BARB WORLD SERIES RECAPS

GAME 4: FRIARS BATTER LINCECUM

The St. Francis Friars, down 2-1 and playing in Frostbite Falls for two more games, took advantage of struggling Tim Lincecum to tie the series back up and guarantee at least one game back in St. Francis.

Lincecum stranded runners in scoring position in the first two innings but was dinged in the third on a Chris Davis RBI single. The crooked number came in the fourth, when Lincecum walked Ryan Sweeney on four pitches with two out and the bases empty to start a three-hit (all singles), two-walk, two hit-by-pitch, four-run outbreak. Alex Cobb relieved Lincecum during the inning and finally recorded the last out with the bases loaded.

The lead extended to seven in the fifth when Cobb allowed a single, Todd Frazier triple and groundout for two runs.

After threatening multiple times early on, Frostbite Falls finally got on the board with a Mark Ellis leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back doubles plated another run in the sixth to end Travis Wood’s day.

Craig Breslow was brought on to start the seventh and gave up a first-pitch solo shot to Kendrys Morales. After seeing Breslow struggle earlier in the playoffs, St. Francis management took him out quickly in favor of Rafael Soriano. The righty couldn’t get an out and was charged with two runs, prompting an earlier-than-usual entry of Fernando Rodney. The crooked hat must have confused the Squirrels, as Rodney—faced with no one out, runners on second and third and a diminishing lead, got a strikeout, fly out and ground out to end the threat.

GAME 4 FINAL: ST. FRANCIS 7, FROSTBITE FALLS 5

GAME 5: EVENLY MATCHED

With the series tied at two games each, the teams sent out pitchers who had been their playoff aces: R.A. Dickey and Cole Hamels.

Frostbite got to Dickey right away as Bryce Harper hit a sacrifice fly to score Mike Trout. Carlos Beltran knotted it up, leading off the second with a shot off of Hamels. And back and forth it went.

The Friars went ahead in the third, as “Salvy” Perez’s one-out grounder scored Sweeney. Another Friar crossed the plate in the fifth as Pedro Alvarez’s bomb just stayed fair for a two-run lead.

The Flying Squirrels brought the seesaw battle even in their half of the fifth, as Austin Jackson lined a two-out, bases loaded single to left to bring in two. The score stayed 3-3 into the bottom of the eighth. Harper beat out an infield single and, one out later, Jose Reyes lit into a belt-high Scott Downs fastball and sent it over the left-center field wall.

GAME 5 FINAL: FROSTBITE FALLS 5, ST. FRANCIS 3

GAME 6: JACKSON SLAMS SQUIRRELS TO TITLE

Back home for the final one or two (if necessary), the St. Francis Friars had no margin for error. if they felt pressure, however, it didn’t show in the second inning. Matt Garza allowed three singles, a walk, a double, a walk, and a sacrifice fly (in that order). By the time he struck out Davis for the third out, four Friars had crossed the plate. The fans were in a frenzy, assuming their beloved team was cruising to a rubber match to decide the 2013 World Series.

Frostbite came right back and cut the lead in half in the top of the third, and then all bats went quiet until the seventh.

Bronson Arroyo had been wildly effective in his five inning stint, shutting down the Squirrel offense in all but that third inning. Shelby Miller threw a scoreless sixth. But for the final three frames, St. Francis management got antsy and had a quick hook for everyone.

Derek Holland trotted out to replace Miller in the top of the seventh. His outing, quite simply, was a disaster. Holland faced five batters: walk, intentional walk, single, walk, double. By time Clay Buchholz was warm, Frostbite Falls had put up three runs to take the lead and was threatening for more. Buchholz wasn’t any help, allowing a single to center to score another. Mariano Rivera, making what was increasingly looking like his last BARB appearance, stemmed the bleeding by inducing a double play, but another run scored on the play (no one was out when “Mo” came on). Holland’s final totals for the game: five batters faced, five runs given up.

