Homers
The Homers, est. 1991, strives to be a pleasant, semi-serious team in
JPL's C League Softball.
Send email to
the
regular Homers or
anyone
affiliated with the team.
(writers: use the latter for Homers Reports)
If you want to get on or off a mailing list, go fight
http://googlegroups.com.
Schedule
| Apr 16 |
1. Paper Tigers 18, Homers 20 |
| Apr 22 |
2. Homers 30, Wild Turkeys 21 |
| May 01 |
3. Homers 26, Titans 20 |
| May 07 |
4. Hingle McKringleberries 12, Homers 29 |
| May 13 |
5. Homers 21, Crawdads 11 |
| May 20 |
6. Bruisers 14, Homers 18 |
| Jun 04 |
7. Homers 12, L.A. Radars 19 |
| Jun 12 |
8. Voodoo TOAD Fury 14, Homers 15 |
| Jun 18 |
9. Double Mercy!! 8, Homers 21 |
| Jun 24 |
10. Homers 17, Eclectic Eccentrics 8 |
| Jul 10 |
11. Homers 23, Paper Tigers 20 |
| Jul 16 |
12. Homers 26, Bruisers 19 |
| Jul 30 |
13. Wild Turkeys 15, Homers 20 |
| Aug 06 |
14. Titans 24, Homers 21 |
| Aug 20 |
15. L.A. Radars 17, Homers 13 |
| Aug 28 |
16. Homers 24, Voodoo TOAD Fury 19 |
|
All games will be played at
Hahamonga Park.
The softball fields are on the lower level of the park. Field HN has
the backstop and the dirt infield. HS is diagonally across from HN.
M. Homer (body)
# * 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 $
1 1 Ron Baalke 5 1 2 5 4 4 3 3 5 4 4 5 4 5 1 4
2 2 Scott Morgan 4 3 1 2 1 5 4 1 2 2 1 2 1 3 1 1
3 3 Richard Chen 6 7 12 12 5 6 9 11 11 6 10 8 2 7 10 1
4 4 Sue Kientz S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S
5 5 Don Calkins 2 2 4 3 2 2 4 3 2 3 3 6 4 2 7
6 6 Andy Kubasak 4 4 6 6 6 9 7 6 7 3 4 8 5 7 12
7 7 Joe Jacob 12 9 10 13 6 10 8 12 12 7 9 6 11 9 11
8 8 Jeff Osman 3 S 3 2 1 1 10 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 1
9 9 Jessica Hausman 10 14 9 12 12 12 10 10 9 8 10 8 14 15
10 10 Tony Ganino 5 7 9 8 8 11 9 6 5 7 9 8 12
11 11 Eric Rigor 7 8 10 11 7 9 11 6 12 15 16 13 14
12 12 Becky Castano 14 16 11 14 13 14 14 12 12 13 15 11
13 13 Clement Chen S S S S S S S S S S S S
14 14 Annette Nasif 9 6 6 8 9 7 6 8 9 6 5 7
15 15 Mary Wittman 13 10 15 13 13 10 11 10 11 13 12 5
16 16 Daniel Castano S S S S S S S S S S S
17 18 Gabrielle Castano S S S S S S S S S S
17 18 Eric Limonadi S S S S S S S S S S
17 18 Renee Limonadi S S S S S S S S S S
20 17 Daniel Limonadi 11 8 13 13 11 13 15 12 14 7
21 21 Kim Steadman 9 7 5 5 8 8 14 10 16
22 24 Robb Warren 11 11 10 10 6 4 12 S 5
23 22 Tony Greicius 8 5 11 2 3 5 2 7
24 25 Sofi Castano S S S S S S S S
25 23 Slim Mrozinski 1 3 1 3 14 5 4 4
26 26 Min-feng Tu 12 14 11
27 27 Sheila Ganino S S 13
28 28 Alyssa Ganino S S S
28 28 Haley Ganino S S S
30 35 Rich Benesh S 6
31 30 Liz Beck 17 S
32 31 Stephanie Su S S
33 32 Eric Gustafson 7
33 32 Allison Craddock 7
35 34 Lisa Garcia 9
36 35 Joey Rigor S
36 35 Bob Jennings S
36 35 Ati Acharya S
36 35 Prabha Acharya S
36 35 Anup Acharya S
36 35 Sophie Garcia S
#==current ranking,
*==previous ranking,
Out,
Spectator,
Late arrival,
Early exit,
Male player, confirmed
Female player, confirmed
male player, presumed
female player, presumed
The algorithm to determine the winner:
number of regular season games attended
if tied, irregular season games attended
if tied, lowest sum of order of appearance at regular season
games
if still tied, order of appearance at irregular games
Order of appearance also pretty much determines: 1) each game's batting
order,
2) the order of sitting out defensively,
and 3) who gets sent over to the other team if they don't
have enough. Note: the payment of team fees counts as an irregular
game.
