SFRC

To wrap up the 2010 season of Schlitz Gusto Guy softball, we dedicated a night to Carl Pavano.  Some Schlitz Gusto Guy players even went with the unnatural looking mustache.  It certainly was a nice night to put an end to the 2010 season (not coincidentally on the eve of 2011 pre-season workouts).  The temperature for Game #1 was around 62 degrees.  The temperature when we departed about 11:20pm was around 46 degrees.

Game #1 vs. Moose Knucklers

The Schlitz Gusto Guys tied with Moose Knucklers for 1^st Place in the summer league.  The autumn version of Moose Knucklers has been slightly modified.   They do not quite have the horse power they had in the summer.  We started off the game batting through the entire lineup en route to nine first inning runs.  We kept our foot on the gas pedal as we scraped together a few runs in each of the following innings.  We also locked them down on defense on a night where the ball appeared to be carrying.  Pub Krull launched a deep 3-run homerun and T-Mac hit a lazy flyball that carried over the fence as well.  Matty hit a deep homerun that counted for an out since he was late to the homerun party.  Nice plays / catches in the field were made by CW, Matty and 2’s.

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 20 – Moose Knucklers 11

Last out: ?

Game #2 vs. Beer Me

The Schlitz Gusto Guys sticks continued to roll on this final night of Fall Ball.  We gave up four runs in the top of the first, but answered with a nine-spot in the bottom of the 1^st.  The game was back and forth with neither team holding on to more than a four run lead after the 2^nd inning.  Again the ball was carrying.  The outfielders reacted to the hits well and chased down many line drives in the gaps.  Brain turned a nice double play on a hard hit ball to third by stepping on the sack and tossing to first.  Pub Krull hit a ball about 350 feet landing in the infield of SFRCP “B” for a three-run homerun.  Sans would later describe this homerun as only Sans could, stating, “That might have been the longest dong I have seen this year.”  I guess what Sans means is, that homerun by Pub Krull was the “Greg Oden” of the 2010 Schlitz Gusto Guys.

Another great quote from the final game of 2010 came from the 3^rd baseman for Beer Me.  He had bobbled a couple of slow ground balls before making a very nice play on a ball smoked his way.  One of the Schlitz Gusto Guys told him “nice play.”  He responded by saying, “It’s easier when it’s hard.”  Truer words have not been spoken, 3-bag….Truer words have not be spoken.

It was tied heading into the top of the last inning.  Beer me pushed three runs and the Schlitz Gusto Guys were set to answer with the top of their order.  Unfortunately, we had a couple of outs before Matty smoked a “no-doubter” homerun to left-center.  After T-Mac narrowly escaped the last out of the season by having the pitcher overrun a foul ball, CW hit a line shot knee high at the pitcher, who made a nice catch to retire the Schlitz Gusto Guys for 2010.

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 20 – Beer Me 22

Last out: CW (line shot – knee high to the pitcher who made a nice catch)

Fan of the night: T.O.!  Good to see you #8

There were some good Schlitz Gusto Guy laughs after the games as we remained at the fields until well after the final out.  We could still field a team at 11:20pm.

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We wrapped up the Schlitz Gusto Guy summer league a few weeks ago with a successful “Processed Food Night.”  A big shout out to our friends at Schlitz for donating the batting title awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place.  Hooray Gusto Guys!

We took that success and brought it to Schlitz Gusto Guy Fall Ball.  It was a 78 degree semi-humid evening for two!

Sans put together some pivot tables to figure out when we won and lost based on opponent, field, time, number of players, number of runs scored, etc.  Based on those numbers Game #2 at 7pm on Lac Lavon Field E is the difference between finishing 9-5 and 10-4. 

The bad news of the evening was Brain pulling a hammy.  Let’s hope some time in a canoe heals that wound (not a largecanoe for what it’s worth).  I’d also like to acknowledge the dedication of a particular SGG for arriving a bit late, getting some work in, and leaving a bit early….all whilst leaving his tracking device stationary.  Good work.

