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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. Sterling, Virginia. July 24, 2003: The Brewster Rockets season ended at 9:15 P.M. Wednesday night when a grass-seeking missile three feet off the ground from an Ashburn Virginia Shooting Stars bat smashed into right field through the first base hole sending the tying and winning runs scampering madly across the plate to give the Stars a 3-2 win in the bottom of the seventh, handing the Rockets their second straight tough loss to bring their stay at the PONY Nationals to an end.
Erin Dommermuth had been dominating, keeping the Stars off balance for 6 and one-third innings before a smash to first base went off the first sackers’ glove and in her scramble for the ball she appeared to reach first ahead of the runner, but no, the umpire signaled safe on a very very very very close play. The Stars had a life. A bad omen.
Erin went to work on the next hitter, working the count to 2-2 then threw a pitch on the inside corner that the umpire had been calling a strike all night. Not this time. Of course, you knew it would not be this time. There’s something about umpires who in a mistaken effort to give another team a chance, are reluctant to punch out a hitter in the last inning on a third strike. It’s known in the dugouts as “squeezing the pitcher.” With the count 3-2, Erin walked the hitter on the next pitch. On the next batter, a grounder snared by Meg Johnson at second moved the runners up to second and third, setting the scene for the Vienna Star heroinics.
On the winning hit, the right fielder’s throw to first to attempt to nab the runner at first and end the game was not in time and the throw to the plate was off, allowing the winning run to score from second.
Dommermuth had thrown an efficient 84 pitches, striking out three and walking only two. Her blue eyes blazing like sapphires working in a compact determined rhythm, she had faced just two threats until the fateful seventh in another one of her clutch performances. Her changeup was performing beautifully in the humid Old Dominion twilight setting her up for slices of the corners with a live fastball.
The final game saw Shane Pais break out of her slump with a solid single to center to lead off the fourth inning of a scoreless game. She moved to second on Andrea Bondi’s grounder to short, and after Kaleigh Burke and Jess Cundari walked, Amanda Anderson ripped a single up the middle to score Shane with the first Rocket run. Ashburn tied it with a double down the rightfield line and a single in the bottom half.
That’s the way she stayed until the seventh when Dommermuth walked and was sacrificed to second by Meg Johnson, moved to third on Shane Pais grounder and on a routine fly to center the centerfielder dropped the third out giving the Rockets an ill-fated, 2-1 lead. In the sixth, the Rockets failed to score with the go-ahead run on third and less than 2 out, electing not to send the runner on a fly ball to medium left.
It was another one of those “character-building games” that the diamond produces to test the heart, will and determination of those who play the game. Rocket bats had been hitting into bad luck the entire long hot day, hitting many shots to deep portions of the outfield finding leather instead of grass. It happens that way at the Nationals.
In Game two earlier, played at 4:30 P.M. Rocket satellites were caught five times by the North Haven Eclipse (from outside Philadelphia) rightfielder, three of them gapers hit by Melissa Milligram, Nicole Reichert and Angela Bondi that were caught backhanded and over the shoulder by the ballhawk in the right center alley. It was a performance reminiscent of Tommie Agee’s day in the sun against the Orioles in the 1969 World Series. As one Rocket parent noted, “you do that once, you’re lucky, you do that three times, you’re good.”
In that second game, the home plate umpire started the game by rejecting Katy Slingerland’s first pitch because he wasn’t ready. This apparently upset Katy and she could not find her control, walking the bases loaded and promptly walking in a run on the fifth hitter and two more runs on a single down the line and the Rockets found themselves down 3-0. Another run was plated in the third on a screaming line drive double that took off over the left fielder’s glove just as she was coming in on the ball. The runner scored on a single by the next hitter to make it 4-0.
Ashley Clark and Burke singled, and were brought home on a two out single by Jessie Cundari to make it 4-2, but that was as close the Rockets got. In the sixth, after an error, the Eclipse rightfielder killed a threat by backhanding a ball at her knees to break the back of a rally, and with two on and two-out Jess Cundari and Katy Slingerhand fanned and popped up to end that threat.
To begin the seventh, Melissa Milligram blasted when deeeeep into right center. The rightfielder went back, back, back to her right and hauled it in off balance, preventing setting up a rally, and on Nicole Reichert’s drive she raced in to her right and backhanded it. Instead of 4-3 and tying run in scoring position, nobody out, the Rockets were down to their last out which was a liner to the second baseman. The Rockets were one loss from elimination.
