FishFan's Softball Dynasty Thread

[FishFan]

Alright, so I am a little bored...

With spring quickly approaching and thus, the beginning of a new softball season, I thought it might be a little fun to begin a softball dynasty thread to chronicle the events and results of the 15-game season. Our season does not start until April 18th, but we have our first "practice" tomorrow night.

First a little background. I played softball for a number of years for a pathetic team that could never win and had a coach that was just too nice. Two-win season after two-win season, I decided that I had enough. I got together with some friends and formed a new team. We landed a sponsorship with the local Applebee's restaurant and took off. In our first three seasons, we have compiled a 24-11 record in 35 games and have finished in 2nd place twice. We are ready to bring home the championship this year.

Stealing from an old thread posted here on the forum, I will describe the types of players that make up this Applebee's squad. I will use nicknames to protect the innocent.

Levy, pitcher: My ace is about 6'4", 350 lbs. The guy is no faster than a turtle and can not get off the plate very fast. He is the perfect stereotype of a softball player: fat and can hit the ball a ton. But, he is also one of the best pitchers I have ever seen. He can drop balls into a peach basket behind home plate with ease. He once went an entire 15 game season, walking just three batters. His power at the plate is a plus, too.

The Hag, Catcher: Former football player at this position. Not a talented fielder, but can catch the ball, which is very important at the catcher position. With all of our rockets in the outfield, we need someone to make the plays at home. He's also about a .500 hitter, so-so power.

The Ham, 1st Base: This guy is probably our weakest hitter of the bunch, but he has a knack for scooping balls out of the dirt. He can do the splits, too, which is very important. He hits about .600 every year, but his slugging average is about the same. His first year, he did not have an extra base hit.

Romeo, 2nd Base: Slow-footed, 5'11, 140 lbs. Thin as a rail, but can turn the DP every once in while. I have to get on him every once in awhile about getting dirty - he doesn't like diving for balls very often.

Pudge, Shortstop: Our guy is not your typical shortstop. But, the pot-bellied, 250 pounder can hit the ball and cover ground. Not the best arm, but capable of throwing out speedy guys at first. Last summer, he compiled 45 RBIs in 15 games out of the #3 spot in the lineup.

Jeb, 3rd Base: Big guy, not much upstairs. He's not afraid of the ball and has taken a few in the chins and stomach. He also has a rocket arm which scares the hell out of our pansy 1st baseman and opposing runners, for that matter. He knocked one out cold late last season. To top it off, he is a line drive hitter who loves the gaps. Go yard occasionally.

Jaybird, Left Fielder: Leadoff man and speedster of the team. He chases down a lot of balls deep and will gun down baserunners with ease. In a late game last year, he threw out five in one game before our opponent decided not to run on him anymore. He batted around .720 last year with quite a few two- and three-baggers.

FishFan, Left-center Fielder: This is my home on the softball field. Though I am probably the third slowest guy on the team, I have a knack at getting great jumps. I also am not afraid to dive and once came up with three spectacular catches in one inning. After the third, I heard the infield umpire humming the SportsCenter theme - one of my greatest accomplishments. My lack of speed is made up for by my ability to get a good jump and the speed of the guys playing LF and RCF. I also carry a big stick. Led the team in triples last season and also went yard a few times while carrying a .650 batting average.

Jester, Right-center Fielder: Second quickest guy on the field - also the team's clown. It was his idea that found us wearing Braveheart costumes and warpaint for a doubleheader on Oct. 30th during this past fall season. He also loves the acrobatic stuff. He once did a complete somersault while making a catch in midair (we were up 27-5 at the time). One of the most spectacular softball plays I have ever seen. He is a contact hitter, about .550.

Tone, Right Fielder: Another speedster with a great glove. Teams that come in thinking they can light up the right fielder, soon give up on the strategy. He was limited in action last year after breaking his thumb while diving for a ball. We all gave him hell for not coming up with it, to add salt to the wound.

Cally, Extra-hitter: We also have the luxury of an extra-hitter(an 11th batter). Our guy knocks the cover off the ball, but can not run or field worth a damn. It seemed he always made the last out of the game, which meant he had to supply the beer for the following games quite a bit.

[The Mike]

Sounds really cool Fish - can't wait to read it!

[Critch]

Are you not going to release everybody and go for the traditional "empty cupboard" challenge?

[FishFan]

Unfortunately, the "free agent" pool had dried up over the last couple of years. I thought about dumping all of these losers, but I don't have enough friends to field a whole different team. Hell, I barely had enough friends to fill this team.

A few late additions:

Ox, Outfielder: Pre-camp acqusition who happens to be the only left-handed hitter on the roster. Yet another quick baserunner and quality fielder, he should be a great substitute for any of the four current outfielders.

The Big Sexy, EH: Big Sexy returns after tearing a ligament in his knee. I had previously thought the injury was career-ending, but he called and said he was ready to give it a shot. Since he is a fan favorite, I could not turn him down. He will not play in the field because of the injury, but the boy can flat out hit the damn ball. In two games last year before going down, he went 7 for 9 with three doubles and a triple.

Stoney, outfielderA true athlete that can play anywhere, but will be utilized in the outfield. Will probably wrestle a starting spot away from one of the incumbents. More of a contact hitter with occasional power. Can do it all.

We are now up to 14 players - the most I have ever fielded. Hopefully, guys won't get "disgruntled" over playing time. Our first practice is at 9:30 EST tonight.

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-04-2001).]

[RPI-Fan]

Be sure to give us a post-practice report!

[FishFan]

Tragedy Strikes Applebee's Softball!

Heading into Wednesday night's practice in Bloomington, Indiana spirits (alcohol) ran high as the team assembled for the first time and experts (Jaybird and I) predicted a first place finish in the Men's 4D League.

