The above colors represent the Colorado Gray Sox, the winners of this year's league championship
Updated as of October 25, 2000
Howard Rollin (league president) howard@over50baseball.com
(10/25) The league banquet will be held on Tuesday, November 28th, 6:30 PM, at the Country Harvest Buffet Restaurant at 740 Peoria St. in Aurora. That's the same location the league has used for the past 2 years. The adult price for the all-you-can-eat buffet is only $8.19 plus tax and tip. There is also a senior's discount for those old enough who qualify. The private banquet room at the buffet has been reserved, and an excellent turnout is expected. Players should inform their managers, if they (plus any guests) plan to attend. Seating in the reserved room is limited.
(10/25) The Colorado Gray Sox competed in the NABA National Championship Tournament in Phoenix during October 7-11. Details will follow.
(10/25) On September 31st, the Colorado Gray Sox trounced the Bandits (division winner and league runner-up) from the NABA 40A league by the score of 14-4. The game was played at Regis High School. The results from this game was a complete turnaround from last year, when the North Stars were beaten by the Magic (also from the 40A league). Way to go, Gray Sox!!!
(9/19) THE COLORADO GRAY SOX WIN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! For the second year in a row, the division winning team has also won the league title. The Gray Sox played a tenacious game, taking an early lead. The North Stars never gave up though, as they came back from a 6-0 deficit to tie it in the next to last inning. But the Gray Sox came right back and pounded out 5 runs to take an 11-6 lead going into the North Star's last at bat. Although the North Stars scored a run and had the bases loaded with the tying run at the plate, a called third strike ended the Denver Over 50 Baseball season. Final score: Gray Sox 11, North Stars 7. Congratulations go out to manager Bob Bastiaans and all of the Gray Sox on an extremely successful season. The league also wishes the Gray Sox good luck in the NABA National Championship Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona next month.
This year's winner of the Home Run Derby is a tie between Mike Mantia (Gray Sox) and Wayne Snow (Ancient Mariners - last year's winner). Both players hit 5 home runs. During the entire season, a grand total of 58 home runs were hit in the league. There were a total of 48 games played during the entire season. That means there was an average of just 1.2 home runs hit per game. That's amazing! Who said that the outfield fences are too shallow and there are too many home runs? The field dimensions for our league seem to be just about right.
At this time, a new field is being considered to be added to the league to accommodate expansion next year. It has been brought to my attention that a refurbished high school field in Denver will be available that could suit us perfectly. That field is located at Manual High School, and new spacious, covered dugouts have already been built, and new infield sod and a sprinkling system are also going to be installed. The center field fence of that field is located on the southeast corner of 29th Ave. and Humboldt St. The dimensions for the field are quite unique. The right field foul pole will be much deeper than West H.S. at about 330 ft., but the fence will only be 6 ft. tall. Straight-away center field will be a whopping 410 ft., but the left field foul pole will only be 270 feet from home plate. The fence, however, is at least 35 feet high and it will extend all the way to center field, just like Fenway Park's "green monster." Secured parking at Manual H.S. will be available in the school's parking lot in the middle of the school's campus. Feedback about the possibility of using this field would be welcomed.
Lastly, the league banquet will be held in late November, probably on November 21st or 28th. Details will follow.
(8/28) Well, it's come down to this: Last year's league champion North Stars will have the opportunity to defend their title against the regular season division winning Gray Sox. This should be a top-notch championship game! Please note that the game is scheduled to begin at 10 AM on September 10th. Phil Gallegos and Howard Rollin will announce the game, as well as provide background musical entertainment. Come on out for a good time, and don't forget to bring a folding chair, since we don't have the bleachers anymore this year.
(8/21) After the first round of the playoffs, 4 teams remain in the "hunt" (playoff schedule below). The semi-final games will be played at the regular time slots of 9 AM and 12 Noon instead of being delayed by one hour each. Kudos go out to Phil Gallegos for his unique "touch" in broadcasting the quarter-final afternoon playoff games.
(8/13) The regular season is now completed. A single elimination playoff tournament begins on August 20th. Please look below for your team's schedule. The Gray Sox (division winners) are the only team with a bye. In order to break the three way tie for second place, head to head competition was the first deciding factor. Then, using "runs scored against" each of the remaining tied opponents broke any additional ties.
(8/6) To all of the players on the Coots and Ancient Mariners who came out very early on Sunday morning with shovels and wheelbarrows to repair our field for play, the league president extends a VERY BIG THANK YOU! Without the cooperation and extra work that most players and managers contribute, not just this Sunday but every week, this league would not be successful. As league president, it gives me great pride to say that Denver Over 50 Baseball is the finest league I've ever been associated with.
