Dead Money Splits for the Fall Season

After many seasons of successful and unsuccessful play in various leagues and arenas, Dead Money will split into two separate teams for the fall season.  Both Teams will play in Minnetonka, but one will remain in the Tuesday night league and the other on Thursday nights.  This allows new talent to surface as there are numerous prospects in the farm system dying to make it to the Bigs.  Not sure how this will pan out, but it will be a great way to let everyone get a chance to play and show thier skills (or lack there of).  Stay tuned to see if this will help or hinder Dead Money's ability to stay competitive.

Dead Money Loses 0-7....But Then Wins, and Wins, and Wins Again!

Yup, that's right, Dead Money wins the Championship the hard way.  We couldn't put any hits together following numerous walks, to score any runs in the first game.  Any decent hits seemed to be hit directly at a Doublewide player.  Huge disappointment.

The second game was against The Wild Turkeys who beat Ballz Deep to squeeze themselves into a guaranteed 3rd place finish for the summer season.  This was a very relaxed game for us, didn't need to pull out anything fantastic, just played our game for the win.

The second game against Doublewide started out much the same as the first...except with runners scoring.  Also for the first time this season we were able to track down the intricacies of the Doublewide offense.  Our defense seemed too much for them to handle and we came away with out first victory of the year against the #1 seed.  At one point we were within 1 run of a 10 run rule limit but they were able to battle back with some solid base hits and a few Texas leaguers. 

The Championship game left Doublewide defending themselves with only 9 players.  With their defense completely exposed we picked them apart inning after inning finally finishing the game off in the 6th inning after using the 10 run rule.  Doublewide is definitely a good team, but after last nights games, I think that they will be the ones struggling in the future.  I think that their anonymity worked in their favor this year.  We've got them all but completely locked down.  The most impressive thing all night was to watch their center fielder run all over the place making catches and strong throws.  Taking away their fifth infielder in the last game showed how bad they need that player in the infield.  Not much range there. 

Congrats Dead Money and the rest of the teams in the league for a fine season played.  I will leave Team Alliance out of that congrats, because they are....... Never mind, too mean.

All Wet!

Tuesday's game was cancelled due to a downpour and what looked to be Armageddon.  However,  the games at 6 and 7 were able to be played.  As was expected, The Extreme, The Silver Bullets and Team Alliance were eliminated.  But, the Wild Turkeys were able to put a hurtin' on The Dirty Grizzlies sending the number three seed packin'.  That leaves Ballz Deep and the Turkeys left in losers bracket.

I expect that the game against Doublewide will be a tough one, but in the two losses we have to them this year, there is only a 4 run differential.  The good side of a one week delay is that those of us with looming injuries will have some extra time to heal up.  Despite that, we were all ready to on Tuesday to send Doublewide down to the lower bracket, leaving them with an extra game to play for the championship.

That'll Work!!!

Well Dead money continued to climb up the winners bracket of the post-season playoffs in Minnetonka on Tuesday night.  The first round was a breeze, taking down the far inferior Silver Bullets.  We were determined to not repeat what happened last year in the first round.  15-1 was the final score in that game.

The second game proved to be a bit more complex and difficult, as it was expected to be.  The Dirty Grizzlies have been a difficult opponent for the last couple of years and it was nice to get a win against them in the playoffs, even if it was only by one point.  We managed to have a 7 run inning that was the defining point in the game where their shortstop botched a couple of plays.  This game definitely was all about the defense.  We played well, but not as well as we could have, and not as well as we should next week when we have three of our top players returning from vacation.  Two of them are team leaders in batting average, and all three of them are amongst our top power hitters.  And defensively, their return will make us almost unstoppable.

There was a phrase that defined one of the games last night.  "That'll work", was spewed numerous times by an opponent.  Unfortunately for the opponent, that phrase seemed to apply more to Dead Money!

!!!Attention: New Rules for Thursday Night League!!!

