UNITS PUT BEER BROTHERS ON ICE.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE BEER BROTHERS.

Game # 17- July 30, 2014

Hurtin' Units win 23-20

Team Record 3-13-0

Keogh Park- For the second time this week we played a team for the second time on the season. On Monday night it was the Blues Brothers and last night it was the Beer Brothers. 

On May 26th, game # 3 on the season, the Beer Brothers and the Hurtin' Units did battle at Keogh Park. The Beer Brothers won the game by a score of 19-14, handing the Units their 3rd loss of the season. 

For the second time this week, the Hurtin' Units would win against a team that had defended them earlier in the season. 

The weather for this game was not a factor. The temperature was around 20 degrees, the skies were overcast and there was a soft breeze. 

We were missing 2 players from our roster. Kevin and Don were not in the lineup. We picked up Kevin B. as a sub, 1 of our roster players wasn't sure if he was going to make it for the game. 

Roman has become the official umpire of the Hurtin' Units...This may not be exactly true, but he did umpire all 3 games we played this week. 

We were the visitors in this 8:15pm game. 

I have said recently, in other blog postings, that I really think we are playing better defensively and I will repeat that statement here one more time. We are definitely playing tighter defense and over the last 5 games I have seen major improvement. 

In the top of the first inning the Units scored 3 runs to start the game and in the bottom of the inning the Brothers would score 2. The second inning was the roughest inning for the Units, we only scored a single run and the Beer Brothers would score 7 runs, not even getting an out. The third inning was almost even in scoring, the Units scored 3 and the Brothers 4. After 3 complete innings the score was 13-7 for the BB. 

In the 4th, 5th and 6th innings is when the Units really showed that improvement defensively only allowing the Beer Brothers to score a single run over the 3 innings. Offensively, over the 3 innings, the Units scored 11 runs.  The score after 6 complete innings was now 18-14 for the Hurtin' Units. 

In the top of the seventh inning, the Units would score another 5 runs to go up by 9 runs. In the bottom of the 7th the Brothers were not going away without a fight. The Beer Brothers would score 6 runs in the final frame, but it would not be enough.The Hurtin' Units would bend in the final inning, but would not break. 

I think that earlier in the season the Units might have been rattled enough, in that final inning, that we probably would have lost the game. The improvement defensively, the coming around of our batters (I've always thought we have a good batting lineup) and a new found confidence has really improved the Hurtin' Units team. 

I thought that Clayton had his best game of the season, making several excellent diving catches for huge outs in the game. 

Every Hurtin' Units player contributed offensively in this game. The bats were alive with the sound of aluminium on leather. Here's how the batting looked on the scoresheet.

Esua- 3-5
Dave- 4-5
Clayton-4-5
Joel- 4-5
Dwayne- 5-5
Art-2-5  (with another awesome triple)
Rick- 4-5
Bill- 2-5
Mike- 3-4
Jimmer- 3-4

Great game guys, I look forward to our next one.  


walk watch-g-1 Simon, s-9 

SLIP SLID AND AWAY...

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE SLIDERS.

Game # 16- July 29, 2014  

Hurtin' Units lose 20-12

Team Record - 2-14-0

Coventry Park- Game #2 on the week, didn't really go as I hoped it would. I was really hoping for a back to back wins for the first time this season. Doh!! 

The weather for this game was very cool; the temperature was in the teens and there was light breeze. The sky was overcast. This game was a 9:30pm start. The umpire was Roman (for the second night in a row) and we were the visitors in this game. 

We had almost a full team dressed. Clayton was the only missing body at game time. Unfortunately, during the game, Kevin C. was running to first base and pulled a muscle in his calf. Kevin was unable to finish the game and had difficulty walking off the field and to the parking lot. 

We got off to late start in this game; we had to wait for the game on C2 to end before we could even get this game started. We waited for 2 subs to come from the 8:15 game. 

Must be a Hurtin' Units fan...Tattoo? 

We started this game the opposite way we did on Monday evening; on Monday we started off slow in the first inning giving up a lot of runs and scoring a few. In this game, we started strong with 6 runs in the top of the inning and only gave up 3 in the bottom of the inning. 

