WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!

Congratulations to Str8 Ballin who defeated the Terminal Digits at Nicholl Park yesterday to claim the 2013 FHFB Softball Championship.



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TD's 20, PC BRICKS 18

It was a noble effort yesterday. We almost pulled it out despite being extremely shorthanded. A special tip of the cap goes out to Mamie and Stephanie who stepped up for us once again. Without them we would have forfeited the game.

Luckily, it was a game we didn't need. We were going to finish in fifth place whether we won or lost. From here on out, the games mean something. The experimentation time is over.

It's almost a lock that our first round playoff game will be next Thursday against the Untouchables at Nicholl Park #2.

It's important that we get everyone to practice Monday. We continue to shoot ourselves in the collective foot with the kinds of mental mistakes that are common of teams that do not practice. Gentlemen, you know we have a surplus of male players. If you skip Monday's practice, don't come to the park next Thursday with expectations of playing. That goes for all of us.

We have a solid core of about six players who show up to our practices regularly. That isn't enough for us to perform our drills. When you don't come to practice, you are not only hurting yourself but you're hurting your teammates whose sharpness is dependent upon your participation. For your team, PLEASE get to work early enough on Monday to reach practice at Washington Park by 5:00. The same six players can't carry this team through the playoffs on their backs. We need EVERYONE to pull together and contribute.

UNTOUCHABLES 15, PC BRICKS 12

Mamie saved us from a forfeit but
she couldn't save us from ourselves

Just about everything that could go wrong in yesterday's game did just that. We already knew we'd be playing without Mandi (honeymoon) and Rita (detailed to downtown SF). But Nina, Taylor, Kedi and Stephanie were unavailable too. We were in danger of forfeiting but we were able to pull together just enough women to play, thanks in particular to Mamie Berry who came out of softball retirement to save us.

PC Bricks 8, Str8 Ballin 6

I hear we had a some struggles but pulled out an 8-6 win. I'm encouraged by some of the things I heard about the game though some of you are feeling disappointed. Let's use this as a building block and get ourselves on a roll starting next week.

(Did anyone take pictures?)

GAME JUNE 23, 2011 - PC BRICKS 19, MASTER BLASTERS 4

GREAT GAME BY THE PC BRICKS. FINALLY OUR HITTING CAME AROUND AND OUR DEFENSE WAS GREAT. KUDOS TO ALL THE MEMEBERS OF TEAM. WE STILL NEED TO WORK ON A FEW THINGS AND WORK ON GETTING TO THE GAMES ON TIME. ME AND MARK CAN'T STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON TIME FOR THE GAMES. IT MAKES EVERYTHING EASIER FOR ME AND MARK TO DO THE LINE-UP AND NOT RUSHING. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MASTER BLASTERS FOR BEING GOOD SPORTS AND FOR WAITING FOR US TO HAVE FULL ALLOTMENT OF WOMEN TO FIELD A FULL SQUAD. I WILL BE SENDING OUT OFFICE COMMUNICATOR ON MONDAY FOR A LIGHT PRACTICE JUST HITTING TO KEEP SHARP. WE HAVE A BYE THIS WEEK BUT I'M WILLING TO GO PRACTICE AT WASHINGTON PARK. I HAVE THE EQUIPMENT FROM MARK WHILE HE'S ON VACATION. EVERYBODY LET'S BUILD ON THIS SUCESSFUL GAME AND NOT REGRESS.  THANKS.
COACH/GRANDPA

OUTLAWS 14, PC BRICKS 7

Don't be discouraged, teammates. We made some mistakes yesterday but we were plain and simply outplayed by our opponents. James is an excellent pitcher and he did a good job of shutting down our offense. For the most part, the Outlaws executed well on defense while we experienced several lapses. There was no single thing we failed to do that cost us the game. There were some things we did very well but it wasn't enough. We were beaten.

PC BRICKS 26, MOD SQUAD 9



For more photos from this game,
click the "2011 PHOTOS" tab above

We're off to a good start with yesterday's opener against the Mod Squad. Things were a bit unorganized at the beginning and I apologize for that. I'm usually at the park much earlier to have everything set up.

I hope our new players thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing their first game. I was pleased to see the team come together and put out a strong effort. We still have some things to work on and we'll get to them Monday at our next practice.

Round 1 Playoff: Outlaws 14, PC Bricks 7

One team came to the park today hungry for a win. They arrived early, warmed up together, took some batting practice, and played with purpose.

One team barely showed up. A handful arrived on time. Many came straggling in just before game time and some after it started. They weren't prepared to play.

Terminal Digits 13, PC Bricks 8

The TD's made the big plays when they needed them and we didn't. We didn't give up a lot on defense but we didn't hit after the first few innings. A big part of that was Ellery's pitching. He did a good job keeping us off balance and keeping his team in the game until they could get their bats going. He struck out five batters which I had never seen in a slow pitch softball game before. Nearly one quarter of the outs we made were strikeouts (five of twenty-one).

