Team Cuervo lays the Golden Egg, losing to Lt. Blue 20-13

These days, there is a trend toward very lengthy descriptions of our games.

Well, today, taking a suggestion from Helen Kostoff, Rover extraordinaire, I have but two words:

We sucked.

All right, as much as I would like to leave it at that, I will go on some. There were some highlights.

First of all the game was decided mainly because we just stopped hitting. We were ahead 10-7 after four, and only trailed 15-13 after seven. But you can't score one run in the last four innings and expect to win against a competitive team like Light Blue.

Some hitters had fine games. Leadoff Willie Hollis hit four line drive singles in four ABs. As did Dan DeClercq with his including two doubles, and Charlie Uhlman with one two bagger. Dick Stanley was 2-3 but led the way with 4 RBIs. The Manager and Andy Steinberg had three hits each. But outside of a four run third and a five run fourth, we just couldn't string together hits.

There were a few defensive highlights: In the first we recorded three outstanding putouts, DeClercq made a fine running catch for out number one. Pitcher Steve Bedrick snared a hot shot up the middle for out number two and Steinberg jumped sideways to snag the third out on another line drive. If you had asked me at that point I would have said this game is going to go our way.

In the third SS Tom Sciarrino took care of a line drive and then fired to third to nail a runner who had drifted off the bag. Kostoff made a nice over the shoulder catch of a popup in shallow left in the fourth. Following that Dale Browne knocked down a tough in between hop grounder and managed to scramble after it and fire to first to get the out.

But that was about it as the defense kind of fell apart along with the offense late. We will just have to regroup and come back strong after the break.

It's Not a Cuervo Game Until Chuck Gets Dirty, Cuervo Over B-Y, 20-18

My dirty co-manager-HOF announcer Chuck Howlett, subject of this article's title, dubbed our team Cuervo Gold at the beginning of the season. Around the sixth inning, our team realized we did not know the meaning of "Cuervo." Of course as good consumers of the liquor of Calisco, we all know the alcohol brand. But what does it mean?

Charlie Uhlman looked it up when we were in the dugout. As it turns out, it means large black bird, i.e. raven or crow (do NOT start with the Ravin Kravin jokes). We are the Golden Ravens as it turns out, which does not make much sense but there you have it (Note: According to the Internet, which never lies, ravens are known as extremely smart birds, on a par with chimpanzees and dolphins in the brains department. So you can think of us a smart as chimps).

There was a game in between looking up interesting facts on the internet. After blasting out of the gate with a five run first, we spent the rest of the game fending off the curse of the first. We had leads of 7-3, 12-7, 14-8, 17-13. We kept adding on, but B-Y refused to give in, and just kept coming back. After a scoreless sixth, they answered our three with five in the seventh, and it was 20-18. By this time, it was 11:34 and the eighth had to be the open inning.

As often happens, the game came down to the bottom of the order. In the fourth, for example our bottom started with three straight hits. Sadly, in that case the top did not capitalize and we only scored two. But both teams had the bottom half coming up in the open eighth.

B-Y second baseman Bob Vitro picked that time to keep up with our Dale Browne. Browne had made all three outs in the bottom of the sixth. Now Vitro returned the favor snagging three straight ground balls.

We were facing the very bottom of the B-Y lineup. Looming large was Greg Mathers, who by virtue of arriving late was batting last, or fourth that inning. If he came up with runner(s) on, we were in world of hurt. But Steve Bedrick, our bedrock, bore down and induced a pop fly to third, an easy grounder and a second pop fly to set them down in order and the 20-18 score stuck,

As noted, Howlett got dirty a few times. He grabbed a couple of grounders that no one else gets to. He corralled a smash to third, but couldn't quite get a speedy runner one inning.  He also leapt high to get a line drive out in his inning subbing for Helen Kostoff at SS in the fourth. He made a brilliant play in the first - Kostoff took a grounder to SS and flipped to him at second and he fired a throw to nail a runner trying to come home from third. Catcher Jay Edwards made a nice pickup of the one hopper.

On offense it was the middle of the order that carried us. Jim Alexander completed his coming out as a force to be reckoned with. He hit three bombs - a triple in the first, a double in the second. The third time up as soon as I saw the hit, I realized he needed to be urged on to go all the way. I started yelling "Run, Jim, Run" and he hustled all the way around the diamond. Dick Stanley (who had his usual 4-4 day) was running in front of him. "Run, Dick, Run! Run, Jim, Run! See Dick Run! See Jim Run." it was like a first grade reader.

