February 21, 2010- Moscone

Every day except today we could have played a game, but noooooooo, fucking rain.

And it keeps coming down.


S. Paige

2/14/10- West Sunset- Valentine's Day

Being Valentines day and all, I accepted that there was no way I was going to play ball on Sunday. I got the dangerous "Since I love you, you should play baseball on Sunday," offer from Mrs Paige but I have learned to see through that ploy and understand that it's a one way ticket to sleeping on the couch....The game was held and well attended, and it sounds like I missed a good one, but don't take my work for it, here's Mr. Sean Paul Presley:

It was a pretty good game for awhile. johnny took the mound for the home team, frustrating people as always with that slurve of his that makes his fastball seem oh so fast. about 20-21 people showed up and the field, with the exception of the sliding area in front of second and near home plate, was in pretty damn good shape. the weather was incredible and the big surf, same big surf that provided a mavericks contest, could be heard as if it was crashing right there on 41st.

Greg pitched an outstanding first 5 innings, allowing no runs to be scored. the defense backed him though, great catches by girgus and bob in the outfield, some real nifty flashing of the leather by infielders vic, ben, jt and bob, tim called a fantastic entire game behind the plate, but it was greg who shut em down for 5 whole innings while the visitors slowly pulled away from johnny's homers. the home team infield was a bit inexperienced as the lefty brian stood in at shortstop but made some great efforts over there, even though the pre-inning covering the catcher's throw and successive "throwing it around" was poor and is probably what took johnny out of his rhythm! nonetheless, a great first base was played by nick and i think rick played third. whoever it was did a pretty fine job. i know gaspar caught during the game, and thanks for that, but when he took up the hot corner for the home team, nothing got by him and his throws to first were always on the money. John played as well and caught a good couple innings

i think johnny left the game around the 6thish but it was still a ball game, maybe only 4 or 5 nothing in favor of the visitors. the visiting team had timely hitting by bob who hit the hell out of the first pitch he saw from johnny. i had a couple doubles and a single, the first time i ever left the field successful against johnny. also some fine hitting by zach, some bullets hit by JT, his wife in attendance sorry i forgot her name but she was snapping away with her camera, and vic after greg left i came in and i was really feelin it, tim called an awesome game behind the plate but i was hitting my spots and the curve and change-up were in the mix. 3 quick innings, had a little trouble in one of em, the home team loaded the bases but i got a come-backer, went right to the plate to dustin who threw to JT but JT just couldn't squeeze the wide inside throw of what would have been an inning-ending DP. i think there was an actual DP that was turned unassisted by Mr. Johnny Bartlett himself( it may have been JT running to first, tho, but an amazing play!!!). Lefty Brian came in to finish pitching for the homers and the visiting team strung some hits together and took advantage of some errors to make the final score i think 9-0.

beautiful day for ball, let's hope to see some more of those!! also great game of outfielding and hitting by Doc and son, great to see them out!!!

And this just in, another summary from the lefty Ozzie Smith, Brian Phelps:

Johnny vs Greg.

Greg shut us down for 6 innings. And got relieved by Sean who did the same thing. I think we got 6 or 7 hits. Johnny pitched good but the defense let a few runs in.

I played shortstop for the first time (no lefties in the infield?). Greg hit the 1st ball by me on a rope. No chance. I got him back by hitting a come backer that went right through his glove. One other ball got by me. But made some good plays.

I came in to relieve Johnny. Couldn't find the strike zone at first, but settled in and gave up one, I think.

Edwin made a great catch to end the first inning with runners in scoring position. But he got hurt on the play. He shook it off and made it back on the field.

I remember Zack having a good day at the plate. Hit a bunch of hard balls.



Thanks Brian and Sean! Wellup, There she is. Moscone at 2 pm this Sunday. Be there or be an L7.

S. Paige

February 7, 2010- Treasure Island

There were only 11 of us, but dammit we had a good time, and we all disparaged the Super bowl as much as possible the whole day. Thanks to Stoner, Ben, Sadie (Mrs. Paige), Dennis, Johnny, JT, Greg, Nick Smith, Brian Phelps and Big Stick Rojas for making the trip out, you are all true ballers. A new game was created, Curacao 11 (or 5 1/2 if you prefer). Some of us caught on quicker than others as to the intricacies. Basically the same as Caracas 5, with an extra pair of legs to catch or field when needed. The right side of diamond was foul territory, fielders threw to the mound for the out at first, and it was a real mish-mash as to who covered what base when the rest of the time. Phelps in particular really stuck it to us on taking the extra base, just because there weren't enough people to cover all the bases at times, but hey, he's a student of the game.

Johnny and Satch squared off, and for a game with undefined rules and lots of at bats, it was a pretty tight affair. The majority of the game was a one run affair, and only in the latter innings did the visitors pull ahead and seal the deal at 4-2. The weather was amazing, you wouldn't have know that it had rained at all, the infield was quick and packed, the mound nice and firm. See saw battle, each of us pitching our way out of some serious jams (johnny gets the medal for a bases loaded, one out bail out performance, including a called strike three, You know who you are...). Dennis and Greg came in for the last few, on a day when all we wanted was some fun, and we had it. Sitting on some couch, watching stupid ads every 45 seconds doesn't seem so cool now, does it Mr. Pigskin? Well, you had your chance....



Highlights:

* Already posted, but Brian hit a homerun to right, very impressive, and he added the distance for each and where they would have been in different ball yards. Too bad it was a foul ball.

* Mrs. Paige for playing the whole game, making contact, humoring her husband's baseball fanaticism, and doing it all while hungover from a bachelorette party (You see Vic, in the big leagues we play with hangovers...)

* Boooooooo to Adam and Vic for being the only guys who responded they were coming and didn't ( Adam was in a Robitussin haze apparently...)

* Struck out the side.

* Greg for catching the first 3 innings for both teams

* All those who volunteered to catch to give Greg a break, JT, Johnny, Brian (righty!) Hope the hammys are alright

* Glad I didn't kill Greg with two comebackers (its what happens when I try to pull the ball)

* I fielded a comebacker with my bare hand, I don't recommend it, damn fingers hurt today

* Anyone who made a catch in the sun, damn it was bright

* The three error triple, sac fly run was impressive

* Everyone pitched in after to rake and rebuild the field, the club car ran out of gas, so we had to push it back in the storage

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who made it out.


I won't go through too much of the game except to say that it was a pleasure that those of us who came out will remember the day, and that a good time was had by all.

