2006

[RamapoValley]

With 2006 upon us I thought it would be nice to take a trip into the past and look at the 1997 season preview.

AMERICAN

FAIR LAWN
Manager -- Jon Vatcher
Last year's record -- 29-7
Top players back -- OF-DH Chip Barker, OF Mark DeMenna, OF Dan
Mariniello, 1B Frank Beckhorn, SS Gregg Mills, 2B Neil Kurtz, 3B Paul
Gallucci, P Bill Cooke, P Brendan Lago.
Outlook -- The Merchants are defending champions and have won four of the
last eight titles. They are experienced, have championship-caliber
defense, and possess a solid attack. They also have the league's best
manager. What they don't have is full commitments from several pitchers.
They might not win as many regular-season games as last year, but they
still will contend for the title.

MOONACHIE
Manager -- Steve Dembowski
Last year's record -- 19-16
Top players back -- 2B Ron Guirland, SS Sam Ferretti, INF Bob Gandalfo, P
Armen Simonian.
Outlook -- Where did everybody go? Brothers Kevin and Keith Montelbano
are gone, and so is Mike Policastro. Dembowski, arguably the league's
top recruiter, had to recruit his tail off in the off-season. Simonian,
an Ivy League standout, heads a young pitching staff that also includes
former FDU standout Scott Woods and Iona's Rob Moore. They just missed
the playoffs last year and odds are they will either grab the final
playoff spot or just miss out again this season.

PATERSON
Manager -- Ray Lyde
Last year's record -- 3-33
Top players back -- 3B Brian Pollizzi, OF P.J. Bess, INF-OF Jaleel
Strawbridge, OF Dave Mercedes, OF Mike Zuppe, P Brian Scharfstein.
Outlook -- The Macs have averaged more than 30 losses per year since
joining the league in 1994. They have good speed and respectable
hitting, but still don't have enough defense or pitching to win 10
games. Scharfstein was the league's hard-luck pitcher last year and had
only one win. If the Macs can escape 30 losses and avoid posting the
league's worst record, it would be a gratifying season.

RAMAPO VALLEY
Manager -- Danny White
Last year's record -- 9-27
Top players back -- 3B Brian D'Amico, OF Brett Hawken, C Justin Ramsaier,
P-INF Dan Boublis.
Outlook -- Last season was the White Sox first in the league and they
were respectable, although they struggled to field nine players toward
the end of the season. This college-age crew needs to find more
consistency on the mound and in the field and must adapt to the wooden
bats. If enough players are committed, this team can continue to grow
and develop and win more games than last year.

SADDLE BROOK
Manager -- Bill Ingraham
Last year's record -- 22-14
Top players back -- P Tony Sarno, P Tom Fleming, INF Bob Frassa, OF Mike
Scher, INF Mike Nazzaretto.
Outlook -- Tim Byron, a three-time league Most Valuable Pitcher, arrives
after several seasons with Hackensack and he and Sarno combine to form
an almost unbeatable 1-2 punch. Newcomers also include SS Jason Reilly
and C Garrett Teel. Ingraham, the league's resident bad boy, is back
full time now that the Essex League has folded. Put it all together and
last year's runner-up should be one of the best, if not the best -- and
most loathed -- teams in the league.

NATIONAL

BELLEVILLE
Managers -- Joe Delanzo/Jamie Galioto
Last year's record -- 13-22
Top players back -- C Matt Keller, DH Nick Franklin, OF Dave Long, 1B-P
John Pein, P John Probst, INF Steve Serafin.
Outlook -- Formerly the Verona Twins, the organization merged operations
with Belleville of the now-defunct Essex League. Few players have Met
League experience and adjusting to the wooden bat could be a problem
early on. A reasonable goal for the Twins would be to avoid the National
Division cellar and finish with a better record than Paterson, Ramapo
Valley, and Secaucus. Look for them to equal last year's win total.

