5/1/11- Camp Swampy

"What a day for a baseball game"- Everybody

It was sunny, clear, the wind was blowing out, and we were all astonished that only 19 people showed. We were expecting dead men in rags to come shuffling out, mumbling about how they have been too busy with family and work stuff.

In any case, we split the teams, Satch starting for the homers, Noah for the visitors. The teams seemed pretty well divided, there was power on both sides, and defense, but the play that defined the day was the gork. By the end of 3 frames, the visitors had run up a healthy total of runs, by employing every dink and drop hit they could muster. And it wasn't that we were dropping the ball, the hits were just very strategically placed.

The homers relied more on good old fashioned hitting and shitty fielding, which is the MBC way. Our luck took a turn for the better when John McG stepped up and hit a 2 iron out to left field that just kept going and going. Mike Lattig was out there, which is usually death for all good hits, but this one stayed on a level course and sailed over his head. Rounding third, John had the look of a man in disbelief, as we all steered him home. An added bonus that his kids were there to see it.

Two innings later, Brian Phelps stepped into the box, after fooling us all earlier with opposite field power, he put one into the rafters in right. Brian, being quicker and younger than most, didn't look as though he needed the O2 when he stepped on the dish for the second home run of the game.

Then it got interesting.

John hit another one to the exact same place in left, only a little further, and Brian hit one into the right center gap that left us all in disbelief, as two people hit 4 home runs in one day! Definitely a first!

We homers had the defense going for us, as we turned a number of double plays, which really helped when we needed to have a quick inning. But for the visitors, the hits just kept on coming. The score obviously was a little higher than usual, as were the players, we tied the game at 6-6 and then again at 9-9. However, the visitors had a little more moxie going for them, and when they brought in Johnny Bartlett, "The Man who knows how to Cool the Bats," we knew that the death knell could not be far behind.

The final score ended up in the 13-9 range, and while there was a bit of fire left in people to keep playing, the sun and the excitement had drained the players. So it was decided that we would go home, while we still had time to have a beer and enjoy the beautiful day.

Highlights:

* Adam and Nick both played a great first sack, making scoops and back handed snares

* Three double plays, and almost a fourth, and we actually successfully completed the 3-6-1 DP!

* A special note from JT," I was glad to see Mitch, until he caught the best ball I have hit all year"

* Bob showed up in the 6th again, and went right to work

* Gaspar and I worked out a bunt/steal play,and it worked great, and we caught Nick unaware, I took third and then home to tie the game! Love that kind of stuff!

* Adam slid hard into second and got a skinned arm for his effort, he doused it in HydroPerox, and slapped some tape on it and kept playing. That's cool.

* Chris once again played a great SS

* A note to all: I was always told that in the MBC that it is uncouth to do the ol' fake catch and tag at second when a guy is stealing and there really isn't a throw. I guess for us, every time we slide, we risk our baseball future. This was also told to me by Richard Baluyut, so one has to take the source into account. But I would say that its a good rule to follow.

* We had a new guy (Daniel?) out, who had a real pretty hit

* I think I was 5-5, was anyone else? I am trying to remember not getting on base, help?

* Tony made one of the prettiest Rojas plays we have seen in a while. The pick, the pump, the set, the double pump, the walk and the throw. Got him!

* I hit Jay (sorry) and then he got a hit off of me. That's even.

* The outfield was really fast, which is really unusual for Camp Swampy. It was like concrete with bumps out there

* I struck Noah out three consecutive times, with three change ups. Someone else made the reference, so here it is: Roy Hobbs versus The Whammer

Not sure where we are next week, but it will be Mother's Day, for all you mothers. So bring your mom out.

S. Paige

4/24/11- Cop Field

I wrote a much more eloquent recap, and it was erased somehow, damn!

Well, all I can say is that Jesus is lucky that we had enough to play a game, otherwise there might have been some real angry people in heaven once we got there! In any case, it was a beautiful day, well, it was a little chilly when we first started, but the clouds blew away and we were left with gorgeous sunshine.

We started with Havana 6's and Jay and Ed showed up a little after the first inning began, and we had ourselves a real game. I forgot how tiring it can be to play with 7's, its nice to be active more, but it is also nice to be able to sit down once in a while.

Greg and I started on the bump and Greg and I finished on the bump. Great to have a complete game from both sides. It was also great that each of us had some real short innings, 5-7 pitch kind of things. The whole game moved really quick and we were finished by 5:15!

We were also graced by the return of John Carey, who looked like he had done some growing since we had seen him last. He promptly announced his return by hitting a triple off me to open the game. The brashness and talent of the youth, eh? I got my revenge, but he still played a hell of a game. He moves out of the way of the knuckleball better than his old man too. Played all over, and even caught the last inning, and showed off a cannon for an arm.

The visitors started off ahead, thanks to said triple, but we clawed back to take the lead. We see-sawed for a few innings, and found ourselves tied 4-4 in the 3rd. Somewhere around the 5th, the homers took the lead, and never looked back. We unloaded for a bunch of runs, and by the end of the game it was 12-5ish. Timely hitting, timely errors and base running seemed to be the differences in the game.

Highlights:

* Thanks to everyone who made it out for the holiday

* Greg pitched inside to everyone and came close to hitting just about every batter. Ironically, the only person who was actually hit was Greg, by me, in the ribs. Sorry. I would have hit you in a spot with more padding, but with Greg, I am not sure where that would be

* Paul had another good defensive game, both for and against his team

* John Nero, with a sore leg, played a good second base, and scored about 3 times.

* JT had some nice plays after getting pulled off the bag at first. One of them was as I was trucking in, and he claimed that he is one of the few people that probably isn't as worried by my massive girth. My worry lies in my basic understanding of physics and how it relates to two large masses colliding

* I threw changeups and knuckleballs to Jay, confounding him, until he managed to rip two of them for solid singles. I love it when we can all teach, and learn and succeed

* Adam was 0-5 in his first at bats, and started to lament not taking the charity single that was offered to him on his first at bat. His last three at bats were better.

* I hit a ball that was generally accepted to have cleared any MLB center field fence. Stoner, where are the cones!!!!!!

* Chris made a number of great stops in the infield, including a sure fire double down the line

* Gaspar threaded a hit through the Gaspar shift again, and almost did it twice. The first time I have seen a center fielder record a pop fly out in short left field.

* We almost had John Carey caught stealing, nice throw Mike.

* Tony had three fielding errors in one inning, almost consecutively. And they were all different kinds of errors. Or maybe he was just giving us a chance.

* The Rojas knuckleball rule was also established, where he must swing at a knuckleball, if it is deemed awesome enough

* Gaspar reported a successful trip to Girgus for hair trimming. No obvious signs of head wounds or trauma, good news!

