Pikesville Men's
Softball League Early Years History
(this page is in progress of development)
Share your stories. Click here to reconnect with some old teammates, friends, and to share some of your fond memories.
Brian Keller has taken the time to detail the history of the genesis of the league dating back to 1968. Click here to read the article written by Brian Keller and to view the photos from 1971-73 that Brian has been kind enough to submit.
In 1971, a pick-up softball game began on Sunday mornings at Pikesville Junior High School -- now known as Pikesville Middle School. Two distinct group of friends, the Hunky Funky Junkies (managed by Jeff Rubin) and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of Pikesville (run by Skip Millison, Brian Keller, and Joey Feldman) met up on a summer Sunday afternoon to see which team was the best. The 2 groups commonly saw one another at a nightclub called the Hollywood Palace. Someone had the idea to call WJZ, channel 13, to tell them that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was in town for a charity softball game. Apparently a film crew was actually sent to Pikesville Middle School Field #2 to report. Despite the 'wrong' Mormon Tabernacle team on the field, highlights of the game were shown on the news that evening. By the way, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir team won the opener 6-4. The 2 teams showed up to play again the following Sunday and something was brewing.
Within a couple of years, too many players were showing up for just 1 game, so 4 teams were formed and the league grew from there. The league was loosely organized until Ira Gershman took the lead, with league games starting in about 1974. The 2 original teams were joined by Hair Garage (managed by Michael Libertini), Reed Street Ramblers, and Merry-Go-Round (run by Boogie Weinglass and Charles Benjamin).
By 1977, the league had 12 teams playing on the 4 fields at Pikesville Junior High School (Pikesville Middle School) and 2 games at Pikesville Senior High School (Pikesville High School). The games at the High School had outfielders from one field with their backs to the outfielders from the other field. Commonly games would be held up momentarily when a long shot came into play from the other field. However, with wooden bats and just primitive aluminum bats, there was not much problem playing the games on adjacent fields at the High School.
The league remained at 12 teams through the 1990 season. With 12 teams, the league was divided into 2 divisions. You would play each of the 5 other teams in your division 4 games each season and you would play the 6 teams in the other division 2 games-- a 32 game season most of the time. Make-up games were sometimes played on Wednesday evenings until about 1986. Up until 1983, the Tournament was played in 1 day and was single elimination.
During the 1980's, Pimlico Hotel was the dominant team and won several Regular Season and Tournament championships. Among their star players was pitcher Izzy Carroll, who pitched in the league until about 1992 when he was in his mid 70's. Teammates on the Pimlico Hotel team included Marc Appel, Robert Dubansky, and Elon Merkel.
Lou Greenfeld was a team manager in the mid 1970's and one of his teammates from 1976-78 was Paul Bell. Bell would leave the team after 3 season to join up with the Stan "the Fan" Charles team in 1980 that had David "Spider" Seidel pitching and David Jaskulsky, Mark Mignono, Stick Klein, Skip Millison, and others. Stan 'the fan' managed Manny Mota's from 1978-84. The team would later become known as Marley Station, but it soon after assumed the name Attman's Deli (later they would also get sponsorship from Jilly's Restaurant in Pikesville). Stu Tabb was the manager in 1985, but Tabb retired after the 1985 season and Paul Bell took over as manager of Attman's Deli in 1986. Bell, the father of Northwest Corridor 2B Matt Bell, led the Attman's Deli dynasty through 2001. During his 16 year tenure behind the bench, Attman's Deli had an impressive record of 401-99. In that period, ace pitcher Bruce Eisenberg was 269-63. During Attman's 33-3 season in 1989, Eisenberg was a perfect 17-0, while his counterpart Skip Millison was 16-3.
When Paul Bell retired as manager after Attman's 2001 Tournament championship, it took 2 guys to replace him -- Dave Sandler and Robbie Ressin. The duo did help lead Attman's to the Finals again in 2002, but they were defeated in the final game by Quizno's. The Attman's team remained strong with Bruce Eisenberg on the mound thru the 2003 campaign, but with Eisenberg retired in 2004, the team finished under .500 for the first time in their franchise history. The Attman's team (then known as the City Crab Turtles or Jilly's Under Armour) disbanded following the 2004 season. Sandler rejoined the Kings, a team he had played for throughout 1991-98.
