Bridgeport North End Little League: My Site News

May 14, 2009

North End Little League is proud to announce that it raised $1000 during its first ever Cancer Awareness Day on May 10, 2009. To honor those stricken with cancer, North End Little Leaguers ventured out on a windy Mothers Day to play baseball in pink shirts in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Swim Across the Sound Foundation. Team Moms for players ages five to twelve came out and sold shirts, pencils, raffle prizes and conducted 50/50 raffles in an effort to raise awareness for parents who came out to watch their kids play. NELL was honored to have Tom McCarthy City Council President and Michelle Lyons, City Councilwoman stop by and support this wonderful day long event. NELL was aided by generous donations from Joe’s Fuel who purchased all of the shirts that the players wore and the shirts that were sold. Mark IV Construction and Tri-State Embroidery  also gave a generous donations to assist in this event. 

Please check out our website at www.eteamz.active.com/NorthEndLL for league updates and photos from this day.  

If you have any question or would like more information about our league, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (203) 925-0102, home or (203) 218-3791, cell.

Michael J. Federici, MSW

North End Little League Press Release:

On behalf of North End LL, we are very proud to announce that on Sunday May 10, 2009 we will be hosting a Cancer Awareness Day in conjunction with Swim Across the Sound. North End LL has been in existence since 1954 and currently has over 350 children participating in Little League baseball between the ages of 5 and 16. There are five divisions of baseball starting with T-ball, Minors, AAA, Majors and Seniors.

All of our youths will be playing on Mother’s Day and in honor of all those stricken with cancer or for those who have lost loved ones, our players will be wearing pink t-shirts for their games. The shirts have been donated by one of our long time league benefactors, Mr. Joe Sicsicio owner of Joe’s Fuel in Bridgeport. We also received donations from Mark IV Construction, Tri-State Embroidery and Executive Printing.

Our plan is to collect donations for admission to our games, conduct several 50-50 raffles, sell the extra 100 pink cancer awareness shirts and other cancer awareness trinkets we ordered for that day. All proceeds will be donated to Swim Across the Sound.

Several of our local politicians including the Mayor of Bridgeport Bill Finch, Congressman Jim Himes, City Council President, Tom McCarthy and others have also been invited.

We are requesting your presence for this wonderful event as our players, coaches, team moms and families would love to share with the community their stories about family and friends who have been touched by this tragic disease.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or our league Vice President Susan Allen. Below is information about our league and contact information.

Legal Name:                          Little League Baseball Inc.

Tax ID #:                                06-6071043

Contact Email:                       Nellbridgeport@yahoo.com

Mailing Address:                 47 Cathy Drive, Shelton CT. 06484

Contact Phone:                     203-218-3791 (Mike)

                                                203-521-3021 (Susan)

Contact Fax:                          203-857-3459

Organization Website:        www.eteamz.active.com/NorthEndLL

Thank you for your support,

Michael J. Federici, MSW

REDS WIN, RANGERS WIN, BIG RED MACHINE PREVAILS!!!  The season long anticipated match up between the top two teams in the NELL Major Division lived up to its billing as the Reds and Rangers battled for 3 games to wrap up our Romano Tournament. There was great pitching, clutch hitting, outstanding defense and in the end the Reds were the last team standing.

In the 1^st game of the Romano Championship, the Reds went with their ace, Greg Kabasakalian. Kabasakalian delivered one of the finest pitching performances in Romano Tournament history. Greg no hit the deep hitting Rangers. He threw 4 perfect innings with 12 K’s and finished the 6 inning no hitter with 15K’s. He was also 2 for 3 at the plate. Matt DeFilippo got the game winning hit scoring the go ahead run in the bottom of the 5^th . The Rangers got everything they could get from their veteran ace, Kevin Watson who had 7 K’s in 5 innings holding the Reds to just 1 run.

In the 2^nd game, the Reds went with 11 YO phenom, Matt DeFilippo who was just as dominant as his counterpart the day before. DeFilippo went the distance and finished the game with just 68 pitches and had 11 K’s and 2 RBI’s for the Reds. After the Reds built a  1 – 0 lead going into the bottom of the 5^th, a costly error put a man on 1^st . Then Charles “Thumper” Richardson stepped to the plate and crushed a DeFilippo fastball that would have landed on Madison Ave if the NELL concession stand didn’t get in the way. Instantly the Rangers had life and were clinging to a 2 – 1 lead. Tayrll Spearman was holding things down with 5 innings of 1 run ball with 6 K’s when he loaded the bases in the top half of the 6^th. DeFilippo stepped to plate and was plunked by reliever EJ Valles to tie the score at 2 with just 1 out. The Rangers got break on the next two batters and went into the bottom of the sixth tied at 2. After getting the 1^st out, DeFilippo got a little pay back and plunked Spearman who went to 1^st. The next batter was Kevin Watson who jumped on a fastball and drove it into the gap in right center. Spearman was held up at third, however, when the throw came into home, it got by the catcher which allowed Spearman to score the winning run. Matt Reis had a nice game going 1 – 4, but scored the tying run in the 5^th. Seth Carson was 2 for 2 at the plate for the Reds as well.

The final game had a completely different look with both teams having spent their top pitching. The Reds went with Archangel Homar and the Rangers went with the crafty veteran, EJ Valles. Both pitchers did their best to keep their teams in the game, but defense let them down in this game. The game went back and forth with the Reds taking an early 1 – 0 lead and then the Rangers tied it in the 2^nd. The Rangers put a 3 spot in the top of the 4^th, however, the Reds came back in the bottom of the 4^th with 3 of their own. With the game tied at 4, the Reds came up in the bottom of the 5^th and with two outs, another costly error which would have ended the innings, wound up costing the Rangers 3 runs off of reliever Philip Mitchell. The Reds feeling confident up 7 – 4 going into the 6^th, got a scare when the Rangers got a run to start the inning and then had runners on 1^st and 3^rd with just 1 out. Closer, Alex Morales then got Mitchell to foul out on an attempted bunt and caught Tayrll Spearman looking for the final out to preserve the 7 – 5 victory and give the Reds their first Romano Championship.

In earlier Romano action, the Reds thumped the Phillies in the 1 versus 8 seed. Kabasakalian went 5 innings giving up just 1 run in the win. The Rangers had to fight off a pesky Dodger team in the 2 / 7 game. Kevin Watson went 5 + innings and EJ Valles closed things out to preserve a 5 – 1 win. Watson had 8 K’s and went 1 – 2 at the plate. Tayrll Spearman was 2 – 3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. The Dodgers got a complete game from their ace, Allen Gibson who had 8 K’s and was 3 for 3 at the plate with a triple. In the 3 / 6 game, the Rays snuck past the once mighty Yankees 6 – 3. Ray Greene led the way with 5 + innings to keep the Yank bats quiet. He had 9 K’s giving up just 1 hit. Matt Angelo had 2 hits to lead the Rays attack. The Yanks got a solid game from their ace, Danny Ortiz who had 6 K’s in the game. Josh Perez was the lone offensive weapon getting 2 hits including a home run to deep center field and a double. In the final game of the 1^st round, the Astros upset the 4 seed, Mariners in a 4 – 1 contest. Jack DeFilippo struck out 13 while giving up just 1 run to advance the Stros to the 2^nd round. Willie Hernandez did his best to hold the Astros in check giving up 4 runs over 5 innings.

