Rounding Third By Line Drive June 14 2015

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome once again to this week’s edition of Rounding Third. This past weekend has seen the return of baseball to the diamonds of Wangaratta with Bears rallying late to defeat a gritty Wodonga A out fit on diamond two. On diamond one Rangers Black defeated an undermanned Porepunkah 24-2. In the late game Rangers Orange burst out of the blocks and made Wodonga B play catch up. In the end Orange ran out winners 15-9. Well done to all who played today. Special mention to all the supporters who came out to watch the action. It is greatly appreciated each week by the players.  Now what else has been happening over the past week? Keep reading and you might just find out.

The Skipper leads by example.
Mick Wyatt. Mick Wyatt. Legend. A man who leads by example. The Punkah boys were decimated by unavailability this round and arrived with only seven including Cods Cam Rogers and Steve Maggs. The Skipper put his hand up to play for them. He copped a bit of a hammering from the Rangers hitters at the hot corner third base. He stuck at it and punished a fastball from Tetsu late in the game for a double. The Rangers boys let both The Skipper and Ian “Dino” Dinsdale their gratitude for playing. Mick great stuff mate. He is The Skipper. Reckon the Pizza award is yours this week.

Did you see that guy in number 14??
Who was that guy in number 14 for Rangers orange? He had the beard the high socks and most importantly the game.  Scott Jenkins announced himself as the real deal. The big number 14 has always had the ability and now the power is emerging.  His first two at bats Jenkins smashed the ball, ran the bases hard and flashed the leather at second.  He could be The Orange game changer. Great game Jenko!

High five boys after some sparkling defense!
High five boys after some sparkling defense!

Azza lays it out behind the dish
Week in week out Aaron Parker just gets it done when behind the dish.  This week Azza starred by blocking wayward pitches and calling a good game.  His best play is how he layed out for a pop fly against the fence and took the grab. However, Azza got no support from his pitcher new social media star Tetsu Kamiyama. He just offered advice. Was a great catch Azza!

New third baseman???
Who was that guy playing third base for Rangers Orange today??? Anyone? Is this the same guy who feeds the information to Dan Griffin on who is in the paper for photos?  Can throw run and also have a good time!

My Ranger Rules is heating up
Azza Parkers burgers were a hit Wednesday night and has gone to joint top of the table with Cam “The Soak” Scott and masterchef Lauren Grenfell. This week Dan “The Griff” Griffin is cooking up a storm. He has declared that this will be the best ever mornay ever and the title is his so just hand it over now. Get down Wednesday night for a hit run around and then the best feed The Griff has to offer.

Position vacant: First Base in the Rangers Black lineup.
Looks like incumbent first baseman Cam Scott has some others applying for his position. You see The Soak is away globe trotting through Europe in July and that means first base is open to all applicants. The Soak has been able to hold down the position for the past few years (well over 20 years he tells me) but since he is away it gives other Rangers the right to stake their claim to the role. One man won’t be going for it. Nathan “Rubberarm” Pool didn’t enjoy his time there down at Geelong. Still got the rubberarm so why bother with that. So candidates do your best picking talking rubbish and generally being annoying. That’s what firstbase’s do.
The Pres Spinner is a “Can do” Individual
Tony “Spinner” Smith is having a great crack at being the figure head of Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. He is doing it all. Head judge of Ranger rules to organising the troops and letting us all know what is going on down at “The Ranch”. The level of information and communication at Rangers is great. This communication across Facebook and other areas is great for baseball in the North East. Next time you see The pres bouncing around stop him and say thanks.
Now for the Club Stuff
  • Double fines for Rangers Orange vs Rangers Black or as I like to call Orange is the new Black
  • Dinner this week by the Fines Guy The Griff $10 let Spin know
  • Hoodies ($45) and Caps ($25) are hot items see Buttsy and Pool for yours from the club
  • Ladies day next Sunday come down for a great game and a good time all welcome
  • Silver Circle 1st of August tickets out soon
  • This weeks drill is by Frenchy
  • Follow us @WangRangers on Twitter and Facebook
  • Look for Wangarttarangers on Team App
  • State winter U/18 championships on 27th-28th June please let club know if you can help out
Special thanks to our sponsors
STY Metals, Plumbforce, Reflex Glass, Pave Crete, Action Smash Repairs, Shanley Signs, Rea & O’Keefe, Winsec, Elect Solar, Insite Real Estate, Whitty Produce, Ref-Ridgetech, Your Everyday Gourmet, Cafe Martini and Wangaratta Motor Group. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Was a big week have a great week and……..
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive June 8 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. It has been a big week in the North East with some of your favorite Rangers donning the Red and Blue of North East and testing themselves against the other country associations. Once again the boys of the North East have competed hard and fair. Going into day three of the carnival, North East were still in with a shot of playing off in the final against Sunraysia. They duly saluted against Mt Gambier, with Nathan Pool putting on a masterclass on the hill. In the final it was not meant to be, Sunraysia going on to defeat a brave North East by the score of 6-1. Well done to Sunraysia who went through the weekend undefeated. To the North East Boys, a great effort to make the final and safe travels home to all. Next week back to local North East Baseball action so if around in Wangaratta Sunday come down have a look.

