Managers' Winter Meetings

League Commissioner Katherine Donovan reported that the regular summer league fees for the upcoming season would remain unchanged from 2009. This is consistent with the league's previously-announced budgetary projections calling for no increase in costs to the local players over a 3-year period. However, it was also announced that moneys would come due earlier this year. In addition, each team manager's initial commitment would be $600 (applied to team fees), due by February 5, 2010.

Individual consultations with 2009 season team managers (and others who have expressed interest informing a team) have been focused on securing sponsorships earlier this year. Unfortunately for the players in the league, economic conditions in the last two years have put a strain on local businesses. This has resulted in a higher financial commirment from each player.

Under league rules, at each season's end, all KonaBaseball.com players become free agents. Managers can begin talking to players about the next year's season, but may not begin "signing" anyone up any earlier than January 1st. This annual, clearing-of-the-slate keeps the league fresh and competitive. It also fosters friendships across team lines throughout the league.

Returning players are always cautioned that some manager might just hand them a KonaBaseball.com registration form shortly after toasting in the New Year. Upon making such a written commitment, the player is "off limits" to other managers for the season. Subsequent inter-team transfers of players require both managers' approval.

League Umpire-In-Chief Jim Donovan announced that the KonaBaseball.com affiliate league from Maui will be coming over to the Big Island for a goodwill tournament for three days, beginning January 8, 2010.

The inaugural game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Friday, with a pair of double-headers on both Saturday and Sunday. Included in the festivities is a barbecue party Saturday evening.

Tournament involvement is available to all KonaBaseball.com players. The two teams of local all stars will play in official league t-shirts (the same as those that qualify as alternate uniforms during the regular season).

For players who already have a regulation t-shirt, the goodwill tournament fee is $25, which includes play in two or three games as well as a ticket to the Saturday evening barbecue.

For players who do not have a league t-shirt, the fee is $45 which also includes a shirt in the team color and numerals of the player's choice. Add $2 for 2XL or 3XL.

The first four bargain hunters can save $5 by ordering the shirt in yellow (a color not assigned to any specific team in the league). These numerals are available: #1, #13. #17. #24.

All moneys are due by Sunday, January 3, 2010 (5 days before the tournament), and there are a limited number of player-slots available. To assure involvement (and to choose jersey numerals), payment must be made by Wednesday, December 29, 2009.

As of January 7, 2010, there are only four player slots open for the tournament against the Maui team. The size large shirts available are: Green #10, Gray #47, Gray #54 and Orange #29.

In other tournament news, the league has confirmed that on December 30, 2009, Roseanne Barr was invited to sing the national anthem at the upcoming goodwill tournament. Apparently taken back a bit by the proposal, her face quickly turned into that famous "Roseanne" smile when she realized that KonaBaseball.com League Umpire-In-Chief Jim Donovan was jesting. Nevertheless, she is a real baseball fan who is particularly supportive of players from Honokaa. So, she just might show up!

The goodwill tournament is now sold out. Kona will field two teams of 14 players each, with crossover play permitted. While all league managers and coaches will be involved, Michael Harris and Nick Hill will serve as team captains.

Three-day, five-game event deemed a complete success

The 3-day, 5-game event with a visiting team from Maui was everything that was hoped for, generating goodwill between both leagues. The comradery established on the field carried over to the Saturday evening barbecue, and everyone seemed to have a great time at event that was held at a 4-acre retreat up Kaloko mauka.

Kona all-stars Drew Comacho and Ryan Landis led the offensive barrage in the opening game, taking the local team to victory. Teammate (at least on this day) Keegan Lerma started atop the mound and was not a very generous host, yielding only one run to the visiting Maui team. Kona relievers Hopu Ahonima-Blanco and Keefe Lerma kept the game in check, but not without a threat or two by the Valley Islanders.

For Maui, Dave Prysinski, Raiman Johnson and Kevin Spaise each went 2-for-3. However, Johnson was the only one of them who was able to score ... proving once again that everbody loves Raiman.

Maui's left fielder Raiman Johnson accounted for both of the runs scored by his team, as a foursome of Kona pitchers stymied the visitors. Maui's Kevin Spaise took the loss, relievers Mike Foley and Dave Perzinski faring better, but the damage had already been done.

For Kona, the offensive charge was spearheaded by Shadow Diessner, making a rare appearance in the lead-off batter's position of the lineup. Jose Luis also crossed home plate twice to seal the deal for winning pitcher Steve Furchner and his trio of relievers: Jeff Barbas, Hondo De La Cruz and Jorge Perez.

A slugfest erupted in the late game, both teams teeing off on opposing pitchers. In this contest, Raiman Johnson took the mound for his one-and-only appearance in the goodwill tournament ... and goodwill is exactly what Raiman provided. By the end of the third inning, the Kona bench was feeling that "everyone loves Raiman" effect itself, enjoying an 8-1 lead.

Turnabout is fair play, however. By the end of the fourth inning, the highly-effective, but quickly-tiring Kona starter Tobe Kamalai was replaced by C.J. Hanna. Five runs and no outs later, the Maui bench was getting that "everyone loves C.J." feeling (and there isn't even any TV show about that!). Unlikely relievers John Brumbaugh and Ryan Landis mopped things up, preserving the win for the local team.

Offensively, Maui's Patrick Merrill, Matt Banet and Dave Perzinski crossed home plate on multiple occassions. For Kona, just about everyone saw paydirt, Kenny Benson's run eclipsing the tally on the scoreboard.

After the Saturday evening barbecue, everyone was a little bit late arriving at Simmons Field, but nobody seemed to care. In recognition of "Hawaii time", the early game began about half-an-hour late. Perhaps that was the ploy of the Maui team. Afterall, Maui Brewery brewmaster Raiman Johnson and his teammates had generously provided beer at the party.

For the Kona team, Keefe and his older brother Keegan Lerma shared the mound duty for most of the contest, the elder sibling squandering his baby bro's lead. Paul Skarbo and Mikey Marcotte emerged as the stars in this one for Maui.

In the other dugout, the name Larry Strozyk must be highlighted for a pair of blistering base hits including a double. Unfortunately for him however, his teammates left him stranded on the base both times.

