B League Picayune
Often in error, never in doubt.
Volume 5, Issue 43 – August 28, 2023
Weather: Break out the sweatshirts, boys, it actually dropped under 100 today. Felt almost miraculous to have the temperature be just 90 degrees at the start of the 11:00 game, with 55% humidity and mostly blue skies. Even had a bit of a breeze, blowing from the west.
Injured list:
Gray team: Doc Hobar
Unassigned: Alvin Gauna
Making an appearance today that earned his way off of the IL was Green’s Jeff Broussard. Not quite ready to play, but looking hale and hearty enough to manage.
Games of Monday August 28:
10:00 a.m., Green (8-9) at Red (6-11):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Green 5 0 0 3 0 0 8 Red 5 2 5 3 5 X 20 Pitchers: Green – Tommy Deleon (odd-numbered innings) and Chunky Wright (even-numbered innings); Red – Jack Kelly. Mercenaries: Green – Peter Sundquist; Red – Tim Coles. Umpires: home plate – Jeff Stone and Joe Roche; bases – Mike Garrison and Rip Wright. Perfect at the plate: Green - ?; Red – Sam Baker and Tim Coles (each 3 for 3 with a homerun) and David Ferley (3 for 3). Homeruns: Sam Baker, George Brindley, and Tim Coles (all inside the park).
Both teams came out hitting, Green scoring five times without making an out in the top of the first inning, Red scoring five on a walk and five singles by the first six hitters while making just one out, on a 5-4 force at second on which Howard Spates beat the relay home to score the fifth run. Red outscored Green 15-3 the rest of the way, however, shutting out Green in the second (turning a 5-4-3 double play in that frame, Tim Coles to Howard Spates to Daniel Baladez), third (after allowing a lead-off single, Jack Kelly got three straight fly ball outs, two to Paul Rubin in left-center), fifth, and buffet. Green got its only other runs in the top of the fourth, Red’s 6-4-3 double play, Howard Spates on the pivot, limiting the damage.
Red put up crooked numbers in each of its at bats, with three different players legging out inside-the-park homers: Tim Coles hit a two-run homer to right field in the second, Sam Baker’s liner to right-center gapped the outfielders for a grand slam that drove in the last four runs of a five-run third, and George Brindley’s three-run homer drove in the final runs in the final five-run inning, the bottom of the fifth.
Red homerun hitters Sam Baker (holding up four fingers for his grand slam), George Brindley, and Tim Coles.
Chasing a dozen entering the buffet, Green went out in order: Line out to George Brindley in left field, ground out to second baseman Howard Spates, and a fly to Paul Rubin in left-center. Final score: 20, Green 8
11:00 a.m., Gray (10-6) at Gold (7-10):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL Gray 4 5 3 0 1 13 Gold 5 2 0 0 2 9 Pitchers: Gray – Greg Lloyd; Gold – Jeff Stone. Mercenary: Gold – Don Solberg. Umpires: home plate – Tommy Deleon and Jeff Fisher; bases – Tim Balke. Perfect at the plate: Gray – David Kruse (4 for 4 with a double), Jerry Mylius (3 for 3 with a double), and Mick Parker (4 for 4); Gold – Tim Coles and Jeff Stone (each 3 for 3) and Llarry Young (2 for 2). Homerun: Joe Roche (inside the park).
Gray jumped off to a quick lead with four runs on six singles in the top of the first, but Gold responded with five runs on a bunch of extra-base hits in the bottom half. Jeff Stone singled with one out and Joe Roche followed with an inside-the-park homerun, going the opposite way with a drive to left field. Tim Coles followed with a triple to right field and scored on Mike Garrison’s sacrifice fly to left field. Tony Viera made the defensive play of the day on Mike’s drive, ranging far to his right to make a backhanded grab, actually making the catch in foul ground. Denny Malloy ignited the second half of the rally with a triple to right. Rip Wright drew a walk, and then Larry Bunton and Joe Dayoc each singled, to left and left-center field, Larry’s hit scoring Denny and Joe’s bringing in Rip with the fifth run.
Joe Roche hydrates following his two-run inside-the-park homerun in the bottom of the first.
Gray punched right back, scoring five times on seven hits in the top of the second, David Kruse, Greg Lloyd, and Tom Brownfield driving in four of the runs with consecutive doubles. Tom scored the fifth run on Frank Delmonte’s lined hit to left field.
