And Now, For Something Completely Different

A Loss. Try that one on for size. Albeit, it was a one run, 25-24 loss, fun game between two very evenly matched teams.

Not that this is all about me, but trailing 25-17, we put on a tremendous rally with nine straight hits in the ninth, getting the tying and leading runs on with one out.

I had gone to the eye doctor and picked up my new glasses the other day. I blame my year long slump to stumbling around half-blind. Today, I hit an actual legit double. But in the ninth, mighty heffe stepped to the plate, and hit a Screamer up the middle and Billy E made the stab of his life to get me out. I have no doubt it was going through, the rally would have continued, we would have batted around again, and held them to zero runs in their half, and won the game going away.

And Brock Purdy is going to lead the 49ers into the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks too...

We did have a couple of defensive lapses and that really was the difference.

Oh the rest of the game. Johnny G went 4-4. Wait - that was last week. There was a lot of grumbling that there was no blog last week - it's nice to be loved for my words if not my personality! But JG gets his kudos!

Back to this week, Steve made a highlight reel catch in right center when he gunned down a runner trying to advance a base. Not on that arm! Jerry made a number of running catches in right field saving innings from getting the five run limit. Chuck made a diving stop at second to get a force out late in the game.

What a game! The lead changed nine times and that's not including one tie. Both teams scored in every frame until the bottom of the sixth, and then both teams took an inning off. Unfortunately we took three off, only scoring one run in the sixth, seventh and eighth combined. That set up the flip flop and the seven run ninth that just fell short.

Mike led the way going 5-5 and ended January 9-9. He leads the team with 31 RBIs. Brian, Greg, Kenji, and Johnny all were 4-5. Dave was 3-4 and led the team with six RBIS, and is your batting leader at an even .800. Everyone had at least one hit, and Sandy was the other person robbed by a great fielding play (by Vince F in left field on a smashed sinking liner).

In the three run fifth, we had four hits, all doubles by Kenji, Steve, Mike (!) and Heffe (!), and we had 11 for the game, a season high. Really we hit enough to win, but had one bad inning in the field, and that was the difference.

Here's your props for last week: David P 5-5, Greg, Jerry, Johnny, Dave, and Mike four hits and Kenji 3-3.

Only two weeks left - we are still in first place in the non-existent standings but let’s get back on a roll next week!

Comeback Black!

Team Black cheated.

I say that but it made no difference. The scoreboard read 23-17 at the end of the game but according to the book it was only 22-17. We took an extra run in the ninth. So it goes.

But who could tell, because we hammered home seven (or eight) runs in the top of the open inning, amidst a flurry of runners rounding and rounding the bases.

We came back in the game twice. We started slow and spotted Team Green an 8-2 lead after four innings. Then we plated the max ten runs in the next two innings, the biggest blow a knock to deep right center off of Alan's bat to clear the jammed bases. That gave us the initial tie at 12-12. Green responded with three in the bottom of the sixth, and even though we tied it again with three in the seventh, Green poured in five in the eighth to take their last lead at 17-15.

The top of our order was up, and the top of the order was hot - Brian, Dan, and Greg were all 4-5. They set the table and after a Mike SF, there were three more hits, and after a second out, three more with two outs. The seven (or eight) runs were too much for the Greenies to overcome, and even though they got a couple of baserunners on, Greg started throwing knuckle balls for strikes and they were unable to get a single run. A couple of popups later it was over.

Cap'n Dave led the way with a perfect 5-5 day. In addition to the three at the top, Steve R and Alan also had four hits. Alan led the team with five RBIs. Besides his two extra base hits, Brian also had two doubles.

Defensive highlight of the game was another wayward runner thrown out from the outfield - this time it was Brian in left to SS Russo to Mike at 3B in the first inning. Later, Johnny and the outfielders were playing the bottom two hitters in the order at the cones. Each one came up in the third inning and put it over his head - and he managed to get back and catch them both! Sandy made a great stop on a ball hit by Green's big lefty, knocking it down and then outracing him to the bag. Chuck had a couple of snags in the sixth at the mound on balls ticketed up the middle to green lands.

We are on a roll - four in a row around all the rainouts. There's good chemistry - we are doing it without the big bats of Mary and Kenji. But don't say it too loud, we know who put together these teams. Shhh!

