[Westheim]

Musical score suggestion: Talk Talk – Such A Shame

Raccoons (73-48) @ Crusaders (53-68) – August 18-20, 1995

The Crusaders must be cursed. Even under new ownership they continued to grace the rear of the division. In this series, they would fling two rookies at us, who combined for 41 years of age and seven starts in the big leagues. Their pitching was horrible, they were conceding the second-most runs in the league, and had the absolute worst rotation. The offense was at best average, and they had just lost their big free agent acquisition Clement Clark to an undisclosed injury. They had like three batters left who would have a faint chance of playing *at all* for the Raccoons in Pat Jenkins, Steve Cobb, and Ruben Melendez. They were in the horse dung …

Projected matchups:
Scott Wade (9-8, 3.29 ERA) vs. Anibal Sandoval (3-1, 3.03 ERA)
Kisho Saito (10-7, 3.45 ERA) vs. Ken Johnson (0-1, 8.59 ERA)
Jason Turner (15-5, 2.92 ERA) vs. Cipriano Miranda (6-11, 5.67 ERA)

And if the Crusaders were where they were, it begged the question where the Raccoons were, especially while watching the opener. Wade and Sandoval were both not dealing hot sauce, but both lineups were outright pathetic. Through seven innings, we were deadlocked in a 1-1 game, both runs scoring in the third inning, and Wade had been forced to bat in his own run support. In the eighth (and there was really nothing going on in the middle innings at all), Brewer hit a 1-out double, just the eighth hit in the game combining both teams. Salazar singled to right, and Brewer was sent for home, and was thrown out. Bottom 9th, still tied, Wade was to face three lefties, and walked Martin Limón up front. Jean-Claude Monnier bounced into a 5-4-3, which brought up Jenkins, THE threat the Crusaders had. Nah, no walk was to be given, since Melendez, the slugging catcher, was batting behind him. Jenkins grounded out to O’Morrissey. So, extra innings, and both pitchers seemed like they would appear in the tenth! Not only that, they completed it, but Wade was at 124 pitches and done. Top 11th, Brewer led off with a single, and Salazar bunted him over. Sandoval walked O-Mo, and that was the end for him. Jared Chaney sat down Green and Kinnear. We lost the game in the 12th between Burnett putting the leadoff man Monnier on, De La Rosa giving Fernando Gonzales something hittable with two down and Monnier on third base, and Brewer missing Gonzales’ grounder. 2-1 Crusaders. Wade 10.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K and 1-4, RBI;

WHAT A SHAME!!

Scheduled extra beltings.

Game 2. Saito pitched, so no offense was to be expected, while Ken Johnson had allowed NINETEEN runners through 7.1 innings in his short season. Would it surprise anybody that he was going to pitch himself into a no-hit bid? Saito was easily hittable and surrendered line drives, and the Crusaders scored the go-ahead run in the fourth. Through five, the Raccoons were hitless, and they only managed to brake into the H column with two out in the sixth, when Brewer singled past a not well placed 2B Haywood Lammond. Ingall singled through Lammond, and then O-Mo grounded to Benjamin “Obnoxious” Butler at third, but Butler bobbled it. All bags occupied, two down, Royce Green to the plate. In a 2-0 count, he grounded to Lammond, out. Johnson drilled Higgins in the foot in the seventh, and with two down, we had two on and Saito was hit for by Vern Kinnear, who didn’t start this game. Kinnear lined out to left. The bullpen immediately threw two runs on the board. We were left with three hits. 3-0 Crusaders. Saito 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, L (10-8);

Higgins had a foot contusion and would not be able to play for a week.

So what?

The next day, the Raccoons sent ten man to bat in the first inning, scoring five runs on Miranda. A 2-run homer by Kinnear in the second inning sent Miranda showering, down 7-0. Now Turner just had to pitch semi-competently, a job requirement he kinda fulfilled. He carried a shutout into the ninth, only to have it broken up with two out there on a double by Butler (BUTLER!!) and Steve Cobb. 11-1 Raccoons. Brewer 2-5, BB, HR, RBI; Salazar 2-6, 2B, RBI; Kinnear 3-6, HR, 2 RBI; Vinson 2-5, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Ingall 2-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI; Quinn 3-5, 2B, RBI; Newton 3-5, 2 2B, RBI; Turner 9.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (16-5) and 1-4;

In other news

August 18 – DAL 1B/2B Pedro Villa (.281, 9 HR, 46 RBI) joins the club of players with 2,000 career hits with a first-inning single off the Pacifics’ Les Browning. The Stars still lose, 7-2. Villa, signed out of the Dominican by the Crusaders in 1979, is a very serviceable infielder and has played for the Crusaders, Bayhawks, and Stars in his 14-year career.

Complaints and stuff

I didn’t want to post this series alone, but I feel like I may not want to deal with this bunch of cheapskates right now.

I can’t even describe what this series has done with me. My throat is sore. You may guess the rest from there.