Save the drama for your mama, we’re here to play

Parks and Wrecks experienced 2 new things this season. First, we finally won a game!!! Second, we won that game by slaughter rule. We lost our first game, but many would say that our loss was a bigger win than our actual win b/c we lost to a team who beat us last week by slaughter rule, however, we played the entire game and only lost by 5 runs. Both games were great. Here are the highlights: The spotlight was on our catcher, Rachel when she aggressively prevented a run home by getting in front of the runner. She also hit the ball well as her time at the batting cages has paid off and hit RBIs. Shari's hitting also was duly noted by this blogger as she did a fantastic job of hitting the ball hard and low. Shari made some great stops at 3B in addition to at least one stellar catch! Steve "knew what to do" the entire game but it helped for him to be reminded of that especially as he hit a homer and snatched some great balls in left field. Genay pulled the ball way into the outfield as she rounded the bases deservedly. Drew played musical chairs between 1B and pitching and did a great job at both. He also had some stellar hits making it to home multiple times. Now known as "the looker", Robert entertained the team as he struck out and following that received several strikes at bat. He did a great job pitching and striking out the offense, as well! Takes one to know one, I guess. Kelly hit the ball well and did a great job getting it back into play while at short center. Todd never disappoints at bat or on the field and he did his usual, yet we are bummed that he is bailing on us for our last game. Bill's magic was worked in the infield this time. He did a great job at short stop switching it up for some variety. He also finally made it on base as defense prepared for his killer pop-ups by nearly positioning themselves in Austin to retrieve them. Great games, Parks and Wrecks! Next and last game is this Friday @ 9:45! Bring it!

"The only thing worse than a Mets (P&W) game is a Mets(P&W) double header." -Casey Stengel

Our first double header for the season. The first game was rough due to just a bad couple of innings, however, we played the entire second game. This is progress. Here are the highlights. Robert pulled a muscle taking one for the team but in order to compensate for his unusual slow running pace, he hit the ball even further. He also did a stellar job covering CF and did a great job as pitcher. Loved those first fake pitches to throw off the batter! Steve felt the aftermath of using his legs for running instead of his arms for throwing. Even for Steve, he made some remarkable plays in the field and (per usual) hit a home run! Also a homerun hero, Todd knocked it out of the park in addition to making some phenominal plays in LF. Steph sustained an injury while at bat when the rules got to complicated for her to find a sub batter. Only to find out she has a broken bone in her hand and is out of commission for the rest of the season, we will miss her athletic prowess and team spirit but she will still come to cheer us on and will heal for next season. Genay had a fabulous catch in CF and hit the ball like she wasn't going to see it again. Rachel also hit the ball well and also did some great fielding by getting the ball back in quickly. We are always in awe of Michael's arm because, he too, knows how to throw a ball back into play. Tim corrected an error demonstrating that we need to never give up - his follow through helped get the batter out at first! Kelly's repenting last week left her a bit rusty on the lead-off rules but she did a great job at fielding and hitting the ball. Jeff's final game left him going out in a bang as he did a great job stopping the ball in the field. Drew did his usual magic when he pitched and had some great hits. Kyle hit the ball well and her speed served as a fan for cooling off the opposing team because she made them work so hard at getting her out. Shari made some great plays at 3B including a miraculous line drive catch! And, finally, Rachel will kill me if I don't include this one. The opposing team used their psychic powers to start heading in from the field after 2 outs. Apparently they got to a point where they were over confident about their ability to get the 3rd out....especially when I was at bat. It's off the batting cages!

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall"

A rough one last Friday night. Here are the highlights: Mega-hitter Michael was responsible for the only Run Batted In! Kewl Kyle came so close making it to first as she ran the fastest I'd ever seen her speedy legs run. Spitfire Steph did a great job at 1B. Terrific Tim pounded the ball out to right field. Raving Rachel made it on base twice. Dazzeling Drew pitched awesome. Sassy and savvy Shari covered short center. Jumpin' Jeff ran fast and furious. Glorious Genay was great at trying to get those homeruns in right field. Twisting Todd made some great stops at short. Bouncing Bill made his usual magnificent catches. And finally, Jewish Julie who sinned by playing on Yom Kippur is going to hell.

“Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.” ― Albert Payson Terhune

Although we endured a tough loss last Friday, I think we are all pretty optimistic that we have the ability to win big. It's just a matter of time. Until then, we are all having fun. Here are the highlights. Ensuring that Parks and Wrecks did not leave with a goose egg, Tim scored our only run. Classy catcher Kyle is on a t-shirt escapade so that we will be all stylin' and matching this Friday. Don't forget your $21 for her! Roberto rushed to get to his post on time yet only to find he was subbing out for the first half as the capt anticipated a late arrival and made an emergency plan. He did a great job striking several Big Shot's out. Shari didn't have as much action during her game #2 in the field but she hit the ball far and hard. A warm welcome to newest male player, Drew, who did an excellent job pitching and hitting. Kelly's killer catch at short center had the fans go wild. Jeff played a challenging game at 1B very well. P&W inaugurated Stephanie by challenging her to play infield and outfield positions during her first game. She did a great job at both! Steve's unstoppable fielding at shortstop was awe-inspiring per usual. He also ran the bases faster than I drive. Also making her debut, Rachel had a great game at 3B. Out in left field with the family cheering for him in the stands, Todd made some great catches and got the ball quickly back into play when needed. Genay was on fire during inning 3, as she was responsible for 2 amazing catches shortening up the inning. We are the home team playing WTPA this Friday @ 9:45pm. See you out there! -Julie

New and Improved Parks and Wrecks

We lost by 3 runs which is a win from last season. Here are the highlights: Careful not to get swept away in the dip located in far Right Field, Genay played a solid game and hit the ball with her usual gusto. Dynamo Bill caught practically every ball that came his way with ease and also did some outstanding hitting and base running. Showing up late yet right on time to sub in, Michael had some great hits and at least one RBI. Our newest female showing up for our first game impressed us all...Shari did a phenominal job at 3B but not with out proof...a bruise in the center of her hand from stopping and catching so many balls. Another newbie who hit the ground running, Tim, scored during his first game for P&W! He ran those bases like lightening! Kyle the fantabulous catcher knew just when to let those foul balls go so they could be strikes and she made great contact with the ball at bat per usual. Chris made some awesome plays at Center as his family stood at the park to get a clear view of his fancy footwork. Kelly showed power behind her hits at bat as Joshie wished he could make the roster this season. Making his debut with P&W, Jeff played a great game demonstrating his talents at 1B. Robert wins MVP with some stellar pitching and his tricky play to get the lead off runner at 1B out but in the end did a bait and switch at 2B. Steve's short stint at shortstop tonight was relatively uneventful...we are just warming him up slowly for a busy season. He hit the ball solidly as usual. Juggling his new role as dad and team member of P&W, Todd was also a welcomed addition to the game as he killed the ball and made some key plays at short stop. Next game time is 6:45 on September 6.

Nott's Farewell. Sunday, June 9.

As one of the founding players of P&W and our Rick of all trades...pitcher, 1B, benchwarmer, 3B, outfielder, it is time to say good-bye to him in a similar way in which we met him....slaughter rule. Below are the highlights of Rick's last game with P&W. Alex barely got a chance to dip his toe into the water at 1B, but did a great job. Chris batted the only RBI. Although tardy and made the whole team wait for his arrival, Steve made up for it by his awesome fielding. Speaking of awesome fielding... right behind him in LF, Bill deserves a shout out for some great "hard to get" catches. Tammy's batting practice paid off during game as her improved hitting was evidenced. Deb got just a little action in RF and did a great job of getting the ball back into play. Jen fielded a great play at 2B exemplifying that the female power on the team is underestimated bc she was the only person that night to actually throw a ball to another female. That proved effective. (hint) Kelly did a great job of backing up a ball that bounced out of Steve's glove. Coming straight from her sick bed, Kyle barely got a chance to catch but her enthusiasm was felt. Robert caught an amazing line drive testing his fast reflexes. Rick's last hit with P&W was a solid single.

June 7

I am a little behind in blogging. If you missed or have forgotten the highlights from our June 7, 2013 game, you can breath deeply now. The memories of that game are now forever embedded below: Making his debut with Parks and Wrecks, Robert showed up as a sub, but without hesitation, agreed to be a permenant member of our team. Frustrated with the fact that the pitches were not being evenly called balls when opposing team was at bat, we all chalked it up to Robert's initiation process. Deb hit her first RBI (which was definitely a foreshadowing for the future!). Chris rounded the bases and made a triple. Bill's aggressive base running scored our first run and he made at least 3 pheonominal catches in LF despite sustaining an injury which almost precluded him from playing LF. Kelly fielded some tough balls at Short Center and did a great job of getting them back into the infield. Genay made some great plays at 1B. If you blinked, you may have missed Jen's short stint in the outfield, as our game was cut short by a slaughter. Julie threw her glove at a ball that was not with in reach but realized that strategy has its faults. Tammy did a fantastic job of catching and covering home. Brian was a lifesaver at 3B. Steve's RBIs contributed to the few runs Parks and Wrecks scored on Friday evening.

