Will the Dawn Pact wake up this spring?
Wednesday, April 8^th, 2009
SAINT LOUIS
by Sporty McBloggin

Months have gone by since the last drunken, beer spilling, error filled spectacle that was the Dogtown Dawn Pact’s final game. With spring in the air it's almost opening day for the Irish City Dwellers, and new hope is on the horizon. Owners Brie Terrell and Ryan McClure have been hard at work in the off season gathering new interests, new players, and of course money that the players owe.

Questions still remain on this team. Can anyone, other than John Andrew Reynolds, make a throw from third to first without injuring a teammate or launching the ball towards the vicinity of the St. Louis Zoo? Can last year's rookies Alicia Holden, Beth McClure and Jamie Kelley avoid the sophomore slump? And the question on everyone's mind is who will be eating the most pork steaks at Pat’s?

The free agency market has been barren this winter, with minimal movement around the Forest Park Softball League (mainly due to construction of Highway 40). However, the Dawn Pacters have acquired the best free agent on the market in Ethan Barnett. Just released from Chicago, Barnett comes billed as a heavy hitter, an A+ fielder, and a player with no qualms about passing out on the field. Realizing that they needed him, owner Ryan McClure has restructured the contracts of Ben Ferguson and Brian Kelley to limit there consumption of beer from 13 to 9, making room for the 7% malted hops and barely salary increase that Barnett brings with him.

In order for the Dawn Pact to make their run at the wild card this year they will have to keep errors at a minimum, hit singlays and doublays, have Reynolds maintain his .900 batting average and have some contribution from alcohol consumption. Players like Ben Ferguson (pancreas) and Rob Dake (Vagina) must be able to return strong after spending most of the year injured. Having both Ryan McClure and Jay Hadfield back from strong seasons will give the Dawn Pact the one-two punch it needs to keep up with division rival Random Hook Ups.

Infield

Any discussion of the Dawn Pact's infield begins with Andy Reynolds. The rising superstar batted nearly .900 for much of the season last year, while committing only 19 errors (which is 25 less than fellow third baseman Brian Kelley who was subsequently moved to the outfield). Anchoring the infield with Reynolds will be Brian Malone, Brie Terrell and Rob Dake. In additional to having a Burt Reynolds action-flick named after him, Malone turned out to be a clutch bat in the lineup with 15 RBI’s in 2-out situations. Dake is the only power-hitting lefty in the lineup, in addition to being the only lefty in the lineup in general. When asked how he felt about this his response was, “That’s what she said”. The all important question here is who will play first base? The loss of Sarah Patton for the season was a huge blow to the Pact. There is plenty of talent but also inexperience with Mairi Lough and Alicia Holden. But would the Dawn Pact dare to remove Emily Sweeney's cannon arm from the outfield?

Pitching and Catching

Catching for the dawn pact was at its highest form last season with the addition of Alicia Holden and Karen/Theresa. Holden won the “Rumplemans Award” for most improved player through the season, and Karen/Theresa has proven to be one of the few girls who can consistently hit the ball out of the infield. This one two punch has made the catcher spot one of the strongest on the roster.

Returning Pitchers Ryan McClure and Jay Hadfield combined for 42 strikeouts while walking only 16. Other than catcher, this may be the most stable lineup position in terms of player movement. Player/Coach Ryan McClure, coming off an All-Star year, has been working diligently in the off-season to perfect a second pitch, while Hadfield has the arc that could again prove deadly this year.

Outfield

As we all know drinking and catching fly balls don’t go hand in hand and the Pact is no exception. With a ton of moving and shifting the Pact may have finally gotten it right. Closing the season with only 4 errors in their last 6 games after having 42 in their previous 10 games. With Dan Brown back from nerd talk/law school and the Pact returning the rest of their starters, you can safely assume that the outfield will keep improving this year. Jamie Kelley, Mairi Lough, Emily Sweeney and Krista McCann all took huge strides this past year proving their bats are needed in the lineup and that they can catch a ball if hit to them. Brian Kelley and Warren Patton combined for 13 beers consumed each game last year which seemed to slow them down later in the season. Look for McClure and Terrell to up their conditioning with trips to Pat’s in the weeks to come.

Deemed worthless by many, the Dawn Pact is back up in your ass with the resurrection and bringing noise, obnoxiousness, and plenty of Busch with them.

www.sportymcbloggin.com