Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Half Way Point

Fall Ball Part Trois!!!





I’ve gotta say that its kind of funny now when I talk to guys in the league, particularly the Old Timers. Here is how the conversation usually goes:



“PLAYER X, played like crap tonight….but don’t put that in the BLOG”.



It would appear that my days of flying under the radar (not that radar) are over. Honestly, last night I walked into the “club house” and guys actually stopped talking out of fear that I would repeat stuff! I mean, seriously, have I ever actually sold someone out? Have I ever actually written anything that embarrassed someone? Not counting Tito.



So, have no fear, this only fun. Good comedians take an element of truth and turn it into something funny. I’m not a good comedian. I just make stuff up. If there IS an element of truth, trust me, it was a fluke!



And yes Robin….that is how I roll.



Master Batters Vs M T Cases



We’re off the snide! Seeing our record SOAR to 1-2 was amazing! More so was how we did it! Here are a few highlights:



  • Dave played all over the diamond and played great!
  • Jason played all over the diamond and played great!
  • Doris was his usual solid self at short and keep the infield on their toes + plus he had one AMAZING catch going out to left field.
  • Rob Farah pitched a very controlled game and minimized base runners, he only gave up six earned runs.
  • Doris, Nathan, Francis, Dave and Rob scored or drove in key late inning runs.
  • Jason, Chris, Rocco and Scott were money at the plate and were instrumental in our come from behind rally in the 7th inning to win.
  • Scott subbed for Mark Doyle as our co-captain and demonstrated the humour and leadership needed to keep the team loose.
  • I, for the 1st time this year, caught a ball in the outfield at night at Keogh!!! (sorry Danny, it was bound to happen eventually).




It was a great team win and everyone contributed. We raised enough money in the stands during the game to purchase MD arm patches which we’ll be wearing starting next week. The “MD”, of course, stands for Mark Doyle who is down with Pneumonia and unavailable to play. We are of course wishing Mark a speedy recovery, but want him to remember that our winning percentage without him is .500 and our winning percentage with him is .000



That’s probably just a coincidence though. Get better Mark!!!





Master Batters Batting Stats



On base averages (includes hits, walks, errors and fielders choices)



Rocco 9 for 12 .750

Mark 3 for 4 .750

Chris 9 for 12 .750

Jason 6 for 8 .750

Scott 8 for 11 .727

Dave 7 for 11 .636

Doris 7 for 12 .583

Rob 6 for 11 .545

Kyle 2 for 4 .500

Nathan 2 for 4 .500

Francis 5 for 11 .454

Doug 4 for 11 .363

Master Batters Schedule



Thursday October 1st

Capers Vs Master Batters 7pm Coventry 7 degrees, 7pm sunset

LOST 16-4



Monday October 5th

Master Batters Vs Hard At It 7pm Keogh 8 degrees, 6:53 sunset

LOST 23-12



Wednesday October 7th

MT Cases Vs Master Batters 7pm Keogh 9 degrees, 6:49 sunset

WON 11-10



Wednesday October 14th

Master Batters Vs Cold Stix 8:30 Keogh 4 degrees, 6:37 sunset



Wednesday October 21st

Get’er Done Vs Master Batters 7pm Keogh 4 degrees, 6:26 sunset



Wednesday October 28th

Master Batters Vs Capers 7pm Coventry 3 degrees, 6:15 sunset



Getting to Know You!!!



The jury is out on this feature. Some people are digging it, others not so much. Truthfully the only negative replies I’ve gotten so far are from Danny & Mark who were the subjects of the 1st two interviews. So be warned before you volunteer.



I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Jeff Shultze….here is how the conversation went.



Me: Jeff, first off, thanks for taking the time to do this interview, it’s much appreciated.



Jeff: No problem.



Me: So a couple of things off the hop. It’s known now that you won’t be coming back next year, which a lot of people are disappointed in & I thought you should know that. Here is your first question: You are known to be a quiet & supportive leader on the field. Does that come from a ‘life philosophy’ or something learned in specifically in sports?



Jeff: Hmmm. I’ll try to make this brief. I think it’s more of a personal philosophy on life, but saying that it, I also think that it is something that is applicable to all aspects including sports.



Me: Wow, sounds kind of deep. Can you expend on what that philosophy is?



Jeff: Sure, I’d be happy to. Basically, the way I see it is, everything in life relates one way or another to Star Wars….



Me: The movie?



Jeff: Its movieS actually, but yes.



