Softball in Korea 2: Rookie Captain

[StLee]

Daegu Softball League 2012

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Last year I detailed the progression of my third season in the Daegu Softball League: http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=81237&highlight=softball+korea.


This year, things are different. Yours truly is the rookie captain in the league after one of the coaches bowed out in humiliation. In this dynasty, I will detail my trials, my tribulations, and my beer consumption in my first year as a captain in the DSL.

A review of the cast of characters, first the captains:

Lee (AKA “Babs”, AKA “The Badger”) – That’s me. I’m 34 years old, a bit overweight, but still damn good at softball. In a league where we have some guys who played college ball and some guys who sprinted in college, even the somewhat athletic but never at a high level guys like me have a chance to shine, too. Last year I played on the winning team, the Swingers, and won my second Gold Glove at 3B.

2012 Team: Honey Badgers. Internet meme or not, I am a big LSU fan, and Tyrann Mathieu became the true Honey Badger as a Heisman candidate. On my trip to Louisiana this past winter, I packed my old #7 LSU jersey (bought it when Trev Faulk was breathing fire for the Tigers) and a Honey Badgers pin, knowing I had a character and theme for my team. I think I might even start calling myself LB7.

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Doug (AKA “Dougie”) – The defending champion captain and my captain the prior two seasons. Doug hails from Seattle, Washington, and is 34 like me. He has been one of my best friends in Korea, even though he roots for shitty teams like the Seattle Seahawks—I’ll root for them more now that they have my boy Matt Flynn—and the Seattle Mariners.

2012: The Swingers. Still green and will be toting the champions trophy around each game. Doug has more swagger now since he was the only one of the original captains without a championship.

Chris (AKA “Bolg” pronounced /bolge/) – Bolger is another of the original captains and has what I think is the dumbest team name in our entire league. Yet, he has been a champion (2010) in the league. This Canuck from Ontario thinks he knows a thing or two about softball.

2012 Team: The Bus Drivers return. Keeping their royal blue, the Bus Drivers are looking to return to their winning ways.

Bill (AKA “Wild Bill” AKA “The Belly Button”) – Another of my good friends in Korea and a former co-worker. Bill was the rookie captain last season who took his team to the brink, losing to the mighty Swingers in the championship game. He’s also the oldest captain.

2012 Team: Pitch Slappers. He dropped the “The” from his team name and changed from print to a logo look, but the South Florida grad hangs on to his Miami Dolphins love, choosing orange with a aqua print to ride out the 2012 season.

Jason (AKA “Jayo” AKA “Jaaaaaaaaayoooooo”) – Jayo has had the most success in Daegu softball history, claiming the league’s first three titles. However, his team missed the playoffs last year, giving the Philadelphia native some much-needed humility.

2012 Team: Hanamana. The only team named after a business, Jayo returns to his Phillies colors, sporting red shirts. He also is trying to return to winning. We’ll see.

Adam (AKA “Beattie” AKA “Beatle”) – One of the better player/captains in the group, the Beatle is usually right around the top with the best team in the regular season, but he has yet to claim a championship. Like Bolg, Beattie hails from Ontario.

2012 Team: The Master Batters. Like the Swingers and Pitch Slappers, the Master Batters maintain a long tradition of sexual innuendo in softball team names. Like usual, the Master Batters should be one of the top teams in the league thanks to their coach.

Scott (AKA “Scotty” AKA “Timp”) – Scott was another of the rookie coaches last season, and his team was really competitive. Hailing from Connecticut, Timp was trying to “bring back the Whalers” through Daegu Softball last season. This season he’s jumped on the sexual innuendo bandwagon…kind of. Timp is also one of the better captains in the season, manning shortstop for his team.

2012 Team: H.I.T. Positive. Yes sir. Political correctness is not a factor for these machismo dudes.

Corey (AKA “Big mothaf***er”) – Corey is large and in charge. He had last year’s Most Valuable Player, but his team did not go very far. This year he returns to his philosophy of getting guys who look good on paper.

2012 Team: Multiple Scoregasms. Same as last year, the third of our Ontario captains keeps his same name from last season.

[britrock88]

Awesome.

[StLee]

Today is our draft party. I'd like to post more today, but I'll have to wait until some time during the week or Sunday afternoon. Then I'll give you full details of our DSL 2012 draft.

If you read through last season's dynasty, you will see that there was another team, the Yellow Fever. Charlie was their captain. He is a young guy who loves going out on the weekends, so he went with a team of his drinking buddies when he drafted. Well, his team went 0-10, and in shame he decided not to return as a captain this season.

I had a chance in the past to be a captain, but I passed on the chance because at first I was planning a wedding and then preparing for a child, who arrived in the middle of the season last year. Now I get my chance, and I plan to be much better than Charlie ever was!

[StLee]

Awesome.

Thanks! Did you ever start out a dynasty on your work softball team/league?

[britrock88]

Shoot, I should have, but was too busy to get around to it. (Good memory there.) And the law school softball team is a little too abysmal to spend the time recapping for you guys. I'll find a time and a place for a good RL dynasty, though...

[StLee]

The Draft

I did my homework. I consulted. I moved people up and down my draft board. After all this, I still didn’t feel prepared for my first draft as a rookie captain. Everyone else knew a little more than I did, but I went in with a plan.

Here is my philosophy for softball: get a team of players who can run around much faster than I can and who aren’t looking to put the ball over the fence with each swing.

So my approach to drafting was to look for people who could fit on my team.

The captains drew cards for draft and division placement. Bill drew the ace, Jayo the 2, Dougie the 3, Corey the 4, Lee the 5, Timp the 6, Bolg the 7, and Beatle the 8. Thus the draft order was set, and we used an odds and evens draw for divisions, so Division 1 (don’t know if it’s the Hite or Cass division yet) is Pitch Slappers, The Swingers, Honey Badgers, and The Bus Drivers, and Division 2 is Hanamana, The Multiple Scoregasms, H.I.T. Positive, and The Master Batters.

Bill was excited at first grabbing the first overall pick because that meant he could grab two-time league MVP and former college player Brandon B. So that was who he took. Jayo grabbed a damn fine defensive player with a solid bat Halbreich. Dougie followed with his shortstop and tournament MVP Rausa. Corey went with league MVP Matty Soup. Soup was not higher because he announced earlier that he would miss four games during the middle of the season.

My turn was next, and I considered making a trade to ensure I could grab both guys I targeted. However, I decided to take my chances that my second pick would be there when we snaked around. So I stayed at number 5 and selected Frank Q, who was my teammate last year. He lives for softball, has a nice combination of power and gap hits, and he is solid as an outfielder. I drafted him thinking he might be my CF, but I hope he can play his usual LF.

