2006/07
BASEBALL VICTORIA
DIVISION ONE
CHAMPIONSHIP
COMES HOME
TO WAVERLEY

WAVERLEY WILDCATS DELIVER OUR DATE WITH DESTINY, 10-1 v ESSENDON IN STATE LEAGUE FINAL!
Saturday night, 24 March 2007 at Melbourne Ballpark 

Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers... wait a minute, that's a bit extreme, even if it has felt that long for the 'Waverley Nation' as we have waited far too patiently for another Division One Premiership. To all of my friends and associates among the Wildcats faithful we can now well and truly announce that THE WAIT IS OVER! The biggest prize in Victorian baseball has returned to Napier Park in spectacular style and it is time for us to rejoice! 

It remains a remarkable example of cosmic phenomena that, even though the name WAVERLEY WILDCATS had been firmly entrenched on the top of the Division One table throughout the season, and other seasons before, the efforts of our team seemed to have become invisible to the many doubters and Waverley-phobic members of our baseball community who predicted success for just about any team other than our Wildcats. I'm not going to spoil our celebratory mood by being ungracious in victory or stooping to negative levels of parochialism that I really can't comprehend. I would simply like to say that lack of respect can be a very potent driving force for a team that finds itself steeled by the determination of having something to prove... thanks for the extra motivation that we really didn't need! 

Then again, my own mind drifts back to Sunday, 8 October 2006 when we arrived at Napier Park for our season opener against our renowned rivals from Newport. I was among a few of Waverley's "inner sanctum" of supporters starting to assess our prospects for the new season ahead. None of us had fully recovered from losing the last game of our 2005/06 campaign when we were ambushed by Geelong in the Grand Final game after dominating the season. We already knew that we would not be able to call upon three of our 2006 Claxton Shield stars Simon Beresford, Adam Bonaddio or Hayden Dingle.

Big Simon was off to the USA with his lovely American bride to begin a new family life that would not allow him to play baseball in Australia for the foreseeable future and, quite possibly, ever again. 'Bonnas' had packed up his baseball kit in favour of taking a break from the game with a jaunt around Europe... poor fellow! Hayden had taken his heavy hitting bat down the Burwood Highway to play with our local rivals at Blackburn. The departure of those three players would make a pretty decent dent in the hopes of any team, but the concerns didn't stop there!

Senior pitchers Evan Phillips (our Most Improved Player for 2005/06) and Andrew Fennell would be unavailable due to work commitments while stalwarts Sammy Mather, Ashley Cass and Sandy Clark would not be playing this season. Young prospect Kirby McConnon was taking a year off to concentrate on football. Pitcher Greg Johnston was off to college in the USA and younger brother Justin Johnston would not be around until his university exams concluded. Star catcher Grant Karlsen had lingering arm troubles from over-throwing during his successful winter of pitching. Young short stop 'phenom' James Beresford had barely made a full recovery from off-season shoulder surgery. 

Our professional players Donavon Hendricks and Danny Berg would not be ready to play for a month or so and, while Donnie made a terrific contribution to our success, a nasty finger injury didn't allow 'Bergie' to play nearly as much as he would have liked before heading back to the US before the finals. Possibly last, but certainly not least, was the news that co-coach Scott Dawes was finding it hard to put time into his own baseball and he had made a decision not to play until at least after the Christmas break.

Let's just say that at this stage of our community conversation, that even the most optimistic among us was starting to wonder if we had the ammunition to make the finals again, let alone to make a serious challenge for the Championship... that seemed like a dream that was getting further away from reality than becoming any closer. We were watching a bunch of our promising juniors playing in the SECONDS as an indication of how thin our depth had become since last season with the premature elevation of players throughout our senior grades and there didn't seem to be a lot to get excited about in our FIRSTS either, especially in what loomed as our pitching stocks... on paper that is.

