By Roy Reiss
August 1, 2013

As we head down the back stretch of the season, here are more rambling thoughts and maybe a little insight as we look forward to the playoffs!

• Have never been a great fan of individual awards in team games but here’s one man’s opinion on the two 2013 awards for the Kettleers. Most Valuable Player — Rhett Wiseman. The Vanderbilt product has come on real strong after a slow start and was recently named Week #7 “Coca Cola Player of the Week” by the League. He’s had clutch hit after clutch hit and has an average just over .300. He’s given himself up with sacrifice bunts when needed. He’s played flawlessly in the field. And he appears to be a leader amongst his fellow players despite the fact he just finished his freshman year. Most Valuable Pitcher – Evan Beal. This was an extremely difficult choice but Beal has shown tremendous poise once thrust into a starting role. A lasting impression was the start against Falmouth in mid July when the bases were loaded in the top of the first with no outs yet Beal managed to escape without allowing a run. The way he handled adversity and got stronger as the game went along showed a quality that all pitchers need to possess. Let’s see how we do on Sunday when the two awards, both chosen by teammates, are announced.

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  What is Mike Roberts writing about?  Photo by Joe Cavanaugh

  If you’ve watched closely you’ve seen Coach Mike Roberts pull out a book during games and start writing. What could he possibly be writing about? Mike explained, “I keep a scouting report on all the players I see in the league each year. I write down little things like: Did they hustle running? Did they execute a defensive play? Or anything that catches my eye. When major league scouts call me and ask, I have the information handy and can tell them what they want to know about specific players.” And like he said, he’s done this every year since he’s been in the CCBL.

• Amazingly the Kettleers added 4 pitchers to their roster this week after seeing their depth at the position take a hit when Alex Haines (Seton Hill), Patrick Corbett (Coastal Carolina) and Chris Ellis (Ole Miss) left Cotuit for various reasons. Tommy Kister (The Masters) and Michael Roberts (Coppin State) both came from the Great Lakes League that ended their season last week. Connect the dots and you’ll find the fingerprints of Kettleers coach Sean West all over these two transactions. West served as the GM for a team in the Great Lakes League for the last 3 years and knows the landscape, proving once again, it’s not what you know but who you know.

• With 2 home games left on the regular season schedule, the Kettleers are 14-5-1 this season at Lowell Park. Good teams always find a way to win at home, and this year’s edition of the Kettleers is no exception to that rule.

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  Nick (the Greek) Seimasz. Photo by Joe Cavanaugh

  It’s always nice to see 81 year old Nick Seimasz arrive at Lowell Park with the Hyannis Harborhawks. This is Nick the Greek’s 37th year coaching in the Cape Cod Baseball League and it appears this will be his last. Some health issues have slowed down the Hyannis coach the last few years and he plans to permanently retire to his home in Fort Myers after the season concludes. He’ll be missed in Hyannis and around the CCBL.

• There’s no greater site at Lowell Park than when Arnold Mycock meets some of his former players from the past. Such was the case this week when Howard Prager and Pat Varni from the 1988-89 Kettleers traveled from Texas to visit after a 24 year absence. Part of the charm of the CCBL and Cotuit is the people you meet and the relationships that evolve. Imagine the memories that must have been discussed! And topping off the reunion former house parents Chris and Don Barley traveled down from New Hampshire for the day to see the two former players along with Mycock.

• Questions….questions…questions. Which Western team would you like to see the Kettleers face in the first round of the playoffs?….Do you think Coach Roberts and GM Bruce Murphy have their pitching rotation lined up for the playoffs?…Does anyone work harder than coaches Brian Scott, Trey McCall, Sean West and Mike Reese?….Isn’t the T Shirt Toss a fun event at each Kettleers home game?

• Things that may interest only me……The season winds up with 2 games against Falmouth and if the two clubs are locked in to meet in the first round prior to these games, they’ll certainly be meaningless. And it could be 5 straight games between the Commodores and Kettleers!….. According to those top notch media interns, Nick Solari and Sean Bailey, the Kettleers have made some 53 player transactions this summer……

• There’s a perception that Y-D is a tough club for the Kettleers to face, but over the last two years, Cotuit is 7-1 against the Red Sox.

• Quote of the Week….”One thing Coach Roberts stresses is the mental approach to the game and come here ready to play every day. I’m fortunate to be around a coach who preaches that mental toughness,” said Kettleers left fielder Rhett Wiseman in a radio interview with intern Seth Bernstein.

Kettleers Korner will be anything and everything that might interest fans, past and present, about the Kettleers. Roy Reiss, who started his career working for Curt Gowdy Broadcasting, was a former sportscaster on Channel 7 and several radio stations in Boston. His son Mike now covers the Patriots for ESPNBoston.com.