Goose - 2013-14 Melbourne Aces

I had originally made this card up as "Maverick" - the Melbourne Aces mascot - however when getting ready to post this entry I realised that Maverick has a blue uniform. The Aces had been advertising the introduction of "Maverick's secret friend" before their 2013-14 opening home series, and this second mascot "Goose" appeared to be that friend. Having said that, poor old Goose doesn't seem to get much promotion to rival Maverick - I can hardly find anything about him on the Aces' website. Given what happened to Goose in Top Gun, maybe they're giving Goose the Mascot a deliberate low profile.

2013-14 Melbourne Aces Goose card front - © 2013 Adam East

Sarge - 2013-14 Canberra Cavalry

I thought I'd throw in my several mascot photos into this year's set. Not much to say except that first up is Sarge, the mustachioed, slouch hat wearing mascot of the Canberra Cavalry.

2013-14 Canberra Cavalry Sarge card front - © 2013 Adam East

Patrick Leonard - 2013-14 Brisbane Bandits

Leonard is an American import from the Tampa Bay Rays organisation who played with the Brisbane Bandits in the 2013-14 ABL season. He spent 2013 playing for the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the single A Midwest League. In 2014 he is playing with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the high A level Florida League.

2013-14 Brisbane Bandits Patrick Leonard card front - © 2013 Adam East

Todd Grattan - 2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox

Grattan returned for his third season playing with the Sydney Blue Sox during the 2013-14 ABL season. Once again, he was used sparingly though, pitching only 5.2 innings across 4 games across the season.

2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox Todd Grattan card front - ©2014 Adam East

Campbell Wiggins - 2013-14 Melbourne Aces

Wiggins is a local Melbourne player who made his ABL debut with the Melbourne Aces during the 2013-14 ABL season. His debut consisted of pitching a single scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Despite the positive start, that debut was his only game throughout the season.

2013-14 Melbourne Aces Campbell Wiggins card front - © 2013 Adam East

Joe Sclafani - 2013-14 Adelaide Bite

Sclafani is an American import from the Houston Astros organisation who played with the Adelaide Bite during the 2013-14 ABL season. In 2013 he spent most of his time with the Astros high A affiliate in the California League, the Lancaster JetHawks. In 2014 he has split time between the Corpus Christi Hooks in the AA level Texas League, and the dizzying heights of the Oklahoma City RedHawks in the AAA level Pacific Coast League.

I had two shots of Sclafani I couldn't decide between, so here are the two card fronts - one from a game against the Melbourne Aces, and the other from a game against the Canberra Cavalry.

2013-14 Adelaide Bite Joe Sclafani card front - © 2013 Adam East

2013-14 Adelaide Bite Joe Sclafani alternate card front - © 2014 Adam East

Matthew Rae - 2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox

Rae is a local Sydney boy who has been with the Sydney Blue Sox since the start of the ABL. The 2013-14 ABL season was only his third season though, having not played with the Blue Sox in 2012-13. Despite his length of time playing, this is my first ever card of Rae. He's probably one of the more easily recognisable players in the ABL as the only player that I'm aware of with an ear gauge.

2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox Matthew Rae card front - © 2014 Adam East

Cameron Lamb - 2013-14 Perth Heat

Lamb returned for his fourth season with the Perth Heat during the 2013-14 ABL season. Unfortunately, it appears that he was released by Houston following his stint with them in 2013, and in 2014 he is playing for the Frontier Greys of the independent Frontier League.

2013-14 Perth Heat Cameron Lamb card front - © 2014 Adam East

Shawn Smith - 2013-14 Melbourne Aces

Smith is an American import who played with the Melbourne Aces during the 2013-14 ABL season. Smith had previously spent four seasons at Rookie level with the Tampa Bay Rays between 2008 and 2011. Prior to joining the Aces he had spent time in 2013 with both the Washington Wildthings of the Frontier League and Les Capitales Des Quebec in the Canadian-American Association.

Smith only pitched in 2 games for Melbourne lasting a total of a single inning in one game and a walk in the other, so I gather there probably aren't many game shots of him like this in his Melbourne uniform.

2013-14 Melbourne Aces Shawn Smith card front - © 2013 Adam East

Graeme Lloyd - 2013-14 Perth Heat

MLB veteran Graeme Lloyd celebrated his 2013 induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame by returning  as the pitching coach for the Perth Heat for the 2013-14 ABL season. Lloyd is only the third baseballer to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Yes, the photo is a bit cluttered, but I finally got a photo of Lloyd without his hands on his hips :)

2013-14 Perth Heat Graeme Lloyd card front - © 2014 Adam East

Michael Collins - 2013-14 Canberra Cavalry

Former player Collins returned back as Manager of the Canberra Cavalry for the 2013-14 ABL season, following his championship winning debut at the helm during the 2012-13 season. In 2014, Collins is coaching the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the A level affiliate of the San Diego Padres in the Midwest League.

2013-14 Canberra Cavalry Michael Collins card front - © 2013 Adam East

Steve Livesy - 2013-14 Brisbane Bandits

I thought I'd do a Coach theme this week. Today's card is for Steve Livesy, the Tampa Bay Rays minor league hitting coordinator, who joined the Brisbane Bandits as their hitting coach for the 2013-14 ABL season. This probably had more to do with the Bandits also acquiring four Tampa Bay Rays' minor league prospects for the season than any great desire to coach in the ABL itself.

Livesy comes from a baseballing background, having spent four years as a player, and many more as a manager and coach in the minors. His father Bill Livesy has had a long career as both a scout and manager in the New York Yankees' organisation before moving on to several other MLB organisations, including the Tampa Bay Rays.

2013-14 Brisbane Bandits Steve Livesy card front - © 2014 Adam East

Aaron Sookee - 2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox

Since my last card design for him in the 2011-12 ABL season, Sookee has had a bit of a tough time. He suffered a series of injuries that sidelined him for part of the American 2012 season, the 2012-13 ABL season, and the start of the 2013 American season, resulting in him being released by the LA Angels in April 2013.

Eventually recovering, Sookee returned to the Sydney Blue Sox during the 2013-14 ABL season, his third with the club, and had a solid return, converting from an occasionally used relief pitcher to a member of the starting rotation who pitched a complete game shutout.

2013-14 Sydney Blue Sox Aaron Sookee card front - © 2014 Adam East