Ottawa Sweat Sox

Welcome to the home of the Ottawa Sweat Sox, a Tier V team playing in Tier II of the National Capital Baseball League

The SweatSox would like to officially congratulate the Ottawa Diamondbacks for winning the Tier II Championship last night at the Sportsplex, defeating the Metcalfe Mudd 3-1 behind another solid performance from their starting pitcher*. Showing a little more restraint than last year's champions, we here at OttawaSweatSox2 are saddened to report that there were no champagne bottles involved in the celebration.

The Diamondbacks victory was part of the second half Sportsplex doubleheader, earlier in the night the Winchester Panthers defeated the Kanata Selects 9-2 in game number two of the best of five tier one championship final. The game was a sloppy one on defense: one SweatSox player described it as typical Tier 5 SweatSox ball, while one unnamed league commissioner took it one step further, declaring it a Tier 9 game. The two teams will square off again Friday night, 8:00PM, at Kinsmen.

The third and final game of the SweatSox-Mudd Tier II semi-final series took place last night at the Sportsplex, where the winner would go on to face the Diamondbacks in the finals, and the losers will go on to be losers. The SweatSox sent lefthander Cory Bond to the hill, and he kept the Mudd off the scoreboard until the 4^th inning, where a couple errors led to an unearned run – the Mudd added another run in the 5^th after a bloop single over 1^st base to start the inning, and that was it. Unfortunately for the SweatSox, the 2 Mudd runs was just enough as the Sox only put up 1 run, which came in the 6^th inning on a Joe Majic RBI single. Mudd 2 – SweatSox 1.

Offensively, the Sox finished with 7 hits including 3 from the greatest Tier II semi-final hitter in SweatSox history, Craig Cornell, who again had a 3 hit night going 3/3. Kent Johnston finished with 2 hits, Joe had his single, and OMS got in on the action with a hit of his own.

Defensively, it was another usual SweatSox Tier V game, highlighted by a 1^st inning Cornell dropped fly ball at second base. With the drop, Craig joins the likes of the TrotMaster (Tier III Championship) and Cory Bond (the non-dive last year) on the list of greatest missed catches in SweatSox postseason history.

On the mound Bond pitched good enough to win throwing 6 innings of 7 hit ball, with 1 earned run, 2 walks, a strikeout, and a pickoff in front of a near sellout crowd at the Sportsplex, where one unnamed Tier I manager later wrote on my Facebook wall that Cory’s performance was: “a real gem”. Bond also pitched out of a few sticky situations throughout the night, including a play where he was nearly decapitated on a hard line-drive to the mound, yet somehow turned it into a 1-3 double play. The 5-time defending SweatSox Top Left Handed Pitcher Award winner finished the year with a 9-3 record, and a career low 1.03 ERA. Shoutout to wood bats!

When the final out was recorded and the SweatSox season was over, the Craig Cornell management era officially came to an end. After 3 years of failing to win a pennant or championship title, Cornell was cruelly fired from his current position by the SweatSox Board of Directors, and was subsequently replaced by the veterans Bond & Johnston; Cornell will be allowed to continue on as NCBL Treasurer, but he may have to get the new management team some free NCBL t-shirts. Let the BJ era begin!!

The final Hyjinx of the baseball season was memorable, and got off to a good start when it was revealed that it was a rare “double beer night” (Cornell & Keay). The double beer proved to be too much for SweatSox rookie Dave Fenn who had his first career beer spill. Congrats Fenner! For a while, the SweatSox had some competition against their Hyjinx from the Mudd and the surprising Knights, who were eliminated from the Tier IV playoffs via a Dukes sweep earlier in the night. The Knights kept their ‘Misbehaviors’ going by inviting some special guests to their circle, including umpires Patrick & Stephanie, and the dude on the bike who always asks if you need to use the bathroom before he locks it up. Pat did manage to stumble over to the Hyjinx before he left, where after some research we learned that he and Dave played hockey together for many years. Dave doesn’t remember though.

After a few more beers and a few more stories, including the always hilarious ‘Roxanne’ reset, the SweatSox called it a night and went home in their uniforms for the final time this year. Next up for the SweatSox are the Après Season Hyjinx and the annual Golf Championship where Team Green is heavily favoured to take back their title from the defending champions Team Scissors.

In what could have been their final game of the 2008 season, the SweatSox took on the Mudd last night in a must win game two of their Tier II semi-final series after losing game one 8-6 Sunday night. With speculation over the last couple of days that the OMS Mark Dorrington was going to be making his first start of the season, the stands were uncharacteristically filled as fans, players, and coaches from all across the National Capital Baseball League came to see the legend in action.

Unfortunately, when you pay to see the OMS on the mound you also have to stick around for some classic SweatSox Tier V defense. With the Sox up 2-0 heading into the 6^th inning and an ill Dorrington looking solid, the game looked to be all but over but the scrappy Mudd squad put a few balls in play and then the Sox defense did what they do best, and a couple errors led to 3 unearned runs and a 3-2 deficit heading into the 7^th inning. With 3 outs left in their season, the worst ball chaser ever Shaun Keay stepped into the batters box and reached 1^st on a pinch hit single to right field, and then made his way to 3^rd after a sacrifice bunt by Dave Fenn and a wild pitch. Craig Cornell, having a career game already with 3 hits in 3 at bats, knocked Keay in on a sacrifice fly, against the orders of the not loud enough third base coach Kent Johnston. Shaun later apologized for scoring the game tying and season saving run.

After 7 complete innings and the score tied 3-3, the OMS was just too fatigued from being sick to continue so he turned the ball over to the only person he trusted to get the job done, and that of course is the GLE Cory Bond, who was making his first relief appearance of the year. Bond got through the 8^th after a shaky start and a base running blunder turned double play, then hoped the Sox could end it in the bottom of the inning to avoid a tie and having to win 2 more games in order to advance. Due up for the Sox was the Pinecrest Quattro of Joseph Majic, K. Johnston, Denver Hunt, and C. Bond - Joe drew the leadoff walk, then pushed him to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt which ended the night for the Mudd starter. Facing the new pitcher Hunt flew out; then Bond stepped to the plate and on the first pitch he saw, knocked it into right field for the game winning walk-off RBI single. It was old school Pinecrest small ball at its finest.

Dorrington’s pitching line for the night was 7 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 14 strikeouts, and the no decision. Bond pitched 1 inning with 1 hit and 1 walk en route to the dirty win, bringing his season record to 9-2 with a 1.02ERA.

On offense, as mentioned earlier Craig Cornell led the way going 3/3 with a double, SAC fly and stolen base; Joey had an RBI single; Kent had a single; Cory had the hit in the 8^th and 2 stolen bases (1 of which was credited to Marc Lett); and Dorrington broke his 4^th bat of the year.

On defense, the play of the night was from 2^nd basemen turned shortstop, turned 3^rd baseman, turned catcher, now turned left fielder Craig Cornell, whose diving catch in the later innings brought the crowd to their feet for the loudest ovation ever heard at a SweatSox game – it wasn’t as loud as that damn car alarm though.

Speaking of the crowd, after having their season ended by the * and the Diamondbacks in the game prior to ours, the Outlaws and their “pranks” (not to be confused with Hyjinx, Shenanigans, or Tomfoolery) stuck around to provide some clever commentary/chants from their left field station. Some of their more memorable quotes included:

The Highlight of the Night came just after the game but before the official start of the after baseball festivities and starred K.Johnston. Kent was examining the broken bat of the OMS and decided to finish the bat off by smashing it on the ground, only to have the handle break off, bounce off the ground and then off his face for the always comical wood facial.

Continuing their boycott of the Hunt Club/Merivale Boston Pizza, the Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at East Side Mario’s where server “Ashlee” took the pitcher out of our hands after seeing a Shaun Keay beer spill – is it a beer spill if it’s during the pour and he is not in actual possession of the actual beer? The night came to an end after a story was told of a rare ‘double hit and run’; and that doesn’t refer to a baseball sign or a Boston Pizza altercation.

Next up for the Sox is a sudden death elimination game, tomorrow night at the Sportsplex, 8:30PM against the Mudd – winner moves on to face the D'backs and the losers go golfing.

WAR trying to 1-up the Show, then failing.

The SweatSox are pleased to announce that Chris "Edgar" Hart, manager of the Tier I Winchester Panthers and a member of the active roster on the Tier III Winchester Sox, will defect from his current clubs and join the SweatSox next year in a management role still to be determined.

Hart, who claims to have a career batting average around .850 against the GLE Cory Bond, will likely cut the future SweatSox Hall of Famer and bring in his own lefty from his soon-to-be former Tier I squad, and go with a 24 game Dorrington-Charbonneau pitching rotation.

After winning their first ever playoff series in Tier II a couple days ago, the SweatSox took on the Mudd last night in game one of their best of three semi-final series. Dave Fenn took the hill in his first playoff start for the SweatSox, looking for a fourth straight team shutout.

The Sox and Mudd traded runs over the first five innings, with the Sox holding a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 6^th. Playing shaky defense all game, the Sox never really got comfortable on defense and a 6^th inning blunder led to the tying and eventual game-winning runs for the Mudd. Now the SweatSox may never be consistent on the field, but nobody beats them when it comes to the rulebook – when the Mudd thought the game was over after scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 6^th, the Sox were quick to remind them (and the umpires) that a playoff game must go at least 7 innings. The 7^th inning changed nothing anyways: Mudd 8 – SweatSox 6.

Dave Fenn pitched 5.33 innings, giving up 4 earned runs, 3 hits, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts, with the no decision. John Groves tried to clean up the 6^th inning collapse, but ended up taking the loss after pitching 0.66 innings, giving up 2 runs (1 earned), 2 hits and a walk.

On offence, Shaun Keay had a single, double, and RBI; Bryan Fenn had a 2RBI double; Joseph Majic had an RBI single. Joey (3), Kent Johnston (3), and Cory Bond (2) combined for 8 strikeouts last night, but I predict those 3 will turn it around next game and be a major part of a SweatSox victory.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at ~~East Side Mario’s~~, ~~Mexicali Rosas~~, ~~Boston Pizza~~, ~~Kelsey’s~~, ~~Merivale Bingo Hall~~, Local Heroes, where the Sox were greeted by possible former spare around 2004, “Downtown” Curtis Brown. After a few rounds of drinks, and the traditional wings & bacon garlic cheese bread, the SweatSox called it a night in hopes that the next time there would be more to celebrate.

Next for the SweatSox, game two of the best of three series, tomorrow night (Tuesday) at the Sportsplex (8:30PM).

Up 1-0 in the best of three series, the SweatSox once again took on the Athletics last night looking to close the series out and avoid a winner take all game three. Cutting his vacation short, the GLE Cory Bond returned to the SweatSox line-up after missing the final 4 regular season games and after an extended warm-up, was ready to make his return to the mound.

With the score tied 0-0 in the top of the 7^th inning, the SweatSox finally broke through against the Athletic pitcher, scoring the 1^st of 2 runs in the inning off a Bill Freeman bunt and a heads up play by Joseph Majic. That was all Bond would need as he finished with the complete game shutout (his second playoff shutout of his career – should have been his 3^rd though) giving up 4 hits, 4 walks, with 3 strikeouts, and the victory.

In game one, the SweatSox did not commit an error on defense so you would have thought that meant there would have been 6 or 7 last night; however the baseball gods must have been looking down on us, because for the second straight game, there were none. Defensive players of the game include Dave Fenn, who was 9/9 on plays at short, Armando Navarro who made a great catch & throw in right to prevent a runner from scoring from third, and Kent Johnston who made a great sliding catch in center to get out of a bases loaded jam.

Offensively, the SweatSox were for the most part silenced but not Shaun Keay, who according to the stat book had two hits. Upon further review, one hit was taken away and Shaun joined Bill and Kent as the only players with hits.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx was headed for yet another Code Orange, but center fielder Kent “two steps over, one step in” Johnston decided that enough was enough and saved the day with a case of non-twist off beer. The Hyjinx also got off to a rough start when for the first time since probably 2004, there was a Code Green – fortunately a call or two or three was made and that Code was also averted. Then there was Game 1 of the Tribu-Outlaw quarterfinal that was happening on the field…and for the first time in baseball history, an Outlaw runner stole second then seemingly for no reason at all walked back to first which prompted the question: “If a runner steals second, then walks back to first, is it still a stolen base” and if so: “If said runners steals second again, is that another stolen base?”.

Next up for the SweatSox are the Tier II semi-finals where they will take on the Metcalfe Mudd, who won the season series against the Sox two games to one.

Game one of the quarterfinal between the Sweat Sox and Athletics was played last night at a somewhat groomed Southgate Diamond. After tuning up with 5 and one third innings of relief work over the course of three games this summer, Mark Dorrington took the hill for his first start of the year. The Sox hoped he would be ok. The BlogMaster got the nod as expected for the Athletics. It was a beautifully pitched game by both men. Scoreless through 5 innings, the Sox finally got to Nicholls and his relief help in the 6th, highlighted by a two run Dorrington double. The Sox won 3-0 managing only 3 hits in the process (Joe Majic obviously got the other two). OMS for his part did not look rusty allowing only one Athletic base runner on the evening. His line: CG one hit, no walks, 14 Ks.

Normally OMS would be the star but not on this night. The MVP of the night goes to the base umpire who stepped up in the top of 6th, in Athletic catcher’s gear, to finish the game behind the plate when his “colleague” decided to exit a couple of innings early. That’s all on that because I’m still pissed about it.

At the Hyjinx, the Sox enjoyed their victory, wondered aloud where one buys a doo-rag, and received great news that their probable game 3 starter was on the 416 and would now start game 2.

Continuing with the theme from the regular season, tonight's playoff matchup against the Athletics has been postponed due to rain. Game one will now be tomorrow night at SouthCrap, with a likely reshuffling of the scheduled pitching rotation.

An epic battle for 3rd place was in the works at Mont Bleu last night between the Tribu and Sox on the final day of the regular season. Both teams had already long secured playoff berths but the atmosphere indicated a classic was in the works. The Sweat Sox were still smarting from being BOHICA’d the last time they travelled across the Ottawa River and were hoping for a better effort from all participants in the match-up.

Dave Fenn took to the hill for the Sox versus 'la poisson' for the Tribu. The Sox came out swinging and with the help of one or two or five HBPs jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. Fenn pitched masterfully recording the first Sox shutout since the 05 Playoffs as the Sox won 11-0. The Sox finish 3rd and open the playoffs on Monday against the 6th place Athletics. John Groves gets the start for the Sox, likely against the BlogMaster.

The 2nd half the double header was also a success for several Sox members…details are still sketchy at press time.

After a win Friday night against the Outlaws, the Sox had destiny in the own hands with 3 regular season games to play and the opportunity to finish the season in 3rd place. Unfortunately, the team dropped back to back contests on Monday and last night to the Outlaws and Diamondbacks all but assuring them a 5th place finish and a date with the Outlaws in the first round. In order to finish 3rd now the Sox must hope the last place Acadiens upset the Tribu and then beat the Tribu themselves on Thursday.

Nothing eventful happened at either game on the field but it must be mentioned that after the Dbacks game at Brewer, out of the trees, apparently from the football field came former NCBL, Ottawa 67 and all around legend Andrew Hazard. The Haz asked if the ball diamond was available and when told no disappeared back into the shrubbery.

WAR Georgia Beach Volleyball
WAR Borrowing rakes from two blocks away
WAR Goalie Sticks

The longest recorded practice in SweatSox history just ended a couple of minutes ago around 1:00AM. If any SweatSox loved ones are wondering where their husband/boyfriend/father/batter is, trust me, they were hard at work trying to improve the team’s playoff chances and will be home shortly.

August 10, 2008

With a 5-4 Knights victory last night down in Tier IV, the FireBallers, featuring 2005 SweatSock Eric Helander, finished the 2008 season with an perfect 0-18 record. This is the second time in as many years an NCBL team has finished reverse-perfect, and the first time ever recorded in Tier 4.

The 2008 FireBallers now join the list of worst single season records of all time, which includes:

The Sweat Sox, fresh off of two full weeks of rest, were stoked to finally get back into action against the Outlaws last night at the Splex…well at least a handful were. With a few minutes before game time the Sox were without the projected starting shortstop, third baseman, first baseman, and pitcher. If that was not bad enough one of those players, who will remain unidentified, had the bases and catcher’s gear. The Sweat Sox want to give out props to the Outlaws for using their bases and allowing us to share catcher’s gear on the night. It would not have been fun to catch those final 3 innings with an infielder’s glove.

In a surprise move, the start on the mound went to deadline addition John Groves. Groves went 4 solid innings allowing only an unearned run, 3 hits while striking out 4 before departing. In the bottom of the 4th the Sox scored two to take the lead and the OMS was brought in for some work and to preserve the win. OMS was OMS striking out 7 over the final 3 innings to pick up the save. The Sox bats also came alive over the final few innings as they defeated the Outlaws 8-1. Offensively four Sox had 2 hits including Craig Cornell (2 RBI), Army Navarro (2 RBI), Shaun Keay (RBI) and of course, Joey Majic. Mark Dorrington (double), Bill Freeman (RBI) and Josh Ramage also had hits. With 5.33 innings of work this year Dorrington is now playoff ready. For their efforts, Groves and Dorrington share the A&W tonight.

During the post-game, it was the Sportsplex Hyjinx debut of 3 week old Brayden Freeman where it is the sincere hope his first word will not be a whispering “f*ck” or “God damn squirrels”. The Sox then met George. Apparently, the guy on the bike was on vacation, so George amused the team with various kinky yarns about what has occurred in and around Hamilton Yards over the past several years. In one story, it was recalled how angry a couple in a car in the parking lot were, when they were told to move along from the lot – the guy in the car stated “she is moving”; another story invoked visions of some non-lesbian action; while the most scintillating tale may have been with the young couple and the sand pile next to left field. No word whether piggy-backs were included.

As the Sox Hyjinx was winding down the Outlaws Hyjinx was just getting going. The pizza delivery man showed up and we realized that we had lost the battle…we will persevere and try better next time.

Finally, big congrats to the OMS’s on the birth of daughter #3. The Sweat Sox look forward to Macy joining her two big sisters in the Sox rotation in 2025

See you all Monday night for the rematch…set your alarms for 7:30…..PM!!!!

Because of the rain, and the fact that the batters box & pitchers "mound" are 10 feet below sea level, the SweatSox game vs the Tribu has been cancelled this evening.

The SweatSox won't have to wait long to get back on the field, as they take on the Outlaws tomorrow night at the Sportsplex.

The rest of the SweatSox makeup games have been scheduled, so please refer to the SweatSox Schedule for the updated game list.

The remaining games are:

After the SweatSox and D'backs got to Rapidz Stadium early yesterday night, they were informed that due to a "puddle on the field", the teams were not allowed on the diamond and the game was to be cancelled. Looking for an alternative, we received word that the SweatSox old stomping grounds, Trillium (NOT HERITAGE DENVER), was available for play.

After making the 8 minute journey east to Gloucester, the teams were greeted by a steady dose of rain and the field was eventually deemed unplayable, forcing the second cancellation of the game in 45 minutes.

Shoutout to Joey Majic who swears he was going to be there.

The SweatSox don't play again until next Thursday when they make their return to Mount Blue to face the Tribu. Enjoy the time off Sox.

With the Tribu 19-0 victory over the Old Sox last night, the Beauties are officially eliminated from the playoffs meaning we now know the 6 teams who will be a part of the 2008 Tier II playoffs. The Diamondbacks & Mudd have all but locked up 1st round byes, and the SweatSox, Outlaws, Athletics, and Tribu will battle it out for the 3rd-6th place seedings.

After dropping two to the Mudd already this year, the SweatSox faced off against the boys from Metcalfe one last time this regular season looking to avoid a donkey punch like sweep. After intense discussions among SweatSox management throughout the day, it was decided that John Groves would be making his first official start, and it turned out to be the right move. The SweatSox jumped out to a 10-0 lead through 3 innings which they surprisingly didn't choke away, as Groves held the Mudd to 4 runs during his 5 innings pitched en route to his first Sox win. Josh Ramage pitched the final inning and gave up 10 fewer walks than his last appearance, so I'd say it was a successful outing. SweatSox 10 - Mudd 6.

The offensive stars of the were: Kent Johnston, who went 3/3 (including a double) with 2RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base, and J. Ramage, who went ~~4/5~~ 3/4 with an RBI, run scored with a broken bat. Johnston and Ramage, along with Groves are your tri-winners of the MIA 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Congrats guys.

Rounding out the offense was Craig Cornell with 2 hits, 2 runs, and an RBI; Dave Fenn with 2 hits, 3 runs, and a stolen base; Denver Hunt with an RBI single; Shaun Keay with a hit and SAC fly; and Armando Navarro with a dirty hit that even he didn't want.

Despite the poor service they received there last time, the Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at the Royal Oak just down the street on Uplands - It will also goes down in the books as the first ever 'Outdoor Picnic Table' Hyjinx, so congrats to all the SweatSox who were a part of this historic event. After 7 rounds of sour cream shots, a Pepsi that still hasn't yet made its way to the table, and a live step by step walkthrough of how to fix an automatic garage door, the Sox called it a night so they could rest up for stadium game.

Monday night at Rapidz Stadium, the SweatSox will take on the Diamondbacks, who are rolling through the tier this year. The Sox have already lost 3 games to the 2008 pennant winners this year, so they will be looking to try and avoid the season sweep. Early reports indicate Armando Navarro will be getting the start.

After screwing with us all night, Bill Freeman decided to make it easier for the La Belle Province. "BOHICA SweatSox", or as they say over there, "BOHICA SwéatSox":

That's the writeup folks. See you all Friday night in Ontario, where players, baseball diamonds, and umpires don't....actually it's probably best I don't finish that sentence.

A couple new pictures can be found by clicking here. No stats update yet.

THE G.L.E. GETS HIS 300TH NCBL STRIKEOUT
Monday, July 21, 2008

P/1B/OF Cory "GLE" Bond collected his 300th NCBL strikeout during last night's 9-3 win against the Old Sox. Bond had a long career with Pinecrest Little League prior to joining the SweatSox in 2003, providing MVP performances day-in & day-out for the increasingly aging SweatSox squad. Congratulations Cory from all the ~~Gryphons~~ SweatSox.

Round 16 of SweatSox vs Old Sox took place last night at Brewer featuring a pitching matchup between two 2007 Ottawa Deuces: Cory Bond & Adrian Delorey. Bond got things started early for the SweatSox by striking out the first batter of the game to record career strikeout #300, then followed that up with #301 one batter later. Congrats Cory. The SweatSox then jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning, then added 2 more in the second before giving them all back in the 3rd. Heading into the 4th tied 3-3, the SweatSox batted around and scored 6 runs to effectively put the game away. Up 9-3, Bond turned things over to John "Who's Your Daddy" Groves who pitched the final 3 innings, giving up only 1 hit with 2 strikeouts to earn his first ever SweatSox decision, a save.

In a brilliant interim managerial move, Kent Johnston was chosen to bat leadoff over Joseph Majic, who made it to his career best 2nd game in a row. Johnston didn't let his manager down, going 4-4 at the plate with a walk, stolen base, and a game high 3 runs scored. Cory Bond pitched 4 innings, giving up 2 hits, 3 walks (including his first "dirty" HBP of the year), 2 earned runs & 5 strikeouts to earn his 7th victory of the year. For their efforts, Bond & Johnston earned a share of the missing in action 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award; congrats guys!

Other notable performances from the game included: Mark Dorrington making an incredible jumping catch at shortstop - eyewitnesses claim the OMS jumped at least 25 feet high, then at the plate went 1/3 with an RBI and run scored. The rest of the SweatSox hits came from Bryan Fenn (2RBI), William Freeman (RBI), Josh Ramage, Joe Majic (2RBI, 1st strikeout of 2008), and Cory Bond (2SB). Honourable mention goes out to Joey who not only was forced to throw out his helmet in the middle of an at bat, but came through on his guarantee that he would break a bat sometime last night - Joe also became the first ever SweatSock to break a broken bat over his knee on the 6th try. Shoutout to Certified Scorekeeper Grandma Brayden & Webmaster Mrs. Bill who tag teamed the SweatSox scorebook for us yesterday, thanks again ladies.

With the win, the SweatSox have officially clinched a spot in the 2008 Tier II Playoffs!!

After the rainout on Friday, Shaun Keay's beer night was transferred to yesterday so he was the official host of the Après Baseball Hyjinx. During the Hyjinx, the Sox analyzed the 6th inning dugout races between Groves & Navarro, in a surprising upset, Groves was declared the winner of the 10 lap back & forth race - Groves was rewarded with a couple sips of beer, and a whole bunch of bottle caps.

The SweatSox would also like to apologize to Mrs. Keith for Keith's late arrival home, it was the damndest thing, you see on his way out of the parking lot Keith noticed a group of thugs mugging an old lady, possibly a nun. With no regard for his own safety, Keith rushed to the aid of the lady, fighting off the would be muggers, then personally took the old lady home to ensure her safety. Surely the safety of the little old lady was worth being a few extra minutes late getting home, if only Keith had a cell phone he could have given the wifey a heads up.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Outaouais Tribu tomorrow night @ Mount Blue. Josh Ramage is scheduled to bring the Dépanneur Beer, and Bill Freeman is expected to take the stage at some point.

Stats from this game are not yet posted, as they must first be reviewed by the StatMan & ACF.

July 18, 2008

The SweatSox are saddened to announce that due to the rain throughout the day, tonight's game against the Outlaws has been postponed. Most of the guys were disappointed to hear this news, so here is a little something to help make you feel better.

Special shoutout to Joseph Majic who swears he was definitely going to be at this game too!

Just a reminder to anyone who still has the old schedule to throw it out, and refer to the SweatSox Schedule page on this site.

Recent changes include:

Coming out of the Brewers tournament with a little momentum, the SweatSox faced off against the Tribu looking for a win coming off their 3-3 tie last week, and hoping to climb a few spots in the Tier II standings. Cory Bond took the hill and overcame a few early errors to keep the Tribu off the board, then in the bottom of the 2nd inning the SweatSox exploded for 5 runs off the Tribu lefty, then hoped that would be enough for the win. Bond cruised through the next 3 innings in front of some uncharacteristic solid defense, including a fantastic play from Dave Fenn at short for the 3rd out in the 4th.

With the 5-0 lead looking more and more like it was going to hold up, Cory in a selfless act turned the ball over to Rookie John Groves despite the fact he was throwing a no hitter, with no walks. Bond was quoted as saying "it's not about individual glory, it's about the team." Knowing Groves needs some innings in order to qualify for the playoffs, Bond says the decision was an easy one. Groves would go on to pitch 2 solid innings of relief in his 'official' SweatSox debut, and now needs only 4 more appearances to make the postseason roster. SweatSox 7 - Outaouais Tribu 1. With the win, the SweatSox now need only 2 more wins over their remaining 7 games to clinch a playoff spot.

On offense, Dave Fenn led the charge with 2 hits, an RBI, and a stolen base; Craig Cornell, Bryan Fenn, and Joseph Majic each had a hit with an RBI, and C.Bond had the other Sox hit. With his 5 innings of no hits & no walks, and his 1/1 with 3 walks, 2 runs, and an RBI performance after being MIA for weeks, Cory Bond and Joe Majic are your co-winners of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at the Bank Street Local Heroes, home of the Bacon Garlic Cheese Bread. The Sox enjoyed some beer & wings as they watched a combination of the MLB All Star Game, SportsCenter, and Just for Laughs. I just received an email from the waitress and she says she will change the channel right away. After making his first appearance earlier in the night, John Groves became an official member of the SweatSox when at the end of the Hyjinx he picked up the $250.00 beer tab!

Next up for the SweatSox is the third of four matchups with the Outlaws Friday night at Brewer - The two teams have split the season series so far, and sit right next to each other in the standings. Should be a good one.

Stats from last nights game can be found by clicking here.

The Ottawa SweatSox are proud to announce the signing of Brayden William James Freeman to an exclusive NCBL contract that will take effect sometime before 2030. Brayden, offspring of Batter Bill Freeman and "Webmaster" Shannon Rankin, will be a part of the 2010 vs 2030 Alumni game to take place on Sunday, July 21, 2030 at SouthGate (in honour of all 24 games the Sox will probably play there in 2010). William the Third will join the likes of the 3 baby Letts, the 3 baby Dorrington's, at least 1 baby Cornell, a couple baby Navarro's, and Cory Bond & Shaun Keay who will still be there setting records and taking numbers.

Playing in their first ever wood bat tournament, well probably their first tournament ever, the SweatSox tried to hang with the big boys as their round robin opponents included the eventual, and now two time defending Brewer Tournament champions Burlington Bulls, the tournament runner up New Lowell Knights, and Tier 1's third place Capital City Crushers. Not a bad group of opponents for the SweatSox first tourney.

Opening night was a disaster: perhaps overwhelmed by the working scoreboard, the pregame coin-toss, or facing off against the champs, the SweatSox gave up 6 runs in the top of the 1st en route to an 18-7 loss. After some last minute pitching rotation reshuffling since certain people could only make certain games, Josh Ramage got the start and pitched the complete game, giving up career highs in runs and walks with 18 and 12 respectfully. Ramage must have thought the game was in Winchester!!

The 8:00AM Saturday morning game was much, much better. John Groves made his first ever appearance in a SweatSox uniform, got the start, and pitched 6 innings of fantastic ball. Down 4-2 heading into the 7th, the SweatSox scored 3 runs to take the lead, and turned the ball over to Cory Bond for the save. After playing near perfect defense all game, the Cinderella story ended as 3 errors lead to the tying and game winning runs for the Crushers. Bond blows the save, SweatSox lose 6-5.

Trying to play spoiler, the SweatSox took on the New Lowell Knights at 2:30PM yesterday, with only 6 SweatSox players in the projected lineup. Scrambling to avoid the forfeit and becoming the laughing stock of the league, the Sox had to call up the 2002 Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winner Jon Gilbert, and also looked to the Shenanigans for some roster help. Thankfully, both parties answered our cries for help and we had ourselves a game. I wasn't there so I don't know who it was, but I heard the SweatSox pitcher (was it Cory?) threw an amazing game, and led the team to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 7th, with 2 outs and nobody on. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter who you are because the SweatSox will always be the SweatSox - after a couple perfectly placed Knight hits, the SweatSox lost for the second time in 6 hours on walk off singles in the bottom of the 7th. New Lowell Knights 2 - SweatSox 1.

Although the Sox were 0-3 this weekend and got destroyed on Friday, the team played extremely well over the final two games and hope the experience gained will help them over the final third of the Tier II season. We'd like to thank the Brewers for hosting the tournament, and for allowing the little kids from Tier II play with the grownups. Thanks again to Dan Massey, John Groves, Jon Gilbert, and honourary SweatSox Marcel Levac and Thomas Steffler for helping us get through this weekend.

Oh and how could I almost forget, somewhere, sometime between games 1 and 2 there were Après Baseball Hyjinx, Hyjinx that included missing garlic bread, a double beer spill, a going into labour fakeout, and the discussion about using signs for the rest of the tournament including a take sign, a steal sign, and the always important "hit and run" sign.

Playing at McCarthy for the first time this season, the SweatSox took on the Outaouais Tribu last night in the first of four matchups between the two clubs this year. Making his second start of the year, Mark Bond took the hill in what hoped to be the first of many starts over the final third of the year. Unfortunately, the arm injuries once thought gone came back almost immediately and Cop was pulled after only one inning. In what is believed to be an unprecedented move, SweatSox catcher Marc Lett was also pulled due to an arm injury making it the first time both a Sox pitcher and catcher were switched after the first inning.

Down 2-0 after 1 with the closest fresh arm somewhere on Rideau street, the Sox turned to the Dave Fenn who was sitting on 2 days rest, which meant he was the most ready of the remaining pitchers. Fenn got out of the 2nd with no runs, but surrendered 1 in the 3rd and the SweatSox trailed 3-0; that was until the 5th inning when they scored 2 runs then added another in the 6th to tie the game up at 3. Still tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the 7th, the Sox looked for the win needing only 1 run, we later realized this probably should have been communicated more clearly. After the leadoff man got on base, a hard hit ball to short turned into a double play, then two batters later the game was over...tied. SweatSox 3 - Tribu 3.