Me: Okay, please continue, this is fascinating.



Jeff: So I think in every situation you are given an opportunity to do the right thing or take a ‘dark path’. Basically the question you need to ask yourself at every cross road is “What would Luke Skywalker do” and that way you make sure that you follow the good side of The Force.



Me: {Silence}



Jeff: Are you writing this down?



Me: Oh yeah, am I ever. So you must have a lot of memories over the last couple of years, are there any baseball specific memories that jump to mind?



Jeff: There’s so many that naming one would be an injustice to the rest. I think the fairest thing to say is that the camaraderie of the guys; be they on the same team or opponents, is what stands out most. You know, it’s like when Luke finished his training with Yoda on Dagobah and became the last Jedi Knight. Did he run off and build an army to defeat the Empire? No, he remembered the camaraderie of Leia and Han that was forged through adventures on Tatooine and in The Sky City and rescued them from Jaba The Hut before doing anything else. Yeah, I’d say it’s the camaraderie.



Me: That’s really intriguing. You play Short Stop. I’ve heard a number of people say that you are “deceptively quick”. Where does that come from?



Jeff: I think it’s about anticipation. I’ve played Short for a long time and I’ve talked to a lot of other people who’ve played the position and you just have to anticipate plays. You size up the base runners, who is at the plate, their tendencies as a hitter and you run it through your mind before it happens. Then when it happens you already have the mental picture of it and you’re ready. Sometimes I think I could do it with my eyes closed.



Me: You’re joking about the eyes closed, right?



Jeff: Not really. It’s like when Obi-Wan Kenobi blindfolded Luke and he still managed to deflect four consecutive laser bolts from the remote training droid. It’s just about calmly using The Force to visualize.



Me: Wow, The Force is strong in this one.



Jeff: That’s not funny.



Me: Okay, sorry. So I’m not going to ask you about your favourite movies, because I have a good idea what the answer will be. Instead, lets talk about music. Are there any bands of particular interest to you?



Jeff: Oh sure. I like Jefferson Starship, Electric Light Orchestra, Pilot, Atomic Kitten, The Future Heads, The 5th Dimension, The Lovin’ Rockets, The Space Project, Star City, Stargard, Stars on 45, Atlantic Star, Tuxedo Moon, Radio Stars, MoonRaisers, Dubstar and The Carpenters.



Me: You seem to have a bit of theme there. Except for The Carpenters, what’s that all about? It doesn’t seem to fit your whole ‘space’ premise.



Jeff: Well, let’s start with the fact that they have a good beat and you can dance to them. But they also sang “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”. I have a CD in the car with that song burned on it 17 consecutive times. Great song.



Me: Agreed and you can’t beat Karen Carpenter’s voice. So Jeff, here is a bit of a curve ball for you for the final questions. You can invite any three people living or dead to dinner and have an evening of conversation. Who would they be?



Jeff: Hmmm, I didn’t anticipate that question.



Me: Maybe you should have blind folded yourself and used The Force.



Jeff: Are you making fun of me?



Me: Not really.



Jeff: I think I would invite Jesus Christ because I’d want to know if he knew where it was all going to end up from the beginning. I’d invite Pete Rose because he was the greatest hitter ever. And I’d invite Martin Luther King because he was such an inspirational person.



Me: You’re lying aren’t you?



Jeff: Yes.



Me: Who would you REALLY invite?



Jeff: Boba Fett because he was the most feared bounty hunter EVER, Qui-Gon Jinn because he was the Jedi Master that trained Obi-Wan Kenobi and Logray an Ewok who lived on Endor.



Me: Feel better now?



Jeff: Much.



This concludes our 5 questions with Jeff Shultze!



OUT....

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

1/3 of the season Down

Fall Ball Part Deux!!!

Okay, now I’m way behind on the old BLOG…its been a busy week.
This ‘captain’ thing is TONS of fun! Actually, I’m digging it, but to be honest I’m learning on the fly. They say in the majors that a manager can only make the difference in a couple of games a year and its really the players that win or lose. So, I think maybe I’ve had my two game negative impact and we’re
about to go on a nice winning
streak starting tomorrow.


