Got Fun?..Season ends on a downer...

Well those crafty Elkhorns ran into a sitcheeayshun on Sunday. 1-800 ASK-HUGH was ringing off the hook with the # 1 caller being none other than Casual himself!

"I felt the pressure of being the first GM in Elkhorn history to not win a damn thing" griped Casual. "The fun thing was just a release... who the f'ak has fun when they lose? I mean really??....."

"I studied hard in Summer School....I really did....and of course I tried to put my own spin on things....I remember Summer saying it was important to make it your own team....I tried that..." said a somber Casual Observer. "I'll be reviewing things with Summer in the off season...I am just glad he let me sow my manager oats this year....I'll do better next season"

The Elkhorn GM may not give Casual that shot. "I always said, it is about RESULTS, NOT EXCUSES!" barked the Elkhorn GM. "Ronzo is on notice!"

Casual led the team to a modest 11-10 regular season record and the squad almost squeaked out a win in the Semi Finals on Sunday night. "Not good enuff for this organization" seethed the Elkhorn GM as he was seen pacing back and forth at the beer garden afterward.

Meanwhile the Summer GM was no where to be seen...."I headed out with the family to the Goldeyes Game....they had me throwing the openning pitch....I had to be there" indicated Summer. "Hey, we can't change what has happenned...but we can change the future...Casual and I will have a few discussions...."

Notable comments from the weekend:

After the loss Casual said to the team "is this fun?" showing his disappointment with the end result of the Semi final loss.

"Fuck this!" said by the Elkhorn GM

"I can't believe I homered in a key game" said Tiny for the 5th time that weekend...

"I am heading to Ed's to watch the Bomber game" said The Elkhorn GM

"I can't believe I am Hugh" said Hugh Glove

" We had fun" said everyone who was brown nosing Casual.....

Next year the herd will be improved. Casual has changes in mind, and will move forward to put out the best team possible....and have fun of course!

Good Job Ron....and of course, good Job Herd! Enjoy the off season!

The Dog Days of Summer........

It was bound to happen. Summer showed he is human. Actually worse than human, he was a dog! Over shot a pop fly into left field, then a deep hit to left flew over his head which ended the game.

"Hey, what can I say after that? I told Gobbler something didn't feel right during warm ups...maybe it was the quart of chocolate milk I had just before the game" said a humble Summer.

Summer's biorhythm clearly shows he was fighting against the forces that evening.

"I thought the ladies on the team actually kept us in the game" noted Summer. "Turning double plays, batting well, and there were a few cookers at second that they handled like pros".

In the end, All Balls, No Strikes bested the Herd 8-7.

Discussions at Boston Pizza after the game showed there was also something else a brew with Summer. "I noticed he went straight to the men's room" noted Gobbler. "He told me he needed a bowl movement before the game, the guy sure plays with pain doesn't he?"

After some food and drinks, just when Summer normally starts to kick it up a notch, a surprised Elkhorn GM said "What??!!" when summer announced he was tired and needed to head home. "I was exhausted" laughed Summer.

Other notable event ala Keystone Cops were the "Pop Fly over under non catch" by Casual and the "let it go,,, leave it" call by The GM to Gobbler....While the GM and Gobbler stood there in centre field, the base runner quietly rounded the bases for an easy homer. "I don't get it, there are metal poles in that sand area" griped Gobbler.

I am not sure the Elkhorn GM or Gobbler actually heard the rules when Casual actually had the Umpire come over and explain them to the group. "They gotta put their ears on barked Casual Observer "The Ump made it quite clear that area was in play!

The Herd laces 'em up Next weekend for the playoffs. The team has never been shut out of the hardware in its existence so look for some excitement as they hit the diamond!

This

Blood is thicker than water; Summer fallow ends

Well, let's just say the Herd is struggling a wee bit this year. Many softball pundits are leering towards Casual Observer with pointed fingers and how he has virtually destroyed the team "Summer Built". "Hey we are above .500, that's not bad" remarked Casual.

