Thanks Rick for bringing this to our attention. Dave Bresnahan is a living legend. I can't believe the organization reacted the way they did.
Tater toss
By Jeff Passan
On Aug. 31, 1987, Dave Bresnahan was the Michelangelo of potato sculpting. He sacrificed five fine tubers to the spud gods – death via peel – before settling on the correct shape. He drew red lines on the winner to simulate seams, only to see them erased by the potato's weeping. He wielded that peeler like a true artiste.
Because in order to pull off the greatest prank in baseball history, Bresnahan needed to shape a potato like a baseball.
"I went to Williamsport (Pa.) this past weekend to celebrate the anniversary," Bresnahan says today from his Arizona home, 20 years after he ended his career as a catcher for the Double-A Williamsport Bills by feigning to pick off an opponent at third base by chucking a potato into left field, then using the real baseball to tag the runner when he scurried home – a hidden-ball trick to end all hidden-ball tricks.
"They gave away bobbleheads. I'm holding a potato. There's one on eBay right now. A couple sold for over a hundred bucks this week. For kicks and giggles, I looked up what Barry Bonds' was selling for, and I'm crushing him.
"I really don't understand."
There really isn't much to understand. Baseball is a stately game, sometimes too serious for its own good. There are no end-zone dances, no tongue-wagging after dunks, no cha-cha lines following goals. Should Tommy Lasorda falling on his ample keister really constitute the apotheosis of baseball humor?
No, sir. To allow an idea so unique, so brilliant and so hilarious to fade into history's annals, then, would be disrespectful not only to the game but to the man who hatched the plan and executed it to perfection.
The tater plot started in the bullpen, sanctuary for baseball's bored. Relief pitchers pass the time by scoping out women or making up silly games involving sunflower seeds. As the .149-hitting backup, Bresnahan spent plenty of time in the 'pen, and he broached the idea that had cooked in his mind for years. John Stuart Mill would have been proud of the marketplace of ideas that commenced. A roll of tape would be too light, a rosin bag too fluffy.
"And then it came to me: a potato," Bresnahan says. "Mainly because it sounds funny."
Word filtered around the Bills' clubhouse about Bresnahan's plan, and with the team more than 20 games out of first place, it gave players something to anticipate. The schedule gave Bresnahan a perfect chance. He knew he would play at least one game against the Reading Phillies in an Aug. 31 doubleheader, and the Phillie Phanatic was showing up that day too, ensuring a big crowd.
A few games before potato day, Bresnahan caught a game against the Phillies. He tried to pick a runner off third base, the first piece of bait in his elaborate hornswoggle.
"There was a lot of premeditation in this," Bresnahan says. "I'm kind of anal that way. When I plan something out, I want to make sure the details are covered. In order for this to really work, I needed a guy on third with two outs. When I did it, all the guys on the field would hustle back into the dugout. That way if the umpire ruled against us, we'd have to run back out on the field. And then it's more dramatic."
Earlier that week, Bresnahan called major-league umpire Tim Tschida, a friend of a teammate, and asked how he would rule the potato play. Tschida said he would return the runner to third base, end of story. If it was good enough for Tschida, Bresnahan figured, it worked for him.
In the fifth inning, the time came. Two outs. Runner Rick Lundblade on third. Bresnahan told home-plate umpire Scott Potter the webbing of his glove had broken. Potter allowed him into the dugout, where a glove with the peeled potato waited. Teammates giggled. Bresnahan told them to shut up.
The potato remained in Bresnahan's glove until he called the pitch, an outside slider that had little chance of being put into play. During the windup, Bresnahan transferred the potato to his bare hand.
"It wasn't that bad a throw," Bresnahan says. "It was supposed to be bad. But it was smaller. It was moist. I was nervous. I came up firing. As I threw it, I said, 'Oh, no.' It was headed right toward his helmet. It just missed."
Third baseman Rob Swain, flummoxed by the good throw, tried to sell it by doing his best olé. The potato hit the ground and exploded into three pieces. Lundblade never saw it. He had started running home.
"I tagged him and showed him the ball, then rolled it to the mound and ran toward the dugout," Bresnahan says. "All my teammates buried their faces in their gloves and were laughing. They couldn't move. I told them to get off the field."
Behind the plate, Potter was confused. The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a (expletive) potato," he yelled to Potter.
"What are you doing?" Potter asked Bresnahan.
"It's just a joke," he replied.
Potter awarded Lundblade home and the scorekeeper charged Bresnahan with an error. Bresnahan wasn't ejected, but Williamsport manager Orlando Gomez yanked him from the game immediately and fined him $50. That night, celebrating over post-game beers, Bresnahan's teammates started a fund to pay the fine.
When Bresnahan showed up at the stadium the following day, Gomez called him in his office. Jeff Scott, farm director of Williamsport's parent team, the Cleveland Indians, was on the phone. Bresnahan knew Scott from their days in the Seattle organization. Scott laughed, told Bresnahan he was an idiot and said he needed to release him.
And thus ended Dave Bresnahan's baseball career. Though he did make one more trip that season to the ballpark. Later that day, Bresnahan returned from the grocery store with huge sacks of potatoes. He placed 50 of them on Gomez's desk.
"I'm always fearful that people think I'm a goofball," Bresnahan says. "I am a prankster. I've got a good sense of humor. But I love baseball.
"I'm a historian. I'm an old-fashioned guy. I've been a season-ticket holder for the Diamondbacks. I coach my kids. Everything I do counters what I'm known for, which is the damn potato."
Paul Harvey called because of the damn potato. So did Harry Caray and countless other baseball emissaries. Bresnahan remains revered in Japan, where, for the 10-year anniversary of the potato caper, a TV station flew him out. They asked him to wear his Bills uniform – "a 10-pound sausage," he says, "into a five-pound casing" – placed him on a throne and carried him through a smoke machine.
Every day someone reminds Bresnahan of the potato, whether at his job as a project manager for a company refurbishing an old Texas sugar plant or through a letter thanking him for bringing levity to a staid game. The potato itself is the prized possession of the Baseball Reliquary, the museum of oddities that displays it in jar filled with denatured alcohol.
In January, Bresnahan spent a week at the Diamondbacks' fantasy camp. His fellow campers weren't interested in the vagaries of minor-league life or what it was like to play for Mike Hargrove in A ball. They wanted to know about the potato.
