| 1. Apr 24 | Homers 21, Crawdads 10 |
| 2. May 09 | Homers 21, KIDS 11 |
| 3. May 14 | Cinco Equis 20, Homers 17 |
| 4. May 23 | Homers 25, Eclectic Eccentrics 15 |
| 5. Jun 13 | Bruisers 10, Homers 17 |
| 6. Jun 17 | LA Radars 7, Homers 10 |
| 7. Jun 24 | Deep Space Cadets 13, Homers 15 |
| 8. Jul 02 | Homers 23, Wild Turkeys 5 |
| i. Jul 10 | Gravity Fielders (ff), Homers |
| 9. Jul 18 | Homers 22, Goat Scouts 11 |
| 10. Jul 24 | Voodoo Toad Fury 23, Homers 17 |
| 11. Jul 30 | Baseline Interference 11 (ff), Homers 27 |
| 12. Aug 07 | Homers 28, Paper Tigers 9 |
| 13. Aug 15 | Encumber This 10, Homers 11 |
| 14. Aug 19 | Goat Scouts 8, Homers 17 |
| 15. Aug 27 | Homers 17, Deep Space Cadets 18 |
All games start at 5:30 pm. Here are directions to the
H fields.
| Angel | Homer |
|---|---|
| After hitting a buck ninety-two in April, Tim Salmon caught on fire (.325 average, 18 home runs) the next four months before getting hit by a pitch on his left hand. Fortunately, Salmon recovered in time for the playoffs, where he had two huge four-rbi games. | Scott Morgan returned to mishealth by breaking his finger while playing for the Broooosers before the Homer season started. After 4 weeks on the DL, Scott returned to his normal standards on defense and wormliness, showing up first for every game to win the M. Homer (body) award. |
| No current Angel really stood out offensively, but Jim Edmonds had another monster season in St. Louis: .420 on-base percentage, .561 slugging percentage. | Ron Baalke had a terrific statistical season, hitting 13 home
runs to win M. Homer (soul) for 2002, as well as M. Homer (food).
Ron also emulated Edmonds' understanding of team play, as well as
Spurrieresque sportsmanship, in running out his texas leaguer
misplayed by the Wild Turkeys. His description:Ron hits an apparent home run in the 5th with Richard onboard, but Richard stops at 3rd base to ensure Ron doesn't get the home run.The score at that point was 23 to 1, Homers. |
| Troy Percival had another outstanding year: 1.92 ERA, 40 saves in 44 opportunities, no lead blown in the postseason. In game 2 of the ALDS vs. the Yankees, the Angels improbably rallied to take a 2-run lead in the 8th, then put 2 Yankees on base with 2 outs. In came Percival, who with his first pitch ever in the postseason, a 97 mph fastball, nailed Soriano squarely in the middle of the back. He struck out the next batter Jeter to squelch the threat. | In game 1, Richard Chen made the most satisfying Homer play of the year by completing a throw to first while getting hammered by the baserunner, who did not slide. The truly satisfying aspect of the double play was that Richard ended up vertical, unlike the baserunner. |
| Scott Spiezio had a decent enough regular season, but in the postseason, yow! In 20 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, he drove in 17 runs with an OBP of .700 and a slugging percentage of 1.118. Softball numbers. | Rich Benesh didn't have a seminal moment for the 2002 Homers like the eternal 3-run homer in game 6, but he did emulate Spiezio's inability to hit from the left-hand side during the regular season. During the walkover game against KIDS, Rich eschewed his classic righty from-the-heels swing for a corkscrewish lefty hack. |
Reggie Sanders had a decent series for the Giants, hitting
big home runs in games 1 and 2, but Angel fans will always remember
him for getting:
| At least four Homers, one of whom had unfair insider access,
bombarded Sue Kientz throughout the year with lineup
suggestions/requests/threats. Sue did a fine job of maintaining
her field managing equilibrium, particularly in the unlosable
games against the Bruisers and Encumber This when she
juggled 17 and 16 players.
| |
| Career-long Angel Orlando Palmeiro never hit for power, e.g. 3 career home runs in 1700+ plate appearances. However, with the Angels' trailing 6-0 in game 5, O.P. led off the 5th with a pinch-hit double to start a little rally. | With the Homers down 9-2 in game 3, Sheila Ganino led off the third with a triple to start a 6-run rally. Unfortunately, the Homers never quite caught up in suffering the first loss of the year. (Had Alyssa gotten in needless danger, Sheila would have won the Dusty Baker award). |
| Francisco Rodriguez had Yankees, Twins, and Giants missing pitches by half a foot, and his stats showed it: 18.2 innings, 28 Ks, and 5-1 in the postseason, though he did vulture two of the wins. He even made gold glover Bengie Molina look bad on two costly passed balls against the Giants. | The next season that Alyssa Ganino plays will be her rookie year, just like K-Rod. |
| Salmon's longevity and perseverence were the lead to most stories after the Angels clinched the wild card. AP: "Tim Salmon entered the playoffs with the most games played and at-bats of any big-leaguer without postseason experience." | Though he hasn't played 1,388 games, Jeff Osman continued to lead the all-time Homer record for games played, 184, set over 12 seasons. His lead over Richard shrunk by two in 2002. (OK, that's two Salmon references, but he is my favorite player.) |
Winning teams are usually teams of love and harmony.
In the ancient past the Angels were neither. Mo Vaughn:
Who the (expletive) is Troy Percival? What has he done in this game? Has he led his team to a pennant? Has he ever (expletive) pitched in a big game that meant something? |
In game 11, Andres, batting for the shorthanded opponents, grounded a ball right at SS, Ron's nominal position. Christopher Reeve would have made the play. Somehow, Ron ignored the ball and broke for 2B, where Kim Steadman was already standing, prompting her to shout, "What are you doing?!" Jeff for some other transgression later in the season also felt the wrath of Kim. |
| After joining the Angels just before the non-waiver trade deadline, Alex Ochoa made some huge plays for the Angels, most notably a game-tying home run off Mark Mulder and the then-invincible A's, and a rolling catch in the ninth in RF against the Twins to preserve a 2-1 lead. | Tony Ganino had a far greater number of key hits and stellar plays, but as Ochoa and Palmeiro have both moved on to St. Louis, Tony and Sheila have been demoted to Florida. Both are expected to work their way back up by midseason, 2004 at the latest. |
Some guy
on the web:If you were like me and watched at least a few games of the 2002 World Series, I was amazed by the Anaheim Angels player Troy Glaus. I videotaped his swing and watched his follow through. Guess What? He never let go of the bat and more often than not, he got a good hit. He has excellent momentum/energy transfer as a result. | Becky Castano has the most
classic slugger's swing on the Homers, good enough for a home run
for a second year in a row. Also like her fellow third baseman,
Becky got nailed by a ball, prompting memories of Glaus in game 2.
