Crew In OHIO, Day 5

Short summary here. Sorry.  Leaving for airport...need to hurry
GAME 1, Crew vs San Francisco Rage
Tight game in middle (maybe 6-5 lead) and then the Crew had a 12-8 lead in the bottom of the 6th.  With time running out and down by 4, San Fran made an intentional 3rd out so they could start a new inning instead of trying to get 4 runs with 2 outs already.   The Crew poured it on the the top of the last inning, scoring 5 more times to make it 17-8.  San Fran got one back, but it was not enough and the Crew won 17-9. 

GAME 2, Crew vs LA Killer B's
This is the team that we beat in an incredible comeback in 2008 with a Lalli home run en-route to our Championship.  Evenly matched teams, for sure.   The Crew bats we cold, and we were down 8-0 after 3 innings.   Down 12-0 in the 5th, and facing the game ending via "slaughter-rule", with two outs and a man on 1st, Mikey hit his THIRD Home Run of the tourney!   Yeay, the Crew plays another inning!    LA got another run, and the Crew was facing another slaughter rule, and with 2 outs Chris got a single and Brian his a two-run home run. (Both inside-the-park shots)  YEAY, we get another inning!  In the last inning, LA scored several runs on good hits and a few errors, and the Crew went down silently in the bottom of the 7th, 1-2-3.  Crew loses 17-4.

The Crew finishes in 5th place (out of 42 teams). 

P.S.
The team that beat us to knock us into the losers bracket (Dallas TKO) seems headed to a Championship. They have not lost yet and are waiting for the team to come out of the loser's bracket.    So, at least we lost to the Best Team!!!!   :-)

Crew In OHIO, Day 4

Well, we had only 1 game today, and winning it meant getting to championship Saturday.

We did our best, but alas...we fell short and lost.

NOT!!!!!!

Crew Wins! Crew Wins!

Crew vs. Chicago Spin RockStar
We know this team very well.   their #1 & #2 hitters, Mark Febonio and Matt Grindle both played in the Boston league for years (Matt played on the Crew for his entire Boston career).  They and their team are all classy guys and good ballplayers...and each team knows the other very very well.

We start with the Crew scoring a disappointing run in the first inning...I say disappointing because we had yet another runner tagged out at 2nd base.  It may have been a big inning..who knows.  But hey, a run is a run, right?  Chicago came back and scored two of their own to take a 2-1 lead.

The Crew got a run in the second inning to tie it, but it the bottom half of the inning, Chicago lined up a barrage of singles, mixed in one gap-shot double, and scored 8 RUNS!  Ouch.   Crew down 10-2 after 2 innings.

The Crew went scoreless in the top of the third, and Coach McGrath decided to mix things up a bit, making 4 changes to the lineup.   Matt went from C to 1B, Drew went from 1B to LF, Jeff went from LF to 2B and Russ came in to the came to replace our pitcher, Timmy.   It just seemed that Chicago had a bead on his pitches for some reason...and giving them a different look sometimes help.  Mark called on yours truly yo come in to pitch.  In addition, the Crew changed defensive positioning, moving SS Bob McNulty into the hole to take away what seemed to be Chicago's favorite spot for singles. 

All this strategy worked!

Bottom of the 3rd, Chicago goes down 1-2-3 with 3 pop-ups. 

Then came the top of the fourth...

SS Bobby started the inning with a single, then Danny hit one, then Matt. Bases loaded.  After an potentially rally-killing awful out by yours truly, with the bases still loaded and 1 out, Drew gets a single...then Russell (who was just put into the game)...then Kevin, then Chris.   Now we had some life...4 runs in and bases loaded.  Up came Brian and he hit a bomb to right center, clearing the outfielders and rolling to the fence for a 3 run triple!!!   We did not stop there, and got one more run to TIE THE GAME!

What an inning!  Tie score, 10-10

Chicago got none in the 4th, neither did the Crew.

