Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of rounding third coming to you from suburban Stockholm. It seems the weather has been a bit grey, cold and dreary back home in the north east. The Ranger boys still came out to play but alas with mixed results. The Orange boys fought hard but went down in the end to the Bears 12-2, while the Rangers Black squad proved too strong for Wodonga 2 by a score of 24-2. Well done boys and to those injured rangers out there, hope all is coming good. What else is news from a distance of 13000 kilometres away? Keep reading and you may just find out. (disclaimer I am using a laptop designed for Swedish so my editing may not be so good today)
Cowan’s monumentous milestone
Popular guy and all round multi-sport athlete Dylan Cowan has finally done it. He had been lamenting he had never done this. He was thinking he would never do it. But he did it. He put a long ball over centerfields head for a home run. Now was not your ordinary run of the mill home run. It was a GRAND SLAM!!! From what Line Drive has read it was still going up as it went over the fence. This was backed up by photography from rubber arm Brendon French who captured the moment Cowan sent the ball into orbit. Well done Dylan. Great to read from afar.
See Line Drive does remember.
Even on holiday Line Drive does remember home runs. See over here he has got an extra eight hours to remember it Mark Drage! Plus thanks to modern technology, it helps seeing an image of the moment the ball went over too.
Stockholm Baseboll
Intrepid travellers Lauren Grenfell and Cam Scott have been soaking up the sun in summertime Stockholm. However they still found some time to go watch some baseball or as it is known in Swedish Baseboll. It turned out that there was a field nearby from where they are staying in Stockholm. So on a sunny Saturday they decided to go check it out. After a short bus ride and a walk across green lush fields with AFL goal posts Loz and Cam came across a well presented and large baseball diamond and field. Music played between at bats and there was an announcer who called what the action and who was due up next. The game was between Stockholm and Leksland. From what my friend tells me Leksland is 300 kilometres away! No wonder they were playing a double header. Loz and Cam settled into the wooden grandstand and arrived at the end of the scond inning with the score at nil all.
High sock Saturday
The sun was shining and both pitchers were throwing hard heaters. The umpire had the job of keeping charge across all decisions as there was no line umpire. The leksland lefty throws ina similar mould to out resident spaniard Angus Young. Slide steps and a wicked pick off move to first. He managed to pick off multiple runners with his deft move. Leksland broke the game open and took a commanding 4-0 lead after the fourth. They then tacked on another run in the fifth. Stockholm hitters needed to respond. Their bats quelled by the Leksland lefty came to life and they begun to get balls to bad hop and run their way. Slowly but surely Stockholm clawed their way back into the contest. Finally in the 8th inning Stockholm had got back on level terms with the scores at five all.
Leksland Lefty
It came down to the final innings and Stockhol put a couple aboard with one out. Leksland decided to walk the batter to load the bases and have a chance of a double play. It mattered very little as the Stockholm hitter walked up and slapped a single to right centre for the Stockholm Monarchs to win in a walk off. A high quality game of baseball was enjoyed by the crowd who fluttered between the baseball and the roaring noise of the softball over the back. Thanks to Lauren Grenfell for the images.
Stockholm bats come alive
Scandanivan Beard Watch
One thing i must say is that there are a plethora of manicured beards in Stockholm. plenty of hipster beards as well. Even the boys on the fields were rocking out some pretty fearsomoe facial hair. In all fairness the men of Ranger beards stack up pretty well against their Scandanavian counterparts. Keep grooming, cultivating and sculpting your beards gentlemen.
This Week The pres is cooking up a storm
From what i read “The Pres” is looking at putting a second entry into the My Rangers Rules contest. Get down Wednesday night for a run-a-round a feed and more importantly a catch up with one another. As they say it’s time to get around it, as there are only four games left in the season for each team. Get down to ranger land and sample some of the finest cuisine in north east baseball.
Now for the club stuff
Silver circle tickets still available see a member for one $20. Keep selling your books gentlemen
Training Wednesday nights 6pm. Come have a look.
End of season trip date yet to be determined.
Hats and caps and apparel still available come grab some and look the part.
Save the date 1st fo August for Silver Circle. The one big event of the year!
Takes a while with most of the words in red on this laptop. It has more keys! So that’s about it. Have a good week and
Hello and welcome to an airway edition of Rounding Third. The Victorian winter U/18s were in over the weekend with Dandenong Baseball Association taking the crown. Hope all teams and support crews had a great weekend in Wangaratta. Big thank you to Wangaratta Rangers for housing and all other NEBA clubs for pitching in and helping out. Next week NEBA action is back so check out the draw at the North Eastern Baseball Association website and on facebook. What else is news?
Silver circle tickets are on sale.
