(Bottom Row Left To Right): Rick Doubek, Russ Holman, Rick Diaz, Mark Gronkiewicz, Bill Fear, Jamie Hunt, (Standing Front Row) Ken Elbaor

(Top Row Left To Right): Manager Kevin Hodgson, Dave Hart, Gary Grunhardt, Carl Fioravanti, Kevin Ahern, John Hanrahan, Jim Coogan, Ron Hanrahan

(Not Pictured): Fred Roche 

All 2006 Playoff Game Summaries- Including The Buckos Improbable Run To The Title

The Buckos Win The 2006 Championship

Storm 3 Wildcats 1

In the first game of the playoffs (Saturday, October 7th) the Storm got by the Wildcats by a score of 3 to 1. The Wildcats started off the scoring in the 2nd inning as Paul Powers led off with a double and then went to 3rd on a passed ball and came home on a RBI single by Dan Carey. The Storm came back in their half of the 4th when Jimmy Taylor led off with a hit, he then stole 2nd, went to 3rd on a passed ball and scored on a RBI hit by John Salzeider, Salzeider then went to 2nd on a wild pitch and he then scored on a RBI hit by Tom Kennedy. The Storm made it 3 to 1 in the 5th when Bob Wallace led off with a double, went to 3rd on a passed ball, and scored on a throwing error by the Wildcats shortstop. That was the end of the scoring for both teams in this low scoring playoff game. For the Wildcats, Paul Powers was the tough luck loser in this one as he pitched 4 innings while giving up 2 runs but he also struck out 7 and he also had 3 hits, Paul Jedlicka threw 2 innings and gave up 1 run. For the Storm, Eddie Yonushatis got the win as he pitched 4 innings while giving up 1 earned run, Bob Wallace followed Yonushatis and threw 2 scoreless innings, John Salzeider then came on to get the save as he tossed a scoreless 7th. For the Wildcats, it was a disappointing end to a disappointing season as the cats were hit with some key injuries and also player absences throughout the summer that hurt any momemtum that they might have mustered up. For the Storm, it's time to move on in the playoffs.

Buckos 16 Stingers 12-(10 Innings)