And when he told them about it, they laughed like hell.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
9/26/10- West Sunset
What a day for a ballgame! What a day just to be outside! We had 22 guys show up, including some new guys from the game that almost wasn't a few weeks ago and some league fall outs. In any case, to mix things up, and because it seemed like a good match up, we went uniforms versus non-uniforms. Chris being the exception as he had his Dirtbag uni on, but it looked close. I liked it cuz I got to be on the same team as Sean for the first time in a long while. Sean and Greg started out on the bump, with Greg going the distance, an amazing feat considering how hot and sunny it was.
The visitors sprung to a early lead, but right about the time that the homers started pissing and moaning about the teams being unfair, this 15 year old nephew of new guy John, comes up and launches a home run to deep center. He was rounding third around the time the first of the two cut off men got the ball. Suddenly it was 4-3, and the game got lively.
We traded scores for a while, and the runs kept coming. Sean threw two, 3 K innings, and must have had a few more mingled in, and he bowed out in the 6th to give the ball to Satch. Between the sweat in the eyes and the shadows and sun, it was a tough 4 innings. And I know I wasn't the only one having trouble withe the sun, although I was very impressed with the percentage of catches in the outfield considering.
Another new guy, Loren, hit a couple of the harder hit balls I have seen in a while, one that came back at me, and made me drop to the ground for safety. It was probably well over my head, but I lost sight of it the second he hit it. Greg batted a come backer and it bounced off his glove, and right into the shortstops path. Another line drive came right at me, I got just enough glove on to slow it down for the 2nd baseman.
Going into the 8th, the score was decided as 10-6, then the homers squared off for 2, making it 10-8 and a real tight game. But we rumbled right back with two more of our own and so did they, but in the end, 12-10 was the final. I was surprised no one wanted to play extra, but I imagine that while everyone felt warmed up and good, they were also a bit sun drenched and dragged. Hand shakes abounded, and we left the field for another week.
Highlights:
* Lots of new guys, Loren, Jonathan, Juan, John, and the new kid and his buddy.
* I threw a nasty knuckleball to Adam, who somehow got ahold of it and it took the weirdest hop in the infield for a hit.
* Greg hit me in the leg (see picture below) I was trying to be bad ass by standing in. Stupid.
* Sean kicked it into a new gear when he needed to, after the home run, he struck out three in row.
* Greg pitched a great game, and it wouldn't be MBC if Greg didn't have a complete game loss
* Elvin laid down a perfect bunt for a single
* Juan made a much needed catch in the outfield, in the sun, on his 2nd time out!
* John, who brought out the kid, also hit a home run, once again age manages to match youth, always seemingly for the last time....
* James strapped on the gear for the first time in a long while, due to his recent acquisition of his old catchers glove. He did great!
* Except for when I struck out Tim with a knuckleball, but James couldn't hold on to it either and Tim made it to first. Oh well, it was a win-win, I got someone to swing at the knuckle, he got on base.
* Noah had a great shot to thegap
* The ball was jumping off some of the bats
* I got my strike out of Lattig for 2010. The key was to only throw fastballs, because what kind of fool would do that? A cagey fool.
* Loren also made a great catch in left field, in addition to his hitting display.
* We could have had the ugliest game in history, it was a great day to be outside.
Same time, same place. Take the long way around next week to avoid the Hardly StrictlyBluegrass....and bring a friend!
S. Paige
The visitors sprung to a early lead, but right about the time that the homers started pissing and moaning about the teams being unfair, this 15 year old nephew of new guy John, comes up and launches a home run to deep center. He was rounding third around the time the first of the two cut off men got the ball. Suddenly it was 4-3, and the game got lively.
We traded scores for a while, and the runs kept coming. Sean threw two, 3 K innings, and must have had a few more mingled in, and he bowed out in the 6th to give the ball to Satch. Between the sweat in the eyes and the shadows and sun, it was a tough 4 innings. And I know I wasn't the only one having trouble withe the sun, although I was very impressed with the percentage of catches in the outfield considering.
Another new guy, Loren, hit a couple of the harder hit balls I have seen in a while, one that came back at me, and made me drop to the ground for safety. It was probably well over my head, but I lost sight of it the second he hit it. Greg batted a come backer and it bounced off his glove, and right into the shortstops path. Another line drive came right at me, I got just enough glove on to slow it down for the 2nd baseman.
Going into the 8th, the score was decided as 10-6, then the homers squared off for 2, making it 10-8 and a real tight game. But we rumbled right back with two more of our own and so did they, but in the end, 12-10 was the final. I was surprised no one wanted to play extra, but I imagine that while everyone felt warmed up and good, they were also a bit sun drenched and dragged. Hand shakes abounded, and we left the field for another week.
Highlights:
* Lots of new guys, Loren, Jonathan, Juan, John, and the new kid and his buddy.
* I threw a nasty knuckleball to Adam, who somehow got ahold of it and it took the weirdest hop in the infield for a hit.
* Greg hit me in the leg (see picture below) I was trying to be bad ass by standing in. Stupid.
* Sean kicked it into a new gear when he needed to, after the home run, he struck out three in row.
* Greg pitched a great game, and it wouldn't be MBC if Greg didn't have a complete game loss
* Elvin laid down a perfect bunt for a single
* Juan made a much needed catch in the outfield, in the sun, on his 2nd time out!
* John, who brought out the kid, also hit a home run, once again age manages to match youth, always seemingly for the last time....
* James strapped on the gear for the first time in a long while, due to his recent acquisition of his old catchers glove. He did great!
* Except for when I struck out Tim with a knuckleball, but James couldn't hold on to it either and Tim made it to first. Oh well, it was a win-win, I got someone to swing at the knuckle, he got on base.
* Noah had a great shot to the
* The ball was jumping off some of the bats
* I got my strike out of Lattig for 2010. The key was to only throw fastballs, because what kind of fool would do that? A cagey fool.
* Loren also made a great catch in left field, in addition to his hitting display.
* We could have had the ugliest game in history, it was a great day to be outside.
Same time, same place. Take the long way around next week to avoid the Hardly StrictlyBluegrass....and bring a friend!
S. Paige
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Flotsam and Jetsam II
The profiles were a hit with some of you and our Enabler correspondent and resident poet, Pete Simonelli, wrote in with some additional players. I also heard from Dave Johnson, who says the NY game is alive and well, which is great to hear. On we go!
