THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

 

 

WPCNR PRESS BOX, By Fastpitch Johnny. June 19, 2006: The slugging Akron Racers, the National Pro Fastpitch Champions spent a weekend in Bridgeport, Connecticut and escaped their first trip to the East Coast with a split of the four game series with the Connecticut Brakettes. For Manager John Stratton’s Brakettes it showed America’s legendary amateur team the last 59 years was on a par with the professional champions and was ready for Jennie Finch and the Chicago Bandits coming into town this week. 

 

 

 

 

On the dusty Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame diamond, the greatest players of the fastpitch game cavorted, dove, rallied, battled and blasted homers to the far reaches of the Little Ball Park on Long Island Sound for four straight days. Here Radara McHugh of the Racers prepares to throw the first pitch to Olympic Champion, Brakettes centerfielder,  Kelly Kretschman. That’s the Big Cat, the Olympic champion, Crystl Bustos creeping in at third for the Akron Racers. Bustos threw out Kelly on a slick backhand stop.  Photo, WPCNR Sports.

Two hundred fans saw Akron come back for an 11-10 win yesterday afternoon in a 2 hour and 45 minute slugfest. Whoever said fastpitch had no offense? Not when you have the Brakettes Kelly Kretschman, Jessica Merchant, Kellie Wilkerson and Germaine Fairchild battling the Racers’ Crystl Bustos, Oli Keohohou, Brandi McArthur, Iyhia McMichael, and  Jen Topping. .

Fastpitch Sunset on Saturday night. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

The homestand for the Brakettes finally got the league underway this weekend after a week of rain in the Midwest and Northeast. The Brakettes lost their first homestand to rain, but with serious promoting, webcast radio play-by-play, billboards, and radio spots the Brakettes should generate more fan interest. The Bridgeport media are covering them, and that is a real coup, considering how the New York Juggernaut were shut out cold from all coverage by all New York media their first two years in the league. And, gee, if I had a partner like major league baseball, I wouldn’t have a partner!

 

Split with the Best.

 

Right now, the Brakettes have to be happy about their weekend split with the Racers. They won the first game of the 4-game series last Thursday evening, 3-2 behind Nikki Myers, the punktough-pony tailed sparkplug of a pitcher, who gained her third victory of the season. Denise Denis homered off Brandi McArthur for the winning margin after the Brakettes Stephanie Hill (of LSU) had singled home 2 runs in the third and Myers made the runs stand up, fanning the Racers’ Amber Hall on a change to end the game with 2 Racers on.

 

 

Friday evening, K.C. Clark started for the Brakettes and fell victim to the one bad inning syndrome.  The Racers jumped Clark for 7 runs in the second inning, sending 11 girls to the plate, but the inning may have turned on a critical 3-2 pitch when after a single, hitsbatsperson and a single loaded the bases for Akron.  K.C. fanned Emily Price with the sacks full of Racers, but was squeezed twice on 2-2 an two very close pitches on the corner resulting in a bases-loaded walk to Tracy McCoy forcing in the first run to make it 1-0. Designated Player Brandi McArthur was up next and K.C. made a 4-run mistake. McArthur hit her first pitch high, far and deep into the Brakette bullpen for a grand-slammer to make it 5-0. Three more singles and a ground out made it 7-0 and the Racers Amy Kuyler, the former Sacremento Sunbird and New England Riptide hurler set down the Brakettes the rest of the way for a 7-1 win. Not that the Brakettes did not have their chances, leaving 3 runners on in the third and 2 in the 4^th and 2 in the 5^th.

 

Saturday evening it was the Brakettes turn to longball with Sarah Pauly, the long tall right hander in the circle. The Racers broke on top 2-0 in the second inning on a walk to Jen Topping and a double by  Karen Benyi. With two out Amber Hall cracked a double on the first pitch to the rightcenterfield fence to score the two Racers ahead of her but Kellie Wilkerson in right gunned down Hall trying to stretch the single into a double.

