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MCS Time
The countdown has begun! One week away from the first MCS tourney. It appears that Jensen is doing everything to ensure a quality weekend with some top-notch softball. I know everyone is still reeling from finding out that Berry will not be present for this affair. The bright side of that is that Plunkett should be able to see on Sunday.
I’ve been told all ten teams should be present as well as a "C" team from Bozeman stepping up. The newest addition to the Butte Blastoff is Rally Time Sports. I’m not sure, but I believe this is the old FreshPac team. Everybody should know who these guys are. For those of you who don’t they are a very good softball team out of Idaho/Washington. No doubt this is a solid addition to any tournament, but it begs the question "Is this good for the MCS?"
First, how will we seed teams like RTS or any team not included in the MCS power poll? In my opinion they have to be seeded somewhere in the Top 5. They would probably take a 5 seed as an insult, but what do we do? Second, I can hear the grumbling already when RTS knocks someone off in the first round. What happens if we get say a C-town and a RTS in an MCS tourney? Theoretically a team could lose out to those two and not even get to face an official MCS team. I’m not coming out for or against good teams playing in MCS tourneys, but the question still remains. What is best for the MCS? If at some point we have twelve or more teams in the MCS will we still accept out of staters with open arms?
I think the main reason this needs to be addressed is most good teams seek out good tournaments to play in. If the MCS goes off without a hitch word will get around, and teams will want to come. This is a good thing right? It will be interesting to track the evolution of this series. If the series evolved to exclude State would a couple Idaho teams bite that hook? If so would Missoula and Kalispell become more desirable host sites? HMMMM interesting.
In my ten years of playing softball I have won a lot of tourneys. Every time you leave a tourney with hardware it’s a great thing. I can honestly say that besides the State Titles I’ve won the only other win that really has left a mark was winning Goosetown and that was "C". The MCS tourneys should be that kind of feeling. These tournaments are going to be great for Montana softball. Butte is nearly upon us. I hope everyone is anticipating this as much as I am. So I’ll see you in Butte and may the team that has the best weekend win. -Beaver
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April 14, 2005 - 07:45 AM --
Congratulations Mike and Aimee
Today the world has been blessed with a Big O jr. After one full hour of excruciating labor Michael Mitchel Owens was born into this world. If he is anything like his old man he probably came out pissing vinegar. Barely a full meal Michael tipped the scales at 5 lbs 6 ounces, and measured 17" long. Don't wait for Big O's cheap ass to send you cigar get your own and smoke it for little Michael.
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SHUT UP OR PUT YOUR NAME ON IT!
March 21, 2005 --
It's been a while since I've had a nice rant. This may not be up to par being out of practice. I am just getting tired of all these anonymous log ins. The fake names are not much better. If you're going to post it you should own it. It's pathetic when someone wants to talk some shit and sign in as softball king. The f***ing softball king you've got to be kidding me. Here is the real classic "real players don't talk about themselves." NO SHIT MY COLOUMN IS NOT CALLED THE GREATNESS OF BEAVER. Nor is Fatt Citys or Big O's or CJ's or anybody's. Some clown from Cleveland, Ohio say's we need to work on our game instead of the website. First, it snowed 3" last week makes practice tough. Second, you probably have more softball players in Cleveland than my whole town has population. Finally, the chances are Fattboys would have you begging for mercy by inning three. You shouldn't talk shit about what you don't know.
I haven't forgot about the Sexual deviants. First, Big O needs to check his bio. Also, Pig needs to show himself. No doubt it's someone who's wife may check up on his internet activities. At least you could give yourself a decent Porn name for an alter-ego. And yes Graham is gay. He gets trashed and calls as many men as will answer. Look at him scoping out that dude in the picture. He doesn't even look interested in Erins ample boobies in one pic. He still has yet to answer the burning question. Maybe the hott seat will clear things up a bit.
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NO LONGER WANTED
March 14, 2004 --
Fatt Boys sofball club WAS looking for a quality middle infielder. If you WERE out there YOU SHOULD HAVE e-mailED me at dabeaver34@yahoo.com. Tourneys only WAS just fine AND A SMALL COMMITMENT. If you travelED alone team hotel rooms WERE covered AND YOU COULD HAVE HAD A BLAST. REAL Uniforms and Miken bags included. No hidden charges! If you WERE on a team or undecided NO ONE WOULD HAVE BLAMED YOU, AND YOU MISSED A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY SOFTBALL AT IT'S HIGHEST LEVEL. AS IT TURNS OUT THE POSITION ISN'T GOING TO BE VACANT LONG.
