HURTIN' UNITS GHOSTLY GOOD AGANIST BANSHEES...

HURTIN' UNITS vs. THE BANSHEES...

Game # 10  June 29, 2010 


Hurtin' Units win 25-5             


Team Record- 8-1-1    

Coventry Park- Whenever I think about the name Banshees, I conjure up images of the paranormal or the spiritual world floating around the baseball diamond, sometimes playing around with the baseball, sometimes just making strange things happen in the game...And when I think about the strange and unusually things happening, I think about Stephen King novels and short stories. I am a huge Stephen King fan, I have read more books written by King than any other author and if you were to enter my house (you would be captured and tortured, just kidding!!), if you were to enter my house you wouldn't have to look very far to find a King novel or story kicking around...Most people think of Stephen King as a strange, and twisted horror story guy, and in his early years it certainly paid the bills, but his books have never been the mindless slasher crap that is so common in movies these days. The stories he writes are actually very suspenseful and well thought out. In the early years he also wrote some good stories, many made in to some good movies...Stories like the Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me (originally named "The Body").

So what does Stephen King have to do with baseball? Mr. King is also an avid baseball fan (a Redsox fan mostly) and has also written several books with baseball as a theme... Billy Blockade, The Girl who love Tom Gordon (Tom Gordon was a closer for the Boston Redsox) and others with baseball written in as part of the story... I mention the Stephen King stuff because we all have things in common with baseball and we have all seen the strange events that can happen in the game... The missed sure catch, the perfect throw that suddenly drops and curves away, the lazy fly ball that picks up speed and sails your head, the knuckle ball and the other mysterious events that can happen in the game of baseball. The aphorism " It's not over until it's over" was probably written because strange things can happen in the game of baseball. 


Sometimes we don't even notice the spooky events that happen during a game. Maybe, just maybe, there are spirits playing along side us, although I doubt Keogh or Coventry Parks have enough history to produce any such ghosts or spirits, but anything is possible... Just about every clubhouse buzzes with stories of ghosts, legends, curses and eerie unexplained events...Players are very superstitious and fans have also developed folklore about their favorite teams and players. There are numerous movies about baseball with ghosts, spirits or angels. Major league players still talk about ghostly goings-on at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodgers Stadium. There is also the historic Spring Training ballpark in St. Petersburg, where Babe Ruth and his teammates still roam the field as spirits.

The movie Field of Dreams is based on the ghosts of the 1919 Chicago Whitesox and the eight players kicked out of baseball for throwing the World Series. Who doesn't remember the spirit voice saying " If you build it, he will come"?

There is a book called "Haunted Baseball" written by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon about ghosts, spirits and the other paranormal in the game of baseball.


None of us really knows if there are spirits amongst us, some of us may have had experiences that lead us to believe that there are...Our minds can play tricks on us and make us believe things...The television is peppered with shows about ghosts and the paranormal. Shows like the Ghost Whisperer, Medium, X files, etc. The interesting thing is that these shows all get there ideas from somewhere, are they based on fact or fiction??? 

Tonight we played the Banshees, for the second time this season, a team who's very name conjures up visions of spirits foretelling of future events...Scary stuff and a scary team. Would we see anything strange in this game?

The Banshees and The Hurtin' Units are both near the top of the standings. In our last game vs. the Banshees on June 21, the score was only 6-5, with the Units squeaking by with the win...Last time we met, we were the home team, tonight we come in to the amusement park as the meddling visitors...Scooby Doo where are you??

The weather on game day was very breezy, there were clouds scattered across the sky, but the sun was sneaking a peek periodically and the forecast was calling for clear sunny skies by game time, which meant bring your sunglasses. The skies were clear at game time and on diamond #2, the right side of the field was constantly staring in to blinding rays of the sun. Any balls hit to the right side made it an adventure...


There were no strange or spooky events in this game, unless of course you call the Units scoring 25 runs and the Banshees only putting up 5 against us strange. The Units played another solid game at defense and the offense hit Frank hard and often. Frank was throwing the knuckle ball a lot and with the wind it would dance up to the plate, but our patience kept us back and most of us managed to pound the ball around the field...

