November 1st - With the new month rolling in with a gentle breeze, the fall weather was an ideal setting for the game today as 37 ballplayers turned out to play. The final score was 14-8-6. Pitcher Ted Granoski recorded the victory. Not one batter went hitless for the winning team. In fact, all of the leading hitters for the team had only 2 hits each. Newcomer Ted Taylor went 2 for 2 & batted in 4 runs before he had to make an early departure.
The 2nd place team scored 8 runs & Dean Schapeler drove in 3 of the runs on 2 hits, including a line drive triple to right centerfield. Bob Lewis had 3 singles in 3 at bats but failed to cross the plate afterwards. Tough luck Bob.
The last place team also had a player hit 3 for 3 with no runs scored. Kenny Duell accomplished that feat. Jim Laffoon hit the ball well today too, going 3 for 3.
Perhaps the longest hit of the day was a 2 out
double from Chuck Duff to deep right centerfield, scoring teammate Frank Miller from 1st base, who reached 1st on a ground ball error by the rover. Only 1 more run was needed for the 5th & final run of the inning, but Chuck could have easily touched them all on that blast. Great hit Chuck.
In the field, shortstop John Fulton made a spectacular stop in a ground ball hit by John Smith & had time to make an accurate throw to Joel Freedman for the out. Catcher Erv Szewczuga tracked down & caught a pop up foul from the bat of Ted Granoski. Reg Barnes, playing 2nd base, made a great stop on a ground ball hit by Floyd Welton & relayed the ball to Doug Chamlee, covering 2nd base, in time to force out baserunner Chuck Duff.
Several new or returning players took the field today for the 1st time this season. Phil Johnson, who retired from Maine, hasn't been a member of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club for the past 3 years. He did well upon his return, going 2 for 3. Elmer Black & newcomer Ted Taylor came down from Canada. Elmer played 3rd base & Ted covered right centerfield for his team. Welcome back Phil & Elmer and welcome to our organization Ted.
November 4th - It's getting crowded at the old ballpark. With WHSSC members continuously arriving, another 3 team game was played. The final score of 23-12-8 featured a dominating team that scored in every inning. Prior to the last inning, all of the teams were in contention for the victory, but the team that had dominated throughout the contest scored 11 runs in the final inning.
Ron Augenstein
& Rusty Landahl didn't make an out between them. Ron went 5 for 5 with a double & a triple & Rusty went 4 for 4 with a double. Every batter on the team recorded between 1 & 3 runs batted in. Although Kenny Duell wasn't the leading hitter, he did manage a single in the direction of right centerfielder Jim Margolin. As we all know, opposite field hits for Kenny are few & far between. That was quite a hit Kenny. Larry Powell took a day off from his job to pitch & record the win, although he did walk 5 batters along the route.
The 2nd place team wouldn't give up & fought to the end. They scored 4 runs in the final frame. PitcherTed Granoski absolutely crushed the ball today so it appears that his Miken Ultra II isn't a dud afterall. Ted had problems with the endcap & had to get it reseated a few months ago. He hasn't been very pleased with the bat since he purchased it, but it sure seems to be fine now. Today, Ted went 4 for 4 with a long double over the head of right centerfielder George Summers & a triple over the head of left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Great hits Ted.
The 3rd place team also had batters who were perfect at the plate. For the 2nd game in-a-row, Ted Taylor went 2 for 2. Ted also had a sacrifice fly that scored Cal Leigh. Mike Swartz went 3 for 3 with a double.
Chuck Duff connected with the longest hit of the day - a triple that landed on the warning
track way over the head of left centerfielder Fred Ducham.
The game wasn't without defensive plays that are worth mentioning & shortstop Jim Laffoon is usually there in the middle of at least one highlight reel play a game. Jim fielded a hard ground ball hit up the middle by Chuck Duff & made a strong sidearm throw to 1st baseman Joel Freedman for the out. Rover Floyd Welton scooped a grounder from the bat of Randy Lane, tagged 2nd base to force out Elmer Black & made a nice throw to 1st baseman Rusty Landahl to complete the double play. All of the runners in the 2 fielding plays are speedy, so the plays were super Jim & Floyd.
