The FBLI Farmingdale Greendogs 12 year old travel team made its annual trip to the Cooperstown Baseball Tournament last week. The team was selected in February to represent our town against teams from all over the United States. The coaches and players trained hard for six months leading up to the big trip, and the results were obvious. The week started off on a great note when Anthony Bonilla won the home run derby during the opening ceremonies skills competitions.

The good feeling continued the next morning when in their first game the Greendogs overwhelmed the Mahopac Indians by a 13-1 score. Tape measure home runs from Denis Donovan and Mike Neglia were highlights of the opening game. The team had the afternoon off and the boys and their families enjoyed a great trip to Cooperstown, with a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. On Monday morning the Greendogs continued to roll with 14-0 victory over the Flemington Thunder from New Jersey. This game featured a combined no hitter pitched by James D'Antonio and Kyle Watson. In the afternoon contest the Greendogs faced the Golden Gate Hammerheads from Naples, FL. This opponent was a Florida State AAU championship team, but the Dogs barked their way to a 5-0 victory. Gold glove fielding by Paul Cohen and Jonathan Smalkin ensured the shutout pitched by Anthony Bonilla.

The next morning featured the closest contest yet, as the Dogs battled the Sports Academy Sharks, from Itasca, Illinois. The game was a back and forth slugfest, and the Dogs held on for a 9-8 victory, keyed by an Anthony Bonilla grand slam, and remained undefeated for the tournament. In the afternoon game, the Blue Jays, from Fort Washington Maryland, were the Greendogs' next challenge. The Greendogs easily dispatched them in a 15-0 victory that sent the Greendogs into the playoff round of the tournament undefeated. Hitting stars Anthony Galanoudis and Harrison Graf, and outstanding outfield play by Vincent Mavaro, Matt Ficcara and Mike Alonso and Patrick Lively throughout the tournament contributed to the victories.

In the first round of the playoffs the Dogs again faced the Mahopac Indians, and the result was the same. They continued to roll with a 10 -0 victory. The semifinal game featured a rematch against the tough Golden Gate Hammerheads. The game was well played on both sides, and the Greendogs were able to hold off the highly skilled team from Florida to win the game 8-5.

The Greendogs made it to the Championship game undefeated and were within one game of grabbing the trophy that they had worked six months to achieve. It wasn't to be however, as the Greendogs faced the undefeated America's Game Hornets, from San Jose, California. The Hornets grabbed the lead early and held on to get the victory.

The 2008 Cooperstown Greendogs had earned a much deserved second place trophy against teams from all over the country. The boys worked hard for many months and were able to see their hard work pay off with well-played, hard nosed baseball. They earned the respect of their opponents and brought back home memories that will last a lifetime.