In what hopefully be a series of old friend-articles, we talked to shortstop/second baseman/pitcher Trolle ‘Swaggy T’ Brandt. In the fall of  2016, Trolle left Göteborg to study and play baseball in Leksand and also play for the Rättvik Butchers.

How is life treating you at the Swedish Academy?

“The life at the academy is both fun and tough. It’s fun to play baseball every day but it’s also hard on you. My body is constantly tired, but it’s fun since it is a good group of guys here that always support each other and have a lot of fun together.

How are  you doing on the field with Rättvik?

“According to non confirmed rumours, Trolle was seen looking to the sky for signs that winning is better than losing.”

“It’s been loads of fun playing for Rättvik. We’re a young team and have a lot of fun together. We had a good season despite this being our rookie season in Elitserien and even though we lost the semifinals against Stockholm the summer has been fun.”
(Editors note: Trolle Brandt ended his first season with the Butchers with a slash line of .239/.341/.637 with two doubles and a triple).

How was it like to be in the playoffs for the first time?

“Playoff baseball was a little more nervous than during the regular season. But it was a good experience to play under the added pressure and I think that will make me a better ballplayer.”

How much do you miss putting on that Sharks jersey?

“I miss playing in Göteborg, partly because of all the good memories and partly because of all the guys on the team. Göteborg was the first team I played for and it would have been fun to come back and play with everyone again.”

What are your thoughts on the Sharks matchup with Karlskoga tomorrow?

“I’ve been following the team and they are doing well. I really don’t know that much about Karlskoga but I’m sure it will work out fine for Hajarna.”

Don’t miss the last chance of the season to see some Sharks baseball at Shark Park. First pitch in the double header against Karlskoga is at 13.00. Next weekend, the team heads to Karlskoga for the regional playoffs.

This reporter do not know the english translation for  ‘Mästare i kavaj’.
Regardless, that’s how the Hajarna players felt on Wednesday.
“This is what we have been working for all season,” coach Edgren says.

Enskede was the only team standing between Göteborg Hajarna and the playoffs for a possible Elitserien spot in 2017. Now they can focus on that spot.

With Enskede losing two hard fought games against an Alby side that has only lost a single game during the regular season, the playoff spot is real.

“Call me psychic, but I knew all along we were going to get there,” Sharks pitcher Mikael Lindquist says.

Enskede lost an interrupted game 13-12 in seven innings and the second one 14-11 in nine innings.

Presumably, this Alby crew enjoy winning better than losing.

“I played with those (Enskede) guys and know they play hard. All credit to them,” an anonymous Shark player says.

Hajarna will face either Tranås or Karlskoga in that first round. And coach Edgren knows it’s going to be tough either way.

“Two great teams. We’ve won one against Tranås this season and look to take at least a split from Karlskoga in the last homestand of the regular season,” Edgren says.

They will go in to the playoffs without legendary Sharks pitcher Hiba Nabi who is to undergo season ending knee surgery.

“I hate to not being able to contribute but I’ll be ready to go in 2017 and I know the team will play their hearts out,” Nabi says.

The Sharks finish off the regular season on September 3rd against Karlskoga at Shark Park.

Two wild games.
Two wins.
The playoff clinch appears close.
“Probably our best game of the season,” coach Edgren says.

The first one of the doubleheader versus the Malmö Pilots (2-10) proved to be a real treat for the Hajarna faithful.  Starter Mikael Lindquist was productive from the mound as he held the Pilots to one run in his first three innings of work.

The heat got to Lindquist by the fourth inning, and so did the Pilots. With a solid lineup, the Pilots scored five runs in that inning which also included Göteborg Hajarnas (8-6) only play that might have been considered an error in this match.

“It felt good out there, I pitched well and the guys played great defense behind me,” Lindquist said.

Down 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the Sharks answered with two runs of their own, tacked on another one in the fifth but still trailed 6-4 going in to the bottom of the seventh. The Sharks quickly scored a run after a walk and a Mokhlad Al-Ghamini triple. Trailing one run with a runner on third and no outs the Sharks smelled blood.

Unfortunately, when the Sharks hit it to an 6-5 double play as Al-Ghamini did not get back in time to third base, this one looked lost to the home team. With two outs and nobody on, Hajarna fought  back. Hannes Wiström and Fredrik Unger both reached safely and Niclas Ekströms clutch RBI single sent the game to extra innings.

