Winter Haven Senior Softball

Gimme Shelter

The Rolling Stones are coming to Orlando, on tour, June 12th, at the Citrus Bowl. They will also be playing at Comerica Park, in Detroit, July 8th. I was able to score tickets to the Orlando event. Joe D’Herin was given birthday tickets, by his son, to the Detroit concert. I always enjoy it when I get to hear a rock’n roll legend perform. At Winter Haven, we had two teams that played a legendary game today; we had five lead changes and the game was tied twice, in nine innings. In honor of the Rolling Stones concert, today’s write up will center on the iconic band.

Team Steel Wheels, (1989, RS, album),Visitors: Rivera, Gazarek, Dampier, Hamilton, Shirer, Coffman, Witmer, D’Herin, Butler, Oesterreich, Vandenberg, Constantine and Wells.

Team Grrr, (2012, RS, album), Home: Essenmacher, Laffoon, Doerbaum, Toro, Parker, Gonzalez, Matta, Davis, Hill, Zelazny, Andrews, Reagan and Cappozzi.

Team Steel Wheels started out “Under My Thumb”, as the lyrics state, “down to me, the change has come, she is under my thumb.” The Visitors were down, through the first 3 innings, then change came. The very first inning was a good one for Team Grrr, they started off like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, we gave it the gas! Scoring four runs off of hits by Essenmacher, Laffoon, Doerbaum, Parker and a sacrifice fly by Matta. After 3 innings the score was Steel Wheels: 3 - Grrr: 7. In the 4th inning, the Steel Wheel squad started to Rock and Roll. They scored four runs that inning. As they rounded the bases you could almost hear them sing, “I know, it’s only rock and roll, but I like it.” One thing is for sure; Shirer, Coffman, Witmer, D’Herin and Butler rocked the ball that inning and rolled around the bases. The Steel Wheels had tied the game, temporarily, at 7 up, in the top of the 4th. The Grrr team came back in the bottom of the 4th and took a 1 run lead. Doerbaum shouted out “grrr”, and hit a gorilla shot over the left field fence, to swing his team back in front. After 4 innings the score was Steel Wheels: 7-Grrr: 8.

The Visitors sang “Start Me Up”, in the 5th inning, as they ran hot and produced three more runs off of hits by Rivera, Gazarek, Hamilton and Shirer. Team Steel Wheels took the lead, it was almost enough to “make a grown man cry”, if you were on the Home team.  Instead of wasting tears, Team Grrr, answered back immediately with a run; Hill, Zelazny and Andrews all added hits, to push the run across the plate. The score, Steel Wheels: 10- Grrr: 9, after five innings.

In the 6th inning the Visitors had an open door to extend their lead, but it was “painted black” (“I see a red door and I want it painted black, No colors anymore, I want them to turn black. I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes”, Paint It Black, RS, 1966). The Steel Wheels team was blacked out in the 6th. That left an open door for the Grrr team to snatch back the lead. Gonzalez, Hill, Davis, Zelazny, Andrews and Reagan did just that, they added some “Brown Sugar”, that produced 4 runs, to lift their team back in front. The Grrr team then sang out, “hey, you, get off of my cloud. Don’t hang around boy because two’s a crowd”. After six innings the score was Steel Wheels: 10- Grrr: 13.

In the 7th and 8th the Steel Wheels put up a pair of three run innings. (Their three runs in the 7th, tied the game, for a 2nd time.) The Grrr team answered back resoundingly, by adding three runs in the bottom of the 7th , (off another Doerbaum homerun), and four runs in the bottom of the 8th, to go back on top. Try as they might, the Steel Wheels team could not keep the lead. “You Can’t Always get What You Want”. The score was Steel Wheels: 16- Grrr: 20.  But, in the ninth inning, team Steel Wheels found out that ”if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need”. The Visitors needed four runs to tie the game. The Steel Wheels went out and had their biggest inning, adding seven runs to their total. They were not going to be anyone’s “Beast Of Burden”. Wells, Rivera, Dampier, Hamilton, Shirer, Coffman, Witmer and Butler all reached base safely. D’Herin added a sacrifice fly to the cause. The score going into the bottom of the ninth was Steel Wheels: 23-Grrr: 20.

The Grrr team needed three runs to tie the game and four runs, to get “Satisfaction”. Well, you know how the song goes;“ I can't get no, satisfaction, I can't get no, satisfaction. 'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try. I can't get no, I can't get no.” Mick Jagger could not get any satisfaction, neither could team Grrr. We only scored one run. Team Steel Wheels won the game, 23-21. “Hey. hey hey, that’s what I say.”

It’s not all “Doom And Gloom” though, we ballplayers will take the field again, later this week, and will try for a win. Maybe then, we will get some shelter, as in “Gimme Shelter”.

Solid gold performers for the Steel Wheels:

Rivera: 4/5

Dampier 3/5, with a triple.

Hamilton: 3 / 4 with a double and a SF.

Shirer: 4/5 with a double.

Witmer: 4/5 with a triple.

D’Herin: 3/ 4 with a SF.

Butler: 3/ 4 with a triple.

Vanderberg: 2/ 3 and a walk.

WP: Wells.

Jose Rivera for a brilliant over the shoulder catch in deep center field on a Jimmy Laffoon shot.

Grrr, solid gold performers:  

Essenmacher: 5/5.

Doerbaum: 5/5 with two HRs and a double.

Gonzalez: 3/5.

Hill: 4/4.

Zelazny: 4/4 with a triple.

Andrews: 3/4.