GAME 26 - Torn Ligaments Tie Another

THE INTRO
I started writing this one on Friday night September 10th.  You should all be very relieved that there is a delete key!  I wrote ACT II of the Starsky saga and introduced Jimmy "the" Hunter as Hutch, but with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday BLOG, I didn't want to waste a quality one that would end up buried in a couple of days. 

Here is the end of the regular season rewrite:

The BLOG will now transition from the fun Grisslie focused site to more of a daily league perspective and decidedly more neutral.  Following Friday's "week in review BLOG", I will have a playoff preview.  And starting next week, with the help of some kind volunteers, I will have as much info as possible on each playoff game and, of course, there will be a full individual BLOG dedicated to the final game.  The humour part will thin out dramatically now (some say that happened around week 4), but the odd picture or funny event may pop up.

Remaining BLOG Schedule:

Thursday September 16 - Final 'unoffical' standings in the "News and Notes" tab (Not a BLOG, just and update).
Friday September 17 - Week 20 in Review BLOG
Saturday September 18 - The 2010 Playoff forecaster BLOG!!! (No charge for this)
Tuesday September 21 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 1 (scores, games summaries, standings)
Wednesday September 22 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 2 (scores, games summaries, standings)
Thursday September 23 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 3 (scores, games summaries, standings)
Friday September 24 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 4 (scores, games summaries, standings)
Saturday September 25 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 5 (scores, games summaries, eliminations, match ups)
Sunday September 26 - 2010 Playoffs, Day 6 (scores, games summaries, eliminations, match ups)

THANKS!!!

To Rob Farah:  Thanks for inviting me to captain with you this year.  I learned tons, had a blast and I think we worked together really well.  Although the Dog Catchers may be right that I have a 'finer points' to work out yet.  Ps, you're a hell of song writer and thanks for inventing tin foil.

To Sue Farah:  Thanks for the Bud-Lime(s), the chats, the meals, the pre-game timmy's and including me in your family.

To the Grisslies:  Thanks for being willing victims to my questionable humour.  Thanks for playing along with BLOG comments, participating in the polls and making suggestions.

To Mark Doyle:  Thanks for hours of senseless conversations about stats and when to play the infield in and the outfield back.  It Oldtimers ball was a spectator sport, we'd be RICH!

To Ed Hopkins:  Thanks so much for allowing me to be a participant in the HTKP and playing a small role in writing my first serious (and printed) piece!

To The Fraser Family (the Farahs, Joy and Rob McCarron, Patti and Doris Casullo, Cindy and Paul Hargreaves and Sean and Chuck Cragg):  Thanks for making a difficult year a little more manageable.

To The Hammel Crew (James Taylor, Cameron and Janice Clark, Mike and Michelle Olliffe and Piero and Mrs D):  Thanks for the inclusion in so many events and for all the extra hits to The Blog.  (I'm pretty sure that The Man From Glad and Cat Woman are in this mix!) 

To Chris Ross: The only President of the league that probably 1/4 of us have ever known.  Well done, the praise you've received is richly deserved.  Thanks for the encouragement and support, and the moment that you're not on the executive you'll be 'fair game' to be BLOGGED!

To the League Executive (Chris Ross, Jeff Dancey, Steve Ross, Randy Hipken, Kevin Boston): Thanks for playing along with this, helping me out and not 'shutting me down' despite the fact that there had to be moments when you wondered what the hell I was doing. (Except for Randy who doesn't have a computer)

To Tito Presenza, Cameron Clark, Paul Piellusch, Mark Doyle, Doris Casullo and Chuck Cragg): Non-Grisslies who had fictitious stories, backgrounds and conversations made up about them.  Your willingness to be victimized is very much appreciated.

To Gary Cox, Jim Rouleau, Marina Saunders, Murray Saunders, Karen Turner, Larry Turner, Brad Bergin, Cindy Hargreaves, Paul Hargreaves, Joy McCarron, Rob McCarron, Scott Peters, Jeff Dancey, Steve DeLand, Paul Gyori, Mike Olliffe, James Taylor, Cameron Clark, Andy Gee, Karen Junkin, Mark Doyle, David Polny, Peter Shmagola, Sean Cragg, Chuck Cragg, Steve Ross, Jim 'the' Hunter, Paul Piellusch, Robin Dickson, The 2010 Grisslies, Sue Farah, Michelle Farah, Cheryl Boston, Laura Cooper, Samantha Del Greco, Jeff Shulze and Bev Steeves:  Thanks for all of your feedback.  It wasn't always positive to be perfectly candid, but was, without fail, honest and extremely helpful.  The format looks a lot different from last year and that's largely based on your input.  Plus your participation in the comment section made for story lines that just needed to be developed rather than created.  Big Thanks!!

To The League:  For anyone I offended, my heartfelt apologies.  For anyone I failed to offend, its not THAT far to draft day!  Remember, its all in fun!!!  Thanks so much for reading.

To The Batman:  This is where Mark Doyle expects me to finally admit I'm The Batman!  Sorry...it ain't me.  But thanks to The Batman who conveniently showed up right when I was starting to dry up on stories.  He (or she) created a cult following and a story line that I couldn't have possibly seen coming.  I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of him!!! 

