CLOSE, BUT NO BEER... OR CIGAR. 

Game # 23 

August 23, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. the Beer Bros. 

Hurtin' Units lose 12-11

Team Record- 14-7-2

Coventry Park- Coming in to this game the Hurtin' Units were 1 point ahead of the Beer Bros. in the standings, but also had a game in hand. This was another one of those game were I didn't snap a picture of the game sheet, and I honestly didn't know what the final score was, I just knew we lost, in the bottom of the seventh inning, by one run. 

The weather for this game was really nice, the temperature was in the mid 20s again, it was humid (not stupid humid) and the ball was coming off the bats with some good velocity. 

Close to game time, we only had 9 players, we were missing Jerry (Covid protocol), Marc L. (shoulder stiffness) and Hags who I was not aware was going to be absent. I looked at my phone at about 5 minutes before the game and noticed there was a message that Darrell would be missing. Scramble mode kicked in, I knew Troy was on C2 and went to him to help find a player. Better to go through the sub control to avoid controversy. I was missing my 3, 5, and 6, which totals 14 divided by 3 equals an "A" player. The Rebels had just played and I asked Brian Ricardson to play, Brian agreed... my stress was relieved.

The thing I've really notice this season about the top teams is the team speed. The Rebels, Draft Kings and the Beer Bros all have guys that motor around the bases. We have a bunch of speed also and that rounds out the top 4 positions in the standings and probably explains why they are in those positions. Hitting and defense don't hurt either. LOL 

This game with the Units and Bros. had a pretty good back and forth battle, both teams surrendering the lead and then getting it back, it was really a tight match. I mentioned earlier that I didn't get a picture of the score sheet, and without that sheet it makes it a little more difficult to tell a bit more of the story. I know that in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Units were up by 1 run, we had one out and the Beer Bros. had the tying run on 3rd base, winning run on 2nd base with Neil P. coming to bat. I intentionally walked Neil to load the bases and put a force play on every base. The next batter ( I think it was Kevin) hit a line drive over second base and Jon D. looked like he had a catch, but as bad luck would have it, the ball hit Jon's glove and sprayed off in to center field, the runners at third and second bases would come and around to score and the Beer Bros. would win by a score of 12-11. "Missed it by that much", if Jon catches that line drive, he easily doubles up the runner at 2nd base and game over, the UNITS win, but in this game of inches it was not to be.  Hurtin' Units next game is Thursday August 25th at 7:00pm.

HURTIN' UNITS
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Stef Kapp	5	0	3	0	0	0
Fernando Su	4	1	2	0	0	0
Chris "Chilly" Chilvers	4	1	1	0	0	0
Jon Douma	4	2	3	0	0	0
Brad Russell	4	1	2	0	0	0
Russell Mabee	4	2	3	0	0	0
Peter Hollmann	4	2	3	0	0	0
Enrico Conte	4	1	2	0	0	0
Jimmer Taylor	4	0	1	0	0	0
Totals	37	10	20	0	0	0
2B: Su, Douma, Russell 3B: Chilvers, Douma (2), Russell

BEER BROS.
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kevin "Skippy" Cavalier	4	2	2	0	0	0
Paul Ferris	4	2	2	0	0	0
Neil Pendlebury	4	2	3	0	0	0
Kevin Carrick	4	1	4	0	0	0
Fabio Nichilo	4	0	2	0	0	0
Shawn Ramadan	3	1	2	0	0	0
Norman Tobin	3	0	1	0	0	0
Paul Piellusch	3	0	0	0	0	0
Mike Olliffe	3	1	2	0	0	0
Drew Dawson	3	1	1	0	0	0
Al Bales	3	2	2	0	0	0
Totals	38	12	21	0	0	0
2B: Pendlebury, Olliffe 3B: Carrick, Dawson HR: Cavalier, Ramadan

 THIS IS A NEW LOW. 

