Sandlot Illustrated

Miners to end Affiliation with the Keystones at the End of the 2008 Season

2008-08-04T23:39:24Z

The West Virginia Miners announced today that they will not renew their agreement with the Pittsburgh Keystones of the Central Arizona Stickball League in 2009. Although their debut in the league was considered a success, the Miners have decided that they would like to pursue other opportunities that their team has been presented from other leagues in the United States and other parts of the world. This news came as a surprise to both the Keystones and star player, Doug Sabeh.

The Miners' President had this to say, "Our team has reached a crossroads, and decisions have to be made regarding the organization. We are very thankful for the opportunity to have been part of the Central Arizona Stickball League." He continued by stating, "It is with our deepest regret that we will not be able to continue our relationship with the Pittsburgh Keystones. Thanks to their orgainzation, our team has gotten more exposure which has led to some future opportunities to compete in more recognized and competitive leagues." The Miners' President concluded by saying, "We have the utmost respect for the Pittsburgh Keystones and the Central Arizona Stickball League. We would like to thank everyone in the Central Arizona Stickball League for all that they have done for our organization and we wish the league continued success in the future."

The Keystones Management released the following statement in regards to the Miners decision to move on in 2009. "We would like to thank the Miners, their president and everyone in their organization for allowing us to be a part of their great tradition of playing stickball. We understand that stickball is both a game as well as a business and we have to respect their decision to move on to bigger and better things in the year 2009 and beyond. We would like to wish the Miners' organzation the greatest of luck in the future."

There is one question that comes to mind upon the realization of this news. What will hapen to the Keystones franchise now? They were on the verge of bankruptcy prior to the agreement with the Miners. The affiliation agreement seemed to make things better financially for the Keystones. So without the Miners help in 2009, where do the Keystones go from here? Also, with their star player, Doug Sabeh, on personal leave, do the Keystones have enough to keep from suspending operations this season or next? These are tough questions to answer. It looks like they can expect some rainy days in Pittsburgh this fall and next season. Whatever happens, we know that the Keystones will not be traveling any "Country Roads," and that the Miners will not be digging up any "Keystones" in the near future. It truly is a sad day for these teams and the Central Arizona Stickball League.

The State of Stickball

2008-07-21T21:06:20Z

We are more than halfway done with our season and I would like to take a moment to discuss the state of our league and what is to come in the near future. We have had some great turn-outs for many of our games this year. The season started out in Safford, games were played in San Antonio by Craig and Kimball and later when Jason’s family visited. We have been able to have two tournaments, the Safford Tournament (thanks to Craig) and the Utah Tournament (thanks to Clifton). Doug was able to make it out for the tournament in Safford and Clifton’s back felt good enough to host the tournament in Utah which included appearances by Jason, Kimball, Craig and the stickball veteran Robin. Many players were able to get “out of the minors” during these tournaments by getting over 75 at-bats.

This season might be one for the record books. Brandon is crushing the league right now with a .863 batting average and a never heard of before 2.32 homerun ratio. Brandon’s only problem is he only has 51 at bats. Sure it’s easy to get those numbers in the minors but will he be able to keep it going once he’s called up?

Clifton is leading the league in an unfamiliar category to him ERA. He is making a serious bid at his first pitcher of the year award with an ERA of 9.87 and a 3-1 pitching record. Last year his ERA was 5.25, what a difference a year makes!

Kimball is looking to get the Spikes back to the promise land where they lost in the championship only a few years ago. After strong performances in both tournaments he has the Spikes in second place with a 7-5 record. He is also third in the league in hits with 58 trailing only Jason and Mark.

Doug has to be given some serious consideration for Pitcher of the Year and Golden Glove as can be seen by his stats in limited playing time. He is 4th in the league in both ground out and pop outs and posts an ERA of 9.29 with a 1-0 record. But the numbers don’t do justice for what Doug has brought to the league this season; he has brought back the emotion and love of the game which has inspired all who have played along side him this year.

