GROVES PAIR GROOVING TO THE BEAT OF PERFECTION

Back about 20 years or so ago, legendary Hollywood leading man, Jack Nicholson, directed and starred in the movie, The Two Jakes, a less than well-received sequel to the Oscar-winning motion picture, Chinatown. To put it mildly, the movie wasn't very good.

Do you want to know WHAT IS very good? Okay, I'm gonna tell you – the Birmingham Groves baseball team led by, among others, the Falcons very own, "Two Jakes", senior co-captains, Jake Balbas and Jake Moss. Groves, like my man, Lloyd Banks of G-Unit once said, is "ON FIRRRRRRRRRRRE" to the tune of an unblemished, 11-0 record to start the season. Both Balbas (four year varsity starter) and Moss (infield captain from ss/p spot) went YARD on Wednesday afternoon in a 6-1 defeat of BH Lahser. Thursday saw more of the same as THA GGGGGGGGGGG-MEN took care of RO Shrine, 8-1.

Balbas, Moss, and junior diamond cutter, Mike "Megadeath" Mestdagh – arguably the top prospect from the Class of 2011 – are each multidimensional players, with a high on-field IQ. This trifecta of Flacons is as formidable as a threesome that exists in this area. And we haven't even begun mentioning guys like Chris Poches (super junior hurler and second baseman) and Ryan Feist (senior outfielder/pitcher). All five of these dudes can hit a heavy load from the batter's box and twirl a gem from the pitching rubber. As a result of this deluge of talent, longtime head coach Jim Crosby and the Falcons faithful could be in store for a memorable and historic season.

A couple more things I would like to say about the baseball team at my main homeboy and OP colleague, Pat "The Book" Caputo's alma mater, Wylie E. Groves High School:

1 Crosby is as top shelf as you get in the prep baseball coaching department.

2 "Megadeath" Mestdagh is a specimen of a college recruit, to say the least, and MSU got very lucky by wrapping this kid up quick without having to compete with the likes of some of the more prominent programs from the south that would have been sure to have come calling over the summer if he hadn't of committed early. THAT's A FACT!

3 Finally, I'm about to make it official: Jake Balbas IS the most underrated player in the entire state of Michigan. In terms of power and average, he's easily in the top five hitters in Metro Detroit. How this kid doesn't have more D1 offers coming his way is baffling to me. I've been watching him for 3 years now and he's got one of the best, most pure swings, I've seen in my 20 years-plus of watching prep baseball. His swing is so beautiful, that when I first saw him hit as a sophomore in '08, I was shocked to find out he was only 15 years old. Believe me, if either Michigan or MSU takes a flier on this guy, Burney personally guarantees they won't be disappointed. In fact, he guarantees he will be starting by his second year on the team. TAKE THAT BANK!

2009 STATS AS A JUNIOR = .420 BATTING AVERAGE (RIGHT NOW OVER .450), 23 RBI, 4-2 ON THE MOUND WITH 2.40 ERA

GET BUSY MY CRAZYSUPERGOOD FALCON HOMEBOYS, "THE TWO JAKES", MEGADEATH, POCHES, FEIST, COACH J-CROS AND THA REST!!!

HICKS HURRIES DEVELOPMENT, SHINING.....AND WINNING EARLY

"Coach Joe's" Lakeland Eagles softball squad lost some serious talent from last year's state quarterfinal team in Andi Dawson, Devan Olah, and Erica Rizzo, among others. But like all great programs, the Eagles didn't re-build, they re-loaded. Specifically, head coach and master field tactician Joe Alsup, has brought on board one of the best freshman in the state in Selena Hicks, this year to add to a superior returning line-up of veterans and the result has been more of the same – WINNING THAT IS: And lots and lots of it. Using a steady dose of Hicks' youth-infused skill, Lakeland is 9-1 out of the gate.

The young Hicks is a phenom on the diamond. There is very little that she can't do. She's a tremendous hitter AND terror from the pitching circle. Along with the incomparable Carlee Meek and the ultra reliable Michelle Stiltner, the trio of SCREAMING EAGLES make up one of the best pitching staffs the school has ever had. AND THAT's SAYING ALOT !!!

Oh, yeah, putting her into a hard-slugging line-up with the likes of Kelsey Cleary (best lead-off hitter in the state, Kelsey Johnson, and Kayla King is pretty freaking scary too. Hicks has been ratcheting up her batting average this week, as Lakeland has taken two of three so far since Monday. In a 9-0 win over Pinckney, she went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. On Wednesday in a win over Walled Lake Northern, she was 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI, and run scored.

Look for Coach Joe and the Screaming Eagles to be making a lot of noise this year on the softball diamond and I'll go on record by saying I would be shocked of this group didn't make it back to the quarters, if not way beyond. Burney would love nothing more than to see his main hurling homegirl, CARLEE MEEK get a ring to cap off a unbelievable career.

