2024 Fishtown Bulls Capture First Title in Greater Philadelphia MABL Classic Division
Greater Philadelphia MABL, Classic Division
Fishtown Bulls 8, Kekambas 6
Submitted by Rob Falcone, Bulls manager
Just four years after their founding, the Fishtown Bulls have captured their first Greater Philadelphia MABL championship! The inaugural Bulls squad of 2021 featured a group of guys who mostly had not picked up a baseball in over 10 years.
What brought them out of retirement ranged from a lucky Facebook post (no comment on the responses received to the Craigslist ad), wives encouraging (demanding) guys find a hobby during the pandemic lockdown, and a morbid curiosity of whether or not one can still play baseball after the age of 22….or 40.
In the ensuing seasons, a few key additions were recruited (badgered) by Bulls bragging about the thrill of reliving the glory days of pulling on a uniform, playing on great fields, and sipping lukewarm beer with the boys on a Sunday night.
After losing a heartbreaker in the 2023 championship, the 2024 Bulls got off to a strong start and never looked back. They led the league in runs allowed with just over four per game, a figure that dropped to just over two runs per game in the playoffs.
In the playoffs, pitching and defense continued to be the Bulls calling card, with 52-year-old ace Damian “Doc” Andrisani pitching to a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings.
This post would be way too long if each guy was recognized for something large or small they contributed to the championship run, but believe it when we say that EVERY Bull contributed something … to the offense, to the defense, to the culture, and to our cheering section.
Ah yes, the cheering section. There are newborns in Bulls onesies. Bull’s shirts can now be seen in various households across the Philly area, including some of the most well-known watering holes in Fishtown and Northern Liberties.
And really, that’s the real win here. Multiple generations of families coming together, with baseball as the unifying thread. Guys who never met, wives who never met, now hanging out together as friends.
Perhaps nothing sums it up better than this quote from Bulls infielder Erin O’Donnell:
“I just can’t get over the fact that I have literally been inside burning buildings, been momentarily trapped inside a burning building and rescued a woman from a house on fire. And I was not even one bit as nervous during those times as I was those last two innings last night. This team has become family and I love every second of it.”