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 Past News |
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Monday, August 16
Mudcats fit in with League...
The Mudcats made, yet, another trip to Deer Park Sunday night, but this time, it wasn't even half of them. The Cats were stuck playing with only 8 players against the Cardinals. I guess they felt that they wanted to be like the 4 teams that showed up short against them. Though short-handed, the Cats fought to keep the game close. The Cardinals hit the ball well, as usual, but also benefited from several "tricky hops". The Cards pitcher also did a good job keeping the Cats off balance. Bubba Jackson paced the Cats with 3 or 4 runs scored and a couple stolen bases. Jim Squires went deep again as well as Jay Johnson hitting his first bomb for the Summer season. Final score was 12-8.
The next game will be determined later, again playing the Deer Park Cardinals.
Friday, August 13
Mudcats smash Metro Astros
Must be HMABL baseball!! The Cats, again, play a short-handed team for the 4th time in the last 5 games. Looks like this league has officially become a farce! Jarrod Daniel pitched the complete game throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Astros (including the newly found "Eefus" pitch...which was very successful drawing the 'Stros into hitting double plays). The Cats came out swinging in the first inning, scoring 2 runs. New Mudcat, Paul Bertrand, pounded his first Cat homerun in style as he blasted a grandslam over the green monster at Stratford. Scott Stone went 4 for 4 in the game and contributed with many "web gems" at second base. Anthony Arriaga, Jay Johnson and other Cats had multiple hits.
The Cats play their final 2 games on Sunday and Tuesday. Both games at Deer Park against the Cardinals. Hey, maybe we should play one and count it for both games....or maybe the Cardinals could come into town where the air is cleaner!!
Friday, August 6
Mudcats take out another short-handed team
The Mudcats show up to Stratford HS on Thursday to redeem themselves for the disappointing loss to the Cardinals earlier in the week...only to find a team with only 6 players. The Red Sox show up with only 6 FREAKING players. This is the second time in one week that the Cats have faced an opponent that show up short with players. This is really disappointing!!!
The Cats decided to fill in for the Red Sox so we can get some at-bats, seeing that we were already there. It turned out to be less benefitial as the first 4 batters walked and scored on wild pitches. The Cats did bat (walk) around in lineup in each inning for the first 3 or 4 innings. Anthony unleashed his first homerun for the Summer and several Cats had multi-hits. Scott Stone pitched an excellent game, even though there was no intensity in any player on the field.
Good job Cats....I guess.
Next game is Thursday, 8/12/04, at Stratford HS against the Metro Astros, 7:30.
Wednesday, August 4
Mudcats hit a wall ...literally...in last inning!!!
Mudcats make yet another long, gas guzzling trip to play in Deer Park against the DP Cardinals Tuesday night. Though the score does not show it (18-8), this game was close all night. The Mudcats took an early lead in the first inning, when Bubba Jackson took advantage of a "brain fart" by the Cardinal outfielder as he lobs a ball into the infield. Curtis Johnson also blasts a shot into the night to extend the lead later in the game. Jordan Hook started the game, going on only 1 days rest from Sunday's victory. The short rest showed as he ran out of gas in the late innings. He pitched well against the good hitting Cardinal team, but the Mudcats couldn't hold the lead in the final inning. With the Cats up 8-6, Jordan gave up back to back bombs to give the Cards a 1 run lead. Relief came in the form of an aging wounded duck. Jay Johnson relieved Hook and did not fare any better, if not worse. The defense shut down and the Cards were able to take advantage of several seeing eye hits and Mudcat mistakes and closed the door on the undefeated season of the Cats. The Cats knew it was over when Rightfielder Curtis Johnson faced-planted into the wall going after a line drive homerun, without the help of his fellow teammates warning him of the fence nearing. How about a little talk out there guys.
The Cats next game is Thursday night at Stratford HS, against the Red Sox. This game is a filler game, because the Cats were to take on the Sky Sox, but the Sox are mysteriously MIA from the Summer season.
Monday, August 2
Cats come out flat, but win 5-2
After driving 400 miles to Prairie View A&M, the Mudcats took on a short handed Space City A's, playing with only 7 players. The Cats did not take advantage of the situation, mostly do to the outstanding pitching effort by the A's pitcher. Jordan Hook started the game for the Cats and had a hard time finding the strike zone on several occasions. He battled out of several tough situations and eventually got the win. His father, Wayne Hook, came in to pitch the final 2 innings to show the youngster how to throw strikes consistently and also to get the save. Well done by the Hook family. Timely hitting, again, helped lead the Cats to victory.