I think next week is Moscone, but wait for the official word.

S Paige



See Brian's hitting diagrams below.







AT&T


















Treasure Island

















San Quentin

January 31, 2010- West Sunset

After a long two weeks of rain, cold, and depressing outlooks, we were once again met on the West Sunset field to salvage January for the baseball season. A big tip of the cap to Greg for working on the field and making it habitable, without his help, we probably would not have had a game, Thanks Greg!

A few muddy zones aside, the field was in pretty good shape, before I knew what was happening I was ordered on to the home team, to play shortstop, and provide a bat. Well, I got the shortstop part of it, anyway. The teams were halved at 16, until the late appearance of Mitch, which made us 9 strong. Defense on both sides of the game was pretty outstanding, there were plays made all over the place, and everyone contributed (Yes Brian, your basket catch counts too!!!).

Hitting on the other hand, seemed to be much more of a visitor kind of thing, although Johnny did his best to shut down the rallies. It seemed like we got out of some tight spots, with runners on the corners, but by the end of the 3rd, it was 2-0. By the end of the 5th, it was still 2-0. We had chances, and usually at least a base runner, but never could get them home, and a lot of rallies died before they started.

Sean, resplendent in his Evergreen uniform had brought his A-game to the mound, and tallied at least 8 strikeouts by his departure in the 7th. And who was it that knocked him out of the box, none other than His Royal Mouthiness, Brian “Circus” Girgus. A beautiful line drive, with 2 outs, to score two runs, and all of a sudden the game was tied.

And we got to enjoy that for approximately 4 minutes. The next inning the visitors fought back, score the go ahead, and then they stayed ahead. I had come into relieve Johnny by that point, and was feeling the effects of time off, wife out of town partying, heavy wet balls, and a general ache of everything. Our hitting never really improved, even with Rojas on the mound, who kept us honest, and plunked me in the elbow; just because that is the kind of competitor he is….

The 9th brought us more pain and anguish, as we gasped our last, and then with the light still in the sky, we convinced everyone for an extra inning. It was nice to have a bonus and one more chance, but then I fouled out to end the game, which batting wise for me that day was pretty much par for the course.

It was great to get shake off the rain, and for most of the day, it was sunny and nice, with a strange chill that blew through for 15 minutes. The forecast is not so favorable, and Super bowl Sunday awaits, but if we can, the game will be at Treasure Island.

Highlights

* Sean, hell of a game pitching, Johnny too, sorry I couldn’t be more effective at holding the score.

* Bob, catching a couple of third strike foul tips, thank you!

* The return of the Bhatia boys, a big fly double from Vivek, and a Rickey slide double from Vinay, too cool!

* I can’t remember anyone getting a bad hop, which is amazing considering the rain and mud

* Oh yeah, Adam took one in the head area, but that was because of his fearless play not a bad hop…. He also made some nice plays around the bag.

* I made a mistake in saying Take the easy one, on an up the middle two out groundball, the easy one should have been to first, which is rarely thought of as the easy one….

* Greg and Tony again had some loud hits off me

* Mitch had a great bunt and a much needed catch in center

* Nick scooped up some of my throws from first, which I appreciated, and made a jumping tag at first, too cool.

* Ben, way to squeeze the pop fly in the sun.

* Bob made a great long run catch in left, after complaining that he didn't like having to run out to left from the dugout, that's why you're out there, Bob!

* Reminder to Pitchers: Ball hit to the right side, ground or fly, your movement is always towards covering first base.

S.Paige

Ruminations in the Rain

This is always the worst part of the year, when the storms come in, the ground gets saturated, and even two or three days of sunlight can't do enough to make the field habitable. Sundays are filled with housecleaning, walks, dinner with in-laws, museum trips, movies I have seen already, and talking about my feelings, and the different ways we can get 1.9% interest on our house fund.

We've had rain showers and sunlight in the span of twenty minutes lately, and every blue skied minute, all I do is think about the next game, the next at bat, the next knuckle ball. The wife hates it. Some bad moments in the first few Sundays when we were off doing our own thing. I eventually learned not to mention it until the end of the day. To her credit she sometimes plays catch with me on Sundays, when I can't make a game. She's a classy lady, I don't know what she sees in me. And her family asks me before they plan anything on a Sunday, just to make sure that I can miss a game. They're great people, even if they don't understand the game.

Is it the gamesmanship? The camaraderie? The good people? The history of the game and the club? Sure, but that's not all....Maybe it's more of the individual aspect, where every game holds the chance each of us to be the hero, to be a part of a comeback, or just the opportunity to succeed? Maybe. But losing is much more a part as they always say. Historically speaking, the best hitter ever, still failed 6 out of 10 times. And the losses used to stay with me, back when games mattered. But now, I almost enjoy a loss if it's a result of a good game played, a stunning comeback, a weird turn of events, or even a hobbled 158 lb. Rainbow Grocery clerk with a wise mouth and no glove.

The other thing about baseball, to quote the late A. Bartlett Giamatti, is that baseball was designed to break your heart. As a Giants fan, I have started to really understand what the hell that meant. I have lived through two World Series' now, that Giants have had a chance to win. Well OK, once anyway (The '89 series? I say this a loyal Giants fan, the A's were a much stronger team, and there wasn't much of chance). Cubs fans? I can't even imagine what that's like. But I am starting to. I went to spring training a few years ago, and we went to HoHokum stadium or whatever its called, and I had a great time. It felt familiar, the fans, the hopeless positivity, the shaking head mistakes, it was all like home. And frankly, I saw a lot of the same mistakes we make in the MBC. Well, actually, I never saw anyone throw a five strikeout inning and lose a save....

And I sit here, watching the rain, thinking about the future, for the Giants, and the MBC. I think about the next play at first, the next fly ball, the next slash bunt, the next slurve, the next stolen base, the next close 3-2 count, the next groundball with eyes, the next Texas leaguer, the next strikeout, muffed play, gork, and lost ball....

And when you look at the rain, I know you think about them too.

S. Paige

January 17, 2010- West Sunset

FUCK YOU RAIN!

January 10, 2010: West Sunset

The field had a little water left from a rain that no one could remember, and the pickup guys before us were kind enough to let us get on early, for the second game of the 2010 season. Starting for the visitors was Johnny Bartlett, resplendent in his Mission uniform, and willing and able to go the distance, which he did. Satch started for the home squad, warming up on the bump as his team was morphed to make sure that we had a competent shortstop, and not too many big bats.

