Chrismer Shines at the Helm

By Jim Miller

All her life, baseball fanatic and Slugs OG Ellen Chrismer has had a dream: to manage a softball game.

She got her wish Thursday, displaying equal parts Earl Weaver and Billy Martin in skippering the Slugs to a 10-0 pounding of the visiting Backseat Drivers.

The Slugs’ airtight defense set the tone. A standout performance came from pitcher Erin McGuire, who allowed only a handful of base runners and made several assists.

Ed Fletcher continued his power surge, launching a home run during a first inning when the Slugs batted around. Christa Hunter hit a mastodonic shot to left that went for a double.

The Drivers, fielding several new players since the last time they faced the Slugs, tried to make a little mischief midway through the game.

With Matt Coldwell on first, Mackenzie Yamamura hit a pop-up that the second baseman “dropped” right next to the bag. The umps didn’t buy it and denied the attempted double play.

The win came despite an unusually lean Slugs’ bench feeling the effects of Las Vegas debauchery, Southern California fires, and Peruvian vacations..

Next week, the Slugs close out another successful season against the DPMG Sliders. It’s Parents Day at the yard, so if the folks live nearby, bring them along!

Game time is 8:30 and Coach Tam will be back at her post.
Mackenzie Yamamura waits on deck as Christa Hunter crosses home. Some infield fly intrigue soon followed.

A Win, Finally

The Slugs showed up at Tahoe Park Thursday night in desperate need of a win over Loose Change. They had sunk to third in the league standings after painful back-to-back losses to the SoCals and Bad News and Review Bears. And win they did, final score 13-8 (or maybe 9). The key to their winning ways: excellent defense.

Loose Change came ready to play, bringing their A team. In fact, they seemed to have stocked their ranks with heavy hitters since their last meeting with the Slugs. "Loose Change in fall league, is way better than Loose Change in spring league," said the home plate umpire. He followed by saying "The Slugs have improved a lot too."

The team of bankers must have been taking advantage of their predictable work schedules to practice because in the opening inning their bats were hot. Two of their men hit fly balls into neighboring sports fields. The Slugs also made a couple of silly errors.

After the first inning, as they prepared to bat, the Slugs resolved to turn things around. There were some amazing catches. Melody at second base knocked a hard line drive out of the sky. Aided by her chest, she made the catch beautifully. And in the final inning Kevin made a catch that can only be described as a SportsCenter play of the day. He dove through the air, rolling and extending mid-air to get his glove in just the right spot. "It was a thing of beauty," said one bystander. "The batter was in shock," said Coach Tamara who was playing catcher at the time.

In fact, the Slugs latest victory was indeed a thing of beauty.

Next week - 10/25/07 7:30 Backseat Drivers V Slugs

Another Slugs Cinema Spectacular

Bad News - the Bears beat the Slugs

We need to find a pitching machine that sends out crazy spin throws. Anyone know of batting cages with a tweaked out pitcher? The Bad News and Review Bears pitcher sure knows how to throw some wild balls, hiding his pitching hand behind his glove so opposing batters can't see his grip on the softball.

But, blaming the opposing pitcher for the Slugs showing last Thursday night, perhaps overlooks a larger issue: defense. The Bears weren't remarkable hitters, but by the start of the final inning they were up by 11. We weren't making catches that we normally make. Balls popped out of gloves in the infield. Balls found holes in the outfield. And this writer learned a valuable lesson, the hard way.

It's a little thing called "the two step rule." According to this rule, when catching a high fly ball in the outfield, if you think you're right under it, take two big steps back. Of course I didn't come to understand this rule fully until a fly ball was coming right to me, and then all of a sudden I heard Ahmed saying "it's going over your head get back." By then it was too late. So, we're just going to call that a learning moment.

Despite the pain of this loss, the Slugs shouldn't feel deflated. The Bad News and Review Bears are a solid team, with good players...and we weren't having our best night. But, you Bears better watch out. The Slugs will be back in the spring, prepared to kick some spin balling ass.

And just to get us in the mood, here's a short video.
The Slugs Cheer:

Photos by Harrison:

SoCal's Victory...another perspecitve

By Ed Fletcher, lefty outfielder

As the mighty SoCal Force settled into their usual bar stools after their Oct. 4 game verses The Slugs the collective sigh of relief was so powerful tavern owner Bill Farrell stumbled, nearly impaling himself on the Pabst Blue Ribbon tap.