CLIFTON
Manager -- Ed Klimek
Last year's record -- 21-15
Top players -- P Steve Oberhelman, P Sandy Lopez, P Mark Tomaskovic, P
Kevin O'Shaughnessy, 2B Jason Celentano, 1B-OF Darren Groh, 3B Todd
Spreen, SS-2B Chuck Kling, C-OF John McClain, 1B-C Mike Lombardo.
Outlook -- The Phillies have a solid cast of returnees and are a safe bet
to at least equal last year's win total. Oberhelman, Lopez, and
Tomaskovic lead a solid if unspectacular staff. One question that needs
to be answered: How will Klimek handle his dual role as veteran player
and rookie manager? The Phillies will qualify for the playoffs but lack
the overall talent to capture the title.

HACKENSACK
Manager -- Tim Gallagher
Last year's record -- 28-8
Top players -- P Dan Morogiello, P Paul DeSimone, P Duane Eason, P Dave
Mosely, OF Kevin Cavallo, 1B John Celentano, INF Kelvin Chase, SS-3B Bob
Pezzutti, 3B Bill Duby.
Outlook -- Tim Byron's departure to Saddle Brook is a major setback. The
Troasts staff still is solid, though, led by Morogiello, last year's
league Most Valuable Pitcher; Simone, and Eason. The offense will
continue to be productive and led by Cavallo, the league's best
all-around player. To contend with Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook, and
Ridgefield Park, the Troasts must replace Byron's big-game talents.

RIDGEFIELD PARK
Manager -- Scott Farber
Last year's record -- 21-15
Top players back -- P Scott Farber, P Brian Appelman, P Kevin Thompson, P
John Sangis, C Rick Lutz, OF John DiGirolamo, 2B Dan Bartolomeo, 3B Dan
Lauterhahn, OF Mike Lauterhahn, DH-OF Tom Vellis.
Outlook -- The Orioles did well in their first year in the league. A team
that consists of former William Paterson standouts, several of whom had
played for Moonachie, reached the semifinals before bowing to Fair Lawn.
The talent is abundant, and the Montelbano brothers recently were added
to the roster. Look for this fun-loving bunch of 20-somethings to
underachieve the first half of the season, then watch them pick it up in
the second half and challenge for the title.

SECAUCUS
Manager -- Gary Bittiger
Last year's record -- 14-22
Top players back -- 3B Jason Cassessa, SS Shawn Figueroa, OF Charlie
Auletto, OF Bryan Schroeder, OF V.J. Carrero, P Anthony Rawa, P Dan
Marraquin, 1B Gus Silva.
Outlook -- The Indians are an unknown entity. They were in last year's
playoff hunt before stumbling down the stretch, but the roster has been
largely revamped. More than a dozen players have no Met League
experience. The Indians have yet to enjoy a winning season and make the
playoffs since joining the league in 1992, so odds are they will produce
a record similar to last year's.

[RickLutz]

Danny,
those RP days were the best... Miss those days

[RamapoValley]

NORTH JERSEY MAJORS '94
COMPILED BY GREG MATTURA
Date: 05-26-1994, Thursday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- 3 Star, 2 Star P, 2 Star B, 1 Star Late, 1 Star Early

West Division

ALLENDALE

Manager -- Ed Fitzpatrick
Last year's record -- 19-8
Top players back -- LHP Mike Kearney, RHP Paul Knight, C Rich Walton, 1B
Tom Allgor, OF Dan McCann, OF Andy Carabillo, 2B Jamie Lake, SS Dave
Monisera.
Outlook -- Allendale went a surprising 0-2 in last season's
double-elimination league tournament. A perennial winner, the franchise
has undergone a minor facelift, thanks to the addition of several
newcomers. Among the new faces are SS-OF Jeff Griffith, RF Rob Farrell,
OF-DH Greg Mahon, 3B Paul Gallucci, and RHP's Joe Del Buono and Kevin
O'Shaughnessy. "We're kind of uncertain, because we have a lot of
players who didn't play for us last year," said Fitzpatrick. "We don't
know if we're going to be well above [.500] or barely above." Look for
Allendale to win 16-18 games and challenge for a State playoff bid.

