Champions League

Sorry I’m a little late with the news, everyone, but I was gone last night checking out my favorite new band Fleet Foxes. Think My Morning Jacket + The Shins with 3 and 4 part harmonies that would make Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young) proud.

Anyway, Monday night was an epic night in Gary Hairys history. Having split the first two games of the World Series, the series shifted to Shea and the Hairys inconceivably swept all three games to becomes the most unlikely World Champs in ptp history. Here’s how it all went down:

Game 3 - Scorp Meche vs Hairy Young. Young finally acts like the ace he was supposed to be all season long as he holds the Scorps to one run on three hits in 5 innings while striking out 8. The Hairys build a 3 run lead on a 2-run Youk bomb down the line and an RBI double by Escobar. The Scorps are freaking fast, though, and they manufactured a run off Young via Roberts single, stolen base and RBI single by Johnson. With a 3-1 lead and Young’s pitch count real high, Ockey is taking no chances as he goes to his pen with Perez, who has been solid as an effing rock all season. Naturally, he picks this as the time to implode. He gives up 3 straight hits to start the 6th and just like that the lead is gone. It stays tied at 3 as Ockey makes boner move after boner move, apparantly trying to sabotage his team’s chances. I get picked off TWICE in the 7th inning, and caught stealing AGAIN in the 9th. Meanwhile, Huston Street has been locking it DOWN, going 2 shut-out innings giving up only one hit. In the 10th, I’m at the bottom of my order and wondering how long this thing will go when Jacque Jones of all people (no homers in the regular season) hits a walk-off solo shot off of Guerrier and Shea goes NUTS.

Game 4 - Oswalt vs El Duque. The much-maligned El Duque is an absolute STUD in this one, going 6.1 innings allowing only 3 hits and a run. Meanwhile, the Hairys chip away at Oswalt. Game 3’s hero Jones leads off the 3rd and eventually scores with 2 out on a passed ball. Little Buddy Pedroia comes up huge with another clutch 2-out hit that scores Markakis and it’s 2-0. The Scorps finally touch El Duque in the 7th with a run on a sac fly. Jones leads off the 9th with another hit on his way to a 3/4 day at the plate and scores on a Markakis double. Wagner and Street go 2.1 shut out innings with Street getting the save in this one after getting the win in Game 3

At this point, I though I had a day off (which is why I’d used Street so much -figuring I’d have a day to rest him). Imagine my surprise when I remembered it’s 2-3-2 in the World Series and I had another game with no rest. And I had to face effing Webb again. Crap.

Game 5 - Webb vs. Maine. Webb is simply amazing AGAIN, going 7 innings allowing one measley run on 5 hits…..and losing. On this night, John Maine was Webb’s equal, throwing 6 innings of 1-hit ball. He started REAL shaky, walking speed-demons Roberts and Reyes, but at this point, I know what’s gonna go down, so I cut down Roberts with a pitchout and Maine works around the rest. The scoreboard is all zeroes until the bottom of the 6th when, with 2 out, Captain Clutch Russell Martin goes deep into the pen right to make it 1-0. And that’s how this game would end as Marte and Betancourt combine with Maine on a 2-hit shutout that has to go down as one of the greatest World Series pitching performances ever.

So, in the end, the Hairys win it with a total team effort - every guy in the lineup except one had an RBI at some point, and with the exception of Perez, every pitching performance was brilliant. The Hairys’ staff, once easily the worst in the league, allowed a TOTAL of FIVE EARNED RUNS in the entire Series. Giving up one run a game is a great way to win. Everyone was deserving of post-season MVP honors, but in the end it has to be Russell Martin with his 2-run 9th inning miracle bomb to save the season and then his solo shot off Webb to win the whole thing. That is really clutch. And how fitting is it that this year of the pitcher ends in a 1-0 ballgame. Fantastic.

http://www.playptp.com/2021_season/awards_2021.php

The Gary Hairys pulled off an amazing comeback against their longtime nemesis Grand Junction late Saturday night to advance to the World Series and set up perhaps the most illogical, unimaginable matchup anyone would have ever guessed. Here’s how it all went down:

Game 1
The Hairys storm into frigid Jacobs Field (39 degrees game time temp - it is late Oct, after all) and drop the hammer on the Foxes early as they put up a 3-spot in the 2nd inning thanks to the speed of Juan Pierre, whom Ockey had deftly inserted into the lineup to beat out the ground balls that Fox Carmona would induce. That is exactly what happend as Pierre reached on an infield single that scored Ibanez then Yunel Escobar of all people homered down the line to give the Hairys a 3-0 lead. They made it 4-0 in the 6th on an RBI single by Markakis. Young, though not totally dominant was very effective, giving up only a solo homer to Hairy-killer Tejada in his 6.1 innings. The Rafaels pitched 2 innings of no-hit ball then Huston Street bent, but didn’t break to earn the save.

Game 2
A rare Halloween game is indeed scary for the Hairys as starter Maine gets LIT. He gives up a solo bomb to Macier Izturis (WHAT??) then a single to illegal Blalock then a 2-run bomb to Swisher (overachiever of the year) and an RBI single to Varitek. It’s 4-0 after that hellacious first inning and that’s all the Foxes would need. Cabrera hits a 2-run single to make it an interesting 4-2 game. Both starters are gone in the 4th inning, and the Hairys make it 4-3 as Broxton throws a wild pitch that scores Torii. The Hairys can’t get over the hump, though, as a parade of 5 Fox relievers pitches 2-hit ball the rest of the way.

