2014 NSL REPORTS and HIGHLIGHTS

Gulf Breeze December Report

Month started with 8 games against Marietta played over join.me. Breeze went 3-1 in both venues as they got most of the lucky rolls. Opener was 2-1 GB as they had just 2 hits, but with the save on the line, Holland walked 4 straight and Ramos got the winning rbi on an IF roller. Ouch, right Bo? Eovaldi had a CG 7-3 win in game #2, but Cole and 3 relievers rebounded with a 4-0 shutout win- this time Holland getting it done. Good guys rebounded with a 9-3 victory behind Harvey as somehow Gregorius went deep and David Ross had a 3R triple. On the road, offense continued to shine for GB with an 8-2 win in game #5, Parmelee with a large HR and 3 rbi. Then it was a 5-1 win behind Eovaldi again with Ramos having a pair of long balls. Then the limit eaters began as Marietta won game #7 in 13 frames with Brian Roberts getting the game winning knock. Finale only went twelve innings as the two offenses went dormant, Dunn’s solo blast winning it.

So it all came down to series #21, with the suddenly resurgent Stallions coming by for 8 games via join.me, the Breeze needing a pair of games to win the division. Every break in the book went the good guy’s way as they won 7 of the 8 contests to take the crown. At Sparrow Lake, it was 3 games to 1 for the Breeze. Opener was a 5-1 Breeze win with Holliday and Moss having long balls and Harvey the win. Game #2 was the clincher, a 7-5 victory with Willingham having a large 3R jack, then game #3 was a 3-2 win as a 2 spot in the 7^th was the winning margin, Maxwell having a big double. Butler’s walk off HR in the home 9^th of game #4 was a winner for the Stallions, but Breeze responded at home as the two teams “amassed” 2 hits- one each- in a 1-0 GB win. Coghlan’s 1^st inning error was the winning margin. GB won game #6, 6-3, and #7, 7-0 behind Paxton and Adams before a finale limit killer, a 5-4 Breeze win in 12. Stallions scored one in the top of the 12^th and it looked as if it were over, but GB scored a pair off Andrw Miller to win it. Breeze hit .245 in this one with 9 HR while SL batted .189 with 3 bombs. ERA went to GB 1.94-4.40. Breeze starting pitchers allowed just 8 ER in the 8 games.

So we’re off to the post season for the first time since 2006! I would bet it’ll be 4 and out, but hey, we got there!

Canaan December Report

December started with a large join.me match up against New England, and the Polar Bears showed a lot of moxie (what is moxie- anyone?) in a 6-2 series win. At NE, they dropped the opener, but then won 4 straight with Cobb and 2 relievers combining in a 2-0 win, then Mayberry and E.Cabrerra homered in a 8u-3 win, before a weird 11-10 game, with Hafner drving in 5 and Paul scoring 3 times. Smyly got the save. Back “home”, Canaan continued the huge run by winning the first 3. It was 6-3 behind Iwakuma in game #5 with Paul homering then 8-4 with Mayberry driving in 3 with a dong. Game 7 was a 3-1 win with PH Bogusevic driving in a pair. Finale went to the Elite 5-2 with Hoes’ 3 hits.

Final surge for the Polar Bears began at Green Mountain, and despite hitting just .192, the Canaan entry took 3 of 4. Opener was another Iwakuma nice start as he gave up just a single run over 7.1 IP and J.Guzman launched a pai5r of dingers for the 4-1 win. Xavier Paul also left the building as he continues his torrid finish. Game 32 was a 2-1 Canuck win as they scored single tallies in the 7^th and 8^th to win it. Liriano tossed a CG 4 hit shutout in the 1-0 game #3 win with Hafner going yard, and a 9^th inning Phegley single won game #4 3-2. Back home, Polar Bears won 3 of 5 (one was a make up). Opener was a 3-2 win behind Iwakuma again as Hafner had another bomb. Canucks’ Lester celebrated his 2 bazillion dollar deal with a 1 hit outing in 5 frames of a 2-0 Canuck win then Green Mountain took another, 7-4 as they plated 3 in the 9^th thanks to a pair of doubles and a Kottaras 2R blast. Canaan turned things back around in game #4 which went their way, 4-2 with Paul and Mayberry having 2R blasts, and the finale was a huge 13-6 win with S.Robinson having 4 hits and Mayberry driving in 4.

So it was a fine finish for the team and they wind up 76-86 for the campaign. Iwakuma was 16-11 with a 2.96 ERA and Lynn struck out 217 in 200 IP. Smyly had 42 saves and Cobb had a nice 12-4, 3.34 season. Offensively, things weren’t as great, but Gyorko (21) and LaRoche (20) had 20 HR or more. Gyorko’s 65 rbi paced the team, but LaRoche batted just .190. Scooter Gennett was great- batting ,401 in his 212 at bats. Brantley (.290, 67R, 13 HR) was solid and E.Cabrerra batted .281 and was 27/30 in stolen bases.

