UNITS CLOSE OFF THE TAPS...

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE TAP MASTERS. 

Game # 17 - July 19th, 2016

Hurtin' Units win 11-9

Team Record - 10-7-0

Coventry Park- Back on May the 12th, in game # 3 on the season, the Hurtin' Units and the Tap Masters played a tough game ending in a 16-15 loss for the Units. 

Even though the Hurtin' Units lost, I got a real good feel as to how resilient this team really was. The Units were trailing by a score of 16-6 going in to the open inning. The Units would rally for 9 runs in the top of the 7th inning (open) and had the tying and go ahead runners on bases. The Units would lose the game, but showed they were capable of mounting a comeback and had a never say die attitude.

The game on May 12th was the second 1 run loss in the 3 games we had already played. If anyone can remember back to the start of the season, the Units would start the season with a 1-4 record. In those 4 losses, the Units would lose by scores of, 5-4 -Grisslies, 16-15 -Tap Masters, 17-15 -Sons of Pitches and 11-8 -Dusty Cleats. The Units were in every one of these games and with a catch or a hit in the Units favor the standings might look a bit tighter. 

The Units worst loss of the season came last week against the Rusty Rebels, when the Units were hammered by a score of 35-17. Up until that game, the Units worst loss was against the Draft Kings, when the Units lost by a score of 19-13. The Units were still in this game going in to the 7th inning.

Game Time: 7:00pm.

The weather for this game vs. the Tap Masters was very good; The temperature was hovering around 20 degrees, the humidity was low and there was a strong breeze. The winds were definitely a factor in this game; the pitching and balls hit in the air were moving around like they were in a popcorn maker. The sky was also filled with sunshine, shining in to the eyes of the right fielders.  

At game time there were 10 Hurtin' Unit players dressed to take on the Tappers. The only missing players were Gord D. and Jimmy R. Ted was back from England and Jon was back from the western assignment.

The Units were the home team in this game. 

Roman D. was the umpire for this game.

It was great to have Teddy back in this game. I like having Ted in the lead off position and after missing 3 games, he was back. In the first inning, Ted looked a little bit rusty, but it didn't take long before he was on base. Ted went 3-4 in his first game back, scoring 3 of our 11 runs. Not bad for a guy with jet lag. Welcome back Teddy!!

Jon was also back after missing a week. 

The Hurtin' Units started this game slowly, not even getting through the batting order until the 3rd inning. 

The Units defense looked good in the first inning, shutting down the Tap Masters, allowing only 5 batters to come to the plate and stranding runners at 3rd and 1st. 

The second inning wasn't as clean cut as the first inning, the Tap Masters would score 4 runs and in the top of the third inning, the Masters would score another 3 runs. The score after 2.5 innings was 7-0 for the Masters. In the bottom of the third inning, the Units would adapt to weather conditions and we decided to start hitting the ball on the ground and keep it out of the air. The plan started to work, the Units sent 9 batters to the plate and 4 would come around to score. 

In the top of the fourth inning, the Units would shut down the Tappers and in the bottom of the inning the Units would score another 3 runs. The score at the end of 4 innings was a 7-7 tie.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Tappers would send 5 batters to the plate and 1 run would come in to take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Units would send 5 batters to the plate and would strand 2 runners on base.


In the top of the sixth inning, the Units shut down the Tap Masters 1,2,3. Change them up boys! In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Units would get the first 2 batters on base, followed by Jon, who would hit a bases clearing, in the park, homerun. The Units would take the lead for the first time in the game. Peter would hit a double and Mark would drive in an insurance run before the inning ended.  

In the top of the seventh inning (open) the Tap Masters would get the leadoff batter on base, Len would hit back to me (Jimmer) for a out at first, Jason would drive in the run, Tim would hit a single and Jason would advance to third base, Gary would pop out, and Rick would foul pop up to Robert (Units' catcher) and the Units would hold on for the win.   

