook on the Somerset County Tournament seedings and Top 10 rankings -- both of which are due to my editors at the end of Thursday night -- seem to have been virtually rendered insignificant by what I've tabbed as "Surprise Weekend."
I'm not ready to call it "Upset Weekend" because with all these the teams around the area looking more and more evenly matched, I'm not sure what's an upset and what's not anymore. But I still was surprised to see in the past two days that:

1) North Hunterdon beat Hunterdon Central

2) Hun routed Hunterdon Central

3) Watchung Hills barely slipped past Bridgewater-Raritan

4) Westfield beat Scotch Plains-Fanwood (mild surprise)

5) Pingry beat Ridge

6) Immaculata beat Somerville

I will have an updated version of my Somerset County seeds on my blog by Wednesday afternoon in time for the coaches meeting later that night. Until then, here are the links to what ran in Saturday's paper and my new Top 10 as of all games completed Saturday night.

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080119/SPORTS03/801190313/1013

http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080119/SPORTS03/801190314/1013

1. Rutgers Prep 13-1

2. Piscataway 10-3

3. Voorhees 9-4

4. North Hunterdon 10-2

5. Hunterdon Central 11-4

6. Watchung Hills 10-2

7. Montgomery 10-3

8. Westfield 8-3

9. Franklin 7-6

10. Scotch Plains-Fanwood 7-5

Reasons for some of the changes:

-- I'm ready to say Rutgers Prep is the best team in the area, and I know at least one opposing coach who agrees with me. RP beat Hun, which beat Hunterdon Central by 29 on Saturday.

-- Voorhees gets the edge among the three Hunterdon County schools, all of whom are 1-1 against each other. This is mere opinion because you could argue these teams in any order.

-- Watchung Hills and Montgomery are both playing great right now, but they fall a few spots for no other reason than because someone has to when Voorhees and North Hunterdon are moving up.

Remember, by the time the next Top 10 runs in next Saturday's paper, this Top 10 could be very different. All rankings subject to change. But enjoy for this now.

PATRIOTS: Lockwood going Crabbing?

2008-01-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic League's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs selected Somerset Patriots center fielder Mike Lockwood in Tuesday's expansion draft.
Lockwood, 31, hit .278 with 23 home runs, 92 RBIs and 90 runs scored in 2007, the best season of his nine-year professional career.
But don't expect to see Lockwood playing in Waldorf, Md. anytime soon.
"I probably would not come back to the Atlantic League, even though I enjoyed it," Lockwood said. "If I can't get a look (from a major-league organization) with the year I had last year - not that it was a great year, but it was a good year - nothing is ever going happen with my age."
The Patriots expressed interest in retaining Lockwood, but he made it clear that he would prefer to play in either Mexico or Italy, if at all.
In my opinion, it seems as if Southern Maryland got the short end here.
Neither Lockwood nor the Patriots were contacted by the Blue Crabs to inquire about the former Athletics and Red Sox prospect's future plans, which do not include the Atlantic League.
With strict guidelines mandating that only player from each of the other seven teams can be drafted, it seems as if this was a wasted pick. The Patriots had plenty of talent this season, and there must have been an unprotected player with a better chance of returning to the league next season.
The Patriots lost right-handed pitcher Mike Johnson to the York Revolution in the 2006 expansion draft, but he never signed. Lockwood is the biggest name drafted off the roster since Lipso Nava was taken by the Camden Riversharks in 2000.

Changing my point on 1,000 points

2008-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

During the past two years, I have questioned the meaning of 1,000 career points, saying that the milestone has lost some of the significance as more and more players see four years of varsity action. For a while, it seemed as if some local hoopster was scoring their 1,000th career point in girls or boys basketball every other day.
A little less than halfway into this season, I've come to reconsider my stance on this argument.
Perhaps the frequency of 1,000 points over the past two seasons had more to do with the number of outstanding players in the area, and not with the number itself.
The past two seasons were a golden age of talent not expected again for a long time. With less players reaching 1,000, the number again seems high enough to warrant attention.
Pingry's Katie Occhipinti and Governor Livingston's Lauren Munick are the only two local girls to reach 1,000 this season and both were three-year stars for their team expected to hit 1,000.
I know this is a debate we had on this blog last season and we don't need to rehash old material, but since I am changing my mind, I'm wondering if the decrease in 1,000 point scores has made any of you reconsider your opinion on its meaning.

Most Improved Teams

2008-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the teams I think have improved the most since last season.
Did I forget anyone? Tell me.
But remember, a good team, such as Hunterdon Central, is not ranked because the Red Devils also were very good last season.
This top 10 is strictly based on one team's improvement during the past 12 months and has nothing to do with how I think they would fare in a match-up with another team on the list:

1. Mount St. Mary
2. Bridgewater-Raritan
3. South Hunterdon
4. North Hunterdon
5. Rutgers Prep
6. Plainfield
7. Ridge
8. Delaware Valley
9. Gill St. Bernard's
10. Middlesex

FOR MORE GIRLS BASKETBALL: Check out Saturday's notebook. It contains a feature on an assistant coach with a familiar name to women's basketball loyalists, an item on a team that has been decimated by injuries like no other in the area, a bunch of quick hits that you might not know and the real Top 10 rankings.

Two results in case you missed them

2008-01-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

From Saturday:

1) Voorhees 35, Watchung Hills 32
Voorhees: Shawnee Bernstein (five steals), Noelle Polhemus (12 points and seven rebounds), Melanie Ferdinand (eight points and six steals)
Watchung Hills: Stephanie Lupo 11 points, Michelle Peterpaul 10 points

2) Warren Hills 42, Delaware Valley 38

3) Hunterdon Central 45, Morristown 30

The first result is interesting if for no other reason than it perplexes me.
Hunterdon Central, Watchung Hills, Montgomery and Voorhees should have a four-team tournament in the middle of January just so that I can make sense of their comparative scores. We can call it the Dunleavy Needs Help Tournament.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is why I find my rankings difficult to make:

-- Voorhees beat Watchung Hills but lost to Montgomery
-- Montgomery beat Voorhees but lost to Watchung Hills
-- Hunterdon Central lost to Watchung Hills
-- Watchung Hills beat Montgomery but lost to Voorhees
** Voorhees plays host to Central tonight and I will be in attendance. If you think I'm going to make a predicition, guess again.

Girls basketball: Small Schools Top 5

2008-01-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from a coach who told me the Easton Express, which covers some of the same West Jersey schools as the Courier News, does it. It's basically a chance for smaller schools (Groups I and II and Non-Public B) to see their names in a ranking system since the Top 10 is often dominated by the bigger schools. Here is my Small Schools Top 5 as of Friday afternoon:

1) Rutgers Prep
2) Gill St. Bernards
3) Somerville
4) Delaware Valley
5) Mount St. Mary

To go further, here is my Small Schools Top 5 with only public schools:

1) Somerville
2) Delaware Valley
3) Governor Livingston
4) Middlesex
5) New Providence

DISAGREE? TELL MY WHY BY POSTING A COMMENT...

Atlantic League: Realignment and other changes

2008-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

(We interrupt from high school girls basketball coverage to bring you the following announcement:)

The Atlantic League announced Thursday that it has realigned its two divisions for the 2008 season, a change brought on by the addition of the expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. In another change, the divisions, previously known by North and South, have been renamed the Freedom and Liberty divisions.
The new make-up:

Liberty:
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
Bridgeport Bluefish
Long Island Ducks
Camden Riversharks

Freedom:
Lancaster Barnstormers
York Revolution
Somerset Patriots
Newark Bears

Here are the quotes from the press release:

“I am excited as we move into our second decade that we are able to keep our traditional rivalries intact in this new divisional setup,” AL founder & CEO Frank Boulton said. “It is with the addition of SouthernMaryland and in the best interest of the league to create these two new divisions and move away from our North/South setup.”

“The key is keeping the rivalries intact,” AL Executive Director Joe Klein said. “And we have done that.”

Here are my thoughts on what it all means:

1) Forget about a rematch of the 2007 Atlantic League Championship Series. Newark and Somerset are in the same division now.

2) I like that the league is concerned about keeping its few rivalries in tact. Somerset-Newark isn't much of a rivalry but it once was. Long Island-Bridgeport and York-Lancaster actually do have rather intense rivalries, if you believe that.

3) I like that the league made a concerted effort to break up the four teams owned by the Opening Day Partners group. There was a lot of fear -- led by Patriots manager Sparky Lyle -- that those four teams (Southern Maryland, York, Lancaster and Camden) would end up in the same division and then work together loading up certain rosters while depleting others to finagle playoff spots. The best way to put an end to controversy is to head it off at the start, and the league seems to have done that here.

4) Mike Ashmore of www.atlanticleaguebaseball.com says that the league's setup (140 game-season where each team plays the other seven 20 times regardless of division) renders even having divisions pointless, especially if the divisions are no longer based on geography.
I understand the point, but respectfully disagree. I like divisions because I think they promote rivalries and I also think that, for example, being six games out of first place in a four-team division is an easier deficit to overcome than being six games out of first place in an eight-team league-wide field. A balanced schedule is one thing, but at the end of each half, you are still chasing only the teams in your division and that makes those games matter more than intra-divisional games.

5) Freedom and Liberty are not very good names for divisions. When did the AL become the symbol of athletic patriotism? As if having a team named the "Patriots" was not enough.
North and South, A and B, Boulton and Klein, Apples and Oranges, Balls and Bats, etc. would all been more suitable names. I understand they wanted neutrality in the names, but this is silly.

What the tourneys taught us...

