2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Newport scored first in the top of the second inning. Gulls first baseman Troy Scott (Washington) led off the inning with a single. After reaching a 2–2 count on Newport shortstop Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech), Bay Sox starter Will Jolin suffered an arm injury and was removed from the game in favor of Connor Little (Hawaii). Little got Smalling to fly out to center, but surrendered a two-run home run to the next batter, Mike Melillo (Elon), making the score 2–0 Newport.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
New Bedford answered in the top of the third. With runners on first and third, Jeff Macchi (UMASS-Dartmouth) singled in two runs to tie the score at 2–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
The game remained scoreless until the Bay Sox fifth. After first baseman Brandon Garcia (USC) singled with two outs, Pierce Rankin (Washington) hit a two-run home run to give New Bedford a 4–2 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
In the bottom of the fifth, Newport's Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) singled with two outs to bring up designated hitter Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt). Westlake proceeded to hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 4–4.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
The game remained tied until the New Bedford seventh. Jeff Macchi led off the frame with a single. With one out, Brandon Garcia hit a two-run home run to give the Bay Sox a 6–4 late-inning lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Trailing 6–4 entering the bottom of the eighth, Newport struck for eight runs in the frame off Bay Sox pitchers Chris Finneran (Yale) and Kaleb Merck (TCU). RBI singles by Mike Melillo and Sean Paino (Le Moyne) and a 2-RBI base hit by Brandon Garcia scored the first four runs. Then, with one out and the bases loaded, Joey Bergman hit a grand slam to make the score 12–6 in favor of the Gulls.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Newport brought on reliever Matt Branham (SC Upstate) for the ninth. Although New Bedford scored once on a Mike Famiglietti RBI single (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Branham struck out Matt Beaulieu (St. Michael's) to end the game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Newport reliever Geoff Brown (Washington) received the win, while New Bedford's Chris Finneran took the loss. Newport's top hitters were Sean Paino (3–5, R, RBI), Joey Bergman (3–5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI), and Mike Melillo (2–3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI). Top hitters for New Bedford were Jeff Macchi (4–5, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Brandon Garcia (2–5, 2 R, 2 RBI), and Pierce Rankin (1–4, BB, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI). The game was attended by 1,472 at Cardines Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Game SummaryAugust 3, 2009- Entering Game 2 of this East Division Semifinal Series, the Newport Gulls held a 1–0 series lead over the New Bedford Bay Sox after a 12–7 win in Game 1. Game 2 was played at Paul Walsh Field in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A win for the Gulls would advance them to the East Division Finals to face either the Sanford Mainers or the North Shore Navigators. A Bay Sox win would extend the series to a decisive Game 3 played in Newport. The pitching matchup featured James Lott (Suffolk CC) for New Bedford against Will Roberts (Virginia) for the Gulls.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Newport scored first in the top of the first inning. David Bentrott (Washington) and Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) each reached on singles. Aaron Westlake then doubled to the left center field gap, scoring both runners to give Newport a 2–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
After the top of the first, both starters settled down and dominated the opposing lineups. Between the bottom of the first and the bottom of the seventh, Lott and Roberts combined to allow only three hits. Newport took a 2–0 lead into the top of the eighth, when a Sean Paino (Le Moyne) double and a Joey Bergman single gave Newport runners on first and third with one out. However, Lott induced a 4-6-3 double play by Aaron Westlake to end the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
New Bedford threatened with a rally of their own in the bottom of the eighth. After a two-base error on Newport right fielder Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech) allowed Brandon Garcia (USC) to reach second, Pierce Rankin (Washington) was hit by a pitch. Tom Conley (UMass) then sacrifice bunted to move the runners to second and third. However, Roberts got Daniel Haugh (Wheaton) to pop out and then struck out Rick Wilson (Dixie State) to end the inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Back-to-back doubles by Mike Kaminski and Mike Melillo (Elon) plated one run in the top of the ninth, extending Newport's lead to 3–0. An RBI single by Troy Scott (Washington) gave Newport a 4–0 lead. Will Roberts then pitched a scoreless ninth, earning a complete game shut out. Newport's 4–0 win gave them a berth into the East Division Final round.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
Will Roberts pitched a complete game shut out, striking out four, to get the win. James Lott, who pitched 8.1 innings and gave up four runs, took the loss. Top hitters for Newport were Joey Bergman (2–3, R), Aaron Westlake (1–4, 2B, 2 RBI), and Mike Kaminski (3–4, 2B, R). The game was attended by 1,111 fans.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Newport vs. New Bedford
A total of 2,583 fans attended the two games of the series, for an average of 1,292 fans per game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Game SummaryAugust 2, 2009- This East Division Semifinal Series featured the #2 seeded Sanford Mainers against the #3 seeded North Shore Navigators in a best-of-three playoff. Game 1 was hosted by Sanford at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine. Inclement weather forced the game to be completed at Fraser Field in Lynn, Massachusetts, home field of the Navigators. The starting pitching matchup featured Sanford's Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) versus North Shore's Jeff Tardiff (Le Moyne).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
After a scoreless first inning, North Shore scored first in the top of the second inning. After the first two hitters were retired, Michael Dowd (Franklin Pierce) and Jim Schult (Eastern Connecticut) each singled to give the Navigators runners on first and second. Ben Waldrip (Saint Anselm) then doubled, scoring both runners to give North Shore an early 2–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford answered in the bottom of the second, when an error by North Shore catcher Michael Dowd allowed Dylan Pratt (Vanderbilt) to score. Pratt had singled to lead off the inning. This cut the Navigator lead to 2–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The game remained 2–1 until the middle of the fifth. At this time, the game was called off due to heavy rain. The game was resumed on August 3 in Lynn, Massachusetts, as the first game of a doubleheader.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The game restarted in the Sanford fifth inning. After North Shore got two quick outs, the Mainers scored four times. A Mark Micowski (Vermont) triple scored Chris Spatkowski (Pace), who had been hit by a pitch. Micowski then scored on an error by Navigator shortstop Patrick Brady (Bellarmine). A two-RBI Dylan Pratt double made the score 5–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
North Shore responded quickly in the top of the sixth on a two-RBI triple by Michael LeBel (Rhode Island). Josh Band (Rollins) and Nathaniel Dennis (Long Beach State) scored on the hit to make the score 5–4.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The game remained scoreless into the Navigator eighth. Josh Band singled with two outs and stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position. However, Sanford reliever Lucas Nellis (Le Moyne) got Nathaniel Dennis to line out to center field, ending the inning. Sanford closer Tyler Mizenko (Winthrop) retired the Navigators in the ninth to give the Mainers a 5–4 victory.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford reliever Kyle Davis (UMass Lowell) received the win while North Shore starter Jeff Tardiff took the loss. Sanford's Tyler Mizenko was credited with the save. Top hitters for Sanford were Mark Micowski (1–4, 3B, R, RBI) and Dylan Pratt (2–4, 2B, R, 2 RBI). Top hitters for North Shore were Michael LeBel (2–5, 3B, 2 RBI) and Ben Waldrip (2–4, 2B, RBI). The game was attended by 568 in Sanford and 30 in Lynn.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Game SummaryAugust 3, 2009- Entering Game 2 of this East Division Semifinal Series, the Sanford Mainers held a 1–0 series lead after a 5–4 victory over the North Shore Navigators in Game 1. Game 2 was played as the second game of a doubleheader at Fraser Field in Lynn, Massachusetts. The Mainers could advance to the East Division Finals with a win, to face either the Newport Gulls or the New Bedford Bay Sox. The starting pitching matchup featured North Shore's Rob Markovitz (Long Beach State) versus Sanford's Kenny Monteith (Winthrop).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
After Jason Markovitz threw a perfect top of the first, North Shore scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Three singles by Nathaniel Dennis (Long Beach State), Michael LeBel (Rhode Island), and Patrick Brady (Bellarmine) loaded the bases with no outs. Cleanup hitter Ben Waldrip (Saint Anselm) then hit a sacrifice fly to score Dennis, giving the Navigators a 1–0 lead. Kent Graham (Trinity) then hit a two-RBI double to give North Shore a 3–0 advantage.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The game remained scoreless until the Sanford fifth, when Mark Micowski (Vermont) hit a solo home run, cutting the North Shore lead to 3–1. Corey Thompson (East Carolina) then hit an RBI single to score Mike Roth (South Carolina), driving Navigator starter Jason Markovitz from the game. Jim Schult (Eastern Connecticut) replaced Markovitz and struck out Tucker Nathans (Fairfield) to end the inning with North Shore leading 3–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The Navigator bullpen held Sanford to no runs on only two hits for the remainder of the game. Schult, Matt Lewis (UC Davis), and Garret Smith (Boston College) combined to throw scoreless sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Navigator closer Chris Kowalski (Boston College) came on for the ninth and retired the side in order to earn the save and give North Shore a 3–2 win.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
North Shore's John Schult was credited with the win while Sanford starter Kenny Monteith was given the loss. Chris Kowalski earned his first postseason save. The win tied the series at 1–1. Top hitters for North Shore were Michael LeBel (2–3, BB, R) and Patrick Brady (2–4, R, SB). Top hitters for Sanford were Mark Micowski (1–5, HR, RBI) and Matt Marra (Le Moyne) (1–5, 2B). The game was attended by 725 at Fraser Field in Lynn, Massachusetts.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Game SummaryAugust 4, 2009- Entering Game 3 of this East Division Semifinal, the series was tied at 1–1 between the Sanford Mainers and North Shore Navigators. Game 3, deciding which team would advance to play the Newport Gulls in the Division Finals, was played at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine. The starting pitchers were Colin Snow (Georgia Southern) for Sanford and Mike Gallo (Milligan) for North Shore.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford scored first in the bottom of the first. Center fielder Mark Micowski (Vermont) led off the inning with a double. He was later driven in on an RBI single by Michael Roth (South Carolina), making the score 1–0 Mainers.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford scored again in the bottom of the second. Adam DuVall (Louisville) scored on an error by Navigator catcher Michael Dowd (Franklin Pierce). The Mainers got another run on a Matt Marra (LeMoyne) infield single, which scored Doug Elliot (UConn) to push the Sanford lead to 3–0.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The game remained scoreless into the top of the fifth, when North Shore got on the board. Nathaniel Dennis (Long Beach State) doubled with one out and advanced to third on a Michael LeBel (Rhode Island) single. Kent Graham (Trinity) then doubled to left, scoring Dennis to make the score 3–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford answered in the bottom of the inning. Corey Thompson (East Carolina) singled and was driven in by an Adam DuVall single, extending Sanford's lead to 4–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
North Shore scored again on a solo home run by Michael Dowd in the top of the sixth off of reliever Tom McDermott (LeMoyne). This cut the Mainer lead to 4–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
McDermott and Neil Holland (Louisville) held the Navigators scoreless through the eighth, and Sanford got an insurance run in the bottom of the inning. Mark Micowski doubled with two outs and was driven in on a Mike Roth single, extending Sanford's lead to 5–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Mainers closer Tyler Mizenko (Winthrop) came in for the ninth. After quickly retiring the first two batters, Mizenko walked Michael LeBel, then gave up a triple to Kent Graham, making the game 5–3. However, Mizenko retired Ben Waldrip (Saint Anselm) to end the game in a 5–3 Mainers victory.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
Sanford reliever Kyle Davis (UMass Lowell) was credited with the win, while Navigator starter Mike Gallo was saddled with the loss. Tyler Mizenko earned his second save of the series. Sanford's top hitters were Mark Micowski (3–5, 2B, 2 R), Matt Marra (2–3, BB, SB, RBI), and Mike Roth (2–4, BB, 2 RBI). North Shore's top hitters were Michael LeBel (2–3, 2 BB, R), Kent Graham (3–4, BB, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI), and Michael Dowd (2–4, HR, RBI). Sanford advanced to face Newport in the East Division Finals. The game was attended by 568 at Goodall Park.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Semifinals, East Division, Sanford vs. North Shore