The first few innings were bang bang, as one hit, an infield single from Vic was all any of the batters could muster. Johnny was keeping it all around the dish, mixing his slurvy stuff with his wrinkle stuff. Satch kept the changeup in rotation, mixed with a fastball that was livelier than usual, maybe due to the brisk temperature, and a knuckle that had some funky hard dive.

Finally in the third, we got to Johnny, and quickly put three runs on the board. They answered right back with 2 of their own, and a ball game was underway. The runs started to mount up, on both sides, and by the time Satch left the game in the 6th, the visitors had retaken the lead with a 5-4, which then became 7-5. Johnny had settled down and was throwing stellar ball, and we homers were befuddled as what to do. Satch had an emergency call from the wife, a cluster-fucked de-railer and chain mishap, had to leave the game for a few minutes. I lead off the inning with a first pitch single (frustration hit), got a ghost runner, and when I returned the team had capitalized and the score was 8-7, us. We went to the 9th, and the visitors suddenly came alive and scored 3 runs, 10-8, demoralizing turn of events….OR was it?

Girding up our reserves, and relying on the 6 men we had left (injuries and Punk rock had drained our team of more than a few members) we followed guffed ball, with line drive and sacrifice fly, and before we knew it, we were bases loaded and Sean up at bat. He promptly sent a sacrifice fly that scored the tying run, and we had men on first and second; the score knotted and tied at 10. In stepped the seasoned Nick Smith, who waited for the pitch he wanted and laced a drive over the infielders collective grasps, Gaspar hurried home and the game was won (Thanks to JT for remembering this final bit, good thing I was not the go ahead run, with my head that far out of the game).

Johnny (once again, a great game, all heart) kept his head high as we collected the bases, shook hands and wandered off to our lives for another week.

Highlights

*Johnny, too often you get the raw deal in your Complete Games, but you looked good.

*Thanks to everyone who stayed to help finish the game

*Sean, for looking great in his new Evergreen uniform, and pitching three innings of strong close out ball

*Dennis, not the best idea to talk shit to a pitcher when you are in the batter’s box, or ever for that matter.

*Edwin, with a great catch on my hardest hit ball of the day, could have been a double!

*Anthony, also with a much needed catch in right

*Johnny again for the over the shoulder snare in the no man’s land of the infield

*Thanks Tim for squeezing a couple of foul tip third strikes

*Johnny and Greg took me to the woodshed a couple of times, with runners on, thought I was being cagey, turned out I was just foolish

*Some strong in-fielding plays: Gasper, Tony, Chris, and a double off play in the 9th.

*Gaspar recorded 4 of the first six outs for the homers, once again proving his utter versatility

*Nice play on a troubled grounder to the right, JT!

*No Bob, so no HBP…

*Good to see Vivek, short though it was, hope the elbow is healing

*Lattig, once again, there is little chance of stopping him at the plate (but slow curves can do it once, never twice…)

*I muffed a picture perfect double play ball, then dropped it a second time trying to get one, I hate that!

A lot of rain, but we will keep our fingers crossed.

S. Paige

January 3, 2010: Moscone Field

So I will get the easy ones out of the way early. This was the best game of 2010, so far....and by far the most beautiful Sunday, of 2010, up to this point....Girgus, now that you got all those plays out of the way, we will be looking forward to some stellar games.

In any case, we had 19 people, on an amazing day in the Marina, we waited a few minutes for the pickup game before us to end, seemed like good guys. We had a salty dog kind of show up with Brian Girgus back in uniform, Johnny in Enid flannel, Stoner on his monthly furlough, and the rest of us motley pill hoppers.

Brian Phelps had challenged me to a heads up kind of thing last week, and the rain just staved off the sun long enough to make the field unplayable, but that was good enough to whet the appetite for this weeks contest. I accepted Brian's challenge, and took the bump with a strong defense behind me, I thought.

It didn't take long for the visitors to rack up a 3 run lead, and Brian set our boys down in order in the first. Satch would not let the shutout go any further, and stepped into a curve ball and hit it a very long way into right center. A double on my holiday legs, but the distance was pretty epic. 3rd on a fielders choice, and home on a blooper past the diving pitcher, and the shut out was broke. Another run tacked on and we had a good game, 3-2.

Next thing you knew, it was all tied up, 4-4, and we had a homerun, excitement, sun spots, bloops, runs, double plays. And then, it was 8-4, the visitors having taken the lead back handily. And that's pretty much how it stayed. I lasted until the 7th, lengthened by the a couple of great team play low pitch innings, Mike Lattig took over the hurling duties for the visitors team, and Mitch closed it out for the last. We never retook the lead, and the closest we came was 11-8, then it was 14-9, and in the dwindling twilight, us homers went down in order, and the first game of the new decade was in the books.

Highlights

* Some great hitting on both teams.

* Two double plays, maybe even a third!

* Greg's headfirst slide into third was amazing, as well as frightening, as Vic came down next to his head

* A very strong line up of Lattig, Phelps, Chris, Mitch, tough to have four battles in one inning.

* Chris, Mitch, and Brian had some great plays in center as well.

* Girgus, tough day man, 11 runs, a lot of chances, two roaming circles, one belly shot, two glove squirts, come back and redeem yourself!

* Thanks Nick for reminding me why I wear a cup all the time, three inches higher and I would have needed a lot of ice tonight.

* Bob HBP +1, a knuckle ball skip off the back, and then to the bat

* Solid base running today, on all parts

* Adam and Nick combined for some flashy first sack plays today, Nick including a jumping tag play.

* Ok, so I hit a home run, felt good, it has been a long while, and thanks Cagle, for reading my thoughts perfectly when I was coming into third, I was totally happy with staying there, glad I went though.

* Lattig, superb pitching after a long time, same with Mitch

* Ben, thanks for the seeds, minus the pickle and ranch...

* Bob, long run in the outfield, great play!

* Tony, great bunt, Brian, greater play on the bunt

* Thanks to all those who don't swing when we are stealing bases, the number of times we have to reset due to foul balls gets real old some times....

* Chris almost had an amazing play at short, you had to be at least 10 feet in the air, just barely missed it!

* A toast to all those who overdid it on NYE, and made it out, I know I was pretty hairy on Saturday, damn Manhattans, I'm going back to tequila.

Don't know the forecast, but I do know that next week is West Sunset, 2 pm.

Where's the damn ice!
S. Paige

Treasure Island- December 20, 2009

ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH, tis be a field of no uncommon worth, full of dirt and grass tis the likes of which ye have never seen!


