It was a singles party.
Both for the Beavers and for the Dogs In A Bathtub. The Beavers brought out the entire roster for this game, first time this has happened in some time. The extra players kept the bench full (and lively).
Beavers having the higher seed got the HOME designation for the game and took the field first. Dogs in a Bathtub started things off with several singles up the middle scattered between their outs. A single to center drove home their first run. More than likely the run could have been avoided with some louder infield help as there was plenty of time to gun the runner out at the dish. But the Beavers, confident they can score more than one run, opted to keep the other runners at their bases and allowed the run to score unchallenged.
In the bottom of the first the Beavers used most of the 10 bats that we have accumulated throughout the season and all 13 Beavers took their swings with their favorite bat. Belle singled to lead off the game (his 6th consecutive single over 3 games). Rake took advantage of the left centerfielder abandoning his position to play a short-centerfield and lined a triple into the vacancy. Kid singled in Rake, Mobilly later singled as did Dupper, Rage, Sonoma, PT and Jake. The inning came to a close with Jimmy-D sharply grounding out to thirdbase. Eight runs had crossed the plate with 8 singles, a triple and an error. 8-1 after one inning.
PT shut down the Dogs in the second inning with the help of some strong infield play on the left side. The Beavers brought up the top of the line up again and Belle singled again (7 in a row). Rake legged out a force out and Big John, Sabo all Dupper singled scoring another 4 runs.
In the third the Dogs scratched out a couple singles of their own, nothing really getting through the infield or alluding the outfield, just well placed hits over short and second. They scored one of their own. In the 3rd the Beavers answered with one of their own. An RBI triple by Jake scoring Sonoma who was standing on first after his second single. After three innings the Beavers were up 13-2.
Over the first couple of innings Beavers traded in and out of the fielding. Mobilly starting on the bench, but going into first in the second and then to the outfield for the 3rd and 4th innings. Big John starting out as the catcher, to be spelled by Sonoma behind the dish later in the game. Jake starting on the bench, but sliding into secondbase to alternate with Rage. Everyone was getting into the game.
Big John happened to ask the umpire what he knew about the name Dogs in a Bathtub. I will let the Urban Dictionary define it, similarly to how Big John informed the Beavers. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dog%20in%20the%20bathtub)
Funny, but almost too obscure. None of us knew what it was...which might be a good thing.
The umpire was our old friend "Mr. Infield Fly". Right on cue, in the first inning with runners on 1st and 2nd for the Dogs, he yells out "infield fly is in effect". I tell ya, he never misses announcing that potential. Always entertaining.
Back to the action...well, really the reason I stepped away from the action was because it was all but over. The Beavers score none in the 4th and Dogs went down without a run in the top of the 5th. The Dogs were threatening in the 5th, but a sharp grounder to Sabo's left was snared by his glove on a diving play and a force out at second (that was a very close call) ended any threat. Mr. Infield Fly called the game by the mercy rule of 10 run lead after 5 innings. Beavers had won game one of the playoffs.
Following the game the Beavers attempted to put a dent in the 2+ cases of beer that Rage brought. A fine potpourri of Stag, Beast Light, Bud Select and Busch. I would venture a guess that he went home with more Stag and Beast than anything else...but the Beavers do like their crappy beer...
Beaver of the game is a tough call. 15 singles were spread out well over the lineup. But the nod has to go to Belle who in the 4th extended his singles streak to 8 straight ABs. He was the lead off hitter in the two innings that produced 12 runs in total. It's good to have our leadoff hitter hot...finally.
Next game is Aug 5th on the same field at 7pm. The playoffs continue with the Beavers facing the winning of the #3 vs #6 game played this week. If (when) the Beavers win, they will play immediately following that game for the championship.
Plenty of good seats still available for this playoff series. Bring a cold one and join us at Shaw park.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The answer is...
Matt Holliday will be wearing #15. The quiet tribute to Jimmy Ballgame is over. It took a year and a half.
While Holliday is no Edmonds in the OF, he should be able to offer up more at the plate that Edmonds did since about 2005.
Now let's get on to Holliday growing a 'stache to match his new teammates.
...momesso.blogspot.com...
While Holliday is no Edmonds in the OF, he should be able to offer up more at the plate that Edmonds did since about 2005.
Now let's get on to Holliday growing a 'stache to match his new teammates.
...momesso.blogspot.com...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Summer Playoff Schedule Released
The summer playoffs are set for the Clayton softball season. The Beavers finished in second place 1.5 games behind Sportsman's Park. The Golden Sombreros were able to springboard from their tie against the Beavers into a 3rd place finish as they ended the season .5 games above Bi-State Meat. Rounding out the final standings Was Team USA then Cousin Hugo's followed by Dogs in a Bathtub, Scared Hitless and finally CJC Transportation with their lone victory.
Sportsman's Park 14-2
Beavers 12-3-1
Golden Sombreros 10-5-1
Bi-State Meat 10-6
Team USA 8-8
Cousin Hugo's 7-9
Dogs in a Bathtub 5-11
Scared Hitless 4-12
CJC Transportation1-15
In a one-game play-in, CJC Transportation did notch their second victory over Scared Hitless to win the right to play the #1 team in the playoffs.
The Beavers will match up against Dogs in a Bathtub. These two teams met back in week 2 of the season when the Beavers' bats were smokin' hot. Beavers were able to pound out 42 runs in the two games. Let's see if history can repeat itself when the two teams meet again at 9pm on July 29th on Field #6.
