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Imagine This
SF NABA Umps -- The picture says it all.
Grays Seeking Pitching for 2008
Grays seeking pitching help for 2008. College level or pro experience strong preferred. Please contact asap. Season starts in less than a month.
Please view www.sfnaba.com/standings for more information.
For contact info, please view 'contact info'.
It's been a while
October 8, 2007
it has been a while since I have been able to write stuff online about us...I am itching for a little storytelling...so here it goes...
A WHAT WOULD YOU DO STORY
so I am in Texas this last weekend for a wedding...Austin is hot and humid, plenty of hot looking teenagers on UT campus (you now how I like 'em young) makes a man wonder why another man (and it WAS a man, because way back when, Egyptian times, even before the new or old testament, it was only men who made the laws) would create this terribly binding invention called marriage. In my book, man and monogamy are not synonymous. (this is not part of the what would you do...just a quick rant)
Flying back from Dallas on monday evening, we get into Phoenix to catch a transfer to Oakland, about 8:40ish last night. We get in line for the plane, and the Yankees vs. Indians game is in the 9th inning and the Dallas vs. Buffalo game is in the 4th quarter. (I am thinking...great...an excuse to escape the non-stop conversating abilities of Michelle that I have endured for what is going on for at least the last 4 hours STRAIGHT...well, actually more like 4 years)
We are flying southwest, and have an "A" boarding pass. Meaning we get on before all the other suckers who didn't check-in online, and get to choose whichever seat we want, ensuring that we will sit together and can continue the non-stop conversing. A must when flying Southwest, for those of you that have experienced it. As we are boarding, the Yanks are coming to bat in the bottom of the 9th, needing 3 runs to salvage another inning of the season and Tony Romo has 24 seconds left to punch it in from the 7 yard line and possibly tie up the game with a 2-point conversion.
And here is my dilemma...I can either
A) board now, assuring we will get seats together in the front of the plane (assuring a quick exit) which is the whole reason for checking in 24 hours in advance, but miss EVERYTHING,wait the 3-4 hours it will take to get back in front of my TV to finally see what happened, which at that time will be around midnight, and I am sure I will take some heat for immediately turning on the TV instead of unpacking and taking out the trash
B) stall, give up our privilege boarding passes, board after everyone else, possibly risk sitting together, but hopefully witness the ending to each game, which will give me nice thoughts to help me get a little nap in during the flight, but risk the wrath of women for doing all this out of a desire to watch sports.
C) fake a panic attack, miss the flight, assure myself of seeing both games to completion and board the next flight to OAK
What would you do?
END OF REGULAR SEASON AWARDS
I want to start off with a quote, that is pertinent considering the latter half of our season “Power doesn't have to show off. Power is confident, self-assuring, self-starting and self-stopping, self-warming, and self-justifying. When you have it, you know it.”- Ralph Ellison
In the immortal words of Van Wilder...write that down
So without further ado, I give you the 2007 SFNABA GRAYS BASEBALL AWARDS...
Most infectious smile and Most orgasmic swing – Big Mike from the Wood
sorry we couldn’t see more of you, damn knee injuries, hopefully next year – O-Dawg
most opposite field-end of the bat-fight off the pitch basehits, last to arrive to the game, and most shit talking from a guy under 150# while dripping wet – Capt.
