Fellow Colonels,
What looked in the pre-season to be a battle royal for the division title was anything but, as the Norsemen strode into the series with a magic number of 2 to clinch the Vernon Division, and the Jailbirds needed to win 2 of 3 to avoid the first losing season in franchise history.
The following is the understatement of the year: In the first two games, the Norsemen imposed their will upon the two-time defending Champs.
Game 1 - Woody Williams vs. John Thomson
It was an auspicious start for the Vikes, as they loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first. Thomson steeled himself, though, and popped up Barry Bonds, then struck out Quinton McCracken and Jorge Posada to end the threat. It was the last bit of effective pitching Thomson would do this season.
In the top of the second, Mike Lamb led off with a walk, and scored on a triple by Chris Woodward. Woody Williams came up and stroked a hard one-hopper to the mound that Thomson gloved, but Rusty Greer dropped the throw. Todd Zeile followed by lining into what would have been an inning-ending double play, but instead there were two out and nobody on, and Thomson fell apart. Of the next six hitters, three doubled, two homered, and one was hit, and the Vikes had an 8-0 lead after two.
It got worse from there, as Forbes Field torched the Cons for five runs in each of the next two innings, running and hiding with an 18-0 lead after four - that would be the final score.
Among the hitting stars: Todd Walker: 5-for-6 with 3 doubles, Jorge Posada: 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homer, Brian Giles: 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and two walks, Mike Lamb: 4-for-5 with a homer. I could go on, but it's just too painful.
Norsemen 085 500 000 18 23 0
Jailbirds 000 000 000 0 6 1
Norsemen:
Pitching - Williams 2, Adams (W) 3, D'Amico (SV) 4
Catching - Posada 6, Torrealba 3
Home Runs - Bonds (off Thomson, 2nd inn., 1 on, 2 out)
Lamb (off Thomson, 2nd inn., 1 on, 2 out)
Giles (off Thomson, 3rd inn., 2 on, 0 out)
Lombard (off Stechschulte, 4th inn., 1 on, 1 out)
Posada (off Stechschulte, 4th inn., 0 on, 1 out)
Injuries - McCracken injured 2 days; back Game Day 69
Limits - Torrealba (1 ABR)
Jailbirds:
Pitching - Thomson L (2-5) 3, Stechschulte 4, Shuey 2
Catching - Kendall 9
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - EPerez (4 ABR)
Night game, 70s, Cloudy, Wet Field, Wind Blowing Out 10-19 MPH, Normal umpire
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Game 2 - Tim Wakefield vs. Tim Hudson
With Hudson on the mound, the Cons were confident not to have their heads handed to them again. They were also very wrong.
Once again, the Norsemen loaded the bases with none out. They scored a run when Bonds grounded into a double play, but Hudson then got Posada to ground out to limit the damage to one run. Forbes Field doubled its lead in the second on an RBI two-bagger by Wakefield, and tore the floodgates open in the third, when the Killer L's struck - Mike Lamb with a two-run single, followed by a George Lombard two-run double, both with two out. In the fourth, Posada sent Hudson to the showers with a three-run double, and later in the inning, Lombard would hit the first of his two home runs to make it 11-0 Norsemen after 4.
The Jailbirds scored their first run of the series in the ninth inning, as after a Jason Kendall one-out single, Dan Smith walked three consecutive hitters. Steve Karsay came in to strike out both Cons he faced to secure the tight 16-1 win that clinched the Vernon Division title for the Norsemen.
Norsemen 114 501 004 16 22 0
Jailbirds 000 000 001 1 3 2
Norsemen:
Pitching - Wakefield 3.1, DSmith (W) 5, Karsay 0.2
Catching - Posada 6, Torrealba 3
Home Runs - Lombard 2 (off Hamilton, 4th inn., 1 on, 1 out; off Roa, 9th inn., 0 on, 2 out)
Lamb 2 (off Hamilton, 6th inn., 0 on, 0 out; off Roa, 9th inn., 0 on, 2 out)
Giles (off Roa, 9th inn., 1 on, 0 out)
Injuries - Wakefield out 2 days; back Game Day 70
Limits - Torrealba (1 ABR)
Jailbirds:
Pitching - Hudson L (6-6) 3, Hamilton 2.2, Shuey 2, Roa 1.1
Catching - Kendall 9
Home Runs - None
Injuries - Mark Little out 4 days; out for season
Limits - EPerez (3 ABR)
Night game, 60s, Clear, Light Wind, Normal umpire
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Game 3 - Ryan Franklin vs. Odalis Perez
The Jailbirds wanted to salvage some pride, and the Norsemen were making plans for their first-round bye, so the game didn't have the makings of a classic going in, but we got one anyway.
