O.B.I. Proves They Belong...

#6 seed O.B.I. uses timely hitting and their McGlovin's to down #3 Shock Therapy 15-10 in the Season 1 D1 Tournament Quarterfinals. In the Semis, the Knuckle Babies put a whooping on us and in the 3rd Place game,,, Warning Track Power cowered up to the bar and gave in to their better judgement not wanting another smacking around of their own... Well, ok, the beer and foodage may also have had a hand in WTPs' decision making process.

But I digress... Game 1 was a good battle with OBI holding onto the lead after being down 1-0 after one inning. 

John and Jayse reached base safely in the second. With two outs, Nuta, JR, Larry, and Rance all collected hits to put us on top 4-3 after 2. We kept rolling as the top of the order started the 3rd inning in fine fashion,,, Matt, Clint, Spillane singles preceeded Steve's 2 run Double. And then, John drove in the 4th run of the inning.

Leading 9-8 in the top of the 5th, Steve walked (prolly on 3 pitches,,, not that there is anything wrong with that, just stating fact, or presumptive scientific guesstimation, again, I digress) and some more players hit the ball where they weren't well enough to drive in a couple more runs, blah blah blah...

Any hooch(ie-mama, sorry, just could not resist,,, arrrrggghh, I digress yet again), and other 3 spot was added in the top of the 6 inning. Rance started it, John finished it, 'nuff said... Shock Therapy went quietly in the bottom of the 6th and that was that.
 
Keep points to the victory that keeps OBI in D1 for another season:

• 9 of our 15 runs were scored with two outs in the inning.
• Only 3 of 25 hits went for extra bases on big ol' field 5 (all doubles).
• John continued his roll in Season 1 with a 4-4 effort.
• 13 of 18 outs made by Shock Therapy were fly balls.
• Only to be out done by us as we flew out 15 times.

A 6-19 loss to Knuckle Babies put OBI in the 3rd Place game. A nice 5 inning run rule that was painful as the KBerz were certainly on task with 'tude in full force. That said, Nuta and Michael both went 2-2 and only Matt and Clint were able to collect 2 hits in the game.

The 3rd Place game was tough but we fought through the 7-0 forfeit and accepted our ,,, crap, we got nuttin' ,,, though there was the extra practice and ,, dammit, am digressing. I so need some new material.

Suffice to say that O.B.I. is in for another D1 Season and we are happy to be here. We open the season facing Chico's Bailbonds and Runnin' Fools on field 4 this week... Don't forget your $$$ ...

OBI 0-2 in 2015 Jerseys...

5-8-1 OBI finished the season in 6th place and will face 3rd seed Shock Therapy in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Season 1 D1 Tourney. This after two decent efforts last week versus #2 seed Knuckle Babies where OBI lost two 3-run games, 7-10 & 10-13.

The big news of the week was definitely the new jerseys being distributed before the game. The bad news is that we have yet to win while wearing them...

The Knuckle Babies squad is made up of tournament players from several teams. They are a solid team that played to enjoy themselves this week. However, we were not able to fully take advantage of their lackadaisical play and we were fairly quiet offensively. Our 29 hits and .460 team batting average were numbers we should not aspire to hit often if we wish to remain in D1 ;~) ...

Game 1 was all about the 3rd inning. After Spillane, Steve, and John produced a solo run in the first, the 3rd ended up being the only other run scoring inning. Nuta singled, then was driven in on JRs Double. Matt and Clint followed Larry's line out to RF, with singles where JR scored on the latter hit.

Spillane stayed out of a double play with good hustle, and then Steve and John followed with back-to-back Doubles. Michael capped the inning with a 2-run single to center. Having pulled to within 7-9, OBI was unable to score in the final 3 innings.

The drought continued into the third inning of Game 2,,, giving OBI 5 consecutive non-scoring innings. Oh Joy... However, the big news of the day was,,, YES!!!,,,

Steve broke up the perfect game with a 3-pitch walk in the bottom of the 3rd. Michael's own Base on Balls and a Jakob single later,,, ho hum,,, Jayse hit it like a MAN! and a Grand Slam was born... The four runs tied the game after 3 innings.