Game #1 vs. Eddy’s Bar and Grill

The Schlitz Gusto Guys battled and fought and scratched and clawed for seven solid innings.  The game was back and forth.  One team would score seven runs, the other would come back with eight.  Luckily for the Schlitz Gusto Guys, we practice 12 months out of the year and we are prepared for anything.  We are so prepared, we refuse to have our timing thrown off by a pitcher “fake-pitching,” “doing the windmill,” or pretending to throw out of a full windup.  And better yet, we don’t have to go to bed at night knowing the “windmill pitch” fooled someone into hitting a triple.  As a former SGG would say, “Good things happen to good people, and Bob Huggins broke some ribs in a fall in Las Vegas.”

Everyone took a turn watching the ball come out of the clowns paw and roped it somewhere.  We beat them up for 19 runs and played enough defense to hold them to 16 runs.  It was a good start to the Fall League.

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 19 – Eddy’s Bar and Grill 16

Last out: ?

Game #2 vs. Moose Knucklers

The Schlitz Gusto Guys tied for 1^st Place with Moose Knucklers in the summer league.  We played a few competitive / close games against them in the summer and this first night of fall ball was no different.  Moose Knucklers jumped to an early 2-0 lead, but the Schlitz Gusto Guys came back with a few of their own.  We also locked down the defense with nice plays being made by Niehaus (your 2009 Schlitz Gusto Guy Sportsman of the Year), Ryan, Pint, CW and Pauly, who made a nice catch on a knuckleball with the bases loaded and two outs.  In fact, the Gusto Guys locked down the defense so well, we didn’t give an another run, winning a close one 5-2.

It’s worth mentioning, for an inning or two we had almost two centuries worth of experience in the outfield.  From left to right we went 55 years old, 51 years old, 51 years old, 26 years old.  I doubt anyone in this league can boast such stats. 

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 5 – Moose Knucklers 2

Last out: Mac

Fan of the night: Patsy and Bob (per the norm). 

There were some good Schlitz Gusto Guy laughs after the games as we remained at the fields until well after the final out.  There were some great phrases added to our QUOTES page.

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It is difficult to believe the Schlitz Gusto Guys wrapped up summer softball already.  24 games are in the books.  I believe we finished 18-6 and tied for 1^st Place.  With any luck we had less total runs than the Moose Knucklers.  We know we don’t want to move up a league next summer.  We have been in that league before.  It’s not pretty.  Numbers don’t lie.

Sub-plot of the night.  Entering the game #35 held an ever-so-slight lead over Brain for the Schlitz Gusto Guy batting title.  One of the biggest benefits were those Gusto Guys who did not qualify for the batting title.  The batting title essentially came down to whoever got more hits on this final day of the summer season.

Game #1 vs. Moose Knucklers

The pitcher for Moose Knucklers is up there on the “Most Likeable People” list with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.  He’s just a really fun guy to play against.  After Cinco hit a ground ball up the middle #35 asked if the pitcher was okay.  The reply went something like this, “You tell your *&(@#$% pitcher that I’m coming up the (*&$&$@# middle and I go head (*&$%(*# high.”  Let’s take a step back.  The Schlitz Gusto Guys and Moose Knucklers play in Wednesday night D/E Recreational league.  Further, I’m not sure anyone on the Schlitz Gusto Guys would try to go up the middle to hurt anyone.  It’s just not how the Schltiz Gusto Guys roll.  I don’t want to say karma plays a role in this, but he might be the only pitcher in the league to occasionally pitch between his legs or behind his back.

On to the game…It took a while for the bats on either team to get going.  We headed into the 4th inning tied 0-0.  It was back and forth in the final few innings, and the Schlitz Gusto Guys gave away a few runs en route to a 5-9 loss.

Brain ended 3×4 with two singles and a double / #35 finished 3×4 with two singles and a double.

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 5 – Moose Knucklers 9

Last out: Pub Krull

Game #2 vs. Ziegler

After scoring 17 runs in their first game of the night Team Ziegler didn’t have much left.  The Schlitz Gusto Guys, on the other hand, had PLENTY left on this final night of summer ball.  It was one hit after another.  Team Ziegler, usually a solid defensive club, gave us a few freebees, which always helps.  There was quite a bit on the line for this game.  If Moose Knucklers lost in their second game (which they did) and the Schlitz Gusto Guys won, we’d tie for 1^st Place.  The runs came early and often for the Schlitz Gusto Guys as we batted around in the 2nd and 3rd innings and the game was really never close.  Everyone in the lineup had a minimum of four at-bats in Game #2 (in five innings).  Pub Krull slid over to shortstop and immediately had three of the next four put outs.  We also owe a thank you to Pub Krull for extending the game an extra at-bat by throwing just a bit wide of second base.  This biggest impact of this went to the “last out” of the game / summer.  Speaking of Pub Krull….He hit one of the best singles of the season.  A long fly ball, to DEEP left-center field….off the fence.  Nobody has a better “single” trot than Pub Krull.  Nobody.  He looked so graceful trotting to first on that single.  It was almost as if he thought the ball was gone (for a homerun).

