Game On - April 25^th Game

The season’s back.  We’ve been waiting for this all year, and it’s finally arrived.  Time to have some fun, and this was the game to do it.  The team was the Dirty Dawgs,  converts from the Brooklyn Meadows League without a bar to call their own.  A well rounded team that was looking to have some fun.  Just what we love to see.

The B61 Lineup, sponsored by Budweiser

• Kate as catcher
• Jonathan as pitcher
• Blue Wheels Whipit at first base sporting his new baby blue cleats
• Amy “Little Bird” Adams at second
• “Crocodile Dundee” Alex at shortstop
• “I’ll have to learn to jog for my home runs” Henry at third
• Steve in left field
• “If you want to walk in my shoes, we leave at 2am” Capone in center field
• JJ “Believe or not, I’m hung over” in right center
• Alyce in right field
• “Hot Bat” Andrew as DH
• Joaquin as backup DH
• Betsy as backup second base
• “Rookie” Julian as backup third base
• Tamara in her first game as GM

The DL List

B61 has some injuries to watch on the Lady Bus Stops.  Betsy tore her rotator cuff, but that didn’t stop her from playing.  Before the game, she was overheard saying, “Put me in, Coach.  I can catch and hit, but I have to throw underhand.”  Tamara also sat on the bench, having dropped a delivery on her toe.  Ouch.  That’s what you get for breaking in your new tennies on the job.

The Game

Alex starts us off wearing his Crocodile Dundee hat because Raible bet him $5 to wear it.  He gives us a base it to start the season off right.  Steve quickly follows with his own base hit.  Two hits by the Reinhart brothers.  Raible starts his hot bat display to score a run.  We’re up 4-0

The Dirty Dawgs take advantage of our rusty defense and make some solid hits.  Nothing hard, just solid base hits.  They tie it up 4-4.

A couple of solid innings by the Bus Stops including a great hit by the leftie Henry to right center that should have been an easy home run if he didn’t hurt himself running so hard to third.  Unfortunately, he has to settle for a triple, an ice pack and a beer.  The rookie Julian, Celtics headband and all, gets the tap to cover third base.  I was so mad from work that I clobber the ball into right center and take a pit stop at third because I think three base coaches are telling me to stop before realizing that I can just jog home.   8-4 in the bottom of the third inning.  It would have been more, but Dirty’s shortstop and 2^nd base combo are fielding like rockstars.  The shortstop later admitted that she had been offered a softball scholarship to college which she did not take.

I’m pitching well, especially for the first game of the season, but it’s like batting practice for them.  I’ve been throwing them this backspin pitch which they are figuring out how to hit.  After who knows how many base hits, they fight back to 9-8.  The game is close.

B61 does some switching around - Betsy taking 2^nd base, Alyce going in to catch, and Kate going out to watch the action from right field.  Capone rips one down the left field line and beats the play at the plate, but the Dirty Dawgs answer and tie the game at 11-11 going into the 6^th inning.

Raible decides to spice it up a bit with some ballsy base running.  He stealthily runs home  when the catcher is not looking after a poor throw to home.  Not only does he score the run, he gives Alex the chance to advance to 3^rd.  At this point, Alex must have been thinking, ‘If Raible can do it, why can’t I?’  There’s a slow rolling ball down the 3^rd base infield line, and he just takes off for home and just beats the play at the plate.  “It was a classic squeeze play,” he later said with great confidence.  Capone’s single drives Steve home to make it 14-11.  Betsy draws the count to 3-2 with her wigglin-that-ass technique before connecting on a long ball caught by the left fielder.  “Did you hear what they were saying?  The girls on the other bench were saying that I wasn’t a

Swinger.  Can you believe that?”  I love how feisty she gets when she’s mad.

Bottom of the 7^th, 14-11.  The Dirty Dawgs were not going to go down easily.  We get two outs on them, but they hit base hit after base hit, and they’re able to score a run and load the bases.  14-12.  Up comes their Casey to the bat – their star shortstop Kendra who has been rocking the ball all day.  I’m still pitching well, but I can’t get the strikes.  Three balls in a row gives her a 3-0 count.  I am not walking a girl, especially not when the stakes are this high.  She’s a veteran, so I know she’s not swinging on this pitch.  Straight down the middle, 3-1.  I give her the second pitch, again the backspin throw that’s treated me well all day.  It’s on the upper left side of the strike zone; she thought it was a ball, but cross my heart, it was a strike.  I even have witnesses to confirm it.  3-2, bottom of the 7^th, bases loaded, tying runs on 2^nd and 3^rd with the lead on 1^st.  Reading last year’s writeup, it reminds me of that final game with Amy at the plate.  The pitch – straight down the center.  She cracks the ball out to left.  Steve dashes to his left and makes a running catch.  Whew.  We’re 1-0.  Definitely tied for the best record in the league.

Memorable Moments

• Raible hitting a line drive to the star shortstop which knocks her on her butt
• JJ’s running catch over his shoulder
• Alyce almost catching the first still-ever-elusive foul tip of the season
• “Little Bird” going 2 for 2 and scoring 2 runs
• Rookie not diving to catch a foul ball that he could easily have gotten.  How much are we paying you?
• Whipit making a beautiful full stretch catch on 1^st with just the tip of his baby blues on the bag
• My getting robbed of a second home run by the right center fielder as he makes an over-the-shoulder catch and a diving roll.  The consolation is that he hurt his neck making the play.  No, not neck brace badly, just a crick in his neck.  I’m not cruel, just disappointed
• A sign of what a cool team the Dirty Dawgs were – an overheard comment from 1 Dawg to another, “Hey, man.  Why’d you hit the ball to the hung over dude (JJ)?  That’s not cool.”

Player of the Game

You know I don’t like to do it, but I’ll take MVP.  My pitching was much better than I expected for the beginning of the season.  Not only did I not walk a batter, I even struck out one of their ladies!  And they were cute too!  A single, home run, a triple and 5 (6?) RBI’s.  I’ll take the honor for this game, but I can’t wait to see who gets it next.

Post-Game Festivities

B61 returned to the bar, and Old Grand Dad welcomed us back with a celebratory shot.  The Dirty Dawgs joined us at the bar, and merriment was had by all as we toasted each other for a well played fun game.  A very cool team.  They even stayed longer than most of the Bus Stops.  JJ and Julian lured them to Lido for karaoke, and they led the way.  They were the first people that I’ve ever seen dance during karaoke.  Alyce’s comment about the dancing – “They are so cool.  Can we just play them every game?  We  can even let them win sometimes.”  Game off.

Web Site

You can see all of the writeups at http://www.czarsolutions.com/softball/

Team Spirit

Everyone needs to choose a theme song for the season.  We want to be able to play a snippet as you take the field and also to make a B61 team CD.  What’s yours going to be?