School of Hard Knocks

Wildcards run over TNT, one win away from clinching President's Trophy.

It's no question that The New Team, better known by the acronym TNT, are learning the ropes of the WSL. On Sunday, the Wildcards showed exactly why TNT has a long way to go as they march towards a third-straight WSL President's Trophy with a dominant 23-3 drubbing.

The Wildcards were airtight in nearly every aspect of the game. Offence was constant, well-spread throughout the abbreviated five inning contest. Defence was, as always, stellar, with the exception of a lazy miscue by self-proclaimed franchise player Travis "The Franchise" Fernando.





Travis Fernando attempts to show style points in missing the "should've-been-game-ending" play. P Reyes bailed him out by retiring the next batter.

He did manage to find humour in the situation afterwards. "You know, people love to hate on me when I screw up. I think they love it because they barely get a chance to do it; I'm near perfect."

And with Sunday evening's crucial contest against The Warriors cancelled with no make-up date, the Wildcards suddenly find themselves in the driver's seat towards the end of the season. A win on Sunday against the Bears will clinch first place, and a third-straight President's Trophy for the Wildcards.

"It'd be an honour, but really I want 16-0." said Bryan "Blue" San Luis. "I know we can do it."

Bryan San Luis awaits a pitch from TNT pitcher Ray Shugar. San Luis finished 1 for 3 on the day.

Unfortunately, the Wildcards will not have the opportunity to go 16-0, given that league commissioner Bill Airt has refused to declare a make-up date for the cancelled game with the Warriors. Whether he is actively attempting to prevent the elusive 16-0 record San Luis mentioned is unknown.

"Well, undefeated is fine by me."

Despite skipping a date with their biggest threat this season, the Wildcards were surprisingly disappointed to be missing the 8:30pm game.

"Man, I'm kind of disappointed." said Brynn "Sinbad" Sinclair. "I was ready to go for this one, and I'm sure the rest of the team were as well."

Brynn Sinclair refused to move from his position even after league commissioner Bill Airt cancelled the game. Sinclair had to be removed from the premises by security.

Wildcards rookie Stella "Yikes" Lee, who finished the day 1 for 3 - including a bases loaded single in the 4th - also noted disappointment. , stating she was anxious to put a face to "this team that everyone talks about."

"I don't know, I'm new to this league so they remain a mystery to me. But I guess we'll see them in two weeks time."

The New Divide

Wildcards look ahead to Sunday's crucial double-header, divided by long layoff.


This coming Sunday is a date that the Wildcards have had circled on their calenders since the season schedule was released.

Well into the second-half of the season, the Wildcards will return home to host their most dangerous threat this season, the TD Waterhouse Warriors.

The Wildcards have done well against the Warriors over the past two seasons, posting a 3-1 regular season record. Long-time Wildcard Ada "B.Kiddo" Wong, speaking after a rehabilitation assignment following season-ending surgery, believes the team has a tendency to psyche themselves up for the Warriors.

"Certainly they're a team to be reckoned with. Overall they have outstanding power hitters, and a reasonably good defence. We may not have their physical presence but we definitely hang tough against them, and this always gives us a chance to win."

And win they have, three in a row following a season-opening loss two years ago. That they've strung together three wins in a row against the oft-feared team shows where the two stand with respect to one another, according to Steve "Chokolate" Saks.

"They haven't been able to beat us in a year and a half or so. They're a good team, but we're better, no question."

With a slim one-game lead, the 'Cards are hoping to further widen the divide between the two teams. Accomplishing this may prove to be a challenge, as they will first do battle with upstart TNT at 5:00pm. While the first-place team is accustomed to double-headers, what is different is a New Divide; their date with the second-place Warriors will take place following a two-hour layoff after they play TNT.







The Wildcards will have to take a page out of Brian "Sixty" Chan's "First Pitch" book, and do some waiting around this Sunday.







The pilot project is a new initiative designed by the league office to increase the number of early start times. League officials claim that early day games typically have higher attendance, and the Wildcards were a natural choice for the project given that the team is far ahead of any other in terms of popularity, ticket sales, and merchandising. The selection of the Wildcards for the project has only served to increase the popularity of the notion of Foddergate, that the commissioner has it in for the team. Accusors believe that the long, two-hour layoff will only increase fatigue, and lull the team into complacency before they take the field against a team of well-rested Warriors.