Inside the Lines:

• Jason B. was tagged out at second base by
  
  Clayton who tagged Jason in an unpleasant area. Let's just say Jason's voice seemed to be a bit higher.
• I forgot the lineup/position sheet at home, but found an old one and with a couple of changes... made it work.
• The Units don't play for 9 days, perhaps this is a good thing... for this game, Ted was jetlagged, Jon had a head cold, Mark has a boo boo on his elbow that seems to get worse every game, Peter has aches and pains...everywhere and Brad forgot his baseball stuff at home. All good reasons to look forward to a 9 day break.
• Mark and Robert both went 4-4 in this game.
• Ted went 3-4, scored 3 runs in his return from England.
• Jon hit a 3 run, in the park, homerun.
• The Units showed resilience and adaptability in turning this game around after a slow start.
• There were some difficult catches made by the Units' defense. Jon and Peter both made spectacular over the shoulder catches. Clayton had to back pedal a long way to make a catch at behind 2nd base. The outfield was challenged all game with balls that were twisting around in the strong wind.
• I usually don't talk about myself in our games (mostly because there is nothing to talk about), but in this game, I went 3 for 3 and scored 2 runs. Way to be Jimmer!!  
• This game was a total team win with contributions from everyone on the field. Nice win Units. 
• In this game, I was super impressed with
  
  the play of Robert J. Robert started the game catching a foul tip and ended the game catching a foul pop up at home plate, what I like to call baseball bookend outs. Two big outs in this game. Robert also went 4-4 batting, hitting the ball hard at every at bat, he also scored 2 runs in the game. Good game Robert.

The Hurtin' Units next game is Thursday July 28, 2016 at Keogh Park at 8:15pm. 

HURTIN' UNITS DEVILISHLY GOOD.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE GRUESOME DEVILS.

Game # 16- July 14th, 2016

Hurtin' Units win 18-10

Team Record - 9-7-0

Keogh Park- Last season the Hurtin' Units and the Gruesome Devils played each other twice. The Hurtin' Units would defeat the Devils in both games. In game #9, of the season, the Units would defeat the Devils by a 23-6 score and in game #11, two games later, the Units would beat the Devils 30-4. 

Hurtin' Units co-captain, Peter H. played on the Gruesome Devils last season. The Devils would only win 3 games all season. It would be an understatement to say the Devils did not have a good season. 

This season the Gruesome Devils are playing better baseball, but are still struggling a little. Coming in to this game the Devils record was 5-8-1. 

Game Time (9:30pm):

The weather for this game was hot, stinky hot and the daytime temperature was 34 degrees, with the humidity it felt like over 40. At game time the temperature had dropped slightly, but the humidity was still hanging around, just thinking about being outside made ya sweat. There was a strong breeze that would come up from time to time, cooling us down a little. 

At game time, we had 9 Hurtin' Units players dressed and ready to take on the Devils. Jon, Ted and Gord were all missing from this game. The Units picked up Kevin C. (Skippy) for the game.

The Hurtin' Units were the visitors in this game.

After the hangover on Tuesday night, the Units needed a better performance to renew our confidence, after the 35-17 beating from the Rusty Rebels. 

Game Sheets:

Between the Lines:

• The Units defense played well; on one occasion the Gruesome had the based loaded, no outs, and the Units would not allow a run. The Gruesome also had another inning were the 2 runners on, but the Units stopped them again.
• Ingo made a nice double play at third, catching a line drive and then throwing to first to double up the base runner who had left the bag. 
• I had a mosquito get caught in my throat and in took several innings to stop coughing and feel better.
• I (Jimmer) hit a ball, over the left fielder's head, all the way to the fence for a double... probably should have been a triple.  
• Several Units players were still hobbled in this game (still feeling the effects of the tournament weekend and Tuesday's game).
• After allowing the Gruesome to score in the first 3 innings, the Units held the Devils off the score sheet for the final 4 innings. 
• Jim R. went 5/5, and Robert, Mark and Clayton all went 4/5 in this game. Clayton would score a team high 4 runs in the game.
• Kevin C. (Skippy) went 3/4 and scored 2 runs. 
• The Units were only shut out in one inning.

