Collins' 4 HR can't prevent Steamer loss

Flores, Matsui exchange words

SANTA CLARA -- The theme of BAD ASS Baseball’s Sun Apr 2 game was the f-word—found. As in:

• The league seems to have found a home in San Jose/Santa Clara’s Montague Elementary School, playing a second game at one field for the first time in 2006.

• BAB also found its’ long-missing power strokes.

• Nick Collins found his dream bat has been in Ryan Ledee’s hands all along.

• The Dirty Steamers found a little intensity.

• Skillz Davis found out he’s stuck with the “Dooooh?” catchphrase.

• A young man appears to have found some male influences.

Reservoir Donkeys lead series 2-0

The league’s original plan of playing at 2006 field #8, Wilcox High School, was quickly nixed. No worries; everybody simply headed a couple miles NE to the forsaken, disheveled Montague Elementary field. The Dirty Steamers looked to rebound from an ugly 17-7 loss to the Reservoir Donkeys in which they showed about as much fire as a jar of olives. The Donkeys hoped for a repeat of its’ strong defense and teamwide offensive contribution.

Once Torance Matsui and Brandon Hamilton finally arrived to give the Steamers 8 players, play began.

The Donkeys didn’t waste any time in trying to put the Steamers away, dropping eight on their opponents in the first inning (despite slugger Ledee making two outs), including a 2-run triple by Simas. When the Steamers went E-1-2-3 in the bottom half, a March 26 repeat seemed quite possible.

After watching DaRosa completely massacre a pitch over the LF wall in the top half, the Steamers made a little noise in the bottom of the 2nd. With Bernal on, Hamilton grounded to short, seemingly for an out—but 1B Stauffer dropped the throw! The ball only rolled a couple of feet away, so when Bernal took off for third everyone was caught off guard. The play turned into a comedy of throwing errors and when all was said and done, Hamilton was on third! That helped the Steamers push across 4, and they were back in it.

Playing through a light rain, the clubs exchanged scores until the 5th—it was now a dry 11-6 in favor of the Donkeys. In that inning, the Donkeys loaded the bases (helped by a little indecision on SS Collins’ part). Though BS Yow’s sweet diving catch cost Minor at least one RBI, it set the stage for Ledee.

The 2nd-year BAD ASS was not enjoying his day heretofore—his back ached, he made two outs in the first alone, plus he’d taken a bad-hop grounder off his mouth in the 4th. Big Ry took all the frustration out on one pitch, launching it deep over the LF fence for a grand slam! However, the longball ended up aiding the Steamers—after Sacramento’s flyout to center ended the inning, LF Matsui took offense to not being given a chance to reposition himself prior to the HR, and let Donkey captain Flores know it. The two spent the next few minutes bickering from their respective dugouts, and it clearly ignited Matsui’s club…

In the bottom of the 5th, Matsui roped a 3-run ITPHR to center, and in his own way “dedicated” it to Flores. Collins followed with a “foul” HR over the fence in right-center (his 2nd of the day), and it took a fine DaRosa catch at the wall to thwart Kuzmiak’s attempt at a third straight homer. Their dugout finally alive, the Steamers’ momentum carried over to the 6th when Collins crushed a grand slam that gave his team its’ first lead of the series, at 16-15. We had us a real ballgame!!!

But that momentum would not last. The Donkeys retook the lead in the 7th on HR’s by Simas (ITP) and Ledee, and put them away with a 7-run 8th. Although Collins achieved a good golden sombrero with his 4th HR—one that landed about 15-20 yards over the LC fence—his Steamers ran out of, er, steam in falling to a 2-0 series deficit.

GAME NOTES:

• Minor, Manning and Flores remain undefeated in 2006 (10-0). Hamilton, Collins and Bernal remain winless in 2006—Bernal 0-9.

• Flores, who DH’d the entire game, later doubled to LF and “dedicated” it to left fielder Matsui.

• Though a doubleheader was scheduled, it was again put off due to departures and low interest.

• It did not seem anybody would clear the deep fences at this park, but 7 total bombs were hit by both sides—including 4 by Collins (the one-game record is 6, held by three players). Nick’s eyes lit up immediately after he laid them on Ledee’s bat in the 4th; he went on to hit four jacks in a row before popping out in the 9th.

• Collins and Ledee, along with Flores, earned BAD ASS of the Game honors while Yow’s diving catch secured the Gold Glove. Had the sliding Lynas been able to hold on to Davis’ foul pop near the Steamer dugout in the 7th, he’d have gotten one as well.

• Despite solid contact, Kuzmiak finished 0-for-7. If that performance alone didn’t wrap up the Small Penis award, his ill-timed, angry, profanity-laced tirade following a flyout in the 6th did—it came immediately after Collins’ slam had given his Steamers the lead, and possibly sucked some positive energy from his team.

• Matsui shared the aforementioned award—Flores found his outburst and outfield D deserving.

• Bad D wasn’t limited to the 2nd inning for the Donkeys—in the 6th, C Davis dropped a gift popup by English, who then doubled. Luckily for Davis, he was stranded.

• A 9-or-so-year old boy who claimed to have 3 fathers kept the league company in the second half of the game. He entertained himself by smashing things with a mallet and climbing around. After the game, DaRosa and Simas let him take a few swings (though Simas nearly took him out with an errant throw later on.)

• Collins finished with 7 RBI, English went 5-for-7 with 3 runs, and Matsui posted a mini-cycle with 4 RBI for the Steamers.

• Simas went 5-for-7 with 5 RBI and a mini-cycle of his own, while Ledee’s 6 RBI and Flores’ four 2B’s, 3B, 4 RBI and 5 runs led the Donkeys.

• There were no K’s of either variety, though both Stauffer and Davis went down to their 6th pitches before singling and grounding out, respectively.

• Absent from the Donkeys was C Soonam Chowdhury. Absent from the Steamers were BS Jason LaRose and OF Dave Del Real. JD

* Players of the Week *

BAD ASS of the Day

Rob Flores, Donkeys

4 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R

Ryan Ledee, Donkeys

2 HR, 6 RBI, GS

Nick Collins, Steamers

4 HR, 7 RBI

Gold Glove

Leland Yow, Steamers

Great diving catch at BS

Small Penis

Kevin Kuzmiak, Steamers

0-for-7, tantrum

Torance Matsui, Steamers

Shaky D, outburst