THE
STABLES HOGS SOFTBALL
2001 YEAR END
SUMMARY
By Areno
MAJOR
AWARDS
Most
Valuable Hog
Pat Dixon
Batting
Title Winner (Tie)
Pat Dixon, Mike Hougnon
Iron
Hogs (Every Game/Every Bar)
Steve Centrella
Rookie
of the Year
Mike Hougnon
Cy
Hog Award
Stan Clark
Golden
Glove Award
Dan Duff
Hogging
Title
Steve Centrella
Gimp Award Rob Dronitsky
Comeback
of the Year
George McAllister
Fan of the Year Jackie, Honorable Mention: Regina
Highlights
2001 A Hog Odyssey
Coming
off a great 2000 season and having made the play-offs, our 2001 pursuit of the
championship was filled with excitement and promise. With the return of the rookies from summer 2000 and the
current years’ prospects, the team’s outlook was optimistic. However, after
our spring training tryouts the number of rookies and sophomore players was
reduced to no second year
players and only one hopeful
rookie. But he would become ‘The
Answer’ that the Hogs were looking for. Rob
Dronitsky had a terrific debut season with the Hogs, resembling a virtual
hitting machine at times. He
compiled an astonishing 8 consecutive multi-hit games.
He finished third in the batting title race just
.007 from capturing the crown. He was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year
balloting. “I hope the Momentum
I established during this year will carry over to a successful season in 2002”
Rob played mostly at second base but also filled in admirably in the
outfield whenever called upon by the coaching staff, the Hogs’ resident
Firefighter even had chances to
showcase his hose a couple of times. He vows to improve his hogging stats next season.
With Rob being ‘The Answer’ fellow Hogs are demanding to know exactly
what that peculiar question must have been!
Mike Hougnon
Rookie of the Year
Mike
Hougnon was the Hogs 2001 Rookie of the Year.
He joined the team late, missing the first five games, but quickly made
up for the lost time. As expected the rookie challenge lasted all year and was
not decided until the last game. It
was a great race…the Firefighter
pitted against the Police Officer.
Who would get hosed ? Who would get busted ?
Mike tied Pat for the Batting title, RBI’s, and On-Base Avg.
He bats from the left side with power and speed.
His family often doubled the fan base at many games. Areno, the Hogs GM,
made a prediction. “Pretty soon
Hogs aren’t just going to be talking about rookie of the year but MVH” Mike also
hosted a great post play-off game party.
Pat Dixon
Most Valuable Hog
Congratulations
go out to Pat Dixon for winning his fourth MVH award in the last five years.
Pat led the team in Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Walks, Slugging Pct.,
GWRBI’s, and outfield assists while sharing the lead in Batting Avg., RBI’s
and OBA. Now that’s hogging the
stats! He was one of 5 Hogs to make
every game. He also tied single game records in singles, HR’s, and RBI’s
this year. Pat led in the batting title race almost from wire to wire. By
default he has become our equipment manager, bringing all of his bats to every
game to share. This year Pat became
the all-time Hog Record Holder for Lifetime Batting Avg. (.513)
surpassing Elmer and also
Career Home Runs!! … An awesome 39 and counting.
Congratulations on such a momentous achievement!
Team
HR leaders:
Ruth….Gehrig
Maris….Mantle
Schmidt…Luzinski
Dixon….. McNew
Director of Player Personnel
Andy DeOrzio
Our Director of Player Personnel, GM wannabe, and the Hogs version of Rodney Dangerfield, if you will, Andy DeOrzio, is now eligible for the All Time Hog Roster for lifetime stats along side the Legends past and present in this wonderful game. The older Hogs welcome all new inductees. Check out the next Edition of the Hogs Encyclopedia in the spring of 2002. . Congratulations! Andy’s recruits over the years have led to the rejuvenation of the Hogs as he has signed many prospects yearning to participate in the Hog Experience. Andy led the team in Doubles, Triples (tie with Areno) and Sacrifice Flies. His handling of our temperamental pitching staff and his wife was flawless. From behind the plate, defensively, he made a couple of outstanding put outs at home. “ I will continue to recruit the best possible Hogs available, without going to the Dominican Republic, and if they can play softball so much the better,” His Hogging Pct. was over 1.000.
