Stars and Stripes / CCR Softball

Review from Andrew

2010-05-18T20:48:00.000-04:00

Never has an interim manager felt so much like Rodney Dangerfield. Despite constant heckling from the team, I was able to cobble together a line up that saw us put together our first two wins of 2010!

The first game saw us jump out to a nice lead, which was at 17-11 going into the top of the last inning. Hit Squad decided to finally start hitting, and scored six runs. In the bottom half, Alan Boyd led off with a double. Greg Spears was intentionally walked, and Dan lined out to first. Jeff Morris flew out, which left the game in the hands of Jeff Donald, making his 2010 debut. Jeff came through with his 4th RBI of the game, a clean single to right center, and we won 18-17. The defensive star of game one was John Shollhead, as he made a stabbing catch of a line drive down the line, and also threw out a fast base runner from deep in the hole. Ed, in his final appearance for us this spring, pitched a great game and also went 3 for 3

Game two got off to a bizare start, as we hit into a triple play in the first. Dave Buttner was on third, Chris was on first, and Al Boyd hit a ground ball. Dave waited for the third basemen to throw to second, then broke for home. After Chris and Al were thrown out, the ball came home, where Dave's slide was hampered by the astroturf around home plate. The catcher tagged him "out," even though the ump signaled "safe" before the out call.

The rest of the game was a different story, as we scored a season-high 19 runs. Dan hit a grand slam over the right field scoreboard, and Al B. added another grand slam over the left center field fence. Dan finished the two games with 7 RBI and 6 runs scored. Al finished with 7 runs scored and 5 RBI. Ramon Toledo, who played a few games for us last year, had two clean singles up the middle, prompting the team to call for him to replace me in the line-up permanently. Eleven out of 12 players ended up scoring a run in game 2.

Not only did Jeff Morris hit well in the six spot, his defense was stellar all night, as was Jeff Donald at second. Our entire outfield was solid, keeping everything in front of them and holding our opponents to a bunch of singles rather than doubles.

Season Roundup

2009-11-11T11:45:00.004-05:00

After a disappointing season that ended with the Stripes going 5-13, we'll have a long winter to rest up for the Spring Season. I would argue that at least half of those losses could have been wins if not for a few bounces, etc.

I am waiting for Tom's address but again, he laid out a lot of money for us to be able to play this season. I hope you will consider sending Tom some $ once we get all of the info.

Have a great winter and see you in the Spring.

Final Fall 09 results and standings

2009-11-11T11:45:00.001-05:00

For posterity's sake:

8/24 Highlands #3

6:00 (H) Caribbean Breeze (L, 18-10)

7:00 (A) Caribbean Breeze (L, 15-14)

8/31 Highlands #3

8:00 (A) Medium Pace (W, 11-4)

9:00 (H) Medium Pace (W, 12-10)

9/14 Highlands #4

8:00 (A) Dukes (L, 13-12)

9:00 (H) Dukes (W 16-11)

9/21 Highlands #4

8:00 (A) Stardust Lounge (L, 19-11)

9:00 (H) Stardust Lounge (L, 12-5)

9/28 Barcroft #4

8:30(H) Team Turmoil (L, 7-0)

9:30 (A) Team Turmoil (L, 7-0)

10/5 Gunston

6:30 (A) Hit Squad (L, 11-5)

7:30 (H) Hit Squad (W, 20-13)

10/12 Barcroft #4

8:30 (H) Ninos (W, 22-6)

9:30 (A) Ninos (L, 15-2)

10/19 Gunston

6:30 (A) CC Clouts (L, 14-4)

7:30 (H) CC Clouts (L, 11-10)

10/26 Barcroft #4

6:30 (H) Mexicali/CCR (L, 15-14)

7:30 (A) Mexicali/CCR (L, 21-11)

Standings

Final Fall 2009 Standings - As of 11/10/09

Standing	Team	Record
1	Hit Squad	14-4-0
2	Crystal City Clouts	13-4-1
3	Caribbean Breeze	13-3-0
4	Dukes	11-6-1
5	Big Sticks	11-5-0
6	Mexicali Blues/CCR	9-7-2
7	Team Turmoil	8-10-0
8	Medium	7-8-1
9	Stardust Lounge	7-8-1
10	Ninos	7-11-0
11	Stars & Stripes	5-13-0
12	PubZ	5-12-1
13	Fifth Base	4-13-1
14	Medium Pace	4-14-0

"Don't Go There"

2009-09-23T21:06:00.003-04:00

WHat more can really be said than the headline? Baby Huey was our umpire. The Stardust hit the shit out of the ball. We didn't for big stretches. Our defense wasn't as good as last week.

Special thanks to Ed for the great pitching. Good luck at Club Med.

From Tom:

Last week, we reversed course and played as poorly as we had played well
the previous week. Collectively, we didn't hit, particularly in the
clutch, and didn't field. The one special defensive play that I remember
was Patrick at third base diving to his left to smother a ground ball in
the hole, then getting up, running down and tagging out the base runner
coming from second. With very good reason, the base runner expected the
ball to go through.

Unfortunately, this was Ed's last game with us for the season. It wasn't
a very satisfying way to send him back to the Mid-East.

Oh So Close

2009-09-19T17:12:00.001-04:00

Last week we played our long time rivals The Dukes. This time we came oh so close to sweeping both games from them. However, their number two hitter, after showing little power in his first three at bats, smacked a walk-off two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the last inning to beat us 13-12. Offensively, our entire team did well, with only one batter not getting a hit and 8 different batters driving in at least onerun. Lee was 3 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored; Andrew was 2 for 2 plus a walk; Al Boyd had a two-run homer; and Greg, Dan and Patrick all had doubles.

The second game was more fun for us, resulting in a 16-11 win. We maxed out our 3 home run limit in the second inning, with Al Boyd and Dangoing back-to-back in the first inning, and Dan smacking a grand slam in the second after the Dukes walked Al semi-intentionally. Next to Dan with 5, our big RBI man was our 11th batter, Al Schneider, who was 3 for 3, including a double, and driving in 4 critical runs; batting in the second position, Lee was again 3 for 3, with a double and 3 runs scored; Dan was also 3 for 3 with his two home runs; Greg was 2 for 2 plus a sacrifice for 3 RBI; Dave, Andrew and Mike Chapman were each 2 for 3; this game only two of our batters failed to record a hit.

As with last week, what really contributed to our success in both games was our defense. Ed pitched two excellent games against a very strong team. Our infield defense turned three double plays, two in the second game, one a spectacular 4-6-3 play started by Lee and turned by Jeff
Morris, and the final one a 5-4-3 started by Patrick to end the game. All of our infielders played well, with all four positions busy, and Al Boyd saving several somewhat-errant throws again at first.

We also had excellent outfield play, with Jeff Donald busy all night in left-center, particularly in the second game. Mike Chapman made a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch against the left field fence, and another deep down the left field line. Greg saved a couple of runs in right center with a diving catch to his right on a deep line drive slicing away from him. Dan played a very solid right field, with especially strong throws to the infield to keep runners from advancing on at least two occasions. Overall our team defense was as good as I can remember it being.

Stripes Sweeperific

2009-09-02T20:39:00.002-04:00

Good effort from the boys on monday as we swept a pacce team with a good group of impressive donks in their lineup. After falling behind early in the first game, the Pace didn't score a single run after the first, and the Stripes cruised to victory. Ed pitched particularly well and e hit well up and down the lineup.

Game 2 turned out to be much closer. Stripes were ahead most o the game and sealed it in the top of the last inning.

Particular shout out to Lee who played outstanding defense at Short.

Next week off, see you in 2 weeks.

Stripes drop opening series to tough Breeze

2009-08-29T08:51:00.003-04:00

Last week in our season-opening games, we faced Caribbean Breeze, who had added several new players to an already formidable lineup. In the first game, we held our won for all but one inning, and ended up losing 18-10. In the second game, we jumped out to an early lead, but then allowed them to catch and pass us late in the game, giving up four runs in the top of the last inning to put them ahead by 2 runs. In the bottom of the inning, we punched across a run and loaded the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, we couldn't get that second run and ended with a 15-14 loss.

One of the highlights of the evening was the return of Mike Mattoon to active play. Mike hit amazingly well, to the point that the Breeze were only able to get him out once on the night [Ed. Note for the record they never got me out!!!]. Another highlight was the performance of Mike Chapman and Lee at the top of the order. They filled in excellently in the absence of the injured David and Chris, getting on base consistently and scoring repeatedly. One of the lowlights was Greg Spears learning that the surest way to turn a drive off of the left-centerfield fence into a long single was to have me on first in front of him.

