Updated Tourney Sked

Has anyone actually buried the Corpse of Jeff Sillin? Or does it yet roam? Here's the thing: ELE has never won a game. Not one. 0-14 over two seasons. But we don't care. All you have to do is show up and your team will always have a shot in the Tourney. But when you stop showing up, don't let anyone know, then vanish...

You get voted out of the Tourney.

Here's the updated Tournament schedule...

FRIDAY AUG. 6:

9:30 AM - Embassy (4) @ Around The Horn (1)
Umped by Kevin + 1 GoodFella + 1 Slacker

11:00 AM - GoodFellas (3) @ Slackers (2)
Umped by 2 from Embassy + 1 from Around The Horn

12:30 PM - Winners play, higher seed home
Umped by Kevin + 1 from each of the other (losing) teams

Results from July 23

ELE 6
Around The Horn 13

GoodFellas 20
Embassy 11

Embassy 6
Slackers 20

Notes:

- Around The Horn have clinched the top overall seed for the Tourney.
- The Slackers have clinched the #2 seed.
- The Embassy crew & GoodFellas have the same record at 3-4, but GoodFellas own the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head record (two games to none). The Embassy can still get the 3rd seed, but they have to beat Around The Horn next week and have GoodFellas lose to ELE. Any other result, and GoodFellas end up as the #3 seed.
- As mentioned before, ELE is locked in as the #5 seed.

Here's what's coming up...

July 30:

9:00 AM: ELE @ GoodFellas (Slackers)
10:30 AM: Slackers @ ELE (GoodFellas)
NOON: Around the Horn @ Embassy (ELE)

Tourney (Aug. 6):

9:00 AM PLAY-IN: #5 ELE @ #4 Seed
10:30 AM SEMI 1: #3 Seed @ #2 Slackers
NOON SEMI 2: #5/#4 Winner @ #1 Around The Horn*
1:30 PM FINAL: Semis Winners Play, Higher Seed Home
*NOTE: #1 Seed can choose which Semis time slot to play.

Draft! (Not Just Beer): It's Green Again

Winter 2010 Tournament Results...

Semis Game 1:

Slackers 13
GoodFellas 9

Semis Game 2:

ELE La Calle 4
Green Monsters 18

Championship:

Slackers 10
Green Monsters 23

Tourney Time

The Winter 2010 Tournament is here.
Or shall we call it ASL Cup VIII, just to be pretentious?

Friday, March 19th:

11:30 AM - Slackers @ GoodFellas (Umps: 2 ELE + 1 Monster)
12:45 PM - ELE La Calle @ Green Monsters (Umps: 3 Slackers)
2:15 PM - Winners of Semis, with higher seed home (Umps: TBD)

Almost There

Barebonesloggin'...

Friday, March 12:

Slackers 21
ELE La Calle 19

GoodFellas 11
Green Monsters 19

Tourney Seeds:

1. Green Monsters (5-0)
2. GoodFellas (3-2)
3. Slackers (2-3)
4. ELE La Calle (0-5)

Regular season recap? Tourney preview? Anyone?

Trophy Time Nears. Paint It Orange?

