Oh Johnny! Oh Johnny! Oh Johnny Oh!

When I was a kid, there was a sing song I thought was called Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny! I thought that was 90% of the lyrics of it. the other part being Oh!. As in:

Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny,
Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!
Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny,
Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!

My Parents' Best Friends' daughter Ellen (who was two years older than me and I had a tremendous crush on) used to tease me by changing Johnny to Jeffrey.

Oh Jeffrey, Oh Jeffrey,
Oh Jeffrey, Oh Jeffrey, Oh!
Oh Jeffrey, Oh Jeffrey,
Oh Jeffrey, Oh Jeffrey, Oh!

I was so embarrassed and crushed at this that I would usually run out of the room, but I was secretly flattered as an eight year old should be.

*see PS note for a good laugh

And then when I had toddlers, one of the games we would play was Johnny Whoops. This would involve putting a child on my knee and jumping my leg up and down over and over, all the while chanting Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, and then when she least expected it, call out "Whoops" while lowering my leg quickly so my daughter would slide down on my leg (not hurting her) and she would start laughing as she slipped down. And then call out "Again!"

This may seem like useless nostalgia but in fact it has a reason. Our Left Fielder Johnny G has on occasion complained about not getting enough press, so now, Johnny, You Are Covered.

Note: The Johnny Whoops has nothing to do with any potential shortcomings in left field like the one where you nearly made an almost impossible catch while blinded by the sun, but it got the best of you that once at the last second.

No it's more about the catch in the same blinding sun and the gun to second to get the last two outs of the game. Except it wasn't, because Team Green claimed Charlie U tagged up so he had to be tagged on the throw.

And the one in the sixth where you started a 7 (LF Johnny) to 6 (SS David) to 5 (3B Rousso) to 2 (C Sandy) Art Miner home run robbery with a strike to David.

Bravo! And of course you were 3-3 and the only out you made was a sac fly. 

Enough?

There were many other stories in this game. We took a 5-1 lead in the first without making an out. But Team Green came back to catch us at 11 in the fourth. In the fifth and sixth we took command again with a pair of five run innings but the Greens scratched back to tie us in the top of the eighth. Then they gifted us five runs in the bottom of the eighth with some bad defense before clutch hits by Dan, David and Mike at the top of the order. That really put them away and Johnny made sure in the ninth. It was over at 28-23.

Team BS had another fabulous relay out, the first out in the second. This one went from 8 (LC Sloat) to 6 (David) to 1 (P Chuck) to 2 (C Sandy) to throw out another potential home run hitter. There were three things the outs at home had in common. The initial throws were each fired on target with speed to the next cutoff. The relays were turned quickly. The last throws were dug out by Sandy from the dirt on one and a low throw on the other. Bravo!

In the fifth, Chuck earned his new nickname (Roomba) (for the bazillionth time). This was on a one hop smash off the bat of Greg Wilson, the hardest hitting lefty in the league, that he stuck into his glove making it into a relatively easy out. Sandy in right and Sloat in LC made great catches for the other two outs in that inning.

But for comic relief Sloat takes the cake (as usual?). He made the toughest catch of the day in the first, going deep into left center to chase a blast down. Quite remarkable. And then to celebrate, he kept jogging deeper into the outfield, rejoicing. And forgetting the speedy Miner was on second tagging up and just kept running all the way home without a throw.

Mike led the hitting barrage with five RBIs on a 5-5 day (one double). Dan, pressed into the leadoff position because Brian's note somehow didn't get to coach Dave, had a monster day. Two doubles, a triple and four RBIs while going 4-5.

A leadoff hitter gets four RBIs because once again, the bottom of the lineup stuffed the bases all game. Helen was 3-3 with a walk. Sandy was 3-4, her only out breaking a streak of eight straight hits going back to October. Jerry was 3-4, Chuck had a couple of knocks including the hit that put us up for good, and rookie Greg started his Creaker career with a two run triple (after strategically whiffing on a high pitch to bring in the outfield), and also had two hits.

Everyone in the lineup had at least two hits, in fact. Mike had five, Dan four, Sloat was 4-4, the other Rousso joined Dave R and Johnny G and Helen and Jerry with three. Four players drove in a fifth run in an inning, Sloat in the first, David in the sixth, Mike in the eighth, and Heffe in the fifth with two outs.

Clutch hitting throughout even though some were gifts.

So we cemented our spot in first place in a league that doesn't keep standings! Keep it up!

p.s. I found Oh Johnny Oh by the Andrews Sisters from 1939. I think Johnny G was born around then. In fact there are lyrics! Enjoy:

Oh Johnny! Oh Johnny! Oh!

You're not handsome, it's true
But when I look at you
I just, Oh, Johnny!
Oh, Johnny! Oh!

p.s..s. I think we have another new nickname: Johnny Whoops. Or maybe just Oh Johnny. Team vote?

Bottoms Up!

If you look at the stats, you may notice that at the top are Marty and myself, the two August 2nd birthday boys. Now in my case it may be a fluke; Marty is a legit power and average hitter. But the point is that today we sat out with various ailments, threw down the gauntlet and challenged the team to win one for the Leos!

And the Black Shirts responded with a game that was not completely perfect, but was nonetheless a complete game - clutch hitting, clutch pitching, and some very good defense.

Have a game David in the three hole! Five for five, two doubles, a triple, and SEVEN RBIs. And behind him Mike with four for five, two doubles and six RBIs.

But look closer - there were base runners all over the place for those guys. And look at who they were: Brian (2-4, BB) and Dan (4-5), of course, batting one and two, but beyond that Sandy and Chuck were 8-8 between them in the last two spots in the order. Bottoms up! Bottoms on! Bottoms score! And when Steve S wasn't battering himself in the base path to first he was right there in front of them: Three of our four five run innings were started by Steve or Sandy and Brian came up with two or three runners on and no outs.

Now that's a formula for success.

In the mean time there were some very, uh, entertaining plays. Steve S getting out of the box and running into the ball took some real talent. Steve is always entertaining. And on the other end, in the fourth, Johnny G, blinded by the bright sun in left, stuck his glove hand out to where he thought the ball was, turned his head away, and plunk! right there in the pocket. Just like his coaches taught him!

And finally the old 10 (Dave R in right) to 11 (Helen at rover) to 2 (Sandy catching) to 5 (Mike at 3B) putout to get the last out in the second inning. It was almost an afterthought that Team Four scored two on the hit.

David also caught a blast to left center in the sun, also in the second. Steve R made a sliding catch in the same position in the third. Jerry stood tall to snare a line drive to first that no one else in the team could possibly reach to end that inning. On a grounder in the fifth, the throw to get a force at second was off line and Helen alertly came off the bag and managed to tag the runner. In the sixth, David (SS) and Sandy at first made back to back plays with Sandy stretched out to get the close throw. And finally, Helen made a fine play to nail the speedy Doug Hearth in the eighth to keep Team Four from a big comeback inning with the Heart(h) of their lineup up.

We jumped out to a lead, (10-5 after two), withstood their comeback (12-12 after five), and then shut them down (one run in the 6th, 7th, and 8th) while pouring it on with five run innings in the sixth and eighth. Now that's the formula of victory, 22-16!

Bottoms up!