(Corrected????): Shortened Game Ends Season for the Zeppelins

Linda,

In the interest of accurate reporting, as well as to ensure the credit gets to the right folks, I offer the following clarifications of what REALLY happened last night (…….or at least the way I remember it!!):

Correction #1:

Your version: 

“At the top of the third, Anne Villa started the hitting streak with a single, followed by a single from Sarah.  Eddie James then knocked out a triple, scoring both Anne and Sarah, and earning the coveted “grand slam” award.  Eddie tried to sneak home and ended up in the first run-down of the game.  He managed to make it safely back to third and then crossed the plate on a double from Steven. Steven scored on a hit from Chelsea Harris.

The truth(?): 

“At the top of the third, Anne Villa started the hitting streak with a single, followed by a single from Sarah.  Eddie James then hit a Texas-leaguer into shallow right field, just over the infield, loading the bases.   Steven Grissom was next up and slammed a fierce double, scoring Anne and Sarah, with Eddie advancing all the way to third base.  Without pulling, he tried to score as well, getting half-way down the line before ending up in the first run-down of the game, but luckily managing to make it safely back to third.  Chelsea Harris then drove In both Eddie and Steven.”

Correction #2:

Your version: 

“In the bottom of the fifth, a LWC batter hit a short one-hopper to Johan Salen in right center who, throwing all caution to the wind, tried to throw him out a first and nearly succeeded.  The next batter hit a pop-up between third and home, which Eddie snagged on the run.  He threw a bullet to first to nail the runner who had left the base.  Just as Eddie’s double play fired the Zeppelins up again, the officials called the game due to the fading light.

The truth(?): 

“In the bottom of the fifth with one out, a LWC batter hit a short one-hopper to Johan Salen in right center who, throwing all caution to the wind, tried to throw him out a first and nearly succeeded.   The next batter hit a screaming line drive headed towards the gap between the third base and shortstop.  Eddie reached up and speared it mid-flight, then whirled to make a weak, one-hop throw to Steven Grissom.  Steven made an excellent snag, and quickly stepped on base to secure a bang-bang double play.  Comically, the runner on first , seeing his error in leaving first, panicked and tried to dive back to the bag.  He futilely came up about 3 feet short, and fully face-down in the dust! 

Lagniappe Commentary: 

The Zeppelins went down in order in the top of the sixth, thus ending their season as the officials called the game due to the fading light.  However, the visions of such an impressive last defensive stand of the season should carry the mighty Zeppelins thru the off-season.  It should help inspire them to look forward,  very optimistically, to their just third season of league play.   It should be noted here that this league is drawn from the various Louisiana state government agencies and departments.  Of these, LED is almost certainly the smallest agency fielding a team in terms of total headcount.

2013?  Based on the improvement from year 1 to year 2, for the Zeppelins, it appears probable 2013 will be a very lucky year…..

In closing……………………my personal thanks and appreciation for the all the warriors and warrior(ettes) brave enough to take the field this season.  I had a blast, again this year.  And we would all be remiss to let the season end without a very loud……..

……….THANKS TO LINDA FOR ALL HER EFFORTS, BOTH ON THE FIELD AND IN PRINT!!!!!!!!!!!

LINDA, YOU ROCK!

My Best,

Eddie James

Shortened Game Ends Season for the Zeppelins

The Zeppelin’s season came to a close last night against the Louisiana Workforce Commission after ending early due to lighting issues.  The game had to be stopped in the sixth inning and the LWC Hammers were ahead at that point, so they took the win.  But the Zeppelins played well against a highly ranked team that has played in the league for many years.

LED certainly had a more productive second season, doubling last year’s wins and making it into the playoffs.  League Commissioner Eric Hatfield, who plays for LWC, commented at the end of the game, “You guys are getting better every year.”  The goal for next season is to win a playoff game.

The Zeppelins fielded 12 players who tallied 15 hits, including a Steven Grissom double and an Eddie James triple, scoring 5 runs on a tough LWC defense.  In fact, LED scored more runs against LWC than the Board of Regents in their last game, the number three ranked team.