Game # 22 

August 18th, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. the Inglorious Batsters

Hurtin" Units win 6-4

Team Record- 14-6-2

Keogh Park- Two games back we set a new low, on the season, when we played the Dogcatchers and won the game by a score of 6-5. Well, that record low did not last very long, in this game we had an even lower total score. 

The weather for this game was good, some humidity, temperatures in the mid 20s, a sun cloud mix and a breeze blowing out from the batter's box. The ball was flying deep off the bats. 

At game time we had 11 guys dressed ready to play, Enrico was going to be a little late and arrived at just after the first inning. 

In the first five inning, the runs were few and far between, the Hurtin' Units scored 5 runs in 5 innings and we kept the Batsters to only a single run. The Units defense shut out the Inglorious for the first 4 innings and gave up the first Batster run in the bottom of the 5th inning. 

In the top of the 6th inning, the Units scored another single run, but in the bottom of the inning the Batsters got the offense going and put up 3 runs on the scoresheet. The score at the end of 6 innings, was Units 6 and Batsters 4. 

In the top of the seventh inning, Chilly would hit a single, but the next 3 batters ( Russell, Darrell and Jimmer) all went down quickly. In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Batsters would get the tying run on base, but with 1 out Jon would turn a double play and that's the ball game. Close game, Batsters are definitely better than their record would indicate. The Hurtin' Units next game is next Tuesday August 23rd vs. the Beer Bros.   

 

I'M BETTING ON A GOOD GAME. 

Game # 21

August 16, 2022 

Hurtin' Units vs. The Gamblers.

Hurtin' Units win 28-15  

Team Record - 13-6-2

COVENTRY PARK- Way, way, way back on May 31st the Hurtin' Units and the Gamblers played their first ever game against each other and it was probably a game the Gamblers either wanted to forget or mark on their calendar for the second meeting. In the game back in May ( May seems like so long ago doesn't it?), it was the Gamblers 4th game, their record was 2-1 to start the season and every game was a close one. In the first match Hurtin' Units vs. the Gamblers, the Units came out crushing the ball all over the field and when the diamond dust settled the Units were victorious by a score of 19-4. On to game # 2.

The weather for this game was not ideal, there was a overcast sky with dark clouds, flashes of lightening in the distance with a roll of thunder once in a while. During the game rain started falling, lightly at first, but then it got harder as the game progressed. Just after the fifth inning, the rain started to ease up and by the finish it had stopped. 

At game time, the Units had 11 guys dressed in Hurtin' Unit red (actually 10 in red, I had subbed the game before and was still in a t-shirt), but there were 11 guys for the game. I was expecting 12 guys tonight, but Hags didn't show up. Where's Hags???

The Hurtin' Units were the visitors in this game. The game was played on Coventry diamond # 2 and it was an 8:30pm start time. Tiffany was the scorekeeper and Joe T. was the umpire of record. 

The game started in dry conditions, the Units first at bat went pretty well, setting the tone of the game early. This was going to be a high scoring game and I was betting on it. I was not actually betting on a high scoring game (not a Pete Rose kinda guy), but I was thinking with all the fire power on these 2 teams a couple or 50 runs might come in.

I was right the game was full of offense and based on the final score the defense was slightly better for Units. In my last post against the Dogcatchers, I went hit by hit and got in to a lot of detail, but that game was a 6-5 win for the Units much easier to describe. 

This game is just easier to include the game sheets to see the number of little filled boxes and the scoring on both sides. There were a total of 43 runs scored in this game and we got it played despite the rain and the time restraints. Fun game against the Gamblers. The Hurtin' Units next game is Thursday August 18th vs. the Inglorious Batsters.

 WITH A REBEL YELL, WE GET MORE, MORE, MORE. 

Game #15 

July 12th, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. The Rusty Rebels

Hurtin' Units lose 20-15

Team Record- 9-6-0

Coventry Park- This game was played on C2 at 7:00pm and I hate playing on this diamond especially on a sunny day, the sun is in the eyes of most of the players and it's extremely dangerous. There was the odd cloud rolling by, but the sun was a problem for most of the players defending in this game. 

