8/4/19 GGP

This was the best 13-player game I have ever been a part of.  Our attendance has once again fallen off, this being the second week in a row with less than 14 players.  But everyone who came out was quality, and that makes up for a lot.  The day was amazingly beautiful, clear skies, 70 degrees.  Lattig started for the visitors and Satch for the homers.  We battled it out on the West diamond of GGP, the mound on that field is a like a cliff, but it has its advantages in making sure your curve ball stays low.

I got hit real hard for the first four innings, giving up an extra base hit at least once in each inning.  We managed to get out of the jams a few time though, including a nifty line drive double off at first base (Abe!) and after the first four, the score was 5-2.  Not insurmountable.

Greg decided to be the hero and took the weight of all-time catcher to speed the game along and also allow us to have a full defense, and that made things a lot easier.  With Mitch back in center field where he belongs, all of a sudden things were looking up.

We had originally decided on an abbreviated 7 inning game, but when we got to that point, it was only about 5pm, so we decided to play all 9.  Once I had a full squad behind me, I settled down, and threw 11 pitches in two innings worth of work.  Abe took over after I had thrown in the towel --and he wants this noted for posterity--he threw two shut out innings. Nice work!

Mike N took over for Lattig and kept us mostly at bay, though we creeped to within a run, 5-4.  Greg, having turned over the mantle of all time catcher to Nick W. came into pitch the 9th, and coughed up the lead with back-to-back doubles from Satch and Powell.   I for one was happy to still be able to hit the ball somewhere other than weakly to SS.   And I made it to second base without using a crutch.
For Powell, it was about his third double of the day.  Alas we had two outs, and were not able to bring Powell home to win the game.

Tie ball game, extra innings????  Not today.

Everyone goes home a winner.

Final Score: 5-5

Highlights:

* Special thanks to everyone that came out: Greg, Tony, Nick W, Powell, Mike N, Mike L, Bob, Abe, Urano, Mitch, Dan, Elvin, Satch

* I started a double play against my own team, didn't want to do it, but felt like I had to.  Also, the ground ball came right to me.  If my hip gets worse, I can just fall over and have a legitimate excuse for not getting those in the future.

* Chris Powell made a classic over the shoulder Powell catch in short center.

* Urano was the defensive player of the game at SS, ranging to left and right, and making multiple charging cross-body barehanded throws.

* Elvin went up and got a pitch that was purposefully throw high and out of the zone, for a hit  Gotta respect that.

* There was a tourist family that stood in the middle of right field and watched the last two innings of the game.  They seemed to enjoy it.

* We need to reinstate the push for cones, Chris hit one here that should have just been called a round-tripper:

* Members of the baseball game that was on the other diamond came and watched ours, they refused our pleas to help with our reduced numbers until the last inning, and then came in for defense.  I think they made 3 put outs in the outfield.  Thanks for the support--eventually.

* First ever official documented BullShit! call was made:

Runner on third, and Elvin was playing left field, he had just gotten out there, and he was playing right handed (which I guess he hasn't done in a long time...sigh.)  Fly ball to him, he makes the catch (Hooray!) then Tony is waving his arms as he is the cutoff trying to get the runner at home.  Elvin spaghetti-arms one about 70 feet to the right of Tony, into no man's land behind 2nd.  Runner scores, but is brought back when Tony calls BullShit!  You can't have your borrowed defense doing that sort of thing.  Elvin pleads physiological complications made him do it, not underhanded play.  Either way, runner send back and DOES NOT SCORE!

This is a video compilation of what kind of throw it was:

* Mike N got a hit off me using my bat.

* Got Bob first two times on first pitch knucklers.

* Bob was also HBPx2

* I hit Nick W. with a slow curve, getting in his head for the rest of the game.

* Frustrating day of hitting for our team, except Powell

* I think Bob had a extra base hit after all the frustration.

* Greg made at least 2 catches in foul territory, killing rallies

* Greg also threw out Powell at third, with Elvin covering for a third out.

* Mike N had the shittiest hit of the game, to an empty right field.

* 7 innings is the most I have pitched in a while, felt good to be able to go deep.

* The picture I took on top was part of an at-bat that I was trying to get video footage of.  I filmed 5 pitches, and each time I started, no swing, no action.  Phone finally stalls, and the one time I don't take a video, Tony laces a single to right.  Oh well, I enjoyed it in real-time.