The CDMSBL finally go the championship game they hoped for last night at Clifton Commons. The game started pretty much like all of our previous games this season, promptly at 8:30pm.
Tony Nardarci, fresh up from his nap and excited to be out after his curfew, agreed along with John Pologa to participate in one of Paul Scutieris wildest plays. Paul wasted no time and called the play in the top of the first. Tony was instructed to check his swing and induce a called third strike. John was then to begin yelling at the home plate umpire in the hopes that Marlins manager John Reel would try the old Dick Stark play. For those not familiar with the play its when, in a championship game, a manager has an opposing teams player ejected from the game then waits 5 minutes before allowing the ump to hand him the trophy. It should have worked perfectly this time. Unfortunately this time the play didnt work because the ump wasnt familiar with that play and didnt allow the forfeit. For the Marlins it was just a minor set back. Those crafty fish still knew some tricks and there was plenty of game left.
The Marlins set the tone of the game in the bottom of the first. Threatening to score and with Mike Girard at the plate, veteran catcher Brian Mussela called for a pitch out. Veteran big game pitcher Bob Bolt, who normally has pinpoint control, missed his mark and through a strike as Mike Girard swung and missed ending the threat. The Marlins scored first taking a 1-0 lead and Jim Ansel, as he has done so often, kept the Orioles off balance causing the mighty bats of the Orioles to leave many men in scoring position. As with all good teams, the Orioles didnt stay silent for long. We scratched out 2 runs and took the lead never to fall behind again. The final was Orioles 3 Marlins 1. With such a low score the main stories were all about pitching and defense.
There are a lot of guys who stand on the mound and throw baseballs towards home. But there are only a few who are truly pitchers. Four of the best in our league pitched last night. Bob Bolt who had the win, followed by Dave Topino and Marlins pitchers Jim Ansel and Jim Lattore. They all did a great job as the fate of the game rode on each and every pitch.
Next comes the shortstops. Arguably the most demanding position in the game. Two of the leagues best, Dennis Buckley and Randy Craft, went head to head and matched each others efforts playing errorless ball for 7 innings.
Management also played a big role in last nights classic. Paul Scutieri, a rookie manager but a veteran player, had to manage both egos and injuries. He had to make tough pitching decisions and also call for that occasional bunt. John Reel, the manager who has managed more championship teams than all the other managers in all 3 leagues combined, used all the plays from his very extensive playbook. For instance, the play he called in the 5th was a classic. Contemplating a change, he had Jim Lattore begin his warm-ups on the sideline. He then called for the have Ronnie dive and break a rib so the pitcher will have more time to warm up play. When that wasnt enough time, John called in a favor from the Clifton Park Gods and had the sprinklers go off. Two better managers you just wont find.
As we battled to the 7th, Dave Topino got one quick out and Randy Craft did what Randy Craft does. He singled to left. Which then brought the tying run to the plate in one of the most feared players in the league, Mike Girard. Davey T wound up and let it fly. You could hear the gasps from the Marlins fans as he hit a dying quail to left which Mark Lenox caught at the base of the left field wall.
My humor was not meant to offend and there was no malice intended. I realized that both the Marlins and the Orioles have far more similarities than differences. We all wanted to win and we all wanted to play hard. We all, each and every one of us, were given chances to impact the outcome of this game. And thats what makes baseball a great game. Its a team game. The good news is whether we win or lose we can leave it all on the field. No matter the outcome, we will always have someone who is going to love us, win or lose. Thats really whats important.
On this particular night it was the Orioles who got the breaks. It was the Orioles who got the trophy. It was the Orioles who were crowned champions. This year, this moment at least, it was truly our turn