(Me Before Managing the Master Batters)

(Me SINCE Managing the Master Batters)

Master Batters Batting Stats

On base averages (includes hits, walks, errors and fielders choices)

Rocco 6 for 8 .750
Mark 3 for 4 .750
Scott 5 for 7 .714
Doris 5 for 8 .625
Chris 4 for 7 .571
Kyle 2 for 4 .500
Jason 2 for 4 .500
Rob 3 for 7 .429
Dave 3 for 7 .429
Francis 3 for 7 .429
Doug 2 for 7 .289

Master Batters Schedule

Thursday October 1st
Capers Vs Master Batters 7pm Coventry 7 degrees, 7pm sunset

LOST 16-4

Monday October 5th

Master Batters Vs Hard At It 7pm Keogh 8 degrees, 6:53 sunset
LOST 23-12

Wednesday October 7th

MT Cases Vs Master Batters 7pm Keogh 9 degrees, 6:49 sunset

Wednesday October 14th
Master Batters Vs Cold Stix 8:30 Keogh 4 degrees, 6:37 sunset

Wednesday October 21st
Get’er Done Vs Master Batters 7pm Keogh 4 degrees, 6:26 sunset

Wednesday October 28th
Master Batters Vs Capers 7pm Coventry 3 degrees, 6:15 sunset

Getting to Know You!!!

Well, last weeks getting to know you went a little off the beaten path, so I thought I’d try and bring it back to a more conventional Q&A by interviewing Danny Chaisson.

Me: Dan, thanks for doing this, lets get the ball rolling; so to speak. So, in your opinion, who is the toughest pitcher in the Old Timers League?


Danny: Ha, you threw me a lob ball right off the bat! So bear in mind that I’m a deft hitter…

Me: Sorry, did you say deaf?

Danny: No, deft, as in “quick, skillful, adept”.

Me: Ok.

Danny: Where was I? Oh yeah, I’m a deft hitter and I probably hit a solid .350 over the year, but against Tito, I’m more like a .220 hitter.

Me: Ummm. Is that On Base Average or batting average?

Danny: OBA. Why? Is that bad?


Me: Question 2. You are well known throughout the league for having an exceptional arm, both for accuracy and strength. Is that natural or did you have to work at developing it?

Danny: That’s a great question. People often assume that athletes, like myself, are “gifted” just because the baseball gods reach down and turn your arm into a thunderbolt. Well, the truth is; it just ain’t that easy. The baseball gods….

Me: Sorry….wait a second, Danny, you really believe this stuff?

Danny: Are you kidding? Does Bobby Fisher play checkers? Hell ya! So, as I was saying, the baseball gods give you POTENTIAL. Its up to the individual to realize it and use the power for good and not evil?

Me: Evil baseball powers, Danny? Really?

Danny: You could play for the Yankees.

Me: Point taken. So how did you develop your arm strength?

Danny: Oh, I had special exercises that I did every night. I still do them now.

Me: Can you share what those arm exercise are?

Danny: Uhhhh. I don’t think that would be a good idea.

Me: Question 3. Moving away from baseball (and the gods), do you have a favourite movie?

Danny: Not really one specific movie, but pretty much anything with Meg Ryan. She had a small part in Top Gun. Of course When Harry Met Sally and Joe And The Volcano are classics! Sleepless In Seattle and French Kiss are probably in everyone’s top ten list, right? Not many people know this, but did you know that she did two episodes of Charles In Charge way back when? I still have those on Beta.

Me: Is that video in any way involved with your arm “exercise”?

Danny: What?

Me: Never mind. Question 4. When did you realize that baseball what “your game” so to speak?

Danny: Easy one. I was 8 years old and I’d get in trouble from time to time. So my teacher used to tell me to count stuff when I’d start to get distracted. Just to keep me focused on something, you know? So for awhile there I was counting EVERYTHING. The number of times I chewed before swallowing, the number of telephone poles we passed on the bus, anything and everything. Once in church when I got in trouble my mother handed me the rosary. I kept flipping the beads over and over and counting. It came out to 108 every time. Another time, I was sitting in the stands at a baseball game and had a ball in my hand. I counted the stitches on the ball. 108. Tell me that isn’t destiny!

Me: I’ll give you that one…it does seem like there’s some divine intervention on that one. Last question: I understand that you recently returned from Buffalo. What was the highlight of the trip?

Danny: You know, it was really all about the male bonding. The deepening of the relationships with the other guys and really seeing what makes them tick. You rarely get to see other guys at that level. Like Rick Cudnik's gift for cooking huge volumes of food but with attention to detail (linen napkins for instance). Or how Dougie Matson keeps everything so orderly. Oh, the other thing I learned was how to use the mirror behind Tito to see what his cards were. I couldn't lose!

OUT....