Last year, when the Warthogs joined our league, I described what a real Warthog is, and how that applies to our opponent last night. I have to amend it for this year.
A Warthog is apparently, a sometimes softball player who shows up at a game to play ball but mostly to drink beer in the dugout - or on the field, or anywhere it can be consumed.
Now don't get me wrong, the Coneheads and all my teammates everywhere like to imbibe the adult beverage of their choice, and even though I have cut back personally over the years, some of my teammates have carried on the tradition of getting relatively trashed after games. But we do it after the game. In other words we may play softball in order to drink beer but we do it in that order.
Not so the Warthogs. They reminded me of my original team the Lyons in our early days. We signed up for our first tournament in Dublin, and we brought a keg to the field with us. Things have sure changed since the 80s! We went two and out and ended up downing the keg on my front lawn.
The Warthogs would bring not one but two beers with them to the third base coaching box, and had to be admonished by the umpire that beer must be kept in the dugout. So they kept it in our dugout, and took sips between plays. Or pitches. Or whenever possible.
All this is leading up to the fact that we beat them 18-9 or 17-9 depending upon whether you believe our book or the umpire's tally. It wasn't that close - we seemed to lose interest after we were up 18-3, and in fact they got better the more they drank! Maybe they are on to something...
It was also like old times in that we all took turns contributing here and there, but mostly turned the game over to Pope, who knocked in seven runs on two homers and a very deep sac fly. He was helped by coming up with guys on base every time - three times in the first three innings he came up following a Chuck single and a Dave walk.
The Warthogs kept trying different pitchers, and they couldn't tell which plate to throw to apparently. They issued three walks to Dave, two to me plus three more - in fact the Game Winning RBI came when I walked with the bases loaded in the first, how appropriate.
Other stars included Old School Stink Eye, the only one who was perfect with four hits including a gapper that went for a triple by his proxy runner. Haze who featured a double down the third base line among his three hits and Larry who had a two run double in the gap. Chopper had his usual 3-4, and of course provided the entertainment by sliding/diving/falling back to the bag on a back-door throw to first after a single.
I tried to compete for the entertainment award by running to the painted on wrong 'bag' at first on one grounder to D. Poor D, he didn't know what to do, throw to me? to the actual base? I denied it happened of course. Never mind everyone in the park saw it, unless you have a YouTube video, it didn't happen. Besides as a senior who clearly had a senior moment, I don't remember it so it must not have happened. I tried to make up for it by fielding a couple of in between hop grounders for outs and picking up Larry on a short hop throw after he made a great stop in the sixth.
Chuck also had a great play on a ball in the hole, and he fired it to first to get the batter by a half a step. He is the master of throwing just hard enough to nail the runner by half a step. Plus like old times, he ranged far into center field to snag his specialty, the over the shoulder pop-up.
All in all not a classic Conehead but just enough classic moments to qualify as good entertainment. Three stars.
Milestones:
Chuck 950 r (#1)
Chuck 1200 h (#1)
Pope 750 rbi (#1)
Heffe 110 bb (#3)
Joe 1300 ab (#4)
Pope 40 sf (#4)
A Warthog is apparently, a sometimes softball player who shows up at a game to play ball but mostly to drink beer in the dugout - or on the field, or anywhere it can be consumed.
Now don't get me wrong, the Coneheads and all my teammates everywhere like to imbibe the adult beverage of their choice, and even though I have cut back personally over the years, some of my teammates have carried on the tradition of getting relatively trashed after games. But we do it after the game. In other words we may play softball in order to drink beer but we do it in that order.
Not so the Warthogs. They reminded me of my original team the Lyons in our early days. We signed up for our first tournament in Dublin, and we brought a keg to the field with us. Things have sure changed since the 80s! We went two and out and ended up downing the keg on my front lawn.
The Warthogs would bring not one but two beers with them to the third base coaching box, and had to be admonished by the umpire that beer must be kept in the dugout. So they kept it in our dugout, and took sips between plays. Or pitches. Or whenever possible.
All this is leading up to the fact that we beat them 18-9 or 17-9 depending upon whether you believe our book or the umpire's tally. It wasn't that close - we seemed to lose interest after we were up 18-3, and in fact they got better the more they drank! Maybe they are on to something...
It was also like old times in that we all took turns contributing here and there, but mostly turned the game over to Pope, who knocked in seven runs on two homers and a very deep sac fly. He was helped by coming up with guys on base every time - three times in the first three innings he came up following a Chuck single and a Dave walk.
The Warthogs kept trying different pitchers, and they couldn't tell which plate to throw to apparently. They issued three walks to Dave, two to me plus three more - in fact the Game Winning RBI came when I walked with the bases loaded in the first, how appropriate.
Other stars included Old School Stink Eye, the only one who was perfect with four hits including a gapper that went for a triple by his proxy runner. Haze who featured a double down the third base line among his three hits and Larry who had a two run double in the gap. Chopper had his usual 3-4, and of course provided the entertainment by sliding/diving/falling back to the bag on a back-door throw to first after a single.
I tried to compete for the entertainment award by running to the painted on wrong 'bag' at first on one grounder to D. Poor D, he didn't know what to do, throw to me? to the actual base? I denied it happened of course. Never mind everyone in the park saw it, unless you have a YouTube video, it didn't happen. Besides as a senior who clearly had a senior moment, I don't remember it so it must not have happened. I tried to make up for it by fielding a couple of in between hop grounders for outs and picking up Larry on a short hop throw after he made a great stop in the sixth.
Chuck also had a great play on a ball in the hole, and he fired it to first to get the batter by a half a step. He is the master of throwing just hard enough to nail the runner by half a step. Plus like old times, he ranged far into center field to snag his specialty, the over the shoulder pop-up.
All in all not a classic Conehead but just enough classic moments to qualify as good entertainment. Three stars.
Milestones:
Chuck 950 r (#1)
Chuck 1200 h (#1)
Pope 750 rbi (#1)
Heffe 110 bb (#3)
Joe 1300 ab (#4)
Pope 40 sf (#4)
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