The Names have been changed to Protect the Errorists

The Names have been changed to Protect the Errorists

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

24 March 2007 - There is no corruption in the govt

Not if your starting salary is 1.2 mil a year going on to 2.2 mil. Oh No. There is no corruption. It is the cleanest govt in the world. Where the president makes more per month than the president of the United States. F@#!%*^ hell

Game 1:
ONEs: 1st Rube, 2nd Rebecca, 3rd Rugburn, SS Uboat/Indiana, RF Clay, CF H, LF Superdad, Rover Uboat
TWOs: 1st Rube, 2nd Wild Thing, 3rd Generalissimo, SS NewJohn, RF DT, CF Sandman, LF Gunz, Rover Burma Girl

Game 2:
ONES: 1st Generalissimo, 2nd Rebecca, 3rd Rugburn, SS Indiana, RF DT, CF Clay, LF Superdad
TWOs: 1st Generalissimo, 2nd Wild Thing, 3rd Rube, SS NewJohn, RF Burma Girl, CF Sandman, LF Gunz

Game 1: ONES 13 : TWOS 12
Game 2: ONES 1 : TWOS 2 (Middle of 8th, game called on account of injury)


The sun was hot, the field was empty and the grass was green. No frisbee idiots, no cricket monkeys, no soccer hooligans. We started late as everyone only started streaming in after 3.15. We did get solid numbers though. It was a record for late starting, but it didn't deter us from bringing in 2 solid games. We really need to start earlier.

Looking at the teams, you must have thought that whoever counted off had a loose screw. Putting Rugburn and Superdad on the same team? Was he crazy? No, not really. As the TWOs put pressure on the ONEs early in the game by taking a 2-1 lead by the 2nd inning. They further extended their lead to 7-1 by the 3rd inning, and it seemed that they would run away with the game. The big bats of the ONEs were silent.

Out of nowhere, the ONEs suddenly blasted out of the gate. Back to back homeruns by Rugburn and Superdad in the 4th suddenly put their team back into the game. And by the 7th, they had overtaken the lead and went into the 8th with a 13-8 score. The TWOs found themselves struggling at bat and managed only 1 run in the 8th to bring the score to 13-9 going into the 9th. With 2 outs and 2 runners on base, the TWOs tried valiantly to take back the game. DT hit a liner over Uboat's head in RF for a 3 run HR to get the game back to 13-12, but to no avail as the ONEs took the win.

With the sun still shining brightly, we decided to play our second game. Although we lost H and Uboat (who finally sank to the heat). Rube wanted to hit and Generalissimo volunteered to play all time. However, giving Rube to the ONEs to buffer their already powerful batting order did not make sense, so DT was traded over to the ONEs and Rube went to the TWOs.

The TWOs again took the early lead in the first inning, going into the 8th with a 2-1 score. The ONEs did not get a chance to recover from the game however, as the game was called in the middle of the 8th due to Burma Girl being hit by a ball. I swear I didn't do it. Burma girl was on base when NewJohn hit a grounder to Indiana, Indiana fielded the ball, went for 2nd base and tried to make the DP throw to first. Little did he know that Burma Girl was running along the baseline, and instead of sliding into the base, she tried the oogabooga to disrupt the DP. Indiana's throw went smack into Burma Girl's head. Luckily, she had her hands up (the oogabooga position), and the ball deflected off her palm before connecting with her forehead. Much of the force of the throw was thus absorbed, and Burma left the game with only a bruise rather than a concussion. Again, I iterate, I did not make the throw.

Notes:
Rugburn and Superdad hit two towering homeruns into right field, way way over DT's head. I don't know why they insisted on picking on the handicapped instead of testing the newblood in LF (Gunz)

The Gunz is back for good, but he didn't get to show off his arm, nor his bat. He wasn't tested at all. People are afraid of Gunz because of his nickname. Quoth Rugburn, "I don't want to hit at a guy who's nickname is 'Gunz'" When Saurabh was asked "How do you spell your name", he said "G, U, N, Z"

Burma Girl was hit on the head with the ball, but I swear I didn't make the throw (this time)

Good to see Rebecca and Clay back. Clay bought a pair of golden boots which helped tremendously. He was playing like a man possessed, running the bases aggressively, taking extra bases all the time and making fabulous plays. We noticed that he works best on his knees, making two spectacular sliding catches. Rebecca has been given the no-strikeout bonus. We decided on letting her have a 2 month pass to get used to the 36-incher.