Just when you think it might all fall apart, the bonds of the MBC come together and reassure you that we are not going anywhere. Deficit? HA! 26 or 27 brave souls ventured out to Treasure Island in the middle of th bay to play a game of baseball, five days before Christmas. The weather was a balmy 63 degrees when we started, we suffered through a little rain, but all it did was wet down the field and pass along.

And what a field it was! Bob had hooked us up with the little league field that he and John use during league play, and to paraphrase tony, It was a pleasure to play on a field that we didn;t have to worry about stepping a huge divot, or clump or take a bad hop off the dome. Infield and outfield both were in pristine condition, helped by the keys to the Club car that allowed us to drag the dirt before the game.

We decided a rematch of the last game was a fair way to start, with Satch and Sean going head to head. After a uneventful first half of an inning, the homers sent a few men to the plate, and then a few more, and had a 3 run lead. That we lost the very next inning, and the score was tied 3-3. But Sean was not in overpowering form this week (Hopefully your arm is alright! ICE ICE ICE). While Satch waited for the weather to darken to help the travel of the changeup and knuckle, Sean was hurt by the dink, the muff, the sun in the clouds, the gapper, and the error.

After five, we decided it was not fair to keep throwing, as we had too many people sitting out, so we stepped aside and Johnny and Mike Holland came in. Mike faired a little better than Sean, but the score stood 8-4 and it stayed that way until the 8th, when again the pitchers changed, and Ezra, in from NY and Trevor, Zach's friend also in from NY, came to finish the job. Trevor had some trouble finding the dish, and the visitors started a comeback, scoring a few, but in the end, the comeback was not to be, and 9-6 was etched by the final out.

Some of us tried in vain to let the game continue until it was too dark to see, but the rain was on its way again, and we decided it was better to have 9 good innings than risk a bad inning at the end.

Highlights:

* A great game of pitchers, of all sets, calibers and angles.

* Nice defense from Brian Cagle, playing Nick Smith perfectly

* Thanks Bob, for over running my hit

* Thanks everyone for coming out and playing

* The sliding and catching on the pristine diamond was great!

* Nice Scoops, Adam and JT

* Nice vacuuming Tony, Chris, Johnny, Mike and Tim

* Great game John and Emilia, now try not o wander away in the Club Car too often, or at least, don't crash it when you come riding back

* Great drives, Rojas! Sean!

* Way to leg out the infield single, John!

* Way to steal the base, Cagle, Satch, Philips, etc.

* Love the comebackers!

* Can't wait to see the pics from Nick, especially the one of Tony get brickhoused at home by Bob...

* Anthony, we can get you some shades. Thanks for coming out!

See you after the Xmas thing, same time same place:

Happy Solstice everybody,

S. Paige

December 6th, 2009- Balboa Park

Pitchers' duel
A low-scoring game in which the starting pitchers on both teams allow few hits and at most one or two runs.

So if ever there was a good description of a game this is it, although he way the game started, I wouldn’t have thought it would have been anywhere close. We had 20, by the time the Johnny come lately’s straggled in, and we set our sights on getting one more game before the winter officially descended. Satch started for the homers and promptly game up a leadoff triple to Bob, which was hit with such authority; if I didn’t know better I would have thought he knew I was going to hang a curveball to him. Bob, winded on third, was smiling big. Chris bashed another pitch to left, and made it to second. Sean sent a low hanging line drive that seemed destined for the third extra base hit in a row. But Gaspar, racing in, snatched it just above the turf, and then winged it into second to double off Chris who had scored by the time he realized the ball had been caught. The homers narrowly escaped the inning with only a run against them, 1-0.

However, Sean was dealing all day, and we went down with only one hit/error in our half of the 1st. And thus, the duel began. Sean overpowered us all day, we started to count the strikeouts and once we reached 10, we decided it was easier to just say he was a having a great day and leave it at that. Satch came back with a lot of guile, the knuckleball was hiccupping well in the heavy wet air, and we got out of a lot of tight spots with some clutch plays, including an "infield in" play at the plate. In the third, Tony got on, stole second, went to third on a pass ball, and Satch drove him in with a fielder’s choice up the middle. 1-1.

And it stayed like that. Through rain, hail, wind, and sun again. The outfielders shivering in the wet grass, infielders taking the ball in the painful palm of the glove, but still making the play. Gaspar, who had been traded after the first to the visitor’s team, ended up being the defensive player of the game, with a score of plays at third on hard hit groundballs, which snuffed every chance of rally we could muster. The K’s mounted, neither team willing to give in. We found ourselves facing another man on third, infield in situation, but this time Chris was the runner, and the groundball to Tony seemed tailor-made, the throw got there in time, and Greg got the tag on him. Only one thing was missing, the ball. It sat quietly behind the dish, just mocking us.

A nail biter of a 8th led to the last chance in the 9th, Sean and Satch still battling, neither willing to go until the contest was complete. Bottom of the 9th, Greg and Tony both get on, although only by the grace of God, as Chris had a chance at a perfect double play, the wet ball finally giving us a break. Satch strode the plate, confidence was high. So was the fly ball I hit to short center…. Greg, sensing our chances were becoming slim and few, tagged and raced for third. Stoner, catching the ball, winged it into third. Greg barely beat the throw (and should have been sliding), but then ran over the bag and past the tag, only to be tagged out trying to dive back to the bag. No one seemed to want it to end, but the next storm cloud was well overhead, and it was a carwash by the time we all got home, perhaps the final game of 2009 in the books, a classic contest, a team effort on both sides, and the best way to spend a Sunday.

Highlights:
• Bob, again with the bat, and throws out Cagle at second base, and it’s all on film!

• Sean, amazing performance, completely dominating, and a couple of fierce at bats as well.

• Struck out at least 3 with the knuckleball, perfect weather for it

• Some close plays at 1st, nice work getting the ball, and holding on to it

• Thanks to Nero for coming out with a bum wheel, and playing anyway!

• Satch made a nifty dive and catch on a infield pop up destined for no man’s land, scratched up my arm and leg pretty good too, something to brag about over the holidays

• Greg caught the whole game, nice work! Bob and Adam did a stellar job as well, nice to see Adam behind the dish again.

