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Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

Shawn Jansen: Vols not making friends in Bozeman

The Merced Volunteers made a remarkable run at the Northwest Regional American Legion tournament.

Obviously, going out with a 16-1 semifinal loss to Kennewick, Wash., left sours tastes in the mouths of our local boys.

When you think about it, though, to be still alive on Monday after losing their first game was quite a feat.

However, the Vols might not be invited back to Bozeman anytime soon.

Not if Bozeman Bucks coach Mitch Messer has anything to say about it.

Messer isn't a Volunteers fan. Far from it, actually.

The Bucks skipper was livid after Merced's 14-6 win knocked the host team out of the tournament.

"They're a good team and they flat-out beat us, but their conduct is an absolute embarrassment to American Legion baseball," Messer told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

And what was all the fuss about?

A collision at first base between Vols first baseman Joe Buckley and Bucks player Kyle Britt led to a heated exchange between Messer and Volunteers coach Rollo Adams.

Here's Buckley's version:

"I jumped up to get a ball and when I came down, I smashed into him," Buckley said. "He got hurt and it looked like I did it on purpose.

"The first base ump said it was a clean play. The home plate ump didn't, but the tournament commissioner said it was clean."

Buckley became an instant villain for the home crowd and he was booed during his next at-bat.

Bucks pitcher Chris Schmidt even fired a pitch behind Buckley that forced the home plate umpire to warn both teams.

When Buckley promptly singled in another run later in the at-bat, the Bozmean paper jumped on Vols catcher Joe Medeiros for yelling and pumping his fist as he scored.

"It was a pretty hostile environment," Buckley said. "We didn't retaliate or anything. We just let the score of the game speak for itself."

Adams backed his players.

"We didn't come here to play dirty," Adams said. "If I see my guys doing something, I'll speak to them before the umpires."

So other than becoming public enemies, how else have the Vols been spending the past five days in Montana?

Daniel Benson quickly took credit for the best practical joke of the trip.

Benson snuck into Brett Mooneyham's room at the hotel and turned up the thermostat to 90 degrees while the Stanford-bound left-hander was asleep.

"Brett's shirt was drenched when he woke up," Tynan Pedretti said. "He looked like he just got out of the pool.

"Brett said he felt it was hot, but he thought it was just the room."

Medeiros may have a career as a professional gambler if this baseball thing doesn't work out.

Apparently, he's been the big winner when money is on the line.

He's won in blackjack, dice and poker.

Joe's own triple crown.

Teammates J.C. Barcelo and Dylan Floro will have to keep their day jobs.

Fortunately for Floro, his grandparents from Nebraska were on the trip to help cover his gambling losses.

Other players have spent their time watching movies at the hotel.

Buckley alone has seen Never Back Down, 21, The Strangers and The Forbidden Kingdom.

"I think everybody liked Never Back Down the best," Buckley said. "It's especially fitting since we're in this big tournament."

Each player was given $18 per day for meal money.

The most popular restaurant for the Vols has been Arby's.

Some players have eaten there as many as four or five times.

"A couple guys have eaten there every day," Pedretti said. "We've gone there two times as a team.

"They get real scared when they see all of us coming. They're not used to this many people."

Unfortunately, our local lads won't get to sample any fast food places in Shelby, N.C.

Shawn Jansen is a Sun-Star sports reporter. He can be reached at 385-2462 or via e-mail at sjansen@mercedsun-star.com.