Orangeburg Cubs Have Stiff Challenge Ahead

The Orangeburg Cubs, coming off a 2-1 loss to the Pearl River Salty Dogs, hope to bounce back on Saturday, but it won’t be a day in the park.

The Cubs, managed by Keith Zeig and 22-year veteran Tappan Zee HS baseball coach Mark Stanford—who is still an active pitcher and still getting younger guys out—meet the first-place Rockland Royals in a scheduled noon doubleheader at Suffern High School.

Victor Sanchez is leading the Royals with a .452 batting average, followed by Mike Apreda at .364, Matt Marotta at .343 and Ryan Scanlan at .316.

Heading the Cubs’ attack at the moment are Matt Unger, with a .429 average, followed by John Istorico at .389 and Brian Connolly at .355.

On the hill, the Cubs showcase a couple of battle-tested war horses in former Double A pitcher Dan Tauken of Congers, the doyen at 48 years of age and a member of the Binghamton University Hall of Fame, and Stanford, a mere lad of a left-hander at 46.

“We’re the Satchel Paiges of the group,” said Stanford, alluding to Paige, a Negro League legend and Hall-of-Fame right-hander who, at 42, was the oldest rookie to play in Major League Baseball and stayed with the St. Louis Browns until he was 47.

Springfield College sophomore Ryan O’Rourke of Tappan, also of the Cubs, marvels at Stanford’s ability to produce with—how shall we put it—less than overpowering stuff.

“I think he throws about 78 (mph), but he keeps getting younger guys out,” said O’Rourke, who was a two-sport standout for the Dutchmen.

“I use a lot of junk and slop, whatever you want to call it,” confides Stanford, who attended the University of Michigan when hard-throwing southpaw Jim Abbott--who threw a no-hitter while playing for the Yankees in 1993--was thriving.

“There was no call for a soft-stuff lefty,” recalls Stanford, who has been playing amateur ball since 1983, and expects to keep defying Father Time.

“I’m having a blast, and as long as I can stay competitive I will keep going,” Stanford concludes.

The Cubs, Royals (led by Vinnie Randazzo) and Salty Dogs (skippered by John Verwoert) are three of six Rockland County teams in the three-division New Jersey Amateur Baseball League (NJABL), an 18-and-over wood-bat enterprise with teams also from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties. Other teams in the Rockland bracket are the Nyack Yankees (Mario Martinez and Brian Mason at the helm), the Rockland Rebels (Chris Berretta, manager) and the Nyack Indians (Barry Simon, skipper).

The goal of the NJABL is to provide an organized and highly competitive environment for current collegiate baseball players, such as Springfield College outfielder/backstop Ryan O’Rourke of Tappan, as well as recent graduates and former professional ballplayers.

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Boulders to salute Hall of Famers

The Rockland Boulders have planned a special night on August 2 when the Can-Am League team hosts the inaugural Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame Night at Provident Bank Park in Pomona.

The Boulders, managed by former big-league pitcher Dave LaPoint, will meet the Newark Bears at 7 p.m. in a game that also serves as a fund-raiser for the Hall of Fame

Members of the Rockland County Hall of Fame will be seated in the Short Porch area in right field, a great location to take in the game, and perhaps collect a souvenir Boulders home-run ball as well.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and food will be replenished from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For a $35 ticket purchase, you'll receive a menu of all-beef hot dogs, grilled hamburgers, grilled teriyaki chicken and other possible entrees, pasta salad, soda and bottled water, plus unlimited popcorn, peanuts and chips & salsa. Beer will be available for purchase at a nearby stand, and a bar is located in the left field area. There will be cash giveaways of $1 to $100 for the first 1,000 fans, and a spectacular fireworks display immediately follows the game.

Here is the link where you can purchase tickets.

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Former Gaels standout on TV

Scott Machado, a former Iona College men’s basketball standout, will play for the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot, 1-inch Machado, an alum of St. Benedict’s Prep, went undrafted in June, but drew interest from several NBA teams before settling in with the Rockets. The squad’s Summer League roster includes 16 NBA hopefuls with 10 rookies, five second-year performers and one player entering his third season in the NBA.