One-by-one the players showed up, half tanked and ready to play some ball. Seeing their bloodshot eyes and increasingly expanding bellies, I knew we were already reaching midseason form. Then, the bad news hit. Stoney, who happens to be Jeb's roommate informed me that Jeb will not be able to play this season due to scheduling conflicts. Apparently, his role as a high school assistant baseball coach and summer league basketball ref are more important than bringing home a championship. I asked Stoney to try to talk him into rearranging his priorities and began to think about who could play thirdbase.

Luckily, a couple of our late additions are outfielders, which will enable me to try my hand at third, returning to the hot corner that I played back in my high school days.

I quickly handed out last year's runner-up trophies with little fanfare, exclaiming that second place is the first loser. Applebee's will not settle for second place. Then, we hit the field. We assumed our usual positions, except with Stoney in LCF and myself at 3B. We send a couple of guys up to the plate and begin some hitting drills.

A couple of surprises through the hitting drills:

The Jester showed much improvement at the plate and placing the ball where ever he wanted to. Many times he would call his shot before putting it there. I was pleased with this and am considering moving him up to second in the lineup.

Tone also displayed improved hitting at the plate. He knocked the cover off the ball displaying a newfound source of power.

I guess sending those two to Puerto Rico for some winter ball really paid off!

Our play in the field left a little to be desired. I misplayed a few hot shots at 3rd as I tried to get readjusted, but the Hag was able to play 3rd flawlessly. We may miss Jeb's bat more than his glove this year. Stoney showed excellent range in the outfield, often running down practically uncatchable balls with ease.

Our next practice is scheduled for Tuesday April 10th with our season opener two weeks away.

Here's our preliminary preseason lineup:

1. Ox, RCF
2. Jester, 2b
3. Jaybird, LF
4. Pudge, SS
5. Levy, P
6. FishFan, 3b
7. Stoney, LCF
8. Cally, EH
9. Tone, RF
10. Hag, C
11. Ham, 1b

Subs-

Romeo (horrible fielding display, still solid contact at the plate)
Big Sexy (no show at practice, could win the 1b job if he shows up)

[ez]

Originally posted by FishFan:
Pudge, Shortstop: Our guy is not your typical shortstop. But, the pot-bellied, 250 pounder can hit the ball and cover ground. Not the best arm, but capable of throwing out speedy guys at first. Last summer, he compiled 45 RBIs in 15 games out of the #3 spot in the lineup.

as many have noted, our perceptions of who ought to play SS are changing, and that's good (cal ripken is/was a great example).

i've played 2B my entire life (joe morgan is god!), and have played with dozens of shortstops in baseball and softball (both kinds ), from pee-wee through american legion and beyond.

the best ever? a bowlegged lee marvin look-alike in his late forties on a "ringer" softball team. didn't seem that quick, but somehow covered a lot of ground. not much arm strength, but he made the glove-ball-throw move faster than any SS i've seen, with an odd sidearm/submarine flip that tailed, but was always on target when it got to the destination. we turned a DP per game.

he was a good hitter, too, with a looping/slashing swing that roped the ball between OFs...


[This message has been edited by ez (edited 04-05-2001).]

[FishFan]

Originally posted by ez:
the best ever? a bowlegged lee marvin look-alike in his late forties on a "ringer" softball team. didn't seem that quick, but somehow covered a lot of ground. not much arm strength, but he made the glove-ball-throw move faster than any SS i've seen, with an odd sidearm/submarine flip that tailed, but was always on target when it got to the destination. we turned a DP per game.

sounds like a carbon copy of my guy. he just has a knack for playing short. but, he has suggested that i move him to third, where our huge hole is, and put someone else at short. we have a couple of guys that played short in high school and i could probably handle the position just as well as i could handle third. this "who's going to play third?" question will be interesting. someone has to step up.

[FishFan]

Couple of Updates:

I ran into Jeb and Stoney at a local brewpub Saturday night and tried to talk Jeb into returning this year. Apparently, Jeb is a high school assistant coach, but the high school season will end in early June. Plus, he mentioned that he could probably skip out early on most game nights. He was concerned about 6:00 games, but I already requested no 6:00 games this year because a lot of us work late and have trouble making them. This conversation may have changed his mind and he said he will show up to practice on Tuesday. We would welcome his bat back into the lineup with open arms.

But, the weekend didn't come without some bad news. Ox, who had been penciled in as the leadoff man and the only left-handed bat in the lineup, has accepted a job offer out of state and will be moving within the next month. He called this morning to let me know that he will not be playing this year. So, we may have gained one, but lost another. So goes the trials and tribulations of amateur softball.

More to come...

[FishFan]

Our second and final practice came and went without much fanfare. The rains came early and provided a nice drizzle throughout the evening prompting a few guys to skip the final warmup. Women.

Anyway, the faithful seven were all guaranteed starting spots for next Wednesday's season opener. We conducted some hitting drills, showing off exceptional power and placement. The Jester displayed great bat control and placement; he may have won the leadoff spot for next week. My power returned a little more as I drove two out of the park, albeit a smaller park than where we will play our regular games.

I could not get a good feel for our defense since we only had seven guys and we were all playing out of position, for the most part. Towards the end of practice, I took a softball of the inner part of the knee that left a nasty looking bruise. I've listed myself as day-to-day.

For the record, below are the final stats from Fall 2000. I might even post career stats later this week.