After a weekend of play and partying, the Maui team was finally "all baseballed out" by the fifth game of the goodwill tournament ... hardly a time to have to face Jorge Perez. The lanky fastballer was definitely on his game, yielding only three hits in five innings. Relievers Jeff Barbas and Oscar Delgado wrapped matter up on the mound, each tossing a scoreless inning.

For Maui, starting pitcher Mike Foley took it on the chin. Offensively, Patrick Merrill Matt Banet and Nick Batres each batted 2-for-3, but to no avail, as those hits were scattered.

For Kona, credit Michael Harris and Donovan Aiona, a couple of seasoned veterans (old guys who guide the Canefire team during its regular KonaBaseball.com season) with a pair of plate crossings each! ... what a testamony to the concept of multi-generational baseball.

Before the play ended, just about everyone was talking about getting together on another day. Maybe a team from the KonaBaseball.com league will travel to Maui next time.

As two vans, loaded to the gills with Maui baseball players, left Simmons Field for the airport Sunday afternoon, the shouts of "We love you, Kona" echoed off the walls of the gymnasium ... and that says it all.

Lots of uncommitted players "floating around"

On April 25, 2010, the KonaBaseball.com free-agent draft will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Simmons Field.

Players should have their $20 league registration fee when coming to the field and should be prepared to budget a total $175 for the season, including $20 for a shirt and $135 for the player's contribution to the team fee (monies paid by the teams to the league for other costs, including baseballs, field supplies, umpiring, etc.).

Under Ray Uribes, the Sharks (formerly the Dodgers) appear to be set with their roster, as do the Jeff Barbas' Earthquakes. This also appears to be the case with the Thunder, the reigning champion team now under the management of Shadow Diessner. In addition, Don Aiona's Canefire team will not be participating in this year's draft.

Their are still some pukas within the Black Sox' squad, however. Not to worry, a sizeable pool of players seems to exist, as well as any new players to the league. Some 2009 season players may have been waiting for Mike O'shita's rumored team to form (a more sizeable task than Mike foresaw), thus are still uncommitted.

The situation of an abundance of free agents is compounded by the fact that nobody stepped forward during the pre-season to take charge of the Angels, one of the original teams in the league. Accordingly, it puts a whole bunch of other guys in the posture of uncommitted free agents.

In view of the situation, Benny Alcoran is making an effort to scrape together a group of players with a core roster coming from the 2008 Crush team. Many of those players have also been involved in softball, a team known as "Shut-D". Let's see if Benny can shut the door on getting his players to commit both physically and financially. If so, the Shut-D team will play hardball in the 2010 season.

Everyone scrambling to join an established team

The April 25th draft turned from one type of madhouse to another, nobody stepping forward to direct a start-up team of free agents. An eleventh our merger of the proposed Shut-D team with the Black Sox took a sizeable group of free agents off the table. Then, the Canefire announced the signing of several veterans from the now-defunct Angels.This further reduced the pool of available players

When league officials realized that a sixth team would not be feasible this year, the reamining free agents were scattered around the league, several joining the Sharks, Earthquakes and Thunder.

With rosters bulging at the seams, team managers must rely on the league's flexible substitution rules in order to give everyone enough playing time. With only five teams in the league, quality of play is likely to be turned up a notch this year.

Off-the-field news

Zippidy-do-dah

It was the Black Sox who were singing as though Uncle Remus were in the crowd Sunday morning, as the team's most formidable pitcher Cameron Kawai combined with Aaron Grant and Mike Oshita to shut out the Canefire by the score of "ten-zip" in the season opener.

Offensively, it was Kawai helping his own cause, blasting a triple and scoring twice to single-handedly secure the victory for the Black Sox. Multiple plate crossings were also registered by Black Sox veteran John Brumbaugh. Yes, even the older guys can run, hit and score in the KonaBaseball.com multi-generational style hardball league.

Another highlight for the Black Sox came from one of their most recent recruits. The debut of reliever Aaron Grant proved to be a bonus, the rookie successfully striking out the side to start matters, then going on to earn a save in the outing.

For the Kohala Canefire, the troops were a bit thin, several players not yet back home from off-island colleges, etc. The recently acquired battery of former Angels Jorge Perez (the winningest pitcher in the league in 2008) and Jose Luis Ibarra (veteran catcher and field general) proved to be of little help for the Canefire, the team going hitless against Cameron Kawai in the inagural 2010 season game.

A new look Earthquakes team took the field Sunday afternoon, no longer the doormat that they have sometimes been in past seasons. By contrast, their defensive play was crisp, executing multiple double plays to quash any would-be threats by the Sharks.

Steve Furchner was definitely the player of the game, hurling five innings to pick up the win. The only flaw in his performance was in the third inning when, with runners on second and third, he intentionally walked Sharks' clean-up batter Dustin Lapinid to load the bases. Furchner then released an errant pitch that hit batsman Keegan Lerma allowing Mike West to score from third base for the Sharks.

The Sharks only other run came late in the game when Mark Lo scored while Earthquakes' reliever Jason Hurst was on the mound. After an absence from the league in recent seasons, Hurst was welcomed back by his EQ teammates ... and they even treated him to a little bit of defensive support for a change.

The game was much closer than the final score of 6-2 would seem to indicate. Both teams played in mid-season form, an accomplishment in and of itself for opening day. The Earthquakes however were able to mount a rally in the fifth inning which proved to be the game decider. That four-run frame was highlighted by the base hit of the game, a 2-RBI double by none other than Steve Furchner, a base hit that sealed the fate of the Sharks in this one.

                       W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ....  1   0   -   
Earthquakes .........  1   0   -   
Mountain Thunder ....  0   0  0.5  
Island Tat Sharks ...  0   1   1 
Kohala Canefire .....  0   1   1  

No sweat - rookie delivers game winner for Thunder

In his first KonaBaseball.com at bat, rookie Ben Swett sliced a base-clearing triple in the bottom of the last inning to stun the Sharks in walkoff fashion Sunday, 7-6. A repeat of last season's championship match, the Thunder prevailed once again, but they cut this one a little bit close. In the end, the team placed its fate on an unknown, only to find fate smiling its fickled finger in their direction.