Final Spring '09 Results and Standings

2009-07-12T21:26:00.000-04:00

Schedule

4/27 Barcroft #4

8:30 (H) Empty Pitchers (L, 23-13)

9:30 (A) Empty Pitchers (W, 14-11)

5/16 Jennie Dean #1 *Makeup

9:00(A) Big Sticks (L, 7-0)

10:00 (H) Big Sticks (L, 7-0)

5/18 Quincy

6:30 (H) Medium Pace (L, 17-10)

7:30 (A) Medium Pace (W, 15-5)

6/1 Quincy

8:30 (A) Breeze (W, 19-8)

9:30 (H) Breeze (L, 14-9)

6/8 Barcroft #4

8:30 (A) Dukes (L, 14-4)

9:30 (H) Dukes (L, 18-16)

6/15 Quincy

6:30 (H) Stardust (L, 13-9)

7:30 (A) Stardust (L, 11-3)

6/22 Highlands #4

8:00 (A) Hit Squad (W, 10-8)

9:00 (H) Hit Squad (L, 13-7)

6/29 Highlands #4 * Make-up

6:00 (H) PubZ (W, 26-3)

7:00 (A) PubZ (L, 14-13)

7/6 Quincy * Make-up

6:30 (A) Mexicali/CCR (W, 19-1)

7:30 (H) Mexicali/CCR (W, 11-1)

Standings

Final - As of 7/12/09

	Team	Record
1	Dukes	16-1-1
2	Crystal City Clouts	11-6-1
3	Hit Squad	10-8-0
4	Big Sticks	10-8-0
5	Team Turmoil	9-8-1
6	Caribbean Breeze	8-9-1
7	Stardust Lounge	8-10-0
8	The Empty Pitchers	7-10-1
9	Stars & Stripes	7-11-0
10	PubZ	6-10-2
11	Mexicali Blues/CCR	6-11-1
12	Medium Pace	5-1

Season Ends Prematurely

2009-07-12T21:22:00.001-04:00

From Tom:

The top 8 teams are in the playoffs. We finished 9th, by one half point,
finishing 7-11-0. The Empty Pitchers finished 7-10-1, to beat us for
8th. The Dukes finished first at 16-1-1. We could have done better, and
lost games we should have won, but I hope everyone enjoyed themselves
anyway. This week I registered the team for the Fall season, which will
start for us on Monday, August 24.

The tournament is supposed to start Monday night, and finish up next
Saturday. Please let me know if you want the game schedule.

A couple of people asked about the cost for the season. I paid $800 to
get us into the league, including $30 for each non-resident. We don't
have a sponsor, so $55 to $60 per person would be about right. However,
I will accept contributions of any amount, lesser or greater, whatever
each individual thinks he can afford, if anything. I don't expect
anything from those who played only a few games. I have no problem
subsidizing them myself.

Mike Chapman asked me to provide my mailing address. Please find it
below:

Tom Meldrum
8825 Black Alder Drive
Alexandria, VA 22309

Yet Another Split

2009-07-04T22:57:00.002-04:00

Last Monday in the first game, we scored 11 runs in the first inning, 10 in the second and 5 in the third, then held on to win in 4 and one half innings by a score of 26-3. In the second game, we managed to seize defeat from the jaws of victory and lost by a final score of 14-13.

In the second game we suffered from a shrinking of the strike zone when we were pitching, compounded by a few defensive lapses. Since we scored 39 runs in the two games combined, for once our hitting was not a problem.

Alan Boyd had a homer in the first game, and Greg had one in the second. Dan had at least two triples on the night, and Chris had a big bases-loaded triple. I don't have the score book with me, so I can't give stats in detail, but suffice to say that everyone contributed.

Next week is our last regular season game. I will let everyone know as soon as I hear anything about the post-season tournament.

The Kessler Split....

2009-06-23T14:40:00.001-04:00

we split, winning 10-8 then losing 13-7. Needless to say, our offense was lacking...

first game was marked by great defense and some timely hitting. Everyone contributed on both sides of the ball. Far from an offensive explosion, we held a 4-3 lead going into the fifth before we tacked on a few more.

the second game was a disaster. HitSquad scored 8 in the top of the first. We cut that in half in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a grand slam by Dan. then we scored one run in the next 4 innings (another HR from Dan), before adding two in the 6th. In innings two through five, we sent no more than 5 batters to the plate in any one inning. The defense made a few errors that cost us. On the upside, after the first inning, we held them to 5 runs over six innings. Their shortstop was one of the best defenders I have seen in this league, eating up everything hit near him. In short, we managed only NINE HITS in game two!

The Boniface Brothers were great on offense, with Russ Boniface had two hits in the first game and two walks in the second. Chris scored four runs in the first game. The infield was pretty solid all night, handling some hard line drives. Mike Chapman was tested a lot in left and played flawless defense (11 catches on the night), including a shoe-top grab on the run.

Welcome Back

2009-06-01T13:44:00.001-04:00

In our last games two weeks ago, we split with Medium Pace, losing the
first game 17-10, but then winning the second 15-5. We were ahead in the
first game until we gave up eight runs in the top of the 6th inning, but
then were unable to score in the bottom of the inning. In the second
game, we started the top of the first inning by scoring 11 runs,
allowing everyone to relax a little. Then we held Medium Pace scoreless
in the first three innings, and "ten-runned" them after five.

Ed Reich was home from Iraq just long enough to pitch two excellent
games. At the plate for the night, Chris was 4 for 4, Greg, Lee and Jeff
Donald were each 5 for 6 and Alan Boyd was 4 for 6. Runs and RBI were
spread pretty evenly throughout the team, with no single player having
more than 3 RBI on a night when we scored 25 runs.

Game PPD for Rain

2009-04-20T13:19:00.000-04:00

See You Next Week

Schedule Posted and New Layout

2009-04-11T11:02:00.002-04:00

The schedule for the Spring season has been posted.

Good Luck this season.

I will post results and standings as I get them.

Let me know what you think of the new layout in the poll below.

Tourney Canceled

2009-04-03T15:35:00.000-04:00

Stay Tuned for Regular Season

Tourney Postposed

2009-03-31T08:59:00.000-04:00

Same Time, Same place Saturday April 4. Let Tom know if you can play.

Weekend Tourney Schedule

2009-03-26T10:30:00.002-04:00

2009 Arlington Youth Benefit Tournament

East Bracket
E1 - Bungalow Express
E2 - Coed All-Americans
E3 - CCSP McCoys
E4 - Afternoon Delight

West Bracket
W1 - Pirates
W2 - Spartans
W3 - PREEMPT CORP.
W4 - Stars & Stripes

Saturday, March 28, 2009

JENNIE DEAN #1

9:00 a.m. E1 - E3
10:00 a.m. E1 - E2
11:00 a.m. E3 - E4
12:00 noon E2 - E3
1:00 p.m. E1 - E4
2:00 p.m. E2 - E4

GUNSTON PARK #1

9:00 a.m. W1 - W3
10:00 a.m. W1 - W2
11:00 a.m. W3 - W4
12:00 noon W2 - W3
1:00 p.m. W1 - W4
2:00 p.m. W2 - W4

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Double Elimination will begin at 10:00 a.m. All teams will advance to Double Elimination. Coaches will be given double elimination schedules on Saturday.

Congrats

2008-10-24T15:26:00.002-04:00

Congrats on a good season boys. Let's plan a get-together this off-season.

Final Results and Standings Fall 08

2008-10-24T15:24:00.001-04:00

8/18 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) Dirtbags (W, 12-7)
9:00 (A) Dirtbags (W, 14-8)

8/25 Highlands #3
6:00 (H) Mexicali Blues (W, 11-4)
7:00 (A) Mexicali Blues (W, 14-4)

9/8 Quincy
6:30 (A) Ninos (L, 9-8)
7:30 (H) Ninos (W, 15-3)

9/15 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) Dukes (W, 12-8)
9:00 (A) Dukes (L, 11-10)

9/22 Quincy
6:30 (A) Stardust (L, 20-7)
7:30 (H) Stardust (L, 21-10)

9/29 Highlands
8:00 (H) Fifth Base (W, 14-12)
9:00 (A) Fifth Base (W, 8-3)

10/6 Barcroft
8:30 (A) PubZ (W, 14-5)
9:30 (H) PubZ (L, 18-11)

10/13 Barcroft
6:30 (H) Spon Needed (W, 14-11)
7:30 (A) Spon Needed (L, 9-6)

10/20 Barcroft
8:30 (A) CC Sember (W, 19-15)
9:30 (H) CC Sember (L, 11-10)

Final Standings As Of Oct. 24

1 Carib Breeze 14-4-0
2 Dukes 14-4-0
3 Stardust Lounge 13-5-0
4 Sponsor Needed 12-6-0
5 Stars & Stripes 11-7-0
6 CC Clouts 9-9-0
7 Fifth Base 8-10-0
8 Ninos 8-10-0
9 PubZ 8-10-0
10 Mexicali Blues 5-13-0
11 Dirtbags 4-14-0
12 CC Sember 2-16-0

Review from Tom

2008-10-19T22:04:00.002-04:00

I want to thank the 9 players who interrupted their Columbus Day holiday to play last Monday: the three Als (Boyd, Peterson and Schneider), Chris Boniface, David Buttner, Mike Chapman, Jeff Donald, Ed Reich and Patrick Semmens. I particularly thank Jeff Donald, who brought his family to the field, and Al Schneider, who gave up participation in another previously scheduled event to play. With me at catcher, we were able to cover all 10 positions.

