Northeast Baseball League

[progen]

So we get home to Ash Park get ready to take on the first place Mahanoy City Brewers. Mahanoy City is located about 50 miles Northwest of Reading, PA, and is a small city of about 5,000. But that didn't stop the Mayor and his administration to lobby and obtain a franchise for the city, something that will surely get him re-elected.

The Brewers are running away in the Western Division of the National Conference, leading Berwick and Greensburg by seven games!

Game 1 - The Brewers jumped all over our ace, Denny White, on their way to an 8-2 win! White gave up nine hits and six runs in five innings.

Game 2 - Saw us turn the tables, as we came through with a 6-2 win!
Mark Davis got his fourth win, and the offense pounded out nine hits!





Game 3 - The Brewers ace, Lee Walker improved to 7-2 with a 4-1 win. He limited the Aces to just five hits, all singles! Walker was the Brewers very first pick in the inaugural draft, and after winning 15 games last year, he is off to a flying start this season!

Game 4 - Saw us score the most runs this season, a 15-3 victory! Bryan Freake gets his 5th win, but he threw 120 pitches, walking five batters. But a split with the Brewers is not a bad thing!




So we now stand at 25-19, five games out of first, behind both Lebanon and Allentown, and two up for one of the Wild Card spots.

[progen]

Got so caught up in our last two series', forgot to mention some news, including the amateur draft list has been released!



And also a bit of news from around the league!!



So we roll into Carbondale to play the defending champs, who have had some hard luck this season, as they are 14 games under .500. Some key injuries, and a loss of a couple of players to free agency have hurt them.



Unfortunately, I had to make a visit to the police station, as one of our minor league ballplayers, backup catcher Tommy Watson, from single A Lancaster, drove up to meet some of his buddies, and got into a slight altercation with the locals at a pub! The officers were polite, and I got Watson out after he spent just two hours behind bars. We had a nice, long chat back to the hotel, and the next day I gave him his immediate release!

[progen]

Game 1 - We had decided to keep Jesus Castaneda in AAA for some rehab work after he came off the DL for that shoulder stiffness. And we kept our first round pick, Eisuke Heida in the starting rotation, and in game one, he did not dissapoint!




Game 2 - The Aces have eight hits, and produce no runs, as we get shut out 2-0. Hard luck pitcher Denny White pitched well enough to win, but falls to 4-3.

Game 3 - Mark Davis wins his second in a row, a two hit shutout, 7-0. We scored two in the second, and five more in the fourth. Davis has been our most consistent pitcher so far this season!




Game 4 - Took us eleven innings, but we won 6-5. Gene Brown hit a sacrifice fly to score Devin Forrest, and we get out of Carbondale with three wins! We still remain five games behind Lebanon and Allentown, but two up in the Wild Card!

By the way, our regular buses never showed, something about the check WASN'T in the mail, so here's what we took back to Coatesville. The coaches rode in the bus in the middle! Gotta love Independent baseball!!

[progen]

4/23-4/26 - Game 1 - Aces take this one on the chin, as Bryan Freake goes seven, but gives up six runs, and the usually steady Loren O'Conner comes in and gets tagged for three more in a 9-4 loss!

Game 2 - Aces bounce back with a dramatic bottom of the ninth win when Michael Lacy, who was down in the count 0-2, works a bases loaded walk! Eisuke Heida did a nice job, going seven innings, and Victor Alvarado got his first win of the season in relief!



Game 3 - Another big win as we jumped all over the Ponies starter Ed Marshall for six runs in the third, on our way to an 8-3 win. Denny White gets his fifth win, and third baseman Marcelino Trevino went three for four!

Game 4 - Closed out the series with Allentown with another big win, with Mark Davis getting his sixth win! Pleases to see us take three out of four from the Ponies, a team that is struggling, and games we need to win!



My Owner gave me this historic pic of downtown Coatesville from 1911, as he knows I like to collect memorabilia, not only just sports. Hey, he is useful once and awhile!



And what it looks like today(1990). My Aunt worked at the lunch counter at Woolworth's, and made the best milkshakes!!

[progen]

Haven't shared news lately, so here's some things going on around the league! And as you can see, the Aces have dropped to sixth in the Power Rankings!