For the second game of the double header, the A's chose to forfeit rather than battle the heat with only 7 players. Hopefully, we can reschedule that game, but those wishes are probably in doubt.
Next game is Tuesday night against the DP Cardinals. Once again, the Cats will have to fill the tanks with gas to drive to FREAKING Deer Park. I swear there are a lot of fields in the Houston area, but the Cats continue to rack up frequent driving miles on their vehicles.
Friday, July 30
Mudcats Win Again, 10-6
After spending the previous weekend at the hospital, Jarrod Daniel took the mound Thursday night against the good hitting Metro Astros. After pitching a stellar 2 innings, his defense faltered with an EASY pop up that was dropped by tenner and a shaky shortstop misplaced a double play ball. After that, the wheels fell off for JD and relief took over from there. Jay Johnson completed the game allowing 0 runs. Though out of shape and cramping, Jay pitched out of trouble several times and got the win. Excellent and clutch hitting from the Mudcats as a team, including 2-run bombs from Jim "MVP" Squires and Jim "Bobcat" Auremma. Also clutch hits from Jordan Hook, Anthony Arriaga, Jay, and several others. Also of note...Jordan was picked off the bases twice, including one from the ol' hidden ball trick. I have never actually seen that work, myself.
Good job Cats. Next games will be Sunday as the Cats play a doubleheader at Prairie View A&M verses the Space City A's.
Monday, July 26
Mudcats win Double Dipper in Summer Opener
Mudcats open the Summer Season on a balmy Sunday afternoon to play two.
Mudcats 10, Braves 7
Sunday was the Return of Billy ballgame Brace...he had three or four hits and made every play at third about 8 of them....Great return!!!
Jordan threw a complete game in the opener and pitched three innings of the second game...did a great job...John Arriaga pitched two scoreless and Jim Bobcat threw the last two did a fine job as well...
The whole team pretty much crushed the ball...bombs by SQUIRES and James Dunlap
The only negative was we only had nine the first game and Ant was the only one who called to say he wasn't going to be there
1st game = mudcats 10 Braves 7...really wasn't that close we gave them 4 runs in the last inning
2nd Game = Mudcats 10 Braves 4
 | | wake up! |  |
Mudcats continue their winning ways with 9-5 Victory
The Mudcats have officially "woken up" after their early season nap. The Cats won their third game in a row by defeating the Bobcats 9 to 5 Tuesday night. The Cats received a great pitching performance from Kris Kooken who shut down the Bobcats bats all night. The three J's (John A, Jay J. and Jarrod D) were the hitting stars of the night, getting the Cats offense going early and often.
The Cats next game will be against the Spring Stallions on Sunday the 4th. While the Cats typically find out who is pitching 2 minutes before game start time, I feel confident that Jarrod Daniel will NOT be pitching in this game.
 | | Bottom's Up! | |
Mudcats win two in double dip over the weekend!
The Mudcats faced two tough teams over the weekend and avenged an earlier loss in the year to the Raiders. The Cats had several offensive stars over the weekend with game one being tied in the last inning with a Bill Brace Homerun followed up with a two run blast by James Dunlap to win the game. Another highlight of the night was the first appearence by newcomer Jason VonHaffen (Sorry if I misspelled it dude)..... Jason came in a closed out the game to get his first Save for the Mudcats.
In game two on Sunday the Mudcats faced the Raiders who had beaten them earlier in the year. The Cats had clutch hits by JD, James, Kooken and Ken ..... and not to mention the first Homerun of the year by Johnny Rock!
After brushing off some of that early season dust, the Cats feel like they are well on their way to another great season.
NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED is the fact that JD stopped the Mudcat bleeding by shutting down the DP Cardinals with a Stellar pitching performance.
 | | Has Goliath fallen? | |
Mudcats Fall To 1-3 On The Year
The Mudcats dropped two games this week to the Apollos and lowered their season record to 1-3. The Mudcats have had to play the first four games of the year without their best pitcher, Jay Johnson and leading hitter over the last 3 years Mike Wilson.
