Post Season Play!

Every team in every league wants to qualify for post-season play so they have a chance to win a championship. Well for Team 3-C-Garner, it isn't post season (its the final game of our week) but it will be a championship game for us on Friday! Today we won two more games to stand at 7 wins and 1 loss -- and we will play Victor Rodriquez' team (6 and 2). They won their way into the championship in an extra-inning "shoot-out" against Rick Knapp's team that had the same record going into their Thursday afternoon game.

We won our morning game against Stu Cliburn's team by a score of 14-5 (they had been winless until they won their afternoon game.) I was 3 for 3 at bat and started experimenting with wearing my glasses again in my third at-bat. The highlight of the game came when teammate Joe Ciardi, who severely strained a groin in fielding practice before the first game on Monday, hit a home-run over the 325 foot sign on the right-field fence and into the road 15 feet beyond the fence! There have been some inside-the-park home runs this week, but Joe's is the only one to go over the fence and out of the park.

In the afternoon game against Arnie Beyeler's team we won again, this time by a score of 13-7. I started this game as pitcher and allowed 4 runs in three innings, with runs scoring in two separate innings when the third baseman threw the ball away trying to get a force play at home plate. I can't complain about the defense, however, since our team seems to be the best fielding team in the camp -- and made a number of good plays behind me. I was 2-3 with a double in the second game (wearing my glasses.) I have been getting hits all week, but not hitting the ball very hard -- today I hit the ball much better and think my work with Don Buford has helped.

Tomorrow we play at 9:30am in the main stadium. We held our two best pitchers back from the games today, so we hope they are rested and able to put us in a good position to win tomorrow. Steve Liddle this morning pointed out that in all of baseball the most important path to winning is to "pitch it and catch it." Good pitching and good defense wins games (he said he hadn't seen much of either from Ponce this week.)

Stuart Cohen, the only other player from my regular weekend team at home who is here along with me this week, is on the team we will be playing tomorrow. When I first came here 6 years ago we were joined by many other teammates -- Bill, Ralph, Frank, Mike, Jim, George and perhaps others. So tomorrow, Team 48+C-Cornwell will come out a winner no matter which team -- Stuart's or mine -- wins.

Ponce and baseball is a remarkable venue for geezers to make friends (at this late stage in life!) In the six years I have been playing I have been lucky to develop terrific friendships with my teammates back home -- baseball is the bond that has allowed us to get to know and appreciate each other as interesting and engaging individuals, from a variety of walks of life. Today, when I looked at the rosters of all the teams here this week I realized I have played at one time or another (winter camp, spring or fall weekend league, summer league, or spring or fall weeknight league) with almost half of the 67 people here. So even beyond the good friendships that I have made, there is an enjoyable continuous interaction with players who are more than just acquaintances.

Tonight was the Awards Dessert -- Steve Liddle and all the coaches speak about what they have seen this week that they have never seen on a baseball field before -- like a first-base coach shouting "I got it" and catching a foul pop-fly in front of the first-baseman. Each coach gives awards to their team's most valuable player and one to the player who displays the most "Spirit of Ponce" (sort of the Ponce Ms. Congeniality.)

They also conducted a kangaroo court and would fine players (or coaches) for egregious baseball mistakes. I was afraid my base-running for the week would cost me money, since I believe I set a record for the most ways of getting thrown out on the bases in one week. They included (not an exhaustive list): getting picked off first by leaving too early on a steal; being thrown out by the first baseman while trying to go from second to third on an infield out; being hit on the foot by a batted ball; and being doubled off after leaving second on a line drive out to the center fielder. As in life, I believe most, if not all, of these blunders were caused by an excess of hubris. Carl Crawford I'm not. Fortunately my base-running blunders were not so far out of the Ponce norm to attract attention by the kangaroo court and I wasn't fined.

I leave for the airport to fly home right after the game tomorrow, so my next blog post for Ponce week will be on Saturday. So, I know the suspense will kill you, but I won't be able to get you the score and information on our championship game for about 24 hours after it happens. (Don't expect to see the score on ESPN in the meantime.) Maybe Don Gillis will be able to do a radio ticker-tape re-creation in the meantime.