| Bad News Bears News Archive |
Good ol' summer baseball Buttermaker... |
Z. Lonergan is a touch early on a big cut; BEARS Rally to win big over Blacksox (28A) Green Mountain H.S. : On a beautiful Mothers' Day morning the Bears took the field to battle the 28A version of the Blacksox. In a give and take kind of a game the Bears were the last to throw a punch as they put up 9 runs in the top of the ninth to put the Blacksox away for good. The game didn't start that way as the Sox jumped out to a 4 run lead in the 1st. The Bears battled back to tie the game 5-5 after 4 innings of play. After 8 innings, the Bears were out in front 8-6 until they put an exclamation point on their effort scoring 9 in the 9th. D. Konecny got the start for the Bears going 3 innings giving up 2 walks, 4 runs, and striking out 6. A. Milbrandt filled the role of middle reliever going 4 1/3 before a bad blister forced him to retire. He had a solid outing giving up one run on 3 hits with 3 walks and 3 strike outs. Z. Lonergan rounded out the pitching staff trio, closing out the last 1 2/3. At the plate the Bears were clicking on all cylinders. J. Scherer led the effort going 3/4 with 2 R and 1 RBI. K. Hurst went 3/5 with 1 R and 2 RBI. D. Kopetsky got into the action going 2/3 with 2 doubles. D. Konency had his second HR in as many games and T. Lohmeyer went yard for the first time in his NABA career. The only real area of concern for the Bears was in the field. Several untimely errors lead to extended innings and some unearned runs. The Bears look to extend their win streak to 6 games when they face the Free Agents at Denver Lutheran on Sunday at 9:00. BEARS BANTER: A special thanks to the godfather of the Bears (Coach K) who came out to watch the game and kept the book for us. He is as funny as he ever was and is always welcome to come steal our seeds. : Somebody remind our stand in catcher that his job title is "catcher", especially on the 3rd strike. |
The Swing and the Handshakes; Sampson goes Yard!! Aurora Central H.S. : The Bears came out in full force and outpaced the Bisons 20-4 in a 7 inning game shorted by the 10 run rule. The Bears got out of the gate early by putting 8 runs on the board in the first two innings. The Bears where led by K. Hurst who went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and D. Kopetsky who went 2 for 3 with a double, 4 runs scored and 2 RBI. Sampson and Konecny both went yard, the first shots to clear the fence for the Bears this year. The Bears pitching was solid from start to finish with Konecny leading the charge. During his 4 innings of work Konecny struck out 8 with no walks and only 3 hits. Sampson was strong for the 5th and 6th and Murph closed out the game in the bottom of the 7th when R. D’Amico made a circus catch to end the game. The Bears will need another quality outing next week when they meet up with the Blacksox A at Green Mountain H.S. at 9:00 am next Sunday. BEARS BANTER: The Bears Organization has been approached by ABC Roofing and Siding about sponsoring the team. They figure they can break even on the costs by repairing the damage that Konecny did to that garage. |
Bears Stumble Late, Lose 14-4 (Aurora Hinkley HS -) The Bears took on the 28A League Leading Nationals on Sunday in a match-up which would prove to be closer than the final scoreboard indicated. "Wildman" Whit took the bump for the start coming off of 4 days rest from the All-Star Game. He went 7 innings allowing 6 ER on 3K and 4 walks. He also went 2-5 at the plate to help out his cause. He kept the Bears in the game and left with the Bears trailing 6-4. Unfortunately, the Bears could not capitalize on the top notch effort. Papa Murph came on in relief but was unable to close the door as he gave up 4ERs while only getting one out. "Cycle K" Kopetsky was brought on to finish the eight and also closed out the 9th. The offensive effort was solid especially when considering that the Bears faced the Nationals All-Star pitcher as well. Some offensive highlights included Kopetsky (2 Runs), Carter (1 RBI), and Zuffoletto all going 2 for 4. Lohmeyer went 3 for 4 with 2RBIs. One area of concern was the generally poor base running which gave away some easy outs. The defense was steady throughout the game but gave away some outs that might have kept the Bears closer on the scoreboard. Bottomline: When playing the top tier teams in the league you have to bring your "A" game in all areas and the Bears didn't. The Bears continue their post All-Star Break play when they meet the Blacksox at 12:30 at East High School. BEARS BANTER: Given the fact that the players were ready to go way ahead of the umpire crew at the start of every inning, Whitman decided that they should be barred from regaling each other with their high school war stories between innings. * The Bear Dirt award goes to Scotty who decided that rolling in the dust would be cheaper than buying a commercial dye for his T-Shirt. * Coach Kimball is petitioning the league to have golf carts available for transport to and from parking. The hike was painful for everyone except Triathlon man Dave. * And finally, we used the most baseballs of the season to play this game. Hope those kids in those apartments like baseballs for Christmas. |