"There were other teams but I felt like this was the best fit," Machado told SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria last week. "I felt like I’m going to have a good opportunity here, probably the best opportunity here."

The Rockets will play five games in the Vegas Summer League from July 13-18. They open up their schedule against the Toronto Raptors tonight at 6 p.m. Eastern Time at the COX Pavilion. The game will be aired live on NBA TV. Fans can watch Machado play live on NBA TV in three games and tape delayed in another.

NBA TV will televise all 60 games in the Vegas Summer League, including 39 live from both the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion.

The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas will feature a record 24 teams competing in a 60-game schedule July 13-22 at the Thomas & Mack Center

and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

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This & That

• Piermont’s fourth annual Bastille Day celebration is set for Saturday, running from noon to 10 p.m. Among the festivities is a reenactment of the Bastille being stormed, with a prize for best period costume. Attendees will be treated to live music, can-can dancing, and a petanque competition for, among others, devotees of Hamlet. A fireworks display will cap the day-long extravaganza. Road closure will be at noon.

• ‘Flippin Fun’ summer camp is being offered by Galaxy Gymnastics in Orangeburg, for pre-school and recreational gymnasts ages 3 and up. A teenage gymnastics class is also available, among other activities. For information call 845-398-1000.

• Kardio Kickbox provides an opportunity for anyone simply interested in getting in shape to those seeking the ultimate workout. Classes are available in Pearl River at 19 North Main St. A free introductory class for all community women is available on a limited-time basis only. For information call 845-735-5222.

• The Town of Clarkstown Summer Music Festival at Germonds Park in West Nyack, open to all Clarkstown residents, continues on Wednesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. with the Buddy Holly Show and other legends by “Rave On.” If it should rain at the Wednesday concerts, they will be shifted to the Felix Festa Middle School auditorium. Another event is set for Tuesday, July 17, at Congers Station Park, also at 7:30 p.m. Again, if it should rain, the concert will shift to the Felix Festa Middle School auditorium. ‘Jason Casterlin & The Tall Boys,” a country group, are featured at Congers Station Park.

• The Chiclettes, a 60’s female group and divas, are tonight’s featured attraction for the Town of Orangetown’s Summer Concert Series at Veterans Memorial Park in Orangeburg, beginning at 7:45 p.m. All concerts are free, open to the public, and start at 7:45 p.m. except for a special movie night on Aug. 3 at 6:30 p.m.). Everyone is encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs.

• With more and more involvement by children in recreational sports--and adults as participants as well as coaches--one would be advised to visit www.SPORTS-DRILLS.com, which provides cutting-edge drills and exercises.

• Laurie Peek, an active member of The Sparkill History Project, will exhibit some of her photos in the Tappan Library reading room until the end of the month. The library is located at 93 Main Street. For more on Peek’s work visit http://photosbylauriepeek.com.

• Liam McCabe-Moran of New Rochelle, a graduate of Rye HS, is one of three Manhattan College men’s basketball players to receive Honors Court recognition by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for their success in the classroom. The Jaspers placed the most student-athletes on the NABC Honors Court among all 10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) institutions. The trio was also named to the 2012 MAAC All-Academic Team.

• Concordia College in Bronxville is one of six Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) tennis programs (two men’s, four women’s) to be recognized as all-Academic Teams by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). On the men’s side, Concordia College and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA, were honored, while on the women’s side, in addition to Concordia and USP, Chestnut Hill College of Philadelphia, PA, and Goldey-Beacom College of Wilmington, DE, also received all-Academic status. On the women’s side, the CACC garnered a total of 17 ITA Scholar Athlete selections, led by Concordia and Goldey-Beacom, which each had four student-athletes pegged to the squad. Chosen from the Clippers were Ana S.O. Mendes (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), Yuliya Plevako (Astana, Kazakhstan), Camilla Gomes Xavier (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and Juliana Frey (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil).