SJMSBL News - 2012

The Giants dropped the Brewers 9-3 at Gavilan College to win the first ever Dunn Division Championship. The title is the Giants 14th SJMSBL title and third in the last five years. The 13 previous titles were in the former National Division.

Read more about the 2012 Giants championship season.

Jay Aguilar (Indians) is looking for players for the 35+ Wood Bat Cactus Division team going to the 2012 MSBL World Series in Arizona. The 35+ Wood Bat Cactus Division plays Oct 14-20.

Interested players should contact the league at sjmsbl.playerapplications@gmail.com.

The Royals swept the Reds to win their 2nd straight title and the first-ever Nicewonger Division Championship.

Read more about the 2012 Royals championship season.

The Orioles dropped the #1 seed White Sox for the second time in the double-elimination Ettare Division playoffs. The Orioles took the final game 16-12 to win their third straight title and the first-ever Ettare Division Championship.

Read more about the 2012 Orioles championship season.

For the fourth straight year the Santa Cruz Mets — a.k.a., the SJMSBL Mets — took down the Woodland/Davis "Best in the West" tourney over the Labor Day weekend.

Read the Santa Cruz Mets Woodland Tourney highlights.

You can view the playoff formats and schedules on the 2012 Playoffs Schedule page.

Phil Lacki is taking a 45+ wood bat team to the 2012 Woodland/Davis Best of the West Labor Day Weekend Tournament.

If you're interested in going, contact Phil at placki35@sbcglobal.net.

The National League all-stars edged the American League all-stars on a walk off error last night to win the 2012 Nicewonger All-Star Classic at Municipal Stadium.

It was a crazy last at bat for the NL who used a leadoff HBP, a rare Catcher's Interference call and then a throwing error on a routine double play ball to take the 7-6 victory.

Riall Moore of the Astros pitched the ninth inning to earn the win for the NL team.

More than 500 fans turned out and enjoyed a spirited well played game by both teams.

Read the Nicewonger All-Star Classic recap and box score.

Ryan Becks of the 2011 Nicewonger Division Champion Royals and Greg Rodrigues of the 2011 Ettare Division Champion Braves have been named managers for the upcoming SJMSBL Nicewonger All-Star Classic.

Becks will skipper the American League team while Rodrigues skippers the National League squad.

The game will be played at Municipal Stadium on July 25 starting at 7:15 pm. Admission is free.

Details for the 2nd Annual Dave Nicewonger All-Star Classic have been set.

Game time will be 7:15 PM on July 25 at San José Municipal Stadium.

The two teams (National League, American League) will be represented by the following:

National League (12 teams)
Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Reds, SJ Giants (from Nicewonger Division)
Astros, Brewers, Giants (from Dunn Division)
Braves, Knights, Padres, Pirates (from Ettare Division)

American League (13 teams)
Colt .45s, Royals, Twins (from Nicewonger Division)
A's, Angels, Indians, Tigers (from Dunn Division)
Mariners, Orioles, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees (from Ettare Division)

National League Team Nicknames - 3B Dugout
American League Team Nicknames - 1B Dugout
Infield from 6:30-6:45 pm National League
Infield from 6:45-7:00 pm American League
Player Introductions 7:00-7:10 pm

Each league team will select two (2) POSITION players to participate in the game.
The Board of Directors will select the pitchers for both teams.

Admission is FREE.
City of San José charges for parking in Stadium Lot (free parking on street).
Concession stand will be open.
No outside food, coolers, beverages allowed in stadium (City ordinance).
San José PD will be on site.

The annual ground squirrel invasion has occurred at Soquel.

An exterminator has been on site for the past week and has applied a "treatment" to the entire perimeter of the field to build a squirrel proof barrier. Outfield tunnel holes were also treated.

Board member Jim Hadley met with the exterminator and Soquel head custodian at the field on Saturday, July 7 to discuss ongoing squirrel plan (Operation Caddyshack). Jim also filled 60+ ground squirrel tunnel holes in the outfield - some of these holes may have to be filled before games as the squirrels evacuate the treated field area.

The league is purchasing 150 lbs of clay that will be delivered to Soquel and available for teams to use on the mound and batter boxes from July 15 through the end of the season.

