Hoppers at the Yard tonight.

Well maybe we'll finally get the Railroaders season started tonight and at the Yard in Fulton.  Our ole' rivals the Hoppers will be here, along with a few of their fans too.  I'm expecting a nice crowd of Railroaders supporters to be there as well.  If you can make it, you can listen online thru TeamLine, AND for the first time streaming video over the Internet if you so choose.  Look for you there or here!

Just too much water!

Having made the trip to DC for nice ballgame, I felt an impulse to do whatever I could to help dry the Bombers field after a downpour of rain (which occurred just as I arrived).  But after I mistakenly took what appeared to be barrels of Quick Dry and opened one up, I realized they contained napalm used by the Bombers.  Even at that, I thought the fire might help dry things up, but to no avail.

So both the Railroaders and Bombers have to wait another day before beginning their 2014 season.  The Bombers will head to Owensboro to play the Oilers who are idle tonight.  The Railroaders will now get to start their season at home after all, and against their nemesis Hoptown Hoppers.  Hope the rain doesn't follow me back to Fulton tomorrow.  Now time to find a train heading south.....  

"All Aboard" for 2014 Railroader Baseball

Just a week away before Opening Night at the Yard for the 2014 Season.  Seems like just yesterday the Railroaders ended the 2013 season with a big victory over the Hoppers in Hopkinsville and took the post season championship.  Next Saturday a new set of Hoppers will come Fulton to face a new Railroader roster that looks pretty good on paper.  I'm looking for this years batch of Railroaders to carry on the momentum from 2013 into 2014.

The Railroaders will actually begin their season on the road Friday night going to Dubois County in Indiana to play the Bombers, another tough team.  I'll hop a train to get there in hopes the Boys can start off with a win. The last 3 seasons the Railroaders haven't seen a victory to begin the season.  Regardless the outcome, I know the guys will be finishing the season strong. This year though, we're looking for a stronger start in the standings to go ago with a great finish.  For 4 Years now, the Railroaders have ended the regular season in 2nd place.  In those 4 Post Season playoff series the Railroaders have won 2 championships.  Let's add a Season Pennant to go with a Post Season title in 2014!

On a few notes about the Yard this year.  The Railroaders Owners have made some improvements to help bring a better summer baseball experience to the fans.  I haven't seen the menu this year yet, but there'll be grilling I'm sure.  A new extension to the concession area promises to improve an already great menu selection. I can hardly wait for the smell of food cooking.  And TeamLine will be back for online audio coverage of home games along with added, optional live video streaming from the press box.

Hopefully everyone who is able will get out to the Yard next Saturday to help the Railroaders kick off the OVL season in Fulton.  See you there!

Railroaders Win Post Season Playoffs - Final Season Remarks

Well the Railroaders finish off the 2013 season bringing the Post Season Championship home to Fulton. What better way to end it. The Boys of summer really came through! Up against the wall, down in the series 0-1, then go to Hoptown for back to back wins to take away the Playoff Championship.

To complete the season the Railroaders were 4-1 in post season, 27-17 regular season (17-5 at home and 10-12 away). The best home record since 2010 when Fulton was 21-5 at home.  We saw more homeruns this year than ever with the Railroaders hitting 41, half the total OVL homeruns for the season.

I could go on, but I'll leave that to rest of you to make your comments and observations here. In closing out the season here, I'd like to thank not only the players, coaches and owners for a great year of baseball, but also to all the parents, relatives and fans who listened and commented on Hoghead.  You certainly have added to the excitement of the season. Hope to see many of you next year.

A repeat of Last Year???

The hunt for the OVL Playoff Championship title begins tonight at the Yard.  Just like in the 2012 season the same first and second seeded team, Hoppers and Railroaders, will battle again for bragging rights in the off season. Déjà vu, anyone?

If Railroaders are to take the best of 3 series, they will have to win the final game on the road in Hopkinsville. Tonight though, game one is in the Yard and the Railroaders can help the effort winning at home.  Fulton won the first game at home last year, but dropped the next two in Hoptown.  Time for a change?  Will history repeat itself?

On paper the two teams are appear evenly matched in both season and head-to-head stats.  The only major differences are; the Hoppers steal twice as many bases and the Railroaders have 5 times the number of homeruns on the season.  The Hoppers are 5-4 over the Railroaders in the season series. Reviewing the head-to-head contests; the Hoppers tend to win the close games and the Railroaders have mostly taken games with larger leads.  We'll need all the bats tonight.  One thing is sure, you can't turn your back on the Hoppers only ahead by a couple of runs.  If you do...they'll jumped right over you at the last moment and cross the finish line first.

Both teams play well against each other and the final post season games promise to be exciting ones. The final Home game in Fulton on the year will be tonight, so everyone come on out to support and cheer on the Railroaders. I'm sure the Hoppers will bring plenty of fans with them. This time let's change the outcome and take the championship round.  Fire it UP!

The Cats Are Back

Few people have thought the Bobcats would still be around this far into the Post Season Playoffs, but they are.  They played a great game against the Pirates in Round One to win and go into the Second Round to face the Railroaders. Although the Cats fell hard in Game One last night against the Railroaders, they are still a threat to contend with. They say "a wounded animal is more dangerous" and I believe the Bobcats are just that. The Railroaders shouldn't turn their backs on these guys or they could get mauled.

Fulton was 8-1 against Marion in the regular season.  The Bobcats' team pitching ERA was 6.25 and their pitching staff has suffered greatly with injuries. The weak pitching corp should be an advantage for the power of Railroaders' bats tonight.  But make no mistakes, the Bobcats will not go lightly in the good night. They play for pride now and that is a powerful factor too.

It should be great game tonight at the Yard.  If you're in the area, come on out and watch the action.  Not in the area? We'll be on TeamLine with a webcast of all the plays.  Hope to see you at the Yard or online. Let's Fire it UP again for a win!

Questions on Standings & Weather

The rain has idled the Railroaders for the last 2 days. Although today begins with light showers in the area, the current rain is sliding south and the Yard should be ready for a 5 pm doubleheader start with the Bobcats.  The threat of storms remains in the forecast and we can only hope it continues to move south and the clouds clear for some much needed sun.

The Railroaders are in much need of a win.  The 2nd seed is still undecided with 4 games yet unplayed. One win or one Pirate loss will grantee a tie for second between the two teams.  The Railroaders with would take the tie breaker with a better record against the Pirates in head-to-head play, and Fulton would secure the 2nd seed for Post Season Playoffs.

The Oilers and Bombers aren't through yet either.  In 5th place and only 1 1/2 games in behind the Bombers, The Oilers have 3 games to move up on and overtake Dubois County who have only 2 game remaining. I'm sure the Oilers will be fighting to improve their standing and finish on a positive note.

Over the last two days the weather has prevented 3 games from being played.  The Playoffs are scheduled to begin on Thursday.  What will happen?  Will the standings firm up enough to get started on time with post season play?  How and when will the rained out games be played if needed? Will the weather continue to muddy the picture?  Lots of questions yet to be answered, but we'll know soon.

I think we'll get in a game or two tonight at the Yard with the Bobcats.  Let's just get the win and secure our place for the Playoffs!  Fire it UP!