2010 Fixtures, Results And Reports

We shall not be moved The pre-season press conference and where are we going? plan...




Flyers - Division 1 : 8-6.     latest report.     Final Table

Cup inevitable exit

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Flyers League Season - ISA Leinster League Division 1

Week 1.
21 Apr 10. Flyers - Slammers
Game to be rescheduled.
Love volcanoes? Then take a short trip to Sicily for a couple of days, making sure you come back on the Sunday before the season starts. But of course there’s much more to Sicily than Mount Etna.
A tropical island of beaches and landscape, surrounded on three sides by water and by Italy on the other. The fish in this water contributes to the seafood you can eat there. And don’t forget wine from the vineyards in the middle heartlands. Bustling towns like Palermo and Syracuse are full of people and tourists also love going to Taormina and Catania attracted by hotels there.
People have been coming here for many years of course – Roman and Greeks built temples, churches and amphitheatres in that order but left the place in ruins. Even people from Byzant eh land, even Byzantines came here for the tourism attracted by blue skies and the Mafia. Mount Etna is the melting pot and symbol of the island along with olive groves. No wonder we say here "You’ll find it hard to leave".
DDM:"Let's go on holiday to see the biggest and most active volcano in Europe" says Tony, "Oooh yeah I loooove volcanoes". "Do you now?" says the huldufolk who wake up Surtr. Hopefully Tony and Mary are still talking. One day we'll all have a great laugh about this. That day was last Sunday.
Say what?:Eyjafjallajokull leaves more Slammers than Flyers stranded.
UPDATE: As Slammers club folded the week after this game will not be rescheduled.

Week 2.
28 Apr 10. Flyers 18 - 34 Shutout7 Marlay
ALSAA, 7pm.
Random notes on a softball match...
"What the crocodile hat was that?" asks Ebbsie after the top of the fifth inning. "Softball is a simple icecream cone guys - catch the bicycle, stop the bowtie, rainbow the ball, and when we're rubber ducking - hit the mousetache. Outfield - use your y-fronts, and get the monkey in early. Infield - stop postboxing it about, hold the teapot rather than give up overthrows. And get on your pawprints in time."
The Flyers stared at him and then looked at each other confusedly as he took another juice-flavoured jelly from a green bag and popped it into his mouth. "I'm making subs - Palmtree come on for Ken, Shamrock for Bronagh".
He had got over it by the post-match huddle. "Ah well it was our first snowflake after last week was cancelled. There was some good acorns out there. Well done new alarmclocks. No victory giraffes tonight but we can only get saxaphone".
Devally's Devastating teapot: is taking a break from the league
Vegetable patch: It's all the rage now. Golden carrots for Lee (HR), Fan (hitting and catch), Ben (diving catch). Xmas dinner's worth of sprouts for Betty for pitching, off-target throwing to each base, and batting. Although if Jedwards had taken the quiff out of his eyes and danced or cartwheeled to second to see the girl catch the ball and tag the base instead of the runner he might have been called safe.
Slam, bam, thank you mam: Sad to say our sister club Slammers are taking a break from the league too. They're not quite as dead as the baby rabbit in the carpark though.
Debutants of the Day: Ex-Diamond Dogs Ken and Hazel have made the big switch. Shouldn't you?

Week 3.
12 May 10. Flyers 10 - 7 Dublin Bay Packers
ALSAA, 7pm.
The legend.
Where have all the Mayflies gone? Well we ate a few hundred at training on Sunday, but the thousands of others had all gone by tonight. Tonight it was a little Spanish flea called Senor Ebbsie who had his day in the sun.
First he puts himself top of the order and leads off with a double to RF, but is still there two fly balls and a strikeout later. Top of 3 hits another lead-off RF double, and after Mary walks is out on a fielder's choice next batter. When he gets up in the 4th the first two batters have already gone down. Hits a HR to right field! Even his two girls have this strange feeling of maybe pride in their daddy, and agree he is on fire tonight. And to top it off he hits a grounder up the 3B line for a single in the sixth and will go on to score Flyers 10th run.
After the game he plugged the Icelandic volcano, kick started the Greek economy and produced a schedule for the Flyers blitz based on ten teams instead of the twelve that had actually entered. AH EEEEEBBBBBSSSIIIEEEEE!!!
Glad to have you back to normal - you frightened us with your tactical nous and outstanding batting tonight.
Farmer's market: Lots of other golden carrots tonight. A GSHR to LF from Jimmy in the 3rd gave us the lead we maintained, and another HR over RCF in the fifth. 2RBI single from Shane batting lefty with two outs bottom of second gets us off the mark. McGrath for his pitching and one high jump and catch. Jumping catch from Lee too in LF. Couple of big catches from Mary in RF and one pick up that reduced a hit for speedy Paddy to a single. 1B Allison for one backhanded stop of a wayward throw from 3B. And finally SS Sichul gets one for a great out in the sixth. Only 1 item in the debit side means Lee can have a sprout too for his batting and not scoring a HR this time around.
Alan's Parsonage Turner Syndrome: No, not a progressive rock band from the 70s and 80s that had a hit with Eye in the Sky. It's what's keeping Betty quiet. Even the shoulder docs in the SSC had never heard of it attacking both shoulders at the same time.

