Old SFBL News

The Coral Gables Athletics, managed by Miguel Garcia, had a disappointing showing at the tournament as they failed to make the playoffs in the tournament for the first time in more than 8 years and could not defend their 2010 Championship.  The A’s won their first game 4-2 over Team USA but lost their next two games and could not advance to the playoffs.

Despite the lack of championships, it was still a great showing for the two clubs which were highlighted on youtube on the ESPN zone channel.

This is a first come-first serve tournament.

If you or your team is interested in playing in the upcoming Grapefruit Classic or would like more information on other tournaments, please contact the league office directly at 305-496-2962.

Link to SFBL Tournament Page

Good luck to all teams for the rest of their seasons!

Link to SFBL Tournament Page

Looking for the one championship that has slipped their grips so many times, the Coral Gables Athletics traveled to the Classic but once again fell short as they lost to the Pinellas Piranhas in the Quarterfinals of the 18+ Wood Bat Division.  The A’s finished round robin play with a 2-2 record to advance to the playoffs but fell to the Piranhas 1-0.  The Piranhas did have some South Florida ties as several players from the old Team USA played on the squad including Garrett Rogers and Jim Eddy.  Rogers won tournament MVP honors after banging 10+ hits and delivering the win in the Championship Game.

Despite the loss for the A’s, it was a great 2010 Tournament year as they claimed 3 tournament titles and combined for a 19-5 record.

In the other third game, the Miami Red Sox lost to the Fort Lauderdale Rays 12-2 allowing the Rays to advance to the Semi Final game against the A’s.  Both teams were 0-2 going into the game but had lost close games early and needed a win to advance.  The loser would be out of the tournament.  The Rays jumped on the back of Garrett Rogers who drove in 4 with a 2-run monster blast.

A special highlight of the tournament was a battle of all-time SFBL greats in the first game of the tournament between the Miami Red Sox and the Coral Gables Athletics as John Emmons went toe to toe with Ron Farnham in a great pitcher’s duo. In the end, Farnham got the win for the A’s in a thrilling 3-2 win!  Both pitchers were former SFBL Cy Young and Strikeout King Winners!

In the Semi’s the Rays continued to follow their leader Rogers who started the game for the Rays on the mound and looked dominant through 6.  However, the wheels came off in the final 7th inning (game shortened due to rain) as Luis Cabral hit a 3 run walk off double in the bottom half of the inning to give the A’s the thrilling 5-4 win over a very tough Rays team.

In the Championship, it was truly another offensive clinic by the Vikings as they pounded out 16 hits en route to a 14-5 win over the A’s.  The A’s were able to keep it close through 5 and had a 1 run lead going into the bottom half of the inning but fell apart in the 5th as the Vikings clubbed 2 more HRs and scored 8.  They never looked back and clinched their 2nd Florida Cup Trophy.

Congratulations to the Vikings on a great tournament and we thank all the teams that participated.  It was another memorable and successful SFBL Hardball Tournament!

2010 Florida Cup Page

The league office is asking that all interested teams and players contact the League Office at 305.663.2521 as soon as possible.

Also, please stay tuned for the release of the History Pages update after the completion of the Spring 2010 Season!

For more from the 2010 Miami Open, please visit the 2010 Miami Open Tournament Page

In the 18+ Premier Division, the Coral Gables Athletics will be in search of their SFBL Record 7th Championship but they will have lots of pressure from the Miami Police Force and a revamped Miami Red Sox squad.  The Miami Jays, formerly the Miami’s Band, will also look to squander those hopes.  The SFBL is also proud to welcome three new teams to the league and division who will look to compete with the most competitive 18+ division in the area.  The new teams are the: Homestead Hurricanes, Kendall Brewers, and Hollywood Royals.

In the 25+ Senior Division, the teams to beat remain the defending champs, Miami Brewers and the 4-time champs, Fort Lauderdale Yankees.  These teams have been part of the last 5 Championship games in this division.  The 25+ Senior Division will once again split into Dade and Broward Counties with 12 teams battling for a chance at the Championship.  The 35+ Masters Division champs from last season, the Broward Braves will jump into this division while the league welcomes the Palm Beach Clippers and South Florida Seminoles to the division!

In the 35+ Masters Division, the 3-time champs and Spring 2009 Finalist, Miami Orioles, will prove to be the team to beat with the Braves departure to the 25+ division.  Looking to challenge the Orioles will be two new teams, the Brew Crew and the Miami Bombers.

The SFBL would like to welcome all the new teams and league members to the SFBL and we wish everyone a successful and healthy Spring 2010 Season.  Lets play some hardball!!!!

Please know that the Player of the Week and Coaches’ Poll have been updated through 1/31/10.  The League Office encourages all teams / players to submit their poll votes and nominations for the player of the week on a weekly basis.  You can submit your votes/nominations via email tosfbl@hotmail.com.  You are also encouraged to nominate any players from past weeks in the Fall 2009 season.

The SFBL sent the South Florida Sea Dogs (35+ American), Fort Lauderdale Yankees (35+ Central), Boca Red Sox (18+ National) and Coral Gables Athletics (18+ American).

2009 would once again belong to Steve Rogers and his South Florida Sea Dogs who won their 6^th MSBL Fall Classic, a national record. Assembling some of his very best players, the Dogs completed round robin play with a 3-2 record and then ran the table in the playoffs as they defeated the Delco Cobras 13-2 in the Championship Game.  The Dogs were led by Marty Stern who pitched and won 2 of the tournament games, while Jim Eddy delivered the Semi Final win!

For the first time ever, the Fort Lauderdale Yankees entered into tournament play and faired well as they completed round robin play with a 3-2 record to secure a playoff berth.  The Yanks advanced to the Quarterfinals by defeating the Susquehanna Valley Stampede by a score of 9-2 but ended up losing to the Asheville Diamondbacks (tournament champs) 14-1 in the Quarterfinals.

Another first timer to the tournament were the Boca Red Sox, managed by Eric Lyon & Shaun McAndrews, who entered into the very competitive 18+ National Division and represented well.  The team went 3-1 in round robin play to secure 2^nd place in the division but ended up losing to 2008 tournament champs, the St Pete Game Cocks 9-4 in the Semi’s.  The played some great ball over the weekend but had some bad defense in the playoff game, which would prove to be too costly.

The 4^th team to play in the Fall Classic were the Coral Gables Athletics, managed by Miguel Garcia, who was in search of their first national tournament championship.  2009 would not be the year for the A’s as they had their most disappointing tournament to date, finishing round robin play with a 1-2-1 record and not advancing to the playoffs for the first time in team history.

All in all, it was a great year for the SFBL at the Fall Classic as the league continues to prove that it has some of the most elite teams in the country! Congratulations to all the teams and players that participated in the tournament!  Please look for the Spring edition of the MSBL Hardball Magazine which features the Fall Classic and World Series tournaments.

