Rebels Week, Day 3: Human Grocery Store, Aint That Fresh (?)

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

Check out the costume change. Note the Voodoo Child (slight return) tease.

“Without slavery, the rebellion could never have existed. Without slavery, it could not continue.”

Abraham Lincoln, December 1, 1862, Message to Congress.

IN 2007, They split from the Black Sox and decided to call themselves the “Rebels”.
Opposition to team names and logos such as the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians is documented and understandable, both Native Americans and white people fall on either side of the issue. I don’t really care, but I’m not the one whose culture is being marketed, and sold as though it were a bottle of moonshine wrapped in Smallpox infested blanket.

Oddly, I can’t remember hearing about any protests against UNLV or Ole’ Miss for naming their teams “The Rebels”, at least not to the extent of the “tomahawk-chop” issue on which Sports Center or Outside the Lines inevitably does an annual filler piece during the slow months of the sports year. I’m not trying to be some kind of anti-free speech, PC douche bag, teams have every right to chose any name and logo they want, even one relating to the pro-slavery side of the American Civil War, it’s just not what I would do.

Anyway

It is a bit nationalist to view the term “Rebels” strictly in terms of the American Civil War. In many cases, throughout world history, rebel armies were the “good” guys. However, when your logo is this guy, and your predominant uniform color is gray, one can assume no one has gone to great lengths to avoid Confederate connotations. It is not as if there aren’t far superior options for a “Rebel” logo out there. Consider the following:
You can probably find his image on a t-shirt (most likely ironically weaved in sweatshop) worn by a hippie who spends more time taking bong hits and ranting nonsensically about “fascism” than actually doing anything. Just buy 16 of those shirts, slap numbers on the back and you’re good to go.
Not a fan of Che Guevara, go the Sandinista route:
looking for something less controversial and “leftist”? How about this:
Afraid no one knows that’s the Star Wars Rebel logo? how about something more overt:
Sure he was only in it for the money at first, but Solo was a huge, late-season addition to the Rebel cause. Incorporating him into the uniform would be tough, but clearly worth the trouble. I dare anyone to claim Han wouldn’t provide a more intimidating screen-printed presence than Yosemite Sam.

Only one conclusion can be drawn, these guys are a bunch of racists, or at the very least not very creative. They could be rocking Billy Idol jerseys and Star Wars hats, but instead they disgrace our national past time by going with a caricature of a confederate soldier.
To be fair I won’t discount entirely the outside possibility that Rebel management is operating on an elite level of triple-reverse-irony that is over my head, but I doubt it.


Go Ducks.

Rebels Week, day 1

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

Our life is in our hands, Dude.
The Ducks’ (3-6-1) division record is 1-4.
0-1 vs the Black Sox (7-1)
0-1 vs. the Owls (6-2)
1-1 vs. the Eagles (6-4)
0-1 vs. the Rakers (3-3)
0-0 vs. the Rebels (1-4-1)**Pending a possible forfeit for the rain game, which lead to this lengthy, disgruntled post
We play each Division team three times. Ten more division games, another go at the Oilers, two vs. the Bulldogs, and a game against the Hurricane Carters’. Then the Playoffs.

I refuse to believe that our team peaked with the Matadors’ game.

There is something weird going on with all the games being moved from Pie Traynor and Etna, to Findlay. I’m not a big fan of that field.

Go Ducks

Game ten: Let’s hope this is our bottom, Ducks 5, Warriors 8

pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

One more hit and one less error, that’s been the story in four of the Ducks losses, which have been by three runs or less. The Ducks (3-6-1) season hangs precariously on the brink of irrelevance after a tough loss to their inter-division rival, The Warriors (6-2).

For the second time in two games, the Ducks brought the tying run to the plate in the late innings, only to come up short. Early on, the game was a small-ball contest, both teams sacrificed, stole bases, and played solid station-to-station baseball. Mark Guthrie gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead, in the bottom of the first, when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the first inning.
The Warriors took a 2-1 the lead in the top of the third on one of four Ducks’ errors. South Oakland evened the score in their half of the inning on a double steal, run-and-hit, when Guthrie drove in Ryan Novak.
Then Warriors’ catcher Craig Boley made an appearance, footage below.

The Ducks gave the Warriors two more runs on a botched pick-off attempt at second base, and the Warriors lead 4-2.

In the bottom of the fifth it looked as though the Ducks had figured out Warriors’ stater, Overbaugh. Gwin lead off the inning with a ground rule double, when his shot to the wall lodged in the fence, it was almost the first triple in the history of Spring View Field. Then Ducks’ catcher Jesse Smith hit a 2-0 fastball over the fence into some lucky family’s backyard, but that would be all for the Ducks that inning. Going into the top of the sixth the game was tied 4-4.

