It all starts with pitching, and the Brewers put on a show. 3 hurlers combined to throw a 1-hitter, with only 2 other balls even hit to the outfield.
DLentz started and tossed 4 stellar innings, allowing only a single to the Cubs' best hitter. Jim pitched the middle 2 innings, allowing only a walk, and striking out the first and last batter he faced. Doug finished with a perfect 1-2-3 frame, closing the door with a strikeout.
The bats demoralized the Cubs from the get-go, pushing across 12 runs in the first inning; then 2 more for good measure. Everyone contributed to the scoring. 9 players scored at least one run, and 8 players had RBIs. The long belt of the day was Dave Lentz' left-center-field bomb leading off the 4th.
#28 had Mom & Dad at the game and just had to show off, getting on base 3 out of 4 times, and a tossing a gem.
Another thrubbing by the Brew Crew. Jim was the starting pitcher and walked the first batter on 4 pitches. There were only 3 more base runners the entire game, for an easy complete-game shutout.
The offense exploded for 18 runs. 3 in the 2nd inning and 15 in the 3rd inning. It was just cruel to the White Sox pitcher. 11 out of 12 players scored runs, with 7 players scoring twice.
Don moved up to the lead-off spot with Ken G. missing, and went 3-for-4 including leading off the 1st inning with a triple. Jim also went 3-for-4. The lone out being an attempted squeeze bunt after Don's triple. A suicide squeeze would have worked, but the safety squeeze turned it into a Fielder's Choice with all runners safe. The flowery after-game description was "Don screwed Jim's sac."
Dave Lentz brought a cheering section, and just like when Mom & Pop came, Dave was a monster at the plate. He was hit by the pitch first time up, but bombed 2 doubles in the big 3rd inning. Dave now has as many doubles as he netted all of last year. He also tallied 2 runs, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.
Ken Stonehouse got off the snide big-time going 3-for-3 with a run and RBI.
Everyone else had hits, RBIs or runs scored. Doug and DoubleBarrel (DB = Dave Brown) each had multiple RBIs. Ed, Mark, Jeff, and Mike each scored 2 runs.
The defense was superb, with only 1 inconsequential error. By contrast, the White Sox made 6 errors, and they all hurt.
Cakewalk...nail-biter...cakewalk. Another very well executed baseball game by our Brewers. Stellar pitching - 0 earned runs...fine defense...hitting up the yin-yang. The only knock would be some errors allowed a few unearned runs, but it was far over-shadowed by everything else the Brew Crew did.
We took an early lead scoring 2 in the first. Another 2 in the second and 1 in the third made it comfortable. The Brewers were up 6-0 by the time Mudville finally scored an unearned run. 3 more UEs in the 6th made us buckle down and blow it open. They woke up the sleeping giant by changing pitchers. Whammo...5 runs off the hard-throwing (by comparison) reliever.
DLentz brought a cheeering section, and he's Babe Ruth when someone is cheering for him. 6 innings pitched, no earned runs, a trio of Ks...then on base 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs. Welcome to the bigs!
Double Barrel deserves his own paragraph. He saved several runs by blocking pitches in the dirt with runners on third. Hats off to ya! #13 also had a perfect day at the plate with that new bat. It's a beauty. Two hits and a walk, 2 RBI and a run scored.
Don...maybe he's really Superman, I don't know...another big day getting hits in 3 consecutive trips to the plate. He scored a run and stole three sacks.
Ed switched bats from natural wood, to black...fancy that. Pair-o-hits, walk, 2 runs, 2 ribbies and a steal for good measure. #8 also made the defensive play of the game making a tough scoop in the 7th inning at first base.
Doug was a big contributor as well, on base 3 out of 4 with 2 hits - 2 runs and an RBI.
Gene also impressed. First with a long running catch early, then with hits in his first two trips to the dish. The run and RBI were nice, but the 3 stolen bases made a statement.
Bryan threw the final stanza to finish out the victory, but before that had made a nice running catch out in center field, then was on base every time up. 2 runs and 2 steals were the stat tallies for #7.
Jim had a good day at the plate, but more importantly, ran hard to first and was confident enough in the knee to play shortstop. This bodes well for a team that thrives when he's hot (and he works out...so he's hot all the time). Hehehe, text me and let me know you read this far.
Finally, Rico get a nod for a decent strike zone all night long. Both umps did a fine job.
The first oppressive weather of the season. Hot and humid. The Brewers took the game by a wide score, but we were playing catch-up early in the game when the Cubs plated two in the first inning.
That all change when the Brewers pushed 7 across in the 3rd inning. Gene led us off with a base knock and stole his way to third. Bryan followed by drawing a free pass. Mike hit a single to knock in Gene for our first run. Don drew a walk to load the bases. Jim came through with a base hit to knock in the tying run. DoubleBarrel knocked in the go-ahead run and reached on error. Doug came through with a bases-clearing blast to make it comfortable.
The next inning kicked off with Bryan drawing one of his 3 walks, followed by Don scorching a missle over the center-fielder's head for an inside-the-park home run. How 'bout that kid?
The defense was terrific again. The play that stands out the most is the long-running catch Gene made in the outfield, then threw to 1B to double off the runner. How 'bout that kid?
Gene also came in to close out the game, pitching his first time this year...now sporting the 0.00 ERA. Jim started and went 5 good innings in the heat. Too bad he pitched into the 6th. He was smart enough to call on Gene when things got rough.
The story of the day is the Brewer's pitching. Kenny G and Don paired up to throw a 3-hitter, with no walks and 0 earned runs. It was JC, Jim Hunter and Tim Small with the hits. Tim also made a pair of nice plays late in the game at 3rd base.
The Brewers bats put up another double-digit run day. The entire lineup contributed to the scoring. This included Chris Holmes, who made his Brewer debut on the scoresheet with a 2-RBI base knock in the 3rd.
The biggest hit for the Brews was Bryan's ground rule double over the left field fence. He's finally swinging a Cass River bat, and he goes 6-for-6 in the double header.
The Brewers went down to the Bengals, but went down swinging. The ball was really carrying in the heat, and both offenses were clicking. The Brewers knocked 15 base hits, and the Bengals 13.
The Brewers featured Kenny Baseball and Bryan each tallying 3 hits. The 2-hit club included Don, Jim, DLentz, and Mike (back from his badass suspension). The big boom of the game came off Mike's Morning Wood bat. We were down by 10 going into the last inning. Jeff had walked to get the inning started and Mike burned the center-fielder. There was a close play at second, but #65 slid in under the tag for a double.
In the end, the difference was the Brewers' second game in the heat wilted the defense to allow 12 unearned runs. The Bengals played a clean game. Too bad we don't meet again.
DaveL hung tough on the mound, throwing 11 innings worth of pitches in 6 innings of work on the hill.
