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THE GOZO TORNADOES OFFICIAL WEBSITE ARCHIVES PAGE : OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2001

GOZO TAKE 4 AWARDS OUT OF 7 AT THE ANNUAL AWARD CELEBRATION 21/12/2001

Last Friday, the MABS organized the 2001 Annual Award Celebration at the Reflections Pub, Mellieha.  The Gozo Tornadoes crossed back to Gozo with four trophies, which was Gozo’s highest achievement ever.

The first trophy to be presented was the Winter Tournament trophy.  Gozo won this tournament under the earned runs per inning rule, earning less than one run per inning.  Gzira Mustangs and Mellieha Northenders also took part in this tournament.  All three teams won a game each and that is why the tournament winner had to be decided with the Earned Runs per Inning rule.

The Rookie of the Year went to Pembroke’s starting pitcher, Nemanja Orlie.  Orlie finished the season with a 1-3 record, pitching 17 innings and throwing 14 strikeouts.  Orlie also finished the season with a 12.71 ERA (19.06 under MLB regulations).  Offensively, Orlie batted .250 and led the National League in walks (7).  Orlie also had a high On-Base Percentage at .600.

Charles Attard achieved the Fielder of the Year.  Although finishing the season with awful offensive numbers, Attard still managed to gather up a fine defensive season.  With the Tornadoes, Attard played third base, being part of the best infield of the league (Sultana – Galea – Camilleri – Attard).  Attard also had a regular spot on the national team, when team Malta went to Paterno’.  Attard handled the pressure on first base in Game 1, making some really good plays.  In Game 2, Attard played in left field.  After winning the award, Charles said, “I definitely believe that if Shawn was still here on the island, he would’ve won the award.  He deserves it, not me.  He was our Derek Jeter at short.”

Mustangs’ slugger, Patrick Pace took the Batter of the Year award, leading the league in several offensive categories.  Leading the National League with 18 at-bats, Pace also led the league in hits (11), doubles (2) and runs batted in (12).  Pace finished second in stolen bases (7), homeruns (1), and batting average (.611).  He also finished third in the league in runs (9) and slugging percentage (.889).  Pace’s pitching season was a good one as well.  With a 2-2 record, Pace pitched 25 2/3 innings, striking out 27.  He led the league in games pitched (5), complete games (3) and innings pitched (25.7).  Pace, who is the head coach of both Gzira and the national team, handled our national team pitchers very well in Paterno’, playing as a catcher in both games.  He also smacked a solo-homerun against Paterno’ in Game 2.

Jeff Tabone, pitching his best season ever, won the Pitcher of the Year award.  Tabone has been the most interesting pitcher in the league ever since Gozo joined the league way back in 1998.  Tabone finished the 2001 season winning his first Pitcher’s Crown, leading the league in wins (3), ERA (7.00) and strikeouts (34).  Thanks to his fastball and curve, Tabone drove the Tornadoes in their first finals ever.  In the National League Championship Series (NLCS), Tabone struck out 21 batters in just 12 innings, bringing the total to 55 strikeouts in 30 innings throughout the whole 2001 season.  During the season, Tabone batted .500, driving in 4 runs and also coming 5^th in slugging percentage (.786).  Tabone also hit a homerun in his first swing of the season against Pembroke.  Tabone is also Pace’s first pick in the national team’s pitching rotation.  He did extremely well in Paterno’, although taking the loss in Game 1. 

