From: PeterJPorcelli(at)aol.com Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:35:40 EST Subject: Orillia Riversharks Introduce Themselves To: fastball(at)pmihrm.com
ORILLIA, ON ORILLIA SHOWCASES ITS OWN TEAM FOR 2006 RiverSharks are a blend of Veteran Talent & Leadership Theres something a bit odd about singing Happy Birthday to a newborn, yet the greeting Happy Birthday actually only fits the occasion on the very day that baby comes into the world! The other birthdays are really anniversaries of the Birthday itself. With that said, Happy Birthday came for the Orillia Quaker Riversharks just a couple of weeks ago as the Executive Committee of the ISC gave a resounding approval to the Sharks Charter, declaring them Compliant, Reliant, and all together Sound, Serious, and ready to battle their opponents for the 2006 season So without putting it off any longer, lets give you the info on the team, its leadership, players, its schedule and maybe some insight into the way the Sharks will attack the sport this year! I know, you all think you have heard it already, yet not one of you is certain you can rely on what you have heard, unless you are either one of us, or getting it from us through this official channel. So lets start with answering a question ..Just What the heck is a Rivershark? It is an oxymoron, thats what it is. If you were expecting a physical description, start with pitching. Frank Cox, Robbie OBrien and Mike White, thats right Michael White, The (Gulp) Great White will comprise our pitching staff. Thats right, nobody has beaten me to the Great White Pun. When you think of it, why did it take so long for that comparison to come up? If anyone has left opposing teams in a pool of blood throughout his career, Michael defines the term, Menacing! That leaves Frank Cox as the Bull Shark. The bull shark, incidentally, has recorded the highest accumulations for documented Hits or Physical attacks on Humans. Kinda makes a batter think a bit when he steps in the box against Frankie and his half-smirk, half grimace. That means we can turn to Robbie OBrien as the Hammerhead. A hammerhead Shark has those two ends of the hammer, a dual threat. In this case Robbie represents a double threat to his opponents both hitting as DH and throwing, as in Against you!!! No other pitchers of the two aforementioned will step in to hit this year. Speaking of Pitchers who can hit along with superior athletes, probably one of the biggest eye openers I ever experienced, was seeing Andy Jackson crush Homer after home run with the Windmillers in 1999 and 2002 against me with the Smokers, and never had I even suspected he was that good a stick when he played for me in the 90s in spite of his willingness to step in. It is with great pride, I am reunited with a heck of a player, a whale of a hitter and a tough pitcher who will take the ball when asked and never hesitates. Since Andy sports gold locks, I guess that makes him the Lemon Shark. Ok, time to change gears. The man who gave the team its name, serves as our President, shapes policy with the rest of the board, and contributes in all facets of softball matters, is none other than Bob Nydick, the respected Prof at Villanova U. Bob took the leadership bull by the horns in sorting out a lot of crucial matters in travel league, Exec Committee dealings and more. I personally find him affable, always enthusiastic, loyal to players who have performed for him, and much much more. Since Bob is from inland Pennsylvania, call him the Land Shark. If any of you remember Saturday Night Live during Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chases tenure. That routine ranks as an all time favorite and therefore is justly admitted to the many species of sharks. Our vice president is someone who needs no introduction, and dont worry, I would be proud to go hunting with him, unlike some other VPs I have been reading about. Paul Barneston, able leader and independent icon of the sport since 2001, save for the fact he is now affiliated with us, serves on our board and will be the promotional arm north of the US/Canadian border as a practical matter. I write semi-entertaining rundowns on our team, its people and try to put an interesting twist on the season, but if anyone is a seasoned promoter, it is Paul. He runs the record setting Casino-Rama tourney, which raised the bar years ago for the entire sport with award money, quality facility, talent of the competitive field, and more than I dare say, lest I get some other fine tourney promoters jealous. We are so proud to have Paul. He will lead and be a tremendous resource both. Call him the Blue Shark Orillias Blue Water Lake makes Orillia the most physically serene and naturally beautiful venue the sport will see all year. Then there is the Tiger Shark! Denny Bruckert is our Field Manager, Board Member and a strong hand in leadership. Denny is involved in all player transactions, makes the decisions on the playing field, as such, he is far from a shrinking violet. Still tenacious, after having won more National Titles and World Titles than any of his contemporary managers in the last two decades, his record speaks for itself. Denny has announced open competition across the board for all positions, yet notes this competition will be mostly manifested by surprises at some positions, excepting pitcher. We are set there with whom we have, says Denny. Assisting Denny will be Julian Fernandez, late of a Pennsylvania team, coaching first, and also catching in an ad hoc role. That makes Julian the Sand Tiger Shark of the coaching staff. Julian is a quiet yet influential force on this team. A man of few words, yet much a team mate and one of the guys, Julian brings excitement and a relaxed look to this sport. You cant miss his smile and eager eyes, when you see him competing from the coaches box, behind the dish, talking with one of his pitchers, or the guy next to him on the bench in