Sluggers Game Summary
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Rally Fades With Championship Hopes
CRP doubles up Sluggers 16-8
--BOSTON, August 27, 2002
Sang-froid: noun Coolness and composure, especially
in trying circumstances.
Some teams have sang-froid, and some teams don’t. Some teams have
it occasionally, and some teams have it most of the time. Some teams have
sang-froid during the regular season, and some teams have it during the
post-season.
The Sluggers are the sang-froid poster children for three quarters of
every season, exemplified by their second place finishes over the past two
seasons. The Crappers have very little sang-froid, but it comes at the most
critical times.
Tonight’s game between these two arch rivals illustrated both of
these points to a tee. Each team played their respective roles through the
first six innings. The tides turned in the seventh inning, but the
Sluggers’ rally, spurred by the
sell-out
crowd’s consistent support, fell a touchdown and an extra point shy of
extending their post-season dreams. It’s just as well. Rumors are swirling
all over the league that the players union may strike just before
Wednesday’s championship game.
Around the League
In the only other playoff game tonight, MDC
beat AOL Time Warner in a tough fought battle. AOL led through the fifth
inning, but the Mad Cows took the lead by one in the sixth, played great
defense to hold the Conglomerates, and added two insurance runs in the top of
the seventh. CRP had a commanding lead going into the 7th when the sluggers
staged a rally comeback scoring 6 and leaving the bases loaded but CRP
prevailed 15-9.
The championship game is Wednesday the 28th at 6 PM between CRP and MDC.
CRP has been champions for the last five seasons. MDC will be making their
second appearance in the final game.
Offensive Play of the Game
This week’s Offensive Play of
the Game occurred with two runners on and one out in the bottom of the seventh
inning. The Sluggers were trailing by 10 runs and needed lots of base runners
and base hits to keep their hopes of a rally alive. There are no flies on
Julie
“Scotch Guard” Scotti, strode to the plate scalded a 1-1 cutter
for an infield single to second base that was too hot to handle and scored
Mike “Mr.
Perfect” Douglas, who was standing at second base when the play
began.
“Sure, I hit my sixth home run of season earlier in that
inning,” said center fielder,
Dan
“Dinger” Landesman after the game. “But Scotch Guard’s
RBI single was a true rally cry to our team.”
Other Offensive Highlights
Isaac
“Pudge” Taylor became the first Slugger to have a sac fly in
which the runner (Dan “Dinger”
Landesman) scored from second base rather than third. With that sacrifice
fly, Taylor becomes the only player on the team this year with at least one of
every tracked statistic
the team keeps.
These Sluggers batted 1.000 on the day:
Defensive Play of the Game
This week’s Defensive Play of
the Game occurred in the top of the first inning. With a very fast runner
(“Black Pants/Mariners Hat,” as the official scorer called him) on
first, the Crappers short stop, who carries himself with a bit too much swagger
grounded sharply to short stop
Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra, who shoveled the ball to interim second
baseman Steve
“Wheels” Baer. Baer fired a cannon blast to first baseman
George “The
Hit Man” Hart to complete the Sluggers first 6-4-3 double play in team
history.
Honorable Mention
In the top of the third inning, the same
swaggering Crappers short stop hit a double to right field. He ill-advisedly
tried to stretch the double into a triple and paid for it. Sluggers right
fielder, Aaron
“Penguin” Mathieu fired a laser to third baseman
Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson who completed the play with a sweep tag.
In the top of the fifth inning, when Crappers leadoff hitter,
“Orange Hatted
Eephus Pitcher” (as the official scorer called him)
tried to rip a double up the middle, he was stunned to see the great snare that
Noah
“n$” Cushing made on his sinking liner.
Rumor Mill
After a three-week hiatus, the Rumor Mill returns
to this column to focus on one odd area of the 2002 Sluggers season: fashion.
The Sluggers may be eliminated from the championship game, but they went
undefeated in the fashion show that goes on between those white lines.