Of course we welcomed the return of popular infielder Anthony Reinke (more on him later), but we certainly thought that it would be a lot to ask of youngsters Ryan Fisher and Steve Hood to do most of our pitching until Hendricks was ready. We hadn't really thought about proven outfielder Tommy Rynberk re-inventing himself as a pitching ace after experimenting with Waverley's modest 'Blackcats' team in winter baseball... it was a LONG way from Division One standard. We were soon to find out, time and again, just how wrong we had been!!

History will now record, once again, that there are intangible things in the world of top-level sports that seem to transcend the more obvious attributes like pure depth of talent. Now, WHOA!, just wait a moment, don't think for one millisecond that I am suggesting that our team lacked talent... not true, it's just that we were unable to imagine how some players would step up to the increased responsibility. We had not factored how superbly our pitching and defence would develop or, most importantly, how the team chemistry among our players would harden the unit. It was never more evident than among the players after the premiership victory had been secured with how much they enjoyed playing this season and how they had bonded with each other. It all resulted in a single-minded determination to achieve something for the club first, and then for themselves!

Fast-forward to the night of 'Super Saturday', 24 March 2007 and our date with destiny in the Grand Final against Essendon, a team that we had mixed success against during the season, but who we had man-handled in the major semi-final. The Bombers would hold one ace up their sleeve from our previous encounter in the shape of canny pitcher Casey Jones, not seen in the last contest, but fresh from a brilliant shutout of Blackburn in the preliminary final. Our high-octane Waverley offence knew very well that the outcome of the game could hinge upon the ability of our hitters to stamp their authority against Casey as early as possible. For old time TV viewers, we didn't want to see Casey Jones at the throttle of the Cannonball Express!!

With two out in the opening frame and the first run of the game threatening to score from second base, a single to left field appeared likely to put the Bombers ahead in the game until Waverley's speedy outfielder Ian Geduld swooped to gather the ball before delivering a cannon shot to catcher Grant Karlsen who applied the tag for a HUGE, innings-ending out at home plate. Not only had the parity been maintained on the Altona scoreboard, but the emotional energy had also been added to the determination of the Waverley bats as they prepared for our first turn at the plate.

It could hardly have unfolded more perfectly to script when about 28 minutes later our relentless offence had hammered Casey from the mound with a game-breaking "seven-spot". From my vantage point Jones didn't do too much wrong, but our quality hitters had simply jumped all over him and it can be virtually impossible to settle under these circumstances. Talented Ross Hipke did an admirable job to stem the flow for Essendon but the pressure had clearly drained out of the contest by the time the seven, then eight, run lead had been posted on the board. 

OK, I know, a seven run lead is always a nice position in any baseball game, but it is not by any means a totally secure situation after just one inning of a nine inning baseball game... not by a long shot! However, the mood of the battle had already become obvious to even the most nervous and insecure Waverley supporters. With 'Nolan Ryan' Fisher doing what he has done so superbly all season on the mound and the defence behind him putting on another Wildcats clinic there was hardly a hint of doubt that the Championship would inevitably be heading home to baseball's heartland in the south-east of Melbourne. 

The game sort of meandered on to a decisive 10-1 win for the men in white with 'Fish' simply refusing to hand the ball over to his bullpen mates... not that they would have cared in the least when they joined the pile in the post-game revelry. Some of the younger players have not suffered too much of the pain of waiting for this success but a few of the more seasoned guys like Danny Reeman, Tom Rynberk and Glenn Mascoll have... young and not-yet-old alike, those Waverley Wildcats players all felt the outpouring of emotion that came with ending the club's 14-year Division One Championship drought. It has been too long coming for our proud club, but the waiting was almost worth it to see THIS team of quality young men enjoy their richly deserved slice of history that can never be taken away from them. 

One more time, I'd rather pay tribute to TEAM BATTING as an overview of Waverley's offence in this game, and most others this season, but how can you ignore 'Rusty' Russell's 3-4... YAWN!... this guy is like the Durocell bunny when it comes to hitting a baseball... does he EVER give up!?

