The Howe Sound Cannons baseball team is winding up to blast through the season in hopes of securing their fourth North Shore Men's Baseball Association (NSMBA) league championship.
The Cannons played a couple of season opener games on Saturday (May 1) resulting in two decisive victories of 9-0 and 23-10 against the Nanaimo Pirates at Parkgate North diamond.
Despite the double digit scores of the second game, Cannons pitcher Jeremy Galley said he was thankful the mercy rule kicked in after five innings.
"It was a long boring game. The other team's pitcher couldn't throw strikes so we took a lot of walks."
The Pirates too had a tough time finding the strike zone throughout the two and a half hour game. Despite the wins, Cannon team manager and outfielder David Jones laughingly said the games were "a disgrace to baseball."
"It was terrible baseball. We didn't play exceptionally but the other team didn't either. Spring training started on April 30 and opening day was May 1," he chuckled.
Regardless of the rocky start, Jones anticipates a great run for the Cannons in the 2010 season.
"We came off the best season in our history and we're in the middle of what is a great run in this league. We're looking for our fourth straight championship which hasn't happened in this league ever."
Having the same core group of players, like long time pitcher Galley and heavy hitter Troy Morphy, are key to the team's success but so are talented new players.
"God opened up the heavens and sent us a former college pitcher, John Stewart and he comes with his own catcher, Brent Dunsford," said Jones.
A young buck by the name of Josh Parra will add some speed to the team because, according to Jones, "he runs like a deer."
In Jones's eyes the Cannons are a collection of 15 Most Valuable Players.
"Well 14, really," he said, humbly discounting himself as a MVP player.
Jones said every team has their good days and they're bad days but ultimately the Cannons enjoy playing a fun, competitive ballgame.
All of the teams in the NSMBA are skilled enough, that any team could take the cup he said, but he quickly added the Cannons are a tough team to beat when they bring their A game to the diamond.
Catch the Howe Sound Cannons fire off a game against the NSMBA A's on Saturday (May 8) at Laroy Watt Stadium adjacent to Brennan Park recreation centre at noon and at 3 p.m.
The team will travel to Victoria over the May long weekend to defend their title as defending champions - or as Jones calls it "surprise defending champions" - of the Doug Conn Memorial Tournament.
The team played the tourney for a lark last year, and ended up with a first place finish.
Anyone interesting in playing with the Howe Sound Cannons or interested in sponsoring the team can contact the team by visiting www.ballcharts.com/teams/index.php?team=hscannons.