We battled these guys tough for the next couple of innings, but in the end the batting power of the Sliders proved to be too much for the Units on this night. The Sliders picked up Kahuna and Dave P. as subs and these players hurt us on the scoreboard. 

We have one more game this week and considering the month and the number of games this week, I'm surprised to see such great roster turn outs at our games. It has been a tough season and everyone one has been really great on this team. Over the last 4 or 5 games, I think we have played some decent baseball and hopefully that good play will start to show in the win column. 

walk watch- g-2, s-8 

BROTHERS SINGIN' THE BLUES.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE BLUES BROTHERS.

Tough game against a tough team.

Game # 15 -July 28, 2012

Hurtin' Units win 11-10

Team Record- 2-13-0

Keogh Park- On May 8, 2014, the Hurtin' Units played their first game of the season. The game was a hard fought battle, with a tight score, and when the dust settled the Blues Brothers would hand the Hurtin' Units there first loss of the season by a score of 10-8. This loss was the first loss in the Hurtin' Units history of an opening night and it put the Units on a path that would see 11 straight losses before the Units would see a win. 

Rockin' the to the tune of a Winner, Winner....

The second game with the Blues Brothers was another hard fought battle, but this time it was the Hurtin' Units who came out on top. 

The weather for this game was cool, the temperature was around 17 degrees, there was a strong breeze blowing west to east and the sky was a cloud/sun mix. 

At game time (7:00pm), we had every player, on this year's roster, dressed to play. NICE!! The umpire for this game was Roman. The Units were the home team. 

Brothers were swinging in the first.

In the top of the first inning the Blues Brothers started off strong, tagging almost every first pitch I threw. The Units looked a little bit nervous defensively, dropping a few balls that were probably outs, we probably gave the Brothers 5 or 6 outs in the first. In the bottom of the first inning the Units got a few runs back. 

Over the next couple innings the teams battled back and forth. The Units defense was the best I've seen it all season, the outfield was stellar setting up positioning and they made several game saving catches. Neil P. hit a home run over the right field fence, can't really do much about that can we? 

The Units were tighter in the later innings. 

On the infield, Clayton made a spectacular diving catch at SS to rob the Brothers and get an important out. Dwayne made the final out at 3rd base by staying with the runner as he slipped off the base. Mike and Dwayne both made great blocks at 3rd base (different innings, both at third would be a little odd) to keep the ball on the infield.

We were looking good...

The defense was stellar in this game, but the Units were also awesome in the offensive department. The highlight hit was from Art L.S., in the later innings, when Art hit a gapper homerun and 3 runs scored including the game leading run. Esau was the lead off batter and was solid in the task. I went 3 for 3 with a sore knee. Mike hit the ball hard all 3 times at bat, Kevin just missed a right field homerun, Rick ran out a couple of ground balls and everybody else was instrumental in the win. 

This is a week with 3 games; we got off to a great start in this game and hopefully we can keep this great play going in to the next couple of games. 

RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVILS.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE GRUESOME DEVILS.

Running with the Devils....

Game # 14 -July 22, 2014

Hurtin' Units lose 21-8 

Team Record- 1-13-0

Coventry Park- I'm not really sure what happened, but I had posted the game between the Hurtin Units and the Gruesome Devils on Monday afternoon and when I went on the blog on Tuesday the posting was gone. Needless to say everything I had posted went bye, bye and I'm sure that I can't remember what I said. 

Dealing with the Devils.

I do know that our game was at Coventry Park (C2), and it was at 8:15pm. Our umpire was Lou R.  and we were the home team. 

At game time we had 9 players dressed on the field. I did not play. Bill and Rick were the other missing players. We picked up Pully as a sub, pitcher.

Perfect night to play the Devils. 

I do remember that the Gruesomes beat us up pretty good. I do remember that the skies were full of lightning all around us. 

This has never happened before. I usually scribble down a few notes after each game, but I can't seem to find the notes...I'll chalk this up as a live and learn...  

TAPPED OUT....