• Solid knock-it-down defense the whole game, it is great when the defenses are balanced

• Ben, Elvin, Vic, and Anthony, thanks for keeping up the attendance, and Stoner’s new guy, although we were worried his camera was going to get foul tipped

• The mad scramble of cops at 2:30 was weird, never seen a cop move that fast. Some sergeant in the Ingleside took a bullet fragment, and they swarmed. Kid who was arrested just got off a murder rap…

• If anyone buys pine tar over the break, make sure it’s the good stuff that smells like pine tar, not like weird chemicals, that new shit is terrible. And yes, there is a difference.

• New favorite BNB quote, “ I’m not going to talk to you about winning…I’m gonna talk to you about losing…Because if you lose this game…each and every one of you...is going have to live with that…you are about the best team I ever coached.”

Stay loose, stay dry, oil the glove and pray for sun,

S. Paige


The Video's

1. Caught Stealing ( I want everyone to watch where Bob's glove goes on that called strike....hahahahahaha, and well, what can we say Bob, you nailed that fucker! Showoff....



2. Big stick strikes out. Sorry Tony, think of it as a learning tool.




3. Chris takes Satch "deep drive."




4. Shitty Satch popup


5. I walk Sean, and then get him to swing at a knuckleball....I'm a dick....


6. Cagle Slash Bunts! I love it, always loved the slash bunt....the error helps....



7. The Big Stick gets caught leaning too, man...

November 29, 2009: Balboa Park

Heavy in turkey, gravy, liquor and other things of vice, the game was surprisingly quick and sharp...well mostly. 20 solid players, another amazing day, and solid pitching by Dustin and Sean, and a extra inning before the sun set at 4:30 (damn it gets dark early).

Holidays are the great, but man do they take it out of ya, Satch was running on ethanol, stuffing reserves and stale sunflower seeds by the end, but it was a good game. Sean and Dustin both pitched great ball, and the score was close, 1-0, 1-1 through the first couple. Mitch manufactured the first run doing what Mitch does well, which is leg out balls, steal bases and run hard.

A slightly better hitting team and some costly errors brought visitors out front to 3-1 ( or 4, never did resolve that extra run)and then at some point in the 4th or 5th, the wheels came completely off, added insult to injury and by the time anyone could figure it, the score was in the 12-1 range. Sean missed being hit at least three times on comebackers, and we had two groups of three singles that went to the exact same place. The homers could not get a clean play, and the runs just kept coming.

In the visitors corner, we relied on Dustin's hungover magic and TWO nifty pickoff plays at second courtesy of Satch and Dustin. Both killed the runner in scoring position and gave us two outs, and might have been the difference in a closer game.

The game out of bounds, we all loosened up and enjoyed the remaining light, played an extra inning with Greg and Satch coming in for the 10 inning and were headed to the showers before the cold settled in.

Highlights:

* Dustin, great pitching. Hitting, not so much...

* Elias steals home, and damn near beat the ball to the plate, wasn't even close.

* Tony had some nice plays at short, knocked down the tough hops.

* Beautiful double play by the home team

* Tim steals third standing.

* Bob hit and hustled his heart out

* One of our balls is still lodged in the top of fence. No one wanted to climb the 80 foot fence to retrieve it

* Both pitchers and catchers made some nice plays around the dish

* JT made a long run and snagged a good foul ball for a crucial out

* Thanks to everyone who caught, it was a team effort on both sides

* Lattig played center field like a champ, playing each batter right where he should (goddammit....)

* Greg struck out on a knuckleball, Greg struck out on a knuckleball.....

* Even though Tony would argue, I don't think that the home team got hosed on any calls

* Doc got a hit, and scored! ( and almost wrecked coming into third)

Thanks to everyone who came out and made sure that we took advantage of these last days before the monsoon season.

Next week, same place same time

S. Paige

November 22, 2009- Moscone

It was a tough one, at first, and we started the game with 13, doing the Caracas 6, borrow two, two outfielders. And not too bad frankly, then Sean and Zach showed up and made the whole thing legit.
Satch started on the bump, did alright, thanks to a newly crafted infield at Moscone which made a huge difference. No more falling off the mound on the follow through. And talk about true hops, that is one terrific redo.
But the story was not with the field, it was with Greg's arm, which gave up one hit in the first and then settled down and did not give up another until 9th, an amazing pitching performance. It was doubly amazing that Greg has not pitched in a while, and all of sudden he throws this gem.
Backing his play were some great defensive plays, and it was his game all the way. I had to leave in the 7th to go to a sound check (which was a waste of time...)so I missed the exciting conclusion. Once again, Greg was the center of the action, and so it is only fitting that he tell it:

Leading off the 8th Zack hits a ground ball to short that bounces off a sprinkler head then steals second. Next batter hits a
weak nubber that I proceed to throw down the first base line, one run
in. Sac fly for run 2. With the shut out gone, Sean comes in for a
clean save. We tack on a few off Rojas with the standard help from his
defense. Although Sean did launch a long homerun. Final score about
8-2.

So that's how it finished, amazing day.

Highlights:

* Greg gets it all this week. Congratulations

November 15, 2009, West Sunset

Teetering on a birthday hangover cliff but excited because it was the one weekend I couldn't get in trouble for playing ball. That was my feeling as I stepped on to the field for Sunday's game.

Another clear, autumn day, brisk enough for sleeves, sunny enough that no one felt the chill. 20 people showed, and when the teams split, we noticed immediately that something was not going to work in the formula. The home team had all the power, most of the defense, and pitching and catching to spare. But we gave it a shot. And true to our initial fears, after the 1st inning the score was 9-0. The home team was walking around the bases, not legging out triples, and in general no one was having fun. Amazingly, all but two of those first runs came with two outs, it had to be the longest two out rally I have ever been a part of. Noah kept dancing, as one ball fell after another, and Tim's voice got hoarse repeating the phrase "Two outs!".

We brought in the MBC and traded Satch and Greg to the visitors team, for pitching and catching depth as well as some bat power. New guy Edwin and Dennis "white legs" went to the homers. It was still lopsided, but at least it wasn't going to be a massacre. Noah kept hurling for the visitors, and Floppy Pockets kept it up for the homers, only with a 0-0 score.

It see-sawed for a bit, and we had the lead for a bit, but Sean was throwing fire all day, striking out pretty much everybody, and we never could get more than a run at a time. By the time the sun started to be a factor, the game was again getting ugly, as Noah was blinded by the rays, and killed by the gorked ball. There was easily 6 infield hits in one inning, and when it wasn't that, it was doubles off the wall. Tough choices.

Satch came in as long relief, and the defense settled down, but by then the score was 11-4, and Sean showed no sign of letting up. Dusk came early and suddenly, and we capitalized on a pitching change and the lack of good light to score some runs, but in the end it wasn't enough, and the homers took the prize in a final of 11-8.

