[Westheim]

Raccoons (70-86) @ Loggers (74-82) – September 26-28, 2005

It’s the last week of the year, and here we are, the only teams yet definitely eliminated in the North. What a sorry bunch we are. Nevertheless, the Raccoons have won ten of their last dozen, now that it doesn’t count anymore. We are 7-8 against the Woodchucks this year.

Projected matchups:
Ralph Ford (6-13, 3.91 ERA) vs. Dani Alvarado (5-7, 2.77 ERA)
Felipe Garcia (6-15, 4.52 ERA) vs. Martin Garcia (16-8, 2.58 ERA)
Kenichi Watanabe (0-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. George Norris (3-14, 7.18 ERA)

Game 1
POR: 3B Sharp – 2B Sheehan – RF Mays – LF Greenman – 1B Martin – CF Fernandez – SS Yamada – C B. Wood – P Ford
MIL: 2B B. Hernandez – RF Fletcher – LF Hiwalani – SS T. Johnson – 1B Nava – 3B Tolwith – C Ervin – CF K. Wood – P Alvarado

Our not so beloved enemy, Bakile Hiwalani, bombed a 2-piece off Ford in the first inning to get the Loggers on top, and the Coons didn’t have much early on against Alvarado. Greenman sent a deep drive to left his first time up, which was caught by Hiwalani, and another one his second time up, which could not be caught by anybody and was a solo home run. The next two scoring chances the Coons had ended with Bob Mays striking out, and the game remained 2-1 through seven, with Ford already gone from the game. Alvarado was still in and seemed to become victimized by a sudden brush of luck for the Coons. After a true double by Greenman to start the eighth, Martin walked on generous calls, and a bloop single by Fernandez loaded them up with no outs, but Yamada flew out to shallow right. Clyde Brady hit for Bob Wood, and gave a 3-2 pitch a heck of a ride to deep right, but had it caught by Jerry Fletcher – the game still got tied with Greenman tagging and scoring. Only now did the Loggers move to the pen, bringing right-hander Gabe Garcia, so we had a left-hander hit for Law Rockburn, with Adrian Quebell coming up with a bat. He didn’t come through, however, and struck out. Huerta came into the tied game, and first thing he experienced was Daniel Sharp making one of his specials to put Jerry Fletcher on base to start the inning. It would all be well, still, with a double play turned by Yamada and Sheehan and nobody scored. Huerta and Cash nursed the game through ten, but in the bottom 11th, our heavily not so beloved enemy, Bakile Hiwalani, led off with a triple off Kaz Kichida, and Kichida had little means of wiggling out of there. 3-2 Loggers. Greenman 2-5, HR, 2B, RBI; Huerta 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

Game 2
POR: 3B Sharp – 2B Sheehan – LF Brady – RF Greenman – 1B Quebell – CF Fernandez – SS Yamada – C Cooks – P F. Garcia
MIL: 2B B. Hernandez – CF Fletcher – SS T. Johnson – RF Hiwalani – LF Bayle – 1B Nava – 3B Tolwith – C J. Reyes – P M. Garcia

In a duel of Garciaces, our Garcia had absolutely no control over his stuff, but the Raccoons still scored first in the third inning, when they loaded the bases with no outs, starting with a Garcia single(!), then could only get a pair of RBI groundouts, which was probably not enough to stave off the Loggers with the way our Garcia was pitching. In fact, that 2-0 lead was blown before Garcia registered another out. Fletcher homered to start the bottom 3rd, and the bases got loaded before Jose Nava hit into a double play to relief some, but not enough pressure. Hiwalani remained at third base and scored on an Aaron Tolwith single that put the Loggers up 3-2. A Yamada error led to an unearned run in the fourth, and Garcia issued a leadoff walk to Hiwalani in the bottom 5th and got yanked. After using Cash and Lucas for an inning each, the Coons seemed hopelessly behind, not doing anything against Martin Garcia, and we even used the forgotten Ben Carlson in relief. Then came the eighth, Sharp walked, Sheehan doubled, tying runs in scoring position and nobody out. The outcome of this was rather depressing, though. Brady hit a sac fly, but when Gabe Garcia relieved Martin Garcia (who, remember, was defeating Felipe Garcia right now), he struck out both Greenman and Quebell. Carlson was rocked in the latter half of the eighth, with back-to-back howling doubles hit by Nava and Clint Philip, and the Raccoons went down again. 5-3 Loggers. Sheehan 2-4, 2B; Yamada 2-4;

This loss wins us last place all of our own for good. This is actually our first last place finish since 2000.

