I’d like to implore the Ducks to plan some recreational activities for this evening which will not have an adverse effect on their performance in the game tomorrow afternoon.
Drink six beers, not sixteen. Stay up till 1am, not 11am. Everyone’s different; whatever you can handle and still go 4-4 with three doubles.
Read the comments on this post if you haven’t allready

Monongahela Division Round-up, and the last Rakers’ pre-game post.
Thank you, coach Eberle, for putting this web address on your site. Classy move from a guy who has done a good job bringing stability to the Knights/Orioles/Knights/Rakers.

Maybe someone will cut the outfield grass for the game tomorrow.The Rakers play the Confederacy today. The Rebels have had trouble getting enough soldiers onto the battlefield, and are in danger of being dissolved into the NABA Union, as per the “three-forfeit rule” established during the winter meetings. When the Rebels have their best players, they are a formidable opponent.

The worst case scenario, a Rakers win today, would put the Ducks a full game behind the Rakers in the race for the last playoff spot. Since we will most likely finish with fewer games played than the Rakers, it is absolutely imperative we take the game tomorrow.
The resurgent Eagles (8-9) have two games at hand on both the Rakers and the Ducks. They have four games left on their schedule (Rebels, Phantoms, Warriors, Black Sox) as of now they will finish with 22 games played.
If nothing changes, the Rakers (9-9) will finish with 23 games played, two battles against the Rebels, a game against the Hurricane-Carters, and two vs. the Ducks.
South Oakland (8-9-2) has two games vs. the Rakers, and a Monday night home game vs. the red hot Bulldogs. The Ducks are scheduled to finish with 22 games.

We have to win, and get some help against the Eagles, (I’m looking at you Warriors). The Rakers are in the same position.

All-star Brian Strom, celebrates the fact his team doesn’t play the Owlz three times a year
(I told you the bulletin board material was coming, there will be more)

Sub-plots upon sub plots…
The Ducks probable starter for Sunday is Engineer, and right handed pitcher, Mark Guthrie, former Knight. Jeremy Barchie is the only traitor Duck to leave South Oakland for another team, he left to play on the Knights.
It is likely Barchie and Guthrie will square off against each other, and their former teams tomorrow.
Last season, the Ducks beat the Knights and Barhcie 4-0. A.Smith pitched a shutout. The Ducks swept the Kinghts last year. Theses are not the same Knights, they are now the Rakers and have sweet uniforms.
I miss hitting against Knight’s pitcher,”Fats” McGraw, or whatever his name is.
The Rakers beat the Ducks 4-1 early this season, in a game Rick actually hit a double, and Chris Roth made his only appearance of the season. (he’s hurt pretty bad)
The Ducks roster was just taking shape at that point.
South Oakland has done very well in rematches this season.

keep winning

Bad news for the Rakers

Nick Homa has 63 strikeouts.
The Ducks were 8-16 last season, and are currently 8-9-2, with three games remaining on the schedule.
The Eagles (8-9) beat the Black Sox (12-6) last night. The Eagles have four games left.
The Rakers (9-9) have five remaining; two against your South Oakland Ducks.
I’m no math major, but there are a number of scenarios which could lead to a big headache for the league president, regarding rescheduling rain-outs and potentially replaying ties.

Say it ain’t so, Kenny.

There are no heroic tales, without heroic tails…

I applaud your knowledge of the Bad News Bears, but leave Tatum O’Neal (above right) out of this. She has enough to worry about.

And there’s this…

The Rakers have spoken:
Attention all Duck Players,

After Sorosky or Barchie pitches a complete game gem on Sunday, you female Mallards aka female ducks will not be quaking anymore. Because you Ducklings are vulnerable, your inability to fly around the bases and hit the ball off of Sorosky or Barchie will result in an easy victory for the Rakers. On Sunday the Rakers will be Waterfowl hunting some ducks, and end their little winning streak and potential last spot in the playoff run.

Good Luck Ducklings

Bring it on Ducks. Its time for the Rakers to go Duck hunting for the 2nd time this season. Barchie or Sorosky will shut the Ducks down like always to preserve the last playoff spot in the rightful hands on the RAKERS…….”

“It is just stating the facts. The Rakers are strictly business from here on out. The playoffs are upon us and the Rakers will sneak into the last spot. No messing around. The Ducks will be roasted on the campfire after the beating they take on Sunday.”

• To see these remarks in context, check out the comments two posts ago.
• It would be funny if fast51ball wasn’t even on the Rakers, there’s really no way to tell.
• Ducklings…Touché, my friend.
• It’s great to be playing meaningful baseball this late in the season. This is a playoff game on Sunday, all hands on deck, Ducks.
• “Bring it On”?…oh, it will be brought….

Fast51Ball, Glad you enjoy the blog. Thanks.

huge game

Rakers Head coach Brandon Eberle visited Japan recently, and brought home with him some ancient, far-eastern training techniques. Video below.

We need to watch out for that dog on Sunday, I think its a Bulldog.
I called the Rakers’ forfeit over the Eagles, word is Don Henley was in rehab, and Glen Frey was working his new solo album.
Thanks for reading, Rakers. It’s going to be a good game this weekend.
Playoff atmosphere.