The Squirrels didn’t sit on their newfound three-run advantage long. Rivera came back out but gave up three singles in a row to load the bases. The Friars gambled on Breslow, who actually recorded the strikeout in the high-leverage situation. The right-handed batting Jackson was next, though, so righty Rodney was brought on. The first pitch was a hanger, letter-high. Jackson ripped into it and it soared deep into the night. As the ball flew out, the Friar fan base went silent. Some cried, some held their heads in their hands and many just stared blankly. Austin Jackson’s second grand slam of the series had given the Squirrels a six-run lead with just six offensive outs remaining for St. Francis.

The final nail in the coffin was actually hammered down in the top of the ninth on a single by Mark Ellis, but when Brayan Villareal struck out Shin-Soo Choo the result was official:

GAME 6 FINAL: FROSTBITE FALLS 12, ST. FRANCIS 5

The Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels, after missing the playoffs in 2012, had come back to win the 2013 BARB World Series. In the owner’s box at The Monastery, Scott Hatfield could just shake his head in disappointment. For the fourth time (2003, 2007-08 and now 2013) his charges had made the World Series only to fall short. St. Francis fans were quickly starting to echo the cries of the supporters of the old Brooklyn Dodgers: “Wait ‘til next year!”

WORLD SERIES MVP: AUSTIN JACKSON

Jackson, the Frostbite centerfielder, had made mincemeat of the St. Francis pitching staff. He hit .458 (11/24), hit two doubles and two grand slams to drive in 10 runs, and scored five himself. 

JACKSON'S SLAM HOLDS UP

Austin Jackson’s early grand slam proves just enough as Frostbite Falls’ piecemeal bullpen holds off the Friars.

Derek Holland lost it, and quickly. In just the second inning of his start in Game Three of the 2013 BARB World Series, the erratic lefty missed location after location and put his team in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

Frostbite Falls nearly put up a crooked number in the first. Mike Trout walked to lead off and Jackson doubled him to third. Without an out on the scoreboard, Holland pulled the string on Wilin Rosario. Evan Longoria picked up his catcher, though, with a sacrifice fly to score Trout. The Flying Squirrels’ rally ended with another can of corn, and Holland exhaled as he walked off the hill.

The aforementioned second frame was a different story. Dayan Viciedo lined a one-out single in front of a Mark Ellis free pass. Kendrys Morales also singled to load the bases for the top of the order, and Trout, whose bat was silent in the first round series against Yuma, dumped an RBI single to left.

Enter, again, Jackson. After nearly driving in a run in the first, he wasn’t about to miss his second opportunity. The Frostbite center fielder worked the count in his favor before UNLOADING on a get-it-in fastball! Holland got whiplash from watching the ball soar deep into the Rocky Top left field seats.

With the early 6-0 lead, Felix Hernandez seemed to put things on cruise control. It was quickly apparent that he wasn’t going to be “King”-ly on this night. In the third, Ryan Sweeney walked and Grant Green worked a 12-pitch at-bat before striking out. Shin-Soo Choo doubled in Sweeney and was himself driven in by Aaron Hill.

Two batters later, Frostbite’s defense bailed their star pitcher out. Carlos Beltran grounded a single through the left side. Drew Stubbs rushed on, crow-hopped and fired toward the plate, where Hill was headed. Rosario was waiting, and the ball joined him before Hill arrived for the out.

The Friars were right back at it against Hernandez in the fourth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bags for Choo, who singled to the gap for two runs. Just four innings into the game, there had been 10 runs scored, with the home squad holding just a two-run advantage.

Holland was pulled one batter into the fourth for right-hander Shelby Miller. The youngster shut the door that inning but was roughed up a bit in the fifth—Jose Reyes beat out a 20-footer in front of the plate to bring up Bryce Harper, the platoon partner for Drew Stubbs. Brash young Harper wasn’t impressed with Miller’s fastball, but a fan in Row E in straightaway center WAS impressed with his new souvenir. The home squad had a little breathing room into the late innings.

