The Ducks dropped to 0-3 after a 5-0 loss to the South Side Eagles last night in Moon. This was a scoreless game through five. The Ducks stranded two men on with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, and the Eagles scored five unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Both pitchers threw well. We couldn’t get anything to fall.
The Ducks play next on Sunday against the Eagles, 3pm, at Findlay Park.
Projected starters:
Ducks: Brandon Blackstone (0-1)
Eagles: Idk, Quinn or a new guy
After a weekend sweep at the hands of Cranberry, South Oakland opens its home schedule tonight at Moon Park against the equally winless Eagles. The Eagles lost to the defending champion Devils twice last weekend.
South Side took two of three regular season games from the Ducks last season, and are always a tough opponent regardless of record. Both teams figure to be patching together a rotation early in the season after double headers to start the season. Getting ten-runned by the Devils on may help South Side tonight as they saved some wear on their bullpen.
Speaking of bullpens, Ducks pitchers walked 17 batters and hit six more over their first two games. Twenty-three (23) free bases over fourteen innings is significant. We will have to improve on those numbers going forward. No time like the present to get back to throwing strikes.
Bad News for the Eagles
South Oakland was swept by Cranberry, losing 10-8 and 11-5 in Cranberry today. The Ducks led game 1, 7-0 before allowing 10 straight runs. In game 2, Cranberry jumped out to an 8-1 lead, and held on for the win.
Most of the runs for both teams were due to walks.
South Oakland plays next on Wednesday night, 8:30pm at the Duck Pond, pending the city issuing us a permit.
Plan on playing unless you hear otherwise.
Projected starters:
Game1: Patton vs. Germani
Game 2: Mullen vs Stumpf
The top two regular-season teams from last year both flamed out early in the playoffs. Cranberry was the league’s darling, turning in its first .500+ season, and finishing first overall. In 2019, South Oakland finished with a ten-game winning streak, to pull within a half-game of the Crusaders. Both teams lost two straight playoff games. I hope Cranberry continues their regular-season success after this weekend.
Cranberry took the season series 2-0 over the Ducks last year, winning both games on the final at-bat, by one run. Maybe there was a third game. I don’t know. They always give us a hard time.
I’m looking forward to the condensed schedule and playing regular-season series against teams. It should benefit teams with depth. We always have good depth, so hopefully, I’m right.
This season is going to be different, but everyone is excited to get going. After facing the real likelihood of cancellation, it’s like playing with house money. It might take a few games to get back in shape, but I like our team this year. We’re under new management and have made some key additions. We are still around for our eighteenth season. We will put up some runs this year. We should contend for a title.
With the “ban” on dipping, look for more cigarettes around the dugout this year.
Bad News for Cranberry
It’s been quite an offseason. For a while it didn’t look like we’d play at all. We’ve been week-to-week since March on how we would get a shortened schedule completed. The shortened season will be interesting. Field availability is still an issue. Everyone is anxious to get outside and play ball. Bauerstown and D2 are taking the season off. Sheraden folded. West View is officially gone.
We have six teams in AA this year. Bandidos, Cranberry, Devils, Ducks, Eagles, Oilers. The temporary and permanent contraction will consolidate some talent. I think the Devils got a bunch of guys. They will be tough to beat.
We will have basically the same team we always have. If we get pitching, we will be solid. We made a few moves, adding a couple arms from Sheraden, a friend of NABA legend Craig Boley’s to the outfield rotation, the Mariners old manager, and a Devils cast off. We drafted some pitchers. I think Tom made great moves adding high character guys who can all pitch and play multiple positions.
We’ve had a hole at third base and the middle of the order since losing former MVP DJ Dover. But if there is a man who can embrace joining a veteran team, following a Ducks great like Dover, it’s Kenny Powers.
The South Oakland Ducks welcome the Pittsburgh NABA all-time home run leader and two time league champion, Kenny Rayl to the team. Longtime rival and Duck killer during the league’s Golden Age; teammate of some in the 28+ league and on various tournament teams; the former owner/operator and GM of the Brookline Black Sox will play third, and backup Pulice behind the plate.
This was always going to happen. We now have two players (Ben Gwin/Rayl) who have played in the league since its inaugural season in 2003.
I think we have improved in the off season. Tom’s managing. I’ll be out there leaning into pitches for another season. We return the core of a team that won 16 games last year.
Bad news for everyone.
Quack.
The plan is still to have a season this summer. We have a remote league meeting on the 29th. I think it’s safe to assume we won’t start on time, but it’s hard to say how late we will push back opening day.
Stay inside and be safe everyone.
Quack
We had eight guys come out for BP last week, which is encouraging. Management is still figuring out what to do with the last few roster spots. Hopefully we have some pitching on the way.
We are still in the process of confirming our home field for the season. We might return to the Duck Pond full time this year.
The next league meeting is coming up on 3/1.
Quack
Not much happened to today. It looks like neither Sheraden nor West View will be back this season. I think they should merge and form the most likable team in league history. It’s also possible we will have to play a handful of games vs AAA teams. This isn’t a huge deal, and would prevent the AAA teams from having to play the same four teams six times a season.
There’s a possibility the league will add a team of seventeen year olds. I thought I’d have to wait a year to play against kids who weren’t born when I started our team, but here we are. There are some potentially bad outcomes with this, but we need to add teams if possible.
In Ducks news, 2018 AA MVP Tom Pulice is now manager, but I’ll be around to help out and blog. I think we got a few pitchers from the Mariners along with their former manager.
As always we need arms, but should have a good hitting lineup.
