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| BLACK SOX Look Forward to 2019 Season; Remember the good ole days |
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In 2019, the BLACK SOX will make their NCBL Tier 2 debut. The SOX are looking forward to facing some stiff competition in what appears to be an exciting and competitive division.
Since we're still a million days away from the end of winter, let's take a trip down memory lane with the reposting of some of the all-time best BLACK SOX moments (see below).
Updated by Lana Dixon, Tue Apr 9, 2019 @ 4:54 PM 0 Comments |
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| BLACK SOX Bid Fairwell to a Great Guy |
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With great sadness, the BLACK SOX announce that their long-time skipper, Tom "Tomahawk" Coyne, has officially retired from the SOX to pursue a career in Toronto, ON, Canada.
The "Tomahawk" was one of the pioneers of the BLACK SOX organization in 2009. In 2008, Tom inherited the "Crickets" of the old NCBL and then quickly renamed the team to the "Fireballers." The Fireballers were not very good, in fact severely bad, and endured one of the worst seasons in NCBL history, owning a record of 0-18. During that offseason, Tom cut most of the players from the 0-18 squad and helped start a new culture of winning and baseball franchise with the current BLACK SOX manager, Philippe Martin.
Under Tom's leadership, the BLACK SOX are proud owners of 91-52-11 record (0.590 winning percentage). The SOX had 6 straight playoff appearances, 3 NCBL league finals, 2 Heritage Classic Championships (2014/2015), and 1 NCBL World Championship (2012).
Tom was also known for his individual achievements. Over the span of 7-years, Tom Coyne had a 0.311 batting average, 0.374 slugging percentage, and a solid 0.393 on-base percentage. He also recorded 89 career base hits, 13 doubles, 1 triple, and a home run. Tom also stole 28 career bases and was only caught once.
Tom Coyne will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in BLACK SOX history. Wearing number 14 in leftfield, Tom’s easy going nature and famous Tomahawk swing will certainly be missed. Tom was also a King of the Hyjinx and was once nominated for the NCBL Sportsmanship and Ability Award (2014).
The BLACK SOX would like to wish Tom “Tomahawk” Coyne all the best in his future endeavours. Number 14 is now officially the second jersey in team history to be retired (Tom Coyne #14 and Eric Helander #46).
(Opening Day 2009 of the BLACK SOX inaugural season. The BLACK SOX lost 3-2 against the Knights in an intense and heated battle that even featured a "bench-clearing incident." This set the stage of the BLACK SOX vs. Knights rivalry for years to come.)
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| BLACK SOX Taste Sweet, Sweet Revenge Against Rivals; Eat Kettle Chips |
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An ordinary BLACK SOX opening day would not be a classic matchup without lots of yelling, stare downs, tomfoolery, threats of playing the entire game under protest, and an amazing walk-off hit from "Twig" Maclean himself. Because that's exactly what transpired Tuesday night at the beautiful, and charming Southgate Field, located in the heart of our nation's capital.
After pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning, the SOX took an early 4-0 lead courtesy of RBI hits from Chris "Twig" Maclean, Mitch "The Mouth" Findlay, and Josh "The Big Red Machine" Patry. Then in the top of the second inning, the game was halted because of an intense argument over some wild accusations of on field trickery which eventually turned into a yelling match between Kyle Stewart and the entire Lumberjacks team. Emotions would eventually settle down after our opponent made it known to the world, that they were planning to play the game under protest (of course pending the outcome of the game).
You know, I've been accused of many ridiculous things during my lifetime, such as employing ballistic cruise missiles in a game of Risk; or being accused of leading a high school cafeteria food fight revolution in grade 12; or using black magic and voodoo to break out of an 0-15 slump; or even cleverly orchestrating, and pulling off arguably the greatest play in all of baseball, the hidden-ball trick against the Orioles in 2013. But being accused of using a dud baseball is clearly a first. That's essentially what the argument/yelling match at home plate, which delayed the game by about 8 minutes was about. I am honored that our opponent respects our abilities at playing the on-field hyjinx and I don't blame them. The Dukes and Orioles know first hand of what kind of crazy shit the BLACK SOX are capable of pulling off (i.e. the amazing hidden-ball trick against the Orioles on May 30th, 2013 at Faulkner Field, and using elaborate defensive shifts on every Dukes player). In all honesty, there was nothing funky going on and both teams played an intense and fair baseball game.
