2014 Season Preview

On Monday November 18 Carroll County Blue will hold a team meeting at Stables Restaurant to commence at 11:30 a.m. Please advise Jr. Zepp of your availability as we need to furnish Stables with a head count to ensure timely service. We are excited for the upcoming 2014 season as management is now in place and several new men are expected to join us. In our quest to garner the championship a plan has been devised to accomplish our mission:

That goal is achievable in 2014 as we have been bridesmaids too many years. So here's a new plan of attack: Player physicals will be conducted the first Friday after Thanksgiving and if it results in your having a pulse and respiration you'll be eligible for the physical tryouts to be held January 2, 2014. The tryouts will be structured similar to football's "Pass, Punt & Kick" format. Our physical skills test will be composed of "Run, Hit & Throw". The run test: a timed 46.6 yard dash with one 90 degree turn at the mid point (we ain't goin' for singles this year). The hit test: Ten swings with 3 points for hitting the warning track, 2 points for hitting the outfield grass and 1 point for grounding it through any of the four croquet wickets placed in the infield. The throw test: Infielders with 10 throws apiece are awarded 1 point if Chance doesn't have to step off first to field your throw in the air and outfielders are awarded one point for each of their ten throws that hits the second base bag on the fly or even eventually rolling there. Now that I have shared my repartee with you, let's get serious. The Stables lunch meeting is important to discuss several items enumerated in Jr.'s email, especially to meet our new prospective friends. I'm excited for 2014 and hope you are as well.

2013 Swan Song

It has been a great ride for five years; first in Larry Bair's deluxe motor coach and recently in the Mel mobile. Oh, the things I learned on those trips to endless places like Greenbelt, the "immaculately manicured" field in Parkville and the hinder land of Harford County. Then there were the years driving Harry to the Carroll County Sports Complex; that was a worthwhile education...."Harry told me the secret to longevity was to turn off Fox News and watch Looney Tunes". Friendships which had lain dormant for thirty years were rekindled on the athletic field (John Covalt used to tackle me in our swimming pool football games so hard when I was a teen that now after witnessing his softball power stroke I understand why I had concussions). My golfing companion on yearly trips to Pinehurst, Henry Lictfuss, continues to attend our games even after his playing days. Then there are the new friends I have had the pleasure to play with, which are too numerous to name but I love y'all! Well maybe I'll mention the diverse conversations with my sidekick to my right, both secular and to the greater power. Then there's Tommy: my left sidekick, I accept your friendship. The email communications between many a teammate are classic examples of 60 and 70 year old men still thinking like adolescents! The antics and razzing seemed endless and at times merciless such as when a player showed up wearing his jersey backwards or some (not to be named) player had his mug shot posted on the CC Times Sports page and subsequently posted on the dugout wall with comments! What memories! From the friendships that I established, not only among our team but also our County "kissing cousins" to the likes of our competitors, I have been blessed. I wish we had ended on a better note than our losing the lead and subsequently the game to Harford in game one and later coming up two runs short against Carroll Gray. Tinker thinks it is time to take care of the cataracts (it's scary at 3b when you see three men in the batters box at the same time), find his bowling shoes (blind people do bowl-right?) and dust off his golf clubs (did you hear the one about "hit the ball and drag Greg?). I also want to be able to teach my grandchildren to shoot baskets (Al, I'll recruit you) and shotguns (Oscar and Dave, I'll recruit you). It has been the BEST OF TIMES! To my loyal "Blog" followers, Farmers and Merchants Bank (our sponsors), my "penultimate friend" (Ray, also in attendance today) to family and friends (you too Hank {Chance}!) a hearty thank you and if you found anything offensive I apologize but remember the First Amendment! A special thank you to Neal, for talking sense (not to mention ambulatory service) into me when I show up on your doorstep and to Mel (Evers) for your unselfish dedication to CC Blue. In the immortal words of our most loyal supporter and scorekeeper, "Hit de ball"!