* Bob hit what looked like a sure fire single to right, and let loose a little trash talk. Prematurely it turned out, as it was caught. Oh well.

* We had a strikeout, pickoff at third to end an inning, not sure what the base runner was doing.

* We ended the game with a double play. That was cool.

* And now, for your viewing pleasure, the most dramatic 10 minutes of Bad News Bears in Breaking Training. Adam and I were discussing the nuances (Win one for the Looper!) and agreed that the fight scene is frightening, because you know that Kelly Leak probably would have killed that kid if they hadn't pulled him off. And then the classic running away scene. And where does he go to drown his sorrows? Pool hall, of course. Probably won some money, got a half a hand job in the bathroom, pulled some smokes out of the cigarette machine. The glorious 70's.

4/17/11- Camp Swampy

For the third week we found ourselves at Camp Swampy, although it was not the same weather that we have had before. As me and Mrs Paige came own from Sacramento, we watched the temperature drop from a balmy 88 degrees, and halfway across the Bay Bridge, the fog was sitting there like a cloud on the land. Camp Swampy was bathed in gray, and yet, as the perfect tease, if you looked east, you could see Oakland and the sunlight streaming in. It didn't stop us from having a great game, and it didn't stop the 30 guys from partying their asses off throughout our game, drinking Corona and having a BBQ. I tell you the Mexican leagues know how to turn any Sunday into a party, and when they go for it, they go for it.

In any case, we had 11-11, by the time everyone showed up, and the teams were evenly split again, making for a great game. Greg Snyder started for the homers, his first start in a while, with Sean plaything but not tempting fate with the injured leg and tweaky arm. Good move. We went down in order in the first, but with Satch on the mound, we were not so lucky to escape unscathed. It was to be the first of a series of scoring innings. 1-0 after the first, 3-0, after the third. However, it was not to be the end, as we visitors pounded back, and took the lead, 4-3. They then came back and tied it up 4-4.

Then round about the 5th or 6th, the wheels came off for the Homers, as we unleashed an orgy of hits. It began with 3 doubles in a row, and didn't stop until the score was 10-4. It began to sprinkle and spit rain, and then the sun would come out for a second, and then it would go back to grey, hot and muggy.

Johnny took over for Greg, and settled the game down, getting a couple of quick innings. I kept throwing, feeling surprisingly spry. The homers brought it back to 10-6, and then we got back in the hitting game, and scored 5 more. Going into the 9th, we thought we were cruising to a easy victory, but the ginger of the homers could not be denied. By the time we got two outs in the inning, they had brought the score to 15-11. However, with a foul chip to the first base side, the game was over.

Well, not quite, we rambled around for two more innings, but the score never changed, and while it was great to play a few extra, we were all pretty cold and exhausted by the end of it. With smiles all around we packed it in, and left the field feeling fulfilled.

Highlights:

* Weather aside, it was a great game

* Tony managed to have three hits that never left the infield, at least two of them on knuckleballs that squirmed away

* Rich and Sean each had some long balls hit to right

* Mike Lattig again showed off the leather in the outfield, making a number of great catches

* Bob showed up in about the 5th, and used a metal bat for the first time that any of us could remember, he promptly popped out to 2nd and stated to never do that again

* I made Sean run the entire game out in center field, no matter how deep he played, I still managed to get it over his head. The trick was the wind was blowing straight out to center, and as long as I hit it high enough, it would carry.

* The change up wasn't working for anyone today, I think it was the wind, which slowed it down too much, and held it up, like it was on a tee

* Defense on both sides was pretty good, no particularly bad plays anyway

* There were many loud hits, and it seemed like a lot more extra base hits than usual

* Elvin fouled off a pitch that was two feet over his head, none of us could quite believe that he actually got a piece of it

* Good to see Nero, Cagle and Edwin back after an absence, and new guys Howie and Dirtbag guy

* Adam tried pitching to few batters, couldn't find the dish, but the arm looked good

* Thanks to Nero, Greg, Ed, Bob for catching

* Lattig came in for the late relief, and looked good except, for once, he might have been sorry he wore shorts

* Paul came through with a solid RBI double when his team needed it

* Paul also got picked off of first. I noticed that he was 8 feet off the bag, while I was not even on the rubber

* We had another pickoff, from Adam, not too many times that has happened

* Rich, who we found out played 7 years in the minors (pretty amazing credentials for the MBC!) manned center field and SS, and took away hits at both positions

* Mitch worked the right side of the field all day, and I think scored at least 5 times

Next week we are at Cop Field. See you there.

S. Paige

Punishment is a bitch

Since my buddy Rob has refused to come out to the game on a regular basis, I am posting this picture. He's the little guy. Dig the hat placed far back so that the bangs can be undisturbed. Speaking of disturbed, the other guy in the photo was. No one has heard from him in a while. Sweet bat though.

4/10/11- Camp Swampy

Again we had a large number of people show up, which is great, but it makes one all the more frustrated on beautiful days when 10 people show up. But I suppose one should always focus on the positive.

The numbers and people being what they were, the teams were divided as Grey Mission jerseys versus Mission shirts and other jerseys. There was a little grumbling from the others, as it seemed as though the MBC regulars were going to walk away with it. Gaspar in particular seemed to think that the MBC jerseys were too stacked, but hopefully the outcome will be a lesson that one should never be too sure about anything....

William Zerbes, looking trim and relatively clean-shaven walked out of the woods and demanded that he start on the hill. Well, demanded might be a strong term, but certainly we had to remind him that usual protocol does not allow one to show up and get the starting duty. But we were all glad to see him, and no one else on his team was fighting for the position. He had dropped to a three quarters, almost sidearm delivery and had more pop on his fastball than we had seen out of him a few years. After establishing that he still had it, he passed the ball on to Johnny Bartlett, who did what he always does, which is eat the innings, get the outs when they are needed, and in general, play the outside part of the plate like a Stradivarius.

Sean, replete with strong mustache, started for the visitors, and we had decided to platoon the pitching duties for the team, as we were fat in arms. Sean went three, then sent in Satch, tossed three, then we went to the Irish courage of Dustin (D-Sky) to close it up.

Or at least that was the plan, but in a rare instance, we actually had to play extra innings because the score was tied, and not just because some of us will play until its too dark to see. It was a hitters day, no one seemed to have too much dominance on the hill. The ball bounced a bit more, especially in the outfield. The score was all over the place, 3-0 , then flopping to 6-4, and then back again. It was really good game, punctuated with some timely hitting, defensive gems and gaffes, and lots of good opportunities that were actualized or squandered.

We went into the 11th, and with Greg Snyder now on the hill, and the visitors up by a run (scored by the master of the delayed steal home, Tony Rojas), the home team managed to get to their last out, and with two men on base, Loren stepped up and sent a ball deep into right center to secure a win. The final score was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-14, mostly we knew that it was a close one, and everyone contributed.

