Merillon Yankee's

Team with Banner

Coaches with Banner

Coaching staff

What dedication

Good friends!

Michael Courtney, Peter LoDuca, Kevin Terrero, Brendan Lum, Brian Renta, Nicky Simeoli, Franchesco Terrero, Aaron Brenner, Jordan Grossman, Andrew Pugliese, Joey Carbone, Michael Glaser

Joe Renta, Al Pugliese, Ray Simeoli and Joe Carbone

Boys shave "Pop" into their hair for their fallen pal, Steven Popovich

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Merillon 8 year olds No-Hitter at HBQVB Tournament

Written by: Bill Donovan

 August 4, 2007- Merillon  8’s (1) Vs. HBQVB (0)

 The Merillon 8’s no hit  a tough HBQVB team on Saturday.  Gregory Haynes, Tommy Murphy & Vincent Rossello combined for the no-no.  They each pitched 2 inningsand combined for 12 strike-outs.  Merillon also had outstanding fielding and put their bats on the ball when needed.  Yanni Rigos made the defensive play of the game when throwing out the potential tying run at the plate. Christian Carrick had an earlier key outfield assist to set the defensive tone for the team. The game winning RBI came off the bat of Matty Lorandini on a fielder’s choice in the 4^th inning.  Joey Dunn was a catalyst with 2 walks at the top of the order and Gregory Donovan hit the ball hard all day. Peter Restivo played a solid 3^rd base and outfield as did Anthony Verde.  

9 and 10 Year Old All Stars Win "District 28"

Written By: Jim Cioffi

July 21, 2007 - Merillon Patriots (12) Vs. Port Washington Legends (1)

Congratulations District 28 Champions!  Merillon went undefeated in District 28 play by beating Manhasset, Williston Park, Port Washington and Port Washington again in the Championship Game.  

All the kids made outstanding contributions, too numerous to mention. The players are, in alphabetical order: Adel Bari, Jonathan Cioffi, Evan Clark, Ross Crames, Frankie DiSanto, Kyle Facibene, Brandon Martinez, Joseph Pagan, Vinnie Patrey, Brandon Silva, Liam Slattery, Matthew Theodoropoulos, and John Young.

For the last 31/2 weeks we saw a dedicated group of boys practicing 4 to 5 times a week and playing Saturday morning games. Not once did one of them complain about the practices. Their love of the game, desire to improve and to compete at the highest level motivated them to play to the best of their abilities. Thanks should be given to Manager George Theodoropoulos, Coaches John Young, Liam Slattery, Jack Clark and Jim Cioffi for their dedication and devotion to the boys. Thanks also should be given to Mr. Crames for keeping pitching records, Bill Facibene for being our team physician and to the numerous fathers and mothers who assist us by making sure the boys are at the right place at the right time.

As Coach George constantly instills in the boys, we come as 13, we play as 13 and we win as 13. That’s exactly what happened today. The boys played a revitalized Port Washington team who were looking to exact a measure of revenge for last week’s loss. 

In the first inning Liam Slattery (1 for 2) & Frankie DiSanto (3 for 3, walk) scored on a Kyle Facibene double (2 for 3). In the second inning the boys threatened but did not score when Evan Clark (1 for 2, walk), Matt Theodoropoulos and Joe Pagan (1 for 1) reached base safely.  Merillon scored two more runs in the third when Ross Crames crushed a single to right center and took second when Port Washington tried to make a play at home.

Defense played a pivotal role in this Championship game. Port Washington had a man on third when the play of the tournament was turned in by shortstop Frankie DiSanto. A hard grounder that appeared to be headed to center field was fielded by a sliding DiSanto, who then got to his feet and fired to first to record the out. The umpire remarked that that was one of the best plays he ever saw at this level. In the fourth inning with Port Washington threatening again, Jonathan Cioffi (1 for 1, walk) caught a long fly ball hit to left field. Although, Port Washington scored a run that inning, a number of spectators noted that Cioffi’s catch seem to deflate them. Vinnie Patry provided his usual spectacular relief pitching (3 up 3 down) and Adel Bari played a sound second base.