Master Batters 12, PC Bricks 10

We had some good moments today but we were too mistake prone to pull out a win. The MB's took advantage by combining some timely hits with our charity to come away with the victory. They played like they wanted to win and frankly, we didn't.

PC Bricks 12, Outlaws 11

I don't know that I've ever experienced a win that felt so much like a loss. I'm struggling to find the words to properly describe how ashamed I feel about being a part of the selfish, undisciplined display of softball we put on today.

SWAT 12 PC Bricks 10

SWAT outplayed us. We certainly weren't sharp defensively and we ran ourselves out of two inningss with critical baserunning errors but our ultimate flaw was our hitting. SWAT played with only eight people, leaving the right side of the field virtually wide open for us and we simply refused to take advantage of it. Success breeds arrogance and that's what we showed yesterday. We played as if all we had to do was show up and we would win. SWAT played smarter than we did and they earned their victory playing shorthanded. There's not much else to say right now except that I expect everyone to be at next Tuesday's practice at 5:00 sharp.

PC Bricks 15, Richmond 7

Despite rumors that Richmond has been supplementing its roster with ringers who don't work for the city (rumors which were later found to be true in at least one instance), I came to the park with expectations of a big game between two undefeated teams. It didn't take long for those expectations to be dashed. By game time (5:00) there were only a few Richmond players present. They had fifteen minutes to get the minimum of eight ready to play or they would lose by forfeit. As 5:15 drew near, Richmond still didn't have the minimum number of players present to start the game.

PC Bricks 10, Master Batters 6

We pulled out to a 10-2 lead with some timely hitting and fielding. Perhaps we got a little too content and comfortable with our lead because it appeared we let up. There was chatter in the dugout like the game was over in the fifth inning and we got sloppy in the field. The Master Batters, to their credit, kept plugging away and they rallied to make it close in the late innings. Luckily, we played just well enough to hold them off and earn our third straight victory.

PC Bricks 22, Mod Squad 14

The score might give the impression we played football but this was definitely softball. With all of the scoring it was certainly a fun game to play.

We hit very well but our fielding was spotty and our baserunning....needs to be addressed at practice next week.

PC Bricks 15, TD's 10

We were successful in our first outing as we defeated the TD's with a solid effort. A wrap up of the game and scoresheet can be found here. Without The Coach present, Brandon, Darlene, and I had to keep score while in the game which is a pretty difficult juggling act. If you find we made a mistake that needs to be corrected, please let me know.

WEDNESDAY GAME VS CITY

GREAT JOB BY THE TEAM FOR GIVING A GREAT EFFORT AGAINST THE CITY. IT WAS A GREAT GAME AND ALOT OF FUN. BETTER THAN PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL GAME WE SHOULD'VE HAD THEM. I HAVE FILED MY RETIREMENT PAPERS AND I'M GOING TO HANGING OUT W/ PHIL JACKSON IN MONTANA, LOS ANGELES AND RENO. YOU DID IT. REPEAT DESPITE MY BIG BAD MOUTH. LIKE WILL SMITH'S MOVIE BEGGAR VANCE THE CADDIE IN THE GREAT GAME OF THE M ALL, "YOU'LL ARE IN GOOD HANDS WITH ALL STATE -MURPHY. I'M RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE CHALLENGING. GOOD LUCK NEXT YR.

Repeat!

We da champs again in 2009!

Dream Team Quits, PC Bricks win 7-0

I've seen some crazy things in softball before but never have I seen a team throw a hissy fit and walk off the field during a playoff game. If anyone can top that, please share. For those who weren't there to see it, the first round of our league playoffs started this week and we were matched up with the Dream Team. The game barely got underway as the Dream Team had trouble gathering enough players to meet the minimum requirement. When they put a player in their lineup who was widely recognized as someone who isn't employed by SSA or otherwise employed at the FHFB, we notified the umpire we were playing the game under protest. After the game started, the Dream Team slipped another recognized ineligible player into their lineup. At the end of the second inning, we were up 4-3 and at that point the Dream Team decided they didn't want to play any longer. They walked off the field, packed up their equipment and left. One of their more vocal players tried to blame us for their decision to quit. Why would they do something like this? A certain contingent within the Dream Team was displeased that the validity of their roster was being challenged. Rather than play the game and let the protest sort itself out afterward, this contingent decided to cheat their teammates and us out of a game. This is the only softball team I've ever seen that gets so much satisfaction from not playing softball. They forfeited two of their seven games during the regular season and now they've added a forfeited playoff game. The decision to quit amounts to an admission of guilt. If their players were legitimate and the Dream Team won the game, their victory would stand. Our protest would be turned down and we'd have to pay a $50.00 fee to the City of Richmond for our failed protest. You don't walk away from a game like that if what you're doing is righteous. But they knew what they were doing was wrong and rather than deal with any possible consequences, they decided to pack it in and go home. What do you make of this, PC Bricks?

How was Pete's Place?

Did anyone go to Pete's Place after Tuesday's game? I don't drink and I find bars depressing so I decided to pass. If we have a postgame gathering at a pizza joint or something similar, I would like to hang out with my fellow softballers. But if we're meeting at a bar, you can most likely count me out.