John Leptich

Sam Fasano is considered one of the state`s best catchers. The Hoffman Estates senior isn`t a bad first baseman, either. Yet, the Legend of Sam Fasano took on new and...

Faster than you can say ''Billy Ripken,'' a rookie baseball card manufacturer has captured the imagination of collectors and dealers alike. The Upper Deck Co. of Anaheim, Calif., has not...

As it is in many venues, pitching is the name of the game at Oak Forest. The difference here is that Oak Forest has a leg up on competition with...

Addison Trail coach Steve Heuerman, whose team won the summer league championship in 1988, on the difference between summer and spring ball: ''Summer and spring are two completely different seasons....

Once again, a team proved having a good summer season doesn`t mean much come the following spring. Hoffman Estates, runner-up to Addison Trail last summer, started out with a pair...

Waubonsie Valley coach Lin Dailey got an indication of what was to come Saturday when his top pitcher, Mike Fagerson, struck out four Burlington Central batters in the first inning...

Autograph collecting used to be so simple. In bygone days, players never thought of charging for a signature. Check that. In 1965, Cincinnati Reds utility infielder Chico Ruiz heard a...

As baseball bats go, it has been talked about as much as Babe Ruth`s famed 54-ounce weapon, the bottle-shaped club of 1920s star Heinie Groh, George Brett`s pine-tar job and...

Before Tuesday`s Elgin Class AA sectional opener, Rockford Boylan coach Steve Goers kept reminding his Titans just how good Crystal Lake South was. ''Crystal Lake was ranked (No. 16) and...

Providence coach Mike Polz dedicated his team`s Class AA dual team title at Leyden to Celtic standout Mike Stonitsch. Stonitsch, who suffered a broken foot earlier this month, dressed Saturday...