1. Kyle- Both Dave and Pete commented on why I hadn't mentioned Kyle. Here's why. I am still hopeful that some Sunday he is going to appear out of the mist like Shoeless Joe and rejoin our ragtag bunch of misfits. Kyle was the only one of us, who I think actually played baseball in some sort of professional realm, and his skills certainly showed that. He was a natural fielder, and a ferocious hitter. And unlike most people who make it to that level of playing, he wasn't an asshole, he was quiet, reserved, funny and open. He played for a good year, probably, and then moved back to the Midwest for work. Here is how he left it with us:
Fellas,
My move back to Chicago is happening a little sooner than planned (this weekend). Thanks for letting me play with you guys...I had a great time.
Also, I've officially submitted my application to play for Dave and Richard's traveling team, so as soon as Dave gets to know at least 6 of his neighbors, we'll be ready to take you guys on.
Kyle
We all still miss him, he gave our game a lot of class. Best- Again, the guy could do it all, and made it look easy, while being a great guy. We miss you Kyle. Write soon!!!!!!
Here are Pete's additions:
2. "Pro"--- another "pitcher"; used to demand his jacket the one or two times I ever saw the guy actually on base (Park next to Anchor Steam). He also claimed that he was being actively recruited by "several top ten colleges" as a defensive back. Not a bad guy at all, but a very sad and delusional type. He caught me wincing when I overheard him talking about the college football fluff and mistook it for a compliment. He said, " I eat receivers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, man. I'm as bad as Art Tatum!"
"You mean the jazz pianist?"
"No! Art. Ta-tum, man! Raiders!!"
(Tom Madden routinely verbally abused this guy with sarcasm, as I'm sure you can imagine.)
3. "Baby Huey"--- Big as you, loved to take out people half his size at first base. Once laid me out and I had headaches for about three days afterward. He never thought he was doing anything wrong, and would look at you with a completely baffled, innocent expression when asked, "What the fuck?" (This guy came out to Presidio)
4. "Bob"--- (the other one)--- Had the little dog that skulked around the backstop and bit people if they got too close. Tiresome little fucker. Bob worked for a beer company; used to bring out about two cases in a cooler and drink most of it himself. A lefty, I used to call him Reggie--- swung just like him. (Presidio)
Well, write in if people remember more, and I'll post em.
S. Paige
1. Kyle- Both Dave and Pete commented on why I hadn't mentioned Kyle. Here's why. I am still hopeful that some Sunday he is going to appear out of the mist like Shoeless Joe and rejoin our ragtag bunch of misfits. Kyle was the only one of us, who I think actually played baseball in some sort of professional realm, and his skills certainly showed that. He was a natural fielder, and a ferocious hitter. And unlike most people who make it to that level of playing, he wasn't an asshole, he was quiet, reserved, funny and open. He played for a good year, probably, and then moved back to the Midwest for work. Here is how he left it with us:
Fellas,
My move back to Chicago is happening a little sooner than planned (this weekend). Thanks for letting me play with you guys...I had a great time.
Also, I've officially submitted my application to play for Dave and Richard's traveling team, so as soon as Dave gets to know at least 6 of his neighbors, we'll be ready to take you guys on.
Kyle
We all still miss him, he gave our game a lot of class. Best- Again, the guy could do it all, and made it look easy, while being a great guy. We miss you Kyle. Write soon!!!!!!
Here are Pete's additions:
2. "Pro"--- another "pitcher"; used to demand his jacket the one or two times I ever saw the guy actually on base (Park next to Anchor Steam). He also claimed that he was being actively recruited by "several top ten colleges" as a defensive back. Not a bad guy at all, but a very sad and delusional type. He caught me wincing when I overheard him talking about the college football fluff and mistook it for a compliment. He said, " I eat receivers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, man. I'm as bad as Art Tatum!"
"You mean the jazz pianist?"
"No! Art. Ta-tum, man! Raiders!!"
(Tom Madden routinely verbally abused this guy with sarcasm, as I'm sure you can imagine.)
3. "Baby Huey"--- Big as you, loved to take out people half his size at first base. Once laid me out and I had headaches for about three days afterward. He never thought he was doing anything wrong, and would look at you with a completely baffled, innocent expression when asked, "What the fuck?" (This guy came out to Presidio)
4. "Bob"--- (the other one)--- Had the little dog that skulked around the backstop and bit people if they got too close. Tiresome little fucker. Bob worked for a beer company; used to bring out about two cases in a cooler and drink most of it himself. A lefty, I used to call him Reggie--- swung just like him. (Presidio)
Well, write in if people remember more, and I'll post em.
S. Paige
Friday, September 24, 2010
Player Profile Special Edition- The Flotsam and Jetsam
Haven't done one of these in a while, and I thought before I start with the next batch of players as well as the newer crop of players that have been stalwarts in the last few years. I thought I might take a moment to remember those who blew through our little game, and the memories that they left behind.....some were great, some were jerks, some are only referred to by their physical descriptions....here we go!!!
1. Scot Mills- I wanted to start with Scot, because he was an every week kind of man for a long time, way before Satch showed up, and he always had the enthusiasm of a tiger, with the competitiveness to match. He rode his motorcycle, with a baseball bat hanging out of his bag, usually wearing some sort of rock and roll T-shirt. Played outfield mostly, known for taking some strange routes to the ball, but got better as he played more. I think he ended up with a work schedule and a girlfriend that impeded his Sunday's. Best: Always a lively expletive laden rant after he hit a ground ball, while he was running down the line.
2. Ryo- Japanese player, kicked ass. Went on to play college ball I think. We were a bit in awe. Best- Guy could do it all.
3. The Pacific Rim Contingent- These guys I think were acquaintances of Ryo, but stayed longer than he did. They varied from very serious to very un-serious....But they always seemed to have a good time, and had some real fancy uniforms. Also were into the post-game workout, complete with sprints and calisthenics. And they brought out a bunch of giggling Japanese girls to watch us. It was the most fans we ever had. Best- The goofy guy in basketball short, soccer cleats and bleached hair who ran around in a circle in right field for most of a game.
