Central Islip, NY- August 9th gets closer and closer with each passing day. Why is that important? Because that day the Ducks and Bluefish will play one game in Bridgeport for the first half championship of the Atlantic League. The game was already played once last week, but was cancelled at 3-3 in the 10th inning due to one of the worst rainstorms of the summer.

Ducks Manager Don McCormack sure was happy when Cole Liniak went deep to tie that game at 3 in the eighth inning. But he also saw the weather outside his dugout and knew immediately that if it stayed tied it would be all for naught. "From the angle I had I watched [Atlantic League Executive Director] Joe Klein walk down the field and I know from the angle that he had he could see the shine of all the puddles because of all the lights. So I knew he was gonna call it," he said.

The decision to call the game and replay it in its entirety on August 9 certainly raised some eyebrows at the time. A full nine innings had been played, and literally nothing had been solved. However, more than a week later both McCormack and the rest of the Ducks are just going with the flow. "These guys are going about it the right way. I mean, it’s all in the back of their minds. They know it’s gonna come, but we have three weeks to play the second half before we ever get to that one game. It’s too bad that it couldn’t have just been decided at an earlier time, but you know, the decision makers made the decision so you have to abide by it," McCormack said.

As the Ducks and Bluefish took batting practice for Tuesday’s simple regular season game, "Chico" Lind knows each day for the next three weeks is a tune up for the real deal. "It’s supposed to be a good game. It’s a do or die game so we’re ready and looking forward to the challenge."

It certainly is clear by their play this year that both the Ducks and the Fish will indeed be up for the challenge in early August. As the second half of the season gets kicked off, once again they are first and second in the standings. The only question that remains is, will Mother Nature be ready?

Photo by Joe McDonald.