APRIL 28
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Frankford 6, Central 5
            **Disclaimer: To my loyal readers- As I’m sure you may have noticed, my reports have not been filed as promptly as one would think, and for that, I’m sorry.  A similar situation occurred during basketball season where school work got in the way, but now that I’m a fourth quarter senior, who cares about school work (smile).  Anyway, this is one report that will be timely and then some simply due to the fact that is was probably one of the best Public League baseball games I’ve watched in my four years of fan-ship/writing.  With all that being said, I vow to have to reports I have not yet filed out very shortly, but in the mean time enjoy reading about the Central-Frankford game in the “journalistically correct” third person point of view… Also, be sure to check Randy’s Ramblings http://www.tedsilary.com/randybase05.htm for an excellent mid-season report on Division A (Almost as good as my end-of-the-year football report- smile).**

   When Jose Matos came into the game and took a lead 174 feet away from home plate, there was a brief silence at the intersection of Large and Dyre.  It was the kind of silence that you only find in a baseball game.  That moment when everyone involved with the afternoon’s occurrences is thinking about every possible situation in their head, and then re-working that situation depending on what the on-deck hitter does, and then re-working that situation for the slugger in the hole.  As a faint shadow crept into deep center field Jose DeLeon stepped up to the plate with a chance to be a hero: two on, two out, bottom of the seventh, Central-5, Frankford-5.  Woosh- pitch number 137 from Andrew Reynolds went down low from a ball.  138 followed suit.  “Potter” set and drew back everything he had left in the tank- it worked as the count ran to 1-and-2.  On the next pitch, Frankford’s magic number (and no, not that magic number) became forty-nine; forty-nine wins in the last fifty tries against the Public League in regular season games.  As DeLeon’s single sailed to left-centerfield, it’s safe to say that almost everyone in attendance ran back through those situations they played out during that brief break in the game.  Once the winning run crossed home, the sentiment seemed to be: “What a great baseball game,” and as the Pioneers mobbed their ecstatic teammate at home plate, it’s safe to say all those involved with Central said “We had Frankford… we had Frankford.”
   The key to the game for Central was to score early, and make Frankford worry a little bit, and that’s exactly what the Lancers did.  The second pitch lead-off man Jared Farbman saw was taken for a ride to left-center, as Farbman rolled into second with a lead-off double.  Reynolds made the double count by singling in Farbman as Central took a 1-0 lead on right-hander Richard Jimenez, one of the toughest pitchers the Pub has to offer.  In typical Frankford fashion, they Pioneers bounced right back as Andrew Bracero led off with a double, and Jimenez brought him home with a sacrifice fly to right field.  The score was knotted up at one, after one.
   Central fired right back in the top of the second, as they continued to hit the ball hard off of Jimenez.  Justin Mosley hit an RBI fielder’s choice that brought in Central’s second run of the game.  Reynolds struck out the side in the bottom frame with Frankford runners stuck on second and third.  Speaking of third, that was the inning for the Pioneers.  After Jimenez got a clutch 1-3 double play in the top half of the inning, Frankford’s bats got around on Reynolds the second time through the line-up.  Luis Alicea led off the inning by calling NASA and telling them one of their satellites was just hit by a baseball (in case you didn’t pick up on it- he hit a home-run over the high fence in left-center).  The next hitter, Carlos Rosado, doubled in the gap, and Jimenez followed with a double off the fence into the same gap where Alicea hit his blast.  Frankford had put up three runs with no outs in the bottom of the third.  This is where Reynolds’ true leadership on the mound came into play.  After another two runners reached base on a single and an error, Reynolds retired three straight batters to work out of a very scary-looking inning.  The score stood at 4-2 after three.
   One of the main reasons Central stayed in this game (aside from solid hitting, and stellar pitching) was the fact that they didn’t get down after that inning, the bench picked it right up and started cheering again: “They got their big inning, not let’s get those runs back.”  They did get one of them back in the top of the fourth as Farbman hit another RBI double (this time to center), and brought in Joe Tierney, who was hit by a pitch (Jimenez’ third hit batsman of the game).  This would end up being Jimenez’ final inning in the ball game, as Central was hitting the ball fairly well, and the Pioneers had plenty of great pitchers ready to come in.  Frankford was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning thanks to a great throw and tag from catcher Joe Magdovitz to Farbman which got Alicea out at third after two singles had Frankford threatening again.
   **Editors break*: I noticed my reports tend to be too “Game re-capy” so if you don’t want to read all of the interesting, captivating details, simply skip to the last paragraph. *End Editor’s Break**
   Central kept threatening as they put another run on the board in the top of the fifth.  A double by Reynolds and a single by Walt King tied the score at four.  The thing that made this such a great game was the fight in both teams, as well as the way both teams got the job done every time they needed to.  That being said, Frankford came right back in the bottom half in an inning where they tallied zero hits.  A strikeout/passed ball and an error by the shortstop led to the go ahead run (scored by Ramon Reyes).
   Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, but not without controversy.  For Frankford, a runner (or was it fielder) interference call stopped a runner from moving to second base, while for Central (not really controversy, but more on base running) the led-off runner got picked off by the new pitcher Edwin Burgos. And so the epic battle moved to the top of the seventh with the Pioneers ahead 5-4.
   Everyone and their brother/sister was up and cheering for the duration of the inning as Frankford’s star Alicea was called upon to seal the deal and give the Pioneers their 10th league win of the year.  However, after working the count to 0-2 against a Central pinch-hitter, Alicea hit the batter and Central had hope.  After a pop-out to short-stop, King singled, Magdovitz singled.  Bases loaded, one out, Central’s Jim Benek stepped in (Benek was 0-for-2 to that point with a HBP).  Benek worked the count beautifully, and it ran full.  Another one of those silent moments came right before Alicea released the 3-2 pitch.  Outside- ball four. Tie ball game.  However, Frankford buckled down and got the next two out with a shallow fly ball to left and a strike-out.  Pretty sure you know the rest, but Frankford got the job done and proved their everlasting resilience in the home seventh.
   Single, pop-out, fly-out, single… single.  DeLeon become an instant hero. Party.
  Of all the games played in the Pub this year, this had to be one of the best baseball games there was.  It was by far the best pitched, cleanest, well fought games there was.  Both coaches did their job extremely well, and the players left everything on the field.  To enter the technology age a bit, Central’s Dave Kisleiko sent an instant message to me once I got home which read:  “We have decided baseball karma is not on our side.”  But I guess that’s what baseball is all about.  You have a pitcher who tosses 142 pitches, hitters who rock home runs and doubles, runners who get picked-off, and runners who get in the way, and it all comes down to one pitch that may have been left up four inches in the zone, that prompted DeLeon to swing… ball game over.  That’s why people enjoy watching baseball, you see something different every game.  You can watch ten hockey games and see basically the same game-play with a bit of variety.  Baseball is different, baseball is… baseball.  (wow- that was way to preachy for this column- I guess this game brought it out of me- smile).
   Play of the Game: Because I tend not to go with errors or mental mistakes for the play of the game, it becomes hands-down DeLeon’s single (even though Alicea’s home run was amazing).
   Player of the Game: This is by far the toughest POG choice I’ve had to make all year.  Can a player from a losing team get the award? Does it go to the player who won the game no matter what? What about solid fielding? Or catchers making the right pitch calls?  Way too many questions to answer so I’m going to break down and give two, yes two, players of the game. 1) Has to go to Andrew Reynolds.  Pitched the best game of his high school career (left open for argument with last year’s semi-final match against NE, of course) and gave it everything he had.  2) Jose DeLeon… you know why.  Honorable Mention: Carlos Rosado- He went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
  On Deck:
            For the Pioneers: Mastbaum comes to visits on Monday May 2. I think we already know the result of this game.
            For the Lancers: Lincoln travels to Ogontz and Olney to face the Lancers for the second time this year. Ditto.
           In the Hole: The two teams meet again Wednesday May 4, at Central’s field.  It looks like it will be the same pitching match-up as well.  For any Pub baseball aficionado, this game is a must-see!

APRIL 25
Nick’s Power Alley
  1) Frankford (9-0)- Frankford is still rolling along- their major test this week will come against Central on Thursday.
  2) Central (7-1)- Suffered their 1st loss of the year at the hands of GW.  Rebounded nicely against GAMP, but Frankford comes a knockin' this week.
  3) Washington (6-2)- The Eagles were extremely close to taking over the Lancers' #2 spot after their convincing win, but Central keeps finding a way to stay there.
  4) GAMP (4-5)- A very solid team, especially when Evangelista pitches.
  5) Northeast (5-4)- Need more consistent pitching to gain a higher ranking.  Inconsistency seems to be the name of the game with the Vikings, as some of their losses this year make you look twice.
  6) Bok (8-1)- Strongest team in Division B.  Shouldn’t have a problem wrapping that up.
  7) Strawberry Mansion (8-0)- Off to a great start, romping all of their opponents thus far.  Look for them to give King and Prep Charter a run for their money.
  *Who’s Hot: Frankford, King, Bok
  *Who’s Not: Mastbaum, Franklin, Kensington

APRIL 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE
WASHINGTON 8, CENTRAL 4
   If you were looking for a solid match-up in the Public League A this year, these two teams looked to fit the bill perfectly.  Washington entered the game with a mark of 4-2, while Central entered with an unblemished record of 6-0.  On the hill for the Eagles was veteran pitcher Marc Tankel while Central started sophomore Jared Farbman (making only his second start of his career).  The pre-game chat was especially exciting for me (and some other Central players) because I went to middle school with basically the entire Eagles team, while a few Lancers play in the N.E. Philadelphia Developmental League (Run by TS.com’s amazing baseball correspondent- Randy Seidman).
