Game Of Grones.

 

Game # 13 - July 5^th, 2023

Hurtin' Units of Unitsville vs. The Drafty King's Men of Legionland.

Hurtin' Units lose 17-12

Team Record- 2- 10-1

THE PARK OF COVENTRY - The weather for this game was stinky hot, this week has been stinky hot, it was as though a dragon had breathed fire across the land making the temperature rise throughout the Kingdom. The sun was scorching and shining in the sky, the temperature around game time was about 30 degrees (give or take) and there was only a slight breeze, for this battle at the Coventry on the 2^nd. The sun was still setting, and for once it didn't seem to create as much of a blinding distraction as last time we played on this diamond.

At game time, the Units had 11 guys in amour to take on the Draft Kings for the second time this season. Missing for this game was only Mystery Guy (A.K.A the wizard). Mystery Guy shall be prepared for his first battle next game vs. The Dogcatchers. Stike seems to be absent for the Kings.

On May 15^th, 2023, the Hurtin' Units started their 2023 campaign vs. The Draft Kings on opening night at Park de Keogh. On that night, there was a memorial for our friend Laurier, and it was a sad and sombre night to be sure. We all lined up around the infield and Dave Storms (el presidente) gave a heartfelt speech about Laurier, there was a moment of silence and reflection. It was a tough night for the start of our season.

The Hurtin' Units vs. The Draft Kings game was the first game of the season (May 15^th), the previous year's playoff finalists usually start off the season, and that was the case this evening. The Hurtin' Units won the 2022 championship, but the Draft Kings would beat the crap out of the Hurtin' Units, in this game... by a score of 24-12. On that night the Draft Kings looked really powerful and basically unstoppable. King Charles (Chuck) of Colgan, led his merry men in a crushing defeat of the reigning champions, the Hurtin' Units of Unitsville.

So here we find ourselves starting the second half of the season, the Units with a 2-10-1 record and the Draft Kings with an 8-5-0 record. Opening night was not a true reflection of the 2 teams, the team records are far apart, but in the Unit's defense, (and I mention almost every post) we have been short our full team almost all season. This game was the closest to a full squad we have had since game # 1. We are better than our record would indicate.

Game Time: The Units were the visitors in this game. In the 1st inning, Pete started off with a solid double, Nick hit a triple to score Pete, Jamie, Wayne and Tommy all got out, inning over. Crap!! In the bottom, The Drafters only scored a single run. In the 2^nd inning, the Units scored another single run and Justin was forced out at second, Rod flew out, Corey popped out, inning was over again. Crap!! In the bottom, the Drafty Boys would put 7 runs on the board, ( a flashback to our first game against these guys).

In the 3^rd, the Units would send 6 batters up and come away with a single run again. CRAP!! Can you say “ another slow start”. The Drafters would score another 4 runs in the bottom. In the 4^th inning, the sleeping bats of Unitville started to stir, the Units would score 3 more runs, and the defense would hold King Chuck and his merrymen off the scoreboard. The score after 4 complete innings was 12-6 for the KINGS of DRAFT.

THE 5^th inning, was when the sleeping bats came to life, the Units would send an army
of batters (10, small army) to the plate and 6 would come around to score, leaving 7 behind on 3^rd base. The King's men could no longer hold the force of the Units off. In the bottom, the King's men would hit back with a soft attack, only scoring 3 more runs. In the last 2 innings, the Units of Unitville, were no longer able to battle on and went down in a catapulting ball of flames, unable to score any more runs. The mighty Kings would tack on 2 more runs to make the final 17-12 for the Drafty King's men. The Units battled strong, but in the end, the King's men were the superior team. We bow to you King Charles of Colgan.

The Units shall live on to fight another day, next Tuesday, July 11^th vs. The Dogcatchers.

The Units will venture to Coventry Park this upcoming weekend, licking their wounds, regrouping, picking up some reinforcements and battling in the HTKP tournament.

You gotta know when to hold 'em.

Game # 11 – June 29th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Gamblers

Hurtin' Units lose 11-9

Team Record 2-9-1

Coventry Park - The weather for this game was perfect, the temperature was in the mid-20s, the sun was shining, there was a soft breeze and the field conditions were much better than Tuesday night.

The official start time was:700pm, start your stopwatch.

At game time, the Units were down 2 players, Tom H. and Jamie were missing for this game. Tom with injury and Jamie recovering from surgery. The Units picked up Kevin Moore as a sub, and the Gamblers picked up Jerry Muirhead.

