The Yonder Travelers won the 2024 World Series (National League 55+ Division) in Arizona this year. The CNCMSBL was well represented by the following guys from our league.
L to R Hector Diaz, Rob Isbell, Dave Halley, Dan Kopitzke, Scott Sigafoose and Robert Clark.
On October 6th, the Classic Division was finally able to get together to play their All-Star game. After several attempts to play due to rain outs, the good Lord blessed us with a good day to play and fellowship.
Each team sent 5 All Stars to beautiful Joe Davidson park to compete. Players were divided up among team Red and team Blue. This year was a little different as teammates could potentially play against one another. This was done so players could get to know one another better.
Team Red started off hot with defensive MVP Jack Jackson throwing three complete innings allowing one hit and walking only one. Offensively their bats were hot right out of the gate, scoring early and often. Offensive MVP Wendell Patterson went 2-2, including a walk and RBI.
Team Blue got off to a slow start but in the final two innings they were able to plate five runs, but it wasn’t enough, coming up short in an 8-5 loss.
In the end, it was a successful day of baseball and everyone enjoyed playing this kids game.
We look forward to growing this event, if anyone knows of any ideas to make it better please let us know.
The Raleigh Oaks (16-4) and the Flying Squirrels (12-6-2) faced off in the best-of-three championship series for the 2024 CNCMSBL 18+ Championship at the old historic Durham Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
The Oaks jumped out to an early lead on the back of a strong effort by starting pitcher Hunter Hux (3-0, 4.35 ERA), who earned the game-one win by working seven dominant innings of three-hit, one-run ball while striking out four and only walking only one batter. Hux was aided on offense by Oak’s manager Harley Duncan (.394) and team captain MJ Tineo (.416), who delivered clutch back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles in the third.
Hunter also got defensive help in the top of the seventh by second baseman Carlos Acevedo and shortstop Cam Thompson who each made incredible diving plays on ground balls up the middle. Designated Hitter JJ Johnson (.304) laced a booming two-RBI double down the right field line in the bottom of the frame to put the game away for good and secure the Oaks a decisive 9-1 victory in Game One of the best-of-three championship series.
Game Two immediately followed, with Oaks starting pitcher Brian Rubin (4-3, 3.18 ERA) taking the mound against Squirrels ace Jon Rosoff (4-0, 2.36 ERA). The two hurlers kept it close, with Rosoff recording eleven strikeouts and Rubin limiting the Squirrels’ offense to only one run.
The Oaks displayed an incredible team defensive effort, most notably by outfielder MJ Tineo who led off the third inning with a diving catch in centerfield, and first baseman Kyle Ohanian who turned not one, but two unassisted double plays, the last of which ended a late rally by the Squirrels in the eighth. Closer Chris Giodano (4-1 3.81 ERA) slammed the door by striking out the side in the ninth to complete the series sweep and secure the Oaks their third championship trophy in as many years.
The Oaks finished the season with 18 total victories. They were led by standout players Brian Rubin, a two-way star who, in addition to leading the league in walks and runs scored, also led the Oaks pitching staff in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched, and MJ Tineo, with a team-leading .416 batting average and 31 RBI, and Khalif Hill who led all Oaks in steals with 13 while not being caught once.
The Oaks pitching staff standouts include Chris Giodano, Hunter Hux, and Felipe Martinez. The Raleigh Oaks’ was established in 2022 and is led by first-year manager Harley Duncan. This is the Oaks’ third-straight championship in the Central NC (18+) Men’s Senior Baseball League.
The CNCMSBL has grown to the point that the playoffs required us to expand to two divisions for the 18+ Division. New to the league are the RDU Bulldogs, who struggled early on but found their footing to knock off the Trash Pandas for the 18+ American League Championship on September 8th at beautiful East Clayton Community Park.
The RDU Bulldogs are managed by Rich Sosa. The Trash Pandas are managed by Jamie Agusta.
The CNCMSBL 32+ division has expanded to six teams this year and the race was tight. The newly expanded team, Athletics, managed by Ryan Bonner, did an excellent job and was favored to win it all but came up short in the championship game versus the Raleigh Red Sox. The entire championship series was held at historic Durham Athletic Park (the original home and filming location of ‘Bull Durham’).
The Red Sox have a long history in our league and came out on top with great pitching and timely hitting. Managed by Jason Angel with help from Jamie Lee and Chris Budnick, the Red Sox were able to return the franchise to the top after a several-year drought. Congratulations to Jason and the Red Sox!
Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications at the national MSBL website wrote up this story.
Christian Lupo is one tough, focused, stubborn, and truly amazing 56-year old baseball player. His 16-year journey has been a long one, thanks to lung disease, surgical setbacks, conditioning predicaments, and the simple issue of handling everything mentally, as he yearned to continue the fight to feed his love of baseball.
Continue reading “Christian Lupo, Dedicated Baseball Survivor”
What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than playing baseball!