   In the top of the first, Central forced Tankel to throw 21 pitches.   Even though they didn’t score any runs, you could tell they ran out onto the field with a positive attitude after making the pitcher work so hard.   In the bottom half, Washington struck first as Chris Phares singled, and Matt Peterson followed suit.  After that, Tankel hit a ground ball which tagged Phares and he was called out for interference.  After Justin Presley popped out to the pitcher for the second out, it was up to Washington third baseman Mike Werb to cash in.  Boy did he ever, as he rocketed a double to deep centerfield.  Werb knocked in two with the hit, and just like that GW found themselves on top after one.  When Central CF Justin Mosley came back to the bench, all he kept saying was “It wasn’t gonna come down; that ball just kept going and going.”
   As Central has done time after time, they struck back in the very next frame.   Catcher Joe Magdovitz led off with a single, and the Lancers kept chipping away after that.  Jim “Paul Bunyan” Benek’s ground rule double brought in second baseman Nick DeLeo and gave the Lancers a 4-2 lead after two.  At this point, it seemed as though Washington had lost all its momentum, and had lost the game… that’s where Marc Tankel comes in.   He did a magnificent job of shutting down the Lancers order from that point on: allowing only four hits after the second inning, and decreasing his pitch count per inning as the game moved on.
   Washington did not have the mentality they appeared to have after the Lancers four-spot, as the scored three in the bottom of the third.  Singles by Peterson and Presley, along with a monster double by left-fielder Rolando Fontanez (which knocked in two) gave the Eagles the 5-4 lead, and they never looked back.
   Not only was Tankel around the zone all day, but stymied the Lancers by mixing up his breaking stuff, and fast ball (which has a good amount of movement).   He managed to hold the Lancers best hitter Walt King, who missed two games this year, (.556, 7 RBI, 10R) to a 1-for-3 day, which was key to the Eagles success.  For Farbman, he thinks his day was a lot worse than it actually was.  He held his team in enough so that they had the chance to come back up until the very last out.  The final line on Farbman was: 4 IP, 22 BF, 1 BB, 4 K, 9 H, 6 ER), while Tankel’s line read like this: 7 IP, 32 BF, 1 BB, 8 K, 9 H, 4 ER.
   Everyone expected this to be a very evenly matched game, and for the most part it was.  Both teams are already talking about the next match-up between the two teams and how they hope the pitching match-up will feature Andrew Reynolds and Tankel… considered to be two of the best pitchers in the league.   The two also have a very long history, from playing little league ball together, to a very well pitched game that determined key playoff positioning last season.   Also two players that may have formed a bit of history are King and Washington’s Matt Yankowitz. After the game, Yank told King “Why don’t you get on base the real way next time?” as he had gotten hit by a pitch in the seventh, which many think he could have dodged easily.  The two had a few more words, but that seemed to be the extent of the altercation.
   More Notes:  Central pitcher Dave Kisleiko got his second pick ff of the year as he nabbed courtesy runner Mike Kline, running from first to second… Kisleiko also collected his first hit of the season… Tankel’s eight strikeouts are the most against the Lancers all year… Fontanez finished the game with two doubles and three RBI, and still flew under the radar with most fans after the game;  that was easily his best performance of the season… In the second inning, Central’s Joe Tierney hit a ball that was curling towards the right foul line.  When it hit the ground, it kicked up “chalk” and everyone thought it was fair.  The ump called it foul saying that it kicked up dust and not chalk… The outfield is made entirely of grass… Speaking of, GW’s field seems to be declining over time, the field now has many bumps and hills in the infield, especially at second base, and a very rocky outfield.
   Play of the Game: In the top of the fourth, the Lancers got their lead-off man on, and at the time, were only down by one.  Batter Ricky Avanzato smashed the ball straight towards the mound.  Tankel snagged it and threw to first for the 1-3 double play.
   Player of the Game: Matt Peterson.  Even though Tankel threw 117 pitches against the Lancers in a masterful game, Peterson went 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, scored three runs, and knocked in one.  That is certainly what the ideal line of a number two hitter should look like.  Peterson was also the DH for the game: great move by GW coach Max Bilkins.
On-Deck:
  For the Eagles- The Eagles face GAMP at home on Friday 4/22.
  For the Lancers- Edison comes to Central on Friday 4/22 in a league match-up.

APRIL 18
Nick’s Power Alley
  1) Frankford (6-0)- Regular ol’ Frankford.  These guys look very tough to beat.