HURTIN' UNITS VS. TAP MASTERS.

TAPPED OUT...

Game # 13 -July 21, 2014

Hurtin' Units lose 20-6

Team Record- 1-12-0

Keogh Park- It may seem like the same ole game from the Hurtin' Units, but this game started off with some really good intensity.
Over the first couple of innings the Units played a solid game, but like most games this season, something happened that zapped our spirit and the game slipped away.

The weather was really nice for this 7:00pm game. A few soft clouds peppered the sunny sky, the temperature was in the high 20s and there was almost no wind to speak of. 

There were 12 Hurtin' Unit players dressed at the park and we picked up LOU C. as a sub. I know what you're thinking, why the sub? For the first time since 2007, I could not play in a T.O.T game. I woke up last Thursday morning with knee pain and it got progressively worse as the weekend went on. By Sunday I could barely walk. I had gone to emergency on Saturday for ex-rays and blood work and the doctor believed that it may have been gout. Not really sure what it was, but there was no way I could play on Monday or Tuesday this week. Our P2 (Bill) was experiencing leg pain and could not pitch either.

Intense game...

It was great to see our whole team dressed on the night. I was the scorekeeper for the evening. 

I mentioned earlier that there was a different feel to this game. I actually think I said that we had more intensity in this game and I believe that to be true. I think that our first win played a part in this intensity, but once the Tap Masters started to pound the ball around the field, it didn't take much to crush our spirits. The Tap Masters were probably not the first team we needed to play after our first win. Going in to this game the Tap Masters were sitting in second place in the standings and they were flying high coming off the HTKP tournament win. It would have been nicer to play someone down further in the standings.

We (Hurtin' Units) are a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team when it comes to batting. We only managed to score 6 runs in this game, compared to our last game when we scored 20 runs. As far as defense goes, I think we are improving, Joel and Art are still learning in the outfield (doing well) and Kevin is definitely a game changer in the outfield. 

We are a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team. 

In a few conversations with our guys, I think we would like to get out and have batting and fielding practise. I would be all for this, and Mike and I will try to set something up.  

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER...

HURTIN' UNITS VS. DUSTY CLEATS.

Main street in Tottenham following the Hurtin' Units win...

Game # 12-July 16, 2014

Hurtin' Units win 20-16

Team Record- 1-11-0

Keogh Park- If there is any team (or team captains) that can sympathize with the season that the Hurtin' Units are having, it would be the Dusty Cleats. They have been there, done that...

In 2010, the Cleats had a rough season with a 3-23-0 record in a 26 game schedule. Now Luigi, that's a tougha season... Every team, if they stay in the league long enough, will go through the highs and lows of winning and losing seasons.

2011 Dusty Cleats.

In 2011 (a year later), the Dusty Cleats would dominate the league with a 22-2-0 record (24 game schedule). The Cleats would play in to August without a loss and on the afternoon of August 15, 2011 the Cleats had 19-0-0 record. On the evening of August 15th the Dusty Cleats streak finally came to an end. It was game #21 for the Hurtin' Units and game #20 for the Cleats, it would be a see-saw battle until the final out, and when the diamond dust finally settled, the Hurtin' Units would be victorious by a score of 15-14. The Dusty Cleat's quest for a perfect season would come to an end.

Flying high, after the win.

The Cleats would go on to lose 1 more game that season, but they would win the league championship and would go all the way to the playoff finals, only to lose a tight battle against the Grisslies by a score of 7-5.

On July 16th, 2014 the Dusty Cleats and Hurtin' Units would again engage on the field and another streak would come to an end. The weather for this game was decent; temperatures in the mid 20s, overcast, non threatening skies and a slight breeze. Units were the visitors in this 8:15pm game and Roman was the umpire.

We had great support from everyone.

At game time, the Hurtin' Units had 11 players dressed in the Black and Gold, the only missing player was Don C. 

The Units had the first at bat and we got off to a good start scoring 2 runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the inning, it looked like the same old story repeating itself, as the Dusty Cleats scored 7 runs and the Units could not get 3 outs. 

