Card player: "Well, looks like you just about cleaned everybody out, fella. You haven't lost a hand since you got to deal. What's the secret of your success? " Sundance Kid: ...... "Prayer."

'

Tempe Diablo Stadium

October brings us Halloween and also brings us The Men's Baseball World Series in Arizona. Over 300 teams from all over the country journey to the Phoenix area to play for the championship for their respective age groups. Your faithful correspondent will be playing for the Portland Volcanoes, an Oregon based team with some terrific players. We are all very excited about playing in the tourney.

The tournament features 6 games in 4 days as part of the round robin. We compete in an age group division which has 7 teams in our division. The top five will make the play-offs. Playoffs are set to be single elimination format and thus each game is “Win or Go Home”. To go all the way will be a grueling test of up to 9 games in 6 days. Teams need depth to get through that sort of gauntlet and the Volcanoes are bringing a substantial roster with the anticipation of rotating players enough in the 6 game round robin phase to keep them fresh for the playoffs.

The Sundance Kid 

There is an alternative theory to The Sundance Kid's representation that prayer is the secret of success. In the case of  the Sundance Kid, he was a fast draw with the gun and deadly accurate . Those are helpful skills in a gunfight.and especially so since gunfights were known to break out in the Old West . In this tournament the "secret" is having good players. We shall see. In every level of baseball, winning teams make the routine plays and do not give opponents extra base-runners via walks or errors.This is especially true in Men's baseball games. As your faithful correspondent has previously reported many times -walks  lead to runs. 


We start our action with a doubleheader on Monday Oct 31st (Halloween) playing two solid teams at a new baseball facility Riverview where the Chicago Cubs play their Spring Training games.  

Riverview Stadium: Spring Training Home of the Cubs  

Our schedule is displayed below and every opponent is capable and determined. Every team competing believes this is their year to win.

Home/Away	Opponent	Date / Time	Field
Away	Greenwood Ridge Dragons	Mon 10/31    10:00AM	Riverview SE #3
Home	Red Deer Legends	Mon 10/31    2:00PM	Riverview SE#4
Away	Tri-Valley Giants	Tues Nov 1    8:45AM	Tempe Diablo stadium
Home	So Cal Dodgers	Wed Nov 2    9:30 AM	Salt River D 6
Away	Tortuga Solons	Wed Nov 2    1:30PM	Salt River D5
Home	San Antonio Lonestars	Thur Nov 3    2:00PM	Goodyear Indians #4

Joining me with the Portland Volcanoes will be Charlie Zunda who long time readers know well from previous trips to Arizona and the Wilton Blue Jays. Another familiar face, John McCormick, is the player who put us with Portland  and readers met John years ago in Arizona and his involvement with the Mincemeat decoy play. (http://athleticsarizona2010.blogspot.com/). John is expected to be contributing his big bat and trusty glove to the efforts of the Volcano's as we strive to the championship.

A delightful aspect of this tournament is everyone heads out brimming with confidence and hope. The results do not always turn out as foreseen though but along the way we experience the magic of the great game of baseball.

The baseball gods love being in Arizona (the heat doesn’t bother them at all) and will be sure to weigh in an impact our daily efforts with regards and punishment as they deem fit. They are stern taskmasters at every level and let no mistake go unpunished We pay homage to them with our effort and preparation and hope to execute when the time comes to make a play.

So the weather will be perfect, the fields immaculate so let’s Play Ball ! 

"In every real man, a child is hidden that wants to play " - Freidrich Nietzsche



Every eager player before the tournament

There is always a lot of anticipation prior to a tournament commencing. Teams practice the day before the action starts and frequently new players are introduced to core team members while newcomers and veterans size up one another. These meetings can be entertaining as well. Several tournaments ago several of us joined  forces with the Long Island Athletics and took in a practice.


One player seemed to be wrestling invisible snakes as he was writhing on the ground in what seemed to be agony. When asked what he was doing ,Bob replied he had a bad butt. Hence the name "Bad Butt Bob" was bequeathed and carried on through the tournament. Another player had tape on his shoulders, on his legs, around his ankles,...  everywhere. He became "the Mummy" .  Another fellow was slight of stature, full gray heard and spoke with seemed to be a cackle. He was soon "the Prospector".




Charlie and I will practice later today in our introduction to the Volcanoes and hopefully we make a positive impression as we begin our journey.