Canaan November Report

After a satisfying split at Cleveland, the Polar Bears came back to their temporary igloo and dropped 3 to the same team. Opener was a big 8-1 win as the team pounded out 15 hits to the Hit Men’s 3, E.Cabrera enjoying a 3 hit day and Cobb notching the win. But the series changed in game #2. Canaan scored in the home 9th to tie it up on a Hafner PH blast, and both teams scored singletons in the 14^th. Cleveland went ape in the 16^th by scoring 7 times, and a single run response by the Bears was not enough in the 10-4 loss. Cleveland won game #3 4-0 as Danks and 3 relievers combined, and finale was another 10-4 Cleveland win as the visitors scored 6 times in the 5^th.

After a 5-3 series with Gulf Breeze played at neutral Green Mountain, the Polar Bears hooked horns with Vermont and had a nice split with the ‘chucks. Canaan won the first two, first was a 4-3 win behind Iwakuma and 4 relievers, Gennett going 4 for 5. Then Bears exploded for 13 runs on 18 hits in beating Dickey 13-4, Solano going 4 for 6 with 3 rbi and Xavier Paul hitting his 3^rd HR of the series. Vermont woke up for the next 4 as they won 10-6, 3-1, 6-4, and 3-2. In game #3, E.Cabrera was 3 for 5 with 3 rbi and in game #4, Kershaw was his dominant self. Moving to the Igloo, Gyorko had a long ball and 3 rbi but it wasn’t enough thanks to Braun’s 4 for 5 with 5 rbi, 2 doubles, and a bomb. Doumit had a large HR in game #6, but the table was set for a Polar Bear rebound as they scored 4 times in the home 8^th to win game #7 by a 7-5 score, Cabrera notching a 4 for 4 day, and 5-1 behind Lynn’s CG and 3 long balls. The stats were as even as the series, with Canaan winning the average battle .287-.277, and actually out homering the ‘chucks 12-7. But VT did have 23 doubles in the 8 games. 11 Vermont miscues cost them 12 runs.

So it was a nice month for the club despite the .500 record. Both Gyorko and LaRoche have 20 bombs now and Gyorko’s 63 rbi pace the team. Cabrera’s huge month puts him at .290 and Brantley tops the regulars at .295. Gennett is having a huge rookie campaign, .398 in 211 atbats. Iwakuma is now 13-01 with a 3.00 ERA to lead the pitching corps with Smyly notching save #34 this month and Cobb winning his 10^th. Lynn has slipped to 8-18 despite a nice 3.95 ERA.

Gulf Breeze November lowlights

Just when you thought the offense couldn’t get any worse, it did. We opened the month against New England and posted a satisfying split, but batted just .154, being shutout twice, and notching just 21 runs in the 8 games. Luckily we gave up just 22. Opener was a 6-0 Ryu 2 hitter as he obviously dominated. Elite grabbed game #2 by a 4-3 count in 11, Michael Young getting the 2 out hit to win it over Hochevar. Game #3 was a 2-1 good guy win as GB netted 2 unearned tallies on the day, but they counted. Breeze grabbed the finale in 10, 4-3 with Parmelee (!) getting the game winning rbi. Back to the home grounds and once again it was a dominant Ryu with his 2^nd 2 hit shutout of the series, 1-0 on a – you guessed it- unearned run. Another one run win for the Elite in game #2, a 4-3 win with Morales and Martin leaving the yard, but then back came the ‘varks to take games 7 & 8 in an 8-3 win thanks to a huge Holliday 3R blast, and 1-0 in 11 as we both burned out our bullpen limits- David Ross getting the rbi.

The series was played on join.me and we had no issues whatsoever, except we couldn’t score any runs.

The Breeze took on Canaan in series #18, all 8 games played by Burnie as the Head Polar Bear continues to mend. At Canaan, it was 3-1 Polar Bears. They took the opener 6-5 by scoring 3 in the home 8^th on a Gyorko blast, then 8-2 with Liriano pitching well and Gyorko’s 4 for 4 with 3 runs and another blast pacing the attack. Canaan continues to pound away in game #3, a 10-6 win with Brantley going 5 for 6 with 4 rbi and Gennett also going 5 for 6. Breeze got off the deck in game #4 behind Latos in a 2-1 win. Returning home, Ervin Santana tossed a 4 hitter in a 7-0 GB win with Holliday homering twice before Canaan grabbed game #6, 3-1 with Liriano and the pen getting it done. Game #6 was a home team 5-3 triumph with Ramos and Dunn homering but Polar Bears took the finale 10-3 with Gennett going 4 for 5.

Remind me to not have Burnie play any more games- you’ve seen the pictures of him with the dice and a parka at the camp….

Final series brought the elder Rapp and the Hit Men to town. This was a series of one run affairs with the Breeze able to capture 3 of the 4 tilts. Clevelend committed 2 errors in the 9^th as Breeze pulled the opener out of the fire, 6-5, then duplicated the score in game #2- Cleveland scoring once in the 9^th to tie, then a walk off Ramos SF winning it in the 11^th. Dunn’s blast in the 9^th was not quite enough in game #3, a 2-1 Hit Men success, but ‘varks rebound with a 1-0 decision behind Latos, the two teams amassing 6 hits on the day.

