Serve It Up

Believe it or not, I try really hard to not make this about me. I mean, I am but one small cog on my teams.

But Tuesday night in our Transdyn game, we beat the Brews Bros so thoroughly that the only drama was when Tom gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth with the score 17-2 and we had to play another inning. And then in the sixth another (and then another but it was just a single since they had the limit two). So the final score was 17-7, and it wasn't that close. What to write about?

Well, I am bitter.

Why are you bitter, you ask?

I'm glad you asked. Here's the thing. The Brews Bros' pitcher, who knows D and maybe some others on our team through his father, came up to D and me as we watched the Sons of Pitches win the game before ours. He was real friendly-like, and chatted with D, and then introduced himself to me. He noted that he was the pitcher that night (little did we know that his wildness would greatly help our cause) and somehow the subject of home runs came up and I noted how I no longer have the power I never had - and he volunteered to throw me a gopher ball during the game. What a nice young man, I thought.

And then, the game. He gave me nada. Unless maybe his definition of gopher ball is different than mine. Because in the first inning he walked me on four pitches with the bases loaded to give me an RBI. There was my gift, because after that I couldn't get it out of the infield.

Bitter. Gopher, my ass.

Luckily, between the eight walks he issued we had plenty of guys to bang the ball off and over the wall.

The big blow was in the top of the third. We nursed a 3-2 lead through the second and D brought home our fourth run with a single (his second of three in a row). Up stepped Bert and towered one over the left field fence and suddenly it was 7-2 and this one was over. Clutch two out hits by Mario and a two-bagger by Jas, and it was 10-2 by inning's end. We added on in the next two innings until it was the aforementioned 17-2.

Cage continued his tear through this season with two scorched doubles including one to straight-away center (!) among four hits. He's hitting a cool .800. Only a lightning quick line drive right at the third baseman's glove kept him from a five for five night. Rusty had a very interesting night - it's hard to say they walked him intentionally since we had eight altogether but he had three his first three times up. Then he added a run scoring single to make it a perfect night. Bert led the way with six RBIs all told in a 3-3-and a SF night.

The defense was solid, but really Tom made it easy on us. Brian gets the walking wounded award, he took a couple of really bad hops off his body. We turned one DP. Rene made a great catch in the dusk gloom when the light is toughest.

Still perfect, one more win and we make it halfway through the season unblemished. Let's get it next game!

But I won't listen to the opposing pitcher any more. Damned millennials.

Milestones:

D           20 gw (#3)
Mario    600 ab (#10)
Jas        150 rbi (#13)
Brian     50 r (#32)

Can of Corn

This team is tough, relentless.

No I don't mean on the field - well, yes I do, but we'll get to that shortly.

What is tough is the razzing - before the games, during the games (not to mention the Stink Eye), and after the games - especially when we win.

In the last inning of our rout of Chico's Bail Bonds Sunday (final score 25-5) a ball was clobbered to right field. Our right fielder Haz (pronounce Haze) got a great jump, ran back to the spot, just like your coaches told you to do when you were ten, and turned around. His instincts were so good that when he turned around the ball was right there, and he reached up and snatched it.

It made almost no difference in the game's outcome, other than the final score, but underlined why JFT or the Coneheads or whatever we are at this juncture is so on top of this league - we play every play like it matters (it does) and we play excellent defense, which is rare in rec league softball.

But - by the time the Razzers came out on the sidelines over our beer and water, Haz was told, ah that was routine. Can of Corn. What else were you thinking?

And we all laughed. Including Haz. But we also all knew the truth, that Haz would make the same play if it was 18-17 and there were two outs and the tying run was on third, which is what makes us great.

Add to the defensive gems a couple of shots up the middle that Johnny stopped, filling in for Knight at Schmiddler. One he threw too low for the force and then they came right back at him on the next play and this time he was ready and got the out.

There may have been one or two heros on offense as well. There was no Conehead inning this game. Instead we did something I can't remember us ever doing - we scored at least four runs in every inning. 4-6-6-5-4 for 25 total in five innings. Can't really beat that.

We did it with a balance in the lineup that was remarkable in itself. Every player had a hit, a run and an RBI, and we batted 14. Sting was 2-2 with two walks including one with the bases loaded. Lefty, Ol' G, Johnny and Heffe were 3-3.

