News
BAWL MOVEMENTS DROP DIVISION IN FRUSTRATING DEADLOCK
The odds were already stacked against Bawl Movements when they took the field Thursday night and Burnham Park in the finale of the regular season. Ahead in the division by only one run against over a team they lost to just two weeks ago, the frontrunners watched helplessly as the Togglers shut the PYTs out in a 3-0 game prior to their showdown with Our Girls Have Balls Too!. Knowing they had to win via the shutout, the pressure was already on.
As always, Bawl Movements struck first in the bottom of the first inning. With runners on first and second with one out, Derek Tikkuri drove a ball into right field, scoring Dan Mayeshiba from second base. Unable to continue their normal first inning rally, Movements had to settle for only one run.
The very next inning, OGHBT! were ready to play the role of spoilers. With the top of their lineup put down in order, they sent a runner to third with two outs. Following a bunt down the third base line, pitcher Mayeshiba attempted to make a spinning throw to tag the runner out, but failed to do so. The run meant the end of Bawl Movements' quest for a division title, but not necessarily for a spot in the playoffs.
With a different goal in mind, Mayeshiba rolled strikeout after strikeout, leaving OGHBT! wondering how to keep the ball fair, much less score any more runs.
Innings passed and Bawl Movements wasted one opportunity after another. The top of the order came up in the 8th, only to go down in 1-2-3 fashion. Maintaining solid defense and pitching, they then bought themselves one more chance in the bottom of the 9th.
Tikkuri led the inning off with a base hit to 3rd, followed by a pop-up by Aaron Weber, who was returning to shortstop after a week off. With one out, Jill Andreska then came up and rolled a soft tapper back to the mound. The force out was made at second as Tikkuri made a face-first slide, his head colliding with the shin of the second baseman. Bawl Movements failed to score in the inning and ended the game in a 1-1 tie.
But the tie doesn't just keep Bawl Movements out of contention for the division title. The Togglers, who would have won the three-way tiebreaker had BM and the Phat Kids both won, now lose the head-to-head tiebreaker because of their 7-5 loss in Week 6.
Our Girls Have Balls Too!, who took fourth place in the division as the Bulldogs fell to the Phat Kids, can now stake the claim to playing spoilers for not just one, but two teams, which is more than they set out to do when the evening began.
For Bawl Movements, it was a rather successful season. The team consisted of almost all rookies and was player/coach Dan Mayeshiba's first year with his own team. The group grew chemistry as the weeks went by and played one of the most solid defenses not just in the division, but in the entire league. Next season's roster will be comprised of a bit more offensive power, as that proved to be the one main weak point in Bawl Movements' quest as the three final and toughest weaks fell upon them.
But there is only optimism and hope in the minds of the players, who accomplished more than they expected in their inaugural season. Granted, there are better divisions, but this first season of experience can prove valuable in the long run as the team looks to the spring for another chance at kickball immortality, starting with a division title and ending with the championship game for the coveted Golden Lunchbox. [AP]
10/14/04
BAWL MOVEMENTS SURPRISES OPPONENTS, SELVES WITH A PHAT WIN
What many considered to be a season-ending loss last week in a 6-5 thriller against the Togglers turned out to be just another flavor of spice to the Thursday Night Mindy division championship race.
Bawl Movements, who suffered an embarrassing defeat last week, came back and scored three runs in the bottom of the first, establishing a lead they would never vanquish as they held on for a 4-3 victory.
The team had always been hungry for the championship since week one but some of the steam seemed to have escaped them last week following the ejection of the aggressive yet sometimes difficult shortstop Aaron Weber. In an argument that ensued over some poor judgement from behind the plate, Weber confronted the field monitor before leaving at his team's request.
But despite the setback, Bawl Movements adjusted and were able to play solid kickball for 9 full innings to once again enter the driver's seat in the race for the championship. Derek Tikkuri was moved to shortstop in Aaron's place as James Daniels, the second of two Daniels brothers to substitute at third this season, took the field to his right. Andy Mayeshiba played right and made a couple of plays to prevent the Phat Kids from getting anything to drop in the outfield all night.
