Announcement
Heavy Metal Wins Championship!!! ("October Bash" Recap!)
Posted by Vernon Amaro on
Oct 06 2003
at
05:00PM PDT
It May Not Have Been "King Of The County," But Our Second Tournament Of The Year Sure Was A Good Alternative!
Hey, guys!
Who feels bad that we didn't get to play in the "King of the County" tournament? I know, I feel the same way -- who cares! What a blast we had, didn't we?!!! I knew that I had selected a great bunch of players many weeks ago, but what I didn't know was what our competition would be like for this particular tournament, an alternative to the above-mentioned cancelled one. And what competition! Barring our first game disappointment, we really did play against some very good teams, our opponents in the championship game -- "Inconsistent" from Chowchilla -- being more than just a strong local team. Great job, men! I can't express in words here how proud I was of our team...and you all know that's a tough feat for me to do! All I can say is -- let's do it again! Oh, a special thanks to Nelson for helping me at a crucial time the night before. Thanks, buddy! To the rest of you guys: We did okay, didn't we! I thank you all for your effort, help, and cooperation. One man, as we all well know, does not make a team. But a team, a "real" team, does make each participant a man. All right, all right, Vern, get on with it! Here are the final tournament statistics for those who are interested, a short summary of each game's highlights, and an invitation to all Heavy Metal Softball regulars (and new ones!) to play some more this year....
"October Bash" Tournament Summary --
Tournament Record: 5-1 (third consecutive time making playoffs, only this time, we end up with a championship!)
Team Statistics (alphabetically):
Roy Aguayo -- 3 for 16; .188 BA; 12 points.
Donny Aguiar -- 10 for 19; .526 BA; 45 points.
Vern Amaro -- 9 for 18; .500 BA; 26 points.
Rich Avery -- 6 for 19; .316 BA; 36 points.
Wes Avery -- 14 for 20; .700 BA; 75 points.
Kurt Chambers -- 8 for 20; .400 BA; 41 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 12 for 20; .600 BA; 62 points.
Lee Garcia -- 4 for 16; .250 BA; 12 points.
Gene Hitt -- 9 for 16; .563 BA; 47 points.
Manuel Romeiro -- 2 for 10; .200 BA; 7 points.
Art Tabacco -- 10 for 19; .526 BA; 71 points.
Nelson Vieira -- 9 for 16; .563 BA; 64 points.
Tournament MVP: Wes Avery (75 points; great hitting -- oh, great play at first!)
Tournament Team Batting Average: .464 (97 for 209; lower than our last tournament, but we still are averaging 16.4 runs/game! Mind you, I'm not upset with this!)
Game 1 Highlights: Won 7-0 (forfeit) against "Who Cares". Obviously, there were no highlights -- unless you count everyone on our team showing up quite punctual (gold stars, guys!). Our opponent's name was summarily deemed very appropriate. Thus, our team began to feel a little apprehension that this just wasn't going to be our day. How wrong we found ourselves to be!
Game 2 Highlights: Lost 8-12 against "Deez Nuts". This is always a key game and eventually turned out to be a great motivator for the rest of the day. This was a good-hitting opponent. We learned that we need to smack the ball early and often or risk getting smacked back every game. Judging by the score of our third game, I liked the way we responded to this loss. Players of note were Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 3, with 1 single, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 run, .667 BA, 13 points; Wes Avery, who went 3 for 3, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1.000 BA, 10 points; and Donny Aguiar, who also went 3 for 3, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1.000 BA, 8 points.
Game 3 Highlights: Won 18-17 against "Scrubs". This game defined our attitude for the rest of the day -- get a variety of hits, score many runs, and keep our composure through a late inning rally by the other team. We came together as a team during this game. Players of note were Frank Fletcher, who went 2 for 4, with 1 single, 1 HR (grand slam!), 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 3 bonus points (GS), .500 BA, 20 points; Wes Avery, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, .750 BA, 16 points; and Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 4, with 1 double, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, .500 BA, 16 points.
Game 4 Highlights (1st playoff game): Won 22-19 against "Bad News". We really let the hits rip in this game! We had 58 at-bats, 24 hits of every variety, and we were even patient enough to walk 6 times! And we weathered another late inning comeback to help strengthen our team psyche. Good way to start a run through the playoffs! Players of note were Wes Avery, who went 4 for 6, with 3 singles, 1 triple, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, 3 bonus points (4/4), .667 BA, 21 points; Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 4, with 1 walk, 1 sacrifice, 1 single, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 1 run, .500 BA, 18 points; and Rich Avery, who went 2 for 5, with 2 triples, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, .400 BA, 18 points.
