The Scarlet Creaker team finished the playoffs and year as we started, sweeping through the playoffs with an unblemished 5-0 record to win the post-season tournament. Today we beat Green 9-3 and Maroon 8-6 with a combination of great defense and timely hitting.
In the opener we jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first, the big blow a two run blast into the LC gap by Gary Namanny. Gary was hobbled by a pulled groin he sustained in a tennis tournament over the weekend and still managed to limp into second for a double. Note: Tennis is not in your Creaker contract, Gary.
After that the defense took over. We kept the big Green hitters in check for the most part. Ray Aguilera was dealing, he walked a few today, but we call it 'effectively wild' as he had hitters reaching all day. He added a triple on offense to jump start our three run fifth that put some distance between the teams at 7-2. Art Miner (triple), Gerry Dasey (double), Tony Gorgone (double), and Mike Nichols (SF) combined to make it 9-3 in the sixth, and that was the final score.
That set up the final game against Maroon, winner take all. They had come back to win a walkoff the last time we played and won the toss to be home team.
We didn't really hit the last few weeks, and the tough Maroon team jumped out to leads of 3-1, 5-1 and then 6-2 after four. They hadn't really hit yet either, and it wasn't looking good. But then a funny thing happened - we shut them out for the last three innings and we Chipped away to make it 6-3 and 6-6, before taking a meager 8-6 lead in the top of the open seventh. But we miraculously held the strong team through the top of their lineup in the sixth and then the middle in the seventh and victory and the Championship was ours.
Defense won the game as usual. There were lots of good plays but three stood out. Miner snared a line shot blast in the first game in left field. In the third inning of that game, Paul Lisi fired the ball to Gary Booth who threw a strike home to Bob Shipley for the third out.
And in the Championship Game Chip Sharpe tore in on a line drive hit by the speedy James Del Rio, and threw him out at second by a step. It kept Maroon scoreless in the third frame.
So here we are, and I am very proud of this team - we have had one of the, if not the very best year in Creaker history to date.
Meet Scarlet:
Chip Sharpe. Speedy leadoff hitter, perfect relief pitcher. Plays all over the outfield, and even had a great game at Rover one week. A line drive hitter, once in a while he even went over the outfield, and with his speed it's all over then.
Paul Lisi. One of the best outfielders in Creaker land. The best number two hitter, as his line drives to right almost guarantee first to third no matter who is on in front of him. And - no one scouts the other team better, and then overplays their tendencies. Pisses off his manager who then has to admit when Paul is right.
Art Miner. A very speedy outfielder who can hit in any direction and is always upbeat. He is so young (relatively) that he even still works when he is not playing softball.
Gary Namanny. Personally I always thought he was, how shall I say, in the shadow of his brother a little? But playing with him, I was constantly amazed at his power, grace, and speed at bat and in the field. Of course if I had his long stride I'd be fast too! But he has it and he is a cornerstone of any team he is on.
Gerry Dasey. Perhaps the most consistent hitter in Creaker Land. Has he ever hit below .800? And his strong arm is an asset from anywhere on the infield.
Tony Gorgone. Tony can pick ground balls in his sleep. you can put him anywhere on the infield as well, and everybody around him is better. And he slaps the ball all over the place at bat, with an occasional long ball.
Charlie Uhlman. One of our sleeper hitters. Don't ever cheat in on Charlie, he will burn you! Very powerful swing. Solid outfielder.
Mike Nichols. The second third of our sleeper trio (the quiet one) as I like to think of them. Mike hit about .700 most of the year, getting clutch hits time and time again. And behind the dish, he has tremendous reflexes on foul balls which also served him well in the outfield.
Gary Booth. The best kept secret in Creaker Land (it's out now I think). Not the quiet one of the sleeper trio. His gappers were legendary all summer. And when we lost Raul, we didn't miss a beat with Gary at SS. His throws are always on the money.
The pitcher.
Raymundo Aguilera. Ray started out the season not knowing you had to release the pitch from the rubber. Thought he just had to start there. He had a rough opener. Then he went out and practiced and practiced and practiced until throwing from farther away was second nature. And then he turned into one of the best pitchers in the league. He got great hitters out time and time again, or held powerful hitters to bloop singles. And he got the big hit when we needed it, a lot of times.
The pull the ball trio.
Roc Lumley, Bob Shipway, and Helen Kostoff. How the three of them ever got a hit with the shifts that were more and more extreme as the season went on amazes me. You'd think they would try to hit the wide open spaces in center and right fields, but no, they each got huge hits at various parts in the season by honing their craft so they could hit the holes no matter how small.
The first basemen.
Bob Carver. As Gerry said they gave us a 'rotund' first baseman for Raul, when we already had one of those! Bob came in and just dominated in a couple of our games late in the season, showing power and line drive hitting like you wouldn't believe. We really missed him in this last day, his absence and Charlie's injury went a long way to explaining why we only scored 17 runs on the day.
And finally, the Coach. I got a few good hits and made a few good plays, not my best season. But I had one thing no one else in the league had. I had a team to manage that had no egos, no fighting, all pulling one direction. No blame, and confidence that built and built over the year. I think we had a talented roster but no better if at all over at least a couple of the other teams. It was our chemistry (and lights out defense) that was the difference.
