=========
DY
Rugburn
Grandpa
Jotzse
Dom
Heidi
Fei
Rube
Myself
Dave
Ted
Albert
John and Geok (Afternoon only)
Probables
=========
Bert (if he doesn't go to Tioman
The Names have been changed to Protect the Errorists
Thursday, June 29, 2006
UPDATE:Tournament at Montfort is a GO!!! - New Playing Schedule
Confirmed
=========
DY
Rugburn
Grandpa
Jotzse
Dom
Heidi
Fei
Rube
Myself
Dave
Ted
Albert
John and Geok (Afternoon only)
Probables
=========
Bert (if he doesn't go to Tioman
=========
DY
Rugburn
Grandpa
Jotzse
Dom
Heidi
Fei
Rube
Myself
Dave
Ted
Albert
John and Geok (Afternoon only)
Probables
=========
Bert (if he doesn't go to Tioman
More Info on the Tournament
Dear Team,
This is the schedule for this coming Saturday.
Date: 1st July
Game starts: 845 am
Last game is at 330pm
Venue: Montfort Secondary School
Registration: $30 a team.
Rules are same like last year just that this year, there are some differences with walks and foul balls as out on the 3rd strike.
a. walks included
b. the strikezone still between armpits and knees
c. foul balls will get the runner out if it's the 3rd strike
d. 9 run handicap for C Boys
e. No bunts or steals
f. 5 complete full innings or 1 1/2 hour time duration
It's non-competitive, sportsmanship, fun, enjoyment and doing your best.
Do take note of umpiring duties the teams will have.
Thanks.
LLoyd Yeo
Location
This is the schedule for this coming Saturday.
Date: 1st July
Game starts: 845 am
Last game is at 330pm
Venue: Montfort Secondary School
Registration: $30 a team.
Rules are same like last year just that this year, there are some differences with walks and foul balls as out on the 3rd strike.
a. walks included
b. the strikezone still between armpits and knees
c. foul balls will get the runner out if it's the 3rd strike
d. 9 run handicap for C Boys
e. No bunts or steals
f. 5 complete full innings or 1 1/2 hour time duration
It's non-competitive, sportsmanship, fun, enjoyment and doing your best.
Do take note of umpiring duties the teams will have.
Thanks.
LLoyd Yeo
Location
Monday, June 26, 2006
Annual Montfort Invitational Softball Tournament
Hi Folks,
We've been invited by Lloyd to defend our championship in the Annual Montfort Invitational Softball Tournament. Could we get a show of hands of people who are interested so that we can decide if we have enough numbers to field a team? If not, it's business as usual at the NUS field. email me at saturdaysoftball AT gmail.com
We've been invited by Lloyd to defend our championship in the Annual Montfort Invitational Softball Tournament. Could we get a show of hands of people who are interested so that we can decide if we have enough numbers to field a team? If not, it's business as usual at the NUS field. email me at saturdaysoftball AT gmail.com
What do you do if the ball is stuck in your glove?
Throw the glove WITH the ball inside.
VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE
VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE
Pitching meat to Rickey
Rickey would've been all over this pitch. Miguel Cabrera hit's a pitch meant to be an intentional walk.
VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE
VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE
Sunday, June 25, 2006
DT Rants - Indiana Ruled with his glove
It was wet and slippery, just the way Rickey likes it, and he showed it by getting himself stuck in not one, but two hot boxes. I went both ways, and my left hand hasn't seen that much action since I got engaged. Also, Singaporean men (and most men in general) have no clue how to please a woman. Women, take note, you have to tell us... higher, lower, faster or slower. I mean, it's really tough to pitch sometimes.
All signs pointed to a fantastic day, the weather was cool and we numbered six at 2:30. Our usual field was taken by the damn frisbee idiots, even with Heidi's effort to come down at 2pm to place dibs on the field, somehow the frisbee idiots managed to show up earlier. They did us a favour though, because our usual field was in poor condition, muddy and swampy. The far field nearer the road was in much better condition as it hadn't been used as much.
The teams were definitely not that even, even during the count, it was obvious that the ONES had an advantage. And to top it all, Rickey gives Grandpa to an already stacked team. What was he thinking? Ironically, it wasn't the big bats that did the TWOs in, but textbook small ball by the ONEs combined with nonsensical baserunning by the TWOs.
The scores were actually pretty even for most of the game, considering the stellar batting lineup in the heart of the ONEs rotation. The TWOs were playing solid defense for most of the day, and it was only a brief lapse during the 5th that the ONEs managed to string together a series of hits to pull ahead by a 8 run margin. Defense was the name of the game, contrary to the high scores. I've never seen so many textbook plays within the confines of one game in a long time. Throws from the outfield hit the cutoff man, relays were on target, run-downs were performed with textbook precision. It was a fantastic game to be a part of.