With a win on the 29th, the Beavers would be poised to play the winner of the #3/#6 matchup (Golden Sombreros/Cousin Hugo's). That game is scheduled for the following week at 7pm on the same field. The winner of that game will go on to play for the Championship immediately following. The league champion will be crowned at 9pm on Aug 5.
By the time the first round of the playoffs rolls in, the Beavers will have had two weeks off from softball. Hopefully the few injuries will have healed by then and the bats have had a chance to rest up for the sprint to the finish.
Sportsman's Park 14-2
Beavers 12-3-1
Golden Sombreros 10-5-1
Bi-State Meat 10-6
Team USA 8-8
Cousin Hugo's 7-9
Dogs in a Bathtub 5-11
Scared Hitless 4-12
CJC Transportation1-15
In a one-game play-in, CJC Transportation did notch their second victory over Scared Hitless to win the right to play the #1 team in the playoffs.
The Beavers will match up against Dogs in a Bathtub. These two teams met back in week 2 of the season when the Beavers' bats were smokin' hot. Beavers were able to pound out 42 runs in the two games. Let's see if history can repeat itself when the two teams meet again at 9pm on July 29th on Field #6.
With a win on the 29th, the Beavers would be poised to play the winner of the #3/#6 matchup (Golden Sombreros/Cousin Hugo's). That game is scheduled for the following week at 7pm on the same field. The winner of that game will go on to play for the Championship immediately following. The league champion will be crowned at 9pm on Aug 5.
By the time the first round of the playoffs rolls in, the Beavers will have had two weeks off from softball. Hopefully the few injuries will have healed by then and the bats have had a chance to rest up for the sprint to the finish.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Beaver Times 2009 Edition 8
The Beavers roll into the last week of the season in second place, but with a lot on the line. The first place Sportsmans Park is only 1 game up in the standings and the 3rd place Golden Sombreros is a mere 1.5 games behind the Beavers. The Beavers need a sweep to contend for first place and must not get swept to stay in at least second. To make it even more interesting, the Beavers are battling the Golden Sombreros. The standings are up to us.
Game one starts off slow. Rake singles with one out and tried to stretch it into a double. Here was the first bad call by the ump "OUT". That was the lone hit of the inning, needless to say, we did not score.
Golden Sombreros came up and made things happen. It was a combination of well-placed hits and poor defense. A ball went through Sabo's legs, the batter went for second and Dupper overthrew second. The ball went past Kid, who was playing 1st and the batter kept running. Kid threw home, too late. 1 batter 1 run, 3 errors. Not good. Then they started hitting. When we finally recorded 3 outs they had score 5 runs. It was going to be an uphill battle.
In the second inning Sabo singled, followed by a single by Dupper and another single by Kid to drive in a run...but that was it...a run. A classic quote by Kid when he was lifted for the pinch runner, Jake. Kid meant to say "Jake you had better not get out running for me", but it came out like this, "Jake, you had better not get me off!". Nice! The Beavers were loosening up.
The Sombreros countered with one of their own, but the bottom of their lineup did not muster much. There was hope.
In the 3rd inning the top of the Beavers' order was back up. Belle singled, Rake singled, Big John singled, Sabo singled and Dupper hit a sacrifice fly (shocking). 3 runs, on some well placed hits. The defense had been watching us over the season and was playing pretty deep. The Beavers were doing a good job of adjusting to expose the defense. Beavers were down 6-4.
The next inning with any scoring was in the bottom of the 4th. The Sombreros were threatening again. A double was shot to left field with runners on first and second. Dupper chased down the ball while the runner on first was gaining on the runner on second. He hit Rake on the cut-off and Rake turned and fired home for a play at the plate. Jimmy-D caught the ball and tagged out the first runner. The second runner was only about 20 ft behind him. He quickly put on the brakes and got into a rundown. The Beavers executed the hot box flawlessly and recorded the doubleplay at home. Well Done!
The Beavers took advantage of the change in momentum as the top of the lineup came through again. Another hit by Rake followed by singles by Mobility and Sabo again drove in two more. The Beavers were down just 7-6 through 5 innings. In the 5th inning Sonoma showed up and was inserted into the bottom of the lineup. With a runner on first, Sonoma reached on an error. Belle drove home the tying run. It was a new game.
The Sombreros answered the call with a lone run in the bottom of the 6th, and the stage was set for an important 7th inning. Mobility led off with a single, Big John walked (at this point Big John also was given a new nickname; Johnie Walker. He has walked about 8 times over the past 3 games - a record in slow pitch softball we presume). Sabo, completing his 4-4 night singled in a run. Dupper reached on an E, and Kid singled in 2 runs of his own. The inning culminated with a strikeout of Jimmy-D. But the Beavers had built a 2-run cushion going into the bottom of the 7th.
The air was taken out of the Golden Sombreros at this point and they went down easily in the 7th, leading to another Beaver victory. Another close game, another poor offensive showing, but another victory none-the-less. The Beavers were now 11-4 with this 10-8 victory. Second place was secured, now it was time for the sweep and hope that Sportsmans Park lost their doubleheader.
The player of the game goes to the pitcher, Keith (P.T.). After the wheels fell off early he allowed only 3 runs to score over the final 6 innings. His knuckleball was working and baffling the Sombreros. Honorable mention to Sabo with his 4-4 night and 3 RBI, but he lost his way in the field early in the game.
Game two.
