SFRC

No surprise here, the forecast didn’t look good.  The rain was coming.  However, the softball weather Gods anticipated such an event and scheduled the SFRCGG for Lac Lavon on June 22, 2011.  Why?  Take a look at the forecast.  The SFRCGG were scheduled to play at 6pm and 7pm.  We did just that and when we were finished the skies couldn’t hold on any longer and dumped rain like it was the Amazon rain forest.  For those with SFRCGG experience, we know there is a covered area to enjoy cold beverages and stay dry.

Game #1 vs. Celt’s Pub

I am not sure what to say.  The SFRCGG brought their bats and simply did not put them away….all night.  Kurty set the tone with a lead off homerun to straight away center.  The game went something like this: Lead off homerun, hit, hit, hit, hit/run, hit/runs, hit/run, hit/outfielders quitting, hit/outfielder walking/run, hit, hit, hit/runs, Nate GRAND SLAM, hit, hit/run, CW HOMERUN FOR AN OUT!, hit/run….angry team shaking hands.

Final Score: SCHLITZ GUSTO GUYS 28 – Celt’s Pub 16

Last out: ???

Game #2 vs. Ziegler

This was a mixed bag of Ziegler players.  Meaning, we only recognized about half the team.  We never put our bats away.  This game went something along the lines of: Start with two runs since Ziegler didn’t bring a game ball, hit, hit, hit/run, hit/run…hits/runs on our way to 27 runs and a four inning game (mercy rule).

Final Score: SCHLITZ GUSTO GUYS 27 – Ziegler 5

Last out: Matty

Players of the night: We have many options.  Everyone hit very well.  Brain was 9-9.  CW hit his first homerun (check that, it was an out).  Nate hit his first career homerun and it was a GRAND SLAM!  Kurty set the tone with a lead off homerun.  Bruce showed that age cannot take away a sweet swing going 5-7 on the night with a SAC (and an RBI).

56 runs in two games and nine total innings.  That is more than six runs per inning played.  I’m pretty sure that is a SFRCGG record.

Fan of the night: The one, the only…the original Schlitz Gusto Guy….#25!  Yes, Mr. Brian Niehaus made it all the way back from Las Vegas to come enjoy some ice cold Tall Boys under the shelter of the rain.  The ankle is on the mend and we anticipate he’ll be ready for Fall Ball, if he can make it back for a week or two.

We are all looking forward to the return of the Leader of Leaders, Sans.  Set to make his 2011 debut July 6, 2011.  All things will be right with the SFRCGG’s again.

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Game #1 vs. Ziegler

Final Score: SCHLITZ GUSTO GUYS 18 – Ziegler 20

Ziegler started out hitting the ball very well scoring 11 runs in the top of the 1^st inning.  As is the case in many of the SFRC games, we’ll bend, but we will not break.  We answered with 13 runs of our own in the bottom of the 1^st inning.  After that, the defense of both teams locked it down.  A few runs were scored by both teams and with two outs in the bottom of the 7^th with two on, trailing by two runs Ol’ #35 walked to the plate.  No need to finish reading, we know what happened….He got out.  Clutch.

Last out: Mr. Clutch (#35)

Game #2 vs. Goodfellas

Less than six minutes after the SFRC lost to Zielger, Ol’ #35 walked to the plate with a similar, but very different, situation.  Two on, two outs in the top of the first.  What happened?  #35 hit a HR.  Again, clutch.  When the SFRC need a big hit in a scoreless first inning game, nobody is better than #35.  This game saw all kinds of things a softball field has never seen.  We saw the “Lars shift,” which is simply moving the shortstop about 50 feet back so he is playing a shallow left field whilst the left fielder and left-center fielder pinch together.  Only to see Lars stick it to them as seen here:

Lars beats the shift from Tom McInerney on Vimeo.

We had the opposing team yelling at Patsy for blowing her horn.  Patsy, don’t give in to the bullies.  In my opinion, they were yelling at the wrong things.  Their team was down by a lot and they were booting balls and not getting hits.  Somehow they blamed Patsy.   This game also saw a very pretty / “make it look routine” double-play with Kurty scooping the ground ball, stepping on second and tossing to Cinco at first.  Get a look:

Kurty Double Play from Tom McInerney on Vimeo.

Final Score: SCHLITZ GUSTO GUYS 24– Goodfellas 6 (and Patsy won the mental game)

Last out: Cinco

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For those of you not aware, September 15th was “Brian Niehaus” night.  It was the 2009 Schlitz Gusto Guy Sportsman of the Year’s last night of softball (at least for now / this year).  He is off to Sin City to make some things happen and potentially start a desert version of the Schlitz Gusto Guy softball squad.  We look forward to hearing about the 110 degree “balm” days.   

The forecast was for rain followed by rain followed by more rain.  The radar showed rain covering a 100  mile stretch north to south just west of SFRCMP.  Something had to give.  We know we dont’ get rained out on SFRCMP, but the radar was telling a different story.   

Game #1 vs. Crew’d Up   

Mrs. H. out.  A tad humid, plenty sunny, with some clouds in the distance.  The Schlitz Gusto Guys took a little while to get warmed up and dug themselves a bit of a hole.  In typical Schlitz Gusto Guy fashion, we mounted a comeback before eventually falling 13-7.    

Game #2 vs. Team Ziegler  

Brian Niehaus Night

The rain, however, was not enough to keep the Schlitz Gusto Guys bats quiet.  We picked it up, we took advantage of the elements and we held our own in the field.  “Hey, the ball is giong to be wet when you pick it up!”  We hit cutoff men, we threw strikes and we hit it where they weren’t.  We took extra bases when the situation called for it and we ran out balls in the dirt.  The Schlitz Gusto Guys do some of their best work in sub-optimal conditions.  This may stem from the time they put in at SFRCMP in January.

Tears hitting homeplate on SFRCMP

Some highlights from the 2010 version of the “monsoon game…”  Pub Krull winking at Mother Nature and letting her know who her daddy is as he hit a HR to straight away center into the teeth of the wind and the rain, a nice catch by 2′s going back to the track fighting the rain and puddles to make a catch and finally, Sans legging out a double as he took advantage of the slick footing of the outfielders.

Rain on SFRCMP from Tom McInerney on Vimeo.

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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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