FAIR LAWN COUGARS

Manager -- Joe Prussin
Last year's record -- 16-11
Top players back -- SS Brendan Cashell, LHP Vin Di Chiara, LF-DH Fred
Galler, 3B-1B David Janosz, 3B Anthony LaSala, RHP Brian Loitsch, RF
P.J. McGrory, 2B-DH Chris Petersen, RHP Mike Ricca, LHP Joe Rivera, CF
Mark Scher, C.B. Leon.
Outlook -- Last season's Bergen Stan Musial tournament champions will
find life in the more competitive Majors much more rigorous. The Cougars
have strengthened their offense with the addition of C-3B-OF Kevin
James, and their pitching is bolstered, thanks to RHP's Dave Luca and
Casey McGuire. "I will be ecstatic if we finish above .500," Prussin
said. "I think we'll be very competitive with the bottom half of the
league, but I don't see us finishing at the top." Look for the Cougars
to win 8-10 games. Anything more would be an accomplishment.

NORTH HALEDON

Manager -- Angelo Cifaldi
Last year's record -- 22-4-1
Top players back -- RHP's Ernie Fisher and Mike Lill, LHP Drew Yocum, C
Gary Starling, 3B Drew Brown, SS Dennis Post, 1B Dave Stapinski, CF
Damian Mauro, OF Joe Lynch.
Outlook -- The Reds had the top regular-season record last season, placed
third in the league tournament, then captured the State title and
advanced to the final of the mini-regional. RHP Tony Tatis, who reached
Class AAA with the Dodgers, bolsters the staff. 2B Bernie Dorsey also is
an impact newcomer. "The test is to see if we can repeat with basically
the same team intact," Cifaldi said. "In my mind, we have the best four
starting pitchers in the league." The pitching will enable the Reds to
challenge for a third consecutive 20-win season and league and State
honors.

WALDWICK

Manager -- Joe Licari
Last year's record -- 9-17-1
Top players back -- 1B Bob Wagner, SS Joe Aschenbrand, 3B Frank Licari,
CF Scott Ives, C Paul Albarella, DH-C Howie Hein, LHP Dominic Ponzo,
RHP-OF Jeff Bennett, OF Tim Wakeman.
Outlook -- After earning the eighth and final seed for last season's
playoffs, Waldwick went 3-2 to advance to the the State tournament,
where it went 0-2. New additions include 2B Sean Ryan, OF Dennis Peters,
OF Matt Clifford, RHP's Matt Finnegan and John Rooney, and LHP Darren
DeLuca. The hitting is good, the outfield defense has improved, and the
pitching is a notch better, thanks to Finnegan, Rooney, and Peters.
"Hopefully, we can get to .500 and be in the playoffs again," Licari
said. The odds are slightly against Waldwick winning enough games to
earn one of the six playoff berths.

WAYNE DODGERS

Manager -- Neil Kaufman
Last year's record -- 9-18
Top players back -- 1B Jim Pescatore, 2B Dave Balinski, SS Sam Flores, LF
Anthony Cornetto, OF Joe Castiglia, 3B Neil Kaufman, RHP's Tim Taylor
and Brian Young.
Outlook -- After coming up short of a playoff berth in their first season
in the Majors, the Dodgers are shooting for a .500 record and playoff
berth. Among the new faces are SS Jack Casimiro, C Josh Oliveri, C Pete
Malave, and CF Towan Thomas, "We're looking to make a jump from where we
were, although I'm not looking to make any claims about where we're
going to finish," Kaufman said. He added: "We're definitely middle of
the standings I would say." The Dodgers upgraded their pitching staff
and have an outside shot at finishing near .500 and making the playoffs.

East Division

CRESSKILL

Manager -- Bob Muggeo
Last year's record -- 20-7
Top players back -- CF Dave Keil, 2B Rob Babbini, 1B Frank Cirone, 3B
Gary Ley, SS Bob Johnston, LHP's Delio Guerra and Bob Muggeo.
Outlook -- The Cardinals had another fine regular season, but were
bounced from last season's double-elimination playoffs in two games. New
additions strengthen the Cardinals in every facet. Among the new faces
are LHP Greg Fritz, OF-DH T.J. Weber, OF Andy Escala, C-DH Brad Zaikov,
and RHP Mike Graynor. "We have to get a little hungrier come tournament
time," Muggeo said. "[Last year] we didn't go in with the attitude that
we could win the tournament. We didn't go in aggressive enough. This
year we're going in thinking we can win." Cresskill will easily qualify
for the league tournament and should advance to the State playoffs.