FROSTBITE FALLS 8, ST. FRANCIS 4

Hernandez made it into the seventh before Antonio Bastardo came in. Steve Delabar replaced the lefty in the eighth but allowed a run in the ninth, so Frostbite Falls manager Mike Noakes called on Mike Gonzalez. The veteran balked on his first movement of the World Series before striking out Chris Davis to end it.

FINAL: FROSTBITE FALLS 8, ST. FRANCIS 5

Game Three was in the books with a home squad victory. If not for a Cole Hamels ninth-inning mistake in Game One, the series would be 3-0 in favor of Frostbite Falls. As it was, the wild card had a game up and home field for the next two in hopes of bringing home another BARB world title.

GARZA STRONG, BUT SERIES AGAIN MARRED BY OUTSIDE FACTORS

For the second time in the 2013 World Series, outside events threatened to overshadow the game play of BARB's Fall Classic, as former MVP Alex Rodriguez threatened litigation against both the league and specific club owners, while the Squirrels held on to win a tight contest and even the Series at one game apiece.

Frostbite Falls got into the head of St. Francis starter Clay Buchholz (0-1, 11.57) when previously-dormant OF Mike Trout smacked a 2-2 fastball over the wall in left, his first post-season hit---- but a timely one that gave the Squirrels a 1-0 lead!   Then, in the second, an error by Pedro Alvarez and some nifty go-with-the-pitch hitting by Wilton Ramos and Yonder Alonso helped plate two more runs for Frostbite Falls, while running up Buchholz's pitch count.   In the third, having already walked the free-swinging Austin Jackson with one down, Buchholz was ordered to intentionally walk Evan Longoria after a Bryce Harper double.   This loaded the bases with one out, and Jose Reyes foiled the strategy by walking on four straight pitches to plate another run.

That was it for Buchholz (0-1, 11.57), and though Rafael Soriano struck out a pair to escape further damage, the Squirrels now had a solid lead after three innings:

FROSTBITE FALLS 4, ST. FRANCIS 0!


Matt Garza (1-0, 2.16), a surprise starter for Game Two, would strike out seven Friars while never relinquishing this or subsequent leads, but St. Francis would make things interesting in front of their home-town fans:  Aaron Hill hit a solo shot leading off the bottom of the fourth, and in the eighth Ryan Sweeney repeated the same feat with one down to finally get the Frostbite bullpen going.

This was only possible because St. Francis's bullpen stitched together five innings of scoreless relief, the main contributor being erstwhile starter Bronson Arroyo.  But, after allowing Sweeney's shot, Head Squirrel Andrew Haynes elected to stick with Garza, who finished the frame and was allowed to take the hill to start the ninth.   Leading off the frame: left-handed hitting Shin-Soo Choo, who worked the count even at 2-2, and then LAUNCHED a Garza fastball into the RF corner, past the warning track, against the wall, where...

...a leaping Mike Trout pulled it in for the first out!   A brilliant defensive play had prevented St. Francis from bringing the tying run to the plate, and that was enough for Haynes:  Garza was lifted, and David Hernandez summoned.   Hernandez got ahead of Aaron Hill (who had homered earlier) and dispatched him with an 0-2 slider.   That brought up slugging 1B Chris Davis with two down, and Davis....

...DRILLED a 3-2 fastball into right center, over the glove of the sprinting Austin Jackson, an easy double.   St. Francis had brought the tying run to the plate, and that brought Carlos Beltran to the plate.  Beltran had been the Friars best offensive player in the regular season, leading the club in both average (.303) and HR (30).   But Beltran topped the first ball meekly to Alonso, and Hernandez easily beat Beltran to first for the throw, and the Series was tied!!   The final:

FROSTBITE FALLS 4, ST. FRANCIS 2!

A-ROD ATTORNEY:  WE'RE MAKING A LIST

With the series now shifting to the less-tropical Squirrels stadium, there was also a chill in the air as Alex Rodriguez's attorney Joe Tacopina *outlined the case against the league and various owners:

"Basically, we're suing any and everyone who has been part of the victimization and persecution of my client, who has never done anything wrong and only wants to be part of a winning tradition.   Yet, every year since 2006 he has found himself exposed by various owners and, in the ultimate act of betrayal, he was not able to play on any BARB roster this year, despite being healthy for most of the second half of the season."