 

Saturday Night Blasting.

 

The Brakettes came right back in the last of the second, when Racers’ Radara McHugh gave up a single to secondbaser Stephanie Hill, hit Germaine Fairchild with a very close pitch that Racer Manager Judy Martino questioned. Aimee Minor singled to center to load the bases after taking a very close pitch for ball 3 on a 2-2 pitch. The Racers Martino questioned that call too and the plate umpire walked over and told off the Racers coach, saying “They’ll be no discussion of balls and strikes.” When Martino questioned “Why?” with a shrug of her shoulders, the umpire said “Because I have a chip on my shoulder, that’s why.”

 

On the next sequence featuring a close 0-2 pitch,  Brakette catcher Callie Piper singled to right on a 1-2 pitch to make it 2-1. Emily Sobel grounded into a force at the plate and Kelly Kretschman in the leadoff spot lofted a shallow fly halfway down the rightfield line. McHugh was almost out of the jam. Manager John Stratton elected not to send Minor in from third for the tie and there were 2 out.

 

There She Goes! Stephanie Best, ponytail flying, bottom of picture watches her Grand Slam Homer in the second inning Saturday night that was the big blow in the Brakettes 9-3 win. Radara McHugh in the circle watches the majestic shot. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

Stephanie Best, Brakette second baser came to the plate. McHugh threw a first pitch “strike” in Stephanie’s wheelhouse and with a crack of metal on cowhide that sounded like an ax hitting a tree, Best sent it with great majesty to deep left field. A towering drive. No doubt about it. Best circled the bases with a grand slam to make it 5-2 Brakettes.

 

Jessica Merchant Caps the 7-Run Rally with a long one over the centerfield fence. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

After Kellie Wilkerson walked,  Jessica Merchant All American from the University of Michigan added another 2-run shot over the centerfield fence to make it 7-2. Has the NPF juiced the “softball” or what?  Merchant hit a second two-run dinger in the 5^th to make it 9-2. Crystl Bustos hit a solo shot off Sarah Pauly to make the final score 9-3.

 

The Blaster: Crystl Bustos, the USA Softball Olympic Champion rounding third after her roundtripper Saturday night. Crystl’s blast carried to the scoreboard in deepest right center and sounded like a crack a thunder. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

Donnybrook on a Sunday.

 

Sunday afternoon in 90 degree heat and humidity, a remarkable fastpitch game was played. Nikki Myers returned to the circle but the Racers loaded the bases and Oli Keohohou blasted a grand slam homer to put the Racers on top 5-0. The Brakettes came back on a 5 run fourth inning to take the lead 10-8. Amy Kyler winner of Friday’s game came in for Brandi McArthur and held the Brakettes off, then held on to win the game as Akron rallied for three runs off Sarah Pauly  to win a split, 11-10.  Kyler fanned Emily Sobel on a called third strike with two on in the last of the sixth to preserve the lead, and in the bottom of the seventh, after Kretschman singled, she fanned Stephanie Best and Kellie Wilkerson on called thirds to send the Akrons back to Ohio with a split.

 

The Brakettes and the Racers each have good pitching but not that overpowering stopper like Amanda Scott or the elite Finch. The Brakettes may get that overpowererette this nd if Cat Osterman, the University of Texas graduate decides to join the team. Manager John Stratton says Osterman is sorting out a number of possibilities, and as of now has not made up her mind.

 

Seven Best Teams in America

 

The Brakettes and the Racers are formidable hard-hitting clubs. The Brakettes are strong up the middle with Stephanie Best at second and Jessica Merchant at short with Stephanie Hill alternating with Kellie Wilkerson at first. The elegant competitor Germaine Fairchild, returned from the Juggernauts (after their move to Allentown), holds down the catcher spot. The outfield features  Aimee Minor in left, Kretschman the Olympic Champion in center and Wilkerson in right. Manager Stratton can call on Denise Denis and Julie Brooks  and Jen Owens to alternate as the NPF schedule goes on.

