Catfish 6, Langer Lab 33

Dear Catfish Nation,

It was a lollapalooza of a loss last night to Langer Lab to close out the 2014 season. Nevertheless, we Fish managed to have our fun.

Langer Lab is a team of about 50 or so young jocks, mostly bashing stuff into the outfield or line-driving stuff into our faces. So we owe much to our outfielders, who got a lot of exercise out there on the turf: thanks Yaaarchitect, The Mórrígan, L’Artiste Abbate the Younger, Pickles, and Richie Rich. Pitchers The Scalder and The Baffler had to face a lot of bizzare Langer Lab stances at the plate, and pitched with much aplomb. The H Bomb caught with panache and also screamed her battle cry furiously while running the bases, upsetting an otherwise sure double play. Chrazy, Butters, the Abbatoirist (Abbate the Younger), and Hot Stuff faced many line drives and crazy bounces on the turf, and also had many amazing plays. Highlights included Butters’s super-buttery and delicious home run (thanks, Butters!); our holding those punks to ZERO RUNS in both the 3rd and 6th innings; Pickles’s and L’Artiste’s fine catches in the outfield; H Bomb’s afore-mentioned battle-cry; the glorious power of the team Abbate in the 6^th, with both Abbates the Younger scoring off of Abbate the Elder’s double; and The Scalder’s fine cheering skills (“nice ACTION!!!”).

We sent them (and their peeing dog) off with a cheer of “Langer Lab! Langer Lab! You’re Really Fab!” They were kind enough to buy us a pitcher of Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers, at the Muddy. We paid them back with a much finer beer, to prove that we are so much better than them, deep down where it counts.

In sum, it was nice action indeed, for all of us, this season. We now turn our fish eyes to next season when we’ll be thrilled to have the HellieKat and the Magical Clavicle (if I can persuade him) back with us again. Thanks to everyone for playing your hearts out. And thanks for tuning in, and keep swimming toward the future with your fish heads held high!

(And ps: don’t forget the Easter Seals charity game vs. our Arch-Arch Nemesis Harvard University Press, this Saturday, 1:30, at Danehy Park in Cambridge. You’ll want to see Hot Stuff try his hot stuff at 3rd, Chrazy try his crazy at shortstop, and JC Superstar’s triumphant return at 1st base.)

August 4, 2014, vs. Langer Lab

Batting Order

1. Matt

2. José

3. Ryan

4. Butters

5. Chris

6. Kate

7. Rich

8. Erin

9. Yar

10. Beth

11. Judy

12. John

13. Art

                                1,3,5            2,4,6               

Pitch	Kate	Matt
Catch	Erin	Erin
1B	José	Chris
2B	Judy	John A
SS	Butters	Butters
3B	Chris	José
SF	Beth	Art
LF	Yar	Yar
CF	Ryan	Ryan
RF	Rich	Beth

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
FISH	1	0	0	1	0	4	0	6
LL	10	11	0	6	6	0	X	33

CrEAPS 18, Catfish 17

Dear Catfish Nation,

Fish truly have nothing be shaming themselves for over last night’s game. We were a scrappy bunch: no Scalder, no Chrazy, no Beast or Hot Stuff, no Lawyerator or Mórrígan, no Magical Clavicle, to name just a few of the Fish missing from our fishy ranks. But we Fish held our Fish Heads high and persevered.

Team Abbate was in rare form, with the Abbates the Younger getting an RBI apiece, 4 singles, and a double. Abbate the Elder had a double and also many crucial catches and plays in the infield, as he baffled them as always with his pitching. H Bomb Hasley was ferocious as ever, both behind and at the plate, with an RBI to her name. The Yaaarchitecht, Richie Rich, and even yours Captain Truly Batty all had singles. Then there was the home run club: Joltin’ Pickles Picazio, Buttery Butters showing them which side of the bread on which the butter goes (on the Buttersy side), and, very dear to our hearts, perhaps our shiniest Fish of the evening with two home runs, two singles, and a double, Tslammin’ Johnny Tsai. Hope you’re not too sore today Tslammy Boy!

All in all we had those CrEAPS running pretty scared and creepy. Given one more inning I am sure we would have shown them the what for. But since there were no more innings to be had, we Fish cheered them sportfully on with “HOOT HOOT! Awwww, CREAP CREAP!” and swam ourselves off to the Muddy Charles Put where mainy dark and grainy pictures were taken.

