Scoreboard Watching

 

I came here with the initial intention of screaming into the void about rosters and lineups.

Let's make this clear: If an accurate roster has not been given then the lineups need first name, last name, position, and uniform number. Substitutes should also be listed.

As we got through it and we've survived I will digress. However, we dug through muck to survive yesterday*.

* It wasn't for lack of trying, if the preparation gatekeepers are paying attention as they sit with their pitchforks, ready to call me "lazy."

No, instead, I'm inclined to simply give you scores of the first six games of the 2023 Babe Ruth 14U Connecticut Tournament.

9-0. That game was 2-0 until the fifth innings.

11-1. Welp. It wasn't pretty and was the cause of my initial roster meltdown.

2-1. An absolutely fantastic game, with the winning team scoring on a walk-off hit.

2-1. Another good one but not as good as the previous one.

10-3. Good team takes advantage and leads 4-0 after one. They cruise from there.

26-0.

Welp. Welp. Welp.

What can you say? What can you possibly say on the air or off?

We report. That's our job. If anyone disagrees with us giving the score, I apologize. I'm Joe Friday from the old "Dragnet" radio and TV show.

"Just the facts, ma'am."

Trumbull, having lost that 2-1 heartbreaker to Waterford Saturday night, was going to take control if they could.

That they did. It was 9-0 after one inning.

It stayed 9-0 after two.

Then came the third and an inning that I've rarely seen.

Look, I have no interest in embarrassing anyone. But this is what happened: Trumbull sent 19 batters to the plate. They scored 13 times. Eventually, they stopped taking any extra bases. They didn't budge on wild pitches.

The Norwalk coach spoke to the umpire about how much longer the teams needed to play, and he thought he had been told the game would be over after three innings since it was 22-0.

So then the third ended, and the teams acted like they were lining up for the handshake line.

Er. No. The coach misunderstood. If Trumbull led by 15 after four innings then the game would be over. But either way, Norwalk had to hit four times.

On the air, I felt for the coach and, especially, for the kids. I even wondered if the coach just wanted to walk off the field. Couldn't they to a gentlemen's agreement?

But rules are rules and the game continued.

Trumbull batted around again in the fourth inning, scoring four times. Again, with good sportsmanship at hand, Trumbull didn't take extra bases.

The game then came to an end after Norwalk batted in the bottom of the fourth.

For what it's worth, it was also a no-hitter, but I can't see any sense in celebrating that.

The celebration was that the game was over. Other than Trumbull winning on the scoreboard, who won?

It's a tough spot on the air. There are those who are going to say we shouldn't give the score, but the facts are indeed the facts and we report that. That's our job. Where we soften it is in the choice of language.

Obviously, we don't delight in any of it. They all seem like good kids but one team was definitively better than the other.

Nights like this happen.

Worth celebrating is that six games have happened since Saturday and none were delayed or rained out. Rain did pour towards the end of today's second game but they got it all in.

I raced home hungry and tired but overall dry. We kept the equipment dry via a raincoat of mine before toweling everything off.

Rain is supposed to continue tomorrow so I don't like the odds to get two games in but we'll be there if they do.

Two more after that on Tuesday.

We'll be right there (hopefully) until they crown a champion.

And maybe beyond into the regionals (a trip to Rhode Island?).

But, again, who wins a 26-0 game? Having broadcast more than my fair share of games like this it's not fun for coaches or players. At least I don't think so.

It's ... awkward. 

But it's over. Norwalk was eliminated with the loss and Trumbull prepares to play tomorrow.

Weather permitting.