BY ADAM RONIS
What a way to open the league season for Kellenberg and St. Anthony's. The teams will play at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, the home of the Staten Island Yankees, on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the CHSAA opener for both teams.
Massapequa 8, Seaford 1. - Both Massapequa and Seaford sent their primetime pitchers to the mound today in what everyone expected to be an old-fashioned pitching duel. Instead, Seaford's Sean Nolin, arguably the best pitcher in Nassau, got lit up for seven runs, six of them earned, in 5-plus innings of work.
Nolin, though, probably pitched better than his line indicates. He ran to early trouble in the first and gave up three runs before regrouping and allowing no earned runs until a shaky sixth inning. Then, clearly running out of gas, the pitcher allowed a run to score on two hits and a walk before coach Mike Milano pulled the plug. It proved to be too little, too late, when the very next batter, Mike Hennessey, hit an inside-the-park home run to score three.
And in case anyone was wondering, Massapequa looks just as good as all their championship hardware would suggest. Coach Tom Sheedy said, before the season, that he really didn't have any big standout bats, but he might've been understating the case a bit. Hennessey and Mike Mandarino both made a mark - each contributing a home run. Travis Locascio also had two RBIs.
The real revelation, though, was on the mound. Mandarino looked solid, despite running into a little late-inning trouble in the fifth. He shut Seaford out through five and, though he wasn't overpowering, he was able to jam Seaford's lefties inside with what looked to be a good cut fastball. (Interesting note, of Mandarino's seven strikeouts, six were swinging third strikes.) Righties, meanwhile, had trouble adjusting to his soft stuff outside. He had good control all around and didn't fall behind in the count until the top of the fourth. That inning was also, incidentally, the first time Seaford was able to elevate the ball past the infield (a fly ball to right field).
The final lines:
WP: Mandarino: 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB.
LP: Nolin: 5 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 1 BB.
BY ADAM RONIS
Two of the best pitchers on Long Island hooked up today and neither disappointed. Patchogue-Medford righthander Marcus Stroman and Islip righthander Robert Rogers have contrasting styles, but both work.
Stroman has an overpowering fastball, while Rogers is more of a groundball pitcher. Stroman went five innings, allowed one hit, walked one and struck out nine in a 2-0 win at home in non-league against the defending Class A state champions. Rogers went the distance allowing two hits, two walks and struck out three.
Dom Dipresso hit a two-run homer to leftfield in the bottom of the fourth for the only runs of the game. Rogers induced 15 ground ball outs.
Meanwhile, Stroman relied on the heater. He said he hopes to lower his pitch count more this season and not always look for the strikeout, but when the other team can't catch up to the fastball, that's just the way it is.
PM has lost in the county championship the last two seasons. With most of the team back, the Raiders hope to make it back and win this time. Islip has the majority of its team back, including its top three starting pitchers.
Islip will host Bellport on Saturday at 2 p.m. The alumni game will start at 10 a.m. followed by the ring ceremony. For more on the Islip-PM game, check tomorrow's Newsday for the story.
BY ADAM RONIS
The good thing about non-league play is matchup such as the one that will take place Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. when Patchogue-Medford hosts Islip. Patchogue-Medford will be a contender for the Suffolk Class AA championship. PM is scheduled to send talented righthander Marcus Stroman to the mound. Any time he pitches, you don't want to miss it.
Islip is the defending Class A state champions and returns almost its entire team, including its top three starters: Chris Burke, Robert Rogers and Eddie Macaluso. Islip has been a team to start slow the past few seasons. Even last season, Islip began 3-6. Talking to some Islip players, they made it clear they don't want to continue the troubling trend. It starts this afternoon.
So let's say it's early March: basketball is still wrapping up and you, a Conference ABC VII baseball coach, have the entire season ahead of you. No pitches have been thrown and there are no irate parents banging down your door because [insert child here] hasn't gotten any playing time. It's a new year and a clean slate and really, things couldn't be better.
Well, not exactly. Turns out, you've had a few rough seasons and, though you've improved, your chances of making it to the postseason are, how do we say this delicately, non-existent. It's got nothing to do with your lineup or your pitching staff or any of that good stuff, but with a little thing we like to call ability-based grouping.
See, the people calling the shots in Nassau have decided to fashion the postseason like a sixth-grade kickball game. You fasten down the best guys (Massapequa, et al.) for your first dozen or so spots and let everybody else fight for whatever is left. If you're team ABC VII, things are not looking good. Because of ability-based grouping, there's no guarantee that anybody in that division gets a chance at the big guys - not even the leader.
Continue reading "Go To the Postseason, Go Directly to the Postseason..." »
Stephen Haynes is a Bronx resident and Brooklyn College student who grew up following New York sports. A New Yorker through and through, except he was born in Jamaica. Haynes, a former Newsday intern, has served as sports and managing news editor for the BC Kingsman, freelanced for local Bronx papers and written for several sports Web sites.