We won the first game 14-11, but then fell in the second 9-6. As usual, our night started off with singles by David and Chris, setting the stage for a solid offensive effort in the first game. Al Boyd cracked two home runs on the night, including a monster that cleared the trees behind the left center field fence. When Pubz walked Al intentionally after his second homer, Patrick made them pay by crushing his first home run for the team. Patrick also had a stand-up triple and several other hits on
the night. In fact, all of our players, except me, hit well. However for some reason, in the second game we couldn't string enough hits together to score many runs.

Defensively, both our infield and outfield did a superb job. Jeff Donald displayed amazing range at shortstop and filled in ably for Jeff Morris. Al Schneider made several very strong plays at second, including a couple that drew compliments from Pubz players. Patrick had a large number of fielding opportunities at third, all of which he handled cleanly, following up with strong throws. Al Boyd played his usual
tremendous first base, making a key fielding play and helping the other infielders avoid errors with his adjustments on their throws to first.

In the outfield, Mike Chapman made an important, difficult catch right in front of the fence deep in the left field corner. Mike, Al Peterson and Chris did an excellent job of cutting off hard line drives hit into the gaps. Dave Buttner, playing right field, had more activity than most of our right fielders have had all season. He handled every opportunity flawlessly and several times threw quickly into the infield to prevent batters from taking extra bases on singles.

Ed Reich again pitched two excellent games and helped his own cause with a couple of timely hits.

Despite a couple of injuries to our teammates, we have had a solid, successful season, much more rewarding for me than the Spring . I look forward to seeing everyone again Monday night for our final games this Fall.

Last Week's Review

2008-10-03T10:51:00.001-04:00

Last week we won both games against Fifth Base, a new team to me, although some of the faces looked a little familiar. Game scores were 14-12 and 8-3.

Ed Reich pitched two excellent games, and the first game wasn't as close as the final score since we were the home team and didn't bat in the last inning. As he has all season, David Buttner got on base virtually every at-bat, setting us up for lots of runs. Mike Chapman, Al Boyd, Patrick Semmens, Jeff Morris and Lee Defibaugh all
contributed several big hits.

Dan Meehan gave the right fielder a major workout with many long drives, but unfortunately all stayed in the park and many were caught. All of Dan's at-bats resulted in our players on base being able to at least advance one base. Alan Peterson, playing left center, had the defensive play of the night on a slicing ball hit over his head almost to the fence. His catch saved us at least two runs
in a very tight game.

Our record to date is 8-4, with two of the losses by only one run. We have three more nights of games, all of which are scheduled for Barcroft.

Last Week's Review

2008-09-15T13:24:00.001-04:00

Last week in the first game at Quincy Park, we led 8-5 going into the bottom of the last inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, a late-arriving player for the Ninos lofted a ball over the center field fence, causing us to lose 9-8.

In the second game, we jumped on them early, scoring 4 runs in the first and 8 in the second. We won by 10 after 4.5 innings, 17-7. Chris consistently set the table, and Al Boyd and Dan Meehan just as consistently drove them in. Lee also had a bases-loaded triple, and we had hits throughout the lineup.

Our defense played very solidly, turning two more infield double plays on
the night, and Al Peterson pitched two very solid games.

Stripes Keep Rolling

2008-08-26T09:06:00.001-04:00

Keep it up guys, good wins last night.

Stripes Start Season Right

2008-08-20T21:34:00.002-04:00

A good sweep of the dirtbags on Monday. Can't remember the last time we started a season 2-0. Keep up the good work gentlemen.

Season Begins Monday

2008-08-14T20:58:00.001-04:00

Good luck this fall season Stripes.

Final Results and Standings Spring 08

2008-07-31T09:59:00.003-04:00

4/14 Highlands #3
6:00 (H) Stardust (L, 13-10)
7:00 (H) Stardust (L, 12-0)

5/5 Highlands #3
8:00 (A) Sponsor Needed (L, 13-12)
9:00 (H) Sponsor Needed (L, 15-10)

6/2 Gunston
8:30 (H) PubZ (W, 12-11)
9:30 (A) PubZ (T, 14-14)

6/9 Gunston
8:30 (A) CC Clouts (L, 7-6)
9:30 (H) CC Clouts (L, 7-6)

6/23 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) CC Sember (W, 8-6)
9:00 (A) CC Sember (L, 11-10)

6/30 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) Sliders (W)
9:00 (A) Sliders PPD

7/7 Virginia Highlands #3
6:00 (A) Dukes (L, 10-9)
7:00 (H) Dukes (W, 8-7)

7/12 Highlands #3 @9, #4 @ 3
9:00 (H) Sliders (W, 7-0*)
3:00 (H) CC Sember (W, 7-0*)
4:00 (A) CC Sember (W, 7-0*)

7/21 Gunston
6:30 (A) Breeze (L, 24-4)
7:30 (H) Breeze (L, 15-6)

Standings

1 Dukes 13-4-1
2 Caribbean Breeze 13-5-0
3 Sponsor Needed 12-5-1
4 CC Clouts 12-6-0
5 PubZ 8-7-3
6 Stardust Lounge 8-8-2
7 Stars & Stripes 7-10-1
8 CC Sember 5-13-0
9 Sliders 0-18-0

The Kessler Split

2008-06-09T14:18:00.001-04:00

While we managed a "Kessler split" (a win and a tie) last week against
Pubz, the way we accomplished both left us feeling pretty good, and the
Pubz players disgusted. In the first game, as home team we entered the
bottom of the last inning trailing by 4 runs. Our first batter grounded
out to the third baseman. Our second batter, Al Peterson, grounded the
ball between third and shortstop. The third baseman cut the ball off on
a good play, but Al's hustle to first caused an errant throw that pulled
the first baseman off the bag. Dave Buttner laced a double down the
right field line, moving Al to third; Chris Boniface singled to right,
scoring Al and moving Dave to third. John Thompson singled to right,
scoring Dave. Al Boyd then tripled to deep left center, scoring Chris
and John and tying the game. Pubz intentionally walked Patrick Semmens
and Mike Chapman to load the bases with one out and hopefully get a
force out at home. Lee Defibaugh foiled their strategy when he calmly
lifted a fly ball to medium right center, driving in Al Boyd from third
to win the game 12-11.

In the second game, as visitors we found ourselves in pretty dire
straits trailing by 7 runs entering the top of the fifth inning, and
with only 9 minutes left in the game. To make matters worse, Al Boyd had
strained his left hamstring trying to beat out a grounder to shortstop
in the second inning. In the top of the fifth, we scored two runs, both
driven in by Patrick. So we entered the bottom of the fifth with less
than five minutes left and still trailing by five runs. We did
everything in a hurry, rushing onto the field without any warmups. Our
pitcher, Ed Reich, threw nothing but strikes, and set Pubz down in quick
order on two fly balls to left and a fly to right center. We came off
the field with less than a minute remaining in game time, still trailing
by 5 runs.

Andrew Kessler led off the inning with a walk, but then was forced at
second on a grounder by Ed. Mike Mattoon and Al Peterson followed with
singles to left to load the bases. Dave singled again to drive in Ed and
Mike. Chris singled to load the bases again. John worked a walk to drive
in our third run of the inning, keeping the bases loaded. Then Al Boyd,
batting despite his strained hamstring, lofted a sacrifice fly to left
center, scoring Dave, but leaving us still down one run with two outs.
Patrick wasted no time in tying the game with a solid single to left.
Our next batter finally grounded into a force play, third to second.
(For the night we hit 13 grounders to the third baseman, resulting in
two double plays, ten single outs and only the one very important error
in the first game).

So we entered the bottom of the sixth and final inning tied 14-14 and
needing an excellent inning to escape with the tie we had worked so hard
to earn. Once again, Ed threw nothing but strikes and worked a 1-2-3
inning. The first and third batter both grounded back to Ed.

For the night, Dave Buttner, batting leadoff as always, went 8 for 8,
with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI. Chris, batting second, was 6 for 8, with 6
runs scored. John, batting third, was 4 for 6, with 2 walks and 5 RBI.
Patrick also had 5 RBI and Al Boyd had 4. The last 4 batters in our
lineup scored 8 runs between them.

