Five things we learned from the 2017 season

The 2017 season has concluded with Covenant being crowned the new champions of the Lawrence-Mercer County Church Softball League.

Here are five things we learned from the memorable 2017 season:

1.  The home run limit rule saved Covenant.  Before the season began, a new rule was put in place limiting teams to hitting three home runs per game (inside the park ones did not count against that restriction).  Every home run hit by one team after three until their opponent hit three of their own was scored as an intentional walk.  Once both teams hit their three home runs, it was one home run at a time per team.  I jokingly referred to the rule as the "New Life Blue rule", because it was meant to provide parity throughout the entire league.  This is one reason why Covenant was crowned the new champions.

2.  Tyler Allen is money when the game is on the line.  In the finals, when New Life Blue went up 10-9 in the top of the fifth inning with one out, Covenant called on Tyler Allen to save the team.  He only allowed two runs the rest of the way in his two and two-thirds innings of relief as Covenant went on to win the championship.  Allen also helped his cause with a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs.

3.  You will be hearing a lot about Corey Sternthal in the future.  Remember when I said that Corey Sternthal was legit?  Well, Corey Sternthal's first at bat against First Assembly in May was a home run, and it was fitting that his last hit of his rookie campaign was a home run to win the championship.  Corey Sternthal is primed to have many seasons in the Lawrence-Mercer County Church Softball League.

4.  Robert Mort's exploits in his rookie season were no fluke.  Robert Mort had an impressive rookie season in 2016, and in 2017, he proved that his exploits were no fluke, as he improved by leaps and bounds in his sophomore campaign.  There is no doubt he will be a key contributor for more championships in the future.

5.  This championship victory was satisfying.  After two near misses in 2015 and 2016, Covenant finally tasted victory in the championship finals in 2017.  My call of Corey Sternthal's walkoff home run to win the championship is one that will never get old.  The walkoff home run itself will also never get old.

These are the five things we learned from the memorable 2017 season for the new champions from Covenant Sharon.

CPC Softball team stats as of 19 June 2017

Fourteen games have been played, and these are the stats for Covenant Softball as of 19 June 2017:

Ryan Matta:  1 game played, 2 runs scored.
Sean Zippie:  5 games played, 13 at bats, 8 hits (2 doubles), 4 runs scored, .615 batting average, .571 on base percentage, .769 slugging percentage, 1.341 on base plus slugging, 3 runs batted in.
Bobby Marzano:  7 games played, 12 at bats, 5 hits (2 doubles), 2 runs scored, .417 batting average, .417 on base percentage, .583 slugging percentage, 1.000 on base plus slugging.
Ryan Zippie:  13 games played, 40 at bats, 24 hits (7 doubles, 1 triple), 15 runs scored, .600 batting average, .595 on base percentage, .825 slugging percentage, 1.42 on base plus slugging, 15 runs batted in.
Eric Bombeck (batting):  13 games played, 32 at bats, 17 hits (1 double), 1 run scored, .531 batting average, .595 on base percentage, .562 slugging percentage, 1.157 on base plus slugging, 11 runs batted in.
Eric Bombeck (pitching):  11 games played, 11 games started, 59 innings pitched, 9 wins, 1 loss, 99 hits allowed, 38 runs allowed (35 earned), 5.34 earned run average, 15 walks, 6 strikeouts.
Pat DeGeralamo:  2 games played, 4 at bats, 4 hits, 1 run scored, 1.000 batting average, 1.000 on base percentage, 1.000 slugging percentage, 2.000 on base plus slugging, 3 runs batted in.
Tay Robinson:  12 games played, 39 at bats, 32 hits (4 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run), 29 runs scored, .821 batting average, .837 on base percentage, 1.154 slugging percentage, 1.991 on base plus slugging, 18 runs batted in.
Matt Durisko (batting):  12 games played, 35 at bats, 24 hits (6 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs), 16 runs scored, .686 batting average, .684 on base percentage, 1.314 slugging percentage, 1.998 on base plus slugging, 18 runs batted in.
Matt Durisko (pitching):  2 games played, 2 innings pitched, 3 hits allowed.
Jacob Albright:  4 games played, 4 at bats.
Robert Mort:  10 games played, 31 at bats, 20 hits (2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs), 15 runs scored, .645 batting average, .647 on base percentage, .968 slugging percentage, 1.615 on base plus slugging, 13 runs batted in.
Gray MacKenzie:  10 games played, 33 at bats, 18 hits (3 triples), 15 runs scored, .545 batting average, .571 on base percentage, .727 slugging percentage, 1.299 on base plus slugging, 12 runs batted in.
Bob Mariotti:  2 games played, 4 at bats, 1 hit, 2 runs scored, .250 batting average, .250 on base percentage, .250 slugging percentage, .500 on base plus slugging.
Jeff Newell:  14 games played, 47 at bats, 31 hits (9 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs), 25 runs scored, .660 batting average, .673 on base percentage, 1.255 slugging percentage, 1.929 on base plus slugging, 20 runs batted in.
Jim Bombeck:  10 games played, 22 at bats, 13 hits (2 doubles), 2 runs scored, .591 batting average, .609 on base percentage, .682 slugging percentage, 1.291 on base plus slugging, 10 runs batted in.
Elija Bombeck:  8 games played, 19 at bats, 12 hits (2 doubles), 4 runs scored, .632 batting average, .632 on base percentage, .737 slugging percentage, 1.368 on base plus slugging, 2 runs batted in.
Dan Vanderslice:  12 games played, 32 at bats, 18 hits (3 doubles, 1 home run), 10 runs scored, .562 batting average, .568 on base percentage, .750 slugging percentage, 1.318 on base plus slugging, 11 runs batted in.
Tyler Allen (batting):  12 games played, 41 at bats, 24 hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs), 25 runs scored, .585 batting average, .581 on base percentage, 1.366 slugging percentage, 1.947 on base plus slugging, 24 runs batted in.
Tyler Allen (pitching):  4 games played, 3 games started, 21 innings pitched, 4 wins, 0 losses, 28 hits allowed, 7 runs allowed (7 earned), 3.00 earned run average, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts.
Greg Osmon:  13 games played, 21 at bats, 10 hits, 9 runs scored, .476 batting average, .500 on base percentage, .476 slugging percentage, .976 on base plus slugging, 3 runs batted in.
Corey Sternthal:  10 games played, 29 at bats, 17 hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs), 15 runs scored, .586 batting average, .576 on base percentage, 1.172 slugging percentage, 1.748 on base plus slugging, 19 runs batted in.
Julie Norris:  10 games played, 19 at bats, 8 hits, 2 runs scored, .421 batting average, .450 on base percentage, .421 slugging percentage, .871 on base plus slugging, 5 runs batted in.
Justin Reed:  4 games played, 3 runs scored.
Paul Fink:  13 games played, 18 at bats, 6 hits (1 double), 6 runs scored, .333 batting average, .400 on base percentage, .389 slugging percentage, .789 on base plus slugging, 3 runs batted in.

Total team numbers (batting):  14 games played, 495 at bats, 292 hits (53 doubles, 17 triples, 22 home runs), 200 runs scored, .590 batting average, .602 on base percentage, .899 slugging percentage, 1.501 on base plus slugging, 193 runs batted in.

Total team numbers (pitching):  14 games played, 82 innings pitched, 13 wins, 1 loss, 130 hits allowed, 45 runs allowed (42 earned), 4.61 earned run average, 19 walks, 12 strikeouts.

Five things we have learned from the first half of the 2017 season

Thirteen games into the season, Covenant stands at 12-1 with their recent split of their doubleheader against New Life Blue.

These are the five things we have learned from the first half of the 2017 season:

1.  Covenant is a team full of speed and power.  This is the fifth year that the Covenant team is referred to as Team Speed because they have speed on the base paths.  This year, they have also emphasized power with the addition of Tyler Allen and Corey Sternthal.  They have combined for 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in through 13 games.

2.  Tyler Allen can be counted on when needed on the mound.  Tyler Allen has pitched three games (starting two of them), and being the winning pitcher in all three of them.  He has a 4.20 earned run average over 15 innings pitched.

