Post-season Roster

Here is the 18-man playoff roster for the Sharks. All statistics are for varsity games only.

No.	Name	Year	Position	G	AB	H	BA	HRs	RBIs	OBP	SLG
1	C. Bell	JR	1B, 3B	20	31	8	.258	0	8	.378	.387
2	B. Weinstock	SR	2B, SS	22	66	31	.470	0	17	.563	.591
3	G. Kernodle	SO	SB, SS	6	6	1	.167	0	0	.286	.167
4	A. Westine	SR	P	8	1	0	.000	0	0	.000	.000
7	G. Roth	SR	OF, P	22	72	24	.333	0	13	.377	.389
9	J. Weinstock	SO	OF, 1B	17	32	11	.344	0	2	.432	.375
11	D. Williams	SR	OF	22	79	42	.532	2	20	.568	.696
12	J. Dispenza	SO	OF	0	0	0	.000	0	0	.000	.000
17	M. Gwyn	JR	C, 3B	21	46	14	.304	1	6	.411	.391
18	G. Azzi	SR	3B	11	11	3	.273	0	4	.273	.273
19	J. Puklus	SR	SS, P	22	58	18	.310	1	14	.487	.448
21	D. Daw	SR	OF	8	3	0	.000	0	0	.000	.000
24	A. Beck	SR	OF, SS	17	25	6	.240	0	1	.269	.240
25	B. Fitch	JR	P, 1B	21	62	18	.290	3	24	.382	.532
29	P. Johnson	SR	P, 3B	21	62	22	.355	1	24	.468	.532
33	J. Van Soelen	SR	OF, 1B	21	52	23	.442	4	25	.544	.808
44	S. Williams	FR	C, 1B	13	28	12	.429	1	8	.543	.679
45	W. Semkin	JR	P, INF	2	1	0	.000	0	0	.500	.000

Frontier League Honors

From the Malibu High School Baseball web site:

The Malibu Sharks placed seven players on the Frontier League All Star team Monday. Player of the Year was senior outfielder Daniel Williams. Named to the first team for the second time were senior Philip Johnson and Brooks Fitch. Also named to the first team were seniors Brett Weinstock and Jamie van Soelen. Senior Geoff Roth was named to the second team and senior Jason Puklus was an honorable mention selection. Puklus was a first team member last year.

Congratulations!

On the Fence

Tim McAlevey, Steve Weinstock, Lonnie Galate, Rob Fitch, Eric Roth, and Harben Porter watch last Thursday's game against Santa Paula. (Photo courtesy of Anne Arvin.)

Scouting Report: Temple City

Malibu will host Temple City in a first-round CIF Division V playoff game on Friday, May 20, at 3:15 p.m. Playoff pairings were announced this afternoon on the CIF web site.

The Temple City Rams finished in a tie for second (with Monrovia) behind La Canada in the Rio Hondo League with an 11-4 league record. The Rams were 16-6 overall on the season with non-league wins over St. Francis (12-13), Pasadena (7-13), Keppel (1-17-1), Mountain View (12-12), and South Hills (17-6). In the most recent Division V Coaches' Poll, Temple City was ranked sixth, two spots ahead of the Sharks.

Senior pitcher Ryan Tucker led the Temple City staff with 68.1 innings pitched and a 1.13 ERA. Tucker struck out 112 in compiling a 6-4 record. Devin Dearth, another senior, threw 40 innings with a 2.10 ERA en route to a 5-1 record.

The leading hitters for the Rams, who averaged just over five runs scored per game, were Tucker (.340, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs), Chris Almacellas (.333, 0 HRs, 12 RBIs), and Mike Mendoza (.317, 0 HRs, 11 RBIs), and Devin Dearth (.309, 0 HRs, 15 RBIs).

The winner of Friday's game will face the winner of the Oak Park-Mary Star game in a second-round game on Tuesday, May 24.

Senior Day, 2005

From left to right: Jamie Van Soelen, Aaron Westine,Geoff Roth, Jason Puklus, Philip Johnson, Brett Weinstock, Duncan Daw, Daniel Williams, George Azzi, and Alex Beck.

Game Recap Coming Soon!

Once in a while I make the mistake of composing on-line with the result that everything disappears, never to be recovered. So it was earlier today with the recap of yesterday's 14-2 win over Santa Paula. I'll try to regroup and post a story sometime this evening. Thanks for your patience.

Finishing Strong

The Sharks defeated Santa Paula 14-2 at home today to close out the Frontier League season in sole possession of first place. Congratulations to Manager Paul Gallo, Coach Dave Buss, Coach Ismar Ardon, Coach Jeff Solny, Coach Adam Paulson, Coach Jason Cavnar and to all of the Malibu Sharks varsity baseball team.

(Game details to follow.)

DWil in the Malibu Times

This week's Malibu Times has a very nice story about Daniel Williams and his "season to remember." If you miss the print version, you can find the story here.

I'm not going to say too much about the story since I have a very personal interest in the subject (and pride can be such an ugly thing), but thanks to all of you who have done so much for Daniel over the years. You know who you are. (I know who you are, too, and soon I'll be telling others who you are.)

For now, thanks to Kevin Connelly for a beautifully written article. (Thanks for giving the blog some publicity, too!)

And Daniel--I'm really not as surprised by your success as my quote in the article made it sound.

Fighting for the Top Spot

They haven't been, but it would be understandable if they did.

The two Sharks players who have batted leadoff all season--Brett Weinstock and Daniel Williams--have hit at least 140 points higher in the top spot than in the other spots they've occupied. Weinstock, who led off in the opener against Vasquez, then gave way to Williams for the next fourteen games before moving back into the leadoff position on April 22 against Nordhoff, is hitting .545 at the top of the order and .404 elsewhere in the lineup. Williams, who batted second in the Vasquez game and third since April 22, has a .580 average as a leadoff hitter and a .370 average elsewhere.

Either way, Williams (currently hitting .513) and Weinstock (now at .453) have done a great job of setting the table this season. Nineteen times this season (the Sharks have played 21 games thus far), Malibu's leadoff hitter has reached base in the first inning. That translates into a phenomenal .905 on-base average for the leadoff hitter in the first inning. Believe it or not, it gets better. Fifteen times, the leadoff hitter has scored in the first inning. It's such an incredible statistic that a game-by-game run-down seems in order.

On the following table, first column provides the opponent and date of the game. The far-right column provides the outcome of the time at bat in the first inning. (A description in color indicates a run was scored.)

Vasquez--3/4	Weinstock	Walk
South Gate--3/5	Williams	Single
Marshall--3/7	Williams	Double
Glendale--3/10	Williams	Walk
Reseda--3/12	Williams	Double
Nordhoff--3/15	Williams	Walk
Kilpatrick--4/2	Williams	E-4
Oaks Christian--4/5	Williams	Single
Oaks Christian--4/8	Williams	Double
Montclair Prep--4/9	Williams	Walk
Santa Paula--4/12	Williams	Single
Santa Paula--4/15	Williams	Single
Oak Park--4/16	Williams	6-3
Oak Park--4/16	Williams	Single
Nordhoff--4/19	Williams	Single
Nordhoff--4/22	Weinstock	Single
Harvard Westlake--4/23	Weinstock	Double
Santa Clara--4/26	Weinstock	Walk
Santa Clara--4/29	Weinstock	Walk
Santa Clara--5/2	Weinstock	1-3
Oaks Christian--5/10	Weinstock	Single

Oaks Christian 7, Sharks 6

Junior Joe Dembesky, who took the loss back on April 8th when Malibu scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Oaks Christian 9-8, got a measure of revenge on Tuesday as his two-run double in the bottom of the seventh capped a five-run inning that sent the Sharks down to a 7-6 defeat. The loss, only the second in league play for Malibu, reduced the Sharks' lead over second-place Santa Paula to one game with one left to play.

Malibu came out swinging against Lions starter Tim Johnston, picking up three hits in the top of the first. Brett Weinstock singled to center, but was erased at second on Phil Johnson's grounder to short. Daniel Williams replaced Johnson at first on another fielder's choice and moved to second on Jamie Van Soelen's single to left. Jason Puklus followed with a ground-rule double to left centerfield that scored Williams, but a groundout by Brooks Fitch left Van Soelen and Puklus stranded.

The Sharks added three more runs in the third. Van Soelen, who had three hits on the day, doubled to right center with one out. Puklus followed with a single. With runners on the corners, Fitch connected for his third homerun of the season to make the score 4-0.

Phil Johnson, making his seventh start, retired the first eight Oaks Christian batters he faced. Then, with two out in the third inning, Lions catcher Ryan Haddock reached on an error. After a walk to Joey Navarro moved Haddock to second, Matt Ramirez doubled to knock in the Lions' first run.