Everyone made a contribution in this game...

Dwayne started off the top of the second inning, got on, 

but was forced out at second when Rick hit in to a fielders choice. Esau, Bill and Mike all 

got on base, Bill (Dwayne running) was forced out at 2nd base. Rick, Esau and Mike all came around to score on hits by Clayton and Dave. With Clayton and Dave on base, Kevin came up and hit a towering homerun to the right side of the diamond, in to the tennis courts. Jimmer would fly out for the 3rd out of the inning. The Units would score 6 runs... In the bottom of the inning, the Units would hold the Cleats to only a single run. At the end of 2 innings, the score was 8-8. 

Gettin' the monkey off our back or
gettin' the stink off our monkey...
either way it's a win.

In the 3rd inning, the Hurtin' Units would be held off the scoreboard and would allow the Cleats to score a single run in the bottom of the inning. 

In the 4th inning, the Hurtin' Units would score another 4 runs. Bill (Rick running) would come around to score on hits by Mike and Clayton; Kevin would advance the runners with a single, and with the bases loaded, one out, Jimmer came to bat. Jimmer would hit a double over the head of the left fielder and Mike, Clayton and Kevin would come in to score... In the bottom of the inning, the Units would shut down the Cleats, with only 5 batters coming to the plate. 

In the top of the 5th, the Units were shut down... In the bottom of the inning, the Cleats bats roared to life again, the Cleats would score 6 runs. The score at the end of the 5th inning was 15-12 for the Dusty Cleats.

It was a  battle to the finish.

In the top 6th inning, the Units would score another 3 runs. Mike started off the inning with a single, Clayton followed with another single, Dave would hit in to a fielder's choice forcing Clayton out at second. Kevin came to bat with Mike and Dave on base; Kevin hit another homerun in to the tennis courts scoring all base runners... In the bottom of the inning, the Units would shut down the Cleats, with only 5 batters coming to the plate. At the end of 6 innings the score was tied 15-15.

Kevin hit 2 homeruns and lead the Units to victory.

In the top of the 7th inning (open inning) the Units would score 5 more runs. Dwayne, Esau, Mike, Clayton and Dave all came around to score. Kevin got an intentional walk in the inning, probably because of the 2 homeruns hit earlier in the game... In the bottom of the inning, Matt F. hit an in the park homerun, Calvin S. hit a single and that would be all the Cleats would get. The next 3 batters would get out, the last out a pop fly to Dwayne at 3rd base for the Hurtin' Units first win of the season. 

It would not surprise anyone if I was to say that Kevin C. lead the Units to this victory. Kevin hit 2 homeruns, went 5 for 5 at the plate, made numerous great catches in the field and scored 4 runs in this game. Kevin lead the way, but everyone on the team made contributions. Dave scored 4 runs and went 4 for 5,  Clayton went 4 for 5 and Mike went 4 for 4 and both scored 3 runs each, Dwayne, Esau and Rick all scored runs in the game. Every player on the Units had at least one hit.
  

This win was cause for celebration.

There was definitely a sigh of relief when Dwayne made the final out of the inning. The smile on the faces of the Units players following the victory was a welcome site to see. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

I'm looking forward to the next game. 

IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR EMPTY???

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE DRAFT KINGS.

Game # 11- July 10th, 2014

Hurtin' Units lose 24-5

Team Record- 0-11-0

Keogh Park- In 2013 the Draft Kings were both the league champions and the playoff champions. Last season the Hurtin' Units played the Draft Kings twice; The first time was the first game of the season on May 8th and the Units were victorious by a score of 16-11. The second game was on August 20th and the Draft Kings won by a score of 19-18.


The weather for this game was perfect for baseball, slight breeze, warm temperatures and no rain anywhere. 

Dressed for the Units were 10 players. The only missing bodies were Esua and Rick. The Units were the home team and the Umpire was Roman. Mikey Boy was using his new glove for the second time. 

It's difficult to write about our team as we continue on this losing streak, a losing streak probably never seen by any team in this league. During this game I had conversations with numerous Units players as to what we should and can do to turn this thing around. I got back a lot of feed back, and hopefully some of it will put us on a forward path. 

