Living The Dream

The Dramatic Knee Jerk

by Andrew Brooks

dramatic  (drəˈmætɪk)  — adj  

1. of or relating to drama 

 2. like a drama in suddenness, emotional impact, etc  

3. striking; effective  

4. acting or performed in a flamboyant way

 5. music  (of a voice) powerful and marked by histrionic quality

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A few weeks ago I, like millions of college aged dudes do, popped myself on the couch, cracked open a Coke, and enjoyed the marquee sports program of our generation. There are few things more holy in my life than the hour I get every or every other day to take in Sportscenter and all it has to offer. One of the man-laws that my roommates and I have created is that no matter what you are doing, if the Sportscenter Top-10 comes on, you drop it, and give the television your full and undivided attention. You could be on the phone with your girlfriend, your boss, or the president, it doesn’t matter. Whatever you are talking about can wait, reverence needs to be shown (I’m sure my parents are just so proud of me right now).

So the Top 10 goes on, it’s the usual array of web gems, buzzer beaters, and international soccer goals. It gave me my fix.

They then begin a montage of all time dramatic plays. And what’s better than one Top Ten? Two Top Tens!!! A special edition of Top 10 Most Dramatic Plays in Sports History. Let me repeat that. In Sports History. Ever. As is, in the history of the universe. Who doesn’t love sporting theatrics? I mean, the rush of the moment, the seemingly drug induced reaction of the announcers, the crowd volume immediately growing to exponential levels; we as sports fan hope and dream that if we can’t witness these moments in person, that we can be around a television with our best of friends and celebrate like a herd of intoxicated apes.

So I’m stoked, and the top ten goes like this…

Wait a minute… what? Huh? The US Womens header in a QUARTER-final game was a more dramatic play than Bill Buckner damning the Red Sox and propelling their fans into uncharted territories as far as the “Oh my, God hates my team” feeling goes? It was more theatrical then Kirk Gibson hitting a walk off home run on virtually one leg? And people, the Stanford Band Play isn’t even on this list!? What galaxy did I wake up in? I felt robbed, not because I have anything against women’s soccer. Not one bit. I definitely caught the patriot football fever and watched every minute that I could. And yeah, that play was dramatic, extra time in a World Cup game, down a player, I mean, sure, maybe it’s in the top 100 ever. But Top 10? No shot. I felt like all the other all time great plays were being disrespected. I was legitimately angry. So I did what every angry teenage sports loving guy does now, I took to twitter, found my closest soccer guru friend @JDiddyGold and argued it to the death.

(If you want the full dialogue, go follow me @war7eagle and just watch me and J-Money go back and forth about it. Don’t you just love our culture now?)

I’ve wanted to write this post up as soon as I saw the list. I felt like this list was the ultimate knee jerk reaction. I mean, woah, we are talking about the pantheon of sports plays here. But we had to see how the rest of the tournament played out. See what the moment meant towards the team’s final goal. And turns out, Japan had an even more dramatic set of plays in the finals. They came back twice! And the second time being in extra overtime! So if you believe in this list, then your basic logic needs to be that two of the ten most dramatic plays in sports history happened within a week of each other….. hmmm. So I waited a bit to write this, I didn’t want to become what I was accusing. I didn’t want to come to a conclusion after thinking it through and letting the dust settle from the admirable run from our girls. And let’s face it, we’ve already moved on. We’re not talking about the game a week later. It was great while it lasted, but the sad truth is, if you can’t win it all, it all gets remembered as “what could have been.”

So it got me thinking, what is my personal Top Ten Most Dramatic Sports Plays of All-Time? And I realized that there is no way that all fans across sports could come up with an agreeable consensus. We all like some sports more than others. No matter how hard we try we can’t ever completely be objective when it comes to plays we saw live compared to plays that happened years before we were born. There are such a multitude of plays to chose from that they all rank about the same level as far as dramatics go, and the factors that determine the what puts some plays over others fluctuates from fan to fan.

These are some of the factors I used to make my list…

1. The play itself, how crazy and how unscripted did the moment get. How many random crazy thoughts collided in the heads of fans while the play was happening? And did my brain fade to white during the climax?

2. How fast is my heart beating while I’m watching the play?

3. The stage has to matter at least a little bit, if nothing else because it increases the pressure of the moment depending on the magnitude of the game.

4. The announcer reaction. Do they, the professionals who are trained to keep their cool, lose themselves in the moment?

5. Lifespan. How long are my friends and I going to reminisce and go through mental photographs of the night we all saw this play for the first time?

Now, I’ve got some Philly and Auburn plays I want to put in here, but I’ll hold off to ensure objectivity. Here it goes…

10. The River City Relay

This is a play you watch and just say “oh, no…. nonononononononOOOOOOOOOONNOOOOOOOOOOOOO.” I think God giving Drew Brees a brand new arm when he came over from the Chargers is His apology to Saints fans for this play. This play needs to shown as an honorable mention as far as gut wrenching dramatics.

9. Division Three Royalty

If this play happens in Superbowl, the discussion ends forever. This is in my opinion the single best play of the bunch. The stage is just far too small for it to be in the top 5. How great is that announcer by the way? Can he announce the birth of my children please?

8. Helmet Catch

Sorry Pat’s fans, I had too. Tyree caught a oblong object on a circular helmet during the orchestration of a game winning Superbowl drive. Credit deserved. Credit due.

7. It’s Miller Time

I’m not a basketball guy at all, but look at the stands!!! The Knciks fans had evacuated because they were positive the game was in their back pocket. Incredible indivual effort. it should be mentioned that Tracy McGrady (remember him) had 13 points in 37 seconds during a playoff game. I mean, this deserves honorable mention.

