SoftBalling.com

How strange is it that the two rainout games were against the worst team and arguably the best team in the league? Up first is Team Beinveste, who sport a record of 1-6 with 18 runs scored versus 78 runs against. Both stats are absolute worst in the league. Game starts at 7 and I don’t believe we’ve played a team with this name before.

The second game is against Head First, who comes in with a record of 6-0-1 (pending last week’s regularly scheduled game vs. Ski Unit and a makeup game versus Shillelaghs) with 88 runs scored and 14 against. For comparisons sake, The Shells have scored 71 and let up 31. Other than the 11 we gave up in our stinker loss to Shillelaghs, we’ve given up 20. They’ve been even a little better than that.

The attendees of Saturday’s practice discussed a little strategy/gamesmanship for tonight’s game. Since we play the last place team while our next opponent is in the stands watching, we figured we’d mix it up a little bit in game 1 to maintain our powerful element of surprise (namely, lots of lefty hitters and strong fielders at key positions).

If Head First has a weak fielder (and I’m not sure they do. I’ve seen them and they’re very solid, especially on the infield and in LF), it’s probably going to be in RF. If we can jump on them with a bunch of long hits to RF in the early innings, preferably in the 1st inning, we can probably scratch across a few runs that might be harder to come by in the later innings after they adjust to the big swinging lefties. Putting a good team at an early deficit monumentally inflates the pressure they feel, especially if they’re not accustomed to trailing.

With this in mind, I think we need to load the righties in the top of the order for game 1 and lefties in the top of the order for game 2. Lee, Miles, Don and Paul. Hopefully, the surprise of right field hits will let us jump ahead quickly and push the game out of reach before they adjust and move a stronger fielder to RF. I’m even considering (and I’d ask the other lefties, if they’re brave enough and we’re winning by enough) hitting right handed in my last couple at-bats of game 1.

Ok, that’s it. long pre-game post… Let’s get these games on.

This just in from Eve.

Game 1 and Game 9 have been rescheduled for July 23rd.

7pm vs. Team Benveneste

7:55pm vs. Head First

As Eve mentioned, we’re playing the last place team and then the first place team. To me, that’s perfect. A quick warmup before the war. I’m kind of hoping we can finish off the last place team rather quickly so the next opponent doesn’t get to scout us for strategy. We all know how powerful the element of surprise can be.

Also, both games are at Laramie Park, not Terminal. See Parks on the right tab for directions.  I personally like this park better than Devonshire but not quite as much as Terminal. We played the first playoff game last fall there and it was bitterly cold, if I remember correctly.

These are the last contests before the playoffs and a sweep of both would at least put us in a tie for 2nd place, depending on the outcome Head First’s game next week against Ski Unit.

see the board for discussion about a practice (or two!) in the two weeks until our next game.

Great victory last night. Final score, I believe, was 19-1. Full 30 minute video of the game available below. I didn’t add music or check the audio so if there is any cursing or badmouthing, I apologize in advance.

(118 MB, wmv)

due to pouring rain…

boo…

This may sound like a broken record, but we have a game (a late one, 8:45) and again it is supposed to rain.

Tonight’s rival is Head First, who beat Digitus Medius in game two of the summer league playoffs last year. There are pictures from that game here and here’s a picture of their bench from that game.

1998

If that weren’t incentive enough, they are also currently the 1st place team and have gone undefeated thus far. Here’s hoping we can induce a little punishment for last year and establish the tone for the upcoming playoffs.