On the mound, swirvin’ Shervin Shakki (2-1) held the Pilots scoreless through four innings  until he finally succumbed and gave up a run in the ninth inning. Once again, the Sharks was down to their last three outs of the game.

It would be their final three outs.

As well-played as the game was, the final at bat was not. With a runner on third, Sharks rookie Eric Marquez came up to the plate and battled Pilots starter Bradley Chalker (1-1). Eventually, Marquez hit a slow roller to second base that looked to send this one in to the tenth inning but the Pilots bobbled the ball, Marquez was safe and the Sharks found themselves swimming off to victory in the first game and Shakki got his second win of the season.

“Probably our best performance all season. Great pitching, lots of offensive production all through the lineup and no errors.” coach Jonny Edgren said.

The Sharks first base coach was quietly heard murmuring “Winning is better than losing”.

If the first game of the double header was well played, the second one was quite the opposite. Sharks started al-Ghamini who in dominant fashion went four innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out nine and walking two.

The Sharks bats stayed hot in the second one, erupting for seven runs to back al-Ghamini and as coach Edgren took the ball from him they were up 7-1 after four innings. Edgren inserted himself on the mound but could not insert any balls in the strike zone. While he got out of the fifth inning, he needed help in the sixth.

After giving up six runs, Edgren looked across the battery and called for catcher Toofan Khazal to take the ball. The nifty trick of the catcher-pitcher switch worked in the Sharks favour as Khazal put out the fire providing two innings of one-run ball (unearned) relief on two hits, a walk and a strikeout.

While the Pilots scored the seven runs off in the three final innings, the Sharks was not to be messed with on this day. They scored eight on their own as the swept the Pilots, taking game two 15-8.

“It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done, I’ll leave it at that,” coach Edgren said.

With the regional series soon coming to a close, the Sharks are in sixth place. The only team that can elude them from a playoff spot is Enskede who still has six games to play. They need to win five off those games to tie with Hajarna. Los Nicas also has to win a game to tie the Sharks and win their last two to pass them.

The Sharks has two games of their own left to play and can secure a playoff spot at home against Karlskoga on September third.

“We want to be there. We’ll do everything we can to make it,” coach Edgren concluded.

Notables:

Niclas Ekström was as usual hit by a pitch but also went 3-5 with a walk and one RBI. Ekström now leads the league in OBP at .685.

Mokhlad al-Ghamini stole six bases on the day, now leading the league with 21. He still leads the league in strike outs with 59.

The Sharks temporarily (?) looked like a different team. While playing moneyball baseball all season, they had 27 hits on Sunday, by far the most they’ve had all season.

Prior to the 2016 season no one thought of Hajarna as a .500 club.
Not even Coach Jonny Edgren.
“We have exceeded expectations,” Edgren says.

Rewind to the start of the season and the Sharks of Göteborg looked like a team in dismay. The challenge was not as much winning games as it was actually putting a team on the field.

It is a totally different story now.

Edgren at the last Malmö matchup. Right before this picture was taken, he said “Winning is better than losing”.

“The team has exceeded my expectations for sure. I’m proud of them,” Edgren says.

With the double header against the Malmö Pilots on Sunday, the Sharks are looking for that elusive playoff spot to once again have a shot at Elitserien. At 6-6, they are in seventh place in the standings and would right now face Tranås in the first round, a team they have beaten this season. Coach Edgren, however, is cautious.

“The best thing about this season so far is that it’s been so positive. We have had a lot of veteran guys coming back, providing leadership. A lot of new guys showing up with lots of energy. This group of guys are so fun to be around,” he says.

When the Malmö Pilots show up at Shark Park tomorrow they will do so as underdogs. Hajarna has won three out of four games this season. As cautious as Edgren is, he is, as always, looking for wins.

“The games against the Pilots are always fun, always well-played games. Usually close games.”
“I am looking forward to them, and yeah, I always want to win games. Tomorrow is no exception,” Edgren says.

First pitch tomorrow is at 12.00 at Shark Park. Second game usually starts at around 14.30.

A sweep is now an ordinary thing.
Winning six games in a season is not.
“We played well today,” coach Jonny Edgren says.

Göteborg Hajarna (6-6) got off to a quick start on Sunday when they took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. They never looked back from that.

