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.