Local ballplayer George Summers returned to the ballpark after a 3 year absence. Snowbirds Ron Augenstein returned from Marysville, Ohio & Dick Mackey from Marion, Ohio. Hmmmm, wonder if those cities are as close together in location as they are in names & was there a caravan from Ohio to Winter Haven? Welcome back George, Ron, & Dick.
November 8th - The turnout at the park was so great, a game was played on "Fred White Field" & on "Field E". A total of 40 signed up. Each game was a close contest & the final scores were 13-12 & 23-20. Many times there is mumbling amongst the ballplayers before games how the opposing side is much stronger. Joel Freedman has the unrewarding task of having to assign players to comprise the teams before each game, but he almost always does a fantastic job. Let me be the 1st to thank Joel for his diligent work because it isn't easy to choose players for teams.
Cal Leigh was the winning pitcher from the 13-12 contest while George Summers recorded the save & Dick Wilhelm was the winning pitcher from the 23-20 game. This game was a come-from-behind win. Jerry Witter was the starting pitcher for this game.
Not distinguishing between the 2 games, several players hit well today. Jim Laffoon blasted a triple over left centerfielder Ed Neumyer, which would easily have gone for a homerun had Jim's knee wasn't in the healing process. Ron Thompson cranked a homerun over rightfielder Jim McPartlan.
Rusty Landahl
powered a ball towards rightfield that drove in the 5th & final run from 2nd base. The ball was so strategicaly placed that Rusty could have had a homerun if the run was needed. The rightfielder played away from the line since Rusty batted right handed. Great hit Rusty.
Joe DeForge hit a linedrive rope to left centerfield & had another hit before the day was done.
The 23-20 game had the score tied 20-20 going into the 9th inning. With 2 outs, Marshall Bloom drove in Dick Wilhelm for the 21st run, thus breaking the tie. Before the inning was over, Jim McPartlan drove in Jerry Witter & Gene Morey drove in Marshall. Great clutch hitting Marshall, Jim, & Gene.
There were a number of nice defensive plays today. Rover Ron Thompson reached high to snag a linedrive & then threw to 1st baseman Rick DeYoung in time to double up Erv Szewczuga, who thought the liner would clear the reach of Ron. Elmer Black, playing 3rd base, stopped a grounder near the line, then had to fire the ball from foul territory to 1st baseman Rusty Landahl for the out.
Dick Wilhelm
made 2 nice plays on the diamond. Playing shortstop, he stopped a grounder & threw to catcher Joe DeForge for the out. At the time, the bases were loaded & the potential 5th run of the inning was on 3rd base. Dick took over the pitching position later in the game & stopped a hard shot from Elvis Abney & threw to 1st baseman Jim Margolin for the out. Great plays Dick.
Leftfielder Cal Leigh made a fantastic running catch on a very deep fly ball hit by Jim Laffoon. With the wind blowing & moving the ball around in the air, Cal kept an eye on the ball all the way. After making the catch with his arm completely outstretched, he lost his footing & tumbled into the warning track but held onto the ball. Great catch Cal.
One last note about the ballgame - Chuck Duff took the day off from playing to umpire in the absence of Mike Kerentoff. Our other regular umpire, Morty Dermer, called the balls & strikes for the other game. Thank you for volunteering your time & effort Chuck. And thank you Morty & Mike for all the days you guys have shown up at the ballpark to umpire.
Jack Valliere began playing again after being on the DL with a slightly pulled muscle in the leg & Hank Gomez played 2nd base today after returning from an illness.
Rich Palmer (stitches), Rick Lipinski (recovering from an operation), Vassurl Bess (back problems), Fred Dampier (torn ab muscle), & Fred Gonzalez (torn ab muscle) remain on the DL.
Quite a few players returned today. Gene Morey returned from Michigan & Dick Wilhelm from Canada. Rick DeYoung returned from a summer RV journey to visit relatives in eastern Washington state, Oregon, Arizona, & California. After a bit of a layoff, Nalcrest residents Jim Bright & Dwight Pavkovich returned to the ballpark. Welcome back Gene, Dick, Rick, Jim, & Dwight.
