Oct-24-97 21-21 Tie vs. The Machine in Season Finale.

This was a pretty sloppy game on the infield for us, otherwise we'd have won it. Gerry said he counted 11 infielding errors in just the 3 innings he was Catcher. But at least we managed to stave off a bases loaded threat in the final inning, to hang on for the tie which completed our season with a .550 finish. Jeff G played a pretty solid Left Field for us last night, though. Gerry had a rare 5 for 5 hitting performance. Unfortunately for him I hit behind him and only went 1 for 4, so he didn't score any runs. Sorry dude. Danny hit a three run homer in the 2nd inning, finished the night going 4 for 4, and wrapped up the Summer Season team hitting title for himself with a nice .742 batting average, scoring 20 runs in 10 games.

Following the game we retired to the Liberty Park lounge and spent the rest of our team funds on beer. Mark C. (#6) managed to remember to bring a camara so we got a number of photos throughout the evening, so I'll post a few on this site in the near future.

Maybe it was the beer talking, but everyone seemed kind of disappointed that there is no Winter Meetings this year. So we agreed to have some sort of team banquet this winter. We'll try to get together for a casual dinner and/or bar night out some time in the coming months.

So that's it for the 1997 season. It was a fun season, but it had it's trying moments. Just playing the game is fun, no matter what the outcome is (though winning is more fun).

PMP's sponsorship of our team is now finished. On behalf of the players, I hereby thank them for their financial support for the last 5 years.

My rein as manager ended last night. I want to thank all the guys who made the job easier on me by regularly attending games (or calling me when you couldn't), arriving on time, arriving even when sick and/or in pain, not complaining when you had to AH, and never bitched me out because no-shows made us play short. I'm referring to almost everyone on the team, BTW.

Message to LaRue, New Team Manager:
When you've managed for as many seasons as I have, you really don't see the job as being all that bad. You get into a routine. The trick is finding a routine that works for you. Remember that when the team is playing well and winning, the job is fairly easy; everyone shows up and pays up. But when the team aint doing so well, a few people always get suddenly real busy in their personal lives. The worst offenders stop offering excuses after a certain point, if they even bother to call you at all. Have a policy in place to deal with this, and stick to it. Be fair and loyal to those player who show up every week, regardless of their skill because you going to need those bodies when it gets cold out, and/or when the team's trophy hopes are dashed. Don't expect to be thanked for your efforts often (if at all). But at the same time, don't think your not appreciated either. Above all, make sure you have fun and enjoy yourself. None of us are getting any younger. Good luck!

I will be putting the 1998 Winter Page up on this site next week. I think I'll probably update it once a week, as I did last year. There's going to be so much stuff to keep you up-to-date on, such as: the Spring Roster, new uniforms and jackets, new players, our new sponsor(s), a re-designed website, LaRue's Policies, tournament entries, league entry, and probably other things too. So continue checking our website every week.

Gerry said it's okay to mention this now, so...he and Cathy have decided tie the knot. Contratulations, kids. Wow, so now we have three team members all in that purgatory known as engagement.

Oct-17-97 15-3 Loss vs. Dominion Tool.

How do you only score 3 runs when your team walks 10 times? If you get only 4 hits and leave the bases loaded twice (5 of the 6 runners on with walks), it's possible. Dominion Tool was not that good a team. They were tied with us in the standings. But we didn't hit well, and our fielding in the first inning cost us at least 5 runs. Usually I mention a player or two at this point whose play stood out in some way, but there are none to report today. I guess I could say I pitched pretty well, walking none (as usual) in contrast to our opponents. Sean Rumhor made a fill-in, return appearance for PMP last night; good thing too because Mike C. was a no-show. We had 10 players last night.

All our players and fans wish Johnny B's dad a speedy and full recovery from a heart attack he suffered earlier this week.

Our final game of the year is next week at 6:10 PM. We will spend the remaining Team funds on beer at the lounge immediately after the game. It would be nice to see everyone on the team stop in, however brief. This is your last chance to take photos of the team in the PMP uniform too, BTW.

I have to say something about The Weather Underground banner at the top of this page. I put it there because it's sometimes handy to check that link for weather forcasts as game day approaches. I have no idea why, but it seems that every friday morning those people get really confused and display a different, random city on the Detroit weather banner. This week it's Durango, Colorado. Last week it was Ingles Creek, Indiana (something like that).

