This comes from a neat website and a guy that takes great pictures, and tells a good story to top it all off. A ruler and a compass are probably all you need.
Did I forget to say it is a Gothic arch? Did I need to remind you?
From Billings, Montana to San Bernardino, California to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania and back home to Billings, Montana seems like a kind of odyssey to some of us and perhaps to the Boys of Billings too.
They played with skill and verve and guts to win first the Montana State Championship, then off to San Bernardino to win the Northwest Regional Tournament, and then they were whisked away to Pennsylvania to get to the US National championship game where they were soundly defeated, 11-2, by the Boys from Huntington Beach, CA. The Gazette calls this an amazing journey and it was.
I prefer to think of it as an odyssey. Thankfully, they did not come back on their shields. They played with much honor and were well thought of by friend and foe alike. They bring great honor to their home town, their Little League, their churches, schools and neighborhoods. They should have some great stories to tell as well.
Go here for more information on the Latin: Thus passes the glory of the world. Or maybe you should go here.
Here I am, in Billings MT, relaxing in front of the televised version of the Little League World Series late on a lazy Sunday afternoon, watching our kids in Williamsport PA beat the kids from LaFayette Louisiana.
The Big Sky All-Stars were being interviewed by Orel Hershiser, and all were relaxed as usual. I don’t think I have ever seen kids at this age showing this surprising degree of poise under pressure, on the field and off.
Ben Askelson whacked a two run double and Zimmer pitched 5 outstanding innings. The big guy from 3rd base, Sean Jones, was very cool as the boys from LaFayette started to chip away in the bottom of the 6th. What a guy to have as your closer. Quick thinking by Zimmer, now playing 3rd base in the 6th inning and a base-running error by the Louisianan on 2nd base got the final out.
The little guy out in right field, Kieckbusch, thought he should have had the ball hit over his head to start the 6th inning: well my friend, lots of guys a lot older than you are would have missed that one too. I’ll bet you get the next one. Next game is Wednesday, which seems like a long time to wait, doesn’t it?
Ever since the semi-final of the Northwest Regional Little League baseball tournament last week in San Bernardino CA, the Gazette and our local TV stations have been full of stories on the games, the players, the coaches, the fans, the parents and families, and for all I know the pets of the players, that the boys of Big Sky All-Stars right here in Billings MT are representing Montana in the Little League World Series. The news is swelling in volume since they won their opening game on Thursday against Rapid City South Dakota, 6-4. I see a lot of signs wishing them well and big ads in the Gazette. They play Lafayette Louisiana on Sunday at noon Mountain Time.
I heard about these fine young fellows in church last week from Father Zabrocki over at St Thomas the Apostle; my general surgeon, Barry McKenzie, hurriedly left for Williamsport after seeing me because he is the uncle of one of the players; and today I discovered that one of my daughters went to the Prom—I probably took a picture—with the head coach Gene Carlson, maybe 27 years ago. This is indeed a BFD as Joe Biden might say.
Barb the cheerleader and 50/50 ticket seller at Mustang home games
Starting pitcher McMyne—I wish they would tell us with certainty how this name is pronounced: I sometimes hear it with a short ‘i’ and sometimes with a long ‘i’ where the ‘y’ is—did fairly well, barely escaping being pecked to death by ducks with a series of bunts and bloopers and sacrifice flies by Great Falls in the 3rd inning. After that the bullpen looked great, giving up only one more run with Muhammad and Kemp looking particularly sharp, and Martinez finishing up after Allen hurt himself throwing a pitch.
The last got one out, a called third strike, and received credit for the win when new guy Smith, in the bottom of the 9th, walked, then took second on a wild pitch and was knocked in by Maddox with a ground ball through the middle. This makes it 6 in a row for the Mustangs. They now are in first place all by themselves. Maddox seems to be learning how to hit singles as well as home runs these days. His play at first base is getting more polished as well.
The earlier runs came on ground outs and fly balls just before either wild pitches or an odd pick-off play that went awry moved the runners up. The last was fairly funny when left-hander Parrent fooled his first baseman with his tricky pick-off move, so much so that the first baseman started moving toward the plate anticipating a bunt, leaving only the runner covering first, wherein the ball wound up in right field and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd, to the delight and jeering cheers of the audience. This unsettled the pitcher enough that he was soon replaced.
The Mustangs have returned home after a week-long road trip where they won their last three games in Great Falls and Helena, shutting out the opponents in all three games and tacking on 3 innings in Great Falls in an earlier game and 5 innings tonight for a grand total of 35 scoreless innings in a row. That is some pitching and probably a little defense too.
Rhadames Quezada started and got the win with 5 scoreless innings, allowing just two scattered hits by the Great Falls Voyagers. He was followed by three guys from the bullpen, each getting 3, 4 or 5 outs and all looking good on the mound, replaced just for the hell of it because it could be done I guess: Pat Quinn, Matt Leonard, and Brooks Pinckard, the last getting a probable save.
Three hits and three runs were scored by the Mustangs in the 4th inning, after an opening triple by Dickinson, driven in by Silva’s single, and followed by a very high and long home run over the center field black screen by Sean Buckley for two runs. An 8th inning insurance run was added with a good bunt by Silva, a warning HBP to Buckley, and a sharp line drive to right by Maddox.
It would have been another run if HP umpire Marcoe had not made an ass of himself when he was in the wrong position to see whether the tag at 3rd base after a single by Waldrop was made before or after Buckley touched home plate. At least half the audience had a better view of the play than Marcoe did. They let him know that he had made an error.
Curious, because I was just thinking how much everybody was improving: the batters, the pitchers, the defense, even the umpires, particularly with the stability of the strike zone, a critical skill for umpires to master. By the way, we have a very sophisticated fan base when it comes to umpiring skills. They don’t bother them unless they have made an egregious error.
