The club has the day off from play, and I've taken more than a day off from this blog to play, so it's time to quit playin' and get back to work. Darn.
Déjà vu, from the French, meaning, "Let's hope the second half of the baseball season doesn't mirror the first." JK. That's really not how Webster's defines it.
As I type these lines the local nines have begun the second half of their 2007 season and at present stand at the top of the leaderboard at 5-0 (1.000. Yes, I did just type that if only because I really and truly like that baseball number, particularly when that number represents the team I'm rooting for!).
The first three wins of the second half came at St. George (which just goes to show that the club can win on the road, thank-you-very-much) and the latter two wins the Scorps dropped the Armada at Desert Sun Stadium, where the club seems to be playing exceptionally well. If memory serves, the club began the 2007 season 6-0 (all home games) before losing a closely contested match 3-2 at Desert Sun v. Long Beach to go 6-1. Now you see where I'm going with this...the club has today off and resumes play Tuesday at Reno for a three-game series.
The boys last played Reno at Reno and the Silver Sox took the series two games to one. Previous to that series the Scorps hosted the Sox and took all three games of that series. Which I would venture to guess basically means this series on the road could go either way. However, the Yuma club seems to be gelling now and playing - with the exception of the close 8-7 win over Long Beach on the 21st inst. - some pretty decent ball.
The pitching has tightened up and the offense is scoring runs so, dang, I guess right now there isn't a whole heck of a lot to complain about.
I'm looking forward to the three-game series at Chico. As you Yuma fans will recall, the Scorps last faced the Outlaws at Chico in late June and dropped all three. The Chico side won yesterday, but their last ten games have them at an even .500 (5-5) but they will have the home field advantage, always a tough prospect at Chico. We'll see how it plays out.
This six-game road trip (three games each at Reno and Chico) is the longest of the season (another six-game away trip faces the club in late August) so hopefully it won't be as ugly as the 15-game away trip of mid-late June, early July.
In closing I'd like to address the many of you who sent emails asking which one is the monkey. I only have two words for you: very funny.
Bear with me here. Been gone a bit and getting my groove back. Later.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday Observations
The Scorpions continue to struggle as they remain winless at home in July. Of course the team has had only two home games so far this July, but two straight losses at home to start the month - compared to a sizzling 6-0 home start in June (with a mind-boggling 10-1 home record, followed by a dismal 3-9 road record for the month) - doesn't do a whole lot to reassure this fan that the club is getting it turned around. The boys' record in June was 13-10, not exactly stellar.
The Scorps' July record, to date, is 2-3; those two wins coming at St. George to close out the excrutiatingly long road trip, followed by the Scorpions dropping their first two games upon returning home (also v. St. George).
The club returned to Desert Sun Stadium on the Fourth of July to host the St. George Roadrunners. That four-hour hit parade resulted in the Roadrunners claiming a 12-10 victory. Clearly, good pitching was not in attendance for this game, folks.* (And you all know by now how much I harp on pitching.)
Thursday's game started off on a promising note - Tank Peterson hit a two-run shot to give the boys a 2-0 lead. From there on out it wasn't much to witness, offensively or defensively. The Roadrunners showed up to play and they claimed the 6-3 victory. I will say that I witnessed three calls that I would have considered very questionable - two at first base (St. George runner, same player both times) and one at second (Scorpions' runner). Marshall must have also questioned those calls as he trotted on to the field and had some words with Blue. The calls weren't reversed, but neither was the skipper tossed, so along with the negative we take the positive.
The three-game home series against St. George concludes with tonight's game, and by the way the Roadrunners have stepped it up lately (I do think they are a better team than their record indicates) I wouldn't be surprised to see Yuma get swept at home, something that has not happened this season. To be swept by the Roadrunners (5-21, .192) would be particularly painful.
As for other league play:
The Chico Outlaws lost last evening to the Reno Silver Sox by a score of 7-2. Chico's loss would have helped the Yuma side, except Yuma also lost. Story of my life.
The Orange County Flyers, after taking four of five games from Yuma in the latter half of June, are on a downhill slide, falling last evening to the LBALACUSNAIBA (aka Long Beach Armada) by a score of 12-9. The Flyers were handed their eighth straight loss and one has to wonder if some of the bad karma the Scorpions seem to possess has rubbed off on OC. At least the Scorps were able to stop their losing streak at seven games.