And a journey this tournament is albeit lasting only a few days. Baseball is simultaneously a blend of an individual sport and a team sport.  Every players wants good teammates along for the journey and based on our conversations Charlie and I are confident we have great teammates along for this ride.

Prior to meeting i was thinking about taking a journey with strangers and considered the case of Violet Jessup.

Violet Constance Jessop (October 1887 –  May 1971) was an ocean liner stewardess and nurse who is known for surviving the disastrous sinkings of both the RMS Titanic and her sister ship, the HMHS Britannic, in 1912 and 1916 respectively. In addition, she had been on board the RMS Olympic , the third sister ship, when it collided with a British warship in 1911.

Miss Unsinkable

On the one hand, I can understand how Violet got the nickname "Miss Unsinkable". Fans might deem her very lucky.  On the the other hand it seems there might be a black cloud following her around that one might deem her very unlucky.  Lets hope we have lucky teammates along for our journey.

My kids had to endure numerous references to the Titanic during there childhood. Kelly , our middle child, often mentions the middle child syndrome results in neglect. So I really made sure she heard all about the Titanic. I made efforts to portray the sinking of the Titanic in terms of deadly sins. I emphasized the lessons we can learn and the progress we can make from understanding the human conditions at play in the tragedy. I highlighted envy and prejudice as manifest by the classes being segregated and having disdain for one another. I pointed out the excessive pride in the stretching the technology to its limits. And finally the  arrogance with the racing through a field of icebergs. But Kelly would reduce all that to " Dad, ---- the boat sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic".

Well, we begin our journey with practice today and bring the enthusiasm of the child pictured at the top. We hope to have the good luck of Miss Unsinkable. And we hope we  don't "sink to the bottom of the Atlantic".  

Volcanoes erupt for 5 runs in 8th to surge to 7-2 win over Greenwood Ridge Dragons

Volcano eruption from Mount Pinatubo in 1991 

The Portland  Volcanoes drew  the Greenwood Ridge Dragons for game 1 of the 6 game round robin. The Dragons are a solid team and are expected to compete for the division championship. But the Volcanoes are here in Arizona to compete as well.

Your faithful correspondent has the ball for Game 1. Charlie Zunda will be catching for me but the only other teammate  I know is  John McCormick, a first baseman from Long Island  with a sarcastic wit and solid bat. But I know that all baseball players are alike in they want good players to play with  and will welcome a player that helps them to win.

So I take the mound with a bright sunshine and a does of optimism even as I  know from prior tournament play the Dragons are likely to in the running for the title.

Dragons have been fun to have around for storytellers since the beginning of written records.It’s easy to see why we keep coming back to them. Regal yet terrifying, these mystical creatures create instant conflict, what with all their fire-breathing and treasure-hoarding. I check their bench as I take the field and assure myself there are no scally winged creatures breathing fire.

 A Tough Foe Indeed 

We open the game and Charlie calls for a fastball to start things off. We get a foul ball and the game is on. Charlie calls for the change-up and the ball is hit to our shortstop Doug Rosario who fields the ball cleanly and throws to first for an out. . The second hitter hits a 2 strike curve up in the zone,  up the middle for a base hit and the Dragons have a runner.  But a ground ball to second baseman Jack Thompson is fielded cleanly and tossed to Doug at second  and over to first for an inning ending double play. Wow ! A terrific play and a sign the team can make the plays. We go out quietly in the first but the game is on and both teams sense this will be tight game.

The Dragons draw first blood in the second when they lead off with pop fly towards left that no one can get to. A stolen base gets the runner in scoring position with no outs. A shallow pop up towards third is caught but the throw to catch the runner off second gets by and the Dragons lead 1-0 after 2.  They get a second run in the fourth on another pop fly that falls in and a stolen base. With the runner on second and 1 out I get ahead 0-2 on fastballs. Charlie calls for the fast ball up at the shoulders in effort to get a swinging strikeout . I was thinking curve down low a but reconsider Charlie's suggestion and throw the fastball. However,it is not shoulder high but more waist high middle of the plate  and has a sign on it "Hit Me Hard". The Dragon hitter generously accommodates me with a line drive to left field scoring the Dragons second run and we trail 2-0 after 4 innings as the Dragon pitcher Dennis Bradlin has 6 strikeouts already.


