When I Dip You Dip We Dip

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Depending on who you ask, this past weekend the SweatSox either entered our 2nd or 3rd Nepean Brewers Tournament.  The Brewers have erased all trace of the 2014 tournament from the official record, their website, and the complimentary program. Baseball historians everywhere are now looking for answers on a few key issues re: 2014… Did our 0-3 record last year count? Did Trepanier balk against the Panthers?  Did OMS lose to the Ponies?  Did the Shostappa drink Starbucks that Saturday morning?  We want our losses back!  We earned them fair & square.

While we’re in an inquisitive mood, why were we called the “Ottawa” SweatSox?  We don’t feel comfortable sharing that kind of personal information with the world. If we really need a location, we choose to be good samaritans from the small town of Latham, Massachusetts.

One of the big questions coming in to the tournament was who the SweatSox added to our roster?  We knew the Brewers needed help to face us and went down to Tier 3 to pick up Philippe Martin, who has experience beating the SweatSox in tournaments this year.  The Bytown Battalion took it a step further and hired Christopher Ramon Hart of the Winchester Sox to play 2B, and spill all of the SweatSox secrets & scouting reports to give them a strategic advantage.  So who did we sign for the weekend to help make things easier for us?  Nobody.  Our accomplishments and failures are our own.

The SweatSox opened the 2015 Brewer Tournament with a Saturday morning matchup against the Nepean Brewers.  Our hosts wasted no time capitalizing on the inferior pitching and five defensive miscues of the SweatSox, scoring 10 runs over the opening 3 innings.  Cory Bond, starting against the team he once threw a no-hitter for, pleaded with his team to settle down then made it a team goal to keep playing “one more inning”, and ultimately “not get mercy’d”.  There were a few hiccups along the way, but the SweatSox succeeded and lost by only 9!

Boxscore from SweatSox vs Nepean Brewers at #BrewTourn15:

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The next opponent for the SweatSox at #BrewTourn15 were the Bytown Battalion, who like the Brewers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.  Unlike the Brewer game though, the SweatSox fought back and actually had lead 3-2 in the 5th (and were tied 3-3 in the 6th).  Sox starter Joshua Ramage could only hold the Battalion off for so long, so when the Sox defense couldn’t make that extra play, the team from Bytown took off running and never looked back.

Boxscore from SweatSox vs Bytown Battalion at #BrewTourn15:

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The final game for the SweatSox at #BrewTourn15 was against the Kingston Ponies, who currently sit atop the Tier 1 standings with a 13-2-1 record.  Unlike the Brewers and Battalion who needed backup to face the SweatSox, the Ponies were set with the players they had, although they did try and get in our heads by borrowing our favourite scorekeeping pen (it’s a good thing we’re mostly digital now).

On the field, the SweatSox held a 5-0 lead through 5, while starter John Groves apparently had a no-hitter going (I, Shaun Keay, knew it all along, several other key members of the SweatSox did not).

The no hitter may have been broken in the 6th, but the Ponies didn’t break our spirit.  Our defense played particularly well, it was us that capitalized on the mistakes of our opponent, and our offense woke up just in time for the game (8 starters had at least 1 hit).  At the Heritage Classic we beat the last place team in Tier 4, so it made perfect sense that we’d also beat the first place Tier 1 team.  We don’t know much about the Ponies, but we’re going to go ahead and say that they fielded their best possible lineup.

Boxscore from SweatSox vs Kingston Ponies at #BrewTourn15:

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SweatSox #BrewTourn15 Awards: Congratulations to the following SweatSox award winners from Brewer Tournament weekend.

Top Batter: Cory Bond (.455 avg)
Top Pitcher: John Groves (1.00 era)
MVP: The Group Hug (x2)
Top Defender: Army (in left field)
Mr. Hyjinx: Armando Navarro (toasted)

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The SweatSox #BrewTourn15 Stats:

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Broment of the Weekend: After these two gladiators debated the merits of positive vs negative reinforcement, they hugged it out like only bros could.  I think Joshua even threw in a kiss on the cheek.

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The SweatSox Word of the Day: pickle

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Final #BrewTourn15 Notes/Thoughts:

  • The Nepean Brewers lead the lifetime series vs the SweatSox 1-0
  • The Bytown Battalion lead the lifetime series vs the SweatSox 1-0
  • The SweatSox lead the lifetime series vs the Kingston Ponies 1-0 (if last year didn’t happen)
  • The Kingston Ponies are tied 1-1 in the lifetime series vs the SweatSox (if last year happened)
  • Thanks to some thievery, I, Shaun Keay, had no Saturday morning breakfast mint
  • Craig Cornell really screwed Mark Stinson with his Brewer lineup
  • The Brewers are a better team than the SweatSox, but Josh Ramage owned Marcel Levac
  • The SweatSox pitching wasn’t strong enough for Geoffrey Magnus to put one in the woods
  • Craig Cornell is inching closer and closer to another controversial tweet
  • John Groves’ kid is a pretty good on the scorebook, but he’s got to fully document his Fielders Choice’s
  • Chris Lidstone quit the tournament to go to an overnight pool party
  • Josh Ramage missed the “2 Pump” reference over the PA system
  • The earlier the game, the more Eric White bunts
  • Kent Johnston may be the next SweatSox shortstop after seeing his quick hands in the coaching box
  • John Groves has already been contacted by multiple Tier 1 teams about being a Kingston specialist in 2016
  • Multiple sources within the Kingston Ponies management team confirmed that the loss to the SweatSox was the wake up call they needed to win the tournament, and quite possibly the Tier.
  • Craig Cornell did indeed play 3 games defensively
  • The Bytown Battalion must learn to touch the plate when sliding home late in games
  • I, Shaun Keay, now hear the sound of jingling keys wherever I go
  • We were not the “tournament bitches”
  • Go Brew Crew – Go Cards – Go Sox – Go Ponies

A big THANK YOU goes out to the Nepean Brewers for finding a spot for us in their tournament, even if it meant letting the Cardinals (who did figure out how the fuck to get 3 outs) in too.  Thanks to everyone who contributed in one way or another to make this tournament another fun one to be a part of.  Finally, congratulations to the Kingston Ponies for winning the tournament, but just know you were not better than the SweatSox on a #meaningless Sunday morning.

#NOTAMERCY