New Lenox, IL - It's been a long time coming for the team that started in this league in 2015. Dozens of players and non-players who were called into action have taken at-bats for the Master Batters, Gnaturals, and High Voltage. Last night was the night that everything came together and High Voltage got over the hump to win its first championship in the team's 19th season. The first game of the evening pitted the #3 seeded Volts against last year's Summer League champions #2 seeded Chuck's. The game was nip and tuck all game long until Chuck's rolled a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 15-12 lead over the Volts. High Voltage has seen this movie many times in the past and has gone out quietly to end the season without ever having gotten a chance to play in the finals. This year seemed no exception with the Volts making two outs in the first three batters in the top of their final inning. The tide changed with a runner on first when Noah hit a squibbler to short that was perfectly placed for him to beat out an infield single. Jeff followed with a rope to center field to load the bases for Dylan who hit a slow chopper to shortstop. He threw the ball to third for a possible force out but Noah was too quick and slid in safely to keep the season alive. Trailing 15-13, Pratl stepped in and roped a two strike pitch into left-center field to tie the game. Ryno came to the plate and laced a single to nearly the same spot to score Dylan and put the Volts up 16-15. Lefty Grayshirt flew out to start the Chuck's 7th inning and was followed up with a Coach 9 homerun out. Fordo slapped a single to right-centerfield to keep the inning alive but all hope was lost when Chuck's final out of the summer league was recorded on a Nike Pantskins homerun out to end the game and send High Voltage to their first championship game ever.
The Volts had a surprising opponent in the Finals after Paradise Bay upset Brew Jays. The teams had split the season series up to this point and would settle the tie in the championship game. Both teams scored five runs in the first inning, and that would be the last time the game was that close. High Voltage erupted for 11 runs to open up a lead and never look back. Leading 16 to 6 after two innings, the Volts matched Paradise Bay run for run in keeping the winning margin at ten, for a 26 to 16 final. The interesting fact is that both teams scored in six of the seven innings. The big difference in the game was the Volts defense played very well while Paradise kicked the ball around at times. The game ended with Coach 54 grounding out to Noah, thus sparking a celebration that lasted until the park district kid shut the lights off. For one moment, Ken thought the lights went out due to a faulty wiring situation from 19 years prior. Congratulations to the team on its first championship! Congratulations to each player for having an impact in both the semi-finals and the finals. There will be a special edition in the future on the stats of the game as well as stats of the franchise as a whole, as well as more comments on individual achievements this season and in the playoffs.
Noteables:
Time & Temp - When Jim Cantore comes to your town from the offices of the Weather Channel, something big is usually brewing. It was brewing in New Lenox all right. Except this time it was not foul weather that was brewing, it was championship Tuesday at The Lion's Den. Overcast skies, cool weather, and winds whipping out of the north-northeast made it a comfortable night for fans and players alike. Thank you Jim for stopping in town, we'll see you again in the fall.
Nice Time to .......... - Not sure if anyone other than Z noticed the umpire missing to start the dramatic 7th inning of last nights opener. The ump walked off and took a wazzzz. Zlogar is trying to get the ump's attention here to point out where the port-a-john is located.
Funny Thing Happened - Gazette Editor-in-Chief stopped in Pizza Mia before heading out to the game to hang the camera on the backstop early. Problem is that they burnt the pizza and da chief had to sit there while they made another pie. You'd expect that type of thing from Beggars but not these folks. Additionally, if you notice the wooden panelling and door are new fixtures. We were told that a teen age female who was parked, put the car unknowingly in reverse, and mashed on the accelerator.........much to her surprise to put the car through the front glass and necessitate the new furnishing. Driver, employees, and customers were all fine.
You Bet - Sports prognosticator Heater Buggins came out to the game and talked to our staff about the betting action last night. Heater said to take High Voltage on the money line to win it all. He also said to take the points and Paradise Bay in their game against Brew Jays. Folks who listened to Buggins made a kings ransom last night as High Voltage was listed at +2000 to win the championship.
