Lancaster Loses League Home Run Leader Jason Perry

Lancaster took it on the chin four times in five meetings with the Atlantic League’s hottest team, Bridgeport, this week, but that is only the start of the potential problems facing the Barnstormers, who cling to a two-game lead in the Freedom Division race. They have to figure out a way to replace league home […]

Gibbons Makes Another Statement for Indy Leagues

Jay Gibbons has struck another harmonious chord for Independent Baseball with his splashy re-entrance into the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  A longtime Baltimore Orioles outfielder (2001-2007), the left-handed Gibbons erged from a brush with being named in the infamous Mitchell Report to start cleansing his reputation with the Long Island (NY) Ducks […]

Camden’s Von Hayes and Chiaravalloti Doing Double Duty

Camden Manager Von Hayes and part-time cleanup hitter Vito Chiaravalloti both have a lot on their mind these days, and it is only partially due to the Riversharks’ uphill battle to make the Atlantic League playoffs.             The postseason is immediate priority No. 1, but Hayes, the onetime Philadelphia Phillies star, also heads up a […]

Story Lines Terrific for First No-Hitter in 6 Years

While major league baseball has been basking in perfect games and no-hitters this season, it had been nearly six years since the Atlantic League enjoyed such a feat before Southern Maryland’s Joe Newby and Jim Ed Warden combined to hold Newark hitless in a 3-1 victory at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium Wednesday night.  The […]

At Least One Wild Card Likely for Atlantic League Playoffs

It is getting close to “wild card” time.  Some newspapers have been listing the major league wild card data in their standings for weeks now, but this subject also carries importance in the Atlantic League since it seems very real that Southern Maryland and York could capture both first and second half divisional titles. The […]

Take me out to the AAA ballgame

Well I finally had enough of the Mariners and drove down to Tacoma to watch the Rainiers beat the Reno Aces 8-2 tonight and it was fun! Yes that is right watching baseball can be fun, especially if the team you are rooting for wins and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming like it was […]

Allegany County trims Webster

WEBSTER, N.Y. – Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees learned some valuable lessons Saturday night about opportunity: when given them, take advantage. At the same time,  never offer your opponent opportunities.

Webster opens playoffs with a win

SCIO, N.Y. – Four years have passed since the Webster Yankees appeared in the NYCBL post-season. Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees showed no signs of rust.

He Uses ‘The Only Sane Part of My Body’ to Throw Batting Practice

It often seems that when we dig deeper a story gets more interesting.  That certainly has been the case this summer in the process of trying to find the best possible information for this Notebook.  So today we are going to veer largely away from the usual stories of pennant races and exceptional performances to […]

Webster moves on to the playoffs

HORNELL, N.Y. -By the time Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees took the field Thursday night their playoff schedule was already written. With nothing to gain and nothing to lose, the Yankees could have fallen prey to complacency. Complacency would have to find another nest to roost in.

Daubach Has Pittsfield Overcoming Obstacles

The Pittsfield Colonials faced a monumental uphill task when they joined the Can-Am League this season because they got a very late start in putting together the remnants of Owner Buddy Lewis’s ill-fated team from Nashua, NH.  The Berkshire Mountain area in Western Massachusetts is renowned for its summer culture, which does not necessarily include […]

Return of Brian Adams May Help Patriots

Somerset’s last place standing in the Freedom Division with a 6-12 record may look bleak, but it is far too early to count the two-time defending champions out since they only trail division-leading Lancaster by four games (five in the loss column).  The Patriots, who have already tried 22 pitchers this season, have bolstered their […]

Batting Leader Steve Moss Is Loving Life in Bridgeport

It has been nearly 30 years since Reggie Smith last terrorized major league pitchers with an often lethal bat which made him one of the all-time great switch-hitters.  He helped get Boston to a World Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers to three more while hitting 314 regular-season home runs and topping 1,000 in both […]

‘Well, Yeah,’ Why Wouldn’t Pensacola Boss Enjoy Record-Setting 15-Game Win Streak?

All too often when the Florida Panhandle is in the news it seems to revolve around an oil spill or a hurricane bearing down on the area.  A more pleasant “hurricane” has swept through the area this month in the form of a stunningly-hot Pensacola Pelicans baseball team. The final game of a lackluster first […]

Webster tops Geneva in extra innings

GENEVA, N.Y. – No one can doubt the perseverance of Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees. Just one week ago, the 2010 version of the Yankees looked lifeless.  They were in the middle of a rough ten-game stretch where they lost seven. Maybe, the experience made the home nine stronger.

Gardner and Webster turn back the Thunder

WEBSTER, N.Y. – In just 24 hours, Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees have gone from hunter to the hunted. After losing seven of ten games, the Yankees found themselves on the outside of the NYCBL playoff picture.In the last two nights, the pinstripes have climbed the ladder to a potential post-season spot.

From the Eastern League All-Star Game

Strasburg Was Here First Installment From the Eastern League All-Star Game “. . . They develop Argument in order to speak, they become unreal, unreal, life loses solidity, loses extent, baseball’s their game because baseball is not a game but an argument. . . .” George Oppen It’s ten minutes after Nate Spears flew out […]

Webster sweeps Elmira

WEBSTER, N.Y. – Superman had kryptonite. Sampson had his hair. Apparently, the Elmira Pioneers have “The Basket.” The NYCBL West division leading Pioneers came to Webster riding a seven-game winning streak. The Pios left with a pair of losses.