In the 5th inning, Ross Crames, who pitched an outstanding game (4 K’s), singled as did Evan Clark (1 for 2, walk). The runners advanced on a Brandon Martinez sacrifice to second base. That set the table for Cioffi who singled in both runs and advanced to second on a play to the plate. At that point the score was 9-1. Frankie DiSanto singled in another run and the stage was set for the final play of the game. John Young (2 for 3, walk), fought off several pitches and then hit a mammoth homerun that cleared the right field fence. The homerun ball traveled down East Williston’s pool’s slide located behind the fence. That made the final score 12-1 and the Merillon boys District Champions!

The victory catapults the All Stars to sectional play beginning July 25^th in Malverne as they vie for the State Championship.  Good luck boys, keep practicing and keep up the good work!

The 2007 9 and 10-Year Old District No.28 Champions with their coaches.

MERILLON 10 & 11 YEAR OLD ALL STARS BRING HOME

SECOND STRAIGHT DISTRICT 28 CHAMPIONSHIP

   Written by Richard Finkel

 The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price. 

 -Vince Lombardi

Work they did. And accomplish they have. Adding to a long list of outstanding achievements, the Merillon Little League 10 & 11 year old All Star team swept its way to a second consecutive District 28 championship last week with convincing back-to-back victories over a tough Port Washington Legends squad. The victory catapults the All Stars to sectional play beginning July 28th at Sagamore Field as they vie for the State Championship.

All the kids made outstanding contributions, too numerous to mention. The players are, in alphabetical order: Tyler Carrick, Travis Finkel, Denes Kostel, John Leva, Danny Luchino, Ryan Marder, Nick Perrone, Joey Richards, Brennan Scanlon, Patrick Theodoropoulos, Ben Todaro, and Austin Ward. 

The 2007 District 28 championship follows on the heels of the All Star’s 2006 District 28 championship; the 2006 Williston Park Mayor’s Trophy championship; the 2005 HBQVB championship; and the 2004 HBQVB championship. 

That’s an impressive resume for 10 and 11 year old boys. More impressive is how they got there. Foregoing the beach and the pool, the All Stars spend their hot summer afternoons, day in and day out, on the shadeless diamond working on their craft under the watchful eyes and supervision of their dedicated coaching staff. Manager Jimmy Richards, and coaches Mike Luchino and Lori Carrick, have molded a team built upon hard work and perseverance. Make no mistake, it’s tough sledding for both the coaches and the kids. It’s that sweat and effort though, that separates these kids from their opponents. It’s their willingness to grind it out, work at it, and push their talent to another level that enables these All Stars to proudly raise their index fingers high in the air for all to see. They sacrifice, they play as a team, and they wear those Merillon All Star hats and vests with pride. They’ve learned the price of success, and years from now, they’ll teach their kids that same lesson.

Before that though, they’ve got the sectionals. Good luck guys, and keep some gas in the tank. You can make Merillon history next year, and Williamsport awaits! 

Back Row: Coach Mike Luchino, Coach Lori Carrick, Manager Jim Richards

Middle Row: Ryan Marder, Danny Luchino, Travis Finkel, Nick Perrone, Brennan Scanlon, Patrick Theodoropoulos

Bottom Row: Ben Todaro, John Leva, Austin Ward, Joey Richards, Denes Kostel, Tyler Carrick

Mets Picnic Outing

By Bill Donovan (contributions from Lou Messina)

The New York Mets beat the Athletics Saturday night at Shea Stadium with over a 150 Merillon Athletic Association players, coaches, friends and family in attendance. Those there early enough were fortunate to receive a Mets tee shirt and those early and lucky enough caught batting practice balls hit into the bleachers.

The game was exciting with the home team Mets winning on a walk off double by David Wright. The final score Mets 1 A's 0. The winning pitcher was Billy Wagner.

