BREAKING NEWS!
A DUCE-DUCE FOR THE DRAGONS
The Cherokee Dragons ran their regular season record to 17-0 on Sunday, powered by a record setting day on several fronts.
Erik Booth, a long time Dragon and emotional team leader, played all 9 positions. The feat was especially remarkable because the game hit the 3 hour time limit after the 6th inning.
Carlos Medina, known for his pitching arm, not his bat, hit a grandslam during a new team record 11 run inning. Medina's Slam was the fourth for the Dragons this season, tying the 2003 Dragons for Grand Slams in a season.
Heath Howard also Homered in the same inning in an attempt to qualify for consideration in the All-Star Home Run Derby.
The Dragons used five pitchers, including Booth, who walked the only batter he faced.
All in all, when the dust settled, the Dragons had racked up 22 runs on 17 hits, while only giving up 3 runs.
Dragons Win! 22-3
LOOKOUT! 14 AND O, HERE WE COME!
The Dragons lit up the Lookouts pitching on sunday, scoring 11 times in the first four innings. Manager Scot Turner had emptied out his bench, using an unheard of 15 man line up.
The Dragons were staked to a 9 run lead, thanks in part to Donny williams's second career grand slam, when they decided to try to not all out embarass their opponents and stop stealing bases and start moving station to station. Heath Howard, who had pitched five strong innings was removed to allow some newcomers to the pitching staff some work.
But that didn't turn out to work so well, as an out of shape Jason Bidwell made his Dragons Debut in the 6th, walking 2, and hitting another batter on his way to giving up an earned run while recording two strike outs. Bidwell came off the mound huffing and puffing, and had a rough go of it in the 7th. He faced three batters, walking 2 and hitting another to load the bases.
Carlos Medina was called upon to get the team out of the jam in relief of Bidwell with the bases loaded and no outs. Medina then promptly plunked the first batter for one run to score, walked the next guy for another run, and gave up a 2 rbi single to his third batter. Another rbi single followed before the Dragons were finally able to record their first out of the inning.
All in all, the Lookouts had scored six runs in the 7th to make the score 11-9.
Heath Howard reentered the game on the mound and with time expired, gave up the tying runs in the 8th inning. MABL of Atlanta rules allow for one extra inning to be played after the time limit has expired in an effort to break a tie.
And so the battle went to the 9th inning where one of the finest defensive plays of the year was executed by second baseman Nick Borm who layed out like he was catching a touchdown pass to make a catch over his shoulder for the second out of the inning. The Lookouts went on to be retired three up, three down.
Dave Sweet lead off the bottom of the 9th with a single for the Dragons. Heath Howard followed with a fly ball to center field and Sweet was unable to advance. Brian Anderson then hit a single that sent Sweet to third. And in what is quite possibly the most perplexing play of the year, the Lookouts elected to intentionally walk the next batter, the slow footed Scot Turner, with only one out and runners on first and third.
Ryan Palazzo now came to the plate with bases loaded with one out and a drawn in infield. First pitch, ball one. Second pitch, ball two. third pitch, looked like a ball but was fouled off. Count, 2 and 1. Fourth pitch, fouled away again. Count 2 and 2. Fifth pitch, laced down the right field line past the diving Lookout first baseman, Sweet scores, game over, DRAGONS WIN 14 in a row!
Streak's Alive!
The Cherokee Dragons put their undefeated season on the line in the bandbox launching pad known as Tucker High School against the Knights on sunday.
And things did not start out very well at all as the Dragons were held hitless until an infield single by Ryan Palazzo with one out in the 5th inning. At that point The Dragons trailed the Knights 4-0. With two outs and a runner on second, Troy Lockett drew a full count walk. Scot Turner came to the plate next and promplty got plunked on the left knee. Alex Hickman drew another full count walk with the bases loaded and the Dragons had finally scored their first run of the day. Nick Borm walked as well to make the score 4-2.
The Knights answered in top of the sixth with a leadoff double followed up by a trademark Tucker homer that dropped just over the maroon wall in left field, 275 feet away. The Dragons were able to escape further damage in the inning by producing an inning ending 6-4-3 double play.
Seth Brown lead off the Dragons half of the sixth and took aim at the maroon wall that has been the Dragons nemesis in their stay at Tucker. The ball bounced off the top of the wall, appeared to hit a plant, and bounce back into the field of play. The umpires ruled it a live ball, and Brown was robbed of his dinger and held to only a double. Dave Sweet followed up with a plunking of his own before Geoff Meikle singled to left. Seth Brown was sent home on contact as the Dragons were having a hard time scoring runs, and was able to slide under the tag for the third run of the day.
