Section 1 Awards

June

16

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 11:24 pm by Debbie Schechter.  Print |  Email

31 Responses to “Section 1 Awards”

1. Southern West Fan June 16th, 2009 at 11:43 pm

   Congratulations to all the girls and the coaches but a special shout out to Coach Pirone, Nina Curto, Taylor Pirone, Kristie Lee Vitulli and Lauren Iorio (is it O or I) for representing Ursuline. It was only 4 years ago that Ursuline was losing games by 20 runs to New Rochelle and White Plains. Coach Pirone and his talented group of young girls combined with the Three Amigos turned everything around. Not only did they win League 1-A outright but they won three tough games in Sectionals and then played a great North Rockland to the end in a 2-0 loss in the Sectional final. They also got a final state ranking of 16 even though the voting body did not have the right final record (it was 18-6 not 15-5). Have a great summer, play tournament ball hard and see you in the Spring. Stay positive and ignore all the crazy stuff that you see the adults post on this blog.

2. hotdog37 June 17th, 2009 at 9:39 am

   It is so nice that Section 1 remembered 3 very special people in the history of HS Softball in Section 1 during last nights ceremonies. The 2 Scholarships awards given out are dedicated in the memories of 2 of the finest individuals out there. Jim MacKenzie was “Dobbs Ferry Softball” His dedication to the Eagle team for as their Coach, Mentor, and Leader was “second to none”. Next, Tony Zimballatti. “Zimbo” as he was known by, put Section 1 Softball on the map in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Mr. Zimbalatti (along with Mr. Bill Shaw) started the Morabito Tournament at Port Chester HS and both Mr. Zimbalatti and Mr. Shaw ran many many Winter Pitching Clinics and Summer Pitching Camps, working with such greats as Eastchester’s Jennifer Satriale and Bonnie Bell, among others. Finally, it was nice to see that Coach Skip Walsh was honored last evening. His legacy at Eastchester HS speaks for itself. 2 “Back to Back” State Championships in ‘89 and ‘90 were as dominating a team than any ever produced in Section 1. Kudos go out to Coach Toronto and the Section 1 Softball Committee.

3. Thomas Paine June 17th, 2009 at 11:39 am

   Congratulations to all of the players named above, and to many, many others in section 1 who did a great job this year. Anyone who successfully plays any HS sport devotes an enormous amount of time and effort, at the expense of many other things they could be doing.

   I also want to echo what SWFan said about John Pirone. While I am not familiar with the history of softball at Ursuline, I know what a good coach JP is and the success of that team surely shows that good coaching counts for a lot.

   Thanks, hotdog, for the historical perspective with which I and probably many others were not familiar.

   And, I learned a valuable lesson reading Debbie’s post this morning, which is don’t read news on the computer while drinking coffee. I read that the Arlington coach was named coach of the year in her league and I now need a new keyboard.

4. hotdog37 June 17th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

   Debbie – Any talk last evening on what All Section Players might be nominated by Tony Toronto to the All State Teams (and possibly Coach and Player of the Year in Class AA, A, B and C)? I would like to see Coach Michelle Shaw from North Rockland HS nominated as Coach of the Year. PS – Does anyone know if Coach Michelle Shaw from North Rockland is related to Mr. Bill Shaw, Co-Founder of the Morabito Tournament? Maybe Coach Tony Toronto (or someone else in Section 1) might know since he knows Coach Shaw and won the Morabito Tournament a few years back and I think he knows Mr. Shaw, who according to what I have been able to find out, ran the Morabito for about 25 years or so up until a few years ago when he retired?

5. hank greenberg June 17th, 2009 at 3:56 pm

   Firstly I want to thank this website for my posts regarding the North Rockland team. Yes, I am a Red Raider fan! Debbie was foggy about that in my very first post. Finally, can Debbie or hotdog 37 or Joe b come up with another reason to explain the strange calls of the plate umpire? Certainly, as per Heather’s post of June 14th, at 11:25 PM, and as per Heather being quoted in Debbie’s article in the sports section of Sunday’s JOURNAL NEWS, the plate umpire’s calls meant a lot to Heather. Yes I do have another possibility. And this thought originated during the Nanuet playoff games. And, it has nothing to do with my cousin Randee.