In addition to the game, fun was had by all and several prizes were raffled off the winners were:

    2 - Free Merillon AA 2007 Summer Baseball Camp Registration: May Bangug

 A Mets' win, family and friends together at Big Shea, what a way to spend a Saturday night!  Merillon A.A., thanks all in attendance and asks that you join us next year at the Picnic Area!

Championship Saturday

By Mike Luchino

Championship Saturday was celebrated this past weekend on June 16th and a fantastic time at Merillon Park was had by all.

Starting things off were the boys and girls from our Instructional Division. 84 baseball and softball players and their families were in attendance as they watched these future Hall of Famer's do their thing. First all of the teams played a simulated game in front of the fans while showcasing the skills they learned this past spring under the supervision of our new Vice President of the Instructional Division, Mr. William DePietto. Once the games were over each team walked over for the trophy presentation where each and every ball player received a trophy. Tony Camilleri, Merillon Chairman and Thomas Murphy, Merillon President were on hand to start off the presentation with some words of encouragement for these fine young ball players.

Next up was the Lower Farms Division Skills competition in which each team was on hand to show off the basic skills they honed from the beginning of the season. The teams competed against each other in fielding ground balls, pop ups, hitting and base running. This year’s head to head team competition was the closes in Merillon history with the 1st and 2nd place winners separated by .027 of a point. We are proud to announce the winners of the Lower Farms Division Skills Competition the Mets! Met manager Joe Carbone thanked his players for their hard work and effort all season long and also thanked his coaching staff and parents for their support. In second place were the Nationals, led by manager Robert Gal and in third place were the Padres, managed by Anthony Russo. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place skills competition medals were handed out along with participation trophies at a brief ceremony following the contest.

As the Boys Lower Farms Skills competition was going on, on fields #1 and #2, the VP of Girls Softball, Pete Williams was displaying his talented Girls Softball Division on field #3 with a skills competition of their own. All the girls were outstanding to watch and demonstrated their ability to throw for accuracy, hit for distance and base running speed. The winners were as follows below;

Next up was the battle of the Upper Farms Division double elimination tournament. I have to say after being at quite a few of the games in the Upper Farms Tournament all of these teams played hard and each game was close from the 1st inning on. Each team should be proud of what they accomplished this season. The final game came down to the Phillies, managed by Bobby Cotumaccio and the Indians, managed by Lou Messina. This contest was a battle with both teams matching blow for blow, the Indians were able to hold off the Phillies for the victory and Championship.

The Minors Division single elimination championship game was billed as a real old fashioned slugfest with the 1st place Blue Jays against the 2nd place Orioles. The crowd was standing room only to watch as these two teams battled. Both teams had played super baseball in the tournament to get to this point. The Orioles, managed by George Theodoropoulos managed to hold off the Blue Jays, managed by Liam Slattery for the victory earning the right to be called the Champions of the Boys Minors Division! Way to go Orioles!

Since both the Upper Farms Playoff and Minors Tournament ended about the same time, we were able to hold the trophy presentation together making for a very large crowd of players, family and friends. VP of Little League Mike Luchino made a brief speech thanking everyone of the players for a fine season and to the managers for their support and outstanding coaching throughout the season. He then introduced to the crowd the 2nd place Phillies manager Bobby Cotumaccio who thanked his team and team parents for a great year and super effort and called each one of his players up for their trophy. Next up was Lou Messina of the Upper Farms Division Champion Indians, Lou was still wet from the water sprayed on him in the celebration by his players. Lou thanked his players and parents and his coaching staff for all their hard work this season and then introduced each Indian player to the huge crowd. Then came Liam Slattery of the 2nd place Boys Minors Division Blue Jays, Liam introduced his players as he handed out the boy’s trophies and thanked everyone for their support. George Theodoropoulos of the Minors Division Champion Orioles was next at the podium to hand out the first place trophies to his Oriole warriors. Each player introduced themselves to the crowd and received their trophy. George also thanked his coaching staff for all their hard work.

