B League Picayune
Often in error, never in doubt.
Volume 6, Issue 56 – October 28, 2024
B League President Anthony Galindo checks in:
Thanks to all the current and former players and guests that attended our annual luncheon. It was a great turnout and a fun time.
1. EOY tournament dates are set for Nov 18th & 19th. Game times for Monday the 18th will be the same as usual – 10:30, 11:30 & 12:30 with a 50-minute clock. The team with the best overall record will have a bye the first day. The following day, we are going to play seven innings for all three games. Game times are scheduled for 10:00, 11:15 & 12:30. Final bracket details will be released at the conclusion of the regular season.
2. Larry Florentino is out for the rest of the season due to a meniscus injury. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Larry.
3. As I mentioned at the luncheon, Mike Hill is retiring from the B League, so we will need a new Board member to take his place as Treasurer. Please consider joining the Board as the next Treasurer. All other members are returning next year, including myself as president.
4. I was informed by PARD that the scoreboard issue will not be fixed this year so we are going to try using a portable one that George Brindley ordered. Hopefully it will work. If not, we’ll ask Eddy to stand by the backstop and hold up numbers for us.
Games of Monday October 28:
10:30 a.m., Maroon (8-5) at Purple (5-7):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL
Maroon 5 0 2 5 0 12
Purple 0 0 4 3 3 10
Pitchers: Maroon – Chunky Wright; Purple – Jeff Stone. Mercenaries: Maroon – Bobby Miller; Purple – George Brindley and Terry Thompson. Umpires: home – Jack Kelly; bases – Ken Brown. Perfect at the plate: Maroon – Marvin Krabbenhoft and Jack Spellman (both 3 for 3) and Chunky Wright (1 for 1 with a walk); Purple – George Brindley (1 for 1 with a walk) and Terry Thompson and Mike Velaney (both 2 for 2).
Dave Berra’s weather report: 75 degrees, Heat Index the same, 80% humidity, stiff wind blowing in from the south at 9 MPH.
Maroon scored five times in the top of the first on six singles and Dave Jaffe’s double, all the runs coming after two were out. Maroon never trailed in the game, though Purple rallied late and got close. A big reason was that Maroon shortstop Jimmy Sneed turned 6u., 6-3 double plays in each of the first two innings after Chunky Wright allowed lead-off singles – Chunky wound up facing the minimum number of hitters over the first two frames.
Maroon didn’t score in the second inning either, as Jeff Stone got three force-out grounders. Buddy Gaswint’s double in the top of the third drove in Jimmy Sneed from first, and Marvin Krabbenhoft drove in Buddy with a two-out line single to center field. So it was 7-0 before Purple finally got on board.
They did that by scoring four runs with singles by six of the first seven batters in the bottom of the third, a Clint Fletcher sacrifice fly to Buddy Gaswint in right field mixed in. The first single was by Tom Kelm leading off, a grounder to third base that Jack Spellman misplayed, allowing Clint, pinch-running from home, to reach base. Clint scored the first run and drove in the third with his sac fly. Daniel Carvajal singled in the fourth.
That cut Maroon’s lead to 7-4, but they put up another five in the top of the fourth inning to give themselves some breathing room. Chunky Wright drew a lead-off walk and the next four batters singled, three runs scoring. Jeff Stone retired Jimmy Sneed on a 6-4 force out, but Tom Bellavia singled in the fourth run and Buddy Gaswint’s fly to right was deep enough to bring in Jimmy with the fifth.
Purple got three runs back in the home half, all with two out. Rip Wright singled to left field with one out, then was forced out on Tom Kelm’s grounder to shortstop. Mark Hernandez and Mike Velaney singled, loading the bases. George Brindley drew a walk, forcing in Tom’s pinch-runner, and Terry Thompson pulled a line single into left field, scoring Mark’s pinch-runner and Mike. Buddy Gaswint made a nice catch of Clint Fletcher’s drive to right-center for the third out.
Maroon led 12-7 entering the buffet, and went down quietly in the top half. Marvin Krabbenhoft completed a 3-for-3 game with an infield hit, but his runner was erased and the inning ended with Tim Coles starting a 5-4-3 double play on Joe Dayoc’s hard grounder to third base.