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to Mellieha’s star, Keith Bartolo, after having a superb season.  Bartolo was given a shot to play abroad early in the season, being chosen for a try-out with the New York Mets.  The Mets are among the best baseball teams in Major League Baseball (MLB).  Bartolo was doing extremely well in the try-out but had to be sent back to Malta after jamming his ankle during an exhibition game.  In the Maltese National League, Bartolo led three offensive categories.  He led the league in doubles (2), homeruns (2), and slugging percentage (1.400).  He finished second in on-base percentage (.692) and third in runs scored (9) and batting average (.600).  In Paterno’, Bartolo batted 7 for 8.  He also closed down Game 2, where he came in as a relief pitcher.  In the two innings he pitched in, Bartolo pounded one batter after the other, giving the Paterno’ Warriors a very had time to catch up.  Bartolo’s grand slam in Game 2 was enough to convince the Warriors’ coach to invite Bartolo to play with the Warriors in 2002.  The Serie A team is expected to start negotiable talks with the MABS for Bartolo’s service.  Bartolo stands as a figurehead in Malta, being given the chance to have several try-outs abroad, especially after his experience in St. Lucie, Florida with the New York Mets.

The Awards Night ended with the presentation of the Championship trophy, won for the first time by the Gozo Tornadoes.  Thanks to their batting line-up, fielding and pitching, Gozo was able to storm in the NLCS, winning 83% of their regular season games (5-1).  In the regular season, Gozo led the league in bating average (.405), sacrifice hits (5), strikeouts earned (18), wins (5) and strikeouts pitched (45).  Gozo also finished second in hits (45), doubles (4), homeruns (1), runs batted in (39), stolen bases (36) and ERA (9.69).  In the NLCS, Gozo’s Jeff Tabone pitched two complete games to help Gozo win the title.  Offensively, Mario Debono led the way with a .600 batting average and lead-off hitters Mike Portelli and Charles Attard led the NLCS in runs scored (5) and stolen bases (Portelli with 8 and Attard with 6).  Sultana’s three rbi triple also helped Gozo win Game 2.  Gozo showed their dominance from the very beginning of the 2001 season, winning exhibition games against the Mustangs (10-3) and Mellieha (9-8).  Gozo then won the first 5 games of the league.  Gozo was also the first team to win the NLCS in only 2 games.  All previous play-off games were decided on Game 3.  Gozo are now also favorites to win the 2002 season, although losing Debono and Camilleri in off-season.

Gozo now finished the 2001-year winning several awards.  As a team, the Gozo Tornadoes won the Championship, was voted as Best Gozitan Team by the Gozo Sports Board and they also won the Winter Tournament this month.  Jeff Tabone was given a special award by the Gozo Sports Board after achieving the MVP award in 2000, and also won the Best Pitcher of the Year last Friday.  Charles Attard came third in the Best Gozitan Male Athlete of the Year voting and achieved the MABS Fielder of the Year while Alison Mifsud came in second in the Gozitan Female Athlete of the Year voting.  What a year for Gozo and let’s hope that the 2002 season will be similar to that of 2001.  LET’S GO GOZO.

Gozo Tornadoes Official Website Report

GOZO WIN WINTER TOURNAMENT15/12/2001

Last Sunday, the Gozo Tornadoes took part in a winter triangular tournament.  Gozo, Mellieha and Gzira agreed to participate in this tournament, and the games were held at the Marsa Baseball Field.  All games were based on 4 innings which applied the five-run limit.

The opening game of the tournament was between the Mellieha Northenders and the Gzira Mustangs.  The 2001 championship finalists took advantage on young left-handed pitcher David Borg, were Gzira scored seven runs in the game.  Mellieha bounced back but their effort was not enough to upset Gzira.  Gzira pitcher, Victor Calleja easily took the win.

The next game was between the Gozo Tornadoes and the Gzira Mustangs.  Coach Jeff Tabone decided to put 19-year old Charles Attard on the mound, and his decision was rewarded.  Attard left the Mustangs hitless in the first two innings and struck out 5 batters in 3 innings.  Gozo's offence helped Attard to achieve his first win since 1998, scoring 9 runs off starter Victor Calleja.  Ellis, Darryl Portelli and Mark Attard both got their first hits for Gozo.  In the bottom of the 3rd, reliever Trevor Shaw came in for Calleja, and the Tornadoes scored only one run off Shaw.  With a 10-3 lead, coach Tabone decided to bring on Buttigieg on the mound.  Buttigieg, on his pitching debut, pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter and walked two.  The Tornadoes finished the game with a satisfying win, having a solid batting line-up from top to bottom, and a great combination on the mound by Attard and Buttigieg, showing that coach Tabone's plan of developing more pitchers is working out well.