The Cats will take the next several days off and regroup.
 | | Coach Johnson had asked Weston Daniel to put his "game head" on! | |
Mudcats win one and lose one, then the rain comes!
The Mudcats won their first game of the year 10-0 and then quickly followed that up with their first loss of the year.
Next Scheduled game is Tuesday night VS the Apollos (7:30) at Baseball USA field #10.
 | | Try and Focus | |
Mudcats Ready To Start 2004 Campaign!
The Houston Mudcats will begin their 14th year this weekend in a local tournament against Houston area teams ( McCollough Tournament Series: Part V). The Cats schedule will be as follows:
SATURDAY 4:30pm VS Orioles @ Clemens
7:00pm VS Raiders @ Clemens
SUNDAY 2:00pm VS Astros @ Clemens
And a possible Championship Game immediately following the 2pm Sunday game.
The Mudcats will play begin play in the spring 2004 HMABL season, fresh off of their 2003 Summer Championship. The Cats will continue to play only the Spring and Summer seasons.
 | | Rook gives Uncle Bill some tips on hitting bombs | |
Mudcats not "Intimidated"
Down by 5 runs, last inning, 2 outs and no base runners. To most people who know anything about baseball, this situation doesn't sound too promising. To the Mudcats however, this sounded exactly like the time to break out the bats and get to work.
With the Mudcats Summer Season appearing to be drawing to a close, Coach Curtis Johnson drew a walk to drag on the miserable day. Catcher Keith Dusek however decided that he didn't feel like ending the Summer Season, and he too reached base by singling to rightfield. That brought up leadoff hitter Rob Jones who has been struggling as of late, mired in a 1-10 slump over his last 3 games. Jones singled to left on the second pitch of his at bat, and now things were getting interesting. Mike Wilson worked the count to his favor and eventually drove a double against the wall in centerfield, to score the Cats 3rd and 4th runs. With Jones on 3rd and Wilson on 2nd, John Arriaga drove a 2-1 pitch to deep center also doubling, and now bringing the score to 7-6. With Arriaga on 2nd base, Jay Johnson who came in to pitch 2 innings earlier, drew a walk, and now the winning run was on 1st base. Bill Brace came up after Johnson, and as is usually the case, he took one in the back. So now the bases were loaded, Cats still down 7-6 and Anthony Arriaga strides to the plate. Now, rumor has it that his knees were knocking a little bit when he was walking out to the plate, but you could never tell by his calm approach. Anthony worked the count to full and eventually drew a walk, bringing in the game tying run. The next hitter to come up was Jason "Always the Rook" Brace. Looking to simply get something he could drive, or even draw a walk, Rook Brace drove a full count pitch over the rightfield wall for a walk off grandslam to end the game.
And Thus, the story ends. The greatest comeback in Mudcat history was complete. 9 runs with 2 outs in the final inning.
Way to go guys.........
Also..hats off to the Dators. They played a great game.
Now the Cats get ready for their trip to Austin.
 | | Howdy Ho! | |
Mudcats win a close one 4-3 over the Intimidators
The Mudcats won Thursday night behind the Pitching of Jay Johnson to improve their summer record to 6-4. The Mudcats bats were kept silent most of the nigh by solid pitching by their opponents. Tied 3-3 in the top of the eigth inning with two outs, Jay Johnson came up with a huge single to put the Cats ahead 4-3. In the bottom of the eigth, Johnson also sealed the victory getting the last 3 outs.
Cats have one more game for the regular Summer season Monday night. Game time is 7:30 and the field is Schwartz.
 | | Mudcats lying in wait for the Austin Tourney | |
Cats drop yet another and fall to 5-4 on the Summer
The Cats came out flat and paid the price Tuesday night, getting run over by the Deer Park Cardinals 11-3. The game was tight until the 7th inning when the wheels fell off and the Cats gave up 6 runs, most of which were not earned. Hats off to the Cards who played spectacular defense all night, and kept pressure on the Mudcats every inning by hitting the ball well. Anthony Arriaga and Rob Jones hit solo homeruns for the Cats accounting for 2 or the Cats 3 runs. Next game is Thursday against the "Intimidators".
 | | When do the playoffs begin??? | |
Mudcats as intense as a 91 year old school teacher
The Mudcats came out on Sunday to sit around in the 95 degree heat. Obviously tired from their Texas Cup Championship, the Cats could muster only 4 runs in the 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Skysox. The bats remained cold all day, and the Cats record dropped to 2-3. The next game will be the yearly secheduled All-Star night game. The Cats have been in the HMABL for close to 10 years now and have not viewed the all-star game on time since Bo Jackson launced a home run to dead center. Thanks HMABL!!!!
 | | 5 Time Texas Cup Champs! | |
Mudcats win 5th straight Texas Cup!!!!!
