“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” (Ted Williams)

The Zeppelins faced off against DOTD last night at Perkins Road Park to play what was a tight, lead-trading match until the two teams were tied 5-5 going into the final inning.

DOTD started off the top of the first by scoring one run on a solo homer by their pitcher.  The LED defense cracked down and got out of the inning leaving them with runners stranded on second and third.  LED was unable to plate a runner at the bottom of the inning, and left Paige Ovens and Jayson Newell stranded on base.

At the top of the second DOTD plated another runner to bring their lead to 2-0.  LED answered back by scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning.  Eddie James started the rally with a single to the right side of the field.  Gary Beadle then produced his own single to deep right, which Eddie stretched into a two base advance, landing on third.   Chelsea Harris hit a hard line drive into left center which plated Eddie.  Eric Burton then hit into a fielder’s choice ending in Chelsea being out at second but pushing Gary on to third as a setup for the next hit.  David Carter then hit a single to plate Gary before the inning ended deadlocked 2-2.

DOTD then tacked on two more runs in the top of the third with the same four-man combination they would come to rely on later in the game.  The Zeppelins answered back with a run in the bottom of the third. Paige led off with a single to the left side and Jayson legged out a single to the right side.  Corey followed up with a single to load the bases.  Ashley hit a fly that backed up the shortstop toward the outfield, allowing Paige to tag up and score, and narrowing the DOTD lead 4-3.

The Zeppelins held DOTD to no runs in the top of the fourth, while coming back to add two more runs in the bottom of the inning.  Gary led off with a single to right field followed by a single from Chelsea to left field.  Eric again hit into a fielder’s choice leaving Chelsea out at second but pushing Gary to third for a score on the next hit.  Matthew hit a fly to the second baseman who then made a bad throw trying to nail a runner not tagging up.  This allowed Gary to score and Matthew to get the RBI.  David then got up and hit another great shot to the right side, plating Eric, and putting the Z’s up 5-4.

DOTD answered with another run at the top of the fifth with the same quartet of guys.  LED was unable to answer at the bottom so the inning ended with the score tied again at 5-5.  Neither team scored in the sixth, so the game went into the final inning to determine the winner.

Having gotten back to the top of their lineup, DOTD then brought up the same quartet of guys and coaxed a few LED miscues to plate all four, putting the game out of reach at 9-5. 

The Zeppelins have nothing to feel bad about and everything to feel good about because for the second game this season they have had to play at a disadvantage.  The other teams only fielded two women (one behind the plate), which means LED’s coed team is in effect playing against a mostly all-male opponent.   The fact that the team can hang in these odds is a testament to the strength of LED’s female players.  GEAUX GIRLS!

Next week LED will face the House of Representatives, and our old friend/former co-worker/homerun hitter Daniel Waguespack, on Wednesday at 6:00 at Perkins Road Park. 

Hits:  Chelsea (2), Corey, David (2), Eddie, Eric (2), Gary (2), Jayson (2), Paige (2) and Russell (2).

Doubles:  Ashley

RBIs:  Ashley, Chelsea, David (2) and Matthew

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  The Zeppelins had two LSU athletes in the dugout for the game pulling for them.  Ashley’s little sister Alayna plays softball for LSU (as did their other sister Allison), and Ashley’s roommate Hannah Robinson played tennis at LSU with Ashley’s cousin Megan Falcon (LSU’s only three-time singles All-American and the highest ranked NCAA seeded player in the history of LSU tennis). 

Hannah has an even longer family history with LSU sports.  Her grandfather is former Tigers football standout Johnny Robinson, who starred in LSU's 1958 national championship team and went on to play professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Her great-grandfather is former LSU men's tennis coach W.T. "Dub" Robinson, for whom the Tigers' tennis stadium is named. 

After the Zeppelins game ended the three girls got out on the field and participated in some fast pitch action.  Unfortunately for Corey who was playing catcher for them with no equipment, he was smacked in the neck by a foul tip on a 65 mile-per-hour pitch from Alayna.  If you see him today ask to see the bruise!  The group then decided they would continue play without a catcher. 