1997 Rookie of the Year?
His
veiled threats of resigning his post unless the Hog Hierarchy reviewed the 1997
Rookie of the Year ballots fell on deaf ears again.
Coach & GM
Areno
During our mid-season slump there was grumbling about whether the team was headed in the right direction. We were just coming off two disappointing sweeps by ‘A’ Division teams. Whispers were heard in the locker room and messages were showing up on the blackboard at the Stables directed at management. “You can’t fire the team” was the familiar refrain, casting doubt on Areno’s ability to run the franchise. Despite his numerous calls for gut checks, and even though all the Hogs found them, his capacity to motivate the team was being questioned. “Our East Coast Offense just wasn’t working” he lamented. Then the Hogs went into heat, winning 8 of the next 10 games, and surged into the play-offs.
Webmaster & Hogs Encyclopedia Publisher
Zip
A
major factor in four of those victories was the arrival of
Tom Sommers. Jetting in
from Chicago, Zip once again proved that he could cheat Father Time.
Zip was 8 for 14 this year, but more important, with a couple of very
impressive bar appearances! Zip is
the official webmaster for the Hogs web page and also editor and publisher of
the infamous Hog Encyclopedia, a literary marvel!
Spuds
Speaking
of comebacks, George McAllister made
this years arrival a very timely one. Spuds
returned to the line-up filling in on the depleted roster for the final games
and for the play-offs. But unlike the Hogs 4-0 record with Zip, Spuds was part
of a 0-3 record. “Talk about coincidences”.
Spuds’ fiery spirit as expected was contagious. The Whiff and Whuss
cheers were heard being chanted once again, reminiscent of previous years.
Golden Glove Winner
Duff
Dan
Duff
completed his third year with the Hogs anchoring the infield at third base. He
was awarded the Golden Glove for his fine performance at the hot corner.
Duff just missed making the top 10 in the Batting title race but he will
be remembered most for his base running. Whenever
Duff gets on base, the excitement begins. His head first slides have already
become legendary. His level of play is unmatched and the combination of his
determination and speed is electrifying. Charles Schultz must have had Duff in
mind when he created the ‘Pigpen’ character (‘Hogpen’ Duff ??)
He wants to improve his OBA and Hogging Pct next year.
Like Duh ! Duff had a year
that can only be described as a character builder…. And we all know that he is
quite a character. “We’re witnessing the maturing of a great Hog” Areno
said, after 3 shots of Jagermeister.
Home Run Title Winner
Noel
Noel
McNew won the prestigious Home Run title this year. He went yard 8 times.
This feat prevented Pat from winning the Triple Crown.
The self-proclaimed ‘voice of the hogs’ was runner-up for the Golden
Glove Award behind Duff. Noel
played every game regardless of injuries and made some of the year’s best
acrobatic fielding plays. One of the Hogs best grinders once again showed his
true grit. Noel had a 19 game
hitting streak this year and his new 2001 model bat improved his slugging stats.
Like Andy did this season, Noel should qualify for Lifetime Stats next year.
“ We’re witnessing the immaturing of a great Hog” Elmer said after
3 shots of Tequila Rose.
Former Batting Title Winner
Elmer
After
leading the team in Batting Average for 4 out of the last 5 years, Elmer
Pass stumbled a bit in 2001 but still finished in the top five for the
batting title. The haphazard schedule apparently affected his intricate internal
timing mechanism and he was unable to get into a groove. He led the team in
Texas League hits, which is unusual for him as he has developed a Frozen Rope
reputation over the years. He demonstrated a selfless un-hog like willingness to
field at many positions including pitcher thus, perhaps, sacrificing some of his
concentration and focus. Despite missing his standard 25% of the games, he came
in second for the Hogging Title. He also won the CY Yuk award.