Dave Sweet, looking like an Atlantic City Sweathog on the mound, gave way to the ailing Carlos Medina in the 7th. Medina gave up an unearned run in the 7th and battled his own puppyitis, openly longing several times for the companionship of his new dog.
The Dragons managed to bat around in the bottom of the seventh to score four runs and tie the game at 7 powered by yet another double by Brian Anderson.
Medina was able to hold the Knights scoreless in the 8th and 9th.
And so it was that Seth Brown lead off the ninth with a single. That however was followed up by a strikeout by Sweet who clearly was trying to end it on one swing. Meikle hit into a fielder's choice to retire Brown, and was eventually able to steal second. Palazzo followed that up with a walk and then Erik Booth stepped to the plate. On a 1-2 count, Booth hit a hard shot up the box that the pitcher was able to get a glove on. That slowed the ball down enough that it didn't get through the infield, but the second baseman picked it up and threw it to first. As Meikle rounded third, the ball hit Booth in the leg and Meikle streaked home to score the game winning run.
Whew! Dragons win 8-7! Season record 11-0!
Mound Master Medina Strikes Again!
Making his second start in as many games, Carlos Medina was sicker than the dog collar he was wearing on Friday. Going 8 innings for the Cherokee Dragons, he only gave up 1 earned run while striking out 2 and walking 1. He lowered his already ridiculously low ERA to 1.74.
The game stayed close through the first 5 innings with both teams scoring a couple of runs early. However, in the 6th, the wheels fell off for the Diamondbacks. The Dragons capitalized on 3 errors by scoring 7 runs on 4 hits. The bats came alive after that as the Dragons went on to plate 3 more runs making the final score 12-2.
Leading the way at the plate was Nick "The Stick" Borm who put on another hitting clinic by going 4-4 with 3 runs scored, an RBI and 2 stolen bases.
Is that even guy human? Enquiring minds want to know.
Ryan Palazzo, who's name is thought to be mentioned in Jason Grimsley's IRS affidavit for using HGH, came in to pitch a 1,2,3 9th to end the game.
Dragons win their 8th straight, 13-2.
NOTES: The Cherokee Dragons have out scored and out hit the opposition 104-34 and 127-56 respectfully during their 8 game win streak.
Dragons Make it Lucky Number 7
The power surge continued on Sunday for the Cherokee Dragons as they put on yet another great display of hitting as well as pitching.
In the beginning, it seemed as if the Hurricanes might give the Dragons their toughest challenge yet. That only lasted 4 innings however.
It all started with a small-ball at bat by Alex Hickman. With runners on first and second, Hickman sacrificed the runners over with a beautiful bunt to the first base side of the field that bounced over the charging 1st basemans head. Hickman was called out on a close play at first. However, that put the offensive Machine in motion. Up next was Nick Borm who proceeded to plate everyone on base by hitting a 3 run jack over the left-center field wall for his first homerun of the season. 4 batters later, Heath Howard added to his career home run record by launching a 2 run blast off of the black overpass wall behind the left field fence. That took what little wind was left out of the Hurricanes.
Carlos Medina added another masterful start to his resume by going 7 innings, throwing 86 pitches while giving up only one unearned run. He retired the last 16 batters he faced in order to collect his second victory of the year. He lowered his ERA to an astounding 1.96 on the season.
A few other VERY notable hitters include Ryan Palazzo who showed up fashionably late and still posted a nice day at the dish by going 2 for 2 including a triple, a walk and 3 runs scored. Geoff Meikle went 3/4 with a 3-bagger, 2 stolen bases, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. Borm was 3/5 with 4 RBI.
The game ball went to Hickman for his bunt that proved to be the laxative that got things started.
Dragons win 15-2
Granny Makes Her Second Appearance of the Year
Heath Howard made team history in a very unique way on Sunday when he launched a towering Grand Slam onto Sandy Plains Road to put the Cherokee Dragons up one run in the third inning against the Cyclones. He very well may have even made league history, but who knows since things like this aren't really tracked.
In order to understand the true nature of Howard's feat, we must flash back to July 11th, 2004. Howard was then a member of the now defunct Alpharetta Cubs. It was that day that Howard surrendered a Grand Slam to Brian Corcoran, a home run that capped a huge come from behind win for the Dragons.
So Howard's feat is special for this one reason; he is the only member of the Grand Slam Club to have hit one as a Dragon, and given one up to a Dragon.
"Those guys seem to always give us hell," Manager Scot Turner said of the Cyclones after the game. "They never really give up, and it showed again today. We really had to battle for this one."
The Slam was just one of the many highlights in a hard fought victory over the very scrappy Cyclones.