What else is news? Keep reading and you may just learn something new!
Winter Champs where the cream rises to the top.
     This year fourteen intrepid men ventured down the Hume to Geelong to represent North East. Judging from the results the boys have once again been very competitive. They took it up to the strong Sunraysia outfit losing a close one 4-3 on the Sunday. From what Line Drive hears, it was a very good game and was a good old fashioned pitching duel. The interesting stat out of the game is that Sunraysia pitcher threw a no hitter. Not one North East player got a hit in nine innings. It is a little bit of trivia on how the boys scored the runs, one will find out at some stage this week.
How was the drive down Azza?
     Aaron “The Driver” Parker is now the official chaeffuer of Tetsu Kamiyama. He has been appointed to this role after successfully piloting Tets and good mate Rob “Butts” Seymour down to Geelong. From all reprots there was the right number of stops at appropriate rest areas along the Hume. He takes over from others who have held the role including Jason Jonker, Cam Scott and Nathan Pool. Well done Azza on your new appointment.
Moose lives for Rep
     Our favourite Canadian at Wangaratta Bryan “Moose” Wilson has been up and about all week, chomping at the bit for some representative action. However he hit a bit of a roadblock early on in the week. He made the fateful error of leaving his glove behind at Rangers. He did have to post to find it, much to the delight of fines man Daniel “Shade” Griffin. Next week place your coins in the tin Moose.
Scott pays his dues
     Last week, good friend of Line Drive Cam “The Soak” Scott found out via twitter that his image was in the local Newspaper. On closer inspection it was actually a rather good picture of The Soak. He dutifully placed his five dollars to the tin as per the agreement for photos. Rob Seymour via Moose’s loss of glove decided to weigh in and say how he was not paying nor Azza for being in the background of the photo. In all honesty who noticed Butts in the background anyway?
A new face at Rangers is an old face!
     A big special welcome to Sean Warfe who came down to training on Wednesday night after the urging of his social sport team mate Brad “Undies” Murdoch. Sean has played a fair bit of baseball over the years across Victoria and Canada. He looked right at home down at Targoora Park and when time permits is looking for a game or two. He did say hello to Cam Scott who took a little while to twig who it was. Turns out The Soak and Sean played together years ago in Melbourne and went to the same school. Sometimes it can be a small world. Welcome Sean hope to see you down at Wangaratta this week.
Azza Parker this weeks ‘My Ranger Rules’ contestant.
     The cooking was hot last week and the lasagna was a hit with all the boys after training. Rosemary put together a good solid dish and now has the runs on the board. This Wednesday Aaron “The Driver” Parker has a mystery dish up his sleeve. It will be intriguing on what he will serve up but knowing The Driver he will certainly worth coming down for. Rumor has it that there will be meat involved. That is all the information that has come into the office. Just make sure you keep reading and see how the scores go on Wednesday. Good luck Azza.
Cod vs Cod
     This week The Rangers Black squad will clash with Porepunkah Panthers. This will be the first meeting of the year for some Cods Master players against one another. Porepunkah have called in some big guns for this Sunday’s clash. Cam Rogers and Steve Maggs are making the trip up to don the black and white for the Panthers. It will be a spirited game between two very competitive outfits. It will be great to see you boys helping out the Panthers. Enjoy the day.
Now for the club stuff
  • Hoodies are available get yours from the club $45
  • Caps are available $25 for a flexfit and $20 for adjustable. See Rob Seymour for more details
  • Training Wednesday night from 6pm Azza is cooking
  • Like and follow on Facebook and @WangRangers on twitter
  • http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au
  • Find us on teamapp Wangaratta Rangers
  • All games this week are at Wangaratta
  • Rangers Black take on Porepunkah at 11:15am
  • Rangers Orange play Wodonga B at 2pm
  • Bears play Warriors A at 2pm
  • Images and write ups of the state winter championships can be found at by clicking here
About all this scribe has this week. like and share and spread the word about baseball in the North East and
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive June 1st 2015

