(Bitter)sweet Redemption

Remember the inning that wasn't in Saturday's Petaluma City Junior Division Little League Championship game? The game ended in a 5.5 inning win* for Brodies (Petaluma Valley Little League).

Turns out the inning really wasn't played after all.  The manager of the Petaluma Valley team emailed that upon reviewing their book, an inning was "jumped" and he apologized for the confusion. 

So we'll never know if the PALL team had a come-from-behind win in them Saturday and another win on Sunday to end the season 3-0 against Brodies and take home the flag. Likely ? Perhaps not. But these are 13 and 14 year old kids and trust me, ANYthing can happen over the course of a complete game.

There's a saying that "the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra".  The Umpire is the only one paid to be there.  And likely, one of the few without a personal stake in the game. If it's not part of their job to keep track of the number of innings played on that little card they record substituions on, then here's another suggestion. Next year, perhaps the Leagues will take the extra step of providing an official scorekeeper for the Championship Game(s).  Or at least a scorekeeper table where the home and visitor books sit together and cross check little things as the game progresses. So the little things don't become big things that can impact the outcome.  We volunteers all make mistakes. Let's make it easier to catch 'em before it's too late.

My Name Is PTownFan And I Have A Problem

It sucks to be competitive at my age.  It really does. 

The Valley Little League Brodie's Team was crowned Petaluma Junior Division Champions* today. I tip my cap to them.  Well pitched, well played.  The Blue Crew called a good game and we had opportunities to make it much closer, if not get ahead early.  It was 90 something degrees by gametime and 99 by the time the final pitch was thrown with Brodies up 8-3*.  Even with the hard hitting top of our order due up, the speech bubbles on the speechless young faces were saying, "Please let this be over." I guess I can't blame them.  They'd played 5 games in 5 days, it would take a 6th to win the flag, and it was bloody hot.

But I had the 2004 Boston Red Sox in my head. Remember them?  Losing 4-3 in the 9th and down zero games to three the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, the #8 Sox hitter outfoxed the great Mariano Rivera to force extra innings and win the game. And ultimately the series. The top of our Round Table order had rallied with two outs in the 5th to score a couple of runs.  They were due up again in the 7th. My glass was half full.  Lotta baseball left.  But the Baseball Gods intervened and gave the boys a pass on the rest of the game.

"What'chu talkin' about, Willis?"

Yep, the Baseball Gods inserted a phantom scoreless inning in the other team's scorebook, leading them to believe the game was over when our #9 batter grounded out. As I was busy totalling out my T6 half inning, boxes of trophies were appearing on the field.  I jumped up in amazement as the congratulatory end of game hand slapping was taking place, and waved my lovely orange, but very unofficial Visitor Team scorebook at the ump, shouting "it's only the 6th inning!!!"  I keep a good book, but I'm not perfect so I did a hurry up double check. Had I scored two innings in one column? Nope... Passed out briefly in the heat and missed an inning? Nope... Earlier in the game I had picked up the wrong leadoff batter and got off track for a few hitters. That quick fix had long since been made, but it was enough to rattle my confidence. So I asked a couple of travel ball dads for a quick double-check.  Still short an inning, we appealed to the Blue Crew. Their response? "Home Book says we've played seven innings so we're done."

By this point, the boys had their trophies and the other team's photo op with the Championship Banner was underway.  And the Sports Editor of the local paper and two other parents keeping score approached with confused looks also wondering what happened to B6 and T7. Four scorekeepers showed a 5.5 inning game.  Only the home team's book showed the additional inning. The inning that wasn't. The win with an asterisk.

I hate it when the game is taken out of the players' hands.  I just think it's too bad it ended with something clearly amiss and the losing team having a chance. We're not talking about an Umpire's strike zone.  This was a discrepancy that could have been cross checked. I have a newfound appreciation for all the rules and regulations of sanctioned Little League Tournaments. Especially the roped off Official Scorekeepers' Table under a "cone of silence" so pitch counts, scores and innings are all accounted for and verified by Tournament Officials.  The Championship game of the City Tourney deserves the same.

All that said, the second place finishers didn't seem to mind. They were cooked.  A longshot win today would have forced another game at high noon tomorrow.  On another 100 degree day.  The coaches thought we'd have a mutiny if we pushed the point.  So we conceded the loss*.  With the top of our order coming up to bat against a team we beat earlier this season.  The Baseball Gods can make things right during the upcoming All-Star Tournament and get us through the South Area Finals to the District Tourney. And beyond ;-)

Your final, PVLL Brodie's 8.  PALL Round Table 3*

Like I said, it sucks to be competitive at my age.  It really does.  They're kids, not the 2004 Red Sox. I need to let that asterisk go.

