MCSN: June 21, 2008

Trees' Company

Week 3 Recap

Tue, June 24, 2008

Carter Administration's Miguel Rodriguez relays the ball under the watchful eyes of the trees

"There are three things you can do in a game. You can win, you can lose, or it can rain," say some. This week's play at Clarendon Park had all three.

First up to bat, the Moody Blues continued their pitch-perfect performance, winning against the Living Stones 13-2 in the 8 a.m. game. Plagued by injury and an absentee roster, the Living Stones can't seem to catch a break.

"We were missing a few [key] players, and it really made a difference in our hitting and scoring," said Anne Marie Misovich.

Defense became a priority later when the Moody Blues let loose 13 run-scoring hits. Living Stones shortstop Pastor Steve Mason welcomed the challenge. He valiantly put himself in the line of fire when the Moody Blues' Jonathan Hauser stepped to the box.

"I caught one (blazing bullet shot) that came right at me toward the neck area," relayed Mason. "Instead of ducking and protecting myself (like a Bill Van Tuinen or a Tim Kurtz or Mike Thate), I bravely stood my ground as the cannon shot closed in on me at 'break neck' speed. [I caught] the ball, [and stopped an] extra base hit. All Hauser could to was look at me with deep respect and, like a gentleman, tip his cap."

Misovich said she plans to enroll her team in Pastor Mason's Fielding Boot Camp as soon as slots open up.

But Mason was edged out for "play of the day" by Miss Shirley Sparks, MSCN's number one fan. Late in the game, Moody Blues power-hitter Steve Borgstrom hit a foul ball over the backstop fence.

"To protect David Cho, Miss Shirley jumped in front and took it off the top of her head!" exclaimed Mason. Later, he amended his comment. "Actually she was just sitting in her chair and got bopped." Miss Shirley remained at the game to cheer on her favorite players and is in good health. "She is one tough lady!" assured Misovich.

This week, the Living Stones meet the Carter Administration, and Misovich expects her team's record to improve. "We are looking forward to our matchup with the Carter Administration and hopefully our first victory [Wink wink]."

Misovich has reason to hope, as the Carter Administration fell to 0-2-1 against the undefeated Barn Burners Saturday. Barn Burners' substitute managers Kyle Radcliff and Josh Hall attributed the 14-4 blowout to slick defensive plays and clutch hitting. Everyone performed at the plate, most notably Angie Coughlin who got her first base-hit of the season. Scouts are rumored to have Coughlin on the short-list for post-season play if she remains consistent. The Carter Administration also pointed to "the Couple Tandems" of Radcliffs, Coughlins, and Ploegstras for the loss.

“Instead of ducking and protecting myself (like a Bill Van Tuinen or a Tim Kurtz or Mike Thate), I bravely stood my ground.”

- Steve Mason on his defensive stab of a line drive

The Carter Administration will continue campaigning for their first, elusive win. In the meantime, the name of the game is reorganization. Manager Chris Carter explains his complicated strategy: "The Carter Administration is using these first three weeks to try personnel in several different positions," said Carter as he drew out an organizational chart. "We found our pitcher in Melissa Lopez and are just filling the holes in around that."

Assistant To The Manager, Bill Van Tuinen agreed. "I'm not sure if she's related to former Detroit Tigers'
great Aurelio Lopez (a.k.a. Senor Smoke), but she had a lot of poise out there in her initial performance."

Van Tuinen is also rumored to be planning a corporate retreat to help the team regroup. "I think the 3 weeks off that many on our team are taking should help us re-orient ourselves for a playoff run."

The Emoticons already have a head-start in the race for the pennant; they remain undefeated after Saturday's game. Fire and Ice scored 5 early runs, but the Emoticons matched them inning for inning. Solid defense staved off a 7th-inning offensive rally by Fire and Ice, and the Emoticons stayed on top 13-10.

Fire and Ice Manager, Mat Smith, was proud of his team's performance, despite the loss.

"We definitely showed that we can play with the best teams in the league," said Smith.

Fire and Ice's short-handed roster sparked notable performances from several players. Outfielder Jacob Dodds hurled a Guinness record-length (and we don't mean Guinness the beer) throw from deep center field to home plate, shutting down an Emoticons run and eliciting audible gasps from onlookers. Juan Cruz had 4 RBIs, Tania Vazquez showed promise at the plate, and Pastor Hutz Hertzberg drove in a pair of runs.

"He might not look fast, but he really surprised me with his legs!" exclaimed Smith after Hertzberg's sprint.

[Reporter's Note: Hertzberg usually wears long-pants on the field, so don't expect to see those legendary stems in the flesh anytime soon.]

Last week, the Emoticons welcomed back veteran Ricky Hutton and newcomers Phil and Sally Hale to their lineup. Once again, that lineup came through without any strikeouts at the plate.

However, the Emoticons' consistent hitting efforts continue to be taunted by vengeful trees lining the fence. "The umpire allowed [Fire and Ice] to play with 5 players in the outfield," complained Halpin. "The 5th player looked a lot like a tree and wasn't wearing his jersey, but he did a good job of knocking down two home runs by Michael Thate."

No problem. Thate found a solution. "I'm bringing an axe to [next game]," resolved Thate. "Perhaps you could cue in the lyrics for 'I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok!'"

Fire and Ice will meet the Calvary this week, and Smith is already scouting out his opponents.

"It is always a blast going against the Commish, [but] I noticed Sonia Soto has number 007, so watch out for her for obvious reasons."

Although Soto and her merry band of Fiebers were absent against the Eagles, the Calvary still left the Eagles both shaken and stirred after their 9 a.m. matchup Saturday. The Calvary won 15-6 despite being without 8 of its players.

"For a minute there, I thought I'd have to suit up my 7-year-old son Ethan to play," Tong said.

The Calvary went meekly in the first inning and the Eagles jumped out to a 3-run first inning. But the Calvary came back with 5 runs in the second inning, capped by a home run shot over the fence by Tong that, like Thate's, was knocked down by trees. Even so, Tong notched two home runs later in the game to take the league lead in home runs after three weeks.

"I expect pigs to be flying this week," Tong said. "But pigs will be back on the ground next week."

The Eagles cut the Calvary's lead to 7-5 after three innings but the Calvary outscored the Eagles 8-1 the rest of the way to control the game. The Eagles next play the undefeated Emoticons while the Calvary challenge Fire and Ice.

"Anytime we face a team that doesn't end with an 's', you have to respect them," Tong said.