The Hurtin' Units next game is July 19th vs. The Tap Masters. 

THE HURTIN' HANGOVER...

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE RUSTY REBELS.

Game # 15 - July 12th, 2016

Hurtin' Units lose 35-17

Team Record - 8-7-0

THE HANGOVER:

Over the past weekend the Hurtin' Units would play in the HTKP tournament. The Units would play 5 games and come away with the HTKP championship. Now 5 games doesn't sound like a lot of games, but they probably played a part in this loss to the Rusty Rebels. We are talking 5 very intense and emotional games, filled with up and downs, beer and Sambuca, players that played in both divisions and guys that have nagging injuries from both the regular season and the tourney. 

I'm not making excuses for the Rebel game, all I'm saying is that the teams the played in the tournament were probably hurting on Monday and Tuesday. The Rusty Rebels did not enter a team in the tournament. I did see Hughie playing for the Draft Kings, but I don't remember seeing very many Rebels over the weekend. 

On Monday evening, I subbed for the Dusty Cleats (I actually subbed for the Tap Masters in the 7 o'clock game also) and the Cleats also had a tournament hangover. The Dusty Cleats, who are currently sitting in 2nd place, in the standings, did not look like the Dusty Cleats that have won 9 games in a row and were the current Beer Cup holders. 

The Grisslies hangover saw them lose to the Dogcatchers, who for some reason didn't have as big of a hangover (probably because they had a surge of confidence after making it to the semis on Sunday). The Cleats, the Grisslies and the Hurtin' Units (who played on Tuesday evening), all had very similar games and none of the games were pretty to watch. 

On Monday evening, the field conditions at Keogh Park were awful; it was like running on patterned concrete in the first game. My legs and feet were already sore, from the weekend, and if I had known how bad the infield was prior to the Cleats game, I would not have subbed. The hit balls were bouncing horribly and on several occasions, balls hit guys or came close to hitting them...just awful field conditions.
  

I knew coming in to this game against the Rebels, it was going to be a tough match. The Rusty Rebels are stacked, yes stacked, with a lineup of hard hitting and very smart ball players. They are not a fun lineup to pitch against. The Rusty Rebels currently sit in the 3rd position in the standings and they are there because they are well coached, have strong bats and they eat their Wheaties.   

Back on May 10th the Rusty Rebels and the Hurtin' Units played each for the first time. The Hurtin' Units would defeat the Rebels by a score of 14-10 for their first win of the season. 

GAME TIME (8:15).

The weather for this game was good, there was a sun/cloud mix to start, the temperature was about 32 degrees, feeling like 36 with the humidity, and there was a light breeze. 

At game time, we had 10 players almost all dressed in Hurtin' Units shirts (except for Jimmy R., who was wearing a throwback shirt from the 90s) and ready to battle the Rebels. Missing from the lineup were Jon D. and Ted B. Jon had gone out west on an assignment and Teddy was still in England watching his son in win a gold metal in the Under 18, Juniors ball hockey tournament. Congratulations Guys!!

I am going to say that this was the Hurtin' Units worst game of the season. Up until this game, the largest differential in game score, for a Units loss was 6. In this game it was 18, which will hurt us in the plus/minus and runs against stats in the standings. I don't really care about stats, but sometimes season stats can tell a story of how the season is going, this game tells a nightmarish story.

The Hurtin' Units would still score 17 runs, keeping pace with Rebels in the early innings, but the weekend hangover started to rear it's ugly head later in the game. By the 7th inning (open) the Units had nothing left to give and it shows on the score sheet, giving up 9 runs and 13 hits. I think that there was a point when some of the Rebels were trying to get out just to end the top half of the inning. In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Units went down quickly (there was honestly nothing left) sending only 4 batters to the plate. Tough game guys, let's have a beverage and lick our wounds. 