The Generalissimo celebrated his 40th birthday today. He showed up in normal shorts, but the ball was still going through his legs. He played much better last week in DY's shorts.

Indiana plays shortstop like a 30 year old. Making diving snags and great plays. He also throws a little like DT...

Uboat got sunk today by the heat. He left a torpedo on the field. a very wet one.

Rube gets play of the day, diving for a one-hop gapper by DT between Rube and Newjohn. He fields the ball and makes a beautiful throw from his knees to get DT out at first.

Wild Thing is becoming a force to reckon with at 2nd base. Making good plays to get batters out. She almost had a tag out on an extra base hit, but the ball got to her a half second slow. Lili's new nickname might be 'chopped liver', the committee has yet to make a ruling.

The Sandman was Mr Invisible today. He was lost amongst the cricketers in center-field. He and gunz were playing so deep for Rugburn and superdad that they moved to the other field. No one hit to Mr Invisible as well, centerfield was quite boring for him.

We adjourned to Joes post-ball, and as it was The Generalissimo's 40th birthday, a bottle of single-malt was opened up and customary shots were consumed. We moved over to Botak Jones for dinner and was joined by Jim Leyland.

On to Next Week.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

17 March 2007 - New Faces, Old Faces, Same Game

ONEs: 1st DT, 2nd Rebecca, SS U-boat, RF Clay, CF Sandman, LF Rugburn
TWOS: 1st DT, 2nd Lil One, SS The Mick, Rover Horfun, RF Robert, CF H, LF The Generalissimo

Game 1: ONEs 12: TWOs 11

The game started quite evenly with neither team managing to take a substantial lead. Every run put on the board by the TWOs was easily answered by the ONEs in the bottom of the inning with Rugburn's superhuman effort of hitting 3 homeruns in 3 consecutive at bats in 3 consecutive innings. With 4 runs apiece going into the 4th inning, a change of location was called as the Cricket monkeys had set up shop in our outfield. Ordinarily, we wouldn't move, however, they were actually using a hardball rather than their usual tennis ball and there was plenty of space in the field, so we moved.

The change in fengshui (and the addition of Horfun's bat) did wonders for the TWOs. They suddenly exploded and scored run after unanswered run in the 6th inning to take a mighty 11-4 lead. The ONEs tried to reply with some power batting from Rugburn and U-boat, but The Generalissimo showed no mercy with some hard running to catch the deep flies. Finally, in the 7th and 8th, the ONEs managed to string together some hits to bring the game back into rein and they went into the 9th only 1 run behind.
With 2 down and Rebecca at bat, the game looked like it was in the bag for the TWOs, but U-boat played both Hero and Villain. He muffed Rebecca's grounder at the mound, and sent a wild throw past DT at first. Sandman stepped up, and sent a single to centerfield to keep the ONEs in the game. He would be the winning run. U-boat then stepped up to the plate and became the Hero and Villain again, sending a deep fly ball past Robert for Rebecca to tie, and Sandman to score the run for the win.

Notes.
It was a beautiful day with the sun hidden by the clouds and the field wonderfully green and moist. There were no frisbee idiots either. Too bad so many of our regulars missed the game. We would've had an awesome game with our normal crowd with the addition of the 3 new bodies.

Good job to Coach for recruiting Clay and Rebecca. They are new to Singapore, and should be here for another 2-3 years. Hopefully, they will be part of SAS for the length of their stay.

The Mick did some recruiting as well and we'd like to welcome Robert. That guy swings the bat like a lumberjack. He was testing The Generalissimo's reflexes and the score stands at 1-1. The Generalissimo caught one in the glove, and caught one in the shin.

Rugburn hit 3 HRs in 3 at bats. Power hitting at its finest. He hit one so far, it was almost a wicket. So close...

