B League Picayune
Often in error, never in doubt.
Volume 5, Issue 53 – October 16, 2023
Weather: Another glorious October day: 60 degrees with 51% humidity at the start of the first game, up to 66 degrees and the humidity down to 35% early in the second, and nothing but blue skies throughout, the high sun making it tough on the fielders.
Reason number 9,072 why I wear a mask in the field: Larry Fiorentino took one to the schnozz over the weekend while playing third base.
Games of Monday October 16:
10:30 a.m., Red (3-3) at Gray (2-4):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Red 3 5 1 1 5 X 15 Gray 0 3 0 1 0 0 4 Pitchers: Red – Donald Drummer; Gray – Greg Lloyd. Mercenaries: Red – Pat Scott; Gray – Larry Fiorentino and Scott Wright. Umpires: home plate – Chunky Wright; bases – Mike Hill. Perfect at the plate: Red – Donald Drummer (2 for 2 with a double and a walk), Pat Scott (3 for 3), and Jack Spellman (3 for 3 with a double and a walk); Gray – Larry Fiorentino (3 for 3) and Rick Kahn (3 for 3 with a double).
Red scored in every inning and never trailed while holding Gray scoreless in four of their at bats, and that’s basically your one-sentence game summary. The first three batters of the game hit safely and scored for Red, though Greg Lloyd retired the next three, on two ground balls to second baseman Doc Hobar and a pop to shortstop David Kruse. Donald Drummer worked around a pair of one-out singles in the bottom half, the inning ending with left fielder Paul Rubin battling the sun and catching Daniel Carvajal’s drive.
Red put across five runs in the second on Donald Drummer’s lead-off double, three singles, two walks, and David Ferley’s hit to deliver the fifth run. The first four Gray batters in the bottom half hit safely, Rick Kahn knocking a lead-off double, two runs scoring. Hal Darman, who played like in-his-prime George Scott (1967 Red Sox reference!) throughout the game, robbed Scott Wright of a hit with a terrific play on Scott’s hard grounder to the right side. David Kruse’s fly to left field, Paul Rubin again unfazed by the high sun, brought in the third run.
Red scored a single run in the third, as Paul Rubin tripled leading off and scored on Daniel Baladez’s base hit. Donald Drummer drew a walk, but Greg Lloyd got out of the inning without further damage, getting Mike Mordecai on a pop to shortstop David Kruse and Hal Darman on a 5u., 5-3 double play. Red wound up winning the inning, as Donald Drummer retired Gray’s 3-4-5 hitters 1-2-3 in the home half.
Each team scored one run in the fourth. Pat Scott led off the top half with a single, took third on Sam Baker’s double, and scored on Gregory Bied’s fly to Larry Fiorentino in right-center field. Rick Kahn led off the home half with a double and scored (I think) on Jerry Mylius’s hit – if not on Jerry’s, then on Larry Fiorentino’s after Jim McAnelly hit a two-strike foul. With runners on first and second and one out, Scott Wright lined a single to center field; the third-base coach waved Jerry home, but he was cut down 8-6-2, Gregory Bied to Jack Spellman to Sam Baker; Larry started for third on the throw, perhaps anticipating the throw getting away from Sam, but Sam caught the relay cleanly and then alertly ran toward Larry, hanging him up halfway between second and third; when Larry began backtracking, Sam threw to Jack; Larry started for third, but stopped short when I faked throwing there, and I was able to tag him out to complete a classic weird B League double play, 8-6-2, 2-6.
B League veteran Craig Redderson paid a visit to Krieg today.
