Wilmington Memorial Library

TOWN CRIER - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2006
Pair of all-star games a blast
By LOUIE CIMAGL1A
Sports Correspondent
On a drizzly Sunday after-
noon, some of Wilmington's
best and brightest baseball
players took the stage for a pair
of Ail-Star games. The 13-year-
old Junior League All-Stars
took on the 14-year old Senior
League All-Stars, followed by
the 15-year-old squad versus
the 16-year-old team.
The first game between the
13's and 14's started off as a
complete blowout. Jeff Kanale
had a tough first inning, includ-
ing awalk by Dom McCann, a
bloop single by Scott Bonish
and Tom Valente's reach by
error started the game off.
Another bloop and a walk made
the score 3-0 in favor of the 14-
year-olds.
I-eeham Gately started the
game for the 14-year-olds. The
first batter, Mike Aria ground-
ed back to Gately for the first
out. Mike Gracia walked and
Sean Hanley popped out to
third. Chris Frissore was
plunked in the head during the
next at bat, putting runners on
first and second. Andrew Spurr
also reached base, loading the
bases. Gately then shut the
door with a strikeout, ending
the threat. The next inning
however, the floodgates opened.
The inning started with back
to back doubles by Dan
Cushing and Tyler Whalen,
both of which one hopped the
left-centerfield fence. Joe
Cerbone walked and so did
John See. Bonish and Valente
singled, and the hits kept on
coming. After the 14-year olds
were finished, the score was 12-
0.
Then the runs stopped, and
not many baserunners reached
for the next few innings. Then
in the sixth, the 13-year-olds
began to capitalize. Cushing
had control problems and
walked a few batters, giving
some hope to the 13's.
Amazingly, on sloppy fielding
and good baserunning by the
13's, the score tightened up to
12-9. Spurr had perhaps the
most interesting escapade on
the basepaths. He was on first,
attempted to steal second,
where the catcher's throw went
into centerfield, prompting
Spurr to run to third. The cen-
terfielder picked up the ball
and overthrew third, and Spurr
ran home for the eighth run.
However, the 13-year-olds could
only muster one more, and the
game ended that way, 12-9.
In the next game, the 16-year-
olds defeated the 15s, 5-3.
Pitchers for the 16's were Kyle
Lunt, Brian Svennson, Steve
Mclsaac, Rob Mclsaac, Andrew
Valente, Mike Cabral and Dave
Rak. Pitchers for the 15"s were
Brian Cole, Matt Hachey, Mike
DeRosa, Dan Dellisola, Steve
Stewart, Justin Chenevert, and
John Spurr.
Wilmington Youth Lacrosse's U-13 White recently completed a very successful season ol
lacrosse. Pictured above are JB Thompson, Pat Magliano, Conor Ryan. Justin MacKinnon. Dan
Hope, Nick Masiello, Joe Bolognese, Jessica DeNorscia, Chris Piscatelli, Colin McGuire, Tom
Broman. Brian Pickett, Jamie Mara, Alex Harrington, Alex Furlong, Ryan Kennedy. Ryan
Walsh, Robbie Sutera, Cam Owens. Missing from photo: Eric Jaeschke, Ryan Sweeney.
Couch potatoes needed a snooze
button during World Cup
By LOUIE CLMAGLIA
Sports Correspondent
A message to soccer fans ...
Yawn.
Soccer will never be main-
stream in America, sorry
everyone. Although there is a
bit of a buzz swirling around
the World Cup, this year is soc-
cer's best chance to thrive in
the U.S. With the Stanley Cup
playoffs virtually forgotten, the
Mavericks complete mental
collapse against Dwayne Wade
and the Heat and a Tiger
Woods fall-oul in the U.S. Open
and subsequent Phil Mickelson-
type choke by Phil Mickelson,
soccer finally had a chance to
become the premiere water
cooler talk.
But thanks to the United
States squad's early departure,
there is nothing for main-
stream America to grasp on to.
People do not care about the
score of the Poland-Ecuador
game, or how Argentina beat
Ivory Coast in stoppage time. If
soccer fans ever want to see
their game more commercial,
they need an American team
the country can get behind.
And supposedly this was the
best team the Stars and Stripes
had ever put on the field.
I bought into it. I was deter-
mined to have an open mind
going into this tournament and
I was going to watch, despite
my complete disregard for soc-
cer as a professional sport.
After the first five minutes of
the United States' game
against the Czech Republic, I
was done. The Czechs scored
early and embarrassed
America. I can't root for a
team like that, that rolls over
after five minutes. Once the
main story is gone, there was
nothing left to care about.
This is not like the Olympics.
The Olympics have more poten-
tial for storylines and more
individual events that people
can watch and care about. In
soccer, there Isn't even a per-
son in the world people can
care about, or as I call it, the
Pittsnogle factor. If you do
recall, Kevin Pittsnogle was a
forward on the West Virginia
basketball team these past few
years. Two years ago, when
West Virginia surprised every-
one by going deep into the tour-
nament, they gained national
attention and support because
of, yes, Pittsnogle. There is no
Pittsnogle in this tournament.
No underdogs. No storylines
Not even a big name people can
care about. There is no Pele
here. No Diego Maradonna.
The give soccer a chance'
line is over with. They had then
chance, and they couldn't do
anything about it. Soccer will
never be an American s|>ort At
least not anv time soon
Chambers
New England's Largest Volume Dealer!
2004 Acuri 3.2TL Nav.
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On Sunday the Wilmington 13-year-old All-Star Baseball icmi look on the 11-year-old all-star team
in a lun name played at Scanlon Memorial Field
JoeBrownphotos com 1
Also playing on Sunday was the 15-year-old all-sUii team
star team, also at Scanlon Memorial Field
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