NEWARK BEARS ~ Brick City ROX Brockton

From the desk of:  GROWLINGS FROM BROOKLYN

NEWARK BEARS: Team's First Trip To Brockton Starts Off With Win Over Rox.

Last week against Quebec, I caught a listen of the Brockton Rox web caster in between games of a double header, who had nary a good thing to say about the Bears.  During last night's web cast, it seemed he picked up where I left him off last.

So when 3,012 Brockton fans watched their home town team lose to the Bears by a score of 6-4 last night in the opening game of a three game series, I was pleased.  Payback is a real stitch in the baseballs sometimes.  The Bears might not have even realized their honor was at stake last night. 

But I did.  *wink!

In rehashing what happened to the Rox in his post-game wrap, my new favorite announcer was in a quandary as whether to credit the Bears for hitting three home runs, or rationalize that his starting pitcher was just missing pitches.  He reminded his audience countless times the Bears' Ward, Raines, and Watson, who all homered in this game, all had Major League experience.  ...And his point was?


But to his credit, he called them pesky.  Gee Wally!  Thanks.  However, he did say they'd be a problem for the Rox this season and would give them trouble for sure.  And that's the fairest thing I heard him say about the Bears in two opportunities I had to listen-in on his call.


So, Brockton's starting pitcher; Mike Smith; was just missing pitches.  Riiight.  The Newark Bears place four hitters within the top ten batters in the league.  Tim Raines Jr., who fell below .400 last night is second in the League with a .397 batting average.  Daryle Ward is fourth sporting a .372 average.  Billy Alvino is fifth with a .370 average and Danny Santiesteban is seventh with a .350 average.  Not enough for ya?  At number eleven in the League?  Newark's DH, Brandon Watson is batting .338 also.  So yea...I can see where Mike Smith was just missing pitches last night.


In addition to his fifth home run of the season, Tim Raines Jr. upped his League leading RBI total to twenty.


The Bears' starter; Alex Smith; walked four batters and as such, didn't have as neat a line as Mike Smith did.  But Alex Smith made sure the five runs his offense scored for him held up and in the process earned himself his second win of the season.

BROCKTON ROX

NEWARK BEARS

TONIGHT

(Bears lead series 1-0)

NEWARK BEARS

vs.

Brockton Rox

GAME TWO

From somewhere up in Massachusetts

Mike.BTB