Nickname(s): Keller, Killer, Tubby
Number: 11
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 165
Bats/Throws: R/R
Position(s): OF, Relief Pitcher, Left Bench
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
College: The University of Virginia
Favorite Post-Game Hangout: Carpool or Cap City
Favorite Beer(s): Newcastle, Magic Hat #9, Yuengling
If you had walk-up music, what would it be? "Highway to Hell" - AC/DC
What was the highest level of baseball you played? Little League
What sports did you play in high school? Tennis, Cross Country
What are your top softball career highlights? Winning the tournament while I was out of town and pretending the result would have been the same if I was there.
What are your favorite softball memories involving someone other than yourself? Watching our South African teammate at UVA get base hits off of balls that bounced in front of the plate.
What is your favorite field to play at? Least favorite? Favorites: Utah and Barcroft; least favorite: Jennie Dean
Who is your least favorite opponent, and why? Teams we lose to that we should have beaten (I'm not good with names).
If you were to describe your playing style in one word, what would it be? Dependable
What part of your game would you most like to improve? Diving without breaking myself
Do you have any superstitious rituals before/during/after games? I make McQueeney drive to Taco Bell if we win... or lose... or maybe tie.
Do you prefer beer pong or flip cup? Beer pong
Any advice for aspiring young softball players? Slow pitch softball requires a lot of hard work and lots of tough offseason workouts; but it's all worth it when you beat a team full of d-bags.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Reflections from 9/22
-The Lollygaggers faced a true test this week in the Dawgs, who came in with a 7-1 record, tied atop the league standings. Notably, this was also the first team we had played in a few weeks that didn't exhibit an obvious air of douchebaggery;
-Nevertheless, we came away with two close wins. The second one shouldn't have been all that close, but we managed to make it exciting;
-At 9-1, we have guaranteed ourselves of no worse than a .500 regular season. But if we lose 8 straight games, I think it's safe to assume that this blog will not be updated following the last week of the season;
-We hit pretty consistently, and I think everyone had a solid night (I don't have the scorebook, so we're going by the honor system if anybody wants to correct me). The MVP was Jim, as his contribution of new turbo-charged softballs seemed to have a huge impact on our offense;
-Supposedly these balls add up to 40 feet in distance - that means that otherwise, Erick's pop-up to the shortstop would have only been a pop-up to the catcher;
-Steve turned in a couple of nice web gems at second base; he tore up his knees in the process, which I understand did not exactly endear him to his girlfriend;
-Speaking of the girls, we had a good turnout this week, and the Lollygaggers would like to thank them for their continued support; their gossiping was almost as prolific as our offense;
-Three Lollygaggers hit HRs: Mark (2), Erick, and Jim; three or four other guys exhibited warning track power, so it was an all-around nice effort;
-I'm out next week due to business travel, so maybe someone else will step up to provide reflections from 9/29.
-Nevertheless, we came away with two close wins. The second one shouldn't have been all that close, but we managed to make it exciting;
-At 9-1, we have guaranteed ourselves of no worse than a .500 regular season. But if we lose 8 straight games, I think it's safe to assume that this blog will not be updated following the last week of the season;
-We hit pretty consistently, and I think everyone had a solid night (I don't have the scorebook, so we're going by the honor system if anybody wants to correct me). The MVP was Jim, as his contribution of new turbo-charged softballs seemed to have a huge impact on our offense;
-Supposedly these balls add up to 40 feet in distance - that means that otherwise, Erick's pop-up to the shortstop would have only been a pop-up to the catcher;
-Steve turned in a couple of nice web gems at second base; he tore up his knees in the process, which I understand did not exactly endear him to his girlfriend;
-Speaking of the girls, we had a good turnout this week, and the Lollygaggers would like to thank them for their continued support; their gossiping was almost as prolific as our offense;
-Three Lollygaggers hit HRs: Mark (2), Erick, and Jim; three or four other guys exhibited warning track power, so it was an all-around nice effort;
-I'm out next week due to business travel, so maybe someone else will step up to provide reflections from 9/29.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Player Profile: Quast
Nickname(s): Quast, GQ, others he would prefer not be mentioned
Number: 35
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180
Bats/Throws: R/R
Position(s): RF, C (though he points out that he can play anywhere)
Hometown: Centreville, VA
College: UVA
Favorite Post-Game Hangout: O'Neill's (RIP)
Favorite Beer: Hook & Ladder Golden Ale
If you had walk-up music, what would it be? "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
What was the highest level of baseball you played? Majors (the one after little league)
What are your top softball career highlights? Winning the spring championship on my birthday in 2008; Hitting an inside the park HR then following it up with a triple
What are your favorite softball memories involving someone other than yourself? Monahan eating the dirt near home plate; Riles blowing up (any of the 400+ times)
What is your favorite field to play at? Least favorite? Fav - VA Highlands; Least Fav - Jennie Dean
Who is your least favorite opponent, and why? Blue Steel, because they would always beat us. Oh, and they suck at life.