In the second game of the day and of the playoffs (Saturday, October 7th) the Buckos outlasted the Stingers by a score of 16 to 12 in 10 innings. This game turned out to be the best game in the 3 year history of the league and maybe the best game in the whole history of Hegewisch's 30 & Over
Baseball. The fans in the stands along with many members of both ball clubs agreed it truly was a classic. This game had several lead changes and many clutch hits & also big plays in the field in this one. It can now be said that it really was a shame that someone had to lose this game. Both teams were really evenly matched. So here is the recap. The Stingers scored first in the top of the 2nd when after 1 out John Byrnes singled, Byrnes moved to second when Ron Hanrahan's pickoff attempt was muffed by Buckos 1st baseman Russ Holman (who would later redeem himself). Byrnes would then come home to score on a RBI single by Uriel Olmos. It was 1 to 0 Stingers when in the top of the 3rd the Stingers John Curran singled and then stole 2nd & then came home on a 2 run homer off the bat of Antonio Underwood to make it 3 to 0. Tom Kocanda then made it back to back homers with his solo shot to make it 4 to 0. Then the Buckos mounted their comeback in the bottom of the 3rd. John Hanrahan led off and was hit by a pitch, Ken Elbaor followed with a walk, Carl Fioravanti singled to load the bases, Ron Hanrahan was safe on an error by the Stingers shortstop to make it 4 to 1, Gary Grunhardt grounded out to 2nd to bring in the second run, Rick Doubek then singled to bring in the 3rd run of the inning and that put runners on 1st & 3rd, Jamie Hunt brought in the 4th run when he grounded out to short, & Kevin Ahern knocked in the 5th run of the inning with a single through the box. So now it was 5 to 4 Buckos. But back came the Stingers in the top of the 4th as John Byrnes led off with a double, after Uriel Olmos struck out, Leo Olmos drove in Byrnes with a RBI single, after a passed ball, Sergio Olmos drove in his brother Leo with a hard smash single, John Curran was safe on an error by Buckos 1st baseman Jamie Hunt, then Bill Gibson Sr. drove in Sergio Olmos with a line drive single. That was it for the Stingers in the 4th but they now had regained the lead at 7 to 5. The Buckos came back in this see saw affair in their half of the 4th when Jim Coogan led off with a walk, Mark Gronkiewicz then came in to run for Coogan and promptly stole 2nd & 3rd, John Hanrahan struck out, Carl Fioravanti walked & then stole 2nd to now put runners on 2nd & 3rd, Ron Hanrahan drove in Gronkiewicz with a hard single & then Ron stole his first base of the season, Gary Grunhardt walked to load the bases, Rick Doubek was hit by a pitch to drive in the 2nd run of the inning to tie the game up at 7. The Buckos would have scored more had it not been for 2 fine plays by Stingers shortstop Jimmy Puplava. The Buckos held the Stingers off the scoreboard in the 5th & then it was their turn to take the lead in the bottom of the 5th. After 1 out, Mark Gronkiewicz doubled & after the second out of the inning, John Hanrahan then walked, Carl Fioravanti singled to drive in Gronkiewicz, Ron Hanrahan lined a hit to drive in his brother John, Gary Grtunhardt then stroked a single to drive in Fioravanti, & after Rick Doubek had grounded out to short to end the inning, the Buckos now led by a score of 10 to 7. Now it was the Stingers turn to come back in the top of the 6th. After Buckos 2nd baseman Kevin Ahern took care of Leo Olmos grounder, Sergio Olmos reached 1st on the Buckos 3rd baseman's error, John Curran then struck out for the second out, but Bill Gibson Sr. smacked his second hit of the day, Antonio Underwood singled to drive in Sergio Olmos, Tom Kocanda singled to drive in John Curran who was pinch running for Bill Gibson Sr., Gary Grimler then smashed a hit to left to score Underwood but the speedy Tom Kocanda was gunned down at the plate on a great one hop throw by the Buckos left fielder Mark Gronkiewicz to Buckos catcher John Hanrahan to end the inning. The score was now tied at 10 and it stayed that way until the top of the 9th inning. The Stingers Antonio Underwood led off against the Buckos 3rd pitcher of the day John Hanrahan with a base hit and then he stole 2nd, Tom Kocanda grounded out to 1st that sent Underwood to 3rd, Gary Grimler was then safe on shortstop Rick Doubek's error that scored Underwood, Jimmy Puplava then stroked a gap hit to score Grimler. The Stingers would probably have scored more had it not been for a heads up play by Buckos 2nd baseman Kevin Ahern who turned a nifty double play on the Stingers Jimmy Puplava & Dan Connolly. So now the score was 12 to 10 Stingers going into the bottom of the 9th. It didn't look good for the Buckos when leadoff hitter Russ Holman grounded out to Stingers reliever Jimmy Puplava for the 1st out, Mark Gronkiewicz then walked, but then big Jim Coogan struck out for out number 2, John Hanrahan had 2 strikes on him when he lined a single up the middle to put runners on 1st & 2nd, Carl Fioravanti then delivered the biggest Buckos hit of the year when he lined a double to the gap in left center as Gronkiewicz scored & John Hanrahan scored as he barely beat the throw home from the outfield to miraculously tie the score at 12. The fun was just beginning though as the Stingers intentionally walked Ron Hanrahan to put runners on 1st & 2nd, Jimmy Puplava then uncorked a wild pitch to now put runners on 2nd & 3rd. Up stepped Gary Grunhardt with the winning run on 3rd & he calmly slapped a line single in between 1st & 2nd to right field or so it seemed. When Carl Fioravanti scored the Buckos were going crazy except for one thing, Stingers right fielder Gary Grimler never gave up on the play, he charged the ball & then fired a strike to Dan Connolly who had to scurry back to 1st base & stretch all that he could that then nailed Gary Grunhardt by a half a step for the 3rd out. The Buckos joy suddenly turned to gloom & the Stingers were now all fired up and mobbed Gary Grimler for the game saving play. Buckos skipper then made a bold move by bringing in to pitch center fielder Carl Fioravanti who hadn't pitched much during the regular season. Simply put, says Hodge, "Carl wanted the ball and reliever John Hanrahan was dead tired and we needed somebody to stop the Stingers momemtum in the top of the 10th". Fioravanti didn't let him down, he got John Byrnes to ground out to 3rd, he then struck out Leo Olmos, then he got Sergio Olmos to ground out to 3rd and now the Buckos were fired up by Fioravanti's scoreless 10th. In the bottom of the 10th, Rick Doubek doubled as the ball just caromed off the end of Tom Kocanda's glove in left center as Kocanda almost made a tremendous catch. Jamie Hunt was up next to bunt but reliever Jimmy Puplava couldn't find the plate and Hunt walked to put runners on 1st & 2nd. Kevin Ahern was up there next to sacrifice bunt but Puplava went to 3 & 0 before he fired a strike, the wily veteran Ahern still in the bunting stance then took ball 4 high & away and now the Buckos had the bases loaded with nobody out for Russ Holman. After Holman fouled off a pitch, he then lofted a fly ball to left field that definitely was deep enough to score Rick Doubek with a sacrifice fly but then suddenly the ball just kept carrying & carrying and lo and behold the ball cleared the left field fence and Russ Holman had hit a walk off grand slam home run to win this marathon playoff game. Needless to say, the Buckos mobbed Holman at home plate. This memorable game ended after 3 1/2 hours of play. The Buckos used 4 pitchers as Ron Hanrahan threw 4 innings, Gary Grunhardt threw 4 innings, John Hanrahan pitched an inning & Carl Fioravanti (who got the win) tossed an inning. For the Stingers, John Byrnes pitched 3 innings, Leo Olmos threw 4 innings, & Jimmy Puplava (who took the loss) tossed 2+ innings. For the Stingers, who suffered this tough loss, they had a fine season as they were competitive in every game and we must commend manager Bob Sierzega who did a fine job as he took over as the skipper midway through the regular season. For the Buckos, they live to fight another day. For all those who played and those who watched in the stands will never forget the best game in the 3 year history of Hegewisch 30 & Over Baseball.

