While the HOBO franchise celebrates its 11th year of operation (1 year in the defunct Hard boys Loop) the numbers that stand out are the ones under the B.V.B banner.As the league celebrates its 10th year of operation. The BO’s captured there 6th Vintage crown with a three game sweep of the Lutz Cup Champions (Brewers).The Hobos opened the New playoff format with a 2-1 series victory over there long time rivals the Red Sox; The BO’s dropped game one and stormed back to take the next 2 games.Game 1 – Red Sox 4 Hobos 1Game 2- Hobos 10 Red Sox 1Game 3- Hobos 8 Red Sox 4In the Semi final the number #2 seed Tigers were on the schedule while initially being reported as a sweep the accurate report had the Tigers winning game 2 of the series.Game 1- Hobos 3 Tigers 2Game 2- Tigers 4 Hobos 3Game 3- Hobos 17 Tigers 2 (5 inning Mercy)Game 4 Hobos 9 Tigers 0And finally a meeting with the regular season champs. The Brewers. The Brew crew played there inaugural season in the B.V.B this year and will file away some of the little intricacies that will make a difference in year 2.Game 1 Hobos 5 Brewers 3 (8 innings)Game 2 Hobos 5 Brewers 4Game 3 Hobos 6 brewers 1The Hobos used there long bench and long memories as both #13 Miles Fleming and #49 Paul Depodesta were booked in for the ride.Mgr. Jim Hambrook “We have a tremendous amount of grit amongst every player past and present, Selfish is not a word we are familiar with, we spell team with 4 letters like everyone else, its just that our 4 letters are HOBO” .The Hobos won in the inaugural season in 2000 and managed the improbable bookend 10 years later.The 2009 Hobos are proudly represented by: Jim Hambrook, Casey Cosgrove, Shawn Pomfret, Blake Fisher, Jay Lack, Colin Lalonde, Justin Pysar, Randy Stanbury, Richard Stanbury, Mike Bennett, Craig Frohlick, Doug Chrysler, Steve Manz,Doug Cameron, Dan Cameron, Craig Carroll, Brian Gregory, Bruce VanLoon,Jake Smith, Jake Timmis,Steve (Shmuckie)Posthumously: Miles Fleming, Paul DepodestaThe Train will be parked for a couple of weeks before re-firing for the team golf tournament …please feel free to Hop on…
BO’s Squeeze out game 1 Win!
Last night at Nelson Park the Hobos faced the Lutz Cup champions in game 1 of the Vintage Cup Championship.The game got off to an exciting start as the BO’s hammered baseballs all over the Yard, but managed to find Brewer gloves, at the conclusion of the first inning the teams were square at a 1-1 score.That is when things took a twist, the lights failed to come on and the teams were forced into a 45 min. delay ,once the lights came on the BO’s trotted 2 more runs to take a 3-1 lead.Not to be out done the Brew crew managed a couple themselves and the game was again knotted at 3, the pitching duel continued as the 7th inning concluded with both teams still tied 3-3.As the 8th inning started the Juice (Bruce Van loon) started flowing and the big man found himself standing 90 ft. from the plate, Catcher Randy Stanbury had a chance to cash the big man with a hit and that he did, via the suicide squeeze, the ball went 6ft in front of the plate and the juice shook hands with the catcher on his way by.The BO’s added another and Doug Chrysler picked up the save, Dan Cameron, Justin Pysar, and Steve Manz were outstanding on the Hill each pitching 2 innings.Tuesday night at 7 pm Nelson Park the hostilities continue with the Ball flipping BO’s and the saber rattling Brewers.As usual the Train will be packed and tickets are going fast!Pack yourself a jacket and “Hop on the Train”
HOBOS Roll into Final
The Hobos are through the Vintage Cup semi’s and on there way to the Vintage Series .The Bo’s have appeared in 7 previous finals and have captured 5 championships in the 9 years that B.V.B has been in operation. The Train Hoppers will play the #1 seed Brewers.. the first pitch fly’s on Sunday Sept.20th at 7pm @ Nelson.The BO’s battled the Tigers and managed to out pitch and out slug the Cats to take the Vintage semi. 3 games to 1.Check back tomorrow for a pre-series review.Still time to “Hop on the Train”
HOT Day – HOT Bats!
The Hobos have played 10 of there last 14 games on the road and have a pretty solid record, but when they have the chance to enjoy some home cooking they have been that much tougher.After splitting road games 1 and 2 with the Tigers and gaining home field advantage the BO’s went to work Sunday at 4 pm as the hosts and were simply Rude to there guests. Scoring early and often the final score was a couple for the Cats and a bunch more for the Bums in black.Yesterdays game reminded me of a time when old Yogi was playing with the BO’s and a young boy approached him and said “hey Yogi what’s the difference between a Bum and a Hobo? And without batting an eye Yogi looked across the field and as he pointed at the other dug out he said “well son were Hobos and there Bums”With game 4 slated for 7pm Wednesday at Nelson my guess is the Tigers will lick there wounds and pack there “a” games, its cliché time. “Backs to the wall” “Win one for the Gipper” “there is No Tomorrow” As for the train hoppers a couple of good sleeps without the wheels grinding below them and 1 square meal each day they will hope to take advantage of 1 more attempt at being good hosts….something that they are currently struggling with!Don’t be late..Extra Tickets have been printed and additional staff will be on hand!To our friends on the road – exit at the Appleby line GO station …..To all others “Hop on the Train”
Big Win! – Big Loss!
The Bo’s hit the field last night for the opening game of there best of 5 semi-final versus the #2 seed Tigers. The 2 teams have battled each other for the better part of 10 years and like every other game and series this match was no different, Both teams brought there hurry up offence and rushed back out to play defense without any real signs of success. The pitching on both sides was plenty good enough to win the day, but only one team would prevail in the end. Both Tiger runs came compliments of the score keepers HBP, the lead off man in the first and the lead off man in the 7th.Dan Cameron, Justin Pysar, Steve Manz, and Doug Chrysler combined to hold the Tig’s to 3 hits and the defense was its usual solid self. The Bo’s took a substantial hit in the top of the 2nd when 2nd basemen Craig Carroll jammed his ankle into the base while sliding into the bag.Early indications are not good but the team will await doctors results, His season will possibly continue if the Bo’s manage to advance to the final.Mgr Jim Hambrook “Craig will absolutely be missed, he has been a big part of this teams success, he is a tremendous utility player and we will now have to look to our depth to fill his role”The Bo’s will continue the road trip as they travel to Ireland Park for the 2nd game in the series on Friday Sept.11 - 7 pm.Tickets are going fast as it is also Dan Cameron Bobble head night in celebration of the dangerous ones 30th Birthday!!Pack the Wieners and Beans this could be a long night!Note: Those travelling with the team, train leave the station at 4pm sharp. Remember to keep your hands out of the team stash!“Hop On the Train. See you at the park Friday”
Emotional Win!
The Hobos and Red Sox concluded there qtr. final Series last night at Millcroft park and the BO’s came away with an 8-4 win to move one step closer to the Vintage Cup.The Red Sox were unable to muster the playoff magic that one year ago worked in perfect sync and carried them to there first Vintage Cup Championship.The Sox have had to fight through a number of significant bumps in the road this year and in the end could not overcome the injuries and obstacles that reared there head.In July Team Founder /Manager / player and chief bottle washer Lee Mackey announced that he would be leaving behind his beloved Red Sox team and moving to Montreal.This sent shockwaves throughout the Team and around the league. As the final weeks of the season concluded the Sox were met with injuries to there pitching staff and key players.Hobo Mgr.Jim Hambrook commented “This series was a very difficult draw for both teams, there is a tremendous amount of respect between the players on both sides, many have been teammates and won National championships together, the Sox have made this league the league it is today by answering the bell and competing every single pitch along the way, we are happy we won this series but in a strange way feel the angst of our good friends and rivals, We wish the Sox the best of luck throughout the remaining post season as they look to add to the trophy case”.The Train hoppers will now set there focus on another long time rival the Tigers (formerly the Yankees) this team is deep in pitching, hitting and defense and lost the Lutz cup on the last day of the seasonMgr. Hambrook “this series will be very tough, the Tigers beat us 2-1 in the season series so I guess that makes us heavy underdogs” I’m not sure why he was smiling.The BO’s will arrive home tonight 12:00 pm as the train will pull into the station and allow the boy’s to scamper back to Miley park for a good sleep ,a bowl of beans and a couple of well deserved pints.The Train will re-fuel as once again the Bo’s will hit the road for the first 2 games of this series.The Semifinal best 3-5 will kick off at Nelson Park Wednesday Sept.9th @ 7p.mNOTE: There are still some remaining tickets for these games but you would be wise to get them quickly,Enjoy the Long weekend friends and prepare to “Hop on the Train”
Emotional Win!
