St. Joseph by the Sea coach Mike Ponsiglione is in favor crowning a true city champ and an all-star game. (Damion Reid)
For a few people involved, there was something missing from this year’s New York City softball season. Especially with the CHSAA and PSAL getting together for a baseball Mayor’s Cup all-star game Friday night at MCU Park, there are those in the softball community wondering what would have happened if there was a true city champion crowned.
Who would have prevailed – CHSAA state winner St. Joseph by the Sea or PSAL city titleholder James Madison?
“I think there should be a game, but saying that there isn’t a game I’m sure there are people out there saying, ‘But what if?’” Sea coach Mike Ponsiglione said. “If they played, ‘What if?’”
Sea beat Madison, 4-3, in an early season non-league game. But both teams grew up from that meeting. Both teams got better. The Knights didn’t even throw Kayla Hill, who didn’t give up an earned run against Tottenville in the PSAL final, in that game.
So what’s standing in the way of a real city championship game? It’s an event that happened as recently as 2006.
The schedule is a major issue. Catholic teams are not allowed, by rule, to play a game after their state championship is over. The state tournament is typically before Memorial Day. On the other hand, the PSAL finishes up in early June.
“I think that it would be nice,” said St. Francis Prep coach Ann Marie Rich, who is the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens chairperson. “It’s just a matter of planning. … We are told we can’t play any games after the state game, so I don’t know if there is a rule pertaining to a game like that crossing over. Once I get the date for the state game I have to set the schedule up backwards from that point on.”
PSAL commissioners are not able to speak to the media as per league rules.
Though it’s something that happens in basketball somewhat with the New York State Federation championship, some softball coaches would not be in favor of crowning a true city champ. Yet another title game, some say, would take away cache from the PSAL and CHSAA championships.
“I think that you’re taking away from the goal of the season,” Susan Wagner coach Marco Altieri said. “It’s not like other states where the state championships is the big deal.”
Madison coach Jeff Meltzer said he would have been very much in favor of a true city title game this season – provided it was planned out ahead of time and made a part of the schedule.
“If it’s a scheduled thing, I think our girls would have loved to have played,” Meltzer said. “It wouldn’t have detracted from the PSAL win. And if they won, they would have climbed the complete mountain. For us, I think it would have been a real big plus.”
There doesn’t seem to be as many logistical issues with an all-star game like the two baseball leagues are having in Brooklyn on Friday night. In fact, an all-star game was something Altieri and Ponsiglione spoke about at length a few months ago. But nothing ever came from the talks.
“I would still do it this year if they wanted to,” Altieri said. “The majority of the better players play travel, so they’re all practicing. It’s not like they’re going to come back rusty. If he wanted to do something, I would gladly volunteer my time. We can make something happen.”
But travel ball is a bit of a problem. There are already tournaments being played and travel coaches might be unwilling to lose their players for a few days to compete in a high-school all-star game.
“I think it is more the calendar that becomes the problem,” Archbishop Molloy coach Maureen Rosenbaum said. “Most of the players are playing with their club [teams] already. You wouldn’t be able to practice for it.”
But bottom line, most coaches think the two leagues coming together for some sort of end-of-the-year event would advance the sport of softball.
“I think that would be a great one,” Meltzer said of an all-star game. “If you tape it, it’s a great recruiting tape that you could send out to [college coaches]. If you’re a [college] coach, you can get them on your radar a little bit. Get 10, 12 girls, make it that everyone has to play. Make it a little longer game.”
Meltzer says that it’s just a matter of coaches petitioning the leagues ad nauseum for something like this to happen. It seems like there is certainly enough interest.
“The two leagues need to get together and map out a schedule and come up with something,” said Ponsiglione, who is also an administrator with the NY Panthers travel program. “I’m sure if the Catholic school commissioner and the public school commissioner put their heads together and tried to make an exceptional senior game or just an all-star game, I’m sure it would be done. I’m sure you would get a million [people] that would want to coach those teams. Who wouldn’t want to coach exceptional athletes? A game like that, it’s a fun game. You put them out there and let them play.”