A little bit delayed on the recaps, sure...but I've caught the Common Swift throat/nose bug (we're so sharing)...which put a crimp in my week's productivity. Also, I'm lazy.
Last Friday Eat at Joe's started the second half of our season with a record of 2-3. We won 7-4, bringing us to .500. Yay! It was a well-played game all around; much better than the first time we played the other team. I went 2-3 with a single, double, and two runs scored. The time I got out was on a hard-hit ground ball right to the pitcher. He fielded it cleanly but I was still only out by half a step. I felt out of sorts running to first on the hit - I think I was still shaken up by the previous inning's defensive escapade. The opposing pitcher hit a hard line drive to right center, where I was playing. I initially took a step to my right but when I saw the ball was slicing away from me, I sprinted back and to my left - diving for the ball at the last second. I missed...and hit the ground. It's disappointing, and resulted in a home run for the guy, but really - I don't want to play softball unless I can get grass stains on my shirt. I just wish I hadn't taken that first step to my right - I could've caught it otherwise. Still, we won, and there's a decent chance that we'll finish with a winning record on the year.
Eat at Joe's (3-3)
Game H/AB AVG OBP SLG OPS R HR RBI
2/3 .667 .667 1.000 1.667 2 0 0
Season H/AB AVG OBP SLG OPS R HR RBI
8/11 .727 .727 1.000 1.727 4 0 3
On Monday evening I played 4 player whiffleball - Joe and Kyle v. Brandon and Jeff. I pitched the first six or seven innings, giving up the pivotal tying run with ONE OUT TO GO IN THE GAME. PUKE. Brandon and I had a really nice start to the game offensively, but couldn't keep up the pace. On the mound, the Joe and Kyle seemed to make some adjustments midway through the second or third. Until then I had been throwing almost exclusively junk - crappy curves in on the hands and changeups low and away. After they started to hit that stuff I stole Carlos Marmol's delivery and started throwing hard sliders and fastballs. It worked...for a while. Another whiffleball game, another heart-wrenching loss, I suppose.
Anyway, as I was about to take the 'mound,' try to get Joe out, and win the game, I was thinking about how to celebrate/recap the victory. I was pretty sure that there was going to be a victory dance - if my time with the band has taught me anything, it is that I have "awesome" "dancing" "skills."
(I need to preemptively apologize, I think. Jody told me that she thinks I can do four consecutive posts with muppets in them, tops. So...the next two (at least) are going to have hilarious muppet references.
If, by hilarious, you mean barely relevant.)
Well, are you ready for the King? Girls? Here we go!
Showing posts with label whiffleball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whiffleball. Show all posts
June 19, 2009
June 7, 2009
Meltdown
Normally it shouldn't be difficult to write a recap of a whiffleball game. This time, it's not coming easily. Joe and I played a game of whiffleball at Tenney Park on Saturday - here's how it went down.
To set the stage, I guess, let me describe how we play. Since we're "awesome" (that's how my coworkers described us, I'm pretty sure) we pretend we're Cubs/Brewers. That means that for some batters we have to switch and bat opposite of what we're used to. Joe was batting lefty as Prince and Mat Gamel. Because I'm a left-handed batter by nature, I reverse and bat right-handed for Cubs lefties. It makes sense to us. Anyway, I was batting backwards as Kosuke Fukudome and Mike Fontenot.
So. I was pitching as Ted Lilly again and Joe was Dave Bush. The game got off to a start as somewhat of a pitcher's duel - surprising us a little, as we had moved the 'mound' back to 40 feet. I was dealing from the start and struck out Joe several times with a low changeup/tailing fastball combo. Early in the game I was a threat at the plate as well - Joe was trying to keep his pitches low...turns out that's a bad idea against me. I hammered a triple as "Aramis Ramirez" (injuries don't exist in our make-believe world) and - get this - hit the first-ever home run in our whiffleball 'careers' as Mike Fontenot. To make that clear, the first home run that Joe or I ever hit in our current whiffleball situation was by me, batting righthanded. Crazy.
The game went along with only one ball lost in the brush behind home plate until we reached the top of the sixth inning. I had established a 29-26 lead behind some early offense and a strong outing by Ted Lilly. On comes Sean Marshall to close the game...not normally the closer, but nobody wants to see me throw righthanded.
What followed could only be described as horrific - and that would be a kind description. In the sixth inning Joe hit triples 3 of the first 4 at bats, hit a total of 6 triples in the inning, and put up 28 runs. 28. 2-8. He more than doubled his point total in the time it took me to get three more outs. It was awful. I was walking people, but it was mainly just Joe hitting every single thing I threw. I ended up losing 54-32. Just terrible.
At least there was no dog poop this time.
To set the stage, I guess, let me describe how we play. Since we're "awesome" (that's how my coworkers described us, I'm pretty sure) we pretend we're Cubs/Brewers. That means that for some batters we have to switch and bat opposite of what we're used to. Joe was batting lefty as Prince and Mat Gamel. Because I'm a left-handed batter by nature, I reverse and bat right-handed for Cubs lefties. It makes sense to us. Anyway, I was batting backwards as Kosuke Fukudome and Mike Fontenot.