SOME THOUGHTS FROM TUESDAY'S ACTION ON THE DIAMOND

WL Central bounced back big from a loss on Monday by trouncing defending state champion, Warren De La Salle 22-6 on Tuesday. "Jolt'n Joe" Harris belted two homers and collected a total of seven RBI to highlight the Vikings attack. Super props go out to "Jolt'n Joe" for doing his best Di Maggio in the Central 'W'. WATCH OUT KLAA, JAKE "THE SNAKE" PAULSON IS JUST WARMING UP THROWING THAT PILL. CAN U SAY LEAGUE LEADER IN K'S BY YEAR'S END!

Pontiac NDP might have started the season slow, but Dan Owenby made sure that the Fighting Irish racked up a couple wins on Tuesday, destroying opposing pitching in a doubleheader sweep of MC Cardinal Mooney. "The Big O" swatted two home runs and compiled a total of six RBI in the twinbill. Wow is Western Illinois getting itself a heck of a ballplayer!!!! and one more thing, GET BUSY MY PRIMETIME HOMEBOYS, TOMMY CONSTAND AND JOEY DE MARTIS!

The Globke brothers got MAD NICE in Southfield Christian's 6-2 defeat of GP University Liggett, showing the host-Knights that two these two siblings pack quite a powerful punch, both individually and in tandem. Older bro, Ben, blasted a home run and had two base-knocks and younger bro, Alex, busted out three hits and a pair of RBI as well in leading the Eagles to its fifth win of the year.

Quick Thought - The Eagles' senior spinmaster Andy Hoffenbacher is CRAZY UNDERRATED!!!

On the subject of MIAC diamond powers, RH Lutheran Northwest upped its record to 8-3 on Tuesday night with an 8-3 dusting of AP Inter-City Baptist. Senior Steve Miscovich cracked a humdinger of a 3-run home run in the sixth inning that put the game out of reach. Lutheran Northwest will battle it out with Southfield Christian, Liggett, and Lutheran Westland for conference championship honors.

From action on the softball diamond, Clawson's Lisa Shumaker continued her stat-gobbling campaign, striking out 14 from the pitching mound and slapping four hits in the Trojans, 11-6, come from victory over Detroit Renaissance.   

FAST-RISERS RADAR

REMEMBER THESE THREE NAMES:

 

BRYAN BELL (WL CENTRAL) - A BEHEMOTH 6-5 287 POUND OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, BELL MIGHT NOT GET TO BASK MUCH IN THE LIMELIGHT 'CAUSE HE'S DOWN IN THE TRENCHES DOING THE DIRTY WORK FOR COACH MEYER'S GRITTY GROUP OF VIKINGS BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE HE'S ONE OF THE BEST LINE PROSPECTS IN THE STATE IN 2011.

SCHOOLS LOOKING AT BELL - UCLA, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN, CMU, EMU, WMU

MIKE SULLIVAN (WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES) - SMALL SCHOOL STUD QB STARTING TO GET SERIOUS AND SURPRISE INTEREST FROM A FEW MAJORS.  

SCHOOLS LOOKING AT SULLIVAN - MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME,UCLA, SYRACUSE, 'NATTI, TOLEDO, BOWLING GREEN, CMU, EMU

ALEX FINE (LAKE ORION) - THIS 6-1 210 POUND SAFETY WILL BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RECRUITED DEFENSIVE BACKS IN THE CLASS OF 2011. YOU DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE JUST GOT TO TOWN LAST FALL FROM CINCINNATI AND HAD TO SIT OUT MOST OF THE YEAR DUE TO TRANSFER RULES. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THIS HARD-HITTING DRAGON IS FLYING UP RECRUITING CHARTS THIS CURRENT OFF-SEASON WITH KNOCK-OUT SHOWINGS AT A VARIETY OF SHOWCASE CAMPS.

SCHOOLS LOOKING AT FINE - MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, CINCINNATI, IOWA STATE, AND MISSOURI

speaking of flying up the charts, it seems the more exposure Troy Athens Jake Duzey gets at off-season camps and combines, the more interest he's getting from all the big boys of the recruiting game. although a receiver in the prep ranks, Duzey, 6-4, big hands, and wide-bodied, projects as a shifty tight end in college.

SCHOOLS LOOKING AT DUZEY - FLORIDA, NORTE DAME, MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, ILLINOIS, PURDUE, NORTHWESTERN, WMU, CMU, EMU, BOWLING GREEN, DUKE,INDIANA, AND WISCONSIN

Destination Meter:

Aaron White (West Bloomfield) – West Virginia State for football

Jake Fortner (Stoney Creek) – Northwood for hoops

Bryan "B-Money" Coleman (S-Lathrup) – waiting on a hoops offer from UofD, if not it looks like it will be Wayne St.

Jody Hill (Ferndale) – Northwestern State (Ohio) for hoops

Megan Heiden (Rochester) – OCC for hoops

Tiffany Coleman (Waterford Mott) – OCC or Marygrove for hoops

Prospect Interest Meter:

Berkley junior running back prospect Terrell Porter is fielding interest from Coach RichRod at UofM and Ball State

MH Madison sizzling tailback/DB recruit, Valdez Showers is being eyed by scouts at Michigan, MSU, Indiana, Cincinnati, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, CMU, EMU, Toledo, and Bowling Green

QUICK SIDE NOTE: I'VE DECIDED TO NICKNAME VALDEZ, "THE REIGN MAN", BECAUSE EVERYTIME THIS KID'S ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD IT STARTS RAINING TOUCHDOWNS.

