GAME 1: Living South Of Alliston

INTRO

The 2013 season for Grisslies began the same way that last season ended.  On the Donini Deck.  6pm, May 6th, 2013. 

Rob:  Well, here we are. 
Doug:  Yes sir, another season about to start.  Pretty exciting. 
Rob:  I like that you're calling me sir.
Doug:    Just an expression Robbie, don't get excited. 
Rob:  I won't.  I'm wearing track pants. 
Doug: Right.  Good call. 
Rob:  Have you decided what you're doing for that CLOG thingy of yours?
Doug:    Its called a "BLOG" and yeah, I think that maybe I'll do something on our rookie.  I've got it half written.  You know one of those fake biographies that I do?  Like the Chuck Cragg one?  Or the Steve Ross one?  It takes a while to write those, so I may not get it done in time to be out tomorrow morning. 
Rob:  Wait a minute.
Doug: What?
Rob:  What do you mean by 'fake'?
Doug: "FAKE".  As in I've made them up.  Fabricated. 
Rob:  So Steve Ross IS NOT Richard Gere?
Doug:   No Rob.  For God Sakes.  Do you think Richard Gere would really be playing slo pitch in Tottenham?
Rob:  I was totally convinced.  So that mean that Chuck Cragg wasn't that bully guy in Karate Kid either?
Doug:    No.    
Rob:  And now you're going to tell me that Bones never really had a weight problem?  That Gord Robertson isn't really Freddie Mercury?  That people didn't think Paul Piellusch was Starsky?  That Piero Del Greco and Simon Smith didn't work for the CIA?  That there never was an x-man school?
Doug:   All lies Rob.  You really thought all those things happened in our sleeply little town?
Rob:  Ya!  I did.  Damn you.  What about Dave Fleming falling down the ravine at C1 trying to catch a foul ball and running into a bear?
Doug: Oh that one is true.Except the bear part. 
Rob:  Its a good thing no one reads that FLOG, because if it ever got out that it was a mix of lies and truths, you'd be in real trouble mister!
Doug: Yeah, lucky me. 
Rob:  Well I've got a good PLOG idea. 
Doug:   What's that?  I always need some in reserve to work on. 
Rob:  Okay.  This is a good one.  You want to get out falckberry and make a note?
Doug: Fire away. 
Rob:  Alright then.  You can tell the story about .... Oh my god, you're going to love this ... you can tell the story of when I ordered Swordfish in Florida. 
Doug:   Yeah.  And what happened. 
Rob:  I ate it. 
Doug:   And.
Rob:  And it was yummy. 
Doug:   Yummy?
Rob:  Oh yeah! [rubbing his belly]
Doug: Whats the punchline?
Rob:  There were no fights.  It was a classy restaurant. 
Doug:  Punchline means....never mind.  Look, no offense, but this story really doesn't work. 
Rob:  Why not?  It has all the elements that people love!!!
Doug: Like what?
Rob:  Like me for one thing.  People LOVE reading about me!
Doug:   Rob.  YOU love reading about you. 
Rob:  True, but I'm very representative of the league. 
Doug: Okay, I'll put it in reserve, but I have to tell you.  For that to work I'm going to have to embellish it a little. 
Rob:  Embellish?  Like give me a fat stomach in the story?
Doug:   No.  But that's interesting.  I mean tell lies about the story to make it sound even a little bit interesting. 
Rob:  Oh.  I see.  Like say I had asparagus with it or something like that.
Doug: Something like that. 
Rob:  I'm really getting the hang of this. 
Doug: Oh, have you thought of your speech?  Its less than an hour from now?
Rob:  Yep.
Doug: Still going with the songs?
Rob:  Yep, for now anyway. 
Doug:  And which one is tonight?
Rob:  Well, I'll be singing a song by Krypton's favourite citizen.
Doug:  Superman?
Rob:  No, he doesn't sing.  I mean Billy Jo-El. 
Doug:  You mean Billy Joel?
Rob:  Its pronounced Jo-El.  You know like Kal-El and Jor-El, Superman and his dad?
Doug: There are no words to explain you. 
Rob:  Thank you. 

SPEECH

As this is the 1st BLOG (or flog) of the year, allow me to give the 'speech' explanation.  For 5 years now, Rob gathers the team around before the 1st pitch to give his rallying speech.  Sometimes its a famous quote, but more often is a popular song to which he's reworked the lyrics to relevant to the team or town.  If you don't know Rob, he comes from a musical family and has no problem singing these songs a cappella (or archipelago as Rob would say).  For game one, Rob has chosen, "Living Here In Allentown" which he's worked into "Living south of Alliston".  I think he takes a couple of unwarranted shots at The Beechey, but as usual, there wasn't a dry eye in the place when he was finished.

To hear the tune while you're reading CLICK HERE

South of Alliston

Well we're living south of Alliston
And The Beechey's knocking fences down
Out in Centre Field I saw one climb
Killing a squirrel
Nobody will mind.

Well our fathers played in the league before
Spent their weekends in McCarron's Store
Met our mothers at the Legion
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living south of of Alliston.

But the restlessness was handed down
But its never very tough to stay.

Well we're waiting south of Alliston
For Beechey's blast to finally come down.
For the promises our teachers gave
Wish I could remember
Newton's stupid law.

So the fielders crash into the wall
But they never really had a chance at all
No, the The Beechey was hitting way out of their range
Far and Away,
But he's still strange.

And we're waiting south of Alliston.

THE GAME

The games in the 1st half of the season tends to be a bit of an afterthought for the Grisslies.  Maybe that's why we tend to start slow and come on in the second half.  Or maybe we just suck and other people get tired at the end of the year and come down to out level.  Either way.

The game started in typical Grisslie fashion, by that I mean that it was course atypical to anything you'd expect at slo pitch game.  The festivities were kicked off by the anthem sung by the lovely Christine Farah. 

Ms. Farah pictured here with here security detail.

Next of course were the Rockets!  Those things take off so fast that they're hard to capture on film.

But at least you can see the trail of smoke!

I was a little nervous facing the Dog Catchers out of the shoot.  They have some powerful bats, Robinson, Young, Smith and Douglas and Hjelholt can make a 3rd baseman shake in their cleats.

As it turned out, the Grisslies were able to contain the big bats for the most part.  But just for the most part.  Brad Young seemed to be on a bit of a mission going 4 for 4, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice to boot.  Plus he seems to field the ball pretty well.

The game Dog Catchers got out to an early 2-1 lead after one inning and the Grisslies answered by rolling a 7 in the top of the second inning.  An 8-2 lead after 2 complete felt pretty good.

But the Dog Catchers would play terrific defense while scoring 2 in the 3rd and 5 in the fourth to take a 9-8 lead.  The game would be tied at 9's when Sweet Lou Conforti (3/3 with 2 runs scored) would score the go ahead run in the bottom of the 6th.

The Grisslies needed only a single run in the bottom top of the 7th to keep things alive, but inning and the game died with the colonel, Murray Saunders, being stranded at 2nd.

Here's the good news.  The defense seemed very 'mid-season'.  Doris had an unassisted double play, not a single outfielder missed a cut off man, we got a runner at home on a relay and we got lead runners when we had the chance.  On the offensive side, we had a 7 run inning, so we know we can!  Our rookie was awesome and Brad Wadden looked spectacular on a whirling throw from 3rd.  Al Hayward played all over and was 3/3.  Contributions were up and down the lineup.  I like the upside of this club!

Game 2, Thursday vs. the Dusty Cleats! 


Check out the Donini 3 stars of the game HERE