Pizza Party Day

Yes today was pizza party day and the first games of the fall season.  We should say thanks to the famous Baker Boys for the work they put in.  Of course, Lee Baker set up both fields as usual and Gene Baker did the pizza pick-up chore.  Thanks Guys.  Also thanks to Nick Matta for serving as umpire today and writing up the "C" field game.

We squeaked by with enough players to field 3 teams of ten plus one team fielding 11.  I guess the pizza brought 'em out to the old ball game.   

The contest on field B had a Visiting team fielding ten including Chrest, Merritt, Duff Hill, Gibson, Kline, Mills, Bloom, Bess, Lopez and Terry Smith.  

The Home Squad also with ten fielded Marino, Mundy, Moots, King, Thompson, Fulton, Barnes, John Smith, Bowley and Lee Baker.

A few of our snowbird friends are back in town  and it was even cool enough to bring Marshall Bloom out to play.

It was almost a like a double header with the team posting the fewest zeros winning.  The Visitors didn't score until the third inning when the came up with 5 runs to take the lead but then the home team responded with 4 of their own lead by a Chrest homer and a Kline triple to retake the lead 5-6 after three. The home squad added 5 more in the 4th to go up 5-11 but the visitors held them to zeros while posting 3 in the 5th, 2 in the seventh (Chrest contributing a triple and Hill a Homer) and finally taking the lead with a 5 run 8th inning highlighted by Eddie Kline's second triple of the day. They posted one more in the ninth on Bess' triple and a timely hit by Lopez.  Meanwhile the Home Boys went to sleep and failed to score for 4 innings until they put up a pair in the ninth. Alas too little too late.

Final Score  Visitors 16 Home 13.  Good Game Guys.

Top Hitters
Chrest 5 for 5 Homer, 2 doubles, triple
D. Hill 4 for 5 Homer, double
Kline 4 for 5 2 triples, double
Mundy 4 for 5
King 4 for 5
Thompson 4 for 5 triple

 

September is winding down and just maybe the hot weather, here in Florida, will let up as well. It certainly did today, for the last day of September softball, in Winter Haven, the temperatures were mild, the sky was cloudy and we had a light wind blowing to right field.

We welcomed back a few of our northern ball players today, Terry Allen, Steve Pinnick, Eddie Kline and Jack Benson all came home, to the Diamond Plex. They helped to make the games a little better than it would have been without them. Our new super knee duo, Sammy Lopez and Nick Matta also showed up at the ballpark, after having knee replacements this summer in June and August. Sammy came to play, Nick came by to visit the guys and to umpire. Dave Hartley came back to play some Fall ball, after taking the summer off.  Now, we need to get the rest of our northern ball players in town and we will really have a party. I guess that will happen soon enough.

The Visiting  team, on the American League game, consisted of Gonzalez, Grabb, Alumbaugh, Edwards, Hartley, S. Hill, Dampier, Osterreid, Pinnick and  Lopiccolo.

The Home team had Coffman, Laffoon, Butler, Duff, Schapeler, Scarborough, Wise, Diaz, Wells, Simon and Benson.

The first few innings saw just a little bit of offense from the Visitors, as they scored 2, 3, 2, 2  and 1 run in the first five innings. Well it turns out that scoring a little bit here, and a little bit there, was a much better performance than the Home team could muster. The Home boys scored 0, 2, 0, 1 and 2 over that same span.  At the end of five innings, the score was Visitors 10- Home 5.

In the next two innings, the visitors decided that doubling the score, after five innings, was just not enough. Just like you guys did when you were teenagers, and dad was nowhere to be found, you took the car and put the petal to the metal and tore up the road. The visitors revved up their “little deuce coupe” and showed them what they got. Credit here to the Beach Boys, 1963 song, Little Deuce Coupe.

Gonzalez, Alumbaugh, Edwards, Hartley, S. Hill, Dampier and Osterreid all said, “we are not braggin' babe, so don’t put us down, but we got the fastest set of wheels in town.” All seven guys came up with a hit, their inning ended when the 5 run rule was invoked.

