This summer's baseball season has felt a bit less rhapsodic than in previous years; perhaps it's me that's changed? In any event, from the scorebook, some memorable moments during the games witnessed thus far:

• 4 May 2006 - Florida Marlins 11, Washington Nationals 3 — an echo of last year's final Major League event that I attended, when the Marlins whopped the Nats 12-1 ... a foul ball bounces close to me in the 9th inning as I'm returning from the loo ...
• 7 June - Maryland Patriots 4, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts 3 (after 4 innings) — a pre-season match-up with a youth team (15-18 year olds) who use aluminum bats; I must leave early and miss the remainder of the game ...
• 8 June - Vienna Senators 8, Tbolts 3 (after 4 innings) — another exhibition contest, this time with a Clark Griffith League team; in the third inning Thunderbolt outfielder Jeff Jones hits a nice homer over the left field fence, in the direction of the fire station from which several firemen are watching ...
• 12 June - College Park Bombers 7, Tbolts 2 — I arrive in the bottom of the second inning to find the Thunderbolts already trailing 3-0; superb diving catches by Bomber center fielder Nick Jowars in the 4th and 6th rob the 'Bolts of potential hits ...
• 14 June - Rockville Express 2, Tbolts 1 (after 6 innings) — rain begins in the bottom of the 6th and after waiting a while I go home and listen to the game via Internet broadcast; the Thunderbolts come back to win 5-2 ...
• 16 June - Maryland Redbirds 1, Tbolts 13 — the Birthday Boy tonight catches the first pitch rather than throws it; a huge blowout thanks to 6 Redbird errors and a 7-run Thunderbolt 4th inning; marathoner comrade Steve joins me to watch; Tbolt first baseman Tim Bianchi homers to right in the 7th ...
• 18 June - Youse's Maryland Orioles 1, Tbolts 4 — a warm Father's Day game, with the first pitch thrown out by Maryland State Senate candidate Jamie Raskin; 'Bolts Mike Sheridan and Joe Maca execute a fluid 3-6-3 double play in the 6th ...
• 21 June - Bombers 3, Tbolts 6 — I arrive late and watch innings 4-9 but don't keep score, which makes the event more relaxing but less memorable ...
• 22 June - Tbolts 6, Redbirds 6 (after 4.5 innings) — Redbird second baseman Ian Christie makes a superb catch of Tyrone Wethers' line drive; after I leave in the middle of the fifth the game opens up and the 'Bolts win 16-8 ...
• 23 June - Bethesda Big Train 7, Tbolts 8 (in 10 innings) — friend Steve joins me again for a far better-played game than the one he witnessed earlier this year; a foul pop-up narrowly misses us in the 9th inning; the bottom of the 9th ends with a quick 1-3 double-play, a line drive to the Big Train pitcher who then catches a runner off first base; a series of walks loads the bases in the bottom of the 10th when 'Bolt catcher Nate Toth singles to win it ...
• 2 July - Tbolts 4, Bombers 3 (in 8 innings) — the first game of a nominally 7-inning double-header; I arrive a little after 5pm, with the game underway, the "visiting" Silver Spring-Takoma team ahead 2-0, and rumbles of thunder; in the top of the 2nd a nearby flash of lightning triggers a rain delay; when play resumes at 6:30pm there are some good sliding catches (and only one error) on the slick grass; the 'Bolts are leading comfortably 3-1 until a homer by Redbird Joel Gonzalez followed by a triple by Nick Jowers ties it 3-3; Thunderbolt Charlie Lenhard homers in the 8th to save the day ...
• 5 July - Albuquerque Isotopes 0, Round Rock Express 4 — wife & daughter & I fly to visit my family in Texas, and the evening of our arrival brother Keith takes me to see the Houston Astros' AAA affiliate just north of Austin; it's Roger Clemens bobblehead doll night, so we arrive early and snag our "collectables", then enjoy a fine shutout by the Express, the first six innings of which are handled adroitly by pitcher Jason Hirsh; home team outfielders Luke Scott and Charlton Jimerson make memorable catches, and the Blue Bell ice cream is excellent, as are the snow cones ...
• 16 July - Tbolts 12, Big Train 5 (in 7 innings) — rain cancellations earlier in the season make this the first game of a double-header with the Thunderbolts the "visitors"; I arrive before the scheduled 5pm start and enjoy watching the grounds crew water the basepaths and meticulously draw the foul lines and batters boxes with lime powder ... most of which is erased after an inning or two; local Cub Scout Pack 275 perform a color guard ceremony and Birthday Boy Evan Zuckerman throws out the first pitch; within 6 minutes of starting the 'Bolts have hit three singles and two doubles, scoring 4 runs; they go on to plate a total of 6 in the first inning, after which the result is as one might expect ...
• 20 July - Redbirds 1, Tbolts 0 (after 3 innings) — I arrive midway through the first game of a double-header and see the 'Bolts win it 7-2; a big Canadian goose feeds languidly for more than an hour in right field, as clouds thicken but rain holds off; after Game 2 begins to stretch toward my bedtime I leave, just before a wild 4th inning yields 4 more Redbirds runs and puts 10 on the board for the 'Bolts ...
• 28 July - Tbolts 10, Redbirds 2 (in 7 innings) — first contest of another double-header, in which a brilliant bunt by Joe Maca in the 6th begins a 4-run rally; 'Bolt shortstop Nick Popp is hit hard on the helmet by an errant pitch but shakes it off to considerable applause from a sympathetic crowd ...
• 3 August 2006 - Tbolts 9, Express 1 (after 5 innings) — although they finish the regular season with a dismal 14-26 record, in 5th place among 6 teams, the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts manage to win when it counts most: in the double-elimination tournament to determine the league championship. At 7:01pm a rumble of thunder clears the field before the final, deciding game has a chance to begin. After a quarter hour of downpour the storm drifts away, the players drag the tarp off the field, grounds experts rake kitty litter into the pitcher's mound and batters' boxes ... and as the red disc of the Sun emerges below a line of distant clouds yet another thunderstorm approaches. The four umpires studiously ignore it and play proceeds during further intermittent showers. Tbolt second baseman Joe Maca races out to center field in the second inning, makes a great catch, but collides with center fielder Tyrone Wethers; both are ok, and in the next inning Wethers in turn executes a splendid diving grab. First baseman Mike Sheridan likewise in the second springs on a fast grounder, rolls, and tosses it to pitcher Andrew Germuth who has smartly moved to cover first. The Thunderbolts are in their element now — they score 2 runs in the first inning, 4 more in the third, 2 in the fourth, and 1 in the 5th, at which point I'm getting tired and head for home, since tomorrow is a work day ...

The game's conclusion on webcast is as the first half foreshadows: strong defensive play by the 'Bolts combines with powerful hitting to yield a well-deserved 13-1 victory, and the championship of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League.

(cf. TboltMonkeysOnMyBack (19 Jul 2002), RoundRockExpress (4 Jun 2004), OfficialScorekeeper (3 Jul 2004), ...)

TopicEntertainment - TopicPersonalHistory - 2006-08-04

(correlates: GodPocket, RoundRockExpress, BaseballNotes2007, ...)