The Sharks were argueably the better team Sunday, taking a slim lead earned against Thunder ace Ian Glass into the sixth inning. Then, facing reliever Aaron Murphy, the Sharks padded their lead to 6-3, "a handy spot to be in, especially when you are going into your opponent's final at-bat", remarked the Sharks' coach Ray Uribes. However, that three-run cushion proved not to be enough to ward off Mountain Thunder's last-gasp rally.

For the Sharks, Alex Akau batted 2-for-3 and scored twice to lead his team. Starter Dustin Lapinid was effective on the mound through three innings, but Keegan Lerma lost the grip on the team's lead when the Thunderous rally zenithed.

One of the original teams in the league - once known as the "Canardlys", the Thunder has a rich history. However, this may have been the team's first walk-off victory. And a sweet victory it was, exemplified by the ear-to-ear grin accompanying arms in the air by James Juarez as he crossed home plate with the final tally.

In contrast to Lerma's wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time scenario, it was Mountain Thunder skipper Shadow Diessner who was in the right place at the right time. Calling his own number to pitch the final inning in relief, Diessner faced only five Shark batters, yet recorded the victory when his team rallied in the bottom of the frame. Calling the victory "no sweat" might have a double meaning on this day.

                       W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ....  1   0   -   
Earthquakes .........  1   0   -   
Mountain Thunder ....  1   0   -  
Kohala Canefire .....  0   1   1  
Island Tat Sharks ...  0   2  1.5 

Earthquakes claim top of standings

The new-look Earthquakes took command of the Sunday morning game, manager Jeff Barbas seeming to have the right formula in his third year at the helm of the club. For the victors, Steve Furcher and Phil Prisby each scored thrice to lead a pack of other multiple plate crossing alumni: Tyler Roy, Bobby Cherry and Josh Carlucci.

For the Canefire, a shortage of players was the main issue. Starter Kamalani Manantan was hammered early, the Earthquakes' lead-off batter Tyler Roy doubling then scoring on Phil Prisby's single. A pair of wild pitches and costly walks quickly ran the score up to four, the contest effectively over before the first three outs had been booked.

Without Jorge Perez, surprisingly absent from the Canefire dugout, Kohala called upon Donovan Aiona in early relief. Normally a third baseman, Aiona has the arm strength to pitch. However, pitching is very different from throwing a ball across the diamond. All-in all, the transplanted third baseman he did pretty well, but his fielders let him down in a number of critical moments, as did the umpire (a least on one occasion, anyhow).

The Kohala team's defensive opportunities to end innings were squandered, and multiple runs were allowed to score instead. Down by more than ten runs, the Canefire could not take the game past the fifth inning. The final score was Earthquakes - 13, Canefire - 1.

The afternoon game was one to be remembered for a good, long time. It will likely be remembered as one of the most exciting games with one of the most bizarre finishes in league history. Chocked full of outstanding defensive fielding, close plays at the plate, lightning-speed base running, a crisp pick off of an unlikely candidate, and action galore, the ending of the game (a walk with the bases loaded) seemed somewhat anti-climatic.

The Black Sox took a well-earned 1-run lead into the last inning, but the Thunder had another roar to go. Drew Camacho, Larry Strozyk and Jon Vitale produced consecutive singles, but Camacho was thrown out at the plate in an exciting bang-bang play. Strozyk did score however, and the game was tied by the time the Sox retired their foe.

As such, the Thunder began preparing for overtime. Afterall, these two teams had gone 13 innings the previous time they met (in last year's Mauka division championship game). Why would anyone think that these two class-of-the-league teams might still not be so evenly matched?

Leading off the bottom half of the seventh for the Black Sox, Jason Cheyne delivered what proved to be the knockout punch - a wicked triple to right filed that took starting pitcher Jon Vitale out and changed the entire game plan for the Thunder. With nobody out and a baserunner at third, both the infield and outfiled needed to be drawn in.

Manager Shadow Diessner called on reliever Aaron Murphy to take on the unenviable task of intentionally walking sluggers Eduardo Andrews and Cameron Kawai. The strategy was to to load the bases, creating a force at every base. But in order for the strategy to work, the next batter would have to either put the ball into play or to strike out trying to do so.

Holden Pattengill refused to do either. Instead, he selectively fouled off unwanted deliveries, working the count to 3-and-2, then fouling off five additional pitches. Eventually, Murphy's arm fatiqued, and the dreaded ball four was tossed, this time NOT so intentionally.

A "walk-off" victory in the most literal sense is the final word on this thriller: Black Sox - 6, Thunder - 5.

                       W   L  G/B  
Earthquakes .........  2   0   -   
Shut-D Black Sox ....  2   0   -   
Mountain Thunder ....  1   1   1  
Kohala Canefire .....  0   2   2  
Island Tat Sharks ...  0   2   2

Thunder back to 500+ ball ... first time this year

The reigning league champion Thunder still finds itself looking up from the middle of the standings, same as last year. No worries, the players claim, citing the fact that they rose to the occasion last year in the playoffs and plan to do so again this year. Besides, it's early in the regular season, and they have still have a pair of shots at the league-leading Black Sox.

In the meanwhile, the Thunder almost looked past the Canefire Sunday morning, only to find that Kohala forgot that they were playing against the cream of the crop, the underdogs putting up a good fight. The final tally of 7-2 simply does not give justice to the much-closer feel of the contest. In fact, had it not been for a handful of plays where the wheels fell off of the defensive wagon for the Canefire, this headline just might be reading "upset".

New-to-the-league player Ben Swett took the mound for the Thunder and showed another facet of his athleticism, striking out five of eleven batters that he faced over three innings. During that time, his teammates provided him with a three-run cushion (credit Drew Camacho for offensive leadership), enough for Ben to pick up the win.

In this game, the Thunder made a bold move that almost backfired on the team. Fresh from being featured in a movie at the Big Island Film Festival, Ian Glass stood along the sidelines, not even dressed in uniform. Instead, manager Shadow Diessner elected to put Larry Strozyk on the mound, the very first pitching appearance in the utility-player's entire baseball career!

