Rambone Title Defense - Game II

Entering Game II of the March to Glory, there was probably a general feeling that one of three things would happen to Rambone:

1) Get blown out

2) Keep it close, but fall in the end

3) Keep it close, and steal one in the end

What actually happened:

4) We smoked the crud out of them

The JT Rockets pretty much wailed on everyone this year, scoring a ton of runs and making it look easy. And, after three innings, a 6-3 deficit seemed much larger than a mere three tallies. The Rockets would not cross the plate again, thanks to some fine pitching and defense. But what, you ask, of the deficit? Well, as we've been wont to do lately, we strung together a few innings of continuous hitting to pile up runs. It didn't feel like we won 18-6, but we did. Solid victory all around, gents.

Our destiny is now in our hands. We have home field as long as we keep winning. We have a tough test in our next game (7:30 at Memorial), playing Shelter Insurance, a team we have yet to beat. But, as some of us discussed following last night's contest, the Rambone that faced Shelter before is not the Rambone facing Shelter tomorrow.

Stats (did the best I could through the Taco Bell stains BRI):



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Rambone Title Defense - Game I

After last week's impressive offensive display, it was impossible to expect us to be able to hit with the same success, right? Well, as we began our march to our second ridiculously-enormous trophy, we actually were just as successful, just not as spectacular.

We hit like the Rambone of old: less reliant on the dinger (although dingers are admittedly sweeter), more reliant on hit placement, speed, and timing. In a discussion held over adult beverages the other night, we determined that we had actually finally hit our stride. Lack of practice at the beginning of the year, scheduling quirks and rainouts, lack of managerial skill (YEAH RIGHT) all were bandied about as excuses for our early-season struggles, but we seem to have hit our stride at the right time. 15-4 in 4 1/2 innings was the result.

Game II will be a challenge, against the JT Rockets (dudes who can crank it, and CRANK IT). As long as we can hit it where they ain't, play solid defense, and try to keep the ball in the ballpark, we have a good chance.

Stats update:



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Games 26, 27, & 28 - Thrweep

Or, the Sharlow Show. The Shlow. Yeah.

Apology accepted, Andy. I think everyone remembers your rapid stat-posting abilities from last year...well, the three times you actually did it. Nice job forwarding the playoff schedule, by the by. Life-changing events be damned. The Meyers three (plus father, or "the guy who paid for everything") survived their voyage down the Mighty Meramec relatively unscathed, with only horrendous sunburns, scorched retinas from hillbilly ladies in "bikinis", and a water-logged camera considered casualties.

Anywho, the softball. Yeah, so we can hit. Game 1 of the evening was actually the second half of the Monsoon-out from the previous week, and Chairman Jeff Tse-Tung of the People's Republic of the Batavia Park District elected to begin the game from inning one, as opposed to continuing where we left off the previous Thursday. As the Awayboys (MTV Rock & Jock Softball shoutout), we began the game at the plate. 11 runs later, we held an insurmountable lead. Take note of the double-digit inning...we'll be seeing this again. As the game progressed, we went into our usual funk for a couple innings, allowing the opposition to hang around and believe they were actually in the game. Like a 10 year old who found his dad's Swank stash, we were just messing with ourselves...eventually we put the game away in slaughter fashion.

Games 2 and 3 of the night...there aren't words. Well there are, and here they come. Some Ramboners will remember when teams used to just kill the crap out of us with 30 minute innings and dingers galore. We would've easily beaten those teams Thursday night. It was a hitgasm. A dingerpalooza. A runsplosion. We hit until we got tired of holding the bats and running the bases, at which point we would take the field for a couple minutes, record three outs, then go back to hitting and running again. We hit a ton of dingers in the two games, and I can think of at least 4 more warning-track shots. Sharlow hit 4. J Po hit 2. Mike legged out an inside-the-parker. Butts hit a triple. We looked like one of those features they show on that softball program on Comcast of the fat dudes with bad goattees hitting softballs out of major league stadiums. Best offensive output in the distinguised history of Rambone, no question.

But, that was Thursday. The playoffs are now upon us, and it's time to focus. We ended the regular season well, winning our last four to finish at 16-12. Not spectacular, not horrible. But, we may be hitting our stride at the perfect time. Game 1 of the march to the repeat is at Memorial (yay) at either 7:25 or 8:15, depending on what Duncan Excavating does tomorrow night. If they get swept, we get the 3 seed and play early. If they win a game, we get the 4 and play at 8:15. The way the tournament is set up, if we keep winning, we keep getting to play at Memorial. The downside is we have to the play the Rockets game 2 if we end up with the 4 seed and win our first game...at Memorial. It might be a Josh Hamilton-type display if that happens. Time to defend that comically enormous trophy that resides under a foot of dust in Roper's living room.