Howlin' Wolf

The Wolf in all of us was finally unleashed today, as we devoured the hapless Hornets today 20-16. It was only that close because we started to repeat past behavior - after taking a 19-7 lead through 5 1/2 innings, we only scored one more run. We let the Hornets back in the game with a six run eighth to close to 20-16, and then failed to get a run in the top of the open ninth. The Hornets had the top of their lineup up, and were all set up to do what they do to us. But after a couple of batters got on base, Chris coaxed a couple of popups and an easy grounder and it was over, a sweet 20-16 win to double our win total for the YEAR in two weeks. And we climbed out of the cellar in the standings.

A true team win, there were plenty of heroics. JP played a great game at rover. He caught a smash in what was an act of self preservation. He turned numerous grounders into outs and ranged far to his left to catch a popup in shallow right.

Dave may have tied or set a record and certainly a career high with three putouts at catcher. Two of them were foul ball popups that not many 65+ year-olds would snag. And we had a stellar Jimmy to Marc (I think?) to Dave putout on the speedy Rich Brown.

Wilbur made a diving stop and toss to first to get an out - but we are used to that.

Howlin' Wolf

The hitting was hot and spread around. All but two of the Pack had THREE or more hits.

Ladd had four of them, and six RBIs from the leadoff spot, including a two run blast to deep left field.

Marc led the way with five hits, including a triple - he was huffing and puffing all the way to third.

Reymundo joined Ladd with four hits and Jim, Paul, Chris, Dave, Heffe and Wilbur each had three. Dave had a right center gapper for a double, and Heffe rounded out the extra base hits with a line painting oppo line drive to left that scored Dave all the way from first.

If we can just put it together every week like we have the last two games, we can be contenders in this league. Look out Little Red Riding Hood:

Hey There Little Red Riding Hood

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!

The Bar is Higher!

The Steves, Kenji, Johnny G, and Alan - that's some serious pop and defensive prowess. Team Black Shirts showed up Tuesday with those major pieces missing, just 11 players with no rest in sight.

Granted Team Four was also missing a boatload of players (they had but 10), but Team BS put on a clinic of every player stepping up to fill the void. We came out on top 20-7 and Team Four Flip Flopped twice, so we scored those 20 runs in only seven innings.

It started with Marty Parenti, who threw a nine inning gem. He had as many Ks as the Warrior core has Rings. I don't think I have ever been on a slow pitch softball field when four strikeouts were recorded by my pitcher, or any pitcher. Team Four did not score after the third inning. And along the way, Marty fielded two smashes up the middle from behind the screen to turn hot shots into easy outs. Not to mention he had a two run double mixed in with his three hits and is leading the team with an .867 batting average so far this season.

There was actually a contest for defensive player of the game. At the hot corner, Mike Saindon grabbed hard hit ball after hard hit ball, and turned them all into outs and twice getting double plays out of them.

That's because he had the other defensive wizard playing rover, Helen Kostoff, who has made the pivot into an artform and whose arm has just gotten stronger and more accurate over time (probably from her obsession as a senior disk golf champion). Between the three of them and the others, the infield was extremely crisp in this game.

The outfielders were no slouches either. Brian Black, in particular, caught one ball that was directly in that impossible morning sun in left field.

On offense, Dan May was a perfect 5-5 with two doubles, and Brian was 4-5 but scored all five times he was up. Talk about table setters at the top of the lineup! David Peterson was right behind them and had four hits, and led the team with four RBIs. Coach Dave Rose was also perfect at 4-4 and a walk. Heffe, Marty, Jerry, and Sandy all had a trio of hits, and everyone in the lineup had at least two.

All in all a nearly perfect game on a beautiful day. The missing players will be welcomed back, but beware that the bar has been set higher! And I am not talking schnapps! 

Power Outage

There was a power outage Monday night in Lafayette. It affected about 2000 customers, but only lasted about two hours. PG&E told us that it would last about four hours so we went out to dinner and happily came back to the lights already on. Then the lights went out again, but just for an hour or so. We crossed our fingers and toes that there was no third time.

