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.