BROKEBACK VALLEY
Hartford Brooms Ball Club From West Hartford, Losing Skid Hits Six

West Hartford, CT (AP)--Valley n. A lowland between two mountains. In 2005, the West Hartford Cannons reached the mountiantop of the Connecticut North Men's Senior Baseball League's (CNMSBL) B Division and in 2006 expectations were equally high for the team to repeat the feat as the newest member of the A Division after a much-anticipated off-season move to the upper level. Following a pair of setbacks on a sultry Father's Day Sunday at Cannon Yards the team plummeted to 1-7 on the young season and sits solely in the basin-like basement of the standings, one half game behind the Newington Capitals (2-8). "I wish I knew how to quit you" was one of the more memorable lines from 2005 Best Picture Nominee Brokeback Mountain. Many members of Cannon Nation may be coveting a similar caveat at this moment but it is another quote from the film that is fueling the team's fire and is perhaps more apropos as a home date with Bristol hovers on the horizon: "This is my house! And you are my guest! Now sit the hell down before I knock your ignorant a** into next week!" To their great credit the team remains upbeat and the two games left on the home-stand hopefully will provide a much-needed lift, leading the Cannons to loftier heights in the CNMSBL as the calendar closes in on July and the stretch run. As Father's Day memories fade teams around the A Division are asking, "Who's your daddy, West Hartford?" How will the Cannons respond to this adversity? When will the combustible Cannons offense catch fire? One thing is for sure: things can only go up from here.

Returning home from a four-game road trip, West Hartford had several positives going against the reigning A Division Champions from Hartford in the advertisers-dream Basebrawl I: When Champions Collide opener: Jason Maule and Mark Lynch returned to the Cannons line-up after missing the games in Granby against Marlborough; staff stalwart Mike "Paternal" Patenaude was primed and ready to go; and for the first time in 2006, the weather warmed to above average temperatures, usually a solid sign for the Cannons club. Patenaude climbed the hill and proceeded to give up two first-inning runs--the second time in as many starts that the opposition has scored in their first at-bat against the left-hander and the fifth time in seven starts that Cannon pitchers have relinquished a run in the first frame--on a hit batsman, an RBI double by Will Farrell, a walk and a run-scoring ground out by Benito Santiago. Maule was able to provide an immediate offensive spark starting his fifth game for West Hartford. The twenty-eight year-old ripped a lead-off double and scored easily on a sharply hit single by Kevin McGann to bring the Cannons back within one. Patenaude (7 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP on an economical seventy-seven pitches) would settle down, allowing only four hits over the final six frames--a sole run scored in the fifth when shortstop Alex Rodriguez doubled and scooted home on a Mario Lopez single (further damage was averted as the Cannons recorded the final two outs of the inning at the plate on a heads up play by K. McGann on a ground ball up the middle ending with a stellar scoop and tag by rookie catcher Mark Lynch and a fabulous flip from Lynch to Patenaude on a short passed ball). The story of this season for West Hartford has been the team's inability to establish any offensive flow and after the two-hit first the Cannons were only able to hammer out two more, a Maule single in the third and a Dionicio base hit in the fourth (Matt Celio was hit by a pitch in the second, Maule walked in the fifth and Ed Poland took a base on balls in the sixth, representing the only other Cannons to reach safely in Game One). Patenaude (0-3) had again pitched well and the defense was solid, making only a single error that had no direct effect on the outcome. Unfortunately, for the fifth time in seven contests--and the fifth consecutive game--West Hartford was able to put only a single run on the board and the result was a tough 3-1 loss.

