The following is the list of the weekly winners of BGSD's Power Players poll for 2008.
Week 15: August 18 - August 24, 2008 |
Todd Adelman
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Todd Adelmanwaited for his chance and when he was finally nominated he made no mistake in rallying supporters to his cause. After the record-breaking week by Geoff Zevnik in Week 15, Adelman broke the record for most votes in a single week with 133. Sean Lachman, in his fourth week as a nominee, came up short again.
Other Nominees This Week: Jimmy Beyer, Moe Dunch, Jeff Hammel, Brent Luce, Ryan McNeil |
Week 14: August 11 - August 17, 2008 |
Geoff Zevnik
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Team: |
Gatto Electric Supply |
League: |
Euclid Men's Division 1 |
This Week: |
2 GP, 8/8, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 2.000 |
% Votes Received: |
52% |
Bats (L/R): |
Right |
Position: |
SS/3B |
Jersey #: |
26 |
Age: |
28 |
Playing Softball Since: |
2001 |
Bat: |
I'll swing anything |
Hordes of voters came out to show their support for their two favorite candidates: Brent Luce and Geoff Zevnik. It was Gatto Electric Supply's Zevnik, though, who apparently had the more numerous and persistent voting block, and his very deserving 8-for-8 performance to cap off Gatto's regular season-closing 7 game winning streak won the Power Player award this week. Zevnik becomes the first person to appear twice on the Banzuke.
Other Nominees This Week: Jimmy Beyer, Moe Dunch, Jeff Hammel , Brent Luce, Ryan McNeil |
Week 13: August 4 - August 10, 2008 |
Eric Wallin
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Eric Wallin's perfect 8-for-8 evening in a doubleheader against Greg Loeser sparked an offensive onslaught for Scalpers W. The team scored 56 runs in the two games to improve to 8-12 on the season.
Other Nominees This Week: Luke Adkins, Harvey Friedman, Avery Rucker, Kevin Streck, Josh Underwood |
Week 12: July 28 - August 3, 2008 |
Nick Frizell
|
Team: |
Integrity Stainless |
League: |
BGSD Men's Invitational |
This Week: |
6 GP 15/16, 6 HR, 6 BB, 21 RBI, 2.250 SLG |
% Votes Recieved |
58% |
Bats (L/R): |
Right |
Position: |
3B |
Jersey #: |
00 |
Age: |
38 |
Playing Softball Since: |
1976 |
Bat: |
Mizuno Wrath |
Nick Frizell was absolutely on fire during the August 2-3 tournament weekend at Richmond Heights Park. Opponents retired him successfully just once in 23 plate appearances. He made it to the final round of the home run derby by clocking seven over the fence into the wind, and his fearsome bat forced pitchers into issuing 6 walks, most if not all of them intentional.
Other Nominees This Week: Nate Adler, Jason Fifik, Jeff Hammel, Jeff Kobzawicz, Denise Romanini |
Week 11: July 21 - July 27, 2008 |
Tom Christy
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Tom Christy was perfect from the plate in 2 games and helped his
club to a 29-9 win over O'Reilly's and a 16-13 win over Panini's Coventry. Getting 54% of the total vote, Christy dominated the poll like no player has all season, narrowly edging Geoff Zevnik's 53%.
Other Nominees This Week: Brian Benander, Brian Cavalier, Mike Loeffler, L. Simpkins, John Speranzi |
Week 10: July 14 - July 20, 2008 |
Thomas Threat
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Tom Threat led the Elk & Elk team in Euclid's Division 1 to a 2-1 record this week, including a big 15-14 upset win over Nager/Coach's Place. It was a close race in the voting, with Mark Belfiore of Cleveland Heights leading early in the week and Joe Gazella also lurking about. In the end, Threat won the poll by just 4 votes to win a spot on the Banzuke.
Other Nominees This Week: Mark Belfiore, Mark Bomani, Joe Gazella, Greg Gromek, Terrence Jones |
Week 9: July 7 - July 13, 2008 |
Brian Benander
|
Team: |
Sports Data |
League: |
Richmond Heights Coed |
This Week: |
2 GP 7/7, 5 2B, 3B, HR, 9 RBI, 2.429 SLG |
% Votes Received |
47% |
Bats (L/R): |
Right |
Position: |
LF/1B |
Jersey #: |
2 |
Age: |
19 |
Playing Softball Since: |
2006 |
Bat: |
28 oz. Miken Freak 98 |
Much to the dismay of some, the power player award was given to a man playing in a coed league. In Week 4 it was Mike Vraja and this week it was Brian Benander. In both cases, groundswells of support for the eventual winner did in arguably more deserving candidates. But this week voters bestowed the honor to Benander, who in his first week back from a broken hand led the Sports Data team to a split over the highly touted Sam and Libby's club.
Other Nominees This Week: Luke Adkins, Mike Adkins, Colleen Buttari, Kari Nelson, Brian Sullivan |
Week 8: June 30 - July 6, 2008 |
Geoff Zevnik
|
Team: |
Gatto Electric Supply |
League: |
Euclid Men's Division 1 |
This Week: |
4/4, HR, 5 RBI, 2.000 SLG |
% Votes Received: |
53% |
Bats (L/R): |
Right |
Position: |
SS/3B |
Jersey #: |
26 |
Age: |
28 |
Playing Softball Since: |
2001 |
Bat: |
I'll swing anything |
Voters were swayed by the strength of Euclid Division I softball and chose to vote for Geoff Zevnik over Sean Lachman's arguably better stats. It seems voters were impressed with the level of play in what is BGSD's top rated men's league. Zevnik was the #2 MVP in the Euclid league at the time and plays for Gatto Electric Supply, the top team in the Men's Power Rankings.
