Highlights and fun facts from our games played, and news about upcoming games and events.

 BTW you can find more info on the Matinee Division including our schedule on our Division website at the following link: 

https://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=matineedivision 

Opening Day picture at A-Diamond. May 22, 2024

The game 1 recap and the next game information below the photo. 

Matinee Players,

The 2024 Matinee Division season kicked off today on a glorious day at the A Diamond in Schenectady under bright sunshine ,blue skies and warm temperatures! This picture perfect day was the backdrop for a typical Matinee Division game that was very competitive and crisply played with excellent pitching and solid defense. Don Ball, Dan Durback, Ralph Caputo and Ron Massaroni pitched well for JK’s team, while Matt Miles, Joe Careccia and Jerry Rosen pitched equally well for McQ’s team leading them to the 8-4 victory. Mike Clary had three hits and both Tim Brown and Paul Miles had two for McQ’s team, while Ralph Caputo had a two-run double for JK’s team. Game two will be played next Wednesday the 29^th so look for our next IN or OUT email message and reply accordingly. (Photo attached from today)

Jim

Matinee Division Game 2 Recap. 5/29

Matinee Players,

The Matinee Division was blessed with another spectacular weather day at the A Diamond today for our second game of the season as McQ’s team escaped with the 14-9 victory. This was another hotly contested game as Mike Clary took the mound for JK’s team and Jonny Martin got the start for McQ’s team. After a scoreless first inning, both teams put up a three spot in the second to start the scoring barrage. McQ’s team then took a brief lead in the third inning with a single run but JK’s team answered with a two-run fourth inning to take a 5-4 lead into the fifth. McQ’s team then took control of the game with two runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take a commanding 10-5 lead heading into the seventh. Both teams added four more runs in the late innings to bring the final score to 14-9. Ron Lochner had four hits for McQ’s team while Joe Careccia, Dave Mitchell, Paul Cerone, Jon Martin and Paul Miles each had two apiece. For JK’s team (without their book) I remember hits from Kevin Carpenter, Don Ball, Kent Baker and Steve Van Gelder among many others.

I have a bat that was left after the game…34 Cooperstown Dustin Disney Oaks Christin Maple..let me know who the owner is and I’ll get it back to you.

Game three will be played next Wednesday June 5^th. Look for our next IN or OUT email message from Jimmy K. and reply promptly and accordingly.

Jim

Matinee Division Game 3 Recap. 6/5

Matinee Players,

For the third consecutive Wednesday our Matinee Division game was played under perfect conditions as sunny blue skies and warm temperatures provided the backdrop for Game 3 of our season. This game was a typical back and forth affair decided in the ninth inning as McQ’s team came away with the 8-7 victory.  Mike Clary took the mound for McQ’s team and was rudely greeted by the first four hitters in JK’s lineup….a single by Paul Miles, a walk to Alex Marin and back-to-back singles by Joe Careccia and Dave Mitchell quickly staked JK’s team to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first. McQ’s team responded in the bottom of the inning against starting pitcher Jerry Solomon and took the lead back with three runs as Paul Scuteri, Jerry Rosen, Kent Baker, Mike Clary and Rick Saidenberg all singled, sandwiched around a double by Ron Lochner. This first inning was pretty much the way the entire game went with the teams trading runs throughout, and the game headed to the bottom of the eighth inning tied at seven. Paul Scuteri then delivered a two-out single for McQ’s team plating the go-ahead run and the game went to the ninth with McQ’s team clinging to a 8-7 lead. Matt Miles then came in to close the game and promptly walked the first hitter. After a strike out, the very dangerous Joe Careccia came to the plate and scorched a line drive headed for center field that Miles speared out of the air and quickly doubled off the runner at first, and the game came to an abrupt end.

Matt Miles, Rosen and Saidenberg had three hits while Lochner, Scuteri and Clary added two hits for McQ’s team. Tom Bain led the way for JK’s team with three hits including a triple, and Paul Miles, Solomon and Marin chipped in with two hits apiece.

Game four will be played next Wednesday June 12^th. Look for our next IN or OUT email message from Jimmy K. and reply promptly and accordingly.

