Issue #3
Alan Smithee
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Welcome bocce fans. The 2001 Lake Keller Bocce League is officially in the books and the beloved Wildcats
are back on top where they belong. The Cats finished the regular season with an impressive league best 30-9
record, then laid waste to their two playoff opponents to bring the coveted LKBL Championship back to Cat
Country. More amazing is the fact that it was their 7th title in the past 11 years. Can you say "dynasty"?
It was steady play all year long by every member of the Wildcats that made this magical season a reality.
Lead-Off Mike Keenan, Breaker Terry Donegan, Hammer Kevin Cappotelli and Anchor John "Chaunce" Ball III
have all taken their place in history as one of the greatest Wildcat teams of all time. Donegan is the
only member to be a part of all seven championships, while Ball has five under his belt. Both Keenan and
Cappotelli have two in their three years as Wildcats.. Wildcat faithful knew that this was a team of destiny
after their late season contest against the Hooters, the team the beat the Cats in last year's finals. During
this match, the Wildcats scored an unprecedented 29 straight points! The defending champ Hooters were not
able to bounce back from such a shellacking and failed to even make the playoffs. The teams that did qualify
for the 2001 LKBL Playoffs behind the #1 seeded Wildcats were the Outlaws at #2, the Buds at #3 and this
year's surprise team, the #4 seeded Fish.
The playoff matches were now set. It would be Wildcats vs Fish on Area 2 and Outlaws vs Buds on Area 4. The
Fish, led by long time captain Dan "Old Daniel" Traber came into the playoffs with a "nothing to lose" attitude.
They were satisfied with their season and with making the playoffs for the first time in years. The Wildcats
sensed this and wanted to take it to them early and often. Game 1 was a seesaw battle in the early stages.
Newest Fish and Rookie of the Year candidate Jamie Westphal made some clutch shots while Traber, Rob "Raider Fan"
Riorden, and cagey veteran Sonny "Uncle Junior" Filio all contributed as well. The game was tied at 10-10 when
the Wildcats decided to pick things up a notch. Lead-off Mike "Skull" Keenan got hot as did Hammer Kevin
"E-Z Express" Cappotelli. Keenan must have sensed the importance of this match as he wore his controversial
"Blow Me" socks for the first time all season. The Cats started stringing together points and walked away
with a 21-11 Game 1 victory. Game 2 was never really close as the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead as
Breaker Terry "Skyler" Donegan and Anchor Chaunce "Mr. Bocce" Ball joined in the assault. The Fish were left
floating at the top of the bowl as the Cats cruised in Game 2 winning 21-9 to take the best-of-three match. In
the other semi-final match, the Outlaws, led by the Brothers Curts, smoked the Buds in Game 1 of their match,
21-8. But the Buds are an experienced bunch that wasn't about to fold. They were able to handcuff the Outlaws
to win a dramatic Game 2 and followed that up with an even more impressive Game 3 victory to seal a trip to
the finals. While the Buds were overjoyed at making it to the LKBL finals again, they soon realized that they
had to face a dominant Wildcat team that had a perfect 6-0 playoff record against them. So the final was all
set. It would be another classic Wildcats vs Buds showdown.
It was an ideal night for the LKBL finals as Mother Nature didn't disappoint this year. The pre-match hoopla
included Caledonia's own Kelly's Heroes leading a parade from the post office to the hallowed grounds of the
Iroquois Hotel. As the band played the Star Spangled Banner, the standing room only crowd was treated to quite
an amazing sight. Out of the blue skies came a skydiver dressed as a Wildcat. As the stuntman floated gracefully
to the ground to present the game pollini to the officials, the crowd cheered loudly as they realized that it was
none other than "#1 Wildcat Fan" John McNelis who had just pulled off this amazing feat. With the capacity crowd
still in awe, it was time to get on with the real entertainment for the night - the Lake Keller Bocce League
Championship! The Buds started quickly behind Captain and Lead-off Bob 'Be-Bop' Boyle to take an early 4-0 advantage.
