It's Tuesday April 9- the evaluation day is 4 days away, let the countdown continue. Today a review of the 2005 season: One Shining Moment. The 2005 season began with a wimper but ended with a bang, we were chasing the #1 Athletics all season long, and finished in a distant 4th out of 5 teams, no more than 5 wins, but a surprising number of losses of 2 runs or less, so we were right there.
A few games and moments come to my mind when I smile fondly back on this amazing season. Before I begin though, a couple of years ago CBS aired a special before the Final 4 of College Basketball called "The Moment: 25 years of College Basketball", it was 8 stories told by broadcasters and their favourite memories of the NCAA Tournament. Well Jim Nantz began with the following lines: "25 years....a quarter century of great moments and stories, to me each tournament, each season has it's own moments...it's own stories..."
Well said Mr. Nantz, and he is dead on right abou that, each season does have it's own moments, and it's own stories, and "what a please it has been to bring them to you for the past 25 years."- Jim Nantz.
After 11 weeks our team finally began to click, here we are, no chance at 3rd place, but the 3rd place Orioles (our opponents) have a shot to win first place, by winning out against us and then getting some help. 3 wins to that point in the year, and a home and home against the Orioles. What would transpire next was unbelievable. Through 4 innings of play the score was knotted at 2, this was 9 and 10 year olds playing! Then something unbelievable happened, the Orioles scored 4 runs against our ace Ben, and then we answered right back to tie the game at 6. As it looked like time had expired, the umpire declared, that there was enough daylight and that this game MUST continue. The Orioles were in firm control in the top of the 6th, as they hammered our pitcher Conner (making his 6th appearance, ever) for 6 runs. Now in the bottom of the 6th inning, we had scored a bunch of runs, I had sort of lost track, I was preparing my speech at the end of the game in my head. Then with two outs and two on Jared (1st year player and mid-season addition) came up and popped up to third base, and the ball fell, base hit, and an overthrow, scored 1 run, then they threw out the second run at the plate, 3 outs, inning and game over. I went to check with our scorekeeper to find out how many runs we put across the board, and she told me. So I go back to our team and we shake hands. I knew what the score was, no other coaches did, no players did. So I take the book over and I start to explain what had happened. When Jared popped up, the ball was dropped, Brad scored, he was safe, and then Conner came around he was out at the plate. Conner was the third out of the inning, but the 7th run had crossed the plate, in a wild 13-12 win for the good guys. The next night we blew out the same Oriole team 11-2, in 2 games we scored 24 runs, only in Little League!
The following week the playoffs began and we (Blue Jays) were 4th, the Orioles were 3rd thanks to us, and the we drew the #5 team Red Sox in the first round. The umpires did not show, so the Sox coach, took home plate duties and I took base duties. The game got off to a bad start, the Red Sox had scored 12 runs in 3 innings, to take a commanding 12-7 lead heading to the 4th. With time running out- Ben came into pitch, and threw 3 perfect innings, in the bottom of the 4th and 5th we scored 5 runs to tie the game. Now in the bottom of the 6th inning Jared came up to the plate and promptly slapped a single. With Lee coming up the stage was set.
Lee was drafted by us in 2004, and the dad really liked us and he was picked up again in 2005. Lee had mild autism and in the 2 seasons with us had a total of 6 hits, countless strikeouts, and many walks. 2 years later, here came the big payoff.
Lee got the ball of the end of the bat down the 3rd base line, and the Red Sox threw Jared out at 2nd, 1 out, Lee on 1st. Lee runs on the first pitch which was not cleanly caught and was then overthrown at 2nd, so Lee is running to 3rd, and the ball was overthrown, so now he is heading to the plate, and the throw is not in time, and Lee is SAFE at the PLATE, winning run scores Blue Jays 13- Red Sox 12 in another wild come from behind victory.
Two days later we would draw the #1 Athletics, and another battle would ensue. In the 1st inning, the A's scored 4 runs, 2 of which were on controversial plays at first, which allowed the runs to score with 2 outs. After the 1st inning, the A's had exactly 1 base runner the rest of the night. We would score 2 runs in the 5th to cut the deficit, and then in the 6th inning, the bottom of the order was up, and time was running out. We got to the top of the order, but our batter struck out with the tying run on 2nd, we would lose 4-2 in an epic battle.
The next week, the Orioles (you remember them) would beat us 6-2 behind some outstanding pitching and a rally to put us away in the 6th.
Still an amazing year, and oh my, what could have been.
Tomorrow 2006.
Until then enjoy a great summer day in Southern Ontario.
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