Pre Season Previews
Subscribe to our NewsletterBy Mark Kaboly
There will be a sound resonating through the Daily News League this year that hasn’t been heard in nearly a half century. For the first time since the early 1970s, the oldest semi-professional baseball league in Pennsylvania will be an all-wood bat league. “We’ve had the discussions for the last two or three years about making the switch,” commissioner Nick Donato said, who is in eighth year running the league and 30th associated with the DNL. “Some of the teams wanted to go with the wood, other teams wanted to stay with the aluminum. It finally got to the point where they said we will try it for a year.” With wood-bat leagues becoming more popular, the commissioner felt that the conversion to all wooden bats keeps the Daily News League current. “A lot of the younger guys look forward to playing with wood (bats) in the summer,” Donato said. “We will go with the wood this year and just like everything we do, at the end of the season we will decide what changes need to be made.” Offense was getting out of control in the league of late. The league batting average during the regular season last year was .351. There were 69 home runs hit in 82 games, with Klingensmith’s Scott Dolekary and Harvey Wilner’s Tim Donnelly leading the way with seven each. There was an average of 13 runs scored per game last year, and six of the seven teams had a team ERA of over five. “This is something that the league needed,” veteran Jeff Rubinsak said. “We should’ve went to wood a long time back. The game is more pure with wood.” The switch to wood bats isn’t the only change on the DNL landscape, with the other being the addition of expansion team Day Toyota. “We have wanted to expand for a while now,” Donato said. “We have been trying to do that for a couple years now. It is a good thing, because it means more guys are getting opportunities to play.” Donato went on to say he has heard from two more local communites that have both expressed an interest in joining the league in 2013 and pushing the total to 10 teams.
Other changes for 2012 include:
• Steel Valley will now be sponsored by Century III Chevrolet and along with it a new head coach as John Rende takes over for John Laird.
• Graham’s Service is now Liberty Boro Vets under the direction of Zac Grayson in place of long time skipper Terry Thompson.
• Jeff Kuzma is out as manager of Harvey Wilner’s Tavern and is being replaced by Bob Kostelnik.
• Mark Simon takes over Klingensmith Insurance for Jeff Kern.
Even more important than the change to wood bats, the DNL will have a reigning champion not named Bowser for the first time since the 2005 season. Clancy’s Pub knocked off Bowser in last year’s semifinals and won the championship in five games over regular-season champs Harvey’s. Even though manager Lou Kammermeier lost a few parts from last year he thinks that Clancy’s can win another title. “I think so, as long as my arm remains attached we will always have a chance,” said Kammermeier, who threw only seven regular season innings last year because of arm issues but rebounded with two complete game victories in the championship series.
The league promises to be solid from top to bottom — just the way Donato likes it. “Parity is always good,” Donato said. “Even though Bowser won the championship six years in a row, they weren’t the regular-season champion all six years. The parity is there, the players are there and we are set for another good year.”
As for how the league will finish up this year two poll were conducted and the each groups predicted different champions. The fans voted on one ballot while the eight league managers had their own selections with the results of both to follow.
FANS POLL
1............KLINGENSMITH INSURANCE
2............CLANCY'S PUB
3............QUINN CONSTRUCTION
4............DAY TOYOTA
5...(tie)...BOWSER
5...(tie)...HARVEY WILNER'S TAVERN
7............CENTURY 3 CHEVROLET
8............LIBERTY BORO VET
MANAGERS POLL
1............CLANCY'S PUB
2...(tie)...BOWSER
2...(tie)...HARVEY WILNER'S TAVERN
4...(tie)...KLINGENSMITH INSURANCE
4...(tie)...QUINN CONSTRUCTION
6...(tie)...CENTURY 3 CHEVROLET
6...(tie)...DAY TOYOTA
8............LIBERTY BORO VETS