The last game of the tournament was probably a boring game for fans, but it was actually the best pitching battle Malta has ever seen.  Both Mellieha and Gozo came out with their best weapon on the mound.  Gozo had their pitching gem, Jeff Tabone on the mound, who won the 2001 Pitching Crown while Mellieha placed "the man with the future" (Keith Bartolo) on the hill.  Tabone's smoke and Bartolo's fire pounded each batter one by one.  The only hit of the game came from Keith himself which was almost snagged by shortstop C. Attard, tempting for a diving catch which he missed by a few inches.  The game ended 2-1 for Mellieha, all runs being scored in the first inning.  A lot of credit was also given to Steve Ellis who catched for Tabone in this game.  Ellis handled all-star pitcher Jeff Tabone as if they've been working together for years, but this was the first time that both ball players combined the pitching-catching positions together.

In this tournament, Gozo also welcomed back first-baseman Robert Pisani.  Pisani was the best first-baseman in our first two years, after leaving the team before the third season.  Pisani played extremely well on first and will help the team recover from the big loss that happened during off season.

Throughout the tournament, the Tornadoes proved that their defence is recovering.  The team was without four of their regular players who are Sultana, Mercieca, Charles Tabone and Gozo Rookie of the Year Mike Portelli.  The Gozo team that we saw last Sunday was not that offensive as they were last year, but if they had a full team, it would have been a different story, but other teams had main players missing too.  Gzira were without all-star catcher Antoine Debono, who has been recently acquired by Pembroke, and veteran slugger Patrick Pace was out due to injury.  Mellieha came down to Marsa with only one-fourth of the Bartolo's.  Both Ray, Nicky and Mike were missing.  The main progress in the 2002 Tornadoes is their pitching.  J. Tabone hasn't changed a bit; hard-throwing, accurate, smart and dominating.  The 2000 MVP hopes for another dominating season like those of 2000 and 2001.  C. Attard seems slightly better than the C. Attard of last season.  Attard had poor command of his pitches last year, but in the winter tournament his command improved and he pitched 3 innings allowing only 2 hits.  Buttigieg was impressive.  On his debut, he looked calm and solid, allowing only one hit in that scoreless inning.  The average runs per inning earned by Gozitan pitchers was under 1 run per inning.

Gozo Tornadoes Official Website Report

TWO MORE PLAYERS JOIN THE TORNADOES 04/12/2001

After Darrly Portelli and Matthew Xuereb Dingli joined the team last week, two new players showed up for the second training session of the year.  The Tornadoes welcomed Mark Attard and Steve Ellis.

Mark Attard is a fifteen year old teenager who is a former Skolasport student, under the hands of former instructor Jeff Tabone.  Coach Tabone is expected to play him in the outfield, until he gets enough experience to play in other positions.

Steve Ellis showed up last Sunday and really impressed coach Tabone on his first day.  Ellis knows the game well, and will fill in for Shawn Camilleri in the infield.  During fielding practice, Ellis did several good plays and was well-positioned on second base.  Infielders Galea and C. Attard feared that it will take a long time to recover Shawn's departure, but now they said that Ellis' arrival will make it quicker for the team to recover from the big loss in the infield.  Ellis is also a good-contact left handed batter and will improve his batting when he catches up.  Shawn was also a left handed batter, which makes Ellis a good replacement for his bat.  Ellis' glove will not completely fill in for that of Shawn's, as Shawn was the best defensive infielder the Tornadoes ever had but is surely a big help in the recovery plan.

