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Boston Renegades Home Page

The Association of Blind Citizens operates a program allowing visually impaired individuals the opportunity to play baseball in a competitive environment. The team is called the Boston Renegades. It is comprised of visually impaired athletes and volunteer coaches from the greater Boston area. They play an adaptive form of baseball for the blind called Beepball or Beep Baseball. 2009 marks the Eighth year the Renegades will compete at the National level. If you are interested in sponsoring or playing this sport please contact us.

Renegades Beat Chen PR for 2nd year in a row in an Exhibition 12-1    On Saturday, September 26th, the Renegades took on Chen PR in an exhibition for the second year in a row.  Long time coach of the Renegades and employee of Chen PR, Bryan Grillo led his co-workers on to the field to take on the Renegades.  Grillo was instrumental in this game as he organized a great day for everyone.  Not only did Bryan recruit Chen for the second consecutive year in a row, he coached, spotted, caught and even (gulp) pitched.   The format of this game was similar to what was done against the Woburn Lions where Chen took off their blindfolds when they got 3 strikes (some Chen'ers still struck out without a blindfold but we will omit their names to protect them from harassment!). On defense each player had their own spotter.   In the 5th inning, Chen managed to plate their only run on a smash down the first baseline.  This was the on,ly run scored on the Renegades in 12 innings of exhibition play.  For Bryan Grillo's view point on this game, check out Bryan's Blog For the Renegades some of the highlites in this game included two firsts as rookie Joey Duggan made his first ever defensive stop and rookie Rachel Buchanan scored her first ever run.  This game also allowed another rookie, Justen Cantan to further his quest to play in 2010 as he stopped 8 balls on defense to set a record for most stops in an exhibition game.  The Renegades were also excited to get Evan Silver back on the field in his only game of the year as he missed most of the season due to the birth of his baby girl. Player AB Runs PO Player AB Runs PO Quintanilla 3 3 0 Duggan 2 0 1 S. Cantan 3 1 0 Inkiala 2 0 1 Buizon 2 2 2 Buchanan 2 1 0 Zucarello 2 1 5 Black 2 2 0 J. Cantan 2 1 8 O'Neill 2 0 0 Silver 2 1 1 Hoyt 2 0 0 Renegades Down Woburn Lions in an Exhibition 13-0     On a picture perfect September 13th afternoon, the Woburn Lions showed up with bats in their hands and blindfolds waiting for them.  In a fun-filled game, we tweaked the rules so they could get a feel for how to play blind but make it fun for them.  If the Lions could not hit the ball, we let them take one swing without a blindfold...but they had to put the blindfold on to run.  On defense we let each player have their own personal spotter to  help them in the field. Despite these advantages, the Renegades ate up the Lions 13-0.  Some highlites for the Renegades included Justen Cantan gobbling up 6 balls as the Smilin Hawaiian  prepares to crack the starting line-up in 2010.  Larry Haile made three stops on defense (which was one more than he made all year in NBBA play) and we hope this boosts his confidence in the field.  Joe O'Neill also plated his first run of the 2009 season and anyone who has seen him play knows how much that means to him! We would like to thank the Lions for their charitable gift to the Renegade program and we look forward to a rematch in 2010! Below is a summary of the Renegade stats for this game Player AB Runs PO Player AB Runs PO Vasile 3 3 1 J. Cantan 2 0 6 S. Cantan 3 3 1 Inkiala 2 1 3 Haile 3 1 3 O'Neill 2 1 - Quintanilla 3 2 2 Hoyt 2 0 0 Ward 3 2 1 Buizon 3 0 1 Renegade Bowl-A-Thon Coming on October 17 Come Join the Boston Renegades for an afternoon of bowling at Lanes and Games in Cambridge on October 17th.  The event will start at 12:30 in the afternoon.  Teams of four bowlers will compete for prizes with proceeds going to benefit the Boston Renegades.  The registration fee  covers three strings of bowling and shoe rentals.  To download registration forms please click here Important Details WHEN: Saturday, October 17th starting at 12:30pm WHERE: Lanes and Games 195 Concord Turnpike Cambridge, MA Registration Fee: $25 per person/$100 per team of 4 For more information please contact JJ Ward at 508-246-4578 or at jward269@aol.com BeepBall Lands on Front Page of Wall Street Journal The NBBA World Series was featured in a Wall Street on August 18th.  Ben Worthen wrote an article about the World Series and a look at its competitive side that appeared on Page one of the paper.  It was entitled,"In Beep Ball, Umpires Aren't Blind, But the Players Are".  The Article was accompanied by a three minute video.  Boston's own, JJ Ward was interviewed in the video talking about base running.  Click here to see the video and read the article Beepball Comes To Waltham on August 29th! The Blind Citizens Beep Baseball Championship has been cancelled due to tropical storm Danny.  Please check our web page for this tournament to get the details and directions.  