8/12/06 - Ugh!
Pretty terrible day for the Beers. We'd like to be able to use the excuse that 12 people couldn't make it, but the few of us who were there lost the game for ourselves. I blocked out most of the game so I need everyone who was there to fill in the blanks in the comments. I remember that Simon had a good day going 3-5 on the day with a run scored and RBI. Drew made his first appearance on the mound and it's evident that he can pitch. We turned our first conventional double-play of the season (I think). In the first game, we did well offensively going 7-15 with 5 BBs and only 3 K's, so that's pretty encouraging. Game 1 Box Score --- Game 2 Box Score --- podcast coming soon

Our outfield defense kills us. It's not their fault all the time (especially since we had two walk-ons out there on Saturday) but we give up hits/errors/walks and guys get on base. An error in the infield - ok, that's a run. Passed ball, walk, steal, whatever, ok, that's just one run, we can deal with that, we can score runs just the same way. But when the other teams has guys on base and there's a ball to the outfield that goes over somebody's head, it's like a dagger to the heart. All teams make errors and all pitchers walk guys and give up hits, but our outfield is shakier than most. I think that right now that's the big difference between our team and the others who are supposedly better than us. Yeah we're not perfect and I know getting to fly balls isn't easy, but balls hit out there go from outs to triples and in the infield that can't happen (unless we decide to toss the ball around, which does happen once in awhile).

For the Record
In game one, we only played 6 innings (due to the fact that the game went on forever). For statistical corrections, I (Tom) came into the game with 2 runners on and a 2-0 count in the 6th inning. The loss technically goes to MA (not like I care, just correcting you). Also, I only threw one inning that game. Other than that, I think if we can get the regular team there, then we can definitely be much better than we were last weekend. God do I hope we get the rest of the fielders to catch routine fly balls... good effort across the board the, no complaints there! Until next time fellas.

i agree about the outfield. I could play outfield next week if needed although Im slow as hell i gotta work on that. Anyway baseball tonight was interesting cause it had this woman i dont know her name and orel hershisher. An interesting two person team. I dont mind it. Its better than the +karl ravech -harold reynolds lineup. By the way im going to try to smack the clipper because i dont like that coach so fuck them.

Thanks to MA for bringing Benjamin and Tal. And for all of them for giving us rides to the train. Also, what's with these teams stealing home with 10-0 leads? The way the Mad Dogs were acting you'd think it was a 1-run game. Barking at the umpire for balk calls, out of basepath calls, extra bases on errors, etc. Like Peter mentioned in the game summary, this is a bush league, but there's still no need to act like one. There are very few times that I feel reluctant to shake hands at the end of the game, but because of the combination of our terrible play, and their lack of respect, this was one of them. I wish they could have been more graceful winners, that way there could have been some dignity left on the field.

Who cares what the other team does? They want to get the most out of their playing time, once a week, so why shouldn't they do whatever they want in a 10-0 game? Try something to see if it works so that later they might try it in a competitive game in the playoffs or something? The baseball ettiquette thing is something for professional baseball players, I don't think it really applies to NYCMBL where we already do enough to get behind 10-0. If you get that pissed off about what the OTHER team does, in the midst of all the \"embarassing\" things that we do to ourselves...? I don't get it. And personally I've found the players on other teams to be pretty nice guys (with a couple exceptions, but that's life). They aren't trying to embarass you out there, that's ridiculous.

I agree with you mike they did that shit but honestly, i really doubt they were trying to offend you or anyone. I agree with everything simon said. Honestly, i dont think at all about the other teams feelings when im playing sports. Im not trying to disrespect them, but if they have problems i really dont care, im focusing on the chemistry on my team. When we win we enjoy it as a team and celebrate and when we lose we work as a team to correct it, those are the only two options, not if we win feel bad for the other team and if we lose praise the other team. I understand you are respectful and no one needs to tell you anything, you are a good coach, but im just saying me personally, i couldnt recognize any face of any player on any team except like a few people like jim john, that guy i talked to, the two guys from the warriors cause they were in the allstar game and i smashed one of them, and a few others but thats it. Of course you know, but as a reminder this is nyc, not happyland, suburbanville. Yea those guys filled in cause people dont show and i wasnt disrespecting them, but our attitude has to either be play to win or fuck it who cares people dont show anyway, lets just get some practice and excersize in.