It borders on impossible, but the GB batting average is now down to .211. The worst mark ever in the NSL was .208 by the Williamsport Millionaires, a mark that is certainly within reach. The pitching is just fine, but not dominant with a 3.26 ERA and 551 runs allowed. Moss got his 20^th long ball this month to go along with Dunn (37) and Holliday (25), but the rest of the offense is putrid. We’ll need to score more in December if we’re going to hold off the Stallions.

Rich

Gulf Breeze October Lowlights

The Breeze continues to play just so-so and is lucky to still have the divisional lead. The team batting average has sunk to a paltry .216 and the pitchers didn’t do their thing this month either with the ERA rising to 3.32. The team is definitely in need of a spark to propel them to play at least decent ball over the final two months. I’m not sure where that spark might come from.

We opened with old time rival Green Mountain and after a split in Derby, we dropped 3 of 4 to the Canucks here. Hefner’s (DYZ) shutout started the series out on the wrong foot and then a Marte blast in game #2 was large in a 6-2 GM win. The improbable happened in game #3 with GM up 3-1 in the 9^th and Kimbrel in. GB went back to back to back for the 4-3 win. I could just hear Burnie 900 miles away- Sheeeeeeesh. Canucks got back on the winning track with a 7-4 game #4 victory and the series win. Breeze hit just 1.73 for the 4 games and Canucks .250. 2.57 to 4.75 was the Canuck victory in ERA. The visitors amassed 19 XBH, the Breeze just 9.

Surely better things lied ahead in an 8 game set with the powerful Woodchucks and things started out well with a 3-1 GB success at home, but the to the Talc mines and those toxic chemicals- and a sweep at the hands of Dave’s boys. On join.me, Breeze grabbed 6-3 and 6-4 wins to start things off with Moss and Dunn having big HRs Scott Hairston started what would be a huge 8 game set for the ‘chucks with a blast and 4 rbi in game #2. Vermont reversed things in game #3 with an easy 10-2 win but Breeze captured game #4 2-0 with Paxton allowing just 2 hits in his first career start and both Lowrie and Moss smoked round trippers in the 2-0 win. Things got ugly in Vermont as another 10-2 loss started things off then a barn burning 2-1 win for VT thanks to an excellent Dickey start and Rivera’s 25 millionth career save. Another 2-1 game in #3, this time in 11 innings and Gillaspie leaving the Talc Mines for the victory. Finale was an awful 9-1 loss as Hairston homered twice and Gillaspie another one in the laugher.

It comes as no surprise that Vermont outhit us, but just .226- .168. You know, I could take a stack of free agents and hit better than this! Hairston (4 HR, 7R, 10 rbi) and McCutchen (.370) paced the ‘chucks while Holliday (.333) and Lowrie (.310) were the only ‘varks over .260.

I’m not sure where we’d be without Dunn and Holliday. The former now has 33 round trippers and 78 rbi despite a .210 average. Holliday is at a team leading .283 with 20 HR and 62 rbi. But the team is saddled with too many non-contributors and we’ll have to see if anyone steps forward. The pitching remains good- E.Santana is 13-7 3.09 despite a rugged month and Latos is 10-10. Harvey’s 2.02 paces the starters. Hochevar has 24 saves and Perkins 7, and unsung Dane de la Rosa is at 1.39 in 52 IP.

We have Canaan and New England on the schedule this month along with the Hit Men as we return to divisional play. We’ll have to see if we can continue to hang on!

Rich

Canaan October Highlights

With the head Polar Bear finally home and resting, his beloved Canaan squad took on first Sparrow Lake followed by Marietta in October play at neutral Hurricane Alley. The month started out fine with Gaudin’s shutout against the Stallions in the opener, 3-0 with Shane Robinson’s 2R single being large. Game #2 was an ugly 9-7 SL win thanks to 3 Konerko rbi and a 2R Asche blast. Garcia for the Lake and Cruz for the Polar Bears had 3 hits. Game #3 was a hard fought 5-4 Sparrow Lake win as Canaan couldn’t hold 2-0 or 4-2 leads. Walker’s 2R blast in the 6^th was the game winner. It took 14 frames in the finale but Caanan came out on top 7-5. Scooter Gennett’s 2^nd HR of the day was the walk off blast with Oliver losing it to Gregg. Gennett finished 4 for 7 with 3 runs and 5 rbi. Konerko was 3 for 6 in his last visit to the Igloo.

The series was tight with Canaan scoring 21 to the lake’s 19, but Sparrow Lake batted .232 to Canaan’s .228. Canaan’s 3.07 ERA bested the visitor’s 4.31. Gennett had a nice series- .417 with 2D and 2 HR driving in 6. Stallion’s S.Castro batted .375 and both Asche and Butler drove in 4.