M. Homer (food)
# * 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 1 Jeff Osman + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
1 1 Scott Morgan + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
3 3 Jessica Hausman + + + + + + + + + + + + +
4 4 Ron Baalke + + - + + - + + + + - + + + + +
5 5 Becky Castano + + + + + + + + + + - +
6 6 Daniel Castano + + + + + + + + + - +
7 8 Eric Rigor - + + + + + + + + - + - +
8 9 Sue Kientz - + - - + - + + + - + + + + +
9 10 Gabrielle Castano + + + + + + + + - +
10 6 Annette Nasif + + + + + + + + + - -
11 14 Clement Chen + + + + + - + + - + - +
12 15 Andy Kubasak - + + - + + - + + + - + - +
13 16 Richard Chen - + + + - - + + - + + - + - +
14 17 Robb Warren + + + + + + + +
15 10 Daniel Limonadi + + + + + + + + -
16 10 Eric Limonadi + + + + + + + + - -
16 10 Renee Limonadi + + + + + + + + - -
18 18 Sofi Castano + + + + + + - +
19 19 Matthew Hanna + + + +
20 26 Rich Benesh + +
20 20 Raquel Greicius + +
20 20 Dylan Greicius + +
20 20 Kyan Greicius + +
20 20 Phoenyx Greicius + +
25 24 Kim Steadman + - - - + - - -
25 24 Tony Greicius - - - - + - - +
27 26 Joey Rigor +
28 28 Stephanie Su + -
29 29 Alyssa Ganino - - +
29 29 Min-feng Tu - + -
29 29 Sheila Ganino - - +
29 29 Haley Ganino - - +
33 33 Slim Mrozinski - + - - - - -
34 44 Mary Wittman - - - - - - - - - - +
35 34 Don Calkins - - - - - - - - - - - - + -
36 35 Lisa Garcia -
36 35 Bob Jennings -
36 35 Ati Acharya -
36 35 Eric Gustafson -
36 35 Allison Craddock -
36 35 Prabha Acharya -
36 35 Anup Acharya -
36 35 Sophie Garcia -
44 43 Liz Beck - -
45 45 Tony Ganino - - - - - - - - - - - -
46 46 Joe Jacob - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
# current ranking
* previous ranking
+ attended dinner
- skipped dinner
M. Homer (soul)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 sum
Tony Greicius 2 1 1 1 3 1 9
Ron Baalke 1 2 1 1 1 1 7
Daniel Limonadi 2 1 1 1 5
Richard Chen 1 1 1 1 4
Tony Ganino 1 1 2 4
Andy Kubasak 1 1 2
Slim Mrozinski 1 1 2
Becky Castano 1 1
Don Calkins 1 1
From: Richard Chen
Yes, this report is late, even past the midpoint of the offseason, but
it will still beat:
- the Warren/Wittman party,
- the call for participation for next year, and
- any cold weather
IIRC, in our most recent game, the Homers beat the Toads 24-19, which
completed the season sweep of our archrivals for the first time since 2003.
Ron, Tony, Joe, and Rich, playing for the first time in 2013, reached base
safely every time, and Richard hit two triples over the defense that five
years ago would have been home runs. Defensively, Tony at SS and Jessica
at 2B connected nicely for a big force out in the 6th, and Andy from the
outfield assisted to Tony later in the inning to end the game.
Managerially, Jeff sat himself after the 1st in favor of Eric and later
replaced Annette with Jessica, keeping the Homers at a convenient 9-3
ratio.
Homers 3 9 1 3 4 4 24
Toads 3 3 0 11 2 0 19
Jeff/Eric - - C C - -
Don OF OF OF OF - OF
Ron P P P - P P
Annette/Jessica 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Scott 1B 1B OF - OF C
Rich C OF - 1B C -
Andy OF OF - OF OF OF
Becky 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Tony SS - 1B P 1B SS
Joe OF - OF OF OF OF
Richard - SS SS SS SS 1B
Mary OF OF OF OF OF OF
Eric - C
Jessica - -
The year-end dinner was at Round Table: Jeff, Scott, Jessica, Ron, Becky,
Danny, Eric, Sue, Bella, Clement, Andy, Richard, Robb, Sofi, Matt, Rich,
Mary.
One 2013 event that this report did not beat was the end of Breaking Bad.
The third-to-last episode "Ozymandias" received enormous critical acclaim,
but I personally found the last episode "Felina" perfect, an
unsurpassable finale. I want closure - I got closure. Maybe things were
a bit convenient, but the clever execution made that forgivable. However,
it struck me that the writers had simply stolen the Homers 2013 season,
reworked it to fit their show, and cheated us out of even "inspired by"
credit. In scene order (hopefully without spoiling the show too badly):
"Just get me home":
longstanding Homer pleas for someone young and athletic
bore fruit, as Andy improved into
one of the team's key players. He tied for second on defensive innings
at SS, and that number will increase, as
he's one of the few Homers on the upside of a softball career arc.
A barrelful's worth of money:
Jessica was the top-ranked female
Homer of the year, plus she never skipped a dinner and even dragged Matt
to a few. Not seven barrelfuls, though.
Payphone call:
one recent (in Homer time) morally questionable move was our grabbing
Slim, which originally was a case
of the rich getting richer but is now almost a necessity for success.
The team went 6-1 with Slim playing, with the one
loss coming when Slim left early from the second Titans game.
Discarded watch:
Sheila spectated one game, delivered
Tony's stuff one game, and played one game, and that was it Homers-wise.
Let's hope this is some sort of misunderstanding.
Laser pointer:
though she'll never get the acclaim of an M. Homer award,
Annette lays the Homer foundation
this and every season by committing early and arriving early. Her defense
trended up, with noteworthy plays not only in the outfield but also at 3B
this year. Her catch in Titans I saved that game for us.
Badger and Skinny Pete:
getting Tony Greicius to play for
us was also a little bit shady, but having him win M. Homer in
only eight games made us feel much better about it.
"Aren't you still cooking?":
the presumption of Scott's demise was
premature, for Scott was physically able to play the entire last half of
the season, though having someone manage a team with 15 other players
competitively is extremely valuable (game 4).
Slave labor:
Jeff may have dreamt that he was
playing golf, but in reality he was squaring up a softball. Oh, wait,
he blew us off three times for golf last season. That would merit a
talking-to if not for fear of inheriting the browbeating, the juggling,
and the fighting of various other fires.
Ricin cigarette:
Though she looked like any old softball player,
Mary
packed a huge punch this year, hitting perhaps 0.800, which may have been
the biggest reason for this year's improvement of 6 wins.
"Get a little excitement in your life":
Sue sat through 15 of our 16 games
and wrote a Homers Report, plus she chose unconventional dinner spots.
The Athenaeum was fine, but the other worked out about as well as selling
meth, but it was a good effort, no one died, and hopefully she'll escape
the box for years to come.
Pitching a new meth process:
Joe resurrected the desperate,
last-second lunges on D, but apparently that was just a ploy to get teams
to hit to him and get us out of innings. Note that Joe has blown off
every dinner since Ron and Sue hosted after a game in 2009.
The M60 rotor platform:
this has nothing to do with softball except maybe power, which would be
appropriate, but Tony Ganino's the
best candidate to actually build and test such a thing. This saves me
another tortured analogy.
