A CONDENSED VERSION OF SPRING TRAINING...

BATS, PRACTICE and the FIELDS.

Captain's blog, stardate April 23rd, the weather outside, in this town, is not normal. Through the evening white fluffy precipitation has fallen and the ice cold winds are blowing it around. Yep, we actually had snow (not a lot), but still had a couple of centimeters last Thursday morning. And with the snow and all the rainfall we have had over the last week, I started to worry a little. I was  thinking that all precipitation may slow the drying of the fields and not allow us to get a practice in. 

I know the fields were looking pretty good last week.  Peter H. and myself were out on the Keogh diamond last week and the Keogh field was very playable. So good that we hit a couple of buckets of balls and loosened the shoulder and arm muscles with some throwing. It really felt great to be out on the diamond. I had some soreness the next day, but it was a good sore. 

The little practice session, with Pete, got me thinking about how important the preseason practice really is. Last season the Units didn't have a practice and when it came to opening night, I think it was revealed in our play. This year, I said to Mike that we really need to get on the field before the season starts. The problem is that weather and timing don't always sink up. There is also the issue of the Town not wanting players on the diamonds before they release them for play. I understand this to a certain point, but really, we are not on the diamond with motorcycles or ATVs, what damage could we really do? 

With the draft being later this year and there were only a few dates that we could get a practice in. Mike and I decided to pick a date and take our chances on the 26th of April. So when I saw the snow on the 23rd and felt how cold it was, I got a little nervous. 

I watched the weather forecast leading up to the practice date, there was no precipitation forecast, but the temperature was not looking great, but still good enough to get out on the field. The temperature, on practice day, was only 13 degrees and with 30 plus km/h gusts it seemed a little cooler. 

At practice time we had 8 Hurtin' Units players show up for the practice, 2 more than I was expecting. At the practice were: Jimmer, Mike O, Todd, Dave Mc., Bo, Mike C., Scott and Al. I also invited my buddy Peter H. to help run the practice. We all hit a bucket of baseballs (some a second bucket) and we shagged the hits. Peter also pitched a to some of the batters, which I was hoping he would. To finish the practice off, I asked Peter to self hit to guys playing the infield, they would make the play and throw to first to get in some throws and make it feel like a game situation. That worked out really well. I thought the practice went well. I'm looking forward to the start of the season. 

After the practice, we gathered around the bench and had a couple of beverages and talked baseball. All and all it was a good day for the new look Hurtin' Units. 

BAT DAY.

On Saturday April 25th, the league captains got together for bat day. Bat day you ask? This is where we get together and review the condition of the league bats, get the supply of baseballs for the season and any other equipment related items. This season there was enough money in the budget for the league to purchase 2 new bats per team. The bats are different (why would we buy 2 of the same bats), a little difference in price, but both are good quality. Teams are going to like the new bats.  

Bat Day was a decent day weather speaking, there was still a cool breeze, but at least it was warmer, the sun was out and and when we stayed out of the wind it was nice. This year bat day was held at Dave F.'s place, thanks for hosting bat day Dave.   

SPRING TRAINING DOESN'T TAKE PLACE ON THE COUCH BENDER!!!

HEY VINNY... DRAFT DAY SHE'S A HERE...

Bender, step in to my office... I have some bad news for you. 

After what seemed like a long, cold winter, we are back in the swing of things and are gearing up for the 2015 season. The Units are back for another kick at the can. Last season was a disaster and Mike and I are hoping that we do not go through another season like that. I mentioned in the last posting that if we were to pick the exact same team as last season, I think the results would be better. But as we all know, the draft doesn't work that way and we will be looking at a different roster for 2015. 

I was actually looking forward to the draft this season and I'm more excited than the past 5 seasons, maybe because of the way last season played out. When the draft had concluded on Saturday April 11th the 2014 season was officially a thing of the past and unless I keep rehashing it in the blog, it will quickly become history. I will probably touch on things that happened throughout the 2014 season, but only if they are relevant to the posting I'm working on. 

On draft day, you never know what you're going to get. 