(7/31) Congratulations to manager Bob Bastiaans and all of the members of the Colorado Gray Sox for winning the division title this year. In what might be the finest game ever played in the Denver Over 50 Baseball League, the Gray Sox defeated the Ancient Mariners 4-3 in ten innings. The 2 and 1/2 hour seesaw game was decided in the top of the 10th inning on a long home run by Mike Mantia. Then, the Gray Sox held off the Ancient Mariners, even though the Mariners had two men on with no outs in their last at bat. Pitchers Al Bucholtz (Gray Sox) and Phil Cummings (Ancient Mariners) both pitched outstanding complete games.
(7/31) FACT: After 36 league games have been played this year, a total of 41 home runs have been hit. The outfield fences may not have a lot of depth at Denver West High School, but the average of a fraction over 1 home run per game is not an outrageous amount.
As the league enters the final 2 weeks of the regular season, Mike Mantia (Gray Sox) leads the Home Run Derby with 5 round trippers. Wayne Snow (Ancient Mariners) is second with 4.
(7/27) The second annual All-Star Game went off without a hitch as the National Division (home team) dominated the American Division 15-2, with Jerry Malberg (Coots) winning the MVP award. A crowd of 42 spectators and one canine filled the stands at All-City Stadium. Most importantly, I think everyone had a good time, and we're still healthy after an exciting evening under the stars. Possibly the biggest challenge for many participants was being able to see the ball during twilight, since our eyesight isn't what it used to be. But that didn't stop Wayne Snow (Ancient Mariners) from winning the first-ever Denver Over 50 Baseball Power-Hitting Contest by racking up 8 points in the competition, which included smacking 2 balls to the fence for extra points. Nineteen contest participants contributed a total of $230 (which included an extra personal donation) to the Garth Brooks Touch 'em All Foundation, which was the second highest donation total by any league in the Denver National Adult Baseball Association. Way to go, guys!
(7/27) Did you see the July 27th Rocky Mountain News Sports front page article about Denver Over 50 Baseball, featuring Al 'Buck' Bucholtz of the Colorado Gray Sox? If you missed it, just click on the following link to view the article (unfortunately without pictures), and then use your "back button" to return to this page:
http://www.over50baseball.com/never2old.htm
The All-Star Game participants at All-City Stadium for this year's event were:
National Division (home team (white pants) - 3rd base dugout) - Gray Sox - Richie Maes (acting manager), Al Bucholtz, Eric Hall, Al Malecha, Mike Mantia, Randy Kreft, & Lynn Tomjack. North Stars - Dave Bray, Steve Coble, Ron Maxwell, Fred Searle, & Mike Claps (coach). Wild West Coots - Theresa MacGregor, Jerry Malberg, & Errol Snyder.
American Division (visiting team (gray pants) - 1st base dugout) - Ancient Mariners - Dave Lasswell (manager), Phil Cummings, Ralph Melfi, Howard Rollin, Wayne Snow, & Phil Towe. Denver Bears - Joe Carriero, Nelson King, Bill Lindhorst, Paul McDaniel, & Jack Wilhite (coach). Southside Fossils - Ken Ayers & Tom Hall. Golden Oldies - Dennis Brown & Howard Hankey.
(7/24) Don't forget that the All-Star Game will be held this Wednesday (7/26) starting at 7 PM at All-City Stadium. Although there are only 6 participants signed up for the power-hitting contest at this time, I have decided to hold the event anyway starting promptly at 6 PM. The contest will permit late signups at All-City Stadium, but if you're late, you may miss the opportunity to compete and have for yourself a quick batting practice before the big game. Please remember that there is also an All-Star MVP award that will be presented at the end of the game.
(7/19) I would like to suggest the possibility of having a hitting contest before the start of the All-Star Game. Anyone in the league (including non all-stars) could participate in the event for charity. Each participant would donate $10 to the Garth Brooks Touch 'em All Foundation as their entry fee and would receive 10 pitched strikes from a pitching machine. Points would be earned by each batter in the following manner: home run - 6 points; hit the fence on the fly - 4 points; hit the fence on a bounce or rolls up to the fence - 2 points; ball travels past orange cone markers (approximately 250 feet from home plate) - 1 point. The winner would receive a very attractive trophy/award from the National Adult Baseball Association. I would also like to solicit donations of any type as additional prizes. If you'd like to participate or help with this event, please contact me ASAP. In order for this hitting contest to be feasible, we would need a minimum of 10 participants. The hitting contest would begin at 6 PM sharp, and the All-Star Game would begin at 7 PM.
