And shake their ragged wings, Alas!
Thy tender eyes grow all unkind
Gaze no more in the bitter glass.
The words of noted Mudhens fan William Butler Yeats are as true now as they were in his time, Mudhen Maniacs. Those of you who began saying "Nay!" after the the season's first few weekends failed to realize that your 'Hens are late bloomers, and last weekend at the Southpaw, they bloomed. Everything was working - the bats and Bordeau's mitt were both poppin', the meat of the lineup was sending balls into the stratosphere, and not once did a player attempt to advance to second on a missed cut rolling toward three other players.
Deserving of particular acclaim on Sunday was the 'Hens' starting rotation, namely M. Jack Bergman and 'Niel Hoffman. The two faced one of the best lineups in the game, on a day when the wind was blowing out at the last field you want the wind to blow out at, and they rose to the occasion. Mudhen vet Bergman used his predictably outstanding fastball to hold the Hornets at bay for a strong six innings, and Hoffman continued to make the CVBL aware that his college numbers are no indication of the true brilliance of his blazing heater and disgusting stuff.
The 'Man Men didn't need a lot of help from their offense, but they got plenty. Dave Davidson continued to campaign for league MVP with his bat, knocking three Bailey Bombs into the Mudhen throng behind the leftfield fence over the course of the doubleheader. Mike Bordeau's bat sent a message of it's own: "I'm back." He equalled Davidson's homerun output in terms of quantity, and bettered it in terms of distance, dashing the hopes of the sparse Altona crowd with each flick of his aluminum stick. The Rivers twins continued to provide the RBI opportunities for Davidson and Bordeau to devour, seemingly starting at first base whenever their names were announced. Even the rotation got in on the fun, with Bergman continuing to work toward the all-world form he displayed as a highschool batter, and Hoffman rapping out a pair of screaming hits as if to say, "I could have been doing this all season, but I didn't feel like it until today." If there is a hole in this lineup, then it'll take better eyesight than mine to find it, and since the owners of the nine pairs of eagle eyes on the 'Hens aren't complaining, I highly doubt that's the case.
So by sweeping the defending champs out of Plattsburgh, the Mudhens find themselves the talk of the CVBL. Comparisons to the 2000 championship team are inevitable, but not without merit: these 'Hens are gelling on all cylinders at the just the right time when it comes to peaking in terms of becoming a team. Another strong Sunday in Saranac, and a team that sputtered at the outset will be considered a frontrunner for the league title. Another line of Yeats' poem rings true; he was talking specifically about Roger Barnard, but the same applies to the 'Hens faithful:
Remember all that shaken hair
And how the winged sandals dart
Thine eyes grow full of tender care
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.
Go 'Hens.
MUDHEN ROUNDUP!
HE GETS ON TOP OF THE BALL AND KEEPS IT DOWN, TOO - Mike Bergman's recent breakout success at the plate isn't due only to finally seeing some pitches. He credits a two-pronged attack with raising his hitting game: "I have to start my stride once the pitcher has the ball ready to go to home plate, and keep my weight on my back foot. It's that easy." No, Mike, you just make it look that easy.
RELIVE 'HENS GLORY - Sunday's doubleheader won't just be a chance for the 'Hens to take revenge on Saranac. It will also serve as a test run for the website's newest feature: Mudhens Game Journals. The journals will provide a blow-by-blow account of the day's games, written by yours truly as they're played. And the game itself need not be the only subject covered; every measure will be taken to bring the game to the viewer, from descriptions of ballpark scenery to tallies of the number of times a certain 'Hens devotee mutters a certain unprintable expletive under her breath. The physical act of writing the journals might be a problem, since the laptop only gets three hours on batteries and I get writer's cramp, but the potential is limitless.
YOU MIGHT CALL IT A CHUPPAH - The C. R. Tunes Mudhens are heroes off the field as well. Dan Hoffman, for example, has chosen to embrace his heritage by reaching out to Plattsburgh's Jewish community. "I really owe all the credit in the world to Shawn Green," Dan recalls. "He and I were talking at a charity softball game we were in together, and he mentioned some of the work he does with kids out in the community. So I thought, 'Hey, I can do that.'" And do that he's done, appearing at bar mitzvahs and performing brises left and right. Way to do the Mudhens proud, Dan!
TICK-IT! - Since the 'Hens have so many successful and wealthy alumni, it's easy to make the incorrect assumption that they're more than capable of financing their day-to-day operations by themselves. The fact of the matter is that CVBL franchises are expensive to run, and the 'Hens need the help of you, the fans, to keep providing the top-quality talent they field year-in and year-out. Roger and his 'Hens are therefore encouraging their faithful to participate in a raffle to benefit the organization. Tickets are only two dollars apiece, and an array of fabulous prizes is available to participants. Buy two tickets today, and then guilt your family into buying them, too!