Best 04/05's with a twist

i take it you mean any newcomers to varsity...tough to say in this case because they havent proven anything yet...but take a look at the new suburban praire conference..minooka morris oswego lemont plainfield plainfield south..there are some great players here too that are not noticed as much

agree with injuns

spc conference will have some quality competition with some players that would probably be talked about alot on this board if they were in a more prodegious conference such as the sica west

I like this topic, I think its a good way to get some more names mentioned. The two guys I played with who are now seniors at Glenbrook South and who will I hope fill a leadership role and have great years are outfielder Scott Seidman a Left handed hitter with some power and Jim Deschamps P/3B/1B. Also GBS has got new field with a high wall like 20 feet, but still a short porach in right I think its like 302' so some of the other lefties on the team like Steve Luft and Jack Doron may get a few HRs this year even though they are not power hitters.

catcher Flanagan lyons township
of. Considine oak park
of .Hart Oak park
of. ronosky L.t.
c. Weiss Naperville Central.
2b. Bromann GlenBard West.
of.Finn Glenbard South.
of.Jurkovic Glenbard South.
of.Mckay Willowbrook
1b.Mahler L.t.
1b.Gawenda L.t.
ss.Portchy Hinsdale Central.
of/c.Bisnette Hinsdale Central.
3b.Lee naperville Central.
of. T.Johnson Montini.
c. Wasilowski Montini.
of.Dore St.Ignautis.
3b.Mennen Naperville Central.
3b. Fletcher St.Charles.
P. Binder Hinsdale Central.
of.Mcfolling Oak Park.
P.Dennehey Oak Park.
c.Ehrlic Bartlett
2b.Gryzwa.St.Ignatius.
of.Webster,Glenbard West
2b.Lind Hinsdale Central.
of.Maritta Riverside Brookfield
2b.McCormack Downers North
of.Karn Lockport
p.Novack Lockport

There are two players that "I" feel are underrated....

Kenny Smalley
Brian Schutzbach

"You observe a lot by watching."

Just wondering who Linedrive11 is....

joknows....

All you need to know right now is that he is a "friend" of ours. Trust me, when I see you, I will tell you. O.K.?

"You observe a lot by watching."

Boomer-
How you been lately? I'll talk to you sometime soon.

linedrive11......

I love your list!!!

Most of those kids on your list I have seen play, or at least hit in game situations.

Ronovsky, McKay, Mahler, Hart, Mc Folling, Finn, Erlich, Portchy, Considine, Binder (Hins. Cent.), Dore, Bisnette, all underrated!!! One young man who I didn't see on your list, and maybe you just forgot, is this speedster from Glenbard West, Ryan Chibucos. I heard he ran a 3.7, home-to-first!! Nothing like speed on the bases, don't you think?

"You observe a lot by watching."

Boomer-

I !! Speed kills. On the base paths, there is nothing more devastating than a pesky and alert baserunner that can flat out fly!! Not only is it free bases, but it can really rattle a pitcher! Wow, 3.7 though- that is flat out unreal, someone sign him a pro-contract baby! My high school team to beat this year in Illinois though has to be Lockport- WOW they have some depth and skills to boot!

Friendly Fan
The Beloved Strategist

Lockport will definitely be tough this year.

idont care what neone sais but the richards bulldogs are gunna make some noise i dont care bout lockport or neone else we are a senior dominated team with lots of experience since our soph yrs were gunna kill

FriendlyFan39.....

I agree with you and Beenthere, Lockport is definitely in the mix this coming year.

Some other schools to look at are Glenbard West and OPRF. Then you always have St.Ignatius, Sandburg, LT, Providence, you know who the rest of the schools are.

PLEASE.......don't take it personal that I didn't include your school!!!! I didn't get to see many games last season, and I know there are many other great teams out there. I'm sure that those other teams will be contenders.

"You observe a lot by watching."

bull...How was your pitching last year? Or, we you guys involved in a bunch of 11-9 games?

Bull,

FYI, seniors guarantee nothing. walk softly, carry a big stick. Sometimes it is best to stay under the radar.

Glover,

I couldn't agree more. I saw post after post this time last year about "the Gods in green" and how they would not be beat. The posts stopped not long after the season started.

haha good one HSDad, I just figgured there free AOL hours ran up, and that was why they stopped posting. If I had to pick one team to win state this year it would be OPRF. They have great hitting and great pitching, a good mix of juniors and seniors, and had a great summer.

Last year I picked Rich South, Hillcrest and Crete-Monee as my favorites and caused many to take offense to my good natured kidding. Therefore, I will stay with my choices from last year.