The Cats calmly scored the next seven points as Hammer Kevin Cappotelli, in the final year of his contract, showed
management why he is worthy of a multi-year deal. Lead-off Mike Keenan continued to impress the MVP voters as
the Wildcats increased their lead to 11-5. Anchor Chaunce Ball seem to be scoring at will and Breaker Terry
Donegan played his usual steady, non-flashy game as the Cats clawed their way to a 21-9 victory in Game 1. By
winning the first game, the Wildcats continued their year long streak. Normally a slow starting team, the new
West Coast offense enabled the Cats to go a perfect 15-0 in the first game of every match this year. While winning
Game 1 was nice, the Wildcats realized they were up against a team that just four weeks prior had taken Games
2 & 3 from them for their only lost match of the year. Game 2 would be a catfight. The Buds came out burning as
newest Bud Ricky Hoag showed why he belonged in the LKBL. Hoag, the team's Breaker, started the year in LKBL
Europe and got the much awaited call up in mid-season. Younger brother Billy "Slick Willy" Hoag, the Anchor and
notorious Wildcat killer, got hot as well and the Buds were able to jump out to an early lead. Hammer Greg "Brady"
Townsend decided he wanted to get into the act too as he came thru with some tough shots. The Cats chipped away
and tried to keep the contest close, knowing at any moment they could string together a bunch of points. The
Wildcats battled back and trailed just 15-13 when the Buds made the fatal mistake of leaving themselves wide
open. With Keenan already in for a point, Donegan, Cappotelli and Ball followed with three more to complete the
four-bagger and give the Wildcats a 17-15 lead. This seemed to break the Buds' spirits and the Cats were determined
to close things out to avoid a deciding Game 3. That is precisely what they did, winning Game 2 by a score of
21-16 to take the match and the championship. As the crowd spilled out onto the playing area, the two teams
acknowledged their mutual respect for each other in a show of true sportsmanship.
The LKBL Doubles Tournament was held the week after the finals and 32 players showed up to compete. After randomly
selecting playing partners, the double elimination tournament got under way. One by one teams were eliminated and
forced to stand by the keg Wildcats Cappotelli and Ball both made into the finals of the losers bracket with their
respective partners. It was Ball, led mainly by the play of his partner, Colin "Schoolboy" Mackay who advanced to
the finals to play Junker Dick Mancuso and Outlaw John Curts "So Good". Mancuso and Curts continued their undefeated
evening by winning the match. Other year-end awards will be given out at the banquet. The coveted Rookie of the Year
award appears to be a battle between Jamie Westphal of the Fish, Ricky "Don't Lose That Number" Hoag of the Buds and
4-time winner Tom Robinson of the Knights. In other bocce news, the Wildcats will be holding their annual fantasy
camp September 15-16. For a mere $200 you can be teamed with your favorite three Wildcats and compete against any
other team from the LKBL in an exhibition match. Proceeds will go towards the Wildcats "Spring Training in Bermuda"
fund. The Cats have also been invited to the White House to be honored for their latest championship. Apparently the
Bush daughters are huge fans who are eager to try their hand at the game. They will even supply the keg, that is if
they can find someone to buy it for them. For those of you who missed the championship match, and judging by the
attendance that's not many, ESPN7 will be showing it throughout the month of October. Check your local cable listings.
Well, another bocce season has come to an end and many thanks go out to Donny "Crowbar" Estabrooks for keeping the
Iroquois lawn so finely manicured plus putting up with all of us. Thanks also to his trusty sidekick Carlene "Flo Jo"
Andersen for once again accepting the awesome responsibility of handing out the beer cups before all of the matches.
Tom "Terrific" Ulatowski did another outstanding job running the weekly 50/50 drawings. The Wildcats would personally
like to thank their sponsor, Patty K's Westside Bar & Grill a
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nd drop a hint that new shirts next year would be nice.
Maybe hats too. Lastly, please check out the link at the bottom of the issue. Our own Chaunce Ball has developed a
website devoted entirely to the LKBL. It contains rosters, past champs and other useless stats. Be sure to check out
the comic strip "Chippy", created by a local artist and bocce enthusiast. If you liked "Nancy" you'll love "Chippy"!
