Sunday, September 13, 2015

AND SO IT BEGINS...

"It ain't over until it's over"- Yogi Berra 

HURTIN' UNITS PLAYOFF RUN.

What does the future hold for the Hutin' Units?
In our final 2015 regular season game, we decided to wear our white shirts, it was fun and there was no or little resistance, from anyone, to do this. It was really an easy transformation and I think everyone enjoyed doing it...it was something different. I remember asking Mikey if he had his white shirt, he replied that he wasn't sure, but he had one with Bender imprinted on it, I said " you can't wear that, Bender is a loser, I'll make you a new one with Stewie".  Mike actually found his newest shirt without the Bender logo and wore it to the game. 

The reason I called "Bender a loser" is  because he was our logo from 2011 to 2014 and during these seasons we did not play very well. Four years of under .500 baseball and only once did the Units make it to Sunday games (lost in the semi-finals to the Brew Jays in 2012). 












So when I say Bender is a loser, I really mean is that we didn't play well when dawning the Bender logo. In 2010 (our first logo was a guy sliding in to a base) we had an awesome team (view the rosters page to see the 2010 roster) and the Units would win the league, barely beating out the Brew Jays who finished only 2 points behind, Hurtin'Units 40 points, the Brew Jays 38 points, both teams had 19 wins, but the Hurtin'Units had 2 ties for the 2 extra points. 

The Bender years were not all bad, but not once did we finish above .500 with that rascal robot imprinted on our shirts. We did however make the playoffs every year and once (only once) made an appearance on Sunday losing to the Brew Jays. (I know I already mentioned this).


BENDER VS. STEWIE.

I liked the Bender logo, but Units were jinxed or something else playing with him. If you were to go back in the blog, over the last four seasons, I don't know how many times I said the Units are jinxed, hexed or cursed, but I know it was a lot. I would smudge the bats and try other stuff to try to end the curse, but nothing worked. I once even joked about some former player having a voodoo doll, with a shirt imprinted with the Bender logo, poking pins in it. 

Over the Bender years, Bender's image appeared in every posting of the blog, you can go back and find him, sometimes hiding, in every post. The same can be said about Stewie this season, if you go through the 2015 postings, Stewie will be in every one. A little cameo in every posting... kinda like Alfred Hitchcock in his movies. 

I think the Stewie logo has made the Hurtin' Units more consistent and confident, and hopefully this continues through the playoffs. 

At the start of the season, when Mikey and I decided to cut the Bender logo, and bring in some youth, it broke my heart tell tell Bender he was cut, but after 4 years of losing it was a tough decision that had to be made. Good luck my shiny metal friend.  


If anyone can recall back to draft day, the Hurtin' Units name was going to change if we had drafted Kahuna as one of our players. We would have become the BURTON UNITS and the logo would have been the big guy (Kahuna or some facsimile of him), I not sure if I could have included an image (like a Bender or Stewie) in every posting of the blog, but I'm sure I would have found a way. I guess it's a moot point now, but it would have been fun to try.  

.500 CLUB  

2015 Final Standings. 


Our membership, in the .500 club, has been reinstated after 5 seasons, 122 regular season games (including this regular season) and a season (2014) with a plus/minus of -178. The -178 stat is still one of those numbers that makes me shake my head, how did this happen? I realize that the Gruesome Devils were -192 this season, but the 2014 season was only 22 games and this season was 26 games. It warms the cockles of my heart to be back in the club.

BATTING PRACTICE.


Who's idea was it to have a practice? I changed my mind, I don't want to do it. On Sunday September 13th, 2015, the Hurtin' Units had an optional batting practice and considering the weather conditions it was actually a decent turnout. We had 6 guys out to hit a bucket of balls each. There was a bit of a contrast in practice attire, Vince was layered up and had a hoodie on, Dave Mc. was in shorts and a t-shirt, the rest of us dressed somewhere in between these 2 guys. 

I mentioned the weather, it was actually quite cool and there were a few sprinkles while we were on the field. Earlier in the day it was raining and I didn't think we would get this in, I was also worried that if we did practice, in poor conditions, someone might get hurt.

Nobody got hurt because of the field conditions, but... I can tell you first hand that there are some hard hitters on our team. When Scott was batting, he decided to try hitting off field, I said " sure, but don't me" the very next hit, came back to me and hit me in the shin, just above my shin pad...D"oh!!!! Yes, right off the shin bone...Ummm, I mean I sustained a lower body injury (not my shin bone) and I will be day to day. 