The L.A. Times:
Lofton's throw to third creates a scare for Anaheim fans when the ball short-hops somewhere between [Glaus's] right and left thighs. |
| Sometime during the Angels' playoff run, Mike Eisner looked down from his gilded throne and realized that he owned something called the Angels and that it was generating some press in October. The Mike to truly be like then managed to milk it for a decent amount of face time on Fox. | The far more faithful Scott Steadman attended every game his wife did and even filled in once as field manager, though generally his Homer days consisted of occasionally lifting his head from his comics and nodding appropriately. |
| Though he batted 9th and hit only 7 home runs in the regular season, Adam Kennedy hit three home runs, all meaningful, in game 5 of the ALCS to carry the Angels into the World Series. | Joe Jacob didn't win any MVP awards, but he did get 4 hits in game 9 against the Goat Scouts, one of the Homers' traditional and traditionally strong rivals. Like Kennedy, Joe should probably dump the uppercut. |
| In game 4, David Eckstein's shirt was clearly hit by the pitch to start the game, but the umpire chose not to call it. Like a good Angel, Eckstein did not complain but subsequently lined out. FYI, Eckstein has led the AL in HBP (and sacrifices) both years he's been in the majors. | In the Cinco Equis game, a CE batter popped up weakly along the first-base line, then trotted to impede Andres Castano. The ball landed, then bounced foul. Andres should have: 1) yelled at the batter to get out of the way, 2) made a show of trying to get around him, or 3) knocked him on his ass. Unfortunately, the batter got away with it, a potentially key play in a 3-run Homer loss. On a positive note, Andres hit well all year and once, after being traded to an opponent, took a charge from Rich while blocking home plate. |
| The ultimate gamer Darrin Erstad played like a demon through the playoffs, hitting safely in 15 of 16 games, including a crushing home run in game 6 to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the eighth. The Gold Glover also made a diving catch of a David Bell liner for the first out of the fifth in game 7 (8 out of 10 for difficulty, 5 bonus points for situation). | Steve Broberg had his highlights: a game-tying hit in the sixth of the last game of the year, a go-ahead grand slam against the Paper Tigers, quite a few others. However, his similarity to the former kicker/punter for Nebraska comes from starting at off-guard for his league basketball team. |
| The highest OPS in the regular season belonged not to Salmon or Glaus or Anderson but to platoonee Brad Fullmer. Furthermore, Fullmer ran reasonably well, stealing 10 bases in 13 attempts, plus the first steal of home in a WS game since 1964. | Robb Warren resembled the 'roid boy not only in body type but also in playing time. Either Robb or Steve played in every game, but they played together only three times. Given his dedication in the face of his commute from Thousand Oaks, Robb is in line for a raise, percentage-wise, as large as Fullmer's 2003 salary cut: 73%, reflecting the glut of slugger-types looking for work this offseason. |
| With Schoenweiss sporting a 5.38 ERA at the end of June as a starter, John Lackey got the call and finished the season at 9 and 4. He also came up with the best start by either team in the postseason in game 7. | Though the Homers' rookie of the year, Chao-Jen Wong, played in 9 games, she managed to avoid 2 of the 3 Homer losses. Her game improved over the season, culminating in her batting 1.000 on 4 hits in the season-ending loss. |
| Shawn Wooten missed a ton of games at the start of the season to injury, then platooned with Fullmer upon activation. He played well when he did play and got hot in the postseason with 9 hits in 19 at-bats, including a game-tying home run and a single in the fifth inning of the clincher against the Yankees. | Mary Wittman again played excellent outfield defense, highlighted by a running catch against the LA Radars. Mary also continued ripping the ball to left, often for extra bases like Wooten, who has yet to get an extra-base hit to right field in Anaheim. |
| Aaron Sele pitched very well in 2001, then kind of fell off the table in 2002, eventually finishing on the DL for the end of the season and off the playoff roster. | Annette Nasif '02 pulled a Sheila Ganino '00 - didn't play at all but gamely showed up to cheer. Like Sele, she'll be a key to success for 2003. Has an easily identifiable kid. |
Baseball Prospectus, on the Angels' roster for the World Series:
Steve Green remained on the 40-man [roster], fulfilling his purpose of being on the DL all season and allowing Francisco Rodriguez to slip onto the postseason roster... except that Rodriguez was notionally ineligible for postseason play. That said, don't hold your breath waiting for the Angels' title to be forfeited. |
The no-longer-young-man's injury (achilles) hit Daniel Limonadi before the season started, preventing him from playing at all in 2002. Of course, Daniel was a good sport and came to watch a few games and even (as did his better half) kicked in his Homer dues. |
| Before October, the only Angel player with WS experience was... Dennis Cook, who retired 13 batters without giving up a run for the Marlins in '97 and the Mets in '00. | Karen Chan pitched 1 inning for the Homers in 2002, thus leading the team in innumerable stats for female pitchers should Ron ever get to those. As a woman willing to pitch, Karen could play indefinitely like the lefty reliever Cook, who has changed teams 11 times in a 15-year career. |
| The other tremendous, unheralded rookie pitcher was Brendan Donnelly, who pitched 7.2 innings in the WS without allowing a run. Even in the regular season, Donnelly killed rally after rally, inheriting 32 runners on base when he entered games and allowing only 5 to score. | Mindy Vandergeugten was the 2nd-ranked Homer rookie of 2002, playing very good infield defense for the games that she attended. |
| Catcher Jorge Fabregas, a good teammate who sat through a fair amount of Angel frustration, got traded just before the non-waiver deadline for Alex Ochoa, which also necessitated calling up the younger Molina. | Despite debuting nicely for the Homers, Suzy Thompson voluntarily took herself out of the lineup to free some playing time for the others. In the three games she attended, the Homers had 16, 15, and 14 players. |
