Archive for » May, 2009 «

Oh my, Gargs are 0h-for-5 after 9-0 loss to Wings

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 | Author:

Complacent Gargs

Complacent Gargs

OTTAWA (ODB) — O.K. This is getting serious.

The Ottawa Avnet Gargoyles continued their stumble out of the 2009 OCSL season gate with another anemic performance at the plate, resulting in a predictable fifth straight loss.

The Gargs 9-0 defeat at the hands of the Wings Tuesday night at Hampton Yards left them with an 0-5 record and their worst start to any season going way back to the lean 1996 campaign.

“We better start playing like we’re in B division,” said Todd Duckworth(L, 0-2) after a few bevvies, following a game in which he kept the Gargs close enough to catch up and to overtake their opponents; only they didn’t come close to achieving that feat. “We look a little casual — like a C team,” said Duckworth. “We’re too complacent.”

The Gargs managed only six hits on the night and unless this scribe missed something while taking a whiz in the whoods, only once did they advance a runner past second. Todd allowed a dozen hits, including a pair of two-run shots, the final blow being the proverbial walk-off dinger as it pushed the Wings’ margin to nine runs, eliciting the mercy rule. It was the second straight game in which the Gargs have been mercied and the second consecutive game in which they were unable to register a single run.

The Men in Black have scored but once in their last three games and have amassed a total of 19 runs the entire season.

Sure, they didn’t have two of their toughest hitters Tuesday night, with Bruce Turcotte (sore shoulder) and Matthew Stephenson (work) both scratched from the lineup. That left the Gargs with an unusual formation: Glen McGregor at shortstop; Kevin Emmerson at first; Mark Brennae at rover and Brian McGregor in centre.

The non-conventional defence wasn’t (stop me if you’ve heard this before) the difference, though. Despite committing three errors, including a Bill Bucknerish faux-pas by Emmerson in the first, the D was fine. It was the offence that took the night off (hell, the offence has taken the month off, but I digress), failing to bunch any hits or to assemble anything resembling a rally.

As was the case with Emerson and Ken Wong before him, Duckworth deserved better Tuesday night. But until this team starts hitting the ball, he’s not likely going to see it.

Gargs Largs: Kevin continues to look like an excellent pickup by the Gargs. Following the unfortunate Billy Buck play, he made several good catches and looked solid at first . . . Rick made a couple of terrific throws in from left, including one that nailed a runner at second on a fine tag from Karl Bélanger . . . Zach Schowalter was thrown out attempting to steal second in the first. Someone made the comment that it appeared the fine third baseman was carrying a piano on his back as he lumbered to the bag. Zach has never stolen a base in OCSL play, but he stole what would have been a base hit, perhaps more than a single, corralling a smash in the fourth that ended in a 5-3 out . . . The Gargs hit into two double plays Tuesday night and have hit into four in the last three games . . . Following the game, which was played in a swift time of a buck-14, a Gargs contingent of nine hit their usual watering hole and discussed among other topics, holding some sort of slump-busting ritual. Among the suggestions: bringing back Gary the Garg (the inflatable one, not the big rugged one that sits in Mark’s basement and is a bugger to carry around); sacrificing a chicken…The Gargs will try to get into the winner’s circle Sunday night when they visit the Cards (7 p.m., Hampton Yards).

Boxscore
Glen McGregor 1-3
Karl Bélanger 0-2 BB
Zach Schowalter 1-3
Kevin Emmerson 0-2
Brian McGregor 0-2
Ken Wong 1-2   2B
Mathieu Gauthier 1-2
Rick Devereux 0-2
Todd Duckworth 0-2
Mark Brennae 2-2

Todd Duckworth (L, 0-2), 5.1IP 9runs (5earned) 12H 4BB 2K

Gargs    0 0 0 0 0 0   0 6 2
Wings   4 1 1 0 1 2   9 11 2
Time: 1:14
Att: 4 and two dogs.

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The Twit: Leave of Absence

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 | Author:

 

Thierry Henry: Deserving of the Cup

Thierry Henry: Deserving of the Cup

Last post before next week most likely, as I am attending to a family matter out of town. I will probably not have time to watch sports, let alone write about them. See you next week!

- Paging Doctor Halladay. Doctor Halladay to the operating room STAT!

- Looks like it will be a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup final. If the Wings eliminate the Hawks tonight, do you think the NHL will get its ducks in order and move up the series, or will we go over a week without games?