THE THUNDEROUS Tim "Jumbo" Hamilton (FB/LB) OF BROTHER RICE is getting looks from the likes of CMU, MSU, Iowa, Syracuse, Missouri, Wisconsin, UConn and Toledo

Southfield's speedy and stout Dae'von Robinson (RB) is taking calls from Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, CMU, WMU Toledo, and BALL State

SOME "SLEEPER" INCOMING SENIORS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON:

DEQUANTE HUMPHREY WR/DB (PONTIAC VIA WATERFORD KETTERING)

JACKSON LEWIS LB (MADISON HEIGHTS LAMPHERE)  

MARCUS GLEAVES & CORTEZ RILEY (OL ST. MARY'S)

OC Top Ten

1 RH Adams (11-2) – Senior hurlers Mike Johnson and Ryan Strom are strumming along at a workmanlike-clip on the 'ole pitching rubber so far this year, significantly augmenting the Highlanders heavy hitting arsenal. Johnson is carrying a big chunk of the squad's offensive load too.

2 Lake Orion (11-3) – Coach Andy Schramek's team is transforming into "The Zack Attack" this season with junior outfielder/pitcher Zack Zott playing so well!

3 Birmingham Groves (9-0) – Jake Balbas, Jake Moss, Mike "Megadeath" Mestdagh, Chris Poches…enough said!

4 MH Bishop Foley (14-3) – Ventures continue to fly high!!!!!!

5 MH Lamphere (13-4) – Junior Mitch Kozlowski is one of the best lead-off hitters in the state regardless of class

6 Farmington (10-4) – Senior Matt Gutknecht is double trouble from the mound and the plate this season!

7 Walled Lake Central (13-2) – Speaking of superior senior pitchers, the Vikings' Jake Paulson has been pure dominance every start he's made

8 Birmingham Brother Rice (9-3) – Get busy my main man, Tommy Barrett!!!!

9 OL St. Mary's (6-6) – The Eaglets may be starting slow, but Burney's sure they'll being picking it up quite soon!

9 Clarkston (5-1) – Biggest surprise of the year in the local prep baseball scene and the Wolfpack are doing it without star pitcher/1B Matt Kamieniecki (Ball State for hoops), whose going to miss the whole year with a broken hand suffered in a freak accident over spring break.

10 AH Avondale (8-4) – Big fall for the Jackets this week from the top of the rankings, but don't sleep on Portelli, Peters, Draybek and co.

COUNTY HOOP TALENT SHOWS WELL IN STATE ALL-STAR GAME TO CONCLUDE 2010 PREP SEASON

The mega-ballers and primetime shot-callers were out in force on Saturday at the O'Rena in Rochester Hills on the campus of Oakland University in the 2010 Michigan High School Basketball All-Star game.

A total of 13 players from Oakland County took part in the event which encompassed both a girls and boys game and each and every one of them repped THE OC to the fullest whenever they were doing their business on the court.

SUPER PROPS TO ALL THE COMPETITORS:

Boys: Roy Marble, Bryan Coleman, Jake Fortner, Jody Hill, Richaud Pack, Kyle Vinales

Girls: Tiffany Coleman, Desyree Thomas, Madison Williams, Troy Hambric, Victoria Powell, Aisha Barnard, Megan Heiden.

First off, was the girls game, which was a back-and-fourth affair until the fourth quarter when the North squad – the team with all the OC'ers in both games– pulled away and went onto grab the win, 66-59. DCD's Troy Hambric (Loyola) corralled the game's MVP award by scoring a contest-high 18 points, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Fellow OC cage stud, Tiffany Coleman of Waterford Mott, was "Johnny on the spot" for eight critical points – two buzzer-beaters and two straight hoops late in the fourth to quell a last-minute flurry from the Soutsiders – and a monster in the post hauling down 10 rebounds.

To cap the day off, the boys game was everything you would want an all-star game to be and more: high-scoring, high-flying, an elite pair of rosters, great sportsmanship, energetic and fun atmosphere………

The South squad – filled primarily with PSL players – ended up winning pretty convincingly, 111-87, but the affair was MAD ENTERTAINING…..especially for a mega-hoop head like myself.

Just to get an idea:

There were so many highlight reel-worthy slam dunks in this game it would have made pro jam kings like Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins, and Air Jordan very very jealous!!!!, to say the least.

And all my homeboys were there: The Natural.....er Kyle Vinales, The Pac-Man.....er Pichaud Pack, Jesus Shuttlesworth....er...Roy Marble, B-Money..er......Byran Coleman, and so many more

The stars of the game were Detroit Pershing's Keith Appling (Michigan State) and Detroit Denby's Isaiah Sykes for the Southsiders and THE OC's very own Roy Marble (S-Lathrup-/Iowa) and Saginaw Arthur Hills Maurice "Pookie" Jones (USC) holding things down nicely for Crew North. Appling swiped MVP honors with 25 points and Skyes (22 points, 12 rebounds, 7 slam dunks) was breathtaking the entire way bringing down the house with signature stuff after signature stuff, elevating way above the rim on every one. If all things go his way, this lefty slasher specialist will end up in Ann Arbor next year or the year after playing for UofM.