Marie's phone call:
trivia question: who's played more games for the Homers,
Mary or Becky? Mary joined earlier,
but they're actually tied at 187. Becky did wrest away the anti-worm
award by arriving later than Mary 7 out of 8 times. She still has a
beautiful swing, smacking a deep home run in game 10.
Lottery ticket:
Thank bejeezus for college kids who only need a few hours' notice to sub.
Min-Feng played enthusiastically
and competently in all three games she played, and the Homers won every
one of them.
"I was good at it":
Ron's 4-year winning streak for
M. Homer (soul) ended, but he extended his M. Homer (body) domination to
a 6th consecutive year. In fact, the last time he missed a game was 2003.
Plus 7 homers at Hahamonga is still very good - not Greicius good, but
very good.
Goodbye to Holly:
Eric still feels like the new guy,
though he actually started playing in 2009. He has... umm... greater
upside potential than any other Homer, and he did come through with the
opening RBI of the season.
Glimpse of Junior:
Don played great once again, but
did he just retire surreptitiously from JPL? That had better not be the
last time we see him. Get your @ss back on the field for 2014, Don.
Confiscated keys:
it feels that things could go either way with
Kim, who played fewer than ten games
for the second year in a row and whose Scott never showed this year. To
replace soccer's competitiveness, come back to softball. To replace
soccer's other aspects, try Ambien.
M60:
Robb didn't play again after Toad I,
but what a devastating finale: a game-winning walk off hit, which apparently
used up every bullet his back had left.
"Then do it yourself":
how many Homers got to wear a tux or a black gown for a work-related
function? Daniel seems to have great
non-softball prospects, which is a shame for the Homers since he hit
5 homers in his 9 games, the second best ratio on the team.
Baby Blue:
Is Richard the only person who knew
this song well beforehand? One friend confused Badfinger with Bad Company.
Holy cow - the former was the poor man's Beatles; the latter was the early
70s equivalent of maybe Nickelback (whom I do like, but still). Otherwise,
the final scene bears no resemblance to my life, except maybe smeared blood.
From: Ron Baalke
A new element in the periodic table was confirmed this week
by Swedish scientists. It was entatively named "homerium", though
still waiting to gets its official names.
In other news, The HOMERS played the B-league version of the Radars and
lost 13-17. There were no big run-scoring innings by either team.
The HOMERS season record though is still a stellar 12-3.
Box score
LA Radars 3 2 4 2 4 2 - 17
HOMERS 3 1 0 3 3 3 - 13
Offense: Richard and Ron hit home runs. Andy hit a triple. Tony went 3 for 3.
Later-comers Becky and Eric went for a combined 3 for 3.
Defense: Annette at 3rd base caught a hard line in the 3rd inning, and also
tagged out a runner in the same inning. Mary threw out 2 runners from 2nd base.
Daniel made a good catch in the outfield in a deep drive. Tony made some
of good play involving his hand (couldn't quite make out the note on the
scoresheet).
Defensive Line-up:
Ron p p - p p -
Jeff c c - of c of
Scott of of 1b 1b - 1b
Annette 3b 3b of - of 3b
Don of - of of of -
Andy of ss ss - ss of
Richard ss of of ss - ss
Jessica of of - of of -
Tony 1b 1b p - 1b p
Joe - of of c - of
Daniel - - c of of -
Kim 2b - 2b 2b - 2b
Mary - 2b 3b - 2b of
Eric - - - - - c
Becky - - - 3b 3b -
Sideline participants: Sue, Clemens, Stephanie, others?
Dinner was at the Anthenaeum and attended by Ron, Sue, Don, Scott
Jessica, Matt, Jeff and Scott.
The next HOMERS game is on WEDNESDAY, August 28, versus the
Voodoo Toad Fury on field HS (grass field). As usual,
let Richard or Jeff know if you can't make the game.
From: Tony Greicius
The Curiosity rover celebrated its one year anniversary on Mars. Daniel
was able to take a break away from the festivities and help with the
battle against the Titans. The Homers had beaten them (26-20) back in May,
but in this game, the opponent had brought in their big guns. Chris Green
and JC were pulled from their city league obligations to help their team,
who were now dressed in shiny orange jerseys.
Richard, Scott and Daniel went 3 for 3 to help keep the game close. Daniel
and Tony hit 1 Home Run each, while Richard and Ron both got a Triple.
Special thanks to Slim and Eric for pinch running for an injured Tony.
The Homer's hitting was great, but the Titans were hitting a little better.
They had a 10 run lead going into the last inning of the game. In the final
at bat, the first six batters - Annette, Ron, Don, Tony, Jessica, and Scott
all got on base. It was looking good, but then a couple quick outs and we
fell short by only scoring seven.
Dinner was at Round Table where Phoenyx gave ballet lessons to Sofi
after everyone left. Complete list of attendees are at the bottom.
We have a bye next week, but on Tues. Aug. 19th we have a game against
the L.A. Radars. Afterwards, we will be going to the Athenaeum at Caltech
for dinner. Please let Sue or Ron know if you'll be going. Let Richard or
Jeff know if you won't be playing in the game.
Jeff C - - - C -
Richard OF SS OF SS - OF
Slim SS P SS - - -
Annette OF OF - OF - OF
Ron P - P P P P
Don OF OF OF OF OF -
Tony 1B C 1B C 1B 1B
Jessica 2B - 2B - 2B -
Scott OF 1B - 1B OF OF
Andy - OF OF OF SS SS
Mary 3B - OF 3B OF 2B
Daniel - OF C OF OF OF
Kim - 2B - 2B - C
Becky - 3B 3B - 3B 3B
Titans 4 6 1 6 0 7 | 24
Homers 5 7 0 2 0 7 | 21
Dinner at Round Table required three tables and was attended by Becky, Bella,
Sofi, Danny, Ron, Sue, Daniel, Annette, Richard, Clement, Stephanie, Eric,
Jeff, Jessica, Scott, Andy, Rich, Tony, Raquel, Dylan, Phoenyx and Kyan.
From: Scott Morgan
With the upcoming one year anniversary of the landing of Curiosity on Mars,
rumors are beginning to circulate about the classified images captured
by the rover. Rumors of one image in particular, apparently showing
a softball sitting next to a Mars rock, are frequently found on the internet.