The final championship game of the afternoon was the Majors Division match up of the Bears, managed by Eamon Ward and River Sharks, managed by Andy Kostel. This hotly contested game drew not only a standing room only crowd but also in attendance were several Board Members, and players from the other 4 Major Division teams. The Majors Division teams might have been rivals between the lines but judging by all the players that were in attendance to watch each player in the Division had more friends on the opposing teams than foes. The game started off as a pitchers dual until the River Sharks bats awoke to a thunderous roar and proceed to pile on the runs leading them to victory over the Bears. The Bears have nothing to be ashamed of however, having had a wonderful season themselves. Hats off to the River Sharks, Champions of the Boys Majors Division! (See team picture below) Once again the two teams headed over to the Trophy presentation area to receive their trophies to a large ovation. To see what the Boys Minors Division and Boys Majors Division Final Standings were click the link.

Finally, with the day of championship games and skills competitions completed were the game that everyone was waiting for, the "Coaches Game and Barbecue". If you didn't stick around for this one you missed it all. This is a time for all the coaches who are yelling to "get in front of the ball" or "only swing at strikes" to show off their diminishing skills. After watching this year, having learned my lesson attempting to play last season I am sure there were quite of few of the coaches smelling like Ben Gay the next morning and walking with limps!

On behave of the Merillon Board of Directors I would like to take this time to thank all of our Managers and Coaches for their hard work, dedication and everything else it takes to run a team for the League. You all did a magnificent job! We would also like to thank the boys and girls for their hard work and for giving us such a fun filled and exciting season of baseball & softball. Lastly, thanks to all the parents who attended meetings and helped out throughout the spring season. Remember its volunteers like you that make Merillon such a super place, we thank you all!

Merillon River Sharks - 2007 Majors Champions

Coach Glenn, Coach Brian, Joey, Sam, Aaron, Stephen, Harrison Vinny, Coach Andy

Belvin, Ben, Josh, Dylan, Denes, Ralph

Merillon 2007 Raffle Winners!

1st  Prize winner - Pugliese Family

2nd  Prize winner - Kestenbaum Family

3rd  Prize winner - Graziano Family

4th   Prize winner - Calandro Family

5th   Prize winner - Caltado Family

Merillon Opening Day Parade

By: Michael Luchino

Everyone loves a parade, and on a gorgeous spring day Merillon Athletic Association held its Annual Opening Day parade this past Saturday, April 28th. All of Merillon's divisions were on hand to march in the parade. The New Hyde Park Memorial High School Marching Band (led by Nick Tarantola) set the beat and the players marched from Manor Oaks Elementary School west bound along Hillside Avenue and then north up New Hyde Park Road to Merillon Park. Spectators lined the sidewalks for a glimpse of the future major league baseball stars along the parade route. Upon arriving at Merillon Park League President Thomas Murphy started the proceedings followed by a rousing performance of our National Anthem by Darlene Vietri. Everyone was then treated to NHP Memorial High School Romanettes. There were plenty of dignitaries on hand and most importantly State Senator, Craig Johnson who presented Merillon's Chairman, Anthony Camilleri with a grant check in the amount of $7,500. Thank you very much Mr. Johnson! Thomas Murphy then  presented the newly instituted Coaches Achievement Awards to the following coaches for 2006; Instructional Division - Mr. Frank Kurre; Boys Lower Farms Division - Mr. James Valentine; Boys Upper Farms Division - Mr. Greg Kyro; Boys Minors Division - Mr. Michael Luchino; Boys Majors Division - Mr. Chris Devane; Boys Seniors Division - Mr. Peter Williams; Girls Softball Division - Mr. Tom Kimkowski; Challengers Division - Mr. Kevin Walline. Anthony Camilleri then introduced the winner of the 2006 Merillon Coach of the Year Award to yours truly, me, Michael Luchino. (see article below) This was followed by a very special presentation introducing to the crowd both of Merillon's District 28 Championship teams from 2006, along with their coaching staffs, pictured below. Finishing off the festivities were hot dogs and sodas to all of the Merillon Players and siblings. What a great day!