Casual's casual style is not only reflecting a casual winning percentage, it is also starting to see players question some of the moves. "He put Murray (Casual Observer's brother) on third when clearly the better choice was Summer" mentioned a disappointed Sharon. Murray let a hard hit ball go by him as he "casually" announced "I couldn't see it!"...to which summer noted that he saw it enough to move out of the way. Certainly not the golden glove performance ala His Hughness. Pictured are the hats worn by both Casual and Murray.

Summer filled in adequately at 3rd last game he played (see previous article). Anyway, the Herd put together a much needed victory off of Summers bat as he went 5 for 5 with 7 ribees in a 20-13 victory. "I saw the stats and the Horns were sitting at .500, we have never been that low at this point in a season...I told Casual I would come out and help the squad". And help he did! Summer also took on a big hit towards him and snagged it (much like the one that Murray deeked) . "He was their big bat, shut him down and the game is ours" indicated Summer.

Other notables for their play today were Sharon with a solid game on the mound, Mike may have found himself a spot as a paying player next year, and Preston....umm...no...Preston needed some help today with 2 or three dropped balls and only making it to first base once in the evening. Certainly not Presto the Magnificent as he has been coined.

"We expect more out of Preston" noted Casual. "Today I think his biorhythm was off."

The team was Built to Win, and the losing slide had to be stopped. It came to a screeching halt on Wednesday night. Great job Herd. The Herd is looking forward to seeing Tannis get back into game shape (really bad leg) and Hugh and Tiny returning from their vacation. It would be nice to see Gobbler back in form at the bat as well. The Elkhorn GM was missed by his lack of leadership in the bar apres the game.

It took less than half a game.....

..............for Le Grande Gobbler to pull it out....

Down by 9 runs after 4 innings of play, Casual looked at Summer and said "Get yer cleats on, we're in trouble". Summer hesitated for a bit, but when he saw how serious Casual was, he knew there was a job to be done. Les was down for the count with a back injury from playing with his hose to long. Summer, (pictured left) was clearly not in his usual game shape but always willing to help out a team in need.

"Play where ever you need to" barked Casual. Summer replied, " Put me where you need me most". To third base Summer went and the rest is history.

Without a warm up pitch Summer proceeded to light the ball right into Tiny's glove for an out. " A little higher or lower?" Summer asked. "Nope, just right" cooed Tiny. "I can throw it harder if you like" yelled Summer. Tiny just said "Our normal 3rd baseman throws it my way hard so I am used to it!" ................'nuff said.

Then, a line drive that Summer handed so Casually it made Casual "Elkhorn Green" with envy.

A fielders choice off Summers bat and a few Ribees and the Herd was off and running.

In the end, the Herd came back from a 9 run deficit to squeak out a much needed victory.

"I really wanted to just sit back and enjoy the ball game, but Casual was really insistent..in the end he made the right move." noted Summer in a post game interview.

"Sports just comes easy for that guy" noted Gobbler"..."he does this stuff all the time."

Le Grande Gobbler at 3rd certainly took it all in stride...."I just love to hang with the in crowd...." noted Summer

Thank goodness Casual made the right move this time around...not like the manager in the Cartoon!

Penthouse to Shit House

That's Gobbler for ya. Just as the Herd was poising up for a victory, Gobbler creates an error to set up the comeback for the opposition.

"Hey, it was not that bad of a throw....it could have been caught....I ain't taking all the heat for the loss!" barked a disappointed Gobbler.

Rumours around the Horn are that the lack of play as of late left the entire team knocking rust off the gloves and bats...

"I am disappointed in myself as well" noted Casual. "We've never been knocked out this early in any tournament. I will sit down with Summer and review the past weekend and see if this ship can be righted".

Summer was spotted watching the game from the Bunker atop the Buhler concession and did not utter a word after the loss....he just shook his head.

One thing the Herd does well is not dwell on the past, so off to another week of incredible ball by the hottest team in the 'Peg (and they can play too!)