But the Volcanoes have heart and get a couple runners on base in the fifth inning. With two out center-fielder Russ Bicknell drives a single to center to tie the game at 2. The fans are jubilant and  WAVE  goes around the park in joyful celebration. 

The game moves along  quickly to the top of the 8th inning still tied at 2. Steve Heilman  leads off with a single and the Volcanoes have the go ahead run at first. Charlie Zunda follows with a one hop grounder that bounces over the head of the third baseman and we have runners at first and second with no outs. This brings up an obvious bunt situation but Rudy Ernst got the job done and advanced the runners. The baseball gods love the job Rudy did  and we  feel the baseball gods are with us.
 This bunt forces big changes as the defense has to play in now.  Russ Bicknell came to the plate with the infield drawn in trying to cut off the go ahead run. He responded in a big fashion blasting a bomb over the head of the right fielder for a two run triple and a 4-2 lead. Johnny Mac followed with a double to right center field scoring Russ  making the score 5-2.  Manager Dave Kenny doubled to right center scoring Johnny Mac. Craig Beatley rapped a single to make the score 7-2 . Your faithful correspondent finished  up the 8th and 9th and Volcanoes grab their first win in round robin play.

Volcanoes advance with wins against Red Deer Legends and Tri Valley Giants

Ken prepares to pitch to Charlie  

The Portland Volcanoes draw the Legends from Red Deer  in Alberta, Canada for Game 2. We start with a wonderfully named pithcer Von Van Allen who would seem to be the guy you would call should you find the need to hunt down vampires.


We  played a real back and forth game as the lead changed hands 9 times . We led  3-0 on the back of hits by Craig Beatley , Steve Heilman, and Charlie Zunda. But the Legends have notoriety for a reason. They banged out several hits to tie at 3 and we knew were were in for a game.
We added a run they tied and so on up to the bottom of the eight and we trail by a run. But hits by Chuck Saul and Greg Baker give us a 5-4 run lead into the ninth. Manager Dave Kenny is on in relief and gives up a leadiff double as the legends are alive. Two base hits tie the game and put the go ahead runner at third. Another hit scores the legends go ahead run before we close out the inning.
Down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Russ Bicknell doubles down the left field line to give us a chance to tie. Joohny Mac for ollws with a game tying single and we have the winning run on base.
Johhny advances to second on fielders choice and Dave Kenny comes to the plate. All eyes on Dave as two are out and the game is on the line. Dave rssponds with a balst over the head of the left fielder and Johnny Mac scores easily giving the Volcanoes  a walk off win  7-6 .




Next up the Volanoes face the Tri Valley Giants . Tri Valley Giants are a weaker team in our division and have some defensive difficulties. Ken Hermann goes a complete game for us winning 16-5. The Volcanoes improve to 3-0 with a  key doubleheader coming up.

Von Van Allen takes a rip against Tri Valley 

Charlie at the plate -see Scoreboard

A base hit

Craig Beatly watches one outside

Volcanoes advance in pool play

Dave Kenney knocks in a run

So Cal Dodgers  9 -3 over Volcanoes

Your faithful correspondent gets the ball for game 4 vs the So Cal Dodgers. Another gorgeous day as proceedings commence at Salt River where the White Sox and Dodgers have their spring training . We get through the first quickly but the Dodgers draw first blood in the second on a single stolen base and eventually scoring on  a passed ball.The Volcanoes come back with two runs of their own on the back of three walks and a single by Doug  Rosario. The Dodgers made a change on the mound to get some strikes and with the bases loaded got  Ken Herman on a ground  ball to end the threat.
The third inning brings a little adventure. A soft grounder  slips though the legs of our infielder to get their lead runner on base. A single  through the hole between first and second gets runners on first and second. We get a pop up which is ruled an infield fly rule. However, our first baseman has trouble on pop ups and the ball lands safely and bounces towards the dugout. the runners sense the ball will drip and start moving. Our second baseman alertly  runs the ball down and fires to second base where the force is no longer in play. The runner stops and backtracks toward first while the runner who started  the play at second base rounds third and is determining whether to break for home. Our shortstop is running the base-runner towards first and collides and rolls over and the runner scores.  Not many runs score from second on an infield fly rule but we are tied at 2.

