In the Spirit of Gwin…

The Bulldogs and Ducks, er… Duckzzz waged their inaugural battle of the 2010 season on the dewey grasses, and groomed sands of John Herb Field in the early morning hours of May the 15th, 2010. The Bulldogs proved victorious by a score of 5-1, earning their 60th franchise victory in the process.

Prior to the game, the baseball gods gave a gift to the visiting Duckzzz, and placed a duck pond in two separate locations… the visiting on deck circle, and bullpen. Many a duck showed up early to play in the fresh water of the freshly made ponds. They sported slick new hats (tops in the league, kudos to Ben), 15 new players on a 23-man roster (their smallest in 8 years!!!) and took a spirited pre-game (although not as polished as when the Commish ran their show in April).

Fortunately, this is one Duck even Gwin wouldn’t add to his roster.

The Duckzz sported a revamped roster, with 7 of their 10 batters new to the team, and 4 of them formerly of the 23-1 Owlz of 2009. Similarly, the Bulldogs took the field with 5 new players in their staring lineup, recruiting 2 LaRoche, and 1 Fairmont State player, while stealing 2 players from the 2010 PSL Dodgeball Champion Red Rockets.

This game also marked the largest gathering of Pittsburgh Blues on one field, with the Duckzzz rostering 4 players, and the Bulldogs 3.

Prior to the game, Bulldogs coach BJ Rankin needed to use the bathroom, but encountered an unusual occupant….

Realize this poor fellow needed some assistance, BJ coached him up on how to properly use the toilet paper, but alas….

one Bulldog can only do so much to help out a little duck. Feeling sheepish, this little duck challenged BJ to a wager on the game. Neither the terms of the bet, nor the bet itself, were known to anyone besides the Duck and BJ before the game.

At the pregame meeting, Bulldogs manager Vinny Gala and Ducks manager Ben Gwin had a moment of silence for their friend Greg Wittmer, who has been in and out of the hospital with kidney problems and was unable to attend the game. It has caused Wittmer to stop drinking for at least 5 out of 7 days each week, and limit himself to only 6-8 beers per sitting.

On to the Game…

Adam Philip sat the new-look Duckzzz down in order in the top of the first. Joe Graff led off with a 2-strike single back through the box off Duckzzz starter Rob Baumgartel. After two outs, Matt Dugovich stole second before Vinny Gala walked. With two aboard, Jarrod Harris laced a ball to left that was caught for the final out.

Philip yielded only a two-out single to Brendan Scoscia in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom, the Bulldogs would score the only runs they would need. George Nehay led off with a walk, and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Jeff Trojan doubled and scored the eventual winning run on a Justin Meyers ground out.

Trojan, Dugovitch, and Graff in a typical pre-game routine.

In the fourth, the Bulldogs struck again. Trojan led off with a single followed by a Meyers walk. Rankin came to bat with runners on first and second.

BJ Rankin bunted for a hit, and an errant throw allowed Trojan to score. With Meyers on third, and Rankin on first, Graff stepped to the plate. What occurred next was purely shocking.

BJ Rankin was leading off first, and was picked off by the Duckzzz. Gwin, who was playing first base, did not feel the out was enough, and beat him in the face with the ball until his tooth cracked and his face was bloodied from a gash on his lip, and stripped him of his game pants right on the field (!). First base coach Dan Morgan leveled his book-club mate Gwin with the copy of Crime and Punishment his carries in his pocket at all times. The fans starting throwing batteries, and the players broke out in an all out brawl as the police….

Sorry, was dreaming as I typed there. Everything after the first sentence of that last paragraph didn’t really happen. Except that part about the Gwin and Morgan being book club buddies.

Graff drove in Meyers for the fourth Bulldog run. Rankin would later need stitches to repair his lip after Gwin’s tag, but remained at the game for a reason unbeknown to the players in attendance.

Defensively, Joey Braunlich, Schuyler Shaeffer, and Meyers would enter the game for the Bulldogs in the fifth. Schuyler was wearing a unique T-shirt Saturday.

His girl looks hot from that t-shirt. But don’t be fooled. Our crack research team has uncovered who that shirt was modeled after.

Not as impressed now, are you? Yes, that is Brian Strom pictured. Strom was in attendance at the game, but rendered unable to play after a night of tequila shots with a Professor of Spanish and lap dances at a fine local gentleman’s club (editor’s note: only two-thirds of that last statement is true – we will let you figure which fact is false).

The Bulldogs would add a run in the fifth before the Duckzzz finally got on the board in the 6th. BJs Lipp (not his first name, but kinda ironic) walked, stole second and later scored the Duckzzz only run on an RBI single by Tony Casale.

Schuyler’s actual girlfriend. Everybody contributes on this team.

After the game, there was many good handshakes and warm embraces of mutual respect. These are two teams who have been around for awhile, and have developed friendships along the way. They each have played a role in shaping the Pittsburgh NABA as teams, and by members serving in administrative roles. There were seven NABA administrators, six active, between the two teams. They look forward to playing again.

Thanks to Ben Gwin for honoring his side of the gentleman’s wager and allowing us to post the write-up. He is a tough competitor, and a good friend.

Almost forgot…

Even the potty trained duck was duck enough to honor his pre-game wager.

BJ was a happy ER patient.

Quack.