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June 22, 2009

Bartz will pursue Ripken's streak

Rambler rookie OF/1B Andy Bartz announced today that he has made it his life goal to surpass Hall of Famer Cal Ripken in consecutive games played.  Bartz has started in all 9 games the Ramblers have played this year, and plans not to stop until he is well past Ripken's 2,632.  "If everyone showed up to their jobs like Andy shows up to Rambler games, our country would not be facing such tough times," said manager Ben Uko in regards to Bartz's streak.  Because he is so proud of his young player, Uko has big plans for the day this historic event takes place.  "I can't wait to come to the park the day it happens," said Uko.  "And when it does happen, it will most likely go down as the greatest day in Rambler history, if not baseball history."

Due to budget constraints, the Ramblers are only able to play 20 games a year, which does not really come close to the 162 game schedule the Orioles played year in and year out during Ripken's career.  When Bartz finally passes the Iron Man in consecutive games started, the year will be 2141 and he will be 151 years old.

June 21, 2009

Ramblers win.  Klefsaas placed on waivers

The Ramblers defeated Westside 7-3 today after Bryan Flood returned to the mound for the first time in almost a year.  After the game, Brian Sprout was awarded the Ben Uko Memorial Game Ball in a multiple hit effort from both sides of the plate.

The victory was bittersweet, however, as the Ramblers have been forced to part ways with rookie second baseman Erik Klefsaas.  "Don't get me wrong," said manager Ben Uko after the game, "Klef is a very good player, but there comes a point when it is too hard to make plays on the right side of the infield at Rambler Park from Omaha, Nebraska and business meetings." 

For now, the Ramblers will fill the void with newly appointed captain Chad Zwerdling.  As for Klefsaas, well, we'll say any team in need of a lefty bat with speed at the top of the line-up is in luck. 

June 17, 2009

Fans at Rambler Field might have mistaken the seventh inning of tonight's game for a Minneapolis South/Washburn game at Van Cleve Park from earlier this decade as Matt Green rounded the bases after a heroic solo home run.  Green, a 2001 graduate of Minneapolis South, feasted on Minneapolis public school pitching and depleted rotations faster than torn rotator cuffs.  "Matt Green is the greatest player in Minneapolis City Conference history," said manager Ben Uko after the game.  "I've done the math and the results speak for themselves.  It might be another 500 years before we see another player like him in that conference." 

However, Green's home run was the only run the Ramblers could muster up as they fell to BP 2 to 1 in 9 innings.  Not even Wes Olson's masterful pitching could overcome the rest of the Ramblers' silenced bats.  After the game, manager Ben Uko overlooked the loss due to bitterness from past Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year results: "The guy who won it instead of our Greener in 2001 had inflated stats from playing in the St. Paul City Conference.  He would not have been a .250 hitter on the other side of the river." 

In 2001, the Star Tribune awarded the Metro Player of the Year to Joe Mauer who has now won 2 AL Batting Titles for the Minnesota Twins on the other side of the river.

June 14, 2009

Erik Nelson will star as himself in new documentary

Although the Ramblers saw no action on the field this weekend, they once again found themselves at centerstage in the news as Erik Nelson agreed today to play the role of himself in the new reality tv series MTV Real-World: I'm a MIAC Batting Champ.

The series will chronicle Nelson's rise from of the most humble of beginnings to MIAC prominence. Growing up in a rough Edina neighborhood, Nelson never dreamed of making it big, he just dreamed of making it.  "Every American boy who has ever had a dream should be forced to watch this show," said Rambler manager Ben Uko.  "It is this generation's Rocky IV."  Although Nelson will not be ending Communism, he will be giving a Nation down on its luck hope for a bright future. 

June 10, 2009

Ramblers fall to Tonka 5-2.  Uko in the hot seat.

Rambler manager Ben Uko's seat in the Rambler dugout is feeling much warmer these days as the Ramblers dropped another close Riverview League game.  "There comes a point when you can only do so much through inspiration," Uko said in a post-game interview Wednesday night. 

After predicting the Ramblers would finish atop the 2009 Riverview standings, Uko is reeling a bit as his promises to lure Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, Jeff Kent, and Barry Bonds out of retirement in order to fill out the rest of the Rambler roster fell through.  "Bonds was the one that really hurt us," Uko recalled.  "We were hoping to get a big lefty bat in the middle of the line-up to protect Brian Sprout the two times a year he showed up." 

As for now, Ben says that the Ramblers will rely on the seasoned and battle tested veteran Dave Hosford.  "Eventually, the younger players will take his lead and know how to produce on and off the field," said Uko.

All we know for sure is that Ben better produce a few more wins fast before Rambler Nation pulls the plug for good.

