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06/21/2021 12:00 AMThe Deep River Horseshoe League is approaching the halfway point of the season, and as the weather is starting to warm up, so are some of the league’s best throwers. For the second consecutive week, there were five teams that tallied at least 300 points, and each of the A, B, and C divisions increased their average scoring output with this week’s results.
There were nine matchups last week among the league’s 18 teams, and there was some slight jostling in the standings.
Some of the premier contests of the week included a battle between the Red Sox and the Cardinals. The Red Sox came off week 6 in eighth place, while the Cards held strong in third place. The Red Sox feature A player Billy Beckwith, B player Paul Crystal, and C player Mike Beckwith, while the Cardinals boast A player Kris Toohey, B player Dennis Allen, and C player Warren Bellow, who subbed for the Cardinals. The Cards claimed a 4-2 win and climbed into second place, while the Red Sox actually maintained in eighth.
Kris Toohey was outstanding, scoring a total of 144 on the week. Deep River Horseshoe League media liaison Joe Heery recalled that in Week 6, Toohey had difficulty with throws ranging wide left or right. This week, Toohey had 48 ringers including five doubles. According to Heery, that is the finicky nature of throwing shoes week to week.
“Kris had a top performance in Week 7. In week 6, he was left and right of the stake. He broke out. I always pick a couple of games of interest, and the Cards have been picked the last few weeks. They are right there in the mix to gain first place,” Heery said. “There can be a lot of variation week to week, and it can be from a lot of things: Some pits are a little higher or lower. Stakes might not be perfectly straight.”
When it comes to consistency, one of the league’s top Division A players is Mike Zanelli, Sr., After Week 7 action, Zanelli, Sr. led the league with 1015 points including 274 ringers. Zanelli, Sr., plays for the Giants, and his teammates include Ted Dubay and Scott Allen, Jr. In Week 7, Zanelli, Sr., scored the second highest tally among A players with 141, and Allen, Jr., grabbed the C Division’s second-highest tally at 102. The Giants took a 3-3 split with the Rangers, who feature A player Heery, B player Gary Stevens, and C player Jeremy Davis—who couldn’t attend this week and was substituted by Rudy Urban.
Heery had a tough contest against the Giants, and he believed the problem was repeating his mechanics.
“Mechanics and rhythm are everything. The key to a good delivery is to get your left foot planted when your arm is coming through in the release. Keep your right arm as a pendulum. You want to release at shoulder level, but that also depends on your back swing and your step forward,” Heery said. “All those little things go into it. How hard is your back swing? How high do you loft a throw? I get a little worked up because when I practice at home, it all works, but when I get to the pits, it’s like I left my tools at home sometimes.”
Another wild contest last week included the Padres and the Braves. The Padres feature A player Mike Didomizio, B player Paul Crystal, and C player Mike Beckwith, while the Braves sport A player Mike Zanelli, Jr., B player Paul Felie, and C player David Atkinson—who needed a substitute in David Robertson. The Padres began the week in last place, but managed to sweep the fifth-place Braves, 6-0. The Braves dropped to 10th place, while the Padres climbed two spots out of the cellar to 16th place. Didomizio had the third highest score out of A players on the week with 130. Heery was surprised by the result, but also noted that the Braves featured a first-time thrower as a substitute.
“Part of it has to do with handicap, too. It’s another thing you have to pay attention to. If you didn’t have a handicap some players win in a scratch game, so that comes into play a lot. About five games a week are decided by handicap,” Heery said. “The Padres average scoring is in the 240s, but they threw for 300 points. That makes it impossible for the Braves to beat them.”
The first-place Reds faced off with the Cubs, who have mostly been in the bottom of the standings. The Reds include A player Gary “Pudge” Goodrich, B player Andy Perna, and C player Jim Weselcouch, while the Cubs feature A player John Hutra, B player Dave Aldrich, and C player Bob Beckwith. Perna’s 120 was just a point off the highest tally for B players on the week, which was 121, scored by the Yankees’ Robert Cifaldi. Even though the Cubs aren’t high in the standings, they put up a good fight against the Reds taking the first two games. The Reds would eventually battle back for a 3-3, but Heery thought both teams showed some gumption.
“It was big for the Reds to come back and get the split, and the Cubs got three even though they are not doing that well. Tim Weselcouch is really new, too. He’s just learning the game,” said Heery. “They have a game and half lead, and they’re keeping ahold of it. I think the key is just the consistency of Pudge and Andy. They are getting their 230 points a game, and Tim’s handicap helps them on the back end a bit.”
The Marlins had a stellar showing by scoring 320 points as a team. The Marlins feature A player Mark Goodale, B player Gerald Hines, and C player Karen Perna. The Marlins battled the Orioles who include A player Brady Miller, B player Pete Perkins, and C player Paul Stevens. Even with the high score, the Marlins were giving away a significant number of points due to handicaps. Goodale tallied 129, which kept him out of the top 3 of the division for the first time this season. Karen Perna’s 101 was good for third among C’s. Both teams gained a split, and the Marlins ended up in a second-place tie with the Cardinals. Heery believes that the Marlins are the most talented team top to bottom.
“When I looked at the teams for the year, I thought they are my favorite to win it all. I’ve watched Karen go from a mediocre C player to untouchable. She and her husband Andy Perna practice a lot, and they have really improved. They’re just phenomenal scorers,” Heery said. “They are averaging half of their games every week with a full box. That’s unbelievable. You always want to get one point, never leave a box empty.”
The Pirates versus the Mets was a contest with some repercussions in the standings. The Pirates squad featuring A player Skip Robertson, B player John Nilson, and C player Sheryl Serviss was able to claim a 5-1 victory over the Mets’ A player Todd Nuhn, B player Dennis Goodrich, and C player Howie Fisher. The A and B players of this match were evenly matched, but Serviss had one of her typical exquisite performances at 124, which topped all C and B players on the week.
“The scores of the A and B players were only separated by one point: Skip at 114, and Todd 115, John Nilson 91, Dennis Goodrich 91, However Sheryl Serviss did what she has been all season and scored a high of 124. The Pirates were the top scoring team with 329,” said Heery. Between both teams A players, they had their best night of the season with Skip at 114 and Todd at 115. Pirates held onto fourth place, one game out of second.”
The standings shook out with the Reds (28.5-13.5) at the top, then Cardinals (27-15), Marlins (27-15), Pirates (26-16), Dodgers (24-18), Tigers (23-19), Rangers (21.5-20.5), Red Sox (21-21), Angels (20.5-21.5), Braves (20.5-21.5), Royals (20-22), Yankees (18.5-23.5), Giants (18.5-23.5), Orioles (18-24), Cubs (17.5-24.5), Padres (17-25), Mets (16-26), and White Sox (13.5-28.5).
Heery believes that the recent relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions has been a welcome sign, but it has led to players having to bow out for a substitute do to traveling for vacations. Regardless, Heery is happy to be back out after having to spend a season away for safety concerns around COVID-19.
“We started out well, but now everything is getting relaxed around the country and the state. That’s had an impact. The last couple of weeks, basically from Memorial Day weekend forward. We’ve been struggling with enough people to fill all the teams,” Heery says. “I’m so excited to be back out throwing. I was doing the stats every week and digesting and number crunching. Now I can throw the first two games and do some of the score keeping and get some insights from individual teams or maybe heckle a few people. Always good to talk some smack.”