This was our second and final meeting against the Banshees this season. I never like see a team beaten by such a lopsided score (most of us don't), the Banshees are a better team than what we saw last night and I wish them well the rest of the season...

Boxscore for the game...

June 29          1st    2nd   3rd   4th    5th    6th   7th  Total


Hurtin'Units    3        3       5       2        1       7      4      25


Banshees        2        0       1       2        0        0      0      5


There were a couple of nice plays in the game last night worth mentioning. Our bats were firing on all cylinders and the run total would indicate as such... Tom Perry made a nice double play at second catching the ball, tagging the runner running from first and then throwing to first to get the batter... Jimmy Mac. made some very tough plays in RCF while fighting the bright sunshine, one which was popped up very high into the sky... Al and Robin (our #4 rated player) made difficult catches and plays and I had couple of good snags at second, one of which I through Doris out... Paul had a couple of chances to turn double plays and just missed them...As I have heard Tom Perry say several times this season " Go for one, the second one is a bonus". Tom you are a man of wisdom and you bring a calming influence to the Units... SCARY, good win guys!  UNITS UNIVERSAL!! 
                                                

HURTIN' UNITS SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL ALONG...

HURTIN' UNITS vs. THE GRISSLIES.

Game # 9- June 23, 2010


Hurtin' Units win 14-8


Team Record- 7-1-1

 Keogh Park- Well it's been quite a week, 3 games two of which were scheduled at 9:30pm. On the day of the 3rd game this week, mother nature or the universe, really doesn't matter what you call it, was busy. She gave us more than enough to make things interesting. At approximately 1:40pm, on Wednesday afternoon, I was sitting on Rob Farah's front step talking shop; subs for tonight's game, severe thunderstorm warnings, what to do if the weather doesn't let us play, etc., when we began to feel the step vibrate beneath us. This feeling lasted 10 to 20 seconds. The vibration we experienced was an earthquake or tremor of 5.0 magnitude and it was felt by half the province. In addition to the earthquake, there was a chance severe thunderstorms later in the evening and further north ( the Midland area) a F2 tornado touched down around our game time.


The rain and the thunderstorms did develop, shaking and rattling their way through, but fortunately they came before the early game and all the games scheduled for Wednesday managed to get in. There was some controversy at the diamond when the first game ran late, making the second game run late, which was shortened by time constraints, making the 8:15pm teams a little rattled, but in order to get the games in, this had to be done. Brad the umpire, was misinformed about playing 7 innings and I'm sure that this won't happen again.


As it was, the Hurtin' Units and the Grisslies game was delayed by 20 minutes and we did not get started until 9:50pm, giving us only a hour and ten minutes until Keogh lights shut off.


At game time, humidity was brutal, just standing around made you sweat, and again the mosquitoes feasted on Chris Ross. There were plenty of dark storm clouds blowing through the area and several times I felt rain drops during the game. The rain held off and the game was completed by the skin of our teeth (10:58pm) and the Units completed a three game sweep for the week, final score 14-8. Final totals for the week, 6-5 vs. Banshees, 25-8 vs. Dusty Cleats, and 14-8 vs. The Grisslies. For the week, 45 total runs for and 21 total runs against, an average of 15 runs per game for and 7 runs per game against... Nice plus/ minus week...

When I took attendance at game time (actually around 9:30pm), we were all accounted for, at least the guys who said they were going to be here. Chris Nyers was working, Tom Perry was picking his wife up at the airport, and Don Curran couldn't make the game. I called for a sub, our thanks go out to John Tessier for filling in for us.


Okay, let's get to the game. The game lacked any flair or drama. There were no outstanding plays or real highlights. The Hurtin' Units (probably a little fatigued from playing 2 games over the last 2 nights), were not as sharp defensively this night, but still managed to hold the Grisslies to only 8 runs. In 9 games played this season, we have kept our opponents to 10 runs or less against us 8 times.


In this addition of the blog, I decided to try putting in a box score to show the runs scored.

