The triple threat

The Triple play. What are the odds? During the 2000s, the chances of seeing a triple play in a given inning has been less than 1 in 10,000. That's about the same odds as an asteroid hitting the earth. It's also about the same odds as you catching AIDS by having PV intercourse with someone of unknown AIDS status who's got purple needle marks up and down their arms.

And yet, despite the near impossibility of an asteroid strike or one of our team members contracting AIDS, we somehow managed to get caught in a Triple Play. It was a sight to behold. Congrats to all who participated. You have something to remember for the rest of your softball career. Although, to be fair that ump should've made it more clear that he saw the guy catch the ball. Isn't there some rule that says mutes can't be umpires? Perhaps there's a rule that says joggling isn't allowed in a marathon. Stupid rules!

We actually played a pretty good game last week. We plated 2 runs in the first inning even though we had 2 outs and then we got 4 in the third inning again with 2 outs. After three, we were ahead 6 to 2 and it looked like were finally going to win one.

Alas, we came undone in the fourth inning. They blasted a barrage of hits that made us feel like a Londoner on September 15, 1940. When the bloodbath was over they scored 11 times to put us in a hole 6 - 13. It was a bit like watching the Cubs play the Tigers. We even pulled a Cubs classic by walking a guy with the bases loaded.

But despite a dazzling double play turned by our shortcenter, shortstop and first baseman, and our best offensive output of the season, it wasn't enough. We ended up losing 11-16. Dam!

Tonight we have a 7:45 game. Unfortunately, I'm enjoying sunny weather, copious amounts of booze and some southern hospitality here in South Carolina so I won't be able to attend. Please let Jim P. know if you'll be there.

Now go out there and kick some ass. We'll eventually win one of these games. Why not make it tonight's?

June 7 game wrap-up

What can I say? This is shaping up to be a tough season. We played 2 games last week and didn’t fare well in either. In the first game we held our opponents to a mere 17 runs. And most of these were scored in just a couple of the innings. It was actually a game through the first three innings. Then somehow the wheels fell off. It was as if numen himself was conspiring against us.

The hands of our normally sure-handed outfield suddenly turned igneous. Balls were going through their metacarpi more often than flashes bouncing off little Shiloh Pitt. Just like those gratuitous shots, it was painful to see. The infield stopped most balls but the opponents were apparently infused with the speed force outrunning many more than they should have.

Our offense showed a little spark in the second inning with 4 hits and 2 runs. The game was actually close. We scored another 3 in the 4th inning to tighten the gap to about 8-5. Then our opponents shelled us with 9 more runs, putting the thing out of reach. Our great plays were overshadowed by some really lucky opponents. It seemed every ball they hit landed exactly where we weren’t. Go figure.

The second game was a joke. I for one am prepared to protest. Who the hell in their right mind would restart a game called on account of rain where it left off? No where in the official rules of softball could I find anything about restarting a game where you left off. Ridiculous!!

Is it any wonder that we ended up losing when we had to start down 13-1? It was an outrage! We was robbed. We are going to remember this come playoff time.

It is good to know that while the games themselves were tough losses, the trip to the bar was anything but. For those who went, there was lots to learn. Did you know that Arabs have connections? True story. Just don’t try to buy a car from them. I never really caught why, it just sounded like a bad idea. And for those of you ordering chicken, don’t ask the waitress if her breasts are breaded. They are. Finally, if you’re tired of dating alcoholics, strippers and tight-jeaned waitresses, you might consider dating dudes. At least that was the contention of one recent college grad, who incidentally is looking for a job.

Congratulations to this week’s offensive player of the week Tom Szurgot. He went 4 for 4 and scored 3 runs in the two games. We just might have to move him to the clean-up spot next week.

That’s it for now. See you all tomorrow. And let’s make tomorrow the first win of the season.

On Becoming Bonds

One of the biggest challenges our team faces is that our opponents keep scoring a lot more runs than us. Despite stellar pitching these foes somehow continue to find holes in our otherwise tenacious defense. Of course, while we have moments of greatness, we also have those ultra-rare, momentary lapses where we bobble a ball or overthrow the cut-off guy. Perhaps a way to combat this is to score a lot more runs.

Here’s an article that gives some tips on how to hit the softball. Very basic but good

Here’s another article that gives some more advanced tips on slow pitch softball.

The best defense is a great offense.

The other option is to ask Szurgot what he's doing.

The Stats - Sorted by batting average

Player	AB	R	Hits	2B	3B	HR	BB	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
John Barakat	16	3	11	1	0	0	0	6	0.688	0.688	0.750
PerryRomanowski	23	9	14	3	0	1	0	11	0.609	0.609	0.870
Jim Petrakos	33	8	20	3	0	1	0	7	0.606	0.606	0.788
Jim Gould	27	5	16	0	0	0	0	8	0.593	0.593	0.593
Jeff Sandburg	11	1	6	0	0	0	0	3	0.545	0.545	0.545
Allen Valdes	24	8	13	2	1	0	0	4	0.542	0.542	0.708
Joey Vasilevski	23	8	12	1	0	1	1	6	0.522	0.542	0.696
Tom Balsitis	23	3	11	0	0	0	0	4	0.478	0.478	0.478
Pudd	19	3	9	0	0	0	0	4	0.474	0.474	0.474
Brian Fei	17	2	8	2	0	0	0	4	0.471	0.471	0.588
Mike Larocco	25	6	11	1	0	1	0	4	0.440	0.440	0.600
Tom Szurgot	33	7	14	0	0	0	3	5	0.424	0.472	0.424
Ron McGrath	18	2	7	0	3	0	1	2	0.389	0.421	0.722
George Stefos	22	5	8	0	0	0	0	5	0.364	0.364	0.364
Tom Kikta	23	3	8	0	0	0	0	2	0.348	0.348	0.348
Ray Denardis	6	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0.333	0.429	0.333
Eddie	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.000	0.000

*Team category leaders are in Red

Double Header tonight

As you've all heard from JP, we're playing 2 tonight. That means we have a pretty good chance of winning at least one of them. Think defense. Softball is a simple game. You catch it, you throw it and you hit it. If we do those things well tonight, we can't lose.