The series was attended by a total of 1,730 fans, for an average of 577 per game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals
The Division Finals, the second playoff round, consisted of matchups between the winners of each division's semifinal rounds.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division
In the West Division, the Division Final matchup was between #3 Vermont and #4 Holyoke.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Game SummaryAugust 5, 2009- The West Division Final featured the #3 seeded Vermont Mountaineers (defeated North Adams 2–0 in first round) and the #4 seeded Holyoke Blue Sox (defeated Keene 2–1 in first round). The winner of the best-of-three Division Final would advance to the NECBL Championship Series. Game 1 was played at Montpelier Recreation Field, home field of the Mountaineers. The starting pitching matchup featured Vermont's Alex Kaminsky (Wright State) and Holyoke's Taylor Wood (Cornell).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
The scoring started in the Vermont first inning. The Mountaineer leadoff hitter, Kevin Nieto (Manhattan) struck out but reached first on a passed ball. Nieto advanced to third on a foul out and a wild pitch. Henry Dunn (Binghamton) then scored Nieto on a groundout, giving Vermont an early 2–1 edge.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
The Mountaineers scored again in the bottom of the second. After Blue Sox starter Taylor Wood retired the first two batters, Jantzen Witte (TCU) singled to center. Kevin Nieto then launched a two-run home run to right center field, extending Vermont's lead to 3–0.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
The Blue Sox got on the board in the fourth inning. Sean Emory's (Stetson) two-out double scored Mike Nemeth (UConn) to cut the Mountaineer lead to 3–1. Holyoke then had runners on second and third, but Michael Beltran (Utah) flied out to right field to end the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Holyoke threatened again in the top of the fifth. Cooper Blanc (Utah) reached on an error to begin the inning, then stole second to advance into scoring position. However, Holyoke's three and four hitters, Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) and Murray Watts (Arkansas State) could not drive Blanc in, and the Vermont lead held at 3–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Vermont extended their advantage in the bottom of the sixth. Holyoke starter Taylor Wood was removed from the game after walking two batters. Matt Compton (Burlington CC) was brought on in relief. Compton then surrendered a three-run home run to Steven Felix (Troy), giving Vermont a 6–1 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
The Mountaineers added another run in the bottom of the seventh on a Nick Martinez (Fordham) double. It scored Clay Jones (Alabama), who had reached on an error to begin the inning, to make the score 7–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Holyoke threatened to cut into the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Vermont reliever Austin Evans (Alabama) walked the batters to load the bases with one out. Colin Duffie (Milligan) was brought in relief and retired Stephen Arcure (William & Mary) and Sean Emory to end the threat. Duffie stayed in the game for the ninth inning and retired Holyoke in order to give Vermont a 7–1 win and a 1–0 series lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Vermont's Alex Kaminsky got the win while Holyoke's Taylor Wood suffered the loss. Top hitters for Vermont were Kevin Nieto (1–5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Steven Felix (1–4, BB, 2 SB, HR), Clay Jones (2–4, 2B, R), and Nick Martinez (2–3, 2B, RBI). Holyoke's top hitter was Sean Emory (1–4, 2B, RBI). The game was attended by 1,609 at Montpelier Recreation Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Game SummaryAugust 5, 2009- Entering Game 2 of the West Division Finals, between the Vermont Mountaineers and the Holyoke Blue Sox, Vermont held a 1–0 series lead. With a win, Vermont would advance to the NECBL Championship Series to face the East Division Champion. The matchup of starting pitchers featured Holyoke's Doug Jennings (UConn) against Vermont's Justin Jackson (Sam Houston State).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Vermont got on the board quickly, scoring in the top of the first. After two quick outs, Mountaineers three-hitter Henry Dunn (Binghamton) was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second when Clay Jones (Alabama) was also hit by a pitch. Left fielder Steven Rosado (Troy) then drove Dunn in with a single to right center field, making the score 1–0 Vermont.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Both starters then settled into the game, with the teams combining for only two hits until the top of the fourth. A pair of singles by Clay Jones and Steven Rosado gave the Mountaineers a pair of baserunners with no outs. An error by Holyoke first baseman Mike Nemeth (UConn) allowed Tadd Bower (William & Mary) to reach, loading the bases. Nick Martinez (Fordham) then doubled to score two runs, extending the Vermont advantage to 3–0. Jantzen Witte (TCU) then hit a sacrifice fly to score Bower, making the game 4–0.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Holyoke answered in the bottom of the inning. Murray Watts (Arkansas State) hit a leadoff double and later advanced to third on a Rob Lawler (Buffalo) single. Stephen Arcure (William & Mary) then scored Watts with an RBI single, cutting Vermont's advantage to 4–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
In the Vermont fifth, designated hitter Steven Felix (Troy) singled to begin the inning. He advanced to third by a passed ball and sacrifice fly and eventually scored on a wild pitch. This drove Blue Sox starter Doug Jennings from the game, in favor of reliever Jonathan Stephens (Samford). Stephens retired a pair of Mountaineers to end the inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Vermont starter Justin Jackson pitched 7.0 innings on the night, allowing only 1 earned run on 5 hits. He walked 2 while striking out 8. He was pulled from the game at the start of the eighth inning and replaced by Colin Duffie (Milligan). Duffie surrendered a leadoff double to Blue Sox third baseman Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) and then gave up at two-run home run to Murray Watts, making the score 5–3 Mountaineers.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
After Duffie retired the Blue Sox to end the eighth, Vermont brought in Kevin Vance (UConn) to close the game. Although he gave up a two-out walk to Cooper Blanc (Utah), Vance retired Jim Wood the end the game, giving Vermont a berth into the NECBL Championship Series.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
Vermont's Justin Jackson received the win while Holyoke's Doug Jennings took the loss. Kevin Vance was credited with his first playoff save. Top hitters for Vermont were Steven Rosado (3–4, R, RBI) and Nick Martinez (2–4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI). Holyoke's top hitters were Murray Watts (2–4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Stephen Arcure (2–4, RBI). The game was attended by 1,621 at Mackenzie Stadium.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, West Division, Vermont vs. Holyoke
The game was attended by a total of 2,230 fans, for an average of 1,615 per game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division
In the East Division, the Division Final matchup was between #1 Newport and #2 Sanford.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Game SummaryAugust 5, 2009- The East Division Final Series featured the #1 seeded Newport Gulls (defeated New Bedford 2–0 in first round) and #2 seeded Sanford Mainers (defeated North Shore 2–1 in first round). The winner of the best-of-three series would advance to the NECBL Championship Series. Game 1 was played at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island. The starting pitching matchup featured Brad Mincey (East Carolina) for Newport and Chad O'Connor (Virginia) for Sanford.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford threatened first in the game in the top of the first inning. With one out, Chris Spatkowski (Pace) reached on an error by Newport third baseman Joey Bergman (College of Charleston). Spatkowski then stole second with two outs. However, Brad Mincey got Mike Roth (South Carolina) to ground out to end the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport was the first team to score, striking in the bottom of the first. After Chad O'Connor recorded two quick outs, Joey Bergman doubled. Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) then drove in Bergman with a single, giving Newport an early 1–0 advantage.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport threatened again in the bottom of the second. Chad O'Connor again retired the first two batters then allowed a baserunner on a Greg Garcia (Hawaii) walk. Garcia then went first-to-third on a TJ Mittelstaedt (Long Beach State) single. However, O'Connor ended the threat, getting Sean Paino (Le Moyne) to ground out to shortstop.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford broke out for three runs off of Brad Mincey in the top of the fourth inning. Chris Spatkowski singled and advanced to second on a Joey Bergman error. He was then sacrificed to third base by Corey Thompson (East Carolina) and scored on a Mike Roth RBI groundout. A pair of singles by Matt Marra (Le Moyne) and Tucker Nathans (Fairfield) gave the Mainers a pair of baserunners. Both runners scored on a Troy Scott (Washington) error, the third Newport error of the game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport got one run back in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Troy Scott hit a ball to left field. Although Joey Bergman was thrown out attempting to advance from second to third, Sean Paino scored from third to make the game 3–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
The game remained quiet until the Newport seventh. An Aaron Westlake doubled advanced Joey Bergman to third and gave the Gulls two runners in scoring position. Sanford then intentionally walked Troy Scott to load the bases with one out. Newport pinch hit Derek Jones (Washington State) for Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech). Chad O'Connor was able to strike out Jones, then got Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) to fly out to right field to escape the jam without surrendering a run.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford extended their lead in the top of the eighth. Geoff Nichols (Oregon) came on in relief of Brad Mincey (7.0 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 H, BB, 5 K). Corey Thompson doubled with one out and was later singled in by Matt Marra, giving Sanford a 4–2 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
In the bottom of the eighth, Eric Carmichael (West Chester) entered the game in relief of Chad O'Connor (7.0 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 6 BB, 6 K). Mike Melillo singled and reached second on a Kyle Groth (Cornell) error. Pinch hitter David Bentrott walked (Washington) and Groth and Bentrott were sacrificed to second and third by TJ Mittelstaedt. Neil Holland (Louisville) then entered the game in relief of Carmichael. Holland gave up an RBI groundout to Mike Melillo (Elon). This cut Sanford's lead to 4–3. Holland was able to retire Joey Bergman with the tying run on third, getting him to ground out to second.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford brought in Will Clinard (Vanderbilt) for the ninth inning. Following a leadoff walk to Aaron Westlake, Clinard retired the Gulls in order to give Sanford a 4–3 victory and a 1–0 series lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford starter Chad O'Connor was credited with the win, while Newport's Brad Mincey took the loss. Will Clinard earned his first playoff save. Top hitters for Sanford were Chris Spatkowski (2–5, SB, R), Corey Thompson (1–4, 2B, R), and Matt Marra (3–4, SB, R, RBI). Newport's top hitters were Joey Bergman (1–3, SB, 2B, R), Aaron Westlake (2–3, 2 BB, 2B, RBI), and Mike Melillo (2–4, 2B, R). The Gulls left 13 runners on base in the loss. The game was attended by 2,489 at Cardines Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Game SummaryAugust 6, 2009- Entering Game 2 of the East Division Finals, between #1 Newport and #2 Sanford, the Sanford Mainers held a 1–0 series lead by virtue of their 4–3 road win in Game 1. With a win, Sanford would advance to the NECBL Championship Series. The game, played at Goodall Park in Sanford, featured a starting pitching matchup of Sanford's Dustin Ramey (UMass Lowell) and Newport's Stephen Peterson (Rhode Island).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport's offense exploded for five runs in the top of the first inning. TJ Mittelstaedt (Long Beach State) and Sean Paino (Le Moyne) both reached to begin the inning. Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) scored Mittelstaedt to make the score 1–0. Cleanup hitter Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) then doubled to right, scoring Paino to make the score 2–0. Troy Scott (Washington) then grounded out to second, scoring Joey Bergman. Aaron Westlake was driven in on an RBI triple by Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech), giving Newport a 4–0 lead. Mike Melillo (Elon) scored Kaminski with a sacrifice fly, ending the scoring in a 5–0 Newport advantage.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford responded in the bottom half of the first. After Chris Spatkowski (Pace) reached on a Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) error, Matt Marra (Le Moyne) tripled to left, cutting Newport's advantage to 5–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
