DUCK!

[seawolf17]

Took in my first Long Island Ducks game of 2006 last night. A little damp and chilly, but a good time. Arrived in the second inning with the Ducks already down 2. Down 5-2 in the sixth, the Ducks sent eight men to the plate, knocking Atlantic City Surf starter Mark Persails (who walked five and threw three wild pitches in the game) out and tying the game on a Bucky Jacobsen RBI double.

In the bottom of the tenth, Mel Stocker drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a balk. Jacobsen, who had been on base all five times, fouled out, then former MFY Erick Almonte popped out. Left fielder Kevin Haverbusch then blooped a single juuuuust behind the second base bag, easily scoring Stocker and giving the Ducks their fourth straight win.

Schaefer Points:
Runion 1.5
Erdos 1.5
Crudale 1
Haverbusch 1
Jacobsen 2
Pena 1
Stocker 1
Schrager 1

Ducks to watch in '06:

Todd Erdos, Closer -- 32 years old, but still throws hard and could probably provide capable short relief somewhere. Throws hard, but didn't appear to have a ton of movement last night. Struck out the side in the ninth. The Atlantic League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2005, leading the league with 32 saves.


(L) Pat Mahomes, pitcher; ® Henry Rodriguez, OF/DH -- Probably the two "biggest names" on the roster this year. Mahomes you all know as the former Met; Rodriguez averaged 27 home runs a year in the majors between 1996-2000. He also won the Atlantic League batting title in '05, finishing second in OBP and SLG. He also hit 27 homers in 348 AB. Don't know that any major league team needs a 36-year-old middle reliever or a 37-year-old fifth outfielder and pinch hitter, but I'd rather have H-Rod on the Mets' bench than Jose Freaking Valentin.


Bucky Jacobsen, 1B -- The 30-year old enjoyed his finest season in 2004, batting .312 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI in 81 games for Tacoma (AAA, Mariners) before being called up to Seattle after the All-Star break. Jacobsen hit .275 with nine home runs in 160 at bats with the Mariners during the season�s second half. The veteran of 824 minor league game owns a career .285 batting average with 158 home runs, 177 doubles, 574 RBI and a .520 slugging percentage.

Other than that, a lot of former major leaguers on the roster: Pat Ahearne, last night's starter, pitched for the Tigers in 1995; righty Ryan Jensen went 13-8 for the Giants in 2002; lefty Andrew Lorraine pitched for six major league teams, throwing a CG shutout for the Cubs in 1999; righty Mike Crudale, who picked up the W with a scoreless tenth inning last night, pitched for the Cardinals and Brewers in 02-03; second baseman Carlos Hernandez played for Houston and Seattle; third baseman Erick Almonte had a cup with the MFYs; leadoff hitter and centerfielder Elvis Pena played in 25 games with the Rockies and Brewers.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

What's that on their caps? A webbed foot?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Prediction: Bucky Jacobson is a future Franciscan monk.

[seawolf17]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: What's that on their caps? A webbed foot?

Yep.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If you're fishing for "sexy monk" pictures, I'm afraid that this is the best I can do:

[DocTee]

Bucky's goatee matches the Duck's hat logo

[metirish]

Guys names Bucky always look weird..

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

metirish wrote: Guys names Bucky always look weird..

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ccollier/msnblog/buckyb.jpg

[seawolf17]

Yesterday was "Autograph Day" at Citibank Park, so MiniWolf got to go onto the field on his first ever trip to the ballpark. He got autographs from a handful of guys, including Bucky & H-Rod, and enjoyed meeting his first Mets hero:



It got cold and rainy, so we split early. Ducks won 9-7 largely thanks to a Henry Rodriguez fourth-inning grand slam.

[Frayed Knot]

I saw Henry Rodriguez's name in the papers the other day; is he the same one who played in the majors a few years back, including a marvelous stint w/the Yanx where they paid him $1.5mil for 8 ABs w/6 Ks?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm happy for Wolf Jr. and Sr., but tell Buddy that hat logo needs woik.

[Guest KC]

Bud looks good - he was my first favorite Met player, even though I quickly
went to the pitchers instead.

[Willets Point]

Babys are just a ticket to getting you into a lot of things you can't get into otherwise.

[seawolf17]

Frayed Knot wrote: I saw Henry Rodriguez's name in the papers the other day; is he the same one who played in the majors a few years back, including a marvelous stint w/the Yanx where they paid him $1.5mil for 8 ABs w/6 Ks?

Yep.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Willets Point wrote: Babys are just a ticket to getting you into a lot of things you can't get into otherwise.