There was one thing I forgot to do after the tournament; I forgot to smudge our bats again. The bats need to be resmudged for different reasons, I will definitely smudge the Units' bats for the next game. 

I will use the game sheets to tell the story of this pounding the Hurtin' Units took in this game.

The Hurtin' Units next game is Thursday July 14th at 9:30pm at Keogh (hopefully the diamond field conditions are better than Monday night).  

WE'RE GOING TO GRISSLIELAND.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE GRISSLIES.

Are we going to Grisslieland or Jimmerville? Either way, it should be fun.

Game #14 - July 6, 2016

Hurtin' Units lose 15-12

Team Record - 8-6-0

Keogh Park- Our last game was the mid point of the regular season, which means we start playing teams for a second time. This game with the Grisslies is the first time we will play a team for a second time. 

On May the 4th, the Hurtin' Units played their first game of the season vs. the Grisslies. Our game was the 2nd game of the season for the Grisslies, who lost their first game to the Dodge City Rounders by a score of 27-7. Are we confused yet? 

In our first game with the Grisslies, the Hurtin' Units would be defeated by a score of 5-4. The Units had a 4-2 lead going in to the bottom of the 7th inning, but could not hold off the Grisslies. 

Going into this game vs. the Grisslies, the Units were in a bit of a disadvantage; The team had not been on the field in 9 days. The Units' last game was Monday June 27th, when we beat the Dodge City Rounders by the score of 37-8. The Grizzlies last played on July 4th, two days before this game vs. the Units, so they had lots of at bats coming in to this game. 

In the first meeting with the Grizzlies there was a similar situation; The Grizzlies played the Hurtin Units in their season opener, and other than a practice, weeks before the opener, the Units had not even swung the bat. The Grizzlies season opener had been two days earlier when they were beaten up by the Dodge City rounders 27-7, but they still had some at bats before the Units game. Now I'm not making excuses for this game, in fact I am writing this on July 4th, two days before we even face the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies still have to play the Dodge City rounders tonight before playing the Units on Wednesday night. I will probably mention the score of the Grizzlies and the Dodge City Rounders before talking about our game....Update: The Grisslies would beat the Dodge City Rounders by a score of 29-12. 

The game between the Dodge City Rounders and the

Grizzlies would be a nightmarish game for the Rounders, who took a beating from the Grizzlies. I don't really get it, the Rounders look good (not physically, but as a ball team),I can't figure out why they are having such a tough time. I guess all teams go through this at some time in the season, but this one seems to be worse than most. 

Okay, let me stray from all that I have been babbling about and talk about a sub game for a minute. So, I subbed for the Hottub Woodys on Monday night, July 4th, and Hurtin' Units' player Jon D. also subbed. I played at second base (for the first time in a long time, I might add) and Jon D. played in the field. Jonny D. was awesome in the field, making two spectacular (Pillar like) catches and multiple other plays (why is this guy not on the All-Star team??). 

Late in the game between the Woodys and the Dogcatchers, it looked like the Dogcatchers might be in line for their first win of the season, leading by 6 runs going in to the bottom of the 6th inning. The Woodys would score 7 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning and then shut down the Dogcatchers, in the top of the 7th, to win the game. This was a fun game to play in. 

STARS of the GAME: Units vs. Grisslies.

I don't usually picks stars in our games. With all of our players being rated, I think it would end up being the top players more often and this really is a team game. I thought just to change things up for this posting I would do a 3 star selection.

First Star:  I have to pick Donato as the first star in this game.  Danny went 5 for 5 , scored 4 runs, 3 doubles, and 2 singles. And even with all of these hits and runs, the boy managed to entertain us with a foul ball off the fence, in to the trees and in to a garbage can. It was like watching Superman play. 

Second Star: My second star pick would be Peter H. Peter went 4 for 4, with a Homerun, 2 doubles and a triple and 4 runs scored.

