Sluggers Game Summary
at Shriners
June 18
Sluggers Flatten Fez
Sluggers Score Early and Tighten Defense to Prevail 12-7
--BOSTON, June 18, 2002
Those who arrived to the field early with hopes of seeing batting
practice were sorely disappointed when they saw the Sluggers and Shriners
showing true teamwork as they worked to recover a soggy outfield and a
dangerous infield that resembled the
surface of the moon. After raking the field with ancient MDC
rakes, the Sluggers mopped up the field with Shriners Fez.
“As always, the Fez played a good game tonight,”
Tony
“Skip” Vinciguerra said during a post-game interview. “But
we outplayed them offensively and defensively. As I keep saying over and over,
if we stick to our plan we can compete with any team in this league.”
Offensive Play of the Game
With two outs and the game tied at
5 in the top of the third inning,
Julie
“Scotch Guard” Scotti, hit an RBI single that put the Sluggers on
top for good.
Other Offensive Highlights
Following Scotti’s RBI single
was a three-run homer by
Mike
“I’ll Be Right Back” Douglas that also scored
Kristen
“Killer” Smith, who reached on a single to extend the inning.
Robert
“Stretch” Orleman capped the Slugger scoring by hitting a two-run
homer with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. He chased home his better
half, Wendy
“Wender Woman” Millard, making this the first husband-wife combo
home run in team history. Look for
Kristen
“Killer” Smith and
Noah
“n$” Cushing to put that record to the test next season.
The following Sluggers batted 1.000 on the day:
It should be noted here that
Mike
“I’ll Be Right Back” Douglas had his first imperfect game
after batting 1.000 for the four consecutive games. He went 1 for 2 tonight
with a two-run bomb. His average has plummeted to .889. He may get benched.
Defensive Play of the Game
The Shriners were leading 5-2 in
the second inning with the bases loaded and two outs. Pee Wee Mays got up and
hit a blooper to short right-center. It looked as though the Shriners were
going to widen their lead by a hefty margin. Then Slugger right fielder,
“Good
Stan” Hunting came out of nowhere to make a spectacular diving catch
followed by a nice roll in the soggy outfield grass. The Slugger bench and the
Slugger faithful erupted in jubilation with
high-fives all around.
Honorable Mention
Battery mate,
Isaac “The
Tool Man” Taylor said it best by saying, “Wighty [Brian
“Wightman Can’t Jump”] had it all working tonight. He just
simply threw strikes.” Wightman hasn’t walked a batter since May 21.
“Most telling, I think, is that I remember scrambling to the backstop for
a wild pitch only once all night -- and that was during warm-ups. He's getting
really good. And OOOh that glove!” Wightman is always good for at least
two assists a game by snaring hard grounders up the middle and making sure
throws to first.
“I’m just happy to get an opportunity to contribute to this
great organization,” said the veteran right-hander, who threw 87 pitches
in his fifth complete game of the year.
Noah
“n$” Cushing made two eye-popping plays at short tonight. He
handled the nasty playing surface with ease. “I just be happy n’
[expletive] ta be gettins oppatunities to be contrabutin’ ta dis greats
organism,” said the one-time member of the
Fat Albert gang.
Mike
“I’ll Be Right Back” Douglas knew how to place himself
perfectly by being in the right place at the right time to get the first two
outs of the fourth inning.
Teddy Points
After each game, at
the Red
Hat, Teddy
“Ballgame” Johnson 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. Last night, Johnson handed out two Teddy Points:
“This week’s first Teddy Point goes to
Isaac “The
Tool Man” Taylor. Isaac gets the nod for his stellar bare-handed grab
on the foul ball. The second Teddy Point goes to
“Good
Stan” Hunting, whose diving catch with the bases loaded not only saved
us multiple runs, but also reminded us of a young
Greg Louganis. Graceful, Stan, graceful.”
Let’s all be thankful that he doesn’t wear Speedos in the
field.
Stats from the Maniacal One
Here are this week’s
off-beat stats from the Maniacal One:
- Strand By Your Man: The Shriners stranded
10 runners on base. The Sluggers only left three runners on base.
- Me and My Shadow: The Sluggers defense
completed yet another 1-2-3 inning. The bottom of the fourth consisted of
consecutive outs by
Mike
“I’ll Be Right Back” Douglas--one in left field, one in
right. “Good
Stan” Hunting caught the final out of the inning in deep right field
near the dreaded trees that line the Field 1 bench.
- The Grateful Dead Ball Era: Brian Wightman
has only allowed two home runs this season. He has not allowed an opponent to
dial long distance in 20 innings.
Player of the Week
A game like this comes together in a true
team effort, which makes choosing a PoTW most difficult. After much
deliberation and beer consumption, the committee settled on voting for the
entire team as Player of the Week.
See the Sluggers’ Player of the Week stats and photo
here.
Many committee members voted for
Noah
“n$” Cushing whose defense got a rise out of the crowd and helped
shut down the Fez offense.Tamara “T
Stop” Stanley came in third in voting by going 2 for 2 at the plate
with a run scored. Isaac Taylor
The Rumor Mill
Two weeks ago, it was reported in this space
that one major league scout saw former Slugger shortfielder,
Matt “In
The” Hunt taking batting practice in the Sluggers practice facility in
Fort Myers, Fla. There was wide speculation that Hunt would be a mid-season
Slugger call-up. Many of Hunt’s fans came to tonight’s game hoping to
catch a glimpse of the flashy shortfielder, but Hunt was no where to be seen.
With the trading deadline looming, will the Sluggers make a last-minute roster
move?
.
Quotes of the Week
- “The captain has turned on the No Whining sign.”--Mike, MDC
League umpire preaching to the Shriners bench
- “I didn’t know they had hookers here too.”--Dan
Landesman, Sluggers center fielder as he approached the Red Hat
- “I’m sorry, did you get that on your leg?”--Dan
Landesman, Sluggers center fielder in a compromising position
- “The wings get your fingernails too dirty; I just can’t
deal.”--Meghan Donnelly, Sluggers utility player
- “Can we wash out the win if we get 10-cent wing sauce on our
shirts?”--Meghan Donnelly, Sluggers utility player asking her coach for an
April-fresh reprieve from superstition
- “This looks like the Red Badge of Courage.”--Mike Douglas,
Sluggers shortfielder referring to Donnelly’s shirt
- “Georgie’s from the streets.”--Ted Johnson, Sluggers
first baseman explaining the down and dirty play of third baseman, George
Hart
- “There’s lots of boobs; there’s lots of
bums.”--Isaac Taylor, Sluggers catcher describing his latest acting
role
- “Catholic girls are the naughtiest.”--Isaac Taylor,
Sluggers catcher revealing the title of his Master’s thesis
Next Game
The Sluggers return from their grueling one-game
road trip to begin a grueling one-game home stand versus the AOL Time Warner
Conglomerates Tuesday, June 25 on Field 1. Batting Summary
| Linescore | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | R | H | E | | Sluggers |
2 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
0 | 0 | |
12 |
15 |
3 | | Shriners |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 | 0 | |
7 |
17 |
3 |
Pitching Summary
| 
Sluggers
