George & Son Auto Braves (T-Ball)

National Leaguers Win Baseball Championship

by Bob Burns

For the first time in almost 30 years, an Oceanside 11-12 year-old Little League All-Star team has won the Oceanside American League Tournament this summer. The Oceanside National Little League squad defeated the East Meadow All-Stars, 7-4, completing a string of three upset playoff wins that included a 5-3 victory over Massapequa Coast and a 5-3 win over top-seeded Levittown.

The invitational tournament regularly attracts not only local teams like Rockville Centre and Long Beach, but a number of other Little League districts from Nassau and Queens, as well.

“This is the only time in all the years we’ve run this tournament that an Oceanside team has won the championship,” American League president George Ciociano announced when presenting the winner’s trophies.

The competition within the tournament over the decades has been so difficult that even in years when either an American League or National League team has won the District 30 championship and moved on to the Long Island championship, the American League Tournament prize proved elusive for many of those Williamsport teams.

“Since these kids were first learning to put on a glove and hold a bat, they and their parents have been pointing to and looking forward to the excitement of the Williamsport Little League Tournament play and the American League Tournament that follows,” says the manager of the championship team, Bob Burns. “They set a goal to win the local district and dream of something bigger,” Burns adds. But the team of 12 year-olds lost their bid to be crowned the best in the district that includes 10 towns stretching from Long Beach to Freeport on the South Shore.

The National Leaguers had a disappointing 5-4 loss in extra innings to Freeport, the eventual District 30 Champions. It was followed by an elimination  loss to Lynbrook in which two of the Oceanside teams best players were injured.

“We were left with a feeling that we had under-achieved and that the American League tournament would be our opportunity for the kids to show their talent and character,” Burns notes.

Both attributes were on full display in last Tuesday night’s game, when Jordan Gilman struck out two East Meadow batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning, to end the threat and leaving Oceanside with a 5-4 lead. East Meadow threatened again in the last inning, loading the bases, but Gilman’s last fastball was hit weakly to first base when lefty Danny Frisch gloved it and outraced the batter to the bag.

The contest was marked by strong hitting on both sides but overshadowed by great defensive plays that made all the difference. No play was bigger than right fielder A. J. Longo’s back- hand over the shoulder grab of a liner in the sixth inning with no out and a runner on first.

The East Meadow player was already more than half way to second when Longo snared what looked like a sure gapper. The righty seventh grader whirled to his glove side and threw a strike to first for an all -important double play. It was a similar catch to the one he made in the fifth but the throw not in time to double up the runner that time.

Second basemen Joe Totino, who hit a run scoring double early in the game, came up big on defense in the fourth as East Meadow was whittling away at Oceanside’s 5-1 lead. A liner with the bags full appeared headed for right field. But Totino timed his leap perfectly, barely snatching the hard shot, and doubling up the runner at first. Three batters and two runs later, another run saving play was made by Joe Gallub, who had started the game on the hill and was the winning pitcher. Relieved of his pitching duties and moved to centerfield Gallub aggressively charged a line shot up the middle with the bags full of central Nassau residents.

Taking the lined ball on one hop, Gallub uncorked a liner of his own, throwing yet another strike to the plate. Catcher Corey Densing stepped up in front of the dish, catching the ball waist high and then dove for the third base side of the plate, landing atop the East Meadow player hell bent to score. The umpire raised his hand to signal the call as Densing, on his stomach, arched his back and raised his mitt to show he still had the ball. The out call was completed and the Oceanside “Sharks” swarmed both thrower and catcher for getting them out of troubled waters and still holding a 5-3 lead.

“If ever there was a “team” victory in baseball, this was it,” Burns commented. Thirteen of the squad’s 14 players reached base safely. Andrew Grann, Densing and Gallub had two hits each in the 16- hit effort.

The champs posted 5 runs in the second inning with Totino, Scott Davis, Matt Kambic, Justin D’Angelo and Densing crossing home. Kambic, Densing and Gallub had big RBI shots. When East Meadow whittled the lead down to one in the fifth, the “Sharks” retaliated with two insurance runs in the top half of the sixth, giving reliever Gilman (42) some breathing room.

