Softball Week in Review: Week 10; June 24 - June 30

June 24, Sunday
Arrrrrrrrrrr...the Dirty Pirates be stuck at sea. Lootin' and plunderin' will hav' t' wait.

June 25, Monday
The Pirates snoozed through an 11-2 victory over Aina's Sirens at FoD. "Avast! Post-tourney hangover be tough on th' sea dogs..." grumbled Captain John C "No Talent."

June 27, Wednesday
Anarchy dropped its first game of the season to nemesis Farm Family, 12-11. "It'll be a little different come playoffs..." proclaimed Anarchy's manager, the diminutive yet spunky Stacey D, aka "The Hammer". Anarchy's sloppy infield work essentially handed the game to Farm Family who effectively employed an intentional walk and a couple "swinging bunts." "It's bush league play..." complained John C, "...but that's who they are. We'll get them next time." Clean, hard-nosed play by The Hammer helped maintain a tie game going into the top of the 7th. With the go ahead run at third and a fly ball out to left-center, Farm Family sent the runner who froze momentarily when she heard a laser thrown by Pete G bounce next to her to settle right in the glove of Stacey D. The Hammer picked the ball clean and leaped to defend the plate and to place a fierce hit/tag on the unsuspecting runner. "She's 4'6" of animal ferocity." Noted an awed spectator. "She expanded the meaning of her Hammer moniker." said John C, who vowed never to take home with the Hammer covering the plate. "I had some anger issues to work out..." quipped Stacey D.

June 28, Thursday
Game 1, 6:00P at Ridgefield #1: Toyota thumped Duke's Barber Shop 10-5 at the big field on the Ridge. Toyota was looking forward to beefing up their run differential against Duke's, but the plan was foiled when Duke's used a couple of non-roster players including their pitcher who represented a vast improvement over their roster pitcher. John "Daisuke" C took the circle for Toyota, and despite a slow start through the first two innings, found his groove and proceeded to blow away Duke's batters through the next 4 innings and finished with 7 K's and 4 BB's. "It's all about upper body rotation..." noted catcher Jeremy B, "He has to do that to be consistent and effective." Brian S led Toyota's offense with a perfect day at the plate while Ernie P added some punch with an HR blast that landed in Jim C's back yard.

Game 2, 6:15P at Nott Rd #1: Anarchy cruised to a 23-4 victory over the hapless Capital Crunk. "They were awful...it was an ugly game..." said Justin R. "I felt bad when I hit an opposite field shot...but what are you supposed to do?" "We could have scored 40..." commented sub Steve F, "but we kind of went station to station after awhile. No need to pile on." Manager/catcher Stacey D was at it again with another savage play at the plate. "I tagged him right in the **groin**" noted the Hammer, while adding "I hope he's OK." 

June 29, Friday
Toyota pounded nemesis Dirty Swingers 13-9 at Field of Dreams. John "Daisuke" C, who made his second start in as many nights, clearly labored through the game. He struggled to find consistency of mechanics, but had enough stuff to keep Dirty Swingers off balance with an occasionally effective fastball and a dirty knuckle ball. "He should've stuck to the knuckle..." noted umpire Vinnie P. Despite his struggles, John C again struck out 7 while walking 5 and offered the following regarding his line "Since I tweaked my landing leg while batting at Nott, my control has been off. I have to throw more strikes like I did in my first four starts..." Playing a hunch, the manager batted Steve F lead-off for the first time this season and Steve obliged his prescience with a 2 for 3, 1 Walk game at the plate. "I see him (Dirty Swingers' pitcher) really well..." noted Steve who also made a nice sliding catch in foul territory into the fence to help out his belabored pitcher. Ron S belted the game difference; a grand slam bomb deep to left center. Sloppy base-running stalled Toyota's offense in the later innings. Twice, hard line drives to the Swingers SF resulted in a caught advancing. "We ran ourselves right out of a couple innings..." stated Toyota manager John C, "Verification of catch or miss on hard line-drives to a close fielder before advancing is important. If it's in front of the base-runner, it's on him. If not, it's on the base coach. A little conservatism is good...I'd rather take one out in those situations than two..."  At 6-1, Toyota is poised to move up in the division with a Toyota Cup victory this Monday, July 2.