It was a game full of highlights, including run-downs, an amazing double play, and a serious LED hitting streak.  The cheerleaders were sorely missed.  Sarah Vanden Broek attempted several times to get a cheer going from left field, and Jacob McConnell had his own personal cheerleader in the stands (wife Jessica), but it just wasn’t the same.  Sarah lamented, “We need our cheerleaders.  I wanted to scream DEFENSE, DEFENSE.”

Both teams took a few innings to warm up, but the third inning was a doozie.  The top of the third brought a four-run hitting streak and the bottom of the third brought a smorgasbord of defensive action.

At the top of the third, Anne Villa started the hitting streak with a single, followed by a single from Sarah.  Eddie James then knocked out a triple, scoring both Anne and Sarah, and earning the coveted “grand slam” award.  Eddie tried to sneak home and ended up in the first run-down of the game.  He managed to make it safely back to third and then crossed the plate on a double from Steven. Steven scored on a hit from Chelsea Harris.

In the bottom of the third, one of LWC’s quickest runners hit the ball to Rick Ward at shortstop who threw the ball to Steven at first.  The runner tried to stretch the single to a double, and Steven shot the ball to Chelsea at second to tag him out.  A few batters later, with runners on first and second, Rick fielded a grounder and was crashed into by the runner going to third.  The runner nearly took his head off, which landed Rick on the ground, but not before he tagged the runner to tally the out.  One of the Hammers happened to be a fire fighter and provided quick medical attention to Rick, who was sadly out for the rest of the game with an ice pack on his neck.

The Zeppelins tacked on a fifth run in the top of the fourth when Jayson Newell scored after singles from Melissa Moore and Jacob.  When Jacob hit the ball to third, Melissa teased a dash for home to disrupt the third baseman, and had to dive back to reach third safely in the second run-down of the game.  The maneuver stopped any play for the runner at first, allowing everyone to be safe all around.  Anne and Sarah tacked on two more singles, but were left stranded on base.

In the bottom of the sixth, a LWC batter hit a short one-hopper to Johan Salen in right center who, throwing all caution to the wind, tried to throw him out a first and nearly succeeded.  The next batter hit a pop-up between third and home, which Eddie snagged on the run.  He threw a bullet to first to nail the runner who had left the base.  Just as Eddie’s double play fired the Zeppelins up again, the officials called the game due to the fading light.

A small after-party in the bleachers was greatly enhanced by a Brenda Guess ice chest full of beer.  The rally rake didn’t do the trick, but maybe with the extra at-bat in the unplayed seventh inning, the Zeppelins could have mounted a comeback.  In the off season the Zeppelins will take a deeper look into the stats to come up with the winning combination for next season.  It’s time to call in all of the researchers in Business Intelligence to get to the bottom of this.

On a high note, Jayson reported that the Pollina ranking results were out showing the Zeppelins at 48^thlast season, but noting that they were moving them up to 22^nd in the next release.

Singles:  Chelsea Harris (2), Johan Salen, Jayson Newell (2), Rick Ward, Melissa Moore, Jacob McConnell, Matthew Wattigny, Anne Villa (2), Sarah Vanden Broek (2).

Double:  Steven Grissom

Triple: Eddie James

RBI’s:  Eddie James (2), Steven Grissom, Chelsea Harris, Jacob McConnell

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Anne Villa (Undersecretary), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Eddie James (BDS), Gary Beadle (IT), Jacob McConnell (BDS), Jayson Newell (BDS), Johan Salen (BDS), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Melissa Moore (BI),  Rick Ward (BDS), Sarah Vanden Broek (SEC), and Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary)

FANS:  Brenda Guess (BI), Chelsea’s parents Ann and Jim and her boyfriend Brandon, Jessica McConnell (Jacob’s wife) and Jennifer Berthelot (Communications & Marketing).

The Zeppelins are Headed to the Playoffs!!

Yesterday’s 7-1 win over the Public Services Association (PSA) clinched a playoff berth for the Zeppelins this season.  It was Steven Grissom’s challenge to the team at last season’s award ceremony, and it is rewarding that the Zeppelins managed to rise to the occasion.  What would Paul Mainieri think now?

