Welcome to the January 5th Boro Sports Magazine Issue 1

In this issue we will have interviews with: Mike Orlando, T.J Slyman, Mike Friscia and James Horenburg. We worked very hard on this Magazine and we are so proud of what we have become in 7 years time. Thank you to our players, captains, staff, facilities, stat keepers, photo people, social media people, our shirt company, refs, my friends, my brother, my PARENTS RIP! And God.. So with little time to waste I present to you the 5^th Boro Magazine!!!

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5^th Boro Fall Softball Awards

Congratulations to everyone who has played 5th Boro Fall Ball; it turned out to be a huge success. On behalf of the 5th boro staff and I, we have had a great time running the league.  Everything ran smoothly and we had much better weather than we did in the summer.  I had a lot of fun not only running the league, but playing in it as well. As commissioner of 5th Boro Sports, I am looking forward to the start the spring/summer league which is a few short months away.  I am proud of the growth of the league and how competitive all of the teams have turned out to be in the past fall ball season.  5th Boro softball players are some of the best on the island and with that being said, let’s name our awards winners!

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  MVP- RYAN MANNELLO- WALLS OF JERICHO: RYAN HAD AN OUTSTANDING SEASON... MANNELLO BARELY GOT AN OUT AND CARRIED W.O.J FAR INTO THE PLAYOFFS. HE WAS A BEAST AND WAS WELL DESERVING OF THE AWARD.  IT WAS RYAN’S FIRST MVP AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT HE MAY SEE MORE HARDWEAR COMING HIS WAY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
  
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  COACH OF THE YEAR- MATT FROM THE GOODFELLAS: THE GOODFELLAS ARE AN OUTSTANDING TEAM; THEY PLAY THE GAME OF SOFTBALL VERY SMOOTHLY.  THE GOODFELLAS’ UNIQUE SOFTBALL PLAY IS ALMOST REMINISCIENT OF A BASEBALL TEAM. THIS TEAM HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS TO DEFEAT YOU WITH GLOVES, BATS, PITCHING AND SPEED. UMPING THEIR GAMES ARE A BREEZE DUE TO MATT AS THEY MOVE QUICKLY. ROUTINE PLAYS ARE MADE SIMPLE BY AN OUTSTANDING ARSENOL OF PLAYERS WHICH SIMPLY PUT ARE SOME THE BEST TEAM TALENT WISE, IF NOT THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE. COACH MATT PENNED TOGETHER A GREAT LINEUP WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT, BATTLED INJURIES AND OTHER ADVERSITIES TO PUSH HIS TEAM ALL THE WAY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP.  HE WAS A GENTLEMAN AND HANDLED HIS TEAM WITH CLASS. CONGRATULATIONS MATT YOU DESERVE IT.
  
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  CY YOUNG- MIKE LASKY- WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY WHEN YOU SEE THIS KID PITCH BUT WOW!! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT? HE LED THE LEAGUE WITH THE MOST STRIKEOUTS AND HAS SEVERAL OUTSTANDING PITCHES.  HE CAN SWITCH SPEEDS AND EYE LEVELS, WHICH IF YOU ASK ANYONE IS THE KEY TO PITCHING SUCCESS. MIKE PITCHES LIKE NO ONE IN THE LEAGUE.  HE SOMETIMES WOULD PUT THE TEAM ON HIS BACK WITH HIS BAT. ALSO, TRUTHFULLY HE WAS IN THE DISCUSSION FOR MVP ALSO BASED ON THE FACT THAT HIS TEAM DIDNT GIVE HIM THE RUN SUPPORT NEEDED TO GUIDE THE RAPTORS TO A CHAMPIONSHIP.  MIKE WAS A GREAT PITCHER AND WAS A WELCOMED ADDITION TO THE LEAGUE. I LOOK FOR THE RAPTORS TO IMPROVE NEXT SEASON AND WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO OUTDUEL ANYONE THAT THEY FACE GOING FORWARD,
  