This is a travesty! Barry Sanders leading Terrell Davis by only one percentage point in this NBC poll? At least Emmitt Smith ranks where he belongs. Go register your vote for Barry, right now!

Oct-10-97 26-8 Win vs. The Monarchs

Welp, 7 players for each team showed up for this one. Later, an 8th arrived for PMP. No matter though, as fill-ins were available from a forfeit on a nearby diamond, so each team did play with 10 a side.

PMP played very well in the field last night. Hitting was obviously pretty decent too, though we were aided by 12 walks. Mark C. (#6) hit 3 for 4 and scored 5 runs. Danny played an outstanding game at 2nd. Fill-in player Scott threw a rocket from Left Center field to Catcher Gerry for an unbelievable out at home. Mark Warren elevated his batting average to .700, joining Danny and Cliff in the over .700 catagory.

This win makes last week's loss loom large, as we could still be in a tie for second place. OTOH, we can't field enough players to realistically expect to hang onto it anyway. The word "shame" comes to mind again this week.

Oct-3-97 22-9 Loss vs. John Slavco Inc.; Killed by no-show players again.

We actually had a lead in this game in the 5th inning. This was a pivital game in the standings; a win would have meant a good chance at 2nd place. The loss puts our chances of trophies to almost none. Danny went 5 for 5 and took over the top hitter spot with an average of .739. That boy is just on fire!

Despite what the final score would seem to indicate, this game was winable. These guys were not the greatest hitters. So WTF happened then? Answer: Cliff and John didn't show. We played with 8 fielders. PMP's secretary called me this morning (returning my call to the guys), and told me she was supposed to call to tell me they were on a hunting trip. Only, she couldn't find my number. Oops...I guess she found it today after I called. Frankly, I don't believe this story at all. There are other details that are just a little too coincidental.

It's a shame that we have a real dedicated core group of players who sometimes go to great personal lengths to attend every game, while a few others will skip a game if it presents the slightest of inconveniences. Our chance of finishing out the season with meaningful games was wrecked by a couple guys. It's an insult to every dedicated player on the team. If you don't feel personally insulted by this lack of respect for your dedication, or the disregard for your efforts, then maybe the ingratitude and disrespect towards the efforts of your team manager will piss you off. It does me.

I can't promise things will be different next year, but I will once again assure you that at least the cast of characters will change.

Sep-26-97 21-16 Win vs. David Miller; Winning streak extended to 3.

David Miller's team (1-5) was not a hard-hitting team. They hit many frustrating weak but effective shots just over our infielders. Too short for the outfield to cheat that close in, and too far for the infield to play back any further. It was a close game, with the lead changing hands after nearly every inning. But we handled them anyway, once again pulling away the 7th inning, as we put in our highest scoring game since June 6th. LaRue hit for the cycle, going 5 for 5 and scoring 4 runs.

Huddle Lounge is the only undefeated team in our league now. We're 2 games out of first, and don't really have much chance of catching them. But we do have a chance at 2nd place, provided we continue winning. We are now averaging 15 runs per game, which is a big improvement for us, and is a minimum level to be competative in this league.

Malloy and I had a great time spectating at the USSSA Class "D" World Championship last weekend. We watched the games of a few teams I heard from via email, including The Drillers from Texas, and Custom Coatings/Eastonfrom Kennewick Washington, who tell me they finished 9th. Last night Liberty Park had no information available as to the tourny results, though I am kind of assuming that the USSSA Rankings page is the results.

Whoah! I was just surfing around and found DiveIn, which has a nice little review of our web page. Nice, we got a 5-star rating. Check out the review here.

Sep-19-97 17-16 Win vs. Jack's Friends; Record improves to 3-2.

With 2 on, 2 out, down by 1 in the bottom of the 7th, Jeff Gatt launched a long fly ball to left center giving PMP its first-ever win over Jack's Friends (3-2). Jack's had the lead for most of the game so this was your classic come-from-behind victory. "I love winning like that", said Malloy. Johhny B was in his zone last night, and he was heard letting out a few of his gems like "Yeah baby, it's over!" after scoring the winning run. Cliff's 1st and 2nd at bats were long home runs, which scored a combined 6 runs. Cliff also scored the tieing run. LaRue made some early game defensive plays in the outfield that were great. Danny, promoted to the #3 spot in the order didn't dissapoint, going 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored. Mike's stats were the same as Danny's, and he continues to lead the team with a .778 batting average. I must also mention Paul played an outstanding game at short.

