The Return of SBI's Lead Softball Analysts: Exclusive 30 for 30 "Saved and Ruined"

As Edgar Sr would tell you I usually ignore fans or bystanders during games, but recently I stepped into the box,

everything was quiet, the pitcher went into his motion, and then I heard .......



I had to step out and laugh. My lead SBI analyst John "Championship Manager" Sheppard was back.

"Saved" and "Ruined" - funny. The short term view has some truth, but both the short term (2015 season) and long term story still has not been written

 Paciencia y Fe

In the meantime, I hope my lead analyst comes out more to help- after all Imitation is the Greatest Form of Flattery. I hope to follow in his footsteps.

Sub-Mariner Goes 10,000 Big Apple Leagues under the Sea... Paciencia y Fe

When the Marvel Old School cartoons used to come on TV when I was a kid

 

The Sub-Mariner was my least favorite.

I wanted to See Captain America



Hulk



or Thor



But when the Sub Mariner came on I was always let down. I always felt he was kind of boring and a Aqua Man spin-off type. Plus he always let me down by trying to steal Sue Richards away from her man Mr Fantastic.

Then again, can't blame him, Sue got hotter and trendier over the years. Lol

However, over the years other Mariners have come along that I've really liked

but recently another Mariner let me and a lot of people down:

The Big Apple Mariners

as they have dropped out of the Big Apple League. We tried to help them but they were beyond repair and eventually sunk 10,0000 Big Apple Leagues under the sea.

Sucks.

Re-Booting the league has not been easy. More work and changes need to happen.

It might take Super hero effort to get the job done, but it will. The number one power we need right now is Patience and Faifth. Paciencia y Fe - every hero has it

 Paciencia y Fe

Guilty Conscience "Gun Smoke"

Sadly Softball Violence has been up this year

BM is back, for now

and it has to stop. We all sacrifice way too much to get to the park

• physical effort
• time
• money
• work
• commitment
• practice
• blood, sweat, and tears

to fight with each other at the field. The game is hard enough. It has to stop.

Now wait a minute I know what everyone is saying, who the fuck are you insider to give advice, haven't you:

• gone ballistic on Mr Magoo
• been suspended
• quit teams
• had bench clear brawls with his own teammates on multiple occasions

Yep. I have.

The reason I am saying this is because I don't want others to go the same route that I did.

Violence is never the answer. I've learned that the hard way.

Look at the real world. On Father's day, the very well liked MLB analyst and former player Darryl Hamilton has shot and killed in a murder-suicide

See news story Hamilton Murdered. Terrible. Why do we always have to learn the hard way?

I hate violence. I hate guns. By definition the two are inseparable and destructive. The evidence is gun smoke proof.

Only those greedy blood bastards NRA and Archie bunker

will tell you otherwise.

As we all know the NRA has no conscience. They hide behind the 2nd amendment "right to bear arms" to make money and don't care about if good people like Hamilton get slaughtered. To them "The right to mass killings" outweighs safety. Guns have to be banned. Fuck the NRA.

Luckily in all my years of softball, I've only seen 1 gun indent and hopefully will never see another.

Hopefully, I will see less softball violence this year.

Listen to your softball conscience and Play Ball.

Oh No!! Don't Ban Me!!!

Last time we left Peter "Mr. Bill" Shayne he bodly predicted a 600 batting average. But after a season long slump, he's now turned to pitching and has asked me not to ban in in the Big Apple or Inwood.

Wow!! Hope Mr. Bill doesn't get hurt

Pray for Rain!!! Busy Week - 2 Birthdays, Father's Day ...whew

Busy Week.

Alexandra and Caley's Birthday

My Birthday - which is essentially our Birthday



Father's Day



Whew!!! No Time Softball.

Thank god for a rainy day today.

Just wishing you all a Happy Father's Day from my family to yours

Holler!!!!

Best
Regards
Insider

Commitment vs New Pussy = Veterans vs. Young Dragons.. solves identity crisis

The Chris Rock classic stand up below helped me solve my Old School identity crisis in the Big Apple League (especially time index 1:35 - 3:16).



Great Routine as Chris explains:

New Pussy is :

• Sexy
• Clears Your Mind
• Hot

Commitment gives you:

• Headaches 
• Boring
• Predictable

But New Pussy:

• Doesn't Cook
• Take care of you when your sick
• Raise your Children

Commitment is:

• There for you
• Reliable
• Loyal

In the Long Term you need commitment and to keep things fresh you need to Recycle your relationship. Love it

In my eccentric weird demented mind I somehow instantly connected the dilemma of:

• Commitment versus New Pussy to Veteran Players versus Young Stud Softball Dragons.