Buckos 7 Crusaders 4

The Buckos fresh off their marathon game on Saturday came back on Sunday (October 8th) and upset the 1st place Crusaders by a score of 7 to 4. The Buckos started out right away in the top of the 1st off Crusaders manager & pitcher Rey Mirabel as after 1 out, Ken Elbaor doubled and went to 3rd on a wild pitch, Carl Fioravanti then walked and then stole 2nd, after Ron Hanrahan struck out for the 2nd out, Gary Grunhardt singled to drive in Elbaor, Rick Doubek was safe on an error by the Crusaders 3rd baseman to bring in the 2nd run, Jamie Hunt walked to load the bases, and Kevin Ahern followed by walking also to drive in the Buckos 3rd run of the inning. The Crusaders then showed why they were the best team in the regular season as in the bottom of the 1st, Xavier Roman led off with a hit, Rey Mirabel then grounded out for the 1st out, Freddie Hopkins lined a hit, Sean Hoye followed with a walk to load the bases, John Ryan then struck out against Ron Hanrahan who was pitching for the second day in a row, John Jacobson then stepped to the plate and blasted a grand slam homer to deep center to suddenly put the Crusaders up 4 to 3. The game was then scoreless until the top of the 4th when the Buckos came back against Crusaders reliever Sean Hoye who gave up a leadoff hit to Gary Grunhardt, Rick Doubek & Jamie Hunt then both walked to load the bases, Kevin Ahern followed with a line drive hit down the right field line that was only a couple feet fair that scored Grunhardt & Doubek & sent Jamie Hunt to 3rd, Hunt then scored when Crusaders catcher John Ryan uncorked a wild throw into left field on an attempted pickoff to make the score now, Buckos 6 Crusaders 4. The Buckos scored another run in the 5th when after 1 out, Rick Diaz walked, John Hanrahan was safe on another error by the Crusaders 3rd basemen, & then Ken Elbaor was safe on an error by the Crusaders shortstop, then Carl Fioravanti made the Crusaders pay for their shoddy fielding by getting an RBI walk to make it 7 to 4 & that was it for the scoring in this game. The Buckos were now on their way to the finals. Also, for the Buckos, pitcher Ron Hanrahan (who got the win)gave up a grand slam in the 1st inning but then settled down to shut out the Crusaders for the next 3 innings on only 1 hit. Even more impressive for the Buckos was the relief work of Gary Grunhardt who faced 9 men & retired them all in order. For the Crusaders, even though it was a disappointing end to the season, they had a great regular season in which they wound up in 1st place with a 12-2 record. Crusaders skipper Rey Mirabel did a fine job in his first year of managing. Also for the Crusaders, Rey Mirabel pitched 3 innings & gave up 3 runs & Sean Hoye (who took the loss) gave up 4 runs in his 4 innings on the hill.