The July 15 schedule has been changed to facilitate the make-up game between the Marlins and Nationals postponed on June 3 when a Marlins player suffered an on field collapse that required a 911 call and on field emergency medical treatment.

Start times for ALL AFFECTED games (highlighted in yellow) have been changed to allow scheduling of two umpire crews at De Anza for the triple header - and to afford the Nationals enough travel time from Independence to De Anza after their first game of the day.

You can view the schedule changes on the 2012 Schedule page.

Colt .45s players work on the mound at Independence on June 3. (Photo by Emily Tuipulotu)

On Saturday June 9 players from both teams worked on rebuilding the pitcher's mound, batter's boxes, catcher's box and bullpen mounds at Independence High School.

The league purchased 300 lbs of Turface Field Clay and Ken Gentert, assistant manager of the Colt .45s, was the project foreman. There is enough extra clay on site to keep the mound and batter boxes in excellent condition the rest of the season.

Colt .45s manager Matt Labbie and teammates Mike Pence and Gabe Soza worked with Marlins manager Alex Law and teammate Chase Clyma assisting Gentert on the field improvement project.

The league thanks these players for taking their time to make Independence a better place to play this season.

On June 3 the injury bug continued to bite across the league as five players suffered injuries that needed treatment in the ER.

The most serious injuries occurred at Aptos when Reds OF Michael Ubieta and OF Larkin Castaneda collided. Ubieta got a six stitch cut above his eye and a very sore body. Castaneda suffered a dislocated elbow, separated A/C shoulder joint and a concussion that puts him out of action at least six weeks..

At Soquel the game between the Marlins and Nationals was suspended when Marlins C Matt Baptista experienced body weakness combined with loss of feeling in his mouth and tongue. 911 was called and umpires called the game as paramedics arrived. Fortunately the diagnosis at the hospital was a pinched nerve in Matt's neck and only a week of rest is needed for recovery.

Brewers OF Rob Born suffered a severely swollen eye when he was hit by the throw as he slid into second at Gavilan. Born's eye swelled shut and had to be cut open. Five stitches were needed.

Mariners C Neil Homer suffered a broken finger on a play at the plate at Prospect.

The league wishes all five players speedy recoveries.

The May 20th Padres - Knights game suspended due to severe injuries caused by the collision between Padres teammates Joe Rondone (3B) and Landon Jacobs (C) has been rescheduled for July 8. The game will be played at Prospect High School and will start at 2:00 PM to allow time for the Knights to travel from Challenger after their first game.

The Padres - Knights second game of their doubleheader on May 20 ended in the third inning when Padres teammates Joe Rondone (3B) and Landon Jacobs (C) collided going for a foul pop up between home and third.

The players were running full speed towards the harmless looking pop-up when they hit face to face. Fans watching the game dialed 911 as players on both teams scrambled for first aid supplies to aid the fallen teammates.

Joe suffered cuts around the eye. Six stitches were required to close one cut and the other laceration was glued shut.

Landon's injuries were more severe. He broke his upper jaw and will have surgery on Tuesday, May 29 to repair the floor of his orbital socket and reset his jaw. Recovery time is expected to be four to six weeks.

The game came to an end as both teams realized that tending to the injured players was the only thing that mattered. The teams will replay the game later in the season.

The entire league wishes Joe and Landon speedy recoveries so both players get back on the field this season.

The MSBL National website has a funny article from the Utah MSBL on Why We Don't Play On Mother's Day.

Enjoy.

Don't miss out on special savings for MSBL/MABL members! Visit the MSBL/MABL NATIONAL SPONSORS page to view a list of the National Sponsors with links to the discounts they offer our members. MSBL National sponsors include: 3N2 Sports, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Sprint PCS, Viridian Energy, AVIS Car Rental, Budget Rent-A-Car, and Victory Custom Athletic.

The Wood Bat division schedule has been released and the 2012 season schedule is completely posted. The Dunn division will play one week longer than the metal bat divisions with the regular season ending on August 26.

The odd number of teams and two drop out dates at Los Gatos (district maintenace) and two drop out dates at Willow Glen (youth league tournaments) made it necessary to extend the regular season by one week.

