This is a story about loyalty.
All season, after Creaker Ball, I have gone to my favorite taco joint in Pleasant Hill for Taco Tuesday. I get enough tacos for lunch and dinner for me and my girlfriend. She is a teacher - she was home on Zoom through summer school but now is back in the classroom. But we have continued the tradition, except I just get her enough tacos for dinner only.
Well, my place in PH was slipping - they were slow to answer the phone (I always ordered ahead). And they were slow, slow slow to get the food out. I think they changed management. This coincided with my discovery of one of those Top Ten Tacos in the Bay area Chronicle lists, and there was one on it in Concord nearby on Monument Blvd. that was all rave reviews. I decided to try it today. After I collected my food, I drove out along the strip mall and pow! a truck just backs up right into my car, crushing the front right fender and wheel well and bumper and various other parts and pieces, and rendering my car un-drivable. So I spent the whole afternoon, when I should have been celebrating the Orange victory over White today, dealing with insurance, the tow truck, the body shop, and car rental. All because I was not loyal to my taco shop. Live and Learn.
In the mean time, Lamont Thompson, who thought his softball days were over two months ago, tried to return to his Scarlet team (he played for them last week), but they had replaced him on the roster (as they should have), and we picked him up, since we were down to 13 bodies. All he did today was hit a single, double, and triple (the mini-cycle) for his new team, including the three run bases loaded double that put us ahead to stay in the fifth. So I am glad his loyalty went from Scarlet to Team Orange!
He was not the only one that hit. Greg Wilson hit another bomb - his ninth of the season (he must be the league leader?) and added a triple for a 4-4 day with four RBIs. Mark Edelstone was 5-5, and had two home runs taken away because the fifth run of the fourth and eighth innings scored on his hits ahead of him. He had seven RBIs. Recently anointed leadoff hitter Ron Schwab was 3-4 plus a walk setting the table every other inning. Brian Black continued his comeback from his recent slump with a 3-4 day. Bob Carver brought hits down from his vacation in Alaska, also going 3-4, as was Howard Davis.
The defense started and ended with pitching. We were shaky on defense the first few innings, and it cost starter Mark Narciso some unearned runs. Once we settled down, he held the tough White lineup to one run over his last two innings. And along the way he made several of the finest plays of the day on comebacker-smashes that he stabbed. Jay Chafetz made his usual assortment of great catches, whether in left field or right center. We turned at least two double plays - one started by Schwab at SS, and one started by Mike Saindon at 3B.
Finally, our new late inning specialist super-closer Davis came into the game in the sixth, and held White to one run over four innings while we added on 11 runs to salt away the game.
Another team win for the Orange Crush! We stayed loyal through our losing streak!
I guess I will return to my old Taco place. Never mind the wait - it was a lot faster than what I went through today!
(Although I have to say the burrito I had while I waited for the tow truck was really really good).
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