Brewers 12, Cubs 1 Beautiful day in Hazel Park and the infield was just dragged. This as good as it's going to get.
Jim pitched a complete game, coming a wild pitch away from a shutout. INSIDER'S VIEW: the fastball command was pretty good today. That was the go-to pitch of the game. The slider was a mix-in pitch instead of the work-horse pitch. It worked well, and didn't give up any damage. Only threw 3 curveballs - 1 was good. Threw a handful of changeups and they got a strikeout, a few fouls, and a solid base hit in the 7th. Threw 1 knuckleball and it was the other solid base hit in the 7th. The ump called a good strikezone consistently. It was pretty true, and with the Cubs' good plate discipline, you had to throw over the plate. Mike and Bryan split catching duties and gave nice targets...made it easy to pitch to.
Our defense is regaining some confidence. The outfield had a real good game...made it look easy. The infield turned a few double plays to bail Jim out of a couple jams. A couple plays stand out: DaveL ranged far to his right playing 2B, then had to make a firm throw with an arm that pitched yesterday - that was probably the nicest play of the game. Bryan was playing third base and had a hard-hit ball that popped out of his glove, but he recovered so quickly he still got the runner by 3 steps. Oh, it was a bullet throw, too. Doug unleashed a whizzer throw just before that to nip a runner at 1B. You'd think someone had a radar gun on them.
The bats were consistent again. Every player got on base at least once. All but 2 players got hits, and they both walked and scored. It's hard to pick out stars for this game because it was so spread out. 9 different players scored runs. Don scored thrice and KennyG scored twice. 5 players had RBIs, with KenG leading the pack with 3. Jim and Ed each had a pair. Multi-hit games were tallied by Don, Ed, and KenStoney.
Don was the only player with an extra-base hit. He roped a double in the 6th inning and hobbled his way to second base despite having a bullet in his @$$.
This was a bright and hot July morning. Glad we got the game in before the dangerous heat rolls in for the weekend.
The Brewers are hitting with confidence. The story today was simply outhitting Mudville 21-4. You could say Ken Grawburg pitched a gem, and that would be true...but Mudville's pitcher did not throw a poor game at all. It's just that the Brewers offense is clicking on all cylinders.
But now that you mention it, Ken Grawburg DID throw a whale of a game. He goes 5 and get the win, allowing but 3 hits. He did allow a run, the first he's allowed this year, but he now has enough innings to qualify for the ERA title in the league. So now Ken leads the league in ERA with 0.77 (using a qualifier of 1 IP per team game played). He overtakes Jim who led with 1.33 until Ken overtook him.
Doug finished the final 2 innings and was smoking the fastball by everyone. He racked up a pair of strikeouts and allowed only 1 hit himself.
Defensively, the Brewers were adept in the field, without being flashy. Pretty much everyone made the plays they were supposed to make, but nothing stands out...well, wait. Mike was playing RF and gave the most effort anyone had given the entire day - chasing down a pop-up on the RF foul line. The ball landed fair and Mike laid out full-horizontal to get it after going about 50' as fast as his legs would take him. 100% effort!
Hitting...oh my. 22 hits, 4 walks, 3 hit by pitch, and 3 reached on error. 30 base runners! The entire lineup had a run scored or an RBI (6 guys had both). The entire linup had at least 1 hit. 5 guys had 3 hits; 2 more had a pair. You want to hear about big days guys had? This is going to take a while...
Let's start with runs scored. Jim led the day with 4. Ken gets 3. Mike, Gene and Dave each a pair.
There were 2 guys had huge RBI days. Jeff had hits in each of the first two innings good for 4 ribbies. Ed had the most plate appearanced driving in a run, with 3...and matched Jeff's 4 RBI. Kenny G was next with 3 RBI, and Mark tallied 2.
Ken had stolen 3 bases before the score got out of hand and we shut that down.
The other highlight was Mike striking out twice in one inning. He scored in 2 other trips to the plate, so he's okay with that.
Offensively, it will be a short recap for the Brewers. Don, of course, was the big story of the day. He ripped 2 triples in his 2 trips to the plate...both off first pitches. #9 scored both times. However, the only other 2 hits of the day were from Jim and Doug. Both knocked in runs. The only other base runner was Gene, who out-hustled the Tribe infield, stole 2nd and scored on Doug's hit. Finally, KenG netted an RBI scoring Don after his 2nd 3-bagger.
Bryan got the start on the hill and did a decent job, but the Tribe's Willy Boyd was the pitching story of the day.
More important than the win or the hits, was the return of Dave Brown to the lineup. The foot cooperated, and he did a fine job behind the plate. We will breathe easier having the big guy behind the plate regularly.
The day started off right when Ed showed up in white baseball pants...leaving the grays at home to see if he could turn around his luck, since "Son of Excalibur" met its maker.
The game started with the Tribe scoring 2 unearned runs. Dave Lentz got the nod against the legendary Tribe. He induced 2 pop ups and 4 ground balls that turned into 2 runs. It was a pair of wild throws to 1B that did the damage. #28 rebounded nicely, however, and threw 4 shutout innings out of the next 6. Twice the Tribe notched a single run. Both run scorers would have been called out on strikes had Dave or Dave been calling balls and strikes.
The Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the 1st and never looked back, scoring 3 runs in 4 different innings. The big days at the plate belonged to:
Ken Grawburg was one of two Brewers to get on base every trip to the plate with 2 hits and 2 walks, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and a stolen base.
Mike had the next big day getting on base every time, going 2/3 and reaching on an error. His 2nd hit drove in 2 runs to effectively put the game away. #65 has done away with the defensive swings and going after everything with gusto, and the numbers are starting to climb.
Jim had a big influence on the scoring with 2 runs and 2 RBI. His day was 2-for-3 with a HBP. He also laid down a beauty of a bunt with 2 outs in the 7th inning and the bases loaded. This prompted the Tribe pitcher to throw the first pitch at Ed. He knew it was coming, the catcher knew it was coming, the umpire knew it was coming, even the squirrels knew it was coming. If it didn't have so much mustard, he would have taken the free base and RBI, but for health reasons, Ed decided to dance around it. No harm, no foul.
Bryan's day looks great on paper. 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 2 stolen bases. The reality is that he hit exactly the same spot on the infield twice that made his sizzling grounders bound away from the dejected Tribe third baseman. But hey, chalk this up to sympatico. I think he finally has the perfect bat for his swing. GO BAT!
It wouldn't be highlights if we didn't mention Don. 2/4 with a run and a pair of steals.
Doug went 1/3 with a run and an RBI. He just has a knack for such things. Even though his batting average is a tick below where he finished last year, he is 2nd in the league in RBIs and 4th in the league in Runs Scored. That's LEAGUE, not team.
Mark was also 1/3 with an RBI, and Dave Brown added a sac fly RBI to round out the nice days at the plate.