Jim

Matinee Division Game 4 Recap. 6/12

Matinee Players,

The beat goes on in the Matinee Division as we had another beautiful day at the A Diamond today, and another nail-biter with McQ’s team escaping with the 5-4 victory. Both teams traded single runs in the first as Paul Miles led off the game for McQ’s team with a single and Carlos Espada then followed with a walk. A botched double steal then resulted in a prolonged run down as Espada was able to avoid the tag long enough to allow Miles to score all the way from second. In the bottom of the inning TJ Scorsone delivered a two-out RBI single for JK’s team and the game was knotted at one. McQ’s team scored single runs in the next four frames with JK’s team scoring a single run in the third and two more in the fifth, highlighted by a Tom Maney two-out, two-RBI single and the game headed to the sixth inning with McQ’s team clinging to the 5-4 lead. Solid pitching and great defense was the story for the rest of the game as neither team was able to score again. In the bottom of the eighth with the leadoff man aboard for JK’s team, Ron Lochner hit a screaming line drive to center that looked like a sure extra-base hit until Kevin Carpenter reached back and snared the liner preventing the potential tying and winning runs from advancing to scoring position. After a single and a walk loaded the bases, Dan Durback was able to induce a 6-6-3 double play and McQ’s team escaped the inning unscathed. Mike Clary, Scorsone, Don Ball and Jimmy K. all pitched well for JK’s team while Jerry Solomon and Durback pitched the first eight innings for McQ’s team and Espada closed out the game in the ninth for the save.  

Miles led the way for McQ’s team with three hits while Ron McCarthy chipped in with two. For JK’s team Maney, Scorsone and Kent Baker all had two knocks.

Game five will be played next Wednesday June 19^th. Look for the next IN or OUT email message from me and reply promptly.

Jim

Matinee Division Game 5 Recap. 6/26 

Matinee Players,

Another beautiful day at the A Diamond today, and another typical Matinee game as JK’s team came away with a hard-fought 5-3 victory. Mike Clary got the start for JK’s team and pitched a scoreless top of the first. In the bottom of the inning Matt Miles took the hill for McQ’s team who then committed two uncharacteristic two-out errors, and JK’s team took an early 2-0 lead. After scoreless innings in both the second and third, McQ’s team scored two in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Alex Marin led off with a single and was wild-pitched to second. After a groundout, Jerry Rosen delivered Marin with a single and eventually scored the second run of the inning on a Ron McCarthy base hit. The game then proceeded to the pivotal bottom of the sixth still knotted at two when Clary executed a perfect safety-squeeze to score the go-ahead run. Dan Durback then followed that up with an RBI single and JK’s team suddenly had a 4-2 lead. In the top of the eighth McQ’s team scored their third run on singles by McCarthy, Kent Baker and Paul Miles and the game went to the bottom of the inning with JK’s team clinging to a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the eighth JK’s team then scored a single insurance run to take a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth. Carlos Espada then closed the door on McQ’s team and recorded his second straight save, and the game ended as both teams headed to the coolers.

We will take next week off for the 4^th of July Holiday and resume our Matinee games on Wednesday July 10^th. Look for the next IN or OUT email message from me and reply promptly.

Also please see the attached photo of the last four standing at the cooler session.

Jim

Matinee  Division Game 6 Recap 7/10

Matinee Players,

On a steamy July day where the heat index approached 100 degrees in the late innings, the Matinee Division held another instant classic at the A Diamond in Schenectady today. This game started however in a less than classic fashion as JK’s team soared out to a 5-0 lead after three innings. Mike Clary took the hill for McQ’s team in the top of the first and promptly walked leadoff hitter Carlos Espada who came around to score on an infield error, and JK’s team was in front 1-0. After Jimmy K. pitched a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the first, JK’s team scored another two runs in the top of the second, aided by several errors and the score was now 3-0. After another quick scoreless second inning for McQ’s team, JK’s team then stringed together consecutive singles by Alex Marin, Dave Mitchell and Kent Baker and the lead ballooned to 5-0. After a scoreless bottom of the third, the teams traded single runs in the fourth and the game headed to the fifth inning with JK’s team comfortably in front 6-1. After neither team scored in the fifth, Mitchell led off the sixth inning with his second single, stole second and was driven home by a Rick Knipper base hit to push the lead to 7-1.