HOMER management was unwilling to provide on the record comments fearing
sanctions of current or former HOMERS - however, a person close to HOMER
management stated that the softball was hit there by a HOMER batter during
JPL softball's 'steroid era'. Continuing, this source stated
that JPL navigation has records that can pinpoint the batter that hit
this interplanetary home run. Calls to MSL project management to confirm
this rumor were not returned.
In more local news, the HOMERS defeated the Wild Turkeys (and some Bruisers)
15 to 20. The game started even, but then the HOMERS threw the Turkeys into
the deep fryer with an 11 run second inning.
Offensively, HOMERs were hit by Slim and Don.
Defensively, the HOMERs (Ron to Richard to Eric G) turned an
'offensive indifference' double play in the 4th when the batter elected
not to run to first base.
A HOMERS welcome to Eric G and Lisa who each played their first game
of the year. And a thank you to Min Feng for filling out the HOMER roster
with the requisite number of women.
Dinner at Rounds was attended by Sue, Ron, Jeff, Scott, and the
overexposed Carlos Danger.
The next game is Tuesday, August 6, against the Titans on the grass field.
As always, please let Jeff and Richard know in advance if you cannot make
the game.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Jeff C C X C C C
Don OF OF X OF OF OF
Ron P P P P P P
Lisa OF OF OF OF OF OF
Slim SS SS SS X X X
Joe OF X OF OF OF OF
Eric G OF X OF 1B OF X
Mary 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Richard X OF OF SS SS SS
Scott 1B 1B 1B X 1B 1B
Eric R X OF C OF X OF
Min-Feng 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
1 2 3 4 5 6
Wild Turkeys 3 1 3 0 4 4 - 15
HOMERS 3 11 3 0 3 x - 20
From: Becky Castano
Despite the distraction of the looming birth of the royal baby and the
incessant wondering as to whether it would be a prince or princess, the
Homers were able to focus enough to maintain their undefeated record against
the Bruisers. The Homer's offense, while not being overpowering was solid.
For the most part, the day was carried quite effectively with singles and
doubles. The lone Home Run was by Richard in the fourth inning.
The defense also played well, except for the fifth inning. In the fifth
the Homers allowed 9 runs, getting the Bruisers out of double and single
mercy territory and even giving them hope of a comeback. That hope was
quickly dashed in the sixth and final inning. The highlight defensive
play was Jessica at second base taking a ball to the face and still
getting it to second for the out.
Jeff C C C - - -
Tony Gr 1B 1B 1B - C 1B
Don OF OF OF - OF OF
Jessica 2B 2B OF - OF 2B
Andy OF OF - OF OF OF
Ron P P - P P P
Eric OF - OF C - -
Mary OF OF 2B OF - OF
Tony Ga SS - P SS SS SS
Joe - OF OF OF OF -
Richard - SS SS OF - OF
Becky 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B -
Slim - - - 1B 1B C
Sheila - - - 2B - 3B
Homers 5 3 7 8 2 1 26
Bruisers 2 5 0 1 9 2 19
Dinner at Round Table was attended by Sheila, Alyssa, Hailey, Jeff, Eric, Joey,
Richard, Clement, Jessica, Sue, Ron, Becky, Sofi, Danny, and Bella.
Next game is Tuesday, July 30 vs Wild Turkeys on HS. Hopefully you have
already let Richard or Jeff know if you can't make it.
From: Jessica Hausman
Ah, the beginning of summer camp. If the Homers couldn’t help cure you of
your screaming children phobia there is now assistance from Tom Sawyer.
That's ok, we just thought of them as our own cheering crowd as the Homers
scored 10 runs the first inning and 5 in the second, resulting in a mercy out.
As the screaming died down so did the scoring, with two innings of no scoring
from the Homers, and the Paper Tigers taking advantage of that and caught up,
slightly. But we were just distracted from the Aquarium of the Pacific
folks, who were nice enough to let the Homers Jr. visit the petting tanks.
Spectators included the Ganino clan, thanks to Tony forgetting his clothes,
Clement, Bella, Sofi, and Danny.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Homers 10 5 0 0 2 3 3 23
Paper Tigers 0 0 1 8 4 5 2 20
Defensive Lineup:
Don OF OF OF OF OF - OF
Andy SS SS SS SS - SS SS
Ron P P P P - P P
Kim 2B 2B 2B - 2B 2B 2B
Tony 1B 1B 1B - P 1B 1B
Richard 3B OF - OF SS OF OF
Joe OF - C C OF OF OF
Jessica OF OF - 2B C OF -
Scott C C OF 1B 1B C -
Mary OF - OF OF OF 3B OF
Eric - OF OF OF OF OF C
Becky - 3B 3B 3B 3B - 3B
Dinner started with some lovely fresh sushi provided by the aquarium. Have
you ever transported petting tanks full of critters and water? It’s a pain,
especially the ones with spikes. It was then followed by a main course at
Slaw Dogs. In attendance were Richard, Clement, Scott, Andy, Eric, Jessica,
Becky, Bella, Danny, and Sofi. Next game is Tuesday against the Bruisers.
If you can't make it let Richard or Jeff, if he's not too busy playing golf,
know.
From: Andy Kubasak
The Homers got off to a rather non-explosive start against the Eclectic
Eccentrics by giving up a 1-0 lead heading into the second inning.
Then the fireworks came out a little early...
11 runs were scored in the 2nd, which included 4 Homers (by Tony Gr, Tony Ga,
Richard & Daniel in that order).
The 3rd Inning saw two more Homers by each of the Tonys who apparently
gain slugging power by batting next to each other in the lineup. They were
a combined 5 for 5 with 5 Homers, although Tony Ga could have just been
showing off for his family. We will conduct some field experiments over
the next few games to be sure.
Becky got the fireworks back out and smacked a Homer to start off the 6th.