Things heated up, both literally and figuratively, for Game Two with temperatures rising into the upper 90s and tempers reaching a near boiling point as the two CNMSBL title holders battled back and forth over the course of the game. West Hartford's rock-solid right-hander Poland took the mound and did everything in his power to single-handedly prevent the Cannons from losing a sixth straight game. He brilliantly battled the hard-hitting Hartford line-up and the Cannons offense provided some much needed pop early courtesy of the long ball. Maule started off the game swinging and deposited a Mike Flanning offering deep into the left field bleachers for a 1-0 Cannons advantage. Poland allowed just one National to reach safely through the first three innings (a third inning walk to Willie Green) and helped his own cause with a solo shot in the home half of the third. Controversy ensued as Poland trotted around the bases in the heat and humidity. Hartford management thought the thirty-one year old was "showing up" the MF-er while West Hartford management merely pointed to the rising mercury to explain Poland's actions or lack thereof. "Eddie is pure class both on and off the diamond, as evidenced by his shared Cannons Golden Spike Award (with Tom Luby) from last season, honoring his athletic ability, commitment to the Cannons and sportsmanship," Manager Celio told the many members of the media gathered outside the home lockeroom after the double header. "He respects the game and showing other players up is not his ball game nor is it our ball game. EP had them on the ropes there and all they could do was chirp. We stand one-hundred percent behind our guy. I wouldn't have him do anything differently and I especially like the way that Ed and Jason seem to be spurring on each other's success with some well-intentioned oneupmanship." Unfortunately Poland (6.1 IP, 9 R, 5 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 11 BB) ran into trouble in the top of the fourth after recording a pair of easy outs to start the inning. Two walks and two singles scored three and the Cannons two-run lead was now a one-run deficit. The Nationals added a run in the fourth but the Cannons bounced back with two of their own on back-to-back singles by Maule and Poland, a Luby RBI base hit and a Mike Weber sacrifice fly that plated Poland with the tying tally. Neither team scored in the sixth and entered the final frame tied at four. Poland (0-1), pitching on pure fumes at this point (after the game he told reporters he was seeing stars as early as the fourth inning and could not even work up a sweat despite the sweltering heat...Lynch had to receive fluids intravenously after catching seven innings as triple-digit temperatures threatened), walked five out of six batters he faced and Celio woke up long enough from his heat-induced coma to bring in Troy Barber (.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB). The raucous righty from New Hampshire pitched well and was able to get the team out of the inning following an error on a force play at second and a fly ball to right. "Troy really earned his 'C' today," Assistant Manager Weber said in his post-game press conference. "Celio thought about bringing him in for the sixth and seventh but never pulled the trigger because of the way EP was gutting things out...he really wanted to finish. One thing is for sure: our pitching staff just got one guy deeper. We're confident with all five of our arms and these players are going to be difference makers down the stretch and especially on short rest come playoff time. Two tough losses--the Cannons failed to score in the seventh inning of Game Two, making the final score 9-4--but I'm really excited about our team. We saw some good things out there today. The bad things can be corrected but the good things will be with us this season and in the future."

Ain't no valley low enough to keep the Cannons from climbing toward respectability in the CNMSBL A Division. Leo Dionicio added after the twin bill, "Every game is close...we are always there in the sixth inning. The Cannons magic is right there, ready to explode. All we need is a little extra to break us through." With two more games to play before a three-week layoff, the time is now for the ball club from West Hartford to make a move. You may wish you knew how to quit the Cannons but there is simply no quit in this team as they look to rise from the proverbial ashes against the Bristol Phoenix this Sunday at Cannon Yards (tickets are still available at 800 CANNONS or at whcannons.blogspot.com). Stay focused Cannons fans!

Cannons News and Notes: Maule was 5 for 6 on the day, sky-rocketing his average from .214 to .400 (he leads West Hartford in hits and doubles and is tied for the team lead in home runs); Maule and Poland became the first Cannon teammates to homer in the same game in the A Division (the feat was last accomplished by Luby and Poland in last season's semi-final contest against New Haven); with his single in the second game, Lynch raised his average to .300 on the season; with fourteen hits this weekend, the team batting average increased fifteen points from .203 to .218...the team on-base percentage crept closer toward .300, going from .261 to .272; in this week's installment of The Dionicio Code, Leo named his "Cannons Holy Trinity:" Luby is the Father Almighty, Dioncio himself is the Son and Maule is the Holy Spirit...he also named Chris Barsa as Agent Sophie Neveu and Lynch as Mary Magdalene.

