Heavy Metal Softball

Team Runs On All Cylinders To Go Undefeated In Their Division!

First and foremost, I want to thank all of the players (and fans!) who represented Heavy Metal Softball this weekend for their effort, help, and cooperation in making our fifth tournament of the year a very successful -- and satisfying -- one. Here are some final tournament statistics for those who actually visit our website and are truly interested in such things. So, without further adieu, I present some facts from this particular contest:

20th Annual Budweiser Extravaganza Tournament Summary --

Tournament Record: 3-1 (undefeated in division; playoffs!)
                               1st game: Won 13-6 vs. MCF
                               2nd game: Won 14-4 vs. Wicked (Run rule)
                               3rd game: Won 16-6 vs. Not Enough (Run rule)
                               4th game: Lost 4-17 vs. One Shot (Run rule; no banner -- my bad!)

Team Statistics (alphabetically):

Donny Aguiar -- 4 for 11; .364 BA; 18 points.
Vern Amaro -- 6 for 8; .750 BA; 15 points.
Rich Avery -- 6 for 11; .545 BA; 34 points.
Wes Avery -- 1 for 3; .333 BA; 5 points.
Dennis Ellorin -- 2 for 9; .222 BA; 4 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 9 for 13; .692 BA; 39 points.
Lee Garcia -- 4 for 10; .400 BA; 17 points.
Gene Hitt -- 5 for 13; .385 BA; 15 points.
Mike Lujan -- 7 for 10; .700 BA; 29 points.
Joaquin Perez -- 8 for 12; .667 BA; 25 points.
Matt Soares -- 8 for 10; .800 BA; 18 points.
Devin Stafford -- 4 for 10; .400 BA; 18 points.
Steve Stafford -- 6 for 11; .545 BA; 29 points.
Bill Thrasher -- 2 for 3; .667 BA; 8 points.

Team Batting Average: .522 (70 for 134; we averaged 11.75 runs/game for the whole tournament. Best outing of the season so far, with six players batting over .600 and two more approaching that seemingly game-changing average. Great job to everyone as a whole -- a true feel-good team effort!)

Tournament MVP: Frank Fletcher (39 points -- "Sizzlin' Stick" award plus MVP souvenir shirt as an pre-tournament advertised bonus!)

Manager's Award: I would like to take this time now to recognize a few other players who shined just as brightly this weekend with their contributions to the team: Rich Avery, Mike Lujan, Joaquin Perez, Matt Soares, and Steve Stafford. Their stats above speak for themselves, but their consistency throughout the tournament is what I noticed most and appreciated greatly -- here's a "hats-off" to all five of you!   


2007 Season Statistics (alphabetically; all players):

Donny Aguiar -- 16 for 36; .444 BA; 56 points (3 tournaments)
Vern Amaro -- 23 for 47; .489 BA; 48 points (5 tournaments)
Rich Avery -- 16 for 45; .356 BA; 61 points (5 tournaments)
Wes Avery -- 18 for 41; .439 BA; 79 points (5 tournaments)
Aaron Dawes -- 7 for 8; .875 BA; 24 points (1 tournament)
Dennis Ellorin -- 4 for 30; .133 BA; 22 points (4 tournaments)
Frank Fletcher -- 24 for 44; .545 BA; 98 points (4 tournaments)
Lee Garcia -- 15 for 43; .349 BA; 65 points (5 tournaments)
Gene Hitt -- 18 for 43; .419 BA; 44 points (4 tournaments)
Paul Lawrence -- 25 for 43; .581 BA; 82 points (4 tournaments)
Johnny Lopez -- 3 for 6; .500 BA; 9 points (1 tournament)
Ricky Lopez -- 1 for 2; .500 BA; 3 points (1 tournament)
Mike Lujan -- 21 for 50; .420 BA; 80 points (5 tournaments)
Joaquin Perez -- 10 for 18; .556 BA; 33 points (2 tournaments)
Randy Pilgrim -- 6 for 16; .375 BA; 18 points (2 tournaments)
Matt Soares -- 12 for 18; .667 BA; 29 points (2 tournaments)
Devin Stafford -- 4 for 10; .400 BA; 18 points (1 tournament)
Steve Stafford -- 20 for 48; .417 BA; 106 points (5 tournaments)
Bill Thrasher -- 5 for 9; .556 BA; 13 points (2 tournaments)
Nelson Vieira -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 8 points (1 tournament)

Final Comments: To be short and sweet -- if that's humanly possible for me! -- I would say that overall I was very pleased with Heavy Metal's performance this time around, especially our ability to score in bunches through three of the first four games. 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 is the gauge, or measuring stick, of our attitude, composure, growth, and individual patience with me, your manager. All I can say is for everyone to work diligently to keep a consistent positive attitude flowing throughout our endeavors together, as we demonstrated admirably during this tournament. What I am very sure of is that I continue to love to play softball -- or most any sport, for that matter. At my age now, it still is as strong as ever and even more important to me. And what better way to do it than playing with friends. Say, does anyone want to play some more? Looking at the nice summer day that is going on outside my study window right at this moment, I'm willing to guess that all of you are saying "yes" to yourselves as you finish reading this...!   

Year-End Award Progress: Because the season still has several months to go before it eventually gives in to the cold weather, Aaron Dawes still leads officially the race for the "Batting Champions: Metal Men" perpetual award bat, based on his current batting average of .875. But remember, a player must have played in a minimum of 5 tournaments to earn this recognition -- something to think about when I ask everyone next time if they want to play some more ball in an upcoming contest. However -- from a realistic perspective -- six players have finally reached the 5 tournament plateau for eligibility with this event, with Vern Amaro leading the group with a .489 BA (if Paul Lawrence had played this time around, he would be leading with a .581; Frank Fletcher is right behind him with a .545 after 4 tournaments). Remember, we still have plenty of season left to play, so...who's ready for the next one? Each and every time I recover gradually from my assorted weekend wounds, I know I'm always ready and rarin' to go for another bout -- man, do I love the warm-weather months!