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.