6. hotdog37 June 17th, 2009 at 6:45 pm

   Hank – Just a thought (and again, just my opinion). I don’t know what section the plate umpire was from. I believe that the state does not allow umpires from the same section as the teams participating, to actually work the game. However, the Umpire who worked the plate might have “possibly” been from neighboring Section 8 (Nassau County) and thus “might” have had some bias towards the Brentwood Pitcher. Not having been there in Waterloo and not knowing what section the plate umpire was from, I cannot make any type of definative statement. If, as Heather has said, the strike-zone for North Rockland was “different” than what was given to Brentwood, then that is a sad statement about that umpire and I would bet that those State Softball Officials should have taken notice about that so that the individual does not work another state game in the future. However, the Umpires who are assigned to the State Championships are those Umps who are the Highest Rated in their respective Sections. But you cannot suppress any bias that an umpire might have towards any specific team (I believe that the Teams and Officials out in both sections on Long Island are a very tight knit community [Section 8 and Section 11]).

7. Southern West Fan June 17th, 2009 at 7:35 pm

   Although this may seem predictable but I suggest that John Pirone be named coach of the year for Section 1 and be considered for All state honors. Coach Shaw did a fantastic job with a very good North Rockland team but she inherited a strong program from her mentor. Coach Pirone on the other hand has built his program from scratch. Ursuline was easily the worst softball program in Section 1 when Coach Pirone took over. They were demolished by any decent team. The prior coach had no idea what she was doing. In just three short years Coach Pirone (in no small measure with the help of his daughter Taylor) now has one of the most competitive teams in Section 1. He has done this by creating a work ethic and devotion to team that led to an appearance in the Section 1 finals. His girls are dedicated to him and to his system. He should be rewarded for his dedication to them.

8. joe b June 17th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

   hotdog37…Are you saying that a top rated umpire would jepordize his reputation by favoring one team over the other. He had to be a top rated official to get that game to start with. North Rockland batters were not called out on strikes. They hit into 18 of the 21 outs recorded. There were no walks in the 5 run 5th inning. Brentwood won the whole thing. They were just the better team. Just about every game that is played every team thinks they got robbed on a call. In the college world series there were some terrible calls made by the NCAAs best umpires. It’s time we put this to rest.

9. Koala Fan June 17th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

   amen Joe B.

   I think if the involved team has let it go…so should everyone else.

