Sandlot Baseball Logs – 05.2024 – Part III
5.24.2024 – East Austin Jardineros vs. Austin Drag @ Govalle – 7pm
Weekend’s instagram post.
I got to the park early to get as much cordless string trimming (weed whacking) done.
The battery died 12 minutes before game time.
Our bats showed up for the first inning and then got real quiet for the 2nd through the 6th.
It had been a good, long while since I (Rickner) actually drove a damn ball, but in the bottom of the 1st, I finally barreled an RBI double to left center. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
Hobson followed my double up with an up-the-middle laser into center that drove me home.
After that, The Jards gave us a few different looks by mixing in different pitchers. They executed their pitches and we also had our moments of loose plate discipline. Well, everyone except for Ash, who barreled two singles in her first two ABs as well as Stillman who caught a nice barrel off what I believe was a “Get Me Over” curveball thrown by Carlos.
Some of us tried to do too much and “didn’t let the game come to us” so to speak. We jumped out too early at good pitches– didn’t allow the ball to get deep enough in the zone to put a good swing on it. When we weren’t doing that, we were swinging at pitches out of the zone and losing the AB battle by forfeiting any advantage by swinging at pitches that could’ve/would’ve/should’ve been declared “balls.”
Call it projection on my part if you will, but these tendencies were displayed by many at the ballpark that evening.
On the defensive side, Steven Carrizales took the hill, Keith Hyndshaw geared up behind the plate, and we all just kind of watched them work. Except for Braden, who was too preoccupied snagging liners and making plays at second. The few times The Jards’ bats began threatening and/or The Drag defense made an error, Steven dug in and neutralized the threat with some much-needed strikeouts.
In the top of the 3rd, The Jards hit two balls to the wall scoring one run + The Drag’s Stillman (SS) caught a Jardy in a pickle, then we (The Drag) biffed the pickle that allowed another run to score.
That takes us to the top of the 7th. With the score at a 2-4 Drag advantage, I (Rickner) misplayed a backhand at third then overthrew 1b (good God). With one out and runners at 1st and 3rd, Steven induced a groundball that Braden, Stillman, Hobson converted into a much-needed 4-6-3 DP.
All in all, pitching and defense was pretty darn clean for both sides. Our botched pickle + my misplay at third are the only combined errors that I recall. We were lucky to drive just a few more balls than The Jards.
Really fun game. Studebaker mustered the strength to make it through six or seven innings before the heat, his age, and pressure of such high stakes sandlot made him retire long before the lights did. The captains put in a request to the Sandlot Umpires Union to review the situation. Word is that he made it home just in time to put on some reruns of Night Court on Nick@Nite.
Final score—-
Jardineros- 2 Bull the Bailiffs
Drag – 6 John Larroquettes
5.27.2024 – Town Lake Nightcrawlers vs. Austin Drag @ Historic Downs Field – 10am
Weekend’s instagram post.
I know it’s already been said, but huge, HUGE thanks to everyone who made this Sandlot Memorial Day happen at The Historic Downs Field. Baseball feels different when played on historic grounds that legends like Satchel Paige played on. Thanks to Joel Manzo, Marcel, Huston-Tillotson, and everyone else involved in allowing the sandlot community to get four games in at that incredible facility.
Onto the games-
Gahdamn it was hot. It is Texas, and from now until October, it’s only gonna get hotter, but this “heat dome” was something else. Never mind the heat, how was the baseball?
It varied throughout the day.
For the first game, it was a tight and contested game until the later stages. Runs proved hard to come by as the Drag runners made a few errors on the basepaths (myself/Rickner included) as well as the mutual agreement to not take home on passed balls.
Our first runner to reach first safely didn’t stay there long. He promptly got hidden ball tricked. That was pretty cheeky, but these things happen. A trick play is usually not utilized right out of the gate like that, as most “trick” plays are generally used as a late-inning desperation move in a tight situation, but never underestimate the element of surprise right? Perhaps they were trying to “set a tone,” or simply steal an out as early as they could, or maybe something else entirely. I’m not sure. But, it’s all part of the game.
A few Dragsters were perceptively miffed (not me), but we collectively got over it in 5-10 minutes.
Though our offense was a little slow out of the gate, Keith’s pitching wasn’t. He was sharp. In seven innings, The Worms plated one run. They threatened late, but Keith was able to get out of the one real jam he faced. Exceptional showing on the hill.
The Worms’ starting pitcher, Brandon Terrell, was also really sharp. He pitched at least five, maybe six innings while avoiding any significant rally.
Going into the final stretch, the score was 4-1 with The Drag on top. Given that the heat was sort of slowing things down, we were down to 30 mins left when The Drags’ bats woke up and started putting together a final rally.
Quick Break to Nag About Rules/Etiquette. Apologies.
During my second (or third?) AB, I saw a second needless fake tag in as many games vs. The Nightcrawlers. I already wrote about fake tags.
In college (NCAA) + professional competition (MLB/MiLB), fake tags = up to the umpire’s discretion to determine whether or not there was obstruction.
In high school + youth competition fake tags = obstruction. Regardless of contact or intent, runner advances.
So we’re all clear on this matter– There are no lower-level leagues than Sandlot. If you were to look at all baseball being played by humans older than 18 years, this is the lowest-level, lowest-stakes baseball in existence. Less competitive, more social leagues don’t exist. For the majority of sandlotters that are simply trying to enjoy playing a goofy-ass, recreational game– this “league” is it. It doesn’t get more meaningless or more recreational than this.
As far as competition/talent goes, we’re the nadir.
Suffice it to say, whatever rules I remember the game having when my competitive baseball days ended in 2002 (high school), it’d feel odd to all of a sudden play up to professional rules and ask for even more interpretation from our overworked, overheated one-man umpire “crews” that certainly don’t want to babysit adults who either a) don’t know the rules or b) refuse to follow the rules.
For comparison’s sake (as far as rules and intentionality is concerned), a baserunner stealing + relaying signs (at any level) is technically “legal.” It’s also a dickmove (nobody is accusing anyone of doing this– just a comparison of “rule breaking” and the stigma attached to some on-field behaviors).
Faking a tag, at any level below college + pros, is illegal and it’s a dickmove.
In the majors, faking a tag is a dickmove that warrants its own form of baseball justice.
But, as they say, the way you do anything is the way you do everything.
No grudges. No leftover attitudes.
Every sandlotter espouses they “love baseball.”
I look forward to seeing that sentiment put into action.
Enough nagging. Enough soapboxing.
Final tally –
Worms – 1 Grandpa Glizzy
Drag – 9 D. Branch Boudin Balls
God bless. I am admittedly learning a few things about 35mm photography.
It was a little too bright and cloudy for my settings at high noon (see the overexposed photos above). But… pretty darn perfect for the sundown shots (see below).
Link to sandlot google photo folder.
Thanks again Joel, Marcel, Huston-Tillotson, Grandpa’s Glizzys, D. Branch Boudin, Mom & Pops Frozen Pops, Austin Drag, Town Lake Nightcrawlers, Space City Cowboys, Meat City Smoke, Austin Grackles, Texas Playboys, Cap City Cobras, and Austin Yardbirds.
We’re definitely looking forward to the next sandlot event at The Historic Downs Field!