Highlights:

* A beautiful day, lots of players

* Adam, our new political ally, made a phone call to the SF parks and Rec, and got them to mow the jungle that was the grass, thus making the game safer and more enjoyable

* Both teams showed some great defense, it was nice to have a game that didn't have too many real weak spots

* Paul made a great catch in right field, fighting the sun and the run

* The sun, proved to be a fierce enemy for the 2nd baseman, and we had a lot of shading and running away from pop flies

* Rich anchored SS for the homers and turned a lot of MBC singles into easy ground outs

* I battled Zerbes for at least 14 pitches in my third at bat, before striking out. Touche, Bill.

* My only hit for the game was my first at bat, when I managed to hit a ball up around my eyes

* Gaspar, bucking the trend, had a sharp grounder to the right side of the infield for a hit, while we all bunched up on the other side, traditional Gaspar shift style.

* Someone had a great sacrafice bunt. Love that.

* Thanks to Greg, Mike, Noah, Adam and Ed for catching

* Johnny hit Adam twice. I guess when Bob isn't around, you got to hit somebody.

* The knuckleball worked well for a few innings, especially when I needed it to. That isn't always the case

* In general, everyone seemed to be better about knocking down ground balls, not always getting the out, but its a good step to keep the ball in the infield.

* Loud hits were registered by John, Loren, Rich, Nick, Zerbes, Ed, Tim, Sean, Lattig, to name a few. If you feel you had a loud hit I missed, let me know....

Let's keep the momentum going, this morning's rain was nice, probably packed the clay, so the fields should be in good shape. Not sure where we are yet.

S. Paige

4/3/1- Camp Swampy

FULL DISCLOSURE AND HUMBLE APOLOGY

I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME WAS BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE.

By the bottom of the 2nd, I had my uniform on and stepped up and hit a opposite field double. Then I scored. That's what I do for my team. Tony, who was pitching when I hit said double, hit a bunch of our guys, including me. I guess that's what he does for his team.

In any case, it was a real barn burner, Sean threw one pitch, called it a day and brought in Johnny. Johnny did the deed, pitched a hell of a game, and was hindered as we were the whole day with strange defense and deep grass. Tony lasted five or so, gave it over to Loren, who threw 3, and turned it over to Greg for another 4. Satch took over for Johnny in the 8th, and pitched the rest of the frames. The knuckle ball was really working for at least one inning, and the change up had big swing throughs the whole game. Which was nice.

We had 26 at final count, yet there was a lot of tentativeness, about playing. It's important to make sure everyone plays, but there should never be a question about fielding 9 players quickly, when we have 13 to choose from.

The score was forgotten and recalled several times in the course of the game, and if I had gotten there on time, I could have kept score. Or so Tony says.

By the end of regulation play, the homers, also known as Tony's team, eked out a 13-12 game. Kudos to you all. Then we kept playing and finished the game at a very neutral and pleasant 14-14 game. The chill in Camp Swampy was a bit more than everywhere else in the city, which was still blistering at 70 degrees or whatever.

Highlights:

* While the defense paled at times, there were a few plays that got done right by the end of the game. And that's progress!

* We also had some really good plays at first, close plays, runner beating out the throw, that kind of thing. Love a close play.

* Adam, and countless others, had some deep drives to left and right.

* Mike Lattig accounted for all the action in center field, wading through the buckwheat and the dandelions to make some great snatches

* Ugliest baserunning- When deciding to steal a base that you shouldn't be stealing in the first place, don't slow down or stop in the middle of your run, you have made your commitment, stand by it.

Best Heads up play- Loren was on third, after some monster shot, and started talking to the basecoach, and Johnny game me a little head nod from the mound, and then fired it over. He could have rolled it to me as it turns out as Loren was the last person to even know there was a play going on. Atta' kid Johnny, you're keen as mustard! Tough as desert rawhide!

* Bob had a great "fuck you" line drive, complete with witty remark after he hit it

* It was a real twofer kind of day for Bob, +2 HBP. It's like a blue moon.

* Loren played a good game for a guy with a mild concussion....thanks for the spirit!

* Nick Smith had a great snare at first, backhanded, high skip

* Owen came out for the first time in a while, great to see him back in a uni

* Total Hit Batsmen: Had to be at least 7.

* Bob made sure to collect money which is good, and if you didn't give him any, make sure you do next time. This club is cheap but it ain't free.

* Helpful Hint- Make sure you make a good second effort on balls. Just because you don't catch it doesn't mean that you give up, and put your hands on your hips and start thinking about what happened. Pick up the fucking thing and get it in. Many a good putout starts its life as a double.

* The chalk lines on the first base side were wrong, and it really made for confusing running when rounding first.

* Special thanks to Ed, who caught a full inning against his own team in the last part of the final inning, just to speed things up.

* Chris sent a email saying that he was looking for his Black and Silver glove at St. Mary's two weeks ago. If you have it, let him know or bring it to the game.

Thanks to everyone who came out, it was good to have a nice big showing. Great weather, good times, lots of stalwarts who stayed to the end.

S. Paige

3/27/11- St. Mary's

Told you it would be ready by Sunday, but noooooooo, you didn't listen. Well, all you suck-asses that didn't make it, missed a hell of a game. We ended up playing Havana 6's, until Doc, that's right, you sumbitches got shown up by a old guy, showed up and made it 13. And we all played a hell of a game. John , his brother in law and nephew were out before 1, shoveling dirt, draining water, raking the diamond, because they wanted to PLAY BASEBALL. Sean, fresh from his UK stint, and eager to play was there, and of course, Satch went at him. The first four innings were not real pretty, Sean must have been dreaming about this game, because I think he must have had double digit (12?) strikeouts for the day. Which is real tough when you only have 6 people on the team. I know Phelps and Mitch both wore golden sombreros for the day. The visitors had no problem with scoring runs, and the score was 3-0 for the first four frames. Satch muddled along, getting loose, and when Sean struck out the side, I countered with a 3 pitch inning. I'll take that any day of the week.

After my strikeout at a ball in the dirt, I was able to get on first through an errant throw. Took second on a fielders choice, and then stole third. That's right. Gamer. Noah made a spot-on throw and I would have been hosed, had I not taken the sliding option of the outside, so as to avoid colliding with Loren. Suddenly, we were on the board. 3-1. Mitch followed, as did another, and another, and before we knew what was going on, we had taken the lead 4-3.