Greenfeld was also the League Commissioner during the early 1980's, turning the job over to Paul Blinken in about 1986. Blinken was also a team member of the Attman's Deli squad. Blinken remained Commissioner through the 1993 season, with Mike Herr assuming the role to begin the 1994 season.
Throughout the 1980's and early 90's, some of the older players from Pikesville Men's Softball League went over to the over-35 Deer Park Softball League (run by Allen Schiff). From 1994-1998, there was a post-season All-Star game between the Pikesville All-Stars and the Deer Park All-Stars. Members from every team in both leagues were selected. The games were played the first 4 years at Summit Park Elementary School, a neutral site. In 1998, the doubleheader moved to Deer Park Middle School. The Pikesville league held an 8 games to 2 advantage during the 5 All-Star game doubleheaders. Unfortunately, the Deer Park League folded up after their 2000 season.
With the start of the new millennium, a changing of dominance was also occurring on the fields. The offensive powerhouses were Quizno's Owings Mills (known as Money Mailer during much of the 1990's) and the Havana Club Cannons (known as the Black Sox during their early years in the late 1980's). Both of those franchises began league play in the 1980's with the continuing force of Quizno's represented by Larry Henderson and for the Cannons, Gerry Edelman. Quizno's had advanced to the Finals in 1993, 1994, and 2001, but had lost each time. They did finally come away with Tournament wins in 2002 and 2003 under the leadership of Andrew Rosenstein, with Larry Henderson still involved as an assistant coach and catcher. The Cannons, meanwhile, reached the top with a Regular Season title in 1998 and a Tournament championship in 1999. Among the champions on the 1999 team was Michael Dubansky, son of Robert Dubansky, a 4 time league champion-- the Dubansky's became the first father-son generation champions of different eras. The Cannons had their own father/son champions on the 1999 team as father Gerry celebrated with son and teammate Johnny. The Cannons remained under the leadership of Gerry Edelman until 2004 when Neal Charkatz took charge. With Charkatz at the helm, the Cannons won the Regular Season in his first 4 season and won the Tournament title 3 out of his first 4 seasons.
The Kings celebrated their 20th season of play in 2008. The Kings were never the dominant team of the league, but have finished many of their Regular seasons in 2nd or 3rd place. The franchise has had a record of .500 or better in 19 of their 20 seasons. The team advanced to the Finals in their 3rd season of play and have been to the Finals a total of 8 times, winning 3 Championships (1993, 1996, 2005). The team has a record of 409-217 during their 20 years of play. Mike Herr has been the manager for 401 of those wins (as of August 10, 2008) and hopes to surpass Paul Bell (401-99) for the all time managerial wins total in the Kings 2008 Finals against the Cannons.
A group of 2nd generation players are now part of the league. In addition to the father/son Edelman and Dubansky duos mentioned above, other father/son lineages include Paul & Matt Bell (current member of Northwest Corridor), Sheldon & David Stein (current member of Northwest Corridor), Dave & Brooks Sandler (Kings), Larry (Stingers) and Alex Newman (Sky & Sky), Carl & Jeremy Helfand (both former players of Rue Rue's Raiders), Mark & Eric Radom (AR Bodies), Morty & Brad Marcus (Northwest Corridor). The league has remained at 8 or 9 teams since moving to the 4 diamond softball complex at Northwest Regional Park in 2004.
Recollections of Gerry Edelman
-- longtime manager of Black Sox/Havana Club Cannons and father of Cannons
outfielder Johnny Edelman
In 1981 I first played in the league. Ted Siegel was the
manager, but in the first games on Sunday mornings he did not play and we never
lost. Don Weinapple was our 19 year old shortstop, and we had Buzz Hiken
pitching while he fought off testicular cancer. I swear he was green from the
chemo therapy. I played third base and Mark Weinapple played center field, with
Gar Heird (six foot six) a long stretch at first base. We had 8 or more
shutouts, but won no championships.
