Let me
explain. You see, when driving, I always
favor right turns over left turns.
Why is
that, you ask? Well, I worked a backbreaking
job as a box loader at UPS for a couple years.
While there, I learned all about the UPS philosophy, including no unnecessary
left turns.
As UPS
states, “Left turns mean idling, which increases the time a route takes. Left
turns mean going against traffic, which increases exposure to oncoming cars.
Right turns are faster. Right turns save fuel.”
My
philosophy is that there is only one place where left turns are always right – on
the softball diamond.
The Cougars
were determined to take many lefts on the base paths to deliver a truckload of
runs and dispatch the first place Tappers.
The
Tappers came out driving the ball in the first inning. They scored three runs on hits by Wally,
George, Sean, and Ryan (with an airmailed triple!).
The
Cougars were not intimidated against the league’s top team and packaged three
of our own runs on hits by Boom, Rads, Martini, and Joker.
In the
second inning, our foe hauled in two more runs on hits by Kevin, Brennan, Wally
and Irvin.
We
were scoreless in the second and then brokered two more runs in the third. Boom and Rads led off with consecutive hits
and were moved along by Martini, JD, and Joker.
All tied up at five.
Tappers
tallied another run when Nes led off with a hit and was shipped home by Joe,
Brennan, and Wally.
Even
with the new blue calling a tight zone, Brennan and Martini were top notch on the
mound backed by stellar defenses. Over the
final three innings both teams got stuck in traffic and only got one hit each.
The Cougars
ran out of gas and lost 6-5.
Even
in a loss, the Cougars are still the best package in town.
_______________ Game Video
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_______________ Game Photos
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Marshall sent us a pic
while he watched the live stream in LA so Patrick and I expressed some love back to him.
_______________ Postgame Photos
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The postgame hosted by Leahy and Danielsen left us all
right!
The
team was disappointed but I told them I was also twice dismissed.
You
see, I was kicked out of college twice.
In
college, my performance was not in the winning category and I was on the losing
end…just like the Cougars.
In
college, I started with the best of intentions but execution was lacking… just like
the Cougars.
In college, I had way too much fun looking forward to the party…
just like the Cougars.
At
the first school, I was the definition of “One and Done” during my freshman
year.
At another school, I
had three consecutive probations, was kicked out, and then readmitted 18 months
later.
Part
of my issue was way too much partying, but I also hated going to class. In one course, Accounting 101, the only two
grades were the midterm and final, each worth half my grade. After getting an A+ on the
midterm, I never went back to class. I knew that even if I failed the final, I'd still get a C in the class. Mission accomplished; I achieved a C- for the semester. A total winning strategy in my books- until I
had to take Accounting 102, of course.
A rough semester for sure.
On
Tuesday, the Cougars started a winning strategy and were ready to book a couple
wins.
We played
Miller Time in the opener. Miller has
won the last five or six league championships. (It’s sort of ridiculous, so I
just can’t remember.)
Our opponent
opened with two quick runs and we countered with one of our own. Boom walked, Kev crushed a single and Rads
hit a liner to score Boom.
We
held Miller Time scoreless for the next two innings.
We
were scoreless in the second but Li’l Rads hit his first career triple!
The Cougars
rallied for four in the third. Bobi, in
his first at-bat this season, led us off with a single to left. Boom nailed a single to right field. Kev crushed another single to score Bobi. Rads singled to score Boom. Martini hit it up the middle to plate Kev and
JD smashed it to left center to score Rads.
Cougars with a 5-2 lead after the third inning.
That
was our last scoring inning and Miller Time scored nine over the last four
innings to cinch the victory 13-5.
In the
nightcap we played Ready By Tuesday.
It was
Tuesday and RBT was certainly ready.
They came out with a run in the top of the first and held us scoreless.
We got
one run in the second inning to tie it up.
Martini singled and yelled to Joker to swing at the first pitch for a
hit and run. As soon as the pitcher rotated
his arm back, Martini took off from first.
By the time the pitcher released the pitch, Martini was on second
base. The ball reached Joker at the
plate and he promptly pummeled it to left center scoring Martini. What a play!
In the
third, RBT scored four.
No
scoring for either team in the fifth and sixth.
In the
top of the sixth, RBT grabbed another three to extend the lead.
In the
bottom, we mounted a rally. Sawdey led
us off with a line shot to centerfield.
