5/18 @ TFI: Honey Force

RECAP

Wednesday, May 18, 2016: A day that will live in infamy for all who live and breathe with the rise and (more frequently of late) fall of the Honey Badger fortunes. Which is to say, a day that will likely be forgotten by all by a very special few. But a day that is worthy of reflecting upon nonetheless, as it marks the awarding of the inaugural Honey Force trophy. And no, it wasn't awarded to us.

Several things went wrong in this one. First, we didn't get a hit until the fourth inning. It is very difficult to score without hits, and exceedingly difficult to win without scoring. Then, for the second game in a row, we gave up five runs in the first inning, and followed it up by allowing three more in the second. Together, this combination of not hitting while allowing lots of runs is a poor recipe for success in a game where the object is to score more than the other team.

...That is what we in the business call "analysis."

On the surface of things, we were a bit unlucky. On defense, the infield was hard and uneven, leading to bad hops on some routine grounders and ultimately to runs for the Institute. On offense, we hit into inning-ending double plays in both the 5th and 6th innings with multiple runners on base. Instead of potential big rallies, we were limited to a combined three runs in those innings as we tried to claw our way back into the game.

But the adage that "you make your own luck" is also undeniably true here. The Force played solid defense and didn't make any egregious errors. They hit a large percentage of grounders, which proved a successful strategy given the field conditions, while the Badgers lofted far too many lazy fly balls for outs and even gave away an out on a called third strike (we are too Polite And Understanding to Let any names slip here). Though we endured some bad hops that few if any CCSLers would have turned into outs, we also had unforced errors and throwaways that extended innings and led directly to more runs for TFI.

And that's all we're going to say about it. Congratulations to Buddy & crew on winning the first ever Honey Force game. PLEASE don't blow up the trophy until we have a chance to replace it with something more permanent and less explosive. Any claim that the pyrotechnics were "for science" will not be accepted without a rigorous and peer-reviewed journal article to back it up.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your (temporary) Honey Force trophy!

FINAL SCORE: TFI 13, Honey Badgers 4


BRIGHT SPOTS

AJ was on base twice and scored two of our four runs. T-Barr had two solid hits and RBIs in the game. Relatively new aquisition Erisa came out to play on her birthday and also collected two hits, including breaking up the no-hitter (hooray!) in the fourth.

Key 2015 Honey Badger Sean was on leave from Afghanistan and came to cheer us on. Unfortunately he didn't play - we could have used him! Sorry we couldn't get you a win, but we were glad to you could make it.

Also, food! Barbeque games bring out the best in everyone. We had an abundance of frothy adult beverages, lots of food, and excellent company for our first post-game grill of the season. Even slightly chilly temperatures and a light rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm. Good times!

Top: Honey  -  Bottom: Force

  On to the next one.

5/2 @ Pen & Pencil: Lucky 13

RECAP

We started the game going down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, including carelessly getting picked off first after rounding the bag on a two-out single. We then gave up 13 runs in the bottom half of the inning, getting the ball smacked over our heads, missing the cut-off, allowing extra bases by attempting foolhardy and low-percentage throws to 3rd/home chasing the lead runner. We weren't ready to play, our heads weren't in the game, and we were sloppy. For their part, P&P hit the ball well, hit the ball hard, and made the plays they needed to make in the field. It was a very bad first inning for the Badgers.

3eanuts.com

Other than that, we played OK ("Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln...")

In the official record, we outscored them 8-5 for innings 2 through 7. The reality is that they subbed in some bench players and may have taken their foot off the gas a bit. Nonetheless both our offense and defense improved and we were much more competitive. That's how we need to play coming out of the gate.

FINAL SCORE: P&P 18, THB 8


REAL TALK

Of course, the biggest problem was not that we sucked at softball (it's happened before, it's bound to happen again at some point) but that we didn't have any beer to fall back on. It's possible that Chappy made good on his promise to drink all of the leftovers from last week, because they (both Chappy and the leftover beer) certainly didn't make it to Edgeley 4 yesterday. Being game-ready means more than being warmed up and ready to play, and like our first inning foibles, the blame doesn't fall on any one player. C'mon, Badgers! We're better than this.