Everything consideed, Strozyk was pretty good. His delivery may have seemed awkward at first, but the pitches were close enough to the strike zone so as to prompt batters to put the ball in play. Granted, he did not have an array of pitches, so there was little need for a bunch of signs and hand signals. "Just pitch anything you want and I'll catch it" was the not-so-secretive communication from batterymate Jon Vitale.

Fortunately, Strozyk had a strong team of fielders backing him up, getting him through a few bouts of wildness, including multiple walks and hit batsmen. And despite the fact that he yielded a couple of runs, Larry earned a save for preserving a 3-0 lead.

The afternoon game turned out to be a 10-0 blowout for the Black Sox, administering a pounding in each and every inning that may prompt a change the opponent's logo from that of a great white shark to that of a hammer-head shark, or more appropriately a "hammered"-head shark.

With just about everbody on the roster present for the game (including a bunch of ex-Crush players), the Black Sox looked like 2+ teams, hardly a place for anyone to take a seat on the bench. Multiple plate crossings were lodged by Jason Cheyne, Kallen Hirashi and Avery Kagawa.

John Holley claimed his first victory for the Black Sox, while Lanson Paolo took the loss in his debut for the Sharks.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  3   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  2   0  0.5   
Mountain Thunder ...................  2   1   1  
Kohala Canefire ....................  0   3   3  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  0   3   3

Canefire outlasts Earthquakes' late rally

The Canefire took a seven-run lead into the fifth inning, and everyone on the Kohala team was getting that warm feeling that a shutout might be on tap. "But not so fast" was the response from a stunned group of Earthquake players, still deterimined to ignite the scoreboard before game's end. However, the old adage of "too-little, too-late" turned out to be their fate on this Sunday morning.

Timo Holschuh went the distance to pick up the victory for the Kohala Canefire, the final score being 7-5. Offensively, it was veterans Jose Luis Ibarra and Oscar Delgado leading by example to secure the Canefire's first win this season.

For the somewhat hapless Earthquakes, their entire reel of highlights is limited to just one inning - the fifth. Sensing that Holschuh was tiring (he threw a total of 119 piches in the game), the Earthquakes patiently awaited strikes to be delivered. Five walks and four base hits later, that strategy appeared to be paying off. By inning's end, four runs had scored, tightening the game immensely.

But the Candfire still had another pitcher left, youth player Devereaux Aiona. And that is all that the Canefire needed. The lanky highschooler calmly dealt with his opponents in the sixth inning, but not without incident. Still sparked by their strong fifth inning rally, the Earthquakes lauched the sixth with three back-to-back base hits.

Appearing dishoveled, Aiona then released an errant pitch that hit batsman Josh Carlucci to load the bases with nobody out. Interestingly, at the height of what appeared to be trouble, is where and when Aiona settled down. Relying on his fielders, he proceeded to retire the Earthquakes, 1-2-3 to quash the foes. And that was that.

In the afternoon of what proved to be a day of upsets, the bottom-of-the-pile Sharks shocked the sugar out of the coffee from up the mountain. Taking the lead in the third inning, the Sharks never looked back in this one, keeping ahead of the Thunder for the duration of the contest. Credit newly-recruited shortstop Klifford Hawkins for outstanding play, both defensively and offensivly.

Whether it was intuition, skill or just plain luck, manager Ray Uribes made a critical move in the fifth inning that turned out to be decision that may have saved the game for the Sharks. Starting pitcher Keefe Lerma had been all but unstoppable through four innings, but ran out of gas in the afternoon Kona sun.

Turning to reliever Dustin Lapinid, the Sharks were able to get out of the fifth, but ran into trouble again in the sixth. This is where the critical decision was made. Noting that his moundsman failed to deliver a 3-0 pitch anywhere near the strike zone, the skipper immediatly handed the ball over to Keegan Lerma, brother of the game's starter. That strategy definitely worked for the Sharks, the elder Lerma brother successful in snuffing out the Thunder in its last at-bat.

For Mountain Thunder, the 2010 season is not without its challenges. The league champion for three years in a row may not be the team that it used to be. Frustrations abound, especially when fielding mishaps extend innings, base-running mistakes kill rallies, and mental errors take their toll. Where is Andrew Emsley?

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  3   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  2   1   1   
Mountain Thunder ...................  2   2  1.5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  1   3  2.5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  1   3  2.5

Black Sox remain undefeated, overpower Thunder. 5-2

After a week of nursing physical injuries that were suffered on the field and a week of nursing emotionl injuries that were a result of dissention on the bench, Mountain Thunder arrived early Sunday morning, poised to take on the league-leading Black Sox. By contrast, their lofty opponents barely made it to the field on time, co-captains Atlee Riddle and Nick Hill scratching their heads in their attempt to field a full team by game time.

With Mike Sofranko back at the helm of Mountain Thunder, perhaps some perspective might be attained. It was beginning to be standard procedure for the Thunder to leave the field each Sunday with a victory, an "anticipation" that became an "expectation". However, Sofranko remembers what it was like to fall short in games (and wrestle with oh-so-long losing streaks), the skipper having lead the once-upon-a-time Canardlys from the depths of perennial basement dwellers to the heights of three-time league champs.

More reality set in as the Black Sox did manage to round up nine players. They then jumped out to a two-run lead in the second inning. Undaunted, the Thunder bounced back in its next at bat. Back-to-back base hits by Drew Camacho, Jon Vitale (a triple), and Dylan Bunnell produced a pair of runs to knot the score by the middle of the third inning. But that was the extent of the highlights for the Thunder in this game.

Black Sox starter Hopu Ahonima-Blanco was replaced by Cameron Kawai (the eventual game winner) who gave up only one base hit for the rest of the game. The frosting on the cake was the relief appearance by Clarence Alcoran who snuffed out any Thunderous ideas of a last-inning rally. Ian Glass was charged with the loss for Mountain Thunder, a rarity for the league's top pitcher of the 2008 season.

The victory solidifies the Black Sox position atop the league standings. At the start of the year, Mountain Thunder was expected to be the team that the Black Sox would be chasing. In actuality, the reverse has been the case this season. With two of the team's three head-to-head meetings now in the record books, the 2010 tie-breaker advantage has already been secured by the Sox, and a sweep of the Thunder is in reach.