3.  Corey Sternthal is legit.  Corey Sternthal is one of the rookies on the Covenant team, and he has a .611 batting average with 3 home runs and 19 runs batted in.  Ten of his sixteen hits have been for extra bases.  He is making a case for rookie of the year.

4.  Jacob Albright is going through the dreaded sophomore jinx.  Jacob Albright has only played three of the thirteen games this season and has not hit safely in his three at bats.  He had a strong rookie campaign in 2016, but his sophomore season has started very slowly.

5.  Bobby Mort is proving that his rookie campaign last year was no fluke.  Bobby Mort was the rookie of the year last season, and midway through the 2017 season, he is proving that his exploits last year were no fluke, as he has been batting .643 with 2 home runs and 12 runs batted in.

What will the second half teach us?  We shall find out as the games play out.

State of the Lawrence Mercer County Church Softball League

When I was eating lunch at Panera today, Ryan Zippie gave me the state of the league heading into the 2017 season.

Lebanon B and Lebanon C have merged to form one single team at Lebanon Presbyterian in Lackawannock Township.  This move was made to cut rising costs from fielding two or three teams over the duration of this current decade.  With this news, it got me thinking that their coaching staff would have to weed out a bunch of players who played on the Lebanon B and C teams last season.  That is just one reason why we claimed Tyler Allen off waivers from Lebanon because I might be speculating that Lebanon, to put it biblically, had no room for him in the inn.

Also, defending champion New Life has decided to field a second team consisting of all new players.  This news got me thinking that New Life will follow Grace Chapel's lead and distinguish their two teams by the color of their uniforms just like Grace Chapel does.  You will recall last year that Grace Chapel cut down from three teams to two to cut costs of fielding three teams.  Grace Chapel Black disbanded, and Geri Truog, the best female pitcher that the league has to offer, was claimed by First Assembly in the dispersal draft, while Tom Dobos and Mike Wilson were claimed by New Life.  Some of the other players went to Grace Chapel Blue.

Prior to practice tonight, we discussed some of the rules with the rookies and also talked about changing our uniforms.  A black jersey was discussed, but Tay Robinson was concerned that they might fade in the hot sun.  I was concerned that they would clash with the black jerseys worn by First Assembly.  I feel that we should continue to wear red jerseys.

There is one minor change in the list of sponsors for this season.  Vector Security will no longer sponsor the top of the second inning, because we have not been living up to their expectations.  Thus, the top of the second inning will now be sponsored by ADT Security.

Our weather forecasts will be sponsored by State College-based Accuweather.

Also, the date of the league tournament will be on July 15 at the C.O.G. Softball Complex in West Middlesex, with a rain make up date of July 22.

I might consider calling my mentor Lanny Frattare before the week is out to let him know that spring training has started for the 2017 campaign.  If you do not know who he is, allow me to tell you about him.

Lanny Frattare is the former voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  He started out with the team as the number three to the legendary Bob Prince and Nellie King.  When both Prince and King were terminated, Frattare became the number two to Milo Hamilton.  When Hamilton left, Frattare was ready to take over the play-by-play duties.  He gave his voice to the 1979 "We Are Family" Pirates team that eventually won the World Series at the expense of the Baltimore Orioles.  He was also the man who lent his voice to the 1997 "Freak Show" Pirates team that hovered around first place in a mediocre National League Central Division for much of the season.  Frattare called more than 5000 Pirates games over a career that spanned more than 30 years before he retired at the end of the 2008 season.  Today, he is the public relations director as well as a lecturer in broadcasting at Waynesburg University.  In 2014, he wrote the foreward to the book of the 100 things that Pittsburgh Pirates fans should know and do before they die (a list in which he is a part of).  Every January, he makes an annual pilgrimage up here to Mercer County where he serves as the master of ceremonies for the annual Mercer County Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Park Inn by Radisson.  I am hoping that in January 2018, I will be able to attend the ceremony so that I can actually meet him in person for the first time.

Observations from yesterday's spring training session

A tumultuous offseason for Covenant softball has ended with the first of several spring training sessions held yesterday.