4. Eli- Hoooooboy, was this kid a piece of work. High school kid, lefty pitcher, who saw our game as a good way to get a workout. He used us for what he wanted, and left when he was done with us. Real bad attitude, which can sort of be excused by his age, but what a dick. It all culminated in a game that Satch was pitching in which Eli took at least 30 pitches. For some reason I couldn't get that 3rd strike, and by the 4th count, I told him that he could just walk if he wanted to. He snarled at me, and then eventually fouled out to third. I started throwing him lob balls to piss him off. I should have hit him. Never saw him again, or I would have given him some chin music. Best- He once pitched 3 innings and then left the game, stating he had "done his job".
5. Team USA- This guy forced his girlfriend to come out, and then berated her for not watching him play closely enough. I guess he still comes around from time to time. Best- Haven't seen him lately.
6. White T-shirt on White T-shirt with Necklace guy- This guy was walking around and asked if he could play. We said sure. He was pretty pumped. He was in full gansta gear and was sliding all over the place. I think we were all worried about his $200 shoes that he was messing up in the dirt. Best- He slid into third, with both feet in front, on his ass, then jumped up to take home, after straightening his gear.
7. James- James has to be thanked first for getting us hooked up with the San Quentin game, although our first game, he insisted on pitching, and pitch he did, into a 15 run deficit. He was balking, and throwing the ball away, and walking people all over the place, and refused to be taken out. He also batted himself in the clean up spot. Struck out. A lot. Best- He would ride to the game in a bike with one of those children carriages on the back, but with no kid. Creepy. He also enjoyed getting his three innings of pitching work in, and then leaving the game. He also would show up after being gone for 6 months and demand to start on the mound. Maybe its a lefty thing?
8. Tim- Tim also should get special recognition since he still shows up from time to time. But always around the 5th inning. Tim disappeared for a couple of years and came back a little bigger, and with a hell of an improvement in his hitting. Don't know how he did it, but if gaining weight is the way to do it, I should be hitting .850 by now. Best- Tim is a very nice guy, and we love it when he shows up, just wish it was more often, and on time.
9. Dan Phillips- Dan was from Cincinnati, if you couldn't deduce that from the several Reds jerseys that he wore to the games. We have him to thank for some of the pictures that we have displayed on the blog, and Dan was a real stand up guy. He might even still track us, I know he enjoyed playing ball more than anything in his time here in SF. Great infield player, and decent pitcher and solid contact hitter, I remember his first day out he hit a double and a triple off of me. He claimed that I should have never thrown him a fastball, because that was the only pitch of mine that he would swing at. Best- Dan lived with Doc and my buddy Rob, and I heard that he experienced his first earthquake on the crapper. Rough one.
10. Rob- This one pisses me off, I have known this guy for 21 years, and when he didn't live in the city, he would talk about how cool it would be if he moved to SF and could play baseball. Then he moved here. And.....I think he has played about 10 times, if that, including winning game one of the July 4th doubleheader a few years ago. He also almost killed Johnny Bartlett by not catching a thrown ball to third. I know he likes playing, but getting him to actually come out is damn near impossible. He claims that if we started earlier he would play, but by 3 pm on Sunday, he is "getting ready for the week." What? In any case, I wish he would play more, because he is a good player, and he is my friend. He plays kickball on Thursdays, so maybe if the MBC got some slutty drunk girls to play more regularly, Rob might show up. Anybody know any of those? Best- Rob, in high school, once took over pitching in the 1st inning, after our catcher broke our pitchers nose with a errant throw. He pitched the whole game, including striking out future MLB player Toby Hall. We won the game, and for some reason, the coaches never let him pitch again. That is known as Rob's Luck.
11. The Hobo- Man, I miss this guy. There used to be this hobo who watched our games at the Marina field, and he would drink, and lay in the sun, scratching his belly. Occasionally he would offer some advice, or yell at someone who made a mistake. Before I started playing, he coaxed Greg into throwing him some batting practice after a game. Greg agreed and then (by mistake) beaned the guy on the first pitch. Apparently he started to charge the mound, then thought better, and stopped and laughed. Best- He had some great drunken insults. And he and his cronies used to drag a TV to the Marina on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the game, because there was an open power outlet in the stands.
12. Carlos a.k.a "Gordo"- This guy was kicked out of the Mexican league for being too fat (that's where he got the nickname) and not caring enough. He was nice enough, and he could swing a bat, but man, was he lazy. He would half bend for ground balls, then just give up and look the other way. He got a job as a security guard, and then got shot apparently. We never found out if he was stopping the robbery or participating. Best- He tried to pitch once, and that really didn't work out. His pants kept falling down during his follow through.
13. Dennis- First off, Dennis is really impressive, because the guy is in his 60's and he is in excellent shape. He also holds some sort of record for donating blood. However, he constitutes that sort of player who in the course of a game, focuses on the faults of others more than focusing on his own skill set. He also enjoys shit talking in the batter's box, something I don't recommend, unless you can back it up with your bat or your fists. Luckily, our game isn't that serious, but still, not the thing you want a lot of. He also wants to pitch a lot, and when he does, it's a real hitters jamboree. I admire the desire, but sometimes it is not what the game needs. I hit a ball off him once with Krakatoa that I think went 500 feet. Best- Dennis sports the short baseball pants, short socks, bare leg in the middle look. Bold. Perhaps he is ahead of the curve, and we shall all look that way in a few years. Or not.
13. And to finish, some players that are dangerously close to being added to this list, unless they start showing up again. And don't give me any excuses: Zerbes, The Bhatia Brothers (Vinay, you have NO excuse!), Nick Levine, Casey, Doug N., Danny C., Dan M., Keefe, Owen, Paul, Phil, Sean S., Ryan, Oliver, Jason P, I could go on, but you get the message.
Well, hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Its the same game, and you know how to get there. You just have to want to be there. And click your heels three times and say, "There's no place like the MBC game on Sundays........"
S. Paige
1. Scot Mills- I wanted to start with Scot, because he was an every week kind of man for a long time, way before Satch showed up, and he always had the enthusiasm of a tiger, with the competitiveness to match. He rode his motorcycle, with a baseball bat hanging out of his bag, usually wearing some sort of rock and roll T-shirt. Played outfield mostly, known for taking some strange routes to the ball, but got better as he played more. I think he ended up with a work schedule and a girlfriend that impeded his Sunday's. Best: Always a lively expletive laden rant after he hit a ground ball, while he was running down the line.
