The Postman Always Rings Twice ...

It has been said that time and space are relative... And we all need more space because over time, we get more relatives that seem so dependent upon us adults...

And in a land, not too far, far away,,, there currently is a young couple who are on the precipice of changing their names from Brittany and Jayse, to Mom and Dad...

Yes, it is true... A wonderful and magical land where Walk-Off HRs are found on field 6, where improbable but legendary three Triple games fall like wildfire when there is not a score book in sight,,, the beauty of family will be bestowed upon the Meyer family.

The only real bad news is,, we will be missing Jayse for at least one week due to impending Daddy Duties.

Oh, and I found the answer to that silly opening title. If the postman always rings twice, you prolly need a new doorbell... 

ps. If you are reading this post while escorting your gal in the hospital hallway, you may want to FOCUS on Job 1 ... Congrats Jayse and Brittany !!!

Split City Makes a Triumphant Return to end 6-Game Skid

Split City showed up this week and helped (4-8) OBI move into a tie in the lower half of the standings. The 10-9 Game 1 victory over Warning Track Power was our 3rd win against them this season. Only other victory was against League Leading DL, who are a spirited 11-1 (Yes, we gave them their only loss of Season 4).

With only one week to go till the end of this season, our chances are slightly less than nil to make the playoffs. However, we will get to experience our first Week 8 Double Header that means absolutely nothing,,, or slightly less than nothing as it were...

My thoughts drift forward to Season 5 and the fine recovery effort that I believe our bats will be awake and ready to take on... In preparation, I am very interested in a few logistical and not nearly metamorphic thoughts:

-- First, we are carrying 14 players on the roster at this time and we can drop the Season League Fees from $55 to $50 for next season.
-- Next, if you are interested in getting some time at another position, come see Clint, Spillane or I and we will work it into the mix the next couple of weeks. The caveat here may be player availability (aka Who Shows and Who Does Not, Just Sayin')...
-- Third, the second point may be mute if they break up our division into upper and lower tourney brackets... 
-- All that said, I am just writing this line so that I have some additional words to use as filler with my thoughts wavering due to an upcoming meeting that I do not want to attend,,, but I digress.

From the category of what reallllly happened against WTP:
-- Matt and his injured knee were a collective 6 for 7.
-- Clint owned a patch of grass in deep 1B/very shallow RF collecting at least two hits there that actually may have backed up on the green...
-- Jayse had four hits and played well defensively.
-- Juan almost killed the pitcher and hit 2 HRs.
-- Spillane finally avoided defenders with his well hit balls. Go Chris !!! 2 Triples.
-- Brian was consistent picking up a HR and a triple in his 4 hits.
-- Erin was hot and cold a the plate with 3 hits in Game 1 and 3 At Bats in Game 2... He did stay on his feet for multiple catches in the OF.
-- Tom followed up his Week 5 performance (included a HR) with 3 hits and a Sac Fly.
-- Larry consistently found a hole in the stacked defense and finally hit a screaming slow roller to the third baseman who was playing SS,,, for another hit.
-- JR had a big hit in Game 2 to help us get back in the game, though hit the ball consistently to his friend in LC for outfield practice.
-- Paul was another hot/cold player, but the big news was that having him run the bases for the injured or for himself was risky business.
-- And finally Michael, 4 hits a walk and unfortunately, made the final out with tying runs on base in Game 2...

Stats are still in progress... Update coming soon.

And Another One Bites the Dust..

Actually, last week it was Dusty (umm, Michael, errrr ummm ME !!!) who bit / stung / drilled the Another One who is artfully known as Ken the Pitcher. I have heard the song about putting a ring on it,,, but seeing Kens non-6pack area with a ring of sting with ball stitching across it, definitely not the prettiest sight.

Alas, as a team, we are waking up from an early season slump the past couple of weeks and though we have lost 4 in a row there is still a chance for a top 4 finish and another playoff appearance.

All that is necessary is planning ahead of your swing where you are hitting the ball, executing and hustling and staying one step ahead while on defense. And that refers to thinking ahead what you are going to do with the ball, not cheating right, left, up or back during a pitch.

Playing within ourselves and doing what each of us does best will provide us with the opportunity to win each game. A sweep of The Flock this week will be the key to our Season 4 comeback.

If not, at least we are not playing at 615 with the temperature at 110+ anymore ;~) fingers crossed...

Let's have some fun this week and we will get the stats caught up this weekend !!!

Split City Gives DL first loss since June

3-1 DL and 3-1 OBI battled in two painful games. Well painful for me as I was only supposed to DH. Alllllready digressing, fail! Well may also have been painful offensively for us as we scored 10 runs total, yet wonderful with a 5 run rally in the bottom of the 7th in Game 2 to win 7-6. 

Game 1 was painful after the top of the first where we scored 3 runs. Michael walked, Jayse and Juan then singled. Brian doubled in 2 and after Tom walked, JR did the same to push across a run.

JR also singled in the 4th inning. Those 4 hits were it during our 5 at bats... Four for 19 hitting wise... Run Ruled 3-13 in 5...

As depressing as that might have been, OBI was down 2-3 after two innings in Game 2. In the bottom of the first, Jayse singled and Spillane doubled, Brian followed with an RBI single and Tom hit a Sac Fly. 'Nuff Said...

And then both teams bats went silent for 3 more innings. DL scored 3 in the top of the sixth... More silence till the bottom of the 7th.
-- Brian singled but a bad call by the blue had him thrown out trying to advance on a 5-3-4 putout.
-- Tom singled followed by a JR Double.
-- Fill in Nick drove in a run with a single.
-- Then, Larry lined one over the outfielders heads for an RBI Double.
-- With the score 4-6, Matt Doubled in 2 to tie it up and Michael was intentionally walked to put a force in play at 1st, second and third.
-- Jayse nearly won the game with his single but the LC Fielders diving effort kept Matt from scoring.
-- Walk-Off Single ALERT !!! Juan drove a single mightily up the middle to score the winning run...

Great comeback after a long night of sleepy bats... Our 14 for 30 effort in this game brought our total to 18 for 49... .367 team average and a split against DL with only 9 healthy players,,, my hat is off to the team...

No Home Runs vs. Warning Track Power Yet OBI Sweeps!

Season 4 finds 18 teams set to go on Thursday Nights. However, only 3 D1 teams in the bunch so 2 groups were randomly created of 8 & 10 teams. In Group 2 is where you find OBI,,, and D1 Champ DL,,, and D2 Champ Those Guys. Good Stuff as we are always up for a good challenge.

First up was Warning Track Power. With Larry on vacation in Colorado, Juan handled the pitching duties. The defense was pretty solid behind him as WTP scored only 11 runs in 13 innings winning Game 1 9-8 with 4 consecutive hits to start the bottom of the 6th inning and Game 2 9-3...

The hardest thing in the way seemingly was Michael's head as a bad hop took him down. However, up before the count was completed he made it and then played angry afterwards. Comments from WTP and OBI were bantered about of how improved my play was post bad hoppage. But I digress...

In Game 1, OBI led 5-1 after 4 only to have WTP score 5 in the top of the 5th. Both teams scored 2 in each at bat the last inning and a half to reach the 9-8 final score. Fillin Brent , Matt and John all singled prior to Brian's walk off Double.

In Game 2, after WTP tied the game 3-3 after 2,,, it was all OBI offensively,,, well and defensively as well:

-- Tom lead the way with 2 Walks. (Good Ol' Steve would be proud)
-- Brian, Michael, Nuta and Brent each had 3 hits.
-- Brent and John each had 2 RBIs
-- Matt had 3 RBIs to top them

In total, we had 40 hits on the night and scored 18 runs. Not bad on field 4 in 110 degree weather... Hope they get the AC fixed on field 4 soon.... Whew!!!

With 3rd Place Regular Season and Tourney Finishes, OBI Proves Escalation to D1 Is No Joke!

D1 Season 3 Tourney Champion DL Rolled over OBI and then top seed The Heights Sports Bar. 3rd Seed OBI awoke in the Consolation Game and dominated Team Wear It 16-8. This was the third victory over TWI in the past two weeks and made it 4 wins in 5 Season 3 games. Most Satisfactory!!!

Tourney game 1 found OBI down 16-0 after two innings and though we won the next two innings 5-4, DL scored again in the 5th inning to push the final to 22-5.

Team Wear It stopped by field 4 and opened with two runs in the opening frame. Home team OBI countered with 4 runs as Brian singled in between walks by John and Michael to start the game, which preceded Senior Tourney Player Paul and his Big Fly of Grand Salami proportions off one of the picnic tables just outside the RF wall of field 3...