For players interested in tournament play, please contact the league office or visit the MSBL national website, www.msblnational.com.  The next national tournament is the Disney Holiday Classic played in January.

It was a see-saw battle between two of the league’s best.  Congrats to both teams on great seasons.  To advance to the Championship, the Sox defeated the Lauderdale Reds while the A’s defeated the Miami Police Force.

The A’s will now square off against the Lee County Black Sox in search of their 4^th Hardball Championship.

For a more detailed tournament recap, go to the 2009 Florida Cup Page.

Tournament play continues to be most exciting hardball played for 18+.  The next tournament is the MSBL Fall Classic which is being held in Jupiter.  For further details, contact the SFBL League Office.

In the Master’s 35+ & Premier Divisions, four teams will advance to the playoffs.  The top overall 4 teams will advance to the playoffs (divisions aside) and will be seeded accordingly to overall records and the tie breaker system established in the SFBL Rules once the regular season is completed.  This is a change from last season when divisions did play a role in seeding.

In the Senior 25+ Division, the top four teams in each county will clinch a playoff berth. Once all positions are clinched, the teams will be ranked from 1 to 4 based on points in each county (refer to tie-breaker rules in the Rule Book accordingly).  The Quarterfinals will feature the #1 team facing the #4 team and the #2 and #3 teams facing each other in the other game.  The County Championship Game (Semi Finals) will consist of the winner of each quarter-final games. The Senior 25+ Division Championship Game will consist of the winner of each of the County Championship Games (Dade vs. Broward).  There is no change to this playoff format from last season.

2009 Florida Cup Page

After incredible work from players from these four teams on Coral Gables’ field, the Semi’s were played on Monday, 5/25/09 with the Dade Tigers defeating the Fort Myers Hitmen 2-1 and the defending champs, Coral Gables Athletics defeating the 2009 Disney Classic Champs, Team USA by a score of 4-2.  The Championship game between the Tigers and the A’s will be scheduled in the near future.  Stay tuned to the SFBL News for updates on the game.  For further tournament detail, go to the 2009 Miami Open Page.

Congratulations to all the teams who participated in the tournament.  It was one of the most competitive tournaments in recent years with all 6 teams playing some great baseball!  To learn more about playing in an SFBL or MSBL tournament, click on the SFBL Tournament Page.

2. Rosters – All rosters should already be uploaded onto the SFBL site.

3. Player of the Week – have been posted for the first 4 weeks – all league members and managers are encouraged to nominate players for this honor via email: sfbl@hotmail.com

4. Coaches’ Poll – Week 4 Coaches’ Poll has been posted.  Managers are also encouraged to submit their votes via email.

5. Stats – Managers or team representatives must submit player stats on a weekly basis.  Teams without stats will not be eligible for playoffs!!!

Tournament Contact Number – 305.663.2521 – Mickey Filippucci

For further information, go to the 2009 Miami Open Page

Espinosa pitched 6 strong innings, striking out 8.  Offensively, the Reds had many contributors to tack on the 14 runs.  Lincoln Moquette went 2-3 with 2 2Bs and also pitched the final 2 innings.  Galvis Romero got everything going for the Reds with a 3 run blast in the 1st.  And Joey Tejera andTim Hopkins each went 3-4 in the game.

The Brewers reached the championship despite losing the Dade County Championship Game to the Miami Blues.  Upon review from the League Office, it was determined that the Blues had used ineligible players in the playoffs and were disqualified.  In order to be eligible to play in the playoffs, League Rules state that each player must play in at least 4 regular season games.

It was absolutely phenomenal season for the Boca Red Sox who were 10-2 in their inaugural season in the Premier Division and then defeated theSouth Florida Zorros and Miami Police Force in the playoffs to advance to the Hardball Championship!

In the Master’s 35+ Division, four teams will end up in the playoffs.  The two division winners along with the two overall wildcard teams will advance to the semi-finals.  The overall best record is the #1 seed while the other division winner is the #2 seed.  The #3 and #4 seeds will be dependent on overall records.

The VASER Lipo Orioles have clinched the #1 seed with an impressive 11-1 regular season record.  The Broward Black Sox took home the American League division and will be the #2 seed while the Broward Braves with an 8-3-1 record will be the #3 seed.  At this time, one semi final game is set between the Braves and the Black Sox, but the other game is yet to be determined because the League Office has decided to allow for a wild-card playoff to determine the #4 seed.  The Lauderdale Dodgers will square off against the Kendall Metz on Sunday, February 15, 2009 to see who moves on to play the O’s in the semi-finals.  The winners of the semi-finals will move on to the championship!

In the Senior 25+ Division, the top four teams in each county will clinch a playoff berth. Once all positions are clinched, the teams will be ranked from 1 to 4 based on points in each county (refer to tie-breaker rules in the Rule Book accordingly).  The Quarterfinals will feature the #1 team facing the #4 team and the #2 and #3 teams facing each other in the other game.  The County Championship Game (Semi Finals) will consist of the winner of each quarter-final games. The Senior 25+ Division Championship Game will consist of the winner of each of the County Championship Games (Dade vs. Broward)

In Broward County, the top four seeds are set as the Lauderdale Reds are going into another playoff as the #1 seed with a 9-2 record and one game left.  The Fort Lauderdale Yankees clinched the #2 seed with an 8-2-2 record (Reds take tie breaker over Yankees with 2 head to head wins as both teams presently have 18 points).  The #3 seed belongs to the Pompano Brewers who had an impressive 6-6 record while the Coral Springs Tigersclinch the #4 seed with a 4-6-1 record and one game left.  The Quarterfinals will feature the Reds playing the Tigers while the Yankees host the Brewers.

In Dade County, things are still up in the air as the #1 seed will be determined after the final week of the regular season and the Miami Brewers (7-2-2, 16 points) and Miami Blues (8-1-2, 18 points) are both in contention for the top seed.  If the Blues win, they will clinch the #1 seed.  If they lose and the Brewers win, the tie breaker rule will be used as the teams tied in their only regular season match up.  As for the #3 and #4 seeds, the last regular season games will also determine these seeds between the Miami Marlins (3-7-1), Florida Yankees (2-9) and Miami Giants (1-7-1).

In the Premier Division, the top team in each division will clinch a playoff berth as well as the top 2 wild card teams from either division.  Once all positions are clinched, the teams will be ranked from 1 to 4 based on points (refer to tie-breaker rules in the Rule Book accordingly).  The Semi Finals will feature the #1 team facing the #4 team and the #2 and #3 teams facing each other in the other game.  The Championship Game will consist of the winner of each semi-final games.

The Premier Division Champ will then play the Fort Myers Hardball Champ in the Florida Hardball Championship.

