For all the new talent joining the 80-year old Greater Pittsburgh Federation League this summer and for all the new teams and even the new playoff format, it was an old tradition holding steady as the St. Johns dynasty collected its four consecutive league title and eighth in a 10-year span.

"You wonder how long it is going to keep going," said Tom McCarthy, manager of the St. Johns-Lefty's team. "We have all older guys league-wise and you think: How long are we going to be able to do this?"

The run of success St. Johns has enjoyed is comparable to the previous Fed League dynasty, North Pittsburgh, a team that has since dispanded as many older Federation League franchises have done, St. Johns not included.

The Saints won the regular-season title with a 20-4-2 record. The title and the National Amateur Baseball Federation bid that goes along with it was not secured until a 1-0 late-season win against the Riverbandits.

The Riverbandits along with Bellevue, Ohio Valley and Montour were new teams in the league this year and the Riverbandits and Bellevue, with much younger rosters, showed early on they had the talent to compete with St. Johns.

"We kind of ran away with the title the previous three years but this was definitely one of the most challenging seasons," said first basemen Nate Thimons, a Bethel Park graduate, who has been a part of eight Fed League titles in his 11 years with the team.

"We have had the same core group of guys for a lot of years now and we really had to come together this year instead of just dominating like we have in the past."

In the postseason the road was a little bumpier for St. Johns.

Despite outscoring Allegheny Valley, the fourth seed in the playoffs, 48-6 during the regular season, St. Johns had to rally from a 5-4 eight-inning deficit to win in extra innings in game one.

The second game against Allegheny Valley was just as tight with St. Johns advancing to the finals with a 4-3 win.

The game two win against an Allegheny Valley team filled with recent Shaler graduates was fueled in large part by two 2003 Shaler graduates playing for St. Johns.

Former Titans shortstop Scott Miller knocked in the go-ahead run on a bloop single and another former Titan, John Bachman, came in to retire the last five batters and preserve the win.

After playing in two close games in the first round, St. Johns made quick work of Bellevue in the finals with an 8-1 win in game one. David Lee and Brandon Federici combined for a four-hitter while Thimons, Greg Stokes, Jim Jaskowski and Jeff Martin provided all the offense the Saints would need.

To the surprise of nobody on the St. Johns bench, Bellevue was able to tie the series behind strong pitching from Luke Katich, who started the Angels team this year but also pitches for St. Johns in tournaments.

Bellevue took advantage of St. Johns mistakes and Katich shut down the St. Johns offense through the final five innings to give Bellevue an 8-4 win.

The loss in game two would be the Saints' last loss of the Federation season.

In game three St. Johns came out firing with a six-run first inning sparked by Andy Blackwell's grand slam. He finished with seven RBIs.

In the final game of the championship series, McCarthy sent Bachman to the mound to face off against Katich. Bachman pitched into the eighth inning with St. Johns up, 2-1, but Bellevue fought back, taking a 3-2 lead.

The Saints mounted an eighth-inning rally to retake the lead and pitcher Derrik Zeroski struck out the side to clinch St. Johns' fourth consecutive title.

Next up for St. Johns is another trip to Youngstown for the National Amateur Baseball Federation regionals that start today. Two years ago, St. Johns won the NABF regional and reached the NABF World Series.

Managers can add up to five players from other teams in the league to a team's NABF roster and so McCarthy has added Katich from Bellevue, Steve Long and Rick Austin from the Riverbandits and Jim Pasquine from Montour.

The winner of the Youngstown regional, arguably the toughest one in the country, advances to Louisville for the World Series.

"Our big picture is always about the NABF," McCarthy said. "The Fed League titles are very, very important to us but ever since we got in the NABF our big picture always includes Louisville."