Next week is a bye week (unless the Shadowmask game gets rescheduled), so please join us Monday, August 4, for our final game of the regular season, when we face Langer Lab on field 2.

Trucker Caps are the Best Caps for Captain Batty

Fish plot next strategeries

Fun-loving fishes

July 21, 2014, vs. CrEAPS

Batting Order

1. Ryan

2. Yar

3. Rich

4. Jon E.

5. John T.

6. John A.

7. Matt

8. Art

9. Erin

10. Judy

Pitch	Matt
Catch	Erin
1B	John T.
2B	Judy
SS	Jon E.
3B	John A.
SF	Art
LF	Rich
CF	Ryan
RF	Yar

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
CrEAPS	3	2	10	0	1	2	0	18
FISH	5	0	2	4	0	5	1	17

. 

Fish Refuse to Lose to Shadowmasks!

Dear Catfish Nation,

Actually the game was rained out, but nevertheless, it is no lie to say that Catfish Did Not Lose!

It was a disappointment, of course, as we were looking forward to taking the field against those Media Labber Shadowmasks. This was to be Tevin “Mr. Big Stuff (Who Do You Think You Are)” Smalls’s Big Debut, so we were lucky there was no rioting in the streets when the word went out that the game would have to be rescheduled.

We Fish, ever resourceful, made our way through the deluge to the Muddy Charles Pub, where we brought our brilliant fishy minds to bear on such topics as email spoofs from future selves, rain-cursed camping, password retention, and Ancient Egypt, all while scarfing down pizzas and the inevitable Greek salad. We also tried every beer on the Muddy’s board. Chrazy Eyes Eyer enlightened us as to his archaeological thesis that the ancient Pharaohs were buried with their leftover pizzas, so as to be able to feast on such manna upon waking in the netherworld. (I’m pretty sure any leftover Greek salad was tossed in the dump.

At any rate, this game vs. the Shadowmasks shall be rescheduled, so stay tuned. And please join us next week, Monday, July 21, at 5:30, when we face the CrEAPS on field 2 (astroturf).

Captain Batty with Bumbershoot

Fish theorize uponst things

Fish frolic

H Bomb wins for getting the most soaked by riding bike to Muddy

BE Natural Killers 11, Catfish 5

Dear Catfish and Friends,

Fish managed to play 6 solid innings before the storm hit last night, and I hold fast to my belief that we would have rallied and beaten those BENKs if they had not run crying “wee wee wee” all the way home just because of a giant storm cloud that was streaked with lightning and booming thunder.

Highlights included the return of the Yaaaaarchitect! Yar Laakso, who got on base; Raving David (of Team Elwell) who had some beautiful catches out in left field and an RBI; the debut of Rookie Robens, who in his first Big League game had a single; Bob The Robber Bethune’s snag at 3rd base, robbing those BENKs of a hit; Pickles Picazio’s fine baserunning (he got in no pickles whatsoever); Butters’s awesome triple; H Bomb’s fine catch of a pop up behind the plate, securing a much-needed out; the double play between Butters and Chrazy Eyes Chris Eyer; Kate The Scalder’s fine (as ever) pitching, and her single; Chrazy’s Eyes’s CHRAZY run, where he smashed the ball out of the catcher’s glove to score (“oh god are you ok Chris??” “I’m fine, am I safe?” –and he was), bloodying his knee for the sake of the Fish; and lefty Richie Rich’s fine hitting at the plate and RBI.

All in all we have nothing to be ashamed of, Fish! We played our fishy hearts out and a good time was had by all. The cheer, if there had been one, would have been “You make me feel! You make me feel! You! Make! Me! Feel! Like a natural Killaaaah (KILLAH!).”

Please join us next week on Bastille Day, when we play our old buddies the Shadow Masks on field BB.

July 7, 2014, vs. BENKs 

Batting Order 1. Ryan
2. Rich
3. Chris
4. Jon E.
5. David
6. Kate
7. Erin
8. Bob B.
9. Robens
10. Judy
11. Yar

	1,3,5	2,4,6	7
Pitch	Kate	Kate	Kate
Catch	Erin	Erin	Erin
1B	Chris	Chris	Chris
2B	Judy	Judy	Judy
SS	Jon E.	Jon E.	Jon E.
3B	Bob B.	Bob B.	Bob B.
SF	Robens	Yar	Yar
LF	David	David	David
CF	Ryan	Ryan	Ryan
RF	Rich	Rich	Rich

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
BENKs	0	4	4	0	3	0	rain	11
FISH!	3	0	0	0	0	2	rain	5

Fish 6, Strawdogs 27

Hi Catfish and Friends,

Another tough loss last night to the Strawdogs. The game started out so well: lead-off batter Richard “Richie Rich” Wladkowski smashed a HOME RUN! His first of the season. And it set the tone for the rest of that inning and the next. However, after that, somehow the Fish went off the rails a bit.