Gold looked poised to match that in the bottom half, but ran itself out of the inning. Larry Young and Don Solberg led off with singles. Tim Bruton followed with a drive to the fence in right field; Larry’s pinch-runner and Don scored, but Tim actually passed Don and made it to the home line first, and was called out, losing out on a homerun. Jeff Stone singled, but tried to tag and advance on Joe Roche’s fly to left field; Tony Viera made a strong throw to Rick Jensen at second, beating Jeff to the bag, for an F-7, 7-rover double play.
Gray added to its lead with three runs in the top of the third, on five singles, the last four hits and all of the runs coming after two were out on a 1-rover-3 (Jeff Stone to Tim Bruton to Larry Bunton) double play that erased the pinch-runner of Jim McAnelly, who’d singled leading off. Rover Rick Jensen then helped record all three outs in the bottom half, taking the throw from shortstop to force out Tim Coles, who’d led off with a single; catching Denny Malloy’s short fly to center; and, playing on the dirt behind second, fielding Rip Wright’s grounder up the middle and throwing to first for the out.
Neither team scored in the fourth, Gray leaving the bases loaded in the top half, Greg Lloyd working around Larry Young’s two-out single in the home half.
Gray led 12-7 entering the buffet, and scored just once in the top half: Jerry Mylius led off with a double, just beyond the reach of a diving Rip Wright in left field, took third on Mick Parker’s fourth single of the game, and scored on David Kruse’s fourth hit, another single. With runners on the corners and one out, Gray looked poised for a big inning, but Jeff Stone turned Greg Lloyd’s grounder up the middle into another 1-rover-3 double play, Rick Jensen on the pivot, to end the inning.
That left Gold chasing six with the top of its order due up. Third baseman Jerry Mylius made a clean play and good throw on Tim Bruton’s grounder to retire the lead-off hitter. Jeff Stone singled to left, then scored from first on Joe Roche’s double, another opposite-field hit. Tim Coles singled to right, putting runners on the corners. Mike Garrison popped a ball behind third base, toward the foul line, and shortstop David Kruse ran it down for the second out – there’s not a better shortstop in B League than David on that kind of play. Denny Malloy knocked a single to right field – Tom Brownfield charged the ball and came up throwing, but there was a bit of a scrum at second, with base runner Tim Coles, rover Rick Jensen, and shortstop David Kruse all converging on the bag. The ball was not caught – it may have hit off Tim, I’m not sure – and there was a bit of controversy over whether interference on the runner should be called. Home umpire Jeff Fisher ruled that Tim getting in the way was inadvertent and unintentional, that he’d gone to the right because he didn’t have a clear path to the left, and therefore he was safe, Joe Roche scoring on the play. Rip Wright hit a sharp grounder to second base that Alex Valles fielded and threw to second, Rick Jensen making a nice grab of the low peg for the final out. Final score: Gray 13, Gold 9
Noon, Maroon (6-10) at Blue (14-3):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Maroon 4 3 4 2 5 X 18 Blue 0 0 0 4 3 2 9 Pitchers: Maroon – Joe Bernal; Blue – Spike Davidson. Mercenaries: Blue – Jack Spellman. Umpires: home plate – Rick Jensen; bases – Jim McAnelly. Perfect at the plate: Maroon – Billy Hill (3 for 3) and Rex Horvath (3 for 3 with two triples), and there may have been others, but I don't have a scorecard for Maroon. Homerun: Bobby Miller (inside the park).
Joe Bernal was at his confounding best in the early going, not allowing Blue a run until his teammates had put up a baker’s dozen. Rex Horvath played a terrific game at shortstop, making a great play to his backhanrd on Spike Davidson’s grounder to the 5-6 hole for a 6-4 force out in the second, then fielding Jimmy Shull’s grounder and throwing to Joe covering second for the inning-ending out; in the third inning, with runners on first and second, Rex started a 6-4-3 double play, Mike Velaney on the pivot.
Rex also starred at the plate, knocking a two-run triple to the fence in left-center in the top of the seconnd and a bases-loaded three-bagger to just about the same spot in the top of the fifth. Both balls were crushed and wound up hooking to an astonishing degree away from left-center fielder Anthony Galindo.
