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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Yeah, son!

Spirit win 5 in a row!!! And sweep a darn good team in the Nashua Pride. Time to please NOT drop the ball against New Haven and Sussex. Let's go, boys. Crank it up!

Josue Lopez actually hit a home run, so I'll give him the "player of the game award."

I wasn't there (I was at Redneck Paradise in Loudon, NH) so I'll copy paste Sen~or Leahy's recap.

FROM NORTHSHORESPIRIT.COM

Mike Torres slapped a game winning two run single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth and Josue Lopez homered, his first as a Spirit, to lead the Spirit to a 6-4 win over the Nashua Pride and a sweep of their three game series at Fraser Field.

Nashua staked themselves to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With two outs Jermy Acey doubled to right, and after Bryan Duplissie was hit by a pitch, Luis Rodriguez singled to left off of Spirit starter Joey Siak (3-2) to drive home Acey and give the Pride a 1-0 lead.

The Pride followed suit in the second, adding another marker to make it a 2-0 game. Siak retired the first two hitters in the inning and then allowed a double to Richard Giannotti. John Ramistella then singled the runner to third, and Olmo Rosario singled to right for the RBI. Ramistella was trapped off of third and was caught in a rundown to end the inning.

In the third, Nashua again touched up Siak for a run after the first two hitters were retired. Matt Creighton doubled home Luis Rodriguez, who had singled for a 3-0 Pride advantage.

The lead then was extended to 4-0 in the fourth, as again after two were out, John Ramistella and Olmo Rosario laced back to back doubles to give the Pride a 4-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Spirit got on the scoreboard in a big way against Pride starter Lance Stevens. Mike Torres singled with one out, and one out later Carlos Rodriguez singled to left. Josue Lopez then homered deep over the right field wall to cut the lead to 4-3.

The winning rally occurred in the fifth. With one out, Gilbert Gil ripped a ground rule double into the left field corner. Gary Roche then drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Vic Davilla's RBI single knotted the score at 4-4, and then Mike Torres ripped a single up the middle to give the Spirit a 6-4 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

Joey Siak ( 3-2) picked up the victory, his third, going five innings, walking noone and striking out three. Dennis Robinson, Jamie Baker, Donny Langdon, and Derek Drage finished up for the Spirit, with the bullpen providing superb relief work to secure the victory.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

(1) On Sunday's Game

Translation: The Pride finally got the bats working--five doubles and four singles, producing a run in each of the first four innings--then went into their daily midgame torpor. (Spirit fans are used to it as well.) Spirit countered with a couple three-spots and then we grabbed one another like tired boxers waiting for the bell. Before it would ring, El Guapo finally appeared, to pitch one inning in a lost cause. No idea why we didn't see him Saturday when the Pride had several chances to hold onto the lead. It may have to do with a rumor I got from two sources, of seriously bad turkey sandwiches at Holman Stadium that affected the press box, the front office, and some players.

Hobson does have a younger team, but he told the Telegraph at the start of the jump to the Can-Am league that he was enthusiastic about teaching the kids. I've seen him during B.P. and he is a great teacher, but stern and quite ready to bench someone for a mistake to continue their "education." He does of course convey total weariness with the way he carries himself on the field. I've often said that the manager's most important job is not what he does on the field but to motivate players enough to keep them from drinking until 2 a.m. the night before. Am not sure how Butch stacks up here. But the charismatic Glenn Murray, whom we lost to Lancaster at the start of the year, could not have done this job; he was above all a party animal, arriving at the stadium on a motorcycle smoking a cigarette.

It was fun bringing the Bucket O'Noise, even though used against the Spirit. (Brent said, "I love that [slide whistle], only I hate it!") It got a party of four below me to move (I offered to move first, but they wouldn't hear of it), it got Corey to shout Spirit cheers in my face, and it got you bloggers to cheer louder for your team.

--Spike

Anonymous said...

(2) On rights

I agree with comments on an earlier thread about what the First Amendment means. But further, the Bill of Rights was written to limit Washington's power over us, not to dictate a specific result, nor to dictate policy to a private business like the Spirit.

Fraser Field is not the public common but the (leased) home of Nick Lopardo, who has to make a profit and avoid riling the affectations of the city fathers, and we are his guests. We do not have the absolute right either to freedom of speech or to avoid a religious observation.

Our comments are necessarily aesthetic--about what it means to be a fan--and even here, I acknowledged an exception for the day after a notorious brawl. My objection to "God Bless America" is likewise aesthetic, and I concede there may be many more fans on the other side.

My ball club may of course partner with businesses against which I have a grudge, and even with Commie mouthpieces like the Globe and WBZ. I am hardly going to subject the Spirit to some kind of indirect boycott. But they ought to stay away from politics and religion, simply because anyone in retailing or the hospitality business should. It is too easy a way to tick off a customer. The Pride are offenders here, continually offering concourse tables for Democrats to solicit petitions. My other point on "God Bless America" is slightly more important. It is not the National Anthem, not nearly, and it is improper to ask us to remove our headwear to honor it.

--Spike

Wooden U. Lykteneau said...

Spike, if that was you on the m~!@#$%^&*()_+ cowbell, could you please move a little further away from the press box (read: microphone for the radio broadcast)?

Speaking of which, Leahy said the same thing about the food poisoning affecting the Pride.

Regarding the forced patriotism at Fraser, there is an interesting post on this sports law blog which mirrors my thoughts and I'd tend to agree with him that forcing fans to participate is in the neighborhood of Barnette v. WV Board of Ed. in terms of compulsory participation in a meaningless ritual.