Wood Bat division playoffs will start on September 9 and conclude on September 30.

The complete 2012 Season Schedule for the Ettare (25 Aluminum) and Nicewonger (18 Aluminum) divisions have been posted.

Be sure to click on your team's name to highlight its schedule. Click on your team name and any opponent's name to see when you play them.

The Dunn division (25+ Wood) Opening Day schedule has been posted. The balance of the schedule has been delayed due to pending confirmations from field site providers and should be posted on Monday, April 30. There are youth groups that share the fields with our league and we are waiting on their make-up dates to be sure we do not have any conflicts (youth groups are given preference by school districts).

Teams that have "home" fields are a result of those teams obtaining the field for the league, school districts requesting a certain team on site or the head coach determining what teams need to be on a field each week as care takers of the field. These teams spend extra time during the season working with the site administrators to provide ongoing field maintenance and protecting the league's right to use the fields.

Nicewonger (18+) division sites are Aptos/Soquel (Mets), De Anza (Twins), Oak Grove (Reds) and Independence (Colt .45s, SJ Giants).

Ettare division (25+ aluminum) fields are Gunderson (Braves, Red Sox), Prospect (Padres, Mariners), Challenger/Almaden (Yankees, Orioles), Oak Grove (White Sox) and Soquel (Pirates).

Dunn division (25+ wood) will play at Gavilan (Indians), Los Gatos (Giants), Willow Glen (Brewers, Tigers, Astros), and Aptos (Angels).

All teams have 10 games as the home team and 10 as the visitors except for the Indians who were the "odd man out" in the uneven Dunn division that has an odd number of teams (seven).

Please send any schedule questions to league president Mike Zamba at inri19@outlook.com.

Good Luck to all teams in the upcoming 2012 season.

Let's Play Ball!

The 2012 schedule has been completed and is currently being reviewed by the school districts, high school coaches, and board of directors for final authorization.

The schedule will be posted on Friday morning (4/27).

Opening Day is May 6.

Ever wonder how MSBL got started? There's an excellent article on the MSBL National website, MSBL Online, that tells the story of how one man who hated playing softball decided to start a baseball league. Why Not? A Look at the MSBLs Origins describes how Steve Sigler's journey started with a newspaper advertisement in March 1986 and grew into the 40,000 player MSBL of today.

Expansion teams, division realignment, and revised playoff formats highlight exciting changes for the 2012 season. Read it all in the 2012 Season Preview.

The Board of Directors has decided to move Opening Day back one week so all teams can participate in at least two exhibition games.

The unusually wet March and April has prevented most teams from practicing or playing, with some teams yet to play a practice game.

In each of the past two seasons (2011 and 2010) the season has begun on the first Sunday in May.

The 2012 regular season schedule will be released on Wednesday, April 25.

All teams will play a 20-game regular season schedule that will conclude on August 19.

Playoffs will begin in all three divisions on August 26 and the post season will end with the final championship games played on September 23.

In the recent election for the two open Board of Directors seats, Jim Hadley was elected with 18 votes and Brian Feduk and Pete Passantino tied at 16 votes each.

The board met on Sunday, April 15 at Los Gatos and discussed what the best process would be to break the tie vote. With both men eager to contribute to the day to day operation of the league the board felt it was in the best interest of the league and its members (the teams) to find a way to place BOTH men on the Board of Directors for three-year terms.

The board will be presenting a motion to change the league bylaws at the May managers meeting that would seat both Brian Feduk and Pete Passantino on the board. This proposed change requires the approval of the league members (teams).

After two previous cancellations due to rain, and with Opening Day rapidly approaching, this Sunday's Workout and Draft will be held RAIN OR SHINE at Los Gatos High School.

More information can be found here.

The deadline for submitting applications for the Board of Directors is being extended until April 4th.

San José MSBL has openings for two board members (seats held by Jim Hadley and Pete Passantino).

If you are interested in volunteering to help run the day to day operations of the league please complete the Board of Directors application form.

Anyone - manager, player, family member, friend, etc. can submit an application to serve a three year volunteer term on the board of directors.

You can view the current Board of Directors and review their job descriptions on the Board of Directors page.

Deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, April 4.

Elections will be held on-line Friday, April 6.