So up next is a four game series with the Johnstown Johnnies. The Johnnies started way back in 1883 in the Western Interstate League, which also included four teams from Pittsburgh. Here's a brief history of their team until 1956, which was the last time Johnstown had a team until now!




Andy Gilbert actually managed the team in their last year, 1956!

[progen]

Game 1 - And as usual, game one didn't go as we would've planned, losing to the Johnnies, 8-5. Disappointing that we left ten men on base! Not a great start!

Game 2 - What an awesome game! Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Aces dug deep, and scored four runs, winning 6-4. The few fans that made the trip to support the Aces got more than their money's worth! The owner was feeling so good, that he treated the entire team to lunch the next day at the Coney Island Restaurant!




And how the Aces did it!!



Game 3 & 4 - Our bats stayed hot, as we won game three, 8-6, despite Eisuke Heida getting pounded for six runs in six innings! We hammered out 15 hits on the day! Game four saw us pound out 15 hits again in a 6-5 win, as our 20 year old rookie, Xavier Chacon recorded his third win in relief.

We left Johnstown on certainly a good note, and we headed to Shamokin as we finished up May with a hard fought 6-5 win over the Shamokin Miners(formerly the Shammies). We pushed across a run in the ninth, and Broderick MacDonald came on in the bottom of the ninth to record his 11th save!





So here's how things look through the end of May, a month that saw us go 17-12.

[progen]

Some May stats for the Aces, and news around the league! Pitching is still this teams strength for sure!!




Aces Hitting Leaders:



Aces Pitching Leaders:



National Conference Rookie of the Month!

[progen]

Before Game 2 with Shamokin, a bit of history here!

Shamokin has several ballplayers that were born in the city, but here are two, one of which is in the Hall of Fame!





And then there's Hall of Famer, Stan Coveleski.



Coveleski's Stats. Not too shabby!!


Miners Park - Always a packed house!!

[progen]

Game 2 - I will say one thing about this season, the Aces never cease to amaze me. Down 5-3 in the top of the ninth, and the home crowd sensing a victory, the Aces score eight runs, to win 11-5. After struggling the entire game, it was like no one could make an out!!




Game 3 - The Miners bounced back in this game, helped by a strong outing by Scott Norman, beating the Aces 5-1. The Aces banged out nine hits, but two double play balls killed us in the 3rd and 5th innings!

Game 4 - Got a nice shot in the arm here, as Eisuke Heida gets his second win of the season in a 10-2 drubbing! Heida went eight strong innings of three hit ball, and Dale Roberson smacked his 6th home run!




And I thought we had some bad ideas for promotions. Shamokin had 50 cent beer night, and it appears this guy took full advantage of it, and then ran around the outfield for a couple of minutes before he was caught!

[progen]

So we welcome the team that is only one game behind us in the wild card race, the Greensburg Green Sox. And here's a brief history!

The Greensburg Red Wings were a Class D Minor League Baseball team based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The team was a member of the Pennsylvania State Association, from 1934-1939 and played all of its home games at Offutt Field. The team's name often changed throughout their short existence. They began as the Greensburg Trojans, and affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. A year later in 1935, the team was renamed the Red Wings, however in 1937 when the Brooklyn Dodgers took over the team, they were renamed the Greensburg Green Sox. Finally the team was called the Greensburg Senators, after their final affiliate, the Washington Senators, in 1939.

Game 1 - Strong seven innings by Denny Smith, then Mr. "Untouchable", Xavier Chacon goes for two, with MacDonald cleaning up in the ninth!




Game 2 & 3- We also took the next two games from the Green Sox, as we won game two, 4-3, with Bob Donaldson doubling in Dale Roberson in the bottome of the ninth. Xavier Chacon got his fourth win of the year in relief!
In game three, the Aces won 7-2 as the game was never in doubt! Juan Aguilar got his sixth win, and Dale Roberson had two triples!

Game 4 - Can't win them all as Brian Freake gave up seven runs in just three innings, losing his third straight game, 7-2. Starting to get concerned, as Freake is now 5-6 on the year!


The All Star selections also came out, and the Aces are well represented with Mark Davis, Xavier Chacon, and Dale Roberson!

[progen]

Here's the result of the All Star game! Dale Roberson had a nice game for the Aces, as did Xavier Chacon. Young Mark Davis got roughed up a bit, but still enjoyed the experience!




