What can I say, the SFRC are just a better team in fall league playing the early games when the temperature is above 70 degrees and there is very little wind. Numbers don’t lie. It was a perfect night for two. Good for the FRC sticking around for a couple hours after the games.
Game 1 vs. TC Crush (5-2, second place)
Good things happen when a team doesn’t give six outs per inning. The SFRC defense was solid in Game 1 on a somewhat suspect field. The best fields in the midwest did not look like they were dragged prior to the games. No matter, the FRC locked it down and held on for an 8-6 win. Solid play all around the field. Big catches in right by 2’s, diving catches in left-center by Aaron Rogers and cat-like reactions from Sans on the mound.
Last out: Matty
Game 2 vs. Speedy Turtles (5-2, second place)
Averages have a way of evening things out. The FRC were a 3-5 team entering the second game of this double dip, and they were coming off a win. It just wasn’t in the cards….numbers don’t lie. The FRC were due for a loss and the Speedy Turtles were there to deliver it. The FRC didn’t go down easy. The defense was mostly solid, we just came a few hits short. Well, quite a few hits short. A 14-7 loss. 1-1 for the evening.
Last out: Matty
Fan of the Game: We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again….when you attend the first SFRC game of your lifetime, you get to be “Fan of the Game.” With all due respect to Mrs. C, Holum and Big T, the Fan of the Game was clearly Kaylee.
Things we don’t need to see / hear again: The ball hitting the second baseman’s face in the game after ours. Yuck. Nose split wide open, blood everywhere.
This recap is late. I’d like to say I was busy, which is somewhat true, but the reality is that I just didn’t want to relive the experience that was September 10th, 2008.
Game 1 vs. Property Clam Solutions (2-5, 6th place)
This game ended because of time, but truth be told, this game ended because it was going to get ugly. Surprisingly the final was a FRC loss 11-19. It did not feel that close. Again we booted the ball all over the field. The leader of this mess was 35, misplaying routine balls and taking one off the chin. 2’s took one of the shin, which left quite a mark.
Game 2 vs. US Bank (4-4, 5th place)
This was ugly from the first pitch. More errors, more botched plays by 35. The SFRC never had a chance, losing 21-3. GC hit the first HR of his storied return, a line drive to left-center. Sans made a heck of an effort fielding a ball to his backhand and jumping and throwing to ALMOST get the batter. It looked graceful.
Play of the Game: Sans jumping and throwing (and not tearing anything) was a close second to…..Sans, as if it were 1997. The batter took his time getting to the plate. Dug in, called time, restrapped his gloves, etc. Sans dropped the ball on the pitching rubber and walked back to second base. I am not sure the batter knew what happened. I LOVE IT! This is classic.
Fan of the Night: Tough decision, with plenty of options….JoAnn, because she was there for one game.
Worth noting: Sans didn’t get out at the plate.
Let’s just move on to September 17th and start over. As a rule the SFRC play better in fall league when they play at 6pm and 7pm. Numbers don’t lie.
This was officially fall ball. The temp was in the low to mid 60’s. We had leaders missing for their American Idol / Dancing with the Stars Fantasy Drafts. Luckily, we were able to track down a few other leaders willing to help out the SFRC at SFRCP. A special thanks to the “extras.”
Game 1 vs. Franchise Sports (2-2)
The FRC started out on fire, batting around in the top of the first scoring eight runs. Four of those runs came on another clutch HR by 35. Just to clarify, when the word clutch is used in the same sentence as 35, we are defining clutch as “first inning, no outs.” In the bottom of the first 35 accounted for more runs as he threw a ball in the dirt and let a pop up over his head hit the glove and find grass. The game went back and forth with one team scoring two runs, the other coming back with three. Cinco hit a blast that got lost in the night somewhere for a HR. The FRC booted balls everywhere and couldn’t score when we needed to. The FRC finished on the short end of this battle on Neill Field B.
Play of the Game: The SFRC were in the field. Franchise Sports had a runner on first and one out. There was a line drive hit down the first baseline. It smoked the runner standing on firstbase and bounced up in the air. An alert Cinco caught the ball. The ump called the runner on first out and the batter was awarded first base. At the end of the night a clarification was made. This was a live ball. Technically, the batter should have been out and the runner safe (assuming he never left the base).
Game 2 vs. Dragon Creek Carrier (4-1)
Again the SFRC brought it early taking a 4-3 lead after one. Unfortunately, the frustration in the field continued and continued and continued some more. Leading 10-5, DCC scored nine runs in the fourth and 10 in the fifth. This was as bad of a game as the SFRC have played in years. I think little jc summed it up best saying what everyone wanted to say. This clip may not be verbatim, but this is close…..
