August 19 recap
By Marc Brafman
The weather was beautiful at Triple Creek last night and the bats were hot as well:
Team Fogel came to Triple Creek with their hitting shoes on scoring 8 runs in the top of the first. The big blow was a 3-run homer by Dan Gilbert. “My homer didn’t come on a 3-0 pitch, so I guess it was ok that I swung right?” Gilbert asked. “If not, I sure hope that Eppy doesn’t stick it in my ear next time we play.” Lefton scratched 2 across in the bottom of the first but that would be all they would get while Fogel kept tacking on each inning. Jeremy Fogel had a multi-hit game hitting a 2-run homer in the 3rd and Adam Knecht had a multi-hit game. Mike Gray again was masterful on the mound pitching 5 innings without allowing an earned run. Team Fogel pushes their 2nd half record to 2-0 with a run-rule shortened game. 15-2 was the final. When asked for comment post game, Jimmy said “Fogel kicked our butt. I’ll let him tell you how it happened.”
Meanwhile Groh took on Loon on Field 1:
Tonight’s game was a high-scoring affair as the hitters definitely bested the pitchers. Team Groh started off strong holding Team Loon scoreless for the 1st 2 innings meanwhile scoring 4 in the 1st as Sam Castellini and Tyler Stansbury each doubled and Pete Soltesz, Ken Groh and Joel Kahn followed with consecutive singles. Loon scored 6 to take the lead with MVP Mark Tenenholtz hitting 1 of his 2 homers on the night to go with a triple and double if not more. “I’m pretty much in a daze when he is up, Groh said.” Zach Swadner and Castellini scored to tie the game at 6 after 3. Joel Kahn drove in both runs after the intentional walk and had a 4-4 night with 7 RBIs (wow)! Team Loon took a 10-6 lead, but Groh answered with 4 to tie up the game 10-10 after 5. The bash brothers Tenenholtz-Loon-Brodoff gave Loon another 4 run lead with Mark and Matt each hitting home runs, but after a rousing speech by Groh, the team rallied for the 3rd time and plated 7 runs as Nick Depiano, David Snyder and Mark Franklin started the rally and Castellini (4-4, 4 runs), Stansbury (3-4 with 2 doubles and a homer and 5 RBIs), Soltesz, Groh and Joel Kahn finished it off. The 1st-half champs couldn’t find an answer in the 7th. It was a competitive and fun JCC softball game. Outside of getting thrown out at the plate, Coach Groh is hoping LCF Pete Soletz has a favorable outcome with his turf toe MRI. Also, everyone please wish Zach Swadner the best as he took a job in Denver and will be playing his last game next Wednesday.
Finally, down on Field 4 Team Schwartz beat Team Brafman 11-7. Unlike the other games where big hits were the norm, once again Team Brafman lost by giving up singles and some hustle doubles. The brothers Schwartz each had a couple of hits, Todd Wasserman had a few knocks and Harry “Hood” Meisner used his speed to score a couple of runs, including one on a pop fly behind second base. But the star of the game was Randy “Tex” Broyles who kept Team Brafman off balance most of the night and struck out 3. “I had Randy on my team last year,” Brafman said “and that was the best I’ve seen him pitch. I just wish it wasn’t against us.” On defense Taylor made a couple of really nice plays at SS to kill a couple of rallys. For Brafman, Sam “The Hitman” Hecht had an RBI single, as did Tyler Wolf. And on defense Weston “Hungry Like a” Wolf and Joel “Hallelujah” Buckley continue to flash the leather on the left side of the infield. Each team is 1-1 in the 2nd half.
One other note about this game, for the second time this season Mark “Eddie Harris” Weisser was the cause of a time out before Team Brafman batted when his dog Muffet ran onto the field. Thanks to the Hitman, Sam Hecht for eventually catching Muffet before she pulled a Shotzie and pooped on the field.
League Notes:
In 1998 it was popular to go to watch Mark McGwire take batting practice because of his homers. The JCC softball version is watching Eric “Spuds” Zeid take grounders and dive all over the field. “I love playing 3rd, SS, LF, CF, Catcher and the water boy all at once,” Zeid said.
A correction from last week’s blog was that had Adam Cronstein hit a grand slam vs. Fogel. It was really Taylor “May the” Schwartz be with you. But since he’s the only captain who doesn’t send in a recap, he and his team get what they get from the other captains. “I miss my ghost writer, Leon,” Taylor said after last night’s win. As he was drawing my postgame bath each week, I would recount the game to him. Now, like President Trump I don’t have time for my daily blog reports each Thursday. I just scan it for my name since on my team that is all that really counts.
Some really great news to report from Oren Shmoel after his son was born a few weeks premature. After 50 days in the NICU he was finally able to come home! Congrats to Oren and his wife Sarah. Can’t wait to see that little guy out on the field in 16 years.
As we all know by now, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam with a big lead on a 3-0 pitch earlier this week vs. the Rangers. Of course, there is some dumb “unwritten rule” in baseball that you can’t do that. It got me thinking about some of the unwritten rules of the JCC softball league:
1) Zach Mayer was/is always right when he argues with an ump, no matter what the call might be
2) You shouldn’t steal with a big lead in our league because no team ever comes back from a large deficit
3) When in doubt, just point to Eppy at the Silver Spring house and say put my wings on his tab
4) Joel “The Wrath of” Kahn doesn’t have to always pull the ball. He just wants to.
5) Jason “The Mad Hungarian” Faust doesn’t always turn and toss the ball to left field with a runner on 3rd when the ball is live. He just feels like it (well that maybe should be a written rule)
6) All of the Big Ten fans in the league are now excited to watch real football on Saturday since they won’t be put to sleep with the exciting Iowa vs. Rutgers games and now can turn to SEC, ACC and most importantly AAC football. Who doesn’t want to watch Tulsa vs. ECU?
If you have an unwritten rule you’d like to see added, please find me on Sunday
Good luck to all of you college guys going back to school. Keep your mask on, don’t go to bars, or kiss girls, or be near people, or have fun at night. You know…act like all of us old guys…
This week in catching up with guys who aren’t playing this year, I spoke to Ryan Small yesterday. Ryan has been busy this summer with two kids at home, and his office still somewhat open. He did find time to create a golf league with some of his buddies and that is keeping him busy. They just started their playoffs this week and he hoping to play as well as St. X and UC alumnus, Jim Herman did last week.
This week in What Roger is learning since he isn’t playing softball. This past week was the 47th anniversary of when the Brady Bunch went to Kings Island (a special episode in Roger’s heart). Roger, with all the time on his hands, went back and watched every episode of the show as well as re-read the Pulitzer prize winning book, “Growing up Brady I was a Teenage Greg,” by Barry Williams. In this page turner, Roger re-learned that Marcia and Jan near the end of the show tried to get around wearing a bra (Because of women’s lib in the 70’s they say). Roger thinks it’s because they were looking directly at him through the TV. “I got through a lot of lonely nights with pictures of Marcia and Jan dancing in my head,” Roger said. He also wants everyone to know that his favorite character on the show was Sam The Butcher because like Sam, Roger always delivers his products on time and in person like say for example a limited edition Thom Brennaman Village People Bobblehead, which Roger is now discounting for a very low rate.
See everyone Sunday. Stay safe and mask up!