The game remained quiet until the Newport fourth. After a Mike Mellilo walk and Greg Garcia's (Hawaii) reaching on an error, Newport had two runners on with one out. TJ Mittelstaedt then singled to right to score Melillo, making the score 6–1. An RBI groundout by Sean Paino scored Garcia and Mittelstaedt scored on a Mike Roth (South Carolina) error, giving the Gulls an 8–1 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport threatened in the top of the seventh. Sanford replaced starter Dustin Ramey with Eric Carmichael (West Chester). Aaron Westlake doubled to lead off the frame and Troy Scott walked to give the Gulls two baserunners with no outs. However, Carmichael retired three Newport hitters in order to neutralize the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford got a run back in the bottom of the eighth when catcher Doug Elliot (UConn) scored on a Tim Smalling error, reducing Newport's lead to 8–2.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford's 8-9-1 hitters were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to give Newport an 8–2 victory, which tied the series at 1–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Geoff Brown (Washington) of Newport got the win, his second of the playoffs, while Dustin Ramey took the loss for Sanford. Newport's top hitters were TJ Mittelstaedt (1–5, SB, 2 R, RBI), Aaron Westlake (2–4, 2B, R, RBI), Troy Scott (3–4, BB, 3B, RBI), and Mike Kaminski (2–5, 3B, R, RBI). Sanford's top hitter was Matt Marra (1–3, BB, 3B, RBI). The game was attended by 671 at Goodall Park.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Game SummaryAugust 7, 2009- Entering Game 3 of the East Division Finals, the series was tied at 1–1. Sanford had won a tight Game 1 4–3 while Newport took Game 2 by a score of 8–2. Game 3 returned to Cardines Field in Newport, with a berth in the NECBL Championship Series at stake. The starting pitchers were Dean Wolosiansky (Ohio State) for Newport and Kyle Davis (UMass Lowell) for Sanford.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford got on the board quickly in the top of the first inning. Mark Micowski (Vermont) walked to start the game and later scored when Matt Marra (Le Moyne) grounded into a fielder's choice. After this, Sanford managed to load the bases with one out for catcher Bob Stumpo (West Chester). However, Stumpo lined out to Newport shortstop David Bentrott (Washington), who threw to second baseman Greg Garcia (Hawaii) to double off Mike Roth (South Carolina), ending the Sanford rally.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport had a scoring chance in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) was hit by a pitch and Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) walked to give Newport two baserunners. However, Kyle Davis got Troy Scott to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
In the Newport second, Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech) hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1–1. After the home run, however, Newport was retired in order.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Sanford threatened to score in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Kyle Groth (Cornell) doubled. He advanced to third on an Ethan Wilson (Indiana) single. However, Mark Micowski struck out to end the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
The Mainers threatened again in the top of the sixth. Newport starter Dean Wolosiansky loaded the bases with one out and was lifted from the game in favor of reliever Chad Arnold (Washington State). Arnold struck out Mark Micowski and Tucker Nathans (Fairfield) to escape the jam, preserving the 1–1 tie.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport took the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Derek Jones (Washington State), who had pinch hit for Sean Paino (Le Moyne) in the fourth, hit a solo home run to begin the inning. The next batter, Greg Garcia, was hit by a pitch. This drove Sanford starter Kyle Davis from the game. He was replaced by Neil Holland (Louisville). Holland loaded the bases with one out, then struck out cleanup hitter Aaron Westlake to record the second out. However, Holland walked Troy Scott (Washington), which extended the Newport lead to 3–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
The game remained quiet into the top of the ninth, when Newport brought on Matt Branham (SC Upstate) to close out the game. After allowing a leadoff single to Mark Micowski, Branham retired the Mainers in order, giving Newport a 3–1 victory and a 2–1 series win.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
Newport reliever Chad Arnold received the win while Sanford's Kyle Davis took the loss. Matt Branham was credited with a save. Newport's top hitters were Mike Kaminski (1–4, HR, RBI) and Derek Jones (1–3, HR, RBI). Sanford's top hitters were Matt Marra (1–5, 2B, RBI) and Kyle Groth (3–4, 2B). Sanford had 11 hits on the night but could only score one run. Newport moved on to face the Vermont Mountaineers, champions of the West Division, in the NECBL Championship Series. The game was attended by 2,570 at Cardines Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Division Finals, East Division, Newport vs. Sanford
The series was attended by a total of 5,730 fans, for an average of 1,910 per game.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series
The Championship Series, the final playoff round, consisted of a matchup between #3 Vermont (West Division champion) and #1 Newport (East Division champion).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Game SummaryAugust 8, 2009- The NECBL Championship Series featured the #1 seeded Newport Gulls, representing the East Division, (defeated New Bedford, Sanford) and the #3 seeded Vermont Mountaineers, representing the West Division (defeated North Adams, Holyoke). Newport was making their seventh Finals appearance in search of the franchise's fourth title. Vermont was making their fourth Finals appearance and competing to win the franchise's third title. Game 1 was played at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island. The pitching matchup featured Newport's Andrew Kittredge (Washington) against Vermont's Rob Kumbatovic (Hofstra).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
The game was scoreless into the bottom of the second. With two outs, Newport catcher Mike Melillo (Elon) singled in Troy Scott (Washington), who had doubled earlier in the frame. This gave the Gulls a 1–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Both teams threatened in the fourth inning. In the top half, Vermont got two baserunners when Henry Dunn (Binghamton) walked and Clay Jones (Alabama) was hit by a pitch. However, Rob Kumbatovic retired two batters to escape the jam. In the bottom of the fourth, Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) doubled to leadoff the inning. Mike Melillo was later hit by a pitch, giving the Gulls a pair of two-out baserunners. However, Derek Jones (Washington State) grounded out to end the inning and the Newport threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Vermont took the lead in the top of the fifth. Nick Martinez (Fordham) singled with one out. Jantzen Witte (TCU) followed Martinezwith a two-run home run, giving Vermont a 2–1 advantage.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Newport quickly answered in the bottom of the fifth. A Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) double and David Bentrott (Washington) single gave the Gulls a pair of baserunners. Smalling then scored on a wild pitch, which also advanced Bentrott to second. Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) singled to score Bentrott and later scored on a Troy Scott RBI single. After another Newport hit, Austin Evans (Alabama) came on in relief of Rob Kumbatovic. Evans got Mike Melillo to strike out, ending the inning. Newport now held a 4–2 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Newport added another run in the sixth. An RBI double by TJ Mittelstaedt (Long Beach State) scored David Bentrott to give the Gulls a 5–2 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Vermont responded in the top of the seventh. Kevin Vance led off the frame with a double, and later scored with two outs on a wild pitch. This cut Newport's edge to 5–3.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Colin Duffie (Milligan) came on in relief for the Mountaineers in the bottom of the seventh. He surrendered back-to-back doubles to by Troy Scott and Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech), which extended Newport's lead to 6–3. Later in the inning, Newport gained a 7–3 lead when Kaminski scored on an error by Vermont shortstop Jantzen Witte.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
In the top of the eighth, Newport starter Andrew Kittredge was replaced by Geoff Nichols (Oregon). Kittredge went 7.0 innings, giving up 3 ER on 6 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 12. Brown allowed only one baserunner in two innings of shutout relief, giving Newport a 7–3 victory and 1–0 series lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 1
Andrew Kittredge was credited with the win, while Vermont's Rob Kumbatovic took the loss. Newport's top hitters were David Bentrott (2–5, SB, 2 R), Troy Scott (3–5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI), and Mike Kaminski (3–5, 2B, R, RBI). Vermont's top hitters were Kevin Vance (UConn) (2–4, 2B, RBI) and Jantzen Witte (2–3, HR, RBI). The game was attended by 2,643 at Cardines Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Game SummaryAugust 9, 2009- Entering Game 2 of the NECBL Championship Series, Newport held a 1–0 series lead over Vermont. With a win, Newport would clinch the NECBL title. Game 2 was played at Montpelier Recreation Field in Montpelier, Vermont. The starting pitching matchup featured Vermont's Brad Altback (Bradley) against Newport's Will Roberts (Virginia).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Newport took an early lead in the top of the second inning. After Newport had been retired in order in the first, cleanup hitter Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) led off the inning with a home run to give Newport a 1–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Vermont threatened to get on the board in the bottom of the second. Clay Jones (Alabama) and Ethan Paquette (Vermont) were both hit by pitches to begin the inning, giving the Mountaineers a pair of baserunners. An error by Gulls shortstop David Bentrott (Washington) on a Jayson Hernandez (Rutgers) ground ball loaded the bases with one out. Nick Martinez (Fordham) then hit a fly ball to center, upon which Jones tagged and attempted to score. However, Newport center fielder TJ Mittelstaedt (Long Beach State) threw out Jones at the plate to preserve the 1–0 Newport lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Vermont rallied again in the bottom of the third. After a pair of groundouts gave Will Roberts two quick outs, Steven Felix (Troy) singled to right field. An error and an infield single then loaded the bases with Mountaineers. However, Ethan Paquette flied out to center to end the frame.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
The Mountaineers threatened yet again in the bottom of the fourth. Kevin Vance (UConn) singled to lead off the inning but was thrown out by Newport left fielder Derek Jones (Washington State) when he tried to get to second. A pair of singles, though, gave the Mountaineers a pair of one-out baserunners who advanced to second and third, respectively, on a groundout. However, Henry Dunn (Binghamton) flied out to end the threat.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
The game remained quiet into the top of the eighth, when reliever Justin Jackson (Sam Houston State) entered the game for Vermont. Jackson walked Greg Garcia (Hawaii), who was bunted to second by David Bentrott. TJ Mittelstaedt then tripled to score Garcia, giving Newport a 2–0 edge. Later in the inning, Aaron Westlake hit a sacrifice fly to score Mittelstaedt and give Newport a 3–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Vermont got on the board in the bottom half of the eighth. After Newport reliever Chad Arnold (Washington State) loaded the bases with one out, the Gulls brought on Geoff Brown (Washington). The first batter he faced, Nick Martinez, reached on a fielder's choice to score Ethan Paquette. Newport then made another pitching change, this time bringing in closer Matt Branham (SC Upstate). Branham relinquished a run on an RBI single by Jantzen Witte (TCU) but then retired Henry Dunn to end the inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Newport was retired in order in the top of the ninth, but still held a 3–2 lead and was three outs away from the NECBL title.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Newport closer Matt Branham came back out for the ninth after ending the eighth inning for the Gulls. Steven Felix doubled to lead off the inning and was pinch run for by Kevin Nieto (Manhattan). Branham then retired Steven Rosado (Troy) and Cody Morehouse (Houston) for two outs in the inning. Branham then surrendered a pair of walks to load the bases with two outs for Jayson Hernandez. Hernandez then walked to score Nieto, tying the game at 3–3. Now with the winning run on second, Nick Martinez came to the plate. Martinez then struck out, but the ball skipped to the backstop, allowing Ethan Paquette to score, giving Vermont a 4–3 walk-off win.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Newport immediately disputed the call, claiming that the ball was foul-tipped. However, the umpiring crew began to run off the field. As words were exchanged between the dugouts, both benches emptied onto the field. As each team's general managers ran onto the field to separate the players, Newport's manager, Mike Coombs, was ejected. His ejection resulted in his suspension for Game 3 the following night.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 2
Vermont's Kevin Vance got the win, while Newport's Matt Branham was credited with the loss. Vermont's top hitters were Steven Felix (2–4, 2B) and Kevin Vance (2–4, BB, SB, R). Newport's top hitters were TJ Mittelstaedt (1–3, BB, 3B, R, RBI) and Aaron Westlake (1–4, HR, 2 RBI). The game was attended by 2,247 at Montpelier Recreation Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Game SummaryAugust 10, 2009- After two games, the NECBL Championship Series was tied at 1–1, forcing a decisive Game 3 between the Newport Gulls and Vermont Mountaineers. Game 3 was played at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island. It was the first deciding game three played in an NECBL Championship Series since 2004, when Sanford defeated Newport. The pitching matchup was between Newport's Brad Mincey (East Carolina) and Vermont's Alex Kaminsky (Wright State).