Brain ended 4×5 with three singles and a double / #35 finished 4×4 with two singles and a homerun.

Final Score: Schlitz Gusto Guys 22 – Team Ziegler 7

Last out: FNG (Silkey) – In the second to last inning (we had a walk off 15 run rule win)

Fan of the night: Kurt Student, “like it’s spelled.”

Final batting stats were as follows:

Brain was 48×84 for a 0.571 average.  #35 was 50×86 for a 0.581 average.  DISCLAIMER…If Brain’s last at-bat was scored a hit instead of an error he would have finished 49×84 for a .583 average.  Ol’ #35 owes the score keeper a TALL BOY!

Worth mentioning: As of August 3rd, 2010, there are 267 days until Summer Balm-2011

Also worth mentioning: There are 19 days until FALL BALL (not to be confused with Foul Ball…or Fowl balls).

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Wednesday, July 1^st, 2009 looked a little gloomy when the alarm went off in the morning.  It drizzled most of the morning but cleared up in the afternoon and was “Mrs. H” by 5pm.  It was 74 degrees and sunny.  It was good to be back “home” (Neill) after a two month road trip.  There was no wind.  It was a brilliant night for two, save for the nats.

Game #1 vs. TC Crush

Slow pitch softball is a hitter’s game.  It is extremely difficult to win a slow pitch softball game when you only score one run.  The one run scored was actually fairly decent considering we only had four hits as a team.  Aside from Kurty’s four or five highlight stops / catches, there isn’t much worth discussing from this game.  We lost by the mercy rule 16-1.  Could the SFRC put 16 runs on the board in the next at bat?  Could we have rallied for a big win or made a game of it?  We will never know.  Pub Krull and CW both chased down a fly ball to right center, both could have caught and both let it drop.  Some would call it an error.  The FRC know that it was just our way of showing up TC Crush.  It was as if to say, we had TWO guys that could have made this play, but didn’t want to.  Take that!  J

Final score:   SFRC 1 – TC Crush 16

Last out: ??

Plays of the game:

In the field: “Skin and Play” had three or four great diving backhanded stops at third and almost threw a guy out whilst he was on the ground and threw the ball backwards and underhand.  However, the best play was a blooper down the line that is the shortstop’s ball all day, except the FRC SS is the slowest guy on the team.  Kurty made a diving over the shoulder catch.  Great catch.  Honorable mention: CW bare-handing a line drive single that was coming in hot.  I think TC Crush was a bit intimidated by that play.

At the plate: Ol’ # 35 accounted for two of the FRC four hits.  Both of 35’s hits were smoked…absolute shots that are hits in any league at any level.  We were lucky the balls were still useable after those two hits.  Or were they two terrible swings that simply found the grass somehow?  I can’t remember.

Game #2 vs. Moose Knucklers

In typical FRC style, we would not let a Game #1 collapse impact our effort in Game #2.  The FRC made quick work defensively to start the game without allowing a run.  In the bottom of the first we were able to score three (two more than the first game).  The Moose Knucklers knew they were in trouble.  The FRC just weren’t going to lose two at home on this night.  There were runs scored virtually every inning by the FRC and the lead continued to grow.  Sans had a chance to pitch a shutout, but

Final score:   SFRC 12 – Moose Knucklers 2

Last out: ??

Plays of the game:

In the field:  

1.      Matty tracking down a ton of fly balls in left center

2.      Brain throwing to 1^st as Cinco jogged off the field since an inning ending double play had already been made

At the plate:  A number of two out hits.  Also CW with a few great softball swings and line drives up the middle.  Skin ‘n’ Play going off the pitcher twice. 

Fans of the night:

The SFRC has a very solid showing of fans.  A big shout out to all of them (and especially Joanne for showing up early)!  Fan of the night may have to go to Oliver for attending his first game of the year.

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