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Randy's Ramblings
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   Randy Seidman is a constant at Washington games and has offered to file reports. We appreciate his hustle. Randy graduated from Washington, which his two sons have also attended. Randy is an award-winning producer of televised sporting events, in addition to doing free-lance work for major networks. His career highlight -- producing games, on back-to-back days, when Julius Erving scored his 30,000th point and Mike Schmidt slammed his 500th homer. He may be reached at rseidman9@aol.com.
   Randy's reports: 2002 . 2003 . 2004 . 2005 . 2006 . 2007 . 2008 . 2009
 
  Welcome to Randy's Ramblings for the 9th straight season. Amazing! When I first started blurbing in 2002, nobody even knew what a blurb was. In addition, I was actually younger than the daddy of tedsilary.com, The Man Himself, Ted Silary. But after years of witnessing Public League baseball, I surely must have passed Teddy-boy along the way.
    Anyway, it is a new era in the Public League's Division A in 2010. The addition of a ninth team, Esperanza (coach: John Grone), results in a 16-game schedule, with each team receiving two byes during the regular season. For the first time in many seasons, it will be a wide-open race for the crown, with no clear-cut favorite. Many teams were decimated by graduation, and there are few star players returning. The coaching fraternity has changed in the division. Going out on top is former Central coach Bob Barthelmeh, who led the Lancers to the 2009 Public League championship. Who could forget the memorable run Central made in the state playoffs a few years ago with righty Jared Farbman on the mound? Another familiar face missing is former Washington coach Max Bilkins, who retired. "Moxie" had been at the school since 1985, and had been coaching GW for the last decade. The new guys? Rich Weiss at Central, and Calvin Jones at Washington.
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MAY 27
PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
Frankford 7, Washington 0
  When I filed the game report on Washington's quarterfinal win against Esperanza, my closing line was: "G-Dub will certainly need to play their best game in the semifinals, where they will meet third-seeded Frankford." Wow! The Eagles weren't even close. Although this game went the full seven innings, its outcome was decided very early on. Frankford plated an unearned run in the first when so CF Augusto Ortega walked, stole second and just kept on going, thanks to two errors on the same play by the generous Eagles. But that was just the appetizer. In the second inning, Frankford would send 11 batters to the plate, and score six runs, sprinting to a 7-0 lead, and that was how this one ended. The Eagles committed another pair of errors in the implosion inning, and blame it on nerves. But guess what? Frankford is a young team, too, and they fielded flawlessly for the second straight playoff game, and that was the difference. Oh, did I happen to mention that so RHP Omar Cruz shutout GW on four hits? Or did I mention that GW only had one base runner reach third base? And that was in the fifth inning, when the score was still 7-0. After the game, Frankford coach Juan Namnun emphasized the fact that he has been stressing defense in practice the last few weeks. This Frankford team looked nothing like the bunch that lost to GW on May 12. In that game, the Pioneers were loose with the ball, and it resulted in a 6-1 loss, and a series sweep by the Eagles. But this Frankford team gave so much help to Cruz in the field. Frosh 3B Kevin Montero and so 2B Ricky Alvarez each made nice plays in the field, but the Randy's Ramblings Defensive Play of the Game happened in the final inning. GW jr LF Steve Leibovitz grounded one up the middle that looked like a sure base hit. But then so SS Israel Diaz went hard to his left, snared the ball and threw to first for the out. It looked like a Jimmy Rollins special (when he's healthy). Too bad for sr RHP Aaron Wilmer that he had to go out this way. Although Frankford had Wilmer timed and collected 12 hits (11 singles), and he might have limited the damage, if he had any support. But of course, baseball is a team game, and Aaron got zero help from his mates when he needed it most.
STARS OF THE GAME
    * Winning pitcher Omar Cruz: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 103 pitches (retired last 9 batters)
    * Leadoff hitter Augusto Ortega: 3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 steals
    * Second baseman Ricky Alvarez: key 2-run single in 6-run second inning
STREAKING
    Frankford has now reached the semifinals for eleven straight seasons, and reached the championship game for the ninth consecutive year. They are 6-2 in the title game during that span. Washington, on the other hand, is now 0-7 in the semifinals since the beginning of the tedsilary.com era.
NO MORE RANDY'S RAMBLINGS?
    I said back in the day that when all the Wilmers had graduated, I would hang up my pen (or typing fingers). It has been a wonderful ride for the past nine seasons. However, GW's uninspired, listless play, along with the many meddling parents, has really taken the joy out of this assignment. I don't see commitment from this team. I should have seen guys out there crying after the game (yes, there is crying in baseball). Or guys that were really broken up about losing. But what did I hear? "Hey let's just go drinking tonight." That is not a commitment, that's just wasting everybody's time. So, I guess that's it for the Ramblings ... but I do love to watch Dean Grande play. He is a throwback player, who really gets it. He still has two years left, and wait, Jake Wright is only a freshman, and has three years left! I can just see it now ... "Welcome back for the 22nd straight season of Randy's Ramblings as the Eagles try to win their first crown since 1995.
FINAL THOUGHTS
    Good luck to both Central and Frankford in the final. They are both very deserving teams, and great representatives for the Public League. Also, I forgot to wish congrats to sr SS Shelby Marion, the recipient of the 2010 Andrew Farrell Spirit of Courage Scholarship.

