StevieLou wanted something short and sweet, which he provided. Others wanted more detail.
Part of the reason is that Giants Manager Steve Lounello refuses credit. He pins a player after each game - win or lose. He actually has thumb-nail sized pins that say "New York'' on each of them. Players vote for the "player of the game'' if you will and that player is awarded a pin to put on his hat or anywhere else. Did that all year!
Truth be told, he has earned a lot of pins during the 2015 season, but will not take one. Well, I don't believe anyone was pinned in the finals. Pete Geannelis had a big two-out, two-run single in the 5th inning of Game 1 to deflate the Bombers as the Giants took a 5-0 lead and that proved to be the final score. Pete had two hits and scored twice as well. Obviously pin-worthy.
Doug Reisinger began the scoring with a two-out, two-run single in the 3rd inning. Big Dawg also drove in a run in the 5th with a sacrifice fly. Definitely pin-worthy.
While the defense was outstanding, Doug and Petey, one might think, were the players of the game. Well, to get RBIs, there needs to be runners. Duh! Mario Arduini, Jim Hicks, StevieLou, Dawg and Petey provided those scoring opps with hits. Mario also set up Petey's 2-run hit when, with runners on 1st and 2nd, he gave himself up and bunted them over. Perfect bunt, too.
But to win a 5-0 game, it's obvious pitching had to be good. It was better than good. It was near perfect. One runner. That's it. Mike Reuter, on a 3-0 pitch in the second inning, lined a two-out meatball down the left-field line for a single and the only baserunner the Bombers would get in the game. Yes, the defense was outstanding. Doug in left stole at least two hits with running catches in left. Hicksie had 5 opps and made them all look easy, even as he had to range to his left or right. Nothing was hit right at him all day. Then again, the defense only had to record 12 outs. Yup, Steve struck out 9, walked no one in pitching one of the very best games I had ever seen in 17 years in CDMSBL. We pin Stevie - like it or not! Besides, team pins go to the manager.
So, with Game 1 in hand, the Giants were quietly confident as we waited for the first pitch of Game 2.
Finesse pitcher Joe Burns for the Giants vs. hard-throwing Dave Smitherman of the Bombers.
Well, Smitherman retired the Giants in order in the top of the first. The Bombers didn't go so easily. They didn't treat Burnsie very well as Lex Herlett and Mark Marshall both singled right out of the gate. Joe couldn't find a rhythm. He also walked two as the Bombers took a 2-0 lead, the big hit by catcher Mike Reuter.
OK, so we've trailed by 2 runs before. But after the Giants stranded two runners in the top of the second, the Bombers really took charge. Two errors, an infield hit, a hit-batsman, 4 singles, a sac fly and a stolen base mixed in and the Giants trailed 6-0 after two. While the Bombers were scoring, projected Game 3 starter Jim K was in the bullpen in case Joe's ailing right elbow couldn't go any further.
Burnsie must not have wanted to come out because he then retired the Bombers in order in the bottom of the third. As the Giants came in to hit for the top of the 4th, our right-fielder, some guy named Lounello, brought the troops together. He looked at us and simply said, "Do we want to win this game?'' After a somewhat quelled reply, he asked again. This time the volume was a bit higher. Then he asked a third time and we piled our hands on each other and yelled "1-2-3 Giants.''
Funny how guys in their mid-40s, 50s and yes, even 60s, can be motivated like kids are motivated by adults. After all, it's a kids game, right? We certainly had motivation coming in to the series. It was provided to us, including the passing of Steve's beloved Buddy and Ron's pup as well. As for other people's comments, that just doesn't pump us up. We don't play head games. We just play baseball.
While I was flashing some meaningless signs from the 3rd-base coaching box in the third inning, I hear one of the Bombers fans say they needed to dress warmer for Sunday's game. Hmmmm. We didn't know Game 2 was over quite yet. But again, our team, our players, simply want to play the best baseball we can, especially since we pay a couple hundred bucks to play it. Figure we might as well get our money's worth, right? Certainly, in the first two innings, we cheated ourselves. Couldn't blame the chilly temps of 49 degrees. We both had to play in it. In layman's terms, we simply sucked for two innings and the Bombers took full advantage with several hard-hit knocks. It happens.
But remember, Steve called this impromptu huddle before we hit in the top of the 4th with us down 6-0. When the Bombers came to bat in the bottom of the 4th, they were down a run! That's right, a 7-run inning and the Bombers body language pretty much told the story.
Of course, Burnsie found his rhythm and retired 9 in a row. No more action in the Giants pen. The Giants added a run in the top of the 6th to make it 8-6 before the Bombers gave it one more valiant effort to tie it up or even take the lead. They loaded the bases with two outs before Joey reached back to strike out a Bombers batter to end the threat. Those were the only Bombers runners after the second inning.
If that didn't deflate them, and another Giants run in the top of the 7th didn't deflate them, Stevie warming up in the bullpen may have. Stevie came on in the 7th to retire the Bombers in order and send the Giants to their third straight 45 title and fifth in the past seven years.
Mark Dabney led the way in Game 2. Not only did he make a run-saving catch in CF - well, OK, maybe more than one - but he also singled twice, stole two bases, scored twice and drove in three runs, including a key 2-run single in the 7-run 4th. He was the only Giant to score twice.
Jim Hicks had a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored. But his value came at shortstop where he recorded 5 assists and two putouts in helping shut down the Bombers the rest of the way. He was flawless in both games. Jimmy also had some motivation. He was our lone "rookie'' this year and had played for the Bombers last year.
Jan Friedman had the other big hit in the 4th. His 2-run line single to left-center scored Dabney and Carlos Llera before Mario Arduini's RBI grounder to 2nd base capped the inning.
If we had to pin someone in Game 2, it would be the entire team. Lounello and Reisinger started the 7-run 4th with ground singles up the middle to set the stage. They were followed by consecutive singles by Ron Smaka, Wayne Phillips, Dabney and Llera before Hicksie's first double of the game.
After a strikeout, Friedman came through with his big hit and Mario's grounder capped the rally.
In the 6th, Dabney singled, stole second and scored on Hicks' 2nd double of the game. In the 7th, Friedman singled, and scored two errors later.
Four players missed the series. Tony Nardacci and Mike Kane had previous commitments, but both had been key players all season long and in playoffs past. Mike Labanowski was busy globetrotting with his upper-echelon baseball buds and didn't make enough regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs. Mike Ferraro became a Giants member midway thru the season, but after one game had to undergo season-ending surgery.
Quite a season for the Giants. They won the regular season with a record of 14-2 before winning all 6 of their playoff games to finish 20-2. The only losses were to the Cubs and then the Bombers in Cooperstown. The Giants split two games with the Cubs this year and went 4-1 against the 3rd-seed Bombers overall.
JimK
-- Edited by sfgiants on Monday 5th of October 2015 06:36:37 PM
-- Edited by sfgiants on Monday 5th of October 2015 09:03:27 PM
