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