6. HE DID IT!!! HE DID IT!!! FLUTIE DID IT!!!

And the college football portion of the list begins. This play is golden. How it didn’t make ESPN’s list is beyond me.

5. The Bluegrass Miracle

The visual here couldn’t be crazier. The field is complete swarmed with Cat fans who storm the field anyway. This also was the official beginning of a long string of dramatic plays by LSU over the past decade. The Tigers could have their very own dramatic top 10 if they wanted to. Here is a taste…

There are literally 10 more plays I can think of that LSU pulled out of nowhere. I also don’t know how to accurately describe LSU fans to Cape Codders… Let’s just say the words “drunk” and “belligerent” are are nice adjectives to describe them.

4. Poolside Miracle

I bet if you try, you can all remember where you were when this happened. A telling mark of an all time dramatic play.

3. This One’s For The Little Guy

Let’s do this chronologically. 1. David vs. Goliath. 2. BCS Bowl 3. Hook and Ladder. 4. Statue of Liberty for the Win. 5. Marriage Proposal. This play is money in the bank. No clue how this wasn’t on the original list.

2. Icon

These plays became the icon of their respective sports. That needs to be taken into major consideration. Bobby Orr flying through the air will never die.

1. The Play

This is my favorite in the history of sports. It will never get more zany that this. And Joe Starky sets the standard for play by play freak outs with his “THE BEARS HAVE WON!!!! OH MY GOD!! THE MOST AMAZING, SENSATIONAL…etc.”

My homer picks…

So that’s my list. Please disagree with it, that’s the beauty of sports talk. We can debate for hours, love it, and make zero progress in the process. Send me your most dramatic plays in the “Ask me Anything” section.

On the Kettleer’s side of things, we are traveling to Y-D at 5 o’clock. Come say hi, that’s my favorite part about this gig is meeting the fans. See you there.

Thanks Richard. I’m glad you enjoyed it

The Best of the Best

By: Evan Barber

As I was watching the ESYPS (ESPN’s version of the Oscars) last night I was thinking, ‘the Cape League should have a big award show like this’. I started to brainstorm some categories and I figure this could be a pretty good show. Since I don’t have the funds to rent out the Nokia Theatre, or fly everyone out to LA for the night I figured that my first annual Codders (yeah that’s my name for the award ceremony) would have to be on a bit of a smaller scale. So here they are, my first annual Codder mid-season Awards.

Best Interns- Ok, isn’t this one a little obvious? Best interns in the Cape has to go to the lovely interns of the Cotuit Kettleers. I know this is a little biased because I am one but we are at every home game an hour and a half early working make every fans experience a good one. Also, I’ve never heard a single complaint, every kid loves what we’re doing at Lowell Park.

Runner up- Bourne. The Bourne interns share the same love for their work as us Cotuit interns. They start chants late in the game and everything. They even travel better than any intern crew I’ve seen, about 10 of them came to a game in Cotuit, I was very impressed.

Best Stadium- Now I must apologize to Chatham because I haven’t been there yet because our game got postponed due to rain, but I hear its beautiful. I have to give this one to Lowell Park. Everything from the beautiful press box to the well-kept field is above the rest. Not to mention it is the only park in the League with a radar gun visible to fans which really enhances a baseball experience.

Runner up- Hyannis. Hyannis has one of the prettiest parks on the Cape. The diamond dust has a perfect color for baseball. It has the cool air feel because you are steps from the ferry and the VIP box is second to none. I went up there before one of the games and those people are really living the high life.

Most Likely to Surprise fans- Falmouth. The Commodores have already done some surprising this season. They started off 0-7 and got extremely hot. They have a lot of talent and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do some damage deep in the playoffs.

Runner up-Chatham. The Anglers are in last in the East but I doubt they’ll miss the playoffs. John Schiffner is the Cape League’s all time leader in wins and I know he has something cooking with his team. In the opening day game that I saw them play in they looked solid and I just can’t see Schiffner missing the big dance.

Best Hot Dog- The Kettleers Kitchen. If you haven’t had a hot dog at Lowell Park you have no idea what you’re missing. The butter toasted buns combined with the perfectly cooked hot dog creates a taste that will keep you coming back for more. If you like hot dogs in the least bit make sure next time you’re at Lowell Park you treat yourself to one of these beauties, you wont regret it.

Runner up- Bourne. Bourne does the same deal with the butter toasted buns, but it isn’t quite perfected as the ones in Cotuit. Bourne is just a slight cut below Cotuit but if you’re not in Cotuit make sure to stop by the snack bar in Bourne for a dog they’re pretty awesome.

Best Atmosphere- Lowell Park has the best atmosphere. Almost every game is packed in the home bleachers and around behind home plate. All of Cotuit supports the Kettleers, it is unparrelled across the Cape. Where else does ‘Have a Hit’ echo through the air? Oh yeah no where. The Kettleer Kitchen has the best chowder on cape so don’t miss that either.

Runner up- Yarmouth-Dennis. I mean it makes a lot of sense what cape vacationers wouldn’t want to go to a free Red Sox game? The fans there were electric and the pa announcer had the deepest Boston accents of all the Cape announcers. While you’re enjoying a game in Y-D make sure to grab a hurler Y-D’s famous cheeseburger between a jelly doughnut, it comes highly recommended from our broadcaster Zach Warren.