If that was not enough, the Visitors shut out the Home team, in their half of the sixth inning. Then the Visitors came back up to bat in the seventh inning and “slipped the competition clutch, with four on the floor” and made the offense “purr like a kitten until the lake pipes roared”.  All that means they scored 5 more runs with hits from Pinnick, Lopiccolo, Gonzalez, Grabb and Alumbaugh, Hartley and Hill.

By the bottom of the 7^th, the Home Team was down by a score of 20-5. Ouch! The Home squad was bruised, but not beat’n. They threw out their chest and called out the chant of that famous American sailor, Popeye, “that is all I can stands and I can’t stands no more.” After opening a can of spinach Benson, Coffman, Laffoon, Butler,  Schapeler, Scarborough, Wise, Diaz and Wells strung together a series of hits and scored 6 runs.

The score after 7 innings: Visitors 20- Home 11.

There just was not enough spinach to go around for the rest of the game. The Visitors scored 1 in the eighth inning and the Home team scored 3 in the bottom of that frame.  Chuck Duff, pulled off a slight Popeye impression, by hitting a two run triple in the 8^{th ,} for the Home team. He scored Laffoon and Butler, both players had reached base before Chuck came up to bat. Coffman had also scored earlier in the eighth inning, on Butler’s single.

The game ended after the 9^th inning, when both teams were shut out. The ninth inning was the only dry inning for the Visiting team, as they scored in each one of the previous 8 innings.

Final Score: Visitors 21 – Home 14.

“And comin' off the line when the light turns green                                                    

 she blows 'em outta the water like you never seen   

She's my Little Deuce Coupe, you don't know what I got".                                    

Leading Hitters for the Visiting team.

Gonzalez, 5/5 with 3 doubles and a walk.

Herb Osterreid, 4/5.

Rodger Edwards, 3/5 with 2 doubles.

Larry Grabb, 3/5.

Brent Alumbaugh, 3/5.

Dave Hartley, 3/5 with a double.

Steve Hill, 3/5 with a double.

Freddy Dampier, 3/5.

Pat Lopiccolo, 3/5.

Leading Hitters for the Home team.

 

Don Scarbrough, 4/5.

Kirk Coffman 3/5 with a double.

Jim Laffoon, 3/5.

Chuck Duff, 3/5 with a triple.

Ed Diaz, 3/5.

Jack Benson, 3/ 4.

 

Bill McEllister's Memorial Page

William Edward "Bill" McEllister passed away peacefully at Victoria Hospital in London surrounded by his family on Thursday, May 3, 2012. 
 
He was born June 1, 1942 and resided in London, Ontario, Canada. 
Bill loved life, his family, and every sport under the sun. He especially loved baseball. His passion for sports was evident through the various sports teams for which he played; Wacky Websters, Westman Collision, Chaps Baseball, Beaver Lumber, Dorchester Canadians, Brantford Nissan, Mudmen Football, Thursday night basketball, Monday night hockey, Thursday night volleyball, and he loved being a snowbird playing softball in Winter Haven, Florida for the past 5 years. 
 
Bill joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club on January 4, 2008 and helped lead the team to a first place finish. He played through the 2012 Winter Haven season before heading back to his homeland of Canada. He also played Florida Half Century softball, joining the Lakeland Canadians 65s team in 2009. 
 
Wheneven a Canadian team was assembled for competition, Bill was sure to be a part of the team. He played with the Canadians against the USA team in the first and second annual games in Lakeland in 2008 and 2009, with the Canadians against the USA team in Winter Haven in 2009, with the Canadians against the Nalcrest Eagles at Nalcrest in 2010, and with the Canadians against Puerto Rico in Lakeland in 2011.
 
Bill is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Susan, son Tim, daughter Vironica, two grand children, and one great grandchild.

Rain Delay

We're rained out again today guys.  Hopefully things will dry out by Friday so we can have some sunshine with our pizza.  See you then.

