Bluebirds get 600th win

Bits and pieces from the local sports scene:

Burbank Bluebirds rally to win 600th game

In existence for 21 years, the Burbank Bluebirds Senior Men’s

Softball team is one of the oldest squads of its kind in the nation.

Looking at the way the Bluebirds have handled their opponents for

more than two decades, the team is also probably one of the

winningest franchises in the U.S.

On June 15, the Burbank team of players 50 years and older

recorded its 600th career win.

The victory was a 15-14 result in a Burbank Park, Recreation and

Community Services Department league game.

The Bluebirds had to rally for four runs in the bottom of the

seventh inning to pull out the come-from-behind win. Ray Garcia was

the Bluebirds’ winning pitcher.

Coincidently, Garcia was also the pitcher of record of record on

June 3, 2000, when the Bluebirds notched their 500th win.

As of Friday, the Bluebirds had a 21-year record of 602-276, a

.685 winning percentage.

Throughout their tenure, the Bluebirds have won 17 Park and Rec league championships.

Sanchez becoming fan favorite in Boston

Former Burbank High baseball player Freddy Sanchez is catching on

and becoming a fan favorite of the Boston Red Sox faithful in a city

known for die-hard sports followers.

On Saturday, fans came out for an autograph session featuring

Sanchez at Fenway Sportsworld, a memorabilia and card shop in Boston.

Shop owner Frank Russo said he was pleasantly surprised with the

fan response to Sanchez’s appearance.

“Freddy Sanchez’s name is really catching on and he is becoming

popular here in Boston,” Russo said.

“We had a lot of phone calls about his appearance and we had a

pretty good turnout.”

A rookie infielder for the Red Sox, Russo said he has an idea why

Sanchez is becoming so popular.

“Fans in Boston like a player who works hard, and Freddy is the

kind of player who is a very hard worker,” he said. “That’s why they

like him.”

Sanchez, 25 -- who also played at Glendale Community College --

was called up to the Red Sox team on May 30 from triple-A Pawtucket.

He was also called up for a month with the team in September.

“As long as he keeps playing well, I can see his popularity

continuing to grow with the Red Sox fans,” Russo said. “He is a

player we are keeping a close eye on.”

Early woes derail Burroughs, 3-2

The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team was hampered by a bad first

half on June 25, as the Indians fell to Valencia, 3-2, in a High

School Boys’ Summer League match.

The Indians (1-1) spotted the Vikings two goals in the first half.

However in the second half, Burroughs got on the board when a

throw-in by Kyle Hall was headed to the back post by Chris Leiva, who

made a pass to Sang Lee, who scored the goal.

Valencia scored the next goal to take a 3-1 lead.

Burroughs scored its second goal in the 60th minute, as Marco

Gomez passed the ball into the penalty area to Raul Medina, who

blasted it for a score.

The Indians had their share of chances to score more in the second

half, but they couldn’t convert.

Burroughs is the defending summer league champion, winning the

title in 2002.

Jeff Tully