Talking about run-downs, Rickey likes the hot box. In the bottom of the 6th, with the TWOs behind 8 runs and Rickey on second base, Heidi steps up to the plate. She hits a monster of a shot to the center-right between Grandpa and Jason. Jason gets to the ball first, but it was easily a 3-bagger by the time the throw came in. When I turned to make the relay home, it was the cutest sight that graced my eyes. Heidi was catching up to Rickey, and when I fired home, Rickey stopped and turned to head back to 3rd base. Heidi, bless her kind soul, was already right on top of the base, and all she had to do was step on the bag and she would've been safe. Instead, she made the split second decision to give Rickey a chance and turned to head back for 2nd base ('oh-shit-rickey-what-are-you-doing' was the cry from Heidi's lips). By this time, Rickey was trapped in a hot box between Indiana catching, and Rube at 3rd. Rube tagged Rickey out, and seeing a chance to get a double-play, threw to me at 2nd and I started the run down on Heidi. Seeing her chance, she turned back for 3rd, but it was too late, as I tossed the ball to Rube for the tag. Double play on a double rundown to end the inning. Brilliant.
You'd think two rundowns in one game would be a SAS record, but no sooner was it set, that it was broken. A third run down would take place two innings later, and a third record was set. 1. Three rundowns in a game, 2. A Double-play, double rundown, 3. Rickey gets caught in two of the three rundowns.... Bottom of the eighth with 2 down, Rickey smacks a beauty into the gap between center and right. Since it's Rickey, he only makes it to first base, but Grandpa boggled the ball, and Rickey courageously turns towards second and tries for extra bases. Grandpa recovers quickly and makes a snap throw to second. Rickey is caught in no mans land. He turns back, but DT fires down the second base line to Lom and Lom chases Rickey back towards 2nd base. Not wanting to smack Rickey in the back of the head, Lom throws a high-arc blooper towards Diana at second. Thinking that the throw wouldn't make it on time and Rickey would run straight into Diana (and probably kill her), DT jumps up to cut off the throw and makes a flying tag on the way down, smacking Rickey right on the head and knocking his hat off. Rickey looked smug on second base, thinking that DT was just messing with him and just wanted to smack him with an empty glove, but when DT opened his glove and the ball was inside, the smiling stopped. Booyah! Now that I look back on that play, if Rickey had actually slid into second, he would've been safe...
The second game turned out to be pretty much the same as the first. First inning saw 1-2-3 outs from both sides, then the ONEs blew it open with a 4 run lead and the TWOs had no answer. I suggested a trade, Grandpa or Kyle II for Clark, but the trade was deemed 'unfair'... godknows why.
The Ladies are still showing some fabulous at-bats. I noticed that the outfield is no longer coming in when Geok and Diana are up at bat. They are standing at a respectful distance, and even then, they still have a make a tough play because the ladies are hitting it deep.
On another note, Indiana never fails to amaze me. This is a guy with a quadruple bypass, over 60 (I think), and he plays shortstop like a 20 year-old on amphetamines.... WITH a first-baseman's glove. He dives for every play and it seems like no ground ball is out of his range. I even had to poach a slow roller in order to finally make a play. That guy is incredible.
More Awards
DY award : Kitty (for coming down to Joes even with a lung infection, lack of sleep and looking like he's about to drop dead at any moment)
Best Teamwork award : The French(Bert) and the American(Rickey) allied themselves(gawddd! who would've thought) to beat the singaporean pair of Heidi and DT back to back in two games of pool (with standard rules I might add, nothing Canadian about it).
Most-in-need-of-a-thicker-glove : DT
Holding-the-most-records-in-a-game award : Rickey (1. Getting caught in the most rundowns in one game, 2. Most career rundowns, 3. Running down into a double-play rundown, 4. Hitting the highest pitch (the ball was over his head and he swung AND made good contact)
All signs pointed to a fantastic day, the weather was cool and we numbered six at 2:30. Our usual field was taken by the damn frisbee idiots, even with Heidi's effort to come down at 2pm to place dibs on the field, somehow the frisbee idiots managed to show up earlier. They did us a favour though, because our usual field was in poor condition, muddy and swampy. The far field nearer the road was in much better condition as it hadn't been used as much.
The teams were definitely not that even, even during the count, it was obvious that the ONES had an advantage. And to top it all, Rickey gives Grandpa to an already stacked team. What was he thinking? Ironically, it wasn't the big bats that did the TWOs in, but textbook small ball by the ONEs combined with nonsensical baserunning by the TWOs.
The scores were actually pretty even for most of the game, considering the stellar batting lineup in the heart of the ONEs rotation. The TWOs were playing solid defense for most of the day, and it was only a brief lapse during the 5th that the ONEs managed to string together a series of hits to pull ahead by a 8 run margin. Defense was the name of the game, contrary to the high scores. I've never seen so many textbook plays within the confines of one game in a long time. Throws from the outfield hit the cutoff man, relays were on target, run-downs were performed with textbook precision. It was a fantastic game to be a part of.
Talking about run-downs, Rickey likes the hot box. In the bottom of the 6th, with the TWOs behind 8 runs and Rickey on second base, Heidi steps up to the plate. She hits a monster of a shot to the center-right between Grandpa and Jason. Jason gets to the ball first, but it was easily a 3-bagger by the time the throw came in. When I turned to make the relay home, it was the cutest sight that graced my eyes. Heidi was catching up to Rickey, and when I fired home, Rickey stopped and turned to head back to 3rd base. Heidi, bless her kind soul, was already right on top of the base, and all she had to do was step on the bag and she would've been safe. Instead, she made the split second decision to give Rickey a chance and turned to head back for 2nd base ('oh-shit-rickey-what-are-you-doing' was the cry from Heidi's lips). By this time, Rickey was trapped in a hot box between Indiana catching, and Rube at 3rd. Rube tagged Rickey out, and seeing a chance to get a double-play, threw to me at 2nd and I started the run down on Heidi. Seeing her chance, she turned back for 3rd, but it was too late, as I tossed the ball to Rube for the tag. Double play on a double rundown to end the inning. Brilliant.