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 $ i 1 Scott Morgan 4 12 10 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 Ron Baalke 6 6 6 2 3 5 6 4 2 3 5 4 3 3 3 1 4 3 Richard Chen 3 4 1 4 8 2 2 3 5 5 7 9 7 6 8 1 8 4 Rich Benesh 12 1 3 7 10 8 5 7 4 8 4 8 6 8 9 1 7 5 Sue Kientz S 6 7 2 3 5 6 4 2 3 5 6 3 3 3 4 6 Sheila Ganino 7 5 12 8 7 14 11 10 6 8 10 9 11 10 15 7 Alyssa Ganino S S S S S S S S S S S S S S 8 Jeff Osman 2 3 2 1 6 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 6 9 Kim Steadman 1 2 4 2 9 9 8 6 3 3 8 7 6 14 3 10 Tony Ganino 5 11 9 6 11 12 12 9 11 9 9 11 10 15 12 11 Becky Castano 9 8 14 11 13 7 S 8 16 13 14 14 13 1 9 12 Scott Steadman S S S S S S S S S 7 S S S S 13 Joe Jacob 8 10 7 10 12 10 10 7 10 12 12 9 1 11 14 Andres Castano 9 8 10 11 15 11 11 10 11 14 11 14 1 9 15 Steve Broberg 11 13 13 13 12 9 12 12 14 11 1 13 16 Robb Warren 13 16 13 S 15 13 13 13 12 S 1 14 17 Chao-Jen Wong 8 3 4 6 11 5 10 13 5 17 18 Mary Wittman 17 15 15 14 14 15 16 15 12 1 19 Annette Nasif S S S S S S S 1 20 Daniel Limonadi S S S S 1 21 Karen Chan 2 5 7 2 22 Mindy Vndrggtn 5 5 5 23 Suzanne Thompson 14 14 13 24 Chance Vndrggtn S S 24 Kathy Ganino S S 24 Emily Nazari S S 27 Donny Lathbury 3 28 Lynn Anderson 7 29 Tim Ohm 8 30 Debra Martin 10 31 Martha Berg S 31 Doug Strain S 31 Brad Clement S 31 Janie Kesserling S 31 Peggy Jennings S 31 Ma Kientz S 31 Tara Estlin S
#==ranking, Yes, No, Spectator, Disabled/dead, Late arrival, Early exit
The algorithm to determine the winner:
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 i 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 Ron Baalke + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 2 Rich Benesh + + + + + + + + + + - + + + + + 2 Richard Chen + + + + + - + + + + + + + + + + 2 Scott Morgan + + - + + + + + + + + + + + + + 5 Jeff Osman + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 6 Sue Kientz - + + + + + + + + + + + - + + + 7 Joe Jacob + + + + + + + + + + + + + 8 Kim Steadman + + + + + + + + - + + + + + 8 Scott Steadman + + + + + + + + - + + + + + 10 Becky Castano + + + + + + + + + + - + + - 11 Robb Warren + + + + + + + + + + + 12 Andres Castano + + + + + + + + + - + - + 13 Steve Broberg + + + + + + + + + - + 14 Karen Chan + + + + 15 Suzanne Thompson + + + 15 Mindy Vndrggtn + + + 17 Daniel Limonadi - + + + - 18 Annette Nasif - - + + + - - 19 Mary Wittman - - + - - + - - + 20 Chance Vndrggtn + + 21 Chao-Jen Wong + - + - - - - - - 22 Emily Nazari + + 23 Martha Berg + 23 Peggy Jennings + 23 Janie Kesserling + 23 Doug Strain + 23 Tim Ohm + 23 Debra Martin + 23 Donny Lathbury + 30 Alyssa Ganino - - - - - - + - - - - - - - 30 Tony Ganino - - - - - - + - - - - - - - 30 Sheila Ganino - - - - - - + - - - - - - - 33 Tara Estlin - 33 Brad Clement - 33 Lynn Anderson - 33 Ma Kientz - 37 Kathy Ganino - -# ranking
bbq: Greg Carr, Nancy Carr, Tom McCarthy, Scott Galloway, Frank and Tawne Picha
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 sum
Ron Baalke 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
Richard Chen 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 9
Tony Ganino 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 8
Steve Broberg 1 1 1 1 2 1 7
Rich Benesh 1 1 1 1 4
Scott Morgan 1 1 1 1 4
Andres Castano 1 1 1 3
Joe Jacob 1 1 1 3
Becky Castano 1 1
In their last game of the year, the Homers, seemed satisfied with having enough wins for the season after having improved over the previous season. The Homers' began with minimal defense in the first and third innings, although the Deep Space Cadets were hitting very solidly and few balls came to the infield. With three nice high pop-ups to the Homer's third baseman in the second, the Cadets were held scoreless in that inning. As a result of the lack of defense coupled with an even greater lack of offense by the Homer's, the Cadets were ahead by more than 10 after the third, bringing the mercy rule into effect. This gave the Cadets a great joy. Luckily they enjoyed the moment, because it did not last long. The taunting awakened the Homer's offense for the 4th, and 5th, and 6th innings starting with Ron who managed to create a home run out of a double by refusing to stop running (the sole home run of the game for the Homers). Finally, in the sixth, Steve fouled ~4 balls away before getting a hit up the middle to bring Rich in from second for the tying run. On defense, the Cadets were held scoreless in the sixth despite getting two people on base. At the start of the 7th inning, all momentum was with the Homers, but they were unable to capitalize and went three-and-out in the top of the seventh. The nail was driven into the coffin for the Homers when the defense was not able to hold in the bottom of the seventh. An outfielder who historically has trouble with overthrows but usually reliably catches fly balls, got excited anticipating a double play when a line drive to center was hit and the runner at first base recklessly took off. With his speed, Richard was in position to make the catch, but a distracted thought of the glory of the double play and **clank** went the ball off his glove resulting in runners at second and third. The next batter was able to bring in the lead runner, ending the Homer's season in a whimper. The discussion after the fifth in which Richard convinced the Cadet's manager to play a full seven innings took on new significance to the Homers (a flashback of earlier this year comes to mind).
Dinner was at Crown City.
Homers in order of attendance:
Scott, Jeff, Scott, Ron, Sue, Jen, Kim, Karen, Scott S. Rich, Annette,
Sheila, Alyssa, Emily, Mary, Becky, Cosita, Robb
Homers: 1 0 0 6 6 4 0 Deep Space Cadets: 7 0 7 0 3 0 1
Lineup:
Jeff C OF OF OF OF OF OF Scott OF OF OF OF OF OF OF Ron OF OF OF P P P P Jen OF C C C X C C Richard SS SS SS OF OF OF OF Rich 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B Kim 2B 2B OF X C 2B 2B Steve P P P SS SS SS SS Sheila 3B X 2B 3B OF 3B 3B Mary OF OF X OF 2B OF OF Becky X 3B 3B 3B 3B X X Sue FM FM FM FM FM FM FM
Next game is next season.
Although the Padres owner John Moores was heard saying he is prepared to sit out a season due to the upcoming strike, well informed sources are aware of the real reason for this statement. A Padre confidant was quoted as saying "John is well aware of his options, the primary one of which is the availability of the Homer players, whose season will be ending after their next game". With this in mind the Homers went out and thrashed former C league powerhouse Goat Scouts 17-8.
In the first inning Ron and Richard both attempted to intimidate the opponents by pounding the ball, giving each of them a 2 run homer. Last week Richard displayed his offensive prowess with a walk-off home run. This week he displayed his coordination prowess with a fall down home run (falling down as he rounded first). In the background you can hear Alyssa singing duck, duck, goose we all fall down. With the ability of the players the Homers were able to mercy the Goat Scouts in the first inning.
Defensively Tony fired one to Rich at first base sending the batter back to the bench giving him reasons to be glad that a players strike was coming. Scott made a shoestring catch in the outfield trying to impress his lady playing 2nd base.
In the second inning Scott made a throw from the outfield to second base where Kim patiently awaited to make a force out.
When the forth inning approached we had a family affair out. Tony gets the ball at shortstop and makes the toss to Shelia at third base for the out. Again in the background you can hear Alyssa shout "yeah mommy".
