THE REGIONALS FOR THE 2009 PALOMINO BASEBALL TOURNAMENT IS SET. STARTING FRIDAY AT 11 AM THE VISTING LYNNHAVEN, VIRGINIA WILL BATTLE THE PROEHLIFIC POWER IN A BEST OF 5 GAME SERIES. THE GAMES ARE SET FOR:
FRIDAY
11 AM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD
7 PM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD
SATURDAY
11 AM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD
7 PM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD
SUNDAY
10 AM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD
THIS WILL BE SOME GREAT BASEBALL. THE WINNER OF THE SERIES WILL ADVANCE TO PITTSBURGH PA ON JULY 31 ST TO PLAY IN THE EAST ZONE. THE POWER IS TRYING TO MAKE THERE 3RD STRAIGHT TRIP TO THE PALOMINO WORLD SERIES. I HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL COME SEE SOME GOOD BASEBALL.
THE POWER STILL HAS SOME TUNE UP GAMES THAT BEGIN TONIGHT AT NORTHERN GUILFORD. THE POWER TAKE ON THE KERNERSVILLE BULLDOGS TONIGHT AT 7 PM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD AND WED NIGHT THE YOUNGER POWER TEAM WILL PLAY THE GREENSBORO GREEN TEAM AT 7 PM AT NORTHERN GUILFORD. PLEASE COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE LOCAL TALENT GREENSBORO HAS TO OFFER.
This series with Lynnhaven will be a battle. The Power defeated Lynnhaven in the Bob Doss tournament but it was close and both teams are really talented. These teams have batled in the past and both have played really good baseball. I remember one year when Justin Upton played with Lynnhaven and they played the Guilford Patriots at Stoner White.
I used to be a big fan of Palomino baseball when it was really good baseball. Youth baseball in this community has really taken a step backward ( and I mean way backward ) since APWU, Diamondbacks, Doyle, and the Patriots were top notch baseball teams. From what I gather today, the parents have their sights set on big doings for their kids so the kids no longer play because they love the game.
In my opinion, it’s really bad to think that Palomino baseball has to field an “all-star” team from a wide radius to even be semi-competitive—whan Al coached APWU, they fed from 2 schools and they were darned good! I do remember they could pickup players, which meant you just strengthen your pitching with pickups.
APWU fed from SE Guilford, Page, 2 Players from GDS and were about as good as a team as you will ever see around here. I agree with Harry, VERY SAD!
I remember the D-Backs in the mid and late nineties between Ragsdale, Southern Guilford and Grimsley they were loaded. Brain Maness, Kelly Kulp Paul Medema, Todd Reagan, Seth Reagan, Jeff Robbins, Matt Bynum, Simms, Justin Parr to name a few
You are both right! Maybe the best team Greensboro ever produced. We were fed by Southeast Guilford HS, Page HS and Greensboro Day School. These were the players. If I forgot anyone, I’m sorry… Introducing the 1994 Palomino World Champions coached by myself, Ric Chandgie and Kieth Shumate:
1st Base- Ryan Johnson (Page), Chad McClintock (SEG), David Ray (GDS)
2ndBase- Clay Hooper (Page)
Shortstop- Michael Durham (Page)
3rdBase- Michael Horney (Page)
Catcher- Stan Chandgie (GDS)
Leftfield- Jamey Hammond (Page), Jason Bunting (SEG)
Centerfield- Kevin Carter (SEG)
Rightfield- Heath Calligan (SEG)
Pitchers- Jon Sells (Page), Michael Horney (Page), Jamey Hammond (Page), Michael Frye (SEG), Jason ??? (SEG)
We picked up two pitchers: One from Forsyth County the other Michael Holmes (WG)
Please fill in any players I’m missing. I’ll remember them over night and add on.
This was such a great team with great character and closeness! I think about that Championship Season often!
Jason ??? is Jason Swofford (SEG)
I’ll add names as they come to me. I have a picture and the News and Record article both hanging in my office. I’ll look at it and get remaining names tomorrow.
Scooter Brookshire!
