* Senior League
*
Stebbrook Healthland, with a new
sponsor, manager and coach, toppled the Brookline Lions with a sweep of
the scheduled best-of-three championship series. The Lions were the
defending champions, winning the Senior pennant in 1971 and
1972.
Surprising development of a
pitching staff and bench depth were the key factors as Healthland, off to
a slow start in the first half, came on strong to tie Denmarks for the
second half title and then bounced the Amazin' Milts, 7-2 in a
playoff.
Neither of the Senior championship
combatants figured in the pre-season picture, but they consistently
battled off the "on-paper" contenders to reach the final
series.
The Stebbrook Healthland Vitamin
Kids, managed by Danny McGibbeny and coached by Edward "Knobby" Walsh,
outslugged the Lions, piloted by George "Bud" Vietmeier and coached by
Kurt Vietmeier, in the opener in which nine home runs were hit, 5 by the
winners and 4, including 3 by Bobby "Mad Russian" Dimitroff, by the
losers.
"If I had to single out one player
who gave us the lift it would be Rick Atkinson," SH manager McGibbeny
said in appraising the run to the pennant. "I expected Lou Benvenuti and
Greg Phillips to have excellent batting and fielding years. And another
lift came from Danny Kadar, a 14-year old catcher who had to be the best
in the league, with the bat as well as the glove."
"Drew Ondik at second and Rege
Carver at third helped glue together a tight infield. Bobby McNeill, our
first baseman, also came up with big hits, the long ball when we needed
it."
Healthland will lose 5 players
from the championship team - Bobby Anderson, who slugged a long home run
to clinch the second game; Atkinson, Benvenuti, McNeill and Phillips -
but McGibbeny says he will have the nucleus for another spirited
contender next year.
"Returning will be Ondik and
Carver, along with Kevin "The Penguin" A'Hearn and Timmy Evans, to give
us tough pitching. Ondik will be 15 and the other three will be only 14.
Also, we may use Kadar as a pitcher when he isn't behind the plate.
Johnny "Paesano" Romano will be able to catch."
"And we have Rick O'Patchen, who
hit a big three-run homer for us in the first championship game; Danny
O'Brien, Pat Ault and one of the most surprising clutch players we
drafted this year, Bobby Hurley."
"These are the kids who had the
spirit that lifted our five veterans to that extra effort and made the
championship possible. Great kids along with my coach, "Knobby" Walsh,
made my job a soft touch."
FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME - The
sluggers had their night and Stebbrook Healthland had just a bit more
power in toppling the Lions, 10-6. Greg Phillips smashed two solo
homers, Rick Atkinson connected with the sacks empty, Bobby McNeill
slammed a two-run job and Rick O'Patchen unloaded with two on for the
Vitamin Kids. That overshadowed one of the greatest individual slugging
jobs in Senior history as Bobby "Mad Russian" Dimitroff hammered 3
homers and just missed a 4th as the ball hit high on the left-center
fence. Ray Homer also homered for the Lions. Phillips and Drew Ondik
stroked two hits each for SH. Other big hitters for the winners: Rege
Carver, Bobby Anderson and Kevin "The Penguin" A'Hearn, who dumped a
bunt safely to start a rally which gave SH a 10-2 lead. Kevin
O'Rourke doubled for the Lions. Louie Benvenuti fanned seven and
registered his 5th pitching victory. Jerry Cicchitto, who wiffed 12, was
the loser.
SECOND
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - Rick
Atkinson was tough in the clutch as he twirled a 3-hitter and got the
winning lift on Bobby Anderson's tremendous two-run homer, which landed
in the vicinity of Brookline Boulevard, as Stebbrook Healthland clinched
the 1973 Senior pennant with a 6-2 victory. Rich Very, who chucked a
5-hitter, was a hard luck loser. Louie Benvenuti doubled and Drew Ondik
reached first base three times, on a single, an error and a walk. The
three singles off Atkinson were hit by Mike Naumann, Bobby Dimitroff and
Ray Homer.
* Reprinted from The Brookline Journal -
August 9, 1973 *
1973 Senior League Champs - Stebbrook
Healthland
Front
Row: Drew Ondik, Danny
Kadar, Bobby Hurley, Rick O'Patchen, Timmy Evans, Kevin A'Hearn, Rege
Carver, Greg Phillips.
