The Season Ends Quietly

Well it's not what we'd hoped for, but still a great summer of baseball at the Yard. Including our one Playoff game at home, the Railroaders were 21-6 at Home, so the fans got to be a part of some great victories in 2010. We took it down to wire in the Regular Season, forcing a tie breaking game with Pirates. There were, more than I can recall, many "come from behind" wins in the last inning of games. Great base running and lots of stolen bases. Even a few "blow outs" in our favor.

I for one enjoyed the season and want to thank all the Players, Coaches, Owners and Fans for helping make this another winning season for Fulton. I wish all the players the best of luck in their careers goals, and hope to see a few back next year!

If you'd like to post your thoughts, use the comments below.

Time to win at Home

We've been down below and picked ourselves up, and there's no better time than now to do it again. It's time to reached deep, pull out these next 2 playoff games and get back into the Playoff winning picture. The one run losses hurt, but I know you can turn it around. Just a few more days and the season will be completely over, let's end it on a high note!

Oh Nooooooo!

We got there first but couldn't stop the Pirates from derailing us at the very end. Still, all and all a great game. It's really not that big of a mess and we'll have it cleaned up and ready to roll before the first Post Season Playoff game. We'll be in Owensboro on time Wednesday and begin the run again for the second title. I have feeling we'll get another crack at the Bucs in the near future.

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I must say, Cody Gibson did a fine job on the mound for 9 innings, even if he did leave the game tied. It took the Pirates throwing 4 pitchers at us to hold us up from scoring. Gibson hung in there a long time and I applaud the effort.

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Now on to post season play. It would have been nice to have had a chance to win the Playoffs at home, but you know, it may be even sweeter to do it in Tradewater!

Another shot at it

We're on a recon mission and things are going

to be different this time around!

More Baseball to play

After 5 games in 3 days, we ran the train hard, blew a few leaks in the engine, loss pressure and couldn't get across the finish line early liked we wanted. No time to fret about it though, let's get it fixed and get rollin' again. Two more games to win for the season crown and I know it can be done. It's a little extra work, so what?. Our guys are up to the task, and they have more than enough talent and soul to get the job done. It will just make the victory taste that much sweeter.

Let's hit the road again and take two games for the title. Remember, it's not over yet! Our road record has improved over the last weeks and I like our chances. Time to get up and GO!

Down to the Wire

We're in for some exciting baseball as the regular season is about to close out this weekend. The Railroaders find themselves a half game back of the Pirates and their fate in their own hands. The doubleheader sweep of the Bobcats on Friday was just the beginning of the final stretch drive to win the season title. We have to face off with the Cats again today in a doubleheader which could put us ahead of the Pirates by a half game.

The Pirates play a doubleheader with the Middle TN Cougars today, in games that will not count towards a season title. Only games with KIT teams count toward final season standings and post season playoff positions.

Sunday's game with the Pirates will be an important one! There are 5 possible scenarios:

1) If we sweep the Bobcats today and win in Tradewater tomorrow, the title is ours.

2) Lose one today and win against the Pirates on Sunday would give us half game lead and force a game on Monday against the Oilers in Owensboro (a PPD game makeup). A Monday win would then tie Fulton & Tradewater (don't know what that would create).

3) If the Bobcats take both games today and we beat the Pirates tomorrow, a Monday win would also tie us with the Pirates for the title.

4) A sweep of the Bobcats and a loss to the Pirates would force a Monday game to play for a title tie.

5) Lose one today and a loss to the Pirates on Sunday would give the title to Tradewater.

So let's start it today with another double win over the Bobcats. We'll need all the fans out to cheer the Railroaders on. The guys are fired up and are finishing season strong. The road record has improved to .500 and our chances look good to take all the marbles.

Crunch Time

With the Browns putting down the Pirates on Wednesday 12-5, we find ourselves tied with Tradewater in the overall season standings. For Playoff seeding (based on Kitty League games only), the Railroaders are 0.5 games behind the Bucs. With 5 (maybe 6) games left, every game counts now. Thursday's another day off to rest, and rest is what we'll need as the weekend approaches. Friday a doubleheader with the Bobcats in Marion, and Saturday another doubleheader with the cats in Fulton. And then there's Sunday's single game in Tradewater and it could be a really big one depending how the teams do before the day arrives. The Railroaders may have to play on Monday in Owensboro if a decision in the standings is at steak.

The Bobcats are playing tough and will want to spoil our push for the Season title, while trying to better their Playoff position in Kitty League only standings. They want the 3rd spot from the Oilers. We are in control, so let's make the most of it as we push towards the #1 spot for 2010!