TWI would not score again in the second or third as the OBI offense remained consistent and pushed across 2 runs on a Jayse single followed by Juan tying for the HR lead in the game during inning 2. Then, it was Mando, Paul, Larry, Tom and Clint with singles to push two more across in the third.

Down 8-2, TWI pushed across 3 in the top of the 4th to regain momentum only to have OBI win the inning with 4 of our own in cyclical fashion. John singled, Brian doubled, Michael tripled them home, then Mando Homered to the deepest part of center field! Ok, Ok, was an inside the parker but still counts as 3 HRs in 4 innings ;~) ...

After yet another 3 spot by TWI, the fellas on that good ol' OBI squad once again pushed 4 across to make it 16-8. Clint singled, Jayse tripled, Juan doubled, Spillane singled, Brian tripled, and Michael doubled. Whew!!!!

The game would end with a two out single where the TWI base runner from first was unable to muster the energy to motivate to second base before a throw could be made back to the infield. Michael being unable to cut the ball off, turned to see the force out that clinched the Consolation Game Victory...

And the party was on at Jerseys!!!  A great season for sure...

Season 4 will be fun as the Men's teams have expanded to 18 and we have been placed in Group 2, a ten team division. See you this Thursday !!!

With the stats that follow, we also say goodbye to Mando for now. His work nights have changed and he has moved to playing on Tuesdays!

Stats for 2016 Seasons 1-3 to be posted later this week...

While the Coaches are Away, the OBI Faithful Play

Both Clint and Michael were absent this past Thursday and the team was all the better for it during a well earned sweep of Team Wear It. The DH Sweep was the second consecutive, pushing the D1 record for season 3 to 7-5-2 and ensured retention of seed #3. 

Officially, the record is 7-6-1 as we played DL in a winner-takes-both-Game2 after tying game 1 on field 4 a few weeks back, but I digress for the first time in this post ;~) ...

Finishing over .500 in a D1 regular season is a first in recorded history, which is only 3 1/2 years at this point. Basically, a few years after that whole dinosaur apocalypse. As I digress, I am left to wonder what tonight brings…

Will there be continued stellar play as OBI has displayed in late seasons all 2016? Only the late news can tell you that!!!

We have 13 players set to rock it tonight! Congrats to the team for the efforts last week!!! See y’all tonight for tourney time! 8pm on Field 4...

Final Stats for Season 3, and maybe even YTD 2016 stats available early next week!

Earning The Blog Post!!!

After OBI scored 9 runs in a double header and fell to 3-6-1, the Blog fell silent as the OBI Offense... A week later, against 4-5-1 and 3rd Place E-Machine,,, OBI used timely hitting and good defense to slow the Machine to a slow crawl and take two games 9-7 and 11-8. Annnnd, Michael feels like writing something positive yet obscure, motivational yet dumbfounded, sad yet demented,,, into the OBI Blog, as it were.

A week after hitting 25-56 as a team (lowest DH Avg. that I could find going back well into pre-Columbus, Ohio days of the late 14th century), OBI upped the ante (Spillane, please note the I-Played-Well-And-Finished-Better-Than-John-In-Vegas reference, though I will mention no names),,, hit .500 (32-64) in route to the DH Sweep...

Here are a few things different this week than last:
-- After scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 (6 last week), our scoreless streak only lasted two innings as opposed to 8...
-- Offensively, 7 more hits, and also, 3 more Sac Flies and 5 more Base on Balls.
-- Last week, 1 double as we played on Field 4. Again back there this week, 5 doubles and a triple.
-- Defensively, we were very solid as balls found their way into both outfielders and infielders gloves alike this week. Last week, it was more like ummm is there a hole in there somewhere?

But the biggest key to the week was Larry aka Frickin-Randy-Johnson, moving down batters at a frightening clip with 4 Ks in the first four innings of Game 1 this week... Tone set, 'Nuff Said !!!

Offensive Champions this week:
-- The Sun, that bitch helped several hitters reach base as it was simply nastee looking W/NW through mid Game 2.
-- Brian has quietly continued his climb in the confidence area with another solid week.
-- Spillane went 6 for 6 on the night and impressed all with his directional skills of the ball to all fields and arranging of players in the outfield.
-- Juan and Paul were each 4-6 though Paul out RBI'd him 2-1.
-- Mando had 2 hits and 2 walks
-- Many, Many more players contributed but they cannot all be named as my fingers are tiring and dammit, well, dinner is ready...

This week we Battle the Poet Laurate's aka Team Wear It on Field 1 at 615/715.

If you plan to play in Season 4, Debit card payments are being accepted at the office. Cash payments can be make to either Clint or I,,, all are due by July 21st. Thanks in advance!

OBI Sweep Sends The Boys R' Back Packin'

3-4-1 OBI stayed out of the cellar with 19-16 and 15-4 victories over 1-7 The Boys R' Back. Both teams played short handed as we were missing Jayse, Clint, JR, Nuta, and Hanshaw,,, TBRB were short players and pulled in 3 from another D1 team.

But the night belonged to OBI on both Offense and Defense. In Game 1, 19 runs were put up in only 3 innings as we led 8-2, 12-3, and then 19-9 after 3 innings. TBRB scored 7 in the top of the 4th as time expired to make it the last inning, Brian dove for a liner to snag the final out of Game 1.

Game 2 TBRB were quiet offensively while we continued to hit the ball well and led 14-0 going to the bottom of the 4th inning when they finally pushed 2 runs across. The run rule was in effect with one final run in the top of the fifth making the final 15-4.

Here are a few of the highlights offensively:
-- Matt went 7-7 on the night even with a bum ankle, he legged out a triple then got a runner (as I recall LOL)
-- Larry didn't make an out in Game 1, then went hit less in Game 2. This included making the first and third out of the first inning.
-- Brian's stroke has awakened as he went 6-6 including 2 HRs in Game 1 (with 7 RBIs).
-- Juan could not stand it so hit 2 of his own in Game 2 (4 RBIs).
-- Brent and Juan went back-to-back in Game 2,,, for Dead Ball HR Outs, fail!!!
-- John homered the old fashioned way,,, inside the park!
-- Brent and Spillane each had 3 RBIs in Game 1.
-- John and Brian had 3 each in Game 2.
-- We batted around in the first inning of each game.
-- We hit .667 (44-66) on the evening and over .515 for the first time this D1 season.

Am sure I missed a few highlights and promise to make it up the next time someone does something spectacular and makes me write it in the scorebook!!!

The Heights Sports Bar Holds Split City at bay

6-0 The Heights won two, ehh, fairly close games against 1-4-1 OBI this past Thursday. The score of both games made them seem closer than the feeling in the OBI dugout. However, on the good news side of the house,,, we did hit over .500 for the first time in 3 weeks of Season 3 play in D1... Yay!!!

Game 1 was a 9-12 loss that was strange as it felt a if we were waiting for the powder keg to explode allowing The Heights offense to come alive. That did happen in the bottom of the fourth inning as TH put up a 9 spot. 8 of the 9 OBI runs were scored in the 3rd and 5th innings.

In the 3rd, Brian singled and Larry followed with a Double. Handjob and Mando each pushed across a run with Singles, then with two outs, Juan hit a 3-run Big Fly. In the 5th, it was much the same as Mando tripled and scored on Jayse's single, which was followed by another Juan HR.

Game 2 was another low scoring affair as OBI trailed 2-8 going to the top of the 7th. After The Heights pushed across an additional 3 runs, we had 7 hits in the bottom half and pushed across 4 runs to finish off a 6-11 loss.

We hit more consistently, improving on our averages from weeks 1 & 2. Continuing the upward trend in good at bats should help us get back into the win column this week on Field 2 against The Boys 'R Back at 8&9 tonight...

We are missing Clint, Jayse, and JR this evening. Juan's trip was cancelled, thus he will be joining us tonight.

Remember to stay within yourself, focus on what we each do best in the field and at the plate,,, this will bring us consistent wins ,,, Even in D1 ...

Welcome to D1 !!!

1-2-1 OBI has played well in the first two weeks of D1 play. Our Batting Averages are down for sure, but the defense has been enough to keep us in games to date.

After losing game 1 the first week by a score of 1-11, we battled well and ended in a 13-13 tie due to a good comeback on E-Machines part. Week 2 against Team Wear It was annoying as is the norm, but both games were hard fought and game 1 closer than the 18-7 final.