In building The Old School softball team in the Big Apple League I am blessed to have plenty of Choices Parts, I uh mean choices (softball Freudian slip), many of my very best players are very young and talented



Young Players have:

• Talent
• Speed
• Power
• Energy
• Strong Arms

Veterans are :

• Older
• Slower
• Heavier
• Grayer
• Less energy

But Young Players can be ...well ...young.. that means they are

• Wild
• Erratic
• Streaky
• Egomaniacs
• Needy
• Lose Focus
• Stubborn
• Inexperienced
• Inconsistent

Veterans are :

• Confident
• Reliable
• Prepared
• High Softball IQ's
• Consistent
• Focused
• Team oriented
• Polished
• Thick skinned
• Smart
• Leaders
• Gamers

Now some of my veterans are not exactly role models

but they still can get the job done and some

and know how to Win




Still after a slow start I knew I had to start to build an identity for this team.  We had struggled with an identity from week 1 as we initially picked the corny name The Avengers. By week 3 we switched it to an oldie but a goodie team name - Old School (my favorite team name) but the team still struggled.

I looked around and saw despite our "Old School name" we were still too young.




Our name was now Old School, not New School. That means I needed

• Leadership. 
• Hard Work
• Sacrifice
• Commitment
• Positive Attitude
• Experience. 

I needed Veterans. My young guys are very important and both the future and the present

• Jr.
• Zach
• Christian
• Max
• Alex
• Albie

They all will be the Man one day, just not now. They all can play, but right now I need them to be on the bus, not driving the bus. So I decided to recycle my veterans and make them fresh again:

• Butchy
• Jimmy
• George Colon
• Trenk
• Dino
• Guby
• Gil
• Anthony
• Cabessa

to do that I put them all at the top of the lineup with a few young guys sprinkled in to keep them new. The rest of the way I am going with my Veterans b/c they:

• Adjust
• Don't Panic
• Make No excuses
• Hit situationally
• Play like there is No Next Year
• Are not Chongo (play all the time, not when they feel like it)
• Will show young guys the way

When we were struggling one of my best Vets Butchy advised me

• "Go with Your Gut"
• "Do Not Quit"

My gut tells me this:

• isn't a cross training contest
• isn't the NFL combine
• isn't a draft: 

This is softball. Physical prowess is important, but sometimes you need something more than talent.

I am not giving up - Old School babies, just a little recycled to keep to fresh.

B96 Softball Community Service

In New York if you commit petty crimes the make you throw on a ugly vest

and do community service clean up work around the city.


Well yesterday Mike Morello of the Charter league threw on an ugly outfit



and had to do Softball Community Service to clean up DeWitt Clinton Park proving that B96 people can get down and dirty to fix a field

White Power

Home Depot Staff

Because Everything Matters sign is background is hilarious

Mike offered his thoughts on his outfit, community service, and asked for help

only one loan Latin came to his aide. I wonder why?

Softball Community Service anyone can do it.

It's a C-O-N Spriacy Again.. The Urban Legend grows

Sorry for the delay, but I have been remiss in acknowledging my boy (and Route 123 bus driver)

An Unearned Run No No  ? - It was a C O N spiracy

Conspiracy Ray is becoming a bit of an urban legend as he continues to defy the odds and improve. In this age of win now and at all costs I've been one of the biggest culprit in overlooking player development. Ray didn't listen to anyone and just kept getting better and better each and every week as he works hard at his craft.  He's been a godsend to Old School on Sundays.

Still throwing a One Run No Hitter is a bit of an oddity and perhaps Conspiracy Ray was a victim of a C O N spiracy:

Top Ten Reasons Conspiracy Theories on why Ray Allowed a Run in his May 17th No Hitter

10. Kennedy Grassy Knoll - Lee Harvey Oswald did not Act Alone

9. Lincoln Tunnel traffic

8. Annoying, Spoiled, and Snobbish Route 123 passengers like Ricky got on his nerves

7, Chris Christie George Washington Bridge traffic controversy has upset Ray for months

6. B.A.S.L is now modified and he got a chance.

5.  It's Ricky's fault he was managing.

4. Aliens from outer space interfered on a dropped pop up. Ray considering going to Roswell to investigate 1947 landing. More corny Conspiracy humor, like this blog

3. What's the Inning? What's the Score? Ray's in game analysis

2. Ray though it was a 1-1 count league like Saturday's. That's why


and the Number One Conspiracy Theory on Why Ray Allowed a Run in his May 17th No Hitter

1. It Defies Space, Time, and Logic - like Ray

Keep working brother. You deserve it.

Father of SB Dragons

Best Show on TV is

One of my Favorite Character on the Show is DAENERYS who is fondly known as:

 Mother of Dragons

She refers to her Dragon Children" is as follows:

"They will eat you, if I tell them to. 
They may eat you even if I don’t. 
Children. Some say I should give up on them. 
But a good mother never gives up on her children. 
She disciplines them if she must.
But she does not give up on them."

I'm the real world, I'm the Father of my own Warrior Dragons

Alexandra and Caley - Hottest set of twin babies

Don't let the cuteness fool you. 

They will eat you, if I tell them to. They may eat you even if I don’t. Children.

Some say I should give up on them. 

But a good parent never gives up on their children. 
You disciplines them if you must.
But you never give up on them."

Ironically in Softball I am also the Father of Dragons

Oliver

Jose Martinez

Albie - good quiet kid

Christian

Gil JR - Good Kid

Manny "Mr. Selfie" Angeles

Alex and Max

Hell Some of my dragons have dragons of their own

Alex loving Ethan

Dragon MAster Alex

As Softball Dragons they all are Young, Talented

Powerful

Enthusiastic Brothers, Free Spirits

Wild, Stubborn

and difficult to teach and control.