Tournament Monday

BLUE----Bed check at 10 p.m. tonight. Get prepared to take two tomorrow! It promises a re-match with Gray on Wednesday iffin' the Old Liners don't pull an upset. It's H2 tomorrow (Harford then Howard). Time to show what Blue can do when healthy (that means you Neal, Jerry, Evers, Howard and yours truly). Leave nothing on the line and finish the game on fumes! Tinker will not request a designated runner tomorrow, so wear your sunglasses to filter the dust stirred up from the base paths. I know Chance has been working on his Yankee Footwork and Ivory has been working on his vertical leap and I hope the the remainder of the team has been visualizing what to do tomorrow (i.e. knowing what to do when the ball is hit to you [a la Neal's advice for years], when to take the extra base and/or tag up, hitting the gaps with line drives, and picking each other up when needed). We are now 90% healthy and with Murph waiting in the wings, this is the time to excel! Tommy, wear those fluorescent chartreuse sliding pants that have brought us the latest winning streak! Lets Go Blue!!!!!!! Tinker is tired of being the runner-up in the Championship the past two years!

Welcome Back Murph!

Well boys, we closed with a flourish to have another winning season. I'll start with a statement that has promised me GREAT monetary rewards......"It was Tinker followed by Tommy (#6.95) which jump started Blue in the third inning with the first hit and subsequent first run". Tom, thanks for your hitting prowess today (and the neck massage). Under threatening skies and steady mist, Blue claimed the victory in game one by 15-5. Our Gray counterparts had not only the audacity to send Ray to scout us today, but he came bearing freshly picked vegetables to allow for him to sit on our bench and also glean our "words of wisdom" that we impart upon each other. Fred was credited with the victory. We started slowly against Glen Burnie as well in game two but then the top of the batting order decided to deliver. Ivory must have read the last blog as he finally found the stamina to turn his destined triple into a home run.....that being said, he must have exhausted his energy as he only hit a triple in his next at bat. Hesitantly, I applaud Neal for his stellar outfield play (hesitantly, only because his ragging me about power hitting incited me to attempt hitting out of mode to tag their left fielder, hence only 4 for 5 today and to surpass his purported .900 average I need to be perfect at the plate, such as Mel today). Neal: it's my job to set the plate, with these Chicken Legs that Jim expouses that I have, for the big guns. Howard: if you had accepted my offer for dental services, I could have saved you money! Al: accept this from your verbose friend; save your breath and you would have had the energy to take one more back pedal to catch the fly...Not "I think I have it", but Jerry's resolute "I have it". Drew was credited with our 13-11 victory. Now for Murph: JoAnn is a welcomed addition to our bevy of beauties who cheer us on.....welcome back! All kidding aside, it is great to have you back with us although I found it difficult to accept that you were chosen to be my substitute runner! Come September, let's see who's fastest in retrieving our bowling ball from the ball return!!!!!!! Don't worry Murph, my 129 pin average will carry us far (Jr.: how did your lure me into this challenge?). Now that Blue is healthy (relatively speaking for an average age of 68.5), we should fare well in the tournament commencing Monday. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Carol for maintaining the score book until Yasuko's late arrival. Where would we be without these women? Finally to my good friend Hank (Chance)....Footwork Yankee! Come Stai?

Plethora of Fours

The number four runs rampant today. Four regular season games now remain. Blue turned four double plays today. Drew was credited with four K's today. Blue hammered four round trippers today. A number of Bluesmen were credited with four hits apiece today. We were missing four players today to include #44 (Tony). Number 4, Jerry, returned from his Southwest trip invigorated as he displayed his former speed in taking the extra bases (must have been the clean air and leg massages he received while on hiatus). Number 14, well let me say this about the disappoint I had in Howard only hitting 3 homers today...the tooth ache must have gotten the best of him! Welcome back Howard! (My offer to utilize Tommy's high speed DeWalt drill and Oscar's Leigh cement still stands to enable you to skip tomorrow's dentist appointment so you can continue you power surge)! I'll excuse your missing the fourth homer as Al, #22, came through to make it 4 homers! Ivory was credited with a triple (need to work on your stamina so you'll receive credit for a 4 bagger next time). The only position to spoil my FOUR Theme is third base where the combo of Tinker and Evers had to go 7 for 7 at the plate although Tinker did provide 4 RBI's and 3b was credited with 4 assists/putouts! Also absent was the square root of 4, #2 Neal who is pacing himself for our 4 remaining regular games. For future consideration, perhaps Jr., Al, Fred and Tinker should schedule a foursome outing in the near future where we could yell "FORE" in unison. By the way: game results were Blue 19-Bel Air 2 and Blue 20-Bel Air 6. Let's play Blue Ball,(that's 4 four letter words to the 4th power) [256 if my higher math skills are still keen]. Four doubled is eight, which is the winning streak we need to bring the Tournament Championship home! GO BLUE!!!!