Next up was the Mud Dogs and Caanan was able to grab the first 3 contests. Polar Bears scored 2 in the 1^st and 4 in the 2^nd in an opening 6-1 win- both Brantley and LaRoche were 4 for 4. Liriano had a nice start in game #2, a 5-2 Polar Bear win and Mayberry (2 for 2, 2R, 2rbi) coupled with Solano’s 3 rbi paced a 10-2 game #3 win. Out of gas for the finale, Marietta’s P.Hughes and 3 relievers combined for a 4-0 visitor win, Matt Carpenter smacking 2 doubles.

Polar Bears hit big time with a .321 batting average and 21 runs to Marietta’s 9. Marietta had 12 XBH to Canaan’s 5, but timely hits were the rule of the day for the Bears. LaRoche had a great series (.500, 4 rbi) and Brantley was 9 for 18 with 3 runs and 3 rbi. Marietta had a pair of batters at .333- Rajai Davis and Matt Carpenter. Canaan posted a nifty 2.25 ERA for the 4 games and Marietta was at 5.73.

So with the two road series stuill out, the Polar Bears are batting .236 and stand at 51-62. LaRoche’s huge month thus far raised his average to .184, but his 15 bombs leads the club. Gyorko has 14 dongs and 49 rbi- his rbi total leading. Everth Cabrera is 21/24 in SB and Gennett is enjoying a great rookie year at .371 in 39 games. Iwakuma paces the pitchers at 12-9, 2/60 and Cobb has 7 wins. Smyly (28 saves, 2.98) is being a true closer for the team and the team ERA is a sparkling 3.50 at this writing.

Best wishes from us all to the Head Polar Bear!

Rich

Gulf Breeze September Lowlights

It wasn’t a huge month for the ‘varks, but it was a fun month playing 18 within the division and hosting everyone’s hero for 8 games which were split night and day. Here’s the rundown.

We “opened” the month with a makeup of series #10 with York in town for the 8 game series. Playing at Gulf Breeze first, the Caps took it out on us by sweeping the 4 games. Machado had a pair of dongs in the opener, a 5-1 First Cap win. Medlen pitched well enough for the victory. Game #2 was a 3-2 Cap win as Machi closed things down for Nolasco and Craig had a big 2 for 4 day. Game #3 was a 11-5 disappointment as 11 different Caps had base knocks and Howard drove in 3. Game 4 lasted 17 innings before a 2 out Beltran double plated the game winner. Burton was saved by Chapman in this one as both teams “amassed” 9 hits in the 17 frames.

Back to York for the next 4 and it was a fantastic series- watching our hero shut himself out 3 times in a row and scoring just 2 runs total in the 4 games- a complete reversal of the thrashing he handed out in the GB half. Morton, Teheran, and Harvey tossed the shutouts in the first 3, 2-0, 3-0, and 2-0 ‘vark successes. 3R Moss HR was featured in the 3-2 Breeze win in the finale. Dice and base runners were flying. Due to inclement weather, the pool game had to be played inside at Little Fenway.

Back in the division we started in series 12 with the Sparrow Lake Stallions and took a satisfying 4-2 series win to the bank. At home, we dropped the first 2, 5-2 and 7-0 as the Stallions dominated, Wood getting a win and Santiago backed by 3 relievers getting the shutout. S.Castro homered in game #1. But much like the York series, the tables completely turned and the good guys took the next 4. Teheran won a 2-1 game in #3, then at SL it was 5-1, 2-1 (10), and 4-2 as we came home a very happy club. For the six games, the Breeze batted just a paltry .176, but launched 9 HR to the Lake’s 2 and hung up a 1.80 ERA.

The old retired guy and I faced off in series #13 with Cleveland dropping 4 of 6 to the good guys. At Cleveland, it was more good pitching with Latos tossing shutout and E.Santana pitching well. At GB, we won the opener on one hit- yes one hit- with Dunn smacking a 2R GR in a 2-0 Breeze win. After dropping game #2 7-4, the Breeze got another fantastic outing from Latos and won the finale 1-0 on an unearned tally.

Those upstart Mad Dogs provided the competition in series #14 and it was a very entertaining series. We started on CrossLoop then the final 2 were played by Bo as the loop failed us. Breeze won at home 6-5 (10), 8-1, and 12-10 before taking the first one at Marietta 8-6. ‘varks won game #5 5-3, but Dogs rebounded with a 2-1 win behind Hand, Cishek, and Holland to take the finale. GB finally had some offense (.301) and smoked 14 long balls to Marietta’s 3 in the 6 games. GB’s ERA was 4.00, to Marietta’s 5.71.

So we head out of conference now for a few battles against the Vermont/NH boys. The team is batting a disgusting .219 but have 136 HR to their opponent’s 99. Make no mistake, though, the team is being led by their hurling which is now at 3.12.

Rich

Canaan September Results

With the head Polar Bear on the mend, the Canaan entry played their September series with renewed vigor to honor John in their intra divisional battles.