FAIR LAWN A's

Manager -- Nick Krieger
Last year's record -- 12-15
Top players back -- C Jim Ciarlo, 2B Rob Carcich, OF Rich Holzberg, RHP
Adrian Polanco.
Outlook -- Seeded seventh out of eight teams in last season's league
tournament, the A's advanced to the final, losing to Ridgefield Park.
The pitching is better, thanks to RHP's Shane Higby and Steve Van Den
Hen Den. DH Bill Michels adds to the offense. It comes down to pitching.
"What we're shooting for is .500; anything else is gravy," said Krieger.
"If the young arms compete, we will compete." With the playoffs reduced
from eight to six teams this season, the odds are 50-50 that the A's
qualify for the league playoffs.

RIDGEFIELD

Manager -- Bob Padla
Last year's record -- 14-12-1
Top players back -- C Brian Hagan, 1B-OF John Connors, 2B Mike Muccilo,
SS Sean Medina, 3B John Davidson, LF Mike Mecca, RF Bill Olmo, CF Rob
Scuderi, and RHP's Jose Candelaria, Andy Kotkin, and Bob Padla, LHP Jose
Concepcion, RHP-INF Jim Barrett.
Outlook -- After a so-so regular season, Ridgefield reached the finals of
last season's Bergen Stan Musial tournament. Like the Fair Lawn Cougars,
this team also will struggle in its first season in the more competitive
Majors. The offense is solid, and adds DH Doug Bell. The defense is OK,
and the pitching is better, thanks to the addition of RHP's Rich Winters
and Keith Bramley. "This year we're probably going to struggle a little
bit," said Al Kotkin, Ridgefield's general manager. "We're going to be
competitive against many teams and struggle against the top four
teams." Ridgefield should lose twice as many games as it wins.

RIDGEFIELD PARK

Manager -- Sean Garcia
Last year's record -- 16-9-2
Top players back -- DH-RF Rich Scalabrini, CF Mike Lauterhahn, C Rick
Lutz, SS Sean Garcia, LF Charlie Anstett, RHP Steve Livingstone, 3B Lou
Garcia, 1B Bill Straub.
Outlook -- Seeded fifth in last season's league tournament, RP won the
Majors title, then went 2-2 in the double-elimination State playoffs.
Roster additions include OF John DiGirolamo and 1B-DH Rich Beggs. "I
expect us to be in the thick of everything. I expect us to be up there
with North Haledon and Ridgewood," Garcia said. "I think we're going to
be a lot better than last year. We'll be there in the end again." RP has
plenty of hitting, so if the defense and pitching are solid, this team
can challenge for a league title and advance to the State tournament.

RIDGEWOOD

Manager -- Tim Ballesteros
Last year's record -- 20-7
Top players back -- 3B Chip Conklin, SS Bob Graham, 2B Dan Bartolomeo, LF
Al Sica, C Steve Correll, 1B Tim Ballesteros, RF Paddy Smith, CF Chris
Hughes, DH Pete Morgan, RHP's Bob Koontz and Scott Farber, LHP Bill
Findlay.
Outlook -- Seeded No. 2 in last season's Majors tournament, the Maroons
went 2-2, then lost to North Haledon in the final of the State
tournament. A good team gets better with the addition of 1B-DH Ralph
Perdomo, OF Matt Neyland, 3B A.J. Mutillo, OF-C Jon Hendl, and RHP Dave
McAuliffe. The Maroons maintain the Majors' best offense, have one of
the best pitching staffs, and have upgraded the defense. "The key to our
success will be not making mental errors, because we have the physical
capabilities to win every game," Ballesteros said. Ridgewood will battle
North Haledon for league and State supremacy.