Wonderland
“Alice: How long is forever? White Rabbit: Sometimes, just one second.”
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.
Sometimes that is all it takes to change a ballgame, a second.
Thanks to Tommy Hamilton, who said, “These teams are like mirror images”. Tommy made this observation after watching both teams battle through 6 innings. In doing so, he gave me the idea for the article on today’s AL game, 4/6.
For the entire game both teams played as though they were looking at each other in the looking glass. The score sheet, doubling as our mirror, reflected that similitude.
Cheshire Cats, Visitors: Guzman, Hamilton, Doerbaum, Stier, Matta, Rivera, Gazarek, Essenmacher, Crowell, Torok and Wells.
White Rabbits, Home: Hicks, Keller, Hurn, Jacobson, Book, Witmer, Reagen, Pope, Guttenburger and Coffman.
The game started off as a hitter’s garden. In Alice In Wonderland, the flowers could talk. AT WHSS’s Wonderland, both teams let their bats do the talking through the first four innings. It was the White Rabbits’ flower garden that bloomed in the first inning. Hits by Hicks, Hurn, (double), Jacobson, (triple), Book, (walk), Witmer and Reagen enabled the White Rabbits to get a jump on the Cheshire Cats. After one inning the score was 0-4.
The Cats clawed their way back, in the 2nd. Smiling as though they had caught their fill of mice. However, instead of mice, the Cats grabbed hits and fought off the Jabberwoggy, (The Red Queen’s dragon, in Alice In Wonderland). Matta, Rivera, Gazarek, Crowell, Torak, (double), Guzman and Hamilton slayed the beast. After two innings the game was 5-4, in favor of the Cheshire Cats.
This sort of tit for tat, in scoring, continued throughout the game. By the 6th inning the game was so even that the score was tied, at 11 and both teams had the top of the order due up. It did not work to anyone’s advantage, those players were retired, in order, for both teams. By now the game had gone down the rabbit hole, it had become a pitcher’s duel. Both teams could only score one run from the 5th to the 8th innings. After 8 innings the game was tied at 12.
It looked like this game, forever would be tied. Forever was about to change in a second. Dave Doerbaum came up for the Cats in the top of the 9th, he hit a solo HR, high and deep, over the left field fence. That gave the Cheshire Cats a one run lead. The Rabbits came up to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning, needing a run for a tie, two runs for the win.
“Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more.” “You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing." Lewis Carrol, Alice In Wonderland. The Rabbits needed to score in the 9th . It was the job of The Cheshire cats to serve them nothing. They wanted tea, with 2 lumps of sugar. After some wheeling and dealing by both teams. The White Rabbits loaded the bases with two outs, in the inning. The tea party was then shut down as the next batter flew out to deep left. When that happened the Cheshire Cats were able to smile as wide as a piano keyboard. Final Score: Cheshire Cats: 13- White Rabbits: 12. It was a well played game by both teams. Sometimes despite the best efforts of all players involved, a team feels like they are running in place.
“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere, you must run twice as fast as that.” The Queen of Hearts, Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland.
Thanks to Al Guzzo and Ron Pepin for umpiring.
Ballplayers Who Added Wonder, To Wonderland, For The Cheshire Cats:
Doerbaum: 3/5, with a HR and a triple.
Stier: 4/5, with a HR.
Matta: 3/5.
Rivera: 3/5.
Gazarek: 2/4.
Essenmacher: 2/4.
Crowell: 2/4.
Torak: 2/3, with a double and SF.
Those Who added Wonder For The White Rabbits:
Hurn: 3/4, with a double and a walk.
Book: 3/3, with a double and two walks.
Coffman: 2/4.
Pope: 2/4.
Written by Nick Matta
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