We suck again!

My team did not seem to be in the game today. By about the third inning people were just moping around and I couldn't seem to get anyone motivated.
We kept it close right until the bottom of the 6th inning. Even with everything seeming to go against us we weere only down by 4. Then they came out and scored 7. We have scored 10 or more runs several times this year but everyone just seemed to sit back and take it.
I don't mind losing but it is tough when they don't seem to try.

Sliding home!

Tonight was much better. We beat them for the first time this season. Final score 14-9. I got to slide into home twice for two runs. The first time there wasn’t a throw but I didn’t know that at the time and I had come all the way from 1st both times. The second time I beat the tag and just about killed their catcher doing it. I ended up knocking his leg out from under him and he fell over backwards after fighting to stay on his feet for five or six steps. I hope his but is a sore as mine tomorrow.

We batted much better. We stopped hitting pop-flys and put the ball into play for singles and doubles. We forced them to make the play instead of hoping they would drop the ball.

We also shut them down for each of the last 3 innings and 4 of the 9 runs came on a grand-slam homerun in the second inning after we missed three chances to get the 3rd out. One was a low throw that allowed the batter to reach 1st. Then a diving tip off the glove at a line drive and finally a horrible bounce that kicked 10 feet int he air after hitting a rock making no play possible. Any one of those could have resulted in the last out, instead it loaded the bases.

Tomorrow will be tough but we know that we can beat them. This is our year. If I have to go to the hospital because I made a play I will gladly go.

GRRR

We came out flat. Horrible batting for the last 5 innings. We also allowed 4 runs on a grand slam home run after a missed sure 3rd out that would have left us ahead by one in the 6th innning.

Final score was 14-6 because we let them outscore us by 9-0 in the last 3 innings. After the first 2 innings it was 6-5 for us.

Tonight will be better.

We win again. 14-13

We won the game tonight. It was close. We let them score 4 runs in the top of the 7th which meant that we had to score 4 in the bottom to win. We even did that the hard way. We loaded the bases with 1 out and then Mike hit a double. That scored 2 with Mike at 2nd and me at 3rd. Jeff came and hit a single which scored me and tied the game. Mike tried to score too.

Sorry Mike did score but he was called out at the plate. The call was so obviously wrong that for the first time I had to restrain myself from going after an umpire. I had picked up the bat as I crossed the plate and was standing on the opposite side of the play from the umpire. He saw the same thing I did and when he called Mike out I felt myself throwing the bat at him, which was really weird because my arms weren’t moving. I decided that I should walk away before I did actually throw it at him.

They made a great throw to the plate and the ball arrived as Mike did. The catcher made the catch and slapped the ball down on his chest. The problem is that when she hits his chest his feet are already 2 feet past the plate. He slid about another inch after the tag and still had his but on the plate. HE WAS SAFE. That call hurt.

Our next batter was Kristen and she took about 7 pitches. Jeff managed to steal 2nd while this was happening. When she finally had a fair hit it was a long fly-ball which their center fielder dropped allowing Jeff to score from second. He had to run a long way for it but probably should have made the catch. Game over.

We now play a best of 3 against the leagues best team. A team that beat us twice by a combined total of 4 runs. We can beat this team. We play on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday if needed.

We have now won 12 of our last 13 games and the only loss was too the team we now face. We only lost that one by one run and we probably should have won it anyway.

This team has come a long way this year and after 6 years of playing for them I think that it is about time that we win the whole thing.

Wish me luck.

Darryell Ulrickson

Yesterday I didn't go to a wedding which was too bad. Samantha Dennis and Vince Andersen tied the proverbial knot in a touching ceremony. This one wasn't a bad wedding because I would have known a great deal of people there, since Samantha is a cousin of the Ralphs, a family that is basically my second family, so I would have known many of the extended family that was there. It would have been kind of fun. Also, Pete and Darrell got to be the MCs afterwards. They played around a bit, including doing a skit of how Vince proposed. Darrell played Samantha, and as such, he wore a wig and a dress. A dress with a green flowery print all over it. A dress that did not fit around his shoulders and which featured sleeve holes that would not let his hands through because they were too small. It bet they had fun, though. Not the wearing a dress part per say, but doing the skit in general. Although, Darrell said it was too hot. It's his fault for wearing black, but still. It was ridiculous. Actually, he said it was only too hot when standing in the direct sunlight, or when the breeze stopped blowing in the windows during the reception. So it was only too hot about half of the time. Which was still tough for the bride in a dress that featured enough material to make a decent sized tent (it had a train on it, and there always seems to be so much extra material on wedding dresses, like the bride is trying to hide in there). I hear all of the bridesmaids got sunburned on their shoulders. I feel kinda bad for them.Well, cowabunga and all that. See ya next time.Oh yeah, Darrells name was spelled in the program like it is in the Title of this BLOG. That is the most unique spelling of his name ever!

