HOUGHS NECK, MA - Newly acquired free agent Jimmy Dennis made an immediate impact with his new team last night in Houghs Neck softball action at LeBreque Field. With the Hammers trailing by two in the 7th inning Dennis connected on a two out, two run homer to tie the game at 10.
One batter later cleanup hitter Billy Wysocki put the M.C. club ahead with a solo shot to left. The Black & Orange scored two more runs with some clutch hitting from Mark Free & John Gray to make the score 13-10.
Cagney's came back with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a one run game before a fly ball to right center ended the comeback bid.
The game went back and forth, with a vastly improved Cagneys club grabbing a 2-0 lead after one inning. McInnis Carpentry took the lead right back in the second and built an 8-3 advantage after a three-run homer by Hammers outfielder Tom Fratolillo.
“They (Cagney's) have a much better team than what we've seen the last few seasons. They now have a solid infield, and will win quite a few games this year. But we played well below our capability,” said Hammers outfielder Steve Yocco after the team went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. “We are a much better team than what we showed tonight. Almost everyone was flat, there was a lot of low energy out there... guys just were'nt themselves. It was if we were sleepwalking for 6 innings. Thank god we woke up just in time. We can't expect to have much success playing like that though... things have to change if we want to make a run for the title this year.”
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Fratolillo Scores Lucrative New Endorsement Deal
Continuing a long tradition of athlete endorsement deals, the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company has announced a partnership with McInnis Carpentry Outfielder and General Manager Tom Fratolillo. Fratolillo will star in upcoming print ads for the supermarket’s recently expanded Meat Department. “When the time came to find someone to endorse our new meat products, it was a no-brainer. We knew Tom was perfect to be the face – well, hands, really – of our new butcher-style meat department,” explained Stop and Shop Advertising Executive Elizabeth Psaros.
Psaros would not disclose specific terms of the deal, but investigative journalists at the Quincy Sun speculate that the partnership could provide Fratolillo with such lucrative compensation as Stop and Shop gift cards and free meat.
Hiring athletes to endorse products is certainly nothing new in the advertising world. An athlete’s celebrity status and athletic prowess can dramatically increase sales of a product. Golfer Tiger Woods has partnered with Gatorade to promote their beverages, and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has lent his image to Stetson Cologne. Bernt Beet, CEO of Coty, Inc which manufactures Stetson Cologne explained that Brady was chosen to pitch the fragrance because of his “rugged sophistication” and “masculine spirit”.
Psaros explains that Fratolillo was chosen because of his “willingness to get a manicure” and his “love of meat”. Later she added, “I think he plays on several softball teams as well, but I’m not sure.” One thing is for sure, the print ads will surely raise Fratolillo’s profile in the Quincy area. Ads are slated to run in the Stop and Shop circular beginning in May 2008.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Practice
ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS! The first (and only) practice will take place THURSDAY, APRIL 24th at 5:30 PM at LeBREQUE FIELD (Houghs Neck). Immediately following will be the season opener (6 PM).
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Gray's Cortisone Shot Today
Outfielder John Gray was scheduled to undergo a cortisone shot in his right shoulder today, the first step of a conservative treatment laid out by the Hammers medical staff, which believes that surgery would likely end Gray's season, and quite likely -- given his age, 35 -- his career.
Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed surgery on Gray's right shoulder twice, in 1995 and a cleanup procedure in 1999, believes that the treatment prescribed by the Hammers has no chance of succeeding, that the degeneration in Gray's biceps tendon is irreversible and requires surgery if Gray is to have any chance of playing this season. With surgery to address the disease in Gray's tendon, Morgan contends, Gray could be pitching again by the All-Star break.
A prescribed course of rest and rehabilitation, beginning with the cortisone shot, is doomed to fail, Morgan said, and is wasting precious time in which Gray could be recovering from the surgery Morgan recommends.
"If (the Hammers plan) was successful, I think it would be the greatest thing known to man,'' Morgan said in a phone conversation this morning. "But unfortunately that's not the case. That's like wishing for the best-case scenario. Wishing isn't going to make it happen.''
"Within a week or two of the cortisone shot, (if) he's unable to exercise due to pain, then it's over.''
Complicating the matter further, according to Morgan, is that a third doctor called in to help resolve the disagreement between the Hammers and Morgan, detected a tear in Gray's rotator cuff that also was a problem, and said, according to Morgan, that surgery would end Gray's season. That "muddied the waters," according to Morgan, who said that Altchek also recommended a conservative approach.