Tony Gr finished off the day in the 7th with his 3rd Homer in dramatic
fashion. The fielders (who knew where he was going to hit the ball) lined
up single file in center field spaced about 20* feet apart at least 50* feet
deeper than normal, in anticipation for the hit. All Tony did was hit it
another 30* feet over the deepest fielder and practically into the flat
bed of a Frisbee golfer's truck. (*All measurements are exact and the Homer
was later measured at 1 Kilometer)
The real success of the game was the homers defense, which gave up only 8
runs over 7 innings. There were three scoreless innings and some stellar
defensive plays, including two double plays! The first was a 1-3-2 Double
Play in the 1st where the tag was made on the runner barreling into home.
The second was a 1-6-3 double play to keep them scoreless in the
5th.
Other defensive highlights include a great catch by Annette, Richard running
up on a slow grounder to get the 2nd out in the 7th with a perfect throw to
1st (one of many good throws that day), and outstanding 2nd base work by Mary.
Defensive Lineup 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 T
Jeff C C - - - C -
Don OF OF - OF OF OF OF
Ron P P - P P P P
Annette 3B 2B OF - 2B 2B OF
Tony Gr OF - OF OF OF OF -
Tony Ga SS - P - - - -
Andy OF - OF SS SS - OF
Jessica OF OF - OF OF OF -
Eric - OF - C C - C
Scott 1B - C 1B 1B - 1B
Richard - SS SS - - SS SS
Mary 2B - 2B 2B 3B - 2B
Joe - OF OF - OF OF -
Daniel - 1B 1B OF - 1B OF
Becky - 3B 3B 3B - 3B 3B
Homers 0 11 2 0 2 1 1 17
Eccentrics 1 2 0 2 0 3 0 8
Spectators included Sofi, Danny, Bella & Clem and Sheila, Mr. Jennings,
Haley & Alyssa
Dinner was attended by, let's see... Eric, Andy, Jeff, Scott, Ron, Jessica,
Becky, Sofi, Danny, Bella, and that may have been it. If I left you out,
please send a revisionary e-mail so you get credit. It was at Round Table
and of course was delicious.
I don't think we know when the next game is yet, so keep an eye out for an
e-mail from Jeff or Richard.
From: Mary Wittman
The game was played on a warm summer evening just days before the Super
Moon was to occur. However the Homers couldn't play a weekend game so
they decided to win under the rays of sunshine and warm air.
As far as I can tell only one HR was hit and that was by a speedy Tony Gr
in the first inning. The Homers went on a wild run of singles in the
second inning to bat all the way around. Bringing us 10 runs. Way to go
team. For those that noticed some of the input below being a little
wacky I typed it like it was on the sheet. However I'm pretty sure
Andy and I didn't play 3rd base at the same time. Just wasn't sure
which of us played it in what inning. Just wanted to point that out
before folks start sending emails. :-)
Inning 1 2 3 4 5 Total
Double Mercy 2 0 4 2 0 8
Homers 3 10 4 1 3 21
Defensive Lineup:
Jeff C * C OF *
Tony Gr OF SS * SS SS
Ron P P * P P
Kim 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Andy 3B 3B 3B * 3B
Don OF OF * OF OF
Tony Ga 1B * P 1B C
Jessica OF OF OF OF OF
Eric * C OF OF *
Richard SS * OF C *
Joe * OF OF * OF
Mary OF OF 3B 3B OF
Scott * 1B 1B * 1B
Dinner after the game at Round Table was attended by: Jeff, Jessica, Matt,
Sue, Ron, Kim, Clement, Richard, Scott M, Eric R, Andy, Tony Gr, Raquel,
Dylan, Kyan and Phoenix.
The next game is Monday June 24th against the Eclectic Eccentrics on field HS.
Please let Jeff and Richard know if you can't make it.
> As far as I can tell only one HR was hit and that was by a speedy Tony Gr in
the first inning.
And my Grand Slam. :)
Ron
From: Sue Kientz
Jimmy Hoffa is back in the news, maybe you've seen this. They are once
again trying to dig up the elusive (and supposed) dead body of the former
head of the Teamster's Union, missing since 1975. This present effort
is focused on a field in Michigan.
A similar mystery unfolded last Wednesday much closer to home, when a
concerted effort by 14 dogged and devoted individuals, who dug deep in
a field in Hahamonga Park, managed to unearth the HOMERS' TOAD BEATIN'
MOJO that's been missing for TOO LONG! The HECK with Hoffa! WE BEAT
THE TOADS!!!
This much more incredible and unexpected result, seen rarely in the ANNALS
of HOMERDOM (that's ANNALS with 2 "n"s) (and yes I combed through ALL the
annals, way back, back to when Alex Rodriguez was a HOMER! I'm serious,
look it up.) - I say this incredible and wondrous victory, not tasted
since June 22, 2011, and rarely counted on since the four-game win streak
of 1997-1999, will not soon be forgotten! Already the entire weekend
Sue and Ron kept reminding each other of it at unexpected moments.
Even their DOGS know about this win. But perhaps we should get to the
actual details:
Offensively, the HOMERS were slow to get going, with no real decent scoring
happening until the 4th and 5th inning. Tony came through with a Ron-Baalke
style homerun, in that he was yelled at to stop at 3rd, but he wasn't
stoppin'! Good base running, and fortuitous, since the next three batters
grounded or flied out and could not have knocked him in from third. This
run also tied things up for the 7th, and put the top of the order at the
plate at the bottom of the inning. All three HOMERS got on base, with Robb
knocking in Don for the winning run. Ron was so happy, he actually stopped
at third (now there's a miracle for you).
Defensively, the HOMERS handed the Toads three ZIPPITY-DO-DAH no-run innings
in the 3rd, 4th, and 7th. Tony made a great catch in 6th, and other great
catches were made by Joe, Don, Daniel, and Annette in the outfield (Ron
insists that "everything was caught in the outfield"). The Pitcher-First
Baseman duo of Ron and Robb got 2/3 of the outs in the 4th, and Kim threw
to Robb to end it. This game was so fun and exciting, even Scott got up
and played. And if Scott had made more nifty notes on the HOMER lineup
page, I'd have more to say than this.
