TheLounge
08-02-2007, 03:22 PM
The eternal question that rages during the Peninsula summer baseball season is: Which team or organization is better? Is it the San Mateo Post 82 Orioles, five-time American Legion Area 2 tournament winners? San Carlos Joe DiMaggio? Legion or DiMaggio?
There is now another hat to throw into the mix. The San Bruno Joe DiMaggio squad captured the Joe DiMaggio World Series, beating the Tri-County Gamblers twice Tuesday. It’s San Bruno first World Series title since 1989.
“I’m just coming down from it right now,” said San Bruno second-year manager Bob Nolan. “It’s pretty special.”
The North Division of the Peninsula Joe DiMaggio League does not get a lot of respect or publicity. Don’t look now but the North won three of the last four World Series. Pacifica won in 2004 and 2006 and San Bruno captured this year’s title.
For those that pay attention, San Bruno’s championship shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. It’s been a few years in the making. It’s built with a core of Capuchino (Greg Gonzalez and Jesse Orozco) and Mills (Lucas Hagberg and Ivan Hildalgo) players —*teams that experienced a lot of success during high-school season the last couple of years —*and sprinkled with the likes of former El Camino and current CSM standout Ricky Molina. San Bruno finished second to Pacifica last season and finally broke through this season.
“SInce I was younger, my age group has always been pretty good,” said Gonzalez, who capped his freshman season at Skyline by being named the Coast Conference-North Pitcher of the Year.
While the core was in place, San Bruno just needed a few pieces to round out a championship team. Thanks to a Joe DiMaggio rule that allows teams to take up to three players from another squad, San Bruno added Pacifica’s Jimmy Parque, Eric Herrera and Jake Schwartz.
“Picking up Jimmy, Eric and Jake were the final pieces of the puzzle,” Gonzalez said.
San Bruno won its first two games of the tournament but lost to the Gamblers in the winner’s bracket finals, 14-12, a game Nolan termed, “A good loss.”
San Bruno trailed 14-2 heading into its final at-bat and Nolan had a few words for his team. He wasn’t angry: “I didn’t blame anybody, we got our butts kicked.” But as a five-year veteran of Major League Baseball’s minor leagues, Nolan knows as well as anyone what makes winners.
“I told them, ‘The only [people] I don’t want to be around are quitters,’” Nolan said.
The team went out and scored 10 runs —*seven with two outs. They carried that momentum into a rematch with the Gamblers. Gonzalez threw one of the best games of his career in the first championship game, striking out 13 in six innings of an 11-1 win.
In the winner-take-all finale, Nolan pulled a rabbit out of the hat when he sent Herrera to the mound. Most of the players on the team — including Nolan —*didn’t know what to expect. Assistant coach Marty Cole, who coached Herrera at Sacred Heart Cathedral, told Nolan one thing: He threw a complete game in beating Bellarmine while in high school.
“I went with Marty’s call,” Nolan said.
Herrera repaid the trust by allowing two hits over six innings.
“I couldn’t believe he could do what he did,” Nolan said. “A couple of hits in six innings? Just remarkable.”
Icing on the cake for San Bruno was Mike Watkins being selected World Series Most Valuable Player. A reserve outfielder for Skyline this season, Watkins was 14 for 21 —*which Nolan believes is a World Series record.
***
It’s been quite a summer for Peninsula baseball at all levels. Hillsborough Little League dominated their tournaments, winning the District 52 Minors Super Bowl, the 10-11 and 11-12 District 52 titles, the 10-11 and 11-12 Section 3 championships and the 10-11 making the state finals.
San Mateo rules the area American Legion roost. The Orioles, Post 82’s 19-and-under team, along with the 17-and-under Bulldogs, each won their respective Area 2 championships. It was the fifth in a row for the Orioles and first in Bulldogs’ history.
The South City Pony squad helped solidfy the North peninsula as an up-and-coming baseball stronghold by winning its section tournament.
“It’s showing we have a lot of talented kids around here,” Gonzalez said. “And the talent gets better and better.”
***
The World Series wins culminates one of the greatest summer-season careers for Jimmy Parque. A soon-to-be-sophomore at Skyline developed quite a reputation as a baseball player and his summer work definitely added to his resume.
Parque played for Pacifica Joe DiMaggio for four years. During his time, he won three World Series titles (two with Pacifica, one with San Bruno) and was named World Series MVP twice —*once as a 15 year old and last season.
***
With San Bruno’s World Series championship, four players won title back-to-back. Last season, Pacifica won the title with the help of San Bruno’s Greg Gonzalez, Mike Watkins and Jake Schwartz. This season, San Bruno won with contributions from Parque and Herrera.
***
Joe DiMaggio World Series All-Tournament team: Mike Watkins (San Bruno), MVP; Greg Gonzalez (San Bruno) Most Outstanding Pitcher; Jarrod Hopper (San Carlos); Tony Cooper (San Carlos); Ben Edelstein (San Carlos); Jimmy Parque (San Bruno); Lucas Hagberg (San Bruno); Ricky Molina (San Bruno); Eric Herrera (San Bruno).
