LONG ISLAND DRIVE BASEBALL

 2007 LONG ISLAND STAN MUSIAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

RETURN TO GLORY IN '09

NAVIGATE:





LONG ISLAND DRIVE BASEBALL
OFFICIAL TEAM WEBSITE


JANUARY 9, 2007 - At the Winter Meetings for the LISMBL, Long Island Drive Team Owner/General Manager FRANK GIGLIO, along with Team Manager JASON MERZ, Assistant Coach VINNIE MANNESE, and players RYAN CRAWFORD and NICK TIMPONE, were on-hand and presented with the 2007 Division I League Championship Trophy by League Owner/President, Jimmy Rose.

________________________________________ 

TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION
________________________________________

E-Mail us at:
DRIVEBASEBALL@yahoo.com



THE DRIVE MARQUEE
TEAM MESSAGE BOARD

_________________________________________

DRIVE TAKES HOME CHAMPIONSHIP IN LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT 2008

DRIVE takes home its first tournament title by going 5-0 and winning the Myrtle Beach, SC Ripken Tournament on Labor Day weekend...

LONG ISLAND DRIVE baseball finishes a successful 2008 campaign with an overall record of 31-13-1 on the season (including tournament).

***TITLE DEFENSE FALLS SHORT***

2008 LI DRIVE underachieve in 2008 Playoffs, losing disappointing semifinal playoff game to Cardinals on Wed. to end Drive season, by a score of 2-0...

The DRIVE, the regular season champs, fail to advance to title game this season, and complete the summer campaign at an overall record of 26-13-1...

Congratulations to all 2008 Drive players on another successful season...and let's comeback in 2009!

 

 

SUNDAY'S RESULTS..... 

The Drive topped the Cobras, 3-1 in their 2nd Round matchup Sunday, but fell to the Black Sox, 4-0 in the seminfinal, forcing the Drive to await the winner of the Cobras/Cardinals elimination game Tuesday night, for a Wednesday night elimination game showdown, with the winner advancing to meet the Black Sox in the Championship game on Friday at Citibank Park. 

PLAYOFF DOUBLEHEADER Sun:          

GAME ONE -

DRIVE 3, Cobras 1 

GAME TWO -

Black Sox 4, DRIVE 0

 

PLAYOFF ELIMINATION SEMIFINAL

August 6th - 8:00PM at CASAMENTO PARK in West Islip.  

 **FINAL** - Cardinals 2, DRIVE 0

 

***A RACE TO THE FINISH***

CONGRATULATIONS to the LI DRIVE 2008 Regular Season Award Winners!!!

*Staff ace VINNIE MANNESE --- is the 2008 CY YOUNG AWARD Winner

AND

2008 TEAM MVP AWARD Winner

---and---

*Outfielder FRANK GIGLIO ---- is the 2008 BATTING CHAMPION

*Both players, original Drive members, are now TWO-TIME winners in their respective categories, joining current Drive All-Stars Bill Graiser (CF) and Chad Harris (SP) as the only other two-time winners of these coveted awards! 

**The tightest race of all was the BATTING RACE, where GIGLIO and GRAISER went "down-to-the-wire"......

In the CLOSEST batting race in franchise history, Giglio edges Graiser, .436 to .433, to earn his 2nd batting title!  

 

 

**REGULAR SEASON WINDS DOWN**

The LONG ISLAND DRIVE, with a record of 25 - 11 - 1 on the 2008 season, are the REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS for the first time in franchise history!!!!!!!

The DRIVE takes 1ST PLACE in LISMBL Division 1 Wood and received a BYE for the 1st Round of the League Playoffs, in its quest to defend their title!

 

 

***DRIVE ALL STARS 2008***

Congratulations to the following DRIVE players in their election to the LISMBL 2008 All Star Team:

RYAN CRAWFORD

FRANK GIGLIO

BILL GRAISER

JOE KITT

VINNIE MANNESE

*Also elected to the All Star team, but unable to play in the game at Citibank Park on Wed, July 23rd, were rookie catcher for the club, FRANK SCARLATO and injured lefty ace, CHAD HARRIS.

 



_________________________________________

2008 BATTLE FOR NEW YORK/FAN FEST

Long Island Drive
vs.
New York Seminoles 

*DATE and TIME TBD* 

STADIUM TBD
New York

_____________________________________________

 








 DRIVE TIMELine___________________________________

Farmingdale, NY - May 23, 2008

***LONG ISLAND DRIVE - FREE AGENT SIGNINGS***

THE DRIVE SIGNS THREE MORE TOP AREA PLAYERS

Drive GM Frank Giglio and the Long Island Drive organization extends a warm welcome by proudly announcing the signing of its three newest players, FRANK SCARLATO - catcher, BRYAN BURKE - outfielder, and MIKE ZIEGLER - pitcher, to the 2008 team.  

The DRIVE (37-14 overall record in 2007 / LISMBL Champions), its management and players, each welcome these three outstanding players to the franchise for the 2008 season! 