So after taking the two and a half hour ride to Berwick to play the Slaters, I'm hoping the team can continue their winning ways as we start the second half of the season! Berwick's mascot was everywhere the first night, in fact there were three of them all together that night!




The Berwick series couldn't went any better The Aces sweep the series, 9-5. 4-3, 5-0, and 2-1. Game three saw Mark Davis bounce back nicely from his tough All Star outing, to shutout the Slaters on just six hits!




Game four was a 7:05 start, and earlier that day(noon), the NBL held their second annual Amateur draft. The Aces pick is "lucky 13" and I'll let you know how things went!

[progen]

Excitement was in the air, as the second annual NBL Amateur Draft was about to take place. Here's some of the players that were taken in the first few picks, with no real surprises!

#1 Allentown Ambassadors - SP John "Jaws" Manley

Manley was the consensus number one pick, going 11-0, with an .071 ERA in high school. Can't imagine this 18 year old won't be a star someday soon!


#2 Utica Utes - SP George "Porker" Norris

Another stud pitcher, Norris went 10-2 his senior year, with a 2.17 ERA


#3 Lebanon Chix - LF Andres "Scandal" Ortiz

Ortiz hit .406 in two years at college, and the 20 year old was ranked the best defensive outfielder in the draft!

As the draft rolled on, we had two to three players that we all liked. Starting pitcher Joe Sullivan, second baseman Edward Burgess, and starting pitcher Ron Allen. There were some others, but we figured they wouldn't be around. Here's how the picks went, right up to the Aces pick!



And now the Aces are on the clock. Hang in there, as I will reveal our pick soon!

[progen]

We debated for awhile on the first pick, but in the end, we all came to an agreement that we couldn't pass on this player! Seventeen year old lefty Eric Curran was high on everyone's list, and we were fortunate to get him!

Eric Curran - SP






Pick #2 - A player that I would've taken in the first round, but kept our fingers crossed, and he was sitting there at 13! An 18 year old catcher that could help us for a long time!

Bill Jackson - Catcher







Pick #3 - We all nearly fell off our chairs when Hayden Odom, a right fielder, who can really play all three poitions was sitting there for the taking. Odom had a great career at UC-Riverside in California, hitting .357 his senior year, with 35 stolen bases, and only getting caught four times! In 185 at bats, he only struck out 12 times!

Hayden Odom - RF

[progen]

Pick #4 Had some heads shaking in the room with this pick as we took another catcher, but absolutely could not pass up on this kid! At the very least, we will now have two stud catchers that will be battling for playing time, and also, we could always use one in a trade down the road!

Billy Morris - Catcher



Pick #5 Another player with loads of potential, 20 year old first baseman Jim Davidson. Went to school at Pepperdine, and although he only hit .296, he had 50 rbi's, in just 62 games. Real contact hitter!

Jim Davidson - 1B



The rest of our picks, six through ten went like this!

#6 -Curtis Phillips - LF
Seventeen year old left fielder with above average contact potential, and has tremendous power potential.

#7 - Dan Peterson - CL
Nineteen year old right handed closer, was 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA and five saves.
Our scout feels he has the makings of a "big league anchor."

#8 - Sean Murdoch - 2B
Twenty two year old right handed batter who can play all three infield positions. Bit of a reach, but we like his speed, 34 stolen bases.

#9 - Juan Villanueva - SS
Eighteen year old, and another guy who can play all three infield positions. Hit .439 in high school with 28 stolen bases.

#10 - Bill Ray - RF
Twenty year old who can play right or left field. And has blazing speed, 36 stolen bases in only 57 games!

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by progen

Pick #2 - A player that I would've taken in the first round, but kept our fingers crossed, and he was sitting there at 13! An 18 year old catcher that could help us for a long time!

It's always nice when a player you want in the first round falls to you in the second. Seems like a nice overall draft for the Aces.

[progen]

So as we get ready to host the Lebanon Chix, here's where the Aces are in the standings! Had to post this, as I am so proud of these young guys and our coaches!




Games 1 & 2 - The first two games the Aces scored 22 runs, on their way to 13-1, and 9-4 wins! Bryan Freake won game one with a three hitter, as the Aces pounded out 13 hits. In game two, Eisuke Heida recorded his third win of the season, and our catcher, Hubert Marks homered!





