In case you don't know, The Legends team is managed by Regis Finnegan (lower left) and administered by Don Witmer (2nd from the right). The TOC team bottom row starting next to Regis, Chuck Duff, Ron Salyer, Joe D'Herin, Don Witmer, Dan Parker, The back row: Don Held, Aaron Phillips, Don Erb, Gary DeFalco Bob DiPetro, Bob Zelazny, Ron Butler, Don Atkins, and among the missing from the picture Fred Gonzalez. The thing about all the D's in our line up is that you can holler "way to go Don" and cover half the team.
The Legends hadn't played together in a while, due to the loss of our teammate Jim Garrison and maybe that explains our slow start in this year's TOC. Friday's games were seeding games where you play two games against random teams in your bracket and the runs scored totals are used to seed teams in the double-elimination chart. We lost both of our seeding games. We only scored about 14 or 15 runs total and wound up the 9th seed out of 10 teams. Not what you call one of our brighter moments.
Our first game on Saturday pitted us against the 8th seeded MCC Insurance team, a group from Florida that we've often played in FHC tournaments. This team beat us in the seeding games but we prevailed beating them 19-12 and moving on in the Championship (winner's) Bracket.
Then we faced another team that we've often met in these national level tournaments, the number 1 seeded team, the Windsor Chiefs from Canada. I think going into this game, we held a 3 games to 2 advantage over the Chiefs. Anyway we beat them in a game as close you would expect given our history, 12-11 to stay in the upper bracket. Our sometimes team mate, Eddie Gazarek plays for the Chiefs. It's always a good game when you're playing friends on the other side.
In our third game on Saturday, we got another team we often play here in Florida, Mello Financial. I don't know what our record is against them is but I do know we always have a good game with them. Again a team mate that often plays for us, Jose Rivera, plays for Mello. Unfortunately they beat us 17-23 putting us in the Elimination (sinner's) Bracket for Sunday's games.
These tournaments are really endurance contests. the teams with the deepest rosters and fewest injuries usually win. Still, lose twice and you're out.
At 8am Sunday we faced the Windsor Chiefs again as they had survived their first games in the Elimination Bracket. We handily beat them 26-16 to extend our series streak against them to 5 of 7.
Now, for the first time, in the tournament we faced a team we hadn't played before, The Silver Streaks from Texas. We pounded the ball pretty hard and beat them 31-16 to win at least third place. That win put us into the game for second place.
Once again our old nemesis, Mello Financial, was our opponent. Unfortunately our streak ended here with a very closely fought contest. We had them on the ropes early, posting a couple of 5 run innings but they came from behind to take the lead while we struggled a bit in the middle innings. Then we came back from 8 down to tie the game in the top of the 7th but failed to hold them as we got two outs and walked the bases loaded to keep the force play in effect. Jose Rivera (playing for Mello) stood at third base, after running for a lame team mate and going first to third on a long out. The next batter managed a hard grounder down the right field foul line that our first baseman missed by a half inch to score the winning run. A clean scoop and we'd have had new life. So it goes, a game of inches. 21-22 was the final score and third place for us.
Just as well, it would have taken two more wins to eliminate the top of the Championship Bracket and we had pretty much left it all on the field in the three games we played. We were down to two or three guys that could still run for others. Everyone was breathing hard and feeling the aches and pains of our ages by the end of the third game. On the plus side, we scored 78 runs in three games on Sunday. That's more like it.
As it turns out Mello beat Midwest Express, a team from Nebraska & Iowa, twice by big scores of 21-5 and 25-7 or something like that to win the championship and take home the trophy. Way to go Jose! It just goes to show you. We were only a run or a few hits from winning the whole thing. Hey, at least a Florida team and our Mello friends won.
It was a fun series; would have been more fun if we'd have won but c'est la vie.
I'd play ball with these guys anyplace, anytime. Thanks for letting me play with you guys and thanks for putting up with my lame jokes. Next time we'll win it all.
Ron Butler
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