2007-12-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

1) Why do teams enter holiday tournaments with other teams from their conference/division? It doesn't make sense. Don't you see enough of these teams during the regular season? Why is Bernards playing Mount St. Mary in a final when they play twice during the regular season? Same with Dunellen and Middlesex, who play once in the regular season and likely again in the Central Jersey Group I sectional tournament. There are plenty of tournaments around the state to enter that you do not need to settle for familiar foes. Follow the lead of Bound Brook (which traveled to Maryland) or South Hunterdon (which challenged itself against the likes of New Egypt, Keyport and Lindenwold).

2) Hunterdon Central might be in a different class than every other team in the Skyland Conference and the area. I have not seen the Red Devils yet, but I have seen 14 teams and none are putting up the kind of results they are. My number two and three ranked teams -- Piscataway and Rutgers Prep -- already have had squeakers this season while Central is winning easily on the way to the semifinals of a very competitive 16-team Brick Memorial Tournament.

3) Gill St. Bernard's is legitimate. We learned that last weekend when Gill beat Montgomery. Today's game against New York power Bishop Ford should be interesting. If I had to pick right now, I would say Rutgers Prep and Gill have a 50 percent chance of facing each other in the Somerset County Tournament final.

4) Don't sleep on Mount St. Mary. The Mount Lions, led by 2005 Courier News Coach of the Year Jim Vopal, are 5-0 and winning close games. Senior leadership will do that for you.

5) Bridgewater-Raritan is better than its record shows. Being tied with Piscataway in the final seconds is something for this very young team to build off.

Here are some players that caught my attention this week: Courtney Woodard (Plainfied), Shauna Mulkerin (Immaculata), DreShonda Williams (Piscataway), Taylor Jeffers (Franklin), Amy Evanylo (Manville), Blaire Houston (South Plainfield), Lindsay Darvin (Benards), Gabby O'Leary (Westfield).

Well the first week is over...

2007-12-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

And what a hectic week of girls hoops it was.

First, THANK YOU to all the coaches, assistants coaches, players, scorekeepers, team managers, parents, etc. who call in games. I know our early deadlines (9:45 p.m.) have been tough on you, but you are doing a great job. We are getting more night time girls basketball games in the paper than only other sport.

Second, the girls basketball notebook will be running on Saturdays in our new VARSITY pullout section. Notebooks for all sports run on the same day in that section. Also, Friday night game stories will be in VARSITY, too. So don't thumb through the sports section and figure something went wrong. Look for VARSITY.

Here are some of my thoughts, but for more, read the notebook.

-- Thursday and Friday night I saw two very team-oriented victories. Watchung Hills and Somerville both graduated star players last season, but appear to have adjusted well to their makeover. Interestingly, both teams won by the same score, 44-36.

-- I'm hearing good things about Immaculata's Shauna Mulkerin. The Spartans are 0-3, but people I have talked to who have seen them say Mulkerin is a young Lindsay Melone in the making. That's a scary thought for opposing teams during the next three years.

-- Who is the best team in Somerset County? It's no clear now than it was during the preseason. I have my thoughts, but I'll keep those to myself. You can debate that it is any of four or five teams. And please do, in the comments section.

-- My Top 10 looks surprisingly similar to my first Top 10. I guess I'm more clued in than I give myself credit for.

-- Here is my probable coverage schedule for holiday tournament week:

Dec. 26: Immaculata vs. Piscataway AND South Plainfield vs. Delaware Valley
Dec. 27: Plainfield vs. Franklin
Dec. 29 Dunellen Tournament consolation and championship games

Before that, I'll be covering Voorhees-Rutgers Prep on Saturday afternoon. It should be a very good matchup. As they did last season, the Vikings are surprising me. I clearly underrated them. Rutgers Prep has yet to play a local team, so it is a good chance to see how it measures up.

PREDICTION: Rutgers Prep 48, Voorhees 39
WHY? Junior center Felicia Mgbada will be too much to handle in the post and the quickness of the Argonauts' guards will too many cause problems in the full court.

Important correction

2007-12-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

In Thursday's girls basketball season preview, I mistakenly wrote that Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer had attended a Plainfield High School practice. There was a miscommunication between Plainfield coach Elizabeth Clark and myself.
Clark called me Thursday morning and said what she actually told me was that having former Stringer player and Plainfield assistant coach Mauri Horton on her staff was "like having Coach Stringer at practice."

A Top 10 Experiment

2007-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

I admit that after phone calls and/or emails to the 33 local high school girls basketball coaches, I still do not have a great grasp for what is going to happen this season. I swear that is not an indictment on my work, but rather a testament to how much parity is expected.
I mentioned this to my colleague Jerry Carino and told him that I did not want to make a Preseason Top 10 for fear of looking stupid. Together, we hatched the idea of putting all possible candidates into a hat and seeing what happens.
I decided against it for the newspaper, but figured it could make good blog fodder.
So, fresh out of a filthy, sweat- and sand-stained Florida Marlins cap found lying around the office, here is the out-of-a-hat Top 10. It consists of the 13 schools I considered for the Top 10 that runs in the paper as part of Thursday's lengthy season preview.
All I'll say now is that this is very different than the one I eventually printed. Only one team is in the same spot here as in the paper. Check out both.

1. North Hunterdon
2. Franklin
3. Gill St. Bernard's
4. Immacualta
5. Scotch Plains-Fanwood
6. Rutgers Prep
7. Montgomery
8. Hunterdon Central
9. Watchung Hills
10. Somerville
Others considered: Hillsborough, Westfield, Piscataway

Nava no more

2007-12-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

After nine seasons in the independent Atlantic League, Lipso Nava is finally advancing. Nava, who played third base and became a fan favorite for the 1998 and 1999 Somerset Patriots, accepted a Single-A coaching position Monday in the San Francisco Giants organization.
The mustached marauder (I just made that up spur of the moment) never got out of independent baseball as a player, so this is a good break. He played for the Camden Riversharks before retiring as a member of the Newark Bears. Nava was the hitting coach for Newark's 2007 championship team. Below is the contents of the Bears' press release.

NEWARK, NJ, December 10—The Newark Bears Professional Baseball Club announced today that Lipso Nava, the team’s hitting coach during the 2007 season, has accepted a minor league coaching position within the San Francisco Giants organization for the upcoming 2008 season. Nava will serve as the hitting coach and first base coach for single-A Augusta in the South Atlantic League.

“I appreciate the confidence that the Newark Bears showed in me this past season and for giving me the chance to grow, both as a coach and as a person,” said Nava. “I look forward to this opportunity to further my career and, with the help of God, reach the Major Leagues one day.”

The 39 year-old Nava guided Bears hitters to a league-record .302 team batting average in helping Newark win the 2007 Atlantic League Championship. Last season marked Nava’s first as a coach at any level of professional baseball. He retired as a player following the 2006 campaign.

“I have personally known Lipso for seven years, and I am extremely proud of him and happy for him and his family,” said Bears general manager John Brandt. “With his tremendous work ethic and the success he achieved last season, he is very deserving of this opportunity.”

In a 17-year playing career, Nava had a .274 lifetime batting average in over 1,300 games played. He batted better than .300 on three different occasions, including a career-best .332 for the Somerset Patriots in 1998. The season before, Nava reached the Triple-A level for the only time in his career, batting .266 with nine home runs for the Iowa Cubs.

The Venezuelan-born Nava played for three different Atlantic League teams over the final nine seasons of his career, the Bears, the Patriots, and the Camden Riversharks. He closed out his career playing third base for the Bears in 2006, batting .239 in an injury-shortened 52 games.

This is the second consecutive off-season that the Newark Bears have had their hitting coach hired by the San Francisco Giants. In the 2006 off-season, veteran hitting coach Victor Torres was hired to work in the Giants minor league system. Torres is expected to coach at Double-A Connecticut in 2008.

Raritan Township's Cust Academy new site for spring training

2007-12-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you caught this article last week. If not, the link is pasted below. I will have more on spring training after the turn of the calendar, but this should tell you all you need to know for now.
http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/SPORTS05/712060301/1015

Nettles, Hernandez and Brownlie, Oh My!

2007-11-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Just basic transactions news to report here:

-- Former Somerset Patriot Jeff Nettles has re-signed with the Kansas City Royals, who signed the third baseman after five seasons in the Atlantic League. Nettles hit .267 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs in 58 games at Double-A, but told me last season he hoped to start 2008 in Triple-A.

-- Former Patriot catcher Michel Hernandez has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the best catcher in the league both offensively and defensively before the Tampa Bay Devil Rays snatched him in June and stuck him in Triple-A. Hernandez hit .276 and only struck out 13 times in 170 at-bats, numbers good enough for the Pirates but not the D-Rays, apparently.

-- Former J.P. Stevens High School, Rutgers University and Newark Bears standout Bobby Brownlie has signed with the Washington Nationals, his third professional organization. The former first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs was masterful in half of a season with the Bears, catching the Cleveland Indians' attention. The right-hander was 1-2 with a 3.17 earned-run average in 48 1/3 innings at Double-A, but got roughed up in the final game of the Eastern League Championship Series won by the Trenton Thunder, a Yankees' affiliate.

Hopefully I'll have some quotes from Nettles and Brownlie to run in the newspaper soon.

BASA breakup

2007-11-20T15:50:00.001-08:00

If case this blog is your only source of Atlantic League news, you probably do not know that Baseball and Sports Associates is no longer what we have come to know it to be.
Before you start using negativity, remember BASA was not all bad. It saved teams lots of money on worker's compensation and was effective in business operations of minor-league baseball.
But the on-field aspect of BASA -- which handled player acquisitions for half the league last season -- is what drew ire from fans, writers and coaches alike this season, and that effectively ended last month when the leaders of BASA went their separate ways.
Adam Gladstone will now handle such responsibilities for the York Revolution, David Keller for the Camden Riversharks and Keith Lupton for the Lancaster Barnstormers.
It should be the end of shady trades, loading up one team for a playoff run while weakening another, on and on, so forth and so forth.
Sure, these three guys are still friends and will be wheeling and dealing, but they are competitive by nature and nobody wants to come up with the short end of a trade or look bad relative to the other two. It is worth noting that all three teams will be in the same division competing for two playoff spots next season thanks to realignment.
Expect this to a be a very, very good thing for the Atlantic League as it takes another step toward hashing out its self-created problems.
New Southern Maryland manager Butch Hobson is expected to handle the player procurement for his team while the other BASA-run team, Bridgeport, has a new general manager but still no clue who will do player procurement.

