10/4/15 Cop Field

It was glorious to be back on the diamond.  The last month has been pretty brutal, to the point that Sunday's didn't even register that I was missing baseball.  But all that is in the past and there I was. With the Giants final game on the radio on the drive in, I left with high hopes, since they led 3-0 going into the 8th.  I was spared the final until after I had my own baseball fix.

We had a lighter crowd than usual, and recruited four players that were out to enjoy themselves after a earlier league game.  I never got their names proper, but I think it was Danny, Timmy, Sammy and Donny....or something.  More players showed up after we started and by the end of the 2nd inning, it was 11 per side.

I threw 6 innings, gave up some runs in the first, on a crushed ball, a bad bounce, a misplayed fly and a few choice singles.  It felt like a lot more than 2 runs, but that was all it amounted to.  Our own hitting, against Sean, was about the same, and we forayed through the middle innings locked in a struggle at 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 4-3.

I am proud to say that I provided the much needed go ahead run on a first ball swinging double, that if I wasn't so out of shape and generally slow, would have made it to third.  But I still scored, so who the hell cares....here is a general idea of where it went, so you can get an idea of why I need to play more often to fine tune my running game....



I handed the ball over to Greg for the 7th, with the score 4-3, to take my turn on the bench, cuz that is what you are supposed to do when you have 11 guys (Sean and Tim, I am looking in your direction).

Well, long story short, the homers scored to tie up the game, and then they scored again to take the lead.  One of the new guys came in and threw an inning, not bad.  I don't know why it felt like a blow out, while we were playing, but it was actually a really good game.

We tried our best, but our best wasn't good enough, and the homers won 5-4.

Highlights:

* Several great catches in the outfield, mostly by Mitch, who was relegated to right field most of the time, since the new guys were oblivious.

* Elvin got a early Christmas present from Ed on a 3rd strike call

* Visitors made a great relay to get a runner at the plate

* I don't think I would have near it, but I didn't even try for a foul ball at third, and I am sorry for it

* Nero was the subject of a series of close/contested calls, all of which went against him.  I think it was getting to him.  But that ball was foul.

* James had a crushing hit to left that took a first bounce that was about 15 feet in the air. Drought conditions.

* Both teams made some nice plays in foul territory.

* Lattig played a great 1st base and was hitting in his usual frustrating style

* Sean hit a inside the park home run, the first bounce was wicked, the new guy never had a chance.

* Game went real quick, several innings were 8-10 pitches only

* The cops came to ask us if our SUV was the one parked in the red zone.  The cop actually said "We know you guys, and we like you, so we wanted to make sure that it wasn't your car, before we ticketed it."  Wow.  The MBC is respected by the Man.  Does that go for or against our credibility?

See you out there soon.

S. Paige

8/16/15 West Sunset

Sorry this is so behind, but sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar, well, he eats you....

The game after the SQ win took place on a beautiful day out in the Sunset.  I brought along lil' Satch, who refused to sleep on the way over.  But luckily, Ed's kids were there, and kept him in line and in the game.  We had the best and neatest row of helmets and bats, thanks to Theo, Milo, and T.

Ryan started for the homers, and Greg (?) for the visitors.  Or maybe it was the other way around.  Bad when you try to remember something from three weeks ago.

Ted, from the Brooklyn Ramblers came out and played with us, so he could see first hand what the Club was like.  And he did great holding down second base and had a couple of hits and a RBI.  He did a real nice write up of the SQ game as well, which you can read here.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/san-quentin-prison-baseball-game

Satch entered the game in the 4th, and threw 3.  In the midst of those 3 innings we tied up and then lost the the lead.  I remember that part....and it was all my fault, or maybe, to look on it more positively, it was the fault of the great hitting of the other team.

Either way, I bowed out, Josh came in, raring to go, but couldn't find his rhythm, though he didn't give up any runs, and left it at one inning.  Sean entered for the homers and did what he does best.

After that, it gets hazy.

Things I remember:

* Sean played a fine lefty 2nd base

* The other team had a lot of well placed hits

* Finally had an extra base hit, it seems like it has been a long time

* Bob had the go ahead RBI's as retribution for striking out earlier.

* James showed up late, and played in the Cal Academy of Science gear.

* The final score was 5-4, and everyone thought we played 10 innings but I am pretty sure it was just a long 9.