In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end. -Tom Seaver

Fridays game proved that we are definitely consistent. We are good at one thing...the slaughter rule! Here are the highlights: Tammy's eagerness while at bat definitely reared its head as she refused to take a walk and swung at every pitch. Chris did well covering short stop making at least 2 stellar catches. Back part-time after her short retirement from pitching, Kelly stopped letting the women take walks on the opposing team. Responsible for the only RBI for P&W, Bill also showed some fancy moves in Left when he wasn't sitting down on the field waiting for the opposing team to walk. Refusing to let anyone think that an injury would keep her down, Genay caught an amazing line drive at first. Responsible for our very own P&W cheering section, Jen had an awesome hit which can be attributed to our batting practice before the game. Deb patiently waited to bat, however, never got the opportunity to do so because we didn't get through the batting order until inning 4. Alex did a fine job for his pitching debut but of course he had to be formally initiated by getting injured. After refusing to pitch ever again, Rick relieved Alex of pitching for a while and even scored one of our 2 runs following Kelly. With only a few hours of sleep, Michael did a great job of getting the ball back into play. Not seeing any other options but to apply kickball rules to softball, Kyle gently threw the ball to a man running home hoping to get him out through the tag.

Batting Practice

Our generousness by allowing the Big Shots to have a nice, long batting practice at our expense is ending tonight. No more charity. Here are some Parks and Wrecks Highlights: Almost being taken down by the ball, Tammy braved 3B until her team decided that we wanted her to be around all season and she made a quick transition. Jon's reflexes came in handy at 3B when a line drive meant for his chest landed swiftly in his glove. Keeping the bench warm, Jen didn't get a chance to field but was able to get some insight from her "pro" Windmill daughter. Deb's star catch at 2B was a close call but her determination and ability to keep it in her hands was impressive. Being among the few to make it on base, Kelly hit an amazing ball well-positioned in a left field hole. Following her lead, Steve also was one of the few to get on base. His moves at Short Stop helped shorten some of those looonnnggg innings. Better late than never, Chris arrived with his quick fielding moves and unique ability to get that ball back into play. Genay's flexibilty in the field allowed her to be a Jack of all trades making some great plays. Rick, having to work the hardest during this batting practice, could not help but stick some curve balls in his routine. Alex also did a great job of playing musical chairs in the field helping Parks and Wrecks cover where we were in need. And, last but not least...a tired but totally committed and optimistic Michael, joins us post game running on the field asking with enthusiasm and authenticity, "did we win?" That just made my night! -Julie

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

I'd like to think of Friday's game more as a practice. As the first game of the season, we all just needed that warm-up. This Friday will be the real deal! On the bright side, I think we hung on for a long time and individually did really well. When we've lost by slaughter rule in the past, it usually has happened early on in the game. There were some real moments of hope during Friday's defeat. Here are the highlights: Towering over Right Field, Michael's magical catch fueled his teammates with excitement. Finally joining us after making us anticipate her arrival for a year, Holly showed her suave softball moves by stopping the ball and not allowing it to get past her. It was a 2 homerun night for Steve earning MVP and some proud offspring in the stands. Our retired pitcher, Kelly, did her share by scoring 2 runs while at bat and a couple of outstanding catches at 3rd, despite her failure to tag 1B after Chris' far and wide hit which was a "lucky catch" made by the opposing team. Speaking of Chris...almost leaving us high and dry by threatening to be a no show ...he arrived ready to roll and made some great plays in left field not allowing the ball to touch the ground (for very long at least). Newcomer Tammy is a welcomed member to Parks and Wrecks this season. Her strong, solid swings bring great promise to the team. Jon did not live up to his reputation of being 'down on the ground'. He rounded the bases with ease scoring for P&W. Jen, another welcomed new member, looked alive at short center and helped defend P&W during her first game of the season. Our new pitcher, Rick, did a great job at it. Although some of his pitches were called balls, I overheard the ump saying.."I can't believe she didn't take that one. She just wants a walk." Left-handed Genay pulls the ball fast and furiously to right field every time and her amazing catch in CF was admired by all. Kyle hit the ball well and took off at a record breaking pace making it on base and a RBI. Our score was misleading. In my book, we all had successes. Great start to the season, Parks and Wrecks!!!! See you out there!