Playoff Atmosphere

Rainouts.  Twice.  At two different times in the regular season the heavily anticipated match up between last year's championship teams was postponed due to rain.  So when TPG vs. RAMSA was rescheduled for the final game of their respective regular seasons, the league worried that one of the best games of the year would end up being meaningless.  But 2013 would not be such as season.  Even though the league already knew who the 6 playoff teams would be, not a single seed had been confirmed, and every one of the three games played on Great Lawn last night would have crucial postseason implications.

Great Lawn 4 saw SS take on GSA, needing a win and a RAMSA loss to clinch the #1 seed.  SS showed up to play and won easily 12-2.  In post game interviews, SS would admit to paying more attention to the sounds they heard coming from Great Lawn 3, the other field where RAMSA was embroiled in one of the toughest regular season double headers ever.

Before yesterday's games, RAMSA pitcher David "Bucket List" Solomon was quoted during an exclusive interview: "make no mistake about it, we will be out there for blood against KPF going for the win and run record".  David was referring to the history books that are embodied in the official league website.  Having allowed only 12 runs in 8 games this season, RAMSA needed to give up a total of 12 or fewer runs in their final two games to secure the single season record for runs allowed per game. Resting his arm for game 2, David Solomon sat back and watched his 3rd string pitcher shut down a potent KPF lineup, giving up only 3 runs, and winning the game 6-3.

All eyes would now be on RAMSA's game 2, the match up of the year vs TPG.  In what would be described by many people as a "playoff atmosphere", this game would not disappoint.  A sell-out crowd filled the seats as TPG fans came out to witness this event.  It turned out that this game would be audience participation night as TPG Fan Of The Year Marc "The Fan" Hoeflich lent his sneakers and jersey to DH Norman "Cricket" Ha who arrived at the game looking stylish in his jeans and boots, apparently expecting a photo shoot instead of a softball game.

Heading into the game, two records were at stake.  The RAMSA runs allowed per game record has already been mentioned.  But TPG had their sights set on a record as well.  If TPG scores at least two runs against RAMSA, they would be the new runs scored per game record holder.  If you have been paying attention, you would now be realizing that we had a bit of an epic confrontation.  The all time best defense was facing off against the all time best offense.  Who would prevail? Does defense and pitching really beat offense in SLAM softball?  We were about to find out.

A scoreless first inning set the pace, and made it clear from the start that this would not be an easy victory for either team.  RAMSA scored one unearned run in the second, and it was 1-0 at the end of two innings. Before we get carried away with the whole offense vs. defense thing, let's not underestimate RAMSA's ability to score runs as well.  In fact, when the day would end, RAMSA would find themselves as the #2 scoring team in the league.  With two more runs in the top of the 3rd, and their defense holding strong, RAMSA took a 3-0 lead heading into the 4th inning.  TPG held their own in the top of the fourth, and came to bat in the bottom of the inning needing 3 runs to tie the game.  Back to back singles by 3B Tony "Married to the Firm" Franzese and SS Tommy "Guns" Anderson, followed by a walk to EH Elliot "ET" Grochal, and TPG had a rally going with bases loaded and nobody out.

In the biggest at bat of the game so far, TPG RCF Ray "Big Ray" Dominguez blasted a shot to center field that had SAC fly written all over it.  Over the years RAMSA's outfield has been among the league's elite, so when a miscommunication caused Ray's ball to drop, two runs scored, and both benches were in shock.  1B Lynee "The Natural" Hastings ripped a SAC fly ball to LF, and the game was tied 3-3.  DH Norman Ha followed up with a single, reaching second on an unsuccessful RAMSA throw to 3rd trying to stop Ray from advancing with one out.  LCF Dave "Speedy" Beauchamp hit a clutch RBI ground out, and at the end of 4 innings played, TPG took their first lead of the game 4-3.

This lead would be short-lived, as RAMSA jumped right back with 3 runs in the 5th, and TPG came to bat in the bottom of the inning down by two runs.  Before the 2013 season started, David Solomon shared his bucket list with the SLAM Talk writing staff.  One of the items on the list is to make it through an entire SLAM season without walking TPG C Princess "Peanut" Salvacion.  Sorry Dave, but your bucket list item will have to wait another year.  Princess led off the 5th inning with a walk, and was followed immediately by a walk from 2B Omar "No Practice" Cevallos.  A SAC fly by Tony Franzese, followed by an RBI infield single from Tommy Anderson, and the crowd went wild with a tie game after 5 innings.

