February 2nd - The first set of games for the month of February didn't fare too well against Mother Nature. The schedule today was ruled a rainout due to the massive cell that was passing through the area before game time.
Please note that all rainout
games will not be made up on the schedule.
Let's try again Tuesday guys.
Now is the opportune time to post the current standings.
You've got to give Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal manager Floyd Welton a lot of deserved credit. He really knows how to achieve the best out of his players & to motivate his team into performing like a well oiled machine. Floyd led his 2004 Gold team to a first place finish and won again with his 2005 Red team, giving him back-to-back titles. At the end of the 2005 season, his Red team & the Royal team, managed by Kenny Watts, sported identical records, thus prompting a playoff game for the championship. The Red team won the championship game.
Once again, Floyd has guided his team to the top of the heap so far this season. Great going Floyd!
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 5 | - | 1 |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 4 | - | 2 |
| Play It Again Sports Red | 4 | - | 2 |
| Riverside Bank Black | 3 | - | 3 |
| Center State Bank Gray | 3 | - | 3 |
| Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 1 | - | 5 |
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 1 | - | 5 |
February 6th - The weather cooperated this morning with no rain but the temperature was hovering at 48° F as the ballplayers arrived at the old ballpark. It did warm up to about 58° F before the games were in the books though.
The one game layoff from the Friday rainout must have rested Beef O'Bradys Kelly. They were motivated to record their second win of the season. Although they scored only 13 runs, it was enough to defeat Center State Bank Gray, who could only manage to send 9 across the plate.
Vic Platania, the manager of the Kellys, moved Don LaMay up to the number three batting slot and he responded with two singles and one double in four trips to the plate. Leadoff man Jerry Noble did his job as he logged a 3 for 4 performance. Vassurl Bess legged out an inside-the-park homer for the Grays.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal easily coasted past Play It Again Sports Red in the 20-5 game on Field "D". Hugh Lessard continues to swing a hot bat. He went 3 for 3 with a double and a triple & scored all four times he batted. Hugh walked in his first plate appearance today.
The Reds had only two productive innings in the game. They scored one in the second & put together hits by Don Witmer, Denny Shaffer, Doug McLellan, Ted Taylor, & Ron Cerotzke to score 4 runs in the 4th frame. That was the extent of the scoring for the Reds.
Although one Riverside Bank Black player thought his team wouldn't win another game this season after losing three in-a-row following a three game win streak, the Blacks easily handed the last place Brian's Tree Service Turquoise another loss in the 19-9 game. Leadoff hitter John Ormbsy connected for two inside-the-park homers. The first one was a right field liner that Richard Moots couldn't track down and the second one was a liner down the leftfield line that Trees manager John Fulton had to chase to the warning track.
One bright spot offensively for the Trees came from the bat of Reg Barnes. He hit a triple that sailed over defending Blacks left centerfielder Bob Lewis.
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 13 | Center State Bank Gray | 9 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 20 | Play It Again Sports Red | 5 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 19 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 9 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Hal Ridley - 3 for 3.
Don LaMay - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Vic Platania - 3 for 4.
Jerry Noble - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Vassurl Bess - 3 for 4 with 1 homer.
Gary Reed - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
John Stewart - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Ray Petrie - 4 for 4.
Hugh Lessard - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk.
Wayne Mundy - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Bill Ayer - 3 for 4.
Riverside Bank Black
John Ormbsy - 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 2 homers.
Bill Rutan - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 walk.
The second annual Canada versus USA game will be held next Wednesday, February 14th, at the DiamondPlex on Fred White Field. Elmer Black manages Team Canada & Fred Dampier heads up Team USA. In the inaugural contest on February 15th, 2006, Team USA won 17-15 after 10 innings of play. Click here to read about the game.
Due to the popularity of the contest, Fred will limit players to two year stints on Team USA, so eight new players will take the field in the 2008 game. The new players for the 2007 game include Freddy Gonzalez, Cal Leigh, Wayne Mundy, & Don Witmer.
