Reunited And It Feels So Good

It's just that time of the year. That time of the year when cabin fever begins to set in. That first warm, sunny, breeze swept day where you want to tie up your spikes, throw your hat on, dust off your glove and start throwing, preparing for the season that should prove to better than the last.

I’m Ryan Thomas and I live for this time of the year. The Red Sox are in full swing and my team, the McKay Club Beacons are just starting to get in to the routine of showing up to the field most worthy of practice (no offense Ronan Park) and getting the feel for the grass, the lips of the infield and the faux clay that we’ll be playing on more days than not come summer.

This blog will be dedicated to the Yawkey League and all of it’s teams. More importantly though, I will be concentrating on what my team, the McKay Club Beacons have going on. With a team like this, there’s always something to talk about. Eat your heart out Laura Raposa, your gossip column in The Boston Herald has nothing on what the likes of Chris Deane, Rob Linn, Josh McDonnell and Co. have to say on a regular basis. I know, keep it on the field. But some of the things these guys say are just pure gold. Reading this blog for Chris Deane commentary alone is worth while.

Coming off a disappointing season in 2006, Coach Dave McKay and club captain and ball-busting connoisseur Chris Deane have helped to add depth to both our offense and pitching staff. To bolster an already formidable pitching staff that includes bulldog Danny Ciocca, token red-head and short fuse Sean Sullivan, hit-the-corners-in-my-sleep Adam Kulis and yours truly, Ryan Thomas, Dave McKay and the rest of “upper management” have added a good mix of young and old. Perennial Yawkey Leaguer Dana Levensaler will bring his experience and knowledge to the team, new-comer Geoff Wiech will bring his hot fastball and Harvard education to the table, Kevin Jackson will give the McKay Club a much needed left-hander and youngster Joe Cuervels will give the Beacons more depth and versatility this year.

Pitching aside, the McKay Club endured offensive struggles at times last year. Chris Deane has admitted on more than one occasion that in an attempt to carry the team on his back offensively, he tried to do too much at times. Instead of burdening Chris once again, the McKay Club has brought back, in Coach Dave McKay’s words, one of the best hitters the Yawkey League has seen in the last 15 years, Rob Linn. After a falling out between Linn and Chris Deane before last season began, the two have reconciled their differences and are now reunited once again, ready to torment Yawkey League pitching staffs.

Looking back on 2006, the season was deemed an underachievement by all the members of the McKay Club. This year is looking up, and with good reason. Key additions to the offense and pitching coinciding with the core players that are returning, hungry to get back to the playoffs is a recipe for success.

All throughout the 2007 season, I will be writing on a regular basis, talking about McKay Club news, Yawkey League news, Chris Deane’s and Sean Sullivan’s short fuses, Dave McKay’s quest for weight loss (almost 90 pounds so far, keep up the good work) and the good times had with our new sponsor Tom English. Tom English’s Pub is located in South Boston on East Broadway and members of the McKay Club will be a constant there during the season throwing back wobbly-pops, laughing it up and having a great time. Come by, share some laughs, share some brews, talk about baseball with us and most importantly, just have fun. And watch out for drunken Irish people. They can get pretty feisty.