The Yawkey Baseball League Board of Directors revealed this morning the names of the league’s two new divisions for 2014. In honor of two Boston baseball icons who were very close with Mr. and Mrs. Yawkey both during and after their careers, the YBL will feature the Ted Williams Division and the Carl Yastrzemski Division. The breakdown of teams still remains to be finalized.
Player Profile: Mike Robinson
Through his three seasons in the YBL, Mike Robinson has been one of the league’s undisputed superstars. He has an incredible .418 career batting average, with a 1.052 OPS. He has also stolen 53 bases while only being caught 3 times. Another fun stat: he has only struck out 30 times in 299 ABs. This cornerstone of the Sabers franchise is also well-rounded and articulate off the field.
Nickname: Robby
Position: Center field
Bats/Throws: S/R
Club(s) Played for in YBL?
Stoneham Sabers (2011-present)
Where did you grow up?
Stoneham, MA
Where do you live now?
Stoneham, MA
Where do/did you go to college?
Boston University ’12, Boston University School of Law ‘15
When is your birthday?
April 12, 1990
What baseball awards / honors have you won in your life?
NECBA All-Star 2011/2012, NECBA Batting Champion 2011, 2012, NECBA Southeast Division MVP 2011/2012, YBL All Star 2012, 2013, YBL Silver Slugger Team 2013, YBL Gold Glove Team 2013, member of YBL All-Star Eastern Mass Championship team 2013
Been part of any championship teams prior to / outside of the YBL?
I’ve been on three championship baseball teams. In my senior year, the 2012 Terriers had an undefeated perfect season. My little league team went 21-0 when I was 12, and we also won again when I was 14.
What years have you been an All-Star in the YBL?
2011, 2012, 2013
Favorite MLB player of all time?
Mickey Mantle
What are the best 3 movies you’ve seen in the last year?
“Casino Royale,” “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Mr. Deeds”
What’s the best concert you’ve been to?
Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” tour
What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
It’s between Anna Karenina and Pride and Prejudice.
Who is the most underrated player on the Sabers?
Ryan Flanagan. Definitely well respected around the league but I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. He is the captain of our team because he is not only a great player, but also a great leader. He is a guy that we all look up to. He always puts the team first and keeps everybody in line. He also has an absolute cannon for an arm. I vividly remember standing next to him at the soccer net in left field at Rec Park and watching him hose a guy at the plate when he tried to tag up. Also, Travis Adams doesn’t get enough recognition behind the plate. I’ve never seen one of our pitchers shake him off.
Who else on the Sabers would make for an interesting interview?
While Stefan Botarelli is the most articulate, cultured, and well-traveled Saber, I’m going to have to go with Chris Dion here. Dion is the most competitive and eccentric guy I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with.
Who have you most looked up to in the YBL?
I look up to Flanagan and Jake Zelnick. Flanagan has really helped me learn the nuances and strategies of baseball. Zelnick is the guy I talk to about weights and dates. Outside of the Sabers, I’d have to say Somerville’s Mike Maguire. We both went to Malden Catholic, play the same position, and generally leave the ballpark with dirty uniforms.
Who is the toughest pitcher to face in the YBL?
Mike Smith from the Brighton Braves has great stuff and an amazing command of the strike zone. I could also list the entire Somerville staff here, but in particular I hate facing Anthony Del Prete. Not sure why, but the slower it comes in, the harder it is for me to hit.
What was the most exciting moment you’ve had in the YBL?
It’s tough to beat playing an All-Star game at Fenway Park, but being a member of the YBL squad that beat the Intercity League in the Eastern Mass Tournament was also very exciting.
What was the greatest accomplishment in your life?
It’s between running a 5-minute mile and hitting an inside-the-park homer off former major league pitcher Mike Smith.
Who is the most influential person(s) in your life?
My dad, since he has made me the man I am today. Besides him, I’d have to go with Plato and Epictetus.
Tell me something about you that people wouldn’t know.
Despite my legal acumen, I am really bad at taking signs. In fact, my teammates will tell you I am probably the worst. All I know is that I have a green light at first and Papa (Coach Colucci) tells me to pretend to understand the signs when I’m at the plate. In case people already know I’m terrible with signs — I love reading classical literature, I played tennis in high school instead of baseball, and I’m blacklisted at Boston University’s chapter of the Kappa Delta sorority.
What drives you to keep playing ball every summer?
Baseball gives me something to look forward to all year. I love spending time with my teammates, having weird superstitions, making pre-game sacrifices to the baseball gods at Rec Park, having a hit streak beard, and most of all — winning ball games. Baseball has also taught me a lot about life. I always dig in with a game plan and it is always the same one – find a way to reach first base. Sometimes the right move is to be aggressive and swing at the first pitch; other times you have to be patient up there. Playing baseball continuously reminds me of the importance of teamwork, having a positive attitude, and to always go after what you want with confidence and dedication. In reality, playing for the Sabers is the last hold I have on youth and I’m not ready to hang em up just yet.
Filed under Player Profiles
Player Profile: Matt Grimes
Matt Grimes is a six-year veteran of the YBL, Co-Franchise Holder of the Savin Hill Dodgers, and probably the funniest guy in the league. In 2013, he joined the YBL’s All-Star Committee and helped streamline the process of building the All-Star squads who won the EMass Tournament and defeated the US Military All-Stars. This offseason has been busy for Grimey, as he has been elected to the YBL Board of Directors as Member-at-Large (or as he prefers to be titled, “The YBL’s Streamline Engineer”), and was also central to the merger of the Dodgers and Hornets.