On Sunday, the two consolation games had the Yankees upending the Phillies 5 – 1. The Yanks pitched their entire team, or at least 5 different pitchers to confuse the Phillies. Ryan Conroy led the offense with an RBI triple and got the save closing out the Phillies in the top of the 6^th. Joey Money and Jorge Alvarez each contributed with RBI hits and Money also pitched an inning of relief. In the 2^nd consolation game, the Mariners concluded their season with a 9 – 5 hard fought victory over the Dodgers. Orlando Sanchez pitched a gritty 4 + innings for the win. Kyle Donaldson and Allen Gibson each had a triple for the Dodgers in the loss.

In Semi-final action, the Rays and Rangers squared up again in what would be a repeat of last year’s semi-final. This time, the Rangers found a way to advance to the championship game by holding on for a 4 – 2 win. Taryll Spearman went 5 + innings and had threw 5 shut out innings until the Rays rallied in the top of the 6^th only to fall short. Spearman had 10 K’s in the game and was 2 – 3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. EJ Valles closed things out with 2 K’s to finish off the Rays. Valles also was 2 – 2 in the game. Sean Fyall went the distance for the Rays and after a shaky 1^st and 2^nd inning settled down to the tune of 7 K’s over 5 innings. Kyle “Flipper” Aldredge was a 1 man wrecking crew for the Rays getting 3 hits in the game.

The Reds finished off the Astros in a 6 – 0 domination with Matt DeFilippo striking out 14 and going the distance in the shut out victory. Greg Kabasakalian led the offense with a home run. The Astros Steven Ramirez tried his best to keep his team in the game going 5 innings for the Stros.

Lets all congratulate our Pirates from the AAA division for winning this years Artman Tournament. There was no information available for the championship game.

A few league notes.

There is still time to sign up your child for FALL BALL. Please email Steve Bailer at NELLBridgeport@yahoo.com for information.

Triple Play is conducting summer camps at our fields. Please contact them directly at 371-8893.

NELL is hosting our District and Sectional 12 Tournaments at our complex. Please check out our website for game dates for our 12’s and come out and support them.

NELL WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON: NELL teams from all divisions played their final regular season games over the past week. There were some teams that passed teams ahead of them in the standing with a late season surge of wins while other teams faltered down the stretch. The Minor Tournament got under way and the AAA and Majors are set to begin this weekend.

In our game action, the Mariners upended the Dodgers 12 – 5 behind solid pitching from Wesley and Alex Mier with each pitching 3 + innings to quiet the Dodger bats. Elisha Maldonado was the player of the game for the Dodgers getting 2 hits and 3 RBI’s. The Rangers beat back the Yankees for the third time this year with a 14 – 4 drubbing of the once mighty Yanks. EJ Valles threw 5 innings of solid ball to hold the Yanks in check. Maliah Papelon got her first hit of the season while teammate Charles Richardson clubbed 2 doubles, was 3 – 4 with 6 RBI’. Danny Ortiz pitched a veteran 3 + innings and had a show stopping catch at shortstop to quell the Ranger bats. Ryan Conroy had a nice two run double to lead the Yankee hitters.

In weekend action starting on 5/30, the Phillies gave the Reds a big scare before succumbing to the Romano favorites, 5 – 3. Rising star Johnathon Cordero pitched 5 innings of 2 run ball for the Phillies. The Reds got some relief in the form of Alex Morales 4 innings and Matt DeFilippo 1 inning to stop the Phillie surge and preserve the win. Timmy Welch led the Reds with 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s.  The Rangers thumped the Mariners 14 – 2 with Philip Mitchell going the distance in a 4 inning shortened affair to go along with 8 K’s. The Rangers got back one of their offensive leaders in Ralphie Torres, back from a 7 game injury. He went 2 – 3 with 2 runs scored. Taryll Spearman was also 2 – 3 with 2 doubles and Mitchell helped his own cause by going 3 – 3 with 2 triples. The Rays and Astros battled again with the Rays besting their old nemesis 12 – 4. The Rays got a solid game from Ray Green who went 5 + innings with 9 K’s. He also had 2 hits along with teammate Justin Banks who contributed with 3 hits of his own.

In a showdown for second place, the Rays and Rangers were at it again. It was deja vu “all over again” for the Rangers who were beaten last year twice by the Rays in the last game of the season and the Romano semi-final. Not to be deterred the Rangers outpaced the Rays 5 – 1 behind outstanding pitching from Taryll Spearman. Spearman pitched a complete game with 11 K’s and gave up 1 run. He was also 2 – 4 at the plate. Phillip “bone crusher” Mitchell again slapped the ball all over the field going 2 – 3 with 2 doubles. Kyle “Flipper” Aldridge kept the game close with a couple of nice defensive plays in the outfield. Sean Fyall gave it his best keeping the Rays in the game after a shaky first inning to go 4 innings with 5 K’s. Justin Banks was 1 – 2 and had two scoreless innings of relief.  The Astros jumped all over the Dodgers in a 19 – 6 smack down. Steve Rameriz threw 3 solid innings in the shortened mercy game. The Reds did one better by covering the spread by almost 3 touchdowns in a 22 – 2 win over the Yankees. Greg Kabasakalian and Timmy Welch combined to pitch 2 innings each to keep the Big Red Machine rolling. The entire Reds teams got hits in this game.

In our last regular season games starting on 6/1, the Dodgers put a scare into the hard charging Rays. The game wasn’t decided until the 6^th with the Rays coming out on top 10 – 7. Justin Banks led the Rays attack with 2 hits and pitched 3 workman like innings. The Astros and Phillies squared off in another heartbreaking close one for the Phils, losing 5 -2. Rising star, Josh DeFrancisco kept the Phillies close with 3 solid innings, while the Stros got a combined solid effort from starter Jack DeFilippo and reliever Jonathan Sullivan. The Dodgers and Yankees made up one of their rain outs on our minor field with the Yanks squeaking by the always tough Dodgers. Joey Money pitched 4 innings without giving up an earned run and Ryan Conroy rallied his team with 2 hits. Justin Backus had a hit and 2 RBI’s for the Dodgers. In our last game of the season, the Yankees gave us a look at what next year may be like with a 7 – 4 win over the 4^th place Mariners. Devin and Justin Ruiz each pitched 2 innings of 1 run ball in relief to keep the M’s in place. Joey Money had a double, triple and 2 runs scored. Herbert got his first hit of the season for the Mariners.

No information was available at press time for AAA games, however, the Angels and Mets both surprised the Braves with the Angels beating them on Saturday and the Mets beating them on Sunday. This was not enough to knock the Braves out of first place as they nudged the Pirates in regular season action. The Pirates beat the Mets on Saturday to tie the Braves with the best record for AAA, however, lost out on first place in head to head action.

Our Clinics will continue to run through next weekend. The 11’s and 12’s will go on Saturday from 9am – 11am and the 9’s and 10’s will be Saturday from 3pm – 5pm.