WARNING – The audio is not appropriate for an office computer. You may want to listen to this in the privacy of your own home….Or, stop by SFRCP some Wednesday evening:
The 17 F-Bombs thrown in this clip may have been about a half of what we heard from deep right on SFRCP Wednesday evening, but the anger was comparable and the rest of the squad may have felt the same way (many errors on 9/3/08).
Play of the Game: N/A
Fan of the Night: N/A
Before our next games, we may start with a team hug. “It’s just D” on three. 1-2-3….
The weather was dicey, but the fans came out. The game time temperature was roughly 70 degrees. The lighning and rain were on their way.
Game 1 vs. someone
The FRC were undefeated heading into the second week of fowl ball. Of course the two wins came from the first base dugout. On this night, we were back to our old home on the third base line. That dugout didn’t work too well for us in the summer and it certainly didn’t work too well for us this night either. We scratched and clawed our way to a close game through four innings, playing a team that is quite a bit better than the FRCs. A big boost came from the freshly dusted off GC. Another big help was the grandslam by Cinco (nobody hits a ball at eye height better than Cinco). The entire lineup kept the game close (with the exception of 35, who absolutely awful). Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the game was knotted up at 11. Unfortunately, the hit parade was just beginning. After two outs (a third went under 35’s glove) and 15 runs, the game was over. The first loss for the SFRC on the fall season.
Last out: Sans – This happened to be the first out fall league for Sans.
Fans of the game: Trish, JoAnn and Patsy for braving the environment.
Game 2 vs. Speedy Turtles
The ump had fear in his eyes. He did not like the lightning in the sky. He called the game. Upon further review, we decided to give it a try. The SFRC took the field as the home team. One out, two outs….a ball off the top of the fence for a double, fly to left = 3 outs. The last time the FRCs played on Neill Field B (a.k.a. SFRCP Away) we scored 19 runs in the 8th inning. We picked up where we left off. We scored six runs, had two outs and a runner on third with Sans up when the ump decided he had seen enough. He called the game. Some know this as the six run after one rule. 35 hit another clutch HR, if we define clutch as first inning of a game that is called in the first inning because of weather. Speedy Turtles had no idea what they were in for if the Red hadn’t called the game.
Fan of the game: Cousin Nate
Last out: Lars (this is debatable, I know….we need a ruling….this was the last out of a game that was called due to weather)
Night: The FRCs stuck around to enjoy one of the most important events of any softball evening – the refreshments (per the norm). The newly upgraded dugouts offer shelter and the coolers still worked.
Fowl Ball…Foul Ball…FALL BALL has started! It was a perfect night for two at Neill Field A (per the norm). Plenty balmy. The night started differently than other games at SFRCP over the past 14 years. We were moved to the first baseline dugout for starters. We also had a trifecta thrown in the maintenance closet. As far as the team is concerned, these were good moves.
Game 1 vs. US Bank (0-0 first game)
It was a pitcher’s duel from the first pitch. The FRC had 10 leaders. US Bank had 12 guys who looked exactly the same. The score was tied 3-3 in the fifth inning. US Bank scored one in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. But, in typical SFRC fashion, the team of leaders came up with clutch hit after clutch hit after smart management and continued with more clutch hits on their way to four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 7-4 lead. In the bottom of the seventh US Bank started off with a single. Sans threw a screwball and a soft liner that bounced turned into a routine double play extinguishing any comeback hopes for US Bank.
The FRC were above .500 since MMVII….
Last out: Lars was the unlucky leader to get last out of the first fall league game.
Game 2 vs. Ziegler
Entering the game, the Ziegler had the edge against the SFRC for 2008 softball year. We were 1-2-1 against Team Ziegler in ’08. However, Team Ziegler may still have been recovering from the 19-run outburst we put on them in the 8th inning of the second to last summer league game.
The game was back and forth, which has been the case in this matchup all year. Ziegler had a 10-6 lead, but the FRC had the bases loaded. Cinco stepped to the plate and hit a ball out of Field A and onto Field B for a grand-slam. The HR traveled at least 330ft. It was 10-10 heading into the bottom of the fifth. The FRC strung together a number of hits on their way to 10 runs to take a 20-10 lead. In the top of the sixth Ziegler mounted a seven run rally to close the gap to 20-17. Unfortunately for them, time was running short. The leaders of the FRC hit long enough to end the game on time (even without scorign a run).
The FRC continued above .500 for the first time since “naught-seven.”
Fan of the Game: _______________ (umm…no fans)
Player of the night: Sans, who did not get out in either game (of course he walked too).