All game times are subject to change with tropical storm Danny. Renegades Miss Their Shot, Finish 9th in World Series Guy Zuccarello lays out for a ball and just misses in an 18-16 loss to the Indy Thunder. Zuccarello would lead the Boston defense in defensive stops with 18 in the World Series. He would finish 14th in the league in stops per game at 2.83. Finish Team Record Team Batting Avg Defensive Stop % 1 West Coast 7-0 .627 59% 2 Taiwan 6-2 .506 48% 3 Bayou City 7-2 .532 48% 4 Austin 6-2 .528 55% 5 Kansas 5-3 .514 50% 6 Chicago 4-4 .403 54% 7 Indianapolis 4-3 .444 35% 8 Colorado 3-5 .382 35% 9 Boston 3-3 .444 44% 10 Wichita 2-5 .267 39% 11 Southwest 3-5 .269 52% 12 Tyler 1-7 .246 38% 13 North Carolina 2-6 .309 48% 14 Stockton 0-6 .234 31% The Renegades had high hopes to have their best ever finish at a World Series as they entered with a lot of confidence and the highest seed in team history.  Day one would bring two 12 run games as Boston mercy ruled Stockton and then got the favor returned to them by Bayou City.  The disapointment struck them on days two and three as they lost key games to the Colorado Storm and Indianapolis Thunder by a combined total of 3 runs.  In both of those games the opposing pitchers pitched some of the World Series top games in 2009.   Despite playing well, Boston was out played. Day four brough two victories against Tyler and the Wichita Sonics as Boston won the 9/12 bracket.  Dino Vasile would finish this tournament just missing a defensive all-star as he finished 7th in the league in stops per game (3.4).  For more information on the games, please click here to be taken to the 2009 game results Player Avg AB PO Player Avg AB PO Quintanilla .522 23 4 Buizon .450 20 3 Vasile .500 24 17 Inkiala .357 14 1 S. Cantan .481 27 3 J. Cantan .333 9 1 Ward .467 15 0 Black .000 4 5 Haile .462 26 0 O'Neill .000 3 0 Zuccarello .458 24 18 Avg= Batting Average, AB= At-Bats, PO= Put-outs on Defense Renegades Reach out to Kids The Boston Renegades have been reaching out to potential future Renegades.  In efforts to educate children about games that are available to them, the Renegades have put on a few clinics for kids.  This program is designed to give teenagers the opportunity to learn about beep baseball.  Some goals include showing kids that sports is something they can participate in and helping them gain confidence in themselves athletically.  For many visually impaired children sports can be difficult to play against sighted kids.  This sport gives them an opportunity to compete with kids like them in an adaptive version of the national past time.  At some point, some of these kids may become future Renegades! Joe Quintanilla shows kids where the speaker is on the base Dan Cotter and Rob Weissman throw Batting practice to a teenager Renegades Earn Highest Seed Ever at 2009 World Series The 2009 World Series will be held in Stockton, California.  Fourteen teams will be attending the event.  Boston will be one of two teams traveling from the east coast.  In 2009, the Renegades have their highest seed ever as they enter as a 7 seed.  Boston will open the tournament playing the Stockton Stingrays and the Bayou City Heat.  Boston is 2-0 lifetime against Stockton.  Boston defeated them 3-1 in 2005 and 13-1 in 2007.  The 2007 match-up is the only game in Renegade history where they 12 runned a team.  On the other hand, Boston is 0-2 lifetime against Bayou City.  They lost 17-5 in 2004 and 17-16 in 2006.  The 2006 contest featured one of the most amazing comebacks in Renegade history as they scored 9 runs in the last inning to take a 4 run lead.  The Heat came back to walk off in the bottom frame by scoring 5 runs of their own.  The table to the right shows the 2009 seedings and the career records each team has against the Renegades. Seed Team Record vs. Boston Seed Team Record vs. Boston 1 West Coast 3-0 8 Indianapolis 7-3 2 Kansas 6-0 9 Carolina 1-1 3 Bayou City 2-0 10 Tyler 1-3 4 Austin 3-0 11 Stockton 0-2 5 Chicago 4-0 12 Southwest Slammers Never played 6 Colorado 3-1 13 Wichita Sonics Never played 7 BOSTON 35-55 all-time 14 Taiwan Home Run Never played Seedings based on 2008 World Series finish.  Teams not in attendance in 2008 are automatically seeded at the bottom of the bracket.  Note:  Taiwan won the World Series three years straight from 2004-2006 Renegades "Deep-6" Wolfpack in New Jersey, Win streak grows to 4 in a Row Rookie Shayne Cantan hits the ball off Dan Cotter as catcher, Rob Weissman and the umpire watch it go into orbit.  Cantan would score on this hit against the Pennsylvania Wolfpack The Renegades traveled to Haddonfield, New Jersey to take on the Pennsylvania Wolfpack in a doubleheader on the 11th of July.  For the first time all year, the Renegades played in sunny conditions.  Boston would win both games of the twin-bill.  These two wins would be the first 2 victories ever by the Renegades in Haddonfield, snapping a two game losing streak. For more information check out our Results and Line Scores for 2009   Game #1: Boston 6 Pennsylvania Wolfpack 2 Rookie Shayne Cantan would pace the offense as he scored three times.  The Boston Defense was the real story as it stopped 12 of the 14 balls put into play.  