D. Fenn pitched an amazing game, throwing the final 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, with 5 strikeouts in the no-decision - D.Fenn has now become the first ever SweatSox pitcher with a win, loss, save, hold, and tie in a single season. At the plate, Fenn went 2/3 with an RBI, run scored, and walk. For the first time since Denver Hunt in the 5th game of the year against the Mudd, Dave alone wins the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Who has the medal anyways?

Other notables on offense include Mark Dorrington (2/4, RBI), Craig Cornell (1/2, R), Bill Freeman (1/3, BB), Kent Johnston (1/3), Cory Bond (1/1), Shaun Keay (run scored), and Bryan Fenn who had a big bases loaded RBI walk to tie the game at 3.

Stepping up to avert the Code Orange was the veteran center fielder Johnston. After making friends with 'Carnival Security', the SweatSox that hung around got a free tour of the park & got to play the games and ride the rides for free. The Carnies then shared some of their more memorable stories including a tale involving a sledgehammer, a feather, a gnome, a plunger, and a bearded lady.

When at least four cell phones indicated it was midnight, the SweatSox officially celebrated the birthday of the 6-inning closer D.Fenn, whose 3 night bday celebration could potentially end with an $80.00 dinner courtesy of Marc Lett...we'll know for sure Saturday morning.

Next up for the SweatSox is the round robin of the Brewers Tournament, they will take on the Burlington Bulls Friday night when Cory Bond takes the hill, face the "Orleans" Crushers Saturday morning @ 8, and then the New Lowell Knights Saturday afternoon; all games scheduled for the Nepean Sportsplex.

Stats from last nights game can be found by clicking here.

Looking to climb once again above .500, the SweatSox faced off against the 1-13 Les Acadiens Moosehead (a good team on paper) last night at SouthCrap for the third and final time this season. Looking for the exact same pitching matchup in all three games, the SweatSox did their part by sending lefthander Cory Bond to the hill, however the Acadiens lefty arrived an inning late and was unable to fulfill his starting duties. The SweatSox were able to jump to an early 2-1 lead before exploding for 5 runs in the 4th, and 4 runs in the 6th to go up 11-1.

"What are you guys doing"

Sensing the lead was safe, Bond turned the ball over to Craig Cornell who was hoping to hang onto his perfect 0.00ERA. In the bottom of the 6th, Cornell gave up 4 runs no thanks to Bill Freeman in LF who on a routine fly ball decided not only to ignore the advice of CF Kent Johnston telling him to move back, but actually took his eyes off the ball, of course missing it, and leading to an unearned run. This was in addition to a play earlier in the game where Freeman made what one player referred to as a "hilarious missed dive". Although the SweatSox got 3 of those runs back in the top of the 7th, the 14-5 lead didn't seem secure enough, so Mark Dorrington came in to close the game. SweatSox 14 - Acadiens 5.

"Just stick the bat out, there's nothing you can do about it"

As mentioned, starter Cory Bond went 5 innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run, no walks, with 4 strikeouts while picking up his 5th win of the year. Bond also went 3/5 at the plate, with a double and his first 3RBI's of the season. Dorrington pitched the final inning giving up only a dinky SouthCrap hit with 2 strikeouts - at the plate, the OMS also went 3/5 with a double, but 2-upped Bond and finished with 5RBI. For their efforts, both the GLE and OMS earn themselves a share of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

"No no, don't swing...bunt"

The rest of the offense came from Shaun Keay who went 2/4 with 3RBI; Kent Johnston who in 5 plate appearances had a hit, 3 runs scored, 2 clutch stolen bases and 3 walks including one HBP where he was hit in the head and didn't freak out at the pitcher; and Bill Freeman, Dave Fenn, and Bryan Fenn who all had doubles and at least one run scored - Craig Cornell and Marc Lett rounded things out with a pair of sacrifice flies.

"We'll buy new bats"

With a Code Orange still in play, the team decided to switch up the beer schedule and visit the Royal Oak one night early, then hope the Code Orange would somehow be averted tonight. At the Oak the SweatSox received quick and friendly service, after being greeted at the door by the one and only SideShow Bob. Hours later, and with a game the next night, the Sox called it a Hyjinx.

Tonight for the first time this year, the SweatSox will take on the defending Tier II regular season champions, the Outaouais Tribu. Coming off the DL, the Bus Cop Mark Bond is scheduled for his second start of the year.

Stats from last nights game can be found by clicking here.

OttawaSweatSox2 is proud to announce that the StatMan is back, and has submitted the completed stats to the site. To check out the updated team or game specific stats, click here.

Starting a span of 6 games in 7 days, the SweatSox took on the Athletics for their third and final matchup of the year yesterday at Faulkner. In a rematch of their first game when the Sox lost 10-1, David Fenn took on the BlogMaster hoping to reverse that result and score a victory for the slumping Sox. The game started off well as the SweatSox scored two runs in the first then added another in the second to take a 3-0 lead, but then in true SweatSox fashion gave it all back in the bottom of the inning to trail 4-3. Tied at 4 heading into the bottom of the 5th, a near bench clearing brawl seemed to fire the SweatSox up as they came back to tie a season high by scoring 6 runs, which was more than even they could choke away: SweatSox 10 – Athletics 4.

D. Fenn, starting for the first time in almost 2 weeks, pitched the complete game victory giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks with 8 strikeouts to pick up his second win of the year. Fenn was helped on the field by a defense that turned 2 double plays and committed only 1 error, an error that proved non-costly. Offensively, the SweatSox were led by the reigning Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy winner, Mark Dorrington. The OMS who was playing in his first game after missing the previous four, went 2/3 at the plate with a walk, run scored, stolen base, and 3 runs batted in - Mark’s play of the game was actually when he was sitting in the stands: a foul ball was hit his way and he caught it with his bare hands, then threw it back in effortlessly. For their contributions to the team’s win, Fenn and Dorrington will share the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

The rest of the offense was well spread out as four SweatSox players had a 2 hit game: the aforementioned D.Fenn (2RBI) and OMS, as well as Marc Lett (a two run double) and Cory Bond - Bill Freeman and Kent Johnston rounded things out with a hit each. Honourable mention goes out to Josh Ramage whose brilliantly placed sacrifice bunt in the 6th was a key part of the SweatSox 6-run rally – and a special shoutout to Bryan Fenn who went 0/2 while using Shaun’s helmet, Bill’s cleats, and the AFB’s jersey.

We also have another addition to the Cialis tracker, but not for a broken bat. Armando Navarro makes the list for being the “first player to take a bat out of the garbage that was broken during the Tier 3 game beforehand and taking it home to transform into a warm-up bat”. Congrats Army.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx was one of the more depressing ones the team has ever seen, despite the slumpbusting victory. First off, we were presented with a case of warm beer; now normally this would have been the end of the world and someone would be cut, however since it was the OMS that brought the beer, we are now proud to announce that for the rest of the year everyone will be expected to bring and enjoy warm beer! Next, we found out that this will be Willy Freeman’s final year with the SweatSox – news that a day later still makes me cry. The bad news continued when we discovered that before any SweatSock can be a part of any future Hyjinx, they must write and pass a 100 question multiple choice psychological evaluation. Finally, despite the “beer being cold enough for him”, Craig Cornell did the unthinkable and left his beer sitting on the uneven ground, which of course led to a beer spill, the second recorded spill this year. That wasn’t the worst spill/drop in the last 24 hours though, as the G.L.E. Cory Bond is reporting that the Bus Cop dropped his iPod off their 7th floor balcony earlier this morning, needless to say there will be no more songs played off it ever again.

Looking to find some positives where little existed, the SweatSox found out that on Saturday Marc Lett, despite being under homo-suspicion, celebrated his 5 year anniversary with Mrs. Marc - so a belated congratulations goes out to the Marcs!

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with Les Acadiens Moosehead tomorrow night, followed by a game with the defending regular season champions, the Outaouais Tribu, Wednesday night. The SweatSox will then be a part of the Brewers tournament this weekend starting with a game against the Burlington Bulls Friday night at 9:00PM, then a game with the Capital City Crushers Saturday morning at 8:00AM. If we are still alive after the Friday night Hyjinx and the Saturday morning game, the SweatSox will take on the New Lowell Knights at 2:30PM that afternoon.

Finally, this one goes out to the Faulkner Final Four, you know who you are:

膣

Meet Mandy - a reported chewer from an old ball team in Minnesota. I’m told she will be seeing this, so Mandy please email ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com to confirm these reports.

Trying not to fall under .500, the SeatSox faced off against the Damondbacks last night at SouthGate in round three of their four round season battle. The first two rounds went to the D’backs after defeating the SweatSox 10-6 and 4-2 earlier in the year so the Sox were looking for a win to avoid the season series loss. Looking to solidify his spot in the starting rotation, Josh Ramage was scheduled to start the game but regrettably couldn’t make it out due to a severe case of “S.D.S.” – fortunately the rest of the SweatSox rotation are experts in pitching on little notice, so lefty Cory Bond took the mound for his second consecutive start.

Cory started the game off well despite nearly being blinded by the brand new shoes of the D’backs’ second hitter, going 3up 3down and looking poised to pitch deep into the game. It was at this point the Athletics were spotted hanging out in left field scouting for their rematch against the Sox this Sunday, so the SweatSox decided to turn the tables on them and give them nothing to scout by displaying some of their patented Tier 5 defense, giving up 6 runs, all unearned of course, to effectively end the game right then and there.

Bond was subsequently pulled from the game after pitching what seemed like 100 pitches and turned it over to Dave Fenn, who after a couple early walks pitched very well to help the Sox avoid the always embarrassing mercy rule loss. Marc Lett, fresh off a week long beer-free vacation, decided to “make himself useful” by providing the lone SweatSox run with an RBI double late in the game – the second time in as many years he’s kept the Sox from being shutout. Final score: Diamondbacks 8, SweatSox 1.

The SweatSox offence was once again relatively quiet, as Craig Cornell, Armando Navarro and Lett each had a hit but it was Willy Freeman that stole the show, quietly going 3/3 from the number four spot while scoring the only run for the Sox.

In our last update, we found out we had 3 consecutive Code Orange’s coming up, and as hoped, the SweatSox stepped up. Not only did one person bring beer, but two people did – that’s right, DOUBLE BEER!!! The Lett-Freeman combination that kept the Sox from being shutout was also the combination that saved the Hyjinx. Huge ups to Marc and Bill, who showed that even during a horrible losing streak, the team can still be winners.

The Hyjinx proceeded as usual with special guest, and recently signed on-call spare: John Groves. Groves was part of the Hyjinx for the first time, and was treated to a variety of fascinating discussions on among other things: ‘Hammer Throwing’, ‘Huge 3-D Nut Sacks’, the rules of a 3 vs 1 fight on the street, and whether or not it’s possible to put a ‘Porta-Potty’ on the back of a truck, and if so, how big a mess would it make. “I want some of me in this!!”

After Grissom was done dissecting some bugs, he wondered aloud what if anything a “stepwife” was, and as always the SweatSox Bible (aka the Urban Dictionary) had an answer. Upon review, the answer is not as graphic as some of the more immature Sox would have liked. To see what it means, click here. The Hyjinx then ended for at least one SweatSock when he found out about a new law that was passed regarding impaired motorists. Fearing that the alien on his shirt would begin speaking if he stayed any longer, the unnamed player “flew” home to avoid the cops that usually show up at that time. The festivities continued with some analysis on the newly painted ‘Batman’ helmet, a debate on the pros and cons of ‘Butt Paste’, and predicting the chances the SweatSox finish the year at 6-18; a sad possibility.

The Hyjinx officially came to an end in the wee hours of the morning, thanks mostly to the Bylaw who must have seen the second inning fiasco and decided that we probably needed a few extra beers to forget that. You knew it was a good night when D.Fenn tried to get into & drive Shaun’s car instead of his own...we hope he made it to the right house!!

Next up for the SweatSox is the rematch with the Athletics Sunday at Faulkner at 6:00PM, not AM, got that Freeman!!

Stats still are NOT posted, however there has been an update as to the whereabouts of the StatMan; reports indicate he is actually on the current Space Shuttle mission, and will be returning to his Excel Workbook very shortly. I predict a complete stats update after tomorrow's game.

Finally, reports are indicating that there may be an unadvertised BBQ after our game tomorrow but condiments will not be provided, so if anyone has extra bottles of the usual stuff feel free to bring. Unconfirmed reports suggest the Code Orange will be taken care of by Mark Dorrington. If we end up having a BBQ with no beer, and a possible 4th loss in a row - that may be the low point in SweatSox history.

And what Marc Lett beer night at SouthGate game would be complete without a picture of the Red Wagon!!

Although the SweatSox Lost & Found Section is still stuck in 2007, we are still losing things. Right now we can't seem to find our StatMan, who has been missing for 2 games. If anyone has seen this individual, please contact the team at ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com; he was last seen in front of his Wii playing Rock Band.

With the recent poor play of the SweatSox, sponsors are now threatening to pull out, including one of our main sponsors, Cialis. No worries, BOHICA isn't going anywhere. In order to keep Cialis in the mix, we have decided to promote their new line of depression meds, as well as their steroid products.

Cialis asked that we have an internal marketing promotion, and whichever SweatSox came up with the best sales pitch, would win a 1 year supply of their favourite Cialis product.

The winner was our all star outfielder "Brent", who submitted:

Does your team field like one armed gimps?
Is the team batting average lower than a snakes belly?
Do you have difficulty getting it up and into play?
Been a while since you scored?

If you or your team suffers from any of these symptoms than Cialis' antidepressants may be right for you! Please call doctor for a free trial today!

Or better yet:

If you or your team suffers from any of these symptoms than Cialis' ROIDS may be right for you! Please call doctor for a free in-the-butt sample needle today!

With one final roster spot available before they freeze tonight, the SweatSox have signed former SweatSox, former King, former Mudd, and proud participant of the infamous Trillium "Back 2 Back Jacks" game: Daniel Massey, to an on-call contract.

Massey will look to help the Sox offensively if he is able to make it into a game; he will NOT look to help the team on the mound where he currently holds an infinite ERA. Even Billy and his career 21.00ERA(?) is laughing (the ERA is unconfirmed because of the missing 'RockBanding' StatMan).

One of the highlights of Massey's SweatSox career was going back to back with Craig at a game in Gloucester's Trillium Park. Massey had 2 homeruns that game.

With the signing, the final 2008 SweatSox roster is: Cory Bond, Mark Bond, Craig Cornell, Mark Dorrington, Bryan Fenn, Dave Fenn, Keith Fenn, William Freeman, John Groves, Denver Hunt, Kent Johnston, Shaun Keay, Marc Lett, Joseph Majic, Sammy Majic, Will Majic, Daniel Massey, Armando Navarro, Josh Ramage, and Kevin Singer. Now all that remains is a team picture with the SweatSox full-timers.

Whoops, almost forgot, one time Dan and Craig went back to back in a game where Massey had 2 homeruns!!

For the 3rd time in 13 days, a SweatSox game has been postponed due to rain. Earlier tonight, the SweatSox-Outlaws matchup scheduled at Faulkner was postponed after onsite meteorologists predicted the rain would not let up.

As a few SweatSox hurried to the Sportsplex to take part in a softball game scheduled at the same time, it got back to me that the Gryphons-Stingrays Tier I game was unaffected by the "rain", and began at its regular time. That must be the difference between Tier's I and II, Tier I is full of warriors unaffected by a little drizzle!!

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Diamondbacks, who have already defeated the Sox twice this year. It looks like we also have a CODE Orange situation brewing, unless Will Majic is a true SweatSox and will bring the beer even though he hasn't been out to a single game.

Who will step up and bring the beer? Will the Bus Cop bring the leftovers from the rainout today? Will the OMS or G-Zaun get back into the rotation and host the festivities? Will someone have to leave the game to get to the Beer Store before it closes? Or will someone dig deep into their fridge and bring a potluck of whatever they have left to ensure the survival of the Hyjinx?

With just 3 days left to make final roster decisions, the SweatSox have signed 2007 SweatSox Kevin Singer to the team, as well as the middle Majic brother Sammy. Like last year, the Sox will look at Singer to contribute both offensively and on the mound, while having his car break down at least once before the playoffs start.

The SweatSox really have no idea what to expect from Sammy, or any of the Majic's over the final 12 games for that matter. If Sammy can show up like twice, that'll be more face time than Joe has had this year!!

Welcome to all the new recruits, and remember: Your beer is our beer.

Reports are coming in that the Mont Bleu field is a river and ultimately unplayable, therefore the SweatSox-Tribu game tonight has been postponed. Although the Sox were looking forward to trying and get back in the win column, the more disappointing news was that because the first game was cancelled, the second game was too.

On the bright side, SweatSox everywhere can put away their debit and credit cards for a few days and purchase everything they need to with the fresh $20 bills they took out from the bank over the past couple of days.

Coming off a 10-1 beat down at the hands of the Mudd two days ago, the SweatSox went mano-a-mano with the Ottawa Outlaws in hopes of pulling their record back to two games over .500. The SweatSox sent their career wins leader Cory Bond to the hill to try for his fifth win of the year, and was able to build up a 4-1 lead early on. Then the errors struck, leading to a total of 4 unearned runs and a 4-4 tie game heading into the 6th inning. After a 4 pitch leadoff walk, a high pitch count, and a blister on his pitching hand, Bond was pulled from the game and hoped the bullpen could steal a win. Some well timed & placed Outlaw hits scored the runner from first (the only ER Bond gave up) and then they added two more to defeat the SweatSox by a score of 7-4; and it goes down in the books as the first ever Outlaw win over the Sox.

Offensively, the Sox managed seven hits including two from Bryan Fenn, who also had 2RBI. Dave Fenn had a hit I think, and Cory rode the SlumpBuster Spot in the batting order to the tune of a bunt single. With the StatMan still MIA, who knows who else had noteworthy stats!

Defensively it was a disaster, but there were some moments of greatness: Armando Navarro threw a runner out at the plate from right field to record his first ever outfield assist; and we may have had the first ever SweatSox 3-up 3-down inning with three consecutive 6-3 putouts. Well done to D.Fenn who was giving it, and K-Zer who was receiving it. Also a shoutout to Keith Fenn who made his second appearance for the Sox this year, and caught the game for his old Pinecrest teammate while Marc is still hanging out with Mickey, Goofy & the rest of the gang.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at Hunt Club/Merivale's East Side Mario's; home of the lowest ranked Garlic Cheese Bread on the all time SweatSox rankings. The team shared in some half priced appetizers & pizza, and some all you can eat salad that was tossed by a chef who was mad at the waitress; unconfirmed reports say that they slept together and he didn't call her back, not realizing that they worked together. B.Fenn was the first to exit the premises at exactly 9:23PM, TELUS time. The goal was to make it to Bayshore by 9:30PM, did he make it? We'll all find out next time!!

Next up for the SweatSox is a trip to Mont Bleu for a matchup with the Tribu. It will be the SweatSox 3rd of 5th game this week, as they will play 2 in Quebec before returning home to Faulkner Sunday night for a game against the Outlaws. Josh Ramage is scheduled to take the hill in the first game Thursday, and Billy Freeman is expected to take the stage in the second half of the doubleheader.

With the rosters being frozen on June 30 at midnight, the SweatSox have begun making midseason signings in hopes of finding the final pieces of the always changing puzzle. Today, the SweatSox have signed former Mustang John Groves, who will work as an on call pitching specialist to help keep the current rotation fresh for the Brewers Tournament, and hopefully the playoffs if we make it.

During the press conference, Groves was quoted as saying he "couldn't be happier to be a part of the SweatSox organization", and that it was "a dream come true". SweatSox management is pleased with the signing, saying Groves was probably coveted by many teams in the tier, but in the end made "the right decision".

It is still unclear when Groves will make his playing debut but one thing is clear, as the top dog in the on-call pitching rotation, he will need to host a Hyjinx before being truly accepted as a member of the SweatSox.

After their first rainout of the year last Tuesday, the SweatSox finally retook the field last night to faceoff against the Mudd, who defeated the Sox 5-3 earlier in the year. The Sox committed a couple early inning errors that put them in a deep hole, and were shutdown at the plate only managing two total hits, en route to a 10-1 loss.

A couple SweatSox highlights from the game included: a Josh Ramage bloop hit to the right side to break up the Mudd no hitter late in the game; and a second team hit from veteran Shaun Keay, who also scored the lone "meaningless" SweatSox run. Defensively, Craig Cornell made a terrific diving catch in right field on the first ball hit to him this year, giving him a 100% outfield fielding percentage on the year; do I hear gold glove?

On the mound Dave Fenn took the loss, but huge shoutout to the relief trio of the Bus Cop, Seductive Eyes, and Mr. Hyjinx (career pitching debut) who closed the game in style, I would normally drop some sort of statistic here but the StatMan is doing homework, so just assume they had a bunch of strikeouts and gave up only a couple runs between them. I predict we will never see those three guys on the mound in the same game ever game, so history was definitely made. Honourable mention to Kent Johnston who caught his first game since he called Cory Bond's masterful 15 strikeout game back in 2006.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx were supposed to be hosted by Mark Dorrington, but when the team found out the OMS was away on business, we had ourselves another Code ORANGE. Looking for someone to step up and save the Hyjinx, Mr. Hyjinx William Freeman himself took himself out of the starting lineup, grabbed the keys to his truck, and made way to the nearest Beer Store. Billy came back a couple innings later and made a Marc Lett like entrance, wheeling in his $20.00 suitcase-like cooler from the left field parking lot. Had he brought back some snacks, the team probably would have let him get away with claiming that a walked in run is not an earned one; alas, only Cory has earned the right to change or modify actual baseball rules.

Late in the Hyjinx, the team began brainstorming game plans for the Brewers tournament next month; it was at this point Dave Fenn realized he was away that weekend....or is he???

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Outlaws later tonight, lefthander Cory Bond will get the start looking to improve his record to 5-0 on the year; I predict a solid defensive game for the SweatSox!

The SweatSox are saddened to announce that due to the rain throughout the day, tonight's game against the Mudd has been postponed. Most of the guys were disappointed to hear this news, so here is a little something to help make you feel better.

Special shoutout to Joseph Majic who swears he was definitely going to be at this game!

The SweatSox played their second 1PM Sunday game in as many weeks yesterday at Faulkner against Les Acadiens Moosehead in a rematch of Opening Day 2008. The Sox got off to a rough start after being caught off guard when informed the game was starting 5 minutes early, at 12:55. The ensuing chaos included BP being cut short, non-existent pregame throwing, some miscommunication on the exact location of the game balls, and a starting lineup made by people yelling out what positions they were already running to. The SweatSox promptly went down 1-0 moments later after a couple no-warmup related throwing errors led to an unearned run. The Acadiens scored two more runs over the next two innings to go up 3-0 when the Sox finally got the bats going, scoring 2 runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th innings en route to a 6-3 victory.

Starting pitcher Cory Bond took the hill in his 5th start of the year and was knocked around early after the Acadiens balls were finding the holes or taking unpredictable bounces in the infield. In the 4th inning Bond took the field and was greeted by some rain, a bad sign for the SweatSox who are 0-3 when there is rain in the game. Miraculously, Cory seemed to pitch better with wet balls and shut the Acadiens down over the final four innings to pick up the complete game victory giving up 7 hits, 4 walks, 2 earned runs, with 4 strikeouts and another pickoff to bring his 2008 record to 4-0 with a 1.08ERA. It was also Bond's first 7 inning complete game since he beat the Tribu back on August 16, 2006.

On offense, the SweatSox scored their 6 runs off 7 hits, with all hits coming from only 3 players. Bryan Fenn finished the game with 2 hits, 2 runs and a clutch sacrifice fly; Dave Fenn had 3 hits, 3RBI, 2 runs scored and a stolen base; and Kent Johnston knocked the other 2 hits with an RBI, 2 stolen bases, and his first 2 strikeouts of the year. Johnston also had a couple nice plays in center field: a diving catch (more impressive than the 3 diving Acadiens catches), and a beautiful throw home on a sacrifice fly that beat the runner there but was knocked out of the catchers glove at the last moment. Johnston dedicates his all around performance to his boy Matt the "LiveWire".

For their contributions in the SweatSox win, all four players mentioned above will take home a quarter of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award; so Cory, Bryan, Dave, and Kent...congrats!!

The Après Baseball Hyjinx was hosted by the man who earlier in the game, drew his first walk of the year: Cory Bond. The Hyjinx were Bylaw and Police free, however the rain was too much for the SweatSox who called it a day after only 2 rounds of drinks, and unconfirmed reports have the Hyjinx host somehow making it home with 5 full leftover beers. After consulting the SweatSox Constitution, it was revealed that any Hyjinx host who goes home with leftover beer must bring those beers to the following game; unfortunately the very next line reads "unless the following game is a scheduled PubNight". After a quick review of the schedule, it looks like the next game is indeed a PubNight, so Cory, you got lucky, enjoy your beer.

The Highlight of the Hyjinx was no doubt the first Beer Spill of 2008. The unfortunate recipient of this award was the Bus Cop, whose chair broke just as he was about to take a sip causing the always funny beer facial. For some pictures of other great facials, click here.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup Tuesday at Brewer against the Mudd, who beat the Sox 5-3 earlier this year. Dave Fenn, sitting on an career high three games rest is scheduled for the start. As mentioned, Tuesday will also be a SweatSox PubNight with the Hyjinx taking place at the Bank Street Local Heroes, so people, get ready to get your bac-on.

June 12, 2008

Last night, the SweatSox and Diamondbacks faced off at SouthGate for the second time this year, with the first matchup ending in a 10-6 SweatSox loss. After a few hours rest, the Bus Cop determined he was fit for his first start of the year so the Sox sent him to the mound; the D’backs provisional pitching rotation countered with a rookie of their own, and we had ourselves a game. The StatMan is MIA so if I recall, Cop went 3 innings, probably giving up a couple runs, a couple walks, with a couple strikeouts. Denver Hunt then came into the game for his first 2008 mound appearance, pitching the final 4 innings, probably giving up a couple runs, a couple walks, with a couple strikeouts. The SweatSox lost 4-2, with the Bus Cop picking up the loss, bringing his record to 1-2 on the year.

Offensively, I’m thinking the only SweatSox hits were from Kent Johnston, Marc Lett, Bryan Fenn, and Mark Dorrington…who knows. Dorrington also had the only SweatSox RBI, after he crushed his second homerun of the year to deep left field, against the wind. In his next at bat, Dorrington broke his second wood bat of the GAME, making him the first person to break a bat (2 bats) during the regular season, earning himself a year’s supply of our favourite performance enhancing drug: Cialis. Congrats OMS.

The much anticipated Après Baseball Hyjinx took place at the Conroy Pub: home of the “Napkin”, beginning of the Seductive Eyes gloss, workplace of Amy the bartender, and hangout of at least one former Tier III legend. Billy Freeman got the Hyjinx off to a good start by paying for two of three first round pitchers, and remarkably was able to throw back his beers effortlessly despite some chest pains from “maxing out the chest protector” when catching the last couple of innings.

SweatSox Center Fielder Kent Johnston then did the unthinkable; he tried to order food off the menu! Any Conroy Pub regular could tell you that the kitchen closes at like 5:00pm, but Johnston was clueless. Things continued to take a downward spiral once the team found out that there were no ladies on site, so it was at this point the first ever Hyjinx ‘Pub Switch’ took place and the Sox returned to more familiar surroundings, the friendly confines of Boston Pizza (Conroy/Walkley).

After losing a few members of the team, the core group of Hyjinx’ers found their way in and were greeted by the friendly BP Hostess, who looked very familiar to some…more on that later. As the team was being seated, they were treated to a beautiful radio medley of Kris Kross’ Jump Jump and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back; the SweatSox were home!!

Boston Pizza then did what most fine establishments do when a group of 10 sit down, they asked the team what they wanted to eat and drink. Bond ordered his traditional Three Cheese Toast, Cornell grabbed his customary Potato Skins, Hunt ordered his favourite, the “Lasagna”, and Freeman grabbed a large pizza, a pound of wings, a poutine, the New York Striploin Steak Sandwich, a Caesar salad, and a team pitcher of Coors Light. Unfortunately Billy found out that there has to be at least 3 people sharing the team pitcher, so he was forced to share with his teammates.

As the night went on, a second team pitcher was purchased but Freeman wouldn’t have any part of it. Bill described how he is working on the responsibilism, as he had to pick up Shannon by midnight and under no circumstances could be late. As he finished off a custom made Wednesday Fishbowl, normally reserved for Fridays, Billy stormed off en route to the SilverCity. While warming up the big blue truck, Freeman noticed that one of the “Mark’s” on the team had a flat tire, on the back-right side, so Freeman took it upon himself to single handedly fix this ill-timed accident. We’re not sure if Freeman made it to the pickup on time, but if he didn’t, please blame it on: “Mark”.

Long after Bill finally left, Josh Ramage cut himself off from the beer; and when confronted about this non-SweatSox like maneuver, Ramage explained he only has his G2. It was at this point the team shared their experiences, thoughts, and tips to ensure Josh passes his G-test. Some of the better tips included don’t roll a stop sign, always yield to pedestrians, obey the speed limit, but the best piece of advice was from Denver as he shared a story about his car being ‘a few fries short of a happy meal’ the day he took his test, and it stalled. If the car stalls, 3 times, on your test, you fail.

The Hyjinx then came to a close and some final pictures were being taken. When asked if the waitress would pose for a picture, she declined. When asked if the SweatSox could get a picture of her hand picking up a business card left on an adjacent table, she declined. The Sox couldn’t understand why someone would blatantly refuse to be mentioned on our website, when some general managers in the NCBL would kill for a direct shoutout. It was then revealed that the waitress, Anita, was actually Anita Ram, a local soft-core amateur porn star; and it was against her contract to be seen on any other website other than Ottawa Porn Stars.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup at Faulkner on Sunday against their opening day opponent, Les Acadiens Moosehead, at 1:00PM. Both Dave Fenn and Cory Bond are sitting on 2 games rest (probably the first time this has happened to both of them), so look for one of them to start the Father’s Day game.

As mentioned, there are no stats for last night’s game yet.

There are however a few new pictures up in the Pictures section.

Finally, we’d like to say “You’re Welcome” to the Barrhaven City Chiefs who have the SweatSox to thank for their 12-1 win over the Braumeisters last night. Looking to sell his aluminum bat, William Freeman loaned his stick to the Chiefs who promptly hit a walk-off mercy rule grand slam to end the Braumeister comeback that would have definitely happened the next inning. For reasons unknown, the Chiefs decided not to purchase Billy’s Bat, so if there are any other Tier III or Tier IV teams out there looking for a bat with Homerun experience, please contact ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

June 11, 2008

The Après Baseball Hyjinx will be at the Conroy Pub tonight, for those who don't know what you are getting yourself into, here is a little sample:

"IF IT'S ACROSS THE PLATE, IT'S A STRIKE!!"

It took extra innings to find a winner in another installment of the SweatSox-Old Sox rivalry, and it was the SweatSox that went home with the win, final score: SweatSox W, Old Sox L. The Old Sox took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on a sacrifice fly, and the SweatSox answered in the 3rd on a Foggy-Faulkner like fly ball to right that nobody could find. The Old Sox retook the lead the next inning on a fielder's choice after the runner was able to steal second without a throw, but some SweatSox small-ball in the bottom of the inning came into play as Cory Bond pushed Bill Freeman to second on the first ever wooden bat sacrifice bunt, which ultimately led to a Shaun Keay RBI single. The score remained tied heading into the bottom of the 8th inning where two Old Sox errors (the first two errors of the ENTIRE game) led to the game winning run and a SweatSox 3-2 win. Great game all around.

On the mound Josh Ramage pitched a gem throwing 7 innings of 4 hit ball, giving up 3 walks and 2 earned runs while striking out a career high 8 in the no decision. Ramage faced 27 batters through 7 innings before turning it over to the Bus Cop after an 8th inning lead off walk. Cop struck out the first batter he saw extending his strikeout record to 7 consecutive outs, then kept the pitch count low by allowing the next two batters to fly out to the middle-infield to pick up his first career NCBL victory, on 5 pitches. For his 7 solid innings on the mound, Ramage picked up his 3rd career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

Defensively for the first time this year, the SweatSox made 0 errors, and that included an extra inning. Just about every player made a play on defense to help secure the win, including Armando Navarro's first ever outfield fly ball catch in the 1st inning; Army then let everyone on both teams know that it was his first catch of the year by screaming "I Finally Got One" then performing a Nicaraguan victory dance! Honourable mention also goes out to Craig Cornell who caught his second consecutive game during Marc Lett's "recovery", throwing out the only base runner who tried to steal from the stretch, throwing out batters from the backstop after they struck out on a bouncer, and for calling a great game for the SweatSox pitching staff.