                     1st    2nd    3rd    4th    5th   6th   7th   Total

Hurtin' Units   5      2       1        0       2       0      4        14
Grisslies          2      0       0        1       4       0      1         8 

This was a good week for us, going 3 wins for 3 games. There were no outstanding plays in tonight's game, there were good defensive plays, Mikey O. and Jimmy Mac made some nice catches in the outfield, everyone had some good a bats, Paul said it was his best game of the season and if he says it was, I believe him. Who would know better?


Our next game is scheduled for Tuesday June 29th at Coventry Park at 7:00pm against the Banshees, a team that we squeaked by earlier this week by a score of 6-5. Until next game... UNITS UNWIND!!

HELP THE KIDS PLAY

Hi Guys,

The following article was written by Doug Dwyer and I was asked to post it on this blog. Please take the time to read it... Thanks, James.

HELP THE KIDS PLAY

The easiest way to get lost in the shuffle is to allow yourself to be lost in the shuffle. The world is a busy place and we meet each day with many urgent and often conflicting priorities. For many people, there is the struggle between “do we work to live or; do we live to work”. We need to work to sustain ourselves and our families, but is our work so all encompassing that we miss out in spending time with the very people we are trying to support? It’s just one of life’s daily complexities.

Now add to that, job loss, overwhelming bills, unexpected expenses, cut back hours, a roller coaster economy or general anxiety over making ends meet. Imagine sitting down with your son or daughter and saying, “I’m sorry, but we just can’t afford to do swimming lessons this year” or “we’ll look at what we can do about hockey next season”. These are real situations and conversations that too many parents face.

These problems are not unique to our town or region. It would be very easy to allow this to be one of those lost in the shuffle moments and deem the situation to be too vast to tackle. You could be lost in the shuffle; or, you could be Ed Hopkins and pledge to make a difference.

As Ed describes it, the genesis of his idea was less ‘lightning bolt’ and more ‘dimmer switch working its way to the high setting’. Ed’s idea to help those in needs started with a relatively off the cuff conversation with Larry Turner in November of 2006. As Ed recalled the chat he said “we all enjoy playing ball in Tottenham, maybe we should donate money to kids where their parents are not financially able have them play”. It was just a simple statement and Larry replied, "Good idea, maybe we should do that". In the coming weeks, conversations around that simple idea morphed into planning sessions which turned into strategy meetings with family and close friends which quickly brought Ed to the precipice of diving in with both feet; or slowly moving back from the edge of the cliff.

Ed describes it this way, “some time had gone by and nothing of substance had really happened. A month later my son was visiting from Memphis and we talked about it over dinner and after hearing about this great idea and that his dad was not moving to make it happened, he reach in his pocket, pulled out $100.00 US and without saying it out loud, he laid down the challenge to get this off the ground. I have never been known to back down from any challenge my son throws at me so I resolved on that night to make it happen. With lots of help it has turn out to be a great success.”

In very short order, the Help The Kids Play (HTKP) program has become a smash success and there is great pride in the 168 members of the Tottenham Oldtimers Slow Pitch League because one of their own made this happen!

In 2007 HTKP was able spend $2000.00 and contribute to nine (9) children playing in sports that they would have otherwise missed out on. It was a great start! From that beginning to today, the HTKP program has raised in excess of $15,000.00 and helped 73 children participate in local sports! That is making a difference on a significant scale.

While there has been organization and leadership around this program, it is a true grass-roots initiative. There are private donations that are accepted, but no less than 85% of the total financial contribution comes from an annual baseball tournament held in Tottenham at Coventry Park. That weekend of activities has grown over the years much like the program has. This year (July 9th-11th) will see an oldtimers mens division, a young timers division and a ladies division. Additionally, there will be an “all star” game between the young timers and old timers and alumni game featuring past members of the old timers league and home running hitting contest.

But those are just the scheduled events. This doesn’t speak to the weekend of family fun spent at the park, the kids playing, the food, and the camaraderie. As the profile and awareness of the event has grown, more and more people have invited friends from elsewhere to play in the tournament. The theory being that “if my participation can help a child, then bringing others will only help more”.