OC's loss moved Yuma to third in the standings, behind Chico and Long Beach. Long Beach, however, is on a seven-game win streak. Long Beach travels to Chico to begin a four-game stand Thursday. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. If the Scorpions can manage to win Saturday and Sunday at Long Beach we might see some shakeup in the standings in the next week or ten days.
Some general observations of Desert Sun Stadium:
Is security present at these games? I ask because - and I know right here and right now that I'm going to 'date' myself - there was a young couple (late teens/early twenties) engaging in PDA on the concourse, outside of the third-base tunnel. Call me conservative, but I don't find this type of behavior acceptable in a family-friendly ballpark.
Staff were mingling with the crowd handing out certificates for complimentary hamburgers, cheeseburgers or Double-Doubles at In-N-Out Burger, which I thought was a nice touch. I'm more of the 'grass and greens' type, so I'd appreciate knowing when the team will be handing out the same type of certificates for an all-you-can-eat salad bar loaded with spinach, chard, bean sprouts, cold peas and hard-boiled egg because I definitely won't want to miss that! Or, I could redeem the In-N-Out Burger certificate and eat just the lettuce and tomato. Seriously.
Yuma (and the Desert Southwest) has been in the grip of a severe heatwave the past few days. It was quite comfy under the misters last evening, until they were turned OFF! Couldn't the misters have been left on for two more innings? No misters and no beer sales. Huh.
As far as the jinx on the team, I now no longer think I'm it. It's become clear that whether I attend or don't attend the home games, listen or don't listen to the away games on the radio, and/or I blog positive, negative or indifferent comments it's impossible to predict whether the team will win or lose. The Yuma Scorpions are an oddsmaker's worst nightmare come true.
It's Friday, it's going to be another hot one, my house needs cleaned and my grass needs cut (no fun on both counts) so I think I'll resign myself to the fact that the chores can wait another day (or three, or four...) and I'm going to play on the water. Y'all have a super weekend and perhaps I'll run into you at Silicone Beach Saturday or Sunday. Stop, say hi, and have a cold beer or a mixed drink.
*My seven-years-old son was at the game with me last evening. As always, he'll spend a couple of bucks (mine, not his) and throw the baseball on the concourse at what used to be the speed pitch - now it's just throw the ball sans radar. My question is this: if he can accuately throw that pitch through that opening (which is smaller than the strike zone) why can't some of our pitchers do the same from the mound?
The Scorps' July record, to date, is 2-3; those two wins coming at St. George to close out the excrutiatingly long road trip, followed by the Scorpions dropping their first two games upon returning home (also v. St. George).
The club returned to Desert Sun Stadium on the Fourth of July to host the St. George Roadrunners. That four-hour hit parade resulted in the Roadrunners claiming a 12-10 victory. Clearly, good pitching was not in attendance for this game, folks.* (And you all know by now how much I harp on pitching.)
Thursday's game started off on a promising note - Tank Peterson hit a two-run shot to give the boys a 2-0 lead. From there on out it wasn't much to witness, offensively or defensively. The Roadrunners showed up to play and they claimed the 6-3 victory. I will say that I witnessed three calls that I would have considered very questionable - two at first base (St. George runner, same player both times) and one at second (Scorpions' runner). Marshall must have also questioned those calls as he trotted on to the field and had some words with Blue. The calls weren't reversed, but neither was the skipper tossed, so along with the negative we take the positive.
The three-game home series against St. George concludes with tonight's game, and by the way the Roadrunners have stepped it up lately (I do think they are a better team than their record indicates) I wouldn't be surprised to see Yuma get swept at home, something that has not happened this season. To be swept by the Roadrunners (5-21, .192) would be particularly painful.
As for other league play:
The Chico Outlaws lost last evening to the Reno Silver Sox by a score of 7-2. Chico's loss would have helped the Yuma side, except Yuma also lost. Story of my life.
The Orange County Flyers, after taking four of five games from Yuma in the latter half of June, are on a downhill slide, falling last evening to the LBALACUSNAIBA (aka Long Beach Armada) by a score of 12-9. The Flyers were handed their eighth straight loss and one has to wonder if some of the bad karma the Scorpions seem to possess has rubbed off on OC. At least the Scorps were able to stop their losing streak at seven games.