Jones streaked his way to a game-high 27 points. This kid gets up and down the court so fast you'd think he's was a freaking Olympic sprinter. And boy, can he finish at the point of attack...er the rim……watch out PAC-10.

Marble shined the brightest of all the OC ballers by putting in 12 points. Seaholm's Richaud Pack (FIU) followed with nine points. Lathrup's Bryan Coleman threw a nice slammer jammer down in the second half to help jumpstart a rally that got the Northsiders back into the game. A bucket by Pack made it 66-59, the smallest deficit the North team had faced since early in the first quarter. However two more Skyes fastbreak dunks kicked the South team lead back into double figures where it would stay the rest of the way. North Farmington's Kyle Vinales banged home a long 2-pointer with 6:13 remaining to make it a 10-point game at 85-75, but that's as close as it would get for the Northside down the stretch. Vinales and Coleman each finished with five points. Ferndale's Jody Hill didn't get much playing time but took advantage of when he got some clock and scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field.

The only thing disappointing about the day was the fact that only one third of the state's "Holy Trinity" of 2010 got the chance to suit up. While Mr. Basketball Award winner, Appling was there showing everyone in attendance why he's one of the best prepsters in the nation, DCD's Ray McCallum (UofD-Mercy) and Mt. Pleasant's Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan), both initially signed up to participate, had to back out due to MHSAA regulations that state players can only play in two post-season all-star games. Since McCallum (McDonald's All-American) and Ziegler each had the opportunities to play in some of the country's most prestigious all-star games that have taken place over the past month, they were unable to be there on Saturday.

It will be a bittersweet moment on Saturday morning when the baseball diamond at Hickory Glen Park in Commerce Township will be re-named Justin Hussin Field for the day in memory of the former little league and prep baseball star who died while taking part in a fight between rival teenagers last September. The dedication ceremony is being put on by the Lakes Athletic Association, a Commerce Township area little league sports association that Hussin participated in and umpired for in the past decade.

Hussin prepped at Walled Lake Western and was a three year varsity letter-winner on the diamond for the Warriors. Graduating from Western last June, Hussin and a group of friends got into a verbal altercation with another group of local kids at a concert in late-August. Following the incident at the concert, the two groups of teenagers agreed via cell phone to meet in the back of a Wixom subdivision to settle the score physically in the early morning hours of September 1. In a decision that everyone involved will regret for the rest of their lives, one of the kids swung a golf club that hit Hussin in the head and he died shortly thereafter lying unconscious in the street. Robert Lowry, the boy who delivered the fatal blow, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and recently pled guilty, receiving a 15 year prison sentence.

This is a type of situation occurs more than we as a society would like to admit and most of the time kids only end up with black eyes and bruises, not in box, cut down before they ever had the chance to experience life as a full-fledged adult. To say this event was senseless would be the understatement of a lifetime.  Justin will never get an opportunity to go to college, get married, have kids, etc, etc. and his family and friends will be feeling the effects of this tragedy for an eternity.

However, when you're 18 and you feel disrespected things can and often do get out of hand very fast. More often than not, the result is not life-altering. Unfortunately in this case it was – for Justin, for Robert, for the whole Walled Lake/Wixom/Commerce Township community.

All I can say to any teenager reading this right now is that I've been there before. I understand how this powerkeg of a situation can develop and quickly spin out of control because I was personally involved in a similar situation when I was 17. Fortunately for me and my friends, nobody got killed.  But mind you, there were consequences.

To make a very long story short, a pick-up basketball game between two sets of players from rival high school basketball teams turned into an all out-brawl with someone getting seriously injured, a car getting vandalized and criminal assault charges eventually being filed. My buddy who got charged with a crime has to live with that fact for the rest of his life. Looking back on what started the fight, it was so ridiculously stupid. But when adrenaline, big egos, and youth combine, the results can be very bad, whether if it ends in death or not. Trust me, whatever the beef was/is, when you're a couple, five, ten years past it, you'll look back and be shocked at how upset you got over most-likely something extremely petty in relative terms.

So, just try to stop and think before you take things past words and start throwing fists or in Hussin and Lowry's case lethal objects. Try to remember that even though you might not intend to do grave bodily harm to someone else, that doesn't mean that if grave bodily harm does come to that person that you won't be held responsible. And what was it all for…the risk that someone can end up like Justin or Robert if you engaged in this type of activity and came out unscathed?

Don't take the risk. Don't start throwing punches. Let cooler heads prevail.    

I don't know what else to say other than this is tragic in the most precise sense and it makes me very very sad.

RIP JUSTIN HUSSIN 1991-2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COUNTY PLAYERS AND TEAMS AMONG BEST IN THE STATE, SAYS LONGTIME PUNDIT

 

The talent level is high in the local prep baseball scene in 2010. The county's junior and senior classes are both stacked to the brim with sterling standouts on the diamond. Multiple players from each class have already been offered and accepted major D1 scholarship.