Exhibit A:
Mike Douglas’ sunglasses. He looks like
an extra in “RoboCop”.
Exhibit B:
Inveterate slider,
Isaac Taylor’s socks. And he wonders why we called him
the Tool Man.
Exhibit C:
Julie Scotti’s use of one batting glove that is an
obvious hark to the
Michael Jackson one-glove look.
Exhibit D:
Robert Orleman’s choice of headwear. Noah
Cushing’s look says it all, doesn’t it?
Exhibit E:
Steve Baer’s hair. Is that
Hyde from
“That 70’s Show”? If we were Wheels, we’d sport the
rally cap too.
Exhibit F: Sometimes the post-game parties get a little out of control.
Check out
Craig “Trump Card” Trumm’s new hat.
Even their opponents are scared out of the fashion competition.
Dennis Eckersley’s Doppleganger, who was mentioned in
this space in the June 5th
column because of his use of a
fanny
pack as standard softball gear appeared fanny pack-less in tonight’s
contest. Oh how Sluggers Nation missed him.
Teddy Points
After each game, at
the Red
Hat, Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson (motto: “I Never Met a Wine I Didn’t
Like”) hands out points given for the little things that don’t show
up in the box score but still contribute greatly to the team’s success.
Here’s what Johnson had to say after the game:
“I’d like to remind everyone that the player to finish the
season with the most cumulative Teddy Points wins dinner for two in the
North End. And remember, I double all Teddy Points earned against CRP. Now
for this week’s award.
“I’d like to start this week’s award presentation by
listing the top ten things I observed over the course of this, my first season
with the Sluggers:
10. The short-lived goatee of Matt “Don’t Call Me
Ben Affleck” Ronzio.
9. The fact that week by week,
little by little, the number of Sluggers slipping downstairs for post-game
cigarettes has dropped by 78 percent.
8. The fact that in the bottom of the
last inning against MDC on July 9th, they brought their entire team in as far
as they could and Tamara Stanley proceeded to rip her third straight hit right
over everyone’s head and score the eventual go-ahead run.
7. The fact
that
Will only dives for those balls to impress the girl playing
centerfield on Field 1.
6.
Isaac’s
utter shock every week when he receives a ticket for parking on the grass,
directly under the
“No Parking” sign.
5. The fact that the women
have worse mouths than then men do.
4. The day-in and day-out,
Cal Ripken-like commitment put in by
Brandon
“Waiting For” Guttman.
3. Chris and Melissa of
the Red
Hat for keeping the
wings and the
pitchers coming every Tuesday night.
2. The bionic arm
of one of our unsung heroes,
Brian
“Wightman Can’t Jump”.
1. A special thanks to the man
who made it all happen, week after week and year after year,
Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra.”
Stats from the Maniacal One
Here are this week’s off-beat
stats from the Maniacal One:
- Know When to Hold 'Em: The Sluggers offense
wasn’t erased 1-2-3 for the first time in a contest with the CRP
Crappers.
- 1, 2, 5?: The Sluggers defense didn’t
have a 1-2-3 inning for the first time this season.
- Sluggers sLOBber: The Sluggers had six
runners left on base (LOB).
- Crappers LOB Pitch: The Crappers had eight
runners left on base (LOB).
Player of the Week
The unanimous vote-getter for this
week’s Player of the Week award is
Mike “Mr.
Perfect” Douglas, whose 3 for 3 day at the plate exemplified what this
rookie has accomplished all season long--consistency.
“Consistency is what makes you or breaks you in this game,”
said Sluggers hitting coach,
Kristen
“Killer” Smith. “Señor Swing, as our Latino players
call him, is the picture of consistency.”
Unlike most PotW recipients, Douglas didn’t have an outstanding day
in the field. That’s because he didn’t have an opportunity to.
Sluggers coach
Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra decided to have Douglas DH for the first time
this season.