Homa had pitched a solid game to that point, allowing only two earned runs, he must have thrown about 90 pitches, if the Ducks had made a few plays behind him 90 pitches might have been enough to finish off the game. On this night, it was not enough. The Warriors opened the inning with four straight ground ball hits, and Boley’s line-drive single off the fence. That was enough for Homa, who was pulled with the Ducks trailing 5-4. Mark Guthrie relieved Homa, and after allowing a single, before he induced a 9-2 double play fly-out to Chris Wojoton. 6-4 Warriors with two outs. Then a dying line drive to center, off the bat of Steve Heckman, barely escaped Eric Lee’s diving grasp, and plated two more Warriors.
The stage was set for another Ducks’ comeback, but it slipped through their feathers in a series of base running miscues. Eric Lee lead off the inning with a single, then Garret Moore moved Lee to third when he reached on an error. TC “Buttermaker” Jones added a pinch hit RBI, on a fielder’s choice. Moore advanced to second, TC was out. Then KT Murphy, added his second hit of the game, and infield hit to deep short. Instead of having the top of the order up with one out and runners on first and third, Moore tried to score from second on the play and was out by a step. Then Chris Wojoton walked, and with two outs, Gwin worked the count full, the lead runner did not take off with the pitch, and did not score when Gwin singled to left.
The Ducks trailed 8-5 with the bases loaded, and the inning ended with a blistering ground-out to short. two feet to the left and it’s a one run game. So it goes. The Ducks would not threaten in the seventh.

Along with Brent Heintzelman’s solid 2-3 performance at the plate, Boley was the only Warrior to really hit Homa hard, going 3-3 with a double and a single off the wall . Steve Heckman went 3-4 and only hit one ball out of the infield, a single to center, he has the keen ability to use his mind to put a certain spin on the ball which results in the perfect swinging bunt, he also bunted for a base hit. He hustled, he beat a couple throws by half a step.
see the Warriors-biased recap of this game at Steveheckmanonline.com

Bullet Points

  • We can beat any team in the league.
  • Our next three games are against the Rebels, Hurricanes, and Bulldogs, they have a combined three wins as of today.
  • The Rebels game this Sunday is a must win.
  • As a catcher there is no greater feeling than being run-over, and holding on to the ball, Jesse made such a play for the second half of a key double play, after hitting a 2-run bomb earlier in the game.
  • With Lee and Wojoton out there, we have two of the best arms in the same OF in the league.
  • The Ducks have already tied last year’s team HR mark, with 3: One apiece from J.Smith, Wojoton, and Novak. Last year it was Oliver with 2, and I think Rick had one.
  • I love chewing tobacco….318 and rising.
  • The Ducks’ second base rotunda continues to whirl.
  • KT has reached base safely in five straight AB’s.
  • There are some teams in this league which I despise, the Warriors are not one of them. This game was up for grabs the whole way, and they made one less error, and had a slew of infield hits. They didn’t pull any cheap stuff either. It was smart baseball all around, aside from a couple key errors.
  • If I were Homa I’d be pretty frustrated after this one. Again, he did his job and put us in position to win.
  • Jim From CMU hit a solid line drive right at the second baseman fro a double play, if that one gets through maybe the wheels fly off the Warriors in the third, that’s bad luck. That’s baseball. Jim is a solid clubhouse guy, who takes a very logical approach at the plate.
  • At least Garrett was on base to make the ill-advised attempt at home plate, 80% of the teams in this league throw that ball away, Baker, and Boley made the play.
  • Garrett’s base running error was bad, but it was an aggressive mistake, not a bad one to make early in the game, but we, as a team, have to do a better job of knowing situations.
  • I make base running mistakes too. I was playing in the NABA World Series in 2005, bases loaded, no outs, I was on second. hard grounder to third, the guy throws to second for one, and the double play is turned, I kept running and was thrown out at home for the third out of a 5-4-3-2 triple play. I killed that rally.
  • Congrats on Craig Boley, who is getting married
  • Congrats to Heckman and Lesher, on their pending Civil Union…Balls deep indeed.
  • MMMMMAAH.

We have five days off until we play the Rebels. I will post probably every day this week. We can not lose this game on Sunday, the state of the Union depends on it.

Jefferson Davis; Rebel leader, racist.

Ducks vs. Warriors tonight at 9pm, Spring View Field

South Oakland Ducks Baseball

Last year the Ducks went 1-2 against the Warriors. The Ducks won an 8am game by forfeit, and lost a barn-burner at home, 14-8. The Ducks 2007 season opener was a disastrous 15-0 loss to the Warriors. For the entire history of the Ducks vs. Warriors, go to Steveheckmanonline.com.
Heckman is a work horse of a Warriors historian.