MAY 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS
Washington 12, Esperanza 2 (6 innings)

  Are the Eagles finally ready to take the next step? Their six inning win against division newcomer Esperanza qualifies Washington to advance to the semifinals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. What happened in the previous five semis? Loss ... loss ... loss ... loss ... loss! This game certainly was not a breeze for GW. Dean Grande, the outstanding sophomore catcher, opened the scoring with a 2-run first inning single for Washington (15-3). Mike Foley's RBI ground out made it 3-0. The outcome could have been much different had Esperanza gotten the big hit in the third inning. After sr C Luis Santos stroked a 2-run single up the middle, GW led by just 3-2. Tom Marano was able to survive by getting a one-out pop up with runners at second and third, and a two-out ground out with the bases juiced, I mean bases loaded. (Maybe juiced is no longer an acceptable baseball term?) That turned out to be the last opportunity the Toros had for the upset. GW got the runs back in their half of the inning in style - sr 3B Aaron Wilmer's majestic shot to deepest center field gave the Eagles a 5-2 lead. The second-seeded Eagles used the pitching of a pair of junior righties: Tom Marano (4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER) and Dan Meade (1.2 perfect innings). All nine starters had at least one run scored or had an RBI. G-Dub will certainly need to play their best game in the semifinals, where they will meet third-seeded Frankford. The Eagles swept the season series. 
SEMIFINAL SHORTIES
    * Frankford is the only team to qualify for the Public League semifinals in each of the last eleven seasons. They have won six of the last ten championships, and have been in every title game since 2002.
   SINCE 2000         Semifinals    Titles Won     Runner-Up  
   FRANKFORD          11                  6                   2            
   CENTRAL                10                   3                   3            
   NORTHEAST             8                   0                   3            
   WASHINGTON         7                   0                   0            
   GAMP                        6                  1                    1            
   LINCOLN                  1                  0                    1               
   BARTRAM                1                  0                    0             
Note: Frankford's last championship was in 2008, and Washington's last title was in 1995.
    * This is the fifth straight season that all top four seeds advanced to the semifinals. The last time somebody crashed the party was in 2005 when #5 Northeast defeated #4 GAMP. 
HOME RUN DERBY RECAP
    It was a record turnout at the 2010 Andrew Farrell Spirit of Courage Home Run Derby. Taking part were current players, former players, opposing players, dads, moms, friends, family, and Billy Coles. Special thanks to the pitching machine tandem of coach Jim O'Hara (1,693 pitches - unofficially) and Craig Mullen (472 pitches). 
Results in the 19 and under group:
Champion - Jake Wright, GW's fantastic frosh first baseman
Runner Up - CJ Feldhaus, who in the pre-derby ceremony spoke about the contributions the Farrell Fund has made to teens like him at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. CJ, from Father Judge, is a severe hemophiliac. But that didn't stop him, as he hit long ball after long ball in the first round to qualify for the finals, which were rain-shortened. Amazing!!
Results in the 20 and over group:
Champion – Matt Yankowitz, GW '05 and current Eagles assistant coach
Runner Up - Thomas Wilmer IV, a three-time winner of the event.
    Wait a second - there's a controversy. Due to the rain, the first round numbers turned out to be the final totals. The Wilmer quartet of Dad Tom, Thomas IV, Damien and Aaron were scheduled to hit at the very end of the first round, just when the rains came. Rumor has it that they might camp out next year, so they are first in line to take advantage of fresh baseballs, not the water-logged variety they were offered. So, bottom line is, Yank is the 2010 champ ... with an asterisk.
Yank hit some mammoth shots, but the sight of Thomas IV crushing balls all the way to the football field, as the rains came down, was about as close to a scene from Robert Redford's "The Natural" as you will find in the good ole Northeast.
By the way, this is what I wrote about last season's HR Derby:
"Matt Yankowitz says he is healthy and has issued a challenge to Thomas Wilmer IV for 2010."

