The Lantern is Lit, Green 19 - Scarlet 8

Sometimes you play a nearly perfect game. Today Green did as close as a bunch of old men can come to doing that. We made but one error and it was in the first or second inning, on our way to routing Scarlet O'Hara ("Frankly Frank, I don't give a damn") by a score of 19-8.

Scarlet's lineup is intimidating. We managed to get out of the first and score four of our own before they came up with five in the top of the second. But after that, Mark Narciso and Chris Nielsen and our defense allowed but one run in innings 3-8. We scored our only five spot in the fourth to go up 11-6 and never looked back. Scarlet finally broke through in the ninth for two runs, but Nielsen had shut them out against him until then in four straight innings.

The defense was tremendous and unrelenting. We made all the routine plays and then a few turned in spectacular ones as well. Lamont Thompson caught a line drive on the first play of the game at first base. When he moved to rover in the fifth, he came in on a ball in no man's land between the mound and second and snared a soft liner. In the next inning playing catcher, he hustled out toward third base to catch a popup that is usually a back breaker when it drops. Very few Creakers make that play.

Matt Meredith is a revelation at 2B. He leapt high in the seventh (OK in Creakerland 'leap' is a relative term) to snag a shot ticketed to right center field. On another tough grounder with a runner on second in the fourth, after catching a one hopper, he moved toward him to freeze him on the bag, and then fired to first for the out on the batter. Textbook. He made two of the outs that inning. Mike Nagy at third made his usual couple of plays on hard hit grounders trying to get to left field, including getting the speedy Lee Namanny for the third out with runners on in the third to keep Scarlet scoreless in that frame. Darren Bobosky made a great running catch in the sixth in deep left center. And Nielsen shut out the heart of Scarlet on four pitches in the eighth.

Let's face it, Scarlet turned even redder many times in the game as they gave us gift after gift when we were hitting. But we made the most of them. Bobrosky, Greg Wilson and Nielsen were each 4-4. Darren scored four times, and Wilson drove in a single run in every at bat to lead the team with four. How's that shift working for our opponents?

We hit .630 as a team, and everyone with one unnotable exception (not mentioning any names) had at least one knock. Tim Orr, Tony Gorgone, Angelo Rizzuto, Nagy, Nielsen and Meredith had long balls and although none were home runs, all but Orr's leadoff double in the first produced runs.

The Green Lantern is Lit!

Comeback of the Year (So Far), Green 15 - White 13

Once in a very long while, you play in a game that is just the perfect feel good game. Sometimes it is just because you simply dominated the other team, and pummeled them to death. You all feel pretty good about yourselves.

But the games you really take pride in are the ones where you come back against all odds and walk away with the opposition stunned, and smiles all around on your team. I mean really all Creakers are just happy to be enjoying the sunshine and playing a boys' game but the sun is brighter (and the refreshments taste better) after a win.

Today, Green spotted the tough White lineup a ten nothing lead after two innings. Every ball they hit was between us or we botched it, and every ball we hit was a line drive right at someone or one of their very good outfielders was making a great running catch.

We could have been as down in spirit as the score indicated. Indeed, our manager tends to dwell on the negative too much. But we have the ultimate cheerleader in Mike Nagy. He never lets us get down and no matter how dire the situation is, he always thinks we can come back. He led the cheers as we chipped away at the lead, even though we did not catch up until the ninth inning.

And come back we did. We held that fearsome White lineup to three more runs the rest of the game - that's seven innings. Our pitching kicked in (Chris Nielsen is the best closer around). Our fielding came around. And we chipped away with two in the third, four in the fourth, one in the sixth, three in the seventh, and suddenly we went into the open inning just down three runs at 13-10.

Coach Heffe led off the winning rally with a hit. Tim Orr and Darren Bobrosky followed suit, and it was bases loaded, no one out and the heart of the order up. But then two groundouts left us at 13-11, and we hung by a thread with two outs. Lamont Thompson strode up and hit a line shot into the outfield, and on a bobble Greg Wilson scored all the way from first and we were tied. And LT, a speedster in his youth I hear, against all odds rumbled to second base to get in scoring position as the lead run. He would have been fined if he was out, but that guy has the best instincts, and not only was the throw dropped but I think he actually beat it. Paul Lisi and Kevin Fisher came up with two more clutch two out hits, and we took a precarious 15-13 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

The first batter hit a screaming AND knuckling line drive toward right center but second baseman Tony Gorgone said no way and snagged it. The first out is huge when protecting a lead in the last inning, and that just made the White hitters tighter. After a hit, the next batter hit a blooper into shallow center - early in the game that would have fallen in - but center fielder Orr was just as determined and dove and caught it. Two outs. The runner on first took off on contact and I am sure if Tim hadn't had to dive he would have ended the game right there on a double play but couldn't make a throw from the ground. No problem, as the next batter made a routine out, and it was a win in the Green corner 15-13.

