muckdogs

The Batavia Muckdogs will open their 2012 season at Dwyer Stadium on June 18 versus the Auburn Doubledays.

For fireworks fans, the Muckdogs will be home on July 4.

Popular teams visiting this year are farm clubs for the Yankees (Staten Island), New York Mets (Brooklyn) and the Red Sox (Lowell).

The team will play 38 home games in 2012. Six will be on a Friday.

In addition to the 38 home games the Muckdogs will play at Dwyer Stadium next season, they will also host seven Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankee games in 2012. Those dates and times are as follows:

Friday, April 20, vs. Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles Affiliate) at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, April 21, vs. Norfolk at 1:05 p.m.
Sunday, April 22, vs. Norfolk at 1:05 p.m.
Monday, April 23, vs. Norfolk at 12:05 p.m.
Saturday, May 5, vs. Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox Affiliate) at 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, May 6, vs. Pawtucket at 1:05 p.m.
Tuesday, June 12, vs. Louisville (Cincinnati Reds Affiliate) at 11:05 a.m.

Ticket packages for the Muckdogs and Yankees games, coupon books and season tickets for the 2012 season are all currently on sale. Holiday Packs are also on sale. For just $25, fans can purchase four undated general admission tickets, a T-shirt and a voucher for a 2012 program. They can be purchased by calling 343-5454, or in person at Dwyer Stadium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Press release:

Batavia, NY – The Batavia Muckdogs, Class A affiliate of the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, today announced ticket prices, packages and game times for the seven Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees games that will be played at Dwyer Stadium in 2012.

The Yankees will play at Dwyer Stadium on the following dates and game times:

• Friday, April 20 vs. Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles Affiliate) at 7:05 p.m.
• Saturday, April 2 vs. Norfolk at 1:05 p.m.
• Sunday, April 22 vs. Norfolk at 1:05 p.m.
• Monday, April 23 vs. Norfolk at 12:05 p.m.
• Saturday, May 5 vs. Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox Affiliate) at 7:05 p.m.
• Sunday, May 6 vs. Pawtucket at 1:05 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 12 vs. Louisville (Cincinnati Reds Affiliate) at 11:05 a.m.

Individual game ticket prices for those games will be as follows:

Box Seats                                           $9

General Admission (Adult)                  $8

General Admission (JR/SR)                 $7

The Muckdogs will also be offering a ticket package that will allow fans to see all seven Yankees games at Dwyer Stadium next season. Those prices are as follows:

Yankees Ticket Package

Box Seats                   $50

General Admission     $43

Current Muckdogs season seat holders will have the opportunity to reserve their seats for the Yankees games at $50 for box seats and $43 for General Admission. Seat holders will have until Jan. 1 to reserve their seats for the Yankees games before they will be released to the general public. Individual seats for Yankees games will go on sale March 5.

Season tickets, coupon books, ticket packages and individual game ticket prices for Muckdogs games will remain unchanged for 2012. Muckdogs coupon books will not be redeemable for the seven Yankees games at Dwyer Stadium.

All packages are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling 585-343-5454, or in person at Dwyer Stadium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At the top of the ninth inning, the Dwyer Stadium PA announcer played a song by The Doors.

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

For the Auburn Doubledays, it could have been a sign that the Muckdog's 4-1 lead could withstand any offensive assault. It could have been a reference to the final game of the season.

Or, perhaps, a dirge for the final game of the Batavia Muckdogs. Ever.

It's too soon to say, and nobody really knows, whether there will be a 2012 campaign of professional baseball in Batavia, but at least the Muckdogs gave the faithful something to cheer about on a cloudy Sunday in September.

The Muckdogs close out 2011 with a record 37-38, good enough for fourth place in the Pickney Division of the NYPL (a storied baseball league founded in Batavia), but leaving them eight games out of first place.

Vance Albitz, scrappy shortstop who played his college ball in San Diego but went undrafted despite twice being named defensive player of the year, helped lead the Muckdogs to victory with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI.

