8/5/2009: NEW ORLEANS, LA – The San Antonio Calzones of Laredo erupted for 19 hits and 13 runs in New Orleans last night, including a 6^th inning grand slam by the struggling Brooks Erickson and Donald Hawkins’s first career home run, a 3-run shot in the third inning.  The Calzones would finish the night with a 13-2 victory.

The Calzones mostly dormant offense has been showing signs of life lately.  Lost in the shuffle of their recent attempt at mediocrity is the fact that the Calzones have scored double digits three times while posting a 4-5 mark in their last 9 games.  Consider: before the recent offensive surge, the Calzones had only reached double digits in runs scored twice all season.

A good deal of the credit for the Calzones recent success actually goes to last night's starting pitcher for the New Orleans Trendsetters, Rocky Reed.  In his final start with the West Virginia Coal Sox last week the Calzones erupted for 11 runs, including 6 runs off Reed before he was sent to the showers.  Traded at the deadline to New Orleans and making his first Trendsetters start, the Calzones again treated Reed poorly, sending him to the showers after just 2 innings, hanging 10 hits and another 6 runs on him.

“Oh, he's definitely our [expletive deleted],” said the usually reserved Brooks Erickson, whose third inning double sent Reed to an early shower.  “He's got nothing.  We wish we could face him everyday.  My three-year-old daughter has better stuff.”

For his part, Reed refused to offer comment as to Erickson's remarks.  But New Orleans manager David Parks was more forthcoming.  “They are bunch of classless twits over there.  They had one good game and they are running around showboating, high fiving, doing odd, obscene undulations.  And then for that lowlife Erickson to say what he said, that's wrong.  Those guys are going to lose, what, 120 games or something, and they get all nuts because they have one good night?  They need to grow up.”

The war of words would certainly be more interesting if the Calzones had any chance of being competitive this decade, but this moment in time is likely to be forgotten quickly by both teams as the Trendsetters continue their quest for another playoff berth while the Calzones simply play out the string during the dog days of August.