Pitching Helps Optimism for Both Early Second-Half Leaders

A head-to-head series between Lancaster and Bridgeport presented an ideal opportunity to check the pulse of these second-half division leaders.     Both managers, Tom Herr of the Barnstormers and Willie Upshaw of the host Bluefish, believe their starting pitching has gotten better as the 140-game season has progressed, and that fact alone could keep them […]

Search for Pitching Continues

While it is still a bit early to make too many judgments about the second half of the Atlantic League season, one can be certain the six teams still in search of postseason berths will constantly monitor their pitching.  Do we have enough?  Starters?  Relievers?  Who might be available?       At least three former major […]

It Was a Busy Week From Northern League All-Star Dominance

With reports that at least 10 major league scouts were on hand to watch, the Northern League jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first three innings and never looked back in taking a 9-3 victory over the Golden League in the only All-Star Game between two Independent leagues in front of a reported […]

Atlantic League Managers Provide Wonderful Material For Major League Trivia Buffs

It is probably an understatement of sizeable proportions to say that the eight men who manage Atlantic League teams have quality career baseball profiles.  After all, they have a combined 109 seasons—an average of 13.6—as major league players. The popular nation-wide group SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) took note recently when it made the […]

Move to Starting Role Helped Bridgeport’s Patrick Ryan Secure Opportunity in Red Sox System

It seems highly unlikely if it had not been for the decision to move Patrick Ryan out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation at the start of June that the 27-year-old right-hander would be leaving Bridgeport and on his way to join the Boston Red Sox’s Salem, VA farm club Saturday. Ryan, who […]

Bertrand and Webster show Elmira a new frontier

WEBSTER, N.Y. – Elmira’s Pioneers came to “The Basket” Wednesday night with a firm grasp on second place in the NYCBL’s West Division. The Pios left Webster with an adjusted perspective on what is sure to be a wild, wild ride in the west for the remainder of the summer.

Quartet of Former Indy Players Back in Majors; Two Games Explode for 76 Runs

Any week we can report on players reaching the major leagues is a good one so two new promotions and two additional repeat selections during the early days of July represent the type of fireworks Independent Baseball should always celebrate. The elevation of outfielder Matt Watson to the parent Oakland Athletics could be looked at […]

Winkle leads Webster past Hornell

HORNELL, N.Y. – Webster Yankee fans have learned to expect the unexpected with this year’s team. After all, Dave Brust’s crew scored eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the home opener 8-7. From late inning comebacks to pitching duels to slug fests the 2010 pinstripes have done it all to win […]

Atlantic League Celebrates Its Two Newest Major Leaguers And Looks Forward to an Eventual Three-Division Setup

The Atlantic League knew it had an upbeat day Tuesday well before the All-Stars were scheduled to swelter their way through near 100-degree temperatures to put on a display of their talent before a number of major league scouts and a sellout crowd of more than 6,000 fans at Citibank Park on Long Island. Mid-year […]

Yerry and Webster quiet the Thunder

WEBSTER, N.Y. – Getting past the fifth inning has been something of challenge for G.C. Yerry (Stony Brook) this summer.  The left-hander retired nine of the first ten Geneva Red Wing hitters he faced on June 13th. In the fifth, he surrendered two hits, issued two wild pitches and gave up a run. Six days […]

Urckfitz staying the course

Pat Urckfitz has known his share of roles as a pitcher in the Houston Astros’ organization. When first signed as a free agent, the native of Penfield, New York worked as a set-up man.

If Form Holds on Last-to-First Ritual, York Will Win It All This Season

Longtime major league catcher Andy Etchebarren has been mourning the loss of his wife the last several months, but he now has at least one reason to find some happiness in that he has completed a rags-to-riches type story in rebuilding the York Revolution from last season’s 53-87 disaster into the Freedom Division’s first-half champions. […]

Webster Doubles Up Niagara

(Niagara Falls, N.Y.) Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees travelled west Thursday night seeking to recapture their winning ways. After takings five games in a row, the pinstripes dropped two of three including a shutout loss to Elmira Wednesday.  For one night at least the home nine got back on the good side.

Shreveport Claims Title, York Nearly In As Numerous Indy Players Named to All-Star Squads

Shreveport-Bossier, LA has become the first team to wrap up a first half divisional title, currently leading by six games in the American Association’s Southern Division although the York (PA) Revolution have nailed down no less than a tie in the Atlantic League’s Freedom Division with four games to play.  Ricky Van Asselberg, who led […]

Minor Tour With The Webster Yankee Alums

Major League Baseball’s 2010 amateur draft included the names of 36 players with ties to the New York Collegiate Baseball League. In the last three drafts 112 former NYCBLers have heard their names called.

Webster Salvages A Split

(Webster, N.Y.) On a night where a stiff breeze from the north brought a chill to Webster, a Canadian-born catcher delivered his own gust and cooled off the first place team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Western Division.

All-College Teams (A Rosenblatt Farewell)

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Mike Lynch for this opportunity to contribute to Seamheads. It’s great to be a part of this amazing lineup of contributors. I live in Omaha, Nebraska, home of Rosenblatt Stadium and the College World Series. The final CWS game to ever be played at Rosenblatt will be either […]

« Previous Page — Next Page »