Canardlys 20 Nomads 15 The Canardlys made the season sweep of the Nomads official and did what they had to do to clinch the Tourney's #3 seed. All they needed was for the JoSox to beat the Camels later in the day. Four wins on the season may not seem like much, but it's a Quantum Leap for the Canardlys. As for the Nomads, who were already trapped at #5, hopefully they can rally all their troops and make some serious noise in the Tourney. A full Nomads squad is as good as any team in the league. JoSox 5 Slackers 8 ASL's top two offensive teams are also the league's top two defensive teams. Both teams came in averaging over 20 runs per game on offense. Both teams hadn't allowed 10 runs to an opponent in their previous 5 games. Something had to give, and it was scoring. In such a low-scoring game, a hero had to emerge. Enter the Slackers' Rakan "Rocky" Abu Shaar. Rocky hit two inside the park homers for 5 RBI and made several web gems at shortstop. Awesome game, Rocky. You carried the Slackers on your back and willed the Orange to victory over everyone's hated rivals ... and to the top seed in the Tourney. Camels 6 JoSox 11 The Camels picked up where the Slackers left off, holding the suddenly anemic JoSox offense to just 11 runs, behind the able (and brave) pitching of Laura Alsenas. But the Humps could not overcome the stingy JoSox defense, so it's the #4 seed for the Tourney. JoSox came into the game locked in at the #2 seed. The Tournament Schedule: Friday, August 14: 8:45 AM (Opening Round) #5 Nomads @ #4 Camels 10:30 AM (Semifinal 1) #3 Canardlys @ #2 JoSox 12:15 PM (Semifinal 2) Winner of #5/#4 @ #1 Slackers 2:15 PM (Championship) Semifinals winners play each other. The higher seed is the home team. Coming up this week: Declan joins Ziggy and Schwa for a Tourney preview. A response to Jeff "Goldilocks" Sillin's MLB team comparisons. And each team's theme song.

Nomads First To, Um, Clinch

The results from Week 8: Slackers 26 Camels 7 Nomads 7 Camels 20 Nomads 4 JoSox 24 Week 9's schedule... Friday, August 7: 9:00 AM Canardlys @ Nomads Umps: 3 JoSox 10:45 AM JoSox @ Slackers Umps: 3 Canardlys 12:30 PM Camels @ JoSox Umps: 3 Slackers (Filling for Nomads) Then it's the Tourney... Friday, August 14: 8:45 AM (Opening Round) #5 Nomads @ #4 Seed 10:30 AM (Semifinal 1) #3 Seed @ #2 Seed 12:15 PM (Semifinal 2) Winner of #5/#4 @ #1 Seed 2:15 PM (Championship) Semifinals winners play each other. The higher seed is the home team.

It's Off: JoSox Win

JoSox: ASL Summer 2008 Champions

Amman Softball League

Summer 2008 Season Tournament

Friday, August 15 Championship: Slackers 14 JoSox 22 Semis 2: Trojans 7 JoSox 10 Semis 1: Nomads 21 Slackers 26 Play-In Game: Bezzig & Lezzig 10 Trojans 15 Note: The All-Star Game for Saturday is cancelled due to APS.

It's On

Important Announcement From Ziggy & Schwa: The Tourney ends with the Championship Game (2:15 PM) this Friday, August 15. But the All-Star Game will be played the following day at 11:00 AM. We’re contacting players and captains today & tomorrow, but you have to be patient with us. Dialing a phone is kinda hard for us, because we’re cats and have no thumbs. In the meantime, please enjoy our cartoons making fun of Mude, and read the XL edition of the Summer 2008 Tournament Preview.

Ziggy & Schwa, Mude 8/14/2008

But seriously. Read the rules. This is neither the majors nor little league. Pitching, baserunning, substitutions and interference calls are all considerably different, and there are many incorrect assumptions about all of them. Don't get burned. If you know the rules by which we play, you'll have an edge in the Tournament. Here's some more epic posting...