TWI scored 11 in the top of the first and led 12-7 after two innings. The OBI offense was a no show after that point, accumulating only 6 hits over the final four innings while hitting into 3 double plays.

Game 2 was all about OBI timely hitting and defense. Of 3 Sac Flies, two were the second out of the inning. Amazingly, 8 of the 9 runs were scored with two outs. Excellent Defense in the Outfield and Infield helped keep TWI scoring to two innings late in the game. Well, that and Larry's pitching...

Matt (2), John and Michael each tripled in the game, while Jayse moved into the HR title chase with an inside the parker... Mando, Jack, and Brian each had a Sac Fly...

The OBI team average was under .500 both the past two weeks. Once our offensive consistency returns back to snuff, the rest of the D1 teams better watch out... Or at least make them try harder, but that is another story...

*** Chris Spillane missed this weeks game to participate in the WSOP in Las Vegas... Saturday, he represented OBI well by wearing his 2016 Season 1 Tourney Champion Victory Lane shirt! Annnnnnd, Chris rocked it all weekend and out of over 22,000 players,,, finished in 185th Place !!!!!!!

Congrats Chris on an excellent showing in Vegas !!!

OBI Goes Back2Back and Wins Second 2016 D2 Title

The evening started off with a Barry Bonds style Gong and ended with a Bang and a Dive… #1 seed OBI hit consistently to down #4 seed MidLife Crisis 15-10 in a game not as close as the score indicates. Then, it was comeback city late to avoid a second place finish against #3 seed Retreads by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth to win 12-11 in six…

MLC was quiet at the plate over the first six innings, scoring only 6 runs on 10 hits,,, and scored their final four in the top of the 7th on 5 more hits. Larry’s stellar pitching (no walks) was helped by a double play in the 5th, and stellar defense up till the final frame.

But the gong goes to Mario, who after giving up 3 straight singles to start the OBI offense, Intentionally Walked Juan (aka Barry Bonds apparently) with the bases loaded for Juan’s only RBI of the game. Consider the strategy backfired… as follows,

The OBI offense was led by contributions throughout the lineup:
— Matt was 3-4 scoring 2 and driving in another.
— Clint, Jayse, Spillane, Mando, John, Paul, and Nuta each had two hits.
— Spillane and Matt each had a Double and a Triple.
— Brian and Mando each Doubled.
— In the first three innings, Spillane, John, and Brian each had a productive out called a Sac Fly.
— Tom, Nuta, Larry, and Matt all singled in the second inning to push the lead to 6-2.
— After MLC answered the bell in the third and fourth with 3 and 1 run, respectively,,, OBI pushed across 5, 1, and then another three spot in the bottom of the 5th for a 15-6 lead.  Game Over at that point.

Onto the Championship Game we went, with our chances dimmed by the 1 Home Run Rule and 2 Retread Ringers in Anthony and Kyle (both former Borrachos). The Retreads started fast with a 4-spot in the top of the first on 6 hits. OBI answered the early onslaught with 3 runs of our own. The inning could have been a bigger gold mine of runs had it not been for two base running mistakes that game the LFer 2 Assists in the inning. D’Oh !!!

Then, Retreads scored another four in the second inning on a 2-run Big Fly,,, which was promptly followed by a second line drive out that landed in the left field trees BONUS !!! The lead was pushed to 10-3 in the top of the third inning we pushed across 5 runs to make it a game:
— Consecutive singles by Matt, Clint, Jayse and Juan plated 2 runs.
— Next, Spillane’s Inside the Park HR plated the final 3 of the inning.
— After, Retreads were held to 1 run the next inning with the help of a retag at the plate to complete a 10-2 second out of the inning (on target throw from Mando to Matt did the job),
— Yaaaa, we did nothing in the bottom of the fourth LOL
— In the tope of the 5th, with one on, another throw from RF, this time to third (Tom to Clint), cut down the lead runner for the first out.
— Still down 8-11, OBI hit from the top of the order in the fifth with good results, Matt and Clint singled preceding Jayse’s RBI single.
— Then, in the loudest swing of the evening, Juan hit a Big Fly over the trees in CF and connected with a parking lot light pole for the lead …

In the final inning Retreads had two singles with one out when a line drive thru the box was called for the second out. The tying run was on its way home after the next ball was lined to mid-CF only to have its trek interrupted by a diving dad-to-be!!! Our defensive savior once again, Jayse makes the play of the day and someone owes us a Back2Back Tee Shirt I say … (the crowd goes wild at this point, nuff said)

Another great season, thank you all for your efforts,,, we are 25-7 in 2016, oh yeah, and Welcome to D1 !!! 

OBI Sweeps We Ain’t Dead Yet to Secure Season 2 Tourney #1 Seed

10-4 OBI has earned the #1 seed based upon Point Differential after tying for first place in the regular season with No Glove No Love. The schedule is not out yet for this weeks tourney, however, I anticipate that the D2 division will play early games with D1 playing later in the evening.

As with Week 1 of this season, also versus WADY, game 1 was low scoring with OBI overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the top of the fourth inning with 4 runs as Michael and Juan led off with singles and Spillane lined out to LF for a Sac Fly. Paul singled before Larry’s 3-run Big Fly… Ok, so, the ball got by the RFer and rolled to the wall, but it also traveled in the air a bit going out and much more slowly coming back in against the wind. ‘Nuff said…

We added 3 more the next inning as Fill-in John walked before Matt and Mando singled to bring him home. Then, with one out, Juan tripled home both gents to bring the score to 7-2. After WADY scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th, both squads went scoreless in the 7th inning for the 7-4 Game 1 final.

Game 2, OBI answered the opening salvo to tie the score at 3 after 1 inning. Mando and Michael singled to setup Juan’s 3-run Big Fly (one that actually did fly quite some ways)… OBI sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the second to take control of the game 11-4. Larry and JR started the ball rolling with singles and then with one out, fill-in Scott, Matt, Mando, Mike each singled. Juan once again crushed a 3-run HR maxing out our HRs for the first time in quite a while.

Not to be outdone, after Spillane doubled, Paul flew out to LC field and without stopping at third base, Chris scored easily to give Paul a 2 base Sac Fly. After Tom singled, Larry hit into a FC for the final out of the inning. The third inning was fairly uneventful as WADY scored one but was still down 5-11 going to the top of the fourth.

We Ain’t Dead Yet then scored back-to-back 7’s to take a 19-11 lead late as we entered the bottom of the 5th inning. Larry started it up there with a single and JR did the same ahead of John’s double and Scott’s single. After a Matt Dead Ball out through the box and Mando’s Sac Fly,,, Michael singled and Juan doubled to plate the fourth and fifth runs.

WADY went down quietly in the top of the 6 and final inning. With the score 16-19 heading to the bottom of the inning, the stage was set for breaking some WADY hearts… And OBI did not disappoint,,, nor did they make an out on the way… Tom Walked and Larry doubled to start the inning. JR, John, and Scott each hit an RBI single that now has the game tied and Matt striding to the plate. His single to left was too sharp to score the winning run and WADY brought in their outfield with the winning run on third base and none out. Mando stroked the needful lazy fly ball to left that fell in well beyond the drawn in outfield for the heartbreaking walk off single…

Again, #1 seed was well earned this season gentlemen. Let’s go see if we can nail down a second consecutive D2 Tourney Championship here in 2016!!!

Season 2 Wake Up Call as OBI is Swept in Week 6…

8-4 OBI took it on the chin in both games this past week. Game 1 loss was to Warning Track Power 14-17 in a game where we fought our way back into the game 3 times in the last 4 innings. And Game 2 was a 9-10 loss to Mamma’s Boys where both offenses were inconsistent and flashed brilliance late.

Though losing twice, OBI retained a share of first place and needs just one win this week versus We Ain’t Dead Yet to clinch a spot in The Dance, aka Season 2 Tourney. Let’s take care of business in Game 1 this week and enjoy the spoils with a relaxing Game 2…

Looking at the sweep, we have to give both our pitching, offense, and defense credit… This was the first time in 2016 that we have been swept at the D2 level. The last losing sweep was nearly four months ago on January 14th in 2015/Season 5/Week 6 (two full seasons ago) against The Boys R Back on field 4…

OBI was resilient in Game 1 but fell behind too far late to comeback. OBI scored 3 in the bottom of the 3rd to pull back within 6-7, then 2 in the 5th to make it 8-11. However, WTPs 6 spot in the top of the 6th was the difference, even though we scored 6 of our own,,, it was just too much to overcome on this night.