Parents, this is absolutely the last chance to turn in your Raffle Tickets. The league must account for every ticket and we have all of the tickets numbered and assigned to specific children. We are asking that you turn them on Wednesday, 6/10 at the absolute latest.

Please continue to support all of our Sponsors. They have all done a wonderful job of supporting our league so please be sure to thank them for their continued generous donations to our league.

A reminder that NELL will be hosting the District 12 tournaments, Sectional 12 and State 10 YO All Stars this year. Please make sure you come down and support our kids in their All Star pursuits.

Please continue to trek up to the fields on Madison Ave and watch some highly competitive games from our Junior Division.

FINAL STANDINGS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 6/5/09)                 AAA Division

Team                Wins                Losses                                      Team                Wins    Losses

Reds                17                    1                                              Braves              6          3

Rangers            13                    5                                              Pirates              6          3

Rays                 12                    6                                              Mets                3          6

Mariners           9                      9                                              Angels              3          6

Astros              9                      9

Yankees           8                      10

Dodgers           4                      14

Phillies              1                      17

NELL PREPARES FOR UPCOMING TOURNAMENT PLAY:  NELL teams from the Minor, AAA and Major Divisions are rounding out their seasons in preparation for the upcoming tournaments for Romano’s, Artman and Minor League. All teams have been playing hard to claim their seeding and will begin tournament play as early as Sunday for Minors and leading up to the Romano start next Saturday, 6/6.

In our game action, the Rangers started the week off with a bang, banging out 13 runs against the Mariners on 5/18 behind solid pitching from Phillip Mitchell. The Rangers had the game in hand until the bottom of the 6^th when the M’s made things interesting by scoring 4 runs in a failed comeback attempt. Peter Mitchell had a nice game with a slicing double down the line and 2 RBI’s. The other Mitchell combo pitched into the 5^th inning and also had a double and 2 runs scored. The Rays snuck past the pesky Dodgers on 5/19 in a 5 – 4 squeaker. Matt Angelo (Rays) and Allen Gibson (Dodgers) both gave a veteran pitching performance in keeping their teams close. Sean Fyall led the Rays offense with 4 hits while Justyn Spencer had 2 RBI’s for the Dodgers. NELL played 2 games on 5/20. The Reds and Astros squared off with the Astros throwing everything and the kitchen sink to try and slow down the Big Red Machine. The Reds countered with Timmy Welch and Archangel Homar each going 4 – 4 to lead the Reds in an 8 – 5 win. In the 2^nd game, the Yankees and Mariners made up for rain with the Yanks coming out on top, 17 – 8. Danny Ortiz and Josh Perez led the Bombers with 4 hits a piece while Jorge Alvarez added 3 hits of his own to go along with 2 solid innings of relief while giving up no runs. The Yankees bats were at it again on 5/21 beating the Phillies 12 – 11. What the Yanks lack in pitching they make up in hitting. Devin came on in relief to throw 4 innings of 2 run ball after the Yanks were down 8 zip and got his first hit to strike the rally and complete an amazing comeback. The Astros and Mariners rounded out the week thumping each other for a combined 25 runs with the Stros’s upending the M’s 13 – 12. Westly got his first in game pitching action for the M’s and Herbert got his 1^st hit for the Mariners as well.

In weekend action the Rangers and Reds went at it again with the same result; a 4 – 1 win for the Reds. Matt DeFilippo had his second dominating performance in a row giving up just 1 run in a compete game 66 pitch effort over 6 innings. Did I mention domination? He also had 17 K’s and went 3 – 3 to lead his team. Kevin Watson did his best to hold the Reds in check going 5 innings and Tayrll Spearman had one of the few hits against DeFilippo going 1 – 3. The Dodgers pushed past the Phillies in a wild one with the Dodgers winning 15 – 10. Allen Gibson led the Dodgers with 3 hits and 4 RBI’s. Josh “Blazing Speed” DeFrancisco hit an inside the park home run for the Phillies. In the late game the Rays and Yanks were at each other again. The Rays got a 1 hit, 10 K complete game performance from their ace, Sean Fyall in a 8 – 3 win. Kyle “Flipper” Aldridge had 2 hits in the game for the Rays. Danny Ortiz gave a veteran performance with 5 solid innings and 3 runs. Brandon Ambrister continued his hitting ways by getting a key base hit in the 6^th inning to keep the Yankees hopes of winning alive.

In our Sunday games, the Rangers and Astros started things off with a continuation of the first game of our NELL season that ended with a 1 – 1 tie after 5 innings. The Rangers stole a run in the top of the 6^th with their speedster Philip Mitchell scoring the go ahead run. In the bottom of the 6^th, the Stros got a lead off triple from Ray Retamar but Charles “Big Dog” Richardson struck out the next 3 batters to seal the win. A recap of the game from earlier in the season had Jack DeFilippo going 5 + innings with 10 K’s for the Stros and Kevin Watson also going 5 + innings for the Rangers. Big Dog Richardson was 3 – 3 in the game with a run scored while James Rodi had a walk and a the only run for the Stros. The Rangers took the 2^nd game of the morning with an impressive 5 – 1 victory. Tayrll Spearman went the distance giving up 1 unearned run while striking out 13 for the Rangers. Philip Mitchell was a one man wrecking crew going 3 – 3 with 2 doubles, a triple, 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.  Jonathan Sullivan had a good day at the plate for the Stros with a nice double, stolen base and the only run scored. Steven Ramirez went the distance in the loss for the Astros. The Reds took out their beating stick and handed the Mariners a 9 – 1 thumping. Greg Kabasakalian went 4 2/3 innings striking out all 14 batters for outs. Matt Reis was 3 – 3 with runs scored. Garnell Bell had his 1^st run scored of the year for the M’s.

There were 3 games played leading up to this edition starting with the Astros and Mariners playing on 5/26 with the M’s getting back to their winnings ways in a 4 – 3 win. Willie pitched into the 6^th inning for the M’s and Alex Mier got the last out to save the win with a nice strikeout. The Reds blanked the Dodgers on 5/27 with Archangel Homar and Matt DeFilippo combining on the shutout. Archangel went 4 innings and had 11 K’s while Matt pitched 2 to seal the win for the Big Red Machine. Matt Reis had a single and 2 RBI’s to lead the Reds attack. The Rangers zipped the Phillies 5 – 0 behind solid pitching from their ace Kevin Watson. Watson went 4 innings and was relieved by Luc Salomini who pitched 2 innings to preserve the shut out. EJ “I got my new glasses” Valles went 2 – 3 with a double and a run scored. Ricky Green pitched 4 innings for the Phillies and was 1 – 3 at the plate. Jonathan Villanueva and Josh “Blaze” Defrancisco each had a hit in the loss.

In AAA action, the Pirates outlasted the Mets 13 – 11 on 5/19. Angelo Rodriguez pitched 5 innings for the Mets in the loss and had 2 hits and 3 RBI’s. Isaiah Colon also had 2 hits for the Mets in the loss. No information was available about the Pirate performance. The Braves got an outstanding 17 K no hit performance from their stud pitcher Bobby Karosy in a 4 – 1 victory over the Angels on 5/21. The Angels got their 2^nd win of the year surprising the 2^nd place Pirates 7 – 5. Miguel Heyer pitched 4 solid innings for the Angels and had 8 K’s. Angel Irby led the Angels with a double and triple. Dennison Alfaro hit a double for the Pirates in the loss.

