Don't get too high, and don't get too low. We lost to an elite team and a team in the sub-division. We'll be OK. If we can't get up to play the Black Sox we should disband, join the bulldogs and drink ourselves into a coma before we get into a bar fight.
Bad loss. After a a 3-hit loss to the A Division Maulers (1-4), Ducks (0-2) have recorded only 4 hits through two games. Kirk continues to draw walks. Their guy threw well.
Guthrie: 2-3 2rbi, 2 2B Gwin 1-3 Kolaja, 0-1 RBI Homa allowed 2 earned through 5, the bullpen was not great
It's important to peak at the right time.
BP at 6pm on Saturday BP at 1:30 on Sunday BP at 6pm on Monday
We'll get better The bats will come around.
We play the Fightin' Florian's Saturday night at 9pm More Park Jesse Smith is managing.
The Maulers return to the Pittsburgh NABA after a few years absence.
History Lesson: Howard Zinn: Historian. Patriot. Ducks Fan?
The first game in South Oakland Ducks' history was a 10-2 loss to the Maulers. A game in which Ben Gwin pitched.
The Ducks defeated the Maulers to win their first and only Championship in 2003, a year in which it was common to have guys pulled out of the stands to play right field in flip flops and khaki shorts.
The Ducks have not won a title during a season in which the Maulers did not exist. We're happy to have them back, and I commend the Commish for naming the expansion teams the Knights and Maulers, although the Arthropods would have been nice.
Only Kenny Powers and two guys on the Warriors get that joke.
Speaking of Kenny Powers and the Commish,
The Bulldogs defeated the Ducks' arch Nemesis Brooklne Black Sox 11-8 Teusday night.
Ducks Black Sox on Saturday. The Blog will be moving to Word Press before that game, it will be great. Moore Park will be rowdier than Western Psych at med time.
I have no idea what a Mauler is. One who Mauls I guess, like a wolverine or a land mine or a zombie? This pic came up in a google search. We can only assume they've incorporated Aaron Burr into their uni's.
The Maulers lost a 6-4 nail-biter to the Fightin's over the weekend. We can't over look this one on the way to the steel cage match against the Sox.
The Canes were ten runs better than South Oakland on Monday. Not a great way to open the season. The Hurricanes never trailed. The Ducks couldn't get a key hit. Rafalski had 11 RBI. I'm not a believer in games being closer than the score indicates. One positive, Ducks pitcher Mark Guthrie pitched four solid innings allowing 2 earned runs, striking out MVP Andy Rafalski 3 times. Captain'kept us in it.
The Fightin's in their terrifying ninja-black uni's led 2-0 going into the top of the fourth, after an infield hit or an error or maybe a walk had runners on first and second with one out. (It was hard to see them, like playing against smoke and eye-black and stirrups). The Hurricanes' seven and eighth batters singled in two runs and probably stole a couple bases putting Sto-Rox up 4-0.
Guthrie was lifted and the Ducks bullpen had trouble with command, allowing 7 runs, several maybe 5 earned, in the last two innings.
That's the first time i faced Rafalski. He's tough. He shut us down. the MVP recorded something like 16 K's, and I think we only had one or two hits. Not the guy you want to face for your first live pitching of the season. Hats off. I hope we get another shot at these guys. We didn't give them our best.
Mike Cimera (sp.) was 1-2 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and a run scored. no one else, aside from Guthrie did much. Kirk walked twice i think. Solid OBP% We'll be fine. But the intensity has to pick up.
South Oakland has a week off before facing the Edmonton Oilers Monday the 26th at 9pm.
I think Ducks legend, Matt Swetz, is an Oiler now. If he had the same number all 3 years as a Duck I'd have retired it.
Losing is no fun.
We can still finish somewhere between 18-6 and 22-2, as has been projected by various sports books. It's important to peak at the right time.
We get the Fightin Rafalski's right out of the gate. The defending champs, probably with last year's MVP on the hill. unrelated? you be the judge.
Opening day is a crap-shoot. It's gonna come down to which team can shake the rust off first. Who's in better shape after a long winter of watching the Steelers disintegrate and Pitt disappoint us in the tourney.
The Hurricanes eat kittens. They fight old ladies. They are responsible for the Jehovah's witnesses showing up at your house and banging on the windows while you're in the middle of watching Terminator and getting a hand job from that girl who works at the coffee shop. Last year we beat them 2-0 behind Homa's one-hit shutout. They have nice orange uni's. And they have the belt. We have half a new team, a re-tread coach, and haven't made it past the quarter finals since 2004. We'll come out fightin'
Mantis' spot in the rotation has been filled, but his absence leaves an irreconcilable void in the shadowy recesses of our collective subconscious.
Home Plate, Catcher's Gear, Helmets. We need these things for the game tomorrow
Also we need a new Keeper of the Helmets. Godspeed Sir. Gies. You will be missed.
*** Check email, and spam folder for the eteamz invite to register online. sorry for the confusion on that end. I'm old computers confuse me. BP at 6:30 tomorrow at the Pitt IM field. leave for the field at 7:45
2010 marks year 3 of the blog, and season eight for the Ducks.
South Oakland Ducks of the North Side vs. The Fightin Rafalski's
Brian Rafalski, Olympic Medalist, Stanley Cup Champion, Patriot.
Only Kenny Powers' new bff, Cane's head coach, Randy Shannon, knows if we'll get reigning League MVP Brian Rafalski on the hill when we play the Fightin's
Fightin's Head Coach ponders the Sto-ROx opening day starter
The Hurricanes couldn't have won two best of three series en-route to the title if they were a one man team.
Unable to get past the Fightin's for the title last season
Ask the Sox how it was trying to hit Rekker with the title on the line last season. Regardless of who they throw, this game will give us an idea of how close we are to a championship caliber team.
Three days till the first pitch.
I'm lookin' for writer in residence, Swoosh, to give us a post between now and Monday.
Good news Ducks! Even though we're not officially a 2010 NABA team (according to the league website) we already have teams jockeying to play us.
The Fightin' Eddies of the Butler-Eagle County Baseball League have informed me that they would like to celebrate our nation's past time by playing a game our two against the South Oakland Ducks. I received a request from occasional Duck, PCB alum and coach of the Fightin' Eddies, Christian Necheff. A requested time for a game would be any of the upcoming Saturdays or Sundays. Location TBD.
As a baseball enthusiast myself, I've had the opportunity to play with the Eddies, so I figured I'd give you a little information about the team from Natrona Heights.
First of all, most of them are convicts:
But since this is can be a common theme in the NABA (read Black Sox), the Ducks should have no issues with this. And although their name might suggest otherwise, the Eddies do more than just Fightin'. This spokeswoman from Natrona Heights can verify that the Eddies enjoy an oat soda every now and then.
Yikes
The Eddies are a good team that can play some baseball and have fun at the same time, much like the Ducks. So anybody who's in for playing some non-league games in the next couple weeks as a warm-up, let me know and we'll get a game or two set up.
Speaking of non-league games, now is the time to start planning the Barnstorming Tour of '10. Last year was a good start; the weekend in Erie was a great success. The tournament in Butler County was a rather different story. However, that should only encourage the Ducks to increase their barnstorming for 2010.
If for nothing else, there's always a good possibility of this happening What red-blooded American doesn't want to watch that thing burn down? Ducks Barnstorming Tour '10 is set to begin.