That's all from the Wildcat Chat for 2001. We look forward to continuing our association with Cal-Mum.com next year
if Webmaster Mel will have us back. Look for us again sometime in Spring 2002. See ya!
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Contact: calcitytrader@yahoo.com |
Home
Wildcat Chat
"Chippy"
Welcome bocce fans. The 2001 Lake Keller Bocce League is officially in the books and the beloved Wildcats
are back on top where they belong. The Cats finished the regular season with an impressive league best 30-9
record, then laid waste to their two playoff opponents to bring the coveted LKBL Championship back to Cat
Country. More amazing is the fact that it was their 7th title in the past 11 years. Can you say "dynasty"?
It was steady play all year long by every member of the Wildcats that made this magical season a reality.
Lead-Off Mike Keenan, Breaker Terry Donegan, Hammer Kevin Cappotelli and Anchor John "Chaunce" Ball III
have all taken their place in history as one of the greatest Wildcat teams of all time. Donegan is the
only member to be a part of all seven championships, while Ball has five under his belt. Both Keenan and
Cappotelli have two in their three years as Wildcats.. Wildcat faithful knew that this was a team of destiny
after their late season contest against the Hooters, the team the beat the Cats in last year's finals. During
this match, the Wildcats scored an unprecedented 29 straight points! The defending champ Hooters were not
able to bounce back from such a shellacking and failed to even make the playoffs. The teams that did qualify
for the 2001 LKBL Playoffs behind the #1 seeded Wildcats were the Outlaws at #2, the Buds at #3 and this
year's surprise team, the #4 seeded Fish.
The playoff matches were now set. It would be Wildcats vs Fish on Area 2 and Outlaws vs Buds on Area 4. The
Fish, led by long time captain Dan "Old Daniel" Traber came into the playoffs with a "nothing to lose" attitude.
They were satisfied with their season and with making the playoffs for the first time in years. The Wildcats
sensed this and wanted to take it to them early and often. Game 1 was a seesaw battle in the early stages.
Newest Fish and Rookie of the Year candidate Jamie Westphal made some clutch shots while Traber, Rob "Raider Fan"
Riorden, and cagey veteran Sonny "Uncle Junior" Filio all contributed as well. The game was tied at 10-10 when
the Wildcats decided to pick things up a notch. Lead-off Mike "Skull" Keenan got hot as did Hammer Kevin
"E-Z Express" Cappotelli. Keenan must have sensed the importance of this match as he wore his controversial
"Blow Me" socks for the first time all season. The Cats started stringing together points and walked away
with a 21-11 Game 1 victory. Game 2 was never really close as the Wildcats jumped out to an early lead as
Breaker Terry "Skyler" Donegan and Anchor Chaunce "Mr. Bocce" Ball joined in the assault. The Fish were left
floating at the top of the bowl as the Cats cruised in Game 2 winning 21-9 to take the best-of-three match. In
the other semi-final match, the Outlaws, led by the Brothers Curts, smoked the Buds in Game 1 of their match,
21-8. But the Buds are an experienced bunch that wasn't about to fold. They were able to handcuff the Outlaws
to win a dramatic Game 2 and followed that up with an even more impressive Game 3 victory to seal a trip to
the finals. While the Buds were overjoyed at making it to the LKBL finals again, they soon realized that they
had to face a dominant Wildcat team that had a perfect 6-0 playoff record against them. So the final was all
set. It would be another classic Wildcats vs Buds showdown.
It was an ideal night for the LKBL finals as Mother Nature didn't disappoint this year. The pre-match hoopla
included Caledonia's own Kelly's Heroes leading a parade from the post office to the hallowed grounds of the
Iroquois Hotel. As the band played the Star Spangled Banner, the standing room only crowd was treated to quite
an amazing sight. Out of the blue skies came a skydiver dressed as a Wildcat. As the stuntman floated gracefully
to the ground to present the game pollini to the officials, the crowd cheered loudly as they realized that it was
none other than "#1 Wildcat Fan" John McNelis who had just pulled off this amazing feat. With the capacity crowd
still in awe, it was time to get on with the real entertainment for the night - the Lake Keller Bocce League
Championship! The Buds started quickly behind Captain and Lead-off Bob 'Be-Bop' Boyle to take an early 4-0 advantage.