Timp followed by taking Whitacre, who I considered but decided he doesn’t fit my team needs. Whitacre is a lefty who can hit them over the fence, but he is usually a HR or bust kind of hitter. Not what I wanted for my team. Bolg surprised everyone when he didn’t take his usual 1st rounder, Digger, but instead went with the young’un and our league “reporter,” Carp.

When Beattie’s turn came up, he called Bill to the side, and they talked trade, finally deciding on a trade where Brandon B went to the Master Batters and Bill moved up with some of his picks. So Bill grabbed two players for the snake, Nuotio and Prewitt, two really fast guys who can single teams to death and play great defense.

I won’t go through every single pick in the draft, but I wanted to detail the first round to see which players should be competing for league MVP this season.

In the second round, Timp beat me to my little secret. J Riley is my co-worker and new to Daegu. He and I threw some balls and went to the batting cage, and I could see that he is a hell of a ball player. So with the 12th pick, I figured I could get my first real steal of the draft. But then Timp picked him, and my heart dropped. I didn't have a good backup plan, but I drafted Greenough who is a pretty good SS in the league. That pick would come into play later.

In the third round, I drafted a New Zealander, Ussher. He was out most of the season last year due to a back injury, but he is tall and a good ball player.

In the fourth round, I picked Dustin S, a very athletic guy who can field grounders and is a great gap hitter. He also has, in my opinion, the second hottest woman in all of Daegu. My wife, of course, is the hottest.

In the fifth round, I went with someone else’s knowledge and grabbed Keeler. Most of the coaches ripped that pick as my worst thus far, stating that he sucked, but a couple of other people told me that he was a solid defensive outfielder and wasn’t an easy out when batting. We’ll see, of course, but I have confidence he would be one of my starters in the OF.

My sixth pick was a buddy of mine, Lowell. He is young and quick and a good defensive outfielder, too. With that pick, I knew my starting outfield was set.

My seventh pick, Gonzalez, was a guy who went much higher last season, but dropped this season because he has some arm troubles. He was slotted at SS a season ago, but his throwing arm was so weak that people were beating out throws. So he was moved to 2B and started doing what he was supposed to do. At that pick, I had him as my utility infielder, probably backing up Ussher at 2B, or playing as a rover.

Due to a run of some of the better females being picked, I went with a woman in the eighth round, and grabbed my former teammate MaryKay. I targeted her for my team because she hit nearly .500 (!!!!) on the season, a phenomenal batting average for a woman in our league, and defensively she is a person who will do what it takes to make a play, so I have her as a starting rover.

With my ninth pick, I went with a new guy. He’s young and looks to be fast, so I drafted Sundell. He seems a bit goofy, but I figured he could be valuable as a rover and backup outfielder.

With my tenth pick, I grabbed one more former Swinger with DeBree. He was not a great hitter for us a season ago, but he had his only extra base hit in the championship game, so I would consider that clutch. For him, my idea was to make him a straight up utility player, backing up people in the OF and IF. He played 1B and 2B for the Swingers last season, but he is athletic and can move around.

My eleventh pick was my second female, a buddy and teammate three years ago, MJ. She is a Korean married to a Canadian, and she is fun to be around and a joy to have as a teammate.

My final pick was my final female player, Camille. She is best known for getting hit in the face with a ball while playing rover, giving her some awesome black eyes during part of the season.

That was my team, until the draft was finished. Then people started hitting me up for trades. The first trade offer that I gave serious consideration to was a Frank for J Riley trade. Timp didn’t seem set on the trade, and I knew the trade would mean I had too many infielders and not enough outfielders, so I decided to pass.

Then Jayo offered me a blockbuster. He was willing to give up Halbreich if I gave him a few top players. We negotiated for about 15 minutes, with me trying to grab a player or two on his board different than what he was offering, but he insisted that I sweeten the pot before he gave up the second best player in the league. Finally I agreed. So, I sent my 2nd (Greenough), 3rd (Ussher), and 6th (Lowell) picks to Hanamana. In return I got his 1st (Halbreich), 4th (John Johnson), and 12th (MacMillan) picks.

Halbreich is a great baseball player but he was slowed up last season due to some injuries. We’re co-workers and he and I threw the ball around at work one day. He told me he’s ready to go, so I am really happy to get him as my starting SS. Offensively and defensively, he is much better than Greenough, so I got a great trade in that part.

I hated to give up Ussher and Lowell, but I hope I got something worth it. John Johnson was a sprinter in college, so he’s as fast as the wind. He’s one of the new players, so I asked him about his playing ability for new player sign ups. He told me that he has been practicing catching fly balls, so I had a lot of confidence in his ability to be my CF (which I didn’t really have one before).

Finally was MacMillan. He has experience playing ball, but as a new guy to the league, he was a bit of an annoyance on our Facebook group and at the new player sign up. I have a feeling that he’ll be a guy I have some problems with, but I am a border alpha male and will tell him to STFU when I need to. His attitude more than his potential was the reason he was the second to last player drafted.

There’s my team. Based on the position drafted, this is my probably opening defensive alignment:

C – MJ
1B – Dustin
2B – Gonzalez
SS – Halbreich
3B – The Badger
LF – Frank
CF – John Johnson
RF – Keeler
LROV – MaryKay
RROV – Sundell
Bench – DeBree
Bench – McMillan
Bench – Camille

We have a rule that no player can sit out two straight innings unless they have an injury, so we have an unlimited substitution rule. DeBree will probably jump into RF in the 2nd, McMillan will play 1B, and Dustin will move to 3B while I sit. I am an asset as a defensive player, but I’ll sacrifice some time to get everyone on the field. Camille and MJ will rotate at C every inning, and occasionally they’ll get a chance to play ROV.

As for batting, I want to wait to see what some of them can do and how well they run before I make a batting order. We have a practice on March 31 and play our first game on April 1.

[StLee]

The Final Countdown and the Heartbreak of Managing

This year, the sixth of DSL’s illustrious history, is unique in that it is the first season where there has been any competition.

In my opinion, Daegu is the best place in Korea for foreigners because of the overly active expatriate community. There is no shortage of activities. You can almost play any sport or participate in any activity you are interested in. Well, this season, the growing popularity of Ultimate Frisbee has thrown our first week in flux.

For the reason that we do not want the softball season to cut too far into the summer, thus preventing many of our players from going on vacation, we usually start our season around the first weekend of April (or last of March if it works that way). In our 11-week season, there is usually a long weekend or two where people like to travel, so the season is generally stretched over 13 weeks. This season, we have a Week 2 bye because of the Ultimate Frisbee championship tournament.

Week 1 is not a bye, though, but we have run into some huge scheduling problems. On my team alone, I have five Ultimate Frisbee players. They all have games scheduled around the time of our first softball game, so I am a little nervous about being able to field a team for my first ever game.