2 innings left to play.  TPG defense held RAMSA scoreless in the top of the 6th, and came to bat looking for blood.  Ray Dominguez started us off with a leadoff single, and then advanced to 2nd on a SAC fly.  For the second time this game Dave Beauchamp ripped a go ahead RBI, and TPG took a one run lead to the 7th inning.

The pressure was mounting.  Darkness was setting in.  Every ump from all of the other games at Great Lawn showed up to watch the last inning of this epic battle.  Scratching their way through the 7th, RAMSA came through big and tied the game, 7-7.  So it comes down to this.  Bottom of the 7th.  One run to win.  Princess Salvacion led off with her second walk of the game, followed by a single from Omar Cevallos, and TPG had two on and no one out.  An infield fly, and one out later TPG still had runners on first and second.  A long out to RCF by Tony Franzese and both runners advanced.  Two outs, runners on 2nd and 3rd, and last year's league MVP Tommy Anderson at the plate.  Shocking the crowd, David Solomon threw Tommy one strike, before four pitches that were nowhere near the strike zone.  Bases loaded, 2 outs, tied game.  And last year's pitcher of the year won the battle, getting a game ending ground out to 3rd.  Final score 7-7.  A tie game.  In the process 2 records were set.  RAMSA is now the modern era single season runs allowed per game record holder at 2.20.  TPG is now the modern era single season runs scored per game record holder at 12.30.

RAMSA will enter the playoffs as the #1 seed, playing the winner of the 4/5 series.  And TPG will be the #3 seed, with a first round series against either KPF or GA.

Game balls go to both no one and everyone at the same time.  This was truly a team effort on both sides of the field, and hat's off to RAMSA and TPG for one of the most exciting games you will ever see.

See you in the playoffs.

Championship Series Tied 1-1

TPG Architecture took the field last night for their first Championship appearance since 2002, and only the 2nd time in firm history.  The energy was in the air from the moment we all woke up, as the entire office was abuzz with the historic events of the evening.  Our opponent HMBA/RAMSA, had been here before, having won the last two league championships.  After an official ASA (American Softball Association) ruling that "Artificial Noisemakers" are not allowed, TPG had to change tactics for the crowd interaction during the finals.

So with the help of the world-class TPG Graphics Department and a digital camera, 3' tall posters were made of team Pitcher Derrick Blocker's face.  If there was ever a silent way to make noise, this was it.  The look on RAMSA Pitcher David Solomon's face when he first saw the posters was worth every square inch of mounted foam core.

Before the game started, we were honored to have TPG Managing Partner Jim "JD" Doherty throw out the first pitch.

Although TPG came pumped up and ready to make some noise, the first game got off to a very rocky start and never really recovered.  Reigning pitcher-of-the-year David Solomon got the first 7 TPG batters out, including spectacular defense by RAMSA SS Dan "had to ask him his name since we did not get a lineup card" Sykes, and outfielders 1-4 "never did find out their names" who caught everything within 2 city blocks of the field.  RAMSA scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back en route to a 9-2 blowout victory.  In fact, Game 1 happened so fast we found ourselves with time for a second game.  It would have been easy to give up on the day and play game 2 next week, but no one on team TPG wanted to spend the holiday weekend surrounded in gloom.

So at 6:35pm, TPG took the field for Game 2.  We had RAMSA just where we wanted, after winning two series in a row when giving up game 1 only to come back and win games 2 and 3.  When TPG got the last out of the 1st inning on a spectacular play at home by TPG Catcher Alison Hopke, we looked up at the scoreboard and saw a big 0 for RAMSA.  But this was the two-time champion after all, and RAMSA scored 2 in the second and 1 in the third to stake a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 4th.  TPG batted, and with hits by 3B Tony Franzese, SS Tommy Anderson, and LF Justin Aharoni, a rally was in place.  TPG 1B Lynee Hastings hit the game tying single, and the score was 3-3 after 4 innings of play.

RAMSA responded with 2 more runs in the top of the 5th, and the pressure mounted for TPG.  But we are a team who has overcome amazing odds all season long, and fight is in our vocabulary.  The 5th inning rally by TPG could go down in history as one of the greatest team moments.  With scrappy hitting, a walk to TPG Catcher Princess Salvacion, a SAC fly by RCF Omar Cevallos, and a walk to 3B Tony Franzese, SS Tommy Anderson came to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded, down 5-4.  The guy who has been clutch all season, Tommy, roped a bases clearing triple, and TPG led 7-5.

 The next batter was LF Justin Aharoni, and his RBI single was the 5th run in the inning, and the end of the game's scoring.  Stellar defense for two innings, and TPG won game 2 by the final score of 8-5.

