LISSA NEWS-3/28/25

The indoor/winter/bubble season ended this week.  Fittingly, the top two teams, Stars and Vikings, met in the final doubleheader to determine best record for the 14 week/56 game season.  The Stars came in with a slim 1/2 game lead.  Both teams batted 11 and had little to no field rotation.  Vikings won game 1, 8-4.  In the deciding game 2, it came down to the last inning (which was 3 and 3).  With 2 outs and no one on, trailing 2-1, the Stars rallied to load the bases.  A base hit, off the ceiling (of course), scored 2 runs, giving them a 3-2 lead.  The Vikings didn't score in their final at bat.  Final score 3-2 Stars.  Stars end up 45-9-2 and Vikings were 45-10-1.  It doesn't get closer than this. 

LISSA NEWS-3/21/25

Minutes for Manager's Meeting of 3/19/25 is now posted under League Meetings.  Highlights include update from Dennis Oehl (Head Umpire), field and permit updates, and release of preliminary 2025 schedule (posted under Schedule, Scores).

LISSA NEWS-3/15/25

Be on the lookout for new and exciting regular updates.  Coming soon.

The News Around the League -  12/30/24

We are unfortunately ending 2024 with some bad news.  Ray Cohen, formerly of the Bobcats, has passed away.  Ray was inducted into the LISSA Hall of Fame in 2006 and after his years playing in the league, moved down to Florida. No additional information is available.

The News Around the League -  12/9/24

Lou Martino, the manger of the Generals, just called with some sad news.  Bobby Ferrante has unfortunately just passed away at the age of 75 in the Villages in Florida after a battle with cancer.  Bobby was an outstanding outfielder with the Generals from 2009 to 2019 and was inducted into the LISSA Hall of Fame in the class of 2015. Bobby was also a proud Vietnam Veteran and won a Bronze Star during that conflict.

Rest in Peace Bobby, from all of your softball friends.

The News Around the League -  12/4/24

We have just been informed that Glen Formica has undergone open heart surgery at St. Francis Hospital to remove a tumor from his heart. The surgery was successful and Glen is now waiting for the biopsy results,  Glen is a long time LISSA player and Hall of Fame member, who has played for the Tigers and the Indians and most recently for the Panthers.    We wish Glen a good prognosis and a speedy recovery.

The News Around the League -  11/11/24

Four teams made up mostly of LISSA players traveled to Florida last week to play in the Winter Nationals.

The 65 and over team came in second place in their division. They lost their first 4 games, but then won all of their remaining games, until the finals. It was a tough game but unfortunately ended in a loss.

The 70 and over team went undefeated in their division, for First Place.

The 75 and over team also placed First in their division.

The 80 and over team ran into some tough competition and won three and lost three.

Altogether, it was an awesome showing for our teams.

On a sadder note, we have just heard that Ray Ward has passed away. Ray played on the FDNY softball team during his years there and was reputed to be the best ball player that ever played on that team. In LISSA, Ray played for the Bobcats for many years as well as the Stars. He was an incredible ball player, well known and well liked throughout the league.

A wake will be held at Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Home, 125 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park 11040 from 3 pm to 8 pm on Friday Nov 15th.  A Funeral Mass will be held at Church of the Holy Spirit, 16 S 6th Street, also in New Hyde Park, on Saturday the 16th at  9:30 am.  Interment will follow at St. Charles Resurrection Cemetery on Wellwood Ave. in Farmingdale.

May he Rest In Peace.

The News around the League -  10/1/24

One of the elder statesmen of LISSA, Jimmy Martin, has sadly passed away.  Brian Edwards, from the Jaguars, reminisced about Jimmy in a message to the LISSA Executive Board.  He said, "Jimmy played for the Jaguars the past three seasons. He made a huge impact on our team first and foremost as a man of tremendous character. He was a fiercely competitive player who could and would play anywhere on the field, and was an outstanding sportsman who was always a team first guy, completely unselfish and had zero ego. He had a profound impact on me and many others in a relatively short time." 

Prior to that, he was on the Seagulls and other teams, as well as a tournament player for years. Jimmy was also elected into the LISSA Hall of Fame in 2011 as a Jaguar. 

This is a very sad day for many of us. It’s also incredible that Jimmy and Pete Rose passed on the same day. Heaven’s team got two great players today.

Visitation for Jimmy will be on Sunday October 6th from

2:00 pm - 6:00 pm at

Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Home

603 Wantagh Avenue

Wantagh, New York, United States

516-731-5550.

Mass celebrating his life will be held at 9:30 am on

Monday, October 7, 2024 at

St. Bernard R.C. Church

3100 Hempstead Turnpike

Levittown, New York, United States

Rest in Peace Jimmy, LISSA is a sadder place without you.

The News around the League -  9/27/24

The Annual Hall of Fame Dinner at Verdi's was a rousing success with 200 or so attendees.  Photos of the event can be found as follows:

Go to your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc) and enter Long Island Senior Softball Association.  One of the sites that pops up is Facebook: Long Island Senior Softball Association.  Click on that site, which will bring up the Facebook page for LISSA.  You DO NOT have to have a Facebook profile to view this page.  All of the photos that I (John Castellaneta) have taken in the last eight years, including team photos and HOF Dinner photos, can bee seen simply by scrolling down the page.  You will also see photos from NYSSA, the over 70 league.

In the Gallery section of this (LISSA)site you can see a photo of all of the 2024 inductees that were able to attend the dinner this year. 

The News around the League -  9/13/24

  The 2024 Hall of Fame Dinner will be held on Thursday 9-19-24 at Verdi's on Old Country Road, starting at 5:30 pm.  The price per guest is $70.00.  The annual Luncheon will be held on Friday 10-25-24 from 11:30 until 2:30, also at Verdi's.

Last but not least the St. Jude Tournament is being held at Cantiague Park on Tuesday Sept 17th and Wednesday September 18th.  It's a double elimination tournament   It's not too late to get in on the action.  Call Richie Coy at 917 287-9340 as soon as you can.  Five or six friends or players from each LISSA team can play together, so call your buddies and get them to play also.  There are already seventy or so players signed up.  Let's double that.  The kids at St. Jude need the money that the tournament brings in.     

The News Around The League 8-17-24

We just posted a bunch of team photos in the Gallery Section.  The rest of the teams are coming soon!  Check out the Gallery to see if your team is there.    J

The News Around The League 8-13-24

Rob Trager, the shortstop for the Colt .45s has just received some bad news.  He has to start chemo for a throat issue and he would appreciate any prayers that could be sent his way.  Good luck and stay tough Rob.

The News Around The League 8-8-24

We have just heard that Bobby Davis, a former Panther who currently plays in the 70s league, is in St. Joseph Hospital in critical condition.  There is currently no further information available.

The News Around The League 7-22-24

Elie Dunn, widow of former player Bobby Dunn , died on Saturday. 3 days after Bob was buried in January of 2023, she received a double lung transplant. For the last year she has been battling rejection. She passed peacefully after being removed from life support. Arrangements for those interested are:

Funeral arrangements, the visitation will be at Chapeys & Sons funeral home at 20 Hicksville Road, Bethpage, NY 11714. The wake will be on Tuesday from 7-9:30 pm and Wednesday from 3-5 pm and 7-9:30 pm.

The funeral mass will be at St. Pius X R.C. Church located at 1 St. Pius X Court, Plainview, NY 11803 on Thursday at 10:30 am. 

The News Around The League 6-20-24

ALL STAR GAME  The 2024 LISSA All Star game is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, July 2nd.   The game will be played at Eisenhower Park, Field D.  Parking Field #4 will give you the closest access to the playing field.  Players and managers are asked to be there at 9:15 am, with the game starting at 10:00 am sharp.  Division 1 and Division 4 will play against Divisions 2 and 3.  If past years' games are any indication, this year will be hard fought and another close game.  If you have the time, come out and cheer on all of your friends (and enemies).  Remember, the aluminum stands were taken down during COVID so make sure to bring a chair. 

Also, several teams will be hosting picnics after the game.  Anyone can participate for a small fee of about $10. or so.  Make the effort to get there.  It's a lot of fun and you may get to be in a photo or two.

The News Around The League 6-20-24

This week, we have some good news to share with you all.  Bob Gutkowski, a 15 year player on the Cougars, gave me a call yesterday.  For those of you who don't know him, besides being a great player, he was the President of Madison Square Garden in 1994.  If you'd like to know more, read his new book entitled "Gut Punch"!  You can get a copy on Amazon by copying and pasting the following link into your browser:

https://www.amazon.com/Gut-Punch-Bob-Gutkowski/dp/B0D6TDC869/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1MBD5KT1TV12O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bjeh5voXlpEQb2LnQJXqMg.qXSFMuHLHbwU5FPkkA8Fu1unR_iG4ZdsAUfNbitpGn4&dib_tag=se&keywords=gut+punch+by+bob+gutkowski&qid=1718742709&sprefix=bob+gut%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1

Or, if that doesn't work, go to the Amazon site and enter Kindle Books in the search bar and then type in Gut Punch!!

You'll be glad you did!

The News Around The League 6-10-24

Joe Pellechi called to let us know that Dave Gianelli, from the Vikings, has just had a few stents put in.  He'll be just fine, but may have to have one more stent in the future.  The good news is that he's feeling good and will be out of the hospital today.  We all wish you well Dave.  Feel better!!

The News Around The League 5-24-24

Another LISSA alumnus has passed away this week.  Bob Jones, a member of the Tigers family for over 30 years, who was affectionately known as Mr. Tiger, was 96 years old when he passed.  His wife of 73 years, Alice had passed away only a few months prior to Bob, who was a Tiger player and a Tiger manager as well as being a LISSA Hall of Famer.  Actually, he was the driving force for the institution of the LISSA Hall Of Fame. 

After Bob retired from active playing and managing, he still loved to attend Tiger games, when his son could bring him.  He cheered his team on and often gave advice to help them get a game in the win column.  Jim Weilman

told me that "Bob's presence in the Tiger dugout will be missed, but his Tiger spirit will always be with his team".  Rest in Peace Bob and Alice. 

The wake will be held at Charles O'Shea Funeral Home at 603 Wantagh Ave on Tuesday May 28th from 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm.  The Funeral will be held on Wednesday May 29th at 9:30 am at the O'Shea Funeral Home.  The burial will be at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton NY at 11:30 am on Wednesday.

The News Around The League 5-13-24

We have just received some very bad news.  Carl Pietrantoni, a long time outfielder for the Stars, has passed away.  Carl was playing baseball on Saturday and while pitching, suffered a stroke.  He was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery but did not survive the operation.

Carl was admitted to the LISSA Hall of Fame in 2022 and played for the Stars as recently as last Thursday.  He was a great ball player and a wonderful human being, loved by his teammates and opponents alike. The wake will be held at Vernon Wagner Funeral Home (516 935-7100), located at 125 Old Country Road in Hicksville on Wednesday May 15th from 2 pm to 5 pm and from 7 pm to 9 pm.  Funeral services will be held at the same location on Thursday, May 16th from 10:30 am to 11 am.  Rest in Peace Carl.

The News Around The League 4-29-24

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 30th, starts the 2024 season of LISSA softball.  The Divisions have changed a bit, the Eagles unfortunately are no more and we have a new field or two, but LISSA Softball will still be LISSA Softball, with all of the same competition, drama and injuries.  But through it all, just remember we're here to have fun.  Yes, winning is important,  but camaraderie and fun is important too.  It's all a balancing act.  Balance.

Good luck to everyone.

The News around the league - 4-18-24

At the LISSA Board Meeting yesterday, a very important issue was raised.  The Executive Board, which is made up of seven LISSA managers/players, is currently one member short and that Board position needs to be filled as soon as possible.   The current Board members are from teams in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions, but there is no one from the 4th Division.  It's important that the person that fills the Executive Board vacancy be from a team in the 4th Division so that all of the Divisions in LISSA have representation and can be involved in decisions affecting the league.  If there is anyone in the 4th Division who would like to be considered for this position, please call Joe Pellechi by April 30th at 516 510-8341 and he will explain the process.  Please seriously consider calling Joe for this position.  It's important to the league as a whole that we all are represented equally. 

Thank you.

The News around the league - 3/25/24

As of a week or so ago, the Eagles (Division 2) are no more. After losing three of their best players to other teams and relocation to another part of the country, the remaining team members decided to pack it in.  As of this writing, several of their players went to the Panthers and several went to the Lightning.  What the other players are doing remains to be seen.  In an effort to place them with other teams, an email was then sent from the Executive Board to the league managers with all of the Eagles players' names and phone numbers.  Feel free to contact them if you need or want additional players. 

This action has reduced the teams in the league to 17 which makes scheduling for the 2024 season much more difficult and could result in more byes for teams in the second division.  This remains to be seen, however. 

To the Eagles:  we wish it could have worked out differently and we're sorry to see you go.

The News around the league -  3/13/24

We have just lost another LISSA member, Tony Giardina, who passed away recently at the age of 90, after years of fighting hard to stay well.  He played for years on the Lions, entered the LISSA Hall of Fame in 2004 and retired from softball in 2012. 

The wake will be held at O'Shea Funeral Home on Wantagh Avenue on Thursday March 14th from 4 pm to 8 pm and on Friday March 15th from 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday March 16th at 10:45 am at St. Frances De Chantal Catholic Church on Wantagh Avenue.  Rest in Peace Tony.

The News around the league -  2/5/24

We have just received some more bad news concerning one of our LISSA members.  Gene Gleason passed away on Tuesday, January 30th from a heart attack while at home.  Gene was a long time member of LISSA, a Vice president on the Executive Board and a 2009 Hall of Fame designee.  He played for the Jaguars and was the Manager for a number of years.  He also ran the LI Jaguars, a tournament team that played in tournaments throughout the country.

His wake will be held at Moloney Funeral Home located at 840 Wheeler Rd, (RTE 111), in Hauppauge NY.,

on Thursday February 8th from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm.  The phone number at Moloney's is 631 361-7500.  Rest in Peace Gene.

The News around the league -  1/22/24

I've just been contacted by Ron Ray from the Lions, who is selling a pair of Shea Stadium seats he bought some years ago.  Normally, we don't use the News section to help players sell stuff, but this request, which I'll provide details for in a moment, could be the first of many requests to sell baseball and softball items.  To accommodate these requests, it may be possible to set up a separate section on this website where bats, gloves etc can be traded or sold.  If you think that a FOR SALE section on the website might be a good idea, please let  your manager or a Board member know.

Getting back to the Shea Stadium seats, Ron bought a set of two seats for $750.00.  Because he is downsizing his house, he no longer has room for them and is willing to part with them for the original purchase price.  If you're interested, you can contact him at ron32ray@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

The News around the league -  1/12/24

We just received some scary news that fortunately ended on a good note.  Carl Pietrantoni, long-time outfielder with the Stars, suffered a heart attack on Wednesday. He was rushed to the hospital, where Doctors put several stents in and Carl is now resting comfortably in his hospital room. He expects to be released in the next day or two and hopes to be back on the field when the Stars begin spring training. We are all rooting for you Carl! Feel better soon.

The News around the league -  12/14/23

Frank Marlow just sent this very sad news:

It is with deep regret that I inform you that our long time Generals teammate and dear friend, Jimmy Giangrosso, 

lost his dear wife Rosalie, on Wednesday, December 13th.

The funeral arrangements are as follows: N. F. Walker Funeral Home, 2039 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, N.Y. 11554.

Visiting Hours are: Monday, December 18th, 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm.

Funeral Mass on Tuesday, December 19th at Cure of Ars R.C. Church, 2323 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, N.Y. at 11:00 am.

Let us show our support to our teammate and friend at this time of mourning.

Rest in Peace.

The News around the league -  11/30/23

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and now that we've eaten ourselves into comas we hopefully will have the strength to get ready for the Christmas season rush.  In between decorating the house, putting up a tree and buying gifts for family and friends, we wanted to mention a cause that you may want to find some time to participate in.  Wreaths Across America is a non-religious group that helps us to remember and honor our men and women in the military and other first responders who have given their lives for our freedom.  They do this by holding a Wreaths Across America Day, this December 16th, where volunteers place thousands of wreaths on the headstones  in various National cemeteries across the country.  Here on Long Island they ask for volunteers in Long Island National Cemetery, 2040 Wellwood Avenue in Farmingdale.  If you'd like to volunteer or sponsor a wreath ($17.00) please go to wreathsacrossamerica.org  Help honor those who died to protect our country and at the same time, teach the next generation the value of freedom.   Thanks.

The News around the league -  11/21/23

We have unfortunately just received some very bad news.  The daughter of one our most respected LISSA alumni, Doug DelleCave, has passed away after a lengthy illness.  Doug was a valued member of the Vikings and has been an awesome umpire for LISSA for years.   Doug, I know I speak for all the members of the league when I say that you have our sincerest condolences.  May she rest in peace.

A memorial service for Karen Ann DelleCave will be held on Saturday, Nov 25th from 4 pm until 8 pm at Thomas F Dalton Funeral Home located at 2786 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown.

The News around the league -  11/17/23

You may have noticed that there have not been any News updates since Sept. The reason for this is because  my computer, which was basically as old as we are, started losing it's memory (we can all identify with that) and began running as slowly as an overweight LISSA player recovering from a double knee replacement.  Shortly thereafter it succumbed to it's injuries.  I recently bought a new computer, which runs faster than a 60 year old outfielder in his first season, so here we are with several items of interest.

The 2023 Snowflake season just ended and by all accounts, it was very successful.  There were very few forfeits and those few were caused by cold weather rather than a lack of players.  Games were competitive and lively and the unofficial player/umpires were treated well for the most part.  Bad calls were usually met with good natured ribbing (I did say usually).

Starting on Monday December 4th, the 2023 Indoor season begins in the Coleman Country Day Camp Dome.  There are 6 teams in the league and games are played Monday through Thursday.  The season ends on Thursday March 24th 2024.

 Also, the applications for New Players and transferring players for the 2024 summer season have been posted on the website.  They can be found by clicking the tabs of the same names on the left of the screen.  For insurance purposes, all new players must sign one of these forms before trying out or simply playing with a LISSA team. Please make sure that the players read the entire document before they sign it.

Last but not least, the LISSA Executive Board, the Board of Directors and I, would like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food and family and hopefully very few political discussions with the younger generations.
 

The News around the league -  9/9/23

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Year End Tournament:

Div 4 - the Lightning

Div 3 - the Colt .45s

Div 2 - the Dodgers

Div 1 - the Stars

Now that the 2023 season has ended we have a few events to look forward to.  The Hall of Fame Dinner will be held on Thursday 9-21-23 at Verdi's on Old Country Road, starting at 5:30.  The price per guest is $65.00.  The annual Luncheon will be held on Friday 10-27-23 from 11:30 until 2:30, also at Verdi's.

Last but not least the St. Jude Tournament is being held at Cantiague Park on Tuesday Sept 19th and Wednesday September 20th.  It's a double elimination tournament and other skill contests will be held, like throwing distance and accuracy, base running, etc. (Actual events to be determined).  It's not too late to get in on the action.  Call Richie Coy at 917 287-9340 as soon as you can.  Five or six friends or players from each LISSA team can play together, so call your buddies and get them to play also.  There are already sixty or so players signed up.  Let's double that.  The kids at St. Jude need the money that the tournament brings in.     

The News around the league -  8/25/23

The successful 2023 season will be ending after the double headers to be played on Tuesday 8-29-23.  That being said, first place has already been determined in all four divisions.  They are:

Div 4 - the Pirates

Div 3 - the Colt .45s

Div 2 - the Dodgers

Div 1 - the Vikings

Congratulations to the players on all four teams.

The year end Tournament will begin on Thursday 8-31 in the second, third and fourth divisions with the fourth place teams playing the fifth place teams in a best two out of three contest.  The winners of those games will play the first place teams in each division on Tuesday 9-5-23 and the second place teams will play the third place teams on that day also.  In Div 1, the Tigers will play the Stars on Tuesday 9-5.  The Tournament championship games will be played on Thursday 9-7-23.

On Thursday 8-31, the Knights will play the Bees at Floral Park, the Cougars will play the Generals at Manor Park and the Outlaws will play the Seagulls at Eisenhower #1.  Come on out and cheer for your friends on all of these teams.  Good luck to everyone in the tournament.  Stay healthy.

The News around the league -  8/7/23

We have just been notified of another death in the LISSA family.  It is with deep sadness that I have to forward the information concerning the passing of Sonny Panico.  Sonny was a long time player in LISSA.  He played for the Div 4 Flames/Lightning for a number of years.  For the past several years he had played in the 70s league, but had to end his career because of problems that developed as the result of his many years with the FDNY.  A wake will be held on Wednesday 8-9-23 at Gleason's Funeral Home, 36-46 Bell Boulevard in Bayside Queens, from 2 to 5 pm and 7 to 9 pm.  A mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church at 215-35 38th Avenue in Bayside on Thursday 8-10 at 11 am.

Rest in Peace Sonny. 

Tony Mastrogivanni contacted me today to mention that Sonny also played on the Admirals in 2009.  Tony would like to get the old Admiral team together to play in the upcoming St Jude Tournament in Sonny's honor. Call Tony if you're interested.           

The News around the league -  7/13/23

The 2023 All Star Game was held last Wednesday and was a rousing success.  There was excellent hitting and fielding with the Div. 2 and 3 team narrowly beating the Div. 1 and 4 team.  To see all the photos from the big game, copy and paste the following into your internet browser https://www.facebook.com/LISeniorSoftball/     You do not have to be a Facebook subscriber to view the photos.  On this page you can also find all the photos I've taken in years past.  Enjoy them.    John Cass                 

The News around the league -  7/3/23                                The President of LISSA, Joe Pellecci, the rest of the LISSA Board and I would like to wish all of our players and families a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

After your holiday, make sure you all come on out to the annual All Star Game at Eisenhower Park, Field D, on Wednesday.  Field D is an all dirt and grass field located at the far end of Parking Field #4.  Make sure you bring a chair as there are no longer any stands at the field. But there is a lot of shade.  Game time is 10:00 am, with Divisions 1 and 4 playing Divisions 2 and 3.  Designated All Stars need to arrive by 9:15 or 9:30.  After the game, stick around for a few burgers and dogs.  All you need to do is come up with $10. and you're in.  We hope to see you all there.

                                                             John Cass

News around the league -  6/28/23

Frank Russo, who has been an outstanding player on the Lightning for five years, has a son, Frank Jr., who lives in Pennsylvania.   Several weeks ago, his son was shot as an innocent bystander in a drive by shooting near his home. Frank just called me to say that Frank Jr.'s condition was touch and go for a couple of days, but he thankfully is now well on the road to recovery.  Frank would also like to say thank you from the bottom of his heart for the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way from all of the LISSA players who reached out to him.

News around the league -  6/27/23

With just slightly more than half of the 2023 season in the books, we have very close races in three of the four Divisions. The Vikings are leading in Div. 1, with the Tigers trailing by 3 games.  In Div. 2, the Dodgers have a commanding lead, with the the second place team, the Eagles, a long eight games back.  Div. 3 is led by the Lions, with the Colt 45s only one game back and the Panthers three games back.  Div. 4 is led by the Pirates, with the Lightning one game back and the Jaguars two games back.  Divisions 1, 3 and 4 will, I'm sure, have an exciting second half and Division 2 is ripe for some comeback softball.  We'll just have to wait and see.

