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!

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.” Bob Feller

Our last game of the regular Fall season. Our shortest game. Our coldest game. Crush crushed us. But...we're in the play-offs, and we get another chance. Here are the highlights of our shortest game in history. Like 2 ships passing eachother in the night, Phil and Rick both went for the ball hit right between them in the outfield. Although almost catching it, they did a great job of backing eachother up and getting the ball back into the field quickly. At bat, Phil was completely robbed at 1B with a lousy ump call. Tina's super studley catch in short center made the mid inning switch totally worth while. Also in the outfield and retrieving many balls on Friday night, Adrienne did a great job of getting the ball back into the field despite the wind carrying the ball farther than it "should have" gone. From the outfield, Genay hunted down a runner on his way to 3B. The runner looked like a deer in headlights as a poised Genay tagged him out. Also hunting for those careless base runners who underestimate our aggressiveness, Alli and Jon were determined to get the lead-off runner out between pitches. Their valiant efforts did not go unnoticed. Steve was (and is always) the star cut-off man running the field and making sure he was where he needed to be at all times to retrieve the ball from the outfielder and get it back in for the play. Additionally, Steve does a great job of reminding "people" who are less aware of their cut-off role more conscious of the responsibility. Helping me make my best play of the night, Steve's gentle reminders kept me on task. Michael made some heroic throws to 1B. Although the tie went to the runner, the "almost" out kept the excitement running through our chilly bones.

Double Win!

Game #1 against wasn't looking good after the first inning. We were 9 runs down and feeling a bit low energy at the end of the weekend. However, Parks and Wrecks made a huge comeback mid-game. Then, game #2 started a little late. We were tired from our previous game and the opposing team looked ready to kill. It was their first game of the night. However, we pulled through and did a superior job of fielding and hitting the ball despite many injured players. The pressure built up during the bottom of that last inning. As the visiting team in the field for the final time, we were up by 2 and they had 2 outs, bases loaded and a heavy hitter at bat. We held the runs and batter was out. Surreal! A little trivia for the team. We beat the Wright Fielders last season, however, we were slaughtered by the Big Shots last season pretty badly during our first game. We've come along way, team! Here are some brief highlights from Sunday night: Unaware that she had committed to a double header, Genay quickly got her game on after transferring her tough day into a winning high. Her fielding was superb. She caught an amazing ball at First on a bounce that didn't seem possible. Bill ran the bases in record time. Although injured from sprinting like an 18 year old, he made some wicked plays 1B plays and seemed surprised that his shoes collected so much dirt there. Welcome to the infield. Rick had a stellar catch in the outfield but will be remembered for his offensive hitting and base running during this particular double header. He did a great job of getting on base, rounding them and bringing home the runs. Speaking of RBIs, Jessica's hits brought them in by the handful. In addition, her strategic fielding as catcher aided with several strike outs. She patiently let those foul balls go and that's not always easy. With a bruised belly and later an arm hit hard by a ball, Kelly's pitching is always second to none. We can never underestimate the value of her gift to get the ball in the right place, at the right time. An impressive number of strike outs! As someone who proved he could get a ball in the "right" place, Jon hit the ball all wrong for the defense by strategically placing it in the gaps. Jon got himself on base a number of times. Chris tempered his anxious arm making some great plays and one of a kind catches. At bat, he pulverized the ball. Warmed up from Friday and ready to roll, Phil was another one who crushed the ball and ran aggressively and successfully helping rack up the runs. Victory minded and eager to score, Tina held her own in the field and at bat. She consistantly hit the ball and scored for Parks and Wrecks. Go P&W!!!!!!