You'd think two rundowns in one game would be a SAS record, but no sooner was it set, that it was broken. A third run down would take place two innings later, and a third record was set. 1. Three rundowns in a game, 2. A Double-play, double rundown, 3. Rickey gets caught in two of the three rundowns.... Bottom of the eighth with 2 down, Rickey smacks a beauty into the gap between center and right. Since it's Rickey, he only makes it to first base, but Grandpa boggled the ball, and Rickey courageously turns towards second and tries for extra bases. Grandpa recovers quickly and makes a snap throw to second. Rickey is caught in no mans land. He turns back, but DT fires down the second base line to Lom and Lom chases Rickey back towards 2nd base. Not wanting to smack Rickey in the back of the head, Lom throws a high-arc blooper towards Diana at second. Thinking that the throw wouldn't make it on time and Rickey would run straight into Diana (and probably kill her), DT jumps up to cut off the throw and makes a flying tag on the way down, smacking Rickey right on the head and knocking his hat off. Rickey looked smug on second base, thinking that DT was just messing with him and just wanted to smack him with an empty glove, but when DT opened his glove and the ball was inside, the smiling stopped. Booyah! Now that I look back on that play, if Rickey had actually slid into second, he would've been safe...
The second game turned out to be pretty much the same as the first. First inning saw 1-2-3 outs from both sides, then the ONEs blew it open with a 4 run lead and the TWOs had no answer. I suggested a trade, Grandpa or Kyle II for Clark, but the trade was deemed 'unfair'... godknows why.
The Ladies are still showing some fabulous at-bats. I noticed that the outfield is no longer coming in when Geok and Diana are up at bat. They are standing at a respectful distance, and even then, they still have a make a tough play because the ladies are hitting it deep.
On another note, Indiana never fails to amaze me. This is a guy with a quadruple bypass, over 60 (I think), and he plays shortstop like a 20 year-old on amphetamines.... WITH a first-baseman's glove. He dives for every play and it seems like no ground ball is out of his range. I even had to poach a slow roller in order to finally make a play. That guy is incredible.
More Awards
DY award : Kitty (for coming down to Joes even with a lung infection, lack of sleep and looking like he's about to drop dead at any moment)
Best Teamwork award : The French(Bert) and the American(Rickey) allied themselves(gawddd! who would've thought) to beat the singaporean pair of Heidi and DT back to back in two games of pool (with standard rules I might add, nothing Canadian about it).
Most-in-need-of-a-thicker-glove : DT
Holding-the-most-records-in-a-game award : Rickey (1. Getting caught in the most rundowns in one game, 2. Most career rundowns, 3. Running down into a double-play rundown, 4. Hitting the highest pitch (the ball was over his head and he swung AND made good contact)
Saturday, June 24, 2006
24 June 2006 - Run Rickey Run, or Kitty at the Bar
ONES: 1B: Big Lom; 2B: Diana; 3B: Rube; LF: Kyle II; CF: Grandpa; RF: Jason
TWOS: 1B: Rickey; 2B: Burma Girl; SS: Indiana; LF: The Mick; CF: Heidi; RF: Clark
DT played both ways. For the ONES he was SS; for the TWOS he was 3B
Game One:
ONES: 12
TWOS: 6
Game Two (3 innings):
ONES: 4
TWOS: 0
The teams were simply not balanced. The ONES had a killer line-up and it showed. With Grandpa, Kyle II and Rube batting back-to-back there was little the TWOS could do. They could hit big, or play small ball, and the ONES did both well. Also, with Grandpa's and Kyle II's arms in the outfield taking the next base was a dangerous proposition. Rickey did challenge though, with disastrous consequences. Twice, he got caught in run-downs. His formidable speed was unable to get him out of trouble both times.
The best moment was at Joe's. Kitty was back. He's been sick - so sick he even returned to "The Mall" - but he's looking better. He stopped by with the Windmill for some beers and plenty of blah, blah, blah. Kitty's been gone a while, but he's still the Kitty. Good to see some of the old school players.
MBP: Rube
Best Bat: Kyle II
Gold Glove: The Mick
Most-in-need-of-Cool-Papa-baserunning-lessons: Rickey
PS: THERE WILL BE A BBQ ON 5 AUGUST (1ST SATURDAY IN AUGUST)
TWOS: 1B: Rickey; 2B: Burma Girl; SS: Indiana; LF: The Mick; CF: Heidi; RF: Clark
DT played both ways. For the ONES he was SS; for the TWOS he was 3B
Game One:
ONES: 12
TWOS: 6
Game Two (3 innings):
ONES: 4
TWOS: 0
The teams were simply not balanced. The ONES had a killer line-up and it showed. With Grandpa, Kyle II and Rube batting back-to-back there was little the TWOS could do. They could hit big, or play small ball, and the ONES did both well. Also, with Grandpa's and Kyle II's arms in the outfield taking the next base was a dangerous proposition. Rickey did challenge though, with disastrous consequences. Twice, he got caught in run-downs. His formidable speed was unable to get him out of trouble both times.