1983 + 1984 Louis Greenfeld managed the "greenies" to best record
championships....playoffs 50% wins and losses Excellent players included Dave
Desser, Lee Eidelberg, Joe Friedman, Sheldon Stein, Jeff Ruben, Mike (Doc)
Miller, Louis Greenfeld. and Mark Taubenfeld.
1986 Gerry Edelman managed "Fader's Dominicans" former greenies, to runner up in
playoff championship. 1989 the Towson Black Sox at 13-18 defeated Paul Bell's
30-1 team, which got them knocked out the following week to Richard Berger's
club. 1989 was also Tom Paulshock's first year in the league, although he was
unavailable in the playoffs.
Recollections of Marc Appel --
league member from 1977-early 1990's. Served as team manager and general manager
of the Bombers. The Bombers, in 1983, were the first to win both the Regular
Season and Tournament titles.
I found a few old notes from the Pikesville Men's league
which refreshed my memory. I joined the league in, I believe, 1977. My notes
reflect that the league had 12 teams beginning 1977 and that no team which had
the best record during the season won the tournament until 1983.
In 1979 we (Appel) defeated a team that John Axel pitched for in the
championship game. At that point the playoffs were single elimination. Double
elimination in the playoffs started in 1983. The standings came out each week
for a time only in the coaches names, but each team had names as we were the
Bombers.
I believe we(Appel) had the best record in 1980, but lost in the finals to a
team Buzz Hiken pitched for. Ted Seigel was the coach.
In 1981 & 1982 a team I called Pimlico Hotel (Elan Merkel was the coach) won the
Playoffs and once again, I thought we (Appel) had the best regular season
record. I know in 1981 we(Appel) were 34-4 and in 1982 30-8 during the season. I
have an old final regular season standing in 1982 showing we had the best
regular season record.
In 1983 I thought we (Appel) had the best record and won the playoffs beating a
team Gary Berlin pitched for. I was surprised to see Greenies listed as the
regular season champ, but there were two divisions and I know we won our
division and I thought we had a better record than the other division winner. I
remember at that time the team spoke about being the first team to win the
Regular Season and Playoffs with the league having more than a couple of teams.
Robert Dubansky joined our team in 1983. I was the coach thru 1986. I decided to
stop coaching and Robert took over in 1987.
I don't remember the team which won the playoffs in 1984, but I remember them.
They had a losing record during the year.
I can't believe it was 30 years ago I started playing in the Pikesville men's
league.
Recollections of Harry Schevker
-- 9 year veteran of the Attman's Deli / Jilly franchise
E-Mail : harry00@comcast,net
Years in the league 1996-2004
Teams- Attmans 1996-2001 Jilly’s 2001-2003- Sky and Sky 2004 then retired.
I would like to take this time to thank Mike Herr for his tremendous dedication
to running the Pikesville Men’s Softball League. Mike has dedicated himself to
growing and maintaining the Pikesville Softball League for years. I never played
in a softball league that had its own website, statistics, and pictures. Mike I
want to take this opportunity to thank you for a JOB WELL DONE!
My first year in the league was 1996 and Paul and I had a mutual friend who
asked me if I was interested in playing modified fast pitch softball. Well, I
had played slow pitch for many years but never thought about fast pitch, so I
gave it a try.
Paul and I had played on teams before and I enjoyed playing with Paul, so I was
looking forward to it. My nickname was “Slinky” and the minute I walked onto
that field everyone on the team greeted me as “Slinky” and welcomed me to the
team. I thought to myself, this is pretty cool they know my nickname. Wow!
We played our asses off because that's how Paul played. He was unselfish and we
played unselfishly! We played as a team; everyone picked each other up, no
finger pointing, arguing, or selfishness. We had a lot of talented ballplayers,
but we played as a team…. That's why we were so successful.
Paul thanks for the opportunity to belong to something special I will never
forget the years I played for you!
Harry Schevker
Recollections of Morty Marcus
-- 25 year veteran of Gers, Appel, Marcus, and Attman's Deli.
