Well the 2008 season opens this Sunday April 13th. With a few new faces in the lineup (welcome Dave B. and John Y.) and a few no longer in the fold (Ming J, Jeff B, Mark J, Del S, Keeley W.), we can only hope for a strong season. The new recruits should be huge assets in helping out the pitching staff.

Working mainly on the offense (bats) this offseason, we hope to improve on our dismall team batting avg. from last season. If the sticks show up every game and our now stronger pitching staff can continue to throw strikes as in the past, we should be a competitive team each and every game.

The story continues, Sun. April 13th, 10:00am Thompson...

LETS PLAY BALL !!!




Well, The opening game VS the R'backs didn't turn out as planned. The game plan was to use at least 3 pitchers in the game, starting with Ron Clarkson (3IP, 2H, 4K, 2BB, 4 RA). Ron came in and did the job as the starter, leaving the hill after 3 innings and an 8-4 lead. Veteran Martin Blackwell (2IP, 0H, 3K, 1BB, 0 RA) threw a combination of breaking and offspeed pitches striking out 3 confusing the R'back batters. After 5 innings and a 4 run lead, We called on the BIG lefty Wayne Hales (2IP, 6H, 1K, 0BB, 7 RA) to come in a close out the game. Throwing nothing but breaking balls he sat down the first 2 batters on 5 pitches. Next, a Mudcat error, and 2 consecutive singles, yet another Mudcat error, we gave them 3 runs. No Problem...still up 8-7 and holding 2 bats to 1 advantage, we were confident. A silent Cats 6th stranded 2 runners leaving the final frame to decide the outcome. R'backs first batter hits a laser at 3B John for the first out of the side. Three consecutive singles scored 1 deadlocking the game at 8. With 2 on and 1 out rookie sensation John Turnbull hit a rocket into the deepest corner of the field that fell on the wrong side of the rusty ole fence at Thompson. 11-8 Backs, next 2 batters go down on 4 pitches to end top 7. Our turn, a big hole, first batter, an out, yet we see the struggling Backs pitcher surrender walks to both Dave K. and John F. then a strike out to leave us 2 out and 2 on. Rookie John Y. steps up and hits an RBI single to RF (11-9) 2 out 2 on. Leadoff batter Chris S. hits a single to load em up! With the pressure on, Ron C. steps up to the dish...a very serious look on his face, he knows what he needs to do. A first pitch ball well outside...next, a questionable strike call...A FASTBALL, just what Ronnie was looking for, and he SMASHES it deep into the longest part of Thompson (CR) with all runners in motion, the Backs CF desperately cuts hard to his left trying to run under the ball, to save the game. The winning run rounds second, the ball still tracking deep to the wall and.....the oustretched fielder makes a snowcone catch at the wall to send a demoralized cats team back to the dugout with out first loss of the new season.
P.O.G. -- Corey Garret -- 2-3, DBL, 3 RBI's


April 20th VS Dodgers WOW!!!! I don't know if they are as great as posted, they are very good, but we shot ourselves from the start of this one. No highlights to this game, we were awful, too many errors and the bats were yet again silent. If we don't clean up our defence and pick up the team batting avg. this will be a long....long season. It is early, and cold, we need to battle through this SOON!!! Two games this weekend will be tough as well, bring your game...




April 27th @ Redhawks....After a 2 hit 1 run 1st inning, we settled in and Wayne Hales (4IP, 6H, 5S/O, 1BB, 6 RA) had pitched 2 hit ball with 5 S/O after 3 frames and the Mudcats up 4-1. With the pitching plan set for #24 to only go 3, he was so strong the coaching staff decided to give him 1 more frame on the hill. This turned out to be very costly. After walking the leadoff Mark K. on 4 pitches to start the inning, Wayne got the double play ground ball he was looking for only to see E4 lighten up the scoreboard. This upset the "BASEBALL GODS ABOVE" and we then surrendered 4 straight hits, the last being a laser into the RF gap off the bat of Scott Fenton, giving him a bases clearing double and finishing the inning with the Redhawks now up 6-4 after 4. The 5th inning saw recently aquired Pitcher/SS Dave Beausoleil(2IP, 3H, 2S/O, 1BB, 1 RA) debut on the hill for the Mudcats throwing a 2 S/O scoreless frame. Mudcats bats were again silent in their half, still 6-4. In the 6th, Charles Thacker led the inning with a line drive to CR to get us on base. Chris Smith then chopped into an FC leaving only himself on base. After taking an extra base, Corey Garret hit a ball into RF for the RBI to make it a 1 run game (6-5 Hawks). B Mac hitting in the 12 spot, led their 6th with a blast that cleared the wall in CR that left the Hawks with yet again, a 2 run cushion. Kent Zirk then finished us off 3 up, 3 down for the loss.
P.O.G. -- Dave Beausoleil -- 2-3, 2 IP
H.M. Wayne Hales 4 IP, 5 S/O

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WELL, AL FAIRVOGG SAID WE WOULDN'T WIN 7 GAMES THIS SEASON AND HE WAS WRONG. THE CATS WENT ON TO WIN 7 OF THEIR FIRST 18 OR 19 GAMES! THEN THE SLIDE BEGAN AND WE FINISHED OUT THE SEASON ON A 5 OR 6 GAME LOSING SKID. WAYNE HALES WAS SO STUNNED THAT WE DID WIN 7 THAT HE HUNG IT UP FROM THE 30 PLUS LEAGUE. STATING SOMETHING TO THE FACT THAT HE IS TOO OLD FOR THIS 2 TEAM****LEAGUE AND DOESN'T WANT TO STAND ON THE HILL WITH THOSE BIG YOUNG GUYS SWINGING METAL/CARBON BATS ANYMORE..... LMAO !!! WE WILL OFFER A ROGER CLEMENS TYPE CONTRACT IN JUNE SO HE CAN PLAY IN THE PLAYOFFS.

WHILE IT WAS STILL FUN PLAYING BALL THIS YEAR, I THINK THE SEASON DRAGGED ON FOR A LOT OF THE PLAYERS. TOO MANY WEEKENDS WHERE WE PLAYED 2 GAME SETS! AT OUR AGE (ME BEING THE YOUNGER GUY) NOT ONLY DOES THE SECOND GAME WEAR YOU DOWN, BUT YOUR WEEKEND IS SHOT.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, LONG TIME FOUNDING PLAYER JOHN FONSECA HUNG EM UP, MUTTERED SOMETHING ABOUT CAN'T TIE HIS SHOES UP, HOW THE HELL IS HE GOING TO SWING IF HE CAN'T TIE HIS SHOES UP ???? STILL NOT SURE WHAT HE MEANT, BUT HE DID MEAN IT WAS TIME! WAS GREAT PLAYING WITH YOU FOR THE 3 OR 4 YEARS WE PLAYED TOGETHER, KEEP COMMING OUT, THERE IS ALWAYS A POP IN THE COOLER FOR YOU. ALSO P/T PLAYER JOHN SOLANO HUNG EM UP FROM THE 30 PLUS AND HOPES TO PLAY WITH THE 45'S IS ALL WORKS OUT. GOOD LUCK JOHN.

WELL, ANOTHER OFF SEASON, SEE YOU ALL EARLY 2009.

CHRIS SMITH