  2) Central (6-0)- Got a solid win over Northeast.  If Central can keep it up against quality teams, they can make a run at the Pioneers.
  3) Washington (4-2)- The Eagles are doing well, especially without some key players.  Tough loss to Frankford; they’ll look to rebound vs. Central.
  4) Northeast (3-2)- A very good hitting team.  Don’t count them out by any stretch of the imagination.
  5) GAMP (3-3)- GAMP is on a tear as of late.  With an automatic bid to the playoffs, they can basically use the season to work out as many kinks as possible.
  6) Bok (6-1)- Continues to impress in Division B.  Got a huge win over FTC a week ago.
  7) Saul (6-2)- The team that looks to give Bok the most trouble as the season drags on.
*Who’s Hot: Frankford, Central, GAMP
*Who’s Not: Mastbaum, Olney, FTC

APRIL 6
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 13, Lincoln 1
   After two very nerve racking, close games, you knew one of these had to be coming -- a total blowout.  On what was one of the most beautiful afternoons since last October, the Central Lancers took advantage of some solid hitting and Lincoln errors.  If there’s one thing that can completely kill a team, it’s errors- and Lincoln had six of them.
   For Central, they realized to become an elite team in “The Pub” they needed to win some games this way.  Team co-captain Andrew Reynolds gave a speech to the team before the game about how they needed to get the bats going, and this was the game to start.  Apparently the speech worked as the Lancers racked up thirteen runs in only five innings (Technically four since they didn’t bat in the bottom half of the 5th).
   The starting pitching match-up for the game featured a battle of the Dave’s: for Lincoln, Dave Gibson, while Central sent Dave “Husky Hurler” Kisleiko to the mound.  Kisleiko was making his second start of the year (first ever on Central’s mound), while the lefty, Gibson, was on the hill for the first time of the year.
   Just as they did against GAMP, the Lancers got on the board early with one in the bottom of the first, but you could tell they were hungry for more.  A huge play for Central, which may have sparked their run fest, came in the top of the second inning.  Lincoln had a runner on third with one out, when Khaleef Ings hit a soft ground ball to third.  Central’s third baseman Jared Farbman elected to bring the throw home, even with a speedy James Hosgood running at third.  The play needed a prefect throw, and Central got it, as catcher Joe Magdovitz put the tag on Hosgood to stop Lincoln’s scoring threat.  In the bottom half of the inning, it became evident that the Railsplitters needed to work some more drills on damage control.  Gibson just couldn’t find the plate as Central batted around plus three.  The first ten Central batters reached base safely before the final three outs of the inning were recorded by the new pitcher, Gallagher.  Some highlights from the inning include: A three run double by right fielder Jim Benek, and a hard single by Walt King.  The only Central batter not to score a run in the inning was Josh Fleishman.  In the top of the third, Kisleiko got into some trouble by allowing the first two runners to reach base.  After a fielder's choice, Candelario hit into the rare 6-3-2 double play to end the inning.
   Central added two more in the bottom of the third, as Benek slammed another RBI double, this time to left-center.  The Lancers also added two in the bottom of the fourth as Justin Smith provided an RBI single, and lead-off man for the day (Nick DeLeo did not play) Farbman, hit a sacrifice fly to right.
   Going into the top of the fifth, Kisleiko was still the pitcher, but ran into some trouble by allowing two singles, and then an error in center field.  The only Lincoln run came on a 4-6 fielders choice by Jefff Leriche.  Central coach Bob Barthelmeh did not want to chance it, so he brought in Farbman for the final out, and he got the K.
   Central now sits at 3-0, while the Railsplitters dropped to 1-2.
   Play of the Game: This one was a classic, but also very scary.  On a sharply hit ball to right center, which both the center and right fielder had a shot at, Candelario and Joe DiGrazio (also a football player whom I met along my travels) dove and collided on the way down.  Somehow, Candelario held on to the ball, but it took both fielders a little while to get up after the collision.
   Player of the Game: Jim “Paul Bunyan” Benek.  He went 3-for-4 from the plate with a single, two doubles, and reached on an error.  He drove in four runs, and scored twice.

APRIL 4
Nick's Power Alley, Week 1
1) Frankford (2-0)- Looked very impressive in two wins over Lincoln and Olney.  Luis Alicea and the rest of the Pioneers look more ready than ever to defend their title.
2) Central (2-0)- The Lancers showed a lot of heart in their first two wins against respectable opponents.  The road doesn’t get any easier though.
3) Washington (1-0)- The Eagles started of the season well against GAMP, they need to wait until Wednesday to play again, against Edison.
4) Edison (0-1-1)- This team is good.  No question about it.  They showed signs last year, but now they’ve proven it by playing two very good opponents very hard.