“It ain't braggin' if you can back it up.” (Dizzy Dean)

Well nobody is bragging, but the Zeppelins have put their first season win in the books.

It was a team effort as the Zeppelins faced the Wildlife & Fisheries team at Perkins Road Park last night. LED played strong defense and put up strong numbers at the plate.  W&F was truly a class act, and it was a pleasure to play ball against a team so evenly matched with LED in both ability and love for the game.  There was not one controversial call even though their coach IS a lawyer.

Paige Ovens lead the offense with a 3 for 3 performance.  Eddie James and Gary Beadle both went 2 for 2, and Ashley Falcon, Russell Richardson, Eddie James, Chelsea Harris and Matthew Wattigny all knocked in RBIs in their at-bats.  Ashley and Russell both hit doubles on the night as well.  And rookie player Rachelle Kilgo, a library intern in Business Intelligence, made a solid debut at catcher.

The “Wildlifers” started off the top of the first inning by scoring two runs.  Eddie ended their scoring drive by striking out their veteran player known as the “Godfather.”  The Zeppelins answered in high fashion in the bottom of the first by plating five runs.  Paige started off the inning with a single and moved to second on a Jayson Newell single.  Corey Dorsa reached safely but a fielder’s choice getting Jayson at second left runners on first and third for Ashley.  Her single to right field scored Paige and put runners at first and third for Russell.  His double to right center drove in both Corey and Ashley.  Eddie then singled to score Russell.  Gary then singled up the middle to move Eddy to third, and Chelsea singled to send Eddie home.  LED was now up 5-2 on the “Wildlifers.”

Solid defense by both teams left the score unchanged after the second inning.  The “Wildlifers” then came back to score two more in the top of the third from their same four-man starting lineup which left LED with only a one run cushion. 

LED then scored again in the bottom of the fourth when Eddie led off with a single to right followed by a single from Gary, which Eddie stretched for two bases to end up on third.  A few bats later Matthew put one beyond the right side of the infield to score Eddie.  Third base coach William “Rounding 3^rd” Day saw a chance for Gary to score as well so he sent him on.  Gary unfortunately had to watch the throw in as he was put out 9-6-2 at the plate.  He could have been safe if he had only knocked their female catcher off of the plate, but he was too much of a gentleman to do such a thing.  LED now had a two run lead.

The Zeppelins held strong on defense not allowing any runs until the top of the sixth.  Their team speedster named “Slow” on his jersey got up and hit a line drive to the outfield for a double.  Their long-ball hitter then hit a single up the middle to put runners at first and third.  The next batter, their female catcher, hit a shot out to left center, scoring a run.  But Gary was in left center and he quickly threw the runner out going to second.  If he had just piled into her on the play at home earlier…….. The “Godfather” then got a ton of ribbing from his team for hitting a shot which had him safe at first, at the cost of getting his female teammate out at second by a fielder’s choice which Paige tossed to Eric. 

The next out left LED up by only a single run, but it was enough as the Zeppelins mowed the “Wildlifers” three up, three down in the top of the seventh.  Eric threw out the leadoff batter at first, and Eddie scampered for grounders on the next two batters, putting them both out at first.

A great time was had by all and everyone is looking forward to another win this week.  LED will face DOTD on Wednesday at 6:30 at Perkins Road Park. 

Hits:  Paige (3), Jayson, Corey (2), Ashley, Russell, Eddie (2), Gary (2), Chelsea, Matt, and Eric.
Doubles:  Ashley, Russell

RBIs:  Ashley, Russell (2), Eddie, Chelsea, and Matthew

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rachelle Kilgo (Business Intelligence), Russell Richardson (Business Development), and Steven Grissom (Secretary).  Will Day (Business Development) coached 3^rd base.

FANS:  Chelsea’s boyfriend Brandon, Jayson Newell’s wife Beth, and Eric Burton’s wife Leigh Ann and their beautiful daughter Sophie.

“Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.” (Vince Lombardi)

And nobody wanted to win more than the Zeppelins last night at Burbank Soccer Complex as LED took on the Department of Environmental Quality.  LED played hard as nails until the final out of the game and so did DEQ.

Defense was strong on both sides with the scoring coming largely from hitters finding the gaps. 

DEQ jumped quickly on the board scoring two runs at the top of the first, but the Zeppelins quickly countered with two of their own in the bottom of the first.  With two outs, Ashley Falcon started a rally with a single, followed by singles from Corey Dorsa and Russell Richardson.  Eddie James then knocked a ball to the outfield to score both Ashley and Corey.

DEQ put up two more runs in the second while LED was unable to plate a runner.  While holding DEQ down in the third, the Zeppelins chipped away again at the lead by scoring another run.  Eric Burton started off the inning by legging out an infield single.  Paige then hit a long single to left center to move Eric to scoring position.  A few bats later Ashley knocked one into the outfield to score Eric.  This put the score at 4-3.

In the fourth, DEQ put another run on the scoreboard while LED was unable to score, leaving the Zeppelins down by two.  LED held DEQ to no runs in the fifth, and then went on a scoring frenzy at the bottom of the inning.  With two outs Eric started the rally by knocking out another single. Korey Patty then added a single of his own followed by a Paige Ovens double which plated Eric.  Steven G. then shocked them all by placing one into deep left field from the left side of the plate.  His double allowed Korey and Paige to score.  Ashley then got up and knocked one to deep center field plating Steven G.  These four runs put LED up 7-5.

The lead was short-lived as DEQ scored three runs on three successive doubles and a single in the top of the sixth.  DEQ was now up 8-7 and neither team would put up any more runs for the remainder of the game.  In the final analysis Ashley and Eric both went 3 for 3, and Paige, Eddie and Korey all got two hits on the night.

In a final note Steven “Bahamas” Baham kept insisting that his phone’s autocorrect is the reason his uniform shirt reads “Bahamas.” 

LED will face both the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and DOTD next week as rainout makeup season has begun.  Days/locations/times will be forthcoming.

Hits:  Paige (2), Ashley (2), Corey, Russell, Eddie (2), Gary, Matthew, Steve B., Eric (3), Korey (2)

Doubles:  Paige, Ashley, Steven G.

RBIs:  Ashley (2), Steven G. (2), Eddie (2), Paige

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Korey Patty (Lead Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Steve Baham (Business Incentives), and Steven Grissom (Secretary).  Will Day (Business Development) coached 3^rd base.

FANS:  Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), Susan Bigner (Business Incentives) and her daughter Katie, Steve Baham’s wife Rachel, Joe Coussan (Communication & Marketing).

 

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; sometimes it rains. (Edward Fant “Bull” Durham)

And sometimes you tie.

After nine long innings and the waning of visibility at the Burbank Soccer Complex last night, the Zeppelins and the Department of Insurance “Regulators” were still neck and neck with no end in sight.  Everyone agreed it was too dark to start inning ten, so the 5-5 tie was recorded in the books.

It was touch and go for a while when it looked like the Zeppelins would have to play without a fourth woman because of last minute field changes.  Coach Linda Regira jokingly suggested that Russell Richardson’s young son Mills would have to play catcher for LED.  Mills, the consummate ball player, decided he was going to somehow convince his parents to FINALLY let him get on the field with the team.  But just before the game started Stephanie Hartman made it out to the field, much to Mills’ dismay.  And later during the game when a ball came in to Stephanie at catcher from the outfield to stop a runner scoring from third, Mills could be heard grumbling, “Man, that coulda been me!”

At the top of the first inning the Regulators exploded with four runs on five hits and a few LED miscues.  LED was unable to put up a score in the bottom of the first, but did have hits from Eddie James and Ashley Falcon, who at that point stretched her 6^th at bat as a Zeppelin to a 6^th hit.