When asked why he participates in the weekend tournament, Kevin Boston, Treasure of the Tottenham Oldtimer’s League said, “it’s a worthy cause for the long-term development of our community. Raising money to help children play sports within the community is important to the social and physical well-being of those individuals.”

The needs of children are something that should be and is at the forefront of the thoughts of many recreational ballplayers and that is a major reason why the participation rate is as strong as it is. Being on the ground floor as a participant in the weekend as well as financial contributor through entry fees and food and beverage sales, makes everyone keenly aware of those that may need assistance. The, ‘that’s too bad’ mentality quickly changes into a ‘how can I help’ mindset. Chris Ross, President of the Tottenham Oldtimer League offered this insight, “"The Help The Kids Play program has inspired me to reach out to families that I think could benefit from this initiative.” The view is from a different lens. A lens that now offers a way to overcome challenges that prevent children from partaking in what should be a right of all youth. Sports.

While this is a very real feel-good community endeavour, the participants give willingly of their time and money knowing full well that they will never know the beneficiaries of the program. The program itself is run with strictest of privacy for the sake of anonymity of applicants. Only one committee will ever know the name of the applicant. The approved contribution from HTKP can cover any or all of enrolment, equipment or other sports related expenses.

The link to this year’s HTKP tournament is www.tottenhamoldtimers.ca/HTKP.html

Please visit the site. Please enter a team if you can. Please join an existing entry if you cannot get enough people together to form a complete team. If you are unable to play for whatever reason, bring your kids for a hot dog and watch the alumni game. Have a cold drink and watch the all star game. Bring a friend and see the Ladies, Men’s or Young men’s finals.

Become a vital contributor to an exceptionally worthy cause. Enjoy your role in making your community a better place. Don’t allow yourself to be lost in the shuffle.

HURTIN' UNITS DUST OFF THE CLEATS...

HURTIN' UNITS vs. DUSTY CLEATS...

Game # 8 - June 22, 2010

Hurtin' Units win 25-8

Team Record  6-1-1

Coventry Park- It turned out to be a good night both for baseball and for weather. The temperature and humidity had both lowered approaching game time and the thunderstorms that were around during the mid-day had moved out. The cloud cover that still remained was an asset in blocking out the sunshine that usually hampers the early game on diamond #2. The diamond surface was a tad rough and in some spots it was like quicksand... Okay maybe not quicksand, but it was really soft...

At game time we found ourselves with only 9 players. Chris N., Chris R., and Al H. were all absent. The Chris' I knew about, but Al was a surprize. The Dusty Cleats were kind enough to provide us with a catcher. At the end of the first inning, I spotted Brett Mabee in the stands, I asked him if he wanted to sub, asked the umpire and asked captain Chris Pulford for permission for Brett to sub with us. Permission was granted, Brett suited up, that brought us up to ten players. Al did show up... later in the game, he thought our game was at 8:15. Our thanks go out to Brett Mabee for subbing for us...


The game was a tale of two games really, at least for a little bit...The top of the first inning saw the Units looking mediocre defensively, missed balls, bobbles and bad plays, leading to a 7 run inning for the Dusty Cleats. It looked like it might be a long night for us. The Hurtin' Units came out in the bottom of the first and scored our first two batters, but that was all... 7-2 Dusty Cleats lead at the end of the first...


The second inning started off similiar to the first for the Cleats. The lead off batter got on, but we forced an out on the next batter, the third batter brought the runner at first around to score, but that was all they would get in this inning or any other inning in this game....In the bottom of the second inning the Hurtin' Units scored 5 more runs... 8-7 Dusty Cleats lead.


The Hurtin' Units defense and offense took over the game. The defense caught 8 fly balls and shut down the Dusty Cleats offense. The Hurtin' Units scored 7 more runs in the third inning, 7 more runs in the forth inning, 1 run in the fifth inning and 3 more runs in the sixth inning to make the final score 25-8.