Thankfully, two of the Frisbee players said they are skipping their Frisbee weekend because they want to play ball, not that fru-fru game they play otherwise. Two of my players are captains in Ultimate Frisbee, so they cannot miss their games. One of those has a game before our softball game and may be able to make it in time to play. The other’s game would start right in the middle of ours, so I’m not going to let him play.

Our rule is that a player who leaves in the middle of the game is considered an out in every subsequent at bat. In that case, it’s better for him to miss the game, even though he is my starting CF.

I just realized while typing this that I have already named the cast of characters, so I can tell who they are. Keeler and Mary Kay said they will play ball on Sunday. Sundell said he has a Frisbee game, but he realizes it is late enough where he can make it to our game and probably play the entire game. DeBree and John Johnson are the two captains. DeBree may be able to come just a little late to our game, bat 13th and still play. JJ will not be able to play on Sunday.

Despite this, the first weekend of DSL 2012 is upon us. We are going to have a loose practice on Saturday and then meet the Bus Drivers on Sunday.

Here is our season schedule:

Week 1 – April 1 – vs Bus Drivers
April 8 – Bye because of Ultimate Frisbee Tournament
Week 2 – April 15 – vs Swingers
Week 3 – April 22 – vs Pitch Slappers
Week 4 – April 29 – vs Master Batters
Week 5 – May 6 – vs HIT Positive
Week 6 – May 13 – vs Multiple Scoregasms
Week 7 – May 20 – vs Hanamana
May 27 – Bye because of national holiday
Week 8 – June 3 – vs Bus Drivers
Week 9 – June 10 – vs Swingers
Week 10 – June 17 – vs Pitch Slappers
Week 11 – June 24 – Championship Tournament

[StLee]

After a little controversy in my first ever game (to be explained in my next post), I can say that I am a winning coach and already better than the Yellow Fever's The Herd in DSL career wins.

Our first game was against one of the league's founders, Bolg, and his Bus Drivers. For the game, we shot to an early lead with some great defensive play, but some late defensive lapses allowed the Bus Drivers to get back in the game. We were the road team. In the first, we put three on the board and the Bus Drivers went scoreless. Neither team scored in the second. In the third, we added three more and the Bus Drivers scored their first run to make it 6-1. Both teams scored in the fourth to make it 7-2. In the fifth, we scored two, but the Bus Drivers answered with four to make it 9-6. We scored two more in the sixth, but the Bus Drivers reached the maximum five runs to make it an 11 all game. We got three in the top of the seventh and held the Bus Drivers to a run, holding on for the 14-12 victory for the Honey Badgers.

This was our lineup in the game:
1 - Halbreich - SS
2 - Gonzalez - 2B/RROV
3 - DeBree - 1B
4 - Frank - CF
5 - Mary Kay - LROV
6 - Dustin - 3B
7 - Keeler - RF
8 - Lee - LF
9 - MJ - C/LROV
10 - McMillan - 2B
11 - Sundell - RROV
12 - Camille - C

DNP – Johnson

I definitely changed up what I planned to do when I drafted my team. First of all, I am one of the best third basemen in the league, but since my starting center fielder was out for the game, I decided to play LF (I was an outfielder in baseball) to help out our team. Dustin was supposed to be our 1B and DeBree was supposed to be a utility guy on defense. Based on the performance of the game, I decided to keep both DeBree and Dustin in those permanent positions and I will move around as needed throughout the season.

DeBree definitely impressed me the most on his defensive play. There were a couple of times where he hesitated to throw the ball, once allowing a run to score and another time allowing a runner to reach third, but I have confidence he will start to believe in himself more and trust his fellow players to make the catch. As a first baseman, though, he was top notch, catching everything that came to him, including a couple of off throws.

Halbreich also played well at SS as I expected him to do. He turned two 6U-3 double plays, which really sparked our defense early in the game. No one else really stood out on the day. For me, I had two fly balls hit my way, making both catches, but I did rush a throw on a tag up and it helped the Bus Drivers score a run in their five-run inning.

Here were the batting results. I apologize because I was pitching most of the time, so I don’t know the exact results of plays (GO 6-3, for instance):

1st inning: Visiting team
Halbreich – Double
Gonzalez – Ground out, Halbreich to 3rd
DeBree – RBI single, (HB 1-0)
Frank – 2-RBI HR, (HB 3-0)
MaryKay – Ground out
Dustin – Single
Keeler – Ground out

2nd inning: Leading 3-0
Lee – FO-7
MJ – ground out, 3U
McMillan – single
Sundell – Ground out, 4U

3rd inning: Leading 3-0
Camille – Ground out
Halbreich – Double
Gonzalez – Out
DeBree – RBI single, (HB 4-0)
Frank – 2-RBI HR, (HB 6-0)
Mary Kay – GO 5-3

4th inning: Leading 6-1
Dustin – HR (HB 7-1)
Keeler – GO
Babin – GO, 3U (I was trying to go over the 1B’s head because the RF was playing wayyyyy off the line, but I just didn’t hit it solid and was out instead of getting a four-bagger or at least a triple)
MJ – GO

5th inning: Leading 7-2
McMillan – Double
Sundell – Single
Camille – FC, 6-5, McMillan out at third
Halbreich – FC, Camille out at second
Gonzalez – RBI double, Sundell scored (HB 8-2)
DeBree – RBI single, Halbreich scored (HB 9-2)
Frank – FO

6th inning: Leading 9-6
MaryKay – GO, 6-3
Dustin – FO-7
Keeler – Single
Lee – 2-RBI HR, (HB 11-6. This time I got it like I wanted and just went over the RF’s head. I don’t always go opposite field, but I just saw no respect for my placement skills and tried to go down the line again. This time, I hit it spot on and saw the RF retreating and then looking up, and I knew I could keep running all day)
MJ – Strike out

7th inning: Tied 11-11
McMillan – Single
Sundell – Infield single
Camille – Infield single (sloppy field allowed the ball to die just past the plate)
Halbreich – RBI fielder’s choice, McMillan scored, Camille out at second (HB 12-11)
Gonzalez – RBI single, Sundell scored (HB 13-11)
DeBree – RBI single, Halbreich scored (HB 14-11)
Frank – FC, Gonzalez out at third
MaryKay – Ground out

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HoneyBadgersWeek1Batting.jpg

[StLee]

Our league had a bye week this past weekend, so we are still sitting at one game played.

I mentioned in my last post that there was some controversy in my last game. Now, I will attempt to explain the situation, though in the end it made no big difference.

In my first game as a rookie captain, I had a set lineup for offense and defense. We have 13 players per team, but a few rule stipulations. If a girl is out, then one of the girls must bat twice. The Bus Drivers had a girl out for the game, so they batted one of their players twice. I had a guy out, so I played with a 12-person batting lineup.