Best Team- Harwich. Yeah I know they’re trialing Brewster by three points but trust me these guys can play. I compare them to my Bruins, they don’t have any superstars but they know how to put everything together on game day, and they can perform in the clutch. They have an attitude amongst them that is to always push each other to win. During games they are extremely supportive of each other, this kind of attitude goes very underrated especially in a league like this. The Mariners are my pick to come out of the East.

Runners up- This one is a tie between the two division leaders, Brewster and Hyannis. Both teams have consistently strung wins together, I guess that’s why they’re at the top of their respective divisions. Even though I would pick Harwich over Brewster in the East if it ended up being a Hyannis Harwich final I can almost guarantee a 3 game dogfight.

Best Moment- Best moment this year goes to Cotuit’s Alex Yarbrough and Torston Boss when the combined for a walk off win in the bottom of the 11th in Cotuit. With Boss on 1st and the sun below the tree line Yarbrough stepped to the dish just hoping to get on base, he did way more than that. Yarbrough ripped a liner to right and Boss took off when he saw it going towards the corner. Boss beat the throw to the plate and the Kettleers walked away with a win. Just listen.

Runner up- Adam Walker. In all the games I’ve seen so far Walker has hit the farthest home run. Walker stepped to the dish and launched one deep into the trees in left. Walker’s home run was Major League worthy and showed signs that he himself may be major league worthy.

Next Big Leaguer- Bobby Wahl. I mean is there any argument? Bobby dominates the 9th inning every time he comes in. He has a big league approach and he is a strike out closer. Trust me with in the next few years Bobby Wahl will be a house hold name as one of the league’s top closers.

Runner up- Victor Roache. I know what your thinking two Kettleers? Sorry but this kid is playing out of his mind. He leads the Cape league in average with .390, RBI with 24, and trails by just one in home runs with 5. That’s two home runs away from the triple crown! Not to mention that he also leads the league in walks with 21, OBP with .523 and in SLG with .646. Now those are some numbers at the plate, its rare to go to a Cotuit game and not see Victor Roache on base at some point in the game. 

Best Pitcher- Scott Firth. Firth has pitched beautifully for the Harbor Hawks and currently has one of the best ERA’s on the Cape. He’s only 2-0 but the Harbor Hawks have won all 5 games he’s started. Firth has also sat down 21 men by way of the K.

Runner up- Ryan Eades. How can a guy with a .68 ERA through 26 1/3 innings pitched not be mentioned. Eades is 3-0 in 5 starts for the Braves with 18 strike outs. He has pitched dominantly for Bourne.

Best Hitter- When you read the words ‘best hitter’ I hope the first thing you thought was Roache. I mean I can list his stats again but why don’t you just peek back up to runner-up in the ‘Next Big Leaguer’ category if you need to be reminded of his monster numbers again. But just in case you forgot two homers from the triple crown.

Runner up- Adam Walker. Walker’s runner-up for best moment was just a sample of what he can do. If you ever get a chance to watch Adam Walker take BP just watch how smooth his swing is. Even though his batting average is just .270 he hits the ball so well. Walker has hit three balls out of the park including his majestic shot I was fortunate enough to see in Cotuit. Walker’s swing is mesmerizing a and he is another guy that has great potential to play in the Big Leagues.

So there they are my mid-season awards. Disagree? Agree? Let me know who you think should be recieving a mid-season award.

Running Diary Of Hyannis Game 7-9-11

By Andrew Brooks

Warning: When this first goes up, it will be very much unedited.

4:47 : Sitting just to the left of home plate sitting with Evan, and scouts from the Orioles and the Nationals. We are about 15 minutes from first pitch. This game against Hyannis has the potential to be a swing game. Cotuit is just beginning to show symptoms of some serious momentum. If there was ever a team that didn’t want an extra day off, it was the Kettleers, but hey, that’s baseball.

4:51 : The enticing voice of Roy Reese is reading off the starting line ups.

Three Cotuit players, (Kevin Mager, Victor Roache, and Kendall Graveman) were just playing baseball charades. Mager was the batter, Roache the catcher, and Kendall Graveman was acting as an umpire with an over the top strike out hand motion. The pitcher… a ball boy naturally. Gotta love the Cape.

4:54 National anthem time…

4:57 This game is crucial, Cotuit is still on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, but tonight is a nice chance to knock off a top dog in Hyannis and get some much needed confidence going into a bunch of road games. 

5:00 First pitch, well, not the way Cotuit starter Kyle Zimmer wanted to start. He hucked the ball a bit to much inside and caught the jersey of Eric Stamets. Roberts already on the mound. Is that bullpen game music I’m hearing?

5:02 Zimmer can’t find the strike zone. It’s been about a week since his last start, maybe needs an inning to shed the rust. Fastball ranging from 91-94 according to the Nationals scout.

5:05 Stamets swipes second on a high throw from KRT (Kevin Roundtree). Giving Kevin Plaweki a bloop hit just fair down the right field line gving Hyannis the early 1-0. Rut roh.

5:08 My dad just called me to let me know that Cliff Lee hit a home run. I get maybe… 10 calls from my dad every six months. And that’s fine, that’s just how we are. I love how about half of those phone calls are Phillies / Eagles related. This is why I am the way I am.

Zimmer gets out to the inning by exclusively throwing 94 MPH fastballs. If it aints broke…

5:15 Roache walks, Vick bloops one into shallow right center, and Krasten (Krey Brasten) lays down a sacrifice bunt to get them into scoring position. And boom, small ball pays off. Mike Yastrzemski has the same exact hit that he has had in his short stay on the Cape. A ground in between first and second to score the runners. 2-1 good guys. Small ball baby. Ryon Healy grounds to short to end the inning.