APWU—-Bunting in OF from SEG
Carder from SEG
Diamondbacks—-Brad Franklin from Southern
Jonathan Symmes from Grimsley
Nick Phileman from Ragsdale
Kim Smith from Southern
Jason Starnes from Grimsley
Hey i agree Alan had a great team and they won the world series but that is one team out of the last 20 years. I give props to Alan winning the World Series but people you have to realize it is so hard to win a World Series. There are not many teams from this area that can compete with the San Jose, and Tawain. IT is crazy this day in time every team draws from teh whole state and California is huge and the talent level for Palomino has increased. But i will say this no matter when you win a World Series you worked hard and done a hell of a job. It is just totally different than it used to be but that is my 2 cents
Ryan Earnest (GDS), Jake Harrington (SEG). There are two more.
Justin,
I really do not agree that the Palomino talent level has increased! If that’s true, then why would you have to go 50 miles for players ( just an estimate ) and pull from 5-8 teams when very competitive teams pulled from 2-3 different high schools? There are a lot less teams in all of Pony baseball and the competition is nowhere the same level it was 5 years ago, much less 20 years ago. IMHO, the biggest issue is that it takes too long for everyone in the family supply chain to realize that it’s only a game, few people make it to the show, and you can spend a lot of money before you finally realize it.
Just my opinion!
Will
Justin- With all due respect, Palomino was much bigger back then. Your dad had some of the GREAT Greensboro teams but never won a Championship. You have to be very lucky to win a title. The next year, APWU probably had a better and more experienced team but we didn’t win. There were some pretty tough teams in that tournament. We lost to San Diego by one run to open the tourney but then came back to pound East Cobb by 10 runs, beat Texas and finished by beating St. Louis 8-1 in the Championship game. The battles that APWU had with The Patriots were great as well. It was almost like a World Series everytime we played them. Good Luck in your tournament! GO NETTY!!
I agree with Alan. As recently as 2007 there were FIVE Palomino teams that played in the South Region at Stoner White for the right to advance to Pittsburgh. This year we have TWO teams playing a best of five series to determine who goes to Pittsburgh.
Palomino baseball is nowhere close to having the large number of teams it had just two years ago, much less 20 years ago. The remaining Palomino teams may be stronger but that’s only because of the All-star format used to form the teams. I think that winning a Palomino World Series title now would be much easier than before because you have fewer teams competing and, as with Proehlific, you have the ability to pick players from almost anywhere in the state.
By the way, the winner of that South Region tournament in 2007 was the Guilford Patriots team that was made up mainly of players from Southwest and Northwest Guilford (11 of the 19 roster players were from those two schools.) They moved onto Pittsburgh, won there and advanced to the World Series in California. Did they win? No, but they made it to the dance with local high school kids and not a group of hand-picked All-stars.
I wish the Smiths the best in their quest for a Palomino World Series title. They certainly have invested a lot of time and energy into the effort and I hope it pays off for them and their players. GO POWER!
Your right, Palomino is not as strong as it was back in the 90’s…..but, I can tell you it is alot harder to win a championship these days than back in the 90’s. Back in the 90’s, when Alan had all his great teams, AAU Baseball was just starting up and not taking kids out of recreation programs….now these days….MOST RISING JUNIOR’s or SENIOR’s, if considered a highly talented player is where???? Playing SHOWCASE BASEBALL, and no where near a Pony Baseball Field……so, these days, in order to have a “GREAT” baseball team or a team to compete on a “NATIONAL” level, you have to get players from where ever you can – PERIOD!
Look at all the Great Teams that game out of Greensboro Batting Center – now, just think if they played strictly Colt or Palomino Baseball how good that league would have been.
Great points Palomino Fan. When GBC had all those great teams and Travel Ball was at its peak those players continued to play Colt and Palomino Baseball. They all supported local baseball but they also felt there was more out there to help their futures. Three years ago, I coached a Colt All-Star team that went to the Championship game and everyone of those players played Colt and Showcase but when All-Stars began they DID NOT duel participate. They were loyal to All-Stars. Greensboro Colt rules were, once All-Stars began, that was all you could play. They are not doing that now. Many Green Team All-Stars are still playing Showcase.
