Reunited and it feels so good
(04/19/08) The Sugar Bears held a "2007 reunion" before today's home game against the Blue Ridge Bombers, as nearly all the members of last year's team came back to the Cereal Bowl to watch the ceremonial hoisting of the franchise's DMBL-record seventh league championship banner. The Sugar Bears return 18 members of last year's team, so every game is pretty much a 2007 reunion. However, they wanted to have a special ceremony today because there are two ex-Sugar Bears on the Bombers (Jim Edmonds and Michael Barrett. There were 34 players, plus the injured Hideki Matsui, who played for last year's team, and all but seven came back for today's ceremony. The players who couldn't make it are all on other teams this year: Joey Gathright and Scot Shields (with Arkansas); Brandon Lyon (with Hoboken); Cla Meredith and Mark Teahen (with Marietta); Jimmy Rollins (with Philly); and Casey Blake (with Tampa Bay). "We might have reunion days the next time we have home games against those teams as well," clubhouse manager Mike Caruso said. As to the game itself, the Sugar Bears walloped Blue Ridge in typical 2007 fashion, winning 15-1.
Sugar Cubed!
(12/30/06) (12/30/06) The Sugar Bears celebrated their third straight World Series victory, and the sixth in their 11-year history. Series MVP Milton Bradley hit .412 (1.503 OPS) with 3 HR, 8 RBI and 18 total bases in the six games against Vancouver; for the post-season, he hit .432 (1.569 OPS) with 6 HRs and 40 total bases. The team now holds the record for most consecutive World Series wins (three), most consecutive World Series appearances (six) and most consecutive division titles (six) -- all records they intend to extend next season!
Feeling Chipper
(2/13/06) Team captain Chipper Jones says the Sugar Bears have just one goal this season: Another ring. "There are no moral victories in this franchise," Chipper says. "If you didn't win it all, you didn't win a thing." If the Sugar Bears measure up to those lofty expectations, they'd be the first team to "three-peat" as well as the first team to go to the Series six years in a row. They'd also set the record for most World Series titles -- six -- despite joining the league five years after the DMBL was founded.
Closed Out
(3/29/05) After winning The Eck in back-to-back seasons, only one person wanted John Smoltz to lose the closer's job: Smoltz himself. The 37-year-old wants to end his career the same way he began it, in the starting rotation. But pitching coach Mike Grace wanted to keep Smoltz in the 'pen -- where he's been the league's top closer for two straight years -- to avoid re-injuring the elbow that cost him the entire 2001 season. Manager Don Mattingly finally settled the debate with a compromise: Smoltz will re-join the rotation next year, but for now will continue working out of the 'pen -- even doing some "long relief" stints to rebuild his stamina. Mattingly says the closing duties will go to committee, with Smoltz, Keith Foulke, Akinori Otsuki, Ron Mahay and even rookie Orber Moreno likely to get some saves. "We have one of the deepest 'pens in the league and we're going to use that to our advantage," Mattingly said. "Saves are overrated anyway."