This post contains the complete 2021 HURTIN' UNITS season; all regular season games and playoff games.
Game # 1 - We're back on Track.
Game # 1
July 20th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Dodge City
Team Record- 1-0-0
Hurtin' Units win 15-4
Coventry Park- Well it's been almost 11 months since the Hurtin' Units were on the field. In September of 2019, the Units played their final game of the 2019 season, going out in disappointing fashion.
The 2019 season team was solid squad and we finished the regular season with a 8th place finish with a record of 11-12-1, a decent finish considering the Units lost our #1 player Rob H. after only 3 games in. We also lost our #1 player the season before, I really hope this isn't a trend.
In the 2019 playoffs, the Hurtin' Units did not fair well, we won 1 game of the 4 game round robin and finished 12 after the dust had settled. The top 12 teams would continue on with elimination games, the only problem for the Hurtin' Units was, we finished 12th, but tied with the Master Batters for 12th place, so it boiled down to plus/minus to see who continued on, you guessed it, the Units would have a -14 and the Batters a -12, the Master Batters would go on and the Units were done for the season. We have not been on the field as a team since.
Back in September of 2019, nobody would have even thought we would not be back on the field in 2020. In January 2020, myself, Rob Mc., and Robin H. held our annual euchre tournament and Rob's wife (who is a nurse) was telling us about this virus in China and it was very contagious and spreading fast. It was not long after, this virus was spreading like wildfire. By March and April the province of Ontario was shutting down. There was still hope that the Oldtimers would get a season in, if the virus was under control, but in the May captain's meeting our hopes of playing in 2020 were shut down. The executive and captains voted in favor of shutting down for the season.
In February of 2021, we had our first captain's meeting of the season, the province was in lockdown, the virus was still running wild, but there was hope on the horizon... the Covid-19 vaccine was starting to slow the virus down. It would take until June to get to the point where we could seriously talk about a Oldtimers season. By this time, we only had enough returning players to have 10 teams and it looked like season was going to happen. On July 10th the Tottenham Oldtimers, hosted by Dave Storms, would have a player draft and the 2021 league teams were born.
The ten teams still standing going into this season were.
Dogcatchers
Son of Pitches
Rusty Rebels
Dodge City Rounders
Inglorious Batsters
Master Batters
Draft Kings
Hottub Woodies
Beer Bros.
On July 20, 2021, the Hurtin' Units played their first game since September of 2019, and it felt good to be back on the diamond!
So this is how the team looks in 2021.
Peter Hollmann
Jamie Zander
Joe Tarasico
Chris Larkin
Paul Koohas
Nick Dougherty
Steve Humble
Alex Stepanoff
Derek Eldridge
Mark Clapham
Howie Young
It took a little bit for me get everything together for this game. I had stuff stored everywhere. Bats, my bag, score books, extra balls, my wagon, etc., etc. were scattered all over the place from when I stored the stuff at the end of 2019. When I got to the park I believed I had everything to get the game going, except...we were the home team and bases are our responsibility, I forgot to bring a hammer. Fortunately, Captain Beechy or somebody on that side had one and the crisis was over.
This was a 7:00pm start and the teams traded runs in the first couple of innings, but then the Units started to take over, I believe we even had a 7 run inning. Final score ending up at 15-4, a good season opener. The Units next game is on Thursday evening July 22 at 7:00pm.
Game # 2 - ZZ BATSTERS
Game # 2
July 22, 2021
Hurtin Units vs. Inglorious Batsters
Team Record 2-0-0
Hurtin Units win 23-10
Keogh Park- This game was our 2nd game of the season and our first game at Keogh Park. I actually prefer to play at Keogh, not exactly sure why, I just do.
Our opponent on this evening would be the Inglorious Batsters, with a new look in the dugout. This season the Batsters have a new co-captain, Craig (Dude) Escott, who took over the roll when Peter Hayward moved north. Good luck Pete, we will miss you.
The Weather for this game was almost perfect, no rain, no high humidity, no blistering sun, a great night for a game of ball.
The Hurtin' Units were the home team and we had a full squad, 12 players ready to play at 7:00pm.
In the top of the first inning the Batsters got off to a good start, tagging the ball around the diamond and when the dust had settled the Units found ourselves down by 5 runs. In the bottom of the inning the Units put together a pretty good display of hitting and came up 6 runs.
Over the next 5 innings the Hurtin' Units basically closed the door on the Batsters offensive, only allowing 3 runs over the 5 innings. Solid defense everywhere on the field. The Units would continue their hitting and scoring over the 5 innings, we would score 17 more runs.
In the 7th inning, the Batsters would score 2 more runs, but it would not be enough to get close. The Hurtin' Units would not bat in the 7th. Units win 23-10.
Game # 3 - Draft Kings on Tap.
July 26, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Draft Kings
Team Record -3-0-0
Hurtin' Units win 9-8
Keogh Park- This was the third game of the year and it was starting to feel somewhat normal again. On the field was feeling normal, the handshakes after the game were not there, the legion was mask on until sitting, but it was definitely getting better. And it was really a good feeling being on the diamond again. The feeling of fresh air, the sounds of balls hitting the gloves, bats hitting balls and the over all enthusiasm for playing the game.
The Hurtin' Units were the home team again this game, 3 games in a row. Our next game vs. the Hottub Woodies would be our first away game.
The weather for this game was perfect. A sun and cloud mix, 28 degrees, very little humidity and just a great night for baseball.
At game time we had 12 and I went with the exact same lineup as the previous game, I didn't even print out a new sheet.
The Hurtin' Units were the home team in this game. In the top of the first inning the Units with shut down the powerful ( Brad Y., Chuck, Derryl, Stike) Draft Kings and in the bottom of the inning the Units would score 3 runs on a bases clearing homerun by Derek over the left field fence. In the second inning the Units would again shut down the Kings. In the bottom of the second inning, the Units would score a single run, making the score 4-0 after 2 innings.