The nitty gritty:
Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total
Toads 3 1 0 0 5 5 0 14
HOMERS 0 2 1 4 6 1 1 15
Defensive Lineup:
Don OF OF OF X OF OF OF
Ron P P X P P P P
Robb 1B 1B X 1B 1B 1B X
Kim 2B 2B X 2B 2B X 2B
Andy 3B SS OF X OF SS OF
Joe OF OF OF OF OF X OF
Richard SS X SS OF SS X SS
Annette OF OF OF OF X OF OF
Jeff X C X C X C C
Tony C X P SS X OF 1B
Becky X 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Daniel X OF 1B OF X OF X
Jessica OF X 2B X OF 2B X
Scott X X C X C X X
Sideline Homer fans were Sue, Eric L, Rene, Clement, Danny, and
Bella.
The "After-dinner" that refused to happen was attended by a wandering bunch
of HOMERS on Raymond Ave., that included Jessica, Ron, Sue, Becky, Danny,
Bella, Daniel, Annette, Eric L, Rene, Jeff, Scott, Robb, Richard, and Clement.
The "big surprise" that Sue and Ron planned was to take the group to the
Congregational Ale House, which used to be Crown City. Unfortunately,
Wednesday is their Trivia Night, and so there was no room at the inn.
Attempts to move north to restaurants in Del Mar station were further
stymied by unexpected crowds, until only a few brave souls took solace
in drink at the Stone Company Store. Apologies for the trouble! But you
still get dinner points, and anyway, WE BEAT THE TOADS!
Who cares about food...
The next game is Tuesday June 18th against Double Mercy on field HN.
Please let Jeff or Richard know in advance if you can't make it.
From: Robb Warren
History is ripe with examples of veteran teams that continue their winning
traditions in spite of facing seemingly younger and more athletic teams.
One needs to look no further than this year's NBA Finals and the San Antonio
Spurs, who have advanced to the NBA Championship leveraging their experience
and determination. The Homers thus far in 2013 had sported an unblemished
record through the early part of the season, also exhibiting an uncanny
amount of that experience and determination. Alas, the perfect record was
to be no more at the hands of a solid LA Radars team, falling 19-12.
Offense was pretty much a no-show for the Homers, with more players going
0-3 (2, who shall remain nameless), than going 3-3 (1, who shall not remain
nameless.... congrats Andy). The Homers were also 'Homerless' until 2 outs
in the 7th, when Daniel lived up to the Homers name. The seventh inning also
was the end of the "we're only scoring in even innings" approach that the
Homers had exhibited in the first 6 innings of the game, scoring 3 in an
unsuccessful attempt to stage a game winning rally.
Defensive highlights consisted of an all Tony inning in the third (although
the rest of the team really was on the field), and one of the more creative
outs of the year... Ron cleverly deflecting the ball with his shin to Kim,
who threw to Robb at first for the out. Don was also able to corral a
tailing fly ball in the 4th.
The gory details:
Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total
Homers 0 6 0 2 0 1 3 12
LA Radars 4 0 7 4 3 1 - 19
Defensive Lineup:
Jeff C X C X C X
Don OF OF OF OF OF OF
Ron P 1B P 1B P P
Kim 2B 2B 2B X 2B 2B
Robb 1B P 1B P 1B 1B
Tony SS SS SS SS SS SS
Andy OF OF OF OF OF OF
Annette 3B OF X OF OF X
Joe OF OF OF OF OF OF
Jessica OF X OF OF X OF
Daniel X C X C X C
Becky 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Sideline Homer fans were Sue, Eric L, Rene, and Danny.
Present and accounted for dinner at Rounds were Jessica, Matt, Ron, Sue,
Becky, Danny, Daniel, Annette, Eric L, Rene, Jeff, Scott, Robb, Andy, and
Eric R. The lucky attendees were treated to a telecast of what proved to
be a Kings victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in game 3 of the Stanley
Cup Western Conference Finals, thus leading to the obvious conclusion that
all future Homer games that coincide with a Kings Stanley Cup game should
be at Rounds!
The next game is Wednesday June 12th against rival Voodoo on field HN.
Please let Jeff or Richard know in advance if you can't make it.
From: Daniel Limonadi
While The Economist declared the end of extreme poverty is in sight, the
Homers continued to declare an end to losing by beating the Bruisers 18 to 14.
A highlight of the game was watching iPhone's fly out of the pocket of one of
the Homers star players, Mr. Greicius, as he raced to first base. When
interviewed after the game and asked why he couldn't keep his iPhone's under
control, he blamed the US government's sequester. To which we lament, where
is your sense of personal responsibility, America??
Offensively no one got a home run, but there was solid batting all around by
the Homers lineup - with 4 players getting hits at each at-bat, and most
others getting on base 2 out of 3 times. Mr. Calkins had his usual solid
doubles that might be homers... he loves this playing field and what it is
doing for his stats. On the entertainment front, Mr. Jacob managed to run
his way into a double play by carefully paying attention to the ball instead
of the bases. On the defense Mr. Chen had a well placed throw to Mr. Osman
at home to get a runner out in the first. Given his dismal performance at
1st base in the 5th, some bystanders openly wondered if Mr. Limonadi was
paid off by the opposing team. Alas, it was just his raw lack of practice
shining through. Lastly Mrs. Castano and Mr. "Andy" (this reporter seems to
have lost his last name) raced to catch a ball together in the 4th, narrowly
averting a collision, with Mr. Andy catching the ball to the astonishment and
awe of the crowd. However afterwards they claimed to have faked the whole
thing to help bring a little entertainment to the game... they were actually
whispering coordination between themselves the whole time... we just couldn't
hear them.
Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Bruisers (V) 3 3 3 1 4 0 14
Homers (H) 9 1 8 0 0 18
Defensive Lineup
Tony Gr OF 1B * -- off to B league --
Don OF OF OF OF OF OF
Richard SS SS 1B -- off to B league --
Annette OF OF OF OF OF OF
Ron P P * P * P
Andy 3B * SS SS SS SS
Joe * OF OF OF OF OF
Jessica 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Jeff C * C * OF C
Robb 1B * P 1B P 1B
Eric * C * C C *
Becky * 3B 3B 3B 3B 3B
Daniel * OF OF OF 1B OF
Dinner after the game at Round Table was attended by Jessica, Becky,
Sophie, Daniel C, Bella, Annette, Eric L, Annette, Daniel L, Jeff, Rob,
Scott, Andy, and Eric R.