Why do we even bother

2008-04-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

Postponed again. See you next week.

Games Postponed Today

2008-04-21T12:20:00.001-04:00

What Else is New

2008-04-15T10:33:00.002-04:00

We always lay an egg in our first series of the season. It's inevitable. Maybe we should start getting together before the season starts, get the rust off. Maybe it wouldn't matter.

Game 1 wasn't too bad. Despite some towering home runs from the former Vox Sox, We took the lead in the bottom of the 4th, 10-8. But Stardust (can't write that without laughing) came back with 5 in the top of the 5th, and we were unable to answer.

Game 2 was just crap. We could never get it going at the plate, and when we did, with bases loaded and 1 out, we grounded into the rare 1-2-5 double play.

Glad we got that out of our system, can't remember the last time we were shut out. Anyone know?

See you next week, let's bring the bats with us.

Wow, That Sneaked Up on Me

2008-04-09T15:08:00.001-04:00

Schedule is posted.....

Season Starts this Monday. See you there.

We're Baaaaaack

2008-03-09T19:04:00.002-04:00

Well, tryouts are soon enough, and the Early bird tournament is around the corner. Hopefully some of you (unlike me), are starting to knock the rust off.

Stay tuned for the schedule to be released.

Please Please Please, we NEED a sponsor this year. I will talk to a few places, but f you know of anyone, go talk to them. Or tell me and I will.

Final Standings Posted

2007-10-25T09:52:00.000-04:00

Well, everything that we needed to have happen did. The Breeze swept PubZ. They both split the week before. All the stars were aligned. Well, except for us doing our part.

Had we swept the Dukes, we would have been league champions. Actually we would have been 2007 champions, considering we won the spring league. Oh well.

We could go back and review the few games that would have made the difference. If we had won the two ties, it wouldn't have made that much difference in the standings. In all 5 of our losses we were 10-run-ruled; nothing we could have done there, they weren't heartbreaking losses, we just didn't show up those nights.

All in all a good season. Stay tuned for end-of-season "party".

Any ideas for a sponsor, let me know.

Final Fall 2007 Standings

2007-10-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

1 Caribbean Breeze 13-4-1
2 CC Clouts 13-5-0
3 Pubz 13-5-0
4 Bad News Beers 12-4-0
5 Stars & Stripes 11-5-2
6 Dukes 11-7-0
7 CC Sember 9-8-1
8 Vox Sox 8-10-0
9 Cobra Kai 5-11-2
10 Ninos 5-13-0
11 Mexicali Blues 3-13-0
12 Sliders 1-17-0

FInal Fall 2007 Results

2007-10-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

8/20 Quincy #3
6:30 (A) CC Clouts (RAIN)
7:30 (H) CC Clouts (RAIN)

8/27 Highlands #3
6:00 (H) PubZ (L, 13-3)
7:00 (A) PubZ (L, 13-3)

9/08 Highlands #4 *Make Up
1:00 (A) CC Clouts (W, 7-0*)
2:00 (H) CC Clouts (W, 7-0*)

9/10 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) Sliders (W, 11-9)
9:00 (A) Sliders (RAIN)

9/17 Quincy #3
8:30 (A) Cobra Kai (T, 14-14)
9:30 (H) Cobra Kai (W, 17-7)

9/24 Highlands #3
8:00 (H) CCR/Mexicali (W, 23-10)
9:30 (H) CCR/Mexicali (W, 21-5)

10/1 Barcroft
6:30 (A) Vox Sox (W, 16-6)
7:30 (H) Vox Sox (W, 26-12)

10/8 Barcroft
8:30 (A) Breeze (T, 13-13)
9:30 (H) Breeze (L, 28-4)

10/15 Quincy #3
6:30 (H) Nino's (W, 11-10)
7:30 (A) Nino's (W, 26-6)

10/19 FRIDAY Gunston *Make Up
6:30 (H) Sliders (W, 7-0*)

10/22 Highlands #3
6:00 (A) Dukes (L, 15-2)
7:00 (H) Dukes (L, 23-11)

Sliders Suck

2007-10-21T15:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks for wasting our time guys. 7-0 forfeit win, last series Monday.

Monday Review

2007-10-17T11:22:00.000-04:00

Monday was much more satisfying than last week, as we were the ones to come back from a big deficit, then hold on to win the first game. In the second game we scored 8 in the first, 7 in the third, 9 in the fourth and two in the fifth to win by a final score of 26-6. That is a bit of redemption from last week's 28-4 pasting at the hands of Caribbean Breeze. Obviously we had a number of great batting performances, but one in particular stands out: Dan batted 8 times in the two games, and they only got him out once. He had two homers, a double, two singles and two walks, drove in 8 runs and scored 7. Pretty special in anyone's book.

In the second game, we were particularly helped out by the last four batters in the lineup, Al Peterson, Al Schneider, Jim Foti and Jeff Donald. Collectively in 16 plate appearances, they had 13 hits and one walk, scored 9 times, and drove in 7 runs. The two outs they made were on hard line drives on which our opponents made excellent defensive plays. Clearly these four guys were the key to us winning so comfortably.

We also had some excellent defensive plays, but none finer than Al Schneider's in the first game, a dive to his right to snare a hard-hit grounder and flip from his back to Jeff Morris at second to force a runner. As a result, the Ninos did not score in the inning. Al Peterson, Jeff Morris and Al Boyd also recorded a critical 1-6-3 double play in the last inning of that same game, which we ended up winning by a score of 11-10.

Next Monday 10/22 will be our last scheduled games of the season. Thanks to all who have contributed this year.

Season-Ending Scenarios

2007-10-09T13:18:00.001-04:00

Tried to go through and look at what's left on the schedule of the Breeze, PubZ, and Us. A couple of things:

1) That tie last night hurt. You'll see why below. (forgetting about the beating in Game 2)

2) Our Schedule for the remainder of the season is the easiest. Dukes 7-5, Nino's 5-7, Sliders 0-11.

3) We need to win all of our remaining games. If so we'll be 13-3-2 (equivalent of 14-3)

4) PubZ and Breeze play each other in the last series of the season.

5) PubZ: Including last night, we need them to go 3-3 in their final 6 games (Last night's opponent. If so, that leaves them at 12-6. The minute they win their 4th game, we're done.

Remaining Schedule:
10/8 Sember 7-4-1
10/15 Dukes 7-5
10/22 Breeze

6) Caribbean Breeze: Need them to go 3-1 in the Final 4 games. IF that happens, they'll end up 13-4-1. We actually need them to split next week and sweep the PubZ.

Remaining Schedule:
10/15 Sember 7-4-1
10/22 PubZ

So, had we not tied the first game last night, we'd be in much better shape. But, so be it. We're big fans of Sember and Dukes right now.

Comments?

Uglier Than Kessler's Mug

2007-10-09T11:46:00.000-04:00

Last night was a clash of the titans as the #2 Caribbean Breeze met the #3 Stripes.

The Breeze jumped out early on us and we found ourselves playing catch-up for the first half of the game. A few big innings left us up by 3 with 3 minutes left. What turned out to be bad for us, the Breeze went down in order in 5 pitches and actually left enough time to start a new inning.

We didn't score and they scored 3 quickly in the bottom of the inning. With the winning run on base a shot to left center brought Tom around 3rd. A great relay by Morris and great tag by Kessler cut Tom down atome, resulting in a tie, 13-13.

Game 2 was never close. 28-4 is a shellacking. Never got our bats going. Our defense was atrocious. They hit the ball well. According to Buttner, could be our worst loss ever.

Stats posted as soon as Tom gets 'em to me.

Stats, etc.

2007-10-01T15:41:00.001-04:00

Sorry Guys, but I've been swamped at work and i don't have the spreadsheets from Tom to do the stats. Mike

Stay Tuned

2007-09-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

Stay Tuned for continuation of the second game. We were leading 16-4 in the 3rd inning when the game was called. Tom will let everyone know when the continuation is scheduled.

Game one saw our bats finally come around. A back and forth game with the Sliders culminated with a full-time win by the Stripes. Bats continued in the beginning of the second game.

Well played, everyone.

Stats when the book dries out.

Games Cancelled

2007-09-07T14:16:00.001-04:00

We Win by forfeit! Enjoy your saturday.

Chapman's Mug is Prettier..........

2007-08-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

.......than last night's set of games.

Terrible pitching in the first game (thank you very much), terrible hitting in both games with the exception of 2 of the 10 innings played.

Summer swoon it was. Hopefully we can turn it around after the Labor Day holiday. Remember next game is on Saturday.

Arlington County Sucks

2007-08-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

We should have played yesterday.

