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Fowl Ball! As the Long Island Ducks reach the midpoint of the second half this week, it will be very important for the team to start finding some consistency in their play and put together a few winning streaks. It has been proven, time and time again in professional sports, that the teams that go into the playoffs with momentum are the ones most likely to have success. With the postseason looming just over a month away, the Ducks' recent play bears little resemblance to the team which won the first half with the best record in the Atlantic League and recorded the second most wins in team history. Just three weeks ago, Long Island was in the middle of setting a team record for longest winning streak, but since then the Ducks have only won seven of their last 21 games and for the first time all season their record has gone under .500. This week might have been the team's worst yet, as the Ducks put a zero up in the win column after being swept in both Lancaster and Camden. They finished their season-long nine game road trip with only two wins. What are the reasons for this sudden collapse over the last few weeks? Anyone who follows the team can point out a few of the more obvious problems; namely injuries and a seemingly endless string of roster moves. Just about every week, the Ducks have either signed a new player or had one of their own players signed away by a big league team. Since the second half began, Long Island has lost their all-star shortstop and arguably their top pitcher. With so many players coming and going, it is nearly impossible for a manager to put together a consistent lineup on a daily basis. When you factor in the numerous players who have been in and out of the lineup because of injuries, manager Don McCormack has had a hard time fielding a team at all. As an example of how bad it has gotten, there was a point at one game during this weekend's series in Camden when the Ducks had catcher Greg Connors and relief pitcher Mike Crudale playing two of the three outfield positions. It is not an easy task to win ballgames in this kind of situation. Another negative pattern THAT has developed recently is that the quality of pitching and hitting has not been on the same page. One week the Ducks cannot score any runs while the pitching is solid, then the next week the offense is there but the pitching is struggling. This past week it was the pitching that let the Ducks down in a big way. In six games, the Ducks scored a combined 37 runs. How could a team be unable to win even one game out of six when putting up that many runs? This is why: the Ducks gave up an astounding 54 runs over six games this week. Pitching like this will not get it done in the playoffs so it is crucial for Bill Pulsipher, Pat Ahearne, and Tony Fiore to get back to the level of play which they are capable of. Fin a l l y , t h e r e had to be a little bit of a letdown in t h e D u c k s play after winning winning the first half division title since they already knew they would be in the playoffs regardless of what happened the rest of the season. With not much to play for during the second half, this is somewhat understandable, but the players and their manager have never accepted this as an excuse. Since day one of the second half, everyone associated with the Ducks has maintained that the second half is just as important as the first. "There is nothing whatsoever that changes about the way we have approached the second half," manager Don McCormack said, "These guys are still professionals and they are going to go out and try to win every game." Pitcher Pat Ahearne says that although it might seem like the team is relaxing a little they are still just as focused on winning as they were in the first half. "I think that all of us are a little relieved that we already qualified for the playoffs," Ahearne said, "but we cannot get too comfortable where we become a lazy team, we need to stay focused on playing well heading into the playoffs." Outfielder Mel Stocker says he thinks the team should expect nothing less than winning the division title again in the second half. "Just because we won the first half does not mean we can slack off," says Stocker, "We need to play the same way for the rest of the season and hopefully be in the race to win the second half title as well." The Ducks hope to get back on track this week as they return to Citibank Park for nine home games in a row. One bright spot for the Ducks has been the return to the lineup of Massapequa native Kevin Haverbusch. Haverbusch had not played for almost three weeks as a result of tightness in his back. In the six games this week, Haverbusch hit over .300 and had three RBI and five runs scored. Haverbusch, like the rest of his teammates, says they cannot overlook the rest of the regular season. "When your a professional and you go about your job the way you should, then you will always want to win each and every game you play in," said Haverbusch. "Each of us also will not lose sight of wanting to play well and put up good numbers on an individual basis but the main thing is getting on a roll going into the playoffs." Pretty In Pink The Long Island Ducks will wear commemorative pink jerseys and play with special pink bats as the team hosts their First Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night on Saturday, September 2nd. The Ducks have teamed up with more than 14 organizations for this special night in hopes of raising awareness of breast cancer on Long Island. Each of the groups will have a table located around Citibank Park's concourse with information about breast cancer and they will each receive between 100-250 tickets as donations which they can in turn sell as a fundraiser. "Over 20 years ago my mother, Dorothy Boulton, lost her battle with breast cancer," says Ducks owner Frank Boulton. "As a husband and father of two daughters, I know the importance of breast cancer awareness. Our organization is proud to be able to host an evening to raise breast cancer awareness across Long Island and to salute those organizations that fighting hard to find a cure." The Ducks have also announced that the pink jerseys and bats will be auctioned off and all proceeds will be donated by the QuackerJack Foundation to all of the participating organizations. In addition, the first 1,500 adults into the ballpark for that evening's game against the Somerset Patriots will receive souvenir pink tshirts. "We look forward to this evening and know that our partners are just as excited," Boulton adds. "With the jersey auction and the concourse tables, we will be able to raise money and awareness of local organizations and their work with breast cancer." EXTRA INNINGS:
There is a new Mann in town to help the Ducks with their recent pitching problems. The team has signed former Major League pitcher Jim Mann to a contract for the rest of the 2006 season. Mann has appeared in 25 games at the big league level with the Mets, Astros and Pirates. The 31-year old is also a veteran of over 400 minor league games which includes a stint last season with the Nashua Pride, formerly of the Atlantic League. "Jim is a guy that has shown versatility throughout his career," says Ducks general manager Michael Hirsch. "He's the type of pitcher that feels comfortable in any situation and he will be a great asset to our staff." Mann made his Ducks debut pitching a scoreless inning in relief over the weekend in Camden.
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