The Houston Mudcats successfully defended their Texas Cup Title, by going 5-0 this past weekend in the 2003 Texas Cup held in Dallas Texas. The Cats had excellent hitting up and down the lineup, and other than 1 bad inning, had incredible pitching once again. The Cats also kept their error totals down, making only 6 errors over the 5 games. Here is a brief recap of the weekend.
Game 1. Mudcats 11 - Dallas Yankees 3
The Mudcats leadoff hitter Rob Jones exited early, having to be taken the hospital in the top of the 4th inning, suffering from heat exhaustion. Pitcher Kris "Baby Doll" Kooken pitched a gem and brought home the win for the Cats. Newcomer Travis Taylor belted a solo homerun in the top of the 3rd inning, and the scoring never stopped after that. The Cats went on to blow out the Yankees and cruise through victory #1.
Game 2. Mudcats 18 - Austin MSBL 9
The Mudcats took off early and never looked back. The game was not as close as the score would indicate. Winning pitcher Jay Johnson pitched 5 innings, giving up only 1 hit and 1 run before exiting with a 14-1 lead. The Cats then got a little complacent and allowed the Austin team to creep back in it, before once again putting up a few late inning runs to coast in to win #2 of the tourney.
Game 3. Mudcats 15 - Spring Stallions 1
The Mudcats shutdown the Stallions before a packed house of 16 at WT White High School as some punk kid in his mom's sedan decided to do donuts in the parking lot for half of the game! The cats banged out 23 hits and pitcher Jerry "Cantrell" threw a 90 pitch gem. Travis Taylor hit his second homer of the tourney and several players contributed with at least 2 hits.
Game 4. Mudcats 14 - Jacksonville Blacksox 2
In a must win situation, the Cats sent Chris Cox to the mound. The Bellaire and University of Texas phenom did not disappoint the Cats, shutting down the Blacksox and striking out 17 in the process. The Blacksox fans can be thanked for the trouncing that their team received, by getting on the nerves of the Cats early on. Once the Cats put up about 10 runs, the Blacksox fans finally went back to gnawing on their possums and spitting on their feet to clean them up. Jason Brace blasted his first career homerun; a 410 foot shot to dead center field.
Championship Game 5. Mudcats 11 - Dallas Barons 5
The Cats battled the Barons most of the game before finally putting it out of reach in the 8th inning. Jay Johnson pitched a complete game and won MVP honors for the game which was the second time he has done that in his Texas Cup Career.
MVP for the Tourney was awarded to Jarrod Daniel, for playing flawless defense and hitting .400 for the tourney.
Final Tourney stats will be available this weekend. Great job Cats.
The Mudcat Dynasty lives on!
 | | Read em' and weep! |
Mudcats start the Summer 2-1
The Mudcats who jumped out to a quick 2-0 start for the Summer Season, hit a bit of a lull Sunday afternoon against the Astros. This was about the only thing they hit all day! Newcomer James belted his first homerun with the Mudcats and Mudcat pitchers did well enough to win, but the bats stayed cold throughout the afternoon. The next game baring bad weather will be this Tuesday VS the Tribe.
 | | Duuuude! | |
Mudcats getting prepared to defend their Texas Cup Title
The Mudcats are gearing up to win their 5th consecutive Texas Cup Title this July 4th, in Dallas Texas. The Cats have won 4 straight titles dating back to July of 1999 and winning their 5th will solidify their place in history as one of the "true" sports dynasties. Sure the Lakers have had a good run, and the Bulls were impressive with Jordan......the Yankees have had their good days...... but the Cats winning 5 consecutive Texas Cups, is a feat that is simply unimaginable. You can see many of the Cats in training throughout the city. While many of the other teams may do the typical training at either the batting cages, memorial park or the gym.....the Cats have gone for more contemporary methods.... be it, sitting on the couch for extended periods, playing excessive amounts of video games, changing the kids diapers or just plain sitting on their ass drinking!......
