The New York Beers will take on the Prospects on Sunday to kick off the 2008 campaign. First pitch is at 9:30 AM at beautiful Taft High School in the Bronx.
There is a new website this season for box scores, stats, schedules, etc. It is hosted by HomeTeamsOnline and the url is http://www.hometeamsonline.com/beersbaseball I have updated the menu at the top of this page to reflect the 2008 season. See you on the field!
9/21/07 - Beers Win in Dramatic Fashion
BY ADAM SIVITS BEERS' SPORTS WRITER
Down to his last strike, and just one day after his twenty-second birthday, Peter Darling lived up to his surname.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, and the Beers trailing by a run, Darling hit a walk-off double to the wall over the left fielder’s head, setting off a wild – if delayed – celebration at second base, as his teammates rushed him to pound on his helmet after the umpires conferred that the game was indeed over.
It almost was a lot earlier.
The Beers held a 5-3 lead going into the sixth, but gave up four runs to go down 7-5 and set the table for the climactic ending.
Jose Mercedes shut the Black Sox down in the top of the seventh, and then flew out to center to start the bottom half of the inning. Mike Nerenburg then singled and went to second on an error. Steve Rossi brought him in with a double to make it 7-6, and later went to third on a wild pitch.
George Webb, who earlier in the game continued his Craig Biggio-like streak of getting hit by pitches, walked and stole second. After a strikeout and a walk to load the bases, the stage was set for the Darling Limited, as his game-winning rocket nearly coincided with the Metro North trains that pass by feet from the field.
After a five-year-plus hiatus, Adam Sivits took the mound and looked decent, despite a shaky third inning where he walked four batters. He gave up two runs and left the bases loaded in that inning, and also stranded two runners in scoring position with no outs in the second. He finished with nine strikeouts and six walks in 5 2/3 innings. Mercedes got the win, striking out two in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Adam Hill continued to be a lethally efficient OBP machine at the top of the order, going 3-4 with two runs and three stolen bases. He leads the team in both categories, with three runs and seven steals on the young season.
Despite Hill’s best efforts, however, the night clearly belonged to Darling, an apt moniker if there ever was one.
The following is the game summary as told by Beers third baseman Adam Hill:
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Beerville nine that day: The score stood five to one, with but four innings left to play. But then when Justin settled down, and the fielders did the same, The Skyline were held scoreless for the duration of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, if only the team could get some hits - We'd put up even money, now, whatever's in our mitts.
But since George's monstrous triple in the second, There had been no runs, it seemed that the reaper had beckoned; Then three outs in the fourth preceded any run, And the same rang true for the fifth, this wasn't any fun;
But Nigel drew a walk, to the wonderment of all, And Simon, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, There was Boston safe at first, and the Aussie a-hugging third.
Then Justin infield singled, and Mike D valiantly took a walk. Mike N followed with a blast, that put 2 runs up in chalk; Then Mike N came around to score, but I don't remember how, Because Peter won't send me the damn inning summary, I'd like to punch him right in the kisser, POW!
The inning ended and the runs tallied, the Beers had come alive! The score now was more even, all tied up at five. All they needed was one more run, and to hold the enemy at their bat; Did the team have a hero amongst them? In the hole is where he sat.
Then from all 12 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Adam, mighty Adam, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Adam's manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Adam's bearing and a smile on Adam's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Adam at the bat.
Twenty four eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Twelve tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Adam's eye, a sneer curled Adam's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Adam stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped- "That ain't my style, ya'll" said Adam. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, barren with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore. "Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Adam raised his hand.
With a smile of Jewish charity great Adam's visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; He couldn't ignore this one, and his swing was hard a true!
A solid crack was heard all 'round that South Shore heap, Off Adam's custom Viper(c) bat the wondrous ball did leap! They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, It looked as though the fielder had it, he was moving like a train.
But wait! What's this? He had meticulously misjudged; While charging and celebrating, the play had been completely fudged. The ball flew past his head, and headed for the fence, Adam was now raging past first, the crowd's roars grew more intense.
Adam rounded second, with thoughts the day was won; But George Bush had a different plan, and tried to stop Adam-son; He placed his banjo down by Adam's feet, who fell face first in the grass; But Adam jumped back up and said, "GW, kiss my ass!"
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children roam; For there is joy in Beerville - mighty Adam had run home.
* Please note the exact timing and personnel involved of everything in the 6th inning may not be correct, in fact I know some of it is wrong. You can blame this on Peter for not giving me the essential tools to do my job, as noted in the poem that I made up all by myself from scratch.
Some notes that I couldn't fit into the poem:
George's triple was truly a shot, one of the hardest hit balls this year. I stole a couple bases (although apparently 1 was a balk, but let's not get into specifics here). Justin stole another base to bring his team leading total to 8, including the second game. Mike N thieved one as well.
I'm told George gunned another runner, but the stats don't reflect it, and that's pretty much my torah. Also Justin picked off another runner or 2.
Justin really pitched a great game, striking out 4, while scattering 6 hits and 6 walks over 7 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs, earning him his first W of the season. Plus he plunked 3 guys, which is awesome.
And yes, I will be exploiting this homerun forever.
The Beers finally got their first victory, and did it easily, beating the Dinosaurs via the mercy rule in 6 innings. The bats finally woke up on Saturday and the 12 runs they scored were more than enough behind starter Rich Cupolo's strong performance. In the first inning, with runners on base and 2 outs, George Webb hat yet another dropped 3rd strike which (thanks to an overthrow) scored the 2 runners and led to a 4-run first. The Beers never looked back and padded their lead over the next 5 innings. Simon Rucker hit a walk-off, bases loaded 2-run single to induce the mercy rule win. Rich Cupulo gave up 1 earned run off 3 hits in 5 innings to earn the W.
However, the Beers couldn't complete the sweep. Down by 3 going into the bottom of the last inning of game 2, the Beers were able to get a run in and put 2 runners on but ended the game on an ill-conceived sac fly attempt. Mike Darling continued his hot hitting, going 3/3 with an RBI triple, raising his average to .593. Justin Daniels extended his RBI streak to 5 games, while Steve Rossi and Simon Rucker also driving in a run each.
The Beers were ready to get this season started against the NY Empire on Saturday, but Grover Cleveland High School had other plans. Apparently, they had no record of the game so refused to unlock the gates to the field. Despite efforts from the league, they said there was nothing they could do (or would do). So all of the players headed over to Juniper Park for a nice, relaxed scrimmage. The league hasn't given a make-up date yet.
On top of that double-header being postponed, The Beers' Monday night game against the Bulls has been rained out. So looks like we'll have a few makeups in the near future. Stay tuned...
After some talk of joining the NYCMBL for its fall season, we have decided that it would be better to spend the off-season training. Great players are made in the off-season, as the old adage goes. This will also give me time to clean up this front page of the website. Wow, it's big. Glad none of our visitors are on dialup. Let's all keep in touch and think about how we can improve for next season. There is also the possibility of attending some NABA tournaments this fall or winter. So don't put those gloves in storage or anything.
Pretty terrible day for the Beers. We'd like to be able to use the excuse that 12 people couldn't make it, but the few of us who were there lost the game for ourselves. I blocked out most of the game so I need everyone who was there to fill in the blanks in the comments. I remember that Simon had a good day going 3-5 on the day with a run scored and RBI. Drew made his first appearance on the mound and it's evident that he can pitch. We turned our first conventional double-play of the season (I think). In the first game, we did well ofensively going 7-15 with 5 BBs and only 3 K's, so that's pretty encouraging.
