Dodgers

Congratulations Dodgers...Great 2011 Season...Have a Great Summer!

Championship Game 3 vs. Cardinals - 6/20/11...L 15-12

This is what a Championship Game is supposed to look like...not an ounce of "give-up"...no long faces...lots of gritty at-bats...big time hits...plenty of beads of sweat to go around...and loads of great plays for a capacity crowd to cheer about!  Big players make big plays in big games...and both sides lived up to their end of the bargain...

The big red machine came out firing in the second with a couple of big blasts by Sam Montgomery and Taggert Eymer...to jump ahead 7-1 after two frames...followed by another barrage in the third including another bomb by Ben Rice to push the Dodgers further back with a 12-1 deficit after 2-1/2 innings...but the Hollywood Heroes would not disappoint the Dodger Faithful as they donned their flak jackets and loaded their weapons for battle.  Starting in the bottom of the third...the Blue Bombers clawed back with three runs from a clutch Charlie Devin walk...followed by Joe Cav's RBI Triple and Owen's two run HR...but the birds weren't finished...adding three more in the fifth to go ahead 15-4...yikes!

But the Dodgers wouldn't leave their fans without a fight!  Rummaging up every last peice of ammo they could muster...bubble gum wrappers stuffed in empty gatorade bottles...batting gloves filled with infield mix...whatever they could find.  The battlefield was strewn with War Flags attached to hockey sticks...the dugouts roofs were laden with Fire Code Violations as the fans clung to the fences...what a night to remember!  The Dodger relief staff led by All-Star Charlie Pyne fought through the meat of the order to keep their team alive until the end...great stuff!  And like true warriors, the Dandy Dodgers rallied with 8-runs in the bottom of the fifth with big at-bats from the entire cast...Devin...Cavanaro....Gideon-Murphy...Thomas...Pyne...Gildea...Timothy...Najjar...Havlicek...Snyder...Protulis...they all worked the count...or moved the ball to advance the runners...great battle by a great tream against a great opponent...Congratulations Boys for a Memorable Season!

Good luck to our departing twelves...and best of luck to Owen & Joe with Williamsport!  Thank you coaches Timothy & Murphy...and to all the parents for their tremendous support throughout the season...Happy Summer everyone...and good luck next season!

Championship Game 2 vs. Cardinals - 6/18/11...L 4-3 (8 innings)

What an epic Championship "chess-like" baseball bout to remember! Good offense..good defense...high drama...endurance filled...action packed suspense until the final well executed strategic call to seal the victory for the home team...great stuff!  Both teams fought well beyond their young capacities in a dogfight to the finish.  Timely hits and big-time defense by both sides pushed this bout into extra frames that went the full eight before its finish.

On the Dodger side...starting hurler Joe Cav battled hard through the first five innings to keep his team in the hunt leaving the bump with his team down one...handing the rock over to Will T.  who pitched magnificantly until reaching his pitch-count limit to keep the game knotted into the 7th...clutch outing!  For the Cards...great pitching by the Home-run Champ Taggert "Diesel" Eymer into the sixth.  More defensive notables include some great catches across the diamond by Joe Pro at first...Harry T. in right...Declan in left...and more great "in-bounding" by Victor Najjar (the boy can "get the ball in")...and lest we forget more magic by Owen who displayed some of the finest defensive saves at short that Barnes Field has ever seen!

And how about those back to back clutch hits by Will G....and Harry T. to knot the score at three in the sixth...wow...big-time stuff!  But, the Cards were a feather ahead of the Hollywood Heroes on this night with some eye-popping double plays and amazing saves at first by "Monty the Magnificent"...man, can that boy can play!  Big time hits by Ben Rice, Monty and Taggert.  Overall, hats off to the players on both sides for giving the fans a night that will go down as one of the finest bouts in the tournament's history...on to the grand finale...good luck boys!

Championship Game 1 vs. Cardinals - 6/17/11...W 4-1

Holy Smokes...what a gunfight this was!  From the bullets fired from Owen's holster to the bombs launched into centerfield...this bout had plenty of fireworks for the fans delight!  Beginning with the first at-bat of the game...Cardinals slugger Ben Rice belted a bomsky off of a Giddy fast-ball into the rightfield tree canopy to put the redbirds ahead 1-zip for what would be their lead until the third inning...