So draft day has come and gone, and we have a brand new team, well almost brand new. In addition to Mikey Boy and myself returning, we only have one player returning to the 2015 Hurtin' Units and that player is Dave McGovern. I'm glad that Mike picked Dave for this 2015 edition of the

Hurtin' Units. I thought Dave was one of the most consistent players on the 2014 squad with a solid bat and glove and a cannon for an arm. Welcome back Dave, here's to a better season than last. 

In addition to Dave, we also picked up two players that played with the Units in 2013, Darrell Hager and Vinny Basacchi. So, if you're any good at math, that leaves 7 new players that will be playin' with the Units. Nice!! If you want to see the full 2015 roster, click on the roster link in the left hand column (it's there somewhere) or just click on ROSTER PLAYERS right here. 

This season, the entire roster was chosen by Mikey Boy. Over the last five seasons we would alternate picks, but this season we decided that things had to change. I think Mike picked an awesome team. I like the team, but as I have mentioned before, I also really liked last year's team. I'm keeping even keel for the moment. Mike picked the team, I picked the shirts.

In addition to our change of personnel, we are also changing our shirts. After two seasons in the black and yellow we are changing to a navy blue shirt with white lettering. The logo will be different (Bender you're cut) and the font on the lettering has changed as well. 

Going in to the draft we were even willing to change the team name, if we had drafted a certain #2 player. That player was the Big Kahuna, but we just missed out on our bestest buddy and had to step back from the name and logo change. We had the new logo and team name ready at the draft and if we had chosen Kahuna, the wheels would have been put in motion. Unfortunately, we missed out on the big guy and had to go back to plan "A". Here what the Kahuna Hurtin' Units team name and logo would have looked like. 

The Kahuna logo would have looked awesome on front of the 2015 team...Maybe next year big guy.  

So that's it, the draft is over the teams have been picked and it's time to get ready for the first pitch. Good luck to all the new teams and hopefully the 2015 Hurtin' Units can make the memories of the 2014 season a thing of the past. See ya on the field.   

WE HAD A WHEELIE BAD YEAR!

"We may lose and we may win,
though we may never be here again,
So open up I'm climbin' in, so take it easy" - EAGLES

TOTTENHAM- When the draft concluded last April 5th, I was excited about the team Mike and I had picked. The team looked solid from top to bottom. We thought we had picked the higher players with respect to where each player was rated. This was what I wrote on the blog following the draft ..."On April 5th, 2014 the T.O.T baseball league held it's annual blind baseball draft. The teams were picked and the Hurtin' Units should change their name to the Bandits. I think we came away with a really nice looking team (when I say nice looking, I don't mean how the players look). We have a great mix of solid players and it should be a fun season." This is really how I felt when I looked at the roster we had chosen. I don't believe anyone

would have said that we would end up in 15th place. Ya never know what you're going to

get.  

I went back and looked at the teams that finished last over the last 5 seasons. The Hurtin' Units were not the worst of the bunch, at least as far as wins/ losses is concerned. When it comes to plus/ minus that's a different story. 

On the field, last season did not start off very well. For the first time in the Hurtin' Units history, we lost our season opening game. Maybe, just maybe, it was because we were so discombobulated from the way the season got started...or should I say, didn't get started.

If everyone can recall, the start of the 2014 season was a disaster. The lights at Keogh Park were disconnected over the winter and were not reconnected until it was brought to the town's attention. Even after the town remembered the problem, after it was brought to their attention, it took a couple of weeks to get the problem rectified.

In addition to the light problem, there was the torn up outfield on Coventry diamond # 2, which was supposed to be fixed by the knuckleheads who torn it up, but for some reason it didn't get done. This left only Coventry #3 for actual play. 

These problems would see the T.O.T executive to make a decision to reduce the number of games in the schedule to 22 games per team. The schedule (which had already been produced) was completely revamped. And when the lights and diamond conditions were resolved, the weather would slow the number of games we would get in. 

The Hurtin' Units would only play 4 games in The month of May...This should have been a sign of things to come. And it was, the Hurtin' Units would lose their first 11 games, and it wasn't until July 16th, 2015, game #12, that the first win came against the Dusty Cleats by a score of 20-16. The stink was off the monkey!!

