The setting for Opening Day of the Great Neck Weekend Softball 2005 season couldn't have been more dignified and graceful. Forty players lined the basepaths of Kings Point Park field #3, to hear local opera singer Sandia Ang do an amazing rendition of the National Anthem. With only an orchestra of gentle breezes through the branches of the surrounding woods, Sandia's melodic and soothing voice perfectly reflected the soul of this glorious spring day. We were all very lucky to experience her performance. With a pun intended, it really started off our season at a high note.

Here are some more seasonal high notes. Russell "Athletic" Abada gunned down two consecutive runners at first base, all the way from center field. Russell also hit two consecutive inside the park home runs in a game. Marc Kono ended his incredulous 60-game hitting streak in May. Magical Stu Miller hit four triples in one game. Scott Smith hit three-quarters of the cycle in two games in a row. Fred Lauria, Marty Kohn and Marc Kono played all four days of the July 4th weekend to win the Iron Man award. Th spirited Bobby Widawsky is batting over .700 for the year. Mike Kent, Clark's more powerful brother has lashed 18 balls into the left field woods this year. Rich Cupelli leads all shortstops with a near perfect .972 fielding percentage. Steve Seidman leads all players in left field putouts for the sixth year in a row. Fran Alter leads all catchers in putouts for the second year in a row. John Hunt and Steve Zuckerman are tied for most pitching victories this year with nine each.

Eric Miller has hit the 17 farthest balls into the right field woods in Kings Point Park and he can cook! Jeff "Pele" Baskin has played two hours of softball, followed immediately by two hours of soccer every Saturday and Sunday for the past five years. Dave "King Kong" Seidman has averaged hitting a mindboggling 2.3 balls over the left field fence per game in 2005.

Jon Paisner has been a lethal mixture of speed and power. His speed alone has given him a league leading 12 infield hits. Don Rickey continues to make his death defying "Evel Knievel"-esque catches in the outfield and leads all hitters in extra base hits. Dan Hegarty leads all players in games played this year and is also among the league's leading hitters.

Joe DeMarcos legendary arm still amazes. Once again, he is by far the leader in throwing out runners on his field. Joe Sineno earned the seemingly unflattering name of "Turkey." This name, however, was given because Joe seems to gobble up any ball on the diamond within a two-mile radius. Man, is he good. Eric Tosky always plays and looks great. He wears a different major league uniform each week. Players place non-monetary bets on what they think he'll wear. Multi-talented Bob Gordon provides power to any lineup and also leads all players with clever puns. Stan Goldberg, Marty Propper, Evan Mayerhoff, Alan Grodin, Fran Alter, Bart Simon, Steve Seidman, John Howe and Bob Gordon provide aprés softball hilarity a at local breakfast places. You laugh so hard that it's difficult to eat. Jerry Katz is a cunning master of deception on the mound. Jon "Long Gone" Silver hits the ball high and far every time up. The lightning fast Jon Peress continues to play exciting ball. Andy Brown can play any position, hits with power and has an incredibly strong throwing arm. Veteran Mark Krakauer is a line drive hitting machine.

Jack Zar is the most daring base runner. Fielders can never relax when he's on base. Elie Cohen is a power hitting first baseman, capable of Ruthian blasts. Tedd Cohen has a good pitching arm and a quick bat. Joe Hyman and Jack Schonhaut are both solid premier outfields who hit for power and average. Ziggy Zborowski owns the hot corner and is one of the fastest men in the game. Steve Belenko comes down to play shortstop all the way from Mt.Kisco. The modest and quiet Rob Wurtzel is one of the most solid and consistent players. He rarely makes a mistake. Marcos Benazaquen grew up in South America, but he has worked hard at the game and has become a threat at home plate. The slick fielding Mark Goldman hits with power to right field, but is also very adept at going to left. Right hander Joe Rosenthal hits to the right field so often that he's called "Lefty." He often drives the ball deep and has good speed around the bases. Steve Schwartz and "Soley" Solowitz are both dugout favorites. The popular "Schwartzie" pitches or plays first. His consistent up the middle hitting, forces fielders to shift to a football style "I" formation. Soley is a dangerous pull hitting third baseman. Mike Hegarty rarely played softball as a youth but now he has become a major offensive weapon. Gerry Raskin has played in some very high level leagues and with some very notable players. The game just seems to come naturally to him. When Doug Beck plays he often is a dominant player.

Welcome back to Lenny Pugatch, Howie Israel and Ron Bernstein all of whom have been on the DL for most of the year. Still on the list are: Howie Diamond, Steve Fogel, Mitch Levine, Amos Lavian, Joel Wurtzel, Jack Lipsky, Leon Silverberg and Bart Simon.