E-Mail : morton.marcus@cms.hhhs.gov
Years in the league 1975-2000
Teams- Stan Charles-- The Gers
Marc Appel
Ira Gershman (2 weeks)
Stu Tabb
Myself (Managed 1 year)
Paul Bell
Hey Everyone--
My name is Morty Marcus. The Pikesville Softball League was an integral part of my life for over 25 years.
Around 1975, I received an invitation from my cousin Joel Marcus to play a doubleheader of 7-inning softball games on Sunday mornings. I figured this would be a great diversion from basketball which I played probably 5 times a week. That first year our team stunk to high heavens. Stan Charles took over the management of the team the 2nd year and we were called the 6'ers. However, the team shirt was so poorly fashioned that the "6" looked like a "G" so everyone called us the "Gers." We were competitive for a few years, although we never competed for a championship. Stan referred to me as Chico Salmon, a player on the O's during that time who played many positions.
I moved on to play for Marc Appel, where our team quickly became a top-flight squad. I played a lot of 2nd base and outfield and then for some strange reason, I started pitching. During our 1st championship season, I routinely pitched both games of the doubleheader. A few of the very good players on that team were Dave Greenberg and Fred Mendelsohn. When we picked up pitcher extraordinaire "Dicker" Berger a few years later, I figured my days as a pitcher were numbered. When Marc (who only hit to the right side of the field) asked me to be the catcher for one of the 2 games, I figured I needed a change. In my last year with Marc, we lost a heart-breaker in extra innings in the semi-final game when John Axel gave up a bases loaded double to Stu Tabb. I think we had one loss for the entire season going into that game. Meanwhile, Tabb's team lost the championship game the following week to Pimlico.
I moved on to play for Stu Tabb. He managed for one year and then left, turning over the reigns to me. I had one very successful year of managing (we lost in the final game to my old team led by Appel) but I hated the managing job and turned over the team to Paul Bell the following year. The rest as they say is history. Paul led us to several league and playoff championships. I may have filled in as a pitcher from time to time but for the most part I played 2nd base or an outfield position. Bruce Eisenberg was our mainstay pitcher and we had a team that may have changed faces from time to time but there was one constant--we hardly ever beat ourselves. We kept errors and walks to a minimum and we knew how to win, even if our talent level was not as high as some of the other young teams that came into the league (Gerry Edelman--you listening?).
Some of the great characters in the league that I got to know and enjoy were: Phil "Raaaaagg Arm" Pine, the incomparable Norm Greenberg, Geoffrey "Rooooooobbb" Rubin, Stan "Walking Man" Segall, "Huff," Izzy Carroll (deceased), Paul "Eeeeeeeeel" Blincken, Steve Saffron (horrible pitch player), Buzzy "Hike" Hiken, "Big Frank" James, Kenny Paul, Wayne "Spain" Berger, Sheldon Stein, Howard "Moffett Shift" Moffett, Lenny Weinstein, Freddy "5 No's" Shapiro, and Kenny the Umpire. Besides the tremendous camaraderie between the players in the league, we all wanted to destroy each other when we got on the field. The competition was fierce and we loved beating up on our fellow Pikesvillians. I for one enjoyed "bench jockeying" and did my utmost to get under the skin of my opponents. What can I tell you? As Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything--it's the only thing."
After my playing days were over, I couldn't resist going up to the field on Sunday mornings (I hated the Fenway Park field--Field 1) and helping out Paul and the team with keeping score and just keeping everyone loose. It was always fun and I even filled in on occasion when we were short of players.
I'm now happy to report that my son Brad is now playing in the league and, as coincidence would have it, he is playing on the same team as Matt Bell, Paul's son. So, add our names to the list of father/son players.
Morty Marcus
Note received from Stingers rookie
Taylor Honkofsky
Last week I went on craigslist and posted an ad that I wanted to play softball.
