PRACTICE TODAY: In case people want to practice softball today, I will bring out the equipment at around 4:45. I was rather late last week, unfortunately. I try not to let work interfere with sports, but it was unavoidable. One difference: I will go to the SOCCER FIELD by the train tracks, probably the track+gym end of the field to minimize the risk of hitting cars. Lacrosse people have been occupying the Chapels Field the last couple of weeks, and the patch of grass down the right field line isn't particularly suitable. GAME RECAP: Problem Drinkers 12, Little Houses on the Prairie 7 Attendance: 1. Paid attendance: 0. P: me C: Eric Bone 1B: Matt Drowns 2B: Linus Gorlitz 3B: Teddy Cheung SS: Jeff Fasick LF: Bill Desmarais CF: Jeff Wiltse RF: Ravi Kanthan Rarely have I played in games which fit the full six innings in the 55-minute time limit; I can remember one or two before this season. Our two (played) games so far have both gone the full six, and unfortunately it was our offensive lethargy with fueled this efficiency of time. The five-run deficit was deceptively small, but at the same time, a five-run deficit isn't hard to make up in softball, so we did have a chance there at the end. Of the first five innings, there was no particular inning where we got destroyed, but in each inning the Problem Drinkers outplayed us enough to add to their lead. Losing these first five one-inning battles added up to being down in the war 12-1. In that time, we managed only three hits. We generally hit the ball hard, better than in the first game, but they were hit at fielders, and even worse, they were hit in the air at fielders. Normally, a few of these will be dropped in an intramural softball game, but for the first five innings, the Problem Drinkers' defense was as solid as I've seen against us in my years here. I have to say it was probably the best game I've pitched so far. I wasn't getting any calls high & inside, so I was forced to learn to mix altitude for the first time. There was only one pitch I wanted to take back to whole day. That the opposition scored twelve runs was a combination of my limits, the abilities of their offense, and our defense sputtering. Part of our problem may have been strategy in addition to execution. The Drinkers' infield was playing *very* deep, and their outfield was playing a reasonable depth given our team's power potential. In effect, they were taking away line-drive hits to the outfield. The counter-strategy would then be to drive the ball through/over them or to hit in front of them. I can't say what people were *trying* to do for the first five innings, but I can say we *did* neither; we continued to hit catchable fly balls and line drives. In the sixth, we finally managed to put some balls on the ground in front of their infielders. Between the depth of their infielders and the typical Chapels Field adventurous bounces, we finally put some runners on, and thus we finally scored a cluster of runs. We scored six in the sixth, cutting the deficit from 12-1 to 12-7, and putting a *little* fear into the hearts of our opposition, finally. Hopefully, we'll take something positive from this game. Stat of the day: With the loss, we are now 2-1 immediately following the death of one of my gerbils. Any of you thinking of suggesting a ritual sacrifice should be sorry. GAME REMINDER: The next, and last, two games of the season are on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, both at 4:30. Monday is a holiday, typically commemorated by "discovering" the Caribbean islands. This is the last workday between now and Tuesday, so consider this a reminder. If possible, perhaps we could all leave a message on Jarod Kohr's answering machine Monday to remind him to bring his mitt. -Tapu