The Beavers took to the field in the second game with a chance to win first place. It started off great, Sombreros down with not much more than a whimper. The Beavers struck first. The first 4 guys reached base and scored. Once again with a line of singles and sacrifice flies. We told the ump we scored 4 runs. It was immediately challenged by our opponents, we convinced them we were correct and that our scorebook was sound. They responded with their bats. Singles, doubles, errors, more doubles when it was through they had scored 5. At least that is what they first told the ump. So we proceeded thinking we were down one run after one and a half innings. It wasn't until about 2 innings later that we heard that they scored 6 in the first inning. I guess they "counted" wrong in the second, but the ump believed them, and we had to live with it. Both teams scored a run in the 3rd then we were able to shut them down for 3 straight innings.
During that time, we could hear the band performing at Parties in the Park. A Journey song came on. Belle chimed in with something you could only appreciate from Belle..."what is this slow jazz they are playing?"
The Beavers took the lead in the 4th with 3 runs. A string of hits and an error mounting the 3 until the middle of our lineup could not keep the hit parade alive. Keith, Jimmy-D and Belle all driving in runs. Jimmy-D even proclaimed that he got tired just running to first base. I think next year's training program should include the catcher as well.
We added our 9th run in the 5th and were sitting on a 9-7 lead going into the 7th. The Sombreros started off slow, but were able to chase in 2 runs to tie the game as it headed into the bottom of the 7th. Time was running out, it was about 8pm but this game had playoff implications.
Belle led off with a single to right center, completing his perfect 4-4 night. It was set up for the middle of the order. Rake lifted one to right center - one out. Mobilly also shot one to the right side, only to be caught by the secondbaseman. Big John stepped to the dish and lifted one high into the hot summer air. Unfortunately it did not travel far and the 3rd baseman moved into foul territory and made the catch for the 3rd out.
Game tied at 9. The ump was not going to even consider us playing one more inning to decide the game, it was called at a tie. Disgusting!
Beaver of the Game goes to Belle for his perfecto at the dish.
The spring season is over except for the playoffs. Still a few teams are finishing up their regular season rainout makeups. Playoffs will now start on 7/29. Times and field to be announced on 7/23.
Check back to beaverball.blogspot.com for times.
Game one starts off slow. Rake singles with one out and tried to stretch it into a double. Here was the first bad call by the ump "OUT". That was the lone hit of the inning, needless to say, we did not score.
Golden Sombreros came up and made things happen. It was a combination of well-placed hits and poor defense. A ball went through Sabo's legs, the batter went for second and Dupper overthrew second. The ball went past Kid, who was playing 1st and the batter kept running. Kid threw home, too late. 1 batter 1 run, 3 errors. Not good. Then they started hitting. When we finally recorded 3 outs they had score 5 runs. It was going to be an uphill battle.
In the second inning Sabo singled, followed by a single by Dupper and another single by Kid to drive in a run...but that was it...a run. A classic quote by Kid when he was lifted for the pinch runner, Jake. Kid meant to say "Jake you had better not get out running for me", but it came out like this, "Jake, you had better not get me off!". Nice! The Beavers were loosening up.
The Sombreros countered with one of their own, but the bottom of their lineup did not muster much. There was hope.
In the 3rd inning the top of the Beavers' order was back up. Belle singled, Rake singled, Big John singled, Sabo singled and Dupper hit a sacrifice fly (shocking). 3 runs, on some well placed hits. The defense had been watching us over the season and was playing pretty deep. The Beavers were doing a good job of adjusting to expose the defense. Beavers were down 6-4.
The next inning with any scoring was in the bottom of the 4th. The Sombreros were threatening again. A double was shot to left field with runners on first and second. Dupper chased down the ball while the runner on first was gaining on the runner on second. He hit Rake on the cut-off and Rake turned and fired home for a play at the plate. Jimmy-D caught the ball and tagged out the first runner. The second runner was only about 20 ft behind him. He quickly put on the brakes and got into a rundown. The Beavers executed the hot box flawlessly and recorded the doubleplay at home. Well Done!
The Beavers took advantage of the change in momentum as the top of the lineup came through again. Another hit by Rake followed by singles by Mobility and Sabo again drove in two more. The Beavers were down just 7-6 through 5 innings. In the 5th inning Sonoma showed up and was inserted into the bottom of the lineup. With a runner on first, Sonoma reached on an error. Belle drove home the tying run. It was a new game.
The Sombreros answered the call with a lone run in the bottom of the 6th, and the stage was set for an important 7th inning. Mobility led off with a single, Big John walked (at this point Big John also was given a new nickname; Johnie Walker. He has walked about 8 times over the past 3 games - a record in slow pitch softball we presume). Sabo, completing his 4-4 night singled in a run. Dupper reached on an E, and Kid singled in 2 runs of his own. The inning culminated with a strikeout of Jimmy-D. But the Beavers had built a 2-run cushion going into the bottom of the 7th.
The air was taken out of the Golden Sombreros at this point and they went down easily in the 7th, leading to another Beaver victory. Another close game, another poor offensive showing, but another victory none-the-less. The Beavers were now 11-4 with this 10-8 victory. Second place was secured, now it was time for the sweep and hope that Sportsmans Park lost their doubleheader.
The player of the game goes to the pitcher, Keith (P.T.). After the wheels fell off early he allowed only 3 runs to score over the final 6 innings. His knuckleball was working and baffling the Sombreros. Honorable mention to Sabo with his 4-4 night and 3 RBI, but he lost his way in the field early in the game.
Game two.