I have thought that we have always had a solid hitting team with really strong bats throughout our lineup. Where did it go this game?? This game we only scored 5 total runs, most teams can do that in their sleep, we have a difficult time doing it with seven innings. I keep hoping, that one night we can put it all together and come up with the first win on the season. 

Defensively, I think we are improving, but we still have work to do. Joel and Art are getting more and more comfortable in the field and both these guys are hitting well. It was great to have Kevin back in the lineup, he has missed some games due to work and when he is here he makes our team much stronger. 

I was perusing the standings over the past weekend, after this game was posted, and for the Units it didn't look too good. 
  

15

Hurtin' Units

11

0

11

0

0

125

241

-116

After this game on Thursday night, we have a plus/minus differential of -116. The next closest team is -40. The good news is that we only sit 8 games back of the first place team and they have a game in hand on us. We are now at the half way point in the season, I don't think we are going to catch the first place team, I do think we will make the playoffs, I do think we are going to win at least a game this season. So with the start of the second half beginning we have an opportunity to turn things around and play more competitively. The Hurtin' Units next game is Wednesday July 15, 2014 at 8:15pm. 

CLOSE...BUT NO CIGAR or BOB SEGER.

HURTIN' UNITS VS. SONS OF PITCHES.

It's a fine line.

Game #10- July 8th, 2014

Hurtin' Units lose 20-19

Team Record 0-10-0

Coventry Park- On Tuesday afternoon, around 2:30pm, I was driving north on Mount Wolfe Road, the rain was falling hard, so hard I could hardly see out my windshield. The thunder and lightening were booming and flashing all around me as I slowly made my way toward Tottenham. Mike had sent me a text about 10 minutes earlier, informing me that it was raining like a MOFO in Tottenham.  What is it about rain and thunderstorms on Tuesdays? For the third time over the last 4 Tuesdays, we have had rain and thunderstorms and even a tornado. 

Smokin at the Plate.

With the volume of rain that was coming down, I thought for sure the Tuesday night games were going to be canceled and rescheduled because the diamonds, the other 2 times, were flooded and unplayable. 

The rain stopped shortly after I arrived home and the sun actually made an appearance for a brief time. Around 5:30pm, dark ominous clouds started to roll back in to the Tottenham area and the threat of rain again reared it's ugly head. The temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up as the front moved in. 

Wonder if we're playin'?

At 6:35pm Mike and I were on Mainstreet, the rain had started to lightly fall. It wasn't looking good; the heavy rains earlier on the day, Coventry known for it's ponding on the playing surface and the threat of rain and thunderstorms in the forecast didn't make playing our game very promising. 

When we arrived at Coventry, the sky was still splitting a little.  In the Pavillion, the Grisslies were hosting a Fan Appreciation evening. They had wine, food and a DJ playing Old Time Rock and Roll. The turnout was pretty good, either that or the people were there, at the park, to watch the Units take on the Sons of Pitches. Would this be the night the Units finally get a victory? And with the unsettled weather, would everyone show up to play?

Crossing the line...

With the unsettled weather, I was worried about the Units players showing up for the game; Our team is spread out over the countryside, from Alliston to Beeton to Orangeville and weather can be different in these areas. 

By 7:00pm 8 Unit players were at the park. Rick was still in the tropics (Katmandu or Guam), Don C. was under the weather (no pun intended) Art was in transit (golf game ran long) and I didn't know if Esua was going to show. 

Livin' on the edge.

The grounds crew was still mopping up the infield and the start of the game was delayed. We were the visitors in this 7:00pm game, Lou R. was the umpire. 

In the top of the first inning, it looked like we had a chance to Turn the Page when we sent 11 batters to the plate and scored 6 runs. But our lead was short lived when the Sons of Pitches scored 6 runs, of their own, in the bottom of the inning. 

In the second inning we scored only a single run; The SOPs countered with 2 in the bottom.

Over the next 2 innings we were Still the Same when we didn't score a single run and we gave up 10 more runs to the SOPs.