Lockport, JCA, and Minooka will beat any team in the state on any day. All 3 teams have solid hitting and pitching.Lockport has players like Christensen and Kovack JCA has Vidano and Feeney and Minooka has Perinar and Shiedt just to name a few. Just shows the Joliet area might have the best baseball talent around.

bull
the senior part about your post isnt very important in my opinion, more important I think is the experience, and seniors dont necessarily mean experience. for instance the Ignatius starting 8 position players have 14 past years of varisty experience split between them, only 3 seniors. I would take the 8 players with 14 years of experience and only 3 of them being seniors, over 8 seniors with 8 years of experience. again this is in my opinion. Good luck when the year comes around.

john j

Sonen,

I have to disagree. And I am a serious Huskie sympathizer(although I don't tell anyone from my Alma mater). I see PLENTY of talent but far too much individualism(see my post on winning baseball). I sincerely hope they prove me wrong. I would love to see them do it.

of our seniors, 3 of us have played since our soph yr and i evn since fresh yr. so the experience is their as well as the leadership, Ill admit im biased since i play with the team, but i believe that richards is the team to beat i look at our team and we are strong at every position

bull
how many seniors do you have back?

john j

I respectfully disagree, Richards won't be much of a factor when the playoffs begin.

hsdad
why do u say that richards wont be a factor
bull
why do you say that richards is team to beat
and personally I think Lockport is team to beat with all the experience they have.

john j

glover
i have to agree with you, I saw oprf a few times last year and they seemed to play for themselves to much but if they get that together than not many teams are going to beat them. LT was very good at the team ball, that and it doesnt hurt having all the talent they did, both is needed to win. providence last year had just as much talent as anyone in state, but they werent "a great team" and I personally believe it was because they did not play like a team.

john j

glover
i have to agree with you, I saw oprf a few times last year and they seemed to play for themselves to much but if they get that together than not many teams are going to beat them. LT was very good at the team ball, that and it doesnt hurt having all the talent they did, both is needed to win. providence last year had just as much talent as anyone in state, but they werent "a great team" and I personally believe it was because they did not play like a team.

john j

JohnJ, Glover,

I have to agree with you guys. OPRF has some really good talent. I am a serious fan having played there myself. I hope coach Ledbetter can find a way to bring these guys together for a common goal of winning the state championship. To do so you must put personal interest aside and play as a team. I have seen some extremely talented teams bow out very early in the single elimination tournament. Coach Ledbetter's first team at OPRF was a team that on paper had no business ending up where they did(second in state). But I can tell you as an insider who was on the staff that year, they had leaders who's heads were in the right place. They played to the game the way it is supposed to be played (in my humble opinion). They played with hustle, personal sacrifice, persistence, optimism, and plenty of heart.

They were also a very good comeback team who learned to "chip away" when down. Not swing for the fence to get it all back at once. Had they done that I guarantee the result would have been very different.

I hope every coach and every player has an opportunity to be with a team that creates that type of environment. There are very few things in life that are better. Unfortunately, to create that sort of team environment a coach has to convince his players to take a leap of faith and sacrifice for each other. That is not easy to do.

Great sculptors create their masterpieces by chipping away small pieces of rock with a chisel not slamming with a slege hammer.

we only graduated on snr who saw the field on a regular basis was our shortstop. smith and druktenis started as sophs, and are gunna lead the team along with a strong supporting cast, lockport yes has experience as so does richards. IM done talkin bout the team, well show it when the season comes cuz then well shut the mouths of everyone who thinks otherwise

bull...Obviously, the coaches in your conference haven't figured out a way to "pitch around" Druktenis and Smith.

...When and if they do, your team will disappear.

Two players can't win anything in baseball unless they are stud pitchers.

Everybody has to watch out for Richards, being led by All Area Of Druktenis / All State OF Smith / and All Area Carden (when he was a soph, didnt play as a jr) Richards plays in probably the easiest conference in the world yet there non conference schedule is 1 of the toughest in the state. Druktenis will throw up better than his Jr. stats this spring and Smith will do the same, THEY ARE GUNNA SHOCK THE WORLD

"Whelp everybody, we might as well all fold-up-our-tents and just give them the State Championship trophy now"!!!!!!

Outside of Druktenis, WHO????

"You observe a lot by watching."

