Fish and Friends,
In case there was any doubt: Black Lives Matter.
Also, the 2020 season is officially canceled because of COVID-19.
I hope we can gather together soon in a safer and more just world.
Stay safe and and as sane as possible,
Judy

FW: Mixed Double-Header Rains on Catfish Parade: 16–1 vs. Shadow Masks, 13–3 vs. Whybunts

 

Dear Catfish Nation,

 

I can see the little gears turning in all of your heads now—"Why are we getting the write-up from Liz? This is highly irregular!" Well, friends, due to an unfortunate accident during the second game of the evening—more on that in a bit—Cap'n Batty is out of commission for the time being, so I volunteered to put together the write-up. Apologies in advance for my long-winded (but hopefully entertaining) commentary!

 

All right, folks. Let's rewind to Wednesday afternoon. We had some pretty nasty weather come through Cambridge around 3 p.m., and we weren't sure we'd get to play at all, but since the lightning cleared up by 4, the Commish left it up to the team captains to decide. We were already playing a mixed double-header to make up for the rained-out game two weeks ago, and since (a) both the Shadow Masks and the Whybunts were able to field enough players, (b) we couldn't really reschedule before the playoffs, and (c) we Fish aren't afraid of a little water, we decided to play!

 

As it turned out, the rain cleared up just as we made it to the Women's Softball Diamond for our match against the Shadow Masks, and after a brief delay to clear some puddles from the infield and the dugout (thanks to some of the Shadow Masks and our very own Tslammy Tsai), we got down to it. Despite our best efforts at drying up the infield, however, we were a bunch of slippery Fish out there—literally! It's hard to make plays when you can't get a grip on the ball because it's covered in mud or you wipe out the second you pivot to make a throw. The Shadow Masks, many of whom were wearing cleats, definitely had a leg up on us in that respect.

 

Still, we did our best! Matt "The Baffler" Abbate and Kate "Scaldwell" Elwell stayed cool, calm, and collected on the pitcher's mound and tried to stop those foul infield fly balls in their tracks whenever they could. Catcher Erin "Purple Haze" Hasley fielded their pitches with aplomb, painting the dugout red... with tissues saturated with the reddish mud that ended up all over her hands as a result, that is. Throws came like speeding bullets at "No Prob" Rob Carter and John "Tslammy" Tsai on first base, but they caught them like their gloves had magnets inside. "Leapin' Levi" Rubeck slipped and slid but mostly stayed on his feet while defending second base, a mean feat (no pun intended) indeed. The shortstop duo of Jon "Butters" Elwell and Chris "Bat 'o Fire" Eyer were so committed to getting those outs that they ended Game 1 absolutely covered in mud. John "The Battler" Abbate showed off his quick reflexes and made a superb running catch at third base. In the outfield, Rich "You're Not My Dad" Wladkowski, Judy "Cap'n Batty" Feldmann, Matt, Chris, and yours truly, Liz "Risky Lizness" Agresta (a moniker coined by Chris during Game 2 that I officially need on a T-shirt, stat!!) ran and jumped and tried to stop as many of those pesky outfield grounders as possible, but we were no match for the handful of Shadow Masks who could smash hits right over the fence—and there were a few! At the plate, meanwhile, Leapin' Leevs, Kate, and Rich batted singles, and John Tsai was robbed when his magnificent hit was caught by one of the Shadow Masks' outfielders.

 

We played valiantly through four of the five scheduled innings, at which point time ran out and we were summarily booted from the WSD by Roman Brushett, who all but stormed the dugout and sent us Fish scrambling for our belongings before we trekked over to Field 5A for a rematch against our best frenemies, the Whybunts (who also graciously offered to take our end-of-season team photo before the opening pitch—see below for pics).

 

We were a fierce fighting force of Fish in the field at the start of Game 2, hoping to avenge ourselves after a tough Game 1. We kept the Whybunts to a single run in the first inning thanks to Butters Elwell, whose glove seemed to have an almost gravitational force to it as he snapped up two outs in a row at shortstop. Taking that energy into the bottom of the first, we scored two runs. We were fired up as we went into the second inning, but not long after we headed back out onto the field, one of the Whybunts batted a double that came in real hot, blowing past shortstop and into short field, where it made contact with Judy's bare hand. OUCH. (Big thanks to Rich for accompanying her to MIT Medical to have it checked out.)