The win was a real team effort, both offensively and defensively, but I thought Jerry and Robin lead the way. Jerry was pitching great, inducing fly balls and Robin was catching them... Robin made two spectacular, over the shoulder catches that really boosted our team. Offensively in this game, and there was a lot....Mike O. Went 5 for 5, 5 other players went 4 for 5, 3 other players went 3 for 5 and Brett Mabee went 3 for 4. Every player in the lineup scored at least once, Don and Robin both scored 4 times each. I have been waiting for an offensive game like this, we have shown flashes of what we are capable of doing, but it just hadn't come together until tonight.... Solid game guys!!


Two down, one more to go... UNITS UNDAUNTED!!

HURTIN' UNITS SNEAK BY THE SCARY BANSHEES...

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE BANSHEES.

             
Game # 7  June 21, 2010


Hurtin' Units win 6-5


Team Record 5-1-1


Keogh Park- In the first of our 3 games this week we faced the Banshees. This game was the makeup game from June 2 when we were rained out. The game time (9:30) conditions were hot and sticky, a warm and humid evening considering the start time... Chris Ross was a delicious feast for the mosquitoes and bugs buzzing around the park.

At game time we had a full squad, almost a full squad, Jerry was AWOL. This didn't worry me like the last time he was missing, I felt comfortable going in to pitch and I also had no problem asking Tom if he was willing to pitch, after all we pitched a hell of a game against the Brew Jays, holding them to only 7 runs in a 10-7 victory. I chose Tom over myself not because I couldn't handle the task, but more because I prefer playing other defensive positions, mostly second base...

The game started off with the Banshees scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Hurtin' Units countered with two of their own. I struck out watching 3 of Frank Laird's incredible pitches hitting the board ( I.O.U. Guys a frost jug). In a post game interview, at the Legion, by Chris Ross, I was asked the question “ what were you thinking when you saw three straight pitches hit the board?”, my reply was “ they all looked like they were outside”... Frank was throwing some good stuff and Tom was keeping pace... Jim MacDonald and I played for the Banshees last season and we have seen what Frank and Coopy are capable of doing...

The middle innings saw both teams score 2 more runs each, but in the bottom of the sixth inning the Units scored 2 more runs, to take the lead and make the score 6-4. In the top of the 7th inning the Banshees John Coopman tagged Tom for a solo, lead off homerun over the center field fence. The Hurtin' Units then displayed their defensive skills and stopped the Banshees without another threat.

The Units continue to play solid defense, the hitting in this game was also displayed, although not on the score sheet, we had the bases loaded 2 or more occasions, but we just couldn't bring the runners across and finally, I tip my cap to Tom Perry who pitched a great 5 run game. After pitching in 2 games, Tom has an ERA of 5.00.


I look forward to the other games this week, it's a tough schedule, 1 down, 2 to go... UNITS UNFINISHED.

THE WILD AND A CRAZY NIGHT...

HURTIN' UNITS vs. THE WILD.

Game # 6 - June 16, 2010

Hurtin Units win 15-9

Team Record- 4-1-1

Keogh Park- I really think we should lobby to have the name Wednesday changed to Wetsday. For the third Wednesday in a row it has rained during the day. The weather at game time was crazy, rain was threatening again, the wind was very strong and the sky was still filled with ominous, dark, storm clouds and the temperature had dropped making it feel a little chilly...


At game time we had 10 players suited up ready to play. Both the Chris' were unable to make the game . Al was no longer AWOL, it seems our friend Al showed up for the 9:30 game on Monday only to find he was a week early for the makeup game...OOPS.

The Hurtin' Units were up against last years triple crown champions, the Wild were winners of the keg party, the league and the T.O.T championship. Our Hurtin' Units teammate Jens Lepa played for the Wild last season, so he brings to the Hurtin' Units his playoff, drinking and talking to the media experience...We may calling on you when times get tough and the media starts ripping us in the local sports newpaper.