See you next week. Hopefully.

Game On

2007-08-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

If the weather holds out and Arlington isn't a bunch of pussies, Game 1 tonight. Be there. Check the weather line this afternoon.

R.I.P Scooter

2007-08-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

Schedule Posted

2007-08-07T09:22:00.000-04:00

Fall Schedule is posted. Once again looks like the better teams are stacked in the back.

Thanks to those who came out to stars and stripes. The search for a new sponsor begins. Send me or Tom any ideas you have.

Final Spring 07 Standings

2007-07-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

1 Stars & Stripes 13-3-2

2 Vox Sox 12-5-1

3 Dukes 11-6-1

4 Caribbean Breeze 10-8-0

5 Crystal City Clouts 9-7-2

6 PubZ 8-10-0

7 Sliders 8-10-0

8 Crystal City Sember 7-10-1

9 Galaxy Hut 4-13-1

10 Cobra Kai 4-14-0

Updated 6/29

Final Spring 07 Season Schedule

2007-07-13T14:07:00.001-04:00

4/16 Quincy #3
6:30 (H) Breeze (RAIN)
7:30 (A) Breeze (RAIN)
4/23 Barcroft #4

8:30 (H) Galaxy Hut (W, 14-11)
9:30 (A) Galaxy Hut (W, 13-6)
4/30 Highlands

8:00 (A) CC Clouts (T, 18-18)
9:00 (H) CC Clouts (W, 21-9)
5/7 Barcroft

8:30 (A) PubZ (W, 21-20)
9:30 (H) PubZ (W, 22-18)
5/14 Barcroft

8:30 (A) CC Sember (T, 10-10)
9:30 (H) CC Sember (W, 17-7)
5/21 Barcroft

6:30 (H) Cobra Kai (L, 8-7)
7:30 (A) Cobra Kai (W, 12-5)
6/4 Highlands

6:00 (H) Vox Sox (RAIN)
7:00 (A) Vox Sox (RAIN)
6/11 Highlands

6:00 (H) Sliders (L, 12-11)
7:00 (A) Sliders (W, 14-7)
6/16 Quincy #3 *Makeup

3:00 (H) Breeze (W, 18-7)
4:00 (A) Breeze (W, 15-14)
6/18 Quincy #3

6:30 (H) Dukes (W, 10-8)
7:30 (A) Dukes (L, 15-7)

6/25 Highlands * Makeup

6:00 (H) Vox Sox (W,18-11)

7:00 (A) Vox Sox (W,20-15)

7/9 Highlands *TOURNAMENT*
Sember (L)
Clouts (L)

Final Stats

2007-06-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

Dan Wins the Triple Crown.

We Did It!

2007-06-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

So what if they were only playing with 8 in the first game.

So what if we were playing without our spiritual leader.

So what if it was 9000% humidity.

We Won.

Sweep. Broom Job.

Spring 2007 Champions.

HUGE series Monday

2007-06-24T22:40:00.000-04:00

Guys, we need to sweep in order to win the title.

We can do this.

Vox Sox are coming off a loss and a tie with the Clouts. Let's keep 'em on their heels.

Stripes Battle Dukes for Split

2007-06-19T10:24:00.001-04:00

The # 2 and #3 teams faced off last night at a hot and steamy Quincy Park. We knew the Dukes would be tough, they always are.

Game one started off with seems to have been a recent trend -- our opponents jumping out to a nice lead and our bats failing to get going. The Dukes jumped out early, but somehow you knew that the Stripes bats would come around. Maybe it took Al Petersen's injury to spark our team (Heal Up Al!), but our bats came alive and in the bottom of the last inning, down by two, we were able to score 4 and run out the clock for a good come-from-behind win. Final 10-8.

Game 2 started off strong for the Stripes, scoring 6 Runs in the top of the first. But we would score only 1 run the rest of the game, ending our 4 game winning streak. Final Score 15-7.

Hopefully updated standing will be posted by the Arlington soon. Stats later in the week.

Next Monday is our last regular season game against the first place Vox Sox. Please let me know if you'll be there. Email me at mattoon@gmaill.com

Stripes Win Big, Then Eek One Out

2007-06-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

A beautiful Saturday for softball. And on the docket was the big hitting #4 Caribbean Breeze. Always a tall order.

Game one saw the Breeze get out to an early lead, but then their bats went quiet. In the mean time, the Stripes just kept cranking out the hits. Big hitsfrom Andrew and a huge grand slam from Dan proved to be more than we needed. Final Score 18-7. Certainly never expected to mercy-rule them.

Game 2 was more characteristin of our battles over the years. The Breeze got lots of help from our defense this time around. Stripes were up 3 with 5 minutes left, but couldn't make the clock move faster. A newly-energized Breeze put a 6 spot on us in the top of the last inning to go up by 3. Timely hitting on our part though proved to be the difference. Jeff Donald with the big hit, which turned out to be a 2-run homer (inside the park variety (or was it a single and a 3-base error?)) Then with the winning run on second, Diamond Jim Foti lifted a lazy fly ball that was misjudged allowing the winning run to come in. Final 15-14.

Games Monday.

Stripes Salvage Disappointing Split

2007-06-11T22:00:00.000-04:00

Three weeks since our last game and the rust was evident. The Sliders bats showed up early, but our defense showed up too late. After 2 innings the Sliders had scored 10 runs, most of which were unearned as simple errors and mental mistakes plagued the Stripes. Yet we continued to claw back and were within two going into the bottom of the last inning, but could only muster 1 run. Final score, 12-11. Clearly a winnable game that we let get away from us early.

Game 2 was a different story. Our bats continued where they left off, getting out to an early lead that we never gave up. Our defense was much more solid and everyone up and down the lineup hit well. Final Score 14-7, but it was never even that close.

Good hitting all around, special mention to Dan who continued his hot hitting, hitting one homerun and coming 4 feet from a second, and Andrew who continues to hit out of his mind this year. Have a kid every year, buddy.

# series left and they are brutal, facing the other 3 teams currently in the top 4. First up is Caribbean Breeze this Saturday in a make-up. Please tell Tom if you are in or not.

Stay tuned for stats and updated standings.

Arlington County Fields Suck

2007-06-04T15:06:00.000-04:00

Games are postponed toaday......

Stand By for rain-out date.

Stats

2007-05-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

Stars fight it out for disappointing split

2007-05-21T21:11:00.000-04:00

Well it was bound to happen. The Letdown. And this series had let down written all over it. the first place Stripes; the last place Cobra Kai. Daniel LaRussa, Johnny the DoucheBag.

It was clear that neither side had the bats working this evening, in our first early games of the year. It was apparent our gloves weren't working that well either. Stripes jumped out to an early lead on the Kai, thanks to another Dan Meehan moonshot. But then the bats went silent. Going into the bottom of the last inning, the stripes were down four. We rallied back to 8 -7 before a rifle throw from left field cut down Kessler at the plate for the final out.

Game 2 continued our trifling hitting performance. Until the last inning that is. Luckily, some great plays by Chapman in the outfield kept the Kai at bay (I'm sure you all know how painful it was for me to write that). Going into the last inning we were winning by 1, when our bats came alive, scoring 7 runs. Final score, 12-5.

Two weeks off now for the Memorial Day break. Stats and standings later in the week. Have a good holiday weekend.

Stats Posted, Standings Updated

2007-05-17T20:10:00.000-04:00

The Kessler Split

2007-05-14T22:56:00.000-04:00

A hard earned, if not pretty, kessler split tonight with CC Sember.

From the start it just seemed that our bats weren't all there tonight, well except for another moon shot from Meehan. In the bottom of the last inning, Stripes up by 2, Sember got the first to hitters on. 2nd and 3rd, no outs. They scored 2 to tie, then our defence shut 'em down. 2 come-backers to the pitcher and the game was over, tie score 10-10. Honorable Mention to Al Peterson for coming in in relief after the Jeff Morris injury.

The second game was a different story as we were able to string together a bunch of hits and runs. Bats of Chapman, Meehan and especially Kessler remained hot and Sember were never really in the game. Mercy rule score of 17-7.

SO....... the Stripes remain the lone undefeated team. Next up, the winless Cobra Kai. Early game next week.

Stats

2007-05-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

Stripes Impressive Sweep Continue Winning Ways

2007-05-08T12:49:00.000-04:00

Well, the Bats we certainly on display last night at Barcroft. 43 runs later the Stripes had a well-earned, hard-fought sweep of the dangerous PubZ team.

Game 1 was a seesaw battle. We were able to get out to an early lead, but going into the bottom of the last inning, we were up 4. PubZ got some early runners on base and and threatened before our defense was able to shut them down with the tying run on first. Final 21-20.