DH Jeremy Lee Patton, another first-year player, finished out the season with a .293 average after banging out two hits.

The win went to Javier Enrique Avendano (1-2) and Danny Miranda picked up his 15th save even though he surrendered two hits and run.

Miranda was helped out by two crucial Doubleday base running blunders.

Bryce Ortega, who should have been out at second except for a throwing error by second baseman Garrett Wittels, tried to advance to third. Ortega's decision to race for third was questionable with his team down by three runs. But with third baseman Daniel Stienstra busy retrieving Wittels' errant throw, maybe worth the gamble.

Stienstra grabbed the ball and was able to flip it to Miranda, charging toward the bag, and Miranda applied a tag with Ortega still two feet from the base (though some fans on the third-base side said the tag was never made).

When Russell Moldenhauer doubled to center, Matthew Skole scored and Moldenhauer, perhaps feeling greedy, tried to stretch his double into a triple. He was, as the say, out by a mile.

And that, my friend, was the end.

If you have trouble viewing the slide show below, click here.

The Lions Club of Batavia gave out more than 100 tickets to kids attending the Muckdogs game Monday night for a bike raffle and giveaway. Two bikes were given away, one to a girl and one to a boy.

Lions Club President John Murray throws out the first pitch at Monday night's second game of the Muckdogs double-header.

Lions Club President John Murray with drawing winners, 11-year-old Joe Biaselli, of Lyndonville, and 8-year-old Olivia Costley, of Batavia.

Press release from the Lions:

On Monday, Aug. 22, members of the Batavia Lions Club gathered at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia for its 36th annual Lions Night at the Ballpark as the hometown Muckdogs played the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

The evening featured several highlights including a free raffle for two brand-new bikes to two lucky local kids holding the winning tickets and an opportunity for several seniors and veterans to attend the game and be treated to hotdogs and refreshments -- all free of charge and paid for by the Batavia Lions Club.

The Lions Club invited several senior citizens from local area nursing homes, which included the federal and New York state veterans facilities located in Batavia. Each attendee was treated to a hot dog or hamburger, fries and a soda. They also had the special treat of watching a double-header on a beautiful summer evening.

Lion Gerry Maley was again responsible for all arrangements with the ball club and, along with Lions Dave Cutitta and Dom Lovria, for the bike raffle. Lion Dr. Ross Fanara and his wife, Shirley, made all arrangements with the five nursing homes/veterans’ facilities to bring more than 50 seniors to the ballpark.

The Batavia Lions Club would like to thank all of the Muckdog staff, especially General Manager Travis Sick and Ticket Manager Mike Ewing along with the activities directors from the Batavia VA Medical Center, New York State VA Nursing Home, Genesee County Nursing Home, Batavia Nursing Home, and the Le Roy Village Green Nursing Home for helping make this a very enjoyable evening for all. 

See you next year at the ballpark!

Bob Matthews, who has always hated the idea of pro baseball in Batavia (I have no idea why), has a column in the D&C today lamenting the new rankings by Street & Smith of minor league cities.

Rochester has fallen to #20.  

But also bad in Matthews' mind is that Batavia came in fairly high among 241 cities ranked.

Batavia was No. 36. I have no idea why.

The baseball Muckdogs are the only pro team, they're operated by the Red Wings and they could be on shaky ground. Batavia ranked 42nd in tenure (for how long?), 81st in attendance (no way) and 98th in economy.

The full rankings can be viewed here.

Unfortunately, Street & Smith doesn't explain its attendance ranking, but it's probably based on a percentage of the host city's population, and with less than 16,000 people in the City of Batavia, the percentage for the Muckdogs is pretty good.

There are a handful of cities ranked above Batavia with only one sports franchise.

Press release:

 BATAVIA, NY – Today’s game between the Batavia Muckdogs and Vermont Lake Monsters has been canceled due to rain. This game will not be made up. Anyone with a ticket to today’s game can exchange it for a ticket of equal or lesser value to any remaining home game.

The Muckdogs return home on Saturday, Aug. 20, to take on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at 7:05 p.m.