STATISTICAL CURIOSITIES: The Brewers have 7 of the top 8 RBI guys in the league. Ed paces all hitters with 17. It is worth noting that Ed lead the team last year with 17 and already has 18 this year, but we still have 11 games to play.
We also have 6 of the top 8 players in runs scored. Don sets the standard with 20.
1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E The D's 1 0 3 5 0 0 9 8 3 M.C. Brewers 0 1 6 1 1 1 10 12 4
What a turn of events. Jim goes from being the goat to being the hero. He got the start on the hill but didn't have good velocity or good control. Still, working with what he had, he managed to stay in the game through 4 innings. A quatro of errors ran up the score (7 unearned runs), but the Brewers bats kept us close. After 4, he gave way to Bryan who started shakily, walking 2, then shutting the door setting down the final 6 batters.
So when Jim left the game as a pitcher, The D's (inappropriate apostrophy, but that's how they want it) had a 9-7 lead. The Brewers chipped back with one in the bottom of the 4th to make it 9-8. One in the 5th to tie. Then with time-limit on hand, the final inning went like this: Doug walked to lead off the inning. A throwing error by the D's pitcher advanced him into scoring position. With one out, Don (our best hitter for both power and average) seemed like a sure bet to win the game. Instead, D's #98 lost control of a fastball and nailed Don square in the chest. There was a bit of a scare when he went down, and stayed down for some time. Eventually Don was on his feet and on first base. This brought up Ken Grawburg who was batting .517 coming in, and had been on base every time up. The D's decided the best move was to walk Ken to setup a double play. It actually was the correct strategy. However, that brought up the Brewer's #3 hitter with the bases loaded in a tie game - with the time-limit already gone. After 2 strikes, Jim choked up another inch and fouled off 4 pitches. No way anything was getting by. Then on the 8th pitch of the at-bat, #6 stroked a single to right field for the walk-off win 10-9.
It was sweet that Jim's son Ian (a star ball player himself, and spring training coach of the Brewers) was at the game keeping score, to see daddy-o come through in the clutch.
The noteworthy performances start with Bryan's stellar 2 innings of relief to get the win.
Don was on base all 4 times up with 2 singles, a double and HBP. He added 2 runs and 2 steals for good measure. KenG had a single and 3 walks, also getting on base all 4 trips to the dish. Add a run and a steal for Ken. Jim went 3-for-4 with a run and 4 RBI. Bryan hit in the 4th slot today and was on base 2-of-3 times with a HBP, a single, and a run scored. Dave L was on base 2/3 times with 2 steals and 2 runs scored. Jeff raised his average by knocking 2 hits in 3 ABs. Add 3 RBIs including the game-tying run in the 5th inning. Doug was on base every time with a hit, walk, and safe on error. #3 also tallied a pair of steals and the game-winning run scored. Ken Stonehouse contributed a hit and a run. Gene added a walk and a run. Dave Brown netted an RBI to round out the score sheet. Double-Barrel also threw out a runner trying to steal in the 2nd. The next two batters were set down for a 1-2-3 inning for Jim.
What a beautiful day at Cranbrook. Perhaps a bit hot for the players, but the fans had it good. This was a well-played game on both sides. All the pitchers made good pitches...even though everybody hit the ball well. And both defenses played well. Nobody gets everything, but both teams made minimal errors. The high, but close score was perfectly indicitave of the game.
It was the Brewers off to the races in the first inning. Kenny G poked a liner into right-center. The fielder conceded the play and put his head down. Ken saw it and his aggressive running put him at second base. Jim followed with a liner over the third baseman's head and drove in Ken. Jim stole second and slid. Too bad Ed wasn't there to see it. Mark followed with a base knock to drive in Jim. Bryan (in his new comfy home, the 4-hole) rapped an RBI single of his own. 4 batters in, and we had 3 runs.
Ken Grawburg got the pitching assignment. His first inning was masterful to maintain the lead.
The Braves pushed a run accross in the 2nd, but the Brewers answered the call with 2 in the top of the 3rd to pad the lead. Jim got us started with another hit. Mark followed with his 2nd one-bagger. Bryan also repeated his 1st inning performance, tallying a hit and RBI. Dave scored Mark with a sac fly and it was 5-1 Brewers.
The Braves put up 3 in the 4th, and an unearned run in the 5th to tie the game. Our Brewers put up a two-spot in the 6th. The Braves came back with 3 of their own, however, to take an 8-7 lead.
Mark got us started with his 3rd hit. No good pitches for Bryan to hit, so he took a walk. DLentz poked his 2nd hit of the day to knock in Mark, then Doug came through with a clutch hit to score Double Barrel-13.
So...the 7th inning rolls around showing the Braves up by 1. KenG got us started with a walk. Jim dropped one in no-mans land between 1st, 2nd, and the pitcher, scoring Ken to tie the game. Mark put up his 4th hit of the day to load the bases. Next up was Bryan Clutchfield's screaming single scoring Jim with the go-ahead run.
Here we go - bottom of the 7th and a 1-run lead. The manager asks the pitcher "how are you holding up in this heat?" "I'm feeling good coach!" "Alright, take it to em' baby!" A couple pitches later it's a 1-2-3 inning and the Brewers take down another upper-division team. KG got to snag a liner for the final out...sweetness.
Today, the Brewers 1-4 hitters were on base 14 time in 16 trips to the plate. Dave Lentz hit 6th and he also had a perfect day at the dish with 2 hits and a walk.
The most impressive defensive play was a catch Gene made in left field, going at least 100' back and to his right, with a terrific cross-over catch to finish it off.
We do have to chuckle at a certain play. Early in the game a couple Braves got tossed when they vented their displeasure at a close call. So these 2 guys were automatic outs in the lineup. Now shift your attention to the 6th inning. With runners on first and third, we decided to intentionally walk a Braves batter to get to the automatic out that was "on deck". Well, the pitch was just a little too close to the plate and the batter managed to poke a single - and go-ahead run. We did come back and score more runs, so we can laugh about it now.
1 2 3 4 5 R H E Brewers 1 2 3 7 4 17 13 3 White Sox 3 0 0 0 0 3 5 8
T'was a balmy nigh' in the cozy burg of Clawson. Merry was amid the cheer and revelry for a match between the front-running Brewers and the Hose Blanc, White Sox. Kinships abound twixt the clubs with nary a player sans a friend for the rivals.
Lord Bryan of Crutchfield was given the "pearl of honor" as the contest's incipient hurler. Woe be to his initial frame, withst no fewer than 5 "base por bolas" the harbinger of doom. Thrice, they did toucheth the plateth in a sickening manner. But then praise be to God, as He saw fit to bestow upon the woebegotten pitcher the manner to cease the free passes...and goodness did come of it. Yea did the scoring cease; in the vernacular, a "gem." Shutout innings did ensue, and there was much rejoicing!