Red scored five times again in the fifth, on four singles and, after David Kruse made a good ranging play to haul in Sam Baker’s pop behind shortstop, doubles by Gregory Bied and Jack Spellman. Gray got nothing in the bottom half, the inning ending with Paul Rubin in left field making another good catch of a Daniel Carvajal drive, two runners stranded. The teams then flip-flopped for the buffet. Gray got singles by Rick Kahn (leading off) and Larry Fiorentino (with two out), each completing 3-for-3 days at the plate, but Red got outs on Jerry Mylius (third baseman Daniel Baladez reaching to his left to snag a liner), Jim McAnelly (grounder to short, force at second), and Scott Wright (another excellent play on a hard grounder by first baseman Hal Darman). Final score: Red 15, Gray 4
11:30 a.m., Blue (4-2) at Green (2-4):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL Blue 3 4 5 0 7 19 Green 3 5 2 0 2 12 Pitchers: Blue – Spike Davidson; Green – Tommy Deleon. Mercenaries: Green – David Kruse and Peter Sundquist. Umpires: home plate – Ralph Villela and Joe Roche; bases – Mike Garrison and Denny Mally. Perfect at the plate: Blue – Spike Davidson (3 for 3 with a walk), Bobby Miller (5 for 5), and Morgan Witthoft (4 for 4); Green – Jeff Fisher (3 for 3 with a double). Homerun: Mike Hill (inside the park).
The day’s highest-scoring game, with Blue getting three-, four-, and five-hit games from seven of the first eight players in its batting order. Each team scored three times in the first, Blue on five singles and a walk, Green on four singles and doubles by Clint Fletcher and Jeff Fisher. Blue scored four times on seven singles in the top of the second, and Green briefly took the lead with five runs in the home half on David Kruse’s lead-off double and six consecutive two-out singles after Anthony Galindo made catches in left field of flies off the bats of Clint Fletcher (knocked down by the wind, Anthony snow-coned it off his shoelaces) and Mike Hill.
Blue took the lead for good with five runs on seven singles in the top of the third, Green getting only two back in its half, on Mike Hill’s inside-the-park homerun to right field – Mike slowed rounding third, but when the relay was misplayed, he raced home: homerun in my book.
Mike Hill hit an inside-the-park homerun for Green.
Neither team scored in the fourth inning, Tommy Deleon working around Bobby Miller’s two-out single in the top half, Spike Davidson around Jeff Fisher’s lead-off single through second base in the bottom.
With only seconds left on the clock and the games already running well behind schedule, home plate umpire Joe Roche made an executive decision and declared that the fifth inning would be the buffet. Blue proceeded to go nuts, scoring seven times on nine hits, triples by Anthony Galindo (to left-center leading off) and Mark Dolan (to right field, driving in two runs) the big hits. (Mark motored really well around the bases, impressively so for a guy still breaking in his replacement hip.) That left Green chasing nine runs. Mercenaries Peter Sundquist and David Kruse opened the inning with singes, and both came around to score, Peter on Clint Fletcher’s infield single, David when the late relay to first on Mike Hill’s 6-4 force-out grounder got past first baseman Dale Fugate, allowing him to score. But Spike Davidson got the next two batters to hit into forces also, Donnie Janac to shortstop Larry Fiorentino and Tommy Gillis to third baseman George Romo, for the final two outs. Final score: Blue 19, Green 12
12:30 p.m., Gold (3-3) at Maroon (4-2):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Gold 2 0 1 1 2 0 6 Maroon 4 5 5 0 4 X 18 Pitchers: Gold – Joe Roche; Maroon – Joe Bernal. Mercenaries: Maroon – Anthony Galindo and Jack Spellman. Umpires: home plate – Rex Horvath; bases – Morgan Witthoft. Perfect at the plate: Gold – Ralph Villela (3 for 3 with a double); Maroon – Pat Scott, Peter Sundquist, and Scott Wright (all 4 for 4), Jack Spellman and Mike Velaney (each 2 for 2 with a walk).
Gold broke on top with two runs on four singles in the top of the first, the inning ending when third baseman Peter Atkins caught Mike Garrison’s line drive and snapped a throw to second to double up Joe Roche’s pinch-runner (Tim Bruton, I think). It was a very close play at second, one of a number that base umpire Morgan Witthoft got saddled with.
Blue then came up and commenced to score 14 of a possible 15 runs over its first three at bats, while holding Gold scoreless in the second and to one run on back-to-back doubles in the third. Blue scored four runs in six singles in the first; five runs on a lead-off walk, Anthony Galindo’s double, and five singles without making an out in the second; and five runs on another lead-off walk and then seven singles while making two outs in the third.