2. Ryo- Japanese player, kicked ass. Went on to play college ball I think. We were a bit in awe. Best- Guy could do it all.
3. The Pacific Rim Contingent- These guys I think were acquaintances of Ryo, but stayed longer than he did. They varied from very serious to very un-serious....But they always seemed to have a good time, and had some real fancy uniforms. Also were into the post-game workout, complete with sprints and calisthenics. And they brought out a bunch of giggling Japanese girls to watch us. It was the most fans we ever had. Best- The goofy guy in basketball short, soccer cleats and bleached hair who ran around in a circle in right field for most of a game.
4. Eli- Hoooooboy, was this kid a piece of work. High school kid, lefty pitcher, who saw our game as a good way to get a workout. He used us for what he wanted, and left when he was done with us. Real bad attitude, which can sort of be excused by his age, but what a dick. It all culminated in a game that Satch was pitching in which Eli took at least 30 pitches. For some reason I couldn't get that 3rd strike, and by the 4th count, I told him that he could just walk if he wanted to. He snarled at me, and then eventually fouled out to third. I started throwing him lob balls to piss him off. I should have hit him. Never saw him again, or I would have given him some chin music. Best- He once pitched 3 innings and then left the game, stating he had "done his job".
5. Team USA- This guy forced his girlfriend to come out, and then berated her for not watching him play closely enough. I guess he still comes around from time to time. Best- Haven't seen him lately.
6. White T-shirt on White T-shirt with Necklace guy- This guy was walking around and asked if he could play. We said sure. He was pretty pumped. He was in full gansta gear and was sliding all over the place. I think we were all worried about his $200 shoes that he was messing up in the dirt. Best- He slid into third, with both feet in front, on his ass, then jumped up to take home, after straightening his gear.
7. James- James has to be thanked first for getting us hooked up with the San Quentin game, although our first game, he insisted on pitching, and pitch he did, into a 15 run deficit. He was balking, and throwing the ball away, and walking people all over the place, and refused to be taken out. He also batted himself in the clean up spot. Struck out. A lot. Best- He would ride to the game in a bike with one of those children carriages on the back, but with no kid. Creepy. He also enjoyed getting his three innings of pitching work in, and then leaving the game. He also would show up after being gone for 6 months and demand to start on the mound. Maybe its a lefty thing?
8. Tim- Tim also should get special recognition since he still shows up from time to time. But always around the 5th inning. Tim disappeared for a couple of years and came back a little bigger, and with a hell of an improvement in his hitting. Don't know how he did it, but if gaining weight is the way to do it, I should be hitting .850 by now. Best- Tim is a very nice guy, and we love it when he shows up, just wish it was more often, and on time.
9. Dan Phillips- Dan was from Cincinnati, if you couldn't deduce that from the several Reds jerseys that he wore to the games. We have him to thank for some of the pictures that we have displayed on the blog, and Dan was a real stand up guy. He might even still track us, I know he enjoyed playing ball more than anything in his time here in SF. Great infield player, and decent pitcher and solid contact hitter, I remember his first day out he hit a double and a triple off of me. He claimed that I should have never thrown him a fastball, because that was the only pitch of mine that he would swing at. Best- Dan lived with Doc and my buddy Rob, and I heard that he experienced his first earthquake on the crapper. Rough one.
10. Rob- This one pisses me off, I have known this guy for 21 years, and when he didn't live in the city, he would talk about how cool it would be if he moved to SF and could play baseball. Then he moved here. And.....I think he has played about 10 times, if that, including winning game one of the July 4th doubleheader a few years ago. He also almost killed Johnny Bartlett by not catching a thrown ball to third. I know he likes playing, but getting him to actually come out is damn near impossible. He claims that if we started earlier he would play, but by 3 pm on Sunday, he is "getting ready for the week." What? In any case, I wish he would play more, because he is a good player, and he is my friend. He plays kickball on Thursdays, so maybe if the MBC got some slutty drunk girls to play more regularly, Rob might show up. Anybody know any of those? Best- Rob, in high school, once took over pitching in the 1st inning, after our catcher broke our pitchers nose with a errant throw. He pitched the whole game, including striking out future MLB player Toby Hall. We won the game, and for some reason, the coaches never let him pitch again. That is known as Rob's Luck.
11. The Hobo- Man, I miss this guy. There used to be this hobo who watched our games at the Marina field, and he would drink, and lay in the sun, scratching his belly. Occasionally he would offer some advice, or yell at someone who made a mistake. Before I started playing, he coaxed Greg into throwing him some batting practice after a game. Greg agreed and then (by mistake) beaned the guy on the first pitch. Apparently he started to charge the mound, then thought better, and stopped and laughed. Best- He had some great drunken insults. And he and his cronies used to drag a TV to the Marina on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the game, because there was an open power outlet in the stands.
12. Carlos a.k.a "Gordo"- This guy was kicked out of the Mexican league for being too fat (that's where he got the nickname) and not caring enough. He was nice enough, and he could swing a bat, but man, was he lazy. He would half bend for ground balls, then just give up and look the other way. He got a job as a security guard, and then got shot apparently. We never found out if he was stopping the robbery or participating. Best- He tried to pitch once, and that really didn't work out. His pants kept falling down during his follow through.
13. Dennis- First off, Dennis is really impressive, because the guy is in his 60's and he is in excellent shape. He also holds some sort of record for donating blood. However, he constitutes that sort of player who in the course of a game, focuses on the faults of others more than focusing on his own skill set. He also enjoys shit talking in the batter's box, something I don't recommend, unless you can back it up with your bat or your fists. Luckily, our game isn't that serious, but still, not the thing you want a lot of. He also wants to pitch a lot, and when he does, it's a real hitters jamboree. I admire the desire, but sometimes it is not what the game needs. I hit a ball off him once with Krakatoa that I think went 500 feet. Best- Dennis sports the short baseball pants, short socks, bare leg in the middle look. Bold. Perhaps he is ahead of the curve, and we shall all look that way in a few years. Or not.
13. And to finish, some players that are dangerously close to being added to this list, unless they start showing up again. And don't give me any excuses: Zerbes, The Bhatia Brothers (Vinay, you have NO excuse!), Nick Levine, Casey, Doug N., Danny C., Dan M., Keefe, Owen, Paul, Phil, Sean S., Ryan, Oliver, Jason P, I could go on, but you get the message.
