A player will receive an automatic invitation if he appears in four or more games the previous season.

This ordinance is premised on the “first season’s precedent” theory. The minimum games played by players in the first season was four. It makes sense to establish that as a minimum, as that represents one-third of scheduled games, a rational minimum.

As the Superbas move forward, it is imperative to recruit new players that will make the games, not only to avoid nasty forfeitures, but also to encourage better game-play, and to improve player morale.

All team ordinances — all four of them — are available on the website.

• I didn’t post the statistics and leaders because, well, I’m lazy. But I will confirm that the softball Jesus still leads almost all categories. (However, that Jesus guy can sure be an asshole.)

  – A question from the field: “Why are you running ads on the blog, I thought this was a non-profit?” »» Yes, Superbas.org is a not-for-profit organization, however, recouping expenses (hosting fees, etc.) is allowed, and makes sound business sense. That, and I love the sound of a chain basketball net. (It is the only way I play.)

  – Daniel (or Hernandez* from last game) will join us for next week’s game. I’m trying to convince Damien (or Adams*) to join us again.

  – Speaking of which, it is nice to have another week off, resting our tired bodies, coming in refreshed, ready to make a run for the playoffs.

  – I’ve adopted a new team ordinance, which will make four in all. I’ll post that shortly.

  – Please let me know if you are interested in the fall league, I am sure we will get information on registration, costs, etc., soon.

  – And Tim Evans’ offer to host the team banquet, er, keg party, still stands, with information to follow. Strikeouts will fund the bash.

  -Jeff

Game Summary

The Superbas suffered a beating on Tuesday evening, capped off by a franchise record five strikeouts. The Silky Johnson Rods upended an early Superbas lead, winning 17-3.

Two new players were designated for the game, Damien playing as Adams,* and Daniel playing as Hernandez.*

The game was one of the best defensive efforts by the Superbas this season. Third baseman Adams* made several great plays, and Hernandez* pitched well. Solid defense was played by second baseman Brooks Ramsdell, shortstop Jeff Wisniewski, first baseman Eric Grace, and outfielders Chris Leo and Tim Evans.

Ramsdell continues to shine at the lead-off spot, reaching bass all four times and scoring a run. Rightfielder Jesus Espinoza had three hits.

Adams* struck out swinging in the first. Outfielder Joe Gray struck out on fouls in the second. Atiyeh struck out swinging twice. And Wisniewski struck out on fouls to end the game.

Defensive Player of the Game: Adams.*
Offensive Players of the Game: Brooks Ramsdell (2-2, 2 BB, R) and Jesus Espinoza (3-3, 2B).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Ramsdell walked.
Atiyeh singled. Ramsdell to second.
Leo singled. Ramsdell scored. Atiyeh to second.
Wisniewski singled. Atiyeh scored. Leo to second.
Grace grounded into fielder’s choice to second. Wisniewski out. Leo to third.
Adams* struck out swinging.
Hernandez* lined out to left.

2nd Inning.
Espinoza singled.
Evans popped out to right.
Gray struck out on fouls.
Ramsdell singled. Espinoza to second.
Atiyeh struck out swinging.

3rd Inning.
Leo flied out to center.
Wisniewski lined out to center.
Grace grounded out to the pitcher.

4th Inning.
Adams* grounded out to first.
Hernandez* singled.
Espinoza singled. Hernandez to second.
Evans flied out to right. Hernandez to third.
Gray singled. Hernandez scored. Espinoza to second.
Brooks singled. Espinoza to third. Gray to second. Gray out at second.

5th Inning.
Atiyeh struck out swinging.
Leo grounded out to short.
Wisniewski doubled.
Grace flied out to right.

6th Inning.
Adams* grounded out to the pitcher.
Hernandez* grounded out to third.
Espinoza doubled.
Evans singled. Espinoza to third.
Gray grounded out to short.