The Stingers coach James got in touch with me and I came out last Sunday and
played. Today, I went on the website and looked around and checked out the
history. I saw the original team was the Hunky Funky Junkies and thought it
sounded really familiar. My Dad's nickname was Hunky, his name was (He passed
away in August 09) Richard Honkofsky. Thanks for putting up the history
page it's really cool that I found all that out. Just so happens that my Mom
must like softball players, because she is getting married to Stuart Tabb in
July. I saw his name up there as a manager as well, so it's pretty ironic that I
randomly found this league that my Father was a part of starting and my new
Stepfather played a big role in. I remember him showing me an old softball
picture if I can dig it up I will be sure to let you know. Thanks again.
-Taylor Honkofsky
Recollections of Detour Dave
Sandler
-- 21 year veteran
E-Mail : detourdave@comcast.net
Years in the league 1991-present
Teams- Kings./Mike Herr, Jilly's/Paul Bell, Kings/Mike Herr
I'm not sure there is enough room or enough time to talk about all of the
experiences I have had playing in the Pikesville Softball League over the past
20 years! To sum it up in a couple of words before I begin...for me, it has been
life changing...LITERALLY! Many of the players I play with now, or used to play
with started playing in a pick-up softball game on Saturday mornings at Fort
Garrison Elementary...that was back in the late 80's...Mike Herr, the present
commissioner and current Manager of the Kings organized that effort. He asked me
to play with his team on Sunday mornings beginning around 1990. I loved the
format, which was different than any other that I have seen (modified fast
pitch). The league was very competitive and featured many guys I knew growing up
and many that were former baseball players either in High School or even in the
professional ranks. It was an impressive group of players. At that time, I
believe, we had 12 teams in the league. The strongest being (Attman's Deli), led
by Paul Bell. My Kings team had talented players at many positions, but were a
notch below the Attman's powerhouse! I pitched a little, played outfield and an
occasional first base. I'm left-handed, so my true love of playing 3rd base was
frowned upon! My first two years were unimpressive, and in 1991 I only played a
handful of games because of a torn ACL during a playoff game in the Beth Tfiloh
basketball league. I did come to each and every doubleheader and coached the
bases...I couldn't get enough of it! In 1993, things really came together for
the Kings, and we won the championship for the first time in league history! I
played mostly outfield and had a great year at the plate. In 1996, it happened
again! Another championship...this was really getting fun! Our 1997 season was
successful, but did not end up in a championship. A few friends of mine on the
Jilly's team asked me if I would be interested in joining them. It was a
difficult decision, but I thought the change would be fun and I knew the team
was "loaded" with great players who knew how to win. It all came together a few
years later in 2001! My first championship with Paul Bell's team after many
championship game losses! Another ring, as we dominated in the playoffs to cap
off another great regular season campaign. The following several seasons things
began to unravel! Several of our key players were getting long in the tooth.
Injuries and age were taking its toll. 3rd baseman (Steve Saffron)
retired...Paul Bell (Mgr. outfield) was thinking of leaving...Freddie (baseball)
Shapiro was battling back injuries...and, finally, the straw that broke the
camels back...our star pitcher Bruce (Eisey) Eisenberg called it quits. We hung
on in 2002 to reach the finals, but lost to the upstart "Gorgeous Watches" and
in 2003 finished in the middle of the pack. Our first losing season occurred in
2004, with Robbie Ressin and I as co-managers for the 2nd year. Gone were all
the "name players" from years past...It was getting difficult to even field 11
players for each game, and we finished with a 9-15 record! In 2005, Robbie and I
decided to dissolve the storied franchise and look for greener pastures in the
league once again. The decision was rewarding from the "get go," as we rejoined
the Kings and I won my 5th tournament championship in the first year! Mike Herr
was manager/commissioner and things were falling into place once again. Many of
the leagues veteran players were spending more time with their families and on
the golf course. In the late 2000's, it was difficult to replace those players
and the league was shrinking with only 8 teams fielding players. With the league
moving its playing fields to the new Northwest Regional Park in 2004, playing
conditions improved...but, gone were the individual field configurations like
(Fenway) and Pikesville Middle's charm and angle-ations. Personally, I felt the
league needed a grounds crew to help with lining the fields and putting the
bases out. It also helped attract players to the league with plentiful parking
and all fields equal in size and length. In 2009, my softball career and life
changed forever! In August, during a first round playoff game, I reached 2nd
base after moving up on a single. As one of my teammates singled up the middle,
I rounded 3rd to score the lead run and became dizzy as I crossed home-plate!