First up were those pesky Canuck of Green Mountain. A S.Marte 3R double in the 5^th was the go ahead hit making it 5-1 GM. But Canaan got off the deck in the 8^th on a 3R PH Bogusevic bomb, then tied the affair in the 9^th on a 2 out single by Solano. Green Moutain scored a pair in the 10^th on Desmond’s 2R shot and the Bears had no response in the home 10^th. 7-5 Canucks. Game #2 was a battle of impossible results. Down 3-0, Canaan scored twice in the 5^th with Tony Cruz’ big double being the big hit. Canucks took a 4-2 lead on Kendrick’s bomb in the 8^th and it looked all over in the home 9^th with 2 outs and a runner at 2^nd. But with Kimbrel on the bump, Cruz somehow doubled in 1 run, and #9 hitter Lucas poled a walk off 2R bomb of the impossible nature to win it, 5-4 Polar Bears. So excited after the big win were the Bears that they forgot to cover the field and game #3 was washed out in the 1^st, to be made up in December. So a 1-1 split with the Canucks.

The 2^nd series of the month brought a match up with the dreaded Vermont Woodchucks in an online venue for the 6 games. We opened at the Talc Mines and Polar Bears grabbed the first 2, 4-2 with Gaudin notching the win and Bogusevic leaving the yard (Bonifacio was 4 for 5 for VT), and 6-3 with Iwakuma winning and Bogu, Jay, and Chris Stewart all leaving the building. Reality set in in game #3 as Kershaw dominated and the Polar Bears amassed just 3 hits in a 1-0 loss. Back to Canaan and Vermont kept on a roll. With cries of, “John wouldn’t have done it that way!” the Polar Bears dropped a 5-3 game #4 and 4-2 game #5 before rebounding on another nice Gaudin outing and a E.Cabrera long ball for a 4-2 game #6 win. So there are no complaints here on the 3-3 split with the division leaders.

Canaan ran out of gas in series #14 with New England and dropped 2 of the 3 contests at Canaan. The lone win was a 6-5 victory in the opener as good guys plated 4 in the home 8th thanks to a Brantley 2R base knock and a LaRoche 2 out 2R bomb, Smyly got the shaky save and C.Ramos the victory. LaRoche was 3 for 4. Game 2 went to NE 6-2 with R.Martin having a large day with 3 rbi and game #3 was a 7-5 Elite win as they scored 4 times in the 8^th despite Jay’s 3 for 5 day. Polar Bears still had a nice series with a .260 batting average and 13 runs scored in the series.

So, with the Head Polar Bear nodding his approval, the club played decent if not great ball through the month. LaRoche hit his 14^th HR but is still struggling with a .175 batting average. Gyrko has 14 bombs and leads the team with 48 rbi, batting .274. On the hill, a decent 3.57 ERA has been accumulated thus far, with Iwakuma (12-9, 2.60) leading the way. Smyly has 27 saves and Lance Lynn has 146.

I’m sure we all bless the Head Polar Bear as we anxiously await his return when he is ready!

Gulf Breeze August Lowlights

Just one series on the August docket for the Breeze this month and it was played in June as Crosstown came for some face to face action. The good guys won the opener, then saw the Clydesdales score first in the next 6 games- all ‘dale wins before we stopped the bleeding in the pool- Cross’ first career pool loss.

After a 5-2 GB win behind Latos (for a change), and a Holiday blast, things got ugly quickly. Crosstown then won 7-2 (2 Hill long balls and a nice Verlander outing), 6-5 (Gomez and E5 blasts), 2-0 (Greinke dominated), 7-4 with Gomez and E5 doing it again and Verlander winning his 2^nd series game), 3-1 with Chris Tillman notching a good one) and 7-3 with Choo and Gomez stroking long balls). Enough of this- as we hopped in the pool and Breeze suddenly got some BB (6) and more importantly runs (9) in a 9-5 finale. Gb had been up 4-0 in this one but Crosstown battled back for a 5 all tie in the 8^th. Good guys immediately clobbered Joe Smith with 3 BB (one intentional), a HBP, and a huge 2R Lowrie base knock. Hochevar won it in relief.

So get those horses out of town and we’ve had a fine first half. Series #10 with York will be delayed until September when Si comes for a visit, so my stats are done. Team batting average of .222 is horrible. ERA of 3.32 is nice. Ervin Santana has lost his last 3 decisions, but overall checks in at 10-4, 2.85. Unsung heroes are in the pen with Perkins (0.86, 5 saves) and D.delaRosa (0.27) doing a great job. Adam Dunn has 24 long balls and 56 rbi and Holliday paces the offense with 16 HR, 51 runs, and a .303 BA. Moss has just 12 HR and Lowrie is hitting a meager .228 to disappoint.

Bring on York and my division foes! Heck, it’s already September around here!

Rich

Gulf Breeze July Lowlights

The Breeze absorbed their first losing month as the days get hot and they do not. The club split 8 with Duneland then dropped 6 of 8 to East York. It’s possible that the fun might be over in Hurricane Alley!

