APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
T.S.Eliot clearly never played softball. Maybe if he had, he wouldn't have been so damn bitchy about the greatness that is April. On April First, every team in the land in pro baseball and rec softball thinks they have a chance to win the ultimate prize (April Fools?), whether it is a Ring of Power or a cheap t-shirt from your local town.
And JFT started out the game tonight like we never had a long rainless winter to contemplate our dull roots and yet another of those classless runner-up tshirts that get worn as undershirts at best, but more likely have ended up in garages across the counties of Contra Costa and Alameda.
So today after the first game, we stand tied for first, and all things are possible, even outlasting Pinky's this season (you know I misspelled Pinky's as Oinky's the first time I wrote this paragraph...is that a Freudian Slip? What would old TS say?).
Tonight's game was against Bobby Muller and the Advance Construction crowd. Old timey rivals, with whom we used to battle it out for the championship. Lately we have ownage on them, but both teams maintain a mutual respect that goes back years. It's always fun to mix it up with them.
We jumped off to a 6-0 start in the top of the first, thanks to eight straight hits after there were two outs and no one on. Chopper had the Big Hit, a bases clearing triple that pushed us up 4-0. Big D, Ol' G, newcomer Bruce, Heffe, Chopper, Randy, Johnny and Gene all came through with two outs, and we thought the rout was on.
As it turned out we got a little stale at the plate after that. Some guys were rusty, still dealing with dried tubers from the winter. That doesn't sound good, does it. A key error in the third allowed AC to come back and make a game of it and they got as close as 8-6, but after that our defense kicked in, and shut out AC for three of the last four innings. In the seventh after loading the bases with one out and the tying run at the plate, they could only manage a sac fly for one more run as we walked away with an 11-8 win.
In the midst of one of their aborted rallies, Randy came up with the defensive gem of the game leaping high (I think maybe four inches!) to snag a hot shot heading down the line over third base. Seriously, maybe not so high as much as a really quick reaction. It took the stuffing out of that rally.
New outfielder Bruce should be welcomed. The poor guy hit every ball hard but the last three were right at someone. You have the feeling this will change.
Heffe (4-4), Chopper (3 RBIs), Johnny (3 hits, a triple), and Gene (3 RBIs on two hits) led the way with the bats. Chopper's new bat made it through the game intact. The new low compression balls kept fly balls short. Soon everyone will be hitting like me (a dink here a doink there, here a dink, there a doink, everywhere an oink doink, Old MacHeffe had a farm...I digress...I too am a poet from St. Loo), and I'm not sure if that is a bad thing.
Next two against Oinky's, with Easter splitting them up in the middle. These games are the pivotal early games for obvious reasons. I will be going to New Orleans in between, maybe I will pick up some Tennessee Williams to go with your TS Eliot.
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
T.S.Eliot clearly never played softball. Maybe if he had, he wouldn't have been so damn bitchy about the greatness that is April. On April First, every team in the land in pro baseball and rec softball thinks they have a chance to win the ultimate prize (April Fools?), whether it is a Ring of Power or a cheap t-shirt from your local town.
And JFT started out the game tonight like we never had a long rainless winter to contemplate our dull roots and yet another of those classless runner-up tshirts that get worn as undershirts at best, but more likely have ended up in garages across the counties of Contra Costa and Alameda.
So today after the first game, we stand tied for first, and all things are possible, even outlasting Pinky's this season (you know I misspelled Pinky's as Oinky's the first time I wrote this paragraph...is that a Freudian Slip? What would old TS say?).
Tonight's game was against Bobby Muller and the Advance Construction crowd. Old timey rivals, with whom we used to battle it out for the championship. Lately we have ownage on them, but both teams maintain a mutual respect that goes back years. It's always fun to mix it up with them.
We jumped off to a 6-0 start in the top of the first, thanks to eight straight hits after there were two outs and no one on. Chopper had the Big Hit, a bases clearing triple that pushed us up 4-0. Big D, Ol' G, newcomer Bruce, Heffe, Chopper, Randy, Johnny and Gene all came through with two outs, and we thought the rout was on.
As it turned out we got a little stale at the plate after that. Some guys were rusty, still dealing with dried tubers from the winter. That doesn't sound good, does it. A key error in the third allowed AC to come back and make a game of it and they got as close as 8-6, but after that our defense kicked in, and shut out AC for three of the last four innings. In the seventh after loading the bases with one out and the tying run at the plate, they could only manage a sac fly for one more run as we walked away with an 11-8 win.
In the midst of one of their aborted rallies, Randy came up with the defensive gem of the game leaping high (I think maybe four inches!) to snag a hot shot heading down the line over third base. Seriously, maybe not so high as much as a really quick reaction. It took the stuffing out of that rally.
New outfielder Bruce should be welcomed. The poor guy hit every ball hard but the last three were right at someone. You have the feeling this will change.
Heffe (4-4), Chopper (3 RBIs), Johnny (3 hits, a triple), and Gene (3 RBIs on two hits) led the way with the bats. Chopper's new bat made it through the game intact. The new low compression balls kept fly balls short. Soon everyone will be hitting like me (a dink here a doink there, here a dink, there a doink, everywhere an oink doink, Old MacHeffe had a farm...I digress...I too am a poet from St. Loo), and I'm not sure if that is a bad thing.
Next two against Oinky's, with Easter splitting them up in the middle. These games are the pivotal early games for obvious reasons. I will be going to New Orleans in between, maybe I will pick up some Tennessee Williams to go with your TS Eliot.