Both Mark and Steve will play in next Sunday's tournament, and will try their best to achieve a regular position.  Ellis is more likely to achieve a first team spot right way.  Good luck to both of them and we hope that both will have a bright future with the Tornadoes

TORNADOES START TRAINING FOR 2002 SEASON 01/12/2001

Last Sunday, the Tornadoes started their pre-season training for the 2002 season, which will start in March.  Some familiar faces were back, but new ones also showed up and are hoping to join the team in order to obtain coach Tabone's main goal, that of defending the championship.  

The Maltese champions will have to defend the title without two key players who helped the team win the championship last year.  Former coach Mario Debono has recently joined Pembroke and all-star shortstop Shawn Camilleri has just moved to the States.  This will surely effect the team's way of playing.  Debono was the best offensive player in the 2001 National League Championship Series (NLCS) while Camilleri batted over .500 all year long.  

With the league returning to a twelve-game season, newly appointed coach, Jeff Tabone had to start looking for new pitchers.  During the first training session, we saw J. Tabone and Attard practicing on pitching, were both players have been the main Gozo pitchers throughout the team's three year history.  But we also saw some other players pitching last Sunday.  Left fielder Mark Buttigieg and second baseman Steven Galea are learning how to pitch, which is very good for the whole team.  Both players are still young and they should be prepared for March.

Catching might be a big problem this year.  We still don't know who's going to catch for the season.  Sultana and Attard both gathered up injuries while catching and coach Tabone is hoping to find some new talent as fast as possible.  Gozo was never able to promote catchers, and that's why Attard is working out with two young players at Skolasport.  Fourteen year old Marvic Debono and twelve year old Denis Camilleri are showing a lot of interest in catching and might solve this catching problem in the near future.

Two new players showed up, which are Darryl Portelli (age 17) and Matthew Xuereb Dingli (age 14).  Both players are very interested in joining the team and will definitely improve if they maintain the same determination.  Xuereb Dingli has been promoted from Skolasport, which makes him the first Skolasport student to join the majors.  This will help him get some experience with the majors and should stand as a figure head for other students to follow his footsteps.  Outfielder Alison Mifsud helped both Portelli and Xuereb Dingli with their catching during practice.  Both were given a warm-welcome and they caught up with the group right away.  Another new player was expected to show up.  His name is Steve Ellis and he's the most experienced ball player among the new ones.

Next weekend, the Tornadoes will play in a one-day tournament.  This is a good time to test our new players.  All of us are curious to see how the other teams are playing this year.  Probably, the most exciting team to watch this year will be the Torpedoes.  Mario Debono has been appointed as their coach and he's shaping up the team to make Pembroke competitive for the first time in their history.  Pembroke also acquired all-star hitter Antoine Debono.  In this tournament, Gozo will try to get used to playing without Mario and Shawn.  It will not be easy.  Their fielding will surely be missed, but their bats could be replaced.  Gozo is a very good offensive team, and will achieve a bigger bonus if Attard returns to his 98/99 form. 

Results and box scores of the tournament will be uploaded as soon as possible.

We hope that you could support us during the 2002 season, and come out and watch our home games at Kercem.  Everybody is welcomed.  Remember, we're the first Gozitan sport team to be crowned as Maltese champions.  And baseball's a fun sport to watch.  We also welcome any player who wants to give it a shot with the team.  The sport's still growing up, and the more new players, the better.  If you're interested, please make use of our email address (gozotornadoes@hotmail.com)

NUMBER 18 AND NUMBER 28 RETIRED 01/12/2001

Shawn Camilleri's and Mario Debono's jersey numbers (18 and 28), have been retired by the Gozo Tornadoes Baseball Club.  These numbers will never be seen again on a Tornadoes' uniform.  Both numbers have been retired because of the dedication and skill of both players throughout our three year history.  THANKS A LOT MARIO AND SHAWN, WE WOULDN'T BE MALTESE CHAMPIONS WITHOUT YOU GUYS!! 