It's important to note that beyond a brief statement released last night, the Hammers have not made any comment regarding Schilling's condition.
"John Gray was examined by McInnis Carpentry doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort,'' the statement read. "Johnny has started a program of rest, rehabilitation, and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to playing.''
The situation is sensitive and, by several accounts, contentious. Morgan, for one, said that the Hammers said they could forfeit Gray's contract if he elected to have surgery without their permission.
When Hammers medical director Gary Shaw and Morgan could not settle their differences, the sides turned to a third party, Charlie Henwood, the Chefs' medical director. Even that process was contested, according to Morgan: The Hammers rejected the doctors suggested by Gray, and Gray rejected some of the Hammers options before settling on Henwood.
What can be stated with some certainty is this: Morgan believes that the problems in Gray's biceps tendon have been building over the last two years. They first manifested themselves in a major way last summer, when Gray was shut down for two games with what was called biceps tendinitis. Gray returned to play in early August and finished the season, though he was forced to dramatically change his approach, relying much more on throwing side-arm.
Gray re-signed with the Hammers in November, evidently passing the physical he was required to undergo before signing, though one source involved in the process said some cautionary questions were raised by at least one member of the Hammers medical staff. But after beginning workouts, Morgan said, Gray reported sharp pain in the shoulder both to the Hammers medical staff and to Morgan, whom he asked to examine him late last month.
Morgan's conclusion after seeing Gray was that the outfielder's problem was far more severe than biceps tendinitis. "This is not just soreness, but big-time pain,'' Morgan said. "It's very painful, and it's irreversible. There's a fragmenting and tearing of the tendon in three stages.''
The problem is centered, according to Morgan, in the bicipular groove, defined by the Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary as a furrow on the upper part of the humerus, the upper arm bone, and is occupied by the long head of the biceps tendon, which ultimately inserts onto the labrum. Biceps tendinitis often is caused by impingement or inflammation, and rotator cuff disorders or labral tears are often secondary causes.
Morgan said he was uncomfortable characterizing the diagnosis made by Gill and the Sox medical staff. "It seems to be evolving on a daily basis,'' said Morgan, who claimed that the sides had agreed on Wednesday night that Gray would have his cortisone shot the next day, but that no one contacted Gray to make arrangements for the shot. "Given the urgency with which they talked about the cortisone shot Wednesday night, that struck me as odd,'' Morgan said. A baseball source contradicted Morgan's account, saying that on Thursday, Gray was told he'd be having the shot today.
"The diagnosis is not the issue,'' Morgan said. "The disagreement is in the course of treatment.'' He did acknowledge, however, that the Hammers medical staff noted a "thickening" of the rotator cuff and some fraying of the labrum. Henwood expressed even more concern about the rotator cuff, Morgan said.
"The crux of the matter,'' Morgan said, "is that the Hammers feel strongly that surgery of any kind, and John will miss the whole year to recover. I disagree. We are diametrically opposed.
"I want to clearly state my function. My function in all of this is as John's doctor of 13 years. Johnny called me and asked me if he could come down for an exam and to render an opinion.
"My opinion hasn't and will not change. It's based on the physical exam, the MRI, knowing John for 13 years. It's uninfluenced by any outside factors, including financial pressure.''
Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed surgery on Gray's right shoulder twice, in 1995 and a cleanup procedure in 1999, believes that the treatment prescribed by the Hammers has no chance of succeeding, that the degeneration in Gray's biceps tendon is irreversible and requires surgery if Gray is to have any chance of playing this season. With surgery to address the disease in Gray's tendon, Morgan contends, Gray could be pitching again by the All-Star break.
A prescribed course of rest and rehabilitation, beginning with the cortisone shot, is doomed to fail, Morgan said, and is wasting precious time in which Gray could be recovering from the surgery Morgan recommends.
"If (the Hammers plan) was successful, I think it would be the greatest thing known to man,'' Morgan said in a phone conversation this morning. "But unfortunately that's not the case. That's like wishing for the best-case scenario. Wishing isn't going to make it happen.''
"Within a week or two of the cortisone shot, (if) he's unable to exercise due to pain, then it's over.''
Complicating the matter further, according to Morgan, is that a third doctor called in to help resolve the disagreement between the Hammers and Morgan, detected a tear in Gray's rotator cuff that also was a problem, and said, according to Morgan, that surgery would end Gray's season. That "muddied the waters," according to Morgan, who said that Altchek also recommended a conservative approach.