5) Northeast (0-0-1)- It’s early yet, but Northeast’s tie against Edison shows that this is going to be a very competitive league this year.
6) Roxborough (2-0)- Looks to be one of the top teams in the B Division.
7) Saul (2-0)- The other top team in Division B, look for this Wednesday’s game at Roxborough to draw a big crowd.
*Who’s Hot: Frankford, Central, Roxborough
*Who’s Not: GAMP, Penn, FLC
*Games to Watch:
- 4/6- Edison @ Washington
- 4/6- Saul @ Roxborough
- 4/7- Penn @ Prep
- 4/8- Central @ Frankford
- 4/8- FLC @ FTC

APRIL 1
^{PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 5, GAMP 4}
   Two games, two incredible finishes.  That’s what the Central Lancers season has been like so far.  Two incredible finishes against teams which were severely underrated at the star of the season.  The GAMP Pioneers, undersized by many accounts, and not considered to be a strong team this year left it all out on the field in their first two games of the year against Division A powerhouses Washington and Central.  Edison, the Lancers first opponent, tied Northeast (another powerhouse) 9-9 before the game was called on account of darkness.  From the looks of things, it should be an extremely competitive A Division in the Pub this year.
    This game was a classic for many different reasons, not the least of which was an encounter with a crazy fan in the fourth inning.  The first interesting note to pass along is the starting pitcher match-up.  For Central, right handed hurler Andrew Reynolds took the mound against his former school.  For GAMP, southpaw Ryan Challender got the nod from head coach Art Kratchman.  In the top of the first, Dom DeMarco led things off with a single, and then stole second base.  Reynolds calmed down, however, and got the next three batters in order to end GAMP’s early threat.  In the bottom half of the inning, the Lancers also got their lead-off man, Nick DeLeo, on base by means of a walk.  A wild pitch and a stolen base allowed DeLeo to advance to third, but the next two Central batters struck out leaving it up to Walter King to salvage the inning for the Lancers.  King delivered in a big way blasting an RBI triple off the base of the wall in left-center, and the Lancers grabbed a 1-0 lead.  That’s the way it would stay for most of the game, as both pitchers seemed to settle into a pretty good groove.
    There was one very interesting occurrence in the fourth inning, but it didn’t have anything to do with baseball, but rather a crazy middle-aged woman.  Here’s the story.  Central’s field has two gates: one in right field and one in left.  However, the one in left leads directly into the outfield, instead of into foul ground, and that gate is locked during game days.  Apparently the woman in red did not know this and attempted to climb the gate… for roughly ten minutes this went on.  Finally the umpires stopped the game, and she gave up climbing.  That’s when people advised her to walk around the back of home plate to get to the right field gate, and, in turn, to the street.  That was way too far of a walk for this woman, so she had some heated words with Coach Barthelmeh and proceeded to walk straight across the field and interrupt play for another five minutes.  Needless to say, she got a brisk booing from the fans in attendance.  For pictures, see special photos.  The Central players were happy with their coaches yelling, especially since he is very laid back most of the time.  “Way to be 1-0,” and “That’s it Mr. B” were among the favorite phrases yelled from the peanut gallery.
   Okay, so back to the game: In the bottom of the fifth inning, Central worked the bases loaded, and it was clear Challender was beginning to struggle.  After an intentional walk to Reynolds, King got a huge piece of a fastball and ripped it to right, but it was caught by Geno Cellucci (who, ironically, had a badly misplayed ball and an error in the next inning which led to Central runs).
   The sixth inning was when things started to heat up… on the baseball field.  Weather-wise, by the sixth inning everyone in attendance was freezing their you-know-what off.  Reynolds got into a lot of trouble in the sixth as the Pioneers started to get their bats moving.  Here’s what happened: Lead-off double by Gabe Natale, single and stolen base by Vinnie Evangelista, RBI single by clean-up hitter Anthony Venatro to tie the game 1-1, Challender helped himself another RBI single, (at this point one would think Barthelmeh would bring in a relief pitcher, who had been warming up, but a conference on the mound led to Reynolds staying in the game, and it ended up being the right choice) RBI fielders choice by Eric Funaro and a throwing error by Reynolds which allowed him to advance to second.  The next play was a dropped strike-out with Venatro on third, but Central catcher Joe Magdovitz  threw down to first instead of waiting to tag the runner; the throw went high, and Venatro scored to make it 4-1 GAMP.