Gets a job and suddenly has no time to hang out and play ball with his boys, leading us to question if this guy is still on our team– Denis “that’s what she said” Cagina
the married guy who scares the hell out of all of us who are “close” to sharing the same disastrous fate, and also has long legs but damn he still runs slow, and he has a bucket of balls that is FAR superior to Lyman’s balls – Riall
biggest decrease in batting average after a hair cut – Hector
the overly resistant to assistance groundskeeper, field-crew, and DJ instead of warming up and taking pre-game, but we like him because he lets u suse the field sometimes for practice and he has a pretty lefty swing with a surprising bit of temper when the ump makes a bad call – Isola
at-bat of the year, best time to buy a new bat is the last game of the season, he may look small but he has a damn good arm so run on him at your own peril – Tlee
You hear a loud scream from the parking lot and you know he has arrived and the most times inflicting pain on oneself, whether through inhaling or punching – Jhawk, at least he hits things with his right hand
Most underutilized quality SS in the league, most time spent creating custom players on MVP, and the most concerned about the back of his baseball card- Big Papi
thank god it wasn’t a “missed connection” on craigslist and best use of a baseball bat for a worthy cause (breast cancer awarness if you are wondering, which really is much more important than any other awarness campaign, I say SAVE THE BREASTS!!!!!) most effectively wild pitcher in the league and also team MVP (most valuable Portlander) – Oh he beaned him in the butt and this could get ugly
overly apologetic for needing a ride to games when it is about a mile out of the way, which done 20 times, there and back, (20 games, round-trip) in a car that gets 15 mpg (conservative) would amount to an increased cost of gas for the driver of about $8, buy me a beer in a San Francisco bar, and we’ll call it even – mac’n’cheese
god dammit stop text messaging me, that shit aint free, just use the damn green button and call me and actually talk to me, it takes all of 15 seconds award, and the I am the manager but someone else keep the balls, helmets, and bases with them because I cant remember to bring them to every game award, and the if you see me with a helmet on coming to the plate, you know the game is out-of-control at that point award – our fearful leader, and baseball don’t-know-it-all LJ
the guy who waits for the absolute perfect pitch for the “game-winner” in batting practice, then watches it go by, and waits for another 10 pitches, and fouls one off and wants to continue to “end on a good one” and proceeds to continue searching for the perfect pitch, and meanwhile, the bp pitcher is throwing a damn bullpen just to get him to get a solid hit on his last pitch in a batting practice round – Danger, watch yourself, Danger, show me watcha workin wit
the no pressure but we are going to find out in the playoffs if this guy is worth a keg of heinicken or a 40 of Old-E award (no matter what, he IS worth some fava beans and a nice bottle of chianti to me, slthhh) – BK
and to myself, I bequeath the rookie sfnaba beat-writer of the year and sfnaba columnist of the year awards (much the same as Fernando Valenzuela winning the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young award in the same year, and I too breathe out of my eyelids) (honorable mentions to the writers from the Isotopes, Benders, and PigRoasters ….I hope to see more involvement on a consistent basis from the team blogsters next year), also, the guy who brings the most shit to the game award and I am tied with JHawk, Wes, Gamble, Matt, Riall, TLee, and Capt for the award for bringing out the most chicas to watch our games, each of us has a grand total on ONE...damn we are a sad lot aren't we....
No sapy goodbye for the season speech yet, as I am guaranteed to have at least one more column, but I would love to make it several more, only time, ESPN executives, and our efforts on the field will be able to determine that...
until then...GO DODGERS!
Final Regular Season Game
August 26, 2007 - 01:00 PM
First batter of the game, Riall holds the ball like an egg and the 'Topes 1B scrambled the son of a bitch. And Papi takes an interesting route to the ball, running in towards first base to fake like it is a routine pop up as the ball flies over the fence in right-center. Riall pitches well after that wake up call and scatters some quality hits by the 'Topes batters through 4 innings.
And then comes Rich. Words do not do justice to the absolute circus that is Danger on the bump. It takes a nice oppo-2B and a comment from BK in center to get him pysched, but once that happens, it is pure entertainment trying to think about what is going on in Danger's mind. I am calling pitches he doesn't like, and I can see and hear him saying "Oh No, Not That" with a big shit eating grin on his face. (I dont want to get on a rant here, but what the hell kind of phase is shit-eating-grin?!?!? If I am eatin shit, I aint going to be smilling about it. It is like Chris Rock said, if you are eating ass, you cant even imagine it is something else. I prefer mine with catsup. Can someone explain this one to me please. Send correspondance to graysbaseballwriter@yahoo.com) I can see how opposing players might not like this too much, but if they knew what a head case Danger is, they would understand and not take any offense.
Then comes Isola to close the door. And he starts bouncing all sorts of pitches I can catch and the ones that dont bounce, I am on my knees blocking it with my chest protector. Yeah. Lets not talk about it.
Isotopes were good guys and fun to play against. They got some guys who can hit the ball. Their SS made some killer throws and he made me hesitate a bit before deciding to run home only to get thrown out by a couple of feet. I should have got in a Sandlot Pickle, it worked for Benny the Jet.
Extra Credit to Lyman for showing up late and making everyone jump the fence to stretch and warmup. And also for Lyman forgetting the helmets in his "other" car. If that aint leadership, I dont know what is.
Sorry For The Delay
August 18, 2007 - 10:00 AM
I was looking forward to parlaying my new found popularity into a "malibag" sort of column...but alas...the graysbaseballwriter@yahoo.com received only 3 emails in the first week of existence, and they were all from yahoo administration welcoming me to the neighborhood and telling me how to get an alert sent to my phone when I get an email...is this REALLY what the world has come to?!? email alerts on the phone?!?
Anyways...
