My shoes are untied!

It's been a month since writing the preview to the highly anticipated matchup against the Old City Pickle Patties. With the game ending up on Buddy's birthday, we got him a win! Yay! Softball points for birthday! Yay team!

Recap
We are no longer winless! It does feel great to get the monkey of the back. Everyone hit. Everyone played solid defense. We gave up 3 runs in the top of the first inning, and then promptly sent 16 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first. That was essentially all that was needed in this game.

After that we pulled back and played station to station and made changes in the lineup. Pickle Pattie conglomeration might try to take solace in "winning" the last 5 innings  8-3, but when the final score is 24-11 that's like not throwing up after drinking spoiled milk. Sure it's a small success, but what the hell are you thinking? You had to chew through half of your glass! Fairly certain of this: if Ziggy had thumbs he would get on base and score runs too.

Proof humanity is on it's way to Idiocracy
Idiocracy is a movie starring Luke Wilson. He plays a soldier who enters a hiberation program. He wakes up in the future where everyone is stupid, and this makes him the smartest man in the world. Luke Wilson, the smartest man in the world. Ha!


Physicists in Switzerland may have discovered a lost sub atomic particle, but people in Minnesota have decided a film festival is much more worth humanity's time. Click here to read about an Internet Cat Film festival, and good luck with all the stupid children we'll be bringing into the world.

Stars of the Game
* Bobby - new recruit of Charlie's with a great swing
**Candy - went 4 for 4 and pitched a solid game
***Jason - team leader in OBP, and RBIs. His presence will be sorely missed on the team. Best of luck  to you in Florida being a proper astronomer!

Wrap Up
This week saw many other strange things. Marcus Hayes was absolutely blasted to hell on Twitter for being a terrible writer. Kyle Jacobs walked 14 batters, and Bryan Rice added child abuse to his list of activities. Ryan Blogson was married, and rumor has it the new misses is going to tighten the ball and chain and keep him limited to single digit softball leagues.  Are any of these more surprising than our win? Maybe just Bryan Rice hitting a child from 300 feet away with a softball.

Next week - 2 games. Monday against the Art Museum and Tuesday against Catahoula. There will be grilling after the Catahoula game.

No game tonight!

Game postponed. Date TBD

Old City Pickle Patties

TFI has been busy as we wind down the school year, and gear up for summer. It's been so busy, blogging has not been a priority.

As a result, I haven't posted in a while. Best part about not posting for a while are the complaints I receive. Not from Franklin Force Teammates, but rather from other teams. It must be so nice to have such lax responsibilities at work and home to have the free time to complain when some other team hasn't updated their blog.

In the last few weeks, we have gone 0-3, and had a BBQ softball day in 100 degree heat. Charlie has gone missing, and his picture is on milk cartons throughout the Kansas as the only picture available was with him wearing his Wicked Witch of the West socks. As a team, we have improved even if the record hasn't. Close losses to the Zoo and P&P have given some boost in morale, but with other problems. Last night, we had a OF to IF relay practice, and it was good. We had a base running practice. During this, Wiggs and Chippy played a real life version of a computer flash game keeping a softball in the air.

Outside of softball games/practice, we have been a social team. Hoagiefest was a well attended event this year, and Ron didn't eat all the damn hoagies. Tucker thought he was a bull, and jumped over a fire pit. Because that's what bulls do, I guess. Some people stayed at Dairy 2 until 6am and called out of work the next day. Lucky for them they were able to call out of work the next day, and didn't disappear. Fairmount park at night is a very dangerous place....

Tonight, we play the Old City Pickle Patties. The line for this game has been set at even. Both teams winless, so this is merely for bragging rights and not ending up with 0 wins, unless we tie. I'm sure Benedict Pickle and Brutus Wittwer are firing up their team with some incendiary remarks about how we say they look like dorks.  Doesn't matter.

We need this game.

Fleischer Game Scheduled!

Our one fully postponed game against the FAMbly Guys has been scheduled for May 21. That will give us two games that week. We play South Philly Tap dance Routine on Tuesday.

Practice tomorrow. Maybe.

The Best Cajun and Creole food in Philadelphia

"And the home of the best hurricane." - Whiskey Frank

If you haven't made your way over to the blog for the Art Museum this year, you're missing out on the best writer the CCSL has seen since Bob Ford saw a murky reflection of himself in the bathroom at the Holiday Inn Express.

The staff at Catahoula are friendly and warm, so their website says. They must seek the same in any person looking to wear the name of their fine establishment. So, I'm wondering what Nick Ventrola promised. He probably turned on that infamous charm, promised the world to some desperate server, and will probably crush her leaving her in the wake of so many who have tried before. Not until after he pays her application fee to Temple University.

It's never easy seeing your ex. There is always the twinge of nervousness, perhaps jealousy to see they're happy without you. You hope they are just putting on an act, and they actually cry themselves to sleep after downing a bottle of gin.  Perhaps there is some truth to it as the Catahoula Refugees came out to put a thumping on us both on the scoreboard and morally. After 6 innings, we are currently down 29-14. For all you gamblers that took the over, smart.