Offensively, the SweatSox attack consisted of 4 hits: two from Dave Fenn (double, run scored, SB), one from Mark Dorrington (RBI, 2BB) and one from Shaun Keay (RBI). Honourable mention goes out to Bill Freeman who nearly executed the old "Duck & Bunt" trick play to perfection.

As we all know in the 24 hours leading up to the game we had a Code Orange situation. The Après Baseball Hyjinx were in jeopardy of being relocated to a local establishment after the BrownShow announced his retirement days before his scheduled beer night. Fortunately, SouthGate resident Craig Cornell had been stocking up on reserves, and Shaun Keay still had some carryover beer from Sunday so the Hyjinx were able to proceed uninterrupted. It was during the Hyjinx we found out what exactly the Bus Cop does for the City; during his shift earlier in the day he described a situation where he took pole to the face, causing blood to pour down the side of his head...he must be doing something wrong.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup tonight with the Diamondbacks where they will be Asterisked for the 3rd consecutive matchup. In their 4th game in 6 nights, the SweatSox will probably start Kent Johnston, have Army pitch in relief, and give Freeman the closing duties.

The stats from last night can be found by clicking the Statistics button on the left frame, or by clicking here.

The SweatSox held their first unofficial Family Fun Day yesterday at Faulkner shortly after a 7-6 victory over the Athletics. The game headed into the bottom of the 3rd inning tied 0-0 when the SweatSox finally had their breakout inning scoring 6 runs (5 of which came with 2 outs). The two teams traded runs in the 5th, and then the Athletics scored 5 runs in the 6th to trail by one heading into the final inning, where Mark Dorrington stuck out the side to save the game for the Sox.

Cory Bond started the game for the SweatSox, pitching 4.66 innings of 5 hit ball, giving up 1 run, 3 walks, with 2 strikeouts, improving his record this year to 3-0 with a 0.74ERA. Dave Fenn, now qualified for the playoffs, pitched one inning of relief on one days rest and picked up the first ever SweatSox hold before turning it over to Mark Dorrington who made his 2008 pitching debut, pitching the final 4 outs to pick up his first career SweatSox save.

Offensively the SweatSox had 8 hits, all singles from: Craig Cornell (2 hits, 2RBI), Cory Bond, Mark Dorrington, Denver Hunt, Kent Johnston (2RBI), Shaun Keay (RBI), and Armando Navarro (2 SB); Dave Fenn also had an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Army actually scored an 8th SweatSox run, but he was called out moments after as the home plate umpire ruled that Cory interfered with the catcher by standing directly on home plate after he scored minutes earlier while Army slid into both of them. In over 40 years of combined umpiring experience, both umpires confirmed that they had never seen anything like that play ever before.

The winners of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award were Cory Bond and Craig Cornell. Bond's third win of the year and his ability to somehow freeze at home in the blistering heat earned him half the award, and Cornell caught the entire game in that same heat, and went 2/4 at the plate with two RBI, a run scored, and a dirty stolen base to earn himself the other half.

As mentioned, the Après Baseball Hyjinx featured the unofficial 2008 Family Fun Day celebration. Making an appearance at the festivities were the family's Elias and Lett, their portable BBQ’s, an umpire, some Athletics, and the always friendly police (not the Bylaw…real police). Although neither team knew why the police were called, one unnamed SweatSox had this to say, I will disguise his name to protect his identity: “I’m Cher, I like long walks on the beach, and I’m a Leo”.

Next up for the SweatSox is a rematch with the Old Sox, Josh Ramage is scheduled to take the hill for his first start of 2008. It is unknown who the Old Sox plan to start...haha yeah right - See you Tuesday Beaups.

The stats from last night can be found by clicking the Statistics button on the left frame, or by clicking here.

The SweatSox visited the greatest diamond in the league Heritage last night to face off against their Tier 3 brothers, the Old Sox, featuring an all star cast of JT, the Boyz, and now former SweatSox Adrian Delorey.

Figuring they would see Beaupre for the 14th consecutive time, the SweatSox were surprised to see somebody different on the mound, a left handed hardball legend. Fortunately, the SweatSox got some early hits and capitalized on some Old Sox errors scoring 4 runs in the first two innings to take a 4-1 lead. JT then stepped into the game and shut the SweatSox down, but an OMS solo homerun off the Old Sox all-star to deep left field turned out to be the game winner, as the SweatSox won the game 5-4, improving their overall record against the OSox to 9-5.

On the mound, Dave Fenn took the ball and had his best outing of the year, pitching the complete game giving up 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, 1 pickoff, and his first win since late 2006. Perhaps some of the credit for this monumental win goes to Keith Fenn, who joined the roster earlier in the day so he could catch for his youngest brother while regular catcher Marc Lett recovers from an unfortunate incident with scissors. Bryan Fenn also played in the game, making it the first time 3 brothers played on the same field for the SweatSox, unless there was a 3rd Mendonca at some point that I'm not aware of.

Offensively, the SweatSox finished with 6 hits: Dorrington (2 hits, 2 runs, HR), Denver Hunt (3 stolen bases, 2 runs scored), Joseph Majic (2RBI), Armando Navarro, and Josh Ramage. Shaun Keay also had a big night at the plate, walking in a run, and capturing the first sacrifice fly with wood in SweatSox history, finishing with 2RBI.

In his first game against his old squad, Adrian Delorey made his presence felt getting hit by the first pitch he saw, getting picked off at second, coming up with a big play at shortstop and poked an RBI single at the plate, all done with a torn MCL. Way to tough it out Adrian!

The Après Baseball Hyjinx were hosted by Armando Navarro, whose SUV has the energy efficient & battery saving 1.5 hour delay to turn off the internal lights. The bylaw joined the Hyjinx not too long after the lights went out, but were more accommodating than their south-end counterparts, and the festivities continued. While the SweatSox were partying after a victory, a SweatSox spy (who we will call Mr. PHS) was reporting that a surprise party for Old Sock Troy Simpson was taking place nearby. Although Simpson didn't attend the game, Dave McLennan did going 1/3 with a single and strikeout. Both Simpson and McLennan are avid OttawaSweatSox2 readers, so we'd like to shoutout to both, and wish Mr. Simpson a happy belated birthday.

Next up for the SweatSox is a rematch with the Athletics, who crushed the SweatSox 10-1 back on May 22. Cory Bond (2-0, 0.49ERA) will get the start, and although he cannot throw 95mph like other lefties, Bond will look to keep the batters guessing with his assortment of pitches.

The stats from last night can be found by clicking the Statistics button on the left frame, or by clicking here.

After a delayed & unexplained absence, OttawaSweatSox2 is proud to announce that the StatMan is back. All stats up to and including the last game against the Mudd are updated and posted. If you see an error, please submit your protest the StatMan via ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com, and no, a .100 batting average is not an error.

The stats can be found by clicking the Statistics button on the left frame, or by clicking here.

The SweatSox returned to SouthGate, their home away from home, last night to face the Mudd and to try and avoid a sub .500 record. Left-hander Cory Bond got the start and pitched 4 innings, giving up only 1 hit, 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts, a pickoff, a "balk", and a no decision. Bond left the game in a 1-1 tie, turning the ball over to the Bus Cop to try and earn his first career NCBL win. Cop looked good early, striking out the first two batters he saw, but a few walks here and a thick-grass assisted hit down the third base line led to 2 Mudd runs, and a lead they wouldn't give up. Cop struck out 6 batters in 2 innings, but also picked up the loss in his first SweatSox decision. Mudd 5, SweatSox 3.

Offensively, the SweatSox had 7 hits by 7 different players: Cory Bond, Craig Cornell, Dave Fenn, Bill Freeman (2RBI), Joseph Majic (2B), Armando Navarro, and Denver Hunt (2B). The SweatSox also stole a season high 6 bases: Craig Cornell (1), Marc Lett (1), Army Navarro (1), and Denver Hunt (3). Congratulations to Denver Hunt, who's offensive effort (1/3 double, walk, run scored, RBI, walk, three stolen bases) earned him his first ever 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Honourable mention goes out to the G.L.E. Cory Bond, who became the first SweatSox pitcher to throw a 30mph curveball which somehow caused a Mudd bat to shatter in three pieces, with one piece nearly hitting third base. Since Cory was a part of breaking some wood, he gets a one month supply of Cialis; the SweatSox still await it's first broken bat of the regular season.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx didn't last too long, as the Bylaw made an impromptu visit, but not before an unnamed umpire came and stole a beer from the SweatSox cooler (aka the beer case with a bag of ice dumped on top, sitting in the back of Joe's truck). Reports indicate this same umpire once stole a Maclay's from the SweatSox back on June 20, 2006.

Next up for the SweatSox is a reunion with Delorey, JT, and the rest of the Beauties Friday night at Heritage. Dave Fenn has the nod, still looking for his first SweatSox win, and first overall win since 2006.

Last night in the drizzle, the SweatSox took on the Diamondbacks in another installment of the Hyjinx vs the Shenanigans. Unfortunately, the SweatSox didn't do their part in making it a classic managing only 5 hits, committing 3 errors, while striking out 11 times against the D'back ace in a 10-6 loss.

As mentioned the Sox could only muster up 5 hits, courtesy of Cory Bond, Dave Fenn, Denver Hunt, Shaun Keay, and Josh Ramage. Kent Johnston stole the only SweatSox base of the night, and the aforementioned Fenn managed the only team RBI.

Defensively, the Sox had 3 errors that led to a couple unearned runs for the starter D.Fenn. Dave pitched 4 innings of 6 hit ball, giving up 6 earned runs, 3 walks, with 3 strikeouts. The SweatSox improve their record this year to 0-2 in the rain.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx took place down the road at BP for the first preplanned SweatSox PubNight. Marc Lett who caught the entire game had a few drinks during the day, a couple more at dinner, and hung around long enough to get a piece of two BP Team Pitchers, earned himself the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Honourable mention to Denver Hunt who would have grabbed his first game MVP award had his single-handed double steal worked out, and had he not locked his keys in his car.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Mudd, Cory Bond will start the game on the mound in the first mandatory all-wood game.

Welcome to the OttawaSweatSox2 debut of Hockey Trivia, sponsored in part by Dave Fenn's boss.

Question: How many Stanley Cups has Maurice "Rocket" Richard won?
Answer: 8 (it's kind of like two zero's on top of each other)
Comment: This information was pulled off the always trustworthy Wikipedia; unfortunately there was no entry on the Urban Dictionary for Maurice Richard, but there is one for his brother, the Pocket Rocket.

Question: Who has won the most Stanley Cups?
Answer: As a player, Henri Richard has won the most Stanley Cups with 11. Overall, no one's name appears on the Stanley Cup more than Jean Beliveau. He has 17: 10 as a player and 7 as management.
Comment: http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/history/cup/fun_facts.html

And that concludes this week's SweatSox Hockey Trivia. If you would like to submit a question for the next edition of Hockey Trivia, email ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

May 29, 2008

Week two of the SweatSox season began last night with the first of four matchups this year with the Ottawa Outlaws. The two teams met in the preseason in a close contest, and the Sox expected nothing less from them this time around. Cory Bond got his second start of the year on the mound after a solid outing in game 1, and did not let his teammates down, pitching 5 innings of 2 hit ball with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and no earned runs. Cory once again got great help on defense which helped keep Outlaw runs off the board before turning things over to the bullpen up 7-1 for the final six outs.

That's when things got a bit interesting...Josh Ramage got the call in the 6th inning looking to close the game out, and looking for the same kind of defense Bond had only minutes earlier. Unfortunately the Tier 5 defense came out from just about everywhere, leading to 5 runs (4 unearned) and brought the Outlaws to within 1 run, the winning run on first base with 2 outs in the 7th inning. Looking for some sort of spark, the SweatSox made an uncharacteristic 2nd pitching change in a game and brought in Dave Fenn to try and end it. Fenn walked a batter but came back with a strikeout to end the game, and pick up his first save in a SweatSox uniform. It was actually the first time the SweatSox won a game when they had at least 3 pitchers throw in a game and since July 12, 2005 (Bond-Gilbert-Robert-OMS vs Hazard & the Express).

Offensively, the SweatSox bats finally came alive to produce the most runs & hits so far this year (7/12). Now I don't have the stats in front of me so I'm going on pure memory, I hope I get this all right...Dave Fenn had 3 hits and an RBI, Craig Cornell had a metal bat RBI single after going 0/2 with the wood, the OMS in his first game of the year had an RBI double, Bill Freeman had an RBI single, Joseph Magic had a 2 hit game with an RBI, Josh Ramage had an opposite field double, and Bryan Fenn chipped in with a single.

With so many players contributing to the SweatSox win on offense we decided to award the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award to the winning pitcher of last nights game, a pitcher who now has 30 career wins, a player who year after year continues to show why he is the greatest left handed pitcher in SweatSox history, a man who doesn't even need to bring his jersey to a game, and a friend who I am proud to call a teammate: Mr. Cory Bond!

Now most of you may be thinking how anyone could follow that paragraph, and the truth is I have no idea...I suppose I will talk about some of the bloopers from the game last night. As mentioned, Cory showed up to the game last night minus his jersey so he had to pitch in a Yankee shirt, fortunately just about all the SweatSox are Yankee fans so he didn't hear too much about it. Other notable plays from last night included the return of the TrotMaster, actually it was somebody pretending to be him; Kent Johnston hit a ball straight up in the air and trotted to first, the ball was subsequently dropped and Johnston was thrown out at first, whoops. The Outlaws even made the blooper reel when their catcher thought there were 3 outs (there were 2) so he threw the ball to the umpire who wanted no part of it, which allowed SweatSox runners to advance and continue a rally. But the play of the game was courtesy of Marc Lett, who obviously didn't buy a new pair of cleats from Baseball Express this offseason. Lett rounded first base after an overthrow and attempted to run to second, but his shoes wanted no part of that and Marc took a seat just in front of right field. He made it back to first safely, then commented: "I think I need new cleats...", to which the OMS replied:

The Après Baseball Hyjinx were hosted by Dave Fenn, who broke from the usual routine and supplied the team with some refreshing Kokanee; the OMS stepped up and supplied the team with some cigars, and Andrew Elias jumped in and became the first person to outnut Cory, by brining a bigger bag of name brand nuts for the team. With beer, nuts, smoke, and a full (Johnston) moon, the team was set for just about anything the Hyjinx could produce. The Highlight of the Hyjinx was a Freeman-Lett cuddle on the back of the big blue pickup, whether or not they were planning a Houdini is still undetermined.

Speaking of Bill Freeman, I just recently studied the SweatSox 2008 balance sheet and I noticed that he is the only player who hasn't paid his team fees. Billy, please pay your fees as soon as possible or else you may be demoted back to Rookie, you could be kicked off the team and then we would have to inform other teams via the league's unofficial Facebook group that until you pay your fees, you cannot play for another team. Of course that refers back to By-Law 3.11 of the NCBL Constitution.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Diamondbacks tomorrow night @ the Sportsplex. After careful studying of the Diamondback rotation thus far, the Sox will undoubtedly face the *, but unfortunately the OMS is not yet ready to return to the rotation so the dream matchup is still on ice. David Fenn will look to bounce back from his start last week and try to lead the SweatSox to a 3-1 record, and pick up his first win in over a year.

Finally, it's gotten back to that a few SweatSox players may have given up some of the SweatSox secrets to one of the umpires last night, so if that umpire is reading this, and I know you are, please keep quiet.

May 26, 2008

Earlier today, the SweatSox received confirmation that they will be a part of the 2008 Brewers Tournament taking place between July 11th and July 13th of this year.

With a minimum of 3 games guaranteed and up to 5 if we make the finals, the SweatSox are now looking for some pitching help so that the regular rotation won't be completely beaten down for the rest of the regular season.

Now the SweatSox would "never" actively pursue players on other teams, however if there is anybody out there who thinks they can pitch at a Tier 1 level, wants to play with SweatSox for a weekend, and thinks they can handle the Hyjinx, please email ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com for more information.

An afternoon of rain with scattered showers throughout the night normally would have been enough to have a baseball game cancelled, but not for two teams as tough as the Athletics and the SweatSox (or ASS for short). Tier III is very familiar with the ASS, last year the Athletics posted the exact same record as the SweatSox did during their brief stop there in 2005: 20-3-1 (or 23-1). Before the game a combination of ASS's worked hard to make the field playable; it took a lot of shoveling, raking, and obviously wiping until the diamond was as good as it was going to get. Thanks to everyone who helped make this game possible.

Rookie David Fenn made his first start on the mound for the SweatSox, but unfortunately every time the Athletics made contact, it seemed to find an open hole for a base hit. With some of the team MIA, Fenn wasn't able to receive the kind of defense displayed on opening day, nor any sort of relief pitching help en route to a 10-1 SweatSox defeat. He finished with 7ER, 3K's, and the loss, extending his personal losing streak to an estimated 21 straight games on the mound.

Offensively, the Sox only managed 3 hits off the BlogMaster: a Dave Fenn double (with wood), a Shaun Keay double, and a Bill Freeman single. With there not being any clear standout for player of the game, and because nobody "manned" up and self appointed it, there was no winner of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

Kent Johnston hosted the Après Baseball Hyjinx, but it wasn't long before the rain came down to try and spoil things. It was at this point the Athletics called it a night, but not the SweatSox, who even after a 9 run loss can still enjoy a full length Hyjinx, in the rain. Props to the host Kent Johnston and the lefty Cory Bond who obviously studied the area weather patterns heading into the night and brought their umbrellas to the game.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Outlaws @ SouthGate next Wednesday. Cory Bond will take the mound and try for his 30th career SweatSox win.

The NCBL site is reporting that the 2007 Tier II Champion Gryphons defeated the Capital City Crushers 18-5 last night in their Tier I debut. Not since an 18-8 victory over the Mustangs midway through the 2006 season have the Gryphons scored that many runs; and because of the point differential the Gryphons now sit comfortably in first place two days into the season. The SweatSox would like to congratulate the Gryphons and their coaching staff (I apologize, I do not know their names) for this historic win, and wish them continued success the rest of the season.

The SweatSox would like to congratulate Cory Bond and Craig Cornell, who both played in their 100th career game as a SweatSox last night. In their 100th career game, Cornell picked up the first SweatSox hit of the year, and Bond picked up his 29th career victory.

Another big shoutout to Shaun Keay who also played in the game last night, and by doing so became the SweatSox career leader in games played with 182, surpassing Doug Horner who will forever sit at 181.

Congrats guys!

The NCBL's Opening Day was yesterday and the marquee matchup featured the SweatSox and Les Acadiens Moosehead, a game the SweatSox would win 5-2. The SweatSox sent their top left handed pitcher Cory Bond to the hill for his third opening day SweatSox start. Bond ended up pitching 5.33 innings of 4 hit ball, walking only 1 batter, with 1 earned run and striking out 3 en route to his team leading 29th victory. Josh Ramage pitched the final 5 outs to pick up his first career save, the first SweatSox save since June 26, 2006 when Cory Bond came in for the final two outs against the Old Sox at the Sportsplex. The SweatSox historians may remember this night not for the "lights out" save, but because this was the night of the Beaupre "Anorexic Rap" Parking Lot Performance.

Offensively, the SweatSox had a well balanced attack with 9 hits by 8 different players. Leading the way were the Brothers Fenn: In their SweatSox debuts, Rookie Dave Fenn had a single and a double, and Rookie Bryan Fenn had a single with 2RBI.

Defensively, the SweatSox once again struggled while showing off their Tier V defense.....now normally that's how a SweatSox defense recap starts off, but not any more. Leading the charge on defense was newly acquired aforementioned David Fenn, who made incredible play after incredible play at short, single handedly keeping Acadiens runs off the board. One of the many defensive highlights for the Sox included a 6-4-3 (Fenn-Hunt-Bond) double play in the 7th inning to effectively end any rally the Acadiens had left in them. When asked to comment on how he would follow up Dave's performance at shortstop, Rookie Denver Hunt replied: "I'll put him to shame."

Normally, Dave's contributions on offense and defense would have easily earned him the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award; unfortunately buried deep down in the SweatSox Constitution, there is a bylaw that states no rookie shall win the A&W on opening day. This forced the team to honour winning pitcher Cory Bond with his 8th career game MVP award. Bond commented afterwards: "I hate winning the A&W this way, Dave truly earned it tonight, I really wish they would change that law but rules are rules."

With the Cialis Broken Wood Stat Tracker keeping track of wood "firsts", several members of team indicated they would like me to keep track of general miscellaneous "Season Firsts". As always, if the audience demands it, I shall supply:

If you would like your "Season First" to be listed in a similar table, as always email ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx were hosted by Craig Cornell, who in an unprecedented move brought an extra "super beer" for the "Player of the Game" (with no pre-existing constitutional limitations). This Super Beer was awarded to Dave Fenn, although not before Kent Johnston shamelessly tried to award it to himself - never has the team seen such egotistical selfishness in one of its players. Com'on Kent.

The Hyjinx continued with a discussion between a CSI and a Cop on whether or not beer could get "more cold" by adding water to the cooler. This discussion ended quickly as word from the "lab" confirmed that once a beer is cold, it cannot get any colder. Since the recent string of CSI-Cop discussions have been very educational, I thought I might be able to suggest a topic of debate for the next Hyjinx: What Is the Biological Basis of Consciousness?

The Hyjinx wrapped up with a great anecdote from the only true SweatSox catcher on the active roster, Marc Lett. Lett described a backyard where a beautiful new deck was built, and an old shed sat in the corner waiting to be destroyed. After a few beverages, the gentleman discussed the best means for taking down the shed in question: the answer was obviously chopping down a nearby tree so it lands on the shed. The gentleman fired up the chainsaw, and hacked away until the tree fell down as planned...except I think the plan was for the tree to fall the shed, not "The Very Deck They Had Just Built". The lesson here is, don't use a tree when a sledgehammer will do.

The SweatSox now face the Athletics in a battle of unbeaten 1-0 teams Thursday night at the Sportsplex. The Sox will send right-hander D. Fenn to the hill for his first start in a SweatSox uniform.

May 19, 2008

With the increasing popularity of the SweatSox, and the season less than 24 hours away, it is becoming easier and easier for former SweatSox to find employment around the league as teams look to finalize their rosters. A few days ago, we reported that 2007 SweatSock Adrian Delorey signed with the Old Sox; now we are pleased to announce that a big piece of the 2005 SweatSox Championship team Eric Helander has found a spot on the 2008 Crickets roster....I mean the FireBallers.

The FireBallers have recently joined the NCBL cyber community be creating their own website; although it is no OttawaSweatSox2, I encourage you all to check it out at: http://fireballersbaseball.page.tl/. Fireballers you are welcome for that plug, you can send an email cheque to ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

The SweatSox are also happy to see that the Sharks have signed "The Man of 1000 Pitches" John Mendonca, who played with the Sox for 5 years spanning 1996-2000. Some people have said the Mendonca-Shields-Horner pitching trio of the 90's is as every bit legendary as the OMS-Fenn-Bond trio of today.

Here's to hoping all these former Sox introduce the SweatSox Hyjinx to their new teams, and help make the NCBL, a better place.

Last night at SouthGate, the SweatSox faced off against the Outlaws in their final outdoor workout before the regular season begins next week. Heading into this game, there were still many questions that needed answering, including: Will Ramage pitch a scoreless preseason? Will anyone break a bat during an at-bat? Will the SweatSox career leader in wins continue to add to his preseason walks record? And of course will anyone park in the SouthGate parking lot after what happened last time?

Let's see how things played out!

By the time SweatSox starter Cory Bond threw the opening pitch, I counted two vehicles in the parking lot; with the rest of the teams' cars either on the street or in the left-center field lot. The SweatSox are pleased that their PSA wasn't ignored, proving once again that OttawaSweatSox2 is the most viewed team site in the NCBL. Bond pitched two solid innings of earned run-free ball, although a few runs did score after some unfortunate first basing by an unnamed younger sibling. Cory also walked a batter, but didn't feel too bad about it after receiving confirmation that it was indeed only a three-ball walk.

Also pitching for the Sox last night was Josh Ramage, who came into the game with a perfect preseason ERA. Unfortunately, this streak came to an end in his first of two innings pitched so the co-2008 SweatSox Preseason ERA Champions are: Craig Cornell (0.00), who pitched an Dorrington-like 1-2-3 7th inning last night, and Mark Bond (0.00), who last week also has a 1-2-3 inning but with 2 strikeouts.

The final unofficial winners of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award are Bill Freeman and Kent Johnston, who decided late in the game that the jog from left and center field to the dugout was too long so they jumped into their cars (that thanks to the PSA were parked in the left-center lot) and drove back to the parking lot right behind the Sox bench. Well done gentlemen!

Although the game was close, there was no official score being kept, so I will take this opportunity as an unbiased observer to declare last nights game a SweatSox victory! The Sox will surely build on this momentum and start the regular season off on a positive note. The SweatSox finished the preseason with a 1-2 record.

On to the Cialis portion of the website: a huge shoutout to the Brothers Fenn who set a couple Woody records. First off, Bryan Fenn will go down as the first SweatSox to break a wood bat during a preseason at-bat. The very next batter, David Fenn will go down in the books as the second person to break a wood bat during a preseason at-bat, he also took home the award of first person to record an RBI with a wood bat in a preseason game. The Brothers Fenn will also go down as the 'First Set of Brothers to Break Bats in Back to Back At Bats'. With three bats in total now broken, it looks like Army owes everyone $10.00, as his offseason prediction of only 1 broken bat all year was slightly off. Finally, what is a record book an entry for Cory Bond, who became the first person to hit a double in a preseason game (with wood). Congrats to everyone who made history last night!

The Après Baseball Hy-Jinx was hosted by the Bus Cop Mark Bond, who received rave reviews for his three bags of ice & 28-pack combination. Big Brother Cory Bond provided the nuts, which unfortunately led to Kent Johnston "reaching around" Marc Lett for a handful.

The Sox now have the long weekend off before facing off with the Acadiens next Tuesday on Opening Day @ the Sportsplex.

May 14, 2008

Earlier tonight before the team's final preseason game, the Bus Cop Mark Bond made his first career SweatSox beer run. The Bus Cop chose a light beer to keep the blood alcohol level of his teammates low, but more importantly took the advice of his big brother, the five time defending SweatSox top left handed pitcher Cory Bond, and picked up three bags of ice to keep the beer chilled in the cooler.

The SweatSox hope that the example set by this young rookie will carry over to future Hyjinx, so that the team can enjoy a full season of cold beer. The team would also like to congratulate the Bus Cop for not injuring himself on the long walk back to his car, its good to know that this fragile rookie can indeed do something baseball related without getting hurt!!

The OttawaSweatSox2 email account received an anonymous tip earlier this evening indicating former SweatSox pitcher Adrian Delorey was on the mound pitching against the Tier III Expos, for the Tier II Beauties (aka the Orleans Old Sox).

If the reports are true, Delorey & Beaupre will combine to form an impressive 1-2 punch, joining former great Tier II duo's as the Gryphons' Darkness & A-Rob, the Sundevils' Fenn & Robert, and the SweatSox' OMS & (no other pitcher is actually needed to form a great pitching duo, since the OMS is like 5 great pitchers in 1).

The first matchup between the SweatSox and the Old Sox this year will be Friday, June 06, at Heritage.

The first "mandatory" SweatSox practice proved to be a great success. Every SweatSox on the roster was there, except for one person. If you are a SweatSox player reading this post and you were not there, it was YOU; please attempt to redeem yourself by bringing some snacks (meat, buns, condiments, chips) to the next practice to help the beer go down more smoothly.

The practice itself did not start on time as the Kinsmen field was double booked for an OBA showdown between the Knights and the Bunnies. Fear not, there is a second field at Kinsmen that the team would use...that is until the 14 year old little leaguers came and showed the team who's boss. Damn double double bookings. Because we are the SweatSox, we are easily able to turn a negative into a positive, so while we waited for one of the diamonds to clear up, the team went into unprecedented territory and partook in some "Avant" Baseball Hy-Jinx.

Once practice finally got underway, Shaun Keay showed why he is the SweatSox all time homerun king, knocking TWO balls over the left field fence, from the backstop, with wood!! One HR wouldn't, but two homeruns definitely gets Keay in the Cialis Broken Wood stat tracker. Before the career leader in homeruns by a lefty, Cory Bond, could step back up to the plate to hit THREE over the fence, practice was cut abruptly short because our time had expired and Tier III had the field.

The SweatSox then returned to their roots, sitting down for the traditional "Après" Baseball Hy-Jinx during which time the Braumeisters introduced the Sox to the "Puck Bat", a true Canadian warm-up bat. The Braumeisters then introduced the SweatSox to their "Puck Bat", a warm-up bat by Canadians, for Canadians!!

The Sox continued the Hy-Jinx by trying to predict the 2008 season; we weren't talking about if the Tribu could repeat as pennant winners, if the Gryphons can hold their own in Tier I, or whether or not a team could go 0-24 this time around; the SweatSox wanted to know who would spill the first beer of the year during a team event.

Predictor	Prediction	Details
Cory Bond	Joseph Majic	...during a poker win celebration
Mark Bond	a Random Animal	hey, it happened last year at the 'Plex...
Craig Cornell	Bill Freeman	holding a beer while Houdini'ing can be difficult
Shaun Keay	Armando Navarro	Army's superhuman speed will cause a rift in the space-time continuum, shattering all glass in a 200 foot radius, forcing at least one beer spill
Josh Ramage	Marc Lett	figures he'll rest a beer on his wagon, then it'll tip and spill as the wagon rolls down a hill as Marc is running and chasing it

And finally, a special shoutout to Father Cornell who apparently is in possession of the highly coveted, and extremely rare right hand catchers glove! Please feel free at any time to ship that baby to the team, I know Cory would like to add it to his collection of "gloves from his teammates dads". Arrangements can be made by emailing ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

The SweatSox were once in a partnership with Scotiabank/Chapman Mortgages, so it is safe to say the team has an expertise in financial planning. In today's 'What Can You Buy With' segment, we are going to pick a random number, let's say $800.00, and let it fly!

WHAT CAN YOU BUY WITH $800.00
1.5 Walks of Shame (Sophomore Style)
a GoodLife Membership
32 Cases of Lakeport
an HP Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 1.50GHz Laptop
a 7 Night Alaska Cruise - (Anchorage to Vancouver)
5 Year Subscription to the Ottawa Sun
2 Year Subscription to the Rogers Super Sports Package
an LG 26" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV**
16 Mizuno Classic Mahogany Maple Wood Baseball Bats
842 OC Transpo Bus Tickets
100 Orders of Garlic Bacon Cheese Bread @ Local Heroes

That's pretty much all I can think of, if anyone out there has any thoughts or thinks I'm missing something on that list, ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com is the place to email.

Now on a completely unrelated note, somebody sent me the following link so I thought I would share it with the rest of you.

In only the fourth outdoor SweatSox practice, Cialis is proud to announce that center fielder Kent Johnston is the first recipient of their 'Broken Wood' award. Although last game there were some wood 'firsts', Johnston will go down as the first SweatSox to actually break his wood, breaking his trophy SamBat on a BP knock to left field.

Along with the honour of breaking wood first, Johnston will receive a one year supply of Cialis, and for being the pitcher who was part of the historic break, SweatSox GM Craig Cornell will receive a one month supply.

With the NCBL schedule moments away from an official release, the SweatSox would like to take this moment to warn all players of a serious danger lurking around a ballpark near you. Now we're not talking about the Bylaw officers at Brewer, the dude on the bike at the Sportsplex, or the plethora of 15 year old female soccer players at Faulkner, no, we're here today to warn you about baseballs smashing through car windows.

Last night during a SweatSox-Diamondbacks exhibition game at SouthGate, a beautiful tailing outside fastball by SweatSox starter Cory Bond was fouled out of play by the Diamondback batter, caught the wind, and so perfectly settled on the back seat of veteran Shaun Keay's car. The problem here was there was a window between the peak of the ball's trajectory, and the resting place of said ball.

The SweatSox are happy to report that no beer was hurt in this horrific accident, and we would encourage all of you to look at the rest of the pictures by clicking here, and make sure that if you ever have a game at SouthGate, you avoid the parking spot of doom.