In the noon game, Earthquakes' veteran (another word for "middled-aged") pitcher Steve Furchner started matters by mowing down youth player Klifford Hawkins on three straight pitches, a rare strike-out of the Sharks' star shortstop. But that auspicious opening seemed to spark the Sharks' bench, rather than quiet matters, prompting a barrage of base hits by Tanner Benbow (a double), Lanson Paolo (a triple), Ryan Landis and Kenny Benson.

Trailing by three runs, the Earthquakes answered back with three tallies of their own in the bottom of the first. Could this much action continue for each and every inning of a double header? If so, the players and fans would undoubtedly be exhausted by day's end.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, a different Earthquakes team came out defensively in the second inning, then again in the third inning, in the fourth, etc. In fact, Furchner yielded only two hits for the rest of the contest. Maintaining a modest pitch count, he proceeded to go the entire seven-inning distance to secure his second (and league-leading) win.

At three o'clock, these same two sides faced off once again, this time with the home/visitor sides reversed. And it turned out to be good luck for both home teams on this particular day. Maybe it was that home-town crowd!

In this multi-generational hardball league, the second game belonged to the fountain of youth, Klifford Hawkins going the distance for the Sharks to hand Jeff Barbas and his Earthquakes the loss.

In this, the "nightcap" of the double header, Hawkins did a good job offensively as well. He and teammate Ryan Landis lead the attack, each scoring twice. In fact, the Sharks almost broke the game wide open in the third inning when Tanner Benbow's line drive was snagged by shortstop Phil Prisby to end the inning and keep the ballgame within reach.

In the end, however, the Sharks had clearly demonstrated that they had control of the Earthquakes in this one. As a result, the Sharks climb out of the basement at the expense of the idle Canefire.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  4   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  3   2  1.5   
Mountain Thunder ...................  2   3  2.5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  2   4   3
Kohala Canefire ....................  1   3   3  

Black Sox shut Thunder out for sweep in season 2010

In a game originally scheduled for July 27th, the Black Sox took full advantage of this year's early-season opportunity to stamp its authority on reigning champion Mountain Thunder, capping matters with a shutout.

The highlight of the game was the mammoth home run by Cody Maeda, a blast that was drilled over the fence in right-center field. It was the first out-of-the-park roundtripper of the year for anyone in the league. Driving a baseball that far is an enormous feat, given the sea-level elevation of Simmons Field.

Returning player Kai Miller, recently back home from collegiate endeavors on the mainland, picked up the win for the Black Sox. Then, reliever Aaron Grant finished matters on the mound, completing the shutout by the final score of 8-0.

For the wavering Thunder, pitching ace Ian Glass took his second loss of the year. However a new ray of hope flickers for the discombobulated Thunder, as Larry Strozyk's relief appearance was once again, quite good. He may not have a vast array of pitches, but he gets the ball close enough to the strike zone to induce opposing batters to swing, then he lets his fielders take care of putting the baserunners out.

The Black Sox remain undefeated after facing two separate opponents on Sunday (a fluke in the schedule necessitated by the unavailability of Simmons Field during much of the month of July). "Don't make no matter none" seems to be the attitude of the Black Sox, forgiven for their grammatical faux pas.

Showing little sign of being tired, the Black Sox continued their winning ways in the noon game. And although Holden Pattengill was highly effective, his teammates failed to provide him with enough offensive support to secure the win. Instead, it was Hopu Ahonima-Blanco logging the "W".

Sandwiched between those two pitchers was a brief appearance by high school athlete Sterling Hettel. He displayed a surprisingly strong fastball, but the big boys of KonaBaseball.com showed Hettel little mercy on this day, promptly tagging him for a pair of scores. A walk and a hit batsman plagued the youth's debut on the mound, but it is all a part of the experience of multi-generational hardball. He will undoubtedly be better and more poised in his next outing.

For the Canefire, it was Timo Holschuh starring offensively and carrying the load defensively as well ... his dubious award being that of having an "L" added to his pitching stats. True to his character, Tim merely smiled at the 9-4 final score. On this day, the team also welcomed back veteran Guy Newbury who batted safely in the contest.

It was a seven-run rally in the third inning by the Earthquakes that spelled doom for Mountain Thunder in the three o'clock game Sunday afternoon.

Former youth players (now young adults) Tyler Roy and Pono Kadooka each scored twice to lead the Earthquakes in a key victory that solidified their second-place position in the KonaBaseball.com standings by day's end.

Mountain Thunder dug deep, but could not produce enough pitching for the multiple-game challenge that Sunday required. Similar to the Black Sox' decision to debut a youth pitcher in the noon game, the Thunder called upon newly-recruited Ian Stormont as their starter.

The neophite (who is visiting for the summer from Alaska) was reasonably effective, but yielded three runs in as many innings, enough for team manager Michael Sofranko to put a wrapper on the experiment. Using a quartet of moundsmen that included Larry Strozyk and Jon Vitale, it was Aaron Murphy who was eventually charged with the loss.

Despite their loss, the defensive highlight of the game for the Thunder was an outstanding catch by Victor Ibarra in the sixth inning, keeping the game within reach, having dived to grab a blistering line drive off the bat of Josh Carlucci.

Phil Prisby went the distance for the Earthquakes to pick up his second win of the season against no defeats, his pitching statistics now sitting alongside those belonging to the other league leaders.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  6   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  4   2   2   
Island Tat Sharks ..................  2   4   4
Mountain Thunder ...................  2   5  4.5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  1   4  4.5  

Earthquakes shake up Sox ... maybe too much

The Earthquakes took the task right up to the loftier and undefeated Black Sox Sunday morning and looked to be the goods midway through the contest. However, a nightmare of a sixth inning spelled their doom as the Black Sox began rumbling the Richter scale themselves ... seven times to be precise.

Earthquakes starter Steve Furchner was strong on the mound, nursing a modest lead that began to diminish as the game progressed, eventually turning into a modest deficit by end of the fifth inning. Accordingly, the workhorse for the team was tagged with the loss.