The Beavers took to the field in the second game with a chance to win first place. It started off great, Sombreros down with not much more than a whimper. The Beavers struck first. The first 4 guys reached base and scored. Once again with a line of singles and sacrifice flies. We told the ump we scored 4 runs. It was immediately challenged by our opponents, we convinced them we were correct and that our scorebook was sound. They responded with their bats. Singles, doubles, errors, more doubles when it was through they had scored 5. At least that is what they first told the ump. So we proceeded thinking we were down one run after one and a half innings. It wasn't until about 2 innings later that we heard that they scored 6 in the first inning. I guess they "counted" wrong in the second, but the ump believed them, and we had to live with it. Both teams scored a run in the 3rd then we were able to shut them down for 3 straight innings.
During that time, we could hear the band performing at Parties in the Park. A Journey song came on. Belle chimed in with something you could only appreciate from Belle..."what is this slow jazz they are playing?"
The Beavers took the lead in the 4th with 3 runs. A string of hits and an error mounting the 3 until the middle of our lineup could not keep the hit parade alive. Keith, Jimmy-D and Belle all driving in runs. Jimmy-D even proclaimed that he got tired just running to first base. I think next year's training program should include the catcher as well.
We added our 9th run in the 5th and were sitting on a 9-7 lead going into the 7th. The Sombreros started off slow, but were able to chase in 2 runs to tie the game as it headed into the bottom of the 7th. Time was running out, it was about 8pm but this game had playoff implications.
Belle led off with a single to right center, completing his perfect 4-4 night. It was set up for the middle of the order. Rake lifted one to right center - one out. Mobilly also shot one to the right side, only to be caught by the secondbaseman. Big John stepped to the dish and lifted one high into the hot summer air. Unfortunately it did not travel far and the 3rd baseman moved into foul territory and made the catch for the 3rd out.
Game tied at 9. The ump was not going to even consider us playing one more inning to decide the game, it was called at a tie. Disgusting!
Beaver of the Game goes to Belle for his perfecto at the dish.
The spring season is over except for the playoffs. Still a few teams are finishing up their regular season rainout makeups. Playoffs will now start on 7/29. Times and field to be announced on 7/23.
Check back to beaverball.blogspot.com for times.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
End of the Regular Season Preview
Image via Wikipedia
Also, still banged up, is Kid. Kid has deemed himself ready to play, though his defense will be limited to 1B, C and bench. Kid will be in the lineup, but will have some speed stacked ahead of him ready to pinch run when necessary.
As mentioned above, the Beavers find themselves in a battle for 2nd place in the league. Just a few weeks ago it seemed like a walk in the park for a first place berth. However, a 3-3 record over the last 6 games has silenced those hopes. The Beavers come in with an 11-3 record trailing the Sportsmans Park team with their 12-2 record by one game (and still within reach if SP stumbles). The Beavers' opponents, the Golden Sombreros, are only 1.5 games behind the Beavers with an 9-4 record. They have one remaining game if necessary against Team USA who they beat in their only matchup.
So it all comes down to this final week. This is what it is all about. Two games to decide playoff positioning. Where will the Beavers wind up at the end of the season? Will the bats and defense come together and bring in two final victories? If so, will Sportsmans Park feel the pressure and cough up their lead by losing two? Or will the Beavers continue to have trouble stringing together hits with the Richmond brothers out of the lineup? If they are unable to lay double digits on the Sombreros in each game, 3rd place may be the final resting place.
In honor of the game date, 07/08/09 the Beavers will stack those spots in their lineup. The expected lineup looks like this:
Belle
Rake
Mobilly
Big John
Sabo
Dupper
Jake
Sonoma
Kid
Keith
Jimmy-D
One final note, this week is also Parties In The Park at Shaw Park. Be ready for some post game excitement over at Kilkennys after the fireworks on the field.
Game times 6 & 7p. Field #6.
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Sunday, July 5, 2009
Meet Your Beavers - Big John
"I'm a pretty good ball player" is his mantra this year. Big John, not really known for his glovework, has played several positions over his Beaver career. Primarily a pitcher before Keith joined the squad, then playing 1st base when not on the mound, Big John finds himself most at home sitting on the bench and yelling at our players when a ball is missed.
Over the years Big John, or VaJohnna as he is also known, has amassed the second most homeruns on the team. He is also second in freak injuries, only trailing Gee. His most memorable injury came about 5 or 6 years ago when he said he was doing some yard work and the rake he was using snapped and a splintered portion of the rake handle shot through his shin.
While sporting some "pipes" of which he is quite proud he has neglected the lower portion of his body and typically is limping around the bases with some near-pulled hamstring. Luckily for Big John, there is usually someone with superior speed who just got out ahead of him to pinch run.
Things you might see or hear around Big John at a softball game:
- a lead pipe as his warm up bat
- a pipefitters union hat/bag/shirt
- "want two tickets to the gun show?"
- "I don't have any cash, can I get you back next week?"
- "Does anyone have a cigarette?"
- "You know I don't text, just call me"
Most recently Big John was awarded Beaver of the Game in an 18-17 loss in which he drew 5 straight walks. We don't need him to walk though, his lack of speed is only clogging up the bases. Swing the damn bat Meert and challenge Kid for the homerun title!
[editor's note] I did not forget his one MVB award. Since he forgot to take the trophy with him, it was left off his official bio...until now.
Over the years Big John, or VaJohnna as he is also known, has amassed the second most homeruns on the team. He is also second in freak injuries, only trailing Gee. His most memorable injury came about 5 or 6 years ago when he said he was doing some yard work and the rake he was using snapped and a splintered portion of the rake handle shot through his shin.
While sporting some "pipes" of which he is quite proud he has neglected the lower portion of his body and typically is limping around the bases with some near-pulled hamstring. Luckily for Big John, there is usually someone with superior speed who just got out ahead of him to pinch run.
