Rivalry Game

Rivalry Game
Tonight’s Game is being billed as the league’s ‘Rivalry Game’ as once again we face the Rosen firm in the second round of the Playoffs. They are the top undefeated team and we are the Cinderella Story about to make it happen. I told everyone after our last game that we are not a regular season team; we’re a playoff team! And it is true; we somehow ‘Forrest Gump’ our way into winning and have a blast doing it. We don’t have any ex-pros, hired guns or River Dogs who have the night off playing on our team, but we do have a lot of heart, tenacity and ability to dig deep when we need it. I am glad that we are not taking this game too serious.

Being your coach/team captain is truly a lot of fun and worth all the “work” that goes into it! Let’s go out there tonight-have fun, play smart, be supportive and show Rosen they were lucky their first time playing us.

I hope to see everyone out at the game.
Go McNair! J. Trabert
Go Mighty McNair!

Redeption Day--McNair wins first playoff game!

McNair defeated Barnwell Whaley in eight innings tonight with the most tenacious play our fans have seen in the last three years. It came down to the wire as Barnwell, Whaley tied things up in the bottom of the 7th. The Machine pulled ahead with some serious offense and in return some serious D and put the nails in the coffin on the dust kicking gang from Daniel Island ending the game 14-10! I'll send you a full re-cap when the Hammer sends over our stats! G_d I love our team!

J. Trabert
Go Mighty McNair!

Playoff Game against Barnwell Whaley is tonight @ the Navy Base!

Weather permitting, our playoff game is tonight at the Navy Base, the usual time. I'll see everyone out there. -J. Trabert
Go Mighty McNair!

Current 2005 Softball Schedule and Record

McNair Law Firm
2005 Softball Team Schedule & Results
Record as of 8/2/2005 (4-7)

1. MLF v Pierce, Hearns (5/12) Parkshore (WIN 15-14)
2. MLF v Nelson, Mullins (5/16) Parkshore (Loss 6-21)
3. MLF v Motley Rice (5/31) Parkshore (Rained-out)—Will be rescheduled
4. MLF v Parker Poe (6/6) Parkshore (WIN 10-9)
5. MLF v Rosen, Rosen (6/16) Naval base (Loss 5-16)
6. MLF v Barnwell, Whaley (6/22) Parkshore (Loss 13-19)
7. MLF v Moore & Van Allen (7/7) Parkshore (Loss 5-10)
8. MLF v Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd (7/11) Orange Grove (Loss 4-7)
9. MLF v Public Defenders (7/13) Parkshore (WIN 23-15)
10. MLF v Motley Rice (7/21) Parkshore (Loss 14-17)
11. MLF v Solicitors (7/25) Parkshore (Loss 16-21)
12. Play-off Game MLF v Barnwell, Whaley (8/1) @ the Navy Base (Win 14-10)
13. Play-off Game MLF v Rosen (8/4) (Loss 16-8)
    
14. PLAYOFFS BEGIN AUGUST 1 AND END AUGUST 11
    
    
    
    Go Mighty McNair!

Playoff Game Rained-Out-Stay Tuned

Our game last night was rainded out. Please stay tuned for updates. As soon as I hear from the Commissoner we'll know when we get our chance at Barnwell Whaley. For our fans and everyone who came out I am sorry we couldn't play. The Machine was ready to roll, but B-W didn't want to mess up their hair and mascara, so we couldn't play in the rain.
-Jet
Go Mighty McNair!

Play-Off Game against Barnwell, Whaley (Aug. 1, 2005) @ Orange Grove Field

The Mighty Machine will be marching into Orange Grove Park on Monday to face off against Barnwell, Whaley for the first round of playoffs. This rematch will be a great opportunity for McNair to regain our street credit. Game is tonight, please be there by 6 to warm-up.
Go Mighty McNair!

Making the Playoffs--Comments from the Team

"Excellent! three years in a row -- your a regular Bobby Cox -- now let's bring it all together!"-Capers O.
"You have got to be kidding me! Let's do it!" Big Daddy Warren


Go Mighty McNair!

Congratulations Team!

Congratulations Team!
Our first play-off game is August 1, 2005 @ the Orange Grove field against Barnwell Whaley 6:30 pm. During the regular season their team beat us by 6 runs on pure luck; I know we can take them down this time around. The winner of this play-off game plays Rosen on Thursday. Please arrive early to warm-up. I’ll see everyone at the party on Saturday!

-Jet
Go Mighty McNair!