Managerial moves

2007-11-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

Finally, something for me to write about as we transition from my summer job covering the Atlantic League to my winter job covering high school girls basketball.
The Lancaster Barnstormers hired former Philadelphia Phillie Von Hayes after an intense interview process that included high-profile candidates such as Gary Carter, Butch Hobson and Wally Backman. The part that truly is shocking to me is that Hayes got the job over Tom Herr, who managed the Barnstormers first-ever game and led them to the 2006 championship. I thought he was a lock to be rehired considering he is from the Lancaster area and is a known commodity to the fans.
“I can’t imagine a better place than Lancaster to manage in minor league baseball,” Hayes said. “The facilities and the organization are first class, and I am truly excited to be back in the Philly area. I’m looking forward to working with the veteran professionals in the Atlantic League and giving them every opportunity to get back to Major League Baseball. Our coaches & players will be as committed to winning as our front office for our loyal fans whose support and enthusiasm I have heard so much about.”
Hayes has been a Manager of the Year at Single-A and Double-A.
Unlike the other passed over candidates, Hobson's interview did not go totally fruitless. He landed the managerial position with the expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after eight seasons at the helm of the Nashua Pride. The Pride won the 2000 Atlantic League title and returned to the championship series twice more after that prior to their 2006 departure for the independent Can-Am League.
Hobson spent eight years in the majors as a player and is the only Atlantic League manager with past major-league managing experience, having made a name for himself with the Boston Red Sox from 1992-94. During his first Atlantic League stint, he often was called the best tactical manager, a title which irks his friend and rival, Sparky Lyle.
The Blue Crabs also interviewed Carter, Backman, Cecil Fielder and Ryan Minor.
What is interesting about this hire is that it was widely assumed for years Minor was going to get this job. He spent on a season on the road as a coach with the Road Warriors and then another in the league preparing to be a manager. It sounds like he got a raw deal.
Also worth mentioning: Nashua is eight hours from Southern Maryland. I've made the joke several times that if the Pride had not left the league, the Atlantic League would have its first plane-worthy road trip. I guess Hobson has to move.

Torre? Brockton Rox?

2007-10-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, this story grinds my gears (Family Guy reference) but I'm going to post about it anyway.
The independent Can-Am League's Brockton Rox have offered their managerial position to Joe Torre in what clearly is a public relations stunt.
For those who don't know, the Can-Am League offers a lower quality of baseball than the Atlantic League and Somerset Patriots, and is home to teams such as the Atlantic City Surf, Nashua Pride and Montclair-based Jersey Jackals.
The story, which you can find at http://www.brocktonrox.com/therox/headlines/index.html?article_id=722, says that the Rox will offer Torre an annual salary in the high five figures and display the kind of trust and commitment Torre said he wanted but did not get from the Yankees brass.
Those people -- like at least one of my friends -- who think is a good move by the Rox are just plain wrong. You can argue it draws publicity to the Rox -- would I be otherwise writing about them right now? -- but I think it just draws ridicule.
We all know Torre would never consider something like this, so the Rox are just the butt of the joke to any writer who comes across this story. Is Rox merchandise or ticket sales going to increase because of this self-created story? Doubtful.
Anyway, if Torre was to manage an independent minor-league team, it certainly would be either the Patriots (owned by Torre friend and confidant Steve Kalafer) or the Atlantic League expansion Bergen Cliff Hawks, also owned by Kalafer and very close to New York City.
Enough time devoted to a ridiculous story.

News somewhat related to the Patriots

2007-10-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Atlantic City Surf general manager Brendan Fairfield resigned Thursday after one year on the job. Fairfield worked as the Somerset Patriots Vice President for three years but left for a job with the Surf after the 2006 season. He quickly was promoted to general manager.
According to a team press release, Fairfield accepted a job outside the baseball profession after spending 10 years in the minors.

In other semi-related news, the Patriots annual holiday party should be an interesting event now that Joe Torre is no longer Yankees manager. He is the guest every year and usually makes at least a few wisecracks about the Yankee hierarchy. Torre probably will only give a few interviews between now and then, so -- assuming he keeps his commitment to Patriots owner and close friend Steve Kalafer -- I'm looking forward to his speech to the crowd and my 3 minutes of 1-on-1 time.

2 weeks of thoughts...

2007-10-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

Since Somerset Patriots season ended, here are some work-related thoughts I've had:

1) I finished reading The Bronx Zoo today and as I read it, I couldn't help but hear Sparky Lyle's voice in my head saying the stuff I was reading. Almost 30 years later, Lyle still uses the same terms to describe the same situations. And so many of the things he said about the Patriots playoff chase this year -- how they needed to go 5-2 in this week or sweep this early September series -- were things he was saying during the historic 1978 Yankees comeback. I was almost embarrassed to say I had not read that book for the first two years I covered the team. It was an off-season goal of mine.

2) I'm at a high school football game right now. Highland Park at Middlesex. I don't cover much high school football, but I covered Highland Park last week and their running back, Bryant Fitzgerald, is big time. He is listed at 5-10 and 170 pounds and is probably smaller than that but the best way to describe his play is to tell you it reminds me of Reggie Bush in Madden 2008. He's running at a different speed than even if the fastest players around him. Someone should scoop him up now, as a junior.

3) When did it get so cold out? I was wearing shorts during the Atlantic League Championship Series. Tonight, jeans, a long sleeve shirt, zip-up sweatshirt and beanie.

Postseason thoughts

2007-09-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I gave you my initial thoughts about the Atlantic League Championship Series. Here is further analysis and some random facts.

1) In the moments after the loss, more than a few Patriots could be mumbling under their breath in the clubhouse about manager Sparky Lyle. The veteran skipper travels a long distance from his South Jersey home to come to the games and likes to be the first one out the post-game clubhouse door. He again was first Monday night, leaving without addressing his team. Lyle is not the emotional goodbye type, but considering many of his players sacrificed their health by playing through injuries, a "You gave it your best" speech might have been in order. His pack-up-and-leave routine left a sour taste in the mouth of many veterans.

2) Both of Newark's titles have been helped by Piscataway High School graduates, third baseman Corey Smith (2007) and pitcher Bryan Malko (2002).

3) Outfielder Jose Herrera was not even on the Most Valuable Player radar when Game 4 began. It was between Smith -- a one-time defensive liability who played a stellar hot corner in this series -- and closer Jeremy Hill. Just goes to show what three home runs and six RBIs in the decisive game will do for you in the eyes of voting media members.

4) You can second-guess any coaching staff after a postseason loss and this is no different.
Why did Lyle and pitching coach Brett Jodie handle the pitching staff the way they did? Reliable right-handers Paul Thorp and Saul Solveson were nowhere to be found while Jason Richardson and Hector Almonte were called upon routinely after coming up short for most of the regular season. Keith Ramsey, who had a streaky regular season, did not pitch at all in the playoffs while fellow starters Brian Adams, Brandon Knight and Lincoln Mikkelsen were stretched to capacity in the playoffs.

5) The Patriots led the league in home runs during the regular season, but their foundation was built on small ball. A walk, a steal, a bunt and...voila...a run. In the four championship series games, the Patriots stole just two bases and rarely bunted. When slow-footed runners were on base, the perfect pinch runner, Patrick Boran, could have come off the bench to create some havoc.

6) The Bears are the model of how quickly an Atlantic League team can be turned around. After a miserable 2006 season, a new manager, pitching coach, and director of player procurement retained only four regulars from the prior season and built a winning nucleus of talent. Congratulations on a job well done to one of the more professionally run front offices in the league.

7) In my 2006 season preview, I called the Lancaster Barnstormers the "Team to Watch." In my 2007 season preview, I called the Newark Bears the "Team to Watch." Attention Atlantic League owners: For the right price, I can make your franchise the 2008 Team to Watch.
(I'm kidding, of course)

8) Somerset starter Lincoln Mikkelsen joined the Patriots on Sept. 4 with the sole goal of winning a title. Instead, he gave up seven runs in a no-decision in the fatal game. Mikkelsen, 40, could be the best pitcher in league history, but his teams are now 0-for-6 in the Atlantic League playoff. Feel bad for this guy.

Patriots season ends in shocking fashion

2007-09-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here are my initial postgame thoughts after the Bears scored eight eighth-inning runs to beat the Patriots 13-7 to capture the Atlantic League Championship Series in four games...With more to come tomorrow...

1) The bullpen woes that plagued the Patriots all season was their undoing at the end. The bullpen blew a lead in Game 1, and could not hold tie scores and allowed the winning runs to score late in Games 3 and 4.

2) Bears manager Wayne Krenchicki and pitching coach Steve Focault have coached together at three different stops for 10 years in the Atlantic League and suffered three playoff series defeats. This title was a long time coming for these two.

3) Like closer R.D. Spiehs the night before, give Somerset starter Lincoln Mikkelsen credit for speaking after a rough Game 4 performance. Covering the Atlantic League is not like covering the majors. I'm the only reporter in the losing locker room and it would be easy to blow me off with no cameras watching. These guys were true pros.

4) It might seem silly, but this was a historic Atlantic League game. It reminded me of the New England Patriots collapse against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2007 AFC Championship Game. Dynasties simply do not melt down like this. The Patriots had not lost a playoff series since 2000 -- when I was high school senior -- and had won their last eight games when facing playoff elimination.