OC's loss moved Yuma to third in the standings, behind Chico and Long Beach. Long Beach, however, is on a seven-game win streak. Long Beach travels to Chico to begin a four-game stand Thursday. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. If the Scorpions can manage to win Saturday and Sunday at Long Beach we might see some shakeup in the standings in the next week or ten days.
Some general observations of Desert Sun Stadium:
Is security present at these games? I ask because - and I know right here and right now that I'm going to 'date' myself - there was a young couple (late teens/early twenties) engaging in PDA on the concourse, outside of the third-base tunnel. Call me conservative, but I don't find this type of behavior acceptable in a family-friendly ballpark.
Staff were mingling with the crowd handing out certificates for complimentary hamburgers, cheeseburgers or Double-Doubles at In-N-Out Burger, which I thought was a nice touch. I'm more of the 'grass and greens' type, so I'd appreciate knowing when the team will be handing out the same type of certificates for an all-you-can-eat salad bar loaded with spinach, chard, bean sprouts, cold peas and hard-boiled egg because I definitely won't want to miss that! Or, I could redeem the In-N-Out Burger certificate and eat just the lettuce and tomato. Seriously.
Yuma (and the Desert Southwest) has been in the grip of a severe heatwave the past few days. It was quite comfy under the misters last evening, until they were turned OFF! Couldn't the misters have been left on for two more innings? No misters and no beer sales. Huh.
As far as the jinx on the team, I now no longer think I'm it. It's become clear that whether I attend or don't attend the home games, listen or don't listen to the away games on the radio, and/or I blog positive, negative or indifferent comments it's impossible to predict whether the team will win or lose. The Yuma Scorpions are an oddsmaker's worst nightmare come true.
It's Friday, it's going to be another hot one, my house needs cleaned and my grass needs cut (no fun on both counts) so I think I'll resign myself to the fact that the chores can wait another day (or three, or four...) and I'm going to play on the water. Y'all have a super weekend and perhaps I'll run into you at Silicone Beach Saturday or Sunday. Stop, say hi, and have a cold beer or a mixed drink.
*My seven-years-old son was at the game with me last evening. As always, he'll spend a couple of bucks (mine, not his) and throw the baseball on the concourse at what used to be the speed pitch - now it's just throw the ball sans radar. My question is this: if he can accuately throw that pitch through that opening (which is smaller than the strike zone) why can't some of our pitchers do the same from the mound?
Monday, July 2, 2007
.542 ~ Tell me it ain't so!
The local nines lost last night, 13-8.
The Scorpions have played 24 games to date (as I type this pre-game Monday 7/2). Let's take a look at the first 12 games of the season and compare them to the last 12 games. Sound like fun? Believe me, it's not as glamorous as it sounds. I've been crunching the numbers and I actually had to fix myself a drink to calm my nerves, and then hop in the pool to cool off in order to continue. Unbelievable.
First 12 games (11-1, .916). 11 home games, 1 road game. Nicely done.
Last 12 games (2-10, .200). 0 home games, 12 road games. Not so much.
The club currently stands at 13-11, .542 and fourth in the standings. I believe we can all agree that the local boys' first 12 games were much more enjoyable than the past twelve. The first twelve particularly more so because we were able to watch the majority of those games at home. It's been total misery to have them on the road, losing, as we listen from afar. I've done my fair share of hollering at the radio, but I don't think - correct me if I'm wrong - the technology is yet available that will allow the players to actually hear me hollering.
What is the cause of this meltdown? Pitching? Bad defense? An offensive slump? Road woes?
Pitching. Frankly, I think the pitching could use a bit of work. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you all know that I am firm in my belief that baseball is a game of pitching (and that is why this paragraph is so much longer than those of bad defense, offensive slump and road woes). Shut down the opponent's offense (while keeping the errors to an absolute minimum, or less) and the win will come. I'm not going to rehash a whole bunch of club's stats here - y'all can check the team and player stats here at Howe Sports Data - because it's about 114 degrees and I want to hop in the pool again. The Scorps (if Howe's is current and accurate) has several Yuma pitchers with an ERA of right around 3.50 or below; these are the players that simply must maintain (or improve) and come through. An ERA above 4.00, in my opinion, is not acceptable, at any level of baseball. As my buddy Steve said here, "...all those runs you put up really don't mean anything if your pitcher can't keep the other team from putting them up."