Our Last Regular Season Game is Monday against the Solicitors

Subject: Our last regular season game is next Monday @ Parkshore
We lost last night to Motley Rice by three runs. It was a very intense and close game which came down to the final inning. Our last regular season game will be on Monday, July 25th against the Solicitors. A win would make us likely candidates for entering the playoffs as a Wild Card (4th place). Also, next Saturday, I’ll be having a party and everyone (fans, players, etc) is invited just give me an rsvp sometime next week so I can get a head count.
Be sure to check the web-log (http://mcnairsoftball.blogspot.com) for updates. I should have a full re-cap posted by late tonight or tomorrow. If you can make it on Monday please e-mail me today or Monday. Have a great weekend.
-Jet
Go Mighty McNair!

Our final regular season game-reminder

We dropped one last night to Motley Rice, but it was probably one of the best games we have played. It came down to the final inning with bases loaded. We held Motley Rice tight and only lost by three runs. Good job too all that played and a special thank you to the fans!
Our next game is Monday, July 25th against the Solicitors. We can beat these guys and with one more win, we should make the playoffs.
-Jet
Go Mighty McNair!

Re-cap of game against the Public Defender's Office

And the Hits just a keep on a coming…
Last year, beating the Public Defenders was bittersweet because they had so much heart and team spirit (even though they had not won a game) that the old guilt came creeping in when we sent them home. This year not the same feeling. I felt glad to see McNair bring home a victory-a hard fought one at that. The Pubs did some serious recruiting in the off season because they were not the same team we played last year. The Mighty Machine blanked the PD office in the first two innings and in the fourth. As previously noted, we brought our bats to this game and went straight to work. Both Mr. Dependable Bluestein and Jay-Bird hit homers in the first inning as we put 5 runs on the board. We added one each inning and then pulled away with 6 in the fourth inning. Bad news though and I take full responsibility; I forgot to stick a fork in the PD office to see if they were done-they gave us a tough time adding doubles all the way through their line-up which put 10 runs on the board. (BLAST-those one innings where we fall apart!) McNair came back at the bottom of the fifth with 7 runs and 3 more runs in the sixth inning to provide a cushion the Pubs couldn’t break. Final score McNair 23, Public Defenders 15. Our next game will be Thursday, July 14 against Motley Rice.
Dug-Out
Where do I begin? Let's see, the girls (Rhonda, Corbett and Maggie) all batted .500, each earning a RBI for the record book. Jay-Bird (1.000) was swinging "Ol'Blue" again and went long ball twice and put 5 RBI's on the board. We just knew the party was on when his first hit cleared the fence. Mr. Dependable lived up to his name and he not only batted a 1.000, but was one single short of going around the world. Funny, I always thought the single was the easiest of the four to hit. John Rosen (.500) picked up were Brett left off and hit a double. Adam (Stoler-MITE!) batted a thousand as DH and came in for Trabert in the 5th. Craig Blackmon (.750) showed up to hold down Short (stop) and smack 3 doubles. MC-Hammer (.750) held down 1st base and kept his average up with 3 singles and some nice D-Fence. T-Boone (.750) showed off his range in the outfield and went single, double, triple for his rotation. Big Daddy Warren (.250)worked some serious D out in the outfield with Jay as his right-hand man. Trabert(.600) followed Turner's lead with a single, double and a triple as he held down the hot corner.
Bring it Home!
We put up a hard fight and kept things in check to bring home this one and it makes me proud to say this game produced the most runs the McNair Machine has ever scored. Our next game is Thursday, July 21st at the Parkshore Field in West Ashley. We will be playing our old pals from across the river Rice a Ron-i.
Stats
At Bats Hits Single Double Triple Home Run Batting % RBIs

Adam 4 4 3 1 0 0 1.000 3
Brett 3 3 0 1 1 1 1.000 5
Jay 4 4 0 2 0 2 1.000 5
Craig 4 3 0 3 0 0 .750 2
Michael 4 3 3 0 0 0 .750 0
Turner 4 3 1 1 1 0 .750 2
Jim 5 3 1 1 1 0 .600 3
John 2 1 0 1 0 0 .500 0
Corbs 4 2 1 1 0 0 .500 1
Maggie 4 2 2 0 0 0 .500 1
Rhonda 4 2 2 0 0 0 .500 1
Joel 4 1 1 0 0 0 .250 0

Team Total 46 31 14 11 3 3 .452 23
Go Mighty McNair!

