even more fish photos

the sky was bright and cheerful as we took the field vs the STFs...
more feeyosch photos here

more on last night

 

Catfish,

I don't know how it slipped my mind for the first email, but I also am compelled to mention Nathan's heretofore unknown cheering abilities, which really were on display last night under the lights. Definitely an asset to the team, and we expect big doings from this guy next season, in terms of hooting and hollering at the Hood blimp while climbing up the fence, doing cartwheels off the field etc. This guy makes Lowenthal and Costello look mellow!

Your captain,

Judy

 

 

 

Catfish 13!!! ... STFs 50

 

Dear Catfish,

 

Last night's loss in the first round of the playoffs was difficult to absorb, but I want to focus on the Good Times. And we certainly had a grand old time last night against the Snappy Threaded Foes, who overall seemed a happy and friendly team, if a bit too focused on thwacking the ball as hard as humanly possible.

 

We scored 13 whole runs, woo-hoo! Co-cap Lowie mixed things up in the lineup, putting Lemony G at first base, where it was her time to shine! We held them to zero runs in the 2nd inning! And who could forget Nathan's Grand Slam in the bottom of the 3rd? No one!!!

 

We were definitely hurting for the lack of Costello, who sacrificed his right write for The Kids this Saturday in the Easter Seals game vs Harvard (a story for another time). And poor Alyssa at 3rd base took a nasty "THOCK" of a hit in the shin. They were really hitting the balls fast and furiously, and the astroturf wasn't helping.

 

The brutal inning in which they scored 18 runs and left Evan spitting angry fire, I'm sure we shall never forget. Esp. not me, as I was the unfortunate pitcher on the mound. Consultation with Lowenthal and Costello eventually worked it out and we got that last elusive out for the inning. We then went on to score 4 more runs, just to show them we aint no bozo the clowns, before letting them invoke the slaughter rule, since it was after 10pm by then.

 

Now there have been complaints that these STFs had no women on their team, and this not against the rules? Yes and no. Yes, they had no women; no, it's not against the rules. The only rule we're held to is that our team be at least 80% MIT affiliated players. Their pitcher, #34, let it slip to Erika that they don't really come from any one department at MIT, "they started in IS, but now it's sorta all over." This to me sounds a bit suspicous. It could well be that they're just a bunch of hooligans who know some people who work at MIT, and so they get to make themselves feel really macho and powerful by waiting (as always) for their perfect pitch and then smashing the softball as hard as they can, not even heeding whether they leave a huge lump on someone's shin, or taking years off people's lives by raising their blood pressure in terror. Never fear, Catfish, your humble captain and co-captain will be looking into this matter further and bringing it up with the Commish.

 

In closing, I think the saddest part of all was that after the game, it was too late to even go have a beer and commiserate. May that never happen again!

 

Your capn,

Judy

 

PS: The fun might not even be over yet. There is some small chance that the STFs will have to forfeit their next game, which is Wednesday against Miracle, which would make the game open to us to play if we wanted. More on that later--I should know by the end of the day today...

 

More Fish Photos

These and other (somewhat scandalous!) photos available here, thanks to emily and her merry band of photographers

Shadowmasks 33, Catfish 6

Hi Catfish,

In some sense, it's true that we lost last night to the Shadowmasks. Yes they did score 33 runs, and we only scored 6. However: Those 6 runs gave us so much joy, so much wonder at the simple fact of being alive on a lovely summer afternoon, they're worth at least 6 apiece of a silly old Shadowmask run. So, on a deeper level, we scored THIRTY-SIX runs!!

See?

Then there was that beautiful rainbow that appeared at the end of the game, and all those little leprechauns who came sliding down it, giggling and throwing money at us so that we could go to the Muddy and buy pitchers and pizza! !!!

Remember?

And in between these magickal happenings, we played some excellent softball.

Marc got a TRIPLE in the 2nd inning as well as scoring a precious run, and is still beaming with pride. Evan got 2 homeruns this time, stealing that honor from Mickus. We held them to NO runs, not even their paltry, less valuable runs, in the top of the 2nd inning, ending it with a smooth double play. Erin caught a foul pop-up, keeping her wits about her with grace and aplomb (and I don't think she even dropped the f-bomb this time--just kiddin, eh). Rob and Kate C both got doubles, I think.

