The 2010 Renegades Pitch for Kids season official came to an end with our 8th annual Bowl-A-Thon. As always the Bowl-A-Thon was a huge success with 170 bowlers getting their share of over 500 prizes. The 2010 season was also highlighted by Jay Luksis winning the Three-Point Shot contest, the largest group of runners in our Jailbreak for Home 5K, the first ever Whiffle Ball Tournament and our WPDH Open being held at the prestigious Trump National of the Hudson Valley.

On Saturday, March 13th the Hudson Valley Renegades Pitch for Kids Fund and Hospice of Dutchess County held their annual three-point shot contest at Arlington High School. Ball players in the men’s open division, as well boys and girls in grades six through twelve came together to have fun, win prizes, and support the local community. Our three-time returning champion, Jason Luksis, stole the show with an impressive 40 points to be crowned the champ once again. Because of Luksis dominance he has now been official banned from the Three-Point Shot contest. Sorry Jay!!!!

On Sunday, May 2nd the weather was perfect for the 8th annual Jailbreak for Home. A record setting crowd came out to Dutchess Stadium to show their support for the Renegades Pitch for Kids Fund and also to see if they had what it would take to come in first (I was among those trying for first). Despite all my training I was not able to beat Mike Slinskey from Hopewell Junction who recorded the fastest time with an impressive 16:18 (that’s three 5:16 miles back-to-back-to-back). Congrats Mike but the rest of us are starting our training NOW and we are gunning for you next year!!

Wiffle Ball is no longer a backyard sport thanks to the first ever Renegades Pitch for Kids Fund WiffleBalloozza. On Sunday, August 22 Dutchess Stadium’s outfield was transformed into three wiffle ball fields as 12 teams competed for the title of best wiffle ball team in the Hudson Valley. The event was highlighted by the wiffle ball home run derby taking place on the infield. Practice those swings and work on your pitching and make sure not to miss the next WiffleBalloozza in 2011.

As always one of our staple events each season is our WPDH Open golf tournament. This year we were lucky enough to hold it at the magnificent Trump National of the Hudson Valley. Not only did golfers get a chance to take in the excitement and fun that is a PFK golf outing but they also got the chance to play the best course in the Hudson Valley. Even though Trump didn’t make an appearance I’m sure everyone that participated would agree it was a great day.

As another Renegades Pitch for Kids season has come and gone we want to say thank you to everyone that participated in any of our events this season. Whether it’s bringing a foursome to our golf outings, sponsoring an event, donating prizes or just volunteering at an event we appreciate everything that everyone has done for us this season.

Make sure to keep an eye on the PFK website for the release of our 2011 schedule…see you soon!

What’s that mess, you say? It’s the 2010 season in a nutshell (/trunk).

Today I cleaned out my car, and in the process had a trip down  Memory Lane. It’s amazing just how much you can fit in a car, and it’s even weirder to think of the many different things that come in handy during a summer.

Whether it was getting me from my apartment to the field, driving players before the game, or bringing them to little leagues clinics around the Hudson Valley. My car saw a lot of mileage. (I’m not complaining though. It got me some material for another blog post!)

This is almost all of the stuff that was in my trunk for the majority of the summer. To hear what some of the items are, check out my personal blog, where I have a tell-all video. (That sounded a lot more scandalous before I typed it.)

This is a photo of the beach sticker on the bumper of my car. It’s from the summer of 2009, when I worked in the Cape League. Instead of days in the sand, this summer featured a bunch of northeastern locales, most with a unique feel.

I’ll leave you with a hodgepodge of fun photos, a la Ben’s Biz. It works for him, and I certainly enjoy it.

Thanks for reading The Renegades Rundown all season long! There should be some great material coming, even though the baseball is over for 2010.

After today’s game, the Gades have just one more road contest all season. There are two double headers this week at the Dutch, including one tomorrow (Tuesday) and one Thursday. There’s plenty of baseball left to be played, and plenty of promos and other reasons to come to the park too.

We have another Build-A-Bear Giveaway on Thursday, Fireworks both Friday and Sunday, and the chance to make the playoffs!

“Playoffs!? Don’t talk about playoffs!” That’s what former NFL Head Coach Jim Mora said. We say there’s a chance, and if you like the NFL, head to the Dutch on Saturday for Child Pleeze/NFL Night. On a scale of one to Ochocinco, it’ll be a great time.

Hudson Valley is 19-11 at home, and they have the chance to make up some serious ground in the Wild Card if they put together a winning streak. Put on your rally cap and cheer, whether it’s at the park, in front of your computer, or out in the community. The Gades can use your support!

What happened the last time you went to a Renegades game? Share with us here.

The Gades are on the road for the 5th game in a row, and have 3 more to go after tonight’s contest with the Aberdeen IronBirds. It’s the longest road trip of the year for them, which means the most hours trying to sleep on the bus, the most hours waiting in hotels to go to the ballpark and the most hours away from the Dutch.

After the upcoming series with the Lowell Spinners, the Gades will only have one home game (August 23) before they head back on the road. Luckily, it will only be to Brooklyn for a day, then they’ll be back for an entire series to face the ValleyCats (August 25, 26 & 27).

The team has just one road game in its last 8 contests, so they’ll wrap up with a good chunk of games in front of our fans. That means there are still plenty of chances to see the Gades in the playoff chase!

What’s been the most memorable playoff chase for you in any sport? How about with the Renegades?