This fact was further evidenced by my main man Tom Markowski's RECENTLY RELEASED list of the Top Ten baseball players and baseball teams in the entire state. According to Markowski – a highly-respected prep analyst in the area for the past 30-plus years AND A GOOD FRIEND OF BURNEY HIMSELF – THE OC has four of the top ten players in Michigan and six of the top ten teams.

Brother Rice's Pat MacKenzie, OL St. Mary's Devin Ahart and Korey Hall, and WL Central's Jake Paulson were all on the Top Ten list. MacKenzie is off to play ball next season at Central Michigan, Ahart at Akron, Paulson, at Oakland U, and Hall at Wabash Community College in Illinois with the intention at ending up at either a Big Ten or SEC school in the spring of 2012.

I suspect it was simply an oversight, but you could also easily have seniors Farmington's Joel Fisher (Michigan State), RH Adams' Nick Druzinski (Toledo), and OL St. Mary's Blaise Salter (Michigan State) or juniors Greg Fettes of MH Lamphere, Jimmy Pickens of Brother Rice, and Mike Mestdagh (Michigan State) of Birmingham Groves on that list too  

Local squads, OL St. Mary's, Brother Rice, Novi, Lake Orion, Farmington , and MH Lamphere all dot Markowski's Top Ten team list.

CHEERS TO WHAT IS CERTAIN TO BE A PAIR OF MEMORABLE SEASONS IN THE SUN IN 2010 AND 2011!!!! COME ON FELLAS, GO OUT THERE AND CONTINUE TO MAKE BURNEY PROUD!

TROJANS TUNE-UP COMPETITION, BREAK LOSING STREAK

Fate has not been kind to the Clawson Trojans baseball team so far this season. The squad's top two players went down before the end of the first week of the campaign. Actually, the Trojans' best player, Rob Feeman (heading to Mt. Union College next year as a QB for football) , went down this past January with a separated shoulder experienced during basketball season that has taken away the possibility of finishing off an all-conference career as a pitcher and shortstop. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, in Clawson's second game of the year, all-conference centerfielder, Howard Crippen (Penn for football as a RB/LB), severely tore a hamstring and is on the shelf at least until mid-May.

Well, after opening the season 1-5, the Trojans got back to some winning ways on Wednesday afternoon, finding their touch at the dish in a major way and demolishing Warren Lincoln, 22-3, in six innings. Senior Mike Griffin – Feeman's favorite target at wide receiver over the last two seasons on the gridiron – was the offensive star of the game for Clawson. Griffin erupted a volcano of a hitting display all over the Lincoln pitching staff going 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBI. Tim Kleinlow started on the mound for head coach, Collin Quinn, and did damage from both the bump and the batter's box. Going all six innings of work, Kleinlow struck out seven and nearly-matched Griffen's effort at the plate, knocking out four hits, and collecting five RBI.

Clawson is now 2-5.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT MY PRIMETIME HOMEBOY, "RAGING ROB", MIND YOU - HE'S GONNA BE DOING JUST FINE TOSSING THE BALL AROUND FOR D3 SUPERPOWER MOUNT UNION THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FOUR YEARS

 

I love the spunk my boyz over at Clarkston are showing early in the year, responding to all the pre-season naysayers by simply playing solid ball every time it has hit the field so far. The Wolves are 3-1 with a sweep of OC powerhouse AH Avondale (Monday) and a defeat of the hard-hitting RH Adams Highlanders under their belts. All I can say is "WOW!!!!!" when it comes to Tyler Scarlett's senior season of athletic competition in the 2009-2010 school year.  The Michigan Tech football staff has gotten itself one heckuva a "gamer" kid in every sense of the word.

Judging by the recent box scores, Southfield's Mo Davenport (2-2 two doubles in a loss to Berkley Tuesday) can hit the baseball almost as well as he can hit the competition on the football field. Justin Danzy is pretty darn good in the athletic versatility department too, QB'ing the district champion Bluejays on the football field in the fall and hurling as their ace on the pitching hump in the spring. Davenport will be manning a linebacker spot for the Wayne State Warriors this fall.

Shouts out to Ventures of MH Bishop Foley for starting the season 12-3. Burney says, "My Bad" for not putting you in his first round of county rankings and promises to get you fellas in there next week! Jeff Schalk pitched the team to a win (five scoreless innings) and then hit them to another (3-run hum dinger of a home run and a 4 RBI outing) in a doubleheader sweep of CHSL rival-Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes on Tuesday night. Oh, yeah, his brother Brad can play some mean ball as well!

Just to get this straight: Troy's Pete Gebara (3-3, 2B, RBI on Mon against crosstowne-foe Athens) is just as good as his older brother and former Colts diamond stud, Chris ('09).

Royal Oak's Sean Lau and Dominic Valente are two of the top underclassmen around – Valente, a sophomore, went 2-for-3 at the plate and recorded the win in relief in the Ravens 6-5 win over BH Andover. Lau, only a freshman and already a monster force to be reckoned with in the batter's box, is the son of a Royal Oak assistant coach and is a major reason why the squad is out to a 5-4 start (2-0 in the OAA Central) while breaking in a line-up with six sophomores and freshman in the top 9.

