batteh blog-o-rama

After a rigorous off-season training regimen (independently administered) and a few random practices thrown in when the weather allowed, the softball season officially starts next week. As usual, we’ll carry over the Kangaroo Court points from last year. In case you forgot, they are shown below:

Chris W. (5.5)
Ron (3.5)
Chris D. (3)
Todd (2.5)
Jon L. (1.5)
Chaz (1.5)
Dan W. (1)
Ben W. (1)
John B. (0)
Jesse (0)
Tony (0)
Charlie (0)

Chris W. is up first and will be providing beverages after next week’s game.

I’ve recently added the ability to conduct polls on the site. So, we’ll have to think of some unique ways to combine polling with the points system and overall softball fun (and I don’t want to hear from you ISR people that my polls are not statistically significant). I’m open for any ideas you might have on the polling or any additions, modifications, etc. to the points system- feel free to leave a comment.

Here is the first poll of the year inspired by last night’s practice.

Excellent work at the GSHAS post-season gathering at Leopold Brothers!! In start contrast to last season’s gathering, we had a great turnout (thanks!!) on what was a pretty incredible sports evening. First we watched the Tigers eliminate the A’s on Magglio’s walk-off HR to advance to the World Series. Then we watched UM pound PSU. As we were enjoying fine beverages, we also broke out the championship trophy that Charlie brought on his bike- about 2ft. tall with a big eagle on top (I’m convinced that some middle schooler is missing their spelling bee trophy and it found its way onto our softball one)!! Besides passing it around like the Stanley Cup, we also convinced Chaz to take the trophy up to the bar to order a drink (or he at least played along with us). Some hilarity also ensued with Todd eating something but I missed the details? In addition to the trophy, the championship T-shirts were handed out (there are a few extra- who didn’t get one besides Chris W.?). While the UF loss to Auburn put a bit of a damper on the evening, morale was high. Though we discussed all taking the trophy for a day, Todd agreed to take the trophy home. Check out the photo gallery from the event and, as always, feel free to comment here or on flickr:
GSHAS Photo Gallery

Congrats on a great season- the Carbon Nanotubes are in hibernation now but I can’t wait to get after it again next spring!!

Excellent work in a tie and win over Team TBA this evening!! And thanks to Beers beating Roundtree (mercying them after getting mercied in the first game- see Beers are good for you), we are the league champions with our 8-1-1 record. Congrats GSHAS!! Our bats definitely started cold in the first game as we fell behind early. Chaz sparked us with a triple over the RF’s head as we fought back to take a 6-5 lead. They then had a big inning including a HR and another deep ball to go up 10-9. We scratched a run home in the bottom of the 6th to tie it at 10 though we left a runner at third. After shutting them down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th, Chaz led off with a walk and Matt stroked a 2-strike pitch up the middle. After a sac fly, we had runners on first and third with one out but couldn’t plate that final run. The second game wasn’t much of a contest as we took an early lead on a towering HR by Jesse in the 1st and kept pouring it on for a 16-0 mercy win. Ben pitched well all night and even recorded a K. Our gloves were pretty solid all night long with Tony making an awesome turn on a DP along with a diving catch of a line drive, Ron making several sliding catches, Chris W. catching two pop ups at catcher, Ben snagging several hard grounders up the middle, Todd nearly robbing the HR, and Chaz charging a slow grounder at 3B and gunning to first for the out. Plus, it was great to see Tony back out there after taking that wicked ground ball to the throat last week- he was his usual stellar self and even managed an inning at SS including leaping to catch a hard liner. After a slow start, our bats heated up- Chaz started us off with a 3B and kept up his hot hitting the rest of the night, Matt C. is the new “Machine” with line drive hits everywhere, Jesse hit BBs to complement his HR, Chris D. had several hits including a near-miss HR in the first game, Ben hit a triple over the RF’s head, and Chris W. and Ron had several line drive hits. Todd showed why speed kills after getting caught between 1B and 2B, getting in a rundown, and forcing a wild throw which allowed him to advance to second and Matt to score. Wow!! Great effort tonight and all season long!! First time we’ve ever won the fall league so congrats!!

Despite the excellent play, there were plenty of points to assess. Here are the final points for this year and we’ll carry them over again- as always feel free to comment. Despite his absence, Charlie provided the fine post-game, celebratory beverages that we enjoyed. Thanks for the beverages in absentia!!

Chris W. (5.5) [+2 for K, +1 for not driving in runner from 3B with less than 2 outs- you’re up first next year!!]
Ron (3.5)
Chris D. (3) [+1 for dropping fly]
Todd (2.5)
Jon L. (1.5)
Chaz (1.5)
Dan W. (1)
Ben W. (1) [+1 for walk, +1 for HR, -0.5 for K, -0.5 for shutout]
John B. (0) [-0.5 for 6-4-3 DP]
Jesse (0) [-0.5 for HR]
Tony (0) [+1 for not driving in runner from 3B with less than 2 outs, +1 for getting thrown out at 2B trying to tag, -0.5 for 6-4-3 DP]
Charlie (0) [-5 for beverages]

As is our custom, plan on getting together for our end-of-year celebration. I’m thinking of next Saturday 10/14. I think that is the weekend of the Penn State game at 8PM so we could perhaps meet at Leopold Bros at 7PM and catch that game along with some baseball playoffs. Sound good? Drop a comment if you can make it (of course, the invite extends to our players, signficant others, and stellar fans).

