Winter Haven Senior Softball

  Don't Count The Years, Make the Years Count.(George Meredith)
 

You, the reader, will have to figure out today’s theme for the AL game, played on Field C.  As I describe the game action, I will do so with words that should give you enough clues to solve the riddle. To begin with, the two teams are named after the numbers Five and Eight. Visitors, Team Five: Coffman, Torres, Doerbaum, Laffoon, Keller, DeRidder, Dampier, Giordano, Dino, Matta and Fabian. Home squad, Team Eight: M. Gonzalez, Witmer, Duff, Held, Jacobson, Wolfe, Herb O, Andrews, Hill, Wells and Hawbaker. 

 

The older I get, the more truth I see in this colloquialism; they say, " the older the violin, the sweeter the music."  We had so many good senior ball players, on both teams, that we could have orchestrated a concert in Carnegie Hall. yet, with all the great hitters on the field, there were no gifts given at this party, you had to earn every run. Both pitchers, Wells and Matta had outstanding games on the mound. After 5 innings of play the score was Team Five: 1- Team Eight: 1. 

In the 6^th inning, Team Five placed a bunch of candles on the cake when they delivered 7 hits and knocked in 4 runs. Laffoon, Keller, Dampier, Giordano, Dino, Matta and Fabian all lite the candles and helped their team jam the bases. We were rocking until Don Held blew out the candles, on defense, when he turned a double play. With the bases loaded, Don fielded a hot grounder at third base, stepped on the 3rd base bag and then threw the runner out at second base, to end the party. After 6 innings, the score was Team Five: 5 - Team Eight: 2.  

In the 7^th inning, the party favors were passed out and we really started to celebrate. Team Five added another five runs to their total. Torres, Doerbaum, Laffoon, DeRidder, Dampier and Giordano all joined in the festivities, getting key hits. When they came up to bat in the bottom of the 7^th, Team Eight was ready to get in on the action. In their half of the inning, Team Eight crashed the gala and scored their team number, 8 runs, to tie the game. Held, Jacobson, Wolfe, Herb O, Andrews, Hill, Gonzalez and Witmer all had a piece of cake in the 7th. In fact, Don Held helped himself to two servings of cake, meaning he had two hits in the inning. Looking back at the top of the 7^th inning, the weather had turned for the worse, it was raining chickens and ducks. We were having fowl weather. After the 7^th inning was over, field conditions had deteriorated to the point where the game was called. The game ended in a tie, Team Five: 10- Team Eight: 10.

 

To answer the riddle, today’s theme was based on my birthday, I turned 58 today. An old adage states that if it rains on your birthday it’s a sign of prosperity and cleansing. I will be glad to get that as a gift from God. I am thankful to God for giving me 58 years of life, I trust Him for His blessing and cleansing through the Lord Jesus.

 

Ezekiel 34:26
I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

 

Leading Hitters:

Torres: 3/ 4, with a double.

Laffoon: 3/ 4.

DeRidder: 3/ 4, with a double.

Matta: 2/3.

Fabian: 3/3.

Held: 3/4, with a double.

Wolfe: 2/3.

Jacobson: 2/3.