January 2006 News Archive
 January 1st, 2006
 January 3rd - For the first time since the season ended last year the games took place on three fields. It was an overcast day with warm a temperature of 66° F at game time. A major rainfall shortly after the games began caused rainouts on "Fred White Field" & "Field E". However, there wasn't enough standing water on "Field D" to call the game.
The visiting team won 16-13 as Dick Wilhelm 
received the victory while Ernie Lancto pitched for the home team. The players decided to call it quits after 7 innings though, so the game didn't go the complete 9 innings.
Several players had a good hitting day. Ken King recorded two hits & Dick Wilhelm hit well. One of Dick's hits was a hard grounder down the first base line. By the time the rightfielder was able to retreive the ball & return it to the infield, Dick had a stand up triple. Bernie Peterson & Hugh Lessard connected with the ball well & had long hits too. Jerry Remington & newcomer John Ormsby also recorded a good offensive day. Before the game was called on "Fred White Field", 
catcher Morris Rosenhack had a nice opposite field hit to drive in the runner from 2nd base. Nice hit Morris.
In the field, leftfielder Ken King made an excellent running catch with a drive to his left for the third out. The blast appeared to be a gapper extra base hit but Ken ran all out & made a long reach to catch the ball. Nice catch Ken. Billy Spring, playing 2nd base, caught a hard liner to rob batter Herb Oesterreich of a hit. On a hit to rightfield, Bernie Peterson made a strong throw to 2nd baseman John Ormsby, who fired a strike to catcher Fred Dampier to nail the baserunner at home. Umpire Morty Dermer made an excellent call on a close play at home. Returning to the ballpark are Bernie Peterson from Rochester, Minnesota and umpire Tom Mohler from the Monticello, Indiana. Also, Bill Wilson from Henrico, North Carolina; and Vassurl Bess returned after a layoff to heal an ailing back. Welcome back, Bernie, Tom, Bill, and Vassurl. Two players joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. John Ormsby, From London, Ontario, began playing with the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club as well as Denny Shaffer, who is from Akron, Ohio. Denny is a friend of Frank Miller. Welcome aboard, John and Denny. January 6th - It was a cold 50° F with 10 MPH wind gusts to begin the day but the sun warmed the climate before the games were complete. The ballplayers played on their assigned teams in their one preseason game today.
Hugh Lessard took over the reigns of the Merrill Lynch Orange team as they took on the American Legion Post 8 Gold team managed by Jack Valliere. The Merrill Lynch Orange won 19-8 as Jerry Witter received the win while Ernie Lancto was on the mound for the Post 8 Gold. Hugh Lessard had a perfect 4 for 4 game for the winning team. Newcomer Bill Cook, a pool player, also was 4 for 4, including a double. Another pool player, John Zimny, went 3 for 4 & scored 3 times. John also had one double. Larry Williamson led the Post 8 Gold team with a 3 for 4 effort & Ken King went 3 for 5. Jim Bright blasted a lead off triple late in the game. On "Field D", the Beef O'Bradys Kelly team, managed by Floyd Welton, scored 10 runs in the 7th & 8th innings to record a 21-13 win against the Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal team managed by Ted Gransoki. Ted got hurt during the 5th inning while trying to field a line shot & had to be removed from the field. Apparently, he leaped for the hit ball & landed awkardly on his left ankle. The ankle immediately swelled up after the play. We all hope Ted will be able to play in the season opener on Tuesday, although the ankle will probably still be tender at that time. Good luck & Godspeed Ted. Bob Lewis, the lead-off hitter for Beef O'Bradys Kelly, went 4 for 5 and scored each time he reached base. The second hitter in the one-two punch, Floyd Welton, went a perfect 5 for 5 with one double & score all five times. Don Erb managed a 4 for 5 day with one double. The leading hitter for the Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal team was pool player Dick Erickson with a perfect 4 for 4 game. Pool player Bill Walker & teammate Ron Carrothers hit doubles in the losing effort. The Premier Mortgage Turquoise team managed by Frank Miller scored 7 runs in the last inning to defeat the Center State Bank Black team managed by Elmer Black by a score of 20-18. Rich Palmer pitched for the winning team while Elmer Wilcox began the game for Center State Bank Black but had to leave the game after the 7th inning due to a prior engagement obligation. Doug Chamlee injured his ailing left shoulder in the 8th inning of the game and had to take himself out. Take care of that shoulder Doug because the team needs you to be healthy. There were several leading hitters for Premier Mortgage Turquoise. Bill Ravo went 5 for 6 at the plate & pool player Dick Mackey went 4 for 5. Randy Lane, Rich Palmer, & Frank Miller each had 4 hits in 6 trips to the plate. Pool player John Ormsby had a nice hit for a triple for one of his three hits for the day. Center State Bank Black lead-off hitter Vic Platania went 4 for 5 & scored three times. Doug Chamlee was a perfect 4 for 4 before he left with an injury. Pool player Denny Shaffer hit a two-run homerun & Fred Dampier had a triple late in the game. Ray DePalma returned from Rochester, New York, Dick Erickson returned from Baxter, Minnesota. Welcome back, Ray and Dick. Bill Cook joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. He is a snowbird who spends his summers in Crestwood, Kentucky. Welcome aboard, Bill. 
January 10th - And they are off to the races! The season opened today to a very comfortable Florida climate. The sun was shining & the weather was perfect for a game of softball.
LEADING HITTERS: Premier Mortgage Turquoise Jose Agosto - 4 for 4 with 1 triple. Dick Erickson - 4 for 4. Jerry Remington - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple. Bill Evans - 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Bill Ravo - 3 for 4. Dick Wachter - 3 for 4. John Ormsby - 3 for 4. American Legion Post 8 Gold Larry Williamson - 4 for 4. Jack Valliere - 3 for 3. Bill Wilson - 3 for 3. Ray DePalma - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Doug McLellan - 3 for 4. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Vassurl Bess - 4 for 5. Ted Granoski - 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Joe DeForge - 2 for 3 with 1 walk. Center State Bank Black Elmer Black - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 homer. Beef O'Bradys Kelly Don Erb - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles & 1 triple. Bob Lewis - 5 for 5. Bill Rutan - 4 for 4 and hit for cycle. Rusty Landahl - 4 for 4 with 1 walk & 1 homer. Merrill Lynch Orange Ray Petrie - 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Ron Thompson - 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Russ King - 3 for 4. Ron Augenstein - 3 for 4. Returning players are Chris Constantine from Manchester, Connecticut, Don Erb from Boyertown, Pennsylvania, & Bob Martin from Linden, Michigan. Welcome back, Chris, Don, and Bob. Three new players, who are all snowbirds, joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Cliff Hamilton is from East Leroy, Michigan, Jack Hartman is from Erie, Pennsylvania, & Bill Rutan is from Columbus, Indiana. Welcome aboard, Cliff, Jack, and Bill. January 13th - The temperature was a very comfortable 63° F at game time & it probably warmed up to about 70° F by the time the games ended. But look out - it's supposed to get cold this weekend. Yikes!
Although the date didn't indicate it would be a promising day, the second day of the schedule pitted teams who scored evenly in the first game of the season. Beef O'Bradys Kelly, the leading scorer for the first game with 27, took on Premier Mortgage Turquoise, who scored 22 in the season opener. Merrill Lynch Orange & Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal played against each other & they each scored 14 in the first game. Center State Bank Black took on American Legion Post 8 Gold. These two teams each scored 7 runs in the first game of the season.
