SB BLUEPRINT

It's the Citysoftball playoffs and the goal in softball is simple WIN!!!!!!!!!!! But when your drawing up the SOFTBALL Blueprints you have to expect complications along the way. Rain? Fixing Fields? Angry Managers? Bad calls by umpires? Goons? Assholes? Looking for parking? Players dissing you? Collecting League/Ump fees? Losing games? Errors? Luck? Getting Players to Qualify/Show up? Not exactly an easy softball Blueprint to predict/build, but at least in the real world we have Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 Album which I highly recommend

Many of the BluePrint 3 Songs relate to the Citysoftball.com playoffs so

Top Ten Blueprint 3 songs that relate to the Citysoftball.com playoffs

10. Song : What We Talkin About

Marc and Kennedy are playoff ready

Are you?

9. Song : Thank You
Juan and I would like to thank the entire league for another successful season despite horrible fucking weather. Mother Nature is a Bitch

9. Song :D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tunes)
The words to this jam say it all "La, da da da, hey hey hey , Goodbye" - win or go home in the playoffs

8. Song : Run This Town
Ok no one in our league
looks like the lovely Rihana

but everyone is trying to Run this league by winning the Championship

7.Song : Empire State of Mind
Sorry but I can't imagine softball being an more fun to play in other state but NY. The combination of people from different backgrounds and the impending winter.. make fall softball special. So Jay-Z and Alicia Keys



are completely on point when they praise NY in this inspiring jam.

6. Song : On to the Next One
Westlanders won last year, now they're off to the next one.

5. Song : A Star is Born
Every year in the playoffs a softball star is born. Anything can happen and it usually does.

4. Song :Venus vs. Mars
Trojans vs O's
Danny Mac vs Westlanders
Bonao vs Fanaticos
KO vs Box Car
Venus vs Mars

3. Song : Already Home
This league is our softball home.

2. Song : So Ambitious
Gotta be hungry to win

and the number one song on Blueprint 3 that relates to the citysoftball playoffs

1. Song : Young Forever - best song on the album
That the way softball and playoffs make us feel

Tres Leches Myth = Three Games Myth

A funny old Hispanic wise tale says that if a woman wants to get pregnant she should eat Tres Leches

Tres Leches or Pastel de Tres leches (Spanish, “Three milk cake”), is a sponge cake,—in some recipes, - soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and sour cream. Obviously this myth isn't true, but it is very hickish, kinda funny, and in any case it is a very good tasting dessert. Good stuff

Another myth that isn't true is that tres "3" softball games is too many games to play in one day. Nonsense. Any true softball fievrue (person with the fever to play) loves to play 3 games in a day and that's exactly what's happening in Inwood this Sunday as due to multiple rain outs all teams will most likely play three games this week. What makes the three game scenario most interesting is that teams will be fighting for their playoff lives due to the shortened 11 game season. I mean where else can a 1-7 teamlike the Panthers have a shot to make it to the playoffs on the last week of the regular season if they run the table. Adding flavor to the 3 games in a day experience is that it involves playing multiple opponents. For example, another team fighting for their playoff lives will be George Alonso's Danny Mac's "DM" squadled by chain smoking Inwood legend Tommy Hegelson's (left below)DM has the daunting challenge of facing the defending Citysoftball's Champion The Westlanders in a doubleheader.
The Fran (above) and Tommy match up promises to be a classic. Depending on the outcome of this doubleheader, the DM's third game could be a batten down the hatches war elimination game against CHAOS!!!!!!!!!

More good stuff.

Another team fighting for their playoffs lives is the extremely talented Box Car ball club which consists of an array of Central park legends.

Box Car's young ace Phil Green might have to throw 3 tense late afternoon drama packed games against the likes of the

1st place Trojansand the hungry Orioles to get his team to November.

While some teams are fighting to make the playoffs other teams like Stud Hitting Bonao

will be looking to improve their playoff seeding. Bonao's experience and power will be pitted against Knockout's young double play combination of Alfi Hernandez and X-ManThese 2 teams might play each other 3 times depending on playoff ramifications.

More good stuff

So after a long day of 3 games softball on Sunday, sit back and have some Tres Leches to start a family, or at lest have fun trying :))))))))

Poll Analysis: We're off to See the Wizard!!!!

Steve "Merlin The Wizard" Jimenez has won the "Favorite SB Commissioner" poll on softballinsider.net by capturing 35% of the popular vote. Congratulations Merlin!!!!!!! When I first put up this poll, I received a couple of emails saying that citysoftball.com Juan "Blonde" Moreiras would win in a landslide, but that went down the same path as the famously incorrect newspaper headline that read "Dewey Defeats Truman".

Top Ten Reasons The Wizard Won the Favorite SB Commissioner Poll

10. Blonde's 2008 Halloween costume

offended too many Democratic voters and cost him the poll election.

9. People voted for the surprising popular "None of the Above they are all shiesty (21% of vote)" took votes away from other candidates.

8. Dude look at the competition? Al Morales and CJ ??They got no votes - Ross Perot style

7. The Voters were mesmerized by a spell cast upon them by the Wizard when he engraved his name into his glove

6. ?????

5. Key State Florida votes went Steve's way like the 2000 Presidential election
4. It was softball fans way of saying thank you to Steve for being the commissioner who brought them the Cardinals-Westlanders semi-final playoff series http://softballinsider.blogspot.com/2009/08/westlanders-vs-cardinals-semi-final.html

Hopefully, his league will continue to have games like that.

