Season Closes to an End with 13 Playoff Champs to be Crowned

Join us for a few more days of NYO Baseball as we head into the weekend and early next week and get ready for some great championship baseball.  See the Cricle of Champions attachment which we will update throughout this last week as the season draws to a close.  We've highlighted our regular season champs and will update for playoff champs and runners up as well as our PCA winners for each league.   

Here's the schedule for Championship Week (click on the article title to read more):

Friday night: Majors playoffs on FOD, Pony National semis on Garr and Bronco loser bracket final on Wilkins

Saturday 10:00 FOD: AA Silver Championship - Champion - White Sox   Runner-Up - A's 

Saturday and Sunday at various times and fields: Semiifinal action and loser bracket finals in Majors, Int'l, AA, A, Rookie and Shetland Red

Sunday 1:00 Garr: Pony National Championship - Cards vs Dodgers

Sunday 1:30 Wilkins: Bronco Championship Game(s) - Pirates (H) vs Yankees (A)

Sunday 1:30 BWW:  A League Silver Championship  - Yankees (H) vs Rangers (A)

Sunday 1:30 BWE: Rookie Silver Championship - 

Sunday 1:30 TB2: Shetland Red Gold Championship - 

Sunday 3:30 BWW: A League Gold Championshp -

Sunday 3:30 BWE: Rookie Gold Championship - Yankees (H) vs. Nationals (A)

Sunday 3:30 TB2: Shetland Red Silver Championship - D-Backs vs. Giants

Sunday 4:00 Garr: Pony American Championship (followed by 14U End of the Era Party) - Orioles vs. Angels

Monday 5:30 FOD: AA Gold Championship - Royals (A) vs Rangers (H)

Monday 7:30 FOD: International Championship -  D-Backs vs TBD

Tuesday 5:30 FOD: AA Gold Chmpionshp (if necessary)

Tuesday 7:30 FOD: Majors Championship - Red Sox (H) vs. TBD

Wednesday 5:30 FOD: International Championship (if necessary)

Wednesday 7:30 FOD: Majors Championship (if necessary)

Thursday 6:00 FOD: Majors Intra League All Star Game for 11U and 12U players 

Come out and join us for some great baseball as we put a cap on one crazy season. When we're done, we'll have played 974 games in all with 121 teams in action, 1535 players and thousands of practices.  But who's counting.

Thanks to all, NYO Baseball

When your team is down 7-3 with two outs in the final inning of what may be its final game and rallies to win, 8-7, you 'go from thinking about the post-game speech of 'It's been a good season' to 'what happened?'' Brian Raley, coach of the Major League Honey Badgers, had his speech written in his head. But he scrapped it because of what happened in what he said seemed like four minutes.

Three times on Tuesday night, that scenario --- or one like it --- played out on the fastpitch softball fields of NYO. That it happened in three games that ended within 20 minutes of each other made the evening all the more remarkable. Then again, it's championship week at NYO. Anything can happen. Unlike at Turner Field where fans bail out if the Braves trail by more than two going into the bottom of the ninth, NYO patrons stick around. This was one of those nights they were glad they did.    

(To continue reading, please click on the headline)

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The 2013 NYO Fastpitch Softball tournaments have featured some of the most dramatic comebacks in recent memory.  On Tuesday night, four consecutive games finished with last inning rallies for wins by the home teams.  See below for the Championship Thursday matchups.  Come out and join us at the park tonight for what promises to be a great finish to the 2013 tournaments!

SENIORS:  the top-seeded Bulldogs rallied for 8 runs in the last inning on Tuesday night to stun the Knockouts 9-8 and advance to the finals, where they will face the surging Purple Reign, who eliminated the Knockouts 2-0 on Wednesday.  The Purple Reign (with one loss in the tournament) will try to stop the Bulldogs (undefeated in tournament play) in the first game at 6:00pm and force a winner-take-all "if" game at 7:40pm.  

MAJORS:  the Honey Badgers waited until two outs in the last inning before getting their bats going to rally from a 7-3 deficit to an 8-7 victory.  They will face the hot Predators, who shocked the top-seeded Organized Chaos 8-4 on Tuesday night.  The Honey Badgers and Predators play tonight at 6:30 pm.  In Wednesday night's consolation bracket, DISTURBIA pounded the ball in route to an 11-5 victory over SWAT. 

MINORS:  the Tsunami entered the last inning trailing 7-3 before mounting a furious rally in a walk-off 8-7 win over the Jolly Ranchers.  The Tsunami will face another walk-off winner - the BOOM - who topped the Golden Girls 7-6 with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the last inning that plated the tying and winning runs.  First pitch for the Tsunami - Boom final is tonight at 6:30pm.

If you're not playing, come out and enjoy the finals in all three leagues this evening.  It promises to be a great night at NYO!

NYO Baseball Suzanne Caswell Volunteer of the Year Award Presented to Jay Smith 

A few words about our recipient this year (which I undertake with great trepidation in light of the literary skills of our honoree).  Most of you who know me well know that the baseball is just a small part of what the NYO experience is all about. For me, as well as many of you, what draws you back year after year is that feeling you get the first time you walk out here for tryouts at the beginning of the year, or that burst you feel on opening day and that desire to stay at the ball park all day if you could. That feeling on a warm night at St. John’s when it’s so quiet you can practically hear the ball spinning as it reaches the plate, or that joyful feeling when you’re watching a Small Ball game with first timers tackling each other as they try to field a ball. Or watching a bunch of 8 year olds cutting deals at the concession stand with their drink tickets or a visit with Miss Jane in the Dowis Building. Or all too many times this year, huddling in a pavilion with 100 of your new closest friends and watching the rain flood our fields.  All of these are feelings that are about impossible to put into words  but all memories that are so thick for so many of us. Click on the article heading to read more. 