This game has got the feeling of a game that goes back on fourth for a few innings, and then settles down till about the eighth when things get frisky. Very similar feel to our game against Orleans on Wednesday.

5:25 1-2-3 inning for Zim. Living off the fastball. Needs to do a better job disguising the change up.

5:26 The trivia question here at Lowell park is : Three Red Sox have hit two homeruns in the same inning, can you name two of them?

These questions tend to be pretty tricky. Probably one obvious one like Ted Williams or Babe Ruth and then two other guys no one has ever heard of.

It should be noted that today Derek Jeter went 5 for 5 and got his 3,00th hit on a homerun that tied the game at one. That’s ok I guess. Way to do it in style bro. Congrats to one of two Yankees (Rivera) that I never hated. Much respect.

5:30 Cal Towey (Great baseball name) reaches first base on an error. The Achilles heel for Cotuit all year. Poor flip to first by Healy. Towey gets under the tag and steals second. Really fine throw down to second by KRT.

5:35 Stamens has another hit that hangs up there just enough for Krey to make a run from center to try for it, but just far enough for Krey to think twice about laying out. It was the “I think she likes me” of singles. Gives you a tiny bit of hope, but always ends in disappointment.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Hyannis has runners on the corners with no out in the bottom of the third. Zimmer gets Rickard to swing and miss for the first out of the inning. Curve ball was so pretty that Kevin Plawecki admired it as it went by the strike zone for the third out. Zimmer works out of a huge jam with that one.

5:45 “Here come the Kettles!” Al Blanchette is walking around with his 4-9 year old minions to collect donations from the crowd. Al is a master. Blends jokes with personalized banter while rhythmically singing out “HERE COME THE KETTLES.” If Cotuit was Triple-A for “Get Your Peanuts Here!”, Al would be getting called up any day now. I think he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. The Roberto Clemente of refreshment salesman.

5:49 It’s deja vu time. Krasten up with Roache on second and Vick on first. Drag bunt? No, hmm, pop fly to center. Where are the fans complaining about a lack of small ball? But Yaz bucks his trend of grounders to right and replaces it with a fly ball to left that falls in for a double scoring Roache and getting Vick to thrid. 3rd RBI of the day. There is just something about having a Yastrzemski in the line up that makes Cotuit fans feel patriotic. Yastrzemski. Ford Trucks. America. War Eagle. Cam Newton. Lee Zeimba’s facial hair.(Yes, I’m shamelessly dropping Auburn references).

3-1 Cotuit going into the 4th.

5:57 Orioles scout explains to me that if bunters would turn their back foot towards the pitcher when trying to lay one down, the success rate of getting a hit would be a lot higher. Neither team is doing this. Have I mentioned I love my internship.

6:00 Bad news for Zimmer, he gives up hits to Adam Walker and Joey Demichele and then they get hit home by a Zach Vinej laser. 3’s. Roberts visiting the mound.

6:05 Towey looks at strike 3. The umpire gave basically gave him a wave goodbye to the dugout. Hyannis and Cotuit have two different styles when it comes to arguing balls and strikes. Hyannis is the polite and traditional walk down to first, get rung up, politely tell the umpire it was a ball, and then a somber stroll back to the dugout. Cotuit doesn’t give a lick. Both Mike Roberts and Ryon Healy chirp a lot. Yet, in all the years I’ve been watching baseball, the ump has never been like “You know what skip, you were right, that ball was outside. My bad, wanna go out for brews after?” Same result for 100s of years.

6:10 Much needed three up, three down inning for Hyannis starter the Dean McArdle (Stanford). The tree (top three mascot in college athletics) has pitched pretty well through four. Needed that inning to show he can possibly go seven.

6:13 Dan Gulbransen kills a stand up double towards the scoreboard in left. That may be it for Zim. Yep, sure enough Roberts takes a look to the bullpen and walks to the mound. Not the best day for Zimmer. 4 1/3 innings, 6 H’s, 5 K’s, no BB’s, and one left on. One run was unearned.

6:21 Had to make a drink run. While I was gone Adam Walker dug out an infield single to score Gulbransen. 4-3 Hyannis. The new pitcher is Caleb Fleck out of University of Pittsburg - Johnstown.

6:23 Joey DeMichelle (Top 5 baseball name on the Cape so far. Makes it to the final 12 in American Idol for sure) screams one up the middle to put runners on the corners. Man. Hyannis is just good. They’ve been able to put about 2-3 innings like this per game, and that’s whey they are in first. Speaking of that. Chad Krist kills a pitch that goes to the wall under the scoreboard in left scoring two more. The throw to third gets airmailed, and he tries for home, but he is sucking wind, so he is gunned down by a solid 5 feet. Damage done. 6-3 Hyannis.

6:28 The answers to the trivia question was Bill Reagen, Nomar Garciaparra, and Ellis Burke. Did I have that, or did I have that?

6:30 Hyannis shows really sound defense by Walker getting the Yarbrough grounder and flipping to the covering McArdle. Defense wins championships, just ask Auburn. (Haha)

By the way, I met Alex Yarbrough’s parents before the game. Good people. From Dallas, real friendly southern folk. Seems like the kid comes from a good home. I for one believe that goes a long way into the development of a player. Derek Jeter being the prime example. Not to mention they said “Hey, are you the Living the Dream guy?” Hoddy Toddy Mr. and Mrs. Yarbrough. Hoddy Toddy.