These games were pretty much must-win for The Beers for them to have any hope of an unlikely playoff appearance. The Midnight Express were able to take both games (although they were both very close).
In the first game, The Beers jumped on the Midnight Express' starting pitcher early. Nigel Stephens hit a long leadoff HR to left and Andrew Pobuda followed a few batters later with a 2-run shot over the Right-Centerfield fence. The owner of a Chrysler minivan was not so happy about it. Ozzie went 2-3 with 2 RBI. Jay pitched with the lead and pitched well. But an error, a hit batsman and a few timely hits from the Midnight led to a big 6th inning that the Beers couldn't rebound from (despite having a couple chances).
Game 2 saw more good chances going to waste. Andrew was in a groove allowing only 1 run until the 5th inning when the heat got to him. After a quick break and 2 italian ices he was feeling better and back in the game as EH. Tom came in and pitched a great rest of the game. He also was a HR short of the cycle. In the bottom of the 7th, Peter Darling was able to drive in the Beers' only run on a fielder's choice, but he ended up being stranded as the winning run with the tying run on 3rd.
7/29/06 - Short Handed Beers Able to Take One From Mad Dogs
The Beers only had 8 players at the games (even though 9 confirmed as of last night) but the Mad Dogs were nice enough to lend us a player so that we could field 9. We lost the first game, despite yet another solid outing by Andrew who gave up only 1 earned run. Final score was 2-1.
The Beers' bats came alive in the 2nd game. Their 8 runs were enough for first time starter MA to record his first complete game win. Defense was very solid for both games including 3 double plays, and nice work at 1st by Pete. In his first at bat, Adam was hit in the face by a pitch but walked it off and then promptly stole 2nd base (unlike Pete last year who was a baby and went to the hospital). Mike D went 3-4 with 4 RBI and Steve had a big RBI-Triple. MA put on the safety squeeze with runners on 1st and 3rd and everyone was safe.
The first game was a classic pitcher's dual which has been pretty rare in this league, and especially on the Beers. But Jay came through and was dominant in his first start of the season giving up only 3 hits for the complete game win. The defense behind him was strong as well. The Beers' 2 hits and 5 walks were good enough for 2 runs and to secure the win.
Tom made his first start in the 2nd game and looked good despite the fact that this was his first time pitching in a while. He kept us in it for half the game and Andrew came in for the 2nd half. It was all tied up until the bottom of the 8th when the Beers intentionally walked one of the Express players with a man on 3rd but the next batter got the game-winning hit. Nigel had a good game at the plate as well as behind it going 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. The Beers struck out 8 times in the 8-Inning game.
Next Game - This weekend we have 3 games. Saturday at 12:00 PM we have a double-header against the first place Knights (17-8) at Newtown HS. Then Sunday at 8:00 AM we will try to make up our game against the Renegades (2-19) at 145th St (9-Inning game). To see who's playing, check the Attendance Thread.
7/8/06 - Beers get swept by Warriors
The Warriors, a team not known for their speed, had 28 stolen bases on the day (even though the majority of these should be scored defensive indifference). The Beers did not put up much of a fight in the first game managing only 1 hit (a nice double by Simon). They got a lot more baserunners in the 2nd game but only were able to plate 2.
The Beers look to rebound against the NY Express (7-7) this Saturday 7/15 at 12:00 PM at South Shore HS. To see who's going to be playing check the Attendance thread.
The day started with a predictable rainout of our morning game at 145th St against the Renegades. Because this rainout was so predictable (to everyone except the Renegades apparently), we made sure to schedule an afternoon game in Marine Park. It was well worth the effort by everyone who came. The Beers got a much needed win against one of the top teams in the Division.
Starter Andrew Pobuda was able to keep the Skyline's hot bats at room temperature and get the "W". Behind him, The Beers' defense had a notably strong day highlighted by a full-body diving catch by Simon at 2nd to save a run. Offensively, The Beers not only were able to get hits when needed, but they also demonstrated great fundamentals laying down some perfect sac bunts to plate important runs. Clark pitched a strong 7th inning to notch the save and ensure the win.
It always seems to rain on the weekends. Especially if we're supposed to be playing in College Point. At least the game was called before we went out there.
Anyway, moving forward, we have a makeup for the Week 3 rainout against the Renegades (1-16) this Saturday at 9:00 AM @ 145th St. It will be a 9-inning game.
Sunday (7/2) is the All Star game @ College Point. It will include a HR Derby, All Star game, catered food and everyone is invited. Representing The Beers in the All Star Game will be
Andrew and Chris will also partake in the HR Derby and as we have seen during the season, they both have a good chance at winning the pot. So come support your teammates, have some food and have a nice Sunday full of baseball. :)
The NY Skyline took both games this weekend. They continue to be hot and are now riding a 7-game winning streak. The Beers made some improvements from last week's debacle against the A's, but still have a long way to go to start competing with the better teams of the league. Clark Buccola had this to say about this weekend's games: "I just had a much better vibe about these games than last weeks' games. The first game, there were some errors made. And that's honestly not the problem. We're going to make errors. With our team, it's just something I've come to accept. The second game, there were a few errors as well. I thought we actually had a chance in that game. We kept it close for a pretty long time. doubled our run production from last week"
Highlights included an awesome diving catch by Adam in Center who covered a lot of ground to even get to the ball. Adam also had 2 RBI. Pete had a nice rip to left, and Lou followed with another. We actually had a decent amount of baserunners, but could only plate one each game.
There was a scary moment before the game when Mike S had to be taken away in an ambulance. We all hope Mike S has a speedy recovery.
The Beers lost another 2 by terrible scores. Some positive things to point out: Andrew had a good game going 2 for 2 with the only RBI of the day and raised his average to .300. Lou made a nice relief appearance. I've noticed that we don't throw the ball around anymore. That's one area of improvement. Now if we can just work on the hitting, we'll be able to contend. We're not out of it yet. So everyone has 2 days to learn how to hit :)
Also, just wanted to remind everyone that the All-Star game is on July 2nd at College Point. It's going to have food, festivities, a HR derby and should be a good time. Mark it on your calendar.
*UPDATE: Due to terrorist threats, the podcast has been taken down. While it is not our policy to negotiate with terrorists, it is worth it in this case to appease them with this final demand if it means never having any further contact with them.
6/9/06 - Game Time!
After 2 weeks of inactivity, The Beers are anxious to get back out there and play. And they will get their chance tomorrow because the weather seems much better and the game is on a turf field. Was the 2 weeks off enough time to get back to their winning ways? We'll see tomorrow against the Gotham Athletics.
5/22/06 - Beers Extend Losing Streak to 5
The Beers lost both games to the Clippers. Andrew took a no-hitter into the 9th and The Beers seemed to be in control of the first game until a couple key errors allowed the tying run to score.
The Beers dropped to 4-6 this weekend at a less-than-playable Colonel Charles Young Field (the good Colonel would turn over in his grave if he knew what his name now represents to the NYCMBL players). After an hour of field maintenence in which both teams were very helpful, we got underway. The Beers had a rough 1st inning and had to play catchup the rest of the time, falling just short of a full comeback.� In Game 2, The Warriors put an exclamation point on their sweep by hitting an RBI single which, because of an error, cleared the bases and allowed the batter to score as well.
