Month: April 2012

Game Day 4/5: Ducks at Militia

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, pittsburgh NABA, who names their team the Rebels?

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side

at

Monroeville Militia

Sunday, April 29th

10:00AM & 12:30PM

Woodland Hills High School

(Former Gray Bats mgr. Larry Z.)

The Militia are primarily a combination of two storied PGH NABA Franchises: The Gray Bats, and the Original Rebels – The Rebels formed when the Black Sox split in ’07.

A handful of Militia players also played for the old Knights/Orioles franchise, their Manager, PGH NABA Legend John Tremel played on the Warriors for a season, their best player of all time, Jeremy Barchie, was a Duck for half a season. They also have a Hurricane defector from last season, and a player from the old Phantoms.

Kenny Powers says fuck the Rebels.

  • Aside from the Kenny Power’s Black Sox, and Craig Boley’s Warriors none of those other teams exist anymore – the Gray Bats went out in a flutter after one season.
  • While the Sox and Warriors are two of the Original 3 teams still in existence, they existed in 2003 as the Stampeders and Piranhas – respectively. (The Ducks, Maulers and Arthropods also played in ’03. Yeah, we had a team called the Arthropods in our league, once.)
  • The South Oakland Ducks is the only franchise that’s been around since 2003 with the same name. We just won’t die.
  • We’ve absorbed players from the ’08, and ’09 Championship teams (OwlzZzzz, Hurricanes) and still have a core of hold overs from our Championship team of 2010 (when we beat the Militia to advance to the championship) , and our team that reached the 2011 Finals.
  • The  ’07, ’08 and ’09 Champions have all folded. That’s odd. You’d think winning a title would make a guys want to stay together and build on that success. Additionally the ’06 and ’07 runner ups (Colonials and Matadors) have folded.
  • Gone are the Oilers and Sharks.
  • Guthrie and Fago played on the old Knights at one point, so on Sunday we have multiple grudge matches of former teammates.
  • We should all be proud to wear Green this season (preferably green, but whatever color you have is fine since our uni’s aren’t in yet).
  • Pending weather, the Cherokee, and Black Sox open up today – it’ll be interesting to see how they fare.
  • If I had a choice to have Fago up with the bases loaded, down by 2 runs in the bottom of the seventh every game, I’d take it.
  • Ken Cool and several other Ducks will make their 2012 debut on Sunday
  • No idea how or why this blog post degenerated into this.

Our team is full of players who know how to win.We’re coming together, but we need to go on a run (one game at a time, obviously).

Let’s get two on Sunday and get some momentum going before we get into league play next weekend.

The Michigan Militia and other extremist groups operate under principles formed by the misinterpretation of pieces of our Constitution that have been taken out of context.  They think they know what’s best for our country.

But Captain America knows better, and he’s on our side.

Bad News for the Militia

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Chris Wojton Sighting and REBELS Watch 2012!!! #2

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, who names their team the Rebels?

Apparently, former duck standout chris wojton is on the devils in the A Division, and they also have an odd looking website for their team, which is available on the league page, and is not hyperlinked.

that team should have been forced to move up after winning the title last season, or, better yet, done so willingly…

Whatever, I  just want to make use of this photoshop  (hopefully it winds up on their team site)

***

The Shaler Rebels crushed the Senators 8-1 on Wed.

here are the Rebels Stats from the victory.

They have there shit together up there, roster on the league site and stats entered. Someone’s running a tight ship.

South Oakland will take on the Militia in a Sunday doubleheader at Woodland Hills High School starting at 10:00 AM

I expect a battle.

Before the last Ducks/Bulldogs game, fortunately with the advantage of the high ground above SpringView Field, I watched the Militia practice, and they appear to be in midseason form.

Here is an obligatory Militia youtube clip.

The Militia hope to compensate for the loss of Jeremy Barchie with a catcher who looks like he can throw, and not get tossed from games or make his teammates fear for their own lives and the lives of those around them.

They’ll be tough, but losing a talent like Barchie took the Ducks almost 3 season to overcome, and I expect the Militia to have some chemistry issues as a result.

Barchie still holds the Ducks single-game strikeout record with 17.

 Can’t wait to play two on the turf Sunday.

Quack.

Ducks Lose: Bulldogs 6, Ducks 4

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, Bulldogs

South Oakland (0-2-1) trailed 5-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, but rallied for 3 runs, allowed one in the top of the seventh, before scoring another run in the seventh and falling just short.

The game ended on a bases loaded fielder’s choice.

Once again a bad inning – two infield hits, a ball that bounced over our shortstop and a misplayed ball in the outfield allowed the Bulldogs (2-0-1) to get out to an insurmountable lead.

They made fewer mistakes.

It feels like we’re coming together though. We battled, and we still haven’t fielded a full team yet.

Up next for South Oakland of the North Side, a doubleheader against the Michigan Militia this Sunday 10:30 AM, on the turf, at Woodland Hills High.

Quack.

GAME DAY 3: Ducks vs Bulldogs

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side

vs

Bulldogs

9pm

Springview Field

South Oakland looks for their first win tonight in a rematch of saturday’s 4-4 tie.

The Ducks still have players who haven’t met one another, and figure to play the opening weeks of the season with the goal of getting everyone playing time, and figuring out our most effective lineup before divisional play begins in May.

When Ken Cool gets back in town, he will give the Ducks a welcomed boost at the top of the lineup, as the team has only scored 5 runs in two games.

No idea who’s pitching tonight or what the lineup will look like,  but it will be good to be back at the Duck pond, and get a win on our home field.

hopefully our gang-neutral color scheme will benefit us. To this affect, i’d recommend the bulldogs go with their black hats.

For some reason i have this rambo pic saved in my ‘ducks blog images’ file.

bad news for the Bulldogs

Ducks 4, Bulldogs 4 (8)

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

The Bulldogs scored three in the bottom of the seventh to tie SOuth Oakland 4-4.

The Ducks scored on a balk in the second and three other times by way of RBI from, I think, Ben Hartranft, James Fago, and Mark Guthrie.

It was early.

Brett Pusateri had a double, Ben Gwin had 2 hits, Garrett Moore reached base 3 times in 4 plate appearances. Guthrie went 4innings on the mound, and gave up 1 run.

The teams will play again wed in the Ducks home opener.

Quack.

Rebels Watch 2012!

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, pittsburgh NABA, who names their team the Rebels?

After an opening day shutout of the South Side Eagles, the Shaler Rebels have dropped two straight to fall to 1-2 on the season, good for fifth place in the A division, but only 1.5 games behind the first place Titans, who I think are also from the Shaler area.

We’re still awaiting word on who or what the Rebels are rebelling from.

Expect a bloodbath when Shaler takes on the Senators Wednesday night.

We still remember the help the Eagles gave us early last year, but South Oakland’s pick to win the A division is the Warriors depending on Craig Boley’s status.

Let’s make some fucking noise tomorrow morning.

quack.

GAME DAY 2: Ducks at Bulldogs

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball

South Oakland Ducks of the North Side

at

Bulldogs

8:30 AM John Herb Field

Might as well just put this up a day early.

Looks like rain tomorrow, but be ready to play until we hear otherwise.

Vinny will be ready

I like the composition of the Ducks this year a lot. The nothing-to-lose attitude is refreshing. Everyone is just excited to be playing again, or at all. Everyone’s hustling, and no one’s bitching about anything.

That could change if we don’t start winning some games, but it’s early, and the wins will come—that will be the result of the aforementioned approach.

I know coaching the last two years, the immense pressure to please everyone is what ultimately led to a lot of unhappiness and stress that seemed ridiculous to have over adult league baseball. I think there’s a misunderstanding about playing hard and demanding a good effort from yourself and your teammates, that it has to come along with some sort of fucked up intensity and shit talking that makes it all not fun, that it’s only worth winning if you can take credit.

With this team, this season the more fun it is the more we will win, not the other way around as I feel it was at times during the last two seasons.

That said, I hate losing more than anyone. And our goal this year, with the talent we have, is to win a championship.

 Who the fuck knows, I’m just looking forward to walking into Moore Park in mid May, fearing for my life, questioning human kind while a fight in the stands breaks out, and hitting singles over the second baseman’s head. Stuff like that is why i love this league and being a Duck.

 

RIP Levon Helm.

TC Jones might have to come out of retirement to pitch Saturday.

Bad News for the bulldogs.

Quack.

Ducks Lose: Elliot 7, Ducks 1

2012 South Oakland Ducks Baseball, pittsburgh NABA

Elliot pitcher, Stu Barnes carried a no hitter through 6 and 1/3 innings, and went 2 for 3 with a double and a triple to lead defending champion Elliot (1-0) past South Oakland (0-1) Wednesday night.

The game was scoreless through three, and then a few balls that should have been caught weren’t and Elliot scored 7 runs.

Jesse Ferko and Chris Roth had hits for the Ducks. Roth drove in the Ducks only run in the top of the seventh on an infield single.

We’ll round into form by divisional play, if not sooner.

Despite the loss, spirits remain high in South Oakland as the team looks to rebound against the Bulldogs Saturday morning.

Quack.