Yamada stole his 54th base, but with the target sitting at 58, it’s too late by now, don’t you think?

Both the Canadiens and Crusaders were eliminated on this Tuesday, and the Titans are four up on the Indians. It might be business as usual in the CL North after all…

Game 3
POR: 3B Sharp – SS Yamada – LF Brady – 1B Martin – RF Mays – CF Wheaton – 2B Ingram – C B. Wood – P Watanabe
MIL: 2B B. Hernandez – CF Fletcher – SS T. Johnson – RF Hiwalani – LF Bayle – 1B Nava – 3B Tolwith – C J. Reyes – P Norris

“Winless” Watanabe didn’t help his own cause of not going back to Japan for the winter without having disemboweled an opposing warrior in ritualized combat, when he hit into an inning-ending double play in the fourth, starving Dave Wheaton at third base. Wheaton had already stolen two bases in different trips around the bags in the game, but his trips never formed a full square, while Yamada had been on second with one out for Brady in the third, and was caught stealing ahead of Brady’s single. Jimmy Bayle then hit a 2-piece off Watanabe in the bottom 4th for the first tally of the contest. Watanabe went seven without any more damage, and the Loggers continued to use Norris, his ERA now soundly under seven(…), into the eighth, but removed him after a 1-out single by Al Martin. Alan Crowley surrendered the run instantly with a triple given up to Bob Mays, who scored on Wheaton’s fly out to center, but that was all the Coons managed to do for Watanabe, who remained – winless. Unfortuantely and unexpectedly, the Loggers then romped over Marcos Bruno in the bottom 8th with a leadoff walk drawn by Clint Philip and two hits by Fletcher and Hiwalani that plated two runs. The Coons had nothing. 4-2 Loggers. Wheaton 2-2, BB, RBI; Quebell (PH) 1-1; Watanabe 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K;

Raccoons (70-89) @ Canadiens (81-78) – September 30-October 2, 2005

Why DO we have to go to Elkland? We have already lost ten against them this year! What’s the purpose?

Projected matchups:
Nick Brown (15-9, 2.76 ERA) vs. Scott Spears (10-16, 4.67 ERA)
Edgar Amador (7-11, 3.92 ERA) vs. Juichi Fujita (17-10, 3.42 ERA)
Ralph Ford (6-13, 3.88 ERA) vs. Joe Hollow (3-12, 5.28 ERA)

Game 1
POR: 3B Sharp – SS Yamada – LF Brady – RF Greenman – 1B Martin – CF Wheaton – 2B Sheehan – C Wood – P Brown
VAN: 3B Suzuki – SS Nakayama – CF J. Gonzalez – LF Trinidad – 1B Phillips – 2B Rodgers – RF Jardine – C F. Diéguez – P Spears

It was one big, ugly struggle for Nick Brown in the series opener, and one he didn’t even make it through five innings. For one, he couldn’t surrender Mitsuhide Suzuki, who walked and scored in the first, then homered (and obviously scored) in the third. Another run in the fourth, and even a 2-run bomb by Ramón Trinidad in the fifth. Two on and two out and down by four, Rockburn replaced him in the same inning. Ironically, the only offense the Coons had enjoyed had been sparked by a leadoff double by Brown, then scoring on a Yamada single, and Yamada got himself caught stealing for the third time this week. The Raccoons went down silently for three more innings until the ninth, when they loaded the bases with no outs on reliever Juan Sanchez and closer Pedro Alvarado, with Bob Mays at the plate, representing the tying run. Mays kept the line moving with an RBI single, but somewhere, someone had to do something stupid. It was León Ramirez in combo with Brad Sheehan, who was on second base. Ramirez lined out to Nakayama, and Sheehan had gone full speed and was soundly out. Danny Sharp popped out to end the game and extend the losing streak to four. 5-2 Canadiens. Martin 2-4; Searcy (PH) 1-1; Mays 1-2, RBI; Rockburn 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB; 1 K;

