Outlawed Baseball

One thing I have failed to mention all night was the way several former Outlaw players who had been released by the team came back to celebrate with their former teammates tonight. The ony one I saw during the mass postgame celebration was Jake Ferris, but fellow Southern California native Phil Springman (the 2006 GBL Rookie Pitcher of the Year) was also said to be in the house.

"That shows you right there what this group has been all about this season," Pringle said. "Look at these guys coming back like that, they all contributed to what we accomplished tonight. It doesn't matter to them if they're (not on the roster), they know how much they contributed and how much them coming out means to us."

Posted by Patrick Kinmartin at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blair Field is now empty, with a crew worker watering down a field already damp with champagne and beer from the celebration that took place an hour ago in wake of the Outlaws clinching their first Golden Baseball League title.

“This was my only goal this year,” said Van Meetren, who delayed his start to law school to complete his last season with the organization. “It had to be this way. It’s a shame some of the other guys that helped us get close in the past weren’t as lucky as I am to experience this.”

Posted by Patrick Kinmartin at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The GBL championship has officially become within sniffing distance of the Outlaws' first-base dugout. A three-run seventh inning highlighted by Jason Van Meetren's RBI single and Eric Pringle's two-RBI knock (he now has four for the game) put them up 6-1 and Nick Singleton recorded a 1-2-3 bottom half.

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Here at Blair and most other GBL ballparks, there is dugout railing that offers a netted shield not afforded to teams at Nettleton Stadium. Players from both teams line to lean over the rail while taking in the action and Mark Parent did the same with his 6-foot-7 frame folded atop during most of last night's contest. Not tonight. The Outlaw manager has been on his stool at the helm of the team's first-base dugout, at times with his legs stretch out across the dirt warning track.

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Singleton had been rolling along nicely with just 66 pitches in his first five innings until he had to unfurl 29 in the sixth while walking Chris Wakeland with two outs (11 pitches alone) and yielding a single Dan Trumble. No runs, though, and the Outlaws remain ahead 3-1 in the top of the seventh.

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The Outlaws are now 12-for-18 (.667) at the plate in the series when trailing on the scoreboard.

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On cue, the Outlaws for the fifth time in the series washed away a deficit quickly in the fourth inning. Their 1-0 deficit was nullified after Craig Kuzmic picked up a leadoff walk, Jason Van Meetren was hit by a Jeff Heaverlo delivery, Todd Gossage took first base on Heaverlo's off-target throw to first base on a sacrifice bunt and Eric Pringle's two-RBI single. In the fifth, a no-outs double by series MVP-to-be Scott Dragicevich, an infield single from Daniel Nava and RBI single by Craig Kuzmic gave them the 3-1 lead still intact in the bottom of the sixth inning at the moment.

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However instrumental, Singleton delivered one of the all-time clutch pitching efforts in organization history in the fouth inning. A frame starting off in ugly fashion — a Kirk Gross walk and consecutive singles by David Ramirez and Jorge Araiza resulting in a run, Jonny Kaplan taking first base after getting in the ankle — ended gorgeously for the Outlaws. Against the 2-3-4 hitters in the Armada order, Singleton induced Chris Klemm into lining out to second base, Jaime Martinez into a flyout to third base and slugger Chris Wakeland into striking out.

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In the second inning, Jason Matteucci socked a long drive to center field that resulted in nothing more than a flyout in the glove of Jonny Kaplan. Not to beat a dead horse that's already been pummeled a few times by myself, but there's a play probably off the wall at Nettleton Stadium. But here at Blair Field, where center field is 400 feet from home plate and the air is saltwater breeze-thick, down come such nicely-hit balls.

"It's the best place in America to pitch," Nick Singleton, tonight's Outlaw starter, said before the game. Singleton, for the record, spent all of his college career pitching in Alabama before coming to the GBL to sign with the Outlaws.

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Orange County Flyers outfielder Rich Pohle attended last night's game at Blair Field and after it was over talked about how Long Beach was able to pull back some momentum its way at home after getting thrown around at Nettleton Stadium in the opening losses.

"This is a different stadium," Pohle said, referring to the contrast in dimensions between wide-open Blair and more line-drive conducive Nettleton. "It's a different type of ballgame."

Posted by Patrick Kinmartin at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mark Parent has gotten all kinds of mileage out of his upstart group of mostly inexperienced, younger players this season by keeping them on an even keel -- no one game, he has been professing all year, is more or less important than the other. In a visibly drained Chico clubhouse after last night's loss at Blair Field, that message remained the same with a somewhat upbeat Parent encouraging his players to partake in whatever postgame activity they would on a normal night during a road trip. He offered the disclaimer to not be stupid in the process, but stressed the importance of not letting the loss affect the course of their normal routine.

Posted by Patrick Kinmartin at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)