Once again, Forbes Field loaded the bases in the first inning, but this time, there was one out, so when Perez got Posada to ground into a double play, the inning ended. The Norsemen opened the scoring in the third, on a two-out RBI infield single by Posada, but aftre 4 innings, the score was still 1-0, as opposed to 18-0 or 11-0 like the last two games. From this, the Jailbirds drew strength.
It remained 1-0 into the 7th, when the visitors had a good chance to double their lead, thanks to a two-base error by Jason Michaels with one out. Tim Worrell came out of the bullpen and walked Brian Giles, but got Barry Bonds to ground into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the frame, the Cons finally tied it when Ramon Santiago led off with a single and scored on a Rob Fick double that Quinton McCracken couldn't chase down in the gap. That was it for Franklin, and Joel Pineiro came on to coax a ground ball to short from Milton Bradley, but Fick took off for third and beat the throw, and Mizzou had runners on the corners with nobody out. Bradley took off for second on the next pitch, and got caught in a rundown. As he ducked and dodged, Fick took off for home plate with the go-ahead run, but he was gunned down trying to score.
Jason Isringhausen came out of the Cons bullpen to start the 8th, and supplied 4 innings of 1-hit shutout, striking out 6. Missouri couldn't score a two-out Bill Mueller double in the 8th, nor could they score either of Fick's one-out doubles in the 9th and the 11th, and we went to the 12th in a 1-1 tie. Isringhausen had to come out, and he gave way to Joey Hamilton.
Chris Woodward greeted the new reliever with a leadoff triple, and one out later, gave the Norsemen the lead, scoring on a Pokey Reese suicide squeeze. Forbes Field added some insurance, as a walk to Giles was followed by back-to-back singles by Bonds and Posada, and it was 3-1 going to the bottom of the 12th.
But Juan Acevedo had been pinch-hit for in the top of the inning, and Greg Swindell came out of the 'pen to nail down the save. He didn't. With one out, Rusty Greer got his only hit of the series, a single, and scored on a Jason Kendall double over the head of McCracken. Mueller followed with another double, his second and the Cons' sixth of the game, and just like that, we were tied again! An intentional walk to Eduardo Perez made it first and second with one out, but Swindell whiffed Ramon Santiago, and Fick couldn't hit his fourth double in as many at-bats, smoking a line drive that was speared by Neifi Perez to end the inning.
Each team went 1-2-3 in the 13th, and likewise in the 14th, and we went to the 15th inning in a 3-3 tie. Bonds led off the 15th with a single, went to second on a Brad Ausmus hit-and-run grounder, and scored on a two-out single by Mike Lamb.
In the bottom of the 15th, Perez reached on a Woodward boot, and there was hope in Missouri. Santiago forced him at second, and stood at first as Fick popped up and Bradley flied out to end the game, and the Jailbirds' worst season ever.
Norsemen 001 000 000 002 001 4 12 1
Jailbirds 000 000 100 002 000 3 12 1
Norsemen:
Pitching - Franklin 6, Pineiro 2, Acevedo 3, Swindell 2, Karsay (W) 2
Catching - Posada 7, Ausmus 8
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - None
Jailbirds:
Pitching - OPerez 4.2, Roa 1.2, Worrell 0.2, Isringhausen 4, Hamilton L (1-1) 4
Catching - Kendall 15
Home Runs - None
Injuries - None
Limits - Michaels (4 ABR), EPerez (2 ABR), Widger (1 ABR)
Night game, 80s, Cloudy, Light Wind
Stats are attached - check them out if you want a good laugh.
Good luck to everyone in the playoffs, especially all those ex-Cons! See you there next year!