Same, Same But Different: 29ERS Again Shutout Dealers 8-0

LAST GAME RESULTS

29TH ST 29ERS

8

MISSION ST DEALERS

:(

RECAP: Some years ago, two of my best friends went to India to do whatever it is that people do who have that vague sort of hippie-ish inclination towards visiting places with undrinkable water and (usually) non-flushing "toilets."  I'm no Prissy Pricilla, but undertaking that exact brand of a spiritual journey has never appealed to me.  Apparently C Bukowski more of less felt the same way:

"Sometimes I just get tired of thinking of all the things that I don't wanna do. All the things that I don't wanna be. Places I don't wanna go, like India. . ."

— Barfly, 1987

So anyway, those two came back and among many of the stories they shared (some genuinely interesting; others painfully bland — ((didn't matter, they were going to tell them anyway))) one phrase kept popping up.  That phrase was Same, Same but Different.  I guess they use it to try to hawk their knock-off wares in open-air markets, but also in a universal, "we are all the same (but different)" sense.

So you can imagine my surprise when I googled "same same but different" before starting to write this post.  This is how the inimitable and authoritative source Urban Dictionary(.com) puts it:

Well.  Huh.  That's something called "Tinglish." Tinglish.  Thai and English.  And now we've got Bob and we've got Jack and they are certainly not in India, but are instead hanging out with what is called a "lady-boy" in Thailand.  Grinding.  Lumps and dongs.  Just, hmm.  Okay.

I needed to write this all out because I've been going around since at least the fall/winter of 2005/06 saying this Same Same Blah Blah bullshit to try and affect some air of Eastern culture or worldliness and the WHOLE GD TIME PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN THINKING I WAS A BOB OR A JACK, CARELESSLY "GRINDING" A THAI LADY-BOY, FEELING LUMPS, FEELING DONGS.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  But I needed to reconcile with that for a moment. Thank you for your patience.

GENUINE, BASEBALL-RELATED RECAP: You can see how clearly that all relates to this game, right?  We beat The Dealers last time by a score of 8-0.  Both games were held at St. Mary's.  Superb pitching performances.  Good defense.  Same, Same.  But different.

Bobby started and once he threw the first pitch of the game after some initial weirdness from the Dealer bench about my inability or unwillingness to obtain an official $54 field permit, I knew it was going to be a good day.  One pitch, one out.  I can't lie, I felt for The Dealers, who had to borrow Ricky's friend and make Ricky call his dad to come down from the Outer Sunset to fill out their lineup.  It was painfully obvious they were lacking their big bashers.  And I knew a win for them would mean a lot more than a win for us.

But I'm an unfeeling brute and while I thought in my head that I would pull Bobby after 6 or 7 if things got out of hand, he had to go and be throwing a shutout.  How am I supposed to take a man out when he's throwing a shutout?  Can't do it.  Couldn't do it.

That's back-to-back shutouts from your starting staff, by the way.  Good defense helps, and there was defense in spades on Saturday: Craig ranging over to the dugout fence to put away a two-on two-out threat.  Zack fielding a ball and firing home to get Rob "Player to be Named Later" Specter in a 5-2-6-1 rundown.  Large Michael picking balls out of the dirt all day like it's no thing.

Offensively, we obviously did enough to win.  Guys didn't strike out.  Will got a hit, Kevin got a hit, Colin got a hit.  I liked that.  But it wasn't a thumper game, and Flowers pitched pretty well overall.  But the game story is pitching and defense.  As a non-power hitter, it feels good to write that.

And then we celebrated.  We popped champagne.  Someone gave a mostly lame, nervous speech constructed entirely of clichés.

Pretty hollow recap, I know, but what do you want me to say?  I suggest if you would like a different, funnier yet somehow bitter account of Saturday's game, you head over to http://missionstreetdealers.blogspot.com. The game went by fast, we scored a couple runs here and there until it was 8-0 and the game was over.  No big innings to write about, just two runs here and there.  Not that Bobby needed them.  Speaking of . . .

