you know him, you love him - B.Hall
There are times when you cannot draw inspiration on your own. During those arduous moments, you need to draw inspiration from others.
Softball Guy drew overwhelming inspiration from their growing fan base in an emphatic 10-5 victory over TSSA in front of a record crowd of 6 people at the hallowed grounds of Red Run Stadium.
This season saving victory saw the heartwarming returns of Charlie "The Philadelphia Kid" Harris and Alecia "PIB" Corte. This game saw Tracey "The Sure Thing" Rosinski play third base like she always does... with passion, purpose, and a Byzantine whimsy which harkens back to the great Brooks Robinson. This game saw Lisa "True Glove" Shoskey make catches. This game saw Rosinald "Rosie" Rosinski drag his tired arm to the mound once again for a stellar performance. This game saw Michael "The Say Hey Kid" Gregory strategically pound balls up the middle. And this game saw resounding victory.
It appeared Softball Guy might indeed mercy TSSA as the reliable middle lineup delivered with 5 runs in the second inning. Tessmer lead the charge by doing what Tessmer does... getting a hit every time he bats. That was followed by Karen doubling to left and the brother-sister connection set the stage for a flurry of hits to open the floodgates (this sequence made me want to call my sister to say "I love you," it was rather difficult to hold back tears.) Hit, after hit came... Wetzler, Maurer, Corte, Gregory, etc., etc. etc. The damage would've been worse if not for 3 great TSSA defensive plays to retire Hank, Charlie, and Michelle.
The momentum stayed with Softball Guy as T.Rosinski and K.Rosinski both made defensive plays to keep TSSA scoreless. The heartwarming husband and wife display made me want to call "some girl I knew at some point" to ask her to marry me. The defense translated into offense in the third as Softball Guy tacked on 5 more runs to build a commanding 10-0 lead.
The rest of the game went "Archie Bell and the Drells" as TSSA did the "Tighten Up" and cut the lead in half. TSSA's efforts were thwarted by Shoskey's triple (the first non-error triple for Softball Guy on record) and some key defensive plays. When the smoke cleared at the end, Softball Guy upped their record to 4-6 with the 10-5 victory and found themselves in playoff contention (if there are playoffs).
Game #10 MVP: Jeremy Maurer. He's the rock of the potent middle lineup and just flat out hits the ball sharply every time he bats. Maurer has a pre-game ritual where he sits in his car and listens to DX to get pumped up. What he said to TSSA was, "Ya'll gonna make me go 3-and-3, up in here." He does his job game in and game out. I'd liken him to a George Brett type player, very consistent. Plus he was playing the game with a severely scabbed leg (something I forgot to mention last summary). His performance while injured was eerily evocative of Isiah Thomas' 25 points in one quarter on a sprained ankle in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals.
Game #10 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Plays of the Game: The Hall brothers. We have improved a lot throughout the course of the season, and I think our biggest improvement is our defense. We don't really have those team deflating, horrible errors anymore. Now we're actually starting to rob people of hits. K.Hall made a showtime-like sliding catch to rob some TSSA chump of a hit in the 6th. B.Hall made a few nice "socially and athletically awkward" catches in the outfield as well. Those were plays that we didn't make a few weeks ago. Now we're making them and they prove pivotal to victory.
Game #9 Taco Bell Unsung Heroes of the Game: The Rosinski's. Let's start out with Kevin. His arm is more tired than B.Hall summary jokes at this point of the season. But he goes out there and pitches with consistency, purpose, zeal, and passion. The man commands his pitches. And that takes a lot because it is tiring to go out there an pitch 7 innings in 91 degree heat. Tracey is astonishingly consistent at third base. Nothing gets by her. There was one play which epitomized Tracey. In the 5th she reached for a ground ball and made the play. While falling back she made an on-the-spot throw to first. The runner was safe because the catch of the ground ball was so remarkable, but it didn't matter. Those types of efforts (giving the extra inch) was the reason who we were triumphant. Well played, Rosiniski's.
Game #10 "Pure Clubbin" D-B@g of the Game: There was no d-b@gs on this team. Like most teams they were cool. I have to give a shout out to their pitcher who was a great player. That kid could hit and run. Plus he looked like John Uren (for those of you who didn't go to Athens, he looked like a kid from Athens)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
7/21 Game Twelve Re Cap
From the Stylings of Mr Hall
My favorite movie of all time is "Hoosiers." There's an inspirational scene where head coach Norman Dale (ably played with Golden Globe worthy zeal by Gene Hackman) gives a speech prior to the state semifinals. He says to his upstart Hickory Huskers, "There's a tradition in tournament play not to look past the game in front of you. I'm sure getting to the state finals is beyond your wildest dreams, so let's just leave it there. Forget about the crowd, their fancy uniforms... and focus on the fundamentals. If we leave it all on the court, I don't care what the scoreboard says, IN MY BOOK WE'RE WINNERS!!!"Kevin Hall made a pre-game speech last night... to fight for every inch. Softball Guy fought for every inch, and in my book we were winners. The other team was just better, as TSC BC came out on top, 10-3 in a well played game on a bizarre, humid night in Royal Oak.There was electricity in the air as thunderstorms lingered throughout the evening. TSC BC had laid a mercy on Softball Guy about a month and a half ago with a 16-2 thumping and it appeared history would repeat itself as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first.But, then, something happened. It wasn't quite magic, but it WAS a team having heart to stay in a ballgame and fight for every inch. Every inch was Lauren hustling for singles. Every inch was Hank, Tessmer, Rosie, Gregory, K.Hall, Maurer, Laura, Michelle, Karen, and Tracey hitting the ball well and hustling. Every inch was Laura systematically shutting down the best lineup in the lead with ambrosial, Billy Gullickson like pitcthing. Every inch was a rapidly aging, chain smoking B.Hall destroying his back while diving for a nice catch.Softball Guy fought back into the game and cut hung in there throughout. Not to go pre-school teacher on ya, and say that "everyone wins for trying", but we are indeed winners. That was a superior team, and we hung right with them until the bitter end. I've had some compliments in my life. My grandma's friend once told me that I'm "OK looking in an Androgenous, non-threatening kind of way" and that I "look like her grandson." Someone from upper management told me I'm "not so stupid" at work. But, these compliments are surpassed by what the kindly umpire said after the game... "That was the best played game I've umped this year." We played well. We just lost to a better team. And in my book, there's no shame in that.Game #9 MVP: Lauren Wetzler, 2-for-3, and a great catch. We improved quite a bit from our previous performance (OK, stinker) against TSC BC. There is not another player on our squad who exemplifies improvement more than Lauren. She's fell into a role of a person who makes plays and hits the ball sharply each time. She had a great catch out in right field, and had two single in which she demonstrated the "every inch" diatribe stated by K.Hall before the game. Great game Lauren. You were remarkable.Game #9 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game: Laura DeVore at pitcher. She made a great play on a sharply hit ground ball right back at her. The reflexes were cat-like in nature, and the presence of mind was Einstein-like to make the throw to first and record the out. We've wrote about this before, but it's worth stating again. Those reflexes and poise are not coached. You're either innately born with them or you're not. L.DeVore is.Game #9 Taco Bell Unsung Heroes of the Game: Hank and B.Hall. Hank hits the ball sharply and to the outfield every time he's up. He's also a player who has improved greatly as the season has progressed. When Hank steps to the plate, you know you're going to get a sharply hit line drive to left center. He's Mr. Consistency on Softball Guy. As for B.Hall, opposing hitters lick their chops when they see this chump standing in left field. They look for the most unathletic kid standing out there and try to hit it to him. But, that old codger can deceptively can catch the ball. He made a great catch in left field at one point, but failed to have the Laura DeVore-like poise and throw out the runner at second. The arm is still goofy and borderline terrible, but hit it to him and he'll catch it.NEW AWARD: Opposing Team D-Bag of the Game: Matthew McCongehey. Look, I liked the other team. TSB BS is a fun team who has a good time. They don't try to humiliate you. They're fun and they joke. But McCongehy deserves and demands to be goofed on. Yes, he does make the ladies swoon with with curly, Steve Sanders-like curly pseudo-mullet coming out of his hit. But, c'mon man. Who are you trying to impress? Why are you wearing pants when it's 95 degrees out? And who do you think you're impressing with your scooter that you drive to the game? Our Put-In-Bay scooter gang would have run circles around that pretentious prick. You're playing D-League softball, act like it. Rant over.