The Annual LISSA All Star game will be held a week from tomorrow, on Wednesday July 5th at Eisenhower Park, Field D.  Two players from each team will be named to the All Star teams and the game will feature Divisions 1 and 4 playing against Divisions 2 and 3.  If you've never come out to watch, make sure you do this year.  The game is VERY competitive and there's always one or two balls going over the fence.  Besides watching the game, it's also a chance to see some of your worthy but friendly opponents and have some laughs over our old man softball plays and errors.  After the game, the Generals, the Tigers/Panthers and the  Seagulls will each host BBQ stations. All you need to do is pay $10 bucks, have a seat and enjoy some burgers and dogs.  Be there if you can make it.  I promise you'll get yourselves in a photo or two cheering on your All Stars.  In case of rain, the game will be played on Thursday July 6th.  Game time is 10:00 am.

News around the league -  6/8/23

As you are aware by now, all LISSA games scheduled for today have been cancelled due to the unhealthy air quality caused by the wildfires in Canada.  For Divisions 1 and 2, the games can be made up on a mutual bye date, one of which is scheduled for next Thursday, June 15th.  Divisions 3 and 4 should reschedule the games for either Monday June 19th or Monday June 26th and notify Larry Prosky when the date is finalized.  Stay healthy.

News around the league -  5/29/23



Freedom isn't Free.  Remember those who paid the ultimate price.

News around the league -  5/23/23

We're three weeks into our 2023 season schedule and it appears that we have some very well matched teams in three of our four Divisions.  In Division 1, the Tigers are leading with a 10-2 record, but the Vikings are hot on their heels with 9 wins and 3 losses.

In Division 2, the Dodgers look like they're running away from the pack with a 10-2 record.  The Outlaws and Eagles are tied for second place, with 4 wins apiece.  The Seagulls and Admirals are trailing with 3 wins apiece.

Division 2 teams are much closer to each other .  The Lions lead with a 10-4 record, but the Cougars are 8-4 and the Colt 45s are 9-5.

In Division 4 the Pirates beat the Lightning twice today to take over sole possession of first place, while the Lightning losses led to them being tied for second place with the Jaguars.  The Knights are 6-8 and the Bees have yet to win a game, but according to informed sources, they're gearing up to make a serious move in the standings.

All in all, the season is looking to be very competitive and winning and losing streaks can flip the standings in a heart beat. 

In other news, legal and illegal bats were the major point of discussion at last Wednesday's Board Meeting.  Our bat specs state that to be deemed legal, a bat has to, among other things,  have a USA or ASA logo stamped into it.  Older bats don't always have either logo stamped on them, even if they meet all of the other criteria to be deemed legal bats. The Board and the managers are currently trying to work this issue out so that all legal bats can be used no matter how old they are.  Hopefully, this can be resolved to everybody's satisfaction.

News around the league -  5/14/23

Paul Zimmerman has just let us know that Ray Ward, who plays for the Stars and previously played for the Bobcats, has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is being operated on tomorrow, Monday May 15th.  We don't know the extent of the disease, but let's all give our prayers and well wishes to Ray and his family for a good outcome.

We will provide more information as we receive it.

News around the league -  5/11/23

Where are today's Scores and Standings?  Is there a problem with the website?  Nope.  Not to worry.  Larry Prosky is responsible for updating both tabs and he went away for a few days.  He'll be back on Tuesday and will update the information Tuesday night.  Then we all can see where we are in our never ending quest for 1st place in our Division. 

Just remember, we should be happy that we can still play ball.  Think of how many guys wish that they were in our turf shoes.

News around the league -  5/5/23

I just received the following update from Larry:

1st week update

We completed Week #1 of the 2023 season and it was a rainy one. Both Tues and Thurs started out wet but most games were played, thanks to turf fields. 

13 of the 18 teams have at least 1 win already and 12 of the teams already have at least 1 loss. And there is 1 team that has yet to play a game, being rained out both days.

Managers have been good at texting (516-661-6020) in their scores quickly, so thank you.

Next week looks like SUN SUN SUN. Best of luck to all. 

News around the league -  5/4/23

The weather still wasn't very cooperative today, but good enough to get most of the games in.  It rained until 9:30 or so at Seaman's Neck, which delayed the games a few minutes, but we were able to get them in.  The Outlaws/Seagulls at Wantagh and the Bees/Cougars at Manor Field weren't so lucky.  As the result of all the rain Tuesday and today, a bunch of games are re-scheduled for Monday May 8th.

In other news, there is an update on Gene Gleason.  Joe Rondinelli called me last night to tell me that Gene has been transferred to the Glen Cove Medical Center for further treatment, but he had no additional information.  Gene does have his cell phone if anybody would like to check in with him.

News around the league -  5/2/23

The weather wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked for the Opening Day of the 2023 Season.  Of the nine scheduled games, three were postponed because of rain and there was one forfeit.  Of the games that were played, there were some real nail biters.  In the first games of their double headers, the Seagulls beat the Eagles by one (16 to 15) and the Lions beat the Colt 45s by one (15 to 14).  The playing conditions at Seaman's Neck were less than ideal, with a cold wind blowing from left field to shallow right field.  But all in all, it's very good to be playing again.  Win or lose, think of all the guys like us who wish they were healthy enough to be playing ball. 

Good luck in the season everybody.

News around the league -  4/27/23

We just got some good news about Gene Gleason.  Jim Schlageter messaged me on FB that Gene is in North Shore Hospital where his doctors gave him four stents.  He feels much better and expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two.  He said to say hello to all his friends in LISSA. 

Opening Day is 5 days away!

News around the league -  4/25/23

We just received some sobering news from Joe Rondinelli that Gene Gleason, a former LISSA Board member and long time player, suffered a heart attack a day or two ago.  He was transported by ambulance to North Shore Hospital where he is recovering and resting comfortably.  Joe requested that his LISSA friends send some prayers Gene's way to help him along.  Thanks for letting us know Joe.

By the way, we usually only seem to get bad news to include in this section of the website. It would be really nice to get some good news also, just like we did with Bob Malandro's induction into the CHSAA Hall of Fame.  If you have any news or information you'd like to pass along to all of our LISSA players, feel free to contact Joe Pellechi or me, John Cass to let us know.  My email is jcass53@gmail.com.  Thanks.

The 2023 season opening day is only one week away.  From my experiences playing pre-season games against Division 3 and 4 teams, it looks like the season is shaping up to be very competitive.  I'm sure it'll be the same in Divisions 1 and 2.  It'll be nice to start playing regularly again and seeing our old friends (yes, I mean that both ways) on the field.  Good luck to everybody and stay healthy.

News around the league -  4/19/23

Only 13 days until the start of the 2023 LISSA season and the new schedule has just been posted.  Click on the Schedule tab to check it out (NOT the Schedule 2022 tab)  Most of our 18 teams have been playing pre-season games for the last several weeks through the very changeable weather and are as ready as they will ever be for the new season.  The one and one count has been used and while it hasn't really affected overall play, it has reduced game times by a significant amount.  The one and one count will be reviewed after the season is over to  judge its overall impact on the league.

The 5 run per inning rule will remain in effect, except for Division 2 teams when and only when they are playing Division 1 teams.  Also, please be careful when buying new bats to make sure that they are single wall, aluminum alloy bats, not steel or composite.  Most importantly, no Miken bats of any kind are allowed for use in LISSA.  Good luck guys and stay healthy.

News around the league -  4/3/23

The winter indoor season ended last week with all of the players having had a good time staying in shape for the 2023 Summer season.   An influx of new "young" players on many teams has led to a lot of movement of players within the league.  We'll just have to wait and see which teams can benefit the most from the new and transferring players. 

This week many teams have pre-season games scheduled so that the managers can see how well their veteran players mesh with their new players and how competitive they'll be.  Remember, the season starts on Tuesday May 2nd.

In other news, The Over The Hill Gang inducted two new players into their Hall of Fame on Friday March 31st.  You may know them.  They are George Cohan, who played eight years with the Tobay Tigers and is currently on the Outlaws and Harold Butch Flecker, who was also a player on the Tigers.

Both players are well deserving of this honor, having played outstanding softball in the OTHG for years, as well as in LISSA.  Congratulations to George and Butch and their families. 

News around the league -  3/29/23

News around the league -  3/23/23

We have some sad news to share with the LISSA community today.  Pat Criscuola's wife, Regina Criscuola, has passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer.  Pat is a valued, longtime player on the Tobay Lions.  Funeral arrangements are as follows:

The wake will be held at the Oyster Bay Funeral Home located at 262 South St, Oyster Bay 11771 on Saturday March 25th from 3 pm until 5 pm and 7 pm until 9 pm and on Sunday from 3 pm until 6 pm.  A funeral Mass will be held on Monday March 27th at 10:30 am at St. Dominic Church, located at 93 Anstice St. in Oyster Bay.

May she rest in peace.

News around the league -  3/4/23

We have just received some great news!  Bob Malandro of the Dodgers has been elected to the CHSAA Hall of Fame after an illustrious career as the Baseball Coach at Holy Trinity High School.  His accomplishments include:

His number, #12, was retired by Holy Trinity in 2017.

He coached Holy Trinity Baseball for 30 years, ending in 2017.

His Lifetime Record is 428 Wins and only 259 Losses.

He won 5 CHSAA Nassau/Suffolk Championships in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2010 and 2017.

He was named as the Nassau/Suffolk Coach of the Year in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2010, 2012 and 2017.

He was also named the Nassau/Suffolk Baseball Coach of the Year in 2010, having been selected by Major League Scouts.

He was selected to coach the Nassau Team in the Grand Slam Challenge in 2007, 2015 and 2017.

Lastly, 152 of Bob's players received Division 1 and Division 2 Baseball scholarships.

Congratulations Bob!  It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Bob is being inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame at the Hall of Fame Golf Outing and Dinner at the Inwood Country Club on Thursday May 18th.

News around the league -  2/26/23

Opening Day of the LISSA 2023 season is only 65 days away.  The big question is, Are you ready?  If not, now is the time to start stretching and going to the gym to work out.  Of course, the guys who are playing in the Bubble are well on their way to being game ready.  With more than half their Winter Season already over, the Vikings are in first place with 33 Wins, only 5 Losses and 2 Ties.  They're being followed closely by the Stars with 31 Wins and 9 Losses, which puts them 3 games back.  The Tigers, Outlaws, Cougars and Lions are further behind but are still playing competitively.

We hope to see you all on LISSA Opening Day, Tuesday May 2nd, 2023.

News around the league - 1/25/23 

The members of Bobby Dunn’s family and his Dodgers teammates would like to express our thanks to all of you that took the time to attend Bobby’s wake and funeral mass.

He will be missed and not forgotten by those of us who were lucky enough to have known him. 

RIP Bobby D. 

Mike Scotto

Manager

Dodgers 



News around the league - 1/20/23 

Just five days ago, we were notified that Bob Dunn, Asst. Manager of the Dodgers,  was entering hospice care as the result of a Cancer diagnosis.  Unfortunately, we have just been further notified that Bob passed away this morning.  We mourn the loss of a helluva nice guy and a good friend to many of us.  Arrangements for services are as follows:

The wake will be held at Chapey and Sons Funeral Home, located at 20 Hicksville Road in Bethpage, on Monday Jan 23rd from 7pm to 9:30pm and on Tuesday Jan 24th from 3pm to 5pm and 7pm to 9:30pm.  A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Pius X RC Church on Wednesday Jan 25th at 10:30am.

Rest in Peace Bob.

News around the league - 1/19/23 

The LISSA Board of Directors, which is comprised of the seven members of the Executive Board and the Managers of all 18 teams in LISSA, have voted on and passed some significant rule changes for the 2023 season.  They are as follows:

1. All batters will start with a one and one count.  This means that they will already have a count of one ball and one strike before they take their first swing.  Additionally, batters will NOT get an extra foul tip.
2. No MIken bats of any kind will be allowed for use in the league.
3. All players must remain on any team they are on for a minimum of two years.  The rule has always been that new players had to stay on their team for two years.  Beginning this season, all players must remain with any team that they move to for an additional two years, whether they are new to the league or not.
4. The five run rule per inning that was implemented last year will remain in effect.
5. Lastly, when a Division 2 team plays against a Division 1 team, the Div. 2 team will be allowed to use an extra defensive player and will not have a 5 run cap per inning.  When Div. 1 plays Div. 1 or Div. 2 plays Div. 2, these rules adjustments do not apply.

In other news . . .

The Mustangs are no longer in LISSA and have been replaced by the Colt 45s, who will be playing in Division 3.  Their home field will be Eisenhower Field 1 or 2.

OPENING DAY for the 2023 season will be Tuesday May 2nd.

The next LISSA Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday February 15th at Allen Park.  All LISSA players are welcome to attend to observe the meeting.

The minutes for all past meetings, including January can be seen under the League Meetings tab on this website.

News around the league - 1/15/23 

As many of you know, Dodgers Assistant Manager Bob Dunn has been battling cancer for the last two years.  He even had to have his eye removed but continued to participate in the sport he loved best, coaching in LISSA and playing in NYSSA.   Unfortunately, Bob has recently been battling cancer once again that has metastasized to his liver and lungs. In his continued battle, he has been receiving radiation and chemotherapy, but has had no success.

This week he was sent home from the hospital and told  that they were out of treatment options. They are now arranging for hospice care.  Bob is one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet and a heck of a ball player.  Bob, if you're reading this, you should know that we're all praying and pulling for you.  Stay strong.

We will pass along more information as we receive it.

News around the league - 1/5/23 

Information for Barney Davis' Funeral Arrangements is as follows:  Viewing will be at Sherman's Flatbush Funeral Chapel, 1283 Coney Island Avenue (between Avenues I and J), Thursday Jan 5th from 6pm to 8:30pm.  The Funeral will be tomorrow, Jan 6th.  If anyone has more information, please contact us.  Thanks.

News around the league - 1/2/23 

The LISSA Board, Managers and I would like to wish everyone a healthy, prosperous New Year with lots of Softball.

Unfortunately, 2022 ended with some bad news from the Bees.  We have just learned that long time LISSA player Barney Davis has passed away.  He played in LISSA for over ten years and was with the Bees in 2021.  When I asked Froggy about Barney, he said that you couldn't ask for a nicer guy to play ball with and that he wished he had ten other players on the field just like him.  Rest in Peace Barney.

News around the league - 12/21/22 

The Indoor season continues at Coleman Country Day Camp bubble with the Vikings maintaining their first place position in the six team indoor league.  The schedule for January through March is now posted under the Schedule tab on this site.  Additionally, Indoor League standings are updated weekly. 

The LISSA Board, managers and players (including Larry and me, John Cass) would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Kwanzaa. Enjoy your family, your health and the fact that all of us old guys can still get out there and play ball.

News around the league - 12/11/22 

The Indoor season is off to an exciting start with the Vikings and Stars tied for first place in the league of six teams.  To follow the weekly stats, tap on the Schedule tab, then look for Indoor Standings 2022/2023.  Good luck to all the teams.

News around the league - 11/25/22

Some additional bad news was received from the Lions today.  Mike Corrente's wife, Linda, has passed away after a lengthy illness.  Viewing will be held at Law Funeral Home, 1 Jerusalem Avenue in Massapequa on Monday Nov 28th from 2 pm until 9 pm.  The Lions players will be there at 4 pm.  A funeral mass will be held at Maria Regina Church, 3945 Jerusalem Avenue on Tuesday Nov 29th at 10:45 am.  Rest in Peace Linda.

News around the league - 11/12/22

The Snowflake Softball Season is now winding down, with the last games scheduled for Thursday November 17th.  For the LISSA players who can't last more than a week or so without playing a doubleheader, the Indoor season is starting in the bubble at the Coleman Country Day Camp on Monday December 5th.  The full December schedule can be found by clicking on the Schedule tab

in the Menu box.  Good luck to all.

News around the league - 11/5/22

Unfortunately, we received some bad news from the Lions today.  Donnie Reuter of the Lions passed away recently at the age of 88.  He played in LISSA for 16 years and was the official scorekeeper for the team for an additional 10 years.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004 and was a huge Yankee fan.  He will be sorely missed by his family, his teammates and all of the LISSA players who knew him.

News around the league - 10/7/22  

The 7th Annual St. Jude Charity Senior Softball Tournament was held this last Monday and Thursday at Cantiague Park.  The final amount raised hasn't been finalized yet, but the tournament was a huge success.  Over 150 softball players participated, with a large percentage of those players coming from LISSA.  Photos from all of the games played can be found in two places.  On Facebook and on Shutterfly.  The photos in Facebook can be accessed by typing Long Island Senior Softball Association in the FB browser, or by typing stjudesr.shutterfly.com into your computer or phone web browser.

News around the league - 9/23/22

The Hall of Fame Dinner was held last Night at Verdi's on Old Country Road and it was a
rousing success.  Over 180 attendees including players and guests were there to honor the 2022 inductees into the LISSA Hall of Fame.  Go to the Gallery section to see a photo of all of these awesome ball players.  You can see all the photos from last night by going to the Long Island Senior Softball Association (type the full name) Facebook page or by typing lissasoftball.shutterfly.com into your web browser (if you don't know what that is, just ask your grandchildren!)  All of the photos I've taken of LISSA events and softball games can be found at both sites.

The LISSA Luncheon will be held on Friday October 28th at Verdi's from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm.  Tickets are $33.00 for LISSA players.  Call your team managers for tickets.  I originally listed the price of tickets as $30.00.  Sorry.  Again, tickets are $33.00.

In other news, Fall Ball is continuing with some great games and outstanding sportsmanship among the players.

Lastly, the 7th Annual St. Jude Tournament is being held on Monday and Tuesday October 3rd and 4th at Cantiague Park.  Last year, over 85 LISSA players participated, but the numbers are much less this year.  PLEASE call Richie Coy, Vinny or Mario and get involved by playing or simply donating.  The children that are saved by St. Jude Hospital need all the support that they can get.  Go to the St. Jude Tournament tab on this site for additional info

News around the league - 9/13/22

The final round of the 2022 Year End Tournament was played today at Cantiague, Salisbury, Plainedge and Syosset-Woodbury.  Congratulations to the Tournament winners:

The Div 1 Champs, the Vikings, beat the Tigers in two games, The Div 2 Champs, the Admirals,  beat the Lions in three after the Lions took the first game.  In Divisions 3 and 4, the Second place division finishers bested the division champs and took the Tournament.  The Eagles (Div 3) beat the Div Champs, the Outlaws, in two and the Pirates (Div 4) beat the Div Champs, the Panthers, in three.

All told, it was a very exiting tournament that ended an equally exciting season.

In other news, all of the 2022 team photos have been posted in the Gallery.  Just click the Gallery tab to see them all, as well as a slide show of the 2022 All Star Game.

Also, mark your calendars for next Thursday night, 9/22/2022.  The Hall of Fame Dinner is being held at Verdi's from 5:30 pm until 10:30 pm to honor the new class of Hall of Fame inductees.  Tickets are $60.00 and well worth it for the camaraderie, dinner and dancing to a live band.  Talk to your managers for tickets. 

The LISSA Luncheon will be held on Friday October 28th, also at Verdi's from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm.  Tickets cost $30.00 and can be purchased from your managers.

Fall Ball begins on Thursday 9-15-22.  See you there.

News around the league - 9/6/22

The first round of the year end tournament, which was scheduled for today, Tuesday Sept 6th, has been postponed because of the rain.  All of the games that were scheduled to be played today will be played at the same locations on Thursday.  The final tournament games will then be played next Tuesday.

Also, the 7th Annual St. Jude Tournament is scheduled for October 3rd and 4th at Cantiague Park.  Over 85 LISSA players participated last year and we would like to beat that number this year.  Please tap the St. Jude tab on the left for more details.

News around the league - 8/30/22

As the 2022 season ends, we'd like to congratulate the Division Champs, the Vikings, the Admirals, the Outlaws and the Panthers.  Well done guys.  Now on to the year end Tournament, which begins on Thursday with the Lightning playing the  Knights at Seaman's Neck Park and the Jaguars playing the Mustangs at Baldwin Orange.  All of the other teams will start their tournaments next Tuesday. You can check the Tournament tab for the full schedule.

News around the league - 8/18/22

The manager of the Eagles and long time LISSA player Iman Goldbaum, recently underwent triple bypass surgery at a local hospital.  He is now home and doing well.  The LISSA Board, managers and all of the players wish you a speedy and complete recovery.  We'll see you at the next board meeting where you can be your normal quiet unassuming self.  All kidding aside, we hope to see you soon.

In other news, with only 6 regularly scheduled games and in some cases, additional make-up games, to be played, there are close races for first place in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions.  The Panthers have already clinched first place in the 4th Division, but the rest of the Division is closely

Lou Criscione retires from his role as Website Coordinator - 8/15/22

After four years as the LISSA Website coordinator, Lou has decided to pass on his duties to two unsuspecting players who have absolutely no idea what they're getting themselves into.  In trying to learn how to update the website, which is not quite as easy as it appears to be, Larry and I have hit a few bumps in the road but have been able to figure things out as we go.  Please bear with us as we learn.  We will be making some changes and leaving some things as they are, since "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".  Larry has changed the SCORES sheet a bit to make it easier to read.  In the last few days, I've taken down some photos that have been up since the website was created.  In the GALLERY, I added the 2022 All Stars photo and all of the team photos that I've managed to get so far.  If your team photo isn't there, I'll do my best to get to you before the end of the season.

Lastly, Larry and I would like to thank Lou for all of his hard work these last four years and the great job he did.  We will try to continue to keep this website relatable and interesting, with some changes in the works.  Thanks, John Cass

New Website Updaters - 7/11/22

Starting tomorrow, the website will be updated and maintained by Board member Larry Prosky and John Castellaneta (Lightning). Larry will be handling the scores and standings and John will be updating news, events and, the photo gallery. All scores should be texted to Larry at 516-661-6020.

 Larry & John already have some great ideas for the site - you'll notice a cleaner Scores & Standings page as of today. Good luck to both of them.

All-Star Game - 7/8/22

The LISSA Annual All-Star Game & BBQ was held at Eisenhower Park on Wednesday 7/6 and was quite entertaining. There were two teams of All-Stars with Division 1 & 4 All-Stars playing Division 2 & 3 All-Stars. Division 1 & 4 won the 9 inning contest by three runs. After the game several LISSA teams hosted a BBQ with plenty of food and drink.  It was a great time for all.

An Incredible Gesture - 7/1/22

Yesterday there were two doubleheaders played at Allen Park (Lions vs Admirals & Tigers vs Dodgers). Before the game, all four teams lined up on the baselines with Vinny D'Agastino saying a few words about Tom Bischoff who passed away earlier this week. There were about 25 members of Tom's family in attendance. The family was touched and appreciated this gesture.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom's family and friends in this troubling time.

Heartbreaking News - 6/28/22

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of long-time LISSA member Tom Bischoff of the Tobay Lions. Tom passed away suddenly this morning of an apparent heart attack. We do not have any information yet on a wake or funeral arrangements, but will update the site when it becomes available.

The LISSA Board, Managers & Members wish to convey their condolences to Tom's family, friends and teammates. He will be sorely missed.

What Are The Odds?- 6/23/22

One of the rarest plays in softball is the "triple play". Frank Marlow of the Generals reported to us that his team turned two triple plays on consecutive days this week. On Monday the Generals twisted a triple play against the Panthers and on Tuesday repeated the feat against the Bees. What are the odds?

Another Updated Make-Up Schedule- 6/22/22

Because of a rash of postponements due to inclement weather and Covid cancelations, another updated Make-Up schedule has been posted to the site. Keep checking back as there are bound to be more changes.

Updated Make Up Schedule- 6/17/22

With most of the games being postponed due to rain yesterday, it was necessary to update the Make Up Schedule (Click the Schedule Tab on the Menu). Some of the games are still pending and we'll update it once these games have been rescheduled.