PLAYER OF THE GAME: How many times has this guy won this thing?  And have you seen his recent numbers?  Holy SHIT they are f*ck%d up.  Bobby Renz avenges his last outing against The News and throws a CG shutout, striking out 6 while only walking 3 and allowing 4 hits.  He also had the only extra-base hit of the game, a double (every game, this guy) while walking twice and scoring 2 runs.  

He was also the only 29er pitcher who's ever been able to do this:

Pictured: Bobby Renz, el matador, and Sam Bull, slain

His hitting camp, "Touch 'Em All! With Your Coach, Bobby Renz" is now taking winter ball applications and I wouldn't wait, he told me spots fill up fast.

DRIVE OF THE GAME: Brandon, don't kick my ass, but I don't remember precisely where you hit your 2-RBI single that was the only multi-RBI hit of the game and therefore the clear choice for DOTG.  I *think* it was up the middle?  Or it might have been through the 5.5 hole, but either way, I remember you hitting it hard and it leading to a couple runs driven in for you.  I bet that had to feel good for you, man.  Feel free to refresh my mostly alcohol-related memory-deprived brain next time I see you.

UPDATE: The hit in question went sailing triumphantly over the head of "Big" Rick Sr.

PLAY OF THE GAME: It's coincidental that the Play of the Game came from Zack while playing third.  Last game's was a tough play at third while Zack was on the mound and it preserved his shutout. This was Zack returning the favor.  

With two outs and the bases empty, Eric "Rosie" Rosen, who's swing has always reminded me of DiMaggio's, hit a screaming ground ball shot to the left side of the infield.  Zack deftly laid out, fully extended, and snagged it cleanly into his (well, not his personally) glove and quickly popped up and threw across the diamond to Mike.  As soon as the ball left his hand, he cried "NOOO!!" out in terror as he realized it was going to be low.  It wouldn't matter.

Mike handled the in-between hop with plenty of time to record the out.  We went wild.  Their bench didn't really like that but I didn't really care, either.  That was one of the best infield plays of the entire season and I'll be damned if I'm not gonna hoot about it.  The "Same, Same but Different" element after Dave made his play against The Cleaners just tied a pretty little red and grey bow on the whole thing.

Damn.

HONOURABLE MENTION: For a guy with a brand-new out-of-the-box infant who has necessitated his conspicuous absence for most of the season, Kevin Cline did something no other 29er RF has done before.  Which is to throw out a runner at first on a would-be hit to right.  Of course, that runner happened to be Rick, Sr., our very own Ricky's motorcycle-lovin', fast-life livin' father, so it was umm, bittersweet but still.

Damn.

*If you've made it this far reading all this you deserve an end of the season trophy for navigating my bloggy drivel*

There is also something else to keep in mind as we finish the season.  We are going to do some kind of dinner/awards banquet/party thing to cap off this season.  Wearing ties, cuz why not?  Not sure whether before or after the PCHL Championships, but give me your thoughts.  There are going to be six categories for awards, and you will all be voting after the last game of the season, but before the Series.  I will bring a copy of the final regular season batting and pitching stats for each person (for you numbers guys) and you can all make your determinations.

It all works better if you don't really talk about the players for whom you're voting but, do what you will.

Categories:

MVP - Pretty self-explanatory "best all-around player," but I would include an emphasis on leadership abilities here.

Silver Slugger - Who was the best hitter this season?

Gold Glove - Who made the best plays this year? Also emphasis on consistency in fielding

Most Improved - Which player has come the longest way from where they started out during our first practices?

Cy Young - Who was the overall best pitcher this season?

Best Clubhouse Vibes - Who had the best vibes?

Take some time in the next couple of games to think about these things, guys.  I got an award in 2011 and it's still proudly displayed on my "mantle" --- these things are silly but also pretty cool.

Now that that's all out of the way . . .

STATS

NEXT GAME

Saturday 31 August

vs

 . . . wait, really? The Sunset Nobles AGAIN?!

does anyone else feel as though we've played them like, 10 times this year?

