The old adage, "some things get better with age", was proven by the pre-1999 team led by the "Godfather" Mike Maulini and coach Bruce Barclay who staged a 13-12 win over the post-2000 team at the annual alumni game at Feinbloom Field. Not since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson has there been an upset with this magnitude, but according to the prediction set forth by the "Godfather" himself, the old-timers did what they expected to do. Originally, scheduled for odd vs. even years, the veterans gathered the night before and with the likes of Maulini, Rey Breto, Mike Marcaida, Manny Garcia, Alex Dias, Alex Pinon, Oscar Farach, and many more, made a firm decision to take on the young Bucs and set an example for years to come.
Even though there might be some truth to the fact that the pre-99s had more trouble getting out of bed the next morning it was all worth it as they will have bragging rights until next year's veterans’ weekend event. With a total of 25 runs, many more hits, and quite a few errors (statistics and individual honors are not were not completely recorded) the game was not decided until Mike Marcaida (a pitcher by trade) worked the count full in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team down 11-10. In the blink of an eye, the tide turned for good, as Marcaida launched a three-run bomb over the scoreboard in left field, giving his team a 13-11 lead, setting off a massive celebration at home plate.
One wouldn't have predicted this type of fate for the veterans, as they let up a four-spot in the first inning and faced deficits of 4-0, 7-3, and 11-8. None of that mattered as the gritty veterans never gave up and pulled off the victory. Albert "Tico" Valdes picked up the win for the veterans, outsmarting the post-2000 team, carving his way through the lineup with 2 2/3 innings of masterful pitching. Other veterans to take the hill were Manny Garcia, Mike "Congo" Marcaida, Oscar Farach, and Kevin Dinnen. All members of the veteran team contributed offensively. Rich Adams got the first hit for the veterans, hitting a laser beam off of post-2000 starter Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez let up an unearned run but other then that was dominant. Other pitchers that toiled for the youngsters were John Vinciguerra, Eric Flynn, John Sandola, Gerry Guarch, Robert Penna, Chris Casale, and Jon Adams.
Memorable moments for the veteran squad were Jamie Jacob's "seeing eye"/"backspin" base hit; Chris Stasio's two rockets that were nearly homeruns (Stasio got thrown out at second due to hot-dogging incident); Mike Maulini's acrobatic play at third base; the double play combos of Alex Pinon/ Rene Velasquez/Alex Dias; the "stretch" and base hit off the fence by Manny Garcia; the defensive performance behind the dish by Alex Pinon; the "hamstring pull" by Alexis Leal; Tony Meilan's early exit; the great at bats by JJ Jiminez; the "shaky…solid" outfield play by Rich Adams and Jamie Jacobs; and of course the trash talking and comedy commentary provided by Oscar "the best balk move ever made" Farach.
The post-2000 team would just as soon forget a couple of moments including Chris Casale’s inning from hell; the dropped pop-up by Alex "the professional" Meneses; the overall shaky defense (no need to name individuals here…Keith Barton); and the disappointing batting practice taken by Luis Boullon.
On the bright side were the performances of the other pitchers; the versatility of Gerry "The Horse" Guarch (catch and pitch); the midsection catch by Fausto "Antonio Banderas" Faraldo; and the rockets off the bats of Brian Lima, Ricky Sanchez, and Billy Zoffinger. "The Catch" by Lima and the extraordinary play by Joey Perez were defensive plays that deserve ink.
Barry University head coach Marc Pavao had this to say about the weekend, "It couldn't have gone better. It's a start to a great tradition and the alumni deserve this. Many of these guys never had a chance to play under the lights (which were installed prior to the 2001 season). It was special to have (original coach) Bruce Barclay here and the turnout was tremendous. Between the social night, a golf outing, and the alumni game, many people were able to be involved. I know this is something that will continue to grow and get better and better each year".ON DECK: Jerry Thornton signs on with professional independent ball club.