Maybe it was the warm weather, or the smaller field, or getting humiliated last week, or having John H. back, but Know Mercy 1 came to play and went for blood. We knew it would be tough with Jen and Brian out, but we were ready!
After shaking off a little rust after the first inning with a 3-3 tie, the rest was history. We went on to score 15 more while they scored 1 before the game was called with the "mercy" rule.
We knew this team was good because they beat Know Mercy 2, but we were like the movie "Angels in the Outfield" yesterday. With so many highlights, I am bound to forget a couple so please feel free to add them on and forward them.
Lets start off with our game ball winner Jo. Wow! I would have her tested for some HGH after that game :) After making a quick adjustment with Nick from playing 3rd and moving to 2nd, she showed that she owned that area. I think she may have even knocked Todd and Nick of the bag when they were playing short! She showed she could handle it better than anymore. What was my favorite? When you palmed the grounder ball to throw the out? Really who does that? Or when she was quick to field balls and get tag the runner and tag the bag. How many outs did you get anyway :)
Jill- Played awesome coverage in the outfield hugging the fence when needed and never letting the ball fall behind her. Great communication with John too so they never collided when both running full speed at it. Way to hit the cut off too! Good eye on the ball and base running to advance the bases!
Tina- Award for causing most drama, but not how you might think! After getting on base and advancing to 2nd, the ball was hit deep. Tina ran to 3rd and was sent home. It was really really close and she was tagged but was a photo finish :) She was called safe which sent the pitcher for the other team in an absolute frenzy and I thought he was going to hit Tina but end up just throwing a hissy at the mound instead! Way to get in their head Tina :)
Mary- Shaking off both the sun in her eyes and the rust of not playing in a year, offered a much needed extra female. Filling in at first, she was part of a couple of great double plays and could use those long legs to stretch her body while still touching the base. Great job!
Nikki- Took a couple of walks due to her intimidating stance at the plate :) I think the new pitching style is working. The ball has more spin and is coming in a little quicker. We'll see next week though!
John- No rust here. Killer offense. I don't know what play I liked better. There was the great snag in the outfield, but I think it would have to be while he was playing catcher and Nick launched an absolute rocket home and boy could John handle it for the tag to crush the other team from scoring! Great play :)
Viggy- Let the tradition of threatening the cars passing by continue almost nailing a white truck driving by. But he would have the last laugh with a home run to bring in a couple and score 3 points. Also covered everywhere needed with great D.
Nick- He knew that with Viggy hitting one over the fence, that meant that only one more over the fence was allowed and he wasn't going to waste his chance! As soon as he got up after Viggy he nailed on deep into left and yes, over the fence! And lets talk offense. Could it be his rocket to John from the outfield to home, or his acrobatic catch while playing infield or being part of a double play. Too many to choose from. All I know is I'm not letting him go to class until the season is over :) Oh yeah, also sorry for yelling "take a seat" to you. I was a little pumped and it came out louder than expected. HA HA.
Bo- Was ready to hit a homer but took one for the team so we wouldn't have an automatic out. He kept the ball in play for some AWESOME hits and as always had great wheels to advance on the bases. Great outfield play as always and wonderful coaching tips!
Todd- Decided to show the young stud Nick that he too could do some acrobatic tricks in the infield with a fly dive catch. There was also a Weber to Weber play which result in a double play. Good team work, now take a seat! Great hitting too to advance runners and get home.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON SCORED IN THIS GAME. No wonder we were unstoppable. Wonderful job to all! I have Bo, Tina and John out for next week. We still are set on guys and girls though. Anyone else out?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Know Mercy 2 shows togetherness in tough loss
Before the game against Norman Family Dentistry, it was predicted that they’d try to kick our butts and steal our cookies.
Let me state for the record that our victory cookies were indeed protected from those Norman thugs.
The butt’s a little sore, though.
I’m proud of our team. We’re unified to a fault. When one person makes an error, we ALL make an error. At least that’s what happened in the first inning. Solidarity!
Without gloves turning to stone, the bats were uncharacteristicly silent, pushing only one run across the plate.
Make no mistake; the Dentists are a good team. Maybe not as good as we made them look on Wednesday, but they pitched well and made only two errors.
I’ll write this one off as a fluke. We’ll never field that poorly again, and we’ll never score so few runs.
But even in the depths of despair, there were some highlights.
How about Rachel Zollman patrolling left-centerfield with two fine catches, including one running grab? She also showed off an absolute gun of an arm.