We were a lean team, and were grateful to Team Elwell for recruiting their friend “Babe” Ruth so that we could at least have 9 players on the field. The Babe did well, getting onto base twice. We tip our cap to you, Babe! Other highlights include the aforementioned lead-off home run by Richie Richard, returning Fish Levi “Leviathan” Rubeck’s catches in the infield, and, perhaps the most exciting moment of all, when Chrazy Eyes Chris Eyer launched a rocket from left field so that Scalding Kate Elwell could tag out the lead runner at home plate (as pitcher she had to cover home, since our regular catcher H Bomb Hasley was forced to play short field). This was a sight to see! We were all filled with Catfish pride.

Thanks to all for playing, and join us next week, Monday, July 7, when we face the BE Natural Killers at 5:30 on the Women’s Softball Diamond.

 

The LEVIATHAN Returneth

Beauty and The Beast!

Butters warms up while looking super cool

Chrazy Eyes Approves

Frolicking Fishes! Richie Richard and H Bomb

Batting Order

1. Rich

2. Evan

3. Chris

4. Jon E.

5. Levi

6. Ruth

7. Kate

8. Erin

9. Judy

June 30, 2014, vs. Straw Dogs

Pitch	Kate
Catch
1B	Levi
2B	Judy
SS	Jon E.
3B	Rich
SF	Erin
LF	Chris
CF	Evan
RF	Ruth

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
FISH!	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	6
Strawdogs	4	1	6	5	6	5	X	27

Some pix from last night's game

Akamites 24, Catfish 2

Hi Fish and Friends,

 

It was a tough loss last night to the Akamites. Still, as ever, the Fish played better than the score reveals.

 

Highlights include the Abbate Triple Threat: Matt the Baffler (who baffled both at the plate and on the mound), John the Abbatoirist (who slaughtered the ball at the plate), and, in his triumphant return to the Catfish, Art L’Artiste (who, if you’re interested, can tell you how to get to Carnegie Hall, and who had a stupendous catch in short field). Those two runs were also a big highlight, both scored by Jon Butters Elwell; one RBI went to his own bad self, as he got us on the board with a homerun in the bottom of the 2nd, and the other RBI went to the H Bomb Hasley, fierce as ever at the plate.

 

We were a lean machine, missing several Fish: Evan the Beast (who was off being trained by his batting coach, Li’l Beast Edith), Kate The Scalder (who was off in New Orleans, attending a conference that has to do with a little side gig she has in publishing), Nate The Lawyerator (who has left us for Boot Camp, ostensibly to train for the National Guard, but really in order to transform himself into a Robo-Lawyerator for future Catfish seasons), and Beth The Mórrígan Moore (valiantly sacrificing Catfish glory in order to see off The Lawyerator and bid him farewell). In DL news, Marc The Magical Clavicle turns out to really have a magical clavicle, as the bones are magically healing on their own and he will not need surgery.

 

Overall, we Fish, as always, have nothing to be ashamed of. Brilliant catches and hits were made and smashed by the likes of Let’s Go Pickles Picazio, Chris Chrazy Eyes Eyer, Hot Stuff José, Richard Richie Rich, and the above aforementioned Fish. We knew all along, in the words of Chrazy Eyes, that “even if we lose, we shall still have had the cruise”—the Charles River Cruise of last Tuesday. They can’t take that away from us, Catfish Nation—nooooo, they can’t take that away from us! (Imagine jazz hands here and Carnegie Hall.)

 

Please join us next week, June 30, when we play the Straw Dogs on field 8 at 5:30.

 

 

June 23, 2014, vs. Akamites

Batting Order

1. Ryan

2. José

3. Chris

4. Butters

5. John A

6. Art

7. Matt

8. Erin

9. Rich

10. Judy

 

 

Pitch	Matt
Catch	Erin
1B	José
2B	Judy
SS	Butters
3B	Rich
SF	Art
LF	Chris
CF	Ryan
RF	John A

 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	TOTAL
Akamites	1	7	3	0	9	0	4	24
FISH!	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2