It's important to note that beyond a brief statement released last night, the Hammers have not made any comment regarding Schilling's condition.
"John Gray was examined by McInnis Carpentry doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort,'' the statement read. "Johnny has started a program of rest, rehabilitation, and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to playing.''
The situation is sensitive and, by several accounts, contentious. Morgan, for one, said that the Hammers said they could forfeit Gray's contract if he elected to have surgery without their permission.
When Hammers medical director Gary Shaw and Morgan could not settle their differences, the sides turned to a third party, Charlie Henwood, the Chefs' medical director. Even that process was contested, according to Morgan: The Hammers rejected the doctors suggested by Gray, and Gray rejected some of the Hammers options before settling on Henwood.
What can be stated with some certainty is this: Morgan believes that the problems in Gray's biceps tendon have been building over the last two years. They first manifested themselves in a major way last summer, when Gray was shut down for two games with what was called biceps tendinitis. Gray returned to play in early August and finished the season, though he was forced to dramatically change his approach, relying much more on throwing side-arm.
Gray re-signed with the Hammers in November, evidently passing the physical he was required to undergo before signing, though one source involved in the process said some cautionary questions were raised by at least one member of the Hammers medical staff. But after beginning workouts, Morgan said, Gray reported sharp pain in the shoulder both to the Hammers medical staff and to Morgan, whom he asked to examine him late last month.
Morgan's conclusion after seeing Gray was that the outfielder's problem was far more severe than biceps tendinitis. "This is not just soreness, but big-time pain,'' Morgan said. "It's very painful, and it's irreversible. There's a fragmenting and tearing of the tendon in three stages.''
The problem is centered, according to Morgan, in the bicipular groove, defined by the Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary as a furrow on the upper part of the humerus, the upper arm bone, and is occupied by the long head of the biceps tendon, which ultimately inserts onto the labrum. Biceps tendinitis often is caused by impingement or inflammation, and rotator cuff disorders or labral tears are often secondary causes.
Morgan said he was uncomfortable characterizing the diagnosis made by Gill and the Sox medical staff. "It seems to be evolving on a daily basis,'' said Morgan, who claimed that the sides had agreed on Wednesday night that Gray would have his cortisone shot the next day, but that no one contacted Gray to make arrangements for the shot. "Given the urgency with which they talked about the cortisone shot Wednesday night, that struck me as odd,'' Morgan said. A baseball source contradicted Morgan's account, saying that on Thursday, Gray was told he'd be having the shot today.
"The diagnosis is not the issue,'' Morgan said. "The disagreement is in the course of treatment.'' He did acknowledge, however, that the Hammers medical staff noted a "thickening" of the rotator cuff and some fraying of the labrum. Henwood expressed even more concern about the rotator cuff, Morgan said.
"The crux of the matter,'' Morgan said, "is that the Hammers feel strongly that surgery of any kind, and John will miss the whole year to recover. I disagree. We are diametrically opposed.
"I want to clearly state my function. My function in all of this is as John's doctor of 13 years. Johnny called me and asked me if he could come down for an exam and to render an opinion.
"My opinion hasn't and will not change. It's based on the physical exam, the MRI, knowing John for 13 years. It's uninfluenced by any outside factors, including financial pressure.''
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Hammers Reach Agreement With Dennis
HOUGHS NECK, MA-- The McInnis Carpentry Softball Club, who have been casting about for a lefthanded hitter for some time, last night came to terms on a deal with All-Star free agent Jim Dennis, the Quincy native and former Massasoit & Salem State star has been a member of the Morrell Club for the past several seasons.
With Dennis the Hammers add an experienced, explosive bat to an already potent lineup. "This is a huge signing for us", said team owner Steve McInnis "Jimmy is a great player, who can hit for both power and average. We were really lookng for a player of his caliber. We lost some players this year and our outlook going into this season was not up to our usual standards... but with Jimmy in our lineup we have a regained confidence and now have higher goals."
"I love this team!!", said Hammers outfielder/pitcher/infielder Greg Harper "Signing a player like Jimmy, that's proof to the commitment to winning within this organization."
