BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
Fun Bunch win B championship to get their names on the league trophy in consecutive years for the first time in team history
OTTAWA-This victory was somewhat bittersweet. On a technicality, the Fun Bunch were deemed to have "finished third" and relegated to the B final while the team they beat the game before--Bass Line Station--moved on to the final. The reason they were told, was that there was a three way tie for first between the Fun Bunch, bass line station and the athletics all with a 4-1 record. With each of the teams having beaten one of the others, the head to head record was a wash. That left the "run differential" of which the Fun Bunch had one fewer run than Bass Line Station who were awarded second place and a trip to the final. Mind numbingly ridiculous was the decision in the previous game by the umpire to not allow the Fun Bunch to play the bottom of the seventh inning, effectively preventing them from scoring more runs and improving their "run differential" to make it to the A final. Deciding to take the high road and not protest the biased decision, the Fun Bunch agreed instead to come out guns a blazin' and teach the Rebels a lesson they wouldn't soon forget. With Tea "the terminator" Derakhshan, not able to make the game, captain Alison "bullodozer" Hale managed to pull off a second brilliant management move when she quickly signed Nancy "knock em out of the park" Harris to a one-game term sheet. With "shelly" returning to help out in the final as well, the Fun Bunch lineup was looking solid. It was a back and forth affair as the rebels at one point held a 10-9 lead at which point Steve "field marshal" Saunders decided to rally the troops. "We are the best team in this league and the convener knows it. He conspired against us to place us in the B final so he wouldn't have to face us and now you are going to roll over and let this excuse-for-a-team beat us? After we thrashed them this morning? Get a hold of yourselves and show some pride. We are the Fun Bunch and we are going to win", "field marshall" admonished his teammates. Not waiting for a translation, the team quickly took charge as Glen "the wrangler" Rankin crushed two pitches for home runs and Nancy "knock em out of the park" Harris went a perfect five for five including a stand-up double to lead the way. With no one on base, and two of the three home runs used up, Steve "downtown" Saunders asked his teammates "should I keep this one in the park" as he strode to the plate. Not waiting for a reply he promptly crushed the first pitch into the stratosphere for a solo shot to add some additional padding to his teams lead. "Sorry but it came in like a beachball", he casually replied dismissing his teammates objections with a wave of his hand. But this was a team win, with Chantal "rum runner" Bujold making some great catches at first and the entire outfield making catch-after-catch to snuff out any Rebel rally attempts. The Fun Bunch showcased their precision batting skills in their best outing of the weekend as they repeatedly placed surgical hits to score run after run. With most of the team sporting injuries that were worsening, Martin "the gazelle" Desjardins lead by example when he duct taped his toenail to his foot and played through the pain until the searing agony forced him to sit out the last inning. With the score, 17-10 for the Fun Bunch, they proceeded to make the first two outs on a fly ball and a force-out at second. One out away from a victory, the next Rebel batter hit a shallow fly ball down third where Nancy "knock em out of the park" Harris stood her ground. Stretching her arm, she squeezed her glove to trap the ball and make the out to fittingly win the game as a thunderclap sounded as if on cue to announce that the Fun Bunch had shut down the Rebels in the bottom of the seventh to win the championship for the second time in two years.
--------------------------------------------