Greatest Creaker Team Ever!
In the opener we jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first, the big blow a two run blast into the LC gap by Gary Namanny. Gary was hobbled by a pulled groin he sustained in a tennis tournament over the weekend and still managed to limp into second for a double. Note: Tennis is not in your Creaker contract, Gary.
After that the defense took over. We kept the big Green hitters in check for the most part. Ray Aguilera was dealing, he walked a few today, but we call it 'effectively wild' as he had hitters reaching all day. He added a triple on offense to jump start our three run fifth that put some distance between the teams at 7-2. Art Miner (triple), Gerry Dasey (double), Tony Gorgone (double), and Mike Nichols (SF) combined to make it 9-3 in the sixth, and that was the final score.
That set up the final game against Maroon, winner take all. They had come back to win a walkoff the last time we played and won the toss to be home team.
We didn't really hit the last few weeks, and the tough Maroon team jumped out to leads of 3-1, 5-1 and then 6-2 after four. They hadn't really hit yet either, and it wasn't looking good. But then a funny thing happened - we shut them out for the last three innings and we Chipped away to make it 6-3 and 6-6, before taking a meager 8-6 lead in the top of the open seventh. But we miraculously held the strong team through the top of their lineup in the sixth and then the middle in the seventh and victory and the Championship was ours.
Defense won the game as usual. There were lots of good plays but three stood out. Miner snared a line shot blast in the first game in left field. In the third inning of that game, Paul Lisi fired the ball to Gary Booth who threw a strike home to Bob Shipley for the third out.
And in the Championship Game Chip Sharpe tore in on a line drive hit by the speedy James Del Rio, and threw him out at second by a step. It kept Maroon scoreless in the third frame.
So here we are, and I am very proud of this team - we have had one of the, if not the very best year in Creaker history to date.
Meet Scarlet:
Chip Sharpe. Speedy leadoff hitter, perfect relief pitcher. Plays all over the outfield, and even had a great game at Rover one week. A line drive hitter, once in a while he even went over the outfield, and with his speed it's all over then.
Paul Lisi. One of the best outfielders in Creaker land. The best number two hitter, as his line drives to right almost guarantee first to third no matter who is on in front of him. And - no one scouts the other team better, and then overplays their tendencies. Pisses off his manager who then has to admit when Paul is right.
Art Miner. A very speedy outfielder who can hit in any direction and is always upbeat. He is so young (relatively) that he even still works when he is not playing softball.
Gary Namanny. Personally I always thought he was, how shall I say, in the shadow of his brother a little? But playing with him, I was constantly amazed at his power, grace, and speed at bat and in the field. Of course if I had his long stride I'd be fast too! But he has it and he is a cornerstone of any team he is on.
Gerry Dasey. Perhaps the most consistent hitter in Creaker Land. Has he ever hit below .800? And his strong arm is an asset from anywhere on the infield.
Tony Gorgone. Tony can pick ground balls in his sleep. you can put him anywhere on the infield as well, and everybody around him is better. And he slaps the ball all over the place at bat, with an occasional long ball.
Charlie Uhlman. One of our sleeper hitters. Don't ever cheat in on Charlie, he will burn you! Very powerful swing. Solid outfielder.
Mike Nichols. The second third of our sleeper trio (the quiet one) as I like to think of them. Mike hit about .700 most of the year, getting clutch hits time and time again. And behind the dish, he has tremendous reflexes on foul balls which also served him well in the outfield.
Gary Booth. The best kept secret in Creaker Land (it's out now I think). Not the quiet one of the sleeper trio. His gappers were legendary all summer. And when we lost Raul, we didn't miss a beat with Gary at SS. His throws are always on the money.
The pitcher.
Raymundo Aguilera. Ray started out the season not knowing you had to release the pitch from the rubber. Thought he just had to start there. He had a rough opener. Then he went out and practiced and practiced and practiced until throwing from farther away was second nature. And then he turned into one of the best pitchers in the league. He got great hitters out time and time again, or held powerful hitters to bloop singles. And he got the big hit when we needed it, a lot of times.
The pull the ball trio.
Roc Lumley, Bob Shipway, and Helen Kostoff. How the three of them ever got a hit with the shifts that were more and more extreme as the season went on amazes me. You'd think they would try to hit the wide open spaces in center and right fields, but no, they each got huge hits at various parts in the season by honing their craft so they could hit the holes no matter how small.
The first basemen.
Bob Carver. As Gerry said they gave us a 'rotund' first baseman for Raul, when we already had one of those! Bob came in and just dominated in a couple of our games late in the season, showing power and line drive hitting like you wouldn't believe. We really missed him in this last day, his absence and Charlie's injury went a long way to explaining why we only scored 17 runs on the day.
And finally, the Coach. I got a few good hits and made a few good plays, not my best season. But I had one thing no one else in the league had. I had a team to manage that had no egos, no fighting, all pulling one direction. No blame, and confidence that built and built over the year. I think we had a talented roster but no better if at all over at least a couple of the other teams. It was our chemistry (and lights out defense) that was the difference.
Greatest Creaker Team Ever!
No comments:
Post a Comment