The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history; number five: 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
The Dublin Hurricanes are one of Ireland's oldest, sexiest, hottest, craziest, fun-lovingest and most successful baseball clubs. They have won every award going in Irish baseball, they are the only Irish club side to have traveled several times to European Club competitions and their players have scooped many of the individual awards available to players in the Irish baseball league. In short, it has been a good twelve year run. The team’s core has largely remained the same, which makes the accomplishments and memories all the sweeter to those involved.
Cutting straight to the chase, over the next few days we will be revealing the Top Ten Dublin Hurricanes Baseball Club moments of all time (all time being 1997 – 2008). Hopefully you will join us for the ride, and while we look back at the memories, you the reader will get a good sense of what it means to play baseball for an Irish baseball club.
Straight to the list. Number five.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history; number five: 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
We started the story of 'Greatest moment number six' with this very same line ; ''We, in Ireland, have a competitive little league.'' Same holds true as an entry point for number five.
The Twins/Giants/Indios BBC - the team of many names
2007 was a particularly competitive season, with every single club in the A division battling for a playoff spot. On one summer Saturday the Hurricanes were involved in a feisty affair against the Giants, who are now the BBC Indios, a team made up largely of Cuban players.
During the game young Chrissy Foy, the Hurricanes center fielder, noticed that one of the Giants players was stealing signs from second base. This means he was seeing what sign the catcher, TK, was putting down for the pitcher (who may or may not have been this author) and then relaying the same sign to the batter.
Cheating, basically.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Chris roared in from the outfield ‘They are stealing the signs, they are stealing the signs!’, in the same manner as people in 1770’s New England roared ‘the British are coming, the British are coming!’. The Hurricanes pitcher stepped back off the mound, as Chris actually stopped the game to walk in mumbling ‘They are stealing the signs, stealing the signs!’ to anyone who would listen. TK, Chris and the pitcher concerned converged on the mound for a quick conference.
To this day no one knows what was said in the huddle, although some say Chris was heard to be continuously mumbling ‘They are stealing the signs, stealing them!’
The umpire on the day, the greatest umpire Irish league baseball ever had the chance to host, Mr. Jimmy Regan, sauntered to the mound and broke the conference up, urging everyone back to their positions. Seven minutes later, when Chris has retaken his place in center field, the game continued under a strange feeling of semi-calm. Everyone knew it was coming though, the moment the Cuban player who had been stealing the signs had to come to the plate to bat. Sure enough, drama ensued.
The player moved into the batters box and immediately started arguing back and forth with the Hurricanes catcher TK who may or may not have said ‘We are going to hit you’ (meaning hit with a pitch). TK may or may not have done this right in front of the umpire and the entire Giants bench. No one knows for sure, well apart from the players, the umpire, the eight spectators and the two dogs at the park.
Normally at this stage you would write ‘the batter dug in’ however in this case the batter kind of tiptoed in, with his heels well outside the batters box. The Hurricanes pitcher went into the wind up, and as he reached the top of same, the batter suddenly moon-walked backwards four or five steps, leaving the batters box faster than Quagmire escapes a one night stand.
This action did not save him from the incoming pitch, and he took a fastball square smack in the backside.
There was a stunned moment of silence before the inevitable eruption, the batter took one step back, and then suddenly started marching out towards the mound, waving the baseball bat shouting;
The umpire, Jimmy Regan, was caught unaware, almost stuck in a stunned state of zombification, amazed at what was going on. As the bat waving Cuban player approached the mound, Chris Foy ran interference, getting to him before the batter could get to the pitcher. No one will ever know what he planned to do with that bat. Every single player converged in or around the pitchers mound, as people shoved and shouted.
The umpire had, at this stage, awoken from the initial shock, and took control, ordering both teams to cease and desist. Slowly order was restored. The umpire decided to take no further action, instead warning both benches that no further shenanigans occurred. His calm nature actually diffused the tension, and the rest of the game went by smoothly.
Still, pretty mental moment, a guy swinging a bat, screaming, charging the mound. Irish baseball at its finest!