Apologies to Tom, stats have been corrected. We didn't have anybody on the bench doing the stats so I had to kind of do them from memory once that last inning was over and got a bit confused. Tell me if I made any other mistakes. As for that play, I think anybody who does that in a 1-0 game, or a 3-0 game or whatever, would look like a complete idiot because that's a play that should NEVER work, ever (I have no idea how he got in there safely). In a 10-0 game it just makes him look like a jackass. It was incredibly risky and totally pointless and it was just stupid, to say nothing of baseball etiquette. \"Try something to see if it works so that later they might try it in a competitive game in the playoffs or something?\" I would love to see someone try this in a close playoff game and would laugh pretty hard when they nail him. Anyway, you're right in that it doesn't really matter, but I think baseball etiquette applies to everyone. It's like, it applies to little league and to the major leagues, but nothing in between? That doesn't make sense to me. Stealing home in a 10-0 game on an incredibly risky/dumb play is an insult to common sense, if nothing else. Both games were incredibly frustrating so of course we're going to be a little more irritable when it comes to those kinds of things. But yeah, frustration is part of it. I'm not sure I agree about the other teams, though. Anyway as for what we need to do, I think we already believe we can win. I think our outfield is generally pretty solid, although that first game there were a couple of plays that were complete disasters that definitely did not help, to put it lightly. Other than that though I think the outfield is OK, Mike N is solid in center, Steve's solid in left... I don't even know who our right fielder usually is (I know I haven't played there in a while and rarely got any balls hit to me anyway, although in the beginning of the season I made 3 awful errors that I can remember). Anyway I think our big problem has been leaving guys on base. It seems like we can never get a really big rally going and we're constantly stranding runners in scoring position. Part of it is bad luck (Andrew hit that ball pretty hard in that first game, nothing you can do about that), and part of it is mental. We just need to string some rallies together and we'll start winning. Also Karl Ravech and Harold Reynolds rock and I haven't even watched BBTN since they fired Reynolds.

We need midgets. Don't ask why or for what...I just know we need midgets

If someone wants to steal home with a 10-0, fine. they just better expect the next pitch they see to be in their ribs, haha. I think we definately have to stop throwing the ball around so much, that's been killing us. also outfielders back up throws (myself included) and infielders let the outfielders know where the throw should be going. Pete I think I had 2 RBI's that first game.

\"As for that play, I think anybody who does that in a 1-0 game, or a 3-0 game or whatever, would look like a complete idiot because that's a play that should NEVER work, ever (I have no idea how he got in there safely).\" 1) A few weeks ago, in a game we won 2-1, Chris Adamo stole home for the winning run. 2) Dude, it worked in the game on Sunday that we're talking about! I don't know how you can say it should never ever work. I am curious as to what other things the opposition can and cannot do in blowouts because it is \"bush league\". Can their pitcher try and pick us off to practice his move? Can a batter lay down a bunt just to practice that on real pitching? Can a pitcher try a new pitch and if it's good and we strike out does he have to stop throwing it? BUSH LEAGUE - think about the term! NYCMBL is the bush league!

Podcast
This weeks Podcast: You people are in for one hell of a show. First off, I am going to address all the message board posts and tell you what the right answer to all of this is. This weeks rant is going to be about umpires. Next, I am opening for the next 24 hours the \"I hate Mike\" hotline. 212-876-4667. I will not be answering that phone, just letting the machine get it. Tell me whatever you want, I will play them on the air. And yes I did steal this idea from Sean Hannity. I will have a wrap of all the weeks news, a Duke rape case update and who are the new black panthers? Also, if you vote for a democrat does that make you a terrorist also? You're not going to want to miss this, I have so much stuff how I will fit it in to 40 minutes will be one hell of a math problem.

you guys are whiny bitches on the message board, I just want to make sure you all know that

Yea pete, i left runners on base but check this out. First off i got an rbi my first at bat which shows im in the game. In my first game of the season i hit a homerun and we won. Like i told mike im not afraid to win but when i get an rbi on a legitimate hit, and we take the lead by like one or some shit, then we give up 6 unearned runs i lose interest. What am I suppose to do be interested when we are losing when we shouldnt be. Im not gonna be like oh its ok ill hit a grand slam to make up for it. Im in reality going to be unmotivated the rest of the game, like we were legitamatly winning and we threw it away on errors. Fuck that shit im not carrying anyone like i told ma. I dont care how many runners anyone leaves on base at any time, its a team effort and we have three outs. How am i or anyone suppose to get hits when people know we are gonna blow the game in the next inning.