Tales from the Doug Out: July 27th, 2017

Sometimes I will sit and go though the scorebook after a game and wonder ‘ Where did we go wrong?’ Such was the case after the Sox game against the St Albert Cardinals, a round robin provincial game the bantam boys  played in Beaumont this past Saturday. It wasn’t the fact that the Sox got hammered and lost,  it was the fact that they lost after coming from behind and tying a game only to lose it at the bottom of the 7th.  St. Albert had a good pitcher and maybe that’s why the Sox couldn’t get on base or manufacture any runs. Even the top five in the line up, guys you count on every week,  struggled with this greasy guy.

Greasy is a good name for him, seemed like he liked to lick his fingers a lot even when he was on the rubber and was warned by the umpire about it, but was very sneaky after that and the boys still figured he was throwing a slim ball, although we never were able to prove it. It’s a good excuse anyway, because they needed one. The truth is maybe the boys just never got to bed early enough Friday night chasing Pokémon around or their girl friends and that lack of sleep was the cause ?

Dalton ‘007’ Reed with a single in the second drove in a run, and the team leading batter with an incredible .656 batting average, the 26 RBI guy Dustyn ‘ Dust Pan’ Pankiw with a triple bringing in one were the only hits up to this point. The boys were down 6 to 2 right up until the top of the seventh when the Cardinals  had to make a pitching change, of course so did the Sox, their starter Corbin ‘ Crusher’ Ockerman max out at 90 pitches.  ‘ Crusher’  who has a .431 batting average , Cody’ the Babe’ Fairbairn and Thomas’ Tom Cat’ Knox with back to back to back singles in the top of the 7th off their reliever, pushed 4 runs across the plate to tie the ball game at 6 all, giving the boys some hope. Bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and two out the Sox would walk in the winning run. Should have never got to that point but in baseball anything can happen and it usually does, sometimes in your favor and sometimes not!

The second game of the day the Sox easily defeated Ookatoks but it was a great opportunity to get some pitchers into the game who haven’t chucked a lot of ball this year. Catcher ‘ Kaiden ‘ K Rock’ Evans Anderson behind the mask calling the signals, pitchers  Brayden’ Magnet’ Fairbairn, Graham ‘ Uncle Cracker’ Broda, Grady ‘ Gravy Train’ Frazer and Thomas ‘ Tom Cat’ Knox all seeing some action in this one, and it was a good thing for the coaching staff to see them before the big show.

Coming up this weekend the Sox are hosting the AA Tier 4  Provincial Finals, the World Series of Minor Ball,  starting at 3pm of Friday when the Sox will meet Wainwright. The Sox won three games and lost one against Wainwright this season. Opening ceremonies will be right after the game at 6pm when the teams will parade onto the field and Mr. Lavern Wilson will have the honor throwing out the opening pitch after the speeches and O Canada sung by my very own grand-daughter Heaven Cobourne.  Then on Saturday the Sox play back to back, the first one against St. Albert Cardinals at noon , the same team they lost to on Saturday by one run, the only time that these two teams have met this year and then the Beaumont Bo Sox at 3pm, a team the Sox defeated twice and lost to once.  The gold medal final game scheduled for Sunday at noon. Any tie breaking games will be Sunday morning before the final. Looking for something to do, come on down to the ball park, have a hot dog or burger and a pop, we even  have peanuts and spits; and watch your Boys of Summer….Sox it to them!!

And now for the K.A. Campbell quote of the week. ‘ Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.’ -Babe Ruth.