Texas scored 30 runs !!! Are you kidding, I think JHawk, Wes, Rich, Riall, and I could hold the Rangers to under 30 runs in 9 innings. And just to tell you how ABSOLUTELY F*CKING USELESS the "save" stat is, Wes Littleton pitched the last 3 innings of that debacle of a game, and earned a save!!! way to hold on to that 27 run lead...
Mike Vick...oh man...that is like marying a rich and hot sugar momma billionaire ex-wife of an oil executive, and then cheating on her with some ugly high school sweetheart of yours who is pushin 3 bills, and then getting divorced over it and denied alimony...way to throw $100 Million down the drain!!!
Dodgers just got David Wells, at least they will be able to compete in the slosh ball competition...Does everyone on the Giants starting lineup recieve medicare...Doesn't Lyman look like Bobby Cox when he goes out to argue a call, maybe we should get him a pillow to put under his shirt to look like a little pot belly....
Zambrano ($92 mil for 5 yrs) Buehrle ($56 mil for 4 yrs.) Zito (making like $2,000 per pitch or something) Makes me think 2 things...
1. Can we please pay these guys a bit less and charge me a normal 5 bucks for a beer at the games???
2. I am in the WRONG buisness
This weeks new of Bridget Moynahan having a kid, reminds me how much I HATE Tom Brady, first he has Bridget, then leaves her because she is pregnant and he gets Gisele...Oh, and there is the championships...I hope he dies....
Oh yeah, we dropped both ends of a double-header last weekend, that was fun.
And the day started off so well
August 11, 2007 - 02:00 PM
[I am going to do this with a bit of "stream of consciousness", so watch me for the changes and try to keep up]
Wake up, have b-fast, a little pregame action (now most people say this is bad, for testosterone level or something, however I and my 51% majority share stockholder brain thinks that school of thought is absolutely ridiculous), and do some online traffic school (it wasn't even something cool like reckless driving, it was making an illegal U-turn, I almost laughed at the cop when he told me, I was like "an illegal U-turn, in San Francisco, are you joking" I didn't know they even had lanes in SF...at least I now know that the sign does not mean 'NO PLAYING HORSHOES')
Get to the yard, it is a nice field, and the sun is shining, this is how baseball is to be played. And the crusher returns to action after a stint on the DL and a few rehab starts (I just had to recharge the battery) but returns with a vengeance and continues to make people swing like 3rd graders. And a few of us get a little soft toss in the Polo-Grounds-esque cage and meet a nice guy and his son from Burlingame...I have never been to Burlingame, and if everyone there is like them, well what a fine place to live that would be
Quickly the Grays find themselves in a tight pitching duel again. Another great game between two very good teams. BaySox pitcher holds Grays to 1 run in 7 innings. JHawk didn't bring his best, but battles through 6 2/3 and Wes comes in for a few pitches...then all HELL breaks loose.
I am not going to recount what happened for a few reasons (and you know how I like lists)
1. the only people who need to know are those who were there
2. I would not want to take the chance of miscontruing the facts so badly that I would lose all credibility with my fellow sports writers and my employer, ESPN
3. It seems, as most things do, your view of what transpired depends on what uniform you had on....very partisan...
4. In the end, the uniform that got it right was the blue of the umps, who were able to dodger (sorry, a subconscious typo, I meant "dodge") all the f-bombs and get together and call the play exactly as it happened. It just sucks that that correct decision meant the game would be over.
But in between all the fuss, some people were commenting about our website graysbaseball.com, and that makes me think of a few things...
1. I did not realize that I had such a wide and vast audience that apparently extends far beyond the grays players and their families and friends...I guess if Barry Bonds can make people forget he "cycled" through half of his 758 then it is understandable that I can make people forget I didn't get a journalism degree in college, I am just doing my best
2. As such, I was filled with self-doubt and began to worry that my shenanigans, of which I have thought to be cheeky and fun, have become cruel and tragic...which makes them not shenanigans at all really...evil shenanigans...