We never relented the lead, and for some reason, the same pitches that were unhittable earlier were falling for extra base hits. Sean pitched 7 and then gave the ball to Noah, who did a great job of keeping us close. By that time, the score had reached a very kind 7-4 (we subtly erased a 3 run homerun by this high school kid, Josh, to keep the game from being a washout.) I kept hurling, and was able to avoid catastrophe, easier said then done, when you know that you have to face Chris, Loren and Sean every inning. Luckily, the changeup was working, so I got the pop ups I needed. Final score, lets say 11-4.

The weather stayed nice for the game, we were joined by a few bums and a lady bum with her small dog in tow. Very strange. They never really got into it, but I did hear the occasional cheer.

Highlights:

* Everyone who actually showed up.

* Dan, John's brother-in-law, made a spectacular over the shoulder catch in right field to stop a rally.

* There were some long balls hit, including the homer that Josh had

* Doc and JT did a good job at playing positions that I know they don't enjoy

* The nice thing about striking out a lot in Havana 6 is you know you will have at least 4 other at bats to get it right.

* Josh also had a number of great plays at 3rd. Please come out again!

* Thanks to Greg, Noah and Loren for catching, St. Mary's is not the easiest field to play backstop, between the sun, and the short wall that sends caroms back into your spine

* Chris, of all people, missed a sure fire double play ball, blame can sort of be laid at the feet of a very soft infield that deadened every ball that took the first bounce in the grass

* Mitch had a tough day at the plate to begin with, but laid down the prettiest bunt I have seen in a long time, that's the kind of baseball I love!

Well, it looks like its drying out, so all your fair weather players can show up again. S. Paige.

PS. I am including our current email list. If you see email's on here that you know are invalid, let us know. It's stupid to have 100+ people in a email chain, and not be able to conjure up more than 10 people.

Chris Powell <chris.powell@eminent-designs.net>; Daley Aaron Robert Carey ; aaron@lixolux.com; Adam Pfahler ; applegrc@sutterhealth.org; bhats25@yahoo.com; bigben527@hotmail.com; Bill Zerbes ; bothan25@yahoo.com; brad.mason5@gmail.com; Brian Cagle ; Brian Girgus ; brianphelps415@aol.com; Carl Grubbs ; cbberman@yahoo.com; chad.one@gmail.com; "chefjamesmueller@comcast.net" ; chris@eminent-designs.net; craigbaerwald@gmail.com; Dan Mandel ; Dan Martin ; Dan Phillips ; Dani Leone ; Danny Chester ; Dave Johnson ; David Neumark ; david_lewis99@hotmail.com; dchapnick@vantagepartners.com; Dennis Briskin ; Doug Norris ; Duane Harris ; ed_sidawi@yahoo.com; elvin.vu@gmail.com; esakumoto@yahoo.com; Ezra Gale ; fierlight@yahoo.com; focusphere@gmail.com; franmcalero@yahoo.com; gd3@pacbell.net; Greg and Oliver Magrane ; Greg Snyder ; gregmitra@sbcglobal.net; harguspig@aol.com; Jason Pienkowski ; jbspack@gmail.com; jcav0917@hotmail.com; jcivetz@gmail.com; jgruer@hotmail.com; jmcgrathlaw@aol.com; jmhamilton@hotmail.com; johncnero@yahoo.com; Johnny Bartlett ; Jonathan Tiemann ; jsinnarajah@google.com; kanderson03@gmail.com; Keefe Dwyer ; Kevin Connell ; loren.s.fraser@gmail.com; macclonan22@yahoo.com; Matt Chandler ; Matt Stone ; menlopark_ussd@yahoo.com; Mike Gaspar ; Mike Lattig ; MIKEHOLLAND2000@gmail.com; Mitchell Burnham ; Neel Bhatia ; nicholas castoria ; Nick Levine ; Nick Smith ; NickKinsey@yahoo.com; nishant.bhatt@gmail.com; noah.s.bowling@gmail.com; NOMAD1854@yahoo.com; owenrundall@hotmail.com; Paul Kibel ; Pete Simoneli ; Peter van Schaik ; phil_colvin@yahoo.com; PLAIN_RO@yahoo.com; pshebs@gmail.com; rfordiani9@yahoo.com; Richard Baluyut ; Richie Garcia ; Rick Kvoriak ; rjaneway10@gmail.com; Rob Kvoriak ; Ryan Bezenek ; salvadorwill@yahoo.com; Sean Paul Presley ; seansullivanesq@gmail.com; skileschico@yahoo.com; solszew@yahoo.com; Tony Acquarelli ; Tony Rojas ; venturatile@sbcglobal.net; victor@cdxbuilders.com; Vitalij Stelmashewko

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

So here we sit, watching the drizzles, the downpours, the light misting, and hoping against hope that it will be dry enough by Sunday to play. Only to be deluged with some sort of biblical storm right around game time.

Johnny Bartlett has been in Buenos Aires, with the Phantom Surfers, and Sean and Anthony are with Nodzzz in the UK. Adam is in LA. Someone must have given them the info early that this stretch of the month was going to really blow, weather-wise.

Now I will state that the St. Mary's field is amazingly resilient and dries very quick, even after a big storm. So, rain on the weekend will not necessarily mean that we won't be playing. The last few times we have attempted a last minute switch, the response has been less than stellar. So this is just a heads up, that St. Mary's is playable on a week that you might think there was no chance. So come on out if the call is made.

Other than that...at least its not snowing.

Fuck you fucking rain, you are ruining my life, and forcing me to do things like clean and my wife is going to divorce me if I keep moping around like this!

Bring on the baseball!

S. Paige

3/13/11- Moscone

We are playing baseball and that is final. That was pretty much the gist of the mail that I sent out at the beginning of the weekend. And it seemed to work well enough, we had exactly 18 out there, and a pretty good game after it was all said and done. Although the teams may have been a little lopsided, there was enough tension to warrant that it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.

Satch started for the homers, and threw the standard 9, plus two innings of the 3 inning game that we played afterwards. Yeah, you read that right. And the arm isn't really all that sore today, its mostly legs and back and ankles and wrists. But more on that later. Greg started for the visitors, and did a great job keeping us stymied for most of the game. The visitors teed off on me like the stands were packed with baseball scouts, and when they weren't getting legit hits, there were some miscommunication and booted balls which helped the visitors to keep on coming. By the end of the 1st it was 4-0. Then it was 6-1. At least we were on the board, thanks to Satch's high fly ball, pass ball, fielders choice, fielders choice again, run scored. I alerted my team that I would not be doing any more of that unless absolutely necessary. Maybe that's why my legs are sore.

We were welcomed, as we often are, by the sweet siren song of the bum that hangs in the Marina. I think we might have gotten his name this time, but we definitely knew he was drunk, and that he was ex-military, and is supposedly moving to Florida and getting $1900 for his Army disability. Which would put him at around 70% service connection ( I work in the business). He yelled at pretty much everyone, cursed Lattig for his Dodgers alliance, and in general, did what he does. He'll be missed.