See Douglas’ Player of the Week stats and photo
here.
Quotes of the Week
- “What are you doing to get your game face on today?”--Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson, Sluggers third baseman, asking
his
coach for some pre-game preparation tips
- “A few shots of
Wild Turkey.”--Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra, Sluggers coach, handing out some pre-game
preparation tips
- “I was half way to to work and I had to go all the way home
because I forgot my shirt.”--Lisa “Car
Wash” Roberts, Sluggers short fielder, explaining her most
embarrassing moment
- “Sorry for caring, Skip.”--George “The Hit
Man” Hart, Sluggers first baseman, in response to
Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra commenting on the difficulty of juggling a
20-plus player lineup every week
- “One could describe the event of the Sluggers trying to turn two
as a chaos of festivity.”--Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson, Sluggers third baseman, describing the
amazing 6-4-3 double play in the first inning
- “I heard that Ronzio taking out that short stop was racially
motivated.”--Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson, Sluggers third baseman, with his take on
Matt “The
Rock” Ronzio bumping the Crappers short stop in the seventh inning to
break up a double play
- “You’re getting a
Wendell Kim-like reputation.”--Steve
“Wheels” Baer, Sluggers short stop, revealing the word on the
street to Sluggers third base coach,
Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson
- “Who?”--The Whole
Team, responding to
Ted
“Ballgame” Johnson’s giving props to "the day-in and
day-out,
Cal Ripken-like commitment put in by
Brandon
“Waiting For” Guttman."
- “I’ll see you at the autograph sessions in the winter.
We’ll have a very Sluggers Christmas.”--Noah “n$”
Cushing, Sluggers infielder, explaining to
George “The
Hit Man” Hart that goodbyes aren’t necessary
Special Thanks from the Coach
After he’d had a few
cocktails at
the Red
Hat, Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra addressed his players. “I’d like to
thank everyone for our best season yet. Why was it our best one yet? Because
you have all showed true dedication to the team. We had an unprecedented six
players play in every game
this season. Nineteen of our players played in more than half of our games.
We’ve never had that kind of turnout before. That shows me that everyone
is enjoying what’s happening with this team--on and off the field.
Our rookie class was outstanding last year with the addition of Brian,
Matt, George, Isaac, Will, and Aaron. I didn’t think our minor league
system had more to offer than that. But good scouting, a lucrative deal with
the Red Hat, and a fertile free agent market helped us till another stellar
rookie crop: Mike, Ted, Meghan, and Stan. Picking a Rookie of the Year
recipient is going to be just as hard this year as it was last year. Most
importantly, all these additions didn’t just add talent to our roster,
they’ve added class to our clubhouse, and a give-it-your-all spirit to our
bench.
I have many, many people to thank for our most successful year. Please
forgive me if I forget a few people in my current drunken stupor. Thanks to
Dan
“Dinger” Landesman for getting us sponsored by the Red Hat. He
saved us all a lot of money through persistence and hard work. Thanks to
Dan’s agent, Amy Zimpritsch, who cheered us on all season, rain or
shine.
Thanks to my own agent and lovely wife, Michelle, who put up with me
obsessively swearing at the weather reports on TV on Tuesday mornings, smelling
like the Charles River and 10-cent wings on Tuesday evenings, and getting
pencil shavings in our bed as I compile stats on Tuesday nights.
Finally, thanks to the best group of 22 people for a fantastic 12-game
season filled with
camaraderie,
laughter,
dog slobber, and
fun. Have a great off-season. I look forward to seeing you
all next spring training.”
Batting Summary
| Linescore | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | R | H | E | | CRP |
0 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
0 | 1 | |
16 |
15 |
2 | | Sluggers |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 | 5 | |
8 |
15 |
2 |
Pitching Summary
| No. | Name | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | | 16 | Brian Wightman (Loss) | 7 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 3
| | Totals | 7.0 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 3
|
| 
Sluggers
