Cadaco All Star Baseball

Cobb: Is This Heaven? No, It’s Boggstown

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Joe

Boggstown – He strides to the plate with a calm confidence. He works the count. The strokes a single up the middle inches away from an outreaching pitcher. He rounds first looking for an extra base. He takes everything that is given to him and then a good chunk more… Ty Cobb has not only been the best player in the league this season, he has been the happiest player in the league doing what he does best; play ball the way he wants to.

Cobb, not known for this chipper demeanor on a baseball diamond has found a little chunk of heaven in the Boggstown Boilers clubhouse this season and has arguably posted the greatest season in the history of the game. After a disappointing KCBL playing for the Merrimack Owls, Cobb seems to have discovered his stroke and positioned himself among the games elite players.

“He looks really happy over there,” previous manager Ed Bailey of the Merrimack Owls said recently. “It’s no secret that certain guys fit into a system better than other guys. When he was here he just seemed to never find his groove. He wasn’t happy… We knew, and he knew what he was capable of but things just never ‘clicked’.”

“Clicked” they have for Cobb in Boggstown, who seems to be thriving in the hot-tempered Jack McKeon clubhouse. He is hitting 255 points higher under McKeon, has 12 more hits and has an impressive 184 point higher on-base percentage. In a recent three game set against the Fogelberg Falcons, Cobb was retired three times in the ENTIRE SERIES. It has been rumored that after McKeon’s well documented verbal explosion to the media, Cobb quietly approached the manager hours later, shook his hand and bought him a beer.

“I was not sure how those two hot-heads would do in the same dugout, but I knew one thing, Jack McKeon is a tough son-of-a-bitch and if anyone could earn the respect of Ty Cobb it would be him,” Joe Gordon said on ASB Tonight. “I think the McKeon tirade and the support that management showed for that kind of behavior showed Cobb that he could play the game the way he wanted to, without restrictions… Other teams hate him, but they respect him.”

Cobb declined interviews Wednesday night after destroying the all-time records in batting average (.638) and on-base percentage (.758). Perhaps “destroying” is not even a strong enough term for the way Cobb dismantled pitching this season. He embarrassed the league by posting an OBP that is 77 points higher than the best season that Ted Williams has put up (.681, in two 12 games seasons) and 56 points higher than George Brett’s newly minted second best all-time average from last years Holiday Baseball Classic (.582).

In a season that will be remembered for its outstanding pitching and lackluster offense, Ty Cobb has posted the greatest season in the history of the game… but don’t expect him to tell you about it anytime soon, he lets his bat do the talking, and right now it is screaming.

Ty Cobb: Boggstown Boilers HBL 2009
BA	OBP	Hits	2B	3B	BB	K	Runs	TB	RBI	AB
.638	.757	30	9	4	23	2	25	47	12	47
Ty Cobb: Merrimack Owls KCBL 2009
BA	OBP	Hits	2B	3B	BB	K	Runs	TB	RBI	AB
.383	.574	18	1	1	21	6	18	21	5	47

Owls Magic Number At 1

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Joe

Owls Pitchers: 9 Games
Name	ERA	ER	W-L
Catfish Hunter	12.00	24	1-1
Warren Spahn	7.50	20	3-0
Tom Glavine	6.23	15	2-0

Merrimack – The Merrimack Owls took two giant steps toward clinching the National League Wednesday night when they defeated the McCall Mudhens in two of three games at Brisson Field. Now holding the ever-important tie-breaker over the Hens’, the 6-3 Owls will need to win one game next week against the 2-7 Fleas in Westport to clinch an automatic birth in the NLCS.

Once again the Owls displayed three magnificent pitching performances by Catfish Hunter, Warren Spahn and Tom Glavine, each throwing 8 complete innings. Hunter and Spahn earned the win and MVP honors in their games with Glavine getting the tough-luck no-decision in game three as his bullpen allowed 4 runs on a two out grand-slam in the ninth to Darrell Evans.

Offensively the Owls took flight in game 2 with a 24 run output. “It was really nice to finally put up a big number,” Owls Lifetimer Dale Murphy said after the game. “It’s important to show that we can BEAT a team, not just outlast them. That second game was a sign that we can score with any team in the league.”

With only three games left on the docket in the NL, the Owls will travel to Westport next week.