DT is still playing with one hand.

Sandman and Lil One were early this week. DT was shocked to see their car in the carpark when he pulled in.

It was brother vs brother as the Mick went head-to-head against U-boat at shortstop. The Mick was the better shortstop, making tough plays and good throws. U-boat was the villain most of the time but when it counted, he made a bad play to keep his team alive and pulled a clutch hit to win the game for his team. Score to U-boat.

We missed Rube to Kuching and NewJohn and Lili to 'another function'. We also missed Indiana and Burma Girl to 'deadlines'.

Gunz is back. He'll be out for ball next week. He had a look of shock on his face as he walked into Joes and didn't recognise more than half the crowd. We welcome him back.

MBP: Rugburn
Gold Glove: The Generalissimo
Best Play: The Generalissimo to The Mick to U-boat relay to get Rugburn out at home
DY Award: The Generalissimo for wearing a pair of DY's shorts.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

10 March 2007 - Never Retreat, Never Surrender

ONES: 1st Rube, 2nd Wild Thing, SS NewJohn, 3rd Burma Girl, RF DT, CF Sandman, LF Rugburn
TWOS: 1st Rube, 2nd Horfun, 3rd U-boat, SS Indiana, RF H, CF Mick, LF Superdad

Game 1: ONES 4 : TWOS 3
Game 2: ONES 2 : TWOS 7

It was hot, sizzling hot. The sun shining down as hard as the rain poured last week. With our normal field taken up by frisbee idiots and cricket monkeys, we were forced to move to the alternate field. It wasn't that bad as the rain has smoothed out most of the ruts, and the sun had dried the ground to a consistant smoothness. There were still cases of brick and mortar sticking out of the earth, but it did not affect gameplay at all.

With the memories of last weeks epic defensive battle fresh in our minds, we voted to use a slower, softer ball to combat the hard ground (just like we used a small rubber ball to combat the wet conditions), it made all the difference as we had another two memorable games with neither team giving quarter.

The TWOS put runs on the board early in the game, scoring 2 runs in the second inning that lasted almost till the end of the game. It took the ONES 6 innings before they managed to tie the score, and it wasn't till the bottom of the 8th that the ONEs managed to take a lead. Both teams were defensive powerhouses, putting up impregnable walls that the other team could not score on. Neither team was really hitting that well though, which might have contributed to the low score. Considering the ground conditions, it would come as a surprise that not a single homerun was hit throughout both games. Even with the likes of Rugburn and Superdad at bat, we only saw triples or doubles.

The second game started much like the first, with the away team putting early numbers on the board. This time, the ONEs did not have a 9 inning buffer to tie the game. And the TWOS put the final nail in the coffin with a 5 run inning at the top of the 8th, which the ONEs had no reply.

Notes:
We finally saw the return of the Mick, and he brought along a fresh body, Mike, his brother, also known as U-boat. He had a career day at 3rd base. Debuting in the hot corner making error after error after error. We're sure he'll grow into that position, if not, we'll move him to the outfield.

With some great coaching from NewJohn, Wild Thing is making some fabulous plays. She's not afraid of hard throws and has settled into her position nicely. She still has a lot to learn about baserunning, but that will come with time.

Rube does NOT have bone chips in his elbow, as the x-ray as confirmed. The Doctor is stumped as to why his elbow still hurts as nothing shows up on the x-ray. We reckon it's the weight of the One Ring.

DT is still playing one handed catch, and still getting picked on by the spray hitters in the opposite team.

H had possibly the worst hitting day of her career. She hit everything on the ground to the Rube or Wild Thing and got on base 1 out of 9 at bats. We're checking on blown veins at this juncture.

Burma girl won her first gold glove playing 3rd base. She was a wall. Nothing got by her, and every hit she caught was thrown out at first.

Rugburn had the biggest hit of the game (which only got him to 3rd base). Both teams were actually hitting the cutoff man.

After ball, we went to Indiana's place to sip fine wines, eat pizza and watch 'Idiocracy' and 'Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny'. All in all, a great weekend.