Clint, Juan, and Spillane each tripled and drove in 6 of our 14 runs. Jayse, Mando, and Michael each had 3 hits. The bottom 5 of the order were solid as well going 9-14 and led the way in the attempted comeback during our final at bat. Paul, Nuta, Tom, JR, Larry, and newcomer Brian turned it over well to the top of the order.

Not much to be said about Game 2 other than Michael made some questionable coaching decisions that did not work out to our advantage. That and Paulie had 3 hits leading off with Brian, Larry, Matt, Juan and Mando each collecting 2 hits. Paul’s triple and Spillane’s 2nd inning Inside the Park Home Run were about as exciting as we got on this night.

Both JR (swinging) and Michael (not) struck out on the evening. It will be beer-30 this Thursday Night for my K I tell ya!!!

Games this week are on Field 6 at 8 & 9 against We Ain’t Dead Yet… Again, win one and we are in…

Launching Pad Lives Up to its Name in OBI Sweep of Primos

8-2 OBI took two from 4-5-1 Primos Thursday night with a nail-biter slugfest and a 2nd Game Run Rule. The sweep keeps OBI atop the D2 Season 2 Standings with only two weeks of regular season play before the tourney.

5-Inning Game 1 was a hard fought victory that almost flew out of the park on the wings of a one-out Grand Slam in the bottom of the last inning. But two fly balls later and victory was in hand as OBI held on 16-15.

OBI scored every inning with the final margin coming on the strength of Back-to-Back Big Flys by Tom and JR. The three runs on these two HRs did not seem as big as they would turn out to be in Primos last ups… But it has been the second half of the order that has provided the biggest sparks in Season 2 including scoring 10 of the 16 runs this game and 9 of the 17 in Game 2.

Game 1 Highlights:
— Both OBI and Primos scored every inning with each scoring 3, 6, and 1 in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th innings.
— Matt went deuces wild with 2 hits, 2 run, 2 RBIs and 2 doubles in the game.
— Jayse and Juan each had a Sac Fly and 2 RBIs.
— Mando hustled like he was Pete Rose, scoring from second base on a Fly Ball that just would not stop being thrown wildly around the infield.
— Nuta was back to hitting looping liners and scored three runs in the game.
— John played well at 3B after getting warmed up and had a Walk and a Sac Fly, going 0-1 total for the game.
— A 4th Sac Fly was hit by Spillane who also went 2-2.

OBI remained in the field to start Game 2 after the exciting 16-15 Game 1 final. After getting 2 quick outs, Primos scored 3 and left 2 on base. In same-same fashion, OBI scored 3 to tie in the bottom of the inning as Juan hit a HR that set off warnings at Deer Valley Airport some 3-4 miles away.

Defensively, Larry was able to better control the Primos bats including 2 strikeouts of the same player in the 2nd and 4th innings. Promos scored only 1 run over the final three innings. OBI batted 5 innings in Game 2 and by scoring in each inning, scored in all 10 innings batted during the evening.

Game 2 Highlights:
— In the bottom of the 2nd inning, John became the 4th OBI player to homer on the evening. The 3-run shot was his second HR of the season.
— Spillane hit a HR for out #3 of the same inning as no HRs were left to give. Also, Michael hit a HR that stayed foul and then popped up to left field following. (Launching Pad to the rescue!!!)
— Paul hit a Sac Fly (imagine that, another OBI SF) and went 2-2 scoring 2 runs.
— Mando, Nuta, Juan, and John all were 3-3 with Juan (6) and John (4) driving in 10 of the games 17 runs.
— Matt hit a walk-off Triple to the left field corner as John scored the run-rule run from first base in the bottom of the fifth.

The final two regular season weeks are 8:15/9:15 games. This week on field 5 vs. Mamma’s Boys and next week on field 6 vs. We Ain’t Dead Yet… C’Ya this Thursday, as we battle the forces of D2 evil,,, or in other words, take the field to try and win a game or two.

OBI Vaults into 1st Place with 2 One-Run Wins Against Midlife Crisis

6-2 OBI downed 5-3 Midlife Crisis by scores of 8-7 and 13-12 this past week. OBI started fast and furious in both games, while MLC played the role of comeback victors to only fall short in both games.

Game 1 was a tale of two halves. OBI moved out to a 7-0 lead after 3 innings. MLC tied the game at 7 in the bottom of the 6th inning. Then, OBI wins the one inning game 1 to nothing for the 8-7 final. Game 2 started well for MLC as they pushed across 3 then 4 runs giving them a 7-2 lead heading to the bottom of the 2nd inning. OBI batted around for the only time this night, scoring 8 for a 10-7 lead we would not relinquish. Each scored 2 in the 3rd and MLC won the 4th inning 2-1. With OBI holding onto a 13-11 lead in the fifth and final inning, MLC was held to a single run and OBI had its sweep,,, and according to the Victory Lane Season 2 standings,,, the outright lead in the D2 division.

Game 1 saw OBI score 8 runs on 17 hits and 3 Sac Flys. Matt and Michael each scored in the first two inning. Then, 5 were pushed across in the 3rd inning as Matt doubled and Clint singled him home,,, Juan then followed that with a 2-run Big Fly. Next, Michael single home Spillane following his triple and Michael scored after Mando and Paul singled.

Silence for the next 3 innings allowed MLC back in the game and in the top of the 7th inning, OBI broke the tie with Matt again doubling and scoring on Jayse’s 2nd Sac Fly. Defense held MLC to a donut and onto Game 2 we went, 8-7.

Game 2 was a fast start for MLC as they jumped out to a 7-2 lead. OBI answered in the bottom 2nd with 8 runs as,,, once again,,, Matt started the hit fest and Clint, Jayse, and Juan each singled. Then Spillane doubled home 2 and Michael pulls up lame on a 2-run triple. The feasting continued as Mando, Paul and Larry single only to be bested by Nuta’s 2-RBI Fielders Choice…

Jayse scored in the 3rd on Juan’s 2nd HR of the night and Mando scored in the bottom of the 4th as Paul, JR, and Larry each singled following him up. With Defense playing well again, MLC was held just shy of our run total and the sweep was completed.

Realizing that 1st place will bring out the best in our opponents, OBI needs to play at their best the final 3 weeks of the Season 2 season to qualify for the playoffs. Our quest begins tonight on Field 3 at 6:15/7:15 against Week 1 opponent, Primos… We all recall how happy they were with their opening game victory before Split City showed up…

Missing Clint this week and Michael will be an Extra Hitter after injuring leg last week. Be there or be somewhere else !!!

OBI Switched to Late Games on Field 5,,, Split City unable to Find Its Way Home…

Instead, 4-2 OBI moved up the standings this week as 1-5 We Ain’t Dead Yet becomes the sacrificial lamb. Ok, so the first sacrifice was a two-run come from behind OBI victory in Game 1, but still lambs I tell ya… Not that there is anything wrong with lambs, nope…

Until the 7th, Game 1 pretty much went like the bottom of the first inning. Matt singled, two Fielders Choices follow, Juan triples home a run and is held at third. Spillane takes a called third strike… In fact there was a FC each of the first four innings, giving us 5 for the game.

After WADY scored 2 in the top of the third, OBI answered with a straight number, again,,, till the bottom of the fourth. Down 3-1 in the bottom of 3, Spillane reached on an FC, of course he did, and scored on John’s double following Michael’s single. Ok, let’s fast forward to the bottom of the seventh with the score 3-2 WADY… Did I mention we were moved to cavernous field 5 with the wind blowing straight in from CF? Was keeping that gem in my back pocket i was,,, but again, I digress.

Spillane collected his first hit of the game, then scored the tying run as the ball was tossed around a bit, including one toss that seemed to glance off his dome,,, giving John his second RBI on his second Double of the game. Once again, with the tying run in scoring position, Nuta was intentionally walked. After Paul safely moved everyone up with an infield (well placed) hit,,, Tom becomes the Game 1 Hero with a Sac Fly to LC field… Easy Peezy 4-3 Victory!

To start Game 2, WADY pushed across 3 runs in the bottom of the first for a 3-0 lead. This did not look good as OBI was not yet rolling,,, till Inning 2. In the inning, 17 batters came to the plate and produced 13 runs giving OBI a 10-run lead they never relinquished…

After Jayse singled and Juan doubled, Spillane pushed across the first run with a Sac Fly to LF. The hit parade began at that point as Michael doubled, followed by a John single. Then back-to-back-to-back Doubles by Nuta, Paul and Tom pushed across 4 more runs. Larry, JR, Matt, Mando, and Jayse singled before Juan doubled home runs 10 and 11. Spillane followed Matts big inning effort from Week 2 (making the second and third outs in our 19 run inning) by making the first and second outs in this inning. Michael followed with a two run single that pushed the final 2 runs across in the inning.