During the first 11 games we had our chances to win, but then we would have a bad inning defensively or our bats would go ice cold with quick outs to put us back on the field. If you string enough bad games together the confidence of everyone seems to wane; I believe that's what happened to the 2014 Units team. I think that if the same 2014 Hurtin' Units had a do over, the results would probably be quite different.

Off the field, the 2014 Units didn't do much team bonding; most the team lived outside of the Tottenham area and very few guys would stick around post game. We had 7 players who lived outside Tottenham, compared to the 2013 team which had 9 players from town and the ones that lived outside (including el presidente, Mr Jamie M. and Coxy) would find there way back to the Legion. These days very few responsible people want to have a few beers and drive home. 

There were many-o-nights when it was just Mike and I at the Legion. Mike with a big jug of barley juice and me drinking a soda. Art did spend some nights in Legion with us, probably more than any other player. Our chances of winning the keg party were pretty slim in 2014. I don't believe that guys didn't come back because we were losing, I think most guys knew they had a bit of a drive home and didn't want to chance having a few barley pops and driving home. 

THERE WERE MORE LOSSES OFF THE FIELD.

Since the end of the 2014 season the T.O.T league has lost two very special people that were loved by everyone. Esau Lewin and Jamie McClean both passed away within a month of each other. These guys will be missed for a sportsmanship, friendships and their contributions to our league. 

Esau - On February 14th, I received an e-mail from Jeff D. Informing me that Esau had passed away. I was shocked to hear this this; I knew about his illness, but had not realized it had progressed so quickly. I remember sometime last fall, I had received an e-mail from Esau informing me of his illness and that he was going to begin treatment in near future.

Off the playing field, I didn't know Esau very well, I knew he had a farm and dealt with horses, but other than this I really didn't know much. Esau didn't come back to the Legion very often, so most of getting to know him was on the field.

On the field, Esau was fun and always very upbeat. Even when the Units were at their lowest, I recall receiving emails from him telling me how patient I was, and that things were going to get better.

Things didn't really get much better, although we did manage to win 3 games and tie another, so maybe things did get a little bit better. Esau always seemed to bring a positive energy to the park and when he was in lineup there was a warm feel around our team. Maybe it was that contagious smile or that soft tone in his voice. He always played hard in our games.

I believe Esau was our 11 rated player. I remember Mike and I saying we probably got the best of the 11s. That discussion wasn't that far off, Esau was a solid player. He had a cricket player swing, but he could hit the ball hard and spray it all around the diamond. One thing I noticed early in the season was how strong his glove was and how he could snag the hard shots. Over the past couple of seasons, I had only seen him playing catcher, but it wasn't long before I had the young fella over at first base. He seemed to really like playing first base and I liked having him there. Esau will definitely be missed by everyone in the league. Forever in our hearts, rest in peace my friend. 

Jamie- Even more of a shock to me was when I received an email  from Steve R., informing the league, that the passed president of the T.O.T league and former Hurtin Units player Jamie McClean had suddenly passed away while out in B.C.

Jamie played for the Hurtin in 2013, his last season as president. I really enjoyed playing on the same team with him. A solid baseball player and teammate. He was also a good athlete. I know he loved cycling and on a couple of occasions I played squash with him at the Nottawasaga. He kicked my ass all around the court, but I still enjoyed it. Who doesn't like a good ass kickin' every once and a while; after last baseball season you'd think I'd be used to it.  

Jamie was the second T.O.T president to play for the Hurtin' Units; in 2010 Chris Ross played on the Units. We will probably draft Steve R. (current Prez)  this upcoming season...lol.

Off the field, I spent a little more with Jamie, than I did with Esau. When Jamie played with the Units, he would always come back to the Legion and usually he would have beer and be available for any league concerns or issues.

Jamie was really a good guy, on and off the field, and he will be sadly missed.

Draft Day She's a coming.

The  T.O.T draft is scheduled for April 11 this year, a week later than most years, this is because of where the the Easter weekend falls this year. Mike and I are looking forward to this year's draft and going in thinking we can not have a worst season than last. If we do, that's it, we are out of here.