Gas - When Billy Barts realized that his team would not be playing in the championship game, he walked over to the batter's box, lifted his leg, and let one go and said; "take that".
Missed By a Pole - France pole vaulter, Peanuts Sach, was unsuccessful in his jump last week. When asked what happened, Sach said; "My big ole junk got in the way. It happens".
.
Mod Squad - The girls took some fielding practice before the game on Tuesday. There's talk about co-ed league. Look out Thursday nights, here comes the girls!
Game One - This would normally be the headliner for a single game but was only a step in the process of winning the championship. High Voltage and Chuck's exchanging pleasantries after a hard fought game.
What Did He Say - Sutes won a state championship over the weekend playing for the Rantool Ringers. After winning the Championship on Tuesday, Sutes came up to this reporter and said; "winning this league means much more to me than the state championship". Congratulations Sutes on the state championship and to all for the Tuesday title!
Paradise Leads the League... - in leaving lineup slips of paper in the dugout. Coach 54 batting cleanup and playing shortstop.
I'll Take That - Stapes, Noah, and the ump (pictured way in the background) were the only folks in attendance last night who followed the advice of Heater Buggins. Noah and Stapes quickly log into their sports betting accounts to back the Volts financially.
Photo Finish - The umpire narrowly beat Koz to the game on Tuesday. Interesting note is that Cap'n Jack put Koz in the leadoff spot and almost did not make it on time to fulfill those duties. For one of the few guys who did not take batting practice before the game, Koz made the most out of things by going 9 for 10 on the night.
Murphy's Law - Pops, pictured here playing third base, was playing a good game for Chuck's. That is until Ken said; "I gotta give it to Pops. He's playing his ass off tonight". Pops immediately lines into a 6-4 double play on the very next pitch. Way to go Ken!
Garybration - Uncle Gary tries to slip into the High Voltage celebration. "Hey, I still play for you guys, right?"
Family - Cheers to all of the moms, dads, wives, friends, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and on and on, who have come out over the past nine years to support this franchise.
Happy Jack - Maya clearly has a thing for happy Jack. If anyone is looking for a lovely female dog that is less than a year old, potty trained, and can do a couple of tricks, we are fostering Maya until she finds a good home. Let Gale know if you are or know of someone who would be interested.
As far as the song Happy Jack, blowski. This has been discussed with the Schoenhofen's who clearly only like this song because Jack is in the name. Any song off of Tommy, Who's Next, Quadrophenia, Who by Numbers, Who are You, Face Dances, and It's Hard is better than Happy Jack.
Game 2 - Another headline type picture that would make the front of this publication. Got to give Paradise credit for knocking off the top seeded Brew Jays.
Night on the Cooler - Lizzo went home between games to grab popsicle stick Z for the championship game. Stick Z made many appearances as Z had quite a game. The Gazette reached out to Z for quotes but he did not return our call.
Kathy - We all love you and are pulling for your speedy return to full health. The Volts are three for three in Pinkout games and pulled their way to a championship in the process. Love the shirt!!!
Small Crowd Early - The crowd was a little slow getting out to the ballpark on Tuesday but they came in droves as the night went on. Who would have figured that after all of these years, someone would bring chairs to sit on.
Late Crowd - Things picked up when the team moved over to the first base line for the Finals. Thanks to Ken's run to the liquor store, there were supplemental refreshments for those who became in need due to the length of play. Thank you Ken!
Milling Around - The team, along with family and friends, share time together long after the last out had been recorded.
Alternate View - Volts say goodnight to Chuck's as they would wait for Paradise/Brew Jay winner. Not sure if Jacky stats could check this out but the team that wins the first game and waits around for an hour seems to usually win the championship game. Maybe Mr. Buggins can call the offices when he reads this.
Unretired - Gary has come back more times than the aforementioned Who. Everyone's favorite uncle was called back into service when Jerry Bats couldn't make the game due to Canadian extradition issues.