I met the three new players who will be joining the team this coming season:  Bobby Marzano (who is the younger brother of my high school classmate Angie Marzano), Paul Fink (who is originally from Pittsburgh's northern suburbs), and Tyler Allen (who was claimed off waivers from Lebanon B).  Marzano and Fink are rookies, while Allen brings championship-caliber offense to a team that it was lacking in championship round losses to Lebanon B and New Life in the last two seasons.

This is the second consecutive year that a team in the Lawrence Mercer County Church Softball League has claimed a player off waivers from another team.  Last year, Bethany of Mercer claimed Shawn Bresnahan off waivers from First Assembly.  Also, you will recall that New Life claimed Mike Wilson and Tom Dobos from Grace Chapel Black in the dispersal draft, while First Assembly claimed Geri Truog, the best female pitcher that the league has to offer.

Tyler Allen will join the team's star contingent that currently consists of Jeff Newell, Tay Robinson, Matt Durisko and Dan Vanderslice.

With the addition of Allen to the team's star contingent, I believe that Covenant has the last piece that they need to complete the championship puzzle.  By the middle of July, the team will win its first league championship, and will not only have to give coach Jim Bombeck a Gatorade shower, they will also have to give me a Gatorade shower.

The start of spring training is the right tonic that this team needed after a tumultuous offseason.  Whether this will lead to Covenant softball taking its fans for the ride of a lifetime to its first championship remains to be seen.

A very difficult offseason for CPC Softball will soon end

Last July, Covenant Sharon softball fell one win short of winning a championship in its second trip to the tournament finals.

Early on in the offseason, I was hinting at not returning to podcast games in 2017 because I had not been a part of a championship-winning team since 1997.  But a member of a rival team (who shall remain nameless) coaxed me to return to the CPC softball broadcast booth for 2017 because of how they enjoyed my work calling the games.

Little did I realize that it was part one of a difficult offseason for CPC Softball that will soon be ending as spring training begins.

In August, I found out from Dan Vanderslice that Bob Mariotti and Pat Degeralamo would not be returning in 2017.  (I'm trying to get Pat Degeralamo to be my number two podcaster.)  In March I found out that Randel Veccia might not be returning.

In February, I posted that Tim Brando of Fox Sports was reporting that Sean Zippie was contemplating stepping away from the game after the 2017 season.  He was approached walking out of Giant Eagle and was quoted as saying that the 2017 season would define the legacy of the CPC softball coaching staff.  To put it another way, it means that Sean Zippie was saying that head coach Jim Bombeck would be on the hot seat in the 2017 season because of the lack of championships in the first five years of the squad's existence (which puts it at a combined record of 71 wins and 55 losses over those five seasons).

This past Easter weekend saw two things happen to members of the squad.  First, I was T-boned by another driver near the mall while I was about to make a turn into the mall.  I was unhurt, but I am still shaken up over it.  I may need a new vehicle to stow my necessary equipment that I need for my podcasts, preferably one that I can go off road with.

The offseason will end on a sour note as Ryan and Sean Zippie have endured the death of their grandfather.

To say that the team has had to endure so much adversity in the offseason is an understatement.  I believe that the right tonic for the tumultuous offseason is the start of spring training for the 2017 Lawrence-Mercer County Church Softball League campaign.  As the voice of Covenant Softball, I am predicting that the team will use the offseason adversity as motivation to win their first league championship on July 15 at the COG Softball Complex in West Middlesex.  When it happens, they'll not only have to give coach Bombeck a Gatorade shower, they'll also have to give me a Gatorade shower!

Now you're thinking to yourselves as you read this post, "Wow.  The team must have had a difficult offseason.  But who are you to post this?"

GOOD QUESTION!

My name is Michael T. Mondak.  I have been the voice of Covenant Softball since the early portion of the 2015 campaign.  My play-by-play of the games has been constantly praised by players and coaches throughout the entire Lawrence-Mercer County Church Softball League.  I podcast the games via SoundCloud.  My podcasting has improved over the last two seasons thanks to advice I received from former Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Lanny Frattare.  I still seek his advice every year.

