Manchester’s First-Time Champions

Random notes and thoughts on the final Monday of July.

Toms River East American had their championship round game in the State Little League Tournament postponed by rain in Wallington last night and they will take on East Greenwich tonight at 7pm.

Manager Denny Munson’s group of 12-year olds would have to win tonight and then beat East Greenwich again Tuesday night to capture the State title and advance to the Mid Atlantic Regional.   The kids from Windsor Avenue lost to East Greenwich 14-4 Friday night to fall into the loser’s bracket but a win over Nutley East Saturday moved them into the championship round.

Meanwhile the Manchester Little League has their first-ever state champions after their Junior League team walloped West Deptford 11-4 last night in Tinton Falls in the championship final.  Family and fans won’t have to travel far to follow the 13 and 14 year olds because for the ninth straight year the Freehold Township Little League will host the Eastern Regional Tournament for teams from Maine to Maryland.

Manchester will face the Maine state champs in the tournament’s first game on Saturday morning at 10am.   The regional winner will head to the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan next month.

I paid my first visit to the recently opened Papa Grande Grille in Ortley Beach over the weekend, a restaurant whose slogan is “where Mexican meets the Jersey Shore.”   Toms River South and Rutgers University graduate Bruce Jones, with the help of his father Bruce decided to take a stab at the restaurant business and they might have hit a home run.

Everything we had was very good, loved the chips and check out the “Jersey style” where you get your food served in what looks like a cone.Very tasty and very different.   The Jones Boys’ are doing a nice takeout business, even delivering to the beach in Ortley and they are planning to open a second location near the Rutgers campus in the fall.

Klee’s Bar & Grill in Seaside Heights will hold their 22^nd annual golf outing for Ocean of Love on October 2^nd at Gambler Ridge Golf Course.  This year’s event will be limited to 144 golfers with one afternoon shotgun start so those interested in playing or sponsoring the outing should contact Klee’s ASAP.