An enjoyable and a tad bittersweet day of baseball.
This marked our first 4th of July BBQ doubleheader without Bob. I am not saying that we failed completely, but there was a noticeable lack of preparedness in our BBQ this year. I think everyone got something to eat, and hats off to the people who remembered things like plates and cutlery and condiments, and a big thank you to Gabe and Phelps for manning the grills and getting some food out to the hungry players.
Actually this year we were without several of the stalwarts of the MBC: Tony, Sean, JT, Johnny B, Mitch, Rick, James, Anna, Sonny. They were all missed.
However, we still had full ranks for the day, and played two solid games. The weather was about what you would expect for a game in July, foggy and cold to begin with, a few periods of sunshine and blue sky and then the real fog and wind to close out the game, chilling us to the bone. By the time that I got back to my side of the bridge the temperature had risen by 21 degrees....
Game 1:
I started for the homers and felt really good. I was also aided by the mound, which had not been disturbed all week, since all the leagues take the week off. So that was awesome. My curveball was finally working again and so was the knuckleball! I couldn't believe Greg kept calling for it, and more, that I was throwing it for strikes. Must have been the heavy air. We cruised through the first couple of innings; I believe we scored first, but the game was close. Phelps started for the visiting team, and was cruising as well. Special thanks to Brian for throwing me a first pitch knuckleball —that didn't knuckle—for my deepest drive of the day to left center for a lazy man's double.
I went 6 innings, struck out at least 4 or 5, and was a little unwilling to leave the mound, but when there are 25 players, you don't to be the dick that take playing time away from others. Or at least, that is what I am told. Greg came in for the homers, and well, our lead which was 5-2 at that time, suddenly became 6-5 visitors. All that hard work gone... :(
Luckily, our batters were keeping us in the game, RB-Ed was out doing his thing, and Adam contributed several knocks. Diego came in to throw for the visitors with the visitors now ahead, but we were saved by the hard work and determination of Charlie D, playing in his 2nd doubleheader, who laced a soft line drive over the head of 3rd base. He took 2nd on a passed ball, and then scored from there on Adam's line drive over 1st base, sliding into home on a close play to knot the score at 6-6. We put in Gabe to halt any additional runs, and he did well, It stayed tied and we decided to end the game so that we could get to the BBQ and the second game.
BBQ
Hot dogs! Hot dogs! Thanks to whoever brought the hot dogs! Without them, I think we would have been fighting over 12 hamburgers and 2 packs of sausages. As stated before, the absence of Bob means an absence of meat, in about every sense of the word. But more specifically, all the good beef. I will say that we did the absolute minimum amount of planning this year so it is not altogether surprising, but something to remember for next year. Thanks again to Gabe and Brian, who had the forethought to bring grills, another thing that Bob was always good for. I had also hoped for an appearance from Johnny with the Boudin sausages, but alas.
The AOY trophy was also not discussed beforehand as part of our general lack of planning, and honestly, no one has really stepped up their game in the ways worthy of an AOY distinction. So we gave it to Bob, who as a first ballot Hall of Famer AOY, is always a crowd favorite.
The Rookie of the Year went to Erasto, whose acrobatic fielding, clutch hitting, and deceptively impactful pitching have been impressing us all year. He has become a great addition to the MBC and I hope that he continues to come out. Our only wish is that he feels comfortable enough to start sitting with the group. We all promise to get better at our Spanish as well! Special thanks to Alejandro for serving as translator this year, as none of us had any idea of what the Spanish word for Rookie is.
El premio al Novato del Año fue para Erasto, cuyo fildeo acrobático, bateo decisivo y pitcheo engañosamente impactante nos han impresionado todo el año. Se ha convertido en una gran incorporación al MBC y espero que siga participando. Nuestro único deseo es que se sienta lo suficientemente cómodo como para empezar a sentarse con el grupo. ¡Prometemos mejorar nuestro español también! Un agradecimiento especial a Alejandro por su trabajo como traductor este año, ya que ninguno de nosotros tenía ni idea de cómo se dice "novato" en español.