The new mostly pertains to pregame warm ups.  We must have some drinks prior to the rest of the games in Plymouth.  This gives us an excuse for playing out of our minds on Thursday nights.  What is the deal?  We seem to have a knack for losing to terrible teams.   We scored 5 runs in 2 games last Thursday,  making it the worst performance I have seen from Dead Money since our days as "Thunder".   However, Jesse did make a diving catch in right field that I never thought he would get to. 

I don't think any of us would be surprised if we lost the rest of our games in Plymouth, so lets have a little fun with it.  Maybe do some experimentation with getting in the heads of the other teams.  I will be looking for suggestions on this.  Anything goes.  I think having a little fun with it may be the only way to salvage the rest of the season.

We don't have 2nd place locked up yet in Minnetonka.  But all it will take is coming up with a win against the Extreme tomorrow.  Not a game that should be taken for granted.  Remember what happened last year in the playoffs.  We lost to the Silver Bullets in the first round.  If we do beat the Extreme tomorrow, it looks like we will once again be playing the Silver Bullets in the first round.

Last nights scores and standings

War of Wildlife-Surprising Night

Well, last night was full of surprises.  The Turkeys and The Dirty Grizzlies went head to head last night.  For those of us that were there early, we got to watch an exciting game.  I predicted yesterday that The Dirty Grizzlies would have no problem extinguishing the Turkeys.  And, maybe the Grizzlies had the same mindset, a mindset that eventually led to a loss by the Griz.  It may have not been all mindset issues though.  The Turkeys strung together base hit after base hit, inning after inning.  It seemed like 3 innings in a row they led off with the bases loaded.  Could be the Turkeys have finally found their footing for the season.  If that is true, it couldn't be at a better time, as we are only 2 weeks from play-offs.  The Grizzlies loss put Dead Money into 2nd place in the regular season with only the Extreme to play next week.

Our game ended up being way to close for comfort.  We had a 6 run lead going into the bottom of the 7th, which we were all too comfortable with.  Alliance managed for the first time in the game to get some extra base hits into the gaps and tie the game up by the time the inning was over.  The inning should have been over much earlier, but there was a mind-numbing play during a rundown play that allowed a run and left the other two base runners on base without getting an out.  This is the kind of play that we see from other teams.  Not from the #1 defense in the league.  But, in Dead Money fashion, we batted around in the top of the 8th, scoring 6 runs and shut Alliance down with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th.  I am still not a big fan of Team Alliance.  The pitcher never stops running his mouth, and the rest of the team can't manage to shut theirs either.  They seem to be angry people.  Not at all happy with the life they have chosen.  Maybe they should sit down and listen to a book on tape or something.  Maybe a little less torturing small animals.  Just a suggestion.

Whoa!!! Is this thing on?

...and we're back.  This has been a long awaited post.  But, it will prove to be worth the wait as it has been about a year since the last one.  I will try to recap what has happened since last season.

We have a new website at our old address www.DeadMoneySoftball.com .  This was put together by "V", and I believe the updates and the stats are posted by Roth.  I believe a "Thank you!" is in order for the hard work that the two of them have put into that. 

Last season proved to be fruitful as we were once again League Champions (after a review of the rules).  We clearly were the dominating force in the league, both offensively and defensively. 

This year is a different story.  We have struggled a bit, mostly because of our Plymouth league.  In Minnetonka,  we have completely locked in, at least 3rd place for the regular season.  After losing to the second place Dirty Grizzlies early in the season when we only fielded 8 players, we beat them last week in a rather dominating win allowing only 3 runs.  Doublewide Express has definitely improved this year, most likely a roster change.  They are on the top of the league with only one loss so far this season.  We have lost both games that we have played against them this season.  The other possible contenders, have for the most part, made themselves irrelevant.  Ballz Deep just hasn't been the power house that they once were.  Wild Turkeys have been misbehaving and become a non-factor (most likely the trash-talking, cry-baby, shortstop.  He just can't shut his mouth, especially when there is a pending loss).  And Team Alliance just hasn't figured out how to control themselves, their emotions, or their crack-pot pitcher. 

Just to set things straight after a little web based trash-talking...Dead Money is perfect! 

