COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY

Too much humidity forced postponement of Monday's game versus South Philly Tap Room. The game has tentatively been rescheduled for Tues., June 24. In another minor scheduling note, our game with Franklin Institute scheduled for Mon., May 12 has been moved to Tues., May 13. with a field change to Edgeley 8. Please make a note of the alterations on the pocket schedule which you are required, as you know, to keep in your wallet, purse, manbag, secret moneybelt, garter or hatband at all times. Get your running in and prepare for the Academy of Natural Sciences on Monday. ANS, please note, just won its first game in two years, beating our friends from the National Constitution Center 17-0 on Tuesday. As Roger Daltrey said, "Can't Explain."

PRIMARILY, A WIN

Well, we were all a little worried by the thinning of the roster ranks due to election-related duties of our Very Important Players. We knew that BJ would be able to make it, since his work didn't really begin until Tuesday night when he would answer questions from Guv like, "Dammit, are we blue or red? I can never remember?" But there were a few other notable defections and, well, we were playing the National Constitution Center, which seemed a little too coincidental. Fortunately, however, truth, justice and the Pen & Pencil softball team were still able to prevail Monday evening on scenic Edgeley 4.

Prevail might be a bit of an understatement for the 26-5 final score, which the NCC bunch took with fairly good humor, even insisting we play the seventh inning despite encroaching darkness and an 18-run deficit. It should be noted that despite the Election Eve situation, we were able to put a very representative team on the field, including the General Manager who skipped an open bar at a reception for national journalists that was -- get this -- sponsored by our very own club, of which he is, at last look, the president. "It's OK, Ron's there," he said. Oh, well, in that case.

Details, more than a few, but not too few to mention. We had Tom DiNardo stopping by between trips to Tuscany to turn in a 5-for-5 night, with four runs scored. That wasn't bad. We had John Hall, coming back from injury and car crash to go 4-for-5 with a home run, four runs scored, and the out he made was probably the best ball he hit, a smoking deep liner that would have killed the fielder if his glove hadn't gotten in the way. We had George Miller going 4-for-5 with, I think, six runs batted in (scorebook's a little fuzzy in spots). We had Tom Hickey leading a parade with three hits. Hickey had two home runs before leaving for the airport. Three hits also for winning pitcher Mike Galan, Kathy Matheson and DH Ed Cascarella.

Brian Donlen was a spectacular 2-for-2 with a pair of triples, but was tripped up by the nasty necessity of actually having to run the bases after hitting the ball. He yanked a hammie on the first trot and aggravated it on the second, requiring Clark to step into the shortstop role, which was interesting, and best left undetailed. In summation, it was 26 runs, 35-for-55 batting, pretty good fielding and a great win for the forces of good.

The forces of good are now 2-0 and heading into the meat of the schedule -- with a lovely side of creamed broccoli -- and looking forward to welcoming back all our process-mad public servants, who probably missed us, too.

EXTRA SATISFYING

Seven innings just weren't enough to contain all the fun at the season opener for the Pen & Pencil. No, it took an extra frame -- inning to those of you not "hip" to the lingo -- to clean the cages of the Philadelphia Zoo, 11-10.

Hero of the day was catcher Ellen Kenney with three hits in four trips to the plate, but none bigger than the eighth-inning infield single that scored Kathy Matheson with the winning run in the deep gloaming of the Belmont Plateau. Matheson, two-for-four with a pair of runs scored on the day, led off the final rally with a base hit of her own.

It was an improbable comeback effort for the P&P, which trailed 10-4 with one on and two out in the bottom of the sixth. The team had been distracted to this point by the strafing gunfire emanating from a dogfight between a Fokker aircraft and a small helicopter in shallow right field.

Down to its final four outs, the Red Menace got six straight hits in the sixth to narrow the score to 10-9, then tied the game in the bottom of the seventh when Brian "I Am Running" Donlen tripled with one out and scored -- at least in our opinion -- on a sacrifice fly by B.J. Clark. Donlen barely beat the throw and, this being the Center City Softball League, was allowed to call himself safe.

The Zoo went up and down again in the top of the eighth behind the stellar relief pitching of Chris Yasiejko, who recorded the first win of the season, retiring the last seven batters he faced and allowing just four runs in five innings pitched. If it weren't for some of our typical goofy stuff in the field, they wouldn't have scored that many.

From the scorebook, kept perfectly by Knees Emeritus Ron Goldwyn, it says that Donlen, Kenney, Mike Galan and Bob Ford had three hits each, George Miller, Tom Hickey, Chris Brennan (2-for-2!) and Matheson had two hits each.

A hearty Pen & Pencil welcome to newcomers Hickey and Ryan Donnell. It would be a slightly heartier welcome if Hickey had not told management that he could play anywhere, later to inform management after a switch to the outfield that he couldn't "see the ball until it gets there," having forgotten, apparently, that he now wears glasses. Donnell won the Patty-Pat Koslowski Award for quickest injury of the season, yanking a hamstring following a sharp single in his first plate appearance. Two more exceptional additions to the roster by the general manager, who continues to recruit only in the club after 1 a.m.

Get your running in. Nevins won't be back next week, either, something about a "bitter" election, so we've got a shot at a winning streak.

DAWN OF A NEW DAY

Yes, it's that time. The scorebook, and the loss column, is virginal. There is the possibility of great things. Fourteen games are on schedule and I don't see what can go wrong this time. (Oh, I suppose Marcus could move back from Richmond and bring Nolan with him, but let's accentuate the positive, shall we?)
Whatever happens between the lines, we will still have a lot of laughs, drink a bunch of beer and lead the league in both those categories, as always. It is another spring and we are still playing softball. There are times to come when we will wish for this moment. So enjoy it while it's here.
See you Monday.