LEADING HITTERS: Premier Mortgage Turquoise Frank Miller - 4 for 4 with 2 triples. Jose Agosto - 4 for 4 with 1 double. Rich Palmer - 3 for 3. Bill Evans - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 homer. Beef O'Bradys Kelly Bob Lewis - 3 for 4. Shannon Steinmetz - 2 for 3. Merrill Lynch Orange Russ King - 4 for 4 and hit for cycle. Denny Shaffer - 4 for 4. Ray Petrie - 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Ron Augenstein - 3 for 4. George Summers - 3 for 4. Harold Turner - 3 for 4. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Ted Taylor - 4 for 5. Chris Constantine - 3 for 4. Ted Granoski - 3 for 4. Herb Oesterreich - 3 for 4. Bill McDonough - 3 for 4. Center State Bank Black Bill Rutan - 4 for 4. Dick Wilhelm - 4 for 4. Fred Ducham - 4 for 5. Elmer Black - 3 for 4. John Zimny - 3 for 4. American Legion Post 8 Gold Doug McLellan - 4 for 4 & hit for cycle. Ray DePalma - 3 for 4. January 17th - The wind was gusting at about 20 MPH but the weather was nice & warm for the games today.
The only undefeated team going into the matchups today was Premier Mortgage Turquoise with an unblemished 2-0 record. They had their work cut out for them, since their opponent, Merrill Lynch Orange, was coming off an 18-7 victory in the last game against Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal. After all the games were complete, the standings tightened up since Premier Mortgage Turquoise dropped their first game of the new season.
LEADING HITTERS: Merrill Lynch Orange Hugh Lessard - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk. Don LaMay - 4 for 5 with 1 triple. Jerry Witter - 4 for 5. Denny Shaffer - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer. Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple. Ron Thompson - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. John Ormsby - 3 for 4. John Zimny - 3 for 4. Premier Mortgage Turquoise Bill Evans - 4 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple. Bob Lundquest - 4 for 4 with 1 triple. Rich Palmer - 4 for 4 with 1 double. Jerry Remington - 4 for 5. Bill Ravo - 2 for 2 with 2 walks. Beef O'Bradys Kelly Jim Margolin - 5 for 5 with 1 homer. Don Erb - 4 for 4 with 1 double, 2 homers, & 1 walk. Bob Lewis - 4 for 5 with 1 walk. Center State Bank Black Fred Dampier - 5 for 5 with 1 double & 2 homers. Fred Ducham - 3 for 3 with 1 triple & 2 walks. Ron Augenstein - 3 for 3 with 1 homer & 1 walk. Elmer Black - 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 2 homers. Bill Rutan - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Herb Oesterreich - 4 for 4. Jerry Noble - 3 for 3 with 1 walk. Chris Constantine - 3 for 4. Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4. Vassurl Bess - 2 for 3 with 2 walks. American Legion Post 8 Gold Jack Valliere - 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Jaime Rivera - 3 for 4. January 20th - The skies were cloudy throughout most of the games today while the sun only peeked through on rare occasions. The temperature was a comfortable 65° F and many players were dressed in shorts & their short-sleeved game shirts.
The Merrill Lynch Orange & Beef O'Bradys Kelly teams both improved their records to 3-1 while American Legion Post 8 Gold was snake bitten again today & dropped their 4th consecutive game. Hopefully, they can regroup & begin their winning ways. Merrill Lynch Orange player Russ King had a perfect day at the plate & advanced into a tie for the lead in batting with new teammate Bill Rutan, who went 3 for 4. Both ballplayers are hitting .875 now. Denny Shaffer,the newest member of Center State Bank Black, is on their heels with a .857 average & teammate and manager Elmer Black is hitting at an .833 clip. Elmer Black took sole possession of the lead in homeruns as he blasted his 4th dinger of the young season. Teammate Fred Dampier has 3 homers & Bill Evans of Premier Mortgage Turquoise, Don Erb of Beef O'Bradys Kelly, & Ray Petrie of Merrill Lynch Orange each have 2 homers. Don Erb leads in runs scored with 13, followed by Beef O'Bradys Kelly player Bob Lewis & Premier Mortgage Turquoise manager Frank Miller with 12 runs. Vassurl Bess of Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal was issued two free passes to take the lead in walks with five.
