29 July, 1996: Homers @ Keystone Co-ops

Before the game against the Co-ops, Homer players engaged in some friendly clubhouse banter and discussed which Olympic performer best embodied their own heroic but flawed team. Candidates included:

Carl Lewis, who won the long jump after nearly not qualifying for the final but then complained that he had no opportunity on the track to get on the 4 * 100 relay team though he finished 8th in the U.S. qualifiers
Kerri Strug, who gritted through her final vault in the women's team competition though it ultimately proved unnecessary
Jeff Rouse, who lost the 100 backstroke in Barcelona when heavily favored, trained four more years and won it in Atlanta, then thanked the man who beat him in 1992 for making him discover himself

That discussion never concluded, but Homer management, not quite so ironically steeped, chose Team USA in men's basketball as its most idolized Olympic performer, for not only does each Dream Teamer make over $3 million a year and get hot dates on demand, but they can also phone in results against Angola-quality opponents and play lackadaisacally until they decide to make an effort.

    Homers             1  0  2  0  4  6      13
    Keystone Co-ops    2  1  4  0  2  0       9

The line-up, and the pitch:

            Sue       2B 2B 2B  C  - 2B
            Scott     OF OF 3B 1B  - OF
            Jeff       C 1B OF  -  C 1B
            Robb      OF SS SS  - 1B OF
            Cheryl    1B  C  -  P  P  P
            Ron       3B OF  - OF OF OF
            Richard   SS  P  - OF SS OF
            Karen      P  -  P OF 2B  C
            David     OF  - OF 3B 3B 3B
            Tim       OF  - OF 3B OF SS
            Holly      - 3B 1B  -  -  -
            Annette    - OF  C 2B OF  -
            Amy        - OF OF OF OF  -

The spectators, Samantha and Isabelle, were few and far between, perhaps as fans worldwide stayed home to watch the Olympics on TV, which Scott, Karen, Dwayne, Annette, Tim, Ron, Sue, Samantha, Jeff, Cheryl, Isabelle, and Richard did at Round Table after the game.

Offensive hero of the day was Cheryl, whose bases loaded double in the last inning tied the game at nine. David also hit the ball very well. Offensive trivial notes of the day were Ron and Richard, who hit back-to-back pop-ups in the 2nd inning, home runs in the 5th, and doubles in the 6th. Defensively, David lost his outfield job in the third inning by getting burned badly on the old Statue-of-Liberty play on a deep, high fly ball, but he redeemed himself at third base in the fifth by scooping a one-hopper from Richard for a force out.

Next week's game is Tuesday, August 6, on field H2 against our nemesis, Voodoo Toad Fury, whom we've never beaten.