Up 15-3 after two innings, SoCal, (4-0) held off a late Slugs charge (do Slugs charge?) to escape with a 15-12 victory.

While Thunder Dan, the usual left fielder, just smiled contently, Mike the pitcher yelled exuberantly.

“I just love beating those guys, especially that black guy who yells a lot, but occasionally drops catchable balls,” Mike said.

Mike added that the plane ticket was “so worth it.”

“I’m not sure how our U.S. Team will do, but beating that team was like winning Olympic Gold,” said Kim, a former SoCal regular who now lives and trains in Chula Vista, home of the National Softball Team’s training site. “I didn’t think it would be so close.”

Jen, who sat out the game so she could smoke Marlboro lights, said next game she’d play just so she could shut the Fletcher guy up himself.

A mile and half away the Slugs coped with the defeat.

Fletcher kept muttering about the catch he made (in foul territory) and the ball he dropped (in fair ground).

“That’s the best darn ‘D’ league team you’ll ever see,” said coach Tamara, trying to put a positive spin on the loss.

Tamara pointed out that SoCal’s had a roster stacked with former D-league All-Stars and their $200 payroll makes it hard for small-market teams to compete.

The team also seemed to respond to Farrell’s threat to fire the manager, if the team didn’t bring back the championship cotton t-shirts.

One slug, who asked to be identified as The Mad Planner, between shots of Jack Daniels was already planning for the next match up.

“This time,” he said. “We won’t put our game plan on the Internets.”

* all names except those that are accidentally correct are made up

Slugs Rally, but Come up Short

By Jim Miller, Utility Infielder, Outfielder, Sliding Maniac and slugssoftball.blogspot.com contributor


The Slugs suffered their first defeat of the fall campaign Thursday, falling to So Cal Force after putting a late-inning scare into the overachieving D-Leaguers.

But for some arcane rule about not being able to catch a ball anywhere you can catch a ball, the Slugs would have won 12-8 instead of losing 15-12, according to a slugssoftball.blogspot.com analysis.

The Slugs’ balanced attack featured standout performances from Erin, who posted five RBI’s, Kevin, and Ahmed. On defense, Ed, Katherine and Matt made terrific plays.

The squad was down 15-3 after two innings, with So Cal’s putting up 13 runs in the second. Most of So Cal’s offensive outburst came after an ump ruled that Ed had gone out-of-bounds when he made a great catch off the bat of The Really Big Guy.

But the Slugs came back with four runs in their half of the second and exploded for five in the bottom of the fourth. The final out came with the tying runs on base.

Next week, the Slugs face some fellow media types, the Bad News and Review Bear Bears.

Note from Coach Tam to the SoCal's: Jim let you off easy in this post...but Ed "Fancy Pants" Fletcher is promising some game analysis of his own.

Preggers!

...well, not really. But there sure were a lot of rumors flying around 925 L Street and they carried all the way to Tahoe Park.

Here's how it all started:

After checking out the weather report, I sent an e-mail to the team encouraging them to bundle up for tonight's game. There was going to be a serious chill in the air and I wanted to make sure they were warm. Here's the full text of the message:

"Hey Slugs - Please do your very best to arrive at Tahoe Park at 7:45 tonight. The game is at 8:30, but Kepley does have some super secret strategy to discuss with you...and we need plenty of time to warm up. It may be pretty chilly out there...so I will not be wearing a skirt (as if most of you care), and I would advise you to wear layers or something. Please advise if you will be late, or if your status has changed. It looks like we're going to have a full team there tonight.

-- Coach Tam (and apparently team mom)"

Little did I know, that upstairs in the Bee capitol bureau, this simple sign off (team mom) would be taken as an announcement of much bigger news. According to various account, upon receiving the e-mail, Judy proclaimed "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize Tamara was pregnant!"

Of course, I am not pregnant. And Judy quickly realized that "team mom" is a reference to someone who tells the team to bundle up and brings orange slices and Gatorade to games. Judy's misunderstanding was overheard by Kevin, who e-mailed Kepley and told Mackenzie, and by the time we all made it out to Tahoe Park the news had spread far and wide. And, kind of like the game of telephone, it was twisted and contorted to a point where it had seriously become a pregnancy rumor. Team, let me just tell you, there's no need to be on "bump watch." Unless there is an unfortunate accident, I will not be the first lady slug with a bun in the oven.