5) The Bears, a team that won just 42 games all of last season, became the first time other than the Patriots to win multiple Atlantic League titles. The Patriots still lead that race with three, but the Bears broke away from the Lancaster Barnstormers, Bridgeport Bluefish and Long Island Ducks. Maybe more teams should follow their lead and completely blow up their roster after a miserable season. (See: Lancaster).

Championship Series Game 3

2007-09-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

HISTORY: The first inning of Game 3 is underway. With the series tied 1-1, it is a pivotal game, but not as much of a determining factor as you might think.
The only other time in Atlantic League history time that there was a situation like this , in 2003, the Patriots and Nashua Pride split the first two games and the Pride won Game 3. The Patriots rebounded with two road victories to capture the title.
Interestingly, six of the first nine Atlantic League Championship Series ended in three-game sweeps. This is the first since that 2003 series that there will be a Game 4.
The Patriots now have been involved in three of the four non-sweeps. The only other one extended series was the Atlantic City Surf's four-game victory over the Bridgeport Bluefish in the league's inaugural 1998 season.

Postseason Awards

2007-09-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the Atlantic League Postseason Awards as announced Friday afternoon:
(Editor's Note: I HATE ties, but it's a good way to get all the teams represented in the awards. Other than that, I have no real objections with any of the selections other than I think Newark's Javier Colina should have edged his teammate Victor Rodriguez for Player of the Year and I don't think Jesse Hoorelbeke should have gotten a share of that award.)

C - Randy McGarvey, Camden
1B - Jesse Hoorelbeke, Bridgeport
2B - Javier Colina, Newark
3B - Jay Caligiuri, Bridgeport
SS - Ramon Castro, Newark
UTIL - P.J. Rose, Long Island, and Nate Espy, York (tie)
OF - Carl Everett, Long Island
OF - Mike Lockwood, Somerset
OF - Steven Doetsch, Road Warriors
OF - Ray Navarrete, Long Island
DH - Victor Rodriguez, Newark
RHP - Gary Knotts, Newark
LHP - Brian Adams, Somerset
CLOSER - Danny Graves, Long Island, and Derrick DePriest, Lancaster (tie)
MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Jeff Scott, Road Warriors
PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Brian Adams, Somerset
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Victor Rodriguez and Jesse Hoorelbeke (tie)
PARK OF THE YEAR - Commerce Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater
GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR - John Brandt, Newark

Through two games....

2007-09-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

Here is what I'm thinking as I drink my Vanilla Frosty from Wendy's in my Cherry Hill hotel room. Or do you eat a Frosty? Not sure.

1) Attendance is a highly contested issue in the Atlantic League for two reasons. First, most teams announce paid attendance and not actual attendance, and there is usually a big disparity between the two. Second, the perception is most fans come for the between innings promotions, pregame giveaways and carnival atmosphere. That's what makes the Game 1 crowd of 6,006 -- a very legitimate number -- at Commerce Bank Ballpark so impressive. There were no between innings promotions -- just baseball in the playoffs. That means that if there were 5,500 fans through the gate, they came for the baseball. A very good sign.
2) The Patriots stayed alive with a 3-2 victory in Game 2 despite managing just five hits. That is eight total hits in two games. They scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning on a walk, a bunt, a groundout and a wild pitch. To win Game 3, the Patriots are going to need more offense even though they appear to have the better starting pitcher on the mound.
3) Catcher Randy McGarvey -- who I listed in my series preview package as an under-the-radar to watch -- missed Game 2 with a back injury. Brent Metheny caught in his place and played well overall, but he could not get a glove on the wild pitch that allowed the winning run to score. If McGarvey misses Game 3, that it could make a major difference.
4) Reggie Taylor caused a stir around the Atlantic League when he decided in late August that he wanted to play for the Long Island Duck instead of the Lancaster Barnstormers, where he played in 2006 and verbally agreed to rejoin. The Ducks got a lot of slack for this move, and how did Taylor repay them? By skipping Game 1 of the North Division Championship Series because he returned home to South Carolina after Sunday's regular-season finale and did not make it back in time.
5) The Newark Bears are headed to the Atlantic League Championship Series for the first time since winning the 2002 title. The way the Bears finished the regular season and the convincing manner in which they swept the Ducks makes them the odds-on favorite over the Patriots or Riversharks. They can win by out-hitting or out-pitching opponents.

Game 1 thoughts

2007-09-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Patriots were held to three hits Tuesday in their Atlantic League South Division Championship Series first game 4-1 extra-innings loss to the Camden Riversharks.
The unstoppable offense that averaged nearly seven runs per game in its first 15 September games was nowhere to be found against Matt Beech.
Baseball and Sports Associates, the player procurement company that handles baseball operations for four teams, was a real winner Tuesday. BASA has taken a lot of heat this season and only one of its four teams made the playoffs, not the strongest defense it could make.
But BASA's late-season additions to the Riversharks made all the difference Tuesday.
Beech allowed one run and two hits in eight innings, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth.
Closer Lou Pote earned the victory with two scoreless innings.
Infielder Brett Metheny had a pinch-hit single in the three-run 10th-inning rally.
All three of them were acquired by BASA for the Riversharks in the last week of the regular season.
It all leaves the three-time champion Patriots on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
The Patriots won the winner-take-all Game 3 of the 2005 South Division Championship Series and won two games facing elimination in the 2003 Atlantic League Championship Series.
Still, it's not a comfortable spot to manager Sparky Lyle. Here is what he had to say about losing Game 1 -- four hours losing it.

"It's so important. If you lose this game, your back is really against the wall. There aren't any two ways about it."

"In the playoffs in the big leagues, I always thought it was better when the series were seven games. Five games weren't enough."

"If you lose the first game, you're chances (of winning the series) are pretty bad."

"Even champions lose once in a while, but to be here, I'm very proud of these guys."

If I only had a ballot...

2007-09-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

I could while away the hours
Conferrin' with the Atlantic League powers
Consultin' with the brains
And my head, I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a ballot.
(Who doesn't love the Wizard of Oz?)

Anyway, the point of that little lyric was to remind everyone that media does not its own vote for postseason awards in the Atlantic League.
Each team gets one ballot and is supposed to consult its beat writers for their thoughts.
This consulting rarely happens around the league, but, IN SHOCKING NEWS, I was asked for my opinion by Somerset this season and I definitely appreciate it - even if my opinions are not the ones that ultimately get submitted.
Here is my ballot:

Player of the Year: Javier Colina, Newark Bears

The versatile infielder made a splash in his first Atlantic League season, finishing first in the league in RBIs (101), second in home runs (26) and extra-base hits (59), third in slugging percentage (.560), fourth in runs scored (92) and fifth in hits (144).
Runners-up: Batting champion and 2004 Player of the Year Victor Rodriguez, Colina's teammate with the Bears. League-leader in runs scored (104), extra-base hits (62) and doubles (42), Ray Navarrete of the Long Island Ducks.

Pitcher of the Year: Brian Adams, Somerset Patriots
The left-hander likely would have won the pitching Triple Crown if he made his final start of the regular season instead of being held back for the playoffs. Adams led the league in victories (15) and finished with the best earned-run average (3.68) of any active pitcher. The three hurlers with better ERAs are long since out of the league. His 117 strikeouts ranked second in the league.
This award would atone for Adams inexplicably not once winning Pitcher of the Month despite being 11-0 in 15 games at Commerce Bank Ballpark and 15-2 overall.
Runner-up: Bridgeport Bluefish left-hander Mike Porzio, who topped Adams in strikeouts, finished two spots below Adams in ERA and fifth in the league in wins with 11.

Executive of the Year: John Brandt/Jim Cerny, Newark Bears
Brandt, the general manager, handed off player procurement responsibilities to assistant general manager Cerny before the season and the move worked brilliantly. Brandt, one of the league's more innovative minds, improved attendance in Newark with some truly unique promotions and by being flexible with his game schedule. There were plenty of camp days, 5:05 weekday starts to lure Newark's businessmen and 3:05 Sunday starts to lure churchgoers.
Cerny built an on-field product that was as good as any in the league. The Bears are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and it is not as if they have been knocking on the door for a while. This team arguably was worse than the Road Warriors in 2006.
Runner-up: Somerset Patriots general manager Patrick McVerry will be the first to tell you he has a great staff working for him. But credit starts at the top, and Somerset recorded its second-best season in total attendance. The franchise really played up the 10th anniversary season, plastering a new logo everywhere and remodeling parts of the ballpark.

Manager of the Year: Jeff Scott, Road Warriors
I will preface this vote by saying, I would be shocked if this happens. At least one league executive campaigned for Scott last season -- when I also "voted" for him -- and he was nowhere to be found at announcement time. Still, what Scott does -- driving the equipment van, helping out with the laundry, taking players to the bank -- is stuff no other manager would touch. His players love him for it, and that is why the Road Warriors set a franchise-record with 43 overall wins and remarkably avoided the North Division basement in the second half.
Runner-up: Rookie manager Joe Ferguson guided the Camden Riversharks to their first playoff berth since 2004 with a 39-24 first-half record. He got the most out of some aging veteran players who, just last season, looked finished.

Actual winners should be announced by the league Thursday.

