Where's the beer?

And here we are. One win away from a 5th straight championship. It doesn't seem to get any easier, but we are almost there. Can I get anyone a beer? The recap from Game 1:A back and forth game with our old rivals, the Collars de Bishopitos. Final score, 9-7. We started off a little shaky, giving up 5 (mostly unearned runs) in the Top of the 1st inning, only to come right back and pick up 4 quick runs in the bottom of the inning. After holding them in the 2nd, we had the opportunity to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning and we took it, 6-5. The Collar tied it in the Top of the 3rd, and we took the lead right back in the Bottom of that very same inning. We let them tie it again in the Top of the 4th, and we scored another run in the Bottom of that inning to take the lead right back. That was all the scoring they would have for the rest of the game. We scored two (should have been at least 4) in the Bottom of the 5th, and that was all she wrote for Game 1 of the Championship series. There is a lot of good that comes from this game.

The Good

After starting off shaky, and not helping our rookie pitcher in the field, we tightened up for the most part on defense and held the Collar of Bishop to two runs over the last six innings of the game. We also had some production out of the top of the lineup, which has not been the case over the last month or so. We cannot stop there though, we need more run production out of the top, the middle and the bottom. As it has been said many times before, we have the ability to score copious amounts of runs on anyone, and we should be doing that. We also have a much better defense then was shown in the Top of the 1st inning, and we know this. We shook off whatever nerves any of us had, drank some extra cold PBR and played some F'ing softball. Adam had 1.75 homeruns. Nick had some good hits. Alice played a mean defensive pitcher. Matty made most of the game! Yay Matty! And everyone played overall okay to well. Good enough to win on Monday. Let's see if it is on Tuesday.

The Bad

Basecoaching and baserunning was very poor. Cost us easily 2 runs but more likely a few more. That's the difference in a 9-7 game and a 13-7 game. The first happened to the 2010 Nick Ventrola Memorial Award winner who had a lapse of judgement because he was sidetracked by a scampering Derm scoring on a shallow sac fly to right from third. The 2010 NVMA winner failed to alert Kyle (who is a high school baseball coach, and apparently a very good one) that the throw got through the catcher and should have advanced to 2nd. No damage done there because the 3rd out of that inning happened with the next batter. The second happened while Kyle was coaching 3rd. Adam was sent home with nobody out and with potential for a big inning only to get hosed by 15 feet at the plate. We have to keep our focus for the remainder of this series in all aspects, including basecoaching. Remember to be smart tonight. Know the situation and the outs. No mistakes tonight. We're so close.

The Franklin Mystique (Formerly The Ugly)

Ed Wagner, who bought 7 cases of PBR pounders at the start of the playoffs (Nick?) and kept them in his garage, left for Yellowstone Friday. Where are the cases of beer now you ask? The answer is still in his garage. At least we have plenty of beer for the Fan Appreciation Game in a couple of weeks. Or did he bring them to Yellowstone? Or did he take them to China? I guess we will find out soon. Or not.

Drunk Words of Encouragement

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

Hunter S. Thompson

Cialis Boner of the Week

Ed Wagner, for leaving 7 cases of beer in his garage, away from the teamBenson, again.

Lumber Liquidator Studs of the Game

PitcherAlice, 1-0 in her first start pitching

Willmarth's wife, Nicole, for putting up with Willmarth

Fordo Baggins, for hitting on Phyllis, La Nice, and Leah while umpiring.

Paul Watch

Paul's clothing was so large they had to use wagon wheels for buttons. They used a lumber wagon drawn by a team of oxen as a baby carriage. When he outgrew this his parents put him on a raft off the coast of Maine. It is said that rocking in his sleep he caused huge waves which sunk many ships. He would eat forty bowls of porridge just to whet his appetite. As a child, Paul played with an axe and crosscut saw like other children played with toys. On his first birthday his father gave him a pet blue ox named Babe. Babe grew to be seven axehandles and a plug of tobacco wide between the eyes and as a snack would eat thirty bales of hay...wire and all. Paul's arms and Babe were so large, the tracks they made galivanting around Minnesota filled up and made the 10,000 lakes.

Quotes from the Game(s):

"Why did I pay some meathead to break in my bat when we had a meathead here who could do it?"Phyllis referring to the Management

"1 out batter." "You know batter has a name.""1 out batter."

Exchange between Fordo and the 2010 NVMA winner

"I would have thought Old Faithful was more impressive then this!"

Ed

"Good call, Red!"

Management

"Here come's the ball. I got it, no I dont, yes I do, no I dont, yes I do, I wonder what the stuff on the inside of a twinkie is made out of? Oh, and what was up in that rerun of Murphy Brown I watched last night? Wow, Candace Bergman really looks like a foot sometimes. Did I leave the stove on? Um...no. No I didn't. Oooh, a penny!"

what was going through Pete's mind on the ball he caught that he got turned around on and almost fell over

"KYLE, HOLD HIM AT THIRD! THERE IS NOBODY OUT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A BASEBALL COACH!"

Management to Kyle

"I smell rain, you should probably call your game and make it up tomorrow night."

Benson

"He didn't even touch him at third."

"I wouldn't touch him either. Noone knows where he's been!"

Random Frankliner and Derm

"GRUNT!"

PitcherAlice

"Bob looks like Mr. Magoo joined the Communist party."

Pickle

"Somebody break the fuck into Ed's garage already!"

Mickowitz

"That's my wife out there!"

Petie

"I wish my boyfriend was still playing in this league."

Nicole Willmarth

"Put a glove on that glove!"

Management to the Management after booting a ball

"Enjoy Sikorski!"

Fordo

"Where in the holy hell am I?"

Tucker