Date: Fri 26-Jul-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Slo-Pitch-B-Division

Full Text:

Slo-Pitch B Division History

B Y K IM J. H ARMON

For three years the Newtown Slo-Pitch Softball League had split itself into

American and National Divisions, with no distinction between the two based on

talent. But in 1974, the league saw the need to pool the better players into a

league of their own, allowing the somewhat lesser-skilled players much more

equitable competition.

Hence, the birth of the A and B Divisions.

With the better teams like Solly's and DuPont Chemical and Honeychurch Realty

leading off the A Division, teams like Bolmer Sanitation and Dean's Garbage

and Sandy Hook Fire Department started leading off the new B Division.

The first year of new divisional format, the season was divided up into two

halves, with the winner of the first half squaring off against the winner of

the second half for the league championship.

Bolmer Sanitation, though, won both halves of the first B Division season.

After winning the first half, Bolmer clinched the second half - and the title

- with a 15-5 win over the Newtown Police in the final game of the regular

season as Rick Berglund and Arnold Miller each homered and drove in three

runs. The B Division had its first champion.

And many more were to come.

1976 - There was no question about it.

The Newtown Police left no doubters and no need for a championship game when

it rolled to a 14-0 record in '76 and gave Newtown Slo-Pitch history its first

undefeated B Division squad. The NPD got its final win with the help of

three-hit performances from Ray Tompkins and Rick Stook and a home run from

Jack Qubick.

1977 - Hurd Construction made its first appearance in the B Division

worthwhile when it defeated White Birch, 18-14, and Pedagogues, 14-1 in the

playoffs to capture the championship. Glen Jackson homered in the win over

White Birch and Bill Hurd and Jim Muraski homered in the win over the

Pedagogues.    1978 - With Hurd moving up to A Division, the B Division was

left wide open, and it turned into a dogfight.

Not in the first half, though. The Fireside Inn strolled through that part of

the schedule and earned itself a shot at the title by going 7-0. In the second

half, though, Curtiss & Crandon finished in first at 6-1, but Fireside and

White Birch were tied in second at 5-2, and the Pedagogues and Sandy Hook Fire

Department were tied in third at 4-3.

Curtiss & Crandon was on the roll, however, upended Fireside in the

best-of-three series, 2-1. In the final, CC won, 16-7, when Rich Schnitzel

rapped out four hits and Tom Wendel and Tom Healy collected three hits apiece.

1979 - Fireside did not let the disappointment of that bother them, though.

The following year, Fireside nipped Loomis Construction, 8-7, to earn the B

Division championship.

Loomis had forced a decisive game with an 8-7 win in the double-elimination

tournament, but Fireside got home runs from Frank Pospisil and Bill Nielsen

and three hits from Butch Miller to grad the title.

1980 - A thrilling, but uneven, finish settled the 1980 B Division season. The

Jaycees, who finished tied for second at 12-7, defeated the No. 1 seed Newtown

Police in the best-of-three series, 2-1.

The Jaycees nipped the Police, 9-8, in the opener and then were crushed, 14-4,

in Game 2. In the final, the Jaycees hit the up side of their roller coaster

with a 10-1 win to capture the championship.

In that game, a six-run first inning propelled the Jaycees to the finish. Jim

Gauker had three hits, with two each coming from Jack Quinlan, Harry

Waterbury, Andy Masko and Pete Gold.

1981 - The Newtown Police shook off that defeat in the '81 finals, sweeping

Loomis Construction (6-4 and 11-4) to capture their own B Division title. In

the final, Brian Dudeck clouted a two-run homer in the fourth to put the NPD

ahead to stay. Bob Tvardzik, Jack Quibick and Kevin Burglund collected two

hits apiece.

1982 - Oldie But Goodies had won the C Division championship in 1981 and in

1982, as the Spirit Shoppe, was ready to add another jewel to its crown of

success. Spirit Shoppe stampeded to a 20-2 record, besting the Basics, 13-7,

for the B Division championship. The Basics had won, 10-7, in the first round

to force the title game.

In the final, Spirit Shoppe sent 11 men to the plate in the fourth inning,

turning a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead. Tee O'Grady drove in four runs with a

double and a pair of singles. Glen Rooney and Alan Triacca also had RBI hits.

1983 - It was time for the Basics to get down to basics.

After changing their name to the Newtown Bees, the former Basics unleashed a

19-hit attack and battered Question Mark Cafe, 10-5, for the B Division

championship. John Stratman was 4-for-4 and Morris Morgan was 3-for-4. The

Bees finished the regular season at 15-1 and the playoff schedule at 3-0, for

a total record of 18-1.

1984 - The Fireside Inn was back . . . and back on top. With an 11-3 win over

Newtown Amoco, the Inn had captured another B Division title. John O'Byrne

singled, doubled and tripled while Steve Danuszar singled three times in the

final. Tim Braun and Ed Marks collected two hits each.

Amoco's had forced the decisive game when Danny Biagoni cracked a game-winning

two-run homer in the first round.