Will anyone ever try to score when Chad Zollman is the cutoff man? For the second game in a row, the combo and Chad and Mike Gillis nailed a runner at the plate.
Angie Bond-Patton was her usual spectacular self, with a double an single in three at-bats.
Nikki Ferguson also was on base twice and showed her powerful arm.
Steve Carins had a hit and made a couple nice snags in left.
In other exciting news, congrats to Rob and Cindy Mirque who head off on a wonderful honeymoon!
Next week: Trouble with a capital T. We’re going to be missing a whole bunch of folks: Casey, Cindy and Kathy on the ladies’ side, and Chad, Mike L, and Rob on the male side. We have a week to find some friends.
Let me state for the record that our victory cookies were indeed protected from those Norman thugs.
The butt’s a little sore, though.
I’m proud of our team. We’re unified to a fault. When one person makes an error, we ALL make an error. At least that’s what happened in the first inning. Solidarity!
Without gloves turning to stone, the bats were uncharacteristicly silent, pushing only one run across the plate.
Make no mistake; the Dentists are a good team. Maybe not as good as we made them look on Wednesday, but they pitched well and made only two errors.
I’ll write this one off as a fluke. We’ll never field that poorly again, and we’ll never score so few runs.
But even in the depths of despair, there were some highlights.
How about Rachel Zollman patrolling left-centerfield with two fine catches, including one running grab? She also showed off an absolute gun of an arm.
Will anyone ever try to score when Chad Zollman is the cutoff man? For the second game in a row, the combo and Chad and Mike Gillis nailed a runner at the plate.
Angie Bond-Patton was her usual spectacular self, with a double an single in three at-bats.
Nikki Ferguson also was on base twice and showed her powerful arm.
Steve Carins had a hit and made a couple nice snags in left.
In other exciting news, congrats to Rob and Cindy Mirque who head off on a wonderful honeymoon!
Next week: Trouble with a capital T. We’re going to be missing a whole bunch of folks: Casey, Cindy and Kathy on the ladies’ side, and Chad, Mike L, and Rob on the male side. We have a week to find some friends.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
KM1 holds heads high after tough loss
Ok, I have finally gotten myself out of bed and opened the shades and am trying to pick up the pieces of our loss last night.
I won't have as much to say as Dave for obvious reasons but will try to highlight some key plays.
Jill, aka Jugs, coming with a new look, Jill got some much needed confidence and had a great hit and got on base. It was really close but the first basemen got distracted and pulled his foot off the bag.
Tina- got into the swing of things with a couple of great catches in the outfield to limit runs. Yes, we could've lost by more if we didn't have some of those catches :)
Jo- Always solid and scooping up those line drives and throwing people out at first. Had some solid hits to get on base too.
Jen- Great at 2nd as always and has really improved on keeping the ball in front of her even though sometimes she has had to sacrifice her body! Great hitting too. You will be missed next week!
Brian is finding his mojo in both the outfield and hitting. He had a big catch that was followed by a "I caught it!" He had some good hitting too and with his speed, he can't be touched!
Bo- Thanks for helping out with coaching tips too. He got a great catch in the outfield to avoid a homerun and more people scoring. He also is a great catcher and gives me pitch calls :)
Viggy- The man can play anywhere. Good stretches and throws all over the field to throw or catch those other Know Mercyers out! If it weren't for that dumb no grace foul rule, he would've been good for a home run or two :)
Steve Korb- Again, he had some great catches in the outfield. Not easy with a team that wasn't having the ball drop anywhere and everywhere they wanted. He even went up against the fence and tried to snag a deep deep hit. Great effort!
Todd- T O double d. Did great at short stop and covering the pitcher when she missed some balls! Also, was able to turn a double play to first. Good line drive but then got cursed with the no grace foul rule too.
Nick R. Oh what could've been. 99 out of 100 times that hit would've been a home run. I still want drug testing done on Chad Z. He had quite a throw. Way to go for it though! Great fielding too in every position you played!
So we didn't win. Yeah it stunk that we got blown out. The only thing that I can think of is that Dave has been putting HGH into his cookies. How else could this be the same team we beat last year? Just kidding.
But we had a lot of fun and rallied (kind of) late. We are getting it together and will have many wins to come. Bill we need you back to pitch ASAP though! I hope you all had fun last night though. I had a great time!
I won't have as much to say as Dave for obvious reasons but will try to highlight some key plays.