"For example," the noted ambulance chaser wrote, "Alex was BARB's  Most Valuable Player in its first season, hitting 53 HR for Eric CASKEY and Brooklyn Moabs. He hit 48 HR for the Moabs in 2004.  101 bombs in two years...but what did Eric Caskey do?   Sent him away, without explanation.   This damaged my client's reputation, don't you think?  Why shouldn't be take legal action?"

"Then, my client was sensational with his next owner...who has a familiar name....Matt CASKEY.  All Alex did for Worcester was hit 32 HR and lead his club with 114 runs scored in 2005.   That's MVP material....but THIS second Caskey let my client go because...why?  So he could pay Manny Ramirez $19 million?   So that definitely raises questions."

"Then, with all the good teams in the league, where does Alex end up?   He spends 2007 with the Visalia Fuegos.   They're don't exist anymore, so we don't have anything to bring an action against.   Same thing with 2008:  the S-MART Boom Sticks?   Really?  We've got nothing to bring redress for my client's losses.  What the hell is an S-MART?"

"In addition, there is one owner who continually victimized my client by constantly moving him from one city to another, thus making it difficult for him to obtain the local vendor endorsements that are so lucrative to a superstar player like Alex Rodriguez.   Yes, I'm talking about YOU, Ronald MELKONIAN.  The 2009 Texas Tornadoes?  The 2010 Arizona Thunder?  The 2011 Philadelphia Rebels?   Not only was this an unstable situation for endorsements, but the instability played havoc with Alex's ability to produce runs."

"Continuing our concerns about the unregulated siblings in this league, another Melkonian, CHRIS Melkonian, had the audacity to rig the playing field in 2012 so that my client was only paid a paltry $7.75 million!   How can anyone imagine that is equitable, and that these actions don't damage my client's reputation!!!!?!?!"

"Perhaps most disturbing of all is what happened in the 2013 off-season.   That....MATT CASKEY character signed Alex to a free agent offer on April 8th, agreeing to $14.5 million for the 2013 season, but then, without explanation, the very next day RELEASES him.   Well, of course, you can imagine that wasn't good for Alex at all!"

"Finally, we have to hold the leadership accountable.   It's not just the Caskeys and the Melkonians who are to blame, though they are clearly the worst offenders.   It's former Commissioner Scott Hatfield and current Commish Andrew Haynes who have let these things happen, over and over.   We will be contacting all who have shared in the actions which have libeled, excluded or otherwise damaged the earning ability of our client and make them PAY."


* any resemblance between the "Joe Tacopino" described in this blog and the actual celebrated high-profile attorney (who is currently suing one of his former clients for defamation) is coincidental.

FRENZY: SCANDAL-FIGHTING FRIARS TAKE SERIES OPENER

St. Francis—The underdog Friars, which shocked the BARB world by upsetting a titanic Worcester squad in the first round of the playoffs, once again outperformed expectations in a swirl of controversy, narrowly edging another Eastern Division powerhouse to take the opening game of the 2013 BARB World Series!

 In a surprising development, Friars players had to be whisked secretly to the ballpark, which was surrounded by angry picketers associated with the Catholic League, and its leader, fiery conservative Catholic Bill Donohue.  The protesters have been whipped into a frenzy by their organization, which views the franchise’s name (the St. Francis Friars) as a direct insult to the reigning pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church, Pope Francis.  “It’s a travesty, and another example of the anti-Catholic bigotry that the popular culture promotes,” said Donohue in a prepared statement.  “A professional sports team should not be named in any way after any ethnic or religious group without their consent.  If this is not challenged, what next?”