the dugout. Call him the Chameleon Shark, Lee Jacques will contribute to the coaching staff as an assistant to Denny, but Lee turns into the skipper on the field when we compete in the Travel League for weekday games and selected weekend head to head matches. Lees careful eye, steady leadership and coaching experiences, renders the Sharks ever ready for a feeding frenzy on opposing teams We now turn our attention to the players that have been assembled. As mentioned above, there are no starters on this team as we expect to use a rotation that will provide an opportunity for all players to earn playing time. Our Catching position is one of the deeper positions we boast on our team, with DeWayne McKenzie, a veteran receiver with all the polish that goes with a contending teams roster of battery mates. I confess to not knowing DeWayne very well, but from what I have heard, you wont be able to shut me up bragging about him, once I get to know him better. Speaking of behind the dish, if there was even a man who keeps you on your toes mentally, yearning for his companionship whether in the dugout or on the field, it is Sean OBrien, one of the best catchers this sport has seen in the past decade, and maybe the best handler of pitchers since the immortal Tim Wahl hung the cletes up as a Smoker after the 2002 season. Speaking of retirement, it is no small statement to mention that David Boys, maybe the best shortstop ever in our sport, has retired after earlier committing to this team, and then subsequently having had to resign to accept a promotion in his business career. David will be missed by the sport, and will get a proper retirement story once I get a chance and speak with him, sometime before he shows up as a full time civilian at a tourney. I am sure he will be seen watching competition at a tournament somewhere this summer, wearing his trademark khaki shorts with a smile as bright as a sunrise, it is now official, pretty boy has walked into the sunset. David ranks as one of my favorite players ever. I am also proud he last performed as a Smoker, and was a team mate on the Sharks, albeit for too short a time. Speaking of Sharks, I will miss Mike Smith on this team. Now there was a guy who endlessly promoted the Pennsylvania QR sharks, admittedly a part of this Orillia DNA. I pause at the thought I will be wearing the teams Shark uniform a few times this year at tourneys I am able to attend in my role, but not see Mike. I will also miss the guys from Circle Tap we had hoped to bring on this team but ended up on competing rosters. They are great Guys and I will enjoy seeing us compete against them. Isnt it great in our sport, that we enjoy our adversaries so much as friends and people? Even though I never was able to call Jody Hennigar a team mate, I still enjoyed this extraordinary man for 14 years. (I met him when he pitched for the 92 Clearwater Bombers) It takes years to appreciate the people in our sport, but one of the endless factors of magic in this sport is the charisma of our opponents and the camaraderie we share just because we all eat and drink Fastpitch. Needless to say, I will also miss Smokers who have retired when they were still all world as Trent Rubley did. Trent was slated for this team, and was our first casualty of the Prawn rule. But frankly, the Trend Setting Softball School he runs with Jody Hennigar down the street from me, would have inevitably short circuited any possibility of Trent going another year, just like David Boys. I see that I have already spun quite a bit of yarn, just continue this later if you feel it is too long, but I dare you to put it down, given the excitement the Sharks presence means to the sport, and the rivalries being born. So Whos on first? Yes, thats the mans name. But on the Orillia team, Abbot & Costello can only tip their hats to the likes of Pat Graham & Todd Moyer. Patty has been a steady force, playing for my friends Tim Coxs and Billy Simpsons Owen Sound teams. He is one of the fiercest competitors the sport has been treated to in over ten years I have known him, and he still can beat most infields with a clean base hit one inning, followed by a bunt single his next at bat. Defensively, you never hear of him recording an E. If ever there were a golden glover, Pat is the man. Todd, on the other hand is a gifted athlete whose hitting speaks volumes and presence on the field is respected at all times. I have watched Todd over the last few years develop into a quality hitter at the major level and I was always impressed with how he rests the bat on his shoulder and then quickly explodes on the ball. We look forward to Todd playing first base and getting some addition time in the DH role. Todd has plenty to accomplish with the Sharks and is poised to contribute this year to a Championship effort in a big way. Moving over to second base, if ever there were someone who sets the standard to all in his position it is 2004 ISC World Tourney Co-Top hitter, Rhys Cassley. Rhys has worn the World Title ring twice in the last three years, and ever since coming up with Dan Milne from New Zealand in 1999, he has been a top performer in our sport. He is one of the most physically gifted athletes ever to wear this uniform as a position player, much taller than most of his colleagues, yet at least as coordinated, and every bit as competitive. If a team needs to be strong up the middle, you cant go wrong with Cassley as one of those you choose. The two most exciting players I observed last summer in St Thomas at the Canadian Championships were Ian Fehrman & Steve Mullaley. We will get to Mullaley later when we cover outfielders, but Ian is a hitting machine and maybe one of the brightest newcomers on the scene as well. He plays shortstop on this team with the retirement of Prawn David, and he will very capably fill those shoes as a player. Fehrman can take an outside pitch over the fence in right, turn on an inside