LISSA Board & Managers Meeting- 6/15/22

The monthly Board & Managers Meeting was held today at Allen Park. Many important topics were discussed. To read the Minutes of the meeting, please click on the League Meetings Tab on this site's menu.

Good Sportsmanship in LISSA- 6/13/22

If you checked today's scores, you will see that the second game of the Lightning vs Panthers make-up doubleheader was suspended. The Lightning started with only 12 players today. One of the players came off the field suffering from heat exhaustion. When he didn't feel better, the Lightning team decided to call for the EMT. Several of the Lightning players decided to go with him to the hospital with an IV. Since they wouldn't have had enough players to play the game, they would have to take a forfeit. In a great show of sportsmanship, the Panthers decided that they would play the game later in the year if it impacted the standings. Bravo to both the Lightning & Panthers for doing the right thing.

Make-Up Games Schedule- 6/11/22

Due to inclement weather and some Covid related cancelations, the LISSA Board & Managers have updated the Make-Up schedule. It can be viewed by hitting the Schedule Tab on this site's menu.

Around the League- 6/9/22

Below is a picture of long-time LISSA members and current Board Members- Sam Sapienza & Jim Weilmann sharing some laughs after today's games. You would be hard pressed to find two nicer guys - both who have contributed positively to our league.

Jim Weilmann & Sam Sapienza

Great News-5/26/22

On May 25, the LISSA family gained another member as Jay Jacobson (Outlaws) welcomed his new Grandson Scott Ross Anthony Jacobson into the world. This is Jay's 4th grandchild and second grandson. Congratulations Jay.

Make-Up Schedule -5/23/22

Since all the scheduled games of 5/19 were cancelled due to rain, a schedule of Make-Up Games has been added to the site. Just go to the Schedule tab located on the menu to find out when & where these games will be played.

May 2022 Board & Managers Meeting-5/18/22

The monthly LISSA Board & Managers meeting was held today at Allen Park. The Minutes of this meeting have been posted to the site. To view them click on the League Meeting tab in the menu.

***New Revised Schedule- 5/11/22

The 2022 LISSA Schedule has been revised again to show Alternate Fields for some of the teams. This revision was necessary because of conflicting dates and events at some of the fields. The newest version has been posted and hopefully will not have any further changes.

Happy News- 5/5/22

Congratulations to both Pat Kelty & Ron Nash of the Outlaws who both had granddaughters this week. It's always great to post good news like this.

Hey guys- don't forget Mother's Day is Sunday. I forgot about 20 years ago and I'm still paying for it.

LISSA Season is Open- 5/3/22

The LISSA season open today and most of the games seemed to be competitive. The Board and Managers wish everyone a healthy season. Good luck guys.

***Updated LISSA Schedule- 5/2/22

The LISSA Board found it necessary to adjust this year's schedule. It has been updated on this site. If you printed out the previous schedule, please re-print the adjusted one to avoid any confusion.

Looking for a Score Keeper - 5/2/22

The Stars are looking for a score keeper and will pay $25 to keep score once a week. If you are interested, you can contact manager Paul Zimmerman at 516-241-1238

LISSA 2022 Schedule is now available-4/20/22

The 2022 LISSA Schedule is now available on this site (Go to "Schedule" tab on the menu). Many thanks to the Board and in particular Bob Ferrari for preparing it. Let's get ready to "Play Ball".

Week 12 - 3/10/22

There was a full slate of games this week at Coleman. The results are below.

Vikings 4-0

Stars 3-0-1

Lions 3-1

Outlaws 1-3

Tigers 0-4

Eagles 0-4-1

Week 11 in Indoors- 3/8/22

Last week there was a full schedule at Coleman. Ther results came in a little late but are listed below.

Vikings 4-0

Tigers 3-1

Outlaws 2-2

Stars 2-2

Lions 1-3

Eagles 0-4

Sad News - 3/6/22

We are saddened to have to announce the passing of long-time LISSA member Burt Singer. Burt was a member of the Glen Cove Cobras and most recently was a coach for the Nassau Outlaws. Burt was inducted into the LISSA Hall of Fame in 2012. At the time of his passing, Burt was 90-years-old. The LISSA Board, Managers and, players would like to extend our condolences to his Family, Friends and, Teammates. The picture below shows Burt with his Outlaw teammates. Burt is on the bottom row- first on the left.



Week 10 in Indoor Softball - 2/17/22

This week at Coleman featured a full schedule with some great games. The results are below. Please remember, there are no games next week. Indoor play will continue on 2/28/22.



Vikings 4-0

Stars 3-1

Tigers 2-2

Lions 2-2

Outlaws 1-3

Eagles 0-4

New Forms Added to Site- 2/16/22

The monthly Board & Managers Meeting was held today. One of the topics is the new Registration Form (players moving to another team) and the New Players Form (new players to the league). If you fall in any of these two categories, you must fill out the appropriate form. The new 2022 forms have just been posted on this site and can be obtained on the Menu bar. These forms must be filled out by the start of the season.

The Minutes can be viewed by clicking the League Meetings tab on the menu bar.

Week 9 - Indoor Softball - 2/10/22

It was a crazy week at the Coleman Day Camp Facility. Many of the players were not there this week as they were travelling to Florida to play for the L.I. Jaguars Tournament Team. Teams scrambled to get players and all the scheduled games were played. Below are the results.

Stars 4-0

Tigers 2-2

Vikings 2-2

Outlaws 2-2

Lions 2-2

Eagles 0-4

Week 8 - Indoor Softball - 2/7/22

Another great week of Indoor Softball. The results of the games are below.

Tigers 4-0

Stars 4-0

Vikings 4-0

Outlaws 0-4

Lions 0-4

Eagles 0-4

Week 8 - Indoor Softball- 2/2/22

There was a full schedule of games last week at the Coleman Day Camp facility. Again, most of the games were competitive. The team records are listed below.

Stars 4-0

Vikings 4-0

Lions 2-2

Outlaws 1-3

Eagles 1-3

Tigers 0-4

January 2022 Board & Managers Meeting - 1/21/22

The first Board/Managers Meeting was held this past Wednesday. As usual there were some interesting topics & developments The Regular season will have a new rule that is hoped will speed the pace of play. The pitcher will have 5 seconds to pitch the ball once it is received by him. The old rule was a 10 second rule. There were many other topics. The Minutes of this meeting can be viewed by clicking the League meeting Tab in the menu bar.

Week 7 - Indoor Season - 1/20/22

In a somewhat abbreviated week, there were some interesting results in the Indoor season. The Lions won an exciting double-header against the Tigers by scoring 8 runs in the last inning to win by 1.As usual,  Gene Hennigan was the hitting star for the Lions. The records for this week are listed below.

Vikings 4-0

Lions 2-2

Stars 2-2

Eagles 2-2

Tigers 0-2

Outlaws 0-2

Week 6- Indoor Season - 1/15/22

Sounds like there were a lot of competitive games this week at the Coleman Day Camp facility and there was a full slate of games. Even through some Covid issues, the games have continued with only a handful of games being cancelled. This week's records are listed below.

Vikings 4 -0

Stars 4-0

Tigers 2-2

Lions 1-3

Eagles 1-3

Outlaws 0-4

Week 5 - Indoor Season - 1/10/22

Last week saw a very limited schedule being played indoors. The Tigers & Lions cancelled their games for the week because of several cases of Covid and other concerns. Hopefully this week all will be back to normal and the full slate of games will be played. Below are the records of last week's games.

Stars 3-1

Outlaws 1-1

Vikings 1-1

Eagles 1-3

December Board & Managers Meeting- 12/17/21

The monthly Board & Mangers Meeting took place this past Wednesday with some interesting topics & developments being discussed & passed. This is the first time in many years that a major rule change will be adopted by the LISSA. In an attempt to create more competitive games, the 5 run rule limit per inning will be put into place for the LISSA 2022 season. A team may score only 5 runs in any inning except for the last inning which will be an open inning allowing teams to score as much as they can. The feeling is that this will decrease scores thus keeping games closer - especially in inter-divisional play. The 65 foot base rule was voted down again.

If you want to read the Minutes of this meeting, please click the League Meeting Tab in the menu.

Week 3 - Indoor Season - 12/16/21

This weeks games were very competitive with close games throughout the week. Below are the records for the week.

Vikings 3-1

Stars 3-1

Lions 3-1

Tigers 2-2

Eagles 1-3

Outlaws 0-4

Week 2 - Indoor Season- 12/9/21

It's been a slow couple of weeks for  LISSA news - that may be a good thing. Anyway, below are the records for Indoor Softball- Week 2.

Stars - 4-0

Tigers 4-0

Vikings 2-2

Eagles 1-3

Outlaws 1-3

Lions 0-4

Indoor Season Week in Review - 12/2/21

The Indoor season has started and there were 3 double-headers played over the last two days. here are the records for the week.

Stars 2-0

Tigers 2-0

Vikings 2-0

Outlaws - 0-2

Eagles  0-2

Lions  0-2

Get Well Soon Sammy - 11/20/21

The LISSA family would like to extend well wishes to   Sam Sapienza. Sam is recuperating from Open-Heart  Surgery performed several weeks ago and from all reports is doing fine. Sam is a long-time LISSA player, a former LISSA manager and is currently one of our Board of Directors. Sam was a legendary softball player prior to joining the LISSA and has been inducted into several different Softball Organizations Hall of Fame. Get well soon Sam and we hope to see you on the field real soon.

L.I. Jaguars Latest Tournament Results - 11/19/21

The Long Island Jaguars Tournament Teams led by General Manager Joel Reich (Panthers)stormed Florida last week and were quite successful. Reich organized 5 teams to play in the prestigious Tournament of Champions games in the Ft. Myers area last week. The Jaguars had teams representing the Over 60's. Over 65's. Over 70's, Over 75's and, Over 80's age groups. The Over 65's & Over 75's won their brackets with the Over 70's team finishing as Runner-Ups. The Over 60's finished a respectable 5th place (out of 15 teams) and the Over 80's placed 3rd. As usual their was a large contingency of LISSA & former LISSA players representing each squad. Congratulations to all who participated.

Indoor Schedule Posted - 11/17/21

The LISSA Fall schedule is coming to a close (ends next week), but that does  mean the end of softball for the year. Our Indoor games will begin on December 1 and run through March. The games will be played at the Coleman Day Camp Center located directly off the Meadowbrook Parkway (Exit 7W). This year there will be 6 teams and games will be played Monday through Wednesday. If you have not joined, please come down and check out the facility - it's amazing. The December schedule has been posted and can be viewed by clicking the Schedule 2021 tab on the menu.

St. Jude's Tournament Photo Montage-11/15/21

The Annual St. Jude's Tournament held in early October raised over $25,000 for this amazing charity. A photo montage of the tournament is now available to all by clicking the St. Jude's Tournament tab on the menu of this site. Thanks to all who participated. The montage was put together by LISSA member John Castellanetta.

Indoor Softball Update- 10/30/21

With the weather getting colder, many LISSA members are looking forward to the second season of play at the new Indoor facility at the Coleman Day Camp Center in Merrick. The games will start on Wednesday December 1. Since the league has added another team (total of 6), games will be played Monday through Thursday with no byes. Monday & Wednesday games will be begin at 10:00 AM (1 doubleheader). The Tuesday & Thursday games will start at 9:00 followed by another doubleheader at 11:00.

Commissioner Paul Zimmerman has already ordered the balls for the season and managers will be expected to pay for them upon receipt. It will be approximately $80 per team for the season. Rules will be given out prior to the games starting. It promises to be a great season and the hopes are that 2 more teams will be added next year.

Sad News - 10/29/21

We have just learned of the passing of long-time LISSA member William Psitos. Bill (aka Billy Flowers & Bill Legal) died yesterday at the age of 72 after a long illness. Billy was a LISSA member for 11 years playing for 8 years with the Tobay Jaguars(he also played for the Lions & Bees). He also was a member of the L.I. Jaguars Tournament team and helped win several titles for the Over-65 squad. The LISSA Board, Managers & Players send their condolences to Bill's family, Friends and, Teammates.

Bill will be waked at the TF Dalton Funeral Home in New Hyde Park on Saturday October 30. The visitation hours are from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM.



October 2021 LISSA Managers Meeting - 10/20/21

The monthly LISSA Board & Managers Meeting took place today at the Allen Park facility. All teams were present and there were a variety of subjects discussed. To view the Minutes of the meeting, just click on the League Meetings tab on the menu.

Snowflake & Indoor Softball - 10/8/21

No sooner did our Spring/Summer Season end that our Snowflake Season started. This year there are 12 teams competing. Most of the teams rosters are comprised of players from different LISSA teams. The games started on 9/28 and will go right to the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (11/23). There are special rules in effect to keep the games competitive. There are no umpires - typically the batting team supplies the umpire. Although scores are kept, there are no standings. Many of the teams use this schedule to try out new players or for the players to keep in softball shape. The Snowflake schedule has been posted on this site (see Schedule 2021).

There will also be an Indoor Season that starts shortly after the Snowflake season. Last year was the first year that the Coleman Day Camp facility (Merrick) was used and most of the players loved the upgrade. It was so popular last year, that another team is being added (total 6). That season will start on 12/1 and ends March 31 . The new team forced the schedule to be increased to 4 days - Monday through Thursday - with each team playing 2 doubleheaders a week(no Byes). Again, rules have been put in place to try to keep games competitive. It's a great way to keep in shape and get ready for the Regular LISSA Season. Once the season is about to start, we will post the schedule which was prepared by long-time LISSA member Al Zoccolillo (Admirals). The Commissioner of the Indoor Season is Paul Zimmerman (Stars) who was the catalyst for obtaining the new venue.

St. Jude's Tournament Wrap-Up - 10/6/21

The annual St. Jude's Senior Softball Tournament was held this week and was a rousing success. The tournament raised over $23,000 ($3000 more than last year) and everyone seemed to have a great time. The games were exciting and the weather held out so that all the games could be played. The LISSA was well represented with 83 current players participating.

There were also a number of LISSA and former LISSA players who helped organize and run the tournament. The Board members for the tournament included Rich Coy (Outlaws), Mario Harris (Eagles), Rich Dorato (Mustangs) and, former LISSA member Vinnie Troiano who was the original organizer of the games 6 years ago.. There were also plenty of LISSA volunteers including Phil Mulle (Outlaws), John Castellanetta (Lightning) , Nick Castellanetta (Lightning) and Bill Bogats (Panthers). Our LISSA umpires also worked all of the games for free and did a fantastic job. Kudos to everyone involved.

More Sad News - 10/5/21

It is with deep sorrow that the LISSA announces the passing of long-time member Sandy Denniker. Sandy played for several teams during his LISSA career including the Vikings and Bobcats. The LISSA Board, managers and, players send their condolences to Sandy's Family, Friends and, Teammates.

Sandy will be waked at the Brueggemann Funeral Home located at 522 Larkfield Road, East Northport, N.Y. on Monday 10/11 from 2-4 and 7-9.

There will also be a Mass on Tuesday 10/12 at the St. Joseph's Church in Kings Park.

Sad News - 9/27/21

Long Time LISSA Player Tony Giacobello who played for the Valley Stream and TOBY Indians for many years and most recently in the New York Senior Softball League passed away on Saturday 9/25/21.

The Wake will be held Wednesday 9/29/21 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

Thomas Dalton Funeral Home

47 Jerusalem Ave.

Hicksville, NY, 11801

End of Season Tournament Update - 9/23/21

The LISSA Spring/Summer season has come to an end with the final game of the End of Season Tournament being played today. The Division 4 Finals pitted the 1st place Eagles against the Bees. In 3 well played games, the Bees outlasted the Eagles winning the series 2-1. Congratulations to all the Bees players and all the winning teams.

Now it's on to the Fall League games. Some team have already started playing, but the majority of the teams will start this coming Tuesday.

LISSA HOF Dinner Dance Tonight - 9/23/21

After a year layoff, the annual LISSA Hall of Fame Dinner Dance will be held tonight at Verdi's In Westbury. The night will be highlighted by the induction of 7 new members into the LISSA Hall of Fame. Those being honored are Claude Kendrick (Tigers), Rich Alifano (Dodgers), Mark Serio (Seagulls), Don Thompson (Vikings), Steve Varrielli (Vikings), Al Karrabin (Dodgers) and posthumously, Harold "Butch" Flecker (Tigers).

Congratulations to all of them and enjoy your night.

End of Season Tournament Update- 9/21/21

Three of the Divisions End of Season Tournament ended today - Division 4 will hold there Finals this Thursday.

Division 1 - The Vikings played the Stars at the Plainedge Community Center. The Vikings beat the Stars in 3 games with all the games being close.

Division 2 - The Dodgers got by the Admirals in 2 close games to win the Division EOS Tournament.

Division 3- The Seagulls outlasted the Outlaws in 3 games.

Division 4 - The Eagles beat the _Panthers in 3 games today and will face the Bees who beat the Lightning in 2 games. They play this Thursday for the Championship.

2021 End of Season Tournament Schedule -9/15/21

Next week (weather permitting) should end the LISSA Spring / Summer Season with some very interesting End of Season Tournament match-ups. All 4 Divisions have games scheduled for next week with Divisions 1,2 and, 3 having their Finals on Tuesday September 21. Division 4 will hold their Semi-Finals games that Tuesday and the Finals on Thursday September 23. The full slate of games is listed below and on our Schedule page.

Division 1

Vikings host Stars Plainedge Park Tuesday 9/21/21 9:30 AM Championship

Division 2 

Dodgers host Admirals Eisenhower #1 Tuesday 9/21/21 9:30 AM Championship

Division 3

Seagulls host Outlaws Wantagh C Tuesday 9/21/21 9:30 AM Championship

Division 4

Eagles host Panthers Burns Park Tuesday 9/21/21 9:30 AM Semi Final

Lightning host Bees Seamans Neck Park Tuesday 9/21/21 9:30 AM Semi Final

Winners play Thursday 9/23/21 Site to be Determined

John Castellanetta - League Photographer- 9/14/21

Who's that guy who comes to LISSA games taking pictures?

His name is John Castellanetta. John plays for the Lightning but when his team is off you can usually find him taking the pictures that can be viewed in our Gallery. He is the Unofficial "Official" LISSA Photographer and has done a great job for many years. John was recognized by the League at the 2019 HOF Dinner/Dance  but has continued to give up his time to make this site better. Well- someone actually caught him in action and took his picture for once. Thanks John for all your hard work - the League really appreciates all you do.

L.I. Jaguars win Salisbury Maryland Tournament-9/14/21

The L.I. Jaguars (a travelling tournament team) sent two teams to a Salisbury Maryland Senior Softball  Tournament this past weekend. The Over-60 team won their bracket and were led by the LISSA HOF Manager - Joel Reich(Panthers). Many players on the roster are current LISSA players.

The Jaguars also sent an Over 65 team that was led by Player/Manager Jim O'Gara (Vikings). This team also won their bracket with a 4-1 record. They were led by Frank Kiernan (Stars) who was 12 for 15 (.800) and Jim O'Gara who not only pitched great but hit .667. Congratulations guys!

Exciting Finish in Division 3- 9/13/21

It took the whole season to decide the Division 3 race. The Seagulls & Outlaws were virtually tied for 1st the going into last few weeks of the season. today, the Seagulls took a double-header from the Panthers while the Outlaws split with the lightning in a couple of great games. The loss eliminated the Outlaws from 1st place contention. Congratulations to the Seagulls for winning their division.

A Day of Remembrance - 9/11/21

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11/01. It is a day that our generation will never forget and hopefully will be remembered long after we are gone. It was a day that almost 3000 people lost their lives at Ground Zero. It was a day that people lost Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, and, Friends. But we all lost something that day - we lost our innocence. Until that day and for most of our lives, we lived carefree with little to worry about but ourselves. The events of 9/11 taught us that even in the greatest country the world has ever known that we are vulnerable to the outside evil and hate that exists. The world and our lives will never be the same.

9/11 taught us many other things. It taught us that when this country is down, it has the incredible ability to band together as one and heal. It taught us that ordinary people can do extra ordinary things when needed. Stories of heroic deeds done by our Policemen, Firemen & regular people caught in the towers remind us of the good that "man" can do. On this sad day, let's choose to remember those who gave their lives in service for their fellow man rather then those who are filled with hate. In these days of anxiety throughout the world and division within our own country, remember these phrases - "God Bless America" but more importantly "God has Blessed America". 

Battalion Chief Vinnie Mavaro - Lions Shortstop - 9/10/21

Tomorrow will mark the 20th anniversary of one of the most tragic events in our country's history - the attacks of 9/11. Although it is a very sad day remembering those who lost their lives and those who made the ultimate sacrifice trying to save lives, we can also celebrate the heroics of those involved in the aftermath & clean-up at Ground Zero. 



The LISSA is loaded with many of those heroes- retired Firemen , Policemen, Con-Ed employees and volunteers who helped in the clean-up. One such hero is Vinnie "Chief" Mavaro a shortstop on the Tobay Lions who is a retired Commander of the 46 Battalion in Elmhurst Queens. During the clean-up of Ground Zero, Vinnie uncovered a baseball among the debris. That ball has been on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in Cooperstown New York. Chief Mavaro also was a keynote speaker at the induction ceremony of Mike Piazza in 2016. His speech revolved around the finding of that ball. To say the least, it was inspiring. You can view the speech on YouTube by clicking on the link below. It is an honor to be playing with many of these heroes and the LISSA would like to thank all of you for your service and sacrifice.

Click here to view the speech of Chief Mavaro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdBL2c7x1I

A Few Words About Butch - 9/7/21

If you are a LISSA member or follow this website, you probably have heard about the untimely passing of Harold "Butch" Flecker who succumbed to brain cancer this past Sunday (9/5- see posting below). I was his teammate for his 4 years in the LISSA and would like to share my remembrance of him.

I first met Butch at a practice with the Tobay Tigers in the Spring of 2016. We were both new members of the Tigers and he showed up from work in a shirt & tie and introduced himself. He did not practice that day but was talking about the field and mentioned that he had hit a few out at the Allen Park. In my mind I kind of scoffed and thought maybe it was an exaggeration as I didn't think anyone could put one out. At our next practice, Butch came ready to play. My jaw dropped as he belted out shot after shot. I quickly realized that I was "not in his League" as a ballplayer. We played together for 4 years until he became ill prior to the 2020 season. Butch was always "the man" in our line-up but carried himself humbly and with grace. He consistently led our team in average, RBI and Home Runs. In a two year stretch he hit close to .700 , totaled 45 homers while knocking in 243 runs. His home runs were titanic. When Butch was up- everyone watched because something special could happen with each at bat.  But his biggest asset to the team was his personality. He was a kind, generous teammate who always picked-up his teammates. There have been a lot of great LISSA players throughout the years, but few attain legendary status. Butch was and will always be a Legend in this league. There are very few players who you can say their first name and people know who you are talking about. The mere mention of "Butch" will bring memories from most of the current LISSA players. I know that I will never forget him and I miss him already. Rest in Peace my friend.

Butch will be inducted into the LISSA Hall of Fame at this year's Dinner/Dance on September 23. Fortunately, he learned of his election prior to his passing but everyone who played with him or against him always knew he was Hall of Fame bound.

Sad News - 9/6/21

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of LISSA member Harold "Butch" Flecker. Butch was a legendary player who starred with the Tobay Tigers starting in 2016 until his illness last year. Although he played only 4 years in LISSA, "Butch" amassed batting records that few will ever achieve. He was the ultimate teammate who made everyone around him better. Butch will be inducted into the LISSA Hall of Fame this year. He was a tremendous player who was also a Hall of Fame person. He will be sorely missed. 