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  MR. 5TH BORO- THIS AWARD IS GIVING TO THE PLAYER WHO REPRESENTS THE LEAGUE TO ITS UPMOST CLASS AND IS HELD WITH SPECIAL REGARD. THE MR. 5^TH BORO AWARD IS GIVEN TO SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTS HARDWORK AND WE (THE STAFF) ALL VOTED FOR PATRICK WACKIE HANDS DOWN AS MR. 5TH BORO.  WE GIVE THIS AWARD WITH HONOR AS HE ALWAYS HAS FUN AND SMILES NO MATTER IF HIS TEAM IS UP OR DOWN AS HE GUIDED THEM PITCHING ALL THE WAY THROUGHOUT THE PLAYOFFS.  I AM PROUD TO SEE THE GROWTH OF HIM AS A PLAYER AS HE IS ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING A SOLID ALL AROUND PLAYER.  HE PLAYS THE GAME HARD AND IS A VERY NICE PERSON ON AND OFF THE FIELD.  THANK YOU PATRICK FOR YOUR CLASSY ATTITUDE IT IS SOMETHING TO ADMIRE!
  
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  THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD GOES TO CHRISTIAN STROMMEN- I HAVE KNOWN CHRISTIAN FOR MANY YEARS BECAUSE HIS OLDER BROTHER MATT WAS ONE OF MY CLOSE FRIENDS. CHRISTIAN IS SOMEONE I LOOK UP TO DUE TO HOW HE HANDLED EVERYTHING THROWN IN HIS WAY THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. HOWEVER, DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM CHRISTIAN, AS HE IS QUIETLY BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE. CHRIS HAS CHANGED HIS DIET, LOST A TON OF WEIGHT AND BECAME A SOLID HITTER AND FIELDER.  RANGE AND HIS GLOVE ARE HUGE IMPROVEMENTS AS HE USED TO BE ONE OF THE WORST FIELDERS TO PLAY SHORT STOP OR 3^RD BASE IN THE LEAGUE, DORK. THE SPEED HE HAS ADDED TO HIS GAME IS IMPRESSIVE. CHRISTIAN HAS ALSO ADDED A SOLID BAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINEUP HITTER AND A GOOD GLOVE IN THE FIELD, WHERE AS BEFORE HE WAS MORE SUSPECT.  HE IS A YOUNG PLAYER THAT SHOULD BE ON THE RISE IN THE LEAGUE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.  I AM PROUD TO SEE THE GROWTH OF YOU AS A MAN AFTER THE ADVERSITY GOD HAS HANDED YOU. YOU HAVE DEALT WITH ALL OF THESE OBSTACLES THROUGHOUT LIFE WITH A HUGE SMILE. ALSO, YOU ALWAYS REPRESENT 5TH BORO IN A GOOD WAY.  YOU HAVE CALMED DOWN AND GREW UP RIGHTT BEFORE MY EYES AND I SEE YOU HAVE BECOME A BETTER MAN FOR IT. THANKS AND CONGRATULATIONS. OH ALSO DORK I BET UR BROTHER AND FATHER ARE PROUD OF YOU ALSO.
  
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  R.O.T.Y- CO ROOKIES OF THE YEAR ARE MIKE LASKY FOR REASONS STATED ABOVE AND VINNY M FROM THE SHIELD.  VINNY WAS A GREAT SHORT STOP AND SOMEONE THAT TOOK THE LEAGUE BY STORM FOR THE SHIELD AS HE BARELY GOT OUT IN THE C DIVISION AND PUT THE SHIELD ON HIS BACK FOR A FEW HUGE VICTORIES. VINNY ISN’T A NAME YOU MAY RECOGNIZE, BUT IF YOU CHECK THE TAPE YOU WILL SEE HE IS DESERVING OF THIS AWARD BECYASE THE SHIELD WAS BASICALLY CARRIED TO VICTORYS BY HIS OUTSTANDING PLAY. HE MAY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN OUT A TOTAL OF 10 TIMES ALL SEASON.
  