ASL Summer 2008 Tournament Preview PLAY-IN GAME #5 Bezzig & Lezzig (0-8) @ #4 Trojans (3-5) Time: 9:15 AM Conditions: 76 F, WSW 8 MPH Umpires: 1 Slacker + 2 Nomads Kevin’s Take: B&L: This team just doesn't seem to put it all together for the whole game. I have seen them play just a couple times, and they seem to do ok for 2-3 innings and then the flood gates open. Keys to success: Cut down the errors, pitchers need to throw strikes, and of course scoring a lot of runs wouldn't hurt. Trojans: Probably the most dangerous team in the tournament. Everyone expects the JoSox, Slackers, and Nomads to be there but the Men in Black may surprise a few people. Keys to success: Pitching, fielding, and not letting other teams take extra bases on throws all over the field. Massarweh’s Take: B&L: Can't field. Can't hit. But love to play the game. I envy them. Trojans: Take out Aaron Bouchane, Saif Barhoum and Jeff Sillin’s bats, and the Trojans got nothing. Laith Barhoum does make a play, though, every once in a while. Their selectivity on swinging at pitches like women will get them nowhere. Ziggy Says: Massarweh is a chauvinist goat. He compares the Trojans’ selective swinging to feminine behavior, as if women can’t play, but his own team would be no better than 2-6 without their women. And he forgets about Ben Barrows, Tarek Jallad, Laura Alsenas and Mohamed Zalatimo (who is only one of the best pitchers in the league). Prediction: Bezzig will have a great party, regardless of the result. Schwa Says: With a full roster, the Trojans will make noise in this Tourney. The key to the Trojans going far in the playoffs will be their outfield defense and shortstop play, in addition to selecting the right batting order. Prediction: Trojans march on. SEMIS 1 #3 Nomads (5-3) @ #2 Slackers (6-2) Time: 10:45 AM Conditions: 81 F, WSW 9 MPH Umpires: 1 JoSox + 1 Bezzig + 1 Trojan Kevin’s Take: Nomads are the most trash-talking squad in the tournament, and they can never back it. I am sure they will come in brash and cocky after thrashing the JoSox 3 weeks ago but what's done is done. Keys to success: Hitting. Missing two of the better hitters in their lineup, the rest will have to produce. If not, fire up the grill. Slackers, as always, are strictly offensive. Defense is just a place to stand until it's their turn to bat. They were missing a couple of their best hitters in the tiebreaker game, one of which is their top outfielder, Nader Qushair. With Willy gone for the Tourney, it might be a silent Slacker team--unless Rocky Abushaar rejoins the team. Massarweh’s Take: Nomads truly are the most trash-talking team in the Tournament who can’t back it up. More than often than not, they fail to keep a huge lead, and break down in one inning and can’t bounce back. Their players try to do things they simply cannot do. Keys to success: Focus, hit and be mentally tough day in, day out. The skill is there. The mental power to get it done is lacking. Slackers are an offensive superpower, but a defensive dwarf. All you need to do to beat this team is to hit it hard and on the ground. The rest will happen easily. Schwa Says: Don’t you love it when people spout off without having all the facts? Kevin & Massarweh both ripped on the Orange D, but the Slackers were the second-best defensive team in the league this season. They allowed fewer runs per game than the Nomads, and only 5 more all season than the JoSox. On offense, they also finished 2nd to the JoSox, but ahead of the Nomads. Slackers get some key players back, including Nader, Rocky and Yazan Barghouti. The Orange will triumph in this game, and it’s not going to be as close as some may think (or hope) it would be. Ziggy Says: The Slackers are an absolute force. Like my Pops, Mude, has said before, the Orange Way is to keep it in the family and throw everything they have at their opponents. Their ability to score is obvious and their defense is underrated. That sounds like a dangerous combo to me. And the two missing Nomads make it a tough climb for the Sandwalkers. Prediction: Slackers win. SEMIS 2 Winner of #5/#4 @ #1 JoSox (6-2) Time: 12:15 PM Conditions: 84 F, WSW 10 MPH Umpires: 1 From Loser of #3/#2 + 2 From Loser of #5/#4 Kevin’s Take: JoSox: This team doesn't rebuild; it reloads. They seem to have shored up the defensive issues from earlier in the season, and the hitting appears to be peaking. By far the best OF and SS in the league, hands down. Keys to success: Focus. Massarweh’s Take: Most organized and focused team in the Tournament, but by far the most BORING team with no motivation whatsoever (except Kevin). When they reload, they reload, but somehow they manage to reload with players nobody wants. There is no continuity from season to season, which, in my opinion, is the reason behind their lethargic game face. Best SS? I have never seen him play, so I cannot answer. We all know who the best SS in this league is, don’t we, Nomads? (Mude: Why not have a vote, like you did with the Leach [sic]? That would be much more entertaining than Kevin’s hezz danab.) Schwa Says: I’m the Boycat, and I also have a mancrush on Doug “Hoover” Van Zandt. He has been playing shortstop in ASL for four-plus seasons, yet Omar Massarweh claims to have never seen him play. Maybe if CHOKEmar MassERRORweh stepped back from his full-length mirror once in a while, he’d actually catch a glimpse of the other players in this league. Ziggy Says: Easy on Omar, little Schwa. The man’s about to get engaged! About the game: If the JoSox take this game seriously, they’ll march on to the championship game, where the Slackers will be waiting for them. If they goof off and give away outs on defense and on the basepaths, then we’re in for the biggest shocker in our history—bigger than when the Trojans crushed the Nomads last Tourney. Prediction: JoSox remain focused, win the game and bring me meat-filled treats. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Time: 2:15 PM Conditions: 89 F, WSW-W 10 MPH Umpires: 1 from each of the 3 eliminated teams Preview/Prediction: God only knows, right?