In other league news, Picture Day has come and gone. The only event we have planned for the remainder of this year is the Picnic on June 14^th. The league is attempting to organize a future stars 8 YO All Star game before the 2^nd game of the Romano Championships. Keep posted for this and more.

Our Clinics are in full swing. Many of our coaches have been out there going over basic and advanced skills for kids ages 9 – 12.

Raffle Tickets are still on sale. You must get them in by May 31^st. Sue Allen and Mike Federici will be around this weekend to collect your ticket orders.

Please continue to support our Sponsors by thanking them whenever you see them. It is customary that we highlight several sponsors for each of these News letters and this week we will be sponsoring Pediatric Healthcare Associates for their generous donation. They will be sponsoring our 12 year old All Star team and Galaxy Diner will be sponsoring one of our 9 – 11 year old All Star teams competing this year.

Please continue to trek up to the fields on Madison Ave and watch some highly competitive games from our Junior Division.

As always, please continue to visit our “Home Plate” Snack Stand. The weather is heating up and so are the burgers and fries. Check out Mike and Robyn and get yourself a Shrimp or Clam Dinner.

RECORDS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 5/27/09)                    AAA Division

Team                Wins                Losses                                      Team                Wins    Losses

Reds                15                    1                                              Braves              6          1

Rangers            10                    5                                              Pirates              5          3

Rays                 8                      5                                              Mets                2          5

Mariners           8                      7                                              Angels              2          6

Astros              6                      8

Yankees           6                      8

Dodgers           4                      9

Phillies             1                      14

* There was a correction in the AAA division with the Pirates picking up a win over the Angels in a previous edition of this news letter.

NELL DYNASTY BEGINS AT CITY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:  For the third year in a row an NELL team took home the Mayors Cup at the annual City League Tournament that pits North End LL against Park City and Black Rock in a winner take all one day event. Our NELL West team had their hands full as the Park City team once again made it to the championship game by beating our West team 6 zip with an outstanding pitching performance from their ace Miguel Delgado. The West team got a gutsy pitching performance from Jack DeFilippo who was relieved by his cousin Matt to try and keep the West team in the game. James Speer had a nice rope to right center but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double in the 6^th inning. Our East team jumped out to an early lead over the team from Black Rock and had to hold on for a 7 – 5 win. A pair of 11 year olds, Sean Fyall and Charles Richardson combined to keep the East team alive for the championship game against Park City. They got some timely hitting from Tayrll Spearman who had a triple, single and 3 RBI’s to spark the offense. Matt Angelo also contributed with an RBI single. In the Championship game, the East team showed it’s moxy by coming back from a 2 – 0 deficit by getting one in the bottom of the 4^th inning and then scoring two in the bottom of the fifth to go up 3 – 2. In the fifth, Joe Seagren started the rally with a triple, Kevin Watson walked and stole second and Sean Fyall came up to deliver the game winning blow, a 2 out, 2 run double. Watson started the game for the East and fellow Ranger; Tayrll Spearman closed things out to preserve the win. Spearman was voted MVP for his performance in both games. The rosters for both teams are listed below:

East:   Matt Angelo, Sean Fyall, Raymond Greene, Alex Mier, Daniel Ortiz, Joshua Perez, Charles Richardson, Justin Ruiz, Justin Sanchez, Joseph Seagren, Taryll Spearman and Kevin Watson. (Coaches: Aris Mier, John Kardos, Tom Watson and Juan Rodriguez was the Manager)

West: Jonathan Cordero, Jack DeFilippo, Matt DeFilippo, Allen Gibson, Archangel Homar, Alex Morales, Steven Rameriz, Raymond Retamar, Cristian Rivera, Raymond Rodriguez, Jacob Sherwood and James Speer. (Coaches: Paul Jackson, Ernie Turner, J.R. Rivera and Fred Cousin was the Manager)

In our game action, the Rangers continued to have the Yanks number with a 13 – 10 slug fest. The Rangers were led by Kevin Watson who went 2 – 4 and Philip Mitchell who was 2 – 2 with 2 doubles. Mitchell also pitched 3 solid innings of relief and had 7 K’s. The Yanks got a nice triple from Josh Perez who also scored 3 runs. Joey Money threw 3 innings of relief and gave up 2 earned runs while striking out 6. The Mariners blanked the Phillies 5 – 0 with a complete game shut out from Orlando Sanchez. Herbert made a nice play in Centerfield to preserve the shut out for the M’s. Arron pitched into the 6^th inning for the Phillies to go along with 6 K’s. Joshua “Glove man” DeFrancisco made 3 outstanding defensive plays at short for the Phils. The Reds got a dominating performance from Matt Defilippo who pitched a complete game shut out over the Rays, 6 – 0. Matt had 17 K’s to stifle the Rays. David Barr had his 1^st hit of the year for the Reds. Sean Fyall threw 5 innings and had 9 K’s in the loss. Ray Green had 2 hits for the Rays. The Astros upended the Dodgers on Thursday; however there was no information for that game. The Reds continued their league domination with a 3 zip win over the Yankees. Greg Kabasakalian continues to light up North End pitching with another home run. Greg also threw a complete game 1 hitter for the victory. The Yanks also got a solid pitching performance from Danny Ortiz who threw a complete game and had 12 K’s. Brandon Ambrister broke up the no hit bid by Kabasakalian by getting his 1^st hit of the year.

In the Saturday games, the Dodgers got past the Phillies 6 – 3 with Kyle Donaldson going 4 innings with 6 K’s while giving up just 2 hits to lead the Dodgers. Carlos Rivera had a nice game for the Phillies in the loss. The Rays got a great game from Ray Greene who shut out the Mariners’ 6 – 0. Ray pitched into the 6^th before succumbing to the dreaded pitch count. In the late game, the Astros squeaked one out against the Yanks who are surely missing their fearsome foursome from last year. Johnathan Sullivan threw 5 workman like innings for the Stros in the win. Justin Ruiz had 3 hits for the Yanks in the loss. Jorge Alvarez had a solid inning of relief for the Yanks.

In AAA action, The Braves outlasted the Angels in a 10 – 9 win on 5/12. Bobby Karosy had 6 K’s in 2 1/3 innings of relief to keep the Angels in check. Miguel had 6 K’s in 2 + innings for the Angels. The Mets and Pirates squared off on Thursday, 5/14 with the Pirates thumping the Mets. No information was available for this game. The weekend games had the Pirates surprising the Braves in a 4 – 3 win. Anthony Maldonado went 5 innings for the Pirates in the victory. The Angels trumped the Mets 13 – 7 in the second game. Miguel Reyes had 5 K’s in 2 innings pitched and Angel Irby had 3 runs scored to lead the offense.

In other league news, Bluefish night was a great success with over 375 North End players and families participating in the day. NELL raised closed to $1500 for this event so we would like to thank all of our parents and players for making this a profitable fundraising event.  