Starting this season, I will no longer use paper and pencil to keep score of the games.  I will now be using the Gamechanger Softball app on my iPad.  Although I will still keep a media guide, I will now get up to date statistics and game recap stories that only the Gamechanger Softball app can provide.

This season's podcast sponsors will include the following:

priceline.com (Countdown to First Pitch)
Lock Stock and Barrel (Know the Enemy)
Giant Eagle (Starting Lineups)
Reyers Shoe Store (Monthly Trivia Question)
Shop 'n Save (Top of First Inning)
Sheetz (Bottom of First Inning)
Vector Security (Top of Second Inning)
Med-Fast Pharmacy (Bottom of Second Inning)
Kraynak's (Top of Third Inning)
Thelma's Sports Nook (Bottom of Third Inning)
Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Hermitage (Top of Fourth Inning)
O'Neill Coffee (Bottom of Fourth Inning)
JCPenney (Top of Fifth Inning)
First National Bank of Pennsylvania (Bottom of Fifth Inning)
Stone Church Pizza and Brew Pub (Top of Sixth Inning)
Penn State Shenango (Bottom of Sixth Inning)
Sharon Regional Sports Medicine (Top of Seventh Inning)
Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley (Bottom of Seventh Inning)
Turner Dairy Farms & Turner's Premium Iced Tea (Extra Innings)
Harold W. Stevenson Funeral Home (Eighth Inning Post Game Wrap Up)
Tim Horton's (Final statistics)
Allstate agent Gary Ceremuga powered by Involta Data Centers (Player of the Game)

I shall return to blogging throughout the season.

Insights on Covenant Sharon Softball after 14 games

Fourteen games have been played by Covenant, and fourteen games have been won by Covenant.  Six games remain (two each against Grace Chapel Blue, New Life and Lebanon C).

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Covenant will likely have one of the five first round byes in the winners' bracket of the double elimination league tournament on July 16 at the COG Softball Complex in West Middlesex.

On the pitching front, the three pitcher staff expanded to four in game two against Grace Chapel Burgundy when Julie Norris took the mound for the first time this season.  It was revealed by Julie in postgame on June 9 that she had played pitcher in fast pitch softball.  She pitched two perfect innings while striking out two batters.

Eric Bombeck, David Dalessandro and Bob Mariotti are close to each other in terms of earned run average.  Dalessandro leads with a 3.11 average, with Mariotti right behind him with a 3.13 average.  Bombeck has a 3.60 average.  Combined, Bombeck, Dalessandro, Mariotti and Norris have pitched a combined 93 innings, allowing a total of 105 hits and 46 runs (44 of them earned) for a 3.31 average, issuing 29 free passes and striking out 33 batters.

On offense, Matt Durisko, Tay Robinson, Jeff Newell, Ryan Zippie, Sean Zippie and Dan Vanderslice lead the team in runs batted in.  Durisko has 27, while Robinson is right behind him with 26.  In terms of batting average (minimum 10 at bats), Durisko, Ethan Davis, Gray MacKenzie, Jim Bombeck and Robinson lead the team.

The following players are as of the end of last night's doubleheader against Bethany, eligible for the July 16 tournament:

Sean Zippie
Ryan Zippie
Eric Bombeck
Pat DeGeralamo
David Dalessandro
Matt Durisko
Brett McBride
Bob Mariotti
Jeff Newell
Jim Bombeck
Julie Norris
Gray MacKenzie
Jacob Albright
Robert Mort
Tay Robinson
Dan Vanderslice

The following players need to show up tomorrow at Jefferson Township Field to be eligible for the tournament:

Craig Osmon
Randel Veccia (one game)

The following player needs to show up at Jefferson tomorrow and at White Chapel Field next Tuesday to be eligible:

Ethan Davis

The following player needs to show up for all six remaining games at Jefferson (tomorrow), White Chapel (next Tuesday) and at Wheatland Field (June 30) to be eligible for the tournament:

Elija Bombeck

The following players are not eligible for the tournament:

Jordan Davis
Jeremy McNeill

These are my insights on Covenant Sharon softball after 14 games.  Until next time, farewell and fair balls.