Behind Mokhlad Al-Ghaminis (2-3) terrific start on the mound they held the Malmö Pilots (2-6) scoreless through the first three frames at a cloudy and rainy Shark Park. After adding two more runs in the third inning, the Pilots got on the board in the fourth in what would prove their only run in this one.

Al-Ghamini struck out eleven in five innings of work, scattering two hits, one walk and the lone run (unearned) for his second win of the season. While at the plate, Al-Ghamini took matter in to his own hands scoring twice on two walks.

The Sharks as a team continued on their moneyball-inspired offense, totalling twelve walks and only one hit. On the basepaths they continued to be as effective as they have been all season. In this one, they stole 13 bases.

Josef Hussein continued to be the spark plug of that offense atop of the lineup, going 1-2 with two walks, a run scored and stealing three bases. With a 5-1 lead, Hussein came in to relieve Al-Ghamini on the mound and kept the Pilots scoreless in two innings on the hill, striking out four and giving up two hits.

Hajarna added a run in the sixth to win game one 6-1.

“We always win when I get hit by a pitch,” first baseman Niclas Ekström said.

With that fifth win of the season, the Sharks regional team swam in to unknown waters. Since the official statistic outlet is nothing close to the Elias Sports Bureau, this reporter might be wrong. But the Sharks has not won more than four games in a season since at least 2009.

The sixth win was not far away.

Mikael Lindquist got the nod for the second game of the double header and pitched well for three innings. With a relative solid defense, behind him, Lindquist gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four strikeouts while walking none.

The Pilots did, however, take the lead in game two. Scoring a run of Lindquist in the first inning but the Oakland Athletics look a likes would strike back.

In that bottom half of the first and the Sharks tied at 1-1, Joel Earnest, recently activated from the DL, broke the game wide open with a two RBI-single to center field.

Instead of ‘cheese’, this Sharks team yelled out “Winning is better than losing” as the picture was taken.

Hajarna figured out Pilots starter Eric Browne early and added four more runs in that first inning before the Pilots finally got the third out.

In the fourth inning, and the Sharks leading 9-1, legendary pitcher Hiba Nabi entered from the bullpen and provided four innings of scoreless relief on two hits, four strikeouts and one walk.

“To have this kind of pitching depth is really something,” coach Jonny Edgren said.

The Sharks offense cooled off after the third inning and while getting people on base and in

scoring position, they literally ran in to trouble. Making some unusual baserunning gaffes.

“If anything, I guess that was our one not so good thing today. But I like to see the players being agressive on the basepaths,” Edgren added.

Notables:
Hajarna committed a total of two errors in two games. Quite possibly the lowest total ever.

Jun Kono, Fredrik Unger and Hannes Wiström made the Sharks season debut on this day.

The Sharks are in fourth place at the moment. Altough they have played the most games in the league, they are well in the playoff race.

Al-Ghamini leads the lead in strikeouts, 22 K’s ahead of the Albys Ramon Illa in number two.

While lowering his OBP  some, Niclas Ekström is still third in the league in that category. Now with a measly .678 OBP.

Were you curious how you lose baseball games in an efficient way?
The Sharks excelled in that on Sunday.
“We just didn’t make the plays,” former bench coach Joel Earnest says.

The return of veteran Joe Lankford and having a full bench of players did not help as Göteborg Hajarna (4-6) basically handed Tranås (3-1) two victories last Sunday.

Once again, a no name reporter was named manager of the team in Jonny Edgren’s absence. He did not do well.

Joe Lankford was heard saying: “Winning is better than losing”.

After inserting himself third in the batting order he was helpless at the plate. Going 0-4 with two strikeouts and an error in right field,  adding frustration to the Hajarna faithful who turned out for the home opener.

The Sharks sent legendary pitcher Hiba Nabi (0-1) to the mound in the first game. Despite pitching well, Nabi had nothing to show for it at the end of the day. He ended up taking the loss, going six innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits, striking out seven and walking four.

Nabi lost the game on multiple errors from the Sharks’ defense as the Tranås defense was not up to speed with his pitching. On offense, the Sharks in general were decent enough but the run-producing side that has been thriving playing away from home seemed caught up in the seriousness of the moment in the first series at Shark Park.

The Sharks found themselves trailing in the first and were still trailing until they tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, just to give up the lead again in the sixth. In the end, Hajarna handed Tranås a 6-4 win in game one.

“We didn’t have it today. Neither offense nor defense showed up,” the interim manager said.

That same interim manager at least did something good that day. Benching himself and scribbling down Niclas Ekström’s name in the number three spot for game two.

