Today, the BCBL kicks off the 2012 season with festivities all-day long, including 3 games, BBQ all day long, a ceremonial first pitch by Northrup Grumman's Gary W. Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Aerospace Systems, and the national anthem performed by our very own Ryan Lee, manager of the Ironheads and BCBL Tournament Coordinator.
The first game will be a rematch of last year's championship match between the Beach City Bears and the Beach City Bombers. Some might remember the excitement of last year's championship game where Ryan "Walk-off" Walcott drove in the winning run to complete a come-from-behind 9-8 victory in the bottom of the 7th inning. Well the Bombers are back and looking to avenge the title that was stolen from them. Both teams are returning their core players and look to get a little boost from newcomers. The game begins at 1:30.
After the first game, the league officially kicks off the 2012 season. Come watch last year's MVP, Adam Honeggar catch the ceremonial first pitch from Gary W. Ervin. Gary W. Ervin is the corporate vice president and president of Northrup Grumman's Aerospace Systems, and a former UCLA Bruin, so expect a pretty good fastball. Finally, Ryan "Rock Star" Lee will give a live rendition of the national anthem that is sure to impress. This would also be a good time to go enjoy a hamburger or hot dog prepared by our very own chef Darren Rettew, manager of the Barracudas. The grill will be hot all day, so be sure to stop on over.
Upon conclusion of the ceremonies, attendees are welcome to take in the second game of our opening day triple header between the South Bay Barracudas and the Ironheads of California. This matchup of the oldest and newest franchises in the league proves to be a good one. One of the storylines to watch is that of former teammates facing off for the first time. Over the off-season, a couple of Barracudas now find themselves wearing the Black and Gold of the Ironheads, including last year's fire-thrower, Will Ellis and long-time Barracuda, Dan Dougherty. Meanwhile the Barracudas held together the core of their team while picking up a couple strong prospects in Tim Hsia and Tyler Murray. Some say there's bad blood between these two teams, but it doesn't matter once they hit the field, only the final score will tell this story. First pitch at 4:30.
Our sunday night, under-the-lights, game sees the South Bay Stallions and the South Bay Breakers going head to head. During the offseason, the Stallions retained almost every player from last years team, adding only one new player to an already strong lineup that found itself in a close second place at the end of the regular season last year. The Breakers, however, find themselves rejuvinated by new blood, filling a number of spots that were vacated after last years disappointing 2-7-1 performance. They hope to kick 2012 off with a bang, but the Stallions seek to continue their domanence. The action starts at 7:30.
Play Ball!