The weather for this game was good (except for the sun in our eyes), the temperature was in the high 20s, the was a warm breeze and a sun/ cloud mix which was mostly sun. 

At game time we had 9 Hurtin' Units players dressed and ready to take on the first place team. Enrico, Russell and Fernando were missing from this game, we picked up Howie Young as a sub. Thanks Howie. 

I mentioned that were playing the Rebels, the league's number one team, a team that is undefeated on the season. The Rebels were 12-0-0 on the season and if you count the HTKP tournament, they haven't lost a game in 17 straight. 

In our first game against the Rebels (game # 2) on the season, the Rebels won by a score of 13-6 and since then we have had the this game marked on our calendars. 

I did not get a picture of the scoresheet for this game so I will spare you the play by play of the entire game. I will tell you that we kept pace with the Rebels over the first 3 innings, but with one bad inning we let the game slip away. 

The Hurtin' Units have been on a bit of a losing streak over the past 6 games. Our record over the last 6 games is 1-5, with 4 losses in a row. All 4 of the losses were against good teams, Bat Flippers, Beer Bros., Draft Kings and Rusty Rebels. These teams are high in the standings and they all compete every game and of the 4 losses the worst was against the Beer Bros. when we just had an off night. 

Losing to the Rebels is not the worst thing to happen. No team has beat them yet, they are on a roll, full of confidence and until they lose a game they are going to get stronger. I am less concerned with Rebels and more concerned about the Hurtin' Units. I'm not worried that the Units are having a losing streak, I'm more concerned with the number of guys who are hurt or have nagging injuries. There were a lot of guys taking runners in this game, and the guys who are running are getting worn down. In this game, our teammates got a little frustrated and tensions were a little bit higher than usual.

I think it is time to shake it up a little bit. Change the batting lineup, give Jerry a break from leadoff,  and maybe it's time to smudge the bats. I haven't smudged this season, time for a smudging. If you don't know what smudging is Google it.   

One of the highlights in this game was that Donny hit back up the middle, a hard shot I might add, and I managed to catch the line drive, but it did land me on my ass. Scary stuff!! All and all I thought we played a decent game against the Rebels. We will not worry about them until we meet again... there is no point. We must get back the Hurtin' Units team of earlier in the season, with confidence, power hitting and healthy bodies. We are going through a bit of a rough patch, we will get out of it. 

No boxscore for this game, at least not yet. I might be able to find one on the T.O.T website. 

 THE HIGHS AND LOWS IN A SEASON. 

Game # 20

August 10th, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. The Dogcatchers

Hurtin' Units win 6-5

Team Record 12-5-2

Coventry Park- Holy Crap! I can't believe we are already playing game number 19, the season is just flying bye. So this game was the 19th on the season. The Hurtin' Units played the Dogcatchers, for the first time, back on June 15th, 2022 and came away with a very powerful performance. That night we had our highest scoring game of the season defeating the Dogcatchers by a score of 32-13.The Hurtin' Units record at that time was 7-1-0 and we lead the league in plus minus. This game against those same Dogcatchers was the lowest scoring game of the season. It just goes to show that in this league, teams can win or lose on any given night and that parity really does exist. 

Our rating system does a great job at creating parity in this league. This season is a bit of an anomaly because of the number of new players ( approximately 40 new players) and where they might actually fit in the ratings. Next season will sort out any powerful players and rate them properly. 

I have mentioned it on several occasions recently how much parity there really is this season. If you take the Rebels out of the equation, the next 7 or 8 teams are very close to each other and the battle and challenge is really for the second place finish. The Rebels are probably going to win the season, and mathematically there are still teams that could catch them, but with a 10 point lead it's only a matter of time until they clinch. The battle for second place or third place is the one to watch. 

The weather for our game with the Dogcatchers was warm ( not hot like over the last weekend) around 23 degrees and a sun/ cloud mix, probably more cloud than sun, but still a good night for baseball. 