"Any sort of favouritism that serves as a benefit or a detriment to a team is simply non-existent in the Willowdale Softball League." said commissioner Airt when contacted regarding the accusations. "A lottery selection process was employed in which the Wildcards were randomly selected. I respect the Wildcards, they're a great team, and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours, softball or otherwise"

While most believe the New Divide will have a detrimental effect on the Wildcards, OF Brian "Sixty" Chan believes the team will benefit from the break.

"The break is a good sign, better than playing back to back. The team should be refreshed and loose, provided we get out of the heat and refresh ourselves."

If all goes well, the New Divide may help the 'Cards widen the divide between first and second.

Road Warriors

Two games, two locations, two victories.


Despite undpredictable wind gusts, a brutal east-west travelling schedule, and the threat of torrential downpour, the Wildcards managed on Sunday to do what they've done consistently for the past few seasons: find a way to win.

Game 1 of the double-header saw the 'Cards visit East Hendon to take on long-time competitive rivals the Down Home Blues. With the early start and several Blues players out of the lineup, the 'Cards looked to put the game well out of reach early on.


And yet, after four innings, the visitors found themselves hanging on to a two run lead, far less than what they had originally planned for. Wildcards captain Arn "Voodoo" Redoblado was not surprised that their opponents managed to stay close.


"We (Blues and 'Cards) have always had a very spirited rivalry of sorts. That rivalry brings out the best in both teams. They didn't have all of their key players but their active players stepped up."


Also unsurprisingly was that the 'Cards woke up after realizing there was a serious threat to their slim lead. Rookie 3B Lindsay "Chocko" Siurna had three hits on the day, which the team needed to spark its fizzling offence.


"I felt good out there today." Siurna noted in the post-game conference. "I was seeing the ball really well, and I was glad I got to contribute to the team."

Despite a comeback attempt on the part of the Blues, the Wildcards continued their dominance enroute to a 12-4 victory.

The Wildcards had little time to celebrate, as they quickly travelled to Hendon West to face the team that defeated them in their first ever game, Who's Up. The game was also a homecoming of sorts for 3B Steve "Chokolate" Saks, who was originally drafted by Who's Up before signing with the Wildcards.

"For sure, it was emotional for me. But the team kept things lighthearted in the dugout and I was able to focus on getting the job done."

Who's Up has been a favoured opponent of the Wildcards as of late. It was Who's Up that defeated the 'Cards, 19-10 in the team's inaugural game, and it is Bill "Young Gun" Airt, team captain of Who's Up, who the 'Cards have shared a shaky, trustless relationship with over the years. The infamous Mound Distance scandal of 2005 and the suspected supplying of loaded bats to Wildcards opponents in 2006 have led to speculation that Airt has tried to sabotage the 'Cards into league fodder, a speculation commonly referred to as Foddergate.

"Certainly we've had our differences through the years." noted Airt moments before taking the field. "I highly respect them, they're a great team and I wish them all the best in their future endevaours, softball and otherwise."




Fatigue was clearly taking its toll on the team, as they struggled early on. Fortunately for the 'Cards, their opponents committed a number of fielding errors, and the visitors were more than happy to capitalize. On the strength of timely hits and smart baserunning, the Wildcards managed to defeat Who's Up by a score of 19-10, the same score they lost by in their inaugural game.









Notes: next week will see the Wildcards participate in an unorthodox double header, facing TNT at 5:00pm and the TD Waterhouse Warriors at 8:30pm. The Wildcards were selected by league commissioner Bill Airt to partake in the unique pilot project.

Wildcards Survive Late Blues Charge

Strong 9th inning rally falls short as Wildcards sweep season series.

It could have been a turn for the worse in an otherwise great season. Towards the end of last night's 11-10 triumph over the Down Home Blues, shadows of the second season began to emerge: late inning rallies, an inability to close out oppositions' innings, and a near-complete implosion.

But in the end, the Wildcards found a way to pull it all together, and ended up escaping Blues Field with the win.

Though all players were relieved to have secured the win, the experience took its toll on many players, including starting, and eventual winning pitcher, Ice ?ueen Reyes. After acknowledging the emotional roller-coaster, she was quick to point out that she never lost faith in her team's defence.

"It happened so quickly and was pretty unexpected. It got pretty damn stressful on the mound, though there's very little doubt when it comes to our defence. Our defensive strategies bring up my confidence and put me at ease."

Just like their previous too-close-for-comfort victory against the Colts, players stepped up. This time around, it was SS Sinbad Sinclair, 2-for-3 including an RBI, who brought his A game and seemed to be involved in nearly every big defensive play.






Sinbad Sinclair, seen here taking in the game from the Wildcards dugout, played a big part in the Wildcards victory.