Name	 G	AB	R	H	RBI	D	T	HR	BB	SO	BA	OB%	SLG

Levy	 10	40	18	26	18	6	0	1	1	0	0.650	0.675	0.875

FishFan	 10	33	13	21	8	5	1	0	4	0	0.636	0.758	0.848

Stoney	 10	41	18	26	13	3	0	0	0	0	0.634	0.634	0.707

The Ham	 10	35	17	22	14	0	1	0	0	0	0.629	0.629	0.686

Romeo	 10	34	14	21	13	0	0	0	4	0	0.618	0.735	0.618

Jeb	 10	41	16	25	25	6	1	3	0	0	0.610	0.610	1.024

Jester	 10	35	17	20	14	4	2	0	0	0	0.571	0.571	0.800

Jaybird	  9	32	18	18	12	5	1	1	3	0	0.563	0.656	0.875

The Hag	  6	20	6	11	9	1	0	0	0	0	0.550	0.550	0.600

Pudge	 10	40	15	21	17	4	4	0	0	0	0.525	0.525	0.825

Cally	 10	36	12	18	18	3	0	4	0	2	0.500	0.500	0.917

Big Sexy 2	6	3	5	6	2	2	0	0	0	0.833	0.833	1.833

Tone	  1	4	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0.250	0.250	0.250

													

TOTALS	        401	169	236	169	39	13	9	12	2	0.589	0.618	0.818

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-10-2001).]

[FishFan]

Opening Day Lineup
April 18, 2001

1. Jester, rcf (last year: .571, 18 runs, 12 rbi)
2. Pudge, ss (.525, 15, 17)
3. Jaybird, lf (.563, 18, 12)
4. Levy, p (.650, 18, 18)
5. The Ham, 1b (.629, 17, 14)
6. FishFan, lcf (.636, 13, 8)
7. Stoney, rf (.634, 18, 13)
8. Romeo, 2b (.618, 14, 13)
9. The Hag, 3b (.550, 6, 9)
10. Cally, c (.500, 12, 18)
11. Tone, eh (.250, 1, 2)

There are still a couple of question marks. If Jeb decides to play, he will be inserted into the clean-up spot (.610, 16, 25) and everyone will be moved down a spot with Tone sitting on the bench. He will play third and Hag will move to cathcher and Cally will be the eh.

I have not heard from Big Sexy yet. If he comes around, he'll be the eh, forcing Cally to ride pine for the season opener. He will bat around the 8th spot (.833, 3, 6) with everyone else moving down.

So, this is the lineup as it stands on 4-12-2001. We will probably alter from week-to-week in order to get everyone equal playing time. I am comfortable that we can win no matter who is playing at any given time.

[FishFan]

As promised, here are career stats for my crew:

Name	  G	AB	R	H	BI	D	T	HR	BB	  BA	 OB%	  SA

Big Sexy  8	29	11	19	14	5	3	0	1	0.655	0.690	1.034

FishFan	 36	128	57	82	47	13	9	1	13	0.641	0.742	0.906

Stoney	 10	41	18	26	13	3	0	0	0	0.634	0.634	0.707

Levy	 31	119	49	75	56	21	1	1	3	0.630	0.655	0.849

Pudge	 35	140	63	87	82	21	20	3	2	0.621	0.636	1.121

Jeb	 10	41	16	25	25	6	1	3	0	0.610	0.610	1.024

Jaybird	 35	141	71	85	44	17	10	6	6	0.603	0.645	0.993

Romeo	 31	116	39	67	51	7	1	0	6	0.578	0.629	0.655

The Ham	 36	132	58	76	37	2	3	0	4	0.576	0.606	0.636

The Hag	  6	20	6	11	9	1	0	0	0	0.550	0.550	0.600

Cally	 18	64	17	33	28	5	1	5	1	0.516	0.531	0.859

Jester	 23	84	29	41	23	9	3	0	3	0.488	0.524	0.667

Tone	 21	73	24	33	33	1	3	1	3	0.452	0.493	0.589

Enjoy!

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-12-2001).]

[Drake]

Hey FishFan:

Where are you playing in Bloomington? My wife and I like to play co-ed and we're looking for a place to sign up. We hooked up with a league in Greencastle last year, finished second, but I hated the rule structure.

To wit:

1. Two chicks, two dudes in the infield (+ Pitcher; SP and C must be opposite gender)
2. Two chicks, two dudes in the outfield (Co-ed rules let you have four.)

The above makes for logistical nightmares you wouldn't believe.

3. Alternating dude-chick lineup. If you bat two dudes in a row, you have to take an automatic out in-between (not good when the chicks on your team have a tendency not to show up on gameday. Argh.)
4. Biggest peeve: girls swat 11 inch balls; guys get the 12 inch balls. I don't mind batting with the heavier balls, but the whole fielding transition from 11 to 12 with each batter can fry your nerves.

As my wife says when comparing me to her first husband: "That extra inch can be the difference between a triple and a homerun."

Anyway, we're thinking about migrating to B'town to play this year, but I'm not sure what their co-ed rules look like.

Anything you might know would be appreciated.

[FishFan]

Well, Drake, you've come to the right place. I am an ASA Umpire and no all the rules governing co-ed amateur softball. But, I have bad news for you. If you play in an ASA co-ed league, you will follow the same rules you pointed out in your above post. Those rules apply to Bloomington since we are ASA compliant.

But, Bloomington throws in another wrinkle, which is the reason I would never play co-ed here. Men must bat from the opposite side of the plate (i.e. if you are a right-handed batter, you must bat from the left side and vice-versa). I think this is a horrible rule especially since the opposing team can force a player to bat from the other side (to eliminate cheaters). They really take the fun out of the game. I don't even like umpiring co-ed games because of all the technicalities.

Oh, all co-ed leagues play on Sundays, too. Not cool.

My advice: ditch the wife, play on a men's team and actually enjoy the game. Hell, your wife could play on a women's team on the same night, I'm sure.

Does this help?

[Drake]

Exactly the information I was looking for. Ugh. The batting left handed thing would not be good for me. I'm a pretty solid contact hitter with negligable power. Batting lefty would take away what masculine softball prowess I tell myself I possess.