Dino Vasile continued his defensive prowess making 7 stops while Sengil Inkiala pitched in with 3 of his own. Game #2: Boston 6 Pennsylvania Wolfpack 1 The second game had a much different feel to it as the Wolfpack struggled to put the ball into play striking out 12 times.  Larry Haile would lead the offense with 2 runs scored.  The Defense stooped 6 of 7 balls hit into play with five different players making stops for the Renegades. What Were They thinking? The Renegades appeared in the Boston Globe.  Stan Grossfeld has a feature every Sunday called "What were they thinking?".  This has a picture of an athlete and a story behind the photo.  This week, he picked the Renegades to appear.  For a full look at his work visit boston.com Chris Genikos, 37, of the Boston Renegades, taking Beepball batting practice at Watertown's Filippello Field, July 1, 2009. The team is made up of visually-impaired athletes, except for two coaches who serve as the pitcher and catcher. All players wear blindfolds in the field and at bat so no player has an advantage. The ball is equipped with a sound device, as are the bases -- "The three things we think about are consistency, cadence, and confidence, and make sure my mechanics are good. As hitters we don't go on the sound of the ball, we go on the pitcher's voice. The pitcher tries to throw it at the exact same spot every time he throws. He's from our team. Based on working with the pitcher all year in practice, I go on the word 'pitch.' I have one of the hardest swings on the team, so I'm told. I kind of swing for the fences, like Ortiz. When I know I really nailed it, it's really an awesome experience and I can feel that the ball is gone. Even though I can't see, I can still hit. For me, it means I can go out, be active, play a sport I loved growing up. It allows me a chance to be athletic. In my mind, I see the ball coming and making contact every time. I believe in the visualization. It's kind of strange, but I can hit the ball better now than when I could see. When I was younger I just went up and hacked at it. Now, I go through the checklist. My hand, my feet, my elbow up, my head straight. I concentrate more." Renegades Don't Quit and Come Back to Win Long Island Classic The Boston Renegades returned to Hofstra for the Long Island Classic to face two of their rivals in the North East.  For the 2nd consecutive year, the Renegades won the tournament by winning both their games.  They have now won six games in a row at Hofstra in the past three years including two amazing come from behind victories.  Boston defeated the Pennsylvania Wolfpack by the score of 7-4 in the early match up.  In the second game, Boston stunned New York with an amazing comeback which was captured by the YES network in New York.   Heading into the last inning, Boston was down 8-3 and huddled in front of the team bench.  Coach Weissman asked the team if they believed they could win this game and in unison, the team screamed "YES".   Boston went out and plated six runs to take a 9-8 lead.  Long Island then scored in the last of the 6th to tie it up.  In the longest game ever played by both Boston and Long Island, Boston was the last team standing with a 13-12 victory in 9 innings of play.   All of New York will get to see some of the highlites of this game as it will air as part of a  New York Yankee broadcast.  Check back later this month for a look at the footage!  Results and Line Scores for 2009 JJ Ward, Rachel Buchanan, Justen Cantan and Joe O'Neill keep their fingers crossed that the Boston Defense can hold the lead in an amazing come from behind victory against Long Island Line score of the game Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Runs Strike Outs Defensive Put-outs Boston 0 1 1 1 0 6 2 1 1 13 9 21 Long Island 0 1 4 1 2 1 2 1 0 12 6 18 First Place: Boston Renegades 2-0 2nd Place: Long Island Bombers 1-1 3rd Place: Pennsylvania Wolf Pack 0-3 Boston defeats Pennsylvania 7-4 Boston defeats Long Island 13-12 (9 innings) Long Island defeats Pennsylvania 13-2 Renegades Play well in Chicago but come away with just one win Dino Vasile finished 2nd on the Defensive All-star team with 21 defensive stops in 4 games at the Bolingbrook Tournament in Chicago.  Vasile becomes just the 2nd Renegade player to ever make a Defensive all-star team.  He is pictured here with his spotters, Bryan Grillo and Jacki Jones The Boston Renegades returned to Chicago for the 6th time in the past 7 years on the weekend of June 12 to play 4 games.    The most exciting game of the entire tournament took place in front of a local cable broadcast as the Renegades came one out away from upsetting one of the top teams in the country, the Chicago Comet A.  Check back later for some video of this game.  The Renegades results were as follows Indianapolis defeats Boston 6-5 Boston defeats Cleveland 5-4 Chicago Comet A wins 6-5 (7 innings) Chicago Comet B wins 14-5 Chicago A won the tournament by winning all four of their games.  For more information on the games see the Results and Line Scores for 2009 Team W L Chicago A 4 0 Kansas 3 1 Indianapolis 2 2 Cleveland 1 3 Boston 1 3 Chicago B 1 3   This site in The Blind and Visually Impaired Ring is owned by John Oliveira. 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