We get a sacrifice fly from manager Dave  Kenney in the bottom of the third to take the lead 3-2.  The Dodgers get a single and stolen base which then scores on a single to center. The runner  steals his way to third and scores on another passed ball and the Dodgers take a 4-3 in the fourth. The Dodgers  tack on another run in the fifth as the stolen base has become a valuable weapon for them. They would get 9 stolen bases on the day which helped them get in position to score.

The sixth inning starts harmlessly with a routine fly ball between left and center field that either outfielder could have caught. Instead it drops in and the Dodgers have another threat. With two outs they load the bases for the 9th hitter. Seizing the moment, this batter gets the hardest hit ball of the day  double to left center field which scores three runs and breaks the game open. The Volcanoes would load the bases later but were unable to break through and the final ends 9-3 as Volcanoes suffer their first loss in pool play.


Volcanoes 13-4 over Tortuga Solons

The second game of the day features a key match up for the Volcanoes as teams are trying to avoid the play in game for the  playoffs and assure themselves of a top 3 seeding.
Dave Kenney got it done on the mound for the Volcanoes allowing three runs over the nine innings while striking out 2.
The Volcanoes started slowly by hitting in double plays in each of the first three innings but persevered. The Volcanoes bats came alive with four hits from Craig Beatly and three from Steve Heilman and Johnny Mac.  Von Van Allen had the interesting box score of one hit in 2 official at bats but four runs scored while Allen Butler, Jack Thompson and Greg Baker each chipped in with a pair of hits. The win improves the Volcanoes to 4-1.The  San Antonio Lonestars are 4-0 and in the drivers seat for top seed but the teams meet in the 6th pool game to determine who will get the top seed in the playoffs.

Craig Beatly knocks in the game winner vs San Antonio 

Volcanoes 7-6  over San Antonio Lonestars

The lads arrive at Goodyear ball park to be greeted by heavy winds and a  storm looming ever present in the distance. Even as both teams are in the playoffs, the top seed in the playoffs is at stake. The playoffs are structured that the top seed plays the winner of a play in game between seeds  #4 an #5 so there is an advantage playing a team that has already played and in theory used a top pitcher to advance to the semi finals.

The Lonestars get on the board early on the back of a single to right field, a stolen base and double to right field. The Volcanoes counter with a bunt single and a stolen base. A grounder to third get handled and on the throw to first our runner ( Steve Heilman and the fastest player we have) advances to third.  A sacrifice fly to left scores Steve and we are tied after 1 inning . The game advances to the 6th inning and we are tied at 5 when the Lonestars load the bases against Von Van Allen. With two out, Von gets a ground ball to third but the ball finds it was through the legs of our guy and the Lonestars take a one run lead. The skies are darkening by the second inning and lighting is striking in full view as we suspect the game will be called even as the rain has not yet started. Bob McAteer leads off and gets hit by the first pitch of the inning so we have the tying run on base. A walk and then pinch hitter Charlie Zunda is also hit by a pitch.  A wild pitch scores Bob and we are tied. Taking one for the team  is an unusual  offensive charge  to say the least   Craig Beatly then delivers a single to left scoring Charlie and we take a 7-6 lead as the lightning is very close. The rain starts suddenly as if it were waiting for Craig to get his hit  and is really coming down . Shortly afterwards the game is called. With the lead in the bottom of the 6th we are declared the winner and thus earn top seed in playoffs.

Here comes the storm

Playoffs are a bit different than pool play in that teams are obliged to bat only ten batters ( 14 different batters are required to hit in pool play game). Playoffs have a higher intensity level  even as players are tired from the four days of pool play.
Win or go home as they say. The Red Deer Legends  and Greenwood Dragons game as will play Friday morning in the play in game with the winner facing the Volcanoes on Friday afternoon. The Dodgers will play the San Antonio Lonestars in the other semi final game .
The Volcanoes pitching rotation is set with Dave Kenney going in the semi's with your faithful correspondent set for the championship.














   

"You could be a kid for as long as you want when you play baseball."- Cal Ripken, Jr.

Dave Kenney on the mound  

The round robin play concludes with each team having played each other team. Your Portland Volcanoes and the San Antonio Lonestars each have 5-1 records and on the back of our head to head win in the game abbreviated by the storm the Volcanoes are the top seed

The Tri-Valley Giants ( 0-6) and the Tortuga Solons ( 1-3-1) place 6^th and 7^th and do not make the playoffs. The Dragons ( 3-2-1) and Red Deer Legends  ( 2-4)will play for the right to play the Volcanoes while the  So Cal Dodgers and San Antonio Lonestars will play for the right to compete in the championship game against the winner of our game.

