The Cougars and Chicken Shack played a scrimmage game Tuesday night during the bye week. As has been our trend this season, the Cougars lost by one run.
We do not have any video of the game last night, but enjoy some film of two super men who can hit the rock on the field and rock out with hits on the stage.
After a tough 17-14 loss last night to Gulliver's, certain Thunder Road lyrics seemed like an apt bandage to our wound and a fitting metaphor when re-worked Captain Cougar-style.
So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me
We Cougars are old, we're not pretty, but we stick together like a band of brothers rooting and supporting each other when we are down.
You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain for a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero, that's understood
While we all had our painful moments, we actually did have a few heroes out there last night. JD made the left side of the infield look great with his fabulous catches. Flandog had a crucial RBI to extend an inning. Bobi slammed the ball around the park. The Jokewriter knocked an opponent out with a smash to 3B. Philthy was on base every at-bat. OB and Flynner rose from the streets to save the shorthanded Cougars.
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late, we can make it if we run
We weren't in the sun with the 9:00 game, but man, it was a wicked hot killer out there last night! It was definitely late and we almost made it - again.
And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
Actually, no need to drive last night; the postgame was just a short walk across the street.
There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away
Well, nobody ever gets sent away from our postgame. In fact, all fans, readers, and neighbors are invited. Last night's refreshments included pizza rolls and perfectly chilled concoctions of water, hops, and barley courtesy of the Jokewriter. JRads had brats ready to fill our stomachs and take our minds off the ghost of another close game.
It's a town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win
Springsteen's key premise in Thunder Road is: Do you want to take a chance? On us? On life? Well, the Cougars get a new life next week as the playoffs begin.
The undo feature is the handiest command on the computer. Make a mistake? Goof something up? No problem. Take it all back with quick keystrokes.
Last night would have been a good time to press those sacred buttons to undo the result and start with a fresh field.
The Cougars crashed and had a system malfunction with a 13-3 loss. Chicken Shack took a different kind of shortcut to victory with a 5 inning game.
We could not copy and paste our excellent performances from previous weeks. The Cougars desperately needed some F1. This game will certainly be dragged to the recycling bin.
The highlight of the night was the postgame. The Fortiers hosted a party so slick that even Steve Jobs would have been impressed.
By next week we will erase our memory and get the bugs out of our system in order to boot up a victory!
As a kid, what was better than watching your favorite TV program? How 'bout when characters from that show teamed up with characters from an equally entertaining show?
Think Jetsons meeting the Flinstones.
Or Mork dating Laverne on Happy Days?
Boss Hogg trying to buy the diner from Mel on Alice?
Ricky Stratton from Silver Spoons and Arnold Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes getting into mischief?
Charlie's Angels looking for a thief on the Love Boat?
Even better, how about when Mr. Roarke fulfilled Tattoo's dream of sailing on the Pacific Princess?
Howard Park last night may have even been a bit more like 90210 and Melrose Place combining efforts because Tuesday nights at Howard tend to be soap operas.
Last night, we had the ultimate Howard Park crossover episode as the Tappers and Chicken Shack raised the ratings for the Cougars.
The Cougars needed the crossover cooperation against our crosstown combatant Ethervision. The programming ended early as McKenzie slaughtered Central 13-2.
The highlight reel was filled with excitement. The main characters were solid and the guest stars provided the extra dose of drama.
Danielsen slammed the ball at the dish and picked 'em out of the dirt at first.
Hoglund continued his batting rampage and clubbed the Clincher all over the park.
Flannery caught high hard line drives, pop-ups, grounders, relays and was a gem on the diamond.
Lipinski's swings were top-notch during the game and his effort was top-flight for scheduling a red-eye out of town for after the game.
Radtke (the Lil' one) was a defensive marvel out there, which included a play when a hard line shot bounced off my hands at SS and Marc, playing 3B, pounced on it and fired it to first base for a key out.
Bookstaber played a flawless outfield and glided around the bases with ease.
Boomgaarden was a softball gladiator and played with a broken finger.
Oh reached for the sky with lofty arcs on the mound and the hard shots at the plate.
O'Brien ripped the ball and took the extra base - and then some.
Mayer squashed the bug, crushed the ball and continued to be one of the best left handed power hitters in Chicago.
Miller had a stellar performance on the grass and showed off his wheels on the dirt.
As with any special feature, the team photographer commemorated this one time event with a cast picture.
But the credits don't stop rolling there. The viewers of the show were truly the special guest stars as well. We had a number featured fans join Steve and Cheryl to hoot and holler for the green gang with great gusto. Julie's wonderful family, including Uncle Jim and Aunt Debbie From Tennessee and Uncle Bill, Aunt Lisa and cousin Billy from Arlington Heights are truly celebrities!
The set designers built a brilliant backdrop for the night and the cast knocked the super script out of the park. This one might just win an Emmy.
We will be back to regularly scheduled programming in the next episode of the Cougar Chronicles. The Cougars go head to head with Chicken Shack in prime time next Tuesday.
July is a sweeps period for Nielsen but the Cougars are planning a plot twist to prevent a season sweep by the Shack.