In the fifth inning it was very apparent that Tony and Jeff were trying to make sure they had a possible position on a San Diego team. All three outs went Tony to Jeff, Tony to Jeff, Tony to Jeff. Were the rest of the Homer players really needed out on the field?
Scott of of of of -- of of Jeff c c 2b -- 1b c c Ron p ss ss p -- ss p Karen 2b -- p -- 2b -- 2b Richard of of of -- of p of Kim of 2b -- 2b c 2b -- Rich 1b -- 1b c 3b 1b -- Joe of of -- of of of -- Tony ss p -- ss p -- ss Shelia 3b -- of 3b -- 3b 3b Robb -- 1b 3b 1b ss -- 1b Jen -- of c -- of of -- Becky -- 3b -- of of -- of Mary -- -- of of -- of of Sue A fine field manager
Spectators included Scott S, Alyssa, and Cosita, who preferred her food on the ground rather than in her dish. It was somewhat unclear where Scott S and Alyssa preferred their food.
Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total --------------------------------------------------------------- Goat Scouts 2 3 1 1 0 0 1 8 Homers 15 2 0 0 0 0 - 17
Players joining in on the fun at a Crown City dinner included Scott M., Jeff, Ron, Karen, Richard, Kim, Rich, Joe, Robb, Becky, Scott S and Sue.
Next Game is tonight.
19 August 2002
Kneeling: Becky Castano, Tony & Sheila & Alyssa Ganino,
Sue Kientz, Jeff Osman, Richard Chen, Chao-Jen Wong.
Standing: Rich Benesh, Joe Jacob, Ron Baalke, Mary Wittman, Robb Warren,
Karen Chan, Scott Morgan, Kim Steadman, Scott Steadman.
"Designated Hitter?! I thought it was designated hittee" screamed Donnie as he took what he thought was "one for the team" on his way from 2nd to 3rd base in the 5th inning. In true Homer fashion, we will blame management for not adequately advising him on the rules.
In spite of our management breakdowns, the Homers turned in an exciting finish to down Encumber This 11-10. Richard hit a GW 2R HR in his last AB (damnit, I can't think of any more acronyms to throw out). Some might call this an offensive highlight, but this author remembers it as just plain offensive, as Richard robbed some very deserving people of their at-bats in the last inning.
Robb and Rich turned a double play but Jeff gets the defensive honor for valiantly snaring the ball from the evil jaws of the mighty gutter.
Thanks to Donnie for filling out the lineup as the DH
I'm lazy and we have a scanner nearby so see the attached file for stats.
Dinner consisted of a most excellent concoction of chili-cheese fries from Tops.
Next game has already happened.
The homers fielded a team that utterly dominated the aptly named Paper Tigers.
The homers eased into the game, only scoring 2 runs in the first inning, then amped it up by strong scoring 6 in the second (4 coming from Steve Stunning's grand slam), and another 9 in the third inning. After getting into double-mercy territory, in the fifth inning, the final innings proceeded apace.
Offensive hilights:
Defensive hilights:
Dinner was held at Crown City. In attendance were: Kim, Scott S., Joe, Scott M., Ron, Jeff, Richard, and Rich
Attendees in order of arrival: Scott M., Jeff, Kim, Ron, Jen, Sue, Scott S., Rich, Richard, Sheila, Alyssa, Andres, Joe, Becky, Annette, Daniel
Spectators: Scott S., Alyssa, and A cute little shitzu
The line:
Paper Tigers 4 0 0 4 0 0 1 9 Homers 2 6 9 2 9 0 0 28Lineup:
Scott OF OF OF OF OF OF OF Jeff OF OF C OF 1B OF X Ron OF P SS SS OF X OF Kim 2B 2B OF X 2B 2B OF Rich 1B 1B 1B 1B X 1B 1B Richard SS SS OF X SS P P Andres C C X C C C C Jen OF X 2B OF OF OF X Joe X OF OF OF OF OF OF Steve P X P P P SS SS Sheila 3B OF X 2B 3B X 2B Becky X 3B 3B 3B X 3B 3B Sue <--fm--> ScottS <--fldMgr->
Next Weeks game is Thursday on H3 against Encumber This
Colophon:
The Homers showed up in force to take on the Baseline Interference. But with only 6 players in attendance the BI looked to the Homers for some help. Richard, Jen, Becky, and Andres all agreed to play for the BI.
The night was a LONG one with the game not ending until close to 7:30pm. The final score was Homers 27 BI 11.
The Homers lived up to their name by hitting 6 home runs. Scott (1), Tony (1), Ron (1), Steve (2), and Andres (1) all added to their Homer totals.
Offensive Highlights:
Defensive Highlights:
The most memorable moment of the game came in the 4th inning. Tony hit a high pop up to center. As Richard waited for the ball, Robb yelled "Behind the Back". A challenge like this can't be ignored. So Richard attempted his famous behind the back catch and missed.
After the game, dinner was at Crown City with Kim, Scott S., Mary, Robb, Sue, Ron, Scott, Jeff, Becky, Andres, Steve, Joe, Rich, and Richard in attendance.
Spectators: Scott S, Alyssa.
The line:
Baseline Interference 0 4 1 4 1 1 0 11 Homers 8 6 2 7 3 1 x 27Lineup:
Scott OF OF OF OF OF OF OF Jeff C C OF OF C 1B C Rich 1B 1B C C 3B 3B X Kim 2B 2B 2B 2B OF X 2B Ron OF SS 1B 1B P OF 1B Richard TRADED Tony SS OF P SS SS P SS Sheila 3B X OF 3B OF 2B OF Joe OF OF X OF OF OF OF Steve P P 3B P X SS P Robb X 3B SS X 1B C 3B Jen TRADED Andres TRADED Mary X OF OF OF 2B OF OF Becky TRADED Sue <--- FIELD MANAGER --->
Next week's game is on Wednesday against the Paper Tigers. Please let Richard or Jeff know if you can't make it.
On a bright, beautiful, sunny day at the Rose Bowl, with the tunes of the Ramones in the background lending a festive air to game at hand, Richard was heard to mutter under his breath,
"The horror! The horror!"as he descended into the Stygian darkness of his worst nightmare realized, an 0-4 performance at the plate while the Toe Fungi dealt out an old fashioned whuppin' to the Homers, casting a pall onto the field. The final score of 23-17 belied the true nature of the game. The Homers were down 19-4 after 4 and half innings, but managed to give the final score an air of respectability with 7 and 6 run rallies in the bottom of the fifth and seventh innings. The latter a two out rally snuffed out of existance with Richard's fly ball to Seal in right.
the line:
Toads 6 0 5 3 5 2 2 23 Homers 1 0 3 0 7 0 6 17the lineup:
hits/AB rbis HR
Deb 3B SS 3B 3B -- 3B 3B 1/4 1
Scott OF OF OF -- OF OF OF 3/4 5 1 (GS)
Ron P OF OF OF OF -- OF 2/4 1
Richard OF OF OF -- OF OF OF 0/4
Kim 2B -- 2B OF 2B 2B 2B 0/3
Rich 1B 1B -- 1B 1B 1B -- 3/3
Tony SS -- SS OF SS SS SS 1/3
Karen OF 2B -- 2B 3B -- 2B 1/3 1
Andres C C -- C C -- C 3/3 1
Lynn OF -- C OF -- C -- 2/3
Steve -- P P P P P P 2/3 4 1 (2 run)
Robb -- 3B 1B SS -- OF 1B 3/3 2
Mary -- OF OF -- OF OF OF 2/3 2
Sue <--Field Manager->
witness to the disaster: Scott S.