Our long-haired umpire wasn't too happy with his game, however. He admitted blowing 2 calls. I told him we appreciated the pay-back call for the one he missed at first, but he didn't have to make it so obvious ;).

Without question this was the most satisfying win of the year for us. Beating a team that in a way represents all the teams that beat the crap out of us in the Spring (and Jack's was one of them), was a sweet experience. We're playing like we belong in this league now, and a better than .500 record this half is easily within reach. Hell, an .800 finish is not impossible either.

The USSSA Men's Class "D" World Tournament starts today at Liberty Park. A couple guys have indicated they may want to go spectate on Saturday. Let me know if you want to go too.

Sep-12-97 18-6 Win vs. Houli Hooligans. Johnny B. announces retirement at season's end.

You have to go back to June 6th to find the last game we mercied an opponent. That was also the last time our record was .500, as it stands now at 2-2. The 0-4 Hooligans were pretty outmatched. After we scored 13 runs in the 2nd inning, the umpire warned us twice that the strike zone was about to get really, really big. And it did--so we stopped scoring, practically. Not that it really mattered. Mike C. hit 3 for 3 last night, bringing his average to a team-leading .786.

John Bateman announced Wednesday that this will be his last year of softball. He's been playing on the team for about 13 seasons now. John's going to spend the extra time with his son Scott, who begins his little league career next Spring. JB will remain available to fill in from time to time.

Plans for next season are already under development. Nothing is firm yet, so I'll only give you some general info...We have two candidates to take over as Team Manager...We have two new prospective sponsors, and hope to have them both...You'll get a kick out of the identity of one of the prospects... The new manager will decide who will be asked to sign next season's roster (and who won't)...I will probably continue to maintain this web site next year, depending on the new Manager.

The USSSA Men's Class "D" World Tournament is next weekend at Liberty Park. Who wants to go watch a few games with me?

Sep-5-97 23-16 Loss vs. Huddle Lounge

After completing the 3rd inning with a 14-8 lead, we had them worried. We were feeling good about our hitting, and our fielding was pretty sharp. But we couldn't match the 15 runs they scored in the final 3 innings, and we had some bad breaks in the field that really could have nipped that 15 to a more managable 6 or 7.

This was a good game, though. Enjoyable to play. Huddle Lounge is 3-0 now, but at least we gave them a hard time. LaRue had an outstanding game in right field. Danny put one out on a line drive, and hit a bases loaded double for a 4 or 5 RBI performance.

Malloy pointed out that while our outfield played well, we still need to get the ball in much quicker. There were too many unnecessary extra bases taken.

Aug-29-97 10-8 Win vs. D&D Machinery Movers

Barry D. described this game as a "soul cleansing experience". I said I felt like I just won the World Series. Probably both statements are a little strong, but ending an 8 game losing streak feels pretty good.

Trailing 7-3 in the 6th inning, we went through the order scoring 7 runs. D&D mustered 1 more run in their half of the 6th, and the 7th inning was scoreless. Our outfield looked quick last night, getting gapped on maybe one line drive. D&D hit a lot of high flyouts. Paul Eberhart made a return to our team last night, playing a mean 3rd base. Jeff K. filled in for Mark C. #6 at short and did a fine job. Defensively, we played very well. Offensively, we made more base running mistakes than I care to count, and they took us out of the several innings. But we did eventually settle down. Our bottom half of the batting order scored 6 of our 10 runs.

Obviously, we need to pick up the hitting. 10 runs rarely wins around here. It looks like we're going to be okay in the personnel department. I turned in the roster with 18 names on it. Paul will be coming out regularly. We'll definitely be able to use him with hunting season coming up, and all the absences that creates.

Aug-22-97 16-5 Loss to The Machine.

PMP put in a very solid performance in the field, but again had a complete lack of hitting. Too many flyouts, and way too many runners were left on base. Three player combined for a 0 for 9 showing at the plate. But it was a good effort in the field and an enjoyable game.

Perhaps the last-minute cancellation and no-show of a couple players was a factor. Jeff K. had a legit excuse though; fender bender at the gas station on the way to the game. We signed a real decent player, Brian Mosley, last night as a last minute fill-in. Presley Yates also played. Both players were picked up within minutes of the game's start. You may remember Presley from Softball City last season, as he filled in then too. We may try talking Brian into playing for us regularly.

