Jet Box baseball began in the early spring
of 1969 as the brainchild of me, Jim Corte, and my uncle,
Lou Zardus, owner of Jet Box Company. Lou played baseball
for Pepsi Cola in the 1950s and played 2nd base for Jet Box
in 1969. Lou authorized $5,000 for the season and I put Jet
Box into the Detroit Baseball Federation Class B. I was 22
years young.
Reuniting
my Notre Dame High Scholl and sandlot ballplayer friends
from the 1960s, The players forming the core of our first
JET BOX Baseball Team were
catcher/infielder Rich Loria, catcher/outfielder Chris
Hacias, infielders Randy Lamprides, John Kuhr, Mike Boccia
(who played in 1999 and hit a HR at age 52), outfielder/pitcher John
Fayad, outfielders Mike Schuette, Jim Corte, and 1st
baseman/pitcher Gary Geister.
Tryouts at high school fields
on Detroit's east side and recruitment by my core ballplayers
rounded out the JET BOX team.
Opening day
was May 14, 1969 against Vinewood Mfg. Former U of M captain, Marlin
Pemberton, pitched a great game and Jet Box recorded our 1st
win.
We used wood bats and pitchers batted. Our uniforms
were navy blue pinstripe with sleeveless jerseys. Our
jackets were navy blue windbreakers with Jets on the back.
Why navy blue? Because it was stocked, not custom.
Our
win/loss record was 10 and 10. In 1969, Jet Box got a
taste of Class A playing a three game ITM invitational. We
lost all three, but next season, 1970, we moved into Class A
forever.
Jet Box always sought better competition because
then Jet Box would improve, i.e. it took 3 1/2 years before
we beat ITM, yet Jet Box ended 19 seasons playing ITM with a
record of 108 wins and 95 losses and 4 ties.
From my first
team, 1969, Only Rich Loria (1974 &1976 World Series, batted 4th, hit .442,
2nd highest) and Chris Hacias (1973, 74, 76 & 78 World
Series) made the transition from wood to aluminum bats in
1973.
Jet Box baseball
means friendship, that's why I started the team. This team
of original friends became a team of new friends who
continue to this day. Men like Rich Loria, Chris Hacias, and
always me help to make transition fun by their ability to
bridge the change that younger ballplayers inevitably bring
about.
My job for 32 years is to put the best lineup
in the game. All Boxers know that I bench anyone not
producing, thus proving my managerial integrity?
Make
no mistake Jet Box is my team, yet after 3 seasons as lead
off batter, Jim Corte benched Jim Corte. This was 1972, I
was 25, and Jet Box landed their first ex-pro, Larry
Cutright, who pitched 5 seasons.
In 1973, the star college
ballplayer era began with 13 signing contracts with JET BOX.
Notably Craig Schalk (22
seasons, holds most career pitching records- 134 wins), U of
D's captain, Mike Sobczak (10 seasons) and Bob Day (10
seasons).
This started a decade dominated by this trio and
in 1974 Jet Box tri-fecta of U ofD captain, Bill Turkington
(14 seasons, career leader at bats, runs, hits, 2nd base),
Central Michigan University's captain, Dan Griesbaum (10
seasons of 1st base), and Western Michigan University's
Frank Wojnicki (10 seasons centerfield/pitcher).
From 1973 to 1983 these 6 ballplayer
friends (I was in 3 of their weddings) provided the second
Jet Box nucleus. All six received the inaugural 10 year Gold
Ring, for dedication to JET BOX Baseball.
During these
11 seasons, Jet Box won 6 NABF regionals, the Southern US
title, and National Runner-up. Our 11 season record was
408-191-6, a .681 win percent. I was 37 years young when the
1983 season ended, Jet Box baseball was 15 years old.
Bridging
the transfer to the new nucleus of our third family, in
1980, were Craig Schalk,
Bill Turkington and me. Craig was our main pitcher and Bill
was our leadoff hitter until retiring after the 1987 season.
From 1980 to 1987
the dominant new players were pitchers Charley Loehnis
(1978-1989), Chris Czarka (1976-1983), Terry Schalk
(1980-1987)
Hitters; Dave Zelmanski
(1979-1988), Tom Berti (1979-1985), Dave Orzel
(1980-1990), Gary Zelmanski (1981-1987), Gordie Cobus
(1982-1990), John Clem (1981-1993), Dan Lanoue
(1980&1983), Steve Mastro (1982-1985), Mike
Seagram (1984-1986), Dave Pagel (1985-1987, 1992-1993)
and Dave Jonske (1985-1987).
