Conference 7.286::maynard

    Frank, can you be specific as to which field the game will be played
    on? Location would help as I don't know one field from the other, by
    name.
    
    Since Daniel is only 8 months old, we haven't been involved in
    Little League, yet. But we may stroll by, just so He can get some
    pointers :-)
    
    Thanks in advance,
    Norma

    Norma, the Major League field is the first field on your right as
    you go up the driveway from the High School Parking Lot to
    Alumni Field.
    
    Regards,
    Frank

    Thanks Frank!! If I DO make it up to the game, I'll introduce myself. I
    know what you look like from the Great Road Dodge commercials :-)
    
    Besides, George Veracka is a distant cousin of mine that I haven't seen
    in a LONG time!!
    
    Norma

    The Assabet Valley team lost to Wakefield tonight 4-0 in a great game
    before a large crowd at Alumni Field.  Although we are now out of the
    tournament, the boys did themselves proud against a team that went to
    the State finals last year.
    
    If you're still into baseball, the Senior League will be playing this
    Sunday night at 5:00 at the High School Field (behind MHS). 
    
    Frank

    Hi Frank .. it was nice to hear how the AVLL teams did this year.
    this is the first year that my son hasn't been involved in AVLL 
    in nearly 10 years (he turned 16 last month).  AVLL has been so
    wonderful over the years, and Bob, Jim, Russ, et all have all worked
    so hard.  The really SAD thing is that in Maynard there is no team
    for 16+year olds to play on (except for Maynard high school team and
    that season is so short, ends in May).  Right now there's a large
    gang in my home heading down to Roosevelt school playground (as they've
    done regularly over the years) to play a pickup game... i truly wish 
    there was a summer league for them!!!!  They get such great
    fundamentals
    in ll and then whoooosh they are cut off from playing.  If you even
    could just form 1 team from maynard that could then travel around it
    would be great.  Last month 5 boys from Maynard High tried out for the
    Bay State team - they had to travel to Andover.  About 120 boys were
    there, i don't think the men picking the teams even HEARD of Maynard.
    The coaches had to look at all 120 boys in 2 hours and then pick just
    22 of them. Most of the boys were on their local Legion teams and the
    coaches know of them, but the boys from Maynard don't have a team to
    play on. 
    	Anyway, you're right, AVLL is special and glad to hear the teams
    did so well.
    

    The 1992 Little League Season is now history, but due to the 
    dedication of a few good people, this year there will be 
    all-star action for a lot of kids, including a 9 and 10 year
    old team, an 11 year old team, a 13 year old team and the 
    traditional major league (11 and 12 year old) team.  There
    may be others, but that's all that I am aware of. Hopefully
    someone with more knowledge on schedules and format can enter
    complete information as a reply to this entry.
    
    I do know that the major league all-stars play a double elimination
    tournament which will start on Saturday at 5:00 at Alumni Field 
    in Maynard.  The opposition will be either Wilmington or Arlington.
    
    The 9 and 10 year olds play in a different format (not double 
    elimination) and will play 10 games through mid-august.  They
    have scheduled a scrimmage game against Billerica for Thursday 
    night under the lights (which will be a thrill for the kids).
    This tournament benefits the Jimmy Fund and the winners (we won
    last year) get to attend a Red Sox Game and meet the players.
    
    I know that the kids have been practicing for over two hours a
    day every day this week and are really looking forward to wearing
    their all-star uniforms as members of the Assabet Valley Little
    League.
    
    If anyone has information on dates and times of games, please post
    them here.  If any noters can find the time to get out and support
    our kids, you will see some great baseball, enjoy some good food,
    and get to listen to Phil Bohinicky as the play by play announcer!
    
    Who could ask for anything more?
    
    Frank
      

    In reading my last note, I should have mentioned that Thursday's
    game is in Billerica under the lights.  
    
    Frank

    On Saturday, the AVLL 11 and 12 year old all-stars lost to 
    Wilmington, 5-4.  We were leading 4-2 going into the last inning,
    but a combination of solid hits and costly errors resulted in 
    a win for the Wilmington kids.
    
    This is a double elimination tournament, and AVLL will go into
    the one-loss bracket.   The next game has not been announced,
    but from past experiences it will be on the road, either Tuesday
    or Wednesday.
    