5/17/13 update -The A, Rookie, and Shet Red spreadsheets have been updated with the times for the weekend semi finals and championship games. download to have a look and make sure you come out out to watch these exciting final games!!

5/11/13 update - A, Rookie and Shet Red playoff schedules are posted based on Saturday results. Click on his article and downloand the playoff spreadsheet daily for updates. Playoffs start on Monday!

5/9/13 update - Click on this article and download the playoff spreadsheet daily to see the results of all playoff games in AA, Intl, Majors, and Bronco. The spreadsheet will tell you who won and what game each team has next.

5/6/13 update - The tiebreaker in AA has been resolved. The top threes seeds in that league are Royals, Cards, and Pirates.

5/4/13 update - Pony playoff schedules are posted within this site under the Baseball tab above (follow links to Pony league schedules to view the playoff schedules for each league). Playoff schedules for Bronco, Majors, Intl and AA are posted within the download attached to this articles.

Note 1 - AA seeds 1, 2 and 3 to be determinted by league director. Note 2 - Bronco seeds are based on assumption that Sunday makeup games are rained out.

5/1/13 - It's May which means regular seasons are drawing to a close with some tight races for the regular season crowns, and the second season is about to start. Download the attachment to this article for the upper league link to playoff schedules in AA, Int'l, Majors and Bronco which were distributed to the coaches last week. We will be posting schedules for all other leagues shortly. Playoffs in Shet Red, Rookie and A will start on May 13 and conclude on May 19. Playoffs in Pony will start around May 9 and conclude on May 19.

Were it not for the ponytail that emerges from the back of her baseball cap, you might never know. She steps to the plate in the first inning of a playoff game at the Jane Wilkins Bronco Field and effortlessly drives the ball on a line into center field for a single. Two runs score. Katie Goldberg, the lone girl in the Bronco League, has done it again.

The grace and beauty of Katie's game (she plays shortstop, pitches and bats third for the Giants) is matched only by the unexceptional way teammates, coaches and fans react to her performance. This is not one of those dopey stories about the talented female athlete making her way in a male game. Katie's teammates and competitors only wish they played the game --- on the field and off --- as well as she does. It's also why Katie has been awarded the Kyle Burnat award that honors the 12-year-old 'who most embodies the NYO experience.'

(To read more, please click on the headline.) 

Ruby Freeman greets five-year-old Nalina Welch by name, takes her hand and leads her into the third-base dugout at the Jane Wilkins Field. It's the final Saturday of the spring season for the Christopher League, an NYO program for children with special needs whose 'buddies,' like Ruby, help them play and enjoy baseball. For every one of the two dozen, or so, Christopher League players, there are two or three buddies, many of whom play baseball or fastpitch softball at NYO.  

Ruby, a junior honors student at Riverwood High School, gave up softball a few years ago, but she kept her commitment to the Christopher League. 'I get the most apologetic emails when she can't show up,' says Leo Rose, now in his 14th year heading the program. It's that dedication that led to Ruby being named the second recipient of the Nick Napolitano award, which recognizes 'the buddy who best exemplifies putting others first.'

(To read more, plesae click on the headline.)   

In our 5^th season of terrific girls’ program, we continue to hit registration highs; we are running well ahead of last year's pace, when we had to create a wait-list in 2 of the 3 leagues in the program, because of over-subscription. We urge anyone interested to sign-up, to make sure there is a slot. 

The program plays games only out of the Chastain gym and the Galloway gym, although with program growth, a 3^rd local gym may be used this fall. Practices are also either at the Chastain gym or other, local gyms. The schedulers work hard to minimize scheduling conflicts, especially with fall softball. 

Commissioner Allan Gottlieb promises another season of skill development; fun; hard work; and excitement, and we look forward to seeing another great season of girls’ basketball at NYO.  Critical dates for families to know are as follows:

                Sunday  August  11^th  -  mandatory  tryouts

                Saturday  August  17^th  -  practices  begin

                Tuesday  September  2^nd  -  games  begin

Additionally,  league  structure is as follows:

                Rookie League  -  ages  8 and  9.  Play  with  a  9  foot  basket.

                Major League -  ages  10  and  11.  Play  with  a  10  foot  basket

WNBA League  -  ages  12,  13  and  14.

Requests  to  play  up or down  will  be  considered  based  on  space in the leagues.

Please address any questions you might have to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and we will respond as quickly as we can.

Click for Registration dates for 2013 season and links to other general information.

Baseball lore skews heavily toward fathers and sons. Think 'Field of Dreams.' Moms, on the other hand, rarely get the recognition they deserve. But where would recreational baseball and fastpitch softball, including at NYO, be, were it not for Moms? Mother's Day 2013 provides a time for reflection.

From late January to mid-May, who fills out all the forms, sees to it that practices and games are reached on time, washes and mends uniforms and, most important,  provides sanity, perspective, encouragement and comfort? Moms do! They know that a strikeout or an error in the field is not the end of the world, even if dad doesn't. They know each teammate's name before the season has barely started, and they place more importance on the equity of who plays and who rides the bench than they do on winning.

(To read more, please click on headline above)