May 29, 2009

The Ramblers lost 6-1 last night to the ESox, which was much attributed to 4 errors in the field. Carl Ermisch went the distance for the Ramblers giving up just 6 hits and no earned runs. The Ramblers' only run came on a sacrifice fly by Matt Green. The Ramblers' bats have been quiet the last 2 outings and hope to turn things around this weekend.

May 28, 2009

The Ramblers head to Braemar Park in Edina tonight to take on the ESox. Carl Ermisch is excited to do some pre-game squirrel hunting in the woods beyond the center field fence. Animal Rights protestors are rumored to be in attendance as Carl is slated to host a post-game cookout. This is a non-sponsored event and is not in line with the Richfield Rambler organization's viewpoints.

May 26, 2009

Ramblers "Get Right" in first game of the season

Richfield- The Ramblers started out the 2009 season quite strong as threy routed the Westside Bombers 10-0 behind 6 innings of shutout baseball pitched by Erik Olson.  Many new faces appeared in the line-up today, including Erik Klefsaas, who started out the season with a single to right-center.  Andy Bartz also became a quick ficture as he hit a RBI single to RF in his first at bat.  Old veteran's such as Steve Ryan, Dan LaManna, and Kyle McDermott resorted back to their usual ways, all having multi-hit games in the winning effort.  Dave Hosford proved that he still can play, hitting an infield single his first at bat back.  Kris Pulford and Sean Flaherty also added key hits in the game.  In what was his last game, Flaherty knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle to score Klefsaas. The Ramblers never looked back.  In the post-game ceremony, manager Ben "Pyramid Scheme" Uko awarded the game ball to seasoned vet Steve Ryan, stating that "4-5 with 2 runs is quite a day."  He was also proud of everyone.

Tomorrow, the Ramblers will travel to Dunning Field in St. Paul to face Sport and Spine.  Wes "Top Shelf" Olson will make his Rambler debut.

Opening Day 2009- Rambler Style

Richfield -- Official Opening Day ceremonies began early Tuesday morning at Rambler Park.

At 4 a.m. Tuesday, the Ramblers had their 2^nd annual "Sliders and Eggs" breakfast give away.  Fans who made it out to the parking lot between 4 - 6 a.m. received a free breakfast of reheated sliders from Saturday night. Stale beer was not included.

Free tickets were given away randomly during the breakfast event. In a move sure to rally the Rambler faithful, ticket prices have been slashed to the lowest level in franchise history. “Times are tough. Stock market sucks. Housing market sucks. Layoffs, pay cuts, you name it.  Even though we were denied TARP money we just felt it was the right thing to do” said Dan Lamanna, GM of Operations.” We really expect record crowds this summer”

The Ramblers are set for their home opener Tuesday night when they face the Westside Bombers at 6:10 p.m.  Erik Olson gets will get the nod for the second straight year.

The Ramblers are wasting no time as usual jumping straight into conference play.  Though turnout for practice was sparse, Richfield coach Carl Ermisch fully expects to have at least 8 guys at the field by game time.

May 24, 2009

The Ramblers would like to extend a special thank you to David Olson, President of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, for sponsoring the team this year.

Apr 15, 2009

Sprout Checks Beckett Baseball Card Monthly To See If Rookie Card Went Up

 

MINNEAPOLIS—On a recent visit to a local mall with his wife, Ramblers short stop Brian Sprout entered a sports memorabilia store and flipped through a copy of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly to see if his 2009 contract extension with the Ramblers had any effect on the price of his rookie card.

"I mean, who else can go that deep in the hole, do 3 one armed push-ups, and still get the runner at first, right?" muttered Sprout as he ran his finger across the pages, cross-referencing his name against various baseball card manufacturers. "Topps is up, but that's just a typical monthly increase. Upper Deck's got a high book of $1? Now that's just insulting. And Fleer—Fleer didn't even move at all? Goddamn Fleer."

While at the store, Sprout purchased an autographed photo of himself hitting a game winning home run against Bloomington from 2008.

Rep: McNamara/Ermisch Engagement Reports Are "False"

Carl Ermisch is not getting married this summer, a rep for the Richfield Ramblers confirmed on Wednesday.

 

The announcement came as a big relief to the hundreds of Richfield High School girls who pack Rambler Park each week.

 

It was first reported the Rambler pitcher, 21, would say "I Do" to McNamara in a secret $1 million wedding this summer at the local VFW.

"This report is false," the rep confirmed in a statement released on Wednesday.

Ermisch, a closet squirrel killer and avid Huffy bicycle enthusiast, is entering a perennial contract season with the Ramblers. Ermisch quickly became a fan favorite in his first season with the Ramblers and is expected to help the Ramblers challenge for the Riverview title in 2009.

Where are they now

Nate Jackson-Lyon's Pub Warriors
Mason Reinhart- Minneapolis Cobras
Charlie Ruud- St. Paul Saints
Mike Mee- Arizona Diamondbacks, 2007, 16th round
Andy Peters- Highland Park