“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
--George Santayana, Spanish philosopher, essayist, fan of SLAM League softball
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The 2009 playoffs…..SLAM-tastic!
(Great Lawn, Central Park) A season ago, HMA/RAMSA finished the regular season at 10-1 and were promptly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. On Tuesday evening in Central Park, a mere 20 hours after winning Game #1 in their best of three battle with Fox+Fowle, they were faced with a very similar and very disappointing fate. That is, until the rally began. . .
With all due respect to the equally epic battle between Skidmore/Swanke/Cooper and Gensler, it is hard for this reporter to imagine a series having more drama, more comebacks, more controversy and more SLAM-tastic play than the FxFowle vs. HMA/RAMSA series, which saw all three games decided by a single run.
Under the bright lights of DeWitt Clinton Field #1, Game One of this series started off very shaky for the #1 seed as three batters into the game, SS Mike “The Phantom Menace” Ryan was ejected for attempting a phantom tag at 3B—an ominous start for sure. After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first, HMA/RAMSA responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, followed by 3 scoreless innings in the field. In the bottom of the 4th, HMA/RAMSA rallied with their own 3-run inning. The lead however was short-lived as FxF tied the game in the top of 5th at 4-4. The score remained the tied until the bottom of the 7th inning when firstbaseman Josh Barkan stepped into the batter’s box with runners on the corners and 1 out. Barkan delivered a hard groundball to first that was good enough to score the winning run. (HMA/RAMSA, 5-4)
A day later, the setting was moved to the Great Lawn #3—site of the historic doubleheader between SSC/GA just 24 hours earlier. The fields might have changed for these two teams but the game was much of the same—a close game throughout, dominated by stellar defense and very little offense (both teams combined for 12 hits in Game #2).
For the first time all season long, HMA/RAMSA did not score a run in the first inning; and for the second time all season (and in this series) Fox+Fowle jumped out to an early lead with a run in the bottom of the first. HMA/RAMSA chipped away with a run in the top of the 2nd and 4th innings for a 2-1 lead, which again, was short-lived. Helped by some shaky defense and timely hitting, Fox+Fowle scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th to take a 4-2 lead and control of the game. HMA/RAMSA scored one run in the top of the 7th inning, and had the tying run on 2nd base but were unable to mount a rally in this game. (FxF, 4-3)
Just 4 minutes after Game#2 wrapped up, the third and deciding game of the series began at 6:45 PM as the Great Lawn prepared to host its second ESPN Classic-worthy ending in two nights. As the sun disappeared below the tree lines, the tired pitchers exchanged zeroes for the first two innings. For the third consecutive game, FxFowle struck first with a run in the 3rd inning and then another in the 4th for a 2-0 lead. The air was clearly coming out of the sails of the SLAM's #1 seed as those in attendance wondered where this vaunted HMA/RAMSA offense, which scored a league best 125 runs in the regular season, had gone. After cutting the lead to 2-1 in the 5th, FxF tacked on another key run in the 6th for a 3-1 lead as the game headed into the bottom of the 7th inning.
For their efforts in the regular season as the #1 seed, HMA/RAMSA had earned the right to home field advantage throughout the playoffs—and in this series it proved all the difference in the world. In what I can only describe as “shades of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series” the demons from a season ago were exorcised with a comeback rally for the ages. Like Game 6 for the Mets, HMA/RAMSA entered their final at bats down two runs.
Rightfielder Doug Neri, who led the team in hits for the regular season, began the inning with a double to left. After a groundball out to the shortstop by Eric Hofmann (which advanced the runner to 3rd), The Phantom Menace - looking to redeem himself for Monday night’s blunder - delivered a single up the middle. That hit was followed by a single to left by an admittedly exhausted David Solomon, who was given an all-important courtesy runner in Eric Hofmann. Rookie Mike Sargent proceeded to tie the game with yet another base hit to left field which brought runners on first and second in a tie game.
After a fly ball out to left field, Game One hero, Josh Barkan once again stepped into the batter’s box to channel his inner Mookie Wilson. From there, I cannot really tell you what happened as I was admittedly too sick to my stomach to watch. But I’m told Josh hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield, which was fielded and bobbled slightly by the shifted infield, causing a somewhat errant throw to first base which was dropped (or maybe brought the firstbaseman off the bag—I couldn’t see with a towel over my head). In any event as Josh hit first base and the umpire screamed “SAFE”, Eric Hofmann—who never stopped running from second base—screamed his way home to win the game on a ball that never left the infield. GAME OVER, SERIES OVER….HMA/RAMSA wins, 4-3 with 3 runs in the inning.
Thankfully there are no more permits available for this week as we all could use a little rest this Labor Day Weekend. But if The Slam Finals are anything like the Championship Series, do yourself a favor and come out and watch SSC and HMA/RAMSA battle next week.
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