Bad Defense. If the pitcher is going to give it up then the defense had better step up and make the plays (again, with few or no errors). No excuses. Errors will kill you every. single. time.
An Offensive Slump. If the pitching and the defense cannot get it done this is where the offense steps in. The Yuma bats have been fairly quiet lately. Granted, they have been putting runs on the board, but not as many as their opponents, so obviously they aren't going to have a W in the W-L column in the morning newspaper.
Road Woes. Yep, it sure stinks to have the boys gone. And I'm sure they'd much rather be playing in front of the hometown crowd (much more so since this road trip began kicking their collective arses). But I'm pretty sure that all of the players on the Yuma team didn't fall off of the hay wagon yesterday to begin playing baseball. They've been playing ball long enough to have traveled - high school, summer teams, tournament teams, some college ball, etc. - so they know the drill. Mind over matter.
The first 12 games of the season the Scorps outscored their opponents 113-55. A greater than 2-1 ratio. The last 12 games the Scorps have been outscored 77-42. Clearly, the club has not given up that many more runs to the opponent (22) through the second twelve games, but offensively their numbers have taken a dive - from scoring 113 runs dropping to 42 runs (a diff of 71).
Somethin's gotta give! Soon! I'm feeling some stress here.
I'm signing off. The pool is beckoning. But, oh, I did listen to the game last evening and, you know it, we lost. And I'm going to listen tonight too (if my friends will let me). It's getting to be a challenge with me! Do I dare show my face at the ballpark Wednesday? Seriously, I think I'm the jinx (not to be confused with minx.)
Good night.
The Scorpions have played 24 games to date (as I type this pre-game Monday 7/2). Let's take a look at the first 12 games of the season and compare them to the last 12 games. Sound like fun? Believe me, it's not as glamorous as it sounds. I've been crunching the numbers and I actually had to fix myself a drink to calm my nerves, and then hop in the pool to cool off in order to continue. Unbelievable.
First 12 games (11-1, .916). 11 home games, 1 road game. Nicely done.
Last 12 games (2-10, .200). 0 home games, 12 road games. Not so much.
The club currently stands at 13-11, .542 and fourth in the standings. I believe we can all agree that the local boys' first 12 games were much more enjoyable than the past twelve. The first twelve particularly more so because we were able to watch the majority of those games at home. It's been total misery to have them on the road, losing, as we listen from afar. I've done my fair share of hollering at the radio, but I don't think - correct me if I'm wrong - the technology is yet available that will allow the players to actually hear me hollering.
What is the cause of this meltdown? Pitching? Bad defense? An offensive slump? Road woes?
Pitching. Frankly, I think the pitching could use a bit of work. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you all know that I am firm in my belief that baseball is a game of pitching (and that is why this paragraph is so much longer than those of bad defense, offensive slump and road woes). Shut down the opponent's offense (while keeping the errors to an absolute minimum, or less) and the win will come. I'm not going to rehash a whole bunch of club's stats here - y'all can check the team and player stats here at Howe Sports Data - because it's about 114 degrees and I want to hop in the pool again. The Scorps (if Howe's is current and accurate) has several Yuma pitchers with an ERA of right around 3.50 or below; these are the players that simply must maintain (or improve) and come through. An ERA above 4.00, in my opinion, is not acceptable, at any level of baseball. As my buddy Steve said here, "...all those runs you put up really don't mean anything if your pitcher can't keep the other team from putting them up."
Bad Defense. If the pitcher is going to give it up then the defense had better step up and make the plays (again, with few or no errors). No excuses. Errors will kill you every. single. time.
An Offensive Slump. If the pitching and the defense cannot get it done this is where the offense steps in. The Yuma bats have been fairly quiet lately. Granted, they have been putting runs on the board, but not as many as their opponents, so obviously they aren't going to have a W in the W-L column in the morning newspaper.