MAY 20
PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAA FIRST ROUND

    Due to the fact that Washington's first round game against Overbrook started at 2 pm (Overbrook prom) and lasted just three innings, I was able to pull a "Ted Silary" and visit three other playoff contests. One common theme for all four games: "Can somebody please catch the ball?!"
Washington 15, Overbrook 0
* Overbrook's round trip bus ride lasted longer than this three inning game
* Aaron Wilmer pitched the three innings, retiring all nine batters he faced, with 7 strikeouts
* Freshman Jake Wright had two doubles and a triple for three RBI
* Washington had ten hits, seven for extra bases (6 doubles, 1 triple)
* Most famous alums at each school: Overbrook-Wilt Chamberlain, GW-Sharrif Floyd (after he graduates in June)
Northeast 9, Olney 4
* When I first arrived, Olney had just scored two runs to take a 3-2 lead. Vikings coach Sam Feldman was very concerned about his team's lack of offense against Olney's jr RHP Johnny Pagan. Northeast's small-ball philosophy was the strategy, and it eventually paid off. Their offense was based on walks, stolen bases, and taking advantage of Olney miscues.
* Olney coach Barry Strube and his players were excited when they took the lead, and were hoping for the mini-upset
Edison 18, Lincoln 2
* Edison was the visiting team, due to forfeited wins. Lincoln was the home team, but since they still don't have a home field, Franklin Towne Charter's field was used.
* Hitting happy Edison's route was capped by a bases clearing triple by sr DH Brian Santiago. When asked if that was his first career triple, the exhausted Santiago said yes. "After I got to second base, I started to cramp up," Brian said, as he cooled down with a water bottle on the sideline. The sight of Santiago chugging towards third base, had all of the Owls players and fans on their feet cheering. Just picture Prince Fielder (in high school) rounding second for the mental image.
* Lincoln coach John Larsen is hopeful he will have a home field for his team next year.
* Edison is the hottest team in the league right now, regardless of the forfeits. They are playing with a little chip on their shoulder, due to the recent ineligibility. Senior catcher Chris Lopez is an ideal leader for this team. 
Frankford 9, Kensington 3
* As soon as I got to Large & Dyre, it was the home sixth and the game was tied, 3-3. Kensington then proceeded to implode in the field, and Frankford took full advantage, scoring 6 times in the inning. 
* Kensington sr RHP Josean Bernard is a big-game pitcher. He was able to keep Kensington in this game, giving coach Joe Egenolf's team a chance for the big first round upset. Two years ago, Bernard was the hard-luck losing pitcher in a 3-2 defeat against Washington in the first round. "Josean is a great kid," said Egenolf. "It's like having another coach, and he also acts as a translator."
* "Our team is learning the art of battling back," said a relieved Frankford coach Juan Namnun, after the game. "Sometimes it takes a young team a while to figure it out, but they are learning it's a seven inning game."
* I wasn't the only one running around the great Northeast on this day. Athletic trainer Malvin Carrion started his day at Northeast. He was making sure that all of the track and field athletes competing in the District 12 championships were not suffering from injuries or dehydration. Malvin then went to cover the rest of the Frankford game, and fortunately his services were not required. Malvin is affiliated with the Temple Sports Medicine group, and attends to the needs of student-athletes at Swenson, Edison, Frankford and Washington.