Atlantic League alumni making playoff impact

2007-09-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

While the Atlantic League regular season winds down, affiliated minor leagues are deciding their playoffs.
In the Double-A Eastern League, Trenton (New York Yankees) took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five championship series against Akron (Cleveland Indians) with a 3-2 win Wednesday night.
Why am I writing about this on my blog?
Former Somerset Patriot for a day, Noah Hall, had the walk-off RBI single with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. He drove the final pitch to the opposite field.
Hall did not play in Game 1 but got the Game 2 start at designated hitter and went 3-for-5.
The outfielder went to Atlantic League spring training with the Patriots and collected two hits on Opening Night before signing with the Yankees and spending the entire season as a backup outfielder at Double-A.
Former Lancaster Barnstormer Scott Patterson earned the Game 2 victory. Patterson allowed nine earned runs in 74 1/3 innings for Trenton this season.
The interesting thing about this story is I covered one game in Trenton this season and a few writers in the press box gave me a hard time about the quality of play and respectability of the Atlantic League. It is important to note that these hecklers were not Thunder employees.
But it seems to me like the Thunder's season -- and Wednesday night's pivotal game -- would have been more of a struggle if not for their Atlantic League alumni.
Also of note, if the series reaches Game 4, former Rutgers University and Newark Bears pitcher Bobby Brownlie is expected to make the start for Akron.

Six games, almost zero meaning

2007-09-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Patriots began regular-season life after clinching a playoff spot Tuesday night against the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Both managers put something very close to their regular starting lineups out, but there is no denying the next three games will be played without the same intensity. Neither team has anything to gain by winning or losing.
"Anybody who wants or need a rest is going to get it," Patriots skipper Sparky Lyle said. "But we're not by any means going to let teams beat the (heck) out of us."
Second baseman Teuris Olivares is resting Tuesday, and expect third baseman Jose Morban and outfielders Mike Lockwood and Jason Romano to get days off in the near future.
But do not expect Lyle to do crazy things such as have position players pitch or hit away in obvious bunting situations. He wants to avoid any kind of prolonged losing streak or negative energy entering the playoffs.
As for the final three games of the regular season against the Camden Riversharks -- a South Division Championship Series preview -- those should be interesting. Both managers will probably spend more time playing head games with each other -- not pitching their top pitchers, switching up their signs, etc. -- than they will trying to win games.
The next game that counts is Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Commerce Bank Ballpark.

Camden loading up for Somerset

2007-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Atlantic League South Division Championship Series is set and will feature the Camden Riversharks and Somerset Patriots when Game 1 begins at 7:05 p.m. Sept. 18 at Commerce Bank Ballpark.
The Atlantic League's deadline to add any playoff-eligible players to your roster was Monday at noon and while the Patriots remained quiet, the Riversharks did not.
Camden signed left-handed pitcher Rolando Viera, right-handed pitcher Lou Pote, infielder Brent Metheny and traded the Bridgeport Bluefish starting pitcher Randy Dicken for starting pitcher Matt Beech.
Pote is a former major-leaguer with 129 games of experience for the Angels and Indians.
BUT THE REAL NEWS HERE IS...Beech.
You may remember his name from being the pitcher Jose Offerman went after with his bat earlier this season, but Beech is more than that to Atlantic League personnel.
He is an up and down veteran capable of throwing a complete-game shutout or imploding without surviving the fourth inning. Either way, he is expected to get one start in the playoffs and should impact the series either way.
The Riversharks and Bluefish have their baseball operations handled by the same company -- Baseball And Sports Associates -- so naturally this trade raises some questions about the intentions of BASA.
Neither Beech nor Dicken is having a great season, but Beech is a gritty former major-leaguer who helped Bridgeport to the 2006 Atlantic League Championship Series. Dicken is more of a young project, who earlier this season was with the Road Warriors.
Patriots manager Sparky Lyle surely will have something to say about this trade Tuesday and I will call BASA director Adam Gladstone, too.
Check Wednesday's Courier News for those thoughts, but here is what Lyle said about BASA this past weekend:

“I don’t even know what we could do. They do whatever they want.”

Back from suspension, Ayala talks...

2007-09-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Patriots shortstop Elliott Ayala spoke to me Monday afternoon about his one-game suspension in the aftermath of an incident with umpire Chris Hubler.
Ayala made contact with Hubler's face while arguing a safe call at second base Friday night. He already had been ejected from the game at that point, and needed to be restrained from Hubler by home plate umpire Joe Cruz.
Ayala served a one-game suspension Sunday and is back in the starting lineup Monday night. If Ayala is ejected again this season, he will be handed an automatic two-game suspension.
He is the leadoff batter with Hubler behind the plate and it won't take long to see if there are any hard feelings on either side.

Update: First batter went smoothly. Take the first pitch, single to left on the second. So much for early drama.

Here is what Ayala said:

"It was the heat of the battle. It is in the past sense. It's something that happened, but I place no blame on him and me."

"I'd like to start. No grudges. It happens all the time in baseball. I'm not holding any grudges."

Did he make contact with Hubler's face?
"I don't think I did whatever he said I did. Nothing was intentional."

"I didn't say anything (worthy of an ejection). That's why (I got so angry)."

Crossing the line?

2007-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

In the top of the second inning tonight, in the most important Atlantic League series going on right now, the Atlantic League reached a new low.
Somerset's Jose Morban singled and was on first base with one out.
In foul territory near the first base coach's box, Reggie, the Purple Party Dude mascot, was hanging out, putting on his usual between innings show DURING AN INNING.
He played several jokes on the first base coach -- who we later learned to be Reggie's acting accomplice dressed in a Patriots uniform --including kicking him in the butt a few times.
Morban got caught watching this act -- which came dangerously close to crossing into fair territory -- and was picked off the base on a snap throw by catcher Sandy Aracena.
You can blame Morban for losing his concentration, but I can see where he was misled into thinking a timeout had been called for these shenanigans.
If the regular first base coach had been in the box, Reggie probably wouldn't have been fooling around with him. Even if he was causing a distraction, you'd like to believe he would have yelled "BACK!" to Morban.
Also worth noting, if the home franchise wants this act so badly, why not do it when their team is up at bat? Then they would have to decide what is more important, and I bet the players and coaches would have something to say about that decision.
As someone who vehemently defends the Atlantic League and its high caliber of baseball, this was embarassing to see.
I realize the entertainment value of such performers to the fans, but when it starts affecting the on-field results in the middle of a pennant race, that is crossing a fine line.
It will be interesting to see what Sparky Lyle has to say about this play after the game -- especially if the Patriots wind up losing.

Israel comes to Atlantic League

2007-08-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

It was only a matter of time before this story, but the newly started Israel Baseball League has made its first impact on the Atlantic League.
The Bridgeport Bluefish have signed Rafael Bergstrom, who, according to this press release from the Atlantic League Web site, sounds like he was the Most Valuable Player of the league.
The press release makes no mention of him having ever played affiliated baseball and I cannot find his name on any of the common sites. If that is true, it sounds like Bergstrom will be over-matched.
Good publicity stunt, though.
Here is the release:

Rafael Bergstrom, a 6’5” right-hander who ten days ago hurled a complete game shutout to lead the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox to the championship, has become the first player from the Israel Baseball League signed to a pro contract in the U.S.
Bergstrom, who turns 26 on September 5, has signed with the independent Atlantic League’s Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, managed by former big league star Tommy John, and will join the team immediately. The league’s regular season ends September 16.
“Raffy was brilliant in the first season of the IBL,” said Larry Baras, the league’s founder, who oversaw the 41-game schedule for the first pro baseball league in the Middle East. “He worked hard, he was a fan favorite, and he was a big reason for the Blue Sox going wire to wire in first place and then winning the league’s first championship.”
Bergstrom struck out 56 in 51 2/3 innings in the IBL, and then struck out eight and walked none in his 3-0 victory over Art Shamsky’s Modi’in Miracle on August 19.
Ron Blomberg piloted the Blue Sox. Bergstrom’s 7-2 regular season record had him tied for the league lead in victories and he finished fourth in ERA at 2.44. He walked only 16.
He is a resident of Pacific Grove, CA and a product of University of California, San Diego. Prior to playing in the IBL, Bergstrom played two seasons in Germany and one in Australia.

Read me in THNT

2007-08-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late posting this because it started 2 weeks ago, but Somerset Patriots fans from Middlesex County can now read my game stories in The Home News Tribune.
For those people from Somerset, Hunterdon and Union who often complain to me about not seeing game stories in the paper, the Home News has later deadlines, so you will almost always find a game story in that paper if you happen to be in their circulation area for work or travel. Or you can continue reading about the games at www.c-n.com.

Did the Patriots win a game they should not have?

2007-08-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

It sure sounds that way according to rule 2.00 in the 2004 edition of the official baseball rules handbook.
With runners on the corners and one out in the top of the eighth inning Thursday night, Patriots left fielder Jason Romano made a running catch, turned and fired the ball to second baseman Teuris Olivares, who threw to first base to catch the runner straying too far off the bag and complete the double play.
The runner from third base crossed home plate with what would have been the tying run but home plate umpire Sean Arthur waved off the run because of the double play.
No one questioned the ruling at the time, but this is straight from the rule book:
"One out. Runner on first and third. Batter flies out. Two out. Runner on third tags up and scores. Runner on first tries to retouch before throw from fielder reaches first baseman, but does not get back in time and is out. Three outs. If, in umpires judgement, the runner from third touched home before the ball was held at first base, the run counts."
There is no question that the runner crossed the plate in time because Arthur initially got the call right, signaling that the run counted. Only after several Patriots hopped out of the dugout to disagree did Arthur change his mind.
This obscure rule exception was brought to my attention Friday afternoon by Road Warriors manager Jeff Scott, who still was kicking himself for not arguing the call. Scott admitted to being distracted in the dugout and missing the play. He said he has seen the play hundreds of time in his long playing and coaching career.

Fallout: The Patriots are in a pennant race with the York Revolution. If they end up winning the division by one game or by tiebreaker, this one is really going to sting.
OF COURSE, that would only have been the tying run and there is no saying the Patriots would not have won the game anyway. But it makes you wonder what would/could have been.