Road Woes. Yep, it sure stinks to have the boys gone. And I'm sure they'd much rather be playing in front of the hometown crowd (much more so since this road trip began kicking their collective arses). But I'm pretty sure that all of the players on the Yuma team didn't fall off of the hay wagon yesterday to begin playing baseball. They've been playing ball long enough to have traveled - high school, summer teams, tournament teams, some college ball, etc. - so they know the drill. Mind over matter.
The first 12 games of the season the Scorps outscored their opponents 113-55. A greater than 2-1 ratio. The last 12 games the Scorps have been outscored 77-42. Clearly, the club has not given up that many more runs to the opponent (22) through the second twelve games, but offensively their numbers have taken a dive - from scoring 113 runs dropping to 42 runs (a diff of 71).
Somethin's gotta give! Soon! I'm feeling some stress here.
I'm signing off. The pool is beckoning. But, oh, I did listen to the game last evening and, you know it, we lost. And I'm going to listen tonight too (if my friends will let me). It's getting to be a challenge with me! Do I dare show my face at the ballpark Wednesday? Seriously, I think I'm the jinx (not to be confused with minx.)
Good night.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Perhaps I AM Jinxing the Team!
Why is it that when I post to the blog I say one thing, and then within hours I make a liar of myself?
Yesterday's itinerary was set ~ work on my swing, hit the river with friends, de-stress. At this point I define de-stress as not listening to the Scorpions on the AM dial when they are on the road. Not only does my blood boil, but I am now convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am the jinx. When I listen to the road games the club loses, when I don't listen they win. Let's review, from when the seven-game losing skid began, shall we?
1. Friday, June 22nd the club lost to the Orange County Flyers. I listened to the game on the AM dial.
2. Saturday, June 23rd I blogged (in the morning, before game time) A Saturday Stroll through the Indy Leagues. At that time the local nines were 12-3. The 'Saturday Stroll' piece pointed out that Marshall and his Scorpions had the BEST W-L percentage of 66 teams across eight independent baseball leagues. That afternoon/evening the team drops both games of a double-header to OC, giving the Flyers a 3-1 series lead. I listened to both games on the radio.
3. Sunday, June 24th I blogged this. This one, actually did come to fruition. I predicted the boys would lose. They didn't disappoint (I'm being sarcastic here). They lost their fourth game (the local boys did take the first game on Thursday 6/21, 3-1), giving the Flyers the series four games to one. I listened to this game on the radio.
4. Monday, June 25th I blogged this. Monday evening they began a three-game series at Chico. In an effort to be positive I predicted the club would win. They lost. I listened to this game on the radio too!
5. Tuesday, June 26th the boys played game two of a three-game series at Chico. The team lost. I listened on the radio.
6. Wednesday, June 27th the local nines wrapped up the series at Chico by losing their third game to the Outlaws. Yep, you guessed it, I listened to the game on the radio.
I also posted Wednesday that I would be taking the weekend off from listening to the boys play (or so I always say).
7. Friday, June 29th the team began a three-game series at Reno. THEY WON! And guess what? I did NOT listen to the game on the radio!! (But don't worry, I had a whole lot of fun that evening! At least I think I did.)
8. Saturday, June 30th the team drops a game to Reno, 4-3. Yep, you guessed it right again; I listened to the game on the radio.
Which brings us back to my making a liar of myself. Yesterday's agenda held in the a.m. (did get some golfing in). But you will recall that I was going to hit the river, where there is no radio reception. Well, I got sidetracked in the afternoon and ended up hanging by the pool.
Well, when one is poolside, the temp is about 110 degrees, there is an ice-cold one (or, say, a cooler full of ice cold ones) within easy reach and there is a baseball game to be heard on the radio it's not like you have any measure of self control and cannot tune in, right? Right. So, tune in I did. The club lost.
Which leads me to believe that I'm the cause of the team losing. I figure I can blog anything I want - positive, negative, indifferent; doesn't matter. It's when I listen on the radio that problems arise. Actually, it's not problems, it's problem (singular). In a word, losing. I didn't listen to Friday night's game, instead I had a bunch of fun and, frankly, wasn't even remotely interested in how the game was progressing. Which makes me think I should be having a whole lot more fun and not tuning in, then the club will fire up and have a seven- or eight-game win streak (asking for more might be pushing it a tad).