(7/17) For safety's sake, the following addition to rule #11 can be found in the Year 2000 Rule Addendums - EXCEPTION: Only on a strikeout, when the ball is not caught by the catcher and 1st base is unoccupied or there are 2 outs, the first baseman may take the catcher's throw to either side of the two 1st bases for the force out. If the first baseman has possession of the ball in foul ground and he is in contact with the second 1st base, the batter will be called out. The batter, who has struck out and is now running toward the second 1st base in foul territory, may run to either first base to avoid a collision with the first baseman. ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULE: On any other play at first base that would require the first baseman to cross over into foul territory to take a possible errant throw, the first baseman must not interfere with the batter, who is running to the second 1st base in foul territory. The first baseman cannot take a throw while standing in foul territory and extend his leg completely across the second 1st base to tag the traditional 1st base to apply a force out. Once the first baseman has crossed over into foul territory to take an errant throw, he can only physically tag out the batter approaching first base without interfering with his path to the second 1st base. The umpire's subjective judgement concerning the safety of players in these instances will be final. All managers must advise their players accordingly.
(7/17) This year's ALL-STAR GAME will be played on Wednesday evening, July 26th at All-City Stadium. Although the game will begin at 7:00 PM sharp, participating players are requested to be present no later than 6:30 PM for warm-ups and pre-game announcements. Players participating on the National Division (home) team should wear white pants, whereas the American Division (visiting) team should be in gray. Team squads will be posted here as soon as possible, but no later than 2 days before the big event.
(7/17) Because there is a great probability that 3 teams will be tied for second place in the standings (for the purpose of All-Star eligibility after the first 9 games have been played) which would include the noon and 3 PM games on July 23rd, the NABA National Office has been consulted for a specific ruling concerning the proper tie-breaking procedure. Since runs allowed by each team are always utilized as the deciding method, it has been ruled that the average of runs allowed in games between the 3 teams will have to be the determining factor to decide who is in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place for All-Star Game allocations only. This must be done because an unequal number of games played has occurred between the three teams that are involved, the Denver Bears, the North Stars, and the Ancient Mariners. The Denver Bears have given up 37 runs in 3 common games (12.3 average); the North Stars have given up 21 runs in 2 common games (10.5 average); and the Ancient Mariners have given up 28 runs in 3 common games (9.3 lowest average). Therefore, if the Ancient Mariners win this coming Sunday (7/23), they will assume 2nd place for All-Star player and manager allotment considerations only. If the Ancient Mariners lose and the North Stars win, the North Stars will assume 2nd place and the Denver Bears will take 3rd place. Only if both the Ancient Mariners and the North Stars lose, then the Denver Bears will earn 2nd place, no matter what the result is of their upcoming Sunday game.
(7/10) Although July 16th is the All-Star cut off date, any team that has not played as many games as another team just above them in the standings will have the opportunity to include the game that will be played on July 23rd to count toward All-Star eligibility. Likewise, any team that has played more games than another team just above them in the standings might have to wait until July 23rd to determine their All-Star eligibility.
(6/12) This year's ALL-STAR GAME will be played on Wednesday evening, July 26th at All-City Stadium. Please mark your calendars. The All-Star Game cut-off date has been set to July 16th. The standings after games played on that date will determine who will be managers for the All-Star Game and the allocation of players to the annual event. Because the Denver Over 50 Baseball League has 7 teams, a very unique, but fair system has been created for game participants. Players from the 1st, 4th, & 5th place teams will comprise the National Division All-Stars. Players from the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, & 7th teams will comprise the American Division All-Stars. The managers for the All-Star Game will come from the teams in first and second place. The 1st place team will be allocated 6 All-Star slots, 2nd - 5 slots, 3rd - 4 slots, 4th - 4 slots, 5 - 3 slots, 6th - 2 slots, and 7th - 2slots. Managers must select or have their teams vote for their representative All-Star players and substitutes no later than Sunday, July 23rd.
(6/5) The schedule, as it appears below, has been official since approximately mid-March. A flaw was discovered shortly after the first tentative schedule was printed and distributed to all managers. Unfortunately, copies of that flawed tentative schedule were distributed to some players before corrections were made. When the present schedule was posted here (on the Internet) in mid-March, it was the first Internet posting of the schedule for this season, it contained all of the necessary corrections, and it was the first "official schedule." I regret that at least one manager may not have been aware of the corrections, and that some of his players were following an invalid tentative schedule created on March 1st. For future reference, all managers (and players as well) that have Internet access, should always refer to this web page for the "official word."