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history
5. 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
6. TK gets strangled
7. Vegas Valkys goes yard - Croydon 2005
8. Andy Martin's sensational, silver slugger 2004 season
9. The legend of Spencer Grace
10. Gordon Ireland's final at bat as a Hurricane
Baseball Ireland links
Cutting straight to the chase, over the next few days we will be revealing the Top Ten Dublin Hurricanes Baseball Club moments of all time (all time being 1997 – 2008). Hopefully you will join us for the ride, and while we look back at the memories, you the reader will get a good sense of what it means to play baseball for an Irish baseball club.
Straight to the list. Number five.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history; number five: 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
We started the story of 'Greatest moment number six' with this very same line ; ''We, in Ireland, have a competitive little league.'' Same holds true as an entry point for number five.
The Twins/Giants/Indios BBC - the team of many names2007 was a particularly competitive season, with every single club in the A division battling for a playoff spot. On one summer Saturday the Hurricanes were involved in a feisty affair against the Giants, who are now the BBC Indios, a team made up largely of Cuban players.
During the game young Chrissy Foy, the Hurricanes center fielder, noticed that one of the Giants players was stealing signs from second base. This means he was seeing what sign the catcher, TK, was putting down for the pitcher (who may or may not have been this author) and then relaying the same sign to the batter.
Cheating, basically.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Chris roared in from the outfield ‘They are stealing the signs, they are stealing the signs!’, in the same manner as people in 1770’s New England roared ‘the British are coming, the British are coming!’. The Hurricanes pitcher stepped back off the mound, as Chris actually stopped the game to walk in mumbling ‘They are stealing the signs, stealing the signs!’ to anyone who would listen. TK, Chris and the pitcher concerned converged on the mound for a quick conference.
To this day no one knows what was said in the huddle, although some say Chris was heard to be continuously mumbling ‘They are stealing the signs, stealing them!’
The umpire on the day, the greatest umpire Irish league baseball ever had the chance to host, Mr. Jimmy Regan, sauntered to the mound and broke the conference up, urging everyone back to their positions. Seven minutes later, when Chris has retaken his place in center field, the game continued under a strange feeling of semi-calm. Everyone knew it was coming though, the moment the Cuban player who had been stealing the signs had to come to the plate to bat. Sure enough, drama ensued.
The player moved into the batters box and immediately started arguing back and forth with the Hurricanes catcher TK who may or may not have said ‘We are going to hit you’ (meaning hit with a pitch). TK may or may not have done this right in front of the umpire and the entire Giants bench. No one knows for sure, well apart from the players, the umpire, the eight spectators and the two dogs at the park.
Normally at this stage you would write ‘the batter dug in’ however in this case the batter kind of tiptoed in, with his heels well outside the batters box. The Hurricanes pitcher went into the wind up, and as he reached the top of same, the batter suddenly moon-walked backwards four or five steps, leaving the batters box faster than Quagmire escapes a one night stand.
This action did not save him from the incoming pitch, and he took a fastball square smack in the backside.
There was a stunned moment of silence before the inevitable eruption, the batter took one step back, and then suddenly started marching out towards the mound, waving the baseball bat shouting;
‘’I ja-knew dey were goin to do dat, I ja-knew it!’’
The umpire, Jimmy Regan, was caught unaware, almost stuck in a stunned state of zombification, amazed at what was going on. As the bat waving Cuban player approached the mound, Chris Foy ran interference, getting to him before the batter could get to the pitcher. No one will ever know what he planned to do with that bat. Every single player converged in or around the pitchers mound, as people shoved and shouted.
The umpire had, at this stage, awoken from the initial shock, and took control, ordering both teams to cease and desist. Slowly order was restored. The umpire decided to take no further action, instead warning both benches that no further shenanigans occurred. His calm nature actually diffused the tension, and the rest of the game went by smoothly.
Still, pretty mental moment, a guy swinging a bat, screaming, charging the mound. Irish baseball at its finest!
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history
5. 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
6. TK gets strangled
7. Vegas Valkys goes yard - Croydon 2005
8. Andy Martin's sensational, silver slugger 2004 season
9. The legend of Spencer Grace
10. Gordon Ireland's final at bat as a Hurricane
Baseball Ireland links
- Play baseball in Ireland for the Dublin Hurricanes
- Directions to the O'Malley fields at Corcaigh Park
- The Dublin Hurricanes on wikipedia
- Understated Dodger legends (Peter O'Malley and the fields @ Corcaigh park)
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