Nik & Ivy Whack The Gnats

New Lenox, IL - After last week's rainout, the Gnats were looking to swarm Nik & Ivy as they took on former teammate Uncle Gary. The game started out promising as the Gnats held Ivy to two runs after three innings while compiling five runs of their own to lead 5-2 heading into the 4th inning.  Gnats were blanked in the top half of the inning while Ivy threw up an eleven spot to take an insurmountable 13-5 lead heading into the 5th.  Gnats scored a single run in the fifth inning while Ivy sealed the game when Biff Maroni slammed a three-run homerun to end the game 16-6.  The Gnats look to get back to .500 next week versus the Storm Riders; game time at 8:30 PM.

Noteables:

Bee in the Bonnet - Before the game, a bee was buzzing around Ken's crisp new Gnaturals uniform.  Never knew that a Gnat was good bait for a bee.

Uncle Ernie - Good morning Campers!

I'm your Uncle Ernie
And I'll welcome you to Tommy's Holiday Camp
The camp with the difference
Nevermind the weather
When you come to Tommy's
The holiday's forever

1-2-3-4 - Uncle Gary induced the first four Gnat batters to make outs on Tuesday evening.

Jerry Morales - A Nik and Ivy hitter skied the highest popup in the history of softball into short left-center field as the winds were blowing aplenty.  Pratl sidled up to the ball and made a basket catch to secure the out.

We Got More Fans - Wade II pointed out correctly that the Gnats had Nik & Ivy covered in the fan
attendance wars.  The Gnats had this one covered from the start.  Well done fans!

Welcome Distraction - Officer Dave showed up just in time to distract this reporter during the fateful 4th inning when Ivy scored 11 runs to take over the game.  Don't know what happened, don't want to know.

Ironic - Officer Dave showed up randomly to pick up a couple of pages from the Cap'n Jack scorebook.  Coincidentally, Dave was third on the all-time MB/Gnat homerun list until tonight's player profilee had something to say about it.  More on that in a few short words..................

Player Profile Lineup - With Whitehouse as this week's player profile and the Cap'n next to come, the lineup is complete.  Conceptually, this team should try the lineup in a game as eight and six run offensives are not enough to win a game against Ken's proverbial favorite underdog, the Little Sisters of the Poor.

*If the Gazette has missed any of the 2021 regulars, send us a note and we will rectify the situation with our apologies.

Player Profile

Ryan Whitehouse

 

Tonight’s player spotlight is on the man known as Whitehouse. Ryan Whitehouse joined the Master Batters in the Fall of 2017.  Whitehouse comes into the fall 21’ season tied for 8^th place on the all time hit list. Ryan started this season tied for 4^th place all-time for home runs and with his homer last week has tied Policeman Dave for 3^rd place honors behind Koz and Stapes.  The De La Salle graduate sat out last year with the birth of his second child.  We sat down at the Rancho de Wilverman to catch up with the 2^nd baseman.

 

Gazette:  First off, congratulations on the birth of your daughter last season.

RW: Thank you! Yeah June 2020. Quarantine baby.

Gazette: How much sleep have you been getting lately?

RW: Got lucky with that for my two kids. Once they are settled in bed. They’re out pretty fast and consistently from about 8pm until 6:30 or 7 when they get ready for daycare.  

I know they piss off Ken, but I love a 9:30 softball start. I get to read their nightly books and get them down for bed before softball.

Gazette: Is your oldest a boy or a girl? What is the age difference between the two?

RW: I have one of each, oldest is my boy, four year old Bentley and then I have one year old Jaclyn.

Gazette: How is the strategy to watch two kids different than watching one when you’re by yourself?

RW: Well now, when mom isn’t home it’s like you’re in the middle of a bad inning, you just gotta limit the damage, so Bentley plays by himself and Jaclyn just gets blocked in the living room. Only so much trouble she can get into there.  From there I bounce back and forth between super heroes with Bentley and stuffed animals and blocks with Jaclyn.

Gazette: Do you realize that other than Ken, you are the only Gnat with children?  Any comment about that?

RW: Yeah, weird to be a couple years older than most of the team but it’s been cool to see them going through some of the most eventful times I was fortunate enough to go through. Graduating college, or buying houses, buying cars, getting engaged or married, thinking about kiddos.  My wife and I were very fortunate.  We got married, travelled, bought two cars, bought a house and had a baby all in 13 months. Life happens fast once college is over and with the guys we have, I can’t wait to see all the good things ahead of them.

Gazette: Looking at the Schoenhofen crew, could you imagine one day playing on the same team 20 years from now with Bentley?

RW: Definitely! I’d love to play with him when he is older.  Provided I’m sill in any ort of shape to play. He’s a lefty thrower and switch hitter already.

Gazette: I understand that Kerty is how you ended up on the Master Batters. What is your connection to Kerty and how did things develop to you playing full time on MB/Gnats?

RW: My wife and Kerty‘s fiancé, very soon to be wife are cousins so I had known Kerty for a while. I was in three or four different leagues when I was living in Chicago (12 and 16”), moved out to Joliet and Kerty was nice enough to invite a friend and I to play in a tournament at Inwood with some of the guys. From there said hey we need guys in New Lenox, joined the group full time pretty much immediately. 

Gazette: Did you realize that you are now tied for 3rd place on the all-time home run list with the Master Batters/Gnats?

RW: I did only because I had to fact check myself after telling you I’ve had a handful over the years.  It’s not a big part of my game but off a pitcher that throws a little flat, I’ll get one to go once in a while.

Gazette: What is your reaction to that?

RW: Surprised but it doesn’t mean much to me because realistically, there are plenty of guys that have played with us that if they wanted could hit plenty more than I ever could, they’ve just chosen to either move on or play a different style. 

I’m more contact first too. I ‘walk the box’, a timing carryover from 16”, so I worry more about my hands staying back and through.

Gazette: Your bio says that you studied journalism at Northern Illinois. What are your thoughts on the Gazette?

RW: I was more television news than print/online but I like what you’re doing. I didn’t grow up in New Lenox or with this group so I love the player spotlight to get to know some of my teammates better.  

Gazette: Should we be expecting a resume anytime soon?

RW: Not sure the Gazette could meet my salary expectations. I think you may have to find some advertising revenue to get me signed on.

Gazette: Tell me about being a dog trainer at Petco.

RW: Best college job I could of had, aside from the awful brown shirt I had to wear for a uniform. Play with and talk about dogs all day. What more could you want? Really was a learning experience for me to get comfortable talking to strangers, selling and presenting. It was about teaching owners just as much as it was teaching the dogs.

Dog training is just like baseball, everything builds on fundamentals and just like me, every dog is motivated by food, play and belly rubs. 

Gazette: Big opportunity to meet people, is that where you met your wife?

RW: No, my wife and I knew each other as kids. My cousin and her sister were best friends. My wife and I both went to De La Salle Institute for high school in Chicago.

Had some crossover in friends but didn’t talk much until we went away to separate colleges. Me to NIU and her to Lewis U. 

Gazette: What is the best thing about playing on the Gnats?

RW: I think the expectation everyone has that we can win any game and rally in any situation. We know we’re capable.

Gazette: Share your favorite moment you’ve had while playing on MB/Gnats.

RW: A few seasons back, forgive me for not knowing which, game 1 of the playoffs, in the 7th, hit a homer to tie the game and send us to extras where we won on someone else’s walk-off hit.

I love pressure on me in the batter’s box.

Thanks to Whitehouse to take time out of his busy life to join us at the Rancho de Wilverman.  Thank you Sonny for picking up the tab!