...when the Dodger Faithful broke their silence to cheer for the first Dodger-dinger of the day. After fighting back from an 0-2 count...Joe Cav smacked a few foul balls into the parking lot to pull ahead 3-2 before toasting a seed over the centerfield fence to tie the game at one apeice.  Owen continued to fight through the next two frames before the Dodgers struck again with none other than No. 15 watching another shot land on the poison ivy side of the centerfield fence to put the Hollywood Heroes up 3-1...Owen added another run after a triple and scoring on a pass ball.  Other notables include Charlie Pyne's double...near triple into left field...Charlie Devin's leather snapping final out at second...and once again another stellar outing by the franchise ace Owen Gideon-Murphy...complete game - 85 pitch...15 K's...what a show!  On to the next battlefield with one fine oppenent with a never ending arsenal of ammunition to test our lads to the end...keep fighting boys!

Playoff Game 5 vs. Rangers - 6/15/11...W 10-3

There is no better way to enter a Championship Round than with some solid momentum...and the Dodger Faithful were not disappointed with their teams feisty finish against a quality opponent in the 2010 Finalist Rangers!  Some strong innings from the young pitching staff...and more aggressive at-bats and base running gave the edge to the home team.  Great work by the entire team to get themselves into the final round for a shot at the title.  It doesn't get any easier moving forward...but meaningful innings means fun baseball ahead...keep it rolling boys...enjoy the ride!

Playoff Game 4 vs. Mets - 6/13/11...W 10-3

In the most meaningful game of the season...the Hollywood Heroes lined up against the World Champion Mighty Mets for a "winner gets a trip to the Championship Series" contest that featured some nifty pitching on both sides, including a very impressive outing by the young Mets reliever Bradley Albanese who was lights out for five innings with a nice selection of pitches and plenty of leather snapping defense to boot!  Dodgers starter Joe Cav would lead the charge for the home team by delivering a stingy 4-hit, 6-K, Zero Walks, (4) 1-3's, 77-pitch complete game...

...But baseball is indeed a team sport that requires the band of brothers to be there for each other on both offense and defense...and the boys from LA County were there when called upon...Harry Timothy set the tone with a show-stopping snag in right field off the first pitch...Will T. made a great backwards catch at first and another in centerfield...Charlie D.'s steady-handed catch at short was big...but the beacon on defense was Dodger All-Star Will Gildea with his magnificent play at third to log four outs himself, including one bullet-snag that nearly took his hand off from O'C's bat...great stuff!  More notables include Giddy's bomb to Ripley Road...Charlie Pyne's RBI triple...Declan Havlicek's clutch two RBI hit in the first...Joe Pro's gritty walk...and Victor & Henry's strong at-bats!  A full team effort in a complete victory that the boys will remember for the ages!  Let's keep it rolling boys... 

Playoff Game 3 vs. Cardinals - 6/10/11...W 3-0

Another dandy duel for the Dodgers!  Remeniscent of his last start for the boys in blue, Master Murph put on a clinic to remember on this warm early summer afternoon to the delight of a capacity crowd at famed Chase Field.  Pitching was indeed the feature of the day on both sides of the diamond, including Sam "The Slinging Southpaw" Montgomery that hurled a clean 4-2/3 innings with 8 K's, allowing only a handful of singles and Taggert Eymer that closed the show with three K's himself...impressive stuff!

But the order of the day was the "Giddy Grilled Cheese"...thinly sliced microbes that resembled baseballs passing through the strike-zone that included a compilation of 17 K's...four 1-2-3 innings...one-hit...one-walk...complete game shut-out...neatly packed between two base hits with a run scored on top!  WOW...is that filling!  In addition to today's Special...the team was treated to a video on how to execute a first and third by Professor William Thomas, master of baserunning aptitude...great game boys...let's keep it rolling against the Mighty World Champs!

Playoff Game 2 vs. Red Sox - 6/8/11...W 20-3

Similar to Game 1, one team gave up a couple of runs to start...but the other team came back to victory.  This time...the Dodger Faithful didn't leave the park with a frown.  Good things come to those who throw strikes and swing at strikes...and that they did.  Indeed, everyone in the lineup crossed homeplate and had success on the field with a few notables to mention...

