Game #1

Team Parks and Wrecks came together last Friday evening sometime during the 9pm hour. Many of us were strangers before that but by 11:45pm, we had congealed together cohesively like a winning team. Although we may have lost on paper, the 6 or so runs we brought in as a first time team was a huge accomplishment. Here's a recap: Being the visiting team on a cold and windy night in Oak Park, we were up to bat first. Breaking out of her 23 year departure from softball, Adrienne Ayer proved that she is a solid batter and outfielder for Team Parks and Wrecks. Friday's game was a warm up for Adrienne and she demonstrated that she can easily transition back into a team player after over two decades on the bench. An oversight occured when Alex Davidkhanian's turn was skipped in the batting order. Although an accident, Alex kept his sense of humor despite coming from a sleep deprived house with 3 kids under the age of 6 for the night. Proving that blondes do have more fun, Kyle Hanson scored a run in the second inning and assisted with many balls in center field. John McCormick's pro-like batting and fielding hugely contributed to the success of the team. John's power hitting ability kept the other team on their toes. He was the first on the team to cross the plate bringing home our first run. Another dad with a newborn at home on the team who can seemingly multi-task effortlessly. There was no play too complicated for Ericka Lingk. Our star second baseman knew where to position herself at all times and was all over second base during a force. Ericka also brought home one of the first runs and hit an RBI. Ericka is another hardworking member of the team not to even mention that her dissertation is due in about 2 weeks. Bill Maliff rocked it with the bat and on the field. Practically deboarding a plane and coming directly to the field, he showed that there is no differentiation between work and play because he takes both seriously. Joe Winbigler, our youngest and most rablerousing team member attracted a crowd of devoted and enthusiastic fans to the stands! Joe, bringing down the average age of the group significantly, proved himself as a go getter in the outfield as well as crossing the plate for Parks and Wrecks. Winbigler's enthusiasm and skill is a big winner. MVP Kelly Oxer starred as our solo pitcher. To much of her teammates surprise, she has never pitched a 14 inch before Friday night and she had several strike outs and made some great plays. Although Kelly's philanthropic side must end by not giving anyone walks just because she feels sorry for them. Kelly is just as skilled at the plate as she is at the pitchers mound. The idea man who coined our team "Parks and Wrecks", Michael Bornhorst, stood sturdy as our 3rd baseman. Michael showed us that a creative mind and an athletic soul is a good combination. I've spotted Michael around the 'hood practicing his swinging with his imaginary bat. Don't call Chris an "O'Connell" with a bat in his hand because he is an O'Donnell and it fires him up. Chris may be a newbie to softball but he proved to be a quick learner and is a great addition to the team. Nothing on the ground gets passed Steve Black when he is shortstop. His steadfast ability to scoop up a ball and effortlessly throw to first base was demonstrated within minutes after the home team pick up their bats. The outfield went deep when Steve stood up to the plate. Stepping into the roll of shortstop mid game was a snap for Sonny Mann. After almost opting to make his debut with Parks and Wrecks next week, Sonny made it and made us proud. Another enthusiastic, talented addition to the team! Just giving birth just a few weeks ago, Sally McCormick showed up eager and ready to play where ever needed. That in and of itself is heroic. Although not healed from giving birth yet, Sally hit, ran, caught and threw and we are praying she isn't too sore this weekend! All that along with the 10pm game put her home in time for a midnight feeding! Thanks for helping us keep a scoresheet and for bringing the bats. Rick Nott showed that batting cage practice does work on the plate and on the field. Playing first base for much of the game, Rick did not let the option of not retrieving the ball in his glove even cross his mind. Thanks for letting all use the all-star bat. Not letting altitude sickness get in the way of playing softball, Jon Lulu took over as first baseman for the last couple of innings. Jon was also proficient at First Base, however, in his only at bat, Jon thought the play at first was closer than it was which lead him into a sliding frenzy just a bit early. Then, there's me the "community organizer". Perhaps a bit flustered with my job responsibilities and learning how to scorekeep but I am determined to have fun and finding it not at all hard with this team!!! Thanks everyone for a great time. Go team Parks and Wrecks.