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.