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the life and times of the characters of the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. It was a tough weekend for the orange and black. Benalla got the jump on the Orange boys and ended  running away with it 16-8 while the Rangers Black got the early jump on Bears but were overpowered in the end 9-3. Well done to both winning teams. Special mention to our hardy band of supporters who made the trek up the Hume to watch in the cool conditions. Enjoy the week off ladies and gents, unless you are making the trip to Victorian Winter Baseball Championships. Have a nice time there. What else is news? Keep reading!
New playing caps have arrived!!!
Yes it has finally happened.  After many false starts and plenty of ‘when are they arriving?’, Rob “Butts” Seymour delivered on his guarantee that they would be awesome. New playing caps. A black cap with a big Orange W on the front. Many a player has been hanging out for the new caps to go with the new playing shirts. Two types of caps are available. For $20 you get an adjustable cap and for $25 you can own a flexfit cap. See Butts for more details. Well done Butts.
Stickers on caps?????
First thing that should be done after purchasing a new playing cap is to remove the stickers. Master of the tin Dan “Shades” Griffin has declared that all stickers not removed will incur a small monetary donation to the tin. Men better check your caps carefully as it is one dollar per sticker left on your cap. The other questions that needs to be asked. To bend the peak or not to bend the peak? I personally need to have a curved peak and have never seen a flexfit cap with a straight peak. Guess it is personal choice in the end.
More merchandise has arrived. 
New hoodies were on show over the weekend. The skipper Mick Wyatt and Butts Seymour were proudly wearing theirs at Springdale Heights. They do look impressive. If you have ordered one they will be available from this week for $45 each. Come with money and become part of the cool crowd with your Wangaratta Rangers hoodie. Special mention to D’melza Pool for helping to coordinate us all in ordering.
My Ranger Rules update. 
Last week saw the second round of the Ranger cook off with Club Soak Lounge and grill putting up a feed of pumpkin soup scones and sausage rolls. The Ranger army were hungry and there was enough for everyone to get their fill. Ranger legend Kevin Pool loved the scones and was rapt there were plenty there. Next to cook this week is Rosemary and Tony “The Pres” Smith. Home made Lasagne and chips are on the menu. Make sure you get down to training this week for a light run around and a great meal.
Victorian Winter Baseball Championships
It is that time of the season once again where the best of North East put their hand up to test themselves against the other Victorian associations from around the state. It will be a big weekend for the boys with three games on both the Saturday and Sunday against the best from Sunraysia, Bendigo, Latrobe Valley, Mt Gambier and an under 23 team from the Dandenong Baseball Association. Line Drive may not be there in person this year but will hope to keep you all updated on how the team from the North East is traveling over the duration of the carnival. To all who put their hand up to play good luck and have a great time.
The Lep Question that everyone needs to know???
Oh and on another note…the question has to be asked…who is driving Tets?
Welcome back for 2015 Frosty
   Last Wednesday night saw the return of Travis “Frosty” Frost to the Targoora park training track. He just slipped in quietly and had a good first up run around. He looked sharp over at third base and the arm is in good order. He hopes to be back for the second half of the season. Hope you enjoyed the soup and sausage rolls Frosty. Great to see you down at training.
Who’s got the drill this week.
Dylan “Pickle” Cowan took the boys for a very good drill about playing second base and short stop. All in attendance had their best listening skills. Dylan’s information was clear and concise and easy to understand. They boys worked hard on their throws. A great drill. Now who is up this week? Maybe a little bit of vocal training could be in order? Cam “The Soak” Scott what do you think?
Now for the club stuff
  • Wednesday night dinner this week thanks to Rosemary and The Pres for a feed $10 each
  • Make sure you follow us on Twitter @WangRangers and on look us on Teamapp Wangaratta Rangers
  • Check out http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au
  • Hoodies are available for $45 each
  • Caps flexfit $25 and adjustable $20 are now available (worth the money!)
  • Victorian Winter Baseball championships on in Geelong 6,7,8 June
  • Next home game is at Wangaratta 13th June. All welcome
  • Ladies Day to be held Sunday 21st of June at Wangaratta. All welcome
  • For fixture and draw have a look at http://www.northeastern.baseball.com.au under fixture tab
  • Silver circle to be held in early August
Well that’s it for this week. Have a wonderful week. Like and share and most importantly
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 24th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition about the comings and goings ons at the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Once again the weather was splendid over the weekend and the Rangers bats were well and truly warmed up. In the first game the Rangers Orange boys put on a display of precision hitting and good fielding to defeat Porepunkah Panthers 17-7. Justin Mortimer on the hill wound back the clock and had a day out with the bat. In the late game, the Rangers Black squad proved too strong for a rapidly improving Wodonga Warriors A, winning 12-3. Special thanks to Wodonga Warriors for their hospitality and ‘perfect’ temperature pies. Not to mention all the supporters who ventured out to watch both games of baseball. It is greatly appreciated.

So what else has been happening in Ranger land? Keep reading and you will find out.

Jack Bradburn gets his first hits as a Ranger!
     It was great to witness the newest Ranger Jack “The Big Hurt” Bradburn get his first hit in the orange and black. It was also great that his folks were there to witness not only his first hit but his second hit as well! Not to mention a couple of runs batted in to go with it. Both hits were solid shots back up over second base with wood. Jack has the option of swinging aluminum or wood, but he has taken a liking to the wood bats.
From all of the Rangers congratulations on getting your first pair of hits Jack! Keep working hard on Wednesday nights.
Don’t you forget about me Mark Drage.
     Mark “The Rage” Drage has had a big few weeks on the field. Two weeks ago he hit his first home run of the year against Benalla. An inside the park effort which was a long hit to the deep Benalla outfield. This was an oversight by Line drive so Mark let Line Drive’s good mate and travel companion Cam “The Motivator” Scott know. This week Drage’s outfield antics went to a new level of cool. A hard hit, deep ball was floating towards the alley between left field and center field. Most would give up on it and let up the double, but not Drage. He flung him self backwards and took a spectacular catch. Now that’s how you play baseball Dragey. Great stuff. Special thanks to Lauren Grenfell for taking the picture.
Mark Drage taking a spectacular catch vs Wodonga A
Mark Drage taking a spectacular catch vs Wodonga A
What happened to Scott Jenkins?
     The Nambrok place boys had another exciting adventure over the weekend and arrived to the game looking……..pretty tired. There was supposed to be four of them however only three turned up. When asked where Scotty Jenkins was the boys replied that he was puffed and stayed home. No big deal really? However Scotty did say he would come and line umpire and be on the bench. Might owe a gold coin for this one Scotty. What you think man of tin Dan “Shades” Griffin?
Justin Mortimer “Fear the Beard” 
     Justin “Mountain Man” Mortimer begun the season quietly. Over the weekend he returned to the pitching mound and starred for the Rangers Orange outfit. Mortimer chewed up some innings for the Orange boys and hit up a storm. When asked how many hits Mortimer had had, Rob “Butts” Seymour shrugged his shoulders and said he had lost count. All the scribe knows it was plenty. Well played Justin.
Did you see the skipper swiping extra bases?
     Mick “The Skipper” Wyatt swiped second not once but twice for the orange boys. The skipper has been all amongst it all year so far, and it is great to have him involved and around the club. That running on Wednesday nights is helping us all. Though on another note did the media darling Tetsu Kamiyama pay his fine for not tagging up on a flyball with less than two out? Who was arguing about running on Wednesday night?? Lucky for Tets he made it safely home as the ball was dropped. Still pay up Tetsu.
Another weekend another Moosism.
     Bryan “Don’t call me Byron” Wilson was at his best against Wodonga. Not only did he pitch 5 scoreless innings  but before the game he suggested that we do a infield warmup. Cam Scott was shocked and horrified by this idea that he lodged an official complaint with training guru Nathan Pool. Luckily, sense prevailed and no warm up was undertaken. Later on in the day Moose did agree that it was not necessary as The Rangers played flawless defense behind Moose on the mound. Just another Moosism.
The best number nine hitter in the league goes to….. Shannon Whiting.
     Former Ranger and all round nice guy Shannon “Bestie” Whiting is laying claim to being the most potent number nine hitter in the North Eastern Baseball Association. He struck fear into the pitching of Wangaratta. He was pitched around twice and finished the game with an on base percentage of 1000. Late in the game when Nathan “Four hits” Pool came to the mound Bestie did some of his best work, by getting Pool to throw something he could handle and dispatch it to the outfield for a hit. Pretty good set of the numbers for the day Bestie. Promotion up the order?
Play hard on the field and share a laugh off it.
     We all like to play the game hard and win the game when we can, but the off field camaraderie in the North East Baseball Association is alive and well. This was clearly evident with all the Wodonga Warriors and Rangers sharing an ale having a chat and enjoying one another company after the game at Edwards Tavern. So all out there support one another. We all want to keep playing this great game.