Okay so you already know that DCD's Frank Orlando has 600 wins as a girls basketball coach – making him the most-winning sideline general in state history –, but did you know he also has over 650 wins as a don of the dugout on the prep baseball diamond too? A Combined 11 state crowns, now that's the genuine article!!!

It looks like RH Adams super slugger, Nick Druzinski, is all signed, sealed, and delivered to the Rockets of UofToledo for next spring.

Stoney Creek uber-athlete Kevin Bolhuis will take his quarterbacking and shooting guard skills down south next year! Bolhuis is set to suit up in at least one of these sports, if not both, for D3 Florida Institute of Technology.

You might have known – most likely 'cause Burney himself told you on this very blog – that DCD's Kenny Knight (WR/S) has a football (and basketball) scholarship offer from Central Michigan, but did you know that Big Ten schools Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin have also offered this sticky-handed, lanky, and athletic deep threat……aka my main man, "Extra Crispy"!!!!

Speaking of my main men, my main man, Mike "Megadeath" Mestdagh of Birmingham Groves has officially committed to the Michigan State baseball program as only a junior and will be joining fellow OC diamond stud, Joel Fisher (Farmington) in THA EL in two years.

WL CENTRAL'S JAKE PAULSON (HEADING TO OAKLAND U NEXT YEAR ON A BASEBALL SCHOLARHSHIP) PITCHED HIS SECOND STRAIGHT ONE-HITTER AND EARNED HIS 4TH WIN OF THE SEASON AGAINST ZERO DEFEATS ON MONDAY IN THE VIKINGS 10-0 SHUTOUT VICTORY OVER HARTLAND

TOP TEN IN OAKLAND COUNTRY - BASEBALL

1 a. Lake Orion (8-2) – It's not even close to the dog days of summer and junior Zack Zott is hot hot hot!!

1 b. AH Avondale (7-2) – Brian Portelli has got that BOOM BOOM POW from the plate!!

2 MH Lamphere (10-2) – Greg Fettes is an outright stud….enough said!!

3 Groves (5-0) – I've decided to nickname junior fireballer Mike Mestdagh "Megadeath" because I like the rock group Megadeath and because whenever he's at the dish or throwing from the rubber he brings Mega-death to the competition!!

4 RH Adams (7-2) – When the game is on the line who does Highlanders head coach Chuck Van Robays want swinging the stick for his ballclub? Nick Druzinski or Kyle Casadei? Kyle Cassadei or Nick Druzinski? Is there really a wrong pick here? Decisions, decisions, decisions………..

5 Brother Rice (6-3) – Jimmy Pickens will have his pick of sports (baseball or football) to play in college and that's a fact JACK!

6 Farmington (7-2) – The Falcons appear to be returning to '07 form when they made a run all the way into the state finals and lost in the bottom of the game's final inning!

7 OLSM (5-4) – Grambling State got itself one heckuva a tactician on the mound when the legendary school signed Eaglets hurler, James Edwards!

8 Novi (7-0) – Nick Regnier and Kevin Zak pack quite a punch for the Wildcats and my main man, head coach, Rick Green!

9 WL Central (7-1) – I love seeing my main two-sport stud homeboys, K.J. Schultz and the THA J&J KUCERA BOYZ, doing just as much damage on the diamond as they did last fall for the Vikings on the gridiron!

10 Rochester (6-3) – Junior ace Nick Bradley is SO BAD he's GOOD!

DRAGONS STILL BREATHING FIRE DESPITE BUMPY ROAD

With their two star teammates (Vinnie Booker and Phil Serzo) down and out with injuries, the Dragons of Lake Orion are getting some major league "Step Up" performances on the baseball diamond from guys like Zach Zott, Brett Wyss, Andy Mosier, and Aiden Murdock, to fill the void and make certain their season's championship hopes are not derailed. Lake Orion is 5-1 since Booker and Serzo exited the line-up and 7-2 overall. "Spring up" performances like the ones being displayed by the Dragons' more than able-bodied auxiliary corps, are what makes the difference between great teams and really good teams

Zott, a junior outfielder, has been the hottest of the bunch over the last week ever since the team lost Booker and Serzo, his two starting outfield-mates and best friends who were both hospitalized last Saturday afternoon following a collision. First, he smacked a home run, while going 2-for-3 with two RBI in Lake Orion's defeat of previously unbeaten MH Lamphere in the championship game of the first annual Oakland County Spring Break Classic.

On Wednesday, he went 2-for-3 with another round tripper and got the win on the mound (going six innings and striking out seven batters) against Clarkston in the squad's 5-2 victory.

Yesterday against fellow-county power, Farmington, he went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI in a convincing 11-4 win at home.

In another game yesterday against Mt. Clemens L'anse Creuse North, Wyss belted a walk-on single in the bottom of the seventh in a climatic 8-7 victory.

Murdock and Mosier are both good for one to two hits and one to two RBI a game and the model of consistency in the batter's box.

Serzo, the squad's number 3 hitter, is expected back in early-May from a severe concussion, while Booker will have a much harder road back onto the field trying to recover from a shattered orbital bone. Booker, a D1 baseball recruit, will hopefully at the very latest, make it back to start his college career next winter.