LEADING HITTERS: Beef O'Bradys Kelly Rusty Landahl - 4 for 4. Dan Connolly - 3 for 3. Cal Leigh - 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Floyd Welton - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Bob Lewis - 3 for 4. Don Erb - 3 for 4. Harold Turner - 3 for 4. Merrill Lynch Orange Russ King - 4 for 4 with 1 triple. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. George Summers - 3 for 4. Bill Rutan - 3 for 4. Joel Freedman - 3 for 4. Center State Bank Black Denny Shaffer - 3 for 3 with 1 triple & 1 scarifice fly. Elmer Black - 4 for 5 with 1 homer. Vic Platania - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Hank Gomez - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Ron Cerotzke - 3 for 4. Phil Johnson - 3 for 4. Premier Mortgage Turquoise Frank Miller - 3 for 4 with 1 double. John Fulton - 3 for 4. Bill Cook - 3 for 4. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Chris Constantine - 3 for 4. Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4. Ted Granoski - 3 for 4. Gene Morey - 3 for 4. A managers meeting was held after the games Tuesday & several changes were made to the rosters. Bill Ayer, who is due to arrive from Connecticut in February, & Doug Chamlee, who is recovering from an injured shoulder, were removed from the Center State Bank Black roster & placed in the player pool. The two players were replaced by Cliff Hamilton & Denny Shaffer. Cliff is in jeopardy of being put back into the player pool if he isn't at the next game. Harry Crane, who hasn't attended any season games yet, & Joe D'Herin, a Friday only player, were removed from the roster of Beef O'Bradys Kelly & replaced by John Ormsby & Harold Turner. John Smith, who hasn't attended any season games, was removed from the Premier Mortgage Turquoise roster & placed into the player pool. Ken Wilson took that place on the roster. Bill Wilson, who missed the past two games, was removed from the American Legion Post 8 Gold roster & put into the pool. He was replaced by Dick Erickson. Joe Schultz, who is recovering from an operation, & Mike Swartz, who hasn't attended any season games were removed from the roster of Merrill Lynch Orange & replaced by Bill Rutan & John Zimny. One last note of interest: Steve Collins, a quality ballplayer & member of Lakeland Senior Softball who recently joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club, has accepted a job offer, therefore removing himself from the Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal roster. Good luck Steve & we hope to see you again here in Winter Haven. Also, Freddy Gonzalez has returned to the ballfield as a pool player after an almost four month absence. Freddy took some time off to heal a lower abdomen injury. Welcome back, Freddy. January 24th - Although it was an overcast day, the weather was over 70° F by game time. The high is predicted to reach 79° F with a slight chance of showers later in the afternoon.
Merrill Lynch Orange & Beef O'Bradys Kelly continued their winning ways as each team won to improve their records to 4-1. Premier Mortgage Turquoise was playing for a tie for the second game in-a-row. They were tied 14-14 against Center State Bank Black going into the top of the 9th inning. Center State Bank Black pitcher Dick Wilhelm shut them down in the 9th with no runs & recorded two strikeouts in the process. In the bottom of the inning, three Center State Bank Black batters got singles to score the one run needed to win the contest. Elmer Black drove in the winning run with one out in the frame. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal manager & pitcher Ted Granoski had back problems so he couldn't play in the game. Several players tried their hand at the pitching chores. Jerry Noble started the game & was relieved by Herb Oesterreich. Pool player Jack Hartman finished the game.