Records and Standings

Dirty Pirates Sunday: 7-0, Remain in 1st by 1/2 a game over Bourbon St Reloaded (6-0)

Dirty Pirates: 7-3, A win and a loss has the Pirates in 5th place in the North

EYS: 7-1, With no games this week and another loss by Fiscal Hitters, EYS remains in 1st place

Anarchy: 6-1, Their first loss drops Anarchy to 3rd place in Lynn's AL

Toyota of Clifton Park: 6-1, Despite two wins this week, Toyota is stuck in neutral and remain in 4th in the North

Softball Week in Review: Week 9; June 17 - June 23

Softball Week in Review: Week 9; June 17 - June 23

June 17, Sunday
The Dirty Pirates found themselves no foe to plunder.

June 18, Monday
An ugly start by Toyota pitcher John C was overshadowed by Toyota's offense in a 20-15 slug-fest. Poor command and a stiff wind blowing out dead left doomed this start for his first stinker of the season. "I had nothing out there tonight; but, I'll take a W any way they come..." said Toyota manager John C. "I'm happy our offense fired on all cylinders. Sometimes that needs to carry a team..." Garry S pitched 4+ innings of solid relief that, combined with solid defense, gave Toyota bats a chance to win the game. Shortstop Dan R turned in a fine 3 hit, 2 doubles night at the plate to effectively erase his worst offensive showing of the season against Reggeneron last week. Ron S, Garry S, and Steve F also turned in 3 hit nights at the plate to motorize the offense. Mike H provided some punch with Toyota's only HR of the night.

June 19, Tuesday
EYS pushed Skyline Diner,  the commissioner's team, around for a 13-11 win. Despite the stone cold bats of John C, Eric G, and Pete G, EYS's offense carried the team to victory. "Sometimes you have to win like that..." said EYS manager Deron S, "...but we really shouldn't have let them hang around like that. I'll take the win, though."

June 20, Wednesday
Game 1, 6:15P @ JCC: Anarchy blasted a dumbfounded Swifty's Landsharks 15-0 in a statement game to their 4-1 foe upon entering the game. "Our bats were hot tonight..." said fill-in manager John C, "...and our defense, while barely tested, played well. It was a solid all around effort by the team." Stacey D, the Hammer, once again led the way with her bat scorching a series of line drive blasts through the left side. Pete G, John C and call-up Steve F also added some punch to the melee.

Game 2, 9:00P @ Bleecker: MJ's Auto Group, confident from solid play against division contenders, looked to even their record against the surly Pirates. After MJ's took a 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st, it looked as though their wish may come true. The Pirates, however, showed they were in the mood to plunder when John C opened the top of the 2nd with a booming triple to straightaway center. The Pirates mixed in a series of hard hit singles and doubles and a few walks to drop a 10 spot on MJ's and take a commanding lead they would never relinquish. The Pirates employed a classic strategy of attrition for the remainder of the skirmish and were rewarded with an 18-10 victory. Adding to the effort, Lauren H ripped a solid line drive past third, Kara F dropped a couple of hits over an unsuspecting infield, Brandi G cracked a nice single, and Stacey D, the Hammer, blasted a shot through third. Pitching through immense pain, Deryl B hurled a gutsy game while skillfully maneuvering around several defensive lapses. Dave G powered a deep shot to left for the Pirates sole HR blast of the game.