Because of my lower body injury, I might have to wear some goalie pads to protect the injured body part.   



BACK TO ZERO. 



The playoffs begin in a few days and hopefully the Hurtin' Units can compete for a berth on Sunday. The playoff format this season is different. There are no longer pools and each team plays 4 round robin games to try for the top 6 positions. The top 6 teams advance to the quarter finals. The final 2 positions, for quarter finals on Sunday, will be decided in elimination games between the 7th to 10th seeded teams following the round robin. 

So here are the Hurtin' Units four round robin opponents. I will continue as games get played. Good Luck UNITS!! 



HOLY SHIN!!



Game # 1 - Hurtin' Units vs. Beer Bros.


Sept. 15, 2015



Hurtin' Units lose 29-9


Coventry Park- Earlier on game day, I did some running around in Bolton. I stopped at the Recycling Store looking for a pair of hockey shin pads to cover up my leg boo boo. The shinjury (shin injury) wasn't really bothering me, but I really could not take another hit to the same spot. I did manage to find a pair of kid's shin pads, they fit perfect!! My next stop was the beer store in Bolton. I picked up a case of suds for the post game festivities . 

The new Bolton Beer Store reminded me of Ikea. You go in one door, follow arrows through the store, going in only one direction, looking at beer instead of furniture and you pick your beer, follow the path to checkout, pay for it and then out another door... IBEERA.

Following my Beer Store experience, I headed to the LCBO (same ole, same ole) and picked up a bottle of Sambuca for the pregame. 

I can honest say, after playing the game vs. the Beer Bros., Sammy has done nothing for us this season; nothing for the defense and definitely nothing for the offense. Following the game, there was a motion put on the floor to cut Sammy from the playoff roster, the motion was seconded and a vote decided that Sammy would no longer be associated with the Units. There were no parting shots...

This ousting of Sam Buca should have happened sooner, like back at the HTKP tournament where the Units didn't win a single game with Sammy in the dugout. 

The weather for this game was perfect.

At game time, we had a full squad (almost) in the navy blue. Bo decided he was too beaten up and would not play. 

We started off well, but we quickly fell apart. This was a night that if the Units had had 20 defenders on the field, balls still would have dropped in, it was just the kind of game. 

There were a few positives on the night. Todd would hit his first homerun (out of the park) at Coventry. Dave Mc. and Cookie teamed up for 2 outs at home plate. 

There were multiple bad bounces on the field and that gave us all kinds of trouble.The Units defense has been strong all season long and this was just a bad, unlucky night. UNITS REBOUND!!

UNITS COULD NOT ESCAPE DOGCATCHERS.

Game # 2 - Hurtin' Units vs. Dogcatchers

Sept. 17, 2015

Hurtin' Units lose 20-6

Keogh Park- Of all the teams we had to play at Keogh Park, this was my least favorite. It's not because I don't like the guys on the Dogcatchers, they are all good guys. No, it's because this team has so many weapons and can hurt you in so many ways, especially the long ball in the small park. 

Of the 4 teams the Units will play in the round robin, the Dogcatchers are the only ones to beat us, in the regular season, both times. In regular season game # 18, the Docatchers defeated the Units by a score of 10-8 and in regular season game # 22, the Dogcatchers won by a score of 24-21. In the 24-21 game, Mike and I were both away and Captain Cookie was at the helm. 


Like the first game against the Beer Bros., the

Units bats were not doing anything. 6 runs on most night is not going to get a win. My very first pitch to Kevin C. was a homerun in to the tennis courts. I struggled, most of the night, to hit the rubber, walking batters and giving up big, juicy pitches.  The Dogcatchers offense was firing on all cylinders for everyone. I tried to pitch the Kevins deep, they would not bite (Dog reference) and kept missing the back of the rubber, they made me pay for the walks by scoring over and over and over... 



Darrell pitched the last 3 innings, I played second base.



We did not have a good game offensively and our defense (which is usually pretty solid) was exposed by this hard hitting, fast running, tightly defensive team. UNITS REGROUP!!



LIFE'S A PITCH!!

Game # 3- Hurtin' Units vs. Sons of Pitches

Sept. 19, 2015

Hurtin' Units win 25-18

Coventry Park-During the regular season we had one win, one loss against the Sons. In game # 2 on the season, the Units had a 26-15 win over the SOPs, but shortly after this win, in game # 6, the Units would lose 12-7. 