"I feel my hitting's starting to come around. No more dribblers for me." he joked after the game, referring to a soft single he hit earlier in the year - one that he has acknowledged a humourous embarassment over. Certainly no dribblers this time around; he came within mere feet of clearing the fence for a homerun in the top of the 7th inning, an eventual double that scored OF Sixty Chan.

As strong as he was with the bat, he was equally impressive - possibly more so - with his defence. He had every single put-out in the 3rd inning, including one play where he, after making a terrific stab at a solid ground, tumbled, recovered and made the play from his back. In the sixth inning, he also doubled off a Blues runner caught sleeping. After a liner came towards him, Sinclair looked to first and saw the runner well off the bag. He fired a laser to first to double off the runner and end the inning. Ever the humble player, Sinclair was quick to give credit to his teammates on both plays.

"I took a tumble and thought I may have time to make a play. Geebs (Chang) must've been thinking the same because she got to the base quickly, so I had the chance to make the play." "(After the liner) I just took a look around and he (the runner) was sort of nonchalant about getting back to the base. Hollywood (Fernando) saw it too, and set himself at first nicely."







In addition to her defensive work, Geebs Chang contributed offensively, going 1-for-3 at the plate.




Though she was candid earlier in discussing the Blues' 9th-inning rally, Ice ?ueen Reyes chose to use few words to sum up this win.

"Three words: un-effing-defeated."


NOTES: The Wildcards surrendered just their second mercy inning of the season. El Saviour Bulos pitched two shutout innings for his sixth save of the year. OF r3z Salehoun returned after missing one game with a sore back. The Wildcards return home to host the Paddington Bears after the upcoming bye week.

Bidding War for Saks' Services

Stardom breeds interest, and Saks has garnered both.

The off-season acquisition of Chokolate Saks was a surprise, and yet, expected at the same time. After a second D Cup finish, Wildcards management openly spoke of their desire to acquire a big bat. That they were able to lure that of Steven "Chokolate" Saks, who had found substantial success with Who's Up, certainly raised eyebrows.

This time, it looks as if Saks, through no direct effort of his own, is raising eyebrows again.

Sources close to Wildcards management, speaking with reporters on the condition of anonymity, have indicated that they have received considerable offers for the services of their all-star third baseman.

Unconfirmed reports have cited the TD Waterhouse Warriors as the front-runners in the Saks sweepstakes. They are rumoured to be offering a package deal including two "notable players" and a 1st-round draftpick in exchange for Chokolate Saks and Hollywood Fernando.


Chokolate Saks may be calling his shots with the Warriors by the end of the season.

A source close to the negotiations reports that the trade was all but a done deal when a second suitor for Chokolate Saks came in - the Colts. Colts management reportedly offered a package deal of Meat and Ichibro along with 1st and 2nd-round draftpicks for the same package of Saks and Hollywood Fernando. With the price raised considerably, the Warriors had no choice but to sweeten their offer, supplementing their earlier proposal with a 2nd-round draft choice, cash considerations, and - this being Chokolate Saks' contract year - a considerable raise from his current contract of one pint per homerun: one pitcher per homerun.


If the Warriors have their way, Hollywood Fernando may be flying to his new home at TD Waterhouse West Field very soon.

Considering the circumstances of league standings and the Wildcards payroll position, the deal makes sense for all parties involved. Both suitors - the Warriors and Colts - are chasing the Wildcards for first place and are unlikely to catch them without a serious enhancement to their lineup. The Wildcards are near their payroll-cap, and thus, may not be able to sign Saks to a long-term deal by season's end, as he is surely due for a raise.

With an 8-0-1 record and only five games to go before playoffs, the Wildcards likely have enough space, and talent, to win a sufficient amount of games to stave off any end-of-the-season charges at first place that both teams will likely make.

When asked of such offers, Wildcards management offered the following statement:

"It is in Wildcards policy not to speculate on any unconfirmed rumours or reports. As the source is unknown, and therefore, not credible, we will treat this report as such. We value the interest of the media and of our fans in the team, and hope they continue to support the Wildcards as we move forward this season."

Savvy reporters, such as yours truly, have circumvented this attempt at hype diffusion by speaking with Chokolate Saks' agent, Mark Lukowitz.

"Yes, I can confirm that there has been considerable offers tendered to the Wildcards for the acquisition of my client, Mr. Saks, and his teammate, Mr. Al Fernando. Speaking on behalf of Mr. Saks, I assure Wildcards fans that these negotiations will have no detrimental effect on his focus and/or performance on any games he may have remaining with the team. He would like to assure his fans that as long as he is a Wildcard, he is dedicated to the team - for however long that may be."