Well....our defense is almost perfect.  We have out-played our opponents in the field all year.  Only the Dirty Grizzlies have scored more than 10 runs against us.  And that was when we only had 8 players on the field.  Only one other team has scored more than 5 runs against us, and that is the first place Doublewide Express.  When I saw these stats I was very impressed....and shocked.  The latest data shows that we have out scored our opponents 182-69! 

So, it goes without saying, that the playoffs are going to be very important this year.  I don't see either Dirty Grizzlies or Doublewide Express dumping any of the remaining games of the regular season in the next couple of weeks.  We just need to look at our next few games as warm-ups for the playoffs.  Good, consistent hitting will be the key for us, as it has been our downfall for the begining of the year.

Roth Misses Brown Out by Just a Few Steps

Scoring 17 runs in the first inning of Tuesday nights opening game pretty much says it all. Double wide Express definitely did not see us coming. Which brings up something that Roth did not see coming in the first inning of the second game against Ballz Deep. Roth went scrambling across the outfield after one out, leaving enough room in the outfield for Ballz Deep to put together some hits for extra bases and score a few runs. Roth was hit with an unexpected round of irritable bowel syndrome. I think in the interest of team loyalty, he should have pooped his pants. That would have been the true Dead Money way...pooping your pants, yes, that has Dead Money written all over it.

As I was writing this I began to think of some poop slang:
butt loaf
brown trout
food baby
tootsie roll
poo poo butter
mud butt
chunky fart

Any one else care to try?

Visions of a Collision

Tuesday nights games went as well a could have been expected. We win both even after a collision in the outfield between our two center fielders. The out was made and both walked away from the incident, though they both played the rest of the game at different positions. V may have suffered a minor concussion but still managed to go 3 for 3 in his following at bats. I am of the opinion that we may have to thump him on the head before every game.

The first game was against the Wild Turkeys, our arch rivals from last season. They started the game off hot taking a 8-1 lead. However this put us in a position that we have become accustomed to, and thrive on. We made our fourth comeback of the season and won the game. I have to admit, I'm a little saddened by the Wild Turkeys performance so far this season. I was really hoping that we would have a heated rivalry leading into the end of the season, but the Turkeys seem to be pulling up the rear of the league. Make us proud Turkeys, turn around the rest of your season.

Elite Exteriors was anything but elite. They do have a tendency towards hitting the long ball, but come up short when put up against the defending spring and summer champs. They were undefeated going into Tuesday night, and left their double header with two losses.

Wanted: Coon Dog

Dead Money is searching for a well trained Coon Hound. This dog must be able to track, tree a Coon, be a good swimmer, and also be clever. The necessity for a Coon Hound has been apparent since the first week of play. We have used more modern approaches for hunting Coon, such as: phone calls, text messages, and emails. I have even seen evidence of the use of Facebook. All have failed miserably. So, a more traditional approach seems to be the way to go.

We have two games tonight. One against the under achieving Wild Turkeys, and the other against an unknown and undefeated Elite Exteriors. Need to bring the "A" game tonight. We know the Turkeys will be trying desperately for their first win of the season.

Where are you Tom Coon?

Smashing Game! Banner Night!

Tuesday night was reminiscent of last years Dead Money season. We forced the use of the flip-flop rule after the fifth inning. The whole team hit well, using the entire field. Sean had his break out game, (no pun intended) with a flurry of hits, including his first HR of the year. A homer that shattered the windshield of a parked car! Note: Do not park your car facing the field. Acker was the third player on the roster to add a HROL to his stats.

The banner was unveiled for the first time. Despite a bit of discussion about who would be the ones to hang it up, and a few players "warming up" for the first time in thier softball career, some of us were able to endure the embarrassment and get it hung up. I must say it is a rather impressive banner. We are definitly pioneers. That is one thing that I have never seen before. It is way better than wheely bags! I was surprised to get very little reaction. We may need to rethink our choice of location...maybe on the back side of the back stop.

Comeback Kids!!!

