Week 7: The Real Monkeyfest

--LATE UPDATE (The captains already know this): 9:00 AM Camels @ Canardlys The Camels will take an automatic 3 outs in the top of the 1st inning (missed umping assignment) Umps: 3 JoSox 10:45 AM JoSox @ Canardlys The JoSox will take an automatic 3 outs in the top of the 1st inning (missed umping assignment) Umps: 3 Slackers 12:30 PM Nomads @ Slackers Umps: 3 Canardlys (Note the change) --END UPDATE-- Before we get to the week's games, there will be a party...and you're (probably/maybe) invited. The Marine House at the US Embassy is having "Guest Bartender Night" and they've opened their doors to Amman Softball League. Free admission, cheap drinks. Info was emailed to each team. If you're a player and didn't get it, see your captain. Please don't call, text, or email me about this. It is not my gig. I have no more info than what's in that email. I'm just passing it along. (NOTE: Yes, you certainly CAN bring a non-ASL date. Just follow the instructions in the email.) Speakin' about cheap drinks. Not in cans, bottles, jugs, kegs, travel mugs or brown paper bags. Not in anything at all. Don't bring alcohol to the ALLA Complex. ALCOHOL IS NOT ALLOWED ON LITTLE LEAGUE GROUNDS. July 24 9:00 AM Camels @ Canardlys Umps: 3 JoSox

From Summer 2007, Bling Bling (Top center: Jawad, Saif & Maher; top right: Laith)

Both teams have their origins in 2007's disastrous Bling Bling team, which split into 4U2NV and the Trojans. 4u2NV became Bezzig & Lezzig, then Canardlys. The Trojans are now the Camels. There was an interesting unilateral "bet" made in the comments section. 10:45 AM JoSox @ Canardlys Umps: 3 Slackers

Maher searches in the dirt for his defense. A microscope would be helpful.

Speakin' about Maher...he still owes us about 56 pushups. Oh yeah, one more thing... Freak, you out there? 12:30 PM Nomads @ Slackers Umps: 1 JoSox + 2 Canardlys

An unidentified Nomad tried drowning his sorrows, but his sorrows learned to swim.

Jordan Cup? What Jordan Cup? It's beyond the point of plastering the Nomads on milk cartons and issuing Amber Alerts. We're damn near the point of making funeral arrangements. Man up, 'Mads. (Note: The player in the pic may or may not be one of the Nomads captains not named Zaki.) Notes: There may be schedule changes for the final two weeks of the regular season. Please stay tuned. Or don't. As always, I really don't care what you degenerates do. Still time to vote in the walking poll. As of this typing, Laith Barhoum is considered the walking mascot of ASL. Quite an honor.

Part 1.5: The Leech's Revenge

The trivia question was: Why should we have the After-Season Party as close to the Dead Sea as possible? Answer: Because all that salt will keep the Leech away. Kevin answered the question correctly, but Brooke was technically the first to get it (without a hint, even). They will share the prize of being featured in Amman Softball League's first ever Player Cards. (Sorry, no holograms.) The voting on whether or not to keep the Leech cartoons in the Slogs has been closer than expected. (Hurry and vote at the top of the green column on the right of the Slogs.) Our undercover detectives have unearthed the reason behind all those "No" votes...

And the Leech proves how socially ignorant and frustratingly resilient he is... Next up: Part 2 (The Tourney preview)

Stay tuned...

Load Up On Canned Goods

The End of Days is nearly upon us. It must be.

Nomads 24

JoSox 12

No choke job this time. It was all Nomads, from beginning to end.

The Nomads jumped all over the JoSox, right from the start, building an 11-3 lead after two innings and never looking back. The JoSox dugout exhibited none of the confidence of the teams' earlier meeting, when the Sox put up 16 runs in the 5th inning to steal a comeback win. As such, there was little panic in the 'Mads, as they held a commanding 21-7 lead after five.

Batting cleanup and driving his team's offense, Nomads' centerfielder Zaki Ibrahim went 5-for-5 with 5 runs and 5 RBI. Nice day. From the two-hole, third baseman Khaled Rihani went 4-for-4 with 4 runs and 4 RBI, including a sacrifice fly.

Tamara Hawatmeh (far left) and Ghadeer Ibrahim (2nd from right) went from baking to hitting.

In what turned out to be the game's turning point, the JoSox were hoping to induce a double play and limit the damage caused by the Nomads' 2nd inning barage. With two on and one out, Nomads catcher Tamara Hawatmeh came up clutch with a single, which proved to be just the start of her terrific day: 3-for-4 with a run and 3 RBI. Ghadeer Abujudeh-Ibrahim didn't have quite the same day, but she did her part in the 2nd by getting on base and keeping the rally going.

Nomads shortstop Omar Massarweh went 1-for-5 with 2 RBI, but he did manage to get on base regularly, courtesy of 3 JoSox errors. Massarweh also committed three errors on defense, with a fourth error coming on a little A-Rod-style vocal interference from Sox' Ash Samawi. (Omar requested to have his stats in big games published. Careful what you wish for.)

Bezzig & Lezzig Get Swept, Party On

Trojans 21

Bezzig & Lezzig 2

Bezzig & Lezzig 9

Slackers 22

Let's not dwell on the negatives too much. Yes, B&L were swept by the Trojans and Slackers in their doubleheader. The Spitters could have taken a forfeit by the late-rising Trojans. (Insert joke here about a team named after a condom whose players cannot get up when it matters.) But Bezzig & Lezzig put on their Good Sports t-shirts and allowed their foes an extra 20 minutes to assemble their team.

But you know what? Who cares. Proof is in the pic below...

Bezzig Lezzig lost the day, but won the weekend.