Coach’s Notes — Game 15

Thu 26 Apr 2007 jeffrey

“What is losing?” Losing is a disease… as contagious as polio. Losing is a disease… as contagious as syphilis. Losing is a disease… as contagious as bubonic plague… attacking one… but infecting all. But curable. Now, I want you to imagine… you are on a ship at sea…
– 6:15 games are tough. They are tough to get to, tough to get warmed up for, and 6:15 is just a plain old shitty time for a softball game. We have three more 6:15 games this season, including next week.

– Wright Cole has sponsored a practice for this weekend. It will be Sunday at 10am at Willow Pass Fields. I’ll post the details shortly.

– I won’t say the most important thing is to have fun, it isn’t. We are here to win, but let’s have fun doing it.

– To reiterate, the second baseman is in charge of positioning the rightfielder, and the third baseman is the captain of the infield on all cutoffs. We’ll go over some of this at practice.

– B.H. Bronson Johnson turned down dinner with the mayor to make the last game.

– If it seems I get upset, it may be one of two things, I’m an asshole making things worse, or I’m just messing with you. I’ll leave it up to you to figure it out. Some people know me better than others and understand my “humor” (I can barely call it that), but that is what it is. No hard feelings.

– I’m telling you, the bar at Willow Pass and East Olivera is the place to be after the game. Besides the higher thought that is prevalent (taking two, not one, but two Viagra pills, and then operating heavy machinery leads to some crazy hi-jinx), the owners are brand new and are selling the place like mad. Look for some pasta dinner specials.

-Jeff

Superbas Game 015-20070424

Wed 25 Apr 2007 jeffrey

Game Summary

The Superbas suffered a humiliating 20-4 defeat at the hands of the Silky Johnson Rods in the early game at the Concord Municipal fields on Tuesday evening. The Superbas have managed to plate only 16 runs in three losses this year.

Stellar defense by second baseman Brooks Ramsdell highlighted the Superbas’ defensive efforts, which included the first inning of the season where the opponent hadn’t scored at least one run. Excellent plays were made in the outfield by centerfielder Eric Grace. Shortstop Jeff Wisniewski had three assists.

Ten of twelve Superbas registered at least one hit and four players had two hits apiece — Grace, Wisniewski, leftfielder Tim Evans, and designated hitter B.H. Bronson Johnson.

A shouting match between an ump and the Superbas bench during the bottom-half of the fifth inning entertained the handful of cougars in attendance.

Rightfielder Gabe Hernandez struck out swinging in the seventh.

Defensive Player of the Game: Brooks Ramsdell.
Offensive Player of the Game: B.H. Bronson Johnson (2-2).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Ramsdell grounded out to second.
Wisniewski singled.
Orr popped out to short.
Evans flied out to center.

2nd Inning.
Grace singled.
Atiyeh singled. Grace scored on throwing error. Atiyeh to second.
Smith grounded out to second. Atiyeh to third.
Hernandez singled. Atiyeh scored.
Gray grounded into fielder’s choice to short. Hernandez out.
Cole popped out to short.

3rd Inning.
D-Grace doubled.
Johnson singled.
Ramsdell grounded into fielder’s choice. D-Grace to third. Johnson out.
Wisniewski singled. D-Grace scored. Ramsdell to second.
Orr singled. Ramsdell scored. Wisniewski to second.
Evans singled. Wisniewski out at home. Orr to second.
Grace popped out to second.

4th Inning.
Atiyeh grounded out to short.
Smith doubled.
Hernandez popped out to short.
Gray grounded out to third.

5th Inning.
Cole flied out to left.
D-Grace popped out to second.
Johnson singled.
Ramsdell lined out to left.

6th Inning.
Wisniewski grounded out to short.
Orr lined out to center.
Evans singled.
Grace singled. Evans to second.
Atiyeh grounded into fielder’s choice. Evans out.

7th Inning.
Smith popped out to the catcher.
Hernandez struck out swinging.
Gray grounded out to short.

End of game.

Superbas

Coach’s Notes — Game 14

Wed 18 Apr 2007 jeffrey

I’ll be in Philadelphia for some brotherly love the rest of this week so I’ve posted the remaining schedule and the current standings in the Strikeout for Beer Keg Fundraiser a little earlier than usual. Of course, what is “usual”?
We strung together a few runs last night at different times, but we need balance throughout the batting order. Our top six hitters accounted for 12 of 15 hits and all 9 runs.
We are the away team next game so let’s start the game off with a few runs and play with a lead (for a change).
I’m always open for ideas on the lineup or defensive positioning, so if you have an opinion, please let me know. If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact me through the Email the Coach feature on the website.
I will begin developing a base coach code of conduct.
You can post comments to the blog by clicking ‘comments’ under the individual entries. Please remain civil. (By clicking the headline of the post in your email, you will be redirected to the individual blog-entry.)
The new scorecard was a huge success.
Why is it that ten players on this team are from one company, and we cannot get that company to sponsor us? If you are a higher-up at said company, get your ass in gear. (The result would be a lot more beer.)
If you have lady-friends, please bring them to the ballgames. If you have cougar friends, that’d be even better.
There is a Red-Legged Superbas cap available for purchase. (This is optional.)
Before the game yesterday, a player denounced my opening game lineup with Joe Gray as the leadoff hitter, and then went 0 for 3 in last night’s game.
There is a bar in the plaza across the street from the Willow Pass Fields complex at Willow Pass and East Olivera. A few of us were there after last night’s game discussing pygmy goats. Don’t miss out on these priceless opportunities for higher thought.
Our next game is at 6:15pm, with soft-toss BP and warm-ups at 5:45pm. How many players will show up?