10. hank greenberg June 17th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    hotdog37: I appreciate your opinion. So here is my opinion. I am a novice at watching highschool girls softball. The very first games I saw were this May at North Rockland senior highschool. I saw the final two home games. Yes I am a Red Raider fan. I got to the game early and a woman sitting in the bleachers was very impressed with a red glove I was wearing, so I gave the red glove to the lady, and she wore it for the entire game. Red is the color of the North Rockland team. Later I found out that that lady was the mother of Samantha Welsh. That was my introduction to Red Raider softball. From watching the game I noticed that North Rockland had a group of women coaches, although my being a total novice at watching highschool softball games, I could not ascertain whom was the head coach. They all seemed to be very busy coaching. But I was happy to see that they were all women. It makes a lot of sense to me, in my novice opinion, that the girls can better relate to a woman coach. Then the following week I went to the playoffs at Heroes field in Nanuet. Again I came as a novice spectator. I didn’t know whom the Red Raider head coach was until the team introductions were made. The the Ursuline team was introduced. The head coach was a big fat man, and his assistant coach was also a man. After the introductions the teams went back to the dugouts, and then the Red Raiders coaches did their animal thing—each coach, in turn acted like an ape by jumping up the dugout fence and spreading out their arms and legs, and gripping the top of the fence with their hands, and made an animal sound. In my novice opinion, I thought that this was a very cool thing to do to get the team psyched up. All three Red Raider coaches did this ape thing. Two days later was the game vs Horseheads at Nanuet Senior Highschool. My first anticipation was to see whom the Horseheads coaches were. The head coach of Horseheads was a man, and his assistant coach was a man. Next I wanted to see if the Red Raider coaches would do their ape animal act, and they did!!! Earlier I watched the Pearl River game, and the head coach was a man. Two days later for the game vs FDR, it was a repeat performance—- both FDR coaches, the head coach and the main assistance coach, were men. And again, the Red Raider women coaches did their ape animal thing. After the game I went back home and brought up websites to learn about the Brentwood team. Lo and behold I learned that the Brentwood head coach was a man, and his assistant coach was also a man. And I learned that the Brentwood head coach had a reputation of being “stoic”, which means always being super cool and showing no emotion. Let me say at this time that the New York State highschool final four at Waterloo is quite different than the College “World Series” of softball. Each Spring I watch the NCAA Division I championships on television ESPN2. All of the games are broadcast live from Oklahoma City. There were three veteran television commentators, two of whom are women. Often these three commentators would be shown live on television. Consequently, millions of Americans all over the United States were watching the games live, and listening to the live comments from three veteran commentators, two of whom were women, and one of the women was on the United States Olympic team. As the result, the umps were under a microscope regarding their behavior. If the umps has shown bias against any women coaches this would have been mentioned at length by the commentators. Likewise, if the umps showed favoritism toward any women coaches, this would have been likewise pointed out at length by the television commentators. Overall, the umps were accountable to millions of Americans who was watching the game. If any ump showed biased against a women coach in any way what so ever, it would have been talked about in great detail by the two women television commentators. Teams from all over the United States were represented—Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arizona, California, and Washington State. If the umps had shown any prejudice against women coaches, in any minute form, there would have been an uproar from the people of those states. Especially defending National Champ Arizona State who had a veteran woman coach, and Washington State (the eventual overall winner) who had a young woman coach. Returning to Waterloo, to whom was the plate umpire for the North Rockland/ Brentwood game accountable to?? The North Rockland team had three women coaches, and they probably did their ape animal thing just before game start. In great contrast, the Brentwood male coach remained his usual 100% stoic and super cool. It is within the realm of possibility that the crazy animal act of the three North Rockland coaches gave the plate umpire reason for cause to believe that these Red Raider coaches would present problems during the game. So to test the resolve of the Red Raider coaches, the plate umpire’s strike zone dissappeared off the face of the global map. So if the wild animal Red Raider coaches complained about the calls, the ump had the right to throw them out of the game. So to control the game and keep the Red Raider animal coaches in line, he purposely allowed his strike zone to dissappear off the world map. In additon, the Brentwood team had a male head coach and a male assistant coach; and the Columbia team had a veteran male head coach; and the Pearl River team had a veteran male head coach. There was nobody in the United States, except Debbie, who was in a position as a professional journalist/commentator from the mid—Hudson region to watch the game live and hold that ump accountable. In great contrast, there were hundreds of journalists from all over the United States to cover the NCAA Division I Championships at Oklahoma City. The result was that the plate umpires at Oklahoma City were under hundreds of microscopes watching their every move and call, so that the umps had to be on their best behavior regarding any possible gender issues. In addition, at Oklahoma City, there were those two women television commentators who watched the umps very closely and were in a position to report it live to millions of Americans. If those women television commentators had detected any minute issue of gender prejudice on the part of the umps, it would have made front page of the sport sections of the Miami Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Phoenix Sun, the Seattle Chronical, and the Atlanta Times. But at Waterloo, echoing the intent of Heather’s post, the plate umpire’s strike zone dissappered off the face of the global map. Heather also mentioned calls initially made by umps that were quickly changed. Debbie did mention a questionable “transfer” catch by a Brentwood outfielder, which Debbie personally talked to Coach Shaw about. But this transfer catch was not shown in repeat slow motion on ESPN2 television, and commented on in detail by a woman commentator who was on a U.S. Olympic Gold Medal winning team. So the umps at the Waterloo North Rockland game had no one to put them under a microscope to keep them accountable.

11. Thomas Paine June 17th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    joe b . . . I wasn’t at the game so I’m speaking generally. Most of your points are good ones.

    It’s hard to believe that a top-rated umpire would intentionally favor one team. And I don’t know about coaches, but certainly many parents think that every close call that goes against them is wrong. And you are certainly right about the horrible home-plate umpiring at many of the CWS games.

    But, the fact that there were few strikeouts doesn’t mean that a wide zone didn’t affect the game. It seems pretty obvious that players pick up on an ump calling a wide zone, causing them to swing at pitches they wouldn’t normally swing at and hit the ball weakly for outs. And, on the other side, an ump squeezing a pitcher doesn’t necessarily lead to walks, it can lead to pitchers throwing the ball more over the plate than they want, leading to hits.

    I’ve seen umps with wide zones and tight zones, but I honestly can’t recall an ump calling it one way for one team and another way for the other team. If that’s what happened, it’s really too bad.

12. Thomas Paine June 17th, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    hank . . you are one weird dude. I don’t think there is an ounce of sense in anything you just wrote, including your comments about the CWS, which were as ridiculous as your attempt to make a create a gender issue. And, your gratuitous “big fat man” comment was an uncalled for insult. You have seen two HS softball games and acquired this great expertise? Why don’t you watch a few more and get back to us in a few years, preferably before the cocktail hour.