CCSL's NEXT TOP MODEL

Give a warm Badger bark for Carl, sporting the hottest in Honey Badger athletic gear, accessorized with a matching wood bat and base layer in a complementary blue color. Looking good, Carl! Do a turn for the crowd.

HISTORY LESSON

This evening's game is against the Fairmount Griffons, formerly Philadelaphia Art Museum Griffons. This is the closest thing to an actual rivalry that we've got in the league. It stems from the early days of Team Green Tambourine, spurred by a bit of a brou-ha-ha after the postponement of a scheduled game was inadequately communicated to some of the Griffons. The profanity-laced diatribe that followed engendered a sense of purpose and competitive fire that fueled the next several meetings. It also directly inspired TGT's first-ever official team jerseys*. It did not, alas, inspire us to victory. But subsequent seasons have produced very close and memorable games - some even noteworthy enough to earn mention in other league blogs.

Any personal animus between teams may (we certainly hope) have faded away with time. But the games continue to be compelling. Last season, in our first as the Honey Badgers, we earned our first win against the Griffons since the Great Taint of 2013 by the score of 10-9. They got revenge and a one-up by the score of 11-9 in the rematch a month later. We were denied a chance to meet in the postseason after PMA bowed out in the second round, although we were both ultimately defeated by the same team (Catahoula). The rivalry lives, for now.

I guess what I'm saying is, let's win this one.

I'll bring a case of lager.

UPDATE: Game POSTPONED due to soggy field conditions. Will be rescheduled for date TBD. Oh well, we probably had more fun drinking at Bar Hygge anyway.

*Vonnegut fans may get the joke

4/26 v. the Zoo: Righting the ship.

"We WILL be more competetive than we have shown thus far."

Well, that didn't take long -- once the game eventually got started.

DOUBLE RAINBOW... What does it mean?!?

Rainy days can be tricky for any CCSL squad. Based on the most recent unofficial polling data available, approximately 12.4% of participants enjoy playing in soggy conditions, which makes fielding a full squad difficult for any team with a roster size smaller than NCC. It was a good sign to see a full contingent of Badgers brave the elements and take the field. Even more inspiring to have multiple fans and onlookers joining the fun behind our bench. Most importantly, it meant Paul could avoid taking the field with his recently-dislocated index finger still in a splint.

Don't need 10 fingers to hold a clipboard.

The Badgers started strong with three runs in the first, tacked on extra runs in the second and third innings, and then blew the game wide open in the fourth, as nine straight batters reached base and the first eight all crossed home plate. It had quickly become a romp. The Badgers finally allowed a run in the fifth but also tacked one on in the same inning. All sides agreed that, with darkness closing quickly, five innings was a sufficient length to determine the winner, and having met the criteria for an official game, it was agreed to call it at that point.

Apparently hitting with a recently-dislocated finger is OK. #NoPainNoGain

Not that everything was wine and roses - 2016 early-season stalwart Bob came up limping with a pulled quad after another fine catch in the outfield. And as good as we should feel about the performance, it is only fair to note that the Zoo was playing a man down, with attendance perhaps influenced by the wet weather. It's a lot easier to get hits against a three-person outfield, which may have helped us out a bit.  A win is a win, and it's hard to imagine that one more outfielder could have prevented all 13 runs. So we'll take it, and we'll build on it. 

Honey Badger bench.

FINAL SCORE: THB 14, ZOO 1

LESSON LEARNED: Attendance matters! Especially in adverse weather conditions. The Badgers have a doubleheader this week with plenty of gray clouds in the forecast. Let's mine that silver lining and let the other teams stay home, warm and dry, while we grab the wins.

MULTI-MEDIA TIME!

Maybe? We're trying this video thing out for the first time. Note that smooth Badger defense in the background (and that handsome Badger blogger in the foreground, of course). Thanks for the photos and video this week, Adriane! Badgers, the blog always welcomes and appreciates your contributions of visual documentation or even guest-posts. Please share!