The win was aided from every corner – offense, defense and fan support.  The dynamic cheering duo of Caroline Collins (Larry’s daughter) and Raven Moore (Melissa’s daughter), complete with pom poms, was reunited once again, and even managed to get a rise from PSA who chanted “Offense, offense” to their “Defense, defense.”  Undeterred, they cheered the Zeppelins all the way to victory.

Newcomer Russell Richardson made a huge impact for LED.  Cheered on by his son Mills, who just recently started pre-K, Russell made several run-saving grabs at first base and went 1 for 2 at the plate, scoring an RBI in the process.  Mills kept wondering when his dad was going to bat again and announced that he had killed an ant and found a penny while waiting.

LED fielded 15 players and tallied 18 hits, two of which were doubles by Chelsea Harris, who executed a textbook slide at second, tallied an RBI, and snagged a few in her rotation at second base.  Chelsea’s efforts have earned her the coveted “home run medal.”

Sarah Vanden Broek’s outstanding speed (remember, she is a former Bucknell track star) allowed her to go 2 for 2 at the plate because no one could manage to throw her out.  She also added a few clutch plays in left field.

Gary Beadle made some run-saving catches in his rotation at left center and went 2 for 3 at the plate, tallying an RBI.  Eddie James pitched all seven innings except to the last batter of the game (more on this later) and went 2 for 2, scoring twice and tacking on an RBI.

Victor Moore made some great defensive plays at first and shortstop, but struggled a bit at the plate.  Daughter Raven decided to give her own coach some pointers and let him know when he swung at a high one that he shouldn’t be “chopping down trees.”

Jayson Newell and Steven Grissom also played strong defense and both went 2 for 2, tallying an RBI each.  Rick Ward played a solid shortstop in his rotation, going 1 for 2 along with Matt Wattigny and Larry, who scored on one of Chelsea’s doubles, sending Caroline into cheerleading stratosphere.

Now, back to the Eddie James last batter incident……..

With two outs at the top of the seventh, Eddie saw Orion striding up to the plate for PSA, one of their strongest hitters (and a former student of Linda’s at ITT-Tech).  Eddie turned the pitching over to Victor, moved Gary to shortstop, and put himself in left center.  When Orion hit the ball over the right center’s head, Eddie was behind him to make a spectacular running catch to end the game.  Was it fate, destiny, or a run for another medal?

Another hot, but fun time was had by all.  Anne Villa brought water and Gatorade which was gulped down by all as the heat index reached 101.

Eddie also brought some sandbags which he appropriated from the back door of the Annex and stopped on the way to the field to purchase a rake to take care of conditions at the plate.  At the end of the game it suddenly dawned on us where all the great mojo was coming from – new rakes!  You may recall the Zeppelin’s previous win also occurred in a game when the Jacob McConnell family’s brand new rake was called in to improve the field.  The Zeppelins need a volunteer to bring a new rake to the first playoff game.  In Moneyball, you have to take your stats as you find them.

Details about playoff game dates, times and locations are TBD.

Singles:  Gary Beadle, Eddie James (2), Linda Regira, Steven Grissom (2), Jayson Newell (2), Russell Richardson, Matt Wattingy, Rick Ward, Larry Collins (2), and Sarah Vanden Broek (2).

Doubles:  Chelsea Harris (2)

RBI’s:  Jayson Newell, Gary Beadle, Eddie James, Linda Regira, Steven Grissom, Russell Richardson, Chelsea Harris

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Alicia Ardoin (BDS), Anne Villa (Undersecretary), Chelsea Harris (Marketing & Communications), Eddie James (BDS), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (BDS), Larry Collins (BDS), Linda Regira (Policy & Planning), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Melissa Moore (BI),  Rick Ward (BDS), Russell Richardson (BDS), Sarah Vanden Broek (SEC), Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary) and Victor Moore (Melissa’s husband).

FANS:  Brenda Guess (BI), Susan and Caroline Collins, Raven Moore and Mills Richardson.