‘Rob’ as Brandon likes to call Robin has been simply amazing this year. Not that his numbers are all that fantastic but just him stepping on the field. He has made appearances in both tournaments and has continued to battle through injuries. It almost seems the Rob is coasting through the season, much like SHAQ does in the NBA, trying not to exert too much energy and save his body for when it really counts…the playoffs. I think a new nickname for dad might come out of this… ‘Big Shot Rob’. Robert Horry seems to do the same thing, play sparingly throughout the season and show up in the playoffs to do something big for his team and take home a ring (besides we know that Robert Horry is dads all time favorite player). So here’s to you ‘Big Shot Rob’, see you in the playoffs.

Jason’s workman like attitude towards stickball has him in the top three in Hits, BA, runs, HR and leads the league with 72 RBI. His Stix are in 3rd place and look to make a deep run into the playoffs. As always, Jason is sucking…up grounds balls and leading the league with 15. He also has an ERA of 9.76 good enough for second in the league and is leading the league with 5 pitching wins.

Craig is blasting the ball out of the yard at an alarming rate. His homerun ratio is an astounding 3.14, the lowest he has ever been in his career (his lowest was 4.22 all the way back in 2000). Craig is also third in the league in Runs and RBI. Craig has once again been the victim of loosing the close game and teammates not coming through. With a strong close to the season the Royal (Craig’s son’s name) Lone Stars could grab the final playoff spot and be the sleeper team.

The end of the regular season is vastly approaching and just a reminder to all of the teams; we will take the top four winning percentages with a minimum of 10 games played. If you don’t have those games I suggest you start playing…Brandon!

One last thing I wanted to suggest. I thought that having an end of the year trophy for the winning team might be fun. I thought a perpetual trophy would be neat to engrave the winning team and each member gets to have the trophy on their mantle for a few months during the year. I really just want to see someone kiss something at the end of the year. It would make for a great picture and cover for a Sandlot Illustrated. I found one online that would be around $100 but would have space to place 18 years on it. If we all pitched in a little I think we could have something nice for a long time. I’m will to chip in $40. We’ll leave it up to you guys to see how big of a trophy we could get. The one I’m looking at can be seen at: Let me know what you guys think or what you want to do.

The Commissioner

Miners eXperience helps Keystones in Safford Tournament

2008-06-18T01:17:41Z

The Miners eXperience in the Safford Tournament was the high point for the Keystones organization. The Miners in their league debut went 2-2 in the tournament thanks to fairly decent play by their double duty player, Doug Sabeh. Mr. Sabeh helped the Miners pull off a perfect offensive game in one of the first three games played by the Miners. The Miners had some help from other players and league officials on rulings in their first set of games in The Central Arizona Stickball League. They also got pretty good fielding from players like Mark and Jason Smith who have won several gold gloves in their time in the league. The biggest surprise for the Miners was Mr. Sabeh's performance in the field. Although he still had some trouble judging a few fly balls, Mr. Sabeh tripled his career totals in the field with 6 Ground Outs and 3 Fly Outs. The most memorable catch was on a foul ball hit by Mark Smith that Mr. Sabeh had to run several yards to make a remarkable running catch. Of course, as Mark Smith remarked, "Doug misses an easy fly ball in the infield by someone else and makes that great running catch on a ball I hit, it was unbelivable." As Jason Smith once said about Doug Sabeh, "If crazy is going to happen, he will make it happen." That craziness was definitely part of the Miner's eXperience in the Safford Tournament.

