Cliffside needed pitching. Roncesvalles needed extra hitting and a winning attitude.

Hence we come to the first trade in TBL history. Marcus Belardi is now at the Height of his game and Ashley Allinson Rockets over to Ronci.

 

There are some neat side stories to this trade. Ashley gets to re-unite with Joe Callaghan whom he hoisted the Burby cup with twice back in 2010,2011. Belardi has international history with Cliffside manager Gino Collura. They both play on the World Cup Mediterranean team.

During his 2 year tenure with the Rockets, Belardi had decent stats. In 16 games he logged 50 innings with 1.60 Whip and 4.20 E.R.A.

Also during a 2 year stint with Cliffside, Allinson had some big hits. In 20 games he hit .268 with 33 hits and 18 Rbi's. The Rockets are hoping he reaches closer to his 2010 form when he led the West End 22's to the first ever Burby Cup.

 

Heights Manager Gino Collura gave his comments on this historic deal....."The last two seasons were a pleasure having Ashley on the team. We had a lot of exciting times via close games, big hits and great grabs. It was always a blast playing along side with him and hanging out each game.

Ash brought good insight and key attributes to the team with his prior championship seasons which we'll look to retain following his departure. I wish him all the best with his new team and look forward to the challenge of playing against him next summer.

Bringing Marcus onto the team is gonna be key because he can give us a handful of innings on the mound each game. It's an area where we were lacking depth and it was a tough time stringing wins together without quality pitching.

I played along side Marcus in the World Cup tournament last season.

We ended up falling short in the championship game but there was a good dynamic there.

I'm looking forward to having him as a new teammate."

Owner of the Rockets Greg Majster is excited to add another Burby Veteran. "The thing about history is: it’s always being made. The Roncesvalles Rockets and myself are very excited about being part of Burby history and finalizing the first ever trade in the TBL. It took some serious consideration to trade Marcus since he has been such big part of the team the last couple of years, also good arms are at a premium, and he certainly has one of the best in the game. Besides that, we really like the guy. However reuniting the original TBL Dynasty of Ashley and Joe was a no brainer for the Rockets considering our prospects, and perhaps what we needed most: clutch hitting and better strategy in the Rockets field operation. We’re very excited to have Ashley with us going forward and believe we are now more competitive.

 

The Rockets have also made another move in the hopes of having better strategy and have named Joe Callaghan Manager of the Roncesvalles Rockets. This is in addition to the head scout and personnel manager which he has actively been his role. Hopefully this takes some of the pressure and distraction off myself and helps me contribute better on the field as well. The big deal was crafted by Joe with regards to all parties involved and hopefully proves to be just the thing the Rockets needed to get their hands on the Burby Cup."

 

Both managers are making this deal purely on potential. Neither player has recent Gaudey numbers but a change of scenery could make a big difference for either player. 2017 means a new optimism for 2 teams Trying to find an identity.

 

Adrian Golombek