Kings de-throned...sort of
Week 6 Recap
Tue, Jul 28, 2009
And another one bites the dust: the league’s only undefeated team, the Diamond Kings, suffered their first lost of the season against the Bombers, 19-15, in Saturday’s early game.
“Technically, we lost to the ‘Bombers’, although I'd say our opponent was more like the ‘Blowbombereens Administration’ with the top player each from Moody and The Blowfish, Smithereens and Carter Administration recruited to play [as subs],” said Diamond Kings manager Rob Tong.
Under current MCSN rules, the team with the lowest record going into a match up can pick their choice of substitutes; since only 3 Bomber players showed Saturday, the Bombers (4-2) stacked their bench with an all-star lineup.
“The mother of all vacation, wedding and injury storms hit the Bombers last week,” said Bomber manager Anthony Halpin. “Due to the generous subbing rules ...soon to be changed... and the desire of others to knock off the Diamond Kings, who are now kings no more, the Bombers were able to prevail.”
The Diamond Kings (5-1) trailed 8-5 in the third inning, but they wouldn’t relinquish their crowns so easily and actually came back to take a 15-9 lead in the top of the sixth.
“You'd think a 6 run lead would be enough to win but that squad had a very potent lineup...and they showed it, scoring an unprecedented 10 runs in the sixth inning to win,” said Tong. “If offense is your thing, our game put you in softball heaven. A total of 33 runs were scored. If you're more into defense, well, hope you covered your eyes.”
Of the historic win (which preserved last year's Emoticons as the league's only undefeated team in league history), Halpin said, “I couldn’t be prouder of a group of players who aren’t on my team. I’m sure the Diamond Kings will be looking forward to our rematch on August 8. Hopefully, we will have a full team there when we defeat them.”
The Kings aren’t concerned about a rematch, and are instead setting their sights on this week’s game.
“Hopefully, we learned from our mistakes and bounce back against the Colonel and his fried chicken chain, the Battalion,” Tong said.
Bouncing Battalion may get interesting, as they brought their record to an even 3-3 after their 9 am game and will be looking to continue their winning streak against the Kings. The Battalion edged past the Smithereens (1-5) by 1 run, 13-12.
After two tough losses last week, Inferno rose from the ashes to beat the Mt. Sinai Sluggers 9-7. After scoring 5 runs in the 1st inning, Inferno (3-3) started strong and manager Dan Coughlin pointed to Rob McMahon’s solid hitting for keeping momentum the rest of the game. However, spectators noted the Sluggers (0-6) gave it their all behind the plate, getting off 15 hits, their second highest total. Coughlin also pointed to Sluggers outfielder Hutz Hertzberg’s “great grab at the warning track” late in the game that had the Inferno bench holding their breath…collectively.
This week, the Sluggers meet the Carter Administration, and both teams are gearing up for the game.
“We intend to smash the Mt. Sinai Sluggers like the Golden Calf,” said Carter Administration assistant to the manager Bill Van Tuinen. “We may or may not force them to drink the smashed version of themselves.”
Trash talk lifted straight from the Pentateuch...they must mean business.
Speaking of, Saturday’s play rounded out with the Carter Administration (4-2) hooking Moody & the Blowfish 18-9.
“The Nixon (nee Ford?) Administration continued its strong play despite the continued absence of our eponymous ‘coach,’” said Van Tuinen. “We’ve become the Ichabod Crane of Moody Softball.”
Despite changes in a leadership regime, The Carter Adminstration (now, in name only) managed to not only survive, but thrive without the shackles of bureaucratic authority.
“We received strong contributions up-and-down the lineup as everyone on the team had a hit AND scored a run,” said Van Tuinen.
The team is also considering new foreign policy, confided the assistant to the manager.
“Ethan ‘Dutch Treat’ Sinnema showed speed-and-power contributing 3 extra-base hits and 6 RBIs," Van Tuinen said. "We've discovered there is a lot of Dutch heritage on our team and so we've begun to wonder if perhaps we are simply genetically superior to the rest of the teams in the league? We were going to have some testing done, but it took us so long to split a dinner check 15 ways that we abandoned the plan.”
“I couldn't be prouder of a group of players who aren't on my team.”- Bombers' Anthony Halpin on the supersubs who played for the absentee Bombers to beat the previously undefeated Diamond Kings
The Blowfish (4-2) suffered from an absentee roster, fielding 9 players and having to make some quick adjustments to their skeleton lineup. Again plagued by pitching changeups, Blowfish moved star pitcher Phil ‘Pa’ Nelson to first base and league veteran Judith Dguogouo took over the strike zone.
“[Judith] pitched with confidence and did really well for her first time on the mound,” hailed Blowfish manager Ali Stolzenbach. “[Despite the short bench] we were in the game until Bill Van Tuinen took one over the fence in left center. After that it was all downhill,” she added.
Both teams pointed to the rap concert and graffiti contest, taking place on the adjacent field during the
game, as distraction…or inspiration depending on who you talk to.
“For next week, we're looking for a couple DJs to spin during the 11am game in order to re-create the concert-like atmosphere on Saturday,” said Van Tuinen. “I believe our coach has some George Strait remix tapes so that may have to suffice.”
Stay tuned.
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