Bears' 3rd Baseman to bite the dust (Denver, CO) The Bad News Bears' All Star 3rd Baseman Michael Branam and his fiance, Holly ... will exchange vows this Saturday on July 14th at an undisclosed Catholic Church in Denver. Due to this grand event, Mike will unfortunately not be available for the next two 'CRITICAL' games that lie ahead for the Bears. God only knows how many games Mikey B. will miss after that (being that he will be married and will now have many honey-do's at home that could take priority over baseball). Unfortunately the Bears team will not be in attendance to witness this 'Bond of Love' due to the 'Drinking Clause The Night Before an Important Game' stated in each of the players' contract. The Bad News Bears would like to wish you both, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Branam, a very happy and healthy life together filled with lots of Love, Happiness, Kids, and at least 75% of the Sundays for Mike to attend games during baseball season so that he can again qualify next year for the All Star Game. We cheer you on in your new life together, we wish you both the very best, and hope for Mike's speedy return from the Honeymoon in time for the playoffs. Take care and God Bless you both!
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The NABA 2007 28A All Star Game (Parker, CO)On July 11th [Wed. 7:30pm], the best of the 28A Division players will battle it out in the 2007 All Star Game at Double Angel Field in Parker, CO. The #1 Team, managed by the Nationals, will combine players from the Bulls, Bad News Bears, and the Brewers. They will take on the #2 Team managed by the second place Blacksox. Team #2 will be accompanied by the best from the Vandals, Redhawks, and Free Agents. All Bears' players and fans should come out that evening to support the Bears' Best, Mike Branam, Dave Kopetsky, and Jeremy Whitman. Be there for this exciting baseball event that will feature some of the NABA's most talented players from the Colorado 28A Division. A Homerun Derby for all 28A players will take place that same evening and same field at 6pm prior to the start of the game. All 28A players are welcome to participate for $10 per person. Hope to see you there!!! |
Bears rally to down Redhawks 14-12 Ft. Lupton, CO - The Bears took the field on Sunday for the early game in the blistering heat of the Colorado summer. Coach K successfully patched together a working lineup that accounted for the injuries and vacations which have nagged the Bears off and on throughout the season. Papa Murph took the bump for the start and put in 5 innings of work, hitting the zone 66% of the time and giving up 9 hits (1HR,4-2B) and 6 ER. He also had 6K's and 0 walks. Murph had good stuff and was able to keep most of the Redhawks'lineup, especially the bottom half, off balance and guessing. He got the third out by strike out at least twice to end the inning with runners in scoring position. Spicy came on to pitch the 6th and 7th. He struggled with his control giving up 6 walks but was able to keep the Bears close. Branam came in to shut the door in the 8th and final inning. The Bears bats came alive for the contest with the Bears keeping pace on the scoreboard throughout. Timely hitting and taking advantage of some errant pitching produced 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th to tie up the game and 4 more runs in the 7th to take the lead. Weis scored 3 times from lead off position and had 2 RBI. Hurst was 2/4 and Benson was 2/2 both scoring 2 runs. Branam, Zuffoletto, and Carter all had hits, scored runs, and drove in at least 1 RBI each. Lohmeyer was 2/5 with 1 run scored and 5 RBI. The defense was not up to Bear standards with several innings being extended due to multiple errors. The Bears will take the week off for the All-Star Break and will return to action vs division leading Nationals at 4:00 on July 15th at Rangeview H.S. BEARS BANTER - It was too damn hot for anyone to say anything funny. Maybe the comedians will return next game. |
Bears look to extend streak against Hawks Coming off an impressive 6-0 shutout win over the Vandals last weekend, the Bears hope to take their momentum to Ft.Lupton this coming Sunday when they host the #5 Redhawks who are sitting just a half a game behind the Bears in the 28A Standings. The Bears won the last contest against the Hawks 12-3 back in May. As both teams head down the stretch with only a half a game separating them, the Bears seem to have the momentum on their side to hold the fourth spot in the standings and hopefully keep pace with the #3 Bulls, whom the Bears have played tough all year. As the Bears face the Hawks this weekend, they will be without their ace, 'Wild' Whit and center-fielder, Dave Kopetsky. The Bears plan to start 'Papa' Murph on the bump when they take the field at 9AM at Ft.Lupton HS. |
Bears blank Vandals 6-0 (Brighton High School; Brighton, CO) Three Bears pitchers combined to
throw a 4 hit shutout in the oppressive, record breaking heat on Sunday.
