Moving on to the Final Stretch

Look who’s coming to town on Tuesday! The Bucs will be making their first appearance in the Yard this season. They’ll be here for 2 nights and 2 games. Time to get get dressed and ready for a couple of battles.

After our encounters with the Bulls we remain in second place, one and a half games back behind the Hounds who picked up the half game taking the Oilers 3 of 4 over the weekend. The third place Pirates beat the Oilers on Tuesday and they are two games behind us. So here’s our chance to put some more distance between us on Tuesday and on Wednesday. We’ll need the wins also to keep pace with the Dogs if we’re to have a chance to overtake them. We have 12 games left in the regular season and the Dogs have 11. There’s enough time and play left to get the job done, but we have to be in our top form for now on. The Pirates are the best base running team in the league, but we are second. Let’s be on our toes and play error free baseball and get the bats going. We have the best starting pitching in the league with a 6 game winner and two 5 game winners. Our Team ERA is 2.58, just behind the Dogs at 2.35 and much better than every other team. So let’s get ready for some hard playing over the next 2 weeks and secure a solid position for the playoffs. The pennant is still well within reach!

Give me a break!

You know, sometimes in baseball there are disappointments. Then there are those times when something is not only a disappointment but there’s a gut feeling that something wrong is going on. It seemed that way in the Railroaders’ unfortunate demise on Saturday in Sikeston. The sorely needed light rain was just what VFW Memorial Field needed, and it helped keep the players and fans cooled off. It seems everyone benefited from the moisture for 3 full innings as the ballgame continued to be played. Of course, the ultimate benefactor was the Bulls pitcher, who finally got into trouble in the 8th inning. His hot arm was cooling down, he allowed a hit, walked a batter, hit a third and loaded the bases with nobody out. What would you do?

We know what he choose, and it wasn’t to continue a battle he thought he was about to lose. Call it what you will, but be careful never to do the same. One thing we learned for sure, we know he can’t throw a spitball.

Another thing we learned tonight, we’re never out of a game. The Railroaders did what they had to and were positioned to gain the lead. They did not lose the game at the final score, it was taken from them. And the departure antics by the Railroaders after the game had been called; they delighted the young and old alike, and eased the anger of the injustice served to Fulton.

One more game with the Bulls, let’s finish the job and get ready for the Pirates. The Dogs lost they game, the standing remain the same. Fire up the engine!

Heading down the track

We're no better or worse off after splitting the 2 games with the Cats, mainly due to the Hounds dropping one of their 2 games with the Pirates. The Bulls however, beat the Oilers twice and move up a notch past Owensboro. Looks like the Bulls took their 2 losses to us out on the Oilers, and I'll bet they are waiting for us to come back.

Boilerstoker tells me all the problems with the engine are fixed and we’re ready to roll. Look out Sikeston here we come! Three nights in the Bull Fighting Arena then back home for a couple of games with the Pirates. There are 15 games left in the regular season before the playoffs begin. Every victory now really counts towards winning the pennant and first seed in post-season play. The Bulls are a tough group and even though we beat them twice earlier in the week, it doesn’t mean it will be a cakewalk. So let’s get the train moving, use our power, and pick up some speed. The race is on and there’s no holding back now! Our loss on Thursday was only a minor setback. Let's focus and move on. Let's think "Error Free" and "Bats", we can do this. I feel it in my bones.

The crystal ball tells all . . Cats then Bulls

Excellent two game series with the Bulls and a day off. Not a bad way to start the week. We should be ready for the rest of it now. Let's consider what the situation is now.

The Bobcats are stalking into town tonight and Thursday having just beaten the Pirates 2 of 3 and 2 straight wins. Before the Bucs, the Cats whipped up on the Bulls 2 out of 3 and their wins weren’t close either. They may be 12-20 on the season, but they are no push over. We need to be on our best defensive behavior and generate a lot of offense to take these games. We need wins to keep pace with the Hounds who are hot at the moment (I expect the Oilers and Pirates to throw a little water on them over the next few days). So let’s get out the catnip and put these felines in la-la land.

We head back to Bulls' arena on Friday for a 3 game set. We were successful in handing them earlier this week for 2 games, and they’ll want retribution when we return. So there’s lot of work to do in the remainder of this week. At just 1 game back, we are in great position to grab the lead once the Dogs stumble over their paws and fall. Let’s just KEEP OUR TRAIN ON THE TRACK and we’ll be just fine. The steam pressure is up and we’re ready to ROLL!

No Time to Weep over UC Sweep

We are finally rid of the Greyhounds for the regular season, and should we meet up with them again in the playoffs it will be a whole new game. It is always a little bitter to lose to the dogs, but that’s behind us now. There is no time or reason for us to lick our wounds other than learning from our mistakes. With 19 games left, there is a lot of baseball yet to play and the outcome has not been determined so far. We’re currently in 2nd place and that’s better than 4 other teams in the league.

Next up over the coming week are 5 games with the Bulls in Sikeston and 2 with the Bobcats in Fulton. We are 8-2 combined so far against these two teams, 3-2 on the Bulls and 5-0 with the Cats. Let’s make the most of the next 8 days. We have a great opportunity to harden our position going into the final stretch. Let’s get the train back on the winning track and we’ll do just fine, trust me. I believe in the Railroaders’ ability to overcome the setbacks, and I believe our players’ talent and passion for the game can get us through. Let’s fired it up and roll down the tracks with a full head of stream!

Something that needs to be said

Thursday’s game against the Hounds was a close one, and all in all, a good game. We just didn’t pull it out, but there’s plenty more baseball to play and it’s not over yet.

I must say though, Union City does have a fan that is uglier than I am. He has a bigger mouth, too. He can’t help it, he probably needs attention and can’t get it anywhere else. I actually feel sorry for him, he must really thinks he’s cute.

We also need to question the intelligence of the folks in UC. I believe there were more Railroader fans there than Greyhound fans. Seems simple to me, I’d be ashamed too, if any of our fans were so crude with such obnoxious “bush league” heckling and tactics. The poor guy needs to get a life, and the poor Greyhound fans deserve a better environment to watch their team play baseball. I know that fans sometimes get out of hand, but really, this guy takes the cake when it comes to getting out-of-hand, or should I say out-of-mouth. I’m sure he’s proud of himself though, after all, what else does he have?

Just a couple of more games with Hounds in the regular season, we’ll get through them okay. BTW, it’s not just the Railroaders who have noticed this, just ask some of the other clubs.

Let's get back on our game Railroaders!

Headed for the Dog Pound

The 4 games with the Oilers are over and we took 3 of them. The standings don't change, so our lead is still only 2 games. The Oilers and Greyhounds both in 2nd and chasing us close. We must go now and tame to Dogs over the next 3 nights. Thursday and Saturday are in Union City, and in between on Friday we play them in Fulton. The UC Messenger claims, "Greyhounds find their Groove, and on the Move". . . kind'a catchy don't you think? The Hounds fully intend to put the screws to us and knock us out of 1st. And they believe they are the best team in the Kitty League. I'm not going to waste my time in responding to those type of thoughts. The few loyal fans they have need words of encouragement, so we'll let them have their printed words. After all, they need something to bark about.

I know we have a quality team and they are playing better every game. The Railroaders have been coming from behind, getting more hits when needed, and the defense is looking awesome. And the pitching...well, I don't think there is any better than our crew. It's a downhill run now, guys. No looking back. We can handle the Dogs, so let's spoil their 4th of July weekend and put them in their place . . .Behind Us!