The tie was short lived as the KBs nailed a 7 spot in the top of the 4th inning. Matt then walked to open our 4th inning at bats. And with two-outs, Steve and John go back-to-back again, this time with Triples. Michael once again, caps the run outburst with an RBI, ho hum, single.

Jayse and Paul opened the 5th with singles but a double play put a damper on the rally. Larry followed up with a run scoring single for our solo run in the inning that brought the score to 8-13.

In our final at bat, down 5 runs,,, Clint and Steve both scored on hits by John and Michael. But the rally was cut short two batters later and the final 10-13 was in the books.

We will begin this weeks tournament play at 8:15 on field 5 in hopes of making some noise further in D1.

Runnin' Fools False Start As OBI Reaps an Important Double Header Sweep

In 11 Innings at the dish, 6-5-1 Runnin' Fools scored runs in only three (3) innings. 5-6-1 OBI scored runs in 8 innings at bat and were victorious 12-9 in a six-inning Game 1 and 15-5 in Walk Off HR-to-the-Run-Rule style in Game 2.

JR and Larry coaxed enough ground balls and fly outs to each pick up a win. JR gave up a 4-spot in the 1st inning and another 5 runs in the fifth inning of Game 1. Larry all but threw a shutout by not giving up a run until a 5 run fifth (deja vu all over again)...

The defense really played well backing up our two Aces. A few line drives found their way through a few gloves in both the infield and outfield, however, as is typical of an OBI Big "D",,, these were the exception rather than the rules.

Game 1 started with Matt lining out to R.Fools SS Corey (who later stated that the ball actually hit the ground, grrrrr)... Clint, Spillane, Steve, Juan, Jakob and Jayse lit up the scoreboard for 5 runs following the imitation out. 

After a quiet 2nd inning, Juan, Jayse, Michael and Larry collected four more hits scoring three runs in the process to push the lead to 8-4. In the fourth inning, just after Spillane hit Clint in the foot while he jumped off of 1st base, Steve drove in another run to extend by one more to 9-4.

In the top of the 5th inning, Jakob walked, then Michael, Larry(doubled), Rance, and Matt raked it and produced another 3 spot to open up a 12-4 lead. Runnin' Fools pushed across 5 to pull it within 9-12 in the bottom of the inning. A quiet 6th inning by both teams was all she wrote as OBI took Game 1.

Game Two was all about more hitting and defense. OBI jumped to an 11-0 lead after 3 and a half innings and needed a 4-spot to win it 15-0 in four. The ump knew it, The Fools knew it, and so did we... Needless to say, OBI got two hits and followed the good start with three fly outs.

Then, in the top of the 5th inning with one on for the Fools, a Line Drive to Left caused a spin out and Jakob hit the ground, hard,,, but was able to chase the ball and keep the batter to a Triple. Shutout goes bye-bye... The score now 11-5 heading to the last of the 5th, Spillane, Steve, and Juan each reach base pushing the score to 12-5. 

I would like to say that Jakob's drive ends up a Big Fly 3-run Home Run Walk Off to end the game and ensure OBI's sweep, and all that would be true sans the Big Fly reference as the ball was overthrown at 3B and Jakob was not to be denied (needless to say that Larry was disappointed he did not get a chance to bat and drive in the winning run LOL)...

Run scored, 15-5,,, ah, another eventful, successful, fun filled outing a Victory Lane Sports Park. Now, only a doubleheader against Knuckle Babies remains before the D1 Tournament. Depending upon how other teams finish up Season 1, OBI has the opportunity to earn as high a seed as 2nd but will be no lower than a 6th in this 8 team D1 Division.

Let's have some fun again this week and surprise the rest of the league with a strong finish my friends... 

2015: The Return of Split City

All the way to Week 5 of Season 1 in Year 2015 we had to wait for a return of Split City. Against 2-8 MidLife Crisis,,, Split City reared its ugly head and 3-6-1 OBI now sits tied for 5th place. The remaining two weeks of Season 1 are against good competition, thus we have our work cut out for us heading towards the first tourney of the year.