Bad News Bears 9  Storm 5

In the second playoff game of the day on Sunday (October 8th) afternoon the Bad News Bears beat the Storm by a score of 9 to 5. The Storm's offense got started right away in the top of the 1st as Jimmy Taylor led off the game against Bears starter Jose Haro with a home run. John Salzeider was then safe on an error by the Bears 1st Baseman, after Eddie Peloza flied out, Jack Zylstra then singled to send Salzeider to 3rd, Zylstra then stole 2nd, Joe Malkowski followed by flying out to short left field for the second out, Bob Wallace then came through with a clutch 2 out hit to drive in Salzeider & Zylstra that gave the Storm a 3 to 0 lead at the end of a half an inning. The Bears came back in the bottom of the 2nd when Joe Zega led off with a single, Jose Haro was safe when center fielder Jimmy Taylor dropped his fly ball, both Zega & Haro scored courtesy of Frank Albarran's 2 RBI single. The Bears took the lead in the 3rd when Andy Klein led off with a hit, Mike Kopec followed with a hit, & after the next 2 batters were retired by Storm starter John Salzeider, Bill Delis singled to drive in Klein, then Brian Dorian singled to drive in Kopec for the second run of the inning that made the score now, Bears 4 Storm 3. The Storm came back to take the lead in the top of the 4th when John Salzeider singled to lead off, skipper Ed Peloza followed with a double to put runners on 2nd & 3rd, both runners then scored on an error by the Bears 3rd Baseman on Bob Wallace's grounder. The Bears then came right back in this see saw affair to take the lead in the bottom of the 4th (6to5) when Ron Sellers led off with a hit, Joe Zega then walked, Jose Haro then forced Zega out on a grounder to 2nd, Steve Barba walked to load the bases, Frank Albarran then singled to drive in Sellers, Rich Budziak then coaxed out a walk to drive in Jose Haro for the second run of the inning, then Storm starter John Salzeider got out of the jam when he got Andy Klein to ground to the mound and Salzeider then threw home for the force out at the plate, then Salzeider got Mike Kopec to ground out to 3rd. The Bears then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 5th when Joe Gonzales led off with a walk, Manager Henry Gonzales got his brother Joe over to 2nd base with his little roller out to 2nd, Gonzales then came home on a RBI single by Lee Gomez, Bill Delis then followed with a RBI double to score Gomez, Brian Dorian followed with a walk, then both runners moved to 2nd & 3rd on a passed ball, then Bill Delis came home on a RBI sacrifice fly by Ron Sellers that closed out the scoring for the game. Ron Sellers of the Bears shut out the Storm for the last 3 innings and that was that for the Storm for their year. It was a good year for the Storm and their manager Ed Peloza who did a fine job in leading his troops. For the Bears, Jose Haro got the win as he gave up 5 runs in 4 complete innings, & Ron Sellers picked up the save as he threw 3 scoreless innings and gave up just 1 hit. For the Storm, John Salzeider took the loss as he gave up 6 runs in his 4 innings of work, and Joe Malkowski tossed 2 innings while giving up 3 earned runs.