After a quiet third inning at bat, WADY pushed across 4 as the Little Lefty Who Cannot Really Play RF Very Well But Always Seems to Hit Well Against Us, hit a 3-run Big Fly to RF that made the game interesting. But OBI followed suit with our own 4-spot to reclaim the 10 run lead at 17-7.

Larry, JR, Matt singled and with one out, Jayse doubled in the second run of the inning. Spillane followed up a Juan Sac Fly with an RBI Single to cap the inning scoring.

In the 5th inning, Tom singled and scored the only run when Larry and JR followed up with singles. This pushed the lead to 18-7. Two nice defensive plays in the bottom of the 5th inning preserved the run rule and we were like, Done with the Wind, Games, and had collected 2 wins in the process…

Defense was the main theme of the evening. Here are a few highlights, though I am sure to have left some out:
— Larry pitched 12 innings and gave up 10 runs. Including only 3 in the game 1 victory.
— The Outfield was spectacular in the WIND! With the difficulty factor raised exponentially by the howling wind (might have been the motorcycles over near the dam),,, catch after catch was made in seeming heroic fashion by all those who patrolled the night skies over field 5!!! From RFers making all the needful plays, to RC fielders hogging the balls curving back to the RF line, to LC fielders gauging the depth of several hard hit balls, to Nuta’s one hand stab late in the evening on the warning track, it was well played.
— The infield played well most of the night, highlighted by Nuta’s catch in foul ground in game 1, and the aforementioned bottom of the 5th plays by Michael at SS fielding a tough one-hop liner in the hole to get the first out with a bang bang play at first and Juan’s walk off Unassisted PutOut at 2B/Double Play…

Great job and let’s keep Split City away for a little longer. We have 5-1 Midlife Crisis up next this Thursday on Field 6 at 6:15/7:15… Clint will be back in time to reclaim 3B as John is off this week!

OBI Rolls in Game 1, Split City Sleeps Thru Game 2 Loss

2-2 Split City put a hurting on 1-3 Old Glory so bad,,, How bad was it,,, OG requested a run-rule in the top of the second inning. Then, after a 3 inning win, Old Glory put up a late 10 spot to take Game 2 14-10. But, that is not the real story,,,

— Matt led off the top of the first with a hit and scored. He finished with the worst stat line of the game at 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a base on balls.
— Mando was the second hitter and had the second worst stat line at 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored, an RBI and a Double.

The sideways slam/compliment on Matt and Mando stat lines is this,,, at 5 for 9, they made four of the 9 outs in our 3 innings at bat… 2 for 4 and 3 for 5 are nothing to sneeze at I tell ya... That said, here are the main game points…

— OBI sent 23 batters to the plate, of which 19 scored, in the Top of the First inning.
— The first 11 Batters scored,,, in the Top of the Second inning. Yes, we hit 11...
— 32 runs were scored in the Top of the first and second innings total.
— 22 minutes were left in Game 1 as we headed to the bottom of the second inning.
— Matt batted 3 times in the Top of the first inning.
— Michael and John hit back-to-back Big Flies in the second time through the order in the Top of the First inning.
— Jayse, Spillane, and Michael (3, 4, 5 in the order) each had 2 hits in both the first and second innings.
— .795 Batting Average (35-44) in Game 1 with a .804 OBPct (37-46) with the two Walks added in.
— No runs were scored in the top of the Third inning.

In Game 2, Split City was pushing the envelope by winning 3 of the first four innings by a run for a 5-1 lead. Then, the sky fell in as Old Glory collected a few hits and pushed across 10 for an 11-5 lead going to the bottom of the 5th.

In standard OBI fashion, we pushed across 3 runs and to get within striking distance. However, Old Glory was up to the task and pushed across another 3 in the top of the 6th. Split City was able to answer back with 2 runs but no closer were we able to get in the 10-14 loss.

A great evening all in all as OBI proved that once again that when we hit well, we can compete with any team at Victory Lane…

And when we do not hit, well, we did at least have access to beer and other accouterments…

Special Notes for this week:
— Nuta was one base all 7 at bats and is leading the way with a 1.000 batting average & OBP.
— Matt made the second and third outs of the first inning going 1 for 3.
— John hit his first HR since rejoining OBI in 2014.
— Michael hit his first HR since late 2014.
— John, Nuta, Paul, JR, Tom and Larry (6 to 11 in the order) each had 3 hits in Game 1.

This week: 615/715 on Field 1 vs. 2-2 Retreads…

Cya on Thursday…

Season 2 Early Results Are In: Split City Returns!!!

There was hooting and hollering on Field 1 this past Thursday by Primos, a second season D2 team. The celebration was enormous out in shallow RF after Michael’s line drive gapper found the outstretched glove of the RF instead for the final out. Realization quickly set in, Primos was celebratory because that had topped the Season 1 D2 Reigning Champions in the first game of Season 2… Wow, that was cool to watch,,, and it pissed me off too! No one celebrates on our home turf.

Ok, Ok, it is their home turf too… All that was needed after the 7-8 loss was One Big Inning to call from the depths our own Split City selves to save the day and avoid the dreaded sweep at the hands of a team that was overly happy to win one friction’ game… And with the scored tied at 4 in the top of the third inning in Game 2, the dam burst and Split City pushed across 8 runs to take control…

But first, let’s go back to Game 1,,, 7 runs produced on 17 hits and we batted 7 times. Honestly, about the most impressive thing that happened in Game 1 was their RFers catch, Or was it???

Mando and Jayse each singled and scored in both the first and third innings. They were pushed across on hits by Juan and Michael, plus Spillane’s Sac Fly. Then, down 4-8 in the bottom of the 5th, Clint showed us how to earn a hustle Double down the LF line and pull himself from the game due to a slight hammy pull, ouchitty!!!

In the bottom of the 6th, Michael, Matt, JR, Larry, and Mando singled to score our final 3 runs. After Juan singled in the seventh, both Spillane and Michael flew out to kill the rally… And set the stage for the return of Split City…

In Game 2, it was really all about the top of the third inning. Mando singled between Larry and Tom’s outs. Then, what followed was epic as a new HR Leader emerged!!!  After 5 consecutive Singles by Jayes, Juan, Spillane, Michael and Matt scored the first 4 runs of the evening, Paul takes the Season 2 HR lead with his 3 run shot through the outfielders 5-hole and racing around the bases, walla!!! JR, Larry, and Mando kept it going with 3 more hits to score the final run of the inning.

Paul would have happily shared his Season 2 HR lead with Michael who needed 3 more push ups to get the ball over the fence. Alas, instead it bounced back into play for only a Double in the 3-run second inning,,, oh well…

After Matt singled in the 13th run in the top of the 4th, Primos attempted to make a run at Split City in the bottom of the 5th and final inning falling short for a final of 13-9 Split City.

The Stats are done, but the stat sheet asked not to be presented due to the law of averages. Meaning our 20 runs scored on 38 hits leave a bit for interpretation…  Below average for OBI Law...

This week it is all about Old Glory… Another D2 team that played last season and did not play us. See y’all for the 815/915 games on Field 2 !!!
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A text was sent out today asking for shirt sizes from each of you. Am trying to get the League Champion Tee Shirts this week to hand out on Thursday Night! Send me your Tee Shirt size (100% Cotton that Will Shrink ;~) )...

Statistically Speaking, 75% of Stats Are Made Up On The Fly…

But not OBI’s! Ours come from friendly scorekeepers and Excel files that hold a years worth of game data, each…

This blog posting is all about numbers. Those that we started accumulating in Season 1 of 2013 have been compiled into the glorified stat sheet that is attached below.