The LISSA Board, Managers and, members wish to extend their condolences to Butch's family, friends and teammates.

Butch will be waked at the Massapequa Funeral Home South (near Burns Park) on Wednesday 9/8 from 6PM - 9PM and on Thursday 9/9 from 2PM-4PM & 7PM - 9PM. There will be a Funeral Mass on Friday 9/10 at the St. Rose Lima Church in Massapequa at 1:45 PM.

Prayers for Tony G. - 9/3/21

It is with sadness that we have learned that Tony Giacobello is in the hospital suffering from a serious ailment. Tony was a long-time member of LISSA who played with the Tobay Indians. He was most recently a member of the Mets in the over 70's NYSSA League.
His wife requests that there be no phone calls or visits at this time. She thanks everyone for their concern and will keep us advised of any changes.
Please keep Tony and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Final Week and the Races- 9/2/21

As we enter the final week of regular season play, there is still a race for first place that has not been settled. First place in the 3rd Division is still up for grabs. The Seagulls are just 1 game ahead of the Outlaws (tied in the loss column) with regular season games still to be played. The Seagulls have 4 games left and the Outlaws have 6 (a make-up game against the Lightning may need to be played). If both teams win out- they would end up in a tie.

Division 1 will start their End of Season Tournament on Thursday September 9 with the Stars playing the Tigers in a best of three. The winner will play the first place Vikings for the Championship.

Division 2 - Although 1st place is already settled, the Admirals and Cougars are separated by only 1 game. In a surprising move, the Cougars & Dodgers have decided not to play a make-up game for the game postponed today even though it could impact this race.

Division 4 - the 2nd place Lightning lead the 3rd place Bees by only one game and they are scheduled to play a double-header next week.

So, even though 1st place has been settled in 3 of the 4 division, there are still a number of important games to be played.

St Jude's Tournament - 8/23/21

The 6th annual St. Jude's Tournament will be held at Cantiague Park on Monday October 4 & Tuesday October 5 (rain date October 6). This is your opportunity to play some fun softball and help a most worthy cause. Last year, the Tournament raised close to $20,000 and the guys has a great time. This year with the help of LISSA players they will raise even more. If you would like to play- the application form can be found on the Home Page. If you can't play, please make a donation- any amount will help.

Congratulations Vikings & Eagles- 8/19/21

With just a handful of games left for each team, the 2021 LISSA Regular Season is close to the end. Two teams, the Vikings in Division 1 and the Eagles in Division 4 have already clinched their division titles. Congratulations guys for a great year.

Divisions 2 & 3 still have many important games to play with the End of the Year Tournament seedings at stake. Division 2 will play positional games this coming Tuesday (8/24) and with certain scenarios the positions could get tighter. The second place Outlaws host the first place Seagulls in Division 3 on Tuesday with a chance to close the gap for the Division title. Good luck to everyone.

August Board & Managers Meeting- 8/18/21

The monthly LISSA Board & Managers Meeting was held today at Allen Park, There were many interesting topics discussed about the league and its future (see League Meetings tab for the Minutes).

The Board will have to make many hard decisions after the season is over that will impact the 2022 season. Over the next few months they must address League realignment, player distribution and the disparity between the Division 1 teams and the rest of the league. We are confident that they will come up with solutions that will benefit the league.

A Softball Oddity - 8/5/21

How many times do you see a triple play in softball? My guess is that you can count a handful in all your years of playing ball. Today- there was a Division 2 match-up between the Lions and the Admirals. In the first game, the Lions turned a triple play to get out of a jam. The Admirals returned the favor in the second game by  turning another triple play. Two in one double-header- that's rare.

The Bristol All-Stars - 7/22/21

The Bristol Assisted Living All-Stars were featured on the Channel 12 News last week. Most of the players in these incredible over 80 teams played in the LISSA. The highlights of the story were interviews with Covid-19 survivors Joe Rondinelli and Frank Gordon - both of whom starred in the LISSA for many years. Also interviewed was former LISSA Board Member Carmine DiStefano who played in the game at age 90. These guys are amazing and should be an inspiration to all of us. Keep on Truckin" boys!.

The video can be found at the following.

https://longisland.news12.com/covid-survivor-who-faced-complications-makes-triumphant-return-to-annual-all-star-ballgame

A Celebrity in our Midst- 7/21/21

How would you like to have your name etched on the most famous trophy in Sports- the Stanley Cup?

Well- one of the LISSA's  finest has that distinction. Robert (Bob) Gutkowski  of the Huntington Cougars was the President of Madison Square Garden during the N.Y. Rangers Stanley Cup winning year of 1994. He was instrumental in building and running the team that broke the Stanley Cup drought of NYC's beloved Rangers. Bob is in the process of writing a "tell all" book about the inner workings of that team and it promises to be a good one. As a life-long Rangers fan (I'm sure there are more in our league), I would personally like to thank Bob for helping to fulfill one of my sports dreams.

LISSA Monthly Meeting - 7/21/21

The monthly Managers/Board meeting was held today at Cantiague Park. Several teams were not represented due to today's Funeral of Lions player Bob Cruickshank. There were many interesting topics discussed. You can view the Minutes of this and past meetings by clicking the League Meetings Tab on the Menu Bar.

Heartbreaking News - 7/17/21

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Bob Cruickshank of the Tobay Lions(2020/21). Bob died today (7/17) after a short bout with pancreatic cancer at the age of 72. Bob joined the LISSA in 2010 and played with the Tobay Tigers from 2010-2019 helping them win two Championships. He is a member of the "Over the Hill Gang League" Hall of Fame. For those who played with or against Bobby, they knew him as a great competitor. He was a quiet unassuming teammate who never uttered a bad word about anyone- and no one had a bad word about him. He was a true gentleman, but more importantly he was a gentle man. The LISSA Board, Managers & Players send their condolences to Bob's family, Friends and Teammates.



LISSA HOF Class of 2021 - 7/16/21

This week the LISSA Hall of Fame Committee  met and voted 7 new players into the HOF.. The LISSA sends their congratulations to these players who will be inducted at our annual HOF Dinner/Dance in September. The players are listed below with some of their credentials.

Rich Alifano - Dodgers - In Rich's 5 best years, he compiled a .582 average. He slugged  72 Home Runs. He is known as being a great leader & teammate.

Mark Serio - Seagulls - Mark is one of the faster runners in our league. During his 5 best years Mark had a .545 average with an incredible 103 doubles and 63 home runs.

Harold "Butch" Flecker - Tigers - Butch is one of the LISSA All-Time great hitters. In a 4 year period Butch amassed 199 extra base hits including 108 Doubles, 35 Triples & 56 Home Runs. He's an RBI machine.

Al Karabin - Dodgers - Al is a slick fielding shortstop/3rd baseman who also has amazing offensive stats. He has a .559 batting average with 63 Doubles and 58 Home Runs in a 5 year span.

Claude "CK" Kendrick - Tigers- "CK" is one of the most feared hitters in our league. He has spent his entire career in the tough Division 1 (Stars, Vikings & Tigers) and has been a dominant offensive player while also being a terrific pitcher & corner infielder. He is a life-time .624 hitter with 262 extra base hits including 60 Home Runs. He has also driven in 494 runs.

Don Thompson - Vikings - Donnie hits the ball about as hard as anyone in the league. His best 5 year totals include a .518 average with 123 extra base hits. He is also a stellar defensive player who can play just about any position on the field. He has a cannon arm.

Steve Varriale - Vikings - "Stevie V" is a dynamic lead-off hitter who combines speed and power in his offensive arsenal. His 5 year total includes a .601 average with a 194 extra base hits. He is also a superb outfielder who can track a fly ball with the best of them.

Again- Congratulations to this year's Hall of Fame Class.

Mustangs Dugout- 7/13/21

It's a slow News day for the LISSA. Please be advised that the Mustangs use the 3rd base dugout at their home field, Baldwin Park. The Visiting teams should use the 1st base dugout.

LISSA All-Star Photo- 7/12/21

Below is a picture of the players who competed in this year's All-Star Game. We'll try to put a larger photo in the Gallery.

L.I. Jaguars Tournament Update - 7/9/21

The Long Island Jaguars Tournament team sent an over-75 squad to the Syracuse Senior Tournament. The team went an amazing 5-0 to win their bracket. There were plenty of LISSA players who competed including 4 players who were named to the All-Tournament Team, The honored players were Bob Cuccinello (Lightning)Joe Gibney (Panthers), Ken Kohn (Panthers) and Phil Grimes(Panthers). Other notable LISSA players were Ron Christian (Admirals), Steve Beccalori (Panthers), Jim Martin  (Jaguars), Tom Granito (Cougars), Morty Katz (Seagulls), and James Mayes (Bees). Congratulations guys.

Special praise must also go out to the team's Manager, General Manager &, Organizer Joel Riech. Joel does all the "behind the scenes" jobs to make these tournaments happen. He is a fiery manager, a shrewd GM and he always seems to set-up the travel & hotel stays for everyone. Many thanks-Skipper.

LISSA All-Star Game Review- 7/8/21

The Annual LISSA All-Star Game was played this past Tuesday at Eisenhower Park and by all accounts it was a rousing success. One of the teams was comprised of All-Star players from Division1 & 4. The team was managed by Paul Zimmerman (Stars) with help from Dave Gianelli (Vikings), Irv Goldbaum (Eagles) and Larry Prosky (Stars). The other team combined players from Divisions 2 & 3 and were led by Mike Scotto (Dodgers),  and Gene Hennigan (Lions). The game was filled with plenty of offense with quite a few home runs hit over the fence. Tony Cherry (Vikings) & Claude Kendricks (Tigers) each hit two homers with Kevin Dougherty (Lions) & Charlie Fiorente (Seagulls) also "going yard". The Division 2 & 3  All-Stars won the game 26-24, with the Division 1 & 4 stars  falling short after scoring 10 runs in the last inning.

 Congratulations to all the players for putting on a great show.

The following players represented their teams as the 2021 LISSA All-Stars.

Division 1

Claude Kendricks (Tigers)

Pat Kelty (Tigers)

Tony Cherry (Vikings)

John McCormick (Vikings)

Carl Pietranti (Stars)

John "Fire" (Stars)

Joe Kaso (Bobcats)

Jim Frye (Bobcats)

Division 2

Kevin McLaughlin (Jaguars)

Marty Green (Jaguars)

Kevin Dougherty (Lions)

Mike Corrente (Lions)

Paul Monteleone (Admirals)

Gordon Charlop (Admirals)

Damien Torres (Dodgers)

Al Karadin (Dodgers)

Guy Losito (Cougars)

John Schmidt (Cougars)

Edwin Lewis (Mustangs)

Ken Passente (Mustangs)

Division 3

Jay Jacobson (Outlaws)

Pat Vissichelli (Outlaws)

Charlie Fiorente (Seagulls)

Mike Krasnoff (Seagulls)

Lou Mercurio (Generals)

George Bundt (Generals)

Howie Domitz (Knights)

Tony Perullo (Knights)

Division 4

Rich Williams (Bees)

Tony Nappi (Bees)

Bill Bogatz (Panthers)

Bob Gadsen (Panthers)

Don Regina (Lightning)

Tom Giorelle (Lightning)

Joe Cassiano (Pirates)

Tom Norbutt (Pirates)

Warren Walker (Eagles)

Ron Naclerio (Eagles)

Bobcats Situation- 7/1/21

To All:

As you know the Bobcats had to drop out of LISSA for the remainder of the 2021 Season. The Board held 2 ZOOM Meetings and had numerous discussions in an attempt to come to a resolution on the 15 players who expressed a desire to play during the remainder of the 2021 season.

A Draft involving only Division 2 Teams was considered but with some of the 15 players being injured and unsure of when or if they could play this season and others considered Part Time because of Work situations it became apparent that there was not a good way to insure Competitive Balance through a Draft.

While the Board's initial goal was to find a way to allow the players who showed up and played to move to other Teams the process became too complicated as there was no way to implement a Draft and ensure a fair allocation of players.

Therefore for the overall good of the League no Bobcat Player will be permitted to play for any other LISSA Team for the 2021 Season. All players who played for the Bobcats will be free to join any LISSA Team for the 2022 Season regardless of how many years they have played in the League.

Joe Pellechi

President LISSA

All-Star Game Next Week- 6/29/21

Can you believe that the halfway point in our season is already here? Wow- did that ever go fast!

Our annual All-Star Game will take place next Tuesday July 6 starting at 9:30 AM. It will be held at Eisenhower Park with a League BBQ to follow. It's a great time to see old friends and root on our All-Stars (the food ain't bad either). We hope to see you all there.

Interdivisional Play- 7/21/21

After today's make-up games, Divisions 3 & 4 have split the games with both divisions winning 32 and losing 32. After a little more than 1/3 of the season, this seems to indicate some parity between these teams.

On the other hand, the Interdivisional games played between Divisions 1 & 2 is a completely different story. Division 1 leads the play 18-6 with four of the Division 2 wins being by forfeit (actual played games make the Division 1 record 18-2). Unfortunately, this has been the case for several years.

With the distinct possibility that there may be one team dropping out of the league, it's fair to say that the Board & Managers must find a way to close the gap to make the divisions more competitive. One thought might be to go to 3 divisions of 6 with no interdivisional play. Based on the records of the top 6 teams in Division 1 & 2, it seems like at least 4 of the teams would be competitive with one another. It would also be an easy schedule to make with teams playing each other 12 times each (60 games). Each team (in every division) would play 5 different teams. Based on the records of the rest of the divisions, two divisions of 6 might lead to very competitive races throughout.



Just a thought!

2021 Injuries - 6/18/21

Have you noticed the rash of injuries this year in the LISSA?

It seems that every team has been bit by the "injury bug" with most being muscular. Pulled hamstrings, calves, sore knees and shoulders appear to be the predominant problems and in particular with new players to our league. It's fair to say that many of these issues are age related but could it be that we're just not getting in softball shape early enough. Being in shape and being in softball shape are two completely different issues. Many players work out at home or at a gym during the off-season and as great as that is, it does not replicate playing ball or using the different muscles involved in playing ball. Running on a treadmill does not translate to the quick bursts (quick bursts might be an over-statement in our league) that are necessary to run the bases or field our positions.

So what can one do to avoid these seemingly unavoidable injuries?

My observations are that the players who play all year round (including the Fall Season & Indoor Season) seem less likely to suffer from these problems. It's great to rest your body after a tough Summer schedule, but getting back into softball shape at our ages is not an easy thing to do. Maybe the best thing to do is to keep playing all year round or find exercises that somewhat mimic what we do when we're on the field. Or maybe we need to be less muscular. In the words of the old N.Y. Yankee David Wells- "You can't pull fat".

Happy Birthday Carmine - 6/10/21

Congratulations & Happy Birthday to long-time LISSA member Carmine DeStefano. Carmine will turn 90 years young on June 21. Carmine was one of the early members of LISSA and was elected into our Hall of Fame in 2000 as a member of the Tobay Lions. As a tribute to Carmine's playing ability, he has been selected to play in an over-80's Exhibition Game. Atta Boy Carmine - keep rockin'!

Postponements & Forfeit- 6/3/21

Due to the inclement weather today, most of the days' schedule resulted in postponements. The Vikings & Stars were the only game that started but because of rain were forced to suspend the first game after 4 innings. The game will be resumed at a later date with the Vikings leading 9-3.

Unfortunately, the Cougars vs Mustangs game was forfeited by the Mustangs early as they did not have enough players for the game. This kind of action not only hurts the two involved teams, but the rest of the Division is impacted, as the Cougars will receive what in essence is 2 free wins. A forfeit like this only reinforces that teams must have players committed to playing the majority of their teams' games. Too often players are rated by batting & fielding, when in reality, maybe a player's biggest asset to a team is his commitment and game availability.

Memorial Day - 5/30/21

As we ready for Memorial Day, we are all hoping for some nice weather so that we can celebrate with a picnic or BBQ. Let's all take a moment to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. Let's also thank those who are in the Service. Our league is loaded with those who have served in our Armed Forces, retired policeman & fireman who risked their lives to make our lives better. Remember them for a moment - that's the real essence of Memorial Day.

1st Month Observations - 5/27/21

Wow- we've already finished up our first month of the season. Just a few quick observations of our season so far. All the divisions seem to have tight races for first place. Division 1's top three teams are separated by just 2 games. Division 2's top four teams are all within 2 games of one another. The top three teams in Division 3 are only 3 games apart and Division 4's top four teams are separated by only 3 games.

There does seem to be a few critical issues. There have been a number of instances where teams have had the bare minimum amount of players for their games. Fielding 10 players is a severe handicap and has led to a  bunch of uncompetitive games. These games are no fun to play in for either side. The League may have to address the roster sizes in the future to avoid this. There are teams that are carrying over 20 players on their roster while others can barely field a team.

L.I. Jaguars Tournament- 5/24/21

The L.I. Jaguars sent two teams to this past weekend's Quad State Senior Softball Tournament in Westminster Maryland. General manager Joel Riech compiled teams made up of LISSA and Suffolk County senior players to compete in the Over-60 and Over-65 brackets. Riech also managed the Over-60 team that eventually fell to a younger over-55 Major team. The Over-65 team was led by manager Jim Kiernan (Cougars) and made it to the Finals but came up short losing by 2 runs. Both teams accorded themselves very well.

Typically, we post some stats & tournament highlights on the site, but this post we'll post something about the unsung heroes of the weekend. We would be remiss not to mentions 3 such players on the Over-65 team. Gerry Polito (Cougars) was a late addition to the roster as two players cancelled at the last moment. Although he did not play much, Gerry did the little things that sometimes go unnoticed. He filled in on defense, kept the book, managed the courtesy runners and helped with the defensive maneuvering. He was a constant in cheering on the team. Unfortunately, there is no stat for these contributions, but the team knows how valuable and what a good teammate he is.

Jim O'Gara (Vikings)was also an inspiration. Jim pitched the second game of the tournament but was limited to being a courtesy runner for the rest of the tournament. He filled his role with no complaints about playing time although he has been a proven tournament player in the past. Another super teammate.

We have to mention the play of Ron Christian (Admirals). Ron was the oldest player (74 years young) on the roster and played every inning of every game. Besides running for himself (he had a great tournament) he ran almost every inning(courtesy runner) as the team had many injured players. Incredibly, between games he also filled in as a runner for the Over-60 team - sometimes running for players almost a decade younger than him. All this was done in sweltering heat - this guy is amazing.

Lastly, we say good-bye to Jim Kiernan as he will be relocating to Florida within the next few weeks. Jim joined LISSA in 2012 and has been an asset to his teams and our league. He is one of the most personable people you could ever meet. The LISSA family wishes only good things for Jim and his wife Tamara. Good luck- my friend.

Scores of 5/20/21 Games Posted - 5/22/21

The scores of the 5/20/21 LISSA games and the updated standings has been posted (Sorry for the delay). There are tight races in every division with no first place team having more than a two game lead. The hope is that the LISSA can have competitive races for the entire year.

Sad News - 5/16/21

We have just been informed of the passing of the wife of long-time LISSA member Jerry Salata (Panthers). Ellen Salata will be waked at the Park Funeral Chapel located at 2175 Jericho Turnpike, Garden City Park, N.Y. on Wednesday May 19 from 4-8 PM. Our thoughts & prayers are with Jerry and his family. 

LISSA Review of 1st 2 weeks of Play - 5/15/21

After the first two weeks of play, it appears that the games have been fairly close & competitive and Division races are still close. Divisions 3 & 4 have played a number if Inter-Divisional games and the record is close to .500 (11-9 in favor of Division 3). With the influx of new and younger players it is the hope that all divisions will close the gap and get closer to parity.

LISSA Site Hacked - 5/11/21

Can you believe it- our site got hacked last night causing a delay today in posting today's scores and new standings? Why would anybody want to hack into an "Old Man's Softball" league?  This world is going crazy. Anyway, with the help of our top-notch computer guy Mike Berman- the site is back and updated. All is right with the world again!

Illegal Bats - 5/10/21

Last week during LISSA League play, a player was caught coming to the plate and using an illegal bat. Not only was the player called out but he was ejected from both games of this double-header. This offense also carries an automatic suspension which will be decided by the Board. This site (see tab marked Bat Specs) has a page detailing the specifications that a legal bat must have. It is important that managers and teammates make aware to players the consequences of using an illegal bat. The LISSA maintains restrictions on certain bats for the safety of our players and the integrity of our games.

Make-Up Games - 5/5/21

We have just added a new feature to this website. We have added a Make-Up Schedule Tab (hit the Schedule 2021 button on the Menu) for games that have been postponed. It is imperative that managers of teams that have had a game postponed send their "make-up" schedule in to the Board so that we can post it for all to see.

LISSA Opening Day- 5/4/21

Yippee! The season has started but unfortunately there were a number of games postponed because of field conditions due to last night's rain. Those games will be rescheduled shortly.

One quick note - all the teams complied with our reporting of scores procedures and we were able to get the scores & standings up quickly. Keep up the good work.

Let the Games Begin- 5/3/21

After on long Covid Winter, the LISSA will start our season on time with a full slate of games starting tomorrow- May4. With Covid restrictions lessening, it is expected that our season will be played in its entirety. The Board and Managers are asking that players still maintain some Social Distancing and keep "high-five" celebrations to a minimum. Good luck to everyone- stay healthy, stay safe and most of all- have fun.

*MANAGERS - Please try to send your scores in ASAP after your games so that we can update the site quickly.

Sad News - 5/1/21

The LISSA has just learned of the passing of the wife of Vinnie Troiano. Vinnie played for many years for the Hempstead Eagles and was the founder of the L.I. Senior St. Jude's Tournament. His wife, Marie, died last Monday 4/26. She will be waked at the Perry Funeral Home in Lynbrook. A Mass will be held this Monday (5/3) at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church located at 65 Wright Avenue in Malverne, N.Y. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers that a contribution to the St. Jude's Hospital be made.

The LISSA Board, Managers & Players extends their condolences to the Troiano family & friends.

Maryland Classic Senior Tournament Update - 4/28/21

The Long Island Jaguars Tournament Teams were well represented at last week's Maryland Classic Senior Softball Tournament held in Westminster Maryland. General Manager Joel Riech organized and sent four different age bracket teams including an Over-60, Over-65, Over -70 and Over-75 teams. Many of the players are members of the LISSA.

All the teams played well. The Over-65 & Over-75 Jaguars won their brackets. The Over-70 team played well but fell a little short. The Over-60 team played great winning their first three games before losing 25-24 in a game that had two questionable calls go against them. Unfortunately, they were deprived their chance to avenge this loss because the tournament was cut short because of rain.

Congratulations to all for a great showing.

Heartbreaking News - April 22,2021

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the sudden passing of the daughter of long-time LISSA member and the current manager of the RVC Bobcats, John Reilly. Kristiana Reilly (age 11) will be waked on Monday April 26 at the Perry Funeral Home located at 118 Union Ave, Lynbrook N.Y. Visitation is from 2PM-4PM & 7PM -9PM (Monday only). A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday April 27 (9:45 AM) at the St Raymond's Church located at 263 Atlantic Ave, East Rockaway,N.Y. 

The LISSA Board, Managers & Players would like to extend our condolences to John and his family.

April LISSA Managers Meeting - 4/21/21

The April LISSA Managers Meeting was held today outside at Allen Park.  Luckily, the rain held up and the meeting went to its entirety. Hopefully within the next few months the meeting will go back inside where it can be open to all that wish to attend.