1PM 

(and we will get a permit this time (I guess))

Probable Pitcher TBD

And behold, it was very good.

(Sam helped a bit with the Bobby & the bull thing)

The Ryan Gantz Re-Headdressing Charity Drive

Hello! I'm glad you're here. I want to welcome you all to the first (and LAST) Ryan Gantz Re-Headdressing Charity Drive! I was going to send your invitations in the mail but they were all c/o The Rock Bar, so . . .

The idea of the RGRHCD is to take this:

. . .and turn it into THIS:

This second version (superior in every way) is in the 29er color family and would look great atop a beautiful red jersey, not to mention Gantz's sharp mind.

It currently retails for $32, which would be almost exactly two dollars a person. 

Two dollars.

Two . . .

. . . dollars

I ask you: is it not worth the price of your morning bus ride or one measly Rock Bar PBR to get Gantz into a cap that befits the team and its delicate aesthetic sensibilities? Is IT NOT???

Please please please help to make the first RGRHCD an overwhelming success. Pretty pretty please?

*~*sTatZ~*~StAtS*~*sTAtz~*~

Here are the updated stats I promised you guys.  I was also planning on writing something up about winning the (only) division but I think it's better to wait on that until I can really finish the sprawling, 20-page masterpiece that it will be.

First thing I did when I heard News lost to Cleaners yesterday

. . .and the second thing

. . .and how I felt inside

 Here are your well-deserved statistics:

A Beautiful Thing: 29ers Play Harmonious, Symbiotic Baseball, Top Cleaners 14-0

LAST GAME RESULTS

29TH ST 29ERS

14

RICHMOND CLEANERS

0 (ZERO)

RECAP: Man, I'm still just *jazzed* on last Sunday's game.  I said it after we won, but it really did feel like a STATEMENT game.  It was such an impressive showing from everybody involved, and I'm not being dramatic when I say honestly that you guys really made me proud. From Mirriam-Webster (a dictionary that, in general, I detest, but one that, for whatever reason, is most easily accessible on the Internet): proud /proud/: a "feeling of pleasure from ... the achievements of those with whom one is associated. ..." Yep.  I'd say that covers it.  I felt pleasure, guys.  Real, unadulterated PLEASURE with your collective achievements.

For those who were at that game against The Cleaners in which their marquee pitcher Jeremy essentially shut us down, this was a version of revenge (a version without any of the negative connotations of that word).  

We got to him in the first, with Pat reaching on an error and Mike singling after Bobby popped out.  With two outs, Craig put out a good at-bat while waiting on an offspeed pitch and dunked it right into center.  Classic case of not trying to do too much when you've got two strikes.

We got to him again in the fourth, when Mike led off by getting hit by a pitch (his first of two HBPs that day), Craig reached on an error, Zack walked, and Brandon hit a 2-RBI single.  Just lovely.  I followed by trying to suicide Zack home from third, but couldn't handle it, the ball rolling foul off the first base side leaving me with two strikes. I chopped it past Jeremy, which allowed Zack to score, and reached on the errant throw.  Ryan singled Brandon home. 5-0.

It was at this point of the game I started feeling really good about chances.  Zack had already looked great through the first three innings.  You know what?  I mistyped.  I felt really good about our chances before the game even started.  Despite the fact that everyone was getting antsy while waiting for the Latin League game to finish, I noticed that everyone was in a great mood.  Everyone was cracking wise, giving each other just the right amount of crap, and generally just choppin' it up and feeling good.  When we scored that run in the first I knew we were gonna take it.  And that was before Zack even demonstrated he was ON.

I guess the real exciting inning came in the seventh.  I led off with a basehit to left and Dave followed it with a walk after taking the count full.  Ryan hit one to the right side into an out and I pulled a Lennen and turned it into a run with some balls-to-the-wall baserunning.  After Colin got on, Alex popped out.  With two outs, Ricky hit an RBI single back up the middle, and Pat and Bobby both followed with singles themselves.  All with two outs.  It was a hit parade.  All with two outs.  With the bases loaded, Craig came up to the plate and CRUSHED a 3-RBI double over the the centerfielder's head on a day where the ball wasn't exactly flying.  13-0.