Following are some of the significant data points that just jumped out upon first glance:
— 10 Players on our current roster have played with OBI since 2013!!!
— Matt has played the most games (286) and as the lead off hitter for a decent amount of that time has the most At Bats (922) and yes, even Hits (507).
— One full season of play over the 3+ years qualifies a player for the Batting Avg., On Base Pct and OPS categories. DC (David Craycraft) has played 90 games and leads all 3 categories,,, easily.
— Michael is very picky… With 78 Base on Balls has 25% of OBI’s Walks during this time period.
— Spillane and Michael dominate Top 3 appearances in the 15 Offensive Categories. Here are the top category mongers:

• Spillane appears in 10 and leads 2 (RBIs and Triples)
• Michael appears in 8 and leads 5 (Runs, Doubles, Walks, Sac Flies, and Times on Base)
• Matt appears in 6 and leads 4 (Games, At Bats, Hits, and Plate Appearances)
• Clint also appears in 6…
• Juan appears in 5 and will soon lead in a few…

— Juan has 45 HRs and is one short of DC’s 46… He will also take the Batting Avg. lead once the Games Played goes above 90 for the mid-year report in 2016.
— 155-146-5 Record in 301 games would not have been achieved, except for the stats missing from this sheet.

• These stats are all about Defense and especially pitching. Larry has played 274 games and pitched 250+ I am positive. 
• Our statistics are not misleading, just fall short of the efforts made on the other side of the ball.
  

Thanks, Larry and each of you for committing to your solid play on both sides of the ball.

And I cannot end this without specifying to you how amazed I am to see that we have 10 of 14 players on our current roster that have been playing with us since 2013… Incredible!

Thursday Men's D2 2016 Season 1 Postseason,,, an ESPN Instant Classic

Sitting at .500 after 3 weeks of Season1 play, 3-3 Split City was in full force. Two of the losses were to teams that would finish below .500 at seasons end.

Inconsistency marked our play in the field and at the plate. Now, 5 weeks later, 13-3 OBI is a proud owner of a double digit win streak that culminated in an extremely entertaining and 2 strange Season 1 postseason tournament victories.

Yes, OBI is once again Champions of a Season 1 Tournament for the second time in 3 years, having won 3 of the last 7 D2 tournament appearances since 2014 Season 1.

This season tournament consisted of the leagues final four. Interestingly, this gives additional value to the Regular Season and allowed the top teams an opportunity to battle for the title.

OBI secured the #2 seed with a double header sweep of #3 seed 7-5-2 Warning Track Power in the final week of the regular season. Basically, OBI earned right to be the Home Team, against Warning Track Power in the Semis. And with the wind blowing in on field #5, and runs proving to be hard to come by,,, this proved fortuitous.

The defense in the OBI Outfield set the tone for both games. Time and Time again, plays we made that most other teams can only dream of:
— Mando solid in LF but spectacular on catches going deep and towards the LF Corner in Game 1. But the play (somehow) made to end the top of the sixth and last inning of the Championship Game was a turning, twisting over which shoulder no one quite knows, bring it in and save runs Top Plays of the Week type stuff…
— Returning from injury and playing solid in LC, Jayse was aces until a 298’ near Big Fly hauled in when all but 3 players thought it was gone type catch to thwart a huge Game 2 rally.
— Returning to his old self, Spillane ranged left, right, back and forward to take hits and extries away from the opponents.  More than once, Chris caught the ball on the dead run when it had already flown by another OFer.
— Both Tom and Paul had good nights even though at times the ball seemed to bounce as far away from them as possible. Tom's contortionistic stop of a line drive in Game 1 saved OBI's collective bacon as with the effort, no runs were scored after that hit in the extra frame.

Pitching was spectacular and even with the wind, am not sure a Walk was even given up.
— Juan gave up 1 run in the first two innings of Game 1 before moving to 2nd Base to take over for an injured John.
— Larry had not played in 3 weeks but pitched like he practiced every day from Game 1 3rd Inning on. After giving up 8 runs in 8 innings in Game 1, No Glove No Love scored 13 in the 6 inning Championship Game by charging back late with 8 total runs in the final two innings.

The infield was solid as well from corner to corner:
— Clint fielded the position well and made some nice throws on Double Play attempts. Speed kept him from turning a few.
— Michael moved well to pop flies and grounders alike at SS. Even the speedy were thrown out this night.
— John fielded well before a re-injured hamstring sent him to the bench.
— Juan also made a few nice plays on ground balls and a stolen base hit taken away on a looping shot over the infield on the first base line.
— Behind the plate, JR and Paul called good pitches and fielded their position well.
— At first base, Matt played his groin off as his stretches to snare throws for outs at first were successful as well as painful. A few short hop plays mixed in really made his fellow IFers look good as the opponents consistently sat down after swinging, all night…

But, winning Game 1 with offensive comebacks was Epic:
1st inning — Michael scored on Juan’s 2-out Single after Clint was thrown out at the plate on Michael’s hit. (1-1)
3rd inning — After JR and Larry single and are forced at 3rd and 2nd, respectively, Clint and Michael single to pull OBI back within 3. (2-5)
4th inning — Spillane singles after Matt, John, and Paul follow with Singles. Back within 2. (3-5)
5th inning — Hits by Larry and Mando are followed by 2-run Clint Double, and after Michael Single’s, Spillane pushes one across with a Line Out to RC (Remember this one). Jayse, Matt, and John’s hits push one more run across. (Tied at 7)
6th inning — In the final regulation inning, down by 1, Tom made it look easy with a Triple deep down the LF line. With one out, Larry singled and plated the tying run. (8-8)
7th inning — Again, WTP pushed across a run and was feeling very good about their chances after both Michael and Juan flew out. The from some alternate universe or possibly learning curve achieved by Spillane from inning 5,,, Chris lines a ball over RCers head for a Triple. With the tying run, Jayse beat feet and is safe at first, scoring Spillane. (Tie again at 9)
8th & 9th inning — Both teams put up 0s with other teams watching on…
10th inning — With one out, Michael tossed his Courtesy Swing and Walked on 3 pitches. Juan singled, moving Michael up one base. 7th inning Hero Spillane continues the magic and his base hit to RC goes through the 5 hole,,, Michael scores and the comeback / 10-inning Win is etched indelibly into Victory Lane Semi-Final Tourney Game History…

But wait, there is now another game to play, and OBI moves from field 5 to field 6,,, and the crowd cheered,, yaaaay!!!

The Championship Game started well and looked like an OBI runaway early as we raced out to a 12-5 lead after 4 innings. 9-7 #4 seed No Glove No Love had won their semi-final versus the 1 seed 18-11 and was primed to score some runs. They did in the top of innings 5 and 6, taking a 13-12 lead into the both of the 6th and final regulation inning. Following is the early offense and late game heroics that when mixed with our defensive effort have brought OBI another Victory Lane League Title…

1st inning — After Clint Doubled and Michael Singled, Juan and Spillane stroked RBI Singles. (OBI Leads 2-0)
2nd inning — John and Paul Single then Score on Tom’s Double. JR follows next with his own RBI Single and the top keeps it rolling as Mando singles and Clint rips another 2-run Double. Juan’s RBI Single closes out the innings scoring. (6-0)
3rd inning — A 5 spot in the top of the inning is countered by OBI with Jayse singling and a double by Matt, then both score on John’s legged out Double. And when I say legged out, I mean peg-legged as John’s Hammy was hurting but not stopping him from his hitting duties. Then after two outs, it took hits by JR and Larry to score John’s runner from second. (OBI 11-5)
4th inning — Back to Back Doubles by Michael and Juan plate a run. (12-5)
6th inning — After taking a 12-5 lead into the 5th inning, OBI now trails 12-13 going to the bottom half of the final inning. After JR’s liner was snagged for out 1 by the SS, Larry stroked a gapper in RF that he legged out for a Triple. With the tying run on third and one out, Mando was picky at the dish and walked.

With Larry representing the tying run a third and Mando the winning run at first, Clint took the proper next step and hit a Sac Fly to Left Field and tied the game at 13. Mando being heads up, moved up from first base to second on the play. Michael stepped up to the plate and lined the first good pitch over the pitchers head, easily driving in the speedy Mando for the walk-off League Tourney Title.

A fantastic 13-3 season capped off by a memorable postseason tourney run… How epic is a double digit win streak?

I am told that there are new Victory Lane League Champion shirts heading our way,,, possibly a $25 voucher for Jerseys. It looks like we are all hanging with winners both on and off the field… Gooooooo OBI !!!

Into the Season 1 - Final 4 We Do Go...

11-3 OBI took two from 7-5-2 Warning Track Power this past week with timely hitting and a strong defensive showing (sans Michael's final inning gaffs at SS). OBI raked it early and often run-ruling WTP 15-1 in 5 innings and followed up with a 12-10 come from behind victory in the night cap.

With Jayse hurting, Larry on the road and Matt playing injured, OBI was fortunate that Spillane brought out Tom with him. The Outfielders were beyond solid and snared hit and drive after drive holding down the fort in a big way. The infield was anchored by solid play at 3B by Clint and John at 2B.