 

After a week of play, the Brakettes have the best record in the NPF at 7-2, a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bandits who come on in for a big four game series this weekend starting Thursday evening at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field…an easy shot out I-95 to Exit 30, Lordship Boulevard. Allow time for the Friday night traffic though.

 

Baird and Stratton: Architects of Excellence.

 

We asked Brakette General Manager Bob Baird how the transition into the new league is going, and how the Brakettes are drawing: “Disappointing in the beginning of the year when we lost those three games at home (to rain) and three in Philadelphia, we’ll end up playing them all sooner or later. They will be made up. We’ve sold over 230 season tickets. We’re happy with what it is. Ask me that next week when Chicago’s here and you can’t get a seat.”

 

Bob Baird. General Manager, Connecticut Brakettes.

Photo Capture from Brakettes Website.

 

Asked how Manager Stratton and he put the team together Baird said, “John does most of the personnel things. We talk a lot about who we want to pick and everything. We work together on the draft. It wasn’t too hard this year because we had a lot of former Brakettes came back to us. And we took nine from last year’s team. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist.”

 

We asked if America’s favorite “Cat” (Osterman) would be in a Brakette jersey soon, and found out the Brakettes will be strengthened with two new stars from the college ranks.

“We hope so. That would be nice wouldn’t it. We’ll find out this week. We’re getting Andrea Duran from UCLA, and Adrienne Alo from Oregon State. They’re coming in Tuesday morning. They’re still in school. They’re in a trimester system on the West Coast.”

 

We asked how the Bandit series shapes up. “The presale for the Bandits has been unbelievable.”

 

Casey Stengel of Softball

 

WPCNR caught up with Manager John Stratton, the “Casey Stengel” of softball, who manages games with aplomb and never seems to get rattled, who not only looks like Stengel, but talks like him too, and is such an ambassador for the game. I asked him how the competition has gone so far:

 

John Stratton, Manager. Connecticut Brakettes.

 Photo Capture from Brakettes website.

 

“Well the competition is super. We had three Olympians on that field tonight against us and three on our own team. The big guns on our team came out tonight and hit some good shots. The competition is fierce. The competition is very good. Every team is very good. This team (the Racers) won it last year with the players they had here today. And they beat us last night 7-1. Our pitcher had one bad inning, and after that she shut them down. You get good pitching, decent pitching and score a few runs and you’re o.k. So you have to have a combination of both. All the teams do.”

 

I asked him about his new players:

 

“We’re getting two, unless Cat Osterman comes in. Maybe Saturday’s game she’ll pitch against Chicago. They’re trying to arrange a Finch-Cat game. It’s a little trouble getting her in because she just got out of school. She just got out of trials for the Olympic team. Right now her menu is pretty full, endorsements, everybody’s jumping on her back they want her to come in and endorse their product. Right now she’s kind of tired. She told me that, she’d love to come in and play, but she’s awfully tired. All my pitchers will be ready to go Thursday night.”

 

I asked about the rest of the league:

 

 “Texas is a good team. We split with them last year. Chicago knocked us off  four last year but every game was good. We never played Arizona, so we don’t know anything about them. It doesn’t make any difference they’ve taken the best players in the country and put them on 7 different teams. It makes it (the NPF) interesting and it makes it good. You hit a ground ball somebody’s going to catch it. These guys will make errors but most of the time they catch it You practice more. The amateur teams you play on the weekend, you wouldn’t practice during the week. These guys have to practice a couple of times a week then they play their games. The competition is super.”