 

I think everyone was pretty rattled after that, but we did our best to keep calm and carry on for our captain! We managed to shuffle the field positions around to account for being down two players (thanks to John Tsai for helping with that), but the all-hands-on-deck nature of the game meant that Erin and I were doing the absolute bare minimum on clipboard duty, so forgive us the lack of detail in this section of the recap (not to mention the lateness of its arrival—I don't know the meaning of the word "punctual"). Some highlights: Rob hit a pop fly in the third inning that went almost completely vertical before sinking right into one of the Whybunts' gloves, prompting a few of us to yell "Robbed!!" in anguish, to which he responded wittily, "That's why they named me that!" Tslammy Tsai batted a single and a double, but due to some confusion about whether or not there was an overthrow at first—which would have allowed him to take second base—pinch runner Levi was called out before he could tag up again at first. (He was robbed!!) John Abbate batted a single as well, as did yours truly—but not before hauling you-know-what all the way to first base before my initial hit was ruled a foul. Between that and the outfielders having to constantly shift back and forth due to the Whybunts' abundance of left-handed batters, we Fish definitely got our cardio in on Wednesday!

 

(As an aside, from the time I played softball as a teenager I always thought I was a terrible batter, but this season has been a big confidence boost in that respect. I think all of us acquitted ourselves well at the plate this season, actually—everyone got at least one really good hit, and I think everyone made it on base at least once. It really helps when the pitches come in at a decent clip so we can get some momentum behind our swings!)

 

Due to our chaotic exit from the WSD after Game 1, we weren't able to shake hands with or do our customary cheer for the Shadow Masks, so here's one I came up with just now: "Shadow Masks! Shadow Masks! You took the Catfish to task!" We sent the Whybunts off for the final time this season with "Whybunts! Whybunts! Goodbye AliKat-Bunts!" in honor of our Muddy buddy Alison, who's heading off to a new job in Seattle (!) in a couple weeks. We'll miss seeing her smiling face on the playing field and at our postgame hangouts at the Muddy Charles Pub.

 

A big thanks to our cheering section for brightening our spirits despite the gloomy weather and Judy ending up on the DL—faithful Fish fanatic Robley "The Rookie" Elwell, who had a grand old time playing in the mud by Field 5A, as well as Emily "Economics Editor Extraordinaire" Taber and her kiddos, a couple of junior Catfish in the making: Luca "The Legend" and "Starfish Arms" Amelia!

 

Well, sports fans… thus ends another storied MIT Press Catfish season. We didn't quite make it to the playoffs, but we came darn close: 4–6, our best showing in recent years (from what I've been told). And although the regular season may be over, we still have one game yet to play—please join us at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 10, at Danehy Park in Cambridge for our annual face-off against the Harvard University Press team at the 2019 Easter Seals charity game!

 

Signing off,

Liz

 

Team photo! (minus a few folks who couldn't make it this week—we missed you!!)

 

Our cheering squad in the Women's Softball Diamond dugout during Game 1:

 

As you can see, Robley was living his best life during Game 2:

 

Judy's busted hand :(

 

 

Fish Fall to Roman Brushett 8 - 16

Dear Fish and Friends,

 

We were valiant in our efforts last night but it wasn’t quite enough to avenge ourselves against Roman Brushett.

 

But our efforts were numerous and courageous, as always. Leepin Leevs stepped up when we needed him to try his fishy paw at 3rd base, and he handled that challenge with grace and fishy fierceness; NaSlamWell Tickets Trippe had a bat of fire, with at least a triple and a big tater in the top of the 6th (he opened a ticket and promptly closed it); No Prob Rob made his glorious pitching debut, and bedazzled on the mound, while never shirking his duties at the plate; Butters “Big Bats” Elwell was batting as per usual, with doubles galore and a tremendous tater in the 6th, and also snagged line drives like a frog catching flies at shortstop; Evan “The Beast/Go Daddy Go” Mauser made his triumphant return to left field, where we’ve missed him something terrible, and also batted like a man who has been softball-starved for over a year, racking up singles, doubles, triples (which really should’ve been a tater); “Yes Way” José had a double and prowled the outfield like a lion; Kate Scaldwell Elwell pitched perfectly, bamboozling them on the mound, and wielded a bat of fire, with at least 2 singles; Dan Bouchard batted with burly brawn with at least a double and a single; Purple Haze Hasley batted like a beast and hustled behind the plate, as always; Big Rich Wladkowski, who would like to be known as the Babe Ruth of Pop Flies, but I said no, so you had some pop flies, you were just having an off-night Rich!—well, he batted with his usual calm power, and guarded 3rd base and the outfield like a tiger; Liz “The Lizzinator” got all up in their lizness, but kept her cool even when their pitcher was getting all up in her face with the high heat.

