Ass famed college football announcer Keith Jackson used to say "it's gonna be a dandy"!   After losing the first half to the dreaded King’s Park construction project the fellas are itching to check out the new digs. The following is a team by team analysis of what we can expect from the upcoming season….

 

Brew House- last year was a bit of a disappointment for the Brew Crew as they never found the grove they had after winning the 2007 championship. The 2009 addition will have the usual loaded lineup under the new leadership of coach Tony Bego, but the big question for this team will be pitching. After the retirement of Ronnie Moss the Brew Crew opted not to pick up a free agent pitcher and thus loosen up a line up spot for another big bat. A bit of a gamble but as coach Bego says “we have a lot of guys on this team that have been here for a while and our first priority was to be loyal to them.” Daren “Boom Boom” Plested and Chris Angelosante will fight it out for the pitcher’s spot. Should one of these two figure out the intricacies of the mound the Brew Crew will be very difficult to beat!

 

Keep an eye on- Chris Neinhuis. A talented fielder with pop in his bat he never could find consistency last year. With a year under his belt he could make the jump.

 

On the hot seat- GM Flynn. Replacing a legend like Moss ain’t easy but replacing him with an untested pitcher is questionable. If it works he’s a genius, if it doesn’t he’ll be back schlepping inflatables! 

 

Superstar Status- Ethan Farbman! Was always a great hitter but has now learned how to roam the outfield. Truly on of the elite players.

 

Bulldog’s- For the third consecutive year Bulldog’s once again reached the finals in 2008. And therein lies the rub- the only thing holding these guys back is that they haven’t gotten over the hump. Solid pitching? Check! Big lineup? Check! Defensive prowess? Check! The only thing left for the Dog’s to do is kick in the door. They will for sure be kicking behind the bats of Sir Vincent Zaleski, Congressman Foley & Archduke Mabardy. With Skillet and Dirty leading the defense there is no question that Bulldog’s will be right back in the title hunt this year. An optimistic Coach Grandolfo said “the three trips to the finals we’re a growing experience for us. We have coalesced into a cohesive unit and I know the guys are driven are this year”. 

 

Comback Kid- Last year Dirty was dinged up with a bad wing. With plenty of rest in the long off season look for him to be back making throws deep in the hole and diving all over the place.

 

Keep an eye on- Mike Elko. Dude figured out how to consistently pepper the right field fence and made himself one of the better leadoff hitter’s in the league.

 

On the hot seat- Coaches Bird and Grandolfo. Another trip to the finals won’t do. Nothing short of the Bollinger Cup will be acceptable for the Doggie’s!

 

Cantor- Ah the perennial laughing stock! Budweiser, Taco Loco, Cooperstown, Quarterdeck, Skitz- the names have changed but the results have remained the same. Well guess what? NOT ANYMORE! This ain’t your father’s Budweiser team! While most investment banks went in the toilet this past summer the Bond Traders disregarded the Sub Prime mess and went on a spending spree. The addition of Ken Clark, Eric Steudler, Patrick Cullagh and Mike “Domo Arigato Mr.” Magato have made GM Deano say “Thank you very mucho”!! Sprinkle in a little Esmond Tam, add a little Vinny Cheung and pretso- you’ve got a damn good ball team.

 

Song sung blue- Sam Song has left prior coaches weeping like a willow! World’s of potential but still hasn’t put it all together.

 

On the hot seat- Vince Cheung. Has the million $ Amazing Race Asia winner lost his edge? Will he play with the same conviction now that he’s internationally famous??

 

Trouble on Downing Street?- Does the arrival of Ken Clarke make Winston Churchill go the way of Neville Chamberlain? Let’s hope not…. Winston has always been one of the fan favorites!

 

The Dog House- In May of 2008 the team formerly known as Sportview was truly in the dog house. Coach Harrison stepped down, Noonan joined the army and was stationed in Okinawa, Loo found true love in San Francisco (with a girl) and Mac suffered from anal fissures after repeated warnings to give up Thai food. Seven months later they not only got out of the dog house but became The Dog House!! Cave Mann stepped to the fore to coach the team, Gimp re-upped his revolving one year contract, Purple Wayne signed on to do his best Loo impersonation and Mac is stapled back together. Suddenly the gang was back and one can only assume that the same potent lineup that could beat anyone on any given day will be back to terrorize the league one more time!

 

Young Montana Syndrome- in the early nineties the San Francisco 49’ers struggled as they couldn’t make Joe Montana and Steve Young co-exist on the same team. Loo and Purple- how’s that gonna work?

 

On the hot seat- Ex coach Harrison.  No one could manage this motley crew better than him.  How is Cave Mann going to deal with Mac and Loo going nuts nuts on him  and Noonan questioning every move from Okinawa?  Coach Harrison has put the kid in a difficult position!

 

Welcome home- Jim Henry back in the Kong has been a welcomed sight to the old style Hong Kong guard!