Don't know how I became SB Jiminy Cricket,

a "role model" and mentor, but it just happened.

Hell they all drive me crazy, yet they all give me great joy. I give them their freedom ,yet pull back the reins when they get unfocused.Give them confidence, yet keep them humbled. 

Young players are important and a driving force, but as  DAENERYS said

They will eat you, if I tell them to. They may eat me even if I don’t. Children.
Some say I should give up on them. 
But a good softball parent never gives up on their children. 

Never

You disciplines them if you must. But you never give up on them."

SB DRAGONS

SB Greatest Player Most Valuable Debate: Past vs Present

In sports people like to compare athletes of different eras and debate who is better. For example, 

Lebron James

vs Michael Jordan

So let's have some fun and do this in softball,

SB Greatest Player Most Valuable Debate:

Past John Castillo

Castillo Middle - leading Knockout to their Only Championship

vs

Present John Rodriguez

The Man - J-Rod

I've been sitting on this blog for a while, I guess I was afraid of the backlash and offending J-Rod. But truth be told their is no offending and disrespect intended. Both players were/are great. I admire and respect both players.

It's like picking girlfriends between Sophia Vergara



and Scarlett Johansson




You really can't lose. Even  before reading the rest of this blog, everyone knows I'm going to pick Castillo as "More Valuable in Softball". 

Castillo was my boy and the reason I was even on many very good teams as people would take me just so they could get him on the team. He was that good.

I'm sure by now all the Castillo haters out there,  now Ang "Temper Temper" have stopped reading and are already typing away blasting me on the comment section, but hold on now. Let me carefully present my argument and make myself clear. Then you can counter:

This blog is about who is more valuable, not better, Castillo is Not Better. J-Rod is an M.L.B player.That accomplishment alone earns him the better player title hands down, but is Castillo more valuable in softball and here is why:

Let's Debate and assuming the following for comparison purposes:

• Right now - Both Players would play in an open pitching league (B.A.S.L Style 2011-2014)
• Right now - Both healthy
• Both would play on opposite teams. Together it would be almost unstoppable.
• Valuable does not mean better, just means helps you win

OK let's see who is more valuable now:

Speed - Castillo was lazy, not slow. J-Rod hustles and is fast.
Winner J-Rod Big

Arm: Castillo had a good arm, J-Rod arm is excellent
Winner J-Rod solid

Defense:
J-Rod is an excellent Outfielder, Castillo could play any position, if he wanted to.
Winner: Tie - Sorry Castillo was also a solid infielder. Makes this category a wash.

Power:
J-Rod has excellent all fields line drive power. But Castillo perhaps because of his softball experience had all fields diamond to diamond diamond 300+ foot power versus any kind of pitching.
Winner Castillo 

Batting Average and On Base Percentage:
J-Rod ridiculous, all fields hitting ability and hustle. Castillo used to piss teammates off when he would slap a single to RF when everyone was playing him deep. Considering Castillo was a righty this one is a toss.
Winner - Tie

Driving in Runs
Winner - Tie - Both 3 hitters on every team.

Pitching
J-Rod not a pitcher. Castillo was a modified and sling pitcher.
Winner Castillo: Big

Softball Experience
J-Rod loses this category by default only b/c he was a M.L.B player, not a softball player. Castillo perennially won triple crowns and batting titles in top softball leagues.
Winner: Castillo by default

Intangible:
Castillo was a wave, if you caught wave at right time he could carry you, if not he would sink you.
 Castillo sometimes picked on scrubs, quit, caused headaches. John was moody by nature, he also helped a lot of players get better, like me to an extent. In the end, if you didn't accept him for who he was forget having him on your team.

J-Rod - J-Rod never acts like he was M.L.B. He's confident, but he makes others around him better and never picks on scrubs. J-Rod will get gangsta on someone who talks shit to him or his team, but I've never seen him being the root of the issue. The guy plays hard 100% of the team. Winner.

Winner: J-Rod landslide

Through 9 Categories that's 3 J-Rod 3 Castillo and 3 Ties. Closer than you thought huh in terms of valuable? But this is softball, there are no ties, you play until you win.

Final Category: Intimidation:

Castillo was a beast, whether you hated him or loved him. You knew he was a good hitter, but John could get intimidated or distracted.

On The other hand, people are intimidated by J-Rod. I'm in leagues where people whine and complain
J-Rod should be banned. banning position players? Now I've banned non modified pitchers from modified league, but banning a position player that's fucking ridiculous, weak, and pathetic.

Winner: J-Rod landslide.

Calm down Ang - you win ... lol

Anyway, I still voted Castillo b/c of the pitching ability, but I created a poll for you to vote - Castillo vs. J-Rod most valuable. Please vote and I will post the results.

P.S  Hope this blog doesn't make J-Rod hit too many more balls over my head this year. J-Rod is self driven anyway, that's what makes him special. Doesn't matter.