Malibu extended its lead to 6-1 with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Weinstock reached in the fourth on a one-out single to left. Johnson reached on an error. After Williams struck out for the second out of the inning, Van Soelen singled to left to drive in Weinstock.

In the fifth, Fitch wound up up on third when his leadoff base hit bounced past Navarro in center. After Michael Gwyn was hit by a pitch, Geoff Roth drove in Fitch with a groundout to second.

Tim Johnston led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple to right center. With Chris Auten at the plate, Johnson balked, allowing Johnston to score. After Auten walked, Sharks Manager Paul Gallo brought in Geoff Roth to relieve Johnson. Roth struck out Joe Dembesky, induced Jimmy Dunn to ground into a fielder's choice, walked Jason Brooks, and retired the side on pinch-hitter Alex Blackmon's fielder's choice.

Looking for a quick exit with a win, the Sharks went down in order in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, Haddock led off with a single. After Navarro walked and Roth went to 2-0 to Ramirez, Gallo brought in Jason Puklus to pitch. Ramirez walked to load the bases and bring Johnston to the plate as the tying run. A walk to Johnston scored Haddock. Auten followed with a single on a 3-2 pitch to knock in Navarro and Ramirez.

With still nobody out in the inning and the score 6-5, Dembesky came to the plate and, on a 2-1 pitch, drove the ball to the fence in right centerfield. Johnston scored easily from second with the tying run and Auten, running all the way from first, beat the relay to give Oaks the come-from-behind win.

Senior Day

The Malibu High Varsity Baseball Team will have its annual Senior Day on Thursday, May 12. Come early (3:15 p.m.) for the game against Santa Paula--the final Frontier League game of the season--to honor an extraordinary group of seniors: George Azzi, Alex Beck, Duncan Daw, Phil Johnson, Jason Puklus, Geoff Roth, Jamie Van Soelen, Brett Weinstock, Aaron Westine, and Daniel Williams.

Moving Up

The Sharks have moved up a notch to number eight in the CIF Southern Section baseball coaches' poll for Division V. St. Paul, LA Baptist, and Woodcrest Christian continue to hold down the top three spots in the poll.

In Memoriam: Dr. Louis Leithold

All who are associated with Malibu High will want to read the story in today's Los Angeles Times about Dr. Louis Leithold, an extraordinary teacher, who started the calculus program at MHS. Dr. Leithold died on April 29, just days before the AP Calculus exam on which his students always excelled. The story is available here.

Run Production

All statistics tell only part of the story. That's why baseball people have been known to say about a weak swing that produces a blooper that falls in just the right spot to produce a base hit, "It'll look like a line drive in tomorrow's boxscore." Or, as Mark Twain said in his Autobiography, quoting British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Nonetheless, baseball revolves around statistics--the most important of which is a team statistic called the won-loss record--and some statistics can be revealing. But a proper understanding of what they also hide is important. So, with that introduction, let's consider run production, a subject that was mentioned briefly earlier in the season here.

The Sharks have produced runs in bunches this year. Thus far, the team has scored 174 runs in 20 games, or 8.7 per game. Not all of those runs have come at the right time, of course. Three of Malibu's six losses have been by one run; another loss (to Oak Park) was by two runs.

Where are all those runs coming from? Consider this measure of run production: If we take runs scored, add runs batted in, and divide by plate appearances (at bats plus sacrifices--including sacrifice flies--plus walks and times hit by pitch), we can derive a percentage that indicates the productivity of a hitter. (Earlier in the season, we used at bats rather than plate appearances as the denominator, but plate appearances should produce a more meaningful statistic.) The upper limit of the run production percentage would be 5.00, which could only occur if a player hit a grand slam (1 run plus 4 RBIs) every time he stepped up to the plate. (Actually, the percentage could go even higher for a player who scores runs as a pinch runner. Scoring one or more runs without ever getting a plate appearance would generate an infinite ratio of runs per plate appearance thanks to the impossibility of dividing by zero.)

Before we look at the numbers for the Sharks, consider what the statistics will not show. First, we've made no effort to separate runs scored as a pinch runner from those scored after reaching base by the runner's own effort at the plate. Nor, conversely, have we attempted to factor in the problem of being replaced on the bases by a pinch runner. (A player who hit a lot of triples only to be replaced on third base by a pinch runner would be badly cheated by what we're doing here. But as the team has only two triples all year and pinch runners have not been that common, this doesn't seem to be an issue worth trying to correct.)

Second, the statistics will not correct for the advantages (or disadvantages) of hitting in certain spots in the lineup. Ordinarily, players hitting first and second in the order score a lot of runs because they're followed by players who can hit the ball a long way. Not surprisingly, Daniel Williams and Brett Weinstock are tied for the team lead in runs scored with 25 apiece. Similarly, players hitting in the 3-4-5 spots tend to collect more RBIs thanks to the fact that they typically have players like Weinstock, Williams, and Roth on base frequently when they come to the plate. Players at the bottom of the order typically have neither advantage, except that the number eight and nine spots have been rather advantageous this season in terms of scoring runs because of the productivity at the top of the Sharks' lineup. (Of course, having the opportunity to be on base when Jamie Van Soelen is at bat is perhaps the biggest advantage of all. Batting behind him is a disadvantage because of the likelihood that he will have cleared the bases when he bats.)

With all of those disclaimers, let's look at the top ten in run production for the Sharks thus far.

	PA	R	BI	RP
J. Van Soelen	60	17	22	0.650
S. Williams	36	15	8	0.639
B. Weinstock	77	25	17	0.545
C. Bell	33	10	8	0.545
P. Johnson	69	14	23	0.536
D. Williams	81	25	18	0.531
B. Fitch	68	12	18	0.441
J. Puklus	70	18	12	0.429
G. Roth	71	15	11	0.366
M. Gwyn	49	9	5	0.286
J. Weinstock	35	7	2	0.257
A. Beck	26	4	1	0.192

JV--and Frosh/Soph--Update

The Sharks play Santa Monica High tomorrow at Malibu High in a frosh/soph game beginning at 11:00 a.m.

On Monday, the Malibu JV team completed a sweep of Santa Clara with a ten-inning win by the score of 5-4. Jacob Perrin allowed no earned runs in picking up the complete-game victory. He also drove in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning.

He's Hot!

Phil Johnson was listed in the "Who's Hot" section of the prep baseball coverage in today's Daily News. Here's what it said:

The senior went 3 for 5 with three RBI in a victory Monday over Santa Clara that clinched a share of the Frontier League title. He has a team-high 23 RBI.

(Rumor has it that Brooks Fitch will be listed next week in the "Who's Hot" section of the Santa Clara High student newspaper.)

Baseball in Italy

A little over a year ago, nearing the end of an eight-month stay in Italy, I had the opportunity to attend Fiorentina Baseball's opening day game (it was a doubleheader, actually) at the Campo di Baseball in Florence. That experience caused me to reflect on the differences between baseball in Italy and baseball in the United States. Here are some of my conclusions:

Top Ten Differences between Italian Baseball and American Baseball

10. In Italy, hit and run play only occurs in the parking lot after the game.

9. In America, lefty relievers are called "southpaws"–-in Italy, "comunisti."

8. Italian outfielders often kick balls rather than attempting long throws back to the infield.

7. Italian rules permit unlimited work stoppages after the fourth inning.

6. Instead of paying $7 for a warm beer, Italian fans fork over 28,000 lire for a cold Chianti.

5. Italian managerial strategies show clear signs of Machiavelli's influence.

4. In Italy, every ground ball is exciting thanks to a nationwide shortage of cups.

3. Play-by-play announcer Vito Sculli often forgets about the game and quotes long passages from Dante. (No, wait. That's just like Dodgers' baseball!)

2. Yellow cards.

1. Prime Minister Berlusconi never traded away Sammy Sosa.

Making Comments

I've just changed the settings on the blog so that anyone can post comments--without going through the process of registering first. (Just in time for the playoffs!) My apologies for not having noticed the difficulty of leaving comments previously. This should make it possible to leave anonymous comments--something that Dave Buss and the other 58 guys who want to manage have been begging to do.

Be nice, guys, or I'll pull the comment plug.

In Need of a Caption

This photo, taken by Coach Dave Buss on Monday while waiting for the umpires to show up at Santa Clara High, needs a caption.

Leave your suggestions--anonymously, if you like--in the comments.

Over 1K

The really big blogs get a thousand visits in the space of a few minutes each day, but this is not a really big blog. So, 134 days after inaugurating this blog (on the first day of winter--and on the second day of the Harvard Westlake Tournament), we've reached 1,000 visits. That, at least, is what the little multicolored box over on the right-hand side tells me. Anyway, it seems to be an appropriate time to say thanks to all of you loyal readers out there.