***

We're There: Tourney Time, Part 1

Here's an update (unrelated to the Slackers-JoSox game) for all the fans of the Leech. If you like it, I'll make it a regular Slogs feature. You can vote at the top of the column on the right side.

Slackers 7 JoSox 15 The tie is broken. There was much venom. Venomy, venomous venom. Slackers and JoSox finished the regular season tied for first place, and the tiebreaker was to determine Tournament seeding. (A best-of-three coin flip, as agreed on by the captains, determined the home team for this game.) The Tourney schedule is at the bottom. Here are your game notes for Slackers-JoSox: 1. Batting Out Of Order If an infraction is discovered immediately after a batter completes his appearance...any advances or scores due to his action are nullified, he is removed from the bases if he reached, and the proper batter is called out...and the batter that follows the proper batter who was declared out will come to the plate. If the infraction is discovered during a plate appearance (that is, a pitch has been thrown to the current batter)...there is no penalty, but the situation is rectified--the proper batter comes to bat and assumes the improper batter's current count. (LINK) 2. Leading Off A base runner may not leave the base until the bat makes contact with the ball. If the base runner leaves early (after the pitcher is on the rubber for one second but before contact is made), the umpire will declare "no pitch" and the base runner will be called out. If a runner leaves his base during a swing and the batter misses, that runner is out. (LINK) Tournament Schedule (Friday, August 15, 2008): 9:15 AM - Play-In (5) Bezzig & Lezzig @ (4) Trojans 10:45 AM - Semis 1 (3) Nomads @ (2) Slackers 12:15 PM - Semis 2 (5/4) Play-In Winner @ (1) JoSox 2:15 PM - Championship Semis Winners Play, Higher Seed Is Home Team

Almost There: Aug 8 Recap

We're almost done with the regular season. The JoSox win earned them a tiebreaker game against the Slackers to determine the #1 seed. The game will take place Saturday, August 9, at 1:30 PM. Come on out and watch the showdown. Friday, August 8: 10:00 AM: Slackers 0 (Forfeit) JoSox 6 11:30 AM: Trojans 8 JoSox 32 1:00 PM: Nomads 18 Bezzig & Lezzig 4 Standings after 8 games: 1. JoSox 6-2 1. Slackers 6-2 3. Nomads 5-3 4. Trojans 3-5 5. Bezzig & Lezzig 0-8 Tourney (Friday, August 15): 9:30 AM (Play-In Game) #5 Bezzig & Lezzig @ #4 Trojans 11:00 AM (Semis 1) #3 Nomads @ #2 (JoSox/Slackers, TBD) 12:30 PM (Semis 2) #5/#4 Winner @ #1* (JoSox/Slackers, TBD) 2:15 PM (Championship) Winners of Semis 1 & 2, with the higher seed home *Note: #1 seed may pick their Semis game time.