November 11th - Veteran's Day - A total of 41 guys signed in to play ball today, so 4 teams were devised & 2 fields were employed. Each contest was close. The visiting team prevailed 27-24 in a slugfest on "Fred White Field" as George Summers recorded the victory. The game on "Field E" was more tame with a final score of 16-14. Ted Granoski pitched for the winning home team. The 2 games were almost complete opposites. The notable hitters today were all from "Fred White Field" & the best defensive plays, with only one outstanding exception, were performed on "Field E".
In the top of the very 1st inning, Cal Leigh hit a gapper double between leftfielder Ted Taylor & left centerfielder Elmer Black, driving in Marshall Bloom & Frank Miller. After
one batter, Dick Mackey followed with a 3-run homerun between rightfielder Bob Lewis & right centerfielder Ed Schmiedeke. Those 2 long knocks accounted for the 5 runs at the beginning of the game. Ted Taylor did get some sweet revenge when he batted in the bottom of the 1st inning. Ted connected with a liner beyond the reach of rightfielder Bart Gongaware for a leadoff triple. Later in the contest, Elmer Black tripled over the head of leftfielder Dick Mackey as the ball ended its long flight just inches inside the foul line.
Other homeruns were hit in the presence of the website "reporter". Ron Thompson hit 2 solo shots almost in the same spot. Each ball sliced over the head of Ted Taylor & in the direction of the leftfield foul line. Nice placement Ron. Directly before Ron's 2nd homerun,
Frank Miller connected for a homerun of his own. He hit a 3-run shot over (guess who?) leftfielder Ted Taylor. Ted really had a workout today performing wind sprints from his fielding position in leftfield to the leftfield warning track. Whew!
Defensively, 2nd baseman Shannon Steinmetz made a nice stop on a Bill Spring grounder. Shannon completed the play with a throw to 1st baseman Bill Walker for the out.
Mike Swartz, playing 3rd base, was involved in 2 nice plays in back-to-back innings. Mike first made a stop on a grounder with a runner on 1st base. He threw to 2nd baseman Hank Gomez from foul territory. A fine defensive play by Mike ended the next inning. With
runners on 1st & 2nd, a hard shot grounder from the bat of Randy Lane was snared. Mike tagged 3rd base for the 2nd out of the inning & fired a bullet to 1st baseman Bill Hepworth to complete the inning ending double play.
The opposing team's 3rd baseman, Bill Ravo, fielded a ground ball hit by Jerry Witter & fired a strike to fill-in catcher Chuck Duff in time to force out base runner Ron Augenstein.
The fielding play of the day, & possibly of the year, almost went into the scorebook as an error on the 3rd baseman. This is the only mentioned defensive play executed on "Fred White Field". Cal Leigh, playing 3rd base, fielded a grounder & sailed the ball to the right of the glove hand of 1st baseman Joel Freedman . The only reaction Joel could have performed was a barehanded catch for the out. Great play Joel.
Two returning players arrived at the ballpark today. Bart Gongaware returned from Romulus, Montana but bowed out of the game in the 4th inning due to a recovering & weak knee. Ray Petrie returned from Picton, Ontario, Canada & rode his bicycle to the ballpark - a familiar sight for all who belong to the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. A new player joined today. Doug McLellan resides near Toronto, Canada & will spend his winter months playing in our league. Welcome back Bart & Ray & welcome aboard Doug.
November 15th - The winning team won by one run in each of the games today & one game had to go into the 10th inning to determine the winner. The home team pervailed 19-18 in extra innings on "Fred White Field" as Jerry Witter recorded the victory against Cal Leigh. Ted Granoski was the winning pitcher in the 20-19 contest on "Field E".
Both Jack Valliere & Ron Thompson were almost unstoppable at the plate today. Jack picked on right centerfielder Kenny Duell with a double & a bases loaded triple that scored Don Witmer, Cal Leigh, Reg Barnes. Ron blasted a long double past right centerfielder Chuck Duff & also connected for a couple of homeruns. Randy Lane
drove the longest ball he has hit in the past 2 or 3 years way over the head of leftfielder Mike Swartz for an easy homerun.
Chuck Duff also had a 2 homerun game. Both shots burned right centerfielder Ed Schmiedeke & one of the homeruns hit to top of the fence but bounced back into the field of play.