The best moment was at Joe's. Kitty was back. He's been sick - so sick he even returned to "The Mall" - but he's looking better. He stopped by with the Windmill for some beers and plenty of blah, blah, blah. Kitty's been gone a while, but he's still the Kitty. Good to see some of the old school players.
MBP: Rube
Best Bat: Kyle II
Gold Glove: The Mick
Most-in-need-of-Cool-Papa-baserunning-lessons: Rickey
PS: THERE WILL BE A BBQ ON 5 AUGUST (1ST SATURDAY IN AUGUST)
Monday, June 19, 2006
DT Rants
Not much to rant about today. NUS fastpitch tournament in the school, so no field. Met up with Jessen, Teckpiaw and Shaun who were playing on 3 different teams in the tourney.
We moved to the alternate field with 9, and joining us there were Indiana and Geok, making a total of 11. I played both sides (insert joke here), but because Kyle II still had an injured hammie, I played Leftfield for them and SS for the TWOs. Rugburn and Geok each hit one over my head. Clark was merciless in smacking the hall down the gap between Nigeypooh and myself. I've not played in the outfield for more than a couple of years, so it was pretty scary. My arm doesn't have that kind of range, and my legs don't have that kind of speed. I'm much happier at short. On that note, playing SS for the TWOs was fun. Considering how horribly bumpy the field was, I didn't make any errors fielding (the errors were from throwing) and was lucky enough to get all the bounces. We need our numbers back, and soon.
The Swiss Miss aka Clark could not pitch. Even if someone took a gun to his head and threatened to kill him. Quite possibly, he could not pitch to save his life and the lives of his loved ones. Quite possibly the worst pitcher of all time, time measured since dinosaurs ruled the earth to the day the earth spins off its axis and collides with the sun.
Meanwhile, Indiana Rules is an awesome game. Combined with Prof Zen rules, one would've expected the scores to be low and pretty even. But in the era of the big outfield (Rickey in RF and myself in LF), it wasn't to be. Rickey got beat up a lot by H and Seven. It was fun at first for a couple of innings, then it just got painful to watch. They tortured him out there, constantly sending the ball his way.
On another note, Diana had an outstanding day at bat. She was incredible, like Horfun from two weeks back. It's not a good sign when our ladies play better than the men (for the men). But it's a good sign if we ever need to enter a mixed-gender tourney. We have some awesome ladies on our team. They can hit, throw and field with the best of them.
Warming up. Check out rugburn with that stretch. Nigeypooh looks like a supermodel posing with his glove. See that HDB block on the right? That block will NEVER get upgraded to have lifts stopping on every floor. NEVER. And it's not because Clementi is opposition land, but because they tried to save money when the block was designed. The lift only stops on three floors, and there are only three corridors leading to the apartments on the left and right.
This is the Field we played in.
We moved to the alternate field with 9, and joining us there were Indiana and Geok, making a total of 11. I played both sides (insert joke here), but because Kyle II still had an injured hammie, I played Leftfield for them and SS for the TWOs. Rugburn and Geok each hit one over my head. Clark was merciless in smacking the hall down the gap between Nigeypooh and myself. I've not played in the outfield for more than a couple of years, so it was pretty scary. My arm doesn't have that kind of range, and my legs don't have that kind of speed. I'm much happier at short. On that note, playing SS for the TWOs was fun. Considering how horribly bumpy the field was, I didn't make any errors fielding (the errors were from throwing) and was lucky enough to get all the bounces. We need our numbers back, and soon.
The Swiss Miss aka Clark could not pitch. Even if someone took a gun to his head and threatened to kill him. Quite possibly, he could not pitch to save his life and the lives of his loved ones. Quite possibly the worst pitcher of all time, time measured since dinosaurs ruled the earth to the day the earth spins off its axis and collides with the sun.
Meanwhile, Indiana Rules is an awesome game. Combined with Prof Zen rules, one would've expected the scores to be low and pretty even. But in the era of the big outfield (Rickey in RF and myself in LF), it wasn't to be. Rickey got beat up a lot by H and Seven. It was fun at first for a couple of innings, then it just got painful to watch. They tortured him out there, constantly sending the ball his way.
On another note, Diana had an outstanding day at bat. She was incredible, like Horfun from two weeks back. It's not a good sign when our ladies play better than the men (for the men). But it's a good sign if we ever need to enter a mixed-gender tourney. We have some awesome ladies on our team. They can hit, throw and field with the best of them.
Warming up. Check out rugburn with that stretch. Nigeypooh looks like a supermodel posing with his glove. See that HDB block on the right? That block will NEVER get upgraded to have lifts stopping on every floor. NEVER. And it's not because Clementi is opposition land, but because they tried to save money when the block was designed. The lift only stops on three floors, and there are only three corridors leading to the apartments on the left and right.
This is the Field we played in.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
17 June 2006 - Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves
ONES: 1B: Kyle II; 2B: Diana; SS: Indiana; CF: Nigeypooh; RF: Rickey
TWOS: 1B: Ostrich Wrangler; 2B: Burma Girl; LF: Rugburn; CF: Clark (formerly Swiss Miss); RF: Seven
All Time: DT (for ONES he was LF; for TWOS he was SS)
Game One (7 Innings):
ONES: 16
TWOS: 25
We played this one on the alternative field, since the NUS fields were being used for a tournament. Due to the typical June turnout, we played Indiana rules. The field, and the heat, took its toll on all and each inning seemed to last an eternity. After seven innings, we decided to head for Joe's for a few brews and some "game biltong", provided by the recent visitors to South Africa.