But a more reliable rumor has it a recently-former male Slug may be expecting. And I'm betting that kid will be an excellent infielder.

Slugs vs DPMG Sliders...the movie

Slugs V Backseat Drivers. Backseat Drivers leave wondering what hit them.

The Slugs and the Backseat Drivers have met 3 times on the Sacramento D League Softball Field. In the first two meetings, the Slugs should have won, but they didn't. The Drivers' pitcher shook up the Slugs hitting. He pitched inside and seemed to put a strange spin on the ball. The Slugs were stumped, he had them psyched out. At first they blamed it on their hitting. They went to the cages, even bought a rather expensive new bat on e-bay.

Those things helped, but so did former Coach Kepley's patented "Super Secret Strategy For Defeating the Backseat Drivers. " Because non-Slugs read this blog (hi scorekeeper dude!), we will not reveal the strategy here. But, let's just say the SSSFDBD doesn't include cheating, and it totally works.

When the Slugs came out for their second rematch this past Thursday at Tahoe Field, they were ready. The Backseat Drivers were missing one of their top female players, but they were still up for a battle. Little did they know the Slugs would be bringing so much heat. The Slugs figured out how to hit against their pitcher, and they hit it to where there were no defenders. There was also a lot of solid defensive play.

Final score: something like 13-2.

Cute and Functional

Sorry for the great delay in posting on this topic...

Two weeks ago, 4 lady Slugs wore skirts to the game against Loose Change. The intent was to look cute, perhaps lull the other team into thinking we weren't very good, and mostly to upset former coach Kepley. Well, it seems to have worked on all fronts.



As you can see from the above photos, Judy, Tamara, Ellen and Erin totally rocked the skirts. Judy went for the '80s style mini with leggings (a smart move on a chilly night), Erin wore a tennis skirt, and Ellen and Tamara wore jog skorts. All of the women reported playing better in the skirts. There was a certain freedom of movement, maybe a bit of feeling that we needed to prove ourselves. Our bats were hot, and we ran like hell.

The skirts were such a success, Coach Tam wore hers again in the game against the dreaded Backseat Drivers. "It makes me faster," she said. "I am going to keep wearing my run skirt to softball as long as the weather allows." She said she may even start bringing her pink water bottle again too.

Fall Schedule

Rumor has it the Slugs kicked some *itten *at a** on Thursday. Rock on Slugs.

Let's keep the good times going in the fall season. This season we're back in the D league...no D2 for the dominant Slugs. We'll be joined in the league by our old rivals the SoCal's Force, which is a sure sign we're in the good league this time around. We also welcome the Bad News In Review Bears, another media team. Clearly, we have to prove we are the superior media team. Here's our upcoming schedule:

09/13/07 8:30 Loose Change V Slugs
09/20/07 7:30 Slugs V Backseat Drivers
09/27/07 6:30 Slugs V DPMG Sliders
10/04/07 8:30 SoCal's Force V Slugs
10/11/07 6:30 Slugs V Bad News and Review Bears
10/18/07 7:30 Slugs V Loose Change
10/25/07 7:30 Backseat Drivers V Slugs
11/01/07 8:30 DPMG Sliders V Slugs

Slug, say hello to the LAO

When members of the Slugs arrived for their 8:30 game vs the Oddballers, most of us saw a familiar face, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill. Since many of us cover the capital, Hill's budget break-downs are a regular event (sometime after the budget passes, shortly after the governor releases his January budget and again after the May revise). With her trademark short-cropped hair, Hill was immediately recognizable, even out of context, on a softball field. Well, immediately recognizable to almost all of the Slugs.

When a Slug we'll call udy-Jay in-Lay showed up, right around 8:15 someone pointed to the LAO and suggested she go say "hi." in-Lay covers the budget beat for a major newspaper, so this made sense. Problem is, in-Lay didn't recognize Hill. So she started up a conversation that could best be described as small talk. in-Lay was heard introducing herself, to which a somewhat confused Hill replied "I'm Liz."

That's when the whole team started cracking up, and coach Tam felt it was time to introduce the budget reporter to the budget guru. It turns out Hills was out at Tahoe Park to support the LAO softball team playing in a different league. We don't know where the above-photographed baby came from.

GAME NOTES...
The Slugs beat the Oddballers 16-4. The Oddballers had issues with asset allocation. They also complained about our adherence to the rules, rules they apparently didn't understand. Our bats were hot, particularly the Ultimate Weapon. Batting practice really paid off, even for those Slugs who didn't attend the practice.

