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.