The Cows and Doughnuts met for the first time since their epic one-game playoff for the Lisa Marie Championship last October..if your memories are hazy, the Doughnuts won 2-1 in 14 innings..each team scored once in the 9th, then NY won it in the top of the 14th. But the rematch would not include the Cows owner, as the Cows alternate mgr, Patrick Bryant, was filling in. The question was, would the transition go smoothly, like when Coy replaced Bo on "The Dukes of Hazzard", or would it be sad and disturbing, like when Vance replaced Luke? On to the games...

Brett Myers got his first start of the year for the Doughnuts, but the bad news was that it's the 2002 Myers, not the improved 2003 version. Freddy Garcia went for South Park. The Doughnuts got off to a rare good start..Aurilia doubled in Catalanotto in the 1st, and it was 1-0 New York. That lead lasted until the 5th, when Dave Berg scored on a Ben Davis sac fly, and we were tied at 1-1.

That was the only run Myers gave up, as he was phenomenal. He went 8 innings, allowing just that run on 2 hits. But Garcia was just as strong...after that first inning, no Doughnut reached scoring position...until the 8th.

With 2 out and no one on, Catalanotto was hit with a Garcia fastball, then Palmiero singled, setting up corners, 2 out, and Aurilia coming up. Aurilia hit a grounder to short, but Dave Berg and his C range made the play. It was just assumed that leaving Catalanotto stranded at 3rd would come back to bite New York in the ass.

And so it did. Myers was replaced by Darren Holmes, to face the heart of the Cows order. Doughnut fans have seen this show before--good starting pitching form unlikely sources, bad relief from what should be reliable relievers. South Park had their own 2 out rally, when Mueller doubled and Wilkerson singled. But the Cows' rally, unlike the Doughnuts in the 8th, scored a run.

Another loss by the pen, another loss...period. And so April ends with the Doughnuts managing just 1 win, and riding a team record 7 game losing streak.

The Doughnuts' April: in like a lion, out like the Tigers.

April 11
South Park 000 010 001 - 2 5 0
New York 100 000 000 - 1 5 1

Mutant Cows info:
Pitching: Garcia 8, Isringhausen 1 (W)
Catching: Davis 9
HR: none
Injuries/Suspensions: none
Limits: Cintron (I), Hyzdu (I), Lane (I)

Doughnuts info:
Pitching: Myers 8, Holmes 1 (L)
Catching: JLopez 9
HR: none
Injuries/Suspensions: none
Limits: Hafner (I)

Game 2 featured Matt Morris for South Park, facing Jason Simontacchi of New York. It's not exactly Johnson-Mussina-Clemens atop the Doughnut rotation anymore. So after the Doughnuts owner wiped away the tears from his face thinking about his starting staff this year, the game got started, and this one started out like the last one..with a Doughnut run in the 1st. Catalanotto found the left field porch, for the first New York homerun in the Polo Grounds this year.

Each team traded runs for the first 3.5 innings, and middle of 4, it was 2-2.

In the bottom of the 4th, New York had 2nd and 3rd with one out, and Javy Lopez up. J-Lo is walked intentionally, and that brought up Jason Simontacchi with the bases loaded.. And in what was the first break of the season, Simontacchi ripped a ball in the gap, clearing the bases. 5-2 Doughnuts.

And amazingly enough, Simontacchi and the Doughnut pen shut out the Cows the rest of the way. To top it off, for the first time this year, Jose Mesa came into a game and did not give up the tying or winning run. Losing streak over, and it's the first home win for the Doughnuts in 2003. Party time in New York! (The party was then taxed heavily by Mike Bloomberg.)

May 12
South Park 010 100 000 - 2 6 1
New York 110 300 00x - 5 9 0

Mutant Cows info:
Pitching: Morris 4 (L), Hammond 3, Jackson 1
Catching Davis 9
HR: Wilkerson-solo
Injuries/Suspensions: Berg 1 on chart, Lawton 1
Limits: Cintron (I), Hyzdu (I), Lane (I)

Doughnuts info:
Pitching: Simontacchi 5.1 (W), Sauerbeck .2, Worrell 2, Mesa 1 (SV)
Catching: JLopez 6, Barajas 3
HR: Catalanotto
Injuries/Suspensions: none
Limits: Hafner (I)

New York came into game 3 looking for their first series win of the season, but they had Aaron Harang going, while the Cows had Ted Lilly.

Harang had his "A" material early..the Cows started the game with double, walk, single, single...1-0 Cows. Tow forceouts scored 2 more runs, so before most of the crowd was in its seats, it was 3-0 Cows.

Thoughts of a Cows blowout, however, were quickly ended when Juan Gonzalez hit a 2 run homer in the New York 1st, and it was 3-2.

After an easy 2nd for both teams, Harang decided to suck again in the 3rd. Walk, single, walk, forceout, sac fly, double scored 2 more...but the silver lining was that Berg was thrown out at the plate on the double. So it was 5-2 instead of 6-2.

That was a big out at the time, because in the Doughnut 3rd, Javy Lopez stepped up after a Catalanotto walk and Gonzalez single, and he ripped a 3 run homer to tie things up at 5-5.

With new life, New York brought in a new pitcher...Carlos Silva. And he proceeds to do a killer Aaron Harang impression. After he got Davis to bounce to 1st, pinch hitter Milton Bradley doubled, then Winn doubled in Bradley, then Cirillo singled in Winn. 7-5 Cows. Then, in the 5th, Silva, New York's only long reliever, goes and gets injured. Could it get any worse?

After the Cows made it 7-5, New York was never able to get back in the game. South Park got 2 late inning runs, and New York got a garbage time homer from Aurilia in the 9th. Final 9-6 Cows.

It was a pleasure playing Patrick, and it was also a pleasure winning a game in this series..

May 13
South Park 302 200 011 - 9 14 0
New York 203 000 001 - 6 4 0

Mutant Cows info:
Pitching: Lilly 3, Middlebrook 4 (W), Jackson 2
Catching: Davis 9
HR: Berg
Injuries/Suspensions: none
Limits: Cintron (I), Hyzdu (I), Lane (I)

Doughnuts info:
Pitching: Harang 3, Silva 1.2 (L), Haney 2.1, Holmes 2
Catching: JLopez 9
HR: JGonzalez, JLopez, Aurilia
Injuries/Suspensions: Silva injury 15 unadjusted/ 8 adjusted
Limits: Hafner (I)