Umpires STILL Needed

$15 per game / t-shirt / endless refreshments.  Contact:  Butch Roche, 708-228-0401, roche399@comcast.net

 

Standings after Week 4

 

 

Game 4 Recaps

 

Lawn Manor North: Krokos 13, Cisko 12

In a move that was equally bold but curious, Craig Cisko invited his entire family to watch his winless team take on kid brother Chip Cisko and the scrappy Krokos squad.  The Cisko clan in attendance was not disappointed in the outcome of this thriller.

 

Krokos jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but Cisko battled back, and the game see-sawed to a 9-9 tie in the bottom of the 6^th.  Cisko’s Larry “LD” Daly stepped to the plate with 2 on and 2 out and blasted a banana-rope HR down the right field line that may have rolled into and out of the porta-john, pulling Cisko ahead 12-9.

Krokos’ Brian Donegan answered with a 3-run HR of his own in the bottom of the 6^th, knotting the game at 12.

Krokos' defense held Cisko in the top of the 7^th, paving the way for second-year man Mike Spedale’s bases loaded RBI single to give Krokos the 13-12 victory.

 

In addition to Donegan & Spedale, Krokos got timely hitting from Chip Cisko, George Lefils, Dan Dietterle, & Bob Kelleher.  Veteran Rich Kevin struck out with the bases loaded, but somehow convinced his team that it didn’t qualify for the case-rule since it was a “strategic” strike-out that he intentionally took to prevent him from hitting into a double-lay.  He redeemed himself – sort of – by singling in the bottom of the 7^th ahead of Brian Donegan.

 

Cisko LF Paul Chocola gets a Web-gem nomination for a diving, almost neck-breaking catch.  Guest umpire Cary Cisko umped a great game and kept all the Ciskos in line, and also played photographer and took some nice pictures of his family gathering.

 

 

Lawn Manor South: Schumacher 7, Phelan 3

Phelan jumped out to a 2-0 lead and followed pitcher Jerry Ashe’s outstanding pitching, turning a couple of outstanding double-plays and simply playing all-around solid defense.  The problem, as usual, was the anemic Phelan offense, which struggled the rest of the way against the pitching of Mark “Kaiser” Kosiek. 

 

Schumacher had a break-out, 6-run 4^th inning, when 9 of the 11 men on the roster reached base.  Paul Merlo led it off with a line drive, and the blood-letting began.  Team Phelan served up 3 errors in the brutal 4^th, and coupled with Al Schumacher’s (3-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 Ducksnorts) impossible-to-field “ropes” and Bob “Closet-fat-guy” Murphy’s deceptive speed, Phelan was pretty much done for.  In addition to Murphy and Merlo, Schumacher’s big hitters were John Campbell (HR) and Mo O’Connor.  Defensively Schumacher’s outfield of Flaws, Campbell and Merlo shut everything down, and the black-hole left side of O’Connor (3B) and Jim Nelson (SS) was equally stingy.

 

There were few offensive highlights for Phelan, excepting for Jeff Butler who continues to tear it up (.800 B.A.).  There were actually several defensive highlights for Phelan but they were erased by the error-filled 4^th.  One other highlight was the sweat on the front of Brian Kelly’s shirt, which miraculously formed an eerily perfect silhouette of Jesus, or Jim Croce depending on who you asked.  Mr. Pavs was solid again behind the plate, and Web-gem nominee goes to Phelan LF Jeff Butler for his one-knee sliding catch of a Matt Flaws line-drive followed by his throw-from-his-knees to 3B to double-off a stunned Jim “John Campbell drinks Hamms” Nelson.

 

PIE Southeast: Roche 9, Hughes 5

In a game that went back & forth for 5 ½ innings, a captain-less team Roche scored 3 in the 6^th to eke out the victory, the highlight being the bases-loaded walk that Jim “Big Guns” Gannon took instead of swinging. 

Roche’s outfield of LF Dan Beglin, CF Billy Rowe, and RF Jeff Janis kept Hughes’ hitters in check most of the night.  In addition to the extremely impressive walk by Gannon, Roche got key at-bats from Mike Moriarty, Kevin Cox, and a big HR from Bill Rowe that Hughes speedy CF Tom Curley couldn’t chase down.  Hughes got good at bats by Jack Maguire, Jason May, and Jon Lunny.