Baseball rocks!

Two days ago we learned that our baseball team had been having a great year. We won both games of a double header, which gave us a record of 14-7. We are usually around .500. At that point we thought we might be in the A-side playoffs (top 6 teams), a first for us. Last year we were the 7th place team and ended up winning the B-side.

When we showed up to play our last game of the season we learned that if we won and a different team lost that night we would actually be second in the league. If we both won we would be tied for 2nd but get 3rd due to tiebreakers. We were playing the worst team in the league. (Read record of 0-22) The first time we played them we beat them 26-0. They had 5 base runners all night and only 1 reached 3rd.

We won...but so did the other team.

Our first playoff game was last night against Bolarama. Which is funny cause their sponsor Bolarama collapsed and closed down 4 years ago but they kept the name. We beat them rather soundly. We outscored them in every inning and allowed fewer runs every inning until we shut them down completely the last few. The first place team won their game and so they have a bye into the final round. On Monday we play the winner of the 2nd vs. 5th game. I don’t know who finally won but the last update was that the 2nd place team was having a horrible game and was down 23 to 3 in the 4th inning. A seemingly insurmountable lead.

If the Thumpers did end up winning that game them on Monday we will play them at the same diamond that we beat them on twice this year. Winner goes to the best of 3 finals against Waste of Days (first place). I feel that we have a great chance.

This year we have proved that we can beat any team in the league. Not because we have the best players but because we have a team that is largely unchanged over the last 3 years and we all know exactly where everyone will be playing and how to cover each other. We have all stepped up our game and are each individually making the plays that we have too. Errors are no longer a result of bad play are horrible decisions. The mistakes we make are simply a result of the fact that this is not a professional league and in some cases the professionals would have difficulties with those plays.

We have been turning double plays, making diving catches, picking off runners that are stealing, throwing runners out at the plate who are trying to score from 3rd on fly balls to the outfield, and hitting so consistently that we are forcing the other team to make the big play just to get a simple out.

Now don’t fall off your chair, but I have even got a few infield singles because I beat the throw. I have also started turning singles into doubles and scoring from 1st or 2nd when I used to only be able to advance to 3rd. I even had a home run a few games ago by sliding under a tag. In reality the catcher missed the ball but even if he had caught it I would have been safe by a few feet.

On a final note this league has some weird team names. Most of them are sort of dirty too.

Waste of days
Beer nymphs
Cocks and balls
Dirty bastards
Bottle rockets
Sexy bitches
Bolarama (I told you why this was sort of weird)
Drunken farts
Beer barons

If it weren’t for the Thumpers I would feel out of place playing on a team named the Grizzlies. It isn’t weird or dirty. What is our problem?

Phone works and Riders break my heart!

Phone works now but Sasktel won't tell me what was wrong. Riders have broke my heart. After 28 years I should be used to it.
But I am not.

My phone sucks!!!

At 3 pm today I was able to make phone calls and recieve phone calls now I can do niether. The problem appears to be directly from the sasktel lines (as I can directly wire a single line to the phone line and still get nothing.) This means that Sasktel has to come and fix my phone. If they find that the problem is not in their line but in the house phone lines, (how can it be if I am using their test to determine that my lines are not the problem) then it is not their problem. But they will gladly fix it anyway if I choose to pay tariff rates...(read:whatever the @#$% they want to charge me). All I have to do to get them to come and fix it is to dial 611...w a i t.... DIAL 611?ARRRRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!

Jeff says he is not a wienie

Do you believe him folks? Send your votes here!!!!!!
Is he? or Isn't he?