In the first elimination game of the day, the Rockets had a lesson in “tournament gamesmanship.” With Katy Slingerland in the circle, (Kaleigh Burke had injured her arm slightly, and the Rockets elected to go with Slingerland today), the Rockets got off to a bad break start. A walk, an error, and a steal of third, and a misplayed bunt fielders choice gave the Jersey Tornados a 1-0 lead. And then the stall began.
The Tornado hitters stepped out of the box frequently. Coaches consulted with the umpires before evey inning and players slowly took the field after every at bat. They pinch ran frequently. It took an hour out of the allotted hour and a half time limit to play three innings, and the Tornados had only a 2-0 lead. What this is known as in Tournament jargon is “shortening the game” which allows you to give the opposition less opportunities at bat. The umpires allowed this charade to continue. The stalling tactics by the Tornados included players not taking their positions in the outfield, taking time to send runners in for the catcher, and consultations with the umpires before every Tornado at bat started. In the fourth inning, the Tornado coach, whom we will call “Mr. Fat Orange T-Shirt” attempted to substitute a batter when he had no substitutes left. Jim Cundari told the plate umpire who had been condoning this bush league tactic for a hour, “He has no substitutes left. He’s just delaying the game.”
Then, “Mr. Fat Orange T-Shirt” mouthed off. Caught in the act, he sneered in a comment that was heard by all the 14 year old girls on the field and fans in the stands “That’s B**LS**T. As if we needed to (delay the game).”
Did the umpire throw the coach out of the game for unsportsmanlike conduct, like he should have? No. A bad job by this umpiring crew allowing the Tornados to drag out the game, number one, and giving them a warning then condoning obscene language on the field by “Mr. Fat Orange T-Shirt.”
If I’m the homeplate umpire, “Mr. Fat Orange T-Shirt” watches the rest of the game from the parking lot for that little tantrum. The umpire should have.
Introducing obscenity in the field so all can hear exhibits a lack of respect for the children who are playing the game, demonstrates no respect for the opponents or the Nationals, (or the purpose of the Nationals, promoting sportsmanship and competition), and shows that this coach does not have the maturity to handle criticism. He got caught, knew it, and had a hissy fit. Not a good thing. He’s a busher.
Furthermore, by cursing another coach, he disgraced and embarrassed all the parents of the players on his team, and showed all those fourteen year old girls who play for him how not to act in public. He was a disgrace to the PONYS. He also showed absolutely no respect for the young ballplayers. He should grow up before he coaches.
Here’s why you can’t condone that kind of behavior if you’re an umpire:
As the fourth inning progressed, the “B.S.” incident upset the Rockets so much, that Katy Slingerland lost her control again, walking two hitters, and giving up a single to make the score 3-0. Things then imploded. A bunt was misplayed, and a bases clearing double made the score 6-0. Erin Dommermuth came in, getting her bearings, she surrendered a pair of singles and a grand slam over the centerfield fence to make it 10-0.
When the Tornados took the field in the bottom of the inning, they ran out on the field and were quite efficient thereafter. The 10-0 game only lasted five innings. In contrast when the North Haven Eclipse played the Rockets in Game Two, they had a 4-2 lead, after 4, ran out on the field, got into the batter’s box promptly, and the game was completed in regulation in an hour and a half.
The Rockets final day at the nationals began with distribution of the laundry. Laundry was taken care of by Mary Ellen Pais and Gary Milligram who collected both sets of Rocket uniforms Tuesday evening and at 5 A.M. in the morning trekked to the all night Laundromat and washed the Rocket colors. A great job, and one that all the parents for all 255 teams had to do.
Another great kudo has to go to the Loudoun County Recreation and Parks Department. When the Rockets returned from their game Tuesday evening, thunderstorms rolled in Northern Virginia at 9 PM. The Potomac Lakes softball complex where the tournament was being played received two inches of rain over night. Driving pelting sopping rain. Rain creates mud. A lot of it. Puddles pools and slippery conditions.