Finally, to satisfy your fix now that softball is over, be sure to check out this post and join in on the ongoing baseball conversation throughout the playoffs.

Looking for things to do now that fantasy baseball is over (whohoo- I finished ahead of the three teams that did nothing all year long)? Want to vent about the 2006 MLB season and the ongoing playoffs? Here is your chance- just chime in via the comments and we’ll have an ongoing baseball thread that continues throughout the rest of the season. Richie beat me to the punch this morning:

I hate f-ing Derek Jeter. I don’t really even know why. I don’t really care that the Yankees beat the Tigers yesterday, other than I don’t want the Yankees to win. But I really hate Jeter, and I hate his 5-for-5, and I hate all the press he’s getting for it. I always thought of Jeter and Kobe in the same terms. I sort of feel redeemed about how I felt about Kobe. Maybe Jeter isn’t a rapist, but I still don’t like him. I feel like I’m the only person on the planet who doesn’t. I think he just seems smug about everything. I’ve always thought he’s a bit overrated offensively too. I like A-Rod, and it seems I’m the only person who likes A-Rod. Oh well.

Great job in a DH sweep of Beers this evening!! We fought back after being down 7-0 in the first to win 12-10 with Jesse’s walk-off HR in the bottom of the 7th. Jesse was huge with 3 HRs in the first game (including the game winner) and our bats were solid up and down the lineup. Matt and Chaz were line drive hitting machines, Chris D. was zinging line drives all over the field (including nearly decapitating the 3rd baseman) and hit a ball over the RC’s head, and Jon L. kept up his hot hitting. I really liked the way that guy pitched, nice and flat and slow though it was annoying the way he mimiced going into the stretch position and looking in for a sign (hee hee). We hit him hard. In the first inning they managed to find holes with mostly fairly soft hits past the IF and in front of the OF. But our defense stiffened and was excellent the rest of the game- Jon L. got a big force at home and also turned a DP by catching a foul fly and then getting the runner at second trying to tag (???), Todd made several excellent catches including a sliding catch after running in about a mile (and nearly another great catch on a deep fly), and Chris W. made several awesome running grabs. We chipped away at the lead all game and then brought the hammer in the bottom of the 7th with Jesse’s HR. The downside- Tony took a wicked ground ball off the Adam’s apple and had to leave the game (and what a tough guy- after the ball hit him he went after it and got the force at 2B though the ump blew the call). Tony- hope you are doing well. That was scary last night so please update us on your status.

The second game was not quite as close- a mercy 23-3 win. We jumped on them early and often. After his performance in the first game, Jesse didn’t get much to hit but still hit another HR and mixed in some lined shots with his intentional walks. The two Chris did a great job protecting Jesse and drove in a ton of runs with hard hits. Chaz put Matt’s new orange bat to good use with several hits. All and all a great effort all around. Apparently a few guys on the other team decided they were too good to shake hands with everyone- whatever. Thanks to our fans- Dani and Alicia and Anne and the kids. Appreciate you guys coming out on a chilly night and looking out for Tony after he came out.

Here are this week’s points- as always feel free to comment. Thanks to Ben for bringing fine beverages this week- nice work!! Looks like Charlie is up for next week, our last of the fall season. Though Charlie won’t make the game, I could bring beverages for him (Charlie, let me know).

Charlie (5) [+1 for walk, +1 for ground ball, -1 for 2Ks]
Ron (3.5)
Todd (2.5) [+1 for OF bobble, -0.5 for awesome sliding catch]
Chris D. (2)
Chris W. (2.5) [+1 for not running out fly ball that dropped]
Jon L. (1.5) [+1 for throw, -0.5 for F5-3 DP]
Chaz (1.5) [+1 for ground ball]
Dan W. (1)
John B. (0.5)
Jesse (0.5) [-2 for 4 HRs]
Ben W. (0) [-5 for fine beverages]
Tony (-1.5) [-0.5 for being tough as nails]