Blue Gray Split

Our teams' loyal fan base once again blessed us with their presence on Wednesday. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of Farmers and Merchants Bank sponsorship we were also graced with the Bank's President and Chief Operations Officer attendance.

Blue won the opener of the doubleheader which apparently incited Gray to storm back to take the second game. As always, it is great fun when, as the BBSSL web master stated, the county cousins get together. Well boys, hydrate and stock up on your Vegemeategan this weekend as we have three double headers in a row beginning Monday. Hope to meet Gray one more time this year in the Tournament Championship Game.

Heart & Soul Searching Time

Dig deep boys! Although reinforcements are on their way it takes a team! Visualize, execute, and pick each other up. Catonsville is atop the "B" Division so there is no time to be licking our wounds from Monday!

SAD DAY GAME

SAD: Sad Acting Display today! .... DAY: The Derogatory Antagonistic Yammer of Silver caused their forfeiture! GAME: Their Gainsayer was Admonished for his Mordancy prior to his Ejection from the stadium. Enough said of this dismal competition today! Blue was game ready coming out hitting until the disgusting events of game one. Evers, intuitively, knew to attempt to settle Blue prior to the second game's start but to no avail. Gentlemen, our morose and anemic performance was perhaps due to our civility and sensibilities having been shaken but take solace in the fact we did not stoop to our opponents level! Al: I placed a "C" note on you if it would have come to fisticuffs after you advised their base runner to duck (I would have wagered a Grand had Oscar been closer!). Ivory's infield practice, post game Monday, paid off as he fielded well at third today even honing going to his knees skill. To Hank: Way to Squash and Pepper them today; hope you enjoy and the onions don't cause you to cry (thanks for the dinner invite tonight!)! To Umpire Miller: Kudos for standing your ground when not only being intimidated but also threatened (guess they don't know you as the great outdoors man and former linebacker that you were). Finally, I am deviating from my normal routine of waiting and re-reading my epistle prior to posting for sake of lucidity as I am rankled: It is RUMBLE TIME on the parking lot behind Ameche's drive-in in Bowie at 9 p.m. tonight!!!!!!!!!! Bring your brass and chains, (and Chance, whatever you New Yorkers utilize---maybe a cement mixer?)! (Sorry Jim, Evers, Jr. et al, as turning the other cheek eludes me presently); such is my adolescent and sophomoric mentality which rubbed off from Bowie Silver today! I will be on hiatus next week so I wish to extend my best wishes for successful game outcomes. As a post script, ole 6.9 called to echo the sentiments of this post (for whatever that is worth); but seriously, anyone who did not take offense to the vulgar display of gamesmanship today displayed by our opponent should be embarrassed. (An excerpt from J.D. Salinger (Catcher In The Rye): "But while I was sitting down, I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody had written F**K Y*u on the wall, it drove me damn crazy. I thought how the others would see it and what it meant, and then finally some dirty kid (Bowie Silver) would tell them and how they'd all think about it and even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever had written it").