The Zeppelins then cracked down hard on defense, shutting the Regulators out for the remainder of regulation play.  LED tacked on one run in the second, another in the third, and two more in the seventh to end regulation tied at 4-4.  Both teams would go on to score another run each in the eighth, and no one scored in the ninth. 

There were some stellar moments on defense including a third inning double play from the trio of Eddie, Russell, and Chelsea Harris.  With runners on first and second, Eddie pitched a short-hopper from the mound to Russell at first to get the batter, and Russell sent it cross-field to Chelsea who tagged the runner heading to third.  Eric Burton played a solid shortstop, teaming up with Ashley, Russell and the outfield to put out eight Regulators.

The middle outfield manned by rotating fielders Jayson Newell, Michael Pernici, Steve Baham and Corey Dorsa teamed up to wreak havoc on the long hitters.  And not to be outdone by her male fielders, Katie Richardson made a game-saving play in overtime to put a runner out at third from left field when the bases were loaded.  The Regulators tried to argue that their runner crossed the plate before the out, but since it was a force-out the run did not count.

Eddie also did another of his “All Eddie” innings where he caught two flies and struck out a third batter to retire the side unassisted in the top of the fifth.  Eddie lead the team in put out assists with 12 from the mound, while pitching nine full innings and helping cover home plate.  That’s why they call him “Steady” Eddie.

Ashley showed her power when she caught a hard hit grounder at second and turned to toss the ball to Russell before she realized how fast the Regulator batter was running down the baseline.  She pulled her arm back into another gear and rifled him out at first.  She assisted in five additional put outs at second during the course of the game.  Chelsea also showed some arm when she threw out one of their quicker runners at first on a grounder to third.  With that play she decided her dad might consent to get her a birthday present after all.

LED had some solid production on offense as well.  Katie, Corey, Chelsea and Steve all drove in RBIs.  Michael scored once driven in by Steve, Steve scored once driven in by Chelsea, Katie scored once driven in by Corey, and Jayson scored twice, driven in both times by Katie (once in the fourth and again in the eighth)!  Corey led the hitting going 4-4 followed by Jayson and Katie who both went 3-4.  LED ran up 22 hits on the night.

LED will face the Department of Environmental Quality next Wednesday at a location to be determined based on weather, field conditions and availability (the kickballers are back at it again).  First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.

Hits:  Chelsea (2), Eddie, Russell, Ashley, Jayson (3), Eric (2), Katie (3), Michael, Steve (2), Corey (4), Stephanie (2). 

RBIs:  Katie (2), Steve, Corey, Chelsea

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Katie Richardson (Russell’s wife),  Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Stephanie Hartman (Small Business Services), and Steve Baham (Business Incentives).

FANS:  Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), Crawford Pernici (Michael’s son), Leigh Ann and Sophie Burton (Eric’s wife and daughter), and Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend) and their two dogs.

“You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.” (Yogi Berra)

It was obvious that a bit of rust had settled in on the Zeppelin players since last season as they took on Culture Recreation and Tourism last night at Perkins Road Park.  LED struggled to stop the CRT batters early, putting the win just out of reach by game’s end despite the rally of the LED bats.  But the 2015 season opener showed promise of good things to come.

A few players didn’t let a little rust stand in their way.  Jayson (J-MONEY) Newell (pronounced Jiminy by some) and newcomer Ashley Falcon both turned in stellar performances on the night.  Jayson took turns at left center and at shortstop, turning in seven outs from the two positions.  He also tacked on two hits and added two RBIs in the bottom of the third. 

Ashley, a former LED student worker in Disaster Recovery and Business Incentives and current Civil Service employee, went four for four at the plate with two doubles in the number five batting spot.  She added two RBIs when she sailed one over the center fielder’s head and made him chase it nearly to the fence.   And on defense she flashed her gun by throwing in a ball from deep left field to third, stopping the CRT runners in their tracks.

Eddie turned in another of his outstanding performances on the mound, pitching all seven innings and putting a runner out at home with the bases loaded (unassisted, because there was no LED catcher).  He also threw four players out at first with his trademark underhand throw.