It was a great practice, until...

Ahhh. Memories.

Oh, Slugs...remember what victory was like? Remember when I was talking about the league championship? Memories, all alone in the moonlight. I remember the memories.

We started the night listed as the top team in the D2 league, even ahead of Papa Flanagan's. But, Amara, the "Melrose Place" team had designs on our title. It seems they must have practiced since we last met, maybe even recruited some more players from the ol apartment complex.

A few game notes: Our bats were not hot, despite the arrival of the Demarini Ultimate Weapon. Coach Tam, writing in third person, is blaming the bye week. "We all felt a little rusty out there." She also thinks all that subbing at mid-game didn't allow us to hit our stride. Of course, our second half players did an excellent job, including Ed Fletcher, who made a superb catch in left field. Coach Tam also finds herself missing former shortstop and traitor Chris Bryce (pictured above at left), and she's also seriously wishing Christa would hurry up and return from summer vacation.

I'm adding a little audio supplement to get you all amped up for the next game. Click here to hear Judy with her famous Slugs cheer.

In other news, the Slugs have some new fans.


Last night, there were two senior citizens rocking trucker hats and fancy pants watching our game very intently. What better to do after the early bird special at Denny's. But, I swear I saw them laughing at us at one point. Still, it was excellent to have some spectators who are not our spouses, children or parents.

Practice, Practice Practice:
We're getting together this Sunday at 5:00 to rekindle our bats. If fields are available, we'll also do a few drills, including a "pickle" drill. I will be renting out the slow pitch softball cage at the Davis batting cages at Playfields Park for a full hour starting at 5 PM. Please be there on time so we can all get in plenty of swings. After practice, we'll retire to Woodstock's fine pizza and beer.

The All-league championship:
Because of our "successful softball season" the city has invited us to play in an all-league tournament. This year's tournament is September 15/16. I think it will cost us $200-ish, and I am going to suggest that we skip it. I am going to be out of town on the 15th and was hoping to catch an A's game on the 16th. Anyone up for an A's game instead?

Next Season - Starts the week of September 4. Sounds like everyone is in...but please let me know if you are not.

Slugs Have A Chance at League Championship

It may be a little premature to discuss this, but our record is strong. At this time we have the second best record in the D2 league. The only team ahead of us is Papa Flanagan's. We beat them earlier this season and don't play them again. So, if we can win the rest of our games - or at least keep our record as good as Papa's we will win the league...earning 15 D-league champion T-shirts. Nothing pleases Mr. Gordon as much as a free T-shirt - so I for one really want this championship. Also, I suspect we might convince former coach Kepley to shower at the truck stop to celebrate.

08/02/07 Tahoe Park - Slugs V *itten *ats:
It was a depleted team that hit the field that night. Nearly half the Slugs were drinking in Mexico (is that where you are Ed or am I just writing fiction?) or attending the thrilling Capitol Beat conference in Phili. Those that did show, brought their A games.

Juliet and Coach Tam both had to contend with the home plate umpire. He asked Tamara if she would like to date his son - and wouldn't take no for an answer even offering up his son's salary level $92,000 a year. And with catcher Juliet, he was a little too protective of the game balls among other things.

Kevin had a superb game in left field. The fence robbed him of one catch, but otherwise he had a golden glove. The most outstanding catch was also the last out of the game. Liv, the *itten *ats catcher slugged perhaps the best hit of her career, over the head of short-stop Kepley. Kevin ran in to catch it, diving forward, rolling and coming up with the catch.

After the game Kepley was heard saying something to the effect of: "we would have beaten them by even more if not for all my errors." But that's hardly the case. He was the hard-working half of the night's most exciting double play, catching a line drive with a reach, then throwing the runner out at first before he could get back to the bag.

Other game notes - Mackenzie did some great fielding, Melody played well at first and second, Matt, Dan and Ahmed rocked.

Slugs Coach Mours Loss, and Celebrates...

...end of requirement that she shower at the truck stop. There is a long-standing Slugs tradition requiring the coach to shower at the oddly-named Silver Nugget truck stop if the team goes undefeated. It was beginning to look like Slugs skipper Tamara Keith might have to start getting the flip flops ready as the Slugs started off the summer season with a stellar 2-0 record. But Backseat Drivers had a message for the Slugs last Thursday night "put away those flip flops."