The Warriors always manage to find new pitchers who have played at a high level of baseball. Guys who have more than one pitch, and throw strikes. I blame this on Craig “Ultimate Warrior” Boley.

I suppose the five year anniversary of the Ducks, and the’03 Championship, make it worthwhile to reminisce. Baseball is like that, timeless, its history feels infinite; a lazy game that demands hustle, and respect. It is why the Ducks never changed their name. Even in a five year old rec. league, gnawing away at respectability in the Pittsburgh amateur baseball spectrum, there is still baseball tradition, and maybe for a team struggling to find .500 with one player left from the old days in Ambridge shooting the breeze about”tradition” slips down the slope of the has-been, but its there and it’s undeniable.

Sometimes I feel like an old man whose backside is permanently imprinted on the corner stool of some dive in South Oakland, a grizzled “townie” slurring stories about bar- fights and that time he fucked two girls at once, stories that crescendo and pulse, growing more and more heroic with each telling.
What baring any of this has on the 2008 Ducks is debatable, but it’s good to know your history. So to get to the point, here’s a story, and since it is our 5th anniversary, it will be the first of many, or at least several. This one gets better every time I tell it.
The greatest play in Ducks history occurred during the 2003 season against the Piranhas, who would later become the Warriors. Back in the early days of the Pittsburgh NABA, when we played in a rock-covered, 270 foot band-box in the middle of nowhere (Ambridge), the Ducks were kings.
The Ducks lead by one in the seventh, top or bottom, I’m not sure. In fact I’m not even sure it was the seventh, but it was late in the game. I am certain there was one out, the bases were loaded, and the Warriors were up to bat trailing by one run. Craig Pelat was playing short stop, Britan Dickey was at second. Pittsburgh NABA legend, Ian Dickman, was on the mound.

It was 100 degrees outside if it was 70, and Dickman was laboring. I was sitting on the bench next to Matt McCarthy, he was drinking a beer–a common occurrence among Ducks’ players at the time, as the batter worked a 3-2 count. Dickman threw the pay-off pitch. Matt and I cursed in unison, at the crack of the bat. A sure single up the middle, but not that day. Pelat dove to his left and gloved the ball, from his stomach he flipped the sure single with his glove to Britan, who bare-handed the toss, spun and fired a one-hopper to first to complete the “oh-my-god” double play. It happened right in front of me and Matt. Matt stormed the field raised his Pabst pounder and shouted, “Put that shit on the internet”.

I remember with perfect clarity, Craig telling me, “I’ve never made a play like that in my life. I didn’t have time to get it out so I just threw it with my glove.” In all my years of baseball I’ve never seen a smile as big as Craig’s after he made that play.

That’s why we play. Not for any kind of homage to the guys who came before us, or to sit on the bench wishing for a middle infield that showed up every day, but to make a play. To save a victory, to win a game to be a teammate again, to see the smiles that coaches and baseball politics and crazy little league parents stripped from us, to bring the fun back.
Every one on the roster has the chance to jog back to the bench, smiling, and say, “I’ve never made a play like that before”

Enough Melodrama for this week.

Go Ducks.

Ducks, vs. Warriors Monday, 9pm, Spring View Field

Uncategorized

The Warriors have been in existence since 2004, they played the 2003 season as the Piranhas. That first season, the Ducks were 6-9 in the regular season, and 3-1 vs. the Piranhas.

It was during the 2003 season that Craig Boley took over as league president. It is due in large part to his hard work during the first two years of the Pittsburgh NABA that the league is still in existence. So in many ways he is…
Along with the Black Sox, with whom the Ducks engaged in a bench-clearing brawl in the final regular season game of the 2003 campaign- when the Sox were still the Stampeders, the Warriors are the Ducks oldest rivals. But when the league expanded and realigned, the blood feud waned when the Warriors and Ducks found themselves in different divisions. Interesting that Boley would align the league to minimize Warriors Ducks games, eh?

I’ll expand on the history of Ducks vs. Warriors in the days leading up to Monday’s game. For now I’ll leave you with this: the Warriors are such a renowned team, they inspired Richard Greenberg’s Broadway hit, Take Me Out. It is a heart warming taled based on the Warriors 2005 Championship season. Click on the picture below for a synopsis of the play.


Quack, quack

Game nine: Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, he eats you… Ducks 7, Eagles 10

pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

This video is not for little kids, Mormons, or people easily offended by profanity.

That’s about how it feels right now.

In what has become typical Ducks’ fashion, South Oakland spotted the opposition a seven-run lead, then put up a furious rally in the game’s dying moments. The Ducks brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the seventh, but on this night, it was not to be.