Third Star: My third star would be a tie (this is why I don't do 3 stars). The tie would be between Neil and Jon. Both these guys had really good nights.

Game Time:

The weather for this game was stinky hot; the day time temperature reached 32 degrees and with the humidity it felt like 37. There was a risk of thunderstorms around 7:00pm.

At game time the Hurtin' Units had 11 players. The only missing body was Ted who was in England for his son's ball hockey tournament.   

The Hurtin' Units were the home team in this game. 

After looking at the boxscore on Thursday morning, it would not have been surprised me if this game had ended in a tie. The game was close thoughout and possibly with a hit or catch in the Units favor, it could have gone in a different direction. 

I will post the game sheets for this game to esplain what happened Lucy.

Between the Lines: 

• Before this even began, Brad told us a bird shit on his head (hat). Everyone told Brad this was lucky, but it really didn't work on this night. Brad is some what entertaining with his stories. i.e fishing naked. 
• Jon D. is still looking to turn a triple play this season and came close in this game. Jon caught the ball at short, tagged the runner running from second, touched second for the force and threw to first, just missing the out at first.
• Doug Dwyer made an excellent over the shoulder catch for an important out.
• Donato was a Units killer on this night, as I mentioned before in the stars section, the guy went 5/5, 3 doubles, 2 singles, scoring 4 runs, making multiple catches in the field and even hit a foul ball over the fence, off a tree in to a garbage can. He could do nothing wrong on this night.
• I thought the defense, on both sides, was a little sloppy at times, on the night.
• The Units had a 9 day layoff, which I think hurt the batting and timing a little. The Grisslies had played 2 days before against the DCRs.
• Peter H. had one of his best games of the season. Peter went 4/4, scored 3 runs, hit a 3 run homerun (2nd of the season) and was solid in the outfield.
• Neil was a machine again on this night. I hate (okay hate is a bit of strong word), don't enjoy playing against Neil, he is such a tough out and if he gets a hit (which is quite often) he is usually at second or further. Good game buddy.

The Units next game is in the HTKP tournament on the upcoming weekend. 

HELPIN' THE LITTLE RASCALS PLAY.

HELP THE KIDS PLAY TOURNAMENT.

July 9-10, 2016

This will the 7th time the Hurtin' Units team has been entered in this great event. The tournament is held to help raise funds for kids who can not afford to play sports. 

This tournament is my favorite of the season and I look forward to playing in it every year. 

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK CAME TO PLAY!!

Hurtin' Units vs. the Inglorious Batsters.

Game # 1- July 9th, 2016, 9:15am

Units win 19-6

Keogh Park- In the first game of the tournament the Units took on the Inglorious Batsters. This game was played at Keogh Park. 

For this tournament we had 9 regular season players, missing from our team were Ted, Ingo and Robert. The Hurtin' Units would pick up Phil G.(Philly Cheesesteak), Troy H. (the Great White Hope) and Ricky M. (Portugal's native son) as tournament replacements. For this game we had a full squad (12 players), and a full bottle of Sambuca. Here's a shot to having a good tournament boys...smoooooth.  

A couple of weeks back Inglorious Batsters captain, Peter H., made me a banner for this tournament, I forgot the frickin' banner (next game Jimmer).

Over the first couple of innings this game looked like it could be a close one, but the rust wore off the bats, in the 3rd inning, and the Units never looked back. 

The Units' team showed some awesome power and Philly showed (after not playing several seasons) that he still had some pop in his bat and that he still could get to balls in the outfield.

The Units defense was solid in this game only allowing 6 runs to score on a good hitting Inglorious team. 

The Units had a win under their belt and it took a bit of pressure off us as we continued on to the next round robin game. Good start UNITS!

MUDDY CLEATS IS MORE LIKE IT.

Hurtin' Units vs. Dusty Cleats.

Game # 2- July 09th, 2016 - 3:30pm

Hurtin' Units win 15-9

Coventry Park- The Hurtin' Units next game was up against the league leading Dusty Cleats. The Cleats have a great lineup and I knew this was going to be a tough game. 