The game itself saw some pretty hideous fielding from Rickey in RF. Clark (think "Benchwarmers") displayed a pitching ability that defied basic hand-eye coordination. Simply amazing. In the meantime, Nigey-pooh and Rickey could barely decide on who ran down the home run balls.
But, the ladies were amazing. Diana went 5-5 in the first 3 innings of the game, keeping the ones in it. In one inning, she even had 3 rbis. Heidi was taking advantage of Rickey in RF, and Burma Girl was smacking the ball hard and making good plays at 2B (including a nice DP).
MBP: Burma Girl
Anti-MBP: Rickey
Best Bat: Diana
Best Communication: Rickey-Nigepooh
Biggest Bat: Rugburn
DY: Nigeypooh (covering home from the pitchers mound, catches errant throw and tosses it to Indiana for the out at home)
Worst Pitcher of All Time: Clark
TWOS: 1B: Ostrich Wrangler; 2B: Burma Girl; LF: Rugburn; CF: Clark (formerly Swiss Miss); RF: Seven
All Time: DT (for ONES he was LF; for TWOS he was SS)
Game One (7 Innings):
ONES: 16
TWOS: 25
We played this one on the alternative field, since the NUS fields were being used for a tournament. Due to the typical June turnout, we played Indiana rules. The field, and the heat, took its toll on all and each inning seemed to last an eternity. After seven innings, we decided to head for Joe's for a few brews and some "game biltong", provided by the recent visitors to South Africa.
The game itself saw some pretty hideous fielding from Rickey in RF. Clark (think "Benchwarmers") displayed a pitching ability that defied basic hand-eye coordination. Simply amazing. In the meantime, Nigey-pooh and Rickey could barely decide on who ran down the home run balls.
But, the ladies were amazing. Diana went 5-5 in the first 3 innings of the game, keeping the ones in it. In one inning, she even had 3 rbis. Heidi was taking advantage of Rickey in RF, and Burma Girl was smacking the ball hard and making good plays at 2B (including a nice DP).
MBP: Burma Girl
Anti-MBP: Rickey
Best Bat: Diana
Best Communication: Rickey-Nigepooh
Biggest Bat: Rugburn
DY: Nigeypooh (covering home from the pitchers mound, catches errant throw and tosses it to Indiana for the out at home)
Worst Pitcher of All Time: Clark
Friday, June 16, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
10 June 2006 - Indiana Rules again
ONES: 1st: Indiana, 2nd: Horfun, SS: DT, RF: Swiss Miss, CF: DY, LF: Kyle II
TWOS: 1st: DT, 2nd: Geok, SS: Sandman, RF: Seven, CF: Grandpa, LF: Rugburn
Game 1 ONES 18 : TWOS 06 (9 innings)
Game 2 ONES 11 : TWOS 00 (1 inning mercy)
The weather was quite nice, though it had drizzled earlier in the day, it stopped promptly at 2 for our game. Sadly, the frisbee idiots got to the field before we did but the silver lining was that the far away field (with the stands) was in much better condition than our usual field. I guess we haven't abused that end and it has had a chance to recover. The batter's box and the base paths did not turn mushy after a couple of innings. The frisbee idiots are ruining our usual field though, with their incessant drilling and inconsequential running. Most of the ground is now ragged and mushy and it will take quite a bit of sun and rain-free weather to help it recover.
Our numbers weren't very much better from last week, worse in fact since H, Ingo and Sam were missing as well. With a total number of 11, DT played defense for both teams and we pulled in the foul lines about 5 feet for Indiana Rules. DT did the count again, same as last week, without any thought of offensive or defensive balance. Instead, randomly pointing ONEs and TWOs depending on how people gathered around the benches. Somehow it all worked out again, and we had very even teams.
The Twos pulled to an early lead in the first game scoring 6 runs to the ONE's 1 by the 4th inning. However the plucky ONEs managed to even the score by the bottom of the 4th with some inspired singles hitting from their lineup. The score remained the same for 4 innings as both teams showed gold glove defense to stop the other team from scoring. It boiled down to a duel between Kyle II and Rugburn, both trying to out-hit and out-field each other. Rugburn came the closest with a monster hit into LF, that by any standards should have been a homerun. It blew past Kyle II, over his head and was heading for the drains. Kyle II chased it down and fired a gunz-esque throw to third base to a waiting DT, and ball arrived only several microseconds late to tag Rugburn. A sure HR turned into a 3-bagger by a superb throw.
Rugburn didn't give up on the onslaught, and his liner into left field in the top of the seventh led to the best play of the game. With two outs and runners on first and second threatening to take away the lead from the ONEs, Rugburn smashed a flat liner towards leftfield. Kyle II came sprinting out of nowhere and dived into the dirt sacrificing his body to snag the ball half-an-inch from the ground. It was one of the most amazing catches I've seen in my last 10 years playing SAS. Sadly, Kyle II paid the penalty for the hustle, coming up limping with a strained hamstring.