After a classic Tier V performance in their first preseason game against the Gryphons, the SweatSox hoped to rebound and put up a 'W' in their second game of the preseason, a matchup with the Diamondbacks. The D'backs sent out the * to start the game, so the SweatSox countered by sending their preseason stud Cory Bond to the hill; Bond wasted no time climbing into the record books, becoming the first SweatSox pitcher in history to walk the first five batters of a preseason game.

Now Bond wasn't just contributing on the mound, in the bottom of the second inning he had the first SweatSox hit of the preseason, a solo homerun to deep right field off the * using a now illegal -5 aluminum bat. Cory did have a wood bat in his equipment bag, which by rule is good enough to be the first official entry in the Cialis Broken Wood stat tracker! Later in the game, Craig Cornell became the second entry by hitting the first single in a preseason game (using wood). Well done boys!

The SweatSox eventually lost the game by a score of approximately 7-2. Other highlights for the Sox included Josh Ramage pitching two more innings of shutout baseball; Mark Bond making his SweatSox debut by pitching a 1-2-3 5th inning with two strikeouts; Denver Hunt getting his first hit of the preseason and first hit as a SweatSox; a diving catch by Kent Johnston in center field who then faked to second and threw to first for a double play; and of course a perfect throwing of the glove by Shaun Keay into the SouthGate parking lot seconds after his car window was smashed by a foul ball.

The Après Baseball Hy-jinx was centered around a riveting discussion about the medical industry, more specifically how many donkey's it takes to equal one rooster. Other items on the meeting minutes included sniffing some pole, milk me, and a drunk man urinating on his own ~~truck~~ car while being chased by the always intrusive paparazzi.

After going 0-2 so far this preseason, the Sox will go back to the drawing board and hold a "mandatory" practice this Friday night at McCarthy (8:30PM).

Moments ago, the unofficial 2008 Tier II schedule was released, and once again OttawaSweatSox2 is the first NCBL website to release this information to the rest of the league.

SweatSox players, click here to see the team schedule. Note that by the luck of the draw, most of our games (8) are at SouthGate; Mr. Seductive Eyes will be pleased!

To the rest of the tier who haven't yet been forwarded this version of the schedule from your general managers, click here to download the master version.

ONE BEER, A POWDERED DONUT, AND THEY'RE GONE

Brewer Park - The SweatSox were hemoglobinned last night against the Gryphons, in their first exhibition game of 2008. After an intense "full squad" practice Friday night at McCarthy, the Sox figured to put up a better fight but couldn't even manage a single hit off the Gryphons pitching staff.

The SweatSox were fortunate to have been able to even field a team, as Kent Johnston, Joseph & Will Majic, and Bryan Fenn all "called in sick" late in the day. On top of that, Sophomore Bill Freeman arrived just before the opening pitch after partaking in a native "Neapolitan Dance" ritual which was no doubt the cause for his lateness.

In the midst of all the chaos, Rookie Mark Bond called up yet another Pinecrest Alum, Kelly Adkin, to help the Sox field a team. The name Kelly Adkin may be familiar to all you SweatSox fans as he was the pitcher on the wrong end of a Marc Lett titanic homerun during the Pinecrest-SweatSox miniseries of 2006.

On the field, the game was highlighted by a Josh Ramage faceplant trying to field a ball at third base; Dave Fenn hitting a batter in his first pitch in a SweatSox uniform; and Bill Freeman stepping in to pitch late in the game, refusing warm-ups, then served up a BP bases clearing triple. No worries though, all three runs were charged to Cory Bond (aka Mr. Preseason) who walked something like six batters in his one inning of work. Honourable mention goes out to Shaun Keay who single handedly rewrote the book on strike zones and check swings.

If the award was handed out during the preseason, the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award Winner would have been Andrew Elias, who left the game for approximately thirty-five minutes to bring the team some beer from his own fridge. Shoutout to the other Brother Elias, Turtle, who f*cked up his arm/shoulder representing the SweatSox and Team Green in a softball game out in BC.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday at SouthGate; message to the rest of the league: this will not be OMS vs *. The Rookie Hunt has volunteered to bring the beverages, and Marc has promised that his little red wagon will make an appearance.

Ottawa - City of Ottawa ball diamonds will now be open for use this Thursday, May 1 thanks to the efforts of the City's Surface Operations crews. Ball diamonds were originally slated to open on Monday, May 12 but crews have made every effort to get the diamonds ready sooner.

The public will be allowed to use the ball diamonds as of Thursday, May 1. All other sports fields will open on Thursday, May 15.

With the news that Tier II will be moving to wood bats beginning June 1st, the SweatSox were contacted by the fine folks at Cialis in hopes that the two parties could partner up in the latest Sox venture. After days of working "long" and "hard" over the details, the result was the Cialis "Broken Wood" Stat Tracker.

We're receiving unconfirmed reports that last night during an official SweatSox Poker event, the festivities nearly ended early due to one player declaring he had to get to a "Booty Call". We do know that the individual was not Armando Navarro, who has recently been promoted to Mr. Nasty thanks to his 32 inch wood.

Congratulations goes out to Marc Lett who picked up two poker wins, and to Shaun Keay who grabbed the third.

The 2008 season will kick off on a sad note because for the first time since the league formed in 1980, a season will begin without a Sundevils team on the schedule. The NCBL site is reporting that their team has folded, sending shockwaves around the league.

When told of the breaking news, former SweatSox/Sundevil Matt Robert commented: "oh really hahaha, I had no idea". We are still waiting for reaction from the brothers Fenn, however in the meantime share your thoughts on this news by emailing ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

Playing their first matchup sometime in 1981, the SweatSox and Sundevils have had a long and storied history, and it wasn't until 2006 when the SweatSox finally finished ahead of the Sundevils in the standings. Their final matchup late last season was a 14-12 SweatSox victory, check out the now historic boxscore by clicking here.

Let the record show that the Sundevils last win came against the Mustangs, in the 23rd game of the 2006 season.

After a few weeks of negotiations, the SweatSox are proud to announce former Kingston Pony Denver Hunt (also of Pinecrest fame) has just joined the Sox roster. The speedy Hunt will bolster an already solid top of the order and will be filling a variety of roles, including RHP, SS, IF, OF and C (well not really sure about catcher).

Word along the NCBL wire is that the Tier III Kings have folded. When asked how he felt about the 'folding kings', SweatSox infielder Joseph Majic commented: "I would have went all in".

During their brief stint in Tier III, the pennant and championship winning SweatSox went 2-1 against the Kings, who were one of only two teams to beat the Sox that year.

LEGEND RETIRES & FENNS JOIN SOX

Firstly, I apologize for the delay in updating the site; I have been backpacking through Southeast Asia for the past several months (I hear the winter has been a little rough back home) and have had very little network access. I will be back in the country soon but until then, I will keep the updates brief.

Now to the news...longtime Sox legend Chris Chapman has announced his retirement. In his decade long tenure with the club, the Angry First baseman has held virtually every position with the team and he is largely responsible for the Sox rise from its 2001 1-15 Tier IV record to its current standing as a Tier II playoff team. His dedication and commitment will be sorely missed...pitcher/slugger Kevin Singer has opted to spare this summer due to work commitments and something about a pending wedding...knuckleballer, meal planner and fitness guru Adrian Delorey has opted to pursue interests with another club...they join Team Green slugger Sean Elias (see previous update) as Sox who will not be returning for the 2008 season.

The Sox are however pleased to end the speculation and announce the much-rumoured signing of P/IF David Fenn. Not only that, the SweatSox have also signed Dave's brother Bryan to the 2008 roster. Bryan will add a solid bat and infield depth to the lineup while Dave is expected to aid a much improved pitching staff joining all time wins leader Cory Bond, his rookie brother Mark, sophomore Josh Ramage and of course, Tier 2 MVP, Top Pitcher, and most significantly, ‘07 Dorion winner, OMS. The Fenns join previously announced rookies Mark Bond and catcher Will Majic as new additions for 2008.

Regarding all of the new players, a veteran member of Sox “management” stated, “While none of the players have yet adjusted to our defensive set or made much of an impression whatsoever on their teammates, we are confident that all players will be able to fit into our very structured team environment. Furthermore, we will only comment on their versatility and value for their roster spot when we see what their contribution is to the “sport drink” schedule.” The Sox welcome all of the new additions; it should be another memorable summer...

Ok, that’s it for now! More regular updates when I get back to the continent!

The SweatSox mission to find a major sponsor has now come to an end. After years of searching to try and find the perfect match, the SweatSox are now extremely pleased to announce they are now the second fully sponsored team in the NCBL, after coming to terms on a ten year deal. This sponsor will be the 7th sponsor in team history, joining the likes of: Pete & Marty, PetroCan, Las Palmas, Whispers, The Brig, and ChapmanMortgages.com.

This sponsor will provide the team with brand new full uniforms, top of the line equipment, customized/personalized bats, a cheque to cover team league fees, and will refund the team monthly for costs spent on tournaments, snacks, beverages, the webmaster's salary, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Now without further adieu, let me introduce the newest sponsor of the Ottawa SweatSox:

After a bit of a road bump at the last league meeting, reports are coming in that in a vote of 6-2, the tier has just voted in favour of using wood bats beginning this year. Like Tier I last year, the rule will take effect June 1st to try and reduce the amount of breakage in the colder May weather.

In a rather bizarre story: Rookie Bill Freeman recently partook in an unauthorized, unsanctioned, and ill-advised offseason exhibition game with Big Sal's Clippers. Although Billy had not seen the field since the last playoff game, it sounds like he decided to wager a few bucks on the matchup. Not surprisingly, the Clippers took down the Rookie in a matter of minutes and the resulting monetary damages was somewhere north of the previous record, that of course being from TrotMaster in the infamous 'Walk of Shame' saga of 2005.

Six Sweat Sox arrived for poker on the snowy January night. In the initial game of the evening host Craig Cornell continued his hot streak taking home the prize over rookie Will Majic making his Sox debut in the event. Marc Lett finished his traditional 3rd while Joey Majic, Shaun Keay and Kent Johnston were all apparently anxious to play Wii Tennis.

In the 2nd poker game of the evening the rookie stepped up and won his first Sox poker event. The game however was marred when older brother Joe dealt 3 Jacks on the flop to complement Will's Jack in hand and secure the victory (and half the pot???) for his younger brother.

Round about 11, the doorbell rang and in stepped the OMS making his first appearance since collecting his League MVP trophy. Before he got down to business, Dorrington first collected his most prestigious trophy yet of his long distinguished career by accepting the 2007 Dorion Memorial Trophy. After the official signing, Dorrington got to work and after 5 Sox were eliminated it came down to OMS and who else, rookie Will Majic. After battles back in forth, inexplicably Majic won his 2nd event of the evening. Congrats Will...don't ever come back.

Quote of the night:
When Marc Lett suggested that teams needed to check Caps forward Alex Ovechkin better during games, Joe asked, "For what, steroids?"

Although the NCBL season is over, OttawaSweatSox2 is still updating, and on this special day, October 22, the SweatSox would like to wish their only left handed pitcher, Cory Bond, a very happy birthday. Amongst other things, Bond is a 7 time 2004 Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award winner, the 2005 Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy winner, the 2005 Tier III Most Valuable Player, a 3 time SweatSox Top Pitcher Award winner, a 5 time SweatSox Top Left Handed Pitcher Award winner, the SweatSox Player of the Mid Decade (2003-2007), the SweatSox career leader in wins, triples, and sacrifice flies, and the inaugural winner of the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette Trophy.

Also celebrating a birthday today, is the SweatSox #1 Fan, Mrs. Bill! A pre-birthday shoutout goes out to the BrownShow who celebrates tomorrow, and a post-birthday shoutout goes to the newest SweatSox rookie, Will Majic, who no longer has the backpocket excuse of not bringing beer to a game because he is not old enough to buy on this side of the river.

And finally, today also marks the 2 year anniversary of the first documented accidental drunken dismantling of the Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy! I hope the One Man Show is taking better care of it then that idiot 2 years ago!

The SweatSox are proud to announce that their OttawaSweatSox2 website was just recently named 2007 Top NCBL Team Website by the International Committee of Amateur Baseball Team Website Scouters!

The SweatSox would like to thank the Committee for the votes, their fans for all the love and support, and the rest of the league for continuing to visit our page and making it the most viewed site in the NCBL.

The Sweat Sox are pleased to announce the signings of Mark Bond and Will Majic to multi-year contracts. Mark and Will will join their older brothers on the Sox after successful careers in the Pinecrest system. Mark will add another solid arm to the pitching rotation and give the already talent-laden Sox outfield another defensive stalwart. Will will provide the Sox with another dependable backstop and should compete for the leadoff spot in the batting order. Welcome to the NCBL gentlemen.

Rumours abound that another significant announcement is imminent.

The Sweat Sox regret to announce that four year veteran third baseman Sean Elias will not be returning for the 2008 season. The lefty slugger will be taking up residence in Vancouver in the coming weeks. Sean's presence in the middle of the lineup will be greatly missed in 2008. The Sweat Sox wish Sean all the best in his future endeavors and can't help but notice that he leaves Ottawa for BC's much greener pastures.

Amid speculation of a significant signing, the rumour mill is also churning with news that significant Sox departures may be in order. Two prominent Sox regulars have been linked to a possible return to Tier 4 with the........Rockets. Rockets management could not be reached for comment but Sox officials offered a telling "No Comment" when asked about the possibility. One player, who asked to remain nameless offered, "We left the tier (4) without a championship so we do feel like there is some unfinished business."

The first formal NCBL banquet took place last night at the Southway Inn, where the SweatSox were represented by 2005, 2006 and 2007 Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winners Cory Bond, Craig Cornell and Mark Dorrington, and the creator of said award, the Angry First Baseman: Chris Chapman.

The dinner promised to the league via the NCBL website included amongst other things the Vegetable du Jour, Coffee or Tea, Garden Salad, Chocolate Mousse Cake, Chicken Chardonnay and what everyone was anticipating: the 'Soup du Jour'. Well it turns out a 'copy paste' error of the NCBL webmaster led to some confusion as there really was no soup du jour; sources are telling me this was done on purpose to try and sell extra banquet tickets, well done NCBL!!!

After dinner (minus soup), the award ceremony began. Mark Dorrington won the first Tier II award of the night, taking home the Top Pitcher award after going 6-0 with 6 complete games, striking out 65 batters in 38 innings, had a 0.74 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. The next Tier II award of the evening was for Top Batter, an award where the OMS was also a finalist; but rightfully, the award went to Winchester's Kevin Miller, who among other things finished the year with a 0.639 batting average, 9 HR's and 46 RBI's.

Since Tier II isn't good enough to have a Rookie of the Year, a Sportsmanship and Ability, or a Manager of the Year Award, the third and final Tier II trophy presentation was for Most Valuable Player. The SweatSox representative was naturally Mark Dorrington who was on pace to lead the SweatSox to victory 923 times out of 1000 when in the starting lineup. The SweatSox are proud to announce that the OMS was announced as Tier MVP beating out finalists Kevin Miller (Winchester), Jeff Still (Gryphons) and Mark Hughes (Tribu). It was the third SweatSox Tier MVP award in four years, as Cory Bond and Marc Lett were also MVP winners in Tiers III and IV. Congratulations Mark on an outstanding season, well earned, and well deserved!!!

To close out the banquet, it was announced that former league treasurer & D'back catcher was officially retired from the NCBL. Other than the Marc Lett concussion incident, Walsh was a favourite Sox opponent...and Marc doesn't remember the concussion anyway so no harm done. When asked to make a speech, Walsh sang a memorable rendition of Toora Loora Looral (the Irish lullaby). Happy Retirement Big Rod!!!

Not to be outdone vocally, the OMS decided to end the night with one of his favourite tunes downloaded onto his iPOD, I think it went a little something like this:

Don't really wanna make it tough,
I just wanna tell you that I had enough.
Might sound crazy,
But it ain't no lie,
Bye, bye, bye

The second annual SweatSox golf tournament took place yesterday at the Canadian Golf & Country Club. Like last year, there were four teams entered into the best ball/scramble tournament:

Team Friends-of-Kent, or FOK, was an equal mix of Barrymore bouncers and mechanics: Jon, Tony, Ryan and Kirk. Team FOK must have had a pretty good day to finish with a score of even par, but unfortunately it was only good enough for fourth place.

This year, team MVP consisted of the Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winners from 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006, aka Shaun Keay, Marc Lett, Cory Bond, and Craig Cornell. Team MVP had a great round, finishing under par for the first time in team history. Now although I wasn't a part of this group, I did hear that Shaun Keay carried the team to their -3 final score.

Coming in second place was the only team who kept all original members of their team last year: Team Green. Kent Johnston, Sean Elias, Joey Majic and Andrew Elias once again united to try and take down all challengers. Unfortunately, winning wasn't on BrownShow's mind because rumour has it he brought in twelve unauthorized beers, and when combined with the usual Team Green formula and the extremely slow play of the old men ahead, led to a dismal round of -5, good enough for the silver medal.

Which means, your 2nd Annual SweatSox Golf Champions, as predicted here on OttawaSweatSox2 two days ago, is Team Scissors: a team consisting of the Angry First Baseman Chris Chapman, and Legends Lee Shields, Ray Cuthbert, and Rob Keay. Rounding out this foursome was a fifth player, Adrian Delorey. Between the five players, a plan of attack was obviously formed to try and disrupt the momentum of the teams playing ahead and behind them. In an obvious attempt to distract Team MVP, at every possible chance Team Scissors would perform leaping chest bumps and double high fives after taping in what were probably six inch tap-ins. Once Team MVP was out of the championship race, they turned their attention to Team Green; knowing that Team Green had a surplus of beer and an excess amount of firepower, they decided to slow the play down by taking two minutes each to take a shot, and it is also being reported that they had to have their hip replacements checked every three holes. This must have gotten into the heads of Team Green who eventually "burned out" leaving the door wide open for a Team Scissors win...

The Après Golf Hy-Jinx took place in the local golf establishment. Team MVP, who finished the round 45 minutes ahead of the Scissors, decided to conduct a few experiments and found out quickly that the golf carts cannot be driven onto Highway 7, much to the dismay of right-handed golfer Cory Bond, who somehow convinced the kitchen staff to whip up some custom made garlic cheese bread, and it was still better then that crap they serve at East Sides. Eventually, the rest of the teams made their way in to share one last meal before going their separate ways for the winter, or the next poker game, or the banquet in a few days.....

The SweatSox year-end weekend-long extravaganza began last night; on the agenda was some prelim poker, food and drinks, award presentations and the always popular unplanned Hyjinx. The pre-Hyjinx festivities took place at the new home of Kent Johnston, who graciously offered to host the event, even though he had only been moved in less then a week.

Round one of golf was probably very eventful, since I wasn't there I have no idea how it went but I'm assuming Joe was in the final two with Shaun, Joe went all in a bunch of times and Cory was eliminated on the first or second hand. After the round was done, the final chip counts were determined and an hour and a half later the chips were sorted out accordingly, and the chase for the steak was on. After a couple early rookie eliminations, the pressure was on for the grand prize of 300 some dollars I think?!? Craig Cornell built up a huge chip lead and eventually faced off against poker legend Joey Majic and the host Johnston. A long battle for second place ended when Majic was eliminated, and then it was just a matter of time before Cornell took home top prize, some cash and a Hungry Man Salisbury Steak. It should be noted that due to the fact that there was no Hungry Man Salisbury Steak, the grand prize is now a near full bag of shelled peanuts (750g) donated to the SweatSox by the Gryphons during a rainstorm at the Sportsplex. Craig, you are free to collect your prize at any time.

The year-end SweatSox awards were also presented last night, this year there was a plethora of awards that were handed out, so lets get started:

Award	Winner(s)
Hungry Man Chase for the Nuts	Craig Cornell
2nd Annual SweatSox Golf Champions (predicted, since golf isn't until "tomorrow")	Chris Chapman, Rob Keay, Lee Shields, Ray Cuthbert, Adrian Delorey
Top Catcher	Marc Lett
♥ Most Heart ♥	Armando Navarro
Most Car Breakdowns	Kevin Singer
Most Green	Sean Elias
The Sultan of Strikeouts	Shaun Keay
Most Homeruns Given Up in Winchester	Josh Ramage
Most Times Married This Season	Andrew Elias
SweatSox Hall of Fame - Class of 2007	Lee Shields (former career wins leader) & Doug Horner
Rookie of the Year	Rookie William Freeman
Gold Glove	Kent Johnston
Top Batter	Mark Dorrington & Joey Majic
Top Pitcher	Mark Dorrington
Top Left Handed Pitcher	Cory Bond (career wins leader) :-)
Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winner (MVP)	Mark Dorrington

On top of the usual year-end awards, the SweatSox also retroactively handed out career awards, and your winners are:

So congratulations to all award winners, from any era; but also special congratulations to the One Man Show Mark Dorrington, who won his first ever Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy, and also collected co-Top batter and Top Pitcher honours, and will represent the SweatSox in all three categories at the league banquet next week.

And finally, the SweatSox would like to apologize to Mrs. Kent for leaving the Dorion at your place after the party, we hear she isn't to impressed with 'the head'.

Next up for the Sox is the 2nd Annual SweatSox Golf Tournament, held this year at the Canadian Golf and Country Club. Tee off at 2:00PM.

WAR Adrian and Billy falling asleep together on the couch, albeit on different couches

Earlier tonight, the Gryphons defeated Winchester 4-0 in game three of the Tier II finals to sweep the series and capture the championship. The SweatSox would like to congratulate the Gryphons on winning the title, and would also like to congratulate the Tribu on winning the pennant. Well done guys, and good luck to both of you in Tier I next season!!

The following post-game recap was sent via SMS to the official OttawaSweatSox2 mobile device:

The Sox congratulate infielder Army Navarro and Mrs. Army on the birth of their 2nd child - a daughter, Arianna, earlier this morning. Congratulations to the entire Navarro family.

First off, the SweatSox would like to officially apologize to the Diamondbacks, and the rest of the league for losing to the Gryphons in the first round of the playoffs. We've read all the emails, heard all the buzz, and we know how much the league wanted to see "OMS" and "*" face off in the playoffs; but it won't be happening this year.

Last time, it was reported that the team was looking to rookie Adrian Delorey as their game three starter. Well the team was in for a pleasant surprise by the end of pregame warm-ups when they found out that both game one starter Mark Dorrington (3 days rest) and game two starter Cory Bond (1 day rest) both declared themselves available for game three. Weighing the options of going with the guys who combined pitched more then half the total innings for the team and combined for 12 of the teams 14 wins wasn't a difficult choice, as the SweatSox decided to go with the guys that got them there.

It turned out to be a good move as both Dorrington (4IP, 4R, 1ER) and Bond (2IP, 0R) pitched good enough to win, but it was once again the Tier V defense that showed up which lead to a few unearned runs, and combined with the quiet bats against a 'crafty' pitcher, led to a 4-3 SweatSox loss.

The SweatSox would like to congratulate the Gryphons on the series win, and even though the Sox were the visiting team last night, the Gryphons made the Sox feel at home by giving them their lineup card in the official SweatSox font, the courier font. Not only that, the Gryphons also provided some entertainment for their guests by performing a "clap-a-long role call song & dance". It wasn't as good as the Tribu 1-2-3-WIN rally call, but if you guys practice before every game, I'm sure by the championship round it will be perfected...if you make it ;)! So thanks for everything, and good luck against the Tribu...I predict Gryphons in 3.

The Après Baseball/Season Hy-Jinx was historic, as the Sox decided they weren't going to limit themselves to a single venue. The party started at Boston Pizza Kanata, then went to Jack Asstors, then Kelsey's, then Mexicali Rosas, and then finally to the Hunt Club Boston Pizza. It was there where the team met up with former Brewer and newest SweatSox Ryan Wilson (is he trying to tell you something this time too). It was at this time where Wilson and Turtle Elias discussed how global warming has changed the diamond configurations of Pinecrest, Brewer and Faulkner. After a couple rounds of beer, the traditional season ending cuts and in one case re-cuts were discussed, but some interesting internal debates halted any actions for the time being.

Up 1-0 in the quarterfinal best of three series, the SweatSox took the field last night looking to close the series out and rest up for round number two. The Sox sent six game winner Cory Bond to the mound despite having a nasty flu bug that has kept him in bed the last couple of days, and even after ripping up his left arm crashing into the left field fence in a meaningless softball game last week. Bond ended up pitching 4.33 innings, and exited the game after making his first real mistake of the night, leaving a hanging curve to longtime SweatSox adversary Bobby Brooks that was hit just out of the range of Kent Johnston in left center, for a two run homerun. The Rookie Singer came in to close the game and pitched well in his first playoff appearance, pitching 2.66 innings of no run ball.

Unfortunately, the Sox could get little going on offence, managing only four hits against 'The Darkness'. Armando Navarro and BrownShow Elias each had a hit, while Bond tried to help his cause on the mound while picking up the other two hits. Bond had a leadoff double in the 4th, but one batter later Sean Elias lined out to the pitcher which lead to an unfortunate and untimely double play. One rookie was reportedly furious when Turtle didn't lay down the first bunt of his career. Seriously?

The highlight of the game, likely the entire series, and maybe even the entire year was a heroic display of outfielding skills when three of the leagues top defending outfielders put on a clinic for all the kids watching at home, a clinic about will, desire, heart, and passion. Of course I am talking about SweatSox CF Kent Johnston, LF Willy Freeman, and RF Cory Bond, yes, the same Bond who pitched 4.33 of near perfect baseball, and the same Bond who had 50% of the teams total hits for the game. Down three runs late in the game, Singer gave up a liner to center field that had every intention of falling in for a base hit, but the gold gloving Johnston would have no part of that, as he sacrificed the well being of his own body and dove head first, and while calculating the balls angle of descent, extended his glove into the proper position and made an amazing catch for out number one.

Out number two was equally impressive, as a sharp hit ball to left nearly caught Freeman off guard, but seeing the courage of his centerfielder only seconds earlier, Billy decided to replicate the dive he had just witnessed, the only difference was that this one was to his right. Fantastic catch made, two outs.

After witnessing his fellow fielders make highlight of the night catches, Bond knew that if a ball came his way, especially from the following batter, no matter where it was hit, he would have to lay out for it...but what were the odds of that happening.....

The Après Baseball Hyjinx wasn't as happy a time as usual, a playoff loss probably does that but that didn't keep the OMS down. After a couple beers, Dorrington decided to turn into David Blaine and try the old tippy toe levitating trick. If it was anybody else trying it I would have thought it was ridiculous but since it was the OMS, it's my new favourite trick!

JimboTron is back with some thoughts on the series so far, to see what he has to say, check out the JimboTron Updates page for the Mr. August entry.

The third and final game of the series goes tomorrow night @ Kinsman. Adrian Delorey is scheduled to take the mound.

Anticipation was in the air for game 1 of the tier 2 quarterfinal between the Gryphons and SweatSox at Hamilton Yards last night. Fresh off his win at the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships, Mark Dorrington took the hill against Bobby Brooks, a former nemesis of the Sox many moons ago during his days as a Coyote. The Gryphons would see Dorrington for the first time since the Robert quitting incident of a year ago.

Things started out poorly for the Sox and their ace. With 2 outs in the first, Dorrington was hit by an errant pitch. He then stole second and came up holding his hamstring. The future appeared bleak. In the bottom of the first, Dorrington walked leadoff hitter Phil Taylor on four pitches and allowed '07 D'back favourite Ryan Mussen to reach on an error. Both runners were cashed in on a subsequent Jeff Still double. 2-0 Gryphons after one. The 3 or 4 Sox fans in attendance went silent.

After a scoreless 2nd, the Sox finally cashed a run in the 3rd on a Joe Majic (2nd)/Army Navarro (home) double steal to make it 2-1. Bill Freeman than hit an RBI single to cash Majic, but wait a minute...the base at 3rd was a special "trick base" put down by the Gryphons. The base reached up and grabbed Majic and prevented him from scoring the tying run. More doom and gloom.

Brooks and Dorrington sailed through the 5th. In the top of the 6th Brooks walked CF Kent Johnston to lead off the inning. Brooks was immediately pulled in favour '06 D'back favourite Andre Robidoux. Robidoux promptly induced two fly balls from the Sox. With two out Sox skipper Craig Cornell called on Kevin Singer off the, for the first time ever this season, fully stocked Sox bench. Singer delivered a two out single moving Johnston to second. Army Navarro guided by the cheers of "Go Dad" promptly delivered Johnston and the tying run with a single of his own. The book was now closed on Brooks and the score was 2-2.

Leadoff man Joey Majic was up next and motivated greatly by the guaranteed pack of smokes from ottawasweatsox2 favourite Bill Freeman, stroked an RBI single of his own cashing in Singer with the go-ahead run. Cornell followed, cashing in Navarro to give the Sox a two run lead. After 5 1/2 - 4-2 Sweat Sox.

The two run lead was really all Dorrington needed, although the Gryphons made it interesting cashing in another unearned run in the bottom of the 6th and stranding the bases loaded. Despite a deadly flu bug, Cory Bond stroked an rbi single in the 7th to make it 5-3 and Dorrington sent the Gryphs down in order in the bottom of the 7th with the game ending on a terrific throw by Sox centrefielder Johnston throwing out Christian Heimbach who tried to stretch a single into a double.

Dorrington ended the night going 7 strong giving up 1ER on 7 hits and a walk while striking out 9 Gryphons.

Cory Bond, Joey Majic and Army Navarro all has 2 hits in the 11 hit Sox attack.

In the playoff excitement we learned a few things. 1) Beer apparently is less important in the playoffs. With all 15 Sweat Sox in attendance, no one stepped up and brought the cold ones. Thankfully most of the team was hungry and moved the hy-jinks to Boston Pizza for some food and team pitchers. Despite the hospitality from Jen at BP, I'm sure someone will bring the drinks on Wednesday. 2) Chris is older. Well we knew the elder statemen of the team was a little older than the 20 somethings in the crew, but he didn't need to be told...TWICE...by Jen at BP. 3) OMS is actually in his early 20's...who knew? 4) It is not the umpire's responsibility to tie down the bases. And finally 5) despite what we all might believe, 8 game rookies actually know the team tendencies better than 5 year team veterans.

Game 2 is Wednesday, 8:30 at Hamilton Yards. Lefty Bond goes for the Sox against Peter Gauthier.

August 21, 2007

Top Row: GZAUN, KJ, the Rookie Ramage, the Angry 1st Baseman, OMS, BrownShow, K, RBI Champ cB14, the Rookie Singer

Bottom Row: the 1/2 Rookie Delorey, Not Mary but Joseph, Skip, Rookie Bill Freeman, Army w/ LiL' Army, Turtle

With a Mudd loss last night against Winchester, the SweatSox are now locked into 5th place, and will face the Gryphons in the first round of the playoffs. The SweatSox lost the season series against the Gryphons this year 2-1, and were outscored 32-14 in those games.

Game 01 is scheduled for Tuesday, August 20, 2007, 6:15PM, Sportsplex, with the One Man Show scheduled to take the hill.

The SweatSox would like to congratulate Robert & the Sundevils for achieving what most thought impossible, the backwards perfect season, 0-24. The Sundevils capped off this feat with a 15-8 loss against the Dragons last night, and finished in true Sundevil fashion when their assclown second baseman was ONCE AGAIN tossed from a ballgame, ONCE AGAIN thought it would be a good idea to threaten an umpire, and then put the icing on the cake by 'bumping' said umpire on the way out.

The OttawaSweatSox2 ban on the ejected players name is still in effect, so I will cleverly create an alias that will be unbreakable by most....Ron (rhymes with Shawn) Goalie (rhymes with Scolli).....Ron Goalie...your an idiot!

Last night, the SweatSox took the field for the final time in the 2007 regular season, suiting up to face the reigning Tier III champs, the Outlaws. The 'Avant' Baseball Hy-jinx got off to a terrible start when the Rookie Delorey thought it would be a good idea to pump the team up by playing the Jock Jams CD's on his iPOD attached to a massive speaker for everyone to hear. Fortunately, no other team with a website was nearby to shame us.

The SweatSox decided that the Rookie Ramage, sitting on "#44" days rest, would get the start against the "half drunk" Outlaws. Ramage cruised to victory, highlighted by a dirty three pitch inning, and gave up only six hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts in the 7-1 SweatSox win. With the win, Josh became the only SweatSox rookie to pick up a pitching win this year, and that honour alone earns him his second career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award.