My favorite movie of all time is "Hoosiers." There's an inspirational scene where head coach Norman Dale (ably played with Golden Globe worthy zeal by Gene Hackman) gives a speech prior to the state semifinals. He says to his upstart Hickory Huskers, "There's a tradition in tournament play not to look past the game in front of you. I'm sure getting to the state finals is beyond your wildest dreams, so let's just leave it there. Forget about the crowd, their fancy uniforms... and focus on the fundamentals. If we leave it all on the court, I don't care what the scoreboard says, IN MY BOOK WE'RE WINNERS!!!"Kevin Hall made a pre-game speech last night... to fight for every inch. Softball Guy fought for every inch, and in my book we were winners. The other team was just better, as TSC BC came out on top, 10-3 in a well played game on a bizarre, humid night in Royal Oak.There was electricity in the air as thunderstorms lingered throughout the evening. TSC BC had laid a mercy on Softball Guy about a month and a half ago with a 16-2 thumping and it appeared history would repeat itself as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first.But, then, something happened. It wasn't quite magic, but it WAS a team having heart to stay in a ballgame and fight for every inch. Every inch was Lauren hustling for singles. Every inch was Hank, Tessmer, Rosie, Gregory, K.Hall, Maurer, Laura, Michelle, Karen, and Tracey hitting the ball well and hustling. Every inch was Laura systematically shutting down the best lineup in the lead with ambrosial, Billy Gullickson like pitcthing. Every inch was a rapidly aging, chain smoking B.Hall destroying his back while diving for a nice catch.Softball Guy fought back into the game and cut hung in there throughout. Not to go pre-school teacher on ya, and say that "everyone wins for trying", but we are indeed winners. That was a superior team, and we hung right with them until the bitter end. I've had some compliments in my life. My grandma's friend once told me that I'm "OK looking in an Androgenous, non-threatening kind of way" and that I "look like her grandson." Someone from upper management told me I'm "not so stupid" at work. But, these compliments are surpassed by what the kindly umpire said after the game... "That was the best played game I've umped this year." We played well. We just lost to a better team. And in my book, there's no shame in that.Game #9 MVP: Lauren Wetzler, 2-for-3, and a great catch. We improved quite a bit from our previous performance (OK, stinker) against TSC BC. There is not another player on our squad who exemplifies improvement more than Lauren. She's fell into a role of a person who makes plays and hits the ball sharply each time. She had a great catch out in right field, and had two single in which she demonstrated the "every inch" diatribe stated by K.Hall before the game. Great game Lauren. You were remarkable.Game #9 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game: Laura DeVore at pitcher. She made a great play on a sharply hit ground ball right back at her. The reflexes were cat-like in nature, and the presence of mind was Einstein-like to make the throw to first and record the out. We've wrote about this before, but it's worth stating again. Those reflexes and poise are not coached. You're either innately born with them or you're not. L.DeVore is.Game #9 Taco Bell Unsung Heroes of the Game: Hank and B.Hall. Hank hits the ball sharply and to the outfield every time he's up. He's also a player who has improved greatly as the season has progressed. When Hank steps to the plate, you know you're going to get a sharply hit line drive to left center. He's Mr. Consistency on Softball Guy. As for B.Hall, opposing hitters lick their chops when they see this chump standing in left field. They look for the most unathletic kid standing out there and try to hit it to him. But, that old codger can deceptively can catch the ball. He made a great catch in left field at one point, but failed to have the Laura DeVore-like poise and throw out the runner at second. The arm is still goofy and borderline terrible, but hit it to him and he'll catch it.NEW AWARD: Opposing Team D-Bag of the Game: Matthew McCongehey. Look, I liked the other team. TSB BS is a fun team who has a good time. They don't try to humiliate you. They're fun and they joke. But McCongehy deserves and demands to be goofed on. Yes, he does make the ladies swoon with with curly, Steve Sanders-like curly pseudo-mullet coming out of his hit. But, c'mon man. Who are you trying to impress? Why are you wearing pants when it's 95 degrees out? And who do you think you're impressing with your scooter that you drive to the game? Our Put-In-Bay scooter gang would have run circles around that pretentious prick. You're playing D-League softball, act like it. Rant over.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Link to PIB photos
I realize not everyone on Softball Guy went to Put-In-Bay in June, but everyone who did go is on the team and all the talk about Westside Steve after the last game made me realized I have not yet sent out the pictures from that weekend, so here you go, click on the link:
Commentary on Softball Guy
Check out this video for some amusement, click the link below, or just click on the top box in the video bar on the right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMfqbR8Ujlk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMfqbR8Ujlk
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
7/14 Photo of the Game
I'll post more photos soon, but for now take a look at this:
click on the photo for an "X-Treme" close up of the focus of a champion
click on the photo for an "X-Treme" close up of the focus of a champion
Welcome to Softball Guy!
So maybe I should have thought of this before the season was 3/4 over, but either way - here it is. I'll try to keep up with posting pictures, stories, re-caps and you all can feel free to comment on any of it. As a start - here are the photos from the 1st victory celebration waaaay back on May 19th:
Much more to come . . .
Much more to come . . .
7/14 Game Eleven Re-Cap
X-Treme author, Brian Hall
What is clutch? I'm not really sure what it means but I do know that it happened yesterday as every member of Softball Guy contributed to a victory in an 8-7 thriller over the hated We Mean Business (WMB) ballclub on the type of utopian summer evening that makes you glad you live in Michigan.
Clutch is... Karen's timely hitting, fielding, and throw to retire someone heading for home.... Tracey surgically placing line drives to left and throwing people out from third base... T-Bone making plays from SS and being the rock that he always is... Rosie dragging his tired arm unexpectedly out to the mound for another stellar performance and delivering towering hits to left field... Lauren digging out an infield single which lead to a critical run and nearly falling down at one point...Alecia getting a key hit in the 6th that lead to the difference making rally... Hank nailing line drive hits and making a huge catch in left field... G pitching a perfect game in relief and making a great stop on a grounder for the game's final out... Lisa throwing someone out from left-center to third base and being the consummate, solid left-center fielder... Maurer driving in the game winning RBI in the 6th and nearly doing the splits at 1B to record an out... Michelle moving from her car to the catcher's stomp in 35 seconds and hitting the ball sharply... K.Hall being the catalyst to a pivotal 2 out rally in the 5th... and a rapidly aging, athletically depreciating B.Hall beating out the throw for an infield hit that shattered the unintentional comedy scale as we know it.
There's a line in the movie "Hoosiers" where the venerable coach Norman Dale says we wants his upstart Hickory Huskers to be "Five pistons firing at once." Yesterday, Softball Guy was 13 pistons firing as once. It was a true team effort, and we needed all of it in a hotly contested ballgame which pundits have referred to as "an instant classic."