The ONEs made a defensive switch in the top of the 8th, moving Indiana to leftfield and Kyle II to first base. Though a remarkable fielder in all respects, the TWOS ran Indiana ragged in the leftfield, beating up on his at every opportunity. They scored 9 runs in this inning, hitting gappers between Indiana and DY, and short bloopers past the third base foul line and leftfield. It looked like the TWOs were going to mercy the ONEs when the TWOs finally managed to string together 3 outs to end the inning at 15-6.
With Kyle II on the DL, he volunteered to play all time first base, and DT entered the batting line up for the ONES. It wouldn't have made any difference because the TWOs held their lead going into the 9th, and they even expanded on it with another 3 runs, taking a 18-6 lead. The ONEs had no response in the bottom of the 9th, and the game ended with the TWOs winning 18-6
As it was still quite early (not even 5pm), even with the short numbers, we decided on playing a second game. With Kyle II on the DL and sitting out, we decided to bring in the foul lines by another 5 feet to play 2 outfielders and 3 infielders. The TWOs taking home this time and taking the field first. Coming from the bad loss in the first game, the ONEs were hungry for revenge. As both teams were significantly even (except for that one bad inning), there were no trades or changes to the team. Kyle II generously volunteered to pitch for both teams while favouring his now-gimp leg.
The ONEs came out hungry for runs and they strung together hit after hit after hit, loading the bases and advancing on singles, basically playing small ball. Everyone got on base, and they actually went through their batting order 3 times before the side was finally retired. They scored an incredible 11 runs in the top of the first, many of the singles coming from uncharacteristic errors from the Sandman at short. Like hungry sharks smelling blood, the ONEs kept hitting grounders to the Sandman, and he must have taken some of his anesthesia because he looked like he was asleep at his position. Learning from the previous inning, the ONEs decided on a different stratagem for their defense. Instead of playing with 2 man in the outfield, the ONEs decided to sacrifice 1st base and play with Indiana at second and DT at short, DY in centerleft, Bert and centerright and Horfun playing deep rover. This defense worked perfectly and the TWOs were denied any gaps. Grandpa led off and he was allowed to get on 1st, after than, the ONEs shut down the TWOs with 3 back-to-back outs. Mercy was declared and the ONEs won the game 11-0
Best play: Kyle's diving catch off rugburn, strains his hamstring making the play.
Biggest bat: rugburn (1HR over kyle's head held to 3 bases on Kyles amazing throw.)
Dy: none
gold glove: none
MBP: Rugburn
TWOS: 1st: DT, 2nd: Geok, SS: Sandman, RF: Seven, CF: Grandpa, LF: Rugburn
Game 1 ONES 18 : TWOS 06 (9 innings)
Game 2 ONES 11 : TWOS 00 (1 inning mercy)
The weather was quite nice, though it had drizzled earlier in the day, it stopped promptly at 2 for our game. Sadly, the frisbee idiots got to the field before we did but the silver lining was that the far away field (with the stands) was in much better condition than our usual field. I guess we haven't abused that end and it has had a chance to recover. The batter's box and the base paths did not turn mushy after a couple of innings. The frisbee idiots are ruining our usual field though, with their incessant drilling and inconsequential running. Most of the ground is now ragged and mushy and it will take quite a bit of sun and rain-free weather to help it recover.
Our numbers weren't very much better from last week, worse in fact since H, Ingo and Sam were missing as well. With a total number of 11, DT played defense for both teams and we pulled in the foul lines about 5 feet for Indiana Rules. DT did the count again, same as last week, without any thought of offensive or defensive balance. Instead, randomly pointing ONEs and TWOs depending on how people gathered around the benches. Somehow it all worked out again, and we had very even teams.
The Twos pulled to an early lead in the first game scoring 6 runs to the ONE's 1 by the 4th inning. However the plucky ONEs managed to even the score by the bottom of the 4th with some inspired singles hitting from their lineup. The score remained the same for 4 innings as both teams showed gold glove defense to stop the other team from scoring. It boiled down to a duel between Kyle II and Rugburn, both trying to out-hit and out-field each other. Rugburn came the closest with a monster hit into LF, that by any standards should have been a homerun. It blew past Kyle II, over his head and was heading for the drains. Kyle II chased it down and fired a gunz-esque throw to third base to a waiting DT, and ball arrived only several microseconds late to tag Rugburn. A sure HR turned into a 3-bagger by a superb throw.
Rugburn didn't give up on the onslaught, and his liner into left field in the top of the seventh led to the best play of the game. With two outs and runners on first and second threatening to take away the lead from the ONEs, Rugburn smashed a flat liner towards leftfield. Kyle II came sprinting out of nowhere and dived into the dirt sacrificing his body to snag the ball half-an-inch from the ground. It was one of the most amazing catches I've seen in my last 10 years playing SAS. Sadly, Kyle II paid the penalty for the hustle, coming up limping with a strained hamstring.
The ONEs made a defensive switch in the top of the 8th, moving Indiana to leftfield and Kyle II to first base. Though a remarkable fielder in all respects, the TWOS ran Indiana ragged in the leftfield, beating up on his at every opportunity. They scored 9 runs in this inning, hitting gappers between Indiana and DY, and short bloopers past the third base foul line and leftfield. It looked like the TWOs were going to mercy the ONEs when the TWOs finally managed to string together 3 outs to end the inning at 15-6.