MAY 12
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Washington 6, Frankford 1 
     OK - this was the decision - go out to The Eagles Nest and watch Washington host Frankford, on a cold, gray day, or watch the Phillies and Roy Halladay in HD. No brainer, I watched the Phillies. After all, GW had under-achieved the previous three games, all losses, and all winnable. There was little or no emotion, on the field and off the field, they were not making even the routine plays, bone-headed base running, no communication, and on and on. They really needed to be called out. So, I could go watch Washington with its 4-15 record against Frankford over the last nine seasons ... or ... I could watch the Doc with his gaudy 6-1 record, try to get the afternoon "W" at Coors Field. So after watching the first inning of the Phillies game, I DVR-ed the rest of the game, safely knowing I would be coming home to watch it around 6 pm. So I go out to GW in time for the second inning, and treated my visit very unofficially - no score keeping, no pitch count, well, nothing. GW led 1-0, and of course as soon as I arrived the Eagles misplayed a couple of balls that resulted in an unearned run for Frankford, making me second guess my decision. But then an interesting and unexpected thing happened. The team started to hit, and run the bases, and take advantage of some awful infield play from the Pioneers. Washington was making the plays in the field, actually helping a pitcher for a change. Lo and behold, this team was coming to life, and starting to look like a real team for the first time this season, now in its 14th game out of 16. Better late than never! Pitcher Tom Marano was just one of the Eagles that was locked in. The 6'2" junior righty looked as relaxed and poised as ever. His pitch count was, oh yeah, I don't know, and I don't care, but what I do know is he was focused, as was his center fielder Mike Foley. Foley made a great running catch to deep left-center, and got on base, and scored whenever I noticed. Good job, 5-kid. With the win, Washington (10-4) sweeps Frankford (9-5), for the first time in a decade, or when little tedsilary.com was just two years old. These two teams could meet once again in the postseason, and it would be foolish to ever under-estimate what coach Juan Namnun and his youthful Pioneers could do ... when it really matters.

HERO OF THE GAME
    Tom Marano looked impressive on the mound, and could be a real boost for GW as they finish the season and head to the playoffs. A 1-2 pitching punch of Aaron Wilmer and Tom could help the team advance, but only if they play as sharp as they did in this game against Frankford. 
GOAT OF THE GAME
     Former GW baseball/football player Mike Kline has been a real help for coach Calvin Jones. Mike has been keeping "the book" most of the season, and just helping out in general. Mike was most famous in high school for kicking a field goal that gave GW a fourth quarter lead against heavily favored Eastern High, in the 2004 PIAA Class AAAA Eastern Semifinals. GW came oh, so close before falling, 15-10. So why, the goat? Here he comes over to me during the game, just enjoying myself for a change, and I assume he has a lineup change, or a pinch runner, or something, but instead blurts out, oh well, at least the Phils are doin' good, they're up 3-1 in the fifth. Thanks, Mike, can't you see I live in a DVR world?!

MAY 7
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Northeast 13, Washington 4
     Playing for the fourth straight day, it was Northeast that had more energy, as they outhustled GW for their biggest win of the season. With an almost totally different starting lineup from their Public League runner-up squad of 2009, it has been a slow go for these young Vikings. Although they came into this game with a 4-7 record, Northeast was 0-6 against teams with winning records. The trademark of a Sam Feldman coached team is aggressive base running. Northeast made it almost seem too easy picking up extra bases on the Eagles in five of the six innings they batted. With no big-time power hitter in their lineup, as in recent years, this team relies on the small-ball philosophy, and it really paid off in this game. That, and about a half dozen excellent plays on defense, and the pitching tandem of so LHP Walt Archer and so RHP Howard Lynn, spelled defeat for Washington (9-3), as the Eagles lost their second straight game. GW took their only lead of the game in the first inning when sr SS Shelby Marion singled, advanced to second by sr 3B Aaron Wilmer, and scored on a single to left by so C Dean Grande. The Vikings struck back for two runs in their half: Ivan Pichardo scored from second base on a fielder's choice, and clean-up hitter so SS Nelson Coronado laced an RBI single to center. GW tied it 2-2 in the third when Marion doubled and came around to score his second run of the game on a sac fly by sr RHP Mike Foley. The bottom half of the inning didn't quite go as smoothly for Marion. Nate Coronado hit a sharp grounder to short, Marion tracked the ball, and just as he was about to field it, it took a nasty hop and nailed him at the top of the nose. Nothing broken, but lots of blood. Shelby went to the sideline, but delayed his hospital visit for stitches, in the hopes of actually re-entering the game. The good news for Shelby ... he won't have to miss any time, the bad news ... he might look like the Flyers' Ian Laperriere after he took a puck to the noggin. Northeast (5-7) put the game away with six runs in fourth inning, highlighted by a true steal of home by Pichardo, the speedy leadoff hitter. Howard Lynn entered the game in relief, and pitched the final four innings. Although wildness got him into trouble as GW closed the deficit to 10-4 in the fifth, Lynn escaped by striking out two batters, stranding runners at second and third. Just to top things off, Lynn belted a solo HR over the left field fence in his next plate appearance.    