The Beers split the double header against the Queens Red Sox this past weekend. Both games came down to the wire, and The Beers showed a dramatic improvement from last week. Game summaries and box scores will be up shortly. Check out the new depth chart too. In the meantime, check out the latest installment of Mike N's Podcast
The Knights swept the Beers this weekend. The Beers' first error was made by manager Mike D who was late along with some others so The Beers had to start with no manager, lineup, equipment, or warmup time. Once the games got started, The Beers couldn't navigate the Knights' pitchers only managing to collect 6 hits in the 2 games. They also had their troubles in the field (a whopping 7 errors in the 1st game and 4 in the 2nd).
The Beers struck out 12 times in the first game, but only had 5 Ks in the 2nd game showing some improvement in putting the ball in play.
Special mention goes out to Adam and Andy who were on the DL this week. Adam was in a cab accident on the way to the game and had to be observed but is fine now. Andy had ear surgery (?) but will be ready to play this week.
After very nice week, it was raining dogs and cats for whole weekend. It was too wet for games of baseball. The famous Beers will play some other sunny day.
Also check out the new Ride Board for coordinating rides with people. Each week we'll put a game's time and location up, and if you need a ride, or have room, post in that game's thread and hopefully you can get in touch with eachother and work something out. Hopefully it works out well. Check out this week's ride board thread here. We'll probably post future games in advance so you have plenty of time to work it out.
4/16/06 - Beers Win a close one, and lose a laugher
Everyone did a great job getting to the field early, but this is what greeted us...
CARNIES! Ferris wheels! There was a bouncy castle on 2nd base! Needless to say, nobody wanted to wake up at the crack just to see a game get "PPD (Carnival)". So, with the help and cooperation of the Umpires, the Skyline and the Commish, we all hopped in our cars and started a caravan to College Point. The transition from 145th St to College Point was super smooth except for when Ozzie tried to follow Steve's car through the EZ Pass lane on the Triborogh. Aside from that snag, we were ready to play in about 35 minutes. Which brings us to Game 1....
Andrew started game 1 and was in near perfect form. He took a no-hitter into the 3rd and allowed only 1 earned run in his first complete game win. While The Beers only had 3 hits, they managed to walk all over the Skyline's pitchers drawing 10 base-on-balls. In the last inning, trailing by 1, The Beers put on a risky play where Eric stole 2nd to draw a throw and Lou dashed home. Then Simon reloaded the bases with a walk. And Chris (who currently leads the league in walks with 6) showed his patience once again and came through with the game winning walk.
Game 2 was a completely different story. Maybe it was the heat, maybe the trip out to queens had gotten to some people, or the exciting 1st game, but for some reason The Beers did not look so good out there. A few glass-half-full observations: Andy was the only one who didn't strike out, Chris made his first mound appearance in relief and looked healthy which is a good sign. Simon got a hit.
The Skyline's pitcher threw a 1-hitter with 13 K's in 5 innings.
Despite the 2nd game, which shall hereby never be spoken of again, The Beers are looking good at 3-1. We've got a solid team and things are coming together nicely. Next game is Saturday at 3:30 PM in Marine Park against the Renegades. This week, we're going to have a cage session Wednesday evening and practice Friday. Stay tuned and stay loose!
The Beers set the right tone for the start of the season by beating the Mad Dogs twice on opening day. The score of the first game was 9-7, and the second game was a more lopsided 13-5. Lou was excellent in the first game, allowing only 3 earned runs in 5.1 IP with 6 K's. He ran into some trouble in the last inning, but Adam came in and got the last 2 outs (both K's), nailing it down for the save. Andrew hit an absolute bomb to centerfield, over the scoreboard, for the Beers' first homerun of the season. Mike Nerenburg went 2/3 with an RBI and 2 runs, and Chris Adamo hit a clutch RBI double.
Andrew started and finished the second game for the complete game win. He ran into some control problems (7 BB) but battled through them for a solid outing. Offensively, Adam was 2/4 with 3 runs and a stolen base, Steve Rossi was 2/3 with an RBI double, and Chris Adamo was 1/1 with 3 walks and a run, showing excellent plate discipline.
Let's try to get similar results at next week's games.
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4/7/06 - OPENING DAY CHANGED TO SUNDAY APRIL 9th 1:30 at AT SOUTH SHORE HIGH SCHOOL
Our first regular season game HAS BEEN MOVED from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM at SOUTH SHORE high school. Please confirm with me if you will be able to make it so that we know that we'll have enough. This is good news because not only will the weather be nicer on Sunday, but it will be at a later time and on a nicer field. Be sure to work out how you're getting to South Shore ahead of time. Also, we're going to the cages tomorrow (Friday) at around 7 PM and we'll have a practice on Saturday (location to be determined). Let's get off to a good start to the season and have a well-played game! Also, see below for important info about the waivers and stuff.
Anyone who isn't on this list please print out the waiver and registration (even if you already have) and bring it next time. Also, anyone who still owes the team fee must bring it before being able to play. As for the roster, we have 20 full-time players and some reserves. Reserves have indicated that they can't commit for the whole season but can make it to some games.
Name
Pos
#
Chris Adamo
P
Brendan Carey
C
Denis Carey
1B/EH
25
Mike Darling
SS
2
Peter Darling
UTIL
64
Adam Hill
3B/RP
34
Andy Kwon
OF
5
MA
UTIL
Mike Molina
OF
Louis Morales
P
21
Mike Nerenburg
1B/OF
Eric Newman
Ozzie
2B/C
Andrew Pobuda
3B/RP
James Ramos
OF
Jason
C
Simon Rucker
2B
Steve Rossi
Mike Sudol
OF
Anthony
SS
RESERVES
Jay Jhung
P
1
Ron Miller
1B
Dave Sansone
OF
No Way
2B
Chad Wilcomb
P
3/26/06 - Beers Even Up Preseason Record at 1-1, Face Red Sox this Saturday
First Win - Lessons from last game apparently have been learned. Almost everyone showed up which is great. We played a full 9 innings and got everyone some good at bats. Defense definitely improved from last game. Given the field conditions at 145th st. there were a few inevitable errors, but we looked pretty solid in the field. In fact, we looked pretty solid all around. Lou had another good start and lasted 6 innings and only gave up 2 earned runs. Andrew came in for 2 innings of good relief and added a monster RBI-Triple.
The game was an unmanageable 4 hours and the temperature was cold, but there's nothing like a first win to warm us up.
The stats may have some discrepancies... our scorebook got kinda crazy with all the subs and resubs. Expect much more accurate scorekeeping in future games.
Next Game - The Beers will play the Queens Red Sox this coming Saturday, April 1st at 12:00 PM at Juniper Valley Park. Our scouts have done their homework on the Red Sox and found that they are a good team. Three of their pitchers combined to 1-hit the Clippers a couple weeks ago. They are 3-1 in the preseason so it should be a good game.
Fee - As an alternative to paying by cash or check, if you have a paypal account and prefer to use that for the fee, I set up this page you can use.
We have a scrimmage against the NY Express (at 145th street and Lenox Ave) scheduled for this Sunday at 2:00 PM. Be sure be there. Last week only 7 people showed up to the scrimmage against the Knights and we lost. It was 30 degrees and windy, but come on, getting a hit is fun at any temperature. This weekend should be warmer so this is the best way to get ready for opening day on April 9th.
Practice is still on for Saturday at 1:00. Same field as last time, Riverside Park & 104th St. Don't forget that a $100 deposit is due.
Also, click here for a WARNING about the hats from LIDS! Make sure to get the right logo!
HATS - We'll be using the same hats as last year. For people who don't have hats from last year, you can go to LIDS on 42nd St and pick up any blank Royal Blue hat and ask them to embroider The Beers logo on it (just ask for "The Beers"). Make sure they know you want the custom one that we sent them, and not the lame stock one they already have.