Great job in a DH sweep over Sampier Vac last night. We nearly shut them out in the first game 7-1 (Charlie nearly received the bonus point for a shutout but served up a fat pitch with 2 outs and a runner on 3B). Both teams hit more in the second game with a final score of roughly 15-7. That team sure had did some interesting baserunning. Our gloves were outstanding all night- the left side of the field dealt with some tough sun early, Matt C. made several nice running catches in RF, the IF had tons of putouts including 7 straight ground balls to start the first game (and if I wouldn’t have thrown the ball crazily probalby would have turned some DPs), Todd made a great throw home to Chris D who fired to 3B to catch a runner in no-mans land, and Tony made a nice throw to first to catch another wayward runner (and managed to play both games with an injured ankle after a runner tried to break up a DP in the first). The bats were solid too- Matt C. broke in his new orange Demarini with several hits, Jon L.’s ridiculous hitting streak finally ended but not before a few hits before and after, Chaz had several hits (including a very confusing fly ball double), Chris D. really hit the ball hard and finally got some balls to drop, and Jesse hit some screaming balls in the second game including a deep fly out to LF that would have been far gone without a stiff wind. Thanks to Jon L. and Chris D. who played injured (and to those who ran for them on the bases) and for our intrepid fans who braved the cold and wind to cheer us on!!

Here are this week’s points assessements- as always, feel free to comment. We enjoyed some fine postgame refreshments courtesy of me and will also enjoy some next week from Ben. So, be sure to stick around after the game!!

Ben W. (5)
Charlie (4)
Ron (3.5)
Jesse (2.5) [+1 for losing track of the number of outs]
Todd (2) [-0.5 for OF throw resulting in out at 3B]
Chris D. (2)
Chris W. (1.5)
Dan W. (1)
Jon L. (1) [+1 for failing to score runner from 3B with 1 out, almost another point for nearly backing into Chaz’s car]
John B. (0.5) [+1 for misplayed ground ball, -0.5 for 6L-3 DP, -5 for beverages]
Chaz (0.5)
Tony (-1) [-0.5 for great throw to get runner heading back to 1B]

Great effort in a DH split against Roundtree!! We won the first game 14-7 and then had it handed to us in the second game. We came out strong in the first game with the bats and the gloves. They hit lots of balls hard but our OF was superb- Chris D., Chris W., Ron, and Todd were tracking everything down. The IF was solid too with Jon L., Chaz, and Tony making lots of plays. Charlie did a nice job of keeping some very good hitters off balance and induced some lazy OF flies for easy outs. The bats were stellar- Jon L. (Automatic) was 9-9, Ron had a ton of hits as did Matt C. and Chris D. An excellent win against the best team in the league.

In the second game baseball karma caught up with us. They started catching our hits and all the line drives they hit in the first game started going over the fence, in the gaps, past our IF, through our IF, over our IF- an impressive hitting barrage in the second game. Unfortunately our defense had some lapses, but hopefully we got our bad game out of our system. To top it off, there were some really questionable umpiring calls (off the bag? illegal pitches?) and Chris D. pulled his quad (lay off the juice, won’t ya). There were some highlights- Ron nearly made a spectacular catch deep in the LF corner, Chris D. made a nice sliding catch, Tony caught a screaming line drive and turned it into a DP, and Jon L. made some very nice plays on hard hit balls, including starting a 5-4-3 DP. Jon L. (Machine) kept up his ridiculous hitting, and overall we had decent hitting up and down the lineup. Good effort!!

Here is this week’s point update. Honestly, it was a bit hard to keep track last night as the points were coming fast and furious. I’ve included the ones that I can remember. Please chime in via the comments regarding the ones I’ve missed or gotten wrong. Based on my stellar performance, I’ll be bringing beverages next week so plan to stick around after the games.

John B. (5) [+2 for K, +1 for misplayed ground ball, +1 for wild throw- I’m buying!!]
Ben W. (5) [+1 for not scoring runner from third with less than two outs, +2 for OF misplays]
Charlie (4) [+2 for HRs and walks]
Ron (3.5)
Todd (2.5) [+1 for throw, +1 (tentative, see comment) for getting thrown out at home]
Chris D. (2) [+1 for wild throw, no assessment for pulled hamstring]
Chris W. (1.5)
Jesse (1.5)
Dan W. (1)
Chaz (0.5) [-0.5 for 5-4-3 DP]
Todd (2.5) [+1 for throw, +1 (tentative) for getting thrown out at home]
Jon L. (0) [-1 for sick hitting streak, -0.5 for 5-4-3 DP]
Tony (-0.5) [+1 for fielding error, -0.5 for 6-3 DP]

Sounds like I missed an awesome first week of GSHAS fall softball. Congrats on the opening DH sweep!! Thanks to Charlie for providing the blog summary and points assessements (as always, dispute via comments since I tried to interpret Charlie’s note to me for the points). Also, note that a K now costs two points (in my opinion, a very reasonable assessment since other teams require beverage purchases for that infraction alone). Feel free to comment on anything as I’d love to make the site more interactive.

The Game Show Hosts started the fall season with a mercy-rule sweep of Mayhem. Game One highlights included five walks, including Todds first ever intentional walk. In addition to the walks, Todd, Jon, Matt, Tony, and Charlie were each on base three times in four chances, and Ron had a triple. Fielding highlights included Chris Depcik nailing a runner trying to stretch a short single into a double, and Ben hopping out of the deep crouch to nab two pop-ups at home plate. Overall, we reached base 25 times in 42 trips to the plate. Final score, 17-5.