Lest the offense be forgotten, here ye, here ye, the tale of the magical bat. Mark, Duke of Stanisz, since obtaining the Sceptre of Birch has indeed tallied consecutive "base hits" for the entirety of 2 contests spanning 7 appearances as striker. 3 being the total of hits in this eve's game. The Trifecta of Tallies, a Host of Hits, a Bag of Base-knocks. Also due note are the ancillary contributions of 2 scores resulting from hits, and 2 thefted bags. One fielding opportunity did yield an "out" call by our esteemed umpire, judging the region of first base. And there was much rejoicing!
No less worthy of praise be the exploits of Sir Lentzalot. With a fine stroke and keen eye, this fine knight of the Dave did wittingly and knowingly earn the right to "run the bases" in each mano-a-mano confrontation defending his "home." Whilst a walk in his first trip was indeed welcome, he did mightily and with vigor unleash a pair of thunderbolts off the bat in the postceding stanzas. Alas, Hermes himself could not have run better than our hero, netting a duality of larcenies, and a trilogy of trips to home. And there was much rejoicing!
Blessed be the pair of batters fulfilling the 10 and 11 positions in The Order of the Secret Brew. Each achieved perfection in their offensive tactics. The 13th regiment used the Double Barrel cannon to unleash a barrage of fire, hitting twice and a fielder's choice. Runs were scored in each encounter. "3 Runs, 3 RBIs" was the chant as the regiment withdrew from the battle field. With ditto, did duplicate the perfection of tactics our esteemed treasurer, and number 2 in our hearts, young Jeff, the Jester's clever nephew. 3 also, was his total of offensive victories. He did elicit the following descriptors: hit, walk, run, RBI, steal, and the less-popular but just as valuable, base achieved safely due to defender's mishap. And there was much rejoicing!
And yet, the tales of perfection are unended. Kenneth, Earl of Grawburg did excel in his quatro of offensive attempts, reaching the first base once, but reaching home base thrice. A malaise had overtaken him during the day. The physical abuse of so many battles did weary his person. Consigned to the bench during defensive maneuvers, the Earl did not yield to the impediments of the flesh. Mustering the will of Atlas and the offensive aggression of Ares, this mortal achieved base glory 4 times, and scored 3 did he. Each score assisted by a thefted sack. And there was much rejoicing!
Pray tell each batter, save one, reached base minimum two-fold. The lone offender being King James. His Majesty did, with forethought of heroism, participate but once in the parade. His Highness saw fit, however, to contribute the mightiest blow. Evenly distributed was the scoring with each army claiming 3 touches when the linest of drives did land squarely upon the grassy expanse known as "the gap." 2 runs did proceed in an orderly fashion, bestowing the advantage to the Barleymen they were never to lose. And there was much rejoicing!
Chivalry of the day was won by the Genie of Bennetonia. His was tale of rapid assault defending his ground. There it was, the dying quail. His for the taking if only an unerring blitz of a charge could be mounted. With confidence mounded upon the heap of his psyche from recent exploits, a grand reception of ball to glove did elicit cheers from the delighted brothers-in-arms. In consecutive battles, this dog of war has claimed "best in show." And there was much rejoicing!
Felicitations be to the Chancellor of the Hose Blanc, St. Nick of Sass. In the face of insurmountable odds, his was a countenance of support for those who toiled with like cause. Constant reminders of well-spent energies in the pursuit of leisure did he drape upon his myrmidons. When the grim reality of defeat crept near, still St. Nick encouraged all to play with enjoyment and integrity. A most impressive display of leadership. And there was much rejoicing!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 3 Brewers 3 1 0 4 0 0 x 8 8 0
David Letterman's Top-Ten reasons the Brewers won this game
10. Don Ukrainec finally came to play with the youngsters and contributed a hit and an RBI 9. Stoney knocked in the game-winning RBI in the first and made a heck of a scoop at 1B 8. The Tigers couldn't contain Jeff, on base twice with a run and RBI 7. The last batter in our order is hitting over .300 with an OBP over .400...WOW! 6. Mark is crushing the ball with the Sceptre of Birch, the 3 hardest-hit balls of the day 5. Dave Lentz had 2 walks, a stolen base, and run scored 4. Doug Fry shut the door with a great final inning pitched. 3. Doug was on base all 3 times and scored 2 runs 2. The defense played a perfect game, 0 errors 1. DLentz pitched an awesome game allowing only 3 hits.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Tigers 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 4 Brewers 7 5 1 0 2 0 x 15 17 2
Although not as sweltering as the last couple of days, the rains sure made it STEAMY on the field today. If ever a game called for Schvetty Balls, this was it. That said, kudos to the groundskeeper at Fraser H. S. The diamond was in prodigious condition!
Game time, and Jim gets the starting assignment. After his shaky outing against the D's, his confidence was uneasy. Once the game started, however, it was lights out for the Tigers. #6 threw 5 excellent innings, allowing only two hits and no walks. This advances his season record to 4-0. After facing only 18 batters, and in no way fatigued, the manager decided to get some innings for Kenny G and Doug. Ken worked out of trouble for a sixth inning blanking. Doug, however, was sensational. He threw a final 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to close the game ... SLAM! like a prison door behind a serial rapist.
The defense was delightful - despite the sole unearned run. Dave Lentz made the best play of the day at 2B. A sharp grounder was hit far to his right. It took a full-extension back-hand to make the play, deftly executed, with a subsequent nifty throw to nip the batter at first base. Hear-hear!
The offense had another stellar day, placing 15 runs in the book. We burst early against the Tigers' ace Ken Koperski, who continues to lead the league in wins (tied with DLentz 5 each). The Brewers had only one batsman fail to record a hit, but that player had an RBI and was safe on error ... so everbody contributed.
There were several monster blasts off Brewer bats. The biggest was probably Ed's double in the 5th that knocked in 2 runs. Ken Grawburg and Dave Lentz also had doubles, rivaling Ed's bomb.
The biggest day at the plate was #28, DaveL, who was 3-for-3. He had 2 singles and a double. He scored all 3 times on base, and drove in two runs in his first two trips to the dish. We have his mom to thank. He's a beast when she comes to our games. Honorable mentions go to the 4 players who each had 2 hits: Don, Jim, Bryan and Ken Stonehouse. A point of interest: Don, Jim, Mark, Bryan, and Sir Lentzalot had scored 2 runs each by the end of the second inning. Our substantial run producers were Ed with 3 RBIs, followed by Bryan and DLentz with 2 each.