Maybe the best way to pay a final tribute to the team who have, at long last, brought home the bacon would be to say a few words about each one of them... and I hope that it is a little more coherent than my "over celebrated" efforts with the microphone very late on Saturday night, or more likely Sunday morning?... here goes:

CATCHER - GRANT 'CARTER' KARLSEN: With plenty of respect for Victoria's 2007 Helms Award winner Mathew Kent, Waverley fans just love Grant Karlsen and we wouldn't swap him for anyone! This young guy has endured some deflation to his ego since his pro career was prematurely ended and he is still waiting very patiently for his next opportunity in both State and National teams. But, this intelligent and talented chap simply continues to apply himself and to give everything he has as a loyal life-long Waverley player without a hint of animosity or regret. He continues to rival the best defensive catchers in Australia, with a throwing arm superior to most of them and he is growing quickly in stature with his handling of pitchers. Knowledgeable observers knew that it was only a matter of time before Karlsen would find the right balance between aggression and pitch-selection in the batters box... his team second best .417 average with ten doubles sounds pretty good to me! You can count on seeing plenty of Grant Karlsen at State and National level in coming years... and plenty more with the Wildcats!!

FIRST BASE - DANIEL 'RAMBO' REEMAN & CHRIS 'CHIPPER' MAURER: Hold on, aren't both of these guys catchers?... and haven't we also seen both of these guys play in various positions in the infield and outfield over recent years?... the answer to all of these questions is YES! As mentioned in a recent report 'Chipper' and Danny are two of the most loyal, versatile and upbeat team men that you could find anywhere... sorry, I left out the important word valuable! The fact of this matter is that there has never been a great or successful team in any sport without versatile and unselfish clubmen like these fellows. Dan Reeman played his 300th senior game for our Wildcats this season and throughout this time he has been a MAGNIFICENT contributor to the team through thick and thin. 'Reemo' has endured the agony of previous Waverley campaigns that have ended just short of the big prize but right now he is enjoying the moment of triumph more than most... and few players deserve it more. I can envisage 600 games in a Waverley uniform for Daniel Reeman... thanks mate!

The sad late season knee injury to Chris Maurer saved a serious selection quandary for the coaching panel regarding the first base position coming into the finals. Down at Bonbeach 'Chipper' blew out his knee while sacrificing his own safety in the attempt to prevent an out for the team. This pretty much underlines the type of selfless bloke that Maurer is... the type of player who didn't grumble when he had to work his way up from the thirds after he arrived at the club a few years ago. It was a great tribute to his persistence and attitude that he really established himself as a bona fide Divvy One player this year and his .306 season average is proof of how good he has been. 'Chipper's' injury may have cost him a position on the diamond during the finals, but he remained the team's No.1 cheerleader on the bench and he richly deserved his premiership medal. 'Chipper' was also a leading candidate for the MVP of the post game celebrations on Saturday and Sunday!

GRANT KARLSEN	DANIEL REEMAN	CHRIS MAURER

SECOND BASE - GLENN 'FERRET' MASCOLL: As mentioned, Mascoll and Reeman, along with Tommy Rynberk, are the longest serving members of our current Wildcats team even if they each have a few more years yet to await their 30th birthdays! Another of the most popular and selfless players in a Wildcats uniform, 'Red' Mascoll didn't hesitate a moment when he was asked to slide across to second base after establishing himself as a quality short stop at this level over several years. Mascoll simply took his short stop's quality glove to the right side of the infield and he has helped to form an exhilarating double-play combination with youngster Jimmy Beresford at short. It would be stating the obvious to say that Glenn Mascoll did everything he could to contribute to the success of his team and he never seems to mind keeping a lower profile in a star studded lineup. His .330 average was an unassuming fifth best among all Wildcats this season. Not even a serious broken leg last winter could stop Mascoll from grabbing his Championship medal with glee on Saturday night... it had been a long road for him... good on you Glenn!