School is Out

Nice to see our kids and grandchildren in attendance today. First, my apology for not posting last weeks Harford game results as I was raptured by having lunch post game with my language tutor and her HOF sports writer husband who traveled afar to attend our game (two defeats). As for today's games, I always find it easier to compose after wins. Now to the substance: Blue 15 Parkville 9 and Blue 10 Parkville 4. Rather than bore you with the minutia of my recollections of hits and defensive plays, I wish to share my acquired insights of who we are. With a full contingent of players, for the first time this year, I marveled at our coviviality and malleability. I, having to walk in another man's shoes, was juxtapose to a man to whom I had always seen to my right for four years. From this, I learned many things: size nine shoes (too small) made my feet hurt walking so far to left field each inning (4 put outs and, no, Jerry, I couldn't charge fast enough to get the fifth---heal quickly R'Nealius!). My left side comrade and I shared discourse as usual (thanks for your encouragement and positioning advise) to provide validation to what my Internist stated months ago. I jokingly told my internist that I rued the fact my M.D. daughter had chosen to specialize in a Pediatric discipline rather than repaying me with a Geriatric specialty stated, "Pediatrics, Geriatrics, they're about the same". To wit, I learned that my friend's bedtime routine has reverted to his childhood routine of listening to The Lone Ranger on radio at bedtime. Is this our progression in another decade or so to DEPENDS? But, as I digress, has anyone else noticed 6.9's move to congeniality recently as he only disparaged me twice (that I could hear)? To Jim and Tom I offer this encouragement: Ivory stayed after to take infield practice under the tutelage of Evers to learn the finer points of falling down when fielding grounders and throwing out the runners from his knees akin to Evers and Tinker. Well boys, it's Bowie Silver on Wednesday so let's mount a l-o-n-g winning streak. Here's the minutia: Dave didn't slide into third base today on a close play while Drew garnered two wins and Jerry's (Walter Brennan) inside the park homer "almost" shamed me into not requesting pinch runners (Hank, remember to bring the O2 Wednesday as I'll need it to see me through a marathon day). And a final "hats off' to Parkville's first baseman, George (age 88), for another outstanding game (loved the soft-shoe shuffle)!

Hits and Hustle

Blue 28 Hawks 9 followed by Blue 14 Hawks 1 pretty much says it all. Welcome aboard Ivory and it was good to see Lee on the field, glove on hand! Blue's hitting finally returned with laser shots, round trippers and who was that half blind man who hit the prodigious 296 foot shot? As Jim continues to patrol the outfield, shagging every thing in sight, he should be placed in charge of our national border protection. Dave could be Jim's second in command as he brought another one down with his slide at second. Jerry took one from Jr's book as he avoided being caught in a rundown. Evers had another outstanding game at the plate with four hits while Pete just continues banging the ball. Like a loyal platoon, everyone covered which even saw Chance becoming a substitute runner. Fred was credited with the win in game one and even had enough energy to leg out a home run. Oscar baffled not only the Hawks in game two but also the umpire. P.S. It is best to enjoy Black & Tan with a friend post game to ease the pain of black & blue after another sweltering, diving, sliding game! Let me know when you need more pool maintenance and I'll be there!

One Coat or Two

Under sunny skies and balmy temperatures, Gray hosted Blue on field five today. Game one saw Blue give their neighbors a real shellacing in game one by a score of 10-6. Not to be out done, Gray applied a second coat of shellac to Blue in game two, 10-6. Thanks for the spectators today from both sides and I can only assume that our third meeting will draw the children and grand kids as well. Blue accolades go to the continued hitting of Neal, Jerry and Hank (as well as Hank's defensive prowess around first base). Now Tris (Jim) displayed his outfield range again today but I'm still waiting for the Willie Over The Shoulder Basket catch! Freddie draws applause for going the length in both games. Welcome back Kotter (Howard) albeit you didn't need to blow the knee out in pregame practice--such are the travails of Blue's health this season. And, was it a two or three slide day for Dave? Great speed and hustle Dave! We have a full week to regain health so let's take advantage of this Wednesday's bye.

Blue v. Old Liners

Today's games beckon for me to write in the archetypal of the theme this blog originated in four seasons ago. Please overlook the tone as I am not familiar with the vernacular of that era. The most renowned baseball poem ever written was about the 1909 Chicago Cubs and their trio of Tinker to Evers to Chance whose time was known as the "dead ball era". Under threatening skies, Blue hosted the Old Liners while experiencing only a ten minute rain delay after inning one. The injury plagued Blue welcomed Chance,Drew and Jr. back while missing the rookie, Tony. The makeshift lineup proved the substance and resilience of Blue as a team. With R'Nealius (meniscus-less) and Tinker (lame), Evers was challenged to structure a walking, crawling, running batting order. In the realm of Daoistic terms (Yin and Yang), the good revealed itself in bad conditions. The Old Liners challenged Blue's infield repeatedly to learn that their range and arms were not to be thwarted. When the Old Liners opted to hit deeper they found the range of Tris Speaker (Jim) patrolling the outfield. Blue's newest pitcher, Drew, kept the Old Liners off balance for 14 innings and displayed the cat-like reflexes of our retired Papa Bair. The round tripper by Al was inspiring as well as the 4 for 6 plate appearance of Meniscus-less Neal. Jr displayed his speedy form of yore while Hank (Chance) showed the foot work and fielding of Mattingly (this hurts to use a Yankee analogy). I, Tinker, found it strange to be throwing to Evers to my right for put outs at third but thus is the versatility of Blue, (now if only I could throw 90 MPH from my knees we would have had another out). As for the Yin and Yang, thank you Ladies Of The Hill for your verbal support; perhaps we should spring for pom-poms for you....we can hear your encouragement and appreciate your support! Now, who is it we play Monday? Oh, by the way, it was Blue 9 Old Liners 6 and Blue 6 and Old Liners 1.