In game 2 PubZ got out to an early 10 run lea, but the Stripes fought back valiantly to go up 5 going into the last inning. PubZ was never able to muster a rally in the last inning. Final score, 22-18.

Special shout-out should go to Dan Meehan and Mike Chapman for their stellar night at the plate, and Lee at the Hot Corner. Truly a great set of games for the Stripes. Lots of character and grittiness on display.

Stay tuned for stats........

Stats

2007-05-02T16:42:00.000-04:00

Stripes Bats Come Out to Play

2007-05-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

The Stripes fought hard on Monday night and were a hair away from another sweep. We'll take the point and a half.

The first game was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. After an error plagued start in the field, the Stripes defense tightened up, even turning an impressive double play. Leading by 4 going into the last inning, the Clouts bats did the trick and scored 9 runs. Trailing by 5 with time running out the Stripes played small ball. A key base hit brought in the tying run and before we could flinch Al Schneider was caught off 2nd base. A Tie it is. Final 18-18.

The second game wasn't even close. The Clouts bats went silent and the Stripes continued hitting. Final 21-9.

A good night for most, with buttner batting 1.000, Dan Meehan overcoming the Giambi-shift for a good night at the plate, and Morris doing his best Ozzie Smith impersonation in the field (we need to get Big Red to more games).

Stats to be posted later in the week.

2007-04-25T17:26:00.000-04:00

Stripes Sweep Season Opener

2007-04-25T17:13:00.000-04:00

A beautiful night under the stars at Barcroft was just what the Stripes needed.

After a (shocker!) rainout in our first week, the Stripes ended up opening the 2007 Spring campaign against Galaxy Hut. Game 1 was a close, back-and-forth battle. heading into the last inning, the stripes held off a late surge and won 14-11.

In Game 2, it was clear that despite Chapman's futility, the Stripes bats continued working well. And Galaxy Hut's were not. Final 13-6.

A nice way to start the spring season. Stats to be posted soon.

Games Cancelled tonight

2007-04-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

All, Games are cancelled tonight.

First Games of the Year

2007-04-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

Our first regular season game is next Monday, 4/16 at 6:30 at Quincy Park against Caribbean Breeze.

Mike Mattoon and Andrew will be managing. Please let Mike or Andrew know whether or
not you are playing.

Early Bird Tournament

2007-04-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

It appears we ended up tied for first in our division with a 2-1 record.
Since we lost to the team we tied with, they are the number 1 seed and
we are the number 2.

This means will be playing our first game at 9:00 at Jennie Dean against a team to be determined. The schedule has the last possible game of the day over by 4:00.

Thanks to all who played Monday night. If it hadn't been for one bad
inning in the second game, we would have won both. The first game
started: single by Buttner, single by Boniface, home run by Boyd. Ed
Reich pitched two excellent games, and we were pleasantly surprised that
Mike Chapman was able to join us and play both games. The Tuesday night
team beat the Dukes 18-6. Jay has stats posted on the Exporters website
at http://members.aol.com/jhatfi1006/usexporters.htm.

Early Bird Starts Today

2007-04-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

See you at the Field

Jennie Dean #1.

8 pm

Update

2007-01-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

We are not combining with the Exporters. We will continue to play as ourown team on Monday nights. If anyone has a ready sponsor, I will behappy to use them. If not, we'll sponsor ourselves if necessary, as someof you have suggested. As a team, we're not exactly big on partyingafter games.

Please let Tom know if you will not be playing with our team this Spring.I know Mark Ulrich is still recovering from his broken ankle.

Season Superlatives

2006-11-15T10:44:00.000-05:00

For those who showed up at Stars and Stripes last night, a good time was had by all.

I understand there are more than a few of you who haven't paid Tom yet. Do it. It's not fair to him and it's not a lot of money.

At the dinner last night, Tom annound the 2006 superlatives. See below:

Spring Season

MVP: Lee Defibaugh
Best Glove: Chris Boniface

Fall Season

MVP: Al Boyd and Dan Meehan
Best Glove: Lee Defibaugh

Rookie of the Year

Ed Reich

Good Season over all. See you in the Spring.

Superlatives announced

2006-11-15T10:42:00.000-05:00

Team Party -- Superlatives Announced

2006-11-15T10:17:00.001-05:00

Final Standings Posted and Team Party

2006-11-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

Final Standings have been posted. We finished 4th this fall, not too bad considering the numerous challenges we had fielding a team on several occasions. Congrats to all.

Per Tom's email: Team Happy Hour, 6:30 Tuesday Nov. 14 at Stars & Stripes. Be there.

Final Reminder. Please pay Tom if you haven't already. $60.

Final Fall Results and Standings

2006-11-06T13:01:00.000-05:00

8/21		VA Hlnds #3
8:00	(H)	Never Will Be's	(W, 34-13)
9:00	(A)	Never Will Be's	(W, 18-17)

8/28		VA Hlnds #3
6:00	(H)	PubZ	(T, 11-11)
7:00	(A)	PubZ	(L, 11-10)

9/11		Utah Field
8:30	(A)	Dukes	(L, 20-17)
9:30	(H)	Dukes	(L, 16-15)

	9/18	VA Hlnds #3
8:00	(H)	Carib Breeze	(W, 20-18)
9:00	(A)	Carib Breeze	(W, 16-11)

	9/25	Utah Field
6:30	(A)	Cobra Kai	(W, 29-10)
7:30	(H)	Cobra Kai	(L, 15-10)

	10/2	VA Hlnds #3
6:00	(H)	Sliders	(W, 15-14)
7:00	(A)	Sliders	(W, 16-2)

	10/9	Barcroft #4
8:30	(A)	CC Clouts	(L, 13-3)
9:30	(H)	CC Clouts	(L, 15-9)

	10/16	Barcroft #4
6:30	(H)	Owls	(L, 19-10)
7:30	(A)	Owls	(W, 21-14)

	10/23	Barcroft #4
8:30	(A)	CC Sember	(W, 16-15)
9:30	(H)	CC Sember	(W, 25-9)

Fall Standings

#	Team	Record
1	Carribean Breeze	(14-4-0)
2	Dukes	(13-4-1)
3	CC Clouts	(11-6-1)
4	Stars & Stripes	(10-7-1)
5	PubZ	(10-7-1)
6	Cobra Kai	(10-8-0)
7	Vox Sox	(10-8-0)
8	Owls	(7-11-0)
9	CC Sember	(6-12-0)
10	Ninos	(6-12-0)
11	Never Will Be's	(5-13-0)
12	Sliders	(4-14-0)

*As of 11/6/06

Final Thoughts on the Season

2006-10-31T15:01:00.000-05:00

Some pretty amazing numbers here for a pretty successful season,
particularly in light of our injuries and other playing conflicts. Mike
will post these on the website at his convenience. If anyone has any
questions, I would be happy to forward you the game-by-game detail,
which I have in one Excel workbook.

I remind everyone that we and the Exporters are putting a combined team
in the buy-in tournament this Saturday, 11/4. Those who have committed
(Ed, Lee, Chris) or said they might be able to play at least part of the
day (Dave, Dan, Al Boyd) should have received an email from Jay today.
If your status has changed please let me know immediately. I know Chris
has reconfirmedIf you do not appear above, but would like to play at
least part of the day, please let me know. We expect to receive the
schedule by c.o.b. tomorrow, and will forward it as appropriate.

Thanks to the four guys who have paid their team fees for the
year/season. I am still waiting to receive payment from the rest of you.

I expect to have some kind of team get-together during November before
Ed leaves the area, where we will recognize all of the great individual
efforts and accomplishments during the year.

Thanks for a great year everyone!
Tom

Final Stats

2006-10-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

A great way to end the Season

2006-10-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Boy was it cold, and it may have taken a few innings for the bats to warm up, but warm up they did. Well, everyone except chapmans! (can't wait to get your reaction to that one).

Game one saw a back and forth battle between the two teams. Entering the final inning the home-team stripes were down 3 with the bottom of the line-up due up. We never doubted theat we would score, winning 16-15 in what must be our 3rd or 4th comeback win this year.

Game 2 was never really close. Sember struggled to score runs and we kept their outfielders busy all night.

Al Boyd hit some missiles. John Gulisano needed 2 games but got his cycle and we had the usual consistency from Boniface and Dan.

Stay tuned for stats from Tom

Stay tuned for post-season party

Remember to pay Tom - $60

Good luck to Dan on impending nuptials.

Vote for your MVP here

Tom's Review

2006-10-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Last Monday the team did a great job in earning a split with the Owls,
despite being very short-handed. Somehow, we lost a couple of people
during the day, and at gametime I had only 8 players. Despite my still
very injured hamstring, I had to start at first base. Our starting
lineup was Ed at pitcher, dave at catcher, me at first, Chris Boniface
at second, Lee at shortstop, Al Boyd making his organizational debut at
third base, Joe in left, Al Peterson in center and Dan in right.
Fortunately Dan was able to call a friend who lives close to the field,
and he showed up in the top of the second inning before I had to bat or
have any balls hit at me. Chris Steele showed up just in time to bat in
the bottom of the second and take right field, allowing Dan to move to
first.

