FALCONS CLINCH, CONQUER AAA FIRST YEAR BACK

The Herts Falcons celebrated at the mound twice on Sunday.

In the first instance, they would be headed to the Final 4.  That news followed an 11-4 thrashing of the Southampton Mustangs in which the Falcons muscled out  three doubles, fifteen hits and eight stolen bases.  Nic Goetz picked up his eighth win of the season with six strikeouts and no earned runs.  While the Herts defense was not as picture-perfect as in the early days of the summer, the players were buoyed by their determination to finish what they began: a near-perfect run in which only one team – the Oxford Kings – managed to split their season series.  Kings aside, Herts has won every other head-to-head matchup in the 2008 AAA.  (They will likely face Oxford again at the Final 4, where they can settle their 1-1 season tie.)

The second celebration came with the final out of the day.  By sweeping Southampton, the Falcons secured the overall best win/loss record in the League.  They can finish no worse than 23-5, at least a game up of their direct rivals, the London Metros.  This was the sweeter mound-meeting, for just two years ago the Herts first-team was relegated to a lower division when they finished at the bottom of the standings and lost a do-or-die playoff game to the Burgess Hill Colts.  After sailing through the AA last season, the Falcons' 2008 season goal was simply to secure a winning record in the Premier League.  Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine they would annihilate the competition and elbow their way to the Final 4!

When asked about the keys to their success, Manager Jason Greenberg responded: “We got a great jump on the season out of spring training.  We're no squad of spring chickens… that's for sure.  But way back in January we were conditioning, getting to know and trust one another, and preparing our strategy for the months to come.  All that preparation has paid off.  By the time the other teams in our division had dusted off the cobwebs we were 6-0 and at the top of the charts.  We never looked back.  Never had to.”

Comparing the Falcons to the other teams in the AAA, Greenberg continued: “We've got the most heart.  Don't get me wrong… we've got a lot of other things too.  Some excellent starting and relief pitching.  A solid infield, a speedy outfield.  Some liners, some sluggers, and a real aggressiveness on the base paths.  But… most of all it's about this team's heart.  You never see our guys argue with one another.  Sportsmanship is big for us – you rarely see a Falcon act anything less than professional.  And it's been the same 13 players all season long!  That's dedicaiton.  We've committed ourselves to winning.  We expect to win.  And that means, as a manager, I don't have to do a thing except show up and manage the unexpected.”

Herts has only a double-header remaining in their regular season, played in Brighton on July 31 against their old rivals… the Burgess Hill Colts.  These games are only for show, however.  Burgess Hill was eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, losing a pair to the (also eliminated) Essex Arrows.  Nevertheless, the Falcons must be eager to get back on the diamond with the Colts and show them what a different kind of team they've become in just two short years.

Then it's on to September 6-7 and the Final 4 in Croydon.  In the first round of the tournament Herts will face the AAA Northern Champions – possibly the Humber Pilots who bested the Falcons 8-5 in the AA playoffs a year ago.  In round two the Falcons should see the Oxford Kings or London Metros.  Both teams managed one win off the Falcons in the regular season… so Herts is expecting a fierce showdown.

But they're also expecting to win.