Joe Cav pitched another gem for the "W" and added another long ball to the trophy case...Will Gildea went 3 for 4 with a run scored and RBI...Owen launched another heat seeking projectile into outer space, and closed the show with a tidy 23 pitch 4-out performance.  But, without a doubt, the play of the game was by one Victor "Web-gem" Najjar with his acrobatic, leather-snapping, snow-cone yielding, triple saver off of Alec Norton's bat from an Owen speed-ball in left field...nice snag Vic!  On to the next battlefield to face the vaunted Red-machine!

Playoff Game 1 vs. Pirates - 6/5/11...L 7-6

Another Little League game at its finest!  The boys in blue jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two frames with solid defense and great pitching by starter Will Thomas.  But the pesky Pirates don't go down easy...and their reliever Gavin Dunkelberger would go on to pitch five stellar innings that included (9) K's and only one walk, including two K's with the bases juiced, and two back to back K's with the game on the line! 

In the end, the Hollywood Heroes didn't go down without a fight...trailing 7-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth, the top half of the order popped three hits in a row from Cavanaro, Thomas and Gildea that would lead to two runs scored and the game tying run on second with one out...but Master Dunkelberger dug deep into his bountiful bag of booty...and delivered when it counted...two rounds of cannon balls to the sidewalls of the Dodger Battleship...game over...Pirates prevail.  On to Game 2...keep battling boys...plenty of baseball ahead of us! 

Game 14 vs. Cardinals (A) - 6/4/11...L 8-4

In the final regular season match of the year, the Dodger Faithful had another look at the one of the leagues finest franchise's...the mighty Cardinals...recent World Champions and a team with lots of power throughout their lineup with a deep pitching staff.  But, the boys in blue hung tough for the first couple of frames before surrendering a few too many walks and ultimately runs that were too much to overcome.

Nevertheless, the Hollywood Heroes finished the regular season with a very impressive record and great player development across the board.  The most impressive statistic is that out of our (9) victories, we have (8) different winning pitchers!  A great group of players that look forward to having more fun in the second season...did I hear someone say PLAYOFFS!?  Keep cranking boys!   

Game 13 vs. Rangers (A) - 6/2/11...W 16-3

This one got away early from the opponent who fell victim to a bout of "walkabout" fever in the first inning.  It can be difficult to overcome such a deadly affliction in the game of baseball as their is no defense for a walk.  In addition to taking advantage of what the game offered, the Dandy Dodger's added plenty of spark themselves with some terrific pitching from a string of thrifty throwers, including the likes of the big lefty "Joe Pro"...Dazzlin' Declan...Victor Najjar (low shooter of the night with a 12-pitch inning)...Henry "Hammer" Snyder who brushed off a side swipe at the plate and made the final defensive out in the game...and Will "The Wiz" Gildea who closed the show with more of his magnificant magic act!

Overall, a solid performance from the balance of the troops, including another great night at the plate for Will T. with his 1st yahhhd-shot of the season...sweet double by the smooth lefty stroke of Charlie Pyne...solid smash by Harry T...and the usual fireworks by Owen...all good as we move into a tough week ahead of playoff baseball...bring it on!

Game 12 vs. Mets (A) - 5/26/11...L 6-4

It's never easy to go up against a champion...and tonight was no different.  The mighty Mets brought their best to the third and final regular season match-up after two close contests in the past.  But this time, the World Champs jumped to a four run lead in the first...added two more in the second...and never looked back.  Led by their starting ace Andrew Sullivan with relief from Tommy Carrabes, the Mets took charge and played tight defense to keep the Hollywood Heroes at bay. 

Some solid at-bats by Will Thomas (2 for 3, two doubles, rbi and run scored) and Charlie Pyne (1 for 3, rbi & run scored)...outstanding catch by left-fielder Victor Najjar to spoil a high bomb...and great base-running to keep the game within reach until the last batter.  Overall, a solid week of baseball...winning two out of three A games in a row...we're building some great momentum as we enter the "second season"...

Game 11 vs. Red Sox (A) - 5/24/11...W 6-3

There's nothing like watching a well pitched baseball game on both sides!  Both pitching staff's did a great job keeping each other in check with lots of strikes thrown...but the boys in Hollywood Blue would outduel the most storied franchise in all of sport with their big guns Joe Cav and the "Closer" Giddy-up Murphy...Cavo would finish with 10k's and only one walk in five strong innings...supplemented with another 3 k's from his oh-so-swift throwing teammate...fun stuff to watch!