Games 3 & 4 - These two didn't go as well, as we lost both, which ended our six game winning streak. Game three we lost 4-3, and had several chances to break the game open, and game four was a 10-2 beatdown, where All Star Mark Davis went four innings, giving up nine runs, but only six were earned, as the Aces were really sloppy in the field!

So, with the split with Lebanon, we remained two up on the Chix in the Eastern Division as we head to Hanover to play a four game set with the Raiders!

[progen]

You gotta love Interns!!!

So we ask Derek, one of our interns, who is a pretty good photographer, to go to Lancaster and Emmaus to take some pics of our pitchers during their windup/delivery, so our coaches can look at their mechanics. Well, Derek, being the "wise guy" that he is, sent me these photos! Problem is, the owner was sharing a seat with me on the bus, and he didn't find it too amusing! There are even some photos that I can't show! Sad thing is, the girls here can probably pitch better than some of our minor leaguers!! I called Derek the next day and told him is internship was over per the owner!!






And then there were these!! Who should we call up first when rosters expand??

[progen]

So we get to Hanover to take on the Raiders. Hanover was one of the original teams in the Blue Ridge League which started in 1915. Some pics of their history!
They were originally known as the "Hornets."

This is a photo of the 1915 Hanover Hornets of the Blue Ridge League. The Hornets finished the inaugural BRL season in third place with a record of 42 wins and 35 losses in 77 games. The Hornets were led by future St. Louis Cardinals lefty Wee Willie Sherdel. On the mound, Sherdel won 15 games and lost only 3. Unofficially, Willie led the league with a .368 batting average but did not have enough at-bats to qualify for the title. He also had a perfect fielding record. (Sherdel is visible on the far right of the top row.)






Cartoons like this one regularly appeared in the Hanover Record Herald newspaper. This particular one celebrated a good pitching performance by Willie Sherdel. Willie was originally known as Bill Scherdel. His family changed the spelling of his last name to Sherdel during World War I when it was not good to be recognized as German.



1916 Hanover Raiders


1921 Hanover Raiders

[progen]

Well the Aces got back to their winning ways, with a 7-4 win over the Raiders. Juan Aquilar threw over 100 pitches in just five innings, and was replaced by Xavier Chacon, who ended up getting his 5th win!




Game 2 - Saw the Aces hold off a furious rally by Hanover in the bottom of the ninth as the Raiders scored two runs, before Broderick MacDonald put the fire out, recording his 13th save. Bryan Freake won his seventh game, as the final was 4-3.

Game 3 - Once again Eisuke Heida shows his inconsistency, as he gets belted around for six runs in only two innings of work. The Aces were never able to catch up, losing 7-3.

Game 4 - Back on track with a 5-3 win! Denny White gets his 7th win, and Dale Roberson goes 2 for 4 with three rbi's.



So here are the standings after winning three out of four from Hanover!!

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So after a rare day off on Sunday, we open up a four game set with the Chambersburg Maroons. Long history for this club, and here's some info/pics!



Cumberland Valley League

The Maroons are created by local Chambersburg businessman Clay Henninger in 1895, and begin play at Wolf Park, the same location where they play today. The Maroons are charter members of the Cumberland Valley League, a Class D minor league,[1] and win the first league title in 1895.[2] In the following season, the Maroons finish in second place in the league, boasting a 22–14 record. The 1896 Maroons squad boasted a total of seven future Major League Players.

Following the 1901 Season, the Maroons left the Cumberland Valley League to join the Industrial League.



Blue Ridge League

The 1915 Chambersburg Maroons
After the 1914 season, the Maroons join the newly formed Class D Blue Ridge League in 1915. The Maroons gain instant credibility when former Major League Player Gus Dorner took the managerial position of his hometown team.


1916 Championship Season

In 1916, the Maroons brought in a new manager in Eddie Hooper. The Maroons club president, named Kottcamp, worked out a deal with Jack Dunn's Baltimore Orioles, who had returned to the International League, after the demise of the Federal League during the off-season. Two pitchers, Hank Thormahlen and Al Ehmling, and a catcher named Alex Schaufele joined the Maroons, along with a former Federal League player, first baseman Karl Kolseth, and outfielder James "Bugs" Snyder to combine for one of the strongest overall teams in the league in 1916. Hanson Horsey is also showcased on the squad's roster.