Offensive high(?)lights
Thanks to Deb for subbing, though, we had an unexpected wealth of female players, including Kim's friend Lynn.
Robb, Sue, Ron, Scott, Karen, Deb, Richard, and Steve went to El Cholo to cleanse themselves of the game's stench in a deluge of margaritas.
on that note, enjoy today's (Tuesday) game vs. Baseline Interference! if you can't be there, you better have told Richard by now!
The Homers fielded an uncharacteristically small, but effective team, that used consistancy on both offense and defense to defeat the Goat Scouts by a score of 22 to 11. This win came despite the fact that the Homers took an out each time through the line up for only fielding 2 women. It has not yet been determined whether the lack of women had anything to do with the attractiveness of the Homers men. The missing woman in the line up was affectionately named "Antoinoutte" for her uncanny ability to get an out every time. Only one other Homer matched Antoinoutte's dismal batting performance, but that person shall remain unnamed to protect the guilty (Ok, Andres? :). Another rarity is that Tony somehow managed to be the only Homer to bat in the last inning because he hit a pop fly out and was followed by Antoinoutte and a mercy out. Tony nearly redeemed himself on defense the last inning making the first two outs for the homers.
Offensive highlights included homers by Scott, Ron, Richard (2), Rich, Joe, and Tony and a nice triple by Becky. Joe performed the rare feat of "hitting for the cycle", hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a homerun in his 4 at bats, with the homerun coming on his last at bat. Richard could have also hit for the cycle if he would have stopped at third base on one of his homeruns. It appeared that the Homers offensive onslaught caused one of the Goat Scouts outfielders to become parallelized with fear, as she seemed remarkably stationary in the outfield.
Defensive highlights included Tony (SS) tipping the ball to Richard (OF) who made the catch and then gunned the ball to Andres (C) who tagged the runner out at home in the 4th inning. Also, Sheila made a nice stop at second base and combined with Rich (1B) to throw the runner out.
The line score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Homers 4 3 4 5 0 6 0 22
Goats 2 3 0 3 2 1 0 11
The line-up:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Scott OF OF OF OF OF OF OF
Ron OF C OF P X OF 1B
Richard SS OF OF OF OF X OF
Sheila 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Rich 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B X
Joe OF OF X OF OF OF OF
Steve P P P X P P P
Becky 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Andres C X C C C C C
Tony X SS SS SS SS SS SS
Sue <- Field Manager ->
Spectator: Alyssa, but I think she was more interested in drawing pictures in the dirt than watching us play softball this time (and who could blame her!).
Dinner: Scott M., Ron, Sue, Rich, Richard, Joe, Becky, Steve, and Andres enjoyed a fine selection of pizza and drink at Round Table.
Richard,
I screwed up our schedule. The tabs through me for a loop. I think we will have to cancel to night since I told the team tomorrow. Are you interested in playing tomorrow night instead or is that to much trouble.
gwf
On the eve of the CONTOUR launch, the softball gods looked kindly down on the HOMERS as they continue their winning ways with a convincing 23-5 victory over the Wild Turkeys. The HOMERS have now won 5 consecutive games and improve their season record to 7-1, now at the halfway point of the season. In checking the historical archives, it is noted that the HOMERS have now won 10 consecutive games against the Wild Turkeys and haven't lost to them for over a decade.
HOMERS 7 11 3 0 2 0 0 - 23 Wild Turkeys 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 - 5
The HOMERS in attendance order: Scott M, Jeff, Richard, Sue, Ron, Jen, Rich, Kim, Tony, Sheila, Alyssa, Andres, Steve, Susie, Mary, Scott S, Becky, Robb and Annette
HOMERS Line-up:
Scott of of of c - of - Jeff c of 1b of - 1b p! Jen of of - 2b of - 2b Richard of of c - p c of Ron ss ss - of 1b - of Rich 1b - 3b - ss of c Kim 2b - 2b - 2b 2b - Tony 3b p - of of ss - Steve p - ss p of - 1b Sheila of - of 3b - of 3b Andres - c of of c - of Susie - 2b of ss - 3b ss Mary - 3b - 1b of of - Robb - 1b p - 3b p of Sue <-----Field Manager------>
Coming off of major surgery last week, Sue was still able to attend the game and juggle the lineup and field positions, and it was her birthday to boot. Sideline participants also included Becky, Scott Steadman, Alyssa Ganino, Annette and Kona. Becky showed up despite still suffering from pneumonia, and Annette made a late appearance and continues to do well with the pregnancy.
Offense: the HOMERS jumped out to a quick 18-0 lead after just 2 innings. The game went into double-mercy cruise control shortly afterwards as the lead increased to 23-1. Offensively, there were several big hits in the game. Three home runs were hit, all of the 3-run variety, by Richard, Steve and Tony. Jeff knocked in 5 big runs, which included a bases-clearing double in the 2nd inning (which probably should have been a grand slam if he had run hard), and a 2-run double in the 3rd which extended the Homers lead by 20. Rich also had 4 RBI's with a pair of 2-run singles. There were eight doubles hit in the game: Jeff (2), Richard, Ron (2), Kim, Steve and Andres. Also, Scott, Jeff, Richard, Rich, Susie and Robb were all perfect at the plate. Because of the double-mercy rule in effect, the HOMERS only sent a single batter to the plate in the 4th and 6th innings.
Home run leaders after 8 games:
Ron 7 Tony 6 Richard 3 Steve 3 Rich 2 Joe 2 Andres 1 Becky 1 Total 25
Milestones: Richard ties Ron again at the top of the all-time career list with his 129th home run. Steve hits his 35th career home run which ties him with Tim Ohm for 6th place on the career list.
Defense: the HOMERS played excellent team defense overall, and there were no throws into the street by Richard. Scott made several catches in the outfield during the first 3 innings, so many in fact, that Dennis from the Turkeys requested we don't play Scott there no more. In the 4th inning, the HOMERS played an all-woman infield (Jen, Sheila, Susie, Mary) and still kept them scoreless. Also, in the 4th inning, Jen made the final out of the inning by catching a line drive, and then practiced a double play by throwing to first to force a phantom runner. Robb made a great catch on a long towering fly ball down the left field line in the 7th inning.