3. So I compiled a list of the comments I have made since taking over the game recap responsibilities, it goes like this:
Make Fun of Field Conditions - 4 times (and it could have been more)
Make Fun of Grays Players - 22 times (theres just a lot of material here)
Make Fun of Opposing Players - 0 times
Compliment Opposing Players - 10 times (we have played some excellent ball players, and that makes this league that much more fun)
Sarcastic Comment About Umps - 7 times (and in my defense, when I found out that it was not appreciated in the manner I meant it to be, I ceased all actions to that effect immediately)
4. I realized that one very important thing is missing from this, and I learned this by staying up late last night and studying the articles of my idol and unwitting mentor Bill Simmons, and I need a venue for others to give me their opinions and let me know how I am doing, so here it is, all comments/complaints/suggestions can be directed to graysbaseballwriter@yahoo.com or leave a comment on our guestbook (upper right hand corner of the home page)
5. I am very sorry if I offend anyone by what I say, it is only meant for a little humor to pass the time as we waste away for 40+ hours a week staring at a computer, trying not to get caught streaming mlb.tv instead of crunching numbers and makign phone calls, this is an AMATUER baseball league after all
This week's contest, name the two movie line references made in this article, be the first to respond and win...something...better hurry, Portland is good at this game....
Grays Find Kryptonite
August 4, 2007 - 02:00 PM
Rebels win 2-0 to complete season series sweep of Grays.
The Grays show up late, and their bats stayed home, as they can only muster all of 3 hits and 5 walks, thats it for the offense.
Wes pitched a gem, allowing around 5 hits in 7+.
Rich came in for an inning of very intense and pissed off relief, I was scared to throw the ball to him because he was throwing it as hard as he could right back. And he was shaking me off before I even put a sign down.
Catching those two makes me glad they are on my team, and I dont have to dig in against them. Its always a guess as to were Wes' ball is going, and Rich looks like he is ready to come off the mound and eat your left arm for lunch.
Thats it...as I am pissed off about Barry and have to go stab my left eye out with a pencil...
WOW
July 28, 2007 - 02:30 PM
there is no amount or combination of words that I, or my muse (who happens to be Monica Bellucci), can create to adequate explain the events that took place.
The two teams brought a little bit of history, a past comraderie, and a mutual admiration (well I cannot speak for the Benders, but I think everyone on the Grays understand and respects the talented ballplayers we faced) to the field.
The first batter for the Benders found out quickly the bitter-sweetness it is to play at Riordan High School. Thier 2nd baseman hit an absolute shot in the LF-CF gap that should have had the outfielders running for a while, but turned out to be a routine pop fly. Welcome to my hell. Riordan High is a place where doubles to the gap go to die. I even got to add two such well hit tragedies to my long list of frustrations here. But isn't it nice not too have to stand in a huge hole in the batter's box...
Not much more to say about the first 10 innings than the box score will tell you. JHawk pitched a beauty (10 IP, something like 3 H, like 2 or 3 BB, 0 R). As did the Benders pitcher Alex (10 IP, around 5 H, maybe 4 or 5 BB, 0 R). JHawk had quite a few big strikeouts to end some nerve racking innings. The Benders SS was acting like Omar Vizquel out there, throwing out every runner by a step, even the one that was called safe.
Normally, I would throw in a wise crack about the officiating here, but I understand most people probably dont get or dont appreciate the humor, so I will hold off on that for now. Except to say that a brilliant diving effort does not equal a catch when the ball rolls on the ground for 15 seconds afterwards.
Unfortunately, both starting pitchers had to leave the game with a no-decision. The top half of the innings started with some tension for Portland on a broken bat bloop job and a sharp single up the middle, 2 on and no out, with the heart of the Benders lineup coming up. A pop up and 2 groundouts later, the Grays hearts resume beating and we get up to try and steal a victory. JHawk walks to start the bottom of the inning and is jumping around on the bases in his normal epileptic style trying anything he can to advance. Cant remember exactly how we get there, but we have runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. And thus begins a battle that turns into a war.
TLee comes in to pinch hit and starts chipping away all sorts of 2-strike-curves, fasts, and changes. I lost track at about 45 pitches for the AB, but my heart sank with each one. All the Grays are on their feet jumping and yelling after every foul tip. The 67th pitch is way outside for ball four and tempers flare a bit. I first thought the pitcher was congratulating TLee on a nice AB, but was quickly proven otherwise. It is all good though, because if you do not get excited and are not intense at a moment like that...I just dont know what to tell you.
A groundout-force-out at home later, Isola lays down a one-out baseloaded beauty of a squeeze bunt with MattMac scoring easily to the surprise of everyone on the field save them two and Lyman...you devilish schemers you...
Reagrdless of the outcome, that was an incedibly enjoyable game. That is what I sit at a computer for 40+ hours a day for. Thank you Benders for bringing the 'A game'. The Grays look forward to the chance when we can do battle again.