The second game also featured timely hitting, but more power. Trailing 6-4 after two innings, the Game Show Hosts sent 17 batters to the plate in the third, scoring 13 runs. Todd (3/3), Jon (4/4 with a triple), Chris Depcik (3/4), Chris Wooley (3/4 with two triples), Ron (3/4), Jesse (2HR, a triple, and an intentional walk) led the hit parade. Matt had a two-hit AB — a single to LF was nullified by a “no pitch” call, but Matt followed it with a rope to right. The infield turned a textbook Tony-Chaz-Jesse (6-4-3) double play, and another (Tony-Jesse-Jon) (6-3-5) that we dont even practice! Final score, 19-7.

Ron (3.5)
Ben W. (2) [+1 for error]
Charlie (2) [+1 for error, -0.5 for K]
Chris W. (1.5) [+2 for K]
Jon L. (1.5) [-0.5 for 6-3-5 DP]
Jesse (1.5) [+2 for K, +1 for dropped throw at 1B, -1 for 2 HRs, -0.5 for 6-3-5 DP]
John B. (1)
Dan W. (1)
Chaz (1) [+1 for throwing error, -0.5 for 6-4-3 DP]
Chris D. (1) [+1 for pop outs (see comments), -0.5 for OF assist]
Todd (0.5)
Tony (-1) [+1 for being late, -1 for 6-4-3 and 6-3-5 DPs]

We had our end-of-season softball BBQ this weekend to celebrate excellent seasons from BGBG (11-1, regular season and tournament champs) and GSHAS (intraleague champs, interleague runner-up). It was great getting the two squads together and enjoying a nice, summer evening. We had a great time and hope everyone else did as well. Jon L. wins my vote for best shirt of the night, and his multi-functional shoes drew great admiration as well. Here is a photo gallery from the BBQ (feel free to leave a comment here or on flickr if you want a full res version of any of the photos).

Thanks to everyone who played on the two teams this summer- no better teammates than on these two teams.

The GSHAS played in the interleague tournament and finished 2nd. Charlie’s summary is below as are the points assessed (as always, additions, corrections, heckling welcome via the comments). Congratulations on a good showing in the tournament- I’m really sorry I missed it and look forward to hearing the play-by-play at the BBQ on Saturday (don’t forget to RSVP if you haven’t yet)!! Our fall season starts in September so keep hitting the weights and/or the juice (just kidding)!! Don’t forget that our points will carry over into the fall so hopefully we’ll get to enjoy some postgame cold beverages in the cold!!

Sunday’s end-of-season “interleague” tournament marked the end of our tenth season in Michigan Classics softball. We faced Fenders, our traditional rivals from the Monday night division, and the Fornero High Fighting Salamanders, the top team in the Thursday night division.

We opened against Fenders, in a game best forgotten. We fielded well, but they hit well and we had our worst hitting of the season. The best thing to be said for the game is that its early end let us get some extra batting practice before facing the Fighting Salamanders.

After setting the Salamanders down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, we found our bats. With Jon (4/4) and Ron aboard, Chris W cranked a three-run homer. We got two more in the second. Ron hit a bases-loaded sac fly to score Charlie, Chris W re-loaded the bases with a walk, and then the Salamanders intentionally walked Jesse, forcing in a second run. Not a conventional choice, but perhaps a good one – in the fourth, the Salamanders decided to pitch to Jesse, and the result was another three run homer. There were defensive highlights, too – Tony dashing out to grab a pop fly in short left, Todd zipping in to grab another bloop-hit-wannabe, Tony and Chaz turning a 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth. The Salamanders rallied for five runs with two outs in the top of the sixth, making the 12-9 final closer than the game really felt.

After Fenders forcefully eliminated the Salamanders in the last round-robin game, we played Fenders again in the tournament final. The rematch was a much closer contest, with Fenders winning 10-8. The defense was solid – Fenders had two extra base hits (both doubles) in six innings (they were home team and didn’t bat in the 7th). Ron was 3 for 4, including a pure hustle infield hit. Jesse hit a three run homer in a 5-run third, and drove in our last two runs with another homer in the 7th.

Final Summer Points (carried over to fall)
KC (4.5)
Ron (3.5)
Jon L. (2)
Charlie (1.5) [+1 for K, +1 for HR, +1 for walk, -0.5 for K]
John B. (1)
Ben W. (1)
Dan W. (1)
Todd (0.5)
Chris D. (0.5)
Chaz (0.5) [+1 for grounding into DP, -0.5 for 6-4-3 DP]
Chris W. (-0.5) [-0.5 for HR]
Tony (-1) [-0.5 for 6-4-3 DP]

Excellent work tonight in sweeping a DH to win the intraleague tourney and advance to the weekend tournament!! The first game was a 9-2 win over Ten Guys Named Roy. Our bats started slowly but we jumped out to a 4-0 lead and continued to add runs throughout the game. Ron had his up-the-middle swing going, Matt and Jon L. were line drive machines, and Chris D. blasted a triple to LC. While the bats were solid, the gloves were stellar. Jon L. made a nice short hop pick at 3B, Tony scooped up everything, the OF ran down all the balls, and Chaz was a scooping and stretching machine to both save errors and get outs at first. Plus, there was the rundown with the guy who always decided to go from first to third on IF grounders. This time he plowed into Tony and then got in a rundown that finally ended with Chris tagging him out. Tony definitely made the play of the game when he ranged into short RF and dove to catch a pop fly to end the game. An amazing catch!!

