Game 15 - |Gruesome?

INTRO

6PM, Tuesday July 16th, an hour before game time on the Donini Deck. 

Rob:  Hey...how's it going?
Doug: Good.  A little tired from driving, but otherwise good. 
Rob:  Excellent, ready for the game?
Doug:  You bet!  I'm looking forward to this one. 
Rob:  Really?  Who are we playing?
Doug:  Gruesome Devils.
Rob:  Hmmmmm.  They're kinda new aren't they?
Doug:  Yep.  Year two. 
Rob:  Aren't they the ones that tried to get all those funky names passed by the executive?
Doug:  That's them!

Background:  When there is a spot that opens up for new captains, they have to be passed into the group.  There's a vote, a rigorous test and a few immunity challenges.  The successful captains are allowed to propose new team names.  Of course these too have to be accepted to avoid embarrassing situations.  Jens and (The Other) DeLand tried to sneak through a few names that exploited names of people in the league. 

Rob:  Do you remember some of those names?
Doug:  Yeah,  One was the "Carry on my Hayward Son". 
Rob:  RIGHT!  That was kinda funny. 
Doug: They also used Major League names, remember the "Scratch My Ichiro's"?
Rob: I think Hugh voted against that one.  But I voted in favour of the "Stefan Night Kapps".
Doug:  That was quality.  What about the "Randy Rose Coloured Glasses"?
Rob: Or the "Steve Wynnyk's is Better Than Losing"?
Doug:  Or the "Rod Duggan a Hole in the Batter's Box"?
Rob:  Or the "For Whom the Sandy Bell Tolls"?
Doug:  All good.  I'm glad we vote on this stuff.  Gruesome Devils was better. 
Rob:  Ya, but they aren't very Gruesome and The Other De Land is no Devil. 
Doug:  Agreed. 
Rob:  You know who scares me on that team?
Doug:  Lahey?
Rob:  No.  Think of someone with a bad ass look in his eye....can hit the cover off of the ball. 
Doug: Kolsen?
Rob:  No.  Meaner.  Plays 100% all the time.
Doug:  Polny?
Rob:  Ughhh....NO!  Intense!  Never takes an inning off kind of guy. 
Doug:  Sagert?
Rob:  Are you even trying?
Doug:  Yeah?
Rob:  Do I have to tell you?
Doug:  I suppose so
Rob:  Gary Basso.
Doug:  Bad Ass?  Mean?  Intense?  Are you kidding?
Rob:  Yeah.  The guy is hitting great.  Running Great.  Fielding great. 
Doug: Yeah he's a fine player.  I agree, 100%.  But he's the one guy you fear?
Rob:  Without a doubt.  And he's a big boaster too.
Doug: A boaster?  That doesn't sound like Gary. 
Rob: Oh yeah, buys and sells them. 
Doug: Buys and sells what?
Rob: Boasts. 
Doug: You can't buy and sell boasts.
Rob: Sure you can how do you get one if you can't buy it?
Doug: You say them or make them.  They aren't a commodity. 
Rob: Well how does a person go fishing without a boast. 
Doug: Oh My God.  You are soooo annoying.  They aren't called boasts....they're BOATS. 
Rob: Oh please, same thing.  Anyway he buys and sells BOATS as you call them.   
Doug:  Big deal
Rob:  Well do you know why?
Doug:  No. 
Rob:  Basso.....Bass-o?  I think its about fish.  Well it might not be about the fish or the boasts or boats so much.  Its probably more about boat names.  That's his thing. 
Doug: Like what?
Rob: Well I happen to have a pictorial display, would you like to see?
Doug: Did you just say pictorial?  Sure!
Rob:  Well, this was his first boat...the 36 Seas.  Get it?
Doug:  Yeah, clever.

Rob:  He sold that to buy the Aqua-Holic.  This is a pic with the previous owner, he took the name too literally and couldn't climb in any more. 
Doug:  It can happen

Rob:  Then he sold that one when the "Campbell's Sloop" came on the market. 
Doug:  Why not?  That's a classic!

Rob:  But he wasn't done.  He used the left over money from the aqua-holic sale to get the "Breakin' Wind".
Doug:  A winner for sure. 

Rob:  Then the "Deep Ship" came on the market.
Doug:  Hard to resist.
Rob:  You know it!  He had to have it so he sold the "Campbell's Sloop".
Doug:  Well, I guess he had to consume a new ship. 
Rob:  I don't get it. 

Rob:  After that, he considered retirement and got the "Dunwurkin"
Doug:  I see its from Dunedin, the BlueJays spring home

Rob:  Yeah, but like the Jays, it never made it to summer because he just had to have the "Electra-Cute". 
Doug:  Now that's where I'd stop.  That's a brilliant name!

Rob:  Yeah, well not Gary.  Not when you could get your hands on the "Fish and Chicks".
Doug:  Not bad.

Rob:  But he quickly turned that over to get the "Knot For Sail".  That's a pretty smart name. 
Doug:  I like it!

