Tomorrow's game and early impressions

First off, I'll be at the Utica vs. Clonan game tomorrow at Murnane Field at Donovan Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. I'll blog throughout the game with updates for you guys.

Other than that, I want to know your thoughts on what we've seen from the league thus far. Who's been the biggest surprise? Who's been the biggest dissapointment? Who is the frontrunner? What do you expect the rest of the way? Please share your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Here's my take:
Biggest surprise - Roberts Post. I don't know if anyone saw this one coming. Roberts is 5-1 and sits just 1 game behind Smith for first place in the Blue Division. They're doing it with good pitching, solid defense and a balanced offensive attack. That sounds like a good formula to me. The only question now is will they continue their early success? I guess we'll have to wait and see, but from the game I saw them play and the box scores I've followed, I don't see any reason why Roberts doesn't stay near the top of the league for the rest of the summer.

Biggest Dissapointment - Whitestown Post. This is a no brainer. Whitestown is 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the league. Who would have thought they'd be winless after five games following the great success of the Whitesboro High School team in the spring? With all that talent, you have to think that they'll get it together and charge back toward the top of their division, but they better do it sooner rather than later. They don't want to have to be squeezing for wins at the end of the year. I'm interested to see if we'll see any panic out of these guys with their recent slump. Afterall, this is a team full of players who aren't used to losing.

Frontrunner - Smith Post. I've seen two of their games thus far and they are skilled at every position and can hit one through nine. Not to mention, they didn't even have the Rome Catholic kids through their first three games. The addition of Melioris and some of the other stars of the RCH team should only make them more of a force to reckon with. I don't expect them to slow down anytime soon. Mark this date down on your calendar - Monday, June 23. That's the day Smith and New Hartford will meet. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top when these two rivals clash. New Hartford is on top of the Gold Division and if both teams can continuing their winning ways through the rest of the week, it will be a showdown between No. 1 in the Blue and No. 1 in the Gold.

The Rest of the Way - I expect Whitestown to right the ship. With all that talent, there's no way that this team can keep losing. But, when it's all said and done, I still think Smith walks away with the Blue Division regular season title. On the other side (the Gold Division), I think New Hartford is going to run away with it. I really do. They have a balanced lineup and they're 3-0 when they could just as easily be 0-3 after some less-than-spectacular pitching performances. But, that's what the top teams do - they win games even when they're not at their best.

Having said that, let the debate begin. What do you guys think? And you're not limited to these questions. Feel free to include any other thoughts on the league if you like.

PS. My Canes were eliminated from the College World Series tonight :(
I'm curious - are you guys following along with the CWS? With the nation's top-ranked team out (Miami), who do you think will take the title?