Volume 2 Issue 4 – Wednesday, January 29, 2020 It’s Moving Day at By Roy Berger, Beat Writer

If it’s Wednesday at Pirates Fantasy Camp and the Division B title. Wagner was down it must be moving day. By the end of the three runs in the sixth until Scott Loercher and KANGAROO COURT day the playoff teams and pairings will be Andy Grosh both had key two RBI singles to The Honorable Presiding finalized. anchor the big inning. Jay Petruska put it out of reach with a smash two RBI double inside Eli Zlokas for forgetting his In Division A, Team Cuyler needs one third base with the sacks loaded. Waner used mask- $1; Rich Hetzer for taking a selfie win to clinch a playoff berth. A sweep of three in the inning to no avail and on the field-$2; Steve Kruman for sliding Clemente and Carey by Cuyler will clinch dropped to a disappointing 0-4, but still not the division title without help. Carey and out of the playoff picture. James Bish was into second 30 feet before he got to the Clemente at 3-1, as well as Stargell at 2-2, a perfect 4-4 at the plate for the winners. base-$1; Duane Schifano for talking to are all still alive as today’s doubleheader Wagner manager said, “We’ve everyone he can find on the ball field-$1; will be in divisional play. been scoring a lot of runs. Today we had Dave and John Merison for wearing some trouble with Steve Nelson, a lefty, but sleeveless body shirts to impress Julie In Division B, Team Wagner at 3-1 has once he left we got things going.” Seidman- $1 each; scorekeeper Chet clinched a playoff invitation and needs one win today to win the division. Traynor Cuyler 14- Stargell 3: A two out, eight Lumish for turning in a scorecard with a at 1-3 needs a win over Waner in the first inning explosion put this one away early player going 6-6 with seven hits-$1. morning to also lock up a berth. The two as Team Cuyler pounded Team Stargell 14- winless teams, Vaughan and Waner, have 3. Cuyler ran their record 4-0, remaining their playoff candles still burning but dim. the only undefeated team in camp. Mike Labanowski started the onslaught by Tuesday’s Games at LECOM knocking in Tim Geary with a single to left before Jason Scheidler, Ralph Fuchs, Carey 16- Clemente 4: Team Carey, in David Briles, Bruce Sedlock, Mike Sedlock, ROPE ROUND UP need of a win to stay in the playoff hunt, Bob Calhoun, Jeff Kuhn and Karl Falk made short work of previously unbeaten contributed to the opening inning assault. GOLD ROPE Clemente. A four run second inning Briles had five RBI for the afternoon along Tony Schifano, 5-6 with two home runs behind doubles from the father-son duo of with pitching three shutout innings before in one inning and 10 RBI. Honorable Duane and red-hot Tony Schifano along Bruce Sedlock and Glenn Stewart finished mention- John Beran, Aaron Loeber, with Tom Bouchard’s two-run single gave the mission. Cuyler manager Jason Scheidler, Scott Loercher. Carey a quick lead. They never looked back adding seven more in the fifth behind continued on back page BLACK & BLUE ROPE key RBI singles from Curt Reuscher and Phil Fontana. Duane Schifano started for Jerry Nelson for a torn plantar fasciitis. Carey and tossed three scoreless innings DID YOU KNOW! with John Beran, John Chuprinko and Professionally, J.C. Loeber is a Rick Oleshak closing the show. Winning stand-up comedian. He’s been skipper Steve Blass was pleased with his performing for more than three club. “It keeps us in the mix,” he said. years and last year did over 125 gigs. “We have good balance in our lineup and He was in the 2019 our pitching is in order.” of Comedy. Appearing under the THEY SAID IT name ‘Johnny C’, Loeber’s home “Fantasy camp is like going to the Wagner 15-Waner 5: Team Wagner, club is the Laugh-In Comedy Club University of “ but nobody down 4-0 after three innings and 5-2 after in Fort Myers, Fla. where he is billed as the featured act. You can follow ever graduates. You just keep coming five, answered with a 12 run sixth inning, him on Facebook by ‘liking’ the moving to a record of 3-1, and all but back.”