Ekström, tied for second in the league in on base percentage (.714), promptly showed why the no name reporter should stick to coaching when he smacked a long double to left center and generating good at bats. Together with good defense from the Sharks in general, and excellent defense from catcher Toofan Khazal in particular, they kept it close.

Tranås and Hajarna traded runs for the first four innings behind Mokhlad Al-Ghaminis (1-1) solid start as the game was tied at 2-2 four innings. Mikael Lindquist threw a perfect fifth inning before the floodgates

Mokhlad Al-Ghamini was excellent on the mound in his start on Sunday.

opened. The Sharks gave away eight runs in that fateful inning, mostly with a display of bad defense.

“I guess the upside is that was a season’s worth of errors, hopefully we’re done with that now,” the interim manager said.

Al-Ghamini got a no decision behind his excellent pitching, going four innings of two-run ball, on seven hits and one walk, striking out eight.

Tranås eventually took game two 12-2.

Notables:
Joe Lankford, in his comeback, walked twice scored a run and stole a base.

Joel Earnest was activated from the 60-day DL after the game. To make room on the roster, the interim manager put himself on the DL.

Mokhlad Al-Ghamini leads the league in K/9, striking out 16,71 per nine innings.

John LaChine also made his comeback on Sunday, going 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Next game is on Sunday, July 19th when the Malmö Pilots visit Shark Park, First pitch is at scheduled for 12:00.

In what hopefully will be a series of old friend-articles, we start off with pitcher and first baseman Ted ‘Teddy Ballgame’ Bratsberg. In the midst of the 2016 winter, Ted left Göteborg to study and play baseball (north of the wall) in Umeå.

– How is baseball life treating you in Umeå?

“Baseball in Umeå is a bigger thing than I could ever have hoped for. We play intrasquad games once a week with full team which, for me, is amazing. There’s a real spark up here!

Between the lines, one could almost think that ‘Teddy Ballgame’ thinks that winning is better than losing.

– How are you doing on the field?
“I’m doing really well, both as a student and athlete. It was not a good feeling when The Sharks decided to fold the elite team when I, for the first time, felt like I was an asset to the team.”

“I needed a change of scenery and it was obvious to me that Umeå wants to win and promote to Elitserien, just like me”.

– How will Umeå Blue Harriers fare season?
“We had the best opening weekend I could have imagined with two wins. We’ve obviously come back to earth since and are now 2-4. But I believe in this team and we will do everything to get into the playoffs.”

– How much do you miss putting on that Sharks jersey?
“Of course I miss playing back home and even more so when The Sharks are playing so well this season.”

“But it is the same reasons I miss playing there that had me changing teams. The South league hasn’t changed at all the last seven years that I played so it’s nice to face new pitchers and players that love baseball as much as I do.”

– What are your thoughts on the Sharks matchup with Tranås this weekend?
“I expect nothing less than a sweep! With the kurdish duo of Hiba and Josef, nothing is impossible!”

Apparently, playing well leads to winning games.
Apparently, winning is better than losing.
“I just don’t know how they will manage without me”, newly appointed bench coach Joel Earnest said.

Göteborg Hajarna (3-3) arrived at Tranås baseball field with just enough players to field a team. On the coaching side however, they were two deep.

With coach Jonny Edgren on scouting duties in eastern Europe, the club appointed some no-name reporter as token manager with Joel Earnest, currently on the DL, handling bench coach duties. The guy actually running the show on Saturday was Earnest.

And what a show it was.

“Winning actually is better than losing”, Mikael Lindqvist said after getting his first win of the season.

Hajarna came out firing on all cylinders in the first game, scoring two runs in the first and five runs in the second to take a 7-0 lead over Tranås (1-1) after two innings. Starter Mikael Lindqvist (1-1) in the end got the win after his his two innings of no hit ball, while going 2-4 with an RBI at the plate.

“Yes, Mikael had the no hitter going, he was pitching brilliantly, but we have such a deep pitching staff this year I felt it was time to get someone else out there”, Earnest said.

Josef Hussein came in to relieve Lindqvist and got to see the Sharks add five runs in the third, two runs in the fourth before they finally put up a zero in the fifth. Tranås tried to prolong the game in the fifth but Hussein put a stop to the rally and the Sharks won game one 14-3 in five innings.