Our Clinics will start this Saturday. Only league age 9’s – 12’s are invited to participate. Some league age 8’s will be allowed to participate with coach invitation.

Raffle Tickets are still on sale. NELL is not sure it will do the last fundraiser which is the Sponsor Book. Please check your email so we can gauge interested in this event.

Please continue to support our Sponsors by thanking them whenever you see them. It is customary that we highlight several sponsors for each of these News letters and this week we will be sponsoring RC Services from our T-ball Division, which sponsors our Orioles Team. Global Petroleum sponsors our Tigers from the Minor Division. We will honor two Major Division sponsors, the Technique Sports Training Academy which is owned by Danny Rivera who managers the Phillies and Pizza Time, a long time sponsor of our beloved Yankees.  

Please continue to trek up to the fields on Madison Ave and watch some highly competitive games from our Junior Division.

As always, please continue to visit our “Home Plate” Snack Stand. The Robyn and Mike Double Play combination continues to whip out some good eats so whether it’s one of my favorites, a chili cheeseburger or heart attack chili cheese fries, spend that dough.

RECORDS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 5/13/09)                    AAA Division

Team                Wins                Losses                                      Team                Wins    Losses

Reds                11                    1                                              Braves              5          1

Mariners           7                      3                                              Pirates              3          3

Rangers            6                      4                                              Mets                2          4

Rays                 6                      5                                              Angels              2          4

Astros              5                      4

Yankees           4                      7

Dodgers           3                      7

Phillies             1                      11

NELL raises $1000 for Cancer Awareness.  It is with great pleasure that NELL has raised $1000 that will be donated to Swim Across the Sound as part of our Mothers Day Cancer Awareness. Many thanks to our players and parents who braved the high winds to help out for this great cause. A special thanks goes out to Joe Sicsicio for his very generous donation of the pink shirts that all of our players, coaches and team moms were wearing. I would also like to acknowledge Scott Moutinho from Mark IV construction for his donation that covered all of our miscellaneous expenses, Brian Roberts who gave us the shirts at cost and Steve Bailer who donated the flowers for all our players to hand out to their moms. This day would not have happened if not for the tireless efforts of the team moms, especially Nadine Gibson, Chantal Salomini and Sharon Federici.

In our game action, once again, the rain prevailed and we had several rain outs on Monday and Tuesday. The first game of the week had the Rangers and Phillies in a classic pitchers duel. The Rangers got 5 strong innings from EJ Velez who gave up just 1 run and the Phillies got an equally impressive outing from Jonathan Cordero who also threw 5 innings of 1 run ball. The game wasn’t decided until the 6^th when the Rangers stole a run at the plate and came out on top, 2 – 1. Charles Richardson led the Rangers with a hit and a run scored. The rain wiped out Thursdays game so the Rangers were back at it again fighting off the Rebellious Rays in a 4 – 2 squeaker. Kevin Watson and Sean Fyall battled each other with Fyall going the distance in the loss. The Rangers got defensive with great plays from the Mitchell brothers. Phillip “Highlight Reel” Mitchell made a diving, sliding catch in right field to preserve a run and his younger brother, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell gunned down a Rays Player trying to score on a base hit to center. Tyrall Spearman got a game winning triple that made the difference in the game and closed out the Rays with 2 solid innings of relief.

In weekend action, after a slow start, the skies opened up and allowed us to play some ball. The Mariners continued their hot streak by beating the Yankess 3 – 2 in a game decided with a walk off walk in the bottom of the 6^th. Danny Rivera pitched 5 1/3 innings for the Yanks and had 2 hits in the loss. Josh Perez belted his 2^nd homer of the season. The M’s got a great pitched game from Willie     . In the mid-day game, the Astros got a 1 hit Gem from their Ace, Jack DeFilippo who also had 15 K’s in a 7 – 0 blanking of the Phillies. Jack also went 3 – 3 at the plate in a one man wrecking ball. Jacob Sherwood had the lone hit for the Phillies. The Reds blanked the Dodgers 10 – 0 in the late game. Alex Morales and Greg Kabasakalian combined on the shut out. Danny Homar had a triple, while Greg, Matt DeFilippo and Archangel Homar all scored 2 runs apiece.

On Sunday, the Dodgers gave the Rangers an old fashion spanking 8 – 4 with the Rangers putting on a few late runs to make it respectable. Allen “shut down” Gibson pitched 5 solid innings for the Dodgers and had 11 K’s  in a impressive outing. The Reds continued their league domination with a 9 – 1 win over the Phillies. Greg Kabasakalian broke out the ‘Thunder Stick” again and went deep for a 2 run homer. Andrew Allen was 2 – 2 in the win. The Reds used three pitchers to hold the Phillies down. Archangel Homar, Matt Defilippo and Greg Kabasakalian combined on the 1 run affair. In the late game, the Rays double up and then some on the Astros, 13 – 6. Ray Greene gave up 1 hit and had 12 K’s in the win. Sean Fyall led the attack with 3 hits.

In AAA action, both of the weekday games were bitten by the rain bug. However, on Saturday, the Braves thumped the Mets, 19 – 2. They got 3 solid innings from Elisha Maldonado, but the entire team joined in on the attack. The Pirates blanked the Angels 5 – 0 on a well pitched game with Jeff Seganos and Anthony Maldonado combining for the shutout. Angel Irby threw a respectable 3 innings with 3 K’s. The Braves got a complete game from Jaylon Bell who gave up 1 run over 4 innings in an 11 – 1 win over the Pirates on Sunday. The Mets out slugged the Angels who were down 12 – 2 at one point and came storming back but succumb to the Met attack and lost 17 – 10. Kyle Federici had an outstanding day, first catching behind the plate and then taking the mound for 2 innings to shut down the Angel uprising. Christian Reyes pitched 2 innings and had 3 K’s for the Angels and also hit a double and triple in the game.

In other league news, Bluefish night is coming up on May 16^th. There was a problem with our tickets so the league had to negotiate with the Bluefish and we changed our seating to field level seats for the game. We will still make a profit as a fundraiser so please enjoy the game and thank the Bluefish when you are there for compromising with us.

The City League Tournament will be played at Park City on Asylum Street on Sunday with our 2 NELL teams competing against the Park City and Black Rock teams. The players will be announced on Wednesday to represent the two NELL teams. The Mariners, Rangers, Astros and Dodgers will represent our West Division while the Yankees, Rays, Phillies and Reds will represent our East Team.

Our Clinics are delayed this year and we will notify you when they will begin via email and it will be posted on our website.

A reminder that picture day is May 23 and raffle tickets for this year’s raffle are still on sale. Each child should have received 2 books of raffle tickets (20 in all). The tickets are $2 each this year. The prizes include a 42 inch flat screen television and home theater system, a Weber grill, $200 gift certificate to Stop and Shop, $100 gift certificate to Dicks Sports and a $50 Gas Card redeemable at Shell. We will also be starting the Sponsor Book Ad Campaign in the next week or so stay tuned to your team moms for information on this.  