Well, hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Its the same game, and you know how to get there. You just have to want to be there. And click your heels three times and say, "There's no place like the MBC game on Sundays........"
S. Paige
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
9/19/10- Cop Field
Satch was once again whiling away the days in the Eastern Sierras, catching fish, enjoying the fact that it wasn't snowing. It did rain here apparently, but that would not stop the MBC from having a game. And here to report on the game, is our own Jonathan "JT" Tiemann:
The day started rainy in the city, but Bob and Adam gave us the all-clear (well, the rain-has-stopped-and-the-field-is-playable, anyway) and it was game on as usual at Balboa. The rain kept the dust down, but the outfield grass was wet and slow.
We started out 8-on-8, thanks to a couple of bystanders who played about the first six. Greg took the bump for the homers, and Johnny matched him pitch-for-pitch on the visitors' side. Both hurlers went the distance for what turned out to be a one-run contest.
It looked at first like Greg might have a long afternoon of it, as Mike Lattig started the game with a line drive that went right through me in center (how it missed my head I'll never know), and another misplay and a couple of hits brought home two runs for the visitors in the first. That rally ended when I wrestled down another line drive, this time from Bob -- I think I juggled it most of the way to second base, but managed to hold on.
We homers finally got on the board in the second, as a couple of hits and a stolen base put runners on second and third with one out, and a grounder to second brought the run home. The rally ended when Greg, playing fill-in left field for his opponents, made a great diving catch on a sinking line drive for the last out. Somebody cracked that he would do anything to have a dry ball to pitch with, but really it was Greg being Greg, and showing the true spirit of Mission Baseball.
The visitors extended their lead on a rally that started with a long double to right center by Newest Guy John, but we caught them and jumped into the lead in the fourth, stringing together hits like we knew what we were doing.Both sides continued to get hits, but the two hurlers mostly scattered them, and the defense seemed to tighten up as the game rolled along. Good defense certainly killed a couple of our threats -- I tagged a two-on, two-out liner to center that felt like it might go for my annual double, but Lattig was there to make the play in center.
With the score 5-4 home team in the bottom of the eighth, Still-New-But-No-Longer-Newest Guy John bid for an insurance run by launching a drive into the Balboa Jet Stream in left for a lead-off triple, but two sterling plays by Newest Guy John on sharp grounders to third held him there, and Johnny got the final out to strand him.Greg climbed the hill with a one-run lead for a tense ninth. He dispatched the visitors, and preserved himself a well-earned win.
Highlights
A new home plate at the cop field. Unless you're on my team, try not to step on it too much,
it's a cheap one, but at least it's visible.
Greg and Johnny both pitched complete games, and both made good plays subbing in the field, too
Greg managed to put one pitch near Bob's head, but never actually hit him
Mike Gaspar and Adam nearly combined on a 2-3 foul popup. A long run and great effort by both.
Adam and Nick took turns making picks and digs at first base, including one by Adam that completed a nifty 6-3 double play that John (on the home side) started
A strong new addition, Newest Guy John, came with a big bat and a solid glove
Short of players, we had a few playing unaccustomed positions, and mostly doing pretty well
Next week we're at West Sunset, with its temptations for left-handed power hitters (some of us just dream...)
Same time, different place. You heard it here first folks, West Sunset, 3 pm, bring your left-handed power, or just be really late on your swings....
S. Paige
The day started rainy in the city, but Bob and Adam gave us the all-clear (well, the rain-has-stopped-and-the-field-is-playable, anyway) and it was game on as usual at Balboa. The rain kept the dust down, but the outfield grass was wet and slow.
We started out 8-on-8, thanks to a couple of bystanders who played about the first six. Greg took the bump for the homers, and Johnny matched him pitch-for-pitch on the visitors' side. Both hurlers went the distance for what turned out to be a one-run contest.
It looked at first like Greg might have a long afternoon of it, as Mike Lattig started the game with a line drive that went right through me in center (how it missed my head I'll never know), and another misplay and a couple of hits brought home two runs for the visitors in the first. That rally ended when I wrestled down another line drive, this time from Bob -- I think I juggled it most of the way to second base, but managed to hold on.
We homers finally got on the board in the second, as a couple of hits and a stolen base put runners on second and third with one out, and a grounder to second brought the run home. The rally ended when Greg, playing fill-in left field for his opponents, made a great diving catch on a sinking line drive for the last out. Somebody cracked that he would do anything to have a dry ball to pitch with, but really it was Greg being Greg, and showing the true spirit of Mission Baseball.
The visitors extended their lead on a rally that started with a long double to right center by Newest Guy John, but we caught them and jumped into the lead in the fourth, stringing together hits like we knew what we were doing.Both sides continued to get hits, but the two hurlers mostly scattered them, and the defense seemed to tighten up as the game rolled along. Good defense certainly killed a couple of our threats -- I tagged a two-on, two-out liner to center that felt like it might go for my annual double, but Lattig was there to make the play in center.
With the score 5-4 home team in the bottom of the eighth, Still-New-But-No-Longer-Newest Guy John bid for an insurance run by launching a drive into the Balboa Jet Stream in left for a lead-off triple, but two sterling plays by Newest Guy John on sharp grounders to third held him there, and Johnny got the final out to strand him.Greg climbed the hill with a one-run lead for a tense ninth. He dispatched the visitors, and preserved himself a well-earned win.
Highlights
A new home plate at the cop field. Unless you're on my team, try not to step on it too much,
it's a cheap one, but at least it's visible.
Greg and Johnny both pitched complete games, and both made good plays subbing in the field, too
Greg managed to put one pitch near Bob's head, but never actually hit him
Mike Gaspar and Adam nearly combined on a 2-3 foul popup. A long run and great effort by both.
Adam and Nick took turns making picks and digs at first base, including one by Adam that completed a nifty 6-3 double play that John (on the home side) started
A strong new addition, Newest Guy John, came with a big bat and a solid glove
Short of players, we had a few playing unaccustomed positions, and mostly doing pretty well
Next week we're at West Sunset, with its temptations for left-handed power hitters (some of us just dream...)
Same time, different place. You heard it here first folks, West Sunset, 3 pm, bring your left-handed power, or just be really late on your swings....