So, 2 posts ago I told the Hurtin' Units group that the Units had signed a mystery player, this is not me pulling your leg (other than the signing part), Units do have a new player coming into the fold. Tom H. has packed it in for the season; Tom was having some injury issues and would have a difficult time the day after games, he also popped his hip 3 or 4 weeks ago, and hasn't played since. He decided to call it a season. I'm a little sad about this, Tom is a very good player and a great team guy. So, the Units have seriously picked up a replacement player and that player is Mystery Guy. The rumours are floating around out there, and Mystery Guy's identity will soon be revealed.

Coming into this game, the Gamblers were tied for the top spot in the standings. They had been creeping up the standings over the last couple of weeks and earlier this week caught up to the Beer Bros. who have held the top spot for the entire season. The Hurtin' Units season has been a struggle, so playing the # 1 team was going to be a challenge. The Units played the Beer Bros. tough and I was hoping for the same with the Gamblers. I think we played them well.

The Hurtin' Units were the home team in this game. In the top of the first inning, the Gamblers would get on the board quickly, Lorne would get on, and the next batter Ian would blast a homerun over the left field fence, fortunately, that was all they would get in the inning. In the bottom of the inning, the Units get off to a pretty good start of their own, sending 7 batters to the plate and scoring 3 runs in the inning.

In the 2nd inning, the Gamblers would score a single run and the Units would go down 1,2,3 in the inning. In the 3^rd inning, the Gamblers would do a carbon copy of the 1^st inning, Lorne got on, and Ian hit a home run over the left fence. In the bottom, Units would send 5 batters to the plate, 3 would get on base, but nobody would score. The 4^th inning would see the Gamblers score another single run, and the Units again would go down quickly, 4 batters, 3 outs. The score after 4 complete innings was 6-3 for the Gamblers.

In the 5^th inning, the Gamblers sent 5 batters to the plate and a single run would come in to score. In the bottom of the inning, Units did the same as the last inning, 4 up, 3 out. In the 6^th inning, the Gamblers came out swinging, 8 batters and 4 runs would light up the scoresheet. The Units sent 7 batters to the plate and 4 runs would also come around to make the game a little closer. After 6 complete innings, the score was 11-7 for the Gamblers.

In the open inning, the Units would shut down the Gambler's offence, 4 batters, 3 out. The Units had their last kick at the can, they would score 2 more runs and fall short of tying or winning this game. And just like that the Units record gets a little worse, with a 2-9-1 after 12 games and the halfway point in the schedule.

The Units next game is Wednesday July 5^th vs. The Draft Kings.

Mystery Guy Signed by the Hurtin' Units

Breaking News: The Hurtin' Units have signed a new player. After a very short negotiation, the Units have inked a familiar face to play for the Units this season. This player shall be known as Mystery Guy until all the paperwork is filed with the league, and a roster spot has been created.

Until Mystery Guy can be put on the official roster, he has been assigned to the Saskatchewan Sasquatch for a 2 week conditioning stint. See you in a couple of weeks Mystery Guy.

Welcome to the Hurtin' Units Mystery Guy.

And I wonder, still I Wonder, who'll stop the rain.

 

Game # 11 – June 27th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. Inglorious Batsters.

Hurtin' Units lose 17-8

Team Record 2-8-1

Coventry Park - The weather for this game was damp (not sure if damp qualifies as a weather word), the rain had fallen for the last few days and the park was a little soggy. The temperature was in the mid-20s, there was a strong breeze, an overcast sky with threatening clouds. In the morning rain fell heavily, I went over to the diamonds, in the afternoon, to get the low down on field conditions. There was a bit of standing water on all 3 diamonds, but if we got no more rain, it would probably drain/evaporate away. Brad Young actually went to the diamonds and did some raking maintenance before the games. Thanks, Brad. The official start time was 7:00pm, start your stopwatch.

At game time, the Units were down 3 players, Tom H., Nick and Jamie were missing for this game. Tom with injury and Nick at his daughter's graduation and Jamie recovering from surgery. We picked up Kevin Moore as a sub.