June 21, Thursday
EYS played its second game in three nights against a clearly over-matched D&R Paving. Paper matchups, however, don't always play to expectations. John C, who pitched this team to a couple of championships and several championship appearances, made his first start in the circle for EYS this season covering for an absent Eric G. With a dazzling array of cutters, two-seamers, sinkers and knucklers, John C turned in a performance that can only make one ask "Why doesn't he pitch much anymore?" "I do what's asked..." said John C, adding "...but I know what I can do and I was determined to let this game serve as a reminder." John C pitched through some spotty defense and a frustrating lack of offense to lead EYS to a 7-5 victory. Kevin S made several stellar defensive plays at SS and in large part carried the offense. Pete G did his part covering a ridiculous amount of ground in LF while recording five putouts. "They all look like cans of corn when he's out there..." said an appreciative John C. "Good defense and great pitching made up for our struggles at the plate." concluded a relieved Deron S, manager of EYS and owner of a broken clipboard. 

June 22, Friday
The Pirates snoozed through a 7-4 loss to the Honey Nut Ichiros. A combination of uninspired defense and offense led to Pirates third loss of the season. "You have to win the games where you only give up 7 runs..." grumbled manager John C. "We need to play better on that field (Hoffman). Too many fly ball outs and too many missed opportunities on defense..." The Pirates face a quick turnaround with another game on Monday, June 25th. Additionally, many Pirates are playing in the Sweeney Memorial Tournament at Knickerbacker Fields in Troy over the weekend. 

Records and Standings

Dirty Pirates Sunday: 7-0, 1st by 1/2 a game over Bourbon St Reloaded (6-0)

Dirty Pirates: 7-3, 5th place in the North

EYS: 7-1, Combined with a loss by Fiscal Hitters, EYS moves into 1st place

Anarchy: 5-0, Although undefeated, rain-outs and rescheduled games keep Anarchy in 2nd place to Farm Family

Toyota of Clifton Park: 4-1, Toyota moves up to 4th place in the North

Softball Week in Review: Week 8; June 10 - June 16

June 10, Sunday
The Dirty Pirates found themselves engaged in a raucous skirmish with No Glove No Love. Both teams entered the fray undefeated, but the Pirates plundered a victory before heading back out to sea and sending their foes to bitter lamenting. This was no ordinary battle as No Glove No Love is comprised of long time Pirates' foes from Cool Runnings and Softballs who today found themselves with no magic bat. The Pirates defeated this coed B team while employing two EH's in their lineup--like they have for all their Sunday battles. From the first illegal pitch thrown by No Glove's starting pitcher to their last flailing plate appearance, No Glove got no love from the Dirty Pirates. Deryl B pitched another fine game and the Pirates plundered more booty.

June 11, Monday
A cockey EYS was taught some humility by Schmood Said Heads in a hard fought 5-4 loss.

June 12, Tuesday
Anarchy and Toyota of Clifton Parked were denied play by rainy weather.

June 14, Thursday
The Pirates pushed Road Warriors around at Bishop Maginn for a 12-9 lootin'. Road Warriors have improved since the Pirates last played them, but not enough to defeat an uninspired Pirate assault.

EYS punished Schmood Said Heads in a 19-5 blowout. So much for a dramatic re-match.

Records and Standings

Dirty Pirates Sunday: 7-0, 1st by 1/2 a game over Bourbon St Reloaded (6-0)

Dirty Pirates: 5-2, hang on to 3rd place in the North

EYS: 5-1, The loss drops them to 2nd place to the undefeated Fiscal Hitters

Anarchy: 4-0, Idled by rain, fall to 2nd place by 1 game to Farm Family

Toyota of Clifton Park: 3-1, Stuck in neutral by rain, Toyota remains in 5th place in the North

Softball Week in Review: Week 7; June 03 - June 09

June 03, Sunday

The Dirty Pirates fought two battles and earned two victories. They beat Evil Empire 14-7 and destroyed wannabees Cousin's Construction 34-5.

Game 1: The Pirates were tipsy from late night grog leading to a false sense of hope for Evil Empire. Their lust for loot, however, was too much and the Pirates launched a late innings cannonade to plunder the booty. Deryl B pitched a fine game and recovered from a couple of early mistakes.