Nickname:
Grimey
Position(s):
Wherever I’m needed. I “Bugs Bunny-ed” the 2013 YBL season playing every position.
Club(s) Played for in YBL:
Brookline/Harbor Point/Beacon Hill/Boston…..now Savin Hill Dodgers, spanning from 2008 to present
Where did you grow up?
Newport, Rhode Island
Where do you live now?
Dorchester, MA
Where did you go to college?
Fairfield University ’98 (Fairfield, CT)
When is your birthday?
September 15
What baseball awards / honors have you won in your life?
The “Seriously, you don’t wear a cup playing 3rd base?” Award.
Been part of any championship teams prior to / outside of the YBL?
2-time (and currently defending) champion with the Newton Red Sox of the Boston MSBL.
What years have you been an All-Star in the YBL?
In my head, every year.
Favorite MLB player of all time?
Andre “Hawk” Dawson, Bill Buckner or Pedro Martinez…so hard to choose one.
What are the three best movies you’ve seen in the last year?
I did recently see “American Hustle,” and “We’re the Millers,” but they were a combined five hours I’d like to have back. “Flight” and “Despicable Me 2” were really good though.
What concerts have you been to in the last year?
Foo Fighters (a little over a year ago) was the best show I’d ever seen. Saw Mumford & Sons, Martin Sexton and Puscifer all last year.
Who is the most underrated player on the Dodgers?
Nick Tapper. He’s just a goofier-looking Bob Saget. And everyone underrates Bob Saget.
Who else on the Dodgers would make for an interesting interview?
Right now, probably Jay Shatto, just because he would probably say “I’m so jacked up for 2014” a bunch of times. But if I could have any recent Dodger interviewed, it would be Matty Donaghue, no doubt.
Who have you most looked up to in the YBL?
The entire Somerville Alibrandi organization. Every team in the YBL should strive to be as consistent and competitive as they are. And now that I have lulled them into a false sense of security, I’d kick each one of them in the nuts if I had the chance.
Who is the toughest pitcher to face in the YBL?
Well, clearly my .166 career YBL batting average shows that I fear no pitcher. Except Steve Defusco. He beans everyone. I won’t even take BP if he’s throwing.
Who is the toughest hitter to face in the YBL?
There are so many excellent hitters in the league (Marc DesRoches, Steve Lambert, Drew Tambling, Mike Robinson to name a few), but going into my 7th YBL season, the one player who sticks out and always makes me think “crap, this guy again” is Tony Iafolla. He almost killed me in my first season with a line drive. Thankfully his power and my impeccable knack for self-preservation allowed him to hit me directly in the glove. I think I even heard him say “Merry Christmas” after.
What was the most exciting moment you’ve had in the YBL?
Oh man……we haven’t made the playoffs in my time, so any big win ranks up there. Nick Tapper hitting a walk-off to beat Somerville at Rogers in 2009. Kyle “Moose” Breidenstine no-hitting Revere in 2011. But for me personally, either being a part of the nastiest pick-off play in YBL history in the final game of the 2013 season (courtesy of Jay Shatto), or hitting an 8th inning base-clearing triple to beat the Minutemen in 2011.
What was the greatest accomplishment in your life?
As of writing this, I am proposing to my girlfriend tomorrow. So…..I uh…….I’ll have to get back to you. Because if that doesn’t go well, my answer will probably be when I ate 5 full racks of baby back ribs at an Applebee’s in New Hampshire.
Who is the most influential person(s) in your life?
My folks and sister are easily the most influential people in my life. My mother (Miss Rhode Island ’69….just sayin) is the most persistent and giving person I have ever known, and she taught me to put others ahead of myself. My old man has always encouraged me in everything I do, and taught me the value of a bases-loaded, full-count curveball. And my sister amazes me on a regular basis. I’ve never known anyone to say “I’m going to be……” and just does it. She accomplishes anything she tries, and I have no idea what she’ll do next.
Tell me something about you that people wouldn’t know.
I don’t like to sit on the beach. I grew up within walking distance of the beach, but I’ll take a pool, a cocktail, a lounge chair and a book every day of the week.
What drives you to keep playing ball every summer?
Being a part of a great group of guys that have all become good friends, and the prospect of “This could be the year” in every offseason. I’m a junkie. Considering how much I love to play, I really should be better at baseball.
———-
UPDATE: She said yes!
Filed under Player Profiles
14 for ’14
The Yawkey Baseball League will feature a new alignment for the 2014 season.
With the merger of the Hornets and Dodgers, and the folding of the Malden Bulldogs franchise, there will now be 14 teams in the YBL, split into two divisions. Teams will play each team in their own division three times each, and all other teams twice, for a total of 32 regular season games. The divisions have not been finalized yet.
The playoff seedings will be led by the two division winners, followed in order by six wildcard teams. Beyond that, the playoff format will remain the same as before, with two best-of-five rounds and a best-of-seven final round.
Filed under YBL News
Dodgers-Hornets Merger Approved
For the first time in the history of the Yawkey Baseball League, two teams have merged into one.
After weeks of planning, the Savin Hill Hornets and the Boston Dodgers proposed their merger at the YBL meeting on December 10, and it was resoundingly approved, 13-1, by the league membership.
They will now call themselves the Savin Hill Dodgers and will play their home games at McConnell Park. Matt Grimes and Dave Bonnell are the co-Franchise Holders. Bonnell will serve as Field Manager.
Filed under YBL News
Somerville Alibrandis Win 14th Title
While winning their 14th YBL title in a 16-year span, the Somerville Alibrandis finished the 2013 season with an incredible 40-4 overall record — the best ever in YBL history.
January 23, 2014 · 2:41 pm