G.M. Todd Walsh: Back in the spring of 1994, I had no place to play
the game I loved, Baseball. I had played pretty much every year since
I was 10. I didn't want to quit playing yet. Mainly because God
gave me the talent to play this game well and I didn't want to waste
it. My grandfather, Mr. Henry Walsh(a great ball player himself),
said to me, "Why don't you put your own team together?" Well, I had
my doubts about doing such a thing, but I felt that if he thought I
could do it, then I should go for it. So, I had seen ads in the paper
about a league called NABA. I called a few friends, found a player
here and there, and we had a team. We would call ourselves the
Panthers (Changed to Pirates in 1998). We wore sharp looking
shirts of teal and black. The team we fielded for game 1 that year
would be so different than the team at the end. I had alot of my
friends on the team those first few games. I learned quickly that
you can't have your friends and win at the same time. It was hard
to tell a friend that they weren't good enough to play on the team.
So, to make a long story short, I had to make some changes after
we started 0-4. While we were losing the 4th game, a young boy,
maybe 10, came up to me on the bench and said that he knew a good
pitcher for me. I told him to tell the guy to show up so I could
see him. Well, this boy wound up being a God send. Little did I
know who was about to arrive on the scene. Janeiro Feliz. It was
like fate how he was handed to me. In no time, with a few other
changes, we started winning. Feliz kept bringing in new people, I
was bringing in new people. By the end of our first season, we were
11-5. The season ended with a heartstopping
double-header against what was supposed to be the "best team". (That
year, the NABA didn't really organize. I just kept calling the other
teams scheduling games, kind of like a whole season worth of pre-
season games. But they weren't played like that, they were intense!)
So, on the last day of the season, I scheduled a double header against
this team that was "the best". I remember telling the team, "Ok guys
this is supposed to be the best team in the league this year, lets
show them who the real best team is." Well, guys like Feliz, Clayton
King, Billy, Richard Rodriguez, Valentin Arvelo, myself, Shebuel
Jackson (who was tragically killed in MVHS a month later), Mike
Grishaber, and Leo Garcia, went out and showed em. Feliz won game 1
7-2. Billy won game 2, 2-1 in extra innings. The game was won in the
bottom of the 9th inning on a suicide bunt with the bases loaded by
Clayton King. What a finish to a wonderful season.
Unfortunately, in 1995 we never played a single game. I was
involved in other things and had little time. I can remember the
disappointment in Feliz's voice when I told him we couldn't play. We
kind of lost touch with one another that year. Finally, in late
summer of 1996, we were ready to field a team again. I made a few
calls and we got ourselves a WBA fall schedule. I then started to
call players and found quite a few were available. We played 11 games
that fall and went 8-3. The only team that was able to win a double
header from us was the Brooklyn Bonnies. On that day, we made quite
a few errors and deserved to lose. Other than that, we had great fall.
On the last day of the schedule, we were slated to play the New
Rochelle Robins at City Park. This would be a huge test for us.
Even though the Robins did not have their full summer squad they still
had a good team. Game 1 was a very well played game as the score was
1-0 Panthers from the first inn. until the bottom of the 7th. Feliz
started the game and threw alot of pitches. In the 7th, Feliz was
still pitching well. A few defensive mistakes later, the score was
2-1 Robins. Feliz deserved a better fate as we blew it with poor
defense. But, we certainly proved to ourselves that we could compete
against any team. Game 2 was alot better for us. An old friend named
Mike Cinquemani pitched and very well I might add. He matched
Feliz's effort only we scored 7 runs for him. I would say that 1996
was a positive year for us as we proved alot to ourselves. That fall
Mr. Caswell of the WBA Robins said that we should look at the fall
season as sort of a tryout for our team. We weren't quite ready yet
organization wise, but on the field we sure were! At that time,
I really was running everything all alone (It was too much for
one person). Some names from 96 include: Donavan Mitchell, Mike
Cinquemani, Thomas Verri, John Gonzalez, Andrew Bisagna, Deron
D'Avanzo, and a young kid named Josh, who definitely contributed
offensively.
1997: In the spring, we had absolutely no time to put a team
together so we did not play until the fall again. I was going through
some real hard times and could not give anything to the team. But,
somehow, I started to miss it again, as I always do when I don't play.
So, I got us involved in the WBA fall again. This time, we went 8-0.
The weather was bad so we only got in the 8 games. The story of the
fall would be Feliz. Piching wonderfully and hitting like no other as
he hit 3 homers in only 8 games. We beat Greenburgh twice, and we
also beat the Robins 2 times. Both didn't have full rosters but still
were pretty good teams. On a personal hitting note, I hit the
longest shot of my life in Greenwich's Curtis field. I hit the tree
in center field on a fly. I only got a double though. After the
season, the WBA set up a meeting to speak to me about possibly joining
the summer league as an expansion team. With the things I went
through in 1997, it didn't happen. Aside from that, the team we had
that fall was in one word: AWSOME. Guys like Richard Rodriguez,
Valentin Arvelo, Fernando Betances,Edwin Otero, and Berto Lopez
contributed very well.
Ahhhhhhh, 1998. The Tarrytown Pirates are born. The year we
put it all together. Even though we had played since 1994, we never
had been in league that would have an actual championship game.
