With one rainout already and more storms in the area we had to make a decision to go with the tournament or wait another week? Well, as you know it turned into a great evening for all. We got to see a great ballgame between Barco and Mers Ale House and have a successful fundraiser.

The night started with our Home Run Derby. When all the sluggers started to warm up with towering shots the betting began and being overlooked was last year's winner Paul Nardone, who, despite a serious leg injury went on to pay a wopping $45. We would like to thank Rick Kopitsh who took over for the "Chief Ed Butler" and did a super job along with his Committee Lou "Old Reliable" Getzelman, Joe Fanning, Bruce Kubart and many others.

The next highlight was the Color Guard made up of all of the youth organizations from football, soccer, baseball and lacrosse. We would like to thank Ed Shillitto for his recital of the Preamble, Jillian Reilly for the Pledge of Allegiance and the heart-warming rendition of the National Anthem and America The Beautiful by Jennifer Crow.

Our thanks go out to the Town Supervisor John Venditto, State Assemblyman Steve Labriola, and Councilman Joe Muscarella who came out to support the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. This was one of our largest fundraisers and our thanks go out to all who contributed. We would like to thank Maria Ball for getting us a full page ad in the Observer who with her friend Maureen manned the table and sold Chances and Raffles from the beginning to the end. The $1,000 prize was won by Bob Diamond of Barco who gave a generous gift of $500 to the charity. A special thanks to Lou Getzelman who sold $500 in tickets, our sponsor's Granny O'Shea's, Darien, Changing Times, Mers Ale House, Singletons and Moby Drugs for these donations of $100 or more. Thanks to Rich Brancaccio for 500 flyers, the board: Bob Darienzo, Bob Kirk, Bruce Kubart, Al Palleschi, Angelo Belia, Frank Horoszewski and Ed Shillitto, all the managers and players and committee - Joe Traina, Ed Cullen, Mark Lubowsky, Jim Nolan and Carl Denauski.

"Over The Hill's" championship game between Mers and Barco, the top two seeded teams, turned out to be an exciting, seesaw, hard-fought game, with Mers winning in 11 innings, 18-17. Barco fought valiantly throughout the game, at one point coming back from a 7-run deficit but never was able to come up with that big inning needed to put them ahead. In typical fashion, the entire team came up big offensively, led by Terry McPartland's 4-4 and Steve Jacobson's 3-3. Barco's other clutch hitters were Dennis Ryan, Phil Tripoli, Bill Stack, Rick Pedone, and Tony Falcone, but none were bigger than Kevin Maloney's dramatic 2 out, 2-run homerun blast in the 9th to tie the game.

Barco manager, Gary Jambor, would like to thank Dave Diamond for his expert scorekeeping, the team for not complaining (out loud at least), and especially our better halves, who came out for every game and gave us their support and their enthusiasm. It was a great year. Thanks!

The league wishes Lou Getzelman's daughter Nicole a fast and healthy recovery from serious surgery. We have been told that she is now doing fine. Additional thanks from the Reilly family for the response to the charity tournament in memory of their niece Dawn Swaringen.

We would like to express our sympathy to the Shillitto family in the passing of Ed's father, Edward Shillitto and to the family of Bill Moyer in the passing of his mother Gloria.