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Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
January 12, 2005 --
-----I know it’s short notice, but I thought I would post this just in case anyone is interested. Kalispell is hosting it’s annual blizzard bowl 1/22/05. We have got tons of snow right now, so if it stays cool this should be a lot of fun. I played in a blizzard bowl five years ago in about two feet of powder and it was an absolute blast. It makes for great footing and soft landings, and it’s always fun sifting through snow to find the orange painted ball. We normally get a quality team from Missoula and two or so good local teams to add to the competition. Not to mention all the teams that just come down to have a good time. It is a one-day tournament so you could consider hitting one of the local ski resorts Sunday after softball. It is a $200 entry fee, deadline is 1/19, everyone gets a long sleeve T-shirt, and yes we will have a beer garden with music and several bottles of booze to raffle off. If you are interested contact Brenda at (406) 758-5800. I know it’s short notice, but I also know you all are a bunch of Softball Addicts. It would be great to see some familiar faces over the weekend.
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Thoughts for the New Year
January 10, 2005 --
-----Well the New Year is upon us. I wonder how many times I will sign my checks /04 before 2005 is imprinted on my brain. With the New Year comes some exciting possibilities. A possible come back of an I-90 series type format, Butte seems serious about competing in Mens B and state is not in Billings.
-----I’ll start with the comeback of Butte Softball. Jensen’s working hard to put together a squad. Hopefully it will pan out with a dozen or so good ball players. I see a few familiar names on the roster, and it looks promising. B players will get to see Hettick somewhere besides him losing balls into the night at goosetown. Montana needs more competitive teams if we want to compete on a regional/national level. My experience is we have good softball, but the lack of truly competitive tournaments hurts us.
-----That brings me to the Montana Triple Crown or Championship Series or whatever you want to call it. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. Nothing is worse than investing the time and money to travel to a tournament and face maybe two teams that have a legit chance to beat you. That does not inspire you to play at a high level. I think the key here is we all want to play competitive teams. As much as I like tournaments at home I realize we won’t pull a lot of teams from the Billings/Bozeman area. My personal opinion is we need to make these tournaments centrally located as possible. Instead of Billings and Kalispell getting in a pissing match about if we travel you have to travel just keep the tournaments in Great Falls, Helena and Butte. We could incorporate Billings and Kalispell every other year or something like that. We need to keep our minds on what is important. We all want to play the highest level of B softball as often as we can.
-----This brings me to my final point. State is in Missoula this year. I can’t explain how happy that makes me. It makes me just want to jump for joy! The notion of playing every other state in Billings just makes me so gosh darn mad i could scream. What do the powers that be have dingleberries in their shorts? I truly believe that those Billings guys are mean. They act all bad and they couldn't beat up my brother Big O, not a one of em. If you really think about it I can’t see how you could favor that scenario unless you're a meanie too. Sure Billings can field the most B teams. The last time I checked Billings has the highest Population in Montana. Sheesh! Therefore it makes sense that they would have more teams. Why don’t we formulate B teams per capita even the odds a little? The simple fact is the idea is not fair to the rest of the state. Look at the past ten years to see who has won State. We won in Kalispell cuz we're like awesome, Dirt won in Great Falls, Stadium Club won in Billings, Desperados won in Missoula, Chunky’s won in Butte the list goes on. It is an unfair competitive advantage to host State every year. I won’t even get started on how inconvenient the Billings location is to almost everyone but those Billings cocksuckers. I know that I could not honestly argue to have Kalispell host state every year, and I don’t think anyone can really believe it would be fair for Billings to host every year or every other year for that matter.
-----If I had a penny for my thoughts, I’d still be broke. But I;ll always be loved by my family.
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BEAVER ARCHIVES
Merry Christmas
-----So the season is upon us. Christmas is a great time of the Year. First and Foremost it is a celebration of the birth of Christ. We (who are Christian) should remember this and teach our children what is really important this time of year. In todays world thats driven by the almighty dollar something so important seems to be easily forgotten.
-----I also feel it is important this season to remember those less fortunate than you and I. It is the season of giving, and it is great to remember that. Realizing that the bell ringers are donating their time for those less fortunate might be enough to through some change in the bucket. I remember when I was a child I loved to put some money in the bucket. Now that I am older and wiser I realize with five kids and a handfull of change on the way in and on the way out my dads break money was spent for a few days. The truth is in the big picture we are all leading lives that have been blessed.