JERSEYS - We have some different possibilites for jerseys. Last year we went the cheap route ($12 t-shirts), but this year it may be time for an upgrade. I'm thinking some nice button-down jerseys with matching pants/socks (kinda like in the picture). The color scheme will again be Royal Blue/Yellow (think 1980's Milwaulkee Brewers).
PANTS/SOCKS - We'll go blue socks and standard grey or white baseball pants (no stripe) depending on how it goes with the jersey.
None of this is set in stone, so if you have any ideas or concerns, by all means: Voice your opinion
3/15/06 - How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
The answer of course is: PRACTICE. And that's what we're going to do this Saturday at 1 PM in the newly renovated Riverside Park fields (104th St & Riverside Dr). These fields underwent a $1M renovation and are really nice. This will be a good chance to throw the ball for the first time, take those first swings, haze the rookies, and start building a well-oiled machine.
On Sunday, we will take that well-oiled machine for a test drive against the Knights in Juniper Park (gametime is at 1:00 PM).
3/12/06 - 2006 Schedule/Fees info - TODAY'S EXHIBITION GAME RAINED OUT
I just got back from the 2nd Managers' meeting so I am chock-full-of info.
Leage Fees - Fees for the entire team (including all season's umpire fees) will be $3860. If we go with a 20-man roster, that works out to $193 per person.
Schedule - The schedule is up. It can be viewed here. Please take a look and plan ahead.
Fields - 3 fields from last year are returning: Marine Park, College Point, and (unfortunately) 145th St. But they have added 3 new beautiful fields: Lafayette HS, South Shore HS, and Newtown HS. These 3 are brand new, well-maintained artificial turf fields.
So, the game today is still on (hopefully it won't rain). We're looking forward to seeing all the veterans and meeting all the new rookies. [UPDATE - GAME IS CANCELLED, IT DID RAIN]
I'm still working on getting the baseball cards done for last season, but here's a low-res sneak peak:
Looking good
Pete will probably choose a different pic :)
Uniforms - Should we get new uniforms? Vote here! (you've got to register on the message board to be able to vote, sorry)
Get your gloves out, Spring is just about here and we already have a scrimmage scheduled for THIS SUNDAY (3/12/06) against the Knights. Be sure to come if you can, we've got lots of details to work out, rosters to determine, new players to meet, decisions to make, all that kind of thing. The sooner we get all this stuff sorted out, the better off we'll be (you can forget about last year's forfeits early in the season). This year's league seems to be a bit more organized, stats will be posted on their site, nicer fields (supposedly mostly high school fields but the field situation should be determined for good on Saturday). If we all show some enthusiasm we will rock this year (we came very close to beating last year's champions, the College Point Clippers, so really we didn't suck THAT badly). So all of you who haven't yet, be sure to get back to Mike D (potrod<AT>gmail.com) regarding your baseball plans for this summer, and I hope we have as many people from last year as we can since it was a great group with lots of potential.
Also, if there is interest we can have a practice this Friday, and possibly a cage session on Saturday (where there will also be a manager's meeting for the league, after which most of the league details will hopefully be determined).
The scrimmage this Sunday will be at 1 PM at Juniper Field in Queens (click for the map and satellite image--hopefully the field we're playing on is one of the 2 nice ones, although the other hardball field doesn't look that bad).
Hope the last 6 months or so have treated you all well. In the majors, pitchers and catchers reported to spring training yesterday, so it's not too early to start thinking about Baseball. Last week I went to the first managers' meeting and the season is scheduled to start April 1st. So the question is: Who's down?
Here are some details:
- Zone Baseball League is no more. It is now the New York City Metro Baseball League (www.nycmbl.com) - It's got new people running it and they seem to have their shit together way more than the last guy. - Fees - The fees will be finalized March 11th, but according to the preliminary budget it could be $1000 - $1500 per team. That's not including umpire fees which will be $2660. It's still by far the cheapest league in the city. - Dates - Regular season will be 20 weeks long starting April 1st with an All-Star game July 4th weekend. That's 38 regular season games (they're all 7-inning double headers) plus playoffs. - Fields - The main improvement so far is with the fields. There will be NO 145th St. crap fields with rocks and manholes. They managed to get at least 3 nice, artificial turf high school fields. Also, based on the permits, they said that there won't be any games scheduled before noon. This will all be finalized at the next meeting.
So let me know who wants to play... or if you know anyone else who wants to.
Long time no update, but hey, it's never too late.
Anyway, first order of business is just that: business. As everyone knows, there were expenses during the season. I decided that rather than make things complicated every game and have people digging in their pockets and doing arithmetic, that I would instead make things even more complicated by putting up all (most) of the money myself and waiting until now to ask for everyone else's share.
I've rounded (down) the total expenses to $2000 (see breakdown below) and divided that by the total # of plate appearances for the team (478) so we can figure it's $4 per PA (rounded down).
So... to find out your share, see how many plate appearances you have on the stats page and multiply that by $4.
We had a very fun last game of the season against our division rivals, the Mad Dogs. Both teams ended up being shorthanded on the beautiful Labor Day weekend so we shared fielders. Since we were short, Brian picked up a couple friends from an all-night party that was just winding down. Jack played some solid defense at 3rd (and pitched well for a few innings too). Chris (Goober), who was in no condition to do anything, let alone play baseball, got a HBP and almost made it through the game without getting hurt. In the 7th inning, while trying to turn a double play at 2nd, he got beaned in the eye with the ball. Play was stopped so Brian and Jack could bring him home. I believe we lost by a score of 10-8, but we weren't really keeping score.
Brian pitched a good first half and Jack pitched good relief.
Game 8/27/05 - Beers Vs. Mad Dogs (W, 7-5) - A late update. JJ started and was baffling the Mad Dogs with his slider and also went 2 for 3 with a Sacrifice fly and 2 steals. Mike N went 2 for 4 with a RBI and played a good game behind the plate. Dave went 2 for 4 with 2 runs. Adam Hill finally found his swing and knocked his first hit in the 7th inning. He was then given the ball. Box Score and pictures will go up soon.
Game 8/20/05 - against the Warriors in Marine Park. Box score and pictures can be found here: http://forums.the-beers.org/viewtopic.php?p=193#193. I believe that we lost that game 14-4. Special guests Charlie and Henry contributed and a good time was had by all.
SEASON WRAP PARTY SATURDAY! - COME TO TIMEOUT! 10:00 PM.. Wear your Beers Jersey to get free drinks all night*
Also... Final Stats are up - See how you measure up! Check here: 2005 STATS
I just updated all the stats so they are current as of last week's game. Tomorrow is everyone's last chance to climb over the Mendoza line, get that elusive first hit, or just raise the average a little.
Also, Me and Peter were messing around and started Beers Radio. It has nothing to do with baseball, or The Beers, but whatever. Feel free to tune in for some rockin' tunes.