I WANTED TO SEE TONY DANZA
     Instead, I got Mike Larose and Will McFillin, a pair of former Eagles, and 2009 graduates. In an annual rite of spring, former players start coming to games, as their respective colleges end their spring semesters. Both are finishing their freshman year, McFillin at Temple, and Larose at West Chester. 
LAYFIELD TO ALL FIELDS
     Vikings' so CF Tyler Layfield had quite an afternoon. In the field, he made an outstanding catch on the warning track, and at the plate, was on base in every at bat, going 4-for-4, with two singles, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI.

MAY 5
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 8, Washington 6
     In a possible playoff preview, visiting Central defeated Washington, 8-6, on the strength of a three-run homer by jr 1B Mark Gervasi, and clutch relief pitching from sr Kevin Pfeifer. With the win, the Lancers extend their winning streak to nine games, and avenge their only blemish thus far, a 14-2 loss to GW in their second game of the season. Although the Eagles staked sr RHP Aaron Wilmer to a 5-0 lead through three innings in this Cinco De Mayo special, their inability to score runners in the early innings proved to be their undoing. Washington (9-2) stranded the bases loaded in each of the first three innings, allowing Lancers jr RHP Peter Rowe to escape further damage. Back-to-back errors by Washington in the fourth along with three singles, a walk, and a hit batter, produced four runs for Central, cutting the lead to 5-4, and giving the Lancers renewed energy. Their comeback was capped off the following inning when Gervasi sent an off speed 0-1 pitch over the left field fence, for his second round tripper of the season. The wind-aided 3-run HR gave Central their first lead of the game, 7-6. With the lead, and Rowe approaching 90 pitches on the day, first-year Central head coach Rich Weiss turned to his left fielder Pfeifer for help in preserving the lead. Pfeifer would go on to pitch three shutout innings, allowing a pair of singles, and striking out four. Central (10-1) scored an insurance run in the seventh, which provided Pfeifer with an extra cushion. The Eagles would not score in the bottom of the seventh, and guess what ... they left the bases loaded once again, and finished the game with an astonishing 16 runners left on. For the Eagles, sr SS Shelby Marion had an RBI single and an RBI double, and Wilmer finished with ten strikeouts, although he suffered his first defeat of the season.        

NEXT UP
    GW needs to shrug off this loss, as they travel to Northeast on Friday. The Vikings are coming off of a rough 14-12 loss vs Central, and a 17-12 win against Esperanza. The Eagles will then return home next week for a trio of important games against Edison, Frankford and GAMP. 
WATCH OUT FOR THIS GUY
     The next great Public League catcher is ... Julien Blancon. Central's 6'4" sophomore backstop was adept at blocking balls in the dirt, and has a commanding, and very tall, presence behind the plate. For a 10th grader, he is very poised, and is already a team leader.
COLLEGE REPORT
     The Lancers are represented by four players at the collegiate level. Steve Schall, who pitched a complete game as Central won the 2009 Public League championship, played six positions and DH'd in his freshman season at Penn State Abington. Jared Farbman had a 4-1 record in his junior season at Philadelphia University, and has a 14-5 career record. Two of Farbman's teammates from Central's 2006 championship team are at the next level: Michael Braun plays for Chestnut Hill College, and Micah Winterstein is at Guilford (NC). By the way, Micah's dad, Dan Winterstein, coaches first base for Central.       
NFL UPDATE
     Former Washington football/basketball great Dominique Curry returned to GW the day of the game to visit with former teachers and coaches. The big buzz surrounding Dom is that he was just invited to tryouts with the St. Louis Rams. Curry played at California (PA), after three seasons at Cheyney University, amassing over 2,200 receiving yards and 15 TDs. Of course, the Rams just selected Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first pick in the NFL draft.