News Flash-McNair is back! Re-Cap of the Public Defenders will be published tomorrow

In the immortal words of Montezuma, "Who's that out there singing in the halls?" Oh yes, the Machine is back, storming the hard, beach sands of Park Shore like Mr. Williams' Marines. Unfortunately for the folks in the Public Defenders office all of our built up energy was let loose on them. McNair beat the Public Defender's office 23-15! YES! THE MOST RUNS WE HAVE SCORED IN OUR THREE YEAR HISTORY OF SOFTBALL! It was a tough game and the Pubes put up a good fight; they came back to keep it honest, but we turned up the heat in the end.

The update should be posted by Friday-once we get all of our stats in from MC-Hammer. I just want to say thank you all for giving your all. We finally left everything on the field, made the hits and went back to our old school Green Machine style softball-kicking butt, having fun and taking double or hyphenated names.

I haven't heard back from the Commissioner yet, but we should have a make-up game against Rice-o-Ron-i next week. To our fans, I wish you could have all seen this!
Go Mighty McNair!

Re-Cap of Game Against Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

McNair lost to Haynsworth in a grueling game reminiscent of last year's playoff game between the two teams. Unfortunately the Green Machine didn't bring home the victory like we did last year over HSB. Although we didn't put another notch on our belts we did show we have improved three-fold in communication, backing up plays, covering home-good job Brett and all around mechanics in the field. Had we played this well in the field last year, we would have gone to Omaha to play in the World Series against Berkshire Hathawa's in-house counsel. Our hits were solid, but we just happened to hit them, where they happened to be. That's softball for you!
MIA's: We were missing the Admiral, Maggie-May and MC-Hammer. Hammer was out checking out the new bridge at the Gala-yes, we sent him out there to look for Jay-Bird's home-run/game ball.
Dug-Out:
Turner Boone impressed everyone in the stands with his bat-everyone being both Beth and George, who talked about it over a couple of ice-cold DeerParks. Turner went 3 for 3 with 2 singles and a double. He was the only other person on the team who hit as well as Big Daddy Warren-3 for 3 (all doubles.) Thanks to both of you guys for stepping things up and exciting the rest of us. Talk about exciting, Capers made a (sweet) text-book double play that impressed even the other team. Capers went 1 for 3 at the plate, but showed he is getting back into his slap-hitter groove and he will be an asset for us in the future.
CID Davis went 2 for 3 with a double and single and showed us she can still catch the fly foul balls behind the plate. Great job Christina! 'Two-Cans' Coats had a few nice hits and so did Jay-Bird, unfortunately, they (as a few of the rest of us) fell victim to the 5/6 defensive shield their guys put up. Tom and Joel took Rhonda to the batting cages last weekend and boy did she have get into her groove. The book say Miss T was blanked, but she had a few nice cuts on the ball, especially for someone we haven't seen since season #1.

The next game is tonight at Parkshore against the Public Defenders, as usual the game starts @ 6:30. After the game against Moore & Van Allen, Trabert announced he wasn't going to shave his face again until we won. Come on-the guy looks like the shaggy d.a. and it has to be hot under that peach fuzz. It is about to come together for the team-it is only a matter of time, we can still make the playoffs and become the 'giant' killers we were last year. So, let's come out tonight and get some solid base hits, have some fun and bring a W home for McNair!
Go Mighty McNair!

Re-Cap of Game v Moore & Van Allen (July 7, 2005)

McNair played a solid game against Moore & Van Allen holding MVA to no more than 3 runs in any inning. MVA put up 3 runs in the first, 2 in the 3rd, 2 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th giving them a grand total of 10. Although McNair played some great defense, we just couldn't get any hits. As a team we hit (.394) down from (.512) from our game against Barnwell Whaley.
Dug-out
The Capers-Crusader made it back, fresh off the Injured-list to get things going with a solid single in the first inning, Jet followed up with a double combined with two errors by MVA which brought both Capers (.500) and Trabert (1.000) home. Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything with the hits we got in the next 4 innings resulting in 9 people left on base. We tried a new concept in the coaching department with MC-Hammer (1.000) coaching the first half of the game and Jet taking over after we subbed. Hammer did a great job directing our people on the field and calling out what MVA's players hit. El Jeffrey (.666) got his first hit in the sixth inning followed with a hit by MC-Hammer. Jet followed with another single bringing home Jeff who scored our third and final run of the game.
Unfortunately, with the heat and humidity scorching the softball fields of Chuck Town our game attendance is down, but Beth, Carla, Tom and Trey all came out to support the gang in green. You can tell the heat is effecting our playing too because even with subs we looked a little sluggish in the field. Don't sweat it team, we'll be fine. Honestly, we haven't played a team that we don't have the ability to beat. We just need to relax a bit, have fun, hit base hits and it will all come together-just like last year. By the way, Jet request we get our next win here in the near future. After the game, he promised not to shave his face until we win again. Beards + Summer=Uncool. Next Game is against Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, July 11 with a 2nd game on Wednesday against the Public Defenders.

Game Stats:

At Bats Hits Single Double Triple Home Run Batting % RBIs

Jet 3 3 2 1 0 0 1.000 2
Michael 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 0
Brett 3 2 2 0 0 0 .666 0
John 3 2 2 0 0 0 .666 0
Capers 2 1 1 0 0 0 .500 0
Turner 2 1 1 0 0 0 .500 0
Christina 3 1 1 0 0 0 .333 0
Jeff 3 1 1 0 0 0 .333 0
Joel 3 1 1 0 0 0 .333 0
Chris 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Lindsay 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Maggie 3 1 0 0 0 0 .333 1
Jay 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0

Team Total 33 14 12 1 0 0 .394 3


Go Mighty McNair!

Proper Hydration

If you all think about it, please start sipping water, juice or Gatorade-whatever it is you use to hydrate yourself, because it is going to be pretty warm out there today. Weather.com reports the conditions here in Charleston as being 92 degrees and with the heat index it feels like 98 to 103 degrees. The temperature should come down a little bit, but I would feel a lot better if you all drank plenty of fluids before and during the game. We have water and the usual beverages for the game tonight, but it doesn’t hurt to start early.

See you tonight, Park Shore Field, game starts at 6:30. –Jet
Go Mighty McNair!

Re-Cap of Game v Barnwell & Whaley

Our next game is July 7th, @ Parkshore. Enjoy your week off.-Jet
Re-Cap of McNair v. Barnwell, Whaley
Game played at Park Shore Field (June 22, 2005)

Introduction:
For those of you who couldn’t come out last week, it was a tough game for our team to loose. The normal smells and bells the McNair Machine brings to the field were overwhelmed by the Daniel Island Dusters. I am not sure if it was the heat, the humidity or that every Barnwell dog has his day, but something was preventing us from looking like our usual selves. We were missing our rock, but Tom did come out to support the team and to take a few pictures. The Admiral Chris and his guns were MIA-yes; the shirts are intentionally cut as a show of force. Along with missing our gun-boat diplomacy, MAS-“the Italian Stallion” was getting his hair done after work and came late. However, he did send Katherine to join our regular GREEN “Army” of supporters. Unfortunately, we dropped this game, but we have plenty of time to fix some of our problems; our next game will be July 7th against Moore & Van Allen at the Park Shore Field. Scarafile will be sending out the updated batting averages as soon as he can.

Team Scores: Barnwell/ Whaley4 / 4/0 / 7/0 / 0/4 / Total: 19
McNair 0 / 4/2 / 1/3 / 0/3 / 13