SMOKED!
Men From Marlborough Roll Cellar-Dwelling Cannons

Granby, CT (AP)--Through four games in 2006 the West Hartford Cannons were competitive, dropping three difficult decisions each by a single run to begin their inaugural A Division campaign. Disappointing? Yes. Unexpected? Certainly. Remember that for the most part this is the same team and these are the same players that ten short months ago defied all odds, battling back time and again and performing their best when adversity cast its cruel gaze upon them. As fans around the world know, with backs pressed firmly against the wall on the biggest stage the Cannons ultimately took the title in dramatic fashion, knocking off the New Haven Cardinals 10-9 in extra innings for CNMSBL supremacy. After faltering twice on Sunday however, this time to the Marlborough A's (4-2), West Hartford's losing streak reached four and the question begs to be asked: what has this rogue's gallery in red done with the real Cannons? Embattled Manager Matt Celio remained positive but was hard-pressed to answer this query after the game as rumors regarding his future with the team were bandied about (there have been talks of Celio listening to Lakeville's offers for the open Yankees coaching position): "I still feel that we are a very dangerous 1-5 team. We've got the guys to get it done at the dish and out on the diamond. Unfortunately we're not going to win a lot of 1-0 ball games. We need to start swinging the sticks and scoring some runs, plain and simple. It's not rocket science." Odious and lacking oomph, this team has been truly "offensive" when it comes to hitting and scoring. With only thirteen runs in six games, things don't look to get any easier with the defending A Division Champion Hartford Nationals coming to Cannon Yards this Sunday (10:00 a.m.) in a nationally televised two-pack that is being billed as Basebrawl I: When Champions Collide. "Morale is a bit low but baseball is a funny game, you know, really streaky," Assistant Manager Mike Weber remarked. "I'm hanging my hat on the fact that we are going to be streaky at the right time come August. Chemistry is real important right now and I think everybody is ready to step up and we are going to be a competitive team in this league beginning this weekend."

Against Marlborough in Game One the team marched left-hander Mike Patenaude out to the mound. The fifty-year-old veteran has been nothing short of spectacular this season, allowing just four earned runs over fifteen-plus innings while scattering twelve hits but his run support has been anemic (1.5 per game) and MP brought an 0-1 record with him to the bump at the start of the day. The hard-hitting Athletics pounded Patenaude (6 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 10 H, 2 K, 2 BB) for a run in the first on a double by Paul Sciano and an RBI single by Jack Noackov but the Cannons were able to escape further damage when, with the bases loaded, second baseman Kevin McGann snared a frozen-rope line drive and fired to Chris Barsa at first for an inning-ending double play. As has been the case all season, West Hartford was slow to warm to an opposing pitcher and the team went hitless until the fifth inning against Italian expatriate Ringaroundthe Rozsa as Barsa doubled and Mike McGann singled, though neither would score. In the meantime, Marlborough plated two unearned runs in the second and another pair in the fourth on a two-run blast by Sciano. The Cannons scraped out a run in the top of the seventh on a Leo Dionicio single (he immediately stole second base), a Barsa infield hit and a Troy Barber RBI ground out avoiding the shutout but it was a case of too little, too late as the A's took the opener 5-1. "Patenaude (0-2) got hit around a little, the defense was a bit porous (making three errors after solid play over the first two weekends) and you could really see MP's frustration out there," said Weber after the game, "Their pitcher wasn't even that good--he struck me out looking--but we've got to get that swagger back and get more than five hits if we want to win in this league." Unfortunately in Game Two the team finished with four.