The Cats are a truly dedicated group, and plan to show the rest of Texas, just how much hard work pays off.
The tourney begins July 4th in Dallas, game times to be announced.
 | | Mudcat Money! | |
Mudcats Finish Spring 8-4.......Summer to start June 21st!
The Summer Season 2003 is just around the corner, and the Mudcats have a little debt to settle. For the first time in 8 years, the Mudcats took a 2 game exit from the playoffs and that does not sit well with many. Please obtain $150 from any of the following.
1) Beg your wife
2) Beg your mom
3) Rob a store
4) Obtain a personal loan
5) Become a panhandler for 2 days
6) Miss two rounds of golf
7) Sell your "services" to some lucky older lady
We don't care HOW you get the money..... Just GET IT! It will be due to the league before you know it.
 | | "E" Stands for LOSS | |
Mudcats Blunder way out of Spring Playoffs
The Mudcats dropped the first two games of the playoffs to take their earliest exit in a playoff round ever. The Mudcats who finished the year as the regular season champs with an 8-2 record, matched their win totals with errors against the Bobcats, making a record 8! Jay Johnson threw a 2 hitter against the Bobcats and had nothing to show for it at the end of the night. Overall, the Mudcats had a good year, however taking the early exit will not sit well with many. The Cats are looking forward to taking a few weeks off, scrimmage a little and will then get prepared to win their 5th consecutive Texas Cup title in Dallas.
 | | Mudcats dug themselves in to a hole early | |
Mudcats come out flat
The Mudcats came out flat on Sunday and dropped a game to the Apollos 6-4. It was a hard fought game and the Apollos made some key double plays to help preserve the win. Along with some good pitching on their part....steals and pass balls were the key to the Apollos victory. Next game is Tuesday. Whoever has not paid the $50 for the umpires had better bring it out to the game on Tuesday.
Mudcats finish off regular spring season with 20-7 victory
John Arriaga went 2-2 to raise his season average to .550 and Mike Wilson hit a grandslam to give him 7 homers and 24 RBI's in a lopsided Mudcat victory. Dave Williams and Matt Scultz threw for the Mudcats with Williams getting the win. The Mudcats also had a homerun from Jay Johnson, his first on the year. The Cats ran their record for the year to 12-2 and head in to the playoffs with a full head of steam. The Cats first playoff game will be this Sunday at Kyle Chapman against either the Raiders or the Apollos. Game time is noon.
 | | Yipee we won again! | |
Mudcats defeat Canes 5-1 at lovely Schwartz Park
With play by play man Mike Wilson in Centerfield calling the game, the Mudcats rolled to a 5-1 victory Monday night at lovely crime infested Schwartz Park. The Cats had excellent pitching performances from Jeff Johnson, Mike Wilson and Chris "We have big" Cox! Offensively everyone contributed to the effort and 5 runs proved to be enough. The Mudcats next game will be this Thursday at Clemmons field VS the Astros. Game time is at 7:30.
 | | Come on now....get real | |
Mudcats move season record to 9-2
The Mudcats defeated the Raiders Saturday by a final score of 10-6. The Mudcats offensive players of the game were Jay Johnson and Mike Wilson. Johnson moved his season record to 5-0, increased his ERA slightly to a paultry 0.86 and struck out another 12 batters to raise his season total to 55 K's in 36 innings. There were rumors abound that Johnson perhaps had been knocked from his pearch atop the HMABL. Those rumors proved to be untrue.
 | | Sponsored by the boat! | |
Mudcats beat Astros behind Mike Wilson's 2 Homeruns
The Mudcats got a 3 run Homerun from Mike Wilson in the first inning and they never looked back. Wilson added another Homerun in the 3rd and a double in the 5th to give him 3 hits on the night as well as 6 RBI's. John Arriaga also had 3 hits in the leadoff spot. Wilson also got the win on the hill and Jarrod Daniel came in to close out the final 2 innings. The Mudcats next game is this Saturday VS the Raiders at Clemons field. Game time is a 1:00pm.
 | | These girls could get 7 hits! | |
Mudcat's hit like a bunch of girls!