Hajarna had quite a scare in the first inning as veteran catcher Toofan Khazal felt something in his back leg. Khazal, however, shook that off and caught 12 spotless innings behind the plate, adding two walks, one hit and three RBI’s on the day.

With the win, the Sharks had their first three game winning streak since 2011. That streak, sadly, wouldn’t last very long.

In the second game, Shark pitching was just as strong, but Tranås pitching was just a little stronger, the bats a little louder and the defense a little tighter.

Johannes Liljegren (1-0) started the game for Tranås and brought the Sharks offense back to earth. He went 6.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits while striking out 12 and walking four. That was something the Sharks couldn’t match on this day.

Catcher Khazal will, as always, be back in action next week.

Tranås went to a 1-0 lead in the second and added two runs off Sharks starter Mokhlad Al-Ghamini (1-2). The Tranås hitters figured Al-Ghamini out and Earnest took him out for young gun Shervin Shakki in the fourth inning. Shakki pitched well for 1 & 1/3 inning before Earnest came with the hook. Entered the game did none other than Sharks legend Hiba Nabi, who pitched 1 & 2/3 inning of two run ball.

Eventually, Tranås took game two 8-2.

“Our defense really showed its potential in the first game,” says Earnest. “Good catches, good throws and generally smart play. The guys have put in the work and it’s beginning to show.”

Notables:
Joel Earnest has the highest winning percentage of any bench coach in Göteborg Hajarna history.

Every Hajarna batter got on base in the first game.

The Sharks are in fourth place, well in the playoff race.

Next, the Sharks travel to Malmö on June 4th. The home opener is the following weekend, June 11th, when the Sharks host Tranås.

Longest road trip of the season.
No worries, as the Sharks flew home on pink, fluffy clouds.
“Much needed victories”, coach Edgren says.

The Bombers(?) of Stockholm, commonly known as the Stockholm Monarchs (0-3), was blown away on Saturday. Göteborg Hajarna (2-2) went up smelling blood, wanting to erase the regional losses to Karlskoga a couple of weeks back.

The Sharks were a bit nervous if they would field a team at all, but long awaited season debuts from Hiballa Nabi and Josef Hussein got the Sharks out there.

Swirvin Shervin Shakki guided the Sharks on Saturday.

Shervin Shakki guided the Sharks right out of the gate as he walked, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a balk. A lead the Sharks would not look back from.

Mokhlad Al-Ghamini (1-1) earned his first win of the season opened the game, pitching well in to the fourth inning. Al-Ghamini then ran in to trouble, walking the bases loaded and gave up four runs on an error and a base hit.

But no worries.

Al-Ghamini got his control back and struck out the last two batters in the inning. He finished the game striking out 11, walking 7, giving up 7 runs (4 earned) over 6 innings, as he earned that elusive first w.

Offensively, the Sharks took a 4-0 lead in the second inning before they lit up the scoreboard with five runs in the fourth, six in the fifth and six in the sixth to end the game with the mercy rule. Final score? 21-6.

“We wanted to be patient at the plate today, we did that today”, Coach Edgren says.

The Sharks started the second game quite similar to the first. The always humble Coach Edgren singled with two outs, stole second, took third on a past ball and was brought in on Al-Ghaminis single.

Shervin Shakki (1-1) started game two, maybe feeling some butterflies himself. Shakki uncharacteristically gave up a run in the first before settling down. After that, it was all easy peasy lemon squeezy for young gun Shakki through five innings as he struck out 1, walking 3 over four innings.

Shakki gave the ball to none other than legendary Sharks pitcher Hiba Nabi. Looking for a closer roll this season and if so, he will probably resemble the great Eric “Game Over” Gagne. Nabi was nothing short of stellar in this one, giving up a couple of runs but never giving the Bombers hope.

“It was great to see Nabi and Hussein in Sharks jerseys again. Much needed injection to the team”, Coach Edgren says.

“Winning is better than losing”, as Gothenburg legend Jason Norderum used to say.

The Sharks bats woke up for real in the sixth, scoring six runs. The real highlight of this one was Al-Ghamini hitting a liner over the head of the bomber in left field and scoring on an inside the park home run.

Notables: Toofan Khazal again provided the Sharks with great defense behind the plate as the catcher caught both games.

Niclas Ekström played both games and was not hit by a pitch. Most likely the longest such streak of his career .

Next up: The Sharks play regional ball in Tranås on Sunday. First pitch at 12.00.