LEADING HITTERS: Merrill Lynch Orange Russ King - 4 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 walk. Don LaMay - 4 for 4 with 1 walk. Joel Freedman - 4 for 4. Bill Rutan - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Jerry Witter - 4 for 5. John Zimny - 3 for 4. American Legion Post 8 Gold Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 3 with 2 doubles. Ray DePalma - 3 for 4. Jack Valliere - 3 for 4. Beef O'Bradys Kelly Floyd Welton - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 sacrifice fly. Cal Leigh - 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Shannon Steinmetz - 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Center State Bank Black Fred Dampier - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 2 triples. Denny Shaffer - 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Elmer Black - 3 for 4 with 1 sacifice fly. Premier Mortgage Turquoise Frank Miller - 3 for 4 with 2 homers. Center State Bank Black player Phil Johnson elected to be placed into the pool today & ended up playing with his former team as a pool player. A new player has joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Wes Wilder has played Lakeland Senior Softball for several years & hails from Milford, Pennsylvania. Wes played in the pool today with Beef O'Bradys Kelly & went 3 for 5 with a double. Welcome aboard, Wes. January 27th - It may have dropped down to 43° F during the late night hours but the gametime temperature was very comfortable. The high today is predicted to reach 71° F.
American Legion Post 8 Gold got onto the winning track by easily defeating their rivals. The winners picked up 5 runs in the 1st inning & never looked back. Backup pitcher Jack Valliere recorded the win since the regular starter, Ernie Lancto, was absent from the game. The two first place teams played in a hard fought battle. Beef O'Bradys Kelly won the game against Merrill Lynch Orange by scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Cal Leigh drove in the winning run with a two out single. At one point during their game, Center State Bank Black was down by nine runs. With a fantastic finish, they won the game by 10 runs. Incidentally, the team scored in every inning.
LEADING HITTERS: American Legion Post 8 Gold Larry Williamson - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. Ray DePalma - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Hank Gomez - 3 for 4. Premier Mortgage Turquoise Bill Ravo - 4 for 4 with 1 triple. Bill Evans - 3 for 4. Beef O'Bradys Kelly Don Erb - 4 for 5 with 1 triple. Bob Lewis - 4 for 5. Floyd Welton - 4 for 5. Merrill Lynch Orange Milton Ellis - 5 for 5 with 1 triple. Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 triple, 1 homer, & 1 walk. Dick Mackey - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Joel Freedman - 3 for 4. Center State Bank Black Denny Shaffer - 5 for 5 with 1 double, 1 homer, & 2 sacrifice flys. Elmer Black - 4 for 4 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 3 walks. Fred Dampier - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 homer, 1 sacrifice fly, & 3 walks. Elmer Wilcox - 5 for 6 with 1 double & 1 walk. Dick Wilhelm - 5 for 6. Fred Ducham - 4 for 5 with 1 sacrifice fly & 1 walk. Ron Cerotzke - 3 for 4 with 2 walks. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Ron Carrothers - 4 for 5 with 1 triple. Jim Kurn - 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Bill McDonough - 3 for 4. January 31st - Premier Mortgage Turquoise brought their hitting shoes on the last day of the month & dished out only the second loss to Beef O'Bradys Kelly.
Center State Bank Black defeated American Legion Post 8 Gold in the bottom of the 9th inning. The score was tied going into the last frame. Vic Platania drove in the winning run with one out on a single to left centerfield. Merrill Lynch Orange got back on the winning track with a win over Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal. Manager George Summers was the winning pitcher in that contest.
LEADING HITTERS: Merrill Lynch Orange George Summers - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles. Russ King - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Hugh Lessard - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Don LaMay - 4 for 5. Bill Rutan - 3 for 4. John Paye - 3 for 4. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal Ron Carrothers - 4 for 5. Bill McDonough - 4 for 5. Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4 with 1 homer & 1 walk. Bob Lundquest - 3 for 4. Center State Bank Black Denny Shaffer - 5 for 6 and hit for cycle with 2 triples. Fred Dampier - 5 for 6 with 3 doubles & 1 homer. Ron Cerotzke - 5 for 6. American Legion Post 8 Gold Larry Williamson - 5 for 5. Wes Wilder - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk. Doug McLellan - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Art Zakrowski - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Rick DeYoung - 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Premier Mortgage Turquoise Ken Wilson - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 homer. Bill Ravo - 4 for 4. Beef O'Bradys Kelly John Ormsby - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 homer, & 1 walk. Rusty Landahl - 3 for 3 with 1 walk. Floyd Welton - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk. |
December 2005