Good thing about being a contact hitter? You get to slide as often as you want.

Thanks for the info.

[FishFan]

Picked up the schedule today:

Date          Opponenet          Time

4/18/2001       Bruster's            9:30

5/02/2001       Buck's Painting      8:20

5/04/2001       GE/Red               7:10

5/04/2001       Metzger, CPA         8:20

5/09/2001       B&B Painting         7:10

5/16/2001       The Loggers          6:00

5/16/2001       Nightmoves           8:20

5/23/2001       Blast Off Balloons   9:30

5/30/2001       Bloomington News     6:00

6/06/2001       Allstate             9:30

6/13/2001       Betsy's Brigade      8:20

6/20/2001       Bruster's            9:30

6/27/2001       B&B Painting         7:10

7/06/2001       Royal Toyota Volvo   8:20

7/06/2001       Nightmoves           9:30

Both B&B Painting and GE/Red played in League 3D last year and finished 12-3, earning them a trip to a better league. Buck's Painting are the only newcomers to any league. I don't think they played in Bloomington last year. Everyone else played in 4D last year; here are their records: Allstate 12-3, Nightmoves 12-3, Metzger CPA 11-4, The Loggers 11-4, Royal Toyota Volvo 10-5, Betsy's Brigade 8-7, Brusters 6-9, Bloomington News 5-10. Blast Off Baloons is an interesting team, they are dropping two leagues, down from 1C where they finished 6-9.

Oh, if anyone was wondering, Nightmoves is Bloomington's finest Gentlemen's Club.

[ 04-30-2001: Message edited by: FishFan ]

[Drake]

Hmmm. "Finest". Isn't that "Finest and Only", or do we have one that I'm not aware of?

I mean, you could drive to Bedford and check out Tonda Beth's Hideaway Lounge, but do you really want to? I have seen Bedford women clothed. I do not wish to see them naked.

Of course, unless the talent pool has improved dramatically in the last couple of years, I don't have many good things to say about Night Moves' lineup. (Except here's an interesting factoid: my boss and severel of the mid-level brass hit Night Moves once a month or so for 'business lunches'. That's what I call a productive use of taxpayer dollars.)

[Daimyo]

From what I've heard from my hometown friends still living in the area (Columbus, about 30 minutes from Bloomington) is that you've gotta go to the Louisville area to find the good "gentlemen's clubs." Seems strange to me though... I would think that a college town like Bloomington should have great clubs... at least on amateur night.

[FishFan]

Yeah, "Finest and Only" would be a correct statemant. Too bad they don't hold an amateur night - I would actually think about attending....

Indianapolis has a couple of clubs worth checking out - Classy Chassy, PTs, and Brad's Gold Club. None of them can touch some of Louisville's clubs, which happen to be all nude (Trixie's and Deja Vu come to mind).

Anyway, back to softball...

[FishFan]

JESTER ARRESTED ON ALCOHOL CHARGE, MAY MISS SEASON OPENER
ARREST LEAVES TEAM IN DISARRAY, OUTLOOK FOR TONIGHT'S GAME BLEAK

Bloomington, IN (AP) - Jester, Applebee's softball player and projected leadoff man for the 2001 Summer campaign, was arrested late Monday night on unspecified alcohol charges. The arrest sent shockwaves through the Applebee's softball compound as players reacted to the news with shock and disbelief. Player-manager, FishFan, expressed frustration in the 2nd-year player, but threw out the notion of punishment.

"We're all adults here. I am sure the judicial system will punish him fairly. He's been through enough. I'm not going to compound the situation by keeping him out of the lineup."

The arrest also leaves tonight's game in jeopardy as the team struggles with the latest off-field distraction. Expect Stoney to be elevated to the leadoff spot for the season opener against Bruster's Ice Cream Shop.

The late start time (9:30PM CST) may work in Applebee's favor as Jester has more time to work out his legal situation and the team has more time to cope. FishFan also implied that in the off chance that Jester is available, expect him to bat further down in the lineup.

"Jester had a great Spring and it's unfortunate that this had to happen at such an inopportune time. He would have been our leadoff man, but now this distraction may affect his performance both at the plate and in the field."

In other news, Jeb's return to the team is imminent after working out a multi-year deal. The thirdbaseman agreed to a deal that will bring him three cases of Bud Light in 2001, four cases of Bud in 2002, and four cases of Heineken in 2003. He also received a fifth of Stoli vodka as part of his signing bonus. Hopefully, the deal will not cause more alcohol-related incidents.

Tonight's probables:

Applebee's (Levy 0-0 0.00) vs. Bruster's (Some Chump 0-0 0.00)

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-18-2001).]

[Fritz]

Originally posted by FishFan:
Indianapolis has a couple of clubs worth checking out - Classy Chassy, PTs, and Brad's Gold Club. None of them can touch some of Louisville's clubs, which happen to be all nude (Trixie's and Deja Vu come to mind).

Is the Red Garter still up and running in Indy? Ohhhh I love that place.

[FishFan]

Originally posted by Fritz:
Is the Red Garter still up and running in Indy? Ohhhh I love that place.

I belive so. Never visited, though...

[Fritz]

The shower stall and the roller-skated poll clibers are worth the trip. What these women do should be an Olympic sport!

[FishFan]

I'll check it out sometime. I believe it's on Illinois St. and has been renovated recently. Not sure, though.

How does my softball dynasty thread keep turning to "Gentlemen's Clubs"?

[Fritz]

Excitement Scale:

Activity       Rate

Ear Flossing    1

Ballet          2

Softball        4

"Die Hard"      8

Tits            10

[Fritz]

Dola.

How come when Ctown strikes out it is in the general discussion and when FishFan strikes out it is in Dynasty Reports?