Rangers boys at change of innings
Rangers boys at change of innings
Now the club stuff
  • Fees are now due. Please fix up Kev Pool as soon as possible
  • Butts says caps will be here this Wednesday. Hoodies are not far away.
  • Rep is on the long weekend in Geelong let someone know if you are interested in going.
  • This weeks drill will be brought to you by Dylan Cowan. Get along Wednesday to find out what it is.
  • End of season trip date yet to be determined.
  • Ladies Day Sunday 21st June. All are welcome.
That’s enough from me. Have a great week and
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 18th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of the life and times of those involved in the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. This weeks edition will be a little bit different to the past ones. You see Line Drive was away for Sunday’s game so he sent his apprentice Hanging Slider to look at today’s action. Here is how Hanging Slider saw the weekends game

Down the Middle by Hanging Slider
Line Drive was not at the game today and can be forgiven for thinking that the Rangers boys had a good day, when he was told they had only lost against Wodonga A by five runs. Wodonga A is shaping up to be one of the teams to beat, but the reality of it all was that Rangers had played one of their worst games this season. You see, Wodonga A’s had a severely depleted side with eight of their players unavailable and many of their new “B” side forced to top up the team. For Rangers it should have been a relatively simple task to shut them out and take home the win. Frenchie started off well on the mound for Rangers sending Wodonga packing with 3 up 3 down. He continued with some excellent pitching throughout the game until relieved by Jason Jonker who also put in a valiant effort.
Rangers started slowly with the bat scoring a couple of runs early in the game, but they soon slumped and didn’t score any more until the last dig. Their fielding let them down badly after the first innings with many basic errors. Regulation catches and ground ball putouts went begging. Whilst there were the beginnings of some excellent plays with hard ground balls being knocked down, the recovery pickup and throws were woefully of the mark. Wodonga capitalised on the errors scoring in most innings. It was not until the last innings of the game that Rangers finally did something right with another 3 up 3 down fielding dig before heading in to bat. With a sense of determination the boys knuckled down and had some great hits scoring two more runs and forcing some errors from Wodonga. With two down, bases loaded and Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore at bat it looked like we were set to score again. Gilly punched a nice shot out to centre field and unfortunately was caught out, but not before Rob “Beaker’ Barbour at third managed to score on the hit. Unfortunately the other runners on base did not realise it was only one out. They were forced to retreat back to their bases after the catch but for one it was too late. A putout at second base saw the end of the innings and the game with runners left on base. A final score of 10 – 5 left the Rangers lads feeling very unhappy with their performance. Needless to say there will be a focus on basic skills and communication at training in the next few weeks.
My Ranger Rules:
Round 1 kicked off with Rob “Beaker” Barbour doing his famous “Gourmet Chicken Schnitzel Burgers” with Chips on the side. From all accounts, most of the players thought it was a fair effort. The Judges agreed also, but scored fairly cautiously because it was the first round. The judges scored two 7’s and a 6 for a total of 20 out of 40, with the guest judge scores to be revealed at the final round of the competition to determine the winner.

Thanks Hanging Slider for your insight this week. Now back to what else has been going on.

Angus Young…what the?
If you follow Angus young on a variety of social media platforms you would have noticed this week he has taken on some strange selfie challenge of one a day without his shirt on. Must admit one of the more bizarre challenges. Although Angus has been quite creative on where he has taken his photos. Might have to involve fines master Daniel Griffin in determining a course of monetary compensation towards the trip for this one.

Happy Birthday Dill Pickle!
Over the weekend Dylan “Dillpickle” Cowan celebrated his birthday. One thinks it may have been a great weekend away playing one of the many multitude of activities that he undertakes. Rock climbing, watching boxing, playing basketball, being an all round great guy. From all of us at Wangaratta Rangers hope you had a great day!