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  THE MVG OF FALL BALL IS CHRISTINA FROM K10- THIS GIRL TURNED DOUBLE PLAYS THAT WOULD MAKE STAT KEEPER JEN CASTAGLIOLA PROUD.  CHRISTINA WAS THE SECOND NAMED FEMALE ALL-STAR OF ALL TIME AND THAT’S NO COINCIDENCE TO HER WINNING THIS AWARD.  SHE IS A GREAT FIELDER AS WELL AS A GREAT GENERAL ON THE FIELD FOR K10.  SHE BRINGS ENERGY AND A SOLID BAT TO AN OLDER VETERAN TEAM.  IN OUR OPINION, C-10 AS SHE IS NICKNAMED, NOW DESERVES THIS AWARD ABOVE ANY OTHER PLAYER IN OUR FALL BALL LEAGUE. WE HAVE A FEELING SHE WILL TAKE A FEW MORE OF THESE BAD BOYS HOME TO DISPLAY ON HER MANTLE. SHE HAS NOW BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME AMONGST 5TH BORO PLAYERS.  CHRISTINA IS A PLAYER YOU SHOULD STAND DIRECTLY AT THE CONE CAUSE THIS GIRL CAN HIT...
  
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  ROOKIE TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO THE DIRTY BALL BAGS- THIS TEAM CAME TO THE LEAGUE BECAUSE THEY HEARD IT WAS LAID BACK AND FUN, YET STILL COMPETITIVE. THAT PRETTY MUCH DESCRIBES THIS TEAM AS THEY MOVED UP FROM THE B DIVISION TO THE A DIVISION HALF WAY THROUGH THE YEAR. THIS WAS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE SUCCESS THEY HAD ACHIEVED IN THEIR FIRST SEASON OF PLAY.  CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS TEAM AND WE HOPE TO HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN IN THE FUTURE.
  
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  THE MOST IMPROVED TEAM WAS THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS- WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED, THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS USED TO PRACTICE TWO HOURS BEFORE EACH GAME WITH COACH MIKE FRISH. FRISH WOULD SHOUT ORDERS TO GET THE TEAM ON HIS LEVEL, HOWEVER WHEN THEY WOULD GO OUT AND PLAY, THEY WOULD GET MERCIED REALLY QUICK.... PINEAPPLE ADDED A PITCHER AND TOOK THE GAME MORE SERIOUS AS THEY UPGRADED EVERY POSITION ON THE TEAM AND GOT TIMELY HITS.  THE PITCHER, STEVE, HAS ONE OF THE MOST DEVISTATING FASTBALLS IN THE GAME AND A NICE CHANGEUP THAT LEAVES BATTERS CLUELESS HALF OF THE TIME.  FRISH HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BEST SS IN THE LEAGUE AND MVP RYAN MANNELLO AND MATTEO CAN HIT WITH THE BEST OF THEM... PINEAPPLE FELL SHORT OF CHAMPIONSHIP EXPECTATIONS BUT THIS IS A TEAM TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE FUTURE AS THEY HAVE CLIMBED THE RANKS FROM C DIVISION BASEMENT DWELLERS.
  

So what if I were to tell you that we sat down and really observed and critiqued the 5^th boro softball league. Over the course of the past few months, observations between the whole staff have taken place. We have taken a long hard look at everything said to ourselves, “What do we need to improve upon?”  Well let me be the first to tell you that we want the 2014 5^th Boro Softball to be the best season experience you have ever had with us.... With that being said, here are ten things you can look forward to this up and coming summer/spring season...

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  Player Of The Day- After each game a player shall be announced that was the player of the day.
  
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  Faster Game Results- The website will now be a click away! You deserve to get your results entered faster so we shall provide this to you.
  
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  Playoff Stats and Records shall now be kept to provide the league with the history to be passed down for generations to come.
  
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  Better Fields-- We are now established! Can you believe 5th Boro is already 7 years old?! Yes it’s hard to believe but this time we got it right, getting us better improved fields on the island to better suit your needs ... we are looking to cut down rain outs!
  
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  Power Rankings- We shall be doing power rankings to determine who really is the best between the different division days.
  
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  Better Quality Jerseys- In a constant effort to improve the quality of everything, we have improved the jersey quality. We will also begin to offer many different jersey options to our teams.
  