Incidentally, the first game described on this blog was a 5-4 Malibu win over L.A. Baptist. Could that have been a preview of the 2005 CIF Division V championship game?

Frontier League Champs!

The Sharks, enjoying a day off, clinched at least a tie for first place in the Frontier League as Oaks Christian defeated second-place Santa Paula 7-0. Tim Johnson pitched a complete game and Joe Dembesky hit a grand slam as the Lions pulled to within one game of second place.

Malibu, with two games left to play, now leads Santa Paula by two in the loss column. The Sharks travel to Oaks Christian next Tuesday and finish up against Santa Paula at home on Thursday. Santa Paula has three games remaining: Oaks Christian at home on Friday, Santa Clara away on Tuesday, and the Sharks in Malibu on Thursday.

Congratulations to the 2005 Malibu High School Sharks Varsity Baseball Team!

Ninth and Climbing

The Sharks are ranked ninth in the latest CIF Southern Section Division V baseball poll. Here are the complete rankings (with won-lost records and a link to each team's Max Preps page):

1. St. Paul (20-6-1)
2. LA Baptist (15-2)
3. Woodcrest Christian (17-4)
4. Oak Park (14-5)
5. Serrano (12-1-1)
6. St. Bonaventure (15-7)
7. Monrovia (12-6)
8. Aquinas (15-6)
9. Malibu (14-6)
10. Temple City (13-5)

To see the CIFSS baseball polls, click on the CIF Southern Section web page, click on "Polls," select "Spring Polls" and "Baseball," then choose the division on the drop-down menu. (Malibu is in Division V.) (The rankings are also available here on Max Preps.)

(Thanks to Paul Gallo for the tip.)

In the LA Times

Today's Los Angeles Times includes the following note on yesterday's game:

Malibu 10, Santa Clara 1

Senior third basemen Phillip Johnson went three for five with three RBIs and junior Brooks Fitch (5-2) pitched five innings, allowing an earned run on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks for visiting Malibu (14-6, 9-1). The Sharks are in first place in the Frontier League with a two-game lead with two games left to play. Brian Yunke went three for three with a double for Santa Clara (1-8).

You can find the write-up online here or on the Prep Sports page in the print edition.

(Thanks to Paul Gallo for the tip.)

Sharks 10, Santa Clara 1

The Sharks completed a three-game sweep of the Santa Clara Saints yesterday and, in the process, clinched a spot in the CIF playoffs for the third consecutive year. Brooks Fitch pitched five strong innings to pick up his fifth win of the season and Malibu pounded out thirteen hits en route to a 10-1 win in Oxnard.

The Sharks discuss their prom dates while waiting for the umpires to show up. Later, during the game, the subject of prom dates came up again as two unidentified Santa Clara fans begged Brooks Fitch to take them to the prom.

The Saints threatened to score first but ran themselves out of the inning in the top of the third. With one out, Santa Clara put runners on the corners as a result of two Malibu errors. On the third to first pickoff play--the play that “never works”--Fitch caught the runner breaking from first. In the ensuing rundown, Santa Clara's Anthony Gonzalez broke from third. Fitch’s throw to Gwyn at the plate was high, but Gwyn made a leaping catch and came down in time to apply the tag to the sliding runner. Fitch then struck out Chris Hernandez to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth inning, Michael Gwyn led off with a single off the end of the bat to short right field. After he had advanced to second on a wild pitch, Geoff Roth singled sharply to center moving Gwyn to third. Colbie Bell followed with a walk to load the bases and set the stage for a series of run-producing singles.

Brett Weinstock singled to left to score Gwyn. Phil Johnson followed with another single to left that plated Roth and Bell. After Daniel Williams flied out to left, Jamie Van Soelen singled to load the bases again. Jason Puklus then capped the four-run inning with a walk that drove in Weinstock with the fourth run of the inning.

Santa Clara scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth. Eric Navarro led off with an infield single but was doubled off when the next batter, A.J. Laboriante, hit a soft line drive to Brett Weinstock at second base. First baseman Brian Yunker then doubled to the fence in left center, the second of his three hits on the day. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Yunker scored when Mike Lugo singled to right. Fitch then struck out designated hitter Phil Smith to end the inning.

The Sharks followed with another big inning in the top of the fifth. Roth started the inning with a walk. Bell bunted him over to second and Weinstock’s second hit of the day moved him to third. After Weinstock stole second, Johnson picked up two more RBIs with a single to right. Williams grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Johnson at second and then stole second base. Van Soelen and Puklus both walked to load the bases. With a full count, Brooks Fitch then hit a line drive that caromed off the Santa Clara third baseman for a bases-clearing double to make the score 9-1.

In the top of the sixth, Malibu broke into double digits for the eleventh time in twenty games. With two outs, Brett Weinstock reached base on an infield hit. Johnson followed with a single to right and Weinstock scored when the ball got past the Santa Clara right fielder.

Jason Puklus closed for the Sharks, giving up just one infield hit while striking out three in two innings of work.

Brett Weinstock and Phil Johnson, hitting in the second spot in the lineup for the first time this season, had three hits apiece. Geoff Roth was 2-for-3 with a walk. Daniel Williams, Jamie Van Soelen, Brooks Fitch, Michael Gwyn, and Jared Weinstock had the Sharks' other hits.

Back to Santa Clara

The Sharks return to Santa Clara this afternoon for the makeup of a game rained out on March 18. It will be the third and final matchup this season of the Saints and Sharks. Last week, Malibu took two games from Santa Clara by scores of 14-2 and 13-2.

The Sharks are 8-1 in Frontier League play with three games remaining, including today's game. Second-place Santa Paula (6-2 in the Frontier League) plays tomorrow at Oaks Christian. The magic number for the Sharks to clinch the Frontier League title is two.

Baseball and Jazz

A photo of sophomore pitcher, first baseman, and DH-extraordinaire Jared Weinstock is gracing page 6 of last week's Malibu Surfside News. He's wearing shades and playing the sax.

The photo made me think of a magazine ad I saw recently. It shows a kid in his bedroom playing the sax. The caption reads, "Johnny! Close your window. Dad can't hear himself mow the lawn."

Baseball and Politics

First, the politics: Residents of the District of Columbia are represented by a non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have no representation in the U.S. Senate. Although they are citizens of the United States and must pay federal taxes like the rest of us, D.C. residents do not have the same representation the rest of us have. But perhaps you're saying to yourself, "D.C. is too small to have two senators and a voting representative in the House." Fine. Then let's take away Wyoming's congressional representation because its population (506,529--according to the most recent Census Bureau estimate) is smaller than the District's (553,523).

Second, more of the politics: Residents of the District of Columbia are eligible to vote in presidential elections, thanks to the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1961. In the 2004 election, John Kerry received 90 percent of the vote in D.C. That, of course, is why Republicans have no problem denying voting rights to the people of the District of Columbia. It's all about moral values, after all. Not.

Third, the baseball: As you may have heard, Washington, D.C. has a new baseball team, the Nationals. The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission is trying to sell the naming rights to RFK Stadium where the Nationals are currently playing. (Move over, Bobby.) Recently, the Pentagon was rumored to be interested in paying $6 million for the name "Armed Forces Field at RFK Stadium" and, more importantly, for the right to recruit fans inside the stadium. Apparently someone thought about that for a minute or two and decided against it. Anyway, D.C. still doesn't have a corporate sponsor for its baseball field. (You'd think the team was still playing in Montreal.)

Some enterprising Washingtonians have launched a campaign to name the field--at least until a real sponsor comes along--Taxation without Representation Stadium. Baseball fans, Democrats, and others who like the idea that all U.S. citizens should have representation in Congress, can support the cause at this web site.

(See what happens to the blog when the Sharks don't have a game on Saturday?)

Sharks 13, Santa Clara 2

The Sharks used the long ball to jumpstart a sluggish offense en route to a 13-2 victory over Santa Clara today at Francis Gherini Memorial Field in Oxnard.

Malibu’s first hit of the game was Michael Gwyn’s first homerun of the season, a blast that tied the score 1-1 in the third inning. One inning later, Jamie Van Soelen’s league-leading fourth homerun put the Sharks ahead to stay as Phil Johnson and Geoff Roth combined to limit the Saints to two runs on six hits. Johnson went five innings to earn his fourth win of the season.

Santa Clara got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. After Johnson retired leadoff hitter Eric Navarro on a comebacker, Anthony Gonzalez was hit by a pitch. A.J. Laboriante followed with a double down the left field line that moved Gonzalez to third. Brian Yunker popped out to short center field, but Gonzalez tagged and scored on the play just ahead of Weinstock’s throw to the plate.