Re-Cap:
FIRST: The Green Machine came out a little flat in the first inning allowing B/W to put 4 on the board. The Easton Synergy2 that Tom purchased was a little more bat than both Brett “Mr. Dependable” Bluestein and MC “Hammer” Scarafile were expecting. Both of our start off men flied out at the fence, albeit neither used much force to get it there. Jet started things off with an easy swinging single. Jay-Bird followed up with a line-drive to center field that was mishandled by B/W’s centerfielder. Now normally when this occurs, Jet gets the green light for home and everyone is going to the party with runs on the board. But this time, B/W’s first base-person (Kara Mattingly) dropped into cover home. Note: This is exactly what the first baseman is supposed to do once the runner is by them Cover Home! The crowd is yelling, “Go! Go! Go!” Mr. Dependable is yelling, “Home! Home! Home” and Kara silences us all and ends the inning by tagging out Jet at home. You know, the last name (Mattingly), the knee brace and the Harmon Killebrew signed glove should have been a sign that she was a player. Wait, let’s not over-hype the females of their team because we all know, and B/W soon found out-McNair has some ladies who can handle their own on the field as well.
SECOND:After B/W put four on the board, McNair fought back with a little help from our ladies. Big Daddy Warren had a great hit, but was caught by a lucky tag out at second. Corbett (2-Cans) Coats picked up where Joel left off and smacked one to get things going. John and Turner both punished the ball, John brought in Corbett and Turner’s triple sent Rosie home. We were all delighted to see that two of our steady producers (Rosen & Boone) were back on track. Funny, it reminded me of what Turner told me before the season, “Of course I can play ball, why do you think they named the field after me in Atlanta?” Although Maggie went 1 for 3, her hitting improved more than expected. Had their left-fielder not been dragging behind, she may have hit a triple because the ball had speed and distance. Maggie came early and worked out with our hitting coach Craig Blackmon. Shhh…the other teams don’t know about our hitting coach. Maggie’s one hit was in the 2nd -a double, she then road home on Brad ‘Hondo’ Hiers’ follow up double. Hondo was left on base due. THIRD: We blanked them in the top of the inning and MC Hammer still had too much juice on the new bat to get it in play. Jet started things off for us with a double and Jay-Bird delivered with another double-this time no Mattingly at home to ruin Jet’s day. Jay-Bird was brought home by Big Daddy Warren who took 2nd base as well. (First time in McNair history-three doubles in a row! FOURTH: The wheels came off the Machine both offensively and defensively, as we let them hold us to one run while B/W tacked on seven. CID was the only one to score-off a double by Hondo. Brad was left on base as the Hammer and Mr. Dependable still wrestled with the getting their swings down. The 5th and 6th innings we held B/W and managed to put three on the board. We were all worried after Jet struck out and was mocked by Brandy-burg that the end was near, but McNair turned up the heat and made it a 5 run game in the bottom of the 5th. The three runs came off of three doubles in a row (a second for our team): Jay-Bird, Joel and Corbett followed by a triple from John Rosen put us back in the game. Yes, I did say Corbett Coats hit a double. It was right up the middle, dog-legged left on the South side of 2nd base and dropped between three of their players. If you had seen the look on Corbett’s face I think you would say that even she couldn’t believe it. Never underestimate our girls! Currently, they are carrying the team! SEVENTH: Barnwell Whaley did kick the proverbial dust in our face and put four more runs on the board, making it a 9 run game. We didn’t give up without a fight-MC Hammer finally found his stride, getting a single, which was followed with a single from Jet. With two men on, a runner in scoring position Jay-Bird decided to go long ball. Jay-Bird will be receiving the Game Ball for his 7th inning home-run! –That is as soon as we find it.

Dug-Out:
I hated to loose this game as much, probably even more, than you did. The thing is, a few us had an off night and we still have a couple of kinks we need to work out. On the positive side, we did score the second most runs of any game this season. (The most we have scored was 15 in our win against Pierce Hearns.) Now considering that Brett, Michael and Turner all went 1 for 4, and Jet was the only strike out-how can anyone complain about what we accomplished? We did really well; I promise it will just get better in the last 5 games of our season and we still have a chance to make the playoffs. As you know, we have been tweaking things to see what works, so everyone be patient. I am sorry we didn’t get our subs in last week, and we’ll work on that next time as well.
If the weather lets up anytime this or next week between Tuesday and Thursday, I will gladly go out and work with anyone who needs to practice positioning, hitting or just staying loose since we have this week off. We do need to settle down just a bit, and get back to basics. We need to make sure our throws count by hitting the cut off man, backing up each other and helping each other out as a team. I have two experienced baseball/softball coaches (Craig & Joel) out there to keep an eye on what problems (both mechanically and technically) we’re having. They give me their opinions and we have been moving some people around but a few things may go unnoticed. Please do not be afraid to ask me or one of them for help if something doesn’t feel right or you are not comfortable in a certain position. I want everyone to have fun, be safe and if we want to make the Play-Offs at the beginning of August, Win some ball games! Our next game is July 7th, the first Thursday in July against Moore & Van Allen.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

-Jim Trabert
Go Mighty McNair!

Re-Cap of Game against Rosen

McNair v. Rosen & Rosen
(June 16, 2005)
Intro:
After winning two games and dropping one to Nelson Motors, the big McNair Machine came out a little flat against Rosen & Rosen last Thursday. In our last victory against Parker Poe the team fought off P&P’s 5th inning attack which tied the game and later put McNair down by one run. Yes, we took our early lead and sat on it until they caught us. Fortunately the ladies of the Scardato’s 13th Regiment Calvary Unit charged in and saved the day putting 4 runs on the board in the 6th inning. Yes, folks the girls came up strong each getting at least one RBI, Christina (overall .125) and Maggie (overall .250) getting a single a piece and Corbett (overall .417) notched two singles on her belt during the game. The team’s over-all batting average was .452% for the win over Parker-Poe. Unfortunately, the Rosen game was a different story.