The Crusaders and ‘varks played through join.me and had a great time in a well-played and close series. In both halves, Duneland took the first two games and Gulf Breeze the 2^nd two. Opener at GB was a 3-2 Duneland win behind Chris Sale and a big 2R Saunders 2 bagger, and game 2 was a 6-3 Duneland success with Estrada tossing a CG and Uggla walking twice, scoring twice, and Homering once. Breeze finally got it together in game #3 which they won 8-1 behind a decent outing by Latos for a change and Lowrie and Dunn bombs. Finale at GB was a 1-0 nail biter with Ervin Santana outdueling Jordan Lyles, the lone tally coming on a Nolan Reimold long ball. Up to Duneland for the next 4 and the opener there was a 4-1 Duneland win with Sale notching another CG and Plouffe leaving the building. Reimols homered again for the losers. Estrada duplicated his first game with another win in game #2 and both Alexi and Smoak went yard in an easy 7-1 win. Back came the Breeze for the next two, 7-2 as Moss drove in 3 and Holliday was 2 for 2 and 5-4 with the bullpen nearly blowing an excellent Harvey start- Chris Parmelee notching a big blast.

The two clubs didn’t hit well (.211 to .200) but obviously did pitch well (GB 2.57- Dun 3.09). Uggla was great- why release him? He played just 5 games and batted .308 with 6 BB. Breeze’s Reimold batted .267 but chalked up 3 long balls and 7 rbi.

Mick came calling in series #9 and the Breeze always pretends they don’t know how to play this game when the 66ers are around. No doubt the same ghosts crawled in to our noggins in this one as the bad guys took 3 of 4. Once again the Breeze bats were putrid (.192) while Mick doubled us in BB (22-11) and of course, outhomered us. The raw score of 18-13 wasn’t that bad, but the Breeze starting corps were shellacked with the exception of Ervin Santana’s shutout. CarGo led the East York offense with a .467 mark and 5 rbi and Stanton had 2 long balls with 5 rbi, walking 6 times.

So we head in to the dog days with a very nice 44-28 mark, but the stock is starting to slip a bit as we’re having trouble offensively. Ervin Santana is 10-2 with 4 shutouts and Harvey has a terrific 1.89 ERA. Unsung bullpen hero de la Rosa has a 0.32 ERA after 28.1 IP. Offensively the batting average has dipped to a paltry .213. Four batters have double digit long balls though including Dunn with 20 (and 48 rbi). Holliday is still here- thank goodness- .306 with 14 HR and 47 runs.

Next up is Crossotwn for face to face action and a pool game, then the All-Star break, with the York/’vark series being delayed until September by agreement.

Rich

Gulf Breeze June highlights

Wow- the ‘varks are working some magic this year and a 13-3 record for the month has them flying high.

First up in series #6 were the Keystone Comanches, and their lack of timely hitting coupled with some fine GB pitching led to the good guy sweep. Lowrie smacked a 2R HR in the 6^th, and a rattled Matt Moore then walked 4 straight as the Breeze plated 4 in the frame to win 4-2. Latos tossed a CG shutout to slow a disappointing season thus far, but Key helped out going 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Game 3 wet 13 frames with Pacheco knocking in the game winner. Finale was a 4-0 Morton win, Holliday driving in all 4 on a double and HR.Breeze hit .162 in the series, yet won all 4 thanks to a 1.35 ERA. Key could muster just 6 runs, with Ruf having 3 doubles and a long ball.

“Face to face” play highlighted series #7 as the Maulers and Breeze got together. Breeze’s offense finally played a good series and the ‘varks took home 7 wins. Four spot in the Breeze 5^th won the opner with Morton getting the win and Wilson Ramos smacking a 2R bomb. Game 2 was a 6-3 GB win as Holliday left the building and both Maxwell and Parmelee has 2 rbi. Harvey piotched well in a game 3 4-1 win with both Moss and Dunn going yard, then Maulers countered with a 5-2 win with Hamels and 5 relievers getting it done. C.Davis and J. Gomes both went yard. Travelling to Magic City for the next 4, Breeze got it started with a 3-1 win behind Teheran and Holliday & Moss long balls. ‘varks hopped on J.Parker in game #6, a 12-3 win as they score as many runs as they have in a game this year, Lowrie and Dunn again launching HR. Breeze repeated the showing with another 12-3 win in game #7 as Moss drove in 5 and Chavez pitched in with 3 hits. Finale was a 6-2 good guy win with Santana pitching well and a Maxwell HR to pace the attack. For the series, Breeze batted a robust (for them) .269 and outscored them 50-22. Breeze’s 2.25 ERA bested the City’s 5.74 mark.

So it’s been quite a surprise thus far as the Breeze offense is batting a paltry .218, but has outhomered their opponents by a 73-57 count, and outscored them 259-202. Breeze is also plus 31 in the BB category, and +20 in Ks.

Dunn now has 18 bombs and 39 rbi batting just .223, and Holliday has also driven in 39 with 13 HR. Holliday’s .301 batting average paces the team. The pitching is holding everything together, though, as a sparkling 3.15 ERA has many guys doing the job. In 5 starts, Charlie Morton is 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA. Perkins (1.21, 4 saves) and Hochevar (1.82, 11 saves) are taking care of things in the back end of the pen. Matt Harvey (5-3, 2.11) has 91 whiffs in 72.2 IP.