-----Send your best wishes to those in the Armed services, those serving and those who have served. They are a large reason why we have the freedom we so often take for granted. Many of these fine people are away from home for the holidays. So those of you out there serving your country I salute you, and wish you the best this holiday season.
Merry Christmas
OBP's
Here at the Fattboys Softball Club we only keep track of one thing. On Base Percentage is really the most important stat in softball as far as we are concerned. Fielders choices are outs, Sac flies are outs, errors are hits, walks are hits and at-bats. The thinking behind this is you get rewarded by hitting the ball hard expessially on the ground.
Reggie 733%
Beaver 724%
Murray 697%
Gillette 676%
Brinka 669%
Armie 658%
Cislo 653%
Travis 642%
Plunkett 641%
Chad 633%
Dylan 632%
Fralin 621%
Drew 617%
Big O 605%
Brad P 573%
Jersey 549%
---We are not reading a whole lot into these numbers. First year team always screws things up a bit. Many players were hampered by injuries, and a lot of first time "B" softball players. We are confindent with our team and what they can do. I'm sure some will be surprised to see a couple of the names near the bottom, and all I can say is that is bad news for you next year. I fully expect them to come back with vengeance next year and compete for the lead.
---All in all we hit very well all year. Even when all cylinders were'nt firing we got clutch hits when we needed them. Excluding state I really never left a tournament feeling we didn't at least compete. Success is fleeting unless you win state. Having a more dominant regular season will be hard to accomplish. I think we're up to the task. See you next year.
Show me what your workin with
--Why is it that women will display there body to other women, but men only get to see the clothing on top. Hear me out this will make sense. Just the other day we were chatting at work and a fellow employee talked about an incriminating photo taken of her and a friend. What happened was her friends thought she was surgically enhanced and she wanted to prove to them they were real. So they both whipped out the twins for a reality check. So I said "I think they're fake." but she refused to prove it to me. Where is the LOVE?
--Oddly enough my wife had some Columbian friends over the other day. She sells Mary Kay and they were buying. So they head to the office to check out some merchandise. Being a good host I offer them some water or wine. They all prefered wine so I obliged. About time for a refill so I head in and one of the Columbians shirt is being zipped up. Hmmmm I thought. Later that night I find out she was displaying her new boobies. Why wasn't I invited for the viewing?
--Now we've all showered in a locker room or two, but this is different. You won't see me whip out me wiener to show you how much bigger it looks with a close shave. If Berry is 10" soft I need no confirmation. If Murrdog has got hair from his ankles to the top of his head I'll take his word for it.
--So how do you explain this phenomenom? We all get lucky enough to see a couple boobs here or there from the occassional drunk girl and we've all put a couple bills on the rail at various high class social clubs, but It's a rare occassion to get a free glimpse of hooters of random gals or coworkers or friends. This is a trend I think we'd all like to put an end to.
--The root of this nonsense is we Men are the ones who really appreciate a glimpse of nudity. A suprise nice rack can stay fresh in my memory for weeks. But I would love to see how I stack up with you guys from time to time too. The women do it, why don't we? This year let's all show each other our rods and compare shaves. Big O showed me a cool way to make my little guy look bigger by shaving on top of my cock but leaving the underside all hairy. Hey, don't laugh it worked. So fellas this year SHOW ME WHAT YOUR WORKIN WITH!
See ya next year
----So we won't be going into next year as reigning State Champs, but is the bullseye off our back. I would have to say from all the constructive critisism we've recieved since losing out that indeed the bullseye is still there. I've never been exposed the kind of post tournament smack that there has been this year. Was it that big of a surprise that we didn't win? Were we a heavy favorite? I realize that we were defending champs, and an outstanding team, but you've got to realize the state tournament is a difficult tournament to win.
----This season marked my tenth year in Montana Softball. I've played B in nine of those years. I've had three championships, three thirds and one second so I think it's safe to say I've played on as talented teams as anyone over that stretch. I've never entered a State tournament with as much confidence as I did this season. You've got to realize your listening to a guy who has never stepped on a softball field expecting to lose a game. Overconfident... sure, but that is my mindset. I've been fortunate enough to play on teams that have had a good chance of winning every game. Which brings me to the fact that the State tournament is a difficult tournament to win. Ask Stadium Club, they have been a extremely competitive team for a good long time and have played well at many State tourneys. I don't know for sure, but I think this is there first title.
----So we placed fourth. I'm not going to hang my head over that. I'm not happy or satisfied with the result, but I've ran out of redoos. All I know is this team is already comitted to coming back next year. As talented as the other teams in B are I believe that we are better. Our new additions this year have a year of the highest level of competition under their belt and a sour taste in their mouths. Our veterans only get better with age. In the big scheme of things we are still a young team with a lot of life left, and still the team to beat. I have to exclude Billings teams, because we never get the chance to play them or see them play. I'm sure that Stadium Club and Red Door have the right to feel the same way, and I imagine they do. I haven't seen a team who's best game can compete with our best game.
----I'll stand up, say it and print my name behind it. If the bullseye has faded I'm sure it's glowing bright red now. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'll Be Back
Beckham Schmeckum
I didn't think the day would come when you would see an Owens with shingaurds and umbros running up and down a soccer field. Yes, my friends my youngest brother has succumb to that god awful game that is taking should be baseball players and turning them into... well for lack of a better word soccer players. See I have a eight year old little brother who prefers soccer over baseball. Thank God almighty my dad has told him he plays baseball or no gameboy. Still when both are on the schedule James chooses soccer.
I just don't see the attraction. You either run all game, or you are the goalie and are lucky to be involved in a handful of plays per game. Don't get me wrong I don't dislike soccer players, I just HATE soccer. I truly believe it is the only alternative for kids who can't hit a baseball. It is also a game where failure does not land on one individuals shoulders. Such a feel good hobby. In baseball if you strikeout, everyone sees it. If you boot a ball there is nowhere to hide. This failure is what builds character, and should inspire kids to get better. In soccer short of putting the ball in your own goal failure is shared with the entire team. In today's society that is perfect. Another reason I believe soccer to be growing is lazy parents. A soccer game is timed. You can drop your kids off, and pick them up in 90 minutes. Saves you the trouble of actually watching your child play. I will never understand this games popularity, or believe that it is an actual sport. Thats just my opinion. This little tidbit may change some parents minds about the baseball or soccer debate.
We've all seen or heard of the trajic event when a young child races into the street chasing after his ball and is severly wounded by oncoming traffic. Nine times out of ten that young child I'm sure is chasing a soccer ball.
Thank you, Thank you very much
A long and winding road
I thought I would write something about how this team came to be. Most people realize that this is the old Moose's squad and some people will always refer to us as Mooses. Along the way we have made several changes, and I'll walk you through some of those. I'll start at the beginning which was actually the middle, but the beginning of our statewide success.
------In 1997 Kalispell was split up into three solid B teams. There was Yagr with Me, Big O, DP, Wad, and Billy Salmonsen. Mooses with Plunkett, Trav, Murray, the Vickhammers, Levinsky and Wade Rademacher. Blackstar with Jersey, Mike Williams, Joey, Junior, Big Sexy, Reggie, Cislo, Pauly and Wolly. That year Yagr took second, Blackstar took Fourth and Mooses took sixth or something.
------In 1998 Travis and Big O spearheaded an effort to round up the best talent from all three teams into one super team. The first year is a little hazy, because I never played a game sober, but our roster looked something like this. Me, Big O, Trav, Murrdog, Big Sexy, Mike Williams, Jersey, DP, Rademacher, Junior, Wolly and Vickhammer. That season we made our presence felt at several tournaments. I can't remember how many we won, but it was more than half. We had the luxury of hosting state that year, and came through the losers bracket to beat Reds(heavy's team)in two massacre shortened games. We took a trip to nationals that year in Shreveport. We drew one of only two play in games and ended up going 3-2 taking 25th.
------99 was more of the same. We lost Wolly and replaced him with Joey. That season was an unbelievable year everyone knew we were going to crush them and we did not disappoint. We won nearly every tournament we entered, and rolled through the state tournament in Helena undefeated.
------At the turn of the century we were feeling pretty strong. That's when we made probably the worst move we have ever made. That year we picked up Wad, Plunkett, and Lance Smith. All of these guys are fine players(Plunkett is stil here) and good friends, but something about that move just didn't work. We had moderate success that season and fought to take third at state. From 2000-2003 this team just never clicked. We would always compete, but just couldn't put it together.
------At the end of 2000 a group of players inside the team decided that they did not want to play with Big O. I think he found out from his girlfriends brothers friends uncle that he wasn't on the team. Rademacher left the team and Lance pretty much quit playing. We picked up Paul Fralin, Cislo, and Billy Salmonsen on a two year plan. 2001-2003 was a bunch of second places and a handful of misery. We just couldn't seem to play well for a whole tournament. Teams still acknowledged we were good, but no one was near intimidated by mooses. Fortunately we closed out 2003 with a State Championship to make it three in six years.