In the top of the 3rd inning, the Draft Kings got on the board with 2 runs, the Units were shut down. In the 4th inning, the Draft Kings would score another 2 runs, the Units would tack on another single run in the bottom. The score after 4 complete innings was 5-4 in favor of the Hurtin' Units.
In the 5th inning, the Draft Kings would be shut out, the Units would score 3 more runs in the bottom. In the top of the 6th inning, the Draft Kings would score 3 huge runs and keep the score close. The Draft Kings would shut the door on the Units in the bottom of the 6th. The score at the end of 6 innings was 8-7 Hurtin' Units.
The Units had the winning run at first and the top of the order coming up. Jamie was the next batter and would work Derryl G. for a walk. Now with runners on 1st and 2nd, the batter would be Peter H., after seeing a couple of pitches, Peter would hit a line drive in to RCF, Chris L. would come around to score and the Units would be victorious. Units win 9-8 in a barn burner of a game.
Game # 4 - Hot Tubbin'.
July 27, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Hottub Woodies
Team Record- 4-0-0
Hurtin Units win 24-5
Coventry Park - We were not the first T.O.T team to play on Coventry Diamond # 1, but we were there for the celebration and the giant cheque to the Township presentation. Before our game began, everyone involved with the "light it up committee", the CRIC, some people from the Town of New Tecumseth office were making a few speeches followed by a cheque presented to town. Nice little photo opportunity and a chance to mingle with the people involved. T
The lights on diamond 1 had already been turned on a week before and I had turned them on before the presentation had begun.
I did not play this game, I must have tweaked my knee in the Draft King game and could barely put any pressure on my leg. The other 11 guys were in the lineup and were hitting up a storm.
The weather was nice; warm and breezy, clear skies and dry conditions.
The game between the Hurtin' Units and the Hottub Woodies was delayed by about 10 minutes because of the presentation. The game finally got going and the away Hurtin' Units were the first to bat. The Units would begin the game with a 7 run first inning and would shut down the Woodies in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the 2nd, the Units bats would continue to crush the ball around the diamond and tally another 7 run inning. In the bottom, the Units defense was stellar and shut the Woodies down again.
I mentioned earlier that I did not play in this game and I really don't like playing or watching a lopsided game. It's not really fun for either of the teams, and let's face it, the players on the other side have been teammates or opponents for many years, we have all been on both sides of a game like this. I also don't like hearing that we have a stacked team, it's always the luck of the draft every season, this year we picked up some good rookies and some of the best rated players in the league. I've been on teams that won 3 games in entire season and I've been on teams that won the league, on draft day every team looks good on paper.
Okay, back to the game. In the top of the 6th inning, the Hurtin' Units went down 1, 2, 3. Alex got on, but the inning ended with a double play, 3 batters up, 3 batters down, the only inning the Units didn't score in. In the bottom of the inning, the Woodies put together an offensive push, and when the dust settled they had put 5 runs up on the scoreboard. In the top of the 7th inning, the Units would tack on 2 more runs and in the bottom the Woodies would go quietly 1,2,3 and that was the ball game.
our league games. I went back to the 2019 statistics and found that there were over 25 games with one team scoring more that 25 runs, there were 5 games where one team scored more than 30 runs, there were 2 games with 37 runs for the winning team and on one occasion there was a game with 40 runs scored for one team. That's a lot of runs scored. I don't remember if any of these games were against the Hurtin' Units, but I do remember games being hit all around the ball park.
Game # 5 - Master Batters beat Units.
August 2nd, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Master Batters
Team Record- 4-1-0
Hurtin' Units lose 24-23
The Units were not hitting well ( I give a lot of credit to Batter's pitcher Laurier
P. and solid defense behind him), but even being down, with 4 innings left, we felt like we were still in the game. The Units slowed the attack of the Batters, and the Units' bats started to wake up. I asked the score a going into the 5th inning and it was 18-4 for the batters.
Game # 6
Coventry Park - Holy smokes, you don't see too many games with a combined score with almost 50 runs. Well as far as games go this one was a barn burner.
This game was one of the games recently changed in the revised schedule. The Units were scheduled for a game against Dodge City at 7:00pm on Coventry #3, but now it was Master Batters at 8:30 on C2.
The weather for this game was perfect, a light breeze, sun cloud mix, in the mid 20s and a setting sun in the backdrop. The nice night for a game of ball.
At game time we had 11 players on the field ready to play some ball. Derek was the only missing body for this game.
I did not take a picture of the game sheet, so I will wing it a bit. The Hurtin' Units were the visitors in the game and would bat first. We got off to a slow start scoring only a single run in the first. The Batters would get off to a great start and we were behind early in the game.
In the early innings, the Batters were relentless in their attack, hard hit followed by more hard hits, the score was really running up and the Units were down by a lot of runs. I asked the scorekeeper the score on several occasions, it wasn't pretty. I asked around the 3rd inning and the score was somewhere around 14-4.
P. and solid defense behind him), but even being down, with 4 innings left, we felt like we were still in the game. The Units slowed the attack of the Batters, and the Units' bats started to wake up. I asked the score a going into the 5th inning and it was 18-4 for the batters.
The Units would score 7 runs in the 5th inning, another 7 runs in the sixth, the Batters would tack on another 6 runs over the 5th and 6th innings. In the top of the 7th inning, the visiting Units were down by 6 runs, but confidence was running high and batters were hitting on all cylinders, we believed we could finish the comeback. The Units would score 5 more runs in the inning, leaving the tying run on base, one run short of a huge comeback. The Batters would still have an at bat if we had tied and the way they were hitting probably would have won, but it would have still been close. Hurtin' Units lose 24-23.
Game # 6 -BEER BROS.
August 9th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Beer Bros.