In the 5th Crew got 1 run, and then Chicago got 2.  Chicago leads 12-11

In the 6th inning, and with time running out, the Crew got 1 quick out, but then the top of the order came up.  Kevin hits one to our old friend Matt Grindle...routine fly..and Matt DROPS IT.   What a break for the Crew (and "sad day" for our buddy Matt, but we'll take it). Then Chris lined out to RC.  TWO OUTS.  Chicago had a conference at the mound, and were discussing how to pitch to Brian, who had a 3 run home run earlier.   It seemed they decided to give him tough (aka BAD) pitches.  Brian unselfishly took the walk and went to 1B, Kevin went to 2B.   Up comes Jeff.   First pitch...Jeff hits a BOMB (triple) over the left fielder;s head which short-hops the fence, scoring two runs.   The next batter made an out, and the Crew went to the bottom of the 6th up 13-12

In the bottom of the 6th, the umpire announces that there are only 4 minutes left in the game.   A long inning with 2 runs meant the Crew would lose.  A quick inning with no runs meant we would play the entire 7th inning.   All signs pointed to Chicago advantage.

Old friend Matt Grindle eeked out a single on a play in the hole at 2B that Jeff stopped, but could not get the out at 1st.  The next batter (Mark Febonio) flew out.

Now we have the 3-4-5 hitters coming up.  UH OH!

NOT!!!

#3 batter hits a bullet up the middle...which I snared and got an out at 2B.
The umpire announces that time has expired....
#4 hits a grounder up the middle, which I snare and get the out at 1B.

CREW WINS!  CREW WINS!

No we play at 8 AM tomorrow...and have to win 3 games to get HARDWARE!
- winning 3 games gives us 3rd place
- winning 4 games gives us 2nd place
- winning 6 games gives us 1st place

We have to play a LOT OF SOFTBALL TOMORROW!!

Wish us luck!

Crew In OHIO, Day 3

I hate doing these updates the day after the games, because all the details blur together and start to fade quickly.

But i have good reasons for why I did not do it last night!!

You see, after our last game yesterday, we all scurried back to the hotels to take quick showers so we could attend Mark McGrath's Hall Of Fame induction dinner!    The Crew men looked very handsome (we have lots of pictures to share once they are all uploaded) for Mark's big event.   After the event, we all went our for a few libations...and since we do not play until 4:30 PM Friday, many guys took full advantage and stayed out late having fun!

Now on to the games...(sorry for lack of details)

GAME 1 (32 teams in winners bracket at this point)
Crew  vs Portland Oregon Haze
The Crew started out strong, swinging some hot bats and had a nice early lead (something like 6-2 after 2 innings, with most of the damage coming in the first 2 innings).   The first inning could have been even bigger, but the plague of runners being tagged out on the bases plagues the Crew once again, as Brian and Jeff were tagged out trying to take extra bases(one at 2nd and one at 3rd).  The good news is that both had RBI hits on the plays in question, the bad news is that each play resulted in an out.

The Haze made it close, as it was a one-run game in the middle innings at 6-5, but the crew kept adding a run here and there, and ended up winning 12-5.


GAME 2 (16 teams in winners bracket at this point)
Crew vs San Francisco Spitfire
We have played this team in many tournaments before, and know that they are very good hitters and just average fielders.   But we know their batters pretty well, and knew who to play deep, and who to play for hits to right field.   But our games with Spitfire are always close!

This on was no different.   The Crew took an early lead, but Spitfire managed to close the gap and tie the game in the 6th inning.  It was tied 8-8.  After the first two batters made outs in the top of the 7th for the Crew, Chris Burke came up with a single up the middle. Brian Sakovitch hit a hard liner to third base that he was no able to hold on to, and in his effort to throw to 2nd base to get Chris, he threw it in to right field.   Now the Crew had 2nd & 3rd with two out, and our cleanup hitter Jeff was up.   Jeff hit a nice line drive to right field, and both runs scored!   With a two run lead, Timmy induced three easy outs and the Crew held on for a 10-8 win, and moved in to the "Elite 8" portion of the winners bracket.

-->> before our next game, we saw the #1 seeded Boston Gators lose to a VERY strong Orlando Crush team by 9 runs, so we were the only Boston B team left in the winners bracket at this point.    Prediction: Orlando will come in #1, #2 or #3 in this tourney!  They looked very good!


GAME 3 (8 teams in winners bracket at this point)
Crew vs. Dallas T.K.O.
Yet another team we have played many times. The scouting report was that they have 2 power hitters (#3 & #4 in their order) and that the rest are line-drive hitters.   They also play very good defense and have an older, but crafty and skilled pitcher.   We knew what to expect.