My Thoughts While Parking My Car on the Golden Gate Bridge
July 22, 2007 - 04:15 PM
OFFENSE: Congrats to T.Lee breaking out of a season-long funk...it is tough when you dont get 5 AB's every week. Ben had, what was at that time, a big 2 out hit in the bottom of the first to put the Grays on the board. I think everyone had at least one very solid base hit, it was nice to see. Then it got hard when the strike zone opened up bigger than Jenna Jameson's ... (well you know) and you are left with 3 options:
1. dont swing, take the walk, feel like an ass
2. dont swing, strike out because the ump might call it a strike just to get out of there before dark, and who could blame him, that was not an easy game for him to officiate all alone
3. swing at something you couldn't reach even if you had Kareem-Abdul Jabaar's wingspan and a 40" bat, strike out, all the time wondering who throws a 3-2 slider in the dirt in that situation?!?!? (maybe that was just me)
DEFENSE: it felt good to be on the bump again, even if it was just 4 innings and even if it felt like 4 separate first innings. If 5 of 9 innings (55.5%) gets you a win, then 4 of 7 innings (57.1%) should get you a win as well. The play at 3B from Wes, Hector, and Tony was fun to watch. It is nice to not be scared for your life on a groundball waiting for it to hit a rock and then hit you in the face. Rich had, what was at that time, a huge throw to gun down a runner in the top of the first. We had a nice 6-4-3 double play that looked like the big leagues because Matt took Rickey's feed from short and was nowhere near second base on his turn to first, great proximity play, just like the pros! Wes has to take a long look in the mirror and re-evaluate his life after losing the shutout on a 305' - 3" solo home run. And Isola iced the game with his first appearance of the season, which I think should count for a save...think about it, it is like a handicap in golf. If Justin comes in with a 15 run lead, sure, he doesn't get a save. But if Isola comes in, those same 15 runs might not be a good enough cushion, so we will have to credit him with a save.
Grays Survive
July 15, 2007
although edited by others, this blog is the sole brainchild one a single player, and is not neccesarily reflective of the Management's opinions or any other players thoughts...but it may be...you would have to talk to the specific person to figure it out...here we go...
The Grays went to battle against many foes this saturday, including a crappy field, the incoming San Francisco fog, a potent Pigroasters lineup, and an inconsistent umpire.
With Big-Daddy Danger on the hill, there is nothing to fear, unless you are catching. I, along with the batter, was constantly guessing what pitch he was going to throw next. Sometimes I wonder if there is even a point to me giving signs to Rich at all. Many times, I would call a change, he would agree, and then throw a fastball...son of a...But anyway you look at it, 7 IP 6 H 4 ER 6 K against the Pigroasters is a fantastic day. And Gamble made Hando look like a regular human being today, instead of the super-power hitting machine that he truly is. JHawk slammed the door, buisness as usual.
Although, let us not forget that left-handed hitting firstbaseman from the Roasters absolutely murder a hanging changeup over Tony's head (and he was playing pretty deep to begin with) And he hit a shot down the line against JHawk as well...hitting balls that well against those two pitchers pretty much proves that guy is a quality hitter.
The Grays offense was slow to wake up. But a huge stolen base of home by Portland, thank god Papi did not swing (and how could that pitch ever be called a ball!!! It was right down the middle) ignited the Grays. And the constant chatter and pick-me-ups from Captain helped to continue the momentum swing. Isola had two great strokes, the kind of swings only a lefty can have, I hate you for that, and Jhawk to for the same reason (although this one more about being able to throw left-handed), but “Big Mike From the Wood”, you are still cool, not sure about Riall yet. And a huge pinch-hit/fly ball/thought it was gone/starting the trot early/tough error/two-run doule-ish hit by Danger helped seal the victory.
On a side note: I like to think of my self as a mildly funny and easy going guy. I like chit-chatting with the ump and the batters when I am catching. I was pouring it on, giving the ump my best stuff (like I was on Last Comic Standing or something) and I got NOTHING in return. Just a blank stare that I felt said one of two things to me...and I need your help in determining which it is.
Option A: I am really not that funny at all, and his blank stare said "stop talking, you are not funny, get new material"
Option B: The guy just hates me, or he hates my uniform, and the blank stare said "turn around, dont talk to me"
I thought the base-ump was fine, and the hate did not contagiously infect him, until he called that guy safe at third, but then again, it was my throw (and a damn good one if I do say so myself), so I am very much biased. But Portland assured me he was out. And Portland never tells a lie...you guys notice that...he is always an upstanding citizen...level headed...not one to get too intense or anything...it must kill him to hang out with all of us every weekend.
Good game everyone....
