Giving up 5 runs in the first inning, it sure seemed like we were headed for another embarrassing blowout loss. Even after giving up 4 more official runs in the rest of that game, our team proved to be more resilient than anyone thought we would be. Getting 3 runs back in the bottom of that first inning, 2 in the third, 2 in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. we kept the pressure on the former division champion "Aces of Fire" team, and kept the game close throughout. As frustrating as it may have been, we have no need to be ashamed of a 9-8 loss, because we have revealed ourselves to be a real fighter that keeps on fighting until the end.
Is this recap sounding a bit boring so far? That's because Fergal Carr's name has not been mentioned yet.
Reminiscent of last year's collision play involving Fergal and Jon Landman, or Fergal running into the catcher in our preseason game against ParagraphNY.com, or Fergal clipping down the catcher in the previous game (you see a pattern here?)... He ignored center fielder Jeffrey Wong's calls for a fly ball between them two, the taller Fergal caught the ball while doing his trademark jumping catch, and the midair collision knocked Jeff and himself down onto the ground. Fortunately, both avoided injury -- but unfortunately, both suffered cases of wounded pride after being captured on camera by our new team photographer Adam Trilling, of the two cuddling on the field after the collision. Pictures will be available on our blog site as soon as they are developed/cropped/resized by Adam, as soon as he can get off the Jury Duty epidemic.
Before we get to our traditional MVP point rewards for players who contributed the most in the game, here are some noteworthy efforts that barely got beaten out for the point nominations:
- Mike Foley is heating up again after a mild hitting slump -- he went 2-for-3 this night with two doubles and two RBIs.
- Just as the Aces of Fire pulled further ahead with an 8-5 lead in the fifth inning, former Lacrosse player Hillary Monroe sparked our offense by hustling to beat out a bad throw, then reaching second on the error, and eventually scoring on Jeff Wong's RBI triple. She was so happy after crossing the home plate, she did a couple of bunny hops while heading back to the bench. How cute!
If those performances could not earn them any MVP points, then you should now understand that MVP points are as rare as games where Fergal doesn't make contact with another player. So finally, here are the players that are taking home some well-deserved MVP points:
* Besides his dependable defense, Jon Landman's offensive prowess is a force to be reckoned with. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple, batted in 2, and scored twice.
* Able to recognize batters' abilities quickly, center fielder Jeffrey Wong positioned himself much shallower than usual when one of the opposing team's male player came to bat. The batter hit a line drive just over the reach of the leaping Sean Greene at shortstop into short center field. But Jeff was right there backing up the play: after fielding the ball quickly, he fired it back to Sean covering 2nd base. Even though the ball sailed a bit too high, Sean Greene made a jump with precise timing, and came down on the bag to make the force-out. Jeff will pass a point over to Sean to share in the glory of this two-MVP-point play.
* Though referred to as a "little girl" by the other team, Rachel Berger always play with the biggest heart for the game. A fast runner was going into second base with a head of steam, Rachel raced and beat him to the bag. While being clipped down at second in a bigger collision than Fergal and Jeff's, Rachel held onto the incoming throw to get a crucial last out of the sixth inning. The fearless "little girl" dusted herself and walked back to the dugout as if nothing happened. Well, something did happened: she got 3 MVP points for that play.
The game was exciting, but we also had a tender moment: We enlisted Jon Landman's son Aaron's help at the last minute because we did not have the expected amount of male players for Monday's game. Father and son playing together on a team -- a truly unforgettable Kodak moment. Let us hear you all say, "Awwww..."
After another game on a field that makes Mr. Hankey from South Park look good, we will finally have our first of 4 games in Central Park this season 2 weeks from now. Mark your calendar for June 2nd.
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