Look it up - Brian Smith was an All State Outfielder , he also went 10-1 with a 1.8 ERA
thats not to shabby - he knocked off top ranked Provi and Br. Rice with ease
Danny S. a transfer from Rita hit a well.400 as a junior and soo did JR Guzzo
Bergman keeps us strong up the middle
there are many well known players in the area on the team - with the loss of only 1 starter . local teams should look out

im lookin for a good 60 HRs this year for the Bulldogs at Richards

HaHa, thats funny Hotsmitty30!
Just asa you expect them to put up 60 homeruns, I expect Crete-Monee to go undefeated this coming season. And another thing, I garuntee when Richards plays SICA WEST teams this year they will be murdered and I can't wait to see what Lockport does to you, not to say Crete is going to beat them by no means, but you are getting a little cocky considering practices havn't even started yet. But I guess you are right we will all have to wait and see, but more than likley you wont be typing on this board about the power house Richards.

HotSmitty30.....

I did some research and found that Brian Smith did have an exceptional year.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Did he get any good write-ups in the local papers last season? There must be other 'top' players out there that should get credit for their performances, or at least be followed more closely this coming year.

Why didn't Carden play as a junior if he was All-Area as a sophomore?

"You observe a lot by watching."

Jim D.....

Would love to see you at the helm of OPRF. You are right, that Oak Park team had no business being where they were. Have to say, heard you were a big reason why they did get there.

i would agree with brett on what he said... the joliet area has alot and i mean alot of top talent around that noone ever gives any credit ... there is two pitchers that have touched 90 at one time or another in the area.. people should start looking south

Throwing 90 and being a good pitcher are 2 very different things. If they throw 90 and are good, trust me we would have heard about them. This is not the days of the pony express, word spreads fast, so trust me they will get credit when credit is due.

Weeman,

Thanks for the kind words. I wish I could take the credit for that team's success. As a coach or instructor you believe that you have something to contribute to whatever situation you enter. I was fortunate that a good number of the players on that team were willing to open their minds to what I could contribute to the team. Believe me, that is not always the case.

Another unique element of that team was the way they took ownership of the team. They took pride in what they were doing and darn near got the big prize.

As for me at the helm, thanks, but Chris Ledbetter is a good young coach who is going to be around for a long, long time. I will always be part of that program at some level if Chris wants me to be. Unfortunately, having a wife and three young sons(8 1/2, 6 1/2, 5) takes more time than you can imagine.

Jim D....

This is Matthews from that Oak Park team. Have to agree with weeman in that you were indeed a spark that we needed. Remember the Barrington game we were losing by 8 runs, and almost won, because we kept fighting? That was all you. And will never forget your speech in the tunnel before the Title game. Still get chills thinking about that night. Have to say that you have the qualities to be a great players coach, someone that kids want to play for. Dont know if it was like this for you at OP, but loved every second of being part of something great. Thanks for helpin.

Matthews

Ian,

What can I say? I am blown away by your comments. I don't think I could possibly receive a better compliment. It means the world to me that something I did has left such a lasting impression on you. I loved every second of that time as well.

It was a pleasure to sit back and watch you work your magic! You consistently made hitters look foolish more than anyone I've seen in a long time. Scott Nelson used to blow them away, you made them look foolish.

So thanks again for the memories! I will never forget you guys! You are very welcome! The pleasure was mine!!

Jim Donovan

Ian Matthews:
YOUR so full of Class,Butler is lucky to have you !
I coached for a long time, and never had a player who was such a winner on and off the field more than Jim Donovan. Every team Jim was on they won! Jim Went to World Series 4 straight years in a row with the Bronco team and the Pony team. I was lucky to have coached Jim in Pony we lost to Alex Fernades and Joge Favergas team from Miami, But Jim set record's for Pony for avg hr rbis that stood for 15 year's, and I think he still has best avg for Bronco league. Did i also mention that his highschool team went down state 3 out of his 4 years on the varsity!
He was 3 time all-state! There is no doubt that he would be one of the great highschool coaches ever! Right up there with Rodeghero, Hall, Gancer,Fornaceri,Bonebrake. Chris Ledbetter played for me too and helped get us to another World Series a couple of years after Jimmy d, and Chris Will be another great coach.
I also want to add that the best pitcher I have ever seen in highschool was also a big reason we went to the World Series in Washington Pa.
His name Scott Nelson the best pitching instructor around!!! and there are many great one's too(PITCHING INSTRUCTOR'S). So with Donovan and Nelson and Sean Lawrence who pitched in the major's for the Pirates, and we still finished 3rd in the World Now you know why I don't coach any more and just give lesson's

Would like to add that I am happy I went to school where I did. As a young kid coming up through the Oak Park pipeline, you hear countless stories from your prehistoric coaches who were there because they loved it. Remember when I was 12, we were in the Zone and someone came up with a list in their head of amazing guys to go through Oak Park, and RF. Dono, Nelson, Lawrence, Ovid, Williamson, Whealy, Spanos and on an on. You see these guys and hear about them. Makes me proud that I could be in their shoes also. Now that I am a couple years out of HS, I have come to appreciate the program more and will always remember my fond memories from that amazing field. Thanks fellas.

