I’m not sure what is more amazing. the fact that the Wolf ran the table or we didn’t have a single rain out. Both are impressive in their own right.
As we move into the post season, a big tip of the hat to the Wolf team who went a remarkable 16-0. League historians don’t ever remember that happening so we will go with that. Now just like Kentucky or Bama or the Pats the pressure is on to win 3 more games. Can they do it? We will all find out.
Onto the games:
On Field 1 we had Team Grefer vs. Team Zawatsky
Kyle for the winners:
We beat team Zawatsky 14-12 in a game that was close throughout, but we made just enough plays to get the win and avoid the play-in game. Offensively there were big hits from David Wertheim, Jack Cohen, Dan Grefer, Rick Tenenholtz, and Landon Krantz.
Looking forward to a big tournament matchup with #2 seed, Team Kamrass. They have a very good team, but I’m confident our team can hang with anybody.
On Field 2 we had team Lefton vs. Team Fogel
Roger for Team Fogel:
TEAM FOGEL 18
TEAM LEFTON 16
In a game that looked like it would be a blowout for TEAM FOGEL after busting out with 13 runs in the middle of the game, including a shot over the right field fence by captain JEREMY “THE COMET” FOGEL, TEAM LEFTON came back to get within two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning only to lose on a SPORTS CENTER TOP TEN play by ANDY “THE BADGER” GOLLIN who made an unbelievable catch in right field.
The victory broke a four-game losing streak and they head into the tournament on an upbeat note.
“I knew the team needed a lift and I was happy to provide it with that catch. It was nice to play hero on that play, but really it was a team effort,” GOLLIN said afterwards.
Team captain, JEREMY “THE COMET” FOGEL, said , “That was a huge win. We’ve been losing some close games lately and it was nice to withstand that charge at the end to hold onto the victory.” He added, “It was a total team effort as everyone chipped in for the win.”
Kudos go out to the following……GOLLIN who asked to pitch just minutes before the game, knowing the team could be better with him on the mound just throwing strikes with the defense behind him. He gave way late in the game with FOGEL picking up a save….his first as far we know.
Kudos also go out to ZACH MICHELSON, who played a solid second base and BRANDON WRONKER, who was solid at shortstop along with both SCOTT “PLEASE BE MY” FRIEND and FOGEL, who both made a couple of terrific plays once again in the outfield.
It should be noted that JOEL “SPARKY” FOGEL, father of JEREMY, sat out the game due to a minor injury, but did double duty as the third base coach and the pitching coach.
Finally, no record of this, but it’s believed that ROGER ROSENTHAL’s three sacrifice bunts could have been the most ever in a JCC softball game. Each time, DAN “DANNY” GREEN followed up with hits.
On Field 3 it was Team Wolf Machine vs. Team Wagner
Team Wolf completed the first undefeated regular season in JCC Softball (known) history with a 6-5 win over Team Wagner. According to league historian, Scott Wolf, the only other team close was his first year as a captain, when they went 15-1, capped off by a tournament championship. Sometime during that season, he ran full speed into the centerfield shack at the old JCC and still lived to tell the tale.
For the last few weeks, teams have used the “We have nothing to lose, and they have everything to lose!” mantra only to be outlasted by Team Wolf. We’ve gotten here through the fundamentals: Great pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting. This one wasn’t as flashy as last week’s walk off homer, but we got the win.
Enough with the celebrating, because the job isn’t done – Team Wolf is focused on the ultimate goal of winning the tournament championship. In the wise words of Evan Weisser, “No one remembers the ’07 Patriots”.
This week’s 6-5 victory was an encapsulation of the entire season. Another incredible pitching performance by Mike Gray, clutch hitting from Matt Brodof (2 doubles, 3 RBI), and strong defense all around including a back flip catch in LCF from Michael Askin.
As the top seed in the tournament, Team Wolf awaits the winner of the Team Z / Team Solomon play in game.
Finally on Field 4 it was Team Stu vs. Team Kamrass in the annual steel cage match.
Micah for the winners:
Team Kamrass completed a season sweep of Team Solomon with a 5-3 win. Fink was unhittable, coming up with key strikeouts throughout the night, and the defense behind him was outstanding. The bats were relatively quiet, but it was enough to get the job done. 12-4 is an incredible season in this league. Team Kamrass is fired up for the tournament.
So the tournament is set:
Team Stu vs. Team Z in the play-in game with the winners taking on the Wolf Machine.
The rest of the post season:
#2 Kamrass vs. #7 Grefer
#3 Lefton vs. #6 Brafman
#4 Wagner vs. #5 Fogel
This year, after each round we will re-seed the teams meaning that the higher seed will always play the lower seed moving forward. So, for example, if Grefer upsets Kamrass and Wolf wins, Wolf would play Grefer instead of the higher seed left. Does that make sense to everybody?
League Notes
Happy birthday this week to Eddie Gallop, Eric “Are the Yankee’s really in last place” Goldstein and Adam Cronstein.
If you are in your 20’s or 30’s, the JCC is hosting a young Jewish night at Rhinegeist to watch a Reds/Dodgers game on Sunday, July 30.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Reds player who can influence a game even if he’s not hitting like Elly can. Wednesday night, Jacob and I went to the game and he made an over the shoulder catch at SS (that Benson should have caught in LF), then threw a ball about 100 MPH to complete a DP. Yesterday, he of course threw one 99 MPH to get a runner at the plate. It was the fastest throw EVER for an infielder. As long as the Reds front office doesn’t screw this up, this group of Reds players is going to be good for a while. When was the last time we said that? Plus with FCC, the Bengals, XU hoops (maybe) and UC in the Big 12, has there ever been a better time to be a sports fan in Cincy?
I’ll have a tournament preview ready after the play-in game. Good luck to both teams!
Marc