So in my last (not my last, last was about MYSTERY GUY, but the one before
that) Hurtin' Units post, I was feeling a little frustrated with what was going on with the time of the games. Dave S. sensed my frustration and like a good president gave me a call and we had a great discussion about time and a little bit about the time rule. The one thing that was bothering me from the last game was that we were told, if the game goes past an hour and 15 minutes it goes back to the previous inning. This is not how the rule reads! The rule is “ If an inning has begun before 1 hour and 5 minutes has elapsed, it must be completed.” It does not go back to the previous inning score, it must be completed.

The Hurtin' Units season has been a struggle. We have had moments when we looked unstoppable and then other moments when we just looked like any that could go wrong, would go wrong. This week we have 2 tough games and coming into this game we are winless in 6 games. This week we play the Inglourious Batsters and the Gamblers, both are tough outs. I'm not going to cry over spilled milk, but I think we have only had a full squad once or twice this entire season, we have guys who work shifts, guys who have had family or job commitments and a couple of injuries that have prevented us from fielding a complete team every game. This is probably the same for most teams, but I think it has played a part in our record.

Breaking News: In my last post (the real last post), the news broke that the Units have signed a free-agent player, but that mystery player has been sent to the Saskatchewan Sasquatch for two weeks on a conditioning stint. Hopefully, Mystery Guy will help the Hurtin' Units get back in the win column. Welcome aboard Mystery Guy.

Units' vs Batsters.

The Units were the home team in this game and we played the game on the Coventry # 3 diamond. Coming into this game the Inglourious had a record of 6-3-0.

Game Time: In the top of the first inning, the Batsters sent 4 batters up, 1 got on, 3 got out. In the bottom, the Units sent 4 batters to the plate, 3 got on bases, and 3 also got out.

In the top of the second inning, the Basters would send 5 batters to the plate, and 4 would get on base, but through force outs, nobody scored in the inning. In the bottom, the Units would score 2 runs sending 6 batters up.

In the third inning, the Batsters would get on the scoresheet, scoring 3 runs. The Units would tack on another run also. The score after 3 complete innings was 3-3.

In the fourth and fifth innings, the Basters would score 3 more runs, and the Units also scored 3 more runs. After 5 complete innings, we were tied again, this was a very close game. In the sixth inning, the Batsters went down quickly ( 4 batters), and the Units would score 2 more runs to take a lead. 8-6.

Going into the 7^th inning ( yes I said 7^th inning, this was a night that I kinda hoped ended after 6 innings), the Batsters came out like we had stolen their lunch money, they pounded the ball all over the park, and when the diamond dust settled (there was no diamond dust, too wet from all the rain) the Batsters had put up 11 more runs on the board. Holy Crap, what just happened? We went from leading 8-6 to trailing 17-8. In the bottom of the inning, the Units were shell-shocked and went down quickly, 5 batters, 3 out. And just like that we are 2-8-1 with the Gamblers on Thursday night June 29^th.

GRUESOME? NOPE, STILL THE SAME SIZE.

Game # 10– June 22th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Gruesome Devils

Hurtin' Units lose 16-12

Team Record –2-7-1

Keogh Park- The weather for this game is perfect for baseball. The temperature was in the mid-20s and there was medium breeze, a sun/cloud mix and that was perfect for tonight's game. We could not ask for a better. The official start time was 8:20pm, start your stopwatch.

At game time, the Units were down 2 players, Tom H. and Jamie were missing for this game.

So in my last Hurtin' Units post, I asked the question: Is it no new innings after 1 hour and 5 minutes, 1 hour and 15 minutes or 55 minutes? Just after I posted, Roman messaged me and told me it was 1 hour and 15 minutes, I mentioned the executive said it was 1 hour and 5 minutes, and he wrote back to me and confirmed it's no new innings after 1 hour and 5 minutes. So we got that cleared up. Last night against the Gruesome, the umpire told me that it's no new innings after 1 hour and 5 minutes (sounds right), but if you start a new inning, before an hour and 5 minutes and it goes past the 1 hour 15 minutes, the game abruptly ends and we go back to the previous inning to end the game. What???? This is what I was told. I say just play the full 7 innings and be done with it. Holy Crap this time thing is frustrating this season.

Units' vs Grusome.

This season has been a bit of a struggle and I think it's safe to say that the Hurtin' Units are probably not going to win the regular season. Coming into this game, the Units record was 2-6-1 with a 5-game winless streak, we're not really rippin' the cover off the ball and we have gotten off to a really different kind of start than in previous years. We seem to have that one bad inning in every game and it leads to the Units seemingly coming from behind in every game.

