True Foes vs. El D, 6/26/09

Looking outside today at the beautiful blue skies and radiant sunshine, you never would have guessed that we were playing under a dome of doom and gloom last night!

Seriously, it was like “The Softball Game at the End of the World.” It looked like we were finally going to luck out, weather-wise, since thunderstorms (and even hail!) had been predicted, but conditions were still dry when we got to the field.

But sure enough, come six o’clock, these immense dark cloud formations started swirling and piling up just like in Ghostbusters 2 when Vigo gathers those supernatural storm clouds around Dana’s upper-west-side high rise.

The ump called for us to start the game right quick, in hopes that we’d be able to squeeze in enough innings for it to count as a ‘real game’. At first the frenzied pace seemed to be working for us, as the True Foes started out batting and quickly scored three runs. Then El D took the plate and scored four. At this point I was thinking two things:

1) “Wow, we seem to be pretty evenly matched. This is going to be a great game!”
2) “I am concerned that the ump has struggled to remember the score and we’re only in the first inning!”

Well, I needn’t have bothered worrying about his scorekeeping ability, since from that point on El D kept scoring runs and we kept on not scoring runs, so…

In the second inning the winds picked up, and this massive dust cloud blew in (I think it was from a construction site somewhere under the BQE) and we had to call a brief time-out until people could see again. The wind continued to gather strength, and then awesome forks of lightning started cracking sideways across the sky. The umpire hurried both teams along at every step, and tension mounted.

It got dark, and rain began to fall, but we kept on playing. We were losing by a lot now. Things were looking and feeling very grim. It seriously felt like the world was going to come to an end, and we’d never get to see our loved ones or eat pizza or listen to “Thriller” EVER AGAIN. All we could do was FINISH THIS GAME and then hold on for dear life when things inevitably started crashing down around us. The ump tried to call the game at one point, drawing protests from both teams: “Look, it’s letting up!”

And indeed it was. The rain petered out, the winds died down, and the lightning continued to flicker until at last it was finished too. And so were we. Mercy rule after a mere five innings.

How did it happen? Well, I could tell you about some bad calls behind the plate (Glen and Ryan were ROBBED, that’s for sure!) and the wind interfering with things, but the plain truth is that they just played better than we did. Too many of El D’s hits touched turf instead of a glove. Too many of our hits were scooped up instead of scrambled after. These things happen.

But in True Foes form, we decided to make the best of things and so we stayed behind on the field for some fun batting practice after the game. The storm was completely over by then, and a golden sunset beamed from beneath the high cloud cover, making the field and the trees and the buildings glow as if lit from within by magical rosy candlelight.

Add a wagon full of beer (thanks, Glenn!), some funky cotton-ball cloud formations, and friends shagging balls in a field of newly-mown grass, and you’ve got yourself a paradise.


Next time, we’re going to come together as a team before the game (which is at 9pm on the East River fields, Thursday July 9) and recreate that calm, glowing vibe before we storm things up on the field. It's a brilliant plan, and you won't want to miss it!

GTF

True Foes vs. The Felons, 6/23/09

It rained 20 of the past 23 days this month, but I hadn't really thought about what effect it would have on softball beyond the annoyance of canceled games. We may have cursed the rain for keeping us away from the field for so long, but evidently the field was loving every minute of it!

The outfield was a veritable meadow. The grass was lush and thick enough to make suburban lawnscapers green with envy. Weeds reached up to knee height, and bumble bees happily crawled around on the abundant clover. Little white butterflies flitted about, and the mosquitoes and no-see-ums were having a field day (pun intended).

The vegetation was so thick that we actually LOST a softball during warm-ups. It landed somewhere in right field, but by the time anyone jogged over to retrieve it, the foliage had hidden it from view. And we spent a good ten minutes tramping around looking for it! I swear I saw some plant growths out there that looked like Seymour had escaped from the Little Shop of Horrors and spawned in the navy yard.

Not that any of this is an excuse for our 12-0 loss; I'm merely setting the stage.

For the first three innings we really had a close game: they got a lucky run during the first inning, and then a freakishly fast triple-play by the Felons brought a swift and shocking end to our first at-bat. The following two innings passed in a flash, with both teams hitting well but fielding better, resulting in a lot of good catches and plays, but no runs.

Then in the fourth inning the Felons scored a second run. And then some more runs. It wasn't an unwinnable game for us at this point, but morale dropped faster than Spitzer's pants and we never made that comeback. Innings five through seven were more of the same: they hit, they scored, they grand-slammed, and we started making more errors in the field.

We strove for a rally, and to tell you the truth we were hitting well, but their golden gloves just scooped up everything that came off our bats, and we weren't able to turn it around.

On the bright side: we got to play! How good did that feel? Pretty freakin' good. The dark clouds and the sun took turns watching the game, but it stayed dry, and that's the important part. We also had a really healthy turnout, with more than enough fresh players to sub in halfway through.