Things you might see or hear around Big John at a softball game:
- a lead pipe as his warm up bat
- a pipefitters union hat/bag/shirt
- "want two tickets to the gun show?"
- "I don't have any cash, can I get you back next week?"
- "Does anyone have a cigarette?"
- "You know I don't text, just call me"
Most recently Big John was awarded Beaver of the Game in an 18-17 loss in which he drew 5 straight walks. We don't need him to walk though, his lack of speed is only clogging up the bases. Swing the damn bat Meert and challenge Kid for the homerun title!
[editor's note] I did not forget his one MVB award. Since he forgot to take the trophy with him, it was left off his official bio...until now.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Beaver Times 2009 Edition 7
Let's just cut right to the chase, the Beavers were able to score 17 runs in each game last night. Some of the offense funk seems to have lifted with the humidity.
The opponent was "Scared Hitless". As game time approached, many of us wondered if they were going to be able to field a team. At just about 8:00 we counted 5 players wandering around their bench. It was a late arriving team and by the time the ump said "Play Ball" they had their 10.
The Beavers were home for game 1 and we trotted out a little different defense with the absence of Kid and Jake. Dupper took the call at SS and Belle moved over to LF. Scared Hitless put a couple of runners on thanks in part to the ump missing two calls at first base. The first was grounder to 3rd where Sabo nabbed the hitter by a step - "SAFE", then as the Beavers tried to turn a double play another throw beats the hitter to first - "SAFE". Are you seeing a trend here? Seems that the Beavers get the short end of many calls. Last game it was Tanner, this time it was our defense. All in all, we escaped with no runs as Keith (new nickname to be debuted later) K'd their shortstop to end the inning.
The Beavers started the climb to their 17 run game with a nice 6-spot in the first as they batted around. We need to get a promotion with Mobil On The Run and those horrible TV and radio commercials that says "When the Beavers score six runs in an inning, win or lose, you get a fountain drink for only $0.25 the next day at Mobil On the Run". Now I have that stupid song in my head...I digress.
Belle led off with a double and Rake singled him in. After a dupper force out, Big John walked (#1). Mobilly doubled in Dup and Sonoma singled in Big John and Mobile (yes, that is singled, not homered). Rage capped the first inning scoring with a 2-RBI single. An impressive start to the evening.
Have you ever gone out to field grounders on pavement with a little sand sprinkled on top? If so, you know how the infield played last night. Huge hops! Most of the D was on their heals playing the bad hop...and it hurt us. In the second Scared Hitless came out swinging...lining a couple over the infield, chopping several on the ground only to elude the Beavers' mitts. When the inning mercifully came to an end, the score was tied. In the bottom of the second the too of the order was up again for the Beavers...this time to be retired 1-2-3...Allanis-style.
In the third we held them to no runs and Big John led off the bottom of the 3rd with a walk (#2). Mobilly singled and Sonoma tripled - Sabo singled him in - three quick runs before the bottom of the order fizzled the attack. Beavers were up 9-6 and the top of the order was set to lead off again in the 4th.
Scared Hitless chipped away with one run in the 4th. The umpire was quite proud to know the score...and mentioned it many times during each inning. I had never seen this before. Usually the ump just records the score, he does not keep it. Maybe he should have paid less attention to the number tallying and more to the plays at first. Also, the umpire was obsessed with announcing that the "Infield Fly Is In Effect". I think that maybe he just learned about this rule in his umpiring class last week and he was eager to use the term at every opportunity...and he did.
For the bottom of the 4th it started very similar to the 1st. Belle and Rake on base, Dup with a force out, Big John with a walk (#3), Mobilly with a hit. Sonoma then hit a Sacrifice Fly and Tanner drove in 2 runs with a single. A nice 5-run inning to stretch the lead to 14-7.
Just as Scared Hitless did after the Beavers exploded for 6 in the first, they exploded again after the Beavers hung 5 on the board. Again, shotty defense, well placed line drives and a BOMB by their shortstop to leftfield (this is the same guy who look terrible in the first on a strikeout...we got hustled!). Beavers' new lead was down to a thin 2 runs.
Keith led off the 5th with a walk and Jimmy-D popped out to the pitcher. Belle liked that pop up so much that he tried to emulate it and popped up to the 2nd baseman. Rake walked before Dupper doubled in 2 on what is labeled in the score book as "weak RBI". Big John then walked (#4) then the inning came to a close with a vintage Mobilly grunt...however this grunt was well after he weakly hit a grounder back to the mound. I hope that grunt made him feel better about that swing.
The game continued on into the 6th. Another 3 runs for Scared Hitless. This team was not going to give in. They were sensing blood and they were circling for the kill. The Beavers mounted a small attack in the bottom, but were unable to get a runner home from second. Beavers 16, Scared Hitless 15.
The 7th started off innocently enough. Two outs with no runs having scored. Then, like they had been doing all game, they started hitting with 2 outs. 3 runs scored to put them up by 2 going into the bottom of the 7th.
