Late Season Report

Things this season panned out much in the way that was predicted in the preseason in the fact that true parody does exist, however not quite to the degree that was predicted.

A run-of-the-mill season by the Barbarians has left them out in front again looking to run the table to end the season, and capture their second straight regular season pennant. Starting to play well of late with a revamped infield. Snakebitten in last years playoffs, if this team can get hot at the right time they will be a tough matchup for anybody.

NFL has had a surprising season, playing some above average defense and putting up a ton of runs in the early going running to an impressive record of 9-3, looking for their first top-three finish, ever. With the small ball era now dead, NFL needs an uptick in defense and pitching to make the finals.

The Knights have played quality ball all season, with the exception of a couple of lapses where the wheels came off . The Knights sit in third, still an outside shot of taking the penant. The Knights will need to play fundamental ball and avoid mental lapses to make another run.

GEA's record doesn't speak for the quality of softball that this team has played in 2009. Hittting and Pitching is much improved and this team has played in some closely contested losses. Player Personel eligibility questions will haunt this club entering the playoffs, but has a strong unit that can win on any given night. A late season win streak could improve their position.

The two time defending champ Brickyard's clubhouse was in diseray by midseason leading to some lopsided losses and doubt in their ability to play at a championship level. Existing skill players, a new righty fireballer on the mound, not to mention some of the most loyal fans in the league, and this team has an outside shot at a three-peat.

Galaxy has played well above expectations sitting in the middle of the pack with one last playoff run in the tank. Returning players from short stints on the DL could be the difference maker. Not a sure bet to win a game in the playoffs. Pitching and defense will be a key factor to winning playoff games for this club as runs have not come easy.

The Gulls had a very dissappointing season after a quality showing in 2008. Desire to win remains suspect, as does leadership. A good core of skill players could carry this team to a few much needed, moral boosting, playoff wins. Will have a very tough road to make it to the final four.

The Sandbar Pirates have played exactly as advertised this season, going eleven games without even sniffing a win. A good bet to go winless. The Pirates roster is beginning to thin out as players have started to lose interest, one and done.

Standings

1. Barbarians 9-2

2. NFL 9-3

3. Knights 8-3

4. GEA 6-5

5. Brickyard 5-5

6. Galaxy 5-6

7. Gulls 1-8

8. Sandbar 0-11

Thunder Heat

Two games were played in the soggy conditions that gripped the northeast on Thursday afternoon. At the Big Diamond The Barbarians matched up against their in-town rival, The Gulls. No big stories here except the Barbarians keep their win streak alive and move into first place. The Gulls look like a lock to play in the opening playoff game against the lowly Sand Bar Pirates.

NFL took on their in-town rival, the Knights at the Firehouse Field. NFL came right out of the gates and there small ball mentality and speed were a perfect blend for the smaller diamond. NFL jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after some good hitting and some equally poor defense from the Knights.

The Knights would come storming back and in the bottom of each inning, regardless of how many NFL put up, the Knights would tie the game.

The game was all knotted up at 14 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Knights had runners on first and third with two down when A. Alessi stepped into the plate. Alessi hit a hard ground ball in the hole between third and short and on a great play by J. Osborne, his third put-out of the inning, the game was sent into extra innings. NFL put up four spot in the top of the eight and shut down the Knights in the Bottom, finally winning an extra innings game after a couple of real heart-breakers.

BREAKING NEWS:

The Thunder Heat balls are Back. The Blue Dot Synthetic balls have been discontinued, leaving the league no choice but to go with the more hitter, and fan friendly Thunder Heat, Leather wrapped, skull crushers. Things just got a whole lot more interesting.

Sticking It To The Man

I certainly get tired of doing the right thing, its strangely similar to how I feel about doing the wrong thing.

For instance, I spent a few extra minutes at the office today, and then had the honor of buying a new pair of work boots on the company dime.

First thing that came into my mind, nope not Timberland, Timberland would not suffice for this overachiever, was the Red Wing shoe outlet that lies just over the horizon from my office on Rt. 114. This is one of those times where you can always get what you want, and always get what you need, contrary to the wise words of MJ. By MJ I mean the white skinny little crackhead, not the blackish white one.

Upon my approach to the Red Wing Store, I have a realization. This realization was helped exponentially by the two salesmen who were sitting right in the door window adjacent to the entrance of the store. The realization that I was in fact going to Bob's Store, right in the neighboring shopping center.

These two salesmen, bored beyond belief, were like piranhas in a tank, teeth gritted, ready to tear my wallet out of my pocket, slide it through the card machine, and sell me a pair of $250.oo Red Wings, without me even saying a word.

For those of you who don't know, Red Wings are like the Cadillac of work boots, they have been around since 1905, they're made in the USA, and I've even heard them compared to an orgasm for your foot. I've never once even tried a pair on, but my feet could use a few orgasms. These blokes were going to stick it to me, while I was trying to stick it to the man. A stick can't be sticked, so onward I went, to Bob's.