If you were to describe your playing style in one word, what would it be? Competitive
What part of your game would you most like to improve? Hitting with power
If you could steal one aspect of a teammate's game, what would it be? I would take speed from one of the faster players.
Do you have any superstitious rituals before/during games? If things are going well for us, I try not to talk or think too much about them until the game is over. I also keep a black squirrel tied to my ankle for the first inning of playoff games.
Do you prefer beer pong or flip cup? Since I'm an All-Pro at flip cup, I'm gonna go with flip cup.
Number: 35
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180
Bats/Throws: R/R
Position(s): RF, C (though he points out that he can play anywhere)
Hometown: Centreville, VA
College: UVA
Favorite Post-Game Hangout: O'Neill's (RIP)
Favorite Beer: Hook & Ladder Golden Ale
If you had walk-up music, what would it be? "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
What was the highest level of baseball you played? Majors (the one after little league)
What are your top softball career highlights? Winning the spring championship on my birthday in 2008; Hitting an inside the park HR then following it up with a triple
What are your favorite softball memories involving someone other than yourself? Monahan eating the dirt near home plate; Riles blowing up (any of the 400+ times)
What is your favorite field to play at? Least favorite? Fav - VA Highlands; Least Fav - Jennie Dean
Who is your least favorite opponent, and why? Blue Steel, because they would always beat us. Oh, and they suck at life.
If you were to describe your playing style in one word, what would it be? Competitive
What part of your game would you most like to improve? Hitting with power
If you could steal one aspect of a teammate's game, what would it be? I would take speed from one of the faster players.
Do you have any superstitious rituals before/during games? If things are going well for us, I try not to talk or think too much about them until the game is over. I also keep a black squirrel tied to my ankle for the first inning of playoff games.
Do you prefer beer pong or flip cup? Since I'm an All-Pro at flip cup, I'm gonna go with flip cup.
Reflections from 9/15
-With two more clutch wins, the Lollygaggers improved to 7-1 on the fall season. This marked the likely end to the regular season for Cryan, who has decided to take a leave of absence from his lucrative career (and the Lollygaggers) to pursue his passion for interpretive dance;
-We beat a team of Hokies with our squad of predominantly UVA grads... a precursor for the Thanksgiving weekend football matchup? Ok, probably not. Lord help us if we run into a team of William and Mary grads;
-How about Quast coming up with a career night? Though he might have made a few plays in RF more exciting than they needed to be, he was clutch at the plate. I'm not quite sure why their left fielder moved continuously deeper as Quast placed hit after hit in front of him - but way to take advantage;
-When I slid into third and knocked the bag about five feet away, I was not sure whether I should stay in the general area of where the bag should have been, or reach for the base itself in foul territory;
-Special thanks to our team moms for the Gatorade/crackers run. Do they still sell Capri Suns? Those things were awesome, but you'd be done after like two sips. Anyway, I digress. On a somewhat related note, why did Marisa have grape jelly at the game?
-Two highlights of the night... #1: Queeney taking a throw from the OF, hanging in at the plate to make the tag... and getting run over by their player. This is not 'Nam, there are rules;
-#2: Upon arrival, I learned that a guy in the previous game had the rear windshield of his Lexus shattered by a foul ball... really sucks for him, but the destructive side of me has always kind of wanted to see this happen (this is why I involuntarily shout "Car!" on any foul ball). Needless to say, I was disappointed to miss it. Well in the first inning of our game, Cryan throws a high ball to Erick that skips off the top of his glove, goes over the fence, and smacks into the side panel of the Lexus - as the guy was standing behind it surveying the previous damage. You can't dream up stuff like that. The poor guy shouts out something like "Seriously?!?!", and moves his car back a few feet - presumably out of the line of fire (meanwhile, I am trying to contain my laughter in the outfield). Cryan proceeds to bat in the bottom of the inning and foul off a ball that misses hitting the guy and/or his Lexus by about a foot. He was lucky to come out of it alive.
-We beat a team of Hokies with our squad of predominantly UVA grads... a precursor for the Thanksgiving weekend football matchup? Ok, probably not. Lord help us if we run into a team of William and Mary grads;
-How about Quast coming up with a career night? Though he might have made a few plays in RF more exciting than they needed to be, he was clutch at the plate. I'm not quite sure why their left fielder moved continuously deeper as Quast placed hit after hit in front of him - but way to take advantage;
-When I slid into third and knocked the bag about five feet away, I was not sure whether I should stay in the general area of where the bag should have been, or reach for the base itself in foul territory;
-Special thanks to our team moms for the Gatorade/crackers run. Do they still sell Capri Suns? Those things were awesome, but you'd be done after like two sips. Anyway, I digress. On a somewhat related note, why did Marisa have grape jelly at the game?