After a leadoff walk to Weinstock, Santa Clara starter Phil Smith settled in and retired the Sharks in order until Gwyn came to the plate with one out in the top of the third. Down in the count 0-2, Gwyn jumped on a hanging curve ball, sending it over the fence in left.

In the top of the fourth, with one out and Phil Johnson on first via a walk, Van Soelen hit an 0-1 pitch over the fence in right to put the Sharks up 3-1. Jason Puklus followed with a line drive single to left. After Puklus stole second, designated hitter Brooks Fitch then hit a ground ball to third. Saints third baseman Anthony Gonzalez threw wildly to first allowing Puklus to score and Fitch to reach second. Gwyn walked to bring Stephen Williams to the plate. Williams lined a 1-0 pitch to score Fitch and move Gwyn to third. After Weinstock walked to load the bases, Roth flied to center. A perfect throw nailed Gwyn at the plate to end the inning.

The Sharks loaded the bases again in the fifth inning but failed to extend their 5-1 lead. Daniel Williams singled to center and stole second. Johnson walked. After Van Soelen flied to left for the first out, Puklus walked to load the bases. Fitch struck out, bring Gwyn to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, Williams attempted to steal home but Laboriante applied the tag to end the inning.

Santa Clara put together three singles in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 5-2, but the Sharks answered with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Gwyn was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Stephen Williams followed with an infield hit. With runners on first and second and no outs, Weinstock beat out a well-placed bunt to load the bases. Jared Weinstock, hitting for Roth, grounded into a fielder’s choice for the first out of the inning. Daniel Williams then flied deep to the left field corner. The ball was caught in foul territory, but Stephen Williams tagged and scored easily from third.

Stephen Williams waits for a pitch against Santa Clara.

After Chris Hernandez reached for the Saints on an error, Roth entered in relief of Johnson. A controversial play on a sacrifice bunt allowed Hernandez to advance all the way to third. The Santa Clara batter appeared to come into contact with his own bunt in fair territory up the first base line. Although Williams threw to Johnson at first for the out, alert baserunning by Hernandez allowed him to reach third. Roth responded by striking out Ruben Landeros and getting Matt Tougas to ground out to Puklus at short.

The Sharks sealed the victory with seven runs in the seventh inning. Van Soelen walked and Puklus was hit by a pitch. After a pitching change for the Saints, Fitch walked to load the bases. Gwyn then popped to short for the first out and Stephen Williams walked to drive in Van Soelen. Brett Weinstock was hit by a pitch to score Puklus. Roth struck out for the second out of the inning. Daniel Williams then roped a single to left to drive in Fitch and the younger Williams. Weinstock also scored and Williams went to second as the ball got past the Santa Clara left fielder. Johnson followed with a single that drove in Williams. Van Soelen doubled into the left field corner to knock in Johnson with the seventh and final run of the inning.

For the Sharks, Jamie Van Soelen was 2-for-4 with a homerun and a double. Michael Gwyn was 1-for-2 with a homerun, a walk, and a hit by pitch. Brett Weinstock was 2-for-2 with two walks and a hit by pitch. Daniel Williams was 2-for-4 plus a sacrifice fly. Stephen Williams was 2-for-3 with a walk. Van Soelen and Daniel Williams had three RBIs each.

The Sharks return to Santa Clara on Monday for another game with the Saints.

Finding Santa Clara

The Sharks play tomorrow and Monday at Santa Clara High School in Oxnard. For those who haven't been there, you can find a map here. The address is 2121 Saviers Road.

The Sharks in the News

Kevin Connelly's account of last Saturday's 1-0 loss to Harvard Westlake appears in The Malibu Times this week. Here's a link to the story on the The Malibu Times web site.

JV Update: Sharks 4, Santa Clara 3

Greg Kernodle tripled to drive in Sloan Campi with the tying run and then scored the go-ahead run on a groundout as Malibu defeated Santa Clara 4-3. Wesley Semkin pitched a complete game to earn the win for Coach Adam Paulson's squad.

Sharks 14, Santa Clara 2

Just three days after failing to get a runner past second base against Harvard Westlake, the Sharks pounded out thirteen hits in the course of a 14-2 win over the Santa Clara Saints. Brooks Fitch (3-2) pitched a complete game, his fourth of the season, allowing only one earned run while striking out twelve.

After Fitch got out of a 28-pitch first inning unscathed, Malibu turned four walks, a sacrifice fly, and a base hit into two runs in the bottom of the first. After Brett Weinstock and Geoff Roth walked, Daniel Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jamie Van Soelen followed with a fly to right that scored Weinstock and sent Roth to third. Phil Johnson walked and, after Jason Puklus struck out, Fitch hit a one-hopper off the glove of the third baseman. Roth scored on the play but Williams was gunned down at the plate by the Santa Clara shortstop.

In the second inning, Stephen Williams walked with one out. Weinstock followed with a double deep to left that scored Williams. After Roth popped out, Daniel Williams drove an 0-1 pitch into left field to make the score 4-0.

Daniel Williams

The Sharks batted around and added three more runs in the third inning. Puklus led off with an infield hit and moved to second on Fitch’s second hit of the day. Michael Gwyn knocked in Puklus with a single to left. After Stephen Williams flied out to left, Weinstock was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Roth then singled to drive in Fitch and Gwyn to make the score 7-0.

Santa Clara’s Chris Hernandez shut out the Sharks in the fourth and fifth innings, but Fitch continued to dominate the Saints hitters. Santa Clara finally scored in top of the sixth when Fitch hit a batter with one out and then committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt at first. With the Saints runner on third, Fitch struck out the next two hitters, but the second strikeout victim end up on first and a run scored as Fitch’s two-strike curveball in the dirt eluded Gwyn.

Phil Johnson (3B), Brett Weinstock (2B), and Geoff Roth (RF)

Malibu sent thirteen hitters to the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Johnson led off with a fly out to deep center. Puklus then drove the ball to the fence in center for a double. Fitch walked and was replaced on first by George Azzi. Gwyn’s single drove in Puklus. After Stephen Williams walked to load the bases, Weinstock grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Azzi at the plate. Roth’s single to left center drove in two runs. Daniel Williams was then hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Van Soelen walked to force in Weinstock. Johnson singled to center to drive in two more runs. Puklus walked and then Azzi singled to drive in Van Soelen with the seventh run of the inning before Duncan Daw, hitting for Gwyn, struck out.

In the top of the seventh, Santa Clara turned a single, two stolen bases, and an infield groundout into their second run making the final score 14-2.

Jason Puklus

For Malibu, Geoff Roth was 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Jason Puklus, Daniel Williams, and Brooks Fitch were all 2-for-3. Michael Gwyn was 2-for-4 and George Azzi was 1-for-1.

Scouting Report: Santa Clara Saints

The Sharks play three games in the next seven days against Santa Clara, including the makeup of a game rained out on March 18. The Sharks and Saints play today in Malibu and Friday and Monday in Oxnard. . . . Santa Clara enters the three-game series with a 4-10 record overall and a 1-5 record in the Frontier League. The Saints defeated Oaks Christian, 4-2, last Tuesday, but lost 10-0 in the game on Friday. . . . Each of Santa Clara's Frontier League opponents thus far has shut out the Saints once.

Schedule Change

The makeup game at Santa Clara scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, April 27) has been changed to Monday, May 2.

Harvard Westlake 1, Sharks 0

One day after scoring eleven runs against Nordhoff, the Sharks were shut out for the first time this season.

Aaron Westine pitched a complete-game three-hitter, but one of the hits drove in a run and that was all it took for Harvard Westlake to defeat the Sharks on Saturday. Baserunning mistakes and a tough lefthander on the mound for Harvard Westlake kept Malibu on the short end of a 1-0 score.

After Westine stranded two baserunners in the top of the first, Brett Weinstock led off in the bottom of the inning with a double deep in the left centerfield gap. He was quickly erased, however, when Geoff Roth grounded back to the pitcher who threw to third in time for the tag. The Sharks never again got a runner as close to third as Weinstock had been.

Harvard Westlake scored its only run in the third inning by way of a walk, a stolen base, and a single.

Pitcher Aaron Westine and shortstop Alex Beck go after a pop fly.

In the fourth inning, Brooks Fitch led off with a single down the third base line. After Jared Weinstock struck out, Michael Gwyn singled to right, moving Fitch to second. The rally quickly ended, however, as Alex Beck grounded into a double play.

The Sharks threatened to score one more time in the bottom of the sixth. Daniel Williams reached first as the first baseman was unable to come up with a throw in the dirt. He stole second and, one out later, Jamie Van Soelen drove a 3-2 pitch deep to center field. Malibu's hopes died, however, as the center fielder made the catch near the warning track.