The shutout was the first in the history of organization. "Wild"
Whitman took the bump for the start and went 7 strong innings which
included working out of a 1 out, bases loaded jam in the second. He
threw 72 of his 95 pitches for strikes and had 11Ks with 1 walk. Papa
Murph came in to work the 8th and The Big B (Branam) came in to close
out the game. The Bears ended the game on a 1-4 double play when Branam
handcuffed a batter into a short pop up which Branam caught and relayed
on to Z at second to double off the base runner. The Bears defense was
solid throughout the game and continued to get key outs to stop every
attempt at a Vandal rally. The Bears batting order bought into Coach's
idea that just because you are hitting #6 or lower doesn't mean you're a
poor hitter as the bottom half of the lineup accounted for 5 of the 8
hits and all of the RBI. Benson and Lohmeyer both had 2 hit games with
Whitman, Zuffoletto, D'Amico, and McGovern providing the balance of the
offense. Overall, it was a solid performance in all areas of the game.
The Bears look to stay on the winning track as they travel to Ft.
Lupton to face the Redhawks at 9:00 am on Sunday. |
Bears stumble to Bulls, lose 4-3 (East High School, Denver, CO) - The hot weather was only matched by the smoking action on the field as the Bears and Bulls battled for the full nine innings on Sunday. "Wild" Whitman took the bump and went the distance in the loss. Whit threw 136 pitches (93 strikes) in 8 2/3 innings. He only gave up 7 hits, 3 Runs (earned) with 2BB, and 14Ks. Unfortunately, this top-notch outing went for naught as the Bears struggle to get runners home. The good news was that the Bears were on fire at plate and were able to place 17 hits up on the board. The bad news was that they were only able to convert those 17 hits into 3 runs. The Bears stranded runners at some critical points in the game which prevented them from blasting the game wide open. The match up went down to the last inning with the Bears scoring in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 3. The Bears were able to get 2 outs before a single up the middle scored a Bull who had doubled earlier in the inning. Offensive highlights included Hurst going 3/5 with 1 run scored and a RBI. Lohmeyer, Cushman, McGovern, D'Amico, and Zuffoletto all had multi-hit games. The Bears look to get back on track next week when they take on the Vandals at 9:00 am in Brighton. BEARS BANTER - Special thanks to the fathers that we had in attendance. For those of you not yet fathers, keep practicing. * The next time we play at East High School, Troy said he is bringing along some portable fencing for the first base side of the infield. His boy told him that he is too old and too fat to chase after the ball. Thanks, son. * |
Bears shooting for 3rd consecutive 'W' against Bulls It will be a hot one this coming Father's Day when the Bad News Bears and the Bulls will meet for the second time this season. In their last game, the Bulls edged the Bears 7-5 in a pitching battle. Expect the same intensity this weekend when the Bears will more than likely put their ace, 'Wild' Whitman, on the bump. The Bears will definitely have to provide some offense this weekend to pull out their 3rd consecutive 'W' and a chance to tie the Bulls for third in the standings. The Bears will be without two good bats from the top of their lineup as Kopetsky and Weis will not be present for the game. With those two missing, the Bears lower half of the order will need to step up in support of the hot bats from Branam, Hurst, and Whitman. The lower half of the Bears batting order has been struggling this season averaging about .238 from the #6 spot to the 10th. The Bulls are coming off a tough 10-run loss to the hot Blacksox. The Bulls were only able to field 8 players last weekend. The Bears will look to keep their winning streak going as they pursue to get their first 'W' against an elite team. Game time is 12:30pm at East HS on Father's Day. |
Bears make it two in a row as they cook the Brewers 13-4 Aurora, CO: Rangeview High School- The Bears took the field on one of Colorado's beautiful Sunday mornings and put together a solid all around performance. Whitman took the bump and threw BBs for 5 solid innings finishing with 8Ks and no earned runs on 51 pitches. Murph, Spicy, and Branam closed out the Brewers during the remaining 4 innings. The defensive play was solid and always seemed to come up with the big outs when they were needed. The Bears bats came alive and were able to keep base runners in play throughout the game. Branam put an exclamation point on the offensive effort with a monster 2 run homerun late in the game. Some of those apartment residents may be looking to relocate. Hurst, Kopetsky and D'Amico all hit .500 or better in the offensive effort. The Bears will be looking to put together a similar performance this week as they face the Bulls at 12:30 on Sunday at East High School. BEARS BANTER: On Branam's homerun: Crash said: "Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think? ;* After consulting the Official NABA rule book, Kopetsky has decided to play the outfield without a glove. He successfully debuted his patented "Abs of Leather" technique while sliding on his back to make a catch late in the game.;* A collection was taken after the game to get Weis a pair of sunglasses. The team decided that his idea of letting a infield pop-up drop and then looking to throw out the runner needs some work. Weis stated that he thought the guy hitting had "Lohmeyer" speed which would have given him plenty of time to execute his technique |
Bears hold off Agents to hit .500 With only nine players and Player/Manager Chris Kimball who is on the DL for the rest of the season, the Bears managed to scrap up a win to put them back at .500 and a 1/2 game behind the 4th Place Redhawks. The Bears' offense struck early behind the bats of Jeremy, Dave, and Eric who contributed to most of the Bears runs and hits. With the help of some defensive errors by the Free Agents, the Bears were able to capitalize. Up 14-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Free Agents were able to buy some time and an extra inning when they took advantage of a few fielding errors produced by the Bears. The Bears had just enough to hold off the surging Agents when the 3 hour time limit expired after the bottom of the 8th inning. Although the Bears snuck out with a win, the Bears are still struggling in all facets of the game. The Bears are have only been able to field 2/3 of their 15-man roster. If the Bears want to make a run against the stronger teams in the 28A Division, they definitely need to show some consistancy on the field. The Bears look for their second consecutive victory and a chance to gain some ground on the Redhawks when they visit the Brewers this coming Sunday [9AM] at Rangeview HS. |
Bears look to reach .500 against winless Free Agents The Bad News Bears are hoping to get back on track and back into some sort rhythm against the winless Free Agents. With the Memorial Weekend Holiday and the postponement of the game against the Nationals two weeks ago, the Bears have seen very little playing time in the past four weeks. The Bears are 1-2 since April 29th with both of their losses coming against teams they had beatened several times last year. The Bears' bats have been for the most part this season very silent. Even with their ace pitcher Jeremy Whitman, the Bears' offense has not been able to produce any run support. The Bears hope to redeem themselves and get back to .500 against the struggling Free Agents. The Bears beat the Free Agents earlier this season 12-6. Game time is 4pm this Sunday at Rangeview HS. |
Bears fall to Sox 6-1 (Green Mountain Field, Denver) Sunday found the Bears playing ball in some of the best weather conditions of the early season. While the pitching staff and defense held up their end of the bargain, the Bears bats decided to take the day off once again. Papa Murph took the bump for the start and spread several hits during his 3 innings of work. Whitman came in for a change of pace in the 4th and kept the Sox guessing for the rest of the game while allowing only one earned run. Whitman has a 1.70 ERA on the year. The defense played well throughout the game and helped the pitching staff keep the score close during the duration of the game. The Bears offensive got off to a good start in the 1st with Eric Weis leading off with a single down the left field line. He would score later in the inning. That would be the first and last run to cross the plate for the Bears. The Bears squandered several chances to score including having the bases loaded in the 1st. The Bears left a small army of runners on base for the day. As a result, the Sox starting pitcher, Joe Samaco, was able to go the distance and threw a Herculean 160 pitches in the effort. While the overall offensive effort for the team was lacking some individual Bears had a good day at the plate including Dave Kopetsky who was 3/3 with a walk and Eric Weis who was 2/4 and reached on an error. The Bears will be back at Green Mountain vs the Free Agents at 4:00 on 6/3. BEAR BANTER: Going to have to get some hits to score some runs and that's all I have to say about that. |
