|
After a disappointing exit from the playoffs in the early rounds
The Classics are ready for season 2. A sour taste in the mouth and
a bit a runny nose Heather Mernitz (2006 Co-Captain) steps down
as she prepares to take on the outskirts of Milwaukee. After a disappointing
first season at the Co-Helm of JPS Classic, disappointing due to
an injury sustained while sacrificing her body for the team, Heather
is off to pursue a new life. The loss to Physiology in the Playoffs
sent Heather spiraling downward until she hit bottom, rock bottom,
where she, for the first time, chose to make her career the priority.
Heather’s personality and charm will be missed by all. . .
that and the grass skirt for the Hawaiian night.
The JPS Classic’s other Co-Chief, Luke Ascolillo, had a similar
reaction to the coaching lapse in the Playoff game against Physiology
(and by “coaching lapse” I mean letting the other team
score 15 runs through hit and errors). How did Duck take the loss,
you ask? Well in an off-season interview Luke made his feelings
clear “We could have won if we only scored 5 more times”.
Not to be shown up entirely by his Captain counterpart, Luke too
decided that his real future is in his career and education so he
stepped down as Captain. Luke will still be in the area and able
to make it to enough games to make himself eligible for the Playoffs
but couldn’t take the stress of running a team and getting
his PhD.
So what’s the Plan for Team Classic? Veteran infielder/outfielder/bench
player, Jay Hoffman, has been handed the reins. His first step as
Captain was to enlist the help of a Co-Captain whom the team would
rally behind (same say simply to cover his own ass) that knows the
game and the strengths and weaknesses of the players around him.
Andy Andres, the 8 to 10 year veteran infielder, who doesn’t
have a complaint about him in a single bar in Swampscott. There
were a few people that were thought of to take the spot of Co-Captain,
but Andy was the only one willing to work closely with Jay on a
week to week basis. Andy is a strong pick at Co-Captain for a few
simple reasons: The biggest being the knowledge he brings to the
team 2) his ability to get teammates in the right frame of mind
3) his dedication to improvement and willingness to take someone
aside and shout “TABLE TOP” right in their face.
And as for the new Team Captain of The JPS Classic, Jay, all the
wonderful things we can say about LederJay. He’s played for
one incarnation or another of the JPS and is now entering his 5th
season. Um… He used to wear sandals and was called Snowshoes
due to the disproportionate size of his feet. And, let’s not
forget, all the mound visits he had with Marvin “El Tornado”
Carlos his first few season. Those sure were pointless! Some points
Jay brings to the table as a coach are subtle but sometimes go a
long way. Jay has an understanding of the game and the thought that
winning the championship is the one team goal, but a team unity
is the foundation that wins that Championship.
So all this being said there are three keys to success for Team
Classic in 2007: 1) You have to show up to win 2) Communication
in the field is crucial 3) don’t swing for the fences when
there aren’t any
|