Pitching: the Wild Turkeys were unable to score more than 2 runs in any inning, and were held scoreless in 4 innings. One of the scoreless innings was by Jeff, who made a surprise pitching appearance in the 7th inning (an 18 run lead does wonders).
The DOH! Player of the Week Award goes to Richard. Ron hits an apparent home run in the 5th with Richard onboard, but Richard stops at 3rd base to ensure Ron doesn't get the home run. The softball gods were not pleased.
HOMERS after-game dinner was held at Round Table Pizza. Attendees include Daniel, Ron, Sue, Andres, Susie, Annette, Scott M., Richard, Robb, Rich, Kim, Scott S., Becky and Steve.
Next week's game is on WEDNESDAY, July 10 on H3 versus the Gravity Fielders. Last year, the Gravity Fielders forfeited the game to us. As usual, let Richard or Jeff know if you can't make the next game.
Ohm, Ohm on the Field
Where the HOMERS and Space Cadets Meet
Then nowhere is heard
A Discouraging Word
Cuz the ball doesn't fly in the Street
Well, not on a throw to first, anyway.
The HOMERS celebrated their annual Barbecue Game by eeking out a thrilling victory against the Deep Space Cadets, 15-13. The HOMERS took an early lead, then mercied them, then were nearly at the DSCers mercy when the Cadets battled back in the fifth with 6 unanswered runs. The undaunted HOMERS hung on, however, since they could now smell the coals in full flame, and figured they needed to close this one out quickly, so all could eat in the bottom of the seventh instead of bat.
The line score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Deep Space Cadets 3 0 0 0 6 4 0 13
HOMERs 4 8 2 0 0 1 X 15
The HOMERs were (in attendance order): Scott M, Richard, Jeff, Jen, Rich, Ron, Tim Ohm (the prodigal returns, so we feasted him), Kim, Joe, Sheila, Tony, Steve, Suzy, and Mary. Spectators were Scott S, Sue, Janie, Alyssa, Peggy (Sheila's Mom), Kona, Annette, and Robb. Plus some irregulars who showed up for the barbecue portion, such as Daniel, Emily, Greg and Nancy Carr, dog Buster, Tom McCarthy, and Scott Galloway.
Offensively, the HOMERs returned to being HOMERS, as the long ball was smashed by: Ron (2-run and solo), Steve (3-run), Richard (2-run), Joe (solo) and Tony (solo). Be it noted that in the second, Jeff got a double that fell into RIGHT-center field. As two runs scored, he was heard yelling at Mary, "Jeff One, Mary Zero!!"
Defensively, some wonderful plays were made. In the second, Kim caught a hot one and got the out at first by throwing to Rich. Right after, Richard made a diving leap to catch a line drive, full extension, that landed him lying on the sprinklered field. He scrambled up just in time... to NOT throw to first! The crowd went wild as the runners at first and second did NOT advance! Later, Tim and Steve combined for a double play to end the fourth, and in the final inning, Tim at short got the big second out by throwing to Kim at second. Rich caught the last one to win the game and begin the feasting. Suzy, Jeff, and Tony also made some fine catches, keeping us in the game and ensuring victory.
Dinner was the annual Barbecue on the Field, and Richard would like to thank the following people for their donations/help: salad and cookies: Sheila; cookies: Kim; beer: Joe and Scott M; chips: Sue and Ron; table, bbq, ice chest: Jeff. The rest of us would like to thank Richard for the delicious carne asada (and LOTS of it), tortillas, and all the other trimmings he brought, and the cooking skills of Richard, Jeff, Robb, and Jen.
Next game is Tuesday, July 2, on field H2 against the Wild Turkeys. Please let Jeff or Richard know if you will not be there.
Lakers Three-peat!
Detroit wins the Stanley Cup!
Tiger wins the first two events of the grand slam!
The US beats Mexico to make it into the quarter finals of the world cup!
The Angels haven't totally collapsed yet, and it is almost the all-star break!
With all of the big sporting events going on recently, you would think a simple JPL softball game hardly rates any attention. You would probably be right, except that this is the HOMERS.
1 2 3 4 Total
LA Radars 4 0 2 1 7
HOMERS 7 2 1 0 10
The game was called after four innings due to lack of healthy players remaining on the Radar's bench. We actually played the top of the fifth, but when Richard came to bat in the bottom of the fifth he took out the Radar's pitcher with a hard hit back up the middle.
HOMERS Lineup:
Scott OF OF OF -- OF Richard SS SS OF -- SS Jen OF OF -- OF OF Jeff OF C -- OF C Ron P 3B -- P 3B Rich 1B -- 1B 3B 1B Becky 3B -- OF OF -- Joe OF OF -- OF OF Andres C -- C C -- Tony -- P SS SS P Kim 2B -- 2B 2B -- Robb -- 1B P 1B -- Sheila -- 2B 3B -- 2B Mary -- OF OF -- OF Sue <--Field Manager->
Offensively it was a pretty good (but short) outing for the HOMERS. No home runs were hit, but just about everyone was making good contact, and hitting a lot of singles. Of course, not everything went as planned on the offense. Joe needs to work a little on his base running skills after falling down twice on the same play. Also, Jeff was tagged out at home wishing he had Richard's speed in running the bases. Defensive highlights included a strong first inning at third base by Becky, and an impressive catch by Mary in right center field.
The HOMERS spectators were dominated by Alyssa's posse. They included Alyssa, Alyssa's grandmother (Tony's mom), Alyssa's dog (Kona), Alyssa's dog's best friend (Gyro), Alyssa's dog's best friend's owner (Annette), and Alyssa's dog's best friend's owner's best friend (Daniel).
Dinner was held at Georgees after an aborted attempt at Round Table. Full dinner points are awarded to Scott M., Jeff, Ron, Sue, Scott S., Becky, Kim, Joe, Andres, and Robb. Partial dinner points are awarded to Rich, Annette, and Daniel for trying to be at Round Table, but not making it to Georgees.
Next week's game is Monday, June 24 against the Deep Space Cadets on field H5 (same field as this week's game). Remember it is the annual HOMERS BBQ, so if you are not a regular, but plan on being there let Richard know early so enough food will be there. If you are a regular, and don't plan on being there, as usual let Richard or Jeff know.