Final week regular season view

With the regular season in its final week, the Railroaders have a good chance to take first place in the standings. The post season playoffs will begin on Tuesday, July 27, and the #1 seed is up for grabs. Consider Fulton's position as stated on the Marion Bobcats' website,

". . . Fulton is 20-11 in KIT League play with eight games left against league opponents, including one with Tradewater and four with Marion. Tradewater is 24-12 in the circuit with only four KIT League games left, putting their magic number at 6 to clinch first place.

The Railroaders, however, control their own destiny. Even if the Pirates win their last four league contests, they are not guaranteed a first-place finish. Fulton would have to lose at least two of its remaining eight games to ensure the Pirates a regular season crown.

Owensboro also has an outside chance at first place, but must win all of its remaining nine games and hope for the Pirates to win no more than one of their remaining four games.

For Marion, a first-place finish is out of reach, but the Bobcats can still hope for a second-place finish. However, they must also win outright and hope for no more than one Fulton victory. To achieve third place, Marion is only 3.5 games behind Owensboro with three head-to-head match-ups with the Oilers remaining."

Pretty good words for the Railroaders to consider as they head into a busy week of baseball. Tonight, Monday, we have the Oilers in town and then on the road through Friday. Saturday a big final home season doubleheader with the Bobcats. Let all get out to the Yard and cheer the team on.

Now's the time to strike

While it may have rained us out on Friday night, the Pirates did play in Tradewater and dropped their second straight game with the Oilers. The Railroaders are now only 2 games behind the league leaders, and here they come to Fulton today for a doubleheader! The math seems simple and with the last full week of the regular season upon us it's time to strike. The Pirates are just where we want them. They have struggled of late and the Roaders are getting hotter. Let's all head to the Yard today at 5 p.m. to get the train rollin' early. A big double win today, and we're neck and neck with the Bucs. The weather should be fine, the food smelling good and some exciting baseball to watch.

A Man in the Moment

What a great performance by the Railroaders last night against the Oilers, particularly Mitch McClay! After dropping his batting average to .267 over the last week, in a single game he brought it back up to .310. McClay came back big going 5 for 6 consisting of 3 singles, 1 double and a 2 out walk-off 2 RBI homerun in the 10th to win the game. While he only stole 1 or 7 bases for the Railroaders on the night, Mitch's steal was the starter for a double steal in which Joe Pudlo on 3rd base took home. McClay certainly has a game to remember as his play became the decisive factor against the Oilers.

The entire team should be proud their performance as a team last night. There down moments, but that didn't stop them from making the highs points. Defense when we needed it, come back pitching, great base running and stealing, and clutch hits were all a part of a good night of baseball at the yard. Let's work hard and take this game play on the road in the second half of the season and great things will happen!

Again, thanks for the thrills!

Road Record Woes

Our away games’ standing is 2 wins and 7 losses. “What’s with that!” We have a home record of 12 and 4, a .750 average, while on the road we are .222. Someone needs to figure out what’s making our players so much less effective on the road. Could it be bus? If so, I have custom luxury Thompson bus ready to roll for hire. If includes everything a good baseball team needs. There’s even a hot tub (girls not included) for the after game aches and pains. From Internet access to a custom body job, what more could you ask for? Oh yea, a WIN on the road!

Pirates are Humans too

As mid season approaches, the standings appear to be tightening up somewhat. The Railroaders benefited a half game in the rankings from a record breaking defeat of the Pirates at the hands of the Bobcats, 20-7, Wow! So there's nothing superhuman about the Bucs and they have loss 4 of their last 6 games. But mind you, they are still a good team, no doubt. The tide could be changing though as the lower half teams are starting to play some better ball. That means we are going to have to push the engine even harder to take the season.

The last place Browns have improved of late, winning 4 of their last 7. For the most part, they are keeping the games close, and I think they are the wild card in the league. They've had their woes, but make no mistake about it, they're getting tougher every game they play. Let's not take them lightly on Wednesday.

The Oilers have taken 4 wins out of their last 6, including 2 of 3 over the Pirates. They are in 3rd place at this posting and only 2 games behind the Railroaders. They have played the fewest games in the league thus far, several PPD games to make up, but they are playing solid baseball and will be a force to reckon with.

The Bobcats are only a half game behind the Oilers. They, too, are playing improved ball. As with the Oilers, the Cats have taken 4 of their last 6 games and beat the Pirates 2 or 3. They are done with Bucs yet either, Tradewater must face the Bobcats 4 more games in a row starting tonight.

As for the Railroaders, we're in good position to make a move. The players have will have had 8 days rest out of the last 12 days before Wednesday's doubleheader with the Browns. Let's make sure there's no rust on board the engine and everything is greased for action. In the last 12 days, we are 3 or 6 games played, and we need to improve on that. Time to get down to work and win, Baby, win!