Please continue to support our Sponsors by thanking them whenever you see them. It is customary that we highlight several sponsors for each of these News letters and this week we will be sponsoring Mondo’s Construction which sponsors our Marlins in the T-ball Division. Coach Charlie Mauro is a coach of that team and his father Charlie Sr. was a long time coach with NELL until his passing two years ago. We would also like to welcome our first year sponsor, Church of God El Shaddai which could only sponsor our Angels in the AAA division. Lastly, we would like to honor Judges Electric for their long time sponsorship of the Reds. 

Please take note that this past weekend our Junior / Senior Division began playing games on Sunday and will continue this upcoming weekend. They’ll begin playing games during the week in about two weeks. Please come up to the new fields located off Madison Ave and watch our teams play.

As always, please continue to visit our “Home Plate” Snack Stand. Robyn was up to her old tricks on Mother’s Day with Porkette, Lobster Roll and Shrimp Baskets. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!!

RECORDS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 5/13/09)                    AAA Division

Team                Wins                Losses                                      Team                Wins    Losses

Reds                9                      1                                              Braves              4          0

Mariners           6                      2                                              Mets                2          2

Rangers            5                      4                                              Pirates              2          2

Rays                 5                      4                                              Angels              0          4

Yankees           4                      4                                                                                 

Astros              4                      4

Dodgers           2                      7

Phillies              1                      9

Cancer Awareness Day is here. For the first time in league history, NELL is hosting a Cancer Awareness Fundraising event. All NELL players will be wearing pink shirts on Mother’s Day to honor all those in our community who have been stricken with this deadly disease. There will be a host of moms collecting donations, selling Swim Across the Sound trinkets and doing 50 – 50 raffles on Mother’s Day. Please come out and support this wonderful event.

In our game action, the Sunday late game had the Reds in an 11 – 1 stomping of the Dodgers on 4/26. Timmy Welch and Daniel Homar combined to hold the Dodgers to 1 run with Timmy going 3 innings in a 4 inning Mercy Rule game. Daniel’s older brother, Archangel led the Reds attack going 3 for 3 in the win. The Yanks upended the Phils on 4/27 with a 10 – 1 victory. Joey “Show me the” Money pitched 4 innings of 1 run ball with 6 K’s for the Yanks. Joe Carpio had 2 hits including an inside the park homerun and 2 RBI’s to lead the Yanks.  On 4/28, The Reds and Rangers squared off again in what was a fantastic pitchers duel between Kevin Watson and Greg Kabasakalian until Greg took matters into his own hands and once again, thumped the Rangers with a late 3 Run blast in a 4 – 1 victory. Watson had 13 K’s in the loss for the Rangers and Ralphie Torres   went 2 – 3 with a triple and a run for the Rangers. Danny Homar had 2 hits for the Reds and Matthew Reis played well defensively to support Kabasakalian’s pitching gem. On 4/29, a Wednesday night slugfest between the Mariners and Astros wound up with the M’s coming out on top in a 10 – 9 victory. Orlando Sanchez pitched 4 workman like innings for the M’s and Joe Seagren hit his 1^st homerun of the year. On 4/30, the previously winless Dodgers surprised last year’s Romano Champs with a 12 – 2 spanking. The Dodgers were led by James Speers 5 innings and 12 K's. The Yanks got some needed relief from newcomer Jacob Rivera who held things down for 2 innings in the loss. In Friday night action, the Phillies gave the Dodgers a lesson in baseball desire with the Phil’s recording their 1^st victory of the year in a 10 – 2 victory. Josh DeFrancisco led the way with 4 innings pitched, 8 K’s and almost went for the cycle at the plate with a Triple, Double and Single. Cristian Rivera shut the door on the pesky Dodgers with 5 K’s in 2 innings of relief.

In weekend action, The Ray’s showed the Yanks why they may be the team to beat this year with a hard fought 9 – 2 win in the early game on 5/2. Sean Fyall pitched 5 solid innings giving up just 1 hit while striking out 9. The lone offensive star for the Yanks was Josh Perez who hit a 2 run homer. Devin Starr pitched well in relief for the Yanks with 3 innings of 1 run ball. In the Mid-day game, the Astros got a great pitched game from Jonathan Sullivan who went 5 + innings along with 9 K’s in a 6 – 3 win over the Rangers. Steven Ramirez led the Astro attack with a single that scored 2 runs in a decisive 5^th inning. The Rangers got a nice defensive play be Peter “Maverick” Mitchell turning a nice 4 – 3 double play to stop the bleeding late in the game. Justin Federici had 2 RBI’s for the Rangers in the loss. In the late game, the Mariner’s toppled the previously unbeaten Reds 10 – 5. Willie Hernandez threw 5 solid innings in the victory for the M’s while Garnell Bell had a triple to lead the offense. Trey Thomas had his 1^st hit of the season for the Reds in the loss while Josh Rios had his 1^st run scored for the Reds.

In Sunday’s game action, the Ray’s thumped the Phillies 9 – 2. Ray Green threw a 5 inning, 1 hit, 12 K gem at the Phillies. Sean Fyall had 2 hits to lead the Rays offensive display. Ricky Green had 10 K’s in the loss for the Phillies. The Mariners and Dodgers battled in the rain with the M’s getting past the slippery Dodgers 7 – 4. Ivan Whyte and Garnell Bell threw 3 innings a piece to secure the victory for the Mariners. The late game was rained out as well as the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday games of the following week. Stay tuned for possible make up dates.

Once again, our AAA teams showed some grit and some growth in game action starting with the Mets upending the Pirates on 4/30 with an 11 – 8 victory in the last exhibition game of the season. Isaiah Colon pitched 3 solid innings for the Mets in the victory while 7 year old phenom Jaquin Brasher closing things out in the 5^th inning to secure the win. Angelo Rodriguez hit an inside the park homerun to lead the Mets offense. Hunter Pinciaro had a single, double and 3 runs scored in the Pirates loss.

In our first regular season games with records now counting, the Braves got a dominating performance from future NELL hall of famer, Bobby Karosy. Karosy pitched a 6 inning complete game 1 hitter for the Braves in a 7 – 1 win over the Pirates. He also had 17 strikeouts to hold down the Pirates whose only hit came from Quintin Rollins. It was Rollins first hit of the season for the Pirates. The Mets outlasted the Angels in the 2^nd game on Saturday with an 11 – 7 win. Daniel Allen had 2 solid innings of pitching with solid defensive support from Angelo Rodriguez. Rodriguez also had an RBI triple to lead the offense. Juaquin “the closer” Brasher came on to shut the Angels down and secure the victory. Angel Irby was 2 for 2 with 2 RBI’s in the loss.

In the Sunday game, the Braves jumped out to an 11 – 1 lead and had to hold on and hold off the hard charging Mets for a 13 – 6 victory. Mike Thibodeau pitched like a pro throwing 2 + solid innings. Jaylon Bell was the star of the day for the Braves. He was 4 – 4 at the plate with 4 runs scored and pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief. Daniel Allen had a good day behind the plate for the Mets and had 2 hits to lead their offense including a 2 RBI double. No information was available for the AAA Sunday late game.

In other league news, Bluefish night is coming up on May 16^th. We still have a few tickets left if anyone wants to purchase them. The City League Tournament will be on the following day, May 17^th. , There will be no games at NELL complex, so please come out and support our teams. Each of the Major teams will have 3 representatives to compete for NELL.