Thanks for listening.

PETALUMA AMERICAN'S HENRIS ROOFING WINS TOC

2009 TOC Champs

Photo: Greg Gardea

Henris Roofing won the District 35 Tournament Of Champions Friday night topping Fort Bragg by a score of 16-0.  Pearlacious!! Hosted by Mark West Springs Little League, the tourney included the top North Coast Major Division teams from Petaluma to the Oregon border.  A tip of the cap to proud poppa Greg Gardea for the this recap:

Brendan Jackson pitched 5 solid shutout innings for the win. At the plate, the Dynamic duo was at it again. Drew Busse and Miles Gardea started things off with back to back doubles and then followed with back to back homeruns the next inning. Busses had a double and 3 homeruns on the night including a grand slam.   Gardea had two doubles, a triple and a homerun. Busse and Gardea combined for 12 RBI's and Brendan Jackson added four more.  He went 3-for-4 with two singles and a double.  (Ed:  YOWZA... a slam in a TOC. Now THAT is a memory maker).

Pitching strategy is key in the 5 day single elimination tournament where teams play every day. Henris finished the year with a record of 29-4 and were coached by Tom Busse and Chuck Mcphearson. The roster includes Drew Busse, Armand Carcelan, Max Cerini, Justin Chapman, Thomas Cramer, Brad Freitas, Austin Garatti, Miles Gardea, Jackson Hill, Brendan Jackson, Emmett Schrader, and Alberto Valdez.

Petaluma was represented in the TOC by Henris Roofing from the Petaluma American, Athletic Edge from the Petaluma Valley and Pinky’s Pizza from the Petaluma National.  Other Leagues sending champions to the Tournament were Cloverdale, Coast Youth, Rincon Valley, Rancho Cotati, El Molino, South Ukiah, Healdsburg, Medocino-Coast, North Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Willits, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa American, Westside and Mark West.  Here's some video from earlier in the week on the Youth Sports Network: http://ysn365.com/

Way to represent!  Congrats boys, coaches and parents.

Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive

Whew!  Petaluma American Little League's scrappy Jr. Division Round Table team is hangin' tough.  A 4-2 win tonight over Petaluma National's Anderson Team has put them in the championship round.  Three loser's bracket wins in three nights. Gutsy. Kevin George pitched a beautiful game and Anthony Garatti closed it out to preserve the win.  The PALL boys will try to knock off Brodies' tomorrow to force a Championship game on Sunday.  Come on out to Petaluma National's big diamond tomorrow at noon and enjoy the 100 degree heat with us.  If there's any sort of a breeze, you'll get a complimentary dermabrasion facial with your heat wrap.  That Sonoma-Marin Fair kids up a lotta dust :-)

Oh, by the way...  Jonny was 2-for-3 with an RBI single tonight and his average is now .367.  Too bad the Reds lost.  Again.  If Jonny can inspire a sustained winning streak and keep his bat going, I  predict a MLBCBPOTY at the end of the season.  C'mon Redlegs.  Get your poop in a group and win some would ya!

Gomes Batting .351 And Round Table Still Winning

Jonny Gomes had another big night while the Cardiac Kids (PALL Round Table Pizza) battled back through the loser's bracket with a nail biter of a win in the Petaluma Little League Junior Division City Championship Tourney.

Gomes went 2-for-4 with his 6th double, a first inning RBI that scored Joey Votto who went on to become the hero of the night in a real feel good story.   Things are looking up for Willy Taveras who got his bat back after losing it earlier this season. Gomes rounded out his night with a walk and a single off former Rays teammate... and RHP... Sean Camp bumping his average to .351 and his rightie split to .300.  Wow.  It's probably too early to start talking about MLBCBPOTY so I'll just think it for now.  If you've followed Gomes the last few years, you know which post-season thingie I'm thinkin' about. I don't want to violate one of The Unwritten Rules Of Baseball that I might not know about yet.  Better play it safe.  Pretty good book by the way. Reading it on my iPhone via the Kindle App.  A great way to make the cardio time fly at the gym.