Jill, aka Jugs, coming with a new look, Jill got some much needed confidence and had a great hit and got on base. It was really close but the first basemen got distracted and pulled his foot off the bag.
Tina- got into the swing of things with a couple of great catches in the outfield to limit runs. Yes, we could've lost by more if we didn't have some of those catches :)
Jo- Always solid and scooping up those line drives and throwing people out at first. Had some solid hits to get on base too.
Jen- Great at 2nd as always and has really improved on keeping the ball in front of her even though sometimes she has had to sacrifice her body! Great hitting too. You will be missed next week!
Brian is finding his mojo in both the outfield and hitting. He had a big catch that was followed by a "I caught it!" He had some good hitting too and with his speed, he can't be touched!
Bo- Thanks for helping out with coaching tips too. He got a great catch in the outfield to avoid a homerun and more people scoring. He also is a great catcher and gives me pitch calls :)
Viggy- The man can play anywhere. Good stretches and throws all over the field to throw or catch those other Know Mercyers out! If it weren't for that dumb no grace foul rule, he would've been good for a home run or two :)
Steve Korb- Again, he had some great catches in the outfield. Not easy with a team that wasn't having the ball drop anywhere and everywhere they wanted. He even went up against the fence and tried to snag a deep deep hit. Great effort!
Todd- T O double d. Did great at short stop and covering the pitcher when she missed some balls! Also, was able to turn a double play to first. Good line drive but then got cursed with the no grace foul rule too.
Nick R. Oh what could've been. 99 out of 100 times that hit would've been a home run. I still want drug testing done on Chad Z. He had quite a throw. Way to go for it though! Great fielding too in every position you played!
So we didn't win. Yeah it stunk that we got blown out. The only thing that I can think of is that Dave has been putting HGH into his cookies. How else could this be the same team we beat last year? Just kidding.
But we had a lot of fun and rallied (kind of) late. We are getting it together and will have many wins to come. Bill we need you back to pitch ASAP though! I hope you all had fun last night though. I had a great time!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Know Mercy 2 overpowers friendly rival
Mercy wins are fun – unless they come at the expense of your friends.
Know Mercy 1 and Know Mercy 2 have engaged in some epic battles over the past three years. But Wednesday’s game ended up as a bit of a one-sided affair, with KM2 flexing its offensive and defensive muscles in a 15-3 victory.
There were plenty of highlights for folks in both dugouts.
Rookie Mike Light made his debut by smashing three hits and coming around to score each time.
Casey Dunham. Beautiful … lethal. Casey tried to lower expectations before the game, saying she had not swung a bat in over a year. Right. She reached base four times in four at-bats and scored four runs.
Jamie Norris extended his on-base streak to an amazing 10 at-bats with a hit in the first inning and walk in the fourth. Alas, it was snapped on a grounder in the sixth inning. But that amazing streak should stand as a KM2 record for a looong time.
Nikki Ferguson. Beautiful … deadly. Nikki mashed a key hit in the fourth inning and showed her usual steady defense at the hot corner.
Steve Kutz is either brave or crazy. Just hours after his bride Rebecca brought Olivia into the world, Steve was playing softball. And he was describing diaper duty with gusto that could only come from a new dad. Congrats Steve and Rebecca!
Rachel Zollman. Beautiful … dangerous. Rachel tried taking out KM1 first-baseman Brian Vigna in the first inning, except that Viggy is the immovable object, sending Rachel hurtling up the baseline and creating a nasty scrape.
Sidekick Chad Zollman put on a hitting and fielding clinic. One spectacular blast cleared the fence with room to spare, but was just foul. There were several amazing plays at short, including one racing backwards into the outfield and another snaring a blazing line drive that had double written all over it. But the wildest came after KM1 bomber Nick Rodhammer blistered a shot to deep left and was thinking homer all the way. But Mike Light fired a relay to Chad, who turned and delivered a spot-on rope to Mike Gillis covering home to beat a diving and sliding Nick by a foot. It was stunning.
Cindy Mirque. Beautiful … stealthy consistent. Cindy was on base two out of three times, following a Game 1 performance where she reached three of four times. Awesome!
We’re thinking Steve Carins is liking this trade so far. He offered flawless defense and two hits in two at-bats with a run scored.
Angie Bond-Patton. Beautiful … menacing. Any day Angie comes to play is a good day! Two doubles, a run scored, sparkling defense at two positions.
The team leader in home runs? That would be mound magician Mike Gillis, who smashed his second round-tripper of the season and confounded KM1 bats with his usual assortment of nasty junk and pin-point precision.