After a lengthy offseason, Dead Money has begun regular play in both leagues. I would have liked to continue blogging during our time off, but it seems that this author has performance issues without any controvercy to fuel his typing and increase his wpm. So I've waited for our first few games to begin before posting anything. And without disappointment, our early season games have been full of drama!

The first display of controversy began within the Dead Money roster. However, I am going to withhold airing the teams dirty laundry and my own personal opinions.

The second came from none other than Alliance/Miken!!! It was expected that the former 2nd baseman turned 3rd baseman would once again be unable to keep his mouth shut! He seems hell bent on displaying his douche status. It has been decided that he is a full blown, without a question, top 10 douchebag. I'm not sure what the final score was, but it was a complete blowout...one of those games where a score book wasn't needed. I would like to officially point out that the 3rd baseman hit into two double plays...no, not one...TWO!!! That's when he called us "cupcakes". Douche.

On a positive note, we have been making some incredible comebacks!!! We've been down by a substatial margin in almost every game and been able to make Ali like, comebacks. It's been beautiful! Some very fun competition!

PTG Author Thin Skinned

So I made a couple of comments about the PT Green blog. Obviously, meaning to start a bit of controversy. Seems as though it was a bit hard for him to take. He immediately went on the defensive about his wine drinking habits by listing off some nicknames of wines that he may have seen before, and a region in which there are some vineyards. As if to make us believe that he is an expert....sorry, not fooled. He was also horrified that I don't appreciate his over use of exclamation points and an urban slang term for our Lord and Savior. He then went on to foolishly try to demonstrate his offensive skills by ripping me about the number of readers I have. I've already taken care of that myself. Once again, I already know how small my readership is, I was the one that told him!

I would like to make a comparison of our two blogs. Mine: edgy, controversial, cutting edge, insightful, interesting. His: boring, elementary, irrelevant. I am the Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh while he is the Mr. Rogers and HD DVD. (I will be honest, this is not what I had intended, but what could be better for my readers in the off season than to watch thier favorite blogger rant away about an opponents blog.) This really isn't a fair fight, maybe I should go easy on him?

Returning Upon Request From Fans

Today I began receiving mail from my loyal reader, requesting that I continue to blog. Since this blogger aims to please, and he makes up somewhere between 25 and 50% of my readership, I decided to toss him a bone. However I have decided to lay down some ground rules to make this more interesting. So here are the rules:

1. Y'all know the rules!

2. It could be murder?

3. No matter how much you beg and plead, I refuse to use excessive exclamation points!!!!! I hate that!!!!!!

4. I will not use the word "Jeez". I'm not even sure that "Jeez" is a word. Either way, I don't believe it should be used liberally.

5. I would like return comments after reading my posts, just to keep it interesting for myself.

6. I would appreciate a ranking of each post. Maybe on a 1-10 scale. All rankings below a 9 will be disregarded, and yes, I will accept an 11.

7. There will never, ever, be any references to White Zinfandel. For two reasons: I don't consider it an acceptable beverage for human consumption, and I prefer to forget any occurrence where I have been exposed to that "oops" of wine making. Oh, I guess there is one more reason: THIS IS A SOFTBALL BLOG, not to be confused with a wine snob blog (which may be the next venture, would probably attract more readers).

I think that this does it for my rules. There's only 7 of them. It's not like The Ten Commandments or anything. I know, some of them seem rather selfish, but when you only have 4 readers, tops, and I am including myself in that, I don't think that is too much to ask. So onto softball related items.

Dead Money finished in first place again in the fall season. We knocked down the first place team in the final game of the season to give at least the two of us just two losses on the season. We did it with only 9 men on the field. What a show of defensive dominance. There may be as many as 4 teams with an 8-2 record. We still have two more games to go in our Chanhassen league. We have had a great season so far and I would just like to say: Thank you for reading and suggestions for topics during the off-season would be greatly appreciated.