We'll keep this blog short.....

(PS..we still love you Gobbler...honest we really do!)

Le Premiere Etoile! Ball Gobbler!

The Horns started this years' leage tournament with a 12-6 victory over the French Ticklers at Buhler Park on Saturday. At time of writing, the results from game 2 have not been submited.

Game 1 showed a few things that won't be seen again any time soon.

Ball Gobbler (pictured) was chosen as star of the game. "I knew I had to step my performance up a notch" noted a modest Ball Gobbler, "Casual has been busting my ass to start contributing, and I think I did that today". Gobbler was 3 for 3 at bat and showed some pretty good fielding skills by gobbling up everything that came near him.

Speaking of modesty, Hugh certainly did not like being shown up by Gobbler. So mad in fact that he actually tore the cover off of the old Grey Dot! Ball remnants shown at right. "He still was no where near me in performance" mentionned Gobbler.

The Horns seem to be gelling quite nicely under the new management style "a la Casual". "I still consult with Summer for clearance on all the moves I make, I know I'm still learning and I don't want to make mistakes" mentionned Casual, "hey, the guy has a proven track record with building winning teams, I am just lucky to have him as my mentor."

Look forward to seeing the Herd give it all up on Sunday as they strive for more hardware. "We pretty much have won something every year, lets keep the press on" yelled The Elkhorn GM!

Seems Tiny was caught pressing on something as well.....*wink*,,,,or was she just looking for Hugh's wallet to go buy a beer?

Evaluation day!

New Management brings new things. This year the Elkhorns held their first spring evaluation camp on Saturday April 24th at the Gateway Community Club.

Casual Observer was not observing casually on this day, rather he was watching quite closely the talent presented to him. "overall it was a nice look-see I would say" enamored Casual. " I saw some good things out there, and of course some things that need a little work."

Notably the Elkhorn GM was not present as it was rumored he was spotted face down at the German Club during evaluations. "We've discussed his attendance at these events and I think we have met on common ground" indicated Casual.

As with all great clubs, there are always holdouts. Les was spotted driving by the facility around 5 pm and noted "I just wanted to see if the guys were out there..I can't play during negotiations though". Apparently Les is asking for 1/2 bag of Spitz for every game and Casual is holding firm with the teams budget.

Casual had a clip board and here are the notes:

Hugh....big glove, bad vision, big bat...needs work on throw to first to not hit base runner.

Tiny.....good glove, good vision, great potatoes....keep on team (as long as home cooked meals continue)

Rode....this guy will bring in the fans...he's big and strong...needs work on his drinking though

Ollie.....good speed,,,manages his drink well while catching...try to acquire if possible

Lauren...very unassuming in all her play,,rarely make mistakes,,

Kelly....surprisingly rusty at bat...the rest was vintage Kelly,,,,needs to work on limiting her tardiness.

Summer...clearly a gap to fill....and a very very big gap...(we'll leave it at that)

Stef...quick and full of energy....will attempt to recruit in off season

"I still have some recruiting to do...and have a few additional folks in the works...I can't discuss it right now until the deal is done." murmured Casual.

Pictured is who is rumored to being "wooed" by Casual...none other than Elanor "bunt" McKenzie!

Casual is also looking at every aspect of the game and has come up with a great idea to get an edge on the other teams. See cartoon below.

Season starts this Monday! Here are the first games info!