The social event on the Rangers calendar as mentioned last week is penciled in for 1st of August. Tickets are now on sale. $20 to be part of it. See a club member for a ticket. The Nambrok boys are looking to sell their lot to a few too.
Let there be light.
They are an industrious lot down at the Ranch. Last week club trainer and leading sports scientist Nathan Pool was trying to position the new lights. These lights are hoped to solve the issue with poor visibility in out field especially during live hitting practice. Few places were trialled. The results and decision on the new position will be made in the next few weeks.
Really Cam Scott Really.
Moron of the week award needs to go to Cam “The Soak” Scott who on Wednesday decided to try and bunt a wayward and very quick pitching machine ball. Luckily it hit just above his hands. All Soak could think about is if he broke it would he be allowed on the plane to Stockholm on Sunday? Handy for him it’s just badly jarred.
The cult of Wangaratta Rangers Merchandise
If you are a regular reader there has been a few plugs about the new hip and cool merchandise the club has. It is fantastic to see both young and old wearing the orange and black on Wednesdays nights and at games on the weekend. If you want a hoodie or a cap see the club and they can fulfill your requests.
Black socks or hoops? A quandry
Now Line Drive loves hoops. But since the introduction of the new burnt orange playing tops the traditional orange and black hoops looks a little….. “off colour”. A couple of weekends ago “Mr Canada” Bryan “Moose” Wilson wore black socks with a black undershirt. It looked pretty smick. One to discuss while Line Drive is on holidays.
My Ranger Rules
Who is the next to step up and put their best dish out of forward. Is anybody neeee willing to challenge The Griff for the title. It will have to be good but if it’s not as good then it does not matter either. It is a good way to get involved and have some fun. That’s what we are all about at Wangaratta Baseball Club.
Baseball in Sweden
On the topic of Sweden Cam Scott did some research and discovered that our Scandinavian brothers do play baseball. So he hopes that his guide will get for him to have a look at the game here in Sweden.
Now for the club stuff
This weeks games.
Rangers Orange play Bears at Springdale heights
Rangers play Warriors at Gayview park
Silver circle tickets available for August 1st $20
Moose has some playing gear for sale. See him on Wednesday nights.
Snags and burgers for team this week. Let Spinner know for catering purposes
Follow us on Twitter @wangrangers and team app.
That’s enough from afar. Writing after being on a plane for 21 hours with little sleep does funny things to the brain. Off out to explore a bar stool. Oh and
Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rounding Third. It has been a big week down at The Ranch. It all started Wednesday with The Griff holding court in My Ranger Rules to Sunday’s Ladies day where there was just as much enjoyment off the field as there was on the field. On the field The two Ranger teams went head to head in Orange is the New Black clash. Once again the Rangers Black squad were victorious in a good fun game of baseball. The end score was 9-6. The Rangers Black squad have taken a commanding lead head to head now with that being their fourth win in a row. It was noticed by the rather large crowd on Sunday that both teams looked very relaxed. It was a bit slippery out there but both teams enjoyed one another company and the competitive hit out. Next week there is a general bye with the State Winter U/18 championships being played in Wangaratta.
So what else is news? Keep reading and you may just find out!
Club Nambrok: The Place to be
It has been a while since the Nambrok boys, Kelsey “Burderonthedancefloor” Burder, Kyle “Thrillmore” Gilmore and Brad “Undies” Murdoch have been a subject in this little publication. But one thing about these boys is that..they know how to throw a party! The annual Club Nambrok half Christmas is done and dusted for another year. Looking at the shenanigans the boys put on, it is clear it was the social event of the year! If you do get a chance, look for Burderonthedancefloor cutting it up doing an impressive Peter Garret impersonation and Thrillmore and Undies grooving to ‘Backstreet’s Back.’ The moves are impressive. The house this morning? Associate of the Nambrok boys, Dan “The Griff” Griffin, indicated that the house was a little worse for wear.However there were no slides or pogo sticks as seen in the past. Jump on social media and I am sure you could locate some good tips for dance moves from these gents.
First Inaugural Ladies / Family Day
This past week saw head Ranger The Pres Tony “Spinner” Smith working flat-out to put on a good show for the ladies and families at Ranger Ranch. His work along with partner Rosemary certainly paid off. Wonderful conditions greeted all down atTargoora Park and the cheese, dips and beverages were readily available to all the ladies in attendance. They were also treated to a good game of baseball and a meal afterwards. Those who came along said they had a great time. There were plenty of ladies wearing their new Ranger hoodies as well which was impressive and smart due to the chilly conditions. So if you see the Pres and Rosemary give them a pat on the back and say thanks. Also special mention to Rob “Buts” Seymour and Mick “The Skipper” Wyatt for umpiring the game.