Wildcards Dig Deep to Remain Undefeated

Last inning heroics come through again against the Colts, followed by a dominant performance against Dem Bums.

Another double header, another pair of teams fallen by the wayside.

The Wildcards capped off Week 7's double header by flexing their devastating offensive power against Dem Bums with a 26-10 victory. The run disparity was so large, in fact, that Bums players began accusing the Wildcards of showing unsportsmanlike behaviour in running up the score.

"They were up by a ton of runs, and yet they ran the bases aggressively and continually pounded the ball." said a Bums player, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The game was out of reach at that point; it was unnecessary."






Ice ?ueen Reyes walks back to the dugout after scoring on Chokolate Saks' RBI-triple, further raising the ire of unidentified Bums players.






When asked if the 'Cards were in fact trying to embarass the Bums in front of their hometown fans, 3B Chokolate Saks was quick with the rebuttal. "No way, we don't play like that, man. We're in a tight race with the Colts and the Warriors for first place overall. If in the end there are identical records between the three of us, what's the tie breaker? Run differentials - it's going to separate first place and second place...and we have no intention of being second place." When pressed for further comment, Saks refused.







Chokolate Saks refused to speak further on the "running the score" issue against Dem Bums.







Captain OF Voodoo Redoblado reassured everyone that there was no animosity. "I spoke with certain players after the game; they didn't feel that way at all. I think it was just a select few."

But just like their last double-header, the real story of the day was the match against Colts. And like their last victory, the Wildcards needed 11th hour heroics to secure the 13-11 victory on enemy territory. In the previous matchup, it was Franchise Fernando hitting a walk-off RBI double to score r3z Salehoun.

This time around, it was El Saviour Bulos with the game-winning RBI - though he did get a lot of help. With two outs in the top of the 9th, nobody on base, and the Colts' bats looming, R Bubba Nisperos hit a big single through the gap between SS and 3B to keep the inning alive. And then the captains came up.

Bubba Nisperos, seen here batting against Dem Bums, was clutch against the Colts; she played a large role in the 9th inning heroics that won the game, scoring the game-winning run.

El Saviour Bulos described his thought process at the plate during that crucial moment. "When Bubba hit that single, I got pumped. She gave us a chance to win, and all I thought was 'Don't (expletive) up, otherwise her single is all for naught.' I was looking to hit a line drive that they may have trouble fielding."

That's exactly what he did. With the count 1-1, Bulos jumped all over an outside pitch that caught too much plate, driving it hard to the right-centre gap. The hit found its way through an outfield playing a four-across umbrella, allowing Nisperos to score from first, and giving Bulos what would go on to be a game-winning RBI triple. But they weren't done there.

"I felt slightly better when he (Bulos) got the hit, but I knew we needed the insurance run." said captain OF Voodoo Redoblado. "They had good bats coming up, and although I have faith in our defence, we needed as many runs as we could get." He would go on to hit an RBI-double that gave the 'Cards a little bit of breathing room.

With a two-run lead, and a full game against Dem Bums on the horizon, starting pitcher Ice ?ueen Reyes wisely decided to conserve her energy for the long haul, handing the ball over to El Saviour Bulos in the bottom of the 9th against the heart of the Colts' batting order - including Meat and Ichiro. With the help of their trademark shutdown D, Bulos pitched his best save performance of the season; a 1-2-3 9th inning for his fifth save of the year.







El Saviour was lights-out in the clutch, shutting down Meat and Ichiro in the 9th to secure the win.







Of particular interest was the circumstances under which the win was achieved. Midway through game one, CF r3z Salehoun suffered an unidentified injury, severely restricting his mobility. However, with 1B/OF Nocks Sunga, and OF Sixty Chan late scratches, the 'Cards simply did not have enough players to replace him, and he hung tough in his position.

"We're winning right now, and I didn't want to take myself out of that game." Salehoun said after the double-header. "Even if I couldn't field like I normally could, I just wanted to stay in there and help in any way." Again, the 9th inning heroes - Bubba Nisperos, Voodoo Redoblado, and El Saviour Bulos - came through, holding the outfield fort despite the situation.

NOTES: r3z Salehoun is questionable for next Sunday with an upper body injury. Chokolate Saks hit the first-ever over-the-fence HR in Wildcards history against Dem Bums. Nocks Sunga and Sixty Chan played the second game of the double header, each hitting multiple hits. The Wildcards end a three-game road trip this Sunday against the Down Home Blues.