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Philipstown Secures 1st annual River & Valley Cup Games
P-Town takes 2 of 3 from Put Valley in friendly diamond rivalry
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Members of the Philipstown Little League and Putnam Valley Baseball Association 10-U teams pose for a shot after PTown won the first annual River & Valley Minor League All-Star game last Saturday at the Leonnard Wagner Memorial Park in Putnam Valley. |
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We know for a fact that Haldane High has had a recent run of bad luck on the baseball diamond the past few years, but I'm willing to bet that its fortune is about to change in the near future after witnessing some of the finest Little League talent I've seen in recent years over the weekend. Man, did the Philipstown Little Leaguers ever tune up for a run at a District 17 Championship on Saturday, pounding out a pair of wins over the Putnam Valley Baseball Association in the first annual River and Valley Baseball Series. Philipstown's 12-U and 10-U teams dished out some serious lessons en route to taking home the River & Valley Cup. The PVBA Coaches managed to elude a clean sweep by taking down the Philipstown Coaches with relative ease in the nightcap, saving some minimal face along the way.
The final scores of the three contests weren't nearly as consequential as what went down during and after the games. Friendships were scored between the coaches and kids alike, and the potential for a long-lasting relationship between the two baseball associations were struck. When all was said and done, and the spirits were kicking in at the Putnam Valley Town Park pavilion, both associations vowed to continue the newfound rivalry by taking the series to Mayor's Park in Cold Spring next season for the second annual event between the two towns that used to be one (circa 1839).
 | | Members of the Philipstown Little League (L) and Putnam Valley Baseball Association (R) 12-U teams pose for a snapshot Saturday at the Leonard Wagner Memorial Town Park in P.V. after the conclusion of the 1st annual River & Valley Majors All-Star Game, which enabled P-Town to walk off with the River & Valley Cup they are holding |
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Both associations can thank the Putnam County News & Recorder and the Golden Arm Sports Academy in Mahopac for sponsoring the event, which was everything I hoped it would be when I dreamt it up.
"While the game scores counted toward the cup, the real score was how both leagues handled themselves; players and coaches," said Ed Barry, VP of Player Operations at Philipstown. "Both leagues should be very proud of their kids, parents and coaches. The first annual River & Valley Cup games were a huge success."
Putnam Valley, though, discovered that it still has some work to do in order to get its league to a more competitive level. In just four years, the PVBA has grown from 80 children to more than 400. The 2008 campaign was its first year with a Majors program, which fielded four teams of primarily 10 and 11-year-olds. Over time, the program is bound to strengthen.
"We've got some work to do," said Rick Anderson, a PVBA Commission Member and Coach. "We're not deterred by what happened. We're more motivated to improve than ever before. Nobody said this would happen over night."
Putnam Valley's 10-U team hung tough with Philipstown, but its 12-U team struggled mightily, leaving some in a less-thanostentatious state of wonder. In fact, some Valley folk were crying the blues, thinking that Philipstown might have pulled a fast one; seeing how the Philipstown kids appeared twice the size of the Valley youth. I'm here to tell you: Nothing could be further from the truth, so stop the crying.
"This is an anomaly," Barry said. "You're looking at the biggest, and some of the best, baseball players we've had in our league in quite some time. They're all Little League eligible, though."
This current crop of 11-12-year-old Philipstown Little Leaguers were good enough to advance past Hyde Park in Sunday's opening round of the District 17 Tournament, doing so behind a 10-4 victory, which was keyed by the pitching of Ryan Koval. Koval chucked a two-hitter over 6-1/3rd, dominating the game until the bottom of the sixth when Hyde Park broke through with a three-run shot with the game already out of reach. Philipstown's Drew Ford saved four runs with two outstanding catches in centerfield. Justin Kaufman hit a two-run home run in the sixth for P-Town.
Trust me when I tell you: This is an impressive assemblage of talent, one that will eventually take Haldane from its current subpar depths toward a potential Section 1 title contender within a few years. With the Haldane junior varsity and modified programs already on the rise, baseball should be making a strong return in the very near future, people.
Please visit www.directrays.com or www.printroom.com/pro/pictures to view Section 1 sports and PVBA Little League photo galleries.
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