Matthews

smitty u mite need some ice cuz ur head is swollen 3 times it'z size

Long gone:

It was a pleasure playing with you this past summer. I've never seen a better knuckle ball.

Good luck at Butler and beyond.

Sincerely,
Sean O'Brien

this post goes out to bull, who is the kid that was saying his high school is going to hit 60 homeruns this spring for sure...do you have any idea how hard it is to even hit 50 home runs in one season? we hit 59 in 42 games and we went all the way. what was your record last year? if you play easy teams all year the second you get deep in the playoffs its going to be a whole new game for you. its not as easy as you think bud. but good luck this year coming up. hope to see you down the road.

LT Baseball2,

Absolutely right. Not only that, but that team was one of the best hitting high school teams I have ever seen!

Agreed

-sonen- im not just refering to pitchers.... there are plenty good fielders

well one other thing to consider is what kind of field do you play on. Ignaitus has a very short fence so are numbers for HR's are more inflated every year then they would be if we played at a "regular" field.

john j

Sorry to everyone that doesnt play for Lockport, cuz we are bringing home the title.
"Respect everybody, Fear Nobody"

beenthere was just talking about how Lockport was such a hardworking, class act, and you then come on here and say that...everyone knows lockport is going to be good so why would you make a statement like that.

john j

Agree, johnj.

Jumped up and bit Prov last year.

Under rated O5's and 04's
Pitcher Brian Williams 6ft3 170 RH
Missed a complete game shut out vs Fenwick last year as a sophmore.04-Charlie Bromann last year's on the field leader!Glenbard West. Bobby Steven's, ss from Holy Cross. One of the best short stops in Illinois.
Dave Cales ss Mt.Carmel>Going to be another great Short stop!

Thanks Sean. That was awesome. Good luck to you also. Also agree with everyone about you and your bro being class acts along with great ball players. Keep that up and you will go far for sure.

Matthews

Eric Lisle OPRF

YOU WILL SEE HIM FOR SURE IN 04/05 MAKING A HUGE IMPACT

gbwbb, I agree w/you that Bobby Stevens is arguably the single best SS in the Chicagoland area. However he has plenty of competition. Underrated is not exactly the case. Many scouts have him on the radar and playing for the Indiana Yankees will get him on the national radar. In the long run he'll land at a big D1 program.

gbwbb...if you are from Glenbard West, it is interesting that you say Stevens is the best...what about your boy Anetsberger? I will agree though with Sox that Stevens will be one of, if not the top players in the area next year. Hell, he already is in my opinion. He'll land at a big DI for sure, if he does not get drafted.

Long gone, You darn sure better be pitching against the Seminoles on March 9th. Boo Boo will be making an un-official visit. See you in Tallahassee!

Andrew Hagins for OPRF is a great ball player soph

soxnole, i hope im there to see you. 50/50 that I tore my UCL. Will know by Monday. How is the young man doing? give him and leddy my best. hope to see you in Tallahasee, keeping my fingers crossed.

Good Luck on the monday report, Our thoughts and prayers will be with you. Please let us know about the situation. Boo Boo is fine, had a little back thing going. Coach Black is making sure they are in shape. Joe Froelich has Butler on top of his list, I think you'll hear from him.I'll give Leddy a heads up on your current predicament.

soxnole...surgury next week...out until possibly March '05. Hope Tallahassee is warm and treats you well. Give my best to your boy and the rest of the team, ill be there in May to see what shakes down.
Matthews

Ian, Keep your dobber up. Sounds like you are handling it well. My Mom always said that everything happens for the best. Optimism is your freind. All the Best from the OConnor's.

Long gone,

Hang in there. Getting injured can be a very lonely experience. My advice is to stay involved with the team as much as possible while you are on the shelf.

soxnole, JimD, email? Thanks.

Long Gone, I guess you'll have plenty of time to surf with that laptop. Mine is ..........[poconnor@videosoundinc.com] I already have stuff to send to you and Jim.Our Prayers are w/you

Long gone,

james_donovan@comcast.net

soxnole, jimd.....thanks for your prayers, they worked. Mis-diagnosis, as it was only strained. Threw in the bullpen at 100% and am in a relief stint next Wed. against Indiana. Will see you in Talahassee, and will love going to dinner. What a difference a day makes.

Long Gone, I don't know you from Adam but reading your post put a big smile on my face and may have been the best news I've heard all day. Congrats!