Manager Paul Gallo and Coach Dave Buss survey the defense.

Weinstock, Roth, Williams, Fitch, Gwyn, and Beck had hits for Malibu. Two Malibu baserunners were picked off.

Next up for the Sharks is a Frontier League game against Santa Clara on Tuesday.

Scouting Report: Harvard Westlake Wolverines

The Harvard Westlake Wolverines enter today's game with the Sharks with a 3-12 record. The wins have come against Grant High School (in the Daily News Victory Invitational), Culver City, and St. Francis of La Canada. . . . The Wolverines play in the tough Mission League with Chaminade, Crespi, Notre Dame, Loyola, Alemany, and St. Francis. . . . On the mound for the Sharks will be Aaron Westine (2-1, 3.00 ERA). Westine gave up only two earned runs in four-and-a-third innings against Oak Park last Saturday but took the loss as the Eagles defeated Malibu 8-1 in game one of a doubleheader.

Sharks 11, Nordhoff 7

Coach Paul Gallo juggled the Malibu lineup and came up with six hits and five runs from the top two spots in the order as the Sharks defeated the Nordhoff Rangers 11-7 in the final meeting of the season for the two Frontier League rivals. Brett Weinstock went 3-for-4 and scored four runs batting leadoff for the first time and Geoff Roth, in the second spot for the first time since March 7, added another three hits and an RBI. Daniel Williams, hitting third for the first time this season, responded with four RBIs including a two-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to break a 5-5 tie.

Phil Johnson delivers to the plate.

Roth, who replaced starter Phil Johnson in the third, scattered four hits over four and two-thirds innings to earn his second win in relief this season.

Nordhoff jumped on top early, scoring three runs in the top of the first on a walk, two singles, a double, and an RBI groundout. Malibu countered with two in the bottom of the first. Weinstock led off with a single to left and moved to second on Roth’s single through the infield. Both advanced on Williams’ infield groundout. Johnson drove in Weinstock with another groundout. Jamie Van Soelen followed with a walk. Brooks Fitch then struck out on a ball that bounced away from the Nordhoff catcher. Fitch reached first safely as Roth scored on the play. As Jason Puklus walked, Van Soelen was thrown out trying to score as ball four got past the catcher.

The Sharks went ahead in the second inning. Michael Gwyn was hit by a pitch. Stephen Williams followed with a single to left. Weinstock drove in Gwyn with his second hit of the day. Roth followed with a single that scored Williams. Weinstock then scored on Daniel Williams’ groundout to short.

Nordhoff tied the game in the top of the third. With one out, Johnson walked two consecutive batters, at which point Coach Gallo called on Roth. A double to deep left scored both Rangers runners, but Roth settled down and retired the next two Nordhoff hitters.

In the bottom of the fourth, Gwyn led off with a single to center. After Stephen Williams popped out to the first baseman, Weinstock and Roth both singled to load the bases. Daniel Williams then lined a 3-1 pitch off the Nordhoff third baseman’s glove to drive in both Gwyn and Weinstock.

Roth ran into trouble in the fifth as Nordhoff put together three hits and a hit batter. A series of groundball outs, however, limited the Rangers to a single run as Roth left three runners stranded.

Stephen Williams reacts to a pop foul.

With the score 7-6, Malibu broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Jared Weinstock, batting for Van Soelen, led off with a line drive single to center. After Fitch was hit by a pitch, Jason Puklus loaded the bases with a bunt single. Weinstock was cut down at the plate for the first out of the inning on Gwyn’s fielder’s choice, but a walk to Stephen Williams drove in the first of four runs the Sharks were to score in the inning. After another fielder’s choice resulted in the second out, Roth hit a sharp ground ball to third. A wild throw allowed Roth to reach safely as Gwyn and Williams scored. Daniel Williams then knocked in Weinstock with a sharp ground ball off the chest of the third baseman.

In the top of the seventh, Roth ran into trouble again, but gave up only a single unearned run. With the bases loaded and the tie run at the plate as a result of two Malibu errors, Roth got a groundout to second to end the game.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sharks and ran their record in the Frontier League to 6-1. Next up for the Sharks is a non-league game against Harvard Westlake tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

Nordhoff 4, Sharks 3

The Sharks suffered their third consecutive loss as the Nordhoff High Rangers broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the bottom of the seventh in Ojai on Tuesday. The loss was Malibu's first of the season in Frontier League play.

Brooks Fitch on the mound against Nordhoff.

Nordhoff jumped out to a 2-0 lead off Malibu starter Brooks Fitch with three consecutive singles, a fielder's choice, and an error on a ground ball that might have ended the inning. Malibu countered with two runs in the top of the second on back--to-back doubles by Jamie Van Soelen and Geoff Roth followed by a two-out single by Colbie Bell.

The Sharks had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth but failed to score as Fitch grounded into a 5-2-3 double play. Nordhoff came back in the bottom of the inning and broke the tie on a solo home run over the left field fence.

Malibu tied the game again in the top of the sixth. Van Soelen singled to left and moved to second on the Nordhoff outfielder's error. Roth followed with a single up the middle that drove in Van Soelen.

The Sharks got a runner to third in the top of the seventh with one out but were unable to score. In the bottom of the inning, Fitch walked the first batter, hit the second, and gave up a single to right that scored the game-winning run.

For Malibu, Daniel Williams was three-for-four. Jamie Van Soelen and Geoff Roth were both two-for-three with a double and a single. Brett Weinstock had two sacrifice bunts. Brooks Fitch gave up just two earned runs in six-plus innings on the mound.

Oak Park 5, Sharks 3

The Oak Park Eagles scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to complete a doubleheader sweep at Malibu High on Saturday. Jason Puklus pitched six shutout innings but was unable to retire a batter in the seventh as the Eagles fought back from a 3-0 deficit.

Jason Puklus works against Oak Park in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

The Sharks' frustration from the first game continued in the bottom of the first inning of game two. Daniel Williams led off with a single up the middle. After Brett Weinstock lined out to center, Phil Johnson singled, moving Williams to third. Brooks Fitch flied out to short center. Williams tagged on the play and was called out on a close play at the plate.

The Sharks scored in the third as Colbie Bell led off with a walk and moved to second on Williams' groundout. Weinstock's base hit moved Bell to third. He then scored on Oak Park pitcher Blair Walters' throwing error.

As Puklus continued shutting down the Eagles' lineup, Malibu scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Phil Johnson reached on a error and was erased at second on Jared Weinstock's fielder's choice. A single by Puklus moved Weinstock to second. After Stephen Williams struck out, Jamie Van Soelen walked to load the bases. Alex Beck then singled to right driving in Weinstock and Puklus. The inning ended as Van Soelen was caught at home on an attempted double steal.

Oak Park stormed back in the top of the seventh. Matt Alexander led off with a triple to the right field corner. Puklus then hit Max Rosenberg with a pitch. Ty Muller followed with a double over the head of center fielder Daniel Williams that scored both Alexander and Rosenberg. Muller scored the tying run when Mitch Halpert reached on a throwing error by shortstop Brett Weinstock. Brian Kernochan then drove in Halpert with the go-ahead run on a triple to right center. Geoff Roth came on in relief of Puklus and got Trevor Duffy to ground to first for the first out of the inning. Cory Ott then singled to drive in Kernochan with the fifth run of the inning for the Eagles. Zach Granowitz also singled before Roth retired Chad Standrowicz and Alexander to end Oak Park's half of the seventh.

Facing reliever Brian Kernochan, Malibu was unable to get anything going in the bottom of the seventh. Kernochan pitched three innings and was credited with the win to run his record to 2-1.

Eight different players collected hits for Malibu. Geoff Roth's double in the second inning was the only extra-base hit for the Sharks.

Oak Park 8, Sharks 1

Oak Park's Zack Thornton limited Malibu to five hits in the first game of a doubleheader at Malibu High on Saturday as the Eagles downed the Sharks by a score of 8-1. The loss snapped Malibu's 10-game winning streak and ran Thornton's record to 6-1.

Aaron Westine limited Oak Park to three runs, one of them unearned, in four-and-a-third innings on the mound, but the Sharks squandered scoring opportunities in the third and fourth innings and never held the lead in the game. Five different Malibu hitters collected hits, but Thornton issued no walks and only two baserunners reached on Oak Park errors.

Aaron Westine delivers to Michael Gwyn in the second inning.

After wasting scoring opportunities of their own in the second and third innings, Oak Park got on the board in the fourth as Jake Whitaker walked with one out. Doug Deakin doubled down the right field line sending Whitaker to third. Brian Kernochan's groundout drove in Whitaker with the first run of the game.

