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.
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.
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.
We’re in a division with the Cherokee, Black Sox, and Cranberry.
I’m pretty sure only the top tree in each division make the playoffs.
I’m not sure if it’s based solely on division record, or if it’s overall record or what.
Barring the inevitable rain, we will play the bulldogs twice and then a double header against the Militia to round out five games in the first eleven days of the season.
The South Oakland Ducks of the North Side will rol out a roster featuring the top players from the 2007 team, and members of the Fightin’ Ra 2009 League Champion Hurricanes.
Everyone is excited to get the season started. It will be the Ducks 10th.
Realignment was discussed last league meeting, no clue how that panned out.
Big time rivalry with the cherokee. Bring your smallpox-infested blankets to that one.
Godspeed flip, berdine and tish, etc.
I put the over/under on how long that team lasts at 1.5 seasons.
And there’s a new rebels team apparently, who we will not play as they are in the A division.
After a rough start to the offseason and a few months of uncertainty, South Oakland management has rallied to put together what will be a competitive team for 2012.
Projected line up:
Dave Lewandowski CF
Ken Cool 3b
James Fago P/C
Matt Stahl 1b
Chris Roth Rf
Kirk Gibson SS
Brett Pusateri 2b
Ben Hartranft C/DH
Mark Guthrie P/OF
Ben Gwin OF
Management is still in negotiations with Tony Casale, Mike Watson and Hartranft’s rotator cuff. Hopefully all three are ready to contribute this summer.
As much as I hate proving Honest Abe right, I’ve reconsidered quitting. This is not Favre-rian.
It really looked for a while like we weren’t going to be able to get the team together, and if that had been the case, I wouldn’t have played for another team.
I’ve been dissuaded, and the Ducks will field a team in 2012.
We’ve lost 9 starters.
Aside from myself, the following Ducks are returning this season:
James Fago, Manager, P,C, OF
Ken Cool, inf.
Rick Whalen, util.
Winning pitcher of the 2010 championship clinching game, Mark Guthrie P, OF 3b
2009 captain, Kirk Gibson, inf.
2006 standout Ben Hartranft, C, 1b
2009 10-hitter Garrett Moore, EH
So we’ve got 8 rostered and will probably draft players for the first time in team history.
James Fago is our manager this season, and he’s in the best shape of his life.
Get in touch with him (or me, if you must) if you plan on playing this season. As always, roster spots go to returning Ducks before we fill in the gaps with Dominican League players Rob Cool knows through some ex-AAU coach, who used to play DII ball in Eastern Ohio, and sells sneakers out of the back of a truck at Waynesburg away games.
We owe the league our first $500 in the next few weeks, and Nike is sending people to my home trying to shake me down for the money we didn’t raise to cover our unis last year.
South Oakland Ducks Baseball 