Is Dartmouth the best ever?

The 2007 Kentville Wildcats might be the best edition of the team since Kentville won back-to-back Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League championships back in 1999/ 2000.

That’s what makes it so frustrating to watch them banging their heads against an immovable object: the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry.

The Wildcats have a well-balanced and entertaining team that features a good mix of youth and experience and is more than capable of generating runs, and playing baseball the “old-fashioned” way, with timely hitting and “small ball” rather than raw power.

Against Dartmouth, though, that and a buck-and-a-half will buy you a medium coffee. After winning game one of the final series, Kentville had dropped three straight at the time of writing and were on the brink of elimination.

The Wildcats showed some character in coming back from a 3-12 start to win 12 of their last 14 regular season games.

Entering the final against Dartmouth, they were the hottest team in the league, and had defeated the Moosehead Dry four of six times in the regular season.

Dartmouth, which always seems to save its best performances for when the chips are down, administered an old-fashioned butt-kicking in an 18-4 win in game three. No disrespect meant to the Wildcats, but there was no reason to think the Moosehead Dry wouldn’t be able to wrap up the series – their fifth straight league title and 14th in 18 seasons since 1990 – in six games at most, maybe even five.

What makes the Moosehead Dry so good, year after year?

Part of it is population – the Metro area has more people, and thus more potential players to choose from, than anywhere else in the province.

But even an NSSBL franchise in Halifax - almost always as competitive - hasn’t made much of a dent in Dartmouth’s current dynasty. Halifax has won one NSSBL title since 1990, the same number as Truro and one fewer than Kentville.

Part of it is a winning tradition. There’s no substitute for the experience a Joel Irvine or a Jason Bailey (to name only two) can bring to the table. Success tends to be a magnet. Over the years, Dartmouth’s lineup has not only featured the best players from that city, but also good players from elsewhere. While some might growl about that, it’s not Dartmouth’s fault they attract good players, just as it isn’t their fault they’ve been so good for so long. In recent years, Dartmouth has been able to replenish from what has been the most successful junior program around – a program that has produced Steve Nelson, Robert Gillis, Matt McDonald.

Contrast this with the situation here in the Valley, where Kentville didn’t field either a junior team or a midget team this summer. The best senior-aged players in our area are split almost equally between the Wildcats and perennial intermediate champion Hantsport Shamrocks. The situation is better this year, with the two programs affiliated, but the bottom line is Kentville still only has access to a Jeff Bishop, Doug Coldwell or Brad Steadman if the Shamrocks aren’t playing, not usually the case this time of year.

A lot of people felt the Wildcats might have given Dartmouth a run for their money this year, but it hasn’t happened. Simply put, Dartmouth has the winning formula, and the players to make it happen, year after year.

As much as it gets monotonous to see them win year after year, the Moosehead Dry shouldn’t be penalized for being good, but rather applauded for their accomplishments.

It’s up to the rest of the league to find a way to beat them. It won’t be easy, but it’s not like it’s impossible.