This upcoming could season could very well be our last kick at the can anyway. At the end of last season, Mike and I had discussions about whether or not we would continue in to the 2015 season, but we both agreed that we could not go out this way with the worst record in our team's history. We also decided we should make a few changes for the 2015 season. One change we will make will be the colour of our shirts. We have been in black with yellow piping for the last 2 seasons and it has done nothing for us. This upcoming season we will be sporting a new look (anything but black). We are also in discussions about changing our logo, but no decision has been made on what to use, probably something bloggable.

When the season concluded in 2014, two teams announced that they would not  be returning. The Blues Brothers and the Brew Jays. As I have mentioned on several occasions, the Brew Jays  came into the league the same year as the Units and we almost went out in the same year, if hadn't been such a bad season for the Units, we probably would have called it quits.

I'm looking forward to the draft and hopefully this years edition of  the Hurtin Units can compete for a title. I go into the draft with a more even keel this year, knowing that no matter what your team looks like, the true test is on the field. Welcome to 2015, welcome to the new Units.

LEGENDS OF THE FALL...

HURTIN' UNITS START THE PLAYOFF SEASON...

Regular season is now riding off in to the sunset...

This is where it really counts...

TOTTENHAM- Tuesday September 9th, 2014.

It will more than 2 weeks since the Hurtin' Units played their last game and their first playoff game. The Units last game was way back on Monday August 25, 2014 vs. the Rusty Rebels. The last game of the 2014 regular season was a memorable one, and I mentioned before, probably my most enjoyable game on the season. The regular season was the Pitts (only because of our losses) and now it's time for real baseball. I'm itchin' to get pitchin' as I like to say. I really like to play and I don't like down time. 

I know the playoffs are technically still in the summer, but once September rolls around, I consider it to be Fall. Besides, I wanted to go with a Legends of the Fall theme in this blog... Or at least a Brad Pitt theme.  

Who will be the next Legend of the Fall?

At the start of the season we had some gaps in the schedule with the lighting problems at Keogh, the Coventry # 2 field issues and then the Tuesday night rain storms, we also went stretches where we didn't get a game in for several weeks. I'm hoping the start of the second season (playoffs) is a better one than the start of the first season.

The regular season was not our friend. In fact, we might say it was the Pitts (the plus/minus was awful). We had a struggle from the opening game (which the Hurtin' Units had never lost until this season) and our woes continued until the mid-point. We went 11 games without a win. Finally, on July 16, 2014, game #12, we got that elusive victory by a score of 20-16 over the Dusty Cleats. The Units would go on to win a total of 3 games in the month of July. In August, the Units would only play 5 games, and would have a record  0-4-1. The games against the Grisslies and Rusty Rebels were close (1 run difference against Rebels and 3 run difference against Grisslies) and we were in both games. 

Taking aim at our playoff opponents. 

The game against the Dogcatchers (August) was awful; the weather was crap, the game didn't start until 9:45 and in the final inning, the Units had 2 outs and couldn't get the final one, until the Catchers scored 10 runs (the worst game in Hurtin' Units history with a 32-11 score). The game against the Hottub Woodys (August) was a lopsided affair, but the Units played decent defense in the 15-6 loss.

August saw a more solid game played by the Units. The last game of the regular season saw the return of Kevin C. from a 5 week injury.

A painting or the Hurtin' Units player? 

Every team goes through some rough patches. Whether it's a losing streak or injuries; most teams get beaten up throughout the regular season. In the case of the Hurtin' Units we had the misfortune of having both of these components, a long, long losing streak and a handful of injuries, we also had the growing pains of our new players to the league. 

Losing Coxy from day one... changed our plans. 

Losing Coxy from day one, on the season, probably hurt the Units a little. Gary was rated a 4 and even though we got a replacement (Joel), Coxy brings a certain something to a team. His team shirt is still sitting on my dining room table, maybe we should bring it to the games for luck.

Kevin C. missed a portion of the season, with working nights and a calf injury.

We've got a shot in the playoffs. 

Dwayne got a nasty diamond burn when sliding in to second base. The limestone surface tore up his leg pretty bad; it got so bad, his wife made him go to the doctor. 

