B League Picayune
Often in error, never in doubt.
Volume 6, Issue 57 – October 31, 2024
Correction: I wrote in Issue 56 that left fielder Doc Hobar made a good catch on Eddie Ortiz’s flyball. Doc and Eddie are teammates – it was Gray left fielder Don Solberg who made that good play.
Announcement/excellent news, from President Anthony Galindo: Former CPA Mark Dolan has volunteered to join the board as league Treasurer.
Games of Thursday October 31:
10:30 a.m., Gray (5-9) at Red (6.5 – 7.5):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL
Gray 2 5 2 3 3 0 15
Red 2 0 5 5 0 4 16
Pitchers: Gray – Jack Kelly; Red – Donald Drummer. Mercenaries: Gray – Phil Stanch; Red – Paul Rubin. Umpires: home – Rex Horvath, Dave Berra; bases – Peter Atkins. Perfect at the plate: Gray – Ken Brown (4 for 4 with a triple), Gary Coyle (4 fof 4 with a double), and Paul Rubin (3 for 3); Red – Donald Drummer (2 for 2 with a walk), Bobby Miller (3 for 3 with a double), and Eddy Murillo (3 for 3).
Dave Berra’s weather report: 79 degrees, Heat Index 83, 76% humidity, wind from the NNW at 4 MPH. Cloudy and sticky.
This was an excellent, hard-fought, back-and-forth game. It opened with some confusion over the mercenaries – Green had the bye and its players priority out of the bucket; Scott Wright was initially picked to play, but then it was realized that Green’s Phil Stanch was present. Phil took Scott’s place, Scott sidelined and left to wonder why no one takes him seriously:
Then Red’s Bobby Miller arrived after the game had started. He was added to the end of Red’s lineup and chipped in a 3-for-3 performance, Red batting 11 players.
Both teams scored a pair of runs in the first. Gary Coyle doubled in Ken Brown with the first run in the top half, then scored on Donnie Janac’s single. In the bottom half Tim Bruton knocked a one-out double, took third on Rick Kahn’s fly to right-center, and scored on Eddy Murillo’s single. Eddy then scored from first on Morgan Witthoft’s drive to the fence in left-center, about the hardest-hit ball of the day.
Gray claimed the lead with five runs on seven consecutive singles in the top of the second, not making an out, then Jack Kelly hurled a scoreless bottom half, working around Donald Drummer’s two-out single. Boo Resnick led off the inning for Red…
…and Mike Velaney explained to me at great length that this was funny because today is Halloween and Boo’s name is Boo, which is something you can say to try to startle people. Do you understand? If not, please ask Mike to elucidate further.
Donald Drummer got two quick outs to start the third, but Gray still managed to score two runs, as Jack Kelly and Johnny Lee both knocked singles to right field, and their pinch-runners scored on Mark Dolan’s pop-fly double that landed behind first base and spun into foul territory.
That made 9-2, but Red rallied, first scoring five times in the bottom of the third on six singles and Rick Kahn’s two-run triple, then holding Gray to three runs in the top of the fourth (Paul Rubin led off with a triple, Ken Brown, Gary Coyle, and Donnie Janac knocked singles, and two botched relays led to additional bases taken, and then scoring five again in the bottom of the fourth, Rick hitting another triple, this one on a drive to the fence in center field that drove in Tim Bruton. Donald Drummer walked to open the frame, Bobby Miller doubled, four other batters singled, and when Rick scored the fifth run of the inning the game on Morgan Withhoft’s drive over Ken Brown’s head (Ken was playing the line with one out and the fifth run on third), it was tied 12-12.
Gray went back ahead with three runs in the top of the fifth. Johnny Lee led off with a single, and his pinch-runner came around to score on singles by Chris Waddell and Paul Rubin. Those runners (might have been a pinch-runner for Chris – your honor, I don’t recall) both scored on Ken Brown’s drive to the fence in left field. Ken never broke stride rounding third, going for his fifth inside-the-park home run of the season, but was cut down by a nearly perfect 7-6-2 relay, Rick Kahn to Tim Bruton to Hal Darman.