At this time, the #1 and #2 seeds have been set while the final 2 seeds will be determined on the final week of the regular season.  The Boca Red Sox,with a very impressive 10-1 record, clinched the #1 seed while the division’s defending champs, the Coral Gables Athletics clinched #2 seed with a 7-2-2 record.  Both teams still have one regular season game left but the results will not have an effect on the seeding.  The final two playoff spots have been clinched however the seeding are yet to be determined as the Miami Police Force and Miami’s Band go into the final week with identical records (5-5-1) and with tie-breaker wins over the South Florida Zorros (#5 seed with 4-6-1 record).  The winner of the game between the Police and the Band will clinch the #3 seed and play the A’s in one semi-final game while the loser will play the Boca Red Sox in the other Semi-Final.

It should be a great end to another spectacular SFBL season.  The League Office wishes the best of luck to all teams as they go into the playoffs in search of an SFBL crown.

The SFBL would like to congratulate all the teams and players who participated in the tournament and represented the league so well.

http://www.scorebook.com/holidayclassic

The Zorros, managed by Atilio Ambrosio, played in the 18+ National division and went 2-1 in round robin competition before losing to the eventual champs in the Semi Finals.  The team has played in multiple classics in the past and has one championship in its trophy case.

Both the Nationals, managed by Paul Guelmes, and the Bridesmaids, managed by Miguel Garcia, played in the 18+ American Division and posted 3-1 round robin records.  Both teams had been finalists in past classics, but were yet to bring home a championship.  The Bridesmaids entered the playoffs as the #2 overall seed but were ousted by the Georgia Barons in the quarterfinals.  The Nationals went deeper in the playoffs as they advanced to the semi-finals after defeating the Indianapolis Dodgers in the quarterfinals but would also go home disappointed after losing to the eventual champs, the St Pete Gamecocks.

The SFBL wants to congratulate all the teams and their respective managers for the excellent showing at the tournament.  Tournament competition is truly a step above regular season play.

The next national tournament is the 2009 Disney Holiday Classic played at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports in January (MLK weekend: 1/16-1/19/08).  All interested teams or players, should contact the league office immediately as teams are forming quickly.

You can submit your votes/nominations via email to sfbl@hotmail.com

For team registration, the minimum team fee is based on 13 paid players.  There is no roster cap, however, and additional players must also pay the full fee.   To begin the registration process, team managers must first call the League Office at 305.663.2521 to request clearance for any proposed team name.  Once the team name is approved, the team manager will be assigned a User ID and Password.  Next, the team manager must load the team roster into the SFBL database.  Finally, the team manager must submit the completely signed team liability waiver form along with appropriate full payment of registration fees to the league office.  Team Registration Deadline is September 13, 2008 and full team payment must be received by September 22, 2008….No Exceptions.  Teams will not be scheduled without full payment.

You can find all the appropriate forms on the Fall 2008 Season Page!

Master’s Division:  The Miami B-Top Orioles (7-4-1) will square off against the Broward Black Sox (8-4) in one semifinal game while theBroward Cardinals (5-7) will play the Broward Orioles (9-3).  The Broward Cardinals won their final regular season game to clinch a playoff berth and will face the #1 seeded Broward Orioles, who their regular season match-up 15-2.  In the only match-up between B-Top and the Black Sox, the Orioles won 7-1.  The Sox, however, are carrying a 3 game winning streak into the playoffs as they look the challenge the 3-time Champs!

Premier Division: The Miami Nationals (10-2) come into the playoffs with the top record and will play the Coral Gables Athletics (6-6) in one semi-final game.  The A’s won both of the two regular season games, giving the Nats their only two loses.  The Nats will definitely look to avenge those loses.  The Miami’s Band (7-5) took the 2nd seed and will face the Miami Police Force (6-3-1).  The Force won the only regular season match up by a score of 13-1, but the Band is carrying a 3-game winning streak and defeated the South Florida Sea Dogs in their final regular season game to clinch the 2nd seed.  The winner of the Premier Division will play the Fort Myers Hitmen in the Florida Hardball Championship which will be played in Fort Myers this Season since the San Carlos All Stars won the Championship last season!

Senior Division:  The Senior division has all the teams clinched in both counties, but final seedings and games will be determined during the final week of the regular season, August 17.  In Broward County, Lauderdale Reds have clinched 1st place with a 8-2-1 record while the Coral Springs Tigersand Boca Red Sox await a final game to determine the 2nd and 3rd seed.  The Fort Lauderdale Yankees clinched the 4th seed.  In Dade County, theMiami Brewers clinched the #1 seed with a 10-1 record.  The Kendall Mariners and Miami Braves are battling for the 2nd seed, while the Florida Yankees clinched the 4th seed.

Adult 18+ Open Division: The Broward Mets finished atop this division with an 8-4 record while playing teams in all 4 divisions. The Mets will play the Senior Division Champs in a special Championship Game!

Senior 25+ Division: The top four teams in each county will clinch a playoff berth. Once all positions are clinched, the teams will be ranked from 1 to 4 based on points in each county (refer to tie-breaker rules in the Rule Book accordingly).  The Quarterfinals will feature the #1 team facing the #4 team and the #2 and #3 teams facing each other in the other game.  The County Championship Game (Semi Finals) will consist of the winner of each quarter-final games. The Senior 25+ Division Championship Game will consist of the winner of each of the County Championship Games (Dade vs. Broward)

Adult 18+ Open Division: The SFBL will play a special championship game between the winner of the Senior 25+ Division and the Adult 18+ Open Division’s top team, the Broward Mets.  The game will be played the week immediately following the Senior 25+ Division Championship Game.

The tournament wrapped up on Monday, May 26, 2008 in classic fashion as the Coral Gables Athletics, managed by Miguel Garcia, defeated theFort Myers Hitmen 6-5 with a walk-off single to left field from Matt Stubbs in the bottom of the ninth.  The game was a see-saw battle between two teams who played each other 3 times in a matter of a week.  After the Hitmen, managed by Grey Huber, took an early 2-0 lead, the A’s battled back to take the lead in the 3rd and never look back.  Behind tournament MVP, Jason Privett, the A’s battled and stopped a late Hitmen rally to capture their first SFBL Tournament Championship.  Privett pitched two 9 inning complete games in the tournament to earn MVP honors.

To advance to the Championship, the A’s, who finished a perfect 5-0 on the weekend, defeated the Miami Nationals 7-6 in the Semi’s.  The Nationals, advanced to the playoffs after coming back from a 3-run deficit against the Miami Red Sox in the final inning of round robin play!!!  The Hitmen defeated the Orlando All-Stars 11-1 in the other Semi Final to advance to the Championship.  The All-Stars had the #1 seed in the National Division going into the playoffs after posting a 2-0-1 record.

The League would like to congratulate the A’s on a phenomenal weekend and to all the teams that participated in the tournament.  Tournament play is the pinnacle of Senior Baseball League competition and all teams and league members are encouraged to participate.  The next local Florida Hardball tournament is the Florida Cup which is held in South Florida during Labor Day Weekend in September.  Stay tuned to the SFBL website for details!

Teams already showing interest include: South Florida Mets, Fort Myers Hitmen, Orlando All-Stars, Coral Gables Athletics and the Miami Red Sox.