Likewise there was a power outage last Saturday in Orinda, followed by another one Sunday morning, and each also lasted about two hours. Unfortunately, they only affected one customer, and their name was the Coneheads, and the outage area was just one dugout on the field. Seven runs Saturday afternoon and four Sunday morning. Not going to do it. After scoring 51 runs in the first two games of the tournament, we just went cold on a hot day and the day after.

The Coneheads have won many of these deals, so we know what it tastes like. We started the season thinking this would be our farewell tour. And then we scored 52 runs in the opening night doubleheader, and started out 5-0. We came down a notch the rest of the season, but managed to get in on the four way tie for first (three seed) with the three other serious contenders - old rivals the Old Scouts and Cal Broncos, and the new Bushwood youngsters.

At one point it looked like our prospects were grim for the playoffs. Charlie got hurt, Gene was going to be in Hawaii, Randy of course couldn't be on two teams, Raul and Derek were supposedly playing in other tournaments.

But reinforcements were on the way. Nic came back from a 15 year absence. Derek and Raul decided to stick with us. And then Raul brought the new secret weapon, Freddi, who started blasting shots all over the fields.

We were strong. The Broncos did us a favor by losing what was really the only upset of the tournament to Old Spice, and so we made mincemeat of St. Mo's and the Spice, 28-5 and 23-6 on the poor Orinda Sports Fields. It was time to get up to the Wilder fields and continue the journey.

And then - silence. No one can explain how all the sudden a team can go flat like that. Were we tired from all the running around in the first games? I doubt it, that should just give us momentum. Was a bad call or two really enough to knock us down and then out? I don't think so. It is one of the mysteries of this game, why does everything fall into place like it did for the Old Scouts in the championship game, and why do you sometimes fall hard off the pedestal like we did (and Cal Bronco did even harder). There is no explaining it. Which is why we keep coming back to play one more time.

There was poetic justice with Chauncey being named Mr. Conehead. He has been there throughout what may or may not be our swan song. And while he doesn't fit all the criteria (yes there is an official list of qualities), he certainly fills these:

Mr. Conehead Criteria
-Been on the team a while
-Comes to play everyday on both sides (O&D)
-An inspiration to his teammates
-Fox Hole qualities
-Displays great sportsmanship

-Had major impact on teams success

Too many games on the weekend to go into highlights but being the last of the season, here are some season highlights:

Pope, another MVP season, led the team in nearly every offensive category. And on a personal note, with his double in the playoffs he finally passed me in career doubles, the last category in which I led the team.

Hazel, ironically, while being the the outgoing Mr. Conehead, had a career year, hitting .688 and leading the team in triples and near the top in every category. And playing wherever I put him on defense well.

Bruce, coming back after a hiatus to take care of his family, never missing a beat and solidifying our lineup in the middle and the defense up the middle.

Ol' G, coming back from surgery with a solid season, and giving me enough shit to at least somewhat balance how much I give out.

Derek, Nic, Lefty, and Chopper, showing up when we needed them most and performing at a high level.

Raul, giving us the strong shortstop on offense and defense we have needed since the retirement of Conehead Hall of Famer Chuck.

Darren and Gene, solid in the outfield and in the batter's box, and despite Covid battles, making most of the games.

Larry good as ever on the mound.

Charlie and David, along with Raul and Darren showing that 'over the hill Creakers' can still compete with the 40 years olds.

Chauncey, see above.

Randy, who I know secretly really wishes he could come over from the Old Scouts, even if they have won four of the last five of these tournaments. Watching him make the diving stop and getting the force out for the last out in the top of the seventh and then getting the double that nearly clinched the walkoff Old Scout win was really fun.

and finally, Freddi - what a start to a Conehead career! He single handedly gave us high hopes for the playoffs, even though ultimately it wasn't enough.

So the Last Hurrah Last Hurrah has come to an end. There was some sentiment (maybe even a groundswell) to just do it again next year. It's a long way off, but we could just call it LH Reprise. I'm ok with that. We'll see what next spring brings.

Oh and special thanks to Don Braden for showing up to the first games and proving that once a Conehead, it is for life (although I blame him for the power outage since we stopped hitting when he left).

Wait til next year?

Milestones:

8/13 Game 1:

Derek        20 gw (#5)

Haze         30 bb (#16)

Haze         30 2b (#23)

8/13 Game 2:

None

8/13 Game 3:

None

8/14:

Haze        150 g (#19)