"All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height." -Casey Stengel

Although we lost to the guys in the baseball pants again, we need to celebrate some seriously great plays. During our first inning in the field, Kelly's quick reflexes came in handy when she caught a ball shooting at her at like 90 MPH. However, she did not fare so well later in the game when the tallest member of the other team pelted the ball right at her belly button. Her belly "catch" resulted in a single instead of a triple, but she definitely took one for the team. Let's just say it's a good thing she is done with the birthing thing. New kid on the block (literally), Chris, filling in for Steve won a spot on the teams roster for the Spring. Chris really knows how to hit a ball and that arm came in handy when he needed it to throw to 1B....(and beyond). Welcome to the neighborhood, Chris! Genay covering 1B for 2 innings tonight made an astounding line drive catch. Genay also made one of the first runs in of the night! Alex's memorable catch at short center had everyone cheering. He also was responsible for at least one RBI at bat. Don't feel bad for bailing on us on Sunday, Alex. A dinner out with friends is waaayyy more important than your 2-3 softball team who could make it into the play-offs with your help. ;) Jessica showed extreme talent in RF when she caught a fly ball, but we are convinced that the fancy pants team planted a mexican jumping bean inside of that ball to hop out of her glove. Even so, I still call that a catch in my book because it seemed to survive the 3 second rule. Our 3rd base fill- in, Phil, did a great job hitting the ball. Another heavy hitter and member that instantly made it on to our Spring roster next season. Welcome Phil. Although she begged to be catcher the entire time, Alli's perservering speed always gets the ball back into the infield as fast as lightening. How could any right-minded captain put her in the infield? Speaking of speed, there's no place in left field that's out of Bill's range. Bill dashed where ever he was needed and per usual made some commendable catches. Training for his marathon and raising money to cure cancer is just a side job for Rick's real aspiration of floating between 1B and short center. Rick made some great plays at first and hit the ball well. Rick is waking up at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning to train for his run before church and is expected to be fresh and ready for our 7pm double header. After being benched for an ankle injury, I finally got to play and made it on base, but caved at the chance to make a double play in the field. Next time. Great job Parks and Wrecks. Although I would've thoroughly enjoyed hearing the lecture their captain would've given the team if they lost to us, I think we played a fantastic game. Rest up for Sunday!

"It’s not how good you are, it’s how bad you want it." Anonymous

Exciting game for Parks and Wrecks. Another win against "Ball Me Maybe" As a team, we did 3 especially fantastic things worth mentioning: 1. After being down by a number of runs early in the game, we made a quick comeback. 2. During 2 particular innings we had 2 outs and instead of easily giving in to wipe the inning clean, we perservered and scored our most runs with the 2 outs counting against us. 3. Many teammates continued running even though they thought they were easily out, and surprisingly found pay off for running it out. Here are some more specific highlights: Although worn out from getting many "Ball Me Maybe" hits in RF, Adrienne had some brilliant hits, got on base and scored! Her ambition paid off except when she listened to an over-aggressive 3rd base coach who she tried to hide behind right before her demise at 3B. After a long day on the golf course, Rick saunters in pulling a "Sonny Mann" and made a star catch at center field while hitting the ball with power bringing in the RBIs. Alex also showing up from a day on the course changed from polo to his softball gear from one ball game to the other on Friday with a dicey blood/alcohol level. Alex's unbelievable catches at short center and 1B earned him the MVP title. However, Alex was weakened at the end of the game by a leg injury. Eager to hit the ball, Jessica got on base with her aggressive hitting and running. She also had the most fans one of which (her dad) assisted with coaching as a veteran softball player. Covering for a last minute female bail, Ellen played solidly at 2B and got the short end of the stick when the batter was out at 2nd due to her covering and catching but called safe by the ump. Steve shot the ball low and hard never dismaying any of our base runners because, per usual, he hit them home. However, Steve had one rare yet entertaining play in the field when he almost threw the ball to the city of Chicago intending it only for 1B. Kelly's star quality pitching paved the way for several strike outs. Although not blood related, there seems to be a common athletic prowess in the family because Kelly's cousin Tina helped kick some "Ball Me Maybe" ass. Tina hit and pitched extremely well and we appreciate her filling in to cover for our absent women. Switching it up a little for Jon by placing him at 3rd instead of 1st, didn't rattle him a bit. At bat, he hit like never before and ran the bases fast and furiously. Bill was his usual super solid self in left and even came into the infield in the last inning to close it out with a game ending double play. Great job P&W!!! We're headed in the right direction.