The JET BOX line-up of this era had power
from both sides of the plate. Left handed hitters
featured home run power in Lanoue, Orzel, Jonske and
Pagel. Plus line drive hitters Turkington,
Wojnicki and Berti.
Right handed batters Griesbaum, Dave
and Gary Zelmanski, Cobus, and Seagram hit home runs
from their side of the plate. Switch hitting power was
provided by John Clem and Steve Mastro. As
manager I had great flexibility to create problems for any
pitcher, right or left handed.
1984 saw JET BOX win its first national
regional title in the American Amateur Baseball
Congress. We won this title at 2 a.m. Tuesday in
Battle Creek, MI. Then we started the AABC World
Series on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Battle Creek.
Predictably we lost that game to New York using pitchers in
our batting line-up because of work schedules. We beat
California in the second game but lost to Denver, CO in our
third game.
1981, 1982 and 1983 JET BOX played in the
NABF World Series in Louisville, Ky. We were always a
threat to win with hitting power but we came up short in
pitching depth. Until 1998 the top five team home run
total were 1981 through 1985. In those five seasons
382 homeruns were hit while maintaining a .317 team batting
average.
For the third family's entire eight year
run, 1980-1987 , Jet Box slugged 541 homeruns while
averaging .323. Truly this was an offense to
fear. In eight seasons JET BOX won 316, lost 122, tied
5, a .721 win percentage. Jimmy Corte was
forty-one seasons old and mellowing.
Bill Turkington completed 14 seasons in 1987
and his number 4 jersey is now retired.
In 1988 a new family was
taking hold with Craig Schalk, John Clem and me
forming the bridge from our third family to the forth.
Family number four featured complete hitters, high
averages with power, such as John Clem, Andy
Krause, Lance Sullivan, Rick Tavormina,
Mike Kocan and feisty Tom DiMambro to whom Bill Turkington
handed the infield leadership after his 1987 retirement.
Hitting also featured
the awesome year by Aldo Pecorilli in 1991 and the budding
careers of sluggers supreme Andy Roman and Vic Breithaupt.
Pitching for his third family eternal
Craig Schalk won 26 games, pitched 292 innings (only
15.2 in 1989 due to injury) and struck out 231.
He led
in twenty-six categories in five full seasons including his
19th and 20th seasons leading both years in innings
pitched, starts, complete games, victories
and 1991's low ERA (1.81) and 1992's most strikeouts.
His final season in 1993, Craig pitched 34
innings, seven starts, one complete game
shutout, won 5 games lost 2.
In the NABF regional and world series
Craig won both starts pitching thirteen innings,
striking out 13, walking one allowing fourteen hits
and 3 runs for a 2.07 ERA. Not bad for a 41 year old.
Mark Jacob debuted in 1986 and led 28
categories through 1993. Dale Erickson, Lance
Sullivan and Dennis D'Agnese garnered forty category leaders
between 1988 and 1993. Overall
JET BOX was 169-128-6 a .569 win percentage yet we were in
three world series finishing national runner-up in
1989.
In 1993 JET BOX started a run of seven
straight world series appearances. 1993 was JET BOX
25th season and the last hurrah for Craig Schalk, John
Clem, Dave Pagel and Andy Krause.
Our quest for
a world series title thwarted by playing three games on
Saturday in muggy Louisville heat. We finished three
innings of Friday's suspended game, won the second
game but lost our third contest.
This gutty eight hour
performance ended the fourth family's quest for the national
title but this team provided the nucleus of our current
family the experience needed to finally win in Louisville.
This nucleus forming the bridge to JET BOX
fifth family was hitters Tom DiMambro (1987), Rick
Tavormina(1989), Andy Roman(1991), Vic
Breithaupt(1993). The pitchers consisted of Mark
Jacob(1986), Bob Bell(1992), Joe Loria(1993) and
Manager Jim Corte now 48 years young when the 1994 season
started.
This family continued the world series
streak making six consecutive appearances high lighted by
the 1997 NABF National Championship.