- Is it cruel of me to wish for a Magic vs. Nuggets final in the NBA? 

- Champions League final this afternoon. I think I’m cheering for Barcelona. Yeah, I think so. Always been a fan of Thierry Henry’s, and I can’t stand Cristiano Ronaldo

- Pat Quinn is back in the NHL. At least he’s out West, where he can’t grate on my nerves too much.

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Zoom Zoom: The Oval Trumps Monaco

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | Author:
Could the gear shift and clutch save F1?

Could the gear shift and clutch save F1?

The competitive situation in Formula 1 is so dire right now that a bunch of open-wheel cars turning left 1000 times was more exciting than Monaco. A few weeks ago when I started noting that F1 races were boring, I thought it was an anomaly that would correct itself upon the return to more traditional courses like Barcelona and Monaco. Sadly, that has not materialized.

The most exciting moment of the weekend was once again the qualifying sessions on Saturday. When the purpose of the session is running hot laps it’s exciting to watch the times as they’re posted, wondering if someone can best the top time, checking to see if a perennial favourite will somehow be dropped in one of the first two sessions, and who will get the pole position. We know and accept the covenant and for that reason the sessions are exciting. The covenant also states, however, that Sunday is for racing. What we’re seeing instead is just a bunch of cars running hot laps, with nary a chance of passing their opponents.

Part of this is due to driver skill. F1 has been extremely proactive in trying to make the cars less easy to drive in the face of technology that is trying to make the cars practically automated. The removal of ABS, traction control and automated starts over the years was meant to give drivers a bigger challenge. Unfortunately, these drivers are so skilled that they are up to the task and barely ever make any mistakes. Let me be clear that by “mistakes” I don’t mean “crashes”: what I would like to see a little more is brakes locking, spin-outs and cars bumping without exploding into a million tiny pieces of carbon fiber, all of which would increase the possibility of passes. Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with cars that go over 300 km/h, asking for more driver mistakes might be condemning more drivers to their death, and clearly that’s not what I’m shooting for here.

Perhaps something that should be brought back is the clutch and stick shift. The paddles the drivers use make shifting way too automatic, as confirmed by analyst and former driver Gerhard Berger pointing out on Sunday morning that the cars can shift gears 65x faster than you can blink your eye. Something tells me that he wasn’t exaggerating (he never does). Making the driver have to reach for the clutch with his foot, switch gears and release the clutch adds a “safe” element that could lead to many more mistakes, which in turn could increase the passing opportunities. The drivers might be up this task as well, however.

Best race of the weekend came from an oval

Best race of the weekend came from an oval

In Indianapolis, which I caught while flipping between it and the Blue Jays telecast, a race was definitely on, with actual passing! Sure they were going in circles, but I can’t fault them for the excitement it generated. Helio Castroneves was the winner, only a month after he was cleared of tax evasion in Florida (for which he would have served jail time had he been found guilty).

It was a perfect story (I heard “Hollywood” a few too many times during the afternoon, mind you), only diminished by the heavy religious angle taken by the broadcasters. As it was becoming clear towards the end that Helio would win the race barring a cataclysm, the pit camera focused on his sister holding a crucifix and praying. That’s fine with me, no harm done there. Where it became a little much was how every time they cut back to that scene, a new family member had joined in the prayer. The tipping point for me was when Eddie Cheever quipped “that’ll get you 10 extra horsepower right there”. No Mr. Cheever, it won’t, as any telemetry readout will indicate.

Anyhow, after the race was won the shots of an overwhelmed Castroneves were very touching. Rarely do you see an athlete (don’t go there, not today) display so much emotion, and it was very welcome. He could barely compose himself to speak with pit reporter Jack Arute. Another positive was Danica Patrick’s post-race interview, in which she came off as well as I’ve ever seen her; modest, cheerful, congratulatory – and it all seemed genuine. Hopefully it’s a sign of her finally maturing, because it’s clear she can race with the boys.

I thought the ESPN on ABC coverage was very good, especially Scott Goodyear (CANADA!). As noted elsewhere on the web (sorry, can’t find the link), the only problem with the coverage was the gear-head stuff was a little too much. Perhaps that was due to the fact that there were four pit reporters competing for something relevent to say.

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The Rosin Bag: Don’t Panic

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | Author:
162 games, remember?

162 games, remember?

