Last week Bay Area softball sluts were just pining for a game, any game. Yeah, yeah, we need the rain, but does it have to come in the first week of April? Don't the softball gods know the winter rains stop when winter is over, officially March 21st or whatever?
At any rate, the weekend gave us glorious edenic weather to start the Walnut Creek Over 40 season. This year there is not an upper (or competitive) division and a lower division. Thanks in part by the fact that a very competitive tournament team has invaded the league, taking the best from last year's champion Rocco's and combining it with their buddies to form a 'super' team, to come out and toy with us mere mortals. There just weren't enough teams willing to be in the upper division with us and Pinky's 40 (the new team) and Advanced Construction, the other remaining 'competitive' team, so we are all combined in one 12 team division.
Of course then we had to draw Pinky's as our first opponent. And we had our chances to beat them. We could have taken them, if we had had some of our patented hot innings. But we stayed cold, and after they tired of getting shut down by Derek's pitching and our defense, they won going away 13-7.
This game is certainly a game of inches, and once again it was proven today. Lefty makes a couple of sliding attempts at great catches, and same with Chuck leaping on a ball, and they just tick off the edges of gloves, today, anyway. Other times it goes our way. There must have been a half dozen plays like that on their hits, including some bloopers that fell in, and on ours they make miracle grabs. And I won't even address the strike three the moronic ump called on Chuck, except to say that summed up how the breaks were going against us today.
We will get another chance to take down the juggernaut in the regular season, and I have a feeling even this early that we will see them in the playoffs. Next time we bring slingshots to the game to slay the mighty Goliath. It's hard to say if they were toying with us; many of them showed up in tennis shoes. Regardless, at the top of our game we can hang with them.
There were some good performances and nice plays to highlight the day for us. Reggie made a couple of fine running catches to cut off gappers. There was a nice 6-11-3 double play, with Greg doing his patented 270 degree lefty turn to complete the dp.The Heffinator went down to bail out a low throw from G after G stopped a smash to his right and had to turn and wheel to make the throw. I got down and scooped it, and then found out as usual I was too short to stay on the bag, but managed to get my toe back before the runner came.
The best defender was on the mound and Derek shut out the Pinkstars for three innings before they erupted for 5 in the 6th to take control of the game. He helped his cause by snaring a hot shot up the middle (I thought they were supposed to be your friends, D). On another one, D managed to get a glove on it and it ricocheted to Greg backing him up, who turned to third in a heads up play to get the lead runner at third. Randy did a great job of getting back there to field the throw.
Lost in the 2011 Giants-like offense was Lefty's 3 for 3 with a double and a couple knocked in. Throw in a couple of hits from G and Heffe, and a grand gapper by Reg, and that was pretty much our offense. Not enough, today. But it's early. We get to do this 13 more times before the playoffs.
At any rate, the weekend gave us glorious edenic weather to start the Walnut Creek Over 40 season. This year there is not an upper (or competitive) division and a lower division. Thanks in part by the fact that a very competitive tournament team has invaded the league, taking the best from last year's champion Rocco's and combining it with their buddies to form a 'super' team, to come out and toy with us mere mortals. There just weren't enough teams willing to be in the upper division with us and Pinky's 40 (the new team) and Advanced Construction, the other remaining 'competitive' team, so we are all combined in one 12 team division.
Of course then we had to draw Pinky's as our first opponent. And we had our chances to beat them. We could have taken them, if we had had some of our patented hot innings. But we stayed cold, and after they tired of getting shut down by Derek's pitching and our defense, they won going away 13-7.
This game is certainly a game of inches, and once again it was proven today. Lefty makes a couple of sliding attempts at great catches, and same with Chuck leaping on a ball, and they just tick off the edges of gloves, today, anyway. Other times it goes our way. There must have been a half dozen plays like that on their hits, including some bloopers that fell in, and on ours they make miracle grabs. And I won't even address the strike three the moronic ump called on Chuck, except to say that summed up how the breaks were going against us today.
We will get another chance to take down the juggernaut in the regular season, and I have a feeling even this early that we will see them in the playoffs. Next time we bring slingshots to the game to slay the mighty Goliath. It's hard to say if they were toying with us; many of them showed up in tennis shoes. Regardless, at the top of our game we can hang with them.
There were some good performances and nice plays to highlight the day for us. Reggie made a couple of fine running catches to cut off gappers. There was a nice 6-11-3 double play, with Greg doing his patented 270 degree lefty turn to complete the dp.The Heffinator went down to bail out a low throw from G after G stopped a smash to his right and had to turn and wheel to make the throw. I got down and scooped it, and then found out as usual I was too short to stay on the bag, but managed to get my toe back before the runner came.
The best defender was on the mound and Derek shut out the Pinkstars for three innings before they erupted for 5 in the 6th to take control of the game. He helped his cause by snaring a hot shot up the middle (I thought they were supposed to be your friends, D). On another one, D managed to get a glove on it and it ricocheted to Greg backing him up, who turned to third in a heads up play to get the lead runner at third. Randy did a great job of getting back there to field the throw.
Lost in the 2011 Giants-like offense was Lefty's 3 for 3 with a double and a couple knocked in. Throw in a couple of hits from G and Heffe, and a grand gapper by Reg, and that was pretty much our offense. Not enough, today. But it's early. We get to do this 13 more times before the playoffs.
I'd like to thank Greg and Madewell for their generosity in making us look great. We will rise to play as good as they look.
ReplyDeleteOn the coaching front, I need to find a way to get Derek more at bats.