When we awake we expect to be playing a 2pm game, but find the rain form last night has made several fields unplayable. As there are lots of other games with other age groups schedule the decision makers turn each game into 5 innings with a 2 hour time limit. There is no point in complaining  so we head to Goodyear stadium the spring training home of  the Indians and Cincinnati Reds to await the determination of our opponent.

The Red Deer Legends jump out to an 8-2 lead. In the bottom of the fifth( and final inning )  the Dragons score four and have two men on but can’t get the tying run in  giving the Legends  the win.

Manager Dave Kenney gets the start in the semi finals against the Legends  and gets us through  a  1-2-3 inning to start the game. The second  inning passes similarly and suddenly we are in the equivalent of the 7^th

The Legends start the third with a base hit to left field and with one out get a second hit on grounder between short and third. No one know then but that would be their last base-runner of the day

Dave gets a pop up and ground  ball to end the threat.

Jack Thompson gets a rip

In the bottom of the fourth we get an infield hit and error to give us runners at first and second. Russ Bicknell bunts but they make the play at third  to get the first out . They hit the next batter to load the bases. Then Jack Thompson hits a looper towards short. The shortstop fields cleanly and tosses to second for one out , The throw to first is …just late and here comes  Russ towards the plate from second … the throw goes to the plate  and Russ is save giving us a second run .

Dave Kenney gets a 1-2-3 fifth  and we head to the championship  game . Away from  us,  the Sam Antonio  Lonestars gets an early 5-2 lead over the Dodgers and coast to a 10-2 final and will be our opponents in the championship game .

So for those scoring at home, our offense in the last two games consists of getting hit by pitches and double play balls . We will need to do more in the championship game but we look forward to the challenge.

Steve Tucker - the architect of the team

Jack  takes care of business

"Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their unchanged purpose is to show respect for opponents and the game. In baseball, as in the remainder of life, the most important rules are unwritten. But not unenforced."George Will

Your Faithful Correspondent 

The championship showdown is set for Hohokum Stadium , the spring training home of the Oakland A's.

The San Antonio Lone-Stars boast solid hitting and defense and the Portland Volcanoes counter with pitching and defense  The day is typical Arizona  weather -bright and sunny -and the outfielders observe that balls in the air will be troublesome as the sun is brightly shining directly in their eyes. But we take the field ready to compete with our best efforts.

Your faithful correspondent gets the ball for the Volcanoes and opens the game with two quick strikes. Their right handed lead off hitter takes the measure of the fastballs and hits the third pitch to right field where it is caught by Craig Beatly for our first out. Up next is a strong looking lefty. With two strikes, he hits a curve ball to right field where it drops in front of Craig who plays a deep right field for lefties.

The next batter hits a routine ball to center field but it is in the sun and our center fielder Russ Bicknell runs in to catch it but looses it and it bounces off his face to left field.  Russ seems ok but he will feel the impact of that ball for a while  teammates resist the temptation to call him “Alvin” and his face swells up immediately.

With runners on first and second we get a ground ball to short which Doug Rosario fields cleanly and tosses to Jack Thompson at second . Jack wheels to first for an inning ending double play!

In our bottom half of the first,  Russ pops out to first and Johnny Mac  hits an easy come backer to the pitcher for two outs . But Dave Kenney doubles with one out giving us a runner in scoring position. This time the sun benefit us as the centerfielder lost that ball in the glare.  However, Steve Heilman grounds out with hard hit ball to third and the threat is squashed.

Following thru 

With one out in the second , the Lone-Stars get  a break with another fly ball to center field that Russ can’t see and the result is a double.  We make a defensive switch and bring out a new outfielder as Chuck Saul goes to left and Steve Heilman moves to center. But this maneuver backfires a bit as the next batter sends a fly ball to left field that spins Chuck around for a 360 ( the Romanian judge gave him a 6.4)  and goes for a double giving the Lone-Stars a 1-0 lead going to the bottom of the second inning.