 

 

 

Young players learn by watching

 

The Brakettes Manager was disappointed about one thing:

 

“the only thing that bothers me is young girls, young people in this game do not support the game. This place should have been filled with young softball players. How do they expect to learn if they don’t come out and watch the best play. I don’t understand why they don’t come for $5. I spent my life going to ball games. That’s how I learned to play. I went to Yankee Stadium. When I started softball I went to every softball game. I’ll stop in the middle of the road we’ll be on the way home from Florida, and I’ll see a softball game and I’ll go over and watch it if it’s a good game. It’s fun to watch it. I don’t understand why these young girls don’t get out and do it. So any league team can come in here free. It’s clean, no smoking, no beer. It’s clean and nice. It’s costing people a lot of money to do this and they have to get something back once in awhile  otherwise it dies. We can’t let that happen.”

 

The first pitch

 

We talked first pitch hitting: Stephanie Best hit a grand slam on the first pitch Saturday night,  instead of looking. We asked the softball master his philosophy on swinging on the first pitch:

 

“My philosophy is simple. If you go for the first pitch, never be late. In other words, when you go for it, you better go for it with everything you got and you get it out front. Don’t go for it behind. Don’t be late. If you decide you want to go on that first pitch, you give it everything you got. Don’t hold anything back (in your swing). You got two more comin’ to ya.”

 

But, if you’re late on it and you pop it up that’s bad. You don’t want to do it.Even if it’s a bad pitch. Yogi Berra for years lived on bad pitches as a baseball player because he went after them with everything he had. As far as the first pitch, go for it. Don’t be late.”

 

Brakette Breaks: The Brakettes announced their softball clinics for up and coming younger players beginning this week June 22 at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford and Short Beach Recreation Complex on Long Island Sound…

 

 June 22-23  and June 26-27 will be for Beginning Pitchers.  June 29-30, for Advanced Pitchers. July 1 the Brakettes will hold a catching clinic taught by the incomparable Germaine Fairchild, Brakettes catcher. On July 10-11, the Clinics will be for Offense/Hitting and July 13/14 Defense/Fielding.  Clinics are held in the mornings from 9:30 A.M. to 12 Noon.  My daughter, Juliana Bailey learned to pitch with the Brakettes clinics, and honed her defensive skills in these clinics, and was thrilled to be taught by the Brakettes players and I recommend the clinics for all young players who want to improve their game.  For information on the clinics, costing approximately $70 each (and a bargain!)  contact (203) 378-7262.

 

 

For information on the Chicago Bandits series beginning Thursday night, go to the Brakettes website at www.ctbrakettes.com.  

 

Why They Play: Members of the Easthaven Little League All-Stars watch the Brakettes warming up in the pregames up-close and personal. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. June 19, 2006: The City Commissioner of Finance, Gina Cuneo-Harwood, reported to WPCNR last week that sales tax receipts for April and May, set the city up to make its “revised” sales tax projection of $41.9 Million when business ends for the fiscal year June 30. The city had originally projected $42.5 Million in sales taxes for the year last fall. Whatever softness in the sales tax revenues will be offset by an $869,598 windfall in mortgage taxes from sales of condominiums and homes in “The Renaissance City,” through the first three quarters, and that should go up in Quarter Four.

 

Cuneo-Harward said she was confident that the month of June would find sales tax receipts meeting projections. In July, Wal-Mart will begin injecting its retail magic in the White Plains marketplace, setting up a possible surge in sales tax revenues of $800,000 a year, according to city hall financial prognosticators.

 

For the record, through three quarters of fiscal year 2005-2006, the city received  $32,511,570 in sales tax. In April, the city collected $3,123,461 and in May, $3,019,564. In order to meet the $41.9 “revised” sales tax projection, the city need only collect $3,245,405 in June.

 

To hit the optimistic $42.5 Million predicted last fall, the city will need $3,845,405. The only times of the year White Plains has ever “done” over $4 Million in sales tax receipts in a month were December,03-04; December 04-05, and December of 05-06,  and once in January, and the January achievement came in this fiscal year with $4,214,709 turned over.