Alexander had six RBis all told. Not to be outdone, Uhlman was also 4-4, with two doubles and a triple, and managed to get three RBIs despite the fact that Alexander mostly cleared the bases in front of him. Of course, Charlie leads the league in 'stolen' bases, as he took extra bases on three of his hits. The coach could not scold him this game because he got away with it every time. You can't coach speed, and daring.

Edwards went 3-4, and Donn King, Bedrock, and Howlett were a combined 6-8, proving my mantra, the bottom of the order hits, we win.

It was a fun competitive game, even though they say the the ND is not about competition. Two evenly matched teams, in a close game. There's nothing better in softball than that.

A Day Late, A Wilbur Leap Short, Orange Over Gold, 20-16

Today, I woke up and the internet was out and my laptop was nowhere to be found. It was a 2020s cultural crisis! The laptop was actually missing because, wait for it, I got a new laptop! It was busy getting a data dump from my old laptop, and I was forced to actually read a book today.

My old one was almost as old as my Creaker career is long. From now on, my articles will be faster, smarter, and streamlined, And I will also run faster, jump higher, and hit the ball harder! And I will be able to bend over to get those grounders I used to get to with no problem (unlike in Thursday's loss to Orange). I will play like it's 2011!

Yes, dreams and fantasies are good.

But the reality is that Team Cuervo coughed it up to the tough Orange Crush with some dubious defense in the middle innings and let them get away with a four run win.

Elsewhere, the esteemed Clay Kallam documented the crucial play of the game - a leaping Wilbur catch/robbery on Steve Bedrick's no out, bases loaded line shot seemingly destined for the right field line to score two to bring the tying run to first and the leading run to the plate in the last inning. Sure we will never know if we would actually have caught Orange, or if we would have gotten them out in the home half of the inning. But we know that the DP burst the balloon and we went down 20-16.

I am here mostly to recognize the players who made the Cuervo Highlight reel. Chuck Howlett and Helen Kostoff had stellar defensive games, Howlett had his usual dives at second base for outs a couple of times. Kostoff, who was playing out of position at SS on a strained Achilles, and had played a doubleheader until 10 pm Wednesday night, went deep into the hole and backhanded a grounder, fired to Howlett who relayed to first for a DP in the sixth.

Woody Whitlatch made a fine running catch in left in the seventh, and Charlie Uhlman had one likewise earlier in the game in right.

We gave it our best shot - yes missing some key players, but there are no excuses in softball. We scored 15 runs in the first four innings, but ran out of gas and could never get the big hit in the last four frames.

Uhlman led the offense with a 4-4, two double game. Kostoff, Heffe, and Dan DeClercq all had three hits and three RBIs at the top of the lineup. Jay Edwards joined them with three hits. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit.

This week we should be at full strength and we'll see how much that helps.

Fool's Gold, Purple over Team Cuervo, 21-14

I take the blame for this one. I texted Helen Kostoff that I would not be bringing the bacon Thursday for her fabulous 'shots' (for the uninitiated it's Irish Whiskey/Butterscotch Schnapps with a chaser of OJ and a chaser chaser of a piece of bacon). I bring the bacon (so to speak). The ultimate post-game celebratory pickup.

This left Team Cuervo with no postgame incentive and after taking a 14-9 lead in the sixth inning we were outscored 10-0 the rest of the way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. It was rumored that several teammates were wandering about between innings looking under the bleachers and searching all the way to the Dog Park for said comestibles. 

We had some defensive highlights - Charlie Uhlman making a great catch on a hot drive to left in the first, turning a SS Jim Alexander - to R Kostoff to 1B the bacon whiffer double play in the second, and 2B Chuck Howlett diving to his left to rob a Purpler on a line drive in the eighth (one of several great Howlett plays as usual).

Alexander (4-4, 2 doubles) and Howlett had great games at the plate (3-3). Uhlman was right behind them with a 3-4 day. Everyone had at least one knock and nearly everyone drove in a run.

But too many hitters were 2-4 and TC could only muster five hits in the last three innings. Could it have anything to do with the fact the Mike Howard came in to ice the game?