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport scored first in the bottom of the first inning. David Bentrott (Washington) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and later stole second with two outs. Five-hitter Troy Scott (Washington) then singled Bentrott in to give the Gulls a 1–0 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Vermont quickly answered in the top of the second. Steven Rosado (Troy) walked to lead off the inning. Then, on a ball hit to Newport third baseman Joey Bergman, the Gulls attempted to turn a double play. Bergman's throw did not get Rosado at second, but did retire the hitter Ethan Paquette (Vermont) at first. Rosado was then singled in by Jayson Hernandez (Rutgers), to tie the game at 1–1.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport quickly retook the lead in the top of the seventh. Catcher Mike Melillo (Elon) hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, giving Newport a 2–1 edge. A pair of singles gave Newport runners on first and third with one out, but Alex Kaminsky got TJ Mittelstaedt (Long Beach State) to fly out to right fielder Steven Felix (Troy), who threw out Greg Garcia (Hawaii) at the plate to end the inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Vermont took the lead in the top of the third. Henry Dunn (Binghamton) led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to third base on an error by pitcher Brad Mincey. After Clay Jones (Alabama) was hit by a pitch, Steven Rosado singled in Dunn. An error by shortstop David Bentrott allowed Jones to score and Rosado was driven in on a Jayson Hernandez single. This gave the Mountaineers a 4–2 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Joey Bergman (College of Charleston) and Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) each singled to start the inning, bringing up Troy Scott. Scott then hit a three-run home run to give Newport a 5–4 advantage. Vermont starter Alex Kaminsky struck out Mike Kaminski (Virginia Tech) but then hit Mike Melillo and walked Derek Jones (Washington State). He was pulled from the game and replaced by Andrew Benak (Rice), who got the Mountaineers out of the inning. After the third, Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) replaced Joey Bergman at third base for Newport. Bergman had suffered a hand injury the previous inning.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport extended their lead in the bottom half of the fourth. TJ Mittelstaedt singled to lead off the inning and was driven in on a Tim Smalling RBI triple. Smalling later scored on a Mike Kaminski single to give the Gulls a 7–4 lead.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Vermont answered in the fifth. Clay Jones hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, cutting Newport's lead to 7–5. The following batter, Steven Rosado, singled and eventually stole second. Nick Martinez (Fordham) singled Rosado in with a two out RBI single, making the score 7–6 Gulls.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Tim Smalling got another RBI in the home half of the sixth. The Newport third baseman singled in Greg Garcia, who had walked earlier in the frame, to extend Newport's edge to 8–6.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
The game remained quiet until the Newport seventh, when the Gulls scored four times. After Newport loaded the bases with one out, Troy Scott walked to score David Bentrott. This drove Vermont reliever Andrew Benak from the game in favor of Colin Duffie (Milligan). However, Duffie surrendered a walk to Mike Kaminski, giving Newport another run. Mike Melillo followed with a single to drive in Aaron Westlake. Newport got another run on an RBI groundout by Derek Jones, driving the Gulls' lead to 12–6.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport reliever Geoff Brown pitched four innings of shutout relief, allowing only one hit in four innings after replacing Brad Mincey in the sixth. In the ninth, Brown retired Cody Morehouse (Houston) and Steven Rosado for the first two outs. He then struck out Ethan Paquette to give the Gulls the NECBL Championship.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport starter Brad Mincey got the win, evening his playoff record at 1–1. Alex Kaminsky suffered the loss, while Newport's Geoff Brown was credited with a save. Newport's top hitters were Tim Smalling (3–4, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Troy Scott (2–3, 2 BB, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI), and Mike Melillo (3–4, HR, 2 RBI). Vermont's top hitters in the loss were Clay Jones (1–3, HR, 2 R, RBI), Steven Rosado (2–4, BB, SB, 3 R, RBI), and Jayson Hernandez (2–3, 2 RBI). The game was attended by 3,575 at Cardines Field.