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  New Day added** You Spoke and we Listened and we have added another field on TUESDAYS!!!!!!
  
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  Player Spotlight- The player spotlight feature will take place at least once a week where we interview someone who is a key contributor to the league.
  

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FALLBALL A DIVISION CHAMPION TRIPLE A, OUR B DIVISION CHAMPIONS FLYIN YELLOW TEAM, AND TEAM HATE WHO WON THE C DIVISION. THE RED HOT SEX PANTHERS ARE READY TO DEFEND THE CROWN AS A DIVISION 5^TH BORO SOFTBALL CHAMPIONS AND ARE UP TO THE CHALLENGE. THE PANTHERS ARE READY TO SILENCE CRITICS AND EVERYONE WILL BE LOOKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN THIS SEASON AND LOOKING TO GET THE RESPECT ON STATEN ISLAND WHEN YOU BECOME THE 5^TH BORO SPORTS SOFTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LEAGUE PLEASE CONTACT CHRIS OSTROW AT 917-566-8299!!! THE ALL STAR GAME UNDER THE LIGHTS AT THE BERRY HOMES IS GOING TO BE AWESOME THIS YEAR FOR ROUND NUMBER 2. WHO ELSE OFFERS YOU THIS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ALL FOR SUCH A LOW RATE…WE BELIEVE IN BEING UNIQUE AND ACCOMODATING TEAMS NEEDS… THIS PROMISES TO BE ‘THE BEST SEASON YET’ 2014 5^TH BORO SOFTBALL!!

http://5thborosports.sportngin.com.prod.sportngin.com/page/show/1088975-champions take a look at our list of former champions

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  Behind the scenes of 5^th boro: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ioT_xCXsLs By Arianna Induddi
  

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  5^th Boro Sports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gn79EiI0w8 Follow up to this article by Arianna Induddi
  

--My dad was in the middle with the bent brim of the hat after pitching a no hitter for his baseball team. This was his favorite moment. The photo on the left is my favorite moment as a child, when I got my Nintendo. The photo of me in the yellow shirt hugging my dad is from 4th birthday.

Some all-star jerseys I have collected over the years—not all played but just that I have created as you can see I like a variety of colors. LOL

From John Juarbe‬‬‬‬‬

This testimonial coming from the loud mouth of 5th Boro Basketball. I've been a part of 5th boro for almost 2 years now & it is by far the best league I have ever played in. I've been in many different leagues but nothing compares to the way 5th boro is ran. From Softball to Basketball & now Football I've been apart of all aspects of the sports 5th boro provides. From Stats (Jenn) taking down all of my 30 rebounds per games or my 25 doubles in softball lol to Alyssa screaming out the time about 37 times a game. Even Joe Lucchino ranting about nothing is entertaining & Joe Defeo...Well yea... everything is great‬‬‬‬‬

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But The commissioner Chris Ostrow or Cig as the regulars call him runs this league better than anyone I've been around from dealing with scrubs stealing basketballs, to kids cancelling there games because of vetenarian appts. He listens to all players, favors no team but he should the Turtles because we are defending 2 time champions. But who’s complaining. Great guy with great morals. Treats us all like family & I have no complaints about this league maybe except for Drew & Lenny's ref skills. But I'm glad I joined this league & plan to be around it for years to come. Thanks Cig for everything you provide for us. Your doing big things kid & we will all be there for you as you always are for us! ‬‬‬‬‬

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His dad and my dad were best friends growing up and we both didn't have the best dads.  Also there were a lot of family issues in our past, some SERIOUS stuff so he doesn’t know the rest of the family.  So funny and I want to thank you for everything you have done for me because 5th Boro brought us together.  I MEAN IN A REAL POSITIVE WAY without this league, our families may never have re-united.  I'm so glad your softball league has re connected us and I have made so many unbelievable friends through this league.  The last time I saw my cousin was at his dad’s funeral and we speak almost every day now.  I love 5th boro and I feel like not just a player but also a part of this fabric of the league.  Thank you for everything you do Chris. —Anonymous

A MEMORY THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FAM PITCHER T.J SLYMAN ON WHAT IT TAKES TO PITCH IN 5^TH BORO SOFTBALL! —PLEASE NOTE THIS INTERVIEW WAS RECORDED BEFORE LAST SEASON…


(CO) I pitch myself but tell our audience what was it like pitching a no hitter?
(TJ) Awesome. Every time we go out there I feel like I can pitch a no hitter with the defense I have behind me. They make a lot of plays for me every game. Without that defense I wouldn't be nearly as good as I am.
(CO) did anyone not speak to you and when did realize that you had something special that day?