The Miners 2-2 record definitely helped out the Keystones organization which had a different eXperience in the Safford Tournament. The Keystones ended up with a record of 1-3 when all was said and done with their games at the Safford Tournament. If it werent for the Miners winning their two games the Keystones record would be 1-7 instead of what it presently is at 3-5. They Keystones Management was very pleased with the Miners perfromance in the Tournament, especially with them havin played a game where it was Doug Sabeh, Kimball Smith and Robin Smith verses Jason Smith and Mark Smith and possibly one other player. Doug Sabeh was quoted as saying, "The Miners have a great tradition of working well together as a team and overcoming adversity. It was an honor just to step out on the field and represent their team." The Miner's Team president had this to say regarding his teams performance in the Safford Tournament. "Our team came out to the Arizona Desert and turned some heads in the Central Arizona Stickball League. Mr. Sabeh was a work horse for both our team and his Keystones playing 8 games in just a little over a two day period. His fielding for us was very good, and it seemed to improve the more he played. We are very pleased to be affiliated with his Keystones in the Central Arizona Stickball League." The Keystones management had this to say regarding the help the Miners contributed to their organization. "Our country has always relied on the hard work ethic of 'Miners' throughout America. It is only fitting that the Miners help out those of us Keystones that are part of the Central Arizona Stickball League. Both teams made our organization proud in the Tournament. We hope that their will be future opportunities for both teams to compete in the Safford area for years to come." All in all the eXperience in the Safford tournament was one that both the Keystones and Miners will never forget.

The BUSH LEAGUE eXperience: Are You Ready?

2008-05-27T04:45:19Z

>* Note: To "experience" the full effect of this article please read in the voice style of William Shatner, Brent Musburger or Jack Black.

Experience . . . the tradition . . . the paegentry . . . the passion . . . the glory . . . the legacy . . . the pomp and all the circumstances . . . and of course the hype (oooooohhh, the HYPE) that is Bush League Stickball!

In a matter of mere days (even hours depending on when you read this) Bush Leaguers from around the world (or at least the nation) will make the pilgrimage back to the Gila Valley and participate for the first time ever in what is being called "the Bush League eXperience".

The eXperience will consist of three major events: the Inaugural Bush League All-Star Game, the Minor League Championship and the Olympic Stickball Trials. In addition to these three major events the League as has also planned a Rookies Tee Ball Game featuring the kids (and moms if they are up to it) versus the Grandpas/Dads/Uncles with the kids making up all the rules. There will also be a Pre All-Star Game Basketball Shoot Around at the Stake Center so bring your sneakers and your short shorts, and be ready to show off your skills in various competitions such as Around the World, Speed and a Half Court Shooting Contest. Also on the docket is a Blast Off-Style Home Run Derby.

The culmination of the All-Star eXperience will be the suspenseful, emotionally gripping and dramatic, Sandlot Illustrated pre-game introduction of the players and the announcement of which past seasons they garned All-Star Honors.

The Minor Championship will feature seven brand new Minor League teams including the West Virginia Miners, the Tucson Thunder Bolts, the Lordsburg Stick Lords, the Moonlight Grahams, the North Salt Lake Fighting Pumbas, the Texas Chain Saws and the Dominican Tigres. It is anticipated that the Central Sand Tigers will dust off the spikes and return to the sandlot to round out the field of eight. The Minor League Championship is designed to get everyone out of the Minors (75 ABs) or at least close to it, and that is why it is being played now while everyone is still in the Minors (ahh, that makes sense).

The Olympic Stickball Trials will determine which teams earn the right to represent their country and advance to the Olympic Games in Bejing, China later on this Summer (but not really). Unofficially, it is projected that Robin will represent either Peru or Ecuador; Mark, Guatemala; Jason, Laos or Thailand; Clifton, Venezuela; Craig, la Republica Dominicana; Doug, Lebanon; Brandon, the Cajun country of Louisiana and Kimball, the one-time nation of Texas. National pride and love for country and sure to be on display at this unique cultural sporting event. The Bush League is prepared to receive all defectors who request political asylum and wish to stay in this country to play in the league.

For fans wishing to mingle with the rich and famous at this permiere eXperience the Bush League has prematurely announced celebrities who are probably not coming but have been invited (they just haven't RSVPed yet). They include Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Muhammad Ali, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, Oprah, Sylvester Stallone, Boots from Dora the Explorer, Neil Diamond, Barry Bonds, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Rome, Yao Ming, Rush Limbaugh, 3 living descendents of the real Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray, Carrot Top, Ralph Macchio, Bob Barker, vice-presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney (because his name is Mitt), the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the president himself, Mr. George W. Bush because he can't be president much longer and he wants to be your next "High Commissioner of Stickball". Can you say "wow"? WOW!