The rust seemed not to impact offense as LED put up 24 hits, all nine batters hit safely on the night, and the Zeppelins plated eight runners.  Ashley, Russell Richardson and Matthew Wattigny all went four for four while Chelsea Harris went three for five.  Jayson, Eddie, Paige Ovens, David Carter and newcomer Corey Dorsa all turned in two hits each – an excellent offensive showing for the first game of the season.

Determined to make his mark on the game, Corey made a spectacular slide at home in the bottom of the sixth after stretching extra bases at every turn.  He stretched his single to second while Ashley was caught in a rundown between second and third.  He then stretched two more bags to score from second on a single by Matthew, who stretched his own single to second as Corey scored.  Corey left only about two pounds of skin at the plate, so if you see him today you might notice a limp.

Not trying to make a mark on any player, Russell inadvertently whizzed a throw in to third hitting CRT player Danny Belanger in the middle of the back.  Danny was fine, just shaken up a bit, and he surely sports some string marks today as evidence.  Eventually he felt safe enough to enter the game again and got to the plate, hitting one to Jayson at shortstop.  Jayson fired a bullet to first just missing Danny’s head by inches.  Danny was out, and thankfully didn’t have to be a base runner again before the game ended.

With all of the rust entirely obliterated, the Zeppelins look poised to have a winning season moving forward.  Playoff fever is already in the air.  However, LED first has to face the mighty Department of Children and Family Services team next Wednesday at Perkins Road Park.  First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.

Singles:  Chelsea (3), Eddie (2), Paige (2), Russell (4), Ashley (2), Jayson (2), Corey (2), Matthew (4), David (2).

Double: Ashley (2)

RBIs:  Russell (1), Jayson (2), Ashley (2), Eddie (1), Corey (1), Matthew (1)

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend) and their faithful dog.

Lucy’s Top 7 Reasons for Making Errors:

• I was having my quiet time!
• I think there were toxic substances coming from my glove, and they made me dizzy.
• When the sun reflects off the bright yellow dandelions, I can't see the ball.
• I waited for the ball to stop before I picked it up because it was having a good time, and I didn't want to disturb it.
• No problem, I missed it, but the ground caught it! Nice catch, ground! You're doing a good job!
• Watching your graceful movements on the pitcher's mound lulled me to sleep!
• I'm too feminine for this game!

Lab Rats End Zeppelins Playoff Run

The Zeppelins season ended on a game that spanned two nights and was finally finished in near darkness.  In the first round of the playoffs LED was set to face off with the State Police Crime Lab “Lab Rats.”  After one inning of play on Tuesday the teams were driven off the field by the crazed Kickballers who demanded all three fields at the park.  The teams agreed to meet again on Thursday to resume play.  At the end of that first inning the score was tied 4-4.

LED fielded 13 players and tallied 20 hits, including two doubles and a triple last night.  But despite such a strong offensive performance, it wasn’t enough to overcome the work of the Rat homerun hitters.

Picking up the game at the top of the second inning last night Chelsea “Wellsee” Harris led off with a line drive to left for a single.  With one out, Jayson Newell knocked a single up the middle to put runners at first and second.  With two away, Gary pulled out a double to right center but Chelsea was thrown out at the plate when third base coach Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day decided to test the right centerfielder’s arm.  Unfortunately, her arm was fine.

The Rats took an early lead at the bottom of the second when as their first four batters crossed the plate, aided by a 2-run homer.  The Zeppelins then shut them down with solid defense at first and third bases to end the inning.

At the top of the third the Zeppelins got on the scoreboard starting with a Steven Grissom single up the middle.  Lauren Stuart then moved Steven to second with an infield single.  Eric Burton followed with another single to move Steven to third, and Stephanie Hartman’s single up the middle gave her the first Zeppelin RBI as Steven crossed the plate.