After giving up a pair in the first, the Holloywood Heroes would buckle down to see all but one batter reach base, including an eye-popping game winning bomb to Ripley Road from Murph...a dandy double from Will T....an RBI poke by Declan Havlicek...and a lined smash by Joe C. off the fence with many great at-bats by the rest of the Dodger lineup...keep swinging boys!

Game 10 vs. Pirates (B) - 5/21/11...W 4-1

Another solid start by Declan "Hammer" Havlicek with a clean three innings of one run baseball that challenged a tough Pirates lineup with his crisp & accurate delivery.  Followed up by teamate Harry "Tomahawk" Timothy who would go on to log his first big league victory on the hill with some shifty pitches that kept the one-eyed bandits waving their swords at vanishing balls...great stuff!  Last but not least...in the bottom of the sixth with the tying run at the plate...runners on second and third with no outs...the big right fielder got the nod to clean things up to secure the win.  Joe Cav faced the next three batters...only to send them back to the dugout with three K's to seal the deal.  Six innings of well pitched ball (on both sides)...including a great performance by Pirates ace Gavin Dunkelberger who pitched four strong innings and was backed up by some great defense by his Pirates teamates!

On offense, the Dodger faithful saw more great at-bats from Pyne, Giddy, Charlie D., and Will G.  On defense, we saw some amazing two-kill leather snapping plays from our gritty third baseman...Victor Najjar...who battled through an injury to hold down the hot corner for some timely outs...great work boys...let's keep it rolling!

Game 9 vs. Cardinals (B) - 5/19/11...L 7-3

The boys in blue battled through the elements against a tough opponent in the red-birds...a strong hitting team that takes no prisoners.  But the Dandy Dodgers of the day included Henry Snyder for his eye-popping smash to the outfield to go 1 for 1 with a walk, and run scored, and Joltin' Joe Protulis who pitched a neat pair of shut-out innings with two strikeouts and a great day at the plate with a ripped double down the third base line to go 1 for 1 for a walk (dart in the shoe) and run scored!  Declan H. & Charlie D. added a pair of doubles themselves...keep cranking boys!

Game 8 vs. Rangers (A) - 5/18/11...W 2-0

The Dodger Faithful were treated to a magical evening of pitching prowess in this gemstone of a heavyweight bout.  A rare event that proved that delivering a "No-No" is a good thing! What a showpeice...a truly historical performance from our Franchise Player on a night that featured some of the Leagues finest hurlers in a combined "31" Strikeout Night...out of 36 total outs in the six inning game!  A few other notable highlights include Will Gildea's gritty walk against Micheal Cohen...and Charlie Devin's RBI double to the gap...but the evening belonged to one Dodger alone...here are the final numbers for Master Murphy:

"No-hitter"...No walks...No runs...17 k's + one put-out = all 18 outs...2 for 2 with a walk, run scored & RBI...wow!

Game 7 vs. Mets (B) - 5/14/11...W 7-4

A great hitting display by the Hollywood heroes in this hard fought contest that would end under a convenient cloud of darkness...with a bit of a bright light at the end.  Our starting tandem of Thomas and Pyne pitched very well throughout the majority of the game to lead their squad into the top of the sixth with a three run advantage...but those tough and talented defending Champion Mets don't go down easy.  In fact, they would rally in the top of the sixth to score five runs to pull ahead 9-4 before the Dodger Gods descended on Barnes Field with a cover of darkness that would force the game to be called and revert to the score of the previous inning...phheww! 

Some fine hitting to note was that of Joe Protulis smashing his first big league hit of the season...Charlie Pyne with some great strokes and turns on the pillows...Declan Havlicek with a no-joke poke to deep center for a stand-up double to score a pair...Victor Najjar and Will Gildea both had great success at the plate...and Charlie Devin made his debut in relief to button up a tough inning...overall, a strong game team-wide.  But, as we all know...it's "defense" that wins the big ones, and the Mets played like the champions that they are...great defense in the fifth with Joe Campi's double-play...and a big hit by Tommy C. to bring his team back...great stuff..on to the next one!