SHORT STOP - JAMES 'RIPKEN' BERESFORD: So what's happened to 'Ozzie James', named after Cardinals' spectacular short stop glove genius Ozzie Smith, I hear you ask? Well folks, I reckon that Ozzie Smith was a good nickname for young 'Jimbo' coming into this season as a maturing 17yo because the famous St.Louis' favourite 'Wizard of Oz' was a brilliant gloveman but only a moderate hitter throughout his career. Since finishing his pre-Christmas studies our junior prodigy Beresford has shown that he is also a genuine offensive force at this level, not to mention during the 2007 Claxton Shield where he also averaged above the .300 plateau. His .316 for Waverley in 2006/07 is made all the more impressive given the fact that he has steadily lifted this from "under two bucks" during December. You can forget about waiting for this kid to get stronger, as he surely will, because he has already ARRIVED as an offensive force and he will only get more dangerous with the bat. What a scary thought that will be for opposing pitchers in future years!! For this reason I've now tagged him with the famous name of the stronger hitting short stop legend Cal Ripken Jnr. Only a player of the more seasoned quality of Bradley Harman could have kept our James Beresford out of the Victorian Aces squad this season, but James proved himself as good as any short stop in Perth and he was a true "Master Class" defensively in Division One this season. Jimmy collected another State League Junior Championship with our U18 Wildcats this year, then he added Waverley's Junior Club Champion trophy to his staggering honour roll. To cap it all, he now finds himself an integral part of the drought breaking Waverley Division One Champions... it's a pretty good way to set off for his first tilt at a professional career with the Minnesota Twins this year. He knows that he will have everyone at Waverley behind him when he takes on the pros as we look forward to him forging a long and successful career in the States... and back here every summer at Waverley. It is one of my great privileges to have watched his career from the Under 10's at Waverley. I think he might have been 4 months old at the time when we first noticed the rattle flying out of mum's pram at low 90's MPH... did I mention how good a pitcher this boy was? Way to go 'Jimbo'!!

THIRD BASE - ANTHONY 'ROLEN' REINKE: Unfortunately, it was just before my time following the seniors at Waverley when a young Anthony Reinke left the club seeking more first team playing opportunities. The great news in this for we Wildcats is that Anthony chose to come back "home" as a more seasoned player this season and we could hardly have dreamed for a more spectacular and successful return. That aforementioned inner-sanctum of supporters have often bemoaned the fact that we have rarely had a permanent or natural defensive third baseman at the club over recent years... this problem was solved superbly with the return of Anthony Reinke. Not only did 'Reinks' provide the last piece of a very special jigsaw puzzle defensively, but he often proved himself the "money man" with the bat. Opposing teams pitched carefully to him but he still managed to be a vital component of what was a tremendously team orientated hitting lineup. His defence at hot corner was slick and his laser-like arm was unerring. Maybe the most important contribution that Anthony Reinke made to our Championship team this year was his addition to the "team chemistry" as another original Wildcat with a positive influence in the clubhouse. Reinke earned his slice of the team success this year and we expect to see him play an integral part in a successful era of Wildcats baseball to come!

GLENN MASCOLL	JAMES BERESFORD	ANTHONY REINKE

LEFT FIELD - IAN 'ICHIRO' GEDULD: I could tell that Ian Geduld was delighted with his starring role in Waverley's Championship success by the enduring smile on his face, but it's not easy to get too many words out of this quiet and unassuming young fellow. Nope, Ian Geduld lets his play do the talking for him and, in this case, it speaks pretty well of a young chap who has persisted for a few years under the radar before earning the faith of Waverley's coaching duo from the very start of the 2006/07 season. Geduld was so effective and consistent on the left side of the paddock, with the timber and on the base paths that there was never a thought of pencilling anyone else into the lineup. He had grasped his opportunity and his terrific overall team contribution ensured that he was there to collect his Championship medal on Saturday night. Young 'Ichiro' may have had a moment of "deja vu" under the lights at Altona after having his one misadventure earlier this season with a fly ball lost in the lights but, if this caused him any concern, he cast aside the memory with an outstanding defensive performance in the Grand Final. With a valuable mixture of small ball and timely hitting Geduld compiled a wonderful .388 average for the season and he was a versatile offensive weapon for the coaching staff. I'm glad to have the opportunity to tell you how good Ian Geduld was for Waverley this season because you won't hear any of it from him!

