7 Come 11 - On A Roll

It was like old home week at the Complex today. Good to reacquaint with the likes of Ray and Ray, Henry, Chip and Harry (my apologies to the other old timers in attendance who I may have over-looked). The Blue victories of 7-2 and 11-1 speaks of our defensive prowess as well as that of Gray. John's boys played tenaciously with kudos to Lee and George for their leather work. Vince must be feeling lighter now as he sprinted to back up first base (Congratulations Vince as I did see that sparkling rock on a lovely finger!) Blue's pitching duo of Larry and Oscar was outstanding again. With our outfielders on patrol and the infield superb, with the exception of one error, Gray did well to hang in without becoming discouraged. Our shortstop's errant throw to double up the batter inspired him to park one over Sonny Long's head in the bottom of the inning to compensate (sorry Evers, I got home before remembering you had requested a speciman). It was also a pleasure to have George Miller umpire for the first time this year. I tip my hat to all the many fans in attendance today. I have seen fewer spectators in attendance at Gettysburg during Blue & Gray Civil War re-enactments.

Battle of the Blue & Gray

While Blue dispatched Gray's "B" Division nemesis yesterday the favor was not returned as Gray fell to Howard Red. Tomorrow provides us with the opportunity to meet our Gray friends for two games at the Carroll Sports Complex. Let's distance ourselves from the remaining "A" Division field and keep pace with Howard. Sorry Coach John, but all we see ahead of us is RED so we may not be hospitable hosts when meeting for game one tomorrow.
Recap of yesterday's victory over Old Liners: Hope the rookie got his pulled muscle massaged last night as the list of dinged Blue players mounts.

6-2-7

Six wins, two losses and 7 rainouts! Time to have a bake sale to raise funds for a domed stadium.

Victory In Catonsville

One of my many inadequacies is highlighted today which stems from the deficiency of my teenage mentor. My high school basketball coach, a reknown mathematician, and lifelong friend, failed to encourage me to pursue higher math courses, ergo I can't count high enough to recall our total score. Even after consulting with my buddy Evers, between the two of us there were not enough fingers to keep track of our runs. So for all you loyal followers who wait with bated breath for this script, please wait until this evening to learn the final score from the League site. Now for the rest of the story (a la Paul Harvey)-Harry, our founding father accompanied us and recited to me in returning that we accomplished a first for Carroll County; although not your classic, nonetheless, it was an 11 to 7 to 2 to 1 to 6 TRIPLE PLAY! When you see the highlight reel on Sports Center tonight it will not be played in slo-mo as it was actually a delayed triple play. On defense we exhibited some ball hawking, some ball dropping and even one "run the wrong way" from the ball skills. Both Larry and Oscar sacrificed ribs and forearms to take screamers on the mound for the team. Offensively, the hits came from everyone but since the home run is a fan favorite let me mention our three coming from Dave, Jim and Neal (his second lifetime). There could have been a fourth round tripper but for Neal, as a courtesy runner, ran out of gas before my call to order from Roberts Oxygen Supply Company could be fulfilled.

Not A Walk In The Park

What on paper was to be a walk in Centenniel Park started slowly. After inning one Blue trailed the Hawks 2-5. It required several innings and a defensive lapse in a rundown at the plate to ignite the offense. Thus, Jr. took it upon himself to make things happen. With runners on base, Jr's single plated one run and advanced another to third. Perhaps not content with only one RBI, Jr taunted the Hawks to get caught up in a rundown which ended with another run scored and Jr safe at 2B. On defense Blue's infield turned three double plays and Larry & Oscar split an excellent pitching performance. Dave's wheels were churning as always, evidenced by another strawberry.

Sweep

The venture to Bowie is always adventurous but once getting on Rt #3 we're in familiar territory and the destination is in sight. Thankfully they decided to drag the field one more time so that the infield was no longer a potato planting patch. With the seasoned Larry Bair taking the mound for game one, the boys in Blue spotted him a five run lead, which in the end was enough to clinch the win given his pitching prowess. Game two saw Oscar take the mound with only a two run advantage but both "O" and the offense stayed on course to take the second game. Let's spotlight a vet and a rookie today: Pete had some timely hits while Jerry patrolled right field as he did thirty-plus years ago. A word of advice to "Rookie Bowen"- you gotta improve on your footwork crossing first base! Let's now celebrate our ability to continue playing this game and our camaraderie and the tolerance of our spouses and/or significant others at Parks Landing tonight. Rumor has it that drinks are on Hank-BUT that's only a rumor.