A. Cardinals get a 2-0 lead in the first B. Don leads off with an infield single C. Don steals D. Kenny G singles E. Kenny G steals 2nd F. Jim knocks in Don and KennyG to tie it up G. Gene walks to lead off the 3rd H. Don rips a double and scored Gene; 3-2 Brewers I. Jim leads off the 4th with a single to right...no, to the first baseman J. Dave Lentz knocks him in for a 4-2 lead K. The Cardinals rope 6 hits and a walk in the 5th to take a 7-4 lead L. Pitching change, DaveL relieves KennyG M. Dave shuts 'em down N. In the bottom of the 5th, Gene's hustle gets him on base again O. Doug singles to knock in Gene P. The gap closes to 7-5 Q. Dave shuts them down again R. Brewers fail to score in the 6th S. Doug shuts them down again in the 7th T. DaveL breaks his bat leading off the bottom of the 7th, and the barrel follows the ball and causes an error U. Ken Stonehouse drives a single to put the tying run on base V. Gene is hit by the pitch to load the bases W. Doug drives a ball past the center fielder X. All three runners score Y. Brewers win Z. Brewers clinch first place
Now I know my A B C's, next time won't you sing with me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E Mudville 0 1 0 4 1 3 9 12 4 Brewers 2 1 4 0 2 0 9 7 4
In the 6th inning of a tie game, the umpire called the game due to time-limit - even though we had 4 minutes left...booo!
On to the game...
It started the way we wanted, with the Brewers taking a 2-0 lead in the first. Don had walked and stolen 2B. KenG also took a walk, but the final pitch was wild and Don scored. Jim followed with a bloop single to drive in Ken.
In the 2nd, Mudville got one back. It could have been much worse, were it not for 2 fine plays defensively. First, Dave Lentz went far to his backhand playing 2B and took a hit away. Then Mark ended the inning with a mad dash and barehand play on a ball that had been gobbled up by the long grass. Outstanding!
In the bottom of the frame, Dave Brown led off with a walk, and stole 2nd and went to 3rd on a wild pitch. Doug drew another walk for first-and-third with nobody out. A double-play ball erased Doug, but Dave scored.
The third inning was a good frame, shutting down Mudville then scoring 4 to put the Brewers up 7-1. Don led us off with a grounder, but his speed forced the issue, and he was safe. Ken followed with a single, and Jim was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Bryan grounded out to SS, but netted the RBI. DLentz then shot a single to left scoring Ken and Jim. An error put 2 runners on for Ed who hit a mighty blast between the catcher and pitcher, and somehow Dave scored our 4th run of the inning.
The 4th inning was completely unkind to the Brewers. In the top, Mudville plated 4 times. Bloopers and soft liners just kept falling in. In the bottom of the inning, it seemed we would blow the game open. Doug had singled, Jeff walked, and Ken was HBP to load the bases for the league's leading RBI man. Jim roped a sizzling line drive to center. It seemed it would score 2 easily. At the last minute, the Mudville CF dove and made an incredible catch to end the inning. If he did not catch the ball, it would have gone past him to clear the bases. This was clearly the play of the game.
Our bottom of the 5th saw Bryan draw a walk, followed by DaveL's 2nd hit. They did advance during Mark's at-bat, then Ed came through with a 2-run base knock for our 8th and 9th runs.
In the top of the 6th, Mudville scored 3 unearned runs. It could have been worse, were it not for 2 fine plays Ed made at first base to get the batter out and hold runners at 3B.
This takes us to the bottom of the 6th. We went down 1-2-3 for probably only the 2nd time this year (maybe that's an exaggeration, but it doesn't feel like it). That's when we were hit with the time limit and we were left to chew on the gristle of our "what ifs."
===================
Interesting tidbit: Dave Brown has 15 RBIs on 10 hits. That's efficiency!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Brewers 3 0 1 1 2 1 1 9 12 0 The D's 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 1
Sorry Dave, the biggest night for the Brewers was Dave. No matter which one you said that to, you're right.
Just because we're partial to pitchers, let's start with Dave. The dude spread out 6 hits over 5 innings and allowed a single run after we had a comfortable lead. And we never felt threatened. Even not feeling 100%, helluva'n effort!
And then Dave at bat...yeow! They went 6-for7 with 4 singles, a double and a triple...2 runs scored and 3 RBI. One of the Daves was 4-for-4, the other had both the extra base hits. It's the best I've seen Dave hit all year. Rockin the D!
Don was unsure of his tender groin...then scored 4 runs...ya sandbagger!
Don made one of the finest plays of the game. #9 was playing position no. 9. The D's Harville (the 77 year-old guy, bless you) hit a screaming liner over the first baseman's head. Don charged full speed and made an amazing catch just as he dove to the ground. Outstanding!
The other play of the game was the 1-6-3 put out in the 4th inning. One of the leading hitters in the league, hit a shot up the middle. It caromed off Dave's leg. Jim snagged the ball up the middle on the rebound and completed the throw to 1B. From the SS's point of view, it went like this: Shot up the middle, go hard to your left...you'll never get there, try harder...oh no, it hit our pitcher and he's a star player...hey, it bounced right to me, that was easy...please make a good throw to first...phew, decent throw and he's out. To everyone else it was like "great play"...so the manager just said "thanks."
We asked Doug for a 2-inning close-job and he delivered with aplomb. The crafty northpaw held them hitless for 2 innings. His longest stint of the year.
Gotta say the defense was great tonight. 0 errors, and several plays that took more-than-average effort to complete. Well done!
Finally, thanks to the umps for a job well done.
A veces se ve la televisión sólo para ver las tetas
1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E Cubs 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 5 3 Brewers 7 0 0 3 0 0 10 11 3
It was the Brewers getting out to a 7-run lead in the first inning. It all started with 2 outs and nobody on. 5 walks in a row (Jim, Ed, Mark, Bryan, Ken S) and the Cubs changed pitchers. We greeted the next hurler with 4 hits in a row to put up the 7-spot. No hits were bigger than Double Barrel's bases loaded triple. Yikes he's been putting good barrel on the ball lately!
In the 4th inning the Barleymen (I like that much better than the Brew Crew...that's so...softball) put up a trio of touches when Doug, Jeff, and Chris loaded the bases with 3 hits. An error accounted for the first run. A fielder's choice accounted for the 2nd run. Then Jim drove a single to right center to score the 3rd run. This RBI ties Ed, who had taken over the league lead in the last game. Appropriate that the top-scoring team in the league has the #3 and #4 hitters tied for RBIs.
Pitching...so Jim took the ball and tossed a complete game. It could have been a shutout, except we tossed 3 errors in the 6th inning. Jim's error was most grievous with a sure double-play ball thrown into center field. Still, it was 0 earned runs, so it looks good on paper. The source of pride being the Cubs' 2 big bombers, Greg Chastang and Darrin Clark, were 0-for-5. There aren't many hitters our pitching hero fears, but those are 2 of them.
