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In Contention With Two Tournaments To Go....

Upon checking the CCASA website this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the current results from the first three Rec. Series tournaments had finally been posted. With two more tournaments to go, NB/NG is currently leading the points race with 1410 points, followed by Thunder in second with 1405, Total Kaos in third with 1360, Good Friends in fourth with 860, and Heavy Metal in fifth with 790. Bleacher Bums is chasing our tail in sixth with 570, and seventh place is claimed by Buzzin with 565. With a strong closing effort, men, we still have a chance to overtake some teams in front of us, while holding off those teams that are snapping at our heels. In other words, let's get after it -- just trying to light a fire under us, if you know what I mean! For a full summary of the Rec. Series' vital statistics, please check out the following link courteously provided to those who are interested (you will need to scroll down to find the current standings for all the teams involved): http://www.ccmsasa.org/slowpitch/pdf/REC_SERIES_REC.pdf
Forget The Points Race, I Want To Compete!!!

First -- as always -- I want to thank all of the players who represented Heavy Metal Softball this weekend for their effort, help, and cooperation in competing in our third CCASA Rec. Series tournament of the year. We were shorthanded again this weekend (what's new!), but the weather is growing increasingly hot...and we really weren't, especially in our second game -- Good Friends really owns us, and I'd really like to reverse the current trend. Here are some final tournament statistics for those who are interested:

CCASA Rec. Series #3 Tournament Summary --

Tournament Record: 0-2 (ouch again!)
                               1st game: Lost 11-14 vs. NB/NG
                               2nd game: Lost 2-19 vs. Good Friends

Team Statistics (alphabetically):

Donny Aguiar -- 4 for 6; .667 BA; 12 points.
Vern Amaro -- 4 for 6; .667 BA; 6 points.
Rich Avery -- 1 for 6; .167 BA; 4 points.
Wes Avery -- 3 for 5; .600 BA; 20 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 1 for 5; .200 BA; 9 points.
Lee Garcia -- 2 for 5; .400 BA; 4 points.
Paul Lawrence -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 10 points.
Mike Lujan -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 6 points.
Randy Pilgrim -- 0 for 6; .000 BA; 0 points.
Matt Soares -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 2 points.

Team Batting Average: .447 (21 for 47; we averaged 6.5 runs/game for the tournament. Obviously, we need a much higher team average -- and score a lot more runs -- to give ourselves a chance. Our first game was very competitive; our second game just plain stunk....)

Tournament MVP: Wes Avery (20 points)

Manager's Award: Paul Lawrence (Your defense, buddy, really stood out this game -- great throws to home plate!)


2006 Season Statistics (alphabetically; all players):

Donny Aguiar -- 27 for 53; .509 BA; 84 points (4 tournaments)
Vern Amaro -- 26 for 59; .441 BA; 68 points (6 tournaments)
Rich Avery -- 10 for 25; .400 BA; 28 points (3 tournaments)
Wes Avery -- 38 for 62; .613 BA; 157 points (6 tournaments)
Tony DeLanda -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 22 points (1 tournament)
Frank Fletcher -- 31 for 63; .492 BA; 147 points (6 tournaments)
Lee Garcia -- 14 for 42; .333 BA; 47 points (5 tournaments)
Richard Hart -- 10 for 28; .357 BA; 37 points (3 tournaments)
Gene Hitt -- 15 for 41; .366 BA; 53 points (4 tournaments)
Paul Lawrence -- 30 for 70; .429 BA; 146 points (6 tournaments)
Mike Lujan -- 22 for 56; .393 BA; 87 points (6 tournaments)
Randy Pilgrim -- 9 for 32; .281 BA; 37 points (3 tournaments)
Matt Soares -- 14 for 26; .538 BA; 38 points (3 tournaments)
Devin Stafford -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 23 points (1 tournament)
Steve Stafford -- 8 for 31; .258 BA; 53 points (3 tournaments)
Art Tabacco -- 9 for 11; .818 BA; 44 points (1 tournament)
Manny Vasquez -- 5 for 16; .313 BA; 5 points (1 tournament)
Nelson Vieira -- 5 for 12; .417 BA; 18 points (1 tournament)

I haven't made really strong ending comments in the recent past, but I really want to say something very assertive here -- let's show up and expect to play ALL day at our next tournament. And that's pretty much to the point for someone who loves to use words, like me....
Some Bragging Rights From Our 2006 Tulare City League Campaign!!!