The Units were the visiting team in this game and for only the 4^th time this season (10 games played), we are at Keogh Park. I counted the number of times we play at Keogh Park this season, on the schedule, the Units only play 7 games at Keogh all season and 17 at Coventry. This is probably due to the +55 division using Keogh on Wednesday nights. I prefer to play at Keogh, but this season we don't have that luxury. We have 6 games in a row at Coventry coming up, For the entire month of July we play Coventry every Tuesday night. I'm not complaining, the scheduler has a very tough job ( I wouldn't want to do it), but it just feels (this season) like things are a little out of sorts. Pete likes playing Coventry Park, but I prefer Keogh, it's too much packing up the wagon and trekking throughout the park for my liking.

Game Time: In the top of the first inning, the Units scored 2 runs, but also left 2 runners stranded on base. In the bottom of the first, the Gruesome scored 5 runs, 3 off a monstrous homerun by Tiny over the left field fence. In the top of the 2^nd Units went down 1, 2, 3, the nice thing was the Gruesome went down quickly also, 4 batters, 3 out. The Units would score 3 more runs in the third, the Gruesome would counter with 6 more runs, and the score after 3 innings was 11- 5 for the Gruesomes.

In the 4^th inning, the Units went down quickly 4 batters up, 3 outs. The Gruesomes would tack on 2 more runs. In the 5^th inning, the Units bats came alive and when the diamond dust settled the Units had scored 6 runs, the Gruesome Devils would come back with 3 runs of their own. The score after 5 complete innings was 16-11. The Units would score a single run in the 6^th inning (open), but the home team, didn't bat. Final score 16-12.

The Hurtin' Units are back on the field on June 27 vs. The Inglorious Batsters.

THE UMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Game # 9– June 20th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Bat Flippers.

Hurtin' Units lose 16-11

Team Record – 2-6-1

The weather for this game is perfect for baseball. The temperature was in the mid-20s and there was a soft breeze. The only thing I disliked about this game was that we had the frickin' sun in our eyes the entire game. I hate Coventry diamond #2, I would have rather played at 8:15 on diamond #3, which was not used. We really need to revisit playing games on C2 when other diamonds are available later in the evening.

At game time, the Units were down 1 player, Tom H. was the only missing body for this game.

I need to rant a little about the umpiring this season, not for calls against us, but more about the inconsistency. First off, the no new innings after... Is it an hour and 5 minutes, an hour and 15 minutes or 55 minutes ( this should be a trivia question)? Last night, on the most perfect night for baseball, with no other games on C#3 and C#2 our last inning was called after 55 minutes. There were also a couple of calls in this game that were missed, one was a foul ball and the other (which might have played in the final result) was a ball clearly caught and dropped on the transfer, I know there are missed calls in games, but this was a bad one in the open inning.

Over the last 3 games, the Units have battled to stay in the games. The SOPs beat us up by a score of 13-9 and the Master Batters tied us with a 10-10 and in this game we went down 16-11. It seems like we have gotten off to slow starts in (what game is this, oh game 9?) about 9 straight starts. Even in this game, we gave up 6 runs in the first inning (7^th stranded on third) and in the home half, we sent 6 batters up and scored a single run. The score was 6-1 after the first inning. Not a very good start again.

As the game progressed, the Units settled down and slowed the high-powered Flipper offence down a bit. The Units chipped away at the Flipper lead scoring 4 runs in the 3^rd inning, 3 more in the 4^th inning, 3 more in the 5^th inning and only allowing the Flippers 4 runs over that span. At the end of the 5^th inning, the score was 11-10 for the Units.

It was at this point the umpire struck back, calling an open inning before we were even into
an hour in to the game. Some of you would say that this doesn't matter, but it does, especially with the defence on the field. I usually put the strongest defensive team on the field for the open inning, but when the open is called way, way too early it really messes things up. It was in this inning, that the first Flippin' batter hit to left field, clearly a catch, on the transfer the fielder drops the ball and it's called a fair ball, I call bullshit. Even the scorekeeper had an outmark on the scoresheet. The Bat Flippers would go on to score 6 runs in the inning for the win. 

The Hurtin' Units are back on the field on June 22 vs. The Gruesome Devils.

SLOWING DOWN THE BEER TRAIN.

Game # 8– June 14th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Beer Bros.