The defense was pretty good, if not spectacular. No defensive play stands out above the others...well...one sticks in memory simply for its drama. In the 3rd inning the Cubs tried to score a runner on a base hit. Gene made a terrific throw from LF. Dave had the ball in plenty of time to tag the runner, but the guy decided to put his shoulder down and hit our favorite #13 with a full-blown linebacker shoulder into the chest. Dave held him off the plate and Hutchinson was called out and ejected for his intentional malicious contact. With that said, DaveB also picked several pitches in the dirt. Great game behind the plate!
Other noteworthy plays and effort were: Kenny Baseball-1B made a nice pick to his right just after Mark made a nice pick at 3B. Yeah, that means the throw was wild, but we made the play...who's counting? Gene-LF was high-effort the entire game in the field and at-bat. All his swing were meant to drive the ball; that's the way to hit. In the field he netted a long catch or two simply on speed. He ran like a deer in the outfield today and his entire team noticed.
However, the play of the game was a complete team effort. We had the bases loaded and there was a grounder that the pitcher fielded. He threw home, and the throw did beat the runner speeding in from 3rd, but the catcher did not catch it cleanly in the mitt. The ball bounced off the palm of his mitt, and directly to his throwing hand. The original call was "out." Here's where the team play came in...not one guy barked at the umpire. Our manager calmly spoke to the home plate ump and described what he saw, then asked if the field ump could be consulted to see if he saw the play. The field ump did indeed see the play the as King James saw it, and the call was reversed. The pleasant way in which the Brewers handled the situation scored us a run and saved an out. Way to go team! Not only that, but I sure appreciate Umpire Mark's effort to get the call right; the play was directly in the sun for him. I can also add that Greg (Cub's catcher) made a nice play to eventually catch the ball and hide it from the umpire. He got the original call because he played it so well.
An additional tip-of-the-cap goes to Tim Sullivan, who pitched 5-1/3 good innings for the Cubs, and hit the snot out of the ball all 3 times up.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Brewers 0 3 0 2 2 0 6 13 12 3 White Sox 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1
(Superman) Look up on the mound, it's The Bird, it's Blaine (Hardy), it's KEN GRAWBURG! Faster than a speeding bullet. More power than a locomotive. Able to leap tall statistics in a single bound...GRAWBURG! Pitcher from another world with power beyond that of mere mortal men. GRAWBURG, takes no-hitters late in the game. GRAWBURG, thinking about earned runs, think again. Disguised as mild-mannered #12, he gets on base 3 times, scored 2 runs, hit a double, and had 2 RBIs...it's GRAWBURG!
(Speed Racer) Here he comes, here come Chris Holmes, gets on base in a pinch He'll be taking two walks and getting hit by the pitch You know eventually he'll come around to score Sliding into home, he won't do that no more But when the sun is in his eyes, don't give the pick off move You bet your life Chris Holmes, he will see it through Go Chris Holmes, go Chris Holmes, go Chris Holmes GO!
(Spiderman) Douggie Fry, Douggie Fry, does whatever..what a guy Makes some plays, gets some hits Pitch the 7th, what a trip Look Out! Here comes Douggie Fry
(Captain America) When Mark Stanisz swings his mighty bat All those that oppose his bat will crap their pants With 3-for-4 and a pair of runs scored But it was really Ed running, 'cause the hamstring's still sore When Mark Stanisz swings his mighty bat!
(Star Trek) Baseball, the final frontier These are the voyages of the outfielder Jeff Young His 7-inning mission, to make great catches, to get "the big hit" To score a run, like everyone else did before ah..ah.........ah ah ah ah ah.......
(Spongebob Squarepants) Are you ready Brewers? Aye aye Captain I can't hear you! Aye Aye Captain Oh .......... Who's elbow is hurting, but still having fun? That's Ed Alberts! Who goes 0-for-4 but still scores a run? That's Ed Alberts! With 2 RBIs, that's quite a trick. That's Ed Ablerts! Just thinking out loud, not really a prick. That's Ed Alberts! That's Ed Alberts, that's Ed Alberts, that's Ed......Alberts!
(Fat Albert) Hey hey hey, it's Ken Stonehouse And I'm gonna swing the bat for you Then I'm gonna score a run or two On base four times now, just me and the gang Steal a couple bases, 'cause that's the Brewers' thang Na na na, Stoney had a good game, hey hey hey Na na na, Stoney had a good game, hey hey hey Na na na, Stoney had a good game
(Batman) Dave Lentz ... Dave Lentz ... Dave Lentz .. Dave Lentz ... Dave Lentz, Dave Lentz, Dave Lentz Na na na na na na na ....DAVE LENTZ!
HEADLINES Bryan Pitches Gem Don and Jim Hog the Hits DLentz Shines at 2B
GAME RECAP Crutchfield shuts them down in the first inning 1-2-3. Zane leads off with a double and McWilliams knocks him in for the first run. Pirates take the lead with 2 runs in the 2nd. Brewers tie it up in the 3rd when Lentz knocks in Young. McWilliams scores a balsy play in the 6th to put the Brewers up 3-2 Clutchfield closes the door.
THE STORIES Bryan really pitched his best game as a Brewer. Even though we were trailing for an inning, he was in command of the game from start to finish. The fastball was fast, the curveball was curvy, and the slider was slippery. Check that box score...that's a 2-hitter there. Atta boy!
Don was the winner in the batting stats. His 3-for-3 wrapped up the batting title. The last rookie to win the batting title was ... NEVER! Until now. Atta boy!
Jim had a couple seeing-eye hits that accounted for the first RBI, and the final game-deciding run. That was a fun play. Jim led off the 6th with an up-the-middle bounder for a hit. A wild pitch moved him to 2nd, and Ed hit the ball to the right side to move him to 3B with one out. Up steps DoubleBarrel - our best hit/RBI ratio guy, by a lot. After a failed bunt attempt, DaveB smacked a grounder to second base. The ball was fielded cleanly and the second-sacker checked Jim, who had taken a very large secondary lead with the infield drawn in. As soon as the fielder's eyes moved from Jim to the first baseman, Jim took off for home. This took the second baseman by suprise; he did not make a strong throw. It also took the first baseman by suprise and he didn't come up throwing. There was no play at the plate. Atta boy!
Dave Lentz was superb at second base - 2 putouts and 5 assists. He was involved in a few double plays, and nearly another...and that was the best play of the game. It was a ball hit to his right. He moved over, and the ball bounced differently in the soft dirt rather than the firm grass. He kept the ball in front of him though, using the inside of his right knee to make the save, then completing the out. An ice pack later he was back on the field. Atta boy!
Don made a couple fairly long runs in center field. He almost took himself out, though, when he lunged at first base running out an infield hit. (Coach says "no more lunging, just run straight through - it is faster and safer"). DZ landed on his heel funny and went down in a heap. It took a pinch runner to move the game along. An ice pack later he was back on the field. Atta boy!