Even our dark moments displayed our true grit and determination. When Jose twisted his ankle while scoring off of one of Evan's homeruns, he didn't sit down and start crying like a baby. He hopped around the bases on one foot, all the way to home. Mickus also took a fly ball in the face and got a bump on his nose, and had to sit out for the rest of one inning, but he didn't cry either, and was back in the outfield ASAP.

As always I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the best moments, and I encourage you all to share them on our bloggy blog.

Despite finishing the season 1 and 9, don't forget, Fish, we have in fact made it to the playoffs! Our next game is Monday, the 13th, at 8:00 pm (note the later time), on astroturf field 1, against the Snappy Threaded Foes. If we win, we'll also play Wednesday. The Snappy Threaded Foes play in KFC1, against the Sultans of Swat (I think we've played them in past years) and a couple other unfamiliar teams. They look pretty good, with a +35 run differential. Our differential is something like
-52, which is a much bigger number than theirs, so, in a sense, we've already got them beat. Right?

Ok, enough blah blah. Happy weekends and get ready for the big P L A Y O F Fs!

Your captain,

Judy

In honor of our last regular season game of 2007

Sandy Koufax: "Pitching is the art of instilling fear."

Ty Cobb: "When I played ball, I didn't play for fun. . . . It's no pink tea,
and mollycoddles had better stay out. It's a contest and everything that
implies, a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest."

Yogi Berra: "Slump? I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hitting."

Ted Williams: "There's only one way to become a hitter. Go up to the plate
and get mad. Get mad at yourself and mad at the pitcher."

Satchel Paige: "Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw
strikes. Home plate don't move."

Yogi Berra: "I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the
bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my
fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"

Yogi Berra: "Ninety percent of this game is mental, and the other half is
physical."

Papi: "It doesn't matter if we we're down 3-0. You've just got to keep the
faith. The game is not over until the last out."

Catfish continue their losing streak in grand and unprecedented fashion!

Dearest Catfish,

Another bitterly disappointing loss last night to the WBs: 6 - 27.

Nevertheless, as always, there were highlights: Katie H's glorious hit way out into left-center field, a definite double, and possibly a triple - the base coach told her to try for the third - it looked like the outfield was slowing down - then BLAM, they throw her out at third. Still, a beautiful smash, something for all Fish to aspire to, and they can’t take that away from Katie or the rest of us Fish.

There was also Kate C's snappy catch of the line drive, in the bottom of the sixth. She hasn't quite learned yet that the real ace pitchers always toss the ball and then cringe out of the way as quickly as possible! Am I right? So, thank goodness for that, and for her tough pitching and fielding.

José homered in the 2nd or 3rd inning, and that was wonderful. We did have some great hits out there. But it seemed like what we're not doing, and what we might have to start doing, is trying to score from 2nd or 3rd, no matter what. Even if 2/3 of the team thinks the play is over and the ball is momentarily dead, that doesn't mean that a runner on third shouldn't make an easy trot for home! Who cares that there aren't any strikes or balls? It's legal to tag up and run home even if half the other team is picking their collective nose, so, let's do it!!! In some circles this is known as pulling a Shadowmask, but it seems like the WBs have made the practice their own.

The WBs also seem to have acquired a designated big crybaby: when visiting 'Fish Liz caught a foul tip, many assumed the batter was out. At that, the big baby's face crumpled up into a dark and stormy cloud, he threw his bat as hard as he could on the ground, and began stomping back to the bench. ("Somebody just pooped his pants real bad!!" I said to Karie, on the sidelines.) Fish looked on in amused disbelief. "No, no, that's just a foul tip, it has to go over the catcher's head for it to be an out!!" Hmf. Well. OK. Baby stomped back to the plate, got himself a double, and has probably stopped pouting by now. I know I'm not the only one who thinks he should've been out just for being such a big baby.

I’m sure I’m missing many wonderful Fish highlights; please feel free to post to the blog your own recollections. And I apologize, Fish, if I sound bitter! I’m sure it’s unbecoming of a captain. We can be thankful, infinitely grateful, that we do have one win under our belts. It’s been a rough season, with a lot of overly serious base-running and nit-picking from the other teams, it seems to me. I am truly proud of all you Fish, and I KNOW that can and will win our next and final game.

Your humble capn,

Judy

some inspiring words

Catfish:

Inspiring words from P. Nersesian, channeling Churchill, for our imminent game vs. WhyBunts:

---

Let us remember Churchill:

We shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air...

whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender

See you on Field 1. Let's do this thing.