Gentlemen:

It has been a few weeks since we last had a From the Bullpen (July 15) and it has been almost two months since we had a guest column from anyone else, Tricko’s Curbside Chronicles of June 19 being the last such publication.  In the meantime, Stretch, Jim Ed and Itchie have all abdicated their responsibilities as clearly set forth on the Schedule for Guest Columnists on our webpage.  Let’s hope that Underbelly does not follow suit, and that he shares with us a Bellyflop next week, pursuant to schedule. 

Never one to dwell on the negative, let’s move forward with the business of today.  Here are the standings through games of last Sunday, August 2, 2015, our 17th week of play:

Oops. My bad.  Those aren’t the point standings, but the standings in terms of the number of moves made.  Fascinating how Shamu is able to parlay his frequent moves into a high ranking in the standings, but others among us who have similarly itchy trigger fingers, well, not so much. 

Here are the real standings and points:

It is pretty clear at this point in time that the Chiefs, Wahoos and Cubs are going to finish in the three money spots in the league, given the chasmic gulf between the 3rd place Cubs and the 4th place Bums (443.8 points), but it is anyone’s ballgame as between 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  Although the Chiefs may be leading in points at this stage, the Possum has craftily stockpiled pitcher innings and is poised to use these to make a stretch run as we move into the last part of the season.  I’m not a betting man, but smart money says that Possum will guide this year’s version of the Wahoos to a record 19 Hot Stove League championships (5 that he has actually won, and 14 others where he should have won, and therefore he counts these as wins as well).  Good luck to all in the final two months of the campaign. 

TOP FIFTEEN HITTERS

With five hitters in the top 12, it is not difficult to see why the Chiefs are positioned atop the standings.  However, with only one hitter in the top 25 (Joey Votto), it is somewhat surprising that the Wahoos are in second place in the league, just a few points off the lead.  Maybe it really is all about pitching. 

TOP FIFTEEN PITCHERS

Who’s Hot:  Pitchers (Last 14 Days)

Who’s Not - Pitchers

Who’s Not – Hitters

ABOARD THE USS MIDWAY

On a personal note, Will, Savannah, Emily and I went out to San Diego last weekend to visit Joe, who is working as a construction management intern for my old chum, Larry Larson.  While we were there, we toured the aircraft carrier, the USS Midway, stationed in the San Diego Harbor.  See photos below.  For any of you who have not been aboard an aircraft carrier, if you ever find yourself in San Diego looking for something to do, I highly recommend the Midway.  We had dozens of docents who were located throughout the ship, offering great stories about taking off and landing from the deck of the Midway.  Fascinating stuff.  Truly these are heroes of our country. 

Larry salutes my Great Uncle

HSL OUTING AT WERNER PARK

On Wednesday, July 15, those of us who paddle our own canoes gathered at Werner Park for the 2015 Triple-A All-Star game, featuring the Pacific Coast League All-Stars against the International League All-Stars.  The festivities began with some tailgating in the parking lot, as HSL owners Screech, Tirebiter, Big Guy, Mouse, Skipper and Big Johnny sipped on cold beverages and kibitzed about all things baseball.  Eventually, Magpie and Possum joined our merry crew, and we all ventured out to Section 100, Rows 14 and 15, to take in this historic event. 

The International League All-Stars took a 1-0 lead in the first after right fielder Peter O’Brien’s misadventure on a hard hit ball to the fence, which popped in and out of O’Brien’s mitt and was curiously scored a triple.  A later miscue by O’Brien was properly recorded as an error, but did not result in a run. 

The Pacific League All-Stars knotted it up in the bottom of the 6th, and then took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th when O’Brien blasted a two-run no-doubter home run to left field, making amends for his Lonnie Smith-like fielding, helping himself celebrate his 25th birthday.  Unfortunately, the International League All-Stars put together a rally in the top of the 9th, plating 3 runs to take a 4-3 lead, which held up for the final score. 

Perhaps the best part of the whole evening was the souvenir tickets that each of us received, as shown below. 

Thanks to all who participated and made it a night to remember!

THE TRIP

One week from today, many of us will be headed out to Denver for our 31st Annual Hot Stove League Trip.  Looks like we will have 9 of our 13 league members on this junket, which isn’t bad, but next year I think we ought to shoot for full attendance.  As Scott likes to remind me, we don’t have all that many good years left, so we all need to make the most of them. 

That’s it for this issue.  See most of you in Denver. 

Skipper