Shannon Steinmetz had a productive day at the plate. Shannon lifted one of flyballs too high but was able to turn the at bat into a sacrifice flyout to leftfielder Jose Agosto.
Morris Rosenhack got on base in most of his plate appearances. Morris managed to work the count in his favor & received 4 walks in the game. Good eye & patience Morris.
There were many good defensive plays in both games. Bill Spring, playing 2nd base, caught a low line shot within inches of the ground from the bat of Ray Petrie, but the ball dropped out of his glove. Bill was able to recover in time to make the putout to 1st baseman Rusty Landahl. Later in the game Bill caught a hot liner to his right from Ted Granoski. Leftfielder Mike Swartz made a nice catch on a line ball hit by Kenny Duell. Mike had to dash in as fast as he could to record the out on Kenny. Leftfielder Jose Agosto
also had to make a similar catch but the ball was lifted higher from the bat of Ron Thompson. Jose charged in & made a nice running catch, keeping his eye on the path of the ball the entire time.
Elvis Abney played an almost error free 3rd base & had plenty of chances. His position was truely the "hot corner" today. Oddly enough, one of the more notable plays occured on a slow grounder hit by speedy Elmer Black. Elvis had to charge the ball & make a strong throw to 1st to get the out. Shortstop Doug Chamlee reached high to nab a line drive hit by Joe DeForge. Elmer Black, playing 2nd base, had to reach quickly across his body to catch a hard line drive hit by Doug Chamlee to revenge Doug's catch on Joe DeForge. Nice catches Doug & Elmer. Doug McLellan, playing 1st base, displayed sharp reflexes as he stopped a grounder hit near the foul line by Ted Taylor. Doug recovered & tagged 1st for the out then made the throw in a vain attempt to get the runner out at 2nd base
An almost great catch was performed by 3rd baseman Jack Valliere as he made a vertical leap on a liner hit by Ed Neumyer. The ball went into the tip of Jack's pocket but popped up in the air behind him on his descend to the ground. Nice try Jack.
Art Zakrowski returned from the north & Ernie Lancto returned from Syracuse, New York. Two new players joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Jerry Noble, a friend & neighbor of Ron Thompson signed up today. Jerry got a hit in his inaugural atbat. Lakeland Senior Softball Club member Jerry Remington carpooled with Jose Agosto & joined, too. Welcome back Art & Ernie and welcome to the group Jerry & Jerry.
Willard Dayhuff, who retired from the game after the 2005 season, dropped by for a visit. Willard, fondly known as "Suitcase" by his fellow ballplayers, was one of the original members of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club, which was formed by the late Fred White & began its existence in 1986. It was nice to see you Suitcase. Don't be a stranger to the ballpark.
November 18th - The morning brought 12 MPH winds from the north northeast as the temperature dipped below 60° F to a cool and windy 57° F. The wind was a factor in the outfield on "Fred White Field" as one hitter after another saw his hit die in the air & fall short of its destination. The final score was 20-17 on that field. The winning team had to score 8 runs in the 9th inning to pull out the victory for pitcher Ted Granoski. The home team pitcher was Jerry Witter.
The contest on "Field E" was somewhat of a slugfest because the wind was blowing out to leftfield. The visiting team won 29-24. The winning pitcher, Jim Laffoon, pitched the first 3 innings & the last 3 innings, sanwiched between a 3 inning pitching performance by Ray Petrie. The visiting team ensured the victory in the latter 3 innings. George Summers was on the mound for the home team.
On "Fred White Field", Doug Chamlee connected for a double between left centerfielder Marshall Bloom & right centerfielder Jack Donnelly. The shot was undoubtedly earned by Doug, since the wind was knocking down almost every hit. Bob Lewis can attest to that fact with one of his hits, a single to Jack Donnelly, which could have definately been a double without the wind factor. Shannon Steinmetz
was able to accumulate 3 singles today & Morris Rosenhack hit a liner just over the head and out of reach of shortstop Floyd Welton.
