I turned to Joe in the dugout, I think it was in the fourth inning, and I said "We're going to win this in the bottom of the last inning."
And then the Hawks immediately turned an 8-7 lead into 11-7.
Our answer: In the fifth, we scored one. But we also had two strikeouts, looking, and an out by Chauncey trying to steal second base on a single. I'm sure I have never seen two K's standing there in an inning, so it is at least a team record. Hell, it's probably never happened in the history of slow pitch softball. So we have that.
Then the Hawks added on, and it was 14-8. Time running out. The sixth would be the last.
And a funny thing happened. All the bad breaks and our failings in losing three games by two or less runs were swept aside. A Conehead hit (for Johnny) started it, of course. Then consecutive singles by the Kid, Heffe (old school blooper over the third baseman's head), Haze, Larry, Randy, a sac fly by Sting, and more hits by D and Chopper, and there was Sting, running for D standing on second as the winning run. Up strode Lefty, who took a couple of pitches, patiently waiting for the right one. He stroked a hit toward the gap in right center. Sting had to wait to make sure it fell in, and the hesitation made a play at the plate possible. But the second baseman bobbled the cut-off and Reg scored easily. Game over, 15-14. Vintage Coneheads.
It was bittersweet because this was the real Coneheads. We are actually pretty good when we have all our guys. Yes, it doesn't help losing McKnight, Pope and Bruce in one year, and Ol' G going down to knee surgery certainly hurt us as much as his knee pained him. But what really stops us is not knowing who is going to show up from week to week. How many games were we missing major parts of the heart of our order?
It was like eating dark chocolate. They tell you it's better for you, and you enjoy that bittersweet taste, but what you really wanted was the creaminess of good milk chocolate, with maybe some nougat on the inside. We wanted to make the playoffs, because if we had our guys, you never know what we are capable of. Not in the playoffs seems just foreign to us.
Derek and Chopper were on fire, going 4-4 each. D even got to second on one screamer. The youth, Chance and Chaunce, each went deep with a triple.
Oh, and it was Sting and Lefty who took called third strikes. Talk about rebounding, they won the game for us.
Oh well, just wait until next year. Hope springs eternal in this game. We have a good line on some 'young' new players (just 40, the new young). Maybe next year everyone will show up, and I fully expect G to come back as good as ever, which is pretty good. And at least for fall, we have the extreme youth, young Chance.
Have a good winter. See you at Masse's. I'll bring the chocolate.
Milestones:
10/7
Chopper 300 r (#15)
10/14
Sting 50 sf (#2)
Chopper 400 rbi (#9)
Sting 950 ab (#10)
Lefty 550 ab (#18)
10/21
None
And then the Hawks immediately turned an 8-7 lead into 11-7.
Our answer: In the fifth, we scored one. But we also had two strikeouts, looking, and an out by Chauncey trying to steal second base on a single. I'm sure I have never seen two K's standing there in an inning, so it is at least a team record. Hell, it's probably never happened in the history of slow pitch softball. So we have that.
Then the Hawks added on, and it was 14-8. Time running out. The sixth would be the last.
And a funny thing happened. All the bad breaks and our failings in losing three games by two or less runs were swept aside. A Conehead hit (for Johnny) started it, of course. Then consecutive singles by the Kid, Heffe (old school blooper over the third baseman's head), Haze, Larry, Randy, a sac fly by Sting, and more hits by D and Chopper, and there was Sting, running for D standing on second as the winning run. Up strode Lefty, who took a couple of pitches, patiently waiting for the right one. He stroked a hit toward the gap in right center. Sting had to wait to make sure it fell in, and the hesitation made a play at the plate possible. But the second baseman bobbled the cut-off and Reg scored easily. Game over, 15-14. Vintage Coneheads.
It was bittersweet because this was the real Coneheads. We are actually pretty good when we have all our guys. Yes, it doesn't help losing McKnight, Pope and Bruce in one year, and Ol' G going down to knee surgery certainly hurt us as much as his knee pained him. But what really stops us is not knowing who is going to show up from week to week. How many games were we missing major parts of the heart of our order?
It was like eating dark chocolate. They tell you it's better for you, and you enjoy that bittersweet taste, but what you really wanted was the creaminess of good milk chocolate, with maybe some nougat on the inside. We wanted to make the playoffs, because if we had our guys, you never know what we are capable of. Not in the playoffs seems just foreign to us.
Derek and Chopper were on fire, going 4-4 each. D even got to second on one screamer. The youth, Chance and Chaunce, each went deep with a triple.
Oh, and it was Sting and Lefty who took called third strikes. Talk about rebounding, they won the game for us.
Oh well, just wait until next year. Hope springs eternal in this game. We have a good line on some 'young' new players (just 40, the new young). Maybe next year everyone will show up, and I fully expect G to come back as good as ever, which is pretty good. And at least for fall, we have the extreme youth, young Chance.
Have a good winter. See you at Masse's. I'll bring the chocolate.
Milestones:
10/7
Chopper 300 r (#15)
10/14
Sting 50 sf (#2)
Chopper 400 rbi (#9)
Sting 950 ab (#10)
Lefty 550 ab (#18)
10/21
None
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