My co-captain, Peter H., was not here for this game. Peter had a family function to attend to and was probably eating potato salad and coleslaw about the time this game started. We would again have a shot of Sambuca before the start of this game...keep it going guys, cheers!!

Most of the day the temperature and humidity were rising, and 4 batters in to this game the skies opened up and heavy rains came down. We were called off the fields during the downpour. By the time the game resumed, everthing and everyone was soaked, including the field. Trees really don't provide the shelter you think they do.

I did remember to bring the HU banner this game, we should have used it to keep dry.

For the first couple of innings the field was a little slick, a couple of Unit players took mud baths. Mark took a header rounding first base (tearing up his arm, for the second time in a week) and Brad took a tumble running to first base and then he decided to slide in to 2nd base making sure that all of this uniform was dirty.

As the game rolled along, the diamond start to drain and dry, and the field conditions didn't really play a part in the outcome of the game. Nice job Mr. Dol!!

In the bottom of the second inning, with the Dusty Cleats leading 4-2, the Units would score a 7 run inning to take the lead. The Units' defense would close the door on the Cleats, highlighted by a spectacular catch in right field by Ricky M. off the bat of Steve B. In the top of the open inning (6th) the Cleats would push back and score 5 runs, but the Units would stay solid defensively and eventually close out the game. Nice win Units...now go dry your gear out.

IT WAS A BANNER DAY!!

Hurtin' Units vs. Grisslies.

Game # 3- July 10th 2016. 9:00am.

Hurtin' Units win 9-4

Coventry Park- Sunday morning was perfect weather for a baseball game. There was a sun/cloud mix and the light breeze on diamond one. 

For this game Clayton picked up a box of Tim's coffee and I picked up a bottle of Forty Creek Cream. We all had our morning coffee (with Forty Creek) and we were set to take on the Grisslies. 

Earlier in the week, I had texted Rob F. and said that he should bring his Grisslie's banner, I remembered mine, we hung them on the fence and we had a banner day. 

The Hurtin' Units and Grisslies had played a regular season game earlier in the week. The Grisslies defeated the Units by a score of 15-12 in that game. The Units and the Grisslies are 2 very similar teams and every time we play, the game is very tight, well played, well pitched and extremely close. This game was no different.

Coming in to this game the Units were 2-0 in the tournament and the Grisslies were 0-2, so the pressure was on the Grisslies to win, but if the Units could win, it might mean a bye in to the semi-finals. 

The Grisslies would win the coin toss, but would bat first, (I was 0-3 in coin tosses) and we would be home team. The Grisslies would score a single run in the top of the first inning. The Units would start strong with 6 runs in the bottom of the inning. 

The tight defense of both teams kept the game in the single digits, each team would score 3 more runs. The Units would prevail with a 9-4 win. 

The Hurtin' Units would now head to the bar for bar duty from 10:30am to 12:30pm. 

Jon D. would sub for one of the young timers teams. Mark was probably playing again somewhere. 

After a bit of tallying of scores and plus/minus stats, the Units would finish the round robin in 1st place with 3 wins and a plus/minus of +18. The Units would get a bye in to the semi-finals vs. either the Inglorious Batsters or the Dusty Cleats. These 2 teams would play in the quarter-finals against each other for the berth in the semi-finals.  

BACK TO THE INGLORIOUS.

Hurtin' Units vs. the Inglorious Batsters.

Game # 4  (semi-final game)

July 10th, 2016- 4:45ish 

Hurtin' Units win 20-10

Coventry Park- Coming in to this game the Hurtin' Units knew we were going to play a team we had already played. The Cleats and the Batsters were playing each other in the quarter finals and the winner would take on the Hurtin' Units in the semi-finals. 

The Batsters were the first team the Units played in the tournament on Saturday morning.  After the loss to the Units, they played really well and made it in to the quarter finals, I remember watching them take down the Draft Kings and thinking how good they looked. 