CENTREFIELD - JARROD 'HAMMER' HODGES: Reigning Club Champion Jarrod Hodges batted a team fourth best .333 this season. Most players would be delighted with this type of season but it would not register a blimp on Hodgo's career highlight reel... until he collected his Championship medal on Saturday night that is! It is a fact that Jarrod did not have his most settled or productive season individually but I'm certain that the ultimate team success would mean a whole lot more to Hodges who has already achieved a lot in what is still a young career. I'm not going to chew over the early season issues that saw Jarrod struggle with adjusting to life as a designated hitter, but I will give credit to our coaching panel for their decision to restore Jarrod Hodges to his preferred role as a centrefielder. Not only did it strengthen the lineup offensively, but Hodges also reminded everyone what a quality outfielder he is. I still don't think that Jarrod quite found the peak of his hitting prowess at any time this season but even seventy-percent of this guy's best is good enough to hit .333 in Division One baseball! It remains a very good indicator of the way our TEAM lifted this season that we did not need 'Hodgo' to carry as much of the offensive burden as he has done in previous years. This does not change the fact that he was still a most valuable and feared hitter in the heart of the Wildcats batting order and, more importantly, he was a vital cog in the mechanism of our drought breaking Championship team. Hodgo is one of our few current heroes who did not play his junior career at Waverley but he couldn't be more of a "Waverley man" these days if he had a Wildcats 'W' tattooed on his forehead!

RIGHT FIELD - ANDREW 'RAMIREZ' RUSSELL: Yes, I agree that 'Rusty' is a better nickname, but the way that this young bloke hit this season he started to take on the aura of Boston's hitting machine Manny Ramirez with his presence in the batter's box. One major difference though, while Ramirez is a flaky and unreliable individual, our 'Rusty' is completely opposite to this. In fact, it is part of what makes this intelligent and level-headed guy so effective as a player that he seems to have his emotions on an even keel at all times and he comes to the game mentally and physically prepared to give his best. What supporters may not have noticed is that Russell has steadily been refining a stronger body under that Wildcats uniform and if you happen to bump into him these days it's a bit like bumping a piece of steel. As many sporting stars have said over the years, "the harder you work the luckier you get" and this is certainly true for Andrew Russell who deserves his top billing as Waverley's batting Champion this season with a monster team high .451 average complimented by a jolting .769 slugging percentage. It is hard to remember more than a couple of games when Andrew did not bring his wrecking ball to the diamond because he was nothing short of merciless on some of the best pitchers Victoria has to offer. When you add his faultless defence and powerful arm in the outfield to his resume, it is no wonder that Andrew Russell is already an established Claxton Shield player and, with his attitude and ability, there should be no limit to what he might achieve in coming years. What we do expect is for this Championship winning hero to continue to forge his career as one of Waverley's greats by the time he retires! A Claxton Shield winner's medal and a Div One Championship medal is a nice reward as a symbol of his success this summer and it should bring a degree of satisfaction for an outstanding young player. You were GREAT 'Rusty'!