Read this now and believe it later, if you come you will see stuff you have never seen before and a lot of stuff you have, but the Bush League eXperience will forever change your life. You just gotta believe!

And by the way, each Bush Leaguer will receive the latest greatest edition of Sandlot Illustrated, a free, cheaply made, hand-crafted, athletic-cut T-shirt with the Bush League logo emblazoned on the front and pair of socks (your choice of color: white or black and style: mid-calf or bobbie).

And finally, from the Redundant Department of Redundancy, The Bush League eXperience: eXperience the Bush League!

Miners to Make League Debut End of May or Early June

2008-04-26T17:05:45Z

The West Virginia Miners have announced that they plan to be in town to be part of the opening festivities of the Summer Tournament held in Safford Arizona this year that runs from June 2-7, 2008. The Miners will be in the Safford Area from May 30,2008 through June 2, 2008. The Miners will have an addition to their line-up as Doug Sabeh will be in the Safford area for some other league business. Mr. Sabeh has been asked by the Keystones Management to assist the Miners with any and all league dealings while he is with them. This includes getting them acquainted with the members of the league, helping them with league policies, supplying them with any equipment that they may need, helping them with any roster needs, as well as various administrative and field management duties. Mr. Sabeh was not available for comment at this time, but a spokesperson from the West Virginia Miners said, "Mr. Sabeh is very honored to be working closely with our team. It is a great privilege to be given this opportunity for our organization to see the Central Arizona Stickball League up close and personal and put on an exhibition for their great fans. We would like to thank the Central Arizona Stickball League and their teams for allowing us to be a part of this special week." Members of both the West Virginia Miner's and Pittsburgh Keystones will be on site for the Safford Summer Tournament. Mr. Sabeh will be on hand to represent both teams if necessary. He already knows that if the Miners need him to play for them he will. He also knows that if the Keystones call on him, he will be their to represent his hometown team as well. This should prove to be an interesting time for both organizations. A spokesperson for the Keystones said, "We would like to thank the Central Arizona Stickball League for hosting this event and for allowing Mr. Sabeh to be able to continue his work for both the West Virginia Miners as well as our Pittsburgh Keystones. We would also like to wish all the teams in the league the best of luck in the Safford Summer Tournament." Whether people become Miners fans, Keystones fans, other Central Arizona Stickball League Team Fans, or just pure stickball fans, this tournament should be something special. We Look forward to seeing everyone on the field, "Rocking the Yard," or "Playing the Field," or "Swinging Hard, Just in Case You Hit It." Hopefully the West Virginia Miners can dig these sayings or maybe come up with a few of their own. The wait is almost over, the West Virginia Miners are going to make league history in late May or early June. See you then, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia (Miners)."

2008 Begins with a Blast

2008-04-06T17:40:46Z

The stats are already beginning to roll in from around the Bush League, and it appears that this season will be the most competitive and intense in the history of Gila Valley stickball. Even the Utah Jacks managed to get a game in during the Mountain View Classic held on April 4th. This website has been upgraded to handle the incoming 2008 stats and Craig should be posting them shortly.

Make note on your calendars that tentative plans are in place to play a 2008 Summer Tourney from June 2-7 in Safford, Arizona. Mark, Doug, and Clifton will work to coordinate calendars and travel schedules to make this opportunity a reality. We hope that everything will work out such that we can get together and get each team the needed games to qualify for the playoffs.

Here's to an action-packed, over-hyped, and successful 2008 season!

In the Works: Virtual Bush League

2008-03-26T15:46:58Z

The rumor mill has been churning once again, and the word on the street is that the Virtual Bush League (VBL) is under consideration by the Commissioner. Reports have indicated that Mark Smith managed to acquire a Nintendo Wii and that he has his eye on the newly released MLB 2K8 game (click the image above to download a video preview). This game is reported to be able to allow online play and could form the basis for a virtual league during the months where at-bats are low and players want to stay sharp.