   Central came right back in the bottom of the inning, however, just as they did in their previous game against Edison.  A new pitcher entered the ballgame for GAMP: Andrew Caines.  Caines got off to a bad start when Magdovitz made up for his error with a lead-off triple to right.  The next hit was a fly ball to right which was dropped by Cellucci.  That allowed Magdovitz (It was actually courtesy runner Richard Avanzato) to come home.  Up next was pinch-hitter Jim Benek.  He delivered just as he did in the Edison game, with a pinch double to left center that brought in Jared Farbman.  A strikeout by Chris Gargano brought Justin Mosley to the plate.  He reached on an error by the second baseman, and then DeLeo was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game (it was also the third time DeLeo reached base, which means he was certainly doing his job as the lead-off hitter.)  A fielder’s choice, and then another intentional walk to Reynolds brought King to the plate with the bases loaded once again.  This time he worked the count full.  At that point, you knew why you were there sitting in the cold watching baseball, because the situation in front of you was baseball.  Bases loaded, two outs, game tied 4-4, bottom of the sixth, full count.  The next pitch was a fastball with King ripped towards shortstop.  Venatro made quite possibly the defensive play of the game as the got his glove as low as possible and made a snow-cone catch to rob the Lancers of the lead, and King his second chance at cracking the game open.
   In the top half of the seventh, Reynolds shut the Pioneers down with ease.  He didn’t bring his best stuff, but it’s early, and he kept Central in the game, which is all you can ask for.  The final line of the winning Reynolds:  7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K.  Challender’s final line looked like this: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, while Caines (who took the loss) finished with: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3BB, 1K.
   The bottom of the seventh started with a walk to Magdovitz.  Then a perfect sacrifice bunt by Farbman, and then a ground-ball to second.  That set the stage: Two outs, runner on third, and a struggling Gargano at the plate for Central.  The count ran to one-and-two on Gargano, when he grounded a ball to short.  Venatro gobbled it up, but made a very low throw which the first baseman couldn’t handle.  IT went down as E-6 in the books, and it went down as a dramatic win for the Lancers; who stormed the field after the error.
   After the game the field umpire came over and was talking about the last play.  Apparently, the short-stop said that he couldn’t see over the ump’s head even though he had ducked about as far down as he could.  The umpire alleviated all guilt when he said “It was just a lousy throw, he could definitely see over me.”  Just another layer of interesting occurrences in this April Fool’s game.
   Play of the Game: Venatro’s snag at short saved the game (at least for another inning for GAMP).  He barely hung on to make the beautiful snow-cone catch.
   Player of the Game: Tough choice here, but I’m going with Andrew Reynolds.  While Harry Potter didn’t bring his best magic, he got the complete game, and pitched strong where it mattered.  He finished with only two walks and nine strike-outs.  Honorable mention goes to his pitching counterpart, Challender who simply baffled Lancers hitters.
   The April Fool’s Award: (only to be handed out to non-players, or players who just act silly) This one’s pretty obvious.  Lady in the red shirt… get a clue!
The Up-Down Drill:
Up- Jim Benek- Two pinch-hit appearances, two doubles.
Down- GAMP’s Fielding- I don’t see many teams winning games when they commit six errors.
Up- Gabe Natale- Hit the double that started GAMP’s huge 6th inning.
Down- Josh Fleishman- Misinterpreted a sign from the third base coach and got nabbed stealing second.
Up- Nick DeLeo- Reached base three times in the leadoff spot… not too shabby.
Down- Lady in the red shirt… for the third time (smile)
On-Deck: For GAMP- They take on Edison @ Edison Monday April 4. Both of Central’s opponents thus far go head to head.  From what I’ve seen, this should be a very good game.
                       For Central- The Lancers take on the Railsplitters from Lincoln at home on Wednesday, April 6.
*If anyone wants complete stats from the game, simply e-mail me (the address is at the top of the page)
** Another Note: Phillies Home-Opener tomorrow.  I am sure that I’m not alone when I wish them the best of luck in the upcoming season!

MAR. 30
Public League Division A
Central 8, Edison 7
   Over the years, I’ve learned that if there are three things a good Public League baseball game should have, they are:
1)     Solid Hitting
2)     A scoring dogfight from inning to inning
3)     Nicknames, creative bench cheers, and a balk.
   Maybe scratch that balk part, but for the first game of the year played by both of these clubs; it sure was a treat to watch.  In what was a perfect afternoon for baseball, the Lancers bested the Owls by one run.  Both teams played fairly cleanly despite it being their first time on the field for a Public League game.   The win, highlighted by a three run fourth, and a five run fifth, gave Central just enough to hang on.
   Starting at pitcher for Edison was Miguel Rodriguez.  Rodriguez got in a little bit of trouble early when Central had runners on first and second with one out.   A sacrifice fly to center enabled the runner on second to advance to third, but catcher John Fuentes gunned down Walter King to end the Central threat.  On the flip side (of the scorebook), senior Dave Kisleiko was on the mound.  His first two innings were relatively smooth, striking out three and giving up one unearned run because of a balk.  However, the bottom of the third would not treat the “Husky Hurler” so kindly.   Edison sent seven batters to the plate en route to three runs.  Two outfield errors in the inning didn’t help the situation much either.  The key hit for the Owls was by Alex Perea a two run single to center.  Mathew Padro added a sacrifice fly to right to give the Owls the 3-0 lead.
