Sports Shorts

Freehold’s Cat Manzi had a day to remember on Thursday when he drove six winners on Freehold Raceway’s 11-race card. The Harness Hall of Famer began his day winning both ends of the daily with Reynolds Hall and Three Good Fellows. He continued his big day, taking Star Of Stoney A, The Rau Man N, Velvet Legacy and Nilmot Martin to the winner’s circle.

Manzi has won 16 driving titles at Freehold and is well on his way to No. 17. He currently has a comfortable lead in the driver’s standings.

The Manalapan High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is seeking candidates for the class of 2005. Nomination forms can be attained by contacting Scott Piptzin, supervisor of Extracurricular Activities at Manalapan at (732) 792-7200, ext. 8340. Deadline for receiving nominations in April 5.

The Howell Hurricanes, an established 12U travel baseball team, is looking for players for the upcoming season. The Hurricanes have been selected to play in Cooperstown, N.Y., home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, this summer. Pitchers are preferred. Call (908) 230-5207, for additional information.

A Monmouth County Boys U13 travel baseball team seeks players, preferably pitchers and catchers, for the 2005 season. The team will play in competitive leagues and tournaments during the year. Interested players should call (732) 863-1313 for additional information.

The Manalapan Thunder, an established 11U travel baseball team, is looking for the players for the spring season. Pitchers are preferred. Players must be 11 years old or under as of Aug. 1, 2005. The Thunder plays on Sundays in the spring and Saturdays in the fall. There is no summer ball. Football players are welcome. For more information, call John at (732) 446-8516.

East Coast Connection, which plays in the Jersey Shore Baseball League, a collegiate wood-bat league, is looking for an experienced manager to coach a team consisting of Division I college players for the months of June and July. Interested managers should call (973) 445-3703. References are required.

The Manalapan Sting, a 12-year-old boys travel baseball team, is looking for devoted players and parents to join the team. References from past coaches and required for tryouts. The team will be playing Sundays in the Dave Gallagher Baseball League at Frogbridge, Millstone Township. If interested, call coach Ed Graziano at (732) 625-3996.

The Howell Township Recreation Department will be holding registration for spring lacrosse through Feb. 18 at the Recreation building. The program will run from mid-March until the end of May. Participants must currently be in third through eighth grade. All players must provide their own equipment. Registration fee is $55 for Howell residents and $65 for nonresidents. The Recreation building is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Monday to Thursday 6:30-9 p.m. For additional information, call (732) 938-4500, ext. 2501.

Freehold Township Parks and Recreation is holding Open Registration for its In-Line Hockey and Girls Softball Leagues on Friday, 7-9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Feb. 25, 7-9 p.m. and Feb. 26, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Registration will be in the Activity Center at Michael J. Tighe Park

For more information, call the recreation department at (732) 2942190.

Rainbow Blue, one of the top harness racehorses in the country, has been named the New Jersey Standardbred of the Year for 2004. The daughter of Artscape won 20 of her 21 starts in 2004, including 15 consecutive. The filly took a career mark of 1:49.2 and her major victories including the $610,000 Breeders Crown Championship and the $543,543 Fan Hanover. During the season, Rainbow Blue was driven by Ron Pierce, Peter Wrenn and Jim Morand.

The Standardbred of the Year award is presented by the Equine Advisory Board of the state Department of Agriculture upon the recommendation of Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, which registers all New Jersey stallions for breeding.

The Fifth Annual Be the Best Youth Football Camp for players ages 7-14 will be held July 18-22 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) in Old Bridge. For further information, contact Bob DeMarco at (732) 845-3376 or e-mail [email protected].

Coast To Coast Athletics i s assembling a team of America’s top 11-12-year-olds to represent the United States in international baseball competition in Puerto Rico this summer (June 29 to July 5). A team of 14 players will compete in a weeklong series games. For applications, call (740) 373-4455.