[FishFan]

Die Hard wasn't that great.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by FishFan:
Die Hard wasn't that great.

It fit in the alloted number of sapces, is more exciting than softball and less exciting than tits.

[FishFan]

APPLEBEES BATS COME THROUGH IN WILD OPENER
12 UNANSWERED RUNS SPARK LATE INNING COMEBACK

Bloomington, IN (AP) - The Applebee's softball club opened their 2001 Summer campaign with a wild 25-20 win over Bruster's Ice Cream Shop. Fueled by 12 unasnwered runs, the team fought back from a 20-13 defecit in the fifth inning. Jester, who was arrested earlier in the week on alcohol charges, made the game but was reduced to extrahitter after vomiting several times in the third inning. Player-manager FishFan was pleased, but remained skeptical following the game.

"It was a great win to start the season, but we had our issues. Defensively, we are not where we need to be. We saw some improvement late in the game when we really needed a stop, though. We have to keep in mind that this team finished 6-9 last year. Our true test will be next week against Nightmoves."

Applebee's got off to a good start, scoring three runs in the first after allowing just one run in the top half of the inning. Jeb, Levy, and Hag each had run scoring singles in the first. After Bruster's took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 2nd, Applebee's responded with a seven runs in the bottom half, giving the home team a 10-5 lead. The good guys used a parade of singles to score the seven runs.

Bruster's edged within 10-9 with four more runs in the third, but Applebee's responded with two more to make it a three-run ballgame. Stoney gave Applebee's their first extrabase hit with a double to lead off the third.

Jester began throwing up in the top half of the third inning, which continued through the bottom half. The puke forced a defensive change as he felt he could not give 110% in the field. FishFan switched from 2nd base to right-centerfield, while Cally came into catch, Tone moved to rightfield and Hag took over at second. With less speed in the outfield, Bruster's took advantage by dropping in short single after short single to post eight runs in the 4th, giving them a 17-12 advantage. All eight of their runs came with two outs.

Back-to-back doubles from FishFan and Hag accounted for Applebee's only run in the bottom half of the 4th, putting the team in a 17-13 hole. Three more Bruster's runs in the 5th buried the good guys even more, 20-13. But, Applebee's would not give up.

Tone started off the bottom half of the 5th with a huge double over the head of the leftfielder. The next batter, leadoff man Stoney, drove him home with another double. Stoney would score two batters later after a flyout and a groundout, which left the bases empty with two outs and Applebee's facing a 20-15 hole. Again, the team would not give up. Back-to-back singles from Jeb and Levy brought FishFan to the plate. He responded with his second double of the game, scoring both runners. Hag singled him home which reduced Bruster's lead to 20-18 heading into the 6th inning.

After a quick pep talk, Applebee's took the field needing a 1-2-3 inning. After a flyout to rightfield, Bruter's next two batters hit hard shots to thirdbase. Jeb was able to scoop both of them up and sent rockets to firtbase. The Ham did his part at first to complete the huge 1-2-3 inning.

That setup Applebee's with an opportunity to end if they could score three runs and spend more than five minutes at the plate. City rules limit games to 65 minutes, but teams must finish the full inning if one has been started. Cally and Ham began the inning with back-to-back singles before Tone brought them both home with a base-clearing double that tied the game at 20. Four more hits produced four more runs before Bruster's recorded a couple of outs. The score now stood 24-20 with less than a minute to play. With the Hag at the plate, he took as many pitches as he could before sending a shot over the head of the right-centerfielder. Time ran out as he was running the bases, but he was credited with a run-scoring triple. Hag's RBI priduced the final 25-20 score.

Box Score

Player, Pos	AB	R	H	RBI

Stoney, LF	5	4	3	 2

Pudge, SS	5	4	4	 3

Jaybird, LF	5	3	4	 4

Jeb, 3B		5	4	4	 4

Levy, P		5	2	2	 2

FishFan, 2B-RCF	5	2	2	 2

Hag, C-RF-2B	5	1	5	 4

Jester, RCF-EH	4	0	2	 1

Cally, EH-C-RF	4	1	2	 1

Ham, 1B		4	2	2	 0

Tone, RF-EH	4	2	3	 2





TOTALS	       51	25	33	 25





Doubles: Stoney 2 (2), FishFan 2 (2), Jaybird (1), Hag (1), Tone (1)

Triples: Hag (1)





Team		1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - F

Bruster's	1    4   4   8   3    0   X   20

Applebee's	3    7   2   1   5    7   X   25

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-19-2001).]

[This message has been edited by FishFan (edited 04-19-2001).]

[Ryan S]

Looks like Hag had a good game with the bat, but I am suprised he only managed to score 1 run after 5 hits.

[FishFan]

It seemed Hag was forced out once and caught in a rundown another time. That coupled with the few hits behind him led to his scoring just once. He would have scored in his last at bat, as well, but the game was over and he was stopped at thirdbase.

[Double A]

FF: I haven't been to the dynasties section in a long time, so I just now read your post...keep it up, since there aren't any titty bars in JC and Die Hard is over-rated, softball is near the top of my interest rankings. I am mirroring your position w/ my team, but our summer league doesn't start until the first week in May. This will be our last year so we decided to go A league, mainly because we are all getting older (28-33) and getting 11 solid guys to show up every night gets tougher every year.

What happened to you playing 3B??? I've been playing it for 10+ years...approach it like a collapsing goalie...smother/knock down the short-hop liners; STAY DOWN on the smoked grounders and learn to throw from your knees and you'll have the position pretty much under control.

