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Fowl Ball! Weekly report on the DUCKS "It's a nice night to be from Massapequa." These were the words of Ducks manager Dave Lapoint shortly after his team had beaten the Somerset Patriots for the second time in one night last Thursday at Citibank Park. Lapoint was referring to infielder and Massapequa Park native Rob Cafiero, as well as outfielder Kevin Haverbusch, who is from Massapequa. Both players played major roles in Long Island's sweep of the doubleheader. In the first game, Cafiero came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning and with one powerful swing, hit a solo home run over the centerfield fence. This was the first run scored in the game and it gave the Ducks a lead which they would not surrender. However, this was also a very special moment on a personal level for Cafiero, as it was his first home run in his three years wearing the Ducks uniform. "It feels good to finally get the monkey off my back there," says Cafiero, "I went through the past two seasons without hitting one so getting the chance to run around the bases here at home was really nice." Minor injuries to regular starters Carl Everett and Damian Rolls have allowed Cafiero the chance to get more playing time on a regular basis over the last week. It is obvious that the 27-year-old first baseman has the full confidence of his manager and teammates, all of whom believe he can contribute when in the lineup. "Rob has done really well from the beginning of spring training so I know we don't lose anything by having him in the lineup," says Dave Lapoint, "He has looked calm and comfortable at the plate, he does not make any mistakes and he definitely came up big for us tonight." Teammate and fellow Massapequan Kevin Haverbusch proved on this night that he is not only a talented ballplayer but might also have a future as a psychic. "Actually you can go and ask Rob but I told him before the game that I had a feeling he was going to hit two RBIs his first six games as a Duck. +The Ducks also announced this week that infield coach Kevin Baez has accepted a coaching position within the New York Mets' minor league system and will immediately report to the team's spring training facility in Port St. Lucie.
+Long Island returns home from their five game road trip for a three game series against the Road Warriors at Citibank Park (Thursday-Saturday). The Ducks will then head to Bridgeport over the Memorial Day holiday for their first encounter with the division rival Bluefish. This series will mark the return of Ducks manager Dave Lapoint to the ballpark at Harbor Yard since managing the Bluefish last season.
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