So Purple was chasing five in the bottom of the buffet. The first four batters singled, two runs scoring. Daniel Carvajal led off with a clean hit. Jeff Stone followed with a grounder to second baseman Scott Wright, who made a good play to corral a ball that skipped rather than hopped, but Scott shanked his underhanded toss to shortstop Jimmy Sneed – it went over Jimmy’s head and both runners were safe. Tim Coles and Rick Jensen followed with run-scoring singles. Chunky Wright retired the next three hitters, however, a third run scoring on Tom Kelm’s hard-hit grounder down the third-base side – Jack Spellman made a pretty good backhanded grab and a strong throw to second for the force there, Tim scoring on the play. Mark Hernandez lofted a fly to left-center that Anthony Galindo hauled in for the final out. Final score: Maroon 12, Purple 10
11:30 a.m.: Gray (5-8) at Orange (5.5 – 7.5):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL
Gray 0 3 5 0 0 8
Orange 4 1 2 1 1 9
Pitchers: Gray – Jack Kelly; Orange – Spike Davidson. No mercenaries. Umpires: home – Jeff Stone; bases – Larry Young and Scott Wright. Perfect at the plate: Gray – Mark Dolan (2 for 2 with a double), Johnny Lee (2 for 2), and Don Solblerg (3 for 3); Orange – Doc Hobar (4 for 4 with a double) and Rex Horvath.
Dave Berra’s weather report: 84 degrees, Heat Index 87, 52% humidity, the wind 10-15 MPH and gusting to 25 MP, still from the south.
This was a good game. Orange jumped off to an early lead after holding Gray scoreless in the top of the first. David Kruse and Tommy Gillis both singled after Ken Brown led off the game with a liner back to the box that Spike Davidson caught. Gary Coyle grounded to third baseman Eddie Ortiz: David was unable to avoid Eddie’s tag, and Eddie then threw to second baseman Larry Shupe to complete a well-executed 5u., 5-4 double play.
Gray also turned a third-baseman-initiated double play in the inning, Gary Coyle returning Eddie Ortiz’s favor. After Doc Hobar and Fritz Hensel led off with singles, Eddie grounded to Gary, who started a 5-4-3 double play, Fritz’s runner (Matt Levitt, I believe) advancing to third. Rex Horvath delivered Orange’s first run with a pop fly single to short left field – David Kruse made a great play going back and to his right to get to the ball, and got his glove on it, but couldn’t hold on. The next five batters singnled,three more runs scoring, before Jack Kelly got the third out, getting Larry Shupe to hit into a 6-5 force.
Gray won the next two innings, outscoring Orange 8-3 and taking the lead. They scored three runs on five singles and Chris Waddell’s sacrifice fly to left field in the top of the second, then held the top of Orange’s lineup to one run on three singles in the home half, Doc Hobar in left field making an excellent catch on Eddie Ortiz’s fly.
Gray then scored five runs in the top of the third without making an out, on six singles, a walk to Gary Coyle, and Mark Dolan’s double (I’m going to call it) to left-center, over the outfielders, that scored the fifth run from third base. The wind was blowing in all day, knocking down flies, and Mark’s was one of only two drives that actually went over any heads – he hammered it. Orange got two runs back in their half, on Doc Hobar’s two-out, two-run double, also to left-center, after Spike Davidson and Jim Maloy opened the inning with singles.
Trailing by a run, Orange held Gray scoreless in the top of the fourth. Singles by Chris Waddell and Ken Brown put runners on first and second with one out for David Kruse, who hit a slicing drive to right field. Jim Maloy robbed him of extra bases, making a fine catch on a ball that was tailing away from him. Orange then tied the game when its first three hitters – Eddie Ortiz, Rex Horvath, and Peter Atkins – singled in the bottom half, Eddie coming around to score. First and second, no outs, and three good hitters coming up, but Jack Kelly escaped the jam. He got Ray Pilgrim to fly out to Don Solberg in left, the runners holding. Spike Davidson popped a ball behind second base, didn’t look catchable, but David Kruse got a great jump and ran it down; he initially looked to double up Rex at second, but the base was uncovered; he had Peter dead to rights scrambling to return to first, but David’s throw sailed past Johnny Lee and the runners were able to retreat, tag their bags, and advance. Didn’t matter, as Jack got Jim Maloy to hit a two-strike foul for the third out.
