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by Quincy D. Haberdasher

The scene was a familiar one. A gaggle of Mud Hens, crowded around the bar of a SoHo nightspot, downing drinks with childish glee and and an almost ferocious competitiveness.
But even in the oppressive August heat, none of the Hens could escape the truth that there was more than a touch of autumn in the air.
On Saturday afternoon, back-to-back losses at the hands of hands of the Elmjack Blue Jays sent the Hens packing from the NYCMBL playoffs, ending the Swampers’ first season as part of the Metro League.

A lack of timely hitting—which has been the team’s Achilles heel all season, spelled the end for the Hens on Saturday as the team was only able to scratch out two runs in the double header.

Saturday night’s “Hen session”—which team officials hoped would be a more celebratory affair, was instead an Irish wake of sorts for a season of baseball and the last official team function of 2009.

“It was sad” said third baseman Greg Basso. “At the end of the night, nobody really wanted to go home, which was good because most of us weren’t able to stand anyway.”

Now, faced with the prospect of eight months without baseball, the Hens will sadly turn their attentions to other endeavors. OF-P Marc Theisinger will spend October and November competing in no fewer than five flag football leagues before turning his sights to managing his nearly two-dozen fantasy basketball rosters over the winter. OF-1B Ara Melikian, who moonlights as a professional gambler, will be competing in a high-stakes Russian roulette competition in Laos. Pitcher Brian Kelley will be working at Sears, selling Lady Kenmores.

An overwhelming majority of the Mud Hens hope to have girlfriends by the time next season rolls around.

“It got pretty lonely at games,” admits Tay McEvers, whose boyfriend Kevin was a rock behind the plate all season. “But I dunno . . . a lot of these guys have a LONG way to go.”

But for co-managers Mike Smith and Mike Ugliarolo, the season never ends. Within hours of the season-ending defeat Smith and Ugliarolo called an executive meeting to discuss possible roster moves for next season. Though they plan to keep the core of the team intact, there have been rumors swirling putting the Hens in negotiations with left-handed pitcher Mike Park who posted a 2.84 ERA at Rochester last season. The team is also thought to covet outfielder Matthew Samela—a former UCONN star who played briefly with the team in 2007.

“We know we have the talent,” says Smith. “We need another bat, another arm, and I think we’ll be OK.”