Odd how things work out. The 2nd annual
Old Timers Day was initially bllled as a duel between the two most accomplished pitchers in league history. And if you
are thinking thats Timmy Davis and Jimmy Moloney (the top pitchers the last few years) you'd be wrong. Steve Chapin was
posting sub 2.00 IRAs when Davis was in kindergarten (literally), and Alan Lewis was winning strikeout totals when J-Mo was
in pre-school. While the talented Davis and Moloney have combined for five Cy Young Awards, Lewis by himself has 7. Add
Chapin's bounty, and you have TEN Cy Young awards between the two men, or more precisely, double the total of today's aces.
And its true that if both Moloney and Davis keep repeating their pitching performances until sometime in 2012
or 2013 they might eventually match the heroics of Alan and Steve. But Moloney has pitched just 3 times since 2004,
and Davis has yet to play a full season. KUDOS to the two current aces aside, when the two starters were announced for
this year's Old Timers event, a fan of the game could not have a better opportunity to see the all time greats. Even
if they were a decade past thier prime. So when Brian Killeen, Ian Banker and Joe Giovanazzo showed up and took in some of
the game ... this writer (who has played since 1988) was darn proud!
In last year's innaugural Old Timer's Game, Steve Chapin held a pitching clinic. He soared almost
effortlessly (although Steve will tell you otherwise) through the opposing hitters. His performance turned more than a few
heads of the 2006 All Stars who were patiently awaiting thier turn to play. Chapin also outpitched most of the All Stars,
as it turned out. Looking for a second consecutive win (and possibly a second straight game MVP selection) Chapin took the
mound in the top of the first inning. And when he left the mound 12 minutes later, only 3 runs on the board, it looked like
de ja vue all over again! Lewis, the league's most prolific pitcher, took the ball in the bottom of the first. It had
been almost five years since he had thrown a pitch in competition. The speed was way down from the early 90's when he chipped
a piece of wood off of a shed with a plastic wiffleball, but not the accuracy. And after a few fielding miscues behind him,
Alan settled down and posted a respectable 6-run inning. For fans of the game it was like seeing Tom Seaver and Jim Palmer
face off in an Old Timers game. Both Mara Lyon and Valerie Lewis were presnet with cameras in hand to help capture the game
for posterity.
And there were hitters too. The league's Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were on hand. Chris DiCesare
with 19 consecutive home run titles, and Bill Menendez who was the second player ever to hit 80 homers in a year and
who finished in the runner-up spot in the HR race a record 9 times. The two men have combined for an uncanny 1,991 long
balls! Give DiCesare, who is still an active player, one more week and you might see the duo's total reach 2,000. That raw
number is impressive on it's own. But when you consider that their two man total is greater than the number
of home runs hit by the next 8 sluggers on the career list COMBINED, it makes you scratch your head. It also fore shadowed
the possibility of a slugfest about to emerge.
Menendez, like Lewis before him, had been gone from the game for quite some time. In fact it
was almost like pulling teeth to get him to show. But persistance finally paid off and with just days to go before the event,
Bill signed on. And even though it had been ages since Bill took his place in the batter's box ... he hadn't lost his
stroke. Menendez - aggressive as always - would prove to be the offensive force that drove his team. In fact, when the dust
cleared, Bill had a double cycle to his credit. That is, at least two singles, doubles, triples and homers. His 10 singles,
two triples, five home runs (three with the bases full) and 26 RBI would all represent team highs. This on a team that
sported former MVP Mike Lewis, former MVP Brian Gordon and former MVP Steve Chapin in it's lineup. In fact, Mike Lewis team
"I'll Tell You When I think of One" (ITYWITOO) was seemingly the more balanced of the two squads.
By contrast, Alan Lewis' team Ripping & Snorting, had Bruce Mark with just 10 total
games to his career, Kerry Lyon who was injured from 2002-2005 and just returning to form, Lewis who hadn't played
in five years (and was 10-12 years removed from his peak) and DiCesare. Yeah, thats right DiCesare. I know you can never count
a team that he is on out, but Chris was dealing with poison ivy on the tops and bottoms of both feet, and had been stung
by two wasps two days prior and had a badly swollen right hand. But for those of you who have read even a few of these
game summaries, you are probably smirking and thinking to yourself: Impossible odds? Less than healthy Chris? Big game atmosphere? The
team Chris is on wins for sure!
But not so fast. On Mike Lewis' team, ITYWITOO, you had three World Series MVP's awards
(Alan's team ... just one), the second greatest HR hitter of all time (Menendez) and the only two men in league history
to beat out DiCesare in the MVP Vote: Steve Chapin (1995) and Brian Gordon (1997). Not to mention the reigning Old Timers
Game MVP.
