(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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In a bit of local news, a stranded donkey was saved from an abandoned well this weekend. The poor fella was trapped when boards covering the well broke. The rescue team was unable to hoist him out of there, so they had to disassemble part of the well. The little guy was bruised up, but otherwise in great shape.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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The stats on this website are now complete through the end of the playoffs.
DC |
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Well, maybe not 'World' Champs. =) It was another exciting weekend for the Donks. Coming off an emotional win against the Twins, we faced another team which had swept us earlier in the year. The Padres had taken two from us early on before we had figured many things out. Walking into this game we felt ten times stronger than we had in the previous series. The Padres jumped on us early, scoring 4 runs in the first two innings. Down, but not out, we never lost our determination to win the game. Inning by inning the bats became more and more alive as we chipped away at the lead. By the 5th inning we were up 5-4 and never looked back. In the 6th the true power of the Donk's bats was shown. Hits by Berg and Reid and doubles by Blackmer, Casazza, and Zwettler highlighted the 6 run effort, which put the game out of reach for good. Paul Berg, batting a sore arm all game, finished out a great effort by going the distance. Sea Donkeys 11 - Padres 5 In the tournament championship game the Donks were matched up against the Ducks from the American Division. We jumped out early with Davis and Blackmer both hitting home runs in the first to give us a 3-0 lead. This lead felt extremely comfortable until the Ducks came up in the top of the 3rd and shattered that. A series of five Texas leaguers and weak hits in a row was stamped by the only two solid balls they hit all day, for a grand total of 5 runs. As Lutzka strolled in to the dugout he confidently declared, "They will not score another run." - and he was right. We went down pretty much in order the next two innings, but struck in the bottom of the 5th. Casazza got on with an infield single, then stole second and third. Lutzka drew a walk and took second for himself. Davis hit a rocket to the short stop, who had to make a diving catch, and got robbed for the second time in a row. Next up was Berg, who took a solid one in the shoulder. The table was now all set for the red hot Blackmer. With the bases loaded, two out, and two strikes Blackmer ripped an outside slider delivering the tying runs. And this all led up to the second moment the Donkeys will remember forever. Lutzka shut the Ducks down in the 6th and the 7th, and we approached the bottom of the 7th with the confidence that a win was about to be delivered. After two outs were recorded, Davis came to the plate and got a hit. Berg came up knowing what needed to be done. A few pitches in, a comment was overheard on the bench, "If he just hits one up in the air, it's all over." Sure enough, five seconds later the next pitch was launched deep to center. Berg hit a walk off 2 run home run! He commented after it was over that, "I couldn't allow Esala to have the home run championship." I guess he didn't care about letting Blackmer have it though.. =) Sea Donkeys 7 - Ducks 5 It was a great first season guys - and it's going to be an even better second season. DC P.S. - I found a template online for the hitting stats. It's a little messy, but it works. I manually put in the pitching stats in at the bottom. Sea Donkeys Playoff Stats |
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Like the Sunday we played on, revenge is a dish best served cold. The Twins took two games from us two weeks ago in a rather unnatural fashion and we were determined to not allow that to happen again. We maintained the lead throughout most of the game until the top of the 6th when the Twins put up 3 runs. The situation looked dire as Vanecek approached the plate for his first at bat of the game. The former star of the Swedish leagues came through with a monster shot to left center, delivering a double, and eventually scoring which kept us within one. Lutzka strolled out for the 7th and battled the mud pit we were using as a "mound", to shut the Twins down like he had done most of the day. As the bottom of the inning rolled on, we made it about as interesting as it could possibly be. Esala managed to draw a walk in a very intense and close battle with the pitcher. Johnny Ried roped a solid liner to center for the second out, which only furthered our conviction in the dug out that it just wasn't our day. That idea quickly changed. Vanecek fell behind 0-2 before hitting a slow roller to short stop. Baker, injured and contributing as he could, brilliantly called a steal at the perfect time and prevented a play at second. Only Vanny's massive speed allowed him to beat out a very close play at first, which fired up the team and allowed the inning to continue. This left Schmidt as the answer to our prayers. I know it was bothering him inside that Casazza had taken the hit-by-pitch lead, so he managed to get plunked for the second time in a row. This all lead to the moment that the Sea Donks will forever remember. Casazza walked to the plate determined not to repeat what happened in his last at bat, a strike out looking. Against orders from the manager to take the first pitch, he received the perfect outside fastball and ripped it to deep left center, ensuring the first playoff win in Donkeys history. Pure euphoria followed. Not be lost in all of this, the MVP of the day was definitely Lutzka. He pitched a 7 inning gem on a mound with zero traction and provided us with a chance to win. He also delivered at the plate, going 3-3 with a double and an RBI. Great work Donks. Let's ride this momentum to the tournament championship. DC |
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The Donks concluded their first season in existence this Sunday with a split against the Ravens, leaving their regular season record at 11-11. According to league sources, this is the best record ever for a rookie team. We've placed well enough to earn a birth in the second tier of the playoffs, drawing the number two seed in the National Division. The playoffs will continue next Saturday morning against the Twins. LETS PUT A STAMP ON THEM AND SEND 'EM HOME!!