The Summer schedule is posted. Notice that we have NO 10:40 games this half. It also appears that we have moved down one league.

Please be aware that the 696-Mound Road interchange will be under construction next week, and detours will be established. Plan on it, and arrive on time anyway.

The lack of commitment this year is pretty damaging. Every week is a different story, but the same theme. I assure you there will be major changes next year. The changes will start at the top, with team management.

Aug-15-97 First Summer game scheduled.

Our first Summer Season game is August 21 8:30PM on diamond 6, vs. The Machine.

Pat and Dawn Kelly are the team's newest parents. Patrick Kelly III was born last thursday, August 14th. Probably explains why Pat wasn't at practice.

Our web site also had a birthday on August 10th. Two years of service, making it one of the oldest softball sites on the net.

July-31-97 Sponsor says new jerseys will be ordered.

I asked Cliff Stalker about getting some jerseys made for the newer players that don't have them. He said he's going to order new ones for everyone since our current ones are getting old and nasty.

Practices are definitely set for August 7th and 14th, 6:30 PM at Oak Park. Here is a freeway map , and a neighborhood map to the field. Or make your own map. If there are any changes, you will be contacted.

Rodger's Roost was ranked as the #10 class C team in the USSSA's Great Lakes Region, as of June 24th according to the current issue of The Slo Pitch Game magazine. We lost to them 12-5 in our last meeting. Draw your own conclusions.

July-25-97 21-19 Loss to Jack's Friends in last night's Spring Season finale

Our hitting is much-improved since the June slide. Plenty of hits and a towering homer from Cliff Stalker in the 6th are a nice confidence-builder for going into the Summer half. Fielding was another matter, and that now appears to be our weak spot. For at least the 2nd game in a row, we had an excellent chance of winning if we had made one or two key, routine put-outs.

The Spring Season Final Stats are now posted. Congratulations Mark Cunningham #6 and Malloy Farley #45, for sharing the Spring Season hitting title! They both did an excellent, consistent job of showing up at the plate every game.

Summer Season starts August 21st. According to Liberty Park, the long period off is due to the playoffs. Mike Converse is now sure he will be playing with us fulltime! Have a look at the Summer Roster, and then see where you fit into the financial picture.

With 27 days until our next game, we will certainly need at least one practice. Tenatively plan for Thursday evening practices at 6:30 PM on August 7th and 14th in Oak Park.

Mike Converse and Barry Daniels have been inducted into the team Hall of Fame.

July-10-97 17-16 Loss to Mr. B's of Troy

It was disappointing to have finally started hitting again, but still lose a close game. I guess it's better than losing in a laugher though. 13 players showed up for this game, including new recruit Barry Daniels. Malloy Farley hit our first dinger since June 12th. Cliff Stalker and Jeff Gatt both were having back problems so they AH'ed. Against doctor's advice, I played for the first time in over a month. The knee felt a little weak running the bases but it was no problem pitching, so Gerry and Jeff K. were victims of platooning. Sorry about that.

LaRue Williams hosted a real nice BBQ after the game. That was cool Rue, thanks a lot!

The Toledo Mud Hen outing is definitely set now for Sunday, July 20th. Contact me or Malloy for details. A few of us may also be going this Sunday the 13th, so let us know if you want to go this weekend as well.

Everyone is finally paid up for the Spring season. 'Bout time.

No game next week, it's our bye. Summer season starts (I think) August 7th. I'll soon be slapping a roster page together for the Summer season. Player dues will be either $30 or $35 each, depending on if Mike Converse will be able to play with us. As always, any excess funds collected will probably buy us some beer for a post-season get-together. Bring some money to the game on the 24th.

Since we have no game on July 31st, and possibly August 7th (both are thursdays), plan on 6:30 PM mid-season practice(s) in Oak Park or Berkley.

July-4-97 23-8 Loss to Bob's Packers

Well, at least we had one inning where we batted through the order, and scored 7 runs. Aside from that, there were no highlights. Cliff, Mark W., and Andy didn't show up, 3 of our more dependable players, so we played with 9. This was with reserve players Pat Kelly and Mike Converse filling in.

In light of that, Mark C. (#6) is asking Mike to play Summer with us as a regular. Next week Barry Daniels. (from Chicago) will be in town, and if I can catch him before he leaves, I'll ask him to come ready to play.