— Steve Blass Johnny C Comedy page. putting a stranglehold on a playoff spot continued from front page said, “I think the big thing for us is we have a lot of 10 Q’s WITH interchangeable parts. We have six or seven pitchers for the playoff push. Our guys play well together so Where are you living and what are you we’ll see what happens but I like our team.” doing professionally? I live in Portsmouth, Ohio. I travel Traynor 17-Vaughan 0: Team Traynor, on a three around the world doing motivational game losing streak, took out their frustration on Team speaking and I’m a licensed minister. Vaughan beginning with a six run third inning before breezing to a 17-0 win, breaking their maiden for the You made alot of major league stops week. The loss dropped Vaughan to 0-4. Ted Gelekta playing in seven cities- , set down the Traynor line-up for the first two innings Texas, Montreal, San Francisco, before Steve Shedlock scratched out an infield to Philadelphia, LA and Toronto. Which begin the carnage. Wardo Brigham followed with was your favorite and which did you a single to right before Dean Doyen knocked in enjoy the least? Shedlock on a fielder’s choice. Jason Mackey had an Without a doubt Pittsburgh was my RBI double and Bob Shaffer banged in a couple more favorite. We won and I was around great with another double. Kevin McKeever delivered the players. To be honest there really wasn’t “Scoop” big blow pounding a two run homer that rolled all the a place I disliked. As long as I was around way back to the left field wall. McKeever finished a ball field I was happy. with four RBI. The Traynor’s added a single run in the fourth, an eight spot in the fifth and two in the The 1971 World Champs - what do you remember most about that season? sixth. Wardo was brilliant on the mound surrendering Everyone on the team that year made a contribution. We decided in two hits and no runs while striking out four in spring training to put aside personal goals and be a team. We knew we had three innings. He was followed by Randy Frame, potentional and we had confidence. We rallied behind two guys - Willie McKeever and Chris Myer. Traynor skipper Rick Stargell was a budding star and was our leader. Reuschel said, “It’s nice to get a win. We are still alive. Anything can happen on Wednesday.” Tell me about Clemente. He was for real. He was the spitting image of my dad- a disciplinarian. He CURRENT STANDINGS was my mentor. He took to me early. He showed me the way by example. He was the best ballplayer I ever saw. DIVISION A In 1982 as an Expo you were the NL batting champion with a .331 average, Team Record GB RS RA led the league in hits, doubles, extra base hits, total bases and tied with Cuyler 4-0 - 53 19 Dale Murphy for the RBI crown with 109 and of course an All-Star. It had Carey 3-1 1 61 26 to be your dream season. Clemente 3-1 1 48 36 It could not have gone any better. Everything fell into place. I felt I was Stargell 2-2 2 37 41 locked in all year long. I just knew before a game I would get a couple of hits, I had that kind of confidence. It’s funny but I played with a bone spur in DIVISION B my shoulder all season so who knows if it couldn’t have been even better? Team Record GB RS RA Wagner 3-1 - 47 24 Toughest you faced? . He was the only pitcher I faced that made me hit his pitches. Traynor 1-3 2 37 38 Waner 0-4 3 26 50 Best manager you ever played for? Vaughan 0-4 3 13 87 Without a doubt . He let us play.

Fantasy camp experience? TODAY’S SCHEDULE Outstanding. It gives us as players the opportunity to give back to the fans Morning Schedule that gave to us all those years. Field 1 Stargell vs. Carey (H) Field 2 Cuyler vs. Clemente (H) Some, actually most baseball fans, would say you were snubbed by the Hall Field 3 Traynor vs. Waner (H) of Fame. With a lifetime batting average of .303, 2,743 hits, 219 home runs and 1,326 RBI those are pretty lofty numbers not to be in Cooperstown. Field 4 Vaughan vs. Wagner (H) Are you bitter? Afternoon Schedule I would love to be in but I don’t get angry and I don’t have any hatred. My Field 1 Wagner vs. Traynor (H) grandson said it best. He told me “You know that you are more than a Hall Field 2 Carey vs. Cuyler (H) of Famer to our family.” That’s good enough for me. Field 3 Clemente vs. Stargell (H) Field 4 Waner vs. Vaughan (H)