More details around this are to follow, but league members are encouraged to seek out a Nintendo Wii and this new game over the course of the next year.

More from the Highlight Reel

2008-03-10T02:39:06Z

After a lot of work, I finally present to you my highlight video from 2006 and 2007 where we played out at Legacy Field and in San Antonio when Craig and Clifton visited. I hope you enjoy the Napoleon and Nacho quotes mixed throughout. Click the image to the right to download the video. Enjoy!

Jacks Name to Change?

2008-02-18T05:25:13Z

The rumor mill has been churning in the Bush League press room that the Utah Jacks are poised to make a team name change. This photo was leaked from an anonymous source and is purported to be the new, official logo. Some sources indicate confirmation coming from Utah's public relations department later this week.

In official news, the Utah Jacks released a statement yesterday that their Minor League team has been selected. The North Salt Lake Pumbas will form the Utah Jacks' talent farm. Rex, the Jacks' spokesman, reports that this new Minor League team will "begin an 8-week program that will make each player strong as a bear and wise as a man." Hopes and spirits were high in the Jacks' press room as they look to bounce back from their 2007 championship defeat for another action-packed season.

Yard Dogs Move on...and Expand!

2008-02-18T02:43:28Z

Rumors are flooding out of San Antonio that the Yard Dogs are on the move. Less than a year removed from their second championship it appears that the Yard Dogs of Mesa errrr, San Antonio errrr, Safford are going back to where it all started. Sources confirmed that the Yard Dogs and Mark Smith are leaving San Antonio sometime in August and will be making their new home in an old but familiar place, the Bush League head quarters of the Gila Valley. After hearing the news many minor league teams began inquiring about the possibility of becoming the new farm system for the Dogs. Among those involved in discussions were the Pima Pioneers, the Thatcher Thrashers, the San Carlos Scouts and the Moonlight Grahams. After intense discussions and many proposals the Yard Dogs along with Mark Smith have agreed in principle to bring the Moonlight Grahams aboard. Since it has been rumored that Mark won’t get enough at bats to be considered a major league player the Grahams are ecstatic to be signing a player of his caliber. The Yard Dogs are hopeful that this will be the beginning of a long relationship with the Grahams and continue to produce championships for years to come!

Lone Stars Announce New Minor League Team

2008-02-17T07:58:36Z

Texas Royal Lone Stars Team President/Mascot, Chuck Norris, aka Walker Texas Ranger, announced on behalf of the organization that the DOMINICAN TIGRES will double as their minor league affiliate and winter ball/Wii team for 2008. The decision to bring the Tigres on board was influenced by Craig's desire to pay tribute to his Dominican ties that helped to inspire the Bush League. When asked if playing for the Tigres will change his style of play Craig answered, "No hablo ingles".

*Note: Tigres means tigers in English for any anglo-speaking people reading this post, and yes, Lone Stars is an oxymoron.

Keystones and Miners Reach League Affiliate Agreement

2008-02-16T15:28:08Z

Today the Central Arizona Stickball League is continuing its growth. The Pittsburgh Keystones in an attempt to stregnthen its organization signed a minor league affiliate agreement with the West Virginia Miners. The Miners are a semi-pro stickball organization that has several league championships under their belt. They were first approached by Doug Sabeh of the Keystones, who has some ties down in the West Virginia area. The Miners president was not sold on the idea, until Mr. Sabeh informed him that they would not necessarily have to stop competing in their current league. Mr. Sabeh told the president that his organization would be used to develop players that would like to the opportunity to play at the next level in the Central Arizona Stickball League. After many phone calls, meetings and glory days relived, Mr Sabeh and the West Virginia Miners President finally came to an agreement. The terms and duration of the agreement have not been made public yet, but it is believed that this affiliation could last a long time, because of the longtime history between the two teams main officials. The Miners Team President did state, "We are looking forward to working with the Keystones and hope that it will be a long and lasting relationship." Mr. Sabeh was quoted as saying, "It is a great day in Keystones history, as we welcome this great Miners franchise as part of our family. It should be a beneficial relationship to both teams." Maybe this is what John Denver meant when he sang, "Almost Heaven, West Virginia," from his song "Country Roads," because it appears that the West Virginia Miners and the Pittsburgh Keystones are a match made in heaven.