Other defensive gems were a running catch near the foul line and in the sun by left fielder Bobrosky in the fourth, and a slick runner gunned out at home play from Orr to shortstop Angie Rizzato to David Partridge in the fifth. Third baseman Nagy turned a bases loaded popup in a tricky wind in foul territory into an out in the sixth. That set up a Matt Meredith (2B) to Wilson (Rover) to Heffe double play to end the inning with no runs, and it was a momentum changer.

In the seventh, Nielsen went to his knees to snag a shot up the middle, and got the out with a throw from the ground. In the eighth Green turned an unlikely SS (Rizzato) to 3B (Nagy) to second double play to end the inning.

As you can see defense wins games.

Our hitters took a while to come around, but we hit when it counted. Wilson had a hustle double among his three hits. LT duplicated that hustle as noted already and had two hits and a Sac fly. Meredith had a clutch two run two out double in the third.

But it was pitching and defense that was the difference in this game - and the Nagy Never Say Die Attitude.

As James Brown famously sang (sing along Mike)-

Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now

I feel good, I knew that I would, now

So good, so good, I got you

Momma Told Me Don't Be Green With Envy, Orange 30-Green 17

My momma told me if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

So I will be brief (for me).

Orange outplayed Green in all facets of the game Tuesday, and came out on top 30-17, We gave up five in the top of the first (what happened to the Curse?) and five more in the third but actually kept it close for a few innings - we trailed only 12-10 after four innings.

However, the relentless Orange Crush kept after us and scored five in the sixth, seventh and eighth to turn Green into Vomit. We had a few defensive lapses, but really I tip my hat to their hitting.

Lamont Thompson drove in six runs on three hits including two doubles. Val Hornstein was a doubles machine - three of his four hits were doubles as he ran aggressively. Greg Wilson had an opposite field triple and double to beat the extreme shift Orange put on him. And then made the loudest out of the game when he sent one nearly to the trees in right center - right where the outfielder was playing. It was that kind of day for the Mean Green.

David Partridge also had three hits and Matt Meredith drove in four and each had a triple. Matt also made a couple of fine plays at second base.

Well, the cliche after a game like this is "It's early in the season". Right Mom?

Practice Schmactice...

My dad modified the well known cliche, saying, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you win!"

And I created a corollary, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's just a hell of a lot more fun to win!"

And so, Team Green put a win in our pocket for this practice season today, 17-13 over Royal.

We did it some very significant individual and team contributions in ways that really count.

Great defense:

• In the first, Angie started a SS to Phil at Rover to LT at first, who scooped a low throw. The top of the Royal lineup is excellent, and this play set the tone for the game.
• In the second, David made a great running catch in LF. Angie stabbed a one hop hot shot in the 5-6 hole and snapped a perfect throw to first. And to finish the trifecta in the inning, Mike grabbed a grounder on the third base line before it could go foul and heffe corralled his low throw.
• In the fourth, with the potential fifth run on third, Darren caught the second out and threw a perfect one hopper to LT at home to nail the runner. By the way, I have never seen a Creaker who plays the left sun fields at Heather Farm better than Darren. 
• David made another nice catch running in playing right field later in the game.
• Matt had a stellar game at 2B, he made a number of plays including a hot shot to his abdomen in the last inning that he turned into an out.

And as I think will become the norm this season, excellent pitching by Mark and Chris, which is part of great defense. Royal's top of the order got four in the ninth, but before that we held a potent lineup to nine runs in eight innings.

Phil was the hitting star with two triples in his three ABs.

Two significant notes on the offense. The ability to "add on" is extremely important in softball with the high scoring games we see. When Royal scored seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings, we responded with four in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth. That gave us a dominating 14-7 lead, and we cruised onward.

Second was that the fifth inning rally came with two outs and no one on. Mike had opened with a single and then LT sent a laser shot to right center that the fielder caught after a bobble. Mike went for second and was nailed out. But then, Paul, Mark, Greg, Tony, Chris and David put together consecutive two out singles to plate four runs. That's huge.

Four times we strung together four, five, or six straight hits to generate run scoring rallies. That's huge.

Phil had the two triples, Darren had a perfect 4-4 day, and LT, Greg and Phil led the way with three RBIs each. Everyone had at least one hit.

It's how you win!