This game was important for the 'Fugees. Not for CCSL supremacy, but for closure. They can move on. Get that studio apartment in the city, and maybe adopt a cat. Branch out, meet someone new at pottery class, and fall in love. The future is bright for them. Who am I kidding? They're still bitter.

Now for a game recap.

We took a bit to get going. Buddy had a hit, so he keeps his beard, scored a run and recorded an RBI. (Ryan, did I just lead off the recap talking about Buddy? You bet your sore lower back I did.) It got us going. We hit a lot of singles, and that kept the runners moving.  We got more hits (22) in this game than we had in previous games. Progress on offense is good.

Defense was a struggle. Tough to get set for the team with hitters who can hit the ball where ever they want, whenever they want to.  Unless they are trying to catch the eye of a certain someone. In that case, he can't hit the ball without putting it on the other field.  Play deep, they hit singles. Cheat in, and it goes over your head.  We gave up 4 HRs. Lots of extra bases, still bad. However, Alyssa recorded her first out by punching Ventrola in the throat.

Odd and ends from the game.

Renardo still can't round 2nd base without tripping. Whitey, a.k.a. 2nd base, is always out to get him. Chelsea made a great play in the OF, and called me off before I ran into her. Paul didn't show up. Jess hung out on our sideline, while Derm played for the other team. Max ran the bases like a hero.

We will wrap up the 7th inning when we meet the Catahoula Jilted Lovers at a date TBD because somehow someone is getting married and having their honeymoon that week, and the commissioner didn't give a farg.

Stars of the Game

Admiral Buddy - got the offense going, gets to keep his beard
Maureen - double, run scored
Jason - 3 for 4, HR, 2 runs scored
Wiggs - 3 for 3, RBI, run scored
Max and Leo came!! (Yay Adrienne!)

Quotes

Oh, wait. No one sent me any. Text quotes.

Here's a fun dialogue!
Ryan: Oh hey, Maureen. (awkward word vomit)
Maureen: *giggle snort*
Ryan: (swoons)
Alyssa and Barb: AWKWARD!!!!!
Ryan: (more awkward word vomit)
Mickey: That Moira is one lucky lady! Yes sir!

Alyssa: Ryan! Stop rattling my cage!

Moira: I'm sorry about this. I'm sorry I'm marrying him.

Max: Hey! Clap for me!

Art Museum Recap

Ok. This did not go as well as anyone had hoped. 25-3. In 13 innings, we have been outscored 44-10. The days of Franklin out-slugging the other are clearly over, and our defense was in shambles Tuesday night. Edgely 2 certainly wasn't much help. Ravines on the left side of the infield, sand for a third base line, the whole thing up hill. This field was so bad looking, it makes a Nick Ventrola post softball driving crash course look like a child in an inflatable bouncy castle.

Stars for Game 2:
* Charlie "I got new pants so stop calling me Brett Favre" - solid defense in a game that didn't feature much.

** Brendan "Chippy" - the Art Museum kept coming at him and he stayed strong, making some nice catches in the outfield.

*** Fairmount Park! Thanks for letting the league know you'll be renovating a field after you approve a permit and take the money for it. If we want to fix this recession, let's turn it over to them. They have it figured out.

This game hurt to go through, and next week will be a challenge. We will be facing Catahoula's Revenge this week. I hear it makes Montezuma's Revenge feel like a pleasant day off. They will be looking to run up the score, and will attempt to do it without the last manager of The Franklin to ever lead the team to a championship.  Ryan has been on the DL and hopes to return by Monday. He will play, if only to hit the ball at Captain Buddy or Tucker the DizzyBatDevil. Just once more to feel the joy, and remember the good old days when the FAG would come and he could scamper the bases with a cup of gin in hand.

We could be witnessing the twilight of a great CCSL career. Sure Ryan will stick around, swing his mighty bat, and hit a ball 300 feet. Just like when Babe Ruth would hit a home run and have a pinch runner finish for him, an eager Tim "Shane Victorino without ADD" Marino could run for him from first base, somehow miss second then be called out.

Or, I could be wrong.

If we hope to have any chance this week it will have to be with defense. Keeping the game close will play to our advantage.

At the end of the day, we infuriate them. It's like when an unstoppable force meets and immovable object.  They can't just let us go out of some misplaced sense of self righteousness, and we won't let it go cause it's just too much fun. I think us and them are destined to do this for a long time.

Bad Touch Museum Recap

Show on the doll where the bad people hurt you.....


I have been avoiding this post all week. Game 1 did not go the way I had hoped when running through Manhattan to get on an earlier bus. We played tight, made too many mental errors on the field, and swung at bad pitches. One thing I did get correct, the game was suspended due to darkness. The final inning will be concluded when we meet them again. We are currently at 19-7, in case you needed to be reminded.

Big thing to take away from this game: mental awareness. We have talent on this team, but knowing what to do and when to do it during every at-bat was missing. What will help is practice, but since the next game is tomorrow night, it will have to be a work in progress.  We will go over game situations before game time.

Tomorrow, we play Fleischer Art Museum. Don't take this team lightly. They are better than last year, and tomorrow's weather could play a big factor.  Come ready to play.