What happened after that was unclear...I woke up with dirt covering most of my
uniform and a bump on my head. I was told I collapsed after scoring and
(apparently died) close to the visitors dugout. Luckily for me, Mike Herr (Mgr)
and Dr, Scott Katzen (teammate, cardiologist) reacted immediately...and within
30-45 seconds revived me with the use of CPR. As I awoke, I was disoriented and
wanted know if we won the game? Paramedics soon-thereafter arrived and took me
to Northwest Medical Center where I was evaluated. At the request of Scott
Katzen (soon to be known as, my best friend), I was moved and evaluated at
University of MD Medical Center. After a cardio-catherization it was determined
that I had 4 blocked arteries as a result of radiation which I received in 1982
to cure my Hodgkins Disease. Following surgery, I was able to return to the team
to watch them lose to the Cannons in the Championship game. But, my appearance
was an inspiration to both me and the Kings. The following season in 2010, I
tried to play vs. the Cannons in the first week in the season, but still was
having problems with dizziness. I apparently needed a pacemaker to control my
heart beat, which was discovered to be slow, as a result of the radiation damage
from years past. To make a long story even longer, I'm not sure what the future
holds as far as my health is concerned and my ability to be able to play once
again. But, I will tell you this: I was at the right place at the right time and
had the right people present to survive this amazing phenomenon! Thank God for
that! As you can imagine...the League means more to me than most others.
Because, I'm HERE to tell you this story! On a side note: It is wonderful to
watch my son, Brooks Sandler play for the Kings...He is a left handed hitter
like me, and it warms my heart to see him running the bases like his Dad. Well,
except, I was much faster!
Recollections of Robbie Ressin
-- 30 year veteran
E-Mail : mressin@verizon.net
Years in the league 1980-2010
Teams- Louie Greenfeld , Jerry Edelman , Attman's/Paul Bell, Attman's/Dave
Sandler and myself, Andrew Rosenstein , and Kings/Mike Herr. wow
I played in the Pikesville Mens softball league for 30 wonderful years and I
have many great memories. I don't remember the exact dates and years but I
started in 1979 or 1980 . The first team I remember was with Louis Greenfeld. I
started as a sub and played right field. We had a good team and lost to the
Pimlico Hotel in the playoffs. After a couple of years I left and played for
Jerry Edelman the next few seasons. We had a good team advancing in the playoffs
each year but did not win a championship. I had a childhood friend , Freddy
Shapiro , who played for Paul Bell and ask if I would want to come and play for
the Mannys Motas. I said yes and I found my home. We did have a stacked team
from Eisey and Skipper pitching, Donny at short , Warren and later Lee at first,
Saff at third, Marty catching, numerous outfielders Paul Bell , Freddy , Harry ,
Detour Dave, Joe , Scott , Griff ,Pinsky , Brian, Rickey ,and others. Also
utility specialist Morty. I played second base by the way. What a group. I think
we won 8 or 9 regular seasons and five championships while I was there. I really
want to thank all the guys and Paul especially for those times. After Paul
retired Detour Dave and I decided to manage. After all, we had managed our
daughters softball teams for years.The next year we lost in the finals and then
Eisey retired. One rough year after that the team dissolved. I went to Quisnos
and Detour went with Mike Herr. A year later I joined Dave and Mike Herr with
Kings. I had a couple of good years with the Kings and really enjoyed playing
with those guys. We always went deep in the playoffs. I want to thank Mike for
that opportunity and all his hard work running the league. I remember how much I
loved it and how mad I got when it rained saturday nights or sunday mornings. I
do miss it and still think about it some Sunday mornings. I look forward to see
you guys at the reunion game. Thanks , Robbie
Recollections of Paul Bell
-- 24 year veteran
E-Mail : pjbmotaman@gmail.com
Years in the league: 1977,1978,1980-2001 (24 seasons)
Teams- 1977 and 1978 Lou Greenfeld's team with Jeff Rubin and Mark Radem. Then
joined Stan Charles's boys after my return from professional school in
California in 1980. Took over the team in 1986 mostly by default as no one else
wanted the job....and why would they!