A SLICE OF NEW YORK IN GOZO - TORNADOES BASEBALL KINGS (published on The Sunday Times of Malta: written by Lewis Portelli) 25/11/2001

The Sunday Times, November 11, 2001

Gozo Tornadoes are the winners of this year's national league organised by the Malta Baseball  Association.  The Tornadoes were established only three years ago when Mario Debono, a keen player and enthusiast of the game, crossed over to Gozo to fuel interest among the sons of the many returned migrants from the USA and Canada with a view of organising a baseball squad.

His bold efforts were rewarded and soon the Gozo Tornadoes were plying their trade on the hard diamond at the Kercem ground - a far cry from the green pitches and the giant stands of the New York Mets or their rivals the Yankees.

With ever increasing involvement, the Tornadoes progressed steadily and this year, after two play-offs in the final series against Mustangs, they landed the championship.

This honour grows in stature when one considers the comparatively short period they have been playing together.  With Mike Portelli, Silvio Sultana and Jeff Tabone on top form, Gozo won the first match in Malta 9-4 and completed the formalities in Kercem with a 14-6 win.

Besides Gozo Tornadoes, there are another three teams in Malta: Mellieha Northenders, Mustangs, previously from Marsa now Gzira, and Pembroke Torpedoes.

The shift from Marsa to Gzira is because a benevolent migrant, Denis Catania, has donated funds provided the beneficiaries name the team after his home town.  All matches are played at the Marsa grounds and at Kercem.

Recently, I met two great protagonists of this sport - player Silvio Sultana from Gozo and Patrick Pace the national team's head coach.

Spending his summer holidays in our islands every other year, New York born of Gozitan parents, Silvio, now a University student, was lured back together with his family mostly because of the easy paced life in sharp contrast with the whirlwind lifestyle of the most famous metropolis in the world.

Like most American boys, Silvio first started out playing "stickball" in the streets - a children's game in which one has to keep hitting a ball with a broom stick.  But soon he moved on to a district youth team where for two years he played baseball under the proper rules and regulations, before returning to Gozo.

Pace's life has definitely been more eventful.  Born in England in 1964, when only two years old, his Maltese parents decided to emigrate to Detroit and that is where he learnt the game.

After ten years his parents moved back to Malta and in the early 80's Patrick played baseball locally before he himself wanted to try his luck in Australia where he migrated in 1987.

There he played for St Mary's as well as for Blacktown clubs.  But he too was soon back in Malta and with Tony Ghio, the association president, among others, they formed a committee and Patrick took up coaching.

"Baseball and softball were formally introduced in Malta in the early '80's by the Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) who provided technical assistance and equipment," Patrick recalls.  "The main participants then were children of returned migrants from Canada and the USA."

After a period of inactivity, the sport was revived in 1993.

On the initiative of Severino Canzona, regular sessions were held at Marsa on Sunday afternoons and in June this year, a very close collaboration was established with the Italian federation.  Through very useful contacts made by Ghio with the International Baseball Association, the Maltese received a considerable amount of baseball equipment which has been put to very good use.

The national squad

Recently, the national team was in Sicily where they were hosted by the Paterno' Warriors, the first Sicilian team to play in the Italian Serie A1.

Two matches were played during the two-day trip with the Sicilians winning the first 16-8; the Maltese turning the tables in the 'return' 13-6... a clear indication that the level of baseball in Malta is fast becoming competitive at international level.

The Maltese selection was probably the best squad to date.  However, the outstanding qualities of Keith Bartolo were there for all to see.

His talent and sharpness stood out above the rest so much so that Paterno' have already made an attractive offer for him to join their ranks on a permanent basis.

Pace said: "Bartolo has one ambition - to play for the New York Mets on day.  He has already had a try-out with them but, unfortunately, he was injured during the trials.  I am sure that his determination will land him there in the near future."

The association is now concentrating on the recruiting youths.  Besides the coaching of some 35 boys at Skolasport, the association has also purchased a pitching maching which has already proved of great benefit to all.

There is no doubt about it.  Baseball continues to prosper and flourish in these islands.

Report by Lewis Portelli

© 2003 Gozo Tornadoes