The Nashville Panthers?

Our first inter-league match-up of the season is a doubleheader tomorrow with the Nashville Panthers, from the upstart Tennessee Summer Collegiate Baseball Association (TSCBA for short). And just who are these Cats? Are they just another breed of feline niggling into our Yard?

With a look on the TSCBA website we can see that the Panthers have the best record in their league at 10-5. They have a team batting average of .275, (the Railroaders average is.255), with 7 players batting over .300. Of the 115 hits total, 20 are for extra bases and there are no homeruns on the year (we have 11 after our last game). For Panthers, they seem a bit slow with only 16 stolen bases in their 15 games played. Our train has 44 in 18 games total. They have scored 52 runs averaging 3.5 per game, and the Railroader total 106 averaging 5.8 per game.

On the pitching front, the Panthers team ERA is 2.73 from a core of 11 pitchers. We’re weaker in this area with a team ERA of 4.16. So combine that with the Panthers better batting average, and we’d better be on our toes with defense! And speaking of Errors, the Panthers have 21 in the 15 games; while in our 18 games we have 37. We’ve done better over the last 3 games with only 3 errors but still, any error is one too many. With the Panthers, it could kill us!

It seems to me that the key to winning these games will be Defense. The bats seem hot and we have the speed to get it done on the bases. The Panthers have 4-1 record against other Kitty League teams this year, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Pirates. Let's give them a double-defeat tomorrow!

What’s wrong with the Railroaders?

You think it’s about time we take a look at record and numbers? The Railroaders current record is 9-8. In first 9 games, the guys won 7 and lost 2. Since then, the record shows only 2 wins and 6 losses. Is it the heat? The “at Home” record is pretty good at 7 wins, 3 losses while the “on the Road” not so good, 3-5. Are the Pirates really that good? Our record so far with them is 1 win, 4 lost. They have beat up on the other team too, but so have we. Tradewater has handed us half our losses. I know we’re better than that and I know we can turn it around. Let’s get a grip on things and start winning. We don’t face the Pirates again until July 17th in Fulton, and only face them 3 more times total. We may still be in 2nd place in the standings, but we’re 5 games behind Tradewater. Let’s get the steam pressure up and get this train rolling! The quality of our players and coaches are better than the record reflects. Let’s begin tonight at the Yard and put away the Bobcats, then repeat the same this Saturday when the Nashville Panthers come into town. The Panthers are the best of the TSCBA with a record of 10-4. The next 3 games we play are at Home, let make them all WINS!

Stolen Bases and Hits abound

What a show in Farmington on Wednesday. The train ride was certainly work it. The Railroaders are hitting all around and running the bases just the way I like it. It's so inspiring I'm going to work harder than even to be ready if I'm ever called up from under grandstand. Watching these guys play just make you want to out and get dirty. They are really getting ready for Pirates on Friday and Saturday, but first the Browns will follow us home for a Thursday night meeting at the Yard. I'd better get started back to be there in time. I have enjoyed the great chow they have in Farmington, but I sure miss the food at the Yard. I hope everyone will come out and cheer on the Railroaders as they really poor on the power. See you at the game!

Hobo Hoghead

I decided to hop a train and head to the farthest point north in Kitty League territory where the Browns reside. I made short time of it with only having to catch 3 trains and taking only 15 hours. Barely enough time for me to enjoy the trip and great leftovers I obtained from Tuesday night’s game in Fulton. What a game, huh? The boys are really at it now and I’m looking forward to seeing more, starting with Farmington. Did you know the Railroaders, after 7 games, have stolen 22 bases total? The entire league total is 54 and our guys have almost half of them! I enjoy aggressive base running as much as I do catching trains.

The 1-4 upstart Browns are behind everyone in the standings, but we all know that could change quickly. Wednesday night is the franchise Home opener in Farmington. I’m sure they’ll play their hearts out for a win. I’m looking for the Railroaders to have a different plan. Tomorrow, Thursday, the guys will return to Fulton and play the Browns a second game in the Yard. I’ll have to catch the midnight express to make in back down in time. But even if I have to walk, I’ll be there for some big weekend action.

The Railroaders are in the early season lead along with Pirates, but we have a couple of more games under out belts that they do. We're at 5-2 while they stand 4-1. On Friday, we’ll begin a 3 game series with the Pirates, one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday. This will be some good baseball playing between the current top 2 teams. The Railroaders have already face Pirates once this season, and they handed our first loss. I have feeling the outcome may be different after the two meet again the week’s end.