Nick Borm, fresh from delivering a very important term paper, kept igniting the offense, going 3-for-4 with a walk, one double, a stolen base and three runs scored.
Donny Williams had the game winning RBI in the 8th, doubling in Alex Hickman and Borm.
Dave Sweet, while getting touched up a little on the mound, went 4-for-5 with a double and one rbi.
And Heath Howard went 3-for-3 with a walk, double, two runs scored and of course the previously mentioned Slam that gave him six rbi's. He also came in to pitch four scoreless innings in relief to earn his third victory of the season.
"This was a team win," Howard was overheard saying after the game, "but today, I feel like I won." He then pumped his fist like Napoleon Dynamite, put on his aviator sunglasses, and rode into the sunset listening to Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone".
Dragons Win, 10-8!
First Full Squad Make it 4 in a Row
Manager Scot Turner had one of his hardest jobs of the season on Sunday. Making out the lineup for the Cherokee Dragons. For the first time this year, they played with a full squad. With a team batting average of .444 going into the game, I think you can see where he might have had some tough decisions to make.
Not only did the Dragons bat's show up once again, their pitching did too. Carlos Medina turned in yet another great outing. That makes for two fantastic games in a row for the staff.
After allowing only one earned through 7 innings, Turner asked Medina how he felt. Medina replied, "I've been saving up for the 9th coach, I'm ready to go! I'm a freakin' horse! Let's do this." Medina saddled up and did just that. With a 3 up-3 down ninth, Medina sealed the deal for the Dragons 4 straight victory.
Carlos' line for the day:
A 9 inning complete game, 5 hits, 1 walk, 4 runs, 1 earned and 5 strikeouts.He faced 38 batters and threw 29 first pitch strikes. A total of 97 pitches, resulting in 71 strikes and 26 balls.
The top hitters for the day were:
Geoff Meikle: 3 for 3 with a run scored
Donny Williams: 3 for 4 with a 2 bagger and a run scored
Alex Hickman: 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored.With his 2 for 3 day, Hickman regained the lead in a friendly OPS competition the team has each year. In response to Hickman's day, last years OPS winner Seth Brown responded, "I'm gonna get you sucka! And if by chance I don't, you'll only be winning $15!"
Dragons win 9-4
Dragons Win in Grand Style
It was another record setting day by the Dragons as they once again unleashed the wrath of their bats, as well as their arms, on the Yankees.
Heath Howard pitched a MASTERFUL 6 innings, compiling 11 strikeouts to only 2 walks and total of 106 pitches. Carlos Medina came in at the start of the 7th and picked up right where Howard left off. Medina earned the first save of the Dragons young season by going 3 innings. The Yankees were only able to mustered 4 hits on the day.
After coming out of the game, Howard was quoted as saying, "This one is for my daddy. It's his birthday today. Happy birthday daddy, I love you!"
As for the Dragons bats, well, there was no change in those from the previous 5 games (including the pre-season).
A new record was set as Geoff Meikle, Seth Brown and Ryan Palazzo all went yard giving the Dragons 3 home runs on the day. Meikle and Brown both had 3 run shots. Palazzo one-uped them both by hitting a Granny. Palazzo's bomb tied him for most home runs by a Dragons (career) with 4. To look at the guy however, one might mistake him for a bean pole. To do the math for you, the Dragons scored 10 runs off of home runs alone.
They pilled on 15 hits to put their season total at 55. Brian Anderson led the way with 4 of those (4-4 on the day), 3 of which were doubles.
After the dust had settled and 3 hours expired, the final score was 20-5.
Although the season is still young, the Dragons have put up some truly amazing numbers so far: 55 hits, a team batting average of .444, team OPS of 1.095, and a team ERA of 3.60. The opposition is batting only .193 (17 hits). In the field, there have only been 3 errors committed. A very solid team all the way around.
29 Hit Expolsion
Team records fell on sunday as The Cherokee Dragons opened the flood gates, racking up 29 hits on their way to a 17-2 victory that was called due to the mercy rule.
Dave Sweet made his regular season debut, giving up three hits over 6 innings. His two earned runs were giving up when he walked one batter and gave up an absolute bomb to the Chiefs Catcher, Jordan.
"It looked like the ball hit about two-thirds of the way up the black wall. I thought it was a pretty decent pitch, down and in, but he golfed it out of there in a hurry," said manager Scot Turner.
Ryan Palazzo also made his regular season debut in relief, pitching two scoreless innings to wrap up the game.
But the real story, was all of the hits. All thirteen Dragons batters got at least one base hit, and 11 of them have multiple hits.
Dragons draft pick, Matt Calderara went 4 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored, the only player in team history to do so.
