Now With 33% More Wins and 200% More Fans!

On Wednesday eve at Edgeley 3, TGT had a sporting encounter with the fine humans of the National Constitution Center. The field, which I remember to have been in fine shape the last time we were on it, was less aesthetically and pragmatically pleasing for this occasion. Rutted base paths and scattered haphazard vegetation growing up on the infield dirt testified to a lack of grooming. I noticed late in the game that we were fairly sloppy with our cone placement along the left outfield line, which added an extra idiosyncratic element to the playing conditions.

Driving up to the field, it was hard not to notice and be somewhat awed by the sheer size of the NCC crew. Gleaming yellow T-shirts abounded; we may need to send in an undercover agent to ferret out their recruiting secrets. Nonetheless, we did have a full squad, featuring the season debuts of Sarah "I Ain't Drinking That Swill" F. and "Hey Let Me Bat Next Time" Maureen as well as the long-awaited return of ace pitcher Matt "Just Don't Make Me Run Fast Or Change Directions" Schwartz (these nicknames seem cumbersome, but I bet it took awhile for Bill "The Man Nobody Knows" Dickey's moniker to catch on too). It wasn't our best lineup - notably and illogically, yours truly was batting cleanup - but there are no excuses in softball, and the wooden bats have brought plenty of parity to the game. "Any given Monday or Tuesday, and sometimes Wednesday" is what the oldtimers say in the CCSL, and it's true.

I'll admit, I do get tired of lager sometimes.

About the game itself - it was a tight, well-played affair. TGT picked up two runs in the first with a bit of an assist from Edgeley #3 in the form of a bad hop over the shortstop's glove, and another run in the second. NCC came roaring back in the fourth inning, stringing together some solid base knocks to plate three runs and tie up the game. There was good defense on both sides, and the game remained tied until NCC, with the top of their order up, broke it open with three runs in the top of the 6th on the strength of a MAMMOTH home run down the right field line - one of the hardest hit balls we've seen this season. Not to be outdone, the top of our order answered right back with four runs of our own to retake the lead. A quick 1-2-3 top of the 7th and it was on to the handshake line as we escaped with our second straight W.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
NCC	0	0	0	3	0	3	0	6
TGT	2	1	0	0	0	4	--	7

Relaxing after the win.

Notes and Observations:

• Max grabbed his 4th start on the season, had possibly his best showing yet at the plate, and was awarded the final unclaimed official Team Green Tambourine jersee.  It was a well-earned promotion from super-sub to bona-fide regular. See you next week...

Bunny ears never go out of style.

• Lots of beer this week. Great job, everyone! 
• Hats off to a pleasant group of excellent sportsmen and sportswomen at NCC, demonstrating how close, competitive games can still be friendly. 
• After our stunning victory last week, an uptick in fan interest was inevitable. Indeed, we had twice as many fans as we have had at any other game this season - BOTH of Matt's parents were there. But fame isn't always chocolate and roses, and the attention is only good when things are going well. That was some quality heckling out there, Mr. Schwartz. You were on your game when we were not on ours. See you next week? I hear you might have some extra time on your hands pretty soon...

You're never too old for fatherly affirmation.

NEXT GAME(s):  Monday, June 30th at Edgeley #8 vs. Zoo.

We'll finish up the suspended game from Week 1 and then play another. We can get to .500 on the season if we win both...

Woooooo! (Spoiler Alert: We Won.)

RECAP: Monday 6/16 vs. South Philly Tap Room

There was point early in the game when I started to regret my not-so-bold claim in the last blog post that we were “mostly competitive” in the league. It was after I popped up a lazy fly-ball out in top of the first inning, where TGT scored two runs but could have threatened for more. I think it occurred just before I misread a fly ball that fell for a single late in the bottom of the same inning, where SPTR scored ten runs and it seemed like they were never going to let us hit again.  In the hindsight of that particular moment, it occurred to me that perhaps even with such a mildly positive statement I might have been guilty of hyperbolic overreach, or at least extremely poor timing prior to a scheduled game against one of the league’s perennial contenders (SPTR lost in the CCSL Championship Game last year to Catahoula). As it happened I had nothing to worry about. 