(TJ) I don't think anyone realized until the last inning. The Fam can barely remember who's up next and what the score is so they aren't paying much attention to whether or not I have a no hitter going. Sometimes I joke around after a 1 2 3 1st inning and bring up that I have a perfect game and for them not to screw it up, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one that knew about it until we went out there for the last inning. I just wish I didn't walk the games first batter so you would be asking me how it feels to pitch a perfect game.

(TJ) My favorite 5th boro moment. That's a tough one, there's so many. I guess pitching the no-hitter has to be one of my favorites. Being the first player in 5th boro to do something as good as that makes it that much more special. As good as that was, I plan on making a new favorite moment this year by winning the championship. That's all I want and we have the pieces to do it.

(TJ) The rain playoff game. That was The Fam's first year in 5th boro. We were a completely different team then we are now. It was a best 2 out of 3 series and raining all day but that didn't stop us from playing. The one thing I can remember was that we were down 1 run in the last inning, bases loaded, 2 outs, and I was up. You couldn't even see home plate because it was sunken under a puddle. I get up and go after the first pitch I see. Popped out to second base to end the game. That felt horrible but we didn't really care. We were all jumping in the home plate puddle after the game and pounding beers as if we had just won the championship.

4b. The rain playoff game against the goonies a couple years was great. The weather was horrible that day and nobody thought we would play. I remember getting there a good 2 hours before the game with rakes and shovels to help make the field playable. Stephan and Kosta from the goonies brought kitty litter that really helped with the puddles. We worked on the field up until the start of the game and I was exhausted from all the shoveling. We were underdogs that game and pretty sure that nobody had us beating them. I know the goonies definitely took us lightly. It was close the entire game and we hung in there and ended up winning 7-2.
( CO ) great story! REALLY TELL US THE TRUTH… do you think that fulchers team can out drink your team?
(TJ) Hahaha… They probably think so but maybe they should try drinking some beer like men instead of their vodka and cranberry or whatever they sip on during the games. And even though we drink 72 beers at every game we still can and do beat every team in the league so I'd say our tolerance and win total is a lot higher than theirs.
(CO) HA, HA what does it mean to you leading the league in doubles the past two seasons?

( TJ ) It's great to lead the league in doubles the past 2 years. I actually had no idea about that. I try to stretch a single into a doubles every time I get a hit. With the hitters I have behind me I want to get into scoring position every time up so they can drive me in.

It truly is an honor. When you told me that I was excited to say the least. I texted my team to tell them and praised myself in a joking way to them.

( TJ ) I'm hoping that a couple new members to this years team will give us the extra boost that we need to go all the way this year. Joanna is no longer on the team. As good as she was at first base, we will be better off. I'm glad to have him on our side now. Another addition is Tim Hepworth who I play with in another league and he's a hell of a We need positive energy and we will have a lot more of that this year. Tim Holder is our main key addition. He's going to help us a ton both offensively and defensively at third base. Talent. When he is there he'll be taking over at first base and add a ton of power and speed to our lineup that we could really use. With everyone there, top to bottom, this is the best roster that we've ever had. Championship or bust. That's how I've been looking at it for the past couple years. I know we have the talent and dedication to do it. We just have to trust our ability and go out there and get it done. With the adjustments to the roster and our veteran guys being hungrier than ever, I feel like this is the year we win it all. I've been working on a couple things recently to make me better on the mound that will give us a better chance to win more games and most importantly to go deeper into the playoffs. So we'll see what happens. I just can't wait to get started.