Boom swung his pitching wedge and put all kinds of backspin on his six foot
shot. Boom ran to first while the ball
landed on the dirt and spun until it touched the line. It was a fair ball and Sawdey took third. Kev crushed another liner to left and got
himself another RBI to score Sawdey and move Boom to second. Boom then scored on a Rads groundout.
RBT
scored one in the seventh inning.
We did
not score in the bottom of the last inning but Li’l Rads had one more
highlight. As he walked to the plate he
turned to his daughter in the stands and said, “Kayla, this one’s for you, kid.” Marc proceeded to pound a line drive to center
and Kayla yelled, “Nice job, Dad!” RBT wins 9-3.
We may
have not played as well as we would have liked on the field but we did finish…just
like I finished college (eventually).
The
Cougars know that post-college accomplishments are more important than the
final college results.
The
Cougars also know that the postgame accomplishments are more important than the
final game results.
The Cougars always succeed at the postgame where it counts the most.
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Postgame Photos
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_______________ Fan Photos
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Our fans never fail us!
_______________ Highlight Videos
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Li'l Rads with a triple and a great slide into third base.
Joker and Martini hit and run play
Boom with the pitching wedge single
Li'l Rads calling his shot for Kayla
_______________ Full Game Videos
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_______________ Next Game
_______________ Tappers at Cougars 06/25 @ 6:45pm Field 2
A mixtape
is an old school work of art. In the 80’s
and 90’s, making a mixtape was a labor of love that took hours to complete.
Much
more than a mere Spotify playlist, the old school mixtape required
cassette-to-cassette dubbing. You had to cue up the desired song by fast
forwarding or rewinding to the right spot; then you’d simultaneously push “record”
and “play;” finally you’d wait for the song to end so you could punch “pause”
before beginning the process again for the next song.
It was
also more than grouping some random songs together because, like a great
batting lineup, the tunes had to flow into one another.
In the
summer of 1991, a few years after chasing her in high school, Julie and I
reconnected at a 16-inch softball game and began dating. That fall after a few months of dating, Julie
made me a mixtape for my weekly drive from Chicago to Champaign.
On
Tuesday, the Cougars performed their labor of love and opposed Old School.
We had
a lineup full of hot hits and mixed it up with a couple of rock stars to fill blank
space on the roster.
“You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab
attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don't want to blow your
wad. So then you gotta cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.”
-- Rob
Gordon (John Cusack), High Fidelity
The
Cougars took this wise mixtape advice to start the game.
Kevin kicked
it off by crushing a single down the right field line and Rads followed with a
shot to right center to move Kev to third.
Fort then beat the ball between short and third to score Kev with Rads
moving to second. Martini was in sync as he punched the
ball down the right field line to score Rads and push Fort to third. JD got his RBI on a hard grounder to the
shortstop scoring Fort and advancing Martini to third. Li’l Rads walked and Flandog turned it up a
notch by nailing the ball to score Martini.
Determined
to match our tally, Old School also batted eight hitters in the inning but only
recorded three runs making the score 4-3.
Over
the next three innings, the volume was turned down low on both sides with a single from Pastor Ted and a double by JD but no runs
for either team
We tracked
three more in the fifth inning. Pastor
Ted led us off with a shot up the middle.
Kevin reprised his first inning hit to put men on one and two. Rads hit a ball that was hard to handle to
load up the bases. Fort drove in two
with a liner to left center. Martini
punched the ball through the infield to load up the bases again. JD singled to drive in Rads for the third run
of the inning.
In the
sixth inning, our special guest duo, Sawdey and Crawford, amplified our
lead. Sawdey rocketed a ball to right field,
and then Crawford bashed the ball over the left fielder’s head for a double
that scored Sawdey all the way from first base.
In the
top of the last inning we added one with a Rads single, Fort fielder’s choice,
Martini double, JD single, and a Li’l Rads RBI.
In the
bottom of the seventh, Old School had their last raps and got a man on base. Then a Flandog to Fort to Li’l Rads double
play got us a two-for-Tuesday double play. Fort finished the game by catching a
hot hit.
Cougars
win 9-3!
A
mixtape is a musical love letter to your crush and the blog is a weekly love
letter to the Cougars.
Are
mixtapes really about the music? Are
the Cougars really about the softball?
Of
course!Each are compilations of
greatest hits and played with all our heart.