Chipper Skipper expected all kinds of sympathy when he arrived home with an ever-darkening bruise that stretches across his entire bicep. “Oh, my brave and gallant warrior, how you sacrificed your body for your team!” is what he expected. “No sympathy for you! You’re showing it off! You’re proud of it!” is what he got. OK, he is wearing a short-sleeved shirt to work on Thursday, just in case anybody asks why he is typing with one hand.
He did buy a proper first-aid kit after the game, just in case.
Special thanks: Super fans Venta Norris and Jim Boles provided much support from the bleachers!
Super-special thanks: Aaron Dunham is on the DL, but still came through with a clutch performance by baby-sitting Angie’s young ones so she could be at the game.
Injury alert: Kathy Breslin is recuperating from a leg injury sustained in Game 1. Get better soon, Kathy!
Next game: A 7:15 start – finally – against old rivals Norman Family Dentistry, which tends to be a very good team.
Know Mercy 1 and Know Mercy 2 have engaged in some epic battles over the past three years. But Wednesday’s game ended up as a bit of a one-sided affair, with KM2 flexing its offensive and defensive muscles in a 15-3 victory.
There were plenty of highlights for folks in both dugouts.
Rookie Mike Light made his debut by smashing three hits and coming around to score each time.
Casey Dunham. Beautiful … lethal. Casey tried to lower expectations before the game, saying she had not swung a bat in over a year. Right. She reached base four times in four at-bats and scored four runs.
Jamie Norris extended his on-base streak to an amazing 10 at-bats with a hit in the first inning and walk in the fourth. Alas, it was snapped on a grounder in the sixth inning. But that amazing streak should stand as a KM2 record for a looong time.
Nikki Ferguson. Beautiful … deadly. Nikki mashed a key hit in the fourth inning and showed her usual steady defense at the hot corner.
Steve Kutz is either brave or crazy. Just hours after his bride Rebecca brought Olivia into the world, Steve was playing softball. And he was describing diaper duty with gusto that could only come from a new dad. Congrats Steve and Rebecca!
Rachel Zollman. Beautiful … dangerous. Rachel tried taking out KM1 first-baseman Brian Vigna in the first inning, except that Viggy is the immovable object, sending Rachel hurtling up the baseline and creating a nasty scrape.
Sidekick Chad Zollman put on a hitting and fielding clinic. One spectacular blast cleared the fence with room to spare, but was just foul. There were several amazing plays at short, including one racing backwards into the outfield and another snaring a blazing line drive that had double written all over it. But the wildest came after KM1 bomber Nick Rodhammer blistered a shot to deep left and was thinking homer all the way. But Mike Light fired a relay to Chad, who turned and delivered a spot-on rope to Mike Gillis covering home to beat a diving and sliding Nick by a foot. It was stunning.
Cindy Mirque. Beautiful … stealthy consistent. Cindy was on base two out of three times, following a Game 1 performance where she reached three of four times. Awesome!
We’re thinking Steve Carins is liking this trade so far. He offered flawless defense and two hits in two at-bats with a run scored.
Angie Bond-Patton. Beautiful … menacing. Any day Angie comes to play is a good day! Two doubles, a run scored, sparkling defense at two positions.
The team leader in home runs? That would be mound magician Mike Gillis, who smashed his second round-tripper of the season and confounded KM1 bats with his usual assortment of nasty junk and pin-point precision.
Chipper Skipper expected all kinds of sympathy when he arrived home with an ever-darkening bruise that stretches across his entire bicep. “Oh, my brave and gallant warrior, how you sacrificed your body for your team!” is what he expected. “No sympathy for you! You’re showing it off! You’re proud of it!” is what he got. OK, he is wearing a short-sleeved shirt to work on Thursday, just in case anybody asks why he is typing with one hand.
He did buy a proper first-aid kit after the game, just in case.
Special thanks: Super fans Venta Norris and Jim Boles provided much support from the bleachers!
Super-special thanks: Aaron Dunham is on the DL, but still came through with a clutch performance by baby-sitting Angie’s young ones so she could be at the game.
Injury alert: Kathy Breslin is recuperating from a leg injury sustained in Game 1. Get better soon, Kathy!
Next game: A 7:15 start – finally – against old rivals Norman Family Dentistry, which tends to be a very good team.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Know Mercy 2 shakes off rust, but falls short in season opener
It didn’t result in a victory, but Know Mercy 2 shook off the winter rust with a fine 7-5 performance against JHL Lawncare in the 2009 season opener.