With Kyle II on the DL, he volunteered to play all time first base, and DT entered the batting line up for the ONES. It wouldn't have made any difference because the TWOs held their lead going into the 9th, and they even expanded on it with another 3 runs, taking a 18-6 lead. The ONEs had no response in the bottom of the 9th, and the game ended with the TWOs winning 18-6
As it was still quite early (not even 5pm), even with the short numbers, we decided on playing a second game. With Kyle II on the DL and sitting out, we decided to bring in the foul lines by another 5 feet to play 2 outfielders and 3 infielders. The TWOs taking home this time and taking the field first. Coming from the bad loss in the first game, the ONEs were hungry for revenge. As both teams were significantly even (except for that one bad inning), there were no trades or changes to the team. Kyle II generously volunteered to pitch for both teams while favouring his now-gimp leg.
The ONEs came out hungry for runs and they strung together hit after hit after hit, loading the bases and advancing on singles, basically playing small ball. Everyone got on base, and they actually went through their batting order 3 times before the side was finally retired. They scored an incredible 11 runs in the top of the first, many of the singles coming from uncharacteristic errors from the Sandman at short. Like hungry sharks smelling blood, the ONEs kept hitting grounders to the Sandman, and he must have taken some of his anesthesia because he looked like he was asleep at his position. Learning from the previous inning, the ONEs decided on a different stratagem for their defense. Instead of playing with 2 man in the outfield, the ONEs decided to sacrifice 1st base and play with Indiana at second and DT at short, DY in centerleft, Bert and centerright and Horfun playing deep rover. This defense worked perfectly and the TWOs were denied any gaps. Grandpa led off and he was allowed to get on 1st, after than, the ONEs shut down the TWOs with 3 back-to-back outs. Mercy was declared and the ONEs won the game 11-0
Best play: Kyle's diving catch off rugburn, strains his hamstring making the play.
Biggest bat: rugburn (1HR over kyle's head held to 3 bases on Kyles amazing throw.)
Dy: none
gold glove: none
MBP: Rugburn
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Holiday Slippers that you should not be without
Yup. That's a bottle opener at the bottom of those sandals.
You can order them here
EDIT : Turns out, you can buy these in Singapore now. Saw them at the Flash and Splash store, cheapest model was $59 with a 20% discount, most expensive model was $69, no discount.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Warming the Bench
This is a must see for all SaturdaySoftball players. Staring Rob 'hot chick' Schneider, David Spade and Jon 'Napoleon' Heder. The Story is basically about three loser adults who've been picked-on all their lives (ah therein lies the twist which I shan't reveal) who decide to turn the tables and start picking on kids. They do this by totally dominating and humiliating a bunch of twelve year olds in baseball. It's kinda like SAS playing a team from the hostel. Most of the movie is predictable, with the usual ball/bat to the groin, fastball to the helmet, fart in the face jokes. But even though you know the jokes are coming, they are suprisingly funny. You will be laughing non-stop for the first hour of the movie. The slapstick may be standard fare, but softballers should listen to the dialogue for some good lines. Half the time we were watching the movie, our group was laughing more than the rest of the people in the cinema because we caught the insider jokes.
Some excellent cameos as well, though I shan't spoil it for you. Definitely a must watch. It would probably make a good SaturdayNightSoftball movie as well.
Some excellent cameos as well, though I shan't spoil it for you. Definitely a must watch. It would probably make a good SaturdayNightSoftball movie as well.
3 June 2006 - Ghost Running
ONES: 1st: H, 2nd: Geok, SS: DT, RF: Tru-Vac, CF: Sandman, LF: Swiss Miss
TWOS: 1st: Sam, 2nd: Horfun, SS: Indiana, RF: DY, CF: Kyle II, LF: Albert
Game 1
ONES 19 : TWOS 19
It's June, and many people go away/home during this time. Considering this is usually the driest season of the year, our 12 man count looked particularly decent. Pulling in the foul lines about 6 feet, we played Indiana Rules, removing the 3rd baseman, and playing three infield and three outfield.
Considering the randomness of the count, DT literally went 1-2-1-2 according to how people stood without accounting for defensive or offensive strengths, both teams look extremely even when they took the field. The TWOS open up the game in the second inning taking a massive 6-0 lead. The ONES replied immediately with a strong outing, scoring 8 runs to overtake the lead. The score remained at 8-6 for about 2 innings as both teams upped their defensive ante. However, the ONES did not hold the lead for long. In the fifth inning, Kyle II's massive bat came into play and he blew two long home runs past the Swiss Miss in leftfield. The Swiss Miss had a bad day in leftfield, he was like Clark the paperboy in The Benchwarmers. Even Horfun was beating him up. The TWOS hitting streak finally stopped in the seventh inning when they took a massive 19-9 mercy lead. Their defense held the ONES at bat, but we voted to finish the 9 inning game without resorting to the mercy rule and restarting. The Sun was a Monster.