 


Farmingdale, NY - March 9, 2008

***LONG ISLAND DRIVE 2008 SEASON PREVIEW***

DRIVE BASEBALL PRIMED AND READY FOR TITLE DEFENSE

At this time last season, the Long Island Drive baseball franchise had a pretty large chip on its collective shoulder.  Still feeling the effects of a bitter playoff defeat the season prior, and after a long offseason, the team was anxious to get back to baseball...except, with something to prove.  The Drive felt, as in seasons past, it had, yet again, underachieved in the postseason, and as the 2007 season loomed, the Drive was set to regroup with the hope that the team could finally finish what they set out to do - win a title.  On August 23rd, 2007, Long Island Drive baseball not only completed its most successful season to date, but also, its most successful postseason, and it was time to stop chasing the dream, and enjoy the accolades - as champions of Long Island baseball - with a 1-0 championship series victory in the deciding game over the Long Island Cobras - to give the franchise its long sought-after and coveted league title.  This season, things are different.  This season, we start our title defense.

Now, with the Long Island Champs set to start over, Spring Training is about to begin.  Now, we're on the road back to the title in 2008........

It will take a lot more than just one title to cement their status among the elite of Long Island amateur baseball, and this season, a whole new challenge awaits.  The Drive is now "the hunted", and the champs will have their hands full during their first title defense season this summer.  Unlike prior offseasons, where Drive management only concerned itself with the team's improvement, now, its opponents have also made some noise on the free agent market, as they look to unseat the Drive come August.  Yet again, Drive management had a tremendous offseason for the third year in a row, as the franchise again added quality free agents to its solid core of talent, to make this year's roster even more formidable than during its championship season of 2007.  Marvelous additions such as Joseph Kitt and Michael Kitt have more than adequately solidified any remaining questionable areas on the team this season.  In addition, 2008 will mark the return of Drive star pitcher and 3-time team Cy Young Award winner Chad Harris, who returns for a full season on the hill, to anchor what arguably may become recognized as the best "front four" starting rotation in the league.  Harris will again challenge opposing lineups and deal alongside '07 Cy Young Award winner Adam Docar, '03 Cy Young Award winner Vinnie Mannese, and new addition, junior college All-American Michael Kitt.  Not to be outdone or underestimated, the LI Drive also boasts one of the most efficient and overpowering bullpens in all of Long Island baseball, with the return of elite league closer, hard-thrower Nick Timpone, complimented by new lefty sensation, Joseph Kitt.  Rounding out the staff in dual roles will be returning veteran righthander Mike Carbone.      

With the staff in good hands, the Drive has also upgraded a lineup that had its best season in 2007, having hit .293 overall as a team and driving in 177 runs in the regular season, while adding 33 more in the postseason - all franchise highs.  Entering 2008, an already deep veteran lineup has deepened, with the additions of the Kitt brothers, Joseph and Michael, along with the return of top offensive veteran players Kelvin Ortiz (.362), Jason Merz (.328), Frank Giglio (.345), Adam Myers (.330), Brian Resnick (.333), Ian Roche (.308), Frank Dolan (.307), and team MVP and Batting Champ, as well as 2007 League Batting Champion, Billy Graiser (.465).  With a core of veteran players all hitting over .300 in 2007, and the solid additions made to the team this past offseason, the Drive lineup looks as formidable as ever, to compliment an equally imposing staff and firm defensive alignment.  

Looking ahead, the Drive will begin their title defense this coming May against a well improved league.  The Storm and the Black Sox, both semi-pro, national tournament championship teams, and among New York's elite teams, will again be strong opponents.  The '06 champs, the Cobras, will be back to avenge their title defeat at the hands of the Drive last year, and the Diamond Cutters, a playoff opponent last season, will be back and improved, after joining with the remaining players of the former powerhouse LI Cardinals team, to re-ignite that franchise and become, again, the new LI Cardinals organization.  These teams will be the primary contenders looking to unseat the Long Island Champs, the Drive, this coming year.  Opening Day cannot come soon enough.....   


C

DRIVE Baseball 2008
-- Defending the Title --

** LI Stan Musial 2008 **
LEAGUE STANDINGS
Division I - Wood Bat
   TEAMWL T PCTGBPLACE
LI DRIVE 2510 1 .714  --1ST
LI Black Sox 10 4 1 .7144.52nd
LI Cardinals 14 6 1 .7003.53rd 
LI Storm 12 6 0 .6674.54th
LI Cobras 9 7 0 .5626.55th
LI Pirates 6 17 0 .26113.0 6th



_________________________________________________


2007 Season LI DRIVE Team Award Winners

CY YOUNG -        ADAM DOCAR
                               10-2 record / 1.38 ERA
                               120 K's in 76 and 1/3 Innings
                               5 Shutouts (including 2 in playoffs)

                             *Holds single season franchise records for:
                              Wins (10) / Strikeouts (120) / Shutouts (5)
        

BATTING CHAMP -    BILLY GRAISER  (2-time winner)
and MVP                         .459 Avg / 8 HR / 24 Rbi's
                                          17 stolen bases / 40 runs scored


DRIVE SPONSORS
______________________________________________________





THE
OFFICIAL TRAINING FACILITY
OF
THE LONG ISLAND DRIVE

THE BEST place for athletes to train!

Call (631) 321-1900
for details on how to join.



DRIVE LINKS
_______________________________________________________

Looking for Baseball in New York City,
Check out the ..

New York Seminoles Team Site




WWW.METALANDSCAPEDESIGN.COM

(631) 673- META