It is the privilege of this reporter to be entrusted by the Homers to write yet another piece on the evolution of the Homers which, by its own right, its already securing a place in the hall of fame of JPL softball teams. In this opportunity I had the pleasure to witness (and participate in) the devastating victory of the Homers over the Bruisers. 16 homers made themselves present for this match which had an offense that shone not by the individual plays but by a consistency in the absence of errors (we no longer consider Richard's wild throws to SUVs, 1st and 3rd bases as errors but simply as an obsession/fixation that eventually will require therapy); the one exception was the Homers' sole home run hit by Tony in the 2nd inning. On the other hand, the defense made several brilliant plays: a near double play by Kim and a Richard/Tony/Suzy 1-6-4 play that electrified the stands. The match finished with an authoritative 17-10 score in favor of the Homers. Here are some few shots of this memorable match.
 |
Its time to warm up (and if possible, to intimidate the opponent). Here Richard prepares to inflict some serious pain to the poor ball (and to Ron, if he is unlucky). | 
| |||
| Everybody needs some coaching from time to time (I should know). Here Alyssa has some last minute advice for Kim. | |||||
| Tony hit an outstanding home run that brought everyone to a frenzy. This shot shows Tony finishing the visit of the 4 bases while, in the background, Rich and Robb can barely contain their euphoria. | |
| ||
A candid picture of the stands that finds some members of the team in their natural state: Jeff, Richard and Jen pay attention to the game, Joe checks out some nearby chicks and Tony practices his poses for an upcoming issue of GQ. | ||
| The homers team that beat the Bruisers:
Front row: Kona, Sheila, Alyssa, Kim, Sue, Mary, Jeff, Mindy and Richard. Standing: Tony, Scott S., Joe, Ron, Rich, Robb, Scott M., Becky, Andres, Suzy and Jen. |
Finally, it is worth mentioning that there were rumors that the Red
Wings, impressed with the performance of the Homers, had tried some last
minute recruiting to reinforce their team during the playoffs. These
rumors are totally baseless. Not only it is far-fetched to believe that
a professional team would need reinforcements from players from a C
league softball team, regardless of how good they are, but also, that
the homers would have needed superhuman capabilities to be able to play
in the NHL playoffs within 24 hours of their game against the Bruisers,
without getting the necessary rest. Although these are rumours unfounded, the
Homers still congratulate the Red Wings on their success and commemorate
the occasion with a small picture of the Stanley Cup winner team.
The sole home run of the Homers was hit by Tony.
The line score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
HOMERS 4 5 5 0 2 0 1 17
Bruisers 3 3 0 0 1 0 3 10
The players:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Scott OF OF -- OF OF -- OF
Mindy SS 3B -- 3B 3B -- 3B
Ron 3B P -- SS P -- SS
Jeff C -- OF OF -- OF OF
Kim 2B -- 2B -- 2B -- 2B
Richard OF SS P -- SS P --
Rich 1B -- 1B 1B -- 1B 1B
Sheila OF OF -- OF -- OF --
Tony P -- SS P -- SS P
Jen OF -- C -- OF C --
Joe -- OF OF -- OF OF --
Becky -- OF OF -- OF -- OF
Suzy -- 2B -- 2B -- 2B --
Andres -- C -- C C -- C
Robb -- 1B 3B -- 1B 3B --
Mary -- -- OF OF -- OF OF
Sue <-- Field Manager -->
The celebration of the game took place at Crown City with the attendance of Mindy, Chance, Joe, Jeff, Scott M., Scott S., Kim, Robb, Sue, Ron, Becky, Andres, Suzy, Rich, Jen and Richard. The next game is against the L.A. Radars on Monday. See you then.
First, my apologies for the tardiness of this report. Now, for something completely different.
While perusing last week's missives dealing with Annette and Daniel's wedding, it occurred to me that given the long and storied history of the Homers, certainly some additional documented evidence of events such as this must exist. Contacting a little known Homer historian (FYI: not Mr. Baalke), I discovered that this evidence does, in fact, exist. Therefore, join me if you will on a brief pictorial retrospect of a few Homer events, traditions, and misfortunes.
| One of the more anticipated traditions each year is that of the Summer Solstice Barbeque. However, early celebrations sometimes had rather dubious results. BBQ.jpg captures this event shortly after Richard declared "the meat has arrived". |
| Fan support has never been in short supply at a Homers game. Fans.jpg represents the typical jubilation present at any Homer contest. | 
|
| In addition to the Homer fan base, pets have always been a big part of any Homer event. Pets.jpg shows Homer substitutes compassionately caring for their canine charges, whose sole focus is attempting to join their owners on the field. |
| No Homer game is complete until dinner points have been secured. Hidden Homer cameras snapped this shot (ccb.jpg) of an early Homer arrival in search of collecting those all important dinner points. | 
|
| Lastly, one Homer legend remains unconfirmed. Could rumor.jpg be the proverbial Homer missing link? I'll let you be the judge. |
Thus searching for a bit of Homer history (documented or otherwise), the Homers defeated the Ecclectic Eccentrics 25 to 15. Offensive accolades go to Tony (2 HRs), Ron (2 HR), Becky (1 HR), Joe (1 HR), and Rich (1HR). PLEASE NOTE: Due to coloring activities by a certain youthful artist, Home Runs are speculation only by the author. Apologies in advance if any have been omitted here.
Defensive highlights found Tony with a great stab of a line drive in short left field, a throw TO first base by Richard on a dribbler in front of the mound (which was subsequently dropped by a first baseman who shall remain nameless), a nice catch of a foul ball by Andres, and an inning at catcher by Chance (albeit for the Eccentrics, but quality stuff nonetheless). Two obligatory throws into the street by Richard shall go unnoticed in this report.
Homers 4 7 9 0 0 3 2 25
Ecclectic Eccentrics 4 3 3 4 1 0 0 15
Jeff RCF C RCF RF - RCF RCF
Ron 3B RCF P SS P LCF -
Richard LCF SS LF P SS SS LCF
Mindy SS 3B 2B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Tony P LCF SS LCF LCF P SS
Rich 1B 1B 1B - 1B 1B 1B
Sheila 2B 2B RF 2B RF 2B 2B
Joe LF LF - LF LF LF LF
Andres C - C C C C C
Robb - P 3B 1B 2B - -
Becky RF RF LCF RCF RCF RF RF
Scott M. ===== Co-Field Manager ========
Sue ===== Co-Field Manager ========
Alyssa ====== Coloring Queen ========
Spectators include a recovering Scott, a coloring Alyssa, a Co-Managing Sue, Chance giving Richard the (foam) finger, and an attentive Kona. Dinner points were secured by Jeff, Andres, Becky, Chance, Mindy, Richard, Sue, Ron, Joe, Rich, Scott, and Robb.
| Due to a reseeding exercise by the city of Pasadena, the next game is potentially not until Thursday, June 13 (it may also not be at the Rose Bowl). As usual, let Jeff or Richard know if you will not be able to attend, as I'm sure they will let us know of any additional details. Oh, BTW, one additional photo from the archives. Prior to the Homers, historical records have revealed that Jeff and Richard led activities quite different than their current roles. Managers.jpg captures our two heroic managers leading a past constituency into a far different kind of battle. | 
|
We have met the enemy, and they are US!!!!
