From the article appearing in the Lloydminster Meridian Booster, by Larry Fisher:
Friday May 12, 2006
Lloydminster Meridian Booster — The Scope PWM Steel Dodgers fell short of their own expectations in 2005 and with that came the departure of several key players, one thing they didn’t lose, however, is their potential. One of eight teams competing in the Capital City Men’s Fastball League, the Dodgers are banking on a return to their winning ways of 2004 starting with Monday’s season opener in Edmonton. While their off-season was nothing to write home about, with the losses seemingly outweighing the additions to date, they did manage to secure a package deal – bringing back former leadoff man Fred Sirett along with overpowering pitcher Darrel Tilley who will instantly assume the role of ace in the Dodgers starting rotation.
The two have played together off and on since junior when Tilley was recruited from his native Newfound-land to pitch in Edmonton. Along their travels, Sirett and Tilley were teammates on a senior ‘A’ national championship club and while their commitment level to the Dodgers is still somewhat up in the air, they chose Lloydminster as home this year with the goal of adding a provincial crown to their resume. For the first time in upwards of a decade, the Dodgers will be hosting Alberta provincials in the Border City from July 14 to 16.
“Those were two big signings for us,” said player-coach Donnie Atkinson, adding they expect Sirett to step in and solidify their offence. “Fred’s importance is really two-fold because he hits the ball good and once he gets on he’s a menace on the base path. “His experience is an asset for sure and he’s really versatile. He can play centrefield and he’s actually going to have to catch Darrel because we don’t have another guy on our team who could … he throws that hard.”
Tilley is said to be one of – if not the hardest-throwing pitchers in Western Canada and Atkinson is currently trying to coax another fireballer by the name of Todd Phipps out of retirement. A legend in the local fastball scene, Phipps has been away from the game for a few years, but recently made the move back to the Border City from Calgary and would be a welcome addition in the Dodgers’ bullpen.
“We worked out with him the other day and he was throwing bullets,” said Atkinson. “Our offence definitely took a bit of a hit in the off-season, but our pitching staff has improved probably double overnight … so hopefully we won’t need the same kind of run support to win games this year.”
That’s the good news and now for the bad – most notably the departure of mainstay Brett Kennedy who ditched the Dodgers in favour of their provincial rivals from Camrose. There is no denying the Dodgers will miss Kennedy’s bat in the cleanup spot and his golden glove in the outfield, and while Sirett’s presence should help cushion that blow, those shoes will have to be filled by committee.
“Losing Brett is a dagger because he was our centrefielder and our Number 4 hitter, but all we can do is move forward without him,” said Atkinson. “He was a big bat in our lineup, but we’re certainly not going to fold up our tent … we have a lot of guys with the potential to step up and now they just have to do it.”