In the 5th inning the Units put up 3 more runs to chip away at the Sons lead. In the bottom of the inning we were defensively Like a Rock keeping the SOPs off the scoresheet. 

Going in to the 6th inning (open) the score was 18-10 for the Sons of Pitches. In the top of the 6th inning, Kevin lead off with a towering homerun over the right field fence; the ball was a little bit wind assisted and if he had been hitting Against the Wind it might not have gone out.

Things are not always as they seem.

The Hurtin' Units would send 11 more batters to the plate and score 8 more runs before the inning concluded. Going in to the bottom of the inning, the score was now 19-18 for the Units...Yep you read that right, 19-18 for the Hurtin' Units... We were probably thinking We got the Night. The Units lead would short lived... again; The Sons would come back, in the bottom of the 6th inning, to score 2 runs for the victory. 

This game was a really good character building game for the Units, we came back from a 8 run deficit, and our bats are really starting to be more consistent. In this game, every Hurtin' Unit's player hit .500 or better. Dave, Art and Joel all went 4 for 4 and Kevin, Art and Joel all scored 3 runs each. 

The most interesting team in the world...

For the second straight game (not including the tournament) we had scored 18 runs per game. These are encouraging signs; we need to still tighten up our defense and hopefully with 12 games remaining we can improve our Night Moves and better our game. 

CLOSE...BUT NO CIGAR.

HELPIN' THE LITTLE RASCALS PLAY...

HELP THE KIDS PLAY TOURNAMENT.

Helpin' the Kids Play.

JULY 4-6, 2014


Coventry Park- In seasons past, I found that the HTKP tournament helped the Hurtin' Units teams to play a little better down the stretch to the playoffs. And if there was ever a season that we needed a change for the better, this would be the one. Where we really need to tightened things up is defensively. I looked at the standings on the Friday afternoon of the HTKP tournament (not sure of why I looked at them, it's not like something has changed for us) and it wasn't pretty. The Units still remained at the bottom of the barrel with a 0-9-0 record and a -96 plus/minus differential. I can't remember any team being this deep in the minus.

13	Dusty Cleats	11	3	8	0	6	140	176	-36
14	Brew Jays	9	2	6	1	5	101	117	-16
15	Hurtin' Units	9	0	9	0	0	101	197	-96

These numbers indicate more than just your average curse or jinx, this is more like a voodoo doll kind of spell cast on to the Units team. There are several ways to remove a spell like this one. Change the look on the field would be a good start. So I decided to make up some HTKP t-shirts for the tournament. And with 4 new players in the lineup, this could change things a bit. Added to the Hurtin' Units for the tournament were Andy G., Jim R., Brad W., and Phil G. Now that is some added fire power. I changed the colour of the tape on our bats to yellow (it was green for the last couple of years).

Hurtin' Units get mew equipment manager.

I purchased a little red folding wagon as our teams equipment manager. I also smudged the lineup and myself before game one. One more thing that I thought might change our luck was to bring out the Sambuca. We have used the sweet, slicky, licorice tasting beverage in previous seasons and this would be the first time for this season. I'm not sure if any of these things will help, but there has never been a better time to try.  

Game # 1 vs. Gruesome Devils

It's just their team name Buckwheat!!

Friday July 4th, 2014 at 8:15pm

Hurtin' Units lose 11-10

Coventry 3- This is probably my best season for pitching since I started in 2011. On the season, I have walked only 4 batters and have struck out more, either swinging or foul out than I can remember. I know the -96 doesn't look good, but really my pitching hasn't been the problem.

But with all that said, I thought it would be in the best interest of this team to start Andy G. in game 1. We needed a good start in this tournament and I hoped this could get us started. 

We did get a good start and at one point we had a 10-6 lead, but the speed of the Devils was too much (that Skippy guy can fly) and Roman is no slouch either.

I'm here for the beer.

Our defense was good in this game, we held the Gruesome to only 10 runs, but our bats were not firing on all cylinders. 

