In the preseason, the SweatSox circled Brewer Tournament weekend on our calendars as a time where we’d get to truly test ourselves against the league’s best. In the days leading up to the tournament, it was clear that there was really only 1 objective: SURVIVE.
Heading into the tournament on an 11 game losing streak, you’d think the SweatSox would be looking for, and accepting, any sort of help offered. I’m told players from all 4 tiers reached out to offer their services for the weekend, but we decided we really, really needed the extra practice, so this was strictly a SweatSox-only team.
Our first game of the tournament was on Friday, July 11th, when we took on the Panthers at the Sportsplex. Understandably, the Panthers were hoping we’d start John “OM” Groves and his 8.82ERA in our opener; but as Phil Taylor, Bob McCurdy, and the rest of the defunct Gryphons will tell you: if you want OMG, you 100% absolutely do NOT get OMG.
The “weekend of positives” started almost immediately, when for the first time in 8 games we didn’t give up a run in the 1st; however the “season of no luck and no breaks” reappeared when a 2nd inning phantom balk call set the tone for back-to-back 3-run Panther innings. While those runs would hold up as the winners, we did make things interesting in the 5th when we scored 3 runs, chasing the Panther starter from the game. We hadn’t done that since our last win, which was around the same time as Craig Cornell’s last hit.
Because this was a “Tier 1” tournament, it was to be expected that we’d see some tougher competition off the field during the Après Baseball Hyjinx as well. We took the first shot by sacrificing (or so we thought) the infamous anti-award Odlid, but the Panthers answered by performing CPR on it, bringing it back to life, then throwing it onto the field of play, setting the SweatSox up to take the fall. Absolutely brilliant strategy, and sources say this was the first step towards our eventual ban from the NCBL home page Twitter feed.
The night continued with a couple teammates hugging it out after #L12. What the Shostappa doesn’t know is that this maneuver can cause blood loss to the fingers, making them easier to dislocate and/or break down the road near say, Winchester… I’m sure it’ll be fine though.
After another late night at Summerhays, which included a special visit from one of Starbucks’ most loyal customers, the SweatSox were back at it the next day vs the 20-men-strong Kingston Ponies; and we thought a 17 man 1 girl roster was big.
Before every game during the Brewer tournament, famous Brewers of the past, present, and future got the honour of throwing the ceremonial first pitch. Originally the Brewers requested that the Brothers Bond, the greatest Brewer battery in Newmarket tournament history, throw+catch the first pitch in the Championship game, but after the weather forecast for Sunday was filled with heavy rain, it was decided that the big first pitch take place before the SweatSox-Ponies game:
With the eventual last place Tier 2 team taking on the eventual Tier 1 pennant winners, this game had all the makings of a blowout. Well, the SweatSox outscored the Ponies 3-2 while outhitting them 3-1…over the final 6 innings. Unfortunately, there was a 1st inning where the Ponies put up 3 runs on 3 hits and a couple of errors, the only down point of an otherwise well played game by both teams.
When you hear about inappropriate touching, the first thing you probably think about is the SweatSox. Not this time though, we were all taught to colour between the lines:
The SweatSox took on the Rose City Thorns a few hours later, so John Groves offered to “rehydrate” the SweatSox by hosting the midjinx. While the SweatSox came together and prepped for the next game, the Brewers came together as one to water the field. How many Brewers does it take to fully water the Sportsplex anyways?
The Rose City Thorns game was the one game this tournament we were never really “in”. The Thorns scored 1 in the 1st, and it would’ve been way more if not for an outstanding “catch” by Cory Bond against the LF fence. Rose City added 3 more in the 2nd and never looked back. Josh Ramage threw this game in front of the official Mr. Winchester Fan Club, and left on a high note after giving up 0 runs, 1 hit, and 2 walks over his final 3 innings pitched.
Overall, it was a weekend of positives for the SweatSox. We didn’t win anything on the field, but we did achieve all our goals heading into the tournament. No need to read the Tournament Preview to see what they were, these were them:
-No season ending injuries
-No perfect games thrown against us
-No no-hitters thrown against us
-Flip the calendar over
-No ejections
-Score at least 1 run in a game
-Score at least 2 runs in a game
-Score at least 3 runs in a game
-Score at least 4 runs in a game
-Score at least 5 runs in a game
-Chase at least 1 opposing pitcher from a game
-Walk the dog in the woods
-Throw 1 ceremonial first pitch
-Catch 1 ceremonial first pitch
-Don’t give up 10 runs in a game
-Don’t give up 20 runs in a game
-Don’t give up 30 runs in a game
-Don’t give up 40 runs in a game
-Grab a morning latte
-Commit fewer than 10 total errors
Next up for the SweatSox was a matchup with the Cornwall River Rats, where we’d look to avoid an official #L12, and a technical #L15.
#LOSTTHETOURNAMENT
#WONTHEHYJINX