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
TGT	2	7	3	0	6	0	0	18
SPTR	10	0	0	2	0	0	0	12

 Our lineup and production on the evening:

• Dusty : 3 for 5, 3 runs
• Rafter: 4 for 5, four runs (didn’t make an out until the sixth inning!)
• Adam P: 3 for 5, run
• Special Sauce: 4 for 5, 2 runs
• TGTfan: 2 for 5, run, strikeout
•  Adam F: 3 for 5
• Grace: 2 for 5, 2 runs (first game played for TGT!)
• Paul: 2 for 5, run
• Max: 2 for 4, 2 runs
• Cassie: 4 for 4, 2 runs  

The top of our order was phenomenal at getting on base and driving in runs. Dusty and Rafter were essentially unstoppable at the 1-2 slots, with both scoring in each of the first three innings as we clawed back from the early deficit. Our scorekeeper doesn’t record RBIs, but Special Sauce knocked in at least a handful. 

The bottom of our order just kept starting rallies. Cassie found her stroke with an incredible 4-for-4 night, crushing line drives to right field and even going opposite field once. Newcomer Grace had to dash home before the game just to get shoes in order to play, swung a bat for the first time in who-knows-how-long during a brief BP session 5 minutes before the game, and then knocked out a couple hits and scored twice.

Our saving Grace. Amazing Grace?

On the other hand we had TGTFan in the middle of the order… Christ, who invited that guy? Even casual observers (We had one! Shout-out to Papa Schwartz!) probably noticed that both of his “hits” were weak infield ground balls that should have been turned into outs by a less-than-sharp SPTR defense. I hear he even dropped a routine fly in the outfield in the fifth inning. A swinging strike-out in the sixth inning? Quite frankly: embarrassing. I think we all know who’s bringing the beer next week, because he owes the rest of the team for carrying his dead weight in the lineup all night.

Paul doesn't think I deserve that beer. He's probably right.

The story of the game: a terrible defensive first inning, followed by six innings of inspired softball where we outscored the Tappers 16 – 2 and won relatively easily, holding them scoreless over the final three frames. SPTR had some defensive struggles that helped us out, but we also did our part to create them, with quality ABs and far fewer lazy fly balls than we've been used to. It was a nice way to break out of a five-game losing streak and pick up some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

Victory Photo!

Various Notes and Observations:

• Walk-up music was in full effect, and went smoother than the trial run against P&P. Love it!
• Big defensive stand in the bottom of the seventh after an error allowed SPTR to turn the lineup over with two outs and subsequently load the bases. Paul snagged the hot shot at third and won the footrace to the bag (I’m not sure but I think his hat even stayed on his head.) to close out the game...
• Thanks to Rafter for providing the game beers, and thanks to Kyle from the Nomads for fueling the post-game celebration by unexpectedly showing up with a cooler of booze left over from their loss to Catahoula. Condolences on losing the bid for an undefeated season, but appropriate that last year's undefeated champion took it from you.
• Our Russian surveillance expert went missing for the second straight contest. We’re hoping he hasn’t been “picked up for questioning." Please report any tips, leads, or reported sightings to the blog. 

FINAL SCORE: TGT 18, SPTR 12

NEXT GAME: Wednesday, June 25th at Edgeley #3 vs. NCC

Rainy Days

Continuing our seemingly interminable slog through the CCSL version of Murderer's Row, Tuesday evening we faced off against the 2013 League Champion Catahoula Refugees.  Sadly, the better half of our dynamic blogging duo was unable to make the game - he mumbled something later about a fever, generic Nyquil, and hour-long imaginary conversations with his mother - and we have no photographic documentation of the game.

Yeah. Y'all are stuck with me and Chuck. Feel better soon, Sasha! And take it easy on the cold medicine, OK?

Back to the game. We were originally slated to play on Dairy #2, but some players on both sides felt that a swimming hole had no place on a softball diamond. Maybe they never learned to swim - it happens! We moved over a better-drained Dairy #1 after consultation with the proper authorities.

The rosters for both teams were a bit thin as 6:30 neared, and Schwartz was even trying to convince us that he could play despite having started drinking hours earlier and not yet being cleared to run by his doctors. The game was saved by the arrival of softball Nomads Joey and Johanna, who drove by the field after a rain-out with the Franklin Institute and happily agreed to stick around and play in our game instead. Johanna went to Catahoula, Joey hopped on board TGT, and the players took the field.

We were the Away team, and batted first. It was raining, Catahoula was missing some key players, and maybe we forgot what our respective records are. TGT batted all the way through the order, scoring four runs through a barrage of mostly singles. It was more runs than we've scored in an inning since - well, actually I don't know. Maybe we can get Pen & Pencil to start keeping our books. It wasn't the first time everyone in the lineup has come to the plate in an inning, but it might have been the second. It hasn't happened very often.

