Tuesday May 29th

Games are on. Let's play ball.

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Welcome To The Jungle

We had a King Of The Jungle game at WHSS, in the AL, on 5/25. It was like a lion battling a tiger, or a hippo battling a croc. The  competition was fierce, but in our case, also friendly.

The Beasts: Gutenberger, Coffman, Quinones, Hern, Witmer, Scarbrough, Skidmore, Pope and Wells.

The Predators: Hicks, Rad, Matta, Guzman, DeRidder, Butler, Coffman, Vandenberg and Miguel.

The Beasts came out of the box like a cheetah. Fun facts: a cheetah can purr, but not roar. The black tear marks around their eyes help keep the sunlight out of their eyes as they hunt. Cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 75 mph. Think about that next time you are driving at 70 mph. Which side of a cheetah has the most spots? A: The outside.
The beasts purred, hunted and ran the bases at high speeds to score three runs in the first. Laffoon, Hern, Witmer, Scarbrough, Skidmore and Pope were on the attack.

The Predators came out in the 1^st inning like elephants. Fun facts: Elephants, of both sexes, grow tusks. (In Alabama, the tusks are loosa, {Tuscalossa}). 1/3 of the elephant’s tusk is not visible, it is embedded in the elephant’s head. An elephant can lift 660 lbs. with its trunk. Roughly the body weight of DeRidder, Matta and Quinones combined. Grouch Marx once joked that he shot an elephant in his pajamas, how he got in his pajamas, he will never know.  These players used their elephant strength to score in the first. Rad, singled, Matta, tripled, Guzman, singled as the Predators put up a pair of runs. After the first inning the score was Beasts: 3-Predators: 2.

The Beasts scored 4 runs in the 2^nd inning. These players roared like a lion: Laffoon, Quinones, Hern, Scarbrough and Skidmore. Lion facts: lions are the second largest feline predator in the world after the tiger. The males are slightly bigger than the females, yet will generally only live for 10 years to the female’s lifespan of 10 to 14 years. They now only live in the wild in the south, Sahara Desert and in parts of southern and eastern Africa. Historically lions were also found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India. Lions have vanished from over 90% of their historic range, with the biggest decline occurring in the last 2 decades. They are now extinct in 26 African countries. Lions are religious animals. They prey frequently, and prey as a family. After 2 innings the Beasts lead 7-2, over the Predators.

The Predators played like Tigers in the 4^th and 5^th innings. We scored 4 runs in each of those innings. Like a Tiger, the Predator players stayed low to the ground and used cunning to sneak up and pounce on our prey. Hits by Miguel, Hicks, Rad, Matta and DeRidder accounted for the runs in the 4^th. Hits by Coffman, Vandenberg, Hicks, Rad and Matta accounted for the 4 runs in the 5^th. Tiger facts: A tiger can weigh up to 800 pounds. No two tigers are striped the same, every one of them has a slightly different pattern. Tigers are solo hunters. Tigers are not afraid of water, they are strong swimmers. They will often cool off in streams or pools of water. What do you get when you cross a tiger and a snowman? A: Frost-bite!  After 5 innings the score was Beasts:10 - Predators: 12.

The Black rhino, the cheetah, the lion, the Ethiopian wolf and the Mountain gorilla are some of the endangered animals in Africa. That makes them rare. An endangered species is an animal species existing in such small numbers that it is in danger of becoming extinct. We had a rare feat accomplished today in the AL jungle game and it happened twice. Both Nick Matta and Eddie Hern hit for the cycle. As far as I know, neither player is in danger of becoming extinct.

The game came down to the last inning. The Predators were leading 15-10. The Beasts had been shut out in the 6^th-8^th innings. They were like hungry hippos in the 9^th. They scored 7 runs to take the lead.  Hits by Laffoon, Quinones, Hern, Witmer, Scarbrough, Skidmore, Wells, Guttenberg and then Laffoon Quinones and Hern filled the hippo’s belly. They took the lead 17-15. Hippo facts: The name Hippopotamus comes from the Ancient Greek 'river horse'. An adult Hippo needs to resurface every 3 – 5 mins to breathe. To warn off rival males, they open their huge mouths and display their long, curved canines! They also make loud grunts and aggressive splashes in the water. Some softball players act in the same manner. What did the hippo call his father? A: HippoPOPimus.

When the Predators came up in the bottom of the 9^th, we needed 3 runs to win the game, 2 runs, to tie. We were ready to strike like a crocodile. Croc Facts: They can be found in all inhabited continents with the exception of Europe. Crocodiles really do produce tears. Because, while eating, they swallow too much air, which gets in touch with lachrymal glands (glands that produce tears) and forces tears to flow. But it’s not actually crying. Their top swimming speed is 9.3 mph. For reference a Great White shark can swim as fast as 25 mph. Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps tops out at 6 mph. I could probably reach 30 mph in the water, if I had a Great White, a crocodile and Michael Phelps chasing me. Do you know the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? One you'll see in a while and the other you'll see later. The Predators were only able to score 1 run in the 9^th. The Beasts were Kings of the Jungle, this time. Final Score Beasts 17- Predators: 16.

Beasts that took a bite out of the ball:

Laffoon: 4/7.

Quinones: 4/7, with two doubles.

Hern: 7/7, with a HR, triple, double and 4 singles, (Cycle).

Witmer: 4/5, with a SF.

Scarbrough: 3/6.

Skidmore: 6/6.

Predators who hunted down hits:

Hicks: 4/6.

Rad: 4/6, with a double.

Matta: 6/6, with a HR, triple, two doubles and a single. (Cycle).

Guzman: 3/5, and a SF.

Butler: 4/6, with two doubles.

Coffman: 3/6.

Miguel: 3/6.

A gorilla was walking through the jungle when he came across a gazelle eating grass in a clearing. The gorilla roared, "Who is the king of the jungle?" and the deer replied, "Oh, you are, Master." The gorilla walked off pleased.

Soon he came across a zebra drinking at a water hole. The gorilla roared, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The zebra replied, "Oh, you are, Master." The gorilla walked off pleased.

Then he came across an elephant. "Who is the king of the jungle?" he roared. With that, the elephant threw the gorilla across a tree and jumped on him. The gorilla scraped himself up off the ground and said, "Okay, okay, there’s no need to get mad just because you don’t know the answer."

Written by Nick Matta

Friday May 25th

Games are on. Rain predicted for 11:00. Let's play ball.

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Tuesday May 22

Games are on.

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Friday May 18th

Games are on. Rain predicted for noon.
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SOLIVITA     SOLIVITA     SOLIVITA     SOLIVITA

The games scheduled in Solivita tomorrow have been cancelled. Their fields are not playable. We hope to play our regular scheduled games in Winter Haven tomorrow if the fields are playable. Make sure you check the website in the morning.

Thanks.

Don Witmer

Tuesday May 15th

Games are on. One Field Available. Rain predicted for 11:00AM.

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Playing WHSS Is Like Eating A Finger Licking Good Meal, It’s Enjoyable.

The write up, for the game on 5/11, is going to center around something every team needs. It’s not a good shortstop, although it is important to have a player who can control a key spot in the field. It’s not hitters, although they are important when it comes to scoring. It’s not good outfielders, granted they are important, as well, when it comes to shutting a team down. It’s having a sponsor who helps provide the funding for a team/ league. Thanks to all of our sponsors at WHSS. See if you can identify the TV commercials that sponsored shows from yesteryear. Answers will be given at the end of the article.

Team Jarrett Gordon Ford/Lincoln, Hitting Team: Hill, Dampier, Guzman, JD, Vandenberg, Capozzi, Vining, Fabian, Thompson and Shearer.

Team KFC, Sitting Team: Chrest, Morton, Shirer, Witmer, Coffman, Crowell, Strait, Jo Anna, Wells and Merritt.

Team Citrus Ridge Health Centers, Fielding Team: Hicks, Guttenberger, Rad, Matta, Constantine, Hite, Castillo, Simon, Lopiccolo and L. Baker.

1. “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star.” You can trust your hitting to Hicks, Guttenberger, Matta, Constantine, Hite, Simon and Lopiccolo. These guys came through in the first inning, they gassed up the engine and scored 5 runs. After the 1^st inning the score was 1-1-5 in favor of the Fielding Team.

2. “Aye-aye-aye-aye, I am the-------bandito.” Castillo, Baker, Hicks, Guttenberger, Rad and Matta crunched the ball for 5 more runs. After 3 innings the score was 4-1-12, the banditos were stealing the game.

3. "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us!" The Hitting team was tired of hitting the ball for outs. They heated up the grill and cooked up a special order of runs, in the 4^th-6^th innings. They scored 1-2-2 runs, to get back in the game. Vining had a HR, with JD on base, to deliver a two-run special in the 5^th.  Team Citrus Ridge answered back in the bottom of the 6^th inning when they decided to do like this commercial said; 4. “put a tiger in your tank.” We scored 3 more runs when Constantine, Hite, Castillo and Simon growled. They decided to 5. "Get a piece of the rock”, by hitting the rock. After 6 innings, the score was 9-3-16, in favor of the guys who were in good health, with Citrus Ridge Health Care.

6. “Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that--------.” Team KFC needed a break and they got a small one, when they broke off a few hits in the 7^th and last inning. Jo Anna, Wells and Chrest all had hits to score a pair of runs. Final Score: 9-5-16.

7. “He likes it. Hey Mikey”.  Team Citrus Ridge Health Centers liked getting the win. Everyone had a good time at the ol’ ballfield.

Here’s what you can say about the following hitters: 8. “They’re Grrreat”.

Team Jarrett Gordon Ford/Lincoln:

Dampier: 4/4

JD: 2/3 with a SF.

Vining: 3/4 with a HR.

Thompson: 2/3.

Team KFC:

Chrest: 3/4 with two doubles.

Shirer: 2/2 and a SF.

Team Citrus Ridge Health Centers:

Hicks: 4/4 with a triple.

Guttenberger: 2/3 and a SAC.

Rad: 3/4 with a triple.

Matta: 3/4.

Constantine: 4/4 with a double.

Castillo: 3/4.

Simon: 3/4.

9. “Don’t Leave Home Without It.” These commercials were among the first to include celebrity cameos, including Jim Henson, Stephen King, and Jerry Seinfeld.

For softball players, don’t come to the field without it. The “it” being your bat, glove and a good attitude.

10. “Have a ----- and a smile”. The following players made their manager smile with outstanding defensive plays. Rad, fielding a grounder way in the hole at SS. Fabian, catching a hot liner at first. Hite, going back into shallow right field, from 2^nd base, to catch a pop fly.

Thanks to all our guests for coming out to watch us.

Answers:

1. Texaco

2. Fritos

3. BK

4. ESSO Petroleum

5. Prudential Insurance

6. Kit Kat

7. Quaker Life Cereal

8. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes

9. American Express

10. Coke

Written by Nick Matta