The Ducks led 1-0 going into the bottom of the first, then the Eagles scored eight straight runs. Trailing 8-1 in the top of the fifth, South Oakland cut the lead to five when Gwin singled ahead of McCray’s walk, then on a well executed double steal, the Eagles’ catcher threw the ball into left field allowing Gwin to score, and McCray to advance to third. On the next pitch the Eagles would balk McCray home.

Trailing 8-3 going into the bottom of the sixth Ducks’ reliever, Smith, after throwing two scoreless innings, had two outs with two runners on, when a somewhat routine fly-ball to right field allowed two Eagles to score. The ball dropped and the Ducks’ right fielder chose to watch the runners instead of throwing the ball to the infield, then he blamed the infielders for not telling him what to do.

I wouldn’t throw that guy under the bus if he didn’t try to blame his teammates for the two runs that scored while he stood around demanding the ball be called foul. I was playing first and I ran out to make a play when it dropped in front of him, I said to him, “CUT FOUR”. I suppose there was a miscommunication. Everyone makes errors, be they mental or physical, but it takes a certain kind of person to blame someone else for their own misreading of a pop-up and not quickly getting the ball into the infield.

He somewhat atoned for this blunder with a single in the top of the seventh.

It was not because of one play or one player that we lost this game. The little things continue to eat us alive.

The late comeback was frantic, the Ducks torched the Eagles’ bullpen for four runs in the seventh, but came up inches short when a would be double skipped foul, before the game ended in a deflating 1-6-3 double play. The inning started when Les Geis (sp.) drew a walk, followed by a single, and a fielders’ choice by Jim From CMU. KT Murphy reached base via walk for the third time in the game, then Wojoton delivered with an RBI single. Gwin walked, then Jesse followed with an RBI single of his own. Then just like that, it was over.

The first three innings were filled with booted grounders, and bat at-bats, for the Ducks.
I don’t think we’ve played a game this year with our best starting infield. (our starting second baseman hasn’t shown up since the third game of the year).

The baseball always seems to find the guy who doesn’t want it, never fails. The outfield was uncharacteristically, fundamentally terrible, except for Wojoton’s 8-3 double play in the sixth.


Bullet points

  • We’ve got fifteen games left, I don’t know if that’s a lot or not. The rest of the division has approximately three games-at-hand on us, and it will be hard to gage where we stand until some games get made up and the games-played get squared.
  • 3-5-1 is an ugly record, and I mean ascetically as well as in terms of personifying our under-achievement.
  • We are much better than we were last year.
  • We have to start playing in the first inning, not the fifth.
  • I’ve grown weary of alluding to our absent players, I feel as though it takes away from the guys who show up. Still, we played without both our home run and batting average leaders; the two of whom are the starting left-side of our infield.
  • We don’t need to hit the panic button, but we have to put a few together before July rolls around and slams us in the balls with a 6-10-2 record.
  • Rick played hurt tonight.
  • Smith rebounded from a rough start against the OweleZ. He held the Eagles to two runs over three innings, and gave us a chance to pull another one from the jaws of defeat.
  • It seems as if we’ve played the whole season tip-toeing around the jaws of defeat.
  • Jesse threw out six guys and no one could hold onto the ball, he also had a clutch hit in the seventh.
  • KT was on base every time I turned around.
  • Jim the mysterious pitcher from CMU will fit in nicely, he plays a mean game of pepper, and he hustles.
  • I have as many walks through nine games as I did last season.
  • There were many broken bats.
  • Where are you, Brett and Chris?

click here for hilarity

Quack, quack

On Pepper and the Eagles

pittsburgh NABA, South Oakland Ducks Baseball

The Ducks (3-4-1) have a road game against the Eagles (4-3) Thursday at 9pm, at Moore Park in Brookline. A win vaults the Ducks into a tie for third place in the division and gives them a 2-0 record against the Eagles, assuring South Oakland of the first tie-breaker against a tough division opponent.

The Ducks beat the Eagles 4-3 on Garrett Moore’s walk-off single, for their first win of the season. That win is the Ducks only division win thus far, South oakland is 1-3 in division play.

“It’s been a long night, and I hate the fucking Eagles, man“
-J.L.

Ted Williams, the greatest hitter of all-time, coached the Washington Senators after his playing days were over.

“Pepper is a great warmup game for any hitter, and as a coach I’m going to insist the Senators do more of it“
-Ted Williams

Also, Barry Pepper played Roger Maris in the film 61*

In an unrelated note; there is no excuse for the “Owlz” using a “z” in their name. take a peek at their team page, try not to vomit.

Inspiration.