Other than Ellen's stellar hitting, the rest of the Slugs had cold bats Thursday night. We just couldn't catch a break. How many of us hit a grounder to the first baseman? Coach Keith says: "I lost count, but I know he grabbed every single one of them." Our defense was totally solid, but without our usual good string of swings, we just couldn't defeat the Backseat Drivers. But, former coach Kepley says "It was close...and if we had kept playing a few more innings, we would have beat them."

Center fielder Ahmed Ortiz said many things after the game about learning moments, overcoming adversity, playing well as a team, etc...but this reporter was too upset about the loss to write down the quotes.

Frustrated by her own batting, Coach Keith went on an E-Bay rampage Friday night. She purchased a $90 bat (which totally kicks butt, just wait) and a special cover so she can use it at the batting cages without destroying it.

Any Slugs interested in hitting the cages some night this week?

Who's Your Daddy?

By Neurotic D-Leaguer

When they took the field Thursday evening, the Slugs didn't know they would rally in the last inning for victory over Papa Flanagan's.

In fact, one Slug didn't even know this after playing in the game.

Before a record-setting crowd of seven for the 2007 season, the Slugs defeated Papa Flanagan's, moving their record to 2-0 in Summer League.

While Coach Tamara Keith served her second suspension of the year for bringing a pink water bottle to softball, the Slugs' good play extended up and down the available roster. From Jim Miller's dazzling outfield play and brilliant hitting in the lead-off spot to Ellen "Sproutsy" Chrismer's gritty game behind the plate, the home team kept it close all game before locking down the Flanaganses in the top of the last inning and coming back from a three-run deficit in the bottom half.

The game was so close that the Slugs' right fielder didn't realize her team had won.

"We won?" Judy Lin asked after the celebratory handshakes.

Her confusion might have resulted from ex-Slug-turned-turncoat Chris Bryce pitching and hitting cleanup for the Flanaganses, with a newfound Zen and needing only one shirt for the entire game. Or she just might be that confused all the time.

But she wasn't confused when a Flanagan hit a rocket shot to right in the last inning. Lin knocked her hat off like a pro, charged in and made a sweet one-handed grab. The roar of the crowd sounded like at least 10 people were there.

Lin joined an outfield of Ed Fletcher, Miller and Ahmed Ortiz that combined for nearly flawless play. Other defensive highlights were Christa Hunter snagging some wicked liners at third; shortstop John Kepley combining on a double play with Harrison Sheppard, who played a great game in his inaugural appearance at first; and Erin McGuire's usual outstanding pitching performance.

The only lowlights were another bite by the injury bug (this time a mosquito, not five wasp stings) and Matt Coldwell not showing up again. Kevin Yamamura, resting a sore Achilles' tendon, provided insightful analysis from the bench and expertly managed the baserunning in the decisive final inning.

What we do know is that the Slugs -- at 2-0, in first place, with momentum and improved teamwork, and Yamamura and Chrismer getting extra time from next week's bye to heal up -- are poised to rekindle the venerable Slugs tradition of the undefeated manager taking a shower at the 49'er Truck Plaza after the season.

Things are looking up already

After a few touch and go hours, with the lineup in question, more than enough Slugs showed up for our first-ever bout with Amara. Amara is a solid team made up of residents of one apartment complex, so some on the bench started calling them the "Melrose Place" team. Coach Tam, having never watched more than 3 minutes of that fine evening soap, still agrees that it's an excellent nickname.

Lessons learned: Many of their women pack a lot of power with their bats. Many of their guys are also powerful hitters. Some are not. All of them appear to be getting a hang of the rules of D-B League Co-Ed Softball.

Things we learned about ourselves: hitting cutoffs is a good thing, and we did it well. Another thing we did well, backing each other up in the outfield, and calling flies when we had them. You all looked very solid out there. Also, it is critical to have a good pitcher. Erin, we love you.

Big thanks go out to Ed for bringing a cooler full of ice, and water. We needed it. Did that 106-degree day break some kind of Slugs softball record? I hope so...because we sure seasoned our jerseys with a heavy dose of sweat.

Then, I came home to a 90-degree house. It seems the Gordon AC is broken. :-( Perfect timing.

Next week: We take on a tougher opponent, with one hell of a pitcher. That is, Papa Flanagan's featuring the pitching/batting powerhouse of Chris Bryce. Fielders, you can't play this man too deep.