Softball Guy jumped out to a 5-1 lead which was built on a foundation of love, an ounce of compassion, a pinch of determination, and a liberal helping of timely hitting and stellar fielding. The Tracey-T-Bone-Karen trifecta was a sure thing offensively and defensively. The vaunted trinary went 6-for-9 from the plate and was responsible for the majority of Softball Guy runs. The three also were part of a rock solid infield that included Maurer. In the third inning, Tessmer and Maurer combined on the play of the year as Tessmer moved to his right to rob a WMB of a hit, cocked back, fired a throw to first, and Maurer stretched further than Mikel Barishnikov to make the catch. In the 4th inning, Lisa Shoskey recorded the first outfield assist in league history by throwing out a dim witted, slow footed WMB at third base. And, speaking of third base, Tracey was phenomenal as she recorded five fastidious put outs which were decidedly essential to the victory.
WMB kicked up their heels in the fifth scoring 3 runs to cut the deficit to 1 at 5-4. They felt they had tied it but Karen Gugala made a rally killing, WMB deflating throw from the edge of the outfield to Rosie covering home. Rosie tagged out the would be tying run and Softball Guy held the lead.
In the bottom of the 5th, Softball Guy furnished a vital 2 out rally to tack on 2 more runs. K.Hall sparked it with a single. Karen followed with a double. That set the stage for T-Bone. With runners at 2nd and 3rd, T-Bone came threw with a huge hit to drive K.Hall and Karen home, and extend the lead to 7-4. The clutch hit was eerily reminiscent of April 3, 1996 when T-Bone delivered the a key double for Troy Athens against the Bloomfield Lahser Knights.
WMB bounced back in the top of the 6th to make it 7-6. It would have been more runs, but Hank made a great catch in left to thwart WMB. Puzzled WMB players were left scratching their heads and wondering "What do we have to do to get a ball by these guys?"
In the bottom of the 6th, Softball Guy added the pivotal and decisive insurance run. B.Hall comically beat out a throw for a lame infield hit.
Alecia delivered a single advancing Hall to second. Maurer followed suit with a base hit to left that scored B.Hall and gave Softball Guy an 8-6 lead in heading into the 7th and final inning. Things got dicey as WMB kicked up their heels once again and cut the deficit to 8-7 with the tying run standing at first and two outs. "Some WMB player" hit a sharp ground ball up the middle which was destined to head to center field but Mike Gregory displayed cat-like reflexes and knocked it down. Gregory calmly made the throw to first and sealed a dramatic 8-7 victory.
The victory upped Softball Guy to 3-5 and moved them a step closer to sweet, sweet mediocrity. The game taught me to "believe again," and in a way, taught me how to "love again." Thank you, Softball Guy. It was a great team effort. I'm trying to hide the tears rolling down my face from co-workers as I write this.
Game 8 MVPs: Karen Gugala and Tracey Rosinski. I couldn't pick between the two. It's hard to pick when both players played to perfection. Both were 2-for-3, both played great defense, both were MVPs. During last week's rainout we practiced and both players were knocking the snot out of the ball. That carried over to Monday's game. Karen was the consummate 4th hitter with timely line drive, textbook hits. And her throw out of someone at home ultimately was the deciding factor of the game. Tracey was sensational. She always hits the ball sharply. I will argue with any pundit that Tracey has the purest, most fundamentally sound swing in the league. Her play from third was impeccable with the 5 put outs. What a game both players had.
Game #8 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Jeff Tessmer to Jeremy Maurer in the 3rd. Tessmer did what Tessmer does, he robbed someone of hit and happiness. He does that to people when he plays shortstop. Some poor slob from WMB has to live his miserable life each and every day but he gets to escape for an hour on the softball field. Getting a hit would've made the WMB's guy's day, month, or year. When he saw the ground ball heading toward left field he was thinking, "Wow, for once in my life I contributed to society! I don't suck!"... I saw this in the kid's eyes. But Tessmer stole that happiness from him by making a great play and throw, while Maurer made a great reach and catch. Now that poor kid has to go back to his life and do whatever it is he does. I had never seem someone look so happy at one point and then a split second later look so totally dejected.
Nice jobs T-Bone and Maurer... you @-h0les!
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: Hank. Due to the people we had at the game, Hank was put into unfamiliar territory... the outfield. I've worn Hank's glasses before. The man has the eyesight of an 89-year-old.
It's very difficult for someone to pick up the green ball with the green trees in the backdrop at Red Run. It has to be that much more difficult to pick up the ball for someone as blind as Hank is, but pick up the ball he did as he made a great, rally killing catch in left field to stem the WMB tide in the 5th inning. And, all joking aside about eyesight and blindness, he also hit the ball well. As far as I'm concerned, Hank was 2-for-2. He had a sharp single to left center, and he was safe at first on a bang-bang play later in the game. Great game Hank.
What is clutch? I'm not really sure what it means but I do know that it happened yesterday as every member of Softball Guy contributed to a victory in an 8-7 thriller over the hated We Mean Business (WMB) ballclub on the type of utopian summer evening that makes you glad you live in Michigan.
Clutch is... Karen's timely hitting, fielding, and throw to retire someone heading for home.... Tracey surgically placing line drives to left and throwing people out from third base... T-Bone making plays from SS and being the rock that he always is... Rosie dragging his tired arm unexpectedly out to the mound for another stellar performance and delivering towering hits to left field... Lauren digging out an infield single which lead to a critical run and nearly falling down at one point...Alecia getting a key hit in the 6th that lead to the difference making rally... Hank nailing line drive hits and making a huge catch in left field... G pitching a perfect game in relief and making a great stop on a grounder for the game's final out... Lisa throwing someone out from left-center to third base and being the consummate, solid left-center fielder... Maurer driving in the game winning RBI in the 6th and nearly doing the splits at 1B to record an out... Michelle moving from her car to the catcher's stomp in 35 seconds and hitting the ball sharply... K.Hall being the catalyst to a pivotal 2 out rally in the 5th... and a rapidly aging, athletically depreciating B.Hall beating out the throw for an infield hit that shattered the unintentional comedy scale as we know it.
There's a line in the movie "Hoosiers" where the venerable coach Norman Dale says we wants his upstart Hickory Huskers to be "Five pistons firing at once." Yesterday, Softball Guy was 13 pistons firing as once. It was a true team effort, and we needed all of it in a hotly contested ballgame which pundits have referred to as "an instant classic."
Softball Guy jumped out to a 5-1 lead which was built on a foundation of love, an ounce of compassion, a pinch of determination, and a liberal helping of timely hitting and stellar fielding. The Tracey-T-Bone-Karen trifecta was a sure thing offensively and defensively. The vaunted trinary went 6-for-9 from the plate and was responsible for the majority of Softball Guy runs. The three also were part of a rock solid infield that included Maurer. In the third inning, Tessmer and Maurer combined on the play of the year as Tessmer moved to his right to rob a WMB of a hit, cocked back, fired a throw to first, and Maurer stretched further than Mikel Barishnikov to make the catch. In the 4th inning, Lisa Shoskey recorded the first outfield assist in league history by throwing out a dim witted, slow footed WMB at third base. And, speaking of third base, Tracey was phenomenal as she recorded five fastidious put outs which were decidedly essential to the victory.
WMB kicked up their heels in the fifth scoring 3 runs to cut the deficit to 1 at 5-4. They felt they had tied it but Karen Gugala made a rally killing, WMB deflating throw from the edge of the outfield to Rosie covering home. Rosie tagged out the would be tying run and Softball Guy held the lead.