Offerman-Beech incident fallout

2007-08-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Atlantic League suspended Bridgeport Bluefish pitcher Matt Beech for three games and Long Island Ducks first baseman Jared Price for two games Tuesday following their roles in an ugly brawl Aug. 14.
Both players also were fined undisclosed amounts.
After Beech hit former major-league All-Star Jose Offerman with a pitch in the third inning, Offerman charged the mound with his bat, leading to both benches clearing.
An investigation by the league led to the conclusion that Beech had thrown at Offerman to provoke the incident and that Price had come off the bench to tackle Beech, possibly causing the broken finger on the pitcher’s right hand.
Offerman was given an indefinite suspension pending the result of his legal proceedings, which are scheduled to begin Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn.

In related news, this story from the Associated Press says that Offerman and his lawyer are contending he did not hit either Beech or Bluefish catcher John Nathans with his bat.
"We dispute the fact that any contact was made with the bat," attorney Frank Riccio said. "It's as likely these two players got injured in the melee that followed the incident as opposed to the baseball bat incident."
It seems like the Ducks and Offerman are positioning an argument for his return to the Atlantic League, which would be a real shame.
In 2001, Bridgeport's Dee Jenkins was banished for life by the league for using his bat in a similar brawl. Jenkins' swings opened a bloody gash on then-Ducks manager Don McCormack's face.
If the Atlantic League is arguing that what Jenkins did is worse than what Offerman did just because of the end result, that is plain stupid.
Both players used bats as weapons. Just because one connected with a face on his swings and the other did not, does not mean Offerman should benefit from his swing and miss.
AS OF NOW, I FULLY EXPECT OFFERMAN TO BE ALLOWED BACK IN THE LEAGUE AND I DISAGREE WITH IT.

For analogy, it reminds me of the high school student who takes a test with a cheat sheet, gets caught and then says he never used it, so he should not be failed. Bad argument. You attempted to cheat, you got caught, you deserve punishment.

Thumbs up in Camden

2007-08-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Today's laurel goes to the grounds crew, umpires and weather man at Campbell's Field in Camden.
Despite steady rain from the first inning on, the Somerset Patriots and Riversharks were able to squeak in five innings to make the game official without injury to any player.
It was made possible by a great job by the grounds crew, bringing fresh dirt out to the batter's box and pitcher's mound between every half-inning.
The umpires showed the necessary patience, and were smart enough to go to delay as soon as the fifth inning was completed. To make their job easier, the rain did pick up severely before the sixth, justifying that point for the delay.
With all the bad press the Atlantic League has received in recent days, this is one VERY LITTLE well-done job.

A long way from remorse

2007-08-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

A news side reporter from the Connecticut Post tracked down Jose Offerman at his New York home Wednesday and did not exactly get the kind of remorse that Atlantic League officials desire.
In the article below you will find quotes from Offerman where he absolves himself of some blame, outrageously claiming that Bluefish catcher John Nathans "made up" that he was hit in the head and had a concussion. Offerman seems to imply there was a conspiracy against him.
Not sure I need to say anything else here.

http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_6631730

Offerman must go now

2007-08-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sit down before you read this story. Long Island's Jose Offerman, a longtime former major-leaguer, charged the mound swinging a bat during the second inning of Tuesday night's game between the Ducks and Bridgeport Bluefish.
Offerman struck pitcher Matt Beech and catcher John Nathans, and Nathans may have a concussion after taking a blow to the head.
Offerman homered on the first pitch of the game and was drilled during his second at-bat.
After order was restored, the Bridgeport police department arrested Offerman, a former Bluefish.
For more on the incident, read the story in the Connecticut Post:
http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_6623997

My opinion is that Offerman must be suspended for the rest of the season and -- depending on what is uncovered-- banished from the league. The move would not be unprecedented. Two others players have been kicked out of the league, and this behavior warrants it.
Ironic thing is that several major media outlets -- including ESPN and USA Today -- recently wrote big stories about the Ducks collection of 13 former major-leaguers and how they were bonding well together in this league.
Expect this story to become national news quickly.

Atlantic League moves

2007-08-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Patriots are bringing in former major-league outfielder Luke Allen. He is expected to join the team Wednesday in York. Allen reached the majors for eight games in 2002 and 2003 and is a career .290 hitter in 1,150 minor-league games over 10 seasons before. He has both speed and power and play some third base.
Outfielder Bryan Goelz, who was knowingly brought in as a temporary fill-in a few weeks ago, was released to make room for Allen.

DID YOU NOTICE: Tike Redman -- the first player ever to take an official at-bat for the Atlantic League's expansion York Revolution -- singled and scored the tying run for the Baltimore Orioles in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
Redman, a former major-leaguer with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit .464 with an on-base percentage of .516 and hit safely in all seven games he played for York. The outfielder also totaled six runs, five RBI’s, three walks, a double and a stolen base.
For the fans, the neat part of this story is that -- like the Patriots and Yankees -- the Revolution and Orioles have a connection. The teams are near each other and all four Revolution coaches are former Orioles players.

Justin Jensen

2007-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I recently spoke to Justin Jensen, the All-Patriots Team left-handed starting pitching representative.
There has been talk for several years now that Jensen's Patriots career might not be over, and Jensen confirmed that rumor.
However, I was under the impression he was a lot closer to returning then he made it sound when we spoke.
Sparky Lyle told me before the All-Star break that he hoped Jensen would throw a bullpen tryout for the team sometime during the second half of this season. While Jensen did not officially rule hat out, he made it clear he is much more likely to try a comeback next season.
For those unfamiliar with Jensen, he is the Patriots' career leader in victories, games started and innings pitched. He played for the 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 teams.
Here are some thoughts from Jensen:

"I tore my labrum the last time I was in Somerset and went to spring training the next year and could not go (pitch). I had surgery and have been rehabbing."

"You never know (what the future holds). My shoulder feels great. It's just a matter of getting my arm strength up and my legs back in shape."

"I’d like to walk away on my own terms, and I could do that if I’m able to comeback."

Appreciate your fireworks

2007-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows fireworks are the Atlantic League's biggest promotional attraction, but what took place Saturday night in Bridgeport was disgraceful.
Fans had to wait more than 30 minutes after final pitch for the fireworks to start.
A 10-minute delay for a train to pass is understandable, but asking fans with little children to stick around until 10:40 for fireworks is inconsiderate.
It's no wonder the Bluefish are last in the league in attendance.
Sitting in the stands at that point, I overheard many people moaning about the delay and more walk out without seeing half of what they paid for.
Perhaps the worst part was the entertainment during the delay, which reportedly was a wait for police to block off the roads necessary to shoot off the fireworks.
A professional Simon Says entertainer was at the game, and bored fans with an excruciatingly long game of Simon Says. He acted crudely, calling one man "overweight" and making a lewd reference at another point.
To the fans' credit, most waited patiently through the Simon Says but there was marginal booing and a couple derogatory shouts such as "Simon Says it's your bedtime."

Frank Klebe fired midseason

2007-07-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

How seriously do the Lancaster Barnstormers take their baseball? Apparently, even more seriously than I thought.
By now, it's well known that the fans love their team, and the Barnstormers' finally gave their fans hope that this dreadful season can be turned around Sunday night when they fired first-year manager Frank Klebe.
Pitching coach Rick Wise has been named interim manager.
In retrospect, the Klebe hiring made no sense to being with. He had been with the team since 2005 as a coach, but he had limited professional managerial experience and was being asked to lead the defending Atlantic League champions with all their veteran players.
Anyway, you can read more about the situation -- including quotes from Klebe and Barnstormers personnel -- in this story from the Lancaster New Era.

**Some things worth mentioning:
1) The story says Klebe is the first Atlantic League manager ever to be fired midseason. That should help underscore the magnitude of this move because there have been plenty of underachieving teams in the past who kept their managers anyway.
2) It says all Atlantic League managers sign one-year contracts. That is not true. After the 2002 season, Patriots manager Sparky Lyle signed a five-year contract extension. That contract expires after this season.
3) It seems to hint that much of Klebe's firing and the Barnstormers' woes have to do with BASA, the group in charge of supplying the team with players. BASA -- which holds the same responsibilities for the Bridgeport Bluefish, Camden Riversharks and York Revolution -- is run by former Patriots director of player procurement Adam Gladstone. BASA handled the baseball operations for the Patriots last year, but the Patriots dropped its services after a frustrating 2006 season. I've heard rumors BASA has lost some of its power in Lancaster. If that's true, can firing BASA be far behind this latest move?

MASH unit

2007-07-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Know anyone who wants to play professional baseball? If you do, post their name on my blog and I will pass it along to Patriots director of player procurement Brett Jodie.
Yes, I am kidding.
No, I am not nearly as kidding as I should be.
True story: I brought my glove to the ballpark tonight because I have a softball game in the morning. And since they gave out batting helmets at the gate, I am 66% ready to suit up. Just need a bat.
Anyway, the following list should you give you an idea why the Patriots are so short-handed. It might long enough to be a full lineup, but is just the injury report:

1B Josh Pressley (hamstring)##
OF Jason Romano (calf)##
OF Jose Morban (ankle)##
2B Danny Garcia (mild oblique strain)##
SP Jeff Urban (slight torn labrum)**
1B Todd Leathers (broken wrist) **

##= Day to Day
**= Disabled List

Pressley is the only one playing tonight and he is really jeopardizing himself to do so. He can barely run around the bases and is banging balls of the wall for singles. You really have to appreciate his effort.

If manager Sparky Lyle had a fully healthy roster, at least four of those players would be in the every day lineup. Leathers probably would be the first pinch hitter off the bench and Urban would be the top left-handed set-up man or the fifth starter.

That should give you an idea just how seriously these injuries could impact the Patriots.