New stuff in the Ducks store. All the proceeds go towards next season’s team fees.

From here on in, its all business.
Go Ducks.

I was having a hard time thinking of anything derogatory to say about the Rakers.

Thankfully, Rakers sympathizer, Larry posted a harmless comment a couple entries back providing a nice segue into another Lebowski clip. “Good luck” he says. Right.
What does a smart person do if someone swings a rake at his head? he Ducks.
I’m not sure how the term “raking” came to be synonymous with hitting the ball well, but it has.
The Rakers are also sponsored by a landscaping company (the name escapes me but they have a banner), which all of us should patronize if given the chance. What a wonderful team name, given the circumstances. It even ends in “s” which, as a literary traditionalist and a baseball traditionalist), I admire.
TANGLED WEB OF NABA HISTORY
Nich Homa set the Ducks single season strike out record last game.
The Ducks single game record is held by current Raker, Jeremy Barchie, who struckout 17 Black Sox two seasons ago, in a 5-5 tie. The spread on the game was Ducks (-.5), so who knows how legit all those K’s were, I did see a few noted gamblers on the premises.
Barchie came to the Ducks towards the end of the 2006 season, the only loss he suffered as a Duck came at the hands of the Orioles, who were once the Knights, then became the Knights again, before current head coach, Brandon Eberle took charge and they became the Rakers. Barchie conveniently left to play with his friends on the Orioles/Knights/Rakers.

I remember that loss two seasons ago because it was the last time I hit a home run. it was a line drive that traveled at least 290 feet to right center. we were playing on a small field. The home run came off All Star pitcher Ben Sorosky (sp.), off of whom I recorded my first hit of this season. Basically I own that guy. Actually, he is very good and I am fortunate to have had the success I’ve had against him.
The Rakers have great pitching, they don’t seem to score a lot of runs, but they beat the Black Sox three times this season. The only other teams to beat the Black Sox this year are the OwlZz and the Ducks.
It would be quite a different playoff picture if the two expansion teams (the Owlz and Hurricanes) were placed in opposite divisions, but I’m sure the league president’s Bulldogs (10-9) don’t mind, they are tied for third, in the same division as the two win Hurricanes.
We will probably get Barchie or Sorosky this Sunday. I enjoy the challenge of hitting against those two, whom I consider to be two of the best in the league.
Although I don’t think either of them have over 60 K’s this season.
It would be great poetic justice for the Ducks single game strike out record to be set against the Rakers. And for the author of this blog to get beaned in the spine.

Benedict Arnold. Traitor

BULLET POINTS

• Homa is a beast, he will have a chance to redeem an early season loss to the Bulldogs on Monday.
• McCray grounded into the game ending double play the first time we played the Eagles, he had the game winning RBI on Monday.
• Guthrie is swinging the bat well, he’s due for another triple.
• Every game it’s someone different, coming up with a clutch hit.
• The Eagles were quite loud, right up until the end, when we beat them.
• Class act by Kolaja to let Giess hit for him in his last regular season game of the season.
• TC is doing a better job than I did at finding the balance between getting everyone in and winning. We are assured a better winning percentage than last season, a lot of that is due to how TC has managed. Where were you in ’06, Skip?
• Keep reading Bulldogs, I’ll give you some more bulletin board material in a day or so.

profanity waring

A somewhat well thought-out Rakers preview and the rest of my thoughts on the win over the Eagles will be up at some point. Right now the all star game is on. Stay tuned.

We missed the home run derby on Monday.
One day at a time, Josh.

Nick Homa broke the Ducks single season strikeout record (60 and counting) and Andrew McCray hit what proved to be the game winning single in the bottom of the sixth, as the Ducks (8-9-2) defeated the Eagles (7-9) to remain in control of their own destiny for the final playoff spot in the Monongahela Division.

It was a pitcher’s duel early. Nick Homa faced only nine batters through three innings, and Eagles’ starting pitcher Don Henley held the Ducks in check for most of the game. In the top of the fourth, the Eagles screeched and clawed their way to a 3-0 lead.

With one out, Joe Walsh doubled and Glen Frey reached on an error, scoring Walsh. Frey would steal second and score on a Bernie Leadon single. Leadon moved to third on an error and scored on a soft liner by Randell Cunningham. Homa induced a Vai Sickahema groundout, and struck out Brian Westbrook to end the inning.
The Ducks tallied a run in the bottom of the fifth courtesy of a bases loaded walk by Eric Tans. 3-1 Eagles after five.
The Ducks got to Henley in the sixth. Henley beaned Rick Wailen, who stole second and moved to third on a Mark Guthrie single. Gwin Walked to load the bases for all-star catcher Jesse Smith. Smith came through with a clutch two-run single to center, to tie the game at three. Ryan Novak Walked to load the bases for Andrew McCray…

woo-hoo

The Ducks went ahead 5-3. Homa retired the side in the top of the seventh.

The dramatic come from behind win sets up what amounts to a playoff game with the Rakers (9-9) Sunday at 3pm.