Anyways, the game would play on and the BLACK SOX celebrated their first victory of the 2016 campaign by winning 8-7, and also dominated the post-game hyjinx with delicious kettle chips, which of course is the perfect side dish for revenge.
Prior to the game, the BLACK SOX and the rest of the NCBL, had the opportunity to read the prophecies of Cory Bond (aka The NCBL Oracle) which can be found here: http://sweatsoxbaseball.com/blog/2016/05/09/spoiler-alert-your-2016-ncbl-preview/. So far the Oracle's prophecies to the 2016 NCBL season remain valid as the BLACK SOX enter a 3-way tie for first place, and Ian "Chicken Man" Stewart is clearly leading the division in the MVP race while sporting a 1.000 batting average.
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| BLACK SOX Win 2015 Heritage Classic; Had a great time |
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Bud Light is not usually my first choice when I’m ordering a cold and tasty lager. Nor is it my second choice when presented with a vast selection of fine beers at a local dépanneur. But when you pour it into a big ass trophy cup, combine it with one hell of a weekend and then drink it really fast, Bud Light will taste exactly like the finest champagne ever. Fact.
Usually known as a place where dogs and men can roam free, where the grass is always green and cut short, and where the dirt is groomed like the Kentucky Derby. It was a warm place, a place where the beer flows like wine, and where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place called Heritage Park. This is where the BLACK SOX made history and successfully defended their Heritage Classic title.
After rain washed out Friday’s competition, the BLACK SOX were poised to take on the tier 4 Braumeisters. The last time these two teams met was on August 6, 2011 where the Brau upset the SOX at the Stadium by a score of 3-2. As luck would have it, the pesky Braumeisters did just that and won the opening match 9-8. The Braumeisters employed their stud, tier 1 ace and league commissioner Bill Beelen, who stymied the BLACK SOX bats and take the win. Well played Brau.
Next up, the BLACK SOX were to face the NCBL tier 2 Expos in a must win game. Feeling the heat, the BLACK SOX quickly turned things around and dominated the tier 2 heavy weights by a score of 11-1. BLACK SOX starter, Ethan “Newt” Newton pitched a masterpiece going 5-innings of scoreless baseball and only allowing 2 hits. The BLACK SOX simply refused to play ball at 7:30AM the next day, instead earning a bye into the semi-finals at 3:00PM.
Meanwhile, the Heritage Classic Cinderalla story of Team Cuba shocked the nation and miraculously defeated the Expos by a score of 4-2 in a win that was dubbed on social media as “The Miracle on Jeanne d’Arc.” In the semi-finals however, the Cuban machismo would be no match for the BLACK SOX swagger as the boys in black employed their vintage style and cruised to an 11-1 thumping of the Cuban National Baseball team and move on to the finals.
In the championship match, the BLACK SOX were excited to face the tier 2 giants and members of the Hyjinx Hall of Fame, the Sweat Sox. Inducted into the Hall of Fame some time ago, the Sweat Sox are essentially the pioneers of post-game Hyjinx. Heavy drinking teams such as the Dukes can only dream of accomplishing what the “Masters of the Hyjinx” have achieved in recent history in terms of the Hyjinx Rating Factor (HRF advanced sabermetrics).
In the finals, the Sweat took an early 1-run lead on a bloop single to centre field. The BLACK SOX responded with a run in the 2nd inning and then a 4-run rally in the 3rd inning to take a commanding lead. In the next inning, the BLACK SOX notched 2 more runs and drove a dagger through the hearts of the Sweat Sox, like the Crows thrusting a steel dagger into the torso of (SPOILER ALERT)…Jon Snow. Leading the way offensively for the BLACK SOX were Louis “Mr. Ass” Gadbois, Phil Martin, and Tom “Freight Train” Coyne who each recorded multiple hits. The BLACK SOX also played phenomenal defence and recorded 2-double plays to limit the opposition to just 2-runs against. When it was all said and done, the final score was 12-2 for the BLACK SOX therefore securing their second and back-to-back Heritage Classic title.