At the end of each league season, some recognition is always given to those individuals who contributed to the team in some way. The following categories -- most real, some intended for a few laughs -- are mostly from the offensive part of softball; some are just plain offensive! (Have a little sense of humor, guys! Don't get defensive. Get it -- "defensive"! Oh, never mind....) So, for what it's worth, here we go:

Tulare City League, Wednesday Night, spring 2006
9-1 record: 1st place!!! (championship shirts)

OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES --

Most Plate Appearances: Paul Lawrence (36)

Most At-Bats: Paul Lawrence (33)

Most Runs: Paul Lawrence (24)

Most Singles: Art Tabacco (15)

Most Doubles: Paul Lawrence (5)

Most Triples: Nelson Vieira (3)

Most Home Runs: Nelson Vieira (4)

Most RBIs: Nelson Vieira (18)

Most Walks: Frank Fletcher, Paul Lawrence (tie, 3)

Most Sacrifices: Vern Amaro, Tony DeLanda, Frank Fletcher, Lee Garcia, Manuel Romeiro (tie, 2)

Highest On-Base Percentage: Art Tabacco (.680)

Highest Slugging Percentage: Nelson Vieira (1.357)

Highest Batting Average: Art Tabacco (.696)

Most Hits: Nelson Vieira (19)

Most Single-Game Points: Nelson Vieira (29)

Most Offensive/Defensive Points: Nelson Vieira (114)

DEFENSIVE CATEGORIES --

No defensive stats were kept this league -- look for them when we play the Visalia summer league....


All of which leads to, if the above stats were used primarily in making our choices...

Most Valuable Player (Tulare City League, Wednesday "B", spring 2006): Paul Lawrence (31 total points; by team ballot vote)


And for our "special" categories...

Most Non-Appearances (regular members): Tony DeLanda (4) (Check your schedule, big guy! Donny, Lee, Matt, and Steve were a close second, with 2 apiece. Some others also were considered, even though their physical bodies actually made it to the games!)

Perfect Attendance (regular members): Vern Amaro, Frank Fletcher, Paul Lawrence, Mike Lujan, and Manuel Romeiro (All 9 games; gold stars to all of you!)

Most Memorable Performance: Paul Lawrence (Playing against Waitin On Joe, Paul lead an onslaught that produced 27 offensive points, which consisted of going 4 for 5, with 3 doubles, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 5 runs, 3 bonus pts. [4/4], and an .800 game BA. You've been quite a pickup so far, good buddy, with your speed providing quite a threat on the basepaths. With our team getting a little long in the tooth, it's great to have some young bite during this year's games!)      

Greatest Increase in Batting Average from Last League (Visalia, 2006; minimum 5 games): Nelson Vieira (+.137, from .542 to .679) (Gene Hitt came in second with a +.021 increase -- good job, buddy!)

Biggest "Plunge" in Batting Average from Last League (Visalia, 2006; minimum 5 games): Lee Garcia (-.204, from .467 to .263) (Frank Fletcher came in second with a -.073 decrease; Manuel Romeiro was third with a -.041 decrease. Actually, six out of nine players who played at least 5 games last league had decreases, so there was quite a battle for the title!)

Best Player Quote: "This is supposed to be a Wednesday night league, but we've played almost half of our games on Tuesdays and Thursdays!" (Attributed to manager Vern Amaro, making light of the fact that we had many rain make-ups to play!)   

Best Acting Performance by a Player/Manager: Drum roll, please...Vern Amaro!!! (6th time in a row! A six-peat! Incredible! Can this person run the career table! This is for impersonating, once again, the second baseman/catcher -- and spokesperson -- of a pretty darn-good softball team! By the way, were there any other eligible candidates on the team?)

"100 Points Plus Club": Vern Amaro (1994 T.C.L. 130 pts./1999 T.C.L. 109 pts./2001 T.C.L. 103 pts./2002 T.C.L. 140 pts./2003 T.C.L. 106 pts./2004 T.C.L. 110 pts./2005 T.C.L. 103 pts.); Rich Avery (2000 T.C.L. 129 pts./2004 V.C.L. 102 pts.); Wes Avery (2005 T.C.L. 129 pts.); Matt Beltran (1999 T.C.L. 104 pts.); Gordon Caudle (2000 T.C.L. 120 pts.); Kurt Chambers (2004 T.C.L. 100 pts.); Frank Fletcher (1994 T.C.L. 115 pts./1999 T.C.L. 169 pts. [record]/2000 T.C.L. 134 pts./2002 T.C.L. 146 pts./2003 T.C.L. 113 pts./2004 T.C.L. 111 pts./2004 V.C.L. 112 pts./2005 T.C.L. 134 pts./2005 V.C.L. 109 pts.); Gene Hitt (1994 T.C.L. 108 pts./2000 T.C.L. 138 pts./2002 T.C.L. 121 pts./2005 T.C.L. 100 pts./2005 V.C.L. 106 pts.); Mike Lujan (2005 V.C.L. 101 pts.); Rene Regalado (1999 T.C.L. 109 pts./2000 T.C.L. 120 pts.); John Souza (1994 T.C.L. 122 pts.); Art Tabacco (2005 V.C.L. 116 pts.); Nelson Vieira (2002 T.C.L. 114 pts./2004 T.C.L. 112 pts./2006 T.C.L. 114 pts.)


