September 15, 2007 - Game Recap

Crato, Pace, and Mark vs. James and Jason

WP: Mark
LP: James
HR: Crato (6), Mark (10), Pace (3), James (1), Jason (1)

This was a matchup of the has-recently-played team against the hasn't-played-in-a-long-time-and-it-showed team. James started for his team and labored from the get-go. By the 2nd inning he appealed to some unwritten rule that if you give up 3 straight dingers you have to let someone else pitch. Jason came in to relieve and gave it a yeoman's effort, pitching despite severe elbow, knee, back, and shoulder injuries. He got the first 4 batters he faced out with a tantalizing high curve ball...but then we hit 4 straight homers. James came back in to relieve and gave up 2 more homers extending the streak to 6. I came in to close it out in the 5th and surrendered a solo shot to Jason, and a strike em' out bat toss to James.

Game Highlights:

• Mark, Crato, and I tied the record set by Crato (in a 1-on-1-on-1 game) hitting 6 straight homers
• One game after his miraculous 2x homer through the window, Crato, batting lefty, dinked one into right field and came within 1 or 2 inches of repeating the feat through the same back window of the same car. He was credited with a solo homerun.
• Jason, also batting lefty, came within inches of sending the bat through the same window on an inadvertent bat toss. He was credited with a strike. Mark suffered momentary confusion and briefly ran towards the ball that lay near the garage door since the tossed bat made him think that the ball was in play. As a preventative measure I put some tennis grip on the bat handle.
  
• One game after enforcing the "the ball is still live after it hits a part of the field" rule, James robbed Mark of a homer off the centerfield bushes.
• Crato, on his "all or nothing" campaign, recorded only homeruns or outs, nothing in between.
• Various flashy defensive plays led us to declare, "Defense is Back."

Game Report by Pace Barker

September 1, 2007 - Game Recap

Crato, Joseph, and Mark vs. Desi, Pops, and Pace

Crato felt pitching running through his blood that morning, so he took the mound and threw a hitless first inning. Take note that it was three strikeouts and three walks, so the control wasn’t all there, but it was still reminiscent of the old Crato. Then he assigned the batting order for our team, which turned out to be a good call too; our first 8 runs were all from 2 run homers. Desi started for the other team and actually pitched a decent game, even though he kept giving up ding dongs. Pace came in to relieve Desi in the 4th inning, and quickly gave up a double home run to Crato, which was the highlight of the game. With one man on, Crato sliced the ball to right field. Just as the ball was diving for a bounce, some wicked wiffle action lifted it just high enough to enter Crato’s own car through the back open window (half open, mind you), and suddenly the game was out of reach. We all felt weird after we held hands and danced in a circle for the celebration, but the damage was done. The final score was something like 12-8.

There were some allegations that Crato cheated. First, he hit the double homer into his own car which was parked suspiciously close. Second, he kept summoning Owen to the mound when he was getting frazzled. Third, Desi found a “foreign substance” on the ball Crato was pitching with. All of these allegations came from Pace, who throughout his life has dealt with an inferiority complex, and this is the way he deals with it. So that’s cool.

Game highlights:

• First ever double home run through an open car window
• Game had already ended when Mark conceded that, as center fielder, he had not made the final call on a disputed pitch to Desi, whose at bat ended in an out. So the game was restarted and Crato walked Desi. Then Pace grounded out, or was that Pops? I can’t remember. Anyway, the end of the game being recalled and play resuming is a record.
• Pops had an at bat where he Tony Womacked one into the bush on 3-2 and then drew a walk on the very next pitch.

Game Report by Mark Lambert

August 11, 2007 - Game Recap

Desi and Crato vs. Paul and Pace

This was Paul's first start as an engaged/married man. Crato hinted at a special day at the mound but it ended after I hit a leadoff homer. The score escalated on both sides pretty fast so we changed it to 2 outs per inning. We padded the lead in the 5th headed to the bottom half with a 24-13 lead (or as Desi put it, "we only need to hit 3 grand slams to win"). Paul started struggling on the mound and opted not to call in relief. I'm not sure we even recorded one out before they put up a 12-spot and won the game. Let the record show I didn't choke. I guess I mishandled a fast grounder off the Cesar E. Chavez y Chavez y Chavez Ravine, but I think the official score was a "hit".

Game highlights:

• The outfielder/SS didn't record a single out the entire game.
• The rill in the shortstop position at Lambert Field was officially named Cesar E. Chavez y Chavez y Chavez Ravine. The name comes from a few different sources. First, the Dodgers Play in Chavez Ravine, which is named after Cesar E. Chavez who was a civil rights leader who loved wiffleball. Second, the character Jose Chavez y Chavez from Young Guns was played by Lou Diamond Phillips, who was Pop’s favorite actor after he saw Stand and Deliver. The final Chavez is in honor of Chavez Walker, a great and dedicated wiffleball player from 1998 – 1999, best known for his high batting average and good nature.

Game Report by Pace Barker

November 23, 2006 - Game Recap

Crato, Paul, Desi, Desi's Twin, Blake vs. Pace, Mark, Blake's Brother, Blake's Brother's Girlfriend

Just a quick wiffle update for all interested. We gathered Thanksgiving morning with an eclectic group of retirees, veterans, fair-weather players, rookies, and even a girl (who hit a home run, and hit in just about every at-bat, until Crato started throwing her real stuff). It was a good game, the lead going back and forth from inning to inning, in the end the Crato-Paul-Desi-Desi's Twin-Blake team beat the Pace-Mark-Blake's Brother-Blake's Brother's Girlfriend team. My slump continued and that is the only reason I am writing really, to try and get the monkey off my back because another wiffle game is scheduled this Saturday and I've got to do everything I can go stop the slump. It's a real slump. I can't hit the ball. I went 1 for 8 or 9, the only hit I got was off a bunt/swing hybrid down the first base line. Then I struck out every other at bat. I fouled once, in the last at bat. Now I know what Derek Jeter felt like at the beginning of the 05 season, and to think I was rooting for that slump to continue. It's the worst feeling. I wish it upon no one. I'm not sure what this is penance for, I've only ever been true to the game, and I've been extremely objective in the outfielder/home plate umpire position during my whole career. To have the heart of the slump occur in a game with rookies present was more than humiliating. Anyway, any words of advice from others who have experienced slumps are welcome. And thanks for the prayers.

Game Report by Mark Lambert

October 21, 2006 - Game Recap

Crato vs. Pace vs. Mark

A recent game full of records and some leaks from the wiffle rumor mill . . .

Two Saturdays ago, Pace, Crato and I played a 4 inning 1 on 1 on 1. I won't go into my usual play by play detail but the facts to remember are these:

• I gave up 6 home runs in a row to Crato.
• He hit 8 HR in that inning, I think.
• Out of my total 8 outs for the game, I struck out 7 times
• I couldn't hit a thing and at the end of the game I was bunting foul just to draw walks. I struck out bunting for the last out.
• Pace and Crato went back and forth and back and forth on the lead with some pretty awesome home runs for both.

I think the final score was 21-18-3. Crato won it with a 3-run walk off HR off Pace.
I think Pace lead off the game with HR off Crato. Those are always exciting and deflating. Not as deflating as 6 HR in a row, though. That sucked. Not as bad as not being able to hit, though, that was the worst.

Game report by Mark Lambert