Team Record- 5-1-0
Hurtin' Units win 18-5
Keogh Park- After being off for almost a week, it felt good to get back out on the field. My foot is still bothering me, but seems to be getting better.
The weather for this 8:30pm game was hot, stinky hot and stinky humid. I looked at my phone just before the game started, and it was 31 degrees and that was 8:37pm. My shirt was drenched and kept sticking to me, most of us were covered in sweat. Stinky hot I tell ya.
The Units were the home for this Keogh Park game. At game time we had 11 guys ready to play. Paul was the only missing body.
In the first inning we took an early lead and basically rode it to a victory. Our defense was pretty solid in this game, although we did throw the ball around a bit (something we have not done much this season), but we did manage to get out of most innings with very little damage. I had one inning were I walked 3 batters (just lost the board) and it could have been a bad one, based were loaded, but the defense managed to get out of it.
There were a few things in this game that are worth mentioning. Steve made a spectacular catch in right field basically diving for a short fly ball, Jamie ( I don't want to jinx the boy) has still not gotten out this season, 6 games in a row, Chris hit a pop up at home, lost sight of it and it came down and bonked him in the head. Nick broke his glasses, Joe tweaked is hamstring, Howie was hitting the ball well, Mark made a fantastic catch behind first base, taking him down to the ground. Our defense was really solid and our offensive is hitting on all cylinders. Good game Units.
August 10th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs the Dogcatchers
Team Record- 5-2-1
Hurtin' Units lose 19-18
Coventry Park- We played on diamond #1 again in this game. Our record for this diamond, under the new lights is now 1-1. We won our first game here against the Hottub Woodies by a score of 24-5 and we lost this game by a score of 18-17. I'm not sure what all this means, except we really like to score runs on this diamond after dark. We've scored 41 runs here in 2 games.
In this game we scored 17 runs, on most nights that would probably be enough to win a majority of the season's games. Not tonight! This game was a back and forth affair and each side taking the lead and then giving it up to the other.
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| Photo by Larry Turner |
At game time the Units were missing two bodies, Steve H. and Paul K. were both on holiday assignment.
The Hurtin' Units were the visitors in this game.
In the first 2 innings, the Units got off to a great start, the Dogcatchers added some runs of their own, but after 2 it was 8-3 for the Units.
In the next 2 innings, the Dogcatchers turned the tables and scored 8 runs and they held the Units to only 3 more runs. After 4 complete innings the score was 11-11. A very close game.
In the next 2 innings (5th and 6th), the Hurtin' Units added 5 more runs to their score, but the Dogcatchers would add 6 more runs and this is where the game was decided. The Dogcatchers had taken a 1 run lead heading in to the final inning.
In the top of the 7th inning, the Hurtin' Units would score 2 more runs taking a 1 run lead, 18-17. The home team Dogcatchers would have their bottom half of the inning to comeback, the Units needed to shut the door. In the bottom of the inning, lead off batter Randy would get on base, Dave M. would hit in to a fielder's choice and Randy would be out at 2nd base. Jason B. would hit a triple and Dave M. would come around from first to tie the game. With Jason on 3rd base, I would intentionally walk Richard to set up a force at 2nd and hopefully get the next batter... Mr. Robert Quadrini (a Hurtin' Units alumni and a guy with a great secret agent name). Rob would hit a base hit to LCF and Jason B. would come in to score the winning run. Hurtin' Units lose for the second time this season and for the second time with the last at bat of the game.
Next game up against the Master Batters.
Game # 8 - Master Batters - Round 2
August 16th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Master Batters
Hurtin' Units win 14-11
Team Record-6-2-0
Keogh Park- For the first time this season the Hurtin' Units played their opponents for a second time. On August 2nd, in game # 5, the Units played the Master Batters in a barn burner of a game. In that game the Units got down earlier, battled back in the later innings and fell just short, losing by a score of 24-23. This game tonight would not be as exciting.
The weather for this game was worrisome, there was a threat of rain showers most of the day and at game time there was a lot of overcast. The game was dry, but there were a few drops during the game. The temperature was in the mid 20s.
At game time we had 11 guys dressed in Orange, yes we finally got the shirts for this season. Orange is bright, but I will definitely wear orange over the gold we wore for 2 seasons. Our shirt colour will probably change again next season, the Dusty Cleats took the season off and they hold the rights to the orange shirts. The only missing player was Joe T., Joe was nursing a groin injury.
the inning the Units would score 2 runs and Howie would be the final batter of the inning. I mention Howie because going in to the second inning Roman asked me who was keeping score, we all hesitated, looked around, scratched our heads and I replied " I don't know". The scoresheet was in my wagon and unfortunately Deb was sitting in the stands and was willing to scorekeep. Whoa, that was a close one.
In the second inning, the visiting Master Batters would score 4 runs and the Units would counter with 3 more of their own. Over the next 2 innings, both teams would score 4 runs each. After 4 complete innings the score was 9-8 for the Hurtin' Units.
Neither team would score in the 5th inning. The Units would also keep the Batters off the scoresheet in the top of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the 6th inning the Units bats came to life and when the diamond dust had settled the Units had scored 5 more runs. The Master Batters scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th, but it would not be enough to catch the Units. The home team Units would not bat in the bottom of the inning.
There are a couple of things to mention from this game. Jamie finally had an out, in the 8th game of the season (3rd at bat), that's a great run to start the season. Derek turned a beautiful double play with Nick playing first. We played our first game in the orange jerseys. Jamie threw out a runner at home from left center field to Alex catching. Units defense threw the ball around in the game a little more than usual, but still played a solid game. In my opinion the defense won this game. Great job Units!!
Game # 9
August 18th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. The Rusty Rebels
Hurtin' Units win 11-9
Team Record- 7-2-0
Keogh Park- I'm one of these people that uses "Carpe Diem" on almost a daily basis. It's more like a mantra to me, but what I have come to realize is that the world is not static, it's always changing and we may have plans for each day, but almost always, something comes up that we never see coming and it changes our path a little. I'm not talking a negative or bad thing, in fact, I'm talking more to the positive direction.