For the second time in three games, the Mudcats lost to a team that just wanted it a little more. The Mudcat Pitchers did what they had to do, but when the bats can attribute for only 7 hits, you won't win many games. The lone bright spot of the evening for the Mudcats came in the first inning when Mike Wilson threw out a runner at 1st base from Centerfield. Hats off to the Raiders who's defense was nearly perfect on a much complained about infield. The Cats have a week off to get back in the swing of things. No pun intended. Next game is Wednesday the 23rd at Bayland VS the Astros. Game time is 7:15pm.
 | | Mudcats hitting proved to be a little much for the Northern League! | |
Mudcats defeat Hurricanes / Northern League All-Stars 9-7
The Mudcats were down 4-1 after one inning, but rebounded to win 9-7 Sunday afternoon. Jay Johnson had a gutty performance withstanding several tight jams to get the complete game victory. Curtis Johnson launched his first homerun of the year and Mike Wilson hit his 4th as the Cats chipped away at the Canes scoring in all but 1 inning. Every hitter in the lineup had at least 1 hit. The Cats next game will be Tuesday night against the Raiders, game time is 7:30.
 | | 16 K's? Send up the rookie! | |
Mudcats watch their perfect season come to an end
The Mudcats proved that the weather wasn't the only thing cold Wednesday night, as they allowed the Bobcats to cool their bats in a 6-4 loss. "A walk is as good as a hit" was the motto for the Bobcats, since Mudcat pitching proved it difficult to hit the strikezone. The Cats had a few bright stars hitting as Jarrod Daniel knocked in 3 of the 4 runs, and Scott Daniels contributed two hits. The Cats once again made "Kinger" look like Roger Clemens, as he struck out 16 over 8 innings. The Mudcats look to rebound Sunday afternoon VS the Hurricanes at Smiley Highschool. Gametime is at 1pm.
 | | Hi, I'm Jarrod and I got three hits the other night | |
Mudcats sweep DP Cardinals with a 8-2 win
The Mudcats continued their winning ways Wednesday night by defeating the DP Cardinals 8-2. Jay Johnson pitched a complete game and his defense held up behind him to hold the good hitting Cardinals to only 2 runs. Offensively Jarrod Daniel contributed 3 hits and the rest of the lineup hit the ball well to move the Mudcats record for 2003 to 7-0. The Cats next game will be Sunday the 6th at Westbury Vs the Metro Astros. Game time is 4pm.
Mudcats keep the ball rolling in 15-5 defeat of the Apollos
The Mudcats kept their winning streak alive on Sunday by defeating the League City Apollos 15-5. The Cats had some timely hitting along with some excellent pitching to close out the lopsided victory. Jarrod Daniel hit his first homerun of 2003, a grandslam in the 7th inning, to put the game out of reach. Jeff Johnson earned the victory by going 5 strong innings, giving up 2 runs(both unearned). The Cats next game will be this Wednesday Vs the Deer Park Cardinals in a rematch of the season opener.
Mudcats take season opener 10-4 over the DP Cardinals
Although the Mudcats came out sort of flat Sunday afternoon, they were able to take advantage of a few key errors by the Cardinals and came away with a 10-4 win. Jay Johnson gave up 3 runs, all unearned, over 7 innings and Mike Wilson came in to close out the final 2. The Cats were lead offensivly by Cox who went 3-3 including his first round tripper in the last 5 years! The Cats next game will be Wednesday night against the Raiders at Bayland Park, 7:15 game time.
SPRING 2003 OPENER SET AGAINST CARDINALS
The Spring 2003 season was scheduled to kick off this past Tuesday however mother nature intervened in to a Mudcat game yet again. Instead the Mudcats will kickoff the spring 2003 season with the
Cardinals at Westbury on Sunday March 23rd at 3:00 pm.
Stay Tuned for rainout information.
Mudcats Coast through McCullough Tourney
The Mudcats began 2003 action by winning the McCullough tournament held March 7-9 and scoring a combined 58 runs while allowing 3.
In Game 1 the Mudcats defeated the Celts 19-0 in 5 innings behind the combined pitching efforts of Mike Wilson, Jeff Johnson & Rick Burman.
Offensively Mike and Rob Jones paced the 'Cats as each homered twice and new comer Jeff delivered in his first Mudcat AB with a solo shot of his own.