Re-Cap:
For some reason I always seem to forget that teams with offices in the building where the Articles of Succession was signed are always a little rowdy. Jay pitched the night before and could barely lift his arms; Joel was stuck out in the country and it sure didn’t help that El Nino turned up the heat out at the Navy Base. On the plus side, we did have a plethora of cold ones, a good looking fan base and Glenn Walker flew in from Germany to catch the game. I digress; the blood shirted team from 134 Meeting came out hard and fast on your beloved McNair Machine. The first inning they put 6 runs on the board and held us to one hit by Bluestein. The second inning, we started to warm-up and held them to 5 runs, but they still managed to blank us again. After we returned the favor, RxR kept us from scoring until the fourth inning. Brett Bluestein (overall average of .666%) came up with our second hit of the game, as well as our first run on the board thanks to John Rosen (overall .333%) earning his first RBI of the year. Brad ‘Hondo’ Hiers (overall .308%) came up with the fourth hit, but did not beat out Romie ‘the Juice’ Bonds’ throw at second. Fielder’s Choice-you gotta love them. The fifth inning brought forth our substitutions and we continued to hold Rosen to a tight leash. The only problem was we couldn’t bounce back from their early lead. Jet led off and got our next hit, a single, with ‘Mad’ Mike Scarafile (overall .666%) following his lead just drilling one into right field-it was “home James, home” in no time flat. We continued to hold RxR to one run in both the 5th & 6th innings and blanked them in the 7th, but we still could not get out of the slump we were in with our hitting. We did earn one run in the bottom of the 7th-an RBI off of another well placed ball from ‘Mad’ Mike. Overall the team’s batting average was .258% down from .628% our first game! Yeah, we definitely need to work on that.

Dug-Out: (We saved the last inning for our best, err most entertaining stuff)
Speaking of well placed hits, Jet’s power swing produced a bunt, which rolled approximately 2.5 feet. Upon looking back from first, he noticed RxR’s Mary-Jordan picking up the ball. It was onto second base, where Jet noticed the slow, lofty throw from home and the third base coach waving him onto the hot corner. RxR put down their crossing signs and blocked off his travel to home, but it was the most exciting bunt/triple our team has had in along time. As mentioned, Scarafile was the next up and his hit made it an easy trot home for Jet. Maggie sacrificed one for the team to move Scarafile to second. Next up was Cid, with a runner in scoring position she hit one to Romie, but the Juice was no match for the wheels on Cid as she was safe at first. Unfortunately, this was too little, too late, because it would be ‘fielder’s choice’ to end the game with the next batter.

Our next game is tomorrow against Barnwell, Whaley at the Parkshore Field. Please do your best to get out there early to warm-up and take a few swings with the bats, especially our new secret weapon. (It’s a secret-I can’t tell you, come see for yourself.) Currently, McNair is 2-2; we’ll have to come out strong to put Barnwell Whaley in their place. Some of their players have already sent Corbett some trash talking about the game tomorrow.
The following are excerpts from an e-mail sent to Corbett.

B/W’s Coach: “I hope you all bring your "A" game, if not we’ll be seeing you in the dust!”
Corbett: “What dust?”
B/W’s Coach: “The dust I’ll be kicking up in your face! The guys at Rosen said it was the thing to do to you!”
Corbett: “Just watch and see buddy, we’ll be doing our trash talking on the field.”
B/W’s Coach: “You’re lucky I am just coaching tomorrow because I hurt my knee. Then again, my knee has a better batting average than Trabert!”

Corbett is right; we’ll be doing our trash talking on the field tomorrow. And to be honest, I would hate to see this guy’s knee in a dark alley.
Go Mighty McNair!