 

Now Fish Nation, you know I do not usually write of myself in these write-ups, because I feel my presence is in your faces all the time. But I do have to mention an incident that involved yours truly. The RB Captain, a very nice and well-meaning fellow who is perhaps a bit overly chatty and wont to give unsolicited advice, well we had a bit of a tangle when I was at the plate. He was the catcher that inning and he asked if perhaps I might like to take a few steps closer to the plate. I declined, having seen the very high and inside heat their pitcher had been throwing. At any rate I will admit this ruffled my fish feathers. And then when I hit the ball and was running to first, I looked to my right and—there he was, their Captain, running along beside me. He claimed it was so he could prevent any overthrow at first. All I can say is: I have never seen anything like this in my LIFE. You can consider my fish feathers even further ruffled. At any rate, you’ll never believe what happened next in the bottom of the 3rd inning, when I was playing 2nd. We had two outs, and RB Captain steps up to the plate. Here I’ll let co-cappy Purple Haze take over to describe the events: “Our own Captain Batty made a near impossible snag at 2nd base with a throw to first to get the back-seat-driving, overzealous, friendly yet fierce Captain of the opposing team OUT!!!”

 

That’s right Fish Nation, it was a thing of glory, I felt the angels sing. It felt as if a magical flying unicorn had caught that ball on the bounce and then dropped it in my glove with a satisfying plop. I then channeled none other than Dustin Pedroia as I calmly made the throw to first—not freaking out and throwing the ball behind me, or way up into the sky, or into the bushes, or what have you. When I think of it now, I still feel a warm glow inside.

 

And speaking of magical flying unicorns, we were blessed with so many adorable Fish Youth, the Fish of Tomorrow, cheering us on: Maggie the Magical Sprite, Rock Star Robley the Rookie, Amazing Edith the Beauty, and (Introducing!!) Isaac the Intrepid. You’ll see their shining faces in the accompanying photos. They lifted our spirits and kept us fighting throughout.

 

Please join us next week for final two games of the season, a mixed double-header: first we face Shadow Masks on the Women’s Softball Diamond, and then we finish off the season with the Whybunts on field 5A.

 

Yours in softball,

Judy

Catfish Winning Streak Closed Down by CrEAPS with 6 - 12 Loss

Dear Fish and Friends,

 

There was much gnashing of fish teeth last night, as the Catfish winning streak was brought to a close by none other than the CrEAPS.

 

The game began quite auspiciously, however, with 3 up 3 down in the bottom of the first and a very artful diving catch on the run by Arthur the Artful in center field. Our bats were napping until the fourth inning when we had the brilliant idea to open up a ticket with Nathaniel “Tickets” Trippe to start a rally. And start a rally he did, closing that ticket with grace and courage. But the CrEAPS answered back with 4 more runs and our bats unexpectedly (!) took another little snooze. In the 7th we realized we had to open yet another rally ticket, and Tickets, Tslammy, and Butters did their best to close it, but it wasn’t enough to take things to the bottom of the 7th. So we sent the CrEAPS off with a cheer, courtesy Robley the Rookie, of “Three Cheeps for the CrEAPS!!” and swam sportingly off to the Muddy Charles Pub.

 

All of us played our fishy hearts out, as always: Leepin Leevz did lotsa leaping at 2nd base; Tickets Trippe had two triples and a double; Tslammin Tsunami Tsai had single and a triple; Butters had a single, some wildebeest-style running of the bases, and a much-need homerun; Chris Good Eye Eyer with Bat o’ f’Eyer had a triple and a single; Scaldwell was scalding on the mound as per usual and also had at least one single; Dan Bouchard, in his triumphant return to first base, made a dastardly double play with Tslammy on the mound, who made a terrific snag of a line drive and shot it straight to Dan B to catch their runner off the plate; Lil Richard had a single and swam his heart out in the outfield; Purple Haze Hasley had two singles; John the Baffler Abbate had a fine single; Liz the Lizzinator had a beauty of a single that sailed over the infield CrEAPS; Arthur the Artful made the aforementioned artful catch and wielded his bat with mighty ferocity; and Andrea the Heroic Herbst gave it her all behind the plate in the outfield.

 

Meanwhile, another battle was unfolding, between Maggie the Magical Sprite (joining us in her triumphant return), who was Team Pizza, and Robley the Rock Star Rookie, who was Team Watermelon. Catfish were unable to determine the outcome of that face-off, but we sure hope we see future iterations to gather more data.

 

The moral of this story, Fish Nation, is that wins are not served up to you on a silver platter; you have to work really hard for them. Fish worked hard last night and have no shame in their game, but we’ve got our work cut out for us for next week. Please join us next Wednesday on field 9, when we face our very best frenemies the Whybunts. Last time we saw them we beat them by 1 run—this time let’s make it 10 (ten)!!!!!

 

Yours in softball,

Judy

 

Catfish Unmask Shadow Masks 19 - 14

Dear Catfish Nation,

What is the true nature of this foe we call the “Shadow Mask”? Is it Shadow—a “partial darkness or obscurity within a part of space from which rays from a source of light are cut off by an interposed opaque body”? Or is it more Mask—“something that serves to conceal or disguise”? I believe it is in fact far more terrifying: a Mask that is itself made of Shadows ... something so horrifying and mysterious it would surely strike terror deep in the soul of any upstanding Catfish.

Well, Catfish Nation, last night the Catfish met that terrifying foe and dispersed those shadowy masks from Briggs Field 5B. The world is made safe again, at least until we meet them again for our final game this season, on July 31!

We started off strong, with Lead-Off Leepin Leevz getting onto base, and then NaSlamWell slapping him home with a home run. Not to be outdone, No Prob Rob Carter followed up with his own home run. Big Time Butters followed up with what would have been a homer but was ruled a ground rule double, as it got tangled up in a (very) far-off soccer goal. Tslammy the Tsunami Tsai then drove him home with a double. Fish were flying high! The next inning went even more swimmingly, as the scoreboard shows. Defensively we were also showing our true strong fishy colors of the rainbow. In the fourth, we had an amazing double play with extra cheese, and in the final inning Butters made an unbelievable bare-handed snag (we really needed that out). Kate Scaldwell Elwell was scalding both on the mound and behind the plate, with at least 3 singles; Matt the Baffler bewildered them on the mound and wielded a mighty bat; Erin Purple Haze Hasley did her happy hustle both behind and at the plate; Liz the Lizzanator went 3 for 4 and slid with aplomb into 2nd (we were all impressed); Richie Richard was raucous and rowdy with a single and ran his butt off in the outfield; Arthur the Arthurian Legend had numerous singles and guarded 3rd base with true chivalry; John the Battler Abbate had a bat of fire that was more like a sword o’ flame, with numerous singles and a graceful slide like a pro (we were all proud); and last but not least, Chris “Fancy Man” Eyer also wielded his regulation bat of f’Eyer, with crucial singles that arrived just when we needed them most.

Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the 7th, but thank goodness we had plumped up our lead in the top of the 6th. We knew we had to hold onto our lead so as to make Robley the Rockstar Rookie proud. As it turns out, he is also a budding photographer, and I know you will enjoy his accompanying photo essay below.

Better luck next time, Shadow Masks! We sent them off with a cheer back to “the Land of Mordor, where the Shadow Masks lie!!!” which served, I think, to fill them with existential dread at the thought of our next meeting. (Cheer courtesy John The Battler Abbate!)

I think the moral of this story, Fish and Friends, is that it’s OK, and actually even a little fun, to win sometimes. Just let yourself! It is OK. We will still like you.

Please join us next Wednesday, July 3, when we will teach the Straw Dogs how to heel, roll over, and shake hands on field 5A.

Yours in Softball,

Judy

Fish Fall to Roman Brushett in Astounding Display of Courage, 23 - 13

Dear Catfish Nation,

Our blazing winning streak was brought to an excruciating end last night as the mysterious Roman Brushett team (not so mysterious after all: just Chem E labs Roman and Brushett) crushed our hopes of going to 3 and 1. Still, 2 and 2 sounds pretty good, especially when you consider the amazing, incredible feats of courage that the Fish put on display last night.

The game began in suspenseful fashion, and we were tied at 8 at the bottom of the 4th. Really it was that 7th inning that did us in (with yours truly pitching). Along the way the Fish were ferocious: Leapin Levi Rubeck made beautiful catches at 2nd, and he and Butters had a glorious double play in the top of the 4th; NaSlamWell graced us with a heartfelt home run; “No Probs” Rookie Rob Carter had numerous hits and ran the bases like a Hound from Heck; Jon “I can’t believe we call him Butters” Elwell was his usual self, a quick-thinking sure-footed gazelle of a shortstop with the aforementioned double-play and his standard home run; Christopher “Bat o’ F’Eyer” Eyer’s bat was indeed on f’Eyer, with two doubles and a single; YesWay José Herrero didn’t know the meaning of the word “no” as he bashed the ball repeatedly and got on base every at bat; Kate Scalding Caldwell Elwell befuddled them on the mound and blasted them at the plate; Richard the Righteous manned the outfield manfully and intimidated them with his bat; Erin “Purple Haze” Hasley showed her typical hustle behind and her fierce determination at the plate; Andrea the Heroic Herbst handed them their butts on a platter; Liz “The Lizzinator” Agresta got all up in their Lizness and Elizzinated them into oblivion; and John The Battler Abbate battled hard and with seemingly bottomless courage at the plate and at 3rd base.