The next game is Tuesday June 4th against the LA Radars on field HS.
Please let Jeff and Rich know if you can't make it.
From: Scott Morgan
Global warming finally took effect when the HOMERs met the Crawdads this
week. The teams showed up to melted backstops and watched as softballs
burst into flames on the field.
OK - it was hot - but not that hot. Both teams were late in arriving, with
each team fielding 10 players at a slightly delayed game time. The Crawdads
crept ahead through the first three innings, but then the HOMER bats heated
up to boil the Crawdads with 16 runs in the top of the 4th inning.
HOMERS 2 0 3 16 - 21
Crawdads 1 4 5 1 - 11
Jeff C OF OF C
Slim SS 1B SS P
Ron P SS P 1B
Allison RF RF RF RF
Richard OF OF OF OF
Andy OF OF OF OF
Tony 1B P 1B SS
Jessica 2B 2B 2B 2B
Eric 3B C C OF
Becky x 3B 3B 3B
Every HOMER scored in the monster 16 run 4th inning as the HOMERs almost
batted around the lineup twice. HOMERs were stroked by Ron and Andy,
both in the 4th inning.
Defensively, Eric made a good putout from the hot corner to first base in the
first inning. Tony was involved in all three outs in the last inning.
Diners at Rounds on Lake ("Burgers, Fries, Beer"): Ron, Sue, Eric, Scott,
Becky, Sophie, Jessica, Jeff, and 100 Pasadena Bike Week cyclers.
Special thanks to Allison for making her HOMER debut on short notice.
Return of the obligatory joke:
Q: Why did Cinderella get kicked off the softball team?
A: Because she ran away from the ball!
The next game is Monday against the Bruisers on the dirt field. Please
let Jeff and Richard know IN ADVANCE if you cannot make the game.
From: Joe Jacob
The Homers faced off against a youthful and exuberant Hingle
McKringleberries in their first year in JPL C League Softball. The
young upstarts sent a quick message to the Homers that they were there
to play with 6 runs in the 1st inning. Fortunately the veteran Homers
were able to match them with their own 6 runs in the 1st and
offensively and defensively dominated the rest of the game to win by a
score of 29 to 12. The young'uns were good sports throughout and a
welcome addition to the league. To their credit, the Homers didn't
yell "Get off our lawn!" even once during the game.
Offensive kudos go to Ron and the Tonies (Greicius and Ganino, aka
"Gr" and "Ga"), who hit 1 homerun each to help bring on the mercy rule
and keep it in effect for the last half of the game. The Homers were
solid defensively as well with Robb at pitcher, Richard at shortstop,
and Tony Ga. at 1st base combining for a double play in the 2nd
inning. Richard at shortstop made the highlight reel again by making
all 3 outs in the 6th inning, aka the "All Richard Inning".
The Homers rotated 17 players in this game, the most since August
2011. Scott did a great job as field manager handling the
complexities of that. Notably absent was Daniel, who reportedly
traded his softball cleats for a tux to wear at this event:
https://www.aiaa.org/Gala2013/
Inning: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Hingle McKringleberries 6 0 3 1 1 0 1 : 12
Homers 6 1 6 9 2 5 x : 29
Defensive Line-up:
Inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Slim SS 3B SS x SS 1B x
Jeff OF x C OF C x OF
Don OF x OF OF x OF OF
Kim 2B 2B 2B x 2B x x
Ron P x P C x P C
Andy OF C x SS OF C x
Tony Ga 1B 1B x P 1B x 1B
Annette 3B OF x 2B x 2B x
Robb C P x 1B P x P
Tony Gr x OF OF x OF OF OF
Joe x OF OF x OF OF x
Jessica OF x OF x OF x OF
Richard x SS 1B OF x SS SS
Mary x OF x OF x OF x
Becky - - 3B x 3B x 3B
Liz - - - 3B - 3B 2B
Scott ------ Field Manager ------
Spectators: Sue, Eric, Renee, Clement, Danny, Bela
The team dinner was at Round Table, but this reporter doesn't know who
attended because he wasn't there. The next game is Monday, May 13
against the Crawdads on Field HN. Rumor has it that the post-game
dinner will be at someplace not called Round Table, so stay tuned for
this exciting development. Please let Jeff or Richard know ASAP if
you can't make the game.
From: Slim Mrozinski
The HOMERS lived up to their name on Wednesday, launching 8 four-baggers on
their way to a 26-20 victory over the Titans. Homeruns were hit by Daniel (2),
Ron (2), Andy, Richard (grand slam), Slim and Tony Greicius.
This was the 6th time the HOMERS have connected for 8 times in one game, with
the last happening over a decade ago on 7/17/01 (Steve Broberg (2), Tony
Ganino (2), Scott Morgan (2), Rich Benesh, Andres Castano).
The offense was held up by more than the long ball as each batter in the
lineup made it on base at least once - in fact, each batter crossed the
plate at least once. Rookie sensation Min-Feng continued hitting the
ball hard and had just as many hits as Tony Greicius =).
On defense, leather was flashed regularly throughout the game. In the 1st,
Kim recorded 2 assists while battling the sun at 2B, while Slim made a nice
backhanded play at SS. Rob made a nice leaping grab at P in the 2nd which
garnered considerable praise from the HOMER faithful. In the 3rd, with the
Titans poised to take the lead with the bases loaded and 2 outs, Annette
made a fantastic, perhaps game saving, play in right field, snaring a ball
put right in the sun at the last second, robbing the Titan's big leftie of
at least 3 RBIs. A 5th inning Titan rally was quickly quashed when what
should have been a simple base hit became an incredibly rare 8-2-6
(Tony Greicius, Slim, Richard) double-play which took advantage of the
Titan's overzealous base running. This double-play accounted for 2 of
4-straight outs the HOMERs recorded thanks to the Titans poor performance
on the base paths. Richard and Tony Ganino connected on a 6U-3
double-play in the 6th.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 FINAL
HOMERS 2 11 0 8 5 0 0 26
Titans 3 4 4 5 0 0 4 20
Ron P C P X P X X
Slim SS SS X SS C SS X
Andy OF 1B X 3B OF X 3B
Annette OF OF OF OF OF OF OF
Tony Gr OF OF X OF OF X OF
Tony Ga 1B X 1B P 1B 1B 1B
Eric C X 3B C X C X
Kim 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Joe X OF OF OF X OF OF
Robb X P C 1B X P P
Richard 3B X SS X SS 3B SS
Min-Feng X OF OF R R R R
Daniel X 3B OF X 3B OF C
To break up the dining experience monotony, Slim chose to have dinner
at Hooters.