In other news, the BLACK SOX recruited Hyjinx extraordinaire and master of espionage, Stephane Leclair from the Dukes for their game against the Expos, thus igniting all sorts of rumors of a potential block buster trade between the two clubs. Leclair picked up his first career BLACK SOX base hit with a hard single up the middle and even recorded his first ever BLACK SOX error by mishandling a hard hit ball straight at him at second base. This prompted the Dukes field general, Larry “the Swiggler” tweeting a trade offer of a six-pack of beer and a roll of toilet paper for Leclair’s services…
Meanwhile, Louis “Mr. Ass” Gadbois pooped his pants in right field during the first inning of the finals. Yup, that is correct. Sensing a large fart on the way while standing in the lush green grass in the Heritage outfield, “Mr. Ass” Gadbois would be tragically mistaken. After considering Larry “the Swiggler’s” generous offer of Leclair for essentially beer and toilet paper, we may have to rethink this one because of Poopy Pants’ bowel movement problem in the outfield. #Our-people-will-call-your-people.
The BLACK SOX would like to thank the Orleans Mavericks for hosting another awesome weekend of baseball. We are extremely grateful for all the hard work you guys did for making this tournament possible for us, and look forward to defending our title next year!
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| BLACK SOX set record for fastest game ever; Dominated by Dukes at Hyjinx |
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The BLACK SOX were a force to be reckoned with Tuesday night at the Sportsplex. In only 1 hour and 5 minutes, the SOX quickly disposed of the pesky Dukes like a mongoose devouring a house cat.
On a gorgeous night for baseball, the BLACK SOX offence returned with great vengeance and furious anger by smacking the ball out-and-all-around Hamilton Yards en route to a 10-0 shellacking.
Leading the way offensively for the SOX were Brad “insert nickname here” Allenby (3-3, 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, 1-RBI), Jamie “Quarter” Pounder (2-3, triple, double, 3 RBI), Steve “Sinatra” Routliffe (2-3, 3 RBI), and Louis “Mr. Ass” Gadbois who smashed his first home run of the season with his newly acquired “Aqua Bat.”
BLACK SOX starter, James “Willy” Wilcox delivered another gem of a pitching performance by tossing a complete game, 3-hit shutout, while striking out 3 Dukes.
The Dukes, however, were in mid-season form at the post game Hyjinx in the parking lot, thus setting the standard for all men to live by. In fact, I think some of their players even brought kettle chips (although not confirmed) to the post game festivities. Every Dukes player brought lawn chairs and were neatly arranged in a half-circle, defensive formation. They also apparently stockpiled a war chest of (by our estimation) 1000 beers on ice to assert their dominance over the weak NCBL peasants. Their wildling leader, Larry “the Swiggler” Pawelek, even came over to the BLACK SOX camp to mock our Hyjinx and laugh evilly. Well played Dukes #Swiggler.
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| BLACK SOX Triumph Over Mavs; Dukes Player Infiltrates Post Game Hyjinx |
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For the 5th year in a row, the BLACK SOX advanced to the NCBL semi-finals. In a hard fought, well-played, and competitive series all round, the BLACK SOX were victorious over the Mavericks to sweep the series and advance to the next round of the playoffs.
In other news, after the game a Dukes player infiltrated the BLACK SOX post game hyjinx at Trillium Field. Disguised as a regular dude, the "un-named" Dukes player (Stef Leclair) scouted the game from the spectator bleachers, and then stuck around after to partake in the post game hyjinx. Little did we know, his mission was actually to infiltrate the BLACK SOX, and gather intelligence about our secrets and baseball strategies. In hind sight, this was a classic ploy by the pesky Dukes, and probably orchestrated by Larry "the Swiggler." The playoff history between the two ball clubs extend back to 2010 when both teams routinely engaged in games of possum to gain an advantage over their opponent. Such tactics included hidden ball tricks, excessive pine tar usage, molotov cocktails, and now espionage. Nice try Dukes!
Moving forward, the BLACK SOX are excited to take on the Dukes in the semi finals in what will probably be a war of attrition. Who will draw first blood? Only time will tell...
