---------------
---------------
Tuesday 25th December 2007
You might well be tired of hearing this, but
it really was another roll of the dice to come up with a selection
between those great rugby rivals, the Cane Toads and the Cockroaches
We will mention again here the uncertainty of the "Protected
Roster" situation as we are forced to guess who might still
play even though they were not protected
In this case we are guessing that the Queensland team is pretty
much "face value", while we are not so sure that some
of the unnamed NSW stars might not yet make a significant impact?
In the end we gave the NSW Patriots the slight edge based almost
entirely on their probable starting pitching and, let's make no
bones about this, it is very likely that the team who can roll
out the dominant starters in these three game series will surely
hold an insurmountable advantage - it is guessing who they might
be that is the trick!!
Let's get one VERY obvious guy out of the way quickly - after
rubbing our eyes in disbelief - DAVID NILSSON!!
Could it possibly be true that Australia's greatest ever baseball
product has one more magical shot in his considerable arsenal
as he sneaks up upon his 40th birthday?
Well, we at 'Flintoff & Dunn' have learned several times how
perilous it can be to write off anything that this guy might do
over the years
He has such a reputation, especially in Claxton Shield competition,
that he might well be capable of getting a hit while sitting in
a wheelchair!
We know that 'Big Dave' has been keeping his eye in while coaching
at the academy, but the last time we saw him in any type of serious
action was at the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic when it
did appear, sadly, that his best days were consigned to a very
distant past - and that was nearly two years ago now!
And, believe it or not, it is going to be twenty-one years since
the 'great man' won the Helms Award from the 1987 Claxton Shield!
However, just in case we've talked you out of backing him to win
another award, it would do well to remember his last Claxton campaign
in 2004
On that occasion he returned from a seven year hiatus to bat .455
with four home runs and 12 RBI's from just 11 at bats
This is no ordinary player we are discussing here folks and, besides,
what a story it would be if he could roll back the years!
Aside from Nilsson, it would seem that the Queensland Rams have
not suffered as many changes to their squad from 2007 as most
of the other teams and this may prove to be a positive thing
While the changes (on paper) may be minimal, they will be hoping
that Phil Stockman is able to take his place in the team this
year and that their
perennial star Brett Roneberg does not get injured again, as he
did so sadly when he was burning it up in Perth
Top of the "out" list for the Rams is former New York
Mets 'AA' pitcher Wayne Ough who owns a decent 2-3, 3.32ERA record
for Queensland over the past three Claxton campaigns, perhaps
followed by Tristan Loetzsch who is 1-0, 4.82ERA over the same
period
Former Boston Red Sox professional James Albury is 0-0, 3.38ERA
from Claxton competition, but he might have been valuable here
Youngster Matthew Bates was 0-2, 14.85ERA from his two starts
at Claxton 2007
It would be exaggerating to suggest that Queensland have lost
much offensively, but Brendan Kleidon has been a defensive stalwart
over four campaigns since 2002 despite his modest .169 batting
average
Young Philadelphia Phillies rookie pro Alan Schoenberger looked
a fine prospect with his .214 average in 2007, while Jacob Rooke
hit 2-10 and Matthew Coco batted 1-9 at Thornlie
We should see more of these young fellows at some time in the
future
Of the inclusions, David Bylett will be more than useful if he
can repeat his .333 average from Claxton 2005
So too former San Diego Padres pitcher Riki Paewai who is 0-1,
3.09ERA after a season each with Queensland and the Provincials
Atlanta Braves signee Matt Timms was 0-0, 4.50ERA for the Provincials
at Claxton 2007, while Ryan Searle is a future Chicago Cubs pitcher
with his career still very much ahead of him
The Queensland Rams just love to ambush other teams with new faces
at Claxton Shield carnivals and it would not surprise us to find
a pearl or two among their little-known rookies David Holland,
Daniel Lamb-Hunt, Aaron Luchterhand and Simon Morriss
Unlike our South Australian friends from across the border, these
new 'Banana Benders' will provide us with some challenges, surname
wise - apart from David Holland who we should handle okay!!
The Conclusion
Let's spit it out immediately - it definitely would not surprise
us in the slightest to see Queensland dominating the Eastern Division,
or even winning another Claxton Shield
As we said, we have them just shaded by those NSW Patriots for
starting pitching - or so it would appear on face value
But, we have plenty of respect for the quality of players listed
for both of those traditional State-of-Origin rugby league rivals
and we fully expect to see that type of intense rivalry maintained
by their baseball brethren
Of course it is a geographical fact in Australia that the football
codes are mirrored in our Claxton shield baseball divisions, and
it does add a hint of spice!
We are going with New South Wales to make the 2008 Claxton Shield
final, but they might well need another "bounce" or
two, like the one that helped them to sneak into the final in
Perth
On the other hand, they wouldn't want 'Big Dave' Nilsson to strike
lightning in a bottle with an incredible return to his 1999 Major
League All-Star form!!