Then things got crazier. We took the field in the bottom of the first, and despite some funky bounces and crazy spin, we emerged *still* in the lead, having given up only two runs. Same in the second, or maybe the third - when we faced runners on second and third with two outs, but made the play to escape the inning unscathed. Francis, who arrived just after the third out in the top of the first, made a slick charging play on a grounder at shortstop for a bang-bang out at first. We were rolling! The bats had been quiet, but the defense was strong, and we were hanging in there! We had a chance! We--

The Refugees got a four-run fourth, or maybe it was the third(?) - on the strength of some well-struck fly balls over the outstretched glove of our outfield. Possibly catchable, but nonetheless impressive, they went for a two-run home run and a triple. After that, we held our ground, our bats continued to fail at replicating the early success, and we hit the later innings down just two runs. 

Cassie proved to be a better fielder than Charlie Brown, snagging a wicked comebacker for the second time in two games to close out the bottom of the sixth. But there was little drama in the seventh, as we got a runner to first but no further, with a couple relatively easy ground balls for the last two outs of the game.

Well, it rained for large portions of the game, and before. The rain wasn't bad, actually - I'd have traded more of it to get rid of the damn gnats that were swarming everyone's faces.  

Heroes of the game would probably include our one-day guest Joey, who played an excellent outfield (notwithstanding a missed catch in the first due to some wicked spin on the ball) and picked up a hit/RBI in our first inning rally. Cassie pitched effectively despite challenging conditions including a wet ball, vicious (albeit polite) Catahoula hitters and fielders trying to take her out, and gnats in her eye.

Goats have to include Rafter, who is caricatured by the unfortunate Lucy above. We'll cut him some slack though, given that he definitely wasn't feeling his most chipper self before the game and was probably distractedly brooding about his mortality as the clock of ages is about to tick up a notch for him. Wish him a happy birthday next time you see him! Mac came very close to goathood, calling off Cassie on an infield fly that dropped two feet in front of him, but was saved by the Catahoula player failing to run it out (There's a classic lesson in hustle, kids! Pay attention!). Additional goat status to everyone, including myself (but not Rafter), who failed to pick up a single base hit after the first inning. There were a lot of goats. It was like the goat races of beer-league softball! (We can do this every week, Sly Fox. You should co-sponsor us.)

And sometimes you lose five in a row. Hey, we're building a ton of character over here. And the schedule gets easier... soon... we think...

FINAL SCORE: Catahoula 6, TGT 4

It's probably time to send out some encouragement to a few folks who haven't been in regular attendance lately, because it has been a little more touch-and-go than we would like in terms of fielding a full team. We know, it's tough to make it out every week, and once you miss a game it's easier to miss the next one. Time to come back out! Comical losing streak notwithstanding, we've been reasonably competitive, consistently had beers to drink, and consistently had a pretty good time out on the field. Come on back out!

NEXT GAME: Monday, June 16th, Edgeley #8 at South Philly Tap Room

Editor's note: all images cribbed from the wonderfully bleak 3eanuts tumblr, without express permission of any kind. Check 'em out and perhaps gain a new appreciation for the original strip.

And Now, a Note for Our Sponsor

Yo!

Since this is allegedly a Center City league, I'm not sure how much of our readership pays attention to the news from out west, and it occurred to me that many of you may have missed this recent piece in West Philly Local covering the forthcoming expansion of The Green Tambourine Music Studio. Go check it out (the article) now, then go check it out (the studio) this weekend, during an open house on Saturday (9 am - 12 pm) and Sunday (2 pm - 4 pm).

Congratulations Ann! We wish you continued success in your endeavors, and we promise we won't show up to the open house drunk (again).

The Pen (and Pencil) Proves Mightier than the Tambourine

The second half of our double feature this week featured the gregarious guys and gals from the Pen & Pencil Club. Drew was back for this one, Francis made his debut, and the core of the regular lineup was intact -- so at least in theory this should have been the best team we've got, or close enough to it. However, putting theory into practice can be a challenge in any field of study, and Tuesday at Edgeley #8 we proved that there are still a few kinks to be worked out.

This is not to take away from an excellent game played by the Scribes. They hit up and down the lineup and to all fields, while we... didn't, including a distressing number of infield pop-ups. Smilin' Bob Ford's scouting trip on Monday might have paid dividends, because there were long stretches where we couldn't seem to BUY a hit. Of course, our usual gambit of bribing opponents with beer wouldn't have worked this time regardless -- As an experienced CCSL team, P&P defend against such tactics with an extensive supply of their own refreshment. 