With good momentum from the first game, we switched fields to take on Triple Play. We played an incredible game and avenged our DH loss to them with a 15-2 mercy win. We started hot with 6 runs in the top of the first- lots of base hits, some dunkers, and some errors by them. I think it demoralized them and we continued to pour it on the rest of the game. Chaz had several hits including a blast to deep right, Charlie and Daniel had big hits to drive in key runs, Jon continued his hot hitting, and Chris D. blasted a HR to LC (and had a nice roid rage yell when he hit the ball). Besides our bats, our gloves were awesome. The OF ran down every ball with Chris D. making several awesome catches and throws and Ron, Todd, Danny, and Daniel catching everything in sight. Tony made several nice plays at 2B, Matt and Jon L. tag teamed at third, and Charlie kept them off balance all night. An outstanding effort against a pretty good team, probably the best ball game we’ve played all year. The two games combined were tremendous- we didn’t make a single error and made lots of great plays!! Congrats on the big intraleague tourney win. Now on to the interleague tourney!!

The only bad thing about the games tonight is that they took us further from enjoying beverages again with all the great plays. I’ve tried to capture them all but I’m sure I missed some- feel free to help me out via the comments.

KC (4.5)
Ron (3.5)
Jon L. (2)
John B. (1) [-0.5 for 1-6-3 DP]
Ben W. (1)
Dan W. (1)
Todd (0.5)
Chris D. (0.5) [-0.5 for HR, -0.5 for numerous OF catches (perhaps we should assess a point for roid rage yelling?)]
Chaz (0)
Chris W. (0)
Tony (-0.5) [-0.5 for tremendous catch to end first game]
Charlie (-1) [+1 for HR, -0.5 for 1-6-3 DP, -1 for 2Ks]

Whohoo- 100th post on the blog!! Be sure to check out the comment on GSHAS #9- looks like Todd has a secret admirer or is leaving complimentary comments for himself?

Tremendous 11-9 win over Fenders, our previously-undefeated archrivals!! It’ll sure make for a much more pleasant Thursday for me when I play with those guys!! Our bats provided enough offense and our defense was mostly solid all night long. Though they made some great defensive plays in the first to keep us from scoring, we broke through in later innings- the Chris’ had several hits each, Matt sprayed hits through the left and right sides of the IF, Tony and Todd continued their hot LH hitting, and Jon L. was robbed after a couple of smoked line drives. Todd and Matt even did some fancy (point worthy?) baserunning with Todd getting caught off 2B but staying in a rundown long enough for Matt to take second and then advancing to third on the throw attempting to get Matt (don’t even want to try scoring that one!!). We even managed to overcome a blown call at home that cost us a run. The gloves were consistently good- Charlie kept them off balance most of the game and Tony was a human vacuum at 2B, ranging in the hole several times to steal base hits. The last inning got a little dicey as the tying run came to the plate, but Charlie got a harmless fly ball to end the game. Thanks to Jason who filled in for Chaz (a late scratch with a bad back but it didn’t keep him from coming to cheer us on) and to our GSHAS alumni Ben W. and Josh who helped us exorcise our Deluxe Drapery demons. We finished the season a respectable 6-4 and now head to the intraleague tournament next week with a birth in the weekend tourney at stake. Great job!!

Here is this week’s points update- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. Thanks to Chris W. for providing the post-game refreshments. We gotta figure out a way to get KC back in the fold to bring some beverages next week (any ideas?).

KC (4.5)
Ron (3.5)
Jon L. (2) [+1 for throw to 2B (I heard Tony say he should have caught it so you guys work this one out and let me know who should get the point)]
John B. (1.5)
Chris D. (1.5)
Ben W. (1)
Dan W. (1) [+1 for ill-advised dive attempt in 7th inning]
Todd (0.5)
Chaz (0)
Chris W. (0) [-5 for beverages]
Tony (0) [+1 for getting doubled off 2B]
Charlie (-0.5) [+1 for 7th inning BB, -0.5 for K]

P.S. Be sure to check out this post to see pictures from our recent trip to the Pacific NW, including pictures of the Carlsons!!