In the bottom of the 5th, Softball Guy furnished a vital 2 out rally to tack on 2 more runs. K.Hall sparked it with a single. Karen followed with a double. That set the stage for T-Bone. With runners at 2nd and 3rd, T-Bone came threw with a huge hit to drive K.Hall and Karen home, and extend the lead to 7-4. The clutch hit was eerily reminiscent of April 3, 1996 when T-Bone delivered the a key double for Troy Athens against the Bloomfield Lahser Knights.
WMB bounced back in the top of the 6th to make it 7-6. It would have been more runs, but Hank made a great catch in left to thwart WMB. Puzzled WMB players were left scratching their heads and wondering "What do we have to do to get a ball by these guys?"
In the bottom of the 6th, Softball Guy added the pivotal and decisive insurance run. B.Hall comically beat out a throw for a lame infield hit.
Alecia delivered a single advancing Hall to second. Maurer followed suit with a base hit to left that scored B.Hall and gave Softball Guy an 8-6 lead in heading into the 7th and final inning. Things got dicey as WMB kicked up their heels once again and cut the deficit to 8-7 with the tying run standing at first and two outs. "Some WMB player" hit a sharp ground ball up the middle which was destined to head to center field but Mike Gregory displayed cat-like reflexes and knocked it down. Gregory calmly made the throw to first and sealed a dramatic 8-7 victory.
The victory upped Softball Guy to 3-5 and moved them a step closer to sweet, sweet mediocrity. The game taught me to "believe again," and in a way, taught me how to "love again." Thank you, Softball Guy. It was a great team effort. I'm trying to hide the tears rolling down my face from co-workers as I write this.
Game 8 MVPs: Karen Gugala and Tracey Rosinski. I couldn't pick between the two. It's hard to pick when both players played to perfection. Both were 2-for-3, both played great defense, both were MVPs. During last week's rainout we practiced and both players were knocking the snot out of the ball. That carried over to Monday's game. Karen was the consummate 4th hitter with timely line drive, textbook hits. And her throw out of someone at home ultimately was the deciding factor of the game. Tracey was sensational. She always hits the ball sharply. I will argue with any pundit that Tracey has the purest, most fundamentally sound swing in the league. Her play from third was impeccable with the 5 put outs. What a game both players had.
Game #8 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Jeff Tessmer to Jeremy Maurer in the 3rd. Tessmer did what Tessmer does, he robbed someone of hit and happiness. He does that to people when he plays shortstop. Some poor slob from WMB has to live his miserable life each and every day but he gets to escape for an hour on the softball field. Getting a hit would've made the WMB's guy's day, month, or year. When he saw the ground ball heading toward left field he was thinking, "Wow, for once in my life I contributed to society! I don't suck!"... I saw this in the kid's eyes. But Tessmer stole that happiness from him by making a great play and throw, while Maurer made a great reach and catch. Now that poor kid has to go back to his life and do whatever it is he does. I had never seem someone look so happy at one point and then a split second later look so totally dejected.
Nice jobs T-Bone and Maurer... you @-h0les!
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: Hank. Due to the people we had at the game, Hank was put into unfamiliar territory... the outfield. I've worn Hank's glasses before. The man has the eyesight of an 89-year-old.
It's very difficult for someone to pick up the green ball with the green trees in the backdrop at Red Run. It has to be that much more difficult to pick up the ball for someone as blind as Hank is, but pick up the ball he did as he made a great, rally killing catch in left field to stem the WMB tide in the 5th inning. And, all joking aside about eyesight and blindness, he also hit the ball well. As far as I'm concerned, Hank was 2-for-2. He had a sharp single to left center, and he was safe at first on a bang-bang play later in the game. Great game Hank.
7/7 Game Ten - Rained Out
Arguably Rained Out, but cancelled none the less. Several dedicated players put the team first and practiced through the mud puddles.
6/30 Game Nine Re-Cap
Courtesy of the BHall Instititute for Success
They say the happiest people in the world are the Danes because they have the lowest expectations... and they have good bacon. I'd say that statement is decidedly apropos in night of last night's game.
Softball Guy suffered their 3rd setback in a row, falling to the hated and formally winless Royals 6-3 on a pleasant Monday evening in Royal Oak. The heartbreaker left Softball Guy at 2-5 and searching for answers in a previously perceived miracle summer that once had promising playoff hopes that are slowly and inexplicably slipping away.
In a game where neither ballclub would give an inch, Softball Guy found a rock on the pitching hill as Kevin Rosinski pitched 6 ambrosial innings. Commanding his pitches, and aggressively tugging his cap while his hand mysteriously became coated with "brown, pine tar-like goo," Rosinski was masterful. His performance reckoned back to the performance of Kenny Rogers in the 2006 ALDS against the Yankees. Rosinski held back tears as he retired one batter after another.
The game also featured several swift, heady defensive plays. Jeff Tessmer was a one man wrecking crew at shortstop as he recorded an unassisted double play to stem the Royals tide in the 4th. Jeremy Maurer made a reflexive snare of a sharply hit line drive to record the final out in the 5th. And Laura DeVore made the play of the night as she made a "Willy May's-like," over-the-shoulder catch from the catcher's stomp in the 3rd.
The fantastic pitching and fielding, combined with Charlie's timely hitting, enabled Softball Guy to cling to a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th. With 2 on and 2 out, "some 42 year old" hit a jack to left field driving in 2 runs to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. The Royals would tack on 3 more in the inning to grab a commanding 6-2 lead.
In the top of the 7th, Softball Guy gamely and heroically attempted a comeback but fell short in the end game, 6-3.
The Danes would be happy with this one. Softball Guy's expectations cannot get much lower after falling to the Royals. The only place to go is up, and up we will go. That much is certain.
GAME #7 MVP: Charlie "The Louisville Slugger" Hustle... 3-for-3, 1 run scored, 1 great slide. It was a great week for people who hail from Louisville, Kentucky. On Sunday, Kenny Perry won the Buick Open and on Monday Charlie played the perfect game. He had 3 sharply hit line drives for 2 singles and a hustling double. On the double, Charlie became the first player in league history to "slide." His hustle paid off as he scored easily on the next hit and sparked the 7th inning rally that fell just short. Well played, Charlie. Well played indeed.
Game #7 Defensive Play of the Game: Laura DeVore's over the shoulder snag while catching. Several astute pundits duly noted that this was the first catch made behind the plate from a catcher since Jimmy Blatzarski did it on a rainy evening in 1982. On a ball hit maybe 7 feet off the ground behind home plate, Laura instinctively reached back and caught it. Those type of instincts are taught or coached. You're either innately born with them or you're not. L.DeVoe is.
Game #7 Unsung Hero: Jeremy Maurer. Clutch hitting, great snare of a line drive, emotional leadership. Maurer brings a lot to the table each game, and he kept up his consistent play during Monday's ball game. You know what you're getting with Maurer. Is it flashy? No. Is it going to make the highlight real? Probably not. Is it the way winner's play? Most definitely. A tip of the cap to you, Maurer. Great game.
They say the happiest people in the world are the Danes because they have the lowest expectations... and they have good bacon. I'd say that statement is decidedly apropos in night of last night's game.
Softball Guy suffered their 3rd setback in a row, falling to the hated and formally winless Royals 6-3 on a pleasant Monday evening in Royal Oak. The heartbreaker left Softball Guy at 2-5 and searching for answers in a previously perceived miracle summer that once had promising playoff hopes that are slowly and inexplicably slipping away.