Hot dogs, chili, & sides of potato salad & cold slaw will be there for the players and one guest after the game. Rich Palmer has volunteered his lovely wife to create a dessert for the guys to eat after the main meal. Cold sodas will also be chilling in the cooler. Some of the food may be available to other people who want to watch the game but please allow the players & their guest to be served first.
The players will arrive at 9:00 AM & the game will begin at 10:00 AM.
Please come out and root for your favorite country on Valentine's Day.
Tom Mohler returned from his duties with the Indianapolis Colts to begin his umpiring stint in Winter Haven. Incidentally, it is appropriate to offer congratulations to the Colts for winning Super Bowl XLI two days ago against the Chicago Bears. Tom has been a volunteer umpire for the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club for three years now and brings quite a resume to the old ballpark. He has umpired quite a number of years & worked the Little League World Series last year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Welcome back Tom.
February 9th - Who would have thought a 1-6 team would defeat a 4-2 team? Brian's Tree Service Turquoise took the lead in the first frame & scored in every inning except the last one as the underdogs won against Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold. Russ King contributed with a homer down the rightfield line that Marshall Bloom had to retrieve.
Fred Ducham, Cecil Vasquez, & cleanup batter Doug Chamlee, who were three of the first four hitters in the Gold lineup, each went 3 for 4.
Another upset took place in Field E as Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal lost only their second game of the season. Center State Bank Gray scored two in the 8th inning to break a 12-12 tie. Those two runs were all that was needed as the final tally was 14-12.
The 2nd through the 4th batters of the Grays lineup were almost unstoppable. Vassurl Bess, Jim Laffoon, & Jerry Remington batted for a combined 9 of 10.
A third inning homer by Hugh Lessard had given the Royals an early lead, but today just didn't turn out to be their day.
Quite a few zeroes were tacked onto the scoreboard on Field "D" in the low scoring contest. Riverside Bank Black outlasted Play It Again Sports Red by the score of 10-9. Although the final score depicted a one run difference, the Reds had to rally for five runs in the final inning to bring their score up to nine runs.
Ron Augenstein, Bob Lewis, & Art Zakrowski each went a perfect 3 for 3 for the Blacks & Ken King, who is having a banner year, went 4 for 4 for the Reds.
| Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 15 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 7 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 10 | Play It Again Sports Red | 9 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 14 | Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 12 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Tim Gallagher - 3 for 3 with 1 triple & 1 homer.
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Randy Lane - 3 for 4.
Reg Barnes - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Sam Harrell - 3 for 3.
Cecil Vasquez - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Doug Chamlee - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Fred Ducham - 3 for 4.
Riverside Bank Black
Art Zakrowski - 3 for 3 with 1 triple.
Ron Augenstein - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
Bob Lewis - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
Play It Again Sports Red
Ken King - 4 for 4.
Denny Shaffer - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 3 with 1 double & 1 walk.
Vassurl Bess - 3 for 3 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4.
John Stewart - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Ron Thompson - 2 for 2 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk.
Ray Petrie - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
February 13th - Play It Again Sports Red walloped Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold in the game on Fred White Field this morning. The Reds jumped out of the gates early with five runs on seven hits in each of the first two frames. Hank Gomez capped off the 1st inning by driving in the 5th run after Denny Shaffer & Alan Walters cranked triples earlier in the inning. Denny blasted another triple in the 2nd before Dick Wilhelm drove in the 5th run. The Reds never looked back after that & coasted to a 20-10 victory.
Although the team lost, the Golds wasn't without some great hits. Two homers were hit in the game. Ken Wilson hit a solo homer just two batters after Dick Erickson connected for a grand slam dinger.
Riverside Bank Black edged out Center State Bank Gray 14-13 in an exciting game on Field D. The Blacks were down 13-12 going into the last inning. The team put together five hits & the two runs needed to win the game. The big hit for the inning was a double by Bill Rutan.
