New Lenox, IL - High Voltage came into Tuesday evening's game off last week's loss looking to get back on the winning path against Cosgrove Construction. The Volts came out swinging by putting up a seven spot in the top of the first inning to essentially take command of the game from that point forward. Cosgrove could only answer with a single run in their half of the inning while HV carried on with a six run outburst to lead 13-1 after two innings. Cosgrove cut the lead to 13-2 after three innings but that was as close as they would come with the Volts posting nine runs to lead 22-2 and ultimately cruise to a run-rule shortened four inning 22-4 victory. The win puts the Volts at 6-1 and just a half-game behind Transcend Realty for the top spot. Cosgrove falls to 1-5-1 and good enough for a sixth place tie at the three games remaining in the season marker. The Volts square off on Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30PM versus the resurgent fourth place Hog Wild. All patrons who bring a chair to the game will be allotted their own plot of grass to settle in and watch the contest (Money is tight this year as the Volts shoulder the massive Koz contract while having to sign others to fill his shoes. Jimmy Letsos wasn't free. Wade Davis still on the payroll. Believe it or not, Whitehouse is still getting paid through 2028 as he slipped a contract under the sign-in sheet, which Jack unknowingly signed. The BOGO experiment was a heavy price on the team coffers as well. El Capitan has been working Saturday overtime to make up the budget shortfall).
Notables:
Agua Boys, Agua - With a couple rounds of brief thunderstorms on Tuesday, infield playing conditions were perfect. With only three games remaining at the old ballpark, it would not be a good time to ask the park district to spray down the fields before the game, but the thought is nice. Incidentally, the Wintrust fields will have no dirt to water. In fact, no grass to water. Just plastic. Gnat and Mosquito population might be down....we'll see.
Short-Timer - Tuesday's contest began with over 3 1/2 minutes gone, as staff are in a hurry to get out of the Lions Den before midnight. I guess folks get paid by the game and not the hour, which is good because some nights might go well into the next day to finish up games.
You Snooze, You Lose - We are not going to pimp this product because it's already got enough pimp behind ownership. Frosty was the only person on the team who tried this product and actually likes it so Richard Blatzo brought a cooler full to the game. In true fashion, Frosty melted somewhere between the drinks and showing up for the game. At least this time wasn't due to taking a 12 hour nap.
Crackdown - It finally happened. Teams have been discussing the legality of some of the bats used in the league. After a complaint by the Cosgrove catcher on a Jeff four-hop single to left field, Justump came over to the Volt dugout to check The Artist's bat. The inspection yielded a verdict of "play on, the bat is clean". That's good news for the Cap'n as he cannot afford to pay out fines and may have had a situation on his hands if Jeff had to pay out of his own lunch money.
Do Not Adjust Your Monitor - With no Foster in the lineup on Tuesday, the Volts managed to squeak out a 22-4 victory in four innings. Joe O with his first victory of the year. The night was not short on fans and players taking barbs at one another. Here's what was overheard....... After Noah made a tremendous defensive play in the 2nd inning at shortstop, someone yelled "Sutor, you're done!". A fan yelled "don't hit it to third!". Interestingly, Sutes was playing third. After Joe O threw a quick pitch fastball that an eager Cosgrove batter struck out on, half the Volt team yelled; "Foster WHO?!". Lastly, when the game had ended, the Volts congratulated O on his inaugural win and placed a Joe O name plaque written in marker over Ryno's locker in the clubhouse. Things move quick here. Missing a game can be a career decision.
Standings and Things - League standings are pretty much in line with win expectations on run differential. Maybe the Rendels can pick up their first Tuesday evening win as they play decent enough defense to sneak up on someone. Hog Wild may be a spoiler if they pick up on the offensive end as they have a stingy defense. We'll take a hard look into the playoff predictions once the regular season ends.
The Legend of Roy Hobbles - Well, old Roy was not able to make a hobbling catch on Tuesday as he was a few hops away from making yet another spectacular play on a pop foul. That didn't stop Roy from doing something that many didn't acknowledge, which is catching the tipped strike three on the O heater. Roy may not have the wheels to run down drives in the gap but he has just enough hobble to get to embarrassing pop fouls around the batters screen, and has the reflexes of drag racer to snatch pebbles from the hands of Kung Fu Masters and tipped third strikes. What's this legend going to perform this week??
Lions Den Top 5 - Bags is about as interesting a man as has ever stepped out between the chalk in Tuesday Night softball action. You don't get a segment in the Gazette unless you have some flair. Bags set the standard for charisma, tobacco usage, foul language, hustle, teammate beatdowns, weight loss, and most of all.....fun. Bags is the one of the rare players who can get full game filthy on a play at first base. When wins were scarce in the early days of the Master Batters, Bags and Jack would have their own battle as to who had the dirtiest uniform. A toast to the man who recommended Brockmire to this writer. Cheers to you Bags. You are synonymous with the good old days of the Lions Den.
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