Don’t start working on that tombstone just yet.
The Sharks resurrected on Saturday.
“We played well today”, coach Jonny Edgren says.

After faking their own death last weekend against Karlskoga Bats, the question was if Göteborg Hajarna would come out to play on Saturday.

That question was swiftly answered.

Saturdays matchup in the Southwest Baseball League (SWBL) saw the Sharks facing off with Jönköping and Kungsbacka and the Sharks did not disappoint the rabid home crowd. Right out of the gate, Hajarna was relentless on offense and starter Mikael Lindquist provided a stellar start on the mound as the Sharks took game one.

When facing the distant relatives of Jönköping, Mokhlad Al-Ghamini turned in a breakout performance in his short start on the mound. Young gun Shervin Shakki came out of the bullpen and tried his best to match Al-Ghaminis performance, without disappointing.

Sharks, Jönköping and Kungsbacka as one big happy family.

The bats were as red hot as in the first game and the Sharks tacked on runs all game long for a second win of the day.

“Offensively, we did a good job as a team today”, coach Jonny Edgren says.

What the Sharks do have to work on going forward was the defensive side. The somewhat new team have a few kinks to work out before the defense will live up to Edgrens standards.

“We can do better, and we will”, Edgren promised.

As always, SWBL was a treat for everyone involved. Players, coaches and the crowd preached the format and opportunity for more baseball on the west coast.

It was in many aspects a new Göteborg Hajarna that travelled to Karlskoga for the season opener.
Unfortunately, it was without a winning approach.

With the introduction of the South West Baseball League (SWBL) Göteborg Hajarna (0-2) came better prepared than to any season in recent memory. It’s been all winning for the Sharks in the friendly, spring training like games of the SWBL.

The Karlskoga Bats (2-0) was not going to be that easy.

The Swedish champions from 2012 pounded Hajarna starter Mokhlad Al-Ghanimi (0-1), who made his competitive debut in the Gothenburg jersey, and never looked back. Al-Ghanimi allowed all of the 18 Karlskoga runs (11 earned), gave up 11 hits, 10 walks but also struck out six.

Kent Karlsson (1-0) and Jesper Joelsson combined to no-hit the Sharks over five innings for the first win of the day.

In the second game, Hajarna actually came in to the second inning with a 3-0-lead but to no avail. Karlskoga Bats eventually got to Mikael Lindquist (0-1) who gave up 8 runs (2 earned) and reliever Shervin Shakki. Karlskoga took the game in the fifth with a 15-3 score.

Shakki did produce at the plate, going 0-1 with two walks and a run scored. The bright spot in the Sharks offense was the patience at the plate with the team combining for 5 walks in the second game.

“We can do better, much better”, newly appointed coach Jonny Edgren says.

Next up is SWBL games on May 14th against Jönköping and Kungsbacka. Next up in the regional series is an away game to Stockholm B on May 22.

Also, this reporter apologizes for the late recap and promise he will do better.

This is part one of a two-part series on Coleman Lukas’ experiences in Sweden, based on interviews conducted just before Coleman left for home. 

What do you feel is lacking in Swedish baseball?

Communication. I talked to a lot of other coaches and there is a huge disconnect between the decision-makers in this country and the players who are actually on the field. I didn’t talk to a single person from the federation while I was here. About scheduling, about rainout rules, about travel and about all those other issues that I was talking about with the other coaches.

There wasn’t a meeting at the start of the season presenting all the coaches, exchanging phone numbers and encouraging everyone to stay connected. There should have been more communication between everyone. It’s not a social thing, it’s a professional thing. And I think that is essential, especially at the elite level. At that level it’s got to be snappy, and having more communication between the coaches and the federation is necessary in making it all a little more professional.

Looking back on the season, what would you have done differently?

Ideally at the beginning of the year, it would have been great knowing who was going to be there and who wasn’t. Like, what did I have to work with and who exactly would be on the elite roster and who would be on the regional roster? Looking back and knowing what I know now, I would have played the guys showing up for practice on the elite level.