The Hobos and Red Sox concluded there qtr. final Series last night at Millcroft park and the BO’s came away with an 8-4 win to move one step closer to the Vintage Cup.The Red Sox were unable to muster the playoff magic that one year ago worked in perfect sync and carried them to there first Vintage Cup Championship.The Sox have had to fight through a number of significant bumps in the road this year and in the end could not overcome the injuries and obstacles that reared there head.In July Team Founder /Manager / player and chief bottle washer Lee Mackey announced that he would be leaving behind his beloved Red Sox team and moving to Montreal.This sent shockwaves throughout the Team and around the league. As the final weeks of the season concluded the Sox were met with injuries to there pitching staff and key players.Hobo Mgr.Jim Hambrook commented “This series was a very difficult draw for both teams, there is a tremendous amount of respect between the players on both sides, many have been teammates and won National championships together, the Sox have made this league the league it is today by answering the bell and competing every single pitch along the way, we are happy we won this series but in a strange way feel the angst of our good friends and rivals, We wish the Sox the best of luck throughout the remaining post season as they look to add to the trophy case”.The Train hoppers will now set there focus on another long time rival the Tigers (formerly the Yankees) this team is deep in pitching, hitting and defense and lost the Lutz cup on the last day of the seasonMgr. Hambrook “this series will be very tough, the Tigers beat us 2-1 in the season series so I guess that makes us heavy underdogs” I’m not sure why he was smiling.The BO’s will arrive home tonight 12:00 pm as the train will pull into the station and allow the boy’s to scamper back to Miley park for a good sleep ,a bowl of beans and a couple of well deserved pints.The Train will re-fuel as once again the Bo’s will hit the road for the first 2 games of this series.The Semifinal best 3-5 will kick off at Nelson Park Wednesday Sept.9th @ 7p.mNOTE: There are still some remaining tickets for these games but you would be wise to get them quickly,Enjoy the Long weekend friends and prepare to “Hop on the Train”
DE JA VEU …all over again!!
As B.V.B cruises to the conclusion of year 10, there are 2 Things that are part of the annual Fall ritual. Playoff baseball and a series featuring the Hobos and the Red Sox.While over the course of time many things have changed this match-up is not one of them.These 2 long time rivals have battled so many times line-up cards and programs are redundant.What has changed is the date for this classic.Normally this match up arrives when the big stage is complete and the bright lights are turned on i.e. Deep into the playoffs (including- 4 Finals.) This year Friday Aug.28th Millcroft park 7pm will be the date and location for game 1 of this best 2-3 series.The season series between these 2 teams was measured by a micrometer and the Sox came out on top, 2 games and a 1 run differential, The Sox will enjoy Home cooking in this one as the Bo’s will pack there baloney and beans and ride the rails in games 1 and 3.Last year the Sox knocked off the Train hoppers in the final to claim there first Vintage Cup…the BO’s will have to bring there “A” game if they want to knock off the defending champs. We invite all Fans to contact the B.V.B ticket office to get your tickets early…this classic is sure to be a sell out!!Please Note: If you are planning to join the team on the road please be early as the train will be leaving the station at 12:00 sharp, also please limit loud noise, smoking and drinking …the team needs the cooler and the little remaining air space!“Hop on the Train”
LAST STOP BEFORE THE TRAIN LEAVES THE STATION:
The Hobos finished there last full weekend of play with a Friday Loss and a Sunday Win, after putting on a brave face the Bean eaters set out to take on the front running Brewers, a week after the BO’s had handed the Beer Belchers an ugly loss, armed with 8 regulars and one of there finest alumnus the Bums in black could not generate enough runs to catch a Brewer team that was playing the kind of game that has them 1 game away from capturing the League Flag. Make the final 4-3 Brew.Sunday the BO’s battled the much improved Giants and the G-men put in a solid effort but could not hold the train up and fell short at the end.Now the Hobos look towards Tuesday night at Nelson 6pm to take on long time rivals and defending Vintage Cup Champions the Red Sox.While the game result will determine who is home team in this best 2-3 series ,the Clunk you heard was the mktg. dept trying to figure out a headline for next weeks paper. One of these 2 teams will be removed from the schedule when the Vintage playoffs are drawn up. More to come after Tuesday’s game including a series preview.Stay tuned, Stay thirsty and,“Hop on the Train” my Friends
TRAINHOPPERS make it a SNOWMAN
The Hobos made it 8 in a row with a victory over the Marauders Tuesday at Nelson.The BO’s jumped out early and held off the Maroon men to keep the streak alive.Friday night (Ireland park 8:30) the Brewers take on the Bums in black in a game that not only has playoff implications but gives the Brewers the chance to show there true colors after a sloppy effort last Friday left them on the wrong end of a 10-1 decision.The Hobo’s will face the Giants at the same North end band box Sunday at 8:30 before wrapping the regular season back at Nelson park Tuesday @ 6pm vs. long time rivals the Red Sox.The BO’s have made there way up another car and have there eyes set on the saloon on wheels.Stay tuned…Stay thirsty…and Hop on the train my friends.
