MONDAY NIGHT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

Years later Del (Pratt) recalled the challenges of hitting in the Deadball Era: “You could kick a cocoanut with your bare foot as far as you could hit one with a bat.” Observing the modern game in the 1960s, he said, “This upsurge in power hitting has taken a lot out of the thinking aspect of baseball, which was much more common in the old days.”

And the Brewers are not having any of it 

 as the Dodgers keep nudging at them with a one up lead in the first that disappeared in a thrown back jigger in the bottom of the frame and they tried once again with a run in the third a brief lead that was soon suppressed and lost in the same inning and when the Dodgers bullied in front with two in their fifth the Brewskis saw them tied in their turn and now they scored one ahead in their sixth and so far Ohtani is a whiffer and Alias Smith a cypher and Uncle Max grounds out as the Brewskis hold and come the Voting innings Uribe steps in for JoJo on the hill and immediately K’s My Back Pages and Sophie T is a duster and a 100.8mph sinker chews up Tommy Ed and Milwaukee is still atop in the 7th as Grant Mitchell always in a third or fourth supporting role murrays here to open the act and with Todd Pratt’s cousin ( His 

AL PRATT-Cleveland Forest
Citys-circa 1874 

UNCLE DEL

father, Russell, was an infielder at the University of Utah...His uncle, Scott Pratt, was an infielder in the Cleveland and Atlanta organizations from 1998-2005...His uncle, Trent Pratt, was a catcher in the Philadelphia organization from 2002-05.....he played two seasons (1999-2000) for Pat Murphy at Arizona State before transferring to Auburn.....he is now head baseball coach at Brigham Young (BYU)…Enjoys board games, ping-pong and fishing.  actually, I made up that he’s Todd’s cousin)coming up the Dodgers yank Tanner Scott off the mound and plop down Edgardo Henry-quez who seams at over 102mph but that doesn’t dissuade him from standing in and he cracks a single to center and to show that wasn’t a fluke he goes and gets thrown out trying to steal second- face it he runs like a Pratt- Dodgers seem to bow in their eighth while the Brewskis add two more in their frame and the LA gang is three down with three outs to go and now they’re two games in the hole-which is not even a thing—-

GRANDPA
LARRY

Meanwhile, way down by Old Tampa Bay the AL will determine their reps in the Fall Classic- did you know that Tropicana Field is really situated in St. Petersburg now if that don’t make ya nostalgic for spring training- 1,085 miles from Milwaukee as the crow flies- about 200 more if its not- and Cleveland is greeted with a perfect 72 degree nary a breeze in the early eve- temp—ah yes the dome is closed and 35,000 Tampa Bay buffs are bubbled up and ready to rock and rye as Little Stevie Kwan starts the Cleveland onset with murrying but the indispensable Ramirez cracks wise and singles “to second base”? then gets a little too cocky and is nailed trying to steal second even as DeLauter chases a single himself to left only to have Jo Adell ground out following. The Bays, sorry The Rays Dandy Yandy commences with a double to left and a sure sac bunt by Blanda sees him at third all set to come home on an El Camino single to center while Ryan the Villain K’s and Mr Mesa gladly singles to left and with runners affixed Jon DeLuca whacks a line drive single  plating El Camino 

BLANDA

moving Mesa to third and after a moundmeet DeLuca steals second which induces Peter Griffin, Cleveland’s Ace and father-figure to hit Rays secondbaseperson Benny Williamson with his best pitch stacking all the bases for Hello Walls who instantly wilts and murrays but the Rays have two and we’ve only played one. And thats how it goes until the sixth inning- no, really, nothing much occurred under the Dome until DeLauter Chased a homer over the left-centerfield wall putting Cleveland on the board and Tampa on notice as the Rays lie dormant Pearlie Mae solos in the seventh tying the score and causing the Rays to bring in Emerson Booser? for the sorrowful Rasmussen who

makes quick work of the next trio of  free swingers and there the antic sits until the magical eighth when the Clevelanders get a second wind after the Rays bench Booser and bring in David Wells’ bastard kid Tyler who loses no time in throwing batting practice to the dependable Ramirez who singles “but softly through yonder third base” and is handily Chased by DeLaughter double to right and when the dust clears there are runners in as they say-scoring position which I suddenly remember was an expression- juvenile at best- picked up by some of the luckier- to my ears at least-Lotharios of my later high school years and had nothing of course to do with heading home—or did it (come to think of it)- ok you dirty old man lets get back to the eighth- Adell with a boner grounds out (sorry-the train of thought won’t go away and at my age I like to grab on to something when I can- that doesn’t sound right, either) and now the bastard is being pulled for Seymour Butts (remember that chestnut?) and he shows his stuff by letting Jim Lowe single to center chasing 

WELLS

Ramirez and DeLaughter all the way home- well they scored as I say and into the bottom of the frame go the Clevelanders up two and feeling good so good about themselves that their bringing in Sabrowski to relieve Gaddis who was doing fine until he let his sentences run on a little too long and Sabrowski doesn’t surprise anyone when the first guy he sees, Sir Cedric Mullins, clocks a seamer over the right field wall making the game even more interesting but not so much as Sabo feeling the awesomeness of the occasion dismisses the next three hero wannabes with a K for Mesa a line out for DeLuca and Sonny Boy Williamson bites the dust. The crowd inches closer now as the ninth opens with Punch Sulzberger

PUNCH

amounding for Seymour and the Angel MArtinez who had previously pinched for Halpin leads with a single then ecclesiastically agitates for Sulzberger to balk and behold he’s upon second even as Rocchio murrays and when lil’Kwan lines out the ragin’ Ramirez lifts up a single to left sending the Angel home and assuming his stretch again Sulzberger mysteriously wild pitches freeing Ramirez to occupy second and DeLaughter Chases the walk evicting Sulzberger from his nightmare and summoning King Kelly to the mound to serve up to the quiescent Adell a double drilled to left scoring Ramirez and DeLaughter and when the Lo-Man flies out and the wind dies down the Clevelanders have a four run edge with three outs to go. Cowboy Cade relieves the sleepy Sabrowski and two ground outs and a pop later Tampa is also two games in the hole-Now lets boogie