Highlights


* Bob as a leadoff hitter? And then he never leaned into one....

* Sean was dealing, and throwing the wood around as well

* The pitcher in our league is expected to catch pop flys, he is in the best position, and frankly when its your arm, you want to have only yourself to blame if it gets dropped.

* Same goes for pitcher as the cutoff, and this time it worked, catching Tony off of third, when we really needed an out.

* Lattig was 7-8 at least

* The Gaspar shift worked perfectly when we really needed it to

* I don't really want to point this out, but I think Noah might have given up 19 runs this Sunday, which has to be some sort of record, they were in two games technically, but still, pretty damn amazing, Congrats Noah! Way to battle!

* Ben almost had an amazing double play, but we were happy to get the lead runner!

* A play at the home, with the infield in, haven't seen it actually work in a long time, Elias to Gaspar, to get the sliding Dustin at the dish!

* Dennis has been trying to hit to the opposite field for 6 years apparently, and he did, a double. Congratulations!....

* Nasty knuckleball for a strike. Always nice when that happens.

* Almost had Lattig on a foul tip strike 3. That one will haunt me for a while

* Vic is the new base stealing weapon, not only did he get on base a lot, but he is quick as hell. Too bad none of us could bat him in....

* We sat on the third base side for the first time in a long while. The regular dugout was a swamp, a foreboding sign of winter, error in design, or broken sprinkler? In any case, it was different, and Gaspar almost killer Tony with a foul ball.

* Nero had some clutch plays at third, as did Ben at second

Game next week at Moscone, someone pay attention, I'll be laying down melodies at the Rite Spot.

S. Paige

November 8, 2009- West Sunset

What a day for a game. With the rain on Friday, the field was watered and ready to go by Sunday, and we had a plethora of players, some 25 raring to get another game in before the impending winter comes for real. The teams were a bit more broken up from last week, but the core of the home squad still had the old guard, of Greg, Tony, Brian, Lattig, and Johnny who started the game on the bump. A rough couple of innings, but Johnny settled down and started getting the outs he was pitching for.

Satch started for the visiting team, and the bowling the night before must have helped to zero in the eye hand coordination, because I was getting the ball just where I wanted. Vitali asked me at one point if I was getting squeezed by the catcher, and I was happy to say No, that I meant to put the ball just off the plate. Relying heavily on the changeup and the occasional fastball/slurve, Satch had some great sub- 9 pitch innings, which is a great feeling. Also I had some solid defense behind me, although with 13 guys, it was a complete crap shoot every inning as to who was where.

The game started off 2-0, progressed to 6-0, (although one of my own teammates apparently broke up my shut out when asked what the score was, saying it was 6-1). Then it was 6-4, on a bases clearing triple (misplayed sun ball…) then it was 8-4. Just when the homers would get a little something going, we would come back with a scorcher and take the lead back. Not too many errors seemed to be the motto of the team that would prevail, and as the sun set in the west, and the glare got bad, we kept the ball out of right, and on the ground.

With so many people, and everyone having a good time, we lost track of the score, and it was debatable whether it was 10-7 or 11-7 (I think it was 11, an rbi single past Greg to score Vitali, and then Noah and myself scored later), but we settled for 10-7. Noah came in for the long relief for the visitors, and did an amazing job with his slow curves and inside out pitches. The homers smelled comeback and sharpened their teeth, and with some well placed hits, we had a 1 run game on our hands.

Bottom of the ninth, the visitors knocked the ball down, got the outs we needed and secured the victory….but wait, it was still light, and we had a surplus of players, so we threw an extra inning in for fun, giving the homers another chance at glory, but home squad victory was not to be, and in the enveloping dark we bade farewell to another glorious baseball game.

Highlights:
• Tracy, a new guy, made an amazing catch in left field to rob Johnny of a sure triple, not bad for his first time out!
• Didn’t kill Greg with the comebacker, that was good
• We did some backing up this week, fundamentals….
• Tony was smooth as silk around the infield, with one bad hop exception
• Lattig taking my changeup deep, thanks god I claimed Mitch on my team early!
• Tony plugging Mitch on a 0-2 pitch, who wore it, then got a hit, stole two bases and then scored. That is what you get for getting Mitch agitated
• Nero had a two run double
• I kept Sean off balance all day, that was a nice feeling
• Zach played a solid right field in the sun, and had a monster hit to left
• Vitali with a ground ball up the middle, caught the ball while standing on second, then on to first for a double play, after hitting a triple in the first
• Vic, Ben and Elvin are quickly becoming reliable additions
• Nick Kinsey out for the first time in a while!
• Almost got Lattig on a tag up play at 2nd
• Elias being honest about not getting a runner at third, it is nice to see that truth above winning is still rampant in the MBC
• Chris had another great catch in short center field, after a long run from SS
* Johnny has a show this weekend with THE BARBARY COASTERS, Friday and Saturday! We also have a birthday show at the Elks lodge, come on by and wish Satch a happy birthday, I am 138 this year!

Stay away rain,

S. Paige

November 1, 2009- Balboa Park

A late inning change during the week due to the Bay Bridge closure brought us to Balboa park and a late start of 3 on the day that time changed. Needless to say we were a little worried about attendance and light for the game, but we were pleasantly surprised by a full squad with a couple of extras, and just enough light to finish a game (well, 8 innings). The mound was redone, with nice clay, which made for a nice change, and the grass while being hard and a little treacherous in the infield, was mushy and slow in the outfield. With the influx of new guys, the teams actually ended up being a pretty even split of the new guard versus the old. The exception being Stoner, who gets one week a month away from daddy duty and the pitching battery of Dustin and Noah who have been old guys for a while, but took the helm of the visiting squad. We traded away our new guy for Nick Smith just to make the teams right and got to work. We worked out a pitching rotation that favored everyone’s sore bodies and ensured that no one had to throw more than they needed to.

Sean, the intrepid lefty began and after his stated two innings of work, he wanted to keep going, since he hadn’t had a workout yet. We let him do it, cautiously though, capping his at 4 innings. The game started out low scoring, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1…. We old home guys (and I know some of you are thinking, Who does this young whippersnapper think he is) were just biding our time, waiting for the right moment to strike. And our moment came in the third, as we tacked on five runs, some through the bat of Chris (who I think had three doubles), some through great situational play like Brian Cagle’s bunt, and some through old fashioned shitty fielding like we have every week. Dustin took it on the chin (and took the Jameson to the gut), and if us veterans hadn’t seen it so many times before we might have had some pity. It’s tough to get the ground ball you want and watch it turn into an RBI double. Fundamentals… that is how you win games.