There were several topics discussed including this year's planned Hall of Fame Inductions. Because of last year's forced halt on inductions due to the Covid concerns, Frank Marlowe (HOF Chairman) is allowing for teams to present up to 4 players for consideration. Hall of Fame packets will be emailed to all of the teams. As in past years, a 5 year statistical performance (5 best years) is mandatory, as is a photo of each player to be considered. Submissions of these forms will be delayed until the LISSA meetings are held indoors.

Other topics including a clarification of the Designated Fielder Rule, penalties for using illegal bats, and the voting down of the pitching screen were also discussed.

The complete Minutes of the Meeting (see League Meetings tab on Menu) has been posted on this site for review.

Long Island Jaguars Tournament Team Locked & Loaded - 4/15/21

The Long Island Jaguars Tournament teams are ready for action and are committed to a number of 2021 tournaments. Their schedule kicks off with the Maryland Classic next week- April 24 & 25. The teams will be led by LISSA HOF'er Joel Riech & Jim Kiernan (Cougars). The rosters will include a number of LISSA players - good luck guys.

The tentative schedule for the rest of the year includes The Quad State Tournament in Westminster Md (May 21-22), the Senior World Tournament in Richmond, Va. (8/13-815), the Eastern Championships in Salisbury Md. (9/10-9/12) and the always popular Winter Nationals in Ft. Myers Fla. (11/9-11/11). We'll keep you posted on how they do.

LISSA 2021 Schedule Posted on this site- 4/14/21

The 2021 LISSA schedule is now completed and has been posted on this site. You can find the tab on the Menu. Special thanks to Bob Ferrari & Joe Pellecchi who put in many hours of work on the schedule. Get ready for action as our season starts in about 2/12 weeks.

Team Schedules, Rosters & Stats - 3/30/21

If your team is in need of a program to keep your team & individual statistics, we think we found one that fits the bill. It's fast and easy to use and it will update your stats automatically. The site is called "GameChanger" and it's simple enough to get to  (Gamechanger.com). You can fill out your rosters, put up your schedule and do game by game stats. At any time you can print up either the entire roster stats or break it down by player. It's a little easier than doing it by hand.

Coach Joe Kaso - 3/27/21

It's always fun to hear about the sports exploits of LISSA members. Today's post centers around Joe Kaso. Joe started his LISSA career with the Vikings and now is a fixture in the outfield for the RVC Bobcats. Joe has played exclusively in Division 1 and has been a perennial star since he entered our league. But Joe was also a fantastic football player in his early years and was the starting Quarterback for the St. John's Football team in the late 70's. He was named MVP at St. John's in both 1977 & 1978. After his playing career, Joe coached football for several schools. Probably his greatest coaching achievement is at Cardozo High School in Bayside Queens. Cardozo did not have a football program until 2009. Joe was their very first coach and led their Freshman team to a 2-0 record. In 2010 Joe coached the JV team and  led them to a 10-0 season. He has been the head coach of the Judges since their inception.. Congrats Joe and "Go Judges."

Joe Rondinelli on the Mend - 3/26/21

We are happy to report that long-time LISSA member Joe Rondinelli is now home  and recovering from a long bout with the Covid Virus. Joe was hospitalized for close to 7 weeks but we have learned that he's doing well. It is everyone's hope that we will see him soon on the softball field.

Coleman Indoor Season Ends- 3/25/21

As we get ready to usher in the LISSA Spring Training Games, we say goodbye to the Coleman Indoor Facility until next Fall. The 5 teams that participated had rosters that totaled over 75 LISSA members and there were a total of 80 games played in 2021 (there were also practice games played in December). The teams all had a mixture of players from every division in LISSA. It is the hope of the 5 managers (Jim O'Gara, Paul Zimmerman, Al Zoccolillo, Rich Coy & Gene Hennigan) that there will be at least 1 more team added next year. By the comments made by the participants, it seemed like everyone had a good time. Special thanks go out to Paul Zimmerman & Al Zoccolillo for facilitating the move to the Coleman facility. Great job - guys.

Here's the results of this week's games and the final tally for the season.

This week                                   Season record

Vikings  1-1                                   27-3

Stars      4-0                                  24-10

Tigers    3-1                                  16-18

Outlaws 0-2                                 6-22

Lions      0-4                                  7-27

Tommy Z. Moving to S.C. - 3/24/21

We just learned that another long-time LISSA member is relocating. Tom Zagajeski (affectionately known as "Tommy Z." or just "Z".) is permanently moving to South Carolina to be close to his family. Tommy played his entire LISSA career with the Admirals and was also a fixture at indoor softball up until this year. Tommy is a terrific hitter, a fantastic fielder (cannon arm) and a very fast runner. More importantly, he was a great teammate and a super guy. If ever the LISSA institutes a Hall of Fame for character - Tommy will be on the top of the list for induction. Good luck Tommy - you will be missed.

Coleman Indoor Week in Review- 3/19/21

In another action packed week of indoor softball, there was some controversy at the end of the Tigers vs Stars first game on Tuesday. A close play at the end of the game is being disputed by the Stars but after video replay (cameras set up at Coleman) the ruling stands and the Tigers are deemed winners. Here's the week's records.

Vikings 2-0

Tigers - 3-1

Stars  - 3-1

Outlaws 0-2

Lions      0-4

March 2021 Managers Meeting - 3/17/21

The monthly LISSA Managers Meeting was held today at Allen Park. A number of topics were discussed including a minor rule change. There will be a new "mercy rule" that will end a game after 4 innings if one team is up by 20 or more runs. The 2021 schedule is almost complete and will be posted on this site once it is approved. The LISSA is also welcoming in a new team (the Mustangs) who will be playing this year in Division 2. Their home field will be Baldwin Park. To view the Minutes of this meeting, please click on the League Meeting tab on the site's menu.

Video / Photo Montage of the 2020 St Jude's Tournament - 3/16/21

We have just posted a video / photo montage of the 2020 St. Jude's Tournament on this site (see St. Jude's Softball Tournament tab). There were 71 LISSA members who either played or volunteered for this event. The tournament raised $19,500 for this great charity. The directors of the tournament are hopeful that they can top that number this year. Check out the video - you may see yourself or one of your teammates.

A virtual "high five" to all who participated.

Comings & Goings - 3/15/21

The LISSA is getting ready for our Spring Training games that will start on April 1. Many of the teams will be adding brand new players to their rosters and a number of veteran LISSA members will be changing teams. We wish everyone good luck.

We have also learned that two long-time members of the LISSA will be relocating out of state. Steve Cohen who started his LISSA career with the Bobcats and most recently was the starting pitcher for the Stars has already moved to California to be near family members. Steve was an awesome pitcher, fielder and hitter, but more importantly is one of the nicest men you will ever meet.

Jim Kiernan who started his career with the Bulls and later played for the Vikings & Jaguars recently announced that he will be moving to Florida. Jim has always been a powerful hitter but most will remember him for his legendary baserunning. It's hard to remember a time when Jim wasn't smiling or making someone laugh. Although he may be leaving the LISSA, Jim has promised to continue playing tournament ball with the L.I. Jaguars Travel team.

The LISSA family would like to wish both Steve & Jim much happiness in their new homes.

This Week in Coleman - 3/11/21

There's just a few weeks left for Coleman Indoor Softball and it seems to have been a very successful & fun season. We are hoping that next year we can add players & teams. Below are the records for the week of 3/9-3/11.

Stars -   3-1

Vikings- 3-1

Tigers -  2-2

Outlaws-1-3

Lions -     1-3 

Looking for 70's Tournament Players - 3/8/21

A team headed by former LISSA players Pete Lawrence & John Glazer is looking for over 70's players for two tournaments in October. The tournaments are consecutive - one in Mesquite Nevada (starts 10/7) and then they will be off to the Huntsman's Games in Utah from 10/11-10/15. These are top of the line tournaments and the team is looking for Level 1 outfielders. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please contact Pete Lawrence at 516-941-5125.

A-Z - A LISSA Celebrity- 3/5/21

You may not know it- but there's a LISSA member who has had tremendous sports success prior to joining our league. His name spans the alphabet from A to Z - it's Al Zoccolillo (say that 3 times fast) of the Hempstead Admirals. Al has been a member of the LISSA for 16 years having spent most of his years with the Tobay Tigers. Al was a long-time short-stop but more notably was the starting pitcher for the Tigers during their Championship years. But aside from his softball prowess, Al's claim to fame was as the Head Baseball Coach at both Concordia College & Iona College. Al's Iona Gaels won 7 MAC Championships and Al finished his Iona coaching career with over 550 wins. He is a member of the Iona Hall of Fame. Congratulations Al on your amazing career and continued success in the LISSA.

This Week at Coleman- 3/4/21

It was another very competitive week of Indoor Softball at the Coleman Facility. The scores were all pretty close as we all round into shape for the regular season. We've seen many new faces in the last few weeks and it looks like a great recruiting year for the LISSA.

This weeks records are as follows:

Vikings - 4-0

Stars    - 4-0

Tigers  - 1-3

Outlaws 1-3

Lions      0-4 

Terrible News - 3/1/21

The LISSA lost another member this weekend. We just learned of the passing of Billy Brown age 63 who suffered a heart attack and died last Tuesday- 2/23/21. Bill was a four year member of the LISSA who started playing for the Huntington Cougars and most recently was with the Tobay Jaguars (2019 & 2020). Bill will be cremated and there will be a private ceremony for the family. The LISSA sends its deepest sympathies to Bill's family, friends and teammates.

The Passing of Al D'Orazio - 2/28/21

We are saddened to report the passing of long-time LISSA player and a former President of our League- Al D'Orazio. Al was inducted into LISSA's Hall of Fame in 2004 as a member of the Tobay Lions, but his strongest legacy to our league was as it's president. Al ruled with an iron hand but was always fair & thoughtful with his decisions and the league ran smoothly during his tenure. He will be sorely missed but always remembered.

The LISSA would like to extend our deepest condolences to Al's family, friends and former teammates.

2021 Hempstead Seagulls Prepare for Division 3- 2/26/21

By virtue of their amazing 2020 first place finish in Division 4, the Hempstead Seagulls will move to Division 3 and are already preparing for their 2021 season by scheduling several indoor practices at the Coleman Indoor facility. They are armed and loaded with returning players and are planning on adding several new Seagulls. Beware Division 3- these guys are serious.

Coleman Indoor Games Back- 2/25/21

After a week off for Presidents Week, the Coleman Indoor Softball season is back in full swing and had a full slate of games this week. All the games seemed to be competitive as players start to round into shape for the upcoming LISSA season. The season has been very successful so far and it is anticipated that at least 1 team will be added for next Fall's season. For those of you who are not playing but would like to join in on the fun next year we are looking for players with the possibility of expanding to 8 teams. We'll have an update after the season is over.

Below were the team results for this week February 23-25

Vikings    3-1

Stars        2-2

Lions        2-2

Outlaws  2-2

Tigers      1-3

More Sad News - 2/20/21

We are sad to announce the passing of former LISSA player Joe Ditaranto. Joe was the President of the over-70's Senior Softball League. He will be waked at the Frederick Funeral Home (192-15 Northern Blvd, Bayside N.Y.) Sunday 2/21 from 3PM - 7PM. The LISSA family would like to offer our condolences to Joe's family, friends and teammates.

February 2021 Managers Meeting- 2/17/21

The monthly Managers Meeting took place today with many interesting topics discussed including voting on changing some of the rules. To everyone's surprise, nothing will change for this season - every possible rule change was voted down. The league will implement using a pitcher's screen for our Spring Training games and will vote on its use in the regular season after this trial period.

The 2021 schedule is almost completed and many thanks must be given to Bob Ferrari & Joe Pellecchi for their hard work. Divisions 3 & 4 will see an increase in regular season games to 64.

To view the Minutes of this meeting, please go to the League Meetings tab on this site.

Coleman Indoor Update - 2/12/21

The Coleman Indoor Softball League suffered no set backs this week and the teams played their full compliment of games. The scores seem to indicate that they were all competitive games, with most going into the last innings with the outcome still in doubt. The records of the teams this week are listed below. Just as a reminder, next week there are no games scheduled due to Presidents Week.

Vikings 4-0

Stars    3-1

Lions    2-2

Tigers  1-3

Outlaws 0-4

Some Good News - 2/5/21

The LISSA will be adding a number of new players this year. One such player is Brian Bitetto who has been playing in the Coleman Indoor League (and pounding the ball) for the Stars. Brian is still undecided on what LISSA team he is going to play for this season, but the team that gets him will have a prize. Besides Brian's playing abilities, he brings to the LISSA some fanfare as his son Anthony was called up this week to play for the New York Rangers. This has to be a "dream come true" as Brian has been a life-long Rangers fan. Anthony has played amazingly well in his first two games with the Rangers and last night scored a "highlight reel" goal in the Rangers 4-2 win over the Caps. The LISSA family wishes Brian and his son continued success.

More Sad News - 2/4/21

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the passing of the son of long-time LISSA member Sandy Denicker. Santo Denicker will be waked on Saturday February 6 at the Mangano Family Funeral Home from 4-7 PM. It is located at 1701 Deer Park Ave, Deer Park, N.Y. The phone number is 631-586-3600.

The LISSA Board, Managers & Players would like to extend our condolences to Sandy and his family.

Coleman Indoor Softball is Back - 2/4/21

After several weeks of inactivity due to Covid concerns and bad weather, the Coleman Indoor Softball season was back in full swing this week with games being played on Wednesday 2/3 and Thursday 2/4. Here's the records of the teams for this week.

Vikings 2-0

Tigers 3-1

Stars  2-2

Lions  1-3

Outlaws 0-2

* We would also ask that everyone's thoughts and prayers be with long-time LISSA member Joe Rondinelli for a speedy recovery. Joe has been hospitalized with Covid. Joe is one of the most popular guys in our league. We all hope to see him soon back in the "Bubble".

Sad News - 1/28/21

We just learned of the passing of long-time LISSA member Arnie Raichek. Arnie was a player with the original Five Town Stars. Arnie was also the Manager of the Stars for many years and could be seen at their games up until a few years ago. He was elected to the LISSA Hall Of Fame in 1998. For many years he kept the League Standings & Schedule on the original LISSA website. He will be sadly missed. The LISSA Board, Managers and LISSA family would like to extend condolences to Arnie's family, friends and, former teammates.



Tournament Update - L.I. Jaguars - 1/26/21

The L.I. Jaguars, a traveling tournament organization with many LISSA players, stormed Florida last week at the Polk County Tournament of Champions. The Jaguars sent three teams including an Over 60, Over 65 and Over 70 teams and all represented LISSA with great play.

The Over 60 team was managed by LISSA HOF'er Joel Riech and won the tournament outright. The team was led by Gerard Stigliano (Vikings) who won Tournament MVP by belting 9 home runs, 32 RBI and hitting .750. Other notables were Doug Whitfield (Vikings) who hit over .700, Paul Monteleone (Admirals) who batted over .600 and played stellar defense, and Miguel Rosario (Bees) who went 3 for 3 with a homer in the final and deciding game.

The Over 65 team was managed by LISSA's Jim Kiernan (Jaguars) and won their first three games. The team was led by Byron Bodine (Tigers) & Don Thompson (Vikings) who both hit over .800 for the tournament. Pitcher Pat Kelty (Tigers) was brilliant pitching & fielding.

The Over 70 team also had a number of LISSA players and former player and LISSA Hall of Famer Pete Lawrence (Bobcats) who won the Over 70 Home Run Hitting Contest.

Congratulations to all that participated.

Covid Concerns Cause Postponement of Indoor Play - 1/26/21

Because of a recent case of Covid-19 of a Coleman Indoor Softball player, the managers have agreed to suspend play for another week. There are no games on 1/26, 1/27 & 1/28 - but the plan is to re-start on Tuesday February 2. This suspension will also allow for the L.I. jaguars Tournament players who play indoors an ample quarantine time so that they can resume playing on that date.

LISSA Announces New Division Alignment for 2021-1/21/21

The LISSA Monthly Managers Meeting was held via Zoom yesterday - 1/20/21. The Minutes of that meeting can be viewed by clicking the League Meetings tab in this site's menu.

One of the most interesting topics of yesterday's meeting was the realignment of the divisions for the 2021 season. With the addition of a new team (Mustangs), the Board was forced to make decisions on the alignment of the Divisions. In a bold move, they are keeping Division 1 the same as last year, adding two teams to Division 2 (including the Mustangs), Division 3 will have 4 teams and Division 4 will have 5 teams. This new alignment may result in Divisions 3 & 4 playing more games (possibly 64 games). The schedule is being worked on and should be ready within the next month or so. A breakdown of the Divisions is as follows.

Division 1                  Division 2

Vikings                      Dodgers

Stars                          Cougars

Tigers                        Admirals

Bobcats                    Jaguars

                                   Lions

                                   Mustangs

Division 3                 Division 4

Outlaws                    Pirates

Knights                     Panthers

Generals                  Bees

Seagulls                   Eagles

                                  Lightning

Indoor Softball Canceled -1/19 & 1/21 Games - 1/17/21

The Covid virus has caused the cancelation of the Coleman Indoor Softball League games scheduled for 1/19 & 1/21. One of the indoor players tested positive for Covid this weekend and although it is not known where or when he contracted it, the managers have agreed that the prudent thing to do is cancel games for the week. The hope is that if there are no more reported cases of the indoor players that we can continue play on 1/26. We'll keep you updated.

More Games Scheduled for Indoor Softball - 1/14/21

Since there are 2 teams that have byes every week in the Coleman Indoor League, the managers have decided to add more games to the schedule. As of 1/27/21, the teams that have byes for that week will now play on Wednesday at 10:00 AM (the facility will be open to us at 9:30). This will allow for every team to play 2 days a week. This will remain in effect until the end of the season.

Records for games played on 1/12 & 1/14

Vikings   4-0

Stars       2-2

Outlaws 1-1

Lions      1-3

Tigers     0-2

Indoor Results - 1/11/21

Although there are no official standings being kept during the Coleman Indoor Softball Season, many of the players want to know how teams are doing. Although the team names listed below are LISSA names, all of the teams are mixed teams of players from throughout our league. The hope is that next year we will have more interested players and that indoor softball will be open to all that want to play. If you have not seen the new facility, you can check it out every Tuesday & Thursday morning at the Coleman Day Camp Center, Merrick, N.Y. right off Exit 7W of the Meadowbrook Parkway. 

Below are last week's records. please note that each day a different team will has a bye.

Vikings    4-0

Tigers      2-2

Stars       1-1

Outlaws 1-3

Lions       0-2

2021 LISSA Registration Forms - 1/3/21

Happy New Year to all. Our unofficial Spring Training games start in a little more than 3 months. As with every new season, there will be some movement of players to different teams and the league will add new players to the league. It is important to note that any LISSA player who is thinking of switching teams must fill out a form for insurance purposes. This form can be printed directly from this site under the tab "Registration" on the menu.

Also, any new player to the league who is either joining a team or trying-out during the Spring games must fill out the "New Player" form also found in the site's menu.

Happy Holidays to All - 12/24/20

As we all can attest, 2020 has been one of the most difficult years of our lives. With all the problems the world is facing, we still have a lot to be thankful for. The LISSA Board would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. Please stay healthy & safe as we hope that soon we'll get back to some normalcy.

Thoughts on the New Indoor Softball Bubble - 12/21/20

The new indoor facility at the Coleman Day Camp Center has been open to LISSA players since early December. The 5 existing teams have used December to clarify and adjust some of the ground rules and the facility seems to be a rousing success so far. The "new bubble" allows for 4 outfielders to be viable even with a short right field. The scores have been lower than expected, but this has made for more competitive games where defense is paramount. .  The open field with full base lines has proved to be much safer than the bubble at Lindenhurst. This venue is well lit, is heated when we come in, has clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. One of the biggest assets of the new facility is the air filtration system that pumps in fresh air every two hours. This is more critical since the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking of the Covid-19 - it is refreshing to see that the majority of the players have worn masks on the sidelines and many of them on the field. It makes for as safe an environment as we can expect in these scary days. It is every ones hope that the vaccine will be available soon and that we can get back to a more normal life.

December LISSA Managers Meeting- 12/16/20

The monthly LISSA Managers Meeting took place today, Wednesday December 16 via Zoom. The Minutes of that meeting has been posted to the site (see League Meetings). It was a spirited meeting in which it was announced that a new team will be added to the LISSA. The team will be named the Mustangs and they will be placed in Division 2. The Mustangs will play their home games at Baldwin Park Orange. As a result of the new team being added the existing 4 divisions will be realigned.

It was also announced that Board member Gary Leventhal will not seek another term and will be replaced by Rich Coy (Outlaws). We would like to thank Gary for his years of excellent service and would also like to wish Rich the best of luck.

Updated Indoor Rules - 12/8/20

In an attempt to increase scoring in the indoor bubble, several new rules have been added(see Indoor Rules on menu). On a trial basis for the month of December, all composite bats (including Senior Bats) will be allowed. The managers will re-evaluate to see if this is a permanent rule.

The other change is that infielders must have at least 1 foot inside the designated infield area until a ball is put in play.

Sad News - 12/1/20

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of the wife of Joe Jacaruso (Vikings). Jean Jacaruso died yesterday. A funeral Mass will be held at St Boniface in Elmont (time not settled). The wake is at the Krause Funeral Home in Franklin Square and visiting hours will be posted on their site tomorrow The LISSA would like to offer our condolences to Joe and his family.

Red Sox win Over 70's League Championship-11/29/20

The Red Sox of our sister Over-70's League won the Championship of 2020. Many of the leagues players are current or former LISSA players. Congratulations to the Red Sox and the rest of the league for completing their season in this most difficult year.

Indoor Bubble Rules - 11/24/20

After a spirited Managers Meeting today, the Indoor Softball Rules for games being played at the Coleman Day Camp Center are now up and running on this site. The rules are basically the same as the ones used in the Lindenhurst Bubble with some new ground rules being put into effect to accommodate the new venue. These rules will be tested during games played in December and adjustments will be made if need be. Click on the "Indoor Rules" on the menu bar to view.

Indoor Bubble Schedule Posted- 11/22/20

The new Indoor Softball schedule is now up and can be viewed by clicking the "Indoor Schedule" button on the menu board. 5 teams will be playing starting Tuesday December 1 and will run through March 25. The new location is located at the Coleman Day Camp Center in Merrick, N.Y (Exit 7W off the Meadowbrook Parkway). The games will be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first games will start at 9:00 AM and the second session at 11:00 AM and each session will be a double-header.

There will be a special managers meeting at Coleman this Tuesday November 24 at 10:00 AM. The ground rules and playing rules will be discussed. This meeting is an open one in which anyone can come down to view the new facility or give input to the rules discussion. If you have the time, please come down and join in.

A few words about the Coleman facility:

1. The playing field is literally twice the size of what LISSA players are used to playing in other indoor venues which offers the closest experience to playing outdoors.
2. It's a safer playing surface with no obstructions on the field and has extended foul lines.
3. Covid- 19 Precautions have been set into place as a new air-filtration system has been installed that brings in fresh air every two hours.
4. The parking lot is close to the facility and there's plenty for everyone.
5. The owner has promised that there will be heat at the time that we enter.

More L.I. Jaguars News - 11/21/20

In a previous post, we failed to mention that the Over 70's Long Island Jaguars placed 2nd at the Winter Nationals in Ft. Myers last week. The tournament was marred by bad weather but the tournament was completed. The L.I. Jaguars placed 4 players on the Over 70 All-Tournament Team including the LISSA own Jim O'Gara (Vikings) and a past member of LISSA and 2019 Hall of Fame inductee Pete Lawrence(Bobcats).Congratulations on a job well done.

