After a three week layoff the Maple City Brewers decided it was the right decision as a team to withdraw from the Essex County playoffs. Many players on the team are battling injuries, while a few are playing with school teams.

"It's disappointing," said player-coach Dave Smith, "We felt like we had a real opportunity to win the league [after a 19-3 regular season]. But the reality of the situation was, we weren't going to be able to field a team that would be representative of what we played with all summer."

The Brewers are coming off the first OBA title in team history (2007-), and they didn't feel like there was much to play for.

"No disrespect to the Essex League, which is a solid league, but nobody signed up to play into October, and to risk injury at this point in time - it's just not worth it."

The Brewers finish their 2011 campaign going 19-3 in the Essex County League, 12-7 in Western Counties, and 5-1 at OBAs, to compile a 36-11 overall record. Stay tuned for a full year in review and team awards later this year, as well as final statistics and a preview for 2012.