_______________ Game Video
_______________
_______________
Game Photos
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Dave and Patrick were rock stars!
_______________
Postgame Photos
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Flannery family postgames are always off the charts!
During the summer, the Cougars clash with
opponents every Tuesday night. Following the fight, I then spar with the
keyboard to provide a blow-by-blow account.
This week, we had two matches in the diamond-shaped ring.
Chicken Shack caught us cold and our glass jaw was exposed.
Like Iron Mike said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the
mouth."
Shack had a slugfest on us and landed four haymakers in the first round, five
uppercuts in the second, and a one-two combination of runs in each of the
fourth and fifth rounds.
We counterpunched with one run in the second round. Fort
double - Martini sacrifice fly - Baby Kale fielder’s choice to get the
RBI. Other highlights were two hits for both Jimmy and Boom and solo hits
for Rads and Martini.
We couldn’t go the distance and Chicken Shack put us down on the
canvas for a ten-count with an 11-1 victory. Shack was declared the
winner by technical decision.
That bout was only the undercard because the main event was about
to begin.
In our first bare-knuckle brawl earlier this year against Tito's,
we took it on the chin and lost in the last round. We
had to come out swinging in this rematch.
Boom put on the gloves and led off the game with a body
blow. Then he advanced to third on a bone-crushing grounder by Kev.
Tiny Rads thumped another grounder to plate Boom.
Tito’s countered with solo jabs in the second and third rounds to
take a 2-1 lead.
The next three innings were a bunch of feints and fakes and no
points for either scorecard.
In the top of the
seventh round, we needed to score one to tie it up. Kevin started us by
pummeling a ball to left field. Tiny Rads, our junior heavyweight,
doubled to score Kev and tie up the match.
7th Inning Offensive Highlights
Tito’s landed a couple of sweet shots in the bottom of the round but no scores.
There are no split decisions in 16-inch softball so we went another round.
In the top of the eighth, Martini singled to right center and JD
laced a shot to left with Martini shuffling to third. Baby Kale got us
the go-ahead score with a sacrifice fly and Martini crossing the plate and JD
moving to third. Jimmy punched it to the right side and scored JD.
Joker singled and he and his boy were stranded in the diamond ring.
Cougars leading the scorecard 4-2.
8th Inning Offensive Highlights
In the bottom of the last round, Tito’s was determined to show
they were still contenders. Four consecutive power punches put us on the
ropes. They quickly scored one and loaded the bases with no outs.
Unlike last game with Tito's, we were not throwing in the towel
and were going toe-to-toe to the final bell.
The next fighter out of Tito’s corner was ready to duke it out and
rapped a shot to Martini who fired it to Joker for the force at home.
With one down and the bases still loaded, Tito’s next brawler
clobbered a low blow to Tiny Rads breadbasket. Tiny Rads looked to go
home for the force but instead went for the knockout punch by tagging third and
firing the ball to JD at first for the game ending double play. Cougars
were saved by the bell 4-3 to win the prize.
8th Inning Defensive Highlights
After we got done playing Punch Out we went to the postgame to celebrate the
victory and honor a Cougar who is Gonna Fly Now.
________________
"I'm young,
I'm handsome, I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat."
- Muhammad
Ali
In 2016, Kale joined the Cougar camp as an upstart prizefighter. He
was young, handsome, and fast and helped lead the Cougars to an opening day
triumph.
To enter the diamond ring with the Cougars, a teammate needs to be a slugger
and Kale was just that.
More importantly, a Cougar needs to float like a butterfly
and sting like a bee at the postgame.
Kale is an undisputed champ in both categories making us cheer in
the ring and laugh at the party.
Recently, he was offered to move to a different weight class in
Dallas. After hearing the headline, it felt like a shot below the
belt but the Cougars know Kale will continue collecting multiple titles as
he rises to superstardom in his business career.
Like many boxers, Kale will stage a comeback every time he is back in town.
The love we have is a unanimous decision, so let's plant one on
the kisser for Kale, Molly and their two beautiful lightweights, Camille and
Raleigh, and let them know we are always in their corner.
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to
explain. It’s not something you learn in
school.But if you haven’t learned the
meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”
- Muhammad Ali
_______________
Fan Photos
________________
Ringside Seats
________________ Full Game Videos
________________
________________ Postgame Photos
________________
Dave and Barb threw a heavyweight postgame that left us all a little punch drunk.