Sting had perhaps the most important hit of the game. In the second inning when we were 'muddling' along only up 7-2, with two outs he cleared the bases with a three run blast to left center. That pretty much sealed the deal less than one and a half innings into the game.

But it was Big D who stole the show. His next time up, leading off the third, he hit a ball that nearly made it into the trees on a fly. The right fielder saw it roll into the trees and pleaded mercy, aka ground rule double. Yeah right. D with his new found legs was already on his way to third, and there was no way it was a not a home run.

Then in the next inning he got a chance with runners on. He hit a shot that he claimed he got under, straight down the line. I'm told that it also made the trees (I couldn't see it from my angle in the dugout), and this time it was a three run Can of Corn only there was no can, just sweet corn. The rout continued until Chico's cried uncle after the fifth.

I swear in the handshake line I could read their eyes and thoughts - "Who are these guys?"

And the answer, of course, is we are the guys who turn tough catches into cans of corn.

* In last week's post, I mentioned the key hit of the game ("he put one over the right center fielder's head"), but the hitter remained unnamed. Sorry about that Pope.

Milestones:
Sting        10 hr (#1)
Heffe       150 rbi (#3)
Johnny     50 h (#21)

Grind and Bear It

Again, we had to play shorthanded.

Randy, D, Lefty, Bruce, Buddha, and Ol' G all missing.

And they all seemed to have good reasons to be away.

But then I stumbled upon this, taken Saturday night. Ol' G dancin' like tomorrow was never gonna come:

Did this have anything to do with why he wasn't at our game today? Hmmm, we'll never know. Now is that any way for a former Mr. Conehead to act?

And then who knows where those other AWOL Coneheads really are???

Nevertheless, with the crew we did have, we got locked into a defensive battle with the Polar Bears, our opponent in the championship game last year. That game we won 8-7, and this one wasn't much different. 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2 through 5, we never actually trailed and up came Sting with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth and laced a single to left. Game winner, but it was the next blow that gave us the cushion that allowed us to relax just a little. He put one over the right center fielder's head and two more came in and then he scored. The Polar Bears managed to put two up in response, and we added one in the top of the seventh, but they couldn't solve Joe for anything more in the last inning and the victory was ours.

The infield collectively had a very good game. Chuck at third, Knight at SS, and Johnny at 2B fielded everything that came their way, and on one wide throw Heffe came down the line to catch and tag the base runner, and on another dug one out of the dirt. Larry caught a ton of forces at rover covering second, and we nearly had about four double plays as he got rid of the ball quickly. Solid day.

Our newest rookie Aaron caught one that took off on him with a leap. He had a tough first game at the plate, getting robbed on a diving catch. But the hits will come for him. Chuck, back in his right spot, leadoff, had three hits. Knight had a perfect 2-2 plus a sac fly. Gene continued his hot start with a perfect 3-3 including a double. Pope had a double and triple to lead the way in extra base hits.

3-0 feels good, but it would be better if our guys didn't party so hard Saturday night so Joe could relax a little. OK G?

Milestone:

Sting        100 rbi (#10)

Ride the Big Wave!

Things are going so well for Transdyn that we don't miss the Beer Fairy from last year (D's OGF), or even that Sir Guy, after filling that role for a while, stopped and left us dry at the end of our wins. Ah those were the days my friend.

And win we have done in convincing fashion. I don't want to jinx anything but we have dominated the first third of the season as everybody has now played everyone else once, and we swept the series to go to 4-0.

This week the victim was DS Electric. Formerly known as the Big Kahunas. I guess they aren't so big any more as we slaughtered them 24-2. I think the electricity has even been shut off.

This is how it has gone: We hit at least 8 straight hits to start an inning twice. That's twice in three innings. And both times they were all singles. The second time, Rusty screwed it up - he hit a double for our ninth straight hit. After that, D only made an out because he refused to take a walk. He missed intentionally on ball four twice, and then nearly took the third baseman's glove off (he did catch it for a nice play). Bert stepped up and promptly smacked a ball nearly to Hacienda Business Park a mile away. I guess that is what you call an exclamation point!

Three guys with four hits, five with three, and everybody with at least two, now that's all around contributions. Jas scorched the ball every time up - only a leaping catch by the shortstop his first time up prevented a perfect 5-5. Cage led the way with six RBIs, followed by Bert with five.