Back on defense at the bottom of the third Eric made an ESPN-worthy grab at shortstop, making a huge vertical leap to snag a hard-hit line drive.  Then, with two outs and a runner on base, one of the Rat homerun hitters knocked a short one to right field which resulted in another score.

Trailing 5-1 the Zeppelins rallied at the top of the fourth and picked up two more runs.  Leadoff batter Christian Pennington, in borrowed cleats and sans Zeppelin jersey (he is moving and everything is packed away), hit a pop up in front of the first baseman down the line.  The Rat dove for the ball just as Christian reached the same spot.  After the crash Christian got up and continued on the make it to first safely.  Offered a pinch runner he waved it away insisting that he was fine.  Fine he appeared to be as he motored from first to home on a David Carter triple over the right fielder’s head.  David then crossed the plate as well when Chelsea hit a sacrifice grounder to the shortstop, who had to make a running catch which left him no play for home.  By the end of the inning Christian benched himself due to the injury to his arm he could now feel once the adrenalin had subsided.

In the bottom of the fourth the Zeppelins dug deep and held the Rats scoreless.  The Rats second homerun hitter knocked a blazing line drive between first and second but was shocked to find he was out as Paige “Dottie” Ovens nabbed it on the run.  Paige then threw the next batter out at first and the final out came from Steven at first base unassisted.

Neither team was able to score in the fifth inning.  On defense, Rick “ROI” Ward struck out the first batter.  After a single by the next Rat batter, Chelsea turned a double play to end the inning when she snagged a hard-hit line drive at third and hummed it to first, catching the Rat runner off the bag.

During the inning some of the Zeppelin ladies noticed that Michal Pernici has a pre-pitch ritual at the plate.  Why didn’t anyone notice it before?  Had he ever done it in previous games, previous seasons?  Perhaps the “Pernici Wiggle” is reserved for when his beautiful wife Margaret is in the stands with a perfect view of him from behind.  Whatever the reason, it worked, because he hammered one to right center for a single.  A team vote resulted in a resolution to memorialize the wiggle in the famous rituals list (see number 10 on the list below) and keep it in next season.

With calls to “Do it for the business plan” and with Eddie James in a rally cap, the Zeppelins narrowed the gap further in the top of the 6^th when Rick stretched a solid single into a double on an overthrow at first.  David moved him to third with an infield single, and Chelsea tallied her second RBI of the night when Rick crossed the plate on her single behind the second baseman.  The score was now 5-4.

But the Rats blew it out in the bottom of the sixth when the sun was going down and visibility was dangerously low.  With two runners on, the second Rat homerun hitter put one well over the fence in right center.  The Rats were now up 8-4.

The game ended at the top of the 7^th when, in near darkness, the batters struggled to see the pitches and no runs were scored.  The final score, including the inning from Tuesday, was 12-8.

The Zeppelins had a great (albeit Corona Punch-free) season and faced some quality opponents.  Coach Linda Regira reminded everyone that the only good news about losing last night was that the team does not have to face the Department of Children and Family Services next week.  Everyone is already looking forward to next season and will be hitting the batting cages in the upcoming months.  The LED Executive Team is encouraged to continue their emphasis on recruiting when making new hiring decisions.  And on a final note, Will emailed the players with, “I’m springing for sliding shorts for next year to all those that need them (that would be everyone) and changing my jersey from Rounding 3^rd to Sliding Home.”

Singles:  Chelsea (2), Eddie, Jayson (3), Paige, Gary, Michael, Steven (2), Lauren (2), Eric, Stephanie, Christian, David

Doubles: Gary and Rick

Triple:  David

RBI’s:  Chelsea (2), Stephanie, David

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

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Christian Pennington (Business Incentives), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Lauren Stuart (Business Development), Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Stephanie Hartman (Small Business) and Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary).

FANS:  As always, LED fans are the best in the league.  Margaret and Crawford Pernici (Michael’s wife and 8 month old son), Doug Kopp (Internal Auditor), Jennifer Berthelot equipped with camera (Communication & Marketing), Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend), Leigh Ann Burton (Eric’s wife), Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day (Business Development) coached third.