I had an injury, and had to miss 2 games, the first time I've missed a game since 2007. My knee was in bad shape, I was actually worried that I would miss the rest of the season. Thankfully, I was able to come back. 

Bill has had sore legs this season. 

Things are looking good for the Units. 

Joel and Art took a while to get their sea legs, as far as getting to know the players on other teams. Art has a cannon for an arm and if we could ever get him to harness that power, he will be a great asset going in to the playoffs.

This is the first season in the last 3 seasons that Mike has been able to play in the playoffs. Mike missed the last two games on the regular season, he may have made a difference in those games. 

I know that every team goes through injuries, some season ending (I'm familiar with this, Mike missed the last 2 seasons), and this is not an excuse for the season we had. I actually recap all this stuff as a reminder of the season we had...I won't soon forget this one...unless we win it all in the finals.

UNITS UNITE!! 

When I look at the final standings... I don't really want to look at them. The numbers, for the Units are staggering, 433 runs against (19.68/game on average) and the -178 run differential has to be a league record. The runs for (255, almost 12 runs per game) I can understand, we could have been better, but because of circumstances we were not as good as we could have been. I don't know what the stats were in the second half, but they were definitely better. I'm hoping that the playoffs will bring better results than the regular season.

Final Standings 2014

This is usually my last blog of the season. And in this blog, I will post all the games of our playoffs, game by game, until the end.

Let the games begin.

GAME # 1-Tuesday September 9th at 7:15pm. 

Hurtin' Units vs. Sons of Pitches.

Hurtin' Units lose 18-17 or 24-17 with plus/minus. 

Keogh Park-There are some teams that show very little class and then there are teams have an abundance of it. The Units showed what a great amount of class in this game. As my neighbor Cam likes to say " class all the way", he is usually talking about the Boston Bruins when he says it, but I think we can say the same about the 2014 Hurtin' Units. 

There are some teams that should be thanking there lucky stars, for some lucky breaks, and then there are teams that are just plain snake bitten. The Hurtin' Units certainly are the snake bitten team. We need the anti-venom. The Units played a solid game and really deserved a better fate in this game.  

The Units have been a snake bitten team all season long and this game is a perfect example of such.

The Units played a solid game and even though we had a lead, going in to the 7th inning, I think the real turning point, in this game, was when Don C. went down with a hamstring injury. Don was rounding third base and when down to the ground, in pain and then was tagged out for the final out of the inning (snake bitten I tell ya!!). Don would have scored if not for the injury. In the next inning, Bill was running to first base and injured his hip, yet another bite. 

The score of the game will read 24-17 for the winning team. Going in to the bottom of the 7th inning, the Hurtin' Units had a 5 run lead. The Units would get the first two batters out on a great double play by Kevin and back ended by Mike at first. 

Two batters out, still a 5 run lead and then a bad break, as a game ending fly ball tipped off the glove of Dave Mc. to keep the inning alive. Six runs would cross the plate and that was the ball game. A deflated Units team started to walk off the diamond, when Roman informed us that we had to play out the 7th inning for the plus/minus. It was difficult to continue playing when you had just lost a heartbreaker like this one. We would give up another 6 runs (+7) without ever getting the final out. Hisssssss, rattle and bite!!

                                                               

GAME # 2-Wednesday September 10th at 8:45.

Hurtin' Units vs. Tap Masters

Hurtin' Units lose 27-6.

Coventry Park- (C2)- This game was supposed to be played on Wednesday evening, but because of all the heavy downpours, it was rescheduled for Friday at 9:30pm. I'm not really sure if it was a good or a bad thing being rescheduled . I do know that a two week layoff and a hard fought game on Tuesday, can lead to injuries and sore muscles. On Friday evening, I was still feeling the effects of our Tuesday night game. 

The downside to the rescheduled 9:30pm Friday game is that we play again on Saturday morning at 9:00am. I sent an e-mail to the Units players telling them to bring their sleeping bags and camping gear to the park...LOL.

In Tuesday's game, we had 2 guys go down with what looked like season ending injuries. I requested subs for both Friday and Saturday's games. We had 2 players with injuries and 2 players who were unavailable for Friday and Saturday's games. 

