New York Crowes Fall to Playoff Bound Dreams in Randall's Island Battle
I was going to write this last night, but I fell asleep on my couch before my computer even booted up. I couldn't move...My legs hurt, my thigh was bruised, and I was emotionally drained. I was completely exhuasted,....but also completely content.
This feeling was eerily reminiscent of the last time we played at Field #20, Randall's Island with one key difference.One year ago we left Randall's Island w/our season over after a grueling loss to UBS in the playoffs. Last night was different though...It was not the end - it was the beginning. The beginning of what should be a 5 game winning streak. The beginning of our charge through the playoffs. The beginning of the last lap in our run to finally claim the Yorkville Division Championship!
The game had an inauspicious start as the Crows loaded the bases in the first inning and talleyed 4 quick runs. While it could've been worse, the rust on Shattered Dreams was clearly visible - this being the first official game played in a month. We were missing 3 key members of the squad but I am sure each and every one of them had their minds on SD. The Dreams went scoreless in the bottom of the first, as Flat questioned our intensity "Is this a library!!!" he exclaimed, dismayed at the lack of enthusiasm. He then zoned in with his pitching and the defense settled down, as the Crows put up only 2 more runs over the next 5 innings.That opened the door for us to chip away, plating 2 in the first and one in the third - finally sparking a flurry of chatter from an unusually reticent dugout. The score was 5-3 entering the last half of the fourth frame. Our pitcher calmly stated "If we get the lead - we're not giving it back". Ed was right - barely....
One can only wonder: What was going through Duff's mind when Jason Collins led off the inning w/a walk? (great performance from the elder Collins - 2 for 3 + a free pass). Was he ruminating about financing his new home or was he thinking that this could be the start of a game changing rally???? When I frantically scampered around the bases on a Rohin clutch hit to tie the game, I like to believe that Mike was not pondering the future real estate values in Bronxville, but was struck w/the thought that somewhere miles away, his SD brothers were rallying to draw even. Is it possible, that when Seltz continued his torrid streak and belted a thunderous home run for the 7th consecutive game, that the Duffs felt the Metro North tracks rattle from this blast and the subsequent commotion on Randall's Island when the Dreams took the lead for good?? It was 6-5, the tide had turned.....
While Brian was placing chips on the roullete table with one hand and watching mets-milwaukee on slingbox mobile with the other, surely his mind was elsewhere....With renewed confidence and a slim one run lead, BPs understudy quickly set down the opposition in the 5th. Looking at the boxscore - this for me is a key point in the game. This team has often lacked the killer offensive instinct. We score early and then let a team back into the game while our bats fall silent. Not this time. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that at 6PM PST, Perles was sitting in the Mirage at an all you can eat buffet, wishing the sports book had the SD-Crowes game on TV. With a narrow lead, the Dreams strung together 5 straight hits and became aggressive on the basepaths, plating 3 more runs and giving Jeff an extra cushion to work with.....With the score 9-6, we did not relent, and in the bottom of the 6th, Robbie Hansen again proved to be a sparkplug in the middle of the lineup, starting another rally in which five out of six men reached base, yielding 4 more runs and a 13-6 lead. Is Danny Gans the Greatest Entertainer in the World??? Some may think so - but they haven't seen Shattered Dreams.....
As Jerry Miller toiled away at work he could not help but to wonder when he'd get a text of the final score of his beloved Shattered Dreams. The field of play at RI #20 is huge and not extremely well manicured, which is a recipe for lots of runs and potentially disasterous innings. We all knew this as we headed out to the field to try to close out the game, but none of us anticipated what was to follow. With a seven run lead - disaster was averted by only the slimmest of margins. Base runner after base runner; bloops & dinks, near plays and misplays... All of the sudden it's 13-11 with first and third and no one out! I have to believe that at this moment, a chill must've come over our fearless catcher as he was strategizing how to place a C++ specialist at Merrill Lynch. It was at this point, that something clicked in the Dreams. Was it the ferocious Latin beats emanating from the cars parked at the nearby futbol field? Or was it the collective realization that this was a defining moment?
A strikeout by Flat - out number one. With a double dose of swagger in the outfield, Collins made his older brother proud with a seemingly effortless running catch in LCF. Craig has mentioned to me recently that he feels his legs are back and it has certainly showed. 2 dead, up by only one run. High chopper to the left side.... and Jon shows off his gun fielding a wicked hop that jumped over Jeff's head - firing a bullet to end the game and send us to a 9-1 record with a league leading 146 runs.
Rohin was the offensive star of the game, going 4-5 with 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored. However, the rest of the lineup was solid through and through: Flat, Seltz, Dubs and myself all went 2-4 and Robbie continued his consistent play with another 3 hits. The 11th man Vidoni was patient at the plate drawing 2 walks, JC played through injury reaching base 3 times and Marc added some nice defensive plays at second. The defense was actually very good last nite - considiring the field conditions. Everyone backed each other up and we even threw a guy out trying to take an extra base. The bats need to be a little better, but as Jeff mentioned to me last night "we've had 2 games to warm up for UBS". Let's turn it on now...
We completely control our own destiny. We have already guaranteed a third place finish, but - Win out and we win it all. Four more victories and we will secure the regular season title, a first round bye, and the divisional crown. On Tuesday night we face UBS again for the first time since last August. I think we've all had this circled on our calendars since the schedule came out (actually we all had June 27th circled, but you get the point...). The stakes will be high and revenge is just one piece of the puzzle. Four More Wins is all we need. The Crows are crossed off and UBS is next on the list. A win against them may all but secure us a first round playoff bye and give us the confidence boost we need to finish what we started back in 2002.
I can't express enough how great it was last night to get back on the field for a game that meant something. We've waited for five and a half seasons for these next 4 games. The wait is over.....
See ya'll Tuesday nite
SD4L
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