Wednesday, June 8, 2011

6/5/11- West Sunset

The games after a SQ visit are often strange....and the weather proved to fit well into that equation. Muggy. Damp. Sweaty. Cold? Windy. All of these factored into a great pair of games, one regular, one exhibition.

Most of us thought there would be no game on Sunday, due to the tropical storms that moved through on Saturday, but the message came through from Greg that the field was in fine shape, and it was! It was as if someone had just watered real well a few hours earlier.

The teams broke off, and it looked as though the homers might have the edge, but it was a day of irregulars, and nothing was certain. Noah took the bump for the visitors, and pitched the entire day. Note I did not say game, match or situation. I said day. 12 innings for the big workhorse, and his last five pitches might have been harder than his first five. It's just how he do. And not only did he work his soup bone like a champ, he earned himself two victories....ooops, did I just give away the whole thing? Am I talking to myself here? Hello?

Well, fuck it, Noah deserves it.

The game itself was the usual back and forth affair. Satch started for the homers and threw a decent 10 innings, and I think managed to garner both losses, although Johnny says that we tied it up in the 2nd game, when he was pitching. Real gentleman to throw himself on that grenade, but we'll just leave it at, I got beat. I felt good, threw lots of junk, got the pitches I needed to, but there were a lot of balls that the other squad jumped all over. Sometimes its like that.

Round about the fourth inning, we had scratched our way back to a close game, and Sean decides to haul off and whale one into McCovey trees, in right. That was the first home run I wasn't trying to give up, in a while. I found out later that the ball had actually become lodged in the trees in front of the fence. That smells like a dead ball, ground rule double to me?

Greg said something about rafters, but, I ask you, can you really justify citing rules that are based upon covered stadium/Dome instances? That's like saying you figured out the key to perpetual motion is to just build a machine that runs forever. All filler-no fact, in other words.

It was a hell of knock.

Noah, proving that he was in fact George Herman Ruth for the day, also added a couple of really hard hit balls, one I believe for a triple, which I at least got to enjoy watching him wear out his legs running.

The visitors employed the bloop scenario and then capitalized on those which extra base hits and the old fashioned shitty fielding option. The homers tried to hit the ball too hard, and usually it was right at someone.

So the first game ended in a score settled by one run, I believe 6-5 was the final.

We took the field for the second game, wiped the slate clean, and then the visitors picked right up where they had left off and scored a bunch of runs. I bowed out, Bartlett came in to stop the bleeding as best he could, and we lost the second game by a margin more like 7-3.

Highlights:

* Noah deserves the game ball(s) and a shot of Jameson.

* Duane hit another triple, its getting to be a thing with him.

* The defense on both sides was pretty good, some bad hops and bounces, but for the most part, people made the plays

* I made a bonehead running play, not going home on a 1 out ground ball. I am nervous about full steam home plate collisions. By collisions, I mean of course, tripping over the plate and hitting my face on the back stop. The catcher should know better than to be anywhere close by as that happens.

* Ed and Greg caught the entire game for the teams!

* I got to run the first and third play that I love, the runner on first takes off, hopefully inducing a balk (which we don't count, but which did happen, for the record, Noah :)) So then you get in a pickle and hope that the guy on third gets a good enough lead to make a dash for home. Well, Noah knows what to do, and they let me go once Adam got too far off. But I got to steal second, and run the ol' ruse.

* Dennis and his kid Jacob came out, glad to see the ankle is rehabbing well, we all wish him luck with that. Jacob seems like a good kid, and has the ability to hit the ball hard and make a catch when it counts. Dennis, if you are out there, I would advise not talking to him or trying to give him pointers while he is at bat. The at-bat you were somewhere else, he hit a nasty pitch for a double....just saying, let the natural talents to come about.

* Chris and I were talking about his knack for catching over the shoulder plays from SS. He and Phelps used to practice it when they were kids. In any case, of course, the first one of the day he lets get away from him. Damn, I should have kept my mouth shut. Well, he got another opportunity later and made it. Whew!

* Rich proved to be mortal at the plate for once. Played a great center field though

* Paul made a really nice grab out in left field too and waxed poetic about the Yankee front office in the 50's and 60's (His mom worked there!)

* Adam attempted to throw everyone off their game by saying their name really loud after they hit the ball (...now I don't want to say the neighborhood has changed but....)

* Sean made a great stretch at 1st, and looked good for a man that went five hard at the Q. Why can't you get that kind of hit in there!

* Lattig was fresh off a plane from Paris, and made the plays but wasn't quite the 5 tool player he usually is. Who is after two weeks in the City of Lights? Come, let us sit and smoke, stroke our thin mustaches, drink too much wine and talk of things that make us sad and joyful, like a broken-legged child at the beach.

* We had a strange scenario where we went home for a play with two outs. I think it worked, but strange

* Lets all remember to hit our cutoffs, not only is it the right thing to do but it saves your arms too! Rich, you are excused.

* Lets all remember to keep Bob flush in money, and we need to start planning the 4th of July double header, who's going to get the Bad Sportsmanship trophy? Start casting your ballots now.

Not sure where we are this week, but I know its potential for awesome is high.

S. Paige



1 comment:

Elvin said...

the homerun ball was pre maturely stuck in the tree. it was prevented from clearing the fence. It was a homerun.

We were able to get the ball down with another ball.