The weather for this game was perfect. Warm temperatures (not hot), soft breeze and sun/ cloud mix.
At game time we had 10 guys dressed in Orange to take on the 2nd place Rusty Rebels. Steve was out of town and could not make it back in time and I was still dealing with a sore foot, that was aggravated in Monday's game. Pete was the pitcher of record in this game. I dislike missing games!!
In the top of the 1st inning the Rebels sent 7 batters to the plate, only the leadoff batter would come around to score, the Unit's defense would get out of the half leaving the bases loaded. In the bottom of the inning the Units would sent only 5 batters to the plate, Jamie would get on, Peter would hit a double and then Mark, Derek and Chris all got out. Jamie would score on Pete's double and Peter would score on 2 fly ball outs. The score at the end of the first was 2-1 for the Units.
In the top of the 2nd inning, the Rebels sent 6 batters to the plate, 2 of the batters would come around to score. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Units would send only 4 batters to the plate, Howie and Nick would fly out and Alex would be thrown out at first. My surprise of the day was the Hurtin' Units' batter between Howie and Alex. That batter was Paul. Paul hit a blast to right field easily clearing the fence for a awesome homerun. I was shocked, and very pleasantly surprised, the highlight of my night. At the end of 2 innings the score was tied 3-3.
" A homerun hitter does not know he's a homerun hitter, until he hits a homerun".
If you're not quite sure what Paul did, here are a few terms that might help.
- homer, HR, dinger, tater, goner, blast, bomb, big fly, deep fly, wallop shot, moonshot, cannon shot, Ruthian blast, round tripper, four bagger, four-base hit, four-base knock, touch 'em all, went deep, circuit clout, going yard, leaving the yard, yardwork, long ball, jack drive, kiss it goodbye.
In the 4th inning the Units shut the door on the Rebels, 1,2,3. In the bottom of the inning the Units bats came to life, 10 batters came to the plate, and when the diamond dust had settled the Units had put up 5 runs and left to batters on base. Nice inning Units, up by a score of 8-5.
Over the next 2 innings, the battle continued, the Rebels would mount a comeback scoring 5 more runs vs. the Units 3 runs. Going in to the 7th inning the Units still had a slight edge with a 11-9 lead. Matt S. would lead off the Rebels with a base hit, Donny B. would fly out, Jens would fly out and Robert J. would hit a ground ball getting Matt forced out at second base. Units win 11-9.
Game # 10 - An Inglorious Evening for Ball
August 24, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Inglorious Batsters
Hurtin' Units win 24-9
Team Record - 8-2-0
Coventry Park - Back on July 22, 2021, in the Hurtin' Units second game of the season, the Units did battle with these same Inglorious Batsters and won by a very similar score. In the game on the July 22, the Units defeated the Batsters by a score of 23-10.
The weather for game # 10 was hot, in fact we had been in a heat wave for several days, so most of the players on both sides were drenched in sweat following the game. Beer sales were up this night.
At game time the Units had 10 guys dressed in Orange and ready to play. My foot was still bothering me and Joe was at the cottage. We only had a single game this week. The Units were the visitors for this game.
In the 1st inning, both teams scored 3 runs each. In the 2nd inning, the Units bats were hitting on all cylinders and Units scored 5 more runs. The Units defense would shut the door. In the 3rd inning, both teams would go down fast with neither team scoring.
In the 4th inning, both teams flexed some muscle and when the dust settled, the Units had scored 6 more runs and the Batsters had put up a 5 run inning. In the top of the 5th inning, the Units tacked on another 2 runs and shut down the offense of the Batsters. After 5 complete innings, the Hurtin' Units were up 16-8 on the score sheet.
In the top of the 6th inning, the Units put up 7 more runs and held the Batsters to only a single run. In the final inning, the Units would tack on a single run and shut the door on the Batsters for final time on the night. The final score was 24-9 for the Units.
Game #11- Bubbling in the Hottub.
August 31, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Hottub Woodies
Hurtin' Units lose 18-13
Team Record - 8-3-0
Coventry Park- This game was probably the worst game of the season for the 2021 Hurtin' Units, we did not hit well, we did not defend well and we did not compete very well. I do give some credit to the Woodies, they hit where the Units weren't playing, they defended well and the subs just destroyed us with big hits. Al Frans (sub) was a monster in this game.
The weather for this game was in the 20s, there was a sun/cloud mix and the wind was blowing softly from the north. We played on Coventry 2 and the Units were the visitors.
At game time, the Units had a full squad for the first time this season. 12 players dressed and not really ready to play.
The first inning started off okay, the Units scored 2 runs and we were off to the races. In the bottom of the inning the Woodies put up 3 of their own runs and this uncomfortable feeling came over me.
In the 2nd and 3rd innings, the Units were shut down quickly and in the bottom of the 3rd inning the Woodies would add 4 more runs to their score. After 3 complete innings the score was 7-2 for the Hottub Woodies.
In the top of the 4th inning, the Units would finally get the bats working, scoring 4 big runs to tighten up the score. But as luck would have it, the Woodies would also score 4 runs the bottom and not lose any ground. Neither team scored in the 5th inning. In the 6th inning Units would get back on the sticks and score 4 more runs, again tightening up the score. The Woodies would not go away, and in the bottom of the 6th they would put 7 runs up on the scoreboard. CRAP!! The score at the end of 6 innings was 18-10 in favor of the Hottub Woodies.
The Hurtin' Units were in a bit of a batting funk most of the game and would need 8 runs to tie and more for a win. The Units did manage to score another 3 runs, but in the end fell short of the Woodies who played a great game.
Game #12 - A Good Night in Dodge City.
