True Foes vs. Predators, 8/9/2010

We had a great crowd over at Barry 1 last night: eleven eager Foes and the biggest cheering section we've seen all year! A huge thank-you to Brett, Steve, Morgan, Peter, Sarah Habibi, and Shayne for trekking through an uninspiring neighborhood to stand in the hot sun and cheer while the True Foes battled the Predators in our first (and last) playoff game of the summer. That weird Kenny Powers promotional thing was happening too, and though it was pretty understated, mullet caps were worn both on the field and off (it's a good look on you, Mabs).

The field last night was nice and dry, but there was a really deep hole next to home plate (where the puddle used to be), so with every hit the runner first had to extricate him/herself from six inches of silt-like dirt and then find traction to sprint to first. Meanwhile, the catcher is squatting in a permanent dust cloud like Pigpen. On the bright side, the typically shaggy grass in the outfield was nothing but crunchy scrub, so at least it was easier to maneuver out there.

We were the away team (at bat first) and the game was off to a great start as Softball Dave, Willy, and Jason quickly brought in three runs--nice homer, Jason! Batting cleanup was Alex Laviola, who made some amazing blazing hits right down the third baseline. Taking early lead was exciting, and there were also a couple of scoreless innings for the Predators! I don't know if it was from last week's near brawl or Jason's inspiring words, but the True Foes were off to a strong start and feeling good!

However, the Predators (and their "supplementary players") made back the runs and then some, and we just couldn't score enough to close the gap before the seventh inning. I think the final score was something like 12-5, and to be honest we played pretty well compared to our last few efforts!

Jason pitched a great game while the other team admired his leggy style from their dugout. More notable moves: his skin-scraping slide into second (safe!) and Softball Dave's stunning sprint from shortstop to grab a line drive and whip it over to Willy on first base for an out! Ryan Hullings, Tyson, Ben, and Mabilon rounded out the impressive infield lineup, and our outfielders (Casey, Laviola, Issa) also did a great job catching Predator's big hits and bringing them in quickly to minimize the damage.

Forgive me for not recalling and recording all the great plays and hits the way they deserve. I was kind of keyed up for this game, and also I think those filthy sluts at the bar messed with my memory a bit...We did make some errors too, but not nearly as many as we have on other evenings, and our team spirit stayed strong. If the team we played last night had been the same team we played back in May, I think we could've taken them.

This being a playoff game, of course, the other guys totally cheated. They had a pretty amazing *new* pitcher, and their ranks were definitely filled with ringers. This is something I can prove because I recognized their shortstop from my other team, and I know for a fact that he never played for the Predators before last night.

The usual gripes aside, it wasn't a bad end to the season. Though it would've been nice to face off against the real Predators, at least they weren't as obnoxious and aggressive as the guys we met at the East River Field last week! In fact, they were pretty cordial and there wasn't any drama to speak of. I hope that they and all the other cheaters get what they want out of the playoffs. We kept it real and had a spirited dugout, awesome fans, and an especially fun time pickling our livers in between bites of burgers and fries at our usual watering hole.

And then the season was over, just like that. Sure, we didn't feel great about every single game, not everyone got the hits s/he wanted, and we suffered more than our share of cancellations and complications due to poor management by the commish. But we got plenty of exercise out in the fresh air, had great turnout at every game, and, most importantly, we got to share with good friends the breakups, engagements, injuries, recoveries, true stories, bad jokes, and one-too-many drinks that made up our summer.

Keep in shape, keep it real, and know that for the True Foes, the best is yet to come!

Until next season,

GTF