 

Web-gem nominee goes to Hughes tandem of 3B Dan O’Shea and pitcher John Sanchez.  O’Shea nabbed a line-shot down the line that carried him into foul territory, but he flipped the ball to Sanchez who spun and threw to first to get the runner (who, for the record, was Tom “Big Tom” Murphy, whose recently replaced hip tends to slow him down a bit).  Mike Shannon did an admirable job behind the plate.

 

PIE Southwest: Walton v. Kelly

In another Marquee Match-up that lived up to its billing, Kelly prevailed in one of the most bizarre games anyone on either team played in.  Visiting Walton exploded for 9 runs in the first, and sincerely thought they would score 63 runs this night, given their scoring ability this year.  Kelly tried to keep it from being an embarrassment, but after 3 innings they were chasing 11 runs (16 to 5).  That’s when the Kelly bats came alive and after 6th innings the game was tied at 18. 

 

And then the antics began.  Both Sean Kelly and Jim Sheehan pulled hamstrings and had to leave the game.  Ken Walton also pulled a hamstring, but because he is mucho mas macho, he simply assigned himself to a different position.  Walton scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th, 2 coming after a questionable call at 2nd base.  Team Kelly thought Walton’s Shawn Kane was forced out at 2B, the umpire disagreed, Kelly argued, and Kane just kept running.  All the way home.

 

Down 21-18 in the bottom half of the 7th, Kelly picked up a run when Demetrio Arroyo singled home Dan Manzo (4 for 4).  But then with 2 outs and down 2 runs, Kelly pulled his team together for a quick prayer and those in earshot swear they heard Kelly praying to the “Sweet Lord Baby Jesus” not unlike Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKDC2iBQTYg).  Whatever Kelly said and whoever he said it to apparently worked, because what happened next defied all logic:

·        Kelly’s Bill Brown hit a routine pop-up to Walton LF Ed “Cool Hand” Arquilla, who tripped over his own feet before he could make the catch, scoring Arroyo.

·        Ken Botta then hit a spinning popup to the left side of the infield and Walton pitcher John Leahy broke his finger trying to make the catch.

·        Walton’s Mike "Buck" McNeill took over at the mound and quickly got ahead of Kevin Connors.  Facing 1-and-2, 2 outs, down 2 runs, and with runners on first and second, Connors hit a routine fly ball to CF Tom Maher, who bobbled the ball and allowed Brown and Botta to score.  Game over.

Asked to comment after the game, Captain Ken Walton said: "What the hell just happened?"

 

PIE Northwest: Moss 9, McGovern 8

McGovern lost a heartbreaker to a captain less team Moss who rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to win 9-8.  Team McGovern received customary strong hitting from Matt Glavas, and John Rolence had a break-out game with several hits, including a triple, but unfortunately questionable 3B coaching caused Rolence to get thrown out at home with nobody out.   Highlight for McGovern was the aggressive base-running of rookie Bob Regan, who successfully went from first to third on a dribbler in front of the plate.  Unfortunately there was another base runner on 3rd base who wisely chose to stay on the bag.

 

An uncharacteristically well-organized and disciplined Team Moss was led by SS Ray Cash and OF Dan Dwyer, but key the keys were the 7^th-inning hits from jack Reimersma, Phil Griffin and Mike Linane.  Umpire Joe “Better Late Than Never” Labuda did his usual good job of making the tough calls, and then getting the hell out of there after the last out to avoid a lynching.

 

PIE Northeast:  Carberry 15, Neylon 7

This forfeit-that-almost-was pitted Carberry’s 8-man squad versus Neylon’s 9.  Neylon is trying hard to break their losing streak, arriving at the field early, playing games of “pepper,” eating sunflower seeds, and really trying anything to give themselves the appearance of a softball team. However, their defense continues to allow extra outs every inning, and their offense can’t seem to get going either.

 

There was no report out of the Carberry camp other than someone on the team had just gotten a vasectomy, which is always funny.  Umpire Mike Carberry was outstanding and surprisingly agile, repeatedly hustling to all areas of the diamond and making numerous close calls at the bases. 

 

Week 4 Web-gem Winner

Phelan’s Jeff Butler for his sliding catch and throw from the ground to double-off a dazed Jim Nelson

 

Game 5 – Thursday, August 8^th, 6:30 PM

Lawn Manor North: Neylon v. McGovern

Lawn Manor South: Walton v. Carberry*

PIE Southeast: Phelan v. Moss

PIE Southwest: Roche v. Cisko

PIE Northwest: Hughes v. Schumacher

PIE Northeast: Kelly v. Krokos

* Marquee Match-up

(Losing Daylight - Get Games going on Time)