P.S. Ben looks much better in dark blue than black...at least I think so
D'Anna's Diary vs. Beavers
June 30, 2007 - 02:00 PM
7:50 AM : I wake up, early enough to catch Serena Williams grunting her way through the third round of Wimbeldon.
8:30 AM : make a little french toast for b-fast, right now Rickey (with an "ey") is getting some morning lovin'. (I'll explain later)
9:45 AM : run a few errands, go to Bed Bath and Beyond, didn't make it to Home Depot, didn't have enough time
12:07 PM : listening to a little Ben Harper on the drive to Riordan
12:31 PM : get to Riordan, set up "THE CRUSHER", Jeff is blasting country
12:52 PM : Ben shows up, puts on a Grays jersey, damn, I wasn't dreaming...very nice
1:12 PM : THE CRUSHER is on today, she knows when you hit one well off her, because she comes right back with something nasty...Lesson Learned, Dont show up The Crusher
1:25 PM : Hawk asks where our catcher for the day is
1:38 PM : Rich finally shows up, smelling of sensimillia
1:42 PM : DJ Isola mixes in some fast music for the Latin people during warmups
1:49 PM : Damn, we are taking a LONG pregame infield...but damn, we look good, we got some CANONS in the outfield...ridiculous
2:07 PM : JHawk is dealing, I get the feeling this is going to be over quickly, you know, the same feeling about things going too quickly you get when your girl is on vacation for three weeks, and she comes back, and you are thinking about baseball and checkers just to make it past the fore-play
2:24 PM : JHawk throws away a bunt back to the box, leading to the Beavers only run of the day
2:57 PM : Life is all about timing...
SOME RANDOM GRAY - "it is hard and straight"
JUSTIN (filling in for Denis nicely) - "thats what she said"
[as Denis walks into the dugout]
3:20 PM : Rickey collects his third hit of the day (see 8:30 AM entry for explanation)
3:49 PM : Ben breaks his bat big league style, with a shard flying at the thirdbaseman, sure to kill him Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style.
4:02 PM : damn The Grays chemistry is wonderful this year
4:16 PM : JHawk records his 14th strikeout to finish off the Beavers, Grays get their 10th win, 5-1.
5:12 PM : The Yankees are 1-hit by the A's...how is that $200 payroll now Steinbrenner?
9:15 PM : DAMMIT the Giants won
9:50 PM : The Dodgers are in exrta innings...I gotta go
Top Ten Things About Grays vs. Miracle
June 23, 2007 - 02:00 PM
10. "The Crusher" - Those who warmed up on the new wiffle ball machine went 4 for 11 and 2 BB. I think we have started a new trend. Well at least I have established a new pregame ritual. All are welcome to join.
9. "Beautiful" Big Rec is no longer beautiful. It was like playing on the surface of the moon. J-Hawk found another trampoline, this time (to his and Riall's disappointment) right in front of the plate.
8. Denis and Big Mike were late becasue they were busy attending the Pride Parade.
7. Chugging wine from the bottle after catching for 9 innings and after sprinting for 360 ft and almost falling on my arse after about 290 ft.
6. "Portland" making spin move 'a la' Barry Sanders or Fred Astair to snag a ground ball and start the game ending double play.
5. The piss poor conditions at Big Rec gets another spot here because it was that bad. I hope we dont have the playoff games here like last year. Lyman...get on that.
4. We have seen some bad calls this year, but damn, that "interference" double play call was about as bad as it gets. If I were to make a decision that bad at work, buildings would fall down from a light breeze. If Isola were to make decisions that bad at work, high school students wouldn't know who fought in the Civil War.
3. Speaking of bad calls...Steve Urkel got an at-bat. Classic. I think he was confusing "belt" with "collar". After that, the ump would have rung up "Portland" on a pitch that landed in the dug out.
2. My first career intentional pitch-around. I tried explaining to the catcher that "I'm hot cuz I'm fly, you aint cuz you not" ... he didn't seem amused.
1. Grays beat a good Miracle team 9-5.
Blog by #7: Now That Was a Baseball Game...
June 16, 2007 - 10:00 AM
Every day prior, and every day since, it has been nice and sunny...but typical of the city, the cloud cover was thick and the winds were bone chilling last saturday morning.
Tempers ran hot and emtions were strong as the Grays took on the Bay Division rival Mad Dogs.
The Grays were in high spirits as they took an early lead on a very good Mad Dogs pitcher...and sent out a great pitcher (whose looks are definitely no match for his changeup) of their own to the bump.