That 14-3 deficit was too much for Gold to make up. They got another singleton in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by by Ralph Villela and Mike Garrison, and then two runs in the fifth on Larry Young’s single and back-to-back doubles by Jack McDermott and Tim Bruton. Maroon didn’t score in the fourth, the inning ending with third baseman James Chavana starting an excellent around-the-horn double play on Larry Shupe’s grounder, Denny Malloy on the pivot, another bang-bang play at first.
Quote of the Day: Morgan Withhoft, on the close plays: “They’re musician’s calls: ba-DUM!”
Maroon came up in the bottom of the fifth and scored four more runs, on Mike Velaney’s lead-off walk and five singles, Mike, Jack Spellman, Peter Sundquist, Scott Wright, and Pat Scott all completing perfect games at the plate. That left Gold chasing a dozen entering the buffet. With Joe Roche taking a runner from home, Maroon’s outfielders played him on the line, and Peter Sundquist was perfectly positioned to catch his line drive to center field. Ralph Villela beat out a single to the 5-6 hole; I shouldn’t have bothered throwing over. Mike Garrison’s grounder to shortstop resulted in a force at second; Mike easily beat the relay to first. Larry Bunton singled and Rip Wright walked, loading the bases, but Larry Young’s liner was hit directly at shortstop Jack Spellman, who squeezed it for the last out. Final score: Maroon 18, Gold 6
Standings – Session Four:
Games Runs Runs Run W/L
W L Win %: behind: for: allowed: differential: streak:
Blue 5 2 .714 — 100 80 +20 W1
Maroon 5 2 .714 — 99 79 +20 W3
Red 4 3 .571 1 100 84 +16 W1
Gold 3 4 .429 2 90 99 – 9 L1
Green 2 5 .286 3 85 101 -16 L2
Gray 2 5 .286 3 65 96 -31 L1
Home Visitor Walk-off Extra-inning Flip-flop 1-run games
W-L: W-L: Wins: W-L: W-L: W-L:
Blue 2-0 3-2 0 0-0 1-0 1-1
Maroon 3-2 2-0 2 0-1 1-0 3-1
Red 2-1 2-2 2 0-0 2-0 2-2
Gold 2-1 1-3 0 0-0 1-0 0-2
Green 1-3 1-2 0 1-0 0-1 0-0
Gray 0-4 2-1 0 0-0 0-4 1-1
2023 total victories (read across) and losses (read down):
Blue Gold Gray Green Maroon Purple Red TOTAL
Blue X 6 6 6 3 2.5 6 29.5
Gold 3 X 3 7 4 1 4 22
Gray 2 5 X 4 4 2 6 23
Green 3 4 4 X 4 4 4 23
Maroon 5 6 4 4 X 3 5 27
Purple 1.5 1 2 0 1 X 1 6.5
Red 4 3 4 5 3 3 X 22
______________________________________________________________
TOTAL: 18.5 25 23 26 19 15.5 26 153
Schedule for Thursday October 19:
10:30 a.m.: Maroon (5-2) at Red (4-3), Blue umpiring
11:30 a.m.: Green (2-5) at Blue (5-2), Maroon umpiring
12:30 p.m.: Gray (2-5) at Gold (3-4), Green umpiring
Preview: We’ve completed half of the Session Four schedule (eight dates played, two rained out), and even with Blue and Maroon improving to 5-2, there’s not much separation between the top and bottom teams. Thursday will see a big game at 10:30 between Maroon, tied for first, and Red, one game back. A win by Green over Blue at 11:30 could knock Blue out of first and get Green back in the race. One of Gray and Gold will ends its one-game losing streak at 12:30. Will anyone in the league still be observing World Vegetarian Day? Only one thing is certain: Time will tell.
Keggy’s Korner:
Somewhat short edition tonight as I took a couple hours to join the cool kids (all of whom are mentioned above) at Mr. Catfish to catch Johnny Lee and Arctic Blues.