In Game 2 Jay Johnson threw a complete game shut out and the 'Cats pounded out 10 runs to defeat the Metro Astros 10 - 0.
In Game 3 Scott Daniels collected his first win as a starter in route to a complete game victory against the Crawdads 10 - 1.
The championship game against the Braves had the 'Cats jumping out early and never looking back as they won 19 - 2 with Mike Wilson taking his second win on the mound of the tourney.
Rob Jones led the team offensively in the tourney going 7-11 with 2 HR's and 11 RBI's. Other big contributors were John Arriaga who went 8-14 with 5 RBI's, Jay at 8-16 with 6 RBI's, Anthony Arriaga at 6-13 with a HR, Jarrod Daniel at 6-14 and Mike Wilson who finished with 3 homers & 9 RBI's in a 7-17 tourney.
The Mudcats finished with 58 runs scored on 9 Hr's and a .406 team batting avg. Not a bad way to start the year.
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Pre-Season Tourney Schedule Released
Houston Mudcats scheduled to complete in games Saturday & Sunday at Clemens Field.
 | | You Have to Pay....to Play | |
REMEMBER TO GET THOSE FEES IN
Fans Suspect "Joe Millionaire" is Really Curtis Johnson
The rumor mill is running overtime with fans certain that America's latest made for TV celebrity "Joe Millionaire" is none other than the Mudcats own Curtis Johnson posing as the faux rich star.
"Joe Millionaire," secretly taped in France late last year, has drawn unexpectedly big ratings for Fox, a unit of News Corp Ltd . The Jan. 6 debut averaged 18.6 million viewers, making it the most watched premiere ever for a reality series. After two installments, it currently ranks No. 3 among all network shows in prime time -- behind only "Friends" and "ER" among the key demographic of viewers under 50 earning more than $75,000 a year.
In the show, "Joe" assumed a false identity as the wealthy heir to a $50 million fortune. Twenty young women compete for his affections, learning in the end that their Prince Charming is really a working stiff who earns less than $20,000 a year.
The audience must wait until the Feb. 17 finale to find out whether the winning suitor stands by her man or runs the other way when she learns "Joe" is a penniless diamond-in-the-rough.
Besides the obvious physical resemblance, fueling these rumors are some interesting parallels which run true to the show's promotion; Curtis is a man of modest upbringing and financial means, who was coincidentally married last year after disappearing out of the country. Whether or not his new bride is the winning contestant from the show hasn't been determined yet but sources say she looks the part.
When pressed for a comment to answer suspicions on whether or not he was indeed the real "Joe Millionaire", Curtis replied "What the hell ur dat".
Teammates remained skeptical however, with one offering up the following..."If a woman thinks you have money and wants some of it...she doesn't look to get married, she'll just have one of your kids."
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Happy Holidays
MUDCATS EYESIGHT BLURRY IN PHOENIX
 | | Hut Hut!!! | |
Mudcats miss football to play 5 inning game
The Mudcats who pulled themselves off of the couch in order to play a game on Sunday were met with mother natures idea of a joke, as only 5 innings were able to be completed. The Cats beat the Apollos by a score of 6-2 in 5 innings with the help of Jay Johnson who belted his first homerun of the year and Jarrod Daniel who stole 2 bases in a game for the first time in probably 5 years!
The Cats will match up against the Cardinals on Tuesday night in a rematch of the Texas Cup Championship Game.
Mudcats Fall Season Schedule released
Sun. 10/6 Apollos v. Cats at Westbury - 4:00
Tues. 10/8 Cats v. Cards at Dow Park - 7:30
Sat. 10/12 Cats v. SkySox at Northbrook - 1:00
Sun. 10/13 Hurricanes v. Cats at Westbury - 4:00
Thurs. 10/24 Cats v. Bobcats at Northbrook - 7:30
Sat. 10/26 Red Sox v. Cats at Westbury - 1:00
Sun. 10/27 Cats v. Metro Astros at Westbury - 4:00
Sun. 11/3 Apollos v. Cats at Clemens - 4:00
 | | Come on in! | |
MUDCATS WIN 2002 SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIP
The Mudcats won another 18+ Championship by defeating the 18 Indians by a score of 6-0. This completes the Mudcats Summer Season as they went a combined 17-1-1 and won both the Texas Cup and Houston Championship.
