Knocking Off the Hit Men – July 15th Game

 

The bats are back.  The Red Hook curses have been lifted.  JJ kept saying, “That’s going to be an awesome writeup,” so I guess I was a little nervous about doing it justice.  Why was it such a good game?  We were an offensive juggernaut, that’s why.  To think, the Hit Men were complaining to the Commissioner that we were avoiding our makeup game even though they canceled the first time!  It made victory all the sweeter.

 

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Our Cheering Section

 

The Game

Bada bing, bada boom.  That’s the sound our bats made from the very start.  We started with hit after hit and a home run out into center by O’Henry to score 6 runs in the first inning.  We almost went through the entire lineup on the first go.  The Hit Men responded with 4 runs of their own.

 

It was just a slug fest.  It was like the final scene in Rocky IV where Rocky and Drago were just pounding each other, neither willing to go down.  BAM!  KAPOW!  (Ok, that’s a little more Batman, but you get the idea.)  9-4, 9-8.  In the third inning, Jamie slams one out to left field, and JJ as third base coach is giving Henry high 5’s as he rounds the bases.  “JJ, you’re supposed to tell him what to do!!”  “He was running too fast!”  Sure enough, Jamie had already rounded the bases to make it 12-8.

 

We hold the Hit Men against the ropes, 1-2-3.  They’re down.  It’s our turn now.  “This one’s for Beer Can” as Steve drops one into shallow right center.  JJ follows with a shot through the shortstop/3rd base hole.  Amy hits an RBI bunt, and Steve and JJ score as JJ slips on the bat.  Whipit advances around the bases but is out when he trips down the third base line and gets back up to tag home.  They don’t get the tag, but he’s out for sliding??  He was rolling 10 feet from the plate, and that was sliding?  Anyway, it’s still 14-8.

 

The Hit Men are aiming for Henry in right center because of his pulled hamstring, but they can’t get the hits as we get the easy outs.  Henry and Jamie hit back to back singles, followed by a sacrifice hit by Alyce to bring Henry home and Jamie to second.  Steve follows with a double to score Jamie.  16-8!  Wow!

 

The Hit Men were stunned by our performance, but not out yet.  I walk a few batters, and then, Jamie tags a woman running from second to third for the third out.  Wait!  What was this?  She was safe?  Blue calls her safe because he said Jamie didn’t tag her with the ball?  He said Coach tagged her with the glove but had the ball in his other hand!   Ridiculous.  Jamie was trying to be gentle because he knew that if he tagged her too hard, the Hit Men would be in an uproar.  We protest the call, but no good.  Bases loaded.  Frazzled, I walk the next batter to bring in the run.  Coach makes the good call to bring Henry in to pitch.  “I need you in right center.  They’re trying to hit to Henry, and he can’t run.”  It was the right call. 

 

Henry’s pitching great.  It’s so weird to see the game from so far away.  There’s a foul ball hit out to right field near Kate.  Wait!   Fair ball?  What was Blue thinking?  More runs score as we are just stunned by the call.  We end the 6th inning 16-13. 

 

Going into the 7th, we score one more insurance run to make it 17-13.  Capone starts warning everyone, “We lost to them last time in the last inning, let’s not do it again.”  That’s what I want to be thinking as I take the field.  Tony Robbins and his positive thinking.  Well, if I can’t pitch, I’m going to do what I can for the team.  The first batter hits a shallow ball to right center.  Too short for me to catch.  Base hit.  The next two batters try the same thing, but I’m ready for them this time.  I rush in, and we’re one out from a victory.  One more batter with a pop fly into Alyce’s glove for the final out.  Yeehaw!  17-13.

 

We end the season with a 6-4 record, the first time we finish above .500.  Playoffs, here we come!  Andreas’s compliment just made it all worthwhile - “You’re right.  I would have paid money to watch that game.”

 

Memorable Moments

I think I said all of the highlights already.  Sweet memories.

 

Players of the Game

Whipit and Amy get players of the game.  Whipit went 4 for 4.  That’s batting 1000, ladies and gentlemen.  Our three Lady Bus Stops played the entire game and did amazingly well, but Amy had an especially great game.  3 for 4 with at least 2 RBIs.  From what I hear, she was smacking the ball even harder during practice, so I expect a lot from her in the playoffs.

 

A Funny Story

I doubt you’ll find this funny, but it still makes me laugh.  I just want it down for the record.  A group went out to Chinatown in Bay Ridge for Jamie’s birthday.  When we leave the restaurant, I’m in a car with Whipit and Jackie in front and Steve, Tracey and me sitting in the back.  Steve mentions that he lives right nearby, and he’s talking about all of the work he’s doing on the house.  Whipit’s listening and following directions from Steve about where the house is.  Whipit turns onto Steve’s block and Steve says, “Oh, you’re driving all the way up to my house.  That’s nice.”  We stop in front, and Steve talking about what he’s done, how the neighbor ran into his fence, and how he likes the neighborhood. 

We’re there for a good 10 minutes chatting about the house, admiring the details of the façade and all that.  There’s sort of a lull in the conversation, and we’re all waiting.  I’m thinking to myself, ‘Is Steve that drunk that he doesn’t realize it’s time for him to get out of the car?’  Jackie’s thinking, ‘The poor guy.  We’ve depressed him with all the work he has to do so he doesn’t want to go home.’  Finally, to break the silence, Whipit points to some trash bags on the street and says, “So, Steve.  Is that your garbage?”  That’s what it takes for it to finally click in Steve’s head.  “You know I’m going to the bar, right?”  I guess he wasn’t getting out after all. 

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