In all of the Saturday games the weather was not even close to perfect. For this game the wind played havoc with the pitching and any balls hit in to the air. 


After our 2 devastating losses during the week (Beer Bros.- 29-9, Dogcatchers- 20-6), we needed a win to at least give ourselves a chance at an elimination game. There were 5 teams sitting at 0-2 records going in to Saturday. A win might put us in an elimination game.


On Saturday morning, we decided to shake things up. First thing was the lineup. On Thursday evening, at the Legion, we discussed changing the lineup, why not we were not hitting anyway. Todd and Cookie both wrote out a lineup, both were good, but I decided to use the Todd lineup and see what happens.


The lineup was not the 

only thing I changed. I
took the time to clean up the Units bats. I first added a new grip to the white bat (I regripped this bat earlier, but the bat seemed to have very little cushioning) and this made it better in my opinion. I also replaced all of the tape holding the grip of all the bats, it was still yellow from previous seasons (Bender years), so I changed it to black. And finally, I smudged the bats which had not been done in a long time, before the August Tournament, when players other than Hurtin' Units had used them. I know what you're thinking, these bats were used to win the August tournament, they should have tons of positive energy, but this is not always the case. They needed to be smudged. 

I also made a few change for myself; I rid myself of the gray T.O.T hat and went with the CUBA hat I wore during the August tournament. I also went back to my 2015 jersey ( I wore my 2010 retro jersey is the Thursday night game, hoping for some magic) and I had in my pocket my 1906 lucky penny. 


For our pregame on this cool, damp Saturday morning, Scotty picked up a box of coffee and Mike and I purchased a bottle of Forty Creek Cream. There are not enough Os in smooth to describe the taste of our coffee on this morning. 


Game on...In the early innings, the game was close, but the Units bats started coming to life (probably because of the smudging) and the Units scored in bunches. The sons were never out of this game and the final score shows this statement to be true. Units had just a little more fire power and in the end come away with a victory and  their first win of the playoffs. UNITS REJOICE!! 

TAP, TAP, TAP, MASTERS.



Game # 4-
Hurtin' Units vs. Tap Masters.

Sept. 19, 2015

Hurtin' Units lose 13-5. 

Coventry Park-During the regular season, the Units split the 2 games. In game #4 the Tap Masters were the stronger team and defeated the Hurtin' Units by a score of 22-15. In game # 14, the Units would squeak out a victory by a score of 9-8. Knowing about these scores and how close each game was before the Tap Masters vs. Hurtin' Units playoff game, I was a little bit nervous going in. The Units had only a single win in the playoffs and were a -7 in the round robin. We needed a win to keep our playoff hopes alive.

The weather for this game was not pretty. There were dark storm clouds filling the skies and the wind was extremely strong. 


This game was another back and forth battle, with each team scoring early, but the other coming right back. The wind played a major part in this loss for the Units. It seemed every ball hit to the left side, hung up in the air for easy Tapper catches. I found the wind effected the pitching also, I would throw to the left side of the rubber and the ball would travel to the right side off the mat. Crap!!

In the end, the Tap Masters hit better in this game, the Units bats were not hitting and unfortunately we needed to. We could only hope that one win would get us in to an elimination game. 
























KINGS OF THE HILL.


Elimination Game.

Sept. 19th, 2015


Hurtin' Units win 


Coventry Park-
The round robin portion of the playoffs, didn't finish up until around 6:30pm on Saturday evening. The teams were reseeded and when the diamond dust had settled the Units would finish in 11th position with a 1-3-0 record. The Dusty Cleats would get the final elimination game position with a 0-0-1 record. 


The elimination games were scheduled to begin at 6:00pm and 7:30pm, but because of the round robin games finishing late they were pushed back . 


The Hurtin' Units opponent for the elimination game would be the 6th place Draft Kings. 


In the 2 games, in the regular season, between the Units and Kings there was a split. In game #10 the Units would win by a score of 19-7 and this win gave the Units enough confidence to go on a 7 game unbeaten streak. 


In the second game against the Draft Kings (game #17, a makeup game), in the regular season, there was a mix up. The Hurtin' Units were supposed to be the home team, the web site schedule was wrong, the Draft Kings were home team again and the Units would lose by a score of 20-4. 


Going in to the elimination game, the weather for this game was unsettled. The wind had been strong all day and there had been rain off and on, but by the time we got on the field the it had also cooled down. 