Game 5 Highlights (2nd playoff game): Won 21-14 against "Unknowns". Probably our most consistent hitting game of the day. Team average was .610 (25 for 41). Everyone contributed offensively in some way. Players of note were Nelson Vieira, who went 3 for 3, with 1 single, 1 sacrifice, 2 triples, 5 RBIs, 3 runs, 1.000 BA, 23 points (I created a monster!); Art Tabacco, who went 4 for 4, with 3 singles, 1 double, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 3 bonus points (4/4), 1.000 BA, 20 points; and Wes Avery, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 4 runs, .750 BA, 18 points. I'd also like to recognize Donny Aguiar (3 for 3), Frank Fletcher (3 for 4), and Kurt Chambers (3 for 4), who all had multiple hits to keep our Heavy Metal train going and on the track.
Game 6 Highlights (Championship game): Won 13-12 against "Inconsistent", a high rec, out-of-town team. And with plenty of firepower! But what a storybook ending for our team.... Here's the recap -- bottom of the seventh, three runs down, hope dimming, but there's still a glimmer. Two outs, two runs have scored. And then...Casey...no, Rich Avery...comes to bat! The crowd is hushed, tension fills the air. The pitch is delivered, and Rich swings...popping it straight up! But the softball gods, who have favored us all day, favor us one more time -- the ball is not caught! One more chance. The pitch, the swing...Cubs win! Cubs win!...I mean, Heavy Metal wins!!! Our first championship in two tries this year! Great job, men! And way to go, Rich -- "Mr. Clutch"! Players of note for this final game were Nelson Vieira, who went 2 for 2, with 2 walks, 1 triple, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 3 runs (the winning one!), 1.000 BA, 21 points (see, I told you I created a monster!); Frank Fletcher, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 runs, .750 BA, 12 points; and the rest of the team, who banded together all day to produce a deserving tournament championship! Believe it or not, we produced only 12 hits this game, our lowest output of the day, but they were timely and seemingly prayer-answered. We must lead good lives, men! And a final, special thanks to Christina and Olivia, who supported us throughout the day! I've got t-shirts for you two fine ladies, also. I know this point is already pretty obvious, but did we have fun, gentlemen?!!!
Comments: The following statements are a repeat from previous tournament comments. Overall, I was very, very pleased with Heavy Metal's performance, especially our ability to score in bunches. Consistent scoring every inning will continue to be the emphasis, as always, in future tournaments, as well as developing speed in the outfield and making the plays needed in the infield. But more important than all of these this time was our attitude, composure, and individual patience with me, your sometimes strategy-ridden, details-concerned manager. Thanks, guys. Oh, in regard to the humor -- without it, I doubt if we would have been in balance as much as we showed consistently all day. You don't know how proud I am of you crazy guys. It was fun. And, remember, that's all that I had asked for....
Hey, guys!
Who feels bad that we didn't get to play in the "King of the County" tournament? I know, I feel the same way -- who cares! What a blast we had, didn't we?!!! I knew that I had selected a great bunch of players many weeks ago, but what I didn't know was what our competition would be like for this particular tournament, an alternative to the above-mentioned cancelled one. And what competition! Barring our first game disappointment, we really did play against some very good teams, our opponents in the championship game -- "Inconsistent" from Chowchilla -- being more than just a strong local team. Great job, men! I can't express in words here how proud I was of our team...and you all know that's a tough feat for me to do! All I can say is -- let's do it again! Oh, a special thanks to Nelson for helping me at a crucial time the night before. Thanks, buddy! To the rest of you guys: We did okay, didn't we! I thank you all for your effort, help, and cooperation. One man, as we all well know, does not make a team. But a team, a "real" team, does make each participant a man. All right, all right, Vern, get on with it! Here are the final tournament statistics for those who are interested, a short summary of each game's highlights, and an invitation to all Heavy Metal Softball regulars (and new ones!) to play some more this year....
"October Bash" Tournament Summary --
Tournament Record: 5-1 (third consecutive time making playoffs, only this time, we end up with a championship!)
Team Statistics (alphabetically):
Roy Aguayo -- 3 for 16; .188 BA; 12 points.
Donny Aguiar -- 10 for 19; .526 BA; 45 points.
Vern Amaro -- 9 for 18; .500 BA; 26 points.
Rich Avery -- 6 for 19; .316 BA; 36 points.
Wes Avery -- 14 for 20; .700 BA; 75 points.
Kurt Chambers -- 8 for 20; .400 BA; 41 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 12 for 20; .600 BA; 62 points.
Lee Garcia -- 4 for 16; .250 BA; 12 points.
Gene Hitt -- 9 for 16; .563 BA; 47 points.
Manuel Romeiro -- 2 for 10; .200 BA; 7 points.
Art Tabacco -- 10 for 19; .526 BA; 71 points.
Nelson Vieira -- 9 for 16; .563 BA; 64 points.
Tournament MVP: Wes Avery (75 points; great hitting -- oh, great play at first!)
Tournament Team Batting Average: .464 (97 for 209; lower than our last tournament, but we still are averaging 16.4 runs/game! Mind you, I'm not upset with this!)