This was going to happen at some point. It happens to all the good teams, and the Jays were not going to be immune to it. The good news is that they’ve gone on a six game losing streak and are only a 1/2 game behind Boston in the A.L. East.

Predictably, the Cito haters are out in full force at the first sign of trouble (here and here for a few examples). They’ve been lurking in the weeds for almost a year now, waiting to jump on Cito for his managerial style. His best record in baseball since taking over the Jays last year has silenced them until now.

They criticize his adherence to a set lineup card, his refusal to pinch-hit for someone who is struggling and his tendency to keep pitchers in the game too long. They’re entitled to their opinion, but I’m also entitled to call them out as spineless, reactionary, knee-jerk little shits who would throw their own mothers under the bus if she used the wrong lunch meat, the type of people who are addicted to baseball management simulators and can’t understand why someone at the helm of a ball club wouldn’t tinker to accomodate every minute statistical blip, to the detriment of a player’s confidence. How’s that for a run-on sentence?

Dude won two World Series and is largely responsible for the Jays hot start, but hey, maybe you’d like to see a return to a more traditional managerial style, like that employed by Tim Johnson or Jim Fregosi – you know, the good old days for these critics. The Jays haven’t had a competent manager since, umm, Cito’s first stint, and now they want to jump all over his ass because they think his aversion to tinkering illustrates a lack of desire to win. If you can’t see that Cito’s attitude and philosophy has been a boon to the Blue Jays, I feel sorry for you. I’d like to ask these people a question, however: do you perform better in your job with a manager that tells you what he wants from you and lets you be, or a manager who likes to micromanage every little thing you do? If you prefer the latter, I have a few ex-employerswho’d like to hear from you.

The Jays hitters spoiled three really good pitching performances this weekend by Roy Halladay, Casey Janssen and Scott Richmond. It’s always a mystery to me why hitting, or lack thereof, can be contagious. It’s one thing for a couple of guys to go cold, but for the team to do it en masse is unsettling. Proponents of the DH rule got themselves some nifty ammo in Friday night’s game with Cito choosing to pinch hit for Halladay in the top of the eighth with the score 0-0 and the Doc having thrown “only” 95 pitches. It didn’t bear fruit and Jesse Carlsson gave up the game in the bottom of the inning. Neate Sager makes a good argument for the DH rule in a very well-written (as usual) post. It’s worth a read even though we disagree.

The Jays start a series against the Baltimore Orioles today, and really you can’t think of a better opponent for the bats to come alive: the Orioles have a collective E.R.A. of 5.57 (only the Nationals are worse).

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Gargs Go Down Twice: Winless In Four

Thursday, May 21st, 2009 | Author:

GATINEAU, Que. (ODB) — Eight hits were not enough. The Avnet Gargoyles were again stymied by decent pitching, en route to a doubleheader loss Wednesday night at tiny Parc Desjardins in Gatineau, Que.

“That wasn’t pretty,” said one Garg, following losses of 7-1 and 11-0 on a humid night that produced little for the Gargs to cheer about.“We really have to play better and start to hit the ball,” said the Garg, wiping from his lips the cold remnants of a frosty beer in the Gargs dugout after the club saw its record fall to 0-4.

What a difference a year makes. At this time last season, the Gargs sported a 3-1 record, en route to a 7-2 start in the OSCL B division. The club didn’t register its fourth loss until June 25 when it was walloped 22-4 by the Wings, which by happenstance, is the team the Gargs will face next, on Tuesday.

In the lid-lifter, Ollsons scored once in the first and three times in the second to take an early 4-0 lead on Todd Duckworth, and that was more than enough. Todd pitched extremely well, using a variety of pitches and locations, anchored by a fastball with excellent velocity.

“He deserved better,” said catcher Mark Brennae after the game. “We didn’t give him a lot of support. But you know, for his first game back, Todd looked excellent. It’s something we can build on.”

Todd (0-2), went the full seven innings, allowing 13 hits, several of which were balls that plopped into no-man’s land or dropped in due to a difficult sun field in left. (It’s not a bad diamond at all, but that sun is a killer to the left side of the infield and to left and left-centre fields).

The Gargs highlight for this game and for the evening was a diving catch in centre field by Bruce Turcotte who ran full-out and then with his body horizontal to the ground, reached forward to snag a liner destined to cash in at least one run. It was a marvelous play.