6:37 Correction, unbeknownst to the Kettleer trivia makers, David Ortiz also hit two homeruns in one inning. In a related story, 2 winners were announced. Oops. “Fact checker” is going to become a new intern position next year.

6:43 Kevin Mager up with bases juiced down by three. Time for him to channel his inner Travis Hafner. Check that, Torsten Boss (The Brandon Belt of Cape Cod baseball league names) pinch hitting for Kevin Mager.

6:47 Wow. The .147 hitting Torsten Boss smashes a ball to deep right field that Towey can’t track. With two outs and the runners going all three runs score. There is no universe where the sensible move is to sub a .321 hitting Kevin Mager for the season slumping Torsten Boss. Ain’t baseball great? 6’s going into the 7th.

6:51 Kevin Ziomek now pitching for Cotuit. Surprising move considering he did a nice job auditioning for a spot in the rotation against Bourne. He does work though, striking out the 3 and 4 hitters for Hyannis.

7:05 Krasten gets on with a single. Yaz up with one on two out. Pitching change for Hyannis. Corey Roberts really was blowing the game for Hyannis. Dietrich Enns now in for Hyannis. Yaz grounds out. As we go to the eighth, 6-6 game.

7:11 DeMichelle leads off with a single past the diving Vick. I’ve seen Vick dive more times than European soccer players. Which by the way, I can’t stand when soccer divas take dives. I believe it is the absolute lowest form of sportsmanship and the fact that it is accepted as part of the game is a farce and I won’t take international soccer seriously until it’s gone. In related news, I love this commercial.

7:16 It’s Bobby Wahl time. I can’t say I’m crazy about using him in this non save situation and a man on second. But I’m thinking more of a fan “preserve perfection” stand point. Krist lays down a sac bunt getting DeMichele to third. Bobby really needs to tap into his “screw it, I’m just going to strike you out” mode. He does so successfully against Zach Vinej. Cal Towey up with DeMichele on third and two outs. Wahl has open bases to work with. If it’s me on the hill, I’m trhwoing a slider, get him fooled. But I’m not Bobby Wahl. And on that note, he blows a 96 MPH fastball past Towey for the third out. Boom. Roasted. That’s a major league man right there.

7:22 Kendall Graveman coming in for Cotuit after a 1-2-3 bottom of the eight. Leadoff hitter grounds out to Vick, Rickard up now. Great dig by Vick, coming in on a slow roller and playing it on a tough hop. Good to see him making consistent throws to first. Gulbransen grounds out to first. Whew. And we go to the bottom on the ninth knotted at 6.

7:34 Torsten Boss with a lead off double. In honor of Michigan State. THIS! IS! SPARTA!!! A 2 strike bunt attempt goes foul by Yarbrough. One out. The Harborhawks will smartly give Roache the free pass down to first. Logan Vick with a chance to be a hero. Vick flies out in foul territory. Two outs. It all comes down to Krasten. Aaaaand he grounds out to 2nd.

7:41 And we have free baseball… well, more free than it already is. Top 10 here with Plawecki, Walker, and DeMichele, due up. Graveman will go up against the heart of the order again. Plawecki works a full count, and then walks. Pinch running for Hyannis is…. not sure, not on the roster, and not announced at the game. Walker hits a mile high pop fly to center. Gravemen throws over about 42 times to first. Second pitch to the plate the runner is going, and he is freaking fast. Swipes second successfully. Oh, ho ho, KRT puts hims arm out like he is asking for an intentional walk, and then Gravemen throws it down the middle and get DeMichele to swing through it for a K. Pulling a fast one. Looks like they are going to intentionally walk Krist. Zach Vincej with a chance for the Harborhawks with 2 on 2 outs. Grounds out to second, Gravemen gives a Jordan-ian fist pump, Roberts yells a sports Hollywood “C’mon! Let’s Go!”. All we need is an 80’s montage.

7:52 : Bottom 10th, 13 minutes of battery left. The suspense is palpable. Yaz leading off.

“AMERICA!!!”

“Did you yell America when you put your foot on the accelerator?”

“Nope.”

Anyway, Yaz up. Grounds one off the pitchers glove, and the shortstop Stamets makes a fantastic play to get him at first. Healy also grounds out to short. Kevin Roundtree up with two outs. He is playing off the Bill Simmons theory of “a roll player will be the one to come up in the big moment.” Quickly 0-2. And in completely undramatic fasion, he grounds out to second. I think that’ll be the game…. or…. well… um…. and we are playing. Battery is going to run out. Let’s go to the phone for the rest of the post.

8:05 : And here we are in the 11th. Towey grounds to short. It looks like they are counting on a quick inning and hopefully now picking this game up later. Stamens gets some chin music. Grounds into a very nice play at second by Yarbrough.

8:06 and play is stopped because Gravemen’s jersey is untucked. Seriously? What is this? Sacred Heart High School?

8:08 Rickard works a walk, and then Gulbransen pokes one into shallow right. And Palweki hits one to right, Gassman makes the mistake of sending Rickard as Yaz guns him down. We go to the bottom of the 11th.

8:11 Wren now in. Less than 1% chance of a walk off homer by him, pure contact guy. Wow, Enns just hucks a high fastball past the flailing Wren. Boss time. Blasts a single to right. His confidence could not be higher.

8:14 YARBROUGH WITH THE WALK OFF DOUBLE!!!! TORSTEN BOSS COME’S AROUND TO SCORE!

7-6 final in 11.

(Ok, so maybe not quite that dramatic, but for Cape League baseball, this is about our closest parallel.)

Solid switch hitter, get’s on base, has the ability to send one out occasionally. Nice range at second base. Fits in with Coach Robert’s system. A very appropriate fit for the Kettleers.