We had the potential to compete in the elite series when the right guys showed up and put in the time. But that hardly ever happened. It can’t be like, “I’m going to show up if these guys show up.” That was the vibe I got. Certain people were like, “If we have a decent team I´ll show up.” We crushed the Academy and that was when everybody showed. We had sufficient pitching, a full productive lineup.

Guys were like,” I’m sorry, I gotta do something with my kids or my job.” I get it. That is how you feed yourself and your family. I’m not gonna get on you because you want to do that. Obviously, I would like to have you there, but if you got something more important, do it. Just be real with yourself that you’re doing that, and not lead me on that you’re gonna be there.

Be more like, “Hey, I’m gonna show up for this but not that.” I’m fine with that, because then we have an agreement. Maybe that is what I could have done better, finding that out. If I knew that going in to it, I could have had social contracts in play. Like sitting down and talking with individual players and figuring out how to get them out more. That would have motivated more guys to show.

You can’t go out expecting to win two games with only the guys starting and maybe a pick-up bullpen piece at like shortstop. The machine is not going to run if it’s missing parts. Even in a seven-inning regional game, you never know how things will go. Anything can happen in a regional game. We saw that this year – umpires blocking runners, guys playing out of position, we saw field maintenance issues affect game play. It’s a circus, and so you got to prepare for that. Yeah, and if we can’t rely on guys being there, that’s a problem too.

The 2016 season will very formative for the Gothenburg organization and for those who want to keep it afloat.

How was it, being an American in Sweden?

When you speak English in Sweden everyone asks you, “What are you doing here?” And when you tell them, you get, “They have baseball here? Do you know what brännboll is?”

“Yes, I know what brännboll is”,

I’ve been asked so many times, “What do you think about Sweden? Do you like it? Do you want to stay?”  So many times that Sweden feels like a club with paying memberships. This is a country where almost everyone’s native tongue is a language spoken by only a very small percentage of the world’s population, and this makes for a very intimate culture.

It’s incredibly segregated, this city especially. It’s so apparent and real, and folks need to talk about that and acknowledge it. Because it’s different in the US. Here, in the city center, it’s predominantly white. In the US, it’s the other way around. That was a big eye-opener for me, coming here and seeing that. If you go to New York City you’re gonna see all people, all jobs, all different everything. But when you go to the suburbs, that’s when you’re going to see the big houses and the segregation.

Before coming here, you talked about how interesting it would be to live in a country that is so different in its political views as opposed to the States. How was that experience?

Sweden obviously has a stronger middle class and it was interesting to see the things the state provides for its citizens.

Sweden is not a country that is based on 400 years of slavery, and that minimizes things like police brutality and issues of white supremacy. And the social classes in the US… it’s harder if you’re black, underprivileged. I saw that growing up on a day-to-day basis in my school as a kid. Where teachers would treat people differently based on the color of their skin.

Sweden has one of the highest populations of refugees per capita in the world, and with the rise of the Swedish Democratic party I foresee more racial tensions.  This will definitely make this a more tense place in the next five or ten years.

Lagom was the biggest learning experience for me. This is something the United States could learn from Sweden. To have a view on life that excess is not necessary.

Anything else?

The weather…  I didn’t think of that much but I’ve only seen half of what the culture is like because I haven’t been here for the winter. Weather is a huge, physical presence that builds up the psyche. If I was really going to learn what it is to be Swedish, I would have to stay here during a winter to live through that darkness. And like having that kind of cold.

Admit it! You would huddle up with your dog too, Coleman.

Weather influences how people socially interact a lot, how often they go out, how people treat their dogs, kind of like they are children. Dogs are really obedient to the masters in this country. And I can see why. You’re huddled up inside with a creature for like 6 months so yeah, you’re going to be pals.

People talk about winter like they’re living in Game of Thrones. Winter is coming. Get ready. Winter for me in California, it’s like you put on a jacket, pants. More like yes, I finally get to wear a jacket.

What was the weirdest thing you noticed about Swedish baseball on the field?

The weirdest thing might have been a player stopping the ball in left field with his foot and throwing it back in. He stopped it with his foot like it was soccer. It’s like instinct in this country because people are better with their feet because they play soccer.