offering and park it in left, then smash an 0-2 pitch up the middle and make the pitcher jump!!! He is slick fielding and has speed to burn. I single out our successful recruitment of Ian as a major reason I chose to stay involved in this sport on a competitive team. I look so much forward to seeing Ian play and help us win. If you see Patty Graham at one corner, at first base, look for the other corner occupied by Paddy Mackintosh. As The MVP of my Calgary team in 2004, being reunited with Paddy Mack is a big reason I leave Florida a few weeks of the year and come to compete in ball. Paddy is an excellent third baseman, and defines the term, Clutch Hitter. As a Western Canadian import, Paddy is an example of some DNA diversity we sport in our makeup for 2006. So, yes we stand Pat at both corners Just when you think you have suffered enough at the hands of Shark infielders, watch out for Derrick Zechman who will complement Cassley at 2nd, Fehrman at short, and Paddy Mack at 3rd. Admittedly, I do not know a lot about this kid, but I am told that I will love his style of play. During the last three seasons, he has been a regular at second, short, and third. This will serve him well as we expect him to get plenty of playing time at all three positions. I am told that he has a unique style in the field that earned him the nickname of Flounder. I also checked out his hitting stats and I found that he hits for average with some power when needed. Balanced, we Sharks are, and what is more, we NEVER Sleep. When you think outfield, one of the most respected athletes of the grassy part of the field is Dan Loney. Dan has experience going back to the Napanee Express, played on many Northeastern based competitive teams in the USA and always been a favorite of his teammates. Dan is fast as lightning, an athlete who never gets out of shape, hits for average, and makes game saving plays. His arm is rarely challenged. Put him in center, left and right .. Mike Taylor, a right fielder by trade, with his rocket of an arm and dangerous bat, Butch, as we know him, is one of the most positive energy guys on the team. He is envied for his talent by many, and has worn the championship ring for both World and National titles at a very young age. I surely hope his work commitments do not too much hinder his appearances, as he is a very special person both on and off the field. As maybe the soundest player fundamentally, we have on the roster, Stacy McLean brings youth and experience simultaneously to the table as well as a great glove, smart base running and a clutch bat. A first time team mate of mine, Doc Simmons laments losing him more than many you would think of. Given the stable of horses Doc Simmons amassed, Stacy shares some pretty elite company. Well I saved Steve Mullaley for next to last. No, not because his hitting nearly ended my final ISC run as manager, not because he tore up the Canadians in September of 2005, not because of the future for this team he represents, but for none of the above. This guy is the stuff dreams are made of and will be in the headlines more times than you will probably want to see him if you are opposing the Sharks this season. Denny Bruckert has not stopped talking about him since day one of this teams organization. Now he is with us, Denny is happy, and so is the rest of the team. Welcome Steve! Lastly there is me. Peter Benchley Porcelli. I am the Publicist and the PR arm for the Sharks. Call me Jaws. I admit to having the biggest mouth in the sport, so who can disagree with me being yet another distinguished Shark? I will find a way to contribute every turn I can, that I promise. Yes, I know that after this article we will go back to being just Riversharks, but for the sake of shameless promoting, I have seized on the opportunity to intro our guys and group with a summer personnel preview. I even try to stir the image of hot beaches and summer temperatures we will enjoy at many venues when the weather warms up and we play ball. Whether it be Orillia in July, Woodstock to start the season, or the Magic of Monkton, the Sharks will be present wherever there is glory to be garnered. I also want to add that our updated website will be up and running very soon. If you have not seen it, check it out at www.QuakerRiversharks.com . It is one of the best softball sites I have seen and everything you wanted to know about the Sharks can be found there. It was developed and is maintained by Todd Evans. After opening the season in Woodstock, we make our splash in Orillia June 9-10-11 for the Travel League, followed by the ISC Qualifier at Innerkip on June 16-17 & 18. We then have a week off before invading Monkton sans Barrie Penman for the tourney run by the incomparable Brian Ballie. One of Denny Bruckerts and my favorites, the Boys of Summer in Wisconsin is next July 7-8-9, followed by Prime Time at Orillia July 14-15- & 16. July 21-22 & 23rd sees the Sharks cross the Border to the USA in Allentown for the Walsh Memorial, then back to the Travel League tourney on July 29-29 & 30. Denny and I defend our US National Title with many from this team as The Tampa Bay Smokers Aug 4-5-6, then it is back into our Shark suits to finish up the season at the ISC World Tourney starting August 11. We feel the Orillia Riversharks represent a new trend in Ball, with a base in a locale where most of its players are from, playing primarily in that same locale, draw its fans from, and combine both local sponsorship money with outside funds to produce a balanced and competitive team with the right principles at its base. We support the new direction the leadership in our sport is taking us, and anxiously prepare to show growth with a future where attrition, infighting and cutthroat competition had recently been perceived as the order of the day. And just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . Peter J. 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