FUN BUNCH WIN CHAMPIONSHIP!
Team beats Athletics 8-5 in postponed final game.
OTTAWA — Whoever said “nice guys finish last” obviously never heard of the Fun Bunch. Capping a strong finish to a superb tournament, the Fun Bunch played another strong defensive game to beat perennial finalists – the Athletics. The game had been rescheduled from the tournament weekend due to bad weather. Since none of the fenced-in parks were available, that left Morrison as the park to host the championship. “Any diamond without a fence and a deep outfield like Morrison is going to play to our advantage because of our big hitters”, stated team captain Alison “bulldozer” Hale. “You can hit virtually unlimited home runs here which is what we intend to do”, she continued with a steely gaze. The Fun Bunch managed to field their entire team with the exception of Scott “boom-boom” Saunders including two players—Jen “Sunny Jen” Irvine and John “Hans Solo” Devries—who had missed the tournament entirely. “I wish boom-boom was here, but I’m glad everyone else could participate in this historic event”, said a visibly choked up Steve “downtown” Saunders. “I was here last time we won in 1999, so this win has been a long time in the making”, he bawled. Once again defense reigned supreme with outfielders Glen “the Wrangler” Rankin and Martin “the Gazelle” Desjardins reeling in hit after hit. Not to be outdone, Chantal “Bud Light Lime” Bujold had another excellent defensive game fielding balls on her own, catching anything within a country mile of first base and backing up second base as need be. With everyone contributing to the victory, Rowena “throw it home” Sams sacrificed her shins for the sake of the team when John “Hans Solo” Devries—having missed the final month of the season and the entire tournament—inexplicably threw the ball home from the outfield. With runners threatening to score on the play, Rowena tracked down the off-line throw and smothered it against her fibia with obvious discomfort. Sporting a purple bruise and an ice pack after the game Rowena defended her teammate. “John’s just a bit rusty after missing all those games. He didn’t know about our tournament strategy to get the ball into the infield as quickly as possible that’s all”, she winced. The defensive play of the game might easily have been the line drive caught by Jen “Sunny Jen” Irvine. “That ball was headed straight down the line for a double or more. If Jen doesn’t make that play, the game is tied”, said a clearly excited Glen “the Wrangler” Rankin who was watching the play unfold from the deep outfield. In a “déjà vu” moment, Dom “The Dominator” Angelo fielded a sharp grounder in late inning play and then tossed it to unsuspecting short stop Steve “downtown” Saunders for the throw to first. “Steve and I have been working on that play all year. It worked so well in the tournament I thought what the heck let’s give it another try”, said Angleo matter-of-factly, remnants of her facial laceration from the tournament still visible. With one glaring exception the Fun Bunch played stellar defense. That play occurred in of all innings—the ninth. With the Fun Bunch three outs away from hoisting the championship trophy for the first time in twelve years, Paolo “slip-n-slide” Daros moved into action. The Athletics hit a lazy grounder to Daros, who fielded the ball cleanly, took a deep breath, waited for “Bud Light Lime” Bujold to get her foot on the bag, and then threw the ball into the dirt in a slow motion horror show. “It looked like someone had sewn Velcro to his hand and the ball—I simply couldn’t believe it”, remarked astounded short stop Steve “downtown” Saunders. Offensively the Fun Bunch took advantage of the deep outfield to score three solo home runs. Glen “the Wrangler” Rankin hit a beauty into the trees in left field that made its way all the way to the road for a rare out-of-the-park home run. Martin “the Gazelle” Desjardins took advantage of his outstanding speed as he beat out an in-the-park hit for a home run as well. Steve “downtown” Saunders crushed a pitch to straight away center towering over the fielder’s head that allowed him to trot in to home for the third run of the game in what turned out to be the first run of a huge five run inning. This set the table for the next three batters to load the bases—with none out—to allow Richard “Wild Thing” Bujold to come to the plate. Richard, who was in the midst of a torrid hitting streak, looked directly at pitcher Steve “field marshal” Saunders and gave him a playful wink before depositing the first pitch into the stratosphere to hit a grand slam home run and ensure the win for the Fun Bunch. “That was the defining moment of the game”, said platoon partner Paolo “slip-n-slide” Daros as he high fived his teammate as he trotted over home plate. The twelve year drought had ended as the team hoisted—not easily—Wild Thing onto their shoulders and carried him off the field.
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