Game 6 vs. Red Sox (A) - 5/10/11...T 8-8

You can't script a game any better than this one...from the snappy pitching from our lefty ace Joe Protulis who tossed a clean two innings to start the second game of the twilight "header and a half" to the closing play at the plate...this one packed in some high drama all around, which began with the marathon-at-bat from our leading slugger Charlie Devin (3 for 4, two runs scored)...Mr. D. fought off some tough pitches against Sox ace Alec Norton to bring the count full before spanking a double to centerfield...nice work Charlie!

Charlie Pyne ripped a timely shot to drive in a run in the fifth to keep his team close.  Will Gildea had a big time hit late in the bottom of the sixth to drive in a run and ultimately bring himself home as the game tying run...with lightning speed through the bases.  But there was more...indeed, Will "Mr. T." Thomas blasted a crisp double into the gap to put the tying run on third with no outs...followed by a an RBI GO by Joe Cav. And for the final act...The Return of Godzilla...Owen Giddy-up Murphy splashes a hard hit single to score Will G. and leave himself on first...then second...then third...then an overthrow to third that begins a footrace to home...Mike Tesauro zings a seed to the plate...runner out...tie goes to both teams! 

Game 5 vs. Pirates (A) - Rescheduled to 5/25/11...W 3-1

Shiver me timbers matey...that Pirate Clan is one tough band to put down...they go down fighting to the last pitch!  But on this night...the swashbuckling Wizard would spin a curse on those pesky booty looters...indeed Will "the Wizard" Gildea brought his magic wand back to the park to make the first ten batters disappear without crossing the plate!  A Dandy Dodger pitching performance by the cagy veteren to log his first "W" of the season...great work Will G!  The Wizard would continue his magic act at third base...with two put outs, including one to seal the victory!

Other notables of the evening included Harry Timothy's catch in right field to end the 5th...Joe Protulis' third out K with two runners on...Charlie Devin's catch in the 1st...Will T.'s game winning RBI in the 1st...Victor Najjar's at bat in the fifth...and as always Owen's closing act!  Great Win boys...let's keep it rolling...

Game 4 vs. Cardinals (A) - 5/5/11...W 6-0* by forfeit

Another nail biter to the end...still alive in the bottom of the last frame with the winning run at the plate with one out...but the efficient pitching of the talented Cardinals staff was a bit too much to overcome.  Overall, another solid performance by the boys in blue.  Our three pitchers were responsible for 12 out of 18 outs with a dozen crispy K's...great work.  And Charlie Devin & Victor Najjar made some snappy plays at short & third, respectively.

The bats moved well for us...if only the ball would cooperate more often.  But hand it to the stellar defense of the Cards...they made their plays when called upon.  Hats off to Charlie Company...Pyne & Devin for the best ball striking of the night...great rips!  Keep cranking boys...and good things will follow!

Game 3 vs. Rangers (B) - 5/3/11...L 6-5

What a DOOZY?!  In a game that featured some of the finest, grittiest, fastest, and most exciting plays of this young season...this match finished like a title fight between Hagler & Hearns...blow for blow 'til the sun went down!  The Rangers sent their finest to the bump to face the fierce lineup of the Hollywood Heroes. 

After spotting the 2010 Finalists a half dozen runs after three frames...the "D"-men raised their bats for a pair of hits from Charlie D. (1 for 3, 1 run scored) and Joe Cav (3 for 3, 1 run scored) along with a walk from O. Giddy that would also produce a run.  Charlie P. (1 for 3, 1 run scored) and Harry T. (2 for 3, 1 run scored) added two more runs in the 4th with a pair of nifty hits to bring their boys within one after four.

Some great pitching by the youngsters...Joe Protulis, Victor Najjar, and Henry Snyder, and a terrific 8-pitch, 2 k inning by Will "Smiles" Gildea kept the Dodger Faithful at the edge of their metal bleachers...until the bottom of the fifth with the go ahead run at the plate with one out.  But, then the hammer came down...faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive...you know it...Michael Cohen's fastball!  It's always best to face the best...and quite frankly, both teams brought their "A" game in an early season match to remember.  Keep up the great work boys, and there will be more great games to come!

Game 2 vs. Mets (B) - 4/30/11...W 7-3