Offensively, RBI Champ Cory Bond led the way with two of the teams five hits, two runs scored and an RBI, which just as easily could have been 6RBI if one ball didn't hang as far in the air, and another ball didn't hook foul. Kent Johnston finished the game with a hit, 2RBI, a run scored and a stolen base; Chris Chapman had a hit and an RBI, and Armando Navarro showed true passion in his final at bat and recorded his best single of the year. After several games of not being awarded, the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette Trophy makes its return and goes to Joseph Majic, who showed everyone how to drop down a bunt while your knees are touching the ground and your bat is still vertical; it should be noted that Joe was thrown out by 85 feet.

The SweatSox take pride in many things, including their attendance, website, infields, and Hy-jinx; but also that they have no on-field coach or signs; which is why the team was disgusted with some of the actions of their veteran leaders during the game last night. With Shaun Keay on second and Chapman on first, they showed the type of crap that they must have pulled regularly during the unthinkable one win season way back when. Sensing that the time was right, Chapman gave Shaun a signal that indicated a double steal should be attempted, so they attempted it, and it was successful. We are not the Gryphons or Tribu, we don't need this type of coordination and teamwork, so to avoid this happening in the future, I'm going to sell the team out and share our signs with the rest of the league (and no, that does not mean I'm posting the three page BrownShow signs from 2006)...so here it goes: If one baserunner waves at another baserunner with both hands, points to the base that they want stolen, then tugs on the beak of their helmet, that's the apparent SweatSox steal sign!!!

The Après Baseball Hy-jinx actually got off to a good start when DJ Delorey announced he brought forty-eight beers...but then in the same breath announced that only ten of them were on ice...stupid rookies. If that wasn't enough he then proceeded to turn on the very music we told him not to ever play again and kept it playing until Joey drowned out the iPOD with the music from his cute little truck. With the warm beers, the best of Fergie music, and guy on guy piggybacks, it could have very well ended up being the worst Hy-jinx ever.

The SweatSox now have more then a week off before the playoffs begin sometime around the 20th, there is talk of a practice sometime this week but that can't be right, cause we're the SweatSox!!

OMS WINS AT NATIONALS

Mark Dorrington picked up the 6-1 win for the Tecumseh Thunder over defending national champion New Brunswick at the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships in Quebec City on Saturday. Unfortunately, Tecumseh and their 2-2 Pool A record were the odd team out in a 3 way tie-breaker and failed to advance to the playoff round.

A summary/boxscore of the game can be found by clicking here.

Dorrington now returns to the SweatSox who are preparing for their first round playoff series and a TBD opponent the week of August 20th.

* The Ontario 2 team here, which was invited as a late replacement for P.E.I., includes 36-year-old former Saint Johner Mark Dorrington, now of Ottawa. According to the Ottawa Sweat Sox website, he has 65 strikeouts in 38 innings and six wins for the team, which plays in Tier 2 of the National Capital Baseball League. He boasts a 0.74 ERA in that circuit.

The SweatSox are always looking to set and break all kinds of baseball records, but we can also appreciate a good record when we see one; and with Robert's Sundevils just two games away from tying one of the all time greatest records, we have to tip our caps.

With a loss last night to Les Acadiens Moosehead, the Sundevils now sit at 0-22 and with games remaining against the Gryphons and Dragons, the chances of a perfect season is as close as ever.

Although 0-24 would be impressive, it would not be the first time in NCBL history this feat as been reached, you have to look all the way back to 1991 and the Nordel Nasty Boyz who also finished with the goose egg in the win column.

Mark Dorrington was picked up by the Tecumseh Thunder to represent Ontario 2 in the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships from Thursday to Sunday in Quebec City. This will be the 3rd province Dorrington has represented at the Championships. He also represented New Brunswick and British Columbia on several occasions most recently in 2004 for Burnaby when he shut out New Brunswick 1-0 and was named the tournament all-star right-handed pitcher.

The SweatSox wish their ace best of luck in his quest for a National Championship.

Twenty-three games in and the SweatSox finally had the entire team out for their first team picture since they won the 2005 Tier III championship...no wait, for the second time this year it was an Elias that ruined it, this time it was Turtle! No team picture yet.

Last night at Southgate, it was the second and final meeting of the year against Robert & the Sundevils, where the SweatSox were looking to avoid the embarrassment of being the first team to lose this year to this once storied franchise. This matchup was also historic, as it was likely the first time the SweatSox were part of a knuckleballer vs knuckleballer starting pitcher matchup, as semi-rookie Adrian Delorey took on a former Tier II MVP who will remain nameless.

The Sox got things going against the Sundevils pitcher early, as Mark Dorrington connected with his second homerun of the year to give the Sox an early 2-0 lead. Both teams exchanged runs for the next few innings, eventually chasing the starters from the game after the fourth, and with the Sox up 9-8. This paved the way for a showdown between Ottawa Deuce all-star pitchers Cory Bond and David Fenn over the final three innings. After a couple errors, Bond gave up the lead and blew the save opportunity, but not to be outdone, the Sundevils committed even more errors and were down 14-11 heading into the final half inning. The three run lead was more than enough for Bond, who struck out five batters in his three innings of work to secure the dirty win, his sixth of the year. SweatSox 14, Sundevils 12.

Offensively, the SweatSox bats were still hot from their previous game against the Outlaws, as the team scored fourteen runs on seventeen hits. Leading the way was Mark Dorrington, who went 4/4 with the aforementioned HR, four RBI, five runs scored, a walk and a no throw steal of third. With this offensive output, the OMS takes home yet another 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award; and once again enters the record books by winning the award in consecutive games, the first time this has been accomplished!

Honourable mentions go out to the BrownShow, who went 2/2 with two RBI before injuring his hamstring heading into second base, and being pulled from the game. Armando Navarro continued his career season by also going 2/2 with three walks (including two hit by pitches) and a stolen base; Kevin Singer once again showed that when he does show up he can be effective at the plate as the Rookie went 2/3 with a clutch two run double in the top of the seventh. Cory Bond gets another OttawaSweatSox2 shoutout, as the star lefthander hit his third triple of the year which scored two runs, adding to his current record setting RBI pace.

The Après Baseball Hyjinx last night was once again held in the Southgate parking lot, and featured the first ever 'Rookie vs Veteran Empty Beer Bottle Stacking Competition', as Rookie Bill Freeman took on the reigning champion Marc 'GZAUN' Lett. The battle was close as both competitors easily went four high, but it was Willy Freeman who ran away with it tying the record of five, setting the record at six, then beating his own record going seven high! Pictures of this accomplishment can be found in the Pictures section of the site.

Shortly after this record setting beer bottle stacking performance, JT the Brick announced via AM radio that Barry Bonds had just set the all time homerun record. Which record do you find more impressive, 756 homeruns or 7 beer bottles, let me know at ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com. The Hyjinx then came to an early end, as there was an unprecedented Southgate appearance by the always friendly Bylaw, who forced the team to leave the premises even though they still had three full beers left in the cooler. Refusing to submit to authority, the veterans Lett, Keay, and Bond remained on site to finish their refreshments, and left on their own terms! Way to go folks!

Next up for the SweatSox is their final regular season game of the year on Friday against the Outlaws. Traditionally, the final game is where the Sox send out a 'plethora' of pitchers as the starters get ready for playoffs, but since the Sox finally have a favourable schedule to end the year (with approximately nine full days off before playoffs), it remains to be seen which direction the team will choose to go.

Thanks to a Winchester victory over the JT & the Boys late last night, the SweatSox have clinched a spot in the 2007 Tier II playoffs.

With the SweatSox coming off one of their worst losses in years, a loss that could have put the Sox in a slump so deep that they may miss the playoffs altogether, the team knew that there was only one man that would be able to fix this mess, one man who is incapable of losing, one man who despite all the pressure would be able to lead the Sox to victory both at the plate and on the mound; and that man is of course JimboTron. Unfortunately Jimbo is still missing in action so the SweatSox had to settle for Mark Dorrington.

Although Dorrington showed up not expecting to throw, he took the challenge of trying to defeat the 2006 Tier III Champions in the first ever SweatSox vs Outlaws matchup. The Sox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after the first, then added three in the second, one run in the third and fourth, then after a borderline strike three call in the fifth that would have ended the inning, the Sox added eight runs to take a seventeen run lead, a lead they would hold on to en route to a 17-1 win.

The OMS pitched the dirty complete game for the win, giving up five hits, one run, one earned run, one walk and nine strikeouts. At the plate, Dorrington went 3/4 with three runs scored, an RBI and a walk. The combined OMS attack once again earns him the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award!

Offensively, several SweatSox had career nights so hopefully I don't forget anybody. Rookie Bill Freeman had three hits including a solo homerun and four runs scored; Joseph Majic went 3/3 with four RBI and three runs scored; Shaun K also had three hits, three RBI but more importantly zero keay's; and Kent Johnston had two hits, including his second career Southgate homerun, his first since the SweatSox final Tier III regular season game. Johnston also finished with three RBI, two runs scored, and the only Sox stolen base of the night. Dishonourable mention goes out to Craig Cornell, who said after he was 0-3 that if he went 0-4 his dishonour could be made public via OttawaSweatSox2, so there it is!!!

Honourable mention goes out to SweatSox lefthander Cory Bond, who finally chased down and surpassed the SweatSox single season RBI record set in 2005 by that year's Tier III Most Valuable Player and Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winner, Cory Bond. Special thanks to Rookie Bill Freeman who tagged up from third and scored on Bond's franchise leading 9th sacrifice fly, to help set this record. With two games remaining in the SweatSox season, the webmaster predicts at least two more RBI for Cory.

Although the game was at Southgate, the Après Baseball Hy-Jinx did not take place at the home of the NCBL's treasurer, probably because he didn't want certain rookies ruining his garden or piles of peanut shells spread across his backyard. Nevertheless, the Hyjinx got off to a good start thanks to the younger brothers Majic, who brought out the much hyped Angry Dragon after "disinfecting it" beforehand. Nobody was happier to see this high tech piece of hardware than Rookie Bill Freeman, who was quoted as saying: "this is why I wanted to play SweatSox baseball". Unfortunately, Rookie didn't know how powerful the Angry Dragon was because not long after, Freeman became the first person in SweatSox history to actually fall asleep during a Hyjinx. Bill did wake up just in time to prevent the carjacking of his truck by several of his teammates who were distracted by the choice of items sitting on the passenger side seat: a fork, a can opener, and a pair of sunglasses.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup against Robert's Sundevils, and depending on which SweatSox team shows up, this game could be a dangerous one.

Although official site hit counts are kept top secret, OttawaSweatSox2 is proud to announce that July 2007 was the most viewed month in website history, surpassing the previous record set in August of 2006!

The team would like to thank all their readers from all over the world for continuing to make OttawaSweatSox2 the most read team website in the entire NCBL.

The SweatSox and Diamondbacks faced each other for the second and final time this regular season last night at Brewer. The entire league was hoping this would be the game where the OMS and the Asterisk faced off, but alas it was the SweatSox that didn't bring their ace this time around, as work related work forced the OMS to throw the night before.

Offensively the Sox were outmatched by the Diamondbacks starter, and set a new franchise record by striking out sixteen times. Dishonorable mentions go out to Cory Bond, Joe Majic, and Marc Lett who were all one at bat away from the highly sought-after Golden Sombrero. The SweatSox also hurt themselves on the field with some baserunning blunders: according to the statbook "Marc Lett" was picked off after taking an unnecessary lead at second base, and Kent Johnston once again fell victim to the ole' fake to third, throw to first move (which did lead to the second Sox run).

Seemingly immune from the Asterisk, reigning Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winner Craig Cornell led what little there was on offense with two hits, the "streak" preserving run, and was the only SweatSox not to strikeout; combined with an error free game at shortstop, Cornell takes home his third career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Honourable mention goes out to Kevin Singer who knocked in Cornell with the lone SweatSox RBI, but more importantly assisting in keeping the "streak" alive. After it was all said and done, the SweatSox went down 7-2, and split the season series.

Après Baseball, the SweatSox looked to avoid the early departure debacle that happened last time, so they took the Hy-Jinx to Local Heroes where I'm told they serve a mean Garlic Cheese Bread with Bacon; much better then that crap they have at East Sides. The Half-Rookie Delorey arrived a bit late thanks in part to a couple unnecessary and possibly illegal u-turns on several streets between Brewer and Locals. The highlight of the Hy-Jinx happened just before the Sox called it a night, and a few minutes after Rookie Bill Freeman prematurely evacuated, when we told the waitress about the East Sides 'bra' incident. Amused by our tale, the waitress came back a few minutes later and dropped something on our table...yes...her black bra!!

With all the excitement over the past 48 hours, there is one person who can put it all together, to give the SweatSox some words of encouragement or tidbits of wisdom, and that of course is the award winning JimboTron! Unfortunately, Jimbo is on sabbatical in Japan and could not be reached for comment! Big ups to the Dbacks Default News User for breaking that story before we could; and for appearing to have won the spot of lead Diamondback writer. I was honored to have even been considered for the position, but my writing skills are at least two grade levels below the requirements in your ad, and I don't want to bring down the site of the reigning Tier II playoff champions to the level of a team that was in Tier IV only three years ago.

Next up for the SweatSox is another long layoff, this time six full days before a matchup against Les Acadiens Moosehead next Tuesday at Kinsmen.

After seven days off, the SweatSox finally returned to the field to take on the Mudd last night at the Sportsplex. The Sox, and I suppose the entire NCBL, received some devastating news about thirty minutes before game time when it was announced that Mark Dorrington would not be able to make his scheduled start the follow night against the Diamondbacks, in what was surely going to be the dream NCBL pitching matchup of the OMS vs Asterisk.

Instead, the SweatSox switched up their rotation and had the OMS throw against the Mudd; and the OMS did what he does best....he pitched the complete game, giving up three hits, one run (unearned), two walks and fourteen strikeouts en route to a 5-1 SweatSox win, and his fifth win of the year (5-0). If that wasn't enough, the Show added a cyclopean homerun to left, his first of the season; and for the seventh time, the OMS takes home the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

Rounding out the rest of the game day award winners is Andrew Elias, who wins the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette Trophy! BrownShow wins the award and can use it to wipe the shame away from being the only SweatSox not in attendance, as the other fourteen members of the active roster were present and accounted for.

Offensively, Rookie Bill Freeman had two hits, a double, and also the only SweatSox stolen base of the night. Sean Elias recorded his second multi-hit game of the year which included a double and an RBI, and at some point in the top of the 7th became the first player in franchise history to purchase a house during a game!! Congrats Sean!

The Après Baseball Hy-Jinx was a two-parter last night, with a decoy cooler starting things off and a trip to East Side Mario's where a female fan donated her bra to the team as she and her posse were leaving, to close the night. Due to the explicit details of this encounter, this story cannot be published on this PG rated site, so you'll have to wait for the 2007 Unrated SweatSox DVD to hear about this one. Preorders can be made at ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

Next up for the Sox is a matchup with the Diamondbacks tonight at Brewer; Midcard chucker Cory Bond is scheduled to face the reigning Tier II playoff champs, and throw against the Main Event Asterisk.

Ottawa SweatSox, meet Trish and Jaime. We don't know who they are, or what they look like, but we do know what bra one of them wears, or used to wear.....

For those who didn't experience the Après Baseball Hy-Jinx to it's fullest, here is a small photo sample of what you missed... The full recap will be in tomorrow's write-up, which will include why Cory Bond is seen posing with a bra, why it took so long for GZAUN to make his OttawaSweatSox2 debut, and how Army could hit a ball to the fence and only manage a single...

For the third time this year, the matchup between the SweatSox and Outlaws has been rained out. This game was not the makeup game for a previous makeup game for a game that was rained at the beginning of the season, it was just supposed to be their second matchup.

The SweatSox will now have to wait until Monday for their next game, where they will travel to the Sportsplex to take on the Mudd. Cory Bond is scheduled to start.

The SweatSox faced off against the Dragons last night for the first time since the 14-3 beatdown they took earlier in the year in Gatineau. The Sox hoped things would be different this time, playing in a province where a right turn on a red light is encouraged...sadly, it was even worse, as the SweatSox lost the game 14-1. The Sox can however take pride in the fact they avoided the embarrassment of a mercy rule shortened game, as this assault took the seven full innings.

Offensively, the Sox could only manage five hits, with two of them coming from the Rookie Singer. Normally, 40% of the offense combined with the successful bringing of the après baseball beverages earns you the A&W, but this time it did not. After further review, it was determined that Kent Johnston had the other three Sox hits, the sole SweatSox RBI, and as usual was a steady presence in center field, so even though he wasn't there to accept the award in person, Kent earned himself his first career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Kent, you will be happy to hear that Craig was keeping the award warm for you, around his neck.

The Après Baseball Hy-Jinx seemed to take place a bit earlier than normal last night, as most of the excitement happened during the game. For example, one player was down 0-1 in the count when he hadn't yet stepped into the batters box, another player was ejected after a "good call" declaration, another player decided that he would rather use his shoulder to catch a line drive, and finally, one SweatSox pitcher gave up the always rare Ground Rule Homerun in the top of the sixth inning.

The SweatSox Lost & Found Section is now updated, after the SweatSox first baseman's van was broken into this past weekend. If you've found a whistle or set of golf clubs lying around Ottawa's west end in the past couple of days, please contact our website administrator.

As mentioned in the 'Questionable Wall Hangings' article, a few members of the Sox were suiting up for the Ottawa Deuces in the Brewers Tournament that took place this past weekend. After a few last minute roster moves, five SweatSox ended up making the trip to the Sportsplex to show off a little Tier II ball; and Tier II ball it was as the Ottawa Deuces finished the tournament 0-3, but played two very close games against the eventual tournament runners up and the tournament champions. A special congratulations goes out to SweatSox Rookie Bill Freeman, who led the team in hits then was unanimously voted Ottawa Deuces team MVP at the "Elimination Beer Celebration". Thanks again to Craig Cornell for providing the free beer that only the best of the best hung around for.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Outlaws. I'm sure the diamond will be unplayable, or it will rain, or there will be a team hockey game, or something new that will postpone this game! Otherwise, it's a 6:15PM start, Friday at McCarthy.

Round 13 of the SweatSox/Old Sox rivalry took place last night at the Sportsplex, with the SweatSox holding an 8-4 advantage heading in. This was the final matchup of the regular season between the two squads, with the series tied 1-1. Looking for the series win, the SweatSox sent their newest rookie Adrian Delorey to the mound for his first career NCBL start. Delorey pitched very well, throwing the six inning complete game, giving up five hits, seven runs (two earned) with two walks and three strikeouts. Unfortunately, it was the same old Tier V story for the SweatSox, as their six errors of defense and only four runs on offense wasn't enough to beat the best diamond in the league. Old Sox 7, SweatSox 4.

Offensively, the lone bright spot for the SweatSox was Joseph Majic, who went 4/4 with two doubles and two RBI off the Old Sox lefty. Joey also made a tricky first inning catch in foul territory, which no doubt kept him in the right frame of mind for a career night at the plate. For his outstanding performance, Joey wins his third career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award! Honourable mentions go out to Armando Navarro who had two hits and two runs scored, and to Shaun Keay who picked up two more "Keay's" and is now four away from tying the single season record he set last season.

The Après Baseball Hy-Jinx took place at the Hunt Club/Merivale East Side Mario's, thanks entirely to Kevin Singer, who borrowed the BrownShow's Mont Bleu excuse by saying his car broke down en route to the game...with the beers in the back seat....or the trunk....it doesn't really matter....either way there was no beer!! Most of the team were so troubled by this event, that they called it a night; but it was a familiar threesome that kept the Hy-Jinx going, and that of course was the Big Sal Clipper Trio!!

Back at East Sides, the BSCT quickly found out that they do not serve 'team pitchers' of beer, and despite the waitress' suggestion that they go across the street to Boston Pizza, they stayed. When told that they could instead choose to order a couple buckets of beer, they accepted. What nobody knew at the time was that the East Side Mario beer buckets were locked in the back shed so they were substituted by what was formerly known as their lost and found bucket, which prominently displayed an obscene picture of a parrot.

Despite all the confusion with the beer, the evening was an enjoyable one mostly thanks to our personal server who we will call M&M, who was described by one SweatSox player as having a "great tan, with lovely legs and an ass you can bounce a dime off of". This was also mentioned in the comment card that was provided to the table at the end of the night. Upon reading the kind description, M&M invited the writer of the comment card bar-side to meet her sister for what was sure to be the beginning of a wild night! The offer was politely declined. Big shoutout to Rookie Bill Freeman who picked up the tab without asking for anything in return at any point!

Finally, the SweatSox would like to welcome Hunt Club's own 'Chuck' into the SweatSox Fan Club. Chuck came into our lives last night when looking for a spot to park his bull-horned brown girls bicycle with no lock. He would like to extend his best wishes to the entire SweatSox ballclub and hopes the rest of the season is a successful one!! Thanks Chuck.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup next Tuesday against the Dragons, a team they have never defeated. The website administrator would also like to wish Craig Cornell, Cory Bond, and Rookie Bill Freeman good luck at this weekends Brewers tournament as they will be representing the SweatSox on the Ottawa Deuces, a team made up from representatives of five different Tier II teams.

The battle of the previous two Tier III pennant and playoff champions will have to once again wait another day, as their makeup game from a previously postponed matchup has been postponed! The SweatSox won't have to wait long for their next game, as JT & the Boys come to town tomorrow night, 6:15PM, Sportsplex.

Last night, the SweatSox and Sundevils once again renewed the oldest rivalry in the NCBL, a series that dates all the way back to 1981 when the teams were then known as D.L. and Stoney Monday's. To celebrate the 26th anniversary of their first ever matchup, the teams decided to send a pair of 2005 Tier III award winners to the hill for a sure to be classic battle; representing the SweatSox, Cory Bond (MVP), and representing the Sundevils, Matt Robert (co top pitcher). Bond held up his end of the bargain, pitching the Sox to an 11-1 lead through four innings of no hit ball before turning it over to the bullpen. Robert's stat line could not be calculated due to the fact that he was nowhere near the Sportsplex at any point during the game.

The SweatSox eventually won the game via mercy rule after the sixth inning off a walk off wild pitch. SweatSox 12, Sundevils 2.

Offensively, the Sox broke things open in the 2nd inning with seven runs, then added four more in the 4th en route to their first win over the Sundevils since about 1990. Leading the offense was Mark Dorrington (1RBI), Kent Johnston (2RBI), Sean Elias (1st 2007 multi-hit game) and Joseph Majic (1SB), who all had two hits. Bond also chipped in with a two run triple, and combined with his four innings of no hit ball with six clean strikeouts, no earned runs and a pickoff, yet despite his seven walks, earned himself his fourth 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award of the year. To help clean his uniform after getting caught in the always tricky fake to third throw to first pickoff move, Kent Johnston gets to take home the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette Trophy.

For the Après Baseball Hy-Jinx, the SweatSox grabbed a seat in the left field bleachers in celebration of SweatSox Non-Rookie Appreciation Day. The Sox rookies in attendance bought, cooked and served the rest of the team a late dinner, fresh off the BBQ. As usual, Schneiders Jumbo Hot Dogs was the food of choice, served in sausage buns with no condiments. Rookie Adrian Delorey, fresh off his first two innings pitched of the year, did some pre-BBQ scouting and found an article on this site dated June 11, 2007 titled EATING STEAK OFF THE BARBEQUE. He figured it was his duty to bring the steak, and served it alongside the dogs coated with Montreal Steak Spice; excellent initiative, you earn five points. The Rookie Ramage volunteered to finance the entire operation, and was given the following list for his trip to Loblaws:

Ramage ended up only bringing the top four items out of a possible twelve (33.33%), a good effort none-the-less! We'll give you six points!

To close the evening, the team decided to have an empty beer bottle stacking competition. Marc Lett, determined to beat his outdoor record of two set at Heritage earlier this year, decided to set the bar so high that no other person would even attempt to defeat him. He was successful, Marc Lett is your beer stacking champion at five bottles!

Next up is a matchup with the 2006 Tier III Champion Outlaws tomorrow night @ Faulkner. This is a makeup game (the "lake" in left) from way back in mid May, so it is highly doubtful this game will be postponed!

Finishing up their five game road trip last Thursday in Winchester, Craig and the Sox returned home to the Sportsplex to face their webspace brothers, and part time poets, the Ottawa Diamondbacks. Although it wasn't the dream pitchers duel of the OMS vs the *, it was still a close and exciting ball game. The Dbacks got things going in the top of the first, scoring a rare run on the SweatSox ace, Mark Dorrington. The SweatSox took the lead in the bottom of the second after scoring two runs, scored again in the third and fifth before putting the game away for good in the sixth by adding four more runs. SweatSox 8, Diamondbacks 1.

Offensively, Cory Bond and Kent Johnston led the way with two hits and two RBI each. One of Johnston's hits included a two run double, and he also mixed in two runs and a stolen base. Bond managed to hit his first triple of the year, picked up his team leading 17th RBI of the season, and ended the game with a 'five game suspension' sliding catch in right field. Craig Cornell and Andrew Elias also mixed in two hits each, and the Rookie Ramage also snuck in an at bat and picked up his first career NCBL hit.

The eight SweatSox runs was more than enough for the OMS, who pitched the complete game win giving up five hits, one run, one walk, and six strikeouts. With his performance, Dorrington takes back the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award after being awarded to "batters" the last two games.

The ballgame also saw the first career NCBL ejection of SweatSox designated hitter Sean Elias after a series of unfortunate events started with a play at the plate and ended with the next pitch he saw; he was one of three total players ejected* in the game. Always seeing the glass half full, Sean's ejection did lead to the SweatSox debut of unpaid, and unbeered rookie Adrian Delorey, who a few batters later got his first career SweatSox stat, a run scored!

The Après Baseball Hy-Jinx got off to a delayed start after the inexcusable absence of scheduled beer provider Marc Lett. Lett, who has known he was on beer since the season schedule was released, didn't show up to the game (or pregame team picture) and didn't even have the courtesy to try and arrange a replacement, or trade beer days with someone like Armando Navarro, who won't be here Friday on his scheduled beer day!

The team was forced to pack up, leave the team in green, and make their way to the Merivale Road Boston Pizza for some team refreshments and a couple of orders of three, not two, cheese toast. Knowing he was going to miss his turn on beer this Friday, Army was kind enough to pick up the tab on half a pitcher of beer!! Thanks #12.

The SweatSox now have two days off before their first matchup of the year against Robert's Sundevils Friday night. The Sundevils will be looking for their first win of the year, and the Sox will be looking for their first win against the Sundevils in modern day SweatSox history. This game is particularly interesting because not only will former SweatSox Matt Robert be playing against his former squad, it could see the first ever Bond vs Robert pitching matchup. The over/under on total errors in the game has not yet been set, perhaps AWOL infielder Joseph Majic will make contact with the team and help out with this betting line!

"HAS ANYONE SEEN MY FLIP-FLOP?"
contributed by SweatSox field reporter Greg the Treasure Hunter

The Sox rolled into Winchester fresh off a come from behind victory over the reigning pennant winning Gryphons and sporting a 2-0 season record against Winchester. Cory Bond got the nod on the mound and as usual pitched very well giving up 3 earned runs while striking out 8. Offensively the Sox got Morgan Field homers from Andrew Elias and Shaun Keay and in a close vote, it was determined to count these hits as actual homeruns in the stats. Winchester plated two runs to knot the game at 5 in the bottom of the 5th. Then…yada yada yada…Tier 5 defence…yada yada yada…

Winchester 14, SweatSox 6

The post game hyjinx were highlighted by a nasty peanut throwing episode and an unusual football competition between OMS and Robin Sadler which was highlighted by a near perfect slide tackle by the Show after a well executed 3 foot punt by the Winchester veteran.

With 10 games remaining on the schedule, the Sox return “home” to host the defending champion Diamondbacks* on Tuesday. The Sox really hope Joey is on time for the 8:30 start at the Splex and are also looking forward to reliable vet Marc Lett bringing the drinks and putting on another stellar defensive performance. A big win is predicted for the Sox. Also don’t forget, NCBL exec. Joe Beelen will be in attendance to take a team photo for the NCBL year end banquet, so attendance is mandatory.

Looking to avoid the season sweep, the SweatSox faced off against the Gryphons for the final time this regular season last night. The location was Southgate, and it was the SweatSox first game there since last year's "quitting" debacle that featured the OMS' only NCBL loss, Armando Navarro's only NCBL homerun, and Kent Johnston striking out three times, fittingly enough against these same Gryphons.

The game started off on the wrong foot for the SweatSox, who gave up four first inning runs after two infield errors to the dismay of starting pitcher Kevin Singer. The Sox could only reply with a single run in the second inning, and were shutout until the sixth, when the entered the inning down 7-1. With two outs, the Sox managed to start a five run rally that began with a Bond single and ended with a two run homerun courtesy of Rookie Bill Freeman, his first as a SweatSox. In the bottom of the inning, the Gryphons scored another run and held a 8-6 advantage heading into the final frame. A Craig Cornell pinch hit bunt single got things going, followed shortly by a Joey Majic base on balls. Cory Bond reached on error scoring a run, and Shaun Keay, determined not to strikeout, scored Joe on a sac fly tying the game; Chris Chapman then stepped up and also reached base on error scoring the go ahead run and the comeback was complete. Cory retook the hill in the bottom of the inning and held the Gryphons scoreless to close the books on an average game with a great finish. Army Navarro made the final out, an unassisted play at second base and when asked on field to comment, Army said: "alright guys, lets get the bats going!!" Sorry Army, we only play seven innings in the NCBL. It should also be noted that this was the first time all year that the SweatSox won a game without their starting pitcher pitching the complete game.

Rookie Bill Freeman led the SweatSox offense with three hits, including his two run TSN Turning Point homerun, and a stolen base which earns him his first ever 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award!! Congrats Billy!! Honourable mentions go out to Army who had two hits and two stolen bases, and to Shaun Keay who went 1/1 with two walks, two RBI, and the aforementioned sacrifice fly. On defense, Marc Lett once again showed why he's one of the elite catchers in the tier after throwing out yet another baserunner en route to second.

OttawaSweatSox2 favourite Cory Bond also had an interesting game; Bond had his first two stolen bases of the season, scored two runs including the game winner, got robbed of an RBI double thanks to a diving first baseman, and got robbed of a homerun thanks to a well positioned center fielder. Cory also pitched the final five outs, giving up only one hit with two strikeouts, and picked up the dirty win thanks to the late SweatSox rally. The win won't be dirty for long though, as Bond will get the assistance from the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette Trophy; the second time he's taken home the award this year.

Last night's "Après Baseball Hy-Jinx" took place at the home of the reigning Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy Winner Craig Cornell. Cornell and puppy hosted the 3rd SweatSox BBQ of the season that featured several hilarious hold'em anecdotes, Croatian cousin love stories, Jessica Rabbit fantasies, and some sketches of every child's favourite turtle Franklin having some not so pleasant things done to him, either before, after, or during the drowning of a duck. The Highlight of the Hy-Jinx was undoubtedly the reverse fall of Rookie Bill Freeman, who's chair fell over backwards which was then followed by an inverted roll into a standup finish, all without spilling his beer or dropping his hotdog; he would have earned a perfect score of ten, but the girly waving of his arms midfall cost him that final point. SweatSox bat catcher Marc Lett missed the post game citing being up since 3:00am, an excuse that he could only get away with thanks to his veteran status. On a happier note, it is my pleasure to announce that Kevin Singer and his twenty-two empty bottles of beer were reunited at the end of the night, all thanks to the SweatSox Lost and Found section of the website!

It has come to my attention that the Diamondbacks site has recently been updated with a message about not being updated after an extended period of inactivity; and in anticipation of the possible SweatSox takeover of the Diamondbacks website, I will refer you to their (or our future) site, click here to check it out.

After last night's comeback, you knew JimboTron would have something to say; to check out his latest contribution, check out the JimboTron Updates section of the site!

And finally, earlier this week the SweatSox received a memo from the higher-ups in the NCBL requesting that teams make sure their dugouts are clean before they leave. The picture on the left was our dugout...not sure who's dugout that is on the right though! :)

The SweatSox will now fill up their gas tanks and make the trek down south for their matchup in Winchester against Winchester tomorrow night @ 8:00PM.