November Managers Meeting Minutes posted- 11/20/20

The Minutes of the November 2020 Managers Meeting has been posted on this site (see League Meetings). This meeting had several interesting topics including the possibility of a new team being added to the LISSA next year. Other highlights included a discussion on re-alignment of the divisions next year and one managerial change- Lou Martino will be taking over the Generals in 2021. Our opening day for 2021 is tentatively scheduled for May 4 - it can't come soon enough.

Indoor Softball starts 12/1 - 11/19/20

A group of LISSA members are planning on playing this off-season indoors at the Coleman Day Camp Center in Merrick starting on December 1,2020. The season is tentatively scheduled to run through March 25. As of today, there will be 5 teams and games will be played on Tuesdays & Thursdays (Two 2 hour sessions per day) starting at 9:00 AM. The majority of the players are from the LISSA or possible future LISSA players. With impending possible restrictions due to the spike in the Corona -Virus, it is the hopes that the schedule will start on time with no breaks. We'll keep you informed with any new news.

L.I Jaguars win Winter Nationals - 11/18/20

The Over -60 Long Island Jaguars led by manager Joel Riech (LISSA Hall of Famer) won the Winter Nationals Senior Softball Tournament in Ft Myers Florida this past weekend. The team went 6-0 and outscored their opponents 118-56. The team roster was loaded with LISSA players. Tony Cherry of the Vikings hit over .800 while socking 5 homers and knocking in 29 runs in the 6 games. Paul Montelione (Admirals)had an outstanding tournament hitting .600 and playing brilliantly in the field. Congratulations!

LISSA  & St. Jude's Photos - 11/6/20

John Castellaneta (aka John Cass) has been the long-time unofficial photographer for LISSA. You can often see John at LISSA games & events taking pictures. He asked us to mention where these photos can be viewed in there entirety as many LISSA members want to view them. A big thanks to John for all his fine work- he is also one of the nicest men you will ever meet. John asked to post the following for him- you'll want to visit these sites to see friends, teammates and quite possibly yourself.

In the past several seasons, I've taken a lot of team photos, photos of Hall of Fame members and game action photos and I’ve had a lot of players ask me where they can see them all. There are a couple of places.

If you are on Facebook, all you have to do is type in Long Island Senior Softball Association (the entire name), in the Facebook search bar. That will take you to the page with all of the photos I've taken this year and past years. This includes LISSA, Seventies softball and St. Jude Tournament photos. My personal Facebook page is John Cass. You can look for that also.

If you're not on Facebook, I've downloaded all of my photos onto Shutterfly.com, which is a file sharing site. You can access these sites, by clicking on the blue highlighted addresses below or simply type them into your search bars. 

For LISSA photos: lissasoftball.shutterfly.com 

For St Jude Tournament photos: stjudesr.shutterfly.com 

For 70's League Softball: 70ssoftball.shutterfly.com 

 You can order prints of any photos you like directly from the Shutterfly site, if you choose to. If you do, please understand that I do not make any money from this site at all. It's a file sharing site where Shutterfly allows people like me to store their digital photos and then makes them available for others to see them and to order them. That way, they make money and people like me don't have to pay to store photos. 

However, if you see a photo that you like and want a digital copy, not a print, all you have to do is email me at  jcass53@gmail.com and provide your name, email address and the numbers of the photos from Shutterfly that you want and I'll email them to you, for free of course. The only caveat here is that the photos are very large files and can only be sent one at a time, so hopefully you guys will be kind and not ask for fifty different photos each. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me or call me at 516 457-5486.

Also, feel free to forward this to anyone who might want the info.

Thanks, John Castellaneta.

EOS Tournament Results- 11/5/20

The Finals of the LISSA End of Season Tournament for Divisions 1 & 3 took place today and the season is now officially over. Congratulations to today's winners . The Vikings bested the Stars in 3 games to take the Division 1 EOS Tournament and the Lions topped the Outlaws in two games to win Division 3.

With 2020 in the books, we are hoping that next year will be an easier season for the league. It's time to start getting ready for next year - but please keep coming back to the site for any updates. See ya in the Spring!

EOS Tournament Rescheduled - 11/1/20

Because of inclement weather, the LISSA End of Season Tournament has been postponed until this coming Thursday- November 5. The remaining games are scheduled as follows:

Division 1 - Stars vs Vikings at Plainedge  9:30AM

Division 3 - Outlaws vs Lions at Burns Park 9:30 AM

Division 4- the Seagulls and Lightning have agreed to share the winnings and not play.

St. Jude's Senior Softball Tournament Recap- 10/30/20

                                      Wow!

The Annual St. Jude's Senior Softball Tournament was held this past Monday & Tuesday (Oct 26 & 27) and it was a rousing success. The tournament raised over $19,000 which topped last year's total by nearly $4,000. There was also a record 10 teams participating with over 60 LISSA players. By all accounts, the games were competitive and loads of fun. Many thanks to the organizers of the tournament that included the LISSA's own Richie Coy (Outlaws), Mario Harris (Eagles) and the initial organizer Vinnie Troiano (a long time LISSA member now playing in the 70's league). The tournament Board would also like to thank all those who participated and a special thanks to the USA Umpires who donated their time.

Let's all try to make next year's event an even bigger success. By the way- it's not too late to donate. You can send a check to Mario Harris (made out to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital) at P.O. Box 897, Plandome, N.Y. 11030.

End of Season Tournament Continues- 10/23/20

The LISSA End of Season Divisional Tournaments continued yesterday with the following results. The scores for these games can be found on the "Scores" page on this site.

Division 1 - the Stars outlasted the Tigers in 3 games to advance to the Finals against the Vikings.

Division 2- the Cougars beat the Dodgers in 3 games to win the Divisional series. Congratulations.

Division 3 - the Lions topped the Generals in two games and the Outlaws took 2 from the Knights. The Lions & Outlaws will meet in the Division 3 Finals.

Division 4 - the Seagulls bested the Eagles in two games and the Lightning won in  three games over the Pirates. The Seagulls and Lightning will play in the Division 4 Finals.

The dates, times & fields for the Divisional Finals Tournament Games can be found by clicking the EOS Tournament Tab.

Round 1 of LISSA End of Season Tournament - 10/20/20

The First Round of the LISSA End of Season started today with all but 1 series being played (the Stars/Tigers game was postponed to be played Thursday 10/22).

Division 1 Vikings beat the Bobcats in 2 games

Division 2 Dodgers defeated the Jaguars in 3 games

                  Cougars beat the Admirals in 2 games

Division 3 Play-In Game Generals advance by taking the Bees in 2 games

Division 4 Play-In Game Eagles win 2 over panthers to advance

The results of the games are on our Scores page.

End of Season Tournament - 10/15/20

The LISSA End of Season Tournament has been posted on the site (see menu bar). It starts next Tuesday (October 20) with Division 1 & 2 starting their EOS Tournament and Division 3 & 4 will have their "play-in" games. It will be adjusted once the results of those games are in.

The LISSA Board would also like to congratulate all the Division Winners (Vikings, Dodgers, Lions and Seagulls) on their amazing seasons.

St. Jude's Tournament Reminder - 10/13/20

Don't forget to get your applications & donations in for the Annual St. Jude's Senior Softball Tournament that will be held later this month (October 26 & 27) at Cantiague Park. There's still plenty of time to register (they will take applications right up to the last day). These will be the most important softball games you will play this year and every penny raised will go directly to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The games are fun, there will be food ,drinks & raffles, players receive T-shirts, and the cause could not be better. Please join in and tell your teammates and friends about it. You can get an application by clicking on the Home Page, but if you can't play a donation of any amount is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

End of Season  - 10/8/20

As the LISSA Season heads into it's final week of the regular play, one thing is very obvious- we all owe the Board & Managers a big Thank You for all their hard work during an incredibly tough year for our league & country. Many of the Softball Leagues throughout the state either canceled their season or shortened them dramatically. Our Board & Managers worked tirelessly to not only keep our season alive but do it in such a manner as to keep us safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. They still managed to re-arrange the schedule so that most teams played at least a 40 game schedule. They also made a bold decision to shut-down our season for two weeks when one of the LISSA members tested positive for Covid.

Thanks guys- "ya done good"!

Player Behavior - 10/3

It has come to the attention of the LISSA Board and Managers that there has been a number of occasions where players behavior has been less than stellar. In the past few weeks there have been a number of players ejected from games by umpires and even one incident of physical contact between players. The LISSA Rule 15 (see League Rules Tab on this site) deals with Player Code of Conduct and the penalties for such bad behavior. The Board has already suspended several players and have promised stricter penalties if this continues. Please act responsibly, keep your teammates in line and show true sportsmanship. 

Position Day # 2 on October 6 - 10/2/20

LISSA's 2nd Position day for Divisions 3 & 4 will take place on Tuesday October 6th. The LISSA Board has sent out the following message.

To All:

Next Tuesday 10/6/2020 is a Position Day for Divisions 3 and 4. There are 3 Games scheduled for Monday 10/5/2020 which could impact Standings in those Divisions and hence change the schedule for 10/6/2020.

The schedule for Tuesday 10/6/2020 based upon the Standings today is as follows:

Division 3

Lions Host Outlaws Burns Park

Generals Host Bees Cantiague C

Knights Host Lightning Floral Park

Division 4

Seagulls Host Pirates Wantagh C

Eagles Host Panthers Salisbury Park

First Ever LISSA Position Day games - 9/17/20

Because of the Covid-19 delay of our season, the LISSA Board was forced to shorten our season a little. Because of this, there were an uneven amount of games. The Board decided to have Position Days (much like Bowling) to even out the season. This coming Tuesday, September 22 will mark the first ever games using this scheduling. Teams for Divisions 3 & 4 will play as follows:

Lions Home Team vs Knights Plainedge Park 

 Outlaws Home Team vs Bees Eisenhower # 2

Seagulls Home Team vs Lightning Wantagh Park

Pirates Home Team vs Panthers Burns Park

Eagles Home Team vs Generals Cantiague # 

2020 St. Jude's Softball Tournament- 9/13/20

The 5th L.I. St. Jude's Senior Softball Tournament has become an annual event that you don't want to miss. It is open to all Senior Softball players with proceeds going to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Last year's donation totaled an amazing $15,500. Many of the participants were from the LISSA and the hope is that this year even more will join in on the fun. The games are terrific and the cause could not be a more worthy one. This year's tournament/fundraiser will be held on October 26 &,27 (October 28 rain date). The location of the games is not set yet, but Mitchell Field is a possibility as it has four fields back to back. We are working on getting the application forms on this site and flyers will be passed out at LISSA games soon. The LISSA Board urges all to try to participate (or donate) and make this year's event even more successful than last year's. Please tell your friends & teammates. It is the hope that maybe we can help children of need someday enjoy being healthy enough to play the game that we love so much. It may be the most important games you'll ever play.

 For more information you can contact Rich Coy (Outlaws manager) at kulbryz7@aol.com or Mario Harris at mario.harris@gmail.com

All Of The 9/10/20 Games Were Postponed-9/12/20

If you are looking for an update of the 9/10/20 scheduled LISSA games, please note that all were cancelled due to inclement weather. Many of the games have already been re-scheduled (see Make Up Games page) and we are waiting to hear from the other teams as to their re-scheduling. Once we get this information it will be posted on the site.

Remembering 9/11 - 9/11/20

Today marks the 19th Anniversary of one of the most solemn days in our country's history. The LISSA is filled with retired NYC fireman & cops- many whom lost friends or served on that day and the days that followed at Ground Zero. Today, while our country is filled with protesting, rioting and looting in the name of social injustice, it is important that we remember the lives lost on 9/11/01 and the courage  our firemen & policemen displayed on that fateful day. It is a day that (no matter your political persuasion) we should all for one moment inter-lock our arms in unity to thank them for their sacrifice.

2020 LISSA Season Halfway Review - 9/10/20

Believe it or not, the LISSA 2020 season is just about at the halfway point with another month to play. Only a few months ago, our season was in jeopardy, but because of the hard work by our Board & Managers it appears that we may be able to finish our season. Kudos to all of people who made this season happen.

A Few Observations:

1. A quick look at the standings reveals that the talent level is still way out of balance. Division 1 teams are still dominating the Inter-Divisional Games (14-2) at this point) with the top two teams being undefeated in these games. The Division 3 & 4 Inter-Divisional games are much more competitive.
2. Some teams are following the social distancing recommendations better than others. As a league we need to be more diligent to prevent any chance of spreading the Covid-19 Virus.
3. Because of incredible amount of postponements, most of the teams will have a lot of make-up games to play. It is imperative to be careful and pace yourself during the heightened schedules.
4. There seems to be many new and younger players in the league. It's great to be adding better talent which may eventually lead to more parity.

LISSA Standings Page - 9/7/20

For the remainder of this season the LISSA Standings will be done by hand. Next year, we are hoping to go to a fully automated system that will calculate the standings, percentages, and games out. We are also hoping that this new program will automate our 2021 schedule which will eliminate many hours of work for the Board. Since this year's standings are being "hand-done", it is imperative that teams check their records for accuracy. If there is a mistake, please contact the Board and it will be resolved.

Make-Up Schedule updated - 8/31/20

The LISSA Make-Up Schedule has been updated on this site. Please note that there are still some games pending that must be re-scheduled and those games will be updated once the Managers and Board approve the dates.

Games Postponed Due to Covid-19 Virus Will Not be Made Up - 8/28/20

Just to clear up some confusion, the Board has decided that the games canceled due to the Covid-19 Virus suspension will not be made up. All games that were postponed prior to the suspension will be made up. Once the new updated Make-Up Schedule has been approved, it will be posted on the website.

LISSA Season to Resume Starting September 1 - 8/28/20

Yesterday, 8/27/20, the LISSA Board held an Emergency Meeting to discus the reopening of the 2020 season. It was reported that the players of the team with the infected player (Covid-19) had all been tested with all results being Negative. The infected player will not return to play until he tests negative too. The Board has decided to reopen play starting next Tuesday 9/1 with the hopes that the schedule can be played to its entirety. The Board urges that everyone act responsibly and obey the rules of social distancing.

LISSA Rules & By-Laws Updated - 8/21/19

In order for our League to have total transparency, the LISSA Board has decided to publish updated Playing Rules and the League By-Laws on this site for all to see. They can be viewed by clicking the appropriate button on the site's menu.

It might be handy to print and keep a copy at your games.

August League Meeting - 8/19/20

The LISSA Monthly League Meeting was held today via Zoom with all teams being represented. This year's meetings have taken on added importance with the difficulty of trying to play the schedule amid the Covid-19 crisis. Many topics were addressed including the remaining schedule, the end of the year tournament and the expected conduct of our players. To view the Minutes of this meeting and past meetings, please go to the "League Meetings" page listed on this site's menu.

70's League and the Covid-Virus- 8/18/20

There seems to be some concern and dissent over the fact that the Over-70's Senior Softball League is still playing their games and that some of their players are also members of the LISSA team that had a player test positive for the Covid-Virus. The first thing that must be noted is that the 70's League is no longer associated with LISSA. The LISSA president (Joe Pellecchi) spoke with the 70's Commissioner and was assured that the LISSA players had to pass Covid tests in order to play.

The Board also realizes that many LISSA players are disappointed and even angry with the suspension of our season. The Board made this decision with the health & safety of our players in mind. In this insane year, it's refreshing to know that our well-being is at the forefront of the Board's decisions.



Hopefully the LISSA season will proceed after our suspension and we can all look forward to playing ball for many more years.

Suspension of Play- A Message from the LISSA President- 8/16/20

The following is a copy of an email sent to all the LISSA Managers from President Joe Pellecchi:

To All:

As you know a member of the BEES tested positive for the Corona Covid 19 Virus. He is currently under Quarantine through 8/28/20. All members of the BEES will be tested. 



The Board of Directors met this morning and discussed whether or not to shut down for the duration of the season as we had originally indicated. Th Board felt that by requiring the BEES to be tested and utilizing a Quarantine Period we could save the season.



No games will be played until the earliest 9/1/2020 contingent on no more Positive Tests. Since the Board believes that it would be impossible to police Practicing will be allowed but no Practice Games between teams will be allowed. Please adhere to that so that we can pick up the season on 9/1/2020.



Everyone's cooperation is needed.



Stay Safe



Joe Pellechi



Be Kinder to our Umpires- 8/15/20

As we all know, things have been awfully crazy in 2020. The LISSA has been lucky enough to start our season and hopefully we can complete it without a Covid incident. Because of our nearly 5 month quarantine and all the restrictions that have come with this pandemic, tempers seem to be flaring up in our league. The Board has received a number of complaints from the ASA/USA Umpires and just this past week a player was ejected from a game for foul language directed at an umpire. It is important to note that the LISSA has always had a strict policy about arguing with umpires and that there are severe consequences for such actions. As seniors, we should all be thankful to still be playing ball and in this year of worldwide strife we should be a little more sympathetic to everyone- even umpires. Many LISSA players are still umpires or former umpires and they can all attest that it can sometimes get very difficult. Just like no player wants to make an out or an error- an umpire never wants to make a bad call. Let's leave any umpire discussions to the Managers and try to show better sportsmanship towards everyone. After all- it really is just "old man softball".

A Word of Caution - 8/11/20

Today, during a double-header at Eisenhower Park between the Tigers & Dodgers a disturbing incident occurred. Between games one of the Tigers players went to his car parked at the Merrick Avenue parking lot to get a chair he had in his trunk. He inadvertently left his car unlocked and upon his return to his car he found that his wallet had been stolen. The player not only lost cash, but his credit cards were used and his license will need to be replaced. Please be advised to take your valuables with you and make sure that your car is always locked. It could happen to you.

Covid-19 Cancels Bees Games - 8/10/20

Because of a Covid 19 Diagnosis of the wife of a Rockville Center Bees player, the Board has cancelled the Bees Games for this week. The following are the cancelled games. It has not yet been determined when these games will be replayed.

• Tuesday 8/11/20 Home to the Seagulls
• Thursday 8/13/20 Visiting the Outlaws
• Makeup Game on Friday 8/14/20 at Home vs the Lightning

If a Negative Covid 19 Test Result is received for that Player we will resume the Bees Schedule.



We applaud the Board for their quick and decisive response.

Rain Outs & Make-Up Games - 8/8/20

 In this crazy year, we have had a number of games postponed or suspended because of rain & heat. Please check the new Make Up Games tab to find out when your games will be resumed or played.

There seems to be some confusion regarding when rained out games are to be replayed. Our League rule reads as follows:

11.2 Rainout Policy: All teams are required to make up rain cancelled games on the Home Team's next rain date the following week. We have indicated that if the Rainout is a Tuesday it needs to be made up the following Monday. If the Rainout is a Thursday it needs to be made up the Monday of the following week.

Standings Page Updated - 7/28/20

As of today's games, the Standings for the league have been posted on the site. Our web builder is working on a program that will make posting the scores and standings easier and neater. We hope to have that system up and running in a few weeks.Until it is tested and working, we will be posting the standings informally. Please bear with us until then.

Steve Beccalori Published in the N.Y. Times- 7/27/20

LISSA's own Steve Beccalori (Seagulls) wrote a terrific piece about an adolescent  incident of his that was published in the 7/26/20  edition of the N.Y. Times. Below is a copy of that article. Congrats Steve - we hope this inspires others to act kindly.

Making Deliveries

Dear Diary:

When I was in high school, I delivered groceries for a deli in Astoria after school.

Balancing boxes in my bike basket, I would make deliveries to many people in a large apartment complex across the street from the deli.

Each building had a courtyard, and I would ride my bike on the sidewalk and turn into the ones where I had deliveries to make.

Two or three times a week, I passed and older man who scowled at me and yelled at me to get off the sidewalk.

Once, during Christmas week, I was riding with a very heavy load when I saw the man.

"Merry Christmas" I shouted before he had a chance to yell at me. I kept riding and was surprised not to hear him say anything.

When I rode past him the following week, I was taken aback to hear him say "Hiya kid"

He greeted me the same way whenever I rode past again.

Serious LISSA Incident Yesterday - Please Read- 7/24/20

Yesterday during pregame warm-ups (Stars/Tigers) at Plainedge Community Center Field a Stars player collapsed on the field. He started convulsing and luckily both teams had retired NYC Firemen who handled the situation calmly and aided the player in distress. The Field was equipped with Defib Paddles and although they were not used they were available.  A call was immediately placed to 911 and police and paramedics were sent to the field. It was eventually confirmed that the player had in fact suffered a heart attack. He was taken to Winthrop Hospital and we are happy to report that he is doing much better. The League would like to thank all those who helped yesterday with special kudos to the Stars Johnny "Fire"  (a retired FDNY Captain) who's response was literally life saving.



The Board would like all Managers & Players to be aware of the proper procedures to be taken in the event of a serious health or injury issue. A call to 911 should be immediate and all teams should know the direct number of the local Fire Department. All teams should also know if the field is equipped with Defib Devices and where they are located. Sometimes seconds can save a life, so it is important  be prepared in case of an emergency.

Again- thanks to everyone who came to the aid yesterday - they were the real heroes of yesterday's games.

Senior Softball Article in Newsday - 7/24/20

We have just learned that there will be an article in this Sunday's Newsday about Senior Softball on Long Island. The LISSA President, Joe Pellecchi was interviewed and is quoted several times in the article. The following is a copy of an email from the Newsday writer of the article, Cara Trager.

Hi Everyone:

Thanks so very much for participating in my Newsday Act 2 story on senior softball. It was a long time coming, with COVID-19 requiring three updates to make sure certain facts didn't change -- as well as to include new information, and the coronavirus also led to two publication postponements because of quarantining and then parks remaining closed. Until now!

Wishing everyone a very safe and healthy summer and beyond.

Now, without further ado, play ball!

(The article will appear in the print edition on Sunday, as well as in its printed format online, also on Sunday.)

Again, many, many thanks!

Best wishes, Cara

Rain Shortened Make-Up Games - 7/23/20

Today the LISSA had 4 games with suspended play due to inclement weather. Several of the games were stopped after some action had already taken place.  To clarify how these games are to made up, the LISSA follows the ASA/USA  Rule 5.2 C that read as follows:

At the end of incomplete games, both managers shall have the umpire sign their score books to insure that the same line-ups are used for the scheduled completion of the incomplete game. Games must be resumed from the exact point from where they were stopped. ( See USA /ASA Rule 5 Section 3 A thru F )

Umpires get paid for incomplete game and the make up game.



LISSA Season Opens - 7/21/20

It finally arrived and all 18 teams played yesterday in the start of the LISSA 2020 season. The scores of the games have been posted. We are working on updating the Standings Page and it should be up and running soon.

Stay safe!

Play Ball! - 7/20/20

It's finally here. God willing, the 2020 LISSA season will open tomorrow, Tuesday July 21. We've been waiting for this for almost 3 months and finally- it's time.

The LISSA Board and all the Managers would like to wish everyone good luck. Most of all- let's all hope for a safe, healthy and, injury free season for everyone.

Have fun guys!

Position Days on 2020 LISSA Schedule- 7/18/20

Because of the late start to the LISSA season, the schedule needed to be shortened. A typical LISSA season would have a 60 game schedule for each team, but because of the lack of available dates our 2020 season was cut to 50 games. Since the math did not add up to be able to make a balanced schedule, the Board has decided to play Position Days, much like is done in Bowling Leagues. The breakdown is as follows.

This season there will be 2 Position Weeks Div1/Div2 and 3 Position Weeks in Div3/Div4.

Div1/ Div 2 the games will be Intra Division 1st Place vs 2nd Place and 3rd Place vs 4th Place. The Home Team will be the Team with the "Better Record".

In the event of Teams having the same record the Tie Breaker will be as follows.