   The Lancers answered right back with a three-spot in the top of the fourth.  Central sent eight to the plate, and all three runs were earned.  Andrew “Potter” Reynolds led off the inning with a sharply lined single to right which he tried to stretch into a double.  Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned, and Reynolds was called out at second.  A hit batter, and two straight singles by Joe Magdovitz and football/baseball player Greg Riley yielded two runs.  With two out, Josh Fleishman laced a single between short and third to knock in the third run of the inning.
   Edison was unfazed, as took the momentum right back in the bottom half with a two-spot.  A double, a throwing error by Magdovitz, and a stolen base allowed Carlos Maldonado and Javier Lafuente to cross the plate for the Owls.  It was clear that Kisleiko was beginning to struggle, so Coach Bob Barthlemeh “went to the bullpen” and called in Jared Farbman.  The final line on Kisleiko: 3? IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.  Farbman got Central out of a huge jam by getting Perea to ground into a smoothly executed 6-4-3 double play.
   That twin killing really sparked the Lancers as they batter around in the top of the fifth, exploding for five runs.  Nick DeLeo was hit to start the inning, then an RBI triple by Reynolds, an RBI single by King, and Coach Larry Oliver had seen enough out of Rodriguez.  The final line for Rodriguez: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.   Alex Ocasio came in relief.  Ocasio didn’t fare much better as a single, an error, and a sacrifice fly to right by Farbman led to another run.  Pinch-Hitter Matt Smith lined out to short for the second out.  That’s when Fleishman stepped to the plate and laced a first pitch fastball to left.  The single was the clutch hit of the game, and brought in both Magdovitz and Riley (2 runs a piece).  The run by Riley proved to be the decisive one, as Edison would score another run later in the game.
   For the rest of the competition, Edison could not find an answer for Central’s reliever.  The only trouble the sophomore got in come in the bottom of the seventh when a single and a double put runners on first and second with nobody out, and Edison’s big man, DH Oscar Colon at the plate.  The count ran to 2-and-2 and Colon went down looking for strike three.   Padro made things interesting with a 6-4 fielder’s choice that brought in Ocasio (2 runs).  Edison couldn’t provide any late-game-heroics, however, as Rodriguez struck out to end the ball game.  Farbman was the winning pitcher, while Rodriguez took the loss.  Farbman’s line: 3? IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Central finished with eight runs, twelve hits, and three errors while Edison pounded out seven runs, seven hits, and three errors.
   It’s clear that Edison, who returned a lot of key players from last year, is in it to win it.  With a very impressive performance in the first game, Coach Barthlemeh was impressed with how good Edison was this early on.  The two teams will have plenty of opportunity to get back at each other, as they play two more times this year.
   As always, there were some very interesting moments on the benches.   Edison had a fairly large, very noisy crowd, while Central had its usual cluster of parents.  Walking off the bus, Central was warmly greeted by Edison’s gym students who started “Let’s Go Edison” cheers all over the place.  At a really quiet moment, Central pitcher Dave Kisleiko decided to use the empty water cooler as a drum, pound out a rhythm, and then yell “Farbman”… turns out it wasn’t such a good decision as he caught the attention of almost everyone in attendance.
   Play of the Game: It seems a bit silly to make a bad play the first “play of the game” of the year, but this one was just too good to pass up: On a fly ball hit to left by Maldonado, Fleishman turned right and started to sprint as the ball floated towards the left foul line, and ended up dropping about twenty five feet from the confused fielder.  It’s okay though, still very early in the year.
   Player of the Game: Jared Farbman was lights out for Central, and helped mount the comeback in the fifth with a sacrifice to left.
   The Up-Down Drill:
   Up- Andrew Reynolds- 3-for-4 from the plate with two singles and a triple.  In addition the central “wizard” made some nice plays at short.
   Down- John Fuentes- Edison’s catcher dropped at least one third of the balls delivered by Owls pitching.  Not so good.
   Up- Alex Ocasio- Scored two runs, and reached base three times in the lead-off spot, and turned in a respectable relief pitching job.
   Down- Chris Gargano- Struck out twice looking… but like I said, it’s early.
   Up- Edison’s Playing Surface- The field was very well kept, maybe because the school is relatively new, but nonetheless- especially with rain, very nice.
   Down- Edison’s Ground Rules- Cones in dead center, imaginary lines all over the place… not a good situation.
On-Deck:
   For the Owls: They will be at Northeast on Friday, April 1.
   For Central: Home vs. GAMP on Friday, April 1. Andrew Reynolds will get the nod for the home opener against his former school's team.