Standing: Manager Danny McGibbeny, John Romano, Louie Benvenuti, Rick
Atkinson, Bobby Anderson, Bobby McNeill, Coach Edward "Knobby"
Walsh.
Missing: Danny O'Brien and Pat Ault
* Photo reprinted
from The Brookline Journal *
* Little League
*
It was a long time coming but
Manager Ang Masullo's Legion Italian Battalion finally made it
to the top of the Brookline Little League
Two years ago the Italian
Battalion was equipped with backup lights every time Manager Masullo
ordered an attack. Legion finished that 1971 season with a 3-17
record.
In 1972, there was marked
improvement as the Italian Battalion quit retreating and started moving
forward.
This year it was a struggle, with
Tony's Barber Shop applying most of the heat. But in the end the Italian
Battalion clipped Tony's to size, sweeping the Barbers in two games of
the best-of-three championship series, 16-5 and 8-2.
Asked who provided the spark,
Manager Masullo displayed a modest approach, saying merely: "Give the
credit to Mr. Lee and Mr. Rossi."
Legion won the second-half
pennant, despite a close battle with Brookline Pharmacy, Quaill's
Cleaners and Tony's. That trio finished with 6-4 records, a game off
Legion's 7-3 pace.
Legion, which avoided the
rainmaker in a sodden first half, completed its schedule at 7-3 and sat
back to await Tony's, loaded down with three rainouts. Tony's, managed by
Pat Fagan and coached by Rich Anderson, won all three and then belted
Legion in a playoff for the first half, 9-5.
However, they won that one with
Masullo and his long-drink-of-water sidekick, Rossi, relaxing at Virginia
Beach.
Bruce Buskirk and Jeff Norris
swatted home run bombs to beat Johnny Lee in that playoff.
But Young Master Lee was to have
his revenge after his generals returned from their vacation
sojourn.
The Italian Battalion poured it on
in the first championship game to win going away.
After Buskirk poked another long
home run to give Tony's a 1-0 advantage in the second game, Johnny went
to work. He swatted two doubles and a single in three trips to drive in
three runs and Mark Lamonde, with excellent support from the bleachers,
drove in four more on three singles in four trips. Lamonde's dad vocally
beamed.
Mark Sciulli, who played
brilliantly at shortstop, in the absence of Jungle Jim DelGreco, also
rapped a pair of hits.
Meanwhile, Johnny Lee was chucking
a four-hitter and striking out eight to finish the season as the LL's top
pitcher with a 9-2 record. Johnny O'Toole, who had beaten Lee in a slab
duel for the first-half title, was the loser and completed the season at
8-3, a top achievement for an 11-year old.
Brian McLaughlin, with two
singles; Buskirk, who blasted his 4th homer, and Shawn Sherry, with a
single, accounted for the four hits off Lee.
Legion has now had its innings.
Five other LL rivals are waiting for next season.
* Reprinted from The Brookline Journal -
August 16, 1973 *
1973 Little League Champs - American
Legion
Front
Row: Anthony Ciaramella,
Jake Zucco, Kevin Price, Keith Sciulli, Scott Smith, David Williams,
Kerwin O'Rourke, Pat Kelly.
Standing: Coach Nick Rossi, Johnny Lee, Mark Lamonde, Jimmy DelGreco,
Ray Benvenuti, Mark Sciulli, Dino DelMastro, Carmen Tripodi, Coach
Angelo Masullo Sr.
* Photo provided
by Angelo Masullo Sr. *
1973 Minor League Champs - McGee's
Front
Row: UNKNOWN, Mike
Morgan, Jerry Lubic, UNKNOWN, Jim McGee (batboy), Ron Nolla, Paul
Stewart, Mark Roper, UNKNOWN.
Standing: Coach Ben Hartman, Dave Manko, Jim Marshall, Kinsworthy,
Kieffer, UNKNOWN, Fred Hartman, Anthony Esposito, Manager Jack
McGee.
Click on image
for a larger picture.
* Photo provided by
Joe McGee * |