I was scoring the last round robin game between the Rebels and the Sliders, a game that saw the Rebels win by a score of 35-9. The temperature dropped dramatically during this game. I had my 2015 jersey on, another tournament shirt, a HU t-shirt and a borrowed windbreaker just to keep warm. 


When the Draft Kings and Hurtin' Units game

finally got underway, there were dark clouds in the sky, the strong winds were blowing west to east  on Coventry #3 and it seemed almost dark outside. I remember in the early innings asking if we should turn the lights on. After a couple of innings, Don S. (umpire) started to walk over to have them turned on, and as he was walking, the lights came on by themselves. SPOOKY!!

During the game, we had some rain and with the stong winds the rain was falling sideways. We didn't get much rain, but it still made it a little bit uncomfortable. 




I knew about the season split, with the Draft Kings, and I liked our chances. We played well against the teams for some reason. The Units batters liked Darryll's pitching. In this game , the Units kept the Draft Kings off balance and shut down the big boys most of the game. 


The Units defense was stellar and our offense had some timely hits. Great win to get us into Sunday's games, where anything can happen. UNITS REJUVENATED!! 





MASTERS OF THE DOMAIN.


QUARTER FINALS

Hurtin' Units vs. Master Batters.


Sept. 20, 2015


Hurtin' Units win 16-8.


Coventry Park-After defeating the Draft Kings on Saturday evening, the Units were feeling pretty good. We had to wait (at least we thought so) to see who we were playing in the quarter finals on Sunday. The Units were the lowest rated team left in the playoffs, we would get the top rated team...The Master Batters.

Our game was scheduled for 10:30 am on Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, the dark clouds had cleared out, the wind had almost disappeared (can wind really disappear?), there was very little wind, the birds were chirping, and the sun...she was a shining. A perfect morning for baseball, but not the perfect opponent for the Units. 

During the regular season, the Units had a split decision with the Master Batters. In game #5 of the regular season, the Master Batters would defeat the Units ( in the Units home opener, I might add) by a score of 22-9, but in game # 13, the Units would get their revenge by taking down the Batters, in what was probably the lowest scoring game on the season, by a score of 4-3 for the Units. 


The 4-3 game was a defensive gem and it that kind of defense that showed up in the quarter finals. 

The Units would score early and add to the score throughout the entire game. The Units defense was excellent over the first 4 innings, not allowing a single run to score, and only allowing 3 base runners. The Batters would finally get on the scoresheet in the fifth, but by this time, the Units had a good lead, the bats were hot and the gloves even hotter. 

The Master Batters would put up some runs (8), but the Units kept pace in the later innings. Going in to the bottom of the 7th inning, the Units had a 10 run lead, up by 16-6. the Batters would score 2 runs in the final inning. The Units were heading to the semi-finals vs. the Hottub Woodys. UNITS RELENTLESS!!  

  IS IT HOT IN THE HOT TUB?



SEMI -FINALS

Hurtin' Units vs. the Hottub Woodys.

Sept. 20, 2015

Hurtin' Units lose 14-12

Coventry Park- The Woodys were having an incredible run in the playoffs. In the round robin they went 3-1-0 with a plus 12. This record would get Jeff, Eddie and the boys reseeded in 4th position, and a bye in to the quarter finals. 

In the quarter finals, the Woodys would take on the Rusty Rebels (a team that I thought might roll through) and win by a score of 18-9. 

In our 2 regular season games, the Units would defeat the Woodys on both occasions. In game #1 of the regular season, the season opener, the Units would defeat the Woodys by a score of 13-10. In the second game vs. Woodys (game #19) the Units would defeat the Woodys by a score of 7-6. 

The two regular season games were both close, so it probably should not have surprised anyone that this playoff game would be close also. 


This game was a back and forth match that saw both teams take a lead at different times. The Woodys would score some late inning runs and the Units could not recover. Going in to the 7th inning the Hurtin' Units trailed by 2 runs.

In the 7th inning, myself (Jimmer) and Bikk (A.K.A Bill) would get on base and move up to 2nd and 3rd bases, but by that point we had 2 outs. Darrell would hit a hard hit line drive to Robin D. (Woody's shortstop) to end the game and end the Hurtin' Units playoff run. 

The Hottub Woodys would go to the finals vs. the Dogcatchers.

The Dogcatchers would defeat the Woodys in the finals to claim the 2015 T.O.T Championship. 

Congratulations Dogcatchers!!



























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