The Shoe’s Of Mike Roberts…

Let’s have some healthy baseball talk. To all the Kettleer faithful, let’s get your opinions in.

I don’t think we have had the same line up twice this year. I really don’t. I mean, when the offense was sputtering and we were still trying to find the right positions for everybody. It’s natural for Coach Roberts to want to try a bunch of different things. And now that we have most of our permanent players here, I ask you, who would your line up be? Take a moment, fill out your little line up card, and let me know.

Here’s mine…

1. Alex Yarbrough 2B

2. Krey Brasten CF

3. Victor Roache DH

4. Logan Vick 3B

5. Ryon Healy 1B

6. Mike Yastrzemski RF

7. Stefan Sabol C

8. Kevin Mager SS (This may change when Marrero gets here)

9. Kyle Wren LF

… and here’s why.

Yarbs has fit in nicely in the leadoff role. Get’s on base, offers some power, has the ability to swipe a bag. Something tells me that is important to Coach Roberts…

I put Krasten (Krey + Brasten) in the two hole because this guy is a straight up ball player. Love his approach, his mannerisms, his speed, baseball IQ, consistent contact; all qualities you could ask for from a ball player. I see a lot of Chase Utley in him. He just goes out, plays hard, has the same expression no matter what the play. As much as you love to see the Mannys and all the guys who wear the emotions on their sleeve, you need guys who go to work.

You put your best hitter in your 3rd spot. Little explanation needed here. Roache basically hit a pop-fly home run against Bourne tonight. I mean, the ball was at Good Year Blimp height. It was a spectacle.

Vick has the potential and the mechanics to be the scariest hitter (outside of Roache) in this line up. In various conversations about him, Coach Roberts loves his hands at the plate. Even if he hits into an out, it’s usually always hit hard.

I think the five spot was made for Ryon Healy. He’s got just enough raw talent to be awarded the opportunity to hit home the top half of the order, but has just enough lack of consistency to not be there. I think mentally it takes a lot of pressure off of him when he isn’t batting clean up. I hope he finds a home here.

Haven’t seen much of Yaz, but I think because of seniority he deserves this spot.

Sabol has been crushing the ball lately. But I haven’t seen what he can do defensively behind the plate. If we are playing a team that likes to steal I’m starting Kevin Roundtree (KRT) and putting him here. I foresee a platoon of KRT/Sabol for the rest of the season.

Mager has the second best average on the team, so it’s weird that 8 is where he falls. But there really isn’t any other place for him. If nothing else, he sets up as a nice inning extender / on base for Yarbrough guy.

And then Kyle Wren finishes up my line up. He is basically a lead off hitter in the ninth whole. Almost like an Alex Yarbrough insurance policy. I hope Biondi finds time here too.

None of this is a defiance of what Coach Roberts writes up every day. This is just my opinion. And I want to know yours! Go to the “Ask Me Anything” section and I’ll post and talk about what you guys and gals have to say.

-Andrew Brooks

The Bobby Wahl Effect

by Andrew Brooks

There are some players who change the air that the fans are breathing when they enter the game. Cliff Lee, who pulled a Prince Henry and chose the commoner Kate Middleton (Philadelphia) over royalty (more money with the Yankee’s. And yeah, I just made a royal wedding analogy, what of it?), get’s an applause fit for the president every time he takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park. The first time Kid Crosby hits the ice in Pittsburgh after his concussion the Penguin fans will have angelic tone for days. And for Cotuit, every time that Bobby Wahl trots in from the bullpen to close out games, the Kettleer fans begin to whisper, mutter, scream, rejoice, etc. the name Bobby Wahl.

And with good reason. Let’s look at the facts. In 8 2/3 innings of work, he has yet to give up an earned run, only allowed a mere 2 hits, and struck out a staggering 16 batters and counting. Mostly all of those K’s are because of his super power; his fastball. There are few faster movements in the world then the raise of a scout’s eyebrow when they read the speed of their radar guns after a Bobby Wahl fireball. It’s majestic, accurate, and ironically, predictable. But that’s the sign of a truly legendary closer. The hitter knows what’s coming, and they still can’t touch it. Examples of this: Mariano’s cutter, 1990’s Pedro fastball, and of course, the chosen one, Cole Hamel’s change up. (Ok, so maybe I’m embellishing a tad with that last one. [Side note, Craig Kimbrel’s slider will be on this list in a few years.])But you get the idea. But Bobby Wahl’s fastball, the most American of pitch choices, is that pitch. I talked to Cotuit shortstop Kevin Mager just casually about the team, and we discussed that he is one of the players on this team that are definitely making a major league roster one day.

Let’s explore three other reasons why Cotuit fans should enjoy Wahl’s stardom.

1.     Hypothetical Jersey Sales

Let’s pretend that you can buy player jerseys at the merchandise booth at Lowell Park. Obviously, common fans are going to grab a shirt that makes them feel like they can drill it over the Monster, so Victor Roache’s jersey would safely enjoy the top spot. You would have some get Kevin Mager and Kyle Wren based on batting averages, and others would go with Kyle Zimmer or Chris Beck because they are the top two starters. But I honestly think the player in the number two slot would be Wahl. There is a certain buzz comes over the Cotuit faithful when they see number 44 warming up in the pen. It’s fun, it’s memorable, it’s a moment you look forward to every game. That leads to people wanting that feeling every time they put on a shirt. In order, I’d go 1. Roache 2. Wahl 3. Wren.