The Ducks’ single season strike out record was previously held by Ian Dickman (56).

THE BATTLE FOR THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT
Ducks vs. Eagles, Monday, 9pm, Spring View Field
Last season the Ducks finished 9-15. How and the hell did we win 9?As this season winds to a close, South Oakland (7-9-2) is right in the thick of things.
The Eagles(6-7) played the Rakers(8-8) yesterday. The Eagles probably forfeited, and the Rakers didn’t enter the win on the league site.
Ideally the Eagles won, we will beat them tonight and there will be a log-jam at 3rd in the division.
The game tonight is thick with playoff implications. If the Rakers are in fact 9-8, we must stay withing two games of them, a win will put us a game back, with two games against the Rakers remaining. A loss and we need some help.
I don’t know what’s going to happen with the rain-outs or the ties. I’d hate to be the League President right now. There will probably be controversy.

I hate the Eagles; Hotel California makes me want to vomit. Pink champagne on ice, indeed.
Who names their baseball team after a soft-rock group?

Joe Walsh’s involvement in the Eagles shows why drugs are bad. I doubt he’d give up playing songs like the one below to play “Witchay Woman” and “Desperado” if he weren’t hooked on smack.

Homa has to be upset about how things transpired yesterday, he’s on the hill tonight.
This is Les Gies’s 2008 Ducks’ finale.
My family will be in attendance.

I see a one-game playoff in our future

Bad News for the Eagles

There is no shame in losing to the Owlz (15-4-1). They play baseball the right way, and on this day they played much better than the Ducks (7-9-2). Hats off to the Owlz, who handed it to us twice this season. We will see you in the playoffs.*

***

The umpires mulled leaving at 3:15, and a glassy-eyed malaise consumed the Ducks dugout. When the Owlz were certain to have enough players to field a team, the game limped to a start. South Oakland’s pitchers had trouble throwing strikes early.

The Owlz scored three in the first. James Faygo, hit a two-run double to the gap in left center. Ryan Novak cut down, Rob Kool at the plate and the Ducks escaped the top of the first inning trailing by three runs.
Garret Moore, and Ben Gwin opened bottom of the first with back to back singles for the Ducks, Jesse Smith walked to load the bases with no outs. The Ducks would only score two in the inning on Andrew McCray’s double to right. A wasted opportunity, on a day when they would be scarce.

The Owlz scored two more in the second, and one in the third. The Ducks answered with a run in the bottom of the third when Garrett Moore scored on Jesse Smith’s sacrifice fly, to make the score 6-3 Owlz.

The Owlz took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth, helped by more walks, and an RBI triple by their center fielder. Les Geis lead off the fifth inning with a single up the middle, and A.Smith turned on a fastball, but unfortunately it went right at the third baseman, for a back breaking 5-4-3 double play. He hit it so hard, that the second baseman had time to triple pump before throwing him out at first. Eric Lee hit a double to right, but Moore flew out to deep center to end the threat.
In came Dunn, and the Ducks would not record another hit.
The Owlz ran up the score by adding one run in the sixth and another in the seventh.

we were due for this guy

*I’m not into predictions, but we control our own destiny, and our pitching rotation is set, set to Kill.

2 rbi today

• BULLET POINTZ
• We didn’t show up today, but it’s not as if Saturday night didn’t exist for the Owlz. We will lose games if half the team can’t see straight.
• E.Lee is heating up, watch out.
• Fago can’t get out.
• I’m not writing any positives about our pitching anymore, clearly I jinxed everything two posts ago.
• Garret Moore is revolutionizing base running. He did not maliciously run that kid over, but he looked like a pulling guard going after a defensive back out there.
• Dunn has filthy stuff.
• Moore reached base twice from the lead off spot today, happy birthday, old man.
• on a positive note, we turned a sweet double play, but overall the defense was poor.
• From what I could gather at first base, the Owlz are good guyz. Thankz for reading and good luck the rest of the way.

***
“It’s been along night, and I hate the fucking Eagles, Man”

Coby came through with a pinch hit home run for the black sox recap…it was Gibsonian…As is typical of the authorship here, Coby downplayed his own contributions, not mentioning his diving catch to take a double away from former MVP and Pittsburgh NABA all-time home run leader Kenny Rayl.
Ducks pitching has allowed four earned runs over the last three games, which took place on three consecutive days. The whole staff performed well.
After losing to the Oilers 3-2 in game three of the season, the Ducks won a cleansing 15-0 five inning romp in last Saturday’s rematch. An early season 17-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Owlz was somewhat rectified with a nine-inning 5-5 heart attack of a game on Sunday. Last Monday, the opening day 15-1 disaster that was the first Black Sox Ducks game, was redeemed with an 8-2 victory in a game that was close until the bottom of the sixth.

There has been some improvement.

We played the two best teams in the league, 1-0-1 over the weekend.
Will we start to see the top of teams’ rotations?
did it rain today, or did the Owlz play their double header? I was out of town.
Those guys don’t like to lose, and will attack us like an owl attacks a helpless baby kitten in an urban area.
What will become of our two ties?

There’s only one way to break a tie…