Bears look to settle score with Sox In 2006, the regular season match-up between these two teams was very lopsided in the Bears' favor but when it came down to the most important and final game of the season, the Blacksox easily erased the 0-4 regular season series by over powering the Bears 21-11 in the finale. This Sunday the Bears and Blacksox will meet for the first time this season in what is sure to be an intense match-up. The Blacksox (5-2) has deepened its squad in the offseason and is a much more improved team than last year. The Bears (3-3) has had their ups and downs this season struggling mostly on offense but their bats finally woke up during their last outting beating the Redhawks 12-3. Expect a classic pitching dual between these two teams when they meet this Sunday (12:30PM) at Green Mountain HS. |
Bears/Nationals game to be rescheduled (Denver,CO)The Bad News Bears/Nationals game scheduled for this Sunday May 13th has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. According to the NABA, the Nationals had warned the league earlier that they would not be able to field a full team on Mother's Day. This does not count as a forfeit and will be rescheduled at a later time this season. That means, NO GAME THIS WEEKEND! A practice may be in line for this weekend in place of the game. The Bears' next scheduled game will take place on Sunday May 20th, 12:30PM at Green Mountain HS against the Blacksox. |
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Bears clip the Hawks, 12-3 (East High School, Denver) Before the game could get underway, the Hawks and Bears were forced to brush up on their gardening skills in an attempt to make the field playable. Several wheelbarrows of sand and an hour of sunlight put the field into a marginal but playable condition. At least the teams thought so. The umpiring crew refused to get their shoes dirty so the team managers decided that Chris from the Bears would call the game from behind the mound. (The Hawks only fielded nine.) The Bears were strong in all facets of the game and it started with the pitching. Whitman went 6 innings, 0 earned runs, 5 Ks, and 1 walk. Murphy and Branam came in to close out the game. The Bears defense was solid all the way around with only 1 error going into the book. The Bears bats came out of hibernation with the Bears scoring in all but the 1st and 7th innings. Kopetsky, Zuffoletto, Branam, Cushman, and Weiss all went .500 or better. The MVP was Branam who went 4/4 with a double and the first team homerun of the season. The Bears will have to continue to play at this level as they mix it up with the Nationals this Sunday. BEARS BANTER - *And the Oscar goes to Mike Branam who's fake throw to second caused the runner to break towards home. Mike promptly tagged him out. *Whitman decided the defense needed a break in the 5th so he forced 2 pop-ups and a weak come backer on about 6 pitches. Scary. *Overheard in the dugout, "I think Blue (Chris) just likes calling people "out" so he only has to use one hand. Lazy ___-wipe." |
Struggling Bears look to bounce back against Hawks The Bad News Bears are very familiar with the situation they are in now. They have been here several times before dating back to the 2005 season. Inconsistancy both in the field and at the plate have haunted them time and time again. The up and down pattern usually occurs every other week not knowing whether the bats will finally come alive, or whether their pitching and defense will give up too many runs. One thing remains certain, the Bears offense this season has not been able to produce nearly as many runs as their opponents, and strikeouts amongst the Bears' hitters is becoming too common with 39 Ks in just 4 games (not including game five against the Vandals). As the Bears get ready to face the Red(hot)Hawks, they will definitely need to bring their A-game this Sunday. The Hawks are coming off of a huge 13-12 win against the once undefeated Bulls and now seem to be a team to recon with. Bears' pitching and bats will be the key focus this Sunday as they look to bounce back after last Sunday's disappointing loss to the Vandals. Game time will be at 9am at East HS this Sunday. |