We tacked on another run on Large Michael's (formerly known as "Big Mike") sac fly in the ninth, but the damage was done.

I want to point out quickly that it really impressed me that a couple of the guys who had so-so at-bats in the early innings were able to come back in their third turn at the plate and turn it around.  Bobby followed a frustrating pop-up with count leverage and a strike out with a booming double and two singles.  Pat followed a pop-up and a strikeout with two solid singles.  Ricky took three ABs with nothing to show for it and got an RBI hit and a walk and scored on Mike's sacrifice.  Things like that are big, guys.  These are the little sorts of things you look for in your players.  If you're having a bad day at the plate, all it ever takes is your next time up to turn it around.  I know that is cliché but believe it.  Look at those guys.  They were our 1-2-3 hitters and they turned it around.  Great job.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Now, this was kind of tough, because obviously you could make such an easy case for Zack "The Wizard" Farwell, but I have got to give it to the entire team.  Before I go into that, a moment for Zack: his first shutout, a complete game masterpiece.  5 hits, 5 Ks, against only 2 walks.  He had all three of his pitches working and it was just amazing to watch him go at it.  He is peaking at such a good time for this team, and I think we all are hoping he continues this streak he's on into the championships.

But the reason you all are player of the game is because we played probably the cleanest, most well-executed baseball of the season on Sunday.  It was an error-less game, with great defensive decisions made throughout.  Infielders took their time, didn't rush throws, threw accurately.  Everyone was calm and inside the game.  Everyone threw out great at-bats and was talking to each other as they went up with their respective glorious walk-up songs playing in the background.  

We play like that in the championships and you can count on bringing a title to the Rock Bar, guys, believe me.  Pleasure.  Real pleasure.

DRIVE OF THE GAME: Again, while there were enormous contributions up and down the lineup, Craig's double over the Cleaner's centerfielder has to take the cake.  The timing with two outs, the bases loaded, it all essentially capped the inning and really, and I mean really put the thing out of reach for The Cleaners the way Zack was throwing.  Three RBIs.  I don't often laud my managing (lie) but moving Craig into the 5-hole from leadoff or hitting second was one of the better things I've done this season.  He has given me no reason to move him from there either, because whereas his hits that used to just get him on base are now not only doing that, but also driving you guys in for runs.

PLAY OF THE GAME: The only time Zack ever got in trouble (I forget the inning) was a situation with the bases loaded and two outs.  Zack had pitched around the guy before to load the bases and create a force at every base (a move I agreed with).  With the shutout on the line, one of the Cleaners RIPPED a one-hop seed to Dave at third, who handled it cleanly to his left side before glancing over at third and then deciding to take the throw to first.  You saw him look, set, and make a perfect throw to Pat to end the inning and keep The Wiz's S/O intact.

Dave played an insane third base the entire game.  Expertly fielding something like seven different ground balls and making perfect throws every time.  If there were a question as to who has locked down third base, I'm pretty sure everybody there would agree that Dave has answered it and left little doubt in anyone's mind.

As is the case lately, I'll have all your stats posted up tomorrow.  I'm starting to run late for this Dealers/Nobles jam at Crocker.  Check back tomorrow afternoon for those, okay?  

Celebrity Sighting On The '9ers

Straight up did you guys know we had a genuine Hollywood A-Lister on our team???

"Ryan McCauley" --- okay bud, we *get* it.  What, you're just trying to lay low to glean information about being on a baseball team huh?  For your next role?  Like when Cameron Crowe went back to school for Fast Times At Ridgemont High?  Dedicated to the craft, y'all.  Watch out for Sean Willi--- oops, I mean "Ryan McCauley" --- on Inside The Actor's Studio or some shit.  Blowin' my mind, man.