------After that season we knew it was time for some drastic changes. Once you get accustomed to dominance nothing else will quench that thirst. Enter Chris Gillette we were working on Chris since he moved to the valley, but there was no way he would put a Mooses uniform on. I played against Chris in highschool, and I knew he had game. Welcome Back Big O I didn't much like not playing without my brother, Travis was eager to mend some fences, and The Big Show crushes the ball its that simple. So Travis, Big O, Chris and I did our best to compromise on what we wanted and this is what we came up with. I'm pretty sure none of us were convinced of what we had, but it didn't take long till everyone knew. I've played on some very good teams, but this team is scary talented. If we stay together and stay hungry we could be ridiculous. So thats it in a nutshell. If I missed anything or things aren't accurate let me know.
PRINT IT
Goosetown
So another Goosetown tournament has come and gone. I trust a fun time was had by all. My burning question is, Do teams go to Goosetown for the softball or for the party? Goosetown has got to be one of the biggest name tournaments a team will go to every year. The party is always great, but the softball format goes downhill every year. Granted a tournament with that many teams has got to be difficult to run, but when each field operates with a different set of time restrictions thats hard to swallow. You can sit and watch a game ahead of you go 15 minutes over followed up by your game getting called in the fifth due to time. If the third game of the tournament is a 2-1 count why start with a 0-0 count. You will hear the same story every year of sandbag teams or B and C pools being combined most commonly in womens play. This is pretty unfair to teams who come wanting a legitimate chance to win the tournament. Personally I liked the fact that Tacoma Dodge brought thier full squad this year. I hope they come next year and get early round games scheduled at the small fields. That would even the odds a little for some Montana teams. Homeruns were definately a huge advantage to them at the big field. At the small field however, I saw more than a lot of homeruns for outs. I don't know if they won the tournament or not, but they were definately a very impressive team.
Getting back to the overall tournament. I think more people would leave Anaconda with less complaints if the tournament was advertised with a 2-1 count. I hate it and I think it changes the game drastically, but if thats the way it's going to be let everyone know in advance. All in all the tournament is well worth the while. The atmosphere is unique to itself, and competition is second to none. The Homerun Derby will alway be a huge highlight. Watching balls get lost in the night never gets old. For a competitive softball player a goosetown championship is one for the mantle, and that will continue to draw the best teams every year. So I hope to see you there next year.
Do these pants make my ass look fatt?
I've been playing softball for ten years now. I've been married for almost four years now. I know a lot of guys in similar situations. Somewhere between now and then did our wives forget that we loved softball? Certainly not as much as I love my wife and kids, but I genuinely love softball. I don't hunt, fish, ski, play basketball, play football, workout(surprise) or have any other real hobbies. Maybe it never occurred to the girls that they married a softball player. Should a guy feel like either his married life or his softball years are numbered? That of course is an easy decision to make. Most people I play with and around are good family oriented guys. For the record my wife is very supportive of me and my softball pursuits, but I know several guys who aren't so lucky. The problem I see is at the two national tournaments I was lucky enough to attend the average age of successful teams has got to hover around or above 35. There are a large number of players at those tournaments who are older. This is not a sport dominated by young players. In reality this is a battle you cannot win. It is difficult to argue. So good luck to all the family men out there. May you have a long and successful softball carreer along with a long and happy marriage.
I invite any comments or questions to the beavers log. Please log into sound off and leave your thoughts on my topics or possible future topics. My wisdom may not come for free forever.
Peace
and thats the rest of the story
farewell and goodnight
how about be back in two and two
Do you smell what the beav is cooking
I'll think of something
Where's the LOVE
Don't need no hateration. Why is it locals want to see us lose so badly. I know when we are out of town playing a local team local specatators aren't pulling for us. Does everyone want to see us lose? I recall watching Matzingers, Desparados, Chunky's, Freshpac or any other successful teams just to see good softball. Did I watch hoping they would lose? NO. Of course a close game is a better game to watch, but I've never went as far as cheering for the other team. So why us. We win games, we lose games everyone does. We normally are modest in victory and humble in defeat. I've heard frequently that we don't support our local teams. What a bunch of CRAP. We pull for all local teams when we are out of town. Remember state last year Slippies. One thing that I can guarantee you is if we're at you're game and not on the field WE ARE NOT THERE TO SEE YOU LOSE OR TO SUPPORT THE OTHER TEAM. You cannot deny that.
So I ask you Where is the Love?
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MOOSE'S/MIKEN SOFTBALL
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