The Ellenville varsity baseball and softball teams both ended the season on a positive note. The Blue Devils baseball team defeated Tri-Valley 8-6 in their annual game held at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown. After dropping the first two games of this rivalry, the Blue Devils have won three of the last four to tie the series at 3-3. As has been the case for the last few years, the seniors led the Blue Devils. Sebastian Constable was the winning pitcher in his final game. Constable had two hits and an RBI and fellow senior Tim Campbell had two RBIs for Ellenville, which finished the season at 5-13……….The Ellenville softball team defeated Monticello 12-7 under the lights at Berme Road Park as Colleen Spratt had three RBIs, Katie Burns went 3-4 and scored three runs, and pitcher Jillian Shamro picked up the win. The Lady Devils finished the season at 3-13 but won all three games played under the lights this season……….With the Memorial Day weekend behind us, all New York state law enforcement agencies have concluded their "Click it or ticket" campaign. If you were driving this past weekend without your seatbelt on there was a good chance that a police officer pulled you over in less time than it takes to file a lawsuit against Walmart. I am proud to say that I did not get pulled over this weekend as I have learned my lesson. In reality, putting on your seat belt is a matter of habit and since seat belts save lives, you should always buckle up. Having said that, I have a tremendous amount of respect for all law enforcement agents, but no police officer or state trooper should ever write someone a ticket for talking on their cell phone while driving if the officer issuing the ticket has ever talked on his or her cell phone while driving on duty……….I have mentioned Ellenville boys track and field coach Phil Althouse often in my articles, pointing out that Althouse is one of the best young coaches in all of Section 9. Althouse, a former Blue Devils athlete and current Ellenville high school social studies teacher, has been the varsity indoor and outdoor track coach for the past three years. And in those short three years, Althouse has won two Section 9 indoor track titles and last week led the Blue Devils to their first ever Mid-Hudson Athletic League outdoor title. Althouse has the ability to recruit and motivate athletes and is quickly becoming one of the best coaches in Ellenville history. Ellenville won the league championship with an amazing display of team depth, scoring 109.5 points and outdistancing runner-up Onteora. The Blue Devils had only one event winner as the 1,600-meter relay team of Dan Quinceno, Sam Pozorski, Joe Barrera, and Ryan Valencia claimed the last event of the meet in a time of 3:29.9. The "Blue collar" Devils scored points in almost every event to offset the strength of Onteora, which won six events. Next up for the Blue Devils is the Section 9 – Class B championships this Thursday at Dietz Stadium in Kingston……….Last week I wrote about the lunatic Mets fan who streaked across the infield and slid into second base during a game at Citi Field, before being removed by security. That piece was cut by the Journal's editorial gremlins, but my point was that if these nut jobs were actually jailed for a year and fined $5,000 as is permissible by law, we would instantly see a lot less of incidents. This particular fan ran onto the field in nothing but his socks and sneakers with "Let's Go Mets" written on his back, a Mets logo tattooed on his chest, and a Mets rally monkey strategically covering his Louisville Slugger. The "I want my 15 minutes of fame" act was obviously staged even though the streaker claimed he was offered a week's pay by his boss if he was able to successfully "bare" his love for the Mets. The streaker said, "It was the best moment of my life." This guy should do 365 days at Rikers Island just for being a Mets fan……….I hope that all my friends up at Wilson's Deli don't get mad at me for joking about the "Mutts." Despite the Mets banners and bobble heads that adorn the deli, Wilson's makes the best buffalo chicken sandwich around. The buffalo chicken sandwich has been traditionally featured on Fridays and it's just another reason to like summer……….Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior outfielder Sara Finkbeiner has been chosen to the 2009 Louisville Slugger National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Region team. Finkbeiner was chosen to the second team in the Northeast region. The selection is the third time in her career that Finkbeiner has secured All Region honors. The former Ellenville High star recently completed her softball career at R.P.I. and the numbers were impressive. Finkbeiner finished her senior season with a .375 batting average and a career batting average just above .400. Finkbeiner also returned to the mound for her senior year at R.P.I. (her first time pitching since high school) and went 7-3 with a 2.33 ERA. Congratulations Sara……….The folks behind the Ellenville Playground Project have done a terrific job and now stand on the cusp of completing their dream, to build a community playground at Berme Road Park. The project has been several years in the making and the playground committee has been tireless in their work and single-minded in their determination. The committee has put together many fundraisers, solicited donations from every source, dealt with all the political red tape, and, most importantly, proved the naysayers wrong. The most amazing feat yet is that the committee members have remained fairly anonymous, proving their dedication to the children and families of our community. The committee is still looking for any/all volunteers to help with the building of the park which will commence on June 10. Consider giving a few hours to this worthy cause. Check out their website for more info at www.ellenvilleplayground.com………..Finally, congratulations to the Ellenville Police Department for cracking the case and making two arrests in the recent string of burglaries that took place at several local businesses. The E.P.D. continues to do a great job despite budget cuts and a lack of support from some of our elected officials. Until next time…

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