(5/22) Protesting Games - It is imperative that when a game is protested, the manager who files the protest must be sure that the home plate umpire fully understands the nature of the protest. There is (usually) never a need to protest a game when both the home plate umpire and the opponent agree with what is being protested. Once there is agreement, the next step is resolving the conflict of rules. Usually, that means that the game should be reverted back to the beginning of the problem (which in almost all cases, just occured), and the game should be restarted from that point. If the protesting manager does not agree with the resolving procedure, that manager should have the home plate umpire file the protest officially in the home plate umpire's notepad and in the scorebook of the home team (which is the official scorebook). The opposing manager must be notified that the game is being protested. Otherwise, there is no protest. Managers must read their copy of the National Baseball Congress Official Baseball Rules, which was provided to them before the start of the season. Ignorance of these rules will usually cause confusion and bad feelings when problems occur. Please note that the Denver League Rule Addendums supersede all other written rules.
As a result of a (questionable) protest in the last game of the day on Sunday, May 21st, all managers and players should be aware of the following paragraph of Rule # 4.19 of the National Baseball Congress Official Baseball Rules which states "Even if it is held that the protested decision violated the rules, no replay of the game shall be ordered unless, in the opinion of the League President, the violation adversely affected the protesting teams's chances of winning the game." Because of the use of a illegal substitute player for only part of an inning, the alleged protest should not be honored. That substitute player did not (in any way) affect the final outcome of the game in question. That substitute player did not bat, nor was he scheduled to do so since he was not in the lineup, and he did not make any putouts or have any assists while playing in the field.
(5/24) However, in the interest of fair play (and because of confusion, misunderstanding, and slight ignorance concerning official procedures as how to protest a game), both team managers of the game in question have agreed to the following: If, at the end of the regular season, this one game significantly affects the losing team's standing concerning the division title, the two teams would replay the game at their own expense. The replaying of the game must not conflict with the present regular season or playoffs to be scheduled.
(5-8) TRIVIA QUIZ - The longest home run hit by Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Three Rivers Stadium was a line drive shot that landed into the upper deck in dead center field. A seat was specially painted to mark the 500 ft. blast. On Sunday, May 7, 2000, Wayne Snow of the Ancient Mariners hit the longest Denver Over 50 Baseball League home run, when his moon shot easily cleared the high fence in right center field and hit the high-rise apartment building across 11th Street (approximately 400 ft). What do those 2 gargantuan blasts have in common?
(5/17)
TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWER - Barry Lersch pitched both home run balls.--------------------------------------------------
(5/8) The head of the Denver West High School maintenance staff is trying to correct the watering problem as a result of the faulty settings on the sprinkler system on May 7th. Also, the maintenance staff is aware of the broken sprinkler heads down the first base line. Repair of the system will be done ASAP, we hope!
(4/30) All games that were scheduled on April 30th are now rescheduled to August 13th. The playoffs will now begin on August 20th.
(4/17) To all players and managers: On Saturday morning, April 22nd (the day before Easter) at 9:00 AM, the Denver Over 50 Baseball League will participate in the Denver Public School's Field Work Project Day. This year, Denver West High School will receive new sod around the southern areas of the school building. Since the project is a relatively small one and should involve only a couple or a few hours, the Denver Over 50 Baseball League will be the only age group participating in this year's first project. At the conclusion of the sod laying, beverages and lunches will be provided by Options Catering. If you plan to participate, you must R.S.V.P. to your manager no later than April 20th. Lastly, if you have a carpet cutting tool or even a simple pocket knife, please bring it. It will come in handy.
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ALL LEAGUE GAMES ARE PLAYED AT DENVER WEST HIGH SCHOOL
(SPEER BOULEVARD AT 11thAVE. AND ELATI ST.)
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TEAMS |
WINS |
LOSSES |
PERCENT |
GAMES BEHIND |
COLO. GRAY SOX* |
11 |
1 |
.917 |
- |
NORTH STARS |
7 |
5 |
.583 |
4 |
ANCIENT MARINERS |
7 |
5 |
.583 |
4 |
DENVER BEARS |
7 |
5 |
.583 |
4 |
WILD WEST COOTS |
6 |
6 |
.500 |
5 |
SOUTHSIDE FOSSILS |
3 |
9 |
.250 |
8 |
GOLDEN OLDIES |
1 |
11 |
.090 |
10 |
*COLORADO GRAY SOX WIN REGULAR SEASON DIVISION TITLE |