I'd like to remind those that owe me money, that our funds are nearly gone, and I don't have enough money to cover our next game. Pay up next week, JK, MW, CS, and JB. BTW, I will start collecting $35 per player for Summer season now.

After next week's 6:10 game, LaRue Williams is having a back yard BBQ, so plan on attending that if you can, and try to bring something to pass, and/or perhaps some beer.

Malloy has set some possible dates for our annual Toledo Mud Hen outing. Either July 13th or 20th, both are Sundays. If you've never been to Ned Skeldon Stadium, this is your last chance, as next season the Hens move to their new home in downtown Toledo.

June-27-97 12-5 Loss to Rodger's Roost

Don't think that just because I have a sprained knee I won't put my foot up your asses. There's just no ambition or enthusiasm out there lately. When I suggested that it maybe because we're not winning lately, Cathy Burns said it's the other way around. And she's absolutely right. We have to snap out of it. I should add that there are one or two players that are exceptions.

I got curious as to our past history, so I looked at the Spring 1996 archives. Last year at this time we did this:

6-6-96   Loss 13-6
6-13-96  Loss 6-3
6-27-96  Loss 11-2
6-27-96  Win  25-13

My doctor told me I can start playing again in 4 weeks. Maybe I can play the last game of the Spring season. I'm was very happy to learn that it was just sprained, though I think I did rearrange some cartilage (kid's stuff, right?).

We're signed up for Summer season. Figure on $35 per player. The first game will be either August 7th or August 14th. We should have a full, regular roster of players. As I've said in the past, we will definitely be adding one or two regulars to the roster. And we'll add Mike Converse, last night's fill-in at left field, as at least a reserve.

I shouldn't even have to say this, but...
Next week's game is the day before a holiday. Please let me know ASAP if you will not be there! It's going to be hard enough to find a subs as it is, so don't make me have to do it the day before.

June-22-97 6-5 loss to Community Central Bank

Only nine players for this game, not that it mattered. It didn't hurt us in the field, except for possibly one play where they hit through the missing infield position. The problem was hitting. While close games are always enjoyable, as this one was, I'd rather see some runs scored. You will probably never see scoring this bad again in this league. Thanks to Gabe and Bill for subbing today. Bill did a fine job pitching.

I have the Summer season registration form. It's 10 games, not 14 so it will cost the players less this time hopefully.

June-20-97 23-7 loss to Anchor Bay Packaging

We moaned about the umpire favoring the other team (which he did; he had friends on it), and got more than our share of bad calls, but nonetheless we didn't hit. Nobody is going to win with 7 runs. Anchor Bay scored around 13 runs with 2 outs. They scored 12 runs in the 6th inning. It's not like they scored any more runs than we usually see out there, we just didn't keep pace and score runs of our own. We had a few opportunities to end their 2 out rallies with routine put outs, but that's when we decided to make errors.

Please don't forget we have a makeup game this Sunday. Even though I gave everyone ample notice, I had 2 guys tell me last night they couldn't make it. There's no excuse for making me work harder than I should have to to ensure we have enough players for any given game. Everyone owes me the respect and courtesy of timely notice when you can't play, just as I owe you advance notice of games and a full field when you arrive. Especially when I'm not even playing.

Well, at least our financial picture has improved. I've updated the Spring Finances which shows we're only $56 short with 6 players still owing $10, so we should be okay. Liberty Park is now accepting applications for the Summer season, so get ready for another round of collections very soon. Remember, we're prepaying this time.

We may have our first internet player recruit in the Summer season, Barry Daniels of Chicago. Barry plays a lot of ball and will be relocating to this area in August. Obviously there's no firm commitments until he arrives and plays. But if he sees us play like we did last night, the probable question may be whether he will want to play with us. BTW so as to not slight a couple of people who've emailed me this year, Barry was first as he contacted me last Fall.

June-13-97 21-13 loss to Red Dog

Considering that Red Dog (7-1) looked more like a C-Major team, we hung with them for most of the game. We gave up 6 runs in the 2nd and 5 in the 5th, and couldn't recover. Congratulations John Bateman for hitting one out last night before anyone else on the team.

We had 10 players tonight for the first time in 2 weeks, thanks to Andy Fisher and Dan Phillips. Malloy Farley did not play due to illness. Denver and Derrick were again no-shows. That is probably the last time you'll see their names mentioned here, except if it's in reference to the fact that they stiffed the team $82.00. So everyone is asked to bring an additional $10 to cover for these deadbeats. They are also off the team.