13. joe b June 17th, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    Hank..How do you come up with this stuff..I only remember 1 or 2 male umpires behind the plate in the CWS. The commentators were all brutal. On a play at first the fielder went up for an errant throw the runner was safe, but called out. They showed the replay and the commentator said see how she kept her foot in contact with the base while millions could see her off the base and the runner being safe. John Kruk didn’t have a clue. He was the Dennis Miller of this crew. And to say the umpire favored the men coaches in the NYSPHSAA Championship. Well I hope your column was just a satire or could we call it monkey business.

14. pick'r off June 17th, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    Thomas Paine thank you … Finally someone else figured out the effect that this had on the game…

15. ROCKLAND SOFTBALL June 17th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Joe B, NR vs Brentwood you said there were no walks in the 5 run 5th. Benson and Welsh had walks in the that 5th inning.Both of those walks of course scored.

16. joe b June 17th, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Update 10: After a hit batter, and runner’s on 2nd and third; Welsh gives up a two-out two-run single to Kristen Flint. Colleen Rivers got on via a sac bunt and on a throwing error by Heather Hansen allowed the run in. Erica Edwards followed with a 2-run double. 7-0 Brentwood through 5.

17. pick'r off June 17th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

    Joe B
    How do you think the runners were on 2nd & 3rd after the hit batter….lets stop beat a dead horse

18. BUD SELIG June 18th, 2009 at 12:40 am

    Hank- What the hell are you talking about? You can’t possibly be serious with this crap. Male and female coaches? Ape animal thing? Stay away from our daughters. You are a wacko.

19. joe b June 18th, 2009 at 7:31 am

    Pick’r off..Maybe if the article mentioned walks….Update 9: Pitching change for NRk; Welsh comes into pitch with a runner on first.

    Update 10: After a hit batter, and runner’s on 2nd and third; Welsh gives up a two-out two-run single to Kristen Flint. Colleen Rivers got on via a sac bunt and on a throwing error by Heather Hansen allowed the run in. Erica Edwards followed with a 2-run double. 7-0 Brentwood through 5

20. slapper June 19th, 2009 at 9:04 am

    Can anyone from DC tell me if the section 1 awards winners were in print in the PJ? They were not in the JN. I wonder why?

21. South Westchster Fan June 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Debbie,
    There was a great article in the JN today about an all star boys baseball team but to date you have printed nothing about the Section 1 awards. Is an article on the way or do you feel putting them on your blog is sufficient coverage?

22. hank greenberg June 20th, 2009 at 8:43 am

    Thomas Paine wrote: “hank …. you are one weird dude . . . . Why don’t you watch a few more and get back to us in a few years, preferably before the cocktail hour.” Quoting Thomas Paine in his post on this website dated June 17th, at 9:18 P.M. Paine’s statement implied that I had a drinking problem. I will come forth with the truth about myself, and likewise I expect you, Thomas Paine to also be completely candid regarding what you drink. When I was a teenager I had only one sip of beer and it tasted bitter, so I never drank beer again. During the time period from 1969 to 1979 I had about a dozen alcoholic drinks, thereby averaging about one alcoholic drink per year, during that span of ten years. Usually this consisted of one drink of a mix of coke and rum when I went to a dance/bar at Greenwood Lake. During the period of 1980 to 2002 I had absolutely zero drinks of an alcoholic beverage. Let me repeat that during the 22 year period from 1980 to 2002 I had absolutely no alcoholic drinks. Then from 2003 to the present, June of 2009, I had only one alcoholic drink which was when I went to the 24 hour diner in Mt. Ivy and had a fish dinner, which came with a complimentary small glass of a cheap red wine. During the meal I drank only about half of the small glass of red wine. So for the six year period from 2003 to the present of June of 2009 I had only half a small glass of a cheap red wine. Now it’s your turn, Thomas Paine to inform us all about what you have drunk during your lifetime.

23. ned June 20th, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Hank, i don’t know who you are nor does it really matter who you are. but your blogs clearly identify you as “one weird dude”. i like to think that this blog should be used by the JN reporters, players, coaches, parents of the players,ex players, and maybe some rational fans of the sport. Some of you people who are posting on this blog sound ridiculous. do us all a favor and find some other means of interest. and if you truly enjoy the sport then watch it, enjoy it, but for the sake of us who have a vested interest, keep your meaningless opinions to yourself.

