It's on like donkey kong...

Well the playoffs are in full swing. As I write this, Trenton has already reserved a spot for themselves in the finals and the Sens are hanging on for dear life. They started out on Wed. night with an impressive 10-5 win up in Altoona, hanging a couple of 5-spots up to snag Game 1. The idea was to get at least 1 win on the road, so they could clinch at home. Thursday nights game was a little less impressive, with both teams playing sloppy baseball and the Curve coming out on top 6-4. But the objective was met. We were all at the ballpark, putting the final touches on the field for Friday's game. The Sens took an early 1-0 lead and there was talk of plastic sheeting for the clubhouse. That was a bit premature as it turned out. When I got to my car to head for home, it had turned into a 3-3 tie and went downhill from there to 6-3. They managed to put up 1 in the 8th, but that was as close as it got. So onto Friday night. It was kind of strange, but familiar to me walking into the ballpark for a playoff game. Back when I started on the crew in 1996, playoff games were a given. We were always there. And for my 1st 4 years, all I knew were championships. Got real spoiled. We were that close in 2002, losing in game 5 of the championships. So tonight, I was getting that old feeling of anticipation. To finish at the top of the heap. Forgive me if it sounds a little maudlin, but it never gets stale or old or corny. #1 feels good. I like it. But the road got a little rougher Friday evening. It was a nice night for baseball. There was a smallish crowd, but pretty much what I thought it would be, due to competing with high school football. The first few innings shaped up to be a pitcher's duel, with neither team doing much damage. But Altoona caught a couple of breaks, got some timely hitting, a couple of miscues on the Sens side, and all of a sudden it was 7-0. And the Sens just couldn't make anything happen until, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Adam Fox, the crew's personal favorite all year, hit a 2-run pinch-hit homer. But too little, too late. So its onto to Game 4. 4 PM start to accommodate the Penn State fans. Let's see if the boys have anything left in the tank. They fought the odds all year long to get here. Live to play another day. We'll discuss that tomorrow. Later...

On the brink...

Sept. 6th, Labor Day 2010. The last day of the regular season.

The Sens won last night, crushing Binghamton 13-3. I must confess, I haven't listened to any of the games on the radio. And the boys have done well without me. I won't be listening today either, since I'll be on my way back from Delaware and out of range. Just as well, I don't want to jinx things at this stage of the game. So I'll check the score periodically via the Internet phone. At the very east, they've booked a trip to Bowie tomorrow night for a 1 game playoff, so win or lose, they get to play 1 more game. I hope they take care of business today and punch their ticket for Altoona. And that means at least 1 more game at home this Friday night. If they could get at least a split in Altoona, then they would play Saturday as well. And if they could actually move to the finals, we would be there Monday and Tuesday, too. 6 weeks ago, I never thought I would be playing out this scenario for you. Around July 4th, they looked dead in the water, probably limping down the home stretch, battling to finish at .500. The grounds crew guys were looking forward to an early exit and getting back to our home lives and routine. Its been a long season, with some long home stands, and as I related in the last post, I've worked a lot of games this year. And I never thought I'd be saying this, but how about 4 more. Its been an 8 year drought since we've been to the playoffs. And this team reminds me a lot of the last team to be there, the 2002 team. They came from way behind, had a great August run, had a bunch of guys who really stepped up, and cleared the way in the last few days of the season. And it was against a Reading team who was way ahead at the All-Star break and had the audacity to put playoff tickets on sale then, only to implode down the stretch. The Sens swept them over the Labor Day weekend, eliminating them from the playoffs and punching their own ticket in. They went on to make it to the finals against Norwich, losing in the 5th game of the championship round. Is this a team of destiny, too? Time will tell I guess. In any case I'll here to witness and document it. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how it all shakes out. Until then, Happy Labor Day and see ya. Later...