Get your Candidates In!!!

The BoD is soliciting Board of Directors Candidates to finalize the election ballot.  If you or a friend are willing to make the 2 year commitment to serving on the Board please let a board member know before the June 28th cut-off.  

The Board would like to publish the ballot no later than July 1st.  This year we are electing two board members to serve for two years.  This election will fill the spots created by two board member's terms completing in 2013.

Thanks for your help.

Members should also be on the look-out for new sponsors.  The BoD expects to kick-off the Sponsorship Drive next month with new incentives for those members bringing in a sponsorship.  Get ahead of the curve and recruit those sponsors now! 

Ron 

Rained Out Again (Tuesday)

For the third softball day in a row our games are cancelled due to swamp like conditions on the fields.  We'll try again Friday just don't hold your breath, 'tis the rainy season.

The BoD meeting will go on as planned at 7:30am this morning. 

No Games This Morning (Friday)

We would have to be the Winter Haven Senior Water Polo Club to get any play time today.  Bobby Z checked out the fields already this morning.  Andrea left our fields looking like rice paddies.

See you Tuesday ... if it doesn't rain.

Notes

Just few notes about our web page features that you may not know.

1. If you have an 'Android Smartphone' or 'Android Tablet' you can get the WHSS App for free just click on the link under the Commish's picture on the right side of the page.  It's not available for Apple products, and it doesn't appear in the Android Play Store yet but hey it's free.

2. If you want to follow our posts and updates to the web page by Email, you can do that yourself.  Just scroll all the way to the bottom of the web page and you'll find a place to enter your email address.  Once you do that you'll get an email every time the page is updated.

3. If you want to get a text message on your cell phone when the page is updated you'll need to send me your phone number and I'll add that to the list that gets notified.  So for example, if we're rained out you can get a notify right to your cell phone. Just send me your phone number by email or give it to me at the ball park.

4. If you have softball related stuff for sale, just send me the details in an email and we can add it to Bob's List. Be sure to include the price, your contact information, and a picture of the item.

No Games This Morning

The Commish reports that the fields are underwater and not playable this morning so today's games are cancelled.  

See you Friday ... weather permitting.

Russ King

Friends,

Our good friend, teammate and the Lakeland Commish, Russ King is back in the hospital with what appears to be complications from prior surgeries.  Please keep Russ in your thoughts and prayers and wish him a speedy recovery.  Russ, we miss your bat in the lineup and glove in the field.  Get Well Soon big guy!

Ron

Last Day of Softball in May

On this breezy Friday morning, 29 people showed up to play ball. We divided the players up into three teams and had a wonderful morning of good weather, good softball and good defense. The Final Score after seven innings was 7-4-5. There was so many good defensive plays in the infield and outfield it would take a book to write about all of them. The offense was shaky on all teams with a lot of zero's on the score board. Every now and then it looked like one team was going to break out but the defense was able to shut them down. No one got hurt and we all will be ready to play again on Tuesday.

Leading Hitters for the Hit Team were Ron Thompson 3/3 with a sac and a walk. Frank Jacobs was 3/4 and Jose Rivera was 3/5.

Leading Hitters for the Sit Team were Larry Crest 3/3 and Brad Brenneman 2/3.

Leading Hitters for the Field Team were Roger Edwards 2/3, Sammy Lopez 2/3 and Larry Powell 2/3. Chris Constantine was 2/4.

Wayne Mundy called in and was not able to play due to a leg injury. Lets hope Wayne gets better and comes back next week.

John Wayne's Birthday

I guess for our generation John Wayne is as iconic as anyone, standing right there alongside Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston as symbols of our nationalistic pride.

Anyway we had enough players show up after the holiday weekend to field 4 teams.  I think we were all looking to shed a few pounds of over-indulging on the barbecue and tater salad.

On Servicemaster field we had an American League battle with the visitors made up of Kurt Coffman, Ron Butler, Frank Jacobs, Regis Finnegan, Brent Alumbaugh, Larry Grabb, Jim Laffoon (Mgr), Nick Matta, Richie Marino and Brad Brennaman playing against Freddy Gonzalez, Dean Shapler, Don Witmer, Don Scarbrough, Steve Hill, Chris Constantine (Mgr), Sam Lopez, Tom Wise, George Radlein, Bob Reagan, and Herb Oesterreich.

The visitors started out hitting pretty well and after 3 innings held a 7-2 lead but then their bats went silent and they went down scoreless in the next three innings.  Meanwhile the home squad started out slow but by the end of the sixth they had managed to tie things up.  Their scoring was highlited by a Bob Reagan homer in the 5th.

In the seventh the Visiting Team added one run to break the tie.  The Home Boys then added two in the seventh to go ahead on a Tom Wise 2 run inside the park home run shot.  

Then the Visitors tied the game again scoring one in the eighth and since the Home Squad went down run-less, leaving a runner stranded at third, the score was knotted up at 9 runs apiece going into the final frame.