Missing Cannon

2007-07-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

No, nobody is re-enacting a war. No, we're not talking about the cannon fired off after Rutgers football scores a touchdown.
We're talking about Somerset Patriots left-handed pitcher Jon Cannon, who MAY HAVE signed in Taiwan.
I talked to pitching coach and director of player procurement Brett Jodie before Friday night's game and he said that Cannon told him before the All-Star break that he might sign to play in Taiwan but that he would call first
The call never came but Cannon did not report for the game and shortstop Teuris Olivares is wearing his jersey. Not a good sign.
Since most players went home for the break, there is a possibility Cannon was taking a flight into Newark that had not arrived yet. But that would be a major coincidence.
Brandon Knight will be inserted into the starting rotation in Cannon's place.

Hard to take the All-Star Game seriously

2007-07-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Preface: Tonight marks the first Atlantic League All-Star Game I have covered. I missed last season's due to a "family emergency," the same excuse a lot of these players give, I'm sure. But, my newspaper sent a highly competent replacement to cover the game, not someone who clearly was out of his/her league. Hope you see the analogy.

I'm having a difficult time taking this All-Star Game seriously. Here is why:
First, the Atlantic League elected to name big-name stars with questionable stats to be starters. Some of the best players in this league are guys you have never heard of, yet Edgardo Alfonzo, Carl Everett and Jose Offerman were all named starters.
True, the fans supposedly vote in the starters, but, as someone with knowledge of the league, trust me when I say your vote does not mean as much as you think. The league micromanages every decision, it makes and it could easily change around the voting so the deserving players are the starters.
Then comes the next frustrating part. The act of surprise when players such as Alfonzo, Everett, Offerman, and Danny Graves decline the invitation.
All five of those players have been to a major-league all-star game (with 8 total selections between them) so what makes anyone think they even consider this selection an honor?
That said, it's no defense for the disrespect with which they treat the game. If you are good enough to play in the league all summer, you are good enough to play in the All-Star Game. Do you think they would have a "previous commitment" preventing them from playing in the Triple-A All-Star Game?
If you skip the All-Star Game, you should be forced to skip the second half of the season. These fans want you -- even though you are past your prime -- and you blow them off.
But back to the league...why is there surprise when this happens? Be prepared for it. You should not have to call players at home the night before the game and practically beg them to play -- which I've heard happened. You should not have a pitcher with a 4-7 record and a 6.17 earned-run average playing in the game.
Bottom line, it's not a true All-Star Game. It's an All-I-Had-Nothing-Else-To-Do-Over-My-Four-Day-Break-So-I-Guess-I-Will-Play-Game.
Or, if you prefer acronyms, the AIHNETDOMFDBSIGIWPG.
Or, if you prefer comedy, one Atlantic League beat writer referred to it as the All-Farce Game.
Maybe it will be different next year when Somerset plays host. But I think it might be an internal problem with the league and not its franchises.
You want big stars to play in the league but they don't care about your league or its fans. If you get people who do care, the talent level is going to take a big hit. It's a no-win situation.

Explanation and belated quotes

2007-07-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Patriots hopes of winning the Atlantic League South Division first-half title and securing the accompanying playoff berth ended Saturday night. You can read about the Camden Riversharks title-clinching 7-6 victory here.
In case anyone is wondering, the story has no quotes or reaction because the game ran late and I had an 11 p.m. deadline. The game ended at 10:40 and because of the nature of the game, I wrote three different stories. One where the Patriots lose quietly, one where they come back and steal a momentum-starting victory and the final one where they lost a heartbreaker.
Here are a couple quotes from Sunday morning, and there will be more in Wednesday's paper when I write a first-half season review.

Manager Sparky Lyle:
"We battled back to get to where we were pretty confident going into the ninth."

"There's no give-up in these guys (the Patriots). We scored five runs and all we've got to do is hold them.It was very disheartening."

First baseman Josh Pressley:
"Obviously a lot of guys poured their hearts out trying to win."

Closer R.D. Spiehs, who blew the save and took the loss after tossing a scoreless eighth inning:
"The biggest thing I'm disappointed in is the walk to (Denny) Abreu. He fouled off a couple good pitches and it was 3-2. I said, 'I'm throwing my slider,' because I thought I could get a swing and a miss or a ground ball double play. But the pitch wasn't even close."

"I felt better in the ninth than in the eighth. In the eighth I was behind in counts."

Playoff baseball in Camden

2007-07-06T16:37:00.001-07:00

If you're driving over the Ben Franklin Bridge right now you can look down and see playoff-type baseball in Camden. Of course, if you're driving over that bridge, you probably are not reading my blog at the same time. And if you are doing both, then you have no chance to be one of All-State's safe drivers.
But don't fret. You can still get a sky view of playoff-type baseball Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots and Riversharks are playing three games that should decide the Atlantic League South Division first-half title and accompanying playoff berth. They are not the last three games of the first-half schedule -- as they were originally scheduled to be -- because, on Monday, Somerset has a doubleheader in Lancaster against the Barnstormers and Camden is visiting Bridgeport. Both are rainout makeup games.
But there is only one scenario in which those Monday games will matter since the Riversharks hold 1 1/2 game edge atop the standings entering Friday's action. If the teams tie for first place, the Patriots get the berth because of the tiebreaker -- head-to-head series.

Here are the scenarios:
Patriots sweeps Camden: They win the division outright.
Patriots take two of three: They enter Monday's games with a 1/2 game deficit.
Riversharks take two of three: They win the division outright. No sweep needed.

Worst Fourth of July Ever

2007-07-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Did you enjoy your hot dogs? How about your hamburgers? Yuenglings for everyone?
Well not this guy.
I spent my Fourth of July in Lancaster, Pa. and it was a disaster.
While my girlfriend and all her friends partied away the holiday, I spent the day in rainy Amish Country writing filer stories. I arrived at the ballpark at 3:30 for a 7 p.m. start and the game never happened. Was it called at 7? Nope, they waited until 9.
Of all the things the Atlantic League does poorly -- and there are plenty -- rain delays might be the worst. Fans always are uninformed of the game status, and the press corps should not find out from the PA announcement. This is not an indictment on Lancaster because it happens everywhere.
Now, I'm back at the Westfield Inn, 20 minutes outside of Lancaster, bored out of my mind. There is only a McDonald's and Bob Evans in sight and none of the players or other media have Internet access.
Thankfully, the Courier has given me a Verizon wireless card. Points for them. Zero points for Lancaster, Pa.

FYI: All-stars are announced Thursday. I'll post the selections as soon as I have them.

Goodbye to a good man

2007-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

The Patriots losing Jeff Nettles dominated the headlines and the Commerce Bank Ballpark buzz Monday night, but somewhat lost in the shuffle was the goodbye to community relations director Matt Rothenberg, who worked his final Patriots game.
The Patriots did a nice montage of Rothenberg moments on the scoreboard during the seventh-inning stretch, and he joined broadcaster Brian Bender on the radio for three innings of play-by-play.
Rothenberg has been with the organization since interning in 2003 and is leaving to pursue graduate school opportunities.
I got to know Rothenberg personally while covering the team for two years, and realize he is a good guy and an extremely hard worker always willing to help out a frazzled reporter (ie: me) in the time of a crisis. He will be missed by the Patriots staff and those of us independent of the team who work closely with the staff every day.
Here, in Rothenberg's own words, are his top 5 moments since he became an Atlantic Leaguer:

#1 - 2005 AL Championship, #2 - 2003 AL Championship:
The 2005 championship was more gratifying than 2003 because of the hard work you put in as a member of the full-time staff. The first one was a great experience to cap off my internship with the Patriots, but the second one was about the result of hard work from the end of the 2004 season through the entire 2005 season. Both championships were great, though, and earning the rings and having the memories will definitely last a very long time. Although I would have liked one of them to occur in Bridgewater so our fans could enjoy it more, it was
nice to be able to go up to Nashua (both times) and watch it and soak in all the excitement of a championship.

#3 - Donald Trump at Commerce Bank Ballpark (9/10/2004):
With all the promoting and buzz about it, you knew it was going to be a great night -- one to remember. Of course, how many people enter a ballpark via a helicopter landing in center field? Few, if any, others.
Working here, I've had the opportunity to get close to people I've only seen on TV or on
baseball cards, so to be close to Donald Trump and get right up in his face and taking pictures of him -- it kind of makes you feel like the paparazzi. But the atmosphere surrounding his appearance was just phenomenal; you couldn't ask for a better night.

#4 - Largest crowds in Atlantic League history(7/3/04 & 7/3/06):
To set the record of 8,048 against Long Island in 2004 and then beat that with 8,062 against the Road Warriors in 2006, you get a feel for what Commerce Bank Ballpark has become: a fantastic gathering place for the community. You could feel the electricity running through the
ballpark on each night. Unfortunately, Lancaster had to top our records this season, but knowing our fans, I have a feeling we're going to take it back the record soon enough.

#5 - Joe Gannon's no-hitter against the Patriots (8/17/04), and his near
no-hitter (6/6/06):
While not a great moment in Patriots history, it was the first -- and only -- no-hitter I've ever witnessed in person. Considering how many are thrown at the major league and minor league levels each year, it's something that happens very rarely. To have nearly witnessed a second
one in 2006 -- by the same pitcher, no less -- it would have been quite unique. At the same time, though, to have been one-hit by Gannon, and with that hit being a grand slam by Mike Lockwood to win the game, it couldn't have been a better result.

Nettles signs!!!

2007-07-02T17:41:00.001-07:00

It's the day many in the Somerset Patriots organization and around Atlantic League silently thought had passed: Third baseman Jeff Nettles has left the team, signing with the Kansas City Royals organization where he is expected to report to Double-A Wichita.
The independent league is designed to get players another shot Nettles clearly deserves another shot. Some would say it actually is his first shot, since he never played regularly in his five years in the Yankees farm system.
Nettles meant everything to the Patriots on and off the field during the past five years, and you will be hard-pressed to find anyone in the league with a bad thing to say about him.
Atlantic League personnel have wondered aloud in years past what it would take for Nettles to get another shot at affiliated baseball, and it appears the answer was to top his already stellar seasons with a great season.
Nettles leads the league with 19 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .679 slugging percentage and 37 extra-base hits.
His loss devastates the Patriots in the heart of a playoff race, but with only seven games left to decide the first-half pennant, they might be able to hang on without him. If there were three weeks remaining before the all-star break, I'd have a different opinion.
The Patriots held 1/2 game lead atop the South Division entering Monday's games and are leading the Lancaster Barnstormers 5-1 in the sixth.
Needless to say, this is the biggest player news out of Somerset in franchise history.
Score a victory for determination and perseverance.