The team got on the board early, with newcomer Chad Zollman kicking off his KM2 career with a double, and coming around to score the season’s first run.
JHL added three in the second, two in the third and one each in the fifth and sixth.
KM2 bats went quiet for a couple innings – well, four of them – but the top of the order lit the fuse in the sixth.
C-Zoll continued to announce his presence with authority with a smash, then Nikki Ferguson set the table for mound magician Mike Gillis, who launched the first homer of the season to score three runs.
Steve Cairns started the seventh with a drive, followed by Cindy Mirque’s amazing third walk of the game.
Dave “Chipper Skipper” Murray then shot one down the first base line that landed fair by a foot and kicked foul, scoring Steve. Cindy, still working on her catcher-spiking moves, was nailed at the plate as Chipper ended up at third, bringing the pulling the team within two.
Alas, that’s where it ended.
But here are some individual highlights:
Nikki had three hits, and sparkled with some late-game defense, grabbing a screamer behind third, planting then shooting an absolute laser across the diamond to nail a runner.
Rob Mirque had two hits and flashed some fine leather at first base. New bride Cindy is the leading candidate for the “Most Improved Player – Female Division,” reaching base three times and making strong throws back to the mound, which Mike deeply appreciated. Plus, she brought awesome Chicago popcorn and caramel corn.
“Most Improved Player – Male Division” has to be Steve Kutts, who had a nice hit and caught the only fly ball of the game. But he’s still in the doghouse for making his very expectant better half chase a foul ball on Sunday.
Speaking of new moms, Rachel Zollman delivered just eight weeks ago and looked sharp!
Her sidekick, Chad, was perfect at the plate and possibly gave a squirrel a concussion.
Kathy Breslin made her KM softball debut and picked up style points for outfield play. She’s a keeper! We like her!
Steve Cairns was stolen from KM1. We’re fairly open about it. He flashed leather and lumber.
Mike Gillis baffled JHL batters with his assortment of junk balls, walking just one and tossing the season’s first bomb!
“Chipper Skipper” had a single and a triple, and a weak pop to the pitcher that was heard to possess “multiple layers of suck.” So there’s room for improvement there.
Next week: An early season showdown against Know Mercy 1.
The team got on the board early, with newcomer Chad Zollman kicking off his KM2 career with a double, and coming around to score the season’s first run.
JHL added three in the second, two in the third and one each in the fifth and sixth.
KM2 bats went quiet for a couple innings – well, four of them – but the top of the order lit the fuse in the sixth.
C-Zoll continued to announce his presence with authority with a smash, then Nikki Ferguson set the table for mound magician Mike Gillis, who launched the first homer of the season to score three runs.
Steve Cairns started the seventh with a drive, followed by Cindy Mirque’s amazing third walk of the game.
Dave “Chipper Skipper” Murray then shot one down the first base line that landed fair by a foot and kicked foul, scoring Steve. Cindy, still working on her catcher-spiking moves, was nailed at the plate as Chipper ended up at third, bringing the pulling the team within two.
Alas, that’s where it ended.
But here are some individual highlights:
Nikki had three hits, and sparkled with some late-game defense, grabbing a screamer behind third, planting then shooting an absolute laser across the diamond to nail a runner.
Rob Mirque had two hits and flashed some fine leather at first base. New bride Cindy is the leading candidate for the “Most Improved Player – Female Division,” reaching base three times and making strong throws back to the mound, which Mike deeply appreciated. Plus, she brought awesome Chicago popcorn and caramel corn.
“Most Improved Player – Male Division” has to be Steve Kutts, who had a nice hit and caught the only fly ball of the game. But he’s still in the doghouse for making his very expectant better half chase a foul ball on Sunday.
Speaking of new moms, Rachel Zollman delivered just eight weeks ago and looked sharp!
Her sidekick, Chad, was perfect at the plate and possibly gave a squirrel a concussion.
Kathy Breslin made her KM softball debut and picked up style points for outfield play. She’s a keeper! We like her!
Steve Cairns was stolen from KM1. We’re fairly open about it. He flashed leather and lumber.
Mike Gillis baffled JHL batters with his assortment of junk balls, walking just one and tossing the season’s first bomb!
“Chipper Skipper” had a single and a triple, and a weak pop to the pitcher that was heard to possess “multiple layers of suck.” So there’s room for improvement there.
Next week: An early season showdown against Know Mercy 1.
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