My status is still in question, and I will not play until July 8th at the earliest, after my examination with the surgeon.

As long as we have at least 13 players committed, the Summer season will go on, and I'll manage the team this year even if my playing days are done. But this time I will require that the entire season be completely pre-paid to Liberty Park, cash up front before we submit our entry.

LaRue Williams is coordinating the purchase of Detroit Lions season tickets for anyone on the team that wants to participate. I thought this is a really cool idea, because you could buy just one ticket for about $375, and be seated (hopefully) with a number of friends. Getting tickets now can also help get you priority seating for the new stadium. I am thinking about getting two seats myself now.

June-8-97 Red Wings win the Stanley Cup!

Heh, I know this is a softball team page. But this team does play in Hockeytown where, as of 10:50 PM last night, the Stanley Cup has finally returned. PMP softball congratulates the Detroit Red Wings on their 4 game sweep of the Philladelphia Flyers last night in the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The victory parade is scheduled for 11:30 AM on Tuesday in Downtown Detroit, with a rally immediately to follow at 1:00 PM. The parade path will be from the Fox theater to Hart Plaza. All PMP players that plan on being there, please contact me so that we can meet up before the biggest celebration of the year.

June-7-97 Stats updated today.

The stats have been updated with last game's results. We are in a tie for 4th place (of 10 teams), and are again above .500. Johnny B. went 5 for 5, scoring 4 runs. He's moving up in the stats fast. John, I bet you haven't been golfing much lately.

Denver Jones and brother Derrick LaLone were both no-shows Thursday, setting us with only nine fielders again. Thanks guys. We won anyway (obviously) without you. Good thing our opponents arrived with eight players. Just so you guys know, the guys that did show only missed about seven minutes of the Red Wings game, and one Flyer goal. We were at the lounge just in time to see Steve Yzerman wipe out the Flyer's only lead of the series.

Speaking of Red Wings, if/when there is a parade, everyone one is invited to join Malloy, Gerry, and me (Bill) in Downtown Detroit for the festivities. Just let me know, and we'll figure out a meeting place. I work two blocks from the City-County Building. No parade has been announced officially (except the one that's not gonna be in Philly), so the date/time will probably be given with short notice.

June-6-97 PMP mercys David Cox's team, 22-10.

As you know, unfortunately I reinjured my bad knee last night. So instead of doing the usual stats update, I spent today in various doctor's offices and x-ray clinics. So no stats for at least a few days.

As to my status, the doctor doesn't think it's that bad, and the x-rays don't show anything fractured. But my knee is telling me that maybe it's time to consider retiring from the game. I'll just have to see what happens over the next few weeks. So I won't be playing for at least two weeks, if at all.

June-4-97 Makeup Game has been scheduled.

Our rained out game has been rescheduled to Sunday, June 22nd at 9:30 AM on diamond 8. Please let me know ASAP if you can't make it.

Anyone who even thinks they might score some Red Wings tickets on a Thursday, please let me know ASAP so that I can at least have some backup plan to replace you. Doing this might just help avoid a last-minute player shortage. BTW, I myself am working on some tix for this once-every-42-years event.

LaRue Williams will not be playing Thursday. As you know, he works the Wings home games. Pity him, for he must also work the away JoeVision games too. He works in the concourse with only a radio for the play-by-play. So close to the action and yet so far :(.

Mark Cunningham (#6) tells me he is pretty well recovered from his recent surgery and will be playing tommorow night.

May-29-97 Tonight's game vs. Community Central Bank rained out.

It took Liberty Park until 4:30 PM to decide what we all knew when we looked out the windows this morning; tonight's game is indeed rained out. I don't have any information yet as to if/when the game will be rescheduled.

I talked to Andy Fisher, and he will be available to play with us beginning June 26th, though he might make our 10:50 game on June 12th.

Enjoy the night off, and go Wings!

May-23-97 19-18 Win vs. Jager Monsters. PMP hosts softball chat channel.

With only nine players showing up for PMP, we managed to play a decent game and come away with an extra inning win. Mark Cunningham (#6) is out for a few weeks, Mark Warren had car trouble, Derrick LaLone was a no-show due to an emergency dental problem, and reserves Andy and Pat were unable to fill in. Luckily Dan Phillips was able to play and went 4 for 5, scored the winning run, and played very well for Mark Cunningham at short. If it weren't for Dan, we'd probably have lost. Malloy's extra inning bases loaded triple was a big hit for us.

