I usually don't combine teams or games, but this is a good time to talk about the Coneheads and JFT, two teams intricately related.
Because the Heads are about to defend last year's playoff win, and this year it falls just two weeks after JFT bowed out in the Championship game in Walnut Creek.
Especially this year. We lost our Pope on the Heads; he wasn't old enough to be on JFT. Lefty and Greg the Knight took his spot on the roster. Haz is another one who is on JFT but a sub on the Heads; he has been filling in more than usual and will be one of us for the playoffs. Even Timmy crossed the line and played his first Conehead game.
So the teams are more the same team than ever.
As everyone already knows we came up flat and short in the Walnut Creek playoffs. We had our moment; We played a masterful game against Advance Construction, our past chief rival, and the first place team, to get to the final. But we seem to be intimidated against Pinky's 40; they aren't that good, or I should say that much better than us. The combined score in the two games reflects this; the composite was all of 23-18. Not exactly dominated.
Yet they somehow got us out of our game, and took it from us. We can just take our runner up Cotton, and tell ourselves that next year will be different.
A few guys stepped up. In the first game the 'neighbors' Chuck and Reg were seven for seven with a walk. Chopper continued to wreak havoc with a triple and a home run. In the Advance game we took out our frustrations from the first Pinky's game, and scored 19 runs in the last two innings to run away from them. Big D had two HRs and five RBIs to lead the team, and nearly everyone was 3-4 or 2-4. But we came up flat on Sunday, and now it is ancient history.
You take that team and something happens when it crosses the border into Orinda. Time slows down, and Shoeless Joe comes by and sits in the stands. Oh, no, its not him, it's Mugsy. Or his Cheshire Cat smile. It is magic. 'Awww righhhht'.
Sure we had a few stinkers; we are human. We weren't in the game the first time around with the Broncos, nor against Pennini's. I think we were just tired against St. Monica's in the nightcap of our doubleheader; however they are much improved, and bear keeping an eye on. Those were our only losses.
Ever since the JFT loss, coincidentally the Coneheads have not lost a game. We took it out on Cal Bronco the next night and dominated them. We crushed the President's Club on Thursday. But the most telling story was our game this past Monday against long time rival the Waitlisters.
The Waitlisters had every incentive in that game; they had the last doubleheader of the year that night, and they have hung around, and had their destiny in their own hands. If they had beaten the two teams in front of them that night, us and the Broncos, they could have taken first place.
We were missing significant parts; Greg, Ol' G, Big D. Don was there with a bad back.We were looking at missing Sting and Markley in the playoffs, so we had to play guys where they haven't been much this year, so those who will be in the playoff tournament got some innings in the new spots. Your manager for the most part did a good job of shuffling Heads in and out, but had a major brainfart in the 6th inning that almost cost us.
Both teams must have been nervous with all that on the line. We left the bases loaded in the first, and ended the second by hitting into a double play. We finally squeaked out a run in the third. But in the mean time Joe was dealing, inducing easy flyouts mostly, and balls hit right to our defense. When we scored four in the fourth, it looked a little better, but we know 5-0 in softball usually doesn't last.
In that rally Chopper did his thing and tied the Pope record for HRs in a season, 13. Congrats on that. Then Larry, Markley, Haz, Joe and Chuck put together a nice two out rally to get a couple more.
Then we had what either has to be considered completely out of character for us, or maybe just inevitable in a game like that; our defense completely fell apart for an inning. We gave up four runs in the bottom of the sixth to trail 6-5 going into the seventh.
It looked bad when we had two outs but thanks to Chuck and Sting, we had two on, the tying and lead runs. Would we choke again? Lefty came up. There was an open base. That frustrating dink hitter Heffe was on deck. It would have been easy to walk Lefty to get to me. I don't know if I would have gotten a hit, but I have a feeling we would have opened the flood gates.
As it was we didn't need to worry about it. They may have been pitching around Craig, but they left one right in his wheelhouse and he crushed a gapper into right center. On the turf, that means a three run homer and we had a two run lead, 8-6. The hero of the day emerged.
Two runs didn't seem like enough when I made the last out to snuff out our rally. The Wailisters had the hammer. But Joe induced an easy grounder, and two easy fly balls and first place was ours.
That is just the magic we have in Orinda. We willed ourselves to win that game on a night we were flat like we have been in other games that did not end so happily. Baseball cliche number 827: It is a good sign when a team wins a tough game when they are not at their best.
We have our adversity going into the weekend; We have missed our Pope all season. We will not have Sting's line drives, bombs, and enthusiasm. We will not have Markley's speed and consistent line drives to right; he was, after all second on the team in hitting. Derek is injured, we don't know how he will fare (although I played with him Tuesday, and you won't believe it, he hit laser shots like always, they were just singles). Don, who was a hero in last year's win, is also in an unknown state of health.
But I will take my chances on this team, we have the Conehead magic. I didn't think we would end up in first place, yet here we are. Who will it be that steps up like Don did last year? Who will be the hot team this year?
All that remains is the actual games. Bright and early Saturday morning.
Remember that we have two games, and three if we lose one on Saturday morning. Plan A is not to lose on Saturday. The brackets are in a separate tab in the stats workbook.
Remember that Julia and Lisa have volunteered to get us sandwiches from Safeway for between games, so bring a few bucks and it will be one less thing you have to worry about. Joe, though, you need to worry, so keep that up. Walgreen's always has TP on sale too.
(Did I say that out loud?)
Let's just do it. Again.