Another rule that came into play was the defensive substitution rule. There are no limits to the number of substitutions I can make. I must play two females at all times. Also, every player must play at least four innings. Here is where my controversy set in: one of my players did NOT play four defensive innings. In fact, he only played one. Why? Well, he benched himself, claiming his arm was hurting too much to play in the field. I said OK and moved on, not thinking I was doing anything wrong because of the “spirit” of the rule. I did not bench him, but he benched himself.

We played the game and won, as I posted last time. That night I received a call from Bolg. He sweet talked me and gave me the “Listen, I have a question. How many innings did McMillan play on defense?” The set up. I answered and got the barrage: “You knew the rules but you sat him anyway. You have to forfeit the game.”

In the end, I said no, but I did agree to allow the other captains to decide. The coaches, to Bolg’s dismay, allowed us to keep the win, but penalized us 10 runs on the tiebreaker and forfeiture of home field in the rematch.

Bolg was livid, demanding that the other captains reconsider their decision. Their final rule was that they couldn’t assume that the final results would have been different.

The issue has caused a lot of anger and resentment among the captains. I wish I could re-do the game. I wish that the situation would never have occurred, but I regret one thing more than anything else.

I never realized just how much winning and losing really mean, even in beer leagues. I am not the type who lets losses ruin my week, be it for the teams I root for or play for, but I am possibly alone. The loss ruined Bolg’s week and possibly more. Without going into too many details, he and I can never have a relationship beyond the “How’s it going?” variety because I no longer respect him as a man based on his reaction to the situation.

Yes, I messed up. But more than my error in judgment, I messed up by not realizing just how competitive some people truly are. It has dampened my enthusiasm for the softball season, but I hope to recover when playing on Sundays.

On a side note, I strained (I hope only that) my rotator cuff on my throwing shoulder on Sunday, and more than a week later it still hurts, though my range of motion is much better than it was a couple of days after the game. Any of you have or have had rotator cuff problems? Is it just going to get worse for me, or do some daily exercises help to keep it in check and I just need to be careful when throwing?

[StLee]

In game two, I had the opportunity to face my former captain, Doug and the Swingers (2011 champions). Looking at the draft, Doug's team is definitely one of the favorites in the league.

For our game, his team showed it, though my team gave A LOT of help. The final score was 23-14 in favor of the Swingers, and by my count, the Honey Badgers committed at least 25 errors. Yes, we were THAT bad on defense. However, I cannot complain about our offensive output.

By inning, the Swingers scored a quick three in the first, and we answered with a run. The Swingers scored the max 5 in the 2nd, and we could not score. In the third, the Swingers scored three and we answered with our own three to make it 11-4. The Swingers got five again in the fourth, and we only scored one to make it 16-5. After four more runs in the 5th, the Honey Badgers answered with two. The Swingers completed their scoring in the sixth, scoring three, and the we answered with our first max inning to make it 23-12. We held them to no runs in the seventh, but we could only score 2 in our comeback bid for the final 23-14 count.

The lineup:
1 - Halbreich - SS
2 - DeBree - 1B
3 - Frank - CF
4 - Gonzalez - 2B/LF
5 - Mary Kay - LROV/RROV
6 - Dustin - 3B
7 - McMillan - RROV / 2B
8 - Keeler - RF
9 - Lee - LF
10 - Camille - C/RROV
11 - Sundell - RROV/RF
12 - MJ - C/LROV

DNP - Johnson - frisbee all-star game in Jeju, Korea

My scorers did not indicate how people were out, which sucks for me determining batting order. I put them in where I could remember.
Bottom 1st: Trailing 3-0
Halbreich - 1B, advance on error
DeBree - RBI 1B (1-3)
Frank - out
Gonzalez - 1B, out at third because he was off base
MaryKay - 1B
Dustin - ground out

Bottom 2nd: Trailing 8-1
McMillan - ground out
Keeler - 1B
Lee - FO-9
Camille - out

Bottom 3rd: Trailing 11-1
Sundell - 1B
MJ - FC, Sundell to 2nd
Halbreich - FC, Sundell to 3rd
DeBree - RBI single (2-11)
Frank - 1B
Gonzalez - 2-RBI single, advanced (4-11)
MaryKay - GO

Bottom 4th: Trailing 16-4
Dustin - out
McMillan - 2B
Keeler - 1B
Lee - RBI SacFly (5-16)
Camille - FO

Bottom 5th: Trailing 20-5
Sundell - 1B
MJ - out
Halbreich - RBI single (6-20)
DeBree - RBI single (7-20)
Frank - FC
Gonzalez - out

Bottom 6th: Trailing 23-7
MaryKay - 1B
Dustin - FO7
McMillan - 1B
Keeler - 1B
Lee - 3-RBI single, advanced (10-23)
Camille - out
Sundell - RBI single (11-23)
MJ - 1B
Halbreich - RBI single (12-23, 5-run rule)

Bottom 7th: Trailing 23-12
DeBree - HR (13-23)
Frank - Pop Out
Gonzalez - 1B
MaryKay - FC
Dustin - RBI single (14-23)
McMillan - out

Game over

In the field, we were terrible! Halbreich just could not get the handle on the ball on a bunch of routine plays. Dustin made some terrible throws from 3B. I missed a fly ball that resulted in a four-bagger. Frank gave up an error-aided grand slam when he was more focused on his throw rather than catching the ball. Sundell also misplayed one in RF that allowed two players to score. We lost the game ONLY because of terrible defense.

With that said, I don't think we'll have that kind of game again. I am very proud of what our bats have been doing. Even though Frank and Dustin weren't as productive as they usually are, our team still kept manufacturing runs. If we can average two runs an inning throughout the season, we'll come out on top in the vast majority of games.

Next week, we play the 0-2 Pitch Slappers. Bill's team has been looking quite pedestrian, dropping their last game 17-4 to the Bus Drivers. I am expecting a win this week to move to 2-1 in the first round of division play.

[StLee]

Week 2 Batting. Damn the errors!

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek2.jpg

[StLee]

In Week 3, we took on the defending runner-up captain, Wild Bill and his Pitch Slappers. For the game, he was down two men, and he ended up losing a third to injury, leaving him with a total of 10 players for the majority of the game.

In the end, however, his team rallied when the Honey Badgers bats fizzled, coupled with some grievous base-running errors to end the game 14-11 in favor of the Pitch Slappers.