With memories of Monday's game still fresh in the minds of the Units players, the team looked for better start, with fewer errors and definitely a less dramatic finish. Monday's game we seemed to be off balanced and unfocused by the Rusty Rebels. We threw the ball away several times, we made some bad throws and we were a little sloppy with our defensive play.


The game against the Wild was much better, we held onto the ball more ( didn't throw it away), we made some nice defensive plays and throws, and are bats were good when they needed to be.

The first inning saw neither team score any runs. In the second inning the Hurtin' Units scored 3 runs, but the Wild countered with 4 of their own. The Units scored no runs in the third and the Wild added 2 more in the bottom of the inning. 6-3 The Wild after 3 innings...


Now a message from our sponsor... Hungry? Looking for a great place to have breakfast or lunch? Why not try CORA's? Good food, good fun, CORA's resturants located in the GTA....I've eaten here and I recommend Cora's to all my teammates... Jimmer.


Now back to the game: The wind made the ball move all around the plate, both Tito and Jerry walked batters. The first couple of innings we were swinging too early in the count, mostly at the first pitch or the garbage Tito was throwing, but we kept talking it up at the dugout about being patient and started taking more balls which lead to more walks and hits...


The top of the fourth inning we worked Tito a little harder and our patience started to pay off, we put on multiple base runners and brought 5 of them around to score. In the bottom of the inning we tightened the “D”, shutting the Wild out. In the fifth inning neither team could score. The sixth inning saw the Units put another 3 runs on the scoreboard and the Wild counter with a single run...11-7 for the Hurtin' Units at the end of six innings...


Going into the seventh inning most of us, actually all of us were aware of what happened on Monday night against the Rebels. Our defensive confidence was a little shaken, we needed some insurance runs to give ourselves renewed confidence. We pecked away at Tito and the Wild defense again and scored 4 more insurance runs to give us a 15 to 7 lead . 8 runs, that should be enough.... right?

In the bottom of the seventh the big bats for the Wild were leading off, and lead off they did, loading the bases and then a hard hit ball over the head of Jim M. to the fence brought in 2 Wild runs. The Wild might have scored more, but Jim got to the ball quickly and returned it to the infield minimizing the damage... Runners were now on 2nd and 3rd bases, nobody out, nail biting time had begun.


The next batter was the break the we needed, the batter hit a hard grounder to me (Jimmer) at second, I caught the ball, through to Al at first base for the out, Al turned and through a strike to Paul at home to catch the runner, coming in from third, out... Bing, Bang, Boom, there's your double play, two out!!! The runner from second advanced to third. The next batter came up and screamed a line drive down to third base, where Tommy (the cat) Perry made the catch to end the game... Units win 15-9.


I'm certainly glad we don't pick a “PLAYER of the GAME” because I don't think I could choose an individual player from this game, not because there wasn't anyone deserving, but because there were too many to choose from... Don Curran played (in my opinion) his best game this season, solid at bat, several difficult catches in the field and he showed some hustle running the bases...Tom Perry continues to have the hot bat (5 for 5 in this game) and great defense including the line drive catch to end the game... Al Hayward made some great snags at first, Robin also snagged some balls ( that just sounds wrong, especially for a guy with the nickname Dick) and made some great throws to first and second bases, I made some nice plays at second and was involved in multiple outs and the rest of the Hurtin' Units played solid defense with very few mistakes, hit the ball hard and played like a team... Good win guys...


We have three games next week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and two are late. It's going to be a tough week, but I'm sure we will get through it...If you can't make any of the games please let me know... Thanks. UNITS UNFLINCHING!!

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!!

HURTIN' UNITS vs. RUSTY REBELS

Game # 5- June 14, 2010

Hurtin' Units tie the Rusty Rebels

Team Record 3-1-1

Keogh Park- It had been overcast most of the day and at times looked like the sky might open up and give us a few showers, but by game time the clouds had given way to sun. The sun made the right fielders, first and second bases difficult to see the balls hit high into the sky.


We were home team again, every game this season... At game time we had 10 players, 2 players were missing, Nyzee was working another 16 hour shift and Al was AWOL.