The only Men in Black run Wednesday night came on a sacrifice-fly RBI from Glen McGregor in the sixth, which cashed in Mathieu Gauthier who had doubled and taken third on an overthrow.

It was a similar story in the second game with the Gargs; hurler pitching much better than the statistics would indicate.
Making his second start for the Gargs, Kevin Emmerson (0-2), battled and looked impressive. But he fell victim to an early Ollsons rally capped off by one of those strange plays that happens once in a while. With the bases loaded, an Ollsons swinger nailed a pitch to deep right field. Rick went back, back, back and had the ball bounce off his glove and over the wall for a grand slam. It was that kind of evening for the Gargs.

Kevin came back to blank Ollsons in the second but they put up four runs in the third. The Gargs offence did no business after that, managing only two hits and snuffing out any comeback attempt.

Gargs Largs: A smallish contingent of Gargs showed up at the team’s clubhouse following the games, to lament an evening in which not a whole lot went right. Glen, Matthew Stephenson, Zach Schowalter and Mark performed their consumption duties with the usual flair and discussed the team’s lacklustre start. . . . Zach and Matt contemplated a change in the batting order to, as Zach said “spice up the offence.” The team’s pitching isn’t what’s hurting the club. Despite giving up 18 runs in 11 innings Wednesday night, both Todd and Kevin pitched well but didn’t get as much help as they need to from their defence. And they received SFA from their offence. “We scored one run in two games. Wouldn’t you make changes?” asked Zach. . . Glenn’s walk in the fourth inning of the second game was his first free pass since the 2006 season. Glen also had the misfortune of hitting into two double plays. The first came on a nifty 4-6-3 twin kill; the second on a hard liner to the mound which and a throw to nail the runner at first. In each instance, Matty was that runner. And in each case, he had no chance. . . . Eight hits in two games. “We were awful,” said an anymous Garg following the second game. . . . The Gargs will try to earn their first victory of the season when they visit the Wings on Tuesday (7 p.m. at Hampton Yards).

Game 1
Matthew Stephenson 1-3
Glen McGregor 0-2, SF, RBI
Kevin Emmerson 0-2
Rick Devereux 1-1
Bruce Turcotte  0-2 BB
Théo Gauthier 2-3
Karl Bélanger 0-2, BB
Mark Brennae 1-3
Brian McGregor 0-3
Zach Schowalter 0-3
Mathieu Gauthier 1-2, 2B, run, BB

Ollsons 1300120 7 13 2
Gargs    0000010 1 6 3

Dude (W, 1-0) 7IP 1run (1earned)   6H 2BB 1K
Todd Duckworth (L, 0-2) 7IP 7run (6earned) 13 H 1BB 0K
Time: 1:39

Game 2
Matthew Stephenson 0-1 BB
Glen McGregor 0-1 BB
Bruce Turcotte 0-2
Zach Schowalter 0-2
Théo Gauthier      0-2
Mark Brennae 1-2 2B
Karl Bélanger 0-1 BB
Brian McGregor  1-2
Rick Devereux 0-2
Mathieu Gauthier 0-1

Gargs   00000 0 2 1
Ollsons 5042x 11 8 1

Kevin Emmerson (L, 0-2) 4IP 11runs (10earned) 8H 7BB 1K
Dude2 (W, 1-0) 5IP 0runs 2H 3BB 2K
Time:: 57
Att: 6 (and a very cute puppy dog).

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The Rosin Bag: Think Positive

Thursday, May 21st, 2009 | Author:
Rickey Henderson: More electrifying than any slugger

Rickey Henderson: More electrifying than any slugger

It’s not that he’s wrong, it’s just that Jeff Blair always seems to be the first to jump headfirst into negativity when the Jays hit a rough patch. In his column in today’s Globe and Mail he points out the fact that sure, the Jays have a great record, but against the Yankees and Red Sox they are 1-4. Yeah, thanks, we know.

The Jays send rookie Robert Ray to the mound tonight against Jon Lester. If the Jays can find a way to beat these guys tonight, they leave Boston with a 2 1/2 game lead in the East going into a weekend series against the underwhelming Atlanta Braves.

Oh, inter-league play, how I loathe you. You see, I’m a traditionalist. In my mind the only time a National League team should play an American league team is the World Series. I never warmed to inter-league play, even when the Jays played the Expos (it’s the closest I came to liking it). It has taken away the novelty of the two leagues facing off for the championship.