Pitching Rules

Just for everyone's review as we get into Fall Ball here's a recap of the pitching rules. This past spring we introduced a few tweaks to our Senior Softball Rules including adopting ISA rules with a few Winter Haven exceptions.  One of the exceptions relates to the pitching screen.  ISA Rules do not provide for a pitching screen thus we have an exception to the ISA Rulebook. We also stipulated the positioning of the screen a bit more precisely than in the past.

The screen must be placed 4 ft in front of the pitching 'rubber' or pitching 'plate' as it's called in ISA rules.  Note that there is no requirement for the pitcher to be in contact with the pitching plate when delivering a pitch. The pitcher's 'box' is 6 feet by 2 feet and extends from the front edge of the pitcher's plate toward second base.  The pitcher can release the ball from anywhere provided he has his pivot foot in the pitcher's box.

The other change has to do with the pitcher not stepping behind the screen after he releases the pitch.  Any umpire can now make such calls not just the home plate umpire.  This year we will be instructing umpires to watch for screen violations and to call it when it happens.  Pitchers, you've been warned.

From the WHSS Rules

5                     Pitching Screen:  The pitching screen is provided for safety purposes only and is not intended to be used as a defensive aid.  One (1) leg of the pitching screen shall be within the parameter of the pitching rubber at all times. 

        For right-handed pitchers, the screen must be positioned to their left.

        For left-handed pitchers, the screen must be positioned to their right.

        The screen must be placed 4 feet in front of the pitching rubber to allow the pitcher to step behind the screen without taking a step back.

        A batter will be declared safe if a pitcher fields a ball without first stepping behind the screen.

        An umpire call a pitch “illegal” if the pitcher does not step behind the screen after delivery.

        Batted balls hitting the pitching screen are considered dead balls and no penalties are to be incurred except that the first ball striking the screen will count as a foul ball and therefore a strike.  A player cannot strike out by batting a ball into the screen.

        Any thrown ball that is in live play and hits the screen is considered a live ball and runners may advance at their own risk.

From the ISA Rules

2.3 EQUIPMENT AND MARKINGS

A. The Pitcher’s Box consisting of the area from the front of the

pitcher’s plate , 50 feet (15.24 m) from Home Plate, and extending

back six feet perpendicular to the pitcher’s plate shall be used. The

Pitcher’s plate shall be of rubber or wood, 24 inches (60.96cm) long

and six inches (15.24cm) wide. The top of the pitching rubber shall

be level with the ground. The front of the pitching rubber shall be

the prescribed pitching distance from the back point of home plate

(50 feet; 15.24 m). The Pitcher’s Box will be marked with chalk

or field paint.

.

6.6 LEGAL DELIVERY

A. The

pitcher must not make any motion to pitch without imme-

diately delivering the ball to the batter.

B. The delivery is a continuous motion.

C. The pitcher must not use a delivery in which there is a stop or

reversal of the pitching motion.

D. The pitcher must deliver the ball toward home plate on the first

forward swing of the pitching arm past the hip with an underhanded

motion.

E. The pivot foot must remain in contact with the pitcher’s box until

the pitched ball leaves the hand. If a step is taken, it can be forward,

backward, or to the side, provided the pivot foot is in contact with

the pitcher’s box and the step is simultaneous with the release of

the ball.

F. The pitcher must not pitch the ball behind his back or through

his legs.

G. The pitch shall be released at a moderate speed. The speed is left

entirely up to the judgment of the umpire. The umpire shall warn

the pitcher who delivers a pitch with excessive speed. If the pitcher

repeats such an act after being warned, he shall be removed from

the pitcher’s position for the remainder of the game.

H. The pitching motion does not continue after release of the ball.

I. The pitcher has 10 seconds to release the next pitch after receiving

the ball, or after the umpire indicates “play ball.”

Sneaky Fast

Thirty-three ball players turned out today in what turned out to be ideal conditions. Unfortunately for those that like to see offensive explosions, they were disappointed as the bats were about as cool as the temperature. If you can believe it there were only three extra base hits for the entire game and no team scored double digits.