One "Field E", Ray Petrie hit a bases loaded single that scored Randy Lane & Jack Valliere. A good punch single to the opposite field was orchestrated by Rusty Landahl. Rightfielder Bart Gongaware was unable to catch up with the ball. Nice hit Rusty. Ed Neumyer hit well today as he sprayed the ball to different fields. One of his hits was a single in front of leftfielder Randy Lane on a ball pitched about a foot outside of the strike zone. Another hit went in the direction of right centerfielder Ken King.
There were two back-to-back towering shots at one point in the game. Dean Schapeler burned leftfielder Randy Lane, followed by Jerry Remington, who drove the ball over the head of left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Both hits landed near & came to rest in the dirt of the warning track.
The outfielders catches today were outstanding, considering the 12 MPH wind was blowing the ball in all directions. Leftfielder Bob Lewis received a lot of action. The wind held up several balls, allowing Bob to make the catches each time. Rightfielder Jim McPartlan made a nice running in catch on a hit by Floyd Welton. Right centerfielder Ken King caught up to a long dirve from the bat of Jim Laffoon.
There were two notable relay throws to nail runners at homeplate. On the first play, Kenny Duell singled to leftfielder Bob Lewis, who threw the ball to 3rd baseman Bill Ravo. Bill threw a chest high strike to catcher Morris Rosenhack to put out Cal Leigh, who was trying to score from 2nd base. The other play began with a single by Don Witmer. Right centerfielder Ken King fielded the ball, relayed it to shortstop Jim Laffoon, who fired to catcher Jack Valliere. Baserunner Ted Taylor was beat by the throw for an out at homeplate.
Third basemen Cal Leigh & Doug McLellan caught pop ups that were drifting toward the fence protecting the 3rd base dugout. The 2 victims were hitters Ed Schmiedeke & George Summers. Nice catches Cal & Doug.
Shortstop Doug Chamlee caught a sinking & curving line drive just off the ground that was hit by Floyd Welton. The catch was so low that it was questionable whether it was a catch or not, but the "out" call by the umpire was correct since Doug positioned his glove on the ground & waited for the liner to curve into the pocket for a catch.
Jerry Remington, playing 1st base, made a good scoop on a low throw that skipped in the dirt. Jerry turned an errant throw by the 3rd baseman into an out.
Three players returned today. Bob Douglas returned from Coulterville, Illinois to play 2nd base. Ken King came down from Kinswick, Ontario, Canada & played a respectable right centerfield. Vic Platania returned from Alton Bay, New Hampshire after missing the 2005 season due to an injury. Welcome back Bob, Ken, & Vic.
November 22nd - Only one field was utilized today, which may attribute to one of two reasons that kept prospective ballplayers away from the park today. There are only two days until Thanksgiving & the weather was a cool 60° F with winds gusting to about 20 MPH. A total of 34 ballplayers made up the 3 team game. The final score was 27-20-10. Jerry Witter pitched for the winning team & Dick Wilhelm came in for the save. Ted Granoski & George Summers pitched for the other 2 teams.
The wind caused havoc for the infielders since almost all of the outer layer of sand was blown away to expose the harder & uneven ground underneath. For the three teams, 19 errors were made by the infielders & one error was made by the outfielders.
There were some looooooooooong hits because of the wind & several homeruns were the results. Doug McLellan connected for 2 homeruns. One of the hits sailed over the right centerfield fence. It appeared to be just a high fly ball beyond the reach of right centerfielder Ted Taylor, but
the ball got caught in the jet stream & continued its path until it cleared the fence. Doug's 2nd homerun was a gapper between left centerfielder Jerry Noble & right centerfielder Ted Taylor. Floyd Welton hit the fence on the fly over defending left centerfielder Randy Lane for a 3-run homer & 7 RBIs for the day. Ron Thompson hit a wind aided ball over rightfielder Bob Douglas for a 3-run homerun.
One homerun wasn't a long fly ball. Jerry Witter hit a hard groundball that took a wicked hop in the infield & turned out to be a gapper ground ball in the outifeld. Jerry circled the bases for a 3-run homerun.
The winning team sported a leadoff hitter who went 5 for 5 in the likes of Art Zakrowski
. Art scored 4 of the 5 times. Dick Wilhelm had the chance to hit for the cycle today, but after the 5th run scored on one of his hits, the outfielders weren't concerned about Dick rounding the bases since his run wouldn't have counted anyway. The would-be homerun was a line shot ground ball down the 3rd base line out of the reach of infielder Mike Swartz.