Tough loss to the blue Cubs team last night with a final score of 6-4. I think our bats were still hungover from the July 4th break as we just couldn’t seem to get the crucial hit to drive in runs. There were definitely some controversial umpiring calls (including the last play of the game), but a few base hits here and there would have taken the game out of his hands. Overall, we didn’t play badly- Tony made some nice plays around 2B and nearly turned a 6-4-3 DP (I thought he was out at first), Chaz ranged to his right to make a shoestring catch on a liner, and Todd made an awesome diving catch. There were some highlights with the bats too- Chris D. crushed a ball over the LF’s head, Matt had several LF liners, Todd and Tony were slapping balls all over the field and taking extra bases, and we had a nice run in the 7th until I ended it with the bases loaded (doh). We’ll regroup and come back strong for our last game against Fenders, our undefeated archrivals.

Here is this week’s points update- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. Thanks to Charlie for the pre-emptive strike on the beverages (although perhaps we should assess him a point for bringing bad sodas)!! Be sure to stick around next week as Chris W. will be providing the post-game refreshments.

Chris W. (5) [+1 for grounding into DP]
KC (4.5)
Ron (3.5)
John B. (1.5) [+1 for grounding into DP]
Chris D. (1.5)
Ben W. (1)
Jon L. (1)
Todd (0.5) [-1 for diving catch]
Dan W. (0)
Chaz (0)
Tony (-1)
Charlie (-1) [-5 for beverages]

Nice effort in a 11-8 win over Not Cubs AC this evening!! I think it was a combination of the Scandium reappearing as a warm-up bat, Chris D.’s new buzzcut, andTony returning from his World Cup trip. The game was nip and tuck throughout even though it seemed like we had things in hand (we left lots of runners on base). They had a couple of good innings that left the game tied 8-8 in the top of the 7th. But our offense came through with three runs to win the game- Chris D. started us off with a hit, Chaz hit a ball that was misplayed, and Ben had a big hit (one of several) to cash some key runs. The offense was pretty solid- Tony got on base a bunch of times, Chris D. hit a deep ball to center along with several other hits, Chris W. lined a ball down the left field line, and Todd had several hits including stretching a single into a double. Good effort up and down the lineup. The gloves were solid with the OF running everything down (including Chris W. making all three outs one inning and running over the fence to try and rob a HR) and Jon L. making some nice plays at third. Otherwise, there were lots of little pop-ups to the IF, including one that Ben caught at catcher. Chris D. got a chance to show off his arm and gunned a runner out at third with a laser and a nice tag from Jon L. Charlie did a nice job keeping them off balance, except for the two HRs surrendered to that one guy (at least only one was with two strikes).

Here is this week’s points update- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. Since we have an early game in two weeks (no game next week due to July 4th), we really ought to find a way to get beverages out of someone. Any ideas (maybe we should assess Charlie one point each for the HRs?)?

KC (4.5)
Chris W. (4)
Charlie (4) [+1 for surrendering two HRs]
Ron (3.5) [+2 for BGBG K’s]
Todd (1.5)
Chris D. (1.5) [+1 for not scoring runner from third (tough luck point since you hit the ball hard and got robbed by the pitcher), -0.5 for awesome putout at third]
Ben W. (1)
Jon L. (1)
John B. (0.5)
Dan W. (0)
Chaz (0)
Tony (-1)

P.S. Make sure to check out last week’s post to see Chaz/Tommy Herr/Todd Benziner.

Other baseball items of interest (feel free to comment/discuss):
- Anyone see the meltdown from that minor league manager? If not, head over to ESPN and catch it. That one was sweet. I especially like the headfirst slide into second base. Charlie, I expect to see some antics like that next game.
- Glad to see John Rocker is back in the news for backing up Ozzie Guillen’s comments. I’m sure Ozzie is happy to have John “Off-His” Rocker to back him up.
- Amazing comeback for Oregon State to win the College World Series after facing six straight elimination games. There were some crazy plays including a negated steal of home after the batter struck out and a throwing error from second that led to the winning run. The OSU starting pitcher threw 323 pitches in 3 games in 8 days. Wow!!

The split DH was not kind to us yesterday as we dropped two games to Triple Play by the scores of 10-2 and 12-8. We had a tough time getting the bats going in the first game as we really didn’t string hits together. The inter-game beverages seemed to help as we did some decent hitting in the second game. Chris D. crushed a HR over the fence in LC, Jon L. had several nice line drive hits, and Charlie smoked a ball down the third base line and one into the gap in RC for a triple. I think we’ll have to give the “Ed of the Week” award to Chris D. for his HR. Unfortunately, my error in the bottom of the 6th led to a 3-run HR that hurt us going into the top of the 7th. I’m kicking myself as I really would have liked to see us play that last half inning down by 1 run. Doh!! I’m still annoyed that they scheduled us on the field with the short RF porch as I’m confident that Todd would have caught the HR ball for a routine out. Double doh!! Despite the losses, there was some excellent glove work. We turned two DPs, Chaz again channeled the spirit of Tommy Herr (sans perm) to make some fine plays around second base, Jason played an awesome first base making several picks on throws from the left side of the IF and an awesome catch of a line drive that was crushed, our OF ran down lots of balls, and Chris D. made some fine throws from the OF. Good effort!! We’ll look to get back on track next week. Also, thanks to our intrepid fans, including Liz’s parents who were on hand to watch us lose two (doh)!!