The Visitors then put up their 4th zero of the day leaving the outcome to the Hammer Holder.  Chris Constantine led off the Home half of the ninth with a single followed by a Sam Lopez single, and a fly out.  With one out and runners at first and second, George Radlein stepped up to hit the game winning single, scoring Chris to end the game.  

Great, well played game guys!

Final Score Jim Laffoon's Visiting Team 9 runs on 24 hits and Chris Constantine's Home Squad 10 runs on 21 hits.

Big Hitters on the day

Kurt Coffman 3 for 4 walk
Ron Butler 3 for 5
Regis Finnegan 3 for 5
Brent Alumbaugh 1 for 2 2 walks, sac fly
Dean Shapler 3 for 4
Sam Lopez 3 for 4
George Radlein 3 for 4
 

Memorial Day Friday

Gold's Gym Field

Team Gonzalez, (Hitting): Gonzalez, S. Hill, Butler, Finnegen, Brennaman, Chamlee, Marino, Matta, Osterreid, Moots, Sesnick and G. Baker.

Vs.

Team Lopez, (Sitting): Mundy, Alumbaugh, Bess, Jacobs, Zelazny, Lopez, Holder, Sullivan, Reagan, Borowicz and Mills.

Vs.

Team Rivera, (Fielding): Coffman, Witmer, Scarbrough, Edwards, Rivera, D. Hill, Wells, Byrd, Thompson, Simon and L. Baker.

Players arrived at the ball fields today to find standing water on 3 of the 4 fields. Strange, because it did not rain in to many surrounding areas on Thursday, or Friday morning, but apparently the ball fields saw a storm. There was so much water on Gator Land Field; I thought we were really at Gator Land. I am not certain, but I think there was a 14 foot gator hiding in the water, at the mound. My suggestion was to send Regis out, to check and see if a reptile were present. If one were there, my money would be on Finnegen, no gator is as tough as that ole Irishman.

The one dry field was the Gold’s Gym Field, so we gathered there to play ball. It was either that, or put away the Mikens and get out the Zebco rods and reels. The Gold’s Gym slogan, listed on the dugout sign reads, “change your body, change your life.” Well, judging by the way teams were hitting. The slogan should have read, “change your bats, change your swing.” Something needed to change; runs were hard to come by. Team Gonzalez only scored 6 runs the whole game, that’s a good inning, most days. Perhaps it was not the hitting that sank Freddy’s ship; perhaps it was the base running. Three runners were thrown out trying for an extra base, for team Freddy, one at 2^nd base and two at the plate. Credit the players on team Rivera for making the right throws and credit the catcher, Lee Baker, for making the plays at the plate.

The other teams had hitting problems too, apparently their bats were on a Memorial weekend, holiday break. The winning team only scored 10 runs, the 2^nd place team, otherwise known as the other losing team, only scored 9 runs. Team Rivera also suffered a few base running errors. One runner was thrown out at 1^st base, by outfielder Brent Alumbaugh, after hitting what should have been a single.  Another runner was gunned down at 2^nd base, by left fielder, Frank Jacobs, while trying to stretch a single into a double. Maybe Sammy Lopez, JD Davis and Nick Matta will hold a running clinic before the start of next season. Our motto, “we have plenty of gas in the tank; we just don’t have the tread on the tires.”

The game did have a classic finish. As we went into the 7^th inning the score was Team Gonzalez: 6, Team Lopez: 7 and Team Rivera: 8. Close enough that each team could feel the breath of the team behind them, on their neck, yuck. Team Gonzalez managed to place runners on the corners, in the top of the 7^th.  But that was “all she wrote”, they could not buy another hit and finished with a meager 6 runs.  As a side bar, the saying, “that is all she wrote” is attributed as a saying from WWII, it had to do with the proverbial "Dear John" letters that many servicemen received from sweethearts back home, ending their relationships. "And that's all she wrote" meant it's over - and that's all she wrote me!

Team Lopez came up and had a little bit to shout about, they scored two runs in the middle of the 7^th inning. Dennis Borowicz started out the inning by smashing the green apple down the left field line, for a triple. He then scored on Ray Mills' single, to tie the game, against team Rivera, 8-8.  Mills was then erased on a double play. With two outs, Brent Alumbaugh doubled and then scored the go ahead run on a hit by Bess. The next batter hit a fly out and team Lopez took the field with a one run lead.

Score: Hitting team: 6, Sitting team: 9, Fielding team: 8.

Team Rivera came to bat in the bottom of the 7^th, needing two runs to win the game. Kirk Coffman started the inning with a sharply hit single, to left. He was then forced out at 2^nd base, when Don Witmer hit a ground ball to the second baseman, Bess.  Donny Scarbrough then grabbed a base hit, to put runners at 1^st and second, with one out. Clutch hitter, Roger Edwards, strolled to the plate, Roger had already grabbed base hits with his last two at bats. This time he drew a walk, to load the bases. It was all up to Jose Rivera, team manager, to make the difference. Flash back to Tuesday’s action, Jose won that game with a 2 run, inside the park HR. In this game, Rivera already had a HR, triple and a single. In other words, he came to bat hotter than a holiday burger on a smoky grill. Jose lined the ball into left field, for a single, that scored Witmer and Scarbrough, to win the game. Jose Rivera knows how to take a round bat and hit a round ball, squarely. Happy Memorial Day!