This week, OBI jumped out to a 10-1 lead after two innings on the strength of timely hits and a bases loaded walk by Steve (Nice stare down btw)... Starting the game with Matt and Spillane being driven in by Steve's Double, then John and Jakob cruising in on Juan's Big Fly was just the start needed. Matt, Clint, Spillane were all moved forward on aforementioned Walk by Steve in inning 2. John and Jakob followed with RBIs to cap the 9 run lead.

When MLC had pulled to within 6 at 5-11 going to the bottom of the fourth, OBI was just an infield Triple away from pushing the score back out to an 8-run lead. Things happen when you put the ball in play, sometimes even when a grounder to third turns into a 3-bagger.

Surviving one more good inning and Split City was setup going to Game 2 with a 13-9 win. Inning One was productive as OBI,,, errr, Split City pushed across 4 runs but also left 3 ducks on the pond. Inning Two ended in a Base Running error as Larry was doubled off second. Base Coaches may or may not have helped...

MLC extended their lead with an 8-spot in the bottom of the 3rd inning, taking a commanding 14-5 lead. Impressively, OBI's Defense stiffened, allowing No Runs over the next 3 innings. Unfortunately, Split City could muster only four of our own for a 7-inning final of 9-14.

A few notes from this weeks games:
-- Nuta played admirably at Short with Michael relegated to coaching duties.
-- Both Clint and Paul found their strokes in Game 2 prompting Michael to consider sitting them in all future Game 1's ,,,, LOL ...
-- Both JR and Larry pitched well, again.
-- Split City continues to be the favorite for our next Team Name Change. Though, OBI is still fresh,,, you never know ...
-- Missing from the lineup this week were Jayse and Michael. The defense was solid even with these two youngsters off the field this week. Nicely Done, Gents !!!

Two Weeks, No Wins, One Return, One Injured ...

Softball in 2015 started with a bang and now Earth is slamming into our backside,,, with relish. After winning the 2014 Season 6 D2 Championship and two Season 1 games in early January, life on the OBI side of the fence seems to have not been over seeded.

Two close losses to the Heights were followed by two whippings by Shock Therapy. And now, against 2nd 2 None, Injury ruled the night. First, Matt returned and his back has recovered well enough that the ball was jumping off his bat. Second, after OBI tied game 1 8-8, Michael felt a right hamstring pull during a play and joins the IR for a few weeks. OBI lost game 2 and now sits 0-5-1 over the past 3 weeks after starting the year 4-0.

Having missed the Shock Therapy week of games, I reached out to a few teammates to get the skinny and put the week in perspective. Basically, the suggested missives were all as follows: We got our ass kicked!  Ok, 'Nuff Said...

Game 1 this week ended up in a tie. The proverbial kiss of the sister,,, well, at least We Kissed A Girl !?!?!?? The 8-8 tie was close throughout and was most notable as JuanR played against us and seemed to play better than typical on Defense,,, Curse You, Batman!!!

Down 6-3 going to the top of the 4th inning, with one out, Jakob, Jayse, Paul, Nuta and Larry collected consecutive hits. And with Matt rounding out the hitting with an RBI single of his own, OBI took a 7-6 lead. Welcome back, Matty!

John drove in the 8th run in the fifth inning and OBI held an 8-7 lead going to the bottom of the last (sixth) inning. With one-out, a 305' Big Fly tied the game at 8 and that is where we stayed.

Game 2 started with Michael pulling his right hamstring when the third batter grounded a slow roller to the 5-6 hole. Assisted from the field, Michael has been treating his leg since that moment and expects to missed 3-4 weeks. An 11-13 loss was tough to take as other OBIers were forced to play out of position to make up for Michael's hammy (or lack thereof).

Matt, Steve, and Clint were exemplary hitting 1,2,3 while going 8-10 while scoring 6 runs and driving in 5 runs. John, Paul and Nuta each collected 2 hits in the game. Down two runs in the bottom of the 6th and final inning, the tying runs were on base as the last two OBI hitters flew out to LF.

Well, here are the stats for our 2015 Season 1 start... Michael will be prepared on Thursday to bark orders, keep score, and coach the base closest to the dug out... See ya there!!!