S. Paige
Friday, September 17, 2010
9/12/10- Cop Field
Somehow, on Satch's anniversary weekend, he was lucky enough to get a reprieve to play ball, don't ask me how, but let me say that Mrs. Satch is s special kind of woman.... Well, hell, we knew that already, she's also a player for the MBC!
17 brave souls came out to Sundberg, greeted with the hazy day and an empty field, either league play is over now or the other teams have fallen off the face of the earth. It also marked the first Sunday of gridiron football, that most hated of sports. I am thinking of making it a constitutional change to the limited MBC rules that football is not allowed to be discussed, any thoughts?
Satch and Sean squared off after a few missed games, and both did not disappoint the fans, well, if we had fans. Sean had a lot more zest on his fastball, courtesy of some sort of workout regiment that he has been on, which frightens and confuses us. In any case, it was working, and neither team scored much in the way of runs in the first few frames. The homers drew first blood, and we answered back, Satch himself scoring on a hit to right, coming in sliding like a professional. Bob figured it was about a 4.5 on the Richter scale. We see sawed for a few more frames, and us visitors took a one run lead, that became a two run....and then the wheels fell off.
Satch threw five decent frames and bowed out, wary of the lack of constant throwing as off late. Greg took over the bump and kept the homers off balance. Sean lasted an inning more and then gave up the leather to the workhorse, Johnny Bartlett. Somewhere in the middle of the game, the score suddenly jumped from a good game to a not very good game, as the visitors took advantage of some botched plays to run up five more runs. You could smell the despair in the homers dugout from across the field. Mainly due to the fact that the home team hit the ball exceedingly hard all game, they just happened to hit it right at someone each time....with a man on base who got doubled off....usually to end an inning. WE visitors were more cagey, relying on weak ass ground balls to get booted and thrown away. That's Mission baseball!
In any case, the game wound down, each time the homers would get something started, there would be some sort of horrible calamity and the threat would be over. The 9th was no exception as Sean pissed on a ball to left, hitting from the right side against lefty Brian Phelps who had come in to get some work. Pissed on or not, it landed square in the glove of the outfielder. It was just that kind of day.
Highlights:
* Four line out double plays!
* Tim showed up in the second inning, and was an RBI machine all day, and even stole a base!
* Satch hit a powerful line drive that disappeared int the grass in the infield and barely made it to the edge of the grass, giving me time to beat it out, weird stuff
* The return of Duane, mind the knee and the back! Great to see you out again!
* Elvin's dogs were a constant sort of amusement for the team, and our only fans
* A new guy from the Bay to Breakers game came out again, and seemed to enjoy himself
* Sean had his mojo working on the mound, but Satch was the thorn in his side all game, finishing with a 1.000 OBP.
* The knuckleball was really dancing today, and got revenge on James with it
* Two or three broken bats, all on slowballs
* Lets remember to not give up too early when you muff up a play in the infield, just relax, find the ball and check to see if you have a play
* It was entertaining watching Mike Lattig in left, watch a ball hit to the gap in Left and Center, and not even move, meanwhile Bob in center was running after it like it just insulted his dog. Lattig acknowledged us and tipped his cap to us on the bench after the play
Same place, same time. Someone pay attention as I am heading out to the woods again.
Good fishing.
S. Paige
17 brave souls came out to Sundberg, greeted with the hazy day and an empty field, either league play is over now or the other teams have fallen off the face of the earth. It also marked the first Sunday of gridiron football, that most hated of sports. I am thinking of making it a constitutional change to the limited MBC rules that football is not allowed to be discussed, any thoughts?
Satch and Sean squared off after a few missed games, and both did not disappoint the fans, well, if we had fans. Sean had a lot more zest on his fastball, courtesy of some sort of workout regiment that he has been on, which frightens and confuses us. In any case, it was working, and neither team scored much in the way of runs in the first few frames. The homers drew first blood, and we answered back, Satch himself scoring on a hit to right, coming in sliding like a professional. Bob figured it was about a 4.5 on the Richter scale. We see sawed for a few more frames, and us visitors took a one run lead, that became a two run....and then the wheels fell off.
Satch threw five decent frames and bowed out, wary of the lack of constant throwing as off late. Greg took over the bump and kept the homers off balance. Sean lasted an inning more and then gave up the leather to the workhorse, Johnny Bartlett. Somewhere in the middle of the game, the score suddenly jumped from a good game to a not very good game, as the visitors took advantage of some botched plays to run up five more runs. You could smell the despair in the homers dugout from across the field. Mainly due to the fact that the home team hit the ball exceedingly hard all game, they just happened to hit it right at someone each time....with a man on base who got doubled off....usually to end an inning. WE visitors were more cagey, relying on weak ass ground balls to get booted and thrown away. That's Mission baseball!
In any case, the game wound down, each time the homers would get something started, there would be some sort of horrible calamity and the threat would be over. The 9th was no exception as Sean pissed on a ball to left, hitting from the right side against lefty Brian Phelps who had come in to get some work. Pissed on or not, it landed square in the glove of the outfielder. It was just that kind of day.
Highlights:
* Four line out double plays!
* Tim showed up in the second inning, and was an RBI machine all day, and even stole a base!
* Satch hit a powerful line drive that disappeared int the grass in the infield and barely made it to the edge of the grass, giving me time to beat it out, weird stuff
* The return of Duane, mind the knee and the back! Great to see you out again!
* Elvin's dogs were a constant sort of amusement for the team, and our only fans
* A new guy from the Bay to Breakers game came out again, and seemed to enjoy himself
* Sean had his mojo working on the mound, but Satch was the thorn in his side all game, finishing with a 1.000 OBP.
* The knuckleball was really dancing today, and got revenge on James with it
* Two or three broken bats, all on slowballs
* Lets remember to not give up too early when you muff up a play in the infield, just relax, find the ball and check to see if you have a play
* It was entertaining watching Mike Lattig in left, watch a ball hit to the gap in Left and Center, and not even move, meanwhile Bob in center was running after it like it just insulted his dog. Lattig acknowledged us and tipped his cap to us on the bench after the play
Same place, same time. Someone pay attention as I am heading out to the woods again.
Good fishing.