I had many friends and acquaintances in the league when I arrived, but who knew
that the battles on the field would lead to a bond with countless individuals
over the next 30 plus years. The ongoing competition over the years in the
league with rivalries that were as important as any that occur in any sport on
any level played out over a 20 week schedule from April to August during my 24
years in the league. We changed names from "no fish today" to "Lums" to
"Marley's" to "Manny's Place" (the Motas), to "Attman's". The team name was not
important because the names were not a constant, the players were. Eisey, Skip,
Big Marty, Saff, Mort, Eel, Donnie (silk), Freddie (Mr. Baseball), Harry
(Slinky), Joe V, Griff, Stan the Fan, Stu, Warren, Jaz, Mark (Minny) Mignogna,
Brian and Miles Goodman, Scott Moffet, Detour Dave, and many others over
28+years in the league. The epic battles against Marc Appel and Pimlico, the
antics of the guys from Norman Greenberg's team (never to outdone with craziness
on sunday morning) My players showed up every week because the team came first.
They made it easy for me to manage and play and enjoy both. My favorite time was
the end of game 2 when we all came together to shake hands at the mound. No
matter who was screaming, taunting, or arguing during the game we all played
hard and we all shook hands and congratulated each other for playing the game. I
would not trade those 24 years of sunday mornings for anything in the world.
Thanks to Mike Herr for carrying on the torch for so many years and creating a
place where our memories live on. I think it will a great day in August for a
reunion.......Let's play Two!
Recollections of Russ Dlin
-- 15 year veteran
E-Mail : russ.dlin@marriott.com
Years in the league: 1994-2008
Teams-
I stated playing in the Pikesville Softball League in 1994 when Rod Getlan
called me and asked me to "fill in" for the weekend. After I was fortunate to
hit 2 home runs in my first game- I was asked back the following weekend- and my
15 year journey started. When I first started- the first thing I thought about
was "wow- there are some great ball players in this league". Every weekend was a
battle. Games were 5-3, 8-6, ect. Over the years- the games started becoming
20-15, 18-14, ect. Maybe it was the bats? The balls? Or maybe it was that the
players were bigger and stronger than ever. I played in a game in which we won
something like 38-25-- and the next weekend- we used "flight restricted balls" -
because the trees on Field 4 at Pikesville Middle School were taking a beating.
One of the most memorable seasons that I played in was in 2003- my first
Championship- Quizno's Owings Mills. It took me 10 years to be part of a
championship team. We had guys that could "mash": Russ Seamster, Jon Koman, Joel
Koman, Andrew Rosenstein, Tony Luna, and the list goes on and on. And of course-
we had Larry Henderson behind the plate who caught every game that season. We
(Quizno's)outscore opponents 260-128. 260 runs in 18 games. That's over 14 runs
a game!! Coach Andrew Rosenstein used to get us together before the game and say
"Okay guys- we know we can't field- so let's just hit the ball". Rosenstein'a
speeches were memorable...quoting Shakespeare, Lombardi, Earl Weaver, and his
Grandmother. I played for 4 teams over 15 years. I decided in 2008- after having
back surgery for a ruptured disc- that it was time to hang up the cleats for
good. The only player left from 2003 team who is still playing in the league
today is our pitcher- Jeff Harris- who delayed his Honeymoon to play in the
Championship game in 2003. One day- I hope that we have a Hall of Fame for the
Pikesville Softball League. The list would be amazing. What a great 15 yrs. I'll
take the memories to my final resting place one day.... with a smile on my
face......
Recollections of Larry
Henderson
-- 18 year veteran
E-Mail :lacannon@aol.com
Years in the league: 1986 to 2003
Teams- Money Mailer, Schaefer and Strominger (wtf), Gorgeous Watches,
Quiznos
Where do I begin? The only reason I ended up in the Pikesville Softball League
was because I got kicked out of the Randallstown/Deer Park league for being too
aggressive. Imagine that! Me, too aggressive! We had great guys on Money Mailer,
like Andy and Steve Braun (had the hottest secretary from way back when). Saul
Hyatt (one of the greatest humans on the planet). Larry Newman, et al Our team
arrived in the Pikesville League, full of ourselves. We were quickly put in our
place by the tremendous talent in our new league. Money Mailer, Schaefer and
Strominger (wtf), Gorgeous Watches, Quiznos. More names of teams than
Championships! I mean damn… It took a few years but we built a team that
eventually went to the final day of the Tournament four years in a row. (I
believe 1993 to 1996) All four resulted in defeats. No championships at all. We
were almost the Buffalo Bills of the League. I came into the league full of piss
and vinegar; super aggressive and quite the verbal ass. Those of you who are
long-time veterans will certainly remember how much of a jerk I was. That all
started to change after the first All Star game against my former league. I am
most certain that many players on that first team were leery of playing with me
in that game. The game included, Donnie Weinapple , Chuck Grant, Barry Foland,
Lee Eidelberg, Fred Shapiro, Scott Gleiman, Scott Moffet, Jeff Slutzker, Mike
Herr and Bill Saunders. We won that first game and I played fairly well. After
that, my teammates became friends, and I realized I didn’t have to be a complete
ass to compete against them. I became a better player and a better person. Of
course, winning back to back championships with guys like Andrew Rosenstein,
Russ and Craig Dlin, Russ Seamster (Luckily, we didn’t test for steroids back
then), Tony Luna, Rick Schreiber, Joel and Jon Koman, Bobby Morrow, Marc
Rosenstein, Kevin Millar, Sonny Cherelstein, and Glen Ackman was great tonic for
all those earlier defeats. We had a great two year run that included several
come from behind victories in a 10-0 two year tournament run. It was a lot of
fun. I would not trade my 17 years of Sundays with so many of you fantastic guys
for anything (I actually traded many women in for those Sundays it seems). I
enjoyed my time and wish I was still young enough and thin enough to keep
playing. Why I would show those youngsters…OW, I hurt my back…
Recollections of Stan Segall-- 14 year veteran
E-Mail : davisprop@hotmail.com
Years in the league: 1971 to 1984
Teams- Homes Manager: Stan Segall
As I recall around 1970 Gary Berlin and I wanted to play softball, but nothing
was organize. Gary had his friends and I had mine (we played football together).
So we decided to get together for games between each other up at Pikesville Jr.
Some of the players were Nels Levy, Marty Yospa, Fred Glick, Richie Kahn, Jeff
Wonder, Larry Wonder, Stu Goldstein, and Me. Gary was a great pitcher, Richie
was a super shortstop and hitter, Nels was Brooks at Third, Marty had a homerun
swing, and Fred played everywhere because he could. These are just some of the
guys I can remember. I played First Base but was an organizer and wanted to play
so I got a team together and so did Gary. So we played for fun that year. The
next year, Gary got two more teams to join us (Ira Gershman's was one) Gary,
Ira, and I got field permits by going to the monthly meeting of the department
of Pikesville Recreation and that started the Pikesville Mens Softball League.
Before the League was started, we didn't have team names, just Stan's team and
Gary's team. After the League started, my team was known as the HOMES. That was
when the Hunky Funky Junkies and the Mormons became a FOUR team League. Playing
softball has always been one of my loves and I am still playing at Timbergrove
Elementary after 41 years. Stan Segall
Pikesville Men's Softball Alumni:
Share your stories. Click here to reconnect with some old teammates, friends, and to share some of your fond memories.
Note: I'd like to thank Brian Keller, Paul Bell, Robert Dubansky, Marc Appel, Skip Millison, and Gerry Edelman for providing information of the early league history.
Brian Keller has taken the time to detail the history of the genesis of the league dating back to 1968. Click here to read the article written by Brian Keller and to view the photos from 1971-73 that Brian has been kind enough to submit.