The CNCMSBL decided to try something different this year for our annual all-star games. The suggestion to hold the game on the Saturday before Father’s Day instead of post-season was put in place and appears to have been a success.
Continue reading “2023 All Star Games”
You’ve spent countless hours on the field, honing your skills and refining your game. Now it’s time to up the ante and master one of the most beguiling pitches in baseball: the curveball.
A well-executed curveball can be a game-changer, leaving even the most experienced hitters flailing at the plate. In this guide, we’ll delve into the intricate art of throwing a curveball, drawing from the wisdom of major league legends and offering insights on grip, mechanics, and technique. So, tighten your laces, dust off your cleats, and let’s get started on the path to curveball mastery.
To throw an effective curveball, there are five main elements you need to focus on.
Continue reading “Throwing a Curveball”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world of Major League Baseball (MLB). You may have heard of ChatGPT (which is a language model) from OpenAI mentioned in the news lately, but there is much more to modern AI. From player performance analysis to in-game decision-making, AI is revolutionizing the way coaches, managers, and scouts approach the game. With advancements in data driven technology and data analytics, AI is providing deeper insights into player performance, pitch tracking, and fan engagement. In this article, we’ll explore the ways AI is shaping the future of MLB teams and the impact it’s having on the sport. We’ll also examine the potential implications of AI on baseball and what the future may hold for this ever-evolving technology. Unlike other trends, you don’t need to be a big market team in New York or Los Angeles to take advantage of this technology to help you reach the World Series, in fact there are now many high schools leveraging it.
Continue reading “AI in Baseball”
When the Central North Carolina Men’s Baseball League decided to start a 60+ age division, they knew that the crazies that are still playing baseball at that age are special.
It got me thinking about what major leaguers are available for a 60+ division?
Continue reading “Stars Who Are Over 60”
As Satchel Paige stood behind the pitcher’s mound facing the outfield, his mind likely raced with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. With two outs in the ninth inning, the African American hurler and his Bismarck (North Dakota) teammates were on the brink of the first-ever national semi-pro baseball championship.
Continue reading “Interracial Baseball from 1920-1935”
It’s no shock that you get hot and sweaty playing baseball in North Carolina during the summer. As Kyle Davis wrote about feeling for baseball players playing the game during the heat, “…they do it while wearing like, full-length pants. In uniforms made out of polyester, and dark hats made of wool covering their heads. MLB players walk around in sweltering, unforgiving heat, basically wearing a heavy sun and warmth absorption costume. And they still run around and swing bats and throw baseballs just fine. They stand out in the middle of a grass and dirt field with literally nowhere else to go and no escape. They just have to stay there, flesh afire. It makes no effing sense!“
Continue reading “Avoiding Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke”
Some parts of baseball’s rules are more obvious than others. Earned Runs are one aspect that can be a little bit squishy.
Because of human mistakes, sometimes runs score that probably shouldn’t have. Differentiating between earned and unearned runs is baseball’s effort to be fair.
Continue reading “The Mystery of Unearned Runs”
Part of what ties us to baseball is our memories. Our memories are tied to specific events that trigger the associated emotions.
As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I have lots of memories that are tied to specific images from the past.
Continue reading “Take More Baseball Photos”
Baseball is much easier to practice when you have a bunch of guys, but it is possible for you to get in some good practice even when you’re alone.
The Covid-19 Coronavirus is keeping baseball players away from each other, but you can still get some work in if you really want to.
Continue reading “Solo Baseball Practice”
While looking through the statistics at Baseball-Reference, I noticed something that I wouldn’t call surprising, but a bit overwhelming. It seems that baseball’s best players peak in their late 20’s. Pitchers, batters, fielders, it doesn’t matter – at 27ish, they’re as good as they’re going to get. Why is that?
Continue reading “Some Amazing Baseball Statistics”
Saturday afternoon, March 14th was a perfect day for about 50 guys to come out and show off before getting placed on a CNCMSBL team for the 2020 season.
Continue reading “Photos from the 2020 Try Outs”
Many of our teams practice on multi-use fields or baseball fields that aren’t regulation. This article will help you layout a perfect infield for your next team practice regardless of the field your using.
A regulation baseball infield is a simple 90-foot square. But, where do those measurements start and end?
Continue reading “Regulation Baseball Field Dimensions”
The CNCMSBL attracts guys of all ages. Our 18+ division has its share of 18 year-olds and our 50+ division has guys in their 70’s. Almost all of us have one thing in common, we’ve loved the game since we were kids.
There are some guys who were so good that they were ready to break into the major league even before they were old enough to vote!
Continue reading “5 Major Leaguers Too Young For Our League”
In the Central North Carolina Men’s Senior Baseball League, there are a lot of very good players. From 18 to 80 there are guys that will make you stand up and take notice of their great play, but what about the rest of us?
Most of us are pretty good players but we’re still trying to get better. We could all use some good coaching, but great coaches are more of a rarity than great players. There are 333 plaques in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and only 22 of them are managers.