Game 2: Cousin's Construction, cocky from their .500 record, swaggered onto the field striking an imposing image with their sparkling uniforms of black pants and green/gold shirts. The Pirates were unfazed by such a dazzling display of style and doled out a 34-5 pasting in appreciation. As soon as John C toed the rubber for the Pirates, the Cousin's had no hope. The Pirates launched multiple cannon barrages to pound the Cousin's silly while John C toyed with them mercilessly. Pirates outfielders complained of boredom on the way to the Cousin's deconstruction. When the smoke cleared, the Pirates could be seen walking away with the loot for a celebratory round of grog. 

June 05, Tuesday

Rain spared the faithless from an inevitable drubbing by EYS.

June 06, Wednesday

The league dumped a short notice make up double header on the Pirates who could only muster a split on the fake field at Hoffman.

Game 1: The Pirates attacked early and often against Colonie Beverage and rode the tides to a solid 8-2 victory. Pete G put on a defensive clinic in left field to support a competent start from Deryl B.

Game 2: The Pirates came out flat in their second battle and misfired their way to a 14-4 loss to Alcoballics. The Pirate defense was as porous as a rotting hull and the offense offered no support for a struggling John C. 

June 07, Thursday

The Pirates returned to the fake field at Hoffman to make battle with a surging Myke Hawke's Plowing. John C toed the rubber for a 2nd straight start and this time had complete command of his arsenal. "It's like anything..." said the Cap'n, "I need work to stay sharp...and lately, I'm not getting that work..." The Pirates attacked early and then fought a battle of attrition to plow Myke Hawke's to their 4th defeat.

June 08, Friday

Toyota: Playing their first game in three weeks, Toyota looked rusty after the green flag was waved. Troubled defense and some "well placed" hits put Toyota in a 6-2 hole to Regeneron at the end of the 1st. Strong pitching from John C and timely offense from Pete G, Ras, and Brian S turned the deficit into a 1 run lead into the 5th. Regeneron added 5 more runs for an 11-8 lead after the 6th. Toyota tied the game in the 7th with 3, but failed to capitalize on a bases loaded opportunity. A 7th inning goose egg forced the game into extra innings. Toyota turned the tables on Regeneron and took full advantage of a huge E7 that ultimately led to 7 runs in the top of the 8th. Toyota quietly put Regeneron to sleep in the bottom of the inning for an exciting W.

Anarchy: Behind The Hammer's 4-6 offensive tour de force, Anarchy made sure the Merry Monks abstained from victory in a 29-14 spiritual event.

Records and Standings

Dirty Pirates Sunday: 7-0, 1st by a game over Bourbon St Reloaded (5-0)

Dirty Pirates: 4-2, 3rd place in the North

EYS: 4-0, 1st by 1/2 game over Fiscal Hitters (3-0)

Anarchy: 4-0, 1st by 1/2 game over Farm Family

Toyota of Clifton Park: 3-1, Toyota remains in 5th place in the North

Softball Week in Review: Week 6; May 27 - June 02

May 27, Sunday
The Sunday Dirty Pirates had no game scheduled.

May 29, Tuesday
The Toyota Cup was washed out.

May 30, Wednesday
Stormy weather prevented the Dirty Pirates from setting sail.

May 31, Thursday
EYS laid waste to the Infidels who ironically had faith the mercy rule would prevent further humiliation. EYS pummeled the faithless 26-6.

June 01, Friday
Anarchy smashed O'Toole's 25-2. Somehow the game was even more lopsided than the score indicates. Stacey D, The Hammer, led the way in a dazzling offensive display worthy of her moniker. All Anarchists--except for semi-invalid John C--pounded the feeble offerings of O'Toole's and left most lusting for better competition.

Records and Standings

Dirty Pirates Sunday: 4-0, 1st by 1/2 game over Bourbon St Reloaded (3-0)

Dirty Pirates: 2-1, Continued rain leaves the Pirates at bay

EYS: 4-0, 1st by 1/2 game over Fiscal Hitters (3-0)

Anarchy: 3-0, With their third win, Anarchy takes sole possession of 1st place 1/2 game over Farm Family

Toyota of Clifton Park: 2-1, A rain idled Toyota remains stuck in 5th place in the North