6/13/2010 Swamp Frogs Win Back the Bucket
The Saginaw ‘Old Golds’ traveled to Sylvania last Sunday to defend the Tournament Cup they won in ’09. Game one was against a quality team of young studs from Alliance, Ohio. The ‘Golds’ defeated the Crossing Rails squad 4 to 0 with a shutout pitched by “Ducky” Mahan. “Lumberjack” Piersall brought his hitting shoes, going 3 for 3 w/ a double and hauled in everything in centerfield. “Slink” Spitz went 2 for 3 with a double and “Squints” McCauley ripped two singles. The outfield of “Britches” Dost, “Lumberjack” and rookie Joel “The Kid” “Burger King Apprentice” “Richard’s Mini-Me” (as in 17 year old grandson) Curry made every catch hit to them for all three games. The Crossing Rails captain said, The Saginaw team was as good as advertised. Richard “Professor” Curry who split the catching duties with “Sawdust” Tesch for the 1st two games made a rare putout (“Sawdust” made two). The player with the most putouts during the day won a plague-the “Professor came up 12 short to the winner of 13. The Saginaw catchers never had a base stolen on them all afternoon. “The Kid” made the last out, running into foul territory for a catch with two men on.
Base runner contest: The “Professor” was banned after the teams seen him running to 1st. They said, we couldn’t get all the games in by night fall if he participated. “The Kid” (wearing “Sawdust”’s led weighted cleats-didn’t help) & “Shorty” Short made around the bases in 18 plus seconds, the winner came across home plate in nearly 16 flat. The all time record is 14.9 seconds.
Game two was a dandy. The Golds won 2 to 1 over the Bonneyville Millers of Elkhart County, Indiana. For the year, Saginaw has now defeated teams from five different states. “Ducky” made a sensational catch running off the mound. The “Kid”, “Squints”, “Slink”, and “Britches” knocked out two hits each. “Shorty” made 3 putouts. Tesch knocked in the tying run in the 6th and Spitz put across the winning run with a line drive in the 7th for the victory.
Throwing Contest: The “Professor” took the lead (because he went first) with a throw of 110 feet which was soon beaten silly by everyone-surprisingly Richard followed that one up with a toss of 170 feet, which was believed by no one including the “Professor.” The winner went 265 feet. The best ever in the Frog’s 20 year tourney was 277 feet. Tom Mudd was in rare form with his on going oratory. The “Golden Rule” leveled more fines then a Tampa Judge on Dwight Gooden driving drunk over the Skyway Bridge. “Brute”, “Squints”, & the “Professor” parted with the most quarters. Game 3: “Brute” made the catch of the game, flying off of 3rd base for a leaping catch. Rick “Slink” Spitz got the game ball for his 7 total hits and awesome fielding at 1st base. Dost, & Short -had two each. “Lumberjack” had 6 outfield putouts. The “Golds” infield played well all day. The play of the game was made by the “Frogs” portly Mayor of Sylvania when he had a death grip on a thrown ball to tag out “Lumberjack” at home. Saginaw tied for 1st, but lost out to the Sylvania “Frogs” on run deferential. After Saginaw’s first eleven games they hold a record of 6 & 5.
Richard Curry
E-Mail: clarkson1883@yahoo.com.