Jimmy-D, the leadoff hitter once everyone else has batted, grounded a single through the right side - a great start to this important inning. Belle singled and it was 1st and 2nd, no one out for Rake. Rake lifted a flyball to leftfield. Deep enough to move Jimmy-D up to 3rd, but not deep enough to score him. Dupper then did the same thing, a Sac fly scoring Jimmy-D. Now there there 2 outs and Belle was at 3rd with the tying run. Big John came up and...walked (#5). The game was in Mobilly's bat...it was not to be. A ground out to end the game. Beavers 17 Scared Hitless 18. It was the 3rd loss of the season for the Beavers and one that did not sit well. If you can award a Beaver of the game in a loss, it would go to Big John. I have never seen anyone take 5 walks in a game. Actually, I am not sure why you would want to actually, especially when you are the cleanup hitter. So he gets this award for two reasons 1) just because of the oddity of it 2) because if he would have swung the damn bat once we might have scored 18 or 19 instead of 17.
Quote of the game goes to the 1-2 punch of Belle and Dupper. Belle yelling at Rage to "Don't Get Mad", brought on the response from Dupper "Get Glad". Send endorsement checks to the blog...
Big John not only amazed us with his batting eye, he was also on with his humor. Every time a fielder would get ate-up by a ball, Big John was quick on the "you need me to play ____ position for you?". He also was trying to convince Jimmy-D that he had the ability to hit a bases empty grand slam.
Game two started up right away and we rolled the lineup over giving the leadoff duties to Sonoma. He singled (yes, again no homer), Sabo reached on an error and Tanner ripped a double to right scoring both. Rage then singled in Tanner and the Beavers were off to a 3-0 start. Nothing for Scared Hitless in the first, and again nothing for the Beavers in their half of the second. As I look closer at the book Belle, Rake and Dupper were a combined o-fer in the 2nd innings this night. Just an interesting observation.
Scared Hitless got on the board in the 2nd with 2 of their own, cutting the lead to 3-2. The bats came alive again in the top of the 3rd. Big John walked (#6), Mobilly singled, Sabo singled, Tanner tripled in 2 more runs, Rage singled, Keith singled then Jimmy-D tripled over a drawn in left-center fielder. This triple caused the crowd to erupt. Bi-State Meat was hanging around to watch the action and they were quite impressed with Jimmy's sudden power. You see, Jimmy was not looking like the athlete for these games (with the exception of his Webster Softball Championship t-shirt from many years ago). Along with the t-shirt (sleeves cut off), he was wearing camo shorts and a bucket hat. Add to this his scruffy beard and he looked like a better fit for Survivor than Clayton softball fields. Another reason why the bench jumped on the Jimmy-D bandwagon is that he had just grounded into a doubleplay in the first inning and did not run it out. He was the underdog, he was down on his luck...they were pulling for him. He answered.
In typical Scared Hitless style, they answered our big inning with one of their own. Plating 4 runs, including another blast from their shortstop who played opossum with us in the first at bat in the first game. Beavers were up 9-6.
In the 4th the Beavers started hitting again. Big John led off and was hearing it from the crowd about this lack of swinging the bat. The pitcher laid a fat pitch about chest high and VaJohnna crushed it. Refusing to be outdone by their power hitter or called out by the team watching from the Bleachers, Big John stopped his walk streak at 6 and went yard. A bunch of singles, doubles and walks followed and the Beavers added 4 more runs.
Scared Hitless stayed close with 3 runs of their own in the 4th. Through 4 it was Beavers 14 Scared Hitless 9. The Beavers kept hitting in the 5th. Dupper got in on the action with a double, Mobilly tripled, Sonoma reached on an error, Sabo walked and Tanner hit a sac fly that scored Sonoma from 2nd. The Beavers were able to shut down Scared Hitless in the bottom of the 5th. As the Beavers were coming up to hit in the 6th the ump called the game. Beavers Win! Beavers 17, Scared Hitless 9.
Beaver of the game goes to Tanner. Tanner went 3-3 with 2 doubles, a triple and a sac fly. He had 7 total RBI to show for those at bats.
Sitting around after the game we found out that some of the crowd/fans/hecklers were commenting about the way the number "00" looks on the back of Keith's jersey. I believe the quote was something to the effect of "that's what they would call prison tits". Keith, I hate to say it, but Prison Tits or PT might just be the winner.
In other Beaver news. There was a Gee sighting at Kilkennys before the game. He assured us that his retirement is only temporary. No timetable is set yet for his return. Also, as this season is winding down, we are looking into possible venues for summer/fall ball. The leader so far is Fenton on Wednesday nights. Stay tuned.
Next games are July 8 at 6pm & 7pm.
The opponent was "Scared Hitless". As game time approached, many of us wondered if they were going to be able to field a team. At just about 8:00 we counted 5 players wandering around their bench. It was a late arriving team and by the time the ump said "Play Ball" they had their 10.
The Beavers were home for game 1 and we trotted out a little different defense with the absence of Kid and Jake. Dupper took the call at SS and Belle moved over to LF. Scared Hitless put a couple of runners on thanks in part to the ump missing two calls at first base. The first was grounder to 3rd where Sabo nabbed the hitter by a step - "SAFE", then as the Beavers tried to turn a double play another throw beats the hitter to first - "SAFE". Are you seeing a trend here? Seems that the Beavers get the short end of many calls. Last game it was Tanner, this time it was our defense. All in all, we escaped with no runs as Keith (new nickname to be debuted later) K'd their shortstop to end the inning.
The Beavers started the climb to their 17 run game with a nice 6-spot in the first as they batted around. We need to get a promotion with Mobil On The Run and those horrible TV and radio commercials that says "When the Beavers score six runs in an inning, win or lose, you get a fountain drink for only $0.25 the next day at Mobil On the Run". Now I have that stupid song in my head...I digress.
Belle led off with a double and Rake singled him in. After a dupper force out, Big John walked (#1). Mobilly doubled in Dup and Sonoma singled in Big John and Mobile (yes, that is singled, not homered). Rage capped the first inning scoring with a 2-RBI single. An impressive start to the evening.