Bears lose battle to Vandals 7-13 (Double Angel Field, Parker, CO) - The weather relented, the wind died down, and the Bears and the Vandals played nine innings of hard fought baseball under the neon glow of 9,000,000 candles provided courtesy of Mr. Thomas Edison. (We played at night.) Papa Murph took the bump for the Bears and provided strong work through 4 innings. Mixing his patented junk with a little high heat, Murph was able to hold the Vandals to spraying singles. The hits added up though and the Bears brought in Spicy to close out the 4th. The Vandals played some heads up baseball and stole home (or did he?) before Spicy was able to get out of the inning. On the offensive side of the house, the Bears bats warmed up early with Scotty driving a shot into the alley and hustling around for a lead off, stand up triple. The Bears maintained the offensive pace and matched the Vandals run for run until the Vandals used some timely errors to creep ahead to a score of 8-5 late in the game. The Bears turned to the BIG W (Whitman) to keep them close down the stretch. Whit took the mound in the bottom of the 5th and struck out the side in impressive fashion. Unfortunately, the Bears' nemesis returned late as they stranded multiple runners down the stretch. On the other hand, the Vandals took advantage of a couple of extra outs provided by both the Bears and the boys in blue to drive in several runs included a three run round-tripper which brought the final score to 13-7. The Vandals brought their "A" game with solid pitching, steady fielding, and timely hitting. The Bears will need to follow their example when they match up with the Redhawks next week. BEARS BANTER - *Both Z and Coach took an early trip to the showers after offering some new names for the members of the umpiring crew. On a personal note, it provided an entertaining teaching moment with my 10 yr old son on the drive home. *Spicy set a new Bears Franchise record for the longest single. SportVision recorded it as a 405 foot shot that hit the mini-monster in dead away center above the 392 sign. After the game, Spicy had a conversation with the head groundskeeper about the condition of the base paths. * In effort to show the rookies that this game is not as hard as we make it, Coach said he could get on base swinging one handed. He was 0/1 but reached after being hit by a pitch. You can't teach experience. *Quote overheard in the dugout. "I wonder if you have to pay the league extra to have 11 players on the field." |
Vandals/Bears to battle under the lights The Bad News Bears and Vandals will meet for the first time in 2007 at Double Angel Park in Parker, CO. This match-up will be a crucial one in that both teams are 2-2 and are fighting to keep pace with the Bulls and Nationals who are at the top of the standings. Both teams are coming off loses from last week. The Bears lost a nail-biter to the league leading Bulls 5-7, and the Vandals dropped one to the Redhawks. The Bears are 3-1 against the Vandals but past statistics won't count in this game. The Vandals seem to have a more improved team this year with strong pitching. The Bears also added some strength to their rotation with the acquisition of the former Bohica Warrior, Jeremy Whitman. The Bears' bats have been struggling a bit as of late by not producing key hits that have stranded too many baserunners. Missing key players due to injuries, and vacation has left Coach Chris Kimball with the tough task of scrambling the lineup every weekend. The Bears are improving week after week and hope that most of their lineup can come out of their slumps at the plate. Sunday's game is anticipated to be to be a good matchup as always. Game time is 7:30PM on the artificial grass of Double Angel Field. |
Vandals/Bears to battle under the lights The Bad News Bears and Vandals will meet for the first time in 2007 at Double Angel Park in Parker, CO. This match-up will be a crucial one in that both teams are 2-2 and are fighting to keep pace with the Bulls and Nationals who are at the top of the standings. Both teams are coming off loses from last week. The Bears lost a nail-biter to the league leading Bulls 5-7, and the Vandals dropped one to the Redhawks. The Bears are 3-1 against the Vandals but past statistics won't count in this game. The Vandals seem to have a more improved team this year with strong pitching. The Bears also added some strength to their rotation with the acquisition of the former Bohica Warrior, Jeremy Whitman. The Bears' bats have been struggling a bit as of late by not producing key hits that have stranded too many baserunners. Missing key players due to injuries, and vacation has left Coach Chris Kimball with the tough task of scrambling the lineup every weekend. The Bears are improving week after week and hope that most of their lineup can come out of slumps at the plate. Sunday's game is anticipated to be to be a good matchup as always. Game time is 7:30PM on the artificial grass of Double Angel Field. |