Jay Johnson threw yet another complete game shutout to run his scoreless innings streak to 19 innings! Jay gave up only 2 hits all night and has now given up 5 over the 19 innings. Jay also added 3 hits to lead the offensive attack for the Cats.
Jason Brace held on to the batting title this summer, hitting .480.
Great job Cats! Not only did you win 17 of your 19 games, but you also had NO players ejected all season....AND....did not get the league kicked off of any fields!
Next up.....the Fall Season and the National Tournament in Phoenix.
 | | Good Catch | |
Cats are in the championship game with a 7-6 win
The Mudcats won in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI single by pitcher Matt Schultz to place them in the championship game for the Summer 2002 season. The Fisherman came out and got 2 hits and a walk to help the cause and Scott Vacek hit a big 3 run homer to help the cats improve their record to 16-1-1 on the year.
The Cats will now await their opponent which they will play at Northbrook Highschool on the 26th of September.
 | | 1 Run? | |
Mudcats take close game over Hurricanes 1-0
The Mudcats got an excellent pitching performance from Jay Johnson, who limited the Canes to 4 hits while throwing a complete game shutout. Jay also was the offensive MVP of the game, knocking in the only run with an RBI single in the 6th inning. The Mudcats struggled offensively all night as the Canes pitcher Paul Bertrand pitched an excellent game himself, only giving up 1 unearned run. The Cats however still cannot figure out what exactly he was doing with his wrist!
 | | Mudcats win 4th consecutive Texas Cup! | |
MUDCATS WIN 4TH CONSECUTIVE TEXAS CUP!!!!!
The Mudcats won their 4th consecutive Texas Cup with a 10-4 win over the Deer Park Cardinals. Bill Brace was named the tournament MVP, going 8-17 at the plate and making several key defensive gems to preserve Mudcat wins. Brace played every inning of every game and did not commit one error all tournament.
The Mudcats couldn't have won the tournament however without the excellent pitching performances of their starters. Chris Cox began the tournament by pitching a complete game shutout, striking out 16 Raiders. That game was followed up by Jay Johnson picthing a complete game in defeating the DP Cardinals 6-5. The next game was pitched by Curtis Fox and it also was a complete game victory. Matt Schultz pitched the 4th game of the tournament and went 10 innings only giving up 1 earned run to a solid hitting Austin team. Despite temperatures soaring in to the upper 90's and having a huge blister on his foot, Matt stuck it out, allowing the Mudcats to tie the Cardnuts. The final game was pitched by Jarrod Daniel, who had not pitched in some time, and he himself went 7.2 innings against the Cardinals, only giving up 7 hits.
Everyone in the lineup contributed offensively, with several key 2 out hits thoughout the tourament. Also of note is that the Mudcat catcher Keith "Motty" Dusek caught every inning of every game, in less that desirable temps and conditions.
Good job Cats......
CHECK OUT OUR PICTURES PAGE FOR PICTURES FROM THE TOURNAMENT!
 | | Mudcats win big in video game | |
Mudcats score 3 touchdowns and kick a field goal to win 24-1
The Mudcats score on Monday night was either the result of a football game (other than the cougars scoring 1 run) or the Cats and Cougars were involved in a game of Triple Play 2002. The Cats were lead offensively by almost everyone in the lineup, but stand outs were Ken Dusek who went 4-4 with 7 RBI's and John Arriaga who went 3-3, including his 3rd homerun of the Summer. The Cats now appear to be prepared for the upcoming Texas Cup, which begins this coming Saturday in Austin Texas.
 | | Cats take end regular season 9-1 | |
Mudcats ride horses Jay Johnson and Keith Dusek to victory
The Mudcats got another excellent pitching performance from Jay Johnson and a key three run homerun by Keith Dusek to defeat the Apollos Monday night and capture the Summer 2002 regular season championship. Hitters of the game included Jarrod Daniel and Keith Dusek, each of who went 3-4 on the night. Jay Johnson pitched another complete game and other than giving up 1 unearned run, was perfect.
The playoffs begin this coming weekend and the Texas Cup is in two weeks, so everyone get ready. The Cats have some titles to defend.
 | | Future hall of famer? | |
Cats stay hot with 16-4 win over Cougars.</ | |