The Dragons will rest for Easter sunday, and pick it back up against the Yankees on April 23rd.
Dragons Win! 17-2
Dragons Topple Titans
The Atlanta Titans made their Atlanta MABL Debut against the Cherokee Dragons on Sunday, providing the home team their first real test of 2006. The Titans had previously been playing in one of the local hispanic leagues that play in and around Atlanta.
The Titans jumped out to a quick 2 run lead in the top of the first, which marked the first time the Dragons had trailed in 2006. But the Dragons Answered quickly with a two spot of their own in the bottom half of the first frame on a two RBI single by Dave Sweet.
the Titans were held scoreless in the Second, but the Dragons Scored another pair of runs on a two RBI Double by Nick Borm.
The Titans pulled even in their half of the Third, but The Dragons Scored on a steal of homeplate by Heath Howard to go up by another run.
In the Fifth Inning, Titans Short Stop, Cesar Ostos, reached base on a well hit double and was moved to third on a groundball. Showing some amazing speed, he stole Home himself and tied the game at 5.
It was at this point that the Dragons knew they were in a straight up dog fight. They went on to score 4 more runs in the fifth on good team baseball; taking advatage of a first and third situation and forcing the Titans to make some plays.
Nine runs proved to be enough in the end, as the Titans were only able to score once in the sixth and again in the 8th before Heath Howard locked them down to earn his first win of 2006.
Carlos Medina was quoted after the game as saying, "I think the key to this victory, if I had to just point out one thing, is that we scored more runs than they did. That was really huge!"
Dragons Win! 9-7
Dragons Finish Pre-Season 3-0, Just Itchin' to Start Regular Season
With wins against the revamped Sturgeons, 15-1, The Gamecocks, 13-5, and the Georgia Cherokees, 14-7, the Dragons are looking to continue their winnings ways in the upcoming regular season. The way the team has played this pre-season has caused Manager Scot Turner's wife, Kelly, to now have to change two diapers; one being their new born son's, Sam, the other being Scot's due to massive amounts of excitement.
The team made some huge acquisitions in the off season. Picking up Nick Borm and Matt Calderara from the draft in addition to the below mentioned Dave Sweet, Brian Anderson and Geoff Meikle. Even after adding 5 new men to the roster, the Dragons have played as if they have known each other and played together for years.
"It really gives me a nice worm feeling in my pants, er, my heart." said Dragons Manager Scot Turner.
In addition to the 5 new players, the Dragons scored a pretty sweet home field at Sprayberry High School.
The upcoming season should be a tough and exciting one as the Dragons will face all of the #1 seeds from all 4 divisions. However, the Dragons have their sites set only on game #1 against the Titans this Sunday at 12:15 at Sprayberry.
Come on out and watch as the Dragons look to return to their Division winning ways.
Cherokee Dragons Raise Expectations, Change Faces for 2006
After a rollercoaster season in 2005 that saw both a seven game losing streak and a six game winning streak, the Cherokee Dragons have begun actively preparing for the 2006 season.
The Dragons are without several key players, including Shane Fay, Tony D'Errico, Mark Packwood, Ryan "Duke" Duquette, and Chris Green. As a result, the Dragons have picked up several new players to try and fill the sizable gap left by those departing. They include; Geoff Meikle 2B, Brian Anderson 2B/1B, and Dave Sweet 1B/P.
The new look team will feature old faces in new places, as Alex Hickman has been spotted taking groundballs at First base, and Donny Williams played a brilliant 2B while at the Fall Classic in Tampa. And it looks like Ryan Palazzo has made the move to the outfield permanent, but will still see time on the mound as well.
"I love both of my catchers, I really do," Said Manager Scot Turner. "The problem is one is getting married the same time as the other one is supposed to have a baby this year. Since they both can play other positions, I would love to have another catcher on the squad."
"And as always, another arm in the pen would be nice to have too."
For the first time in team history, each member of the Dragons are being required to sign a player contract that commits them to mandatory attendance levels at both games and practices, as well as throughout the playoffs. The contract sets a tone of raised expectations for the team.
"Last year left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth," said Turner, "especially the way it ended in the playoffs. I wanted to let the guys know this was a team, and they have made commitments to each other. And that if they can't put the work in, or they can't show up, especially in the playoffs, that this was not the team for them. I told them that we all put a lot of effort and time into this team, that the end result should be knowing we did our best. I can't say that happened last year, and I don't want it to happen again. So I have set the ground rules early and in writing, and the team has responded positively."
The Dragons will get their first real test of their new look squad against their old friends, the Twin City Talons in pre-season action. Until then, the squad continues to workout, preparing for a championship run.