The Revue

This is as close as I ever got to Tina Turner.

Sidebar - she was actually born Anna Mae Bullock and lived much of her childhood and then the beginning of her career with Ike Turner in St. Louis, MO, my home town. And my family and extended family had a 'cleaning lady' named Anna Mae Williams (she worked for my aunt and my baba too) , a very buxom black woman who essentially was my after school care, when my suburban mother went wherever suburban housewives went with their friends in the afternoon, which was usually shopping.

But I digress.

Years later in my twenties, I drove a cab nights in San Francisco while supporting myself in years 3-5 of being a Senior at UC Berkeley. One rainy night in January, I picked up an African American couple right in front of the ACT Theater, which was the cornerstone of San Francisco's theater district. They wanted to go to Bay View, which was a very sketchy part of town. Bay View was interesting in that it was just up the hill from Hunters' Point, which was one of the few East Coast type housing projects in SF. Interesting in that it looked  harmless enough - modern apartment buildings that were not rundown looking at all. But it was just as dangerous as Hunter's Point, appearances aside.

So the couple gets in my cab, but she (who was a very heavyset woman) gets in the back and immediately passes out all over the seat. In the meantime the man gets in the passenger seat next to me. I am terrified by now, but I was so naïve that I only once of twice ever refused to take a fare to a destination.

He starts to tell me how he was the bass player in Ike and Tina Turners' band. And he wants to sing "Rollin' Down the River" and he wants me to join in.

So there I am shaking in my boots and singing at the top of my lungs "I left a good job in the city,

Working for the man every night and day..." and driving the five miles or so to Bay View. We get to the designated street, which has to be the narrowest street in SF, and has parked cars wall to wall up and down the street, and he suddenly says "Pull in here" into a driveway. By now it's raining. He says, he has to run in to get the money for the ride. Ok, then. Now I am waiting, and waiting and suddenly a car comes down the street and stops right behind me on the street. I'm totally boxed in. I am sure that this is part of the setup and I can see the headlines - "College Kid Destroyed in Bay View While Rolling Down the River."

But the car eventually moves on. Whew. I am debating should I just chalk it up to naivety and move on with my health intact? And then he re-emerges. He comes to the driver's side window. "Roll it down so I can talk to you." I am not about to expose any more than absolutely necessary. I roll it down the tiniest crack. "I need $20 in change so I can give my friend change for a twenty to give you." (the fare was $5 or $6 and something in change). I weigh this in my mind. On the one hand, $20. On the other, my life. Hmm, not much of a debate, and I slide the money through the sliver of open window. It really didn't even make any sense, but what the hell, I am beyond logic at this point. He disappears into the house again, and then quickly comes back out, but instead of returning to the cab, he turns right and disappears between two houses down the street. Well, I guess he got his fix, on me.

Now I have the woman in the back of my cab. I figure well, if she is still alive, I maybe could get the fare from her. But I am not about to wake her up, and make a beeline to the nearest known police station. I go into the precinct, and tell them my story. They are sympathetic and go out and roust her out of my cab. She struggles into the station and they take her to the other side of the room. The cop comes over to me and says, "she has no money on her." So that is that, I did escape with my life, $20 lighter. He tells me that she has a rap sheet as long as my arm, including felony armed robbery and multiple assaults with a deadly weapon. And that is just her. He asks if I want to press charges. I say, "no need really, I am not about to confront her in court." but he says I don't have to show up, but it least she will have to (or just add to the long list?) I say sure, whatever. He looks at me quizzically, and says, "I don't know who has the worse job, you or me," and I answer, "You do", I can drive away now.

All is Golden - Team Cuervo 18, Maroon 17

For the second week in a row, Team Cuervo played mostly great defense and had timely hitting and put away the Maroons 18-17. It was a back and forth game with five lead changes. They were up 3-1, we came back to lead 7-4 in the third, they roared back with a five run fourth to go back up 11-7. We traded three run innings in the sixth and zeroes in the scoreless seventh. But Gold dug deep with a five run eighth and three run ninth, and held off Maroon in the ninth with the tying and winning runs on base.

We only had eleven players, and infielders Donn King, Andy Steinberg, Tom Sciarrino, Jeff Kravin, and Chuck Howlett each made at least one great play. We turned a double play on Mike Piscotty on a hot shot to shortstop.

