Fan of the Week

Plenty of muckrakers have been curmudgeons, but only one Curmudgeon can be a Muckraker.
Which is why Joe DeLoach is the first Muckraker Fan of the Week for 2006.
"What an honor," DeLoach said, although the tone of his voice made it seem anything but.
"No, no," he explained. "I am thrilled by this. I feel like I did when Michigan made it to the NIT. Speaking of Michigan, I once met Bo Schembechler in a bar in Grand Rapids and ..."
DeLoach has long been considered a member of the Muckraker family. Many times, he can be spotted around the batting cage, exchanging old war stories with the new breed of 'Rakers.
"I enjoy passing my knowledge down to the younger guys," he said. "I always tell them, 'Nine yards.' You never want to come up one yard short. You know this reminds me of the time I sang naked at a bar in Tupelo, Miss...."
Many Muckraker players felt honored that DeLoach chose their team to be his favorite softball squad. After all, his interests in the sporting world reach far and wide, from the Raiders to the Red Wings, from the 76ers to the Stockton Thunder. And now the Muckrakers have joined the group.
"He inspires me every Monday," Chris Wagnon said. "Those weekly shifts with Joe are filled with good times."
"Yeaaaaaaah, Joe's awesome," Bob Leal said.
"I like Joe a lot," Dave Taxier said. "He never calls me Dave like that other Dave does. God, I hate that."
"I don't understand how he roots for those other teams," Mike Gale said. "But I don't give a rat's ass as long as he roots for us."
"Speaking of rat's ass," DeLoach said, "I met this woman in a bar in Bozeman, Mont. and talk about your ...."
DeLoach has also bestowed a number of nicknames onto members of the Muckrakers.
"My favorite is Lefty Bin Laden," he said. "I'm not even sure where that one came from. I think it happened when I was in a bar in Kabul, Afghanistan, and this guy named Osama came up to me and asked me if I was an American and, well, one thing led to another and..."
With his son Kevin taking up much of his time, DeLoach isn't sure how many games he will attend this season, but he promises to be there when he can.
"I love Heather Farms Park," he said.
Any special reason?
"No port-o-potties."