Tuesday, January 13, 2015

1/4/15 Moscone Field- The Alpha Game

When I die, I hope I end up in a place where the baseball season never ends....oh wait, that's the Mission Baseball Club season!  So, I'll just stay here.

Per usual, January provides some of the nicest baseball playing weather of the year here in SF.  Not sure why, but I have been writing this blog long enough to page back through the years and see that it's true.  Feel free to the do the same, I'll wait.....

Well, our first game of 2015 was no exception, beautiful sun, plenty of action, nice field, who could ask for more?

In a stunning turn, Satch got to play in consecutive games, which hasn't happened for quite some time.  The traffic was non-existent but it takes a while to get to the Marina.  Luckily, everyone else was int eh same boat, so the game hadn't started by the time I rolled in.  The pitchers had been set however, and Carter started for the visiting team, with Satch coming in around the 6th, while the homers went rotisserie style, throwing Sean, Greg, Sonny and someone else, for the homers.  The game was tight, crisp and full of razzle dazzle. 

In the first inning, looking over the formidable lineup of the homers, I remarked to Lattig that the key to winning this game would be to let Chris Powell be the only one who scored.  The thought was that trying to stop him was an exercise in futility, better to focus on the other 8 players...well, I didn't use that exact phrase, cuz I didn't want him to think I was a fancy pants, but the ethos was, let Powell score, and then no more.  And dang if that didn't end up being the way it played out.

Every time that the homers threatened to blow the game up, the visitors would find a way to shut it down.  As a result, the score was a back and forth ending up tied at 3 a piece going into the last three frames.  But in baseball, one wrong pitch can be the difference, and with a mighty crack, the visitors went up and stayed up, fending off one bases loaded jam after another to the tune of a 6-4 victory.

Highlights

* Chris Powell scored 3 of the 4 runs for the homers, and was stranded on third base during a bases loaded fiasco. 

* As a battery, Ed and Satch were completely out of synch with what pitch to throw, but managed to still do a good job

* John McGrath gets the Ugliest Double award, the hit was a thing of beauty, but also a valuable lesson for his kids who were in tow, that one should always be aware of the other base runners, while running. 

* In addition to his scoring prowess, Powell also made several plays from deep SS

* Gaspar laid down a great bunt in an attempt to fend off against the shift, but was foiled by an even better play by Carter to get the lead runner at third.

* John Carey was out, resplendent in Bob's high school uniform, and played a great game, even if he did dive a few times in the outfield on plays that may not have required it

* Greg gave himself an error for throwing the pitch, and then immediately knowing it was the wrong choice, which Satch crushed to take the lead in the game

* The grass at Moscone makes the hardest hit grounder, a roller after two bounces

* The homers had about 7 hits to short center field, all singles, no way to defend

* Last week, John Nero left the game to go buy water, and so, in a crucial part of the game, Chris Powell came up to bat with two outs instead of Nero....this week, when Dennis left early, the home team was asked if they wanted to just let Powell hit again, since that seems to be the way it works....I am turning the whole thing over to Bob Carey, Chief Justice of the Kangaroo Court

* Since Bob was on my team, I may have tried to breeze John with a knuckleball.  Missed him by two feet.

* I had my first legitimate sacrifice fly in quite a while to get the visitors on the board.

* Hank had a number of hard hits in the game and played all over the diamond

* JT made some catches in right when we really needed them

* Don also made some catches in right (center) when we really needed them

Thanks for a great game, everyone who was out.  Happy 2015 (still waiting for jet packs, flying cars, one piece uniform jumpsuits, telepathy helmets, food in pill form, and the Cubs to win the World Series....)

S. Paige

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

12/28/14 St Mary's- The Omega Game

The last game of the year was held at St. Mary's which was the only field that we could guarantee was dry enough to play on. And it was, mostly, although there was movement to rename the field in the spirit of Camp Swampy as the St. Mary's Bayou. The day was surprisingly warm and muggy, probably due to the moisture in the ground and the trees around us.

We were equally as pleased by the appearance of Johnny Bartlett, who promised to come out more and is looking fantastic, as well as Will Rockwell, who looked like 10lbs of shit in a 5lb bag....

We had a healthy mixture of old and new, and someone got on the horn to Adam who lives spitting distance away and told him he was shaming himself by not showing up. He did and was resplendent in a very snazzy MBC color coordinated shorts and sleeves combo.

Satch, having been pent up and worked over by the holiday was raring to go and was throwing lights out ball for the homers, to the tune of 7-8 strikeouts, helped in part by the extremely low and hard packed mound. Carter and Mitch pitched well for the other team doing what they do best, holding us hostage to the pop up and the ground ball.

We see-sawed the game and by the time Satch bowed out in the 7th, it was 4-3 visitors. And that is where is stayed, through the end of the game, and to a top of the 10th, after which the game was called. So in my mind, we homers are owed an at bat. Not that it did us much good for the first 9 innings...

Highlights

* The visitors were masters of the line drive


* JT recorded the first solid hit for our team in the 3rd inning

* Adam was a whiz with the glove and bat and refinery

* New guy Gaston came in to mop up and was pitching southpaw fire

* Ed took two pretty scorching foul tips off the mask, one that put him on his butt

* I was 0-4 with three pop flies and one ground out, not so impressive


* Dennis informed me that his is still on the testosterone replacement therapy and they gave him the three months dose all at once, hence his better than usual hitting prowess.

* A meeting of the AOY's was convened after the game, all in attendance.

* JT, our resident stats man, informed me that all four runs I gave up were unearned.

* Hardest thing about the refurbished St Mary's field is that you can't pee in the bushes anymore without fear of exposing yourself to a family out for a walk on the nice paths.

* The sun becomes a pitcher's ally by the middle innings. Elevate and you blind everyone who goes up for the ball

* The visitors just out played us on defense and offense.