Game 1 Of The  Finals

Buckos 8  Bad News Bears 3

The first game of the championship series (Saturday, October 14th) featured the Bad News Bears who wound up in 2nd place in the regular season against the underdog Buckos who wound up in 4th place in the regular season. The Bears beat the Buckos in all 3 games that they had played against each other during the regular season. In Game 1, the Buckos wasted no time getting out on top. In the bottom of the 1st, John Hanrahan led off with a walk and then stole 2nd, Ken Elbaor then singled moving Hanrahan to 3rd, Elbaor then stole 2nd, Carl Fioravanti then was safe on an error by the Bears 3rd Baseman which scored Hanrahan, Fioravanti then stole 2nd, Ron Hanrahan then walked to load the bases, the Bears then retired the next 2 Bucko batters and almost got out of the jam, almost, but the Buckos Jamie Hunt singled to score Fioravanti, then Kevin Ahern singled to score Ron Hanrahan with the 3rd run of the inning. The Bears came back in their half of the 1st when Billy Delis led off with a double, Brian Dorian was safe on an error, and after an out, Joe Zega walked to load the bases, Jose Haro singled in Delis to make it 3 to 1 after 1 inning. The Bears then came back to tie the game at 3 in the 2nd as Frank Albarran, Rich Budziak, Andy Klein and Mike Kopec all singled with Kopec driving in Albarran to make it 3 to 2 and the other run scored on a double play grounder to short. The game stayed tied until the top of the 5th when the Buckos Jamie Hunt doubled to leadoff and after the next 2 Buckos batters were retired, Mark Gronkiewicz then belted a 2 run homer to left to put the Buckos up 5 to 3. The Buckos then salted game 1 away in the 7th as Ken Elbaor led off with a single, Carl Fioravanti followed that up with a hit, Ron Hanrahan then singled to drive in Elbaor, Gary Grunhardt singled to drive in Fioravanti, and then Rick Doubek was safe on a fielders choice to drive in Hanrahan with the Buckos 3rd run of the inning to put the Buckos up 8 to 3. And that was the final as Gary Grunhardt picked up the win in relief as he pitched 3 scoreless innings. Ron Hanrahan went the first 4 innings for the Buckos and gave up 3 runs but only 2 were earned. For the Bears, Ron Sellers pitched 4 innings while giving up 3 runs but only 1 of which was earned. Jose Haro took the loss in relief as he tossed 3 innings while giving up 5 earned runs.