The meetings will heat up when we start discussing rule changes, and player eligibility stuff. I think we will probably look for more cut and dry rules for current college players and former pros in AA. The college exceptions, which were originally pushed for by Shaler (who also might fold) so they could sandbag in Single A a few years ago are too easily exploited. I imagine this will be a point of contention.
Anyway, I am excited not to manage.
Quack
Congrats to the Devils. Their title was well earned. A lot of those guys have put serious time into the league. Hopefully the over 26 team can get one, too.
The Ducks underachieved this year as a team, in the playoffs, but we had several outstanding individual performances over the course of the season.
Comeback Player of the Year: James Fago
He literally left and came back. After three years on the Black Sox, and one season wandering the East Coast, Fago set a single season league record for saves with seven (7). After he shook the rust off, he was one of our best hitters down the stretch. He also brought his little brother with him, and Colton lead the team in strikeouts both as a pitcher and as a batter.
Rookie of the Year: Matt Muslin
I’m hoping he comes back next season, and they don’t get their shit together up north. Matt posted a .600 obp from the leadoff spot and never complained about playing out of position. We had big shoes to fill at third, and he figured out the turf and the bad hops at Springview, and played great for us.
Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Lombardi
He was our most consistent outfielder. In true gold glove fashion, he was also our best hitting outfielder and lead the team in home runs (2). He threw out several runners this season, made a couple great diving catches, and patrolled the deepest part of West Field for us this year.
Offensive Player of the Year: Derek Clark
Hit .470 and tied Tony with 7 doubles. We had a really good lineup this year, and Clark made everyone better.
Pitcher of the Year: Matt Mullen
He was our most consistent pitcher this year. He gave us a chance to win every time out, and was always positive and picked up his teammates. We played hard for him. We had a great staff and bullpen this year. I’m so disappointed we lost in two games in the tournament.
MVP: Tony Casale
He was the best player on our team this season, and should get serious consideration for league MVP, especially if Stumpf gets POY award, Tony played a great shortstop on two very tough home fields, and held our infield together and lead the team in extra base hits, and stolen bases, and hit .500. Please don’t move away, Tony.
Also of Note:
Tom Pulice is still the best catcher in AA despite an influx of talent at the position. He’s also gonna be manager next season. Godspeed, Tom.
John Zuzak earned a rotation spot with his performance against D2 in the season finale. He also showed up every week and got on base a lot for us. He made the most of his opportunities and never complained.
Thanks again, everyone for another mostly good season that ended poorly. Hopefully Tom can coach us up next year and we can win a title.
Look for fall ball updates and Columbus Tournament stuff in the coming weeks.
Quack
South Oakland lost to the Grizzlies 3-2 in 8 innings last night in Munhall. Bauerstown overcame an early 2-run deficit by scoring two unearned runs to force extra innings then in the eighth, their five hitter doubled on a ball that should have been caught to drive in the go-ahead run.
The Grizzlies pitcher was very good. He threw a complete game and worked out of several jams. Mullen went six for the Ducks and gave the team a chance to win. Fago (L, 0-1) pitched the seventh and eighth. The Ducks made two errors, but they happened in the same inning. Also left a lot of guys on base.
This is the second year in a row the Grizzlies have eliminated the Ducks.
Both Ducks postseason losses were in extra innings.
Feels like we left a few wins out there this season. I really thought we had a chance at it.
I’ll post team awards later in the week. We might have fall ball, but we’re still working on logistics.
The Ducks will travel to Columbus again in October to play in the Capital City Classic. We may have a surprise in store for Steve Sports this year.
I want to thank everyone who made this season possible. All my teammates, especially. Biggest thank you to Joe Graff for running the league and giving me a chance to continue playing baseball at 38. I had a good first half of one Legion season in the 90s. I have no business playing alongside players this good. I don’t know how else I’d spend my summer, and I am incredibly grateful.
This was my last season as manager. 2018 MVP Tom Pulice will be running the show next year. I’ll help out with administrative stuff and get him acclimated, but I don’t have the time or the mental energy to spend managing anymore. It’s tough.
I’m also getting to the point, or at least close, where I don’t feel I can pencil myself into the lineup everyday and give us the best chance to win. I think if arguably our best player is managing, he can at least play himself every game and it won’t be an issue. I don’t want to have to make the call on whether I should be out there or not, and have guys pissed I’m playing myself and costing us games. I think it’s getting close to where I can’t get a lot of playing time on a team that can win a championship.
I think the worst spot to be in, in an adult league is to be like the 10th or 11th bat on a team. The last guy on the bench knows he’s the last guy on the bench, but being on the cusp is brutal. I tried to set the team up so I could be that guy. Be a good pinch runner, defensive replacement, pinch hitter type. Fill in when guys aren’t there, because everyone is never there at the same time. I’m fine with having a small role on a good team, even if it’s a rec team in the middle tier of a middle tier men’s league. It’s ok. I love the game. I love bp and practice, and I wish I had time to do more of it. I’m sure I will miss making lineups at work on Wednesdays.
More than anything I want this team to win, with this core group. I think we’ve got another run left, but I know I said this three years ago, too.
I want to play until there’s someone on the team who wasn’t born when the Ducks were founded, which will be possible in a couple years. Now I’ll probably blow my knee out getting out of bed tomorrow. I will stop when I can’t run anymore, or if the team folds for other reasons, but I think it’s in good hands.
I really thought we had the arms to do it this year. I think we had the most depth, but depth can lose to a top heavy team with good pitching. That’s definitely what happened in the first round. We also made a bunch of errors, and we are usually better defensively.
I think we might have some turnover in the off season, but I hope everyone comes back.
Thanks again, everyone.
Thanks for reading.
Quack.
South Oakland Ducks Baseball 