 

TOP TEN FAMOUS BASEBALL RITUALS

1. Joe DiMaggio would always run from the outfield and touch second base before going into the dugout.

2. New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada hits barehanded. Posada believes in the superstition that urinating on your hands help avoid calluses and hardening of your skin and regularly does it throughout the season.

3. Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs would take exactly 150 ground balls during practice. Boggs would eat a chicken before every game. When he would enter the batter’s box, he would draw the Hebrew word “chai” meaning “life” in the dirt before taking pitches.

4. David Ortiz rests his bat against his leg, spits on his right hand, and clap when preparing for the batter box.

5. Turk Wendell used to wave from the mound to the centerfielder, who would then wave back. Wendell would brush his teeth and eat four sticks of licorice between innings he was pitching. He would also crouch down every time the catcher stood up and would stand up when the catcher would crouch.

6. Red Sox Pitcher Tim Wakefield would eat a pound of spaghetti before any game he is starting.

7. Roger Clemens would soak in extremely hot water and have the hottest possible muscle liniment applied.

8. Mark McGuire would wear the same cup from his high school playing days until it was stolen.

9. Brendan Donnelly would throw away the undershirt he wore during the game if he pitched poorly.

10.  Michael Pernici would perform the world famous “Pernici Wiggle” before each pitch while at the plate.

LED “Mocked” in Round 1 playoff game vs. LSP

By Eddie James (Interim Coach and Ace Reporter)

LED qualified for the playoffs again this year and the Zeppelins found themselves seeded just behind the team from LSP, last year’s league champions.  The two teams squared off Tuesday evening in what seemed to be a fairly even match:  LED ended the regular season at 4-4, and LSP was 4-3-1. 

With LSP having a slightly better record, LED was----of course---the visiting team and thus batted first.

Unfortunately, Paige Ovens was unavailable for this game, and there was some speculation that the State Police team had been involved in the scheduling of the site visited that had her detained in Monroe until, suspiciously, 6 PM, the exact start of game time in Baton Rouge.  However, in an inspiring demonstration of the LED core value of Teamwork, Dawn Mock surprised the other Zeppelins by showing up early to the Kenilworth field to fill in for Paige as our 4^th lady player.   Claiming to have no skills, it was immediately evident that Dawn was much too modest, and she was convinced to not only fill in for Paige as our 4^th, but also at Paige’s usual spot at 2^nd base.  This allowed us to keep the remainder of the defense unchanged, instead of playing with only 9 fielders as we had feared.

Picking right up where the Zeppelins left off in their last game, the bats were hot immediately in the top of the first.  Five consecutive singles by Chelsea, Eddie, Devin, Jayson, and Lauren, and then a sixth by Russell Richardson saw the Zeps go up 4-0.  Some aggressive base running unfortunately ended the inning with a double play, but it certainly seemed like the Zeppelins had come to hit.

The bottom of the inning started great as well, with Chelsea fielding a grounder at 3^rd and firing a rocket to Devin who made a great stretch on the catch securing the out.  That was followed by a sinking liner over Eric’s head at short.  Having a flashback to when he was 16, rather than 66, Eddie dove for the catch but was not able to come up with.  The next batter singled, as did the next, scoring a run, and the next batter fouled a ball about 450 feet, followed by a fair one that cleared the fence.  A ground out finally was the second out, and Stephanie again showed why she is likely the best catcher in the league by jumping from behind the plate and snaring a foul ball for the third.

 

End of the 1^st:  LED 4 LSP 4

It was at the end of the first inning when a large gang of thugs assaulted the LSP dugout.  It didn’t take long for this gang to have the LSP team evacuate their space.  It seems the field had already been reserved for another activity, and oozing testosterone and shouting all sorts of threats and epithets, these KICK BALLEERS forced LSP from the field, and called a temporary halt to the exciting softball game that had just gotten started.

This game will be resumed in the top of the 2^nd on Thursday evening at Kenilworth Park at 6 PM.