Newark Bears ~ The Great Western Migration

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE  ~  AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

INTER-LEAGUE SERIES

NEWARK BEARS

vs.

Gary SouthShore RailCats

From

U.S. STEEL YARD

Gary, Indiana

RailCats Lead Series 1-0

I - GS 7; NWK 4

II - Friday Night

NEWARK BEARS: Go West Young Cub!

The Bears made their first migration into American Association territory, where they were met rather unkindly by a Gary SouthShore RailCats' line-up that knocked Newark's starting pitcher out of the box after just one inning, and chipped away at Brick City's bullpen the rest of the game.

Bear's starter Pedro Rivera's last act in Thursday's opening game came when he took a come-backer off the bat of Mike Coles, starting a 1-4-3 play to end the bottom of the RailCats' home half of the first inning.  Rivera did not return to the mound for the second.

Making his first appearance for Newark, first out of the Bears' pen was Rob Swift.  In two innings of work, three walks and three hits resulted in two earned runs.  He struck out two.  Brian Parker was next out of the pen, and pitched well over two innings.  But his line was marred by errors which led to an unearned run in the fourth inning.  The second Bears' error of the fourth inning, was Parker's own.

Matt Lyons took his turn against Gary SouthShore in the sixth inning.  The RailCats worked him for a walk, a stolen base, a single, and a double for two more runs.  Exit Matt Lyons; hello Anthony Pluta for the eighth and ninth innings.  The RailCats drew four walks against Pluta, along with two hits.  Before they were through, two more runs had come across the plate for what was ultimately a 7-4 Railcat victory.  Newark's Rob Swift was tagged with the loss.

Newark actually scored first in this game.  Juan Martinez scored on a wild pitch by Gary's starter, Derek Drage.  Juan Martinez scored a second time in the fifth inning upon hitting his third home run of the season.  In the seventh inning, once again it was Juan Martinez generating Newark's only offense of the evening.  A two RBI double upped his game RBI total to three.  Juan finished the game hitting 4 for 5, with 2 runs scored.  After Martinez,  all Newark could manage were four scattered singles against four RailCat pitchers.

The home team managed eight hits against Bears' pitching.  The RailCats' Mike Coles and Mike Rohde combined on six of them.  Together they hit safely in six out of ten at-bats, and combined to drive in four runs.

Game Two from U.S. Steel Yard is Friday night.   And that's alright by me.

Let's Go Bears!  And belated hello to Gary SouthShore!

Canadian American Association of Baseball

NEWARK BEARS

American Association of Professional Baseball

GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS

Mike.BTB

METropolitan Avenue

I had one of those days as I said in my last post, I looked around Met Camp and was happy to see a healthy number of Kids in the mix.  Then yesterday at  roughly 4:37 p.m., "IT" hit me.  Yes, IT.  Let the Baseball Season begin!  Every year is different.  I never know when IT will hit me.  Sometimes the New York Rangers have a say as to when IT hits me.  The Smurfs-on-Ice won't be a factor for me this April (although I will be going to MSG tomorrow night for NYR vs. NY Islanders).  Some years IT hits early; some years later.  There is nothing I use as an alarm clock.  I don't circle the start of Spring Training or anything like that.  And it has nothing to do with being a negative Met Fan for the moment...It's nothing nefarious like that.  It's just the feeling.  IT "Nuke"s me by announcing IT'S presence with authority.  IT, hit me yesterday afternoon on the way home when I opened my sun roof for the first time in 2010.  The sun beamed in and I suddenly found myself on "METropolitan Ave". 

I didn't plan IT that way.  That's the way it happened this year.  I remember clearly, last year IT hit me as I ate a morning bagel reading the Sunday Paper.   ...(a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and jelly...Mmmm!! OR my home made FIGS spread from the fig tree I grow in my yard - WHAT!?  fugheddaboudit!!...and an espresso?  Now you're livin!  I digress).

So today I am the recipient of good news regarding my New York Metropolitans.  Jose Reyes seems to have his thyroid issue corrected and he's clear to play.  It's good news and I will ride the wave.  Yea I know, I still have no Pitching.  I have Johan and I have K-Rod; a starter and a closer.  Yep; There it is...the Mets pitching staff.  Ladies and Gentlemen I bring you the New York Mayonnaise Sandwich.  From Johan (top slice of said sandwich bread) we smear a dollop of mayo and join to said bottom piece of sandwich bread (i.e. K-Rod) and what you have is the NY Pitching Mayo Sandwich.

No, instead of going....There..., I am determined to have three good days in a row as a Metropolitan Baseball fan.  Sometimes that's not as easy as it sounds.  But hearing Reyes is cleared to re-start activities again vs. the 8 weeks he could have possibly missed, who am I to be a Negative Nancy.  Like I said, I'm just going to ride the wave today and

celebrate my New York Metropolitan Baseball Club..

...uh

Yea right!  Did ya really think...?

Not those New York Mets

 

I meant these guys:

The METROPOLITAN BASEBALL CLUB of NEW YORK

Here's the history lesson with out the details.

This team started playing in 1880.  They and the New York Gothams were the first teams to play in the new and first professional baseball park in Manhattan; the Polo Grounds.  The guy who owned this team was being courted by the National League as well as the new American Association to play in their circuits to represent NYC in their leagues.  The Metropolitans started out as an independent.  So what the owner did was buy up the Troy Haymakers and the Worcester Brown Stockings and used those players to stock the roster of the Metropolitans for play in the AA and the other players were joined together to form the said New York Gothams and placed them in the National League.  In 1884 the New York Metropolitans won the American Association pennant.  In the World Series between the National League's Providence Grays and the AA's Metropolitans, NY went winless loosing to Providence three games to none.  By 1886 the team moved to the Staten Island Borough of NYC.  Shortly after that the team folded and was bought up by the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The Dodgers bought them to gain territorial rights and retained the contracts of the better players.

1884 Champions  Providence Grays

The short version of all this is ultimately all remnants from those four teams were homogenized together and the New York Giants were born and remained in the Polo Grounds till the team moved to S.F. after the 1957 season.  Four years later a new National League team would fill the void left behind when the Giants and Dodgers left.  This new National League team would take the name of

the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club and would also play at the Polo Grounds. 

Other names were considered for the the team I currently root for such as,

Continentals, Rebels, Skyliners and Meadowlarks.

Today they play at Citi Field, and we call em the Amazin' Mets now.

The New York Giants? 

The Polo Grounds? 

You didn't really think I'd ignore them did you?

C'mon.  All that stuff is for another day folks.  One thing at a time.

Let's Go Mets!!

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

*team pictures from wikipedia