2009 NECBL playoffs, Championship series, Newport vs. Vermont, Game 3
Newport's NECBL title was the franchise's fourth, making them the winningest team in NECBL history. It was the team's first title since 2005. 2009 marked the third straight year the Gulls had participated in the Championship Series. The series was attended by 8,465 fans, for an average of 2,822 per game.


2009 NECBL season
The 2009 NECBL season is the 16th season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. The league's Torrington, Connecticut franchise, the Torrington Twisters, moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts and became the New Bedford Bay Sox. Due to the move, the League realigned into the East and West Divisions with 6 teams each.


2009 NECBL season
In the championship series, the East Division champion Newport Gulls defeated the West Division champion Vermont Mountaineers after each team advanced through the playoffs.


2009 NECBL season, All-star game
The NECBL's 2009 All-Star Game was hosted by the West Division's Holyoke Blue Sox. The event was held at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Massachusetts on July 18, 2009. The West Division won the game 6-5. The game was attended by 4,906, setting a new record for All-Star Game attendance. Holyoke's Jake Rosenbeck was named the game's MVP.


2009 NECBL season, Playoffs
Eight teams qualified for the 2009 NECBL playoffs, which consisted of three rounds of best-of-three series. In the championship series, East Division champion Newport defeated West Division champion Vermont 2-1.


2009 NECBL season, League awards, Top 10 prospects
The following is a list of the NECBL's top 10 professional prospects for the 2009 season, as ranked by Baseball America.


2009 NECBL season, Regular season attendance
The Newport Gulls led the league in attendance for the fourth consecutive season, while the Lowell All-Americans finished last in the league for the fifth straight year. New Bedford, Danbury, and Newport showed the greatest increase in average attendance, while Keene and Vermont showed the greatest decrease.


2009 NECBL season, Regular season attendance
The top 6 teams in attendance also ranked in the top 50 in national collegiate summer league attendance. The Newport Gulls were ranked third, with the Vermont Mountaineers (24th), Keene Swamp Bats (26th), Holyoke Blue Sox (32nd), New Bedford Bay Sox (42nd), and North Adams SteepleCats (45th) also finishing in the top 50.


2009 NECC–ITF Women's Tennis Championships
The 2009 ITF Pune Open  (known as the NECC–ITF Women's Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which is part of the 2009 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Pune, India, on 16–22 November 2009.


2009 NECC–ITF Women's Tennis Championships – Doubles
This was the tournament's first edition. Second seeds Nicole Clerico and Anastasiya Vasylyeva won the title, defeating top seeds Nina Bratchikova and Ksenia Palkina in the final, 4–6, 6–3, [13–11].


2009 NECC–ITF Women's Tennis Championships – Singles
This was the first edition of the tournament. Tamarine Tanasugarn was the top seed, but she lost in the quarterfinals.


2009 NECC–ITF Women's Tennis Championships – Singles
Rika Fujiwara won the title, defeating Bojana Jovanovski in the final, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3.


2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day, starting at 4:00 pm EDT, and five rounds on the second day, starting at 10:00 am EDT.


2009 NFL Draft
To compensate for the time change from the previous year and in an effort to help shorten the draft, teams were no longer on the clock for 15 minutes in the first round and 10 minutes in the second round. Each team now had 10 minutes to make their selection in the first round and seven minutes in the second round. Rounds three through seven were shortened to five minutes per team. This was the first year that the NFL used this format and it was changed again the following year for the 2010 NFL Draft.


2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was televised by both NFL Network and ESPN and was the first to have cheerleaders. The Detroit Lions, who became the first team in NFL history to finish a season at 0–16, used the first selection in the draft to select University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.


2009 NFL Draft
It was the first draft since 1983 that saw two centers being selected in the first round—Alex Mack at No. 21 to the Browns, and Eric Wood at No. 28 to the Bills. It was also the first time since the 1993 draft that a Miami Hurricanes player was not selected in the first round. As of the end of the 2018 season, the 2009 Draft has seen 11 of the 32 first-round selections make the Pro Bowl, and 27 (including three punters) in total for the entire class. It has been referred to as one of the worst drafts in league history. This was the first time that a Mr. Irrelevant went on to win a Super Bowl (Ryan Succop).


2009 NFL Draft, Overview
The following is the breakdown of the 256 players selected by position:


2009 NFL Draft, Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.


2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season.


2009 NFL season
The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10, with the reigning Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in overtime. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium with the New Orleans Saints defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31–17. in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Colts and Saints began the season 14–0 and 13–0 respectively. This was the first time in NFL history two teams won their first thirteen games.


2009 NFL season, Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was held from April 25 to 26, 2009 at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. With the first pick, the Detroit Lions selected quarterback Matthew Stafford from the University of Georgia.


2009 NFL season, Referee change
Bill Carollo resigned to become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference. Don Carey, brother of NFL referee Mike Carey, was promoted from back judge to take Carollo's place.


2009 NFL season, Rule changes
Several rule changes were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in Dana Point, California during the week of March 23.


2009 NFL season, Rule changes
The following rules were passed to improve player safety and reduce injuries:


2009 NFL season, Rule changes
The replay system will now be allowed to cover the following situations:


2009 NFL season, Preseason
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was on August 9, 2009 at 8:00 pm EDT on NBC. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Buffalo Bills 21–18, and both wore "throwback" jerseys celebrating the two franchises' AFL origins. It was the first time since 1970 that the teams have not been from opposing conferences; also, both Bills owner Ralph Wilson, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee, and Titans owner Bud Adams have owned their teams continuously since the AFL's inception in 1960, making them the longest-tenured team owners in the league. Both teams made their first Hall of Fame Game appearance since the 1980s (Buffalo last played in Canton in 1989, Tennessee in 1985 as the former Houston Oilers).


2009 NFL season, Preseason
The rest of the pre-season matchups were announced March 30, 2009. Highlights, among others, included a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals on ESPN.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
The 2009 season began on September 10, 2009. Under the current scheduling system, this is the latest date the NFL can start its season as the season typically starts the weekend after Labor Day, which falls on its latest possible date in 2009.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
For the 2009 season, the intraconference and interconference matchups were:


2009 NFL season, Regular season
The first game of the season was held on Thursday September 10, at 8:30 pm EDT, with the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Tennessee Titans 13–10 in overtime at Heinz Field. The opening weekend game on NBC Sunday Night Football featured the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, which the Packers won, 21–15. The opening weekend doubleheader games on Monday Night Football were both part of the AFL 50th Anniversary celebration: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots in the first game, and San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders in the second game.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
New England defeated Buffalo in an epic end-of-game rally, coming from behind 24–13 to win 25–24 in the final three minutes in what has been dubbed the "Nightmare in New England" by at least one newspaper. San Diego defeated Oakland by a score of 24–20 in the nightcap with their own fourth quarter comeback.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
During the month of October, Teams across the league honored National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing gloves, wristbands, patches, towels and shoes accented with pink. Banners were hung around league stadiums to raise awareness, and the NFL's website featured a pink background. Referees and coaches hats also had pink accents. In addition, the NFL Referee's Association donated $24,000 to breast cancer charities throughout the month. Also used were pink goal post padding, pink coins, and pink ribbon decals on the field and on footballs.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
This year's International Series game was played October 25, 2009 at 1:00 pm EDT (5:00 pm local time in London) again at Wembley Stadium in London. The New England Patriots defeated the designated "home" team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35–7. CBS televised this game on a regional basis as the Patriots were the "visiting" team.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
The Thanksgiving Day games were contested on Thursday, November 26, 2009. On Fox, Green Bay won over Detroit, 34–12. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Oakland Raiders, 24–7 on CBS, and in the prime time NFL Network game, the Denver Broncos were victorious over the New York Giants, 26–6.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
The second regular-season game of the Bills Toronto Series, in which the Buffalo Bills play in the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, was played December 3 on Thursday Night Football, with the New York Jets winning 19–13. Earlier reports on a potential Bills-Toronto Argonauts doubleheader and reports of the league favoring other teams were proven inaccurate. No preseason game was played in this series for 2009.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
The league scheduled a rare Friday night game on December 25, in lieu of a Thursday night game that week. The game, held at LP Field in Nashville, saw the San Diego Chargers trounce the Tennessee Titans 42–17. Although both teams are charter AFL franchises and thus celebrated their 50th season in 2009, this game was not part of the organized celebrations.