Totino got the rally going with a leadoff walk. With one out, third sacker Ben Schneid singled to center. Both runners then moved up a base on a wild pitch. The lefty swinging Frisch then dropped a soft liner down the left field line scoring Totino. With two out Grann beat out an infield chopper, scoring Frisch.

“Those two runs took a lot of pressure off myself and our two coaches—Bruce Gallub and Jeff Grann- knowing that it would take a bases loaded home run to beat us in the bottom of the sixth,” Burns concluded.

ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: The following are brief summaries of the Oceanside National team’s path to victory.

Division Championship Game Vs Massapequa Coast:  On Sept. 4 pitcher Danny Frisch posted his fourth win of the tournament for the “Sharks” (6-2 team record, overall) pitching an overpowering five innings before being relieved by Scott Davis in the sixth, who closed the deal.

Frisch struck out eight batters including the side in the second, getting the four, five and six hitters in order. His 5-hitter’s only blemish in the 5-2 win was a hit batter followed by a home run in the bottom of the fourth. His ERA for All-Star play this summer was an outstanding 1.36 per nine innings.

The offensive output for the National Leaguers began in the third as Frisch and James Grossi got key hits to put up the first score. The “Sharks” added three big runs the following inning. Mike Connell singled and Nick Martinez walked with no one out. With one out and runners on second and third, Totino delivered a shot to score both. Frisch followed with a walk, moving Totino to third. The speedy infielder then scored on a wild pitch.  The winners added a run with two outs in the sixth on Matt Kambic’s RBI single to left, scoring Martinez, who had singled as well. The upset win reversed a 5-0 loss to Massapequa earlier in the tournament.

Division Semi-Final Game vs Levittown: On August 27^th, the National League squared off against 2^nd seed Levittown, which had bested them 3-1 in regular tournament play. This time, when it mattered more, the “Sharks” bats came alive for 5 runs, supporting the 4-hit, 6-strike out performance of Joe Gallub, who went five innings for the W. Nick Martinez mopped up getting glove help from Ben Schneid who snared a liner at second and doubled off the runner at first for the final out of the game. The hitting stars of the game included Andrew Grann (3-3 with 2RBI), Mike Connell (1-3, 2 Runs), and Gallub (2-3, 2b, Run). Corey Densing and Scott Davis each contributed a single and an RBI.

The Oceanside team locked its playoff spot with a 4-0 win over Long Beach, Danny Frisch throwing the shutout. Danny also had a victory over the East Meadow B team and Hollis/Queens Village.

In all levels of Summer Tournament play, Oceanside National compiled a 10-6 record with a team batting average of .292 and a pitching staff ERA of 3.35 per nine innings. It scored 76 runs while giving up 56, underscoring the importance of good pitching and defense to win tightly played games against very good opponents.

 

 

