26th Annual Edward M. Collins Men’s Major Modified Softball Tournament

Major league majesty

L&P Tree Service edges Zubi’s to cap off Collins tournament array of the best of the best

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY - When it comes to evaluating talent, everything is relative. In any arena of life, there are always talented individuals to be found. But when one is afforded a wider view, it is clear that there are always others who are far better and a rare few who can be deemed great.

And greatness was on display once again at the annual Edward M. Collins Men’s Major Modified Softball Tournament held at Collins Park on August 10 to 12.

For the past 26 years, Dennis Dietrich has brought Men’s Major Modified Softball’s best players and teams in the nation to a ball field in Sullivan County. The event began in memory of his beloved friend and teammate Eddie Collins, whose untimely passing inspired Dietrich to create the park that bears his name and a tournament to remember him by. Although Eddie is long gone, that love lives on in Collins Park, Sullivan County’s version of the House that Ruth built, and this tournament is its greatest tribute.

Missing among this year's array of 12 teams vying for the 2007 title was last year’s champion Gremlins, a former national champion whose talent level was world class. In softball circles, it is common for players to constantly realign themselves with different teams, so it came as no surprise that the nexus of the Gremlin’s superstars returned to Collins Park this summer wearing a different uniform, namely that of Zubi’s Lawn Care of Middletown.

Heavy hitters like tournament MVP John Rozich, whose towering homer off Zubi’s Steve Platt last summer is still the stuff of legend, donned the green and orange of Zubi’s and made Platt’s life a lot easier by sharing the same dugout. Rozich, who played A ball for the Dodgers in 1999, made his impact felt during Zubi’s six games with eight hits, which included five home runs, in his 17 at bats. The most momentous of those homers came against Globe in the loser’s bracket final as Rozich hit a two-run blast off Globe hurler Damian Dewdyke that just glanced off the web of leaping outfielder Eddie Jackson’s glove as it sailed over the wall.

But Rozich met his match in L&P Tree Service knuckleball hurler Rodney “Bink” DeGroat. In the two games between Zubi’s and the eventual tournament champion, L&P Tree Service of Staten Island, DeGroat prevented Rozich from going yard, getting him to pop out in a couple of key at-bats in both games and limiting him to base hits in other situations.

“Bink” was named Most Valuable Pitcher in the tournament and guided his team to a 4-0 record that included wins over All-Pro Paving and Globe, as well as the 4-2 win over previously unbeaten Zubi’s in a winner’s bracket classic on August 11 and the 8-7 tournament clincher on August 12.

But by the time “Bink” was facing Zubi’s in that game late Sunday, it was clear that he had to lay it all on the line. A loss by L&P would have required him to pitch a second game, something he was fervently hoping would not come to pass.

His team staked him to a first-inning two-run lead, as Platt struggled early on to find the strike zone and L&P loaded the bases. The teams went scoreless in the second and third, but Zubi’s got one run back in the fourth, on an E-5 off the bat of Chad McConnell. Holding L&P scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, Zubi’s returned to the dugout and George McConnell made a Mark Messier-style prediction. “If one of these guys in front of me gets on, I’m getting a hit and driving him in and you can write that down,” the ex-Gremlin slugger said.

Platt led off with a single and Sean Dahmer bunted him over. George McConnell stepped to the plate and hit a towering two-run blast over the right centerfield wall to live up to his word and give his team a 3-2 lead.

Bringing in lights-out closer Nicolai Vasquez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, seemed like the right thing to do for Zubi’s when Platt walked Joe Gallagher to start the fifth. Vasquez had bailed out Steve Mikos the game before, as Zubi’s edged last year’s runner up Globe 8-7 in this year’s loser’s bracket final.

But this time out, L&P’s Keith Lotito hit a single to right to put runners on the corners. Chad McConnell snared a liner at short, rocketed by Mike Barbakis. But a single by Garrett “Bosco” Milligan tied the game, and a sac fly by Mike Wambier gave L&P the go-ahead run. The relay from right was just off line at the plate, preventing Rozich from making the tag on Lotito to preserve the tie.

“Bink” had to face the heart of the order in the seventh, starting with Rozich, who could tie the game with one swing. But Bink’s knuckler got Rozich to fly out to center. Vasquez reached on a bunt, and the game ended on a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Dahmer. It was the second DP turned by L&P in this game. They had executed three the night before when they beat Zubi’s 4-2.

Tournament outcomes are hard to predict.

Coming into this one, it looked to be Zubi’s that had the greatest depth. Zubi’s lost in the loser’s bracket final a year ago, but this year they looked primed to go all the way. In addition to Platt and fellow ace Steve Mikos, Zubi’s picked up Gremlin’s star hurler Vasquez, a fireballer who can deliver blazing heat and remarkable movement.

They also added Gremlin standout hitters the McConnell brothers and others, and looked unbeatable early in the tourney as they one-hit Sullivan County’s best team, D-Tech/Fitness Factory, 9-0. Two homers by Rozich had the crowd on its feet. But to this writer, who saw a ball sail close to 30 feet over the center field lightpost a year ago, those blasts were mere pop ups for Rozich, who possesses what other players referred to as “freak power.”

D-Tech had experienced its shining moment the night before, in an 11-1 win over Kestler’s Well Drilling of Hawley, PA, a rematch of sorts from the Fremont Tournament the week before. A two-run homer by Denny Rivera and a grand slam by Jay Gallo would prove to be the highlights. Importing a pitcher from Schenectady worked fine against Kestler’s, but Zubi’s lit him up big time.

D-Tech was later blanked by Fort Apache pitcher Freddie Pena, who struck out 18 of the local standouts on the way to a 6-0 win. Timmy Martin’s Switch Inn of Middletown would later knock Fort Apache out 5-4 before succumbing to Zubi’s 8-0, a game in which Martin did not pitch. Switch Inn lost its opener to DeVries Concrete.

Kestler’s ran out of gas as they squandered a 5-2 lead over Styles Barber Shop of Port Jervis, the third team from the area in the tourney. Styles worked out a plethora of walks against tiring pitcher Pete Soprana, and went on to win 9-6. They lost to Deer Park Oil in the next round and were eliminated. Earlier, they had lost to Globe 5-2.

Globe looked to be on its way to the final as it had a 6-2 lead over Zubi’s in the loser’s bracket final. Globe got four runs in the third inning from a pair of homers and a RBI single. But Zubi’s came back with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth, with a two-run blast by Carlos Sanchez and a sac fly by Justin Coamey. A leadoff triple by Sanchez in the seventh would prove to be the winning run as Dahmer’s grounder turned into an E-3 to allow Sanchez to score and send Zubi’s to the final.

Vasquez was very effective in that outing, allowing only two runs in relief, although Globe had tied it up in the top of the seventh with a RBI double by John Heinsch.

By the time L&P had recorded its tournament-clinching double play to beat Zubi’s, the weekend had evinced three days of stellar softball that afforded fans a look at the way the game is played at its best. They got to see some incredible sluggers, and pitchers who could make the ball dance, veer, wobble and bear in on batters at speeds most players would find unhitable.

Following the final game, the two top teams posed at home plate with their trophies. Other awards included L&P Tree catcher Ronnie Lane for Best Defensive Player, and Smallwood/Mongaup Valley fireman Tim Morey as this year’s recipient of the Bob “Big Boy” Bonnaci Memorial Award for exemplifying Bonnaci’s spirit and work ethic in his tireless efforts to help out with the tournament. Globe garnered the third-place trophy in the tournament

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of tournament pictures.