Freddy Gonzalez & John Stewart hit homers in the losing effort for the Grays.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly extended their win streak to two games after getting off to a slow start to begin the season. They topped Brian's Tree Service Turquoise 12-4 in the battle of the cellar dwellers. Jerry Noble, the leftfielder for the Kellys, stepped into one of his longest hits ever as he drove the ball way over the head of defending leftfielder Randy Lane for a triple. Al Andrews hit a homer & Joe D'Herin also hit well, as he got a double & a triple. The Trees could only muster a total of eight hits, including two triples by power hitter Russ King. Other than that, the offense was mysteriously quiet.
| Play It Again Sports Red | 20 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 10 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 14 | Center State Bank Gray | 13 | |
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 12 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 4 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Play It Again Sports Red
Denny Shaffer - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 triple.
Ted Taylor - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Ken King - 4 for 5.
Don Witmer - 4 for 5.
Alan Walters - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Bobby Ayers - 4 for 4.
Ted Granoski - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Riverside Bank Black
Dick Sessink - 4 for 5 with 1 double & 2 triples.
Bill Rutan - 4 for 5 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Elmer Black - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 walk.
Ron Augenstein - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk.
Center State Bank Gray
Bob Douglas - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Joe D'Herin - 2 for 2 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk.
Al Andrews - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Jerry Noble - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple.
The second annual Canada vs USA game will be played tomorrow at the DiamondPlex on Fred White Field. Fred Dampier heads up Team USA while Elmer Black is in charge of Team Canada.
The Board of Directors and the three Winter Haven managers for the Lakeland/Winter Haven competition met at the American Legion Post 8 after the games & chose teams. Ron Augenstein is the lone new Winter Haven manager this year, Dick Wilhelm returns for his second year, & Fred Dampier has managed a team since the inception of the competition in 2005.
February 14th - St. Valentine's Day - The second annual Canada vs USA game was played today at the Winter Haven DiamondPlex on Fred White Field.
The wind was blowing about 10 MPH to leftfield, which made the fielders earn every catch made in the outfield. The talent was plentiful & the power hitters were spread throughout the two lineups.
Team USA won the 2006 event by the score of 17-15 after 10 innings of play. Click here to see the results of the 2007 game.
The teams were picked for the 2007 Winter Haven vs Lakeland competition. The first game will be in Winter Haven on Wendnesday, March 7th & the second game will take place at the Southwest Complex in Lakeland on Wednesday, March 14th.
Click here to see the Winter Haven rosters and a list of the alternate players.
February 16th - It was a coooooooooold day and the 10-15 MPH wind kept the ballplayers even a bit colder. Right before game time, the temperature was hovering around 50° F. The low temps will continue through the weekend, with the low tonight forecasted to reach the freezing mark of 32° F.
Play It Again Sports Red pounded the ball all day as they defeated Brian's Tree Service Turquoise by a score of 27-16. The leadoff hitter & coach for the Reds, Don Witmer, hit for the cycle. Another player also hit for the cycle. Trees shortstop Russ King accomplished that rare feat in the same game.
The first place team, Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal, stopped a two game Beef O'Bradys Kelly win streak. The Royals were trailing from the beginning but mounted a 4 run rally in the 8th to take the lead for the first time in the game. Lloyd Hopper drove in the final Royals run in the top of the inning to give his team a 10-9 lead. The Kellys fought back in the bottom of the inning & a single by pitcher Jerry Witter tied the score at 10-10 going into the last frame.
The Kelly defense had problems in the 9th inning. After Ed Schmiedeke reached base on an crucial error, Wayne Mundy sealed the victory for the Royals with a two run homer.