In a game where neither ballclub would give an inch, Softball Guy found a rock on the pitching hill as Kevin Rosinski pitched 6 ambrosial innings. Commanding his pitches, and aggressively tugging his cap while his hand mysteriously became coated with "brown, pine tar-like goo," Rosinski was masterful. His performance reckoned back to the performance of Kenny Rogers in the 2006 ALDS against the Yankees. Rosinski held back tears as he retired one batter after another.
The game also featured several swift, heady defensive plays. Jeff Tessmer was a one man wrecking crew at shortstop as he recorded an unassisted double play to stem the Royals tide in the 4th. Jeremy Maurer made a reflexive snare of a sharply hit line drive to record the final out in the 5th. And Laura DeVore made the play of the night as she made a "Willy May's-like," over-the-shoulder catch from the catcher's stomp in the 3rd.
The fantastic pitching and fielding, combined with Charlie's timely hitting, enabled Softball Guy to cling to a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th. With 2 on and 2 out, "some 42 year old" hit a jack to left field driving in 2 runs to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. The Royals would tack on 3 more in the inning to grab a commanding 6-2 lead.
In the top of the 7th, Softball Guy gamely and heroically attempted a comeback but fell short in the end game, 6-3.
The Danes would be happy with this one. Softball Guy's expectations cannot get much lower after falling to the Royals. The only place to go is up, and up we will go. That much is certain.
GAME #7 MVP: Charlie "The Louisville Slugger" Hustle... 3-for-3, 1 run scored, 1 great slide. It was a great week for people who hail from Louisville, Kentucky. On Sunday, Kenny Perry won the Buick Open and on Monday Charlie played the perfect game. He had 3 sharply hit line drives for 2 singles and a hustling double. On the double, Charlie became the first player in league history to "slide." His hustle paid off as he scored easily on the next hit and sparked the 7th inning rally that fell just short. Well played, Charlie. Well played indeed.
Game #7 Defensive Play of the Game: Laura DeVore's over the shoulder snag while catching. Several astute pundits duly noted that this was the first catch made behind the plate from a catcher since Jimmy Blatzarski did it on a rainy evening in 1982. On a ball hit maybe 7 feet off the ground behind home plate, Laura instinctively reached back and caught it. Those type of instincts are taught or coached. You're either innately born with them or you're not. L.DeVoe is.
Game #7 Unsung Hero: Jeremy Maurer. Clutch hitting, great snare of a line drive, emotional leadership. Maurer brings a lot to the table each game, and he kept up his consistent play during Monday's ball game. You know what you're getting with Maurer. Is it flashy? No. Is it going to make the highlight real? Probably not. Is it the way winner's play? Most definitely. A tip of the cap to you, Maurer. Great game.
6/16 Game Seven Re-Cap
Due to vandalism at the Softball Guy National Archives this document is not available at this time.
We need your help to ensure the records are returned safely and securely to the National Archives, where they will be preserved, described, and made available to all citizens and scholars.
Please contact the anonymous tip line with any information you have.
We need your help to ensure the records are returned safely and securely to the National Archives, where they will be preserved, described, and made available to all citizens and scholars.
Please contact the anonymous tip line with any information you have.
6/9 Game Six Re-Cap
Contributing Editor, Mr. Hall
There's a goofy saying amongst self help gurus and motivational speaking con artists... "When life offers you a lemon, it's up to you to turn it into lemonade."
Last night we offered up a lemon in a sour, "citric acidy" ball game that resulted in a 16-2 beatdown at the hands of the hated TSC Butt Connectors (heretofore known as "TSC BC") on a muggy Monday evening in Royal Oak. It was truly a humbling and bender inducing experience.
There's no way to sugar coat it, we have a very Schizophrenic ballclub. We are eerily reminiscent of the mid-1990's, teal clad Detroit Pistons. There are times when we look like world beaters and everything clicks. There are other times, like last night, when everything goes wrong. It's been a thrilling roller coaster ride of a season. The highs have brought tears of joy and ecstasy. The lows have given deep emotional scars that last 2 minutes until we go to 24 Seconds and joke about the game. I happen to like the roller coaster. As the old grandma gracefully says in the movie "Parenthood," the ups and downs of the roller coaster make life fun.
What can you really say about this stinker? One thing you can certainly do is make fun of the other team. They were very, very good. But their shortstop did resemble Matthew McConaughty and was wearing fashionable pants to the game (in the rough and tumble neighborhood a few of us grew up in, that d-bag would be known as a "cake eater"). Their guys were great players but were probably in the same frat house as Steve Sanders was at 90210 University (the outrageously deplorable Anglo sexton fraternity known as the "KEG house"). Bottom line though, they were a great team.
As for our performance, it wasn't all bad. There were some nice hits and great defensive plays. Hank, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a great backhanded stab and off balanced throw from SS to record an out. He trusted his arm and he trusted himself. It was a thing of beauty.
B.Hall made a decent sliding catch in left field to record the first out in the disastrous 12-run TSC BC 3rd inning. And T-Bone and Karen recorded an enthralling double play in the 4th.
Yesterday was just one of those days, and as the song says, mama said there'd be days like this. Softball Guy undoubtedly has the intestinal fortitude to recover and turns last Monday's lemon into next Monday's lemonade. Let's go get 'em!
Game 4 MVP: Lisa Shoskey. Those who have known Lisa for a while know about her athletic prowess. She's an accomplished star on the basketball court, soccer pitch, and softball field. Her performance and effort was unmatched yesterday. She got us going with our first hit of the ball game. She also played a great defensive game. When you play out in the outfield and see Lisa standing next to you in left-center field, it's a very comforting feeling... almost akin to waking up on X-Mas morning and seeing that there are once again presents under the tree. You know you're in good hands with her out there standing next to you. Good game Lisa.
Game #4 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Jeff Tessmer to Karen Gugala for a double play. Tessmer made an "Ozzie Smith-like" backhanded reach for a sharply hit, low line drive to his right. He came up with the catch, and had the presence of mind to fire the ball to Karen at second base. Karen made a great catch of the throw and recorded the double play. It was the first brother-to-sister double play recorded in league history and a provided glimmer of hope in a forest of despair during yesterday's ball game. There wasn't a dry eye on our bench. It made me want to call my sister just to say "I love you."
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: Laura's mom. She came to the ball game and sat through the entire debacle. She'll never get that hour of her life back, but it's great to know that we have true fans who support us through thick and thin. She didn't boo. She didn't throw things at us.
She didn't walk out. She didn't cuss. She DID have every right to do so.
We appreciate her support.
There's a goofy saying amongst self help gurus and motivational speaking con artists... "When life offers you a lemon, it's up to you to turn it into lemonade."
Last night we offered up a lemon in a sour, "citric acidy" ball game that resulted in a 16-2 beatdown at the hands of the hated TSC Butt Connectors (heretofore known as "TSC BC") on a muggy Monday evening in Royal Oak. It was truly a humbling and bender inducing experience.
There's no way to sugar coat it, we have a very Schizophrenic ballclub. We are eerily reminiscent of the mid-1990's, teal clad Detroit Pistons. There are times when we look like world beaters and everything clicks. There are other times, like last night, when everything goes wrong. It's been a thrilling roller coaster ride of a season. The highs have brought tears of joy and ecstasy. The lows have given deep emotional scars that last 2 minutes until we go to 24 Seconds and joke about the game. I happen to like the roller coaster. As the old grandma gracefully says in the movie "Parenthood," the ups and downs of the roller coaster make life fun.