2.     The Glasses

This gives him major nickname potential, not to mention Major League closers such as Jose Valverde and Kevin Gregg rock a pair of shades. Quirks work on baseball players. Nomar’s 13 minute pre-pitch batting glove routine, Big Papi smashing spit into his hands before his faces a pitch, Nick Swisher’s look to the skies in honor of his lay grandparents (betcha didn’t know that one,) are all good examples. Quirks give players an identity, makes them relatable. Players with funny little idiosyncrasies quickly become fan favorites. Just another thing Wahl has got going for him.

3.     The Potential

I know I made a Mariano Rivera parallel earlier, and yeah, it’s way too early to be mentioning a player on the Cape and the best closer in the history of the sport in the same sentence. But let yourself dream for a bit. It is the Cape League after all, that’s what it’s all about. If we aren’t seeing a Major Leaguer, then we are at witnessing a kid who will entertain us each night we see him pitch. There is just something about yelling “GET EM’ BOBBY!!” (What a name for a closer by the way. Bobby Wahl. It just works. Just like Brandon Belt, Chipper Jones, and Jared Saltalamachia…) But seriously, I think he will be closing for a club in the Majors in good time. It feels like when Daniel Bard was closing for Falmouth. People drop what they are casually conversing about and give their full attention to the pitcher.

It’s all a treat. Kids (freshman especially) like this don’t come around every day. Let’s enjoy Bobby my Kettleer faithful. Maybe one day this could be him…

The number 200

For those who didn’t know the Kettleers win against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Monday was Coach Mike Roberts’ 200th career win in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Since joining the team in 2004 Roberts 162-169-19 overall, 151. The Kettleers have made it to the playoffs 5 times under Roberts including the historic 15th championship last year.

Last year was Roberts’ first title in the Cape league, but the championship series was nothing new. Roberts brought the Warham Gatemen to the Championship series in 1984, a series in which the Gatemen were swept by the Cotuit Kettleers. Roberts next trip to the title round was 2008 while he was coaching the Kettleers. Roberts and the Kettleers were swept by the Harwich Mariners. Roberts was right back at it in 2009 but for the second straight year the Kettleers were swept this time by the Bourne Braves. In 2010 Roberts finally won his first Cape Cod League Championship.

Prior to joining Cotuit Roberts managed on the other side of the bridge in Wareham. His first win came with the Gatemen in his first year in the league, 1984. After leading the Gatemen to the championship series that year Roberts left the Cape and returned in 2000 when he coached the Gatemen to a 27-16-1 season, good for best in the Cape that season.

When Roberts returned to the Cape in 2004 he was hired to come to Cotuit. With the Kettleers Roberts posts a 151-158-19 regular season and an 11-11 record in the playoffs.

The young 2011 season’s five wins has propelled Roberts to the 200 win milestone. Roberts looks to turn this season around in the coming weeks and hopefully repeat the championship run of last season.

-Evan Barber

A Closer look at First Baseman Ryon Healy

Ryon Healy hails from a town called West Hills in southern California. During his first year at Oregon he hit .320 with 39 hits, 4 home runs and 20 RBI. Ryon took the time before practice to sit down with Living the Dream’s Evan Barber.

Living the Dream: Ryon I know you’re from southern Cal, I mean its getting nice now but you’ve got to be missing that weather right now.

Ryon Healy: Well I haven’t really been seeing that weather in about a year now I’ve been in Eugene Oregon so nothing but rain and clouds there so you get used to it and enjoy the sun when it comes.

LTD: Speaking of Oregon how did you end up there?

RH: Probably coaching staff and the facilitys are second to none and the coaches were very honest and good to talk to. It was very comforting and that’s something you look for in a coaching staff especially since its someone you’ll be playing for over the next 3-4 years.

LTD: Did you enjoy it there?

RH: Yeah very much so.

LTD: Pretty awesome year football wise, what was that like as a student?

RH: It was very exciting to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy some of the other athletic programs and their success and stuff you definitely feel a different atmosphere up there when everyones winning.

LTD: Take me through your baseball career to date and what you’ve done starting as a kid and now getting here to the cape.

RH: All started probably Mentura County on the beaches with my father playing whiffle ball with him and stuff like that. Then I got into rec leagues when I was four and a half, I played West Hills baseball till I was fourteen there. Then I went and played high school ball, I played at Crespi Carmelite for four years and then went off to Oregon.

LTD: So you’ve kind of been struggling here a little, but we’ve seen you hit the ball so hard almost everytime kinda can’t catch a break, how are you adjusting to that?

RH: That’s kinda just baseball I mean kinda just want to put a good swing on every pitch you can, hope you get good pitches to hit. If you hit the ball solid, you can’t really control where it goes sometimes, you want to put a good swing on it and hit it hard and eventually it will start falling. I’ve had a few bloop hits here and there and a couple line outs, so I think in the end they all kinda even out.

LTD: We’ve seen you a little bit emotional especially when you don’t get on base, what do you attribute that to?

RH: I try, a lot, and I would say that my emotions get the best of me sometimes but I think I use my emotions really well sometimes so I kinda need to counteract that with my athletic ability and my emotions at the same time on the baseball field.

LTD: One thing we saw out of you one game so far was pitching is that something we’ll see a little more out of you?

RH: We’ll see, probably not, more first base and third base.

LTD: What kind of goals do you set for yourself coming to the cape?

RH: Well you don’t really look at it numbers wise you want to be able to separate yourself from the talent here. Everyone here is very talented you want to create separation from everyone and you know stand out in some sort of way to the scouts and make your name known.

LTD: What is your favorite part of being in the cape?