Noah took over the hurling duties in the 6th and settled into dead ball pitching, his specialty. Satch came in for the 5th, 6th and 7th, feeling better than last week, and used a lot of breaking balls and a few wicked knuckle balls to get out of some jams, the best being a bases loaded, no outs situation. The visitors scored a few more and (I think) so did we, but the decision was made that the score was 7-4, which gave the possibility of excitement and late inning heroics. Greg (our newly anointed bridegroom!) took the mound in the 8th to secure out victory, and while the visitors started to smell the blood in the water, the rally was stopped and ended with a pretty scoop from none other than featured player, Adam Pfhaler. The moon hung in the purple dusk; we gathered the gear, enjoyed the humid Indian summer and left the park, each knowing that few in the City had a better Sunday than us.

Highlights:
• Congratulations to Jen and Greg, I hope you know that marriage is a big commitment, and that you are ready for this:)
• The return of Bob, glad to hear that John won his early game, and made it possible to make an appearance. Bob’s got steaks for sale too, if you are interested, email him.
• Glad no one was injured by the bad hops, of which there were many
• Dustin got two really nasty knuckleballs, if only I could do it on a regular basis.
• All of the new guys that came out, thanks a bunch and keep on coming out!
• Catching foul balls is one of the biggest plays you can make!
• The double play that the homers made to get out of the bases loaded jam
• Tony, complaining about not getting any ground balls, promptly got one and it went right past him (ok, it was a bad hop, and we are glad you are alright)
• Nero, another recent profiled player, making some much needed plays in center field
• Stoner’s over exuberance and competitive spirit were in full effect, remember it still doesn’t matter who wins and loses, as long as we all have a good time….
• We should bunt more, as a rule, use the inside game, it is an important aspect
• We had a lot of loud hits as well as a lot of loud outs.

Enjoy the summer weather, we know it won’t be here for too long.

S. Paige

Player Profile #14- Adam Pfhaler

Adam is a can do kind of guy. Enthusiasm and positivity are just how the guy operates, his modus operandi if you will. And he is a damn good ball player, he can play first, catcher, anything but pitcher I think. And sure, I might have said that about a lot of guys on this blog, but few do it in such easy style. Adam is one of the better ass savers at first base, I don’t know how many times I have gotten a ground ball, had plenty of time to throw, and then spaghetti armed the thing into the dirt, only to have Adam pluck it like a grape from a ripe bunch.

At bat, Adam can be very deceiving, there are times when you can get him to swing at the most god-awful pitches, and think you are getting away with something, and then he rips a line drive back at your head. Adam prefers the wood bats, and he buys the fancy ones that are guaranteed not to break, which they do anyway. He also is responsible for our fancy real bases, which he thought we needed one day so he got them. That’s what I am talking about when I say can do kind of attitude!

Although he has cooled a bit as of late, Adam used to be one of the more hot tempered competitive players we had. I heard rumors that Adam once won the Worst Sportsman award for the MBC. I don’t know why we don’t do awards ceremonies more often…He and Richard used to break a lot of helmets, I remember that much.

And who can forget that he has the cutest family in the world, who love to come out and cheer him on, or even join in the game from time to time!

We missed Adam for a long time, due to shoulder injuries, which seem to be resolving themselves finally. It must have been all those years beating the skins in the most famous DIY punk band of all time, Electric Light Orchestra….no wait….Jawbreaker. Adam has continued to support those who fancy themselves as musicians, by allowing drunken hillbillies to play his video store from time to time, which we sure do appreciate.

Unfortunately Adam became the object lesson at a San Quentin game this past year, when a prison guard (who apparently is a real asshole) rejected Adam from entering because his driver’s license was expired. Word to the wise, don’t give the guards an opening or they will exploit it (feel free to make as many prison rape jokes as you want here). Major bummer to have him get that close and then be sent back to the parking lot, for him and us.

Anyway, Adam brings a full tool kit to the MBC game, his skills on the diamond aside, he is a genuinely good person, cheerful and competitive, and chock full of movie trivia, including being able to quote Bad News Bears from titles to credits (You don’t believe me, Ask Ogilvie!). And remember you can rent a huge selection of great titles, and hard to find videos at:

Lost Weekend Video, 1034 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, (415) 643-3373.

My boys play clean, hard baseball,

S. Paige

10/25/09- West Sunset

Well, you could not have ordered up a more beautiful day, not a puff of a breeze, no clouds in the sky, the sun bright and clear (too bright some might have said in the outfield). In a curious twist, we had 15 guys out there and no equipment or Greg, which started to worry us, but Greg was just not paying attention, and when he and the gear showed up, we dropped the bases and got the game rolling with 17 sturdy souls.

Sean, back on the hill again started for the visitors, and Satch got the call for the homers. Infields for both sides seemed to have a case of the dropsies and we booted more balls then we caught early on. Runs were scored, it was 2-1, then 3-2, Sean retired and new guy Zach came in to pitch, finding the plate easily and favoring the knuckleball. We were short on catchers and pitchers, thanks to V, Greg, Mitch and Adam for wearing the gear and getting us through. We had a quite a few loud hits over the course of the game, which was good to see, even if most of them were off Satch.

Somewhere along the way, the game busted open and the homers took a strong 8-4 lead, which was then completely demolished and tied up 8-8. Satch was nursing a colossal weekend hangover, and the usual aches and pains, but managed to throw 7, ending strong with a couple of strikeouts to preserve the tie. Meanwhile Mitch and V had their turns on the mound for the visitors. As the sun lowered in the sky, it became impossible for the center and right fielders to see the ball, and we had a lot of loopers. Kudos to everyone who braved the sun and didn’t get knocked in the beezer.

Greg took over the pitching in the 8th and 9th, and did well, inducing the groundballs we needed. In the end, the homers managed to score a couple of runs, and the game ended in a 10-8 victory for the home squad.