Monday May 3 at 7:40

Elkhorns (Home) vs Transcona Fighting Snappers

Keenleyside park

Wednesday May 5 at 6:20

Ump Yours (Home) vs Elkhorns

McLeans Reservoir (across from Maple Leaf)

Changes

It appears that a few last minute "changes" (click on the video on the right for a great blog tune) have occurred and as a result the 2010 roster is still not finalized. Casual is pictured after being premature and saying "honest, this has never happened to me before". Rhode and Melissa unfortunately are unable to commit. Rhode is in training whilst the herd feeds on Mondays and Melissa has other things to tend to. Too bad, they woulda been great and Casual has placed them on the spare list so there is a good chance we will see them in action sometime this season. Also, Oliver and Lauren are struggling to find the time. It seems that only Deon Sanders is able to play both Football and Baseball in a single year. Lauren has brought some sanity to the newly married couple's lifes with some solid direction on what it means when you commit to the Herd....you just don't miss games, and to miss even one is grounds for dismissal...oh wait..Summer is not running the squad...no...it is a little more "casual" this year...so all is good..(teehee). She clearly has watched her dad and his commitment to the Horns.

The good news is that Causal has sought after the services of a highly touted player from the Quinfigglin Softball League just outside of Meleb Manitoba. An announcement will be forthcoming over the next few days regarding this new and exciting acquisition (that is of course if Casual can close out the contact)

Concerning to the Summer GM is the fact that Casual appears to have completely missed Module 17: "Finalizing your Roster". Summer was so concerned that he went through video footage from last years Summer School only to find evidence that Casual might have not studied as hard as he let on. See Casual writing his final exam.

Either way, Casual is doing a yeoman's job out there and should be recognized for his efforts. Thanks Casual, you know we are just teasin'...and we only tease the ones we love!

Good Luck Herd,,,"Changes" are still happening!

Hello...Goodbye

2010 brings the winds of change. The man known to many as "Summer" is taking a Management Sabbatical. He is not saying "goodbye" for long, just for a little while. And goodbye only means from the field and Elkhorn front office. Family commitments are taking priority as there is a younger "summer" making waves is Manitoba Fast Pitch. "Hey, she is from my loin...what did you expect?" boasted the Summer GM!

"Summer" knew this was eminent last year and immediately enrolled Casual into "Summer School"! "He did great! He might not have performed as good after hours as Denise DaFleur ( see post May 22, 2009) but in class he definitely was the best I have seen!" indicated Summer.

The Elkhorn GM reminisced about "Summer" at Boston Pizza with Hugh...."To think I drafted that guy in 1985! And to see what he did for the overall organization....it is remarkable!"

Rumors are that there will be an Elmwood Elkhorn Hall of Fame celebration this year (25th yr Anniversary of the club) and "Summer" is alleged to be the first inductee! Who better?...c'mon now! Details to follow.

Summer led the team to multiple tournament victories and both A- Side and B-Side league championships. "When you're Built to Win", what do you expect?" indicated Summer...."I only chose the ripest fruit for this team, and the foundation is solid...very solid!"

"Hopefully this is just Summer Fallow" said a teary eyed Tiny Glove. His Hughness comforted Tiny by saying "Can you ever remember a year without "Summer"? I know it is tough to even imagine a year without "Summer" but "Summer" returns every year my dear."

Good Luck Summer and Good Luck Herd!

The Herd will be kicking off a new season with new management! New management brings new philosophies and new players. Casual has kept the foundations of the team but it is the new acquisitions that have him smiling!

"I am expecting Rhode to pave a highway to hell for other teams" commented Casual. And if Oliver lives up to potential, I think we have a replacement for Presto. "Presto the Magnificent", the outstanding left fielder for the past 3 seasons was upset that Summer would not be here saying "Man,, what's up with dat guy?,, I'll play Men's League this year and wait for him to come back" said a dejected Preston.

Melissa and Lauren should add some much needed youth to an aging franchise. "They compliment our overall level of play and certainly compliment this great looking squad quite nicely" indicated Casual.

The Gobblers are back, Tiny, Hugh, The Elkhorn GM, Les, Rob (ala Mr Mom), Tannis (Gypsy), Kelly, Sharon, Peggy and Casual are all returning.

Pictured above...is that Summer leaving or Casual coming? By the way, if anyone needs to see additional pics of Casual "coming" just comment to this blog.

Good Luck Horns in 2010! It's gonna be a great year for ball!!!

Hello Casual....Goodbye Summer.,,,,,,,