Training on Wednesday will have a special focus.
Last week saw Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore deliver a drill that was creative and hard work to his fellow Ranger players, now it’s Scott “The Beard” Jenkins turn. He has given little away about the drill but my sources tell me that is simple and relevant to all who play in the Orange and Black! Come Wednesday for training at 6pm and more will be revealed then.

Need your Haircut Brian knows!
Not only do we talk about baseball on-line but talk about where do we find the best haircuts in Wangaratta. Bryan “Don’t call me Byron” Wilson was looking for a good haircut over the weekend. One thinks is it for him or for someone else? This scribe may believe it is for someone else. Still hope your question was answered satisfactorily Moose.

New caps!!!
Special mention goes to Rob “Butts” Seymour who has come through with the goods and new caps have looked to have been ordered. It is one of the missing pieces of the Rangers uniform puzzle that is going to be solved. With hoodies on order and new caps look out ladies of gentlemen of North Eastern Victoria, Wangaratta look sharp!

Cods update
Well not really an update just more of a hello out there to all the Cods members plying their baseball throughout Victoria. Cam “The Dodger” Rogers been busy giving us here at Wangaratta Rangers ideas for Wednesday night training activities. Last weeks was a doozy! Wonder if Tets has been on this show???

The Club stuff
Next weeks games will see both teams travel to Wodonga to play.
Rangers Orange Vs Porepunkah Panthers in the early game to start at 11.30.
Wodonga A’s Vs Rangers Black in the late game starting at 2.15pm
Committee Meeting this Wednesday night after training.
Tea this week is Pizza some come along for a piece or two.
Hoodies and caps are on order.
Scotty Jenkins has the training drill this Wedensday
End of Season trip date is yet to be determined
Follow us on twitter @WangRangers and find us on Facebook
https://wangarattarangers.teamapp.com/
http://www.wangarattarangers.baseball.com.au

Anyhow enough from me this week. Thanks to Hanging Slider for his writing while Line Drive was absent.
Most importantly
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 11th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. The weather was not so nice over the weekend with only one game of baseball taking place in the North Eastern Baseball Association. Games up at Porepunkah were washed out early Sunday morning. The other game between Wangaratta Rangers Black and and Benalla went ahead under a vairety of conditions with Rangers Black winning by the score of 21 to 2. Well done to Benalla for the maintenance on the ground. Good stuff.  The Rangers Orange lads had the week off. Special mention to all the mums out there. Hope you had a wonderful Mothers day. What else has been happing down at the ranch. Keep reading and you just be interested.

Ranger Commitment
     They are a tough bunch down at Ranger land. Not the players but the supporters. Thje weather on Sunday was not to kind with the game played under a variety of challenging conditions. While in the middle of a rain delay three of the our best supporters toughed it out with the umbrella in front of them. Water off a ducks back really! Thanks each weekend for your continual support no matter what the weather is!
Welcome to the game Mick Wyatt.
      Seems to happen each week. Soon as Mick “The Captain” Wyatt enters the game, the ball is somehow magically attracted to him. It is like the ball follows him. No matter where he is he either dives for one gets plonked by the pitcher or has a tough pop up fly ball at first! Look on the bright side Mick you have to get your uniform cleaned each week!
Who has the gear?
    Half way to Benalla Sunday, there was a realization that no one had picked up the gear! However this did not seem to effect the warm up too much. The Rangers Black boys put on five runs in the first inning! Looks like now shorter warm ups are the go!
How many hits Tetsu?
     Media darling Tetsu Kamiyama has started the season in sizzling form. He is swinging one hot bat. In three games so far he has amassed (at a guess) over 12 hits already with five coming over the past weekend. Nathan Pool was left scratching his head at one of the hits as he thought it was a routine out and was given as a safe hit. How much money you dishing out to the scorer Tetsu?
First round of My Ranger Rules Rob “Beaker” Barbour
     Beaker has decided to put his hand up first for Wednesday night dinner. He is going with Chicken Schnitzel and gravy rolls. Wonder what type of rolls he will be dishing up? Where the chicken is coming from? Is it pan gravy or gravox? Is the schnitzel pan fried or deep fried? Will he crumb his own chicken? Will the reviewers like or loathe the dish? Wow so many questions to ask of this meal! Get down Wednesday night for a hit and a feed!
Wednesday night training drills.     
     Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore is in charge of the drill this week. Now what this means that he has to take us for a different training drill for the night. Last week he tried to offload his drill onto to someone for a drink, but we have decided to hold it over for this week. Keep your dollars for Beaker’s dinner!
Tin is getting heavy.
     It is only three weeks into the season and Griff’s tin is getting heavy. The boys from Wangaratta have all paid up in full and at this pace we could be going further than Bendigo! Special mention again to The Wangratta Chronicle for taking five photos of Tetsu and going to be keeping them on file for later use.
Injured Rangers
     Special mention to injured Ranger favorites Travis “The Iceman” Frost who is recovering from hip surgery. Hope to see you in the second half of the year. Angus “Gusbus” Young is still running around having a kick and will pop in for a few games here and there. Finally Scotty Justwood could be good for a few large at bats at the crucial time of the year. Good luck boys, hope to see you soon.
Now for the Club stuff
  • Wednesday night training 6pm Beaker’s Kitchen in operation $10
  • Subs are now due See Kev Pool for more information
  • Interested in going to Geelong for North East let Brendon French know
  • Kyle Gilmore is on the weekly drill this Wednesday
  • Rangers Orange play Wodonga at Benalla 11:15am start Sunday
  • Caps Buttsy hopes the proofs will be here this Wednesday night (fingers crossed)
  • Hoodies have been ordered $45 each hope to arrive in a month or so
  • Check out https://wangarattarangers.teamapp.com/
  • Follow on twitter @WangRangers
  • http://www.wangarattaragers.baseball.com.au
Enough from me. Hope you enjoyed the read. Till next week
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive May 3 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. What a weekend of weather we have had in the North East of Victoria. Spectacular conditions greeted all players of The North Eastern Baseball Association at Wangaratta. In the first game of the day Wangaratta Rangers Black defeated Wodonga Warriors 2 by a score of 20-0. This game was played in great spirit and the scoreline does not reflect how well Wodonga played. In the second game of the afternoon, Bears defeated Wangaratta Rangers Orange by score  14-9. Another great game played by the boys. Well done to all involved down at Targoora Park today. Great day had by all. What else is news? There is a heap to talk about so let’s get to it.