Just kidding, we went to Round Table, which was enjoyed by Jeff, Scott,
Robb, Kim, Slim, Eric, Andy, Richard, Clement, Annette, Daniel, Eric L.,
and Renee. Hopefully yahoo groups will allow the attached blurry iphone
picture to come through!
The next game is on Tuesday, May 7 HOMERS vs. Hingle McKringleberries
on HS. Please let Jeff and Richard know if you can't make it.
From: Annette Nasif
After a sluggish start, the HOMERS battled back in the second inning and never
looked back. We ended with a sound 30-21 victory over the Wild Turkeys.
1 2 3 4 5
HOMERS 2 8 4 9 7 30
Wild Turkeys 4 0 5 9 3 21
Ron P P C SS 3B
Don OF OF OF OF X
Andy C OF OF X OF
Annette OF OF OF OF OF
Tony 1B 3B SS P SS
Richard SS SS 1B 3B 1B
Daniel 3B 1B 3B 1B C
Mary 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Joe OF C X OF OF
Robb X X P C P
Min-Feng R R R R R
Field Manager: Scott
Spectators included: Sue, Eric L., Renee, and Clement
Some game highlights include a double, almost triple, play in the third
inning thanks to Tony. A great home run by Ron, also in the third inning.
And Daniel had a fantastic over the head catch of a foul ball while at
1st base during the fourth inning. Overall it was a pretty good game as
every player got on base at some point during the game.
Special thanks to Min-Feng, recruited by Richard and rumored to have
never before played softball, for stepping in to be our third woman.
She did great and even got on base two out of her three at bats.
Round Table pizza and was enjoyed by Jeff, Scott, Ron, Sue, Richard,
Clement, Annette, Daniel, Eric L., Renee, and some random nice guy
who sat down at our table with his glass of wine.
The next game is on Wednesday, May 1 HOMERS @ Titans on HS. Let Jeff
and Richard know if you can't make it.
From: Jeff Osman
(Cue the Vin Scully impersonation)
Its time for HOMERS Softball!!!!
On a breezy, sunny April afternoon, the HOMERS kicked off the 2013
season with a good 20-18 win over a spirited Paper Tigers team. The
game started slowly for both teams, but the muscle memory kicked-in
by the second inning for both veteran teams and it was a good close
back-and-forth game.
1 2 3 4 5
Paper Tigers 0 9 5 1 3 18
HOMERS 0 11 2 7 x 20
Slim SS SS P - SS
Don OF OF - OF OF
Jeff - C C - -
Annette OF OF OF OF -
Ron P P - P P
Richard 3B - SS SS OF
Eric C - OF C -
Jessica 2B 2B 2B - 2B
Tony Gr. OF - OF - -
Scott 1B 1B - 1B C
Daniel - 3B 1B OF 1B
Mary OF OF - 2B OF
Joe - OF OF OF OF
Becky - - 3B 3B 3B
Spectators for the game included: Sue, Eric L., Rene, Bella, and
Danny.
The HOMERS welcomed back Eric Rigor after an MSL enforced year off. Eric made
his presence known early on by getting the first HOMERS RBI of the year in the
second inning. Tony Greicius showed he was in mid-season form already by going
2-for-2 with two monster home runs before he had to leave early. Every one
else in the line-up got on base at least once, and we batted around in the
second inning.
Defensively, the game started well with a 1-6-3 double play to end the first
inning. Joe and Daniel each had an impressive circus catch later in the game,
as the defense generally held up well against a good hitting Paper Tiger
team.
In keeping with HOMERS tradition, not to mention the wishes of the next
generation of HOMERS, dinner after the game was held at Round Table. Enjoying
the feast were: Jessica, Jeff, Scott, Ron, Annette, Daniel, Eric L., Rene,
Becky, Bella, and Danny.
Next week's game is on Monday April 22 on filed HN against the Wild Turkeys.
Let Jeff and Richard know if you aren't going to make it.
History
After each game, she or he who chooses the dinner location
writes a reasonably factual Homers Report:
2012 | 2011 |
2010 | 2009 |
2008 | 2007 |
2006 | 2005 |
2004 | 2003 |
2002 | 2001 |
2000 | 1999 |
1998 | 1997 |
1996 | 1995 |
1994 | 1993 |
1992 | 1991
Baalkeisms:
all-time home run statistics,
all-time records,
new records for 2010,
new records for 2008,
new records for 2006,
new records for 2005,
new records for 2004,
new records for 2003,
new records for 2002,
new records for 2001,
recap 2000,
new records for 2000.
A Chenism: games played
Team Song
submitted by Linda Ikami
_------_
/ \ DO RE MI DRINK, by Homer J. Simpson.
| |
| | *ahem* La la la la.... *ahem* LAAAAAAA!!
| __ __)
| / \/ \ DO...... the stuff... that buys me beer
/\/\ (o )o ) RAY..... the guy that sells me beer...
/c \__/ --. ME...... the guy... who drinks the beer
( ) FAR..... a long way to get beer...
\_ _-------' SO...... I'll have another beer...
| / \ LA...... I'll have another beer...
| | '\_______) TEA..... no thanks, I'm drinking beer...
| \_____) That will bring us back to...
|_____ | (Looks into an empty glass)
|_____/\/\
/ \ D'OH!
|  |
Comments? Complaints? Email sent to
richard.chen@jpl.nasa.gov
may get acted upon.
last update:Tuesday, 10-Apr-2018 16:44:05 CDT