PTownJunior's Round Table Pizza team eeked out a 3-2 win over Shotwell's last night.  Trevor Shine had a two hitter going in the sixth before hitting the 95 pitch limit.  Steely nerved Ryan Scherer took the mound and gunned the tying run with a wicked pick off move to second base to end the inning.  The heart of the Round Table order couldn't put insurance runs on the board in the top of the 7th so it came down to good pitching and defense in the bottom of the final inning with the top of the Shotwell's order due up.  The leadoff hitter reached on an error and Scherer fanned the #2 batter.  Shotwell's next hitter flied to right advancing the lead runner to third.  Ryan waivered a bit, walking the next batter but Shotwell's starting pitcher smacked a routine grounder to the sure gloved Kevin George at 1B and kept the Number Two seeded team alive in the double elimination tourney.  Zac Overzet and Kevin George each had two hits for Round Table, and Willy Sullivan (PTownJr) drove in the winning run in the third.

Tonight, Round Table meets Petaluma National's Anderson team for a rematch of Tuesday night's 7-4 loss that sent the American League Champs to the loser's bracket and the rubbermatch of season long competition.  Gametime is 5:30pm at Petaluma National's Aparicio Field next to the Fairgrounds.  Stay to drag the field after the game and you can listen to The Charlie Daniels Concert for free :-)

Top seeded Brodies' (Petaluma Valley LL) will take on tonight's loser's bracket winner tomorrow at noon for the Championship. Unless the losers bracket winner wins again, forcing a Championship game on Sunday.  Wouldn't that be awesome?

CUP O' JO: Thursday, June 25, 2009

JONNY GOMES (OF,Cincinnati Reds, MLB):
Good week for Jonny, hitting .333 in his last ten games.  In Saturday's Civil Rights Game, he gave the Reds a 5-0 lead with a 2 run dinger.  But Cueto gave up a truckload of hits and the Reds lost a game they shoulda won. 2-for-3 with his 5th double against the White Sox Sunday.  2-for-4 with his third homerun last night. A combo of lotsa probable LHP for the opposing teams and Jonny's hot bat have made it easier for Dusty to massage the lineup, inserting Dickerson for the struggling CF Willy Taveras the last few days.  Jonny Gomes is leading the team with a .333 average excluding 1B Joey Votto (.346) who is fresh off the DL with stress related issues following his Dad's death.  The Reds have sorely missed Votto's bat. Let's hope it's all good with Joey and that this new lineup grinds out some wins, not just hits.   BTW, Gomes is .391 v LHP and .286 v RHP.

JOEY GOMES (DH, Edmonton Capitals, Golden League - IND)
Joey has really cranked up the Caps' offense.  In just 8 games, he's had 7 extra base hits including 5 doubles, 2 homeruns and 7RBIs. 

LOUIS OTT (A Jupiter Hammerheads, Florida Marlins Organization)
Big game for Sweet Lou last night.  3-for-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Yah!

BRANDON MORROW (P, Seattle Mariners, MLB):
Morrow pitched 5+ in a Mariner's victory last night.  Didn't get the win, but continues to solidify his spot in the rotation throwing 87 pitches, 57 for strikes. Attaboy Brandon.  Keep hummin'.  Brandon's bobblehead sure got a workout in the Seattle Pressbox last Friday night.

TOMMY EVERIDGE (IF, AAA Sacramento River Cats, Oakland Athletics Organization)
Tommy's on fire.  His average reached .347 Tuesday before a brief dip in the cool 0-for-4 water last night.  In just 14 games, he's racked up 11 runs on 17 hits with 3 doubles, 3 home runs and 9 RBIs.  Awesome.

KONRAD SCHMIDT (C, High A Visalia Rawhide, Arizona Diamondbacks Organization)
Batting .246 through this week's All Star Break.  Games resume tonight with the Rawhide hosting Modesto.

STEVE PEARSON (1B, Wichita WingNuts, IND)
Steve's great season continues. He's batting .329 with 9 doubles, 2 home runs, and 20 RBIs. 4-for-5 last night. A tip of the cap to reader Not So Anonymous for his eye witness reporting from the Sioux City Explorers' where the Nuts no-hit the X's Tuesday night.  For the first time ever.

DJ GENTILE (OF, Matsu Miners, Alaska)
Man these box scores are hard to find.  Batting .333 in 5 games played. No fishing report yet.

PETALUMA AMERICAN JR. DIVISION ROUND TABLE PIZZA:
After an first round bye and a second round win, Round Table dropped one to Petaluma National's Anderson team Tuesday night.  Charlie Parnow pitched out of his socks for Anderson and Round Table was flat as a cheese pizza with no toppings.  Fortunately, Round Table rallied and topped Petaluma National's North Bay Construction by a score of 10-0 in six innings last night as they try to battle back through the loser's bracket.  That means baseball every night through Sunday.  I'm up for that :-)  All-Stars begin on July 4th.  What's more All-American than that?