1. Head to Head Record

2. Intra Division Record

3. Runs Scored

4. Coin Flip

Position Week One Div3/Div4 the games will be Intra Division 1st Place vs 2nd Place, 3rd Place vs 4th Place and 5th Place Division 3 vs 5th Place Division 4 Position Week 1. Better Record is Home Team

Position Week Two Div3/Div4 Intra Division 1st Place vs 2nd Place, 3rd Place vs 5th Place and 4th Place Division 3 vs 4th Place Division. Better Record is Home Team.



Position Week Three Div3/Div4 Intra Division 1st Place vs 2nd Place, 4th Place vs 5th Place and 3rd Place Division 3 vs 3rd Place Division 4. Better Record Home Team.

Tie Breakers will be the same other than the Crossover Games which will be Head to Head, Total Runs and Coin Flip

New Revised LISSA Schedule now Posted- 7/17/20

Because of a small glitch in our original Covid-19 schedule, the schedule needed to be revised with a couple of minor changes. Most of the teams will not be affected. The new changes are as follows:

Was: 7/30/20 Panthers Visiting the Lightning; Lions Visiting the Seagulls

Revised: 7/30/20 Lions Visiting the Lightning; Seagulls Visiting the Panthers at Cantiague C

Was: 9/8/20 Eagles Visiting the Pirates; Knights Visiting the Seagulls

Revised: 9/8/20 Knights Visiting the Pirates; Eagles Visiting the Seagulls

Recommendations for Return To Play - 7/15/20

The LISSA Board has made a list of Recommendations for Return to Play under the Covid-19 pandemic. They can be found on the Home Page of this site under our countdown to the season opener display. It is incumbent on all managers, players, coaches and spectators to respect these recommendations for the safety of everyone. Although most of the recommendations are not mandatory, the hope is that all will use careful judgement when gathering for games and LISSA events

L.I. Jaguars Over 60 Team Wins Too - 7/11/20

The results from the Westminster Maryland Senior Softball Tournament is official and we are happy to report that the Over-60 L.I. Jaguars team came in 1st in their class (AAA). Manager Joel Riech led a team made up of L.I. Seniors with more than half being players from the LISSA. A rookie to LISSA & the Jaguars, Tony Cherry was named as the Tournament Outstanding Player as he banged out 3 home runs over the course of the two day play. Tony will be a member of the Glen Cove Vikings in his inaugural year in the LISSA.

Again- congratulations to both the Over-60 and Over-65 teams for their fine showing.

2020 Revised Schedule is now on this Website- 7/10/20

The revised 2020 LISSA Schedule can now be viewed on this site. The Board worked long and hard and should be commended for a great job.

The July Emergency Manager's Meeting Minutes can also be viewed by clicking the League Meetings tab on the site menu. It was an interesting and important meeting - so it might be worth reading.

Update on L.I. Jaguars Maryland Tournament - 7/10/20

As mentioned in a previous post, The Long Island Jaguars (travel team) sent two teams to the Westminster Maryland Tournament this week. The Over-65 team had a great showing finishing in 2nd place (but first in the AAA Class). Led by manager Joel Riech, the team beat both Major teams 1 time each before falling in the finals. The team was led by Don Thompson (of the LISSA Vikings) who had an amazing tournament both on the field and at bat. He was named the team's Most Outstanding Player for this tournament. Congrats Guys.

The Over-60 team is scheduled to play this weekend and again there are a number of LISSA players on the squad. We'll keep you updated on how they did.

Happy 4th of July- 7/4/20

It's a bittersweet day for all LISSA members. This would have been about the halfway point in our season and we would be getting ready for our annual All-Star Game & BBQ. Unfortunately, it won't happen this year- but thanks to the hard work and determination of our Board, managers and players- our season will hopefully open in a few weeks. Although there may be some safety precautions put in place, we must all be grateful to be getting back to the game we love even with some changes. There is an emergency Managers meeting set for this Wednesday where the revised schedule, rule changes and expected player behaviors will be discussed. It is the hope that when our season starts that everyone will be respectful and act in a responsible manner - both on and off the field.

Have a wonderful holiday and keep in mind the sacrifices our forefathers made to make this country great.

And get ready to hear that beautiful phrase - "Play Ball".

LISSA Players Must Sign a Covid-19 Waiver to play in 2020- 7/1/20

The LISSA Board of Directors is working feverishly on a 2020 revised schedule. It is the hope that the season will start on July 21 and that regular season play will continue into the middle of October. It is their hope that a 50 game schedule will be put in place with a tournament to follow in late October.

The League is also requiring that all active players sign a Covid-19 Waiver. The Waiver form is on this website (see menu tab marked Covid Waiver) and players can either print them off the site or get them from their managers. The Board is asking that this be done in a timely fashion.

Syracuse Tournament Canceled - moved to Maryland- 7/1/20

The Syracuse Senior Softball Tournament has been canceled and moved to Westminster Maryland. The L.I. Jaguars will send an over-65 team and they will play on 7/7 & 7/9. It is uncertain at this time whether they will be sending an over 60 team. The over 65 team will have a number of LISSA players on the squad.

** Manager Joel Riech has just informed us that an over 60 team will participate in the tournament. Again- there will be a good representation of LISSA players on this squad.

Long Island Jaguars to Play in Syracuse-6/25/20

The Long Island Jaguars Travel Team will be sending 2 teams to the Senior Softball Tournament in Syracuse in July. The teams will be managed by the LISSA Hall of Famer Joel Riech. The Over-65 team is scheduled to play from July 7-9. The Over- 60 team will play from July 10-12. The LISSA will be well represented with a number of our players playing on each team. Let's all wish them well.

TOBAY Fields Open for Practice - 6/18/20

Yesterday (6/17) the LISSA had one of its most important Managers Meetings since the inception of the league. Of course, the most important topic was how the Covid-19 Virus has affected the league and our 2020 season. To read the Minutes of that meeting, please go to the League Meetings page on this site.

In a related issue, the Town of Oyster Bay has issued us our permits and is allowing the Tobay teams to practice on their fields starting next week. The key word is "practice" as no games are permitted at this time and only 15 players are allowed on the field at one time. This ruling only applies to Tobay teams - the LISSA has not received any notices from the Town of Hempstead & Nassau County regarding their fields.

The following statement is from the LISSA president Joe Pellecchi:

To All:

We only have approval for the Town of Oyster Bay Fields,namely Burns Park, Allen Park, Plainedge Park and Syosset Woodbury Park . Only for the Teams that have submitted Rosters to the Town of Oyster Bay with the "Residency Requirements". Maximum of 15 players on the Field at one time. No Games, if you have more than 15 players you must split the time. 

For example at Burns Park Lions Tuesday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, up to 15 at anytime on the Field so split your Team into a 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Group and then a 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM group. Pirates have the field 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM split the same way.

Have the addendum which I signed on your person.

Joe Pellechi!

Brookhaven Senior Softball Season is Canceled - 6/17/20

The Senior Softball League playing out of Brookhaven has canceled their 2020 season. We're not sure of the reason - it may be the logistics or a scheduling issue. The difference between our leagues is that LISSA has field permits through October- Brookhaven may not. They also traditionally end their season earlier than the LISSA which may not allow them to play enough games..

As per our League Managers meeting (6/17), the LISSA will freeze their rosters as of the 20th game of a team's season.

Deluxe Face Mask -6/12/20

The LISSA is hoping that our season will start in the not too distant future. We do not know if there will be any restrictions or safety measures attached to the field openings. One safety measure that could be implemented is the use of a safety mask or shield - as we posted a few days ago. We did a little research and found a mask that may be less cumbersome and also may provide easier breathing- especially in the hot weather. It comes with two vents for inhaling and exhaling. It also is a little stylish and comes in a number of colors that may match your team colors. It's a little over $20 (including shipping). You can find it and order it on Amazon at:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088B91BHL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Just Added to Website- 2019 HOF Dinner / Dance Slide Show - 6/11/20

The LISSA website has just been updated to include a "slide show" of pictures from the LISSA 2019 Hall of Fame Dinner / Dance held last September. The photos were taken by the LISSA member - John Castellaneta (Lightning). Please go to the "Hall of Fame" page to view them. Enjoy!

Hempstead Town Board Asks Governor to Open Parks For Youngsters - 6/10/20

The Hempstead Town Board has opened discussions with Governor Cuomo to allow youngsters to play ball at Hempstead Town Parks. This may be the first step in opening the parks for all organized ball regardless of age. This being said, the LISSA President Joe Pellecchi warns that no team should be playing or holding organized practices on any Town or County Field until we are given permission by the Towns & Nassau County. Playing on these fields prior to getting permission could result in the loss of permits. The Board realizes that players are "itchy" to play, but hopefully it is just a matter of time before we're back on the field. It isn't worth the risk of losing some of the finest fields the state has to offer.

The following is a copy of an email that was sent out by the Town of Hempstead.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and the members of the Town Board today called on New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to issue an executive mandate that would permit America’s largest township to hold safe, outdoor youth athletics at town facilities. Advocating on behalf of Hempstead Town’s younger residents, the board co-wrote a letter to the governor, stressing the importance of outdoor recreation especially during a period of prolonged quarantine.

“Our young residents have endured the ‘new normal’ of at-home learning and social distancing, it’s time to return some normalcy to their lives,” said Clavin. “After an abrupt closure of schools to combat COVID-19, the students of Hempstead Town deserve a positive outlet of healthy exercise and socially-distant comradery to raise morale.”

Citing a rise in mental health issues among youths due to forced isolation and a lack of socialization, the Hempstead Town Board reiterated their call on the Governor to allow outdoor recreation in a safe, socially-distant manner. With the cancellation of extracurricular activities and important milestone ceremonies for younger residents, who have been remote-learning from home since mid-march, the Town Board strongly urged the Governor to reconsider his stance on youth outdoor recreation.

“Healthy exercise and some fun in the sun is exactly what our residents need as we overcome this deadly virus,” said Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby. “I am positive New York State will do right thing and allow our children some much-needed recreation at our beautiful Town of Hempstead parks.”

After successfully lobbying New York State to include outdoor dining in Phase 2 of New York on Pause and allow educational institutions to hold in-person graduation ceremonies, the Town Board is reaching out once again to fight for the younger residents of Hempstead Town. As the township’s multiple beaches have demonstrated they can safely accommodate large crowds of residents, town facilities are eager to once again offer the best recreational services at the lowest possible costs.

“The safety and well-being of our residents is paramount, and that includes their mental health as well,” added Councilman Bruce Blakeman. “A positive recreational outlet would do wonders for the children of Hempstead Town.”

“Our beaches have proven their efficiency in handling large crowds safely,” said Councilman Anthony D’Esposito. “Long Islanders have deftly adapted to the ‘new normal’ and I am confident that we can allow outdoor recreation with appropriate precautions.”

“Companionship and team-oriented environments are greatly important to a child’s upbringing,” commented Councilman Dennis Dunne, Sr. “The children of our township have missed out on so much already, outdoor recreation is a step in the right direction to socially recover from COVID-19.”

“Outdoor recreation is vital for a child’s growth. It brings communities together in a friendly and competitive fashion,” said Councilman Thomas Muscarella. “Sports and athletics are the work ethic of the youth, as summer rolls around it’s important to allow our children the option of safe outdoor recreation.”

“As a sports parent and passionate advocate for Little Leagues and all youth sports throughout my district, I strongly support the Town Board’s call for the allowance of outdoor recreation at town facilities,” stated Councilman Chris Carini. “We are at a pivotal moment in New York’s recovery efforts. I firmly believe that it is past time for a re-opening of our economy under safe precautionary guidelines – quicker than the Governor’s phases allow.”

Face Shield vs Fask Mask - 6/4/20

The following is an excerpt from the SSUSA Newsletter concerning the use of a face shield once play is allowed. It is an interesting option to the cloth and paper face masks which may inhibit breathing especially in the warmer weather.



SSUSA Develops Face Shields for Game Play

 Senior Softball USA today announces the development of softball face shields, as well as SSUSA face masks and gaiters designed for senior softball players.

The SSUSA face shield, a plastic shield attached to the brim of a ball cap, was initially developed by Kate Hennessy in Minnesota for use for first responders and other public workers in her area.

Ironically, the idea for the face shields started with Terry Hennessy, SSUSA’s chief executive officer, cleaning out a closet full of old softball caps at the beginning of the pandemic.

“When I heard about the excess caps,” said Kate Hennessy, Terry’s sister-in-law, “I remembered an ad I saw for a baseball cap with a shield attached. I knew from being a former intensive care nurse that the shield would provide better protection than a mask, but the shields were much harder to get.”

SSUSA sent about 100 new, but dated tournament caps to Kate (the caps from Terry’s closet had been worn), and she and husband Pat developed a simple method to attach a plastic shield to the front of the cap.

“We made enough to supply the local fire department and city workers, as well as friends and family,” said Kate. “It felt good to do it.”

SSUSA took the design and modified it slightly for use by umpires and officials. Doug Robbins, manager of Timberworks, helped modify the design and tested it on the field.

“We like the design because it allows umpires to breathe much more easily when they are on the field while maintaining personal protection,” said Fran Dowell, SSUSA executive director.

“We believe players will like the shields for the same reason,” she said.

The shields are initially being developed for umpires and directors, but will also be available for players in about two weeks.

In addition, SSUSA is introducing thin face masks and gaiters for players. The face masks are intentionally very thin to make it easier to breathe and the gaiters are designed to pull down easily when a player is on the field and back up when they come off the field.

Masks and gaiters will be available next week. Masks are $10 plus shipping and gaiters are $15 plus shipping.

Sad News - 6/1/20



We have just learned of the passing of long-time LISSA member, Dave Goldstein (Pancreatic Cancer). Dave was most recently a member of the Rockville Center Bees and served as their Assistant Manager. He was a gentile man and one of the friendliest men in our league. He will be sadly missed. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family, friends and teammates.

Umpires Association Message -  6/1/20

I received a copy of an email that was sent out to the Nassau County umpires last week. It concerns when they might be asked to go back to work and the precautions they will take. Below is a copy.

To our fellow Umpires,

It is crazy that Memorial Day is upon us and no one is in the parks "rounding the bases". This solemn Holiday is a time for remembrance for those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for all Americans to be able to enjoy our way of life in this great country of ours. It is a time to give thanks for those that continue to protect our values and protect our lives during this pandemic. It is a time to pray for strength for all that have been affected during this time of need. But it is also a time to respect and appreciate what has been done for us and not let it be done in vain. Our country is trying to get back up from a "run rule" that has us on the brink. We need to come back and we can only do that with runners on base. A walk, a single, a bloop and a blast and we are back in the game, and as we all know how crazy our game is that "it's not over till it's over".

There are many rumors flying around so I will let you know what we know as of Friday 5/22. New York City has advised that no organized amateur sports will be allowed until after Labor Day. Nassau and Suffolk county have not committed to any dates but are "looking at the possibility" that county parks will be open to sports after July 4th. The Senior Leagues are pushing hard to get back to playing. The OTHG are planning to play on 2 days instead of one after July 4th (if allowed). NYSA is getting ready to run a "late summer" league if the parks open up. PBA are having a coaches meeting in June to figure out what they will be doing. Other than that there is a wait and see by the other leagues.

Based on the above we need to start thinking of what happens if we actually get to play this year. Some of you are chomping at the bit to get back on the field but there are also some that are concerned about coming back. So during the month of June we will communicate privately with each and every one of you in order to find out who will and will not work. This decision will not have any effect on your standing as a member in our Association. As such we are looking at the following recommendations to follow on the field of play:

1) We will all wear masks at all times on the field 

2) We will all wear gloves (latex or batting gloves)

3) No pre-game conference ( we will need to make sure we are aware of the rules of play for each game)

4) No physical contact with anyone and social distancing must be maintained by players, coaches and managers

5) Coaches will not be allowed out of their coaching box, no pitching conferences by anyone 

6) No batting practice, no warm up pitches, no infield or outfield ball between innings

7) No high or low fives and no shaking hands at the end (or during) of the game 

As you can see the game will also have to change and adjust, as we will also have to. If any of you think of any other precautions please feel free to communicate them to me. We will continue to stay in touch with all of you as we hear of anything.

Best Regards to all and be well and stay safe,

A Message from the LISSA President- 5/29/20

Although we posted some good news yesterday about another league's start to play date, we still must abide by the County and individual towns edicts. Hopefully our fields will open soon but we must be patient. The following message is from the LISSA President, Joe Pellecchi.

To All:

I just received a call from the Town of Hempstead. The Town of Hempstead Fields are closed and people should not be utilizing these fields for any kind of practice or play. If people continue to utilize these fields while closed and they are identified as members of our league, we could lose our Permits. Please do not post anything on Facebook indicating use of fields.

People who work on the fields for the Town are not authorized to allow use of the fields.

Thanks

Joe Pellechi

Finally Some Good News - 5/28/20

Finally some good news to report- or maybe great news. "The Boys of Summer",a senior Softball Association operating in Rockville Center has been given the "go-ahead" to start play on June 13 at Bligh Field. They will start by practicing on Tuesday June 16 followed by games.

Can the LISSA be far behind?

Time Magazine Online Article- Senior Softball - 5/26/20

In the May 24, 2020 Time Magazine (Online) there was an article concerning Senior Softball and the risks of playing too soon after the country starts heading back to normalcy after the Corona Virus lock down. Below are excerpts from that article- but please be for-warned that some of the views are quite negative.

Will Rogers, director of a senior softball tournament scheduled to take place in early June in Columbia, Mo., will be hosting an event that seems inherently dangerous. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, you’d be hard-pressed to find a public health expert who thinks a gathering of 60 teams from various states, with players ranging in age from 40 to 70-plus, is a good idea. The data could not be clearer: older Americans are most at risk of suffering fatal consequences of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

However, Rogers, who will also suit up to play with the 65-and-over Kansas City Kids at the Missouri Open, isn’t spending much time worrying about the potential pitfalls of his event. He says the event will have several safety measures in place, like face coverings for catchers and umpires and mandatory social distancing in the dugouts.

“I don’t get nervous,” says Rogers, 67, who’s been in charge of the Missouri Open for some 15 years. “But I’m anxious to get out and compete and play and bullsh*t with the guys.”

As shelter in place orders expire throughout the country and many states gradually begin the economic reopening process, many senior softball players are ready to round the bases again. Professional baseball won’t return without frequent testing of much younger players, who are much more likely to recover from COVID-19. But an amateur event for senior citizens is slated to start without COVID-19 tests and public health experts are concerned. “It kind of boggles my mind,” says Arthur Caplan, director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, who’s consulting with mayors around the country on the safe reopening of local sports. “It’s not the responsible thing to do.” “When it becomes a burden on society to take care of you should you catch the disease, when you’re potentially reopening the disease to people not playing softball, I think you have a different set of obligations,” says Caplan. “I would say to my 70-year-old friends, I know you want to play softball with your buddies. I get that it’s a great social outlet, and important to your quality of life. That’s why you should just enjoy it next summer.”

The CEO of Senior Softball USA, Terry Hennessy, cites several factors driving the return of his organization’s events during the pandemic. First, his players are calling for a resumption of the season. “A lot of the players stuck in their houses for a few months are saying, ‘I want to get out, I want to play,'” says Hennessy, 68. And while Hennessy recognizes the risks, he says he knows of only three of the 30,000 tournament softball players who have died of COVID-19. And they each had preexisting conditions, he says. He anticipated many more fatalities.

***********************************************************

Pretty negative stuff- right? I'm not sure what's right or wrong anymore, like most of the guys in our league I feel conflicted. The one thing I do know- Senior Softball is not only important to us- it's healthy for us too. Is it to risky to play this year - who really knows? I know I don't want to die because I played softball- but I also know that I'm dying to play softball. The LISSA Board may have some tough decisions to make this year, but if we do come back to play I'm confident they will make things as safe as possible for us.

Thanks to Veterans on Memorial Day - 5/25/20

The LISSA would like to thank all of its members who served in our military for their service to the country. We would also like to reflect and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Although the country only pays tribute to them on Memorial Day, it is important to remember their sacrifice every day. We are all blessed to be living in the greatest country in the world.

National Senior Softball Summit Report - 5/24/20

In an article from the Senior Softball News comes the following report from the National Senior Softball Summit concering the reopening of our sport.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO REOPEN SPORT

The National Senior Softball Summit, meeting for the first time in 10 years, agreed Tuesday to a common set of recommendations for reopening the sport.

The eight National Softball organizations participating in the conference call had each developed their own set of guidelines and rules, but decided that a joint set of recommendations was essential to help reopen the sport nationally more quickly.

The recommendations are intended to be used in conjunction with each association’s guidelines to be sent to state and local officials, health departments and facility officials.

The preamble to the Summit Recommendations lets Health Departments know that Senior Softball is not a large spectator sport and that it is possible to establish social distancing and other requirements for opening the sport in the earlier phases of re-opening the economy.

Some of the common guidelines include:

* Personal hygiene recommendations.

* Recommendation that players / spectators wear protective face coverings (masks or shields).

* Requirement for umpires to wear protective face coverings (masks or shields).

* Temporarily prohibiting contact and handshakes before and after games.

* Allowing players and coaches to extend outside the dugout in order to maintain a required 6 feet of distance.

* Mandating that one team be allowed to completely vacate the dugout before the next team enters.

* Prohibiting common water jugs in the dugout (players and coaches are responsible for their own water).

* A new ball for each game and balls will be periodically sanitized.

* Spectators will be requested to bring their own chairs (many parks are either removing bleachers or making them available for the expanded dugout for players).

The National Senior Softball Summit organizations include the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), USA Softball, Senior Softball USA (SSUSA), Softball Players Association (SPA), the National Softball Association (NSA), the International Senior Softball Association (ISSA), the Independent Softball Association (ISA) and the Las Vegas Senior Softball Association (LVSSA).

The Summit organizations agreed to meet again at the end of the season – or sooner if events warrant it.

Nassau County Field  Openings - 5/22/20

The LISSA received the following message via email this week regarding the opening of athletic fields.

To our valued Athletic Field Permittee,

We have currently received word that we will be pushing back the potential start date for opening up the athletic fields for permitted use. As it currently stands we are looking at reopening June 15th as per Governor Cuomo’s latest press conference we have still not reached the criteria to start Phase 1 of that process. This as we have stated in the past is a fluid date and is in no way set in stone. We will keep you informed on any changes as soon as we know so please be patient. Thank you for your valued use of our athletic fields and be safe.

Thank you,

Nassau County Athletic Field Permit Department

May League Meeting - 5/21/20

Yesterday, May 20 the LISSA Board & Managers held their monthly meeting via  Zoom. We are happy to report that all the teams were represented with the exception of the Bees. It was an important meeting in that discussions were held about the process of starting our season. The hope is to start in the beginning of July, but everything depends on the State Officials and Parks Department decision to open the fields. All teams seem ready to go.

You can view the Minutes of the Meeting by clicking the "League Meetings" tab on this site.

LISSA All-Star Game Canceled - 5/14/20

The LISSA long standing mid-season All-Star Game is the first casualty to our season. The Board will officially announce its cancellation at next week's League meeting (via Zoom). The Board is still optimistic that there will be a season this year, although it may be somewhat compromised.

Not Looking Good - 5/11/20

When are we ever going to get good news. It was everyone's hope that we might be able to start our season sometime in June. That doesn't seem possible anymore with the release of the following statement issued by Gov. Cuomo. Check out  the underlined sentence near the end.

NEW YORK CITY —New York's coronavirus stay-at-home order has been extended until June 6 through an executive order Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved Friday, state records show.

Only regions that meet specific COVID-19 criteria laid out Monday can begin to reopen nonessential businesses and ease back social distancing measures on May 15, the order states.