Have you ever gone out to field grounders on pavement with a little sand sprinkled on top? If so, you know how the infield played last night. Huge hops! Most of the D was on their heals playing the bad hop...and it hurt us. In the second Scared Hitless came out swinging...lining a couple over the infield, chopping several on the ground only to elude the Beavers' mitts. When the inning mercifully came to an end, the score was tied. In the bottom of the second the too of the order was up again for the Beavers...this time to be retired 1-2-3...Allanis-style.
In the third we held them to no runs and Big John led off the bottom of the 3rd with a walk (#2). Mobilly singled and Sonoma tripled - Sabo singled him in - three quick runs before the bottom of the order fizzled the attack. Beavers were up 9-6 and the top of the order was set to lead off again in the 4th.
Scared Hitless chipped away with one run in the 4th. The umpire was quite proud to know the score...and mentioned it many times during each inning. I had never seen this before. Usually the ump just records the score, he does not keep it. Maybe he should have paid less attention to the number tallying and more to the plays at first. Also, the umpire was obsessed with announcing that the "Infield Fly Is In Effect". I think that maybe he just learned about this rule in his umpiring class last week and he was eager to use the term at every opportunity...and he did.
For the bottom of the 4th it started very similar to the 1st. Belle and Rake on base, Dup with a force out, Big John with a walk (#3), Mobilly with a hit. Sonoma then hit a Sacrifice Fly and Tanner drove in 2 runs with a single. A nice 5-run inning to stretch the lead to 14-7.
Just as Scared Hitless did after the Beavers exploded for 6 in the first, they exploded again after the Beavers hung 5 on the board. Again, shotty defense, well placed line drives and a BOMB by their shortstop to leftfield (this is the same guy who look terrible in the first on a strikeout...we got hustled!). Beavers' new lead was down to a thin 2 runs.
Keith led off the 5th with a walk and Jimmy-D popped out to the pitcher. Belle liked that pop up so much that he tried to emulate it and popped up to the 2nd baseman. Rake walked before Dupper doubled in 2 on what is labeled in the score book as "weak RBI". Big John then walked (#4) then the inning came to a close with a vintage Mobilly grunt...however this grunt was well after he weakly hit a grounder back to the mound. I hope that grunt made him feel better about that swing.
The game continued on into the 6th. Another 3 runs for Scared Hitless. This team was not going to give in. They were sensing blood and they were circling for the kill. The Beavers mounted a small attack in the bottom, but were unable to get a runner home from second. Beavers 16, Scared Hitless 15.
The 7th started off innocently enough. Two outs with no runs having scored. Then, like they had been doing all game, they started hitting with 2 outs. 3 runs scored to put them up by 2 going into the bottom of the 7th.
Jimmy-D, the leadoff hitter once everyone else has batted, grounded a single through the right side - a great start to this important inning. Belle singled and it was 1st and 2nd, no one out for Rake. Rake lifted a flyball to leftfield. Deep enough to move Jimmy-D up to 3rd, but not deep enough to score him. Dupper then did the same thing, a Sac fly scoring Jimmy-D. Now there there 2 outs and Belle was at 3rd with the tying run. Big John came up and...walked (#5). The game was in Mobilly's bat...it was not to be. A ground out to end the game. Beavers 17 Scared Hitless 18. It was the 3rd loss of the season for the Beavers and one that did not sit well. If you can award a Beaver of the game in a loss, it would go to Big John. I have never seen anyone take 5 walks in a game. Actually, I am not sure why you would want to actually, especially when you are the cleanup hitter. So he gets this award for two reasons 1) just because of the oddity of it 2) because if he would have swung the damn bat once we might have scored 18 or 19 instead of 17.
Quote of the game goes to the 1-2 punch of Belle and Dupper. Belle yelling at Rage to "Don't Get Mad", brought on the response from Dupper "Get Glad". Send endorsement checks to the blog...
Big John not only amazed us with his batting eye, he was also on with his humor. Every time a fielder would get ate-up by a ball, Big John was quick on the "you need me to play ____ position for you?". He also was trying to convince Jimmy-D that he had the ability to hit a bases empty grand slam.
Game two started up right away and we rolled the lineup over giving the leadoff duties to Sonoma. He singled (yes, again no homer), Sabo reached on an error and Tanner ripped a double to right scoring both. Rage then singled in Tanner and the Beavers were off to a 3-0 start. Nothing for Scared Hitless in the first, and again nothing for the Beavers in their half of the second. As I look closer at the book Belle, Rake and Dupper were a combined o-fer in the 2nd innings this night. Just an interesting observation.
Scared Hitless got on the board in the 2nd with 2 of their own, cutting the lead to 3-2. The bats came alive again in the top of the 3rd. Big John walked (#6), Mobilly singled, Sabo singled, Tanner tripled in 2 more runs, Rage singled, Keith singled then Jimmy-D tripled over a drawn in left-center fielder. This triple caused the crowd to erupt. Bi-State Meat was hanging around to watch the action and they were quite impressed with Jimmy's sudden power. You see, Jimmy was not looking like the athlete for these games (with the exception of his Webster Softball Championship t-shirt from many years ago). Along with the t-shirt (sleeves cut off), he was wearing camo shorts and a bucket hat. Add to this his scruffy beard and he looked like a better fit for Survivor than Clayton softball fields. Another reason why the bench jumped on the Jimmy-D bandwagon is that he had just grounded into a doubleplay in the first inning and did not run it out. He was the underdog, he was down on his luck...they were pulling for him. He answered.