Just for grins, and to test my little theory that I'm the reason the club loses, I'm going to listen to this evening's game (only because I have to arise early Monday and cannot be out painting the town). If the club loses tonight because I dialed in my friends have promised to remove the stereos from my home office, the garage, the car, and my work office, and they have further threatened me with grave bodily injury should I even attempt to tune in to one more road game.
So, if y'all don't hear from me before Wednesday's game (the first home game after this road trip from hell) kindly send out the troops and a medic or two as some misfortune might have befallen me at the hands of my dear 'friends.'
Yesterday's itinerary was set ~ work on my swing, hit the river with friends, de-stress. At this point I define de-stress as not listening to the Scorpions on the AM dial when they are on the road. Not only does my blood boil, but I am now convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am the jinx. When I listen to the road games the club loses, when I don't listen they win. Let's review, from when the seven-game losing skid began, shall we?
1. Friday, June 22nd the club lost to the Orange County Flyers. I listened to the game on the AM dial.
2. Saturday, June 23rd I blogged (in the morning, before game time) A Saturday Stroll through the Indy Leagues. At that time the local nines were 12-3. The 'Saturday Stroll' piece pointed out that Marshall and his Scorpions had the BEST W-L percentage of 66 teams across eight independent baseball leagues. That afternoon/evening the team drops both games of a double-header to OC, giving the Flyers a 3-1 series lead. I listened to both games on the radio.
3. Sunday, June 24th I blogged this. This one, actually did come to fruition. I predicted the boys would lose. They didn't disappoint (I'm being sarcastic here). They lost their fourth game (the local boys did take the first game on Thursday 6/21, 3-1), giving the Flyers the series four games to one. I listened to this game on the radio.
4. Monday, June 25th I blogged this. Monday evening they began a three-game series at Chico. In an effort to be positive I predicted the club would win. They lost. I listened to this game on the radio too!
5. Tuesday, June 26th the boys played game two of a three-game series at Chico. The team lost. I listened on the radio.
6. Wednesday, June 27th the local nines wrapped up the series at Chico by losing their third game to the Outlaws. Yep, you guessed it, I listened to the game on the radio.
I also posted Wednesday that I would be taking the weekend off from listening to the boys play (or so I always say).
7. Friday, June 29th the team began a three-game series at Reno. THEY WON! And guess what? I did NOT listen to the game on the radio!! (But don't worry, I had a whole lot of fun that evening! At least I think I did.)
8. Saturday, June 30th the team drops a game to Reno, 4-3. Yep, you guessed it right again; I listened to the game on the radio.
Which brings us back to my making a liar of myself. Yesterday's agenda held in the a.m. (did get some golfing in). But you will recall that I was going to hit the river, where there is no radio reception. Well, I got sidetracked in the afternoon and ended up hanging by the pool.
Well, when one is poolside, the temp is about 110 degrees, there is an ice-cold one (or, say, a cooler full of ice cold ones) within easy reach and there is a baseball game to be heard on the radio it's not like you have any measure of self control and cannot tune in, right? Right. So, tune in I did. The club lost.
Which leads me to believe that I'm the cause of the team losing. I figure I can blog anything I want - positive, negative, indifferent; doesn't matter. It's when I listen on the radio that problems arise. Actually, it's not problems, it's problem (singular). In a word, losing. I didn't listen to Friday night's game, instead I had a bunch of fun and, frankly, wasn't even remotely interested in how the game was progressing. Which makes me think I should be having a whole lot more fun and not tuning in, then the club will fire up and have a seven- or eight-game win streak (asking for more might be pushing it a tad).
Just for grins, and to test my little theory that I'm the reason the club loses, I'm going to listen to this evening's game (only because I have to arise early Monday and cannot be out painting the town). If the club loses tonight because I dialed in my friends have promised to remove the stereos from my home office, the garage, the car, and my work office, and they have further threatened me with grave bodily injury should I even attempt to tune in to one more road game.
So, if y'all don't hear from me before Wednesday's game (the first home game after this road trip from hell) kindly send out the troops and a medic or two as some misfortune might have befallen me at the hands of my dear 'friends.'
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