At game time we had 10 players dressed and ready to play. We were missing Jon, Fernando and Pete for this game. We picked up Joe Lovegrove as a sub on the night. Peter was at the game, but was nursing a hip flexor and did not play. 

The Hurtin' Units were the home team, this game was played on Coventry # 1 at 7:00pm and Bev Steeves was the scorekeeper. 

In the first inning, the Dogcatcher's lead off batter got on with a single, but that was all, the next 3 batters went down 1,2,3. In the bottom of the inning, Marc would get a lead of triple Jerry and Brad would get out, Chilly would hit a single to score Marc, Stef would fly out and first inning was over. 

In the second inning, the first 2 batters for the Dogcatchers would fly out, Justin would hit a triple, Lumpy would score Justin with a double, Cliff would ground out to end the top. In the bottom of 2, Darrell would single, Jimmer would fly out, Russell would hit in to a double play and that was it " change em up boys". 

In the top of the third inning, the Dogcatchers would send Cliff (sub) up to start, Cliff would ground out, Jamie would fly out and Kevin would fly out, 1,2, 3. In the bottom, Rico would fly out, Joe L. (sub) would fly out, Marc would hit a single, followed by Popeye with another single, Brad would crank out another single scoring Marc and advancing Jerry to 3rd, Chilly would fly out and "Let's go to the forth inning". 

In the top of the forth, the Dogcatchers went down quickly (3 pitches, 3 outs), Cal would fly out, Allen would ground out, and Randy would fly out. In the bottom, the Units would go down almost as quickly as the Dogcatcher, more pitches, but same amount of batters. Stef would lead off with a single, Darrell would hit in to a double play and Jimmer would fly out again. " Cruising right along boys". 

In the top of the fifth inning, Charlie would lead off and grounded out, Justin would hit a single, Lumpy would fly out, and Larry would hit in to a fielder's choice getting Justin out at second. In the bottom of the inning, Russell would fly out (really good contact), Rico would ground out, Joe (sub) would hit a single, Marc would hit a triple and bring in another run, Jerry would fly out and "Here we go to the sixth inning" in 35 minutes of play, 7:35pm on my watch and 5 innings in the books. 

In the top of the sixth inning, Cliff (sub) lead off with a single, Jamie would hit a single getting Cliff out at second base, Kevin would also hit a single, Cal would ground out for the second out of the inning, Allen would hit a single bringing in Jamie, Randy would hit a single bringing in Kevin, Charlie would sneak a single in scoring Allen and Justin would also hit a single scoring Randy (the Dogcatchers would hit 8 singles in the inning), Lumpy would ground out to end the rally. Dogcatchers would score 4 big runs in the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Brad would single, Chilly would fly out, Stef would single, Darrell would fly out, and Jimmer would fly out again. CRAP!!! After 6 complete innings, the score was Dogcatchers 5, Hurtin' Units 3. 

In the top of the seventh inning, Larry was leadoff, Larry would ground out, Cliff would hit a single, Jamie would fly out, Kevin would get a single, Cal would strike out to end the top of the inning. 

Going in to the bottom of the 7th inning the Units were down by 2 runs, Russell was the lead off and ground out, Rico would also ground out, Joe (sub) would hit a single, followed by a double by Marc to score Joe, Jerry would also double scoring Marc to tie the game, Jerry was at second, Brad would hit a single scoring Jerry from second base and the Hurtin' Units would have a come from behind victory. 

Winning this game was a high, the score was low, the game was quick (under an hour) and the win was the 12th for the Units this season. 

My thanks to Bev who scored this game. I don't usually go hit by hit or out by out in these posts, but the score was so low and Bev does such a great job scoring a game that I just felt like going through it all. Check out how complete this scoresheet is. Amazing job Bev!!

 SONNY DAZE, OH, SONNY, SONNY, SONNY, SONNY DAZE.

Game # 19

Hurtin' Units vs. the Sons of Pitches. 

Hurtin' Units win 21-9

Team Record- 11-6-2

Keogh Park- Coming into this game I didn't know what to expect, I had subbed for the Sons on the past Tuesday night and they kicked the crap out of the Bat Flippers by a score of 24-13 and the Sons were on a 3 game winning streak. I was expecting a hard fought game in this one. 