Straight to the boot section, nobody within an ear shot, and I'm scoping some deals, after all, today, I'm a company man.

Not one of the fifty-two different boots that Bob's carries even interested me one bit. I scoped everything, from army boots to hiking shoes, police shit-kickers to wigger-kickers. I'm in there so long that the staff thinks I'm casing the joint.

Just as I'm getting ready to end the circus, and head over to get bent over and screwed at the Red Wing Store, I scope out a pair of Chipewas; waxed leather, foot vibrators, just the right size and on sale for $90.00 from $150.

Nobody's getting sticked today, today I'm doing the right thing.

Tommorow, I have a softball game, so if you need me I'll be doing the wrong thing. Sitting at the Knights of Columbus, at the end of the bar with a drink in my hand, talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Playoff Push (Updated Standings)

The Barbarians are on a late season playoff push, riding a three game win streak. Galaxy has been playing above expectations and has mixed some new young talent with veteran leadership to once again become a contender.

B. Serino faced off against R. Moleti in a matchup of two possible future NSL Hall of Famers. A contrast in pitching styles, with Serino relying on his knuckler and Moleti looking to blow you away with the high heater.

Serino has been dominant as of late and his knuckler was working again, carrying a 4-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning.

With two on and two out it was once again tis-himself, N. Liston and the plate. Liston hit a screaming-pee to the gap in right center and rounded third as the ball made its way back to the infield. In a major base running blunder, Liston was gunned down, preserving the victory for the Barbarians and moving them into a tie in first with NFL.

Monday was a matchup between bitter rivals, NFL and GEA. GEA got the better of NFL in their first matchup with the comeback of the year. NFL was looking to right the ship after a heartbreaking loss to the Barbarians.

An incredibly competitive ballgame ended up a tie after regulation. In extra innings it was a back and forth slugfest, with each teams exchanging runs through ten innings. Both J. Moleti and C. Pantano pitched their hearts out in a game that went two and a half hours. In the top of the eleventh GEA stormed forward with four runs and shut down NFL in the bottom to sweep the season series.

Standings

Barbarians 8-2

Don't let the two losses fool you, this team is still a beast.

NFL 8-3

Fading down the stretch, still a good bet to reach the finals.

Knights 7-2

Able to beat any team, "if " they play well.

Galaxy 5-5

Scary good at times, other times, just scary.

GEA 5-5

Sleeper pick to make the finals.

Brickyard 4-5

Defending champ can't be discounted, but playing poorly as of late.

Gulls 1-7

A threat in the opening round, could have issues in a three game set.

Sandbar 0-9

More than likely will become the second team ever to go winless.

Beers In My Lunchbag

Sometimes some of my good buddies will ask me if I ever open the fridge in the morning and think about cracking a beer. They almost feel wierd asking until of course I answer, "Every Fucking Day". As a matter of fact sometimes if I am stinging from a previous night of hard-fought softball I may even think about putting a couple twelve-ouncers in my lunch bag, no biggie.

Arguably the top four teams met this week in what could have possibly been a preview of the semi-finals.

Recent improvements to The Lowlands Field, home of the Nahant Softball League, has made it look more like a poor man's Fenway Park. Their is new clay that is soft as a baby's bottom, and the grass looked so good it may have been cut by the legendary "Mr." Joe Fazzolari, a top notch barber who gained fame from his version of the high-tight fade inside Rosa Brother's in Swampscott, MA.

Wednesday night was the much anticipated rematch between the Barbarians and NFL. NFL riding their small ball game, couldn't get it going against B. Serino, who painted all night long. Not giving in to NFL's walk first, hit later approach, the Barbarian's battery mixed the split seamer with a knuckleball, both of which found the zone consistently. The veteran infield of the Barbarians stifled the NFL batsmen, getting put outs on all the ground balls Serino produced. The bitter rivalry continues between the two teams with a split of the season series.

The Knights, looking to keep pace with the Barbarians in the standings, battled through adversity, to sweep the season series against the defending champion Brickyard. Riding their big Horse, P. O'Leary on the hill, the Knights looked to close the door on the Brickyard, who has ushered them out of the playoffs the last two years.

The Knights came out swinging, scoring in each of the first innings, capped by a three run tater by C. Carpenter, his first of the year. Carpenter is coming off a 120-day DL Stint after tearing his knee in a sexual romp at a swinger's party. The Knights would build a 6-0 lead and O'Leary was looking for his first shutout.

The Brickyard refused to fold, and matched up with O'Leary was the Brickyard's big rookie right-hander. The Brickyard made some uncharacteristic throwing errors to put themselves in a deep hole early. After letting up the homerun to Carpenter, the ace settled in striking out two of the next four batters he faced.