Marcus Henry began working for Newsday’s city edition in April 2003. He’s been a part of the Newsday high school/local college sports desk since then, covering both Long Island and New York City high schools. He has also covered the WNBA’s New York Liberty the past two seasons. Prior to coming to Newsday he spent four years working for PA SportsTicker, a real time sports newswire service. Marcus has also freelanced for the New York Amsterdam News, College and Pro Football Weekly, and the National Sports Weekly. In addition to his work on the local desk, Marcus is also a huge boxing fan. He has covered several fights for Newsday, including the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather fight and the recent Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley battle.
Darren Sands was born in Manhasset, but moved to Boston at age 10. And yes, he is a Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics fan. Sands, 23, has been with Newsday since March 2007. He attended Hofstra where he worked for the student newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle. Sands moved back to Boston where he wrote for the Boston Globe's City Weekly section, and served a brief stint as a weekend news assistant on the city desk. When Sands isn't writing, reading, or hopelessly trying to lower his handicap, he catches up with friends and family, and plays tennis with the good folks at the tennis courts on 151st and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. He resides in Harlem and, thanks to his girlfriend, is an adopted member of the Hokie Nation.
Joseph Staszewski is a 23-year-old graduate of St. Francis Prep High School. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from St. John's University. While at St. John's, Staszewski held the position of sports editor and managing editor during his four years working at The Torch, the school's award-winning student newspaper. The Middle Village resident has also freelanced for the Queens Ledger, TimesLedger and Long Island Herald newspapers. Starting his second year at Newsday, Staszewski is a die-hard Mets and Jets fan, and a former high school basketball player and assistant coach.
Marc Jimenez was born and raised in the Bronx, graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and decided to try his hand at sportswriting in the fall of 2005. He covered high school and college sports for the Riverdale Press for six months and was a contributor to MLB.com for 18 months before joining Newsday in September 2007. Marc’s favorite sports moment was when the Yankees clinched the 1996 World Series.
Adam Ronis covers mostly high school and college sports, and some professional sports. He has worked at Newsday for six years covering Long Island and city high schools. He also worked at the Boca Raton News. Ronis, 29, is a fantasy sports guru and holds numerous championships in baseball, football, and basketball. He is a fan of the Mets, Dallas Cowboys, and Rangers. Ronis is a softball nut, playing on several teams. He is from Flushing and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and a minor in Journalism from Queens College.
Chris Mascaro, 23, joined Newsday as a sportswriter in November 2007. He graduated from Cornell University in 2006, where he worked for The Cornell Daily Sun. He served as sports editor of The Sun as a junior. He also covered Cornell's football team, as well as its nationally-ranked men's hockey and men's lacrosse teams. He wrote a bi-weekly column titled "He May Be Tall," which hit on national topics in addition to Cornell-related material. After graduation, he worked as a sportswriter for The Southampton Press, covering numerous varsity teams on the East End, the Moriches, and William Floyd.
Alex Labidou joined Newsday as a sportswriter in October 2007. Labidou, 24, is a graduate of Pace University with a B.A. in English. After graduating, he joined the National Basketball Association where he was an editorial assistant handling web editing and covering various NBA events. He is a New York City native. Labidou has also been a production intern at ABC News Magazines (Primetime and 20&20) and a contributor to VIBE, HoopsHype and the upcoming SET magazine. He is an avid Knicks, Yankees and Jets fan.
Roderick Boone is a native Long Islander. He graduated from Uniondale High School in 1993 and received his degree in mass communications from Auburn University Montgomery. He began his career as a correspondent at the Montgomery Advertiser before spending time at the Elmira Star-Gazette, Poughkeepsie Journal, and The Journal News. He's covered a wide variety of sports in his career, ranging from high schools to the pros. But his true love lies with basketball.
Gregg Sarra, 46, has worked at Newsday for the past 21 years. He has won numerous sportswriting awards and been cited by various officials and coaches associations for his reporting. He was voted the New York High School Sportswriter of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He is a member of the Dowling College athletic Hall of Fame, the Men's Senior Baseball Hall of Fame and the Long Island Flag Football Hall of Fame for his many successes on a national level on the diamond and the gridiron.
Kimberley A. Martin spent the past year working as a local sports reporter at The Record (Hackensack, N.J.), covering everything from high school fencing to The New York City marathon to New York Jets practice. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2003 and her master's from Syracuse University in 2006. Prior to grad school, she worked at an investment management firm in Midtown Manhattan. Kimberley is also a native New Yorker and a huge Yankees fan.
Laura Albanese started at Newsday as a news intern in June 2007 and joined the high school sports desk in November of that year. She graduated from Brooklyn College in June of 2007, where she served as the Brooklyn College Kingsman’s editor-in-chief and earned her B.A. in journalism. She’s also written for the Daily News and freelanced for a number of Long Island community weeklies. Though her background is in news, she's covered a number of high school teams and a smattering of college sports. A Brooklyn native, she grew up a baseball junkie in a soccer family and remains a loyal fan of both sports. She is a firm believer that professional pitchers shouldn't hide behind the DH and that fútbol is every bit as exciting as football, no matter what anyone else says.