I don't think we are a team that likes the late start. We don't play well in the cold either. In this game against the Tappers, we faced both of these things and it showed on the scoreboard. Dave was still wearing shorts and short sleeves, while the rest of us were bundled up like it was the middle of the winter. 

We picked up Gord D. and Dave F. as subs on the night.

The game was not what we wanted to see, it was tough sledding from the beginning and it went downhill as the game progressed. The final score was worse than it should have been, but we are the snake bitten team, don't you know. 

The Units next game was close behind. We got home for a couple of hours and then it was back to the diamond for game #3 vs. the Rusty Rebels.

                                           

GAME # 3-Saturday September 13th at 9:00am. 

Hurtin' Units vs. Rusty Rebels.

Hurtin' Units lose 7-2.

Coventry Park (C1)-I woke up early on Saturday morning hoping for bright sunshine, birds singing and a rainbow in the sky. It was not to be, in fact, it was wet, cold and miserable. There was a light rain coming down and the ground was wet, but not yet saturated. 

At 8:20 am, Mike and I headed to Coventry Park, with a detour through the Tim Hortons drive thru (always got time for Tim Hortons) and by the time we arrived at the park, the light rain had turned to heavier rain...D'oh!!! 

Just before leaving my house on Saturday, I grabbed a tarp from my garage and when we got to C1, we hung it from the diamond fence
over the dugout bench...at least our equipment and Tims coffee would be dry.

At the start of the game, the rain was still coming down steady, and in the first inning, when the Units were on the field, I went down on my ass twice on the infield. I said " it was a soft landing" and it was. With all the rain, the infield had become about 2 inches of soft mud and second base had become an island surrounded by water, if you needed to get to second base, you were going to get wet. 

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on whether you glass was half empty or half full with rain water, the Hurtin' Units only scored 2 runs in the entire game, which meant we didn't get to second base very often. The Rebels swam or kayaked around 2nd base a few more times for a total of 7 runs. 

For this game, we only had 9 players. Don, Art, Dwayne, Bill and Esau were all missing from the roster. Esau was slotted to be in the lineup, but I assume the weather kept him from making the game. We picked up Tim Osmond and Craig Escott as subs. 

Neither team was hitting up a storm, we popped out numerous times, and the Rebels did as well, I did manage to strike out my buddy, Peter Hollman, for bragging rights at work. At the end of the weekend, he would be the one with the real bragging rights, as the Rebels would go on to win the championship.

The Units played a very solid game, as we have many times before, but for some reason we just could not muster up enough run support and would lose our 3rd game of the playoffs.  

GAME # 4-Saturday September 13th at 1:30pm. 

Hurtin' Units vs. Sliders.

Hurtin' Units lose 14-11.

Coventry Park (C2)- By the time this game rolled around, we were all but eliminated from the playoffs. There were just too many teams with 2 wins or more, we were basically playing out the end of the season. 

The Sliders were in the same boat (not a real boat, although we still could have used one, C2 second base was still flooded). The Sliders were also sitting with a playoff record of 0-3, and we were both playing to stay out of last place, in the reseeding, in the playoffs. 

Things were still really wet... really wet! How wet were the fields? They were so wet that Kevin C., Units player, played the entire Sliders game in rubber boots and snow pants (they looked like snow pants to me). 

For this game we also picked up subs. Missing from this game were Don, Bill, Art, Dwayne and Esau. We picked up Gord D., Craig E., and Dave F. as subs. Thanks Guys!!

If I could sum up this season in one word, it would be "inconsistent". It would have been good for this year's edition of the Units to finish off the season with a victory, but it was not to be. Like so many other times this season, we could not play consistently through an entire game. There were innings in this game, where we looked solid, but there were also times when we didn't look very good. I watched 3 or 4 games with the Rusty Rebels, over the playoff weekend and it was then that I really realized that consistently was missing from the Units. 

Perhaps if I had went out and watched a few good teams over the regular season, I could have done something different to our lineup...Or maybe we just had an off year. One thing I can tell you about this year's edition of the Units is, Mike nor I never heard any bitching or complaining at all. Surprising, considering the season we had. We were just a group of guys who came out to play some recreational baseball and in the end, I guess playing was good enough. Good season Hurtin' Units!    