Mark your calendars - Papa Flanagan's V Slugs, 9:30PM (thank God), Tahoe Park

Summer Schedule

Slugs - Please bookmark this post. Below is our summer schedule.

07/05/07 - 6:30 Amara V Slugs
07/12/07 - 9:30 Papa Flanagan's V Slugs
07/19/07 - Bye
07/26/07 - 9:30 Slugs V Backseat Drivers
08/02/07 - 7:30 Slugs V *itten *ats
08/09/07 - Bye
08/16/07 - 6:30 Slugs V Amara
08/23/07 - 8:30 Slugs V The Oddballers
08/30/07 - 8:30 Backseat Drivers V Slugs
09/06/07 - 7:30 *itten *ats V Slugs

Hit Your Cutoff!

Hi Sluggies – Coach Tam here, posting from NYC…or JFK International to be more accurate.

Before our loss to Beer 30 becomes too faint a memory, I wanted to share some notes about the game. We could have won, seriously. Our bats were hot. We scored 6 or 7 runs in the first inning, and followed with another excellent showing later in the game.

Our problem is fielding. And it’s not even really a catching issue. The balls are only very rarely getting over our heads. We missed a few fly balls, but that’s normal, A-OK for D1 co-ed softball. We do a good job of getting our hands on the ball. BUT, then we sort of fall apart.

Fmr. Coach Kepley has been talking about this for years. “Hit your cutoffs,” he would say. “OK, sure. That makes sense,” I thought but it didn’t truly register until our game against Beer 30.

In most cases, if a ball comes to you in the outfield, you should throw it to the shortstop. Getting the ball safely into the infield is critical. It essentially stops the base runners in their tracks. Now, that base runner may be headed for 3^rd base, and throwing it to the shortstop isn’t going to get us an out. But 9 times out of 10, throwing it to third base from the outfield is going to lead to a run rather than an out. It’s really really hard to get that big ball accurately to third base. It doesn’t matter how good your arm is our how totally awesome out third basewoman is. We’re just inviting trouble. The 3^rd base case was merely an example. Throwing it to 2^nd base or home plate is just as perilous. Even, throwing it to third from first to catch an advancing runner is risky.

The point here is it’s very very easy to get caught up in the moment. You have the ball, you’re thinking “Oh crap, the runner’s taking an extra base, I shouldn’t let that happen.” It may hurt not to make the play…but until we get much much better at actually making the play, we will have more success just bringing the ball into the shortstop, getting it to the pitcher and stopping play…or stopping the bleeding whatever the case may be.

If we had been just a little smarter with our ball management, we could have beaten Beer 30. They were the top team in the league this season, and we had them scared. So, Slugs, be proud of your accomplishments, be very proud.

Please be kind to coach Kepley and kick the *itten *ats asses. Let’s finish this season off with another win.

Then, I am very much looking forward to next season, when we will take on some new opponents (including Chris), and start our reign as the champions of the D1.5 league (I am not yet willing to admit that we’ve been demoted to D-2, but the only other team from our spring league in this one is the dreaded Weezer doppelgangers themselves).

Slugs Beat Punker Emo Band

We are the Slugs - we are mighty. Thanks to one very good inning, we have defeated the one team in the league with a record worse than ours.

Tahoe Park, June 7 - The Slugs were a little rusty after a bye week and a couple of tough injuries and it showed in the first inning. The team's bats were cold. Ice cold. 3 up, 3 down. Then out in the field it wasn't much prettier. There were missed grounders, overthrown balls and mental errors. "I was worried," said Slugs manager Tamara Gordon. "I was thinking, Oh Crap, we're going to lose to the one team the league director promised me we could beat."

Those concerns were misplaced. By the second inning the Slugs were beginning to show a little of their old spark. Then in the third inning, or maybe it was the fourth, the Slugs bats went wild. The Slugs sluggers could do no wrong. Suddenly the Slugs led by ten. There were a few tense moments at the bottom of the final inning as the *itten *ats tried to rally. But the Slugs held them to just a few runs, not nearly enough to knock down the 13 point lead the Sluggies had going in.

Notes about our opponents - (take note, we're playing them again on June 21 at 6:30)

Don't be fooled by their flashy uniforms...



Skinny jeans are the *itten *ats bottoms of choice.







As for footwear - they scoff a cleats...






Their pitcher prefers Doc Martins.








Watch out for their left fielder - he can really hit and catch...



