Tips from Dr. Wacko

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #1: Poodle Alert at the Plate
1) As you step up to the plate to hit, think where you are going to stand in the batters box because a poor choice can take you out before the first pitch.
2) To maximize your chances, you've got to be able to hit the strikes. If you can't, a decent slow-pitch hurler will play with you like a poodle shredding Kleenex.
3) During practice, go up to the plate and position yourself where you need to be to take the ball that falls just behind the plate for a quality strike. Insist on strikes during batting practice so that you get in the habit of recognizing and swinging at good pitches.
4) Boiled down, this means that most hitters playing in rec leagues should be standing deeper in the box than they would in baseball.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #2: The Importance of Defence
1. Good defense pumps up a team as a whole more than good hitting. All it takes is one superlative-or even good-play to turn a team around and show it what it's capable of.
2. Although most players concentrate on offensive aspects of the game, good glove-work decides at least as many contests as hitting. It's hard to make such comparisons, but a great catch and throw can be worth as much as a home run.
3. In the outfield, take the time necessary to set your feet, and visually pick up your cutoff man, before making the throw. It is more important to make a strong, accurate throw than it is to get rid of the ball the instant it touches your hands.
4. It is possible to increase the snap on long throws from the outfield by twisting your hand just a little counterclockwise (for right-handed throwers) as you draw the ball back. This forces the person throwing the ball to draw it behind the ear in the classic position, and puts perhaps 15 percent more zip in the throw.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #3: Basic Hitting Tactics
1. Forget the underhanded pitching and metal bats. The biggest single difference between slow-pitch softball and baseball is the extra outfielder. The tenth man tips the averages in favor of the defense, and makes it statistically more likely that fly balls to the outfield will be caught.
2. It's possible to hit for a high average in slow-pitch (in fact, the best hitters routinely hit over .500), but to achieve this kind of success you've got to make adjustments in both the physical and mental aspects of hitting.
3. Once you've ironed out the kinks in your batting stroke, think about the pattern of your hitting through a game. Each turn at bat should set up your following turns at the plate by exposing weaknesses in the defense's personnel or alignment. Remember, you can move the fielders around as much as you move the ball around.
4. You don't have to hit to "all" fields to spread the fielders. Two fields can be enough to give you a temporary advantage. That's why almost any weenie can be a feared hitter in slow-pitch softball.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #4: Control Pitching
1. The first step toward control as a pitcher is standardizing your motion. Find a type of pitch and windup that is comfortable and seems to work, and stick with it until you know it inside out.
2. Every pitcher has streaks of wildness, but there is something you can do about it if you know your own tendencies, or weaknesses.
3. Become familiar with the basic parts of your delivery (stride, release, jump back, etc.) and how each affects your pitching so you can quickly diagnose the problem when things don't go quite right.
4. If you have trouble zeroing in on the strike zone, try using a tree or some other object behind the plate in the distance as your target. You may find that focusing on a target high above the plate also makes it easier to throw high-arc pitches.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #5: Slow-Pitch Softball Stats
1. The better a team's scorekeeping, the better its manager's decisions are likely to be, since the latter is based on the former.
2. Keeping track of what fields batters hit to (on both teams) is a first step, but keeping track of the count and the location of the pitch can give a manager a finer handle on the individual batter's performance.
3. Even though stats can be kept without a computer program, the keenness of computer analysis cannot be duplicated by casual scrawlings. If you already use a database on a personal computer, see if it can be adapted for softball stat use. The crucial test is usually whether the program has enough relational muscle to perform arithmetic computations on summary fields (i.e., can calculate batting averages).
4. The best programs that I have found for keeping track of softball scores are Q&A and Reflex. Q&A is the more well-rounded of the two, but if you don't already use Q&A or don't need a textual database, Reflex is vastly superior for numerical analysis of any kind. It's available for the Macintosh, too. For a template that will allow you to start keeping your softball records in Q&A, see the appendix. (Note: a decade after this was written, neither Reflex nor Q&A existed any more.)