Little League Statement on Non-Wood Bats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (March 23, 2007) – Recently, Little League International has received a number of inquiries regarding non-wood bats, particularly in relation to a March 14 vote by the New York City Council to ban the use of non-wood bats in high school baseball games. It is important to note that the New York City Council’s vote applies only to high school baseball games played in the city, and does not apply in any way to Little League games at any level in the city or anywhere else. Little League International has and will continue to provide as much factual information as possible on the subject to the media, to volunteers, and to legislators considering laws that would dictate the use of certain types of equipment in Little League Baseball and Softball. It is Little League International’s belief that the same governmental imposition may soon be directed at Little League Baseball and other youth baseball programs. Little League Baseball has always advocated that local leagues and individuals may choose wood or non-wood bats for use in our program. Little League supports the right of a local Little League to implement a wood-only rule, and we support any league’s right to make that choice for its local community. Some prefer the game played with wood bats, and that’s fine as well. But Little League International does not accept the premise that the game will be safer if played exclusively with wood, simply because there are no facts – none at all – to support that premise. As a result, any individual or league choosing a wood-only option must understand that the choice is not being made because of any factual data or scientific information. Little League volunteers already know that participation in Little League is made safer by Little League rules, regulations and policies. Little League’s safety record is second to none, as less than 1 percent of all participants annually in Little League require medical treatment of any kind as the result of an injury in a practice or game. As Steve Keener, Little League Baseball and softball president and chief executive officer, said: “If there was a safety concern, based on Little League’s proven history of attention to safety with matters such as mandating background checks and pitch counts, we’d be the first in line to address it.” Safety continues to be Little League’s No. 1 concern, and the non-wood bat issue is no exception. For that reason, we are providing these facts: • More than 10 years ago, the major manufacturers of non-wood bats reached an agreement with Little League to limit their bats to a “Bat Performance Factor” (BPF) of 1.15. … The BPF is essentially a measure of a non-wood bat’s performance (how fast the ball exits the bat when hit) in relation to a standard wood bat’s rating of 1.00. A very good wood bat’s BPF is 1.15. • That means today’s best non-wood bats (usually made of aluminum) used in Little League perform statistically the same, in terms of how fast the ball exits the bat, as the best wood bats. • For the last 10 years, bat manufacturers have only been producing non-wood bats for play in Little League Baseball that do not exceed the 1.15 BPF. Most of these bats are already printed with the BPF of 1.15, but beginning in 2009, all bats used in Little League Baseball must be imprinted with the BPF. • A common misconception is that lighter bats always translate into a baseball being hit harder. This is not the case, because there is a point at which a lighter bat (even though it is swung at a higher speed) does not exert the same force on the pitched ball as a heavier bat does. A simpler way to understand this is to consider a small hammer used to pound a nail: Although the small hammer may be swung with much greater speed, a heavier hammer (swung at a lower speed) will drive the nail with fewer blows because it has more inertia at the point of impact. This is why the non-wood bat manufacturers have agreed to the current standard – so that the non-wood bats perform at a level close to wooden bats, even though a Little Leaguer may be able to swing them faster. … Imposing a wood bat mandate could result in fewer players in the game. A more forgiving bat means more players have a chance for some success and therefore will want to play and enjoy the game. • Little League reached this agreement in the early 1990s with the manufacturers of non-wood bats because it noticed the number of reported injuries to pitchers who were hit by batted balls had increased to about 145 in a year. • Since that agreement, these types of reported injuries have decreased to their current level of 20-30 per year. Considering there are more than a million Little League games played each year, with hundreds of millions of pitches, this safety record is nothing less than outstanding. • Little League also has addressed the baseballs used in games. Requirements for baseballs to have standardized hardness and liveliness have been in place for several years as well. • In 2002, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reviewed this issue thoroughly and resolved that there was inconclusive data to support such a ban of non-wood bats from use in high school and youth baseball. • Since records were kept beginning in the 1960s, tragically there have been eight fatalities in Little League Baseball from batted balls. Six of those resulted from balls hit by wood bats and two from balls hit by non-wood bats. Those two fatalities occurred in 1971 and 1973, prior to the 1993 implementation of today’s youth bat standards. • This is not a business interest for Little League Baseball. While Little League does receive royalties from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association Youth Bat Licensing Program, these royalties amount to only about 2 percent of Little League’s annual operating budget of $18 million. … If a wood-bat mandate were imposed, Little League estimates that its royalties from this program would either equal or exceed current levels.