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| BLACK SOX take over first place in vintage style; Adopt carny as team ambassador |
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The World Cup was on but no one cared. Instead it was a match of NCBL giants. This much anticipated contest between the BLACK SOX and the Orioles was more epic than any Italian soccer match ever. Fans lined the bleachers at Trillium Field, well into the double digits.
It was the Orioles that drew first blood by taking an early 4-0 lead, but this did not faze the BLACK SOX. The SOX knew what had to be done – they needed to rediscover their vintage roots and replicate the scrappy and pesky style that made them famous.
The BLACK SOX chipped away in the 3rd inning as Kyle Stewart crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Then in the 4th, the BLACK SOX offence exploded like it was 2012. Jamie “Quarter” Pounder led off with a double to the gap and showed some aggressive base running that forced an errant throw by the catcher to score. Then Dave “Big Country Navarro” Garrow came through with a clutch RBI single to right field. Kyle Stewart, Mathieu King, Steve “Rudy” Routliffe, and Ian “Chicken Man” Stewart continued the rally and provided RBI singles to extend the lead. Then in the 6th inning with 1 man on, Routliffe went yard to deep left field for a two-run shot to shatter the opponent’s dreams of a comeback and secure a 12-7 victory.
Without question, the man of the match was Steve Routliffe who led the way offensively (3-3, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 3 runs scored). In addition, Louis “Mr. Ass” Gadbois continued his tradition of taking it in the ass by getting beaned twice in the upper buttocks area.
In other news, the BLACK SOX had a special guest on hand for the game. Ken the Carny delighted the SOX by shagging some fly balls before the game and tracking down foul balls that found their way out of the park. Ken has been working with the traveling carnival for many years and it just so happened that the Gloucester fair was setting up next to the field. Naturally, he brought his mitt to the park and donned a New England Patriots cap for the BLACK SOX and O’s spectacle. “I used to play ball back in the day and baseball is such a beautiful sport,” said Ken. The BLACK SOX were certainly privileged to have entertained Ken the Carny with some exciting baseball, the very same way he has brought smiles to children’s faces all around the world. For that, we were honoured to have a true carny in our corner, the best kind of folk around.
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| Hannibal Eats Opponent in NCBL Debut |
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She made her first career NCBL start and tossed a complete game gem. Hannah “Hannibal” Martensen racked up 9 K’s and chewed out the Red Sox en route to a 5-1 historic win at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium, at the same time inspiring millions of young women around the world.
Special mentions also go out to Mathieu King (2-2, 2B, RBI), and Dave “Big Country” Garrow (1-2, 2B, BB, 2 RBI) who led the way offensively.
Next up for the BLACK SOX are the pesky Acadiens Monday night (8:30) at Trillium Field.
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| BLACK SOX Win Inaugural Heritage Classic |
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The BLACK SOX were victorious over the Victoria Day long weekend as they defeated the Beau's Misfits in extra innings, to capture the Inaugural Heritage Classic.
This weekend was a true test of character for the BLACK SOX. After cruising through the first game, the SOX lost a close one to Beau's during the round robin. This meant that the SOX were to play 3-games on Sunday if they were to go all the way (which was their intention).
On Sunday, the SOX were tested early in the morning by the Dukes. The Dukes' bats started off hot and grabbed an early 3-0 lead. However, BLACK SOX rookie James Wilcox, settled down and pitched solid through 5-innings to keep the team in the game. After some clutch hits, the SOX battled back to earn an 8-3 victory.
In the semi-finals, the BLACK SOX faced the tournament hosts, Orleans Mavericks. This game was another tough test for the SOX. In the first inning, the BLACK SOX got out to an early 2-0 lead, but was stymied by the Mavericks pitching for most of the game. Then the SOX bats finally woke up and generated 5 runs in the 6th inning to win 7-3. BLACK SOX starter and rookie, Hannah Martensen, pitched phenomenal over 4 2/3 innings before turning things to the bullpen to secure the victory and a place in the finals.
In the championship game, the BLACK SOX faced their new NCBL rivals, the Beau’s Misfits, in a rematch of game 2. The Beau’s bats came out swinging and smacked a few hits around to score an early 3-0 lead. This did not faze the SOX as they chipped away at the lead to score a run in the fourth and then tied up the game on a clutch single from James Wilcox in the 7th inning.