   *If anyone wants complete stats from the game, simply e-mail me (the address is at the top of the page).

MAR. 30
Public League Preview
   By now my readers should be getting pretty tired of these things… no?  Nah, never.  Alas, baseball season arrives just in time to save us from the temporary high school sport withdrawal that affected so many once basketball drew to a close.   And what a rescue it seems to be, as high school baseball in Philadelphia is always an interesting sport, especially in lieu of the (*) controversies rocking the big leagues.  In my short lifetime I have found that there are those who adore the game with all their heart and soul, and those who despise it.  There is really no happy medium as with other sports.  That being said, I happen to be one who adores it (along with football, basketball, and (gulp) hockey of course), and the upcoming season could not be full of more questions on the high school, major league, and Caribbean World Series level.
(Cue the list of questions to be answered at the end of the season that provide an amusing introduction to the… introduction) (smile)
Will Barry Bonds ever play again?
If he does, will he break Ruth (or even Aaron’s) home run record(s)?
The Phillies?
Will Michigan State pull this thing off? (not baseball I know, but such a good question)
Just who will claim that elusive Caribbean World Series Title?
And (as always) Who will win the Public League Title?
With those questions being asked (if you want immediate gratification, you can scroll down for the answer that I proposed), it is now time for some prediction about the teams, and how they will fair over the course of the 2005 Public League season.
*Note- Division C took on a ton of new teams… hopefully it won’t dilute the talent pool like many fear the addition of Charter Schools is doing to Pub Basketball.

Division A: (predictions & brief summary)
  Washington- A big off-season twist hit this Eagles club hard… Matt Yankowitz, an all-star callibur player went down with an ankle injury at spring training and had surgery.  If the rest of the team can rally behind that loss, there is no telling what GW can do.   Pitcher Mark Tankel, and catcher Justin Presley will make for a nice battery for this group of Eagles.
  Frankford- Why are the Pioneers so good at every sport?  They look to be a force again this year, even without the Amazing Farina.  Frankford has claimed three out of five titles in the past five years.  I’m sure they’d like to continue that streak.
   Central- The Lancers lost a core group of seniors with last year’s team, but still look to be in good shape.  Seniors Andrew “Harry Potter” Reynolds, Richard Avanzato (also a football player) and Walter King will provide strong leadership, while sophomore sensation Jared Farbman provides help all around.
   Northeast- Life without Andrew Lihotz… what will it be like?  Northeast dominated the baseball world for as long as anyone can remember until a few years ago.  If they can start to regain that “dynasty-like” status, there’s no telling where the program can go.  Who knows, maybe another Frankford-Northeast championship is in the works…
   Edison- The Owls are a very scrappy team that opened a whole lot of eyes last season by making it to the quarter-finals.  They should not be taken lightly when they pop up on any team's schedule this year.
  Olney- The Trojans are another “Edison-Like” team, in that they are very underrated.  A first round win over Bartram put them into the quarter-finals, but they met up with Frankford and got ousted.
   GAMP- Who would have thought a bunch of musically talented kids could play baseball (smile)!  After winning the championship in 2002, I’m sure they would like to make another run at it this year. (Never has a more obvious statement been said in all of journalism… “this team wants to win the championship.”)
   Lincoln- The Railsplitters had a pretty solid season last year.  It will be interesting to see how that holds up against a very different looking Division A in 2005.
   Mastbaum- Mastbaum gained the second seed in the B division last year, but found an early exit at the hands of Lincoln.  They will look to change that this year, as they get to compete with the “big boys.”

Division B: (Just predictions)
John Bartram
Franklin Towne Charter
Saul
Roxborough
Kensington
Germantown
Edward Bok Tech
Franklin Learning Center
Fels

Division C: (Just predictions)
Martin Luther King
Ben Franklin
Strawberry Mansion
Murrell Dobbins Tech
Lamberton
Overbrook
Simon Gratz
West Philadelphia
Prep Charter
Delaware Valley
Engineering and Science
Nueva Esperanza
University City
Southern
Philadelphia Electrical
William Penn
Swenson
Furness

Here’s the answers…
If there is a god.. no!
Obviously Not.
Very underrated… watch out NL East. (It will be the best division this year!)
I hope so, but I think UNC has it.
Dominican Republic… all the way.
You didn’t think I’d actually pick now, did you?…
Just another quick note: the only team playing in Division C this year that make they playoffs last year was MLK.  So this should be an interesting season.  Speaking of interesting, have you seen the playoff format?  Once you decode it, please e-mail me, and explain it (a flow-chart with pictures would be preferable) (smile).
That’s it for now I suppose.  This is what Baseball is all about… you can just feel it when you walk outside now and days.  Enjoy the season everyone!!