S. Paige
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
9/5/10- Labor Day weekend- Cop Field
Satch was entertaining the rabble at the Gold Rush Days in Sacramento, trying to stay out of the way of the Civil War re-enactors and other ruffians with guns walking the planks in the dust and horse manure. And hot! Damn, what the hell is wrong with the valley, when does the fog and cool come in, cuz I sure didn't feel it! In any case, I missed a hell of a game, and here's Mike Gaspar to tell us all. Gather around:
Another beautiful Sunday in balboa park and by 3:00, 17 guys had gathered for some hardball. Greg started for the home team and Noah for the visitors. and just like in the old days they finished what they started.
the visitors put up a 3 spot in the first. and added single runs in the 2nd and 4th. but the homers countered with 2 in the third and 3 in the fourth. so in the 5th it was all even at 5. in the bottom or the 6th Richie hit a one out single and used his legs to come around to score the go ahead run. a lead the homers would not relinquish.
highlights (and one low light):
- a crisp 2:45 game
- the median age of the visitors starting infield was 54 (old guys rule)
- nice double play turned by stone and Elvin.
- Richie made several nice plays at short
- both starters went the distance (to hell with pitch counts)
- good to see old timer tony a. on the field.
- jt got his mitt stolen. Damn! The suspect is a small boy, who also made off with a baseball, and who Adam P. witnessed in the act of thievery (of the ball). It was also his birthday, apparently.
- i made a diving catch in left while subbing for the other team. sorry tony Rojas got to keep the integrity of the game.
All in all a great game.
i think we all played extra hard knowing we had Monday off. gotta love the three day weekend!
Thanks Mike, well stay tuned, this weeks game will be posted soon as I do some work, what do you think I do, sit around and talk baseball all day????
S. Paige
Another beautiful Sunday in balboa park and by 3:00, 17 guys had gathered for some hardball. Greg started for the home team and Noah for the visitors. and just like in the old days they finished what they started.
the visitors put up a 3 spot in the first. and added single runs in the 2nd and 4th. but the homers countered with 2 in the third and 3 in the fourth. so in the 5th it was all even at 5. in the bottom or the 6th Richie hit a one out single and used his legs to come around to score the go ahead run. a lead the homers would not relinquish.
highlights (and one low light):
- a crisp 2:45 game
- the median age of the visitors starting infield was 54 (old guys rule)
- nice double play turned by stone and Elvin.
- Richie made several nice plays at short
- both starters went the distance (to hell with pitch counts)
- good to see old timer tony a. on the field.
- jt got his mitt stolen. Damn! The suspect is a small boy, who also made off with a baseball, and who Adam P. witnessed in the act of thievery (of the ball). It was also his birthday, apparently.
- i made a diving catch in left while subbing for the other team. sorry tony Rojas got to keep the integrity of the game.
All in all a great game.
i think we all played extra hard knowing we had Monday off. gotta love the three day weekend!
Thanks Mike, well stay tuned, this weeks game will be posted soon as I do some work, what do you think I do, sit around and talk baseball all day????
S. Paige
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
8/29/10- Cop Field
Sorry this is late, lost track of time and all.
Short Summary: We had a bunch of good timers out to the Cop Field, the weather wasn't perfect but it wasn't shitty either. Johnny and Satch squared off in a complete game duel, and the back and forth of the game was one of the betters in recent memory. The teams featured a New guy who had a great time, and loads of thrills and spills.
Both pitchers had to endure some hard luck innings where nothing seemed to get caught, and we also had some great one two three kind of innings so go figure.
After a long fought battle, Johnny's Homers eliminated a 2 run lead in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. It was barely 5 o'clock when we finished so we played a 2 inning exhibition, and true to form, the Homers won that too, giving James 2 victories in one day, and no reason to ever complain about losing again....just kidding.
Highlights:
* Great game pitched by both sides, Johnny my cap is tipped to ya
* Defense was a little flighty, getting even the best of us, Chris Powell dropped a pop fly! ( Of course he caught another one while running back and over his shoulder, beginning to be known as a Powell Pop up).
* Tony Rojas had a rough day.
* Bob HBP +1, again it took extra innings to happen, I tried to hit his bat earlier, and failed
* James looked more confident on the bump this time, in our exhibition
* It slips my mind, but someone made a hell of a nice bunt too, if anyone remembers, holler!
* Greg made a nice foul ball catch when we needed it, and Jon Spack, made a even fancier one, spinning around a few times first, and then just putting out the glove like he knew where it was all along
* New guy made a nice catch in right field, and later ignored everyone yelling at him to throw it home from third, with the bases loaded, 1 out and the score tied. Oh well, its a learning curve
* I finally got a legitimate hit with the new wood bat, it sounded great, and felt even better!
I still need a good name for it though. So far I got:
Same time, same place
S. Paige
Short Summary: We had a bunch of good timers out to the Cop Field, the weather wasn't perfect but it wasn't shitty either. Johnny and Satch squared off in a complete game duel, and the back and forth of the game was one of the betters in recent memory. The teams featured a New guy who had a great time, and loads of thrills and spills.
Both pitchers had to endure some hard luck innings where nothing seemed to get caught, and we also had some great one two three kind of innings so go figure.
After a long fought battle, Johnny's Homers eliminated a 2 run lead in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. It was barely 5 o'clock when we finished so we played a 2 inning exhibition, and true to form, the Homers won that too, giving James 2 victories in one day, and no reason to ever complain about losing again....just kidding.
Highlights:
* Great game pitched by both sides, Johnny my cap is tipped to ya
* Defense was a little flighty, getting even the best of us, Chris Powell dropped a pop fly! ( Of course he caught another one while running back and over his shoulder, beginning to be known as a Powell Pop up).
* Tony Rojas had a rough day.
* Bob HBP +1, again it took extra innings to happen, I tried to hit his bat earlier, and failed
* James looked more confident on the bump this time, in our exhibition
* It slips my mind, but someone made a hell of a nice bunt too, if anyone remembers, holler!
* Greg made a nice foul ball catch when we needed it, and Jon Spack, made a even fancier one, spinning around a few times first, and then just putting out the glove like he knew where it was all along
* New guy made a nice catch in right field, and later ignored everyone yelling at him to throw it home from third, with the bases loaded, 1 out and the score tied. Oh well, its a learning curve
* I finally got a legitimate hit with the new wood bat, it sounded great, and felt even better!
I still need a good name for it though. So far I got:
- Foe Hammer
- The Peacemaker
- Cricket Stick
- War Club
- The Oar
- The Hogleg
Same time, same place
S. Paige
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