I Can See Clearly Now...Sorta

Week 6 Recap. Tighty Whitey to start, more details to follow. (If you have stats, pics or something else from your game that you'd like to have included, please email it to me & I'll work it in.) The Tourney picture is finally coming into focus. Friday, August 1: 10:00 AM: Bezzig & Lezzig 7 @ 11 Slackers 11:30 AM: Nomads 13 @ 12 Slackers (Jordan Cup Final) 1:00 PM: Trojans 10 @ 12 Nomads Standings with one week left in the regular season: 1. Slackers (6-1) Status: Cannot finish below 2nd. Best Case: If they beat JoSox next week, they're the #1 Seed. Worst Case: Lose to JoSox; play JoSox for a #1/2 tiebreaker. 2. JoSox (4-2) Status: Can still finish between #1 & #4. Best Case: Beat Slackers & Trojans next week, then play tiebreaker vs Slackers for #1. Worst Case: Lose to Slackers & Trojans (+Nomads loss); play tiebreaker vs Trojans and Nomads for #2/3/4.* 3. Nomads (4-3) Status: Can finish between #2 & #4. Best Case: #2 Seed with win vs Bezzig & Lezzig + JoSox losses to Slackers & Trojans. Worst Case: Lose to Bezzig + Trojans win, play Trojans for #3/4. 4. Trojans (3-4) Status: Can finish between #2 & #4. Best Case: Beat JoSox + Nomads loss + JoSox loss to Slackers; play Nomads and JoSox for #2/3/4.* Worst Case: Lose to JoSox, #4 Seed. 5. Bezzig & Lezzig (0-7) Status: Locked in at #5 Seed. 6. The Beats Status: Just seeing if you're paying attention. Still with me? * This is the Doomsday Scenario, a three-team mini-tourney. Nomads-Trojans would play on Friday at 2:30, with the winner playing the JoSox on Saturday, followed by the loser playing JoSox right after that. Repeat until a team wins two games (that team is #2). The two other teams play again, with the winner #3 and the loser #4. I don't even want to think about this.

Schedule Update

Friday, August 1: 10:00 AM: Bezzig & Lezzig @ Slackers 11:30 AM: Nomads @ Slackers (Jordan Cup Final) 1:00 PM: Trojans @ Nomads Since this is a bye for the JoSox, we will ump all the games. Friday, August 8: 10:00 AM: Slackers @ JoSox (Umped by B & L) 11:30 AM: Trojans @ JoSox (Umped by B & L) 1:00 PM: Nomads @ Bezzig & Lezzig (Umped by Trojans) The Tournament will be played on Friday, August 15, as scheduled. The All-Star Game will be played on Saturday, August 16. Important for everyone except Bezzig: The Nomads-Slackers game will not count in the standings. This is just an extra game to determine the winner of the Jordan Cup. It will, however, serve as the tiebreaker in case the two teams end up with the same record. If Trojans-Nomads need a tiebreaker, it will be played on Friday, August 8, at 2:30 PM. Any other tiebreaker(s) will be played on Saturday, August 9, if necessary. Note: The captains have had this info since Saturday, July 26. Here's where each team stands with two games to go: 1. Slackers (5-1): If they win their remaining games, they are the #1 Seed. They cannot finish below #3. 2. JoSox (4-2): Can finish from #1 to #4. 3. Trojans (3-3): Can finish from #2 to #4. 4. Nomads (3-3): Can finish from #1 to #4. 5. Bezzig & Lezzig (0-6): Locked into the #5 Seed. (Look at it this way: B&L is the first team to officially clinch a playoff spot.) Note: The order is based on current standings, through Week 5 (Games of July 25).

Tighty Whitey Tourney Recap

Green Monsters: Three-time Champs.