Also Palomino Fan- showcase is the beast now but I believe the playing field is level all over the country. We can’t be the only city fighting to keep its kids in the local leagues.
Palomino Fan….I agree with you, you have to get players from wherever you can to compete at the national level. That’s why I think it would be easier to win at the national level now. Instead of competing with league players from just a few different high schools, you’re able to put together a hand-picked group of All-stars. Wouldn’t you agree that you should be able to form a better team that way thus making it easier to win?
It is a lot easier coaching summer ball than it is high school. You spend a lot of time dealing with parents in high school. If you could take a poll I would suggest you would find that most parents that are problems are the ones who never played sports and are trying to live their life through the kids. I see this at the high school level. Let the coaches coach. I am sure they make decisions you do not agree with but thats life. Not only in sports but everyday living as well. As long as the coach is the boss he should make the decisions. I sit in the stands and you would not beleive what you hear from parents running down the coach or other players to make their kids look good. We should devise a way to play the games while the parents are at work.
know…good points you make but I’m not sure what that has to do with Palomino baseball.
dweeb, good call out. coach ash, good points also. my guess is that an excellent coach with a great reputation as a teacher can get kids together for a championship run in colt/palomino ball even if it means a short reprieve from showcase/travel ball. sounds like a gig for alan a. please remind me why newman fired him as grimsley coach…oh, never mind i know he’s a dumb*** and winning isn’t important. but everybody gets to play! have fun!
Alan Ash= Best coach around, period! took “good” talent and made those kids from APWU believers in themselves and their abilities. What a pleasure it was to follow those kids, Thanks Al! Palomino will never be the same.
Jordan your’e right on. al can coach. he got the most out of kids at grimsley too. unfortunately, the powers that be at grimsley didn’t care about the kids that wanted to improve and win.
I will say the same thing as I have said other places. Alan Ashkinazy is the best coach I ever had- he taught his kids how to win, but also how to win with class. He picked the right mix of players and put them in the right places. I have nothing but great things to say, on and off the field. Al always did things the right way. You learn alot about a person by watching them make decisions and handle situations, especially off the field or in the dugout when no one (i.e. parents and fans) are watching. He was a great coach and a great role model for how to make tough decisions and stick by them, while being as fair as possible to everyone.
As far as the ’94 and ’95 APWU teams… they were phenomenal. Yes, I am a little biased. The strength in those two World Series’ was amazing. Our ’95 team, in my opinion, was better than the ’94 Championship team, but faced stronger competition. As I recall there were a TON of draft picks out of those series’– some of what I recall is that (I could be wrong on this) San Diego had a lefty named Barry Zito, who we chased from the game. East Cobb had a SHORTSTOP named Michael Barrett. I think Cole Liniak was also drafted high by the Red Sox and made it to the bigs with the Cubs. No hall of famers in the crowd, but certainly very strong teams with alot of balance and a bunch of top 10 draft picks. I will never forget those experiences, and even today I wish I could go back there and do it again.
Going a little further back in time… the ones that Greensboro also should have won…
1993 Colt World Series- some strange coaching went on in this series. It is all water under the bridge now(obviously) but we had too many people out of position and not enough team familiarity. One of those where we were playing people with “potential” but that had hit about .229 for the year. I will leave out the names…
1991 Pony East Zone tournament- Woonsocket, RI. You all may remember this. It was quite a fiasco. We were eliminated by a team from Chambersburg, PA by a pitcher later found to be illegal. Brooklyn, NY ended up winning by forfeit after we had gone home. Not much you can do about it on the bus. His name was Greg Riley. I will never forget it because he was the hardest thrower I ever remember. There are always kids at each level that dominate. From the 52′ mound you really couldn’t get the bat off your shoulder. Some of you may also remember Bill Flippin (eastern guilford). Same deal. At that age level those guys were the hardest throwers I remember.
Sorry to hijack the thread but made me reminisce a little.
Ryan Johnson (Page ’94, APWU ’94 and 95)