Sports

 YOUTH SOCCER ADACEMY PROVIDE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR YOUNG ATHLETES

• First Session: Ages 8 & 9 boys and girls July 16 - 18. Cost: $100
• Second Session: Ages 10 & 11 boys and girls July 23 - 25. Cost: $100
• Third Session: Ages 12 & 13 boys and girls August 6 - 8. Cost: $100
• GeneseExcel’s 2009 Premier Soccer Camp featuring former Lady Rhino’s Captain and current Elmira College Varsity Women’s soccer coach Liz Masterson. Ages 9-17, July 30 – Aug. 1. This camp is designed for the advanced player who wishes to strengthen his/her skills while improving their technical and tactical awareness in a competitive environment. They will learn the work ethic that will take them to the next level. Cost: $130

Christian Rosa was signed last June by the St. Louis Cardinals out of an independent league and assigned to the Batavia Muckdogs.

It was a dream come true for the undrafted Puerto Rican native, and he was a contributor to the 2009 championship season.

In 32 games, Rosa batted .286 with four doubles, two homers, 12 RBI and four stolen bases.

As the June draft approached this year, Rosa was cut by the Cardinals to make room for new players.  He said he was surprised to be let go.

"I never thought I was going to get released,” Rosa said. “Everybody was telling me that I was doing great."

Batavia manager Mark DeJohn says Rosa indeed did everything right. But the lack of a strong throwing arm resulted in his release.

“I absolutely loved having Christian on my team. We won a championship that honestly means more to me than any World Series or other league championship rings I have, and Christian was a big part of that,” DeJohn said. “To be a kid who was undrafted and coming out of an independent league, he was just outstanding in a lot of areas.

“He received the ball well, blocked it well, called a good game, did a good job with the bat and ran well for a catcher. It’s just that his arm is well below average, and that’s heartbreaking because Christian is the type of kid you really get attached to.”

The team is coached by Chris Chilano and sponsored by TF Brown's, Fenton Farm Produce, SJ Starowitz, and Lewis & Lewis, PC.

The St. Louis Cardinals first-round draft choice, who might very well wind up in Batavia as a Muckdog, is a big guy from a small town with big ambitions.

Shelby Miller, from Brownwood, Texas, a town of 19,000 people, was the 19th overall pick in the annual MLB draft. His fastball has been clocked at 97 m.p.h. and he doesn't mind comparisons to Texas natives Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan.

Those are some big shoes to fill.

The high school pitcher has been dubbed "a special kind of talent" who could fetch $3.5 million in his first contract.

The Cardinals second pick is a catcher out of the University of Southern California, Robert Stock.

Other selections in no particular order:

• Matt Adams
• Tyler Bighames
• Rick Racobaldo
• Virgil Hill (son, according to this story, of North Dakota boxing legend Virgil Hill, Sr.)
• Kyle Conley
• Jim Klocke
• Daniel Calhoun

Baseball America has a complete list of St. Louis draft picks.

Just because a player is drafted doesn't mean he will sign, or that he'll wind up in Batavia. The Cardinals also have a short-season affiliate in Johnson City, Tenn.

...great work girls and a "way to go" to my niece, Liz Geandreau.  

If you're looking for some fun this Sunday, June 7th, get three friends and come play in the "Fourth Annual Seth Morrison Memorial Golf Tournament".  We're playing at Chestnut Hill in Darien.  This is a beautiful course and one of the finest in Genesee County.  It's a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start with a "scramble" format.  Your team can post a score to rival "Tigers".  We'll start you off with a light lunch before golf and a Char-broiled steak afterwards, we'll cap it all off with a Chinese Auction after dinner.  Cost is $75.00 per golfer.

This tournament is in memory of Seth Morrison, a young man who died as a result of a house fire in Darien.  Proceeds benefit the "Field of Dreams" sports park in Alexander.

If you're interested, call me, Bob Martin, at 344-0202 or e-mail to rmartin68@rochester.rr.com.

Submitted by Mary Beth Mcmartin.

Pembroke Girls Softball team knocks out # 1 seed Gananda 
to meet Oakfield in the Class CC Finals on Wednesday

The S.C. Genesee Lancers Women's team, which became the first local soccer team to be promoted to the Premier Division in the RDSL (Rochester District Soccer League - which is the oldest league in the U.S.A.) is off to a great start in 2009.

The ladies played a tough 0-0 draw against the Canal City (Wheatland) Courage on Wednesday night. The team had many chances but just could put one away. After gaining the tie in their first game of the season, it didn't get any easier as the Lancers traveled to play the Greece Cobras on Saturday morning. The Cobras are a very good and established Premier team. The Lancers were missing 8 players for the match to boot.

The Cobras would score twice in the first four minutes, but the Lancers hung tough and Lindsay Wellspeak (Alexander/FLCC) would steal a ball from the Cobras defeneder and walk in on a breakaway and score with just 7 minutes left in the half go get the Lancers only down 2-1 at half.

In the second half the Lancers took it to the Cobras, with Wellspeak getting goal #2 off a great assist from Megan Baker (Kendall/St. John Fisher). Just moments later Kasey Welch (Byron-Bergen/Naz), coming of ACL surgery and making her return, would score off a wild scramble in front of the net after a Robin Blaun (Elba/SUNY Brockport) assist. The Cobras would tie the game at 3, but with 12 minutes left, Blaun would send a streaking Jessie Jaszko (Batavia/GCC) in on a breakway to score, sealing the 4-3 win. Caitlin Dilal (Mercy/Robert Morris) would make 9 saves in goal for the win, and the Lancers defense led by Jenna Ferrando (Leroy/Buffalo State) and Audrey Rath (Medina/Alfred State) were great all day.

The ladies are now 1-0-1 in Premier play and next up is the much anticipated Cup game vs. Greece Eclipse, Tuesday, June 2 at Lions Park in Batavia. Come out and support them! The team is sponsored by SJ Starowitz, TF Browns, and Lewis and Lewis, P.C.

Thirteen players who spent at least part of the 2008 season with the Batavia Muckdogs have been placed on the Quad Cities River Bandits roster for 2009.

The players promoted are: George Brown, Hector Cardenas, Ramon Delgado, Arquidemes Nieto, Miguel Tapia, Adam Veres, Charles Cutler, Blake Murphy, Osvaldo Morales, Domnit Bolivar, Alex Castellanos, Jon Edwards and Chris Swauger.

 For those NFL fans out there that have been waiting for  the NFL Network to come to Time Warner Cable, it looks like you are going to be waiting for a while longer.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced today that the popular channel - which DirecTV customers have enjoyed for years - signed a 10 year deal with Comcast.

Goodell did leave the door open for a  possible deal with Time Warner in the future.

Goodell also said the NFL will work to resolve any differences it has with other major cable operators that don't carry the network -- including Time Warner Cable Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp. and Charter Communications Inc.