APRIL 30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Washington 21, Lincoln 3 (5 innings)
     Washington retains possession of the President's Trophy with their 21-3 rout of Lincoln. The Eagles have now won 16 straight games against the Railsplitters, with their last loss coming in the 2001 Public League quarterfinals. Lincoln sr RHP Joe Boerner had a great first inning with two looking strikeouts sandwiched around a flyout and a single by sr 3B/RHP Aaron Wilmer (3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI). After GW jr RHP Dan Meade had a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, the Eagles put on their hitting shoes, scoring eight times in the second, and never looked back. The Eagles would pound out 18 hits on the day, with ten extra base hits (7 doubles, a triple and 2 HRs). Lincoln did get on the board in the home third with three runs, only one of which was earned. That would be it for the Railsplitters offense, as Meade would pitch the five inning complete game, yielding just three hits, while fanning five. Dan helped his own cause with a pair of RBI doubles, but the big hitter for G-Dub was CF Mike Foley, who continues his outstanding senior season. Foley had a 2-run single, a 2-run HR to left, and a pair of RBI doubles, to finish with 6 ribbies in his 4-for-5 outing. Also going yard was jr LF Steve Leibovitz, who homered a day earlier in a win against Esperanza. The big lead gave coach Calvin Jones the opportunity to play some of his reserves, who have been important to this team all season. Contributors were sr OF Kleisley Sime, sr OF Twinkal Patel and so 1B Robert Diamond.         

TRAVELING ROAD SHOW
    Due to the ongoing construction at Rowland & Ryan, the Lincoln baseball team has not played a real home game since the 2006 season. They played their home games at Max Myers playground the previous three seasons, but due to security concerns, have not returned, making every game this season a road game. In their second visit to GW in 2010, the Railsplitters were technically the home team. Coach John Larsen singled out four of his seniors, who have not had a home field for their entire career. Even though their hard work has not paid off in wins this season, Larsen cited the great attitude and leadership of graduating players Joe Boerner, Dylan Gallagher, Michael Redondo and Edward Tomaszewski. Redondo, by the way, came up lame trying to score on a double by fr CF Dylan Burke. He re-injured a sore hamstring, and was frustrated about not finishing the game, but vows to heal up and get back on the field.
TOP HEAVY
     With their win, GW enters the weekend in first place with a 9-1 record. On their heels are GAMP and Central at 8-1, with Frankford at 7-2. There are seven remaining games where the top teams face off against each other. The big games next week are: Central at Washington (Wednesday), Frankford at GAMP (Thursday) and Central at GAMP (Friday).
COLLEGE REPORT
     Both Lincoln and Washington have a player at the collegiate level. Former Lincoln lefty David Gibson just finished up an outstanding career at Virginia State University, capped by his selection to first team all conference (CIAA). Penn State Abington so OF Dan Engelberg is batting .289 in 20 games this season. Dan was a 2008 All-Public selection. 
TWO HANDS??
     Special thanks go out to Ron Marano, father of jr Tom Marano. Ron has given a lot of his time helping the young Eagles this season. He is always reminding players of their responsibilities, so you can imagine the horror when a foul ball came his way, and he muffed it, trying to make a one-handed catch. If the GW 19th-century scoreboard was in operation, a big "E" would have been flashing on Ron's non-play.

APRIL 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Washington 9, Frankford 4
     Before we get started here, please go check out Mike "Ace" Laine's account of this game on "Acing It." . . . OK, when you're done reading The Ace, come back here I will be waiting.