The "Yard" came storming back in the top half of the seventh inning, but fell short of a great come-back win, losing 8-5.

GEA played a makeup at the Firehouse Field against the winless Sand Bar Pirates. GEA got up big early and cruised to an easy victory. GEA, who looked to be done in the NSL, has gathered their team and are building toward a playoff run. T. Collins, SandBar's new pitcher, saw his league high ERA balloon to an all-time record of 15.00.

With the newly surfaced Lowlands field, additional seating, a tightly contested playoff race, and three Nahant contenders, the playoffs will be very interesting. So pack a brown bag lunch and be ready for some entertainment.

STANDINGS
NFL 8-2
BARB 7-2
KNIGHTS 7-2
GALAXY 5-3
GEA 4-5
BRICK 3-5
GULLS 1-7
SAND 0-9

New Surface

There have been a plethera of new games, including some very important matchups that have made the NSL standings become very interesting.

On Thursday of last week, the Knights took on a game GEA squad, who didn't have enough players to start the game. Finally fielding nine, GEA t0ok the field, only to see the Knights vaunted lineup put up at least two in the first three, building a six nothing lead.

C. Pantano pitched his britches off, but couldn't keep up with the big righty, P. O'Leary, the Knights Cy Young caliber pitcher. The Knights played another solid game on the defensive side of the ball and won another 10-3 ballgame.

Friday night was the much anticipated matchup between the two teams in last years finals, NFL vs. Brickyard. NFL continued its march towards first place with a much needed win over the team who swept them in last years final. The Brickyard has yet to show the trademark resiliency it had shown in 07 and 08 during back to back titles.

Galaxy also squared off against The Barbarians at the Firehouse Field on Friday night. The Barbarians got off of their recent slide to beat the Galaxy in convincing fashion to keep pace in the tight playoff race.

In the first weekend game of the year, NFL took on a struggling Gulls team, also at Firehouse Field. A competitive game eventually went to the red-hot NFL team, who are trying to distance themselves from the Barbarians and Knights.


The Galaxy got back on track on Monday taking a game from the lowly Sand Bar Pirates, who remain winless.

In a great game Tuesday, a new-look GEA team took on the Gulls. Both teams looked to build on a promising year in 2008 only to dissapoint in 09. GEA picked up some players from the Jesmond Nursing home and in a comeback victory beat the Gulls in a 7-6 ballgame in the final inning.

Makeup Schedule (All games played at the FireHouse Field)

MONDAY JUL 20 KNIGHTS vs GULLS
TUES JUL 21 BRICK vs BARB
WEDS JUL 22 SEASIDE vs GEA
THURS JUL 23 NFL vs KNIGHTS
FRI JUL 24 GALAXY vs GEA
TUES JUL 28 BRICK vs SEASIDE
WEDS JUL 29 GEA vs GULLS
THURS JUL 30 KNIGHTS vs GALAXY
FRI JUL 31 SEASIDE vs BARB
MON AUG 3 GALAXY vs GULLS

Also of Note: The Lowlands Field has been resurface with new clay.

Brass Monkey, That Funky Monkey

In a pivitol mid-season matchup, the Knights waged war against their arch-rival, The Barbarians.

The Barbarians have had the team formerly known as the Greensox number in recent years, beating them in their last five contests dating back to a controversial Greensox win in 2007 where the new, cheaper, pitcher-friendly ball was
first introduced.

Coming into the contest in a tie for second place in the standings, both teams needed a win to gain ground on the surging NFL squad.

P. O'Leary was on the rubber for the Knights, facing off against his former teammate and pitching mentor, B. Serino. O'Leary was featuring his trademark high-arcing junk and had the Barbarian's lineup off balance all night. The righty fire-baller got out of a bounty of jams, helped out by a stout Knight's defense that made key plays behind possibly the best battery in the league. The Knights got on the board first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first, winning the all-important opening frame.

The Barbarians came roaring back, helped by a close play at first that could have gone either way, scoring two runs with two outs to take a one-run lead. The ump heard an earfull from Knights bench-coach and Designated Hitter C. Turner. The Knights wasted little time, scoring three in the bottom of the third to take control.

Both offenses were slowed by some good defense and quality pitching on both sides until a 6-run explosion by the Knights put the Barbarians away, removing the monkey that had been living on their backs since early in 2007. The Knights took the win 10-3 and is now all alone in second place. The Barbarians fall into a tie in third with Galaxy.

The dead ball era is upon us in the NSL, with a newer, synthetic wrapped ball with less ball flight and less game life than the one used in previous seasons. A similar situation happened in the majors in the early 1900's, leading to an increased emphasis on quality hitting, fielding, and most importantly, pitching.