Since we don’t like to dwell on negatives, Elmer’s Boneheaded Baserunning
Blunders will not be used for Hog fodder.
Favorite Son
Dan DeOrzio
Dan
DeOrzio, the favorite son of his Mother, had another consistent year. He
batted over .400 in only his third season as a Hog, and played his best defense
to date playing leftfield. ‘The
Bull’ had no premature ejection rejections from his glove this season and his
casual one-handed catches are becoming his trademark
He recruited Mike ‘Lumber & Lightning’ Hougnon to the team and
also Bob Greenaway.
‘Bobby the Booger’ dropped the jaws of the entire team in awe with a
massive Homerun shot on the C Field one evening.
That hit is growing in stature like an old hog story, but to those who
were unable to witness it, it was one of the longest hit balls by a Hog in the
post Bee- Bop era (i.e. circa 1980.) Dan
was also responsible for the increase of the fans in the stands as Regina
accompanied him to the games. Regina
was runner up fan of the year. Apparently,
chasing perps kept Dan’s bar appearances from reaching their full
potential.
Speaking
of low bar appearances, John’Big Johnson’ Keller missed almost as many bars as ‘The
Answer’ (true; impossible as that may sound) and like Elmer, never seemed to
get into a groove at the plate. Playing
in two leagues with different pitching arches took its toll on Big Johns
slugging stats. John’s free agent
status set off a frenzied bidding war between rival leagues, but John has since
declared his desire to don the #14 next year. ” I’d rather play on a team
where nobody likes me than on a team where I don’t like anybody”. He finished 4th in homers, 3rd in doubles and 6th in
triples; and first in F-7’s. Like
the rest of the ‘Young Guns’ John brings a cavalier attitude and a strong
desire to win every game night.
18 Time Cy Hog Award Winner
Stan Clark
Stan Clark, ‘Righty’ (Puddin to some,) our most senior Hog, won his 12th consecutive and 18th over all Cy Hog award as the outstanding pitcher on the team. Stan, playing through illness, was an inspiration to his teammates and to his Grandchildren who made many visits to the games.
Fan of the Year
Jackie Clark
Jackie was selected as Fan of the Year and also Babysitter of the Year. (Perhaps a 3rd generation of Hogs is forming in the pens?) Stan had the unenviable task of batting against some of the toughest defenses imaginable when he came to the plate. Complaints of illegal defense to the umpires were ignored as the opponent’s outfielders lined the perimeter of the infield. However, the frustration of getting thrown out at first from the outfield a few times did not diminish his enthusiasm. He still batted in the top ten. He also fielded his position well. Stan completed his 22nd season with the Hogs and chalked up his first double-digit victory season in 15 years.
Jackie & Stan
A
shout also goes out to all the ringers who helped fill in the line-up gaps
during the season. Streeper,
Creegan, Greenaway, Hampton and Justin. We also appreciated the showing up
of some retired Hogs. Booze,
Eggs, Macos and Hoss all made noteworthy bar appearances.
Despite
the seemingly dragged-out schedule due to weather related postponements and the
sharing of the playing fields with the Co-ed league and the soccer leagues, the
season seemed to have passed by too quickly.
As usual there were many highlights to remember and archive (and spin)
Any comments, self-promotions, additions or corrections can be added to
our web page. A posting always
legitimizes any story. Previous
years’ stories, letters and publications can also be enjoyed by visiting the
Hogs website at
www.hogrockcafe.com
The management expects all the Hogs to faithfully follow a rigorous off-season training regimen in preparation for our 23rd season in 2002. There will be a team meeting/reunion in early December. Details will be announced at a later time. In order to improve communications, please forward address changes, phone numbers; cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses to Areno. It was another great year. See everyone soon.
Steve
Centrella
Areno#14,
GM
(610) 265-1038
Areno1414@aol.com