END OF AN ERA
    Aaron Wilmer's complete-game performance will go down as one of the many highlights provided by the Wilmer Brothers during their tenures at GW. Whether it was on the gridiron or on the diamond, Thomas Wilmer (Millersville) and Damien Wilmer (Temple)came before "The Kid." Well, The Kid is a man now, baby! Aaron will be moving on to play football at West Chester. Congrats also to parents Tom, Sr. and Dontissa.   
MEDIA ALERT
    Not only was the latest chapter of the Eagles-Pioneers rivalry covered by Mike "Ace" Laine, and the good folks over at Randy's Ramblings, but the Northeast Times had people on the scene. Look for that article next Wednesday. All of this coming on the heels of GW appearing "On the Trail with Ted," for their win at Edison earlier in the week. Shortstop Shelby Marion was featured in Ted Silary's Daily News article.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
    Public League Division A is at the halfway point at it looks like three separate groupings have evolved. Central, Frankford, GAMP and Washington have emerged as the teams to beat. Northeast and Edison are in the middle, and will have a definite impact on the standings in the second half. Rounding out the division are Franklin Towne Charter, Lincoln and newcomer, Esperanza.
ALUMNI UPDATE
    Lots of good news on former Pioneers:
    Ramon Reyes is on fire right now in his senior season as a catcher for Eastern University. He hit a grand slam last week, and has upped his batting average to .351 with a .444 OBP. Ramon is scheduled to graduate on time after attending Salem Community College and then Eastern.
    Esteban Meletiche is following up on his sensational freshman season at Keystone College. This season, "Shortie" the soph is playing second base, and is hitting just .442 with a .522 OBP.   
    Wander Nunez, who brought his wooden bat magic to Philly last year for Frankford, is a freshman at Western Oklahoma State. While "Shortie" is hitting .442, Wander is batting .441 with 12 HR, 43 RBI, .500 OBP. His team, also the Pioneers, has won 32 of 35 games this season.
    Edwin Rohena was in attendance. Currently a redshirt freshman for the La Salle Explorers, he looks tremendously fit and is eager to patrol the outfield for La Salle in 2011.
    Joe Farina absolutely owned GW during his career, just as he dominated all other teams during his great three-sport career at Frankford. Well, he's baaaack ... Joe is currently a Phys Ed teacher at his alma mater, and is looking forward to returning as Frankford's wrestling coach next season.

APRIL 15
PUBLIC LEAGUE
GAMP 4, Washington 3
   Maybe watching the Phillies' Roy Halladay battle through the beginning, middle and end of games, GAMP jr RHP/3B Dom Raia was determined to see his game all the way through. I do know what his pitch count was in this game, and let's just say it wasn't as high as the 150-pitch performance I witnessed by Roxborough's Mike Gibbs in 2002, when I was a cub reporter. After a very thrifty 21 pitches and scoreless first two innings, Raia was in his first jam of the day. With a 3-0 lead in the third, jr OF Steve Leibovitz stroked a single for the first Eagles hit of the day. After fr 1B Jake Wright walked, Leibovitz scored on an infield throwing error by the Pioneers. So what's the situation? A run in ... 2nd and 3rd ... no outs ... the 2-3-4 of the young Eagles lineup is due up ... so what does young Raia do? He humps up!! What-a-Raia-Sunshine! Dom recorded a looking strikeout, and after an intentional walk was signaled to sr Aaron Wilmer, it was bases loaded one out. Dom would strike out the next two hitters to get out of the inning, and then strike out the side in the next two innings, giving him 10 Ks thru 5 innings. He would finish with 13 whiffs on the day, six looking - ouch! In the sixth, Dom displayed his fielding, saving a run by snaring a hard grounder by sr Mike Foley. It could have tied the game at three, instead it was just two outs, and GW would strand the bases loaded. With the tying run on first, and two outs in the seventh, Dom induced a grounder to sr 3B Jimmy Coin, who threw across to sr 1B Joe Coppola for the final out, as parents cheering on both sides scurried for their medications. "I don't know if I can take too many of these games," a very relieved GAMP coach Art Kratchman exhaled after the game. For GW, it can prove to be a teaching tool. Let's face it, in this division, if you want to win games, especially on the road, you need to play as clean a game as possible, by minimizing mistakes. GW's one-run road loss came just one day after GAMP's one-run road loss at Central.     
WHO'S THE DESIGNER?
    The GAMP Grounds is a quirky place to play. Nowhere nearly as quirky as Central's field, where the ground rules must start sharply at 9 AM on game days. At GAMP, it is actually shorter to center field (320') than it is to left field (335'). And for those who dare, it is a neat 300 feet down the line in right.
DON'T BE A FOOL - STAY IN SCHOOL
    Sorry guys but once every season I gotta get up on the soapbox and dish it. For all of you high school baseball players out there, enjoy these times and play hard. But don't forget about school. I know a lot of the players in our area are special, maybe even very special, and perhaps there is a future Hall-of-Famer amongst you, but chances are, you are not going to be getting a major league locker anytime soon. And unless you have a great trade, or are going into the Army, Navy, etc, stay in high school, graduate, and go to college. In this economy, and in these times ... you get the message, right? Obviously, college is not for everyone, but I do want to point out three former All-Pub guys who stayed in school, and were in attendance. Last season, Ron Malandro earned All-Public honors patrolling the outfield for GAMP. This year, he is very excited about attending Camden County Community College and playing baseball for the Cougars. As I pointed out in an earlier Ramble, Eagles assistants Marc Tankel (Temple) and Matt Yankowitz (Penn State) got the message.  
VIDEO TIME SHIFTING DELIGHT
  Since I couldn't DVR the GAMP-GW game, instead I DVR-ed the Phillies-Nationals game which was taking place just a quarter-mile away at The Bank. During the high school game, you could hear fireworks and stadium eruptions in the distance, at times. Can't believe nobody told me the score of the Phillies game all day! Nice! I hope they won ...