By inning:
Honey Badgers 5/0/1/2/3/0/0 - 11
Pitch Slappers 2/2/1/2/5/2/X - 14

Lineup:

1 – Halbreich – SS
2 – DeBree – 1B/RF/RROV
3 – Frank – CF
4 – Keeler – LF
5 – MaryKay – LROV
6 – Dustin – 1B/2B/3B
7 – Gonzalez – 2B/LF/RF
8 – Sundell – RROV
9 – Babin – 3B
10 – Camille – C/LROV
11 – McMillan – RROV/2B
12 – Johnson – RF
13 – MJ – C/LROV

Top 1st:
Halbreich – 2B
DeBree – 1B
Frank – RBI double (1-0)
Keeler – 2-RBI double (3-0)
MaryKay – pop out, Keeler to 3rd
Dustin – RBI SF (4-0)
Gonzalez – 1B
Sundell – 1B
Babin – RBI single (5-run rule, 5-0)

Top 2nd: Leading 5-2
Camille – pop out
McMillan – out
Johnson – 1B
MJ – 1B
Halbreich – GO

Top 3rd: Leading 5-4
DeBree – out
Frank – pop out
Keeler – 1B
MaryKay – RBI double (6-4)
Dustin – out

Top 4th: Leading 6-5
Gonzalez – 1B, off base for out
Sundell – 1B
Babin – RBI triple (7-5) – I was down to the last pitch and the ball was high, so I just tomahawked it deep into the LCF gap
Camille – RBI single (8-5)
McMillan – 1B, but out on base for turning in
Johnson – FO

Top 5th: Leading 8-7
MJ – 1B
Halbreich – 1B
DeBree – 2-RBI triple (10-7)
Frank – RBI SF (11-7)
Keeler – 1B
MaryKay – FC, Keeler out at 2nd
Dustin – FC

Top 6th: Trailing 12-11
Gonzalez – out
Sundell – 1B
Babin – 2B, Sundell out at 3rd
Camille – 1B
McMillan – out

Top 7th: Trailing 14-11
Johnson – K
MJ – GO
Halbreich – 1B
DeBree – No at bat, Halbreich off base

After this game, I am going to move the order around. I'm producing a lot from the 9th spot, but I think I can produce more from higher up where my other big hitters Dustin and Frank aren't getting it done. This may cause a pitching problem since Halbreich and I are the pitchers, but Halbreich is not doing a good job pitching. I'm not doing much better but definitely better than Halbreich's doing. Therefore, we're going to need a third player to step up and get it done on the mound.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek3.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBSeasonAfterWeek3.jpg

[StLee]

I am a week behind my updates. Every time I had the time to post stats last week, I didn't have my stats sheet with me. So I will post two times this week for my team's results. I'll post the second one in a couple of days.
-----------

In Week 4, we took on the only remaining undefeated team in the league, the Master Batters. Our team was down Johnson again, but the Master Batters were missing the first overall pick in the league, and former two-time league MVP Brandon Brown.

Though they were down a player, the Master Batters are still solid defensively, and they held us in check. We didn’t score at all in the first and the Batters scored a run. In the second, we scored a run, but the Batters answered with three to take a 4-1 lead. We go shut out again in the 3rd inning, and they scored three more to make it 7-1. We put two in the fourth and fifth innings and held them scoreless to make it 7-5 after five. In the sixth, we tied it up in the top of the inning, but the Master Batters got two of their own in the inning. We couldn’t get a run in the 7th, and the Master Batters held on for a 9-7 victory.

In the game, I decided to juggle our batting order a bit, including moving myself way up in the order. However, we went down in runs. Too many people hit the ball in the air, and the Master Batters just did not drop fly balls, so it could have been a set of circumstances coupled with great defense for us to score our season low.

Lineup:
1 – Keeler – LF
2 – Sundell – RROV/RF
3 – Lee – 3B
4 – Halbreich – SS
5 – Gonzalez – 2B
6 – DeBree – RF
7 – MJ – C/LROV
8 – Frank – CF
9 – McMillan – RROV
10 – Dustin – 1B
11 – MaryKay – LROV
12 – Camille – C/LROV

Top 1st:
Keeler – out
Sundell – out
Lee – 1B
Halbreich – out

Top 2nd: Trailing 1-0
Gonzalez – HR (1-1)
DeBree – out
MJ – out
Frank – 1B
McMillan – out

Top 3rd: Trailing 4-1
Dustin – fly out
MaryKay – single
Camille – fielder’s choice
Keeler – out

Top 4th: Trailing 7-1
Sundell – 1B
Lee – 2-RBI HR (3-7) – Like a lot of teams, they shifted on me, leaving a huge gap in RCF. I hit it there and kept running as fast as my big belly could carry me.
Halbreich – out
Gonzalez – out
DeBree – 1B
MJ – out

Top 5th: Trailing 7-3
Frank – 2B
McMillan – out
Dustin – RBI double (4-7)
MaryKay – 1B
Camille – RBI FC (5-7) – nice hit over the shortstop’s head, but MaryKay didn’t get to second in time.
Keeler – 1B
Sundell – out

Top 6th: Trailing 7-5
Lee – 1B
Halbreich – 1B
Gonzalez – out, runners advanced
DeBree – 2-RBI double (7-7)
MJ – GO
Frank – FO

Top 7th: Trailing 9-7
McMillan – 1B
Dustin – FO
MaryKay – 4-6-3 DP

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek4.jpg

[StLee]

In Week 5, we faced a team that got off to the slowest start in DSL 2012 by going 0 for their first three, but found a way to pull off a victory in game number 4. HIT Positive, formerly the Whalers, was ready to put their great offense (but suspect defense) to the test against my Honey Badgers.

In the top of the 1st and due to some problematic field conditions, HIT + started off with a 5-run inning. We answered in the bottom of the first with three to make it 5-3. HIT + could not get a run the next two innings, and we got three more in the third to take a 6-5 lead. In the fifth inning, HIT + got three and we answered with one to make it 8-7 in favor of HIT +. They got the max five runs again in the sixth. That sucked in two ways, because they were at the bottom of their order with two outs, a runner on first, and no runs scored, but thanks to two errors in a row, they went on a roll and got five. In the bottom of the inning, we added two to make it 13-9 heading to the final inning. Each team scored a run in the 7th for the 14-10 final, a fourth straight loss for the Honey Badgers.

In the game, it was a story of the outfield playing too short. They hit 6 HRs on a wide open field, all of them sailing over our outfielders’ heads. In the first inning, we were sharing the field with a baseball team, so our LF was their infield. HIT Positive took advantage of that and hit three balls into the baseball team’s area. But those heavy hits just kept coming, so the shallow defense was our true undoing.