The Proof is in the Pudding

Nothing brings me back to the "blogger" faster than a heated game with some trash talking losers. We had our 4th game of the year against Team Alliance/Miken last night. Let me just say that, when we gazed into our bowl of pudding last night, it showed that we dominate. Team Alliance's bowl of pudding....well, it was spilled in thier laps. They showed thier true colors once again in a similar fashion to our last meeting. Trash talking doesn't even begin to describe it. These guys are a bunch of busch league losers. They don't respect the game, thier opponents or even themselves. Once again the biggest douchebag of them all wouldn't give up home plate after being dismantled by Dead Money's performance. I bet he went home and beat up his boyfriend after the game. In all honesty, we have played much better softball than we did last night and still Team Alliance/ Miken looked like a lower classed team. I mean, not even one long ball last night. And still we get the job done. So in short, they suck, and we rock. We are 3-1 against them this year and have out scored them 58-37. The one loss we had against them was by one run and we were missing a few core players that game.

Victorious as Season Reconvienes

Even with the distraction of just winning a championship last week and a veritable goulash for a defensive roster, Dead Money pulls out two more wins in the Minnetonka Tuesday night Double Header league. However, it was somewhat of a disappointment to go 6 innings with the Hopkins Fire Department. Those guys (and a girl!) are not even close to being tough competition. That game should have been put away after the second inning. The second game was a bit tougher and appeared that it might give us a little more trouble. But, once again we overcome adversity and come back after being down 0-7, and ten run Mainstreets in the bottom of the 5th. Amazing.

Season Totals

Note that we scored over 10 runs in every game and held our opponents to under 10 runs in 13 of 19 games. Also, our only 2 losses were by 1 run each. Very nice.

Dead Money Banned From Wild Turkey's Blog.

We're really sorry Wild Turkey's for all of the mischief. We really do enjoy reading your blog and hope that you will reopen it for our view. The truth is that if it weren't for your blog we may not be in the position we are now. Since discovering your blog we have had a perfect record in both leagues that we are in. Seems we just needed something to fight for. Perhaps it was just enough to get our blood pumping a little more. We meant no harm by any of our posts on our page nor by any of our comments on yours. It was just a little gamesmanship. We do respect your team for its record in the regular season and just felt we should give you a little needling for good measure. We were hoping that you would discover our blog and we might be able to get a little rivalry going. Remember, you started your blog first. We just answered back. Do you remember this comment that you made, "They are annoying people, and I don't like them very much."? Well if you don't, it was a comment made about us, by you. We found this among other parts of your blog rather funny and enjoy reading about the ups and downs of your team. You will be able to view or comment on our blog as much as you like, and we hope that you will allow us to to the same. If not, it was a good run and we hope to see you next year. After all, we do owe some of our success to you.

P.S. nah nah nah nah boo boo!

Dead Money Wins!

Dead Money's first championship is a marvelous one. We had a 10 run second inning that for all intensive purposes sealed the game for us. The game was certainly less dramatic than expected. Ballz Deep was completely taken out of their game by flawless defence. And by flawless I mean spectacular. There were diving catches, double plays and smart ball control. Dead Money has certainly played as a stand alone first place team should...perfectly! So the final score was 17-7, yet another 10 run game in 5 innings.

Ballz Deep was without a doubt the second best team in the league. They were definitely seen as the best competitors, the one team that had a chance to beat us. They certainly have the bats and the speed, but seem to be lacking the defensive prowess that it takes to win a championship. I would also like to note that they were very good sports, which was much appreciated when compared with some of the other teams that we have played lately. No talking about how good they are before the game and not a single bit of trash talking during or after the game. Thank you Ballz Deep for good, clean, friendly competition.

On another note, it turns out that I was wrong about the Wild Turkeys. They did not go running away from the Tuesday night league. My mistake, and I apologize sincerely. What actually happened is that they were sent on a highly classified mission by an undisclosed higher power to really make something out of the Thursday night league. A good choice for the "higher power" to choose the team that only won one game in the playoffs against the worst team in the league. Way to go Wild Turkeys! You really showed us all what you are capable of. As far as your clandestine mission to the Thursday night league, our thoughts and prayers will be with you. Godspeed Wild Turkeys, Godspeed!