The game looked like it was possibly slipping away in the fifth inning when Bawl Movements wasted a golden opportunity to extend their 4-3 lead. With no outs and two runners in scoring position, Dan Mayeshiba was thrown out at third in what could be considered as a baserunning error. The next at-bat saw Rob Mayo ground into an unassisted double play to the third baseman as he never left the batter's box.
"It was scary after that moment," said player/coach Dan Mayeshiba following the game. "The nerves started to build up each time we went out there and failed to bring anybody in. Our lack of offense was discouraging on the mound."
In the top of the 9th, the Phat Kids finally began to get something going. With one out, a costly strikeout left a runner at second with only one chance to tie the game. Following a bunt that failed to advance the runner, the Phat Kids had the go-ahead run on first when the ball was kicked off the tee to second basewoman Jill Andreska.
"Once the ball was kicked and I ran to grab it, I quickly realized the play was over. With the runner advancing to third, my main concern became preventing a run," recalls Tikkuri, who watched the play unfold right before him.
But Andreska scooped the ball up and made a stiff throw at the runner just before she reached second base. The force out prevented the run from scoring and Bawl Movements had just knocked off the Phat Kids.
The offense continued their trend this season by exploding through the opening gates and bringing three runs across the plate in the first inning before the Phat Kids could even blink. Andy and Dan Mayeshiba opened the inning with two singles when Tikkuri capitalized on a confused defense and wound up with a 2-RKI double. Rob Mayo then delivered a sac fly to bring Tikkuri in from 3rd to make it 3-0.
The scoring continued in the 3rd after Tikkuri kicked a one-out triple, bringing James Daniels up. Tikkuri burst forward on a ground ball to third, narrowly avoiding the throwtag with a face-first slide into home. Overall, Tikkuri was 3-3 with two doubles and a triple.
"We, well me specifically, were able to capitalize on their defensive mistakes by running the bases hard," he said. "Last week the Togglers beat us with the same mentality and we learned something from that loss. It was also a key to be free of any distractions this week and just have fun with it."
Defensively, Bawl Movements rebounded from their myriad of mistakes last week by catching everything in the air. Tong made two astonishing catches as Justin Urban and Rich Santiago made a couple of good running grabs as well. The left side of the infield held solid and kept the ball in front while Mayo and Andreska held their own despite one misplayed throw that caused a two-base error.
So with one week remaining in the fall kickball season, three teams are now tied with one loss a piece. The next tiebreaker is Runs Against, which Bawl Movements is clinging onto by a single run. In order to win the division, Bawl Movements has to watch the final score of the Togglers/PYTs and allow less or the same number of runs as the PYTs score. For example, if the Togglers win 10-2, Bawl Movements must hold Our Girls Have Balls Too! to two or fewer runs in order to win the division.
The Phat Kids must defeat the Bulldogs and hope the Togglers and Bawl Movements both lose in order to win the division. Every other team is mathematically eliminated.
So what do you look for in this situation? It could be interesting to find out if either team will be umpiring the other's game. Even more intriguing, are they even aware of this situation?
BM will roll into Week 9 with momentum and drive, knowing that from this point forward, they will be choosing their own fate. OGHBT! are coming off a thrashing of the PYT's and are now in 5th, playing for a possible 4th place spot with a win.
LATEST NEWS
9/3
The final numbers on the game for 9/2 are 19 hits 10 runs and 4 errors. A 10 to 1 victory over the PYTs. Another pleasant night. For the first time we played together as the full team I hope to keep for the rest of the season. Be sure to check coaches corner for the Game Summary and check out this page for Ticks Account of the week 2 game against the PYTs.
Injury Report for 9/2
Aaron Weber-cut up left knee 9/2
Jill Andreska-Strained right quad 9/2
Dan Mayeshiba-cut up elbows and left hand 9/2
Derek Tikkuri-Severe scrapes and burns on right leg 8/26
8/27
Yesterdays Game, A victory!!!