Oh yeah-one last suggestion...I know you won't want to do this (and don't take this as a knock at you guys), but ditch the recital of box scores and stats (not here on the forum update, but in front of your guys or before or after games). We used to do that shit, but it caused derision among players...after two years of looking at and bragging about a player's 'book value', we quit keeping track of individuality and got the 'win as a team' cockiness...developed the attitude we should win every single night and ditched the numbers. I understand you need stats to evaluate players, but you (as the coach) should know who can hit and who can't. Anyway, just a suggestion that turned the page for us as we went from being a 2nd-3rd place team to winning a good % of the leagues/tournys we participated in...however, ignore this if not applicable to you guys. Good luck.
-AA

[RPI-Fan]

Anyone catch the Jim Rome show today?

FishFan fits perfectly into "Dork". Sounds like Jester is "Fat Old Construction Worker". The Hag, and pretty much every one else, can be classified as "Angry Young Man".

[FishFan]

Originally posted by Double A:
FF: I haven't been to the dynasties section in a long time, so I just now read your post...keep it up, since there aren't any titty bars in JC and Die Hard is over-rated, softball is near the top of my interest rankings.

I will as long as people seem interested. Should be interesting.

I am mirroring your position w/ my team, but our summer league doesn't start until the first week in May. This will be our last year so we decided to go A league, mainly because we are all getting older (28-33) and getting 11 solid guys to show up every night gets tougher every year.

We are still failry young, 22-26 years old outside of our pitcher who's about 34 (Levy). My problem right now is having to many people. I hate having to site guys for half a game because 12 showed up.

What happened to you playing 3B??? I've been playing it for 10+ years...approach it like a collapsing goalie...smother/knock down the short-hop liners; STAY DOWN on the smoked grounders and learn to throw from your knees and you'll have the position pretty much under control.

Since we got Jeb locked into a mutli-year deal , I will go back to playing anywhere to fill in. Last season, I played every position at some point, even pitcher. I have come to really enjoy 2nd base now that I have the pivot down to turn two. As long as Jeb shows up, he's our 3B. He has a rocket arm and played 3B in college. He's much better there than I am.

Oh yeah-one last suggestion...I know you won't want to do this, but ditch the recital of box scores and stats. We used to do that shit, but it caused derision among players...after two years of looking at and bragging about a player's 'book value', we quit keeping track of individuality and got the 'win as a team' cockiness...developed the attitude we should win every single night and ditched the numbers. I understand you need stats to evaluate players, but you (as the coach) should know who can hit and who can't. Anyway, just a suggestion that turned the page for us as we went from being a 2nd-3rd place team to winning a good % of the leagues/tournys we participated in...however, ignore this if not applicable to you guys.

So far, this has not been a problem. The players enjoy, and expect it. My old coach always used to do this and I just carried it over. If we get to the point where it interferes, I'll throw it out. So far we have progresses a league every season and have garnered a trophy each time. When this team was assembled in Fall of 1999, we played in the lowest D League. We improved to 2D in the Summer of 2000, bumped up to 3D in Fall of 2000, and finally to 4D this summer. We have one more D league to get through before we land in the C league. I doubt the current group of guys could compete at that level, but if and when we get there, I will revisit the stat issue. It's been in the back of my head, anyway.

Good luck.
-AA

Thanks! I hope you keep reading...

[FishFan]

Originally posted by RPI-Fan:
Anyone catch the Jim Rome show today?

Jim Rome's a dick. I don't listen to that sonofabitch.

FishFan fits perfectly into "Dork". Sounds like Jester is "Fat Old Construction Worker". The Hag, and pretty much every one else, can be classified as "Angry Young Man".

A dork? C'mon. Aren't we all? Jester is the exact opposite. He's about 5'8" 130 lbs. He works in the restaurant business, most recently as a bartender.

Yeah, we are all kind of angry, and young!

[ 04-21-2001: Message edited by: FishFan ]

[RPI-Fan]

Basically, he categorizes amateur softball players into 3 stereo types:

1) Angry Young Man: The guy who somewhere along the line feels he was screwed by a coach who ruined his chances at a pro career.

2) Fat Old Construction Worker: The guy who hates his job, hates his wife, hates his kid, drinks all the time, but goes out and plays every single softball game like it's Game 7 of the World Series.

3) Dork: The manager who keeps stats and box scores of the game.

[FishFan]

This week's game has been rescheduled for May 16th at 8:20. We'll have to wait a few weeks to play those strippers.

[FishFan]

After a week's hiatus, the team is back on schedule with a game this Wednesday and a twinbill on Friday, May 4th. After this week, the team will have a good feel for where we stand. The toughest game the will be against Metzger, CPA. Those pencil-pushers can really pulverize the ball.

If we are 4-0 after this week, I will be estatic. I will be pleased with a 3-1 record. Anything less and heards will roll.

[FishFan]

After the usual last minute guys calling to let me know they can not make the game tonight, I offer the following projected lineup:

Stoney 	LCF 	.600 Avg 4 R 2 RBI

Pudge 	SS 	.800 4 3

Jaybird	LF 	.800 3 4

Jeb 	3B 	.800 4 4

Levy 	P 	.400 2 2

Hag 	C 	1.000 1 4

FishFan	2B 	.400 2 2

Cally 	RF 	.500 1 1

Tone 	RCF 	.750 2 2

Ham 	1B 	.500 2 0

Romeo may or may not show up. If he does, he'll be inserted in at 2B and I will move to the outfield. I am a little weary of Tone and Cally covering the right-side of the outfield. I have not talked to Jester since our last game, but rumor has it that he is seriously depressed and very sick.