A reminder that picture day is May 23 and raffle tickets for this year’s raffle are still on sale. Each child should have received 2 books of raffle tickets (20 in all). The tickets are $2 each this year. The prizes include a 42 inch flat screen television and home theater system, a Weber grill, $200 gift certificate to Stop and Shop, $100 gift certificate to Dicks Sports and a $50 Gas Card redeemable at Shell. We will also be starting the Sponsor Book Ad Campaign in the next week or so stay tuned to your team moms for information on this.  

Please continue to support our Sponsors by thanking them whenever you see them. It is customary that we highlight several sponsors for each of these News letters and this week we will be sponsoring D & G Auto and Trailers in our T-ball Division. George Andriotis is coaching the Giants this year and will take care of all of your automotive and trailer needs. A special thanks to Benny Carrara from Executive printing which sponsors the Minor Division Cubs. Benny has taken care of all of the leagues printing this year, including our raffles, team schedules and his wife Deb will be doing our Sponsor Ad Book. In our AAA Division, we would like to highlight Bud’s Truck and Diesel Service, which has been a long time sponsor for NELL. They currently sponsor our Braves Team. Also, please give a special thanks to the Circolo Sportivo Italian Club for once again sponsoring a team for NELL. Circolo was brought in by our Purchasing Director, Sammy Nicolia and they currently sponsor the Rangers.

Please take special note that this weekend begins are long awaited Junior/ Senior Division with games being played on the new ball fields behind the library on Madison Ave. Six teams will be competing this year in a 15 game schedule starting on Saturday at 10 A. The teams in this division are the Mets, Cubs, Redsox, Yankees, A’s and Nationals. The Cubs team is comprised of players from Monroe CT. We may also have some games scheduled against Fairfield and Ridgefield. For game schedules, see Mark Komaromi or Sammy Nicolia.  

As always, please continue to visit our newly renamed “Home Plate” Snack Stand. (Okay it was the old name, but Mike M. felt jinxed by the new sign) Maybe the rain will stop now and you can grab some of Robyn’s Shrimp and Fries baskets. I’m sure she’ll be whipping up a surprise for Mother’s Day so bring down that lovely woman you call MOM and have some delicious eats from Robyn.

RECORDS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 5/3/09)                      AAA Division

Team                Wins                Losses                                      Team              Wins    Losses

Reds                 6                     1                                              Braves              2          0

Mariners           5                      1                                              Mets                1          1

Rays                 4                      3                                              Angels              0          1

Yankees           4                      3                                              Pirates              0          1

Astros              3                      3

Rangers            3                      3

Phillies              1                      6

2009 NELL Season Begins.  The 2009 NELL Season began with a twist. We started our season a week earlier than previous years with our first game occurring on April 13 and our opening day ceremonies occurring on April 18. The Opening Day Ceremony was a true inspiration to our league as we had visits from the Mayor of Bridgeport, Bill Finch and newly elected Congressman, Jim Himes gave a rousing speech to our kids. We also had City Council President Tom McCarthy, Councilwomen; Michelle Lyons and Amy Marie Vizzo-Paniccia. Lou Bleggi our District II Administrator was also present.  There was a dedication to Mike Mastro and his family for all of the work that he has put into our fields with the naming of the concession stand in his honor; the “Mastro Field House”. The biggest inspiration for our league came from the appearance by State and Regional Little League Champs, Shelton National Little League who came with several players and their coaches to honor North End for the support we gave their players during their incredible run through all stars. Thanks in large part to our Vice President of Seniors, Mark Komaromi, Shelton National All Stars provided North End LL with several gifts from their appearance at Little League World Series in Williamsport that will be given out to deserving players and teams from our 2009 season.

In game action the first reported game involved a repeat of last years Romano Championship which pitted the Yankees against the Rays. The Yanks got a well pitched game from Danny Ortiz who led the Yanks to the 1^st victory of the season on 4/13. On April 14 the Rangers and Astros ended in a 1 – 1 tie with the game suspended due to darkness. Jack DeFilippo of the Astros and Kevin Watson from the Rangers battled through five innings each of 1 run ball. The Rangers actually scored a run in the top of the 6^th to take a 2 – 1 lead, however, because the Astros did not bat in the bottom of the 6^th, that half inning gets wiped out and the teams must resume play at a later date starting the 6^th inning all over again. On 4/15 the Reds and Mariners battled it out with the Reds pulling out a Mercy Rule victory 13 – 2. The Reds got a well pitched game from Greg Kabasakalien who had 6 K’s over 3 innings. Alex Mier pitched a solid inning for the M’s in the loss, while Joey   scored both of their runs. In a Friday night match up on 4/17 between two fierce rivals, the Rangers outlasted the Yankees 10 – 7. Charles Richardson hit his first homer of the season for the Rangers finishing 2 – 2 with 4 RBI’s. Tyrell Spearman went 2 – 3 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI’s for the Rangers. Ryan Conroy had a nice 2 run double and finished with 3 RBI’s and Jorge Alvarez started his major career off with an RBI double for the Yankees.

In the weekend games starting after our opening day ceremonies, the Yankees gave the Astros all they could handle with a 6 – 1 victory. Danny Ortiz led the Yank attack with 4 hits, 2 RBI’s and 5 solid innings of pitching to go along with 10 K’s. Jorge Alvarez closed out the Stros with an inning of relief and contributed 2 hits and 2 runs scored. Jack DeFilippo had 2 hits and 3 runs scored in the loss and Raymond Retmar hit a nice triple and had an RBI. The Rays clubbed the Dodgers 10 zip with an outstanding pitching performance from Sean Fyall who struck out 9 in four shut out innings of play. Sean also had 3 hits and was joined in the hit parade by Ray Green who also did a great job behind the plate. The Mariners thumped the Phillies in the late game 13 – 3 with Orlando Sanchez going the distance for the M’s pitching all 5 innings.

In Sunday’s action, the Rangers squeaked by the Dodgers in a hard fought game 7 – 4. The Rangers got an outstanding performance from Philip Mitchell who came on in relief of a shaky EJ Velez to pitch 4 innings of 1 run ball to seal the victory. He was also 2 for 2. Kevin Watson went 2 – 3 to lead the Ranger attack and had 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. Allen Gibson pitched a workman like 4 innings with 7 K’s in the loss for the Dodgers. James Speer had 3 RBI’s and was 1 – 3 in the game. The Reds and Rays matched up in a NELL Classic with the Reds sneaking by with a 5 – 4 victory. The Reds got solid pitching from 2 players that went 3 innings apiece; Archangel Homar and Alex Morales. Alex also went 3 for 3 at the plate. Timmy Welch got the game winning RBI in the bottom of the 6^th. The Rays got a good game from Justin. In the late game, The Astros clobbered the Phillies 19 – 1 with Jack DeFilippo going the distance in a 1-hit shortened 4 inning affair.