Heavy Metal Softball rocks! And I'm not joking here. You've been a great bunch of guys to play side-by-side with, men! All kidding aside, I was really proud of our efforts, most especially the consistent team attitude displayed. I tip my cap off to all of you, as I know some of you come to play despite conflicting personal schedules, various aches and pains, balancing family and friends, and putting up with my managerial decisions. Y'all ready for more in the summer Visalia league? Let's make it two league championships in a row in 2006! In the meantime...keep rockin', guys -- and stay healthy!
With 9-1 Record, Championship Shirts Are Ours!

For further details on all our league games, please check out the Games Info section of our website -- game MVPs and honorable mentions, "O-fer" shirt recipients, memorable quotes, game MDPs, individual player points, and game comments can all be found for the enjoyment of those who enter! So, what are you waiting for? Go, go, go...!   
By Competing In Every Tournament, We Stay In The Points Race....

First -- as always -- I want to thank all of the players who represented Heavy Metal Softball this weekend for their effort, help, and cooperation in competing in our second CCASA Rec. Series tournament of the year. I knew we would be a little shorthanded this weekend, but the weather was great, we showed up with our team, and those who played always seem to enjoy playing ball -- as I do. Here are some final tournament statistics for those who are interested:

CCASA Rec. Series #2 Tournament Summary --

Tournament Record: 0-2 (ouch!)
                               1st game: Lost 6-17 vs. Good Friends
                               2nd game: Lost 5-16 vs. Bleacher Bums

Team Statistics (alphabetically):

Vern Amaro -- 4 for 5; .800 BA; 10 points.
Wes Avery -- 4 for 5; .800 BA; 17 points.
Frank Fletcher -- 6 for 7; .857 BA; 15 points.
Lee Garcia -- 1 for 6; .167 BA; 3 points.
Richard Hart -- 0 for 5; .000 BA; 0 points.
Gene Hitt -- 3 for 6; .500 BA; 14 points.
Paul Lawrence -- 2 for 7; .286 BA; 6 points.
Mike Lujan -- 2 for 5; .400 BA; 5 points.
Matt Soares -- 2 for 6; .333 BA; 2 points.
Steve Stafford -- 0 for 5; .000 BA; 2 points.

Team Batting Average: .421 (24 for 57; we averaged 5.5 runs/game for the tournament. Obviously, we need a much higher team average -- and score a lot more runs -- to give ourselves a chance.)

Tournament MVP: Wes Avery (17 points)

Manager's Award: Frank Fletcher (.857 BA)


2006 Season Statistics (alphabetically; all players):

Donny Aguiar -- 23 for 47; .489 BA; 72 points (3 tournaments)
Vern Amaro -- 22 for 53; .415 BA; 62 points (5 tournaments)
Rich Avery -- 9 for 19; .474 BA; 24 points (2 tournaments)
Wes Avery -- 35 for 57; .614 BA; 137 points (5 tournaments)
Tony DeLanda -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 22 points (1 tournament)
Frank Fletcher -- 30 for 58; .517 BA; 138 points (5 tournaments)
Lee Garcia -- 12 for 37; .324 BA; 43 points (4 tournaments)
Richard Hart -- 10 for 28; .357 BA; 37 points (3 tournaments)
Gene Hitt -- 15 for 41; .366 BA; 53 points (4 tournaments)
Paul Lawrence -- 28 for 64; .438 BA; 136 points (5 tournaments)
Mike Lujan -- 20 for 50; .400 BA; 81 points (5 tournaments)
Randy Pilgrim -- 9 for 26; .346 BA; 37 points (2 tournaments)
Matt Soares -- 12 for 20; .600 BA; 34 points (2 tournaments)
Devin Stafford -- 5 for 15; .333 BA; 23 points (1 tournament)
Steve Stafford -- 8 for 31; .258 BA; 53 points (3 tournaments)
Art Tabacco -- 9 for 11; .818 BA; 44 points (1 tournament)
Manny Vasquez -- 5 for 16; .313 BA; 5 points (1 tournament)
Nelson Vieira -- 5 for 12; .417 BA; 18 points (1 tournament)

Until next time....