Jason pitched a great game, keeping the Felons on their toes and really throwing the heat, as evidenced by the big bruise on my shoulder! We were happy to have Willy on first base, and he made some great catches over there. Tyson made a crucial catch at second, which put an end to one of their scoring streaks, and Abbey made a valiant effort on third in the latter half of the game.

Drew made his debut game and had at least one great hit that I remember, and--hold the phones--Peter Becker took a turn at bat! The only downside to having so many Foes ready to play is that I can't give a proper shout-out to everyone. Instead I'll finish by thanking our team mascot (Max) and his manager for coming by and showing their support!

We had plenty of vehicles after the game, which was a nice surprise. We all congregated at the Water Street Bar to sip our brews and lick our wounds. The horror of our shutout definitely detracted from our excitement to be back in action, but in true Foes fashion we drank away the pain and ended up having a great time catching up as a team.

I mean, hey. We hadn't played for two weeks, we were missing some regulars, and we gave it our best shot out there. Let's consider this a warm-up game, and now we'll be in top form for our next face-off this Friday! So shake off any regret or disappointment, stay limber, and bring your A-game. We'll finish off the week with a definitive win and get to crow about it all weekend!

GTF

Ode to the weather

One day a storm came rolling in
and chose the Navy Yard
He said, “I think I’ll sit right here,
and drop some rain real hard.”

He did not know that on that day
the True Foes had a game.
They cursed the wet and wind and mud;
declared the weather lame.

The storm, he liked their spirit!
He was not disconcerted.
But whenever he would watch them play
the field remained deserted.

Dear gray clouds and rainy drops,
we welcome your support.
But if you come, we cannot play.
Would you please be a sport?

Just peep our weekly schedule
and please rain some other day.
I promise we’ll be grateful
and our very best we’ll play.

We have a game on Thursday
and the weather’s looking shit.
Please keep your fuckin’ distance
so I can get a hit!

True Foes vs. Mayhem, 4/2/09

When it started to rain around 4:30 yesterday afternoon I cursed the sky. I cursed the clouds, the rain, our rotten luck with the weather, and then for good measure I cursed this season’s entire schedule for failing to place our games on the sunny dry nights. And it worked! The afternoon showers abated, and though the air was humid and thick with unrained rain, it was game on!

Due to three of our seven games having been rained out thus far, last night was our fourth game overall and our second one against Mayhem. Last time they beat us 9-5, and the True Foes fiercely desired a comeback—and delivered!

Of course Mayhem’s infamous pitcher (Irwin) was there, and though we hoped he’d be all shagged out from having just flown in from Las Vegas, he seemed to be his usual self—though perhaps with a bit more respect for the True Foes now. After Michael showed Mayhem that women can hit, he announced his intentions to stop “easing up” on his pitches to female Foes. Don’t do me any favors, Irwin.

Our pitcher, on the other hand, was in top form! There were a lot of strikeouts when Jason was on the mound, and also noteworthy were the amazing catches he made: one bare-handed catch of an infield fly, a reflex-testing catch of a line drive, and an amazing slide, almost crashing into the Mayhem dugout, to catch a skewed foul ball.

Yes, the True Foes’ defensive moves were sharp last night, and we shut them down in quite a few innings! David Phillips excelled on first base, making one particularly amazing reach while managing to keep a toe on the bag—out! Shortstop Brian covered his usual wide-ranging infield territory with great skill, and Michael had a golden glove last night too—fortunately for us, Mayhem seemed to love to hit the ball right to her! Credit is also due to Tyson and Mabilon (as rover and right fielder) for stopping balls on that end of the field, and to Caroline and Abbey for bravely stepping up to play in the latter half of an exciting game.

We were the visiting team, so at the top of every inning bats were gripped and balls were hit by one Foe after another. Sure, there were a few strikeouts, but more often than not those speedy pitches were sent right back to Mayhem, with interest! Question: what do Glenn, Glenn’s cousin Mike, and Softball Dave have in common? They all hit home runs! It was awesome. If only we’d had dudes on bases when those homers happened we could have won by a comfortable margin! There were some who were less than thrilled about the close score, but you know what? I’ll take an 8-7 win any day! The ump last night was great—there were a few times when some uncertainty over the score came up, but his friendly demeanor and reliable eye for judging balls and strikes made him very popular.

The air at Barry 2 was as fresh and light as a towel on the bathroom floor, and the sweat ran down our backs like rain on a windowpane. The “Florida-like” climate (as Tyson described it) did seem to dampen our cheering somewhat, but fortunately Willy and Kim were there, keeping score and showing support. Thanks also to Willy for hauling the equipment in the Bresemobile, and to Kim for getting the beers so we could replenish lost fluids!
Our next game is Friday, June 12, again at Barry 2, versus the Dot Bombers. Come and play, or come to cheer--this win is just the beginning of a fabulous winning streak!
GTF