For the victorious Black Sox, it was Cameron Kawai picking up the win with 10 strikeouts of opposing batters. Offensively, Eduardo Andrews led all scorers with three tallies for the Black Sox. Also responsible for multiple plate crossings were the Sox' Kallen Hirashi and Cody Maeda (Sterling Hettle coming home in a pinch-runner role).

The final score of 13-5 does not fairly represent the overall game, but most definitely points to a recurring issue that the Earthquakes have wrestled with over the last couple of seasons - one inning that totally gets out of hand for them, spoiling an otherwise great game.

The luncheon menu was roasted shark in the afternoon game, cooked to sweet perfection over a canefire.

In reality, both teams should have been hungry for the win, yet neither squad was able to take command over the other until the very end ... in extra innings. Knotted at two runs apiece throughout most of the game, each team scored two runs in the late innings to send it into a 4-4 overtime (a KonaBaseball.com game is normally even innings).

Finally, Jorge Perez banged a base hit in the top of the ninth inning to bring Oscar Degado, Sr. home with the winning score. Timo Holschuh gets credit for the win for Kohala, while Klifford Hawkins is charged with the Sharks' loss, despite his strong, 111-pitch appearance. Fortunately, he had some cloud cover in Kailua-Kona on this afternoon.

It was anyone's game, but in the late innings, the Sharks made a number of bad baserunning decisions and squandered a golden opportunity when an ill-advised bunt was attempted with runners on both second and third bases, with two outs. In the very next inning, the Canefire took advantage of that mistake, and the game was over.

The win hoists the Canefire from the bottom of the standings to a respectable third place on the laddar. By contrast, the reigning champion Mountain Thunder team, idle on Sunday, has now slipped into the basement.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  7   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  4   3   3   
Kohala Canefire ....................  2   4  4.5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  2   5   5
Mountain Thunder ...................  2   5   5  

Thunder swipes back at Canefire, 10-2

In a rare appearance as a starting pitcher, Oscar Degado, Sr. was tagged with the loss for Kohala. The Canefire was never in this one, scrambling at game time to see which player would play which position. With no starters available, the afore-mentioned veteran utility player drew the short straw.

Of course, the Black Sox would never admit that the Sharks gave the Sox a run for their money in the noon game Sunday. League home-run leader Cody Maeda recognized that the Sharks "might" have been able to pull the game out, given some additional luck. The slugger reported that he is getting tired of the same old story week after week ... the one that reports how the Black Sox crush each and every opponent.

Despite the slimmest of margins (the final score being 4-3), even this game may have been more in hand than the score indicates. Kai Miller earned the victory with Hopu Ahonima-Blanco logging a save. Evan Moniz took the loss for the Sharks.

Across the diamond, the Black Sox were busy sharpening their swords during the lunch break between games. The depth of the Black Sox squad was advanced even further when it was announced that Ikaika Baptista was joining the team and would pitch in the late game.

While this addition to the roster meant very little to most of the Sharks (neophites to KonaBaseball.com since the days when Baptista dominated the league), Tanner Benbow knew what he and his teammates had in store for them.

In 2007, a 15-year-old Benbow had his own boy-becomes-a-man day as a catcher for the Kona Crush, calling signals (generally, pitch #1) in a game that featured a trio of fastballers (Ikaika Baptista, Cameron Kawai and Eduardo Andrews) that put a enormous welt on Benbow's left palm, while forever redefining the word "ouch" for the young man.

In this game however, Tanner Benbow was wearing the opposite team's jersey, and only had to face Baptista from the batter's box. The result was a strike out, and Benbow made no comment as to which situation felt worse.

The Black Sox' starter Mike Oshita earned the win with Ikaika Baptista taking credit for the save as the "pitcher of effort" with three perfect innings. A hold was also credited to Cameron Kawai who struck out the side in both of the last two innings, 1-2-3.

On the day, Jason Cheyne eclipsed all scorers to lead the Black Sox offensively in their double-dip triumph.

Oh, and by the way, Cody Maeda's request goes unfulfilled. The story is the same as the Black Sox continue to crush each and every opponent. And along those same lines, the word is out that rock and roll is here to stay. So roll over, Beethoven, and tell Tchaikovsky the news.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  9   0   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  4   3   4   
Mountain Thunder ...................  3   5  5.5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  2   5   6  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  2   7   7

Black Sox play a game of crazy-eights, get trumpted by Canefire

For the victorious Canefire, the offensive punch came primarily from the lower half of its batting order. Multiple plate crossings were regular occurrances for the Canefire, thanks to the bats of Teao Buchler, Guy Newbury, Devin Chong, and Milo Blain. And in true multi-generational hardball style, veteran (yet rookie) Warren Chong appeared in a platooning role to also score.

Smiling Tim Holschuh finally had a good reason to smile, pocketing the win with a dominating performance atop the mound. In fact, the only Black Sox batter who faired well against the righthander was Sam Hori.

For the Black Sox, the pitching duties were passed around the dugout like a hot potato. Without a pitcher on the bench, a handful of utility infielders and a catcher took turns on the mound, with starter Holden Pattengill taking the loss.

All jokers seeming to have gone wild this weekend, the kings of clubs showed little heart, and there were no jacks for the Black Sox in this game.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  9   1   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  4   3  3.5   
Mountain Thunder ...................  3   5   5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  3   5   5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  2   7  6.5

Sharks end Canefire's brief euphoria

In the pitching debut of youth player Teao Buchler, the defensive support was disappointing, to say the least. The young pitcher deserved a 1-2-3 inning, or close to it. Instead, a series of fielding errors put him on the wrong end of a five-run margin by the end of the first frame.

Kliff Hawkins went the distance for the victorious Sharks, making the most of a scant 66 pitches, to pick up the win. Alex Akau eclipsed all scorers with three plate crossings. Also highly effective offensively for the Sharks was Evan Lakin.

Regardless of the fact that the players and fans were forced to settle for only one game on this afternoon; everybody got his money's worth. It was one of the most entertaining contests of the year. Tied at 4-4 and again at 5-5, in the end the Earthquakes prevailed over the Thunder by the score of 8-6.