1985 - Hurd Construction waited until the playoffs before it lost its first

game, but an 18-0 regular season record bore testament that Hurd knew how to

win. In the championship final, Hurd recorded a 9-8 win when Dave Olecki, Jim

Gauker, Karl Svensson and Billy Martin collected three hits apiece.

1986 - Hurd Construction came out on top again, but had to come out of the

loser's brackett to do it. After beating Curtis & Crandon in the loser's

bracket finals, Hurd defeated Residential Services 6-0 and 1-0 to capture its

second straight championship. Karl Svensson Sr, Karl Svensson Jr, Jim Howson,

Jeff Saputo, Jim Gauker and Bill Hurd were all keys to that title.

1987 - Residential Services might have been swept in '86, but when Mickey

Celestino smacked a sixth-inning homer and Jose Pagan added an eighth-inning

blast, the Services had beaten Atkinson Stonework (formerly the Fireside Inn),

3-1, to take capture its first B Division championship.

1988 - It seems as if losing in the B Division championship was all a team

needed to win it the following year. In '88, Atkinson Stonework followed that

philosophy when it beat Aim Glass twice, 6-2 and 5-1, to take the B Division

title. In Game 2, it was all defense. Atkinson turned double plays in the 4th,

6th, 7th and 9th innings to stop Aim, led by Bob Gibbons, Frank Pitrone, Ed

Marks, and Johnny O'Byrne.

1989 - K's Korner needed to beat C&S Septic just once, but needed the fear

generated by a 4-2 loss to do it. In the final, K's upended C&S, 11-8, for the

title. Dave DeMorit was 4-for-4 while Chris Jayne was 3-for-4 with three runs

scored and Jack Shpunt was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Rick Kasbarian, Tim Zeno,

and Dave Samoskevich had two hits each.

1990 - Pitney Bowes proved you could never be too far out of it to win it.

Pitney finished fifth during the regular season and needed to win a qualifier

to make the playoffs, but after that breezed through the double-elimination

tournament right to the B Division championship.

" We were confident, " former A Division standout Tom Egan said, " but we

didn't think we'd go all the way. We have a good team, but we didn't beat

Hurd, Gastop or Mauro's once during the season. "

Pitney Bowes beat Gastop twice in the playoffs, 11-3 in the final, for the

title. Frank Durante helped Pitney through that late-season surge, pitching

the final game of the regular season and all four playoff games and finishing

up the year with an unblemished 5-0 record.

1991 - Pitney Bowes, which had been at or near the bottom of the B Division in

1989, won its second consecutive title in 1991 and earned the right to move up

to A Division in '92.

1992 - Catering By George, also known as George's Deli, returned to the league

after disbanding in 1989, with a younger and fresher version. Fred and Rick

Terrill, mainstays in the first incarnation of the team, came back and led

George's to a 20-1 record and a 20-4 victory over Hurd in the B Division

final. " This team's strong point was its attitude, " Rick said after the

game. " Our main focus was F-U-N. Every guy on this team wanted to play. It

was just an outstanding year. "

In the final, Chris D'Angelo, Scott Stampp, Bob Kick, and Rick Terrill - still

members of the team in 1996 - collected three hits apiece. Fred Terrill added

three hits of hits own.

1993 - It could scarcely get any better for Catering By George, but it did.

George's went undefeated in 1993 and despite missing two of its pitchers, two

of its best hitters, and over 120 runs of production from its lineup, crushed

Gastop 28-4 for its second consecutive title.

George's sent 14 men to the plate in the first, collecting five straight

singles and starting the explosion with a three-run homer by Tim Powell.

George's banged out 34 hits in the game, with Chris D'Angelo going 6-for-7,

Powell going 5-for-6 and Rob Ball going 4-for-5.

" This was a great season, " George Lockwood said after the game. " Everybody

stuck together and gave 100 percent. We're a very young team. Look out A

Division. "

1994 - With Catering By George gone to the A Division, the B Division race was

wide open. Steve's Liquor stepped into the vacuum and won the championship

with a 21-11 win over C&S Septic.

The team's finished the regular season with identical 14-6 marks. Larry Rice,

Mike Capalbo, Jim Chappius, Chris Meyers and Bob Jerolman all had three hits

in the final. Capalbo led the team with a .517 average. Chappius hit at a .486

clip. " Every time we play C&S, it's a tough game, " Larry Rice said after the

game. " They beat us twice, but both losses were by one run. And both were

tough to take. "

1995 - My Place Pizza didn't waste any time at all. In its first-ever

appearance in the B Division playoffs, My Place defeated Apex Glass, 13-10, to

capture the championship.

My Place had lost the morning game against Apex, 22-13, when Carl Strait

whacked a pair of three-run homers and John Hassleburger walloped a pair of

two-run shots, but the final was a different story.

Rich Treadwell had three hits and Tim March was 2-for-4 with a homer and four

RBI to propel the pizza joint to the championship. Mark Tambascio and Mike

Biegel also had two hits.

" This feels great, " Tambascio said after the game. " We just never gave up

all year and we came through again. "

The No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Tilford Piano Movers, bowed out in the first

round of the playoffs but nevertheless moved itself up to the A Division for

the 1996 season.