So. I was pitching as Ted Lilly again and Joe was Dave Bush. The game got off to a start as somewhat of a pitcher's duel - surprising us a little, as we had moved the 'mound' back to 40 feet. I was dealing from the start and struck out Joe several times with a low changeup/tailing fastball combo. Early in the game I was a threat at the plate as well - Joe was trying to keep his pitches low...turns out that's a bad idea against me. I hammered a triple as "Aramis Ramirez" (injuries don't exist in our make-believe world) and - get this - hit the first-ever home run in our whiffleball 'careers' as Mike Fontenot. To make that clear, the first home run that Joe or I ever hit in our current whiffleball situation was by me, batting righthanded. Crazy.
The game went along with only one ball lost in the brush behind home plate until we reached the top of the sixth inning. I had established a 29-26 lead behind some early offense and a strong outing by Ted Lilly. On comes Sean Marshall to close the game...not normally the closer, but nobody wants to see me throw righthanded.
What followed could only be described as horrific - and that would be a kind description. In the sixth inning Joe hit triples 3 of the first 4 at bats, hit a total of 6 triples in the inning, and put up 28 runs. 28. 2-8. He more than doubled his point total in the time it took me to get three more outs. It was awful. I was walking people, but it was mainly just Joe hitting every single thing I threw. I ended up losing 54-32. Just terrible.
At least there was no dog poop this time.
May 24, 2009
Whiffleball Match 1
Thursday Joe came to town and we played a game of whiffleball - 6 innings -3 balls is a walk. 2 strikes and you're out. After we had established the distances for doubles, triples and home runs, we started. I was the visiting team, so I batted first. I've had a lead in a whiffleball game with Joe now!! I had a twelve "run" outburst in the top of the first, and actually didn't cough it up right away. The game did go downhill from there; I think I lost 28-19 or so. Some highlights/lowlights:
In the bottom of the first, Joe was batting left handed as 'Craig Counsell' (yes, we adopt the lineups of the Cubs and Brewers. No, we're not 13 years old.) and had a hilarious swing and miss. I must have thrown a pitch with a lot of movement into a left handed batter, because after Joe swung and missed the pitch it hit him square in the crotch. Solid comedic moment. Nasty pitch.
Sometime when I was pitching, Joe popped up a pitch behind me and to my right. This was during one of my rough pitching innings, so I really needed to catch the ball. Outs were not coming along too often. Anyway, I ran back (yes, as 'Ted Lilly') to catch it. I briefly had it in my hands but I was an idiot and dropped it. To make matters worse, I lost my balance and fell - right into some dog crap. I got up and thought to myself, "That's weird. My hand's all muddy, but the ground isn't that wet. Huh...oh. OH NO come ON!"
This is where the 'imagining we're cubs v. brewers' thing falls apart - they don't have dog poop at wrigley field (unless you count Neal Cotts! ZING!)
After the game we threw some more pitches back and forth, and let's just say that next game is mine. We found out that I have a little Mariano Rivera-esque cutter (minus, you know, the velocity. And effectiveness.) and a huge sweeping Randy Johnson slider (early vintage Randy - you know, with absolutely no idea where the pitch is ending up). Once I use these new pitches and hopefully learn to lay off the pitch 6 inches off the outside corner, I'll be unbeatable!
In the bottom of the first, Joe was batting left handed as 'Craig Counsell' (yes, we adopt the lineups of the Cubs and Brewers. No, we're not 13 years old.) and had a hilarious swing and miss. I must have thrown a pitch with a lot of movement into a left handed batter, because after Joe swung and missed the pitch it hit him square in the crotch. Solid comedic moment. Nasty pitch.
Sometime when I was pitching, Joe popped up a pitch behind me and to my right. This was during one of my rough pitching innings, so I really needed to catch the ball. Outs were not coming along too often. Anyway, I ran back (yes, as 'Ted Lilly') to catch it. I briefly had it in my hands but I was an idiot and dropped it. To make matters worse, I lost my balance and fell - right into some dog crap. I got up and thought to myself, "That's weird. My hand's all muddy, but the ground isn't that wet. Huh...oh. OH NO come ON!"
This is where the 'imagining we're cubs v. brewers' thing falls apart - they don't have dog poop at wrigley field (unless you count Neal Cotts! ZING!)
After the game we threw some more pitches back and forth, and let's just say that next game is mine. We found out that I have a little Mariano Rivera-esque cutter (minus, you know, the velocity. And effectiveness.) and a huge sweeping Randy Johnson slider (early vintage Randy - you know, with absolutely no idea where the pitch is ending up). Once I use these new pitches and hopefully learn to lay off the pitch 6 inches off the outside corner, I'll be unbeatable!
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