At the conclusion of the 2009 Performing Arts Softball season, Manager Buddy Mantia’s HUSTLER team found themselves out of the running for the third straight season, and searching for answers as to how to get past Division rivals Q&A and Mary Ann’s, and back into the Championship round. Needing a few key position players for his somewhat aging squad, Buddy, with help from P Jimmy Maresca, went out and got a few solid, hardnosed ballplayers who they felt would not only help put HUSTLER over the top, but be good team-first guys, as well. He started the retooling with a shortstop and a veteran. 2008 PASL MVP James Schram came over from AFTRA and anchored a solid, but inconsistent defense at short. He hit .471 in the 2010 regular season, and raised the level of the team’s play with each passing game. The grizzled vet in the equation was none other than Curt Chaplin, who had spent more than 30 years in the league chasing the elusive Heckscher Cup. A ballplayer’s ballplayer, Chaplin hit .421 with a slew of walks, moved runners over and did all the little things with the patience and determination of a winner. Other key additions were LF Jordan Ford – as good a leftfielder as any in the league, Ford hit .480 with an OBP of .533, and scored 15 runs, which was among the league leaders; OF Joel Young, who, before he got hurt, was well on his way to having an amazing season; veteran and 8-time PASL Champion, Jack Steiman brought his intensity and winning attitude; and P/1B Jimmy Meyers, who returned to the league after many years away. Now that Mantia had these new players on the team, all he wanted to see was the chemistry and results. And he got it in the very first game of the year vs GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB. P Jimmy Maresca was a last-minute scratch due to an employment opportunity. But OF Gary Lewin stepped up to pitch and scattered 6 hits over 7 innings in an impressive 4-1 victory - a victory that would inspire the team for the entire season. HUSTLER went on to win their next three games by a combined score of 35-1. Their next big test after that would come against Q&A in the fifth game of the season, and the bats were ready. A 12-hit assault on Q&A pitching was led by 3B Edwin ‘Cano’ Diaz, Schram and OF Amil Nunez. Those three combined to go 7 for 11 with 5 RBI and 3R scored in an 8-5 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. HUSTLER would go on from there to win 9 of their next 10 games (including a no-hitter by Jimmy Maresca) with their only loss of the entire year suffered at the hands of MARY ANN’S and P Bobby Fishman, 7-0. But on to the playoffs...First round action saw HUSTLER in a dogfight with an upstart COLLECTIVE team, who proved a worthy opponent before going down to defeat, 5-2. The win put HUSTLER in the PM Division Championship round for the first time in three years. Their opponent would again be Q&A, who dispatched MARY ANN’S the previous week with an impressive 14-2 shellacking. Having beaten Q&A all three times during the regular season, Mantia and his squad were cautious but confident, knowing how hard it is to beat a team three times, let alone four. But that’s exactly what this 2010 HUSTLER team did. Q&A scored the first run in the top of the 3rd. and that stood up until the bottom of the 5th when HUSTLER mounted their first real rally of the game. Meyers open the frame with a line-drive single, followed by a walk to Jack Mulcahy. Chaplin moved both runners into scoring position on a fielder’s choice. 1B Juan Parra followed with a fly ball to centerfield that was botched and played into a single. Meyers scored easily, but Mulcahy was called out at the plate after a perfect slide. Replays clearly showed the team Captain to be safe at the plate, but no matter – the score was tied at 1-1. Q&A quickly seized on their good fortune by scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the 6th. So, with time running out, and visions of a promising season going to waste, this HUSTLER team dug deep and found a way. Leading off, Jordan Ford reached on an error by the Q&A shortstop, who had to hurry his throw to try and get the speedy Ford. He didn't, and that opened the floodgates for HUSTLER. Back-to-back singles by Nunez and 2B Billy Piela plated Ford and tied the score at 2-2. Cano followed with a walk and when OF Bruce Grossman singled home the go-ahead run and Meyers knocked in the insurance run with a sac fly, HUSTLER was up, 4-2. The late-inning lightning seemed to take all the steam out of Q&A. In the top of the 7th they went down quietly, 1-2-3 to give Buddy Mantia and his team their first Division Crown and shot at the title since 2006. However, their opponents would be no pushovers: defending Champions, RJK PRODUCTIONS. But HUSTLER felt to be the best they needed to beat the best. GAME 1 of the Championship Finals was something to behold. It matched up arguably two of the best pitchers in the league: RJK’s Eric Brown and HUSTLER’s Jimmy Maresca. And they did not disappoint. HUSTLER scored lone runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings to make it 2-0, and that was all they would get. But because of Maresca’s mastery, and stellar infield defense behind him, that was all they would need. Diaz, Schram and Billy Piela turned three sensational doubleplays in key situations to limit RJK to just one run, and with the 2-1 win safely tucked away, HUSTLER was halfway to where they wanted to be. In GAME 2, HUSTLER - sensing that the opportunity was now upon them - roared out to an insurmountable 7-0 lead after just 3 innings. Multi-hit games from James Schram, and multi-RBI games from Jimmy Meyers (3) and 1B Juan Parra (2) fueled the attack, and, combined with continued great pitching and defense, pretty much sealed the deal and the celebration was on. With their clinching 7-2 victory, HUSTLER claimed their 1st title in 4 years, and 4th overall Championship since 1993. Kudos to Nick Ross and his RJK team for a great season. They played with heart and class. And finally, caps off to Manager Buddy Mantia, playoff MVP P Jimmy Maresca, team Captain Jack Mulcahy - who batted .618 for the year - and the entire HUSTLER squad that went 14-1 during the regular season and a mind-numbing 18-1 overall. HUSTLER: Your 2010 PERFORMING ARTS SOFTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!