Hurtin' Units lose 18-9

Team Record – 2-5-1

Conventry Park - The weather for this game was comfortable, not too hot, not too cold, there was soft breeze and the skies were clearing. Earlier in the day there was rain, which got me a little worried On Monday, all the games were cancelled due to the rain that fell most of the day. The Tuesday games were also in jeopardy, with rain coming down Tuesday afternoon. At game time all Tuesday games were a go and all 3 were played.

At game time, the Units were down 1 player, Tom H. was the only missing body for this game. It was nice having our own players back in the lineup. I like subs, but it's nicer with your own team.

The Beer Bros. have been almost unstoppable this season, they have had a few close games and coming into this game they were undefeated. Their record was 7-0-0.

Over the last two games, the Units have battled to stay in the games. The SOPs beat us up by a score of 13-9 and the Master Batters tied us with a 10-10, we gave these teams their first points of the season. We are givers... or we couldn't muster up the hits to win these games.

This game was close in the early innings, the Units actually had the lead at one time, but a big 7-run inning, by the Bros. basically sealed the deal. The Beer Bros. actually had two 7-run innings in this game, 14 of their 18 runs in the game.

This game might have been a little closer, had we come out of the gate a little better. In the first inning, the Units first 3 batters, hit hard, but every one of them hit to a Beer Bros. glove, 3 up, 3 down, not the best start. We also had another moment with the bases loaded, I hit a line drive to left, for a hit, but Ingo was thrown out at second to end the inning. Missed opportunities!! Our bats are starting to come around, and it was great to have Nick back in the lineup.

This game marked the 1/3^rd point of the season, the Units record does look as good as I think it should. I really think we are starting to play a good game, it hasn't shown on the scoresheet yet, but we have a solid team. Les has been a surprise this season, Jamie is getting better at short every game, Justin impresses me every game, Corey is still feeling his way around the league, Tommy B. is crushing the ball, Rod, Nick, Wayne, Ingo, Pete are all team guys who play hard and I have found a pretty good groove pitching. We do miss Tom Hollmann's bat and stellar play at first. With 1/3^rd of the season complete, let's see how the 2/3^rd of the season goes. Go Units!!

The Hurtin' Units are back on the field on Tuesday, June 20th vs. The Bat Flippers.  

FINDING NEMO OR WHERE'S NIVO?

 

Game # 7 – June 8th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Master Batters

Hurtin' Units tie- 10-10

Team Record – 2-4-1

The weather for this game was comfortable, not too hot, not too cold, there was a soft breeze, a few sprinkles of rain and there was still a smokey haze in the sky. I noticed the smokey smell earlier in the day, more so during this game than last night's.

At game time, the Units were down 3 players, missing were Tom, Nick and Corey. At least that's what I was led to believe, at 7:00 pm we were still missing Nivo (Jamie), I texted and phoned, no response. Where's NIVO? He was napping and showed up in the 2nd inning. For this game, we picked up Nimmo Khan as a sub on the night. Next week we could get back to a full team, using our own players. Don't get me wrong, I love having subs play for us, but I would much rather have our own guys. It feels like we have been short guys most of the season, probably not true, but it seems that way. Last season we barely had any subs at all.

I was in my 2023 jersey tonight, hoping it would get us out of a Grand Funk
.

“ Ain't no sunshine when there's smog”, I know, I know, I know, I know, anytime it can go away”, my little twist on "There Ain't No Sunshine" and all the smokey skies. For the second post in a row, I've used the word ain't, I ain't gonna do that anymore. I was always told ain't, isn't a word.

For this game I thought I would change the batting order a little, just to shake it up baby now, "Twist and Shout". I have a lot of little songs stirring around in my head, I put the song titles in quotations. Fun stuff!! I didn't change the lineup dramatically, but I did tweak it a little just to get the team "On the Road Again". We actually were the home team in this game.

"We Get By With A Little Help From My Friends". We had a tough night at bat (only 10 runs in 6 innings), but our defence really helped us in this game. We had 2 innings where we gave up 4 runs in each, other than those innings, we were tight.

The Units were again a little out of sorts tonight, we had a difficult time at the plate, Kevin M. kept us off balance with his fancy, schmancy pitching the entire game and we could only manage 10 runs. On Wednesday, the Sons of Pitches got their first win against us, this game the Master Batters got their first point of the season against us. What can I say, we like to "Give A Little Bit" back.