8/15/05 - "Eight Men In" (L, 12-2)
Here is Adam's report of this past weekend's game:
After some confusion over who was responsible for bringing the bases, The Beers took the field using plastic bags filled with dirt. I dare say it was a valiant effort behind pitcher James, who toed the rubber for a 6 inning "complete game". Although, valiant play doesn't win ballgames with lackluster bats...and let's face it, having only 8 men in the field (2 outfielders) has never helped anyone. Mike D hit well (2 for 3) and scored our only 2 runs, one on an overthrow to the outfield while stealing third, and the other on a sac fly, RBI going to James, who hit well himself going 2 for 3. Defense, in general, really wasn't all that bad. With our error-prone team, it is of note that we had a beautiful 1-2-3 inning in the 5th, started off by a tricky play by myself at 3rd, and followed by two pretty catches by Javier, who had a lot of ground to cover along with Melvin in the outfield. Peter played quite well at first, but short of that I give the guy a ton of credit just for being out on the field. Mike N completed the battery, but just couldn't seem to "find his pitch" at the plate...with all due respect, none of them were really "his pitches", shown by his early walk. It's ok though, because he assured me that "he's ready now", so look out next Sunday. That being said, if you can think of any other stupid things said during a baseball game send it to Mike N, or start a topic on the message board.
Good job Adam. Chad Wilcomb is on deck to write the next guest blurb and with his extensive blob experience, it should be good.
SCHEDULE CHANGE - Next weekend we have 2 games. Saturday at 1:00 PM in Marine Park Vs. The Williamsburg Warriors and Sunday at 9:00 AM Vs. The Mad Dogs (if possible, this game will be changed to a more sensible hour, stay tuned). These will be the last games of the season. Both days will be used to round up the remaining Beers who still need to pose for their bubble gum cards. The Saturday game was originally scheduled to be in Harlem, but the city double-booked with some Indian festival. There are rumors about a BBQ or something circulating, but no one has come forward with a location (any ideas are welcome).
PRACTICE - Thursday & Friday! Central Park! If you can make it, be there! Let's hone our skills and play good baseball this weekend. Me and Pete are going to the cages in Astoria tomorrow (Wed) after work. It's awesome!
Boxscore from the game and updated stats coming soon...
8/8/05 - Beers game resembles dramedy of errors (L, 16-3)
In our first of a series of guest blurb writers, Mike N has this to say about last week's debacle:
Once again the squad was brutally deficient as we had only 9 and repeated the week before. Thanks to Javier, who had some good defense out in left field, but made a game-saving play before the game even started by bringing his brother David and buddy Melvin (which kept us from forfeiting). Peter made his return by making an amazing catch out in center despite the doctors pleading with him not play. Max also played with an injury the details of which aren’t that important. The most entertaining part of the game was the opposing pitcher constantly getting under the skin of the home plate umpire who finally threw him out of the game around the 5th inning. Only a few hits by us and a myriad of errors led to a mercy rule ending in the 7th inning and a score of 16-3. I caught and James pitched, unfortunately the Knights hit and our errors helped them. Defense was the key as the Knights really only had a few earned runs but they did put the ball in play which is often the key to winning.
Next week's guest blurb writer will be Adam Hill.
Some additional notes:
- Only 5 of the 16 runs were earned, so if you take away the Beers' 9 errors we would have only lost by 2.
- We stuck around and had a fun, much needed practice afterwards.
Some of you may have noticed that I bring a special pad of paper to each game, and that I periodically scribble on this in the dugout. Many of you have probably been wondering what exactly I'm doing, since nothing ever seems to come of it. Well, if you remember far back enough, I'm the guy in charge of putting the stats up, and I know it's been about 2 months, but I finally updated them. Still haven't gotten around to fielding or pitching stats, but those are on the way too. Oh yeah, and starting with next game, I'll be including box scores for each individual game, so people can make corrections more easily and see how they did in one particular game. Any suggestions, corrections, complaints, questions, send to me, Pete, at potrod64@gmail.com
With the bare minimum of 9 players, The Beers fell victim to the Knights Saturday by a score of 13-3 in the bottom of the 7th. The Knights' pitcher befuddled the Beers' bats with his array of pitches including a nasty knuckle ball. Chad had another good start walking only 2 in 6 innings but was again hurt by errors. He also contributed with an RBI. Paul liked the pitcher's breaking ball and went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and a stolen base. Mike D and Adam played notably solid defense including a couple of outstanding web gems by Adam at 3rd.
NEXT GAME - The Beers will have a rematch with The Knights Saturday 8/6 at Marine Park (field #8) at 3:00 PM. Please remember to give advance notice if you will not be able to make it to the game. Last game there were a bunch of late notices and we would have had to forfeit if it weren't for James' friends Chiraz and Asif.
PRACTICE & CAGES - We will head to the Astoria batting cages Thursday at 6:00 PM and go out for drinks after. We'll have practice Friday at the North Meadow (assuming they're not spraying poison again). If anyone wants to throw Wednesday too, go for it (I can't make it). Everyone has everyone's phone number and email.
In other news, the 2nd batch of jerseys has arrived, so those who didn't get them at last weeks game can pick them up at practice. Also, Pete's recovery is going amazingly well. He may even be available to play next week. And he was able to come to the game last week to sign autographs to all his fans in Marine Park.
In addition to Peter being on the DL, I just received word that we will also be losing Brian for 3 weeks, and Brendan indefinitely. Brendan will be securing our national safety by being one of those cool machine gun guys in the train stations, and Brian and his girlfriend will be off to sunny Hawaii for their honeymoon*. We're going to really have to pick up the slack for those guys.
*Just kidding, he's indisposed for perfectly legitimate unknown reasons [UPDATE: He's on a pre-planned road trip for 3 weeks. Have fun Brian, and we expect postcards]
7/24/05 - Scary moment as Beers split double-header (L, 6-5 & W, 8-1)
The Beers had a scary moment in the last inning of the first game when a scorching line drive hit 3rd baseman Peter Darling directly in the face. He was brought to Kings County Hospital and was told that he suffered fractures to his cheek bone & lower eye socket. Luckily there was no vision damage or teeth knocked out or anything. He was more upset about not making the play then his injury and maintained good spirits throughout the ordeal. Click here to leave comments and wish Peter a speedy recovery: http://forums.the-beers.org/viewtopic.php?p=139
Peter Darling gives today's game 2 thumbs up
Game Notes: The Beers split the double-header with the Mad Dogs. Game 1 was very close. Brian Moore started and dominated throughout his first Complete Game. The Beers could not hold an early lead due to some defensive misplays and the Mad Dogs managed to climb back and tie it up. It was all tied up at 5 with runners on second and third, when that fateful line drive connected with Pete and scored the winning run (which was insignificant at the time).
Here is the Game 2 summary as recalled by Mike N:
"We won 8-1 behind what was very solid fielding, some hitting and putting the ball in play allowing them to make errors. Everyone seemed to contribute in some way. We also had three non-beers who helped out. The Mad Dogs had some chances but never were able to capitalize as a result of some clutch pitching from James’s friend [Shiraz] who got people out when it was most important. James pitched the last inning and made things easy on everyone. I caught the 6 innings which brings my lifelong innings as catcher to…6. I wish I could remember more from individual people to give credit but we won 8-1 and everyone made plays in the game so if you were at the game you did a great job and James did hit someone which we will say was pay back for Peter and I stepped on the first baseman running down the line which I will also chalk up to pay back."
The clouds were threatening from the beginning, but after some pre-game field maintenance, the game was ready to start. The Beers got on the board first with a 3-run 2nd inning. They gave the ball to first time starterJ (borrowed from Major League Baseball) who was baffling the Clippers with his deceiving slider. He also helped himself with a RBI, and caught the 2nd half the game. Dave Sansone volunteered to put on the tools of ignorance and catch the first part of the game. The Clippers are known for their aggressive running and Dave did a good job of keeping them honest considering he has never played catcher. He also had a RBI. Chad Wilcomb came in for relief and pitched 2 scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the 6th, with the top of the order coming up, the Beers were planning a comeback. Mother Nature had different plans. Before they could even get a swing in, she drenched the field, players, and fans. The umpires called the game due to field conditions. A couple Clippers did their best Rick Dempsey/Robin Ventura impersonations.
