Well, fellow softballers and fans and friends, your intrepid reporter is BACK after bouts of pneumonia and the “little c” (covid) BACK-TO-BACK! Whew. Well all that caused me to miss our VETERAN’S DAY TOURNAMENT on Saturday, November 12, 2022, (and several weeks of league play). Dang! But I’m told the games were humdingers and some 200 or so fans showed up to enjoy the softball action, and scarf down a few dogs and brauts. THANKS AGAIN to our overall tournament sponsors, ARIZONA INDOOR AIR and the COMMUNITY CHURCH OF SADDLEBROOKE with, naturally, WINDOW WIZARDS and crew grillin’ up the tube steaks.
Three games were played—the Competitive League, the Sidewinder/Recreational Leagues, and the Community/Coyote Leagues. Thanks guys. To start it off the competitive players put together a barn-burner with Your CBD Store getting drenched by Andy’s Irrigation, 17-16. Yowza! Then, in the Sidewinder/Rec game Shiffren Physical Therapy massaged Brittni Guttman-Allstate Insurance into submission 21 to 13. And finally, in the Community/Coyote game, another thrillah, Barron Electric shocked Absolutely Art, 23-22. Meanwhile we had about 30 Veterans, both players and not, show up for a “thank you” ceremony on the field. Again, thanks to all our Vets, whether you had a chance to get down to the field or no.
People are also reading…
I couldn’t make it into the booth for the first time in years, but thanks to silver-throated Rick Ervin (no gum-flappin’ slouch himself) for stepping in and taking over the mic. And oh yeah, thanks to tournament director Jessica Passoni and all the volunteers for putting the action/entertainment together.
Meanwhile, LEAGUE ACTION! Deadline is midnight, Thursday the, December 15, 2022, so I will be able to get all final results of the Fall season, except for the Competitive and Community results on Friday, December 16, 2022. Too bad as the Competitive League has a barn-burner of a race going with Friday’s game the decider. Player’s Pub and Pride Mechanical are locked at 4-4 as of this writing and so Friday’s game (if it comes off—Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday already got canceled due to “inclement” weather — wet and cold) will decide the CHAMP! YAROO! Ditto in the Friday Community League, although a bit more complicated because there are four teams. If I’ve got my math correct (always subject to review), Western Exterminator, currently at 5-2 and Waste Management, at 4-2, could trade places first/second wise if the Exterminators lose to Twin Lakes and the Wasters beat Wanda Fudge (yours truly’s team currently at 2-6. Sigh!).
Well, anyhoo, the games on Sunday, December 11, 2022, Monday, December 12, 2022, and Tuesday, December 13, 2022 were canceled and so those races are “in the books” as they say. In Monday Recreational, SB Pet Rescue-Bill Wescoe, 5-3, outlasted Shifren PT, 3-5 over the season for the league title. Over in Monday Community Stone Canyon, at 5-3, held on to win the League title over The Charles Company at 4-3, The Longo Firm at 3-4, and Slendido at 3-5. Meanstwhile, on Tuesday in Competitive, there were no doubts all season long as Robson Communities amassed a 7-3 record, while Rancheros Market notched six wins and five losses and cellar-dweller Ridgeview PT straggled in with three wins and eight losses. In Tuesday Community, somewhat the same pattern: The Moore Advantage Real Estate had a steady 8-4 record to take the title, with Titan Power Sports and Rentals finishing second at 6-6 and The UPS Store filling the wine cellar at 4-8.
Another neck-n-neck battle in Wednesday Community with Tri-Community Lock and Tucson Orthopaedic tied at 3-3. And with the last game canceled, they end up the season tied for first (and last!). Moving to Wednesday Sidewinder, Lexus of Tucson has a solid lead at 4-2 over Transform Wellness +, formerly Mend, at 2-4, and that’s how they ended up with their last game also canceled.
Thursday Coyote had a battle going between the three teams, with X-Pert Automotive out front at 5-3, followed by Your CBD Store at 4-4, and trailed by Window Wizards at 3-5. But TODAY (well, two weeks ago when you read this), X-Pert went 1-1 in a doubleheader to wind up at 6-4 and earn the league title. Your CBD Store went down in game one and Window Wizards took game two, and so those two teams tied with 4 n 5 records. Whew! Yours truly was the ump in game two and let me tell it was coldern a well-digger’s derriere. But the sun was out and the games went on. As detailed above, Friday Competitive has Players Pub and Pride Mechanical “deadlocked” at 4-4 with one game left, so the title is up for grabs as it also is in the Friday Community battle between Western Exterminator and Waste Management.
Now, my loyal readers (well, modestly, let’s say fans), if you follow SaddleBrooke Softball and the articles in the Progress and the Notes, you know I rarely put any “statistical” information into them or “name any names.” I mean, we don’t keep RBIs, ERAs, pitcher win-loss, errors, etc. We do keep batting averages, on-base and slugging percentages. But, let’s face it… it’s “lob-ball.” A hitter’s game. Yes, as a pitcher myself, I get calls from the field to “keep it inside (or outside),” “pitch him (or her) deep,” don’t walk him!” etc. Sheesh! I mean, you hit da plate, it’s a strike. You don’t, it ain’t. Most days I just try to keep from walking too many batters. AND… very importantly, we don’t count errors! If a fielder “muffs” a ball you’ve hit and you get on base, you GET A HIT. Well needless to say (but I will anyway), batting averages may be a “tad” distorted, a bit higher than would be otherwise if errors were not hits. So .500 and .600 averages are a dime a dozen, .700 pretty common but still good hitting. But .800, or even rarer, .900 over a 10 game season (maybe 40 to 50 at-bats if you’re not on the DL or traveling) is “purty darn good hittin’. So, here’s an end of the season “shout-out” to those .800 and .900 hitters this fall season: in Rec, Phil Steffes; in Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday Community, Tom Klein, Len Gann (.938!!!!),Sam Alkhoury (.914!!),Tom Gallo, Bob Fagotti, and Steve Jackson (.966!!!!!! Only 29 ABs, but 28 hits. Jeez). In Wednesday Sidewinder, Mordy Rischall. Thursday Coyote, Zoli Nagi, Mike Hamm, John Merlin, CW Woehr (but got hurt after only 9 ABs), and a monstrous .909 from Curt Dehaan. In Competitive on Tuesdays and Fridays, Morlin Hastings in a limited role (only 14 ABs), Steve Jackson again (but only .871), Scott Lundgren, Mark Adolph, Rich Figueroa, Tim Ward, and that wily vet, Bill Spevak, going .804 on 51 ABs. Now I’m not going to elaborate too much on home-runs since in all leagues, anytime you make it around 4 bases, error or not, you get the tater. It is rare, however, outside the Competitive Leagues for a player to launch one over the 300 foot fence. But here’s a shout out to our “top” Competitive leagues 4-bagger-men: Nick Longo, 7 in each league for 14, Scott Lundgren with 5 and 4 for a total of 9, Rich Figueroa with 3, Steve and Lynn Laureys (the bros) and Brad West with 2 each total.
MEANWHILE, the last games were Friday, December 16, 2022. By the time of publication we should be two weeks in to our three week holiday break. Action in our Winter season should start up again around Monday, January 9. For more information, come on down to the field. Someone will be glad to yak at ya. Or check out our website online at saddlebrookeseniorsoftball.com.