The Cleats were the team we played in the rain soaked affair and there it wasn't really a surprise to see them in the quarter-finals, based on how well they have played in the regular season. 

The Inglourious Batsters would go on to win the game against the Cleats and would get a second chance at the Hurtin' Units in the semis. 

The weather for this game was great, there was a strong breeze and plenty of sunshine. The Units were down to 11 players for this game, Rick had prior commitments (who knew Portugal would make it to the final in the Euro Cup) and he could not make our final 2 games. 

Magically, there was a shot of Sambuca on the bench after we warmed up a little. It's magically delicious!! 

In the this game against the Batsters, the Units offense came out strong, putting up 6 runs in the top of the 1st inning. The Units only allowed the Batsters a single run in the bottom. 

The Units would score another 7 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. The Batsters would play the Units tough the rest of the game, but in the end the Units would be victorious. The Units defense was again solid, we would bend, but would not break. The Inglorious Batsters were the only team to get in the double digits, in scoring, against the Units in this tournament. 

Kevin C. hit a ball back to me at pitcher, in this game, I think it scared him more than me. Just a reactionary catch for me, still a scary moment. Kevin came out to the pitching mound to give me a hug and make sure I was okay... then skipped back to the dugout. Thanks Skippy. 

THE TANKS WERE GETTING LOW!!

Hurtin' Units vs. the Sons of Pitches. 

Game # 5 (Finals)

July 10th, 2016.

Hurtin' Units win 27-9

The semi-finals and the finals were played almost back to back. There was a short break in between the games for guys to grab a drink, go to the washroom and prepare for the final game of the tournament. 

The Sons of Pitches probably needed this break a little more than the Units. Earlier in the afternoon the SOPs had to play a quarter-final game, which meant they had played one more game, in the hot sun, more than the Units. Their tanks were probably a little lower. 

I guess I wasn't around for the coin toss this time (I was 0-3 anyway) and Pete went up and got the win. The Hurtin' Units were the home team for this game. 

In the top of the first inning the SOPs would score a single run and the Units would counter with 2 runs to take an early, short lived lead.

In the top of the 2nd inning, the Sons would pound out 7 runs and in the bottom would shut the door on the Units. The first 7 run inning the Units had given up all tournament. 

In the top of the 3rd inning, the Units defense would hold the Sons to 1 run and in the bottom or the inning, the Units' bats would come to life scoring 4 runs to chip away at the Sons lead. The score after 3 complete innings of play, Sons of Pitches 9, Hurtin' Units 6. 

The Hurtin' Units defense, over the next 4 innings was stellar; the Units would close the door on the Sons and they would not score again, four shut out innings. I think by this time the tanks were almost empty.

Not only did the Units' defense kick it up a notch, the offense went on a tear, scoring 7 runs in each of the next 3 innings. The Units would go on to win the HTKP tournament for the first time in their 7 year history. Congratulations Units!!     

Thanks:

On Friday night I went to the all-star game and homerun derby. The pavilion was electric with people enjoying the evening's events. I stood there just looking around and thinking to myself how amazing this event has become. 

There are so many good people that put their time and energy in to to making this event happen and I would like to thank all of you for doing so. This is not an easy job, but it is a feel good event, knowing that it is all for a great cause. Thanks to everyone who participated in this great event.  

The HELP THE KIDS PLAY tournament is my favorite tournament of the baseball season. I'm not sure if it's because it's such a good cause, or because I get to play it with my regular season teammates, or if I just love to play the game, but whatever it is, I'm thankful to be a part of it.  

I would like to thank my teammates for such a great weekend of baseball. We have a great group of guys on this team and we have had a good season together. Thanks go out to Rick M.(Rick is a waiting list player, awesome skills), Troy H. (was on my winning August tournament team last year) and Phil G. (a former T.O.T player, Hurtin' Unit alumni) for playing with us this weekend.