So it was tied entering the buffet. Gray looked poised for a big inning when Gary Coyle and Don Solberg singled to start the inning – Ken Brown, running for Gary from first, took third on Don’s single to right field, Don taking second on the throw. Donnie Janac grounded to third baseman Eddie Ortiz, Ken breaking for home on contact. Eddie made a good throw home to catcher Fritz Hensel to put out Ken, and Fritz snapped a throw back to third base, Rex Horvath covering, and Don was called out. There was some dispute about footwork and whether Don got in Rex’s way or vice versa. I did not have a good angle from where I was sitting, so I honestly don’t know. But home plate umpire Jeff Stone made a definitive call – two outs on the 5-2-6 double play. Donnie took second on the play, but was stranded when Jack Kelly flied out to Peter Atkins in right-center.
Orange came up with the score still tied. Matt Levitt worked a base on balls to start the inning, and Larry Shupe followed with a clean single up the middle, Matt stopping at second. Doc Hobar then completed his 4-for-4 day at the plate with a line single through the 5-6 hole. Matt was off on contact, and I’ll tell you what, he motors pretty good – check out the video I shot and, I hope, successfully loaded to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W-CojhhMf6Y
Matt scores, Orange walks it off. Final score: Orange 9, Gray 8
I wasn’t good about taking pictures today, but here’s one of Greg Lloyd, departing on his motorized two-wheel vehicle:
And here are Tom Kelm and Hal Darman discussing defensive strategies (outfielders play too deep) while David Brown and Eddy Murillo weigh the merits of Scott Wright’s sugar-crack treats.
12:30 p.m.: Red (5.5-7.5) at Green (6-7):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL
Red 4 5 5 5 X 19
Green 4 2 0 0 0 6
Pitchers: Red – Eddy Murillo; Green – Tommy Deleon. Mercenaries: Red – Anthony Galindo; Green – Jack Spellman (entered for David Pittard in the fourth inning). Umpires: home – Spike Davidson; bases – Rex Horvath. Perfect at the plate: Red – Anthony Galindo, Mike Malay, and Eddy Murillo (all 3 for 3) and Tim Bruton (4 for 4); Green – Mike Garrison (2 for 2 with a double and a walk), David Pittard (2 for 2), Jack Spellman (walked), and Phil Stanch (2 for 2 with a walk).
The day ended with a blowout, Red scoring 19 of a possible 20 runs before flip-flopping Green. Green held serve in the first inning, as Red scored four times in the top half, Rick Kahn’s two-run triple to right field the big hit, Rick then tagging and scoring on Morgan Witthoft’s drive to left field left (good catch by Mike Garrison, low to the ground), but left the fifth run stranded at second. Green matched that in the home half, scoring four runs after two were out on four singles, Phil Stanch’s walk, and Mike Garrison’s two-base hit over the head of left fielder Rick Kahn. Boo Resnick began a great day in the field by recording the second and third outs: the second came on Jack McDermott’s hard grounder to Boo’s right, Boo making a nice play with the glove and racing and beating Paul Rubin to second for the force; the third was on Daniel Baladez’s hard grounder, Boo flipping to Tim Bruton for the force. (Boo, returning from a hiking vacation in Portugal and Spain, was the one infielder today who seemed unfazed by the uneven Krieg 6 infield, which did plague the league’s shortstops and third basemen.)
Red took the lead for good with five runs in the second, on seven singles and Rick Kahn’s sacrifice fly. Green got two back in the bottom half on Jack McDermott’s two-out, two-run single. Singles by David Pittard and Mike Garrison loaded the bases, but Boo Resnick caught Tommy Deleon’s liner for the third out.
Third inning, more of the same: Red scored five runs on seven singles in the top half, Green came away empty in the bottom after Phil Stanch and Trey Wall led off with singles.
Fourth inning, rinse and repeat: Red for the third inning in a row scored five times on seven singles; Green loaded the bases on Ralph Villela’s lead-off single and a pair of two-out walks to Jack Spellman (in for David Pittard, who had an appointment to get to) and Mike Garrison, but Eddy Murillo got Tommy Deleon to hit a two-strike foul.
With Red leading by a baker’s dozen, the teams flip-flopped for the buffet. Phil Stanch singled leading off, completing a perfect day at the plate, but Eddy Murillo retired the next three hitters, Boo Resnick completing his great day in the field by fielding Trey Wall’s grounder and throwing to second for the force there for the first out, then catching Daniel Baladez’s pop for the second. Bobby Miller caught Jim McAnelly’s fly to left-center for the third. Final score: Red 19, Green 6, Green keenly feeling the absence of Mike Hill, who according to the Picayune’s unimpeachable sources was out late last night at the Taylor Swift concert in New Orleans.
Standings – Session Four:
Games Runs Runs Run W/L
W L Win %: behind: for: allowed: differential: streak:
Blue 10 3 .769 — 171 123 +48 L1
Maroon 9 5 .643 1.5 172 151 +21 W5
Red 6.5 7.5 .464 4 172 179 – 7 W1
Orange 6.5 7.5 .464 4 160 173 -13 W1
Green 6 8 .429 4.5 177 188 -11 L2
Purple 5 8 .385 5 145 157 -12 L1
Gray 5 9 .357 5.5 162 188 -26 L1
Home Visitor Walk-off Extra-inning Flip-flop 1-run games
W-L: W-L: Wins: W-L: W-L: W-L:
Blue 7-0 3-3 1 0-0 5-0 1-0
Maroon 5-2 4-3 3 0-0 3-2 3-2
Red 1.5-6.5 5-1 0 1-0 3-4 1-1
Orange 3-3 3.5-4.5 1 0-1 2-3 2-2
Green 2-4 4-4 2 0-0 1-4 2-3
Purple 1-5 4-3 0 0-0 2-3 0-0
Gray 4-4 1-5 1 0-0 2-2 2-3
Orange and Red tied their game of October 24.
2024 total victories (read across) and losses (read down):
Blue Gray Green Maroon Orange Purple Red TOTAL
Blue X 4 3 5 6 4 4 26
Gray 5 X 4 4 5 0 5 23
Green 3 3 X 5 3 6 5 25
Maroon 2 4 5 X 6 2 4 23
Orange 1 4 4 2 X 5 3.5 19.5
Purple 4 4 3 6 3 X 3 23
Red 5 3 4 2 5.5 4 X 23.5
__________________________________________________________________
TOTAL: 20 22 23 24 28.5 21 24.5 163
Season home run leaders:
David Kruse – 7
Tim Coles – 6
Ken Brown – 4
Peter Atkins – 3
Gregory Bied – 3
Tim Bruton – 3
Larry Fiorentino – 3
Pat Scott – 3
George Brindley – 2
Clint Fletcher – 2
Doc Hobar – 2
Gary Kubenka – 2
Paul Rubin – 2
Jimmy Sneed – 2
Ralph Villela – 2
David Brown – 1
Jack Crosley – 1
Jeff Fisher – 1
Anthony Galindo – 1
Buddy Gaswint – 1
Tommy Gillis – 1
Rex Horvath – 1
Rick Kahn – 1
Denny Malloy – 1
Bobby Miller – 1
Eddie Ortiz -1
David Pittard – 1
Joe Roche – 1
Steve Sandall – 1
Morgan Witthoft – 1
Schedule for Thursday October 31:
10:30 a.m.: Gray (5-9) at Red (6.5 – 7.5), Orange umpiring
11:30 a.m.: Orange (6.5 – 7.5) at Purple (5-8), Red umpiring
12:30 a.m.: Blue (10-3) at Maroon (9-5), Purple umpiring
Green has the bye, with priority for its players out of the bucket.
Preview: An end to greater Austin’s two-month drought is forecast for the coming days, so we’ll see whether we play Thursday. If we do, the big matchup will be at 12:30, when Maroon will try to extend its winning streak to six games and knock off first-place Blue, whose lead for the session has been whittled down to a game and a half. Red at 10:30 and Orange at 11:30 look to get back to .500 against Gray and Purple, which are striving to escape the cellar.
Will the upperclassmen disrupt the freshman bonfire at this year’s Dartmouth homecoming? One thing is certain: Only time will tell.
Keggy’s Korner:
All of us at Picayune World Headquarters are joining the rest of B League in wishing Alvin Gauna well as he prepares for his triple bypass.