On the way home, it felt just like after a Little League game when 9 of us packed into Mr. and Mrs. Darling's minivan to head home.
As you can see, our next game is Sun 7/17 at 2:30 PM vs. The College Point Clippers. Please let me know if you can make it to that game. And while you're at it, let me know your availability for the rest of the games. That way, we will always have a good idea of who's available for games well ahead of time.
7/8/05 - UPDATE - SATURDAY GAME CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN
I just checked the hotline (718 233 4299) and it seems that field conditions are not good enough to play Saturday. Everyone please let me know if you can play this Sunday at 9:00 AM. It may be the rain date for Saturday's game. It's not definite, but if 9 people can come, we'll see if we can make it happen. RSVP here: http://forums.the-beers.org/viewtopic.php?p=116
7/8/05 - Wet Weekend
Flood warnings are currently in effect in Manhattan so the chances of playing tomorrow's game aren't looking so good. I will alert everyone as soon as a decision is made. The commissioner is going to check the field conditions tonight so if you want to check the status, call the hotline: 718 233 4299. If Saturday's game does end up getting rained out, there is a possibility of having a make-up right away on Sunday (7/10) at 9:00 AM. If you are ready, willing and able to play on Sunday at 9 (should the possibility become reality) let your status be known here: http://forums.the-beers.org/viewtopic.php?p=116#116
The 2nd batch of jerseys has been ordered for the new Beers so hopefully we'll have them by next game. Reminder: If anyone still wants a Beers hat, just go to LIDS and choose any hat (preferably Royal Blue) and ask for the Beers digitized logo (not the one from their stock logo collection).
It was a nailbiter to the end. The Beers came out on top in the bottom of the 10th inning on a walk-off RBI single by Brendan Carey. Dave Sansone contributed to the win not only by hitting a 3-run blast in the 4th, but also by having pizza and Coke delivered to the field which gave us the sustenance we needed to go all 10 innings.
Brian Moore volunteered to start the game (scheduled starter Chad Wilcomb was stuck on the train) and had a good start. He baffled the Mad Dogs striking out 6 batters in 3 innings (2 in which he held the Mad Dogs scoreless). Then Chad arrived and held it down for the next 5 innings. Trailing 8-4 in the 6th, The Beers rallied for 9 runs to take a 13-8 lead. The score remained that way until the 9th, when those fighting Mad Dogs came all they way back to tie it. So it was bonus baseball. And Adam Hill came in to shut them down. Which he did, despite walking the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the 10th, Chad led off with a walk, Mike D singled, Mike N had a good at bat, coming back from 0-2 to draw a walk and load the bases. Which brought to the plate Brendan who, in the 9th inning, almost left the game, but must have known that his destiny was to instead give The Beers their first win by hitting a walk-off single to center.
6/30/05 - This Weekend's Game is now Saturday 7/2 10:00 AM
The date was just changed to Saturday at 10:00 AM. It's still at Colonel Charles Young Field in Harlem. Everyone please let me know if you can make it ASAP.
First, I'd like to give my condolences to The New York Celtic. They had to fold after struggling to fill the roster all season. Playing with them last year is what inspired me to start The Beers this year. So good luck to all of them, and we hope to see them again next season.
This means that there will be a few major changes in the league. First, the schedule is being revised. I will let everyone know when the new schedule is released (also, keep an eye on the league's website: www.zonesportsleagues.com/nybaseball.html). Second, and more importantly, it means that the only winless team besides us is now the New York Mad Dogs (0-4). Which brings us to our next news item........
Next Game: There will be only one winless team after Sunday because we are playing the Mad Dogs this Sunday (7/3) at 10:00 AM in Harlem. This is definitely a decent chance to get our first win. Some of you will remember us beating the Mad Dogs in the preseason.
6/28/05 - First win still eludes The Beers (L, 16-8)
As always, there is good news and bad news from last weekend's game. The bad news is that the Beers fell to 0-8 with a loss to the Brooklyn Angels. The good news is that everyone showed great commitment by arriving to the field early (way out in Marine Park). This gave us time to stretch, warm up, and practice a little before the game. Maybe we won't practice so hard next time, because it seemed like that was where we used all of our energy.
The Beers had only 3 strikeouts this game (compared to a whopping 16 last week), so there was definitely some improvement at the dish. Individual season stats will be updated shortly.
- Maj. Brendan Carey had a major day at the plate. Going 2-for-2 with 6 RBIs and a walk. Four of those RBI coming off a Grand Slam.
- After a late scratch (Chad tweaked his elbow), newcomer Adam Hill took the ball. He pitched well out of the gate, striking out 2 out of 3 Angels in the first. Later in the game he was hindered by control issues and (as is often the case) some sloppy defense. After moving to Center, he made a stellar full-body diving catch to end the 5th inning.
- Brian Moore, just back from Cali, went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief. Welcome back, Brian!
Practice - We will practice Thursday & Friday. Let me know if you can make it. Focus will be on DEFENSE.
6/19/05 - Much-improved Beers lose a heartbreaker (L, 10-7)
Final Score: College Point Clippers 10 - Beers 7
It was close. The Beers fought hard and played well. But in the end, they couldn't quite pull off the comeback. They took a quick 1-run lead in the first inning and tacked on another 2 in the 2nd. New pitcher Chad Wilcomb took the ball and looked great, but suffered from a few key errors (although there were plenty of nice plays). In his Beers debut, James Wang was perfect at the plate, on the basepaths, and on the mound in relief. He was 3 for 3 with a 2 run bomb that cleared the left field fence just to the right of the fair pole. He also pitched 3 strong innings in relief, backed by a much stronger, more confident Beers defense which had by then settled down. Peter Darling broke out of a slump by going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run. Rob Lee also contributed with a pair of singles and by gunning down a runner at home from left field.
Despite strong performances all around, the Beers were just not able to catch up with the blazing-fast Clippers. In the last inning, they left the bases juiced with the go-ahead run at the dish.
It was an encouraging game though, and we're looking ahead to Saturday.
Oh, and OFFENSIVE STATS are up. Check the link to the left. If there are any mistakes or misspelled names, email Peter (potrod64@gmail.com) as he's in charge of getting the stats up. Pitching and fielding stats to follow shortly.
6/14/05 - Homework Assignment, and Practice Fridays
Alright guys, your team needs you! In order to avoid situations such as what happened Saturday (see below) we need everyone to cooperate. You have 2 tasks:
1. Commit - Take a good, long look at the schedule and commit to the games you can make it to, and let me know now if there are any games you can't.
I expect an email from everyone listing all the games (don't forget about the July 3rd makeup game) with a Yes or No (if no, include a reason) next to them. Due Thursday.
2. Recruit - If you know any good players, let them know that we are hiring. I'm getting responses from the Craigslist ad, but it's better to have too much interest rather than too little.
Friday's are now officially Practice Day. We will practice other days as well, but Fridays should be considered manditory. If your schedule doesn't allow this, let me know and just try to make it to the other days. It doesn't do us much good to have 4 people show up.
6/13/05 - 3rd forfeit of the year demonstrates need for players
Saturday saw The Beers fall to 0-6 with another forfeit due to lack of players. The positive outcome (because we Beers always look on the bright side) is that we learned that 14 people is not enough. Therefore....