Bold Predictions

2008-02-12T04:37:35Z

Everyone in sports loves a good prediction. Whether predictions are totally wrong like in the case of Rory Sabatini who claimed last year that Tiger Woods, “is as beatable as ever”. Tiger went on to crush him along with the rest of the field. Likewise Rasheed Wallace loves to make the “Guaransheed” for the Pistons. Some have ended in wins while other games the Pistons fell short. On the other hand predictions can be great because when they come true whoever made it seems like a genius. Such was the case with Joe Namath and the Jets who made the bold prediction that New York would upset the heavily favored Colts to win the Super Bowl. Joe left the stadium that infamous day with his finger held up as he and his team left the field victorious. Plaxico Burress was blasted by the media for predicting that the Giants would win 21-17 over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Was he supposed to say that he thought they would loose? He backed up his bold prediction with the winning touchdown reception.

This brings us to the new prediction made by Jason Smith of the Stix. In a recent comment posted on the sandlotillustrated.com website Jason was quoted saying, “I going for the triple crown this year!” It was noted that he placed an exclamation point at the end, not a question mark or even a simple period. He was out to prove a point and told the league to “recognize” with a double exclamation mark. Who knows if Jason’s guarantee will pan out, only time will tell.

I just thought that I would let Jason know that the Triple Crown does not mean that you lead the league in triples. You have to beat the homerun champ, which means you might have to strikeout like 20 times. You also have to lead in RBI. Not to name names but someone in the league has had a strong hold on those two categories for a few years now. Unless that player goes down with an injury or moves to Zimbabwe Jason and the rest of the league can fight for second place for those stats. Jason sounds a little like our friend Rory who said, “Tiger is as beatable as ever”. Well Jason, until you go in and knock the leader off you’ll fight for second.

I would like to thank Jason for his comments. No matter how Jason’s season fares it will be exciting to follow his story from start to finish. Predictions get people excited. Predictions stir up emotions. Predictions can make an athlete look like a genius or a flippin idiot. But no matter what happens predictions are great for sports.

So he is a shout out to the entire Bush League nation: Make some predictions. Make someone upset. Try to give your team a boost and something to look forward to in the up coming season. More than anything get ready to “Rock the Yard” and “Make it Great in ‘08”

2007 Championship Highlights

2008-01-03T04:13:46Z

By popular demand, here comes the energized 2007 Championship highlight reel. You can watch a variety of at-bats taken from games 3-5 of the series where the Yard Dogs clinched their victory. This video is about 55MB, so I highly recommend you either have high-speed internet or highly-developed patience. The video includes both the good, the bad, and the ugly, and the bleeps are just for fun as there wasn't really any profanity during the series.

To watch the video, simply click the image to the right and it will pop-up in a new window. You will need Quicktime to watch it, which is a free download. Enjoy!

Hype Contest Results

2007-12-28T16:56:47Z

The Championship has passed, and the results are in for the hype contest that I announced back at the end of November. I realized that I had to throw out ticker updates since that's something that I can't track. The competition was based solely on articles and comments. Here's the tally:

Here's the tally:
Jason: 0 points – 0 articles, 0 comments, no Firefox switch reported
Brandon: 5 points – 0 articles, 0 comments, Firefox switch
Robin: 0 points – 0 articles, 0 comments, already had Firefox
Kimball: 1 points – 0 articles, 1 comment, no Firefox switch reported
Doug: 18 points – 1 article, 8 comments, no Firefox switch reported
Craig: 12 points – 0 articles, 7 comments, Firefox switch
Clifton: 47 points – 4 articles, 7 comments, already had Firefox
Mark: 50 points – 4 articles, 10 comments, already had Firefox

So the winner is Mark! He will receive a $30 iTunes Gift Card. Congratulations to everyone that participated, and may this site continue to see your contributions in 2008 and beyond.