Rescheduled Rainout June 24th

So I did me some talking to the sun. Said I didn't like the way he was getting things done. Sleeping on the job. Those raindrops keep dropping on my head. Soon time to play ball!

Implosion Times Two

Never, never, never feel comfortable when you have Howard Red down! Leading Red in the fifth inning of game one gave no indication of the implosion about to happen. Sorry drubbing ensued so read the league website for the score. Game two had Blue up on Red until the final inning while attempting to protect a 4 run lead. Never, never, never take Howard Red for granted! On the bright side; Carroll Blue will be keeping the medical industry afloat this week with visits to Dr. Patel(la), Dr Achilles, Dr. Spine(lli) and of course, Dr. Blue. A hearty THANK YOU to Howard Red for carrying me off the field and to our icemen: I forgive you Tom. Another hearty Thank You for all the Gray team supporters in attendance. Given our patchwork lineup today and all the what ifs thus far this season we need to be patient in allowing the karma to change as we're on the cusp of greatness (and yes, it might be my pain killers speaking here). Neal: I'll never question your stamina as I learned how exhausting it is to travel to and fro from the dugout to left field each inning. Also, I tip of my hat to our newest teammate coming through in the time of need; hoist one for Herb on Friday for me. Finally, where is Waldo, I mean Murph and Howard and Tim? We need you.

Red Game Approaches

This should be interesting with 60% of our infielders playing outfield today.

Back On Track

After today's twin bill kill, hopefully our sojourn to the A Division basement has ended. With an announced attendance of 5 at Randazzo Field, Blue struck first in game one and led from the "git-go" downing Glenelg 11-3. Blue trailed Glenelg much of game two but proved their resilience in downing their opponent 12-9 to complete the sweep. Today's accolades: our outfielders for their superlative play(both Neal and Jim exhibited T Hall"esk" speed),Jerry's "squeezing" the ball, Mike & Pete for calling excellent pitches for Jr. and Fred, Hank "Chance" hammering at the plate, hamstring Tony's hitting, Al's unassisted double play, Tinker ("YA GOTTA RUN!") being deployed as a substitute runner and Mel,(Evers), who is awarded the "Glove Sponge" Award for spearing three scalding liners. Not to be over-looked are our great inspirational coaches, Lee ("hit the d**n ball) and O(not a more positive coach around). Last, but certainly not least, our greatest supporter and bookkeeper, Yasuko. As our next game isn't until Wednesday May 29th, when we hopefully get revenge on Harford at home, let's all use the time to heal our aches and pains. For ole Tinker, I'm going to DC and Pittsburgh for S&M therapy; as in attending my daughter Maggie's MPP degree conferment and daughter Sara's M.D. conferment. Life is G-R-E-A-T!!!!!

Friendly Rivalry

Blue continues to experience power outages as they lost game one to Gray 14-12. Game two was a little closer but the outcome was Gray 12, Blue 11. Comment of the day came from T Hall after hitting a homer: "That was what I feared most as I was hoping for our third base coach to give me the stop sign." Tom has lost a step or two as I noticed his hat stayed on all the way around the bases. A word of caution to Gray's first baseman when we meet again: Next time I round first I'm dipping my shoulder instead of just using my forearm shiver! Looking forward to getting back to our winning ways at Randazzo Park Wednesday----get excited!

Double Vision

In the words of Foreigner, I got my silent request for Double Vision today; albeit not in the fashion I intended. The doubleheader win was not to be as Blue lost game two by a score of 14-12 after downing the Old Liners 14-8 in game one. I thank the Right Reverend Jim, as he spoke in a fashion I accepted, that winning isn't the end all and in the future I will be more exact and specific in my future silent requests. A tip of my hat to Neal for his superb catch (snow cone and all) which was ruled erroneously a double. Welcome aboard Billy and when are the remaining reinforcements showing up? Let's enjoy tonight's fellowship!!!!