Game 3
This one sucked. Hairys get a huge break, though as Chien-Ming Wang gets injured in the 3rd inning for the game plus 22 more - ouch. That means the already weary Fox pen would be taxed again. The Hairys build a 6-1 lead, but in the 5th, the Foxes pound Kazmir and it’s 6-4. In the 6th, Ockey brings in Franklin to get through one measley inning so he can get to the Rafael’s. Franklin is HORRIBLE, allowing a double then single then in comes illegal player Blalock to pinch hit. I can hear our conversation on draft day about whether to allow him to play or not echoing in my head. And, of course, he hits a 3-run bomb to give the Foxes the lead. Franklin then gives up a solo shot to Swisher for good measure and we lose 8-6. I am already preparing my thoughts for a post about how I got screwed ROYAL.

Game 4
The miracle. Things are oh so bleak as starter Felix gets rocked, giving up an RBI single to Tyner, ANOTHER bomb to Swisher (which, of course, also scored illegal Blalock) and another bomb to Izturis. Crap. 4-0 and I am really sad. Cabrera hits and RBI double to make it 4-1, but Beckett is cruising for Grand Junction. Cabrera doesn’t help matters as he commits 2 errors IN THE SAME INNING to allow a 5th Fox run. It is 5-1 in the 8th and the fans at Shea are rending their clothes in agony. Beckett is still in because the Fox pen is TIRED. The Hairys manufacture another run with 2 outs, though to make it 5-2. Lefty Walker comes on to pitch the 9th with a 5-2 lead. Torii immediately goes yard to make it 5-3, but it still seems like too little too late. But then Pedroia singles to bring up Martin whose card is AWESOME vs L, but he hasn’t really lived up to it all season. This time he does, though, as he gets under one and hits it out to tie the ballgame and send everyone into hysterics. The Hairys load the bases with no out in the 10th and Ockey is smelling victory. Then Torii K’s, force out at home and line-out leaves him mouth agape. Fetch. That did NOT just happen. The Hairy pen is heroic, though allowing only one unearned run in 8 innings as the Hariys finally break through in the bottom of the 14th as Dustin “Little Buddy”: Pedroia singles and Markakis beats the throw home and scores from second.

Game 5
Back to Grand Junction with Young vs. Carmona again. Young is shaky, walking 2 and giving up a single and sac fly in the 1st. Foxes make it 2-1 on a Millar RBI single and it stays that way til the 5th. Carmona is seriously tired, but after the marathon Game 4, the computer doesn’t go to it’s depleted pen and Gary takes advantage. Cabrera singles and steals, Pierre does the same, Markakis singles, then the big blast as Ibanez goes deep to make it 5-2 Gary. A Swisher RBI single makes it 5-3 and a Tejada jack makes it 5-4 as Ockey starts to pucker hard. Youk responds with a HUGE solo jack of his own to make it 6-4 and the Hairys score again in the 9th for a 3-run lead. Which was crucial, because Street again bent, giving up 2 runs. But, with 2 out and Swisher of all people at the plate and the tying run on 2nd, Street didn’t break as he K’d that fetcher and sealed the HUGE victory.

Bottom line: Hairys win with small ball vs the big bats of Swisher and Blalock. Gary gets out-homered by 5, but take advantage of Varitek’s arm as they steal 17 bases in the series, getting thrown out only twice. Gary now advances to play the Scorps, who they did well against during the regular season, winning 3 of 4. We’ll see what happens….

So I’m playing a tight game 3 vs the Foxes. Torii Hunter is on first with 2 outs - I’m not trying to steal as pitcher Moylan throws over to first. That is followed by this BEAUTY:

“a quick throw to first by Moylan
Hunter is safe
able to walk back in, easily
let me tell you something…
there are eighth grade boys
in the dark balconies of movie theaters
who have better moves than Peter Moylan
if you get my drift”

The next pitch was delayed by at least 2 minutes as I lay laughing on the floor. Simply awesome.

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

With 4 games left in the regular season, all against human managers, and needing to win 3 of them to advance to the playoffs, things were not looking all that great for Hairy Nation. This was not going to be easy. But, as it turns out, if you don’t allow the other team to score at all, games are fairly easy to win. Wow, that sounded like classic John Madden/Ron Boone, didn’t it - “If the Hairys want to win, they are going to need to score more runs than the other team. And the best way to do that is not to let the other team score any.”

Anyway, Hairy starters Chris Young, Scott Kazmir, John Maine and El Duque (wha???) each did their job - and did it with aplomb. NONE of them allowed a single run. Kazmir did it with perhaps the most flair as he K’d 13 batters in a brilliant effort against Smithfield, but each starters’ work was seriously appreciated. The Rafael’s were awesome in relief, as they have been all year - they’re both sporting ERA’s under 1 and have been the one true constant I have been able to rely on all year. Anyway, I’m too tired to go into exhaustive detail, but sufficeth to say that with brilliant pitching, some timely hits, and a LOT of luck, the Hairys did it. They nutted up when it really counted and made it into the postseason. And after the season I’ve had, that in itself is quite an accomplishment - this is a team that was dead last in the league in hitting AND pitching not long ago. Well done, boys. Too bad I have to play the hated Foxes and their SICK pitchers. Geez.

Jerry breaks the record by almost a full game, with playoffs on the line.  Certainly one of the best stories to come out of this league.

I can feel the anticipation building for the off season. And not just because we are all a little tired. I mean, we’ve been going strong for over 3 years. Even major leaguers get at least 4 months off every year. They wouldn’t be able to hang with us.

But I digress. In as little as a few days, or as much as a couple weeks, the newest and biggest feature to Playptp.com will be announced and released to the public for viewing, and USING.

I’ve mentioned the upcoming enhancement a couple times, but I want all you PTP’ers out there (Ted and Jerry) to know I’m not screwing around this time.

THIS IS GOING TO BE HUGE.

Love,

Brian.