L.I. Ducks ~ A Secret To Long Island's Success

From the desk of:  WADDLING THROUGH BROOKLYN




LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  A Sign Things Are Going The Ducks' Way This Season.


Read Friday Night's Game Final and Blog: HERE - Fifty Reasons To Quack For Joy.


Within the Liberty Division, very early this season the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were stripped of their best two; League leading; hitters when their respective contracts were purchased by affiliated baseball.  The Blue Crabs and Ducks flip-flopped first place during much of the opening portion of the season while the Blue Crabs still employed their sluggers.  It was only after Southern Maryland had those contracts purchased that Long Island pulled away as the first half drew to a close.

Similarly, the Lancaster Barnstormers, as it was noted in last night's Ducks web cast, have lost seven players who's contracts have been purchased and yet still managed to win their division's first half championship (Freedom Division).

The Ducks have had two players in total, who's contracts have been obtained by affiliated clubs.  At the beginning of this Ducks' season, SP-Lenny Dinardo's contract was picked up, opening the door for Mike Loree to get a second crack at the starting rotation and subsequently dominate the League.  Then just recently, Mike Parisi's contract was purchased by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The loss of Parisi is a huge blow, but the Ducks have been fortunate in this respect - that their roster has remained relatively in tact all season long.  It's proven to be a very pleasant development for Duck Fans for sure.  No position player's contract has been sought by affiliated baseball.  But there-in lies the precarious nature of building a contender in the Atlantic League; the loss of a key player, or multiple players at any time.

So far the Long Island Ducks and The Pond, have been relatively free of affiliated predators.  Hey, sometimes you just need things to go your way.  And sometimes, they do.

TODAY

Road Warriors

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

From Bethpage Park

The 5,000,000th Fan in Ducks' History

will walk through the turnstiles today.

Mike.BTB