7th Inning.
Ramsdell walked.
Atiyeh grounded into fielder’s choice. Ramsdell out.
Leo flied out to center.
Wisniewski struck out on fouls.

End of game.

* Designated player.

• I apologize about the delay in posting. If the ad revenue from the Superbas blog actually provided for me, my wife and my puppy, man, would things be different. A lot different. First, I’d buy a shack in the woods, somewhere near a river. Then, I’d set aside some land for horticulture, with maybe a greenroom as an annex to the cabin. Then, I’d renovate the place and build a full-service bar, call it Henrietta’s, and hire some dancers. Then, with the money flowing, I’d start my own thing, like a Superbas gear shop, selling bikini bottoms with the Superbas logo, and license plate holders, the works. (What is the deal with license plate holders? Why do a lot of people leave the dealer’s license plate holder on, long after they purchase the car? Do these people realize they can remove the holder, and not shill for the dealership for years on end?) Anyway.

  – Alright, I admit it. We suck, and we are as bad as we should be.

  – Scratch that. We are better than our 0-9 record. I know we are. We only need a few extra runs — maybe ten or twenty — a game, and we will be fine.

  – No one struck out last game.

  – The softball Jesus is returning. Tim Evans will be back next week.

  – And last year’s MOP — Carlo Quinonez — is also slated to return.

  – Things are looking up for the Superbas.

  -Jeff

Game Summary

The Superbas put on a pathetic display on Tuesday evening, belting put a whopping ten hits, in an eventual 26-6 thrashing at the hands of the Ball Outs.

The Superbas were highlighted defensively by a few nice catches in center field by Jeff Wisniewski. Pitchers Brooks Ramsdell and Jesus Espinoza, despite the shellacking, pitched well, meaning they only allowed a couple of walks between them.

The Superbas scored all of their six runs in the fourth inning. Third baseman Mike Atiyeh had a two-run single and later scored, and Espinoza added a two-run double.

Defensive Player of the Game: Jeff Wisniewski.
Offensive Player of the Game: Mike Atiyeh (1-3, R, 2 RBI).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Ramsdell lined out to short.
Espinoza grounded out to third.
Leo flied out to right.

2nd Inning.
Wisniewski singled.
Grace flied out to right.
Atiyeh flied out to left.
Orr popped out to third.

3rd Inning.
Gray popped out to the catcher.
Cole singled.
Ramsdell walked. Cole to second.
Espinoza lined out to second.
Leo flied out to right.

4th Inning.
Wisniewski singled.
Grace doubled. Wisniewski to third.
Atiyeh singled. Wisniewski and Grace scored.
Orr singled. Atiyeh to second.
Gray lined out to short.
Cole popped out to the pitcher.
Ramsdell singled. Atiyeh to third. Orr to second.
Espinoza doubled. Atiyeh and Orr scored. Ramsdell to third.
Leo doubled. Espinoza and Ramsdell scored.
Wisniewski flied out to right.

5th Inning.
Grace flied out to right.
Atiyeh flied out to left.
Orr singled.
Gray grounded out to third.

6th Inning.
Cole flied out to left.
Ramsdell popped out to first.
Espinoza flied out to center.

End of game.

• Another better game, we are certainly improving. Especially defensively. We still have those innings where nothing goes right, but progress is key.