Lineup:
1 – Keeler – LF
2 – DeBree – RF/1B
3 – Lee – 3B
4 – Gonzalez – 2B
5 – Frank – CF/LF
6 – Sundell – ROV/RF
7 – Halbreich – SS
8 – MaryKay – ROV
9 – McMillan – ROV
10 – Dustin – 1B/2B/3B
11 – Camille – C/ROV
12 – Johnson – RF/CF
13 – MJ – C/ROV

Bottom 1st: Trailing 5-0
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – FO
Lee – RBI double (1-5)
Gonzalez – 2-RBI HR (3-5)
Frank – 1B
Sundell – out
Halbreich – out

Bottom 2nd: Trailing 5-3
MaryKay – out
McMillan – out
Dustin – 1B
Camille – K

Bottom 3rd: Trailing 5-3
Johnson – 1B
MJ – 1B
Keeler – FO
DeBree – RBI double (4-5)
Lee – LO-6
Gonzalez – 2-RBI single (6-5)
Frank – FO

Bottom 4th: Leading 6-5
Sundell – out
Halbreich – 2B
MaryKay – out
McMillan – out

Bottom 5th: Trailing 8-6
Dustin – 1B
Camille – out
Johnson – RBI out (7-8)
MJ – out
I didn't take the stats and don’t remember the situation. I’m not sure how Dustin scored. It was probably due to some error, but I have no idea. The person who took stats only drew an ‘X’ and circled RBI.

Bottom 6th: Trailing 13-7
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – out
Lee – RBI double (8-13)
Gonzalez – 2B, Lee advanced to 3B. My mistake on base running because I should have seen it would drop, but the ball hung up a little, so I waited in case it was caught.
Frank – RBI FC (9-13)
Sundell – hit the pitcher for automatic out

Bottom 7th: Trailing 14-9
Halbreich – 1B
MaryKay – FC
McMillan – 4-3. Ball was popped up, second baseman misplayed it. McMillan was standing in the batter’s box. He was tagged out before he reached first. :banghead:
Dustin – RBI single (10-14), out trying for double and missed the bag

Two straight batters with bone-headed plays on the bases. Sums up our season so far, thus why we are 1-4.

Stats:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek5.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBSeasonAfterWeek5.jpg

Current Standings:
Cass
Bus Drivers 3-2
Swingers 3-2
Pitch Slappers 2-3
Honey Badgers 1-4

Hite
Master Batters 5-0
XXX Scoregasms 2-3
HIT Positive 2-3
Hanamana 2-3

We play XXX Scoregasms this coming weekend and really need the win to stay in the playoff hunt. They will be down their best player for the game, so if we are going to get a win, this is the week.

[StLee]

In our sixth game, we took on the Multiple Scoregasms, and things are still not looking up for the Honey Badgers. We fell down big early and the Scoregasms cruised to the easy 18-8 victory.

Score by innings
Honey Badgers 1-0-2-1-0-2-2-8
Scoregasms 5-3-3-5-1-1-X-18

Lineup:
1 – Keeler – LF/RF
2 – DeBree – RF/1B
3 – Lee – 3B
4 – Gonzalez – SS
5 – Sundell – ROV/RF
6 – Frank – CF/LF
7 – Halbreich – 2B/3B
8 – McMillan – ROV
9 – Dustin – 1B
10 – MaryKay – ROV
11 – Johnson – CF
12 – Camille – C/ROV
13 – MJ – C/ROV

Top 1st:
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – FC, advanced
Babin – RBI single (1-0)
Gonzalez – out
Sundell – hit the pitcher, out

Top 2nd: Trailing 5-1
Frank – pop out, 2
Halbreich – 1B
McMillan – pop out, 3
Dustin – 2B
MaryKay – FO, 9

Top 3rd: Trailing 8-1
Johnson – 1B
Camille – FC
MJ – 1B
Keeler – RBI single (2-8)
DeBree – RBI ground out (3-8)
Lee – FO, 9

Top 4th: Trailing 11-3
Gonzalez – 3B
Sundell – RBI ground out (4-11)
Frank – FO, 8
Halbreich – FO7

Top 5th: Trailing 16-4
McMillan - Pop out, 6
Dustin – FO, 7
MaryKay – LO, 6

Top 6th: Trailing 17-4
Johnson – 1B
Camille – PO, 5
MJ – FC
Keeler – 2-RBI HR (6-17)
DeBree – GO, 6-3

Top 7th: Trailing 18-6
Lee – FO, 8
Gonzalez – out
Sundell – 1B
Frank – 2-RBI HR (8-18)
Halbreich – FO, 8

Next week we play our last different opponent before going back to division play when we take on Hanamana. We NEED a win soon to stay in the playoff hunt.

Division standings:
HITE
Swingers 4-2
Bus Drivers 3-3
Pitch Slappers 2-4
Honey Badgers 1-5

CASS
Master Batters 6-0
XXX Scoregasms 3-3
HIT Positive 3-3
Hanamana 2-4

Last week’s results:
Master Batters with a walk-off win over the Bus Drivers
Swingers pounded Hanamana
HIT Positive cruised past an undermanned Pitch Slappers team

I'll update stats later.

[StLee]

I've been a bit busy lately, and haven't updated this. I will soon enough.

Just as a spoiler, my team sits at 1-7 with two games to play. We are officially eliminated from the playoffs.

Honey Badger takes what he wants, except a championship.

[StLee]

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek6.jpg

[StLee]

Since I am behind on updating my softball dynasty, I’ll include some dates of games played. On May 20, we took on Hanamana, coached by Jay-O, the foul-mouthed Philadelphian who won the league’s first three championships but hasn’t been anywhere near the championship the past two years coming into this season.

Our team had been plagued lately by falling behind early, and this one was no different. Hanamana scored three in the top of the first, and the Honey Badgers answered with a run. Hanamana scored the maximum five in the second to take an 8-1 lead. Neither team scored again until we added a run in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth, Hanamana scored a run, and we answered with two to make it 9-4 going into the final inning. Hanamana scored six* in the top of the 7th and we went scoreless for a 15-4 final score.

* - In innings 1-6, there is a maximum of five runs a team can score, but the 7th and any extra innings are considered open innings, and a team can score forever if they are capable of doing so.

Also, in this game, I had a great game on defense. I cannot find my stats in the game, but I had at least four put outs and at least five assists in the game, getting a high number of the outs we made in the game. Because of my game, the team chose me as the MVP and I got to keep the Honey Badger of the week pin (I also need to upload a picture of the pin at some point).

Lineup:
1 – Keeler – LF
2 – DeBree – LCF/RCF
3 – Babin – 3B
4 – Gonzalez – SS
5 – Dustin – 1B
6 – Frank – RCF/LCF
7 – MJ – C
8 – Halbreich – RF
9 – MaryKay – ROV/2B
10 – McMillan – 2B/ROV
11 – Camille/MJ – C/ROV

Johnson and Sundell were no shows and Camille was injured in the first inning, causing us to have to bat MJ twice in the lineup due to a league rule that both teams must bat the same number of females in the lineup.