Team Insights after six games

A brand new season of church softball has begun, and that means that I'm back at work calling Covenant softball games for my first full season!  Covenant began the season on May 17 in dominating fashion by getting two mercy rule wins at the expense of Neshannock Alliance, with Eric Bombeck pitching a no-hitter in game one.

On May 19, Covenant got its first major test of the young campaign, as First Assembly touted their new claims from Grace Chapel Black in the dispersal draft, among them pitcher Geri Truog, the best female pitcher the league has to offer.  But Covenant passed the test with flying colors, coming from behind in game one to win 11-9 with Jeff Newell's 3-run home run being the turning point of the game.  Covenant then went on to win game two by the score of 14-6.

With First Assembly behind them, all attention turned to the showdown from yesterday between Covenant and reigning league champion Lebanon B, who put a 30-game win streak dating back to the beginning of last season on the line.  The game was moved from First Assembly Field to Wheatland Field due to a conflict with First Assembly practice.  In game one, Covenant only trailed once, but that came before they even came to bat.  Thankfully, Lebanon B scored only one measly run.  Covenant would end Lebanon B's winning streak by winning game one by the score of 10-7.  Game two was a slugfest, with Covenant winning by the score of 12-9, holding off a late rally by Lebanon B, who now has a two-game losing streak.

The above photo is yours truly in action during the opening doubleheader against Neshannock Alliance at First Assembly Field.  Now, all game podcasts can be found on Soundcloud!  Just log onto www.soundcloud.com and query Covenant Sharon softball and you can access all the podcasts as the season goes along!

Now that I have given team insights on the young campaign (Covenant is now 6-0 to start the season), I shall give some individual insights after six games.  Jordan "Puppy" Davis has played in one game as a catcher, but he has not yet had an at-bat.  Regular catcher Julie Norris is mired in an early season slump and she is still pressing on.  If the rules had been changed before the season began to allow girls in the league to use a girls' bat, then her numbers would not be what they are.  Keep in mind during last season's tournament that Norris had a .333 batting average with two RBIs.  There is no question that the stars of this squad are Jeff Newell, Tay Robinson, Matt Durisko, Dan Vanderslice, and Gray MacKenzie.  Key contributions have come from Ryan Zippie, Randel Veccia and Sean Zippie.  Eric Bombeck, David Dalessandro and Bob Mariotti have been the trio of workhorses on the mound for Covenant, sparking the squad to its six wins while along the way, showing no signs of stopping their momentum.  This team has bought into their head coach Jim Bombeck's system emphasizing speed.  This is one reason why this team is dubbed "TS4" because it's the fourth consecutive year that the team has been dubbed "Team Speed".

The next doubleheader on June 2 will see Covenant take to the road for the first time in the young campaign as they travel to White Chapel Field to take on a New Wilmington team that finished sixth in the league standings last year and lost to New Life in the losers bracket quarterfinals in the 2015 tournament.  If the weather permits, then before the week is out, I will take a drive to White Chapel Field to scout out the field for myself.  This is the first of a stretch of six out of the next seven matchups will be on the road.  They will square off against rival St. John's at C.O.G. on June 7 before returning to First Assembly Field on June 9 to play last season's league doormats, Grace Chapel Burgundy.  They return to White Chapel Field on June 14 to play New Life (this is the doubleheader that I am slated to miss due to a volunteer commitment at historic Oakmont Country Club for the U.S. Open golf tournament).  I will return for a June 21 doubleheader at Lackawannock Park against Bethany.  On June 23, Covenant travels to Jefferson Township Field to play Grace Chapel Blue.  Wheatland Field will be the site for the June 30 doubleheader against Lebanon C.

Those are the Covenant Sharon softball team insights after six games.  Until next time, farewell and fair balls.

