Say it ain’t so, Kenny. Black Sox lose 3-0 to revived Hurricane Carter squad. The B-Sox were able to acquire a $200 sponsorship from a local car dealership
(profanity)
The Hurricanes are no joke, the Black Sox are still among the Pgh NABA’s elite.
The Gray Bats lost 7-6 in dramatic fashion to the Warriors.
GrayBats Blog Recap Nice Zeppelin reference. Hopefully that guy singer will remind us of a 6-year old matt capps.
“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser“ –Vince Lombardi
The Warriors are like an old man who is tougher than he appears. He has that old man strength and is bitter and angry at everyone. The Gray Bats were without two of their top players. Ben Sorosky was in the process of getting robbed at the Ducks Golf Classic, and some other kid who pitches at UPG was busy being pissed he has to spend 4 years in Greensburg.
the Ducks Eagles and Owlz have yet to play, and mother nature is plotting against the Ducks tonight.
The South Oakland grounds crew will call in reinforcements to do everything they can to get the field playable by 8:45
the rain has to stop immediately.
Naturally I blame the bad weather on our commissioner.
The 2009 Ducks Golf Classic was a success. Proceeds will subsidize uniform costs and umpire fees.
New course next time, the Rose Ridge people were misleadinng with their information, greens fees were higher than expected, that course is not worth $29 with a cart. Now we know. call around next time. solicit more raffle items, etc…
Brian Strom dominated the raffle, winning a ducks hat and a prize package including a sleeve of golf balls, a golf shirt, towel and tees donated by friends of the Ducks.
Not bad for a week’s worth of planning.
The Soroskys, Strom, Gwin foursome (-9) came in second by one stroke.
highlight of the round, an eagle on 10 the #1 handicap hole.
Gwin bombs a 300 plus yard drive, Sorosky hit a 4 iron to within 3 feet and sinks the putt. Brian Strom birdied a short par 3 by himself Mr. Sorosky’s tee shot on 11 kept the 4some in the hunt.
Leader Board
Capatain America, Les is more, Kirk Gibson, Wojo-Tang (-10) SSG (-9) Tans’ and inlaws (-8) Dr. Joneses (-6) The Smiths +3 (although they did play as a threesome since the Coby bailed on the event, basically costing them the prize money) Coby is benched.
Huge thanks to Longest Drive winner, Adam Smith for pulling this together in the last six days or so.
Some kid i don’t know in Coach Bombay’s foursome won closest to the pin.
This has the potential to raise some serious money in the future if a few guys all do a little bit of work on it a few months in advance, as was suggested by someone in February.
Thank you to all who participated, your attendance and contributions to our team are greatly appreciated.
***
The Oilers are praying for rain.
Ducks Opening Day Tommorrow 9pm Spring View Field.
There has been plenty of pre-season bs about new pitchers, and time spent courting free agents who flaked. It’s hard to find something else to blog about in the middle of October.
This Duck’s season is not about who we didn’t get; It’s not about who decided to play for old man Zalewski, who has to spend the summer driving up to Butler to play ball, or who Team Typo courted away from South Oakland. It’s not about who the Owlz found in the “Who’s Who of Western Pennzylvania College Baseball Players, or the Black Sox improved pitching staff and the return of Matt Slavonic. It doesn’t matter who Larry thinks he’s going to trot out behind Sorosky during our Saturday 8am game in a few weeks. It doesn’t matter what The Don Henleys or the confederacy have up their sleeves after pillaging a very deep draft class.
It’s about our team; who coach Bombay rolls out behind our starting pitcher on opening day.
Would it be gratifying to have added three pitchers who used to pitch in the minors and roll over everyone in the league? Sure. But it will be more gratifying to win with the guys we’ve got. To lament missed opportunities to add players is an insult to the names on our roster.
Our division accounts for five league championships: Two by the Kenny Powers’, and one apiece by the Owlz, Confederacy, and Ducks respectivly.
This season is all about gearing up for the playoffs, the new format allows everyone to make the post-season. To put ourselves in position to make a run at the title. The title that the Owlz will not let go of easily, a title the Black Sox think is rightly theirs, and that the rest of the league thinks they have just as much of a shot at as the team with the snarky blog and the gay photoshops.
I have a feeling that the sentiment around the league is that we aren’t as good as we say we are, that we overrate ourselves, that we’re all talk, that while I’m blogging they’re injecting Winstrol, taking BP, and calling up Jose Canseco. That’s fine. We got one line on the league site’s season preview a blurb about new players or something. OK. Maybe we’re not as good as we think. It’s a possibility.
We can’t start quacking each other off before we take the field.
I do know that to play our team is to play South Oakland; a part of town that’s dirtier and grittier than the Pitt brochures will ever let on or that most kids have the misfortune of discovering.
The last time I’ll talk about myself all season:
All I ever tried to do when I coached the Ducks was to embody the character of the team. To lead by example: to refuse to be out-hustled, to initiate contact, to do something to help the team win even when I’m over-matched–especially when I’m over-matched. To be a tough out.
To play hard all the time.
If you can’t play ball that way, go find a hackie sack and a bag of mushrooms.
I write the retired numbers on the brim of my hat. Those guys wish they could still play on this team. If they had just one more game to play on the Ducks, how would they approach it?
I’ve never gone into an at-bat thinking I can’t hit the ball hard somewhere, and I’ve never gone into a game expecting to lose. I’ve never gone into a season without the goal of winning a championship.
Individually, each game this season is winnable. Some games we may have to be mistake free and get some breaks to win, but we will not be out-hustled or out-worked.
Some games are won on the strength of big plays, but more games are lost becuase of walks and errors on defense, and by giving away outs on offense. Base running mistakes, bad at-bats, poor fundamentals.
This year’s team fundamentally solid, and has big play potential.
Strong up the middle, power at the corners.
The staff has some depth, (Novak) and they’ll have a defense they can trust.
It’s been great to play alongside some of the top talent in this league during the fall and winter, and I look forward to the Blues tourney in AC. But, for now, it’s all business and all Ducks. In between the foul lines, when the ump shouts “play ball”, I have no friends who don’t wear green and gold. (power-blue on occasion.)
*** Your 2009 South Oakland Ducks
The Ducks bid a fond farewell to Garrett Moore, who will play in the over 28 league this season.
New players alphabetically:
Tony Casale inf. Cheese util. Darren Daulton C. DB Award Winner, “Mantis”, P Depo, 1b Jesse Smith’s friend Matt, util Mike Watson, inf.
(If I forgot you, you haven’t been at practice, haven’t paid any dues yet, or I’m a joke.)
Out of Retirement
Britton Dickey, inf.
Returning Players
everyone else.
Our backups have backups. Teams need role players, the playoff format will allow coach Jones to get everyone playing time. Ultimatly though, we need to find out our best lineup, and get those guys in shape down the stretch for the playoffs.
The competition for PT will make everyone better.
Dave Roberts,
A pinch runner sparked the Red Sox miracle comeback in the ALCS a few years back.
Teams need role players, and we have to trust that Dr. Jones has the team’s best interest in mind.
Easy for me to say, I don’t sit much, but I work hard to get better, to keep up with the influx of talent in the league.
There will not be any cake-walk games this season. Every team has a chance.
That’s all we can ask for, and it’s all we’re given a chance to compete this summer. If we want the championship we have to take it.
“Get busy livin’
(Jesse Smith for MVP, the campaign starts now) 4/20/09
South Oakland Ducks Baseball 