With a 2-1 lead (Mando, Michael and Juan each doubled in the first) going to the bottom of the 2nd inning, OBI sent 14 to bat and plated 9. Six hits started the inning but things really lit up with Spillane's 2-run HR to LC field. Paul and Nuta were each 2-2 in the inning.

After a scoreless 3rd inning, Michael started the 4th with a single followed by 2 Doubles from Spillane and John. Then another Big Fly from Paul (ok, more of a line drive thru RCs 5 hole) pushed the score to the final of 15-1.

In the finale, OBI fell behind but only by 3-5 after JR and Tom's back-to-back Doubles. OBI took the lead for good with a 5 spot in the Top of the 3rd as Mando, Clint and Michael singled prior to RBI Doubles by Juan and Spillane. Nuta drove in the 5th run with two outs.

Leading 8-6, OBI put up their last 4 runs as Matt, Clint and Michael single with Juan unloading for a Grand Slam. The 12-6 lead held up as WTP scored 2 in both the final two innings, coming up short 10-12 (whew)...

Again, timely hitting and defense pushed the winning streak to 8 games as we head into the Season 1 Tourney / Playoffs / Postseason / You Make the Call !!!  Let's Keep it rolling this week and win ourselves another t-shirt and possible D1 invitation (depending on number of returning teams lol)...

We have two games this week at 815 & 915 on either field 2 or 1... Cya there !!!

Also, thanks to those who have already paid for Season 2! If you have not paid and can do so this week, we can once again have our league fees paid in advance and be proud to not have stressed out your coaches which totally affects our fielding and batting averages and possibly which colleges we can send our children to... Just sayin',,, Thanks!

Split DH Sweep Lifts OBI into Second Place and a Playoff Spot!

Things are changing at Victory Lane Sports Park. Mostly for the good thus far in 2016…
— New Light Bulbs in the Scoreboards.
— Updated Scoreboard Maintenance in general.
— Leveling of Infields and Warning Tracks (no lips!)
— Post-Season Playoffs

Yes, the postseason tournaments are literally playoff spots starting 2016 Season 1. The Top 4 spots in each league will vie for each season’s League Championship. All other teams will still play a Week 8 double header but are not invited to the dance…

Week 7 finds 9-3 OBI currently in 2nd Place going head-to-head with 3rd Place 7-3-2 Warning Track Power. Both teams are guaranteed a spot in the 4-team playoff and have about a 90% chance to meet in the first round of the playoffs, go figure. The only exception I can find is an OBI Sweep combined with a loss by E-Machine to We Are Not Dead Yet in their DH. Very interesting play in for the 4th seed between three teams as well.

One of the bigger changes at Victory Lane occurred this past week as OBI took two during the split doubleheader. I know, cray cray Right!?!?!!!

In game 1 vs. One Hit Wonders while nursing a 6-5 lead in the top of the 4th, OBI batted around,,, twice, two innings in a row (been a while since that has happened) by scoring 12 and then another 8 in the top of the 5th. Suffice to say that all 10 players made at least one out and had two hits with 5 collecting 4 and everyone scored 2 or more Runs.

Six thru 10 in the order had 7 total Doubles, 3 by Michael. The top of the order outhit the bottom 18-16 with Spillane coming up feet short of the Big Fly he needed for his cycle. Juan Homered Earl Weaver style (3 RBIs), all in all everyone hit and contributed. Excellent Team Play, I think we all should get a participation trophy based upon this game alone… But no, there is more…

Against 1st Place 10-2 E-Machine, OBI jumped out early with 4 in the first and batting around again in the third inning for another 5 spot to take a 9-2 lead. JR, Clint singled followed by Jayse’s RBI Single. Juan went deep for a second time in the DH with another Earl Weaver shot.

In the third, Clint and Jayse started it again, then Spillane, Mando, Michael, Paul, Nuta, and JR all singled to push across 5 runs. We scored but one more in the 5th inning as E-Machine clawed their way back into the game, scoring 4 runs in the 6th to tie it at 10.

The seventh inning would turn interesting and exciting as we held E-Machine scoreless, thus guaranteeing at least a tie. Then, with 2 down Michael started a rally with a Double deep to left. Spillane ran for him and scored easily on Pauls liner to LF that fell in for a loud walk-off Single.

A doubleheader win this week will guarantee 2nd seed and with a single loss by E-Machine (to We Ain’t Dead Yet), the Top Seed in the Playoffs is possible.

See y’all on Thursday !!!

Language Rain Delay Halts Game 2 Before Skies Erupt...

Ya, that was weird as once again, John only got one at bat in a game that we won. I believe that has happened previously and am sticking with that until proven otherwise. But more to the point is the bad form (not sliding) and poor manners (F-Bombs Away) displayed by those folks who are not dead yet. Am happy it was not me, for once, laying down a track of whiny expletives that serve no real purpose other than being self serving and making myself feel better.

OBI scored their second straight doubleheader and move to 7-3 for Season 1. We Ain't Dead Yet falls to even at 5-5 and into 4th place. Game 1 was all about the fast start early, then the hurricane called the 6th inning arrived and John was able to bat twice in this inning. Another non-story for another day.

1st Inning -- Matt was driven in from first when Clint line a ball down the left field line and into the corner for a base-circling 4-bagger. Jayse followed with a single and scored from first on Juan's double. Spillane and Mando singled to plate the third run and John single to load the bases. Paul singled home the final run of the inning after Michael's Sac Fly for a 6 run start. After scoring 2 more in the second, however it was a 8 run tie. OBI was outscored 1-5 over the next three innings prior to the fateful 6th.

John and Michael set the table as Paul, Nuta, and JR followed with RBI hits. Larry, Matt, Clint, Jayse, Juan each hit and drove in 3 more runs. Spillane plated the 8th run of the inning on a Sac Fly. A timely 8 spot indeed. Holding WADY to an egg in the bottom half and the 17-13 victory was ours.

WADY scored but 2 runs into the fourth inning when Paul was mercilessly tossed about by a person about the same size but definitely hairier. The correct call was made as the runner was out for not avoiding contact, discussion over. Well, game over actually as a previous cursing warning was ignored by WADY in the next inning and game goes to OBI at 9-2. Five and Four runs were scored in the 2nd and 3rd innings respectively. 

Brutal, yet funny... See y'all tomorrow...

Another 2 Weeks Goes By And All I Get Is a Stupid Blog Post !!!

Yes, 2016 Season 1 is now at the midway point and blog postings are as rare as a fortnight. However, in order to appease the beast that is the Jayse Manster, I have decided to break out my blog skills and give her a go this weak... Or is that just the way I right, week? So many choices...

Split City showed for the 3rd time in 3 weeks in Week 3 of Season 1. We out hit One Hit Wonders on field 5 to the nth degree in game one batting around in the first inning and batting till the clock struck zero in the bottom of the 5th.

The top of the first was fun as we saw Juan blast a 3-run Big Fly and Brent follow up with the first Back-to-Back HRs for OBI in a few years with a Line Drive somewhere in the neighborhood of the 350' sign in CF of field 5 (aka the Motorcross Track). Not to be outdone, Paul plated the final 3 runs of the inning with a 3-run HR of his own of the inside the park variety.

After the 8-1 start, OBI was quiet scoring just once more through the 4th inning as the Wonders hit 2 HRs of their own and knotted the game at 8. After taking a 11-10 lead going to the bottom 5th, only one out was made by the 10 batters sent to the plate,,, time ran out and the final 17-10 was written.

Split City showed in game 2 as a 6 run second and 4 run 5th could not keep the Wonders down and the final was 11-13 in 6 innings. Mando, Jayse, and Spillane were overly active and collectively made one out, scored 6 and drove in 5.

This past week on Field 1, Split City was a no-show... In a good way...

After a slow team start thru 4 innings, OBI was down 2-3. Ya, both us and No Glove No Love were raking it, ,, NOT!!! The top of the 5th, we plated 3 runs. This totally coincided with Nuta's arrival at the game, but I am not going there.

Leading 5-3 in the top of the 6th, OBI attempted to bat around the lineup,,, twice. Unfortunately, we fell 5 batters short and were able to plate only 13 runs. I know, weak,,, there is that word again. Batting thru the lineup the first time, every player had a hit, exception Nuta... Apropos, no?!?!???