The Cats calmly scored the next seven points as Hammer Kevin Cappotelli, in the final year of his contract, showed
management why he is worthy of a multi-year deal. Lead-off Mike Keenan continued to impress the MVP voters as
the Wildcats increased their lead to 11-5. Anchor Chaunce Ball seem to be scoring at will and Breaker Terry
Donegan played his usual steady, non-flashy game as the Cats clawed their way to a 21-9 victory in Game 1. By
winning the first game, the Wildcats continued their year long streak. Normally a slow starting team, the new
West Coast offense enabled the Cats to go a perfect 15-0 in the first game of every match this year. While winning
Game 1 was nice, the Wildcats realized they were up against a team that just four weeks prior had taken Games
2 & 3 from them for their only lost match of the year. Game 2 would be a catfight. The Buds came out burning as
newest Bud Ricky Hoag showed why he belonged in the LKBL. Hoag, the team's Breaker, started the year in LKBL
Europe and got the much awaited call up in mid-season. Younger brother Billy "Slick Willy" Hoag, the Anchor and
notorious Wildcat killer, got hot as well and the Buds were able to jump out to an early lead. Hammer Greg "Brady"
Townsend decided he wanted to get into the act too as he came thru with some tough shots. The Cats chipped away
and tried to keep the contest close, knowing at any moment they could string together a bunch of points. The
Wildcats battled back and trailed just 15-13 when the Buds made the fatal mistake of leaving themselves wide
open. With Keenan already in for a point, Donegan, Cappotelli and Ball followed with three more to complete the
four-bagger and give the Wildcats a 17-15 lead. This seemed to break the Buds' spirits and the Cats were determined
to close things out to avoid a deciding Game 3. That is precisely what they did, winning Game 2 by a score of
21-16 to take the match and the championship. As the crowd spilled out onto the playing area, the two teams
acknowledged their mutual respect for each other in a show of true sportsmanship.
The LKBL Doubles Tournament was held the week after the finals and 32 players showed up to compete. After randomly
selecting playing partners, the double elimination tournament got under way. One by one teams were eliminated and
forced to stand by the keg Wildcats Cappotelli and Ball both made into the finals of the losers bracket with their
respective partners. It was Ball, led mainly by the play of his partner, Colin "Schoolboy" Mackay who advanced to
the finals to play Junker Dick Mancuso and Outlaw John Curts "So Good". Mancuso and Curts continued their undefeated
evening by winning the match. Other year-end awards will be given out at the banquet. The coveted Rookie of the Year
award appears to be a battle between Jamie Westphal of the Fish, Ricky "Don't Lose That Number" Hoag of the Buds and
4-time winner Tom Robinson of the Knights. In other bocce news, the Wildcats will be holding their annual fantasy
camp September 15-16. For a mere $200 you can be teamed with your favorite three Wildcats and compete against any
other team from the LKBL in an exhibition match. Proceeds will go towards the Wildcats "Spring Training in Bermuda"
fund. The Cats have also been invited to the White House to be honored for their latest championship. Apparently the
Bush daughters are huge fans who are eager to try their hand at the game. They will even supply the keg, that is if
they can find someone to buy it for them. For those of you who missed the championship match, and judging by the
attendance that's not many, ESPN7 will be showing it throughout the month of October. Check your local cable listings.
Well, another bocce season has come to an end and many thanks go out to Donny "Crowbar" Estabrooks for keeping the
Iroquois lawn so finely manicured plus putting up with all of us. Thanks also to his trusty sidekick Carlene "Flo Jo"
Andersen for once again accepting the awesome responsibility of handing out the beer cups before all of the matches.
Tom "Terrific" Ulatowski did another outstanding job running the weekly 50/50 drawings. The Wildcats would personally
like to thank their sponsor, Patty K's Westside Bar & Grill a