-Jeff

Superbas

Superbas Game 014-20070417

Wed 18 Apr 2007 jeffrey

Game Summary

The Superbas made a valiant effort but ultimately fell short in a 21-9 loss to the Ball Outs on a frigid Tuesday evening that scared off many of the cougar fans. The Superbas banged out fifteen hits in the losing effort.

The hits keep coming for outfielder Tim Evans. Evans was a single shy of the cycle as he doubled, tripled and homered in his three plate appearances with 4 runs batted-in and 3 runs scored. Second baseman Brooks Ramsdell added two singles and two runs scored. Shortstop Jeff Wisniewski was 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Leftfielder Chris Leo and first baseman Dyelan Grace each had 2 runs batted-in.

Excellent defensive play was highlighted by Ramsdell who took several hard grounders to the chest. Following the game, Ramsdell was asked about his play and the second baseman replied nonchalantly as he rubbed his pectoralis major, “That is what you’re supposed to do.” Evans shined in left-center with several outstanding plays.

Designated hitter B.H. Bronson Johnson struck out swinging in the third and struck out looking in the fifth.

Defensive Player of the Game: Brooks Ramsdell.
Offensive Player of the Game: Tim Evans (3-3, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Ramsdell singled.
Wisniewski singled. Ramsdell to second.
Orr popped out to short.
Leo singled. Ramsdell scored. Wisniewski to second.
Evans doubled. Wisniewski scored. Leo to third.
D-Grace singled. Leo scored. Evans to third.
Atiyeh grounded into fielder’s choice to third. Evans scored. D-Grace out.
Grace popped out to the pitcher.

2nd Inning.
Espinoza singled.
Cole grounded into fielder’s choice to third. Espinoza out.
Gray grounded into double-play to short. Cole out.

3rd Inning.
Johnson struck out swinging.
Ghalambor grounded out to short.
Ramsdell walked.
Wisniewski singled. Ramsdell to second.
Orr popped out to third.

4th Inning.
Leo singled.
Evans homered. Leo scored.
D-Grace popped out to short.
Atiyeh popped out to short.
Grace lined out to second.

5th Inning.
Espinoza walked.
Cole singled.
Gray popped out to the pitcher.
Johnson struck out looking.
Ghalambor grounded into fielder’s choice to short. Espinoza out.

6th Inning.
Ramsdell singled.
Wisniewski singled. Ramsdell to third.
Orr lined out to third.
Leo hit sacrifice fly to center. Ramsdell scored.
Evans tripled. Wisniewski scored.
D-Grace singled. Evans scored.
Atiyeh singled. D-Grace out at third.

End of game.

Superbas

Coach’s Notes — Game 13

Thu 12 Apr 2007 jeffrey

The first game’s gamelog is now available.
So, it wasn’t our best game; there is certainly a lot of room for improvement. (As Jesus said, “I’ll be back,” or whatever.)
Our goal for this season is six wins, which may put us in the playoffs, and I do think that that is possible. We had a lot of players miss the first game, and we will get stronger as the season progresses. Typically, teams that do well on opening day are teams that have been together for some time. This was true on Tuesday night; the Brewskis have been together for five years.
Walks are good. I am a big culprit of this as well, but let’s try to always take a strike before swinging away. First, you’ll get an eye for the pitcher’s delivery. Second, the pitcher may end up giving you a free pass to first base. Many teams in the league base their entire offense on walks, and although I don’t agree with that philosophy (as my saying goes, “only postal workers walk”), it is definitely better than popping out to the first baseman or grounding out to the pitcher, especially on the first pitch. (Remember, three balls gives you a walk, and two strikes and you’re out.)
The second baseman needs to play deeper and more towards the middle; the first baseman needs to play off the line. This is not true in all cases, e.g., a pull left-hander, but we need coverage up the middle. The throw from second to first is very short.
It is the second baseman’s job to position the rightfielder. The rightfielder should play up, generally, but the rightfielder will heed to the direction of the second baseman.
The third baseman is the captain of the infield on cutoffs. It is the third baseman’s job to position the shortstop or second baseman and let them know where to throw the ball. “ONE” = first base; “TWO” = second base; “THREE” = third base; “FOUR” = home; and “CUT” = no throw. The third baseman should shout this repeatedly and give the cutoff man enough time to catch-and-throw in a fluid motion.
The league-provided scorecard sucks, I realize, so I created our own branded scorecard, which we will use from now on. It includes call-outs for a single, double, triple, home run, walk, reached-on-error, sacrifice hit and fielder’s choice. All you need to do is circle the appropriate one. There is also a place to write-in the number of RBIs. (Pretty simple.) Hopefully this will make keeping score easier for the folks who claim to not know how to. One question for you folks: When you are watching a ballgame, and the announcer says the team just turned a “6-4-3 double play,” are you telling me you do not know what that means? (Just asking.)
I am keeping track and I have calculated the statistics, but I will not post them until the sixth game or so. Before then, the numbers are essentially meaningless. I will also post the definitions of the two statistics I’ve created — the contribution percentage (or Red-Legged Superbas Index, RLS) and the Total Run Production Index (TRP) — when the time comes. In the meantime, the explanation of all statistics is available.
Please don’t try to phone me the hour before the game; I am most likely warming up or whatever, and I will not pick up my phone. In all likelihood, whatever information you need is available on the blog, so print it out as necessary.
If you need batting practice, do it. Don’t say to me after the game, “we need batting practice.” No, you need batting practice.
From now on, please email coach@superbas.org if you cannot make the game when I post the Next Game blog-entry (that will show up in your inbox on Mondays). If I don’t hear from you, I will assume you will be present.

