'Cats roll through preseason undefeated

Ok so it was only one game. Against a team of mostly high-school students. And half the HarbourCats have still not arrived in town. But it was baseball, man! The HarbourCats are back in town and ready to roll.

A good beginning to the 2014 year in front of 560 or so fans, many of them mothers, fathers, girlfriends and wanna-be girlfriends of the top baseball talent the city has to offer. Complete with an 8th inning prom-date proposal from a member of the Eagles/Mariners team, the game was a nice welcome back to the park for the fans, and an introduction for the fans to 22 or so of this season's HarbourCats.

Nathan Lukes - First hit at STD

The Eagles/Mariners squad fared better than I thought they would. Some clutch relief pitching and a couple of big RBI hits in the late innings made it a close 8-7 game - had it not have been for 5 errors in the game, a couple of them costly run producing errors but the squad, the 'Cats would have been on the losing end of this game. Eagle Brendan Turcott had a great game for the shared squad, reaching and scoring twice and showing hustle on the bases and in the field. His efforts got him a hearty congratulations from Cats Manager Bob Miller in the post-game handshake line.

For the Cats, lead-off man Nathan Lukes gets credit for the first HarbourCat hit, steal, and run scored at Sports Trader
Diamond, preseason or otherwise.

Lots of new things to see around the park, and lots of old puzzles as well, giving us bloggers plenty to talk about. I was about to start taking notes when I was scolded by Harvey for being on my phone. The big cat sat down next to me and took a load off and well-earned break from being chased around the park for a while. Even his considerable rear-end girth fit in one of the fabulous new seats installed over the summer, which I must say, will prove to be the best investment ever made to a city facility. Harvey and I talked of the game, the boys on the field, and the new season that is now upon us. Each time I brought up something I thought was odd, or something out of place that needed work, Harvey simply spread his paws wide as if to say "but look - baseball is back! it doesn't matter!" And right he is. Lets save the comments for a later date. For now, it was just nice to be back at the park, and to hear a young fan loudly yell "Play Ball" for the first time this season.

I will say (and I bet not for the last time), the Bin4 Burger folks are gods. Tonight's choice was the Mr. Bean - yes, a veggie burger was the first out of the gate for me. Just the right amount of cumin and curry spice, a soft, moist and flavourful burger topped with goat cheese, curry aioli and butter lettuce. A real treat at a fair ballpark price - and the chips are fantastic! Try the Chipoltle dip!

The real show starts tomorrow night in Kelowna against an improved Falcons team. Time to put on the big-boy pants and play some serious ball!