Here's a list of some of the best prep baseball players I have personally had the pleasure of seeing play in person:

Andrew Good (Rochester) – Dominating the comp in the OC from the mound in the late-90s before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks of MLB and having a short professional career. Won a state championship in 1997

JJ Putz (Trenton) – Arguably the best power pitcher in the state over the last 20 years. He won a state title in 1994 and the Mr. Baseball Award in 1995 prior to going onto room with future NFL star QB Tom Brady at the University of Michigan and having a very good MLB career as a closer with Seattle (All-Star selection and save in the game itself in 2007), the White Sox and the Mets. Reaches over the 100 Miles an Hour on the gun

Dave Borowski (Sterling Heights) – Another mid-90s pitching stud from Metro Detroit who made it to the "Show". Pitched for the hometown Detroit Tigers in the late-90s and early 2000s

Ryan Keyes (DCD) – The greatest diamond cutter to ever put on the DCD Blue and Gold. Helped his team capture a state title in 1995, won the Mr. Baseball Award in 1997 and finished his career with a .556 batting average, tops in state history.

Drew Henson (Brighton) – A nationally-recognized phenom of phenoms in state a dozen years ago who holds numerous state batting records. Played QB at Michigan and then joined the New York Yankees, tapped as their starting third baseman. However, an inability to hit MLB curve balls and sliders, led to a heavy crash and fall for what most experts dubbed a "sure thing" coming out of HS in 1998.  

Bob Malek/Casey Rogowski (CC) – This pair led the Shamrocks to a state title in 1999 and both were drafted into the majors, Rogowski – also a football stud – by the Chicago White Sox and Malek,(the best lead-off hitter in the area in over the past decade in my opinion) by the NY Mets. Malek made it to the Bigs, Rogowski did not.

Justin Ishbia (Birmingham Seaholm) – Older brother of Mat Ishbia of MSU hoops fame, Justin led the OC in batting average in both 1994 and 1995.

Dugan Fife (Clarkston) – This former "Fab Fiver" and Mr. Basketball Award winner was also an excellent shortstop and number two-hitter for the Wolves back in the early-90s.

Todd Krumm (West Bloomfield) – One of the best two-sport athlete to ever come out of the state. Took THA WB to a state championship on the baseball diamond in 1983 and played both baseball and football teams at MSU in the college ranks. Krumm was the starting free safety for the Spartans on their 1987 Rose Bowl winning squad and went onto have an NFL career with the Chicago Bears and NY Giants.

Matt Conway ( Brother Rice) – Best power hitter in the county over the past decade in my opinion. Led Rice to a state title in 2008 and is currently ripping it up for the Demon Deacons over at Wake Forest.

Auburn Hills Avondale has decided to part ways with its boys basketball coach, Tim Webb.

Former OL St. Mary's standout big fella, Quaran Jones is currently enrolled at defending Class C state champion, Melvindale ABT. Jones will be eligible to play at the start of next season as a junior.

Highlights from "The Motown Showdown" AAU hoops tournament that took place last weekend:

- In Team Detroit's (16-and under) 61-28 blowout win over the Columbus Cougars, MH Madison's Damon Bozeman scored 14 points and snared eight rebounds.

- Even though his Team Detroit (17-and under) squad lost to the Chicago Express, North Farmington led the team in scoring with 16 points, while grabbing nine boards.

- Down in the younger bracket (14-and under), some local talent shined bright and proved that the blue chip pipeline into Kurt Keener's DCD Yellowjacket program is still running at full-strength. Freshman Yellowjackets, Edmond Sumner and Morie Diane, led Team Detroit to a convincing 86-46 defeat of the Ohio Gators and then a hard-fought 77-60 besting of crosstown-foe The Detroit Family.

Not only does my boy, Kenny "Extra Crispy" Knight, have a scholarship on the football field to Central Michigan, he also has one for basketball from head coach Ernie Ziegler to come and play alongside his highly-recruited son, Trey.

MCCALLUM MILKS CLOCK, ANNOUNCES COLLEGE DESTINATION AT LAST MOMENT

COUNTDOWN TO DECISION 2010 - McCallum & McCallum (4 more years, 4 more years!!!!)

3:00 – I am already lathered up with excitement and reaching a fevered pitch of anticipation as I start to prepare for the Ray McCallum college commitment announcement on national TV: T-MINUS 60 MINUTES

·        Since I will skip attending the announcement itself in person, I set up shop in front of my big screen television at home with all the appropriate accompaniments – i.e. chips, soda, pen, pad of paper, laptop, Country Day Yellowjacket hoodie, baseball cap, and matching DCD wrist bands, replica 2010 state championship ring, UofD-Mercy pennant and accompanying oversized foam Titans NUMBER ONE hand.  

3:20 – To get myself even more pumped up, I throw in classic bball movies, "Blue Chips" and "He Got Game" to put myself in the proper mind set. Quick side tangent: who do u think would win a one-on-one game between Ray Allen………er…….. Jesus Shuttlesworth of "Game" fame or Shaquille O'Neal……..er……… Neon Bodeaux from the mad underrated "Chippers"?