Bears come up short against Bull, lose 7-5. The Bulls put up a quick two runs in the top of the first inning but after that, runs did not come to easy for either side in the battle of pitchers. Jeremy Whitman made his debut on the mound for the Bears pitching a solid 7 innings, allowing only one earned, and striking out three. The Bears defense had nine errors in the field that allowed the Bulls to score six unearned runs. The Bears offense had many opportunities to score more runs with men in scoring position but the Bulls' pitcher (#4)used his very effective breaking balls to fan 14 Bears during his nine-inning outing. Offensively, the Bears could only muster 10 hits with Kopetsky and Hurst accounting for 6 hits between them. Considering the Bears' were missing six players with Troy Lohmeyer's (hamstring)injury in the first inning, the Bears made a valiant effort to hang nine innings with the undefeated Bulls. The Bears next matchup will be under the lights next Sunday when they visit the Vandals at Double Angel Park. |
Bears/Bulls showdown: Can the Bears tame the Bulls? After winning their last two games, the Bears are finally starting to come around. Their defense has played almost error-less baseball and now the Bears' bats are finally starting to produce more base runners and runs. At this point in the season, the undefeated Bulls look to be the team to beat after they easily knocked off the only other undefeated team, the Blacksox 18-7. The Bears have not done to well against the teams like the Bulls and Nationals but they hope to change that long string of bad luck this weekend and move into the top slot of the 28A division. The Bears plan to throw everything they have at their league-leading nemisis this Sunday. Game time is 12:30pm at the Machebuff HS field in Denver. |
Bears top Brewers for second straight 13-3 It took the Bears a few innings to get going offensively but their defense stood firm against the bats of the Brewers holding them to only 3 runs (1 earned). In the top of the sixth inning, the Brewers narrowed the Bears lead to 4-3 but the Bears cut their bats loose in the bottom of the sixth scoring nine runs which was enough to end the two hour game after 6.5 innings. Four Bears, Troy Lohmeyer, Dave Kopetsky, Kyle Hurst, and Scott Carter accounted for 8 of the Bears 11 hits and 10 of their 13 runs batted in. Jeff Murphy got the win on mound with Jeremy Whitman picking up the save. The Bears, now 2-1 in their first 3 games, look forward to a tough match up next weekend when they take on the league leading Bulls. |
Bears looking for second 'W' against Brewers After recording their first win of the 2007 season against the Free Agents last weekend, the Bears now look forward to the Brewers. Defensively, the Bears have improved over the course of two games and are positive that they can only get better. With the two week break, the Bears will be ready (and hopefully injured-free) to take on the Brewers April 15th at Rangeview HS. For the first time this season, the Bears will have both of their ace pitchers (Jeremy Whitman and Chad Harmon) available. Jeremy Whitman, formely with the Bohica Warriors, should be making his debut on the mound this Sunday after recovering from an off-season ankle injury. With the Bears hitting power and added strength on the mound, the Brewers could be in for a long day. Harmon out for the season |
Bears double up on Free Agents for 12-6 win The Bears didn't waist any time striking first as their offense put up four points in the bottom of the first inning. The Free Agents struck back and added four of their own by the third inning but the Bears kept them in check after that with superb defense and good pitching. By the end of the sixth inning, the Agents tied the game at six but that is all they would be able to muster up against solid relief pitching from Mike Zuffoletto, and Sean McGovern. Player of the game, Mike Branam, made a few outstanding plays defensively at third and went 3 for 4 at the plate with four runs scored and four RBIs. Troy Lohmeyer went 2 for 3 at the plate and accounted for 3 RBIs. No games will be scheduled over Easter. The Bears will return on the following weekend when they will host the Brewers. |