Gulf Breeze May lowlights

May opened with a series with the Hit Men and it was like a battle of two retired guys. The good guys put the Hoover on Cleveland and are beginning to assert themselves in the division. Moss had a walk off 2R jack in a game #1 6-4 win, and Holliday’s walk off single in the 12^th of game 2 made Rapp wonder what retirement is all about. 3 rbi by Chavez in game #3 was big in that 4-1 win and 5 more Chavez rbi in game #4 copped the sweep. Hit Men didn’t hit (.139) and Breeze (.232) didn’t really either. Moss (.545, 6 runs) paced the Breeze, Josh Hamilton (.313) paced the Hit Men.

Series #4 brought Creekside to town and we’re delighted with the split as the Crushers totally outplayed us. Opening 4-1 win was pitched by Teheran, but then things got ugly in 21-1 and 11-4 Creekside wins. Yes- I used the same dice for both teams. David Wright had 2 long balls and 6 rbi in game #2 and both Rizzo and Tuiasosopo had 4 rbi in game #3. Breeze got back on trap with a 4-2 game #4 win thanks to a 3R Holliday jack in the 6^th. Creekside scored 35 times in the 4 games and notched 9 longballs.

Longstown provided the competition in series #5 and GB grabbed 6 of the 8 contestsSeries opened with back to back GB shutouts (E.Santana and Morton) before the Ps got one back on a Jonathan Villar 2R poke. Harvey pitched well in game #4, a 3-1 Breeze win as they scored the game’s last 3 runs. Moving to Longstown, Breeze hammered Niese in a big 8-4 win then scored one in the 9^th off Tommy Hunter to win game #6, 8-7. Game #7 was impossible- a 19 inning affair with GB plating 4 in the top of the 19^th off Chris Perez for the win, 8-5. 12 pithcers were used in the game and the teams totaled 141 atbats- a true limitation eater. Prospectors got off the deck in the finale, a 9-3 win as Gee was sharp and Harper and Lind both had 3 hits. Breeze had their best offensive series of the young year (.247) while the pithcing (3.22) was also sharp. Dunn had 4 long balls.

So we’re playing way over our heads at 25-15 with some toughness coming up on the schedule. For now, though, the team checks in with a paltry .226 BA, yet have 174 runs in the bank after 40 games. Dunn has 15 bombs and is batting .245, but has walked just 10 times. Moss has 8 roundtrippers. But the team will be carried by the pitching (now 3.34) with Ervin Santana pacing the pack (6-0, 1.65). Teheran (3.02) and Harvey (2.56) are also enjoying big starts. Latos (1-4, 5.48) is not.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

SERIES 3

VARMONT AT CANAAN

GAME 1

Game 1 between the WOODCHCKS and the POLAR BEARS was a classic as the battle was between the aces of each staff. Woodchucks was

the winner as he pitched 7 strong innings, The game went into extra innings with the WOODCHUCKS came out the winner , Jay got a double in

the 8^th and Guzman got a pinch hit to tie the game.But in the 10^th the roof fell in as the WOODCHUCKS came up with 5 runs in the 10^th on a

couple of homer and a couple of doubles. The BEARS score 2 in the bottom, but it was to little to late.

WP Figaro LP Kintzler Box Score Vermont 6 7 0 Canaan 3 5 0

HR Vermont Soriano Ruiz Cabrera Canaan None

GAME 2

Murphy started off the scoring in the 1^st inning by hit a homer for the WOODCHUCKS. But the POLAR BEARS on 2 homers of their own

Hefner hit 1 out followed by Jay a couple of batter later. The BEARS take a 4 to 2 lead in the lead on 4 singles. The WOODCHUCKS close the

gap on a HR by Ruiz.

WP Lynn LP Kurado Sv Smyly Box Score Vermont 3 7 0 Canaan 4 7 0

HR Vermont Murphy Scott Ruiz Canaan Hefner Jay

GAME 3

A rain shorten game(8 innings) won by the WOODCHUCKS by the score of 3 to 1. The WOODCHUCKS score 2 unearned runs in the 4^th after

the Bears had scored 1 in the 3rd. It was scoreless until the 7^th when the WOODCHUCKS socred a run to make it 3 to1.

After the WOODCHUCKS were scoreless in the top of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8^th the BEARS put on a couple of men with 1 out and then the

to dash the BEARS of winning the ol' ball game.

WP Lohse LP Lariano Box Score Vermont 3 7 1 Canaan 1 7 1 HR Gillaspie

GAME 4

Vermont started the scoring by 1 in the in the 3^rd and 2 more in the 4^th . Canaan countered with 6 in the bottom of the 4th. Back come Vermont

to tie the score in the top of the 5th. Canaan scores 5 in the bottom of the to end the scoring. It makes the score 11 to 6 Canaan.