24. hank greenberg June 20th, 2009 at 11:33 am

    ned, your blog and comment (10:49 A.M.) is completely meaningless. You missed the point. Are you the brother of Thomas Paine?

25. sball4life June 20th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    You all need to get a life….....

26. ned June 20th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    what point did i miss hank. your drinking habits. this blog is for High School Softball in the lower Hudson Valley. but i am missing the point. OK

27. hank greenberg June 21st, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Dear ned, this post is in reply to your blog of June 20th, at 8:16 P.M.: I am taking your seriously. The webmaster of this website knows what I am talking about. Suppose someone puts a blog on this website which makes a personal attack on you, ned, regarding your personal habits. This person accuses you of doing something wrong regarding your personal habits which greatly effects your judgement. Then you, ned, are prohibited from replying to this false blog, and it is wrong for you to defend yourself, and any attempt by you to set the record straight is totally inappropriate. In other words, this blogger has the right to accuse you, ned, of bad habits, but you, ned, don’t have the right to defend yourself and tell the truth. The reality is that this website supports the right of Freedom of the Press, and it is a two way street. However, there are restrictions regarding “Terms of Service” which is mentioned in the text after LEAVE A REPLY.

28. slapper June 21st, 2009 at 8:52 am

    For the life of me I cannot understand some of the statements made on this blog from certain “individuals”(I use this term loosely).DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM! Maybe they will go away. This blog has definately entered the “twilight zone”. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Fathers Day to all us dads out there.

29. Tony Toronto June 21st, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    I cannot take any credit for the success of the annual All-Section Softball Dinner. The Hudson Valley Softball Coaches’ Association organizes and conducts the dinner. The credit for the success of the dinner has to be given to Joan Spedafino, Skip Walsh, Bob Mittelstadt and Bob Antonucci.

30. koala fan June 21st, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    to echo slapper…..Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads of these lovely young athletes who we watched play this Spring.

31. hank greenberg June 21st, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    I would like to congratulate Coach Shaw on the great season! Regarding Waterloo, she did a fantastic job of preparing the Red Raider team. For example, the bus left North Rockland Senior Highschool at 8:00 A.M. sharp on Friday morning. And the players got plenty of sleep at the Waterloo hotel. Coach Shaw prepared the team, perhaps too well. Let me explain. At Heroes Field at Lake Nanuet the Red Raiders beat the Ursuline team. I was there at the game and I shook the hand of Joe Casarella, the Director of Athletics of North Rockland Senior Highschool. The Red Raider batters got several power hits off the Ursuline pitcher, sophomore, Taylor Pirone. Red Raider Samantha Babcock got a super triple down the third base line. Followed by an RBI double to right-center field by Heather Hansen. Earlier, Red Raider second-baseman #4 Corretja got a double. That was three extra base hits off Ursuline pitcher, Taylor Pirone. Before the start of the game I watched the warm-ups of Taylor Pirone, and I characterize her as an “amazon-animal” style pitcher, who in her warm-ups was probably throwing the ball at speeds of over 70 mph. Not only that, but she wore a dark colored uniform with long sleeves and clothing which entirely covered her legs. It was a hot sunny day and the temperature was in the low 80’s. How Taylor Pirone survived without heat prostration in that stifling uniform in 80 degree weather, is a miracle. Then regarding the game at Nanuet Senior Highschool vs FDR, the Red Raiders beat the super talented junior pitcher, Jennifer Reitemeyer. In one inning the bottom part of Red Raider batting line-up got three consecutive singles off of Reitemeyer. So in preparation for Brentwood at Waterloo, the Red Raider batters were ready for “bear”, in other words ready to take on a super super talented pitcher, much stronger than Jennifer Reitemeyer or “animal” Taylor Pirone. ... A super talented pitcher such as my cousin Randee McArdle (whom I mentioned in a previous blog). But instead, the Red Raiders faced Brentwood’s Nicole Flint, whose 51 mph meatballs, were lightyears apart from Taylor Pirone’s 70 mph heat, and were totally different than the pitching genius of Jennifer Reitemeyer. So the result was that the timing of Red Raider bats was horribly off. Coach Shaw had prepared the Red Raider batters to get ready to face the super talent of a pitcher like my cousin Randee McArdle, who was offered a full pitching scholarship from Arizona University. But instead, the Red Raider batters faced the 51 mph meatballs of Nicole Flint and her cute smile. My cousin Randee never, never smiles when she pitches, and the Red Raider batters could probably do very well against my cousin.

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