Milestone:
Chopper 100 r (#19)
Because the Heads are about to defend last year's playoff win, and this year it falls just two weeks after JFT bowed out in the Championship game in Walnut Creek.
Especially this year. We lost our Pope on the Heads; he wasn't old enough to be on JFT. Lefty and Greg the Knight took his spot on the roster. Haz is another one who is on JFT but a sub on the Heads; he has been filling in more than usual and will be one of us for the playoffs. Even Timmy crossed the line and played his first Conehead game.
So the teams are more the same team than ever.
As everyone already knows we came up flat and short in the Walnut Creek playoffs. We had our moment; We played a masterful game against Advance Construction, our past chief rival, and the first place team, to get to the final. But we seem to be intimidated against Pinky's 40; they aren't that good, or I should say that much better than us. The combined score in the two games reflects this; the composite was all of 23-18. Not exactly dominated.
Yet they somehow got us out of our game, and took it from us. We can just take our runner up Cotton, and tell ourselves that next year will be different.
A few guys stepped up. In the first game the 'neighbors' Chuck and Reg were seven for seven with a walk. Chopper continued to wreak havoc with a triple and a home run. In the Advance game we took out our frustrations from the first Pinky's game, and scored 19 runs in the last two innings to run away from them. Big D had two HRs and five RBIs to lead the team, and nearly everyone was 3-4 or 2-4. But we came up flat on Sunday, and now it is ancient history.
You take that team and something happens when it crosses the border into Orinda. Time slows down, and Shoeless Joe comes by and sits in the stands. Oh, no, its not him, it's Mugsy. Or his Cheshire Cat smile. It is magic. 'Awww righhhht'.
Sure we had a few stinkers; we are human. We weren't in the game the first time around with the Broncos, nor against Pennini's. I think we were just tired against St. Monica's in the nightcap of our doubleheader; however they are much improved, and bear keeping an eye on. Those were our only losses.
Ever since the JFT loss, coincidentally the Coneheads have not lost a game. We took it out on Cal Bronco the next night and dominated them. We crushed the President's Club on Thursday. But the most telling story was our game this past Monday against long time rival the Waitlisters.
The Waitlisters had every incentive in that game; they had the last doubleheader of the year that night, and they have hung around, and had their destiny in their own hands. If they had beaten the two teams in front of them that night, us and the Broncos, they could have taken first place.
We were missing significant parts; Greg, Ol' G, Big D. Don was there with a bad back.We were looking at missing Sting and Markley in the playoffs, so we had to play guys where they haven't been much this year, so those who will be in the playoff tournament got some innings in the new spots. Your manager for the most part did a good job of shuffling Heads in and out, but had a major brainfart in the 6th inning that almost cost us.
Both teams must have been nervous with all that on the line. We left the bases loaded in the first, and ended the second by hitting into a double play. We finally squeaked out a run in the third. But in the mean time Joe was dealing, inducing easy flyouts mostly, and balls hit right to our defense. When we scored four in the fourth, it looked a little better, but we know 5-0 in softball usually doesn't last.
In that rally Chopper did his thing and tied the Pope record for HRs in a season, 13. Congrats on that. Then Larry, Markley, Haz, Joe and Chuck put together a nice two out rally to get a couple more.
Then we had what either has to be considered completely out of character for us, or maybe just inevitable in a game like that; our defense completely fell apart for an inning. We gave up four runs in the bottom of the sixth to trail 6-5 going into the seventh.
It looked bad when we had two outs but thanks to Chuck and Sting, we had two on, the tying and lead runs. Would we choke again? Lefty came up. There was an open base. That frustrating dink hitter Heffe was on deck. It would have been easy to walk Lefty to get to me. I don't know if I would have gotten a hit, but I have a feeling we would have opened the flood gates.
As it was we didn't need to worry about it. They may have been pitching around Craig, but they left one right in his wheelhouse and he crushed a gapper into right center. On the turf, that means a three run homer and we had a two run lead, 8-6. The hero of the day emerged.
Two runs didn't seem like enough when I made the last out to snuff out our rally. The Wailisters had the hammer. But Joe induced an easy grounder, and two easy fly balls and first place was ours.
That is just the magic we have in Orinda. We willed ourselves to win that game on a night we were flat like we have been in other games that did not end so happily. Baseball cliche number 827: It is a good sign when a team wins a tough game when they are not at their best.
We have our adversity going into the weekend; We have missed our Pope all season. We will not have Sting's line drives, bombs, and enthusiasm. We will not have Markley's speed and consistent line drives to right; he was, after all second on the team in hitting. Derek is injured, we don't know how he will fare (although I played with him Tuesday, and you won't believe it, he hit laser shots like always, they were just singles). Don, who was a hero in last year's win, is also in an unknown state of health.
But I will take my chances on this team, we have the Conehead magic. I didn't think we would end up in first place, yet here we are. Who will it be that steps up like Don did last year? Who will be the hot team this year?
All that remains is the actual games. Bright and early Saturday morning.
Remember that we have two games, and three if we lose one on Saturday morning. Plan A is not to lose on Saturday. The brackets are in a separate tab in the stats workbook.
Remember that Julia and Lisa have volunteered to get us sandwiches from Safeway for between games, so bring a few bucks and it will be one less thing you have to worry about. Joe, though, you need to worry, so keep that up. Walgreen's always has TP on sale too.
(Did I say that out loud?)
Let's just do it. Again.
Milestone:
Chopper 100 r (#19)
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