winners/losers in the first round of the tournament……
field #1…..#4 lefton/ #5 leader
field #2…..#1 grefer/ #8 weisser
field #3…..#2 solomon/ #7 hiudt
field #4…..#6 groh/ #3 brafman
semifinals next week……
field #1……..# 6 groh at # 2 solomon
field #2……..#4 lefton at # 1 grefer
first to report in…….
#4 LEFTON 8 #5 LEADER 6
reported by ROGER ROSENTHAL
Trying to avenge two regular season losses, LEFTON defeated LEADER, 8-6, in a game that went
down to the last batter…..
LEADER jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning only to have LEFTON chip away and take the
lead on a two run two out double off the bat of MIKE ROTHSTEIN…..
However, the BIG blow came off the bat of JACK COHEN as he drilled a grand slam in the gap in
RCF to give LEFTON a comfortable lead only to have LEADER come back in the 7th inning to score
three runs and leaving the bases loaded to end the contest…..
Other key hits came off the bats of BRAD GALLOP and ALEX LEFTON, who was playing with a
bad ankle……..
JIMMY LEFTON pitched perhaps his best game of the year with NO walks….DAVID SOLOMON
played solid behind the plate which included throwing a would be stealer out at 2B, while AARON
KAPLAN got on base twice with a hit and a walk…..DAVID WERTHEIM, back from that school in
the middle of the state, played a solid outfield as did MIKE KAHAN and RICK LEFTON was solid
at 3B and gutted it out with an injury…..
ROGER ROSENTHAL got a walk and scored a run, but got the ire of a couple of players on
LEADER…..one called him names (not to be repeated) and the other, ROBERT PELBERG,
commented, “Don’t you ever stop talking?”…….NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Afterwards, ROGER ROSENTHAL commented, “I really wanted to win this game as they had
beaten us twice during the regular season especially the last game when they embarrassed us.”
NEXT UP……#1 SEED GREFER……..they split during the regular season…..
next in…….
# 6 GROH 5 # 3 BRAFMAN 4
reported by KEN GROH
In a game matching best friends on the mound, KEN GROH out duelled JASON FAUST, 5-4…..it was
an upset by the seeds, but evenly matched the entire game….
they were led by ADAM CRONSTEIN who had a single, double and home run and three RBI’s,
while the rest of the team was held in check by MVP candidate JASON FAUST….
The defense was amazing led by SS TYLER STANSBURY, PAT FELDMAN, RYAN SMALL and
sub TANNER HARRIS, who snared all five balls hit to him in RF……RYAN BAUM, playing his first
game as catcher performed well as did sub MIKE “KT” KADETZ at 2B…..
Next up is TEAM SOLOMON……”Giddy up”, GROH said afterwards in reference to the ride to the
finals……
An anonymous fan added, “To be the best, you need to beat the best.”
STAY TUNED……………..
reported by MARC BRAFMAN
In a hard fought well played game, BRAFMAN lost to GROH, 5-4.
“It’s a tough way to lose,” BRAFMAN said afterwards. “This season we’ve won all of our close
games and coming up short hurts. I think for my team it’s not that we lost that hurts, it’s that we now
have to wait an entire off-season to play again.”
The winners beat BRAFMAN at their own game with timely hitting and great pitching by GROH and
a very good team defense.
“It wasn’t like we the can of corns all night….we made them field the ball and make the play,” he
added.
Kudos go to PAT “SUNSHINE” FELDMAN, TYLER STANSBURY and RYAN SMALL who made
3-4 great scoops at 1B to keep us off the bases. ” BRAFMAN said.
Offensively, THE MOUTH OF THE MIDWEST ERIC GRUEN went 2 fro 3 with of RBI’s,
“HANDSOME” SAM CASTELLI went 3 for 3 and sub PETE SPOERL had a big RBI, while sub
GARY “THE KID” ASKIN had a big RBI.
Defensivly, BRAFMAN was led by Defensive Player Of The Year candidate JEREMY
“HAMILTON” FOGEL who should have the gold glove named renamed in his honor for the way he
played all season with last night as no exception….BEN “B-ROD” RODRIGUEZ, JEREMY “WE
GOT THE MEATS” CANTOR and JOEL “THE WRATH OF” KAHN all made nice plays in the
field…..
The team would like to say farewell to THE MINISTER OF FUN, DAVE COHEN, who went out in
grand fashion, trying to make a catch off a long hit off the bat of ADAM CRONSTEIN that resulted
in him falling on his tush (ass)….
“Just like GEN SIMMONS falling off the stage on his farewell tour, I figured I’d try and make the
circus catch, ” he said post game. “I’m just happy I didn’t pull a glut muscle as I need that to sit on
each day.
Finally, no BRAFMAN team report would be complete without the outstanding pitching by JASON
“THE MAD HUNGARIAN” FAUST…..
“Losing stinks, but I think back to my favorite show as a kid, “Who’s The Boss” and this quote from
ALYSSA MILANO helps me get over it…..”First, except sadness, realize that without losing, winning
isn’t so great.”
“It think that sums up how the team feels today,” BRAFMAN summed up.
EDITORS NOTE…..A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE CAPTAINS THAT REPORTED THEIR
GAMES ESPECIALLY TO MARC BRAFMAN AND KEN GROH……
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CAN BE DIRECTED TO ME AT……r.rosenthal1955@yahoo.com