Some facts worth noting from the concluded season:
As more teams fill up their stats from this weekend's games I will see if I can dig up anything more of interest. I'll also be filling out the records page in the coming days, so make sure to check it out. DC |
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Game 1 showcased another brilliant effort by Paul Berg, who threw a complete game while notching 11 strikeouts. Despite a poor showing on offense, we managed to score 5 and maintain control of the game. Thanks to Al for filling in as umpire for the first three innings. He was tough, but fair, calling a very tight zone both ways.
Sea Donkeys 5 - Ravens 3 The second game was another tight one. Zwettler, Lutzka, and the defense kept the game close against a charging Ravens offense, limiting them to 4 runs through 6 innings. The Donks had plenty of base runners but were unable to get much going offensively until the top of the 7th. Down 4-1, we managed to tie it up thanks to our patience at the plate and some luck. Alas this luck didn't hold for long as the Ravens scored 4 consecutive hits in the bottom of the 7th to win the game. Ravens 5 - Sea Donkeys 4 |
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It was a good Sunday for the Donks, as we swept the red hot Blizzard. The story of Game 1 was definitely Paul Berg, who took a no-hitter into the 6th inning before giving up a weak bloop single to center. He also finally showed his 'enormous power' by going deep early in the game with a 3-run blast. All around solid defense cemented the win. Sea Donkeys 9 - Blizzard 0 The second game required a little more battling as our defense slipped a little bit and we allowed the Blizzard to take the lead late in the game 6-4. Lutzka entered the game in relief with the bases loaded and 1 out. He stalled the Blizzard's charge and got us out of the inning with a grounder to third base and a strikeout. We immediately struck back with 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th to take the lead for good. 4 more runs piled on in the bottom of the 6th secured the sweep. Sea Donkeys 11 - Blizzard 6 Next up: the Twins. P.S.- Erik Esala is awesome and hit another home run. |
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After losing 4 straight 1 run games, the Donkeys finally snapped that streak in game 2 against the Snappers.
In game 1 Scott Zwettler pitched an excellent complete game, allowing only 2 hits and 1 earned run. We couldn't produce on offense to pull it out for him, and it resulted in another disappointing 1 run loss. Snappers 3 - Sea Donkeys 2 In game 2 we maintained control of the entire game as Paul Berg took a shutout into the 7th inning. Excellent play by "Superstar" Vanacek at shortstop was the highlight on the defensive end and Dan Casazza put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 6th with a bases clearing double over the center fielder's head, driving in 3 runs. Sea Donkeys 5 - Snappers 2 |
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It was a disappointing Sunday for the Donks as we dropped both games against the Reds by 1 run. For the second week in a row, we were plagued by playing on a field with grass that is far too long to play on. Sharp liners turned into slow rollers and cost us as we were hitting the ball hard all day.
No recap of the games is necessary. We only need to focus on tightening up our play and improving in the future and it'll all fall into place. |
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This weekend the Donkeys split two exciting games with the Pirates. In Game 1 the Pirates jumped out on us with 2 runs in the first but we bounced back with 1 run in each of the first four innings to take the lead for good. Blackmer went deep in a monster blast, recording our first home run of the year. Paul Berg pitched phenomenally in the win, notching 10 strike outs in a complete game effort. The final inning concluded with Andy "Superstar" Vanacek making a great barehanded play for the last out.
In game 2 the Donkeys battled hard to keep themselves in a position to win. Lutzka and Davis pitched us into position, and despite an offensive explosion of 13 hits, we ultimately fell short. 
*Erik Esala hit his first home run of the year in game 2. As a first year team, we showed our grit by staying with one of the most experienced teams in the league's history last weekend, and we will only be building on that in the future. |