With one out, Chuck Saul doubles for the Volcanoes down the left field line . A ground ball in the hole is good for a single for Jack Thompson and moves Chuck to third. With runners on the corners, Von Van Allen walks to load the bases

Allen Butler, our catcher, sends a grounder to the hole at short  and they cant make a play and we have a run with the bases still loaded and one out

Greg Baker hits a one hopper to first and they make the force play at the plate and two are out. Russ is up next and hits a grounder to short which is bobbled and the Volcanoes take a 2-1 lead with the bases loaded Johnny Mac then hits into a force play ending the rally and we head to the third.

In our half of the third, Dave Kenney leads off with his second double of the game, a line shot to left center, and comes around to score on a ground ball to second giving the Volcanoes a 3-1 lead after 3 innings.

The fourth passes with no scoring but the Lone-Stars get a one out single in the fifth. An infield hit puts two runners aboard when a fly ball to center field drops in and rolls thru Russ’s legs scoring a run narrowing the score to 3-2 after five innings. 

Upon ending the inning Dave Kenney tells me my day is done and he plans to go out to the mound for the 6^th. After two complete games  this week I understand the move especially since Dave pitched so well yesterday in the semi’s . But after we go out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth with Dave running out a hard ground  ball, I get the nod to go out for the 6^th.

In the sixth,the Lone-Stars lead off and get a hard single to left. They choose to bunt and I field it and take the out but the tying run is in scoring position An infield hit advances the runners to first and third with one out and Dave Kenney comes in to pitch. He gets a pop up but it is just out of reach of our shortstop and the game is tied. Dave manages to get a pop up and fly ball and we go to the bottom of the sixth tied at 3.

With one out, Chuck gets on first on an error by the first baseman. Jack Thompson gets an infield hit to gives us runners on first and second, Von Van Allen hits a ground ball to short and they take the out at second giving us runners at the corners with two out . But Allen Butler hits an easy grounder to third which is fielded cleanly and tossed to second to end the threat. We didn’t know it then but that would be our last chance to get the lead. The 7^th inning passed uneventfully for both teams.

The Lone-Stars send up their big lefty clean up hitter to start the 8^th inning and Dave Kenney tries a breaking pitch . But it fails  to cross the plate and hits the big guy in his hip giving the Lone-Stars the go ahead run on first.  I look around the park to see if the baseball gods are watching as nothing seems to aggravate the baseball gods as much as a lead off walk or HBP. I hear a faint breeze and know the baseball gods are watching intently and will not be appeased. We have all witnessed the wrath of the baseball gods for infractions and giving them a lead off runner via walk or HBP seems to trigger their most severe response  referring to the quote to lead this post :

"Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their unchanged purpose is to show respect for opponents and the game. In baseball, as in the remainder of life, the most important rules are unwritten. But not unenforced."- George Will

There surely is a “rule” about not walking the lead off hitter and the baseball gods are there to enforce it  If there is one thing I have learned over the past 15 years of men’s baseball is walking the lead off hitter leads to DOOM. It seems that runner will score and bring his friends.

Of course, the wrath of the baseball gods is felt immediately as catcher Allen Butler has a passed ball to put the runner at second . Naturally next is a base hit to right center that scores the go ahead run and just like that the baseball gods punish us as they enforce their unwritten rule.

Despite the dagger in his heart, Dave gets two ground balls to keep the damage limited and with two strikes throws a nice breaking pitch that is fouled about ten feet high and 5 feet from the catcher. But Allen Butler drops the ball and the baseball gods are enraged as Allen kneels and bows to the ground  in his frustration . A collective sigh is heard as we had the last out but now must go back to get an out . I can see Dave is frustrated as well . Of course ,no one familiar with the baseball gods is surprised when the next pitch is lined in the right center field gap for a run scoring hit and we trail by 5-3  UGH

We go quietly in the 8^th and the Lone-Stars tack on 3 more in the ninth to win 8-3.

What can we say about this ?  We had a couple chances to score but didn’t . They had a couple chances and got the key hits. That is the primary difference  in the game . They earned the win today .

I have to offer this was my first experience playing with the guys from Portland. They are terrific guys and playing this tourney with them was a privilege . Dave Kenney ran the team ensuring everyone got a chance and urged everyone to do their best  Steve Tucker is the most upbeat guy on the planet helping everyone compete at their best . It was truly a pleasure to play for guys like Dave and Steve

And so ends another season  and as I return  home I am reminded of  an offering from my favorite philosopher Yogi Berra :

“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”  --Yogi Berra

Your 2016 Portland Volcanoes