The Renegades have won two of their last three games in a walk-off fashion. They took the bookend games in their series against the Wild Card leader, the Jamestown Jammers. The win last night puts the Gades 4.5 games out of the playoffs with 27 games to play.

A few days ago, I was asked whether or not the Gades would make the playoffs. I’m not ready to commit to that question one way or the other, but there’s one thing I know for sure. The Renegades can beat playoff-quality teams. The only team ahead of them in the Wild Card Race they have not played is Batavia, whom they’ll take on after this series with Vermont. Against all the teams in the New York-Penn League with better records, the Gades are 12-11.  That includes a 4-4 record (winning the last two) against Brooklyn, which has the best record in the league.

The Gades now have 5 walk-off wins this season, and they’ve had 5 different players knock in the winning run. Whether or not this team makes the playoffs is still in question, but there’s no doubt they can win if they get there.

The Gades made it to Norwich, Connecticut a few hours ago to take on the Connecticut Tigers, an affiliate of (you guessed it) the Detroit Tigers. The teams will play a pair today, and a game each tomorrow and Friday here at Dodd Stadium. The first game today is making up the rained out game at the Dutch on July 19. Hudson Valley picked up the first two victories in the season series, and by the end of the week, it’ll be all over with their next-door (state) neighbor.

Connecticut is one of four teams that are about two hours from Dutchess Stadium, which can only mean one thing: some of our most dedicated fans will jump on a bus to catch Friday’s game! You can be a part of the fun too. For details on the trip, click here.

Rascal and some Renegades staff members scurried up to Rhinebeck today in a last-ditch effort to get him hitched. His antics got him on ABC News, The Washington Post and a few international news outlets: major newspapers from Australia and the Philippines!

Rascal has had a big crush on Chelsea Clinton for as long as he can remember. He told me yesterday that he was hoping for a Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes romance in reverse. To Rascal, age means nothing, but it may not matter anymore without some help.

Chelsea is marrying Marc Mezvinsky this weekend, so it will take some channeling of a couple wedding crashers to pull this one off for Rascal. (Watch out for a couple bad words in the video clip.)

Not all hope is lost. Even a little chance is a chance in itself, right Jim Carrey?

What should Rascal do folks? It’s a tough situation for him, and he could use some advice. If you see him around, give him a pat on the back. If you’d like to help him in the chase, make some signs and campaign in Rhinebeck. Wear your ‘Gades Gear and show us your signs with photos from the scene!

You could always call our office and leave a message for him too [(845) 838-0094]. He’ll be checking this blog, Facebook, and Twitter soon, so lend him a hand! He might be able to reciprocate one day (cough..contest..cough)…

Today is the Renegades’ first off day in almost three full weeks. The ‘Gades will travel up to Burlington, Vermont to take on the Lake Monsters for a three game set starting Wednesday. The two teams will play at Centennial Field this week, and at the Dutch August 10, 11 and 12.

Tell us your favorite off day-themed movie for a chance to win Gades Tickets to our next homestand, Saturday July 31 and Sunday August 1!

Today may be an off day for the players, but our offices are still open. The players are out doing what anyone else might do on their off-day or weekend. On the last off-day, a bunch of the players took the train in to New York City, some went golfing, and some stayed home to relax or do chores. I may not have taken today off, but I did take the liberty of wearing a t-shirt and sandals into work.

Click here to see the best lines from the moive!

The mood is pretty relaxed here at the stadium, especially since we had such a great turnout last night. Thanks to those of you who came out to the park and supported us! Sometimes thank you just isn’t said enough, and we want you to know we appreciate your kind words, suggestions and business too!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Name that Character Contest. Mini-Shrek was hanging out before the game in the booth with Nick and Josh. We’re awarding 4 tickets to each of these people:

Rosa Mencia Gomez (who contacted us through email and facebook)

Nick Jaspersen (who commented on youtube and facebook)

Thomas Gabrynowicz (who posted on facebook)

Your tickets will be at Will Call for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) game! Thanks to everyone for playing.

On Box Fort Night a couple days ago, we debuted a new vehicle in our arsenal. Two of our interns, AJ and Greg, nursed an idea from its origins to fruition and stayed consistent with our box fort theme. Why not have some fun with cardboard? That was the whole point of the night! After a few weeks of careful planning and a day of endless building, a tank was born.

I went around to many of the employees and interns working for the Renegades, asking them what they felt the tank should be called. (The tank was originally an Associates Golf brand Golf Cart.) Here are some of the names we came up with:

Hamiltoria (in honor of Evan Longoria and Josh Hamilton, our two most famous alumni)

Evan the Destroyer (for Longoria)

Big Bertha (as the turret on the top is called)

Fan Boy Mobile (for our newest mascot)

Be Your Own Fan Tank

Be Your Own Tank

Be Your Own Box

Box Your Own Tank

Box Your Own Fan

…and a few more. We’d like to know what YOU want the tank to be called. Post a comment here, facebook us, @ reply us on twitter or email me (nick at hvrenegades.com) with your new name or vote for one of the existing ones. This coming Friday is a Be Your Own Fan Friday, and we’ll be unveiling the winning name of the tank before the game! Come for the naming ceremony during Renegades On Deck, our new LIVE show from the field. By voting or suggesting a name, you enter into a contest to win free tickets and to announce the name yourself!

We’ll be releasing a “Making of” Album for the tank on our facebook page soon, and also one recapping the induction of Bob Miske into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame, so check back with us to see the behind-the-scenes photos!

If you don’t have your tickets for any of our six upcoming home games (this Wednesday through Monday), don’t miss out! You can buy them here.