    On Tuesday night at 5:45 the Senior League all-stars will be
    playing at the MHS field behind the High School.
    
    Frank

    The AVLL 11 and 12 year old All-stars defeated Stoneham this evening
    at Alumni Field in Maynard, 3-2.
    
    This was a great game played under periods of light rain before a 
    modest but enthusiastic crowd.   Jay McHugh and David Ouellette 
    pitched well for Assabet Valley and Josh Erb knocked in the winning
    run in the last of the fifth (games are six innings long at this
    level).  Stoneham had a rally going in the top of the sixth but 
    poor baserunning led to a runner caught stealing which took them
    out of the game. 
    
    Next game is scheduled for Maynard on Saturday at 5:00.  The opponent
    has not been named.
    
    I've been asked why Assabet Valley ends up playing much larger towns
    in these tournaments.  The reason is that Assabet Valley, unlike
    most of our neighbors, is a chartered member of "Little League Baseball,
    Inc", of Williamsport. PA.  Only chartered members can legally call
    themselves "Little Leagues".  The tournament our 11's and 12's are in 
    now is the official Little League World Series tournament that ends up 
    in Williamsport each year.   Since there aren't many official "Little
    League" organizations in our area, we are placed in a bracket with
    towns like Arlington, Wilmington, North Reading, Stoneham, etc.  So
    far this year, the competition has been very balanced.
    
    Frank  

    It was a wild night of baseball for the Assabet Valley All-Stars
    tonight, which unfortunately saw more action off the field than
    on.
    
    The actual game saw North Reading defeat Assabet Valley 6-5.
    However, due to rules infractions, the record will show that 
    Assabet Valley defeated North Reading, winning a protest that
    resulted in a forfeited game.
    
    It seems that there is a Little League rule governing the number
    of innings a pitcher can pitch and the amount of rest a pitcher
    must have between appearances.  In this case, no pitcher can
    pitch in a game if he or she pitched two or more innings in the
    previous game.  North Reading apparently mis-interpreted the
    rules and pitched two pitchers in the Assabet Valley game who
    were ineligible.  The AVLL team discovered the infraction in
    the fourth inning and protested the game at that point.  The 
    umpires called a halt to the game and called District Headquarters
    for a ruling.  The game was allowed to continue while District
    reviewed the pitching records, and after the game the protest
    was allowed and the game was forfeited to Assabet Valley.
    
    Tough way to win or lose a game, but from here the Assabet Valley 
    team will travel to Wilmington for a game on Monday. 
    
    Frank

    Who is the manager for the All-Stars?

    Let's see....
    
    9 and 10 year olds:  Timmy Lawton, Rick Sheehan, Jason Cochrane
    
    11's:  Ed Lawton, Mark Sherman
    
    11 and 12's (Little League Tournament team):  Danny DePietro, 
    		Rich Leach, Mike Wells
    
    13's:  Jack McGee (don't know who else)
    
    Frank

    There are so many tournaments going on the AVLL these days that
    I can no longer keep track of what's happening to keep you all
    informed.
    
    I do know that the 11 and 12 year old all-stars were eliminated
    from the "road to Williamsport" by Wilmington on Monday.
    
    So, now we are left with another 4 weeks of Jimmy Fund tournaments
    for different age brackets.  There will be action at Alumni Field
    just about every night, and if you have the time, drop in to see
    some darn good baseball, versus Arlington, North Reading, Woburn,
    Wilmington, Wakefield, etc.
    
    There are about 75 kids from Maynard and Stow playing baseball 
    all summer which is just great.  
    
    Frank

    As a closing entry to this note, the AVLL 10 year old all-stars
    collected the most money in their division and were treated to 
    a day at Fenway last Sunday.  The kids had lunch in the Ted 
    Williams Room at Fenway, and each kid got a Red Sox autographed
    baseball, a Red Sox pin and other trinkets and got their picture
    taken at home plate with a couple of Red Sox players.  They then
    got to see the Red Sox-Tigers game in some very good seats along
    the left field side, all courtesy of the Red Sox.  
    
    I don't want to get into a Red Sox discussion, but off the field,
    the Red Sox are a class organization and provide a tremendous
    amount of support to the Jimmy Fund.
    
    For the record, thanks to all your contributions, our 10 year old
    kids collected over $6600. for the Jimmy Fund, the second largest 
    amount in the state!  
    
    Frank