The umpires saying “strike out” instead of “strike three” was also weird. It’s not strike out, that’s what you write in the book. It is strike three and so you call strike three.  Also, seeing blacked out umpires was

among the weirdest things.

The boat that was once turned is now sunk.
Hajarnas’ season ended with no elite baseball team.
“It’s sad but it feels like the right decision”, says president Heidi Bader.

It would be an understatement to say that the season was a struggle. Even though the team was headed in the right direction under new head coach Coleman Lukas, the boat took in water from the start.

All season long, the Sharks fought hard against other teams.

They also fought themselves.

On the diamond, they had to focus on the baseball side. Outside, it was always a question if they would have a team to put out there.

“As the season progressed, we had a hard time fielding a team. At that point, it felt like the club needs to focus on what’s been working”.

On the regional side of things, it has been the other way around. Much of the time, the coaching staff had a harder time to distribute playing time rather than finding players willing to play.

Also, the regional team had a much improved season, winning four games and progressing in quality of play. Next season, the regional time will be the focus on the baseball side of the club.

“The regional team has developed immensely and the board think it’s the best decision to build from the ground up going forward”.

One could only hope this change will be beneficial to the club. It would be disastrous for the sport and the baseball federation if the country’s second largest city would be without a baseball team.

The Sharks regional team were outplayed Sunday by a very strong, regular season winners, Karlskoga Bats despite good outings by the Sharks’ pitching staff.

The Bats were quick to take advantage of any miscues by the home team and the first game ended with a 14-0 loss in five innings.

In the sixth inning of game 2, with a win still within reach thanks to a strong start by rookie pitcher Shervin Shakki, the Sharks threatened. The Sharks put the first two batters on base, setting the table for the team’s hot-hitting first baseman Joel Earnest.

Earnest, however, was cooled off. He promplu smashed a low liner to the left side of the infield which fell right in to the glove of the Bats’ shortstop, setting off a rally-killing triple play.

Final score of game two was 11-6.

The Sharks have a make up game, tentatively set for September 26, with Malmö Pilots still to play. That will also be the last chance to see some Sharks baseball this season.

The slow starting Sharks finished the Elite series season swimmingly.
Three pitchers combined to one hit the Heat.

As usual, Göteborg Hajarna was slow out from the start in the first game of the double header with Sundbyberg Heat on Saturday. Behind starter Hiba Nabi they didn’t do much of anything.

The only highlight was when Joel Earnest, 67, was sent in to pinch run for the 17 year old Trolle Brandt. Earnest, whom probably spent a million years in the minors, came around to score making Coleman Lukas look like the manager of the year.

“This Elite series thing ain’t so hard”, Earnest said.

Hajarna lost game one 16-2.

Game two was a whole different affair. Jason Norderum started game two for the Sharks – The Heat probably wished he hadn’t.

With pinpoint command and his curve ball working excellent, the only worry the Sharks defense had was if they would stay awake on the defensive side. Norderum allowed one hit (which this reporter probably would have called an error) while striking out 15 and walking two in six innings of work.

“As a pitcher, it is my job to see if a hitter is timid, scared or unprepared. If I found out that information it’s also my job to remind him of everything as he steps in to the box”, Norderum said.

“Oh, and I love you mom! That win was for you”, a delirious Norderum added.

In relief came the slightly older Joel Earnest for his first Elitserien appearance on the mound. He promptly gave up three walks to load the bases and left it for his son two figure it out.

And figure it out he did, but maybe not in the way you would expect it.

After striking out the first batter, the second Heat batter lined out to big daddy Joel Earnest in left field who fired a throw to third for the classic 7-5 double play.

“Hey, I gotta help the kid out”, Joel Earnest said.

As the Sharks regional team seldom lose game two, this one was plain unlucky.
Heavy rain forced Malmö back home.
Unfortunately, they won the first one.
“We had a complete and total collapse,” Jason Norderum says.

The Sharks (4-7) offense came out and played in the rain on Saturday, feasting off Malmö Pilots (4-3) starter Eric Browne. An early 4-0 lead and the rain felt more like champagne pouring on the fins of the regional players.

