Sir Duke Of Akron Defends Canal Park From The Menace Of The North

What’s black and white and dreaded all over, at least in the world of minor league groundskeeping? Canada geese, of course.

The notorious northern waterfowl have been the bane of field managers since the beginning of time, and there have been plenty of schemes dreamt up to try to put them in their place. Flashing lights, loud noises, decoys of predators, all to varying degrees of success. The geese aren’t dumb, though. They learn eventually that those threats are empty and the outfield grass can still be their lush oasis.

That’s where Sir Duke Walsh of Akron comes in. He’s a 7-year-old boxer owned by head groundskeeper Chris Walsh and he’s tasked with keeping the geese at bay, or at least in the Ohio-Erie Canal where they belong. And while Chris is obviously the boss, Sir Duke has his own title, too. He’s the director of geese management. It says so on the Akron website.

Of course, Duke isn’t the only dog in the minors to gain title status this year. In Greensboro, Miss Babe Ruth has transitioned nicely from the field to the front office. The matriarch of the Grasshoppers’ trio of batdogs has acquiesced her position on the field to her two young disciples–Master Yogi Berra and Miss Lou Lou Gehrig–and has moved into a new role as special assistant to the team president.

At Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank Ballpark, Miss Babe is in charge of greeting fans on the concourse and keeping morale at its peak throughout each of the Hoppers’ 71 home games.

There are also Derby and Rookie–son and grandson of Chase–retrieving bats for the Trenton Thunder. Derby’s brother, Ollie, does the same for the Thunder’s Eastern League rival New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Brooks, the Frisco RoughRiders’ yellow lab, is listed on his Twitter page as a team ambassador and a future batdog.

That’s why Akron’s resident canine stands out. Most minor league dogs are in charge of making people feel welcome. Sir Duke is tasked giving intruders the boot.

And as long as Sir Duke Walsh is around, Akron’s geese are cooked.