Combined 2013 & 2014 Stats for One Bad Inning ...

My thanks to the OBI crew for their ScoreKeeping skills during the past 2 years. As a stat geek, I am happy to present the OBI 2013-2014 Stat sheet.

192 games have been played during the 12 seasons of the past two years. OBI has a very respectible 105-84-3 record playing in both the D2 and D1 divisions on Thursday nights at Victory Lane Sports Park.

Following are the statistical highlights:

• Matt and Larry both played 186 of 192 games.
• Both Matt and Larry spent significant time at the leadoff spot in the order. Clint hits in the 2 hole. These three have more At Bats and Hits. Matt leads both categories with 333-600.
• DC easily wins the Batting Title at .682 but falls short of the required minimum Plate Appearances of 346 with only 292. 
• At .617, Michael takes the Batting Title for the combined two years over KC's .612 and Steve at .605.
• Steve and Michael combined for over half (108) of the teams 214 Base on Balls.
• Spillane takes the RBI Title at 239 and led in Triples with 24.
• Michael's 76 top Spillane's 48 to lead in Doubles.
• DC had 45 HRs in 86 Games.   'Nuff Said...
• Steve takes both the OPS an OBP categories with 1.536 and .643 respetively.
• 10 players met the minimum Plate Appearance qualifications!

Here are the stats... All I ask is that you ALL keep up the good work!!!

2014 Stats Have Arrived !!!

Year 2014 anno domini was fruitful for the OBI crew. Two league championships were brought home! The first and last (Seasons 1 and 6) ended with tournament victories with the latter capping an impressive year of OBI Softball.

The 6 seasons of play were filled with 97 games on the green grass and concrete-like dirt that are the Victory Lane Sports Park ball fields. OBI finished 20 games above .500 at 58-38-1 actually calcs out to .603. The attached statistics give a good sense of the offensive efforts however do not truly tell the tale of OBI.

First things first,,, Larry is one of the best pitchers I have ever played alongside. His accuracy and strategy is understated, even when he is having a bad day, his pitching suffers not. Play for a team with a pitcher who hits the plate on occasion and you will get a true sense of the teammate we have in this 57 year old Lil' Lefty...

Secondly, the Defense is not to be toyed with. Our outfield has blossomed into a shut down crew. Our leather, speed, youth, and tenacity allowed us to play a 5-man infield at times during Season 6. This was more fun than it should have been. Spillane is back to being Spillane. Nuta has completed his second year with us and fields a good LF. Newcomers Paul and Jakob have melded into the unit as if they played their entire lives among these fields. And first-full-year addition Jayse,,, cannot say enough about his ability to track down a ball in the alley... And I mean any alley as Jayse (like Jakob and Spillane) is a defender you can build an outfield around.

In the infield is my partner in crime, Clint. He complains every time I turn around about his defense and all I can do is laugh. There is only one other person I would consider replacing him with and he is currently busy playing SS.

I agree with Steven's philosophy on hitting. If I get three pitches that ain't worth swinging at, take the walk... My mantra is "I pay to play defense,,, anything you get from me offensively is simply a bonus".

2015 looks promising with John and Matt patrolling the right side of the infield and Steven as our spare part. In addition, J.R. has earned our respect with two consecutive excellent outings on the mound. D1 play is underway for us and I think we are showing we belong...

Enough with the pumping up already,,, here are some 2014 stat highlights:

• Matt played 95 of 97 games. Larry, JR and Spillane all played 92+
• Matt lead both AB and Hits categories (186-317) while Clint and Spillane both also finished in the top 3 in these categories.
• DC easily wins 2014 Batting Title at .673
• Steve's 33 walks topped Michael's 31,,, this boosted him past DC to take the OBP Title at .672
• Spillane and Michael finished Top 3 in Runs, RBIs, Doubles and Triples
• DC had 31 HRs in 51 Games
• J.R. and Michael topped Sac Fly category with 10 each
• OPS was all DC (darn HRs anyways) with 2.030
• 10 players met the minimum Plate Appearance qualifications (awesomefull !!!)

2013-2014 Combined Stats coming soon !!!