Jack Kelly retired Red in order in the bottom of the fifth, so Gray led 15-12 entering the buffet. Gary Coyle, completing a 4-for-4 game, and Don Solberg singled to start the inning, but Donald Drummer worked out of the jam, retiring the next three batters: Donnie Janac lined out to shortstop Tim Bruton, Jack Kelly grounded into a 4-6 force, Boo Resnick to Tim, and Johnny Lee flied out to Denny Malloy in right-center.
So Red was chasing three in the bottom of the buffet. Donald Drummer completed his perfect day at the plate with a lead-off single to right. Jack Kelly got Phil Stanch to hit a two-strike foul for the first out – as it turned out, the only out he would record in the inning. Bobby Miller laced his third hit in as many trips, a single to center, Donald racing to third and Bobby taking second when the throw to the infield was boxed around. Mike Malay singled through the 5-6 hole, Donald scoring and Bobby taking third. Phil ran for Mike. Tim Bruton singled, Bobby scoring – that cut Gray’s lead to one run – and Phil taking third, Tim advancing to second on the throw in. Rick Kahn then came up and drove in his fourth and fifth runs of the game with a clean single to right-center – here’s the video: https://studio.youtube.com/video/cHV1RWtrFOU./edit
Red walks off the victory. Final score: Red 16, Gray 15
11:30 a.m.: Orange (6.5 – 7.5) at Purple (5-8):
1 2 3 4 BUFFET FINAL
Orange 4 4 2 0 3 13
Purple 5 0 5 5 X 15
Pitchers: Orange – Spike Davidson; Purple – Jeff Stone. Mercenaries: Purple – Tim Bruton, Don Solberg, and Jack Spellman. Umpires: home – Eddy Murillo; bases – Donald Drummer. Perfect at the plate: Orange – Spike Davidson (2 for 2 with a walk), Fritz Hensel (2 for 2 with two walks), Doc Hobar (4 for 4), and Rex Horvath (4 for 4 with a double); Purple – Clint Fletcher (3 for 3 with a double), and Tom Kelm, Jack Spellman, and Mike Velaney (all 3 for 3).
Another good battle. Both teams came out hitting, Orange scoring four runs on two walks, four singles, and Rex Horvath’s double, which drove in Doc Hobar and Fritz Hensel’s runner (Matt Levitt, I believe) with the first two runs. Doc had reached on a hard grounder that shortstop Jack Spellman fielded cleanly, only to shank the throw, showing by example the importance of properly warming up, which I did not. I partially made up for it by contributing one of the four two-out singles that Purple strung together in the home half in order to put across four runs, after the first four hitters singled.
Orange went back ahead with another four-run inning in the top of the second. They hit five singles and got a run in with an unusual sacrifice fly: Ray Pilgrim hit a very high pop behind second base, and Mike Velaney made an outstanding play going back and to his right to run it down, tumbling to the ground but holding on for the out. The tumble allowed Matt Levitt, running for Fritz Hensel, to tag up and score from third. Spike Davidson then held Purple scoreless in the home half, working around singles by Clint Fletcher and Jeff Stone.
Orange extended its lead to 10-5 with two runs on four consecutive singles after Jeff Stone had retired the first two batters to start the third. But Purple tied the game with five runs in the bottom half. Five of the first six hitters singled, and Clint Fletcher capped the rally with a double to left center that drove in the fourth and fifth runs.
So it was tied entering the final five-run inning. Jeff Stone worked a strong top half, allowing just a one-out single to Spike Davidson, completing his perfect day at the plate. Jeff retired the next two hitters on a pop and a grounder.
Purple then put together another five-run inning, knocking seven singles and this time scoring all its runs after two were out, Tom Kelm, Mike Velaney, and Jack Spellman completing 3-for-3 games.
That left Orange chasing five runs entering the buffet. They didn’t go down easily. With one out, three of Orange’s 1-4 hitters completed perfect days at the plate, all four reaching base. Doc Hobar, who’d plagued me by beating out singles on grounders to the shortstop hole his first three at bats (hardly fair how he took advantage of my noodle arm), this time dinked a pop between the mound and second baseman Mike Velaney, who doesn’t have a noodle arm, but also didn’t have a play. Fritz Hensel drew his second walk of the game. Doc and Matt Levitt, running for Fritz, both scored on Eddie Ortiz’s double to center, a rocket. (Eddie was 2 for 4, but squared up on the ball all four at bats.) Rex Horvath followed with a single, Eddie taking third. That brought the tying run to the plate. Peter Atkins flied out to Don Solberg in left-center, Eddie tagging up and scoring to make it a two-run game. Jeff Stone then got Ray Pilgrim to ground to shortstop, Spellman tossing to Mike Velaney for the game-ending force at second. Final score: Purple 15, Orange 13
12:30 p.m.: Blue (10-3) at Maroon (9-5):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL
Blue 2 5 0 0 0 6 13
Maroon 3 0 1 5 3 0 12
Pitchers: Blue – Joe Bernal; Maroon – Chunky Wright. Mercenaries: Maroon – Johnny Lee and Jim Maloy. Umpires: home – Jeff Stone; bases – Rick Jensen. Perfect at the plate: Blue – Pat Scott (4 for 4); Maroon – Joe Dayoc (1 for 1 with two walks), Buddy Gaswint (2 for 2 with a walk), and Jack Spellman (3 for 3).
Dave Berra’s weather report: 78 degrees, Heat Index 78, 57% humidity, wind from the North at 12 MPH. Partly sunny and gusty – a beautiful (Austin) fall day.
The third close game of the day – spooky!
Blue broke on top with two runs in the top of the first on two singles, two walks, and Jeff Fisher’s sacrifice fly to right field, Jimmie Maloy making a good catch of a sinking liner. Maroon wound up winning the inning, scoring three in the home half. Scott Wright and Jack Spellman beat out infield singles on poorly struck grounders (they all count!). Buddy Gaswint drove in Scott with a well-struck single to right. Joe Roche’s fly to Jeff Fisher in right field brought in Spellman. And Buddy scored from first on Tom Brownfield’s two-out pop-fly double to right-center.
Blue took the lead with a five-run outburst in the top of the second, knocking six consecutive singles and taking advantage of Maroon making unnecessary and poor throws on relays (guilty as charged, your honor).
Joe Bernal blanked Maroon in the bottom of the second. He walked Joe Dayoc to start the frame, but got the next three batters to hit into ground-ball force outs.
Chunky Wright settled in and shut out Blue for the next three innings. He gave up a leadoff single in the top of the third, then got three straight outs on balls in the air (liners to right field and shortstop, and a fly to Scott Wright in left). He gave up another lead-off single and then a one-out single in the fourth, but retired Steve Sandall on a squib down the first-base side, making a quick throw to first to get speedy Steve – he had no other play – and George Brindley on a fly to Buddy Gaswint in right-center. Blue loaded the bases to start the fifth inning, on singles by George Romo, Jeff Fisher, and Joe Bernal, but Chunky escaped that jam as well: he got Richard Battle to line out to shortstop Jack Spellman, whose quick flip to Tom Brownfield beat Jeff back to the bag, a bang-bang play. Scott Wright then made a nice play of Terry Thompson’s grounder down the third-base side, throwing to second for the inning-ending force.
Meanwhile Maroon clawed back into the game. They scored a single run on three singles in the bottom of the third, then took the lead with a five-run outburst in the fourth, Scott Wright’s two-run triple the key hit, Scott scoring the fifth run on Jack Spellman’s 50-hop single through the 3-4 hole.
That put Maroon ahead 9-7, and they added three runs to the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Tom Brownfield drove in Buddy Gaswint (walk) and Joe Roche (single) with a pop-fly triple down the right-field line, fair by inches. Tom then scored on Marvin Krabbenhoft’s sacrifice fly to Pat Scott in left-center.
So Maroon had a five-run lead entering the buffet, the bottom two batters of Blue’s lineup due up. Blue proceeded to show why it’s in first place this session and has the most wins and fewest losses for the season. Dale Fugate led off and grounded a ball up the middle; Chunky Wright got a piece of it and slowed it down, and shortstop Jack Spellman prevented it from getting to the outfield, but I didn’t field it cleanly and had no chance of throwing out Dale, hustling down the line. Jerry Mylius popped a ball behind first base that from my angle looked like it landed on the chalk, another single. Pat Scott singled, Dale scoring. Steve Sandall doubled, another just-fair pop-fly hit down the right-field side, Jerry scoring. George Brindley walked, loading the bases.
George Romo’s sacrifice fly to left field scored Pat, but Maroon finally had its first out of the inning. They got a second on Jeff Fisher’s grounder to second baseman Tom Brownfield, who made a good play on a ball to his right and flipped to second; Spellman had no play at first and instead made a hail-mary throw home that had no chance of putting out Steve Sandall. Jeff took second on the dumb throw, then scored the tying run on Joe Bernal’s triple to right-center. Richard Battle’s single up the middle delivered Joe with the go-ahead run. Terry Thompson singled to right-center, Richard advancing to third, before Chunky Wright finally escaped the inning by getting Dale Fugate to line out to Scott Wright in left field.
Maroon needed one to tie with its two mercenaries and then the top of the order due up. But Joe Bernal allowed nothing. He got Johnny Lee, who squared up on a pitch, only for his drive to right-center to fly directly to Steve Sandall, who hardly moved in making the catch. Jimmie Maloy flied out to Pat Scott in left-center. Scott Wright hit a hard grounder down the first-base side; Dale Fugate made a terrific play to knock the ball down and keep it in front of him, then gathered it up and only had to take a couple of steps to get to the bag for the final out. He’s a picture of Joe pointing at Dale to take it himself:
(Scott was unfortunately slowed by the giant red arrow poking him in the shoulder. Second baseman Terry Thompson looks on as base umpire Rick Jensen prepares to make the call.)
Final score: Blue 13, Maroon 12, Blue ending Maroon’s five-game winning streak and pretty much putting a headlock on the Session Four title.
Standings – Session Four:
Games Runs Runs Run W/L
W L Win %: behind: for: allowed: differential: streak:
Blue 11 3 .786 — 184 135 +49 W1
Maroon 9 6 .600 2.5 184 164 +20 L1
Red 7.5 7.5 .500 4 188 194 – 6 W2
Orange 6.5 8.5 .433 5 173 188 -15 L1
Purple 6 8 .429 5 160 170 -10 W1
Green 6 8 .429 5 177 188 -11 L2
Gray 5 10 .333 6.5 177 204 -27 L2
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 4-3 1 0-0 5-0 2-0
Maroon 5-3 4-3 3 0-0 3-2 3-3
Red 2.5-6.5 5-1 1 1-0 3-4 2-1
Orange 3-3 3.5-5.5 1 0-1 2-3 2-2
Purple 2-5 4-3 0 0-0 2-3 0-0
Green 2-4 4-4 2 0-0 1-4 2-3
Gray 4-4 1-6 1 0-0 2-2 2-4
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 6 6 4 4 27
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 4 X 3 24
Red 5 4 4 2 5.5 4 X 24.5
__________________________________________________________________
TOTAL: 20 23 23 25 29.5 21 24.5 166
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 Monday November 4:
10:30 a.m.: Purple (6-8) at Green (6-8), Red umpiring
11:30 a.m.: Red (7.5 – 7.5) at Blue (11-3), Green umpiring
12:30 a.m.: Maroon (9-6) at Orange (6.5 – 8.5), Blue umpiring
Gray has the bye, with priority for its players out of the bucket.
Preview: Two weeks/four dates remain in our regular season. Red, which has worked back to .500 with a couple of outstanding performances by its offense, will be the next team to try to stop Blue’s run for the session championship, in the 11:30 game. The two 6-8 teams face off at 10:30, the winner with a chance to move into a tie for third place. Maroon again plays the late game, against Orange. Will my strategy of fasting for 24 hours before Monday’s games pay off when a bunch of guys bring leftover candy to Krieg? One thing is certain: Only time will tell.
Keggy’s Korner:
Daniel Carvajal has an update on our friend Alvin Gauna:
Friends,
Alvin’s wife (Paige) has created a go-fund me page to help them with the expenses of the surgery as well as the completion of the bathroom renovation that Alvin could not complete. Currently, the bathroom is down to studs without a shower or sink, and only a working toilet.
Surgery will take place next Monday, so he is still in a holding pattern at the hospital (Seton on 38th, room 366) and welcoming visitors.
Here is the link to the go-fund me page. Anything you can contribute will go a long way to help our friend and fellow player.
This is also posted on the Sunday League Facebook page.
Thanks!
Daniel C
Some good news to pass along from Billy Hill: The kidney transplant team has set a date next month to begin an evaluation of Amy for a transplant: No donor yet, and lots of hurdles and tests remain, but at least a beginning of the transplant procedure. Billy thanks everyone for their prayers.