September 2, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Dodge City Rounders
Hurtin' Units win 22-6
Team Record-
Keogh Park- On Tuesday, vs. the Hottub Woodies, I thought we played our worst game of the season. We did not bat well at all, we made mistakes that we wouldn't normally make and our defense was very sloppy. I will give some credit to the Woodies, they hit well and found the gaps and their defense kept us off the bases.
I believe this game, vs. the Dodge City Rounders, was our best played defensive game of the season. We were well positioned most of the night, we kept the big Dodge bats scratching their heads and the we did not throw the ball away at all. I used the word STELLAR several times after the game, to describe our defense.
The weather for this game was cool, temperature about 19 degrees, with a very strong wind blowing around the ball park. The ball was really travelling well off the bats of both teams.
For the second straight game the Units had a full team, every players dressed in orange and this time ready to play. The Units were the visitors again.
The Units got off to a good start scoring 4 runs to start the game. The defense kept the Rounders to 1 run. Dodge City would shut down the Units in the 2nd inning and would score another single run. In the 3rd inning the Units bats sprung to life and put up a 7 run inning. The defense with shut the door. After 3 complete innings, the Units lead by a score of 11-2.
The 4th and 5th innings were low scoring innings, Units with 1 run and Dodge with 2 runs.
In the 6th inning the Units bats came live again lead by the bottom of the order. Howie got on with a walk, Alex, Nick and Jimmer got on with singles and Jamie (top of the order) cleared the bases. The Units would score 7 runs and the defense again shut the door. The score at the end of 6 innings was 19-4.
In the 7th inning, the Units would score 3 more times, the Dodge City Rounders would score 2 more. The final score 22-6 for the Units. The Units scored a lot of runs in this game, but the defense was really the highlight of this game.
Game# 13- HERE COMES THE SONS.
September 13th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Sons of Pitches
Hurtin' Units win 17-3
Team Record- 10-3-0
Keogh Park- Our game on September 7th vs. this same Sons of Pitches team was canceled due to a major thunder storm and we only had 1 game last week, so this was the first time on the field since September 7th. We did not look rusty at all.
The Sons of Pitches did not have their full team, they were playing with 4 subs, 4 decent subs. Playing for them were Dave C., Dave M., Keith D., and Jason B. This was the first time for the Units to play the Sons, so it wasn't really an accurate gage of the how each team would really do against each other.
The Units will play the Sons of Pitches 2 more times before the season ends.
The weather for this game was good, it was warm, soft breeze and really comfortable temperatures for a September ball game.
The Home team Units got off to a good start and really didn't look back. In the first 3 innings the Units would score 9 runs vs. a single run by the Sons. Scoring slowed down in the 4 and 5 innings, the Units with 3 more runs and Sons with 1 more. The score after 5 complete innings was 11-2 for the Units.
In the 6th inning, the Units would score another 5 runs. The 7th inning would see the Sons of Pitches scoring another single run, the Units were the home team and would not bat. Hurtin' Units win 17-3.
The Sons of Pitches only had 6 of their own players, I expect a different game when we meet again.
Game # 14- Drafty Night in Keogh Park.
September 15th, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. The Draft Kings
Hurtin' Units win 12-2
Team Record- 11-3-0
Keogh Park- This game was our 2nd time playing the Draft Kings. The first time we played the Draft Kings, the Units would be victorious in the first game by a score of 9-8. The Draft Kings are in second place in the standings and if they had won this game they would have been tied with the Units.
This game was also for the BEER CUP, which the Units had not played for this season. The Draft Kings owe us a Jug.
The weather for this game was very comfortable, temperatures in the 20s, soft breeze and sun cloud mix. This game was actually a rescheduled game from the Tuesday night before at Coventry, when wicked thunder storms lit up the skies and heavy rain accompanied the lightening filled evening. We were really fortunate to get a 7:00pm start on Wednesday at Keogh in such a quick turn around. Dave Storms did a great job getting the rescheduling done for this game. The Draft Kings would play a double header on the evening, playing the Beer Bros. following our game.
At game time we were missing Steve.
The Units defense had been very good against the Sons of Pitches on the Monday night only allowing 3 runs in the game. The Defense was stellar in this game vs. the Draft Kings, holding the 2nd place team to only 2 runs. The Draft Kings defense played excellent also, only allowing a few runs per inning. This game was a close battle all the way through, with both teams playing like it was a playoff game. It really would not have taken much to make this game closer.
At the end of the day, this game was one of our toughest games of the season. The score would tell a different story, but the Draft Kings are a solid hitting and defending team and can beat any team, on any night, any where (including the Legion) and they will be a challenge in the playoffs.
UNITS WHETHER THE STORM AGAINST THE BEER BROS.
September 21, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Beer Bros.
Hurtin' Units win 14-12
Team Record - 12-3-0
Coventry Park - On the last full day of summer the weather was the topic of discussion. For the last couple of days all we were hearing from the weather networks and radio was how much rain we were going to get over the next 3 days. I spent a part of my day preparing for the rain were expecting and the skies looked like they were ready to open up at any minute.
The Units were playing an 8:30pm game and I decided to head to the park, to watch the 7:00 game, there were a few sprinkles of rain, but still dry enough to play. When I got to the park, the sprinkles had stopped and it was actually quite pleasant at the diamond. As the Rusty Rebel and Draft King game (being played on Coventry# 1) continued there was moments or mist falling across the sky, really noticeable in front of the lights that had already been turned on for this game.
By the time the first game had finished, the mist was still falling, but the diamond was still very playable. Our game got started around 8:28pm and the home team Units took the field. At game time we were missing 2 players.
Over the past weekend, Joe was playing baseball for his other team and unfortunately he was injured. Joe torn something in his knew and ended up in the hospital requiring surgery. His season was finished. The other missing player was Jamie, who I don't think has missed a game, and I'm not sure what happened to our leadoff guy. The weather was probably the reason for the no show, it was not a pretty night.