For the final time this regular season, the SweatSox made their way across the river and took on the always classy, and OMS obsessed, Outaouais Tribu. The SweatSox, the highest scoring team in the NCBL, looked to sweep the season series and remain undefeated against the kids but were somehow only able to put up one run. Always looking to put the blame somewhere else, the Sox put this one on the home field calls, bounces & "kicks" and the fact that there was only one umpire present at this game. The Tribu over the SweatSox 10-1.

Josh Ramage got the call to take the hill and as mentioned, the Sox gave him little to no help on offense or defense. Ramage pitched six innings of thirty out ball, giving up ten hits, ten runs, three walks and three strikeouts; he fought through the errors for the first five innings but ran out of magic during a six run sixth. For his effort, and to the disappointment of Jimbo, Josh earns his first ever 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

Rookie Bill Freeman led the hitting charge with half of the teams four hits, two doubles and the only SweatSox RBI - unfortunately in the 6th his mind was already on the parking lot beer situation as he trotted into a play at the plate where he was gunned down by a mile. Presumably, Mrs. Bill took care of his indecisive eagerness to score when they arrived home. Although it's not the A&W, Rookie Bill Freeman does get to take home the WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette trophy for being not quite good enough, but still a winner!

Post game, the SweatSox turned to the Rookie Ramage for the adult beverages, but were surprised to find out that he came empty handed, ala Aydelu Army 2006. E1. Fortunately, Mont Bleu was sandwiched between a couple Dépanneurs and this problem was quickly fixed, as 12 Bleue and 24 Canadien arrived on scene not long after. It should be noted that there were no chips, peanuts, or Sloche bonuses; the website administrator did somehow leave with twelve beers, we'll see how many of those make it to Southgate. Midway through the postgame show, the Gatineau Bylaw stopped by for a chat and offered the team some words of support, or at least that's what the two SweatSox translators told the team! To close the night, the SweatSox decided to make another sacrifice to the baseball gods after the first one worked so perfectly. The team hope this will translate into a couple wins next week.

JimboTron was in the stands at last nights game and forwarded his thoughts to the team; Jimbo was also searching his hard drive late last night for some "inspiration" when he found an update from Family Fun Day he forgot to send. Both updates have been uploaded and posted, to check them out, click here.

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup at Southgate next Tuesday against the Gryphons, where they will look for a win and try and avoid the season sweep.

Ladies and gentleman, meet the BrownShow!! Andrew Elias, 11 games into the season, finally broke out with his best all around game of the year that we all hope will carry on for the rest of the season. Entering the game with an ERA over 15.00 and a batting average under .100, BrownShow looked for a good start but it didn't seem to be going his way early after some early errors led to three Acadiens runs. That's when Andrew took matters into his own hands, in the top of the second he hit his first homerun of the year, a three run shot to left center field that gave the SweatSox a lead they would never give up. Andrew pitched all six innings for the complete game win, giving up eight hits, four earned runs, one walk with three strikeouts; at the plate he had two hits (1HR), 4RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. With the all around effort, BrownShow earns himself his first 2004 A&W Kamloops International Game MVP Award of the year, his fourth overall. Oh, and the SweatSox defeated Les Acadiens Moosehead 19-6.

Sean, the other Elias brother, also had a great game. Sean uncharacteristically caught three fly balls at third base, caught a liner, and even fielded two ground balls (though one took a few bounces before reaching first and the other was somehow kicked to second). Sean really made his impact at the plate: after sharing with the team that the father Elias was promised a homerun from each of his sons, and after watching big brother go yard, Sean had no other choice but to hit one himself, and so he did, hitting a gargantuan moonshot to deep, deep, deep right field. It was his first homerun of the year, but cannot and will not appear in the SweatSox stats because of an age old team bylaw that states: "no homerun will be recorded in the stats if the ball does not actually land", however there is a sub-clause to that bylaw that states: "although it will not count in the stats, the homerun shall indeed count towards any prearranged anniversary, mothers day, or fathers day gift". So there you go poppa Elias, two homeruns as promised!!!

Although the Elias' played a key part of the game, the rest of the team cannot go unrecognized.

On offense, Craig Cornell added two hits, as did Army Navarro who also chipped in with an RBI, Sean Elias had three hits with three RBI, and Mark Dorrington, who played a few innings at first base left handed, had three RBI off of a bases clearing double. Cory Bond also played a key part of the SweatSox offense; he went 4/5 at the plate, four runs scored, and four RBI, with three of them coming on a sixth inning inside the park homerun. Bond also teamed up with S. Elias in the third inning for some creative base running that led to two SweatSox runs. It wasn't quite enough to earn Cory the A&W, but he was presented with the inaugural "WINNER's Serviette Humide Moist Towelette" trophy, another award on his already impressive résumé. Shaun Keay does gets honourable mention from being only one strikeout away from the "golden sombrero".

The SweatSox now have three days off before returning to Mont Bleu for a rematch with Outaouais Tribu, it will be the third time these teams have played this season with the SweatSox coming out on the winning end of the previous two. Will there be a BBQ this time too?

If you can't find your beer, and it turns out it was actually in your other hand, was it really lost?

The SweatSox once again made the trek across the river to take on the Tribu last night at Mont Bleu, and once again, the Sox were in jeopardy of a no-game after only seven players were present at the scheduled game time; but things quickly got turned around after Joey Majic made a better-late-than-never appearance to get the game going, and Marc Lett made an earlier then expected arrival while the team was up to bat in the top of the first. This chaos could have been avoided if Andrew "BrownShow" Elias' automotive vehicle didn't break down on King Edward street on his way to this key away game.

The actual game was a typical SweatSox game, with a few errors (3), a lot of runs (11), and one bad inning (3 runs given up). Fortunately for the SweatSox, the Tribu also had a bad inning and the Sox were able to take advantage by scoring 10 of their 11 runs in that fourth inning en route to a 11-4 victory.

Looking for his third win of the season, the SweatSox sent the co-franchise leader in wins, Cory Bond to the "mound". Bond had one of his better starts of the season, pitching the 6 inning complete game, giving up nine hits, one earned run, one walk, one strikeout, and his 25th career win, which now puts him alone in first place on the franchise wins list. Bond also takes home one third of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award because for the first time in SweatSox history, the award was split three ways. Craig Cornell also takes home a third of the award after going 2/3 with 3RBI, but more importantly picked up his 100th career hit as a SweatSox. The final piece of the award goes to Armando Navarro, who successfully reached base in all five of his plate appearances, with three hits and two walks, and made an outstanding diving catch at second base!! Congrats to all award winners, and please make sure the award is back in one piece by next game!

Post game was highlighted by the first SweatSox BBQ since Family Fun Day. The main course was three packs of Jumbo Hot Dogs that seemed to go down nice and easy, except for Chris Chapman who nearly required the assistance of his teammates to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Fortunately, Rookie Bill Freeman brought a "plethora" of Busch beer that helped the lodged wiener into the veteran's stomach.

The SweatSox now have two full days off before their first matchup of the year against Les Acadiens Moosehead at Brewer Sunday night. Andrew Elias is getting the call to pitch and the team is hoping it will be his 2007 breakout game!!

*The SweatSox, it's website administrator, its sponsors, its fans, its supporters and likely the NCBL, in no way shape or form support drinking and driving, drinking then driving, or any combination of drinking and/or driving under the influence of any form of alcoholic beverage under any circumstance

For the first time since opening day, the SweatSox were on the winning end of a close, well played game last night at the Sportsplex, as they defeated the Mudd 2-1. The Sox scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning, and the Mudd scored their lone run in the 4th; the rest of the game was an all out pitchers duel. If it was a pitchers duel, you know the Sox probably sent out their junior ace Mark Dorrington to the hill, and that they did. Dorrington pitched the complete game, giving up five hits, one run with twelve strikeouts; on offense, Mark had one of the four SweatSox hits (a double), and one of the two SweatSox runs; his combined effort earns him his 5th career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award!

Offensive honourable mentions of the night go out to Cory Bond, who got the first SweatSox RBI of the night, and Shaun Keay who had the game winning RBI later in the first. Defensive honourable mentions go out to Craig Cornell, who logged some time at first base late in the game, to Andrew Elias, who browned up his uniform with a dive at third base, and to Marc Lett, who threw out another runner attempting to steal second base. Marc does credit his effort to the kind folks at his physiotherapy center.

On SweatSox Family Fun Day, the team was witness to the first known doggy water spill by a dog; well late last night, the Sox had their first ever Beer spill by a dog; as some random dog smelt the SweatSox nuts and came for a visit. A picture of said dog is above.

The SweatSox now have a day off before they travel to Mont Bleu to take on the Outaouais Tribu Thursday night at 8:00PM. It has also been announced that there will be a BBQ after the game on Thursday; Chapman is bringing the hardware, Bond is on the meat and bread, and Rookie Bill Freeman is on the beer...someone may want to bring some condiments!

Last nights SweatSox/Winchester game will go down in history as one for record books, as the SweatSox looked to pull their overall record back to .500 and clinch the season series against their Tier II playoff nemesis. The game got off to a good start for the SweatSox, who scored six first inning runs, but gave them right back in the second inning and headed into the third inning down 10-9. The top of the inning was a quick one, as the SweatSox got out of the inning in four pitches, and then the bottom of the 3rd inning began. 40 minutes, 14 runs, and 2 outs later, the game was called "for reason of curfew" and the SweatSox walked away with a win.

Cory Bond got the start, despite his (0-4) record against the Winchester ball club and looked sharp in the first and third innings, but had a high pitch count thanks to a couple errors and some well placed hits in the second. Bond picked up the "filthy" complete game win, which ties him atop the SweatSox career wins list with Lee Shields. He also contributed on offense with 3RBI and 3 runs scored, and even managed to stretch a triple into a double; thanks 'Rookie'. With his second win of the season, a share of the career wins record, a couple RBI, and two homeruns a few hours earlier in a softball game, Cory earned his 5th career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award. Other offensive notables include Shaun Keay, who was 1/2 with 3RBI, Bill Freeman, 2/2, 2RBI, 3 runs scored, and Kent Johnston, 0/1, 2 RBI, and 4 walks.

Cory's win record wasn't the only record set last night: the 40 minute half inning (with only 2 outs) is a new SweatSox record, as is the 23 total runs scored; Armando Navarro getting hit by pitches twice in one inning is likely a new record, and so probably is Kent walking four times. A new record may also have been set for the shortest post game session that included beer!

The Sox' were fortunate this game even took place, because just before the first pitch it was announced that the Brewer light key was lost, stolen, or simply missing in action. NCBL Commissioner Bill Beelen wasn't going to let this happen on his watch, and came through in the clutch, traveling in record time to the diamond with key in hand. Thanks Bill!! On top of the Commish, there were a few other special guest appearances at the Sox vs Sox game: future SweatSox catcher Will Majic stopped by before the game to deliver the bat and glove of big brother Joe, who fell into the Sunday night Beer Store trap and was forced into a Dépanneur beer run. The Kent Johnston fan club came by for a few outs, as did the umpire "commissioner" Marcel, and last, and definitely least we cannot forget the special showing of the Vodka Connoisseurs; always a pleasure boys.

JimboTron has a few thoughts on some of yesterday's activities, to hear what he has to say, click here, or visit the JimboTron Updates section of the webpage.

And finally, a special shoutout to former SweatSox Daniel "the infinite ERA" Massey, and Andy "0.490" Brothers who are still keeping tabs on the team through the magic that is OttawaSweatSox2!

Next up for the SweatSox is a matchup with the Mudd tomorrow night, the first ever matchup between these two teams; and then a rematch with the first place Outaouais Tribu on Thursday, who the OMS "destroyed" all by himself 11-1 two weeks ago!

Last night, there was a bachelor party for a current full time member of the Ottawa SweatSox, where several members of the team were in attendance. The website administrator was not there, so there will not be any web updates of this event; and to all the people out there who are refreshing the main page, searching for hidden links, or spamming the OttawaSweatSox2 email account looking for a report, you can rest assured there will be none!

SweatSox field reporter Clark Snatcher is reporting that tonight's scheduled game at McCarthy against Robert's Sundevils has been postponed because of an apparent "lake" at third base. This report was confirmed by Barney Soprano, who decided to make the trip to McCarthy despite the numerous amounts of emails sent throughout the day warning of a possible cancellation.

The SweatSox are now forced to stay home and watch game five of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The SweatSox wrapped up their fourth game in six days yesterday afternoon with their second matchup of the year against last years pennant winner Gryphons. The SweatSox were hoping to avenge an 8-1 loss earlier this year against the Gryphons, but once again found themselves up against their greatest opponents, themselves. SweatSox starter Andrew Elias breezed through the first inning, but five SweatSox errors eventually led to five unearned runs and dozens of extra pitches that would have been better served in the later innings. The high pitch count forced Elias from the game and the Sox were then forced to look deep on the depth chart for some relief. Kevin Singer stepped in to close an inning out, and then stepped in Craig Cornell for his annual pitching appearance. Final score, Gryphons 16, SweatSox 4.

Much like their first matchup, the Gryphons managed to lock up the SweatSox bats; the Sox who managed thirty-two runs in their last two games, were held to only four runs on six total hits. Kent Johnston led the way with two RBI and a stolen base, rookie Bill Freeman had an RBI double, and Craig Cornell added an "ugly" two hit, one RBI performance. Cornell's mind may have been elsewhere though as it's almost time to start paying the various bills an NCBL treasurer must pay...what...strike three!!!

Due to the overall crummy performance, nobody won the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award yesterday.

After the game was over, the SweatSox turned their frowns upside down in celebration of Family Fun Day. SweatSox family members from around the city gathered together to celebrate their Favourite Tier V team, that of course being the SweatSox! The Kent's made an appearance, as did the BrownShow's, the Bill's, the Army's, the Joe's, and even the Chapman's got away from the orange slices and Capri Sun for a few minutes to check in with the team. Surprisingly, the Lett's were not well represented. The afternoon feast is best described visually, so I refer you to the SweatSox Pictures section where several neat snapshots were taken, which includes the different family members who were present, the food itself, the latest SweatSox creation the Peanut Pocket and even a special appearance from Batman!

And finally, as I predicted in the last writeup, there were indeed only two barbeques that were up and running at today's soiree, not the three as originally planned. I will not tell you who didn't go out, buy one, and bring it, but I will say it wasn't Chris or BrownShow!!!

Next up for the SweatSox are two full days off, followed by a Wednesday night trip to McCarthy to face Robert's Sundevils.

For the second time in three days, the SweatSox and the Old Sox faced off on the baseball field. Without any Stanley Cup distractions, the SweatSox looked to bounce back from the 20-18 loss only two nights prior by sending lefthander Cory Bond to the mound. Before Bond could even take the hill, the SweatSox scored six runs in the top of the first, thanks in part to some wild pitching and some clutch hitting. From there, the SweatSox never looked back, adding four runs in both the second and third innings. The fourth inning was also noteworthy, because it was the first (and only) time this series neither team scored a run. Up 14-1 heading into the 5th inning, the SweatSox were well on their way to evening the season series but soon realized they had to hurry things up to ensure the game was not cancelled due to lightning, hard rain, or both. Thanks to the solid outfield play of Johnston and Freeman in the 7th, the SweatSox walked away with a 14-2 victory.

Clearly, there must have been something in the Orleans air, because several things happened that usually don't; the SweatSox played all around solid defense, BrownShow played first base and Cory Bond threw mostly strikes & somehow failed to hit a single Old Sox batter. Bond picked up the mercy rule shortened complete game victory, giving up one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts. With the win, Cory now has 23 career victories, which leaves him only one shy of the franchise record of 24 held by Lee Shields. Bond also contributed on offense, going 2/3 with 4 RBI and a run scored. The all around Bond attack earns him his 4th career 2004 Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award.

Honourable mentions of the game go out on on offense to Kent Johnston , who went 2/3 with 3 RBI and Armando Navarro, 2/2 with 2 RBI. On defense, honourable mentions go to Army, who's shaky warm-up turned into his best performance at second base this year, and to Joseph Majic, who turned the rare 'catch the ball at third, walk to the mound, bounce it to first', double play!! Some negative vibes also go Joe's way, who decided to toy with the baseball gods and use the wood during a streak of 7 hits in 7 consecutive at bats...sadly, it did not work. This game was also very special to Josh Ramage, who in only his 4th game as a SweatSox, and despite the clever wording of his contract, somehow got himself a plate appearance!! Well done Ramage.

The post game festivities were almost an exact carbon copy of the Faulkner chokejob postgame: as soon as the Sox sat down for their traditional adult beverages, out game the lightning and down came the rain. Unfortunately, no new SweatSox brought their team issued umbrellas to the game, and were forced to either freeze their "nipples" off, or cuddle up in the cute little truck. Perhaps this was not all a total loss, as Marc Lett, for a moment, learned that he could stack four beer bottles on top of each other inside the truck. It should be noted that he was not able to recreate this feat out in the open in front of a live audience. We believe you Marc!

Due to the poor weather, the first SweatSox BBQ was postponed...sensing in the preseason that this was sure to happen, BBQ scheduler Chris Chapman wisely selected this Sunday as the second 2007 SweatSox BBQ, which funny enough happens to fall on Family Fun Day! It was also announced that there would be a second and third physical BBQ making an appearance! Aside from the official SweatSox BBQ owned by Chapman, BrownShow, who never goes anywhere without his portable BBQ unless he goes somewhere without his car, and Army, who stated he was going to actually buy a BBQ and bring it, all volunteered to tri-host this event.

Since this sounds too good to be true, I will offer up this bet: If the three tri-hosts all show up with their respective BBQ's to Sunday's game, and are fully operational, I will personally sponsor the SweatSox next season by writing a blank cheque (to the order of the Ottawa SweatSox) to cover all league fees, even newer uniforms, tournament fees, and brand new equipment, including a full supply of wooden bats. If you think I'm lying, I'm not....and no, this writeup was NOT sent from the future where I already know only two BBQ's showed up, the date clearly says it's June 02, 2007, so it must be...right???

It was another classic battle between the Old Sox and the SweatSox last night at Faulkner, in a game that was dual broadcasted with the second game of the Stanley Cup finals. The SweatSox sent rookie Kevin Singer to the hill in his first regular season start to try and pull the SweatSox above .500 for the first time since their opening day win. The game got off to a pretty good start for the SweatSox, who were up 15-4 through four innings; needing only three outs with a run to give, the SweatSox looked to end the game early and watch the third period of the hockey game. Unfortunately, the Old Sox got their bats going and extended the game another inning, knocking Singer out of the game. The Rookie Ramage came in to try and stop the bleeding but also fell victim to the strange field conditions and took the loss.

The final score was Old Sox - 20, SweatSox - 18, the highest scoring game in recorded Tier II history. The 38 combined runs wasn't an NCBL record though, it was a tie for second. The Sox' tied the Rockets/Coyotes record set in a 2001 19-19 playoff tie, and trail only the Sharks/Coyotes 41 run total set in last year's regular season, a 25-16 Sharks win.

Now although the scores were high, this was not an indication that there were many errors, in fact there were only a small handful on both sides, as most of the runs were thanks to the absolutely terrible lighting conditions at Faulkner. There were probably fifteen times where a ball was hit by either team and nobody on defense would have a clue where the ball was. The SweatSox could have used the help of all star center fielder Kent Johnston, who called in sick for the baseball game citing a big meeting at 6am the next morning, and absolutely nothing to do with the Sens game. No worries buddy!! The Old Sox starter and reigning Tier II Most Valuable Player Jamie Beaupre threw the complete game giving up 18 runs, mostly earned, and somehow walked away with the win. He was obviously not affected by the poor field or lighting conditions, or the early SweatSox runs; no doubt he was thinking back to a time where he was in true pain, 30 stitches ago ;)

Offensively, the SweatSox were lead by Joseph Majic, who arrived at approximately 8:10PM, so whoever chose before 8:30PM, wins. Joe went 5/5 at the plate, and combined with his early arrival, wins his second career 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Congrats Joe! Other notables include Craig Cornell and Bill Freeman, who had 3 hits each (both also went 2/2 in the same inning), Shaun Keay with his first of no doubt many triples this year and Cory Bond, Andrew Elias and Kevin Singer who got their first hits of the year, Singer's hit was also a triple.

Post game is where things got interesting, as soon as the Sox popped open their usual post game beverages, courtesy of Mr. Elias, the rain started to come down, completely destroying the television Chris Chapman dropped off. The extension cord Marc Lett brought survived the downpour. Looking for cover, A&W winner Joe Majic decided to take shelter in the back of his cute little truck, and in the process, almost pulled off the unprecedented triple beer spill!! Fortunately, one survived the leg kick and Joe had to settle for the double drop. A classic beer moment no doubt. The BrownShow managed to keep his face shielded from the rain thanks to the lid of the cooler, and Shaun Keay & Cory Bond displayed absolutely brilliance pulling out golf umbrellas from their vehicles!!

Rookie Bill Freeman decided to call it a night as soon as the rain came down, opting to pick up his girlfriend at the Gloucester SilverCity instead of drinking with his teammates. On his way out of the parking lot, Bill noticed a small group of nuns running from the storm. Being the stand up guy he is, he stopped and offered them his truck to keep dry. Once the rain quieted down a bit, the nuns left and not 30 seconds later, Bill noticed a little boy screaming for help in the left field pond. Bill, with absolutely no regard for his dryness, took off and dove into the pond to rescue the little boy. After performing CPR, Bill took the boy he nicknamed 'Austin' to the Queensway-Carleton hospital where doctors were able to stabilize him. 'Austin' is expected to make a full recovery. In all this excitement, Bill may have been a few minutes late picking up his true love, hopefully she can see the bigger picture here, and recognize Bill's courage and heroic efforts.

The SweatSox have a day off and on Friday will head out to Orleans to try and split the home and home series with the Old Sox. Friday also marks the first BBQ of the year, and the one year BBQ anniversary of the Casselman Boys debut in SweatSox nation. What adventure will Orleans bring us this time, stay tuned...

The SweatSox took the field last night in the much anticipated matchup versus the Tier II heavyweight Outaouais Tribu. Mark Dorrington proved once again why is is the One Man Show, tossing a mercy rule shortened complete game one hit victory, while hitting in the game tying and winning runs in the bottom of the first inning. With his performance, OMS once again earned the very award he created, the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award!

Although the SweatSox put up eleven runs, this was not a proper indication of their usually high powered offense. The team didn't have enough time to do their usual "pregame wiffles", and were informed just before game time that instead of an expected double beer night, they had nothing. Scheduled beer provider Sean Elias came up empty, and earns himself a spot in the SweatSox Hall of Shame. With nothing appearing right in SweatSox nation early on, they got a big assist from the Tribu pitching, which was just wild enough to allow the SweatSox to escape with an easy win.

After the handshakes and putting the tarp back on the mound/plate (which we did correctly this time), the SweatSox, doing their usual post game bench sweep, found what appeared to be a Hawaiian necklace. Not knowing whether it was from our game or the one before, the Sox decided to add a Lost&Found page to the website. No sooner then the page was updated, we found its rightful owner, rookie Bill Freeman. When asked for a quote, Freeman said: "I never would have found my necklace if it wasn't for this wonderful website and your newly created Lost&Found page, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you!". No problem Bill, that's what we do here at OttawaSweatSox2, help others. To visit the new Lost and Found section, click here.

The SweatSox do not have to wait very long for their next game, as JT & the Boys come to town later today, 8:30PM, Faulkner. Looking to make a few bucks to pay the monthly web fees, OttawaSweatSox2 is now offering odds to anyone that wishes to bet. Today's "bet of the day" is whether or not Joseph Majic will make it to tonight's game before the clock strikes 8:30PM on the official SweatSox watch. Keep in mind that there is a Senators game, but that we have also sent an email to Mary (aka not Mrs. Joe) asking her to kindly remind Joseph to be at the game on time. Please see the odds line below and email your bets to ottawasweatsox2@yahoo.com.

On a sadder note, often when I write these award winning writeups, I am either half asleep or half drunk, or both. In either one of those situations, it is possible that I make a spelling error that my wonderful spell check doesn't pick up, and in the confusion, one of my well crafted narrations can't be appreciated to its fullest. Such was the case two writeups ago, in the article titled "This is Not Going Well". Under the 'Quote of the Night' section, two of the nominees were by Phil the Daemon, when in fact it should have read Phil the Demon (kind of like Bill's last name, but entirely unrelated). Thank you guys for pointing out my mistake.

And finally, a big congratulations to the ending of the Stanford vs Cal college football game from 1982, which took home first place on the Best Damn Top 50 Sports Finishes; my vote was for that perfect game I threw on the XBOX 360 a few months ago!

It has been documented in earlier newsflashes that the SweatSox offense has gone missing. It turns out that some of this offense was spotted earlier tonight at Dumaurier 2, where it is being reported that SweatSox all-pro center fielder Kent Johnston went 4/4, superstar lefthander Cory Bond went 5/5, and fly ball virtuoso Sean Elias hit for the cycle, all in a lob ball game that ended just a few hours ago.

The Green-Bombers trio now look to bring their prorated batting averages back to the big diamond Tuesday against the Tribu.

The much talked about, and much hyped Gatineau double header took place last night across the river, as the SweatSox took on both the Dragons and the Clippers. Looking to get the night started right, the Sox took the field behind preseason phenom Andrew Elias, who had not allowed a single run in eight preseason innings this year. The SweatSox got the bats going early, capped off by a top of the first, bases loaded two run single from catcher Marc Lett. Unfortunately, that's where the offense ended as the Sox only managed to add a Sean Elias RBI in the 5th inning, the final inning of a mercy rule shortened 14-3 loss.

Defensively, the Sox were pleasantly surprised to see that despite popular belief, Sean Elias is able to catch a fly ball; in fact in the second inning Sean went back to back on fly ball catches at third base. Way to go Turtle! A few innings later, Sean turned out to be a key player in the SweatSox play of the game; trying to build on his preseason pitching success, Elias hung a curveball which turned into a Dragons two run homerun. Kent Johnston, centerfielder, didn't see any point in waiting until the end of the inning to track down that homerun ball, so he dropped his glove, jumped the fence, and took off. Once picked up, Kent attempted to throw the ball to rookie Bill Freeman in left field, but decided to raise the degree of difficulty and try to throw the ball through a nearby tree, into a headwind, then hit nothing but Freeman's glove. Unfortunately, the tree put up more of a fight then the SweatSox did all night and stopped that ball right in its place; an all-star attempt none-the-less.

On the mound, sandwiched between the brothers Elias, former Dorion Winner Cory Bond made his second consecutive appearance on the mound, coming in for the final two outs of the third. Thanks to a bouncing curveball, he managed to walk away with three strike outs, but another batter hit :(

Post game, the age old riddle was finally solved. How many SweatSox does it take to change a tail-light? The answer: all members of Team Green, with a hardware assist from veteran Shaun Keay; however, I was busy chewing on my nuts so I don't actually remember if the light was changed, so the answer could be zero.

It should also be noted that Armando Navarro, fresh off another multiple stolen base night, did bring remember to bring the beer (light beer though) across the border. In honour of this effort, and as per his request, I will post the link to his personal website here: www.custom-made4u.ca.

From Sanscartier, the Sox took off for the Gréber Stadium for the second half of the double header. Unfortunately, seven of the ten SweatSox in attendance for the first game called it a night leaving the rookie Freeman, the veteran Keay, and the legend Bond in the gentle hands of the Clippers. In the early innings, it was the rookie who led the offense, setting up several meet and greets, purchasing a couple rounds of SweatSoxAde from the canteen, and even sweet talking the opposing team to try and break their impenetrable defense. A key at bat midway through the game saw the rookie Freeman go deep into the count vs Clipper starting pitcher 'Texas' that ended with a monster blast off the fence, however instead of looking for a triple, he refused to round first.

Shortly thereafter, and after a high pitch count, 'Texas' was pulled in favour of relief pitcher 'Mimi', who seemed eager to get a piece of the Sox. The Legend and Veteran started things off with back to back doubles, and with the rookie and his "big bat" coming to the plate, a timeout was called and Head Coach/Owner Sal came for a mound visit. The SweatSox, sensing this was a key point in the game, turned to the newest member of the SweatSox Fan Club, and the local towel boy 'Toby' for advice, who said, "How many of you guys are out there?". Sal could see his team was in trouble, so 'Mimi' was instructed to return to the bench and in an unprecedented move, brought 'Texas' back to the hill. The rookie knew this was his chance to win the hearts of all the SweatSox fans worldwide, so he stepped in looking to cash in his teammates; 2 fastballs and 1 ridiculous curveball later, he struck out swinging. It was said that the rookie had "nothing to be ashamed of though."

Even though the SweatSox ended up losing both games, the team was always staying positive and several humorous quotes were recorded by the many SweatSox field reporters throughout the evening. The nominees for greatest quote of the night (in the order that I recall them recited) are:

The SweatSox now look ahead to a matchup with one of the top four teams in Tier II, the Outaouais Tribu, Tuesday night at the Sportsplex. This will be the first of four games within a span of six days.

"Your website has a come along way. Looking good! Keep up the good work! Also I wanted to mention that I was especially surprised to see that someone was nice to mention mine and Joey's anniversary. I just wanted to clarify that my name is Mary and not Mrs. Joe. Thanks for the tribute though!"

On behalf of the SweatSox website staff, I sincerely apologize for this error, and hope that you will still support the SweatSox, and maybe get your boy to a game on time ;)

The SweatSox took the field for the first time last night since their opening day victory 9 days earlier, and it was clear that the time off didn't do the Sox any favours. The Sox seemed sluggish throughout the game, with a couple early and late inning errors, some mental mistakes, and quite possible a franchise low two total hits on offense.

SweatSox lefthander Cory Bond took the hill for the first time this regular season, and for the first time since the "Bizzaro Bond" incidents in the preseason. Bond had a mediocre start, giving up 4 runs in 3 innings, multiple walks, of course a hit batsman, and a couple strikeouts while picking up the loss. Rookie Josh Ramage threw the final four innings of the game, redeeming himself of last year's SweatSox sparing debut.

Although there wasn't much to speak about offensively and defensively, there were three players who deserve an honourable mention: rookie Bill Freeman had a few outstanding catches in center field, Joseph Majic had the first SweatSox hit of the night, a "dirty" double in the bottom of the 3rd inning, and catcher Marc Lett kept "the streak" alive in the sixth inning with a solo homerun to deep left field. With the homerun, and the preservation of the streak, Lett earned himself his first legitimate 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Perhaps this award will encourage him to get the stats program up and running a bit quicker!!!

The SweatSox, always looking for ways to better themselves, have decided as a team, to schedule an exhibition game in Gatineau after their matchup with the Dragons tomorrow night. They found a local rec team, the Big Sal's Clippers, who volunteered to host the SweatSox, under the lights, at approximately 10:00PM. This was good news to Sean Elias, who refuses to play against any other team in the area. For more specific rules about the second half of our Friday night "double header", I refer you to OttawaSweatSox2 contributor JimboTron, who shares some words of wisdom so their are no surprises.

And finally, a big thank you to Mr. Tom Liu for taking some great pictures of our game last night and allowing us to post a few of his pictures on our site!! To check out the entire gallery of the game last night visit http://www.pbase.com/toml1016/05232007, and for all his NCBL pictures this season, visit http://www.pbase.com/toml1016/2007ncblex!!

The battle of the previous two Tier III pennant and playoff champions will have to wait another day, as a morning downpour and a Senators playoff game forced the postponing of the SweatSox Outlaws game at McCarthy. The two teams are not scheduled to face each other again until July 20th.

Monday brought an exciting match up to the city of Ottawa. It was game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals featuring the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. The night was highlighted by an Alfredsson goal in the second off of Heatley’s errant blast from the high circle. Emery was outstanding making a whopping 15 saves for his 3rd shutout of the playoffs and somewhere in the city there was a baseball game being played???

The Winchester Sox were in town to rekindle last year’s playoff battle with the SweatSox. The first half of the game was highlighted by an Alfredsson goal in the second off of Heatley’s errant blast from the high circle. Did I already mention that?

Back at McCarthy, Marc Lett singled home Sean Elias on an 0-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 7th to secure the come from behind victory for the Sweat Sox. Down 3-2 entering the final frame, the offense awoke from their daze. Kent Johnston started things off with a one out double. Sean Elias cashed in Johnston with a double of his own to knot the game at 3 and bring the bench to their feet. An intentional walk to Mark Dorrington, another walk to cleanup hitter Bill Freeman followed by a strikeout loaded the bases and set the stage for Lett's heroics.