The hitting team was ably managed by Reg Finnegan and consisted of Duff Hill, Marino, Witmer, Edwards, Zelazny, Finnegan, Mohan, Barnes, Steve Hill, Moots, and Mills.  They managed just a scant seven runs for the game. Their only bright spot was the third inning where Ray Mills started a rally that netted them five runs. Reg's double propelled the team and was their only extra base hit of the day. It gave them the lead and they were able to hold it until the fifth inning when the sitting team overtook them.

The sitting team of Herbie O, Dampier, Rivera, Schapler,Simon, Laffoon, Byrd,Wells, Smith, Fulton, and Baker was managed by Jeff Simon. They clearly established themselves as the team to beat as they took an early three run lead after the first inning. They then went on to score two runs every other inning for a total of nine runs. One thing of note was that it was done without the help of any extra base hits.

The fielding team was managed by our newest Board Member Freddie Gonzalez. His lineup was solid with Coffman, Gonzalez, Mundy, Butler, Miller, Giordano, Davis, Bess, Merritt, and Gibson all contributing. The team was certainly the most consistent as they scored in every inning with the exception of the first and last. By scorong in those innings they were able to go into the seventh with a slight lead. Along the way JD had a double and Ron Butler a homer through the gap in left center. With Jeff's team scoring two runs in the middle of the seventh, the game was tied as they came to the plate. Unfortunately JD was the only batter to reach base and so the final score was Hitting Team 7, Sitting Team 9, and Fielding Team 9.

There was solid fielding from the shortstops that really helped to keep the scores down. Donnie, Bill Miller, and Jimmy Laffoon were rock steady all day. 

Key offensive players were:

Richie Marino        2 for 3

Bob Zelazny          2 for 2

Reg Finnegan       2 for 3 with a double

Jose Rivera           3 for 4

Jeff Simon             3 for 4

Jimmy Laffoon       3 for 3

Ron Butler             3 for 3 with a sac fly,double and a homer

JD Davis                4 for 4 with a double

John Gibson          2 for 3

You're never too old

Thanks to the Cartoon 'Crankshaft'  by Batuik & Ayers  and to Joel for submitting it.

Thursday, July 18^th 2013

Photo Update

Here's a few photos from Gene Baker taken Friday the 13th ... you've been warned

also

When Gene's out there taking pictures, could you guys please remember to suck it in a bit?

Notes from the Commissioner

The BOD met today and I thought I might share some of what was discussed. The first is the results of the recently completed election of two new board members, who will begin their terms on 8 October. They will be replacing Russ King, who has done a fantastic job over the last two years, and Reggie Barnes, who will continue on the Board as an appointee for another two year term so that he can continue serving as our Secretary. The new Board members are Freddie Gonzalez and Larry Powell. Congratulations to both of them.

Membership for this year is consistent to past years. While we expect somewhere around 150 players, we currently have 74 registered as of today. I need to remind returning players that their applications and registration fees are due by  October 15 if they want to pay only  $30 verses the $40 that a new player is required to pay. The other date associated with registration is October 29. If any player (new or old) registers after that  date, we will not be able to assign them to a team for the beginning of the season and they will be assign as a pool player until a rostered position comes available with a team.

This date is important as we have to determine league composition at our November BOD's meeting. Also on that date we will require players that desire to play up or down in one of the leagues to submit a request to the BOD indicating their desire. If we use last years criteria, the cut off for the National League is anyone born in 1944 or earlier. The BOD will consider all requests and make a decision based on the needs of the league. If you have questions, please see a member of the Board for further clarification.

Another couple dates to put on your calendar are  27 September,14 January, and 12 March. The first (27 September) is the date of our summer pizza party. Refreshments will be provided immediately following  the end of the games on that Friday.  The second date (14 January) is the start of the new season. The last (12 March) is the date of the annual Hall of Fame Dinner.

Regarding sponsorship for the upcoming year we already have five sponsors committed. I want to encourage anyone who knows a potential sponsor to contact him/her and ask them to sponsor a team. Letters of introduction and explanation of the sponsorship program are available on the web or from a Board member. Sponsorship is critical to funding our program for the year. As part of our budget the funds received from the sale of the Enjoyment Books are equally important. That drive will start around the first of November. Please plan on purchasing one or more for yourselves and your friends. Last year this fund drive resulted in almost $1500 going into the treasury.