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.
There is now another hat to throw into the mix. The San Bruno Joe DiMaggio squad captured the Joe DiMaggio World Series, beating the Tri-County Gamblers twice Tuesday. It’s San Bruno first World Series title since 1989.
“I’m just coming down from it right now,” said San Bruno second-year manager Bob Nolan. “It’s pretty special.”
The North Division of the Peninsula Joe DiMaggio League does not get a lot of respect or publicity. Don’t look now but the North won three of the last four World Series. Pacifica won in 2004 and 2006 and San Bruno captured this year’s title.
For those that pay attention, San Bruno’s championship shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. It’s been a few years in the making. It’s built with a core of Capuchino (Greg Gonzalez and Jesse Orozco) and Mills (Lucas Hagberg and Ivan Hildalgo) players —*teams that experienced a lot of success during high-school season the last couple of years —*and sprinkled with the likes of former El Camino and current CSM standout Ricky Molina. San Bruno finished second to Pacifica last season and finally broke through this season.
“SInce I was younger, my age group has always been pretty good,” said Gonzalez, who capped his freshman season at Skyline by being named the Coast Conference-North Pitcher of the Year.
While the core was in place, San Bruno just needed a few pieces to round out a championship team. Thanks to a Joe DiMaggio rule that allows teams to take up to three players from another squad, San Bruno added Pacifica’s Jimmy Parque, Eric Herrera and Jake Schwartz.
“Picking up Jimmy, Eric and Jake were the final pieces of the puzzle,” Gonzalez said.
San Bruno won its first two games of the tournament but lost to the Gamblers in the winner’s bracket finals, 14-12, a game Nolan termed, “A good loss.”
San Bruno trailed 14-2 heading into its final at-bat and Nolan had a few words for his team. He wasn’t angry: “I didn’t blame anybody, we got our butts kicked.” But as a five-year veteran of Major League Baseball’s minor leagues, Nolan knows as well as anyone what makes winners.
“I told them, ‘The only [people] I don’t want to be around are quitters,’” Nolan said.
The team went out and scored 10 runs —*seven with two outs. They carried that momentum into a rematch with the Gamblers. Gonzalez threw one of the best games of his career in the first championship game, striking out 13 in six innings of an 11-1 win.
In the winner-take-all finale, Nolan pulled a rabbit out of the hat when he sent Herrera to the mound. Most of the players on the team — including Nolan —*didn’t know what to expect. Assistant coach Marty Cole, who coached Herrera at Sacred Heart Cathedral, told Nolan one thing: He threw a complete game in beating Bellarmine while in high school.
“I went with Marty’s call,” Nolan said.
Herrera repaid the trust by allowing two hits over six innings.
“I couldn’t believe he could do what he did,” Nolan said. “A couple of hits in six innings? Just remarkable.”
Icing on the cake for San Bruno was Mike Watkins being selected World Series Most Valuable Player. A reserve outfielder for Skyline this season, Watkins was 14 for 21 —*which Nolan believes is a World Series record.
***
It’s been quite a summer for Peninsula baseball at all levels. Hillsborough Little League dominated their tournaments, winning the District 52 Minors Super Bowl, the 10-11 and 11-12 District 52 titles, the 10-11 and 11-12 Section 3 championships and the 10-11 making the state finals.
San Mateo rules the area American Legion roost. The Orioles, Post 82’s 19-and-under team, along with the 17-and-under Bulldogs, each won their respective Area 2 championships. It was the fifth in a row for the Orioles and first in Bulldogs’ history.
The South City Pony squad helped solidfy the North peninsula as an up-and-coming baseball stronghold by winning its section tournament.
“It’s showing we have a lot of talented kids around here,” Gonzalez said. “And the talent gets better and better.”
***
The World Series wins culminates one of the greatest summer-season careers for Jimmy Parque. A soon-to-be-sophomore at Skyline developed quite a reputation as a baseball player and his summer work definitely added to his resume.
Parque played for Pacifica Joe DiMaggio for four years. During his time, he won three World Series titles (two with Pacifica, one with San Bruno) and was named World Series MVP twice —*once as a 15 year old and last season.
***
With San Bruno’s World Series championship, four players won title back-to-back. Last season, Pacifica won the title with the help of San Bruno’s Greg Gonzalez, Mike Watkins and Jake Schwartz. This season, San Bruno won with contributions from Parque and Herrera.
***
Joe DiMaggio World Series All-Tournament team: Mike Watkins (San Bruno), MVP; Greg Gonzalez (San Bruno) Most Outstanding Pitcher; Jarrod Hopper (San Carlos); Tony Cooper (San Carlos); Ben Edelstein (San Carlos); Jimmy Parque (San Bruno); Lucas Hagberg (San Bruno); Ricky Molina (San Bruno); Eric Herrera (San Bruno).
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.