Each team gets one vote (managers are team reps for voting purposes).

Simple majority elects the two new board members.

Due to rain during the week and a wet field, the Workout and Draft has been moved to 10:30 AM on Sunday, April 15th at Los Gatos High School (map here). Warm-ups and registration begin at 10:00 AM.

More information can be found here.

Due to rain and a wet field, the Workout and Draft has been moved to 10:30 AM on Sunday, April 1st at Los Gatos High School (map here). Warm-ups and registration begin at 10:00 AM.

More information can be found here.

After months of work and preparation, MSBL/MABL National has launched its newly designed website. One of the new features is archived HARDBALL stories. A recent MSBL National email highlighted an archived 1993 Hardball article profiling our current President Mike Zamba and his trip through his minor league career all the way to his 1993 Perfect Game in the San José MSBL.

You can read the full Mike Zamba Profile on the MSBL National website.

After months of work and preparation, MSBL/MABL National has launched its newly designed website. It contains current, relevant topics as well as archived HARDBALL stories, information on all regional and national tournaments, and the ability for local leagues and teams to create their own online photo albums amongst many other features.

Please visit the site at www.msblnational.com and see why you are part of the nation's premier adult baseball league.

The second 2012 Workout and Draft is scheduled for 10:30 AM on Sunday, March 18th at Los Gatos High School (map here). Warm-ups and registration begin at 10:00 AM.

More information can be found here.

On our 25th Anniversary we have decided to pay tribute to a select group of individuals who have made tremendous contributions in establishing and improving the San José MSBL into the premier adult baseball league in the Bay Area. In recognition of their efforts the league will officially rename our divisions to provide a perpetual tribute to these three individuals.

The 25+ Wood Bat Division will be named the "Dunn Division" in honor of Ron Dunn, the former Chicago Cubs player who founded the San José MSBL in 1988. Ron served as league president from 1988-2005 and was elected to the MSBL National Hall of Fame in 1997. Ron and his wife Cindy's efforts in creating our league can never be forgotten. The Dunn's pioneering work created the San José MSBL, established the league's sterling reputation in our community and provided all of us that have followed a great place to keep playing baseball.

The 25+ Aluminum Division will be named the "Ettare Division" in recognition of Robert Ettare and his ongoing efforts to help the San José MSBL remain the premier adult baseball league in the Bay Area. Robert was a charter member of the league and during his 25 years of SJMSBL service has been a player, team manager, board member and now serves as Vice President of Player Personnel. His efforts in directing new players through the annual workout and entry draft ensure that the league has a continuous stream of new players.

The 18+ Aluminum Division will be named the "Nicewonger Division" in tribute to Dave Nicewonger who was our league's Umpire in Chief from 1995-2010 before passing away in his battle with cancer last March. Dave's efforts brought NCAA officials to our league in 1995 and provided the league with the highest quality umpires for the past 17 years.

San José MSBL has openings for two board members (seats held by Jim Hadley and Pete Passantino).

If you are interested in volunteering to help run the day to day operations of the league please complete the Board of Directors application form.

Anyone - manager, player, family member, friend, etc. can submit an application to serve a three year volunteer term on the board of directors.

You can view the current Board of Directors and review their job descriptions on the Board of Directors page.

Deadline for submitting applications is Sunday, March 18.

Elections will be held on-line Thursday, March 22.

Each team gets one vote (managers are team reps for voting purposes).

Simple majority elects the two new board members.

SJMSBL would like to welcome eight new teams to the league for the 2012 season. The Colt .45s, SJ Giants, Marlins, Nationals, and Twins will be joining the 18+ Nicewonger Division. The Angels and A's will be joining the 25+ Dunn Division. The Knights will be joining the 25+ Ettare Division.

The 2012 Workout and Draft is scheduled for 10:30 AM on Sunday, February 12th at Los Gatos High School (map here). Warm-ups and registration begin at 10:00 AM.

More information can be found here.

The first Managers Meeting for the 2012 season has been scheduled for 6:30 PM on Wednesday, January 18th at Blue Chip Sports Bar (Maps and Directions).

Team deposit of $250 is due at the meeting - make check payable to SJMSBL.

Limit of two representatives per team at the meeting.