In the first inning, the Units would shut down the Bros. and would put 4 runs up on the scoreboard. In the top of the 2nd inning, the Beer Bros. would score 7 runs and take a temporary lead. In the bottm of the second the Units would tack on another 4 runs and take back the lead. The 3rd innings would see both teams score runs the Beer Bros. with 3 in the top and the Units with 5 in the bottom. After 3 complete innings the score was 13-10 for the Units.
This was one of those games where whoever wins was going to win ugly. The mist kept falling, sometimes there was a brief shower, but we kept on battling through inning after inning. The ball was slippery, the bats were slippery, the fields were getting slippery, but we kept going, wanting to get this game in.
In the 4th inning, each team scored a single run. In the top of the 5th inning, the Beer Bros. scored a single run, getting within 2 runs of the Units. The Units did not score in the 5th inning, but now this game was official, 5 innings had been played. In the 6th inning, both teams did not score, the score was 14-12 going into the 7th and final inning. In the top of the 7th inning, the Units defense would shut the door on the strong willed Beer Bros. batters and would record their 12 victory of the season on a mist, foggy, wet last day of the summer.
The Hurtin' Units would defend the BEER CUP. The Beer Bros. owe us a Jug.
Game # 16 - Sub in for the Tubin'.
September 23, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Hottub Woodies.
Hurtin' Units win 15-10
Team Record 13-3-0
Keogh Park - Our game on Tuesday evening it was a wet and misty night, but we still played and we managed to get it in before the skies opened up and the heavy rain began to fall.
The Hurtin' Units next game was supposed to be on Thursday evening vs. the Sons of Pitches, but was canceled because of the heavy rains on Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. The crappy thing was the rain had stopped early on Thursday morning and it looked like we were going to play. The Town put a stop to those thoughts, they closed the diamonds on Thursday morning, way too prematurely and by the afternoon the diamonds were looking good. Paul appealed to the town, but their decision was final. No games on Thursday.
Because of the rainouts, the league executive decided to reduced our season number of games back to 17 games. In many ways a lot of players in the league probably didn't mind. The Units were scheduled to play 3 game the week of September 27th and we were reduced by one.
The weather for this game was good, it was dry with a sun/ cloud mix, but the night was a little bit cool. The grass was wet from dew, so the ball was a little slick at times. For late September the temperatures were still quite comfortable. I was sweating by the end of the game.
The Units were missing Derek, Steve and Joe (injury) for this game and for the first time this season we had to call for a sub. 1 time all season is really good. We were assigned Porter for our sub on this evening.
The Hotub Woodies played us hard and if not for a 7 run 3rd this game would have been closer. Even going in to the bottom of the 7th inning, the Woodies were only 5 runs down. In the final inning, the Woodies would get guys on bases, but a double play and a strike out sealed the deal for the Units.
With this win, the Hurtin' Units would clinch the league title. One more regular season game to decide the Beer Cup and then hopefully great playoffs for the UNITS.
Game # 17 - Good Day Sonshine.
September 30, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Sons of Pitches.
Hurtin' Units win 11-7
Team Record - 14-3-0
Keogh Park- It was a good day at Keogh Park. It was a cool, September night and this park was full of spectators, not all for the Hurtin' Units vs. the Sons of Pitches game, although there were probably some, but no most were here to honor and watch the final regular season game of Sir Edward Hopkins.
The Hurtin' Units would play the 7:00pm game, but there was already a crowd gathering for the 8:30pm game with the Beer Bros. vs. the Hottub Woodies. By the end of our game, the stands were full and there was only standing room left. It was really a great show of support for Ed, who had played in this league for 20 years. Someone (I'm assuming the Danceman) had gathered the names and years of everyone who played on the Hottub Woodies and displayed them along the fence so everyone could see. Before this night happened, Jeff (the Danceman) had posted on Facebook asking everyone who ever played on the Woodies to wear their jerseys. There were 20 seasons of Hottub Jerseys scattered throughout the park; a beautiful site to see.
In 2006, I played on the Hottub Woodies and I'm going to say this was probably my first full season playing in the league (I had signed up before, but could not make the games, so stepped aside) and Jeff and Ed must have made it fun because I have been in this league ever since. Almost 15 years later I am still playing. I think I must have made a good impression on these guys, especially Ed, not only as a player, but as league executive material.
In the 2010 season, we had 14 teams in total in the League, there were 2 new
teams in the T.O.T league, the Hurtin' Units and the Brew Jays. On draft day, both of these teams would draft very good teams. It really helps when you're a first time captain and get good players. We also drafted the president of the league which was a great way to navigate through our first season. Chris Ross was the president in 2010 and he was a great mentor to us. Again, it didn't hurt to draft a good team.
teams in the T.O.T league, the Hurtin' Units and the Brew Jays. On draft day, both of these teams would draft very good teams. It really helps when you're a first time captain and get good players. We also drafted the president of the league which was a great way to navigate through our first season. Chris Ross was the president in 2010 and he was a great mentor to us. Again, it didn't hurt to draft a good team.
In our first seasons, the Brew Jays and the Hurtin' Units would be neck and neck in the standings. The 2 most dominate teams in the league. When the season ended, the Hurtin' Units would win the league by 2 points. The Hurtin' Units record, on a 26 game season, was 19-5-2 with 40 points. The Brew Jays were 19-7-0 with same number of wins, but more losses.
It has been 11 seasons since the Hurtin' Units won the league back in 2010, and we finally have gotten back to this spot winning the league in 2021. I know everyone will say we had more teams back then, but only 4 more than this season. To win in a 10 team league is still a major accomplishment and I'm proud on this team and how well we played.
Since the 2010 season the Units have competed, we have played in meaning full games on Sunday, but we have never won the championship. The Units have won just about everything else. Over the Hurtin' Units 11 seasons, the Units have won the league twice, the Beer Cup twice, the HTKP tournament, the Keg party, but we have never won the championship.