WP Cobb LP Griffin Box Score Vermont 6 14 1 Canaan 11 13 0

HR Vermont None Canaan Gyorko

GOD BLESS FROM ALL THE POLAR BEARS

Gulf Breeze April lowlights

Amid much fanfare, the Breeze opened the season with new expectations and excitement. Then we had the first pitch, and everything reverted to “I can’t wait for the drafts”.

We opened with the Marietta Mad Dogs and new manager Bo. Played on join.me, the Breeze put the sweep on the new kid at home, winning 5-2 on a Petit gem, 2-1 as Adam Dunn had a large HR, 4-2 with Ervin Santana notching the victory and finally another 2-1 win behind Gaby Sanchez’ rbi base knock in the 8^th. Yes, it was nice for Bo to let the old guy win 4. But- back to Marietta and things would be different. The Dogs won their opener 3-2 with rookie sensation Cole allowing just 2 unearned tallies and Carpenter having a big day with a pair of hits and 2 rbi. GB won game #2 with Santana tossing a shutout and both Eric Chavez and Dunn driving in 3, but Marietta rebounded with a shutout of their own with Phil Hughes notching the CG and 2 stolen bases helped the cause. The finale went o the good guys 5-2 with Eovaldi pitching well and 4 GB HR ruled the day.

The series showed a pair of offensively challenged clubs with Carpenter leading the Dogs wityh a .259 mark and Lowrie checking in at .292 for the Breeze. Marietta stole 7 bases in 8 attempts and GB struck out a whopping 65 times (Dunn had 13). But GB’s 20 XBH easily topped Marietta’s 11.

On to series #2 and the dreaded Stallions was the opponent. This was a turnaround series as the Lake took 6 of the 8 contests. Again, scoring was at a premium as SL scored 5 runs in 2 of the wins, that being the maximum offensive output of the clubs. In GB, Stallions took the opener 4-3 as Walker had a late HR, then GB rebounded to take game #2. It was 2-0 GB after 8, but Calhoun and Walker had 9^th inning rbi to tie. But Ramos’ big bop won it in the home 9^th. Another close one in game #3 with Sparrow Lake scoring 2 in the 9^th to win 4-2, and finally a Mark Buehrle CG shutout in game #4 for a 4-0 Stallion win. Over to Atlanta and a walk off 2R Asche HR won for the Lake. It was another one run affair in game #6 with Markakis and Shoppach having big days in a 5-4 SL win. Stallions made it 5 in a row with yet abother 1 run win in game #7 as Castro was 3 for 5 with 2 rbi, then finally Breeze got back on the board with a 4-2 win thanks to E.Santana and a pair of Moss hits.

In taking 6 of 8, the Stallions only outscored us 29-21. The Breeze had 30 BB to the Stallions 14, but a weak .208 batting average spelled doom. Holliday led the club at .286, while Starlin Castro rapped to the tune of .344. ‘varks did allow 6 unearned runs, SL just 1.

So we’re on to week #2 with a .500 record- lots better than last year. The team is raking a meager .215, but does have 54 BB in the 16 tilts played thus far. Dunn has 5 jacks and 8 rbi. Ervin Santana rests at 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA, the team checking in at 2.19 for the young season.

Rich

SERIES 1

NEW ENGLAND AT CANAAN

GAME 1

Iwahuma goes 9 as he shuts the Elite down on 2 hits. The Canaan crew win this game 6 to 0 as they pounded out 8 hits and went

on to win the

game easily. WP Iwahuma LP Wilson Box Score Elite 0 2 0 Bears 6 8 1

HR Canaan--- LaRoche and Cruz

GAME 2

Game 2 of the series between the Elite and the Bears. The game ended up with a score of 6 to 2. Lynn went 5 innings and ended

up the winner.

LaRoche and Bougesvic got 2 hits apiece with Bougesvic getting 4 rbi's. WP Lynn LP Arroyo

Box Score Elite 2 5 1 Bears 6 6 0

HR Canaan--- Bogusvic

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

Game 3 started out like games 1 & 2 with the Bears jumped out to the early lead, a 4 to 1 lead after 2. But Mr Byrd had something

to say about

The very next inning, which would be the 3rd Byrd hits a 2 run blast to tie the score. The Elite score 2 more in the 4^th

on a double by the

light hitting Florimon to make the score 6 to 4. The Bears did nothing. So hear comes Mr Byrd again in the 7th.

The Bears get a couple of strikes

on Byrd and then try to blow a fastball him, but it ended up a long homer to make the score 8 to 4.

WP Ryu LP Liriano Box score Elite 6 12 0 Bears 4 10 0

HR N E Byrd 2

GAME 4

Game for of the series goes to the Bears. Cobb had a shutout going into the 9th, then Donaldson got a double and

Byrd follow that with a homer

The Bears then brought in Smyly. Although Smyly did give up a single he quietly retired the next three batter by

striking out 2 and the on a roller to

1^st for the out.

WP Cobb LP Nicasio Box Score Elite 2 6 1 Bears 5 8 1 HR NE Byrd Can Gyorko

GOD BLESS FROM ALL THE POLAR BEARS