We started a real comeback around the 7th, when Greg's luck finally wore off and we started hitting the ball. It had rained a few times since the beginning of the game, well, misted, and I am sure that the heavier ball probably worked in our favor too. In any case, we managed to close the gap to a one run game. It was not to be, however, as the visitors did not sit back on their laurels, and exploded for a few insurance runs to take the 9 inning victory.

The rain had turned to hazy sun when we finished, so we wiped the slate clean and started a 3 inning exhibition. Tony had taken over for Greg in the 8th, then made a mid inning switch, and brought Greg back to the mound. Then Tony went back to the mound to throw some more for the short game. Satch kept throwing, until finally relenting to let Brian Phelps have the last inning. Us homers had dominated the first inning of the second game and were cruising along, eager to squeeze some dignity out of the day, but the visitors would not be denied, and slowly they crushed our hopes in the 3rd, took the lead, and shut us down in our bold attempt to comeback. 20 minutes later, it started to really rain.

Highlights

* For a game that highlighted some defensive gaffes, we managed a number of double plays, both traditional and otherwise.

* John Nero was a Hoover at 2nd base, accounting for at least 6 or 7 put outs, his first play of the game was a real beauty

* Doc came out, on his motorcycle, and got at least 2 hits!

* We broke 3 bats in the dead muggy air

* I had one of the most beautiful sounding line drives of all time, that went straight to the center fielder.

* 4 comebackers, two of which might have taken my head off. I got a glove on both of those screamers, and then lost them

* Rich played an amazing 3rd base, making two over the shoulder catches in short right, and starting our inning ending double play.

* Rich also became the 1st MBC'er to hit the light pole in the top rung, and then have the ball drop into the protected area

* He also hit a line drive foul that hit a branch squarely and bounced all the way back into fair territory.

* Chris also had an amazing defensive game, including robbing me of a sure fire hit, again.

* Jimmy played a good 2nd, and had a angry triple that rolled into the softball game

* The change up worked on most people, and I got a lot of waves and bat throws.

* The change up also worked on me, as I hit two very high outs. I finally made up for it with a first pitch rocket to Mars that cleared everything. Too bad it was wet, or I might have been able to walk around the bases. I got a double because I am fat and tired.

* Thanks to Ed, Mitch, Greg, Gaspar, and Tony for catching

* Gaspar had a classic hit to left, even in the face of an obvious Gaspar shift

* Paul also had a nice clean line drive when we needed it

* John's triple sparked us to start our long road back in the first game

* Gaspar earned the new nickname "Huckleberry" by choosing to play and steal in his rolled up jeans, you looked awesome Mike!

* A big thank you to JT and Bob, for the new boxes of Rawlings balls that came our way. I picked them up at the Presidio field, man, we got to play there again, it is looking great!

* I did the thing that I always bitch about, which was swing when a person is stealing second. In my defense, at least I didn't foul it off, I just missed it.

Lets hope for sun, we are at West Sunset next week, time TBA.

S. Paige

Ruminations: Missing two in a row for a good cause

Wife's birthday party, mother's birthday party. They were both great.....YOU ain't gonna win that argument, ever.

And this week, I got no reason to complain. I'm headed down to Spring Training, cactus style. There's a lovely place down there called the 3 Palms.

They got a pool, cool ones and a 'cuzzi.

Walking distance to some sort of terrible Sav-A Plenty, that sells handles of booze (check), Fried Chicken (check), sunscreen (double check), and probably access to a $8.99 dvd of Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (bless their rag tag little hearts).

3 Games.

Dodgers vs. Giants, at the Dodgers new house. First game where I've gone into the rival park for a GvD game. And I hear that that rickety old canyon dweller, Dodger Stadium is a real peach; olde tyme to the core, and full of great style.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the game and not being stabbed. Not because of anything I was remotely involved with, but when you have 12 guys with you, sooner or later, something has to happen. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that part?....that's a lot of beef to wrangle, when all you want to do is have a laid back time in the desert.

So there's that one. Then we are seeing someone at Giants home, Mariners maybe? In any case, Saturday day game, that hangover probably isn't going to be pretty. I get a lot of drink coupons through the SW card, and man its like pulling teeth trying to get rid of those things on a plane. I don't blame them, but its been a while since I had free drinks I was trying to give away. Last year, I bought the guy next to me some drinks, and split the cab when we got there. Not a bad way to go. Maybe I'll see him again. He's probably going to be stabbing me, accidentally of course.

Then, my personal favorite, A's and Giants! I am looking forward to seeing how the A's are gonna wallop the Giants this time. Man, its never pretty, but its always a good time. I love sitting with a bunch of A's fans, they know what we are talking about, and they are confidant as always, that they are going to hammer the Giants. And they always do. Even when they lose, it still seems like they just play better than the Giants.

And this year we get to see it in the A's home park, which I also have never been to. I am rooting for the A's this year in the AL, full bore. They made some great trades, and I love how they play ball like the MBC. Or is it vice versa?

Scottsdale.

The Pink Pony has apparently reopened. But is extravagantly expensive, so I may miss it. I am hoping that Uncle Sal's is still open, it looked like my kind of place. There's a bro factor in some towns that ain't my thing, its a bit too much like being stuck in a frat party that took over a city. It ain't a bad thing always, just ain't my thing.

Should be a great vibe riding on the Worlds Series win. You get enough booze, sun into a crowd, and I guarantee there's some sort of altercation going down with guys calling each other out on opposite sides of a busy street. That's a safe one. Total Rep keeper there.

So, off I go. Enjoy the game, I don't know where it is, but I bet it will be great. And if my steady and sturdy Southwest airplane ( #1 in customer satisfaction, not an official Southwest spokesperson) does fall out of the air, you boys do that East/West thing that I spoke about, with the games and HOF tour. It think it would be great. The Ramblers seem like stand up guys. Why wouldn't they be, half of them are MBC'ers. Simonelli might have some trouble showing up, so maybe he can be a bench coach in absentia. Ezra's the secret weapon that just popped up for the NY squad. Little does he know that we have an Ezra named Ed now. Catches a good game, maddening hitter of line drives, got the spirit. And I don't think he's a Yankee fan, so that right there is nice.

Things go right, I'll be hitting the tarmac in our fair and foggy paradise around the time you guys will be in that post game glow of "Sure I'll have that third beer" and "chips and salsa are a perfectly fine dinner."

Enjoy the game, make sure Bob at least gets thrown at once, not hit necessarily, but close....

Wish I was there with you.

But, there's always next week.

Cheers,

S. Paige

2/27/11- West Sunset

Satch couldn't be there. But at least there was a game. And 19 people showed up apprarently!