There is something about playing a former team, it seems to bring back a flush of memories of seasons gone by. In 2007 Mike and I played with the Rusty Rebels. The Rebels team is Captained by Hugh Armstrong and Donny Booth. In 2007 the Rebels were a middle of the standings kinda of team, not great ( although some nights we looked quite good), but not a bottom of the barrell squad either. We had some decent players( Andy Gee, Glen Gray, Tony Mrasek, Jim Hunter), but just not enough to get into Sunday games in the playoffs...

I had the pleasure of being ribbed and picked on by Captain Hugh on a game by game basis. It was all lighthearted, tongue in cheek ribbing (which still goes on to this day) and for the most part it was all in jest, I have a good soul, so I think I can take it...On draft day 2007, Hugh asked me where I wanted to play, I replied by saying in the infield. I played third base the entire season, even when players were missing from second or first, I asked to change, but always found myself back at third. I spent the whole season having to listen to Hugh( he played shortstop) and anyone who knows Hugh knows what I'm talking about...Third was not the position I wanted, but I learned to like it... I've spent the last three years playing third base ( Rebels, Stiffs, Banshees), it's funny how things work out... I also blogged the entire season I played with the Rebels... There is a link on the Hurtin' Units website if you wish to check it out...

Okay, enough about my history with the Rebels, let's get to a brief summary of last night's game.We blew it! Okay, maybe we didn't blow it, but we were not as sharp defensively as in previous games or maybe the Rebels deserve some credit for a well played game.

The Rebels scored a single run in the top of the first inning, they were threatening more, but our defense was strong and stopped them at one. We were shut down in the bottom of the inning. The Rebels scored 3 more runs in the second and again shut us down... The Rebels scored another run in the third, but in the bottom of the third the Hurtin' Units bats came to life. The Units went on a run of consecutive hits and scored 6 runs before being stopped with the 7th run stranded on second. The Units lead 6-5 after 3 innings.

The Units finally stopped the Rebels offense (well at least for an inning) in the 4th and added another 4 runs in the bottom of the inning. Units lead 10-5.

Both teams scored a single run over the next 2 innings and going into the 7th (open inning) the Hurtin' Units held a comfortable 11-6 lead. In the top of the 7th inning the Rebels pounded out hit after hit and the runs started to come in fast and furious, by the time the Units had 3 outs the Rebels had scored 6 runs and taken a 12-11 lead...

This was the Units first blown save of the season, the first time when leading going into the 7th inning we lost the lead. There was a lot of tension in the bottom half of the 7th inning. We had just blown a 5 run lead and we were 3 outs away from losing the game. We managed to get the bases loaded, but with 2 out. Our next batter was Paul (cool as cucumber Pauly); Paul took the count to 3-2 and the final pitch was a.... ball. Red had walked in the tying run and the bases were still loaded, the Units now had a chance to win the game with another walk or a base hit. Donny Curran was the next batter, he took the first 3 pitches and had a 1-2 count, the next pitch Don swung, got under the ball and hit a lazy fly ball that was caught to end the game...

Postgame: There were smiles on most of the participants faces, it was a good comeback for the Rebels and a fortunate tie for the Hurtin' Units, all wrapped up in a drama packed 7th inning finish. A well earned point for both teams!

There were several highlights and mishaps worth mentioning. First, not related to last night's game, but certainly worthy of mention, I was checking the T.O.T. Website this morning and noticed that our teammate Tom Perry leads the top 25 batters with a 1.000 on base average, 10 for 10 and Mike Olliffe is also in the top 25 batters.

Back to game: I think we all had a good laugh when Robin ( I think it was Robin) hit a ball down to third base, where Rebels player Dave Polny was playing, Dave caught the ball and through it towards first base only to have the Rebels pitcher Eric Hipkin cut the ball off at the mount... Next...I really liked the double play turned by Robin and I. Next... Mark Doyle hit a towering shot off the left field fence over Jens' head, but Jens retrieved the ball quickly, got it back to the infield to hold Mark to only a double. Next... I made 2 nice snags at second base only to rush my throws to first, I need to slow down and set myself to make better throws, this is something I will work hard to improve as the season progresses...