And So It Ends...

2010 Hurtin' Units players display their league winning jackets. 

I would say this year was the best of times and it was the worst of times. This team was so quiet and gentle compared to previous Hurtin' Units teams. We needed a relaxing team this season; last season really took a lot out of me, almost to the point that I really wasn't sure I would play in 2014. Don't get me wrong, last years team was great and it was energy filled and but it was also high maintenance. 

There was also some stuff that happened near the end of the season that caused problems. 

The only down side to the 2014 edition of the Hurtin' Units was we struggled with consistency. We would play a good game, followed by a blow out or tough game. Also, starting off with a 0-11 record did nothing for our confidence, it's tough to recover from this kind of start.  

Over the playoff weekend, with all the rain, I saw multiple guys, from the 2010 Hurtin' Units team, wearing their Hurtin' Units league champions jackets. There are 6 in the picture and I saw Paul G. also wearing his. NICE!!! It got me thinking about how the Hurtin' Units have done in the playoffs over the last 5 seasons.

Hurtin' Units Timeline. 

2010- (Royal Blue shirts with white lettering). Hurtin' Units win league. In the playoffs the Units would have to play an elimination game and would lose to the WILD (18-15), the Wild would go on to win the Championship. 

2011- (Royal Blue shirts with gold lettering). The Hurtin' Units would finish the regular season in 9th place with a 10-12-2 record with 22 points. The Units would lose the first 2 games of the playoffs, tie the third and win the 4th to finish 12th in the round robin. The playoff run would end on Saturday. The Grisslies would defeat the Dusty Cleats in the final by a score of 7-5 to win the Championship.

2012-(Kelly Green shirts with gold lettering).  The Hurtin' Units would finish the regular season in 12th place. In the playoffs, the Units would go 2-2 with a plus 2 and would finish in 6 place after reseeding. The Units would get a bye in to the quarter finals on Sunday vs. the Grisslies. The Units would win 18-12 and were off to the semi-finals. The Units would play the Brew Jays in the semi-finals and would be eliminated by a score of 14-8. The Brew Jays would play the Beer Bros. in the final, the Beer Bros. would go on to win the Championship. The Hurtin' Units win the Keg Party in 2012. 


2013-(Black shirts with gold lettering).  The Hurtin' Units would finish in 13th position with a 10-13-1 record. In the round robin playoffs we finished with a 2-2 record and were seeded in 10th place which meant we would play an elimination game vs. the Dislocated Joints. The Hurtin' Units would lose 17-14 to the Joints. The season was over. The Draft Kings would win the Championship.


2014-(Black shirts with gold lettering).  Over the last five seasons, there has been a slow decline in the finishing position for the Hurtin' Units. This season was the worst record for the Units with a 3-18-1 record and a -178 plus/minus. In the playoffs, we went 0-4 and finished in 14th position after reseeding. There would be no elimination or Sunday games for the Units this season. The Rusty Rebels would defeat the Dogcatchers in the final to win the championship. 

We are the Champions...

Congratulations to the Rusty Rebels for their championship run in the 2014. The Rebels won 7 straight playoff games to win the Championship. 

Rusty Rebels, the T.O.T 2014 Champions.

  

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

HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE RUSTY REBELS.

Game # 22- August 25, 2014

Hurtin' Units lose 17-16

Team Record - 3-18-1

Keogh Park- Game # 22, the last game of the regular season. It seems like just yesterday that we were at the Legion selecting our team. I have to tell you, the Hurtin' Units nation, I have really enjoyed this season, despite having the worst record and worst plus/minus in the league. We have a great group of guys on this edition of the Units. 

Last season, near this time in the schedule (week of the playoffs, actually) I was not enjoying the baseball and when the season ended, it took me a considerable amount of time to decide whether or not I might come back. I obviously came back and I have really had a fun season. 


I know what you're thinking, your team has lost 18 games, you're in last place, you have the a record setting plus/minus (-177)...how can you call this a fun season? My season is not about wins, losses and stats; it's about going to the park, playing a game I love to play without controversy, distractions or conflict. And for me there is also the challenge of putting a lineup together and finding the most suitable positions with the players we chose in the draft...This is fun for me. 