Lastly, I want to remind everyone that the new time for the posting of game cancellations due to weather is 0730.  This seems to be a very effective way of getting out the word to everyone in a timely manner. To those with smart phones, you can download our app and get the latest information direct to your phone.

The US Congress was established on this day 1787

A big thank you and a job well done to the DiamondPlex grounds crew . After all that rain we had , not only did they get the Service Master field ready for us to play on , but it looked fantastic . Well done guys !

We had 35 players today on what was really nice morning to play softball. We made up two 12 man and one 11 man teams , fielding 12 and using five outfielders.

Hitting team : Mundy , Gonzales , Zelazny , Jacobs , Schapler , Grabb , S. Hill , Diaz , Miller , Wells , Moots , and Baker. 

Fielding team ; Rivera , Scarbrough , Butler , Davis , King , Herbie , Leggatt , Simon , D . Hill , Bess and Hitte. 

Sitting team ; Dampier , Coffman , Witmer , Duff , Finnegan , Marino , Regan, Mohan , Barnes , Bowley , Merritt and Smith.

The extra player and great defense made for a low scoring game , there were even a couple of  3 pitch innings.

After two innings the score was only 0-1-1 .

By the 3rd inning , the bats started to come alive , as the fielding team plated two runs , ignited by Rivera 's 2nd of his 4 hits. The sitting team answered with 2 of their own , on consecutive hits by  Duff , Finnegan and yes Marino . End of three 0-3-3.

The hitting team finally woke-up , scoring 2 runs in the inning on hits by S . Hill and Diaz . After four 2-3-3.

The hitting team actually took the lead in the 5th inning ,adding three , on hits provided by Wells, Moots and Mundy. However the fielding team scored 5 runs without recording an out in the bottom half. Their key hit was a bases loaded single by D. Hill.

After five we stood at 5-3-8 .

At that point all the teams really turned up the defense as  there was no scoring in the final two frames.   The game ended on a fine double play       (would have been a triple play but there was already one out) started by Miller to Diaz to Moots.

The final score was 5-3-8 .

Stars:  Rivera 4 for 4

           Duff 3 for 3

           Simon 2 for 2 , walk

           Zelazny , Jacobs , Moots , King , Witmer 
           and Finnegan 2 for 3

           Miller , D . Hill and Regan , great defense

           
           Davis , winning pitcher

Pennsylvania Player Update

Just an update on a couple of our ball players who have been spending their summer in the Keystone State. I'll start with the good news and that is that Les Jacobson hit another one out of the park when he married Heidi on Wednesday. We congratulate them and wish them many years of happiness. Les will be heading down the end of the month.

 

The second player is Don Keller  He went north to nurse his arm after a great play during the last tournament in the spring. Evidently the damage was more extensive as the doctors determined he had a torn rotary cuff and a torn bicep. The good news on that front is that the rehab and everything is going great. Unfortunately he then developed back problems which turned out to be quite serious. He will undergo surgery on the 23rd and will be about six months on the mend. Our thoughts and prayers are with him for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Don wanted me to tell you all how much he misses the gang and that he is reading the ISA rule book...cover to cover.. so he can umpire.

Hot, Hot, Hot

We had barely enough players to field 4 teams of 10 players each today in the heat.  Not only was it hot but the grass was damp making for an outfield sauna. 

On  the old "C" field the visitors got off to a good start on Roger Edwards triple and hits by Kirk Coffman and Juan Toro.  Then they proceeded to put down the home team with a pair of 3 up, 3 down innings. The visitors then put up a 5 run inning on a string of singles to go up by 7 runs.  

The Home team found their bats in the third inning and behind a double by Regis Finnegan and a triple by Tom Wise plus a bunch of singles, scored 7 to tie things up after 3 innings.

Both teams went scoreless in the 4th before the visitors added 3 runs to start the 5th.  The home boys then posted 4 runs (after two outs) to take the lead by one.  The visitors then posted 4 runs in the 6th to the visitors zero, to take back the lead.  They added 5 more in the 7th to take a nine run lead. The visitors plated 3 in the 7th highlighted by a Regis Finnegan double, to cut the lead to 19-14.