As always against those folks, it was a relaxed game with plenty of friendly banter and shared beers at the end.  I encourage you to head on over to their blog and check out their recap. It's probably more entertaining and certainly more statistically accurate than anything you're going to get here.

Notable Quotes from the evening:

"Why won't you just take your walk!"
- Cassie, pitching to a very selective Scribe, after 9 straight balls

"Because we're no Art Museum!"
- Response from said Scribe, before belting a double to left

 FINAL SCORE: TGT 3, P&P 14

Your GIFs of the week...

Nice form!

Dusty getting dirty.

A note for our beer drinkers from the TGT Provisioning Dept: Schwartz ended up supplying beverages for both games this week. If you haven't brought a case yet, it's your turn! If you previously bought a round, it's time to start thinking about buying a second...

There are a few additional photos below the fold...

This week on "As the CCSL Turns"

It was a rough start to our double dip in the league this week, as we struggled to pull together a full roster for Monday's match-up against our arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Blame Philly Beer Week, blame the routine scheduling conflicts that life brings, blame the perceived lack of fun involved in a game against the Grumpy Griffons. Whatever the cause, we were a few jangles short of a full tambourine and narrowly avoided an embarrassing forfeit. Thanks to newcomer Julia and the second coming of Max -- Heroes, both! -- We made it onto the pitch, down an outfielder but with our dignity, our pride, and our competitive spirit intact.

WHAT. A. GAME.

It was a defensive struggle early, with neither team able to cross the plate in the first three innings. We loaded the bases in the second on a series of dinks and dunks, but couldn't quite push anyone across. PMA had a lead-off batter thrown out while trying to stretch a double into a triple on an excellent relay from the outfield. Both pitchers were "effectively wild" and it looked to be shaping up to be a tight, low-scoring affair.

Then the 4th and 5th innings happened. PMA struck first, exposing some chinks in TGT's defensive armor, and a couple of well-struck drives went for extra bases. When we stepped to the plate at the "halfway" mark it was 3-0 Griffons. At the end of the 4th, it was 5-3 TGT. At the end of the 5th, it was 7-6 PMA.

These were dangerous waters. The PMA bats had come alive, and missing some of our own sluggers, we needed to stiffen up our defense to stay in the game. We held them scoreless in the top of the 6th, then evened up the game in the bottom half, when Special Sauce brought home Sir Adam with a booming double. At first and third with one out, we had a chance to retake the lead -- but failed. Alas. A quick and scoreless 7th inning for both teams meant extra frames. Free softball!

Farties Frank and Ray hit back-to-back two-out triples in the top of the 8th to score the first run in extras, but Julia -- Hero, I say again! -- struck back for TGT with a clutch two-out base hit of her own to drive in Sir Adam for the equalizer. And onward we went, through a scoreless ninth and to the fateful 10th.

Dusk was upon us, the cooler was nearly empty. I believe that both teams were becoming a bit fatigued. The Art Museum had the heart of their batting order up, but it seems some of the poor fellas were too tired to even swing the bat, taking some close (and a few not-so-close) pitches to garner a pair of walks in the inning. Our friend Frank, with the bases loaded and nobody out, couldn't even lift the bat to his shoulder. It dangled listlessly between his legs while the ball floated by, before he trudged down to first with a free pass and an RBI that put the Art Museum in front for good. Against the players that tried to hit the ball, our previously stout infield defense faltered, with nearly everyone making at least one fielding, throwing, or catching error in the inning, and our undermanned outfield was exploited as well. It was the classic big inning that wins CCSL games.

When the dust settled, PMA had scored 6. We took our hacks in the bottom half, but were unable to make up the deficit.

CONTROVERSY!

It wouldn't be a real TGT-PMA game without at least a smidge of soap-opera theatrics, but it all came out in the wash at the end. PMA vigorously protested a close play at second, and we more privately expressed our skepticism regarding a call at first a bit later in the game. Both teams tried to walk off the field prematurely in separate innings, and there was a brief delay late in the game while PMA complained about the location of home plate and we moved it for them.

All in all: ten innings, seven ties or lead changes, all the drama you could want in a beer league rivalry game, and not more. While there may have been some petty squabbles and disagreements on the field, nobody resorted to sophomoric name-calling or threats of physical violence -- at least not publicly. It was, dare I say, fun. And that, friends, is a WIN in my book.

...Except that we actually did lose. We'll get you next time, PMA! (shakes fist at sky)

FINAL SCORE: PMA 14, TGT 8 (10 Innings)