During the past week, there were several rainouts that will be made up late in the season so the first game of the week was between the Phil’s and Reds on 4/23. The Reds gave the Phils all they could handle with a 9 – 2 victory. Greg “Thunder Bat” Kabasakalian hit two mammoth homers to lead the attack and also added a double and single. Archangel Homar scored 3 runs for the Reds.  Ricky Green had a double and scored a run for the Phils. Joshua DeFransisco had a defensive gem making a nice diving catch to start a double play. On Friday the 24^th, the Astros jumped out to a big lead only to see the hard charging Dodgers close the gap. The Astros then turned on the jets again and finished with a 17 – 9 victory. Ray Retamar went 3 – 3 with 3 runs scored for the Stros. James Speer had a good game for the Dodgers.

In the last weekend action of this highlight, the Reds took the 1^st game of what looks to be some outstanding match ups this year with a 9 – 7 victory of the Rangers. Greg Kabasakalian was swinging the “Thunder Bat” with a Grand Salami to lead the Reds to victory. Alex Morales did an outstanding job of pitching 3 innings to close out the feisty Rangers. Phillip Mitchell was 4 – 4 with 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored while Tyrell Spearman struck out 5 in 2 innings of relief. The Mariners surprised last year’s Romano Runner Up, Rays with a 12 – 9 win in the mid-day game. Willie pitched 3 solid innings for the M’s and got some help defensively their right fielder, Ryan.  Tommy Nilan had 2 hits and 4 RBI’s for the Rays in the loss. In the PM game it was the Yanks squeaking by the Phillies in a 8 – 7 victory. Lenny Samultulski singled in the game winning run in the bottom of the 6^th. Danny Ortiz came on in relief and shut the door on the Phils who got a solid pitching performance from new comer, Josh DeFrancisco. DeFransisco threw 4 innings and had 5 K’s in the loss. Ricky Green used his wheels to hit an inside the park home run for the Phillies.

On Sunday it was the Rays and Astros matching up with 2 old school coaches battling wits to see who would come out on top. Kardo’s Ray’s eked out a victory of Cousin’s Stros; 4 – 3. Sean Fyall pitched 4 tough innings and hit an inside the park homer to lead the Rays. Jack DeFilippo threw 5 strong innings in the loss. In the mid-day game, the Mariners jumped out to an early lead on the Rangers but couldn’t hold on and lost 14 – 9. EJ Velez redeemed himself for earlier pitching woes, to throw 2 innings in relief. EJ was also 3 – 4 at the plate with 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. Peter “Maverick” Mitchell made 2 outstanding catches in Centerfield and was 1 – 1 at the plate to seal the victory. Edwin        had a solid defensive game for the M’s and Justin pitched a solid inning of relief for the Mariners. The last Major game of the weekend had the Reds in an 11 – 1 romp over the Dodgers. Once again, the Reds got spiritual with Archangel leading the crusade going 3 – 3 at the plate.

It is with great fan fare that NELL introduces our newly aligned AAA division with the Angels, Braves, Mets and Pirates playing games this year that follow the same rules as our Major Division. The games in April will not be counted towards their regular season records, however, once May starts, records will count towards playoff seeding.

In game action, the Pirates and Angels started the inaugural season with the Angels outlasting the Pirates 15 – 9. Pedro had 3 K’s for the Angels and Justin scored 3 runs. Yencere Palmer pitched 2 innings and had 5 K’s in the loss for the Pirates. Jeff Seganos had 1 hit and 2 walks. The Braves and Pirates fought to an 11 – 11 tie on Sunday. Anthony Maldonado went 2 – 2 with a Triple and Double for the Pirates. Jeff Seganos was 2 – 2 with 2 walks and 4 runs scored. The Angels and Mets squared off in the late game with Mets squeaking by with a 7 – 6 victory. Angel Irby was 2 – 3 with 3 RBI’s for the Angels and Justin had 3 Strikeouts in 1 inning of relief. The Braves outlasted the Angels on 4/22 with a 7 – 6 hard fought victory. Elisha Maldonado threw 4 innings and struck out 8 for the Braves. Miguel had 3 RBI’s and went 2 – 3 in the loss for the Angels. Pedro pitched 2 innings and had 4 K’s. On Thursday 4/25, the Braves thumped the Mets 14 – 4. Jaylon Bell threw 3 innings and struck out 7 for the Braves. Giovanni had 2 hits and Angelo Rodriguez also went 2 – 3 with a triple in the loss for the Mets.

On Saturday, the Pirates tripped up the Angels 10 – 7. Anthony Maldonado pitched 4 2/3 innings with 8 K’s for the Pirates. Edwin Negron had 3 great plays at second base. Gavin Greene roped a double in the loss for the Angels. On Sunday, the Angels clobbered the Mets 13 – 2. Miguel Heyer threw 4 outstanding innings with 9 K’s for the Angels. Eduardo Martinez scored 3 runs. One of the youngest players in AAA, Juaquin pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Mets. In the last game of the weekend, the Braves slugged the Pirates 13 – 3. Elisha Maldonado and Bobby Karosy combined to pitch well for the Braves in the victory.

In other league news, NELL will be hosting it’s first ever Cancer Awareness Day on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009. There will be raffles, flowers, donations, and all the players will be wearing pink shirts to support cancer awareness. All of the proceeds will go to Swim Across the Sound. The shirts were donated by Joe Sicsicio of Joe’s Fuel, a long time benefactor for NELL. Joe also donated the new yellow fence caps that surround the outfield fences for all 3 fields.  

Bluefish night is coming up on May 16^th. All ticket sales need to be completed by this Friday, 5/1/09. Please give your team moms your orders. We will also be going to Park City Little League on May 17^th, to compete in the 3^rd annual City League Tournament. Once again, North End will be bringing 2 teams to compete in this annual battle of the best to see who has Bridgeport’s best little league players. Park City and Black Rock Little Leagues will also be competing.

A reminder that picture day is May 23 and raffle tickets for this year’s raffle are now on sale. Each child will receive 2 books of raffle tickets (20 in all). The tickets are $2 each this year. The prizes include a 42 inch flat screen television and home theater system, a Weber grill, $200 gift certificate to Stop and Shop, $100 gift certificate to Dicks Sports and a $50 Gas Card redeemable at Shell.

Please support our Sponsors by thanking them whenever you see them. It is customary that we highlight several sponsors for each of these News letters and this week we will be sponsoring Tri-State Embroidery for it’s tireless efforts in fixing our uniform problems. Please see Bryan Roberts who also coaches the Blue Jays in our T-ball division for all your t-shirt and embroidery needs. Also, we would like to thank Kenny Z’s Salon for sponsoring the Astros. See Kenny Z. and get a shape up or a perm and don’t forget to tell him you’re from North End. Once again, many, many thanks to Joe’s Fuel for it’s long time support and very generous donations to our league.

This wouldn’t be an NELL News letter without mentioning our “World Famous” Snack stand. Whether you’re getting a “Shrek” Special, double bacon egg and cheese or one of my personal favorites, a chili dog, you’ll be thoroughly satisfied by the great hospitality you get from Mike and Robyn.

RECORDS FOR MAJOR DIVISION (Through 4/26/09)

Team                Wins                Losses

Reds                5                      0

Rangers            3                      1

Yankees           3                      1

Mariners           2                      1

Astros              2                      2

Rays                 2                      3

Phillies              0                      4

Dodgers           0                      4