We arrived in Fla. with great optimism believing the playoffs would be a shoe-in. Loaded with guys from Dutchess County who had won rings in the past, and players from St. Louis, Seattle and Milwaukee, the hornets were poised to make a run.
But ya' know - crap happens! Our No. 4 hitter and top pitcher had issues with his business and kids, and couldn't come down. His wife and brother were here, but he missed his first Fall Classic in 8 years. Two other guys from Dutchess also played for a 35 team, but with a commitment to us. Well, that 35 team showed up with just 9 players, so commitments changed and one of the guys was my No. 2 pitcher. The 35s wore him out.
But, we got off to a 22-10 win in Game 1 against perennial doormat The snowbirds, whose manager lives in Toronto. Then came Jersey, who turned the tide on us with a lopsided win.
We then got off to an 8-0 deficit after 1 inning of Game 3 vs. Delco, the runner-up from a year ago. To the bullpen we go in inning 2 - of the first game of a DH. JimK stops them cold for 7 innings as the Hornets crawl to within 8-4 entering the 9th, but Delco opens it up with a 5-spot to seal the deal. Game 2 of the DH follows and we get whacked again by the Western Pa. Bucs.
Game 5 on Thursday still has meaning. A win over the Tampa Bay Rebels gets us into the playoffs. We are still confident because TB is 1-3 entering the final day of the Round Robin, and this is TB's DH day.
We failed to show up, getting trounced and putting an end to the misery and gruel of 4 games in 40 hours. This is why you need 18 players for this tournament. My groin should be better in a few days after pitching in parts of 4 games. The guy from Seattle took a tumble running out a grounder and broke a bone in his left arm. We started out with 14 and finished with 10.
But like Eppy said, it's all about having fun - especially outside the lines. I only wish I could have seen Eppy's group of karaoke singers!
But there is one highlight that five of us will never forget: We watched the liftoff of the space shuttle from the top story of our condo!!!
Thanks to Fran Brunelle, Bill Rossiter and Steve DiNuucci of Dutchess/Westchester counties, Rich Bonny of Seattle, Bill Johnson of St. Louis, Tim Urban and Mark Holzwart of Milwaukee, Charlie Christoldini of Vermont, Mike LaBarge of our 45 Dodgers and Bob Yakatan of the Pirates for joining Hornets Bill Smith, Al Wolfer and yours truly for a great time.
While it's always nice to play with our own, it's equally as nice to meet new players from across the country. They are truly first class.