"Regions that hit our benchmarks will be able to start to reopen," Senior Advisor Rich Azzopardi told Patch. "Where does that leave those who don't? They will still be on PAUSE."

As of Saturday, none of the 10 New York State regions had hit the necessary benchmarks, Azzopardi told the Times Union.

The benchmarks are:

• Regions must have at least 14 days of decline in total net hospitalizations and deaths on a 3-day rolling average.
• Every region must have the health care capacity to handle a potential surge in cases, with at least 30 percent total hospital and ICU beds available.
• Each region must be able to conduct 30 diagnostic tests for every 1,000 residents per month.
• Regions must have 30 contact tracers available for every 100,000 residents.

The state's stay at home order was set to expire May 15, but Cuomo made it clear reopening would only occur in areas less seriously affected by the virus, with hard hit places like New York City and Long Island continuing with the shut down.

"It's not going to happen statewide," the governor said. "Rather than wait for the whole state to be ready, we will reopen on a regional basis."

Any region hoping to reopen May 15 will need to provide a detailed plan that includes how rates of infection will be monitored, if health care capacity is enough to deal with any infection increase, and if infrastructure is in place to do testing and tracing, Cuomo said.

Regions also need to have a plan in place for how people will return to work, including what measures businesses will have to ensure social distancing and mask wearing.

When plans are approved, businesses will go back in four phases, with construction and manufacturing first, followed by professional services, retail and real estate, then restaurants, food services and accommodation.

The last phase would involve the arts, entertainment and recreation businesses.

Cuomo said if any spike in infection rates is seen by the region, a hard stop would be put in place again.

Connecticut Masters Senior Tournament Canceled- 5/4/20

Another Senior Softball Tournament on the East Coast has been canceled due to the Corona Virus pandemic. A statement by the Ct. Masters' Games reads as follows:

The 2020 CT Masters' Games Men's Softball Tournament scheduled for June 27th through June 30th has been postponed. We plan to reschedule the tournament to the fall. As soon as we determine the new dates we will send out an announcement.

Nassau County Town Parks - 5/3/20

We received this notice from the LISSA Board concerning the opening of the Town Parks. The following email is from the Town Supervisors.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin joined with Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer and a bipartisan group of Long Island town supervisors to announce a joint planning effort to coordinate the summer season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Clavin, Schaffer and the Supervisors kicked off discussions on how to safely provide summer programs and services, with a special focus on Parks and Recreation Activities.

“The theme of our discussion was that the COVID-19 pandemic does not follow town borders, and it’s necessary to collaborate on our best practices and strategies for summer programs and services,” Clavin said. “Working together as a team and maintaining communication will be key to providing the safest environment for the residents of our townships and across Long Island.”

Key points for the Supervisor’s panel include: coordinated public health messaging, timeline and policies. This includes social distancing guidelines, opening and potential re-closing timelines, working together on beach, park and facility openings and best practices at those locations. Some other items to discuss include the potential of an increase of infections and how the Supervisors would coordinate to ensure one town is not overrun due to a closure by another municipality.

“The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to consider all possible scenarios,” Clavin said. “Though we wish that all of our residents can enjoy the summers of the past, we accept that this is a ‘new normal’ at least for this year and that we must carefully and patiently plan as a team. I thank Supervisor Rich Schaffer for leading this effort, and to all of the Supervisors for this unprecedented 13-town collaborative effort.”

*******************************************************************************

I have to be honest- I have no idea what the above means. In an effort to clarify the Town's position on the opening of the Parks- this email does nothing but confuse me. Can someone just tell us when the Parks may be open for us to play this year?

Long Island Jaguars Tournament Canceled- 5/1/20

This morning Joel Riech, the manager of the L.I. Jaguars Travel Team ( a team filled with LISSA players) canceled plans to play in the Glen Burnie Maryland Tournament that was scheduled to start on 5/31. Siting safety concerns of the Corona Virus, Joel felt that this was the prudent thing to do. We applaud his decision.

LISSA Opening Day Came & Went - 4/30/20

I'm officially depressed. Our 2020 season was supposed to start today, but of course it's been delayed because of the Corona Virus. With no time frame for our season to open, I am getting more & more itchy to play and hang out with the guys. My wife seeing my sadness suggested we play Scrabble. Yippee - that should do it. Maybe tomorrow we can have a rousing game of Boggle, or maybe Yahtzee, or I could learn Mah Jong. How about I just drive a screwdriver through my ear?

I know we're all getting antsy- but let's just hang in there and hopefully this will be over soon.

Slow News Days - 4/26/20

With our self imposed "house arrests" caused by the CoronaVirus, there's not much to report about our league or members lately. If you have an interesting story to tell about your quarantine, or an idea for the league, or maybe a softball anecdote from your past, or anything suitable for this site- why not send it to us and we'll see if we can post it. Please email it to: sharlou28@aol.com

Here's a quick one from me about our quarantine.

My wife is so depressed and angry that she runs from window to window - door to door screaming and crying pretty much all day & night. I'm pretty much at my wits end. Do you think I should let her into the house?

LISSA Member Charlie Valenti Featured in SSUSA Article - 4/22/20

Congratulations to LISSA member Charlie Valenti for being featured in the Senior Softball USA Newsletter (Volume 6 Edition 5) dated 4/22/20. Charlie is a valued member of the Rockville Center Bobcats and a LISSA Hall of Famer. The article reads as follows:

Charles Valenti, 74, of New York and a member of SSUSA since 2010, is a published author with his works All-American: An American Approach to Soccer and The Golden Lions of the Nosce Hostem.

All-American is a story about love of country, of community, of family, and friends, teammates, and soldiers, who have banded together like brothers. This is the story of one very special soldier and the knowledge he passed on to his son.

The Golden Lions of the Nosce Hostem is the second half of the story, explaining exactly how military philosophies based on actual events were used by the Grover Cleveland Soccer Team out of Ridgewood, New York City.

Valenti is a member of Long Island Jaguars. He’s also played with HermTech, Old Time Brothers, New York Streaks and NY Motion. Valenti recently won the speed contest at the TOC in February with a blazing time of 14.71 in his age division

2020 LISSA Schedule is now Available - 4/17/20

Although the 2020 LISSA season will definitely be delayed, the original schedule is now available on this site. The Board & Managers realize that there will certainly be revisions and they are working on contingency plans for the season. The hopes are to get a full schedule by extending the season into September and if the season is delayed longer into October and possibly November. We are at the mercy of the State & the Parks Departments as to when our season will be allowed to begin. We'll keep you posted.

LISSA Conducts Virtual Meeting - 4/16/20

The LISSA has finally entered the 21st century technologically. On Wednesday, April 15, the LISSA President, Joe Pellecchi , hosted a virtual League meeting using the "App" Zoom. A total of 18 LISSA Managers & Board members attended the meeting and it apparently went off without a hitch. The Minutes of the Meeting have been posted on the site for all to see.

Sad News- 4/14/20

Today we received devastating news that the Coronavirus has taken a LISSA member. Frank Marlow (manager of the Hempstead Generals) sent us this email:

It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that I inform you that our shortstop, Joe Simeone, passed away last night at the Good Samaritan Hospital from the Coronavirus.

Joe was an outstanding team mate and wonderful person. He will be sorely missed by all.

The LISSA family extends our deepest condolences to Joe's family, friends and teammates.

Happy Holidays to All - 4/12/20

Even in these hard days, it is important to celebrate the traditions we all grew up with. The LISSA family would like to extend a Happy Easter & Happy Passover to all.

Optimistic News - 4/9/20

On 4/8/20 the LISSA President Joe Pellecchi received some encouraging news about the Nassau County Parks. An email from a Nassau County Parks Official read:

Joe,

Just wanted to reach out to you with an update.

All fields are closed till further notice.... We are following the Gov. Guidelines and most likely we are looking at least May 15. Once we know more we will be in touch

Stay safe.....

Although the time frame may be a bit too optimistic, it does give us more hope that our season may open sooner than expected.

2020 LISSA Season - 4/8/20

Using the Zoom "App" (how technical we've become) , the LISSA Board met today to discus the upcoming season. As of today the Board is hoping to play a full schedule of 60 games by extending the season into September and possibly October depending on when the Parks Departments give us the go-ahead to use the fields. Once we are given permission to use the fields, there will be a two practice session set for every team. The season will pick-up from that point on the prepared schedule. The All-Star game will probably be eliminated this year and possibly byes to be able to complete a full schedule. The Board is working hard to have contingencies in case of an even longer lay-off. Let's all hope this ends soon!

No Handshake Policy - 3/31/20

According to the Senior Softball News, the SSUSA will be instituting a no contact/no handshake policy at all their tournaments. The statement reads:

“No-Handshake/Contact” Policy SSUSA is immediately instituting a precautionary “no-contact, no-handshake policy” to be observed at every level of the organization until further notice. This includes all physical contact and extends to customary game-related activities, such umpire-coach introductions, and post-game handshakes between members of opposing teams. Instead, staff, players and coaches should verbally “good game,” without shaking hands, high-fives or fist-bumping, etc.

Best Wishes to Chuck Ackerman - 3/30/20

It has come to our attention that LISSA Hall of Fame player Chuck Ackerman recently had surgery. Chuck is recuperating at home nicely but like all of us these days is a little antsy with little to do. If you know Chuck, you know he's one of the friendliest members of our league. We're sure he would appreciate any good wishes and maybe a " pick me up " call. From all of the LISSA - " Get Well Soon, Chuck " and we'll see ya on the field.

Turning the Barrel of your Bat - 3/27/20

Okay, during this quarantine we're all stuck at home watching too much T.V., eating too many snacks and taking way too many naps. For a little change of pace that might help your softball swing, go out in the backyard and practice turning the barrel of your bat during your practice swings. The pros all seem to agree that most hitters exhibit poor technique and do not maximize the power of their hands when swinging. We all try to push the barrel through the hitting zone with our arms instead of letting our hands do the work. A simple turn of the barrel can bring more speed and power to your swing. Here's an instructional video you can watch on youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEAwd8LCBXE

Some Hope - 3/26/20

As reported to us by the LISSA new Recording Secretary Larry Prosky , there may be a glimmer of hope in expediting the start of our season. It appears as though the Nassau County Park Department may soon be opening the golf courses with the condition of social distancing. It may not be much- but maybe we're headed in the right direction. Let's hope so. 

Sad News - 3/24/20

It is with deep sorrow that we have to announce the passing of Bill Howell a past LISSA player (Tigers). Bill was 90 years old and was still a fixture at all the Tobay Tigers games. He served as  bench and 3rd coach for the Tigers the last few years. Bill was always encouraging, told great stories and had a great sense of humor. He will be sorely missed. The LISSA would like to convey our condolences to Bill's family, friends and teammates. RIP!

Dr. Jobe's Shoulder Exercises - 3/22/20

Okay, if you're as bored as I am with this Coronavirus quarantine, why not try some easy exercises to strengthen your shoulder and improve your throwing. They are recommended by famed sports doctor - Dr. Jobe . These exercises are for all age groups and are intended to not only help maintain shoulder health but help with your throwing. They probably will not return your arm to when you were in your 20's, but should help somewhat no matter how old you are. Do not use anymore than 3 pounds when doing these exercises. If you do not have weights, you can use soup cans or fill an empty tennis ball can with dirt. It is suggested that these exercises only be done 3 times a week for about 15 minutes. Hey- what else is there to do. Hope to see you all on the field real soon.

Field Closures - 3/19/20

Yesterday, March 18, the Nassau County Parks Department issued this statement:

To all athletic field permit holders,

Please be advised at this time as per the commissioners office all athletic fields under the purview of the Nassau County Parks Recreation and Museums system will be closed for permitted use from March 19th until April 17th (subject to change). Please contact your athletic field permit coordinator for more details. 

The Town of Oyster Bay issued this statement;

Please be advised that the Town Of Oyster Bay is temporarily suspending permits to all fields until April 19th. No group or groups should be holding practices, games, or workouts of any kind. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you but it is necessary at this time.

Softball Spring Training Camp - 3/18/20

As mentioned in our 2/14 post, last week my son and I went to a Spring Training Softball Camp run by Softball Magazine. It was held at the USSSA Space Coast Complex in Melbourne Florida from 3/12 through 3/14. There were approximately 120 campers and a number of professional soft ball players giving instruction. All the major bat manufactures were present.

The Space Coast Complex is an incredible facility with 15 fully turfed fields for softball & baseball. 

Each day there was unlimited live or machine pitched batting practices with professionals giving instructions. There was also Open & Senior games being played from 9:30 AM to 3:15 PM. Each day also featured an optional softball related contest (running the bases, directional hitting and a home run hitting contest). I competed in the Home Run Hitting contest and tied for last with about 20 others with a grand total of 0. My only claim was that I was the oldest competitor.

Lunch & unlimited drinks (soda, water & Gatorade) were provided each day. During the 1 hour lunch break, the professionals took batting practice. If you have never seen this in person, you are really missing something. It's amazing how hard & far these guys can hit.

The bats were supplied by major bat manufacturers including Miken, Dudley, Easton, and Louisville Slugger. There were literally hundreds to choose from with all different weights. 

The last event of the camp was played at the main stadium which was the prior Spring Training Stadium of the Washington Nationals. It was billed as Pros versus Joe's and was an amazing experience. Campers got 21 outs trying to attempt to score 21 runs against the Pros. No camper team has ever accomplished this - we scored 11.

The experience was amazing and I'm hoping to be able to do it again next year.

SSUSA Cancels Tournaments 3/17/20

Yesterday (3/16/20) Senior Softball USA announced the cancellations of all SSUSA Tournaments for sixty (60) days due to the spread of the Coronavirus . In addition, SSUSA is recommending that all senior clubs, leagues and tournament associations cancel activities for 60 days as recommended by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). SSUSA sanctions tournaments in 80 cities and senior leagues in 300 cities.

More Coronavirus LISSA Issues 3/16/20

Wow- the world is suffering through some scary times with this virus. It is affecting the LISSA too. 

This Wednesday's (3/18) monthly League meeting has been canceled. The facility at Allen Park is temporally closed for meetings. We'll keep you updated if their is any rescheduling. 

There is also the possibility that our Spring Training games starting April 2 may be postponed. The Parks Department may be forced to close fields impacting our preseason games. 

The Tobay Tigers have canceled their remaining indoor games at the Lindenhurst Bubble . The other indoor teams have yet to decide, but we feel the prudent thing to do would be to cancel. 

The LISSA Board & Managers are asking all LISSA members to be very careful until their is some resolve to this health scare. We're hoping that our season will not be impacted and that we will have another great softball season.

Passings 3/15/20

It is with deep sorrow that we have to announce the passing of George Grabovenko (see photo below). George was a long-time player and manager of the Valley Stream Indians.

We must also announce the passing of Tony Vecchione . Although Tony was not a LISSA member, he did play on the Long Island Jaguars traveling tournament team for many years. 

Both of these gentleman will be sorely missed and the LISSA family would like to convey our condolences to their family, friends and teammates.

Web Site Maintenance 3/9/20

One day this week, the web site will be down for maintenance. The web builder will be installing some new features that will not only be great looking, but will be helpful in posting the scores and standings. We are continuously looking to make the web site better and always welcome suggestions from LISSA members.

2020 Field Changes - 3/7/20

Although most of the LISSA teams will be playing at the same home fields as last year, there are a few changes. The Hempstead Eagles are moving the majority of their home games from Cantiague C to Salsbury Park Drive Field. Their alternate home field will be Cantiague C. 

The Tobay Lions & Tobay Panthers will use the newly turfed Allen Park fields as their alternate fields . The LISSA has also acquired a permit for the newly turfed Baldwin Park Field, but as of today no team has claimed it for a home field.

The 2020 schedule should be posted shortly. Please refer to it and the Directions page to find the field your games will be played on.

Coronavirus Affects LISSA - 3/6/20

Don't get scared, their are no known LISSA members with the Coronavirus, but the virus has affected the league somewhat. Because of the fear that imports from China might be limited, the LISSA was advised to order their yearly supply of softballs early. The balls have already been delivered and will be given to teams at the March League meeting (3/18) a full month earlier than normal. Managers will be advised to bring payment for the balls to that meeting. Kudos to Vikings Assistant Manager Jim O'Gara for expediting the order ensuring a smooth transition into our season.

Re-Vamped LISSA Schedule - 2/25/20

The 2020 LISSA schedule is almost ready and will be posted on the site as soon as it is approved. Board member Bob Ferrari worked hard on the schedule and did an amazing job. 

This year schedule will have some changes from previous years (changes only affect Division 1 & 2). Inter-Divisional games between Divisions 1 & 2 will be limited to 4 games (2 double-headers) - 1 home double-header and 1 away double-header. Each team will play Divisional teams  7 double-headers and their will be 1 Position double-header(1 vs 2 & 3 vs 4) for a total of 60 games. 

Divisions 3 & 4 will play the same format as last year. Each team will play 5 double-headers against their own division and 2 double-headers in Inter-Divisional games for a total of 60 games.

Pitcher's Safety Masks - 2/23/20

In our annual Rules Change voting which took place at our December League Meeting, a mandatory pitcher's mask was voted down 10-8 by the managers. Although the mask was voted down, the LISSA Board highly recommends that our pitchers take this precaution. The term "Softball" is a misnomer as the ball we use is generally as hard as any baseball. That coupled with our usage of aluminum bats makes for situations where our game can get dangerous. A well struck ball can limit the reaction time of a pitcher to .5 seconds . Let's all do our due diligence in encouraging pitchers to wear a safety mask - not only for their safety, but for all our peace of mind. 

Re-Touch Rule for 2020 - 2/22/20

For safety reasons, the LISSA has instituted a new rule called the "Re-Touch" rule. This allows the option for a base runner on either first or third to stand in foul territory until contact is made by the batter. The runner must touch the base before advancing. This will allow the runner a way to avoid being hit with a batted ball. 

Time Management of Games - 2/21/20

Since some of the LISSA doubleheaders were exceedingly long last year (mostly games early in the season), the ASA/USA umpires have asked that we manage the time a little better. If games are running long, an umpire may limit the amount of warm-up pitches between innings and eliminate infield warm-ups. We did concede that in any "extra inning" game that approaches 1:30 PM - the International Rule will be used. That means that at the start of the inning, the last batter of the previous inning will be placed at 2nd base. It is unlikely that this rule will be invoked much.

2020 Hall of Fame Candidates - 2/20/20

The LISSA HOF Committee typically will vote on candidates in July. It is advised that if any team wants to put a player/players up for consideration that they start gathering information (stats) as soon as possible. The Head of the HOF Committee (Frank Marlowe- Generals) will need the applications no later than the June League Meetings. To be considered, an applicant must have at least 5 years of LISSA statistics (5 best years). Points are given for Batting Average, Power Numbers, Fielding, Throwing and Base Running. An advocate for the player may make a presentation to the committee before the voting. The new HOF Inductees will be honored at the annual LISSA HOF Dinner/Dance in September.

Designated Fielder Rule - 2/19/20

This year the LISSA season will feature a new rule- the Designated Fielder. Each team will have the option of using 1 Designated Fielder per game. This player will not be in the batting order and can not bat during that game, but can play the field. The DF can be replaced by  an offensive player or another DF. 

Indoor Softball Update - 2/18/20

An indoor softball game was played yesterday at the Coleman Country Day camp facility in Merrick. The game featured one team comprised of a number of Hempstead Stars players against a conglomerate of LISSA players from several different teams and divisions. The game was played with a 2 hour time limit and ended up being a 25-24 thriller won by the Stars. More importantly was the venue in which it was played. This facility is the biggest indoor softball field on Long Island with high ceilings and plenty of light. It is also a safer field than the other "softball bubbles" on Long Island and is easily accessible for the majority of the LISSA players. Although it is slightly more expensive to rent, the quality of the field and the quality of the play makes for a far better experience. The hope is that next year's indoor season will be played there with the possibility of adding new teams. We'll keep you updated.

Pitcher's Screen - 2/16/20

In an effort to get safer, the LISSA Spring Training games will be played with a Pitcher’s Screen(batting practice screen). The screen will be placed about 3 feet from the pitcher’s rubber. The batter is allowed 1 ball to hit screen per at bat without penalty(dead ball). A second ball hit into the screen during a single at bat will result in an out. A vote will take place after the last preseason date to determine whether it will be used in our regular season. 

2020 LISSA New Managers - 2/15/20

There will be four new managers for the 2020 LISSA season. They are:

John Reilly - Bobcats

Mike Scotto - Dodgers

Rich Coy- Outlaws

Gerry Nardone - Lightning

Good luck guys!

Softball Camp - 2/14/20

Believe it or not, there's a Softball Camp for adults in Melbourne, Florida. It's for all age groups. It runs for 3 days and the cost is about $350. There are instructors who conduct seminars on fielding & hitting. Attendees play games and compete in softball related contests. Players use bats supplied by several different bat companies. There are two separate sessions in March (March 4-7 & March 11-14) and the camp is held at the USSSA Space Coast Stadium (an amazing venue). You can get more information at www.softballspringtraining.com . 

P.S. I'm going to the 2nd session with my son. I'll let you know how it is.

Indoor Softball - 2/13/20

A number of LISSA players will be playing a game this Monday February 17 at 2:00 PM at the new facility in Merrick. The facility is at the Coleman Country Day Camp Center in Merrick and is just off the Meadowbrook Parkway (Exit MW7). If your in the area and would like to see the facility (it's amazing), why not come out and watch. The plan is to expand the indoor games next Winter and they will be looking for more players. 

New Board Member - 2/12/20

As of today, Larry Prosky (Stars) will be the new Recording Secretary on the LISSA Board. We wish Larry success and know that he will do a great job.

An Incredible Story - 2/11/20

This site has been running for almost a year. Unfortunately, most of our stories have been sad ones. It is with great joy that we can report not only a happy event- but an inspirational one as well. 

It has come to our attention that the granddaughter (Bianca McEvoy) of Damian Torres (a long-time member of the Hempstead Dodgers & a 2013 LISSA HOF inductee) has made the News. Bianca and her Oyster Bay High School Cheerleading teammates finished in the top 10 at the National Cheerleading Championships. That in itself is an amazing feat, but more amazing is that Bianca is legally blind. As reported on L.I. News 12, Bianca has defied the odds and turned her disability into  ability. We are sure that Damian is beaming with pride as are his  LISSA friends. 

Tournament News  - 2/10/20

The Long Island Jaguars led by manager/general manager Joel Riesch sent an over 60's team to the Tournament of Champions in Lakeland, Florida. The games were played from February 7 through February 9, 2020. The team went 7-2 and finished a very respectable 3rd place. Two LISSA players (Jim O'Gara & Gerard Stigliano of the Vikings) were selected to the All-Tournament Team . Other LISSA players included Paul Montelione (Admirals)John McCormick (Vikings), Charlie Valenti (Bobcats), Byron Bodine and Mike Crocco (Tigers). The rest of the team consisted of players from the Brookhaven League(Mike Cohen, Jim McDowell, Charlie Owen and Dave Didio). We would like to congratulate all the participants for their fine showing.

2019 LISSA ALL-STAR GAME - July 3, 2019

The 2019 LISSA All-Star Game was played on Tuesday, July 2. The two teams fielded some of the finest players in our league. All-Stars from Division 1 & 4 were combined to play All-Stars from Division 2 & 3. The former won an exciting 7 inning game. There were many highlights in the game including a monster home run by Claude Kendricks (Vikings) that cleared the right-field fence at Eisenhower. All of the players seemed to have a great time and after the game both the players and fans were invited to join our annual Picnic / Barbecue. Congratulations to all the All-Stars.