2nd Annual David Ortiz Memorial Tournament

David Ortiz was a pitcher I played with when I started playing competitive softball.

He was a very cool guy, funny, and unique.

He passed away a couple of years ago, and his close friend Tony Casilla throws this event in his memory.

Check it out

2ND ANNUAL DAVID ORTIZ MEMORIAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Date: June 14th - 15th, 2008
Location: Memorial Park Linden, NJ
Entry Fee: $350.00

DEADLINE JUNE 6, 2008
Awards:
Tournament Champion Trophy,
Tournament Runner-up Trophy.
Format: 3 Game Guarantee format on Saturday
Top 2 teams from each bracket advance to single elimination format on Sunday.
10 Man Class “A” Bunting & Stealing using ASA 9 Man pitching rules

Please contact Tony Casilla at bxnarc22@yahoo.com

SOFTBALL SIBERIA

When you hear the word Siberia you don't exactly think hot vacation spot or beauty.
Even though Miss. Siberia "Masha" ain't bad -

But let's be honest, when you hear Siberia you know it's a cold, brutal, miserable , and horrible place. - it ain't fun - the Marsha's of the wold don't spend too much time there.

Siberia a big Arctic wasteland where people are sent as punishment for behaving badly or against the norms of society.

Real Siberia


Softball's version of Siberia is DeWitt Clinton Park AKA 54th Street

These pictures don't do justice to how bad this field actually is.

Field of Nightmares



The playing conditions (if you want to call them that) are deplorable.

This field has been called Iraq, Normandy Beach, Ground Zero, and my favorite

'Donde Caja la Vaca ' ( means where the Cows shit).

The place is a dump.

It's softball hell.

When you play here you've been sent to softball's Siberia.

Top Ten Reasons you end up playing in 54th Street

10. No hay nada mas - there are no other games going on out there.
All other field are closed and you want to get your softball swerve on. It's like the club or bar at 3AM you take whatever girl you can get. This happens during November fall ball season when not much else is going on.

9. You play for free on a team, like Charter Fabric - convenient

8. Softball gods are punishing you - Softball version of the minor leagues Bull Durham

7. YORKVILLE SOFTBALL!!! - Al Morales runs most of his games there and his motto is "who cares if you break a leg just pay me my league fee, it's the city's fault"

6. You want to improve your vision b/c the lights don't usually all work as well. Nothing like batting against Cueves, Brown, or Cedric in a dark corner.

5. Working on your agility, nothing like dodging players from 3 different games on a horrible crater filled field to improve your footwork. As an extra agility drill, you enjoy dodging pit bulls left off their leash by owners

4. Field sucks but you like going to dive 11th avenue bars after the games b/c some 18 year old bartender girl in a provocative outfit escorted by a Mexican bus boy bodyguard give you a free beer pass. - ghetto

3. Your commissioner forces you to play there - hmmmm

2. Enjoy getting cheap hits and home runs thanks to the horrible fielding, lighting conditions - inflate your statistics

and the #1 Reasons you end up playing in 54th Street

1. Your a softball whore and can't resist - like the moth to flame

PS NY needs to make this field turf with dirt infield cut outs around the bases and better lights as soon as possible - if the next Mayor promises that he has my vote

10 Man Modified Pitching - The Holy Grail

Written by Guest blogger Juan Moreiras (aka Blondie)

Most of you know that Ric and I feel that many "modified" leagues throughout NYC are polluted with illegal "slinger" pitchers. The biggest problem is that most involved (umps, players, managers, commissioners) don't know or understand the 10-Man Modified pitching rules. Everyone seems to have their own interpretation, usually for their own convenience. We've all been through this argument before, but now we have the holy grail.

I found this document written by a very experienced pitcher Sal Guerriero. Simply put, this guy knows his shit and makes things crystal clear. Please take the time to read it! Click the link below and see the light>>>

10 Man Modified Pitching Rules

IF YOU STILL DON'T GET IT, I cant help you, you're illegal!

BREAKING STORY QUE VIVE LA REVOLUCION!!!!!!!!!!

The rumors are true, Softball's version of Microsoft, The HighLanders, have purchased softball's version of Yahoo, The Uptown Chiefs ( stupid name).

Shockingly The Chiefs were the 2007 CentralParkSoftball.com Champions and currently sport a nifty 6-1 record while boasting a pitching staff of Edgar Jr., Gilberto and Cedric.