2009 NFL season, Regular season
All other games were announced on April 14, 2009 on the NFL Network and the NFL website, though several teams had partial details leaked prior to that time. This season marked the first time ever that the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers met at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo in regular season play. In 2002, when the current scheduling formula was arranged, the fact that Buffalo had never hosted Tampa Bay in the Buccaneers' history was one of the quirks cited in creating the formula. Also, the Houston Texans won nine games in the regular season, the franchise's first-ever winning season.


2009 NFL season, Postseason
The playoffs began Saturday, January 9, 2010 with Wild Card Weekend. Divisional playoffs followed the next week. The defending world champions Pittsburgh Steelers did not take part in the post-season as they were eliminated from contention in the final week 17, thus this was the fifth year in a row the NFL crowned a new Super Bowl champion.


2009 NFL season, Postseason
The AFC Championship Game was Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 3:00 pm, which saw the Indianapolis Colts come from behind to defeat the New York Jets, 30–17. It was followed by the NFC Championship Game at 6:30 pm which featured many back to back scoring drives by two high scoring Vikings and Saints offenses. But the Minnesota Vikings 4 fumbles and a Brett Favre interception late in the fourth quarter proved to be too much to handle as the New Orleans Saints won 31–28 in overtime which granted the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in its 43-year history. Super Bowl XLIV was held February 7 at Miami Gardens, Florida's Sun Life Stadium (home of host team Miami Dolphins, who were also eliminated from post-season contention).


2009 NFL season, Postseason
The 2010 Pro Bowl was held on January 31, one week before Super Bowl XLIV, at the same site of the league championship game, Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This was the first time since 1979 (held for the 1978 season) that the Pro Bowl was held in the Continental United States as opposed to Hawaii. The NFL also announced that the site and date of Pro Bowl games after 2010 will include playing the game on a rotating basis in Honolulu.


2009 NFL season, Postseason
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the move was made after looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl and to make the end of the season more climactic. As a result of the move, players will not be allowed to play in both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl in the same year. In addition, ESPN replaced CBS as broadcaster for that game only.


2009 NFL season, Postseason
Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


2009 NFL season, Postseason
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5).


2009 NFL season, Postseason
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
The 2009 season marked the fiftieth season of nine of the league's 32 teams: the Dallas Cowboys, and the Original Eight charter members of the American Football League, whose owners became collectively known as "The Foolish Club." The fifth league to use the AFL moniker (previous leagues in 1926, 1934, 1936–37, and 1940–41, all had failed) began play in 1960 and would form the major portion of the American Football Conference (AFC) when the NFL completed its merger with the AFL in 1970:


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
The Bills and Jets used AFL-era throwback uniforms as their alternate jerseys prior to 2009, and continued them beyond that. The league had the other six teams use a third jersey replicating those from the AFL in their heyday. Each of the Original Eight played against another original AFL team, one at home and one away, on two "AFL Legacy Weekends", and had a special 50th Anniversary AFL patch on the throwback uniforms.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
In a waiver given by these eight, they would wear the anniversary throwbacks a maximum of four times a season, whereas all of the other teams have a limit of twice per season. The Patriots and Raiders wore the throwbacks the maximum four times, while the Bills, Chiefs (Texans), Chargers, Jets (Titans), and Titans (Oilers) were worn three times. The Chargers also wore their regular powder blue alternate jersey of the current design for two other allowed games.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
In the second game of two meetings opposite of the first game for their divisional matches against the Raiders and Chiefs, the Chargers wore their newer look powder blue jerseys against the Raiders in week 8, and also celebrated their 50th Anniversary in the modern powder blue jerseys against the Chiefs later in the season during Week 12, when the meeting against those two clubs shifted to San Diego.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
The Broncos elected to wear their throwbacks only twice (the team wore the infamous 1960–1961 brown and yellow throwbacks with the vertically-striped socks) and wore their regular orange alternate jersey of the current design in the other two allowed games, giving the team six different uniforms over a 16-game season. Both of the games involving the orange jerseys involved the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers—two "old" NFL teams before the merger, with the Steelers joining the Broncos in the AFC in 1970 as a result of the merger.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
An AFL patch is already a permanent part of the Kansas City Chiefs' jerseys, in honor of team and AFL founder Lamar Hunt, who died in December 2006. The program kicked off on August 9 in the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game with the Bills playing the Titans (Oilers). Besides the Legacy Games, the Chiefs wore Dallas Texans uniforms in one home game against the NFC's Dallas Cowboys, who also wore throwbacks, while the Cowboys hosted the Raiders in a Thanksgiving Day game in Arlington, Texas.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
(The Chiefs and Cowboys throwbacks both feature team-colored jerseys, making it the first dark color vs. dark color game since the Bears-Cowboys 2004 Thanksgiving game.) For all games other than those cited above, the Original Eight wore their 2009 uniforms, each with a team-specific 50th Anniversary shoulder patch, save for the Titans, who wore the AFL 50th Anniversary logo on all uniforms. For the legacy weekends, on-field officials working the Original Eight's games also had their own throwbacks – shirts with Chinese-red stripes, and an AFL chest and cap logo. The fields for the regular season games were painted in the innovative designs introduced by the AFL in the 1960s (for instance, the Broncos' end zones are painted in an argyle pattern).


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
Although the Dolphins and Bengals were both part of the AFL, they did not join the league until 1966 and 1968, respectively. The Dolphins played in three of the Legacy games (wearing their current uniforms), while the Bengals were not part of the events.


2009 NFL season, Fiftieth anniversary of the American Football League
After the season, the Patriots adopted their AFL-era throwbacks as their new third uniform for 2010, while the Broncos continue to paint their end zones at Invesco Field at Mile High in the argyle pattern, similar to the Steelers decision to paint the south end zone at Heinz Field in plain diagonal white lines after their 2003 preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles honoring the 60th anniversary of the Steagles season.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries
It was the fortieth season since the AFL–NFL merger was officially completed in 1970, and also the sixtieth season since the All-America Football Conference merged with the NFL, adding the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers to the league. No celebrations were held for any of those teams, but San Francisco reverted to their old colors (lighter shades of red and gold from their glory seasons of five Super Bowl victories) in an unrelated move.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, Dallas Cowboys
The NFC's Dallas Cowboys also celebrated their fiftieth season in 2009. After the NFL had rebuffed Lamar Hunt's overtures to place an NFL team in Dallas, saying they had no plans to expand, the league granted the Cowboys a franchise in 1960 in reaction to Hunt's AFL Dallas Texans.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, Dallas Cowboys
The NFL's Cowboys franchise started out in 1960 with a record of no wins, eleven losses and one tie, but has since gone on to appear in eight Super Bowls (the only other teams to appear in eight was the Pittsburgh Steelers on February 6, 2011, the New England Patriots on February 1, 2015), and the Denver Broncos on February 7, 2016, winning five of them, tied for second with the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots, behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, Dallas Cowboys
Ironically, the Texans' franchise, which left Dallas to become the Kansas City Chiefs, won Super Bowl IV, two years before the Cowboys won their first. Though there was never an actual game between the Dallas Texans and the Cowboys, the 2009 "throwback" game played against Kansas City (Dallas Texans) and the Dallas Cowboys was played as "The Game that Never Was." The [Dallas] Cowboys won the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, 26–20 in overtime. Interestingly, the visiting Cowboys wore home throwback jerseys, so both teams wore home uniforms.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, NFC North
All four members of the NFC North celebrated significant anniversaries.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, NFC North
The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, two of the oldest teams of the NFL remaining in the league, marked their 90th seasons in 2009. While the Packers did not join the NFL until 1921, the team marks its founding with the team's creation in 1919. The first Sunday Night Football game of the season featured the two teams, pitted in "The League's Oldest Rivalry."


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, NFC North
Likewise, the Minnesota Vikings celebrated their being in existence for 50 years. The team traces its existence to the founding of the AFL in 1959, but although they participated in that league's inaugural draft, they were instead lured to the NFL before playing a game. (The Oakland Raiders replaced Minnesota in the AFL.) The Minnesota team, not named the Vikings until after they joined the NFL and did not take any of their drafted players with them, were granted their own expansion draft by the NFL and did not play until 1961.