We are going to beef up our roster to 20 people by Sunday's game. So tell your friends that The Beers are looking for players! Everyone and anyone is invited (see our Craigslist ad).
We especially need a pitcher since our star starter MA has officially retired. He's moving to Chicago on a whim and he'll be missed. Good luck, MA!
Our next game is Fathers' Day (Sunday 6/19) at College Point at 2:30 PM. So bring the old man out to the game. It's a beautiful field and should be a great time.
Remember that scheduling screwup back on May 7th that lead to a forfeit? Well, that forfeit will be erased if we can manage to beat the Clippers on Sunday July 3rd. Time is to be determined. So add this game to your calendars! Everyone let me know if you're available that day.
Next Game - Saturday 6/11 at 4:00 PM against The Blazers Baseball Club at Marine Park, Brooklyn.
Practice - Friday at 5:30 PM. We're most likely going to have some new faces show up. If anyone wants to throw any day this week before then, let me know.
6/05/05 - Good news and bad news from this weekend
Good news first: We had enough players for both games and everyone was on time. Even to the 9:00 AM start on Sunday!
Bad news: We took 2 tough losses.
On Saturday, The Beers were down 4-1 early, but in the bottom of the 5th, leadoff man Max drew a walk, Mike D singled, Rob had an RBI double, and then Brendan hit a 3-run blast to bring the Beers to a 5-4 lead. Phenom pitcher Justin was intimidating the Knights left and right. In fact, he intimidated 6 of them straight into the hospital. Brendan went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. Justin went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an RBI. Max played stellar defense even without his prized mini-mitt.
On Sunday morning, The Beers had to face 2 opponents: The NY Heat, and... The New York HEAT (The mercury rose to 87 degrees). Brian made his first start and ran into some bad luck, and some poor plays behind him. Final score was 15-7. Dave was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Max had a nice unassisted double play. Newcomer Paul showed some speed on the basepaths with 2 steals. Good job everyone for being on time to such an early start. Pete is on the DL but still showed up to help the team.
6/01/05 - Roster slots now available, 2 Games this Weekend!
Some spots have opened up due to the sudden unavailability of some players so if you know any good players (especially pitchers), let them know that they may have a shot at joining the infamous Beers!
We have a weekend double-header this weekend. First, we have a 4:00 PM game against the Brooklyn Knights (0-3) on Saturday at Marine Park. If we win, we can't celebrate too much, because the next game the next morning at 9:00 AM on Sunday against the New York Heat (1-2) at Colonel Charles Young Field.
Practice - Everyone is encouraged to come to the Great Lawn at 5:30 PM Thursday and/or Friday so we could grab a field and get ready for the weekend games! Let me know if you can come. And feel free to bring any prospects you may have.
I also updated the "Meet the Beers" page to show the active roster. Email me a picture and a short bio of yourself so I can put them up (favorite color, favorite X-Games athlete, and other interesting info).
Stats will be up soon... Thank you, and enjoy the game.
After a lot of back and forth emails trying to make this make-up game happen, The Clippers, who at first expressed interest, said that things had come up and that they would not have enough players. So there will NOT be a game this weekend.
So everyone enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, and get ready for our next 2 games next weekend:
Saturday 6/4 at 4:00 PM vs. The Brooklyn Knights at Marine Park. (We're home team) Sunday 6/5 at 9:00 AM vs. The New York Heat at Colonel Charles Young. Get ready for that early game!
This weekend's game had some good news and some bad news. First the good news: It finally happened, The Beers actually played their first game. The bad news is that they took a loss. But a loss earned is infinitely better than a forfeit. MA had some control problems out of the gate, but soon settled in and got into a groove. The defense behind him could've used some work. Many chances to get out of jams were squandered by errors. The Beers' defense looked even worse than the Yankees and Mets this weekend. We're still calculating the penalties everyone owes.
Our record is 0-3 (current standings can be found here), but that could be transformed to 1-2 if we are able to make up that May 7th forfeit against the Clippers (assuming we win). We're waiting for final approval, but The Clippers have expressed interest and the fields are available all day Saturday, so the last piece of the puzzle is getting umpires. If we can get umpires, everyone should be ready to play this Saturday (5/28) so we can try to erase that forfeit. More details coming soon...
5/17/05 - Upcoming Game (Note time change) & Practice
NEXT GAME - The Beers At Gotham Athletics - Saturday 5/21 12:45 PM - Colonel Charles Young Field (145th and Lenox). Let's try to have everyone there! If you haven't gotten your uniform yet, they will be given out before the game.
PRACTICE - Thursday - 5:30 PM - The Great Lawn (Entrance @ 85th & CPW). Or if it rains, batting cages. Gin Mill afterwards either way!
Also, did anyone pick up Max's brand new 2nd baseman's glove after the game last week? Let him know.
5/15/05 - Beers forced to forfeit due to lack of players
Only 7 people showed up out of the 12 who said that they would. As I'm sure most of you know, 9 players are needed to play. So, this weekend's game resulted in another forfeit. We are now 0-2 and haven't even played a game yet. This is UNACCEPTABLE. This is NOT what this team is supposed to be about. The 7 of us who were there, didn't show up to be embarrassed. We may be a fun, rowdy, rag-tag bunch of guys, but that doesn't mean we can be irresponsible and let down the other players who care about this team. We decided on the following rules:
IF YOU ARE A NO-SHOW (OR LATE) TO A GAME WITHOUT GIVING ADVANCED NOTICE, AND IT RESULTS IN A FORFEIT, YOU MUST PAY THE FORFEIT FEE OF $160 (WHICH IS THE UMPIRE FEES FOR BOTH TEAMS)
IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP TO A GAME WITHOUT NOTICE TWICE (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT RESULTS IN A FORFEIT OR NOT), YOU WILL BE CUT AND REPLACED WITH SOMEONE WHO REALLY WANTS TO PLAY.
Everybody has my phone number and if you don't, here it is: 917 279 3037. Write it down or put it in your phone.
Anyway, there were some positive aspects of the day. Our uniforms arrived, so at least we looked like a baseball team. We also played like a baseball team in an exciting (albeit unofficial) comeback victory. The GV Warriors were no joke. We played hard against them and matched them every step of the way. MA gave another solid outing. And in the bottom of the last inning, down by 3 runs, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Mike D hit a walk-off grand slam (that ended with a collision at the plate). Too bad it wasn't official. :(
We're going to officially bounce back next week against the Gotham Athletics (Saturday May 21st @ 1:00 PM) at Colonel Charles Young Field.
Check out The Beers' Message Board here. We're probably going to use it a lot to discuss games, schedule practices and trips to the cage, and give funny links and waste valuable work time. All you have to do is register and then join the fun!!
Last weekend's missed game is being chalked up as a loss and we are still responsible for the game's umpire fees. The confusion could have been avoided if I had used the league's official schedule rather than copying it to the-beers.org. I have now updated the schedule page on this site to link directly to the league's schedule page so everyone is on the same page (pun intended). The Commissioner sent an email about some schedule changes, but the wording of the email made it seem like no Week 2 games would be affected.
The problem sentence was from this May 1st email from the Commish: "We are going as planned with week 2 games."
It's my fault for assuming that this meant that there would be no changes from the original schedule. It turns out that it meant that there would be no changes to the already revised schedule which I didn't know was revised. Regardless, I should've double checked. Sorry.
It's tough to start the season 0-1 without even playing a game, but we're going to take the loss in stride and bounce back in a big way this Saturday at 1 PM.
Go Beers!