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #6: Overall Offensive Strategy
1. The basic strategic principle of slow-pitch softball can be stated simply: Score runs faster than the opposition. Or, put another way: Good things happen to those who have the lead.
2. It is not necessary to hit tons of home runs to score tons of runs. To score runs faster than the opposition, all you really have to do is put runners in scoring position and avoid outs.
3. The double is the most valuable hit in slow-pitch softball because it specifically addresses these needs. It puts a runner in scoring position, eliminates the force or double play, and in most situations causes the defense to bunch up, making it easier for the next batter to both drive in a run and avoid making an out.
4. A lot of batters think their job is done when they get to first. In reality, they should be thinking double all the way, and scanning the field as they round the bag for a sign-such as the outfielder's bobbling the ball-that they can make it. Not everybody can hit homers, but just about everybody can hit doubles if they work at it.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #7: Advanced Pitching Styles
1. Advanced pitchers are able to throw both a variety of pitches and pitches that move differently from the same motion and apparent spin.
2. As in baseball, the grip is the key to making the ball move in and out. With backspin pitching, you can make it move differently by throwing it with, or across, the seams.
3. Sidespin pitching is a little harder to master, but is much more mutable than backspin, and therefore can add several pitches to the pitcher's repertoire.
4. The knuckleball is the only pitch in slow-pitch softball that can be overpowering. It is thrown with a sort of stiff-wristed putt-and poot-off the fingernails. The idea is to release the ball with no spin. If the pitcher's hand is too small, a similar pitch can be thrown by holding the ball in the palm.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #8: Coordinating Pitching and Defense
1. One of the simplest ways to increase the effectiveness of a pitcher is to have the defense positioned correctly for the pitches thrown.
2. Once a pitcher has gained sufficient control to be able to put the ball where he or she wants it more than half the time, it's important to set up a system of signals to inform the fielders where the ball is going to be pitched.
3. The signals can be given either by the pitcher directly, as in the case of Raoul's theatrical chicanery, or by a second person such as the catcher or shortstop. The only requirement is that they be visible to everyone on the field, yet not obviously a signal.
4. It is equally important that the fielders-especially the infielders-not tip off the batter by breaking too soon. If they wait until the pitch is in the air, and then break correctly (to their right if the ball is inside to a right-handed hitter; to their left if it's outside to the same batter), they will catch a lot of balls that normally would go through for hits.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #9: Defensive Shifts
1. The strongest defensive alignment is usually straight away, with all four outfielders spread evenly.
2. There are certain exceptions, however, where the correct defensive shift can work well. In general, defensive shifts work best against a limited batter who is well known to the defense.
3. Even teams at the highest level of slow-pitch will sometimes employ a radical shift (such as bringing an outfielder in to play as a fifth infielder) to try to shake things up, and introduce an element of chance.
4. Just when it all begins to seem too complicated for any mortal to master, remember that paunchy men with chewing tobacco running down their chins can do it, and so can you. If you're lucky, like me, the things you don't do may be crucial to success.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #10: Coed Softball
1. Coed softball is another realm entirely from the men's game, and in many ways I think it's harder. 2. Rule changes intended to even up men and womensuch as playing with different-sized balls, and attaching penalties to walking men-change the basic geometry of the game. An inadvertant result of this is that the pitcher's task is made much more difficult.
3. Women are more important to winning at slowpitch softball than men, both because of the rule changes and because the men more or less even out, putting a premium on the superior woman player.
4. If you're alert (and heaven knows, the world needs more lerts), you can sometimes snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by keeping your eyes peeled for runners who carelessly round bases too widely in the heat of the fray. The pitcher is usually responsible for making the defensive call, but manymen and women alike-don't even know it's an option.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #11: The Power Stroke
1. At the highest levels of slow-pitch softball, power hitting is perhaps the most important aspect of the game. You often hear people scoff at softball sluggers as beer-bellied dreamers, but actually the slow-pitch softball stroke is a special enough thing that even big-league hitters have to learn it.
2. Ted Cox, who played in the American League for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue jays, told me that the basic trick to power hitting in slow-pitch softball is to strike the ball slightly below the middle, in order to give the ball backspin and loft it. "In baseball you are taught to hit the top part of the ball. Now you slow your hands down so you make contact, and then snap the wrists to get the spin to make it
3. When the power game is on, it can be absolutely overpowering. I watched a game in the 1989 ASA super-slow-pitch national championships in which one team, Steele's Silver Bullets, hit fifty-six homers, winning by a final score of 74-21. It is worth noting, though, that Steele's didn't win the superslow-pitch national championship that year. They were beaten by a team that featured speed and an all-around game.

Dr. Whacko's Notebook #12: A Few More Things...
1. One way to seriously hit to the opposite field (right field for a right-handed batter) is to try to hit the "inside comer of the ball." That is, waiting long enough on the pitch so you can hit an inside slice of the ball as it falls through the strike zone.
2. Less seriously, softball in the snow can be great fun as long as you don't expect it to resemble dry-land softball too much. If you want to try it, you'll need orange balls, and orange traffic cones or rubber tires may serve as better bases than the bags used during the summer. It also helps to have some sort of warming shed. Major snow ball tournaments have been sponsored for many winters in Omaha and Chicago by the March of Dimes.
3. Although it may not happen often, you occasionally may want to do something besides play softball. (Did I say that?) Just remember the lines from the eighteenth-century British poet William Cowper: "Absence of occupation is not rest, a mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd."


Go Mighty McNair!