Dinner Plans

Monday evening the Blue and Gray teams, with wives and/or friends, shall break bread at Parks Landing commencing at 5:30. This annual dinner event is always a good time to associate outside of "The Stadium" with fellow teammates, rivals and the best looking women in Carroll County! Our sponsor for twenty years will be represented by their President, Jim Bosley. Please make the effort to introduce yourself to Jim and let him know how much we appreciate his bank's sponsorship. Let's garner four wins on Monday so that our celebration will have added meaning! Go Blue! Go Gray!

Power Outage Deja Vu

Before an announced attendance of 30 plus, Blue continued their power outage against Howard Red. Playing from behind in game one, Blue's only hit production came from Dave until the fifth inning but it was a little too late as Blue fell to Red 14-5. Having 10 minutes to reflect upon their inept hitting, Blue jumped on Red in the first inning of game two by a score of 4-1. Never to be daunted, Howard Red responded with both liners and defensive prowess over-coming Blue 13-5. Boys, we need to pick it up or we're in jeopardy of a waning attendance. When we need a power surge, where are John Co(voltage), Howard Spear(man) and the "Patton"ed long ball hitters? Time to turn it around on Monday at Old Liners!!!! We can't get it done playing small ball given our leg status (our best legs are sitting in the lawn chairs on the hillside!). And a hearty welcome back to Tom H (and I don't mean 6.95!).

Harford Debacle

The best I can come up with regarding today's doubleheader at Harford is thank God we don't have a Mr. Magoo umpiring for half of our season games. The second best thought is remembering our two wins on opening day at home. We need all Bluesmen to pay their electric bills so we don't experience another power outage such as today (our Rev. Jim must be current as he hit our only homer). Playing with a short roster, Coach Chance had few options as he looked down the bench for substitute runners and only saw Chester of Gunsmoke and Walter Brennan as options. Once again our rookie, Tony, displayed his defensive prowess both at 2B and 3B when pressed into service. First game was won by Harford 8-6. Second game saw Blue unable to hold the lead in the last inning succumbing to Harford 9-8. Losses are difficult for me to report but always looking for the bright side I report: Hello Kitty did an excellent job, as always, maintaining the score book and Evers has recovered. Time to start a new winning streak come Monday! Some of our loyal fans for the season opener- Thanks for your support!!!!!

Cardiac Kids

On a brisk Spring day, Blue's loyal fans turned out to witness their 2013 debut adorned in parkas and stadium blankets. The Iron Man award is shared by Jerry & Tony who played in our regular Blue Shorts. O took the mound in game one and toughed it out through five innings. The sixth inning saw Tom (6.95) come in for relief as Blue had trailed all game. Starting the bottom of the 7th Blue was down 5 runs when the bats came alive. Down by one run with two men on and two outs, Tinker came to bat with the thought of Casey at bat. Knowing how much a "W" would mean to ole 6.95, Tinker lined a two RBI single to the gap in right. 20-19 in the win column! With O still ailing, Tom took to the mound for game two. Blue decided to start where they had left off and took the lead in the first inning. With a changed lineup, Blue saw their rookie, Tony, provide five assists at 2b and the groin pull guys tough it out. Jr., of all people, employed a substitute runner all day until he hit a monstrous shot causing him to hoof out a homer. Game two was in the win column 14-10! I thank Jr. for the loan of the ice pack, Chance for the compliment and excuse Neal for claiming my slide was a slip and fall (attorneys-ugh). My only regret, today, is that our patriarch, Harry, thought it too cold to leave the warmth of his Jeep to join us, but then again, perhaps I wouldn't have had such a prolonged hug from his wife (Thanks Harry). It's on to Harford Wednesday.

2013 Season Opener

Blue will open the 2013 season at home against Glenelg on Monday April 22. All play dates this year will be doubleheaders. The season ending tournament will commence on August 12 and will conclude with the championship tournament game on August 21. Lets hope for warm dry weather, a large turnout and perhaps we should sing Sweet Caroline.