2009 NFL season, Other anniversaries, NFC North
As such, the Vikings were only in their 49th season, and will celebrate their 50th NFL season in 2010, while the Detroit Lions will be in its 80th season in the NFL, and their 76th in Detroit. Last season, Detroit reintroduced its throwback jersey, while Minnesota continues using theirs. None of the teams held significant celebrations in 2009.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Return of Brett Favre
After one season with the New York Jets, Brett Favre retired again from football on February 11, 2009 and was released on April 28, 2009, making him a free agent. On May 4, 2009, rumors began nationwide on the Internet, radio and t.v. outlets about him coming out of retirement again and possibly joining the Minnesota Vikings, his division arch-rival when he was with the Green Bay Packers, also meeting with Vikings head coach Brad Childress that week.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Return of Brett Favre
On May 11, in an indication of Favre's possible return, it was reported he was scheduled to have a procedure on his torn biceps tendon on his throwing arm he injured when he was with the Jets and it was either a surgical or non-surgical process but wasn't confirmed throughout May. On June 15, 2009, he revealed he had surgery on his right torn biceps tendon and considered on playing again.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Return of Brett Favre
On July 15, 2009, he informed the Vikings that he would make his decision of coming out of retirement or not by July 30, 2009, the day Vikings training camp started. On July 28, 2009, two days early before training camp, he informed the Vikings that he would remain retired. On August 18, 2009, it was reported that Favre got on a private jet and was heading to Minnesota to join the Vikings. It was later confirmed and he officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Return of Brett Favre
He was signed to a two-year, $25 million deal with an option for 2010 for $13 million. On December 6, 2009, Favre played in his 283rd consecutive game, breaking Jim Marshall's long-standing record. The Vikings finished their season with a record of 12–4 and made the playoffs as the number two seed. Favre was voted to the 2010 Pro Bowl, but did not participate and was replaced by Tony Romo.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Return of Michael Vick
Free agent quarterback Michael Vick was reinstated on July 27, 2009 after finishing his 2-year prison term and on August 13, 2009, he signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles also with an option in 2010 for 5 million. Vick finished the season with one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. He helped the Eagles to an 11–5 record and the NFC's number six seed.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Jay Cutler trade
After disagreements between Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos management, on March 15, 2009, Cutler requested a trade from the team. On April 2, 2009, Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears from the Broncos along with a fifth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. In return, the Broncos acquired quarterback Kyle Orton along with the Bears' first and third-round selections in 2009 also the first round pick in 2010. Later in the season on October 20, 2009, the Bears signed Cutler to a two-year, $30 million contract extension up to 2013.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Two teams undefeated late into the season
The Indianapolis Colts started the season 14–0, and the New Orleans Saints started the season 13–0, the first time that two teams went that deep into the season without suffering a loss. Unlike the Saints who had not yet clinched home field throughout the playoffs and who legitimately lost their fourteenth game in Week 15, the Colts intentionally lost their fifteenth game in Week 16, giving an opportunity to the Jets to get into the playoffs.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Two teams undefeated late into the season
After setting the record for consecutive regular season wins over multiple seasons, running their mark to 23, the Colts were up at halftime at home, and then Coach Caldwell benched all his starters for the second half, allowing the Jets to win, and ruining the Colts' try at a perfect season. Indianapolis fans were incensed and heartily booed Caldwell.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Incidents with Tom Cable
On August 17, 2009 Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable was accused of punching assistant coach Randy Hanson in the face and fracturing his jaw. The incident allegedly took place on August 5 during the Raiders training camp, held in Napa. On October 22, 2009, the Napa district attorney announced that no charges would be filed against Cable. The Raiders finished their season with a record of 5–11.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Death of Chris Henry
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died on December 17, 2009. He was placed on the injured reserved list four weeks before the accident. He suffered from injuries after falling from the back of his pick-up truck in Charlotte, North Carolina the previous day.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, Death of Gaines Adams
Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died on January 17, 2010, a few weeks after the Bears season had ended. He died in Greenwood, South Carolina from cardiac arrest caused by an enlarged heart.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, First Super Bowl appearance for Saints
On January 24, 2010, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game in overtime by a score of 31–28. The win secured their berth in Super Bowl XLIV, the franchise's first ever Super Bowl.


2009 NFL season, Notable events, First Super Bowl appearance for Saints
Later on February 7, the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl by a score of 31–17. Quarterback Drew Brees was named the MVP.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Rams achieve worst peacetime three-season streak until mid-2010s Browns
The St. Louis Rams finish as the NFL's tenth 1–15 or 0–16 team, giving them a record from 2007 to 2009 of six wins and forty-two losses. Since a regular schedule began in 1936, only two teams have achieved a comparably bad record over three seasons:


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, First team to go to the Super Bowl with a losing streak
The New Orleans Saints became the first team in NFL history to lose their last three regular season games and then go on to the Super Bowl and win.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Two top seeds face each other in Super Bowl
For the first time since the 1993 season, the AFC's and NFC's top seeds, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints respectively, played one another in the Super Bowl, where the Saints defeated the Colts, 31–17.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Tom Brady's record-setting quarter
In a Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans, the New England Patriots' Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes in the second quarter, an NFL record. The Patriots led the Titans 45–0 at halftime, also a league record, before winning the game 59–0, tied for the league's largest shutout margin since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Panthers produce two 1,100+ yard rushers
DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers became the first teammates in NFL history to rush for 1,100 yards in the same season. Williams rushed for 1,117 yards, and Stewart ran for 1,133 yards.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Kurt Warner sets single-game regular-season completion percentage record
In Week 2, the Arizona Cardinals' Kurt Warner set a new NFL record for completion percentage, completing 92.3% of his passes (24 completions in 26 attempts) in a 31–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The previous record had been set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993. If postseason games are included, the record holder is Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who completed 26 of 28 attempts on January 12, 2008, also against the Jaguars.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Brandon Marshall breaks single-game reception record
In Week 13, the Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall caught a record 21 catches in a losing effort against the Indianapolis Colts. (The record was previously held by the San Francisco 49ers' Terrell Owens, who had 20 catches in a 2001 game.)


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Aaron Rodgers strong start
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers became the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons as a starter. (Rodgers, Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts, and Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams are the only quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 in their first season as a starter. Warner, however, passed for only 3,429 in 2000. Rodgers passed for 4,038 in 2008 and 4,434 in 2009.)


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, 2,000-yard season for Chris Johnson
On January 3, 2010, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans became the sixth rusher in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season. Johnson also broke the all-purpose yards from scrimmage record previously held by Marshall Faulk.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Joshua Cribbs breaks NFL's career returns record
In a Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 20, 2009, the Cleveland Browns' Joshua Cribbs returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, giving him eight for his career, and setting a new league record. Cribbs also became one of only two players to score two 100-plus yard touchdowns in the same game. (The feat was first accomplished by Ted Ginn Jr. of the Miami Dolphins in Week 8 of the 2009 season.)


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Cowboys set single-game attendance record
For the opening game of their new stadium, the Dallas Cowboys distributed 105,121 tickets, setting an NFL record for attendance in a single game. The old mark of 103,467 occurred in October 2005 at a 49ers-Cardinals game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Drew Brees sets season completion percentage record
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints set an NFL record for completion percentage in a season. Brees was 363 of 514, a completion percentage of 70.6. (The record of 70.55% had previously been set in the strike-shortened 1982 season by Ken Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals. Brees sat out the last game of the 2009 season since New Orleans had secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs.)


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Highest scoring playoff game in NFL history
On January 10, 2010, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers 51–45 for a combined total of 96 points, setting a new NFL playoff record for total combined points scored. This game has been given the nicknames "The Shootout", and the "Nobody Stopping Nobody Game".


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Conference championships become most viewed playoff games in history
On January 24, 2010, the NFC and AFC championship games averaged 52.9 million viewers, making it the most-viewed conference championship day since the two games in 1982 averaged 60.2 million viewers. Fox's telecast of the Saints' 31–28 overtime win over the Vikings earned a 30.6 fast-national Nielsen rating (57.9 million viewers), marking Fox's biggest audience ever for an NFC championship game. It was also the second largest all-time audience for any conference title telecast, trailing only the 1982 49ers-Cowboys game (68.7 million viewers on CBS).


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Conference championships become most viewed playoff games in history
Excluding Super Bowl telecasts, the Saints-Vikings game was the most-viewed television program since the "Seinfeld" finale in 1998. Meanwhile, CBS earned a 26.3 fast-national rating (46.9 million viewers) for the Colts–Jets AFC championship game in the early window, marking the largest audience for an AFC title game since NBC earned 47.5 million viewers for Patriots–Dolphins in 1986.


2009 NFL season, Records and milestones, Super Bowl becomes most viewed program in history
Super Bowl XLIV surpassed the 1983 finale of M*A*S*H, as the most viewed program in history. It was watched by 153.4 million people. Compelling story lines included the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina, as well as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's attempt at a second Super Bowl ring.


2009 NFL season, Awards, Players of the Week
The following were the players of the week during the 2009 season:


2009 NFL season, Awards, Players of the Month
The following were the players of the month during the 2009 season:


2009 NFL season, Awards, Players of the Month, Rookies
The following are the rookies of the month during the 2009 season:


2009 NFL season, Coaching changes, Pre-season
Eight teams hired new head coaches prior to the start of the 2009 season, while two made their interim coaches permanent, and another moved from one team to another after being fired by a team:


2009 NFL season, Stadium changes
The 2009 season was the first season for the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, replacing Texas Stadium in Irving.


