Semi Finals Friday!

All eight teams play in a single elimination two four team brackets -- seeds 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 and seeds 5 vs 8 and 6 vs 7.

It rained a bit this morning but the sun came out and dried the fields off nicely shortly after the first pitch.

We were slated to play the 3 Stooges.  I need to eat some crow here - I predicted a rough week for this team -- they ended up going 3-4 for the week - which isn't great, but considering they won the tiebreaker over 2 teams and got the 4 seed says a lot.  I truly think it was coaching - Watkins, Oliva, and Stinger did their part. We played them earlier in the week to an 11 inning marathon were we prevailed 6-3 - but that game was well played by the 3 Stooges.
The game starts fast - they score 2 in the top of 1st and we score 2 in the bottom -- tied up 2-2.  We strike again in the bottom of the 3 to make it 3-2.  I trot out for the 4th inning to keep pitching (mind you my body is a wreck today - a 'bug' is going around camp and while I am mostly fine, I definitely have something in my lungs) but the 3 Stooges tag me for another run and make it 3-3.  So far an excellent game - we did receive a break as they had a runner thrown out at 3rd to end the top of the 4th. Lucky 13's scratch one more run in the 4th to make it 4-3. I go out in the 5th inning and work myself out of a jam after giving up 2 hits to start the inning.  We have Randy Lott come to close the game down - he runs into trouble in the 6th inning - with a guy on 2nd, Jeff comes up to bat (the leading batting average guy this week) and a decision needs to be made.  Soup Campbell comes out to the mound to let us know that first base is open. Lott decides, "It's his fantasy camp too, let's go after him" - what a great statement.  So Lott is going to pitch to Jeff - who has the sweetest left handed swing I have seen in a long time.  Lott gets strike one and strike two on him.  A hard batter to get out (in any fashion) - Lott fires his curveball and Jeff swings and misses - it was nasty.  Inning over.  Top of 7th they get a lead off hit but the next guys grounds into a 6-6-3 double play to erase the runner.  The next batter (Jeff's dad -- Bill) hits a slow roller to first and the game is over.  I get the win but Lott with a HUGE save - we play tomorrow - we play the #2 seed - Bru-Less - in Hammond Stadium at 12:15pm tomorrow (Saturday).  The 7 seed -- Game 7 -- and the 8 seed - In the Bag - square off in the morning tilt at 9:30pm.

Games can be watched streaming live via the internet on  http://www.walshmedia.net

Off to Kangaroo court!

~~ "You can observe a lot just by watching." - Yogi Berra ~~