The two juggernauts took turns at scoring with the bats and the mouths, (to this day, the Grays are undefeated in trash-talking contests) to force a 5-5 tie coming into the 9th.
Danger Gamble, having practiced all day on how to swing-and-miss while compiling 3 K's, decides to try a new approach...close your eyes, swing hard, pray...and he hits a solid single to left.
A few plays later, Wes "damn we need a better nickname than Portland" comes through with a big 2 out RBI to put the Grays ahead 6-5.
And the aforementioned Wes closes out the Dogs in the bottom of the ninth, and the Grays beat the Mad Dogs 6-5 to sweep the season series.
Not to go unmentioned...Papi's first AB looking like Pedro Serrano of Major League fame, Big Mike's shout-out to his 2 RBI double to the gap in the 1st, Big Mike's fantom diving catch...
This was a baseball game, the way it should be, coming down to the very last out. This is the type of thing I day-dream about Monday thru Friday while sitting at work making myself look busy as I stream MLB.tv and read about Paris Hilton's latest escapade behind bars.
P.S. sorry, this one sounds a bit forced, I just wasn't feeling it this time...I will come up big for the next game's recap
#7 Brian D'Anna
Blog by #7 Brian D: A Sunny Day in Menlo Park
June 9, 2007
It started out as most saturdays do, with half the Grays roster awaking to an alcohol induced headache
The boys got in their cars escaping the city's overcast clouds in search of the place where the sun is shining...and the weather is sweet
Some of us knew where to go, some of us had directions, and some of us drove around a neighborhood for 20 minutes until finally giving up and asking a local resident where the hell they were (yes that would be me)
We arrive to a less-than stellar field sporting a constant "355 ft" outfield and a 3 mile distance from the plate to the backstop
The game promptly begins when the home plate umpire screams at Lyman to get up to the pregame/ground rule meeting
We quickly realize the home ump was not here to mess around
Rickey gives him a little Latin attitude on a questionable strike call, and conflict ensues...(although we did vote unanimously that the home plate umpire's "punch-out" strike three call is top notch.
Wes is dealing, Infielders are scared for their lives because of the pinball infield, and Justin finds a trampoline in center and is awarded with a triple
The Grays bats and feet show up early and often to a total of 15 hits and 9 walks
Wes, looking for a tax write off, decides to give a few charity runners by working on some new pitches, much to the chagrin of Brian "brick wall behind the plate" D'Anna
Manager LJ spends most of his time chasing the 750 foul balls hit, and then decides to try his luck at this thing we call hitting, why he stepped up to the plate with a 25 year old bamboo table leg is beyond any of us
J-Hawk comes in to get some work/close the door, and smiles at me as he bounces 58' sliders on purpose
I self-lessly sacrifice making my flight to catch the last inning, of which J's last pitch is a slider that hits me right in the groin, which I am sure was again, on purpose...I run to my car, drive as fast as my 10 yr. old 4 cylinder S-10 can go (and as fast as the slow-ass-Bay-Area drivers will allow)
I drive to the city, run in my house, grab my tux, recklessly drive to Oak airport, yes I stupidly went over the Bay Bridge, run through security, run through the terminals, and run on the plane as they close the door right behind me...
for one of the only times ever, god was on my side
Have a nice day all, if you made it this far
Grays Continue Streak of Allowing Only 1 Run
June 2, 2007
Grays TEAM drops to 1.75. Pitching staff only allowed 21 Runs and scored 68. That's a +47 differential!
uh...make that 1.80 team ERA through 7 games
May 19, 2007
after this past weekends 12-1 victory. Moreover the pitching staff allowed 17bbs/67Ks through 60 innnings. Through 7 games grays pitching staff has only allowed 20 runs scored.
Through 6 games, Grays Team ERA is 1.87
May 14, 2007 San Francisco - Who would of thunk it...Grays Baseball Team ERA boast a 1.87 ERA through 6 Games. What's surprising is that the pitching staff only allowed 12 walks through 53 innings while striking out 59. Some would say that the 1.87 ERA is inflated, but it's hard to inflate 12BB/59K ratio. This is astounding. Please email me w/ a better ratio than this: jung@callan.com
Grays 10 RUN Mad Dogs!!!
Grays Baseball 11 Mad Dogs 1
April 15 - SAN FRANCICO: On the day Grays Baseball and MLB honored #42 Jackie Robinson, Grays Baseball for the first time in its young history defeated a team that boast a '46-18 SFNABA record (2004-2006). ' Uh...make that 46 and 19 Mad Dogs!