Exasperated team president and acting GM Scott Hatfield denied any disrespect or bigotry on the part of the Friars organization.  “For crying out loud,” Hatfield exclaimed. “We’re based in a town called St. Francis, and we were in that town before the present Pope was elected.   How were we to know that he would take the name Francis, a name assumed by none of the previous 266 pontiffs?   Please, just make this stop.”

Meanwhile, while the guardians of cultural privilege railed at the gates, a baseball game was played.  Cole Hamels took the hill for Frostbite Falls, which had dispatched a solid Yuma club in five games to make the Series for the seventh time in league history.   The Friars countered with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, and neither hurler disappointed.  St. Francis broke through first, when a tomahawk swing from SS J.J. Hardy went over the wall in left, a solo homer that gave the Friars a 1-0 lead.    Dickey kept the Squirrels at bay through the first four frames, before mounting a scoring threat in the fifth:   Jose Reyes singled and Kendry Morales drew a walk to put the first two runners on, and one out later, back-to-back RBI singles from Yonder Alonso and Mike Trout gave the visitors the lead:

FROSTBITE FALLS 2, ST. FRANCIS 1!

Dickey settled back into a groove after that, retiring seven of the next eight hitters.   The Squirrels threatened again in the eighth, and had to be licking their chops when a leadoff walk led the Friars to call upon LHP Craig Breslow, who had given up two game-changing boundary belts in the previous series with Worcester.  Indeed, all through the post-season St. Francis struggled to find the answer against the left-handed power of other clubs. This time, Bryce Harper ripped a one-out line drive off Breslow....flagged by a leaping Hardy at short!   Harper had just missed what would’ve likely been a two-run double.  Instead, Fernando Rodney was brought in, and he fanned the right-handed hitting Evan Longoria for the final out of the eighth, keeping the score 2-1, Frostbite.

Cole Hamels had been dealing since allowing a solo shot to Hardy back in the second, allowing just three baserunners entering the ninth while striking out eight.   Leery of his unheralded bullpen, GM Andrew Haynes therefore left the dominant Hamels in the ballgame to pitch to the left-handed hitting Chris Davis, who....

....CRUSHED a one-out get-ahead fastball from Hamels!   DEEP right center!   And GONE!   The pricey mid-season acquisition, the left-handed power bat, had come through when most needed by the Friars, tieing the ball game:

FROSTBITE FALLS 2, ST. FRANCIS 2!

The Friars now turned to their bullpen’s strength: with two down in the ninth and a runner on, Koji Uehara was summoned to hold the fort.   The streaking Uehara had been one of the hottest pitchers in BARB dow

In the bottom of the 11th, lefty Antonio Bastardo was burned when the left-handed hitting Ryan Sweeney (pinch-hitting for Aaron Hill, who had been ejected) shocked everyone, doubling over the glove of Mike Trout.  Steve Delabar was summoned to pitch to the free-swinging Salvador Perez, but the rookie was wild, walking Perez, wild-pitching the catcher to second, then walking Carlos Beltran.  Thus, with no one out, the Squirrels called on another lefty, veteran Mike Gonzales, to pitch to Davis.   Once again, the lefty-swinging Davis overcame “The Book”.  Gonzales jammed Davis, but the slugger was able to get enough on it that it dropped over the leaping attempt at Kipnis.   Sweeney scored easily, and the ballgame was over!

ST. FRANCIS 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 2!

So it was that the Friars had pulled off a surprising win, while Frostbite Falls couldn’t even second-guess themselves.   They had left a dominant ace in with no sign of fatigue with a one-run lead...owch.   They had played the percentages with Bastardo, with Delabar, with Gonzales.  None of that had worked, double-owch.   And, with angry protesters calling for the heads of the home team, they also had to be whisked out of the ballpark under a cloak of security.   How will this crazy set of circumstances play out in the rest of the Series?   Stay tuned!

n the stretch, seizing the closer’s role in the final weeks despite the presence of Rodney, Rafael Soriano and the great Mariano Rivera.   He would be equal to the task in this game, fanning four of the seven he would face in what would now be an extra-inning war of the bullpens.