The Warriors are on the march
     Great to see Wodonga Warriors putting two teams for this season. After much deliberation they took the plunge to go back to two teams. From our perspective that is a fantastic effort and the players will come. Not to mention two former rangers pulling on the Warriors colours over the weekend. Shane “Bestie” Whiting and Matt “Bulldog” Carmody made their comebacks to the diamond. Bestie was true to form. Strike out and a few walks for his day and a stint at short stop. Bulldog had a few hits and was more jealous of Tetsu having a quite one while watching some of the action. Well done boys and well done to Wodonga. Ice that arm well tonight Ash Meyers!
In more Tetsu news.
     Who is was basking in the glory of the afternoon sun over the weekend? Who enjoyed his time cruising around watching the action?  Why did he enjoy it so much? Because Tetsu Kamiyama got a lift to the game! Yes after many years of driving each week, Tets got a lift with returned Ranger Aaron “Azza” Parker who is living near Tets. On the game front. Tets hit the ball pretty hard, possibly short-armed one ball and generally played well. Did you pay for your fine Tets?
Dan Griffin is a “can do” kinda guy
     New man of the tin Dan “can do” Griffin has made an executive decision. Since he will not be available at all games, he will fine himself double for the games he does play. Now that is thinking. On the diamond, Griff had all the trick of the trades out at right field. At one point he fooled all on the bench by looking to throw from right field to first, but did the no look to Tony “Spinner” Smith at second. Perfect throw on the chest without even looking. Must be something about right field. Could it be the new hangout for Kyle “Thirllmore” Gilmore who also looked right at home out there? Or will he come back to the hot corner?
Were you there the day that Dino threw out a runner at third?
     The scribe remembers the day well. It was sunny day about 2:35pm and Ranger legend Ian “Dino” Dinsdale threw a bullet from first to third to get the out. Let’s set this up right. Hard ball hit to Mr Canada Bryan “Moose” Wilson who checks the runner between second and third. Moose throws a laser to Dino at first. Runner takes off and Dino throws a perfect strike back across the diamond to Brendon “Frenchy” French at third to get the runner in a tag by half a meter. The crowd was in awe as the Dino trotted off the diamond to high fives and cheers. That’s how I will remember the day.
Frenchy still got some gas left in the tank.
     Frenchy had his usual stint on the mound over the weekend and for one of his final strike outs reached back and threw with plenty of pop. The boys thought it was rather impressive by French as it thunderd into Kelsey “DJ” Burder’s glove. How does the arm feel now? Ice up rest up and be ready to go for Wednesday night.
Drage and his dogs.
     Rovers United cult hero and Rangers MVP Mark Drage showed off his pride and joys. Two of the biggest dogs you will ever see. Some remarked they looked like small horses and could have charged any of the kids at the game for a ride. They were big. Enough said!
How does a triple stack work like that again?
     I may get this wrong but the boys from Club Burder were out and about. They went on their annual pilgrimage to Groovin the moo in old Bendigo. From all accounts the boys were in fine form. At one point deciding to take on a triple stack with Brad “Undies” Murdoch at the top of the stack, Kelsey “Burderonthedancefloor” Burder second and Dan “Can do” Griffin at the bottom. When security asked what was going on Burder calmly said “oh really? I did not notice that” True to form Burder.
Now for the club stuff
Hoodies are ordered. Thanks to D’melza Pool for all you work
Team app is up and running search Wangaratta Rangers on Team App and join up
Caps are in the pipeline. See Rob Buttsy” Seymour for details
Fees are due. Catch up with the great man Kevin Pool for more information
Training Wednesday night from 6pm Feed will be on afterwards
Committee Meeting Wednesday 20th may after training.
Like and follow Wangaratta Rangers on Facebook and @WangRangers on Twitter
For more results like and follow North Eastern Baseball Association on Facebook
     There are many more stories to be told but will save them for the coming weeks. Or I have just forgotten the whole details of them all. Have a great week and not to mention like and share.
Oh and one more thing
Go Rangers!

