They've been hanging around the clubhouse all season, clamoring, "Put me in coach, puh-leez put me in."
But, truth be told, as good as they looked in BP last week, they were nowhere to be found when the game was on the line. But hark! There's one of the whippersnappers now, hovering around the hot corner with Robert "Gold Glove" Gold, who also collected two hits. (As Mike, looking viagraous at short himself, said: "Whatever pills he's taking, I want 'em.") Robert, by the way, turns 69 on Friday, according to sources close to his three thousandth and fifty-second career resurgence.
Can you pitch any better than the Jay Man, who gave up five unearned runs in the first inning and a lone single after that (while collecting a couple of hits and, feeling his oats, volunteering to pinch run for me from third, anticipating, no doubt, tagging up on a pop to short left)?
How about the versatile Ed, who played seven positions, including bench coach ("take two steps, Robert, before you throw") with aplomb (he's a multifaceted threat without it, too).
What Bob lacked in arrogance he made up for with a couple of run-producing strokes of the bat.
Rick was flawless in the field and had a hit and a couple of right-at-em liners..
Jimmy pounded two smoking singles and willed a runner to first on roller botched by the third baseman ("C'mon, get here...!" Who wouldn't obey?)
Fred scored the go-ahead run and made a nice snare of a deceptive pop fly in shallow left center.
Mark went two for three, and Kevin collected two hits and a walk, and I had a hit and a walk and thoroughly enjoyed being batted in thrice.
As Kevin when we passed in the A&P afterwards, "I haven't had this much fun all year." Me, too, although the Rocky Road I was purchasing as a reward was pretty delicious, too.
So, next game is a week from Thursday against one of the better teams in the league, Francesco's, at 7. We shall beat them, and let the superlatives off the leash again before the season winds down.
Our make-up game against 4 Corners is Monday, 8/10 at 6:30. As it is very likely that we'll wind up as the fourth or fifth seed, we may very well play again that night at 9 p.m. in the first quart-final playoff game. Otherwise, barring rainouts, we'll play our first playoff game sometime on Thursday, 8/13. Let me know.
P.S. We won, 14 - 7.