The Hurtin' Units are back on the field on Wednesday, June 14th vs. The big, bad, scary, ball-bashin', run-scorin' Beer Bros.

IT AIN'T PRETTY.

Game # 6 – June 7^th, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Sons of Pitches.

Hurtin' Units lose 18-12

Team Record – 2-4-0

The weather for this game was comfortable, temperature in the mid-20s, strong breeze and there was a haze in the sky, supposedly caused by the fires in the north. I didn't really notice anything, but the news has been talking about it for days, so it must be happening.

At game time the Units were down 3 players, missing were Tom, Nick and Harry, just kidding we don't have a Harry, but we were also missing Wayne. Missing our 1, 3, and 5 for this game, we picked up Brian R. as a sub on the night. I'm looking forward to having a full squad again somewhere down the road.

“It ain't pretty

After the show

It ain't pretty when the pretty leaves you,

with no place to go” - INXS

After the game, I had this song (Pretty Vegas) in my head, it just kept rattling around in there and it just seemed fitting with the game that we had just played. It wasn't the prettiest game we've played this season, but I have to give the Sons of Pitches some credit for keeping us at bay.

The Units were again a little out of sorts tonight, we had a difficult time at the plate and the defence fought every inning to stay in the game. The Units would get close, but then the Sons of Pitches would pull ahead again and this seemed to happen almost the entire game. This game was the most runs we had given up since opening night, game # 1 vs. The Draft Kings when we gave up 24 runs. Our defence really had a tough night.

I might want to blame myself for this loss, I haven't worn my 2023 shirt for the last 2 games, last week I wore the 2022 jersey and tonight I forgot to throw the shirt in the dryer and it was still wet at game time, so I wore a red t-shirt. Tomorrow I'm back to the the 2023 jersey, hoping to turn this thing around.

The Sons of Pitches would hold on for their first win of the season. We didn't have a great game, but I hope the Sons are feeling some relief and joy for getting their first win.

The Hurtin' Units are back on the field on
Thursday, June 8^th, vs. The Master Batters.

Twistin' the Night Away.

 

Twistin' the Night Away.

Game # 5- June 1^st, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Tottenham Twisters of New Tecumseth

Hurtin' Units lose 13-9

Team Record- 2-3-0

There are several things I dislike about the Hurtin' Units Facebook group page vs. The blog. I find that Facebook editing is a bit of a pain in the ass and it seems a little more difficult to insert multiple pictures compared to the way I do it in the blog. I do like the Facebook group for the team and our followers, it seems a little easier to access, probably because it's on Facebook. Sometimes the day after I'll remember events, from the game, and to add them is not easy.

Okay, speaking of pictures, this post is a couple of cards (baseball cards) and I thought I should do a shout-out to my present and my past co-captains, these guys are great team guys and have been by my side since the Units inaugural season way, way, way back in 2010. Mikey Boy (as I like to call him) was my Hurtin' Units co-captain from 2010 to 2015 (6 seasons) and when Mikey stepped away, Pete came in (2016- present) and we continued tearing up the league, not missing a beat. I replaced one excellent co-captain with another excellent co-captain. With these guys, the Units have won almost everything (we have failed to win most favourite team to play against, maybe this year...Hint, hint.). We have regular season championships, HTKP tournament champs, August Tournament championships (Hammell Toes, Squirtin' Units), beer cups, keg party winners and the playoff championship. It's been a great ride since 2010. Thanks guys.

The weather for this game was hot, during the day the temperature got up to 32 degrees, but by game time the temperature had dropped a bit and it was a comfortable night on the diamond.

At game time the Units had 11 players dressed to play, Jamie and Corey were back, but Nick was still unavailable.

Last season, I pitched a bunch of games for the Twisters (kind of my 2^nd team) and really enjoyed playing with Matt and Geoff. They are good guys and they like to have fun. This season they also have Jerry M. and Rico from last year's Hurtin' Units team. It's always fun to play against guys you played with and share memories.

This game was a tough one for the Units. We were definitely out of sorts. Our base running was not good, we got out twice at home, at third, we got a couple of iffy calls and our hitting was not good at all. The entire team seemed to struggle at bat, lots of grounders, fly balls and pop-ups covered the scoresheet. Coming into this game we were averaging 16 runs per game, in this game we only managed to score 9 runs over 7 innings. Tom H. had an injury that pulled him out of the game, felt a pop in his hip, that does not sound good.