Malibu countered with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Phil Johnson led off with an infield single. Brooks Fitch followed with a base hit to right. After Jason Puklus struck out, Jamie Van Soelen singled down the left field line to drive in Johnson. Jared Weinstock then reached safely on Thornton's error, but Thornton pitched out of the bases loaded jam and coasted the rest of the way, retiring the last eleven batters he faced.

Oak Park, meanwhile, scored two more runs off of Westine in the fifth inning. Max Rosenberg led off with a single, advanced to second and third on wild pitches, and, with Jared Weinstock on the mound in relief of Westine, scored on a passed ball. Matt Alexander, who walked before Westine was lifted, scored on a sacrifice fly when Sharks left fielder Jamie Van Soelen made a diving catch of a line drive off the bat of Ty Muller.

The Eagles scored five runs in the top of the seventh. Sophomore southpaw Jared Weinstock allowed a base hit by Rosenberg and then walked Chad Standrowicz and Matt Alexander before being relieved by Colbie Bell. Rosenberg scored on Ty Muller's sacrifice fly and Jake Whitaker drove in Standrowicz and Alexander with a single to center. With two outs in the inning, Whitaker scored as Brian Kernochan reached on an error. Bell hit Zach Granowitz with a pitch and the scoring was completed when Cory Ott drove in Kernochan with a base hit.

Brett Weinstock, Phil Johnson, Brooks Fitch, and Jamie Van Soelen had singles for the Sharks. Michael Gwyn had Malibu's only extra-base hit, a double to deep center in the third inning.

Aaron Westine, who took the loss, is now 2-1 on the season with a 3.00 ERA.

The End of the Streak

The Oak Park Eagles made the seventh inning their big inning twice, scoring five times in the seventh in both games of a doubleheader as they ended the Sharks' ten-game winning streak with a sweep, 8-1 and 5-3. Please check back later for a complete report and photos.

Sharks 13, Santa Paula 8

The Sharks scored five runs in the first inning and six in the fifth en route to a 13-8 victory over the Santa Paula Cardinals on Friday. Geoff Roth and Brett Weinstock both had three hits to pace Malibu's 14-hit attack.

In the top of the first, Daniel Williams led off with a single just to the left of second base. Brett Weinstock followed with a base hit. Phil Johnson then doubled to drive in Williams. After Brooks Fitch struck out, Jason Puklus singled to knock in Weinstock. Jamie Van Soelen's double scored Johnson and Puklus. Jared Weinstock grounded to short for the second out of the inning, then Geoff Roth doubled to drive in Van Soelen with the Sharks' fifth run.

Santa Paul scored one run in the bottom of the first. Johnny Carrillo walked, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored one out later on a single by Michael Cortez.

Cortez, pitching for the Cardinals, kept the Malibu bats quiet through the second, third, and fourth innings. Meanwhile, Santa Paula picked up a second run in the third inning, once again using the combination of a walk to Carrillo and a RBI by Cortez.

Jamie Van Soelen

Malibu's bats came alive again in the fifth inning. Williams led off with a double to right centerfield. Weinstock drove him in on the next pitch with a base hit to left. Johnson reached first and Weinstock advanced to second on a throwing error by the Cardinals' first baseman. After Brooks Fitch grounded into a fielders' choice with Johnson erased at second for the first out, Jason Puklus lifted a fly to center that scored Weinstock. Van Soelen then singled to left and Jared Weinstock walked to load the bases. Roth singled to knock in Fitch and Van Soelen. Stephen Williams completed the barrage with a double to left center that scored Weinstock and Roth.

Philip Johnson

With the score 11-2, Santa Paula fought back in the bottom of the fifth. Anthony Lopez singled and stole second. After Cortez lined out to Van Soelen in left, Eddie Delgadillo doubled to left center to score Lopez. A throwing error allowed Delgadillo to score as Randy Aguilera reached first. Catcher Toby Baca singled to left. Jesus Diaz flied to Roth in right. Daniel Alamillo and Travis McClain followed with base hits. Alamillo's single knocked in Aguilera and Baca. Geoff Roth relieved starter Phil Johnson on the mound. Carrillo then walked for the third time to load the bases. Lopez singled to drive in Alamillo and McClain with the Cardinals' seventh and eighth runs before Roth struck out Cortez for the third out of the inning.

Alex Beck

Malibu scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. A single by Brooks Fitch drove in Brett Weinstock in the sixth inning. In the seventh, Roth singled and scored on Weinstock's double down the third base line.

Roth allowed one base runner in both the sixth and seventh innings, but preserved the lead that he inherited when he entered in the fifth inning. Johnson was credited with the win, his third of the season.

Schedule Update

The starting time for the first game of tomorrow's doubleheader against Oak Park has been changed to 10:00 a.m.

Scouting Report: Oak Park Eagles

The Oak Park Eagles will visit Malibu High tomorrow for a non-league doubleheader against the Sharks. The Eagles are 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the Tri-Valley League following impressive home wins last week against Fillmore (20-2) on Wednesday and Carpinteria (14-4) on Friday.

Sophomore third baseman Chad Standrowicz was 4-for-8 in the two games with a total of 11 RBIs. Against Carpinteria, he had a career day with three homeruns and eight RBIs.

Senior catcher Max Rosenberg leads Oak Park hitters with a .462 average. Junior second baseman Cory Ott is second with a .432 mark.

Junior Zack Thornton has started six of Oak Park's eleven games this season and has a 5-1 record with a 1.40 ERA. Thornton averages five innings per start and one strikeout per inning. He has allowed only sixteen hits in his six starts. Senior Brian Kernochan (1-1, 6.72 ERA) is the Eagles' number two starter. Kernochan was the winning pitcher in last Friday's game against Carpinteria.

As team, Oak Park has a .343 batting average with five homeruns. On the bases, the Eagles are 6-for-11 in steal attempts.

The first game of the doubleheader tomorrow begins at 11:00 a.m.

No Day at the Beach

The home plate umpire takes a foul ball in the stomach off the bat of Jared Weinstock in the seventh inning of last Friday's game against Oaks Christian.

Photo Update

Some photos have now been added to the story about Tuesday's game against Santa Paula.

The Heart and Mind of America

From Coach Gallo comes this great quotation:

Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game, and do it first by watching some high school or small town teams. The big league games are too fast for the beginner and the newspapers don't help. To read them with profit you have to know a language that comes easy only after philosophy has taught you to judge practice. Here is scholarship that takes effort on the part of the outsider, but it is so bred into the native that it never becomes a dreary round of technicalities.

--Jacques Barzun, Professor of History, Columbia University

Tim Wiles, Director of Research at the Baseball Hall of Fame, used to write an on-line column called "Letters in the Dirt" that examined various topics related to baseball and culture. Sadly, the column appears to have been discontinued after March 2000, but archived columns are still available. In the "Letters in the Dirt" archive there are two brief essays about Barzun's love of his adopted game and his adopted country that take as their starting point this quotation. You can find them here and here. (Wiles goes on in a third essay to convey Barzun's view of the comparison between baseball and cricket.)

Speaking of the Baseball Hall of Fame, you can get the quotation (or part of it, anyway) on a T-shirt through the Hall of Fame Museum Shop.

In the News

There's a great article in this week's Malibu Times by Kevin Connelly about Malibu's 9-8 victory over Oaks Christian last Friday. Check it out on-line here or pick up a copy at the newsstand.

Down on the Farm

The Malibu Sharks sit atop the Pony American Division in the Agoura Pony Baseball League with a 5-1 record. The next game for Coach Mark Conrad's team is on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Bluffs Park against the Westlake Red Sox. . . . On Saturday, Michael Ciniglio (Malibu Little League Dodgers) hit his first homerun, a grand slam in the sixth inning to bring the Dodgers back from a 5-1 deficit against the Angels. The game ended in a 5-5 tie after seven innings. The Dodgers and Giants play today on the Major Field at Bluffs Park.

A Weak Schedule?

We know the Vasquez Mustangs are a good team (although a lot of people at Malibu High would like to have another shot at them after they downed the Sharks 7-1 in the opener of the Daily News-Victory Invitational Tournament), but this is ridiculous: The Mustangs have won their last four games by scores of 26-0, 32-0, 11-0, and 42-2.

Second in the State

Here are the top three hitters in California, according to Max Preps:

1. Dominic Di Ricco, Menlo-Atherton (.659)
2. Daniel Williams, Malibu (.649)
3. China McCarney, Vasquez (.638)

Sharks 17, Santa Paula 4

The Sharks, powered by Daniel Williams’s five hits and Jamie Van Soelen’s third homerun of the season, took over sole possession of first place in the Frontier League with a 17-4 win over Santa Paula today at Malibu High. The win was Malibu’s ninth in a row.