Oh, sorry, wrong photo. That's a picture of Weezer. If you want to destroy my sweater...um I mean defense...pull the string as I walk away. Oh man, this is confusing.

Next Game - 06/14/07 vs Beer30 at 9:30 PM

Victory - So Close, Yet So Far Away

By Ed Fletcher - Center Field

THURSDAY, MAY 10, TAHOE PARK -- Another mighty pop from a Slug bat sent the team into another hopping, clapping, cheering fit.

The ball landed safely and the swift-footed Melody Gutierrez – the tying run – rounded third base, heading for home in the bottom of the final inning. The home team had trailed all night long and as Beer 30 relayed the ball home, the team and its loyal fans knew they play at the plate would be closer than two Alabama cousins.

Could it be a two-out game-winning single?

The ball arrived home as if shot from a gun. The catch. A slide. A puff of dirt. And a call. “Out,” said the ump.

The two teams lined up and congratulated their opponents is what had been a spirited, hard-played game. The game, a bit testy after Ed Fletcher and some of the powerful yet vertically challenged opponents exchanged “harrumphs,” was over.

After the game, around a table full of the best pizza and worse beer in town, someone asked Gutierrez if she was disappointed in how the game ended.

“I remember the times we were happy to score three runs and counted the plays where we didn’t commit consecutive errors as a victory,” said Gutierrez, as she shook her head. “I’ll take a good game over getting our asses handed to us any day of the week. Any day of the week.”

“Foshizy,” added John Kepley, who just returned from his near victory smoke.

THIS WEEK 8:30 VS SOCALS
Erin says she and Chris are "hungry for a victory."

Rain rain go away

After the driest winter on record, mother nature still found a way to rain-out our latest game. Snowpack in the Sierra is at 29 percent of normal. Forecasters are talking about drought. Then suddenly around 7PM Wednesday night, it starts to sprinkle. By 9:30 it was raining. Small drops, but steady rain. The game starts, even as the officials in blue make grumpy little faces that say "we desperately want to call this game off." Many Slugs refuse to sit on the bench. It's too wet, so they camp under a tree (thankfully this was not a thunderstorm). The drops grow more robust. We make it through an inning and a half, then just as Dan is about to get up for his first at-bat, the officials call it. The Slugs are rained out. I'm generally agnostic, but perhaps in this case God didn't want us to take on the *itten *ats without Erin and Chris.

I haven't heard from the league yet, but the ump was saying something about it being re-scheduled for sometime when it's 105 degrees and painfully sunny. It should give the "Neurotic D-Leaguer" to write-up a full scouting report.

Up next - 7:30 PM 05/10/07 Beer30 VS Slugs... rumor has it their captain got in a fight with one of their officials...so who knows what to expect with this one.

Slugs Win!

More details to come...but in short WE WON! Here's our post-game victory photo:

Cages, anyone?

Ellen and Coach Tam did a little scouting this afternoon. In the middle of a 7 1/2 mile run through Davis, we decided to stop by the batting cages at Playfields Park. While there, we learned that the cages are open until 9PM on Sunday nights. After completing our run, we picked up the bats at my house and went back to the cages for some batting practice.

It was a lot of fun, and I can tell you, I need much much more batting practice. So, what do you all think about renting out a couple of slow-pitch softball lanes in the evening on Sunday, April 29th? It's $25 for an hour of unlimited hits. If you're all lucky, Ira will fire up the margarita machine (it can also be used for non-alcoholic slushee beverages) for a little post-batting refreshment.

We came, we conquered...sort of

Slugs, we played an awesome game. We were strong in the field, our bats were hot (well some of our bats were hot), our new bat was smokin'...and for five and a half innings the SoCals could nearly taste the bitterness of a loss. And then, suddenly in the bottom of the 6th they started swinging for the fences. It's taken several days, but I've come to peace with this. I mean, we can't be expected to position our fielders in the middle of puppy classes and soccer games and that's where they were hitting.

Our spring training clearly paid off. We were good out there. And all I can say is Loose Change watch out!

04/19/07 9:30 Slugs V Loose Change

PS - Thanks to Mackenzie and Kevin for hosting a wonderful post-game BBQ. Since our game this Thursday is so late, we may just have to skip straight to the beer.

1st Game and Team BBQ

Our first game is this coming Thursday...and it's a 6:30 game, which means it is extra imperative that you e-mail Coach Tamara and tell her whether you can make it and if you think you might be late. Please arrive 30 minutes before game time so we can warm up and Coach Tamara can muddle her way through the lineup.