The 2nd place team was lead by Frank Miller, who went 5 for 5 with a double & drove in 4 runs. There were extra baserunners for this team beause the 3rd place team committed 10 errors in the field.
The 3rd place team managed 5 walks due to the gusting wind & the leading batter was lead off hitter Fred Ducham with 3 singles. Jack Valliere connected for a triple way over the head of right centerfielder Art Zakrowski for the longest hit for his team.
In the field, right centerfielder Ted Taylor made a fine running catch on a rising linedrive by Doug McLellan. Right centerfielder Randy Lane was burned by a drive from the bat of Ron Augenstein but turned the play into a defensive gem. Ron attempted to stretch the hit into a triple but Randy retreived the ball & made a strong throw to relay man & shortstop Doug Chamlee. Doug threw a strike to 3rd baseman Mike Swartz, who applied the tag for the out.
Another fine defensive play on the basepaths was made by 2nd baseman Doug McLellan. He fielded a grounder hit by Jim McPartlan, tagged the baserunner from 1st & threw to 1st baseman Joel Freedman to complete the double play.
Pitcher Dick Wilhelm caught a hard liner hit by Reg Barnes. Dick had to quickly reach across his body & outstretch his arm slightly above his head to snare the shot.
Ron Carrothers returned from Thedford, Ontario, Canada to play 2nd base today. Larry Williamson drove down from Swartz Creek, Michigan & arrived in Winter Haven yesterday but didn't play today. Welcome back Ron & Larry.
November 25th - The weather was very agreeable for the game today as the cold weather & winds left the region after Thanksgiving. Both games ended with almost the exact scores. The scores were 21-15 & 22-15. Jerry Witter recorded the win on "Field E" & Rich Palmer returned from a layoff to receive the win on "Fred White Field".
Two players achieved a multiple homerun game today. Chuck Duff drove the ball deep 3 times & Don Witmer had 2 dingers. Don's first shot was a 3-run homer that easily burned leftfielder Jose Agosto to score Frank Miller & Ron Thompson ahead of him.
Floyd Welton & Joel Freedman hit well today; both Floyd & Joel were put out only one time each.
Jim Laffoon had the longest hit of the day. The ball hit the fence
on the fly way over the head of defending left centerfielder Art Zakrowski. Ed Neumyer came through with a 3-run homer that scored Jim Laffoon & Ray Petrie. Ed knocked a line drive gapper between left centerfielder Art Zakrowski & right centerfielder Bob Lewis. Nice hits Jim & Ed.
The outfielders were busy on this calm day as notable catches were made throughout the two games. Left centerfielder Jerry Noble tracked down several balls today & accounted for two very nice catches on balls that were hit in front of him. One of the catches was a sinking linedrive hit by Joel Freedman & the other came from the bat of Chuck Duff. Nice catches Jerry.
Rightfielder Bob Douglas had to fight the morning sun & chase down a long fly ball hit by Ron Thompson. Chuck Duff was active in left centerfield as several potentially long extra base hits fell victim to Chuck's glove.
On the infield, 1st baseman Joel Freedman stopped a hard ground ball hit by Jose Agosto & had time to tag 1st for the unassisted putout. Shortstop Ray Petrie fielded a bases loaded grounder & made an excellent throw to catcher Fred Ducham for the force out at home.
Shortstop Floyd Welton scooped up a grounder by Jerry Witter & tagged 2nd base to force out baserunner Bob Douglas. An accurate throw to 1st baseman Doug Chamlee completed the 6-3 double play.
November 29th - The weather didn't cooperate today. The game was a total washout as it rained steadily from right before sign-in time until
past the noon hour.
A cool front blew in bringing 15 MPH southern winds gusting to 20 MPH & the temperature dropped to 70° F.
Before the DiamondPlex front gates were locked back, Jaime Rivera dropped by after a layoff & visit to Puerto Rico. Elmer Wilcox returned from Beals, Maine. Jaime & Elmer picked the wrong day to return to the old ballfield. Let's try again on Friday guys.