IAN GEDULD	JARROD HODGES	ANDREW RUSSELL

PITCHER - 'NOLAN RYAN' FISHER: It gets a bit boring to report on this young fellow because there is only so many ways that you can say the same thing, over and over, without it becoming redundant to mention. All I can do is to say it all again! I did mention that pitching was always going to be the major concern for Waverley supporters coming into this season and, to be honest, it really did seem too much to ask from players like 'Fish' for them to carry the bullpen this season. Of course it was VERY important that he didn't have to carry it all by himself and, along with Donnie, Tommy and Hoody, these guys acted like a school of piranhas and they sort of took on a "pack mentality" whether it be starting or relieving throughout the year. While all of those men were equally as important to the overall cause, I doubt that they would argue that Ryan Fisher emerged as the leader of the wolf pack. I will repeat for readers that Ryan has always been a very talented athlete and a skilful baseballer but, in his younger days, he suffered from putting far too much pressure on himself and the variation in his confidence made him a somewhat unreliable lad to have on the mound if he was having a "down day". However, somewhere along the line, something clicked in the mind of a maturing Fisher and he has reversed his metal toughness and attitude in a way that would dumbfound Sigmund Freud. Far from being fragile, today's Ryan Fisher appears to have all of his emotions channelled in a positive direction and he is not easily distracted from the task at hand. Time and again this year he was tested to the limits, but on each and every occasion he added yet more character to his growing reputation. By the time the finals rolled around any lingering doubts had gone from the minds of Waverley supporters and he deserved his role as No.1 starter in the finals. The fact that 'Fish' put the icing on a marvellous 7-2, 3.01ERA season with a one-run, complete game victory in the Grand Final game says enough about how important he was. Unfortunately for Waverley fans our new pitching hero is off to the USA to pursue a college career and, hopefully, a professional career beyond. We may not see much of him for a few years, but we'll all be looking forward to his return some day and we won't ever forget his contribution to our success this year!

RYAN FISHER	'FISH' AGAIN	'FISH' FINISHED THE JOB!

PITCHER - DONAVON 'DRYSDALE' HENDRICKS: You have to keep reminding yourself that Donnie Hendricks only celebrated his 21st birthday towards the end of this baseball season... people have always expected so much of him for more years than they should have. Once again he would carry high hopes for our Wildcats as our probable starting ace for the season when he returned from his third season with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves had decided to end his pro career soon after but this did not stop a determined Hendricks from strutting his stuff superbly for the Victorian Aces in Perth, with the Australian team and, naturally, for Waverley. Little did we know that Fisher and Rynberk would emerge so brilliantly to share the starting duties but, for many, Donavon was still going to be the man most likely to take the ball in the big games at the end of the season... except that Ryan Fisher had other ideas! Regardless, Donnie supplied some splendid performances for our Wildcats in whatever role he was asked to fill for our team. We doubt that we will ever see him trying to pitch with "slippers" at Altona again like did during his torrid time in the semi-final, but I'm totally confident that he would have come through again in the Grand Final if he'd been asked to start or relieve. Young Donavon has also endured some tough losses during his career with Waverley but he certainly played his part in this ultimate success! I believe that Hendricks will be trying his luck with the Independent League Brockton Rox this Australian winter and we hope that this provides him a gateway back to the main stream professional league. Whatever the case, we certainly expect Donavon Hendricks to continue his key role in the future success of the Waverley Baseball Club.

PITCHER - 'TOMMY JOHN' RYNBERK: As mentioned, Tommy Rynberk continues to be one of the most loyal and popular players with some longevity as a senior at Waverley. However, what makes this pretty special for the likeable Rynberk is that he had to re-invent himself as a pitcher to finally get a taste of Championship success. In my early years of following Waverley's seniors Tommy was a solid hitting outfielder who often saved his best for the bigger games and I do believe that he deserved more opportunities in that capacity over recent seasons while he has been a loyal contributor to consecutive SECONDS Championship wins. Throughout a frustrating patch in his career nothing ever seemed to change Rynberk's attitude or personality as one of the most universally popular Wildcats stalwarts. He always wore the same smile and he maintained his philosophy of playing the game of baseball for enjoyment, on and off the field. What a pleasure it was for Rynberk fans like me to see this nice young guy back in the baseball big time, even if we didn't know how he would perform as a crafty right-hand pitcher at the highest level of Victorian baseball. If anyone had suggested that he would take a regular spot in the starting rotation and pitch in relief for a combined 4-0, 1.89ERA record we would have recommended a visit from the men with the white coats. But, read it and grin Waverley faithful, 4-0, 1.89ERA... this is a magnificent performance however you try to describe it! Tommy simply put on a clinic for pitchers in how to stick with your strengths, pitch to your defence and baffle hitters with variety. Not only did he do all of this every time he took the mound this year, but he also showed his poise and toughness under pressure when he averted a near tragedy in the big major semi-final. You were fun to watch this year Tommy and it was a delight to see that Championship medal dangling from your neck... don't stop smiling mate!

