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WMLL PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 8/3/06
As we approach the end of another season I would like to thank everyone for letting me serve you as president this past year and a good year it was!!
First off would be our elected officials and all the various directors, all managers, coaches, and all the other volunteers that help out through the season. A special thanks goes out to the Little League auxiliary, what a great job they did this year, and I’m sure you can expect and even better job next season THANKS LADIES. The season started off on a good note this year, no rain in the spring, letting teams practice early on and starting the playing season on time, which happens to be on a grass 60 ft. baseball diamond infield, FIRST IN WEST MILFORD. Thanks Rich and Ed and all the volunteers. The snack stand at Westbrook was returned to Little League, which I hope over the years will become a huge asset for our children. As we have done in the past and hopefully in the future, we have worked side by side with other organization in town, girls and women’s softball, Connie Mack, and PAL soccer, to name a few. Hi five’s go out to our regular season champions, we had Tom Murphy and his National League Giants win the Minors Division, Ray Guarino’s National League Dodgers took the Majors Division and Mike Yuhas’s A’s capture the Junior Division title. All of you guys did a great job with these kids and should be proud of it.
I would like to thank our tournament teams, managers, coaches, umpires and all the volunteers that helped to make this a successful season. I would also like to thank all our West Milford fans from local district games to the state games in Neptune, WAY TO GO WEST MILFORD Bill Boes and Mike Zaleski did a fine job with our 9’s and 10’s winning more than they lost. Yale Harr and Steve Sweigart had our 10’s and 11’s their teams played well, Ed Conlon's American 12’s battled in pool play, Rich DeGasperis' Juniors came close but needed 2 more wins to take the district title. Our Seniors under Ray Lovendusky surprised everyone and won the district 2 title and fell one game short of winning the Section 1 title (wonderful job Ray and Ed).
This season by far has been the most exciting for me, at last count I went to 57 games between all stars and my son’s travel team from June 26th to August 1st. I had the privilege to watch one of New Jersey’s best 12-year-old Little League all-star team play. Our own West Milford Little League National team managed by Ed Pevny and coached by Greg Stewart. Not only did they beat Wayne twice in a row to take the District 2 title, they came back a week later to beat Madison twice in a row to take the Section 1 title. Down in Neptune at the state games, with four teams remaining out of 320 or so that started back in June. West Milford Little League was there along with Cherry-Hill, Livingston and South-Wall, first time for a West Milford Little League to go this far. The team went 3 for 5 only to come up short against Livingston who went 3 for 4 and won the state title, but West Milford played and beat all 3 opposing teams, Livingston never played Cherry-Hill, in fact 3 of Livingston games were against West Milford, Livingston’s manager had the choice not to pitch his #1 against our #1, I guess he knows, what we already know Brendan might be the best in the state, makes you wonder, just thinking?????????
Although the games there were fantastic and Neptune Little League treated us and all the other teams like they were kings. My favorite moment came on Monday night; it wasn’t Alex’s fielding or Brendan’s pitching, not even Matt’s grand slam home run. It came at the end of the game when I walked into the 1st base dug-out and saw Ed and his players all standing in a circle cheering with the News 12 camera and lights shining down on them in the dark dug-out. What a great moment, did you see it on T.V. that night; I think I watch it 6 times? TO ED AND GREG, AND ALL THE PLAYERS YOU PLAYED GREAT, HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGH, THANKS FOR THE RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danny Drexler, WMLL President 2006
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