Bears to get first look at the Free Agents The big anticipated match up between the runner up Bears and the 28AA Champions, the Blacksox, will have to wait for another weekend due to Saturday's rain that postponed all NABA games this past Sunday. The Bears next opponent will be against the 28A new addition, the Free Agents. There is no scouting report on the Free Agents except their 15-3 loss to the Red Hawks on opening day. Not knowing what to expect next Sunday, the Bears will come to the field well rested and ready to play. The Bears will probably be going with the same lineup they started against the Nationals. Coach Kimball is not ready to make any changes just yet and will test his starters once again to see if they have broken out of their Opening Day jitters. Hopefully the Bears' ace pitcher Chad Harmon will be 100% and ready to go against the Free Agents on Sunday. Game day is April 1st (4PM) at Green Mountain HS. In other news, the Bears are waiting for their next ace, Jeremy Whitman, to return from the disabled list on April 22nd after he suffered an ankle injury in the off-season. |
Bears ran out of gas, lose to Nats 17-2 The Bears first test of the 2007 season was a tough one to swallow as they hosted the two-time champion Nationals. Thanks to starting pitcher Chad Harmon and the Bears defense, the Nats were held scoreless and practically hitless through five tough innings of work. After the fifth inning with the Bears leading 2-0, the Nationals bats finally woke up against middle relievers Jeff Murphy and Mike Zuffoletto scoring 11 unanswered points. The Bears offense unfortunately ran out of gas in the ladder half of the game and could not produce any more offense before the Nationals put it out of reach. On a more positive note, the Bears did see a lot of promise with their new players. Troy Lohmeyer accounted for at least one of the Bears hits; Chad Harmon was tough at the plate and on the mound; and Eric Weis was very promising in the field and on the mound as well. The Bears will have to work out their flaws for next week's match up against the tough Blacksox. |
Bears open their season against the Nationals The Bad News Bears will open their 2007 baseball season against the two-time champion Nationals this Sunday at 4PM on March 18th at Machebuff HS. Against the Nationals, the Bears are 0-4 in the last two seasons and have lost each of the four games against their nemisis by 10 points or more. With a new season and new players, the Bears seem to be even stronger than the team from last year. The question is, are the Bears finally strong enough to keep pace with the reigning champion Nationals? The key to beating the Nationals not only rest on a very productive offensive, but a flawless defense as well. The Bears weakness in the past has been their pitching but the Bears of 07 will have six different pitchers to throw at their opponents this season. The Bears will definitely be ready to play but they will have to bring their 'A' game this Sunday to compete against the Nationals. |
Bears make final preparations before Opening Day On Saturday under partly cloudy skies, the Bears spent their lunch time getting ready for next week when they open the 2007 baseball season. Regardless of their first opponent, the Bears hit the field yesterday to play baseball. Thirteen of sixteen Bears attended what could have been their final team workout before their season opener. Outfielders and infielders were drilled extensively at their positions making sure that they will be ready defensively. Batting practice consisted of live pitching from six Bears pitchers. This is the first time this Spring that the Bears have faced live pitching after spending the last month or so against pitching machines. Saturday's practice showed that the Bears are more than ready for their first game. As for who will be in the starting lineup for next week's game, it is a toss-up at every position. Overall the Bears look even stronger than last year. The Bears big 16-man roster will have a lot of depth and talent present for their season opener. Unfortunately the Bears will be without their 17th man, Jeremy Whitman, who suffered an ankle injury in the off season. |
Bad News Bears in Spring Training Spring training is in full swing as the Bad News Bears prepare to get into form before their season opener on March 18th. Nine of the Bad News Bears players including Kimball, S. Carter, Lohmeyer, Jackson, Weis, Zuff, Murph, Hurst, & D'Amico met up this past Sunday at Slammers where they threw the baseball around and took extensive batting practice inside a few of Slammer's tunnels. Some of the players continue their preparation during the week by hitting the batting cages. The Bears will hold at least one more team practice this coming weekend before the baseball season gets under way. |
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