Final Score: Team Gonzalez: 6 - Team Lopez: 9 – Team Rivera: 10

Leading Hitters:

Hitting team:

Doug Chamlee: 3 / 3.

Sitting team:

Brent Alumbaugh, 3 / 4, with a double.

Bess: 3 / 4.

Fielding team:

Kirk Coffman, 3 / 4.

Donny Scarbrough, 3 / 4.

Roger Edwards, 3 / 3 with a sac.

Jose Rivera, 4 / 4 with a triple, HR and game winning hit.

684 and 2/3 Triple Plays

Gator Land Field

 (Hitting): Coffman, Witmer, Laffoon, Zelazny, Scarbrough, Borowicz, Marino, Wells, Sullivan, D. Hill, Leggett and G.Baker

Vs.

(Sitting): B. Miller, Bess, King, Jacobs, Matta, Butler, Brennaman, Reagan,  Moots, Simon, L. Baker, and Osterreid.

Vs.

(Fielding): McPharlan, Lopez, Mundy, Bowley, Wise, Schapler, Rivera, Hill, Alumbaugh, Mills, Radlein and Ota.

Summer has come to Winter Haven and the senior softball players are well aware of it. To quote Dennis Borowicz, ‘If you are not playing on the field, you were like a cow in the pasture, looking for a shade tree.” The 3 teams that played, on Tuesday, did their best to find the shade; most of the innings were played quickly. Players were on and off the field so fast, it looked more like a track meet, than a softball game. Runs were as scarce as hen’s teeth. Several players only batted twice, before the game was over. How fast was the game?  A Richie Marino story lasted longer than most innings. However, when Rich finished one story, he would just start another one, regardless of the inning.  Wayne Mundy once kissed his best girl, Eleanor, longer than those innings lasted. Of Course, that was back in the day when they were dating and listening to the Platters song, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, on Eleanor’s back porch. (The year was 1959, for you music trivia buffs). The game ended quickly enough for Bobby Z to make his 11:30 tee time and shoot his usual 84. (Ahem, that’s with quit a few mulligans and 4 foot gimmes.)

Defense ruled the game, in Tuesday's action. Just ask players who were robbed by (Hitting Team player), Duff Hill.  Playing a stellar 2^nd base, Duff sent a few batters back to the dugout not knowing whether to cry, or wind their watch. (I know, I was one of the players shaking my head, after he caught my liner). in all, Duff caught 3 screaming line drives and handled a few hot grounders, in game action. Billy Miller brought the leather, for the Sitting Team.  Billy handled several ground balls at his short field position. He also caught a smoking line drive and almost turned that catch into a triple play. With the bases loaded, Dean Schapler hit a frozen rope, up the middle. Billy was there to grab the hot shot and step on 2^nd  base, for a quick DP. Bill then threw to 3^rd base and almost got Tommy Wise out, for the rare TP. Tommy was a little too fast though; he made it back to the bag in time to get a safe call.  

Here is a little triple play trivia for you to enjoy, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, there have been 684 triple plays in Major League Baseball, from 1876 to April 4, 2011.  In 1973, Baltimore Orioles third baseman, Brooks Robinson, started two 5–4–3 triple plays: one on July 7 against the Oakland Athletics' Gene Tenace, and one on Sept. 20 against the Tigers' Frank Howard. In both cases, Bobby Grich was the second baseman. Playing against the Boston Red Sox on July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the first (and to date, the only) team in baseball history to turn two triple plays, in the same game. Both triple plays were 5-4-3 plays (Gary Gaetti - Al Newman - Kent Hrbek). Jody Reed was the first out in the fourth inning play and the final out (batting) in the eighth inning play. Despite their defensive heroics, the Twins lost the game 1–0. (Wikipedia).

Back to WHSS action, we welcomed back two players from injury today. Ron Butler had collided with Chuck Duff, a few weeks back, while playing the outfield in Lakeland. Ron was feeling good enough to see some action.  Ron turned in a nice performance in the field and at the dish, he smacked two hits.  We all hope for Chuck’s return, soon.  Don Witmer also returned from knee surgery, to play on Tuesday. To quote Jeff Simon, “Donny picked up right where he left off”, making nice plays in the field. Good to have you guys back!

As for the score and the end result of the game, the Home team captured the win. They managed one big inning, scoring 5 runs, in the fifth inning, which helped them carry the day.  Brent Alumbaugh had the big hit that inning. Brent lined a shot into the left field corner, for an opposite field HR, to help his team.

Final Score:  Hitting team: 9 ---Sitting team: 7---Fielding team: 10.

Leading Hitters:

Hitting team:

Don Witmer, 3/3 with a double.

Sitting team :

Bill Miller, 3/ 4.

Russ King, 3 / 4 with a double.

Fielding team:

Jose Rivera, 3 /3 with a HR, this turned out to be the game winning hit.

Steve Hill, 3 / 3.

WP: Mills.