Here is this week’s points update- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. as I’m pretty sure that I left some stuff out. Anyone have anything to add? Good thing that I brought beverages this week as I very painfully went over the 5 point limit. Looks like no beverages next week unless we can find a reason to assess Chris W. some points.

KC (4.5)
Chris W. (4)
Charlie (3) [+1 for BB]
Ron (1.5)
Todd (1.5)
Chris D. (1) [-0.5 for HR]
Ben W. (1)
Jon L. (1) [+1 for throw]
John B. (0.5) [-1 for two DPs, +1 for wild throw, +1 for killer error in 6th (should probably be worth 3 points=1 per run, -5 for beverages]
Dan W. (0)
Chaz (0) [-0.5 for 4-6-3 DP, +1 for not scoring run from third on the strange “infield fly” ruling]
Tony (-1)

Thanks to Jon L. who found the visual below to aid Chaz in his efforts to channel T. Herr. Is that Chaz or the man himself?

Great effort tonight in another mercy win- 18-5 over Ten Guys Named Roy!! We were extremely solid with the bats and with the leather. We started off great with a 5 run 1st and kept pouring it on. Todd was a line drive hitting machine as was Jon L., Chris W. cranked a HR, Chris D. hit balls deep and smoked two balls off of the second baseman, and Daniel got the “Ed of the Week” award with his inside-the-park HR and triple. Wow- a real offensive explosion!! The gloves were equally stellar- can’t recall a game where we didn’t have an error. Jon L. made several nice plays on hard liners hit at him (and managed to get out of the way on a ball that took a nasty hop), Chaz made a great play ranging far to his right near second base and getting the out at first, Ron was stellar filling in at 1B making several scoops and tags, we turned a 6-4-3 DP, and Todd made a nice throw from the OF that led to a put-out at second. Excellent work!!

Here is this week’s points update- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. Also, thanks to Chris D. for the yummy beverages. I’ll go ahead and bring beverages for next week’s split DH since Liz’s parents will be here and I’m confident that I’ll manage to get a half point in the two games.

John B. (4.5) [-0.5 for 6-4-3 DP, +1 for not scoring runner from third w/ 1 out]
KC (4.5)
Chris W. (4) [-0.5 for HR]
Charlie (2) [-0.5 for K]
Ron (1.5) [-0.5 for stellar play at 1B]
Todd (1.5)
Chris D. (1.5) [-5 for beverages]
Ben W. (1)
Dan W. (0)
Jon L. (0)
Chaz (-0.5)
Tony (-1)

Sounds like I missed some excitement in the DH split yesterday. Below are the game summaries from Charlie:

Game 1:

Up 3-1 after two, we found ourselves down 9-3 after 5 innings. In the top of the sixth, with two outs, Chris Depcik hit an opposite-field HR. Inspired by Dr. Longball’s example, the next 7 hitters hit safely, tying the game at 9-9. Cubs went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, and we couldn’t score in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, their leadoff runner got to 2B, but the next three hitters went out (the last on a strikeout). We scored four in the top of the 8th, they came back with two, had the tying run at the plate, but he flew out to end the game. Not without excitement – as Chris Depcik went for the ball, he stumbled over a nasty spot in the OF, looked like he was going down, but then didn’t.

Final score: GSH 13, Cubs 3rd base Tavern 11

Hitting stars – Tony, 4/5, Chris D, 3/4 with a HR, Todd 4/4, Brian 3/4, and Matt 3/4

Game 2:

We had a narrow lead over the first four innings (2-0, 2-1, 3-2, 7-5). They scored three in the top of the fifth, and the rest of the game was scoreless. But we did not go quietly in the seventh. Edward’s bid for a game-tying home run was caught by Fenders’ LC fielder, who fell over the fence but held on to the ball. We got runners on first and second with two outs, but Mel knocked down Jon’s smash and threw to third to catch a sliding Charlie.

Final Score – Fenders 8, GSH 7

Hitting stars: Tony 3/4, Jon 3/4, Chris D 2/3, Matt 2/3

Here is this week’s points update based on information from Charlie- feel free to leave comments with any disputes, mockings, additions, etc. Also, thanks to Jon L. for the yummy beverages. Chris D. will be providing beverages after next week’s game.