The home boys held the visitors to one run in the top of the 8th and scored 3 of their own highlighted by a bloop double off the bat of Ron Butler. After 8 innings we stood at 20-17.  

In the unlimited frame another Roger Edwards triple and a Juan Toro home run highlighted a 3 run burst to extend the visitors lead to 23-17.  The home boys  weren't ready to give up yet however.  They mounted a serious challenge after their lead-off batters started the inning with two outs. A pair of runs scored on a Ron Butler double to left and three more crossed the plate before the 10th batter of the inning made the final out.

Final score Visitors 23, Home 22.

 Leading Hitters:

Visitors

Roger Edwards 6 for 6 two triples

Juan Toro 5 for 6 Home Run

Home

Larry Grabb 2 for 2 and 4 walks

JD Davis 5 for 6

Regis Finnegan 4 for 6 double

Jim Lafoon 4 for 6

submitted by Ron Butler

 

Hot day; temperatures in the 90's, hot bats; 60 total hits (35 Visitors & 25 Home Guys), hot gloves; a couple anyways by Wayne Munday and Johnny Byrd for the visitors while Bill Miller and John Smith flashed the leather for the home team.

The game started with the visiting team, led by Richard Moots, got 5 singles in a row to jump out to a 4-2 lead. After falling behind by 8 the home guys, skippered by Larry Wells,  got 7 in the 4^th inning, when the first 8 batters reach base with 8 singles.  The visitors got 3 runs in the top half of the 5^th, just to have the home guys come back and score 4 to tie the game at 15.  But over the next 3 innings with every batter for the visitors getting at least one hit, while scoring 11 runs and the home team managing just 1 run the score at the end of 8 was 26-16.  Flip-flop and the home guys mounted a comeback. The first 5 batters reach base with 4 of them scoring, before Johnny and Wayne both made great plays in the infield to stop the rally in its tracks.

Hot Hitters Visitors

V Bess 5 for 6

Herbie Oesterriech 5 for 6

Wayne Mundy 3 for 5

Johnny Byrd 5 for 6

Ron Thompson 5 for 6

Bob Hite 4 for 6, 3B

Hot Hitters Home

Larry Chrest 4 for 6

Frank Miller 6 for 6

Larry Wells 4 for 5

Submitted by Bob Hite

Yet Another Famous Yankee Birthday

The boys are back in town, or at least they are starting to drift in. We had over forty folks today so we were on two fields. While I wasn't there to stack my team, Russ King and Richie Moots stepped up and came up with some evenly matched teams that resulted in outstanding games on both fields.

Golds Gym field provided a very exciting game that ended up with only one run separating the two teams in the end. The visiting team line up consisted of Gonzalez,Coffman, Toro, Hearns, Wise, Duff Hill, Powell, Merritt, Moots, and Bowley. The home team had Dampier, Constantine, Witmer, Finnegan, Thompson, Mundy,Giordano, Simon, Holder, Barnes, and Lee Baker.

The game started with both teams scoring three runs in the first. Kirk, Donnie, and Juan all got extra base hits. The visitors then went three and out in the second, while the bottom of the line up for the home team scored three runs. Solid defense prevailed in the third with each team scored one run.

The fourth inning saw only one run scored between the teams as the home team built on their lead. The fifth started  off with Bill Bowley reaching base and scoring the first of four runs for the visitors. Juan second triple of the day provided the fire power. The  home team answered with two of their own as Wayne and Charlie crossed the plate. Bill lead off the next inning as well and again scored the first of five runs. Freddie G's homer was the highlight of the inning. The home team was unable to hold their lead as Freddie Dampier was the lone runner to cross the plate.

Both teams were held scoreless in the seventh. Freddie G lead off with a triple in the eighth but was the only runner to score.So with the home team behind by three and with the bottom of the order coming to the plate, it looked pretty good for the visitors. But Simon, Holder, Barnes, and Baker did not by into it and all scored along with Freddie D to give the home team the lead. The final inning was really only a final half inning as the home team held the visitors to one run in the ninth as Duff Hill scored the only run.