Round 1:
4U2NV 12, Hit Squad 11
Trojans 20, Nomads 16

Semis:
Slackers 26, 4U2NV 13
Green Monsters 22, Trojans 14

Championship:
Green Monsters 16, Slackers 7

Coming up this next week:

Full, Team-By-Team Season Recap

Video Highlight of the Season

All-Star Game Recap

History of Amman Softball League

Summer 2008 Season Info

If you have pics or video you'd like to have included, please email me. The email address is on the right side of the Slogs.

Tourney Preview

This is all you're going to get...

Tourney Time

Tournament Schedule

(Games limited to 70 minutes each, except Championship) FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008 Round 1: 9:00 AM #5 Hit Squad @ #4 4U2NV 10:15 AM #6 Trojans @ #3 Nomads Semis: 11:45 AM: Higher Seeded Round 1 Winner @ #2 Slackers 1:00 PM: Lower Seeded Round 1 Winner @ #1 Green Monsters Championship: 2:30 PM: Semis Winners Play Each Other (Higher Seed is Home Team) THE ALL-STAR GAME IS SET FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 11 AM - 1 PM.

By popular request, Ziggy & Schwa will have a Tourney Preview on Thursday. Week 10 Results: Trojans 18, 4U2NV 12 Slackers 22, Nomads 21 Green Monsters 42, Hit Squad 11

MONSTER SLAYERS!

4U2NV outshone the Monsters in all facets of the game: Offense, Defense, Heart.

Week 9's Games:

4U2NV 19, Green Monsters 8

Slackers 23, Hit Squad 8

Nomads 17, Trojans 15

Week 7's Games (Rainout Makeup):

Green Monsters 22, Nomads 6

Slackers 27, Trojans 18

Hit Squad 27, 4U2NV 13

Home Runs on the weekend of Feb. 29 & Mar. 1:

Saif Barhoum, Trojans (Grand Slam)
Gunny Diaz, Green Monsters

Zaki Ibrahim, Nomads

Mark McPherson, Hit Squad

Shukri Saleh, Nomads

Playoff Scenarios:

1. Green Monsters have clinched the #1 Seed for the Tourney.
2/3. The winner of Nomads @ Slackers on March 7 will be #2 Seed; loser is #3.
4/5. If 4U2NV & Hit Squad have the same result in their respective games on March 7 (both win or both lose), a tiebreaker game will be needed to determine the #4/#5 Seeds.
6. Trojans are locked into the #6 Seed.

Week 10, Regular Season Finale
Friday, March 7, 2008:

10:00 AM - 4U2NV @ Trojans (Umps: 2 Slackers)
11:30 AM - Nomads @ Slackers (Umps: 1 Monster + 1 Trojan)
1:00 PM - Hit Squad @ Green Monsters (Umps: 2 Nomads)
2:30 PM - Hit Squad/4U2NV Tiebreaker (If Necessary)

(We'll honor 4U2NV's accomplishment soon.)

Tournament Brackets & Schedule

Click on the image to get your own PDF of the Tournament brackets.

Tournament Schedule:

Game A: 9:00 AM

(5) Slackers @ (4) Sluggos

Umps: One from Eagles + One from Bling Bling

Game B: 10:10 AM

(6) Bling Bling @ (3) Eagles

Umps: One from Sluggos + One from Slackers

Game C: 11:20 AM

(7) Beats @ (2) Nomads

Umps: One from Traitors + One from Stars

Game D: 12:30 PM

(8) Stars @ (1) Traitors

Umps: One from Nomads + One from Beats

************

Semifinal 1: 1:45 PM

Winners of Games A & D

Umps: Two from Game C Losing Team

Semifinal 2: 3:00 PM

Winners of Games B & C

Umps: Two from Game D Losing Team

************

Championship: 4:30 PM

Semifinal 1 & 2 Winners

Umps: Mude + TBD

We need to talk about where this relationship is headed

Ziggy crunches the numbers and Schwa passes on the catculations.