The ONES decided to change tack in the 8th inning. Our bats were being shut down by the TWOS defence so our strategy was to pick one player and wear him out. We picked DY. H proceeded to hit about two million foul balls down the 1st base line and literally made DY run the Boston Marathon. From then on, the ONES pulled back the TWOS lead to 19-15. Everything went right for the ONES in the ninth. They stopped the TWOS from scoring at the top of the inning, and when it came their turn to bat, they dug deep. With H and the Sandman leaving in the middle of the ninth, the ONES only had 4 bats to rely on. Playing small ball, the ONES loaded the bases with ghost runners and proceeded to send 4 apparitions home to tie the game. With two out, bases haunted, the German Hoover only had to hit a single to win the game for the ONES. He wisely sent a blooper over Horfun's head, but out of nowhere, Sam hustles and dives for the ball and manages to pluck it out of the air for the third out. It was an amazing play to give the game a poetic ending. We called it a Draw and left it at that.
The Sandman was clearly the gold glove of the game, he made several of the most incredible catches in a game that was filled with incredible catches from all players. Even our German Hoover made a brilliant sliding catch that saved an extra run from reaching home. Horfun had the best bat of the game, mercilessly pounding singles and doubles into left field right out of Swiss Miss's range. She had an OBP about .8, the only times she did not reach base was on a play by DT and another one by DY. Kyle II not only won himself the biggest bat with two monster home runs, he also got his second MBP in a row. He also contributed to the Best Play of the game with his glovework and amazing arm. This guy is a keeper. Frankly, it looks like there are enough people to put together a legitimate FARTS team to take back the tournament.
Hmm, now that I think about it, the score is actually 19-9 mercy to the TWOS in 7 innings, and 10-0 mercy to the ONES in 2 innings :)
Best Bat: Horfun
Biggest Bat: Kyle II
MBP: Kyle II
Gold Glove: Ted, 3 diving plays.
Bonehead play: Dy drops a easy pop up at home plate.
DY play: DY running to and fro from Right Field to get H's foul balls.
Best play: Bert hits for extra bases, rounds second and tries to get on third, John at SS runs over to cover, Kyle throws a beauty towards John who jumps, catches the ball in mid air and tags bert along the base path.
TWOS: 1st: Sam, 2nd: Horfun, SS: Indiana, RF: DY, CF: Kyle II, LF: Albert
Game 1
ONES 19 : TWOS 19
It's June, and many people go away/home during this time. Considering this is usually the driest season of the year, our 12 man count looked particularly decent. Pulling in the foul lines about 6 feet, we played Indiana Rules, removing the 3rd baseman, and playing three infield and three outfield.
Considering the randomness of the count, DT literally went 1-2-1-2 according to how people stood without accounting for defensive or offensive strengths, both teams look extremely even when they took the field. The TWOS open up the game in the second inning taking a massive 6-0 lead. The ONES replied immediately with a strong outing, scoring 8 runs to overtake the lead. The score remained at 8-6 for about 2 innings as both teams upped their defensive ante. However, the ONES did not hold the lead for long. In the fifth inning, Kyle II's massive bat came into play and he blew two long home runs past the Swiss Miss in leftfield. The Swiss Miss had a bad day in leftfield, he was like Clark the paperboy in The Benchwarmers. Even Horfun was beating him up. The TWOS hitting streak finally stopped in the seventh inning when they took a massive 19-9 mercy lead. Their defense held the ONES at bat, but we voted to finish the 9 inning game without resorting to the mercy rule and restarting. The Sun was a Monster.
The ONES decided to change tack in the 8th inning. Our bats were being shut down by the TWOS defence so our strategy was to pick one player and wear him out. We picked DY. H proceeded to hit about two million foul balls down the 1st base line and literally made DY run the Boston Marathon. From then on, the ONES pulled back the TWOS lead to 19-15. Everything went right for the ONES in the ninth. They stopped the TWOS from scoring at the top of the inning, and when it came their turn to bat, they dug deep. With H and the Sandman leaving in the middle of the ninth, the ONES only had 4 bats to rely on. Playing small ball, the ONES loaded the bases with ghost runners and proceeded to send 4 apparitions home to tie the game. With two out, bases haunted, the German Hoover only had to hit a single to win the game for the ONES. He wisely sent a blooper over Horfun's head, but out of nowhere, Sam hustles and dives for the ball and manages to pluck it out of the air for the third out. It was an amazing play to give the game a poetic ending. We called it a Draw and left it at that.
The Sandman was clearly the gold glove of the game, he made several of the most incredible catches in a game that was filled with incredible catches from all players. Even our German Hoover made a brilliant sliding catch that saved an extra run from reaching home. Horfun had the best bat of the game, mercilessly pounding singles and doubles into left field right out of Swiss Miss's range. She had an OBP about .8, the only times she did not reach base was on a play by DT and another one by DY. Kyle II not only won himself the biggest bat with two monster home runs, he also got his second MBP in a row. He also contributed to the Best Play of the game with his glovework and amazing arm. This guy is a keeper. Frankly, it looks like there are enough people to put together a legitimate FARTS team to take back the tournament.
Hmm, now that I think about it, the score is actually 19-9 mercy to the TWOS in 7 innings, and 10-0 mercy to the ONES in 2 innings :)
Best Bat: Horfun
Biggest Bat: Kyle II
MBP: Kyle II
Gold Glove: Ted, 3 diving plays.
Bonehead play: Dy drops a easy pop up at home plate.
DY play: DY running to and fro from Right Field to get H's foul balls.
Best play: Bert hits for extra bases, rounds second and tries to get on third, John at SS runs over to cover, Kyle throws a beauty towards John who jumps, catches the ball in mid air and tags bert along the base path.
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