Final score was Visitors 14, Home 16.

Dennis Holder was the winning pitcher.

Key Performances:

Freddie Gonzales   4 for 5 with a triple and home run

Kirk Coffman          4 for 5 with a double

Juan Toro                4 for 5 with  two triples

Freddie Dampier    2 for 2 with 2 walks

Jeff Simon            3 for 4

Dennis Holder        3 for 4

It was a great day at the ball park , under clear skies there were enough players to field four teams.

Two 10 player teams featured ; Visitors ,  S. Hill, Crest , Lofoon ( manager ) , Jacobs , Daiz , Schapler , Wells , Leggett , Bess , and Gibson . Versus , Rivera , Miller , King ( manager ) , Chamlee , Crab , Bird , Herbie O , Marino , J.D. , and Mohan .

The game started slow, with the visitors plating 2 runs and the home team scoring 1 on Rivera's solo homer . Both teams heated up in the 2nd , as team Lafoon scored 5 runs on consecutive hits by  Crest , Lafoon and Jacobs . Team King answered with 4 runs , with key hits by both Rivera and Miller , both of them on their way to going 6 for 6 for the day.  After two , the score was visitor 7 to 5 .

The 3rd was quiet . You just knew that the King team lineup was going to break loose soon, scoring five in the 4th to take the lead , 10 to 8, after four .

Starting the 5th team Lafoon posted five to retake the lead by 3 , before team King added 5 runs to regain the lead in the bottom of the inning . End of five team King 15 to 13 .

Team King added five in the 6th and 7th to put the game away . End of seven 25 to 13 team King .

The 8th looked like team Lafoon was going to get back into the game , scoring 4 and loading the bases with two outs and the top of the order due up . But shortstop King made a one hop grab and flipped to second ,  end the threat of Hill's hot shot up the middle. Team King plated another 5 to finish their scoring at 30 in their half .

Team Lafoon did not score in the 9th . End of game , team King 30 to 17 .

Stars ; Rivera 6 for 6 , Hr

           Miller 6 for 6 
               King 5 for 6 , great defense

           Crest 5 for 6

             Lafoon 5 for 6

           Jacobs 5 for 6

           J . D .  4 for 6 , winning pitcher

           

A reminder to everyone to please make sure your bats are properly marked to include a piece of red tape if you do not want others to use your bat. Thanks

Oh Yeah, the famous Yankee ... today is Roger Maris'  birthday.  Not my favorite Yankee, hey, he beat out my hero, Mickey Mantle but still he was one great athlete and he didn't drink nearly as much as ole number 7.

No Softball Today

Yep, you guessed it, we're rained out yet again.   Last night's rains left the fields unplayable this morning.  We'll try again Tuesday.

See you then.

A Few Notes

Our favorite umpire instructor, Denny Holder has been missing in action for most of the summer due to his wife's illness. She's been in and out of the hospital several times this summer.

Wayne Mundy reports that his wife is now doing OK after having a tough go with cataract surgery.

I saw George Radlein today at the Lakeland Senior Softball games. I did hear that he's been in and out of the hospital with dehydration problems but is now home and doing well enough to come out and watch us play. So that's a good thing since we need all the fans we can get.

The last I heard Nick Matta is still experiencing swelling and pain after his knee surgery. But I'm quite sure his girls are keeping him supplied with cookies not to mention comfort.

I haven't heard from Sammy Lopez lately but the last time I saw him we was walking about with a cane.

Please keep Denny, Wayne, George, Nick, Sammy and their families in your thoughts and prayers.  We wish them all a speedy and complete recovery.

In other notes; Please vote (if you haven't already) for the Board of Directors. Voting closes at the end of the month. Ballots can be printed from the web page and mailed in or dropped off at the ball field.

If you own an Android device such as a tablet or smart phone, the Winter Haven Senior Softball 'droid app' is now available from the Play Store for download.  That means that it's at least as safe as Google can make it and that it meets Android specs.  Just search on Senior Softball.