It was another dominating performance for Dorrington who went the distance on the mound scattering 7 hits and striking out 15 Winchester hitters, tying the SweatSox record set by former team and league MVP Cory Bond last season.

Offensively the Sweat Sox stranded 7 runners but managed to plate a pair of runs in both the first and seventh innings. Dorrington and Freeman had a single and double each.

And finally, for all you trivia honks out there, the SweatSox reigning Most Valuable Player Craig Cornell, had the first hit, stolen base, and run scored of the 2007 SweatSox season. Congrats Craig!!

The Sox next play the Outlaws on Wednesday night – while the Sens bring out their brooms against the Sabres.

Oh ya - thanks to Kent for the TV in the dugout. GO SENS GO.

The SweatSox would like to wish Joe and Mrs. Joe a happy anniversary!! You are excused from the practice tonight so don't worry about it; at least you weren't supposed to bring the beer!!

"I CAN'T COME, I'M GOING TO THE COLISEUM AT 5 WITH MY COUSIN TO SEE SPIDERMAN 3"

Andrew Elias won the first 2007 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award last night in preseason action at McCarthy Park. Elias dazzled with 4 shutout innings and rookie Bill Freeman closed it out tossing a scoreless fifth. The Elias win prompted a call for starting pitching performance to be banned from award consideration.

It was not a true test for the two squads as both Sweat Sox and Gryphon teams were laced with potential recruits, management staff and spare list players (I guess we can mostly thank the Senators for that) in an event that surely will not be the most exciting tier 2 game this year. Extra thanks to the Gryphs for supplying a right fielder for a few innings.

Finally props to Brownshow as he stepped up and brought the cold brews; he would like to issue a public apologize however to his fiancé's maid of honour for the gum and cooler incident.

Next up for the Sox is a trip to Kanata Friday night where they will battle the NCBL's latest team the Ottawa Athletics.

The SweatSox are saddened to report that the One Man Show Mark Dorrington has suffered a serious arm injury that will keep him out for the entire season; exact details will be posted as they become available.

The SweatSox spring tryouts/workouts began yesterday at the Greenboro Community Center, the workout featured the entire SweatSox squad and many potential SweatSox recruits. The Sox had their stopwatches, whistles, and clipboards out in full force, and were happy to see that more then half the team were able to hit half court jumpshots, and execute perfect post routes off a three step quarterback drop.

The SweatSox will continue their workouts next week, the agenda includes finalizing their 2007 roster, choosing the traditional season long batting signs, and setting a date for the SweatSox Smokeoff, as the reported demise of "Team Green" may have been premature.

The Toronto Blue Jays controversial signing of Roger Clemens during the offseason raised a lot of concerns from Jays fans everywhere who claimed that the seven time Cy Young winner was a washed up 44 year old who wasn't worthy of the 2 year 32 million dollar contract he signed. Well those concerns came to a screeching halt last night as the Rocket made his 2007 debut at the Rogers Center, and in the process threw his first career perfect game in a 22-0 shellacking of the Kansas City Royals.

The game was over early on, as the Jays jumped out to a 15-0 lead through five innings of play. Toronto manager John Gibbons was ready to pull Clemens from the game and let his bullpen close it out, but what manager would remove a pitcher in the midst of a perfect game, in front of a sold out crowd, on opening day of a new season. Clemens and Gibbons came to an understanding, as soon as the perfect game was lost, Clemens would exit the game. That situation never came, as Clemens remained perfect until the end, finishing the game with 17 strikeouts, and obviously the win. This was the first perfect game in Blue Jays history.

The Blue Jays offense was just as dominant as Clemens was on the hill, as the team belted a season high 9 homeruns, including three from Troy Glaus, two from Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells, and one each from Reed Johnson and Greg Zaun. The Jays had no trouble chasing Royals starter Gil Meche from the game, who gave up 6ER after just 2.33 innings pitched, while picking up the loss.

Gibbons said after the game: "This was the most dominant pitching performance I've ever been witness to" and later said regarding the future of the Jays: "with the offseason additions of proven playoff veterans Roger Clemens and Frank Thomas, and the re-signing of Vernon Wells, we are now the sure shot lock to win the pennant and the World Series."

The twenty-two runs scored by the Jays was a season high, and after offensive outputs of eighteen, sixteen, and fifteen in their last three games, it appears as if it's time to crank the AI difficulty level up from ROOKIE to PRO.

The SweatSox offseason is finally starting to pick up; after getting things started with the NCBL banquet, where Cory Bond picked up his 2005 Tier III MVP Award, to the SweatSox Poker/Superbowl Extravaganza, where Shaun Keay, Kent Johnston, and Chris Chapman left with some money, and finally to tweaking the teams roster to try and get to the next level, things are in full force. With that said, the team has a few announcements to make:

First off, the SweatSox are pleased to announce the addition of pitcher/infielder Kevin Singer to its 2007 roster. Singer takes the spot left open after the Matt Robert quitting fiasco last season, and has agreed to abide by the SweatSox rookie bylaw that states on page two, paragraph four, line seven of the SweatSox constitution: the first rookie to sign with the SweatSox in any offseason must provide the beer for the first five games of that upcoming season. The team thanks you in advance Kevin!

The SweatSox would also like to announce that geocities.com/ottawasweatsox2 favourite Brian Yabsley and the team have parted ways. The Sox would like to wish KG the best in his future baseball pursuits.

And finally, with the SweatSox Poker Championship Series already looking ahead to round three, geocities.com is happy to announce a new branch to the ottawasweatsox2 page, sweatsoxpoker!! You can visit this page by clicking here!

Next up for the SweatSox is a second tryout for those who were unable to make the first in an attempt to fill the remaining roster spots, the location of the bar is still to be determined.

The SweatSox would like to wish all their American fans a Happy Presidents Day!!

The SweatSox would like to wish all their friends in the animal kingdom a Happy Groundhog Day!!

The SweatSox would like to wish all their American fans a Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!

After four years in the planning stages, the SweatSox finally made their golf course debut shooting a combined -1 at the Manderley 'On the Green' Golf Club yesterday afternoon. The event was a best ball/scramble type game which saw Team Green (Kent Johnston, Joseph Majic, Andrew Elias, Sean Elias) take home the Armando Navarro created championship after shooting an incredible -3. Their match was highlighted by a Kent Johnston monster drive followed by a chip-in eagle on the front nine.

Coming in second place was Team Trots (Brian Yabsley, Chris Chapman, and SweatSox retirees Rob Keay and Ray Cuthbert) who shot a -1. Their round also featured an eagle after a Kenny G. drive on the green followed by a thirteen foot putt. The TrotMaster does it all.

Finishing a respectable third was Team MVP (lead by the OMS Mark Dorrington, and MVP's Craig Cornell (2006), Cory Bond (2005) and Marc Lett (2004)). Shot of the day for this group was a deadly 3-iron swing by Bond to the 150 yard par three hole that landed within three feet, and easily sunk for birdie, earning Bond the award of closest to the pin. The OMS, not to be outdone had what is believed to be the longest drive on the longest drive hole, but may have to share the award with Mr. Rob Keay after learning that he did not sign the card (which no doubt was hundreds of yards behind).

Finishing a disappointing fourth place was Team All Stars, a team heavily favored before the day began. The team consisted of seasoned veteran Shaun Keay, who has been known to hit the links once in a while, Jon Gilbert (Shaun's protégée), Armando Navarro, who had played and scouted the course last Wednesday, and golf ringer Stefan Lavictoire. Perhaps we can thank Andrew Elias for slowing these boys down after his second shot on the par 5 third hole got caught in the wind and nearly hit several members of this foursome who were teeing it up on the fourth.

The SweatSox didn’t want to let their season end on the 18^th hole, so they took the party to Rockwell’s where the roof nearly exploded after many thought they saw the Legend Dorion enter the establishment; turned out it was only a bum. After downing some beer, several of the Sox decided to take advantage of the deal of the day, all you can eat wings for nine ninety nine; with sour cream packages $0.25 extra. The SweatSox retirees Keay and Cuthbert were showing us all why they should be inducted into the SweatSox Hall of Fame by showing us all their toughness and heart, ordering suicide wings plates at a time while others were comfortable chowing down the Honey Garlic. Well done gents.

Rockwell’s was the end of the weekend, but the party began Friday night with the 39^th installment of SweatSox Poker hosted by the brothers Elias. Joseph Majic, excited for the party to begin, decided to show up a bit early; what the Elias brothers didn’t realize was that he was going to come a week early. While waiting for the actual game to start, Joe took it upon himself to study game tape of previous SweatSox poker championships, studying his opponents playing styles, tells, facial expressions and heartbeat reactions. By the time the actual day came, he was ready; in his minds everyone was a little emoticon sitting at a virtual table; Joe was clicking all in, all in, all in, using the invisible mouse and in the end, took down the One Man Show to take the title of Poker Champion!!, at least for a couple hours until a second game began and SweatSox veteran Marc Lett took down a “sleepy” Kent Johnston, taking the title from Joe and will hold onto it until the next time. Congrats Marc.

Poker night was also Award Night for the SweatSox, and there were a few announcements made. In honor of Army’s creation of a Golden Glove Award (presented to the SweatSox player who played the best (or least bad) defense), the team decided to create several more titles, and award everything retroactively. The new awards include a Top Hitter and Top Pitcher award (not necessarily on averages) to go along with the Golden Glove and the main trophy, the Doug Dorion Memorial Trophy for the team’s Most Valuable Player.

This year, the Dorion Award was presented to the team leader in plate appearances, at bats, hits, RBI and base on balls (and I suppose ERA), the individual who proved to be most consistent throughout the year, and to the individual who once again found the time to run the team behind the scenes, not to mention helping the squad get a few extra calls by paying the umpires on time, Craig Cornell. Congrats Craig!! We all hope you find a great spot in your living room for Mr. Dorion.

That concludes the SweatSox season; thanks to everyone who kept up on the Sox this season by reading the site, I could have done it without you but I suppose it’s better to have some readers. Congratulations to the Gryphons for winning the Tier II pennant, and to the Diamondbacks for winning the Tier II Playoffs, and for finally getting your website updated on a regular basis. If someone wants to give me a back-story on Philly, click here!!!

The SweatSox disappointing final third of the season came to an end last night after losing to the Winchester Sox 11-2, a loss that eliminated the SweatSox from the 2006 Tier II playoffs. The SweatSox came out a little slow, but that could have been due to the fact that all players were coming off a tough eight hour work day.

Cory Bond started the game for the SweatSox, and once again struggled in the early innings, giving up four runs in the first inning which like game one was a deficit too big to overcome. Bond ended up going five and a third, giving up five hits, seven earned runs and an impressive nine walks, five of which were hit by pitches bringing his total for the series to an even ten (possibly a record for a quarterfinal series).

Offensively, the SweatSox managed only six hits, with three of them coming from Mark Dorrington; Craig Cornell, Armando Navarro and Andrew Elias added the others. Marc Lett and Andrew Elias scored the only SweatSox runs, which extended the SweatSox run scoring streak to 114 consecutive games.

This season, beer spillings have significantly decreased thanks in large part to the fear that such an act will be mentioned and ridiculed on this web site, and that is indeed true. Last night, the agony of defeat seemed to cause some to forget the cardinal beer rule "do not spill" and we had a couple incidents: Joey Majic, who just learned that the Bashful and Bold had closed due to zoning issues and he couldn't get someone to implement his swingers loophole, had what was thought to be the final beer spill of the year. Joseph was so excited about this accomplishment that he decided to pose for a photo; however, later in the evening Marc Lett became so infuriated after being constantly referred to as a bat catcher that he lost focus and spilled what is currently believed to be the last beer of the year. Congrats boys!

The off-season now begins with nine months of SweatSox sports which includes: SweatSox golf, SweatSox basketball, SweatSox indoor touch football, SweatSox curling, SweatSox hockey, SweatSox ice fishing and SweatSox water polo.

The SweatSox once again packed their bags and headed to the small town of Winchester, Ontario for game two of their best of three quarterfinal series. It was a packed house at the Winchester field, as extra stands had to be brought in via 18-wheeler just before gametime.

For the first time this season, the Winchester Sox were introduced to the OMS, in every sense of the word. OMS and his seven different pitches was enough to lead the SweatSox to their first Tier II playoff victory, defeating the Winchester squad 10-3, and tying the series 1-1.

Offensive stars of the game included Kent Johnston, who's return to the leadoff spot was a successful one, getting on base in all five of his at bats, and who informs the rest of us that the dirt from second base tastes slightly better then the dirt from first base. OMS added a playoff homerun to his already impressive NCBL resume, and Chris Chapman added a three run homerun, which means unofficially, every current SweatSox regular has a homerun this season. Speaking of unofficial records, the active SweatSox ironman steak also unofficially came to an end tonight as the TrotMaster sat the entire game.

Struggling SweatSox DH Sean Elias also had a major announcement tonight, after reviewing his performances in past seasons, it has been concluded that in order to break this slump he will no longer be having sexual intercourse before games. The team appreciates this sacrifice Sean!!

And finally, the quote of the night comes from SweatSox player #24, talking to waiter: "If he keeps giving me nachos, I'm going to keep eating them".

Game three of the series takes place Friday, 8:30PM, Sportsplex, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals against either the Gryphons or Diamondbacks.

Not even rain could stop the SweatSox Tier II playoff debut from happening, but the result wasn't encouraging, as the SweatSox lost 15-7 to Winchester. It is the first time in recorded team history that the team has given up fourteen or more runs in three consecutive losses. The game got off to a rocky start as starter Cory Bond gave up five first inning runs, including a three run homerun; the SweatSox never could recover from the first inning fiasco and went on to take the loss.

Post game festivities saw the first ever SweatSox beer can crushing contest. In the "final", the Trotmaster failed to have a direct hit and only semi-flattened it sideways instead.

The SweatSox now have to win two games in a row, starting Wednesday in Winchester in order to keep their season alive.

It was another nail biter last night at Heritage that saw the SweatSox lose another close contest 18-2. The loss dropped the SweatSox to 4th place in Tier II to finish the season, and will now face the Winchester Sox in the first round of the playoffs.

The SweatSox sent Sean Elias to the hill to start the game, and although he lost his perfect 0.00ERA on the season, he pitched four solid innings giving up only two earned runs. For relief, the Sox sent out Chris Chapman and Craig Cornell, who pitched their first innings of the season and Kent Johnston, fresh off a St. Louis Snack, who pitched his first inning ever in the NCBL. Well done all.

In preparation for the playoffs, the SweatSox camped out in what is believed to be the longest post game beer session in team history. Brian Yabsley, fearing he would not be able to see the road that late at night missed the gathering and took off early, as did Armando Navarro, who needed to get home as soon as possible to make sweet beautiful love to the one he loves most.

The SweatSox, having completed three games in three nights, have finally earned a full day's rest before their first playoff game Sunday night at the Sportsplex.

It was an all out slugfest last night at Faulkner that saw the SweatSox fall to the Gryphons 14-9, the worst defeat for the Sox since August 08, 2004. The SweatSox were once again screwed out of a potential comeback; down 24-9 in the sixth inning, the game was called due to time restrictions and since the Sox never got their atbat, the final inning was erased.

It was obvious that the Sox weren't completely into the game, especially Joseph Majic who was way too excited to be playing the game, because not once, but twice he came to the plate with wood. Looking to release some pressure, Joey decided to try his luck on the mound, pitching for the first time in his NCBL career. The outing was a pretty good one, officially pitching one inning, giving up a couple runs and even had his first career strikeout. Way to go Joe.

SweatSox sophomore and website favourite Brian 'Kenny G' 'TrotMaster' Yabsley also had an interesting night. Trots missed one of the easiest catches of the year, a gentle underhand beer toss from Cory Bond that went off the shoulder and hit the ground; reports indicate that the lights were a factor in the miss. In the half inning that never was, Brian also pitched an out to officially earn himself a career ERA, but of course since the inning was rolled back his ERA is back to infinite. Maybe tonight will be the night.

After enduring almost two and a half hours of "catching all the yahoo's", the winner of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award is Marc Lett. Congrats Marc!!

And finally, the SweatSox close the regular season tonight at their home away from home Heritage Park, where they will host the Old Sox in a game that is sure to feature lots of yahoo's.

For the third consecutive season in three different tiers, the SweatSox have officially clinched a playoff birth with their 12-2 win over the Tribu last night.

It was a perfect start for the SweatSox, who retired the first three Tribu batters in the top of the first inning and then went on to score six runs in the bottom, capped by a three run homerun by Andrew Elias, his first as a SweatSox. These would prove to be all the runs the Sox needed to cruise to victory.

Honourable mention to Sean Elias, who went 1/3 at the plate with 3RBI, and to Shaun Keay, who had another Shaun Keay double while picking up an RBI.

On the hill, Cory Bond put in another Herculean performance, going the distance, giving up seven hits, two earned runs while striking out four, to earn his 4th win of the season. Bond once again relied on the defence to bail him out of some jams, including a strike him out throw him out rally killing double play, and an outstanding right field catch by the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award Winner, Andrew Elias. Good job all!!

Now that the Sox have locked up a playoff position, and in an attempt to rest the starters for their upcoming playoff run, they will be looking to hold pitching tryouts over the next two games in hopes that someone will step it up enough to earn a few innings next season.

And finally, it has been confirmed that former Calgary Flames great Theo Fleury did indeed play the 2005/2006 hockey season for the Belfast Giants of the British Elite Ice Hockey League. He led the team to the league championship but was involved in a couple incidents including trying to climb out of the penalty box to get to a fan (also gave death threats to fans) and threatening match officials. He will not return to the team next season due to the poor officiating of the league.

It was a classic showdown last night at Southgate between two quality teams in the Gryphons and the SweatSox. It was a pitchers duel through six innings, as the Sox took a 3-1 lead into the 7th, with two outs, nobody on, and OMS on the mound. Unfortunately, the Sox couldn't close it out because with a bit of rain, some walks and an untimely (and apparently career ending) error all led to seven more Gryphon runs.

The Sox looked for a two out comeback themselves, started by a Marc Lett walk and followed by the first career NCBL homerun by Armando Navarro (possibly first ever) to bring the score to 8-5. The SweatSox then put the next two batters on base which brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately at this point, the on deck batter had quit the team ten minutes earlier (with no subs) which effectively ended the game as only a homerun could have forced a tie.

For the first time since it's introduction to the team, there was no winner of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award.

The Sox now have another extended break, this time thirteen days off until their next game against the Tribu, where they will look to sweep the season series and secure a spot in this years playoffs.

For the second time this season, an Old Sox / Sweat Sox game was postponed due to rain. Because of the delay, the Sox have seven more days off before their next game vs the first place Gryphons.

After five full days off, the longest break in recent memory, the SweatSox came out strong on offence, defence, and on the mound to defeat the Diamondbacks 7-3.

The Sox knew the errors would be scarce after a spectacular infield warmup, which displayed top-notch fielding followed by exemplary throws to the various bases. The BP warmup was also as impressive, as the wiffles were flying left and right, up and down; all signs pointed to a strong SweatSox showing.

The team was once again lead by Mark Dorrington, who pitched the complete game and earned his fourth win of the year. Proving that he is indeed the OMS, Mark also blasted a titanic two run homerun into the Faulkner Pond in the bottom of the first to set the tone. It was the first SweatSox Faulkner homerun since an immeasurable shot by Sox veteran Chris Chapman sometime 'back in the day', but it wouldn't be the last as catcher Marc Lett (wearing a new contact) decided to enter the homerun race, hitting his own two run homerun off of the left field scoreboard. Well done guys!!

Attending the post game festivities was a SweatSox BBQ, 40 beers, Doritos, chips, dip, orange slices, stat checking, and of course the Angry Dragon; a combination of funnel, tube and tap used to increase the speed by which beer is passed through the mouths of the individuals latched to the tap. Shout out to Joe and Sean who debuted the Angry Dragon for the team!! Honourable mentions go out first to Diego Navarro, who pulled off the previously unheard-of quadruple dipping of a chip and second to miSTUre umpire, who politely requested a SweatSox beer, and since we don't argue with an umpire, we delivered; unfortunately he didn't see the beer in his coat pocket so he eventually dropped and spilled the beer all over the ground. It was an act worthy of the SweatSox Hall of Shame had he been a member of the Sox club. A classic moment none-the-less.

Finally, after several days of wondering, theorizing, reasoning and speculation, the SweatSox have finally solved the mystery of the empty beer can return. It is my proud duty to announce, after placing a call to the Barrhaven Beer Store, that an empty beer can returned to the store will get you $0.10. SweatSox elder Shaun Keay gets credit for correctly identifying this rebate, and for holding strong when so many other told him he was wrong.

The SweatSox now look ahead to their final regular season matchup with the Old Sox at the Sportsplex Tuesday night.

Six ~~innings~~ paragraphs down, you know what that means....1-2-3 WIN!!!! one-two-three-win....

Tonight's game between the SweatSox and the Gryphons has been postponed due to a double booking at Faulkner.

The unofficial MVP award goes to the Gryphons squad, who were true to their word regarding a prior agreement by personally delivering cold beer to the SweatSox before the game.

cholera (chol·er·a)
n.
1) An acute infectious disease of the small intestine, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, severe dehydration, and depletion of electrolytes. Also called Asiatic cholera.
2) Any of various diseases of domesticated animals, such as chickens, turkeys, or hogs, marked by severe gastroenteritis.

The SweatSox winning streak was snapped last night after a 6-4 loss to the Dragons at Brewer.

The game saw the return of the 2005 Tier III Co-Cy Young winner Matt Robert to the mound after spending 25 days on the disabled list. Robert pitched five innings, giving up eight hits, four earned runs, two walks while striking out six batters.

Armando Navarro led the offence with two hits, a walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored; earning him his first 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award.

Other game notes include Craig Cornell and Sean Elias having the only Sox RBI's of the night, Trots going 0/3 because the game was at Brewer, BrownShow pitching a perfect 6th inning to keep it close, and a near no show from the beer, who made a 'better late than never' appearance thanks to...Naomi?!?!?

And finally, if anybody knows how much money you get for returning an empty beer can, please click here.

The Sox now look ahead to a game against the first place Gryphons Tuesday night at Faulkner.

It was a quiet game at the Sportsplex last night which saw the SweatSox extend their winning streak to five games after a 13-6 victory over the Mustangs.

Cory Bond pitched the complete game for his third win of the year, giving up four earned runs while striking out two. Bond also went 2-4 at the plate with three RBI which all added up to his third 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP award.

Honourable mention goes out to Craig Cornell, who went 3/5 with three RBI, three runs scored, and his first "non Trillium" NCBL homerun.

The SweatSox will look for their sixth win in a row when they play the Dragons Sunday evening.

The SweatSox and Old Sox renewed one of the best rivalries in the NCBL in another hard-fought contest at McCarthy last night. With the ’05 Dorion winner, the ‘05 batting leader & OMS all away, the Sox needed someone to step up against the Orleans club and that man was ~~Matt Robert~~ Andrew Elias. Despite giving up a mammoth bomb on pitch #2, BrownShow made key pitches when needed to lead the Sox to the 12-8 victory, picking up his 2^nd game MVP honour and 4^th win of the season.

It was another comeback win for the Sox who were down in the game several times including 8-6 after the 6th. The bats exploded in the top half of the 7^th (with a little defensive help) plating 6 runs to secure the win.

Chris Chapman led the offensive attack with 3 hits, while Shaun Keay, Army Navarro & Sean Elias all had a pair of hits each. In actuality, it was thought Chapman had an additional infield hit midway through the game but since logically infield hits are not possible for the veteran, it was realized that the appearance of a hit must have been an illusion and he was correctly retired.

In the field, the Sox turned a pair of twin killings including the ever popular 9-4-5-6-3 double play. Army (reeling from the 4 Red Bulls he took prior to the game), Joey Majic & the Trotmaster all made incredible diving catches to help the cause.

Finally, in his 5^th plate appearance of the night Shaun Keay reached that elusive century mark in career strikeouts. Congrats Shaun!!

Post-game, the last five remaining Sox decided to grab some wings at a local establishment. Actually, with some pizza home in the fridge, Trots bailed leaving the four vets to go it alone. While not up to the typical post-game event standards, the Sox were treated to countless stories from their waitress on topics ranging from the Blue Jays, blackjack, Bruce Jenner, Beppu, Japan and blue jeans amongst others.

With the win the Sox move to within a half game of the tier leading Gryphons. The Sox return “home” to face the Mustangs on Friday looking to extend their win streak to 5. After missing a game at his favourite park and with his streak of games played snapped at 38 (well short of Keay’s team record of 45), Cory Bond returns looking to channel his disappointment and anger into his probable start on the hill.

1,2,3, win.

The SweatSox won another close contest last night, defeating the Outaouais Tribu 5-4 for a season best third win in a row. Although it was announced that it was not a Major League game, it did turn out to be a pretty good Tier II game.

On the mound, SweatSox starter Cory Bond struggled in the first inning while getting used to pitching over a second mound, walking in the first run of the game. Bond settled down to pitch four more innings, giving up two earned runs with three strikeouts. Then, in a brilliant managerial move, the call was made to bring in the righty Andrew Elias in a tied game to close it out, and he did, pitching two shutout innings to earn his third win of the year.

Defensively, the SweatSox were highlighted by two outstanding diving plays: the first by Brian Yabsley who's suicide dive in right field paid off as he caught the ball while completely horizontal in the air!! Not to be outdone, Armando Navarro had a diving stop of his own at second base to kill any potential of a 7th inning Tribu rally.

Offensively, the Trotmaster started things off in the 3rd with a SAC fly; Chris Chapman added an RBI single and then Cory Bond hit his second homerun of the year with a two run shot in the 5th inning. With the game tied 4-4 heading into the 7th, Marc Lett drew a walk, "stole" second, advanced to third on a throwing error and was then knocked in by Craig Cornell, who's clutch contact with two outs earned him the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award, congrats Craig!!

Off the field, the SweatSox received a scare when it was announced that Army, who arrived two and a half hours before gametime, forgot that it was his turn to bring the post game beverages. After being threatened with a Hall of Shame induction, Armando quickly found the closest Dépanneur after the game and made amends by brining back 48 beers (30/18 split), two bags of chips, and of course a Sloche.

And finally, a big congratulations goes out to Shaun Keay who tied then beat the SweatSox career strikeout mark last night and now sits with 99 career strikeouts; OMS gets the assist on this record setting night with the pregame jinx.

The SweatSox won their fourth game out of their last five with a 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks last night at Faulkner, not the Sportsplex. Whether clips from this game will be included in the blockbuster movie being filmed down the street is not yet known.

Game highlights for the SweatSox included a five run second inning, all starting with nobody on and two outs; the second SweatSox triple of the year, courtesy of Joseph Majic; and the top of the first inning stroll down the Faulkner walkway by the 'One Man Show' himself.

Honourable mention goes out to Brian Yabsley who pulled himself after the 1st inning to get OMS into the game.

On the mound, Mark Dorrington pitched another gem, throwing the final six innings, giving up only one hit, striking out ten batters, while walking only one; the performance earned him the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Congrats Mark!!

The SweatSox now head off to Québec for a matchup with the Tribu Sunday night, followed of course by the traditional "2/3 of the season played" all night party capped by a Nicaraguan Brunch (undefined on urbandictionary.com, but definitely includes rice and sour cream).

In what looked like a Tier 4 team in Tier 2, the SweatSox put together quite the all around attack against the Diamondback squad, belting around tons of hits while playing solid defence.

The game started out a little rough as SweatSox emergency starter Cory Bond used the first inning to allow scheduled starter Mark Dorrington to get changed and warmed up; allowing 2 runs in the process while striking out 2.

The bats of the SweatSox exploded in the second inning with a none on, two out rally for a total of five runs.

With the SweatSox up 5-2 heading into the third inning, the SweatSox defence stayed solid to give OMS all the help he needed to close the game out.

It was a comeback win for the SweatSox (8-6-1), who look good through 15 games this season...

The SweatSox bounced back from a tough loss last game and defeated the Moosehead Acadians 9-5 last night. The game was highlighted by one of the better defensive performances by the Sox, especially in the middle infield where Craig Cornell (Dorion Award frontrunner) and Armando Navarro (who's training his son to drink beer) were at the top of their game. Joey Majic even added a spectacular diving grab to save a couple runs late in the 7th.

The bats were also alive last night, with the Sox scoring nine runs on nine hits. Sean Elias returned to the lineup and had 2 big hits with 3RBI, including a near opposite field grand slam. Kent Johnston also added two hits, both doubles, and Army Navarro went 2/3 with three stolen bases. Shaun Keay, determined not to ever break the career strikeout mark, went 1/1 with a pinch hit single.

Leading the team on the mound was Cory Bond, who pitched 6 innings of ground ball baseball, giving up only 2 hits, 2 walks, 0 earned runs, while picking up his second win and second A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award of the season.

Witnessing the game last night, was part of the SweatSox fan club, more specifically the Casselman Boys. Although disappointed there was no Robert sighting, the Boys hung around long enough to stroll the woods and share some stories, including a saga where Crazy Pete used his school master key to sneak in during the night to "bake" and pile desks in front of the exam room door before sneaking out a hidden exit. Although he did not write his exam, he did pass the course and graduate with honours; only Crazy Pete could pull that off!!!

The SweatSox now look for their second win in a row this Thursday against the Diamondbacks, the farewell game for Kent Johnston who then heads off to Portugal for many mornings of breakfast in bed.

The SweatSox were kindly welcomed into Winchester last night, both with the smallest diamond seen this year, and with a sign on the street promoting the game; props to the person who put that up! Although the game was far away from Ottawa, the SweatSox still couldn't find the clutch hitting and error free game needed to consistently win in Tier II, as they left eleven total runners on base and committed five errors, all leading to a 14-12 loss.

The SweatSox got off to a good start, scoring nine runs in the second inning after homeruns by Shaun Keay and Brian Yabsley (grand slam) knocked the Winchester starter from the game; at this point the SweatSox looked to be in full control. The very next inning, Winchester fought back to take the lead after a couple homeruns themselves, chasing the SweatSox rookie starter Josh Ramage, making his first career NCBL appearance, from the game. Cory Bond eventually picked up the loss after giving up the go ahead runs in the bottom of the 5th.

SweatSox Game MVP runners-up include Andrew Elias, who went 1/1 (double) with what would have been the game tying and winning RBI if the lead would have held; Shaun Keay, who went 2/4 (HR, 2RBI, 1R); and Marc Lett who went 2/2 (2BB, RBI, 1R) and got right back up after his second collision at the plate this year.

The winner of the 2004 A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award goes to Brian Yabsley, who went 3 for 4 at the plate with 2HR, 5RBI, 3 runs scored, a stolen base and the slowest homerun trot ever recorded on his solo jack. Congrats Kenny.

The SweatSox took the post game festivities back to the city @ the Royal Oak, where Joseph Majic left prematurely and only paid for all the beer, but not the food; an act almost worthy of entry into the SweatSox Hall of Shame. Thanks Joe!!

The Sox now have the weekend off, with their next game not coming until next Tuesday where they will take on the Moosehead Acadians @ the Sportsplex. All members of the SweatSox fan club are invited to attend "SweatSox Fan Appreciation Night". Contact the website administrator for more information by clicking here.

The SweatSox won the 2005 Tier III Championship rematch last night with a 10-8 win over the Old Sox. The game was a sloppy one for the SweatSox, allowing five runs in the first inning, committing a total of four errors in the field, and left nine runners on base which included an inning where they had the bases loaded with no outs and couldn't cash any of them in. The SweatSox were finally able to pull it together in the final two innings, where some clutch hitting and a couple Old Sox errors allowed the team to pull ahead for good.

The offensive star of the game was Craig Cornell, who went 4/4 with a walk, 2RBI and a run scored. Honorable mention goes out to Joseph 'Try2TakeIt' Majic who continued his winning streak from the night before with two hits, two runs and an RBI. A special shoutout to the TrotMaster, who also contributed two hits last night but only because his lock on vision was activated, it was an early game not played at Brewer, with a slight overcast, on an even day of the week, while there was a half moon, where he had greater then eight hours sleep the night before, and most clearly because he warmed up in the reigning MVP's jersey. Way to go TROTS!!

Andrew Elias had another quality start, going 6.33 innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs and earning himself the A&W Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award. Cory Bond closed the game out in the 7th for his first save of the year.