Other Nominees This Week: Mike Heimberger, Sean Lachman, Brian Lucas, Kevin Meaney, Felix Thomas |
Week 7: June 23 - June 29, 2008 |
Eric Weber
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Eric Weber of the Oneonta Men's Division A earned the second Power Player award of the season for his league on the strength of a 5-homer, 15-RBI performance that was too much for some stiff competition to overcome. The effort led his Rail team to two wins in the week and as of this writing Rail is dominating the A division with a 12-1 record.
Other Nominees This Week: Phil Bojc, Evan Karantonis, Mike Loeffler, Jenna Micale, Ryan Novak |
Week 6: June 16 - June 22, 2008 |
Josh Underwood
|
Team: |
Spectators |
League: |
Mayfield Village
Men's Competitive |
This Week: |
2 GP 7/7, 3 HR, 7 R, 10 RBI, 2.571 SLG |
% Votes Received : |
46% |
Bats (L/R): |
Left |
Position: |
Outfield |
Age: |
26 |
Playing Softball Since: |
1998 |
Josh Underwood led the second place Spectators squad to two 21-run offensive outputs against the Mill Tavern this week. A perfect 7-for-7 at the plate and his first three home runs of the season earned him 46% of the vote, the highest percentage of any winner, even in this period's crowded and highly competitive field. As of this writing Underwood is the #2 offensive MVP behind teammate and Week 3 Power Player Jason Fifik.
Other Nominees This Week: Greg Breedlove, Tom Christy, Brad Goldberg, Sean Lachman, Jim Laing, Felix Thomas |
Week 5: June 9 -June 15, 2008 |
Justin Harris
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Justin Harris won the closest race yet in the Weekly Power Player poll. It was a four-person race most of the week, and in the end, the Oneonta star took it by just one vote. In fact, only 4 votes separated the top 4. Harris ended Mayfield Village's streak of four weeks of top player winners.
Other Nominees This Week: Mark Bomani, Pat Domonkos, Lindsay Gable, Jeff Lupica, Heather Sueber |
Week 4: June 2 -June 8, 2008 |
Mike Vraja
|
Team: |
Lino's |
League: |
Mayfield Village Coed Competitive |
This Week: |
5/5, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3.200 SLG |
% Votes Received : |
43% |
Bats (L/R): |
Right |
Position: |
Pitcher/Left Field |
Jersey #: |
1 |
Age: |
32 |
Playing Softball Since: |
2003 |
Bat: |
Let us know |
We had an epic battle worthy of songs and poetry in the voting this week. Tom Fejes of Sports Data had a lead early in the week, but then Uncle Mike Vraja began receiving a groundswell of support to jump ahead. "It's on," said supporters of both players, and voters broke records in number of votes cast, comments made, and references to the nominees' sisters. In the end it was Vraja winning by just 4 votes.
Other Nominees This Week: Mark Bomani, Matt Brofman, Tom Fejes, John Gregorio, Tom Hardin |
Week 3: May 26-June 1, 2008 |
Jason Fifik
|
Team: |
Spectators |
League: |
Mayfield Village Men's Competitive |
This Week: |
2GP 8/9, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 2.778 SLG |
% Votes Received : |
43% |
Bats (L/R): |
L |
Position: |
1B/OF |
Jersey #: |
23 |
Age: |
30 |
Playing Softball Since: |
1998 |
Bat: |
Several |
Voters were provincial this week as Terry Morton from Oneonta, New York could not pick up enough votes from the Ohio-dominated poll to cash in on his
5-for-5, 4 HR game. Instead the voters selected Jason Fifik, the third straight member of a Mayfield Village league to win the award.
Other Nominees This Week: Jimmy Beyer, Maria Foschia, Brett Grau, Terry Morton , L. Simpkins |
Week 2: May 19-25, 2008 |
Mike Radabaugh
|
Team: |
Cleveland Sporting Goods |
League: |
Mayfield Village Men's Recreational |
This Week: |
3 GP 9/9, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 2.556 OPR |
% Votes Received : |
45% |
Jersey #: |
9 |
Age: |
28 |
Playing Softball Since: |
1998 |
Bats: |
Right |
A close race in the voting pitted two former teammates against each other for the top prize. Despite claims that Radabaugh was "dominated" by Sean Lachman when the two played together, the strength of
Mike's perfect 9-for-9 week and amazing 16 RBI in just 3 games seemed to impress voters more than Lachman's massive 6-homer, 16-RBI output, which came in 4 games.
Other Nominees This Week: Chris Conway, Jon Coyne, Harvey Friedman, Anne Kowalski, Sean Lachman |
Week 1: May 12-18, 2008 |
Tara Namestnik
|
Team: |
Mullarkey's |
League: |
Mayfield Village Coed Competitive |
This Week: |
5/5, 1 HR, 6 Runs, 5 RBI, 2.400 SLG |
% Votes Received : |
44% |
Jersey #: |
7 |
Age: |
29 |
Playing Softball Since: |
1992 (age 13) |
Bats: |
Right |
Tara Namestnik paced her Mullarkey's club to a dominating 41-1 win over Imperial Waterproofing on May 16th. Her teammate Dave Gwin was also nominated, but Namestnik did not suffer too much from a split vote and earned the first ever weekly Power Player award.
Other Nominees This Week: Sha Degraffingried, Dave Gwin, Jason Javers, Rich Markowitz, Geoff Zevnik
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