Good crowd for the Rangers Orange vs Rangers Black derby
The Wangaratta Rangers Silver Circle is back for another year.
That’s right get around it and get along to the one and only Wangaratta Rangers Silver Circle event on August the 1st. MC’s Cam “The Soak” Scott Scotty Jenkins are already planning and scheming how they can top the sports jackets they wore last year. It has been decided the dynamic duo with the golden tonsils are suiting up and taking it to the next level. This is one event not to be missed. In the past everyone who has attended has had a good time. Tickets will be available from this week onwards. $20 per ticket includes a chance at winning the jackpot (amount to be confirmed) as well as food and beverages for the duration of the draw. If you want in, let someone from the Ranger ranch know and we can fulfill your request. All are welcome.
Welcome new guys
Great to see new faces down at the Ranger Ranch of late. This week saw the debut of Kyle Gilmore’s brother Cheyne in the orange and black. Sean Warfe also pulled on the orange and black for the first time as well. Both players looked very much at home at the ranch with the rest of the Ranger brethren. Sean scored a few hits and Cheyne a hit or two. Always great to have more players joining us in this great game of baseball.
Yeah Yeah quick on the wit
We all love Dylan Cowan down at Rangerland. He is pretty laid back, cruisy and almost laconic. He generally says a little bit but not too much. He picks his comments carefully. Over the weekend ‘Yeah Yeah’ was on fire with his mouth. Many in the dugout were in stitches with his one liners during warm up and during the game. He was just a ball of energy. It also gave Cam “The Soak” Scott someone to bounce off in the dugout. He does enjoy his baseball when there is a good level of banter. Wonder what one liners Yeah Yeah will work on for the next game?
Azza Parker calls his shot
Talking to Azza Parker before his bat, he said that if Frenchy (Brendon French) threw another one of those curves he will put it over the fence. True to his word, the third pitch he faced went sailing down and over the left field fence. Nice way to call your shot Azza. On another note should see the work Parker is doing behind the plate. His catching is impressive. Great work Azza.
Jack Bradburn ball player
Emerging talent Jack Bradburn loves his baseball. From week one when he arrived at the club he has looked for more and more ways to improve. So far this year he has had a few hits and is not far away from putting his swing together. He also has the added advantage of being left-handed. He now has the baseball gear to boot, decked out new gloves, shoes, the lot. He looks to play. Reminds this writer of when he was young getting all the new gear and just wanting to play. Keep working hard Jack, it’s great to have you part of the Ranger family.
There was something in the air that night the stars are bright, Fernando.
Steve “Fernando” Peruzzo continues to rack up the hits. He is quickly becoming the Rangers “clutch” hitter. It seems whenever the Rangers Black are in a spot of bother Fernando bludgeons the ball into a gap and helps get the lower order ticking over. His outfield form has been solid with a bit of foxing to get Jason Jonker at second base. With each week his power is growing and is looking to take his game to the next level over the remainder of the season. Nice work Fernando.
My Ranger Rules The Griff takes control
Dan “The Griff” Griffin dominated proceedings on Wednesday in the fourth installment of My Ranger Rules. He has set the competition alight scoring 28 points to sit a top of the leader board. Who is cooking this week? Who else is going to throw their hat into the ring and take the trophy? Going have to be good to knock off The Griff.
Cam Scott off to travel the world
Line Drive’s good friend Cam Scott and his lovely partner Lauren Grenfell are about to embark on a trip around Europe. This has been coined as The Soaks do Europe. Both are getting very excited about traveling through Sweden, Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and back to Sweden. With that in mind Line Drive may take a break for a few weeks. He will still be watching with interest from afar while sitting in the sun and having a couple of quiet ales. Maybe the apprentice Hanging Slider will step up and fill the void for the next few weeks. It just might be a supercharged edition the next Rounding Third in a few weeks time. Or who knows Line Drive may have something to say from the streets of Stockholm?
Boys having a yarn after a big day of baseball
Now for the club stuff
Training this Wednesday from 6pm Targoora Park
State Winter U/18’s championships 27th and 28th of June. Let Spinner know if you can help out especially Saturday morning.
Silver Circle 1st August. Tickets available Wednesday $20 see club for more information
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @WangRangers
Hoodies $45 and caps ($20-$25) available see Pooly and Buttsy for more details
Working bee Friday night from 3pm If you can get down and help out it would be greatly appreciated.
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.
Special thanks to all the hardworking members of Wangaratta and all the supporters who have been working real hard to improve our great club.
Well what a great week and now I am signing off as usual with
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!
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
TalesofLineDrive 