A Pathetic Publicity Stunt

Normally I wouldn't condone this sort of transparent and sort of pathetic attempt at getting people to this blog but whatever, Sam "Cyber" Bully has made it clear I need to step my game up.  You're welcome?

She's asking for the ol' curve. Who are you to say no?

I ... have nothing to say about this one

Starting to feel really gross about myself ...

So I just got impatient and put whatever pictures I could find quickly

A true fan

This was solely so I could tag "Kardashian" in yet another foul attempt to generate traffic. I'm sorry.

Here's Ya Filthy Stats

I almost wiped the entire season's stats and almost pulled one of these right here:

But you know, the skip keeps his cool and everything ended up being okay in 29erlandia.

STATS

Everyone's looking great and getting those averages up.  Mine continue to sink but watch out, I'm gonna be coming back with a vengeance.  Just trying to make sure to peak at the right time, or ... something like that

NEXT GAME

In an effort to avoid the inevitable chaos of Outer Lands, it

is officially scheduled for Sunday at Balboa Park

Firsties at 3PM

Try to get there by 2.  I will be there early getting extra batting practice in, my tears landing on and smudging the scorebook.

Nobles Stumble, Not Slide, Into 5th as 29ers Win, 11-9

LAST GAME RESULTS

29TH ST 29ERS

11

SUNSET NOBLES

9

RECAP: You may as well get comfy and prepare yourself for disappointment as I had about every member of our squad plus a few morbidly curious Nobles asking me what I was going to write about this game.  I'm not sure I can capture the feelings of these games as well as I was, to be honest.  Main thing is the post-game drinking session that kind of leaves me scrambling for details when I finally get around to writing the thing.  With that in mind . . .

The game itself started out exciting and interesting, with our taking a two-run lead in the first off of Noble bullpen rock Craig "I Don't Slide" Matoes.  I broke my hideous 2-17 with a single up the middle off of a signature Matoes slow curve (before letting him, one of the most accessible pitchers in the league, dominate me the rest of the way).  Ricky had a single, Bobby followed with an RBI double to score him, and Craig with an RBI single to score Bobby.  It seems simple when you write it out like that.

Ryan Gantz started for us and looked sharp through three, but with two outs in the fourth he lost his control and couldn't get out of the inning.  Louie came in and mopped up the bases loaded situation and did his best to navigate a tight strike zone by first-time umpire Andrew Gomez, who in my estimation did a great job considering.

By the top of the fifth, we starting stalling a bit, with the Nobles pulling ahead to a 9-4 lead on some timely hits, including an RBI single from .426-hitting Sam Bull, who was coerced into playing RF for them in exchange for ad clicks on his blog.  Actually a pretty well played move and no, I don't think I'm above that at all.  As part of my policy agreement I'm legally not allowed to talk about ad clicks or even encourage people to click them, so I can't even go there if I wanted to, but really, if you need a stainless steel water bottle or were thinking about going back to school via the Internet, by all means, don't let me stop you.

This not even mildy embarrassing photo of Sam Bull in Shane "Jock Jams" Crosby's jersey was the best I could do.  I would fire me, too.

Anyhow, Bull's line drive single into right (which was kind of a beauty in its own right) led that same Matoes from above to come barreling around third and towards home plate as Will fielded the ball cleanly and fired it in to Brandon, who was positioned to catch the ball and unfortunate enough to be in Matoes' way for the second time this season.  Again, Matoes crashed into him and sent him tumbling as he daintily stepped on home, but at least this time Brandon didn't have to get walked to General Hospital in the middle of the game to fix his broken nose, and with nary an apology from the guy himself.  And as Brandon was collecting himself, the back runner scooted in as well (although that's sorta on Louie for not backing up the play as the pitcher should). Eh, that's baseball, I guess, although it led me into a sort of temporary rage.  Out of which, I'll point out, the always affable and LOTR-loving Dave Gardner tried to talk me.  I sort of walked away, but it was a cute little moment in an otherwise annoying situation.  Sorry (again) Brandon.  Nothin' but love for ya, Dave.

"I Don't ... Slide"

Pat added an RBI fielder's choice in the bottom half of that inning to make it 9-5 Nobles.

We come to the bottom of the sixth, where Craig pops up to "Backhand" Bill Sandburg and Bill makes his one error of the day when in general he was out there rewriting the position.  Ryan McCauley singles and takes second on a ball that bounces over Gardner's head in left.  Louie comes up and hits a deep shot into the right-center gap that somehow centerfielder Charlie got leather on but dropped for a long RBI single and set up one of the most dramatic moments of the season to date.

With the score now 9-6 and runners on the corners, up comes "Big" Mike, with only one game under his belt after a stint on the DL.  I think the count was 2-1, but who really gives a shit because when that Matoes soft ball came floating in, Mike absolutely punished that thing over the deep left field fence and into the nearly mature trees growing there.  Our bench erupted as we had tied the game and were welcoming back from injury a new sort of folk hero in 29ers' lore.  It also led me to talk about this literary device for the next twenty minutes straight: 

Thank you, Mike.  Thank you for making things right in the universe again.

As I am now a terrible hitter, I ended the rally with Colin and Will on second and first by popping out to ... Craig Matoes.  Since I didn't get my own personal sense of justice fulfilled I have to take it out on the blog.  Sorry but that's just the way it is.  In exchange you get to compare me to a racist Tea Party member if doing that sort of thing makes you feel better.

With the score now knotted at 9-9 coming into the bottom of the seventh, Ricky leads off with a walk and Pat grounds into a fielder's choice that moves Ricky to second.  Bobby muscled a go-ahead RBI double into the left field fence to score Ricky that was nearly a homer itself, and we now had the lead, 10-9.  Louie kept the newly tamed Nobles at bay the remainder of the way, as we manufactured an insurance run on McCauley's double, me calling for Louie's perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to move him to third, and Mike's sac fly to score him.  11-9, and that would be your final, thank God.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: In case you skipped all that up there (and I don't blame you if you did) the POTG was obviously MIKE.  I had to leave myself at least a few choice lines to mention here but I pretty much gushed during the recap itself when I called him a "folk hero" and said he set the universe on its proper course again (before any of you News correct me that the universe is not on a course, I KNOW).  Mike went 2-3 with a double, a HR, a Sac Fly, 1 run scored and 5 RBIs.  That's gonna be hard to top when I unleash my new "bunt every single time up" strategy next week against The Cleaners.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS!: Ricky Rein (2-2, 2B, 2BB, 3R)

Ryan McCauley (3-4, 2B, 3R)

Bobby Renz (2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R)

"Tequila" Bill Buss (2-3)

DRIVE OF THE GAME: Um, the dinger.  See above.

PLAY OF THE GAME: You know what I liked? I liked calling for and getting Brandon's gun to second to get one of the Nobles who was taking their typical league-leading lead halfway to third.  I love when guys get burned on that after being completely ridiculous with how far they go to the next bag.  It also completely killed their building rally, so that was ... cool?  Nice throw, bud.

STATS

Trick, no stats yet.  I'm working on that now but I wanted to get this posted sooner.  I'll be working on them during the Giants game.

NEXT GAME

Sunday, 11 August

vs

The Cleaners From Richmond

(although I wish these guys were playing instead):

Presumably at Big Rec, GG Park, during some little gathering called Outside Lands.  Details when I get 'em.
"I Don't Slide, I Collide"

29ERS Phone List

This should make it a little easier for everyone to get in touch with each other, or make prank calls, whichever.

Shooting for a 12 noon first pitch on Saturday.  I'm gonna roll up to Potrero Hill and see if it's available, but I really don't wanna get kicked off by some softball dudes.  I know Balboa is available, but Pot Hill is really nice.  Will let you know.

Gardner from the Nobles saying they only have 8 confirmed, so hopefully no one has to be that donation piece, but we'll see.  We are gonna be kinda tight too, with Dave, Gantz, and Zack all gone this weekend.