verdugo288

Now we had a game to play.  Our Team that day was divided into several teams.  Throughout the game all the guys who had driven in the same car to the game kind of hung around each other.  And they kept trying to prove their case as to why they won the race.  Newhall-Saugus had a good team, they ultimately won their Division and reached the playoffs.  They threw their big-gun at us Eric Hiljus.  He was a fourth-round draft pick in 1991 and did pitch for four seasons in the Major Leagues.  He was a big, tall, hard-throwing right-hander.  We lit him up.  He was gone by the fourth inning and we almost mercied them on the ten-run-rule. 

I was thinking I would be a really smart guy and bring a video camera to the game.  You know, use it to show our pitchers some stuff.  After the game I had decided I wasn’t such a smart guy and had pretty much decided “no more cameras” at the games.  

Why?  Well…..let me tell you a little story about Hank.  Hank had a great day at the plate that day.  He was doing so well that when he came up in about the sixth inning he decided to start “mugging” at the camera that we had behind home plate.  Smiling, making different facial expressions.  He even did the thing where he smells his armpits and reacts to the smell.  I didn’t see any of this shit going on.  And because he was so busy posing for the camera crew,  Old Hank didn’t see (or hear) the squeeze sign I gave.  Whoever was on third base came charging down towards home plate and Hank either took a big rip at it or he took the pitch I can’t remember.  Our baserunner was caught in a rundown and did not score or return safely to third.  I think the baserunner was Weapon……

After the rundown, the cameraman had the camera RIGHT ON HANK.  All of a sudden Hank was no longer in the mood to make faces and smell his armpits for the “viewing audience.”   He never looked at the camera the rest of the game.  As I am writing this I am laughing out loud!!!  We all know what a great competitor Hank is, and let me tell you, I tried to act pissed about it when I saw the tape…….but I couldn’t stay pissed.  It may be the funniest video footage I have ever seen.  He didn’t tell us at the game that he missed the squeeze sign because he was mugging for the camera….all of that came out when we went home and watched the tape after the game.  I remember he was at “The Dome” watching the footage.  I tried to act pissed, but when he left I couldn’t stop laughing!!!!!   It was priceless!!

I would like to challenge any of the readers out there who think THEY WON “The Saugus 500” to please leave a comment as to just WHY (or how) you won.  General and I like to think we won it.  Everyone is giving General a hard time about driving up on the sidewalk, but the bottom line is we were the first ones in that parking lot and we were the first ones to cross that line in the dirt.   Everyone was trying to say “General cheated” and all of this other BS.  You know what I say?  I say General did what he had to do to win….VERDUGO STYLE.  So let that be a lesson to you boys who sat at the red light and waited for something to happen while General simply MADE IT HAPPEN.  I am especially looking forward to hearing what Hank has to say.  Not just about the race, but whether or not he took a rip at that pitch or took it when the squeeze sign was on…because I can’t remember, and I can’t find that tape.  But know this, if I do find that tape, I will be putting that footage on this blog!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Verdugo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!