On the positive side, we did have a decent game on defence, we only allowed 13 runs against a good-hitting Twisters team, but with only 9 runs scored, we are not going to win very many games. Let's chalk this game up to an off night at Keogh Park. Rico and Jerry, we're coming for you next time. Unit's next game is June 7.

A STAR IS BORN.

Game # 4- May 30^rd, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Tap Masters

Hurtin' Units lose 14-13.

Team Record 2-2-0

I'm going to Tarantino this game summary a little. (Start with the end first).

Coventry Park- In this loss, the Units fell short on the scoresheet, but there were highlight reel moments in this game that had both teams stunned in silence as we watched with amazement. Tommy B. had 2 great catches in left field (worth mentioning), but the Super Star of the game was Les V., in right field, as he made at least 6 amazing catches to keep the Units in the game. He even caught all 3 outs in one of the innings. Both teams were laughing, crying and in total amazement of the spectacular game Les V. had on the field. He also went 3 for 4 at the plate. Great game Les. A STAR IS BORN!!

The weather for our match against Tap Masters was perfect, the temperature was in the mid-20s with a soft warm breeze, a beautiful night for a ball game. It was nice to play in just a shirt (we were all wearing other stuff, but I mean no sweaters, jackets or sweat tops), not just a shirt, that would be weird.

The Hurtin' Units had only 9 players dressed to play at game time, missing were Jamie, Nick and Corey, we picked up Palmer as a sub and he would play shortstop in Jamie's absence. Justin was leadoff for this game and had a good game scoring 3 runs. We were the home team (last at-bat) in this game.

I can always tell when it is going to be a tough game and when you're missing 25 percent of your regular lineup, it really becomes a bit of a battle. What I do like is everyone on the team seemed to step up and came out with a solid effort. We made some running mistakes, our batting struggled at times, but we kept pace and in the final inning, we were still there with a chance to tie or win.

This game was close throughout, after 4 innings the score was only 7-6 for the Tappers. Both teams traded big innings in the 5^th, Units scored 6, and Tappers scored 7. The 6^th inning was quiet...chirp, chirp. In the 7^th  inning, the Tap Masters went down quickly, 3 up, 3 down all fly balls. The Units were down by 2 runs, Palmer would hit a long fly ball to Neil, 1 down, Justin would also get out, Wayne crushed a double, Tom would score Wayne, tying run on first, Peter would ground back to the pitcher for the 3^rd out. Units lose 14-13. The Unit's next game is Thursday vs. The Tottenham Twisters of New Tecumseth.

In this loss, the Units fell short on the scoresheet... Tarantino this at the top.

ROCKIN' WITH THE REBELS.

 Game # 3- May 23^rd, 2023

Hurtin' Units vs. The Rusty Rebels

Hurtin' Units win 21-11

Team Record- 2-1-0

The Hurtin' Units were up against the Rusty Rebels, last year's league winners. The Rusty Rebels were a dominant team last season with a crazy, good lineup and finished the season with a 23-2-1 record. Only 2 losses on the season, “That's a Gouda season” (I know that's a little cheesy, pun intended), but say it in an Italian accent and it works. The Rusty Rebels would sputter a little in the 2023 playoffs, but still managed to make it to the semi-finals, they were defeated by the Draft Kings. The Draft Kings would go on to face the Hurtin' Units in the finals and well...you all know how the story ends.

The weather for our Rusty Rebels match was much nicer on this game night, last week it was frigid temperatures and cold winds creating havoc in both our games. At game time (8:15), vs the Rebels, the temperature was around 19 degrees, not perfect, but definitely comfortable enough to focus on the game and not the weather.

The Hurtin' Units had 11 players dressed to play at game time. Ingo was the only missing player. I had Les as catcher on this night and he kept me dancing all night long with his throws back to the mound. I'm laughing inside, fun stuff.

I don't have a copy of the game sheet, I forgot to take a picture. Speaking of the game sheet, a shout out to Nicole Hags for scorekeeping, first time ever scorekeeping and she did a great job. Thanks, Nicole.

What I can tell you about the game is that, Andy Gee started the game for the Rebels, and Beechy was subbing in another game. In the early innings, the game was close, but the Hurtin' Units put up a 7-run inning around the 3^rd or 4^th, the defence tightened up, and the Units started to pull away. The Units would score another 7 run inning in the game. Going into the bottom half of the open inning the Units were up by a 21-11, the Rebels were threatening, bases loaded at one point, but the Unit's defence came up big and shut the door allowing no runs to come in. Nice game Units. The Hurtin' Units next game is next Tuesday, May 31^st. Go Units!