The 2006 Joe Roy Coach of the Year Award is presented to Michael Luchino. 

Mike began his career with Merillon in 1998 coaching his son David in the instructional division.  In 2000, he was coaching his other son Daniel in the lower farms division. 

In 2000, he was also elected to the Merillon Board of Directors as the Information Officer.  As Information Officer he transformed the league from one relying strictly on paperwork and telephone communication to the electronic and computer age of e-mails.   This eliminated many man hours of paperwork and a much improved communication system.  During this time he was also the liaison between the league and the local newspaper - The Illustrated News.  Ensuring that write ups on teams and players were being turned in by managers, reviewed and printed weekly in the newspaper. 

In 2005 Mike was elected as the VP of the Little League and again he showed an eagerness to change many of the existing policies to ensure that players were fairly drafted and placed on teams so that a balance of competition can be achieved at every level of the league.  

Noteworthy achievements: 2005 Manager of the 9 & 10 year old Williamsport team; 2005 2nd place finish in the Williston Park Tournament; 2006 Coach on the District #28 Championship 9 & 10 year old team; 2006 Coach on the 1st place team in the Williston Park Tournament; 2006 Coach on the 2nd place team in the HBQVB Tournament

Mike is an outstanding person, one truly deserving of this award.  Besides coaching children in the league and helping them to become better ball players, he has spent countless hours working on the computer generating such documents as the Parents Night Handbook, anyone familiar with this can appreciate how much work goes into it.  He also generates fliers for special events including golf tournament, the Long Island Ducks outing and just about all fliers that the league generates.  He is always willing to help other coaches and board members with any problems they may have.  He is a great guy.  We want congratulate his sons David and Daniel.  It gives us great pleasure to present to you Mike, the 2006 Coach of the Year Award.  

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Merillon Athletic Associations Coaches Achievement Award Winners 2006

Merillon Athletic Association is proud to announce the introduction of the Coaches Achievement Award. This award will be presented annually to a manager or coach who best represents his or her division in sportsmanship, the ability to improve the performance of a team or individual and demonstrates respect for officials, opponents and parents, and espousing a philosophy of fair play. This award is voted on by fellow managers, coaches and league officials. Our Coach of the Year Award will be selected amongst the winners of this award. There will be eight annual winners from each of the following divisions or leagues listed below. We are proud to recognize the following winners for the 2006 season.

Instructional Division - Frank Kurre

Boys Lower Farms Division - Jimmy Valentine

Boys Upper Farms Division - Greg Kyro

Boys Minors Division - Mike Luchino (Coach of the Year 2006)

Boys Majors Division - Chris Devane

Boys Seniors Division - Pete Williams

Girls Softball Division - Tom Kimkowski

Challengers Division - Kevin Walline

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Merillon Opening Day 2007

By: Thomas Murphy

On a beautiful spring day Merillon Athletic Association opened its 56th season on Saturday March 31st.

With over 200 people attending as the instructional division opened up the 2007 Spring Baseball & Softball season with the playing of our national anthem and a group of enthusiastic players and parents. Special thanks go to Bill DePietto who is the Instructional Vice President and to all volunteers who helped make this happen. Keep up the great work Merillon!!

Preparing to present America's colors

Little League's present America's colors

Little League's hold flag for during the Playing of National Athem

Just some of the opening day crowd on hand.

Little League's present America's colors

View of the large crowd of Instructional Players and parents.

Left to right; Thomas Murphy, Ryan O'Donnell, Danny Luchino

Left to right; Danny Luchino, Ryan O'Donnell, Thomas Murphy

Once again left to right; Danny Luchino, Ryan O'Donnell, Thomas Murphy

Left to right; Danny Luchino, Ryan O'Donnell, Thomas Murphy

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Preparing to present America's colors

Left to right; Thomas Murphy, Ryan O'Donnell, Danny Luchino

 

 

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Copyright © 2008 Merillon Athletic Association. All rights reserved.
Revised: 03/10/09.