The weather for this game was hot and muggy. The forecast was for even higher temperatures over the weekend which was going to be the Oldtimers August tournament. There was a strong breeze which did help in cooling things down and thunder storms that they were calling for did not develop. 

At game time we had 11 guys dressed to play (actually only 10, but Rico was on his way), Fernando was a his daughter's baseball playoffs. The Hurtin' Units were the visitor's in this game. 

In the first inning, the Units came out on fire (not literally, but it was really hot) and Marc would lead off with a left field, over the fence homerun, Jerry would hit a triple, Jon would hit a double and Brad would also hit a double, we were a single away from hitting the cycle. Chilly, Steph and Darrell would all get out, but advance the runners in the process, at the end of the first inning the Units put up 4 runs. In the bottom of the inning the SOPs would counter with 2 runs. 

In the second inning, Pete would lead off with a single, Russell would do the same, Jimmer would line out, Marc would fly out, Jerry would single, Jon would single, Brad would single, Chilly would single, Stef would also single, but Chilly would get out at second on a fielder's choice and that was the inning. 9 batters came to the plate and all said and done, 4 runs would come in to score.  In the bottom of the inning the Units defense was solid, Franco would get on with a single, then a couple of outs and single he would come around to score a run. The score after 2 complete innings was Units 8, SOPs 3. 

Over the next 2 innings the Units would score another 5 runs, and the defense would shut out the SOPs. In the top of the fifth inning the Units put up another 2 runs, but the SOPs were not going down without a fight and would hammer the ball around the diamond for 5 runs. The score after 5 complete innings, the Units 15, SOPs 8. 

In the sixth inning, neither team was able to score. In the seventh inning, the visiting Units would tack on another 4 runs and hope they didn't have the kind of bottom of the seventh they had in the previous game, when they gave up 9 runs. The defense was much better tonight and the SOPs only scored a single run and the Units would go on to win their 11 game of the season. 

During the game, Rico did show and was able to put in 4 innings. After the game the there was a great Units showing at the Legion. Almost everyone from the squad was there, including Terri and Kelly, it was a great night and felt like this was a turning point for our team. Beer was flowing, there were 2 trays of Sambuca ( lava lamps) that ended up on our table, there was talk of the upcoming weekend tournament, of (which most guys were playing on the Chilly Poppers), there was discussion about the Munster's new movie, Yvonne Decarlo, and Potato festival... it was a good Hurtin' Units night. Good Game Units!!

Over the weekend the Oldtimers August tournament was played and it was great to see so many Hurtin' Units players playing in the tournament and in the All-star game. Congratulations to Fernando and Jerry for there appearance in the all-star game. Congratulations to the JAK team for winning the tournament. Fun weekend. 

GRUESOME? NOPE... STILL THE SAME SIZE.

Game # 18

July 28th, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. the Gruesome Devils.

Hurtin' Units tie 19-19,  no wait, not at tie, Hurtin' Units win 23-19. 

Team Record 10-5-2 

Keogh Park- Coming in to this game the Hurtin' Units record over the last 8 games was 1-5-2 and we had dropped down to fourth position in the standings. I was looking a the standings, before this game and there were 5 teams with 2 ties this season, the Units were one of them and our 2 ties came over the last 2 games. Back to back ties, I wonder how often that has been done and I wonder if back to back to back ties have ever happened in our league. 

The weather for this good was good, warm temperatures, hovering around 25 degrees, soft breeze and a sun cloud mix. 

At game time we had 11 guys dressed to play, Chilly was the only missing body for this game. Chilly was working Caribbeana in Toronto. 

The Hurtin' Units were the visitors in this game. 

In the top of the first inning, the Hurtin' Units came out hitting the ball and when the dust settled there were 5 Units runs on the scoresheet. In the bottom of the inning, the Gruesomes put up 2 runs. The second inning was not much different for the Units, putting up another 6 runs and holding the Gruesome of the scoresheet. After 2 complete innings, the Units lead 11-2.