Rob:  Yeah, but it turned out that the "Knot For Sail" was definitely for sale, because he bowed to the peer pressure and bought the "Pier Pressure"
Doug:  Is this getting at all confusing yet?

Rob:  Not for me.  I'm pretty quick. I can slow down for you if you want. 
Doug:  No, I think I'll make it. 
Rob:  Okay, well you know how Gary is often referred to as "Dean Martin?"
Doug:  Sure do!  That nickname is courtesy of Terry Doucet.
Rob:  Don't know this Doucet fella, but Gary couldn't resist the Dean Martin angle so he bought the "Playbuoy".

Rob:  The Playbuoy didn't last, because of Bill Sallustio.
Doug:  Bill?
Rob:  Yeah, "For Those About To Rock Bill Sallustio" was selling his boat, "Still Rockin'" and Gary naturally had to buy it. 
Doug:  Naturally.

Rob:  Until he seized the day by selling it and buying the "Seas The Day".
Doug:  This is quite the pictorial.

Rob:  I'm a bit of a shutter bug.  But this is my FAVOURITE!  The "Send Help".
Doug:  I'm not sure that the lettering would actually pass, but concept is amazing!

 
Rob:  Then he got a cheap one from a guy going through a divorce.
Doug:  Ouch.  Poor bugger.

Rob:  Yeah, but he felt bad for the guy so he traded him this boat.
Doug:  "Ship For Brains", eh?

Rob:  Yeah, I thought it was funny too.  Anyway, he traded all his boats to get in touch with his Italian roots and buy "The Codfather"
Doug:  I guess he made an offer they couldn't refuse.
Rob:  That's a stupid line, leave the writing to me. 

Rob:  And then he bought the "Unsinkable II".
Doug:  Makes you wonder what happened to the Unsinkable One. 

Rob:  Well, you know Gary is on a health kick and his last purchase was the Vitamin Sea. 
Doug:  The man is certainly clever.  I'll give him that. 

Rob:  So my advice is stay away from Gary.  Defensively he casts a wide net and offensively he'll lure you. 
Doug:  Lame. 
Rob:  That's what we do. 
Doug:  Touche. 

THE SPEECH

Rob has continued his protest.  Again, here is my lame (because that's what we do) attempt at a Speech / Song.  Fortunately Rob is still singing them even though he's stopped writing.  So here is a song about Robbie, sung to the tune of Turn Me Loose by Loverboy!  Music === > HERE

Turn Me Loose

 

I was born to run,
I was born to dream,
The craziest boy you ever seen,
I gotta do it my way,
Or no way at all.

And I was here with Rowdies,
Slidding on our bellies
Using my glove wherever I please,
I gotta do it my way,
Or no way at all.

And then the Devils came around,
Tried to tie me down,
but not in my hometown,
They tried to have it their way,
Or no way at all.

Well I've had all I can take,
I can't take it no more,
I'm gonna hit the bags and fly......running,
I'm gonna touch them all.

So why don't you turn me loose,
Turn me loose,
Turn me loose,
I'm gonna score it my way,
Or no way at all.

Why don't you turn me loose,
Turn me loose,
Turn me loose,
I gonna score it my way,
I gonna fly.

I'm here to please,
Yeah, I'm in my fifties,
Unsing my Glove whenever I please,
I'm gonna score it my way,
Or no way at all.

THE GAME

 

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains.  And in this league....sometimes you tie.  I hate ties.  However, today, in this heat, I'll take it and it was well earned. 

 

The 2-11, dead last place Grisslies were facing the 10-5-1 second place Gruesome Devils.  The Devils had every reason to be confident.  First they had already beaten us 19-13 in a game that wasn't really as close as the score and second they took us for 6 runs in the 1st. 

 

Down 6-0 after a 1/2 inning is a less than ideal position for a team with a .154 winning percentage to be in.  But we managed to score 3 in the bottom of the 1st to half the score.  Both teams traded shut out second innings and the Devils stretched their lead to 7-3 in the top of the 3rd. 

 

The Grisslie half of the 3rd saw 5 runs plate the Grisslies take the lead at 8-7.  The Gruesome Devils were apparently not impressed as they bounced right back and cashed 6 in top of the fourth go go up 13-8. 

 

I thought we were spent on a wicked hot night already fighting back from 6-0 down, but I was wrong.  The boys still had plenty of giddy-up left and scored 6 of our own in the bottom of the inning to again take a 1 run lead. 

 

The 6th was called last inning and the Grisslies now held a two run lead.  After two quick outs to start the inning the Devils delivered some clutch hits to tie the game at 16. 

 

In the Grisslies last at bat with one out, Winston Gayle hit a ball that split the outfielders and was heading to the wall.  There was little doubt the game was over.  Except for one thing.  Brian Richards.  Brian went after that ball at full stride from the crack of the bat.  He was laid out fully horizontal and made the catch mid air.  Its easily the best catch I've seen this year and I'm thinking long and hard about any catch I've seen better.  He received a standing "O" from both benches for the game saver. 

 

The game ended with a well played and hard fought 16-16 tie.