it's good to see a cdmsbl game posted - the first one! - it means, yes, a new season has really started, winter's gone, spring returns, the grass is green again.
and it's good too see that jimmy p. didn't swallow his tongue - and that he took the time to write it. i hope all the managers post results of their games - it'll help keep us all a little more glued together.
several fellows have asked me about our spring training trip to san antonio from april 7-10, so i thought before our season gets into full swing, i'd bring y'all up to date, tell you what happened and what's in the works.
the short of it is, we had a really good time - fine games, great ribs, great margaritas, and warm sunny weather - even though only four guys went.
that's hardly a steamrolling team, but, actually, it proved enough. we had league president and marlins manager john reel, don wixon of the A's, my friend charlie christolini (a pitcher who plays in st. albans, vermont summers and clearwater, florida winters, the lucky guy) and me.
we still played four good games in three days on - as promised - beautiful fields. in fact, our last two games on saturday, april 10, were played in bright sunshine, 92 degree heat and soft south texas breezes on samsbl's own field which had bluebonnets sprouting on the other side of the wall. i looked at the albany weather in the san antonio paper that day: rain, high 30s.
so how'd we get four games with four guys? the kindness of strangers.
san antonio could do that, in part, because its msbl is very well organized, guys are in contact all the time,their cell phones are on, and they move quickly. in 12 years, president skip bradley has taken the league from an over-28 league of 8 teams, to one that has about 10 teams each in over-18, -28, -38, -48. and they've just started an over-58 division. the league plays from march to september on fields ranging from college level to minor league. so skip and a fellow manager tommy yeates were able to get four teams to play us and made sure we had at least 8 other guys filling out our roster. the teams that played us finished 1,2, 3 in over-38 last year and 1st in over 48.
i can't say enough about these guys - they were friendly, funny, and talented- and what was most remarkable about it was that each team knew before we got there that we had only four players. despite that, each agreed to play a nine-inning - but essentially meaningless - game, an extra game on their schedule - while we were there, as a courtesy to us.
it was to my eyes a remarkable thing: about 60 guys took time away from family and friends and whatever they had on their agendas to make sure that four carpetbagging yankees had games to play. and we were not charged for the fields.
beyond that, several fellows, like tommy yeates and catcher,3b glen grossenbacher, went out of their ways to show us around, to take us to restaurants, provide free libations at and after games.
the only downside - aside from not having a full albany contingent there- was in our first game, about the third or fouth inning, john reel hurt his knee sliding or running into second. it was one of those "shall i slide, shall i run?" quandries that resulted in big john lying on the dirt, saying, "oh no," and a few other choice words. he made it back in one piece and last i emailed him - two weeks ago - sounded as if he were recovering and ready to swing his 42-ounce bat again.
there are several upsides.
john wrote me that he'd like to go again next year (this time he'll slide) and we're going to work on getting one or more teams down there.
for their part, samsbl is inviting us to come earlier - in mid to late march - and they are considering start their season with a tournament against us - and any northern snowbirds who want to come down. tommy yeates suggested calling it the "bluebonnet tournament," and for now that's it.
and for our part, we're working on creating an "autumn leaves tournament" (a name in progress), in which san antonio would send up one or more teams to play us the third week in september. plans are in the works for them to be here this year from sept. 18-24th. these games would extend the season for guys who play the texans - and help get guys in shape for tournaments in florida and arizona. the visiting players also want to do some leaf-peeping, see cooperstown and take in a game in boston or new york.
so we played our four games - i swear carlos beltran played center for one of the teams - but, more, i'm hoping we have something to build on. when these guys come up in the fall, i hope you'll take the time to meet them - and maybe face some of their pitchers. i tell you, they got hummers that pop, and curves that dart into tomorow.