National League:
Date	VS	Score	WP	SV	MVP
10/21/09	Owls vs Mudhens	8-5 (MO)	C. Hunter	Jenkins	C. Hunter
	Hunter: 8IP, 5ER.
10/21/09	Owls vs Mudhens	24-10 (MO)	W. Spahn	X	W. Spahn
	Spahn: 8IP, 9ER.
10/21/09	Owls vs Mudhens	9-10 (MM)	B. Suter	X	D. Evans
	(MM) D. Evans 2 out grand slam HR in 9th, (MO) Glavine: 8IP, 6ER.

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Merrimack Owls | Comments Off

Boilers Clinch American League With Sweep

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Joe

Joplin – The Boggstown Boilers finished up another successful season by sweeping three games in Joplin over the Crawdads and clinching the American League Wednesday night. In the three decisive victories over the 1-8 Crawdads, the 10-2 Boilers locked in an automatic birth in the ALCS and posted the most wins in one season in ASB history for a twelve game season.

In a series that will be remembered for two back-to-back games with a cycle (one by Boilers lifetime player George Brett and the other by Crawdads right fielder Roberto Clemente), Ty Cobb of the Boilers continued to shine and finished out the greatest offensive season in ASB history. Setting new records in OBP, BA, SB and triples, Cobb destroyed pitching all season long.

Three seemingly meaningless games remain in the American League as The Fogelberg Falcons and the Joplin Crawdads will give a preview of the first round of the playoffs.

American League:
Date	VS	Score	WP	SV	MVP
10/21/09	Crawdads vs Boilers	5-12 (BB)	Rooker	X	Brett
	Rooker: 9IP, 5ER – Brett: CYCLE
10/21/09	Crawdads vs Boilers	11-14 (BB)	Fitz	X	Otis
	Otis: 1HR, 2 Doubles, 2 1B, 6 RBI – (JC) Clemente: CYCLE.
10/21/09	Crawdads vs Boilers	7-12 (BB)	Hough	X	Hough
	Hough: 9IP, 5ER – Mize: Grand Slam, 5 RBI.

Posted in Boggstown Boilers, Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

NL Showdown tonight at Brisson Field

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Joe

Tonights Game @ Merrimack :: National League

Merrimack Owls

VS.

McCall Mudhens

Merrimack – Three of the biggest games of the season will be played in the National League tonight as the McCall Mudhens visit the Merrimack Owls at Brisson Field for a three game set as both teams battle for first place. The Mudhens, who won 2 of 3 from the Westport Fleas last week, gave themselves the upper-hand with a 6-3 overall record. The Owls, who are set to open the second-half of their HBL schedule currently hold a 4-2 record.

In their last meeting, the Owls took 2 of 3 from the Hens’ and held the offensive juggernaut to only 28 runs in the three games.

“They have shown that they can score runs in BIG bunches,” Owls manager Ed Bailey said. “We can’t count on them to struggle that much at the plate again, we need to score early and often or it could be a really long night… They LOVE to play on the road and have had some pretty good luck in our park, so this should be a night of some pretty hard fought games.”

Bonilla for Frisch Award?

After tearing up the league for three-quarters of the season, Bobby Bonilla has yeat again positioned himself for Frisch Award consideration. A stunning .462 average, .563 on-base, 6 home runs, and 13 RBI’s have the rest of the league taking notice.

“This guy has been tearing it up for the last few seasons and I think it is about time to take noice of the job that he is doing,” analysts Joe Gordon said. “All of the hustle problems that scarred other teams away from him are non-existant. He has been a great team-mate, has put up bigger numbers than is expected from him and he plays a premium position (3B).”

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

Boilers Look to Clinch AL

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Joe

Wednesday’s Game @ Joplin :: American League

Joplin Crawdads

VS.

Boggstown Boilers

Joplin – The Boggstown Boilers can lock up the American League regular season title Wednesday night as they face The Joplin Crawdads at Broyles Field in a three game set. With the best record in the league at 7-2, the Boilers and sure-fire MVP candidate Cy Cobb look to polish off another successful regular season under Jack McKeon by winning at least one game.

This tough-as-nails Boilers squad has not dropped a series this season and look to extend their winning streak after taking the last 5 games in a row. The Crawdads, who have not won a home game this season after getting swept by the Fogelberg Falcons in their last appearance at Broyles Field are hoping that their best days are ahead of them as they will need to win their remaining 6 games to have a chance at first place.

“The Boilers have played really great all season long,” analysts Joe Gordon said. “It would be a real stretch to think that the Crawdads could win out. Sure, I think they can win some games, but it is pretty silly to think they can win three games against this Boilers team.”

Duncan on the hot seat
It’s no secret that Crawdads manager Dave Duncan is under intense pressure to win in Joplin. A shaky start to the season and the lack of a recent Championship have fans calling for management to let Duncan go. Recent reports in the gossip page have Duncan resigning at the end of the season and taking over the pitching coach duties for the McCall Mudhens.