Jeff Gatt went yard in the 2nd inning. John Bateman did likewise in the 6th, but like last week, did it for an out because of the one homerun hitter rule.

The score keeper did a lousy job, as I count 19 runs for us on the score sheet she kept, not 17. Heh, but the extra inning was still necessary as she shorted Jager Monsters 2 runs also. They also illegally added AH's after the game started, and used non-last out courtesy runners. The umpire was not very up on the rulings for these infractions, so he basically let it go. I think he wasn't thrilled that I refused to "tip" him at the start of the game. That's right, he suggested tipping this game, and last week.

This win puts us is 4th or 5th place. I noticed on the standings sheet that Bob's Packers was not on it. Either they dropped out, or it was an errant ommision.

Next weeks game, I think I have talked Andy into playing since it's a late one. Danny said he could make it too, so we're not likely to be short of players.

We set up a chat channel for our players. All visitors are welcome. It requires a Java-compatible browser. The channel administrator's nickname is Boil (that would be me). I'm going to try to be on there for a few hours every Friday at 7:00 PM EST, though that might be changed, possibly to Sunday evenings.

I also have finally installed ICQ. For those who don't know, it's a real nice internet communications client that lets you know when your friends are online. You can use it to page them for chat, transfer files, internet telephone (if you have it), video conference, set up conferences, etc. It has many features and options, so you don't have to be bothered when you don't want to be. I highly recommend you try it out. Download the client at http://www.mirabilis.com. My ICQ UIN is 1246420, nickname "Boil", and email (for search purposes only) is "boil@juno.com". Use ICQ to contact me and request I add you to my contact list.

May-16-97 25-12 Loss to Jacks Friends

It was raining, we had a lead, then they started hitting. We didn't play too badly, but we need to do something about speed in the outfield, and get the ball in much faster. They took way too many extra bases. I'll see if I can talk Andy into getting out here pretty soon. Our hitting was again, not too wonderful; some guys are doing the job, but others simply aren't.

The BBQ at LaRue's is cancelled, since he will be working the Red Wings game next thursday.

May-9-97 20-15 Loss to Mr. B's of Troy

This was a winable game. The lead changed 3 times. We were up by 3 going into the 7th inning, but Mr. B's of Troy picked up 8 runs to take the 5 run lead that finished the game. We did all our scoring in the 3rd and 6th innings, with 9 and 6 runs. We need to start scoring 3 or 4 runs every inning before we can start really contending in this league.

LaRue announced that he will host a BBQ at his house after our 6:10 game on May 29th. He has horse shoe pit.

Mark Cunningham (#6) sent me the 3 year stats compilation today. I'll post them shortly (I gotta check his math...I can't be last on the team, can I? ;-)).

May-2-97 23-22 Win Vs. Bob's Packers

This would have been a really good game for us had we not given up 16 runs in the 3rd inning. Bob's Packers had only 8 players, so our 23 runs is about par. Giving up 22 runs is not good. They hit the ball very well, but we made 5 or 6 errors that helped them out. We have to start making the plays when we have the chance in this league, otherwise we're gonna get buried by the good teams. We're not at Softball City anymore.

Speaking of Softball City, my co-worker plays there on Thursdays, and she said the place was packed last night. She thinks that they may have discontinued the 10:40 start time since there aren't any on her schedule.

Apr-25-97 Last night's loss to Rodger's Roost 19-7.

We scored 6 runs in the first inning, and 1 more run in the 3rd. That was it. 7 runs scored on 10 hits. Sheesh, WTF. Rodger's Roost looked like PMP did last week; strong hitting combined with too many fielding errors. In fact, the game was very similar to last week's game, except of course we were on the losing end. We definitely helped them out last night, but we're not going to win many games with seven runs anyway.

The only highlight of the night was Malloy's first inning 3 run homer. He bought a new bat, and put a dent in this one too.

The new stats are posted, and I corrected a typo for Jeff Kollenburg.

Apr-18-97 PMP wins season opener 19-6. Practice Saturday, 10AM in Oak Park.