Here with a recap is Ed:

It was sunny, there were 19 guys.

Johnny went 8 or 9 for the homers, Greg went 7 or 8 so for the visitors. Rich took over for Johnny, Tony closed it out for Greg.

Homers got 3 quick runs and three more before Greg got out of a bases loaded jam. He didn't allow a run after that (maybe the third or 4th inning).

Johnny was unhittable early on, finally giving up his first hit and run about the 4th. The visitors kept tacking on runs.

In the top of the 8th or 9th the visitors made a big comeback. With two outs the a few well placed balls and some generous defense lead to the the visitors scoring 3 runs and taking the lead.

Tony got the last outs for the win.

Highlights

-While catching, Tony called a pitchout with the bases loaded.

-Rich made a great diving catch in center

-A nice guy named Jamie came out even though his friend who told him about the game didn't

-I think there was a great play on the infield for the visitors, but I can't recall who made it.

Keep up the spirit. I'll be out scouting the desert talent.

S. Paige

Our Brian

This entry serves to invite all of you to get your haircut and shaving needs with MBC longtimer, shit disturber, and general live wire, Brian Girgus. He is now licensed by the State of California to put a sharp blade to your throat, probably while grandstanding about the Yankees chances.

In any case, go see him!

Mystic Haircuts

14 Haight St, San Francisco

Brian C. Girgus

California barber

Haircuts, straight razor shaves,

barber services

415.694.9605

Thurs, Fri, Sat, Mon

10am - 6pm

haircutsforeveryone@gmail.com

2/20/11- St Mary's

Well, 8 strong brave souls faced the beautiful weather and warming sun to play baseball on Sunday. Quite interesting that we had 26 last week, and this week you people couldn't muster up enough gravy to make it out for a beautiful day.

We took a long infield and outfield, I threw 3 outs to each batter for some situational hitting, and then took batting practice, 10 hits, run on the last one.

It was great, too bad you missed it. Here's Bob with a postscipt.

Hope what ever you doing was better than baseball, oh wait, what could that have possibly been? Don't know where we are next week. Maybe you can take the time to see if you really care about playing or not....

Here's your hero lineup:

Bob, Elvin, Tony, Adam, John, Satch, Ed, Nick Smith.

S. Paige

A few (but not all ) of the Tenets of the MBC

So I thought I would scribble some basic rules, nay, guidelines to play, for those who believe that things written down become more permanent. These in no way constitute all or even the majority of the what the collective of the Mission Baseball Club endorses, but only what I believe they would endorse. A game like ours is an ever evolving sort, and if we have learned anything in our time as a loose knit organization, its that we should and are always open to change:

1. Don't be an asshole.- This is the one basic rule of the club. You care about winning and losing? Go join a league. This is sandlot baseball. With talent. Consider us the the team that draws fans every year, and is never close to the pennant. We play for the sheer joy of it. Don't take people out on a slide, that just jeopardizes someone else's chance of playing next week! And yeah, we have suffered a lot of jerks in our time that do care about winning and losing. And you know what? Very few of them still play with us. Cuz they can't turn it off. And some people, I think, are just wired that way. Glad I ain't one of them. So don't argue calls, listen to your teammates and if you get screwed on a call, make it it your mission to get a clean hit, or catch a clean ball, and no one argues with that, do they?

2. Try every position- One thing that always rankled me about the baseball system was that if you looked a certain way, or had a glove on a certain hand, you were relegated to a few positions. What the fuck? Are we in America or not? This is the land of the free, and if you are a left hander, there is no reason that you shouldn't try out at shortstop if you want to.

3. Know your limits- Yes, you were all waiting for it. Left handed shortstop, fine, great, you get the ball to the first baseman .127 seconds slower than usual, not a problem. As long as you can catch ground balls. If you can't, maybe infield isn't your position, regardless of what your Daddy told you. And insisting that you have to play that position is not going to work either. As a pitcher I want guys who can field the ball and make some sort of out 80% of the time. That's not hard, in baseball terms. If you can't do that, maybe your Daddy was wrong about you. It doesn't mean he didn't love you. Unless he didn't. And hey, if that was the case, maybe he sucked at infield too...

You want to pitch, but you need 30 minutes to warm up and them you throw 15 balls in a row, and the strikes you do throw get pulverized to all fields, perhaps your not meant to be on the bump? We are baseball players, not masochists. Your lifelong dream was to play first base for the Giants? Hey, I support that, I would give a kidney to Will Clark too, but if you can't catch a thrown ball on a regular basis, maybe 1st sack isn't where you should insist that you always be.

4. It's a strike, swing- This is one of the hardest things for guys who are new to the club. Because we are all taught to stretch an at bat out for as long as possible, make the pitcher work, etc. And I am all for a good working count. But swing the fucking bat. We are also out here to field hit balls, not watch you lean over the plate, looking at an outside fastball that you could crush to the right field, but you think you might have been a little off balance when you started your swing. If I have learned anything in the 8.4 years I have been playing with the MBC, its that you see that strike, fucking let her rip! As Stan Musial once said to Curt Flood when asked how he hit so consistently, " Well, Curt, [you] get a strike, and you knock the hell out of it."

5. Softball sucks- Do I need to explain this one? I have had a lot fun playing Friday nights with my dad's softball team, and getting drunk in the parking lot afterwards. But compared to baseball....not even close.

6. You fail, you get another chance- I hate video games. I have always told people that instead of being into video games as a youth, I was trying to get laid....in the real world. Say what you will about my successes but its true. And our game is dirt on the uni-, hard scrabble ball. And just like the video games that the kids like to play, we do get another life, cuz even if that motherfucker strikes you out with a curveball, you got another at bat to make him pay. Few things in real life give you that.

7. You suck, welcome to the MBC!- Unlike the teams of our Little League youth, lack of talent is not the curse it used to be. Talent or no, the MBC prides itself on being about the person first, and the ability second. Great guy, but can't throw anymore, welcome aboard! You hit the long ball, but you're a douche bag? Well, we all know you're a dick and humor you, so hopefully your personal records are enough, cuz we don't need you.

8. You suck, but you think that you know everything about the game and you want to tell everyone else what they are doing wrong, because you are really a misunderstood baseball genius and if only some one would appreciate you, you could maximize your own potential. But it's totally someone else's fault if you fuck up.- Don't really need to say anything else here, right?

9. Rain- We play year round, and when we get to the rainy seasons, it really wears on some of us. Sure when the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is coated in snow, we do have the occasional 70 degree game. I think it makes it all the worst when we are strangulated from playing for more than one week. Because let me honest. If I had my choice between Sunday as the day before going back to work, where I had a lovely brunch with people I kinda knew and then found parking and then did all the chores that needed doing, talked about my feelings and got my work week in order, OR pitching 2-0 counts where I needed a nasty paint the black strike, crowding the plate, diving to take a hit away on a flare to right, stealing second and then taking third on a sacrifice bunt, fielding a perfect ground ball and feeding it to second, snatch catching a fly ball in center, or brushing the dirt off after a reckless dive into the bag, I can tell you, it wouldn't be any sort of choice at all.