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 27th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive
Hello and welcome to your weekly insight into the people who make up the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Not much to report on the game front with the association having a week off. Next week the Rangers crew will be back out there with all association games being played at Wangaratta. If you are in town next Sunday wander down and come have a look at some good country baseball.  So what else is news this week?  Keep reading and you might just be entertained.
Tony Smith: A man of no nonsense!
     Last week Bryan Wilson said he was unable to make training via Facebook. Now this is nothing unusual in this. However Cam Scott though he would do the same. Once he posted his absence from training The Pres decided to be blunt. Think the words were…”Don’t want excuses just turn up”. Scott was a little perplexed (and maybe bit full on the awesome cooking at Bogong) so penned the response in a much politer way the second time around. This received a better response. Wonder what will Cam say this week with his absence from training?
Lefty numbers have doubled at Wangaratta
     Once the domain of the single lefty who is a butt of many of Brendon French’s jokes, there is now two left handed hitters in orange and black. Young Jack Bradburn has joined the Rangers ranks this year and looks to have a pretty good swing on him. He was not far away form making contact in his first game for the club. On another note could make cage batting a little bit easier as then the two lefties now get paired together each week to bat. Question is who is the other lefty at the club?

Anyone seen Goggles?
Anyone seen Sam “Goggles” Grigg? Man of beard Scott Jenkins has sighted him. He could be interested in coming on the trip too. Speaking of Jenkins his self imposed exile from the playing list of his beloved Greta Football club is over. He just felt like going for a run on a Thursday night and ended up playing on the Saturday. Looks like he will be a permanent till the end of the year.

Merchandise keeps rolling on in.
To go with the new playing tops and playing caps, hoodies will be available in a variety of sizes. The sizing chart was a little bit difficult to work out for one Bryan “Moose” Wilson. Of course there were plenty to let him know about how sizing charts work. Especially one Mick Wyatt who took great pleasure in informing Moose how it all worked. To Moose’s credit he did take it on the chin and had a good laugh about it. If you want to know what they look like check out Wangaratta Rangers on Facebook. There is an image on the page.

Team app…
Now there is another way to keep up-to-date with all that is happening down at Ranger land. The Rangers have their own team app. It can keep you updated with sponsors, teams, fixtures, availability, and when Line Drive has written something too. Down load team app from the app store on your smart phone device and look for Wangaratta Rangers. More content is always being added. Spread the word.

Could this be the end of Gilmore at third base?
After having a torrid start to the season, will Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore continue to stand at the hot corner? Here is hoping he still does. Work hard at training and be positive Kyle. This scribe thinks he can do it!

Beaker and Wyatt just loving the game
On a couple of occasions this year it has been observed that Rob “Beaker” Barbour and Mick Wyatt are just having a great time at baseball. Both look like they have gained a step in the off season with both chasing one another around the ground in warm up. This stuff is great to see on the field and just shows how this great game just gets better as time goes on. Love the positive vibe in the playing group this year boys.

Undies Murdoch in for a big year
Ranger cult hero Brad “Undies” Murdoch is looking to have a big year. In his first official hit out, Undies looked sharp at second base. He has been on the cusp of moving into the infield over the past season. Good hands and sharp reflexes. Undies could be another one to watch this season.

Now for the Club Stuff

  • Training Wednesday nights from 6pm. Tea on afterwards. Stick around for a chat
    If unavailable let Nathan Pool or Mick Wyatt know. Or just write a nice letter on Facebook!!!
  • Hoodies are on their way. Thanks to D’melza Pool for coordination.
  • Caps are on their way too. See Rob Seymour for more information
  • Trip away to Bendigo. Dan Griffin will be coming after you!
  • Like us on Facebook and follow @wangrangers on twitter
  • For results of the association look up North Eastern Baseball Association on Facebook
  • Rangers Orange vs Bears @ Wangaratta at 2:15pm Sunday
  • Rangers Black vs Wodonga 1 @ Wangaratta 11:15am Sunday

That’s enough from me. Have a great week and thanks for reading.

Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 19th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks insight to the characters and going ons at Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. Once again it has been a very busy week with the 2015 North Eastern Baseball Association season kicking off with Wangaratta Black playing Wangaratta Orange down at Targoora park. It was a closely fought game up until the 8th innings with Orange managing to shake off Black taking the game 11-6 in nine competitive innings. It was great to see a good turn out by both teams and supporters too. Special thanks to Kevin Pool for umpiring the game. Without umpires it is very difficult to have a game so it is greatly appreciated.  Next game is in a couple of weeks with all games being played at Wangaratta. Rangers Orange take on the premiers Bears and Rangers Black taking on Wodonga 2. Come along, have a look and spread the word that North Eastern Baseball is back for 2015. Now what else has happened over the past week. Keep reading and you may just be entertained.