Long Gone, we are all totally jazzed. it'll be the bonefish cafe in tallahassee after you win in relief..........did i just say that? Congrats on the news!

long gone, If I don't get an email at school on how you and Jay are doing, then I will NOT send you the new nike sweatshirts that just arrived. Just kidding, I'm happy to hear the great news. Good luck Kid. Led

leddy, what a clown you are. right when all the good talent leaves, you get all the best gear. Ha, you know your email is comin soon.
Soxnole....how long you going to be down there? And, are you going to Jacksonville also? That would be great. Cant wait to get heckled in the visitors bullpen by that circus in Tallahassee. Until then, the gametracker is my best friend.

Long Gone, we arrive on monday about dinner time. that will be the 1st chance to get together. tuesday after the game would be next. were staying wed for ISU as well.won't be going to Jax,too much we need to do in Tally.post or email your cell or jays and i'll call you when we get in. when does the team arrive? My cell is 708-945-5120.

sounds good.....we leave friday morning and stop in Macon, GA before getting to Jax on Sat morning. I will call you before the end of the week, see what your definate plans are. If you want, here is mine: 708-288-7320

i'll call you. i was wrong about the dates. you guys play the noles on wed. the key is what time do you arrive and will you be allowed to go out before the bus leaves etc. we'll adjust to your schedule.find out if you can if your staying in tally on wed.nt or will you come in on tues. night.

ian - what's up man? that's real good news, glad the injury wasn't serious. good luck with this season, and get on your coach about scheduling something against harvard, cuz we're always looking for solid teams to play. i'm sure my coach would be up for it in the future.

leddy - thanks for the sweatshirt. these things are awesome, how did you pull that off? we just had our first schrimages of the year, and i did real well (5/10 with two triples and two SBs), so i'm hoping that it earned me a lil playing time down in texas this weekend.

soxnole - had a talk with coach walsh today. he said that he definitely plans on bringing your little one out here on a visit, so that will give me a chance to convince him that he should be here. let ruairi know that i'll be on him this summer about joining me. im having a blast and i know he'd get immediate playing time here. and besides, a "crimson" is way cooler than a "seminole." wait... no, nevermind.

keep, thanks for the info,congrats to your dad as well. i just heard about his sox connection.dont worry, i wont hold the crimson crack against you, i must co-exist as you know.

Long gone,

That was a close one! Great news! Have a great year! Can you put in a good word for me with Leddy so he will give me one of those great sweatshirts for old times sake?

Mr Bach, glad to hear from you and know that you are giving our fine high school a good name. Think you and your team would take care of us pretty easily. We got no one to tame you. What are your plans for the summer? A good chance that I will be playing home just to keep my arm well. If you need a good team, come play for Lombard. Great guys, good competition. Also would love to workout with you, as you are probably the hardest worker that I know. Good luck down in Texas, get a triple to right center and blow a stop sign while your at it. Cheers.

Jim D, thanks. I cant believe it myself. I am with you on the whole sweatshirt deal. Will get an email off to you when I get a chance, until then, have a good one.

Ian, are you playing for the Orioles??? I've already talked with Coach Vuckovich and I'm on board. That would be an awesome summer if you're playing with them too!

Yah I kind of get excited when I hit gappers. I don't really believe in "third base coaches" or whatever those guys call themselves. Once I get moving, I don't really like to stop.

Dave, I played for them last summer and had a blast. Vuk actually called me about you, and I told him whats up. Most likely will play with them again, we will have a great time for sure. Until then, I will be following you. Cheers.
p.s.- the triple to right center i was speaking of was the start of a comeback. Do you remember? I believe I followed you with a hit of my own. Ha, great times.

long gone, tell us about the stint at 3b...............keep , have you had a steak at LOCHOBERS? my spelling might be right or wrong but the place is on winter street in downtown beantown. best steak ever. hope it hasn't vanished.

long gone - sounds like we could have an awesome summer in store. oh and i definitely knew which triple you were refering to - probably the best game i've ever been a part of. none of us will ever forget that year... anyways, good luck this year - stay dirty.

soxnole - never heard of it, but it certainly could be there. i haven't ventured downtown as much as i should, so i don't know all the good spots yet. just went to the Kansas City Steak House and had a piece of meat the size of my head though haha.

soxnole...looks like you will be going to dinner without me. The pain returned in my outing yesterday so Im no longer going to Florida. Wish I could have been there, no matter the score in Tallahassee. Have fun while your down there. Cheers.

sorry to hear that Ian, good luck and get better. is jay going to tally?

nope...