Highlights:
• Lots of new faces out there, Zach, Elias, Elvin?, Ben? good to know that we are not completely without new blood to replace the old
• Mike Lattig making one of the most amazing running catches in center that I have ever seen, truly astonishing.
• Satch hit 3 people, Nick Smith, who absorbs the brunt when Bob is gone, Mitch and Elias. They were all knuckleballs, or at least were supposed to be
• Tony for playing with a hip injury
• Chris for proving that he is human after all, not that we don’t like being amazed by your range, but it’s good to know that you can have an off day like the rest of us. Although that being said, he made an amazing basket catch in center field, mysteriously he was playing shortstop at the time….saved my ass!
• Mitch the competitor showed up, flashing a bit of the old ginger
• Zerbes again, hopefully the beginning of a long streak
• There was a very nice play on a foul ball in the 9th inning, but it was probably dumb luck
• Satch had one of the worst base running episodes that has ever been viewed, and was only saved from complete humiliation by performing an intricate sliding maneuver.
• The strains of ‘60s rock that wafted through the air from some Woodstock Anniversary thing in GGP
* Adam had a couple of monster hits, and we all know that it was the Bad News Bears wristband...why do we not all have those?
• New guy Zach hit a ball a very long way, very long.
• Craig looking sharp in his new baseball outfit, and promptly cranking some balls, and playing solid 2nd base (we are starting a collection to buy Sean something new to wear).
• Thanks to everyone who gave money to Nick for the permits, we need to make sure we are up to date on the bills, since Bob and Nick are heading up the Permit shuffle.

See you next week, ice those arms, and oil those gloves, winter will be here eventually.

S. Paige

The Best Movie Ever

Player #13- John Nero

Nero is the one waving:


It has been a long time since I did one of these, but it is because it has been hard to figure who should be next. After a lot of considering, and because it is number 13, I decided only one person was perfect for the “lucky” number, our pal John Nero. John has been playing longer in the MBC than yours truly, and I think we can all safely say that John has not changed one bit in the last 8-9 years. John can be a little gruff on the exterior, and if there is a negative side of a situation that can be pointed out, Nero usually has a handle on it. But that is just his way. One could say that counting on John to be John is close to being a 4th law of thermodynamics.

Hopefully he will see through this gentle ribbing and know that we always enjoy John on the field, he shows when we need him the most, he has the ability to swing wildly at one pitch and then knock the next one into the gap, a frustrating gift. I have lost out on a lot of two strike battles with Nero because I couldn’t get the third strike past him. He can play any position, including catcher, and he has organized the last few seasons of the San Quentin games, which we all appreciate. We were all a little worried when Pete V.S. left for the east coast, but John picked up the mantle with ease and situated himself as the point person for the games, to great success. He is quick to pass out info about a late game, or make sure that we have enough to challenge the Giants (or Pirates).

While he will never be confused with Cool Papa Bell, I can also say that I have seen John make some of the most amazing plays at third, plays that have to be pure instinct and reflexes. Because at the hot corner that is what you have to work with sometimes. I can’t tell you how many rallies I have seen die because Nero picked a line drive out of the air…great if it’s your team, maddening if its not.
John is a bartender, so I have a special place in my heart for him, and he works at two of my favorite spots in the city, The Uptown and Doc’s Clock, which means that not only is he on the cutting edge of hip but he has some street cred too. He is an avid reader of the MBC blog and posts under the handle Unmusical, and he rides his cruiser to the game sometimes.

And here is the amazing part, I got this far into it without mentioning that he is a blue blooded DODGER FAN, with Los Angeles tattooed on his arms. I might not agree with the choice, but I have to admire the dedication. If we have learned anything in the MBC, it’s that we need to accept and embrace our individual differences, having a good time is the only thing that really matters. And I think John always has a good time.

He just doesn’t talk about that side of things….

Thanks for being a good sport and a great teammate, John,!
S. Paige

Sunday, October 18th- West Sunset

Satch was in Orange county last week, October 11th, missing yet another game, and today tried to get a recap. All I got was that we had enough to play, and Dustin got lit up. So there is that.

Today, I got out there early, or at least tried to, the traffic from the marathon made for slow going through the park, and when I got there at 1:30 and no one was there yet, I started to get nervous. We have had some poor attendance lately, and its not just football dropouts. Tony is laid up with a JFK injury (thanks Johnny), Bob is coaching fall ball, various people have kids, I seem to never be around on Sunday anymore, and Nero I think works now. So we need new blood. And we got it this week, along with some old, grizzled blood. Bill Zerbes, you old so and so, it is great to see Bill out again, a five tool man, worn and scratched tools, but he still got it. Two of the guys, including the mouth injury guy, were there again, and Dustin and Noah brought out there third coach from Urban. Add a really late Tim, and we had 17 for the day, which is damn near a surplus.

Sean started for the visitors, which could also be labed as the new guard of the MBC or nMBC. Us veterans formed a home squad, and fittingly, after the top half of the first inning it was 8-0. Sean, back from tour, was raring to go, and held us in check for most of the game, we finally broke the shutout in the third, and the score was 12-1. Johnny started for the homers, and we tried our best, but there were too many hitters on that team to make it much of a challenge. Also, he angered the baseball gods in the 1st by going out to pitch in his tshirt rather than his jersey. We all should know better.

Satch came in for long relief, and we started to settle down, the knuckleball was working well, and I got the big bats to swing at shitty pitches.

The score kept mounting, peaking at 14-2, before we mounted some kind of comeback. The final was in the neighborhood of 14-6, although that was a kind and blurry 14. Bill came in for the ninth and did well, we entered the 9th with comeback on our lips, but all of a sudden there was a double play and the game was over. Well, a shot behind the ear is sometimes the most humane way to go....

Highlights

* Nice to see the new guys, and that the ball in the mouth didn't take it personally.

* Noah and Dustin had some sort of Saturday night, Noah was sweating brown liquor

* The power lefties of the visiting team were tagging the wall all day.

* Brian Phillips, if you like your teammates, don't steal with a 9 run lead, batters get hit that way.

* Zerbes doing the grizzly Adams thing.

* Gaspar's no lo contendre style of outfielding, hands out, shake the head, "don't know where the fuck it is."

* Chris' play deep in the hole, didn't get the out, but a nice play

* Banana Hands. I guess that's me.

* Although he had a rough day at the plate, it was good to see Vitali too.

* Sean's pitching performance after being gone in Europe, glad you didn't come back in an ascot talking about soccer.

* Our first run that broke up the shutout, its good to feel pride in one's team. Its funny when we actually try to hustle when we need to score that first one.

Thanks to everyone who made it out, we were fearing batting practice, as we do every week these days. If you can, come out, or get the hell off the list! Or you know, what ever, tell your non-asshole friends to come out in your place...

Heal quick, and come back everybody else!

S. Paige

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