Ringer Protection - The real money in this league is to win the regular season with the best record (and ties if necessary). Winning the title as the Volts did last night, nets the team $100 for their efforts. It's not the check or the money that count, it's the fond memories and accomplishment of having won the title. On that note, the tiebreaker controversy from earlier this season never came into play. You remember, that's the one where Jeff does not score the winning run from third base and Sutes could hit a grand slam. Sorry Sutes, had to get that in one last time.
The Kids are Alright - Happy and Pouty Jack are with Uncle Z tucked snugly into the Lowes bucket. On that front, the team was oh for getting to a championship with the orange Home Depot bucket but now 1 for 1 with the Lowes bucket.
Subway - Laurie Sutor provided sandwiches between games for the young men, which fueled them to victory. Thanks to you Laurie, this team was not one sandwich short of a picnic.
- The crowd has their eyes glued on the action in game one last night. Argus is taking Gale for a walk to calm down her nerves.
Saint Michael - We come to find out that this was found down the third base line during a four person batting practice session at The Lion's Den on Sunday morning. The men dusted it off and took it to the dugout for good measure, which turned out to be a good move as Saint Michael looked over the Volts.
Game One Heroes - Pratl watches The Flash zip by him during the Paradise game. Pratl drove in the tying runs against Chuck's and Ryno knocked in the game winner in the following at-bat.
On The Fence - Z is shown here watching the action from his popsicle stick purch. Wonder why nobody tried to put a head band on him? Thank you to the Spirit of Old Man Jones who snapped off this shot.
Bowling - Jack took a running start from the mound to see how many teammates he could knock down. Turns out that only one man went down. Jack
Almost Unretired - Ken tried to sneak on the field and take over for Noah. Sutes is seen here pointing to the dugout for Ken to return. Nice try.
What the Chuck - Jack and Z watch Jeffrey Sketches in an early at bat to size the opponent.
Dance Fever - Jay asks Z what he thinks about his moves as he tries a new dance move out between games last night.
Please - Maya really had a thing early for Happy Jack. She had every right to pick the happy one over the pouty one as things turned out aces for the Volts. Dogs are good judges of people, and apparently outcomes of softball games.
Picture This - Take a picture of the person taking the picture is an easy shot. Love the way the girls take a quick pause to pose with a smile. Also love Mr. Sutes heads up shoosting of the shooster.
Bravos Part II - If you've known Jack long enough, you know about the 2004 Braves in-house Rebels 9-10 year old championship. He even brought it up in his wedding speech. Twenty years later and here we are again. Asked which was more special, Jack answered with an obvious "2004 Braves". I'll give him that but I guarantee you that he did not have a victory beer in 2004........just saying.
Quiet Moment - Jack takes an extra few seconds to collect his thoughts and emotions. Who we kidding, he cannot control his emotions. Anyway, catch the Captain's thoughts on the proceedings at the end of this edition.
Penny for Your Thoughts - We caught up with Ken for some thoughts on the championship.
Here's what he had to say; "The Long and Winding Road!!! 10 years I've been watching Jack try to build a winner!!!! Masterbatters, The Gnaturals, and finally High Voltage!!! Lost some great talent along the way in the likes of Dave Nykuil, Troy Furlong, Jeff in KC for 4 years, Jimmy Bags with a smoke hanging on his lip, seemed like every time we got close to winning it, we slid back down the hill. This team truly is the best defensive team in the league!!!! A great bunch of guys who truly car and respect the game as well as us old guys!!!! I couldn't be prouder. So cool to play/coach with my 2 boys. Great to have the Daily Double reunited!!! Many unsung heroes last night, especially in game 1. Truly a TEAM effort. I had a hard time stepping off the field this year but it worked out for the best. Noah consistently hits "piss missiles". I realized last night that I actually coached five members of this team on the hardball diamond. Great to see them succeed in spite of that (laugh) . Pretty cool to see parents like us that still take part with their adult kids....the world needs more of that!!