It seems that the 3 hour break between games got the Crew a little bit tight and lethargic, and we were 1-2-3 in each of the first two innings.   No team energy to speak of.   The TKO team scored 2 in the first, and none in the second to take a 2-0 lead (as i remember it).

After an out to lead off the 3rd by yours truly, we started to worry we might be victim's of a rare softball no-hitter!!  Thankfully, Drew hit a single to left and the Crew had some life.  After another single and an out, the Crew had 2nd and 3rd with the last batter in their order, pitcher Timmy, at the plate.  As he has done all tournament, Timmy lined a CLUTCH single to right to tie the game! 2 runs scored!

Dallas kept adding runs in pretty much every inning with solid hitting, and aided by a handful of Crew errors (4 as I recall), and the Crew went into the final inning down 11-6.    The game would end as it started, with 3 lazy outs and the Crew gets knocked in to the losers bracket.   Final: 11-6


Because of our excellent start, winning games 1 & 2, we do not have to play until 4:30 today.   We'll be heading out to the fields shortly. 

* If we lose today, we are OUT of the tourney.
* If we win today, we do not play again until Championship Saturday, where there will only be 7 teams remaining!  We don't yet know who will play, but we are ready for anything.



I'll have a better game recap today, since I'll do it right afterwards!

Update on Day 2

At Dinner tonight, the team was questioning my statement that Kevin Lalli's Grand Slam would have been caught by a better fielder.   The consensus was that a GREAT outfielder may have caught it, but that it was a legitimate home run.

I stand corrected!!

:-)

Oh, we just found out we are the #7 seed (of 42 teams) for the double-elim tourney.  We play at 10 AM tomorrow.

Our arch-rivals, the Boston Alley Gators, are the #1 seed!  

GO BOSTON!!!!!

Crew In OHIO, Day 2

GAME 1

We played the Twin City Spikes, and we jumped all over them in the first inning as we batted around the order...scoring 10 runs.   It was great to have 4 key players back(Jeff, Brian, Danny & Matt).  Everyone hit well, and the Twin Cities team helped us with a lot of errors too.   Jeff Lesnick had an inside-the-park homer.  Timmy & Dro shared the pitching duties.  The final score was 21-7. 

The only "interesting" thing about the game was a 10 minute stoppage to discuss FASHION.   Yes, the umpires, scorekeepers and coaches gather to discuss the uniforms!   Mikey was furious as he said our shirts are "Super-cute".  As it turns out, it was about a substitution...which was announced as "#3 for #5", but was, in fact, "#8 for #9" (Don't even ask how THAT happened).  But suffice it to say that Brian was quite furious as he was standing on 2nd base with a double, but was called OUT on appeal because his uniform number happens to be #5...and according to the earlier substitution, he was supposed to be out of the game.   Long story...not interesting really.  But it was weird that a team down 21-7 would make an issue out of something so minor. 

The Twin Cities team was the 2nd best team from the Minneapolis area (rated 160 vs 179 for the other TC team), and is not a serious contender in this tournament.  The Crew merely "handled business" is beating this squad

Ugh.

GAME 2
We played against the Chicago Buzz team.  Like the Spikes, the Buzz are the 2nd best team from Chicago (based on ratings).   This game was a very strange one, as the Crew was not hitting much.   With bases loaded and two outs in the 3rd inning, Kevin Lalli hit a towering slicer to right-center which the outfielder played into a home run.  (A better defender would have caught it, I think even Kevin would agree) But this was a MUCH needed grand slam and gave the Crew a little cushion.  The Crew was up 6-5 in the 5th, and scored 4 times on a bunch of singles.   We ended up winning 10-7.  We all know we should probably have won that game more like 15-5..but a win is a win, right?

One crazy play to tell about.   1st and 3rd, no outs.  Jeff up. Slow grounder to short which gets thrown away to 1st base..it goes up against the fence.  Run from 3rd scores, and Brian is running full speed to third and is WAVED HOME by "Send Em In" McGrath  <wink>.  Brian slides in to hom as the throw arrives...and truly slid under the tag (but it was a very close play).  He jumps up furious that he was called out (and dropped an F Bomb).   There is lots of discussion going on with the umpire.  