Bottom 1st: Trailing 3-0
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – Hit the pitcher, out
Babin – 1B, Keeler to 3rd
Gonzalez – RBI FC (1-3)
Dustin – out

Bottom 2nd: Trailing 8-1
Frank – 1B
MJ – out
Halbreich – 1B
MaryKay – out
McMillan – out

Bottom 3rd: Trailing 8-1
MJ – 1B
Keeler – FC
DeBree – 1B
Babin – Fly out
Gonzalez – out

Bottom 4th: Trailing 8-1
Dustin – 1B
Frank – fly out
MJ – out
Halbreich – out

Bottom 5th: Trailing 8-1
MaryKay – GO, 6-3
McMillan – GO, 5-3
MJ – 1B
Keeler – RBI double (2-8)
DeBree – GO

Bottom 6th: Trailing 9-2
Babin – 3B
Gonzalez – RBI single (3-9)
Dustin – 1B, out trying to advance to second
Frank – RBI double (4-9)
MJ – out
Halbreich – FO

Bottom 7th: Trailing 15-4
MaryKay – Pop out, 5
McMillan – Line out, 6
MJ – GO, 3-4

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek7.jpg

[StLee]

I'll do my best to blast through these before I have little time for writing. It also depends on how busy I am at work the rest of the day today, the last of the semester.

-----------


Game 8 was played on June 3, this time at a middle school near Downtown Daegu. It was our return to division play and the start of our demise. As a reminder, we played and beat the Bus Drivers in the first game of the season, but there was some controversy where the Bus Drivers protested our win. After that, we did not win another game heading into this game.

Unfortunately for us, we fared no better in this one, falling 13-8 in a game that was a bit tight. In the first we scored a run, but the Drivers answered with three. We tied it in the top of the second, but the Bus Drivers answered with a five-run inning to take an 8-3 lead. We made it tight in the third by scoring three runs and another run in the fourth; however, the Bus Drivers’ three runs gave them an 11-7 lead after four. They added a run each in the fifth and sixth innings, giving them a 13-7 advantage heading into the final inning. In the top of the seventh, the Honey Badger could only muster a run, leading to the 13-8 final.

For the second straight week, we were short Johnson and Sundell. So we played 11 players. Also, McMillan was injured, so he played catcher the entire game and I put a female at 2B.

Lineup:
1 – Keeler – LF
2 – DeBree – RCF
3 – Babin – 3B
4 – Gonzalez – SS
5 – Dustin – 1B
6 – Frank – LCF
7 – MaryKay – ROV/2B
8 – Halbreich – RF
9 – MJ – ROV
10 – McMillan – C
11 – Camille – 2B/ROV

Top 1st:
Keeler – 2B
DeBree – Fly out, Keeler to 3rd
Babin – RBI Sac fly (1-0)
Gonzalez – GO, 5-3

Top 2nd: Trailing 3-1
Dustin – 1B
Frank – FO-9
MaryKay – 1B
Halbreich – RBI double (2-3), MaryKay out at 3rd
MJ – Ground out, Halbreich to 3rd
McMillan – RBI single (3-3), out trying to advance

Top 3rd: Trailing 8-3
Camille – Lineout, 6
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – 1B
Babin – Pop out, 6
Gonzalez – RBI double (4-8)
Dustin – 2-RBI single (6-8)
Frank – FO

Top 4th: Trailing 8-6
Mary Kay – GO, 6-3
Halbreich – 3B
MJ – RBI Groundout, 6-3 (7-8)
McMillan – Popout, 6

Top 5th: Trailing 11-7
Camille – out
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – 1B, Keeler out trying to advance to 3rd
Babin – Popout, 6 (grrrrr – last pitch and I had a shit pitch to swing at)

Top 6th: Trailing 12-7
Gonzalez – out
Dustin – out
Frank – 1B
MaryKay – out

Top 7th: Trailing 13-7
Halbreich – 2B
MJ – RBI single (8-13), out trying to advance to 2nd
McMillan – 1B, advanced on error
Camille – LO-5
Keeler – FO

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek8.jpg

[StLee]

At the completion of the day, we were officially eliminated from the playoffs when the Pitch Slappers beat the Swingers.

Our division standings at this point in the season:
1 - Bus Drivers 4-4
1 - Swingers 4-4
1 - Pitch Slappers 4-4
4 - Honey Badgers 1-7

[StLee]

Game 9, played on June 10, saw the Honey Badgers finally get back in the win column at the hands of my former captain, Doug, and his Swingers. It was the first game in a while where we started out fast, though the end turned into a thrill ride. Also, we got a replacement player for the game for Johnson, who quit on us. Vinny is a DSL vet, but due to uncertainty in where his master’s program would be, he did not sign up for the season.

In the top of the first, we took a 4-0 lead. We followed with the maximum five runs in the second, but the Swingers answered with three runs to make it 9-3. We scored four in the third, and so did the Swingers to make it 13-7. Neither team scored in the fourth. In the fifth, we got three runs, and they scored two to make it 16-9. We couldn’t get a run in the sixth, and they scored the maximum five to cut our lead to 16-14. We scored a run in the seventh, but the Swingers answered with three runs to tie the game. For the first time in the 2012 DSL season, there would be an extra innings game. In the top of the eighth, we scored two runs, and we held the Swingers in check for a 19-17 final.

Lineup:

1 – Keeler
2 – DeBree
3 – Babin
4 – Gonzalez
5 – Dustin
6 – Halbreich
7 – Frank
8 – MaryKay
9 – Vinny
10 – Sundell
11 – Camille
12 – McMillan
13 – MJ

Top 1st :
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – FC, Keeler out at 2nd
Babin – 2B, DeBree to 3rd
Gonzalez – Infield single
Dustin – 3-RBI triple (3-0)
Halbreich – RBI Groundout (4-0)
Frank – 1B, out trying for double

Top 2nd: Leading 4-0
MaryKay – 1B
Vinny – 2B
Sundell – Pop out, 3
Camille – RBI Double (5-0), Vinny to 3rd
McMillan – RBI Single (6-0) Camille to 3rd
MJ – RBI single (6-0), McMillan to 2nd
Keeler – Single (7-0), McMillan out at home
DeBree – RBI single (8-0), Keeler to 3rd
Babin – RBI single (9-0, max 5 runs)

Top 3rd: Leading 9-3
Gonzalez – 1B
Dustin – FO-8, Gonzalez to 2nd
Halbreich – RBI single (10-3), scored on error (11-3)
Frank – 2B
MaryKay – GO, 6-3
Vinny – RBI triple (12-3)
Sundell – RBI single (13-3)
Camille – Popout, 6

Top 4th: Leading 13-7
McMillan – Popout, 6
MJ – 1B
Keeler – FO, 8
DeBree – 1B, MJ to 3rd
Babin – FO, 8