10. Relax- We are all out here having fun. This is church for us. Instead of guilt and redemption, its close plays at 3rd, change ups on fastball counts, Jameson's and shut outs, Maree-wanna play ball, 3 pitch innings, diving catches, in the parker home runs, stirrups and mud, pine tar, scuffed breaking balls, metal cleats, bunts for base hits and hitting Bob in the ass with a knuckleball. And if those things don't make you smile and believe that we are on this planet for a reason, this is not the game for you.

Don't look back.

S. Paige

2/13/11- West Sunset

The game was live and loud, and shuttered between sunlight and cold clouds, with 26 or so men out for the affair. We were light a few of the regulars, such as Sean and Greg, but we made do with a nice mixture veterans and first and second timers.

Satch started out on the bump, after a nice long rest, (yes I know I was gone last weekend, and no it wasn't a Superbowl thing, it was a housewarming thing.) The arm felt good and loose, helped by the long sleeves I wore the whole day. The change-up was working well, dropping feet at a time, and I got quite a few batters on big 2 strike counts with the fat floater.

Noah started for the visitors, and did what he does best, which is grind out innings, and take charge. Our defenses changed with a brisk interval, some being better than others. The first inning took us a little while to get our heads in the game and the visitors scored 3 quick runs on us. We started our own little rally, and made it back 2-3. From there, we had ourselves a real game. We tied it up the next inning and then the wheels started to come off.

It began with a few singles, and then there was a through the wickets ground ball here and a dropped fly ball there and then it was 6-3. Then it was more. And then a few more after that. By the time we had 10 runs, it was clear that the game was in danger of growing stagnant. We had been talking about the fact that we had never seen a ball go out of West Sunset. I figured it wasn't going to hurt anyone, and leading off the inning was Loren, who I know has home run power. So I threw 2 big batting practice marshmallows, he fouled off the first, and did just what I hoped with the second. It was up, and gone in to the trees, and the score was 10-4. The rally didn't get any further.

I threw 6 and handed the ball over to Johnny who shut down the visitors with his usual brand of lights out slurvy stuff. Dustin took over from Noah, and seemed to missing his usual aura of untouchableness. The hit parade continued. Rich took back his own piece of the day, and put another one over the fence and into the trees for a round tripper.

The first 9 innings seemed to go very quickly, and we kept playing just to enjoy the day and the game. We lost at least 7 guys, but it still seemed like we were 9-9, so nothing really changed except that the weather got a little cooler. The visitors made a great comeback, and by the end of the game it was 15-14 and getting dicey. However, it seemed that it was not in the cards for the visitors and the game ended as the sun buried finally in the cold fog.

Highlights:

* Two home runs in one day, after none for years.

* We had at least 4 or 5 long running fly balls, and all of them were dropped in some fashion. They looked great and they were all valiant efforts. The one that counted came with the bases loaded and 2 outs, and the visitors desperately in need of the end of a inning

* Thanks to Bob, Gaspar, Loren, Tim and Tony for catching

* Gaspar put on a classic showing of the Gaspar bloop, and then was caught later in the game with the same hit. That's the problem with having a reputation.

* Remember that we should try to run out our hits, regardless of whether it seems worth it or not, but also remember that we don't need to steal bases when there is something like a 6 runs lead in the works.

* Tony threw out a runner in the last ining with a great toss from behind the dish.

* Doc showed up after being gone for a few, and put a base hit over second base, hasn't lost a step!

* A lot of runs were scored, and some nice situational hitting and deep drives over the course of the game

* Bob hit the piss out of the ball a few times, and played with a bit more fire than usual

* Nick has taken over equipment managing while Greg was gone, had a couple of good hits, and gave a little pepper to his team, thanks for all of it

* Tony did a great double pump, windup and throw from shortstop to get a third out

* I went up to the plate and was going to try and hit lefty, since we were ahead by a great margin at that point. Bob and Noah decided I was being high-handed and gave me plunking. I'll take a plunking whenever needed, but this one hit me in the elbow, instead of the back where I was planning. Keep those elbows tucked in and away from the pitch is the tip on that one. You can see some nice seam marks in the picture below.

* Nero pulled up with an injury in the early stages of the game. Hope you get better quick. We got the bad news as well that we lost Dennis to a broken ankle at Fantasy Camp, hope it heals quick and clean!

* The strike zone was a little awry, not sure what the deal was, but it seemed to be happening for both sides

* Adam and Tim seemed like they got on base every at bat today, Tim even called his shot! Base hit, right side, boom.

We had a lot of guys out there today, and I recognized a few worried looks that our little game might be growing at a exponentially unsafe rate. I think we will be alright, maybe let's slow down on asking any more people to come out, and we can see what happens.

Also, A note to all league guys as well, remember that if you have already played a game for the current weekend, the rest of us haven't. Be aware and respectful of that, please.

S. Paige

Player Profile #16- Rick Kvoriak

This should have come sooner, as Rick has been out here long before I have, and I tried to get the veterans out of the way before moving on to you young whipper snappers. The thing is that right around the time that I started playing, Rick had these twin boys, who are really cute, and apparently demand some/and or a lot of his time. So Rick's MBC playtime went from lots to little. But that shouldn't be any excuse for neglecting him on the blog. And for that I am sorry.

Rick is the most dangerous pull hitter I have encountered yet. And I say that in all honesty and with all games in every league I have ever played in. Its riddy-mc-goddamn-diculous. I remember one of the first times I pitched I thought I had him all set up for a breaking ball, and he actually cocked his bat back before he swung, and sent it to the moon. I am always a little frustrated that we don't play at fields with fences, because I think Rick could be hitting a homer a game at least. And its not limited to fly balls, Rick can make the steadiest third sacker cry with the line shots and ground balls he sends to the left side.

In the defense department, Rick can do it all. As a fellow larger fellow, I respect that he can move gracefully and play those infield positions that coaches never let us near since only small quick guys were supposed to be there. I think we have even see him pitch once or twice. But SS, 2nd, third, outfield, it makes no difference, he can do it all. Then he will take a break for an inning and have a cigarette. And fuck you if you don't like it.

Rick is from Ohio originally, as are many of the MBC'ers ( a nice place to leave one of them told me once) and he will be happy to tell you that Ohio is the only state in the union that has a baseball pennant for a state flag. Which is awesome and makes sense since the Cincinnati Reds were the first professional baseball team. You can look it up. (I also have a Seagrams 7 bar sign that has the starting lineup with pictures of that team. And no, you can't have it.)