Ziggy and Schwa are taking a week off from prognosticating, as they did not fare so well last time (4 for 8). Their owner, your humble Slogger-in-Chief, isn't a genius, either. But I did correctly predict that the Cubs would catch the Brewers in the second half of the MLB season.*

Let's talk Tourney. This is in the Rules, but here it goes:

Tournament seeding will be based on how a team finishes in its own division, plus how they did against the other division’s “mirror” team. The two division winners “share” the top two seeds. That tie (regardless of overall records) is broken by the result of the one inter-division game between those teams, with the winner getting the higher seed. The two second-place teams share the 3-4 seeds, third place teams share 5-6, and last-place teams share 7-8.

In a nutshell: Traitors are tops. Beats are #7. Bling Bling & Stars will fight for #6 & #8. Nomads & Eagles can finish between #2 & #4. Slackers & Sluggos can finish anywhere from #3 to #5.

Details (Records indicate overall, division, inter-division):

Long Division:

Traitors (8-0, 4-0, 4-0): Clinched the Long Division title and the top seed in the tourney. Will play either Bling Bling or Stars in the first round of the Tournament.

Slackers (5-2-1, 2-1-1, 3-1) & Sluggos (4-3-1, 1-2-1, 3-1): Fighting for second place in the Long Division. Their first game against each other ended in a tie. They play again this Friday (August 3), which will basically settle matters. Slackers hold the edge over the Eagles, but not the Nomads. Sluggos hold the edge over the Nomads, but not the Eagles.

Beats (2-6, 0-4, 2-2): Cannot finish above 4th in Long. Clinched #7 seed with wins over both Bling Bling and Stars. Will play the winner of the Division of Labor in the first round.

Division of Labor:

Nomads (5-2, 3-0, 2-2) & Eagles (5-3, 3-1, 2-2): Locked in a battle for Labor title. Nomads beat the Eagles in their first game, and the second match is on August 10. Division winner is the Tourney’s #2 seed. For the #3 seed, Nomads have the edge over the Slackers, but not the Sluggos. The Eagles have the edge over the Sluggos, but not the Slackers.

Stars (1-7, 1-3, 0-4) & Bling Bling (0-7, 0-3, 0-4): Neither team can finish above 3rd in their division. One will be the #8 seed, and the other the #6 seed, because both teams lost all four inter-division games. Stars won the early game against Bling, but they meet again on Aug 10. If neither teams wins before that final game, and Bling beats the Stars, the teams will have identical records. The result of that last game will break the tie (since it's being played on the last day). This will eliminate an additional tiebreaker game.

The Tournament will be held on August 17, beginning at 9:00 AM sharp. There will be no warm-ups on the big field prior to the games and no infield warm-ups between innings. (Please use the small field.) The rest of the regular season game format will be used: 1-1 counts, 6 innings, 10-run limits per inning (except last two innings), etc. The new schedule is available here, or you may download it from the link at the bottom of the green sidebar (right side of Slogs).

THIS WEEK'S GAMES:

It'll be significantly cooler for Week 8's games, so please be sure to dress in lots of warm layers. The Slogs recommends three pairs of socks and long underwear. And ear muffs.

9:00 AM: Slackers @ Sluggos (Umps: Traitors)
10:30 AM: Traitors @ Beats (Umps: Stars)
12:00 PM: Stars @ Nomads (Umps: Beats)
1:30 PM: Bling Bling @ Nomads (Umps: Eagles)
3:00 PM: Eagles @ Bling Bling (Umps: Nomads)

*At the All-Star Break, the Cubs were 5 games behind the Brewers, but they've erased that deficit in less than three weeks and now lead the NL Central on percentage points.