More photos of Games 1 & 2 can be found at TPG Architecture's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.359764724099837.82951.159081227501522&type=1.  Photos are courtesy Vu Tran.

The deciding game 3 is scheduled for play on Wednesday, September 5th, at 5:30pm.  We hope to see you there.

TPG Wins Semi-Finals Game 1 vs SSC

TPG had not won a Semi-Finals game since 2002. SSC has won 4 championships since then. TPG and SSC squared off last night on Great Lawn 6 in Game 1 of the Semi-Finals. SSC Pitcher Scott Habjan was as good as any softball pitcher ever in our league last night, retiring the first 8 batters he faced, and striking out 3 of the first 5 TPG hitters.

But TPG held tough, and Pitcher Derrick Blocker responded with 3 shutout innings of his own. Alison Hopke coninued her bid for female MVP of the league by breaking up Scott's perfect game, and finishing with 2 hits (Alison has now reached safely in every game she started). The turning points of this game were TPG Catcher Princess' two walks (one for an RBI with the bases loaded), as she proved to be the only batter Scott had trouble with.

A defensive gem on both sides, the final score 6-3. Game 2 tonight on Great Lawn 2.

TPG Blasts into the Semi-Finals

Locked in, and ready to roll. TPG took the field for Game 2 in their best of three quarter finals against Gensler, 3-time champion over the past 7 seasons. TPG won game 1, and needed one more victory to insure a spot in the Semi-Finals. A double header was in the schedule, but only if Gensler could win game 2 and force a third game. Joe (Gensler's Pitcher) showed up early on the field to get in the heads of team TPG. Having just lost Game 1 at Hecksher, Joe let TPG know that "Hecksher's mound is wrong, and screws up my pitching angle. But Great Lawn however, now that's MY mound, so you all are in trouble".

TPG's lineup for Game 2 would be: Ray (2B), Omar C. (3B), Adam (EH), Tony (SS), Justin (LF), Mike (1B), Simon (DH), Omar B. (RCF), Alison H. (RF), David (LCF), Rebecca (C). Derrick took the mound again as pitcher for game 2.

Gensler scored 2 runs in the top of the first, and with Joe "My Mound" pitching for Gensler, we knew (or at least thought) that this game would be tougher than Game 1. But it is not easy to rattle the nerves of a team who as the 6 seed is just happy to be in the playoffs. Unfazed, TPG battled back for 3 in the bottom of the 1st.



The game was close for the first 4 innings, and Gensler scored two in the top of the 5th to tie the game 5-5. It looked like Game 2 was going to be an epic and come down to the last batter. And then TPG Shortstop and Series MVP Tony Franzese (2 HRs, 1 Triple, 8 RBIs in 2 games) blew the game open with a 2-run triple to kick start a 5 run 5th inning for TPG, a lead they would never relinquish.



Perhaps the funniest moment (for TPG at least), was in the 6th inning when Gensler decided to Intentionally Walk TPG's leadoff hitter to face former team MVP Omar "You don't do that to me" Cevallos with the bases loaded. Omar, in a burst of simultaneous anger and humor ripped the first pitch he saw for an RBI single to left, snarling at Gensler when he reached first base (see photo above). Two more runs for TPG, and the final score would stand at 12-5.

After the game, it was pie for Tony, and a ice water shower for Josh. Let the good times just keep on rolling. Next up, defending champions SSC in a best of 3 series in the semi-finals.

Socks (TPG vs. GA, Game 1)

One Word. Socks. With TPG in the playoffs for the first time in two years, the uniform altering tradition had to be kept intact (TPG has always modified their uniform in some way when they make the playoffs). This year it is Socks. Bright, royal blue, knee high socks.

The pressure was on Gensler, the 3 seed and overwhelming favorite going into this best of three series. TPG batted first and had bases loaded no outs with SS Tony Franzese coming to the plate. Grand Slam Home Run. 4-0, no outs, and the game had just begun.

TPG would pile up a total of 11 runs against a formidable Gensler defense, and it would be plenty as TPG went on to win game 1 with a final score of 11-6. This was TPG's first playoff win since 2004.

Game 2 is Monday at 5:15pm on Great Lawn, with Game 3 to follow if necessary.

TPG Clinches Playoff Spot with Win vs PCF

Some teams make the playoffs every year. TPG is not one of those teams. After an up and down season (3 straight wins followed by 5 straight losses), the stage was set for an epic TPG vs PCF battle on Hecksher 1 last night. Rain threatened all day, so no one expected to play. Even the ump showed up with an umbrella surprised by how good the fields looked. I guess it was meant to be...

