Day 7 Saturday

The weather was perfect for the 7th day just like the previous 6.  Starting at 8:30, the pros began playing a 3 inning game against each of the 10 teams for a 30 inning marathon at City of Palms Park.  Joe Castiglione, Red Sox radio announcer for 25 years, was PA announcer.  The 10 camper teams played the pros in order of finish, starting with the Jackals, then the Trolls, etc.  The park was abuzz with outsiders, family members of the campers, Red Sox office staff, pros and campers.

I ate breakfast with our "all world" shortstop Patrick Foley, a financial advisor from Peterborough, NH.  He had played awesome defense and had crushed the ball.  I have to think he batted over 600 for the week.  Rich Swierad and Ken "Mercury" Miller were there too.  We stopped in at the PDC to get our stuff and head to COP Park.  Jim Rice was there in the training room getting iced up and stretched out.  He shared thoughts on being aggressive.  He repeated what Rich Gale said.  You had to be tough and he made sure everyone knew he would back down for nothing and no one.  We got to COP Park in time to watch a few of the games before ours.

The pros were bringing it on the mound.  Pride was on the line.  Gedman was doing most of the catching.  Hobson was at third.  UL was at second.  The hitters rotated around.  Bill Lee played a lot of center field.  Corsi was pitching at 80 plus.  A typical inning at bat for the campers was a weak grounder a popup and a strikeout.

We played 7th and batted in Aplhabetic order against Rich Gale.  In the first inning, Gale threw a curve ball to Tim Cyr, fastest backward runner in the West, and he was unhappy and praying for no more curves.  Thankfully, Gale threw a fastball that Tim drove to center for a fly ball out.  In the second, Finn K'd and Foley hit a sharp single to left.  I battled Gale through 5 pitches, fouling off 4 of them.  The 6th pitch was close to being a strike and I threw the bat out at it.  It dropped into right for a sinlge and Foley took third.  After Miller K'd, Ken Mondzak, 47 in great shape with a great gun at third, singled up the middle to score "all world" Foley.  Woody Starr, attending his 18th straight Red Sox camp, ended the inning.  Woody had put the ball in play virtually every time up.  He had been impressive.

We let the pros score 2 so they could retain their pride and lost 2-1.  We were one of only 4 teams out of the 10 to even score against the pros and we had given them their closest game.  Toce had started and pitched a scoreless first inning and also got a hit in the game.  Miller finished and also pitched well, including a strikeout against an unnamed pro who batted twice in a row after walking the first time.

We watched more of the games.  Gedman, Boyd, Lee, Tiant, Hobson, UL, Daubach, Corsi and Miranda all made hitting look easy.  Oil Can Boyd was a cut up.  He hit from both sides of the plate, threw heat and generally entertained the crowd.  Corsi was a beast on the mound.  It was a great day of baseball.

The awards banquet was great.  They introduced the second place Trolls.  Then Johnson said a few words about each of the winning Jackals players.  Mark Landry, Hopkinton, MA, of the Jackals was MVP.  Mike Haber from Kingston, NY picked up the Cy Young award (named after the Red Sox pitcher) for his outstanding week pitching.  Kevin Nolan, deaf comedian, got the personality award.  Victor Lee was most improved.

Joe Castiglione wrapped up the banquet with a quotation from Bart Giamatti, former commissioner of baseball:

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."