Game 2 Of The Finals

Bad News Bears 7  Buckos 5

The second game of the championship series (Sunday, October 15th) saw the Bears open the scoring in the top of the 1st when after 2 were out Ron Sellers singled, Joe Zega walked, Jose Haro singled, then Frank Albarran walked to drive in Sellers with the first run of the game. The Buckos came back to tie the game at 1 in the bottom of the 2nd inning as Gary Grunhardt singled, Rick Doubek then doubled, Jamie Hunt was hit by a pitch, Kevin Ahern then coaxed a walk from Bears starter Joe Zega to drive in Grunhardt. The Bears then stormed back in the top of the 3rd when Joe Gonzales walked to leadoff, Andy Klein then pinch ran for Gonzales and promptly stole 2nd. Buckos starter Ron Hanrahan got the next 2 Bears hitters and then ran into trouble. Brian Dorian followed with a hit to drive in Klein, Ron Sellers singled to put runners on 1st & 2nd, Joe Zega then doubled to drive in both Dorian & Sellers to make it 4 to 1 Bears, Jose Haro then followed with a single with Zega stopping at 3rd. That was all for Buckos starter Ron Hanrahan who was relieved by Gary Grunhardt. Grunhardt then quelled the threat by getting Frank Albarran to ground to 1st. The Buckos then came right back in this see saw affair when in the bottom of the 4th, John Hanrahan was safe on an error by Bears shortstop Brian Dorian, Hanrahan then stole 2nd, and after Ken Elbaor flew out to left, Carl Fioravanti singled to send Hanrahan to 3rd, Ron Hanrahan followed with a sacrifice fly to left that scored his brother John, Gary Grunhardt then came through with a hit that scored Fioravanti and after 4 innings the Buckos had cut the Bears lead to 4 to 3. With Buckos reliever Gary Grunhardt holding the Bears at bay the Buckos then took the lead in their half of the 5th. Jamie Hunt led off with a walk, Kevin Ahern then sacrificed Hunt to 2nd, Russ Holman grounded out to the mound with Hunt holding at 2nd, then Mark Gronkiewicz came through with his second 2 out clutch hit in as many days as he doubled to score Hunt, Billy Fear was clutch himself as he singled to drive in Gronkiewicz and now the Buckos suddenly led by a score of 5 to 4. The Bears came storming back in the 6th and finally solving Buckos reliever Gary Grunhardt who had thrown 5 scoreless innings against the Bears in the last 2 days. After Grunhardt got Ron Sellers to ground out to 3rd, Joe Zega singled, Jose Haro doubled, Frank Albarran then singled to drive in Zega, cagey veteran Steve Barba then singled to drive in Haro and when the dust had settled the Bears had come back to take the lead 6 to 5. The Bears then added an insurance run in the 7th off reliever Carl Fioravanti as Joe & Henry Gonzales walked to leadoff, after Fioravanti whiffed Andy Klein, Brian Dorian singled to drive in Joe Gonzales, Ron Sellers then walked and that was all for Fioravanti as manager Kevin Hodgson opted to go with another wily old veteran, Kevin Ahern. Ahern didn't let him down as he came in and struck out the league leader in home runs, Joe Zega, and got the equally as dangerous Jose Haro to ground out to 3rd. But not to be outdone, Bears reliever Ron Sellers (who got the win in relief) retired all 6 Buckos hitters he faced. Joe Zega started for the Bears and pitched 4 innings while giving up 3 runs and Jose Haro tossed an inning while giving up 2 runs. For the Buckos, Gary Grunhardt took the loss as he pitched 3 1/3 innings giving up 2 runs, Ron Hanrahan tossed 2 2/3 innings giving up 4 runs, Carl Fioravanti threw 1/3 of an inning and gave up 1 run, Kevin Ahern pitched 2/3 of an inning of shutout baseball. It all comes down to one game for the championship for these 2 combatants.