  – Before I get going, I’d like to clear the air a bit over what happened last week. As everyone should know, we forfeited the game because only six players showed up. Six. That pissed me off. What frustrated me the most was that I didn’t receive any notice from a few players that they weren’t going to make the game. If only six players were going to make it, we all could have saved the trouble of driving to Concord. Many of us left work early to make the game. I was forced to miss a pretty important company function that evening. And for what? To show up and forfeit a game. I don’t ask for much; all I ask for is a heads up if you won’t make the game. A phone call, an email. Shit, tell a coworker. That is the worst part. The majority of this team works for one company. Three players last week from this company were no-shows (players who didn’t let me or anyone else know that they would not make the game). As a result, we forfeited. Why didn’t anyone make a phone call or send an email? I take this as a sign of disrespect, and rightfully so. And I really let it loose. With the other five players as witnesses, I rampaged on-and-on over this last week. (The game summary from last week’s forfeiture includes a portion of this, although, written as a humorous third-party recapitulation.) I started first with the thought of kicking two players off the team — Wright Cole and Kevin Ghalambor, both who were two consecutive no-shows. Then I considered suspending them indefinitely. Then I thought about fining them. Then I wavered on whether or not to put it up to a team vote. In the end, I did nothing, and I am fine with that. However, as the Superbas move forward, I’d like to make one thing clear, I don’t handle disrespect well. In fact, I don’t handle it at all. As a great man from a great land said a great long time ago, “Go fuck yourself and the raft you floated in on. I’ve got better things than to spend time with you.” (Know who said that? Jesus.)

  – With that said, I’m starting a new list, the “No-Shows List.” Ghalambor has been a no-show the last three weeks. Evans the last two weeks. Gray last week. Johnson this week. And Cole the previous two weeks. (Once again, I don’t mind if you are not going to make it, but do the team a favor, and let someone know you won’t make the game. It’s pretty simple. In fact, even a retard could do it. Well, maybe not Ghalambor.)

  – I understand disrespect is a huge part of company life at rhymes-with-benjeo. They breed it. (That is where I learned mine from.) But why the hell didn’t Gray, Cole or Ghalambor answer their phones? Or return the calls? And some of those calls were placed from a company phone, that of an associate. You’d think these guys would answer the phone from one of their company’s associates. Then again, the disrespect thing.

  – I thought about taking the high road, but then reconsidered. Following last night’s game, a few teammates who were there for the forfeiture and my lengthy curse-filled rant openly wondered why I didn’t comment. And now I have.

  – On to better topics… We are developing a new, secondary logo. Ideas?

  – Someone mentioned new jerseys. Maybe next year. I’m down with everything except pinstripes.

  – We will have a new defensive lineup next game.

  – Grace is kicking ass. He has become the force we always knew he had in him. When Grace narrows his focus onto an attainable goal, he can do great things.

  -Jeff

Game Summary

The Superbas carried a 5-3 lead into the bottom-half of the fourth inning Tuesday evening in a rematch against the Brewskis, but the bottom eventually fell out, and the Superbas lost 18-10 in the late game.

Pitcher Brooks Ramsdell pitched another excellent game, striking out one, and more importantly, only allowing one base on balls. Outfielders Chris Leo and Eric Grace played solid defensively and shortstop Jeff Wisniewski held his own.

Grace hit a three-run home run down the right field line in the sixth inning. First baseman Mike Atiyeh had three hits including a two-run double giving the Superbas a temprary lead in the top of the fourth. Ramsdell and rightfielder Jesus Espinoza added three hits apiece.

History was made in the game, however. It was the first time in recorded softball history that a pitcher struck out the side. Leo, third baseman Andy Orr, and Grace struck out looking in the first.

Defensive Players of the Game: Brooks Ramsdell and Jeff Wisniewski.
Offensive Players of the Game: Jesus Espinoza (3-3, RBI), Eric Grace (2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) and Mike Atiyeh (3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI).

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

1st Inning.
Ramsdell singled.
Espinoza singled. Ramsdell to second.
Leo struck out looking.
Wisniewski doubled. Ramsdell scored. Espinoza to third.
Orr struck out looking.
Grace struck out looking.

2nd Inning.
Atiyeh singled.
Gray grounded into double play to second. Atiyeh out.
Cole popped out to the catcher.

3rd Inning.
Ramsdell singled.
Espinoza singled. Ramsdell to third.
Leo grounded into fielder’s choice to third. Espinoza out. Ramsdell out at home.
Wisniewski singled. Leo to second.
Orr grounded out to the pitcher.