Meanwhile, Jeff sees confusion...and had been running the whole way..and tried to take third!!!  The throw goes  to third from the catcher...and the umpire says "And you're out too!!" (with a really snotty 'i'll show you not to yell at me' attitude).    <Side note: It was Jeff's second time being tagged out on the bases...and in his words "I dont think i've been tagged out on the bases twice in 5 years!!">

so a slow grounder to short ended up with a tag out at HOME and at THIRD!   When have you ever seen that happen???

It was a really weird game, thats all I can say.   The umpires, truly, were awful.   Want an example?

1st and 2nd, no outs.  Dro hits a pop up to deep shortstop <my only out of the day, by the way. UGH!>...the ball was just a bit into the outfield.  Umpire calls INFIELD FLY.  OK..it was borderline, but I can go with that.  Then what happens, you ask?

The shortstop lets the ball drop (its unclear whether he lost it in the sun or if he LET it drop). The runners leave their bases (not having heard INFIELD FLY) and Matt is standing between 2nd and 3rd, completely confused.   The shortstop comes in to tag Matt, and the umpire calls DEAD BALL and sends the runners back to 1st and 2nd.   HUH????     WHAT?     We are still awaiting explanation on that one.    The only POSSIBLE explanation is he says that the player let the ball drop to "intentionally deceive the runners" (which is the WHOLE POINT of the infield fly...so runners can NOT be deceived)

Like I said, The umpires were terrible in this game....

Crew in OHIO, Day 1

GAME 1
So we arrive at the fields at 7 AM for our first game, against Mikey's old team (Nashville Cyclones).  He **REALLY** wanted to beat them.  The umpire (who was terrible in every respect, we later found out) immediately shows that she will not allow any arc, calling illegal pitches (for height)... and they start creaming balls all over the yard.   5 runs in the first. 2 runs in 2nd and2 runs in 3rd inning.  Still, we were only down 9-5 after 3.   Then they got 6 more...and we could not catch up.  We lost, 15-6. We played awful defense. making 7 errors!!!! (That is definitely  **NOT** Crew Softball)  

Oh a little "Dro-tale" to tell. Down 8 in the final inning.  Time to have some fun....

1 out. 1st and 3rd.  Pop up near 1st base.  I call it -- "I got it" "I got it".   I intentionally let the ball drop, hoping the batter was not running, which would make for an EASY double play as I tag the runner on first and step on first base.  First part of my plan works.  I get the ball on one hop. However, the guy from home was running!  So the best I could do was to tag the guy on first for what would amount to the same out...but the GUY ON THIRD decides to run home!  (I had not planned for this variation on my evil plan)   I panic, throw the ball home, and he (barely) scores...and we get ZERO OUTS on the play.  Not my proudest moment...and, of course, not something I would do in a big game.  (But it would have been pretty cool if it worked!!!) 




GAME 2
Game two at 9:50 AM vs a powerful Fort Lauderdale team (3 legit home run hitters on that squad) and we get 3 in the first with a bunch of singles.  They come back with 2 runs on a 2 run over-the-fence BOMB.   We get 1 run across and are up 4-2 after 2 innings on a Mikey Rickman inside-the-park home run!!!!   Mikey is FAST!  You are now officially 2nd fastest on the team, Mikey! (sorry Kevin!!)   

In the 5th, we get a crazy run on a "timmy-dunker" single to right by Timmy and a bloop down the right field line by coach McGrath, who stretches it into double, drawing an overthrow, and Timmy scores from 1st!  The play was in total slow-motion. It was kind of funny.

They make it 5-3 in the bottom half of the inning, and then we go up 6-3 on, you guessed it, ANOTHER MIKEY RICKMAN INSIDE THE PARK HOMER!!!  What What????  I see you, Mikey!!!   

In the last inning, with two guys on, Lalli hits a slicer (a typical Lalli-pop) that the left fielder plays into a "home run" (but even kevin knows it was just a single!!) we go up 9-3.  Last inning, they go down quickly, and the Crew Wins, 9-3!  I think we made only 1 error in this game (a harmless overthrow from Kevin, who seemed to have NO IDEA where his throws were going all day long...but I digress.   But get a hold of yourself, Lalli!! Geez!)

Tonight we have 3 key players arriving, and tomorrow morning one more key player. We'll be at full strength for tomorrow's games! 

COLUMBUS BETTER WATCH OUT!