PITCHER - STEVE 'CARLTON' HOOD: There was too big a gap in the scores during the Grand Final for anyone to hear the squawk of 'The Vulture' Stevie Hood emanating from the Waverley bullpen! But, as his team mates would always remind him, if there had been a chance to swoop in a for a win or a save late in any ballgame, you just knew that 'The Vulture' would be lurking! Seriously, 'Hoody' was another of the unassuming but vital members of the Waverley campaign this season. He did battle through a brief "flat spot" at one stage of the season, but in an overall context he was a terrific performer as a right-hander pitching in relief behind lefties Fisher and Hendricks. Hood has served his senior apprenticeship at Waverley after being a junior star and he is grasping the opportunity to pitch at the highest level in some style. Like all the others mentioned, he richly deserved to have that Championship medal dangling from his neck on Saturday night and there is surely plenty more ahead for this emerging young guy. His journey at this level is in its infancy but I don't think he'll forget this summer in a hurry... nor will anyone else in the 'Waverley Nation'... squawk!!

TOMMY RYNBERK	DONAVON HENDRICKS & STEVE HOOD (MIDDLE)

DESIGNATED HITTER / CO-COACH - SCOTT 'ROLLA' DAWES: Look, let's not muck around here, Scott Dawes is a bloody showoff! He doesn't want to do all the early season hard-yards battling with a young and somewhat unfancied team... oh no, our Scotty simply thrives on the glory of the big occasion and he'll only strut his stuff in the Grand Final game when he tries his best to snatch the Championship MVP from his younger and more deserving team mates! Now, I just might have succeeded in getting Dawesy to smile here, but I wouldn't bet on it! One thing that you can say with certainty about Scott Dawes' career is that he ALWAYS shows up when the team needs it most and that there is no mystery in the fact that he has been part of many successful teams over his career... this guy is the ultimate big game performer! It is kind of typical of Scott that he didn't think it was fair for him to take playing time from younger players earlier in the season when he hadn't had the time to put the necessary work into his own game. My personal view is that I would love to see Scott Dawes continue as a designated hitter for as long as he wants to... it is a role that may have been invented for him after his catching days were over. As a co-coach and manager I do remember Scott telling me privately that he learned a lot from the experience last season and, like all quality people, you have to be smart enough to improve in anything you do. The proof of the pudding for both Scott Dawes and David White comes from the fact that they engineered a famous Championship triumph from a season that didn't look too positive at the start. It is impossible to have such magnificent team chemistry and unity if the coaching panel don't provide an environment for this to grow... hats off to you Scotty!

CO-COACH - DAVID WHITE: David White is not a chap who takes easily to losing and, to him, coming close and losing is even worse! One of his earliest quotes I heard was "if you want to get used to losing, then you'd better get used to it!" It somewhat sums up the type of attitude that has made our tall, American born pitching great David White's name virtually synonymous with success during his time in Australia. He has enjoyed Championship success as a player in the Australian Baseball League, for Victoria and with Blackburn in club baseball before moving on to manage Winter Premierships. This year he has added the candles to his considerable cake via long-awaited Championship successes with the Victorian Aces at the 2007 Claxton Shield and now with our Waverley Wildcats. Not only is 'Whitey' an undoubted pitching guru and a great mentor for our young players at Waverley, but he is also the most positive and upbeat "born leader" that you might find in any walk of life. There is a part of me that hopes David White actually mopes around behind his closed doors at home, because it almost shames me to admit that I can't seem to be as totally positive as 'Whitey' is EVERY time you meet him. My good mate Tony Gerraty met David entering Melbourne Ballpark before the big Grand Final on Saturday and he later asked me if I could believe how "loose and positive" David White was... I could only answer "YES, I can"!! Our undying thanks to David White and Scott Dawes for their part in delivering this magical moment to the Waverley Baseball Club... we know that it was part of your destiny fellas, but we needed for it to happen badly. 