3:40 – In an effort to further put myself in the correct mode for this epic occasion, I run out to my driveway and shoot some hoops, re-enacting "Big Play Ray's" 25-point first half-performance in last month's Class B state final. Not to sound arrogant, but I think I did a pretty good job considering I don't have a speck of the talent of this future college star.

3:55 – Taking my seat in front of my big screen once again, I cool down by watching STEPHON CURRY highlights on youtube (Curry is the player I best compare to McCallum in terms of immediate impact he can make at a school like UofD)  

4:10 – Upset that the announcement is 10 minutes late………getting ANXIOUS (I don't really understand why though since I told everybody THIS LAST MONTH that Ray was going to end up with his dad at UofD-Mercy.

4:18 – Ray announces he will be a UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT TITAN and I am…………..NOT SURPRISED SINCE I TOLD EVERYBODY THIS LAST MONTH!!!!!

Oh, yeah…….SCOOPED THE WHOLE CITY……..HOLLA ATCHA BOY!

RAY MCCALLUM, JR = RASHAD PHIILIPS, JOHN LONG, AND TERRY DUEROD ALL WRAPPED UP INTO ONE BALLPLAYER.

I personally can't wait until next year when Calihan Hall is a rocking with Ray Ray fever!!!!

 

Burney's having a difficult time figuring out if his main man, Jake Balbas of Groves is a better pitcher or hitter in the Falcons' diamond attack.

KUDOS TO MY SHARPESHOOTING HIGHLANDERS HOMEBOY CONOR BOYLE FOR GETTING HIS COLLEGE HOOP THANG ON BY COMMITTING TO LAKE FOREST COLLEGE IN ILLINOIS! LFC APPEARS TO BE BUILDING A PIPELINE TO THE OC FOR QUALITY GUARD PLAY - HOLLY'S JORDAN FOWLER IS ALSO ON THE SQUAD

Valdez "The Show" Showers of MH Madison athletic-fame is blowing up like nitro as my boy the NOTORIOUS BIG once said – over the past month Showers, a blue chipper at both RB and LB in football and considered a top 10 recruit in the state for 2011, has received scholarship offers from Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Toledo, and Bowling Green. I've been writing about "The Show" for over a year now, so to say I'm surprised with the interest would be a lie.

WOLL's Ava Doetch and Megan Topelewski started back off in the spring where they left off in the winter – as starters on the school's Class D girls bball state title squad in March –  by each scoring a goal and recording an assist in the Lakers first win of the season over arch-rival MC Cardinal Mooney on the soccer field Tuesday night.

After offering Jake Duzy (Troy Athens) last month, it looks like new football head coach Dan Enos over at CMU has now extended additional scholarship offers to county gridiron standouts, Showes, Kenny Knight (DCD), and Tim "Jumbo" Hamilton (Brother Rice)  

Congrats to my main Roughrider baller homeboy, Ryan Zinser, for making the Detroit Free Press' First Team All-State squad in Class D. Shouts go out to my main, Mick McCabe for giving this genuine gamer the props he deserves.

Talking about small school studs.... on the diamond that is: Don't sleep on RH Lutheran Northwest's baseball team this season!! Led by senior stalwarts Steve Miscovich (3-3 Grand Slam, 7 RBI in win over Mt Clemens), Matt Berkseth (2-3 3 RBI), and Alex Massell (2-3 3 RBI in over AH Oakland Christian) the Crusaders are mad nice and are ready to make opposing managers, players, and fans quite mad themselves with frustration in the box score in the coming months.

 

OC Top 10 – Baseball

1 Pat MacKenzie        IF         SR        Brother Rice

About as natural as a hitter as they come

2 Korey Hall                OF        SR        OL St. Marys

The definition of the terminology, "Five Tool Player"

3 Nick Druzinski         IF         SR        RH Adams

Best power hitter in the area

4 Joel Fisher                C          SR        Farmington

A dominating player from behind the plate calling pitches and at the plate blasting them into orbit

5 a. Mike Mestdagh   P/OF    JR         Groves

Top junior in the county part 1

5 b. Greg Fettes          C/P      JR         MH Lamphere

Top junior in the county part 2

6 Devan Ahart           OF/P    SR        OL St. Mary's

First team all-state last season and a threat all over the field

7 a. Jake Paulson       P          SR        WL Central

Lanky twirler who throws hard

7 b. Dan Owenby       OF        SR        Notre Dame Prep

An RBI machine dressed in green and gold

8 Jake Davis                P          SR        Stoney Creek

Pure power from the rubber who collects strikeouts like Jim Leyland smokes cigarettes

9 Phil Serzo                OF        SR        Lake Orion

Dangerous hitter in the 3-hole for coach Andy Schramke's fire-breathing Dragons –Vinnie Booker would be here also If he wasn't probably out for the year with a shattered orbital bone

10 a. Kyle Cassadei    IF         SR        RH Adams

Outside of Mackenzie at Rice, Cassadei has the best eye and swing in the box around

10 b. Jimmy Pickens  C          JR         Brother Rice

The terms natural athlete and consummate competitor don't do this workhorse justice

10 c. Bobby Pardun   P/INF   SR        Troy

Whether pitching or hitting, he will hurt the competition