Analysis of the 2011 Shadow Masks: Game 2

Who are these Catfish? Why did I not get a sunburn standing out there in left field due to multiple prolonged innings? How did we shut out the Masks in three of the seven innings? I don't think I'm on the Catfish anymore.

I'm on Deathfish. Our defense is so unstoppable and our regard to our bodies is so minimal when colliding with the opponents that I think some of us have gone cyborg. I'm pretty sure Marc got something done in the offseason that warrants him the title of the Terminthal. I don't think anything has gotten by him. Butters would rather run over a diminutive blonde woman than slide, which easily earns him the moniker of Buttocop. Actually, I'm not sure of that name.

Here's what I have to say about them:

1) Yeah, attack the outfield. Aside from the all decked out center fielder who looked like he just got back from Triple A practice, everyone else was truly hit or miss on catching fly balls. Plus, Triple A guy gunned out Tsai at home. Hit it away from him and one has a real chance of getting a double.

2) The infield is tough, especially with the young woman at second base looking like a serious gamer. When Mr. Serious returns to first base I would try hard to get it out of the infield. That said, third base and shortstop are prone to overthrowing at first due to inaccuracy or rushing. Unlike Katie Helke, they don't always take that careful breath to throw on target. If you are prone to infield hits, hit it to these guys, run hard, and hope for the best.

3) The pitcher has a good toss and can turn it to first easily enough. However, he looks like someone who might make a bad decision or two when given a choice. I'm not sure what to do with this information, but if you're caught halfway between second and third, you could probably juke him to make him throw where you don't want to go. (shrug)

And for us:

1) Must, must, must call for the ball and -absolutely- need to listen. I could have been knocked out by a seven foot wall of dude because the barefoot guy from the other field didn't hear me say "Heads up!". Marc, Greg, and Butters all could've been laid out if the call by Butters but the catch by Greg didn't occur without incident. Even an acknowledgement of the call would be helpful, for it would give the caller the confidence to catch the ball without worrying of an impending collision. JC and me dodged a few outfield incidents by doing just that in the past.

2) I dunno, I guess we can't take any hits for granted. Tsai's home run that wasn't shows that sometimes we can't assume that a ball won't get somewhere in time. Granted, we didn't know Triple A's arm strength, and we usually chalk up balls hit that length as homers in most cases. But I guess we don't always need to be concerned about saving energy and should just finish the play regardless of how much we beat out (or barely beat out) a throw. It's also why we book it to first base no matter how routine the ground ball is, for anything could happen to make one safe.

3) I thought the 3-and-short vs. 4-across worked out great for the most part in the outfield. Some hitters you would rather have hit short, while others you could gamble on with the gaps. It helps to have momentum-killing grass, but as we get to know the opposing hitters more, we'll be able to make those outfield shifts even more effective.

Hey guys, we're not a fluke. We beat a very, very capable team twice. Given that we are in a slow pitch softball league where everyone can hit a large white ball with confidence, it is impressive that we are able to keep it together competitively while maintaining our usual good attitudes and camaraderie.