What can you really say about this stinker? One thing you can certainly do is make fun of the other team. They were very, very good. But their shortstop did resemble Matthew McConaughty and was wearing fashionable pants to the game (in the rough and tumble neighborhood a few of us grew up in, that d-bag would be known as a "cake eater"). Their guys were great players but were probably in the same frat house as Steve Sanders was at 90210 University (the outrageously deplorable Anglo sexton fraternity known as the "KEG house"). Bottom line though, they were a great team.
As for our performance, it wasn't all bad. There were some nice hits and great defensive plays. Hank, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a great backhanded stab and off balanced throw from SS to record an out. He trusted his arm and he trusted himself. It was a thing of beauty.
B.Hall made a decent sliding catch in left field to record the first out in the disastrous 12-run TSC BC 3rd inning. And T-Bone and Karen recorded an enthralling double play in the 4th.
Yesterday was just one of those days, and as the song says, mama said there'd be days like this. Softball Guy undoubtedly has the intestinal fortitude to recover and turns last Monday's lemon into next Monday's lemonade. Let's go get 'em!
Game 4 MVP: Lisa Shoskey. Those who have known Lisa for a while know about her athletic prowess. She's an accomplished star on the basketball court, soccer pitch, and softball field. Her performance and effort was unmatched yesterday. She got us going with our first hit of the ball game. She also played a great defensive game. When you play out in the outfield and see Lisa standing next to you in left-center field, it's a very comforting feeling... almost akin to waking up on X-Mas morning and seeing that there are once again presents under the tree. You know you're in good hands with her out there standing next to you. Good game Lisa.
Game #4 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Jeff Tessmer to Karen Gugala for a double play. Tessmer made an "Ozzie Smith-like" backhanded reach for a sharply hit, low line drive to his right. He came up with the catch, and had the presence of mind to fire the ball to Karen at second base. Karen made a great catch of the throw and recorded the double play. It was the first brother-to-sister double play recorded in league history and a provided glimmer of hope in a forest of despair during yesterday's ball game. There wasn't a dry eye on our bench. It made me want to call my sister just to say "I love you."
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: Laura's mom. She came to the ball game and sat through the entire debacle. She'll never get that hour of her life back, but it's great to know that we have true fans who support us through thick and thin. She didn't boo. She didn't throw things at us.
She didn't walk out. She didn't cuss. She DID have every right to do so.
We appreciate her support.
6/2 Game Five Re-Cap
from New York Times Best-selling author, B. Hall
Magic happened last night. Not that goofy kind of magic where some d-bag locks himself in a water tank for three weeks, but the kind of magic that only occurs perhaps 2 or 3 instances in a lifetime. The kind of magic where a group of people come together while facing immense obstacles and ultimately overcome in a true team effort.
Softball Guy snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a resounding 14-11 triumph over the hated Scared Hitless ballclub on a warm Monday evening.
The complete team effort moved Softball Guy into playoff contention and upped their record to 2-2.
Things started rocky in the top of the first inning as Scared Hitless flexed their muscles and built a 4-0 lead. Scared Hitless threatened to break it open until K.Hall, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a splendiferous catch on a hard hit ball in left field. The catch saved 3 more runs from scoring and stemmed the tide.
Softball Guy hung tough the next three innings and found themselves down 8-3. Then, in the 4th inning, "it" happened. Now simply known as "The Inning", the 4th was a Machiavellian triumph of titanic proportions. It began with a K.Hall single and it ended with the greatest feeling of ecstasy any of us have ever had in our lives. People were hugging each other, tears were falling down people's faces. It was remarkable as the bats were sharp. So sharp that 10 runs crossed the plate. Those who witnessed it will never forget it. Everyone was murdering the ball. For those glorious 15 minutes we were arguably the best team in the world. It was like when a basketball player enters the proverbial "zone." We all had glazed looks in our eyes as our only focus was to get as many runs on the board as possible.
After "The Inning", Softball Guy found themselves up 13-8. The rest of the game was marked by key defensive plays. First, Rosie and Tracey turned what is believed to be the first "husband-wife double play" in league history. Then Laura made 2 key stops of sharply hit balls to third and recorded outs. Finally, Lauren made a nice catch on a force out at third base to preserve a 14-11 victory.
Game 4 MVP: Kevin Rosinski, 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 6 IP, 11 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.
Rosie was truly a game performer. He pitched 6 masterful innings and made several key defensive plays from the mound. He also smacked 2 critical hits. He didn't have a lot of time to mentally prepare for the second hit because he did not know he was even batting at the time. He served as the heart and soul of our ballclub during the victory and his calm demeanor comforted us during many rough stretches. A pro's pro.
Game #4 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Kevin Hall's first inning catch in left. Those who played out in left knew how rough the terrain was out there. The field was slanted and the grass hadn't been mowed in weeks.
His running, over the head, "Willie Mays-like" catch in left stopped the bleeding in the first inning and set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: 3-way tie... Laura, Charlie, Tracey. The whole team deserves this award but these three had some impressive plays. Even though they all had multiple hits, they also all made exceptional plays that won't show up in the box score but were imperative to our victory. Laura made 2 great defensive plays on sharply hit balls to third base in the fifth inning to keep the momentum in Softball Guy's favor. Charlie rightfully earned the name "Charlie Hustle" for his efforts on the base paths in the 4th inning. And Tracey turned a double play from third base which was an outstanding display of poise and athleticism. Those type of efforts came from everyone, but these three plays stuck out.
Magic happened last night. Not that goofy kind of magic where some d-bag locks himself in a water tank for three weeks, but the kind of magic that only occurs perhaps 2 or 3 instances in a lifetime. The kind of magic where a group of people come together while facing immense obstacles and ultimately overcome in a true team effort.
Softball Guy snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a resounding 14-11 triumph over the hated Scared Hitless ballclub on a warm Monday evening.
The complete team effort moved Softball Guy into playoff contention and upped their record to 2-2.
Things started rocky in the top of the first inning as Scared Hitless flexed their muscles and built a 4-0 lead. Scared Hitless threatened to break it open until K.Hall, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a splendiferous catch on a hard hit ball in left field. The catch saved 3 more runs from scoring and stemmed the tide.
Softball Guy hung tough the next three innings and found themselves down 8-3. Then, in the 4th inning, "it" happened. Now simply known as "The Inning", the 4th was a Machiavellian triumph of titanic proportions. It began with a K.Hall single and it ended with the greatest feeling of ecstasy any of us have ever had in our lives. People were hugging each other, tears were falling down people's faces. It was remarkable as the bats were sharp. So sharp that 10 runs crossed the plate. Those who witnessed it will never forget it. Everyone was murdering the ball. For those glorious 15 minutes we were arguably the best team in the world. It was like when a basketball player enters the proverbial "zone." We all had glazed looks in our eyes as our only focus was to get as many runs on the board as possible.
After "The Inning", Softball Guy found themselves up 13-8. The rest of the game was marked by key defensive plays. First, Rosie and Tracey turned what is believed to be the first "husband-wife double play" in league history. Then Laura made 2 key stops of sharply hit balls to third and recorded outs. Finally, Lauren made a nice catch on a force out at third base to preserve a 14-11 victory.
Game 4 MVP: Kevin Rosinski, 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 6 IP, 11 R, 0 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.
Rosie was truly a game performer. He pitched 6 masterful innings and made several key defensive plays from the mound. He also smacked 2 critical hits. He didn't have a lot of time to mentally prepare for the second hit because he did not know he was even batting at the time. He served as the heart and soul of our ballclub during the victory and his calm demeanor comforted us during many rough stretches. A pro's pro.