How I became a better podcaster thanks to Lanny Frattare

Last June, when I got banned for two games due to using choice language in a podcast, I sought the advice of Lanny Frattare (yes, the former Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster; yes, the host of the Mercer County Hall of Fame; yes, the professor at Waynesburg University) on how I can become a better podcaster.  Lanny, who is pictured below, gave me these eight tips:

 

 

1. Baseball and softball are the most difficult sports to broadcast for.  You need to prepare for at least four hours prior to the games.  85% of a broadcast's success is determined before the broadcast even begins.
2. Cursing has no place in any broadcast.
3. During the games, call the plays that are occurring on the field.
4. Keep track of the score and the inning.
5. Keep your audience updated with how the game got to certain points during the games.  Lanny recommends recaps during the third and sixth innings.
6. Involve the audience of the storyline during the games.  If it is the first games for both teams, recap what happened to the teams last season.  If it's a midseason or a late season game, are there first place implications?  Are the two teams cellar dwellers?  If it's the tournament, remind the audience what is at stake for both teams (advancement in the tournament, a spot in the finals, e.g.)
7. Keep score during the games.
8. And finally, try to weave stories into your broadcasts, but do not let them get away from the action taking place on the field.  You are not Bob Prince, never have been and never will be.  Don't try to emulate Prince or Frattare or Greg Brown.  Do it your way.  (Don't forget that Frank Sinatra put it to music!)

 

I keep a page with these tips in my media guide.

 

Until next time, farewell and fair balls.

State of the Team

Before practices even began, Jason Minter, who had a .944 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) in the 2015 tournament, was called by our Lord and Savior to lead His people in McDonough, Georgia.  It was also announced that Gina Riel would not be returning as team manager for 2016 following her graduation from Grove City College.

Recently, I found out that elder statesman Tom Phillips, who was part of the pitching rotation last season, would not be returning to the team.  This is a move that infuses more of a youth movement into the team.  Although we lost Minter, Riel and Phillips, we did gain four new players in Jacob Albright, Jeremy McNeill, Robert Mort and Ethan Davis (no relation to Jordan Davis, pictured below in action against New Wilmington last July).

 

 

I was at Panera for lunch on Wednesday before work and while I was waiting to enjoy a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup, I caught sight of Jordan Davis, but I don't know if he recognized me or not.

 

I have not seen a game schedule yet, but as soon as I see the schedule posted, I will input that information into my media guide which will go into a three-ring binder that I purchased recently for that purpose.

 

For those of you who are seeing these posts for the first time, you may be asking yourselves:  "You are giving great insight to this church softball team; but who are you and why are you doing this?"

 

Good question!

 

 

 

My name is Michael T. Mondak.  Although I am a member of Church of Notre Dame in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, I am the "Voice of Covenant Softball".  I always live for the period between mid-May and mid-July because that's when I take on my role as a church softball podcaster.  In the coming weeks and months, I will give insight to this team, post game audio footage, and even give some statistics on a periodic basis!  Everyone has or has had a mentor, and I have been blessed to have many of them.  When it comes to my role as the "Voice of Covenant Softball", my mentor is the former Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare, who is a professor at Waynesburg University.  I will post in the future what Lanny tells his students in each of his classes.

 

Until next time, farewell and fair balls.

 





Observations from CPC Softball practice (27 April 2016)

After returning home from Erie after an interview and getting blue and yellow balloons for my neighbor Kristina David at Party City, I drove in my Jeep back to Holy Trinity Field near Speedways for tonight's CPC Softball practice.  During tonight's practice, I observed the following things from my view from behind the plate:

As I mentioned in my previous post, Jacob Albright tends to swing ahead of pitches, which hearkens back to his baseball playing days.  Taylor Robinson reminds me of Pedro Alvarez.  Like Pedro, Taylor is a power hitter.

Now I shall take a look at some of the players who joined us for the first time this season:

Julie Norris, our catcher, is working her way back from an offseason injury to her throwing arm which she has completely recovered from.  When she is at bat, she almost reminds me of former Pirates catcher Jason Kendall.  Like Kendall, Julie is more of a singles-hitting catcher and not much of a power hitter.  When she is behind the plate, she can be a quick study.  During games, she should signal orders to the pitchers to call for their pitches by slapping her throwing hand on the palm of her glove.  One slap calls for the pitcher's bread-and-butter pitch.  Two slaps call for the pitcher's secondary pitch.  Three slaps means she is calling for the pitcher's third option pitch.  And finally, four slaps means she is ordering her pitcher to throw their fourth option pitch.  She should mix them up during every at bat by opposing batters because the most number of pitches that every batter will face is four (each batter begins with a count of one ball and one strike).