Later,
Ron

Winter Haven Senior Softball North

Our friends from the north country sent the following.

"Bob here is a picture of the Winter Haven North Softball players.  We all thank the players who donated their old WH shirts so we could look like a team.  These are fellows who play in leagues or just don't want to compete but still want to hit and field the ball, but do not want to run.  Fellowship and exercise are most important thing."

 

How many can you name?

"See you in December."

Don LaMay

First Game in September

Sent from Samsung tablet

Zelaznycoast@aol.com wrote:

Blue skies and dry fields were the order of the day as 34 ball players dusted off their bats and oiled up their gloves and were ready to go after a long hiatus caused by mother nature. The folks in the stands saw a great three team game with the outcome in doubt until the last swing of the bat.

The hit team was ably managed by Juan Toro. The lineup consisted of Riviera, Munday, Zelazny, Toro, Constantine, Scarbrough, Diaz, Schapeler, Thompson, Best, and Bowley. They got off to  a fast start as Jose Rivera lead off with a home run. I guess we started counting potential runs and when we looked up we were four and out. Freddie Gonzales sitting team was next up. The team of of Gonz.alez, Chrest, Witmer, King, Miller, Simon, Wise, Reagen, Powell, Leggett, Merritt, and Baker  failed to score in their third of the inning as their rally was cut short by a great double play to end the inning. After showing a strong defense, Ron Butlers team came up and showed they were clearly the team to beat. The team of Dampier, Coffman, Laffoon, Jacobs, Butler, Davis, Barnes, Byrd,Hill, Wells, and Moots batted ten batters and scored five runs to take the early lead. The second inning saw Team Butler score three more runs to take a commanding lead as neither the hitting or sitting team managed to score a run.

The third inning saw Juan's hitting team put up three runs to cut into Ron's fiieding team lead. Solid defense kept the other teams from crossing the plate. Juans hitting team went four and out in the fourth. Freddie's team finally put some runs on the board as their first two batters scored. Obviously worried about the other teams run production, Team Butler felt they needed to reestablish themselves as the team to beat as so the went out and scored three runs. The fifth inning saw Juan's team score six runs to tie up the game( or so we thought). It turned out that they could have scored seven as there was an error on the scoreboard. This run proved crucial in the end. Team Gonzales again was shut out after Team Toro pulled off their third double play of the game. Johnny Byrd lead off and scored the only run for Team Butler giving them a two run lead. The sixth inning was scoreless.

It was anyone's game going into the seventh. Team Toro scored three runs off Juan's double to take the lead for the first time. Team Gonzeles was not going to go down easy. Russ King lead off and scored. The next batter reached base but was erased as Team Toro turned their fourth double play. The inning ended with one on and Bobby Reagen hitting a hard line drive to left field which was run down by Don Scarbrough. It is truly a game of inches. So behind by one Team Butler came to bat needing two for the win. JD Davis lead off with a solid single. Kirk Coffman came in as a substitute runner and the substitution paid dividends as he was able to score from second on a short fly ball to left. A double play helped to curtail the rally and with a runner on base were unable to score again resulting in a tie between Team Toro and Team Butler. Remember that run (or no run) in the fifth. I guess it pays to check the score with the official scorekeeper.

The game was interesting in that there were six double plays and only three extra base hits by the three teams. Guess good defense and good pitching by Diaz, Powell, Wells, and Leggett kept the bats in check.

Key performances include:

Wayne Mundy        3 for 4 with a double

Juan Toro                3 for 4 with a double

Ron Thompson        3 for 4

Vassir Bess            3 for 4

Larry Chrest            2 for 3

Don Witmer            2 for 3

Russ King                2 for 3 with a triple

Tom Wise                2 for 3

Jimmy Laffoon         4 for 4

Frank Jacobs          3 for 4 with a triple

Ron Butler                3 for 4

Johnny Byrd            3 for 4

Duff Hill                    3 for 4

Special thanks go out to Nick Matt's girls for cooking up the best patch of Chocolate chip cookies this side of Grandmas. They were so good that we couldn't get folks to stay in the dugout as everyone was hanging around the cookies. Thanks again.