Game #4 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Kevin Hall's first inning catch in left. Those who played out in left knew how rough the terrain was out there. The field was slanted and the grass hadn't been mowed in weeks.
His running, over the head, "Willie Mays-like" catch in left stopped the bleeding in the first inning and set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Game #4 Taco Bell Unsung Hero of the Game: 3-way tie... Laura, Charlie, Tracey. The whole team deserves this award but these three had some impressive plays. Even though they all had multiple hits, they also all made exceptional plays that won't show up in the box score but were imperative to our victory. Laura made 2 great defensive plays on sharply hit balls to third base in the fifth inning to keep the momentum in Softball Guy's favor. Charlie rightfully earned the name "Charlie Hustle" for his efforts on the base paths in the 4th inning. And Tracey turned a double play from third base which was an outstanding display of poise and athleticism. Those type of efforts came from everyone, but these three plays stuck out.
5/19 Game Four Re-Cap
from the remote office of Brian Hall
Congratulations on the victory. I was driving through a monsoon during the middle of Ohio when I heard the news. In a way, the victory saved my life because it inspired me to keep driving through the torrential rain. In a more accurate way, I kind of forgot about it after 5 minutes.
Since I was not there, I cannot write a cheesy summary. But I did hear the other team consisted of elderly codgers and complainers. Good thing the mustached ump has a man crush on Gregory.
Well done on the victory. From what I gathered from hearsay and conjecture, here the Game 3 Awards.
Game 3 MVP: Laura. (making up stats since I wasn't there... 7-for-7, 7 HR's, 29 RBIs) Word on the street is she had a game saving, "Lisa Shoskey-like" catch in the outfield at a critical juncture in the game.
Well done. Well done, indeed.
Game #2 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: I heard Charlie had a great catch as well and demonstrated the same passion as actor Ian Ziering portrayed Steve Sanders (with Emmy worthy zeal).
Good job guys!
Congratulations on the victory. I was driving through a monsoon during the middle of Ohio when I heard the news. In a way, the victory saved my life because it inspired me to keep driving through the torrential rain. In a more accurate way, I kind of forgot about it after 5 minutes.
Since I was not there, I cannot write a cheesy summary. But I did hear the other team consisted of elderly codgers and complainers. Good thing the mustached ump has a man crush on Gregory.
Well done on the victory. From what I gathered from hearsay and conjecture, here the Game 3 Awards.
Game 3 MVP: Laura. (making up stats since I wasn't there... 7-for-7, 7 HR's, 29 RBIs) Word on the street is she had a game saving, "Lisa Shoskey-like" catch in the outfield at a critical juncture in the game.
Well done. Well done, indeed.
Game #2 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: I heard Charlie had a great catch as well and demonstrated the same passion as actor Ian Ziering portrayed Steve Sanders (with Emmy worthy zeal).
Good job guys!
5/5 Game Two Re-Cap
on loan from the bhall archival institute
Softball, say the ancient Greeks, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving contemplation of worthy things. I'd say that statement is decidedly apropos in light of yesterday's game.
Softball Guy showed vast improvement but ultimately fell to the hated "iwerkers and Frog" ballclub in a 17-15 heartbreaker on an ambrosial Cinco de Mayo evening in Royal Oak.
The weather warmed up and so did the bats as the exceedingly locker room cancerous B.Hall was out of the lineup. The run production was eerily evocative to the 1993 Cecil Fielder/Rob Deer Detroit Tigers as Eve, T-Bone, and Hank all raked towering homeruns in the early stages of the contest.
The hitting, sparked by the return of T-Bone, Laura, Rosie, Tracey, and
Maurer to the lineup, was phenomenal. The base running also improved,
lead by a reckless, aggressive, "take no prisoners" attitude on the base paths by K.Hall that harkened back to the days of Lenny Dykstra. And Laura's trusty right arm displayed a feathery, Frank Tanana-like touch on the mound.
Everything was going smoothly as Softball Guy built a commanding 13-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 4th inning. It appeared victory was assured because the other team had players that could loosely be described as "aging beatniks" and "nerds." However, we've all come to learn that nothing is assured in the outrageously unpredictable "Level D Recreational Softball League."
In this league there are more twists and turns than a preposterously inexplicable episode of Beverly Hills 90210 such as the one where a pseudo mulleted Steve Sanders fell out of a airplane from 30,000 feet and inexplicably walked away with only "minor bruises." Our "90210 moment" came in the bottom of the 4th inning. 29 Softball Guy errors in the inning opened the flood gates for 10 unearned runs and "iwerkers and Frog" rallied to tie the score at 13-13.
It was a back and forth affair from that point forward and both teams exchanged runs. In the bottom of the 5th, Lisa Shoskey, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a game saving catch of a sharply hit line drive to left. That allowed Softball Guy to hold a 15-14 lead until "some 47 year old comic book lover" hit a 3 run homer to give "iwerkers and Frog"
a 17-15 lead in the bottom of the sixth. That score would stand as Softball Guy gamely and heroically attempted a comeback but fell just short.
The post-game banter at 24 Seconds was ambrosial. One kid recklessly put down 5 Bud Heavy's. There were detailed discussions about a possible Cornhole Tournament this summer. Good times were had by all.
Game #2 MVP: Jeff Tessmer, 3-for-3, 1HR, 4 RBI's, 3 Runs Scored. Tessmer is the rare breed of player who can dominate a game yet make it look easy.
Several pundits have called his swing the "purist in the league." His mere presence in the lineup lead to a 13 run improvement from the first game.
Plus his heady, loving, tender leadership is reminiscent of how Andrea Zuckerman ran the newspaper at West Beverly high... efficient, precise, and driven. If you have kids, or young nephews/nieces who are starting to play softball, bring them to a game and have them study Tessmer. He plays the right way.
Game #2 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Lisa Shoskey's catch of a line drive in left. That was about as hard of a hit line drive as you will find.
Lisa remained calm and made an outstanding catch. I, for one, would've gotten the h3ll out of the way. The catch held the lead for Softball Guy and was a remarkable display of courage and heart. It was as beautiful of David Silver's hit song, "It's You Babe." Well played, Lisa. Well played, indeed.
Softball, say the ancient Greeks, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving contemplation of worthy things. I'd say that statement is decidedly apropos in light of yesterday's game.
Softball Guy showed vast improvement but ultimately fell to the hated "iwerkers and Frog" ballclub in a 17-15 heartbreaker on an ambrosial Cinco de Mayo evening in Royal Oak.
The weather warmed up and so did the bats as the exceedingly locker room cancerous B.Hall was out of the lineup. The run production was eerily evocative to the 1993 Cecil Fielder/Rob Deer Detroit Tigers as Eve, T-Bone, and Hank all raked towering homeruns in the early stages of the contest.
The hitting, sparked by the return of T-Bone, Laura, Rosie, Tracey, and
Maurer to the lineup, was phenomenal. The base running also improved,
lead by a reckless, aggressive, "take no prisoners" attitude on the base paths by K.Hall that harkened back to the days of Lenny Dykstra. And Laura's trusty right arm displayed a feathery, Frank Tanana-like touch on the mound.
Everything was going smoothly as Softball Guy built a commanding 13-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 4th inning. It appeared victory was assured because the other team had players that could loosely be described as "aging beatniks" and "nerds." However, we've all come to learn that nothing is assured in the outrageously unpredictable "Level D Recreational Softball League."