RH: The atmosphere, I love the atmosphere its a very different setting and living with a host family is awesome I’m set up very nice over there very comfortable, all the guys a different culture you get to deal with from all different schools.

Healy and the rest of the Kettleers look to end a 5 game losing skid tonight against the Harwich Mariners, at 5:00 at Lowell Park.

The Science of Small Ball

On the first day of my internship I was told that I would sit behind the backstop for home and away games. It gave me time with the scouts, I could get a desirable vantage point to see the movement on pitches, and it’s obviously the best view of the infield.

Sometimes the backstop has tons of scouts, or other people are occupying the benches. So Evan and I have to move to around sometimes. I like when this happens. I get to meet people, get the pulse of the fans, cheer when I’m not in the press box (is that allowed? Am I fired for admitting that?)

At the Harwich game, a skunk had just made some kind of nasty behind home plate, so I elected to sit up into the away team bleachers. Cotuit, like usual, travels extremely well, and there were lots of fans to choose from to sit next two.

The recent skid prompted some questions from the fans. Why small ball? Why bunt? Why steal? Why? Why? Why?

Well the one obvious baseball reason is that it constantly puts runners in scoring position. But, there is much more detailed reasoning than meets the eye.

Let me enlighten you of 3 pro’s of small ball.

1. The Element of Surprise

Now, I understand that because of Coach Robert’s reputation, this may be diminished a tad. But he let’s his hitters swing away enough that it can keep defensive off balance. Baseball is such a traditional game, that even the slightest variation of offensive strategy can get the defense on their toes. Infielders aren’t as used to making throws off of bunts. More often than not infielders don’t have time to plant their feet and make a mechanically sound throw to first. When you go out and have catch with your friends, did you go out and practice throws to first off of bunts? Probably not. Chances are you took grounders from the normal distance and made the same ole’ throw to first. Point being, small ball gets the defense out of their skin. It may not be the most glamorous thing to look at, but the reasoning behind it is sound.

2. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!” - Opposing Pitcher

I don’t think any TV analyst ever accurately describes how much harder it is to pitch with runners on than when the bases are empty.

It’s like this. You’ve got the nicest house out of all of your friends. Your crew is a pretty rowdy bunch, and they know that your parents are going out of town (let’s say they are flying ten states away). They pressure you into throwing a party at your house while your folks are gone. After heartless banter, you finally give in and say whatever. (Let me take this moment to tell my parents that I swear on the grave of Chase Utley that this is not an example based on personal experience. Alright, moving on.)

So you have the party, nothing crazy happens, it’s all PG-rated. Your parents are a full time zone away, no reason to worry. You have a stress free time.

A few weeks later, your parents are going away on a conference that is two hours away. Your friends catch wind of this, and successfully talk you into throwing another party. This time, your a little more antsy. Your parents probably won’t randomly come home and bust you for all your worth, but you can’t say for sure. You pace around your house, you look out windows you’ve never looked out at before, you are constantly checking your phone to see if your parents have called. Your eye’s are glued on the clock counting down the hours till the end of the party. You are pretty dog on’ worried. Definitely not acting like yourself.

Now a party at your house is officially the spot. It is the place to go on the weekend if you ask your classmates. At this point, your house is rated by Zagat. Everyone in school is asking when the next party is. You’ve become the celebrity of your class. All of a sudden, you are expected to deliver.

Mom and Dad decide to visit your grandmother in the next town over. Your best buddy is your grandmothers neighbor. As soon as he hears of the plan, it’s game on (or game over in your case). You don’t stand a chance to talking your friends out of it.

“Bro, no sweat, you’ve got this.”

“Do it, you won’t.” (Have four words in the English language ever prompted more mischief? Not amongst my people, I’ll tell you that.)

So the party starts at your place. You are at DEFCON Zero. You can’t sit still. You fidget constantly. You start demanding and nitpicking completely crazy things from your friends. “DON’T MOVE THAT COASTER! WHAT WOULD COMPEL YOU!? GAH! MY PARENTS WILL CATCH ON IF YOU USE THAT MUCH SOAP! NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY EVER USE THAT MUCH SOAP! THERE ISN’T ENOUGH BACTERIA IN THE WORLD…. I’m so screwed.” It’s a physical impossibility for you not to tap your fingers on whatever surface your hands are occupying….

And boom, you see headlights shine through the windows, here the familiar sound of your fathers steps, and then the Grim Reaper knock at the door.

Thanks for playing.

That’s how it is for pitchers when runners are on and they are a constant steal threat. Your mind is preoccupied. Your not having fun at the party anymore. Your mind is just focused on what could go wrong. Where your focus should just be on having fun with your friends, it’s now shifted to getting grounded for life. Likewise, instead of focusing on the batter, pitchers are worried about the speed on the base paths.

3. Crooked Numbers

Usually a steal works once in an inning, it’s gonna work again… and again.. and again. Roberts is a master at picking apart pitchers with extended deliveries. If you get runners going, the pitchers will throw more fastballs, giving hitters better pitches to hit, getting more running across a plate. It’s like a chainsaw, it make take a few tugs or innings to get it going. But if you get your machine rolling, it makes for a lot of 3-7+ run innings. It’s like the spread offense in college football… just with bunting… (Ok, admittedly not the best analogy there.)

So if your a Cotuit fan, and you start questioning your Championship caliber coach. Just chill. He knows what he’s doing. There is a method to his madness. Let’s try to show him this level of loyalty….

(By the way, look at young Ethan Hawke! Blast from the past.)

- Andrew Brooks