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer. - Ted Williams

Here are the highlights of games #2 and #3 of the season. Back after her first missed P&W game, Kelly's killer catches during her short stint as short center and as pitcher were particularly noteworthy. Although she was doing her raindance around 6:30, Adrienne humbly smacked the ball a number of a times into the outfield. Alex's ability to pummel the ball was responsible for some wicked RBIs so at least we could lose with some runs on the board. Weakened by a cold, Rick fooled us all for most of the games by doing a great job at covering a huge territory in CF. He left us early to rest up for the next game, of course. Hope you are feeling better, Rick. Making her debut with Parks and Wrecks, Alli's intimidating batting stance and impressive ability to move the ball quickly from outfield to infield wowwed even her youngest fans. Note that Alli had more underaged fans in the stands than anyone. Eat your heart out, Winbigler! Unexpectedly showing up, Genay pleasantly surprised us all and brought her killer swing. Jon showed up just in time to relieve Rick. Jon hit well and decided not to fall just so he wouldn't get his white shorts dirty. On the other hand, Octopus arms Sonny came in from Elmhurst on his first day of school to help us out and did fall. As usual, Sonny does not let a ball get past him...at least not with out a dramatic fall which includes rolling in the dirt and dust flying all over the place. Although Michael likes the bottom of the batting order, he is consistently whacking the ball into the outfield causing the defense to move back. As the most athletic and energetic mom of 4 kids I know, Ellen covered 2B like she's been on our team all year. Ellen enthusiastically came out to play when I thought we were going to be short women. Thanks for playing, Ellen. Alert and ready for the ball, Jessica had some great hits and also covered 2B well. As the "Steve" of all trades on our team, Steve is always willing to plug into any position where he is needed and works it like the position has always been "his". Mini-Steve (Jonah) was cheering proudly on the sidelines while playing soccer after watching his dad catch several challenging balls in left field. Kyle rushed to the game from dinner plans only to find out we already started. Thanks for cheering us on Kyle and Chris. Your energy always brings the team up a notch!

Fall Ball Game #1 - We Did The Slaughtering This Time

Huge win for P&W! After only 4 innings, we won by slaughter rule. Here are the highlights: A memorable farewell for Ericka as she departs for Texas. Ericka kicked some Judson ass in the field with a stellar catch at short center and decimated the ball while at bat. There were very few four letter words muttered from short center. Dr. Lingk has forever engraved her name as a founding member of our team. You will always have a place on our roster! Michael hit the ball far and wide not one, not two, but THREE times tonight. Although reporting to be a bit tired by the second inning, Michael rallied and played his best game yet. One of our newest team members felt right at home stepping up as pitcher...Genay struck several batters out and killed the ball with her strong left handed pulls to right field. Welcome to the team, Genay! Jessica wouldn't let a new hairdo or a pink glove get in the way of some great hitting, base running and a phenominal catch at second base. As another welcomed new member of P&W fall ball team, Jessica claimed to not have played for years yet picked up the bat and glove like it was yesterday. She accomplished all this with out fully stretching out before the game and walked away injury free. It's a beautiful thing when the bases are loaded and Steve is up to bat. Hitting the only homerun of the game and catching some extraordinary balls as our star short stop reminds us why he can easily win the MVP title over and over. After almost falling asleep before game time at home, Adrienne got a second wind and showed some great strength at bat. Although there wasn't much action in RF tonight, Adrienne was ready and waiting. Alex's strategy was to hit the ball so high into the air that the lights would blind the defense and he could round the bases. Although that didn't always work as planned, his outstanding plays at 1B made it hard for the visiting team to get past him. She almost threw in the towel and retired from P&W - yet Kyle had a huge game. Her awesome catch during a foul hit made the fans in the stands roar with excitement. She also made some great hits showing us that this is just the beginning for her and retirement is far, far away. Bill will be remembered for his unbelievable LF catches. He leapt for the ball on several occasions and his glove was almost always exactly on target. He amused everyone during one particular catch where he seemed to struggle with the ball as it wobbled a bit but he caught itand everyone sighed a huge breath of relief. Rick hit the ball well but did some sacrificing which paid off in some awesome RBIs. As chief strategist of P&W, Rick hypothesized our win. Great job Parks and Wrecks!!! We are on our way to the championship.