The Mackenzie and Kevin have kindly volunteered to host a team barbecue at their house after the game. It's the best night of the season for this gathering, because it's our only really early game. The Yamamuras will supply the burgers, vegi burgers and fixings. They're asking that the rest of us bring sides, chips, salsa, dip, salad and most importantly BEER and other beverages. I'll bring a cooler with me to the game so your food doesn't spoil. Also, there's a Raley's right by their house so we can pick stuff up on the way over. Please post a comment here to let us know what you plan to bring to the BBQ...and whether you can attend.

Slugs Rank D1

The Slugs are playing in the big-boy league this season. Yes, the springtime Slugs are still technically in the Sac Rec D League. But this season we're in the D1 league. There's a D2 league for less talented teams, and folks we're not in it. We'll be taking on talented rivals including the SoCal's Force and the Kittenkats.

At the mandatory managers meeting tonight, I picked up our schedule (see below), a rule book and a very long list of banned bats. My efforts to get the league director to give us lots of late games worked. We only have one 6:30 game and several 9:30 games. Good news Christa, you can make it to some of our games after class. So, with such a rocking schedule, and some seriously tough teams to beat, I expect excellent attendance at our games. And please no napping or boozing it up before the late games. Napping could lead to an unexcused absence...and being drunk could get you suspended. That's another thing I learned at the managers meeting.

Here's the schedule:
04/12/07 6:30 Slugs V SoCal's
04/19/07 9:30 Slugs V Loose Change
04/26/07 Bye
05/03/07 9:30 KittenKats V Slugs
05/10/07 7:30 Beer30 V Slugs
05/17/07 8:30 SoCal's V Slugs
05/24/07 7:30 Loose Change V Slugs
05/31/07 Bye Can anyone say dollar dog night at the RiverCats?
06/07/07 7:30 Slugs V KittenKats
06/14/07 9:30 Slugs V Beer30

Season Start Date

Just got off the phone with Ron at the city. Our season starts on Thursday, April 12!!! We have a managers meeting next week and he plans to hand out the season schedules at that time. I told him we had a preference for later games...he said he'd take that into consideration.

New Uniforms

Because we have a bunch of new Slugs, it's time to get new uniforms. We'll be using the same logo as the last model (our little slug dude).

This time around I'm proposing we use the 100% sweatshop free American Apparel M434 Mélange JerseyShort Sleeve Gym T-Shirt. It's "a retro reinvention of the classic gym T-shirt."

Of course, we'll look much happier in our Ts than this moody man from the American Apparel website. This is a unisex shirt, which in theory should make us all look like hot models. The shirts will cost us $12.40 and will come with the slug logo on the front and a number of your choice on the back. Please check out the AE sizing chart and let me know what size shirt you need, and what number you'd like printed on the back. I am allowing duplicates, but please let me know if you object to sharing your number with another Slug. Please e-mail me your requests by April 1...so maybe we can get these shirts printed before the end of the season.

Also, I am ordering us all slugs baseball caps. They'll cost us $14 each...but since the league is cutting us a deal on league fees this season, it's almost like the hats are free.

We may just be the best dressed team in the league. Let's hope everyone else is so distracted by our sexiness that they let us kick their asses game after game.

Slugs Spring Training

Well, Slugs...it can only go down hill from here. For those of you who didn't make it out to our first practice, we totally dominated. A big thanks to Nick, coach of the Solid Gold Hits. He reserved the field for us at Tahoe Park, organized fielding drills, batting practice, even brought little wiffle balls for extra hand eye coordination practice. Then we took the field for a scrimmage and your Slugs made the Solid Gold Hits glad they won't be playing on Thursday nights. We had solid fielding all around (though Kepley had the most SportsCenter moments at short), and our bats were hot! The final score was 9-4, I believe. I was statistician for the high school golf team, but my scorekeeping skills are lacking these days. It's a good thing the league pays some dude to sit on a stool behind the plate with a dry erase board.

For the record Coach Tam owes beer to the following Slugs who made it to practice:
Judy
Matt
Melody
John
Ira
Ed
Jim
Ellen
Harrison
Christa


Coming soon to the slugsblog... new uniforms? ...it's time to buy a big boy bat ...useful information about the start of the season, as soon as I get it from the league ...and the return of player profiles.