APRIL 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Washington 11, Northeast 3
    After Washington starting pitcher Mike Foley retired Northeast in order in the first inning, the Eagles offense posted a pair of runs in their half, and would never trail. Senior SS Shelby Marion singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single up the middle by so C Dean Grande. Later in the inning, Aaron Wilmer smacked a 2-1 pitch, clearing the almost fabled Gray Monster fence in right field, for a solo homer. The ball traveled an estimated 322 feet for Wilmer, the senior playing third base in this game, and ticketed to West Chester in the fall to be a quarterback. The Eagles would go on to score in every inning, highlighted by another opposite-field homer, this time by Grande, a 2-run shot in the fourth. Everybody contributed on offense, including jr Tom Marano (2-run double to deep center), and jr Steve Leibovitz, with a pair of RBI singles. Mike Foley gets credit for the win: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Junior RHP/2B Brandon Morales turned in one of the top relief performances in recent G-Dub memory, going a perfect 1.2 innings, with 4 Ks.

    As for Northeast, other than sr CF Dario Perez, this is an almost entirely new crew from last season's senior-laden team that reached the league finals. The Vikings two pitchers showed flashes of promise: jr RHP Ivan Pichardo and so LHP Tyler Layfield. Freshman catcher Ramon Class is schooling himself with on-the-job training, but he was beaten up on the day behind the dish, but the kid is a gamer. The Northeast hitters did stroke four doubles out of five hits on the day, but could not get the key hit when the game was on the line. As for their fielding, well let's just say that head coach Sam Feldman has a big task in front of him indeed this season.      
YANK & TANK
     They were both selected to the 2004 All-Public team in their junior season at Washington. Now they want to give something back to their alma mater. With Calvin Jones taking over the head coaching duties, Matt Yankowitz and Marc Tankel have both stepped up to aid in helping these young Eagles. Yank is a Penn State grad currently teaching in Philly. Of course, you must know his less famous dad, the legendary Rich Yankowitz, the longtime Dobbins coach. Tank, who is working with the GW pitchers, went on to pitch for the Temple Owls, and will graduate in the fall with a marketing degree. 
WHO'S THE BOSS?
    Vikings coach Sam Feldman is amazed at the energy of one his teaching colleagues. He says he bumps into Tony Danza on a daily basis. The reality star/English teacher is very visible at sporting events, and other productions around the school. Now if Danza only had one year of athletic eligibility remaining!  
WHO'S ON FIRST?
  He's Jake Wright, that's who! He's the tall freshman first baseman that got everyone's attention with extra-base hits in the opening week of the season. Jake went to Greenburg School and played for Baldi in the middle-school circuit last year. The ninth-grader quarterbacked Washington's junior varsity last fall, and actually went up to the big team as a kicker, and played well for coach Ron Cohen's Eagles. By the way, his older bro, Jon Wright played for GW, graduating in '07.  
WE MISS YOU ...
    It is usually a festive atmosphere at The Eagles Nest on game days. One of the voices that is missing belonged to Heidi Shafer. She was a school aide/team mom/friend for so many years, and passed away recently. Everybody laughed and smiled while coming into contact with Heidi, a true original. She never forgot a birthday, or a name, and what a character she was, too! Our thoughts to husband Stu, and sons/former GW players Bret and Jared.