2009 NFL season, Stadium changes
Dolphin Stadium was renamed Land Shark Stadium after a naming rights deal was signed with the Land Shark beer that was sold Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant chain.


2009 NFL season, Stadium changes
This season also served as the last season for Giants Stadium, as both the New York Giants and Jets moved into a new stadium for 2010. The Giants exited with an auspicious 41–9 loss to Carolina on December 27, while the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a 37–0 score in the season finale on Sunday night, January 3, 2010.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
After having no major uniform changes for the 2008 NFL season, the trend of at least one major uniform change per season among the 32 teams returned with two major uniform changes, as well as one with some minor modifications.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The San Francisco 49ers, who had been long-rumored to be returning to their 1964–1995 uniforms (and have had the red variation of those uniforms as their third uniform since the 2002 season) did so for this season. The team returned to a brighter, scarlet red and a less metallic "49ers gold" as its team colors, replacing the darker cardinal red and the more metallic "49ers gold" which the team has worn since it last overhauled their uniforms in 1996. The new uniforms were unveiled on April 25, 2009.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The Jacksonville Jaguars got new uniforms for the 2009 season. Team owner Wayne Weaver reportedly wanted to "clean up" the look, feeling that the team has too many uniform styles. The changes aren't a complete overhaul, but similar to the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings' recent overhauls. The new uniforms were introduced at a press conference on April 22.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The Detroit Lions designated their popular 1950s-era throwbacks as their third uniform and completely dropped their unpopular black jerseys. The team had not worn the throwbacks from 2005–07 to make room for the Matt Millen-designated black jerseys. In addition, the team unveiled a new helmet logo on April 20, updating "Bubbles" with a fiercer look and wordmark, with modified uniforms. Those logos were accidentally leaked by NFL.com in their online shop, then quickly removed on March 23, 2009.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
Besides the above-mentioned throwbacks for the 50th anniversary season of the AFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore their "Creamsicle" throwbacks for the November 8 home game against the Green Bay Packers, in conjunction with the creation of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor. The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 38–28, the only home game the team won in 2009.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The St. Louis Rams wore their 1973–1999 blue uniforms in select home games to honor former owner Georgia Frontiere, who died in early 2008 (too late to inform the NFL about wearing a throwback uniform in her honor during the 2008 season; the team instead opted for a memorial patch) and also celebrate the tenth anniversary of their win in Super Bowl XXXIV.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
Ironically, the Rams cut ties with its last two remaining offensive players from the "Greatest Show on Turf" era during the offseason by releasing Orlando Pace and Torry Holt for salary cap reasons plus opting for a rebuilding mode after a 2–14 season in 2008 (second only to the Lions' historic 0–16 season) and no trips to the postseason since the 2004 season. Defensive end Leonard Little is the only player remaining who wore the pre-2000 uniforms again in 2009. These uniforms were worn on October 11 against the Vikings and December 20 against the Texans.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers retained their throwback alternates worn in previous seasons. The Atlanta Falcons wore replicas of their first season uniforms from 1966, in lieu of their all-black uniforms. The Tennessee Titans wore a Number 9 decal on the back of their helmets to honor former Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who was killed on July 4, while the Philadelphia Eagles wore a decal with the initials of Jim Johnson, their longtime defensive coordinator who died on July 28. The Seattle Seahawks also unveiled a lime green jersey with blue shoulders, to pay tribute to the new Major League Soccer team with whom they share Qwest Field. The jersey No. 71 was retired for former offensive lineman Walter Jones on December 9, 2009.


2009 NFL season, Uniforms
The Miami Dolphins, after a four-year hiatus, brought back their alternate orange jerseys and wore them against the New York Jets on October 12.


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
This was the fourth season under the current television contracts with the league's television partners: CBS (all AFC Sunday afternoon away games and one Thanksgiving game), Fox (all NFC Sunday afternoon away games and one Thanksgiving game), NBC (16 Sunday night games and the kickoff game), ESPN (17 Monday night games over sixteen weeks), NFL Network (eight late-season games on Thursday and Saturday nights, including one Thanksgiving game and a Christmas night game), and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package. The current agreements with CBS, Fox and DirecTV were extended two years through the 2013 season on May 19, 2009; NBC's contract was extended through that same season on August 19 of the same year.


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
CBS celebrated their 50th season of NFL coverage; CBS has covered NFL games from 1956 to 1993 and again from 1998 to the present. Ironically, CBS which was ordered by the NFL not to give American Football League scores during its NFL broadcasts of the 1960s, now covers the AFC, while Fox covers the NFC. This season was also the fortieth consecutive season that Monday Night Football has been a permanent part of the NFL schedule, though the league had played games on Monday night sporadically before this. Monday Night Football originally aired on ABC before switching to ESPN in 2006, when the two networks' sports operations were merged. The first Monday night of the regular season featured two AFL Original Eight games, a doubleheader with the Bills at the Patriots and the Chargers at the Raiders.


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
NFL Network continued to have coverage disputes with major cable providers. In particular, Comcast, the largest cable provider in the United States, was considering removing the network from its lineups on April 30, 2009, shortly after the draft but before the start of the preseason.


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
Comcast was carrying the network on a digital sports tier and negotiations continued past the April 30 deadline as NFLN would continue on Comcast, which ended with a resolution on May 19 that could open the door for other major cable providers such as Cablevision and Cox to carry the network on a what would be equal to Comcast's digital classic tier, with around 10 million subscribers. However, the most notable holdout, Time Warner Cable, still is nowhere near a deal. Additionally, the NFL Network created a new "Red Zone Channel" starting with the season openers September 13.


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
Comcast-owned Versus has signed a deal to carry United Football League games on Thursday nights; the tail end of the UFL schedule overlapped with the first few weeks of the Thursday night NFL package. In related news, the NFL has reached a settlement with DISH Network over the satellite provider's decision to move NFL Network to a higher tier. NFL Network has also dropped the use of the names "Run to the Playoffs" and "Saturday Night Football", opting to standardize all of its broadcasts under the "Thursday Night Football" banner. The Saturday night and Friday night games airing on the network was marketed as "Thursday Night Football Special Edition."


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
This was also the first NFL season after the DTV transition in the United States, which had originally been scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 but was delayed until June 12, 2009. Hawaiʻi made the digital switchover on January 15, 2009. (Low-power translators will still be allowed to broadcast in analog until at least 2012, and cable providers will continue to distribute analog signals for the foreseeable future.)


2009 NFL season, Media, Television
After fifty seasons as a player, coach, broadcaster and video game maven, John Madden retired on April 16 from his position on Sunday Night Football. Cris Collinsworth moved from NFL Network to NBC to assume Madden's in-game analyst role with Al Michaels; Matt Millen replaced Collinsworth on NFL Network. In addition, Tony Kornheiser left MNF and former Raiders and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden replaced him.


2009 NFL season, Media, Radio
In radio, it was reported that the league was exploring ending its contract with Westwood One or sharing games with another network due to Westwood One's financial problems. The Sports USA Radio Network, ESPN Radio and Sporting News Radio were mentioned as possible partners; Fox Sports Radio was notably excluded from consideration. Sports USA currently carries Sunday afternoon games by agreement with individual teams, while ESPN carries the NBA and Major League Baseball, the latter causing a potential schedule conflict between Sunday Night Football and Sunday Night Baseball, plus the MLB Playoffs.


2009 NFL season, Media, Radio
Sunday night, Monday night, Thanksgiving and all other Thursday and Saturday games are covered by the contract. Of the offers, Westwood One was the high bidder (and reportedly the only one offering guaranteed money), ESPN requested a longer-term deal, the Sporting News offered a revenue-sharing plan in lieu of rights fees, and Sports USA was described as a "long shot." After a restructuring shored up the company's financial situation, Westwood One in March 2009 earned a two-year extension for all of the night games, paying US$33,000,000 for the two-year deal.


2009 NFL season, Media, Radio
In addition to the official feature game package, three networks will carry nationwide radio broadcasts of Sunday afternoon games. The newest such network is Compass Media Networks, which has signed deals with eight teams. Sports USA and Westwood One will carry games from the other 24 teams. Dial Global, which previously backed Sports USA's coverage in 2008, will instead handle Compass's package for 2009.


2009 NHK Trophy
The 2009 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2009–10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Big Hat in Nagano on November 5–8. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2009–10 Grand Prix Final. The compulsory dance was the Tango Romantica.


2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens' centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or European leagues. The New York Islanders, who finished last overall in the 2008–09 NHL season, retained the first overall selection following that year's NHL Draft lottery.


2009 NHL Entry Draft
The New York Islanders used the first overall pick to select center John Tavares from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Tampa Bay Lightning used the second pick to draft defenceman Victor Hedman from Modo Hockey of the SEL, and the Colorado Avalanche drafted Matt Duchene of the Brampton Battalion with the third overall pick. Seven Swedes were selected in the first round, an all-time record for the country. Of the players drafted, 120 were forwards, 69 were defensemen, and 21 were goaltenders.


2009 NHL Winter Classic
The 2009 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic 2009) was an outdoor regular season ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. It pitted the Chicago Blackhawks against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the 701st game between the Central Division rivals. The Red Wings won the game, 6–4, despite falling behind 3–1 in the first period. It was the second Winter Classic game,  the first to involve at least one of the Original Six teams, and the first to feature teams from the Western Conference.