Manager Elmer Black hit a grand slam homer as Riverside Bank Black stopped Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold in the game on Field "E". The Gold players were issued seven free passes but stranded a lot of base runners on the way to their 5th loss & dropping the team below the .500 mark for the first time this season.
| Play It Again Sports Red | 27 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 16 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 12 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 10 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 13 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 6 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Play It Again Sports Red
Don Witmer - 5 for 5 and hit for cycle with 1 walk.
Doug McLellan - 5 for 6 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Ted Taylor - 4 for 5.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Freddy Gonzalez - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Russ King - 4 for 5 and hit for cycle.
Hal Ridley - 4 for 5.
Larry Williamson - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
John Fulton - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Hugh Lessard - 4 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Ron Thompson - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Don Erb - 4 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 homer.
Bobby Ayers - 1 for 1 with 2 walks.
Ed Neumyer - 3 for 4.
Riverside Bank Black
Elmer Black - 4 for 4 with 1 double & 1 grand slam homer.
Bill Evans - 4 for 4 with 1 double.
Bill Rutan - 3 for 3 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
A former Winter Haven Senior Softball Club ballplayer rejoined after a one year absence. Harvey Rennie played 3rd base & spent some time covering left centerfield for Play It Again Sports Red today. He last played with the Kelly team in 2005. Welcome back Harvey.
The season is approaching the half way point and several teams are showing signs of an exciting race for a first place finish.
February 20th - The three favorites all won today but two of the games could have gone either way.
Riverside Bank Black had to come from behind and score three runs in the top of the 9th to secure their win against Beef O'Bradys Kelly. Three Kelly errors, along with the third double of the day from the bat of Bill Evans, helped the cause for the Blacks. Kelly 3rd baseman Al Andrews had a perfect day at the plate & blasted a three run homer in the losing effort.
Center State Bank Gray struggled to pull out a victory over underdog Brian's Tree Service Turquoise. The Trees began quickly by scoring four runs in both the 1st & 2nd innings. They held onto a slim 8-7 lead after the 2nd for their only lead of the game & ended up losing by three runs. Grays player Freddy Gonzalez hit a solo homer over right centerfielder Cal Leigh while Trees players Russ King & Ed Guspyt hit homers.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal continued their winning ways with a win over Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold. The Gold couldn't quite figure out pitcher Ernie Lancto and were shutout from the 2nd through the 7th innings. The Royals scored 10 of their 14 runs with 5 in the 1st inning & 5 in the 3rd inning. Lloyd Hopper had critical hits in both frames. In the 1st, Lloyd hit a run producing double & connected for a homer in the 3rd inning.
| Riverside Bank Black | 13 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 12 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 18 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 15 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 14 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 7 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Riverside Bank Black
Ed Kline - 3 for 3.
Bill Evans - 3 for 4 with 3 doubles.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Al Andrews - 3 for 3 with 1 homer & 1 walk.
Jerry Noble - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Herb Oesterreich - 4 for 5.
Sam Harrell - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bob Sciamanna - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 1 homer.
Ray DePalma - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 2 triples.
Bob Douglas - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Bob Martin - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Cal Leigh - 4 for 4 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Fred Dampier - 4 for 5 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 double, 1 homer, & 1 sacrifice fly.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Hugh Lessard - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Lloyd Hopper - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 homer.
Wayne Mundy - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Ray Petrie - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Cecil Vasquez - 2 for 2 with 1 walk.
There was one roster change that will take effect for the next game. Due to medical reasons, Joe DeForge has been removed from the Kelly team & replaced with pool player Bob Sciamanna. We all wish Joe a speedy recovery & look forward to his return to the old ballpark.
A former Winter Haven Senior Softball Club member dropped by, watched the action on the three fields, & renewed old acquaintances. Frank Vincenzo last played here during the 2003 season. Thank you for your visit Frank.
February 23rd - There were no games scheduled for the WInter Haven Senior Softball Club due to the SSUSA national tournament allocating the DiamondPlex softball fields.