Of all these friends and lovers: Sluggos @ Traitors

Noon (88F/31C)
Umps: Mude & Gary

When the Sluggos look at the Traitors’ Gatorade-inspired uniforms, all they see are the miniscule green details. If you’re new to the league, here’s a history lesson:

In the Winter 2007 Amman Softball League season, there were the Green Monsters and then there were all the other teams. The Monsters steamrolled through the regular season and, after a first-round playoff win against the Beats, into the championship game. Through those nine games, the juggernaut never trailed after a full inning of play. Scores like 29-4, 28-3, 43-5 were as prevalent as the odor of diesel in Abdali.

All smiles before the championship game.

But then came the Sluggos. As the #3 seed, they quickly dispatched the Slackers to set up a showdown with the Monsters, wanting desperately to avenge their two regular-season losses. It looked like the same old story when the undefeated Greenies took a 10-2 lead into the 5th inning. Six more outs, and they could celebrate what had by then seemed to be their birthright.

The Sluggos were having none of it. In the top of the 5th, they scored eight runs, most of them with two outs, fueled by Lori Doutrich and Chris Hattayer’s clutch hitting. Suddenly, the game was tied. The Monsters’ dugout was tense, not having experienced such a feeling since the infamous Miracle On Sand (Part I) game the previous summer. Sluggos co-captain Orrince called it the “Pucker Factor.”

“Let’s put up ten runs and put these guys to bed,” urged someone (or was it everyone?) from the Green Monsters, referring to their turn to bat in the bottom of the 5th. The Sluggos, however, had other ideas, holding ASL’s highest-ever scoring team to just three more runs, and an improbably few 13 through five innings. On average, that total is what the Monsters had scored every five outs. The Sluggos' stifling of their rivals was due to pitcher Bill Steinkampf’s uncanny placement and the prescient positioning of his solid defense.

The Sluggos scored two runs in the top of the 6th and final inning. There was one out, and co-captain YAM stood at third, representing the tying run. Monsters’ pitcher Kevin Rowlson looked to his dugout, holding up one finger, an inquisitive look on his strained face. He wanted to know if they still had the lead, and if it was one run. He looked confident as he delivered the next pitch. Deep fly ball, caught, the tag-up, the throw—not in time. Safe at home! The game was tied.

13-13, bottom of the 6th inning, with the Monsters batting from the top of their order. Kevin Vienneau, normally an on-base machine, popped out to shallow center. The Sluggos were bursting with confidence, and rightly so. Brooke Sartawi (disclosure: my wife; I was the co-captain/coach) patiently drew the one-out walk. Mike Moore, a home run machine, worked a full count and smacked the next pitch to left-center for a double. Brooke, representing the winning run, was held up at third. There was no need to panic, because Bruce Neese, arguably the greatest hitter in ASL’s brief history, was due up.

This was a no-brainer. With first base open, Bill intentionally walked Bruce to set up the double-play—and extra innings. Jeff Coupe, who wore “8” on the back of his jersey to honor Carl Yastrzemski, walked to the plate. Was Yaz’s 1967 Triple Crown season going through his head as he dug in for his turn to be the hero?

Bill’s 2-1 pitch was well short of the plate, but Jeff did not want to even come close to forcing in the championship-winning run on a walk. That’s not how sluggers do it. That’s not how Yaz would have done it, at least not in a baseball fan’s boyhood dreams. So Jeff lunged forward and down for the ball, hitting it off the end of his bat, over the pitcher’s head, out of reach of the second-baseman and towards YAM, in short center.

It was too high for her to reach, too. The ball landed in shallow center field. Brooke jogged home and kept her foot on the plate for an extra second or two, feeling bittersweet that it was all over. Ballgame. Championship. Season.

Kevin, Jeff, Brooke and Eiad Zoubi are former Green Monsters who now wear the white and orange of the Traitors. You may barely notice the green on those jerseys, but the Sluggos know it’s there.

Jeff Coupe and Bruce Neese, with the trophy.