I can't detail everyone here but I mustn't leave out reliable utility players ADAM 'BURTON' KIM or WADE 'BOGGS' McCONNON who each made significant contributions to the team at various times during the season. We cannot easily forget Adam Kim's game winning home run against Malvern in that epic home victory, or his hot hitting streak at the start of the season. In the reverse of Tom Rynberk, 'Kimmy' had re-invented himself from a lefty pitcher to a strong-hitting outfielder and we know that he could have played a valuable role for the team whenever the opportunity arose. 16yo 'Waydo' McConnon is a renowned "gamer" and he did literally everything he was asked to play a role for the club. This was a very valuable part of the apprenticeship for young McConnon as our coaches made another great investment for the future. Each of these players can feel every bit a part of our club's famous Championship victory this season.

Of course we don't forget DANIEL 'BOMBER' BERG who no doubt would have loved to play a bigger role for the club this year after his great professional season in 2006 and, but for a nasty finger injury, he surely would have. 'Bergie' will have to be content with his Claxton Shield winners medal, his AROOS representation and his involvement in Waverley's Championship triumph... not too shabby Danny, but there is plenty more to come from you! We will also recognise the cameo appearances of Luke Farrelly, Justin Johnston, Jason Cousins, Joshua Hendricks and Matt Gerraty in our Division One Championship team this season. 

The Waverley Baseball Club would never overlook the loyal and ongoing contributions of player, selector and committeeman KERRY GASSNER who has been an integral part of the club's triumph. And we also know that Adam Bonaddio, Simon Beresford, Greg Johnston and Brett Flemming were very much with the team in spirit at least! 

ADAM KIM	WADE McCONNON	KERRY GASSNER

I'm getting to the tricky part of trying not to forget anyone, with apologies to anyone that I have, but I cannot neglect to mention this list of others who have been great stalwarts and contributors to the Championship cause. Let's start with devoted President Ross Neilson, our tireless Secretary Robyn Karlsen, treasurer/player Terry Fitzgerald and all of our Board of Management who contribute so much time and energy. Our major sponsor IVECO Trucks, courtesy of former club President Lloyd Reeman. Our ageless scorer Meg Clarkson with deputy Robyn Karlsen. Our venerable and always professional game day announcer Mr. Keith Sheldon-Collins. Our mighty little bat-boy Daniel Page. The man who has marked our senior diamonds at Napier Park since FOREVER Brian Hill... sorry still no pay rise Brian! 

Our bar manager Bede Karlsen and all those that helped behind the bar, along with canteen managers Brian and Carol. My good mate Tony Gerraty who does anything from obtaining soil for the pitching mound to supplying plants for club functions. And last, but NEVER, EVER least my oldest friend at Waverley Baseball Club... Life Member and supporter extraordinaire Peter Wood who will live for a long time yet, but he will eventually depart this earth a much happier man after the team won the 2006/07 State League Championship... and so say all of us!

I'm quite content with the fact that there is not a hint of arrogance involved when I say that the best team has triumphed on this occasion. YES, we dominated the Division One table virtually throughout, but there was also a certain style to the way we played the game. Our "Claxton Shield standard" defence was nothing short of breathtaking at times and unwaveringly consistent for all but the fewest of moments. Our pitchers were tremendously consistent, tough and single-minded. Our offence was the epitome of relentless, team orientated determination, with moments of explosive punctuation. The funny thing about our game of baseball is that if you do all of these things well, and you have terrific team chemistry, success cannot be too far away... and so it proved!

The Waverley Baseball Club knows better than most how to be humble in victory and we have endured some gut-wrenching defeats in recent history, but this is OUR TIME to enjoy the spoils of success. The club deserves it, the players and coaches have earned it, and nobody can deny our status as the flagship club in Victorian baseball.

Is there any chance of a back-to-back triumph next season?.. I reckon there is, but we simply can't wait to witness the next season unfold! Thanks to the boys for providing me with one last opportunity this season to shout (with an overused voice)...

GO WILDCATS!