Going into the seventh inning, we had a chance to go ahead when Phil hit a triple with one out, but he was caught off the third base bag and was called out. I came up next and hit a single, which would have scored Phil. The next batter came up and hit into a fielder's choice for final out for the Units. The score was still tied going into the bottom of the inning. 

The Gruesome's lead off hitter Robin D. hit a single, the next batter hit a grounder to me between 1st and 2nd, I threw to first for the out and Robin advanced to second base. The next Devil batter also hit to me, I threw to first for the out and Robin advanced to third base. Two out winning run at third base. The next batter (Frasier) hit to Dave Mc. at short, Dave bobbled a little, but recovered, threw to first, but the ball went off Mike's glove and batter was safe, Robin came in to score and the game was over. 

We played a great game and we had a chance to win, we are getting closer and with 13 games left to play on the season, we could be looking at a win sometime in the near future.

Game # 2 vs. Tap Masters.

Only 9 runs all game...shocking.

Saturday July 5th, 2014 at 11:00am

Hurtin' Units lose 13-9

Coventry C1- I was a bit rushed before leaving home for this game and in my rush I must have put on two odd socks. I didn't realize my error until I was stretching my back just before the game. Well, all the other things I did before game #1 didn't seem to help us, so an odd pair of might be something to change our luck.

Yep it changed our luck alright... but not in the way I wanted. The Hurtin' Units bats went stone cold in this game against the Tap Masters. The Units only managed 5 runs in the first 6 innings and we put up a 4 run inning in the 7th falling short of the Tap Master's 13 run game.

You only need one bat.

The Units defense was pretty good (best I've seen all season, but we're not going to win many games scoring a single run an inning. 

We were the home team for this game, Phil called it and won the coin toss. Lou R. was our umpire. We were missing Dave Mc. from the tournament team for this game. 

I was originally planning on starting the game pitching, but I really wanted a win so I changed my mind at the start of the game. I put Andy in again. The Tappers got off to a good start, scoring 6 runs in the first. They scored again in the second, so I suggested to Andy that I come in to pitch and give them a different look. We slowed the Tap Masters, but without run support we were fighting an uphill battle. 

Late in the game, Bill C. took a ball off the shin which would slow him down for the rest of the tournament. 

As I mentioned before, the Units would rally in the bottom of the 7th, with 4 runs, but it would not be enough and the Tap Masters would get their 2nd win of the tournament. The Tap Masters would go on to win the HTKP tournament vs. the Dog Catchers by a score of 19-10.
   
Game # 3 vs. Sons of Pitches.

We need a win to stay in.

Saturday July 5th, 2014 at 5:15pm.

Hurtin' Units lose 9-8

Coventry C2- After the loss to the Tap Masters, we had to work the bar, side by side, with the team that basically knocked us out of the tournament. We now still had a slim chance to get in, if we could win a game, keep our plus/minus down and with a lot of help from other teams playing each other.  

There were 2 teams with 2 wins and a bunch off teams with a 1-1 record after their second game. With a slim chance still remaining, we turned our attention to the Sons of Pitches.

Art Lord-Stafford is dreamy...
he's my favorite player. 

Again, we had a chance to win our first game of the season and possibly sneak in to the top 4 of the tournament. By the time this game had started, we were all but out of the tournament, another team had a 2nd win and 2 of the teams with 1 win were playing each other and worse case scenario was a tie and that would give each team 3 points. All we could hope for was a win, for our first win on the season. 

We got off to a great start in this game, scoring 5 runs in the first inning and keeping the Sons off the score sheet. But the bats went cold again and the Units could only score 3 more runs in the whole game. The Son of Pitches would chip away at the Units lead and when the open inning was called (4th...way to early) the Units found themselves in a tie...at least that what we thought...We didn't score in the top of the inning and when we went on the field to defend the tie, the scorekeeper announced the the Sons actually had a 9-8 lead. The game was over. 

Dogglehead Day.

This was a tough way to lose, but  I guess it is the way our season has gone! I'm really proud of the team we fielded this weekend, we were in every game, our defense was good and I think it was a great experience for the new guys on the team...I think this tournament is going to help us down the stretch run.