re double-header vs shadowmasks

My apologies for the tardiness. Final scores:

26–3
14–19

Both Shadowmask wins. Not pretty. What we got here is basically a team that should be in another league than Kentucky-Fried, but also a team that can't give up the sensation of being big fish in a little pond. The usual male genital problems. All of which would have been okay, except I personally took their bogus cheer [just: "Catfish"--capn batty] at the end as an insult: these people lack all the minimal courtesies. They will be the last team we play this season. Their tushies were apparently whupped last week by the Akamites (who we came painfully close to beating last time; I did not realize we had one extra game with Akamites: my money is on us for that one), and looking over our second game last night makes it quite clear to me that we have it in us to still beat them at the end of this season. I think it might take some getting together and knocking a ball around and getting our minds as razor-sharp and limber as our bodies, etc. But the fact is that we were also playing short of some of our regulars last night: Cecere was absent, Jeremy had to leave early, and Evan saw rain at 4:30 and pooped his pants so violently that he did a "takesy-backsy" and transformed into a no-show at the final hour (sorry Evan, but I'm assuming you knew that one would be coming), and we still played a good game save for that one unfortunate inning.

I've mentioned this opposing team male genitalia pride thing more often than I probably should, I suppose, but I mention it again because our rally at the end last night (which actually had those gigglers on their concerned toes and no longer taking anything for granted) was once again a matter of the ladies coming to the fore and reminding everyone why a bi-gendered team is not just a happy team, but a winning team. Because on the whole, and not to get on the bad side of our captain, I wouldn't call our playing last night stupendous by any means. I've seen us do better, and these days, I expect us to do better than what that first game demonstrated. We looked and played like timidfish. There were highlights as always: Dan's unflappable ability to make the ball do whatever he wants it to and drive in one homer after another; two double-plays (one between Costello and myself, and another to which I shall return in a moment); Judy making a nice catch as pitcher (and indeed, pitching in general was quite "on point" with both Kate and Judy). Good catches by Costello, Mickus, etc. But I'd like to focus on when things finally started working. Second game, bottom of the third. We did not go gentle into that good night.

We had started strong: 7 to their 2 after the first inning. We then failed to score, and maybe because five innings pushes our 4th back to a 2nd, SMs got 12 runs off us bottom of the 2nd. (It is that 2nd bottom that won the game for them; nothing else.) We come back with another two runs, bringing us to 9 against their 14. They start scoring again, enjoying themselves (some of them had been batting lefty "for practice"). They've gotten 5 and only have 1 out. We had talked Jeremy into staying for the second half of the inning (he had to leave; we cajoled, etc.) Why did we do this when he had to leave? Why not let him meet his obligations? Do Catfish obligations come before all others? Jeremy answers all these questions quite abruptly from his first-base region: a double-play: out at first, and gets it to Kate at third where she finishes the job. Inning over, Jeremy departs, his job done, and we move into the 4th. We fail to score, though. Bottom of the 4th: is all lost? Jose (the most disgruntled I've ever seen him, I do believe) says no: 4 batters, with three of them flies to left field where Jose disposes of them with such ease that the shadowmasked cats vomit up their canaries. 0 runs for them. In other words, Jose singlehandedly trounced that inning for them. Top of the 5th and final. My details could be scrambled, but woman-power kicks in and Diane is at bat. A solid hit that takes her to first. Mickus up: probably subsequently disappointed in his first non-homer, but he whacks it good nonetheless. A single? Hold the horses: Diane displays guts both long and convoluted, and proceeds to practically steal third, sowing confusion in the field. While she has drawn their attention down to that corner (where they fail to get her in time), Mickus (never one to turn down a quick sprint to a base) takes second. Erin up. Perhaps a tad under the radar, this tidbit: one of our most consistent first-base hitters. To demonstrate: she takes first. Mickus, taking any hit a good enough reason to run anywhere, aims for third. Problem is, Diane's thinking this one through this time and deems an attempt for home not advisable. Result is some confusion, with everyone's crosshairs getting scrambled. But as always, Mickus may take a lickus, but he is always going to keep on tickus. Meaning that only his personalized scurrying feet could have pulled him or anyone else out of that between-base predicament. Bases loaded. And who do you want at bat when bases are loaded? Karie at the plate. Delivering what, to my eyes, may have been her finest hit to date. It may only get her to first. And it may only push Erin to second. But it also pushes in two runs easy as pie. No outs. JC: whacks a mole. Erin runs like the wind, comes to third; seems ready to settle down for a long winter's nap. Except I'm yelling (in my first ever attempt at third-base coaching) for her to take home. Hesitation: I had parted my hair behind, but she already had bangs. A hairy scenario. Save that she now runs not just like the wind, but like violent wind and makes it by a hair. Score! Result from her move: JC on second; Karie on third. I advise Karie that she isn't obligated to run. (No outs.) She nods like I'm tardy on the uptake. Emily then bats a beaut. Gets her comfortably to first. So comfortably, in fact, that not only have the S&Ms been increasingly focused on their "M," but she brings in two more runs. This is all sweetness, and what we need to remember for the last three games.

As the Captain said, we need to visualize that butt-kicking next week against the Akamites. The fact that we have it in us to win these next three games is so crystally-clear and apparent to me that my visualization and belief levels can't get any higher. I know everyone else feels the same.

Your Co-Captain,
Mr. Co-Captain