To top it all off, we were missing our Tslamming Tsunami John Tsai (pictured below), who was away on important top secret business. We were consoled, though, by our faithful fan Sha-doobie Sharon, along with Rockstar Robley the Rookie. They kept our hearts from sinking too low in that dreadful 7th inning. And, as is often the case, once again it was, on a deeper, more profound level, actually a scathingly close game, and Roman Brushett I am sure are terrified to meet us again. We sent them off with “Roman Brushett! You Crushed It!”

Please join us next week, Wednesday, June 26, when we shall shatter the Shadow Masks on Field 5B.

Yours in softball,

Judy

PS I am eternally grateful to Leapin Levi and the Bat o’ F’Eyer for help with some of this week’s nicknames, and to Scaldwell for the first two photos.

One Fish, Two Fish, Catfish, BLUE FISH

HOLY SMOKES WHAT A GAME!!!

 

We were a lean mean Catfish machine, clad in blue (to distinguish us from the friendly RED Whybunts).  “Super” Rob C jogged on the field at the bottom of the first to get our number up to a respectable 9 players.  After we made a few roster shifts (see below), we played like a well-oiled fishy team with stellar plays on offense and defense.

 

The sun was directly behind the batter and shimmering of the turf, which was problematic in the field but we didn’t let that stop us. Matt “the Elder” Abbate and I were a catching-pitching duo.  “Right Field” Rich ricocheted around Right Field.  Levi “the witty” was masterful at Second Base, and still had time to liberally employ his newly-coined insult, “Put it in the Write Up!” Buuuuuuurn! Other highlights included “Super” Rob right at home in Center Field, Chris “the Loyal” making some great stops in Left Field, Nathaniel “the great-iel” dominating at Short Stop, John “Tsuper Tslamming” Tsai putting in his all at First Base –including face planting (literally) to make an out -, an amazing snag at Third Base by John Abbate “the Younger” in the bottom of the 6^th to rally the defense, directly followed by a sweet catch by Nathaniel “the great-iel”.

 

Nathaniel started in the first inning with a home run which turned out to be a good omen for bats; everyone made it on base and, I believe, everyone scored a run. 

 

BUT the sixth inning is where it really got exciting.  Two triples (Nathaniel and Chris) in the top of the sixth helped us score 6 runs.  Heading into the bottom of the sixth with a lead of 5 runs the time was 6:53.   Now the time is important because softball games on the turf must end at 7:00 pm to make way for the soccer games.  Being a rule follower yours truly proposed to the Whybunts that the sixth inning be the last inning.  But the Whybunts said “we’ll see.”  In the bottom of the sixth the Whybunts scored 4 runs.  The score was Fish = 21, Whybunts = 20 and the time was 7:02 pm. The Whybunts conferred and said “since you are in the lead the decision to play or not is up to the Catfish.”  Well the Fish couldn’t win like that so we said “PLAY ON!” 

 

In the top of the seventh we scored 0 runs, keeping us ahead by only 1 run.  The Whybunts took the field and put up a mighty effort.  There was a runner on third with two outs and I forgot who made the last out but it was thrilling and we walked off the field with a smile in our hearts and a W on the score sheet. 

 

A big thanks to our off field positions.  Super fan Sharon Bandoo showed up with Gatorade!  Liz “the Editor” with her pencil sharpened for clipboard duty, which was no simple task this game.  MF “the Saint” Gydus on Robley duty, which was an even less simple task.  And Robley “the Rookie” was embroiled in a rip-roaring game of throw the bubble wand on top of the soccer goal.  He also lead off the end of game high fives and came up with our cheer: “Thank you for playing a great game!”  That sums it up folks.

 

See you next week when Co-captains Judy and Erin will once again return to the helm (thank goodness!)

 

Best,

Co-co-cappy Scaldwell

 

“Oops is brought to you by Erasers: don’t make a mistake without one!” (Square One anyone?)

 

Clip board duty!

 

I was freaking out right about now because we only had 8 players.

 

MF “the M&M bringer” and Robley “the Rookie”: snack time!

 

Kate Elwell

pronouns: she, her, hers

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