Amsterdam Fire Ants Baseball Club est. 2004

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Inside Tip
2006 record: 68-94, 4th in the EHL Central
2005 record: 58-104, 5th in the EHL Central
Runs scored: 634, T-10th in EHL (+ 23 from 2005)
Runs allowed: 826, 13th in EHL (+ 29 from 2005)

Synopsis:
If there�s one thing we can say about the Amsterdam franchise, it�s that things are finally getting better. This was evidenced in the ten-win improvement in the 2006 campaign. That�s 68 wins if you�re counting, a best for the Amsterdam franchise under fourth-year owner Tim Bennett�s watch.

And this ballclub has nowhere to go but up from here, as the Ants prospects are finally ready to start impacting this team in a positive way. We learned this firsthand last September, as Bennett called up three rookies who helped the Ants finish strong and show that there is life in Amsterdam after all.

2006 LEADERS
AVG	B. Barnes	.290
HR	J. Sterrett	23
RBI	F. Strang B. Bruckmiller	63
RUN	J. Polanski	62
SB	J. Polanski	9
WIN	W. Savage	13
SV	R. Clancy	13
ERA	W. Savage	4.03

First baseman Bob Kerr, the Ants second-round pick in 2003, saw action in 18 games and held his own, batting .270. He�ll be a staple at first in Amsterdam for a while. Well, at least until Biggie Richards is ready for the show. If Kerr stumbles at all, long-time Ant Herbert Moore could see time at first, but should be nothing more than a role player for the rest of his tenure in Amsterdam.

The real excitement however, came from feisty second baseman Craig Cerone. Cerone has been in and out of several organizations and arrived in the Amsterdam system via Norfolk in the Tom Woulfe trade. To say Cerone hit the ball well in his first UBL action would be an understatement. In 19 games in September, Cerone put up some monster numbers: .456 (31-63), 4 2B, 8 HR, 19 RBI and a .868 SLG. That was good enough to get him consideration for the EHL player of the month. Cerone will be depended on to get things going at the top of the lineup day in and day out, as Ants faithful hope that his glove doesn�t become a liability (5 E in those 19 games).

That�s not the end of the youth movement in Amsterdam. The Ants will be starting three other rookies in key positions. Catcher Bobby Baxter also saw action last September (.171, 11-41), but didn�t have the success of Kerr and Cerone. A rigorous off-season regimen has Baxter hoping to bring that average up to respectability, as well as keep the bleacher creatures in the Colony busy chasing home run balls. Joseph Sterrett led the Ants last year with 23 round trippers, but is another victim of the Amsterdam youth movement, and will probably only see time behind the plate against lefties. It�s doubtful he�ll see much playing time with Baxter and Bob Waldron being groomed for the future.

A questionable move has the Ants starting Archie Schwind at the hot corner this year. Schwind caused some excitement on the bases in September primarily as a pinch runner, scoring some key runs and stealing a few bases. Some say that Schwind isn�t ready for the big leagues yet, and if he cant hack it the Ants have old reliable �Uncle Jesse� Park to fall back on.

Doc Deer is the last rookie who the Ants are hoping can rise to the occasion. He�ll fill the fourth or fifth spot in the Ants hapless rotation. Deer, a 2003 third-round pick, could either be a diamond in the rough, or another contributor to the Ants league-high 4.94 staff ERA last season.

After that, whoever is left on the bench will most likely be platooning at some position for Amsterdam. Depending on who has the hot bat, Fred Strang and Chuck Lasley will alternate at short as well as spelling at third. Ants management surprised all by swapping center fielders with Harbor just days before opening day. Jacob Polanski was sent packing to Harbor for Virgil Bridwell. This is a gamble for the Ants, as Polanski was their only speed on the bases. They will, however, be getting younger, better defensively, and also received an early 3rd round pick to boot. Bob Barnes surprised most by hitting a team-leading .290 last year and becoming a regular, and will be seeing action in both left and right. Bill Bruckmiller is another who pleasantly surprised Ants faithful last year, hitting 20 homers and 63 RBIs in just over 400 ABs. He�ll see time against righties, while newly acquired veteran Amos Smithberg will see time in left against southpaws. Joe Williams bat has some pop as well, and will start the year at DH.

As we mentioned already, there isn�t much to say about Amsterdam�s pitching. They continue to be horrendous with only mediocre prospects in their minor league system. Hank Guerrero was on pace to set a UBL record for losses in a season until he buckled down during the last two months of 2006 and showed what he could do. Reliever Roy Clancy was snagged off the waiver wire and was among league leaders in ERA, opponents BA and SLG until he had an appalling final two weeks. He still pulled through and was the only Ant to lead a category in a good way, leading the EHL with a .196 BA against. Glenallen Jelks, Wedo "Macho Man" Savage, and Ron Lombardi will fill out the Amsterdam staff. There�s nothing to speak of in the bullpen, except that this may be Jim Gehringer�s last shot at the closer role. His attempts to nail down that role the past few seasons haven�t produced the results Ants management expected.

So how will this all add up? The reason the Ants are starting all this youth is because quite frankly, they have nothing to lose. Their inspired play at the end of the year showed some promise for the future. Who knows if they can keep that pace up? If they do, they may inch closer to .500. Another 10-game improvement almost put them there. However, we�re also worried that the youth movement may come at the expense of taking the Ants back into 100-loss territory. We hope for the Amsterdam faithful�s sake though, that things continue onward and upward.