As has happened on a number of occasions this season, we started out
fairly slowly at the plate in the first game, but picked up momentum at
the end. Meanwhile the Owls were hitting the gaps in the outfield. So we
lost that game 19-10. In the second game, both teams were scoreless in
the first inning. In the top of the second we went scoreless again, but
the Owls scored 3 in the bottom. Then in the third inning our bats
started to come alive, culminating in a long grand slam home run by Al
Boyd. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Owls laid a six spot on
us to take a 9-4 lead. In the top of the fourth, we responded with 7
runs of our own, with a triple by Chris Boniface and Al's second home
run the highlights, to take an 11-9 lead. But the Owls came right back
with five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 14-11 lead, with
only 4 minutes left before the time limit.

In the top of the fifth inning, Chris lead off with another triple, Al
Boyd singled him in, Dan hit a homer, Lee singled, Al Peterson singled,
Joe walked, Chris Steele tripled, Ed singled, Dave singled, Chris
Boniface hit his second triple of the inning and his third of the game
and Al singled to drive in Chris. We scored 10 runs in succession, and
somewhere along the way forced the Owls to change pitchers. So entering
the bottom of the fifth, with time well expired, we led 21-14. The Owls
11th batter doubled to lead off the inning, and we committed an error on
the next batter. Ed then buckled down to get the next three batters out,
on a pop-up to Al at third, a fly ball to Chris Boniface now playing
right, and a hard liner to Dan at first to end the game. Final score
21-14, and enough excitement for one night.

I finally realized that I am out a lot of money because I never asked
for participation fees from anyone for either the Spring or Fall,
although Ed offered and has paid me for the Fall. I am asking for $60.00
from everyone who played in both the Spring and Fall seasons, and $30.00
if you played only one season. This will leave me still a little out of
pocket, but it is well worth it.

Tom's Review

2006-10-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who showed up last Monday despite it being a Federal
holiday. We lost both games, but at least we made the second one
relatively close. A special thanks goes to Lee Defibaugh, who, despite
battling a stomach virus all day, showed up to make sure we would have a
team. Lee played two very solid games at shortstop and hit well,
although a couple of times I thought he was going to puke when he
reached base.

Fortunately we did mark the return of one of our teammmates, who we
badly needed because of the limited number of players and my continued
recovery from a hamstring tear. Al Schneider made his usual excellent
contribution at second base, and hit well, especially considering that
it was the first time he swung a bat in a game since very early in the
year.

It was great having you back on the field with us Al.

Is that Willis Reed?

2006-10-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

A great sweep for the Stripes last night as our bats stayed hot against a dangerous Sliders team.

Game one was a back and forth affair, with the Stripes forced to start the game with only 9 players. That is until the unlikeliest o f heroes, this reporter, hobbled in to take his place at 2nd base (ok heroes might be a little strong, but I'm waiting for Chapman's snide remark). The Stripes took the lead in the top of the next inning then the defense clamped down and iced the game. Final: 15-14.

Game 2 was never close. Our bats kept working, theirs didn't. Highlited by Ed's 2 strike-out inning. Defense was the name of the game.

A badly-needed sweep of the Sliders should move us up the rankings.

Good games men. Stats posted when I get them.

Reminder: Despite the holiday there are games next week.

Up and Down nite for the Stripes

2006-09-26T18:04:00.000-04:00

Our bats came out and remained hot early on against the Cobra Kai -- a team that appeared young, athletic and ready for a fight. Great hitting up and down the line up staked us to a lead that the Kai would never recover from. Going into the last inning they were down 29-4 and although their bats came alive in the bottom of the inning (perhaps an omen) the lead the Stripes built was just too big.

In game 2 the Kai began in much the same fashion the Stripes did in the first game, aided partially by our defensive lapses. But their bats went cold and the Stripes clawed back. Down five in the bottom of the last inning, we just could not muster enough to catch up. Final Score 15-10.

Standings are posted not counting this week's games. Tom will get stats ASAP.

Impressive Sweep for the Stripes

2006-09-20T10:36:00.000-04:00

It may have seemed like a tall mountain to climb when the Stripes arrived at beautiful Virginia Highlands Monday evening. The mountain: Caribbean Breeze, the Spring regular-season champs.
The Breeze certainly had their bats out in game 1, but the stripes never went away and when the dust cleared, the Stripes won 20-18.

The Second game was quite the different story, with the Stripes piling on the runs early (except for the first inning) and the Breeze making a late charge. Despite 5 runs in the bottom of the last inning, the Breeze fell short, 16-11.

Special mention to Jeff Donald for playing well at 3rd and Ed for pitching well -- he seemed to have the prolific Breeze bats at bay in game 2.

This impressive sweep should boost our standing in the league. Stats are posted and standings will be when the county posts them (likely Thursday). Look for Tom's more in-depth review (I'm sure) later in the week as well.

Stats through 9/18

2006-09-20T10:19:00.000-04:00

Game Time

2006-09-18T14:40:00.000-04:00

Last week with a very depleted squad, we lost two slugfests to the Dukes
at Utah Park. For those who weren't there, the banks of lights directly
behind home plate and in left field were out, making for some very
interesting fielding by third basemen and left fielders. Fortunately
there weren't any hard hits directly back at the pitchers. Once again we
were missing a lot of our normal starters. This was compounded by Mike
Matoon, Joe and I all suffering from injuries that precluded us from
playing. Then Jeff Donald ran into a conflict at the last minute,
reducing what little positioning flexibility I had. We played the games
with only nine men, including John Gulisano, newly retired from the
Exporters, who I was able to recruit late Monday afternoon by reminding
him that even I could hit the ball out of Utah.

So our lineup was Dave Buttner at catcher, Chris Boniface at 2nd, Al
Boyd in centerfield, Dan Meehan in right, John Gulisano in left, Jeff
Morris at short, Mike Chapman at 3rd, Andrew Kessler at 1st and Alan
Peterson pitching. Though we fought valiantly, we lost the first game
19-17 and the second 16-15, the second in the Dukes'last at bat and with
two outs. In the first game, John had home runs in both the first and
third innings, Jeff Morris was 4 for 4, and Chris and Dan were each 3
for 4. In the second game Al Boyd had home runs in the first and third
innings and Dan had a grand slam in the fourth after they walked Al
intentionally. Unfortunately, despite outstanding efforts by our three
outfielders, the Dukes were able to consistently take advantage of both
the extra large gaps and the short fences.

This week we play Caribbean Breeze, who is undefeated so far this
season. It would be nice to place a reasonable contingent of players on
the field, playing in their normal positions.

Standings Posted

2006-09-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

So our "Hargraves Split" has dropped us to 4th place in the standings this week. A much needed week off for the holiday weekend is upon us.

Enjoy the long weekend men. See you on the 11th.

Wasn't pretty

2006-08-29T14:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess our stats are going to come back to earth.

The Stripes showed some come-back grit in game 1, , getting the winning run to 3rd base with 1 out in the bottom of the last inning. But a strike from the CF gunned down Chris "Remember Me" Boniface at the plate, resulting in a double play and ending the first game in a tie.

The second game was just as sloppy as the second, but we still had a chance. The team looked lethargic and llooking towards having a few weeks off.

Here's to starting over in September.

Stats to be posted. Standings too.

Tom's review

2006-08-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

Since we were missing Al Boyd, Chris Boniface, Lee Defibaugh, Jeff
Morris, Mark Ulrich, Al Schneider and Steve Mandolesi Monday night
against the "Never Will Be's", I had to be creative with the defensive
positioning and lineup. Jeff Donald played shortstop, Mike Chapman
played second base, Al Peterson played left center, Andrew played first,
Joe played left, Dave Buttner caught, my son Charlie played right center
and Ed Reich pitched. Filling their usual starting positions from the
Spring were Dan in right and Mike Mattoon at third. I started as the EH,
holding a place in case anyone else arrived, but no one ever did.

So maybe we don't need anyone else.

In the top of the first inning of the first game, we sent 21 batters to
the plate and scored 16 runs on 7 walks and 11 hits, Dan's lone double
and 10 singles. Dan had two hits and four RBI in the inning. In the
second inning, we scored another 5 runs on a walk and 5 hits,
highlighted by Dan's second double and two more RBI. In the third inning
we were held to a measly two runs on a walk and three hits. At the end
of the third inning, the score was 23-6 and the umpire checked his watch
to see if he could start another inning. Unfortunately for him, he did.
This time we sent 15 players to the plate and scored 11 more runs on one
walk and 11 hits, including another hit and RBI by Dan and doubles by
Mike Mattoon and Andrew. In the bottom of the inning, our opponents'
bats finally came alive and they scored 7 runs on 8 hits, making the
final score 34-13, with the game ending well past 9:00, the start time
for our second game.