In this league there are more twists and turns than a preposterously inexplicable episode of Beverly Hills 90210 such as the one where a pseudo mulleted Steve Sanders fell out of a airplane from 30,000 feet and inexplicably walked away with only "minor bruises." Our "90210 moment" came in the bottom of the 4th inning. 29 Softball Guy errors in the inning opened the flood gates for 10 unearned runs and "iwerkers and Frog" rallied to tie the score at 13-13.
It was a back and forth affair from that point forward and both teams exchanged runs. In the bottom of the 5th, Lisa Shoskey, in an emphatic stroke of Byzantine whimsy, made a game saving catch of a sharply hit line drive to left. That allowed Softball Guy to hold a 15-14 lead until "some 47 year old comic book lover" hit a 3 run homer to give "iwerkers and Frog"
a 17-15 lead in the bottom of the sixth. That score would stand as Softball Guy gamely and heroically attempted a comeback but fell just short.
The post-game banter at 24 Seconds was ambrosial. One kid recklessly put down 5 Bud Heavy's. There were detailed discussions about a possible Cornhole Tournament this summer. Good times were had by all.
Game #2 MVP: Jeff Tessmer, 3-for-3, 1HR, 4 RBI's, 3 Runs Scored. Tessmer is the rare breed of player who can dominate a game yet make it look easy.
Several pundits have called his swing the "purist in the league." His mere presence in the lineup lead to a 13 run improvement from the first game.
Plus his heady, loving, tender leadership is reminiscent of how Andrea Zuckerman ran the newspaper at West Beverly high... efficient, precise, and driven. If you have kids, or young nephews/nieces who are starting to play softball, bring them to a game and have them study Tessmer. He plays the right way.
Game #2 Buffalo Wild Wing's Defensive Play of the Game brought to you by Masterlock and Presented by Levitra: Lisa Shoskey's catch of a line drive in left. That was about as hard of a hit line drive as you will find.
Lisa remained calm and made an outstanding catch. I, for one, would've gotten the h3ll out of the way. The catch held the lead for Softball Guy and was a remarkable display of courage and heart. It was as beautiful of David Silver's hit song, "It's You Babe." Well played, Lisa. Well played, indeed.
4/28 Game One Re-Cap
courtesy of Mr. Brian Hall
Courage. Webster's defines it as "something some people do sometimes."
I'd say that definition is decidedly apropos in light of last night's softball game.
Astute conspiracy theorists and softball pundits will point out that the various "Powers That Be" at league headquarters have colluded to take down Softball Guy by any means necessary. By conspiring to take Softball Guy out of their comfort zone, the "Fat Cats" at HQ did all they could do to ensure a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the hated Switch Hitters in the season opener. Don't believe me? Allow me to present a few points.
1. The mysterious and inexplicable "No Beer Rule". They expect me not to be hammered at 6:15 on a Monday afternoon? I haven't done that since I was 14. How dare they have the audacity to intrude on my life choices.
2. The creepy, mustached umpire. Why did he have a mustache? And, more importantly, why did he have a personal vendetta of some sort against our pitcher, Mike Gregory? Strikes were called balls. Up was down. Left was right. Green was red. The question becomes, what kind of bizarre history has Gregory had with this man? We'll get answers to these questions before the season ends.
But, alas, blaming others for the team's misfortunes on Monday is a loser's mentality, and there's only one loser on the team (yours truly). In all honesty, Softball Guy beat themselves last night. The good news is that all errors are easily correctable. We can work out the kinks throughout the season. Some of our biggest flaws were...
A. Not having a first or third base coach. We need to have this in future games. Chaos ensued on the base paths. I think we can agree that base coaches are needed. B.Hall hit the ball and ran to third instead of first.
That was inexcusable.
B. Having B.Hall in the lineup.
Those are all correctable. Plus we get T-Bone, Laura, Rosie, Tracey, Maurer, and Raetz back next week. We'll see the hated switch hitters in the playoffs.
Special thanks to our subs last night... Lisa, Alecia, Liz, and Michelle.
They all played great and were great additions to the squad.
And there was solid play from every regular on the team last night...
Charlie, Hank, K.Hall, Karen, G, Lauren, and Eve. Great effort. We had a lot of fun. Just couldn't get "a rally" going throughout the game. It'll come. It'll come indeed.
WEEK #1 MVP: Alex Eve "The Rooster" (2-for-2, 1 RBI). The theme of yesterday's game was courage. There's not a player on our team who exudes more courage than Alex Eve. 10 years ago he was diagnosed with IBS. The devastating news sent him into a deep depression and he turned to the bottle. He overcame those demons and started to speak out against the disease. Stop on by the local science center sometime, you will find Alex doing a humorous, informative, and entertaining puppet show about IBS that teaches kids about it. His remarkable life turnaround culminated last night with a stellar hitting and fielding performance. It was an emotional night and there wasn't a dry eye at 24 Seconds after the game. Kudos to you, Mr. Eve. You get the nod for Week #1 MVP.
Courage. Webster's defines it as "something some people do sometimes."
I'd say that definition is decidedly apropos in light of last night's softball game.
Astute conspiracy theorists and softball pundits will point out that the various "Powers That Be" at league headquarters have colluded to take down Softball Guy by any means necessary. By conspiring to take Softball Guy out of their comfort zone, the "Fat Cats" at HQ did all they could do to ensure a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the hated Switch Hitters in the season opener. Don't believe me? Allow me to present a few points.
1. The mysterious and inexplicable "No Beer Rule". They expect me not to be hammered at 6:15 on a Monday afternoon? I haven't done that since I was 14. How dare they have the audacity to intrude on my life choices.
2. The creepy, mustached umpire. Why did he have a mustache? And, more importantly, why did he have a personal vendetta of some sort against our pitcher, Mike Gregory? Strikes were called balls. Up was down. Left was right. Green was red. The question becomes, what kind of bizarre history has Gregory had with this man? We'll get answers to these questions before the season ends.
But, alas, blaming others for the team's misfortunes on Monday is a loser's mentality, and there's only one loser on the team (yours truly). In all honesty, Softball Guy beat themselves last night. The good news is that all errors are easily correctable. We can work out the kinks throughout the season. Some of our biggest flaws were...
A. Not having a first or third base coach. We need to have this in future games. Chaos ensued on the base paths. I think we can agree that base coaches are needed. B.Hall hit the ball and ran to third instead of first.
That was inexcusable.
B. Having B.Hall in the lineup.
Those are all correctable. Plus we get T-Bone, Laura, Rosie, Tracey, Maurer, and Raetz back next week. We'll see the hated switch hitters in the playoffs.
Special thanks to our subs last night... Lisa, Alecia, Liz, and Michelle.
They all played great and were great additions to the squad.
And there was solid play from every regular on the team last night...
Charlie, Hank, K.Hall, Karen, G, Lauren, and Eve. Great effort. We had a lot of fun. Just couldn't get "a rally" going throughout the game. It'll come. It'll come indeed.
WEEK #1 MVP: Alex Eve "The Rooster" (2-for-2, 1 RBI). The theme of yesterday's game was courage. There's not a player on our team who exudes more courage than Alex Eve. 10 years ago he was diagnosed with IBS. The devastating news sent him into a deep depression and he turned to the bottle. He overcame those demons and started to speak out against the disease. Stop on by the local science center sometime, you will find Alex doing a humorous, informative, and entertaining puppet show about IBS that teaches kids about it. His remarkable life turnaround culminated last night with a stellar hitting and fielding performance. It was an emotional night and there wasn't a dry eye at 24 Seconds after the game. Kudos to you, Mr. Eve. You get the nod for Week #1 MVP.
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