verdugo288

Yeah, that’s a stat you always want to keep an eye on.  Left On Base.  NOT!  At Verdugo, we never really had to keep track of that stat.  It was never a problem for us.  I don’t ever remember a game where on the drive home I actually sought out the scorebook and counted them.  15.  I couldn’t believe it……

We rolled into Granada Hills to play the squad from Kennedy High School.  We got a GREAT outing from Big Breck, who was making his first start of the year for us.  Big Breck was “dealing” that day.  Six and a third innings, scattered six hits, three walks, six K’s.  He gave up five runs…..ALL UNEARNED.  Josh Willis came in to relieve Big Breck in the seventh and threw an inning and a third of shutout ball.

Yvan Moreno singled, as did Moose, BullOxen, and Rogers.  The rookie Brendan “B” Cowsill rocked a triple.  Just a couple of problems in this game.  We made six errors defensively and were 0-17 at the plate with runners in scoring position.  We left 15 guys on base.  We got beat by a weaker team 5-4. 

John Rogers had a great game from left field gunning down two runners at the plate.  He also “drove” in a run for us when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

I got tossed from the game around the seventh inning.  We threw a guy out at third base from the outfield by about five feet and the Blue called him safe.

I just sat there.  I said “what did you call that guy?”

The Blue walked all the way over to our dugout and said “I said SAFE!”

He was really hamming it up…trying to show me up and the whole bit.  Whatever, dude.  I just looked at him and turned my hat sideways.

“You’re outta here!” he said.

Okay now I’m pissed.  I didn’t say shit.  Never left my seat in the dugout.  I asked him what the call was and turned my hat sideways. So what?

I get up and start following his ass towards home plate.  I’m thinking “Oh you don’t like the shit I do with my hat?”

I had this move I always worked on every time I walked into my apartment those days.  The hat would come off…and I would “frisbee it” across the room and try to land it on top of a coat rack that was about 12 feet away.  Through the years I had gotten pretty good at what I called “The Hat Trick.”  I usually could land it right on top of that pole at the top of that coat rack about five out of every seven attempts (you know how I love to keep stats on EVERYTHING!).

I’m thinking as I’m following him towards home plate…”Do it Gee, DO IT…HAT TRICK HIM!”

Why the hell not?  He just ran me.  I mean, what’s he gonna do?  Throw me out TWICE?  So I did it…… I frisbeed that hat….and it landed RIGHT ON TOP OF HIS HEAD!

The fans were all laughing now.  He was walking around in circles trying to see what they were laughing at.  Finally, it fell off of his head.   The base ump came in and picked it up off of the ground.

“Keep it” I told the guy.  “Since it bothers you so much, you can have it.”

I don’t know whatever happened to that hat.  But I got that Blue GOOD.  I was putting on a show that day…..

After all….I had earlier in the game BRANDED BullOxen.  Bull had scored a between-inning-hockey goal on Hank and the ball came within inches of ripping off my face and then rattled around the inside of our dugout.  So I picked up a ball from the ball bag, and from a seated position in the dugout drilled ‘Ol Bull in the ass with a perfect throw!  See our earlier Post “BullOxen gets Branded.”

Then the Granada Hills coach got thrown out.  We were both standing in the parking lot together, watching the game.  Like two guys from different Hockey teams that had been thrown into the same penalty box!

He had played Pro Ball…one of the Tagliaferri brothers.  I think he played in the Detroit Tigers system but his playing days were over.

We were standing out there and he says…..”Man, I’ve seen a lotta shit in my days..but I’ve NEVER seen a guy get tossed for turning his hat sideways.  And by the way, I saw that throw you made the bench.  Nice!  Were you aiming for his ass?”

“Of course I was” I said…….lying through my teeth. “What did he throw you out for?”

“For looking at him.” 

I believe that was the ONLY time I ever coached a game where I was spotted laughing my ass off with the enemy!

This was a tough loss…….dropped us to 3-3.  If there was ONE game I’d have to pick in ’91 that I can say we should have won, THIS would be the game.