No surprise there: I’m also totally against the Designated Hitter rule in the American League. I love the fact that managers in the National League are forced to make decisions once their pitcher goes deep into the game. Yes, I’m an advocate of small-ball, as opposed to just grip-it-and-rip-it baseball. I’ll take a Rickey Henderson over a Jim Thome every single time.

In essence, then, I suppose inter-league play is good for one thing, and that’s to see the Blue Jays play some real baseball. Cito is going to be forced into making decisions, which will quiet down all the haters (ok probably not). We can also see if Roy Halladay’s boasts about his hitting prowess are true!

Also…

- Aaron Hill still leads the Majors in hits with 64 (tied with Victor Martinez)

- Marco Scutaro still leads the Majors with 36 walks (tied with Adam Dunn) and 36 runs (tied with Adam Jones)

- Roy Halladay still leads the Majors with eight wins (Zach Greinke has 7) and overall awesomeness with infinite

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The Rosin Bag: Lord of the (Butter)Flies

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | Author:
The Knuckeball: Why is it so rare?

The Knuckeball: Why is it so rare?

In French, the knuckleball pitch is called  “balle papillon”, which translates to “butterfly pitch”. My oh my was the butterfly fluttering last night.

When I  see my team’s upcoming pitching matchups and “Tim Wakefield” shows up as an opponent, I can’t help but feel a spark of excitement within me as I ponder the prospect of the Jays hitters teeing off on the softballs sure to be lofted towards the plate. Some nights it happens, and others turn out like last night. When that pitch is jumping, the hitters are powerless.

The factors that affect a knuckleball range from pitching ability to humidity index. When there’s more moisture in the air, the ball’s movement will be affected on its way to the plate by the extra resistance. This is the main reason why it’s so hard to count on a knuckleballer, and probably why we don’t see more of them in the Majors. You can imagine how frustrating it would be for a manager to witness a performance like yesterday’s by Wakefield (8 IP, 5 Hits, 1 ER), only to watch him go in his next start and post numbers like he did last week against the Angels (4.1 IP, 11 Hits, 7 ER). Most of the time, mechanics have nothing to do with it – you’re just at the mercy of the weatherman.

I don’t know how I’d deal with one of these guys if I were a manager. Sure it could be frustrating some nights, but on the other hand they can often take the mound and completely mistify the hitters. Not only that, but when they’re effective, they can go deep into games because the knuckler is the easiest pitch on one’s arm. It’s no wonder that Wakefield has been at this for 17 years with no signs of slowing down (I remember him frustrating Expos hitters in those great early ’90′s pennant races with the Pirates!), and why Charlie Hough, another prominent knuckeballer from baseball history, pitched 25 years until the age of 46. Does a knuckleball pitcher really need 4 days rest? This would fly in the face of modern convention, but perhaps a visionary manager could have a knuckleballer in the starting rotation, then have him in the bullpen on off days. If the humidity index is through the roof with your team leading 3-1 in the sixth inning, you bring in the “papillon”. Just a thought.

Another downside to having a knuckleballer on staff is that they aren’t very effective when the games become most important. Humidity tends to drop in the fall, and as mentioned earlier this affects the knuckleballer’s effectiveness: the ball doesn’t dance nearly as much in dry air. For example, Wakefield’s career E.R.A. is a respectable 4.31. In the playoffs, meanwhile, his E.R.A. jumps 244 points to 6.75. Hough’s stats also support this theory: he had a 3.75 E.R.A. for his career, but his postseason E.R.A. was 4.82.

Still, how do you tell a guy who went 17-12 during the regular season (as Wakefield did in 2007), that his stuff just isn’t good enough to pitch in the playoffs? That year Red Sox manager Terry Francona did try to hold Wakefield back, until he needed a pitcher deep in the ALCS against Cleveland. He finally relented (out of necessity) and was rewarded with 4.1 innings pitched with 5 runs allowed, completely contrary to the way Wakefield had pitched throughout a stellar regular season.

Last night’s game was a perfect exhibit for the advantages of having such a pitcher in your starting rotation. Once the Jays established that Wakefield was throwing strikes, they got real aggressive and starting swinging at the first pitch. Most of them ended up in the air, then harmlessly falling into the glove of a Red Sox infielder. Wakefield threw 96 pitches in 8 innings of work, barely breaking a sweat in the process. Francona brought in his closer in the ninth, almost as a courtesy to Papelbon so he could pick up an easy save against a dispirited team.