3. Pitchers who have been banned by CJ and Blonde all voted for Steve b/c he's banned from pitching in those leagues as well and they could relate.

2. Steve's Corporate sponsor connections gave him large campaign money contributions, like ironically Blonde's sports bar (no relation to Juan), that propelled him to Victory

and the Number One Reason The Wizard Won the Softballinsider.net Favorite Commissioner Poll

1. Most of the players in Steve league live below 96th street and have more computer access than players in other leagues.

WESTLANERS Stand Up Against Cancer

Because it's more than just a game, the WestLanders "WL" "Stood up against Cancer" and participated in the http://www.copamaribel.com/ fight against cancer softball tournament in Jersey City this past Saturday.

If your going to point out the WL flaws, you have to be fair and give them an incredible amount of credit for dedicate time, money, and enthusiasm to this very worthy cause. Cancer is relentless and effects all our lives, and the WL did a wonderful job participating in this all day event. WL lost in the finals, but in reality they showed their humanitarianism on this unselfish day.

WL players like ace Franny Donovanput it in perspective when he said "It's Family Day" and stud hitting 2B Ray Ray Pena echoed his thoughts by enjoying this truly keeping it real event,

Much props to Dio jackson and his championship team and visit http://www.copamaribel.com/ to learn more.

Never quit

Paciencia y Fe = BUMS NO MAS

It took several weeks of patience and faith of dealing with rain outs, holidays, and field availability issues but the Westies have won the 2009 Bum Rush League (was that picture taken in 1929??? ... nah just too much sun in the photographers face). A lot of people put down the Bum Rush League, but like the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
they are bums no more. A lot of people think the quality of competition is low, but the reality is that the league is well run, plays one nine inning regular season game a week, games are early (9AM) and start on time, and has shown very good competitive balance/upside/enthusiasm the last couple of years thanks to addition of Big Apple veterans like Michael Peckins, Eric Zabarkas, Ralph Serrano, and Juan Parra (even though I hate to admit it when it comes to Juan). The league is fun.

You guys remember the word fun?

Some guys play in it because they can only play mornings, some guys play b/c they love to play all day, some guys play in it to get at bats, some guys play b/c they get to play positions they don't otherwise get to play (i.e. Michael Peckins pitches), while other guys play b/c they manage elsewhere like championship manager, and now championship Westies pitcher, John Rosenmiller.

One fair criticism is that the league does not allow leading until after the ball crosses the plate which leads to the "old man league" stigma. So you don't seen any Jackie Robinson

mad dashes to the plate, but I am confident the league will repeal this rule in 2010.

So instead of dissing the Bum Rush league why don't you get your drunk fat ass out of bed and come out and make it better?

PS Congrats again Westies .... A truly wonderful bunch of guys

Just Your Average above 96th Street Experience

Last Sunday was your typical above 96th Street Softball experience in Inwood as anything can happen and it usually does. Before we get to Sunday, it poured Saturday which caused the makeshift grounds crew of Rick, Blonde, and Gil, yes I said Gil, to work literally overnight in the dark on Saturday to make sure the fields where ready to go for Sunday. The softball gods seemed to approve as it set the stage for an interesting Sunday afternoon.

The happy and not so happy Inwood Re-Cap is as follows:

(1) All teams were made aware that game times were pushed back 2 hours to allow the fields to dry. Some teams loved this, some teams hated it, some just dealt with it, but it had consequences that we will get to later.

(2) The Panthers and Chaos played one another and both recorded their 1st victory of the season. Congrats gentleman well deserved.

(3) Danny Mac and the upstart Orioles spilt their double header. Unfortunately, because of the delayed start time Danny Mac manger George Alonsohad to forfeit their 3rd game of the day, a make up game with Bonao, b/c his players had prior commitments. This was not pleasant.
(3) Afterwards, Dominican Power Houses Bonao and Trojan spilt a Bachata & beer filled competitive doubleheader.

(4) Knockout "KO" had another new 5-6 players this week, but these faces were much more familiar as they have joined forces with the 2007-2008 Tianos. KO welcomed players such as Noel Sanchez, Carlos "Charlie" Mason, Alfi Hernandez, Juan Gonzalez, and Andy Santana (shown warming up below)

In addition, KO brought back a former player and big time Jet fan Lorenzo Gracia in hopes of solidifying their depleted roster. The new players plus the effort of loyal everyday players like Freddy Hernandez paid immediate dividends for KO as they surprisingly blew out Los Fanaticos in game one. In the game one laugher, Fanticos manager Eddy made his 2009 Inwood debut on the hill

in an attempt to stop the bleeding. In game two, KO came back from an early 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 when two Dominican traveling teams with a legit special one day 4pm permit showed up and asked us to leave. As a result, with nowhere else to go both teams had to do the walk of shame over to field 4 to wait for the WestLander "WL" and Box Car Lounge game to conclude before resuming play. Just when you think something else couldn't happen it did. It's never boring above 96th street.

(5) The "WL"convincingly swept Box Car Lounge to take commanding hold of first place in Citysoftball with a 5-1 record. WL have only given up 8 runs on the season. Impressive to say the least.

(6) After the WL-Box game, KO and Los Fanticos resumed game 2 of their double header as Mr. Boricua

Gilberto Gonzalez continued to mesmerize Los Fanticos to complete the sweep.

Just another day above 96th street

Next week should be filled with many more surprising twists and turns. Highlighting the action will be the WL and KO doubleheader. As friends from both teams

play softball.


Great Stuff.