Gameday [17] : Ducks vs. Owlz.

Rob Cool posts the starting lineup last night.

Ducks (12-4) vs. Owlz (12-1)
9pm
Spring View Field

Finally a home game.

How to approach this gameday post?

Treat it just like another game? as if there is nothing more to it than the fact we are simply playing the first place team and we need a win?
That's not the whole truth.

Do we try to go into it with some kind of David vs. Goliath mentality, that the Owlz have sooooo much talent even to make it close will be a moral (Gray Bats) victory, and that they are on a whole different level entirely than the rest of the league, and to steal a win would be the greatest accomplishment in our baseball lives?

That's not it either.

Do I mine the comments of past posts to find some bulletin board material?
why bother.

just rant about the letter "z", and post some youtube clips of the Illuminati Owl worshipping ceremony?

Tempting.

How about this.



"The name's Daulton."




Tonight we're playing a baseball game against a team in the Pittsburgh NABA.
We are playing a team of our peers.
This is the biggest game of the season, as they have lost only once and are ahead of the Ducks in the standings..
But a win still only counts as one win.
A loss only counts as one loss.
There aren't special modified Owlz Rules.



If you can't get up for this game you have no soul.

If you don't get excited for the opportunity to play against a guy who was drafted by the Red Sox, pitching in front of a full team of small-college players I don't know what to tell you except that we could probably get that chick to plays on the Warriors to take your spot in the lineup tonight.

Haiku interlude

Shortstop sidesteps slide
Slings sidearm shot skyward, sighs
Silent sweeping scorn.

***

I had no idea, but apparently Coach Cool, did not invent the Owlz with a "Z" name.

here's a link to the orem Owlz site

The Owlz lost to the Hurricanes on Saturday.
Beat the Bombers by one yesterday.
The didn't expect to lose once this season, they don't want to lose again.




Over the weekend the Ducks eclipsed last year's win total, this is already the winningest team in franchise history, but the Ducks goals have little to do with regular season accolades, we want to win in the post season, and win a Championship. (Any team who doesn't have the ultimate goal of winning it all is a joke.) To do so we will have to go through the Owlz. (you too, Kenny - who are you pulling for, Mr. Powers?).

Every win from here out is important as we work towards a first round bye.
We will see where we are tonight.
So will the Owlz.

Moral victories are for homos.
let's win.
***

League Newz.
I wanted to wait till after tonight's recap for this stuff, but the all star reserves are being announced tomorow.

All Star reserves will be announced Tuesday.
We get six total spots, max, i think and our washed-up left fielder stole one. So we have potentially 4 more spots open for position players and relief pitchers.
I think a 12-4 team deserves the max amount of players, and since these things are won in the press, we should get our guys in.

Stuff that [ballot] box.

RP - Mike Fletcher has only been with the team for half a season, but he hasn't allowed a run.

OF - Mark Guthrie - Captain America: batting .387 hits doubles.

3b - Jesse Smith. team leader in hr's, our most talented player ready to break out against the Owlz tonight.
1b - Andrew McCray slick fileding, power hitting, solid numbers.

C - Chris Dowling flawless defensively, hits the ball harder than Kenny wants to hit Rob Cool with his car. - might not have enough plate aperances to qualify.

DH - KT Murphy. He's hitting over .300. His .636 slg percentage is second on the team to Tony Casale.

If i didn't metion you it was on purpose, I'm a dick.

Vote for your favorite Duck(S) here:
All-Star Reserves



My vote for Allegheny reservist:
The Commish.
He has turned down all-star invites in the past, to avoid controversy from dickhead managers who would think he put himself in the game at someone else's expense.
If the Hurricane's manager is reading,
choose Graff.

enjoying an adult beverage with his team.
thanks to the bulldogs blog for the pic.

His numbers back this up.

Go to the Bulldogs Blog and see for yourself.

Joe Graff for Campbell Conference Reserves.



Back to the task at hand...

We've got a great opportunity tonight.
All you can ask for is a chance, and we've got it.

Batting Practice, 6:15pm at Pitt.

Steve Heckman shot Lincoln in the head last game.
The Owl is a carniviourous animal that will eat babies and kittens.
We need a bully for this one.