Matt Durisko, one of our three power hitters along with Robinson and Jeff Newell, has a tendency to either pull his hits or send them towards the opposite field.  He can sometimes get away with those things as long as he hits them where opposing fielders are not.  These tendencies are a reason why he had an OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.025 during last season's tournament.

Sean Zippie tends to pull his line drives.  His .688 OPS during the tournament last season will need to be better as the 2016 season goes on.  He is not much of a power hitter, however, what he lacks in power he more than makes up for with speed.

Ryan Zippie has a tendency to hit a lot of ground balls which leads to him being thrown out on a frequent basis.  His .473 OPS from last season's tournament means that he needs to be more aggressive when up to bat, which is something that our head coach Jim Bombeck is trying to instill into the team this season.

These are the insights from tonight's practice.  The next practice is Monday evening, however, I will miss practice on May 2 because I have a Knights of Columbus council meeting at the city building that evening.  I will give more insights on the 2016 squad at next Wednesday's practice.

And that is the end of this blog post.

Observations from Covenant Sharon Softball practice (25 April 2016)

Church softball fans:

Tonight I drove in my Jeep to Holy Trinity Field next to Speedways for Covenant Sharon softball practice and I came away with the following observations of the few players that showed up tonight from my view behind the plate:

Jacob Albright, our rookie from Single-A according to coach Jim Bombeck, has a tendency to swing ahead of pitches, which hearkens back to his baseball-playing days when he could get away with such actions.  However, in slow pitch softball, he needs to have patience when he is in the batter's box and wait for his pitches before he can swing.

Which brings me to switch hitter Jeff Newell.  He tends to swing at bad pitches out of impatience, which was something he was able to get away with during last season's tournament when he led the squad in OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) with a 1.31, which was more than our 2015 team MVP Gray MacKenzie's 1.176 OPS.

Taylor Robinson, our cleanup hitter, is more of a power hitter, which is what is needed in a cleanup hitter.  He's like a slow pitch equivalent of Pedro Alvarez, a power hitter who is capable of whacking a long ball.

Jim Bombeck, who also is an extra hitter for the squad (batting left handed), is more of our comic relief in the batter's box, yukking it up with opposing fielders.

Eric Bombeck, Jim's brother, is our ace pitcher.  He throws a variety of pitches that can sometimes confuse opposing batters.  When he is on the mound, he is capable of going the distance.

Bob Mariotti, who is a part of the starting rotation, is trying to work his way back from an injury he sustained in the losers' bracket finals of last season's tournament against Grace Chapel Black.  With some extra practice before the regular season begins, he is capable of coming back from the injury that ended his 2015 season.

I'll give more insight to the remaining players at Wednesday's practice.  But first, you're probably saying to yourself:  "That's great insight to the players on the 2016 squad, but who are you giving these insights from behind the plate?"

Good question!

My name is Michael T. Mondak, and although I am a member of Church of Notre Dame in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, I am the "Voice of Covenant Sharon softball" from mid-May through mid-July.  I started calling games last year which led to me being discovered by none other than Eric Bombeck, who hosts a Wednesday evening radio show on News talk 790 WPIC.  He put in a good word for me with his station manager Bob Greenburg, and it led to me being hired as a board operator during local high school sports coverage (Friday night football in the fall, and boys and girls basketball in the winter).  The radio station is my second home away from home (my primary home away from home is at a sporting goods store).  But I always look forward to spring because soon it will be time for a new season of church softball coverage.

In the coming weeks and months, I will routinely post insights on the 2016 Covenant Sharon softball squad.  I will also post game audio footage after each doubleheader.  If that's not enough, I will post some statistics on this blog also, so that you, the followers of this blog, will know how the squad's players are doing to contribute to the success of the squad.

And that is the end of this inaugural blog post.  Until Wednesday, farewell and fair balls.