There is a long list of potential candidates to fill the position. One name mentioned recently is Jamie Quirk. A former catcher and bench coach for the Colorado Rockies. Quirk attended Whittier College, he played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles in a career that spanned the years 1975-1992. On November 13, 2008, he was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as a scout.

“Listen, Dave Duncan is the manager of the Joplin Crawdads and I have a lot of respect for him,” Quirk said when reached for comment. “They are a first class organization and have amazing fans, but as of right now they have a manger.”

Posted in Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

Double header planned for Wednesday

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Joe

The marquee match-up of the second half in the National League between the Merrimack Owls and the McCall Mudhens at Brisson Field will be the first half of a planned double header of HBL action on Wednesday night. The second set of games will be between the Joplin Crawdads and the Boggstown Boilers at Broyles Field.

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

Ty Cobb Watch

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Joe

Cobb Watch: 3 games remain
Player	BA	OBP
Ty Cobb – HBL 2009*	.676*	.788*
George Brett – HBC 2008	.582	–
Ted Williams – KCBL 2009	–	.681

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Boggstown Boilers, Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

Mudhens Keep Rolling

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Joe

McCall – The McCall Mudhens took the first step toward claiming first place in the National League Wednesday night as they defeated the Westport Fleas in the first and last games of a three game set played at McCall Memorial Stadium. The first place team will receive an automatic birth in the NLCS.

The Hens’ face the Merrimack Owls next Wednesday night at Brisson Field to conclude their regular season.

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Holiday Baseball League, McCall Mudhens | Comments Off

FALCONS FAIL

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Joe

Boggstown – The Fogelberg Falcons fell flat last night as they dropped all three games against the Boggstown Boilers at Lightfoot Field. Poor pitching and a lack of offense sealed the sweep at the hands of their rivals and all but sealed up the American League crown for the Boilers. Huge nights from Ty Cobb, Johnny Mize, George Brett and the Boilers pitching staff seemed to set the tone for the evening and be too much for the Falcons to handle.

A visually distraught, but calm Don Zimmer sat down at the post game press conference, “Yeah, tonight was tough… We had a job to do and a vision and plan of how we wanted to execute it. It didn’t work out tonight … It’s not like there were no positives for us. Game one was real close and we had a genuine chance to win it. Game two was our best offensive output of the season. Our pitching wasn’t bad against what I feel is the best offensive team in the league and our defense was top notch… We played that team tough this season, sure it hasn’t worked out our way just yet, but a few things fall differently tonight and we leave here with two wins.”

Now standing at 4-5 on the year and looking at a playoff match-up against the Joplin Crawdads, the Falcons have 3 games remaining in the regular season.

American League:
Date	VS	Score	WP	SV	MVP
10/14/09	Boilers vs Falcons	7-5 (BB)	Rooker	Banta	Mize
	Mize: Late game HR.
10/14/09	Boilers vs Falcons	16-15 (BB)	Roberts	Banta	Brett
	Brett: 2 out 2 RBI single.
10/14/09	Boilers vs Falcons	15-7 (BB)	Hough		Hough
	Hough: Complete game.

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Fogelberg Falcons, Holiday Baseball League | Comments Off

Boilers, Falcons Battle For First Place

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Joe

Tonights Game @ Boggstown :: American League

Boggstown Boilers

VS.

Fogelberg Falcons

Boggstown – The winner of tonight’s American League series between the Boggstown Boilers and the Fogelberg Falcons will be firmly in charge of their own destiny as the second half of the Holiday Baseball League gets underway at Lightfoot Field. Currently, the two teams are locked in a tie atop of the standings and are looking to get a stride ahead during the last head-to-head matchup of the regular season.

In their first meeting, the Boilers came out as the victors, beating the Falcons in Fogelberg in the first and last games of the set. Most of the action came in game two of the series when a sure fire Boilers victory was spoiled by 9 unearned runs in the ninth inning.

“Different season, different rosters, SAME STORY,” ASB analysts Joe Gordon said. “These two teams have been going at it in the American League so much lately… I haven’t seen action like this since the old Falcons/Mudhens showdowns!”

Top Performers: Batting
Player	BA	Hits	2B	BB	HR	TB	Runs	OBP
Cobb (BB)	.680	17	7	10	0	26	10	.771
Foxx (FF)	.375	9	1	8	2	16	6	.531

Posted in All-Star Baseball blog, Holiday Baseball League | 2 Comments