Keiffer Sutherland as Ace Merrill in Stand by Me,
(From the story in Different Seasons, The Body: [Fall from Innocence])


Bad News for the Owlz.




Quack.

Pretty tied up: Ducks comeback, even the score vs. Phantoms

___7_______________7____________



Chris Wojoton went 3-4 including a double, a home run, a single and a walk against his former team, and Eric Tans hit the game tying single in the bottom of the seventh to cap a frantic comeback by the South Oakland Ducks(1-3-1).
The Ducks played the game without their starting center fielder, right fielder, DH, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and catcher. Rick's biceps didn't show up, which moved South Oakland's starting first baseman behind the plate.

Faced with a depleted roster, Coach Jones had his work cut out for him.

As painful as it was, the reality is the glass is half full for the Ducks after the tie. South Oakland erased Phantom leads of 2-0, 3-2, and 7-3. The Ducks equaled the offensive output of the prior three games by scoring seven last night.
Smith (0-2) pitched six strong innings, allowing three earned runs. Mark, "Last thoughts on Woody" Guthrie pitched two shutout inning in relief.
The Ducks trailed 2-0 in the bottom of the first when Ryan Novak (lower left) hit a 2-run home run to tie the game, driving in Chris Wojoton.
After the Phantoms scored in the top of the third, Wojoton hit a solo HR in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 3-3. Gwin threw out a guy stealing third by ten feet thanks to the tag by Wojoton, who played a strong game at third where he was filling in for Guthrie, who was filling in for Eric Lee in center field.
In the top of the fourth, the Phantoms scored four runs on two hits, two walks and two errors, they would score again.
It was 7-3 going into the bottom of the fourth. South Oakland scored one in the bottom of the fourth, two in the bottom of the fifth, and one in the bottom of the seventh to scratch out a 7-7 tie.



Bullet points

• Garrett Moore played a solid right field, he was 2-4, with an RBI, reached on an error, stole a base and was generally disruptive on the base paths. Speed kills.
  
• Eric Tans had a great night at the plate, he doubled and singled in the tying run.
• The Ducks are undefeated since KT switched to gray pants.
  
• This is the kind of game we lost last year.
  
• Novak and Wojo were huge last night.
  
• Most of the runs we gave up were a result of guys playing out of position. Thank you, to everyone who showed up. Even Coby and Kirk Gibson, who arrived in the 5th after they spent the evening ice-sculpting for under-privileged children in Slippery Rock, came out to support their teammates.
  
• Ben Gwin needs to start hitting like Ben Gwin can hit; he is 1-12 so far this season. Since we went to wood bats, he's hit .485 and .493 in the past two seasons. Even taking into consideration favorable bookkeeping, he is doing poorly by his own standards. Ben Gwin will start hitting.
  
• On Sunday I was reading my 9-month old daughter Tolstoy, she just kept saying "Da-Da-Da-Da, Baaaaa-WEEEE", and then turned her attention to her book, "Animal Babies" which is a small 12 page cardboard book with pictures of baby animals. The hitting analogy is in there somewhere; instead of trying to write ten-line sentences about a wisp of smoke blowing over the Russian countryside, I should simplify things ie, "I have a bill, feathers and webbed feet, what animal am I?" At least I showed up and caught. I catch a good game for an outfielder.
  
• If anyone is weary of my voice, and the inevitable Ben-centric semi-rants that pop up in this blog let me know and I will send you the admin. information and you can post stuff as well.
• I'll buy a drink for the first person to "edit" the Blacksox wikipedia page.
• Smith and Guthrie both pitched well, do they both get a "no decision"?
  
• that field umpire is hilarious, his presence and entertainment value just barely compensate for the missed calls. Rumor has it, he studied under this guy...
  
• I wonder if we'll finish this game on Saturday before we play the Phantoms again.
• It's nice that the Pens' game won't interfere with our game on Saturday, or vice-versa.
• Our first rundown went horribly wrong.
• We're entering a stretch of five games in nine days including two important division games against the Eagles and Owls respectively. During this stretch we will discover the true fabric of our pitching depth.