Hell yeah! It's the primary reason to have them!

[metirish]

Ducks sign Juan Gonzalez

[patchyfogg]

Willets Point wrote: Babys are just a ticket to getting you into a lot of things you can't get into otherwise.

Ah yes, the Federline Principle.

[Guest cooby]

Goose!

[seawolf17]

For a team that consistently has a lot of big names on the roster, the Ducks should really have more than one championship by this point. It'll still be interesting to see Juan Gone.

[seawolf17]

Former Met Department: Tommy Herr manages the Lancaster Barnstormers, who are in town tonight. Full report tomorrow.

[Guest Hillbilly]

Tommy is more of a former Met killer, than a former Met. I hat him!

[soupcan]

I saw the Ducks play the Bridgeport Bluefish last night in a battle for first place in the independent Atlantic League's Northern Division at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.

Pat Mahomes pitched 6+ innings of pretty ineffective ball for the Ducks as they held off the Bluefish 11-6 to end the 'Fishes 7 game win streak and move into first place by 1/2 game.

Juan Gonzales (former purveyor of those poorly selling Juan signs) was the Ducks DH and went 1-4 with a single, an RBI and a run scored. I thought he looked old and slow.

The star of the game for the Ducks was former Seatlle career minor leaguer Bucky Jacobsen who had 2 solo homeruns included in his 4 for 6 night.

Former major-leaguer Deivi Cruz went 1-4 for the Bluefish

[Willets Point]

Bump.

[Methead]

I keep meaning to get to a Bluefish game.

[Guest Giant Squidlike Creature]

Bump.

[seawolf17]

We keep blowing off Duck games or giving our tickets to other people, but we'll be there Saturday night.

[MFS62]

PatchyFogg wrote: ="Willets Point"]Babys are just a ticket to getting you into a lot of things you can't get into otherwise. Ah yes, the Federline Principle.

How did we ever miss that great line?

Bumping old threads has its merits.
Later

[Willets Point]

]Federline Principle

I don't get it.

[MFS62]

Federline is the father of Britney Spears' baby.

Without that he has no discernible power to get through any closed doors, as per Patchy's comment.

Later

[metirish]

] Ducks lose 18-inning game BY MIKE CASEY SPECIAL TO NEWSDAY September 13, 2006, 8:58 AM EDT The game could have ended so many times. But the weather was nice (as cool September evenings go) and there was still one concession stand selling hot chocolate and Cheez Doodles, so the Ducks and Camden Riversharks played into the night. Night became morning as midnight struck in the 15th inning. At last, at 1:26 a.m., Camden rightfielder Jason Conti retired the Ducks' Rob Cafiero on a comebacker to end the game. Camden won, 8-7, in the longest Ducks game in history by time (6 hours, 20 minutes) and by innings (18). After the final out, the Riversharks barely had enough energy to celebrate. Ducks players walked sluggishly back to the dugout. It had been exhausting experience for all who had participated in one of the most peculiar games in minor league baseball history. Three and a half hours earlier, the Ducks were being three-hit and trailed 5-0 in the bottom of the eighth. But they rallied for five runs, forcing extra innings. The teams stayed scoreless for the next six frames. In the top of the 15th, Camden's Dwight Maness singled in two runs to give the 'Sharks a 7-5 lead. But the Ducks rallied again, this time off Camden's Mark Demarco, who started the game at shortstop and had never pitched in a professional game before. After Long Island put the tying runs on base, Camden manager Wayne Krenchicki went to his bullpen for Damian Myers, who was actually listed as a pitcher on the roster. But Myers promptly surrendered a two-run triple to Mel Stocker, and the game was tied again. That's when things got really strange. In the bottom of the 16th, Camden appeared to reinsert a player who had been taken out of the game the previous inning. But the substitution was allowed to stand on the field, and Ducks manager Don McCormack didn't protest. Ducks pitcher Pat Ahearne, an avid photographer who started the game for Long Island, was in streeth clothes snapping photos from the stands in the top of the 17th. By that point, only about 50 of the announced crowd of 5,234 remained. In the bottom of the 17th, the Ducks loaded the bases against Conti, who was in his second inning on the mound after playing the first 15 in rightfield. But Conti induced Long Island's Ray Navarette to ground into a double play, prolonging the game. In the top of the 18th, Camden's Luis Lopez delivered an RBI single off Ducks reliever Kevin Mannix to make it 8-7. The Ducks went down in order in the bottom of the 18th, punctuating an awful hitting performance in which they managed just 12 hits in 18 innings and scored just two runs off three different Camden position players.