-Jeff

Superbas

Superbas Game 013-20070410

Wed 11 Apr 2007 jeffrey

Game Summary

The Superbas opened their season with a catastrophic loss to the Brewskis on Tuesday evening. The score was knotted at 2 apiece after the first inning, but the bottom eventually fell out for the Superbas and the Brewskis cruised to a 24-3 victory. The loss was the second worst in Superbas franchise history.

Stellar defense by leftfielder Chris Leo and third baseman Tim Evans made the game enjoyable to watch for the loyal cougar fans. First baseman Dyelan Grace and outfielder Airto Smith also made solid defensive plays.

Pitcher Jesus Espinoza, who was pulled in the top of the third after giving up an out-of-the-park home run only to return to pitch the following inning, struck out two batters.

The Superbas only managed to get ten hits off of the Brewskis’ crazy-windup pitcher. Evans led the charge with an RBI triple in the first and a double in the sixth. Shortstop Jeff Wisniewski added three singles.

In spite of the shellacking, the Superbas’ new players rose to the occasion. Of the Superbas’ ten hits, six were from players added to the roster this season. Two of the three runs batted-in and two of the three runs scored were also at the hands of the roster additions.

Catcher Joe Gray struck out to lead off the game and season, and struck out again to end the fifth. D-Grace struck out on fouls to end the first.

Defensive Player of the Game: Chris Leo.
Offensive Player of the Game: Tim Evans (2-3, 2B, 3B, RBI).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Gray struck out swinging.
Ramsdell flied out.
Wisniewski singled, advanced to second on throwing error.
Leo singled. Wisniewski scored.
Evans tripled. Leo scored.
D-Grace struck out on fouls.

2nd Inning.
Cole popped out to first.
Atiyeh lined out to left.
Espinoza walked.
Hernandez lined out to short.

3rd Inning.
Smith singled.
Gray popped out to short.
Ramsdell walked. Smith to second.
Wisniewski singled. Smith scored. Ramsdell to second.
Leo flied out to right. Ramsdell to third. Wisniewski to second.
Evans flied out to center.

4th Inning.
D-Grace singled.
Cole grounded into 1-6-3 double play. D-Grace out.
Atiteh singled.
Espinoza popped out to short.

5th Inning.
Hernandez grounded out.
Smith grounded out.
Gray struck out looking.

6th Inning.
Ramsdell singled.
Wisniewski singled. Ramsdell to second.
Leo flied out to center. Ramsdell out.
Evans doubled. Wisniewski to third.
D-Grace flied out to left.

End of game.

Superbas

Superbas Next Game

Mon 09 Apr 2007 jeffrey

First Game: April 10 @ 8:25pm

The first game of the season is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 10, at 8:25pm on Field 1. (See map below.) Please arrive by 8 o’clock to get adequately warmed. I would recommend at least two rounds of soft toss for batting practice.

Please let me know by email (either send an email to coach@superbas.org or reply to the FeedBurner subscription email) and let me know if you plan on attending. I’d like to get a general head count the morning of the game to allow myself some time to develop a lineup. Please help me with this process by responding accordingly. For example, if you plan on making the game, a simple reply as follows would suffice: “I’ll be there.” Or, if you do not plan on making the game, “I’m a douchebag,” would be an appropriate email response.

See you Tuesday evening.

-Jeff

Game location: Field 1 is the main field in the middle of the Willow Pass Fields complex.

Next Game: April 17 @ 7:20pm

The next game is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 17, at 7:20pm on Field 2. (See map below.) Please arrive by 6:45pm to get adequately warmed. I would recommend at least two rounds of soft toss for batting practice.