Game 3 Of The Finals 

Buckos 9  Bad News Bears 4

The Buckos Win The Championship In Game 3

The 3rd and final game of the championship series (Saturday, October 21st) was delayed by 25 minutes by the wet weather that rolled into the area the night before. The Buckos got on the board in the top of the 1st as John Hanrahan singled and proceeded to steal 2nd & 3rd base, Bears starter Ron Sellers then came back to get Ken Elbaor to fly to left and then fanned Carl Fioravanti for the second out only to be victimized by his 3rd baseman who committed an error that brought in Hanrahan with the Buckos 1st run. The Bears though came right back against Buckos starter Ron Hanrahan as Billy Delis led off with a single and then stole 2nd, and went to 3rd when Buckos catcher Dave Hart's throw to 2nd sailed into center field. Next up was Brian Dorian who singled to knock in Delis and knot the game at 1 apiece. The Buckos averted further trouble when they turned a nifty 5-4-3 double play on the always dangerous Jose Haro. The Bears then took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd when Hanrahan walked the speedy Andy Klein to lead things off, Klein then made Hanrahan pay as he stole 2nd & 3rd base, Lee Gomez then came through with an RBI hit that scored Klein to make it 2 to 1 Bears. The Buckos came back to tie the game at 2 in the top of the 5th on a strange set of circumstances. Carl Fioravanti led off against Bears reliever Joe Zega and greeted him with a single, Fioravanti then stole 2nd, Ron Hanrahan walked which put runners on 1st & 2nd. Gary Grunhardt then hit a hard grounder down to 3rd baseman Jose Haro who in turn stepped on 3rd and then turned and fired to 2nd to force Hanrahan at 2nd for a key 5-4 double play that left the Buckos reeling and Grunhardt was the lone Bucko left at 1st base. Kenny Elbaor then pinch ran for Grunhardt and promptly stole 2nd & 3rd to set up what happened next. Rick Doubek struck out against Joe Zega but the ball got away from catcher Lee Gomez who couldn't find the ball and when he did, Doubek hustling all the way beat the throw to 1st and then Elbaor then came in from 3rd to tie the game at 2 on the dropped 3rd strike. Doubek then got to 3rd on a stolen base but died there as Joe Zega struck out Jamie Hunt to end the threat. The Buckos then took control of the game in the top of the 6th as the much maligned bottom of the order offensively came through on the biggest stage at the most opportune time. Kevin Ahern led off with a walk, Mark Gronkiewicz then up to sacrifice laid down a beautiful bunt that the Bears could not do anything with and Gronkiewicz had a bunt single, Russ Holman then was up to sacrifice and was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Billy Fear followed with a single that scored Ahern, Dave Hart then hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Gronkiewicz, Jim Coogan walked to reload the bases, Lee Gomez then came into pitch for the Bears, Rick Diaz greeted Gomez with a single to score Holman, an out later Ken Elbaor walked to score Coogan, Carl Fioravanti got a hit to score Diaz & John Hanrahan and when the dust had finally settled the Buckos had scored 6 runs and now led by a score of 8 to 2. The Bears would not go quietly into the night as in their half of the 6th Mike Kopec singled, Lee Gomez followed with a hit, Henry Gonzales drove in a run as he hit into a fielders choice, Bill Delis followed with a ringing double, Brian Dorian grounded out to short and that drove in skipper Henry Gonzales with the second run of the inning that made the score now 8 to 4 in favor of the Buckos. The Buckos got 1 more run in the 7th when Rick Doubek led off with a walk, Jamie Hunt was safe on an error by the Bears 3rd baseman, Kevin Ahern walked, Mark Gronkiewicz then hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Doubek with the final run of the game and as it turned out, the season. When Buckos reliever Gary Grunhardt got Steve Barba to pop out to shortstop Ken Elbaor for the 3rd out, the Buckos had their championship and they made the most of it by celebrating well into the night. The Buckos were the second team in 3 years to come from 4th place in the regular season to win the championship. The Buckos got on a roll at the end of the season and the playoffs and weren't going to be denied. The Bears had a fine season as well, as they wound up in 2nd and carried that momemtum to the finals. Both managers (Kevin Hodgson of the Buckos & Henry Gonzales of the Bears) should be commended for the way they handled themselves and their teams in this well played championship finals. Both teams at the end had tremendous respect for each other. For the Buckos, Gary Grunhardt picked up the win in relief as he pitched 3 innings and gave up 2 runs, Ron Hanrahan started and threw 4 innings while giving up 2 runs. For the Bears, Joe Zega took the loss in relief as he gave up 4 runs in 1 1/3 innings, Lee Gomez gave up 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings, and Ron Sellers who started for the Bears, tossed 4 innings and gave up just 1 run. All in all it was a good 3rd season for the fledgling league that saw a good run by the 2006 Champions, the Buckos. Also, it was the 3rd straight season in which the championship finals went the limit to 3 games. We hope to see everybody back for the 2007 season.      

                             2006 Home Run Leaders

                  Joe Zega-8

                   Fred Hopkins-6

                   Tom Kocanda-4

                        Antonio Underwood-4

                      Dan Connolly-3

                        Mike Martinez-3

                       Ed Peloza-3

                       Jim Puplava-3

                         John Jacobson-3

                      John Riffle-2

                           John Salzeider-2

                        Bill Delis-2

                          Dennis Grzyb-2

                        Sean Hoye-2

                           Xavier Roman-2

                         John Ryan-2

                          Uriel Olmos-2

                          Tom Peloquin-2

                            Jack Zylstra-1

                             Dan Stanley-1

                               Ryan Vanderwoude-1

                                Rick Doubek-1

                                Ron Hanrahan-1

                             Mike Zivat-1

                             Leo Olmos-1

                               Jimmy Taylor-1

                               Russ Holman-1

                                    Mark Gronkiewicz-1