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