Since the game was tied after 7 complete innings, this meant that the International tie breaking rule came into effect. Each team was allowed to place 2 runners on base to start the inning. The BLACK SOX quickly loaded the bases and cashed in 3-runs during the inning to take a 6-3 lead. Jaime “Quarter” Pounder closed things out in the 8th inning to secure the win and the tournament. BLACK SOX starter, Dave “Ace” LeDrew, pitched a gem of a ball game, going 5 solid innings to keep his team in the game.
The BLACK SOX would like to thank the Orleans Mavericks for organizing an amazing tournament. We had a blast all weekend and it was the perfect way to start the 2014 season. Also, the BLACK SOX would like to thank all the fans who came out and supported us. We really appreciate your love and support.
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| Rogue Airedale and Owner Invade the Field, Is the Cutest Little Idiot Ever |
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The BLACK SOX are back in the win column after defeating the Knights 14-4 last night at Faulkner Field on a rather strange night for baseball. Playing their old tier 4 rivals who, by the way, started a bench clearing incident in the very first game in BLACK SOX history 5 years ago; the two teams almost rekindled the magic last night on a hot, humid, hazy, and spooky night for baseball.
The Knights got on the board early by taking a quick 3-0 lead. In fact, the BLACK SOX were held hitless until the 4th when things got interesting. Phil Martin led off the inning with an infield single. Then Kyle “Klumpy” Klumper reached on a base hit of his own. Then came the clutch Ryan Stewart who delivered a 3-2 fastball up the middle which scored Martin from second. Brad Giroux followed the trend and delivered a single of his own. Then with some aggressive base running tactics, the BLACK SOX manufactured some runs to tie the game 3-3.
Then, Jaime “Quarter” Pounder stepped up the dish and slugged a deep fly ball to the left-centerfield gap. With the bright lights on behind home plate and at the soccer fields, the hazy, moist air created this odd glow which made it extremely difficult to see any ball hit in the air. The Knights centerfielder seemed to have got a late jump on the ball as the Pounder smash sailed far over his head. Quarter Pounder ran around the bases faster than O.J. Simpson’s white Bronco and came home to record the 1st ever inside-the-park homerun in BLACK SOX history. How about that!
Dave “Shooter” LeDrew kept the rally going by smacking a double to the gap. BLACK SOX skipper, Tom “Freight Train” Coyne delivered a base hit. Then it was Kyle "The Nature Boy" Stewart’s turn and singled to right field which sent Tom “Freight Train” Coyne, like an unstoppable machine and a charging ram, around 3rd base and heading for home. But the ball got there a split ahead of the runner that forced the catcher up the baseline to catch the ball, and as he did, the two players collided. Tom would eventually be kicked out which brought our roster down to 8. The Knights Manager threatened to quit the game, take home his bases and leave. But after much deliberation, the umpires said game on!
Then in the very next inning, a rogue Airedale (dog) named Maya, ran onto the field to interrupt the game and entertain the fans. The recently ejected Tom “Freight Train” Coyne, who was actually dog sitting for the weekend, had to run back onto the field, run after the dog behind home plate, and then run in front of the Knights dugout and up the 3rd base line, much to the dismay of Don Brennan. As the cute little idiot continued to prance around the field with glee, BLACK SOX catcher and NCBL veteran, Adam Goulet, made the heads up play by grabbing the dog’s attention with an old baseball and then tossing it outside the playing surface that sent both the dog and Tom off the field.
Playing with 8 players in the field, the BLACK SOX buckled down and got back to playing their vintage style of baseball by playing solid defence, manufacturing runs, and getting some clutch hits to go on and win the game. Special mentions go out to Dave LeDrew who tossed a complete game gem with 8 K’s; Jaime Pounder with his inside-the-park homerun; and Kyle Stewart who was a monster by recording 3-hits, 3-runs scored, 2 SB’s, and was only a HR shy of hitting for the cycle. Phil Martin, Kyle “Klumpy” Klumper, Ryan Stewart and Brad Giroux all recorded multi-hit games.
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| Thu Apr 25, 2024 |
| No events are scheduled. |
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