Okay, let's get back to our final game of the season vs. the Sons of Pitches. I mentioned earlier, in this long and informative blog, that the weather was cool, in the single digits, but it was still a nice night for baseball and celebration.
Missing for the Hurtin' Units were Derek and Joe (injury).
On Monday evening the Units played the Hottub Woodies and would win a close game by a score of 15-10. This win would officially make the Units the league champions. The game against the Sons of Pitches would be played for where the Sons would finish in the standings and for the BEER CUP.
The Hurtin' Units won the Beer Cup off the Draft Kings and this game would be the Units 3 defense of the Cup. We would hold on for a 11-7 win and win the Beer Cup for the 2nd time in our history. The Units won the beer cup in 2016.
This was our final game of the season and our second in a row without Derek. Steve was back and had an impact on this game. This game was not an easy win. The Sons played us hard and we were up to the task. I thought we played stellar defense, Paul and Mark were brilliant in the infield and our outfield made some unbelievable catches. Our runs against for the season was incredible, only 162 runs over 17 games. Defense wins!!! Lots of runs don't hurt either, we scored 283 runs on the season with a run differential of 121.
Final Standing 2021
Top 25 Batters 2021
Let the Playoffs Begin. Game # 1
Playoff Game # 1
October 1st, 2021
Beer Bros. vs. Hurtin' Units.
Hurtin' Units win 19-5
Team Record 1-0-1
Coventry Park- The first game of the playoffs can be nerve racking, if you get off to a good start, momentum can sometimes carry a team through. If you lose it could spell disaster. The Units and the Beer Bros played each other on the September 21, 2021, on a drizzly, rainy, misty night and it was a close game. The Units would be victorious by a score of 14-12. You can see how we might be a bit nervous getting the Bros. in the first game of the playoffs.
This game was the Friday night game and was played on Coventry # 1 at 7:00pm.
The Units had 10 players ready to play, Nick was running late, but would show up at the end of the first inning.
The Units chose to be the away team in this game, hoping to get more runs in the 7th inning for a better plus/minus following the round robin. In the first inning, the Units would get off to a great start scoring 4 runs and shutting out the Beer Bros.
In the second inning, the Units were shut out and the Beer Bros. scored 3 runs in the bottom. In the third inning, the Units would tack on 2 more runs and hold the Beer Bros. to a single run in the bottom. After 3 complete innings, the Units lead by a score of 6-4, a very close, nerve racking game.
In the forth inning, the Units bats came alive and scored 4 runs, giving the Units a bit of a cushion. The Beer Bros. did manage a single run in the forth inning. The fifth inning would see both teams shut out from scoring.
In the 6th and 7th inning, the Units would take control scoring a total of 9 more runs and holding the Beer Bros off the scoresheet. The final score finishing up at 19-5. Hurtin' Units would get off to a good start in the 2021 playoffs. Up next the Hottub Woodies.
Game # 2 Hurtin' Units get Woodies
Playoff Game # 2
October 2, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Hottub Woodies
Hurtin' Units lose 6-5
Team Playoff Record 1-1-0
Coventry Park- This season every team was scheduled to play 2 games vs. every other team plus a bonus 3rd game against 1 team rounding out a 19 game schedule. The season was rolling along nicely until the final 3 weeks, when we experienced thunderstorms and rain outs. These canceled games threw a monkey wrench in to the schedule. We were running out of time and games were not going to be made up. The league executive decided to reduce the schedule for every team, down to 17 games.
When the schedule was reduced the Hurtin' Units had 4 games remaining, 2 vs. Sons of Pitches, 1 vs. the Rusty Rebels and 1 against the Dogcatchers. Coming in to the final week the Units schedule was reduced by 2 games and we would only play the Sons of Pitches from the original schedule and we would get another game vs. the Hottub Woodies who we had already played twice this season.
In the first game vs. the Hottub Woodies ( July 27th) , the Units would beat up the Woodies by a score of 25-5. In the second game (August 31st), the Woodies would get some revenge beating the Units by a score of 18-13 and handing the Units only their 3rd loss of the season. In the third game (September 30th) the Units would win their 13th game of the season defeating the Woodies by a score of 15-10.
The Hurtin' Units lost only 3 games in the regular season and the last loss was the game vs. the Hottub Woodies on August 31st. The Hurtin' Units next loss would be against these same Woodies in the 2021 Playoffs. The Woodies played an excellent game vs. the Units in this game.
The Hurtin' Units were again the away team, hoping to build a strong plus/minus if things got close after the completion of the round robin.
This game was the first game for the Units on the Saturday schedule, 9:00am, on Coventry # 2. The weather on Saturday was excellent, warm, sunny and dry.
At game time, we had 11 players dressed in Orange and ready to play. The Woodies had other ideas.
In the first inning, the Units got 2 runners on base and Derek hit a 3 run homerun out of the park to left center field. In the bottom of the inning the Woodies would be shut down. In the second inning, the Units would tack on another single run and the Units defense would shut the door again. The third innings would see the neither team score. After 3 complete innings the Units were leading 4-0.
In the sixth inning, the Hurtin' Units would start off with Alex, who grounded out, Nick would get a base hit, I would hit into a fielder's choice, getting Nick out at second base and with 2 out Jamie would be our last chance to take the lead. Jamie would fly out and the inning was over. In the bottom of the inning, Red would ground out, Wayne would hit a single (Red would pinch run), Simon would hit a single and Red (running for Wayne) would come to third base, Anthony would hit a outfield fly ball, Red would tag and come home for the winning run. The Woodies would win 6-5, shocking the Hurtin' Units.
The Woodies were playing well and would go on to tie the Draft Kings in their 3rd game. The tie between the Woodies and Draft Kings would be the dagger in the playoff hopes of the Hurtin' Units. Even with a win against the Inglorious Batsters the Units were out of the playoffs.