Special thanks to:  Karen Junkin and Samantha Del Greco....chatting is important.

THE BLOG BY THE NUMBERS

Yesterday at some point, The BLOG surpassed 20,000 page loads for the year. While this is obviously up ridiculously from last year's 3,995 (500% increase) its hard to quantify what that means. Here is a local example that might help give a little perspective.

The news and info website called http://www.madhunt.com/ has had 24,185 page loads to far this year. Considering that they had 12,657 before we got our first hit in 2010, there is a chance that we could actually pass them by the end of the playoffs. Maybe.  Anyway I thought it was interesting because we've used MadHunt to circulate info and it turns out that we have about as much traffic.

And another quick example....

Then there is www.bluebirdbanter.com/ I think they are best Jays related website / BLOG, mostly because its done independently of BlueJays management and fairly represents Jays fans. Anyway, they had 22,241 page loads just for LAST WEEK!!! Holy cow. So, we have a ways to go....but then again, we aren't the Jays are we?

THE SPEECH

Well, Monday night's BLOG was the tribute to the tie, and had I been thinking, I should have reserved it for this game.  The Torn Ligaments, you see, lead the league in tie games.  15% of their games ended tied this year!  By contrast the Grisslies have had 2% of their games end in ties over the previous 2 years.  So, sit back, click on the title and enjoy the last Rob speech of the year.  He finished kind of folksie with Mary MacGregor's 1977 classic "Torn Between Two Lovers" which Robbie retitled, "Torn Ligaments Tie Another"....

Torn Ligaments Tie Another

There are times when a captain has to say what's on his mind

Even thought he knows how much it's gonna hurt

Before I say another word, let me tell you, I don't sniff glue

Let me make a toast and tell you just as nicely as I can

There's been a lot of ties this season and you have more than most

They might of been wins but ended up less

And you know they are just practice games but you've been practicing how to tie

That's just like kissing your sister and that's pretty gross for every guy

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not winning the game is like breaking baseballs rules

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not losing the game is like breaking baseballs rules

Don't go thinking you've failed us

Just because there's not usually a winner

Your defense has been your strength all year
The bats are nicely tucked in bed

I swear they will come through

Now in September those swings will start to ring true

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not winning the game is like breaking baseballs rules

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not losing the game is like breaking baseballs rules

I couldn't really blame you if you turned and walked away

Its been a long season and this last speech / song was written during a Bell workday

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not winning the game is like breaking baseballs rules

Torn Ligaments tie another, feelin' like a fool

Not losing the game is like breaking baseballs rules

PIEMAN
Before I get to the actual game, there is a story within the story.  Piero Del Greco did what I am sure no person in our league has ever done before. 

In the 1st inning Piero pitched to the first batter, Lynn Foerster, who walked on four pitches (not even a courtesy swing???).  He then moved to catcher for the remainder of the inning.  Two positions played.

In the 2nd inning he played left field for the first batter, moved to third for the second batter and finished the inning catching.  Four positions played.

In the 3rd inning Piero played left center field for the first batter, moved to short stop for the second batter and finished the inning catching.  Six positions played.

In the 4th inning he played right center field for the first batter, moved to second base for the second batter, worked as umpire for an out and finished the inning catching.  Nine positions played. 

In the 5th inning Piero played right field for the first batter, moved to 1st base for the second batter and finished the inning catching where he was involved in an inning ending double play.  Eleven positions played!!!
THE GAME

September is a funny month. 

We played the Torn Ligaments earlier in the year and lost a 10-6 game that was well contested.  But this felt different.  The Grisslies scored a couple early and held a brief 2-0 lead, but the Ligaments kept coming.  They shut us down offensively after the first and seemed to score at ease.  At one point they had a 9-2 and seemed in total control. 

Then something funny happened.  Danny Chiasson was called safe on a play at the plate when he ran through a stop sign (or maybe it was an aggressive base coach?) and the flood gates openned.  Before you knew it the Grisslies were back in the game trailing 9-8.

The game was very back and forth over the last 3 innings with the Grisslies always within three and usually finishing the top of the inning tied.  Coming to bat in the top of the seventh, the Grisslies trailed the Torn Ligaments by a 15-12 count.  The inning started well, but we ran into a little bad luck along the way and found ourselves still trailing (15-14) with two out and two runners on and none other than Piero Del Greco at the plate.

FLASHBACK:  In Piero's first at bat this year agains the Hot Tub Woody's he hit a bases clearing triple between right and right centre. 

Piero finished the season like he started it.  Not a triple, but a ball absolutely smoked between right and right center that wend for a double and scored both runners on base.  The Grisslies had their first lead since the 1st inning now leading 16-15 after 6 and 1/2 innings. 

In the bottom of the 7th the Grisslies took care of business defensively.  An infield flare, a ground ball to third and a ground out to second. 

The Grisslies completed a very successful 7-5-1 second half (7-2-1 in the last 10 games) and are ready for the post season to begin!!!!

Well done Griss!!!