The third inning would see both teams put 2 runs each on the scoreboard. The Hurtin' Units scored another 4 runs in the top of the fourth inning, but for the first time in the game, the Gruesome showed some hitting power and countered with 6 huge runs. The score after 4 complete innings was 17-10 for the Units. The game was a little bit closer now. 

In the fifth inning, the Units scored 2 more runs and stopped the Gruesome attack. The sixth inning was called the "OPEN INNING" and the Units scored 4 more runs, completing a 6 innings in a row scoring runs. In the bottom of the inning, the home team Gruesome would get their final kick at the can, and they took the Units to school. The score going into the bottom of the Open was 23-10 for the Units, 3 outs and back to the Legion. The Gruesome didn't see it that way and starting hitting the ball all over the diamond, in the gaps, over the heads, under the gloves, through the holes and after sending 15 batters to the plate would score 9 runs

The problem with the 9 runs was the scorekeeper thought that the Hurtin' Units only had 19 runs (not 23) and it was thought that the game had ended in a tie. We (the Hurtin' Units) would believe we had tied for our 3 tie in a row, but when we got back to the Legion it was discovered that the Units actually had 23 runs and won the game. 

There was something special about tying 3 games in a row, 3 ties in a season is pretty much unheard of, but it was not to be and the Units would go on to get their 10th win of the season. 

I don't like the fact that we gave up 9 runs in an inning, when we had kept the Gruesome in check most of the game, we have a bit of a tough time closing the door when we have a lead. We need learn how to stop the teams in the final inning. 

The Hurtin' Units next game is Thursday August 4th against the Sons of Pitches.  

 

STRANGE TO BE TIED UP. 

Game # 17

July 26th, 2022

Hurtin' Units vs. Strange Crew

Hurtin' Units tie 14-14

Team Record- 9-5-2

Coventry Park- Coming in to this game the Hurtin' Units were on a little, tiny bit of a losing streak or should I say a winless streak. Over the last 8 games the Units had only 1 win. We have been on a bad run and we were hoping that this game against the Strange Crew was the game were we broke free and put up a victory. 

The weather for this game was almost perfect, the temperature was in the 20s, there was a soft breeze, the sky was filled with a beautiful developing sunset, just a great night for baseball. This game was played on Coventry #1 and the Strange Crew were the home team. 

At game time, we had 11 guys in Hurtin' Units garb and Fernando was on his way, this was the first time this season we had everyone on the field together. NICE! Probably missed a great photo opportunity with everyone there.  

So let's take a step back to the past, and just remember the last game we played against the Strange team. On May 26th we played these guys, in our 4th game of the season, and beat them by a score of 23-9. The Units record at that time was 3-1-0 with our only loss coming at the hands of the Rebels.

This game was a little bit stranger than the last. In the last game we scored a ship load of runs and we looked like the stronger of the 2 teams. This game the Strange Crew looked like the stronger team and would take an early lead, the Units were struggling to score runs and the Crew were slowly making some distance in the score. 

Going into the 7th inning, the visiting Units were down by 7 runs and it wasn't looking good. We were staring our 6th loss, in 8 games, in the face. Fortunately, the Units bats came to life and we managed to score 8 runs and actually take the lead. 

In the bottom of the inning, we got the first batter out, but then Jamie Z. hit a double and would eventually come around to tie the game. And then we caught (no pun intended) another break when a Strange Crew batter hit a line drive that was caught for the second out, but the Strange Crew runner (Paul D.) that was on first, ran and the Units had a throw to first that ended the game. For the second straight game the Units tied. 

I don't believe the Units even had a tie last season, if we get another on Thursday evening vs. the Gruesome Devils, I'm buying a lottery ticket. The Units next game is Thursday July 28th at 8:30pm at Keogh Park vs. the Devils.  

I forgot to take a picture of the score sheet again after this game, but it was exactly a barnburner. Good game Units.