Fall Season 2023
Fall season 2023 began as a continuation to Summer- hot!! hot! hot! Team standings moved around- typical highliners fell behind! It ended with a surprise win for Pacers beating out Lakers who has snagged the honors many times over! Perhaps the highlight of the December Championship game was the opening ceremony- the 1st D4 Hall of Fame awards! It was almost a year myself, Mike Ratajczak, and Nick Dorazio spent collecting and deciding who the first group of inductees would be. It was a wonderful turnout with friends and family celebrating this intial group. The opening ceremony also marked the first time the season league leaders were presented. A personalized "baseball" card was given to the hot guys that held top standings, BA, Hits, RBis, Singles, Doubles, Triples, and Home Runs, Runs, Xtra Base Hits. Check them out below.... This is a new tradition that will be continued at each championship game opening ceremony.
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. . . This Fall Season Teams That Were Thought To Handily Win Did Not . . . And that is why our league is that fun! We never know who is going to win- regardless of subs or not on any team- It is about the team. It is not about any one player!
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These are highlights of the games and special events over the 2023 Fall Season . . .
Well, once again this week the only games that played 7 innings were at 9AM. Although there was an occasional sweet breeze, the Villages rec personnel said "games over" shortly after the 10:30 games began. Sure, there were a number of pissed off guys about this but it is the current rule for playing in this opressive heat.
Some have commented on where this index reading is being collected- it does fluctuate from place to place so perhaps have a reader at the field being played on? Hmmm... maybe we should solicit for lights and play night games? :)) Or, maybe we should pause, chillax, and think about the possibilities of what may happen physically to any players, umpires, spectators, or workers at the fields.
Since summer, at all fields, there have been heat issues. Someone shared a D3 player was taken by ambulance from their field this week. So- who wants the responsibility for being the active, caring person to say- game over? Only one thing I noticed that could help-there has been a field open during games so, why not play on all four fields, if possible, to get more games played? Just a suggestion.... Next week's weather looks a tad cooler, high 80's- let's hope so! And hope the heat index stays below 104!
Some have commented on where this index reading is being collected- it does fluctuate from place to place so perhaps have a reader at the field being played on? Hmmm... maybe we should solicit for lights and play night games? :)) Or, maybe we should pause, chillax, and think about the possibilities of what may happen physically to any players, umpires, spectators, or workers at the fields.
Since summer, at all fields, there have been heat issues. Someone shared a D3 player was taken by ambulance from their field this week. So- who wants the responsibility for being the active, caring person to say- game over? Only one thing I noticed that could help-there has been a field open during games so, why not play on all four fields, if possible, to get more games played? Just a suggestion.... Next week's weather looks a tad cooler, high 80's- let's hope so! And hope the heat index stays below 104!
2023 Fall Season Memories
Lakers 17 Pelicans 16
Jack Spillane was not down from the heat! He does this before the games, laying down and stretching! Bob Newman, Newman Stretch! is not practicing for pole dancing:) He stretches this way for his awesome plays at first base! Regardless, new player or seasoned- stretch those muscles before you play and continue playing in shape!!
I strolled back to field 2 Raptors/Thunder. Raptors had a good handle on their game at the start and still did!
BTW- White did not bat, the assigned sub played and, had a hit for Thunder. Raptors manager, Mark Olson needed 2 subs- he played by the rule book securing the proper subs- Nick & Joe did very well for the Raptors team....
The Pelicans/Lakers game was the closest and, 8 innings! The Pelicans looked good, infield plays, outfield, and batting well! When I was shooting this game the score was 14-2, Pelicans winning! Pelican, Bob Litman batted one to the warning track and I thought they would win.
Raptors 14 Thunder 4
Raptors handily beat Thunder. Although Thunder has a decent team they just did not put it together. There had been an issue regarding a Thunder sub, that is when I decided to check out the other games.
Raptors subs;
l: Joe Orloski, r: Nick DorazioYepper, It's all in black & white:)
What happens when a team needs a sub? The manager needs to replace the roster player with a player of the same value- A, B, or C . White came up to the plate for Thunder, I'm a sub he said. The tower replied he was not on the Thunder list of players. Thunder manager looked a bit confused. The tower continued, where is your sub that was assigned, specifying the player's name, on the list... This is when I decided to head over to other games. I've seen this happen in previous games, including play offs! No time for this! Ask John Cilento if you need any clarity on sub rules- he heads this up:)
In October there was a Villages Softball Tournment. This was the second year our guys from Villages Softball competed against traveling teams from other parts of Florida. The Geezers, managed by Jim Geeze, were a selected team from rec D3 and rec D4. They are looking forward to this Fall's tournament with a newly selected team. The dates for this year are October 18-20- I'll keep all posted on the site and at the field so we can all go out and cheer our guys on again!
It was a busy season- In November the annual Veterans Tournament was played over back to back Sundays. I am not sure why, but there are a decreasing number of players that sign up. I visited each dug out and discovered many did not know about it. Vets that did saw the "rule" they had to play both weekends. There were a number who were going out of town for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Last year the same scenario was played out. There were barely enough teams to hold the tournament. In 2023 myself and Ernie Joyal requested that medical personnel and first responders be included. Afterall, alongside our vets are those dedicated souls that had faced dangers every day to protect us on the homefront. It was approved and the teams were formed! Thank you for the approval so we could continue the rec D4 vets tournament! For 2024, I will publish the tournament on the website and at the field way ahead and ensure the information is accurate. I am also going to do a count on how many vets are playing in rec D4 for further acknowledgements of them.
The Heroes Of Rec D4!
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In December the Fall season ended with the rec D4 family coming out in large numbers- players and significant others- for the second annual Clincher Honor Flight fund raiser. It doubled in size this year with not only players but spectators enjoying the fun of playing this oversized softball game! Myself, and husband Nick organize this event which is definetly growing in popularity- it is for a great cause, Villages Honor Flight, and just may be the answer to rec D4's end of year "banquet". So many times I've heard about years passed and banquets held. The women although are quick to respond it was boring for them- Well, the Sunday morning Clincher was enjoyed by all! I've already gotten requests to keep them posted for this year end event and newcomers to be added to the list! Information shall be posted on the site in early Fall. Email me to be included on the eblast list! All donations are pesented to Honor Flight and are tax deductible.