[FishFan]

APPLEBEE'S BUCKS OPPONENT; CLIMB OUT OF 8-2 HOLE WITH 19-4 RUN
STONEY, LEVY LEAD OFFENSIVE ATTACK AS DEFENSE ALLOWS FOUR RUNS IN FINAL FIVE INNINGS

Bloomington, IN (AP) - Stoney and Levy carried big bats Wednesday night as Applebee's rallied from an 8-2 hole in the third inning with a 19-4 run over the final five frames. Levy drove in five, as Stoney added four RBI's with a double and a triple. The hit parade picked up where it left off two weeks ago. Coming of a 33-hit performance in the season-opener, Applebee's ripped off 27 more to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Applebee's drew first blood with two runs in the top of the first on a two-run single of Jeb's bat. Buck's countered with five in the bottom half of the inning as the Applebee's outfielder repeatedly missed cut-off men, allowing runners to advance into scoring position. After a 2nd inning goose egg, Buck's added three to their 5-2 lead before the Applebee's defense settled down.

In the top of the third, Applebee's caught a break when Buck's leftfielder dropped a routine flyball with two outs. Pudge scored on the play and Applebee's found themselves down 8-3 after three innnings. Momentum turned in the top of the fourth inning when the first four Applebee's batters reached base on singles. Stoney provided the big hit, a two-run triple, and Levy added a crucial two-out single that scored two more. The defense held Buck's to one run in the bottom half and suddenly, Applebee's found themselves up 10-9.

The fifth inning saw Applebee's increase their lead by one when Hag scored on a triple of the bat of Ham. Then, the defense capped off the bottom of the fifth with a huge inning-ending doubleplay. Levy and FishFan came up with back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs in the sixth. Earlier in the inning, Pudge's heads up baserunning created a another run while Buck's threw the ball all over the field. Another defensive stand in the sixth allowed just one run and Applebee's went into the final inning with a 14-10 lead.

In the seventh, Applebee's slammed the door shut on Buck's. Stoney drove in two more runs with a double and Pudge cleared the bases with a 2-run homer. After the dust had cleared in the top half of the inning, the scoreboard read Applebee's 21, Buck's 10. Ball game. Some lackadaisical fielding in the bottom half yielded two runs, but Stoney capped the game with a spectacular catch in left-center field.

The win moves Applebee's into a first place tie with three other teams. Nightmoves remains the only other undefeated team at 2-0 while AllState and Metzger CPA are both 3-1 and technically tied for first. Applebee's plays a doubleheader Friday, May 4 with games against 0-4 General Electric and Metzger CPA in the nightcap.

Player, Pos	AB	R	H	BI	AVG

Stoney, LCF	5	2	4	4	.700

Pudge, SS	5	5	3	3	.700

Jaybird, LF	4	4	3	1	.778

Jeb, 3B		5	0	1	2	.500

Levy, P		5	2	4	5	.600

FishFan, RCF	5	0	2	1	.400

Hag, C-EH	5	2	3	1	.800

Romeo, 2B	5	1	1	0	.200

Cally, RF	4	2	2	1	.500

Ham, 1B		4	1	3	2	.625

Tone, EH-C	4	2	1	1	.500





TOTALS		51	21	27	21





Doubles: Stoney (3), Jaybird (2), Levy (1), FishFan (3)

Triples: Stoney (1), Ham (1)

Home Runs: Pudge (1) 





Team		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F

Applebee's	2	0	1	7	1	3	7	21

Buck's		5	3	0	1	0	1	2	12

[ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: FishFan ]

[FishFan]

Here are results from around the league for Wednesday night:

Week 3 Results





Applebee’s 21, Buck’s Specialty Printing 12

Blast Off Balloons 17, B&B Painting 16

Bruster’s 23, Betsy’s Bash Brigade 11

Metzger CPA 18, Bloomington News 10

Nightmoves 13, Allstate 11

Royal Toyota/Volvo 18, GE/Red 4

The Loggers 15, Buck’s Specialty Printing 1



Week 3 Standings





Applebee’s			2-0	--	------

Nightmoves			2-0	--	------

Allstate			3-1	--	------

Metzger CPA			3-1	--	------

Betsy’s Bash Brigade		2-1	0.5	------

The Loggers			2-1	0.5	------

Blast Off Balloons		2-1	0.5	------

B&B Painting			1-2	1.5	------

Royal Toyota Volvo		1-2	1.5	------

Bruster’s			1-2	1.5	W25-20

Bucks Specialty Printing	1-3	2.0	W21-12

Bloomington News		0-2	2.0	------

GE/Red				0-4	3.0	------

[FishFan]

Coach's comments

Obvioulsy, we are hitting the ball real well. We have scored 46 runs in two games and have not gotten a whole lot of help from the opposition's hitting.

I'm thinking about tweaking the lineup for tonight's doubleheader, though. I am not pulling my weight in terms of batting average. I've had just four hits in ten trips to the plate, although three of those hits were doubles. I need to get the bat going more consistently and I might drop myself in the lineup until I do just that.

Fielding-wise, we were much better after the season opener. We had the rough first inning where we were throwing the ball all over the field and letting runners move up a base. After a brief conference, we turned our defensive play up a notch.

We will be without the services of Ham and Romeo for tonigh'ts doubleheader because of work conflicts. I am also not expecting Jester to be available, either. I have contacted Big Sexy and he said he will be able to come out to play tonight. Here is my preliminary lineup:

Stoney, LCF
Pudge, SS
Jaybird, LF
Jeb, 3B
Levy, P
Hag, C
Tone, RF
Cally, RCF
FishFan, 2B
Big Sexy, 1B

[FishFan]

BATS SLUMP, DEFENSE STUMBLES IN LOSS TO GE/RED
THE 'BEES LOSE FIRST GAME OF TWINBILL, 17-14

Bloomington, IN (AP) - The Applebee's softball team (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of GE/Red (1-4) by a score of 17-14. For the first time this year, the club failed to score 20 runs en route to a devastating loss to the league's only winless team.

In addition to the lame bats, the defense yielded many mental errors as outfielders continually missed cutoff men and infielders bobbled routine groundballs. Errors helped GE/Red build a 9-5 lead after two innings. Big Sexy highlighted a five-run Applebee's 2nd inning with a two-run triple while Tone, Pudge and Cally added RBI singles.