Our next game is Wednesday June 16 at 8:15 at Keogh Park... UNITS UNSTEADY!!

LUCKY STIFFS MISTIFIED BY HURTIN' UNITS...

HURTIN' UNITS vs. LUCKY STIFFS

Game # 4 - June 9, 2010

Hurtin' Units win 15-8

Team Record  3-1-0

Keogh Park- It was a rainy day (for some reason I'm thinking about pizza right now) for the second Wednesday in a row and I was really hoping we did not have to cancel our game again this week. I really look forward to our games and to go three weeks without playing would have been hard to take. At game time the rain had almost stopped , it was still misty and the field was wet, but we managed to get the game in.

Again this week we found ourselves down some players. Robin (1), Don (2) and Tom (6) were all absent for the game. Chris Nyers arrived at the park and realized he lost his glove, thankfully Mikey had an extra glove in this bag (co-captains, what would we do without them). I knew we were going to be short players and called for a sub ( mmmm sub, I should stop at Quiznos on my way home). Our thanks go out to Doris C. for filling in and playing a great game.

We were facing the Lucky Stiffs, captained by Clayton C. and John S., a team that Jerry Wallace and I had the experience of playing with in 2008 when we won the T.O.T championship. Winning feels good !! Just ask the Chicago Blackhawks...

We were the home team again (every game so far this season). The Lucky Stiffs opened the first inning putting up an egg (an omelette sounds good) and the Hurtin' Units came up with 7 big, juicy runs with only one out, which was a line drive hit by Mikey, a stinger, straight up the middle to the Stiffs pitcher Andy Gee. The Stiffs scored a single run in the top of the second and the units countered with another 4 runs. 11-1 after two innings.


The Lucky Stiffs seemed to tighten up their defense as the game progressed or maybe the Hurtin' Units bats went a little cold, whatever it was the Units could only muster up another 4 runs. The Stiffs found some holes, in the later innings, and managed to score another 7 runs, but in the end the tight Units defense minimized any real damage. Final score- Hurtin' Units 15 – Lucky Stiffs 8.


This was not a stellar defensive game by any stretch, but we did come out with a victory. There are always highlights, plays or mishaps that are worth mentioning. Al Hayward continues to impress me, he is hitting the ball extremely well ( he tells me it's because he watched the videos on the website), whatever it is, keep it going. It would appear that Chris N. is becoming more comfortable at the plate and stung the ball numerous times, I made to difficult catches playing second, a line drive off the bat of Cam Clark when my glove was half on my hand and the other catch a pop fly behind second base which I didn't think I was even going to get to ( I guess they all can't be easy), Paul hit the ball probably the best he has all season and last of all, it was nice to have Chris Ross back in our lineup...


Our defense was not as sharp as it's been in previous games, could have been the damp conditions, but we still managed to hold our opponents to 8 runs... In our 4 games played this season, we have allowed 32 runs against us, an average of 8 runs per game, not too shabby for a bunch of Hurtin' Units...


Post game we went back to the clubhouse (mmm clubhouse... I really shouldn't update the blog when I'm hungry), by clubhouse I mean the Legion, where several jugs of ale were consumed. I managed to take care of some other team business... We will enter our team in the Help The Kids Play tournament, everyone is onboard except Don (only because I haven't asked him) and 6 of us are going to order the Easton pullover with the 25th anniversary logo.


The case of the missing glove has also been solved... There has been a glove lying on the bar at the Legion for several weeks, probably had a few beers and pickled eggs ( I won't even go there with this one) splashed on it, but it is no worse for the experience.


The glove has written on the outside “ This is my glove...Chris”. It would appear that our teammate Chris Nyers misplaced his glove at our previous game and it has been getting to know the Legion faithful for the last couple weeks... I have the glove Chris and I will bring it to the next game...


We have two games next week....Monday June 14 at 7:00pm at Keogh and on Wednesday June 16, at 8:15 at Keogh... UNITS UNDENIABLE!!