Stat update:



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Apologies All Around

I am hearby apologizing for Dain for not updating stats after our amazing "Triple Sweep". He was busy paddling down the Mighty Missippi this weekend in a hollowed out log getting bitten by "skeeters." Stats, I'm sure, will be updated as soon as the Malaria clears up.


Also, go see The Dark Knight.

Games 25 & SWEET JUDAS IT'S ARMAGEDDON

I'm sitting outside enjoying a mild summer evening with a beer and a dog who's PENNY GET OUT OF THE DAMN PLANTS. Ahem. As I was saying, it's a beautiful July evening as I sit and type this. I mention the weather as it is in stark contrast to Thursday night's conditions, which were less than favorable. It rained all afternoon, and there was significant doubt that we'd be able to play our games. However, Der Fuhrer Clarkenhoffer is beginning to run out of days in the summer, and it seems he's making every effort to cram in softball, no matter what Mother Nature's cruel whims dictate. I got notification from fellow Ramboner Andy that we would play as I careened down Army Trail Road in Wayne unable to see more than 3 feet in front of my face due to a torrential downpour that Noah himself would cringe at. I couldn't believe it until I pulled into the Memorial Memorial (it's a memorial to memorials, stupid) Field and saw the sole bag of Diamond Dry in the Batavia Park District's fiefdom being spread around the bases and the plate. Game, it would seem, on.

So, we played. We played dang well, too. Slick fielding, timely hitting, smart pitching, and an opponent's futile attempt to execute a swinging bunt (HUGEMONGOUS softball no-no) led to an easy Rambone win. Exuding confidence and machismo, we prepared for Game the Second.

Then, like a jungle cat of some sort toying with it's doomed prey, dat stank ho Momz Nizaterulah decided to show us what's what. Thanks to the keen meterological insight of Rambone's own DJ - "It looks nasty to the north...I've been watching it for like 20 minutes" - we knew our time was short. Having somehow fallen behind 4-1 in the top of the 3rd (details are sketchy...I'm pretty sure it involved a double-steal and a hidden ball trick), we began massing our armies on the bases, poised to take a lead before hellfire and brimstone rained upon us. Sadly, it was not to be...the ump wisely insisted we "get the hell out of here". 10 minutes later, a field abandoned for the night, the torrential rains indeed began.

To summarize, we won the first game, and TBD'd the second.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: Intrepid Ramboner (and newly single...get in line, ladies!!) Butts has alerted me to the following newsflash: three games on Thursday. Game 1 will get underway around 7:45 or so at Memorial. This is good news...originally we were scheduled to play at West Main that night. This will be our final tune up before the playoffs begin the next week, so let's look sharp, men.

Also, I would like to hearby bestow a medal of freedom or a silver cross or something to Stat Vixen Bri, who fought through 4 gaping, wisdom-toothless holes in her talkhole to track the stats you see below. Way to look like a chipmunk, Bri!!

Statistical Update (Game 2's stats are included because Ramboner Mike asked nicely that they be. See what happens when you ask nicely? HEAR THAT MARIE???):



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Games 23 & 24 - "The Wrong Side of the Tracks"

Mike put it best, I think, by referring to the other team as looking like they spent the entire game muttering under their collective breath about how "preppy" and "privileged" and "hoity-toity" we seemed. In short, they were a group of dirtbags, but a group of dirtbags that managed to hold us in check enough to beat us in Game 1. Once again, we just didn't score enough. We managed to battle hard enough to take a brief lead heading to the bottom of the 7th, but couldn't hold on for the win.

Game 2 was pretty much the same, although we were able to keep the greaseballs' scoring to a minimum. The defense was pretty good, actually, and we took advantage of what limited offense we had.

Not really too much to report in either game. We looked sluggish, maybe feeling the effects of our 3rd double-header in a week, probably feeling the effects of a long Saturday evening the night prior. The weather was cool, with wind blowing in, so the Dinger-palooza that was Thursday's doubleheader was called off. We'll take the split, although a sweep would've moved us closer to 3rd place. Sunday's result was a microcosm of the season, in many ways...just good enough when we win, not quite there when we lose. Kinda meh all around.

Stats below (don't forget the asterisk-explanation link):



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