The Red & Black builds an extension to the House
Montreal, June 30, 2019
Defending champions, picked up where they left-off and started the 2019 campaign with 6 straight wins, in as many games.
House of David's recruiting division did not rest during the off-season. Shortly after the team's front office secured the roster's core, the often overlooked-boys-behind-the-scenes launched an outreach campaign through their network in order to add new talent to the squad.
We were granted a rare access in the club house and had a chance to catch up with newly acquired: Billy Bolovis, James Audain, Anthony Mendonca and Remel Cris Ong. They were kind enough to share with us their overall impressions about the club.
James Audain CF
"It was a no-brainer for me. From the moment my longtime teammate [Billy] joined the ranks, all other doors closed instantly. I go where he goes and vice versa. We are having a good run. The vibe is fun. Good chemistry. I can honestly say i've made the right decision so far."
Billy Bolovis LHP***
"No comment. I dont want to be here. But i have to be here. So no comment. Thank you."
Remel Cris Ong LF"I'll just say this one thing: 96 hours prior to every game, all players receive through the team-application, a lineup card and defensive assignments. That helps with our weekly training and our mental preparation. My old team used to send the lineup 1 hour prior to the game... if we were lucky! I think that sums up the quality of management we are under."
"Since the first game, I was impressed with the amount of passion and heart this team competes with... and its kind of contagious... in a good way!"
Established in 1913 and re-established in 2016, this team is composed of individuals all coming from different walks of life. Ironically, Difference became the common denominator. Surviving a major exodus after a movie-like freshman season. Combined with several unexpected departures every season since, House of David has been able to achieve a fair share of accomplishments in their young revival:2016 - reached the finals and lost against the A's
2017 - stellar sophomore season considering they were rebuilding. Lost in semi-finals against the Phillies.
2018 - rollercoaster season and near perfect post season. Won the finals against the Rockies
Here is what Manager Mica B. Simons had to say:
"Our objective this year is to win the title back to back. They say it's a harder task to accomplish than the first one. So we made adjustments in the personnel and logistics, Berns will clarify more on the subject a little later."
He then added:
"I think there was a little scepticism in the air after the win last year. So it felt as if we still had to prove something. The relentless pursuit of new talent paid off in a big way."
But...What about the 14-man roster in 2019?... a contrast compared to the previous years.
"We used to only have 9 or 10 player rosters in past seasons. It resulted in a lot of energy invested in the wrong place, making sure we had a full roster for every game."
Co-Cap Berns Cohen softly explained.
"After the late call-ups last year of our two Youngbloods, our Tremblant farm team was left heavily weakened. This year we modified our recruiting philosophy and expanded our search towards the South-Shore where the talent is plenty and raw. It proved to be a successful approach so far, our GM did exactly what he needed to do for us to establish ourselves early, as one of the favorites. We are slowly prepping for the playoffs, in the meantime, we just want to have fun and enjoy this weekly break of life."
This upcoming Sunday July 7, House of David will visit the Giants, at Trudeau Park at 4:00pm in an attempt to keep the streak alive.
*** We recently learned from an anonymous source that Billy Bolovis is a diehard Bruins fan. Probably still has the Blues.to be continued...