The games will resume on Tuesday, February 27th. This will give the fellows a chance to rest, visit a spring training camp, participate in some other activities, or just take some time to work on a honey do or two around the home.
February 24th - Three teams with members of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club (WHSSC) took part in the 2007 Polk Senior Games today.
The American Legion Post 8 team took 1st place in the 70s division. Doug Chamlee manages the team and WHSSC team members included Ron Augenstein, Ron Carrothers, Bill Evans, Joel Freedman, Bob Lewis, Dick Sessink, & Floyd Welton.
Former WHSSC member Dwight Pavkovich entered a 55s team in the Polk Senior Games. The Eagles took 1st place. Team members who belong to the WHSSC included Fred Dampier, Freddy Gonzalez, John Stewart, Cecil Vasquez, Larry Williamson, & Don Witmer. Also, former member Jim Bright played with the team. Click here to view the Eagles team picture.
Ken Duell managed the 60s Lake Wales Legends team that took 1st place in the 2007 Polk Senior Games. WHSSC members included Joe D'Herin, Chuck Duff, Tim Gallagher, Jim Laffoon, Doug McLellan, Bobby Murphy, Larry Powell, & Dean Schapeler, and former members Don Bercaw, Ed Gazarek, & Kenny Watts.
Jose Agosto managed the Lakeland Angels, a 65s team that participated in the SSUSA National Tournament this weekend. WHSSC members included John Fulton, Hugh Lessard, Wayne Mundy, John Ormsby, Jerry Remington, Ron Thompson, & Dick Wilhelm.
February 27th - An upset occurred on Fred White Field today. Beef O'Bradys Kelly pounded Play It Again Sports Red by the score of 24-10. All 12 batters in the Kelly lineup had at least two hits each. Don LaMay led the charge with a perfect 4 for 4 day at the plate.
For the losing Reds, Alan Walters went 4 for 4 with two doubles.
The 1st place Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal team improved their record to 9-2 as they handed Brian's Tree Service Turquoise their 10th loss of the season. Hugh Lessard was right on target as he went 4 for 4 with a triple. Royals pitcher Ernie Lancto allowed only one run until the Trees broke open in the 9th and scored four runs.
Rusty Landahl collected three hits in three at bats for the Trees.
Center State Bank Gray was victorious over Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold by only one run. The final out of the game was made when a Gold runner attempted to score from 2nd base on a hit and was cut down at the plate by a few steps.
Jim Laffoon continued his hot hitting by going 5 for 5 with a double for the Grays & Golds player Doug Graham returned after missing several games to go 4 for 4. Cleanup hitter Doug Chamlee & fifth batter Cecil Vasquez were also went 4 for 4 each for the Gold.
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 24 | Play It Again Sports Red | 10 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 13 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 5 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 13 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 12 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Don LaMay - 4 for 4 with 1 walk.
Ed Neumyer - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Al Andrews - 4 for 5.
Play It Again Sports Red
Alan Walters - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Hank Gomez - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Hugh Lessard - 4 for 4 with 1 triple.
Floyd Welton - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Cliff Hamilton - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Rusty Landahl - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Center State Bank Gray
Jim Laffoon - 5 for 5 with 1 double.
Bill Ayer - 4 for 5.
John Smith - 3 for 4.
Bob Lundquest - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Doug Graham - 4 for 4 with 1 double.
Doug Chamlee - 4 for 4.
Cecil Vasquez - 4 for 4.
Ted Granoski - 3 for 4.
Two roster changes were made today. Gary Reed has been removed from the Center State Bank Gray roster and replaced with Bill Ayer. For the Riverside Bank Black team, Bill Rutan is heading back north and may not return again next year. It has been a pleasure having you in the Winter Haven Senior Softball program, Bill. Thank you and take care of yourself. Bill has been replaced with Ed Kline.
After several months of absence for the old ballfield, George Summers returned just in time to pitch for the Trees today. Welcome back George.