Top 5th: Leading 13-7
Gonzalez – 1B
Dustin – 1B
Halbreich – RBI double (14-7), Dustin to 3rd
Frank – 2-RBI Sac Fly (16-7)
MaryKay – FO, 8
Vinny – FO, ROV

Top 6th: Leading 16-9
Sundell – GO, 3U
Camille – 1B
McMillan – FO, 8
MJ – GO, 6-3

Top 7th: Leading 16-14
Keeler – 1B
DeBree – FO
Babin – FC, 6-4
Gonzalez – 2B, Babin to 3rd
Dustin – RBI single (17-14)
Halbreich – Infield Single
Frank – Popout, 5

Top 8th: Tied 17-17
MaryKay – 1B
Vinny – RBI double (18-17)
Sundell – GO, 4-3
Camille – Popout, 6
McMillan – RBI single (19-17)
MJ – GO, 6-3

[StLee]

In the final game of the regular season, we took on Wild Bill’s Pitch Slappers on June 17 for the second time. Going into the game, the Pitch Slappers had already clinched the division due to tie breakers, but Wild Bill and his crew wanted sole possession of first place.

I will call this game the Drama Game, thanks in part to yours truly. We scored the maximum five runs in the bottom of the 1st and then neither team scored until the top of the fifth when the Pitch Slappers scored three. The Pitch Slappers added three more in the top of the sixth to take the lead, but we answered with a run to knot it at six. In the seventh, the Pitch Slappers scored a run to take a 7-6 lead. We were down to our last out in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second. DeBree then got a single to score the tying run. Then I was up at the plate. My job was to get a base hit and put the winning run in scoring position. However, things did not work out that way. Instead I hit a ball into right field that just kept rolling for a stand-up, walk-off, game-winning double!!!

Sure, we finished the season 3-7 and in last place, but the last two games were dramatic and fun. I’m just glad we came out on top. As it stands, we will finish the season as one of only two who can finish with a win.

Lineup:
1 – Keeler
2 – Gonzalez
3 – Halbreich
4 – Vinny
5 – DeBree
6 – Babin
7 – Dustin
8 – MJ
9 – Frank
10 – McMillan
11 – MaryKay
12 – Camille

Bottom 1st: Tied 0-0
Keeler – 1B
Gonzalez – 1B, Keeler to 3rd
Halbreich – RBI Sac Fly (1-0)
Vinny – Double, Gonzalez to 3rd
DeBree – 2-RBI single (3-0)
Babin – 1B
Dustin – 2-RBI double (5-0)

Bottom 2nd: Leading 5-0
MJ – GO, 6-3
Frank – FO,8
McMillan – FO, 8

Bottom 3rd: Leading 5-0
MaryKay – GO, 6-3
Camille – PO, 3
Keeler – PO, 2

Bottom 4th: Leading 5-0
Gonzalez – GO, 6-3
Halbreich – FO, 8
Vinny – PO, 2

Bottom 5th: Leading 5-3
DeBree – GO
Babin – FO
Dustin – FO
3 Up/3 Down the last FOUR innings! Yikes! We did the same to them in the first three innings, only giving up a single hit in that time.

Bottom 6th: Trailing 6-5
MJ – 1B, advanced on error
Frank – RBI double (6-6)
McMillan – 1B, Frank out at home, McMillan advanced
MaryKay – GO, 6-3
Camille – Infield single
Keeler – FC, 5-4

Bottom 7th: Trailing 7-6
Gonzalez – 1B
Halbreich – FO, 9
Vinny – FO8, Gonzalez to 2nd
DeBree – RBI single (7-7)
Babin – RBI double (Final, 8-7)

I was game MVP for the game-winning hit and making a lot of outs on defense. I lost count of outs, but more than five putouts on line drives, pop outs, and force plays, and three assists.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBWeek10.jpg

[StLee]

Hite Division:
y-Pitch Slappers 5-5
X-Swingers 5-5
X-Bus Drivers 4-6
Pitch Slappers 3-7

Cass Division:
Z-Master Batters 8-2
X-Multiple Scoregasms 7-3
X-HIT Positive 5-5
Hanamana 3-7

Playoffs:

First Round:
Scoregasms over HIT Positive
Bus Drivers over Swingers

Semifinals:
Scoregasms over Master Batters
Pitch Slappers over Bus Drivers

Championship:
Pitch Slappers 9, Multiple Scoregasms 6

Wild Bill got his championship in dramatic fashion as his player that he traded for, Nuotio, a guy who was hit by a car during the season, drove in six runs, including the game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 6-6 tie.

[StLee]

Here are the final season stats with leaders:
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/HBFinalSeasonStats2.jpg

Batting average: Keeler .688, Gonzalez .633
Hits: Keeler 22, DeBree 20
Doubles: Halbreich 7, Frank 5, Babin 5
Triples: Babin 2, Five tied 1
Home Runs: Frank 3, Gonzalez 2, Babin 2
Extra Base Hits: Babin 9, Frank 8, Halbreich 8
Power Hits: Babin 4, Frank 3, Gonzalez 3
Runs: Halbreich 15, DeBree 12, Keeler 12, Gonzalez 12
RBI: DeBree 18, Babin 17

[sterlingice]

Had meant to read this a while ago but it was a fun read, even tho the season didn't go as planned. If you do this next season, I'd be curious to see how this is different from playing beer league softball in the US and get us some pictures :D

SI

[StLee]

Had meant to read this a while ago but it was a fun read, even tho the season didn't go as planned. If you do this next season, I'd be curious to see how this is different from playing beer league softball in the US and get us some pictures :D

SI

I put a couple of pictures in last year's dynasty thread, but, yeah, I can add some pictures. We have quite a few on our Facebook site, so I can always grab some of those and post them here. I will be sure to show more of the colorful characters next year, though.

Thanks for reading!

[StLee]

Here are a few pictures:

Team picture. Kneeling (MaryKay, DeBree, McMillan, Lee). Second Row (Camille, Keeler, Halbreich, Frank, MJ, Gonzalez). Back row (Vinny, Sundell, Dustin).
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/Softball/HB2012team.jpg

The author driving one of his power hits
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/Softball/honeybadgersleepowerswing.jpg

Just after my walk-off double in the 10th game
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/SquareCracker/Softball/honeybadgers2012.jpg

[sterlingice]

Good stuff :)

SI

[StLee]

I thought about starting another dynasty thread about our Korean softball league, but I honestly don't know if I'll be able to keep up with it.

However, I have been doing a podcast for the last four years. It pretty much sucks, but you can gain some insight into the league if I do decide that the softball dynasty itch is worth scratching.

Here's our April 2, 2015 post draft, preseason cast (warning: expletives used): PodOmatic | Best Free Podcasts (http://dslpodcast1.podomatic.com/entry/2015-04-02T06_31_08-07_00)