One of the Twin Cities' iconic recreational sports franchises is changing its name. Boom Goes the Dynamite, a slowpitch softball organization with ties to the now-defunct teams of Low Expectations, Gas on the Fire and I'm With Stupid will heretofore be known as Warning Track Power. The name change was completed several months ago in consultations between team president Kevin Kurtt (Edina, Minn.), general manager Jeff Keiser (Avon, Conn.) and third base coach Steve Geller (Port Jefferson, N.Y.).
"Jeff, Steve and I just felt it was time to move this franchise in a new direction," Kurtt said from a press conference at Tony's Diner. "It's time to put the Boom Goes the Dynamite era to bed. The last two seasons have been dreadful and we really didn't want to sully the Boom name that garnered such acclaim after back-to-back CSC Championship seasons in 2005 and 2006.
"And really, anybody that watched the team's performance last season knows that we just weren't living up to our name. I mean, Boom? Dynamite? That squad resembled neither of those things. We decided to give this team a name that more aptly describes its play on the field. We are now Warning Track Power."
Looking at Boom's 2008 campaign, it seems the new moniker really does match the team's play on the field. According to the 2008 statistics provided by pitching coach Jim Strick (Combined Locks, Wis.), Boom hit a measly four home runs (three officially) and 18 triples in 18 games last season. Those four round-trippers came from three players - Keiser (2), Kevin Noth (1) and Geller (1, unofficially). Meanwhile, according to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Boom players hit balls to the warning track an astounding 4.35 times per game last season.
"We're a team chock full of aging veterans with diminished ability to hit for power," Keiser said. "Nearly all of us are guilty of it, but there is no better example of this team's sudden lack of power than Kurtt. That guy used to hit balls for miles when we played in CSC. Now, he's like Ichiro out there. Single here. Double there. And once in a while he'll hit to the warning track. He blames the loss of 'pop' in our bats, but he, like many on this team, is getting old, slow and weak."
"Jeff, Steve and I just felt it was time to move this franchise in a new direction," Kurtt said from a press conference at Tony's Diner. "It's time to put the Boom Goes the Dynamite era to bed. The last two seasons have been dreadful and we really didn't want to sully the Boom name that garnered such acclaim after back-to-back CSC Championship seasons in 2005 and 2006.
"And really, anybody that watched the team's performance last season knows that we just weren't living up to our name. I mean, Boom? Dynamite? That squad resembled neither of those things. We decided to give this team a name that more aptly describes its play on the field. We are now Warning Track Power."
Looking at Boom's 2008 campaign, it seems the new moniker really does match the team's play on the field. According to the 2008 statistics provided by pitching coach Jim Strick (Combined Locks, Wis.), Boom hit a measly four home runs (three officially) and 18 triples in 18 games last season. Those four round-trippers came from three players - Keiser (2), Kevin Noth (1) and Geller (1, unofficially). Meanwhile, according to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Boom players hit balls to the warning track an astounding 4.35 times per game last season.
"We're a team chock full of aging veterans with diminished ability to hit for power," Keiser said. "Nearly all of us are guilty of it, but there is no better example of this team's sudden lack of power than Kurtt. That guy used to hit balls for miles when we played in CSC. Now, he's like Ichiro out there. Single here. Double there. And once in a while he'll hit to the warning track. He blames the loss of 'pop' in our bats, but he, like many on this team, is getting old, slow and weak."
While Keiser is quick to point out Kurtt's sagging power numbers, it should be noted that Boom's female contingent of players displayed outstanding power last season and shouldn't be grouped in with such aging veterans like Kurtt, Noth, Geller and Strick. Standouts Cathy Behr (Willmar, Minn.), Meghan Potter (Hibbing, Minn.) and Alyssa Downing (Taunton, Minn.) all displayed outstanding power in 2008, belting several balls to the fence and proving that Warning Track Power really is an apt name for this team.
Warning Track Power will likely begin its season on Tuesday, April 28. Stay tuned for details.
Franchise History
2002: Low Expectations
2002: Low Expectations
(President: Aron "Rusty" Potter, General Manager Heather Potter)
2003: Gas on the Fire
(President: Chris Bergren, General Manager: Kevin Kurtt)
2004: I'm With Stupid
(President: Chris Bergren, General Manager: Kevin Kurtt)
2005: Boom Goes the Dynamite
(President: Steve Geller, General Manager: Steve Geller)
CSC CHAMPIONS
2006: Boom Goes the Dynamite
(President: Steve Geller, General Manager: Steve Geller)
CSC CHAMPIONS
(President: Jeff Keiser, General Manager: Jeff Keiser)
2008: Boom Goes the Dynamite
(President: Kevin Kurtt, General Manager: Jeff Keiser, Manager: Michelle Train)
2009: Warning Track Power
(President: Kevin Kurtt, General Manager: Jeff Keiser, Manager: Michelle Train)
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