True Foes eat Hagfish for breakfast (6/14)

Unfortunately it was a little late in the day for breakfast when we played, and the Hagfish served us defeat on toast. It was a good game against worthy opponents though, and they definitely earned their win. Much more palatable than last week's game. I'll tell you the final score if you promise not to cringe... 13-5. It’s really not as bad as it sounds. It was an even, low-scoring game for the most part. But you know there's always that one inning where things just kind of unravel.

On the bright side, we had far and away the strongest True Foes turnout of the season! We had enough people for two full teams, and our cheering section overflowed the (quite muddy) dugout. Jason efficiently and expertly managed the wave of substitutions mid-game, so everyone who came out got a chance to play. Dark clouds hovered ominously at start time, and the ump was trying to tell us it was going to rain. I said, “Blue, don't you worry; I told it not to rain today.” And that's exactly what happened. The clouds blew over and we were left with wonderfully mild, dry weather and a puddle-free field.

The Foes welcomed back Jason to the pitcher's mound, and he pitched a full and intimidating game as usual. As one of the Hagfish batters noted, “He put some hot mustard on the ball!” He also hit an impressive double on a full count—very dramatic. David Phillips, Issa, and Willy all put their game faces on and played like the solid, sporty dudes they are both in the field and up at bat. Our "old" ringers were all present and talented as usual—let's hear it for Softball Dave, Glenn, and Brian (who pretty much caught every ball that came within a ten-yard radius of him). The valuable ThinkFilm crew came out to play again, and as always we appreciate their support and enthusiasm!

Speaking of ThinkFilm, Wendy is long overdue for some write-up props: she comes to all the games and she's seriously got the mad softball skillz. Her shining moment last night was a powerful hit and a very professional slide into second base (safe!). I'll just take this opportunity to say that in fact all the True Foe ladies did a bang-up job: We were very happy to have Cleo back in action, as she is a consistently strong hitter and infielder, and I myself got two dudes out at home plate, which always feels good.

Other notable plays included Peter's brilliant hit into right field (I can't believe they caught it) and yet another "impossible" catch made by Alex Laviola in left field (this one happily sans concussion). If I haven't mentioned you by name, I apologize: Ben, Brandon, Mabilon—all did great jobs too. And there's still one name that eludes me...the memory does get a little foggy after a “seemed like a good idea at the time” round of shots. It's a very, very quiet Criterion office this morning. Fortunately I've got Justin Timberlake and a Big Bottle of Gatorade keeping me company.

Even though we lost it doesn't sting as badly as it could. Camaraderie and team spirit abounded, and the loud and continual cheering was a great boost. Laviola in particular offered up some gems like: "Good eye—they can't teach that!" and "Show 'em where you live, Alex!"

But if the cheers didn't quite do it for you and you're still smarting from the loss, there isn’t long to wait for a chance at redemption. We have only FOUR DAYS until our next game, so stay angry and come help the True Foes punish "El D" on Tuesday, June 19!

GTF