Game # 3- Units Look Ugly Against Kings.
Playoff Game # 3
October 3, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. Draft Kings
Hurtin' Units lose 12-7
Playoff Team Record 1-2-0
Keogh Park- The Hurtin' Units have played well all season long and I don't believe we lost 2 games in a row the entire season. Well, I guess we were due.
Well knew coming in to this game that the Draft Kings would probably be our toughest matchup in the playoffs. The Kings finished 3rd in the overall standings with a record of 11-6-0, with 2 of those losses coming from the Hurtin' Units. The Units first game against the Draft Kings was a great battle and the Units came away with a 9-8 win. However, the Units second game the Units played stellar defense and won by a score of 12-2, also capturing the BEER Cup. A solid statement game to be sure.
The weather for this game was perfect. The sun was shining, the breeze was soft and warm, the temperature was probably close to 21-22 degrees. I would play in this beautiful type of weather every day of the week. Spectacular weather on this playoff Saturday.
At game time we had 11 guys dressed in Orange and ready to take on the Kings. Joe was the only missing player.
In our earlier game, we played solid defensively, only allowing 6 runs, for some teams that's a inning of scoring. Only 6 runs, but a devastating loss in the most important games of the season.
The Hurtin' Units had not lost 2 games in a row all season and this game was huge if the Units wants to get in to Sunday games. The start of this game was close, each team defending well and limiting the big innings. The Draft Kings had a couple of big innings hitting the ball all around the diamond, the Units did not throw the ball around, the Kings just hit where we weren't. It was that simple, every player on the Draft Kings seemed to have a scope on their bats, hitting the open areas. When the dust settled, the Units found themselves in a deep hole, and couldn't find a way out, the Kings defense was strong in this game.
Hurtin' Units found themselves in an uncomfortable position with a 1-2 record.
Game # 4 -Units Bounce Back at Coventry.
Playoff Game # 4
October 2, 2021
Hurtin' Units vs. the Inglorious Batsters.
Hurtin' Units win 22-11
Playoff Team Record- 2-2-0
Coventry Park- After playing our last game at Keogh Park, we came back to play at Coventry. At this point, we had played all of our playoff games, at Coventry, on diamond # 1 and this game was back on #1 also.
As I mentioned earlier, the weather was still great, perfect day for baseball, better than when we usually play in September.
The Units were in a very uncomfortable position by this game. The Draft Kings were playing the Hottub Woodies, which seemed like a no-brainer that they should win. The Units needed a win to keep our playoff hopes alive, 2-2 could be enough to get us in.
In the first inning, the Units showed their muscles and put 5 runs on the scoresheet. Inglorious scored a single in the bottom of the inning. Both teams were shut out in the second inning. In the third inning, the runs came Fast and Furious, the Units with 7 runs and the Batsters with 5 runs. 12 total runs in the inning, more than the total in the Woodies vs. Units game. After 3 complete innings, the score was 12-6 for the Units.
In the top of the forth inning, the Units only scored a single run and the Inglorious found a groove, scoring another 5 runs making the game a little bit closer. The score was now 13-11 for the Units. Over the next 3 innings, the Units scored another 9 runs and the Units defense shut the door on the Batsters. The Final score 22-11 for the Units.
Following this game, we were informed that the Draft Kings and the Hottub Woodies had tied their game. This was bad news for our playoff hopes. The Draft Kings were 2-1-1 and the Hottub Woodies were 1-1-1 with a game to play against Beer Bros. who were 2-0-1. The Draft Kings were ahead of the Units with that tie, one of the Beer Bros. or the Hottub Woodies would get the 2nd seeding, even if they tied. The Woodies would win vs. the Beer Bros. and be in Sunday's games vs. the Master Batters.
After the conclusion of the round robin the four teams remaining were:
Master Batters
Dogcatchers
Hottub Woodies
Draft Kings
The Master Batters vs. Hottub Woodies.
The Dogcatchers vs. the Draft Kings.
The Master Batters and the Draft Kings would both be victorious in the semi-finals and play in the finals on Sunday afternoon.
The Master Batters would go on to win the 2021 Tottenham Oldtimers Championship. Congratulations Master Batters!!
This was really a season of uncertainty, back in April the Province of Ontario was in lockdown, we had no idea if there would even be a season. As things started to open up, there was hope and talk that a season might go after all. The executive and the Captains worked hard to make a season happen. The registration was slow, some captains opted out of the 2021 season. When registration was closed, the league had enough players signed up to play a 10 team season with a healthy waiting list.
The slow opening of the province kept the start of the season on hold, but things started looking up and we were looking at salvaging the 2021 season. The start of the season and the draft would probably be pushed back, but it was hopeful that we were going to play.
In early July 2021, the Team Captains that were committed to playing, had a blind draft to pick teams for the upcoming season. The draft was held at a private residence and live streamed to players in the league. It was a success, the teams were picked and now we waited on a schedule and a start date. On July 19, 2021, the Tottenham Oldtimers Slopitch League played it's first game since the fall of 2019.
The season was finally underway with COVID rules and protocols in place to protect our players and keep everyone healthy. There were several baseball practises before things got rolling along and guys were just happy to be on the diamond. There were parts of a regular (non-Covid) season that were missed; hand shakes, HTKP Tournament, T.O.T golf tournament, banquet, etc., etc.
The Hurtin' Units got off to a great start with a really good group of guys, we would finish the season with a 14-3-0 record. On draft day, we drafted 3 rookie players ( I was nervous about this) and all 3 turned out to be perfect guys for this league and very good players for the Hurtin' Units. The Units would go on to win the league, the Beer Cup, the Keg party and Jamie Z. (rookie) would win the batting title, but we fell short in the playoffs. In a year that looked like there may be a Championship Team for the Hurtin' Units, it was not to be. The Hurtin' Units are winners for having such great teammates and playing in such a great league.