Well, I’ve got a couple miles to go before I reach Wilson-Rozier Park. No track or train from here on, so off on foot I go. If I start now, I may even beat the Railroaders bus. Hope the leftovers with are as good as they are at the Yard. If not, I brought plenty with me.

Let’s stop the leak!

We should be warmed up now after 3 games and ready to go. So it’s a good time to get down to work and put a halt to the losses. We can start by stopping this Oilers’ leak. This early in season, our 2 defeats can easily be overcome. Both the losses were only by 1 run. We ought to have no problem getting this thing plugged and get back to business. A sweep of today’s doubleheader with Owensboro will put us back in on top and out of the murky water. Let’s go guys and get the job done right! We don't want the Oilers' crude all over the Yard! This stuff will just make the garbage taste bad.

What a Game!

The opening night's game with the Oilers was like the pre-game rain showers, on and off. But in the end, all was well. While players saved the field for play earlier in the day, they also saved the game in the 7th inning scoring 8 runs to overcome an 8 to 3 Oilers' lead. Both teams seem to struggle at times, with 3 errors each, 18 walks total, 3 hit batters, and 20 men left on base. The Railroaders were rustle first falling behind after the first inning 6-0, Oilers adding 2 more in the 3rd before the Railroaders finally started to get thing together in the bottom of 3rd with 3 runs. The guys looked better after that and then the Oilers began to be plagued with the bug-a-boos. It brought a warm feeling to my baseball heart when our guys ran up 8 runs in the 7th. The Oilers tried to come back in the 9th, but came up short one run with the final 11-10 in Fulton's favor.

Time to hit the road to face the Pirates in Tradewater. I'm sure they're waiting for us with bad breath. Only 1 game with Bucs on Thursday, the a game with Oilers again in Owensboro on Friday. AND Saturday we're back home for a doubleheader with the Oilers again, first game at 5 pm. Should make for an interesting weekend. Let's shake off the opening jitters and get this train rolling.

One more thing, the food a the Yard was great! With people jumping around during the game, there was plenty of dropping to be had. Thanks for Railroaders!

Ready To Go!

It's the day before opening night at the Yard and the players are hard at it getting ready for the first game against the Owensboro Oilers. Now that I'm back in the groove, Boilerstoker and I are hard at it helping the guys out on the field. The ground crew sure has it looking good! I can smell the food cooking too, I can hardly wait to take out the garbage.

This years group of Railroaders are really something to watch. While waiting for my next task on the field, we watched a little batting practice. Wow! These guys are hot, and just not from the weather. Keep you eye out on Ryan Conner, this guy can put it over the scoreboard. I know I like what I see, and I believe this could be the best assembly of players we've ever had. All the Railroader teams of past have been good, but these guys are really focused, even in practice. They've only been together a couple days, and already they appear to be well form group ready to take on anyone. I can hardly wait for tomorrow night. Hope to see everyone at the Yard!

I Have Returned

I'm back and ready for baseball. During the off season I thought I'd give myself break by working on the Orient Express as a waiter in the dinning car. I meet many interesting people during my time and ready considered taking on the job permanently, but Boilerstokers call and said I've better return before the first game of 2010. So, I my said farewells to all my favorite customers and hitched a ride back to States aboard the Slow Boat to China.

After arriving home, I discover that many changes in the League have taken place. Only 5 teams this year and some inter-league play to occur with a league group from the Nashville area. Sounds good to me, the Railroaders can hold their own against anyone from any where. I also see that Farmington as a new team, the Browns! My, my, it just keeps getting better and better.

The Railroader roster of players look very good too. My independent research show we can look forward to great pitching and offense. Only a few days left until the opening season game at home with the ole' Oilers. I can hardly wait to get the Yard and enjoy all the action and FOOD! See you at the ballpark.

Small World! -baseball 2-20-10

Hey Hoghead -I bet you are enjoying the offseason in some exotic place ,I been stuck in all this snow and had to head south this weekend-got as far a Jackson Tenn and found some Baseball games ,course had to sneak in and look what I found Former Railroader coaches and players! What a small world! I could not believe it.

Pictured left to right--Ace Williams,former Railroader and present assistant @Harris Stowe

David Estes-former Railroader assistant coach and Head Coach,Present Head coach @Harris Stowe.

Terry Davis- former Railroader Head Coach, Present St Catherine assistant,and Head JV coach

Bryan Allen- former Railroader assistant and present St. Catherine assistant

Philip Dean-2009 Railroader,Alan Stoupa-2009 Railroader Justin Witt-2009 Railroader

and all starting Seniors @ St Catherine! Awsome to see all these guys agin they will always be Railroaders!! Also checked out 4 future Railroaders playing for Freed- Hardeman under former Greyhound coach Johnathon Estes. Great day for baseball and old friends!