BLASTERS WIN THIRD

Holding off a late Patches rally, the Blasters earned a 17-13 victory Saturday in The Wham, Bam, Thank You JAM at Cook Field. With the win, their third in as many years, the Blasters improved their overall record in this storied annual softball rivalry to 8-4.

The Blasters jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Mike Campoli (3- for-5, two runs), John Licht (3-for-5) and Sean Blakely (3-for-5) recorded key hits. The offensive eruption followed a rousing pre-game speech by 12-time Blaster Campoli that included a history of Yonkers' role in the American Revolution and a warning to the Blasters to avoid the fate of the doomed British Redcoats.

Unwilling to let the Blasters pull away, the Patches, led by Ed McDowell, George McShane and R.T. McShane, responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Perhaps unnerved by the offensive explosion or Campoli's incendiary remarks, a lone squad car from the Yonkers Police Department showed up at Cook Field at the end of the first inning and settled into position along the road behind home plate. The authorities observed the game for at least two innings before heading to the Palmer Dairy for donuts and coffee.

This started a theme of police-related incidents that culminated at 4:15 a.m., when a contingent of hungry and inebriated JAMmers that included Blaster Captain Chris Crowley, Kelvin Cabrera, Tom Dever, Blakely and Campoli witnessed the handcuffing and arrest of four patrons at the White Plains Diner. The stress of the incident caused Dever to forget his duffel bag.

While the police may have put the brakes on the consumption of beer for the next two innings, they did not slow down the Blasters. With two runs in the second, highlighted by first-time JAMmer Joe Cruz's two-run blast (scoring winning pitcher Angel Alsina), and four more in the third, the Blasters increased their lead to 10-3 in the scheduled 10-inning affair.

During this critical stretch, and then again as the Blasters sealed the win in the final two frames, a trio of lesser-known JAMmers paved the way to victory. First up is Andrew Strauss. The first- time JAMmer recorded three hits, knocked in two runs and scored three times en route to capturing Rookie of the Year honors. Strauss also played lock-down defense in left field, including a critical putout in the bottom of the 10th inning that helped quash the Patches' rally.

Next is medical resident Jamie Kane. After leaving three patients in triage in the emergency room and neglecting to remove a catheter from another in his efforts to attend The JAM and put his first year of residency behind him, Kane collected three hits in four at-bats, and his hustle on the basepaths in the ninth inning helped the Blasters put the game away.

Most instrumental of all was Most Valuable JAMmer Keith Emmer. Emmer played a flawless second base, turning two double plays and setting the JAM record for most assists by a second baseman. The three-time JAMmer also collected three hits, including a key two-run single in the ninth inning. Emmer's performance was so inspiring that his wife, Laurie, took a nap in her car.

Despite his noteworthy contributions, Emmer received criticism following the game from fellow Blasters John and Joe Licht, and Patches George and R.T. McShane, who noted his swift departure from the festivities. In fact, his 7:25 p.m. check-out time was the earliest ever by a Most Valuable JAMmer. But Emmer is also the oldest MVJ, so these things happen.

Speaking of old JAMmers, the 2004 JAM saw the return of Christopher "The Babe" Spellman, father of Patches Captain Chris Spellman, after a one year absence. The fabled 100th JAMmer was his usual surly self, complaining initially about the late start to the game (remember, this is a man who goes to sleep at 9 p.m.), and then mixing in much social commentary and criticism for the remainder of the contest. After taking a weak pop-up off the noggin and getting nailed in the hand by a vicious line drive off the bat of Campoli, Mr. Spelz seemed particularly displeased. But the old warrior refused to surrender the mound for a relief pitcher and registered the complete game.

Through his gutty performance The Babe threw down the gauntlet to Yonkers politico and fellow 50+ JAMmer Pete Chema, who missed the game due to a previous engagement with his even older aunt. Although disappointing, Chema's JAM snub was by no means the most noteworthy. That distinction goes to 1998 Most Valuable JAMmer Chris Blakely, who, two days after wife Julie confirmed the couple would attend The JAM, decided he could not show up. For his efforts, or lack thereof, Blakes received the notorious Steven R. Testa Memorial Award. Words cannot begin to explain the irony of this dishonor, or of Blakes being the recipient thereof.

Staring at a 10-3 deficit, the Patches rallied. Inspired by McDowell's mammoth solo home-run in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Patches scored three runs to close to gap to 10-6. McDowell's blast, estimated as one of the longest shots in JAM history, highlighted a strong day in which the longtime Patch reached base in all four plate appearances. Unfortunately for McDowell, it was not enough for him to finally capture the MVJ that has eluded him for so many years.

The Patches did not capitalize on the momentum, failing to score in their next three at-bats. But the Blasters' bats fell silent too. The drought ended in the top of the seventh when the Blasters pushed two runs across to increase their lead to 12-6, hardly a comfortable margin.

With the Blasters unable to shut the door, the Patches threatened to knock it open. In the bottom of the eighth inning they finally seized their opportunity, with the middle of the order cutting the lead to 12-9.

Sensing the game slipping away, the Blasters responded with a four-run assault in the top of the ninth. Using hustle and grit, the Blasters attacked with reckless abandon on every play, daring the Patches to stop them. Kane personified this determination on a mad dash to score from first on a single to center by Emmer. Taking a slight lead off the bag, Kane took off at the crack of the bat. He roared around second and courageously flew past third without a moment's hesitation, intent on forcing the Patches to throw him out (or on knocking down the younger Spellman, as he did in the 2002 DecathaJAM). Kane slammed on the brakes when he saw the relay throw pass him halfway between third and home. But when the ball sailed over the head of catcher Mike Fornabaio to the backstop, Kane again accelerated, applied a series of nifty moves, and rushed the plate. By the time the Patches recovered the ball, Kane was safely on his way back to the bench.

The Blasters added two more runs that inning and one more in the top of the 10th to take a commanding 17-9 edge. But the Patches did not go away. Singles by Eric Lord, Rob Andrusco and Captain Chris Spellman (who collected two hits and showed off his fancy footwork on a ballet-inspired force-out on a poor throw to second base) in the bottom of the 10th gave the Patches renewed life and set the stage for a nerve-wracking inning for both squads. Following a series of timely hits by McDowell, Bowler and the McShane brothers, and aided by a few unexpected miscues by the Blasters, the Patches pulled to within 17-13 and brought the tying run into the on-deck circle.

Nine-time JAMmer Jer Silkowski then stepped to the plate, hoping to extend the rally. In a play reminiscent of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Silkowski hit a slow roller down the first base line right at Campoli. With visions of Bill Buckner inspiring Met fans such as Spellman and Fornabaio, and enraging Red Sox fans such as Blaster Brad Sherman (fortunately there are no walls on the field), Campoli cleanly fielded the ball and stepped on the bag ahead of a diving Silkowski for the final out.

BLASTERS    424 000 204 1--17
PATCHES     300 300 030 4--13