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!

“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!!!!!!