Ed made a couple nice plays at 1B. There was the first double play. Sir Lentzalot had taken a grounder to 2B himself and threw on line, but low to first. Ed stayed on it and made the pick. Ed also managed to get a double play on a ball that was, by his reckoning, 2 feet foul. Atta boy!
Ken Stonehouse managed to get blood all over the place after getting thrown out trying to advance on an error. Good thing he's pretty.
Leading off the 2nd, Mark launched a 340' .... foul ball. Strike one!
Jeff managed to get on base every trip to the plate, and scored our 2nd run to tie it up. Gene had reached on an error. GB tried to steal, and found out what a fantastic arm the catcher has. We were 0-for-2 in steal attempts, so we just stopped trying. He shut us down. Anway, so Jeff gets on the base the same way, with the ball thrown away. Don singled and put Jeff at 3B. Dave Lentz came through with a ground-out RBI to score Jeff and tie the game in the third inning. Atta boys!
On the other hand, the defense was splendid, 0 errors and several fine plays. The final play of the game was an awesome catch of a lazy pop up to Ken Stonehouse. HE CALLED IT. What a guy!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Tigers 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 10 9 4 Brewers 3 5 1 0 3 1 13 12 6 W Lentz, L Gavlinski
An unusually ugly win. 6 Brewers errors were uncharacteristic of our Motor City heroes. Conversely, the miscues were dense in the early and late of play. The middle inning defensive efforts were worthy of praise. The performance that impales itself in memory certainly would be Mark's bare-handed grab of a ball that died in the grass. Success required good focus and technique. It was late in the game when defense was at a premium...exactly what the team needed at the time.
DLentz had a rough first inning pitched. He battled to balance Stuff with Command, walking and hitting the first two batters of the game. Given time to reflect between innings, he regained his composure and relied on proper technique to execute the pitches - no need to try harder than usual. It worked marvelously. After those first 2 batters, not another free pass was given. In innings 2-5, Dave faced only 2 batters over the minimum.
We put 25 runners on base in 6 innings...and that was the real story of the game. It was 12 by hit, 9 by walk, and 4 on error. And the statistical anomolies are: ¦ Jim was on base every time and scored every time - and hit for crap ¦ Ed tried to pull himself out of the lineup early in the day and Jim would have no part of it. He insisted "you're batting 4th, and you better drive in some runs." So with an elbow that should have stayed home, he went 2-for-3 and had that bases-clearing double in the 2nd inning when the game was tied. BLAM! ¦ We held Mike and Chris back from the lineup for safety first time through. Then they both struck out....BUT THEN, they both CLOBBERED the ball. Mike's double was probably hit harder than Dave Brown's double, which was likewise SMOKED! (I didn't get to see Ed or DLentz's because I was busy scoring). That was followed by Chris' sharp single that would have fared well on the radar gun. ¦ Don gets an early lead in the playoff Stolen Base lead with 3, nudging Jim's 2. ¦ The 4 and 5 hitters, Alberts and Lentz went 4-for-5 with a walk. ¦ Ed hit a single, and Jim held at 2B ¦ Ed's hardest hit ball was the line out to 3B ¦ Dave Brown had more RBIs than hits...AGAIN
Okay, so you wanna know 'bout the game? Here's how it went down...
After getting down 5-0 in the first inning we said, "let's go hit" and we did. We managed a 3-spot, which is not terrible. It put us right back in it.
Usually when a runner is super-fast, the defense panics, and can't make a routine play. So Don gets one of those leading off and winds up on 2B, then stole 3B and scored on a wild pitch. He simply played the game too fast for the Tigers. Jim got us restarted by walking and stealing second and third. Gene mentioned twice that Jim seemed turbo-boosted - so it must be true. Ed followed with his single and got the wussy stolen base on the back end of a daring double-steal with Jim leading the way! What followed was magical. The Daves drew a pair of RBI bases-loaded walks. "Hit's as good as a walk!" ...and there's your 3-spot.
2nd inning #28 mows 'em down striking out a pair. Then... Bryan singled, Gene had a "too speedy" moment of his own that put 2 runners in scoring position for Don. One crack of the bat later and the game was tied. KenG walked and Jim hit a 15-footer but outran a bad throw to load the bases. This was the moment for Ed's majestic double knocking in 3 runs to put us up 8-5 and take the lead we would never relinquish.
So soon, Lentz is the pitcher of record, and winning. His shutout 2-5 frames give the Brewers a chance to tack on. Doug punched a single to get the dance started in the 3rd. He stole a base of his own, then Bryan drew a walk. Gene...uh...the scorebook doesn't say. Doug scored somehow (good job, buddy) and Gene got on 1B, but it doesn't say how. LET ME KNOW!
Jim outhustled the defense again to lead off the 5th. Ed hit his majestic line out to 3B. DaveL followed with his majestic double, scoring Jim majestically from first base. Then...you want doubles? You want double-doubles? Then DoubleBarrel's your man. BLAM! That was a mighty shot. Way to go #13. Then I think Maybe Mark knocked him in...but no RBI is given. Not sure what happened...anyone remember? It made the game 12-5.
The Tigers drew an unearned run to draw a bit closer, but in the 6th inning Jeff got his first-ever hickory hit. Mike was next and unleashed a howitzer shot to turn the outfielders around and knocked in Jeff to make the game 13-6.
Then .. uh... the 7th inning happened and we didn't lose. Hooray us!
POSTGAME: Jeff called out Detroit Tiger Trivia, and Jim kicked ass...just sayin'. My favorite question went like this: Jeff queried "Hank Greenberg had 183 RBIs one year...good for 3rd place all-time. Who were the 2 MLB players with more RBIs in one season?" Jim said "probably Lou Gehrig and...hmmm...Hack Wilson." Jeff and Doug were astonished to flip the page and say "Dam, its Lou Gehrig and Hack Wilson." Kenny Baseball asked "Who the hell's Hack Wilson?"
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E The D's 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 6 0 Brewers 2 0 0 4 1 0 7 9 3 W: McWilliams L: Domansky
This was classic Brewers only in the sense that Jim tossed a nice complete game. The fielding was suspect, and the offense did not explode. Even with only 3 errors listed, there were several other plays that got away from us. In addition, for the first time this year, we did not have a batter tally 2 hits.
So let's get on to the pitching. Jim scattered 6 hits across 7 innings, walking 2 and striking out a season-high 6. 2 of the strikeouts came in the 2nd inning with a runner on 3rd and only 1 out. That saved a run from scoring. 2 more were to close out the game, as if to put an exlaimation mark on his career year.
The credit for that pitching performance goes to Ken Grawburg. Ken and Jim had a great conversation the day before, trading ideas about strategy, technique and focus. Knowing Ken was pitching the 2nd game, Jim really took the game one pitch at a time. A pitcher never gets rattled when he concentrates on THE NEXT PITCH. Thanks for that, Ken!