Love,
Mike D
5/7/05 - Confusion Reigns on Opening Day! :(
Well, it seems that the baseball gods don't want us to have our opening day. First, the weather doesn't cooperate, now we have a strange case of miscommunication that results in us being in the wrong place at the wrong time with no opponent. I'm hoping that we will be able to make up the game and avoid a forfeit. We'll see..
Next game is Saturday (5/14) at 1:00 PM against the GV Warriors. For future reference, the official Zone Baseball League schedule can be found here. The GV Warriors seem pretty good. They play in some other leagues during the week and get a lot of practice, so we should get some practice too before we face them.
Weather looks clear all week, so we are going to practice on Friday at 5:30 PM at the North Meadow. As with games, please let me know if you can't make it to practice, otherwise we'll assume that you will be there. The west fields are now open so hopefully that will increase our chances of getting a field (our chances also increase with the number of people who come).
Anyone who's interested in coming to the Batting Cages on Thursday (or any other day), let me know.
5/6/05 - First Game Tomorrow is still on!
With the weather threatening, we have our first game scheduled for tomorrow (5/7) at 4 PM against the Mad Dogs. Everyone is going to get there by 2:00 PM to pre-game.
To find out the status of the game, call the hotline at (718) 233-4299. Don't forget about the new attendance policy. So far, only Ron and Pete have announced that they can't make it, so I'm assuming everyone else will be there.
UMPIRE FEES: Umpire fees are $80 per game X 16 games = $1280 divided by everyone will equal about $85 per person. I think that's the best way to do it, so we don't have to scramble to collect from everyone each game. I'll do the final calculations and add that to the equipment fund which will be divided equally among all of us.
In other news, I got the first hat, it looks pretty nice and was cheaper than originally expected (around $20 instead of $25). The sizes are way off though, I'm a 7 3/8 and I had to get a 7 1/4. They are currently restocking the Royal Blue fitted hats, so when they come in, we'll all get them. The shirts should be in by next week. It's gonna be great!
4/29/05 - Opening Day Tomorrow! CANCELLED!!!
Game has been cancelled due to 100% chance of rain. Next game is next week same place, same time against the New York Mad Dogs.
4/26/05 - Upcoming "Memorial Day Blast Tournament"
This just in from the Commish....
There are no scheduled games for the ZBL during Memorial Day Weekend, but we are pleased to announce our first ever "Memorial Day Blast Tournament"
The tournament will consist of 5 inning games (with umpires) to be played on Saturday, May 28th, and Sunday, May 29th, with the championship game played on Monday, May 30th.
Games will take place at College Point Field, Charles Young Park, and Marine Park.
Each team will be guaranteed at least 2 bracket games (3 teams per bracket) and 1 consolation game, for a minimum of 3 games played over the weekend.
Each team will play 2 games on Saturday, 1 game on Sunday, and then the championship round will be on Monday. The plan is to have 4 brackets of play for a total of 12 teams. This tournament is open to teams around the city, and not limited to ZBL teams.
The prize package will be $50 per team entered in the tournament, with 12 teams, that is a $600 check to the winning team. 2nd place will receive $300 regardless of teams entered into the tournament.
The entry fee into this tournament will be $200 per team, which will include insurance, 3 guaranteed games, championship prizes, and championship trophy. 3 guaranteed games equals at least 6 hours (and 15 innings) of action over 3 days.
Teams interested in playing must pay the full $200 by May, 14th, and must submit a down payment of $100 by May 7th in order to get on the schedule. Without a deposit you wont be scheduled at all. There are no extensions to this deadline what so ever.
Umpire fees will be reduced since games will be 5 innings, I'm expecting $50 per umpire per game.
Space is limited so interested teams need to respond and PAY ASAP in order to secure a spot, first come first served, and it's done by order of PAYMENT, not by requesting information.
Saturday's game against the Mad Dogs was unexpectedly not rained out. This took many of us by surprise, but took some of the Mad Dogs by surprise as well. So with a the 12 people from both teams that made it, we had a nice casual game. This just goes to show that you should never trust the weatherman.
NEW POLICY: Rather than have everyone email me if they are available for a game, we are now going to assume that you are coming, unless you say otherwise. If you can't make it, let me know. This just makes it simpler. Check the schedule here.
Season Opener! Remember, next week is our season opener against our bitter rivals The Celtics (Saturday 4PM 145th and Lenox).
4/22/05 - Hat update and Stats website
Ok, so Ron and I went to Lids yesterday and it turns out they ran out of Royal Blue fitted hats. They say it will take 5-7 days to get more, so everyone needs to give me your hat size if you haven't done so already.
Also, check out www.statleaders.com. We could use that site to keep track of our stats, streaks, leaders, pitching, hitting, schedule, announcements, error fines, EVERYTHING. And it has a message board and stuff. Seems pretty cool. We have a 30 day trial, and if we like it, it's $35 for the year. Just register and then click "Join Team" and search for The Beers (password is "served").
4/20/05 - Happy Hat Day!
Hat day has arrived! Here's how to get them:
1) Tell me what you want (hat size, or adjustable) and I'll pick it up for you and give it to you Saturday.
2) Or just go to Lids (42nd between 7th & 8th), buy a blank royal blue hat (adjustable hats are $10 and fitted hats are $15), and tell them you're on The Beers. They'll make it on the spot in like 10 minutes. Adding the logo is $9 so final cost is $19 for an adjustable and $24 for fitted (there was also an $85 which we will split evenly between everyone).
Eric was generous enough to loan me his Lids card so we can get 20% off the price of the hat (before logo). If you want the 20% off, choose option 1 or come with me. I'm going to get mine today at exactly 5:30 PM. Thanks Eric!
Everyone is welcome to get a hat. Tell your friends!
4/19/05 - Hats, Practice & Next Game
Lids has a good embroidering system and they have a good variety of hats. I'm going to get final prices today, but I think it's going to be around $30 for fitted and like $19-20 for non-fitted.
UPDATE 4/19/05: New estimated prices are $20-22 for fitted and about $17 for non-fitted. They won't give a final price quote until they digitize the logo which requires an $85 fee (which was included in the estimated prices). Everyone send in your hat sizes if you want fitted!
Practice is going to be Wednesday 4/20 - 96th St. Fields (in Central Park) - We're going to focus on defense. Everyone should try their best to make it.
This weekend there are no official games. We (along with the rest of the league) will still have the fields all day, so there will be at least one unofficial game. Details to come soon.
UPDATE 4/19/05: We are playing the Mad Dogs at 12:30 PM at Colonel Charles Young Field.
4/18/05 - Uniforms -
We're going to Frank's Sports in the Bronx to look at uniform options today at 6:00 PM. Whoever wants to have a say in what the uniforms look like is welcome to come. Give me a call if you want to come. We aren't necessarily getting the uniforms from there, but we'll see what they have. Some other options are...
Everyone did a great job getting to the field early, but this is what greeted us...
JERSEYS - We have some different possibilites for jerseys. Last year we went the cheap route ($12 t-shirts), but this year it may be time for an upgrade. I'm thinking some nice button-down jerseys with matching pants/socks (kinda like in the picture). The color scheme will again be Royal Blue/Yellow (think 1980's Milwaulkee Brewers).
In the bottom of the 6th, with the top of the order coming up, the Beers were planning a comeback. Mother Nature had different plans. Before they could even get a swing in, she drenched the field, players, and fans. The umpires called the game due to field conditions. A couple Clippers did their best Rick Dempsey/Robin Ventura impersonations.