At this point it looked bleak for McQ’s team but they answered in the bottom of the inning with a walk to Don Ball, a double by Dave Reed, and a clutch two-out, two-run double by Paul Scuteri to give the team some life and the score was now 7-3 heading to the seventh. JK’s team failed to score in the top of the inning as McQ’s team then added a fourth run and the game went to the eighth with JK’s team still in front 7-4. Ron Massaroni then came in to pitch for McQ’s team and after retiring his first batter, Jerry Rosen then smoked a long triple in the right-center gap and JK’s team was poised to add to their lead. Massaroni had other ideas however and stranded Rosen at third by retiring the next two batters, and the lead remained at 7-4. In the bottom of the eighth Tom Bain was walked and Dave Reed followed with his second double of the afternoon. Both runners eventually scored, and the game headed to the ninth with JK’s team clinging to a 7-6 lead. Massaroni easily retired the side in the top of the inning and the game went to the bottom of the ninth with McQ’s team needing some magic.

Jimmy K. brought in his closer Espada who had recorded back-to-back saves in the two previous Matinee games to face leadoff hitter Mike Clary. Clary who had suffered a leg injury early in the game then stroked his third hit of the day on one good leg and Dan Hernandez followed with a long double. Suddenly McQ’s team had the tying and winning runs in scoring position with no outs. After recording an infield pop out, JK’s team elected to intentionally walk the next batter to load the bases and setup a force at any base. Donny Ball was next in the lineup and strode to the plate with the game in the balance and the crowd on their feet. Ball fell behind in the count and then with two strikes, scorched a dramatic line drive walk-off double to score Clary and Hernandez and McQ’s team escaped with the 8-7 victory!      

The Matinee Division heads to Cooperstown for next week’s game on Doubleday field and we’ll then resume our games on the A Diamond on Wednesday July 24^th.

Jim

Matinee Division Cooperstown Game 7 Recap 7/17   

Matinee Players,

With threatening skies and rain all around yesterday, the Baseball Gods made sure we had warm and dry conditions when we took the field on historic Doubleday field for our annual trip to the mecca of baseball. As we were warming up the crowd starting filing in and it was obvious that we were in for a treat as a busload of summer campers filled the seats behind the home dugout, and these kids were loud! Not sure if it was his Yankee uniform or his boyish good looks, but the campers adopted Paul Cerone as their favorite player and each time Paul stepped to the plate the crowd went wild! Cheers of “Home Run Hitter” and “Paul, Paul, Paul” echoed throughout the stadium. Paul obliged his adoring fans by signing autographs and throwing baseballs to the crowd and was even interviewed by the media. When Paul ripped a base hit down the leftfield line in the fifth inning the crowd exploded and sadly, shortly thereafter it was time for the campers to go home as they all waved and shouted goodbye to their new favorite Yankee.

As far as the game went it was a close affair until McQ’s team had a big eighth inning and salted this one away to go on to the 14-5 victory. As with most of our games, this one was not about the outcome but more about the experience and sharing the field together, especially in  Cooperstown! Another highlight of this game was playing with CDMSBL legend Tom Maney in his last game of the year. As I write this Tom is having season-ending back surgery to hopefully get him back feeling like his old self. In typical Maney fashion, in his last at bat he smoked a line-drive base hit in the left centerfield gap which everyone was so glad to see.

Once the game was over, after having a quick beer in the parking lot a bunch of us walked down to the Doubleday Café and had a nice dinner to wrap up a great day!  

Matinee Division  Game 8 Recap 7/24

The weather cooperated today for the Matinee Division as we once again avoided any rain at the A Diamond for our weekly contest on the best field in the Capital District. This game started quietly until the bottom of the third inning when McQ’s team pushed across two runs and then added a third run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI groundout by Dennis Lane.  McQ’s pitching duo of Lane and Mike Clary continued to keep JK’s team scoreless as the game proceeded to the bottom of the fifth, when McQ’s team erupted for five more runs to effectively put this game away early. Rick Knipper, Matt Miles and Paul Scuteri had hits in the big inning. McQ’s team added a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Clary and then after a scoreless seventh, the game headed to the eighth with McQ’s team comfortably in front 9-0. JK’s team then ended the shutout as Jerry Solomon ripped a two-out RBI single to plate their first run. In the bottom of the eighth inning McQ’s team then batted around with brothers Paul and Matt Miles, along with Paul’s son Nick all scoring runs in the inning. In the top of the ninth Dave Mitchell smoked a bases-clearing three-run double to the leftfield gap for JK’s team to end the scoring and make the final score 15-4, as the two teams then headed to the coolers.

Along with Mitchell’s RBIs, JK’s team was led by Solomon and Tim Brown who both had multiple hits on the day.

The Matinee Division will take next week off, so our next Matinee game will be on Wednesday August 7^th. Keep an eye out for our next IN or OUT email for this game.

Jim