At the November 29th, 2006 ONLL General Membership Meeting, the Membership elected the following members to Serve as the 2007 Board of Directors. The new Board terms start December 1, 2006. Directors Bob Burns Steve Carrano Rob Cohen Peter Curti Jim DeLeonardis Scott Fiata Ellen Igoe Bob Kaplan Mike Levitan Bob Madson David Posner Rich Scheer Jonathan Somerstein Steve Sorian Lisa Stuber Associate Directors Anthony Porti Scott Powers Mike Yardeni The newly elected Board met after the General Meeting and elected David Posner President for 2007.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 25, 2006) – Little League Baseball is changing its decades-old pitching rules, making the actual number of pitches delivered the deciding factor in determining eligibility in the baseball division, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball. Starting with the 2007 season, pitchers in all divisions of Little League, from age 7 to 18, will have specific limits for each game, based on their age. The number of pitches delivered in a game will determine the amount of rest the player must have before pitching again. “Little League has a rich history of pioneering baseball safety innovations,” Mr. Keener said. “As the world’s largest organized youth sports program, Little League is proud to take a leadership position in youth sports safety.” There are about 2.3 million players in the baseball divisions of Little League worldwide. There are nearly 400,000 girls softball players, but the new regulations will not apply to softball. For all of Little League Baseball’s history, and for the history of amateur youth baseball in general, pitching regulations have used innings pitched to determine pitcher eligibility. Recently, researchers and medical professionals in the field of sports medicine have been working to determine if the actual number of pitches thrown (i.e., pitch count) is a safer way to regulate pitching in youth baseball. Most notable among those calling for pitch counts has been Dr. James R. Andrews, M.D., medical director at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Andrews is the world’s foremost authority on pitching injuries and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, or, as it is better known, “Tommy John surgery.” The ASMI and the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee have worked closely with Little League to create the guidelines for the new regulation. “This is one of the most important injury prevention steps ever initiated in youth baseball by the leader in youth baseball,” Dr. Andrews said. “It is certain to serve as the youth sports injury prevention cornerstone and the inspiration for other youth organizations to take the initiative to get serious about injury prevention in youth sports. I am proud that out American Sports Medicine Institute and USA Baseball can play a small role in this important initiative.” Little League is the first national youth baseball organization to institute a pitch count. The Little League International Board of Directors approved the measure unanimously at its annual meeting today, two days before the Little League Baseball World Series concludes. “This is the right time to make this change,” Mr. Keener said. “We call upon all youth baseball organizations, including travel leagues, to implement their own pitch count programs in the interest of protecting young pitching arms. Our goal continues to be to educate everyone, particularly parents and coaches, on the potential injuries that can occur from throwing too many pitches.” For the past two years, Little League has conducted a Pitch Count Pilot Program to determine the feasibility of implementing a regulation limiting the number of pitches a Little Leaguer can throw in a day, and the rest required before pitching again. Fifty leagues were studied in 2005, and nearly 500 signed up for the program in 2006. “Surveys of those leagues showed the overwhelming majority were able to implement a pitch count without any problems,” Mr. Keener said. “They also found that they were able to develop other pitchers who might not have otherwise ever taken the mound. And they found that their pitchers were stronger at the end of the season, with less arm pain.” Previously, Little League pitching regulations limited pitchers (league age 12 and under) to six innings per week (Sunday through Saturday), and six innings per game. The number of innings allowed was increased for older age groups. The number of pitches allowable under the new regulation is based on the pitcher’s age. Specific rest periods are in place when a pitcher reaches a higher threshold of pitches delivered in a day. The table below gives an overview of the number of pitches that will be allowed per day for each age group during the regular season in 2007. League Age Pitches allowed per day 17-18 105 13-16 95 11-12 85 10 and under 75 The rest periods required during the 2007 regular season are listed below. Pitchers league ages 7 through 16 must adhere to the following rest requirements: • If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed. • If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed. • If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must beobserved. • If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again. Pitchers league age 17-18 must adhere to the following rest requirements: • If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed. • If a player pitches 51 - 75 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed. • If a player pitches 26 - 50 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must beobserved. • If a player pitches 1-25 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again. “The regulation might be seen as a work in progress,” Mr. Keener said. “As we move forward through the years, the limits may be adjusted as needed. And of course, we will continue to use all means at our disposal to improve the education of managers, coaches and parents.” Regulations for tournament play (all-stars) will be similar, but with some modifications. Those regulations will be released this fall. Little League also continues to explore other pitching-related issues, such as the use of breaking pitches. “While there is no medical evidence to support a ban on breaking pitches, it is widely speculated by medical professionals that it is ill-advised for players under 14 years old to throw breaking pitches,” Mr. Keener said. “Breaking pitches for these ages continues to be strongly discouraged by Little League, and that is an issue we are looking at as well. As with our stance on pitch counts, we will act if and when there is medical evidence to support a change.” Little League International is beginning a five-year study on breaking pitches by Little League pitchers. The study is being conducted by the University of North Carolina and is supported by the Yawkey Foundation.

Pitch to some Major League Hitters!