Starters Jon Vitale for the Thunder and Steve Furchner for the Earthquakes both perservered seven innings, but it was Phil Prisby eventually receiving credit for the win at the expense of Larry Strozyk.

In reality, the Earthquakes appeared to be the better team all game, but squandered opportunities to take control of the scoreboard on a number of occassions, regularly stranding runners in scoring position at inning's end.

With the win, the Earthquakes have secured the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Thunder. The two squads will make up the postponed game on August 8th. Undoubtedly, the Earthquakes will be looking for a sweep against the Thunder in 2010. Who would have ever imagined that? ... Jeff Barbas, the Earthquakes' manager, that's who.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ...................  9   1   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  5   3   3   
Mountain Thunder ...................  3   6  5.5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  3   6  5.5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  3   7   6

Games designated for days #12 and #13 were rescheduled.

Canefire Kwiats Sharks, 5-4

Perhaps the most disappointed player on the field was Sharks' starter Keegan Lerma who hurled six innings, leaving the mound with a 4-2 lead, yet ending up with no decision. On a relatively cool day and one in which the moundsman has a modest pitch count of only 79, it was a surprise when a reliever appeared on the mound for the final inning of the game.

That decision seemed to be the mistake of the day, a mistake that might seal the Sharks' fate for a bottom-of-the laddar finish this season. The Canefire immediately showed that they had Lakin's number, so the Sharks' starting pitcher's brother Keefe Lerma was called upon to eventually retire the team from Kohala. But, the damage already had been done.

Let's also give credit to Holden Pattengill for his on-the-diamond leadership and pitch-calling, Ahonima-Blanco rarely shaking off a sign flashed by the youthful catcher. And let it be known that Cameron Kawai went 4-for-4, including a pair of doubles, while setting a league record of four runs scored by one player in a five-inning game.

Beauty, however is a matter of opinion. From the point of view of the Earthquakes, this game was far from beautiful. In fact, it was downright ugly. Trying to look on the bright side, one must realize that beauty is only skin deep. But this game was so ugly, it was ugly to the bone, the mercy rule finally ending manager Jeff Barbas' misery. Among the lowlights, Bobby Cherry set a league record for four consecutive fielding errors by a shortstop.

Nevertheless, the Earthquakes maintain their respectable position of second place, with a game and a half lead over the Canefire (whom they meet in the last game of the season) and only three games left on the docket ... one of them is against the Black Sox.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ................... 10   1   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  5   4   4   
Kohala Canefire ....................  4   6  5.5  
Mountain Thunder ...................  3   6   6  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  3   8   7

Earthquakes capture white flag from Black Sox

Jon Vitale scored three runs, with teammates Drew Camacho, Aaron Murphy and Dylan Bunnell each crossing home plate twice. On the hill in the late innings when his team's bats got hot, it was that same Aaron Murphy claiming the pitching victory.

Across the diamond, the loss was the second such statistic for Timo Holshuh the pitcher in league with the most wins (4).

For the Earthqaukes, matters could have been even worse. They too had a game scheduled for early in the day with a 3-hour layoff between contests. However, their reprieve was the fact that the Black Sox rolled over to them at nine o'clock. Accordingly, the Earthquakes had a 3-inning intersquad game that was essentially batting practice in preparation for the three o'clock game.

The Earthquakes took early control, scoring in each of their first two at bats. Starting pitcher Phil Prisby yielded three runs to Mountain Thunder in the third inning, but still maintained a modest lead. However, he could not get through the fourth inning, reliever Steve Furchner called upon to snuff out what turned out to be another 3-run rally. The Earthquakes' lead was suddenly gone.

Prisby was taken off the hook when his team scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of that same fourth inning to tie the score. Then, in the sixth inning, the game-winning base hit was produced by Drew Camacho, plating Pedro Escobar for Mountain Thunder's 7-6 victory.

Larry Strozyk grabbed the win for Mountain Thunder with Jon Vitale getting a save. And despite a strong outing, Furcher was charged with the disappointing loss for the Earthquakes.

                                      W   L  G/B  
Shut-D Black Sox ................... 10   2   -   
Kokonuts Bar & Grill Earthquakes ...  6   5  3.5   
Mountain Thunder ...................  5   6  4.5  
Kohala Canefire ....................  4   7  5.5  
Island Tat Sharks ..................  3   8  6.5

Sharks end regular season on upbeat, 3-2

After three seasons in the KonaBaseball.com League, the youth player (now a young adult) will be moving forward with his enlistment in the United States Marines. Everyone in the league wishes him well, and those who know him recognize the sportsmanship and character that he has displayed both on and off the field. America will undoubtedly be proud to have Tanner Benbow as a Marine. But first, they will need to give him a haircut.

Offensively, it was Kenny Benson eclipsing all players on the field with a pair of runs scored, including what turned out to be the game winner. In addition, Ryan Landis and Dustin Lapinid each produced a pair of base hits.

For Mountain Thunder, another junk-baller pitcher Ian Glass also went the full seven innings of this ball game, a strong performance that unfittingly caused him to notch his third loss of the season. The Glassman's winless record of 2010 illustrates the disappointing regular season for Mountain Thunder, a team that once again failed to provide enough offensive support.

This time, the reigning champs could not sustain a sixth-inning rally that began with lead-off singles by Drew Camacho and Larry Strozyk, each of whom came in to score on Jon Vitale's double. But that is where Mountain Thunder's threat ended when, only a moment later, Vitale got picked off. With the bases empty, Lerma was able to relax and buckle down to retire the side. He then proceeded to put down the opponents, 1-2-3, in the seventh inning.

Manager Ray Uribes was pleased with the win, especially in view of the fact that barely nine players made it to the field for the start of the game. However, they played quite well, even though some of the Sharks were feeling the morning-after effects of their participation in teammate Mike West's (understandably AWOL on this morning) bachelor party Saturday night.

The victory temporarily moved the Sharks into a position for a potential fourth place tie with the Canefire, a hope that was dashed by day's end when the Canefire beat the Earthquakes. It made little matter however, since the Canefire holds the head-to-head tie-breaker against the Sharks.