In typical Scared Hitless style, they answered our big inning with one of their own. Plating 4 runs, including another blast from their shortstop who played opossum with us in the first at bat in the first game. Beavers were up 9-6.
In the 4th the Beavers started hitting again. Big John led off and was hearing it from the crowd about this lack of swinging the bat. The pitcher laid a fat pitch about chest high and VaJohnna crushed it. Refusing to be outdone by their power hitter or called out by the team watching from the Bleachers, Big John stopped his walk streak at 6 and went yard. A bunch of singles, doubles and walks followed and the Beavers added 4 more runs.
Scared Hitless stayed close with 3 runs of their own in the 4th. Through 4 it was Beavers 14 Scared Hitless 9. The Beavers kept hitting in the 5th. Dupper got in on the action with a double, Mobilly tripled, Sonoma reached on an error, Sabo walked and Tanner hit a sac fly that scored Sonoma from 2nd. The Beavers were able to shut down Scared Hitless in the bottom of the 5th. As the Beavers were coming up to hit in the 6th the ump called the game. Beavers Win! Beavers 17, Scared Hitless 9.
Beaver of the game goes to Tanner. Tanner went 3-3 with 2 doubles, a triple and a sac fly. He had 7 total RBI to show for those at bats.
Sitting around after the game we found out that some of the crowd/fans/hecklers were commenting about the way the number "00" looks on the back of Keith's jersey. I believe the quote was something to the effect of "that's what they would call prison tits". Keith, I hate to say it, but Prison Tits or PT might just be the winner.
In other Beaver news. There was a Gee sighting at Kilkennys before the game. He assured us that his retirement is only temporary. No timetable is set yet for his return. Also, as this season is winding down, we are looking into possible venues for summer/fall ball. The leader so far is Fenton on Wednesday nights. Stay tuned.
Next games are July 8 at 6pm & 7pm.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1 Game Preview
The Beaver's bats have virtually wilted in the early summer heat. Hopefully this day of reasonable weather will awaken the bats once again. Losing two games a few weeks back to Desloge (now Sportsman Park) seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the early-surging Beavers. However, Sportsman Park has lost two games in their last 3 weeks and they are now 12-2 compared to the Beavers' 10-2. First place is once again in reach with the help of the opponent of Sportsmans Parks last games.
On to tonight's game.
The Beavers will be slightly shorthanded tonight as Kid has removed himself from the lineup. Some kind of leg injury is what is being reported on the wire. The team will not put him on the DL in case of a miraculous recovery before 8pm tonight. Word also just came in that Jake will not be at the game either. There will be some defensive juggling to find a shortstop for tonight's action. Other than those two absences, all of the remaining Beavers should be in their new uniforms and ready to take on Scared Hitless.
Scared Hitless seems to be able to swing the bat a bit. Looking back at their early season results they were able to routinely post 10+ runs, however it took them until week 3 to post a win. Recently their bats have appeared to cool off a bit as they have had more games under 10 runs than over. It is not certain if this is truly an indication of their hitting capability or the lack of defense by their opponents. Overall, Scared Hitless comes into tonight with a 3-9 record, second from the bottom in the league. Like the Beavers they were able to take two from CJC Transportation. Their other victory came last week against Dogs in a Bathtub when they were able to plate 18 runs.
The Beavers will have Sonoma back in the lineup for tonight's game after missing a week. He will need to offer some middle of the order support in terms of reaching base. The Beavers' scoring drought can be attributed to the lack of stringing hits together. A consistent approach of reaching base will be needed to bring home two victories tonight under the cooler air.
Game time is 8pm on field #6.
Expected Lineup
Belle LF
Rake 1B
Dupper SS
Big John RF
Mobilly RC
Sonoma
Tanner LC
Sabo 3B
Rage 2B
Keith P
Jimmy-D C
Stay tuned to beaverball.blogspot.com for post game reactions and recaps.
On to tonight's game.
The Beavers will be slightly shorthanded tonight as Kid has removed himself from the lineup. Some kind of leg injury is what is being reported on the wire. The team will not put him on the DL in case of a miraculous recovery before 8pm tonight. Word also just came in that Jake will not be at the game either. There will be some defensive juggling to find a shortstop for tonight's action. Other than those two absences, all of the remaining Beavers should be in their new uniforms and ready to take on Scared Hitless.
Scared Hitless seems to be able to swing the bat a bit. Looking back at their early season results they were able to routinely post 10+ runs, however it took them until week 3 to post a win. Recently their bats have appeared to cool off a bit as they have had more games under 10 runs than over. It is not certain if this is truly an indication of their hitting capability or the lack of defense by their opponents. Overall, Scared Hitless comes into tonight with a 3-9 record, second from the bottom in the league. Like the Beavers they were able to take two from CJC Transportation. Their other victory came last week against Dogs in a Bathtub when they were able to plate 18 runs.
The Beavers will have Sonoma back in the lineup for tonight's game after missing a week. He will need to offer some middle of the order support in terms of reaching base. The Beavers' scoring drought can be attributed to the lack of stringing hits together. A consistent approach of reaching base will be needed to bring home two victories tonight under the cooler air.
Game time is 8pm on field #6.
Expected Lineup
Belle LF
Rake 1B
Dupper SS
Big John RF
Mobilly RC
Sonoma
Tanner LC
Sabo 3B
Rage 2B
Keith P
Jimmy-D C
Stay tuned to beaverball.blogspot.com for post game reactions and recaps.
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