Want to learn to throw a knuckleball?

Charlie Hough, Tim Wakefield, Tom Candiotti; these are the knuckleball pitchers I remember from the past 20 years. Can you think of any others?

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The Rosin Bag: The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | Author:
Scutaro and Hill cannot possibly keep this up - or can they?

Scutaro and Hill cannot possibly keep this up - or can they?

At what point does it become acceptable to truly believe in the 2009 Blue Jays? Should we wait for May to be over? The All-Star game? Do we need to get right into August and have the Blue Jays in the thick of a pennant race? Or is it ok, after 41 games (27 of them being victories), to let our guard down and fully embrace the fact that this team is for real?

Although I’m an optimistic guy, I keep waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Scott Richmond can’t possibly be for real, right? His five wins must be some sort of Copperfield-esque illusion? Surely Brett Cecil and Robert Ray will soon be outed as frauds perpetrated on a vulnerable fan base?

And the hitting…well, the hitting cannot continue at this clip – it’s impossible (right?). Marco Scutaro cannot sustain his .415 On-Base-Percentage, which is 83 points higher than his career mark. Opposing pitchers will figure out the kids: Lind and Snider will come crashing down at some point. Oh, and Aaron Hill will NOT hit 44 home runs, which is his current pace.

Those doubts were valid three weeks into April, but we’re now into the final stretch of May and the Jays show no signs of slowing down. If anything, the pitching will get better if Janssen, Romero and Litsch come back strong (they are currently being held back in the minors because of how the kids are performing in the Bigs). To top it off, all of this is going on with Rios and Wells struggling (although Rios has been showing signs of waking up recently), which theoretically allows for some relief when they get going (Wells is a perennial slow-starter).

No, you can count on me to destroy this protective wall I’ve put around my emotions and fully embrace this team as the real thing. The Jays go into their first series against the Red Sox leading them by 3 1/2 games in the East. The Jays have the second best record in baseball. They are free of players that are lightning rods for discontent (except for maybe B.J. Ryan), like A-Rod on the Yankees or closers for the New York Mets. Even the city of Toronto is waking up from their winter slumber and getting their butts to the games (37,000 on Saturday for a game against the White Sox). Heck, I’ve even taken a second look at my budget to check if a quick weekend trip to Toronto might be in the cards!

I’m an optimist but a realist. I know not every Blue Jay is going to have a career year. I know one of these pitchers is going to have a monumental collapse. It’s strange, though: I feel like even when the bump in the road does come for some of these guys, there will be someone right behind them to pick up the slack. They’ve shown a keen ability to do that so far this season. It’s made for the most compelling Jays season in a long time.

Also…

- Where are we on my request for 10 victories in 16 days? Five wins and two defeats, which means nine games remaining to get another 5 wins. Going just above .500 for the rest of this stretch does not seem like too much to ask at this point. Fenway awaits, and it’s time shove the arrogance of the Red Sox fans down their throats.

- Rogers and CTV Globemedia finally buried the hatchet, so Rogers customers will be able to join the rest of the country in watching the Jays and Red Sox from Fenway on TSN2. About freaking time.

- Fox and MLB have come to an agreement to start playoff games earlier. We are being promised a first pitch no later than 7:57pm. Again – about freaking time.

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The Rosin Bag: Honours

Monday, May 18th, 2009 | Author:

 

A.L. Player of the Week: Roy Halladay

A.L. Player of the Week: Roy Halladay

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Gargs Lose 2nd Straight; Team Limited To 7 Hits In 17-6 Loss

Friday, May 15th, 2009 | Author:

 

Ailing Gargs Fail To Impress

Ailing Gargs Fail To Impress

OTTAWA (ODB) — Someone has stolen the Gargoyes bats. Or at least, has hidden them someplace far, far away from the batter’s box. 

 

Just two nights after pounding out 13 hits, the Ottawa Avnet Gargoyles were limited to seven safeties in a 17-6 Broadway beatdown Thursday night at Hampton Yards.
“That was ugly,” said Gargs catcher Mark Brennae. “We should have jumped all over (Vic) because he was pitching so slowly — but we didn’t get the job done.” Vic, in his OCSL debut, kept the Gargs off balance, walking only two and striking out three.

The Gargs actually held a 3-1 lead after the first inning, courtesy of Bruce Turcotte’s three-run shot high into the netting over the left-field wall. It was Turcotte’s third home run in two games and he would add a double later on, en route to his collection of five RBI on the night. 