Well said Ken.
Kozelton - Cousins Koz and Stapes hook together to win a championship. Proud of you young men! Koz was quoted when asked about his feelings; "Both games were good team wins. It was much more satisfying beating the frat boys than it was beating Ivy. I wonder if Jack and/or Ken slept all night".
Hang Loose - Ryno is literally hanging loose during game one action. A major observation of the evening is how loose overall the entire team was, including the last inning of the first game with two outs and a runner on first being down by three runs. We are so glad the sage didn't make an appearance last night or we may never had gotten rid of it.
Comin' at Ya - Don't know why this is my favorite picture of the celebration but it is.
The following are some pictures taken last night. Thank you to Laurie Sutor for some of the team pictures!
Captain's Corner
We caught up with Cap'n Jack earlier today and asked him some questions as well as give him the opportunity to speak to the team and fans. Here is how that interview went:
Q. How does it feel to win the
Championship?
A. It still doesn't feel right but
it sure feels good!!!! Going to take a bit to sink in! Will have fun
re-watching the games.
Q. How sweet was it to beat
Paradise/Ivy for the title?
A. Screw those guys, beating Chuck's
was my favorite game out of all 192 games. Take that Frankfort Frat
Boys!!!!!!!
Q. What's better the 04 Braves or
the 24 High Voltage?
A. 04 Braves is my answer only
because that can never be done again in my life, AND they changed the league
rules because of us
Q. How did you celebrate last night?
A. Left the den, went over to Fosters
and did a couple lines of coke in my childhood driveway @ 859 Churchill.
Physically ran to Zlogars house and took my softball bat to every one of his
outdoor light fixtures. Hit those lights more solid than I hit a softball. On
the way back home went down Daniel Lewis drive and kicked a 54 yard field goal
through Pratl's backyard goalpost. By the time I made it back home I was
stripped down to just eye black and sliding shorts. Wandered down Route 6
towards the hospital and was able to get a bed in the ER for the night.
Q. Do you have any special plans to
commemorate the win?
A. Need to go steal our official
2004 Braves trophy that we unfortunately had to give to the sponsor back in the
day, ughhh.
The interview was pretty much over and we gave Jack the floor:
I don't even know where to begin. To
steal from Ricky Bobby...
There were 11 guys Wednesday morning
that WOKE THE F UP AND PISSED EXCELLENCE!!!! WE'RE THE BEST THERE IS, AND IF
YOU AIN'T FIRST, YOUR LAST!!!
WOW! WE DID IT. Just have to start
by saying Thanks to these guys!! An awesome group of guys!! The Best!!! We've
been lucky to have some great dudes play for us through all these years. This
is the first that broke the curse and ended the drought.
I am so proud of the team defense
more than anything. Yes, we had a forfeit win, but still finished the regular
season allowing 33 runs less than the next best team.
But what I really want to say is....
WHAT A BADASS MOTHER FUCKING TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!! BLEEP THAT OUT IF YOU NEED TO!!!
THIS TEAM FUCKING ROCKS!!!! We pick
each other up and pass the torch to the next guy. I am so proud that this was
the group that went all the way because we absolutely EARNED IT!!! We knew,
everyone knew... if we played our best game... nobody could beat us. And as
good of a season as it was, there were still many times we did not play our
best. Yet finished 10-3.
Let's don't stop! This season was so
fun, I hope every one of you loved playing and I would like to keep this group
together as long as we possibly can!
To our Fans....
Thank You. Thank You. Thank
You.
You really are the best. The girls
down the left field line bring the energy every week. Even when we start
sucking ass... they are screaming at us to turn it around. From the wives,
fiances, girlfriends, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, dogs, etc..... we all
appreciate your support. I speak for everyone on the team when I say that it's
nice to have a cheering section who goes crazy for us. We know you guys care.
Lauren said it might be harder for her to watch those tense moments, than it is
for us to play in them!
Thanks for your support all year!!!!
Comments
Post a Comment