Two More Wins

Fast Freddie & Me - 2007

Two more wins. That’s all I want. I won’t ask for anything for my birthday, and Santa Claus can skip my house at Christmas. All I want for the rest of my life is two more wins.

I’ve played in lots of different leagues, and I’ve played on some good teams. There have been a couple that might have won it all with a break here or there. I’ve also played on some truly crappy squads that couldn’t have won a championship with a handicap of five runs to start every game. Most of the time, I guess it’s been somewhere in the middle, maybe good enough to get a playoff game or two, but no realistic chance to take it all.



At Smith Field, 1996, 2nd year of Bombers

I’ve been a Bomber for 16 seasons (Ron Johnson and I are the only guys left from the original team that entered the league in 1995) and this group is my best hope for a celebration at season's end since the 2004 Sidewalk Café squad that got knocked out in the semi-finals at M Street.

(That was a magnificent series, despite the sad finish. The final game was a 9 – 4 loss, but the first four games were all decided by one run and in the final at-bat, with the teams alternating victories. The tension was brutal, and it was an example of two teams absolutely pushing each other to play their best ball. I’ll always be thankful to Mark Senna for asking me to be a part of that team. Great bunch of guys.)



Me in Sidewalk Cafe uniform, 2004, M Street

I said that Ron and I are the only original Bombers still playing, but there are others who have been here for quite a while. Fast Freddie Goodman joined the team in 1997, and this is his 14th year of being a solid team guy. He’s having a career year at the plate, and has deservedly played every game, but whether he has been asked to play or sit in the past, I’ve never heard a single complaint from him. Big Jay Atton and Jack Atton are playing in their 10th seasons this year. Emilio Zirpolo has been with us 7 seasons, and Joey Baszkiewicz has put in 6 years. Pat Atton is either in his 6th or 7th season, going from an underage desperation fill-in, his first couple of appearances, to being a fine leadoff hitter.

The Bombers history has not been filled with successes. In 16 seasons, this is our 6th trip to the playoffs. There were three years when we needed to win (or, in one case, tie) a final game to get in, but we came up short. Two of the years when we made the playoffs, the absence of very important starters during the opening series pretty much doomed us.


Some 2004 Bombers - Top, L to R: Jack Atton, Charlie White, Ron Johnson, Matt Stone, Pete Maczkiewicz, Mike Martin, Andy Angelone. Bottom, L to R: Stu Stone, Me, Matt Widiger.

In order for you to understand how much this upcoming championship series means to me, Ron Johnson, Fast Freddie Goodman, Big Jay Atton, Jack Atton, and all the rest who have been here a while, here is our year-by-year record, with brief explanations as needed.

(In the “Finish” column, the number in parentheses is the total number of teams in the league that season. In the “Manager” column, it’s the person who was manager for the majority of games that year, although there may have been instances where someone else took over for a game or two.)

Year  Manager   W  L T Finish Playoffs

1995  Johnson   6 21 0 7th (7)
1996   "        5 23 0 6th (6)
1997  Sullivan 15 10 1 3rd (6)  0 - 2
1998   "        4 11 1 3rd (4)  0 - 2

League played on Saturdays from 1995 through 1997.
In 1998, league goes to Sundays, so half of good team
from previous year was lost. League split into two
divisions, only year this happened. Overall, we finished
with 7th best record of 8 teams and made playoffs via back door.

1999   "        4 10 0 7th (8)
2000   "        5  8 1 7th (8)
2001   "        8  7 0 3rd (6)  1 - 2
2002   "        6 11 0 6th (8)

The 2002 squad lost 5 one-run games. The record could easily
have been reversed.

2003   "        6  9 0 5th (8)
2004   "        3 18 0 8th (8)

This team was an absolute mystery to me. Good squad with great numbers that would have you thinking they should have won 11 or 12 games, not just a paltry 3.

2005   "        9 12 0 6th (8)

The 2005 team lost the final 4 games of the season to miss the playoffs.

2006 Jack Atton 2 16 0 7th (7)
2007   "        3 13 0 9th (9)
2008   "        7 10 1 6th (10) 0 - 2
2009   "        8  8 1 5th (8)  1 - 2
2010   "       14  2 0 1st (9)  4 - 0 (So Far...)
  
16 yr        105 189 5          6 - 10 

After so many mediocre years (and at least one year where I literally kept the team from going under by paying about half of the team dues out of my own pocket) I’m sure you can imagine how much fun it’s been to be on a team that truly expects to win every game they play. Since the time I handed him a squad falling apart at the seams in 2006, Jack Atton has busted his ass building this team into the winner it is now. I truly cannot say enough about the great job he’s done.


Jack, with a seriously grody bruise from a batted ball hitting him

So, two more wins. That’s all I want. I won’t ask for anything for my birthday, and Santa Claus can skip my house at Christmas. All I want for the rest of my life is two more wins.



After my "retirement" game in 2007. I came back because I hoped for a year like this one has been so far.

Soon, with... ?