At this time the games tended to be low scoring, dominated by such pitchers as Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, and Grover Cleveland Alexander. These names will soon be replaced by P. O'Leary, R. Moleti, B. Serino, J. Moleti, etc. The games were so low scoring that the period 1900–1919 is commonly called the "dead-ball era". The term also accurately describes the condition of the actual "baseball" itself. Each baseball cost three dollars, a hefty sum at the time, equal to about $65 today. Our softballs cost three dollars, equal to about negative fifty nine dollars in 1915.

Club owners were therefore reluctant to spend much money on new balls, if not necessary. It was not unusual for a single baseball to last an entire game. By the end of the game, the ball would be dark with grass, mud, and tobacco juice, and it would be lumpy from contact with the bat.

As a consequence, home runs were rare, and the "inside game" dominated—singles, bunts, stolen bases, the hit-and-run play, and other tactics dominated the strategies of the time. Hitting methods like the Baltimore Chop were put into use to increase the number of infield singles.

The Lowlands Field has become a pitcher friendly park where runs are at a premium. Similar to the MLB in the early 18th century, a new brand of softball has been born with the new ball, and it is up to team's to adjust in order to stay afloat in the highly competitive Nahant Softball League.

NFL 6-1

KNIGHTS 5-2

BARBARIANS 4-2

GALAXY 4-2
BRICKYARD 3-3
GEA 2-4
GULLS 1-5
SANDBAR 0-6

Also of Note: NFL won a game played against the Sandbar Pirates that was played at the rotary field at the end of the causeway, the win is reflected in the standings above. No game was played on Tuesday.

Vagina Kick

Weather is the physics of the atmosphere, pressures, moisture levels, air masses, and wind patterns. Does anybody really give a fuck about any of this shit, most likely not. Every NewEnglander does however, give a shit about whether or not we can go down the beach, fish, play softball, and golf.

Mother Nature needs a swift kick in the vagina.

June of 2009 was the 4th cloudiest month ever in New England. Think about this for a second, that includes every month of the down right brutal New England winter. We had only 27 percent of the total amount of sunshine in June, which sucks even more considering the longest days of the year are in June, so the shitiness is multiplied. It was the sixth coolest June.

There is an explanation, we are actually in the Solar Minimum, which is a time of low sun activity, and yes I came up with that definition just from the connotation of the words. Minimum, not a lot, solar, sun. Simple. Also, a fucking Volcano, Mount Redoubt, erupted in Alaska this past spring spewing ash into the atmosphere. The jet stream is an upper level wind that blows west to east across the globe, it carries all these storms. Its parked on our heads. So, you do give a fuck about this shit, as do I, and my best solution is a vagina kick, go figure.

I'll tell you who likes to hand out vagina kicks, Barbarians, Barbarian is a term used to describe an uncivilized person, it can also be used to reference a brutal, cruel, warlike, insensitive person. Nothing is more insensitive that stealing a ball game.

It took one hour and fifteen minutes for the Barbarians to break the hearts of Brickyard Nation, and just one swing of the King Barbarian's Axe.

The Brickyard offense did not take long to get going, putting up two quick runs on a bevy of base hits coupled with a few walks.

The Barbarian lineup was stymied by the big rookie right-hander of the Brickyard, until M. Pressman, who jawed with the pitcher, hit a solo tater to deep left, to bring the Barbarians within one. The Brickyard came out firing after the altercation and had a seven run explosion helped by a three-run error by a Barbarian short fielder.

The fog rolled in in the fourth inning and with it, a stiff wind out to left, making it difficult for both the pitchers and the defense of both teams.

Down six, the Barbarians finally got it going, and stormed back into the ball game with some plate discipline and an exceptional game by the bottom of their order. The big inning was capped by a grand salami by C. Capanigro that found the bull rushes in left. B. Serino pitched a gritty game on the hill and had a monster day at the plate.

The Brickyard would not go away, and in the latter innings J. Peterson tied the ballgame with a solo shot that just curved around the pole in left. The Brickyard gained a one run lead and the big rookie looked to shut the door on another Barbarian come back victory. With one on it was Serino at the plate. Serino took and inside fastball to the gap in left center where it was scooped up and subsequently thrown into the stands.

Serino gained third on the overthrow and with one out and the game tied it was the King Barbarian who dug his cleats into the box. P. Capanigro won the game with a sac fly to center, completing a monumental come-back in some gnarly conditions.

Not surprisingly the rain is back, and we are currently on a one game per week schedule. However, there is a silver lining, saturday and sunday look beautiful with partly cloudy skies and temps in the high seventies to low eighties. So hold off on the vagina kick; for now.

NFL 5-1
BARBARIANS 4-1
GALAXY 4-2

KNIGHTS 4-2

BRICKYARD 3-3

GEA 2-4

GULLS 1-5

SANDBAR 0-5