4th Inning.
Grace grounded out to second.
Atiyeh singled, reached third on throwing error.
Gray singled. Atiyeh scored.
Cole singled. Gray to second.
Ramsdell singled. Gray to third. Cole to second.
Espinoza hit sacrifice fly to right. Gray scored.
Leo tripled. Cole and Ramsdell scored.
Wisniewski grounded out to third.

5th Inning.
Orr walked.
Grace singled. Orr to second.
Atiyeh doubled. Orr and Grace scored.
Gray grounded into fielder’s choice to second. Atiyeh out at third.
Cole grounded into fielder’s choice to third. Gray out.
Ramsdell flied out to right.

6th Inning.
Espinoza singled.
Leo grounded into fielder’s choice to third. Espinoza out.
Wisniewski grounded into fielder’s choice to short. Leo out.
Orr singled. Wisniewski to second.
Grace homered. Wisniewski and Orr scored.
Atiyeh lined out to short.

7th Inning.
Gray grounded out to third.
Cole grounded out to short.
Ramsdell lined out to second.

End of game.

Game Summary

The Superbas suffered their most humiliating defeat by forfeiting the game against the Blue Water Pools due to a lack of players. Only six players showed up, including the two captains, Andy Orr and Brooks Ramsdell, Mike Atiyeh, Eric Grace, Jesus Espinoza, and player/coach Jeff Wisniewski.

The coach was visibly upset following the forfeiture, the first in franchise history, and put on quite a show for the cougar-filled crowd. Wisniewski was apparently frustrated that pitcher Kevin Ghalambor and designated hitter Wright Cole hadn’t informed the team that they would not make the game.

“Tell Cole and Ghalambor, those miserable fucks, they are off the team,” Coach Wisniewski yelled at Ramsdell. “You work with those pieces of shit, and you let them do this at god-fuck’n-damn ENGEO, but I won’t take that bullshit here, those motherless-fuck’n chickenshit-bastard low-end college-degree-earning pieces of shit.”

Pressed for comment, the coach reasoned, “That’s two weeks in a row. This is not some ENGEO function where those two can go hide in a ditch in some god-forsaken field smoking joints, playing with their balls, in Oakley, or Concord, or wherever the fuck they are. This is not an ENGEO-sponsored team. I’m not your project manager, this is not a scheduled noonie. Show the team respect, pick up your phone.”

Box Score

Inning-by-Inning

Game forfeited by Superbas.

Top Defensive Player – Chris Leo
Leo has played solid in the outfield all season and has become an anchor of the Superbas defense.

Top Offensive Player – Tim Evans
Evans is the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of the Superbas this season.

Most Improved Player – Brooks Ramsdell
Ramsdell is hitting .529 this season, compared with a measly .333 last year.

Biggest Surprise (so far) – Eric Grace
Once feared as being too wild, Grace has become a steady regular, hitting for average and playing solid defense in the outfield.

Biggest Disappointment (so far) – Andy Orr
After putting up majestic numbers last season, Orr has struggled early out of the gate, registering only one hit in his first eight at-bats. Orr’s recent resurgence, coming on the heels of being placed at the bottom of the lineup, makes it seem that Orr is destined to keep his early-season slump in the past.

• Great game. I’m proud of everyone. Except Andy Orr. Andy is finally hitting, but his play at third is becoming a liability.

  – A third of the runs we have scored all year came in last night’s game.

  – I’ve organized for a photographer to come and do a team photo shoot (probably before our June 5 game at 8:20pm, so everybody, please make it to that game if nothing else), with individual photos that will be part of the first edition of Superbas’ baseball cards. I need help deciding on whether the pose should be the classic batting stance or the on-one-knee looking a little to the left. Or we can do the faux fielding pose where the player pretends to be playing in the field (but you can tell that the player is in a parking lot, not on a baseball field). Thoughts?

• I was telling a few teammates about how I taught Haley, my puppy, to swim last weekend at Lake Tahoe. Here is the video…

• A quiet moment for Dyelan Grace. (Let us pray.)

-Jeff