DOGCATCHERS GET CHILLY UNITS.

Hurtin' Units vs. The Dogcatchers

May 16^th, 2023- Game # 2

Hurtin' Units win 18-12

Team Record- 1-1-0

It was not a beautiful night for baseball, the wind was cold, the temperature was dropping and most of us were bundled up like grandma in June. The only guy that didn't seem phased by the cold temperatures was Dave M. who played the entire game in shorts and a short-sleeved baseball jersey.

On this night, like opening night, we had a full squad, of 12 guys which is great to start the season off, I get a better feel for the guy's strengths and weaknesses. I changed the lineup a little bit from our crushing defeat on Monday night. I think this one worked a little better. The whole team looked more comfortable in this game.

This was a fun game. Probably a little more fun for the Units, but all and all it was a game where laughs were plenty. Roman was the umpire in this game and did not miss a beat (one or two calls sure, but not a beat), the old material was still getting laughs and combined with the great cast of characters, on both teams, the laughs and smiles were enjoyed on this cold May evening. Nice to have you umpiring again big guy!!

The Hurtin' Units had a good night on the field. Niv seemed more comfortable at short, Justin was great at 3^rd, Tom stood tall at 1^st. The outfield made all the right plays except for one on Steven Lahey., the entire outfield moved to the right side of the diamond (funny to watch) and Lahey would drop a ball into left field and nobody was there, it was not hit deep and Corey (SS) would retrieve it quickly. The Units did turn 2 double plays in the game and didn't make too many errors. The Unit's batting was much more solid in this game.

All in all, this was a good game for the Units, our defence was definitely better and our bats were what I was hoping for after seeing guys hit at practice. Despite the cold temperatures and wind blowing the ball around, this was a very enjoyable game. The Unit's next game is next Tuesday. Go Units!

DRAFT KINGS GET THEIR REVENGE AND SERVED IT HOT.

Hurtin' Units vs. The Draft Kings.

May 15^th, 2023- Opening Night

Hurtin' Units lose 24-12

It was a beautiful night for baseball, the birds were chirping, the smell of Ben Gay was in the air, the shirts were ready to go and it felt great to be back on the diamond.

Before the start of the game there was a tribute/ memorial for Laurier Plante, the turnout was amazing, and I thought Dave S. was great in his talk about Laurier. Brad Y. had lined the diamonds and in the centre marked a giant number 10 in honour of Laurier. We had a moment of silence and reflection, it was definitely an emotional evening.

The Hurtin' Units did not have a great night on the field. The Draft Kings came out just crushing the ball and hitting every gap on the field. The Draft Kings would score 15 runs in the first 3 innings, the Units put up a single run in the 2^nd inning. The score was 15-1 after 3 innings. D'oh!!

The Units would settle down a bit, and in the 4^th, ,5^th and 6^th inning would score a total of 11 more runs. The Draft Kings still kept hitting, but the Units would tighten up defensively and only allow 9 more runs in the game. It was a rough start for the Units, but we are back to work Tuesday night at Coventry for our next game. Go Units!!

NEW SEASON IS ALMOST HERE 2023.

 

Tottenham- Well, it's been over 8 months since the last time we played a game. On September 18th, 2022, the Hurtin' Units played the Draft Kings in the finals and the Units would win their first-ever championship by a score of 15-7. What a season we had. 

The new 2023 season is almost upon us and the draft was held on April 1st and the Units did not select anyone from the 2022 roster. We are starting from scratch again, as we did at the start of the 2022 season. In 2021, the Units won the league and in the 2022 draft, we did not draft anyone from the 2021 roster.

 

In the draft this season, we chose a completely different team, 3 players from previous seasons have played on the Units ( Tom, Ingo and Justin are part of the Units Alumni), but the rest have never played on the Units. 

On draft day, we all look over the rosters and weigh the teams against talent and skills and where we all think they may end up, but it's a crap shoot at that point. There is supposed to be parity in the league and for the most part there is, but a good rookie (unknown to anybody) could come in and make the difference. Only time will tell. I like the look of our roster and look forward to the start of the new season and what we might do this year. 

Only a couple more weeks until the start. We play opening night vs. the Draft Kings. Go Units!!