Bailey Bell Back with BAM!
     One of our younger Rangers has returned to the club looking ready to light up the competition this year. Bailey Bell came on half way through the game over the weekend and stamped his authority on the contest with two convincing catches at center field and driving in a run with his second at bat. One part of equipment must have helped Bell scorch the Earth was his burnt orange cleats. He had to sit in the dugout with shades on most of the day as they were so bright! Great work Bailey. Keep your eyes on number two this year.
Griffin takes charge.
     Daniel Griffin has been appointed to the position of revenue raising for 2015. He received his revenue kit over the weekend and got promptly to work. At one point he had a full page of fines for errors, strike outs and other miscellaneous activities. Already Girff has to buy a new tin. This was not from the weight of money he was chasing down either. The tin was crunched and crushed today by a few. A new tin has been ordered by Griff so look out for his book and his firm hand in paying your dues.
Peruzzo stars at Third base.
     Playing his first game for Wangaratta in a couple of season Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo had a stellar game with both bat and glove over the weekend. At third base Peruzzo was smooth knocking down everything and throwing out runners with ease. He had the ball that often that it blew a hole through the webbing of his glove. Well played Steve well played!
Frenchy. Easy as 1,2,3 and 4
     In a game of many highlights and good times, Brendon French achieved three outs in three pitches. After the first out shortstop Cam “The Soak” Scott mentioned that only two more pitches before a perfect inning. Next pitch  was a fly out to “The Pres” Tony Smith at second base. Spin then remarked to Scott at short that your turn next. True to his word the third pitch was hit at Scott and he promptly threw out the runner at first. Three outs in three pitches! Frenchy was not finished. In the next innings the first pitch was promptly caught by center field sensation Bailey Bell. Next up was Mark Drage who took great delight in watching Frenchy’s fifth pitch in an inning and half sail over the plate. Nice work Frenchy.
Wyatt and Pool take charge on Wednesday nights
     Well done to both Mick Wyatt and Nathan Pool for putting their hand up to run Wednesday night training each week. Drills will be placed on the white board each week and it is about keeping training up tempo and enjoyable. They will also be looking after Rangers Black on Sunday’s as well. Let’s get behind them and make it to training as much as we can and get the most out of baseball each week.
Moose..Enough said.
     Bryan “Byron” Wilson has been doing his bit to spread the word of Line Drive. And it has been working. With each share, more and more people are being exposed to the Rangers Baseball and baseball in the North East of Victoria. So thanks Moose for the sharing and keep hitting the ball hard.
Thank you to our sponsors
STY Metals, Plumbforce, Reflex Glass, Pave Crete, Action Smash Repairs, Shanley Signs, Rea & O’Keefe, Winsec, Elect Solar, Insite Real Estate, Whitty Produce, Ref-Ridgetech, Your Everyday Gourmet, Cafe Martini and Wangaratta Motor Group. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Now for the club stuff
  • Training Wednesday nights from 6pm Dinner this week is Pies Peas and Mash
  • New hats are on order $15 for a snap back and $25 for a flexifit. See Buttsy for details
  • Hoodies are on the way too
  • Rep is June long weekend more information to follow in the next few weeks
  • End of season trip to Bendigo. Fines master is Daniel Griffin
  • Subs are due $120 for the season. See Kev Pool for more information
  • Like and follow Wangaratta Rangers on Face book
  • @wangrangers on twitter
Till next time have a great week and…..
Go Rangers

Rounding Third By Line Drive April 12th 2015

Posted on by LineDrive

Hello and welcome to this weeks insight into the personalities of the Wangaratta Rangers Baseball Club. The season is a week closer and good numbers were seen at training during the past week. This has pleased many of the Ranger faithful and let’s hope this week is the same. So get out your glove and come down to Targoora Park this week for a final run before the start of the season. What else has been happening? Keep reading and you may just find out.

Moose is raring to go.
     Canadian import and all round sport star Bryan “Moose” Wilson roared into training on Wednesday night. From the get go Moose was throwing hit and diving doing it all. Kyle Gilmore tried to emulate Moose with a dive but seemed to just get stuck in the ground instead of gliding across it. Did Gilly get near the ball? Sort of…..
Position Vacant: Revenue Officer 
    Wangaratta Rangers is looking for a suitably qualified professional to look after the trip support fund. Your job will entail looking for revenue raising opportunities at each and every home and away game. You will be supplied with a suitably sized money tin to collect the revenue. You need to show a positive attitude to the collection of money and most importantly need to be fair on all involved. Please direct your interest towards Rob Seymour or Cam Scott for more details.
Wednesday night meals are back!
     For the last couple of years food has been offered after training. This year is no different. Under the direction of master chef Kev Pool this week we have pie peas and mash on the menu. All for ten bucks and your first drink is included! Stick around after training talk some trash and have a great meal.
Welcome back Azza
     It was great to see the return of another Ranger. Aaron “Azza” Parker is dusting off the cleats and the glove for his return to Ranger colours. In his time away from the game he has lost none of his talent and is another welcome addition to the Ranger roster. On another note Cam Scott will get the right phone number this week and hopefully bring big Mick Brownlie over for a throw and a chat too.
Facebook site for North Eastern Baseball
     It is great to see a space has been set up for the North Eastern Baseball Association on-line on Facebook. It is hope that results are posted to the site after each game and other information can be sent out to all in the North Eastern Baseball community. It is envisaged that this can help all clubs grow their memberships and get more people involved and talking about baseball. So look up on Face Book North Eastern Baseball and like and share the page. Maybe Line Drive can pop up on there too!
Pooly’s been at it again.
    New merchandise looks like it could be on the way this season. Not only new hats are in the pipeline thanks to Rob Seymour but Nathan Pool informed us that hoodies could be a goer for the season. This scribe has seen the proof and it looks pretty good. Black with the new Rangers logo or possibly cursive Rangers like what we have on our sweet playing tops. If you need a new playing top let the club know and this can be organized for you too. If you need hoop socks Cam “highsocksunday” Scott has some pairs left over from last year. They are $10 a pair.
Now for the club stuff
Training Wednesday night from 6pm Meal afterwards for $10
Subs are now due. Please pay your insurance before the first game. See committee for more information.
First game this weekend. More information will be posted during the week
Committee meeting Wednesday night after training. All welcome
End of season trip to Bendigo. More details to follow.
That’s it for another week. Hope you all have a great week and
Go Rangers