Malibu started strong with Williams leading off with a single to center and moving to third on Brett Weinstock’s base hit up the middle. Phil Johnson followed with a ground-rule double that bounced over the right field fence to score Williams and move Weinstock to third. Brooks Fitch followed with the first of his three sacrifice flies on the day to knock in Weinstock with the Sharks’ second run.

In the bottom of the second, Jared Weinstock led off with a walk. After Geoff Roth popped out, Colbie Bell grounded sharply to second. Weinstock and Bell were both safe as the toss from the Cardinals’ second baseman pulled the shortstop off the bag. Williams then loaded the bases with a line-drive single to left. Brett Weinstock and Phil Johnson followed with RBI walks and Fitch drove in the third run of the inning with his second sacrifice fly.

Rudy Gamez, who came on in relief of Santa Paula starter Anthony Bavero in the second inning, retired the Sharks in order in the third, but Malibu added five more runs in the fourth inning. With one out, Williams doubled down the left field line. After Weinstock fouled out, Johnson and Fitch walked to load the bases. Jason Puklus followed with a single to center that drove in Williams and Johnson. Fitch also came around to score when the Santa Paula center fielder misplayed the ball. Two pitches later, Van Soelen drove a fastball from Gamez over the fence in left to cap the rally.

Stephen Williams, pinch-hitting for Bell, led off the fifth inning with a single to center. Daniel Williams followed with his fourth hit of the day, a bloop single down the right field line. Weinstock bunted to move the Williams brothers to second and third. Phil Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases setting the stage for Fitch’s third sacrifice fly of the game, a drive to left that scored Stephen Williams.

In the bottom of the sixth, Michael Gwyn and Geoff Roth both singled with one out. Colbie Bell followed with a two-run double to the gap in right center. Daniel Williams singled to right and Brett Weinstock followed with a double that knocked in Bell. Phil Johnson walked to load the bases. After Fitch popped out to second, Jason Puklus drove in Williams with a base hit. Van Soelen followed with a walk that drove in Weinstock. Gwyn’s second hit of the day scored Johnson with the sixth run of the inning and the seventeenth of the game for the Sharks.

Brooks Fitch turned in a strong performance on the mound with a complete-game, six-strikeout performance to run his record to 3-1 on the season. He surrendered single runs in the third and seventh innings along with two unearned runs in the fourth.

For Santa Paula, Michael Cortez and Anthony Lopez each had two hits. Cortez also drove in two runs for the Cardinals.

The Sharks and Cardinals meet again on Friday in Santa Paula.

Co-Captains

On Wednesday, Coach Paul Gallo named senior shortstop Jason Puklus and senior center fielder Daniel Williams co-captains of the Sharks.

Poll-Watching

The latest CIF Southern Section Division V baseball poll once again lists Malibu close to the top ten--listed but unranked. LA Baptist has taken over the top spot and Saturday's opponent--Oak Park--has climbed to fifth.

Scouting Report: Santa Paula Cardinals

Santa Paula visits the Sharks tomorrow tied for first in the Frontier League. The Cardinals are 3-0 in league play with two wins over Santa Clara and one over Oaks Christian. Overall, Santa Paula is 6-8.

The Cardinals are led by seniors Randy Aguilera (.429 BA, 6 doubles) and Eddie Delgadillo (.400 BA, 10 RBIs). Rudy Gamez (1-1, 3.77 ERA) is the workhorse of the Cardinals' pitching staff. Gamez and senior Michael Cortez have each started four games for Santa Paula.

The Cardinals run at every opportunity. Through fourteen games, they have 37 stolen bases in 50 attempts. Ten different players have stolen bases. Johnny Carrillo leads the team with nine steals in eleven attempts.

Last year, the Sharks won each of their three games against the Cardinals, including a 20-13 win at Santa Paula on April 30 in which Brooks Fitch drove in six runs with a double and a homerun. Fitch had a total of eleven RBIs against Santa Paula last season.

What Lights You Up

Baseball is what gets inside you. It's what lights you up. You can't deny that. It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great.

--Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) to Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) in the movie A League of Their Own

JV Update: Sharks 10, Montclair Prep 0

Jacob Perrin pitched a no-hitter to give the Sharks JV team its first win of the season on Saturday against Montclair Prep. Malibu's bats also came alive as the Sharks scored ten runs in a game shortened by the mercy rule.

Ross Ellis was 3-for-3 and Sloan Campi hit an inside-the-park homerun. Johnny Ottusch had three hits and knocked in two runs. Perrin helped himself with four RBIs.

Perrin, making his first start of the season, said, "I didn't even really know what was happening until the coaches told me. I didn't know we had mercied them and when they said I had thrown a no-hitter it was a little surreal."

The next game for the Sharks JV team will be on Tuesday at Santa Paula.

Sharks 5, Montclair Prep 4

With the Sharks trailing 3-2 in the sixth inning, Daniel Williams blasted a three-run homer to put the Sharks ahead in what ended as a 5-4 win over seventh-ranked Montclair Prep. Williams was two for three with two runs scored and a stolen base as he raised his league-leading batting average to .594 and his slugging percentage to .938.

For the first four innings Aaron Westine and Montclair's Michael Trump were involved in a pitching duel. Malibu got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning when Williams led off with a walk, stole second, and scored when Brooks Fitch doubled to left with two outs. Montclair Prep answered with a run in the bottom of the second, but Westine got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and left the game after four innings with the score tied, 1-1.

Montclair Prep took the lead in the fifth inning. Colbie Bell, on in relief of Westine, struck out the side, but two infield errors and a single produced two unearned runs for the Mounties.

In the top of the sixth, Alex Beck led off with a single to right field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Geoff Roth popped out to the second baseman, Bell grounded to third. A wild throw ended up out of play bringing Beck in to score the second run of the game for Malibu. Stephen Williams followed with a walk, setting the stage for his older brother's big hit. On the first pitch from Trump, Williams drove the ball over the centerfield fence to put Malibu in the lead for good.

In the bottom of the sixth, Bell gave way to closer Geoff Roth following a one-out walk. Roth struck out both batters he faced in the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Roth gave up a leadoff single before getting two groundballs that were turned into outs at second base. The second fielder's choice left the batter on second as Jason Puklus's throw to first in an effort to complete the double play was wide of the mark. One run scored on a single to right, but Roth closed off the rally with a strikeout.

For Malibu, Michael Gwyn and Alex Beck both had two hits. Jason Puklus stole two bases on the day and Brooks Fitch got his first stolen base of the season.

Next up for the Sharks is a league game against Santa Paula on Tuesday afternoon in Malibu.

Sharks 9, Oaks Christian 8

Brett Weinstock knocked in two runs in the bottom of the seventh with a double off the fence in left field to cap the Sharks' dramatic comeback against Oaks Christian at Malibu High on Friday. With Oaks Christian leading 8-7, Geoff Roth drew a one-out walk off Lions closer Joe Dembesky. After Stephen Williams struck out, Daniel Williams singled to center to move Roth to third. Weinstock was down to his last strike when he lined a fastball over the left fielder's head to drive in Roth and Williams.

The game see-sawed back and forth all afternoon. The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Chris Potter single and a run-scoring double by Tim Johnston squeezed between three strikeouts. Malibu answered in the bottom of the first. Daniel Williams led off with a double down the right field line and scored on Brett Weinstock's single through the middle of the infield. The Sharks subsequently loaded the bases with no outs on an error and a walk, but failed to score again when Jason Puklus popped out to short center field and Jamie Van Soelen lined into an unassisted double play by the Oaks third baseman.

Malibu picked up a single run in the second as Jared Weinstock led off with a double, advanced to third one out later when Stephen Williams reached on an infield error, and scored on Daniel Williams' single to right. Oaks followed with three runs to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the third. Sharks starter Phil Johnson gave up two hits and four walks in the inning but managed to strike out pinch hitter Casey Lee with the bases loaded to minimize the damage.

The Sharks climbed back on top in the bottom of the fourth. After Geoff Roth grounded out, Stephen Williams drove the first pitch from Tim Johnston over the fence in left center for his first homerun of the year. Daniel Williams followed with a double to right center. One out later, Phil Johnson doubled deep to right to drive in Williams. Brooks Fitch followed with his second homerun of the year, a line drive that wrapped around the foul pole in left and put the Sharks on top, 6-4.

Daniel Williams doubles in the Sharks' four-run fourth inning.

In the top of the sixth inning, Oaks took the lead again. Joey Navarro and Chris Potter started the inning with base hits. Jason Puklus came on at that point to relieve Johnson. After Potter stole second, Puklus struck out Johnston. Oaks DH Chris Auten was intentionally walked to load the bases before Joe Dembesky followed with a base-clearing double. He scored the fourth run of the inning on Jimmy Dunn's infield hit.