In the first home game of the year, the HOMER offense tried valiantly to make up for the porous (this is being EXTREMELY kind) defense, but ended up unequal to the task in a 20-17 defeat to Cinco Equis. Inning after inning, the offense would narrow the Cincos lead, only to have the defense dig a deeper hole. Rich narrowed a 3-0 deficit in the first with a 2-run blast, then Sheila ignited a 6 run rally with a leadoff triple to cut a 10-2 margin to 10-8 in the third inning. After the defense gave away 7 runs in the top of the 4th, dingers by Steve and Richard got the HOMERS back within 5 at 17-12. The defense finally tightened up in the last 3 innings, and it looked like the HOMERS might pull it out as Richs fourth hit narrowed the score to 18-17 after 6 nnings, but the opponents got 2 in the top of the 7th, and a HOMER offensive choke in the bottom half gave Cinco Equis the win.
Cinco Equis 3 4 3 7 1 0 2 20
Homers 2 0 6 4 1 4 0 17
Richard SS LF SS LF LC LC LC
Jeff RC C RC 3B 3B 3B --
Rich 1B 1B 1B 1B 1B -- 1B
Mindy 3B 3B 3B -- SS SS SS
Ron LF RC LF RC -- LF LF
Joe LC LC LC -- RC RC RC
Tony P SS -- SS LF 1B 3B
Kim 2B 2B -- 2B 2B 2B --
Andres C -- C C C C C
Sheila RF -- 2B RF RF -- 2B
Steve -- P P P P P P
Becky -- RF RF LC -- RF RF
Scott M. FM FM FM FM FM -- --
Sue S S S S S FM FM
Spectators: Sue, Scott S., Alyssa, Kona
Offensively, the HOMERS were led by Rich (4 for 4, homer), Steve (3 for 3, homer), and Sheila (2 hits, including a triple). Richard also added 3 hits and a homer to dispel concern about the recent Altadena Sharks call-ups not pulling their weight offensively. Ron was shut out of the homer club, settlin for a triple with 2 out in the 3rd inning there is some dispute about whether he was listening to the 3rd base coach, or was impeded by the plodding of Jeff and Rich in front of him!
In spite of the nightmarish performance of the defense, there were a few HOMER defensive gems. Richard made a nice sliding catch in left, and turned a double play on a fly out to left centerfield that everyone but the runners knew Richard would catch. In addition, Mindy(SS) and Kim(2B) made a nice force play at 2nd base in the final inning. Richard also continue his streak of throwing a ball into the street when he fired a throw past Jeff at catcher (funny, no one except Richard knows why he made that play!!) - no injuries to either bicyclists or vehicles were reported.
Dinner following the game was attended by Richard, Jeff, Rich, Mindy, Ron, Sue, Joe, Kim, Scott S., Steve, Andres, and Becky. Funny thing, though, Rich and Scott M. got confused, with Scott going to Richs hangout (Dodger Stadium) and missing dinner, and Rich going Scotts (Crown City Brewery).
The HOMERS next contest is next Thursday, May 23, Vs the Ecclectic Eccentrics at H3, and it is rumored that Kim will be in Alaska at that time so we will be short-handed. Regulars should let Jeff or Richard know if they can't make it.
In honor of national southpaw day, HOMER manager Richard Chen placed a call down the to HOMER farm team, the Altadena Sharks, to call up a number of left-handed hitters for the game against the Killer Interplanetary Death Squad (KIDS). Trying desperately to take advantage of the non-existent right-field porch on field H3, many of these hitters struggled to make good contact - one hitter (Rich) reportedly missing on 7 consecutive swings. The HOMERs did manage to overcome this to beat the KIDS 21-11.
Defensive honors were shared by Jeff, who made an outfield catch and later completed a 5-3 putout, and Andres, who tagged a runner out at home and later completed a 2-3 putout. Offensively, HOMERs were notched by Andres (who enjoyed a slow run around the bases) and Ron who hit a first inning grand slam. The HOMER women were active on the base paths as both Kim and Becky advanced to score by tagging up on fly balls. Richard managed to pitch a complete game while keeping his ERA below 100 and he did wound an SUV with a throw to the plate.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
HOMERS 8 2 3 1 3 4 21
KIDS 5 0 4 0 0 2 11
1 2 3 4 5 6
Jeff 3B OF 1B C OF 3B
Rich 1B 1B OF 3B 1B X
Richard P P P P P P
Kim OF 2B OF 2B 2B OF
Ron OF 3B SS OF X 1B
Andres C C C X C C
Joe OF OF X SS OF OF
Sheila 2B OF 2B OF OF 2B
Tony SS X OF 1B SS OF
Steve X SS OF OF 3B SS
Becky OF OF 3B OF OF OF
Sue FM FM FM FM FM FM
Scott M. FM FM FM FM FM FM
Spectators: Alyssa, Kona, Scott S., Annette
Dinner was at Crown City, attended by: Jeff, Rich, Richard, Kim, Ron, Andres, Joe, Steve, Becky, Sue, Scott M., Scott S.
Next game is Tuesday, 5/14, on H2 against Cinco Equis. Please let Jeff or Richard know if you won't be able make it or if you have broken anything since the last game.
In an interview with al Jazeera, former al Qaeda security chief and current Guantanamo Bay guest Krejasiselob talked wistfully of the old days:
"Afghanistan was a paradise - there was never anything like it. Me, the son of a Saudi telephone solicitor, told egghead scientists to watch their step, and they would have to obey."
"Isn't that rather self-important?"
"Yes, I am an important man."
"Did you at least get the job done?"
"Definitely. There wasn't one terrorist attack when I was chief."
"So you caught some terrorists infiltrating the country?"
"Well, no, but we made it much tougher for them to park nearby."
"What about the M. Homer incident?"
"M. Homer?!! That guy was asking for it, double parking outside the border."
"He was one of your own employees - was he a terrorist threat?"
"That's where terrorists learn their trade, in the parking lots of life."
"Which is why you pulled back your robe and tapped on your gun to intimidate him."
"Exactly."
"Are you bitter that he reported you, leading to your reprimand, the Burqa Revolt, and your subsequent castration?"
[unintelligible words heard during apoplectic rage]
After spending the winter battling losers around the world, the Homers returned to the Rose Bowl and started the 2002 season with a solid victory over the Crawdads, 21 to 10.
Homers 3 7 7 1 3 0 21
Crawdads 1 0 2 0 1 6 10
Jeff RC RC RC RC LF RC
Richard SS LF 3B P P SS
Tony 1B P C SS 1B -
Kim 2B OF 2B RF 2B 2B
Ron 3B SS P LF - P
Joe LF 3B LF - LC LF
Andres C C - C C RF
Sheila RF 2B RF 3B RF 3B
Steve P - SS 2B SS C
Rich - 1B 1B 1B RC 1B
Becky LC LC LC LC 3B LC
Scott --field manager--
Dinner at Fuddrucker's: Andres, Becky, Kim, ScottS, Scott, Jeff, Joe, Richard, Steve, Rich, Ron.
Offensive Highlights:
Defensive Highlights:
General Highlights:
No game next week. Our next game is on Thursday, May 9. Regulars, please let Richard or Jeff know if you won't be there.
last update: