Performing On The Stage At WHSS, The Great Gonzo
Magic shows, as we know them, usually involve illusion. The AL game, on 5/8, involved some sleight of hand and a few tricks on the softball field, which is our
stage. The first trick was performed by the commissioner, Don Witmer, who juggled the line ups to make 4 teams out of a diminishing number of players that showed up to play ball at WHSS. We had just enough players for two AL teams and two NL teams.
Team Houdini, Visitors: Guttenberger, Hicks, Hurn, Matta, Book, Vandenberg, Skidmore, Coffman
and Crowell.
Team Copperfield, Home: Rivera, Scarborough, Guzman, Quinones, Constantine, Capizzi, Boswell, Pope and Wells.
The first in game trick was performed by team Houdini. They made 5 runs appear, after two outs, in the first inning. They accomplished this feat with 7 straight
singles, after the first two batters were retired. Hurn, Matta, Book, Vandenberg, Skidmore, Coffman and Crowell worked some magic. After the end of the first inning, team Houdini lead, 5-1.
One of the favorite tricks in a magic show is the disappearing act. A stage assistant appears in a glass box. The box is covered and the assistant disappears.
Team Copperfield did a disappearing act for the first five innings, their bats disappeared, they only scored 3 runs. Meanwhile, Team Houdini made runs appear by hitting the ball where they ain’t.
In the fifth inning, we used the magic ball trick and floated the ball all over the field. Skidmore, Crowell and Guttenberger all singled, Hurn, tripled and Matta homered. After 5 innings the score was Houdini: 15- Copperfield 3.
Another popular trick is sawing an assistant in half on the stage. If done correctly the assistant is sawed in half and at the end of the act, is whole again.
If done wrong, the assistant is left with a terrible stomach ache. Team Copperfield sawed the deficit, that they were facing, in half. In the 7th inning, they scored 4 runs, in the 8th, they scored two more runs. These players played
some card tricks with their bats in the 7th; they turned their bats into clubs. Rivera, Scarbrough and Guzman all singled and Quinones hit a HR. In the 8th, Scarbrough singled, Guzman doubled and Quinones hit a deep fly to left, that
scored both runners. After 8 innings the score was Houdini: 18-Copperfield: 9. In the ninth inning, team Copperfield needed to produce some runs, if they could not their chance to win would be gone zo team Houdini would be crowned Master Magician. Copperfield
could not pull a rabbit out of their hat and the final score wound up 18-9.
These players used their bats like they were a magic wand.
Houdini:
Hurn: 4/7 with a triple and a double.
Matta: 6/6 with a double and a HR.
Book: 4/6 with a double.
Skidmore: 5/6.
Copperfield:
Rivera: 3/5.
Scarbrough: 5/5.
Quinones: 3/4 with a HR and SF.
Constantine: 2/4 and a walk.
A Florida State Trooper pulled a car over on I-4 about two miles east of Orlando. When the trooper asked the driver why he was speeding, the driver answered that
he was a magician and a juggler, and he was on his way to Orlando to do a show that night at the Shrine Circus and didn’t want to be late.
The trooper told the driver he was fascinated by juggling, and if the driver would do a little juggling for him, he would not give him a ticket.
The trooper told him that he had some flares in the trunk of his patrol car and asked if he could juggle them. The juggler stated that he could, so the trooper
got three flares, lit them and handed them to the juggler.
While the man was doing his juggling act, a car pulled in behind the patrol car, a guy got out, who had a few drinks in him, not a good idea to drink and drive.
That watched the performance briefly. He then went over to the patrol car, opened the rear door and got in. The trooper observed him doing this and went over to the patrol car, opened the door, and asked the man what he thought he was doing.
The man replied, “You might as well take me to jail, cause there’s no way I can pass that test!”
Written by Nick Matta
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