In the spring of 1998, I contacted Ron Fedele of the National Adult
Baseball Association Westchester Division. We were the first to give
him a deposit, and we were now in the NABA. I remember the first
meeting I went to for the league. I got the feeling that we were
thought of as just another team. I thought to myself, "Wait till
they see us play!" When we decided to play in 1998, we
knew we needed new uniforms, as the "Panthers" uniforms were spread
out over 4 years! So we decided on black shirts with Pirates in
Gold. I got the uniforms very easily from ANL sports for a good price.
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and look of the shirt. It
is the same kind of shirt the Pittsburgh Pirates wear as their 3rd
jersey...... Another major thing that happened before this season was
that Feliz had agreed to be the field head coach. In the past I
had done it mostly alone and it was too much. Plus we were lucky
enough to get Alex Taveras as a field coach. Now, we had a
real organization. I take care of the organizational off the field
stuff, Feliz is boss on the field, and Alex does plenty of coaching.......
The season didn't start as well as we thought it would
though. After 5 games, our record was only 3-2. We lost a
heartbreaker 4-3 to the White Sox and pitcher Deron D'Avanzo the third
game of the season. As D'Avanzo (now a Pirate) pitched his heart out
against us and our defense let us down with 4 unearned runs. Berto
Lopez pitched well but got the loss. The 5th game of the season
would prove to be a strange loss. At Edgemont in Scarsdale, we were
up 3-0 after 4. We had played a 9 inning game the day before and we
were missing a couple of pitchers so our shortstop Edwin Otero was
called on to pitch the 8th and 9th with us leading 4-2. Otero
breezed through the 8th, only to give up a game tying homer to Pagan
in the 9th. The main story was we didn't hit on this day, losing 5-4.
in 9 innings. Well, that would be the last loss in the NABA for us.
In fact, we would only lose one more game in 1998, 35-3 being the
final record for the year. On August 29, 1998, we won the NABA
championship over the White Sox. Gladly, this day would be highly
competitive. Strangely, the day started out with news that our
regular season mvp Richard Rodriguez would not be available as his
wife was in the hospital giving birth! Immediately I thought this
might be a special day (Richard showed up right before game time).
Manny Martinez started the double header for us and piched very well,
as we won 5-3. Greg Flanagan pitched well for the WS. Even better
competition was about to start. Game 2 matchup: The NABA pitching
win leader (6-1) Berto Lopez vs. Deron D'Avanzo. I knew that it
would be extremely tough to beat Deron. On this day he had his heat
working. I expected a really low scoring close game and that's
exactly what happened. This year, our team had contributions from
every single person on this team. On this day, it would be no
different. In the top of the first inning, D'Avanzo struck out
Valentin Arvelo and myself to start the inning. All of a sudden, Feliz
gets a solid hit and then steals second. Up stepped Cheo DeJesus,
POW! Cheo hit the ball about 430 ft. down the left field line. What
a shot! Just like that, we were up 2-0. D'Avanzo would not quit
though. After the homer, he pitched 4 scoreless innings. The WS tied up the
game in the 3rd on a triple. What an intense game! In the bottom of
the 5th, the ws threatened with hits by Flanagan and Lopez. With
runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, Berto Lopez was tiring. It looked
as if the WS would take the lead. Not so fast! Janeiro Feliz came in
to pitch. He struck out Kennedy and got D'Avanzo to pop up to end the
threat. What a cluch performance! Well, guess who led off the top
of the next inning? Feliz hit a dramatic home run off D'Avanzo to
put us up 3-2. Not so fast! We still needed 6 outs. With
the tying and winning runs on base with 1 out in the 7th, Feliz
pitched out of it to win the game, championship, and playoff MVP.
There we were: THE 1998 NABA CHAMPIONS!!!!!! .........We have now
applied for entry into the WBA for the 1999 spring-summer season. If
we are accepted, we will be in a real baseball league. The tight
competition is something we all long for on this team. Hopefully,
here it comes! Since we started this team in 94, it feels like
fate is on our side for some reason. When Feliz asked me, "Do we
have enough pitching for the WBA?", we went out and somehow found
it! Deron D'Avanzo, Ulysses Mercado, Anthony Yacco, and possibly
Greg Flanagan. Fate is definitely on our side. Thank you for
reading! And thanks to our beloved sponsors: Dr. Goldstein, Carol
Walsh, LCI International, and The Dominican Social Club. A very
special thanks goes out to Alex Taveras and the Dominican Social Club.
Here's why: When we won the NABA championship on Aug 29, the league
gave us tiny PAPERWEIGHTS as our trophies! The NABA championship trophy
really left alot to be desired as well! Out of nowhere, Alex bought
the entire team these BEAUTIFUL trophies. It's the biggest one I ever
got. Also, Alex bought extra trophies for our regular season MVP
Richard Rodriguez, and the Playoff MVP Janeiro Feliz. What class!
To pay for the trophies, Alex asked us to have a team party at the
Dominican Social Club. Alex made back his money! Also, we made a
nice "COACH OF THE YEAR" award for him (Feliz's idea and Deron got it).
I guess he really needed that award. We learned that night that Alex's wife
had a heart attack but, thank GOD, will be ok! You should
have seen how choked up he was when we gave it to him. He said, "I'm
going to show this to my wife as soon as I get home!" We love ya Alex!
-Todd Walsh GM Tarrytown Pirates.
***GOOD NEWS***
12/02/98
"Welcome to the WBA."--Mr. John Mauro, Pres. WBA. We have been accepted
as an expansion team for the WBA. Real Baseball begins May 15!
