Wednesday, August 8, 2012

McConnell was “Living the Dream” at the Battle for the Annex

Jacob McConnell had a game of a lifetime in Tuesday evening’s battle against the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism at Perkins Road park.  He made a catch in center field at the top of the fence, preventing a homerun and saving LED three runs.  He also went 3 for 3 at the plate to put up a team-leading performance.
Eddie James opened up the game with the offensive play of the game.  Leading off for the Zeppelins, Eddie hit the ball and got stuck in the mud at the plate which caused him to fall down the first base line.  Undeterred, he maneuvered it into a roll and run, turning the hit into a double.  As such, he has been awarded the first LED home run medal.  Eddie was eventually plated by hits from Jacob and Coach Linda Regira.
Chelsea Harris joined the Zeppelins and played a strong second base and got a solid hit in her first outing, even though she hadn’t hit slow pitch since she was eight years old.  Chelsea is a former college fast pitch softball draft at catcher and she proudly wore her mitt at second, snagging everything that went to her.
CRT had a strong lineup of hitters which pushed the Zeppelin defense to the limit in the hot, humid weather.  CRT’s Danny Belanger, who is married to Linda’s cousin, picked on Linda the entire game.  Even though he had to bat left handed he pulled the ball down the left field line.  One high popup behind third base forced Linda to run back a good distance.  After catching the ball and tallying another spill on the field Linda asked Danny, “Why did you do that to me?”  Danny replied, “I was trying to hit it over your head,” which he did at his next at-bat, garnering a double for CRT.
Caroline Collins was out in force with her cheering, understandably cheering loudest for daddy Larry when he came up to bat.  “Get a hit daddy!” prompted one CRT member in the dugout to reply, “Strike out daddy.”  Obviously Caroline’s cheering was the stronger of the two because Larry went 2-3 with no strike outs.
LED was only able to put 8 players on the field at any given time because the Zeppelins only had two women (four are required).  That left LED with no catcher and only three outfielders.  However, the Zeppelins played respectable defense even with the disadvantage and managed to keep the game close.  LED ultimately fielded 10 players and tallied 14 hits in the game.
Another hot, but fun time was had by all.  Anne Villa sent water to the game which kept the team hydrated, and James Caldwell graciously hauled it out to the field.
The Zeppelins face off next against the Public Systems Association (Legislative Computer Staff) in a rainout make-up game.  Date, time, and location TBD.
Singles:  Eddie James, Rick Ward, Jacob McConnell (3), Linda Regira, Steven Grissom (2), Larry Collins (2), Matt, Wattigny (2), Chelsea Harris.
Double:  Eddie James
Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications), Eddie James (BDS), Jacob McConnell (BDS), James Caldwell (BDS), Johan Salen (BDS), Larry Collins (BDS), Linda Regira (Policy & Planning), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Rick Ward (BDS), and Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary).
FANS:  Susan and Caroline Collins, and Chelsea’s boyfriend Brandon.


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

LED Battles the Division of Administration over Vacancies

The LED Zeppelins faced the Division of Administration $Killjoys$ in a hot, humid evening game yesterday with no refreshments of any kind! No soothing pop from the cap off a bottle of cold water, no gurgling of Corona punch, and no lip smacking, finger-licking sounds of treats being devoured (Strike L).  To top it off, the $Killjoys$ got to the field early and selected the dugout in the shade, leaving the Zeppelins in the dugout with full sun (Strike LL).  And the icing, LED”s vacancy problem, came before the game even started (Strike LLL).
Only two women showed up for the game, and the rules require four women on the field with a maximum of six men.  The $killjoys$ graciously offered to catch for the Zeppelins but would not make any defensive plays at the plate.  This allowed LED to start the game with eight players (only three outfielders and no catcher).  The outnumbered Zeppelins put up a valiant effort, but the $Killjoys$ capitalized on their advantage.
Eventually a third female arrived and took over the catching role, and toward the end of the game LED recruited a fan from the stands who happened to be wearing tennis shoes.  Finally, by the 5th inning, LED had a whole team on the field.
One pleasant surprise was the play of Rick Ward who made his first outing as a Zeppelin, although obviously not his first rodeo.  He snagged multiple flies in left field and went 2 for 2 at the plate.  Several Zeppelins were heard asking, “Where has he been all season?”
Ultimately LED fielded 14 players (10 men, 4 women) and racked up 16 hits, plating three runners.  The late arrivals and late recruiting somewhat threw off the run-production lineup that had been carefully crafted before the game.  In order to spark the offense Coach Linda Regira offered a homerun medal to anyone who hit a double, but no one made off with the coveted prize.
Here’s how the Zeppelins scored:  Jimmy Williams (Chandra’s husband) started the top of the 2nd with a single, followed by consecutive singles from Jacob McConnell and Matthew Wattigny.  Jimmy used his amazing speed to cross the plate before the $Killjoys$ could respond.  At the top of the 4th Gary Beadle singled as did Eddie James, but Gary was put out on a fielder’s choice.  Later in the inning singles by Melissa Moore and Victor Moore (Melissa’s husband) plated Eddie who ran like the wind to to tally the run.  In the top of the 6th Gary got on again and was sent to 2nd on a hit by Melissa.  Jimmy plated Gary on his single to right field.
There was plenty of spirit at the game (although no spirits) as Caroline Collins (Larry’s daughter) showed up to cheer.  One of the $Killjoys$ remarked that he wished his team had supporters like LED.  Pointing to the stands he said, “Look, we don’t have anybody.”  In addition to all the cheering Caroline also fetched foul balls hit outside the fence, and made several great throws back to the players.
Another Collins highlight came from Larry’s wife Susan, who handed out ice cubes to the parched players from Caroline’s little snack ice chest, allowing some of the players to rehydrate and continue to play.
A fun but dehydrating time was had by all, but the loss means LED has to give up two vacancies and take a 5% across the board cut. 
By the way, the Saints were well represented in the lineup, and there was some talk about getting Saints guru Kelsey Short to play in the next game.  Recruitment efforts are underway.
The Zeppelins face off with our building-mates, the team from Culture, Recreation and Tourism, on Tuesday, August 7.  Time and location TBD.
Singles:  Gary Beadle (2), Eddie James (2), Melissa Moore (2), Jimmy Williams (2), Rick Ward (2), Victor Moore, Jacob McConnell, Matthew Wattigny, Jayson Newell, Larry Collins, and Johan Salen.
RBIs: Matthew Wattigny, Victor Moore, Jimmy Williams
Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.
PLAYERS:  Eddie James (BDS), Gary Beadle (IT), Jacob McConnell (BDS) and wife Jessica, Jayson Newell (BDS), Jimmy Williams (Chandra’s husband), Johan Salen (BDS), Larry Collins (BDS), Linda Regira (Policy & Planning), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Melissa Moore (BI) and husband Victor, Rick Ward (BDS), and Sarah Vanden Broek (SEC).
FANS:  Susan and Caroline Collins, Chandra Williams (who arrived at the field too late to play due to a previous engagement).