-Two highlights of the night... #1: Queeney taking a throw from the OF, hanging in at the plate to make the tag... and getting run over by their player. This is not 'Nam, there are rules;
-#2: Upon arrival, I learned that a guy in the previous game had the rear windshield of his Lexus shattered by a foul ball... really sucks for him, but the destructive side of me has always kind of wanted to see this happen (this is why I involuntarily shout "Car!" on any foul ball). Needless to say, I was disappointed to miss it. Well in the first inning of our game, Cryan throws a high ball to Erick that skips off the top of his glove, goes over the fence, and smacks into the side panel of the Lexus - as the guy was standing behind it surveying the previous damage. You can't dream up stuff like that. The poor guy shouts out something like "Seriously?!?!", and moves his car back a few feet - presumably out of the line of fire (meanwhile, I am trying to contain my laughter in the outfield). Cryan proceeds to bat in the bottom of the inning and foul off a ball that misses hitting the guy and/or his Lexus by about a foot. He was lucky to come out of it alive.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Reflections from 9/8
-Lollygaggers improved to 5-1 on the season with two wins over a pretty good team. I have no statistical support for the contention that they were a good team - as the league has been too disorganized to post standings - but the widespread presence of knee braces and other protective equipment suggested that they meant business;
-Despite rain-filled forecasts, we were able to take the field. That never happened during the spring. We just might get this season completed before Thanksgiving;
-Seriously, who was the genius who designed Barcroft? The sun blindingly sets directly beyond the center field fence. The only upside is that it gives batters a nice excuse for bad hitting;
-We lost 67% of our fanbase last night - not even the Nats have suffered that kind of attrition, and we're playing winning ball! At least the two fans we did have were vocal;
-Quast almost realized one of my childhood dreams of robbing a batter of a HR. It wasn't meant to be, but at least he didn't run into the fence and knock himself out or anything;
-Bill hit what had to be our longest HR of the season. I spent five minutes looking for the ball in the woods before realizing that I was on deck;
-Erick does not believe in saying "bless you" when people sneeze, and he looks down on those who do say it. Erick is 6'8", so in a literal sense, he looks down on all of us anyway.
-Despite rain-filled forecasts, we were able to take the field. That never happened during the spring. We just might get this season completed before Thanksgiving;
-Seriously, who was the genius who designed Barcroft? The sun blindingly sets directly beyond the center field fence. The only upside is that it gives batters a nice excuse for bad hitting;
-We lost 67% of our fanbase last night - not even the Nats have suffered that kind of attrition, and we're playing winning ball! At least the two fans we did have were vocal;
-Quast almost realized one of my childhood dreams of robbing a batter of a HR. It wasn't meant to be, but at least he didn't run into the fence and knock himself out or anything;
-Bill hit what had to be our longest HR of the season. I spent five minutes looking for the ball in the woods before realizing that I was on deck;
-Erick does not believe in saying "bless you" when people sneeze, and he looks down on those who do say it. Erick is 6'8", so in a literal sense, he looks down on all of us anyway.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Reflections from 9/1
-What a bizarre night... 10 innings of relatively inept offense, followed by 10 runs in 1/3rd of an inning and a slaughter rule victory;
-I knew their flukish string of "look what I found" plays was bound to end at some point; I did not, however, envision the absolute meltdown that occurred;
-Evidently "flukish" is not a real word... it should be;
-Erick learned to hit HRs again. Perhaps he was channeling his anger at his barber;
-Quast is one hell of a defensive catcher. He should never play anywhere else;
-We had like 6 fans in the stands. That had to be close to a record;
-Why was their second baseman standing on the bag when Beek hit that ball up the middle? I don't think he had pulled the ball all night;
-Muscles should be a prerequisite for sleeveless jerseys... if you're going to look like a douche, you better be able to pull it off;
-I never like to hit a pitcher with a liner, but if anybody had it coming, it was that guy... his complaining to the ump about the strike zone after every inning got a little old.
-I knew their flukish string of "look what I found" plays was bound to end at some point; I did not, however, envision the absolute meltdown that occurred;
-Evidently "flukish" is not a real word... it should be;
-Erick learned to hit HRs again. Perhaps he was channeling his anger at his barber;
-Quast is one hell of a defensive catcher. He should never play anywhere else;
-We had like 6 fans in the stands. That had to be close to a record;
-Why was their second baseman standing on the bag when Beek hit that ball up the middle? I don't think he had pulled the ball all night;
-Muscles should be a prerequisite for sleeveless jerseys... if you're going to look like a douche, you better be able to pull it off;
-I never like to hit a pitcher with a liner, but if anybody had it coming, it was that guy... his complaining to the ump about the strike zone after every inning got a little old.
Bring the blog back?
Quick tally, who would contribute if we decide to make this blog active? I'll start with updating game dates and records, if we decide to use it more.
Chris
Chris
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