All teams and individual players who are interested in playing are encouraged to contact the league office immediately at 305.663.2521.

You can submit your votes/nominations via email to sfbl@hotmail.com

The SFBL features the best local hardball talent playing baseball on Sundays on the best fields that South Florida has to offer along with college umpiring.  The league’s website is also second to none featuring real time stats (individual player leaderboards and team standings) and scheduling updates.

The League is proud to welcome the Broward Black Sox to Masters’ 35+ Division, and the West Palm Beach Bombers, Kendall Mariners andMiami Braves to the Senior 25+ Division.  The League is also welcoming back the Miami Nationals and South Florida Sea Dogs to the Premier Division!

Good Luck to all the teams this season and ………… PLAY BALL!

After holding off the Miami’s Band in a 1-run thriller in the 9th of the Semi’s, the Miami Red Sox, managed by Mickey Filippucci, won their 4th SFBL Championship as they defeated the Coral Gables Athletics 3-1.  The game would prove to be a thriller as two of the league’s aces battled out and Jade McCrystal took the win for the Sox over Jaime Cruz.  Each hurler pitched complete games, but it was McCrystal who was able to fend off the A’s who had an incredible 11-1 regular season and then defeated the Miami Police Force 11-1 in the Semi’s.

After winning the Premier Division, the Red Sox traveled to Fort Myers for the Hardball Championship to take on the San Carlos All Stars who swept the Fort Myers Hitmen in their best of three Championship Series.  Unfortunately, the Sox could not complete the feat as they lost to the All-Stars 8-3.

Senior 25+ Division:

For the first time in their team’s history, the Boca Red Sox won a SFBL Championship.  Managed by Eric Lyon, the Red Sox defeated the Miami Brewers 14-0 in the Championship Game.  Josh Remondelli was outstanding in his pitching performance as he pitched 6 innings of shutout ball to lead the way.  Shaun McAndrews, the division’s MVP and regular season batting champ who broke the single season hit record with 26 hits led the way on the offensive attack with a 2-3 performance, hitting a home run and a double while driving in 3 runs.

To get to the Championship Game, the Sox had to defeat the Deerfield White Sox in quarterfinal play which they did 17-1 and then the Lauderdale Reds in the Broward County Championship by a score of 9-6.  This game would prove to be the most difficult for the Sox as they came from behind and defeated the Reds after being down 5 runs early.  The Reds had advanced to the Championship after defeating the Fort Lauderdale Yankees 13-6 in the quarterfinals.

The Miami Brewers, managed by Steve Medina, had a fantastic Fall 2007 Season as they finished the season with an 8-4 record and also had a good showing at the MSBL Disney Classic where they made the Semi-Finals.  The Brewers advanced to the Senior Championship after defeating the Dade Pirates 14-3 in the Dade County Championship behind a complete game performance from Rob Ureta who also homered in the game.

Masters’ 35+ Division:

In what is proving to be a great rivalry, the Miami B-Top Orioles defeated the Southern Yankees 2-0 to capture their 4th SFBL Championship!!!  The Orioles and Yankees (3-time SFBL Champs) have met in the last three Championship Games and had split the last two seasons.  This season would prove to be the Orioles who defeated the Yankees in their only regular season contest as both teams ended their regular seasons with a 9-3 record.

In the Championship Game, the Orioles had a combined shutout performance from Jesus Alfonso and Alex Alvarez to defeat the Yankees.  The Orioles, managed by Emilio Barron , advanced to the Championship after defeating the Fort Lauderdale Orioles 14-4 behind the offensive attacks of Dan Davila (3-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI) and Placido Estevez (2-4, 2-run HR, 3 R).  The Southern Yankees defeated the Miami Pirates 14-7 behind a complete game from Joe Feller.

Master’s Division:  The Southern Yankees (9-3) will square off against the Miami Pirates (6-6) in one semifinal game while the Miami Orioles (9-3) will play the Fort Lauderdale Orioles (7-5).  The Miami Orioles and Fort Lauderdale Orioles split their two season match-up but the Fort Lauderdale squad is coming into the game with a 3-game winning streak.  In the only match-up between the Yankees and the Pirates, the Yankees won 7-3.  These games should prove to be competitive with the winners advancing to the Master’s Division Championship Game.  The Southern Yankees are back-to-back defending Champs (3-overall) while the Miami Orioles are 2-time Champs and were finalists in last season’s game.

Senior Division:  In Dade County, only a Championship Game will be played which will see the Dade Pirates (10-1-1) take on the Miami Brewers (8-4).  The Pirates won only their match-up between these teams on 2/3/08 by a score of 16-3.  In Broward County, there are still a couple of games to be played to finish off the regular season, but the semifinals are set.  The Boca Red Sox (11-1) ended up with the top seeding in the division and will play the Deerfield White Sox (6-6).  The Red Sox swept the regular season meetings with the White Sox.  The other semi-final game will see the Lauderdale Reds (8-3) square off against the Fort Lauderdale Yankees (7-4).  This is a great rivalry which saw the teams split their regular season matchups.

Premier Division: The Coral Gables Athletics (11-1) come into the playoffs with the top record and will play the Miami Police Force (6-6) in one semi-final game.  The A’s won both of the two regular season games.  The Miami Red Sox (6-4) will play the Miami’s Band (8-3) in the other semi-final game.  The teams split their regular season match-ups with each game being very competitive.  The winner of the Premier Division will play the San Carlos All-Stars in the Florida Hardball Championship which will be played in Fort Myers this Season since the Fort Myers Hitmen won the Championship last season!

Premier Division: The Coral Gables Athletics (11-0) have clinched the #1 seed in the division while the newcomers to the division, Miami’s Band,has clinched the #2 seed.  The final two seeds also appears to be a battle between three teams as the Miami Police Force (2-6) are trying to catch up to the Miami Red Sox (4-2) and the SouthCom Mariners (4-2).  There are a lot of games left for these three teams and head to head match ups will be crutial!

Senior 25+ Division: In Broward County, the Boca Red Sox appear to be the team to beat as they are 8-1 but are yet to clinch the #1 seed in the county as the Lauderdale Reds have also only lost 1 game, with a 5-1 record.  The National Division in Broward County is also up for grabs as theDeerfield White Sox (4-5) trail the Fort Lauderdale Yankees (5-3) by only 2 points with 3-4 games left.  The Coral Springs Tigers will have to pull off a big string of wins to get themselves back into the playoff race.

In Dade County, there appears to be a three way battle for the #1 seed as only 3 points divides three teams.  The Miami Brewers are leading the way with an 8-1 record, but the Dade Pirates (6-1-1) and newcomers, Dade Tigers (6-2-1) are not too far behind.  The Miami Rays and Florida Yankees are only 2 points apart with 3 games left in search of the final playoff spot in Dade County.

Senior 25+ Division: The top team in each division from each county will clinch a playoff berth as well as the top 2 wild card teams from either division.  Once all positions are clinched, the teams will be ranked from 1 to 4 based on points in each county (refer to tie-breaker rules in the Rule Book accordingly).  The Quarterfinals will feature the #1 team facing the #4 team and the #2 and #3 teams facing each other in the other game.  The County Championship Game (Semi Finals) will consist of the winner of each quarter-final games. The Senior 25+ Division Championship Game will consist of the winner of each of the County Championship Games (Dade vs. Broward)

Team managers are requested to load their new season rosters into the computer software system asap.

In the Masters Division, the Miami Orioles pounded the Kendall Metz 20 -11, while the Miramar Blue Jays took out the Broward Cardinals 20 – 12.  The Blue Jays advance to the semifinal game versus the defending champions, Southern Yankees, while the Orioles take on the Perrine Monarchs in the other semifinal game.

The Broward County Senior Division quarterfinals start the following week, August 5, with the wild card game between the Coral Springs Tigers and the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees.  Also scheduled for that day is the quarterfinal game between the Boca Red Sox and the defending champions Lauderdale Reds.  Also on August 5 is the Dade County championship as well as one Premier Division semifinal game between the Southcom Mariners and Miami Police Force.  In the Masters Division, two quarterfinal games are scheduled between Broward Cardinals and Miramar Blue Jays in one game and the Kendall Metz and the Miami Orioles in the other.

A managers meeting is set for Thursday night March 8, 2007 at Don Shula’s Hotel.  Please contact the league office with any questions at 305.663.2521.

To state it simply, the South Florida Baseball League has just become an independent league.  As of January 1, 2007, the South Florida Baseball League officially ended its ties with the national organization, Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL), based out of Melville, New York.  This was due to a simple business decision.  The league was not getting enough value for the affiliation dues it’s been paying for the past 15 years.  This change will not affect you, the local ball player, in any way.

The South Florida Baseball League will continue to operate as usual – running two seasons per year as well as hosting two annual statewide tournaments each year – the Miami Open (Memorial Day) and the Florida Cup (Labor Day).  With visiting teams from New York, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Palm Beach, to name a few, the tournaments always prove to be dynamite.  Next season, Spring 2007, will be our 30^th consecutive season of operation – and our 16^th year of operation!  Our Spring 2007 Season commences March 18 so be ready to put on those spikes again.  Opening Day is right around the corner.

I like to think that what we have down here is some “pretty good” Florida Hardball.  On that note, I would like to formally introduce you to our West Coast sister league, called Fort Myers Hardball, which operates in the West Coast, namely Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Spring, and Naples.  Rapidly becoming a great rivalry, the West Coast champions play for the Florida Hardball Championship against the East Coast champions (SFBL) at the end of each season.  This added dimension only adds to the excitement of playing Florida Hardball.

I thank you for your loyalty and support – it is much appreciated.  I remain committed to making the SFBL along with our Florida Hardball brand one of the best adult baseball leagues in the country.

Sincerely, Mickey Filippucci

Team managers or team representatives arealso encouraged to email their votes on a weekly basis to the League Office for the Coaches’ Poll.

Email Player of the Week nominations and your votes for the Coaches’ Poll to sfbl@hotmail.com

In the MSBL 25+ Senior Division, the SFBL witnessed a newcomer to the league go 7-3-1 in the regular season and then roll off three consecutive wins with a thrilling Championship Game to win the SFBL Championship!  The Coral Springs Royals, managed by Vinnie Birrittieri, defeated theMiami Nationals 7-6 in the Championship Game with a 3-run walk-off home run from Jack Steinberg! Division MVP, Andrew Medina, earned the victory, pitching the first seven innings of the game and then closing out the ninth in a pitcher re-entry move.  The game was truly a memorable game that will be put away in the books.  The Royals made it to the Championship Game by defeating the Lauderdale Reds 6-5 in the 10th inning of the Quarterfinals and then defeating the Fort Lauderdale Yankees 20-11 in the Semi-Finals.  The Nationals, managed by JJ Sanchez, had another incredible regular season going 11-1 (their only loss being a forfeit loss) and then defeating the Miami Dade Mets 7-6 in the Quarterfinals and then Pro 5 Sports by a score of 8-3 in the Semi’s.  The Miami Wolverines and Boca Red Sox were also quarterfinalists this past season.  Great feats for both teams as they are both relative newcomers!

In the MABL 18+ Adult Division, another newcomer to the league won the Championship as the Havana Braves, led by their dominant left handed pitcher Bobbie Medio, defeated the Miami Rockies 5-1 in the Championship Game.  The Rockies were defending their Championship from one season ago and had another great season going 7-3.

In the Premier 18+ Division, a familiar face, the Coral Gables Athletics, managed by Miguel Garcia, had once again reached the Championship Game in search of back-to-back championships and their 3rd overall.  However, they ran into Rey’s Pizza, managed by Peter Chao, and led by the powerful left handed arm of Juan Prado and the powerful bat of Jose Cano.  Rey’s Pizza defeated the A’s 8-2 in the Championship Game.  It was their 4th consecutive win over the A’s after defeating them twice in the regular season and once in the Semi Finals of the Miami Open.  The A’s were ahead in the game 2-1 going into the 6th, however, the Pizza Men’s bats woke up and took the lead and never looked back.  To reach the Championship Game, Rey’s Pizza defeated the South Florida Angels and A’s defeated the Broward Trojans.

Overall, it was another great SFBL season with great playoff runs.  The League would like to congratulate all of the teams who won their division along with all the playoff teams!

The League Office would like to thank all the teams and players who participated in the tournament and encourage all league members to go to the next level of senior league play….tournament play!

The Premier Division will see the most change as several of the top 25+ teams including the Miami Nationals, Miami Red Sox, Kendall Reds andMiami Police Force will move into the division.  The South Florida Sea Dogs will also resume play in the SFBL as they return to the Premier Division.  The newcomers to the division will try to take down the two playoff teams that remain in the Premier Division, the Coral Gables Athleticsand the Broward Trojans.

The MSBL 25+ Senior Division will continue to be divided by county with several teams changing names along with several new teams to the league.  The SFBL welcomes the Boca Marlins to the league.  The Miami Dade Giants were the Miami Industriales in the 18+ and have now moved up to 25+.  The long-time Miami Braves are now the Miami Phillies and the Broward Bull Dogs return to the league after a short hiatus.

In the MABL 18+ Adult Division, the SFBL welcomes the Sox South.  The former Florida Marlins will now be known as the South Florida Beach Bums.

In the MSBL 35+ Senior Division, the SFBL welcomes the Boynton Beach Blue Jays to the league.

The League Office is really excited to have the Season underway and wishes all the teams the best of luck!

MABL 18+ Division:

The Havana Braves are leading the charge for the playoff BYE.  Despite a recent loss to the Miami Rockies, who are 3 points behind, the Braves are leading the way with 13 points with 3 games to go.  The 3rd place spot is also a race as the Florida Marlins look to return to the playoffs, but they will have to hold off the Bayamo Rebels who are 2 points back

MSBL 28+ Division:

In Broward County, the Lauderdale Reds are once again atop their division, one loss better than the Boca Red Sox who had an incredible regular season.  In the National League, the Coral Springs Royals are #1 in their division and their is a tight race for #2 between the Deerfield White Sox and Fort Lauderdale Yankees. 1 point is all that divides the two! It will come down to the last few regular season games.

In Dade County, the defending Champs, Miami Nationals have once again posted an impressive regular season going 9-1 thus far and are atop their division. Newcomers, the Miami Wolverines, are trying to hold off the Kendall Reds for the #2 spot in the division. In the National League, the Pro 5 Sports have clinched the #1 seed and it seems that the Miami Dade Mets are going to be able to hold off the Miami Red Sox unless they lose their final game and the Red Sox win two in a row which will result in a tie.

Masters’ 38+ Division:

This is the only division that has been all but determined as the Miami Orioles have clinched the #1 seed and the first round BYE.  The Broward Cardinals will square off against the Southern Yankees in the Semi’s.  Still to be determined is who will be home team in the Semi’s as the Broward Cardinals have to finish their regular season games.

It will definitely be a great couple of weeks!!!

In the Masters’ 38+ Senior Division, the #1 seed will have a 1st round BYE as the #2 and #3 teams play a Semi Final game to then play a Championship Game vs the #1 team.

Team managers or team representatives arealso encouraged to email their votes on a weekly basis to the League Office for the Coaches’ Poll.

Email Player of the Week nominations and your votes for the Coaches’ Poll to sfbl@hotmail.com

There is also a change for the Championship Teams!  Each Championship Team will be invited to the Season Awards Banquet which has been held at Little Hoolie’s the past two seasons.  Each player attending the Banquet from the team is provided with $20 to spend at the Bar/Grill.  The team will then be presented with its Championship Trophy.  Finally, the team will be awarded with a $250 prize.  The $250 can go toward the next season’s fee or to provide the team with awards, such as jackets, hats, plaques, etc. 

As mentioned above, the League has held the Awards Banquet for the past two seasons at Little Hoolie’s Sports Bar and Grill (in front of the Falls Shopping Center).  Baseball is mixed with Rock N Roll for the night as the crowd enjoys the music of Headfirst!  Championship Teams and League MVPs are presented with their awards and the entire league is invited!

Changes to the schedule will be posted accordingly.

The Coral Gables Athletics, coming off a 9-3 regular season, won their 2nd Premier Division Championship as they defeated the Fort Lauderdale Mets 17-7.  They followed this up by defeating the Naples Cubs (Fall 2005 Fort Myers MABL Champs) 11-8 in the first ever Southern Florida Championship!  Carrying the A’s were the Division’s Co-MVP’s Ricky Cespedes and Luis Cabral.  The A’s made it to the Championship game by defeating the UM Knights in an incredible pitching duo, 1-0.  The Mets, defending Premier Division champs, defeated the Broward Trojans to make it to the Championship Game.

MABL 18+ Adult Division

The Miami Rockies, led by strong pitching from John Emmons, won their first SFBL Championship, defeating the Florida Marlins 11-3.  The Rockies, who went 8-3-1 in the regular season earned a first round BYE.  The Marlins, playing in their inaugural season, defeated the South Florida Gators, the defending champs, in the semi-finals to reach the Championship Game

MSBL 28+ Senior Division

One team seemed to separate themselves from all the others this season and that was the Miami Nationals, who went 11-1 in the regular season!  Led offensively by skipper JJ Sanchez (.528 BA) and 1B/OF Siby Vizoso (.529) and the strong pitching of Jose Machado and Rolando Viera, the Nats rolled through the playoffs where they finally defeated the Broward Red Sox.  The Red Sox had a great run as they were led by Nestor Moreno who led the league with a .714 BA.  The Red Sox defeated the up and coming powerhouse Boca Red Sox 5-4 in the Broward County Championship Game to make it to the Finals.  The Nats defeated the Miami Police Force to make it to the Finals.

Masters’ 38+ Senior Division

Story Pending!

Premier Division: Rey’s Pizza, South Florida Angels and Miami Cardinals (returning team from 2004)

MABL 18+: South Florida Cubs, Havana Braves, Bayamo Rebels and the Navegantes (formerly Industriales/Weston Blue Jays)

MSBL 25+: Broward: Miramar Marlins, Deerfield White Sox, Coral Springs Royals and Fort Lauderdale Orioles (moved down from 35+) Dade: Kendall Metz, Miami’s Band (formerly Miami Leones), and Miami Wolverines

Masters’ 35+: Southern Yankees (returning team from Spring 2005)

The League Office would like to welcome all of the new and returning teams and wish them great success this coming season!

Changes for the Spring 2006 Season:

1. The 28+ and 38+ age divisions have been changed to 25+ and 35+, respectively in conjunction with changes made at the national MSBL level.  A player is eligible if he is 24 but turning 25 during 2006.  Same is true for 34 year olds turning 35 in 2006.

2. $50 fines will be issued for players who are ejected from a game.  Ejected players must serve the mandatory one game suspension AND pay a $50 fine prior to being reinstated for league play.

3. $100 fines will be issued to teams who either forfeit a game or cancel a game within 24 hours of their scheduled game time.  The team must pay the fine prior to returning to action on the field.

Premier Division Seedings

1. Coral Gables Athletics (9-3)

2. Broward Trojans (8-4)

3. Fort Lauderdale Mets (6-4-1)

4. UM Knights (5-6)

In the MABL 18+ Adult Division, the #1 seed will have a 1st round BYE as the #2 and #3 teams play a Semi Final game to then play a Championship Game vs the #1 team.

MABL 18+ Adult Division Seedings

1. Miami Rockies (8-3-1)

2. South Florida Gators (7-5)

3. Florida Marlins (5-4-2)

In the MSBL 28+ Senior Division, the #1 seed will square off against the #4 seed (in each county) and the #2 seed will play the #3 seed the Quarter Finals.  The winners will face each other in the Semi Finals (County Championship).  The County Champions will then play each other in the MSBL 28+ Senior Division Championship Game!

MSBL 28+ Senior Division Seedings

The Masters’ 38+ Division Playoff Format will be announced shortly!

Congratulations to all the teams who made the playoffs and good luck!

Teams will begin to be formed on February 13, 2006.  The league fee for the Spring 2006 Season is $220 per player (cash, checks and credit cards are accepted – no amex).  All new players are asked to print out the player registration form below and mail it into the League Office along with the registration fee as soon as possible.  Upon receipt, you will be placed into the SFBL Player Pool and assigned to a team by age, city of residence and fielding position.  For more immediate attention about joining a team, contact the League Office at 305.663.2521.

There are also two local tournaments which are played annually, the Miami Open held during Memorial Day Weekend in May and the Florida Cupheld during Labor Day Weekend in September.  Please visit the SFBL Tournament Page for more info!

The South Florida Mets, defending Miami Open and Florida Cup Champs and led by Attilio Ambrosio, competed in the 18+ National Division and made it to the Semi-Finals where they were once again eliminated by the Southern Maryland Assault.  The Mets lost to the Assault last year in the Championship Game and defeated them 2 years ago for a Fall Classic Championship.

The Miami Nationals (Mont Blanc Nationals) competed in the 18+ American Division.  Managed by JJ Sanchez and defending Summer League Champs, the Nats made it to the Quarterfinals where they were knocked out of the tournament by the A’s in a memorable game between two of the top SFBL teams.

The Miami Red Sox, managed by Mickey Filippucci, played in the 28+ division where they went 3-2 in round robin play and qualifying for the  playoffs by beating a previously undefeated defending champion Maryland Monarchs team.  Alas, the Sox ran into a minor leaguer southpaw and ended up losing in the Quarterfinals.  Last, but not least, the South Florida Sea Dogs, managed by Steve Rogers and who still hold the MSBL record with 5 National Tournament Championships, played in the ultra-competitive 28+ National Division and went 3-3 in the round robin before losing in the Quarterfinals.

The SFBL extends its congratulations to all five teams for their success in the national tournament.

For league members who have not played in a local SFBL or national MSBL tournament, this is what senior league baseball is all about.  It is a step above the regular Sunday league play, allowing you to play in some of the finest fields locally and around the country against some of the best competition!

The next national tournaments are the Disney Holiday Classic in January 2006 at Disney’s Wild World of Sports and the Las Vegas Kickoff Classic in March 2006.  The SFBL plans on sending teams to each of these tournaments.  If your team is interested or if you are a single player who is interested, the league asks that you contact the League Office immediately at 305.663.2521.

There are also two local tournaments which are played annually, the Miami Open held during Memorial Day Weekend in May and the Florida Cupheld during Labor Day Weekend in September.  Please visit the SFBL Tournament Page for more info!

This time around, last Sunday cancelled (October 23rd) due to the arrival of Hurricane Wilma.  The upcoming Sunday, Oct. 30, is being cancelled because of the heavy damage the hurricane inflicted on South Florida.  We have light poles down and fences blown in on most fields.  Plus, with no power, no auto fuel and no telecom, league players are in no condition to play ball this Sunday.  Stay tuned for a revised schedule, but the bottom line to the season schedule is:  get ready to play in January!

Exact Dates:  18+: November 4-7, 2005

                     28+: November 7-12, 2005

If there are any teams or players interested in playing in the Fall Classic, please contact the League Office immediately at 305.663.2521.  Presently, the League will be sending five teams: South Florida Mets, South Florida Sea Dogs, Coral Gables Athletics, Miami Nationals and Miami Red Sox. 

Link to Tournament Page

Premier Division: Broward Trojans

MABL Adult 18+: Florida Marlins

MSBL Senior 28+: Lighthouse Point Pirates, Broward Bull Dogs, Miami Braves and Miami Nationals

Masters’ 38+: Miramar Latinos

Teams Changing Places: Southern Yankees (Masters)

Fall 2005 Season – Manager Reminders:

1. Rosters must be uploaded with all player information (DOB, address, phone numbers) prior to Game 1 to allow the SFBL to properly register players with the MSBL National Office.
2. Scores must be posted by end of business day, Monday.
3. Stats must be loaded by end of business day, Wednesday.  Teams who do not post stats will not be eligible for playoffs!
4. Coaches’ poll votes must be emailed to sfbl@hotmail.com by end of business day, Wednesday.  Visit Coaches’ Poll page for specs.

Player of the Week

All SFBL managers and players are encouraged to email your player of the week nominations to sfbl@hotmail.com on a weekly basis.  All nominations will be posted on the Player of the Week page and the Player of Week will be featured on the home page banner as well as the Player of the Weekpage.

Please include the player’s full name, team name and stats for that week in the email.  If all the information is not provided, the player’s stats will not be considered.

The Mets, who went 2-1 in the round robin, were led by great pitching and hitting and made it to the Championship Game by defeating the Seminoles in the Semi Finals.  The Seminoles went 2-0-1 in the round robin to make it to the playoffs, but the Mets proved too much for them.  The Mets squared off against the surprise of the Florida Cup, the Miami Red Sox, who featured a mixed MABL 18+ division team.  The Red Sox first surprised the Coral Gables Athletics in the final round robin game to displace the A’s from reaching the playoffs and then defeated the Fort Lauderdale Mets, premier division champs and undefeated in the round robin, by a score of 7-6 to reach the Championship.

In the Championship Game, the Mets took an early 3-1 lead and opened the game wide open in the 8^th and 9^th innings to bring home another tournament Championship by a final score of 9-1.  The SFBL would like to congratulate the South Florida Mets and Attilio on a great performance and would like to thank all the teams who participated for a great weekend of baseball.

Cy Young: John Gawron, UM Knights

MABL 18+:     MVP/Cy Young: Mike North, Kendall Marlins

MSBL 28+:     MVP: Richie Rivera, Lauderdale Reds

Cy-Young: Lincoln Moquette

Masters 38+:  MVP: Eric Young, Broward Cardinals

Cy-Young: Pending

MABL 18+ Adult: The South Florida Gators led by manager Cesar Ronda won their first SFBL Championship.  Cesar changed team names and that proved to the trick…his pitching late in the season didn’t hurt them either.  The Gators, who started the season 1-4-1 ended their season strong and defeated the Kendall Marlins in a tight 9-7 battle in the Semi-Finals before jumping all over the Miami Industriales 15-0 in the Championship Game.  The Industriales beat the South Beach Bombers in the Semi’s to reach the Championship Game.  The Gators were also led offensively byAlbert Carmenates who led the league in base hits and runs scored during the regular season.

MSBL 28+ Senior: A battle for the ages emerged in the MSBL 28+ as two teams quite familiar to the playoffs met in the Championship Game that will go down as one the best played MSBL games in SFBL history.  In the end, the Lauderdale Reds (10 playoff appearances, 2 championships going into the season), managed by Gary Lazarus and led by their Cy-Young Winner, Lincoln Moquette defeated the Perrine Monarchs (13 playoff appearances, 4 championships going into the season) 2-0 in the Championship Game.  The game was a true pitching gem and there was also some great defense play.  The Reds reached the Championship Game by defeating the Fort Lauderdale Yankees in the Quarterfinals and Broward Red Sox in the Broward County Championship.  Offensively, the Reds were led by Richie Rivera who led the league in base hits (27) and home runs (3) and was named the Division’s MVP.  The Monarchs reached the Championship Game by defeating the Pro 5 Sports 15-5 in the Quarterfinals and theKendall Reds in a 4-3 Dade County Championship thriller.

Masters’ 38+: The Championship Game between the Miami Mariners and Fort Lauderdale Angels is pending.

Reminder:  Top team in each bracket advances to playoffs plus next two best wild card teams (Masters Division – top team in each division only).

The team entry fee is fixed at $1,430, regardless of roster size.  The individual player fee is $110 ($114.40 for credit card payments).  To join, simply mail in the player registration form along with your payment.

Link to 2005 Summer League Page

The Hitmen, led by Grayson Huber, made it to the Championship Game by going 2-1 in round-robin play and then defeating the Fort Lauderdale SuperStars 5-4 in a rain shortened Semifinal game which saw the Hitmen overcome an early 4-1 deficit.

The Mets, led by Attilio Ambrosio, went 3-0 in round-robin play and outscored its opponents 30-7.  They then defeated the Miami Lakes Red Sox4-3 in another rain-shortened semifinal game.  This game also was a come from behind victory as the Mets overcame an early 3-0 deficit.

In the Championship Game, the Mets took an early 4-1 lead, but the Hitmen would come from behind and pull within one run in the bottom of the ninth, but the mighty Mets held on for their 2nd straight Miami Open Crown!  Congratulations to the Mets and Hitmen for great tournament play.  The League Office would like to also thank the paritcipating teams for their hard work and excellent play.

For future tournaments, go to the SFBL Tournament Page

Link to Fort Myers League Home Page

As is customary, the League will have a League team for those SFBL players who would like to play in the tournament.  The League Office is requesting that all interested teams and players contact the League Office immediately at 305.663.2521.

For the Premier, MABL 18+ & MSBL 28+ Divisions:

1. 4 teams in each division will make the playoffs.
2. The top team in each bracket will make the playoffs.
3. The two remaining spots will be determined using wild card format allowing the teams with the best records to make the playoffs (This would allow for three teams from one division to make the playoffs)
4. In the MSBL 28+ Division, 8 teams will actually make the playoffs because of the division into Dade and Broward county.

For the Masters’ 38+ Divison:

1. The one team with the best record receives an automatic BYE and a Championship Game berth.
2. The remaining 4 teams will battle for 2 wild card spots and will play in a first round playoff game with the winner advancing to the Championship Game.

After posting an initial Pre-Season Coaches Poll on 3/2/05, a Week 3 Poll was posted this week taking into account all the votes and most current records.  Team managers are encouraged to email their votes on a weekly basis to the League Office.

Email Player of the Week nominations and your votes for the Coaches’ Poll to sfbl@hotmail.com

The first team featured were the South Florida Mets who failed to defend their 2003 Fall Classic Championship, losing a heart breaker to Southern Maryland.  Their game was the first MSBL game played at the Phillies’ new Spring Training stadium, Brighthouse Network Field.  One of the top SFBL pitchers, CJ Hufman was captured in one of the pictures.

The second story featured the Championship Game between the Daytona Beach Rangers and Coral Gables Athletics. The A’s could not complete a perfect tournament as their only loss in the tournament was to the Rangers by a score of 9-1.  Featured on the page were Jason Privett, the A’s ace and 3-time SFBL Cy-Young Winner and Denis Pujals, who is seen hitting but was one of the A’s starting pitchers.

The final story showed off the most famous of the SFBL teams, the South Florida Sea Dogs who were going after their 6th Fall Classic Championship.  They already hold the record with 5 National Tournament Championships.  The story went ahead and declared them a dynasty!  The League Office must commend Steve Rogers for forming such a strong tournament squad over the years.  Featured in the pictures was Jim Eddy, the Dogs leadoff hitter and SS who had a great tournament with the Dogs and also played with the SF Mets, the weekend prior.

Congratulations to all the teams!

The SFBL once again encourages all League Teams and Players to get involved in tournaments, locally and abroad.  The competition is a step above the rest and it really is a bunch of fun!  Visit the SFBL Tournament Page or contact the League Office via email for more info, sfbl@hotmail.com

Players – if you do not see yourself in the Leaderboards and believe that you should be there, check your team stats.  The reason is probably because your manager has not loaded the stats. 

Managers and players are also encouraged to nominate players on a weekly basis for Player of the Week.  The League would like to recognize those players who had great achievements, but participation was low last season.  Please email your nominations every week to sfbl@hotmail.com

Managers are also encouraged to participate in the Weekly Coaches’ Poll.  Email your Top 5 Teams each week to sfbl@hotmail.com.  The votes will be counted and reported accordingly.

Thank you for all your help and have a great season!

The League congratulated the Fall 2004 Champions –

Masters’ – Southern Yankees

MSBL 28+ – Miami Police Force

MABL 18+ – SouthCom Mariners

Premier – Coral Gables Athletics

This was the first time in a long time that all four divisions had new champions.  Perhaps, it is the time for the new blood in the SFBL.  It was also the only the second time in 13 seasons that a team other than the Perrine Monarchs, Miami Red Sox, Fort Lauderdale Yankees or Lauderdale Reds won the MSBL 28+.  And the Coral Gables A’s finally broke through to end their hex, after having lost their first three championships.

Tournament action:  All teams were encouraged to get involved in the next level of action, the tournament level.  The next local tournament is the 2005 Miami Open, which takes place in South Florida on Memorial Day Weekend.  Entry fee is $750 per team.  More info will be posted in the next couple of weeks on the website….stay posted.  Check out the Tournament Page.

Most important, the League announced three rule changes for this coming season:

1. If a a team cancels a game within 48 hours of the game time, the team will forfeit the game.

2. The winners in each division will automatically make the playoffs.  The next two spots will be determined using wild card format allowing the teams with the best records to make the playoffs.  This would allow for three teams from one division to make the playoffs.  (Masters’ Division is the exception, where the team with the best record will receive an automatic BYE with the next two wild card teams playing the first round playoff game).

3.  Underage players in the 18+ division are strictly prohibited.  However, underage players may participate with teams in the 28+ and 38+ divisions – under the condition that (1) they have special approval from the league office (2) their ages are accurately disclosed on the team roster and (3) they may NOT pitch or catch.  Any violation of this rule will result in an automatic forfeit.

The first rule was created to emphasize the need to have a roster of at least 13 players so that missing 2-3 players on a weekly basis will not force a team to require a PPD game and of course, to avoid forfeits.

Premier Division: SouthCom Mariners (winners of MABL 18+ Adult last season) & Fort Lauderdale Mets

MABL 18+ Adult: South Florida Gators (formerly South Florida Astros), Miami Dirtbags, South Florida Cubs, South Beach Bombers(return after Fall Season hiatus) and Miami Braves

MSBL 28+ Senior: Southern Yankees (winners of Masters’ 38+), Boca Red Sox, & Miami Leones.

The League Office would like to remind managers that all rosters must be uploaded prior to their first games.  If you are yet to receive login information, contact the league office at 305.663.2521 immediately.  Information must be complete so that players can be registered with the MSBL National Office!