Game 1 Highlights: Won 7-0 (forfeit) against "Who Cares". Obviously, there were no highlights -- unless you count everyone on our team showing up quite punctual (gold stars, guys!). Our opponent's name was summarily deemed very appropriate. Thus, our team began to feel a little apprehension that this just wasn't going to be our day. How wrong we found ourselves to be!
Game 2 Highlights: Lost 8-12 against "Deez Nuts". This is always a key game and eventually turned out to be a great motivator for the rest of the day. This was a good-hitting opponent. We learned that we need to smack the ball early and often or risk getting smacked back every game. Judging by the score of our third game, I liked the way we responded to this loss. Players of note were Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 3, with 1 single, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 run, .667 BA, 13 points; Wes Avery, who went 3 for 3, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1.000 BA, 10 points; and Donny Aguiar, who also went 3 for 3, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1.000 BA, 8 points.
Game 3 Highlights: Won 18-17 against "Scrubs". This game defined our attitude for the rest of the day -- get a variety of hits, score many runs, and keep our composure through a late inning rally by the other team. We came together as a team during this game. Players of note were Frank Fletcher, who went 2 for 4, with 1 single, 1 HR (grand slam!), 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 3 bonus points (GS), .500 BA, 20 points; Wes Avery, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, .750 BA, 16 points; and Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 4, with 1 double, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, .500 BA, 16 points.
Game 4 Highlights (1st playoff game): Won 22-19 against "Bad News". We really let the hits rip in this game! We had 58 at-bats, 24 hits of every variety, and we were even patient enough to walk 6 times! And we weathered another late inning comeback to help strengthen our team psyche. Good way to start a run through the playoffs! Players of note were Wes Avery, who went 4 for 6, with 3 singles, 1 triple, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, 3 bonus points (4/4), .667 BA, 21 points; Art Tabacco, who went 2 for 4, with 1 walk, 1 sacrifice, 1 single, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 1 run, .500 BA, 18 points; and Rich Avery, who went 2 for 5, with 2 triples, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, .400 BA, 18 points.
Game 5 Highlights (2nd playoff game): Won 21-14 against "Unknowns". Probably our most consistent hitting game of the day. Team average was .610 (25 for 41). Everyone contributed offensively in some way. Players of note were Nelson Vieira, who went 3 for 3, with 1 single, 1 sacrifice, 2 triples, 5 RBIs, 3 runs, 1.000 BA, 23 points (I created a monster!); Art Tabacco, who went 4 for 4, with 3 singles, 1 double, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 3 bonus points (4/4), 1.000 BA, 20 points; and Wes Avery, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 4 runs, .750 BA, 18 points. I'd also like to recognize Donny Aguiar (3 for 3), Frank Fletcher (3 for 4), and Kurt Chambers (3 for 4), who all had multiple hits to keep our Heavy Metal train going and on the track.
Game 6 Highlights (Championship game): Won 13-12 against "Inconsistent", a high rec, out-of-town team. And with plenty of firepower! But what a storybook ending for our team.... Here's the recap -- bottom of the seventh, three runs down, hope dimming, but there's still a glimmer. Two outs, two runs have scored. And then...Casey...no, Rich Avery...comes to bat! The crowd is hushed, tension fills the air. The pitch is delivered, and Rich swings...popping it straight up! But the softball gods, who have favored us all day, favor us one more time -- the ball is not caught! One more chance. The pitch, the swing...Cubs win! Cubs win!...I mean, Heavy Metal wins!!! Our first championship in two tries this year! Great job, men! And way to go, Rich -- "Mr. Clutch"! Players of note for this final game were Nelson Vieira, who went 2 for 2, with 2 walks, 1 triple, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 3 runs (the winning one!), 1.000 BA, 21 points (see, I told you I created a monster!); Frank Fletcher, who went 3 for 4, with 2 singles, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 runs, .750 BA, 12 points; and the rest of the team, who banded together all day to produce a deserving tournament championship! Believe it or not, we produced only 12 hits this game, our lowest output of the day, but they were timely and seemingly prayer-answered. We must lead good lives, men! And a final, special thanks to Christina and Olivia, who supported us throughout the day! I've got t-shirts for you two fine ladies, also. I know this point is already pretty obvious, but did we have fun, gentlemen?!!!
Comments: The following statements are a repeat from previous tournament comments. Overall, I was very, very pleased with Heavy Metal's performance, especially our ability to score in bunches. Consistent scoring every inning will continue to be the emphasis, as always, in future tournaments, as well as developing speed in the outfield and making the plays needed in the infield. But more important than all of these this time was our attitude, composure, and individual patience with me, your sometimes strategy-ridden, details-concerned manager. Thanks, guys. Oh, in regard to the humor -- without it, I doubt if we would have been in balance as much as we showed consistently all day. You don't know how proud I am of you crazy guys. It was fun. And, remember, that's all that I had asked for....
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