That feeling would not last.

Sharks starter Mikael Lindquist battled through the whole game and should have gotten away with his second win of the season but this was not his or Hajarnas day.

“Mikael pitched a great game, that was really nice to see”, Jason Norderum, Advisor to the GM and Special Assistant to the Travel Coordinator says.

The Pilots did score some runs off of Lindquist but the Sharks bit back every time.

“On offense, we jumped on top early and responded every time they scored on us. We were really cruising until the wheels came off”, Norderum says.

You wouldn’t really imagine Sharks being that familiar with wheels and so the falling off might have been inevitable. In the top of the seventh inning with the Sharks holding a one run lead, they fell. And they fell hard.

Jason Norderum, who was on the verge off dedicating the win to his mother Marian, had this to say about the breakdown:

“We had a complete and total collapse in the last inning of the ball game and that cost us the win”, Norderum says.

The Pilots scored three runs in that disastrous top of the seventh, capitalizing mainly on sloppy Sharks defense.

“We went down as a team. We weren’t aggressive enough and didn’t want the ball. We didn’t want to win the ball game, we just hoped we would”, Norderum says.

If Sharks aren’t good with wheels, Pilots aren’t known to be good with bad weather. There was some debate about the playing conditions but eventually the second game was called off. Rumor has it that the make up game will be played in September.

Is it a walk off or swim off?
Does Sharks eat Eagles?
Hajarna won their first game of the season.

The Sharks softball team has had a learning season. On Sunday, they learned how to win as well.

The second game of the double header against the Karlslund Eagles started out like the first one – with Karlsund runs being put up on the board. Hajarna had trouble getting out of the first frame and when Maria Månsson had come in and got the outs, it was already an 11-0 Eagles lead.

That would take the breath out of a lot of teams, but not this one.
The Sharks ate their way back. Capitalizing on fringy defense, displaying good baserunning and swinging hot bats all through the lineup. They clawed their way back in to the game and took the lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Up 17-14, they looked confident, but this one was not over yet. The Eagles came back and ended up tying the game on a close play at the plate with two outs in the top of the seventh and the game went to extra innings.

In the top of the eight, Hajarna allowed three runs to score and the game looked all but over.
Then came the two out nightmare.
Or daydream, depending on your allegiance.

With the score tied at 20 runs a piece, Maria Kühnemuth came up what would prove to be a battle at the plate. Passed balls and fouls kept on coming until that precious, beautiful base hit dropped in and Hajarna could swim off in to the sunshine with the victory.

Maria Månsson ended up getting all the 24 outs of the second game. While that is impressive in itself, it gets more so considering she also pitched three innings in game one.

Oh, and Karlslund took game one 17-3. Let’s not think about that.

Two losses means a lot.
Especially since they’re now gone.
Botkyrka pulling out of the Elite series turns the table for Hajarna.

Final word came out from the Swedish Baseball- and Softball federation yesterday. Botkyrka, by forfeiting last weekends game against Sundbyberg, pulled out of the Elite series. According to the federation, Botkyrka is now focusing on their regional team and to reestablish themselves.

Which also means the table has turned.
Literally.

As is custom in Swedish sports, all of Botkyrkas matches is no more. And since Göteborg Hajarna was one of the few, if not the only team, that got swept by Botkyrka that is not a bad thing.

The Sharks go to 2-12 on the season and with the Academy not participating in the playoffs, a spot there is within reach. Sundbyberg is at the moment holding that elusive ticket at 3-11 which means Hajarna is one game back of them.

“Playoff baseball isn’t about the best team, it’s about the hottest team. So we gotta take this next month and a half to get hot”, says Head Coach Coleman Lukas.

The remaining schedule is even more intriguing as both teams play top teams to restart after the summer break. Sundbyberg take on Stockholm in two night games on August 4th and 6th while Hajarna host Sölvesborg on August 15th.

The real thriller, however, will be at Shark Park on August 29th when Hajarna host Sundbyberg Heat.

Pitcher Jason Norderum also had something to add:
“Playoffs? You kidding me? I’m just hoping we can win a game”, says Norderum.