9 to 0
It was a fun opener. Less bugs would have been nice. Next week we will be starting at 7:00pm so I hope to see all of you supporters out there.
Check out the coaches corner page for the play by play summary of this last weeks game.
Injury report....
Tongs back seems to be better she is listed as probable for the game on 9/2.
Dan Dislocated his left shoulder at work, a very minor dislocation, Experiencing stiffness but not enough to effect his
fielding.
Everyone else seems to be healthy with the exception of some of our players lungs....See ya next week.
AP - Expansion Bawl Movements Show Strong Start
MILWAUKEE - Manager Dan Mayeshiba had high expectations for his team heading into his first season with a group of players under his own wing.
On Thursday, those expectations looked pretty realistic.
A team boasting a majority of rookies, Bawl Movements overcame the Bulldogs 9-0 in 6 and a half innings at Burnham Park in the heart of Milwaukee. A 4-run first inning sparked the eventual shutout, as Mayeshiba took control on the mound and rolled the Bulldogs to zeros across the board.
"I was definitely glad to see the ball pop up as much as it did," said Bawl Movements' coach/pitcher, who was accused of 'manbunting' several times throughout the game by opponents. Regardless of complaints, Mayeshiba wound up on base each time.
Derek Tikkuri opened up the scoring as he tagged from third on a short pop-up from Aaron Weber. John Stanosz then followed with a two-run triple that gave Mayeshiba a cushion he wouldn't even need.
The girls of the team played their part well in keeping rallies going and not laying down. Becky Plout and Jill Andreska both racked up a hit each as Monica Santiago dropped a double behind third. Wendy lived up to the hype by reaching first 2 out of 3 times.
Mayeshiba and Rob Mayo racked up a total of 6 singles and Weber added a two-run triple to insure the lead Bawl Movements would never vanquish.
Next week, Bawl Movements takes on the PYT's at 7:00 at Burnham Park.
"Our big legs are gonna have to step up if we wanna prove that week 1 wasn't a fluke," said Mayeshiba. "A few less errors in the field would be nice too. Cause so far, I'm the MVP."
Added Mayeshiba, "I'm also the most productive person I've ever met."
Bawl Movements will say goodbye to Stanosz despite a strong showing at third to make way for Adam Haupt, who will be the team's full-time third baseman. Tikkuri is also questionable with third-degree leg burns from sliding into second in the first inning. [AP 8-28-04]
8/3/04
Our last practice was good.
We didn't have quite everyone there but I did get the chance to see some important players play for the first time. Monica overcame her rookie syndrome and caught her share of fly balls in the outfield. She also got a couple of pitches giving me some time in the outfield. That got me to thinking about doing something no other team is doing and that is putting a female on the mound.
That would give me the ability to play my third baseman really shallow, my left fielder at the grass line behind him and pull my left center fielder to left. The strategy behind this is that my third baseman can get a better jump on balls and have a better chance at making the throw to third. By having a female at the mound I can put a guy at both left and left center. The third baseman will cover the infield with the pitcher, the left fielder will cover right behind the third baseman running down fowl balls and covering third during plays at the plate and plays that draw the third baseman. The left center fielder will then be pulled to what is traditionally left field. The left centerfielder and the center fielder can both cover tons of ground so they can do a great job of covering would be homerun balls.
We'll have to experiment with this a bit and see what happens.
Justin Urban made his first appearance at practice on Sunday. He has an amazing leg. His first twenty kicks went straight up in the air as high as a miller park foul ball. But after he got used to the ball he kept everything else under shoulder height and to the outfield. Anything that came to the infielders had so much heat on it it was difficult to field. I'm Pretty sure he's got speed but he wasn't really required to use it much in the outfield on Sunday.
The only person I havnt seen perform thus far is our right center fielder Jill. And I havent seen the whole team perform together yet. That is something I look forward to in the near future possibly in a scrimmage that the players have been requesting against the Heat Seeing Red Rockets.
Check back for updates this week.
|