Our April 17th Liberty Park debut game was a 19-6 victory against Anchor Bay Packaging. We hit very well last night. Only two players hit below .500. Our opponents were decent in the field, but really stuggled to hit anything on the ground. Derrick LaLone, Denver's youngest brother, signed on with us and performed pretty well. He's mainly a tournament player at the Class B and C levels.

Everyone was happy with the field conditions at Liberty, and impressed with how much nicer the facilities are, compared with Softball City. The softball used at Liberty Park seems to be of much better quality than those we are used to playing with at Softball City. I am convinced that my double over the cheating left center fielders head would have been my standard flyout had we been using a Softball City mush ball. And Malloy put a serious dent in his bat.

We are holding a practice tommorow, Saturday April 19th 10:00 AM in Oak Park.

I just dumped a spreadsheet with our financial info on it here. Team Accountant Gerry Nestale should find everything is straight.

Apr-15-97 Game Thursday, 7:20 Diamond 10, Liberty Park

The following is the content of today's mailing list email:

Sorry to spam you guys again. I hope you aren't filtering mail from me yet. Har Har. This is just a lengthy reminder of some important items for Thursday. And "welcome" to Doctor Kelly to the team mailing list.

1. See "Subject:"

2. Liberty Park is on Mound Road in Sterling Heights. Take 696 to Mound, Mound North past 14 mile (left turn coming from the West). It's on the right between 14 and 15 mile.

3. Rain Out number is 810-978-8311

4. You owe $42.00, cash is preferable ('cept you Gerry--already paid). With Dan's participation questionable pending our scheduled game times, I may reduce his amount, in which case I'll probably cover the shortage and tack it onto the summer season dues.

5. The roster must be signed by the 24th by game time. Anyone who won't be at the first game (Pat Kelly, others?) MUST make sure you arrive in plenty of time on the 24th, else you won't be on the roster.
- And -
Everyone that signed the roster at practice must ALSO sign on the back of the roster. I forgot there were two sides to it, so Malloy, Gerry and LaRue need to sign the back.

7. Many Liberty Park Rules and Regulations are posted about halfway down this web page:

http://ic.net/~whiotaky/pmp97wnt.htm

Please take a look if you have the time.

6. We're shaving Gerry from the neck down, BYO razor, NO GELS OR CREAMS. Tough luck Pat won't be there, but we will be filming.

Apr-7-97 First Game Against Anchor Bay Packaging

Our first game is April 17th, 7:20 PM on diamond 10, against Anchor Bay Packaging. We will be given a complete schedule on the 17th. Liberty Park's rainout number is 810-978-8311.

In case anyone got Cliff's email address off the Spring 1997 Roster page, it was wrong. Some poor guy was getting puzzling PMP practice schedule updates from me. Oops. Cliff's email address has been corrected on that page today. I fixed my team mailing list also.

Apr-5-97 Woah...I think I just saw Noah and his Ark.

Yet another washed out practice today. So Here's the plan:

Practice Tuesday 5:30 or 6:00PM (as soon as you can get there) At Oak Park. Call me if you need directions. If it rains or snows, then it's postponed until the very next day that it's not shitty out. It's supposed to be cold, but we're going to practice anyway.

Also, Saturday April 12th 10AM is still on, again at Oak Park.

If it's crappy all freaking week, then we'll do the practice on monday the 14th, or after, again whenever God calls off the Great Washout of '97.

Apr-4-97 Mid-week Practice this week?

All this rain on the weekends is really messing us up. Additionally we have a number of players who cannot make the remaining weekend practices. So we will probably schedule at least one midweek practice.

Leave open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 5:30 PM next week. Whichever the first day is that the weather is suitable, we'll practice that day. This would be in addition to tommorow's practice, and April 12th, both Saturdays at 10 AM.

Apr-1-97 New season almost here...and still no practice.

I moved the 1997 Winter Page into the archives. There's much info on that page concerning Liberty Park rules and regulations, so check it if you haven't already.

For the '97 season I intend to maintain this page in a diary format, similar to the Winter Page, but with links to relevent season data at the top. After every game I'll add a paragraph or two describing the game highlights. Hopefully I can get our Assistant Manager to write an occational article also. As always, the current season Statistics page will be updated soon after each game.

Players don't forget we are practicing on Saturday, April 5th and April 12th at 10:00AM in Oak Park.

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Written and edited by W.S. Hiotaky, Copyright © 1995-1997.

Created: November 19, 1995
Updated: October 31, 1997