The SweatSox once again proved that if you stay long enough post game, something exciting will happen, whether it be piggy back rides, gymnastics, or even lollypop handouts, something will happen. Last night, in the rain, the SweatSox were treated to a 'beautie'ful anorexic inspired freestyle rap performance from the Old Sox ace himself. Requests for an encore were not answered.

The team will now look to make it three wins in a row if they can manage for find their way to Winchester this Thursday evening, for another Sox vs Sox matchup.

The local number you have dialed must be preceded by its area code, your call will now proceed, for future calls to this number, please dial the area code.....

Somehow, the SweatSox pulled off a win last night @ the Sportsplex, defeating the Mustangs 9-7. Although the SweatSox pride themselves on being the only Tier V team playing in Tier II, nobody expected them to play Tier VII defense, committing 8 errors, leading to all 7 Mustang runs.

Cory Bond pitched the complete game for the victory, giving up 0 earned runs and because of all the errors and a nasty curveball, was able to score a career high in strikeouts, with 15. Calling the game from behind the plate was Kent Johnston, who turned back the clock to reform the 1992 Pinecrest Little League Minor B battery.

Joseph Majic, coming off his first career NCBL homerun, led the offence with 3 hits, while Kent, BrownShow and the One Man Show all added 2 hits each. OMS also hit his second homerun of the season.

The SweatSox still don't have a full time sponsor, but they did find a partner for the newly formed game MVP award, so the 2004 Kamloops International Baseball Game MVP Award, presented in part by A&W, goes to Cory Bond for his 15 strikeout performance, congrats Cory!!

Finally, to follow up on the June 17, 2006 story regarding the Casselman Boys; the SweatSox are proud to induct Pete, of the driving and spinning story, to the SweatSox fan club. He dropped the team an email recently, and promises to have all the boys out to an upcoming game. We're holding you to that Pete.

The SweatSox will look to extend their winning streak to 2 with a win on Monday against their rivals the Old Sox.

Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say
But nothin comes out when they move they lips
Just a buncha gibberish
And mutha*****s act like they forgot about Dre.....

Controversy surrounds yet another SweatSox game, as the Sox fell 5-4 to the Sundevils last night. With the top of the 6th inning ending at 8:07PM (SweatSox Time) and the Sox down by 1, the game ended because it was ruled that a half inning was impossible to complete before 8:15PM. If only Chris was umpiring, because we all know he can't see the future.

Not to be overshadowed in this mess was Joseph Majic, who hit his first career NCBL homerun off the reigning Tier II MVP Shawn Scolli. The rest of the team though wasn't as sharp as Mr. Majic, as dropped balls, baserunning blunders, missed grounders and a lost pass ball all contributed to the Sundevils runs. The SweatSox were then appropriately rewarded for their effort with a case of Maclays Traditional Pale Ale.

Fortunately for the Sox, this was their last game in Tier II because at the request of the Dragons, the "Mama's Boy" SweatSox are returning to Tier III effective immediately. "Au revoir tout le monde!!!"

It was another classic showdown between the SweatSox and the Old Sox last night at Heritage. Both teams came out ready to play, all pitchers had complete command of their pitchers, all batters were finding the gaps with their hits and the defenses were perfect. Unfortunately there were no umpires there to make the game official; so it's almost as if there was no game at all.

The post game festivities got off to a good start after the beer was unveiled sitting upright in plenty of ice and covered with a specially crafted beer top ice tray; well done BrownShow. The night only got better from there, as the SweatSox were then joined by the Casselman Black Sabbath Fan Club, known only to us as Jason and Martin (or possibly Lee??). They shared some of their better stories with the team, including a hilarious anecdote about their buddy Pete driving down the street with his boys and none of them wanted to "spin". It is rumored that this story may have been digitally recorded, be sure that if an audio of this does surface, you will find it here. The Sabbath crew's next order of business was to see if they could throw Robert out on a medium length sacrifice fly to center; and in what was easily the most controversial call of the night, Robert was called out despite the replay showing that he did indeed touch the plate before the tag was made. The photo finish can be seen by clicking here.

The evening ended for some at Heritage but continued on for 3 SweatSox regulars, the new team batgirl Allison, and in what was an "extreme shocker", Matt Robert stuck around too. The team made their way to Ottawa's East Side East Side Mario's, where as it turned out, a few local celebrities were also dining. The SweatSox would like to officially welcome to the fan club: Ms. Green Shirt, Ms. White Skirt and of course Toothbrush Guy!!!

The SweatSox continue their road trip with a stop at Brewer on Tuesday night where they will look to even the season series with the Sundevils at one.

The SweatSox arguably played their most complete game of the season last night, defeating the Outaouais Tribu 13-2. The team was led by Mark Dorrington on the mound, who pitched a complete game one hitter, with zero walks (1HBP), no earned runs while striking out ten.

Offensively, the Sox finished with ten hits off what seemed like ten different pitchers; six of those hits came from former 1-HIT WONDERS Andrew Elias, Joseph Majic, and Brian Yabsley, each with two hits apiece.

The SweatSox now hit the road for a big six game road trip, starting Friday night in Orleans with a 2005 Tier III Championship rematch with the Old Sox.

The SweatSox lost another close contest last night, falling 4-2 to the Winchester Sox. Cory Bond pitched the complete game for the SweatSox; Mark Dorrington hit his first homerun of the season; and Brian Yabsley with his new contact went 3/3 at the plate.

The SweatSox will look to rebound Tuesday night against the Outaouais Tribu at Faulkner.

The SweatSox extended their unbeaten streak to three games after a thrilling 3-3 tie last night at Brewer versus the Dragons. The game was a fast paced one, with no pre game infields, no repeating of signs or without any unnecessary timeouts. Unfortunately, the lights went out in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and the game winning run on first for the SweatSox; an unavoidable situation.

SweatSox game highlights included the first hit for Andrew Elias this season (picked up 2 RBI on the hit), a 'dirty' hit from Joseph Majic, also his first of the year, four solid innings from starter Cory Bond, giving up only 2 hits and 1 earned run, and the return of future SweatSox Hall of Famer Doug Horner to the bench.

A pity shoutout goes out to Marc Lett, who's rally starting hit was taken away by the inning that never was! Honourable mention goes out to Craig Cornell, who stepped up big when the threat of no beer presented itself earlier yesterday; had he not done that, I may have mentioned how he knocked over star center fielder Kent Johnston's beer during post game festivities...

The SweatSox will look to extend their unbeaten streak to four games this Sunday against the Winchester Sox.

PS - Matt Robert is now officially MIA after being noticeably absent from the last two SweatSox games. If your reading this Robert, show up on Sunday, your starting on the mound; might as well bring some Hostess chips too, as a good will gesture.

The SweatSox pulled their overall record back to .500 with a 6-1 victory over the Acadians last night at Brewer. Mark 'One Man Show' Dorrington made his Tier II pitching debut last night, pitching the complete game, striking out six, giving up only one run, while picking up the win. On offense, Sean Elias picked up his second homerun in as many games after a first inning two run shot, Cory Bond had the first SweatSox triple of the season, Mark Dorrington added three hits, and Brian Yabsley once again showed off his trotting skills after a late inning base on balls.

The SweatSox will look to make it three wins in a row Tuesday night against the Dragons.

The SweatSox finally came out on the winning end of a close game last night at the Sportsplex, defeating the Gryphons 6-3. The defence was shaky early, giving up two unearned runs in the first inning, but Sean Elias brought the team back with a two run homerun in the fourth. After giving up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 6th, Chris Chapman started the 7th inning rally off with a 350 foot single, followed by his version of the bunny hop on the base paths; Kent Johnston then knocked him in with a double, Craig Cornell then knocked the eventual game winning run in with a double, and Cory Bond added some insurance with a two run homerun of his own.

Matt Robert led the team on the mound, pitching the complete game while giving up only one earned run.

The SweatSox will look to make it two in a row Sunday night against the Acadians.

Last night's SweatSox-Tribu game was cancelled in the top of the third inning due to lightning. Craig Cornell's 2/2, 2RBI night will not count towards this year's stats, sorry Craig.

Shortly after the official announcement of the cancellation, the SweatSox beer tent made its appearance. The evening began with the official unveiling of several potential SweatSox logos, created by Army Navarro. Army must have been a bit nervous presenting, because not long after he sat down, was his beer carelessly knocked over, his first spill of the season, second in his career. Not be be outdone by his fellow sophomore, Joey Majic (as predicted here on the SweatSox website last season after clinching a birth into the Tier III finals), was indeed the next individual to spill his beer, congrats Joseph!! If only the lightning could have cancelled these unfortunate incidents too!!!

And finally, as a community service, if anyone suspects their significant other of being unfaithful, and they drive either a green Honda Civic or a gold Toyota Camry, the SweatSox may have some information for you. Please get in touch; but be warned, this story starts with a piggy back and gets much worse.

Next game for the SweatSox is this Friday at the Sportsplex against the Gryphons.

A big congratulations goes out to SweatSox catcher Marc Lett who scored his first career concussion at last nights ballgame. After the SweatSox passed on the two out catcher rule, Marc tried to get Kent his second RBI of the season but it wasn't meant to be, as he collided with the Diamondbacks catcher, forcing him out of the game and into the ER.

Obviously shaken up by this traumatic incident to one of their own, the SweatSox let the game slip away by giving up 7 runs in the 5th inning, a lead that they could not overcome despite a late 7th inning rally. Final score Diamondbacks 12, SweatSox 8.

Sensing that the SweatSox weren't feeling their best, SweatSox sophomore Brian Yabsley stepped it up big by producing unquestionably the coldest beers of the season; when asked what his secret was, he revealed that three bags of ice was the key, way to go TrotMaster!

The SweatSox will look to break out of their slump Tuesday night against the Outaouais Tribu.

For the first time since late in the 2003 season, the SweatSox have lost two consecutive regular season games after a 11-10 loss at Faulkner last night. The SweatSox were down 4 runs in the top of the 7th inning, until Sean Elias broke it open with a TSN Turning Point, classic SweatSox play, involving one takeout slide, one miss-communicated call, one suicide run to third, and a TrunkStick hit on the third baseman; all adding up to two safe calls and an eventual run scored.

Craig Cornell found his first four hits of the year last night, going 4 for 5 with 3RBI, which included the final two SweatSox runs to tie the game up. Kent, Army and Matt (shout-out to his 18 year old sister) all added 2 hits each on offense.

On the down side, the SweatSox defence wasn't as 'air tight' as some of Robert's former girlfriends, and that combined with some shaky pitching led to 8 early runs for the Acadians.

The SweatSox will look to pull their record back to .500 with a win Sunday night vs the Diamondbacks at the Sportsplex.

For the first time since July 15, 2005, the SweatSox walk away from the diamond on the losing end after a 6-4 loss last night to the Sundevils.

SweatSox game highlights include a 2 for 3, 1R, 1SB outing by Kent Johnston, a slump breaking double from the trotmaster himself Brian Yabsley, and a stolen base attempt broken up by Marc Lett after an absolute gun from behind home plate.

The SweatSox will look to rebound with a win Thursday night against the Acadians.

The first game in Tier II for the SweatSox was a successful one, defeating the Mustangs 2-1 in a pitchers showdown. Andrew Elias made his SweatSox debut, pitching 3 scoreless innings and picking up the win, while 2005 Tier III co-Pitcher-of-the-Year Matt Robert pitched the last 4 innings, striking out 9, for the save.

The offense was lead by Cory Bond, who had a 1st innings RBI double off the fence, and Kent Johnston, who picked up an HBP-RBI in the 4th.

The most notable post game incident involved sophomore Joey Majic, who in an unprecedented move, placed a full beer back in the cooler. Surely if there was a career returned beer to the cooler stat, Mr. Majic would be leading that category.

The SweatSox will look to extend their 15 game winning streak next Tuesday against the Sundevils.

The SweatSox had their first exhibition game of the 2006 season last night, with a "victory" over their 2005 rivals the Old Sox. After a shaky start, which included both rust on the mound and on defence, the Sox rallied behind the Elias brothers who took control of the game on the hill.

The offence was led by 2005 Tier III MVP, Cory Bond, who went 3-3 with 2 homeruns (1 grand slam) and finished with 7 RBI. toot toot goes the horn!!!

January 30, 2006

After an outstanding season, the tier votes Cory Bond as their Most Valuable Player. Congrats Cory!

After an outstanding season, Matt Robert is announced as the co-Top Pitcher of the tier. Congrats Matt!

It is announced that 2005 rookie Eric Helander will be leaving the team; apparently the commute to Ottawa, from Kingston, up to three times a week, wasn't a viable option. The team does however still own his Ottawa baseball rights through the 2009 season, should he decide to ever return. We wish Eric well with his future endeavors.

On a happier note, the SweatSox are proud to announce the signing of former East Nepean (or is it Philadelphia) Eagle, Andrew Elias, to a standard rookie contract of 5 years (through the 2010 season). Further terms and conditions of this deal have not been disclosed. Welcome Andrew!

After an outstanding season, the team votes Cory Bond as their Most Valuable Player. Congrats Cory!

It was a collective team effort last night, with solid defence (minus a right field routine "catch"), timely hitting, and the capitalizing on 8 Old Sox errors that led the Sox to their first ever playoff championship. Joey Majic led the offence going 2-3 with 2 RBI, and Cory pitched the complete game, giving up 6 hits with 5 strikeouts. Final Score 11-1; the boxscore from the game can be found here.

A better game summary will probably be posted sometime tomorrow, once the beer is out of my system, until then:

The SweatSox won Game 02 of the NCBL's Tier III Championship Series 5-1 last night against the Old Sox. The boxscore from the game game can be found here.

The SweatSox won Game 01 of the NCBL's Tier III Championship Series 6-4 last night against the Old Sox. The boxscore from the game can be found here.

It was a game worthy of replay on ESPN's Classic Canada station, last night at Trillium. The SweatSox managed to defeat the OC Express (who had more ejections then total runs) 8-0, despite them having the bat throwing, Triple 'A' All-Star 3rd baseman, who is the obvious favourite for Tier MVP!

Cory Bond pitched what is believed to be the first ever complete game playoff shutout in SweatSox history, giving up 4 hits, 6 walks, striking out 9, and ending the game on a standard lefty pickoff move. Cory also helped out on offence, driving in 2 runs off a late inning triple, effectively putting the game away. After the game, the SweatSox Hall-of-Fame came calling, wanting to know if they could have some memorabilia to commemorate this performance; with that said, Cory has donated his baseball bag, glove, helmet, and cleats to the SweatSox Hall of Fame!

And what game summary would be complete without a rookie beer spilling update: you can add Armando Navarro to the list of rookies who have spilled a beer this year, joining Brian Yabsley and Eric Helander. With a possible 5 games remaining this season, and the likely limited appearances from Mark and Matt, Joey Majic is now the odds on favourite to spill the next beer, good luck Joseph!

The SweatSox now advance to the Tier III Best-of-Five Championship Series against the Old Sox!

For the first time since their first game of the 2003 Tier IV playoffs, the SweatSox earned themselves a playoff victory. It was a slow, yet wild game which saw a 2nd inning run-down turn into 2 SweatSox ejections (2 of which came from 2005 first time offenders Craig Cornell and Chris Chapman). Mark Dorrington survived the distractions, and pitched all 5 innings to earn himself his first career NCBL playoff victory!

After an early 6-0 deficit, the OC Express fought back, behind 3 homeruns, to defeat the Braumeisters 7-6 at Trillium last night. With the win, the Express finish the season in 4th place, and will play the SweatSox in the first round of the playoffs. Schedule still TDB.

We also learned today that Robert had a good excuse for missing the final regular season game Tuesday, he decided to stay home and rest his arm; whether certain magazines were involved in this rehab, is also TBD.

The SweatSox picked up an NCBL best 20th win last night, in a 13-2 victory over the Kings. Mark Dorrington picked up the win after 5 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts; the offence was led by Marc Lett, who had 3 hits. The Trot-Master also answered the critics by showing his well hidden speed, scoring a game high 4 runs, and even winning the Hunt Club Grand Prix later that night.

Post game celebrations took place at the Conroy Pub, the only Irish pub in Ottawa owned by a Chinese lady who may or may not be half Jewish.

The SweatSox will now play the winner of the OC Express - Braumeisters game tonight at Trillium, in the first round of the playoffs. Schedule TBD.

Congratulations goes out to the SweatSox; with their 10-5 victory last night against the OC Express, not only did the Sox earn their 19th win of the season, but they also clinched first place in Tier III this season.

The game didn't start off too well though, with 3 errors and 2 missed pickoffs leading to 1 run in the first inning (it must have been all the pressure from the fans). The Sox managed to cool down though, eventually putting together a 5 run inning, which was of course sandwiched between homeruns by Kent (first career NCBL homerun) and Cory. Cory also pitched all 6 innings (on paper anyways), giving up 1 hit, 0 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts for his 8th win of the season. The Express somehow scored 4 runs in the 6th, I can't remember how though :]

With first place locked up, the SweatSox will head into next week's final regular season game looking for win number 20!

*** How's Madden 2006 Robert?? We saved you a victory beer and cigar that you can enjoy after next week's game.

It took until the later innings of the game, but the SweatSox pulled out another victory last night against the Kings, winning by a score of 8-6. Matt Robert pitched his first 'clean' complete game, picking up 7 strikeouts and the win. The offence, once again was led by Kent who had another 3 hit game, and adding 2 more stolen bases to his already record shattering total. Honourable Mention goes out to Eric and Sean, who had clutch hits for a double and triple respectfully, and to the Trott-Master180, who nearly hit a homerun to straightaway center field.

You can now take that Honourable Mention away from Sean, because in an uncharacteristic move, he completely disregarded the beer schedule of the SweatSox, and showed up with an empty cooler. Sean will now have to go the extra mile for the rest of the season and playoff run to earn back the trust of his team-mates. Good Luck Sean.

The SweatSox swept another season series last night, defeating the Braumeisters 5-2, en route to a 4-0 season series win. Cory managed to make it through 4 innings with control problems (picking up his 7th win of the year), leading the way for Matt Robert to pitch 3 innings of 1 hit ball for his first career NCBL save. Kent led the offence with 3 hits, but even more impressive was his 5 stolen bases.

The SweatSox will look for their 18th win of the year, Sunday night against the Kings.

It was a classic battle @ Brewer last night for the SweatSox Rookies and the SweatSox Veterans. On the field, it was the veterans who led the way: Cory Bond pitched 3 perfect innings, Shaun Keay ran the offense again with 2 hits and 3 RBI, Chris Chapman drew 2 walks, and Kent Johnston provided the wheels with 3 stolen bases; all leading the way to a 9-5 SweatSox victory over the Phoenix.

Off the field, it was the rookies who made the most impact: Matt Robert started things off by showing up in PJ's, with porn. For the second week in a row, a rookie spilled a cold beer, Eric had the honours last week, and Brian followed it up this week. Joey turned back the clock to his days as a 10 year old, and showed everyone how not to catch a ball on a routine pick-off play to second, thrown by fellow rookie Mark Dorrington (who somehow managed to drop 20 f-bombs in one sentence). And finally, Mr. Armando Navarro, who was giving Esso and Petro Canada a run for their money by offering free gas to everyone!

The veterans were running away with the win, until Craig made things close at the end, by leaving the lights on in his car, completely draining his battery. The Rookie Dorrington stepped up and gave him a boost.

Although this rookie stepped up, there can be no doubt that the winner was, and will always be:

It was another quiet game for the SweatSox offense, only managing to put 6 runs on the board; fortunately, that was enough as the Sox defeated the Giants 6-1. Shaun Keay led the offense with 2 hits and an RBI, and Matt Robert was 'steaming' on the mound, pitching 5 innings for the win. Brian Yabsley once again showed his rookie colours, getting 'donkey punched' at second base.

The winner of the Abe Lincoln award for the most interesting play of the game goes to Sean Elias, for his incredible 6 pitch at bat that eventually led to a walk.

The SweatSox now have another long layoff, waiting another 6 days for their game against the Phoenix.

It took until the bottom of the 7th inning for the SweatSox to put the game away, eventually defeating the Giants 5-4. Cory pitched all but one out, recording his first 10 strikeout game of the season, meanwhile picking up his 6th win of the season. On offense, Joey and Eric both had 2 hits, Mark was intentionally walked twice (eventually leading to the game winning run), and Kent managed to straight up steal home. With the win, the SweatSox have clinched their 2005 playoff birth.

The SweatSox now have a one week break, where they will resume their mini series with the Giants.

I originally posted my report of the Royal Oak on the site, but then my inbox and cell-phone went crazy with messages and calls from Yahoo! and the NCBL, demanding that I remove all $100,000 briefcase propositions, harryman.com links, artificial nut scenario's, and strangely enough any mention of Stubby Clapp. To avoid any possible suspensions or team fines, I chose to comply. The full story will be on the '2005 2-Disk Special Edition SweatSox DVD, available at the end of the season.

In what was surely the best pitching match-up in Tier III this year, and quite possibly the quickest 7 inning game ever, the SweatSox came out on top in a 3-0 victory. Marc Dorrington pitched a complete game, 2-hit shutout, striking out 13 batters, and even hitting a two run homerun to secure the victory. The game winning run came off a two out rally in the 5th, starting with a Chris Chapman hit to right and ending with a Joey Majic RBI single to left.

When asked after the game to provide a quote for the webpage, Shaun Keay responded "Too Much Pressure"; when asked the very same question, Eric Helander responded "Oh Man", and finally, when questions came up regarding Degrassi High, Brian Yabsley (the only man to play in all of the SweatSox games this year, and who could not throw it over the Trillium fence from home plate, and who's 25 year old sister has red hair, and the inventor of several new pickoff moves that don't seem to conform to baseball rules), seemed to have all the answers.

The SweatSox schedule now reverts back to a Tier IV schedule, with the next 3 games covering a period of 14 days. Good Nite Now.

In front of his parents and grandparents, Matt Robert stepped up big in the 14-3 win over the Giants. Matt pitched 4 innings, with 5 strikeouts for the win, and also had 3 hits, 3 runs and 3 RBI at the plate.

In a follow-up to the July 07, 2005 story, the 2 Canadian beers that were lost, were found by Marc Lett last night. The SweatSox no longer have to worry about this situation, and can now completely focus on baseball.

Although a few key players were missing, the SweatSox managed to keep it close against the Old Sox, losing by 1 run in a tight 5-4 game. Cory pitched 3 shutout innings in the loss, giving up 1 hit and striking out 4. Dan Massey made his 2005 SweatSox debut, getting 3 hits in 4 at bats. The SweatSox will look to tie the season series against the Old Sox on Monday.

The SweatSox pitching Quattro (Cory-Jon-Matt-Mark) made their debut last night, holding the Express to 6 hits, with 9 strikeouts in 6 innings en route to a 16-4 victory. Eric Helander lead the offense with 2 hits and 3 RBI.

The SweatSox now face a tough 4 game stretch in a span of 6 days, including 2 against the first place Old Sox (Friday's game is now at TRILLIUM).

Nothing very exciting from the SweatSox midseason gathering to report about. A nice dinner at East Side's, followed by a relaxing drive around the city, and then everybody calling it an evening.

...do we have a homosexual player on our team who likes to take long smelly craps in restaurants?? Or did I just imagine that.

The bats came alive a bit later then usual last night at Trillium, where the SweatSox defeated the Gatineau Phoenix 12-3. Mark Dorrington made his SweatSox debut on the mound, picking up the win, while striking out 13 batters.

On a more serious note, 2 beers have been reported missing from the cooler last night, at least one of these beers was to be enjoyed by our full time catcher, who was left empty handed for at least half an hour. The details on this thief are minimal, we believe this player has not been to many games. If anybody has any information regarding this situation, please contact you team officials.

The SweatSox midseason gathering will be this Saturday @ 8:00PM, beginning at the Hunt Club/Merivale East Side Mario's.

The first ever pitching appearance for the SweatSox Trio (Cory-Matt-Jon) was a successful one, holding the Kings to two runs, on route to a 7-2 victory. The offense was led by Sean Elias, 3 hits and an RBI, and Joey Majic, 2 hits and 2 RBI.

The game was highlighted by the biggest error of the year, and that of course was the noticeable absence of the post game beverages. After a team vote, the error was eventually given to Andy, who's beer schedule has yet to be published.

The SweatSox will look for their 10th win of the year on Wednesday, when they face the Gatineau Phoenix @ Trillium.

I wasn't quite sure how to get the "anal swabs before the morning coffee" conversation into this blurb, so I guess it won't make it. See you Wednesday LADS!

Tuesday night was one of the more interesting nights of the 2005 SweatSox season, filled with records set, records broken and career firsts. It seemed only fair to divide the accomplishments up into several categories.

The "Surprise of the Night" category winner has to be Matt Robert, saying he was going to show up to the game, then actually showing up; and in the process pitching another dirty complete game and picking up the win.

Under the "Career Firsts" category, the winner was Brian Yabsley (Ottawa's newest G licensed driver????), who hit a mammoth shot to left field for his first career NCBL homerun. He also went 3-4 at the plate, with those 3 hits coming off 3 straight pitches.

Under the "Get That Streak Off The Website" category, the winner is unfortunately Shaun Keay (who is now the SweatSox all-time career leader in RBI's), who's streak of 11 consecutive games with a strikeout, ended. The official removal of the stat will take place once the game stats are updated (unless a last second loophole finds its way to me).

And finally, under the "Back back back back back back back back GONE" category, the winner is...CORY BOND!!!, who's 2 HOMERUNS and 7RBI's helped a struggling slugger climb back to respectability on a few of the hitting leaderboards. Cory is now batting 1.000 in games he does not pitch in. Congratulations Cory, way to step up!!!

When all was said and done, the SweatSox came out with the 19-7 victory. They will look to make it 5 in a row this Sunday at the Sportsplex vs the Kings.

The SweatSox came out strong against the Phoenix last night, scoring 9 first inning runs on route to a 12-6 victory. After an early arm injury took Cory out of the game, Craig Cornell came in and shut the door for 3.67 innings for his first career win. Jon Gilbert also made his 2005 debut, pitching 3 innings for the save, and in the process became the SweatSox all-time career leader in saves, with 4.

The SweatSox won their second game in a row last night, defeating the Braumeisters 15-8. Sean Elias hit his first homerun of the season, and Shaun Keay hit his 9th career homerun not long after. Cory pitched the complete game for the win, also adding two triples from the plate. The SweatSox will look to make it 3 in a row this Sunday in the Gat.

A well rested SweatSox team came out strong Sunday, pounding 13 runs to defeat the Old Sox 13-11. Cory pitched a strong four innings, and Craig pitched the final two for the save; Elias managed to steal the win somewhere in between!

Stats from this game and the Express game will be posted as soon as I receive them :]

The website administrator is looking for somebody to cook him some pancakes this morning, please get in contact with him if you are able to assist.

The SweatSox played 5 great innings of baseball last night, but were unable to overcome a lack of bullpen, and an unfortunate call at second base; eventually losing to the Kings 9-7. Honourable mention goes out to Eric Helander, who had 2 hits and 2 RBI in the loss. The SweatSox will try again against the Kings, Wednesday night.

After losing their first game of the season Friday, the SweatSox bounced back in Gatineau, defeating the Phoenix 15-8. Sean Elias led the offense with 3 hits, Cory held the Phoenix to 1 hit with 8 strikeouts in 5 innings, and Chris was in the middle of a few near bench-clearing brawls! Next game is Friday night vs the Braumeisters.

The SweatSox suffered their first loss of the season last night to the "Old" Sox. A few early errors put the Sox down early, but battled back with five runs in the fourth inning. Marc, Craig and Kent led the way with 3 hits each, and Sean Elias pitched 5 solid inning in relief. The SweatSox will look to rebound Sunday night in Gatineau.

For the 2nd time in 3 days, the SweatSox game has been cancelled/postponed because of 'scheduling conflicts' with the umpires. These games will be made up at the end of the season.

For the first time in team history, the SweatSox are 3-0 to start the season. The bats came out strong early, scoring 10 runs in the first 3 innings, and the pitching was solid, only giving up 1 hit the entire game.

After building an early lead, the SweatSox were able to hold on for their second straight win. Matt Robert pitched a dirty complete game for his first career SweatSox win. Stats from both games will be up sometime this weekend.

The Tier III debut for the SweatSox was a successful one, defeating the Braumeisters 6-4. Solid pitching from Cory, great defense and clutch hitting all contributed to this team win. Stats from this game should be up tomorrow.

The 2005 roster has been posted in Players section. The SweatSox would like to welcome to the team: Eric Helander, Joey Magic, Armando "Army" Navarro, Matt Robert, and Brian Yabsley. Due to various other commitments, 2004 players Doug Horner, Jeff Taylor, Rob Harbic, and Jon Gilbert, will not be returning.

The SweatSox first Tier III exhibition game took place yesterday, with the Sox coming up 1 run short ("on a dirty tag"). The game was highlighted by a Sportsplex Homerun courtesy of Cory Bond!

The first regular season game will take place next Tuesday, at 6:00PM, at SouthGate.

After an outstanding season, the league votes Marc Lett as the Tier IV Most Valuable Player. Congrats Marc!

After an outstanding season, the team votes Marc Lett as their Most Valuable Player. Congrats Marc!

It has also been voted on that the SweatSox intend to move up to Tier III for the 2005 NCBL season.

Year	Team	Record	Winning %	Tier
2008	FireBallers	0-18	0.000	4
2007	Sundevils	0-24	0.000	2
1991	Nordel Nasty Boyz	0-24	0.000	Competitive League
1986	Las Palmas	1-26	0.037	-
1990	Golden Seals	1-22-1	0.042	Competitive League
2004	Silverbacks	1-23	0.042	1
2001	SweatSox	1-15-2	0.056	4
1992	Crickets	1-16-1	0.056	Recreational League
2004	Dukes	1-17	0.056	4

List of SweatSox 2008 Season Firsts
First Hit	Craig Cornell
First Runner to Get Doubled Off At First	Craig Cornell
First Double	Kent Johnston
First Run	Kent Johnston
First Stolen Base	Kent Johnston
First Steal of Third	Kent Johnston
First Hit-by-Pitch	Kent Johnston
First Multiple Run Game	Kent Johnston
First "Caught" Fly Ball	Kent Johnston

The Bet - When Joseph Majic Will First Step Into the SweatSox Dugout at Tonight's Game
Favourite	Line	Underdog	Line
After 8:30PM	-230	Before 8:30PM	210

The Nominees	The Quote	The Situation
Kent Johnston	This is not going well	Midway through the changing of the tail light
Armando Navarro	I like that truck, it's small and cute like Joe	After Joe drives away in his white pickup
'Mimi'	Do you know how this works...because once there was this guy, about your age, who stayed for 15 "innings" and didn't know the "financial rules of the game"	Between innings
Shaun Keay	Was that his third walk of shame?	Keay and Bond scouting the rookie
Bill Freeman	Krispy Kreme donuts are the Shiznit	Walking out of a gas station
Cory Bond / Shaun Keay	Oh no he isn't.....He is	Cruising Down Saint Louis
Phil the Daemon	Where you going?
Lady Hitchhiker	I'm "working"
Phil the Daemon	Alright shut my door


Newest Inductee:	Brian 'TrotMaster' Yabsley
What He Agreed To:	Bring the shelled peanuts to last night's game
When He Agreed To It:	Last SweatSox game (Faulkner)
Was He Reminded Before Last Night's Game:	Yes
How:	Team email
Did He Provide Agreed Product:	Negative
Result:	SweatSox Hall of Shame

Award	Winner(s)
Player of the Decade (1980's)	Doug Dorion
Player of the Half Decade (1990-1994)	Ray Cuthbert
Player of the Half Decade (1995-1999)	Doug Horner
Player of the Decade (1990's)	Lee Shields
Player of the Half Decade (2000-2004)	Shaun Keay
Player of the Mid Decade (2003-2007)	Cory Bond
Player of the Half Decade (2005-2009)	Mark Dorrington (99.99% likely)


Winner:	Brian 'TrotMaster' Yabsley
When Quote Was Made:	with 2 outs
Why Quote Was Made:	thought there were 3 outs
What Happened:	ball is hit, fielders choice to second base, Kenny's helmet comes off after passing 1st, slow trot to the dugout follows; upon realizing there are only 2 outs, helmet is gently reapplied, a hop, skip and a jump back to first, and then...
The Quote:	"don't put that on the website"
Website Response:	request denied