The most dominating hitter in JET BOX
history led this group, winning fifty-five of one
hundred categories from 1992 through 1996. He was a
leader 47 of sixty-five possible (73%) in thirteen prime
categories: most games-4 times, most at
bats-twice, runs scored-4 times, hits-4
times, doubles-5 times, homeruns-3 times,
highest batting average-4 times, total bases-3
times, slugging percentage-4 times, runs batted
in-3 times, walks-4 times, sacrifice hits-3
times and on base percentage-4 times (6 consecutive years
1993-1998)
His batting average in 1995 was
.551, scored 67 runs, stroked 102 hits,
slugged 23 homeruns, totaled 157 bases, compiled
a 1.065 slugging percentage and knocked in 82 runs all the
best in JET BOX history. Oh yeaah, in 1996 he
had a .506 batting average!
Proving himself nationally this man has
averaged .511 for eight world series winning two national
batting titles with .667 and .611 averages.
Twice in
world series final this man had five hits in five at
bats. He broke John Clem's season home run record by
slamming three round trippers in one 1995 world series
game.
He did all this playing every inning at
shortstop! The BOX calls him the "TAV",
I call Rick Tavormina my dear friend.
JET BOX, however, is not just one
man. We are a team. The heart of our fifth
family line-up features Andy Roman - 110 HR Vic Breithaupt -
.400 career BA Matt Viggiano - National Batting
Champ-1997 Andy Whitney - .452 in '99 and John Lierman-1997 NABF
World Series MVP.
Veterans Dave Cooper, Tom DiMambro, Dave Jennings, Cliff Howe, Matt
Konwerski, Gary Alatchanian, and younsters Tim Bellestri and Tim
Frankhouse. This batting line-up is as solid and
versatile as any manager could want.
Members of this team are two-time
defending champions of the charity Home Run Derby at Tiger
Stadium (1999) and Comerica Park (2000).
JET BOX traveled to Cooperstown, NY to
play a three game inter-squad series at the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Pitching is still the key to success.
Bob Bell, Derek
Kramer, Larry Feola, and J.D.Hill and ageless Mark Jacob anchor our staff
with support form 1997's one year starter Mark
Fleming, 1998's pitcher of the year Fred Schwarze,
and 1999 starters Mike Borkowski and Jason Hoorn.
In our 1997 championship in
Louisville, the final three games we used only four
pitchers (one pitch by Dave Jennings) in twenty-seven
innings, proving once and for all that great pitching
is essential to winning national championships.
Bob
Bell 26-10 with 5 saves since 1995, and Mark Jacob 12-1 since 1997 prove the
importance of veteran leadership.
In the 1997 World Series, John Lierman was N.A.B.F.
MVP & Batting Champion.
Bob Bell, Dave Cooper, Rick
Tavormina, Matt Viggiano and Mark Fleming were
selected to the National All-Star Team.
This fifth JET BOX family is by far the
most successful with six world series appearances in seven
years, compiling a 45-16 record in NABF regionals and
world series, a .736 win percentage.
The
pinnacle reached by this family is the only national
championship won by JET BOX, in the 1997 world series in
Louisville, KY.
Of course the 2000 season was highlighted
by JET BOX winning our 1000th game. On this
date, July 15,2000, Craig Schalk came out of a
seven year retirement to win this game in Bay City,
MI. Pitching four innings allowing only two unearned
runs.
At 47 1/2 years young Craig recorded his 134th
win and passed 1500 innings pitched for his career which
started in 1973.
JET
BOX was highlighted by Channel 4 in Detroit on Sports Final
Edition. Fred McLeod reported the story of the JET BOX
Baseball Club spanning 32 years.
At the end of the 2000 season Jim Corte is
fifty-four years mellow looking forward to many more seasons
of JET BOX Baseball. This ends my brief synopsis of 32
wonderful seasons leading the BOX. For an in-depth
year by year analysis keep watching our website, www.jetboxbaseball.com,
I am writing as fast as I can.
Thanks to all the 350 player-friends that
have made JET BOX Baseball a success. Without good
cooperation this venture could not continue into the new
millennium. This is the reason behind JET BOX
Baseball-Friends and a common desire to keep hardball alive.
As we men find love hard to express,
let me be the one to say I love each family as if my blood
relative and I am a lucky man.