Play of the game was a grounder to the substitute Rover's right, and being left handed he caught it on his forehand side but didn't have time to turn to throw back to second. At the last second I saw that 2B Howlett was getting to second slower than I thought, so I kind of lunged and flung a backhanded wild throw. I swear Chuck, who might be all of 5'5", elongated like a cartoon character and snagged the ball (before it got out to right field) for the force out. Bravo Chuck!

However, the best infielder might have been Jay Edwards, who caught most of the game. Twice there were dribblers in front of the plate, and he pounced on them like a cat. On the first one he fired to King at first. Then he outdid himself in the ninth with the game on the line and got a force out on the lead runner by throwing to Steinberg at 3B. It's a rarity for a Creaker catcher to jump out and get one out in a game much less two on balls hit like that.

Outfielders Charlie Uhlman, Willie Hollis, Dick Stanley, and Dan Declercq were solid all game.

Woody Whitlatch was pressed into duty to pitch the whole game. He had some relapses after missing two games but when it counted in the ninth he managed to set down the very good Maroon lineup before they could tie it up.

Oh the offense. Stanley was 5-5 with two doubles and a home run, and still didn't lead the team in RBIs. Declercq was 2-3 with two walks and both his hits were triples, and he didn't lead the team in RBIs. I was 4-4 with two doubles and a walk, and Uhlman was 3-5, likewise with two doubles. Neither of us led the team In RBIs.

That's because we have Mr. Clutch, catcher Edwards, who just seems to thrive when there are runners on base. He also went 4-4 with a double plus a sac fly, and drove in a run in each of his five plate appearances. He leads the team with 17 RBIs on the season.

We were missing some talent today, but everyone stepped up and Cuervo came out on top in what was the most entertaining game of the season thus far. Salud!

Dr. Jekyll Gold 18, You're in the Navy Now 7

Maybe I am delusional but it seems like I am managing two teams. Today the Dr. Jekyll half performed surgery on the Navy bunch and dominated them 18-7 and evened our record at 3-3. Hope the Doc figures out a way for his alter ego Mr. Hyde to stay out of sight.

Navy jumped to a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the third. Chuck Howlett led off with a single and Willie Mays Hayes Hollis sent his pinch runner to third with a double. After a fly out, Dan the Man Declercq tied the game with a two run single. Up to the plate strode Big Jim Alexander and did what Big Jims everywhere should do, he pounded a rocket launch into the far reaches of Field 5, and by the time the dust cleared he stood on third base. Charlie Ohlman brought him home with a line drive single, and with the score at 6-4, we never looked back.

That's because we brought in the new secret weapon, a pitcher named Steve Bedrick. This is a Creaker rookie in his first appearance on the Farm of Heather, but it's clear he has plenty of experience getting batters out in slow pitch softball. Bedrick mixed up short and deep, high and low and in and out, and the Navy batters for the most part were off balance all the rest of the game. For four innings we played good defense behind him, and Navy put up four zeroes. They finally touched him for three runs in the top of the eighth, but they were all unearned - we made at least four or five errors. By that point the game was out of reach and he set them down in order in the ninth for the win.

It was out of reach because our bats came alive this time around. Declercq, Charlie Uhlman, and Coach Heffe were all 5-5. Alexander hit another bomb for a double to go with his triple and had the mini-cycle with three hits. Jay Edwards was also perfect with 4-4 and a team leading four RBIs. He has made a habit of hitting in the clutch all year and is tied with the team lead in RBIs despite hitting lower in the order. Besides Alexander, Helen Kostoff, Donn King and Howlett also had three knocks, and everyone had at least one and nearly everyone knocked in one or more runs.

There were a couple of good plays to note. On a shot up the middle  Howlett, who started the game, managed to deflect the ball just enough that SS Tom Sciarrino could grab it and get a force at second. Alexander took a bases loaded hard grounder to third and performed the textbook step-on-third-throw-home double play in one of the later innings. And Donn King, nailed a guy trying to stretch a hit to right into a double.

But (butt?) the play of the day was by Willie Mays Hays Hollis on a medium deep fly to center, casually sticking up his glove to snare the ball (what, two hands? 150 years of baseball fundamentals? bah!). Next week, I expect a snatch catch a la Rickey Henderson. Oops, did I say that out loud?