There are times this season (past seasons also) that I thought that our team is jinx or cursed or maybe a former player has a voodoo doll, poking pins in to it. I say things like this from time to time, almost always tongue in cheek, I honestly don't believe there are forces out there working against us. I do believe we got off to a slow start and that played on our confidence, I also believe we have played better of late and we have weathered the storm and our game is on the upswing. Is it too little too late? We will soon find out...playoffs are just around the corner...UNITS UNITE!!

The weather for this game with Rebels was nice. The temperature was around 21 degrees, but with the humidity it felt like 27. The sun in the western sky played a bit of havoc, in the early innings, burning in to the retinas of the right fielders. The skies had a few fluffy clouds, but there were no threats on this evening. 

At game time we had 10 Hurtin' Units players dressed to play. We would have 11 on the night, but Art was a little late because he was at Wonderland eating beaver...tails and climbing Wonder Mountain. He did manage to make it just as the game started. Mike was the only missing link Unit.

Roman ( the official umpire of the Hurtin' Units) was the umpire for this game. The game was a 7pm start and the Units were the visitors. 

This game was probably the most enjoyable game of the entire season for me. It had everything and it was a see-saw battle all game long. The defense, for both teams, was amazing. And even with both teams having solid pitching and defense, each team still managed to score a basket full of runs. 

The runs that were scored were not those of the error variety; no sir ee bob, the runs scored in this game were all earned.

Over the first 2 innings, the boxscore looked the same for each team, both scored 3 runs in the first and were shut out in the second.  

In the 3rd inning, the Units would score 3 more runs and the Rebels would counter with 2 runs of their own. After 3 complete innings, the Units lead by a score of 6-5.

In the top of the 4th inning, the Units bats were energized and 5 batters came around to score. The bottom of the inning saw the Rusty Rebels rally for 3 more runs.

After taking a lead in the 3rd inning and adding to it in the 4th inning, the Units came out and laid an egg in the 5th and that would have been okay if the Rebels could have been shut down. This was not the case; the Rebels would rally for 7 hurtful runs. The Units had 2 outs quickly in this inning, but as with many other times this season, we could not get that elusive 3rd out. The score after 5 complete innings 15-11 for the Rebels....RAT FARTS!!!!

In the top of the 6th inning, the Units bats again came alive (like Frankenstein on the table) we rallied for 5 monsterous runs. The defense of Units would hold the Rusty Rebels to only a single run in the bottom of the inning. The score after 6 complete innings a 16-16 tie. 

Going in to the 7th inning, the Units and the Rebels found themselves in the tie game. The Units needed to score just to take the pressure off.. Maybe, just maybe, it was the added pressure that caused the Units to go down 1,2,3 in the top of the 7th.  In the bottom of the inning, the Units would get an out, but Rebels would then load the bases and would eventually get a base runner across for the win. Rebels win 17-16.

I mentioned earlier in the posting, that this was my most enjoyable game of the season. It really was fun, I almost wish it hadn't been the finish of the regular season. I would personally like to see a longer schedule, even if it means a few more 9:30 games ...What can I say, I like to play.

In conclusion, I would like to say it was great to have Kevin back in the the lineup, even if he was playing catch, he brings a power and confidence to the team. 

I would also like to say that I thought the Units defense was awesome in this game. The outfield played really well. Don C. made 2 spectacular catches, one going back over his shoulder and the second running in on the shoe top. Art, Joel and Dwayne all made fly out catches. Dwayne's was a bit of an adventure, but he got the job done. I'm not sure if Rick caught anything in the air, I know he got some ground balls. 

This was probably the best I've seen our outfield play this season and if Kevin can't play the outfield in the playoffs, we have these guys to back us up. Our defense, in the outfield was pretty good and the infield had their shiny moments also. Dave threw 2 runners out at home (with Kevin catching). Esau, Clayton, Bill and myself saw some infield action, and we all contributed in the very close game loss. Kevin also hit a homerun in to the tennis courts. Good game Units...UNITS UNITE!!!