The groundscrews had those field ready to play by 8:30 A.M. White Plains Recreation and Parks take note! Talking to the grounds crews, I learned the guys started at 5:30 A.M., worked 100 bags of “Turfis” into the infields and made the fields ready. The fields were safe and playable. A miracle job by the Loudoun County Guys, who prepare every field after each game through the day, lining it with batters boxes and foul lines and grooming the fields for each set of teams that play down here. They also have a guy who whips a little tractor around the field with precision turning the soft fine dirt infields down here into carpets.
A final word about the PONY Umpiring. It is not as good as the NSA crews whom yours truly has seen work the last two years at the NSA nationals. General consensus of teams I talked to was that the umpires meant well, but were inconsistent in calling strike zones. Another problem is that the Rockets got the same crew for three games today.
In a tournament, it may be impossible to avoid and coordinate but more effort should be made to assure that umpires rotate so as not to continually ump the games of one team. Familiarity breeds a history. Another thing, umpires should not fraternize with coaches or anyone on the field when they are doing a game. It just looks bad. I know they do it to promote good will, but they should not.
In the major league rule book on umpire conduct, umpire conduct on the field strictly admonishes arbiters to refrain from any interaction or socialization with players, or coaches in their officiating of the game. There are many times when I’m doing a game that I feel like saying nice play or great catch, or great hit. But I do not. There are many times when I feel like joking. But I do not. It compromises you and though you make every call with the best of intentions, if you make small talk with a coach and make a call that advantages his team, well it just looks bad.
In talking to an umpire, I learned that the umps at the PONYS did at least four to six games a day. Admittedly in your sixth game of the day, you can get a little punchy. They have a tough job.
Oh, and one last word about umpiring. You have to umpire a game the same way in the last inning as you umped the first. You have to avoid the tendency to do “make-up” calls to “make-up” for missed calls earlier in a game. You have to fight that. And, please, men in blue, have the guts to punch someone out on a third strike in the last inning. Always remember that plate umpire Babe Parilli, called Dale Mitchell out on a third strike to wrap up Don Larsen’s Perfect Game. It was Parilli’s last strike call of his umpiring career, but he called it. Umpires have to eliminate that tendency to squeeze the strike zone in a close game.
A final ode to the parents, the “traveling secretaries:” the travel ball season is over now. No more loyal shouts of “Come on, Kaleigh,” “Good at bat, Ashley,” “Great catch, Shane,” “Nice Hit Melissa,” or any of the pleading shouts that drifted across the many diamonds over this great complex this week. No more packing ice into the coolers, going to the snackbars for the coke, the burger, the salad, and trying to get their pony-tailed players to eat something nutritious in the course of a triple header. No more reaching for the wallet or purse to purchase a t-shirt, softball shorts, or visor.
No more rehashing games on four hour drives back home from fields deep in some valley somewhere out there in America. No more endlessly tapelooping on missed plays. And players, you won’t be hearing about what you have to do to get better at least until September when it all starts again. The Sarasota Heat, one of the 255 teams down here was 68-23 and their coach was saying the girls were tired and looking for a couple of months off.
What did the Nationals do for the Rockets? They met a lot of great players. Met new friends. After the tough loss last night, that was climaxed by a flash of lightning just after the game ended, they returned to the hotel, had a swim, ate pizza and enjoyed each other’s silliness. The loss hurt but they had each other. The parents and the coaches, well we were rehashing the games.
But what the Rockets know who go out there between the lines is that the softball diamond is a great crucible that when they stand on it, they learn about heartbreak, unfairness, that they are responsible for their own performance and sometimes no matter how hard you try, it’s not going to be there. However, tonight’s performance is a stepping stone to tomorrow’s. They learn that you just have to keep working at your game to be in the game. They learn who they are, what they are capable of and where they have to go to be better. The game can bring you so low and take you so high. It’s hard that way. It shows people as they really are.
Being in it is what matters. Years from now, these Rocket days in the heat and the sun and the dirt will be times to remember. As one 25 year old player told me at a Brakettes clinic last week, she misses tournament ball. She said she loved playing the game. She said she has met so many wonderful people through softball.
As Jim Bouton wrote at the conclusion of “Ball Four,” “You spend half your life gripping a baseball, when it was the other way around all the time.”
Today Thursday is “Getaway Day” as they say in the major leagues. Back to ice rinks and cats and maybe another softball game tonight.
It’s funny how as soon as you leave a diamond, you want to get back on one as soon as possible.