Juan followed up his leadoff single with a second at bat in the inning that turned into a Grand Salami !!! A few more hits led to additional runs that came in handy after NGNL would not be denied and ripped off a Niner of their own... Yes,,, 5-3 after five,,, and a one inning score of 13-9. Ironically, both teams failed to score in the 7th inning,,, D'Oh !!!

Game 2 was even more exciting as Split City pulled into the parking lot, had walked up to the booth and as they paid their $2,,, were sent packing by Matt and his 2-out 2-RBI Walk Off Single that gave OBI and huge 15-14 come from behind victory.

Needless to say that Matt is very proud of himself and for the rest of the evening was taking massive quantities of pics with his selfie stick to celebrate the moment. (please remember that I am old and this happened since I have slept,, some facts may be subject to ,,, umm, subjectivity). But I digress...

This was a back and forth affair that required everyone's contribution on offense and defense:
-- 3 runs in the first inning on 6 consecutive hits by Juan, Spillane, Mando, John, Michael, and Paul.
-- a second run in the 3rd as Larry hustled out a ground ball that was almost a double play.
-- 4 runs in the bottom of the 4 that pulled us back to within 2. Clint and Juan both tripled and Mando also refused to get doubled up, pushing a run across.
-- 2 runs to tie it in the 5th inning on 3 Doubles by Larry, Matt, and Clint.
-- After giving up 3 in the top of the 6th and last inning,, including a HR in the mix,,, 
With two out and two one and none in,,, Paul hits an RBI single, Larry an RBI double,,,
and then for some INEXPLICABLE reason, NGNL Intentionally Walks NUTA !!! Seriously ?!?!??? (Insert joke about how not to use a scorebook to provide game management advice here, or not... I know, I know, am digressing again

WHISKEY
TANGO
FOXTROT

WTF!!! With OBI holding their collective breaths, Matt calmly laced the ball to LF like he knew what he was doing... Bravo young man !!! All that can be said about that has been said, I say anyways!

Let's make Split City pay the entry fee and send 'em home again tonight... What do ya say Boyz !!!

Split City Returns in 2016 Week 1 & 2

Split City (2-2) aka OBI, has won every game 1 and lost every game 2 in 2016. This has held true for an amazing two weeks, yes, count 'em,,, 2... The offense has been in full force in Game 1's with 18 and 14 scored in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Game 2 has been a bit less offensive at 9 and 5.

Basically, getting drunk has slowed our overall offense. Or maybe that is getting too drunk and we are just drunk enough to win game 1 where we let game 2 slip away due to a total lack of sobriety for some players more than others as surely, there are those who drink non-alcoholic beverages during the games. And don't call me Shirley...

Anyways, the blog may be completely caught up by next week as life and times at the Lee household are slowing to sub-warp speed velocities, allowing for time to connect with the scorebook, build next years excel file, and complete the 2013-2015 compilation excel file.

All we currently have is a wing and a prayer, umm I mean the 2015 YTD stat sheet. Enjoy and send positive excel file modification thoughts my way when you get a chance...

Season 6 Ends With a Bang !!!

It happened again ... A long, long time ago in a southern land far, far away,,, we have all heard tell of the Lights that went out in Georgia and the depravity, vile acts, and general mayhem that occurred as a result. Well, none of that repeated itself on the field this past Thursday except that the lights did go out. Then, Team Wear It walked out. And, well, then, OBI had Earned a DH Sweep !!!

OBI finished Season 6 at 7-8-1 with 3 of the Wins by Forfeit. After a spirited discussion with the new Victory Lane League Manager about my lack of desire to umpire, Billy agreed to move us down to D2 for 2016 Season 1. Welcome back to the land of the giving as the teams in D2 definitely are all about that...

Game 1 this past week was close all 4 innings that the coin-operated lights allowed us to play (we prolly should have saved some batting cage tokens for the game is all I am saying). OBI started hot with singles by Clint and Juan being followed by a 2-run Michael Double. Mando's RBI Double capped the first inning scoring.

After TWI put up 6 in the bottom of the 1st, OBI batted around for 5 of their own. Not an incredible feat as we only had 9 players on the field at the time, but I digest (just ate). With one out, following Matt's Double, there was the first loud pop of the night. It was a clanging of a softball hitting the Foul Pole in LF of the bat of,,, wait for it,,, yes, it was Clint hitting the Big Fly that started the rally that killed TWI... Impressively, Clint was running out the shot heard round the park and had to be reeled back in from second base (whew)...

Jayse, Juan, and Michael followed with Doubles and then singles topped off the inning by Mando and Larry. TWI tied it at 8 after 2 innings... OBI went quietly into that good night in the top of the 3rd and TWI took an 11-8 lead.

For the second time in the game, OBI batted around (this time with 10 players batting, which is actually a reach as the added play struck out for out #2 in the inning)... Down by 3, Juan singled and Michael and Mando each Doubled. No stopping us now as Larry, J.R. (double), and Gary followed with hits of their own. Then, with 2 down, Matt, Clint and Jayse finished off the scoring with hits.

Now up 14-11, the OBI defense took over and held TWI to 2 runs. Then, with the lead at 14-13 in the top of the 5th inning, the lights went out,,, and so did TWI.. And that is the way it wuz...

Here are the 2016 Season 6 stats.  Full 2016 Stats will be posted this weekend !!!

Split City Returns to Beat Down Mamma's Boys

5-8-1 OBI split with 4-9 Mamma's Boys thanks to a 12 run bottom of the 4th inning in Game 1. The One Big Inning flip flopped an 8-15 score an OBI held on for a 20-17 victory. Game 2 went in similar fashion as OBI put up a 10 spot to turn a 2-9 deficit into a 12-9 lead going into the bottom of the last inning. MBs scored four runs and walked away with a last inning comeback of their own.

In Game 1, Mamma's Boys put up a 7 spot in the top of the first. This was followed by 3, 2, and then another 3 then 2 for their 17 run total. In the meantime, OBI fell behind early scoring 1, 3, then 4 runs in the first three innings. And then, in the top of the 4th, 17 went to the plate and 12 scored.

Matt, Juan and Paul each were 4-4 in the game. Michael, Spillane, Larry and Gary each added 3 hits. Annnd, Clint, Jayse and J.R. had 2 hits a piece. That is all 10 players in the lineup, each with at least 2 hits !!!

Paul scored twice and drove in 4 runs. Matt, Larry and J.R. each scored 2 while driving in 3 a piece.

Game 2 was especially quiet for OBI in the first 4 innings as we scored 2 runs, total... 15 players batted and plated 10 runs for another opportunity for a break your heart kind of victory,,, alas, Mamma's Boys scored 4 to steal back the game.


As of this week, we will have 9 full players fully paid for Season 1 and 3 partial payments. Thanks to all for paying in advance allowing us to be fully paid for Season 1 before the season starts. I have confirmed that the new accounting rules will be relaxed for Season 2 and individual debit cards will be in play once again.

Have begun working on the 2015 YTD stats. Those may be available after this weeks games on #2 at 915/1015 vs. Team Wear It...

OBI Opens 2016 with DH Loss to The Boys R' Back...

OBI continues to battle in the upper Men's division on Thursday nights and lost a close game 1 before the wheels came off in game 2. The OBI squad continues to play well even through roster turnover, attrition, interesting Umpire perspectives, and the weather.

Playing our first games in a month, OBI battled back from 1-9 and 6-12 scores and scored 9 runs in the top of the 7th inning, taking our only lead of the game at 15-12. The Boys did not cooperate and rolled out their shaved bat and we watched a walk-off 2 run HR fly out over the target wall in LC field. 'Nuff said.

Game 2 was an ugly 7-20 5-inning run rule affair that needs as little said about it as possible. ;~)

Game 1 saw OBI bat through the lineup nearly 4 times. Both Larry and Michael went 4-4 while just about everyone else had multiple hits. Mando, Matt, Jayse, Larry, and Nuta all scored 2 runs while Jayse (2), Michael (3), John (2) and Gary (2) all had multiple RBIs. Not to be out done, Matt had 2 Base on Balls to move up the rankings in that category for the season.

Larry continued his hot streak with a 2-2 performance in Game 2. Gary did as well. Matt decided to swing the bat instead of walking and busted out with a 3-3 performance.

Inconsistency in the field and at the plate were expected for all us aging, non-workout, had not played in a month types. Get a few swings in this week and chase a chicken/rooster around in the coop out back to get your legs back under you. Looming is a battle with Mamma's Boys this week. We are in 8th and they are currently 9th,,, our chance to show someone who is boss I say !!!