On to next week.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Little Nigeypooh




BTW, his name is not yet confirmed. Mommy wants Ryan, and Daddy wants Toby. So I'm guessing his name will be Ryan.
Check out the second photo, little nigeypooh already has a mobilephone attached to his ear.

3 March 2007 - Wet and Wild

ONES : 1st Rube, 2nd Horfun/H, SS Indiana, Rover H/Horfun, RF H/DT, CF Doug, LF Superdad
TWOS : 1st Rube, 2nd Geok/Lili, SS NewJohn, Rover Geok, RF DT, CF Sandman, LF Rugburn

Game 1 : ONES 1 : TWOS 4

The NUS field was closed (although there were frisbee idiots who can't read signs playing on it), but being the law abiding citizens that we are (and also because the Mick and Generalissimo were not around to argue with the security guard), we moved to the alternate field to play. No sooner had we set up and counted off numbers when the sky opened up and bestowed us with a shower of heavenly blessing. Surprisingly, even with the heavy downpour drenching us, no one walked off the field. Everyone stood fast and braved the rain.

We even started while it was still raining. Possibly everyone remained in place because there was no shelter nearby, but I'd like to think that there was the old SAS spirit in all of us and we chose to defy the weather. The game itself reflected the hardcore spirit of all present. There was no give from either team, and both sides showed hustle aplenty. We played Prof Zen rules, with foul lines pulled in and scoring from second in effect.

The Twos took the lead early, scoring 2 runs in the top of the 2nd. And the score would remain the same till late into the 7th when the ONEs finally put one run back on the board. One could assume that neither team was producing offense, which is why the score was so low, but one would be wrong. Both teams consistently put runners on base, but when push came to shove, the defense on the field refused to budge and runners were halted at Second base. The TWOs did manage to score another 2 runs in the top of the 8th, and the score was to remain the same till the end.

The hustle on the field was nothing short of outstanding. Ignoring the rain, everyone threw their bodies into the fray with slides and dives. Everyone ran hard, threw hard and hit hard. We even used the small rubber ball that is a favourite of some, and a veteran of the highest scoring game of SAS history. To no avail. Quarter was neither asked or given on both sides and the 4-1 score does not do justice to how close the game was.


Notes:
Horfun made the best play of the game. Rugburn had overrun 2nd, and the throw was made to Horfun to try and tag him out. She used her body to physically block him out of the base (possibly elbowing him and headbutting his chest) and make the tag. It was the best reflection of how much effort both teams put in. She also made a beautiful play from a hard-hit grounder to second.
Rube played all time at 1st. He's been diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow.
DT played all time RF. He's still using the glove on his right hand and switching to throw. Everyone was picking on him, but he's handicapped not useless. 4 flys caught, and 2 relay assisted outs.
Superdad was a super mudslider. He was sliding and diving into second base much like The Cheetah from days of yore. He made the catch of the day from a beauty of a hit from NewJohn.
H and Geok try their hand at throwing like DT on DPs. H almost makes it, but Geok succeeds. Both throws took triple bounces on the ground before reaching Rube, but in H's defence, the batter was slightly faster in that play.
Good to finally see Rugburn back, but the Mick is still missing. The verdict is not out, but word on the street is he was caught smuggling sand up his arse to Singapore.
Second appearance of Doug a visiting fellow from Psych. Good to have him, and he's got the old school hustle as well. He was the second dirtiest person after the game (from slip and sliding) after Superdad. Too bad we only get him for 6 months.
Sandman showed up with fresh whipscars, also known as 'shopping on saturday afternoon'. Can anyone say 'old Rickey'? *wwpish*

Gold Glove: Rube
Biggest Bat: NewJohn
MBP: Rugburn
Bonehead play: Rugburn getting boxed out by a chick 1/3 his size
Best play: Horfun boxing out a dude 3 times her size
DY: Everyone, for staying and playing in the rain
Worst Driver Award: DT, for almost crashing into H's car (and killing everyone on the softball team) while trying to kill an ant on his windscreen.
Best Save: NewJohn for warning DT and preventing the horrendous death of everyone on SAS.