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mrbucket · 03-27-2018, 12:42 AM

October 2001

5 October, 2001
Auckland gets the honour of the very first game of the Russell Crowe Invitational as the Auckland Aces take on the Otago Thunderbolts at Eden Park. Crowe was there to throw the first pitch and gave a rousing speech to the strong crowd.

There was an apparent mix-up of cue cards for Crowe's speech, at one point he simply switched into his well-known speech from Gladiator: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." and back into his planned speech without missing a beat.

The game itself? The game was runless until the tenth innings when Otago Left Fielder Domenic Vanrenen sent a ball into the stands for the win.

Elsewhere, the Northland Giants paid highly for their win over the Wellington Lions. Their star pitcher Kealoha Maasi, who won player of the match, confirmed the next day that he would need to sit out the season for elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. Turns out that Northland paid $6m for a solitary win.

31 October, 2000
Left Fielder Senri van Oosten, from the Wellington Lions became the first hitter to go for the cycle in the RCI, unfortunately -- while the rare statistic fairies were happy -- it wasn't enough to win their game against Bay of Plenty.

Over in Australia, Third Baseman Baden Velvick, from the Adelaide Zips went hitless against the Newcastle Ducks, ending a 21 game hit streak for him.

October Awards

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Tye Jeffes (Taranaki, 2B) (.349 average with 5 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 16 runs scored)
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Alport (Waikato) (4-0 in 5 starts,43 K, 0.78 ERA)
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Randolph Alport (Waikato)

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Domenic Redelius (Canberra, LF) (.404 average with 9 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 24 runs scored)
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Jai Mcquade (Tasmania) (3-0, 32 innings pitched, 28 base hits, .231 batting average, 21 K, 8 walks, 3.09 ERA)
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Tye Lapthorne (Tasmania, RF) (.361 average with 11 doubles and 5 home runs)

Early days, but Queensland fans couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment of their team's start compared to the pre-season hype.

03-27-2018, 12:42 AM	#6
mrbucket All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: New Zealand Posts: 902	October 2001 5 October, 2001 Auckland gets the honour of the very first game of the Russell Crowe Invitational as the Auckland Aces take on the Otago Thunderbolts at Eden Park. Crowe was there to throw the first pitch and gave a rousing speech to the strong crowd. There was an apparent mix-up of cue cards for Crowe's speech, at one point he simply switched into his well-known speech from Gladiator: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." and back into his planned speech without missing a beat. The game itself? The game was runless until the tenth innings when Otago Left Fielder Domenic Vanrenen sent a ball into the stands for the win. Elsewhere, the Northland Giants paid highly for their win over the Wellington Lions. Their star pitcher Kealoha Maasi, who won player of the match, confirmed the next day that he would need to sit out the season for elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. Turns out that Northland paid $6m for a solitary win. 31 October, 2000 Left Fielder Senri van Oosten, from the Wellington Lions became the first hitter to go for the cycle in the RCI, unfortunately -- while the rare statistic fairies were happy -- it wasn't enough to win their game against Bay of Plenty. Over in Australia, Third Baseman Baden Velvick, from the Adelaide Zips went hitless against the Newcastle Ducks, ending a 21 game hit streak for him. October Awards Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Tye Jeffes (Taranaki, 2B) (.349 average with 5 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 16 runs scored) Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Alport (Waikato) (4-0 in 5 starts,43 K, 0.78 ERA) Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Randolph Alport (Waikato) Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Domenic Redelius (Canberra, LF) (.404 average with 9 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 24 runs scored) Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Jai Mcquade (Tasmania) (3-0, 32 innings pitched, 28 base hits, .231 batting average, 21 K, 8 walks, 3.09 ERA) Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Tye Lapthorne (Tasmania, RF) (.361 average with 11 doubles and 5 home runs) Early days, but Queensland fans couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment of their team's start compared to the pre-season hype. Last edited by mrbucket; 04-12-2018 at 04:45 PM.