Three classy gestures:
1. Nettles stayed at the ballpark to support his teammates in Monday's game.
2. The Patriots brought Nettles onto the field and announced his good news to the crowd before the game.
3. The fans gave Nettles a big cheer, with some fans even standing. For minor-league baseball -- where entertainment sometimes rules -- this was significant.

Van-tastic

2007-06-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

Somerset Patriots left-hander Andy Van Hekken is making tonight's start against the Lancaster Barnstormers and third baseman Steve Van Note and right fielder Chris Van Rossum. That's more vans on the field than in the parking lot at the ballpark.
Anyway, now that I've blown past that terrible joke, this is the Patriots first game in sole possession of first place since May 29, and they wasted no time proving it with a two-run first inning.
Saturday's game is the first of six straight against the Lancaster Barnstormers, and while it is not easy to play the same team six games in a row, it helps that it is the Barnstormers.
Although this team is the defending Atlantic League champion, it is not very good.
The lineup has serious holes. There appears to be three solid bats in the entire lineup -- shortstop Danny Gonzalez, first baseman Jeremy Todd and left fielder Dominick Ambrosini. Once you get past them, there is not much to scare you.
In my opinion, Lancaster is going to have a very hard time qualifying for the playoffs without a serious second-half shakeup. From what I hear, that's probably not going to happen because manager Frank Klebe is very particular about the kind of player he will coach and very loyal to "his guys." His guys are a third-place team in the first half, however, and probably no better next half.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: There is one former major-leaguer on the roster and it's left-handed reliever Phil Norton, who was released by the Patriots earlier this month. Sometimes the "major-league" tag is deceiving. Some of the league's best players have never been above Triple-A, but you need at least some major-league talent to compete.
Maybe they can sign Van Morrison.

Remember Girls Basketball???

2007-06-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

I do.
Though it's hard for me to think about anything other than minor-league baseball between April and October, I just heard that Governor Livingston High School has hired a new girls basketball coach. Former New Providence football start Andy Silvagni is the man, according to what I've heard.
Two things interesting here:
1) It's interesting anytime that someone from New Prov gets a job at GL or vice versa. Their rivalry already is good in almost every sport and you know that coach wants to beat his alma mater that much more.
2) Dave Boff did a great job rebuilding the Highlanders program the past four years. The team was good for 15 to 20 wins in both my years on the beat. Can Silvagni keep that momentum going? We'll see this winter, but one thing working in his favor: Star guard Lauren Munick has another season to play. A good building block for any rookie coach.

Back on the beat...

2007-06-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the job after missing the Patriots' first series in York. I needed those three days to work on my Tommy John story, which you can read here.
I was glad to have the three days off because I think this is a real solid story, but also because of what I've heard about York.
The situation for the players is well documented -- a dangerous outfield, no showers in the clubhouse, grass that might not stick -- but what about the situation for the press?
I've been told there was no press food -- which I would have made a stink about -- and the official scorer left one game in the 7th inning. He scored the rest of the game over the phone after someone else told him what they saw.
When outsiders say bad things about the Atlantic League, I usually stick up for it. I say the quality of play is high, the attendance is good most places, etc.
But these are the things they are talking about. Can you imagine the Triple-A Richmond Braves' scorer getting up and leaving in the 7th? If you have somewhere to be at 9 and the game starts at 7, take the day off. Give someone else a chance. What you might not know is anyone can score an independent league game. You don't need any qualifications or a card, just an opportunity.
As for the food, I've been served bad press box food before and food others like that I don't. No problem with either of those. But these people are here working hard to give your league publicity, the least you can do is make a small gesture of appreciation. Offer a hot dog.

All-star voting

2007-06-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

Voting has begun for the 2007 Atlantic League All-Star Game on July 11 at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pa. Fans can vote by going to the league's official Web site and I encourage it. The league claims votes by fans, media members and league executives count toward the selections, but no media member I know -- including myself -- has voted for the team since 2000. If fans votes actually are considered, then congratulations, you have more of a say than the only non player, coach or league representative to see more than 100 games per season. Again, me.

HERE IS MY BALLOT, AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST YOURS OR JUST GRIPE ABOUT MINE:

SOUTH DIVISION:

1B: Nate Espy, York
2B: Danny Garcia, Somerset
SS: Danny Gonzalez, Lancaster
3B: Jeff Nettles, Somerset
C: Ben Davis, Camden
OF: L.J. Biernbaum, Camden
OF: Mike Lockwood, Somerset
OF: Dwight Maness, Camden
DH: Matt Dryer, York

About the selections: Somerset's three selections are all no-brainers. Nettles is on pace for a league-record 54 home runs, he's tied with Lockwood for the league's RBI lead entering Wednesday's games and Garcia ranks atop the league in stolen bases and third in runs scored. ... The hardest choice is in the outfield where Lancaster's Jutt Hileman gets the short stick. Hileman is having a very good season for an underachieving team, but Camden is an overachieving first-place team because of Biernbaum and Maness. Biernbaum brings a 19-game hitting streak into Wednesday. ... This game usually features two very questionable all-stars at catcher, but Ben Davis is not that guy. The former major-leaguer is a big-time bat whose only issue is his struggles throwing out potential base stealers. ... Dryer got off to an unbelievable season and he and Espy are really the only threats in York's entire lineup. Any offensive numbers they have would be multiplied if they had any protection.

NORTH DIVISION

1B: Victor Rodriguez, Newark
2B: Junior Spivey, Bridgeport
SS: Nick Ortiz, Bridgeport
3B: Luis Figueroa, Bridgeport
C: Sandy Aracena, Road Warriors
OF: Kevin Haverbusch, Long Island
OF: Keith Reed, Newark
OF: Jason Bryan, Road Warriors
DH: Jay Caligiuri, Bridgeport

About the selections: This lineup has a negative chance of happening. The Ducks rule the league -- literally, as their owner is the league CEO -- and there is 0 chance of them having one starter. Look for Rose to sneak in ahead of V-Rod or Navarrete ahead of Spivey. Both of those choices would be acceptable. Rose is having a very good season and it is a crime that Naverrete is not a starter. Navarrete is listed as a 2B only and Spivey might be the best player in the league. If Navarrete was listed as an OF -- where he sometimes plays -- he would be the No. 1 choice. What would be unacceptable is seeing some of the Ducks' underachieving big names -- Edgardo Alfonzo, Carl Everett or Jose Offerman -- slip into the starting lineup. It's possible because the league wants to promote its big names and fans want to see big names, but there is always the possibility these guys won't want to waste their break at the game anyway. ... If you notice how many Bluefish I put on the team, you know who I think has the best team in the league. ... I'm a big Aracena guy (how have none of the other teams signed this guy?) and he might very well start, but Bryan has no chance of starting despite his worthy numbers.

Voter Beware: If you are new to the league, beware that the ballot you see -- the ballot I based my votes on -- is subject to change without notice. When the starters are announced, you might see a DH not listed as a DH on the ballot or Navarrete in the outfield. Some times these are very smart moves, some times they are very shady.

Harder to keep a diet on the road but easier to blog

2007-06-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

I often mock myself for being out of shape and having a beer belly, but recently I decided to do something about it. The reason? The teasing by family members and friends has become excessive.
I've created my own diet -- no french fries and no regular soda.
You may ask, "Ryan, what is that really going to do?" but if you have any idea how often I eat french fries and drink regular soda, then you know it could do a lot.
It's been a week without both now, and it's been very tough.
I miss soda more than french fries and am getting sick of lemonade, fruit punch and water.
During college, I was once quoted as saying, "If I could only bring three things with me to a deserted island, one would definitely be a Pepsi."
Well, this self-invented diet has me feeling like I'm on a deserted island right now.
In reality, I'm on Long Island and it's hard to keep a diet on the road because of the limited food options. Had a calzone and a powerade today.
Central Islip, N.Y. is my favorite road trip because the hotel is nice, the town is nice, the ballpark is nice and there are options for social activity in the neighborhood.

As for the team...the Patriots blew a five-run lead Monday night for the second time in five days. Sparky Lyle ripped his bullpen after the game and again Tuesday afternoon. Frustration is clearly setting in for Lyle, who, for the first time in 1 1/2 years, has a lineup clicking on all nine cylinders. But no lead is safe with this bullpen and he fears over-using Saul Solveson and R.D. Spiehs, the only two guys who have earned his trust.
Other interesting notes: Todd Leathers is in the starting lineup Tuesday for the first time since June 10. Lyle's doghouse is a deep one, and it's hard to crawl out once you are in. Now that Leathers has a shot, let's see if he takes advantage. Two hits, and he could be back at first base Wednesday. An 0-fer could mean see you in July. ... Second baseman Danny Garcia is not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive day. Garcia, the Atlantic League stolen base leader, is said to need rest after starting the team's first 42 games. ... Paul Thorp, who pitched for Double-A Trenton as recently as last week, is expected to join the Patriots on Thursday. Thorp is a right-handed reliever with solid career numbers. That's not much to say, but it's more than you can say about most of the pitchers in the team's current bullpen. Thorp will put the Patriots at the league maximum 25-man roster, so expect a release in the ensuing days because the franchise traditionally prefers to go with 24 -- likely for financial reasons.