Meantime on the mound, Kevin Emmerson, making his Gargs debut, was impressing the Men in Black with a variety of pitches, including a hard slider and two differently timed curves. Wearing the No. 26, Emmerson gave up one run in each the first and second inning and a two-spot in the third but the wheels came off in the fourth and fifth when Broadway scored six times to make it a 10-6 game.

The match was still within reach for the Gargs at that point, but a grand slam in the sixth made it 14-6 and it was lights out for the Gargs, whose record fell to 0-2. Emmerson gave up 17 runs, 12 of which were earned, on 15 hits. He walked two and struck out five.

“He had some good pop on his fastball and he missed a bit here and there but he was always right around the plate. I think he threw really well, considering this was his first game of the season,” said Brennae. “He’s going to be a great addition for us.” 

Emmerson also was squeezed quite a bit by home plate umpire Homer, who missed several pitches that were clearly in the right zone, including one which would have been a third strike just two pitches prior to the grand slam.

The Gargs received some notable performances from Karl Bélanger, who went 2-3 and made a terrific play to force a runner at first; Peter Brennae made the transition from behind the plate in the first to centre field and then to right. He made two good running catches. Turcotte’s dive in the second nearly robbed a Broadway batter of a base hit and it was amazing he even got a glove on it. Zach Schowalter played his usual steady game at the hot corner, Rick  Devereux registered his first OCSL RBI and Glen McGregor made a good cover of second to force a runner on a head’s-up play from Matthew Stephenson at short.

Gargs Largs:
The score was 7-6 for Broadway — then Matty arrived. Nah. That’s not nice. True. But not nice . . . Count it one point for Karl and none for Sweet Isabelle. Seems the Gargs’ 2nd baseman wanted to dispatch OF Mathieu Gauthier to retrieve a foul ball. Mathieu wasn’t having any of it. Seems pitching woo to his gal Sweet Isabelle was more enticing to him than pitching back a ball to Karl (can you blame him?). Enter big brother Theo and with a choice word or two and no doubt a bit of a glare from big bro, Mathieu made quick haste to fetch that ball — and several others . . . Gargs catcher Markie has built his vacation time around the Gargs’ schedule. There will be no travel to New York or to Europe or to any other exotic locale this summer for No. 18. But he will be going to the Hamptons. Hamptons 1 and 2. (Joke copyrighted. Trademake Belanger. 2009). . . . Nice to see Bruce’s Nicole out to the game Thursday night. The couple is expecting in October, which prompted a Gargs discussion about who was the next likely candidate to become a daddy. The Gargs should get a pool going. Vanessa and B-Mac? Karl and Melissa? “You should think of adopting, Zach,” quipped a certain 2nd baseman, while discussing that very topic. Quote of the night from Carolynne, who noted that Zach obviously would make a good father. “You’ve got a cat, so . . .” Matt is the best man for a bud’s wedding in June and offers the following tip for men shopping for a tuxedo: don’t go with the groom. Seems a non-discerning young clerk, upon seeing Matt and his bud looking at taxes together, asked the Gargs’ shortstop when the big day was — for he and his pal. Not that there’s anything wrong with that . . . Ken Wong, Todd Duckworth, Serge Leclerc and Brian “B-Mac” McGregor were scratches Thursday night. Serge is recovering from a massive headache/migraine. B-Mac has a terrible flu. Ken had fatherly duties and Todd was on stage. . . . The Gargs take on Ollsons in a twin-bill Wednesday night (7 p.m. /9 p.m.) in Gatineau. Directions to the park will be provided next week.

BOX
Glen McGregor 0-4 2runs
Karl Bélanger 2-3 2runs BB
Zach Schowalter 0-4
Bruce Turcotte 2-3 run HR (3) 2B 5RBI
Théo Gauthier 0-3
Mark Brennae 0-3
Kevin Emmerson 1-2 run BB
Peter Brennae 0-3
Mathieu Gauthier 1-2
Matthew Stephenson 0-1
Rick Devereux 1-3 RBI

Vic    (W, 1-0) 7IP 6runs    (6 earned)    7H 2BB 3K
Kevin (L, 0-1) 7IP 17 runs (12 earned) 15H 2BB 5K

Time: 1:41

Att: 9 1/2 (and 2 dogs).

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