The softball Mogul behind this shocking takeover is HighLander manager and Ozzie Guillen lookalike Dio Jackson



Much like legendary revolutionary and dictator Fidel Castro,






Dio has a revolutionary background and a love for baseball/softball.

Like Fidel if Dio can't have Freedom, then he will settle for Power.

As the exalted leader of HIGHLANDER NATION,

Dio has led the Highlanders from a rags to riches softball success story.

Now with this new venture called The Sox, named after Ozzie's team, Dio looks to win on NYC biggest and highest profile stage.

Dio stated "I am now the Face of the Franchise,




my Highlanders are here and ready to go!!!!!"

Upon hearing the news many current and former Chief players fled for safer territory




Former Uptown Chiefs CEO Issac "Gubi" Delgado was called to comment on this story but when he picked up his cellphone while driving the police gave him a ticket and his car was impounded.

Former interim manager and GM RR stated "In order to keep our team alive this was the best move for everyone involved".

2007 Uptown Chief MVP Johnny Castillo could not be reached for this story.

Good Luck Dio

A New Hope? - tales from a guest writer

No Blog from me today guys ( Thank God).
Rather my friend and softball aficionado Jimmy Bitros has allowed me to post an email he recently wrote and sent to his fellow managers in the Big apple League regarding pitching.

FYI - In his letter Jimmy references an email from contact manager Patti.
I have not asked or been given permission to post Patti's email, but as a background Patti's letter stated that his team will not complain about broken pitching standards anymore and will take up the challenge of competing against it.

The letter below is Jimmy's response and future ideas.

Very well done Jimmy

Enjoy


Letter starts now :

First, let me compliment Pat on his e-mail of May 9, 2008.

I couldn't agree more with him that the audition process, as it now stands, is broken.

If a pitcher passes the audition process and pitches illegally during a game, the team he pitches for must be penalized. That is the only way to eliminate the problem of illegal pitches, a topic I will discuss later in this e-mail.

I also agree with Pat that we want a good competitive league where every team has a chance of winning the championship. Unfortunately, if Vegas was laying odds, the teams with illegal pitchers would have a significantly better chance than the teams that play by the rules. Therefore, not every team has an equal chance of winning the championship.

Pat's email indicates that a superstar legal pitcher may be more difficult to hit than a less effective illegal slingshot/windmill pitcher. That argument just doesn't work.

I see a major difference between a superstar pitcher who pitches legal and an illegal slingshot or windmill pitcher.

Firstly, the superstar designation is a subjective opinion.

The illegal slingshot or windmill pitcher is by definition illegal in a modified softball league. It is not subjective whatsoever.

The fact that an illegal slingshot pitcher that isn't effective at what he does should be allowed to pitch, but that the illegal slingshot pitcher who is proficient at what he does shouldn't be allowed to pitch is wrong.

Both slingshot pitchers are illegal in a modified league no matter how effective they are. Illegal is Illegal.

If any type of pitching is okay, like some macho men would like, (even though most don't hit high quality slingshot pitching) why not make it an anything goes league, including illegal overhand pitches. After all, in a modified league, slingshot or windmill is just as illegal as overhand pitching. Illegal is illegal.

So basically, a discussion of superstar modified pitching is a valid discussion,

but a discussion of illegal slingshot windmill or overhand pitching is not because of the simple fact that it is illegal in a modified league.

If we want to progress to a slingshot dominated anything goes league, we can discuss that next February. But then we are talking about bunting, stealing and as in some leagues, a three man outfield just to even things out.

Also, we have to consider the demise of the Saturday league and the problem the Big Apple League ran into 8 years ago when we eliminated all pitching standards.

That is basically where I stand on the issue. I recommend that we eliminate the audition process and evaluate a pitcher in a game situation by our Big Apple committee (not the umpires).

If a pitcher is pitching illegally, then the team will the illegal pitcher has to immediately remove that pitcher from the mound or forfeit the game.

We must make it clear to everyone that we are a modified league and all legal modified pitches are welcome regardless of how good they are.

If a pitcher is legal and is a superstar because he pitches better than other legal pitchers, so be it.

We should save our criticism for illegal pitchers whether or not they pitch slingshot, windmill or overhead.

Jim Bitros