For the Canefire, Tim Holchuh's bat was hot all game, he and his teammates dominting throughout the suddenly-shortened contest. Just about everyone touched his toe on home plate in the third inning, except Jason Kwiat ... go figure! And it was veteran pitcher Jorge Perez earning the victory for North Kohala.

An injury suffered by Josh Carlucci reduced the nine-member Earthquakes team to eight players, and Steve Furchner's need to leave the field for personal reasons further reduced the on-field roster to seven, below the minimum under league rules. The final score is booked at 14-0. Ten runs are booked as scored plus one per inning for the remainder of the game as penalty for the mid-game forfeit.

The result of the loss for the Earthquakes turned out to be nil. Similarly, the victory for the Canefire had no effect on the final end-of-the-season standings. While the win hoisted North Kohala into a tie with Mountain Thunder for third place, the head-to-head tie breaker belongs to Mountain Thunder, who swept the Canefire this year.

2010 Regular Season Pitching Records

Cameron Kawai, Black Sox ___________ 3-0 (1 hold)
Hopu Ahonima-Blanco, Black Sox _____ 2-0 (1 save)
Kai Miller, Black Sox ______________ 2-0
Keefe Lerma, Sharks ________________ 2-0
Eduardo Andrews, Black Sox _________ 1-0 (1 save)
Shadow Diessner, Thunder ___________ 1-0
Ben Swett, Thunder _________________ 1-0
John Holley, Black Sox _____________ 1-0
Mike Oshita, Black Sox _____________ 1-0
Jorge Perez, Canefire ______________ 1-0
Aaron Grant, Black Sox _____________ 0-0 (1 save) (1 hold)
Devereaux Aiona, Canefire __________ 0-0 (1 save)
Clarence Alcoran, Black Sox ________ 0-0 (1 save)
Pedro Escobar, Thunder _____________ 0-0 (1 save)
Ikaika Baptista, Black Sox _________ 0-0 (1 save)
Phil Prisby, Earthquakes ___________ 3-1
Larry Strozyk, Thunder _____________ 2-1 (1 save)
Timo Holschuh, Canefire ____________ 4-2
Klifford Hawkins, Sharks ___________ 2-1
Steve Furchner, Earthquakes ________ 2-3
Aaron Murphy, Thunder ______________ 1-2
Jon Vitale, Thunder ________________ 0-1 (1 save)
Jason Hurst, Earthquakes ___________ 0-1 (1 hold)
Jeff Barbas, Earthquakes ___________ 0-1 
Oscar Delgado, Sr., Canefire _______ 0-1
Holden Pattengill. Black Sox _______ 0-1
Teao Buchler, Canefire _____________ 0-1
Keegan Lerma, Sharks _______________ 0-2 (1 save)
Evan Moniz, Sharks _________________ 0-2
Ian Glass, Thunder _________________ 0-3
Lanson Paolo, Sharks _______________ 0-3
Kamalani Manantan, Canefire ________ 0-3

Sharks apparently "poisoned" by wedding cake

The forfeit is recorded as a 7-0 victory for the Earthquakes who now enjoy a bye this next weekend. Undoubtedly, they will be watching the action in the winners' bracket to size up their next opponent. For the Sharks, an elimination game is their fate next Sunday afternoon in the losers' bracket.

Jon Vitale picked up the well-deserved win, hurling 91 pitches over six innings. Turning the ball over to reliever Aaron Murphy, the three-run lead was quite comfortable, allowing the Murphy to record the save without having to deal with much pressure.

The loss was charged to Jason Kwiat, the late-season sensation for the Canefire who got tagged in the second inning of this, his pitching debut. In relief, Timo Holschuh was able to keep his team in the game, pitching scoreless ball for the duration of the contest. However, the damage had already been done.

Offensively lead by Drew Camacho, the Thunder appeared to be the goods throughout the game, but the Canefire had its chances in the late innings. Unfortunately, a pair of base-running mistakes cost Kohala dearly, erasing the team's chances to close the gap.

The victory keeps Mountain Thunder in the winners' bracket of the playoffs where they face the regular-season champion Black Sox team next Sunday morning. The loss sends the Canefire into an elimination contest with the Sharks later that same day.

Most valuable player voting completed

Other players receiving votes included (in random order) Donovan Aiona, Steve Furchner, Cameron Kawai, Hopu Ahonima-Blanco, Teaotai Buehler, Jon Vitale and Josh Carlucci.

In team MVP voting, the results are as follows:

Black Sox: Cameron Kawai

Earthquakes: Josh Carlucci

Thunder: Drew Camacho

Canefire: Jose Luis Ibarra

Sharks: Mike West

Awards will be presented at the annual end-of-the-season activities and all-star game, scheduled for October 3rd. Those events may possibly be accelerated to September 25th, pending the outcome of the September 18th playoff game.

It was a frustrating day for the quad of Mountain Thunder pitchers Ian Glass, Larry Strozyk, Aaron Murphy and Jon Vitale who sought, but seemed unable to find, consistency in this game. In the end, it probably did not matter. The strength of Black Sox's starter, and the depth of the pitching staff allowed co-captain Atlee Riddle to call upon Eduardo Andrews to close matters, 1-2-3 in the seventh inning after Kawai's pitch count crossed the 100 mark.

For the Black Sox, the victory sets up their hosting of the Earthquakes next week. For Mountain Thunder, a second chance remains. They have to chalk this one up to the old saying that, in life it really doesn't matter whether you win or lose. What matters is how you look while you're doing your best to accommodate everyone else's playing of the game. And on some days, we look better than on others.

The difference in this game was definitely the outstanding performance by Sharks' pitcher Keegan Lerma, going the distance for the win against a foursome of moundsmen for the Canefire, starter Kamalani Manantan charged with the loss.

For the Sharks, Ryan Landis lead all scorers with three plate crossings. Also, credit goes to Carl Kimura for crisp defensive play all game, including a pair of putouts and an assist in the same inning, effectively retiring the side almost single-handedly.

The Sharks now look ahead to their next do-or-die contest, a matchup against Mountain Thunder.

Earthquakes rattle Black Sox, 5-3, to punch their green ticket to championship game