One of the few bad things about recreational softball is the fact that we have a clock. Baseball is not supposed to have a clock. It's supposed to be played on lazy afternoons, when you need nothing else to make a perfect day, as long as the game takes. Someone walks away the winner, and someone the loser.
I know, old school, and all that.
But no, not in the city run softball leagues. Can't have the neighbors complaining about games going too late into the night. Can't have to pay the umps and field monitors OT. So we have the notion of a tie game, or as the cliche goes, "Kissing your sister." Not that there is anything wrong with my sister. She's great. It's just that her romance is with her husband, not with me. I don't even want to think about it.
Monday we tied HBF, in what was a very entertaining game that began at 9:15 - after some of our players' bedtime. The question after the game was who was more frustrated, HBF or us, because we both had our reasons to feel we blew the game.
We punched ahead with a relentless attack for the first four innings. By the time HBF came up in the bottom of the fourth, we had a 13-0 lead.
Not to last long. HBF put up eleven in one of those nightmare innings every team faces some time or other, and only a huge running deep catch by Pope kept us in front (I think it was that inning). In this case it was mostly their bats, not errors, that produced the rally. Yeah we had a couple of near miss plays that could have/should have been made, but they were hitting the ball all over the place. HBF kind of reminds me of young Coneheads - some of them produced flares to the opposite field while others smashed it deep. A smart team, a rarity among the younger generation.
The fifth came and went with no runs being scored. It was a tense game at that point. When we put up four in the top of the sixth, already known to be the last inning (damn clock), it was a decent lead but not that comfortable given what happened in the fourth.
The kept the pressure on. Runs were pouring in, and ultimately they had the bases loaded with one out, tie game with the winning run 70 feet away at third. All they needed was a decently deep fly ball. At that point Randy called for a double play ball to Chuck, and the HBF batter complied. Chuck was flawless, and Randy's turn and throw were perfect and the game was over, with everyone's sister in attendance. It was a miracle finish, not losing, at that point.
So who is more bummed in the end? We are the Coneheads, we think we should win every game, there is that. And we blew 13-0 and 17-11 leads. But ultimately we snatched the tie out of the jaws of defeat. There was some relief there.
On the other hand HBF wasted two huge comebacks with the hammer in their pocket, and couldn't finish the win. I'm voting for it feeling worse for them at the end. It will be fun if we face them in the playoffs. It's clear that these are two of the best teams in this league, and we both trail Cream and Clear, last year's champions by a half game.
D and Pope were the hitting stars. Pope blasted a monster three run job in the first to launch our game. D was perfect at 4-4 with a triple and a double. Chuck and Knight added three hits each, and the Junior Knight, although he made his first out at the plate, had yet another Moon shot way past the outfielders chasing in futile pursuit.
Milestones:
Randy 10 bb (#23)
I know, old school, and all that.
But no, not in the city run softball leagues. Can't have the neighbors complaining about games going too late into the night. Can't have to pay the umps and field monitors OT. So we have the notion of a tie game, or as the cliche goes, "Kissing your sister." Not that there is anything wrong with my sister. She's great. It's just that her romance is with her husband, not with me. I don't even want to think about it.
Monday we tied HBF, in what was a very entertaining game that began at 9:15 - after some of our players' bedtime. The question after the game was who was more frustrated, HBF or us, because we both had our reasons to feel we blew the game.
We punched ahead with a relentless attack for the first four innings. By the time HBF came up in the bottom of the fourth, we had a 13-0 lead.
Not to last long. HBF put up eleven in one of those nightmare innings every team faces some time or other, and only a huge running deep catch by Pope kept us in front (I think it was that inning). In this case it was mostly their bats, not errors, that produced the rally. Yeah we had a couple of near miss plays that could have/should have been made, but they were hitting the ball all over the place. HBF kind of reminds me of young Coneheads - some of them produced flares to the opposite field while others smashed it deep. A smart team, a rarity among the younger generation.
The fifth came and went with no runs being scored. It was a tense game at that point. When we put up four in the top of the sixth, already known to be the last inning (damn clock), it was a decent lead but not that comfortable given what happened in the fourth.
The kept the pressure on. Runs were pouring in, and ultimately they had the bases loaded with one out, tie game with the winning run 70 feet away at third. All they needed was a decently deep fly ball. At that point Randy called for a double play ball to Chuck, and the HBF batter complied. Chuck was flawless, and Randy's turn and throw were perfect and the game was over, with everyone's sister in attendance. It was a miracle finish, not losing, at that point.
So who is more bummed in the end? We are the Coneheads, we think we should win every game, there is that. And we blew 13-0 and 17-11 leads. But ultimately we snatched the tie out of the jaws of defeat. There was some relief there.
On the other hand HBF wasted two huge comebacks with the hammer in their pocket, and couldn't finish the win. I'm voting for it feeling worse for them at the end. It will be fun if we face them in the playoffs. It's clear that these are two of the best teams in this league, and we both trail Cream and Clear, last year's champions by a half game.
D and Pope were the hitting stars. Pope blasted a monster three run job in the first to launch our game. D was perfect at 4-4 with a triple and a double. Chuck and Knight added three hits each, and the Junior Knight, although he made his first out at the plate, had yet another Moon shot way past the outfielders chasing in futile pursuit.
Milestones:
Randy 10 bb (#23)
Randy 10 sf (#23)
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