Chris D. (6.5) [+1 for base running, -0.5 for HR]
Chris W. (4.5)
KC (4.5)
John B. (4)
Charlie (2.5) [-0.5 for K, -0.5 for 1-6-3 DP]
Ron (2) [+1 for grounding into DP]
Ben W. (1)
Dan W. (0)
Jon L. (0) [-5 for beverages]
Todd (1.5) [+1 for base running, +1 for OF bobble]
Chaz (-0.5)
Tony (-1) [-2 for 4 DPs (wow)]

I’m planning on running the Race for the Cure again this year (if my slow pace can actually be considered running). Please consider helping me reach my fundraising goals by making a donation online via my secure personal donation page. I propose a competition between Family, Friends, BGBG, and GSHAS to see who has the most donors (we’ll have to figure out what to do with those who play on both teams). If one of the softball teams wins, I’ll provide post-game beverages. We’ll figure out something if the Family or Friends group wins. Feel free to leave your comments here and check back for updates on the effort. Thanks in advance for your support!!

Below is the updated donor count. Family is back in the lead with Friends just behind but the softball teams are coming on strong!!

Family: 8
Friends: 6
BGBG: 1.5
GSHAS: 1.5

The weather was a bit cool, but the bats were on fire in a 20 run mercy after 4 innings tonight. Tony started us off with a hit and the hits just kept on coming. Everyone hit a ton up and down the lineup- Jon L. hit a ball to the fence for a triple, Chris W. hit a long HR and several other blasts, Chris D. hit line drives all over the field, Chaz increased his OPS with hits and walks, Todd hit bunches of liners, too many hits to recall. We hit the ball hard and took advantage of some tough hops in the IF. Even our “subs” brought their big sticks- Ed blasted a few balls to the fence, Daniel had some nice hits, and KC had several as well. Nice work with the gloves too- Tony almost made a spectacular catch on a little liner into short RF and nearly turned a nifty DP, Chaz made a great stretch and catch at first on a slow roller to me, and the OF ran down everything. Great effort all around!!

Here is this week’s points update- not too many assessments. As always, feel free to mock/dispute via the comments. Even though we have a late DH in two weeks, Even though Jon L. will be providing beverages so make sure to stick around after the games (we’ve got to clear our backlog and enjoy some tasy beverages).

Jon L. (5)
Chris D. (6) [+1 for K]
Chris W. (4.5) [-0.5 for HR]
KC (4.5)
John B. (4)
Charlie (3.5) [+1 for twice making the 3rd out after batting around]
Ron (1)
Ben W. (1)
Tony (1)
Dan W. (0)
Todd (-0.5)
Chaz (-0.5)

Tonight was softball opening for GSHAS and thus marks the official start of summer. And what a way to start with an exciting, last-at-bat victory 7-6 over Ten Guys Named Roy. We were definitely not our sharpest with some IF misplays that led to runs, some “interesting” baserunning, plus we had a hard time stringing hits together. But, despite the first game rust, we fought hard and came out with a victory. The defense was stellar in spurts with Charlie stabbing two hard liners up the middle, Jon L. snagging an oddly-hit ball down the third base line and firing to Chaz who made a great stretch to get the out at first, and the OF was really solid with several fine running grabs. Going into the top of the 7th tied 5-5, we gave up one run but managed to cut down another at the plate thanks to a great throw from the OF by Todd and nice tag by John E. In the bottom of the 7th, Jon L. got us started with a base hit. After going first to third on my hit, Chris W. drove in the tying run with a hit to center. Then Chris D. crushed one to deep left that brought in the winning run. Nice to steal one!! Good work!! In addition, the Synergy (i.e. Scandium Jr.) got its first use of the season and is now ready for prime time after tonight’s trial by fire. Let the hitting begin!! I was very pleased with it and Chris D. used it for the game-winning hit. I think this is the start of something special…

Back by popular demand is our Kangaroo Court points system. We had a good time with this last year, and I look forward to more fun this year. Just a refresher: +1 point for miscues and -0.5 for stellar plays (points can both self-assessed and/or decided upon by the team). Once you reach 5 points, you provide post-game beverages for the team and get your points reset to zero. Since the points carried over from last year, we’ll be enjoying beverages from the start. Tony provided fine beverages this evening. Thanks!! So, here are the assessments and totals after tonights game (as always, dispute or mock via comments- the group hashed out most of these assessments while consuming cold beverages at Tony’s trunk). Also, I’ve removed our alumni members from the big board- but we’ll remember Nate’s (0.5), Pete’s (1.5), and Josh’s (1) totals in case they come back to play. Also, Jon L. will be providing post-game beverages after next week’s game so plan to stick around. As always, we are looking to tweak the points system so post your thoughts via the comments.

Jon L. (5)
Chris D. (5) [-0.5 for game winning hit]
Chris W. (5) [+1 for unconventional, one out baserunning]
KC (4.5)
John B. (4) [+1 for awful throw, +1 for misplayed grounder, -0.5 for 1-6-3 DP, -0.5 for runner thrown out at home]
Charlie (2.5) [+1 for throwing the first pitch of the game with the SS in short LF, -0.5 for starting 1-6-3 DP]
Ron (1)
Ben W. (1)
Tony (1) [+1 for wild throw on attempted DP, -5 for fine beverages]
Dan W. (0)
Todd (-0.5) [-0.5 for great OF throw to assist in runner thrown out at home]
Chaz (-0.5)