Still undefeated (technically)

We had an unprecedented amount of supporters and players for yesterday's game, and by the time 6pm rolled around we were all chomping at the bit to get on the field and win us a ball game! And win we did, though not in the way we were hoping for. The umpire never showed up, so after an extra-long catching and batting practice and a couple of phone calls to the softball commissioner, we decided to just play a scrimmage, which counts as a "win" on both teams' records.

The evening was much hotter than the weather widget had called for, and the only relief from the burning hot sunlight in our eyes was the thin brown veil from the clouds of dust constantly being kicked up and settling like Pigpen's wake.

Our dugout was packed, and we spilled out into far left field as well. There were babies and children, a cheering section, and plenty of True Foes and ringers all there for the action. We were well supplied, too: red and green Gatorade, snack mix that my mom made for the team (leftovers in the kitchen!) and chocolate chip cookies from Tyson's girlfriend. We won the coin toss and took the field first, and The Renegades started things out with a home run right off the bat (pardon the pun)! And then when we were up at bat, Shortstop Brian hit a home run right away too! There was no shortage of power hitting last night, that's for sure. They had some great hits into right field (nice catching Chris and Wendy!) and Willy didn't just pitch for half the game; he hit a home run of his own!

Jason took a break from pitching after three innings (decided to save "the heat" for our next 'real' game) and wowed us with his fielding at third. Issa made a million great catches and outs at first, and the other team was totally intimidated too because I overheard their manager telling them that 80% of their outs were at first and to not hit the ball over there so much. Well, we didn't have any fancy analyzing of outs going on in our dugout, but we played hard, got sweaty, and really had a lot of fun. I think the general feeling was that we've definitely played better, but on the other hand it was just a scrimmage so we didn't really want to tear any hamstrings over this one.

There were far too many attendees to single out, but it should be noted that Ryan Hullings played his debut game with us (and is only 'a little sore'), Tony Ruffo showed up to cheer, and out of the blue Matt Lipson joined us at the Water Street Bar later on! Thank you to everyone who took time from their busy schedules to play, watch, or haul equipment!

To be honest, there's no way of telling who would have won last night's game if we had played for real. Being an umpire is apparently a lot harder than it looks, and there were definitely some questionable calls made by more than one of the brave souls who took a turn officiating. There wasn't any fighting though, as The Renegades were an honorable team and quite fun to play against. One of their players even handed out free Mets tickets to those who wanted them!

We had a cheerful and beer-full congregation at the bar, where the bartender was nicer than the one at Superfine but very easily confused. Good times were had drinking and noshing and shouting at each other over the live jazz. Let's do it again! The next game is Wednesday, April 30, back at the same field. Come out and join the True Foes as we endeavor to extend our undefeated status into the month of May!

GTF

Foes Fight Felons, Finish First

I never thought I'd love to say "9 to 5," but when it's your winning softball score it's actually pretty fun!

True Foes and friends gathered in the navy yards of Brooklyn last night for our opening game, and considering that it's early April we really lucked out with the weather--clear skies and not too much mud. It got pretty chilly in the later innings, but running around the bases and cheering kept us plenty warm. I really can't say enough good things about our fielding, especially the all-star combo of Alex Laviola in left field and shortstop "golden glove" Brian, who pretty much caught any ball that ventured into the left half of the field. Of course they tried to be modest about their contributions—Brian pointed out that his valiant nosedive into the turf failed to make one catch, and Laviola said that the only reason he got a triple is "because the sun was in their eyes"—but we all know better and Lee's got it on video to prove it!

Top honors go to our pitcher and team captain, Jason, who not only pitched an amazing game but also scored the first run of the season. Abbey had great hits and was the first female foe to get on base, and Alex Mabilon made an amazing slide into third base and was totally robbed—he was safe by a mile. This year we welcomed two new foes to the team, as Dale and Tyson played their debut game with gusto. Willy and David were solid at bat and in the field: both had good catches in right field and center field, respectively, and yours truly even caught a foul ball at the plate for an exciting third out. We were lucky to be joined by two of our favorite ringers, Chris and Wendy, who took turns covering second base, and Issa was excellent as usual on first, and with good hits, too!

One of the best things about last night was our dugout full of fans (thanks for the pizza, Karen!), without whose shouts of encouragement the night would have felt a lot colder. And thanks to Susan and the awesome new team uniforms she created we were not only victorious but also comfortable and stylish! The other team was a good bunch of people—they call themselves the "Felons," and there was an NYPD corrections bus parked two blocks away, which occasioned a little speculation as to their line of work. They hit a ton of foul balls, but they played fair, and I hope we have the pleasure of beating them again in the future!

The beers at Superfine tasted like triumph, and not even the cranky bartender (what was her problem, anyway?) could dampen our spirits. We relived the best parts of the game, like when Brian was turned around talking to Wendy on the field, then spun around when the ball was hit and caught it like nothing. And I'm trying to remember exactly how Alex described his injurious slide under the Felons' third basewoman—something like "she saw me coming and opened her legs." Good times. I probably drank a couple more than I should have, so I might not be remembering this correctly, but I think I heard a rumor that Criterion's first Blu-Ray release is going to be the complete True Foes 2008 season, with highlights and bloopers as supplements...

Our next game isn't until Wednesday, April 23, which will give us time to recover from the stiff muscles and bruises we collected, but I know I'm not alone when I say that I'd gladly strain, scrape, and slide tomorrow for another awesome game like last night's! A huge thank-you again to everyone who came out to play and show their support, and here's to the top-ranked, undefeated True Foes—it's going to be a great year!

GTF