And really my intention on this post was to just talk about our defense. We have now allowed less than half the number of runs (21) as the next best defense (46). It starts with pitching and Tom's ERA is falling precipitously. He had two Kahuna K's. Brian displayed some nifty glove work on a couple of balls in the hole. Hama at third - well no one knows if he just closed his eyes at just the right time - but he stuck a couple in his glove and got the outs. Nick kept track of one liner that was hit a lot harder than it must have appeared in the outfield, and the ball just kept rising, but Cage stayed with it til the out was made. And D showed some good hustle on a pop up foul behind him on the fence. Never an easy chore. Let me tell you as a first baseman - when I was in my twenties that was easy to get to, and now in my dotage, it would be a challenge. D is somewhere in between so it goes down as a great play.

It's a bad combination for the opposition - stellar defense complimented by a relentless offense. If we keep this up, the sky (a.k.a. Cotton) is the limit.

Ride the Big Wave!

Milestones:
4/19
Cage        900 ab (#5)
Jas           30 bb (#10)
Hama       30 2b (#15)
Tom         50 r (#30)

4/26
Cage        450 rbi (#1)
Tom         200 ab (#24)
Bert          50 rbi (#31)

Just One Look, That's All It Took

What a weird game.

There we were missing seven regulars, Chuck with his mystery injury so he wasn't leading off again, and our lineup didn't resemble anything like, well, our lineup. And the first two innings, we hit, or rather didn't hit like it.

And we had two K's in one inning.

But we scratched a run across a run in the top of the third to take our first lead on a ground out by tours truly. I was wondering if that run was going to have to stand up.

And then...

Our Conehead inning in the fourth started off innocently enough. A walk to Gene (who went 2-2 with two walks and 3 RBIs), and a fly out. But seven singles and a bases loaded walk later, Gene came up again and he busted it open with a two run Conehead double, which was our only extra base hit of the game. After another run scoring single and another bases loaded walk (the Holy Sox pitchers helped us out with eight walks altogether), it was 12-2 and the game might as well be called right then. The final score was 14-2.

Chopper and the Knight led us with three hits, and Pope joined Gene in the three RBI club. Chopper made the acrobatic play of the game on a throw home stretching this way and that while tiptoeing the plate. He can quit his day job - he has a future in the circus. No I didn't mean as a clown but as a trapeze artist.

Knight fought off the sun on a couple of high popups in shallow left, and Pope hung in on a tricky hard hit fly ball that got caught up in the wind. But mostly Joe just sent the Holy Sox back into the dugout after hitting Holy Rollers.

Hopefully we have both halves of our team next week.

Milestones:
4/17
Lefty        200 rbi (#1)
Sting        30 2b (#3)

4/24
Gene        30 bb (#3)
Gene        100 rbi (#9)
Haz          100 r (#10)
Knight      20 bb (#12)

Nobody beats Sunshine 23 times in a row!

Last night Steve Kerr channeled Vitas Gerulaitis in his post game press conference after the Warriors finally took down the Spurs at home after 33 straight losses in San Antone. "With apologies to (Vitas Gerulaitis), I'll use his line," Kerr said, paraphrasing the late tennis great. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, beats the Golden State Warriors 34 straight times. Nobody, you got that?"

And he rode off into the sunset.

The actual quote from Vitas was "And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row." – after beating Jimmy Connors at the January 1980 Masters. Gerulaitis had lost their previous 16 matches.

Well let me tell you, neither one has anything on Sunshine Saloon. We had lost 22 in a row OVERALL to Boomers in the regular season. None of this home and away stuff. And don't forget the Warriors beat San Antonio in the playoffs in Texas a couple of years ago in the last year before they became Champions.

Instead we also included 4 lost playoff games to the Blasted Boomers over the years. One year we had them 10-5 and coughed it up. Another year in the regular season we had that split game - we had them down 7-0 in the third inning of a game in April where they had everyone at Vegas or somewhere for Tournament play. The Softball Gods ripped open the sky, and since we hadn't made the fourth inning yet they suspended the game when the deluge came. When we continued the game two months later, they outscored us 9-1 for the rest of the innings to win 9-8.

I had given up on this league and was going to quit this season. There was no drama - beat the 4 Speeds a couple, lose to Bada Bing a couple, play competitive against Boomers but go home empty. Make the playoffs only to lose to Boomers again. The OAKS quit the league last year and that was our last actual rival. There was no point. Woe was me. I was feeling sorry for myself.