It was cold, it was windy, but that didn't stop Justin 'Big Game' Hawkins. He proved once again why he is one of the top pitchers in the leauge limiting the potent Mad Dogs lineup to only 1 run on 5 singles for a complete game victory. He's the 'Greg Maddux' of the league quoted one observer. He's a master at changing speeds.
I'm sure the Mad Dogs look forward to our rematch June 16 at Riordan High School. Perhaps this is a 'changing of the guard' in the Ocean Divison. Only time will tell...
Major League Baseball and Grays Baseball Honors #42 Jackie Robinson
APRIL 15, 2007: San Francisco -- For the first time in Major League Baseball and SFNABA history, Commissioners Bud Selig (MLB) and Ken Hale (SFNABA) has decreed that any uniformed personnel -- player, coach or manager -- can wear Jackie Robinson's famous No. 42 as the sport celebrates this weekend the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier.
Robinson will be honored in each of the 15 MLB ballparks as well as SFNABA League Fields where games will be played, with the core ceremony at Dodger Stadium beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Robinson played his first regular-season game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.
"I think it's great," LJ (Mgr Grays Baseball) said this week about the demand from so many to wear Robinson's number. "Just their understanding of history and what that man did for so many people is so important. Believe me, it makes me very happy. I think the players should wear it who want to wear it."
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig retired Robinson's number throughout baseball in 1997 as part of the 50th anniversary of Robinson's achievement. Closer Mariano Rivera, who came up to the Yankees in 1995, is the last active Major League player regularly wearing Robinson's number and was grandfathered in at the time.
The MLB Commissioner was approached last week by Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr., who asked to wear Robinson's number on Sunday. Griffey was granted permission, and subsequently, Selig opened that invitation to at least one uniformed person on each team.
"I had a lot of respect for [Griffey] to begin with," Bud Selig said. "But this is wonderful."
Grays Baseball will also honor Jackie Robinson this weekend at Riordan High School. Afterall, Grays Baseball pay tribute to the Negro Leagues. Please join us at Riordan High School this weekend at 3PM.
History of Grays Baseball
One of the greatest teams in the history of the Negro Leagues, the Homestead Grays won eight of nine NNL titles between 1937 and 1945. The team started in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1910 as a recreational activity for black steelworkers. Cum Posey, an outfielder who joined the team in 1912, turned the Grays into one of the country's finest black professional teams. The Grays most famous players included catcher Josh Gibson, first baseman Buck Leonard, pitcher Smokey Joe Williams, outfielder Cool Papa Bell, third baseman Judy Johnson, outfielder and manager Vic Harris, outfielder and infielder Sam Bankhead, and pitcher Ray Brown. Prior to 1940, the Grays barnstormed and played their home league games at Greenlee Field in Pittsburgh's Hill district or at the Pittsburgh Pirates' ballpark, Forbes Field. The Grays played in Washington, D.C. until they disbanded in 1950.
In 2007, we honor this tradition and proudly present Grays baseball.
Now: Grays Baseball
After a successful 2006 campaign, the Grays return with renewed vigor and hunger in our quest to win crown jewel. In 2006, The Grays were only 4 outs away from the ‘Final Four’ only to have it slip away. While 2006 ended in a disappointment, the season certainly was not. We discovered Justin Hawkins, hands down one of the top 5 pitchers in the league (key stat: 59 innings, 1.85 ERA). We were lucky enough to acquire one of the best backstops in the league Rich Gamble. Brian D’Anna barely breaking the starting lineup in 2005 became a middle of the order force along with his side-kick Gamble. Jeff Isola a free agent pickup during the 05 fall season became a premier hitter spraying base-hits game after game. Captain Ricky Callivo won his first gold glove with the grays. Ricky’s defensive prowess and clutch hitting was one of the keys to the Grays’ success.
With little turnover the 2007 Grays return 9 players from last year’s squad along w/ 4 key acquisitions – Mike Williams (Fresno State - 1996), Matt McEnerney (University of Wisconsin – Whitewater-2004), Tony Lee (Georgetown U. – 2003) and Wes Warfield (Oregon City Community College – 2004). We are armed and ready to do battle for this year’s championship. Fans, stay tuned...
Home Field Advantage? - We shall see....
February 10, 2007
For the 2nd time as in many years Grays Baseball can again call Riordan HS our home field. Many thanks to Mr. Ron and Jeff Isola for making this happen. This will give our fans a convenient and comfortable field to view our games - Just don't forget the blankets and the hot cocoa!
Did you know? Riordan HS was voted the 'Best Mound' in SFNABA
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