Game 2
POR: 3B Sharp – SS Sheehan – RF Mays – LF Brady – 1B Quebell – CF Fernandez – C L. Ramirez – 2B Ingram – P Amador
VAN: 3B Suzuki – RF Calzado – 2B Dobson – CF J. Gonzalez – LF Trinidad – 1B Phillips – SS Rodgers – C F. Diéguez – P Fujita

The Coons put their first three men on base in the second inning, Tom Ingram singled in a pair, and despite two on and no outs, nothing else happened in their favor. Like Garcia in Milwaukee, Amador immediately threw the lead away with three hits, including an RBI double by Phillips, in the bottom 2nd. The Elks stranded a pair in scoring position in the fourth that arrived there after Diéguez’ 1-out double. Fujita grounded hard to Sharp, who made the play and kept the runners pinned, and Suzuki rolled out to short. Top of the fifth, the Coons came through, bases loaded, and then a 2-run single by Fernandez to get to 4-2. The next inning, Sharp and Sheehan got stranded when Mays struck out, and they left two more on base in the seventh. The Fat Cat had his claws pulled in the bottom 7th, allowing singles to Diéguez and Suzuki, upon which Moreno appeared to face Calzado, but only surrendered another single to pinch-hitter Haruki Nakayama. Marcos Bruno came in against Dobson with the bases loaded, got to 2-2, then gave up an RBI single, 4-3. Gonzalez hit a game-tying sac fly, and then Trinidad singled to restock the dishes. 2-2 to Jim Phillips – came inside and hit him. Rémy Lucas appeared for Ken Rodgers, who was hit for by the righty Alex Rivas, who struck out anyway, but the damage was done, and while the Furballs scratched in vain in the ninth, with Brady walking, getting forced by Quebell, who was run for by Yamada, Martin hit a single in place of Fernandez, but León Ramirez grounded out to end the game. 5-4 Canadiens. Sharp 2-5; Sheehan 2-4, BB; Fernandez 3-4, 2 RBI; Martin (PH) 1-1;

One more win before the curtain comes down? Please? Finish on a high note? No?

Game 3
POR: 3B Sharp – SS Sheehan – LF Brady – RF Greenman – 1B Martin – CF Fernandez – 2B Ingram – C Wood – P Ford
VAN: 3B Suzuki – LF Trinidad – 2B Dobson – CF J. Gonzalez – SS Nakayama – RF Denunez – 1B Phillips – C F. Diéguez – P Hollow

Hollow didn’t allow anything to the Critters, while he also led off the third inning with a single, and the frame quickly developed into Ford being walloped for four runs on five hits. It continued in the fourth, plus some rain that forced a 1-hour delay, and Ford was yanked with two on and two outs. Kichida got Trinidad to ground out to Sheehan to keep the Elks at 4-0, with the Raccoons hitless, which didn’t change until the sixth, when Sharp singled into right, which also moved Steve Searcy first-to-third with no outs. Sheehan dissolved that in the acid of a run-scoring double play, and Sharp’s hit would be the only one the Raccoons would achieve. After Greenman reached on an error to start the seventh, the rain returned. It wouldn’t leave again and the game was called an hour later. 4-1 Canadiens.

This ties our all time worst season against the Elks at 5-13, which we also achieved in 1986 and 2000.

In other news

September 28 – It’s the finish line – and TOP SP Tony Hamlyn (13-12, 2.98 ERA) has a dead arm. Unfortunately it is the one he pitches with, and he might be unavailable in the FLCS, if the Buffaloes can even reach it, trailing by two games.
September 29 – The Titans lock up the CL North by forcefully shutting out the last remaining direct competition from the Indians in a 5-0 win behind Jorge Chapa, notching their eighth playoff appearances, all in nine years, and fifth consecutive. Except the 2000 Loggers, no other team has reached the playoffs since the 1996 Raccoons in the North.
September 30 – The playoff field gets set with two games to play, with the Blue Sox making their tenth appearance with a 6-5 comeback win in Washington, and the fourth since 1998, although they haven’t been crowned champions since the 80s, and the Falcons outlasting the Thunder (with both teams losing on this Friday) to make their fourth appearance, their previous having been in 2003.
October 2 – The Falcons lose their primary catcher, Fernando Chavez (.323, 13 HR, 57 RBI), for the playoffs with a strained oblique.

Complaints and stuff

Leave me alone. I’m sore.