Then in the off season I ran into the manager of the OAKS in the Walnut Creaker MDSSL league (we were going to be on the same team until I got a job). He said their demise was premature - he had back surgery last year and no one wanted to play while he was recovering. So they are back (pun sort of intended) (by the way he was the one effusively congratulating us after the game as the OAKS took our dugout for the next game).

And we added Pauly and Greg, and Lamont and Chris were coming back (although...), and suddenly there was a glint of hope. Now am I glad I came back, even if the highlights only include this game!

Because we threw off the Monkey. Last time we beat Boomers (6/2/2010) it took an improbable eight run bottom of the sixth to tie them and then they were in such shock they went out without scoring in the seventh and we pushed across a run to win it.

This time, we did spot them a 7-0 lead after two. But we actually kind of dominated them the rest of the way, outscoring them 16-1 over the next five frames. That is no fluke - they had chance after chance to come back. Tom had them all trying to hit 15 run homers because that is what they think they do. But our outfielders tracked them all down. Really Tom had them eating out of his hand. The Hammer hammered it right into our gloves. Mark Green hit towering flies to Frank in left center. Greg ran everything down in left field, as did Gordon and Al on the right side. Everything went our way. I told Tim to play over a couple of steps on one guy and he hit it right to him.

But the story was our offense, which woke up in a big way. There were hits all up in down the lineup. Al, Tim, Steve and Don at the bottom were collectively 12-14 with six RBIs. Bottom of the order hits, we win. Not to be outdone, the top of the lineup had four of six hitters (Tom, Mark, Heff and Paul) with three hits, and Greg had a double and a triple good for three RBIs.

Boomer's Bangers changed their name to the Renegades - their tournament team name. We are undefeated against the Renegades - time to start a different sort of streak.

On Solid Ground

Your Golden State Warriors are the metaphor du jour for all good team play, these days. Who can argue with 72-9 going into the last day of the season, with a chance to take down the all time record for wins in a season in the 70 years of NBA History. We won't mention the other countless records they have set this year, and this is on top of winning the whole shebang last year, yet emerging the hungriest team in the NBA.

The Warriors, as we know, are so good that they get sloppy at times, and this leads to the few losses and close games that shouldn't be. Coach Steve Kerr likes to say that he wants them to play "solid". By this he means make the routine play; be consistent; don't try to be a hero, just make the high percentage play. The outstanding plays will then follow without trying to force them.

Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't, just as Nick sometimes must throw behind the runner from left center to first base as he did last week. The point is that there is a balance in there somewhere.

Which leads me in my roundabout way to talking about our opener and what this season looks like.

Adding Rusty to the lineup just makes this team SOLID. It's not like we weren't successful before, but sometimes that last piece is what you need to push you to the next championship. No pressure Rusty, but you filled that role for us perfectly.

So that's what I felt driving home from our last game (wanting to actually forget the Warrior loss later that night) - we played solid. It started with good defense in the first, holding a good hitting Brew Crew to a single run. Tom had them reaching to try to jack the ball out all night, and it led to a lot of easy fly ball outs.

And then we came up in the bottom, and after a single, walk, single, single to tie it up and load the bases, up strode our version of the three pointer - Big D. Ironically, Steph Curry is probably about the same height but on the basketball court he looks like a little guy. Not so D on a softball field. He hit a laser shot over the right center fence for the slam and we never looked back.

In the second it came back around to the top of the lineup, and once again, it was Jason, Cage, Rusty and D putting up another five runs, with an assist from Albert, Pauly and Heffe. Solid.

At that point you're thinking, well can we just put up five every inning and win like 30 to whatever?  But instead it got to be a defensive duel in the middle innings - some nice catches by Rusty and Cage, and Albert, and some wildly entertaining dancing if not completed putouts by our prima ballerina third baseman Pauly.

In the fifth we pushed across another two runs, and in the sixth Rusty put the icing on the cake with a three run Jack; he had flirted with a couple of long fouls and a deep flyout and had to settle for two hard line drive singles to that point. He was determined to put it out. Just in time, I might add, to make Bert's followup deep fly a single as we were over the limit. So Bert had to settle for a quiet 4-4, and will probably complain that D and Rusty took all his RBI chances away. Which they did.

But again with the Warriors comparison - it's about the extra pass, in our case the extra at bat, and we are solid from 1-12 this year in the lineup.

Milestone:
Bert        100 ab (#40)