.
.
.
This is showing NOW – noon – on KABC. Whoever wins this game will move on to play JAPAN for the world champions. Yes, HB did play this undefeated Billings, Montana team three days ago and lost 1-0, but now they get a second chance. These two teams are old friends as well – they bunked together at a regional conference in San Bernardino a while back; they called their barracks the “championship barracks” and talked about how “cool” it would be if they both ended up going to the finals and playing each other – now it’s happened twice.
Christina Green was a Little League player who got shot in the crossfire in the Giffords shooting. They honored her and also a firefighter / first responder from 9/11 who couldn’t make it because of the hurricane. We had a moment of silence for both of them. Christina’s brother Dallas Green gets to throw the first pitch.
Our star pitcher Hagen “Hagen-Daas” Danner used up ALL his pitches in the last game – throwing TWELVE STRIKEOUTS in six innings – so today we’re gonna be rooting for pitcher Nick Pratto, left-handed son of the manager.
FIRST INNING
Hagen Danner hits a line drive, runs to second. Throws up a CROIX DE WILSON! (That’s my brother’s term for the cross-shape Brian Wilson makes with his arms when he triumphs.) Next up, a strikeout – missed who it was, no matter. Southpaw Pratto’s up, wild pitch, Danner sneaks to third! Pratto hits, gets tagged at first … but DANNER RUNS HOME! 1-0. Kotkowsky hits a double! Mayorga up – strikes out. We are up 1-0.
Pratto pitching. First Montana hitter gets tagged out at first. Small kid gets struck out. He’s tiny – 74 pounds. He had complained to his mom “It’s hard to hit when they throw faster than you weigh!” Montana star Cole McKenzie up – also left-handed. Strikes out!
SECOND INNING
Takata hit by a pitch, goes to first. Braydon Salzman up. Salzman flies out – one out. Dylan Palmer “the Dill Pickle” hits a HOMER – and drives in Takata as well. HB UP 3-0!!! A fly out – I missed who it was. Hagen “Hagen-Daas” Danner is up! Hagen his a line-drive single. Strike out.
I had made this comment on the Ocean View Facebook page: “Since Dylan Palmer calls himself Dill Pickle, Hagen Danner should call himself Hagen-Daas. Then, with the subliminal ice cream & pickles message, a lot of pregnant women will be even more enthusiastic about the team.” A lot of people liked that comment, so I am pursuing the new nickname as a fact.
I also liked this passage from the Times yesterday, about how Hagen managed to ignore the gigantic Pennsylvania crowd while pitching twelve strikeouts:
Danner also said he made a conscious effort to block out the noise from the large, partisan crowd. “I just told myself, ‘What crowd?’ I was thinking to myself there was no crowd, no noise. I heard the noise a little but I wasn’t really getting bothered by it.”
Nick strikes out one Montana batter… Montana hits a single … wow… a comedy of defensive errors on our part allow a very unlikely Montana defensive steal and run. THREE to ONE. Oh well, that was colorful. One out. Pratto walks a Montana hitter. Pratto’s first walk in the series. Ground ball, HB double play! Inning over.
Just heard, Dylan Palmer was asked who he would most like to meet; it was not a sports figure but Warren Buffet.
THIRD INNING
Kotkowsky up … hits single (the famed Montanan McKenzie dropped the ball) Batter gets hit, bases loaded. Floy out – two outs. Now three outs.
Two Montanas on base. Sorry, I’ll pay attention. Okay, three outs.
FOURTH INNING
Christian Cataño up, and it’s starting to rain lightly. Rules are, if the weather gets real bad, they STILL have to at least finish the fourth inning. Cataño gets to first on some kind of error. Hagen up! Cataño advances to second on a wild pitch. Hagen walks. Justin Cianca up. Single, Hagen gets tagged out running to second, Cataño makes it to third. Cianca steals second. Someone – I missed – just doubled in Cataño and Cianca!! HB FIVE TO ONE. And still only one out… Okay three outs…
Pratto pitching. The dangerous Montanan Cole McKenzie is up. Hits a single. Strikeout. And another! Good job Nick.
FIFTH INNING
Run-scoring single. Missed who did it. Braydon is at third … Someone hit a single. Wild pitch and the line-drive magnet Salzman SNEAKS IN! SEVEN TO ONE!!!
Pratto pitching… two srikeouts — one Montana kid hits a single and the Montana fans go wild! Poor rubes… Ground ball, out at first, inning over.
SIXTH INNING
We hit a single which becomes a double because their first baseman drops it. Kotkowsky walks. Adam Sandler fan Jack Furry at bat. Flies out to right field, our guy on second gets to third. Wild pitch gets and we get TWO GUYS IN on a wild pitch! NINE – ONE. Their pitcher is running out of steam, just walked another of our guys, gets replaced…
Montana errors help us sneak guys to second and third. Dill Pickle drives in the runner on third! TEN ONE! And still only one out … OH … another guy slips in ELEVEN ONE. HAGEN UP! Flies out. Three more outs to go.
Pratto throws another strike out. Salzman the Line-Drive Magnet pitching the rest of this game. COLE MCKENZIE hits a homer – ELEVEN TWO. Good for him. A Montanan walks. GAME OVER!!!
NOW THATS NEWS!
I’ll be watching!