Starting the second game immediately, our opponents continued their
torrid hitting from the end of the first game and in the first inning
scored 7 runs on 7 hits and an error. They scored two more runs in the
second inning, before we held them scoreless in innings 3 and 4.
Meanwhile, we scored 3 runs in each of innings 1,2 and 4, making the
score 9-9 after four innings. They scored a single run in the top of the
fifth, before we came back to score five in the bottom of the inning and
take a 14-10 lead. Unfortunately we weren't able to bat long enough to
consume all of the game time. So they were able to bat again in the top
of the sixth. They proceeded to score 7 runs on only six hits and two
costly errors, and we entered the bottom of the sixth trailing by a
score of 17-14.

Ed led off the bottom of the sixth with a single; Joe followed with a
double; then Andrew had a big single to left center to drive in both Ed
and Joe. Suddenly we were only down by one run, with Andrew representing
the tying run at first. With two strikes on him, Mike Mattoon pulled a
ball down the left field line and past the left fielder. When it rolled
to the fence, Andrew scored all the way from first. Mike, hustling out
of the batters box, made it to third just a split second before the ball
arrived on a relay from the shortstop. We were now tied 17-17, with Mike
standing on third and Alan Peterson coming to the plate. Alan, as is his
wont, swung at the first pitch and singled into left center, driving in
Mike for a final score of 18-17.

We had lots of heroes in these games, both offensively and defensively.
If you look at the website, you will see batting
statistics that are downright scary, highlighted by Dave's .833 average
and 7 runs scored from the leadoff position and Dan's .778 average and
10 RBI at cleanup. There were also Ed and Joe's table setting hits in
the last inning and Andrew, Mike and Alan's clutch hits to tie and then
win the game. Amazingly, with 52 runs scored on the night, we had no
home runs. We did have three triples in the second game, by Jeff Donald,
Mike Chapman and Mike Mattoon, all to both drive in runs and lead to
scores by them. Ed pitched two excellent games, keeping a good hitting
team under sufficient control that we could outscore them. Our defense
was pretty solid for so many people playing away from their normal
positions. Our infield keystone combination of Jeff Donald and Mike
Chapman were particularly solid, if not spectacular, and our outfield
centerfield combination of Alan and Charlie each made difficult catches
at key times. Dave Buttner also tagged out a runner at home.

Our next game is Monday 8/28 at 6:00 at Virginia Highlands, we play
Pubz, with whom we have a very recent unfortunate history. Please let me
know whether or not you are playing. I know that Lee and Mike Chapman
are out.

It is hard to imagine a better opening night for our season. I look
forward to seeing everyone again. I remind you that we don't play on
Labor Day, 9/4.

Stats from Monday

2006-08-24T13:50:00.000-04:00

Impressive Wins for the Stripes

2006-08-22T10:03:00.000-04:00

There was no rust to dust off. Maybe it's because the Spring season ended only 3 weeks ago. Or maybe because it was a beautiful night, but the "Stars" truly seemed aligned. Hell, Buttner was hitting to the left side of 2nd Base and so was Kessler. Things were bound to go right.

In game one, it was an all-around team effort. Thanks mostly to their pitcher's inability to find the strikezone, the Stripes jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The final score was 34-11, though many of their runs came in the last inning when the game was already out of reach (possibly an omen for the next game). 34 runs is certainly the most we have scored in a long time, if not ever. Tom?

Game 2 was much closer. The Never Will Be's have a ton of team speed and their bats certainly came around in game 2. But the Stripes showed their grit and continued to claw back, culminating with a comeback from a 3-run deficit in the bottom of the last inning. Truly a hard fought win. Final score, 18-17.

Special mentions of the night:

- Considering only 3 people were playing in their natural position, our defense didn't do too bad.

- Kudos to Charlie "I know, Dad, watch the line drive" Meldrum, and Alan "Dont' call me Coco Crisp" Peterson in the outfield.

- Jeff Donald filled-in more than admirably at shortstop, especially considering he's nearly 90 years old.

Fair and Balanced reporting here on the blog (Chapman). I didn't even mention my monster triple to effectively win the game last night (of course after my boneheaded throw earlier in the inning extended the game more than it needed).

Next week we have early games. Keep an eye out for standings and hopefully stats later in the week.

Live at 5

2006-08-22T08:36:00.000-04:00

Play Ball

2006-08-21T16:47:00.001-04:00

Men, it's a beautiful day to play softball, hope you're tanned, rested and ready for the fall season.

Also, please email me your vote for MVP: mattoon@gmail.com

Dan Meehan

or

Lee Defibaugh

Winner will be announced after I've received enough votes.

Back in the Saddle again

2006-08-18T14:04:00.000-04:00

What a long break, I don't even remember what it's like to play softball.

Bring your glove and your hitting, it was absent at the end of the spring/summer season.

Site Issues

2006-08-16T14:25:00.000-04:00

Sorry guys, i tried to post a poll on the site, but it blew up on me. I've got a work-around going but you'll have to bear with me for a while. Thanks,

Final Spring 2006 Results and Standings

2006-08-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

MON

4/17

Gunston PPD*

MON	4/24	Quincy Park
9:00	(H)	Carrib Breeze	(L, 14-10)
10:00	(A)	Carrib Breeze	(W, 23-6)

MON	5/1	VA Highlands
6:00	(H)	Medium Pace	(W, 16-15)
7:00	(A)	Medium Pace	(L, 18-8)

MON

5/8

Gunston PPD*

MON

5/15

Gunston PPD*

MON	5/22	VA Highlands
6:00	(H)	Vox Sox	(L,9-5)
7:00	(A)	Vox Sox	(W, 10-8)

MON	6/5	VA Highlands
8:00	(A)	Ballston Braves	(W, 14- 8)
9:00	(H)	Ballston Braves	(W, 22- 6)

SAT	6/10	Gunston*
11:00	(A)	Dukes	(L, 15- 3)
12:00	(H)	Dukes	( W, 24- 15)

MON

6/12

Gunston PPD*

MON

6/19

VA Highlands PPD*

MON

6/26

Gunston PPD*

MON	7/10	Gunston*
8:30	(A)	CC Sember	(W, 17- 7)
9:30	(H)	CC Sember	(W, 15- 12)

MON	7/17	Gunston*
6:30	(A)	Galaxy Hut	(W, 7- 0*)
7:30	(H)	Galaxy Hut	(W, 7- 0*)

SAT	7/22	Gunston*
3:00	(A)	CC Clouts	( W, 15- 11)
4:00	(H)	CC Clouts	( W, 15- 13)

MON	7/24	Gunston*
8:30	(A)	PubZ	(L, 12- 10)
9:30	(H)	PubZ	(L, 17- 11)

MON	7/31	Gunston
6:30	(A)	CC Clouts	(, - )

SAT	8/5	TBD*
TBD	(A)	Post Season Tournament	(, - )

Standings

Place	Team	Record
1	Carribean Breeze	(14-3-1)
2	PubZ	(13-5-0)
3	Dukes	(13-5-0)
4	Stars & Stripes	(12-6-0)
5	CC Clouts	(11-7-0)
6	Lost Boys	(8-8-1)
7	Medium Pace	(8-9-0)
8	Ballston Braves	(7-11-0)
9	Sliders	(7-11-0)
10	Vox Sox	(6-12-0)
11	Galaxy Hut	(4-14-0)
12	CC Sember	(2-14-2)

*As of 7/26/06

And That was That

2006-08-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

Well, the Stripes went into the playoffs on a little losing streak. And it continued. Our bats didn't show up in game one agains the resurgent Clouts, symbolized best by both yours truly and Mike Chapman striking out looking. (Screw you Chapman) It wasn't even close.

Game 2 was a little closer, but in the end, we were playing catch-up again and came up a little short.

Good news is that the fall season starts in 3 weeks (dripping with sarcasm). Stay tuned to hear from Tom re: the Fall season and player dues.

Final Stats

2006-07-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

Sluggish Nite for the Stripes

2006-07-25T13:05:00.000-04:00

Well, the Stripes' 7 game winning streak comes to an end. It was, at times, a valiant effort, but our hitting was streaky all night. Our defense kept us competitive, but in the end, we were swept for the first time this year, at arguably the most inopportune time.

So the Stripes limp in to the post-season tournament next Monday. Stay tuned for final standings, stats and Tourney info.

Stats through Saturday

2006-07-24T17:25:00.000-04:00