Right-hander Mike Calabrese made his third start of the season after a scintillating two-game stretch where he allowed only six earned runs in thirteen-plus innings, receiving Honorable Mention accolades as May's CNMSBL Player of the Month in the process (he also had a hot bat, hitting a hearty .357). But he too was touched for a run in the first on a hit batsman (Steve Garvie, who proceeded to steal second...Cal later admitted that he intentionally plunked Garvie, mistaking him for Sciano, the two-hole hero who nearly hit for the cycle in the opener) and a bloop single to right. The Cannons answered back in the second as Dionicio reached on an error, stole second and third and was singled home by Celio. M. McGann worked a one-out walk and West Hartford was in business against lefty Keith Echevarria but the Cannons failed to move the runners across and it remained tied at one going into the home half of the third when Calabrese allowed another run on three singles and a walk. This time the Cannons were unable to respond, mustering just a base-on-balls and two base hits over the last five frames. Cal (5.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) surrendered six runs over the last three innings despite a muscle pull in the oblique/rib cage area--x-rays were negative and the pitcher is listed as probable for next weekend--before giving way to Ed Poland (.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB) who finished things with a double play. Calabrese (1-2) understandably was not pleased with his performance: "They're a very good hitting team. I made a couple of bad pitches and they made me pay the price. I got my t**s lit up today." When asked about the Cannons, Echevarria encouragingly replied, "[Those] guys have some solid core players. It just takes some time to get adjusted to the other teams. They'll do well before long." Sunday's match-up with Hartford (2-4) looms large: "We've got to get one but we'll definitely try to take two," said Poland after the games.

Following a forty-five minute closed-door meeting, the team emerged from the locker-room upbeat and looking forward to returning home after this grueling four-game road trip. Reporters caught up with Tom Luby as he boarded the team bus and the shortstop shared his feelings for the immediate future: "We've got to maintain a high level of confidence, string a few games together and get in the groove. I think we'll be in good shape. It'll be nice to go home, hopefully we'll have some good weather...it should be fun." Dionicio added, "Other teams are going to be overconfident against us for a few weekends and in the second half as well. They are going to think [playing us] is a walk in the park and then they are going to see the real lions coming out of the cage. I guarantee I'm going to be a big part of this great movement in getting us to the top again." Finally, Celio followed with, "Stay the course. Take things one step at a time. Play Cannons Baseball and everything will work itself out." West Hartford gets to take its first step toward respectability this Sunday, June 18 at the Yards against the Nats. Walking Tall or Dead Man Walking? Will redemption be spelled C-A-N-N-O-N-S? Cannon Nation and the whole of the Connecticut North Men's Senior Baseball League A Division is anxious to find out. Single-seat tickets for this weekend's games are still available by phone--(800) CANNONS (226-6667)--or e-mail (whcannons.blogspot.com).

Cannons News and Notes: Barsa, Andy Borst, Celio and Poland picked up their first hits in A Division play...Poland was 2-6 in his first action of 2006; with nine more hits Weber will become just the second Cannon to reach the 100-hit plateau (joining Celio)...Luby is third all-time with 84; the team hopes to have Mark Lynch, Jason Maule and Brian Pinney available for Sunday's games against the Nationals; with just nine hits on Sunday the team batting average dipped dangerously close to the Mendoza Line, falling from .211 to .203; the 1-5 start is the worst in the Celio-Weber managerial era and the four-game losing streak is also a club worst over the past three seasons; the Cannons are 0-4 on the road and average only 1 run per game while allowing 4.25...at home the team is 1-1 and plates 4.5 runs per contest while giving up 3.5; on the team's slow start, Borst was quoted as saying, "Better a championship hangover than just a plain old hangover...and I should know;" and speaking of hangovers...on Thursday, June 15 (8:30 p.m.) the Cannons plan to gather at the Pour House on 103 Allyn Street in Hartford (next to the Brickyard/Standing Stone) for $1 bottles, $1 kamikaze shots and one hell of a time. It should be a night to remember for the players and their adoring public; Cannons' great John Mancini's bachelor party is this Friday, June 16 (7:00 p.m.) at Keney Park Golf Course on 280 Tower Avenue in Hartford (food catered by Lena's)...tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at Cannons World Headquarters or at the event.