Rick is a product of the old school of baseball, and he has some fire in his play, which is great. But he also knows we are all out here for fun, and never lets his frustrations affect anyone else's good time. He is also the one of the few people I know who compliments you after a good pitch, even if its one he held off on. Its nice to be appreciated sometimes.

If it wasn't enough, Rick also plays guitar with Johnny Bartlett, in various bands, and is so adept at playing, that he sometimes is noted for watching the TV while the band is playing, since he is so confident in his own abilities to keep up. That's something. I sometimes forget the chords to my own songs. And by sometimes, I mean a lot.

There is another Kvoriak on the email list, but have never met him. Maybe one Kvoriak is all any team is allowed. In any case, I am glad we have the one we have, and can't wait til his kids are old enough to suit up, and play....and then he can sit down and have a smoke.

Sorry for all the change ups Rick, but you're on to everything else.

S. Paige

Player Profile #15- Jonathan Tiemann

Jonathan, or JT, as we have dubbed him, has been coming out for years. He is an old associate of Bob's, but we don't hold that against him....He plays first primarily, being a tall, left handed drink of water, covers the sack well and has improved with each year that I have known him. But he also has been known to play outfield, and while it may not be his preferred position, he always does it with some class. He's also one of the few that has actually been to Giants Fantasy Camp, which I am very envious of, and he wears his official Giants gear with pride.

JT is one of those frustrating hitters that you think you have figured out, and the next thing you know he is lining opposite field shots off of you. He is also one of those hitters that is unfazed by my knuckle ball. And Yes, I know, some of you may be saying, who is unfazed by that thing anymore, but hey, some one might be, you never know....

One of the best parts about having JT come out is that sometimes he brings his daughter Amelia out with him. I remember the first game she played was a fourth of July BBQ, and since then she has always been there when we needed players. Through the years we have seen her skills develop into a real strong player, and a dynamic left handed power hitter.

JT has contributed multiple times to this blog, and is always helpful in his insight and accurate memory. He wrote a very poignant piece after the Worlds Series this year, which you can find at the end of the 2010 entries.

What few people probably realize, is that Jonathan is also a world class investment guy, with a Ph.D from Yale. Anyone who has been out with the MBC knows that JT is a wizard with numbers. He can compute runs, men left on, and outs, while the rest of us are still trying to figure out who was the last out.

If it wasn't enough, he's just a good guy, honest and hard working, always in a cheerful mood and loves the game. He believes in the tenets of the game, and might be the longest commuter to the games, a testament to his passion for the MBC.

JT, we salute you!

S. Paige

2/6/11- West Sunset

Well, it was Superbowl™ (All rights reserved, here fore after without expressed written and verbal consent of the NFL, it shall be refered to as "the Big Game.") Sunday. Satch was on his way back from a trip to that lovely jewel of the desert, Reno, NV and on my way to a housewarming in Walnut Creek. So after a while on the road I realized that I wouldn't be able to make the game. I tried dammit!

In any case, there was a game, and a doozy from the sounds of it. The day was amazing (Greg told me when I called in my absence, that although we often say it, It really was the most beautiful day ever!!!! Really drove the ol' stake through the heart.) There were plenty of people willing to miss the beginning of the "The Big Game". Great! I love it. From Mike G. and John M. I was able to glean the following highlights:

It was a very fun game, well played and close, 4 to 3. johnny and tony pitched for the homers and noah and sean took the bump for the visitors, no homers, but some well hit balls and some great fielding (as usual) by chris w/ 2 over the shoulder basket catches, one for dbl play.


* Johnny pitched six strong (one not so strong) innings and got out of
several jams thanks to some good d. chris's over the shoulder grab,
ed's strong throw from right keeping mike l. at third (he never made it
home) and john m's stab of bob's line drive.

- tony came in after johnny and got a six out save with a minimum of
pitches thrown.

- bob got hit twice.

- sean had the hit of the day. a right center gapper that almost hit the
wall. He also pitched 4 or 5 innings of shut out ball.

- anthony had an at least 15 pitch at at bat that ended with him bunting
safely for a hit. (d. eckstein would have been proud)


So, we got another weekend of sun ahead, and then the rain may descend again, so lets get a good strong turnout on Sunday, same place, same time.

S. Paige

Mickey Mantle- The All American Boy

Dave Johnson sent this to me last week, I thoguht it was worthy of a blog entry. His phrasing leaves the door open to countless jokes as to whether the bullpen was the location or active particpants in the action....Either way, The Mickster sure epitomized the class of the Yankees....

In 1972, four years after playing his last game for the team, the legendary Mickey Mantle was sent a letter by then-Vice-President of the New York Yankees, Bob Fishel, and asked to contribute to the Yankee Stadium's forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations. All Mickey had to do was fill in the enclosed survey and share details of his "outstanding experience at Yankee Stadium." Below is the letter, and Mantle's surprising response.



Transcript

New York Yankees Inc.

Dear Mickey,

As you probably know, 1973 marks the 50th anniversary of Yankees Stadium and we are going to have a season-long Golden Anniversary celebration. We hope to mark the occasion on our Old Timers Day, Saturday, August 11, as well as on individual dates during the season.

We thought it would be interesting to learn from you what you consider your outstanding event at Yankee Stadium. In many cases the answer is obvious, but because we are writing a large number of your former team mates, we are asking you to answer this question for us.

1973 will be the final season at Yankee Stadium as we know it. We will be located at Shea in 1974 and '75 while Yankee Stadium is completely rebuilt to reopen in 1976.

Thanks for your cooperation. We are looking forward to seeing you in 1973 and wish you a happy holiday season.

Very truly yours,

(Signed, 'Bob Fishel')

December 14, 1972/m

Mantle's Response:

I consider the following my outstanding experience at Yankee Stadium:

— I got a blow-job under the right field Bleachers, by the Yankee Bull pen.

This event occurred on or about: (Give as much detail as you can)

— It was about the third or fourth inning. I had a pulled groin and couldn't fuck at the time. She was a very nice girl and asked me what to do with the cum after I came in her mouth. I said don't ask me, I'm no cock-sucker.

Signed: Mickey Mantle, The All-American Boy

MBC players make local music scene

Sean and Anthony have gotten some buzz in the Sf Weekly, with a label signing and a new single!

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/02/nodzzz_signs_to_woodsist_plans.php

The picture has Girgus in it, who was in the band until recently, but gave up his role in Nodzzz. Nice to see all three of them in the pic though.

Here is a link to the Nodzzz blog, for an update on all their work.

http://nodzzz.blogspot.com/


Nice work, gentlemen!

S. Paige