Meanwhile, mercenary shortstop Jack Spellman was doing the opposite of helping Blue. I committed an error in the second (grounder through the wickets), and in the third failed to get an out on Ken Brown’s hard one-hopper when, instead of making the play to first, I forgot that Peter Sundquist was the baserunner heading to second and that second baseman Larry Fiorentino had a very long way to go to get to the bag. I compounded the bad judgment by making a craptastic throw; Peter was safe, and I believe Peter Atkins followed with a triple. Oh, also, in my first at bat I fouled off a two-strike pitch that was a foot inside. You’re welcome, Maroon.
Blue finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four runs on six singles and Anthony Galindo’s double. The inning ended with Jimmy Shull out at home trying to score the fifth run on Bobby Miller’s fly to left fielder Peter Atkins; Jimmy initially went a couple steps down the line, then retreated and tagged up, and the strong relay from Peter to third baseman Scott Wright to catcher Billy Hill beat him home, for an F-7, 7-5-2 double play.
Blue got three more runs on three singles, a walk, and Morgan Witthoft’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, but still trailed by 11, so the teams flip-flopped for the buffet. Rex Horvath made a nice play on Philip Stanch’s grounder to short leading off, for the first out.
Know your B-Leaguer: It’s Blue team’s Philip Stanch.
Jack Spellman knocked a triple to right field and Bobby Miller ripped an inside-the-park homerun to right-center, cutting Maroon’s lead to nine runs. There was a glimmer of hope when Richard Battle drew a base on balls. Larry Fiorentino flied to right field, and Larry Shupe made a good catch of it for the second out. Anthony Galindo’s fly to left-center was gathered in by Ken Brown to end the game. Final score: Maroon 18, Blue 9, the Maroon giant-killers snapping Blue’s winning streak at eight, the season’s longest.
Standings – Session Three:
Games Runs Runs Run W/L
W L Win %: behind: for: allowed: differential: streak:
Blue 14 4 .778 — 267 212 +55 L1
Gray 11 6 .647 2.5 239 221 +18 W1
Green 8 10 .444 6 221 238 -17 L1
Purple 0 2 .000 6 29 33 – 4 L3
Maroon 7 10 .412 6.5 182 213 -31 W1
Red 7 11 .389 7 240 238 + 2 W1
Gold 7 11 .389 7 208 231 -23 L1
Home Visitor Walk-off Extra-inning Flip-flop 1-run games
W-L: W-L: Wins: W-L: W-L: W-L:
Blue 5-4 9-0 2 0-0 7-2 2-0
Gray 5-4 6-2 1 1-1 3-0* 4-2
Green 2-5 6-5 0 0-0 1-4 1-1
Purple 0-1 0-1 0 0-0 0-0 0-1
Maroon 3-5 4-5 1 1-0 2-4 2-1
Red 3-8 4-3 0 0-1 2-6* 0-5
Gold 2-7 5-4 1 0-0 3-2 2-1
* Gray won a game in which it was flip-flopped by Red.
2023 total victories (read across) and losses (read down):
Blue Gold Gray Green Maroon Purple Red TOTAL
Blue X 5 5 4 3 2.5 3 22.5
Gold 2 X 2 6 3 1 4 18
Gray 2 5 X 3 3 2 6 21
Green 2 2 3 X 3 4 4 18
Maroon 4 4 2 4 X 3 3 20
Purple 1.5 1 2 0 1 X 1 6.5
Red 4 2 1 4 3 3 X 17
_______________________________________________________________
TOTAL: 15.5 19 15 21 16 15.5 21 123
Schedule for Thursday August 31:
10:00 a.m.: Red (7-11) at Blue (14-4), Gray umpiring
11:00 a.m.: Maroon (7-10) at Gray (11-6), Gold umpiring
Noon: Gold (7-11) at Green (8-10), Maroon umpiring
Preview: Blue gets its second shot at clinching the Session Three title at 10:00 versus Red, which got its run differential into positive territory with its victory today. Maroon and Gray both won today – one will extend its winning streak to two at 11:00 Thursday. Gold and Green both lost today – one will get back on the winning track at noon. Following Blue’s defeat today, its lead cut to two and a half games ahead of Gray, is it fair to ask if manager Anthony Galindo is on the hot seat? No, it isn’t. But is he? Only time will tell.
Keggy’s Korner:
Keggy is totally turning into his mom (a.k.a. Mama Keggy). By which I mean Keggy is recommending interesting articles for you to read, like this one:
https://www.insidehook.com/article/health-and-fitness/increase-neuroplasticity?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Digg_Email&utm_campaign=Edition&utm_content=Edition%208%2028%2023