The offense was nicely spread out. Notice in the scoring recap we'll only mention once guy twice:
In the first inning, it was Don leading off with a double. Kenny G laid down a nice bunt to move him to 3rd with one out. With Jim up, you figure the run is automatic. Not so fast. The one thing that can put a damper on it is...Hit By Pitch. A stolen base later and runners were on 2B and 3B. A wild pitch scored the first run. Our leading RBI man was still up with Jim on 3B. Ed hit an infield grounder and Jim took off. The throw came to the plate and was close, the the catcher could not put the tag on our pitcher, and he scored to put the Hoppy Boys up 2-0.
The D's got a run back in the 3rd inning with a single, steal, and 2 fly balls to advance the runner. Then in the 4th inning, took the lead briefly when 2 hits led to 2 runs. It was another SAC fly, and an error that allowed the runners to advance.
Now we get to the bottom of the 4th and the Brew Dudes do what they do best...score runs in bunches. Kenny G got us started with a walk and a steal. What transpired next is probably the most undeserving RBI in the history of baseball. With Ken on 2B, Jim chased a breaking ball in the dirt. Realizing it was not caught cleanly, he bolted for first, and Ken sprinted for 3B. The catcher recovered the ball fairly quickly and tried to get the batter at 1B. The play was close, but the D's could not convert the out. Seeing the throw go to first, Ken raced home. So the play awarded an RBI on a strikeout with a runner on second...and it was a score-tying play, so that's about as weird as it gets. On the next pitch, Jim was running, but Ed could not ignore the meatball served by the pitcher and roped a single into LF. Even with Jim running, the ball was in front of him and he had to hold at 2B. Dave Lentz followed and singled to load the bases. Mark contributed another single scoring Jim to give us the lead we would never lose. Bryan came up with his own strange at-bat, when a ground out to 2B yielded 2 runs scored, capping a 4-run inning and handing us a 6-3 lead.
In the next frame, DoubleBarrel got the train moving again with a single and a steal. Jeff followed up with a hickory single, scoring Dave. Final score 7-3.
SIDE STORY Jim discovered holes in both his vegas gold socks, but had to look good and wore them anyway. By the end of the 2nd inning, the hole in the sock turned into a hole in the left big toe, ripping skin away the size of a dime. A band-aid and some first-aid tape closed the gap, but Ed was the hero again, having spare gold socks in his car. Jim carried on and the D's never knew anything was amiss.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Brewers 0 6 1 0 4 0 0 11 12 2 The D's 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 7 1 W: Grawburg, L: McGlone
And here it is for all the marbles. Kenny G takes the hill. After Jim's fine performance in the first game, how do you top that? How about allowing but 1 run on 4 hits through 6 innings? We even executed the pick-off correctly for him this game. Through 5 innings, Ken had only faced 4 more than the minimum.
The defense was noticeably better in the 2nd game. With the pressure of the first game behind them, the Alers (really reaching on that one) played much better in the field.
It was Bryan leading off the 2nd inning that got the O-train rolling with a single/steal. Ken Stonehouse knocked him in with a single to left. Doug tallied a base hit to put a pair of ducks on the pond. Dave Brown put a grounder in the hole for an infield singe and RBI. That actually puts his hits/RBI ratio out of whack. Gene followed with a single to right to score Doug. Jeff, Don, and KenG all worked their way on base for Jim. Bases loaded and 2 outs..need a big hit! How about an RBI walk instead? That capped a 6-run inning, and the D's knew it was over.
In the 3rd, Sir Lentzalot took a walk to lead off and got himself in scoring position. Then with Mark at bat we turned the 2nd strikout / RBI in as many games. Mark didn't beat the throw this time, but Dave took the opportunity to score. Crazy!
In the 5th, we padded the scoresheet. Don got us started with another single/steal. Ken moved him over with a grounder, and Jim broke the game bat he had used the entire season by hitting a grounder to short second base. He beat the play and Don scored. The throw went over the first baseman's head and Jim took 3rd turning on the jets. Ed knocked in Jim with a solid single. The scorebook is unclear how Ed and Dave Lentz scored after that. Dave was safe on an error by the third baseman. Mark and Bryan hit singles to left. If anyone remembers the play, let me know. For now I'll assume Ed scored on the error. Dave had to score on one of the hits though, so we're missing an RBI.
Oh man, Doug pitched the 7th and the double header had taken it out of him - either that or the SIDE STORY (read on). After only allowing one hit in 9 innings of the regular season, he got tagged for 3 hits today. However, an error leading off the inning, then 2 foul pop-ups to Ed at first erased any possibility of earned runs. Finally though, it was a ground ball to DLentz at SS and a flip to Jim at 2B to close out the game.
the brewers win....The Brewers Win....THE BREWERS WIN! Our celebration was somewhat low-key on the field, though admittedly full of joy. For the first time all year, Jim did not have enough chairs in the van to seat everyone at the team meeting. We had guys stay that can't normally stay, and we saw guys toast that are normally teetotalers. Well, this is a special occassion and it must be savored.
SIDE STORIES Mark had originally planned to miss the finals due to Theresa's 50th birthday - admittedly a big deal. Her big heart gave up her birthday and she wrote Mark the pass to play. In return, the Brewers sent her a bouquet of flowers and a team-signed baseball. She'll probably enjoy the flowers more, but we sure do appreciate it. Mark played a terrific pair of games.
Going into the 7th inning, Jim's son Ian volunteered to warm up Doug. They both neglected to find good lighting and Ian took a Fry fastball to the nose. It looked ugly for a while, and probably will yeild swelling and black eyes. However the next day he said it didn't hurt at all, and it was only SLIGHTLY misplaced. It probably rattled Doug and contributed to his abberative 7th inning, but take heart...the lad is fine.
And that's how you do a championship season. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY contributed. Our 12 regular players hit, pitched and fielded with the best of them all year. The 2 part-timers hit the snot out of the ball late in the year and in the playoff. Ed commented that even with Don's home run, the hardest hit ball of the year was Mike's double in the playoff game against the Tigers. Even the subs got hits in the few games we needed an extra hand.
One of the best aspects of the team was the willingness to let go of questionable judgment calls by the umpires. For the most part, the victimized players just carried on as if nothing happened. We were also excellent at not letting mistakes get us down. We all make them, and we're all forgiving to each other when teammates show their human side.
How about that finish? Since losing to Willie Boyd and the Tribe, 8-3 on July 29th, we went 14-0-1. To use a great Strange Brew reference: STEAM ROLLER!
From the Manager: thank you for making this the EASIEST team to manage in the history of baseball.
Rest up boys, we're all beat up, but we have the winter to recover, then get strong for next season. I'm sure we'll have all 14 players back. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Next team meeting, October 8th at Roger's Roost in Sterling Heights.
Motor City Brewers Schedule