Threes were wild in the third as each time scored three runs. Pudge and Big Sexy provided the offense with run scoring singles. Applebee's cut into the lead a little in the fourth, finding themsleves down just 13-10 as FishFan and Cally each had RBI base hits with two outs.

After scoring two in the top of the fifth, highlighted by Jaybird's triple, Applebee's found themselves down just 13-12. But, the defense faltered again, allowing four runs to dig a 17-12 hole. The top of the sixth would provide a key play in the outcome of the game. With two on and one out, Cally stepped to the plate. On the first pitch, he drove a shot well over the leftfielder's head - too far. The ball soared over the scoreboard in left for what would have been a three-run homer in a higher league. Unfortunately, displays of strength are outlawed in our division, so Cally's mammoth shot meant just an out in the scorebook. Applebee's did not score that inning and were still down 17-12.

After a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the sixth, Applebee's had one last chance. The team was able to come up with a couple, but Hag popped up to end the game. Applebee's would have to regroup to play their second game of the evening against one of the top teams in the league, Metzger CPA.

Player, Pos		AB	R	H	BI

Stoney, LCF		5	1	3	0	

Pudge, SS		5	1	3	3

Jaybird, LF		5	2	2	1

Jeb, 3B			5	0	3	2

Levy, P			5	1	0	1

Hag, 1B			5	3	4	0

FishFan, 2B-RCF		4	2	3	1

Tone, RF		4	1	2	1

Cally, C		4	1	2	2

Big Sexy, RCF-2B	4	2	2	3





TOTALS			46	14	24	14		





Doubles: Stoney (4)

Triples: Jaybird (1), Big Sexy (1)



 





Team		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F

Applebee's	0	5	3	2	2	0	2	14

GE/Red		3	6	3	1	4	0	X	17

[FishFan]

METZGER PITCHER SHUTS DOWN APPLEBEE'S BATS
DEFENSIVE BATTLE GOES TO CPAs, 8-7

Bloomington, IN (AP) - Facing their first real test of the season, the Applebee's softball crew put up a valiant effort in a defensive battle won by Metzger CPA, 8-7. The game featured many lead changes, great defensive plays, and many controversial calls, including one that could have lead to a protest.

For the third straight time, Applebee's lost and became the visiting team once again. And, after a 1-2-3 inning to open things, Metzger CPA jumped on Applebee's for three early runs in the bottom half of the 1st. In the top half of the first, Pudge hit one into the gap in left-center. The Metzger outfielder looked to be burned, but came out of nowhere to run this line drive down and take away a sure triple for Pudge. This was the first of two outstanding plays by the Metzger LCF. Applebee's was able to score one in the top half of the 2nd and shut down Metzger, finding themselves down 3-1 after two.

In the top half of the third, Applebee's showed some signs of life. Five singles produced three runs with Jeb, FishFan, and Hag providing the run-scoring hits. The three runs gave Applebee's a 4-3 lead after three innings. Metzger went down in order in the bottom half of the inning. Stoney and Jeb added run-scoring singles in the top of the fourth to give Applebee's a 6-3 lead, but then the wheels started to fall off. In the bottom half, Metzger was given six outs on blown calls by the umpires. First, Pudge was called "off the bag" on a doubleplay attempt when he clearly had his foot on the bag with possession of the ball. Then, a close play at first appeared to be an out by a step. Again the umpire ruled "safe". Then, with two on, Metzger lined a ball into the gap in leftfield. Jaybird got to it as the batter was on his way to third. He continued towards home and Jaybird had him beat at the play. As the ball was coming in to home, the batter lowered into Tone, who was catching, and knocked him to the ground before he had a chance to catch the ball. Clearly runner interference. Again, no call. Metzger went on to score three and tie the game at six going into the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, Applebee's got lead off singles from Levy and FishFan. After a force out at third, Hag stepped to the plate. He proceeded to pop one up between the 1B, 2B and pitcher. The umpired ruled an infield fly call which meant Hag was out right away. Heads up baserunnning by FishFan and Big Sexy should have given Applebee's runners at 2nd and 3rd after the ball landed on the ground untouched. The pitcher, though, picked up the ball and threw to firstbase. The umpire called an out there, awarding Metzger with a doubleplay. Our dugout, with four umpires on our team, went ballistic. How can there be an out at first by force out when the batter is already out? An inning later, the umpire admitted her mistake and stated that she would sign off on a protest if we decided to.

Metzger took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but Applebee's tied it in the top of the 6th after Stoney tripled and scored on Pudge's single. A couple of scoreless half innings sent the game into the bottom of the seventh, tied 7-7. Being the last inning, Applebee's had to keep Metzger from scoring. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd, A single up the middle came right at FishFan. He fielded the ball cleanly and came up firing towards home as the baserunner was rounding third. The throw was on the money, but too high. Tone could not come up with it and Metzger wins 8-7.

A devastating loss to Applebee's completed the first two-game losing streak in Applebee's history.

Player, Pos		AB	R	H	BI

Stoney, LCF		4	1	3	1	

Pudge, SS		4	0	1	1

Jeb, 3B			4	1	2	2

Jaybird, LF		4	2	2	0

Levy, P			4	0	3	1

FishFan, 2B-RCF		3	0	2	1

Big Sexy, RCF-2B	4	0	0	0

Hag, 1B			2	0	1	1

Cally, C		3	1	0	0

Tone, RF		3	2	2	0





TOTALS			35	7	16	7		





Doubles: None

Triples: Stoney (2), Tone (1)



 





Team		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F

Applebee's	0	1	3	2	0	1	0	7

Metzger CPA	3	0	0	3	1	0	1	8