TPG jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but PCF fought back to tie and ultimately went up 4-2. Things were getting tense. PCF players were throwing gloves in the air (after fly balls), and crashing into 2nd base (without sliding), but TPG just shook it off. A police helicopter buzzed overhead for the first few innings - either looking for a suspect, or because we bribed them to distract PCF.

Then the comeback started. Everyone got involved, even the manager's 19 month old son (who was hiding practice softballs under the bleachers). First it was tied, 4-4. Then 7-4. Then 10-4 and the route was on. When the final out was made, and a playoff birth in the books, it was PIE time. Game balls go to LCF David Beauchamp for successfully delivering a pie to the face of Manager Josh Ginsburg (see video below), and RCF Simon Yeung for bringing shots of "lucky special water" for the post game celebration.



Next up, TPG vs GA in round 1. Game On.

Down the Stretch they Come (TPG vs. PEA)

With 5 consecutive losses going into last night's game, the once-promising season was on the brink for team TPG. Was it the rainouts, poor league scheduling, or just simply bad playing? Feeling the pressure, team TPG came to play last night against PEA. Former team MVP Omar "No Practice" Cevallos made his return to the lineup for the first time since April, and played a sensational 3B getting the first 5 outs of the game.



The TPG offense finally showed their stuff ripping off 4 runs in the 1st inning to stake a lead they would never give up. Newcomer Ray "Sparky" Dominguez played SS, led off the game with a hit, and seemed to spend the whole game speeding around the bases. The final score was 7-4, as TPG beat PEA.

5 of the 6 playoff teams are already decided (although the final seeding is still up for grabs): RAMSA, SSC, PCF, GA, and FXF.

The 6th and final spot is between TPG, MGA, and EA, and it looks like it may come down to the last week of the season. TPG is in the driver seat as the only team left who controls their own destiny (TPG beat both MGA and EA during the season). Two wins by TPG against PCF (Thursday) and GSA (Next Monday) clinch the 6th seed. TPG also gets in with one win and an MGA loss (MGA has two games left - GSA and SSC). MGA gets in with two wins and a TPG loss. EA is the long shot getting in with two losses by both TPG and MGA.

A lot is riding on these games for the other teams as well. If TPG beats PCF on Thursday, GA becomes the 3 seed, moving FXF up to 4, and PCF down to 5. A win by PCF gives them the 3 seed, and GA/FXF remain at 4/5 respectively. SSC's loss yesterday to EA put RAMSA back in the fast track for the 1 seed - provided they can pull off a victory in the final game of the season against arch-nemesis KPF. SSC will need a victory against MGA and a loss by RAMSA to reclaim the 1 seed.

Could this be the first year in recent memory that the 6th seed has a below .500 record? Will TPG keep the momentum and return to the post-season for the first time since 2008? Will MGA reach the post-season for the first time in team history? Will an epic collapse by both TPG and MGA boost EA into the playoffs? Stay tuned.

PLAYOFF TEAMS ESTABLISHED...

Polshek's (PP) 13-2 win over RRA/DBB last night gave them a final record of 6-5 and locked them into the 6th and final playoff position. (Despite the possibility of also finishing 6-5, both KPF and TPG have been eliminated since they lost their head-to-head match ups with PP.)

The other five playoff teams (HM/RAMSA, SSC, GA, FXF, PCF/HH) will now be jockeying for playoff positioning. HM/RAMSA can secure the #1 seed by winning one of their final two games, however seeds #2 thru #5 are up for grabs. It should be interesting to see how it plays out.

Congrats to all the playoff teams. We will begin scheduling playoff games as soon as the seedings are established.

2009 Playoff Format

The official word is in from the "Executive Committee", and this year will see a 6-team playoff regardless of record. Per the email from our esteemed Commissioner:

• The top six (6) teams make the playoffs (regardless of whether or not they have a .500 record)
• Usual tie-breaker rules still apply (head-to-head; run ratio)
• The top two (2) seeds will receive 1st-Round byes.
• Seeds 3 thru 6 (3 vs. 6; 4 vs. 5) will play a best-of-three series.
• Semi-Finals (1 vs. 4/5 winner; 2 vs. 3/6 winner) will be best-of-three series.
  
• Finals will be best-of-three series.
• Highest Seed gets choice of home/away for games #1 and #3.
• All playoff games to be full 7-innings (Note: Regular season games to be official after 4 full innings).
  

The good news is that all playoff games are now a best of three series. The bad news is if you finish in 7th due to a run ratio tie-breaker (which would have kept one of last year's two finalists, FXF, out of the playoffs). Season Starts Monday!