I don't want to take too much credit for this, I really don't. But the play of the game, the last play of the game, was an unassisted double play turned by yours truly.
The set up is that our Red team jumped all over Royal with a near max 19 runs in the first four innings to go up 19-4. After a scoreless fifth, Royal came up with seven in the top of the sixth to make a game of it - they're too good to go down that quietly. We scored three in the seventh to establish a 22-11 lead but we knew it wasn't over.
Things were getting a little testy with little issues here and there, but then went a step further in the eighth. Since we were up by 10, Royal declared that we should 'flip-flop'. Our manager knew that the rule only comes into play when it is the visiting team up by 10 or more (Rule 5.12). Doesn't make sense otherwise, you'd end up with potentially the home team batting twice in the case of a tie or the visiting team taking a lead.
At any rate, we stood our ground, but it didn't matter as we went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Royal clawed their way back, and five runs later with just one out, Steve 'Mongo' Alvarez stood on first as a courtesy runner from home for Rich Shuler, who had singled and driven in the what turned out to be the last Royal runs of the game.
One of the players that had scored on the hit by Shuler is arguably the fastest player in the league. They wanted him to run for Mongo. We insisted that you can't have a courtesy runner for a courtesy runner. They wanted to see it in the rule book, which, of course, we did not have in our back pockets. The thing about it is, is that a bunch of old men are all arguing and no one is really sure about it but they are all bluster and very 'sure' about their viewpoint. I don't exclude myself from this. There are probably a handful of Creakers who REALLY know the rules without looking them up, and even they are susceptible to senior moments.
So I looked it up when I got home - sure enough there it is clear as day (Rule 8.16 (A)): "A courtesy runner may not be replaced by a courtesy runner except for injury causing the removal of the original runner permanently from the game." And I didn't see Mongo limping, at least not any more than normal, and certainly he was not coming out of the game.
But we caved in and the runner took over his spot on first. Justice was about to be served.
Because the next batter, a lefty, hit a hot liner to my right at first base, just above my shoe tops. I managed to snag it before it hit the ground. The runner, assuming it was going through, had taken off, and had to back the engine up. I was a little too slow to catch him going back to first but he overran the bag, thinking this was Creaker-legal. Not this time, I tagged him out sliding back into first from foul territory, and that was it, game over.
The set up is that our Red team jumped all over Royal with a near max 19 runs in the first four innings to go up 19-4. After a scoreless fifth, Royal came up with seven in the top of the sixth to make a game of it - they're too good to go down that quietly. We scored three in the seventh to establish a 22-11 lead but we knew it wasn't over.
Things were getting a little testy with little issues here and there, but then went a step further in the eighth. Since we were up by 10, Royal declared that we should 'flip-flop'. Our manager knew that the rule only comes into play when it is the visiting team up by 10 or more (Rule 5.12). Doesn't make sense otherwise, you'd end up with potentially the home team batting twice in the case of a tie or the visiting team taking a lead.
At any rate, we stood our ground, but it didn't matter as we went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Royal clawed their way back, and five runs later with just one out, Steve 'Mongo' Alvarez stood on first as a courtesy runner from home for Rich Shuler, who had singled and driven in the what turned out to be the last Royal runs of the game.
One of the players that had scored on the hit by Shuler is arguably the fastest player in the league. They wanted him to run for Mongo. We insisted that you can't have a courtesy runner for a courtesy runner. They wanted to see it in the rule book, which, of course, we did not have in our back pockets. The thing about it is, is that a bunch of old men are all arguing and no one is really sure about it but they are all bluster and very 'sure' about their viewpoint. I don't exclude myself from this. There are probably a handful of Creakers who REALLY know the rules without looking them up, and even they are susceptible to senior moments.
So I looked it up when I got home - sure enough there it is clear as day (Rule 8.16 (A)): "A courtesy runner may not be replaced by a courtesy runner except for injury causing the removal of the original runner permanently from the game." And I didn't see Mongo limping, at least not any more than normal, and certainly he was not coming out of the game.
But we caved in and the runner took over his spot on first. Justice was about to be served.
Because the next batter, a lefty, hit a hot liner to my right at first base, just above my shoe tops. I managed to snag it before it hit the ground. The runner, assuming it was going through, had taken off, and had to back the engine up. I was a little too slow to catch him going back to first but he overran the bag, thinking this was Creaker-legal. Not this time, I tagged him out sliding back into first from foul territory, and that was it, game over.
Gives one hope that there is justice in the world, or will be eventually.
Hitting heroes abounded for the Big Red. Howard Davis continued his reputation as Clark Kent/Superman. He was 5-5 with five RBIs, including a two run triple. He drove in at least one run every time he was at bat. Lamont Thompson was 4-4 with a booming triple and a two run two out blooper in the first. Mark Pitzlin knocked in four, including a three run bomb, but was robbed twice by great plays in the Royal outfield. James Del Rio was also 4-4, including a home run. Someone else was 3-3 plus a walk and scored four runs. Everyone had at least one hit as we hit .633 as a team.
Coach Larry Rafferty joked that he had two errors and a K in the same inning and that might be a dubious record, but he neglected to say he started a double play at second and was the middle man in another one that stifled a Royal rally. Tony Gorgone made a couple of fine plays at 2B.
Jerry Ginochio settled down after a rough start adjusting to the gusty wind, and only allowed four runs in his four innings. Muegge, as usual shut the door in the latter innings.
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