OK. Fine. You're right. DiCesare's team won. DiCesare powered out 13 home runs (six grand slams)
and 53 RBI while hitting .933. His 53 runs batted in would nearly match the 67 runs the entire ITYWITOO team would score
in the game. I suppose that in retrospect it makes some sense. In 2006 a pitcher named Chapin dominated in the pitcher-friendly
Moorehead Park. In 2007 a slugger would dominate in the hitter-friendly Maybrook Park. And DiCesare was not alone in
terms of a big-hitting day. The resurgent Kerry Lyon (having his best season since 2002) also smacked the ball around.
Lyon, batting behind DiCesare to protect against the intentional walk, drove home 37 runs on the strength of 12
extra base hits, including three grand slams of his own. Bruce Mark hit his first home run since 2001 and Alan Lewis posted
an on base percentage close to .800!
Not that Mike Lewis and team ITYWITOO were pushovers. Lewis, battling flu-like symptoms, still
mananged to hit .867 with a season high four doubles. Steve Chapin stroked out four home runs and Brian Gordon knocked in
8 of ITYWITOO's first 11 runs before leaving to attend a family function. After all of these years, there is still no
quit in these guys.
The windy conditions brought on by passing thunderstorms played havoc with the accuracy of the
pitchers and their pitches. This helped lead to a 30-run 2nd inning for Ripping & Snorting that would be the difference
in the game. Chapin, Gordon and Menendez all took the mound in that inning in an effort to put out the fire in their opponant's
lineup. When the rains did come, it was in torrents. The sky opened up, and soaked both the field and the players. Luckily
Brian Gordon had left before hand or we might have seen his cyborg-looking knee brace rust him into place. And in what
was the oddest moment of the game (or perhaps the year) DiCesare, wearing a brand new pair of shorts, suddenly had mounds
of soap suds pouring down his legs to his ankles, almost covering them. Bruce speculated that Chris might be enjoying himself too
much. But Chris' best guess was that someone at the factory must has spilled some type of detergent on the shorts
and not noticed. But Chris didn't keep the ever-increasing flow of soap bubbles to himself. He helped to share the wealth
by dabbing some on Kerry Lyon's leg and Bill Menendez's arm and by splooshing a handful on the back of Bruce Mark's neck.
Eventually the thunder and rain died down (Kerry speculated that the Norse God Thor had been angry which made Bill smile and
the others furrow their brow in concern), and the game commenced.
Team ITYWITOO would actually keep pace with Ripping & Snorting 61-57 from the third
inning on. Steve Chapin would lead the game with five fielding plays and teammate Bill Menendez would add four more. But the
second inning would prove to be the fatal one for them. DiCesare began his power surge in that inning, pounding out five homers
in it. And on the strength of his hitting performance inleading his team to a 99-67 victory, he was selected by the two captains
as the 2007 Old Timers Game MVP.
More important than awards, however, was seeing the comraderie that still exists between these
ancient warriors. None younger than 31, more than a few in their forties. In fact, to commemorate the event Kerry Lyon made
a 10-card Old Timers Wiffleball Card set, and Mike Lewis gave out an 18-song Old Timer's soundtrack CD that included many
of the hits from the 1980's that the old timers played to in their youth. And to prove that point, when DiCesare was asked
that evening by his wife what the best part of the day was, he didn't mention the home runs or the awards or the stats. He
said the best part of the day was "walking into McDonald's before the game, and suddenly seeing the faces of friends I hadn't
seen in a long, long while. It felt like Christmas" ... in July.
ITYWITOO - 67
Ripping & Snorting - 99
Most Hits: Chris DiCesare
- 28
Most Singles: Bruce Mark - 14
Most Doubles: Kerry Lyon - 5
Most Triples: Bill Menendez and Chris
DiCesare - 2
Most Home Runs: Chris DiCesare - 13
Most Grand Slams: Chris DiCesare - 6
Most RBI: Chris
DiCesare - 53
Most Walks: Bruce Mark - 16
Cycle: Bill
Menendez (2) and Chris DiCesare
Most Fielding Plays: Steve Chapin - 5
Most Innings Pitched: Bill Menendez - 4.5
Most Strikeouts: Bill Menendez - 4
Best Inning: Chris
DiCesare - 2 runs
Victory:
Kerry Lyon
Loss:
Steve Chapin
Hold:
Alan Lewis and Bruce Mark
Save:
Chris DiCesare