The Sharks, down 8-6, got one run back in the bottom of the sixth as Stephen Williams and Brett Weinstock both reached on errors. Johnson's single up the middle scored Williams, but Malibu was unable to get any more runs in the inning.

Geoff Roth waits for the sign in the top of the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Geoff Roth kept the Lions close to set up the dramatic conclusion. Chris Potter tripled with two outs in the inning, but Roth, who was the winning pitcher, got Johnston to ground out to end the inning.

Malibu pounded out twelve hits on the day, including homeruns by Brooks Fitch and Stephen Williams and doubles by Daniel Williams (2), Brett Weinstock, Phil Johnson, and Jared Weinstock.

Scouting Report: Oaks Christian Lions (II)

The Sharks enter Friday's rematch with Oaks Christian with a 6-2 record. Oaks is 4-9. Malibu is atop the Frontier League, tied with Santa Paula at 2-0. Malibu and Santa Paula play twice next week.

Phil Johnson is expected to take the mound for the Sharks today. Johnson is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA. He scattered three hits over five innings in his last start on March 15 against Nordhoff in Malibu.

Over the last four games, Jamie Van Soelen is 6 for 8 with 2 homeruns and 9 RBIs. In that stretch, his average has climbed from .250 to .450.

Post-Game Notes (April 5)

Six Sharks players scored at least two runs each at Oaks Christian on Tuesday. . . . Through eight games, Daniel Williams (29 plate appearances), Jared Weinstock (11 PAs), and Wesley Semkin (2 PAs) are the only Sharks who have not struck out. . . . Adding walks, hit batters, and hits and dividing the total by the number of innings pitched yields the WHIP percentage. Through eight games, the WHIPs for Malibu's pitchers look like this: 1. Phil Johnson--1.09; 2. Geoff Roth--1.22; 3. Brooks Fitch--1.26; 4. Jason Puklus--1.37; and 5. Aaron Westine--1.88. . . . The top five in run production (runs scored plus RBIs divided by at bats): 1. Jamie Van Soelen--1.000; 2. Phil Johnson--0.944; 3. Colbie Bell--0.917; 4. Jason Puklus--0.800; (tie) 5. Brett Weinstock--0.750; (tie) 5. Daniel Williams--0.750.

Sharks 14, Oaks Christian 6

Daniel Williams, who homered in the second inning, and Jamie Van Soelen, who homered in the third and sixth innings, following Malibu's win over Oaks Christian.

The Sharks had two homeruns from Jamie Van Soelen and one from Daniel Williams in a 14-6 win over Frontier League rival Oaks Christian. It was Malibu's sixth consecutive victory and fourth consecutive game scoring ten or more runs.

The Sharks jumped out to an early lead when Daniel Williams led off the top of the first with a single to center, moved to second on Brett Weinstock's sacrifice bunt, tagged and advanced to third on Phil Johnson's foul out down the right field line, and scored on a wild pitch with Brooks Fitch at the plate. The scoring picked up in the second inning as Jason Puklus and Jamie Van Soelen walked and Michael Gwyn sacrificed to move them into scoring position. Geoff Roth followed with a sharply hit ball that Oaks shortstop Jimmy Dunn fielded and threw over first baseman Tim Johnston. Puklus scored on the play but Van Soelen was thrown out trying to score from second. Colbie Bell followed with a double to right center that drove in Roth. Williams followed with his first homerun of the season, a drive deep to left, to complete the four-run inning.

Van Soelen accounted for the Sharks' scoring in the third. With two out and Puklus on first, Van Soelen drove a 2-0 pitch deep over the fence in left field for his first homerun of the season.

Oaks Christian struggled to get back into the game in the bottom of the third. Chris Potter led off the inning with a homerun to left. Tim Johnston followed with a single to center. He scored when Joe Dembesky delivered a double to left center. After Casey Lee walked and Matt Ramirez singled to load the bases, Louis Vozzo drove in the Lions' third run with a ground ball to short. Fitch then struck out Taylor Cox to end the inning.

Malibu batted around and scored four more runs in the fourth inning. Roth and Bell started the inning with base hits. Williams followed with a walk to load the bases. Weinstock and Johnson also walked to drive in the Sharks' eighth and ninth runs of the game. Two more runs scored when a sharp ground ball down the line was misplayed by the Lions' third baseman. After Puklus walked to load the bases again, Van Soelen was retired for the only time in the game on an infield fly and Gwyn ended the inning on a 4-6-3 double play.

In the fifth, Jared Weinstock, in the game for Bell, singled to center with one out. Williams replaced him on a fielder's choice and stole second. Brett Weinstock followed with a walk and Johnson drove in both Williams and Weinstock with a triple to the deepest part of the ballpark in center field.

Oaks Christian countered with a single run in the bottom of the fifth when Ryan Haddock doubled in Casey Lee as Williams attempted a sliding catch in center.

In the top of the sixth, Van Soelen capped the scoring for the Sharks with his second homerun of the day, another shot deep to left.

Sharks second baseman Brett Weinstock waits on a pitch in the seventh inning.

The Lions got two runs in the bottom of the sixth off Malibu closer Geoff Roth. Joey Navarro led off with a triple and scored on Potter's sacrifice fly. One out later, Dembesky walked, moved to third on Alex Blackmon's double, and scored on a single by Dunn.

Brooks Fitch picked up the win for Malibu, his second on the season. Fitch had seven strikeouts and five walks in five innings of work. Geoff Roth struck out two in two innings of work to close out the game.

The Sharks and Lions face off again on Friday at Malibu High. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

Scouting Report: Oaks Christian Lions

Oaks Christian enters tomorrow's game against the Sharks with a 4-8 record. In a Frontier League game at Santa Paula today, the Lions were downed 11-5 when Santa Paula scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie.

Coach Mike Maio's team began the season with a 2-3 record in the Easton Southern California Showdown. Over spring break, the Lions posted a 1-2 record in the Righetti High tournament. Three weeks ago, Oaks began league play with a 10-2 win over Santa Clara.

Post-Game Notes (April 2)

Brooks Fitch has 22 strikeouts in 14 innings on the mound this season. . . . Freshman Stephen Williams, playing in his fourth varsity game of the season, had his second two-hit game. He's five-for-nine with the varsity thus far. . . . Ross Ellis and Jacob Perrin got their first varsity experience this season in Saturday's game. . . . Daniel Williams picked up three stolen bases against Kilpatrick. . . . Coach Gallo used a total of 18 players in the game on Saturday. . . . Geoff Roth worked out of a one-out, bases loaded jam in the seventh inning to preserve his perfect ERA.

Sharks 10, Kilpatrick 3

Malibu defeated the Kilpatrick Mustangs 10-3 on Saturday in a game rescheduled after a rainout on March 19.

The Sharks scored four runs in the first, five in the fourth, and one in the fifth en route to their fifth consecutive victory.

The scoring began in the bottom of the first when Daniel Williams reached on an error, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball before Brett Weinstock followed with a walk. After Phil Johnson grounded out, advancing Weinstock to second, Brooks Fitch lined a 2-2 pitch deep into the left-centerfield gap for a two-run double. Jason Puklus walked and Jamie Van Soelen lined another two-run double over the centerfielder’s head to wrap up the first-inning scoring.

In the fourth inning, Geoff Roth led off with a walk. After Michael Gwyn lined out to the centerfielder, Roth stole second. Stephen Williams then beat out an infield hit. Roth scored when the Kilpatrick first baseman let the throw get away on the play. Daniel Williams followed with a grounder to the pitcher on a hit-and-run play that erased his brother at second. Williams then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. The bases were loaded when Weinstock walked and Johnson was hit by a pitch. Colbie Bell grounded to the third baseman, but a wild throw to second allowed both Williams and Weinstock to score. With Puklus at the plate, Johnson scored on a wild pitch. Puklus then walked and Alex Beck, batting for Van Soelen, singled to right to drive in Bell with the fourth run of the inning.

Stephen Williams scored the Sharks’ final run after a one-out triple to left when Phil Johnson lifted a sacrifice fly to right after Daniel Williams and Brett Weinstock had walked to load the bases.

The Sharks got strong pitching performances from Brooks Fitch, Aaron Westine, Phil Johnson, and Geoff Roth. Fitch struck out five in two innings of work. Westine recorded one strikeout in two innings. Johnson struck out four in two innings and Roth struck out two, both with the bases loaded, as he closed out the seventh inning.

Next up for the Sharks is a Frontier League matchup at Oaks Christian on Tuesday afternoon.

Remembering Sidd Finch

It was twenty years ago today that the late George Plimpton, writing in Sports Illustrated, broke the story of Sidd Finch, the New York Mets pitching prospect with a 168-mph fastball. Today's New York Times tells where Finch has been all these years.