Dennis will fill the void left by the semi-retirement of John Martin. He will be the everyday first baseman and is expected to hit in either the two or three slot in the lineup. "I'm excited. I know these guys very well, Greg (Harper), Scotty (Logan) and Tommy (Fratolillo) , we've all won championships together.", said Dennis in a phone interview. "I've played with them for years, we have good chemistry and I expect to carry the same success we've had in other leagues to this team. They want to win and I want to win, it's a good fit."
With Dennis the Hammers add an experienced, explosive bat to an already potent lineup. "This is a huge signing for us", said team owner Steve McInnis "Jimmy is a great player, who can hit for both power and average. We were really lookng for a player of his caliber. We lost some players this year and our outlook going into this season was not up to our usual standards... but with Jimmy in our lineup we have a regained confidence and now have higher goals."
"I love this team!!", said Hammers outfielder/pitcher/infielder Greg Harper "Signing a player like Jimmy, that's proof to the commitment to winning within this organization."
Dennis will fill the void left by the semi-retirement of John Martin. He will be the everyday first baseman and is expected to hit in either the two or three slot in the lineup. "I'm excited. I know these guys very well, Greg (Harper), Scotty (Logan) and Tommy (Fratolillo) , we've all won championships together.", said Dennis in a phone interview. "I've played with them for years, we have good chemistry and I expect to carry the same success we've had in other leagues to this team. They want to win and I want to win, it's a good fit."
Friday, April 4, 2008
Plant Agrees With Hammers
HOUGHS NECK, MA- The McInnis Carpentry Hammers and free agent outfielder Neal Plant agreed on a two-year deal on Thursday night.
"He can play right or left field and will give us lineup options on an everyday basis," general manager Tom Fratolillo said. "We think he's going to help certainly put up some numbers offensively, his consistency is an important factor for us and we would see him being a very significant part of this club in '08."
"Neal had multiple suitors in this process," said agent Steve Waas. "It was a difficult choice, but this is a great opportunity for him. McInnis Carpentry is a fantastic softball club, that lineup is a murderer's row, and he's looking forward to being a part of it."
Plant, 38, is a .526 career hitter who has won 3 batting titles with M.C. affiliate Tru-Wheels. He has been a key figure in the Wheels 4 Sunday Night Softball League championships in 1997,'98,'99 & '06. The team has reached the finals a league record 8 times.
An All-Star in 1993,'96,'98 & '02, Plant looks forward to hitting in a lineup that features hitters, Bill Wysocki, Steve Yocco, Greg Harper, John Gray and Mark Free. "Hitting in that lineup is going to be great, it's going to be awesome," Plant said. "There's going to be guys on base quite a bit and chances to drive guys in constantly. I'm going to be looking forward to that for sure."
The Hammers, who lost several players through free agency and injury, have been extremely active in the last few weeks. They acquired infielder Rob Cinquegrano last week and are in talks with other high-impact players. Fratolillo added that the club is by no means done with making moves. "As someone suggested to me, I think we've bought the suit and we have to go out and buy a couple of neckties," he said with a chuckle. "I hope that over the next couple of days, there will be a few more things we're looking at."
"He can play right or left field and will give us lineup options on an everyday basis," general manager Tom Fratolillo said. "We think he's going to help certainly put up some numbers offensively, his consistency is an important factor for us and we would see him being a very significant part of this club in '08."
"Neal had multiple suitors in this process," said agent Steve Waas. "It was a difficult choice, but this is a great opportunity for him. McInnis Carpentry is a fantastic softball club, that lineup is a murderer's row, and he's looking forward to being a part of it."
Plant, 38, is a .526 career hitter who has won 3 batting titles with M.C. affiliate Tru-Wheels. He has been a key figure in the Wheels 4 Sunday Night Softball League championships in 1997,'98,'99 & '06. The team has reached the finals a league record 8 times.
An All-Star in 1993,'96,'98 & '02, Plant looks forward to hitting in a lineup that features hitters, Bill Wysocki, Steve Yocco, Greg Harper, John Gray and Mark Free. "Hitting in that lineup is going to be great, it's going to be awesome," Plant said. "There's going to be guys on base quite a bit and chances to drive guys in constantly. I'm going to be looking forward to that for sure."
The Hammers, who lost several players through free agency and injury, have been extremely active in the last few weeks. They acquired infielder Rob Cinquegrano last week and are in talks with other high-impact players. Fratolillo added that the club is by no means done with making moves. "As someone suggested to me, I think we've bought the suit and we have to go out and buy a couple of neckties," he said with a chuckle. "I hope that over the next couple of days, there will be a few more things we're looking at."
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