Week 4.
19 May 10. Flyers 7 - 0 Oddsox Black walkover
ALSAA, 7pm.
Any chance we can get a walkover for an away game sometime?

Week 5.
02 Jun 10. Base Devils - Flyers
Kimmage, 7pm.
Game postponed, to be rescheduled later

Week 6.
16 Jun 10. Usual Suspects 7 - 15 Flyers
Marlay, 7pm.
You can’t teach old Dogs new tricks, you just them play away. Best of breed tonight were the Flyers old Dogs Ken, Jimmy and Hazel while Janet and Fernando rolled over for the Suspects. Also in the blast-from-the-past stakes one Ger Doolin, former Flyers and Jets (first time around) outfielder, turns up for the Suspects. A perfect sunny evening’s only drawback is that the ice-cream van has left the carpark before the game is over so victory 99s will have to wait.
Guess who: Adrian Forester’s brother turns up in the carpark before the game. Like a pea and a pumpkin in a pod.
Dib dib dib: The carpark again. Another van reminds Lee he has to take scouts away on Saturday so will miss the Suspects Blitz. The days of beans and sausages over a campfire are gone, these scouts will be trying to earn their dial-a-pizza badge.
The Lancet: Scientists have just discovered that not only is there a cold and then the Man Flu, beyond even that is something called "Ben Sniffles".
Edible DDMs: Carrots for RF Cora and 1B Hazel for their catches in the last innings. Cora for the one everybody on both side thought was dropping, Hazel for saying she doesn’t need someone covering 1B before she caught it. No real sprouts tonight. Maybe half one each for Ken and Mary’s squeeze play on the very last out.

Week 7.
23 Jun 10. Kiely's Kegs 14 - 9 Flyers
Dodder Park, 7pm plus.
Teethaches for Cora, and a broken finger when Ben swatted a fly, means we play 5&4 once we all find the ground and pay for our parking. 5-0 us after the first but then it turns 180 degrees and the Keggies have fun for the rest of the game and we don’t.
Five a day: Several sprouts for SS Jimmy and the demons in his head. Golden Carrots for the three outfielders work on a hard night out there, even if the Kegs leadoff thought they were a bit tardy hustling out. Side order of a sprout for centrefielder Ebbsie for the one he didn’t catch despite turning around in several circles. Unearned carrot for Magoo for catching the popup Betty called.
Umpire Paul Peake's 100 craziest interpretations of the etc etc: Takes his time calling Time and Jimmy sneaks home while their 1B girl throws the ball to 1B coach for a changeover.

Week 8.
30 Jun 10. Flyers 13 - 9 Usual Suspects
ALSAA, 7pm. Att 4 girls and a little yappy dog (no not Ken)
Come Dine With Us:
Each week a softball team gets to throw an evening of softball at their home ground followed by hosting a dinner for their opponents. Both are awarded marks out of ten with the overall top points scorer being crowned winner. Two weeks ago the Suspects hosted the Flyers, tonight it was our turn to entertain them.
First let’s recap the night at the Suspects – it was sunny, the grass was short, the infield was flat and the outfield went downhill. But dinner was ruined when the pizza van and icecream van had left the carpark before the end of the game. When we were quickly moved to Taylor’s amongst the food on offer were small packets of Pringles from a vending machine or hot nuts from another machine on the counter, to be eaten alfresco. It was a bit of a disappointment after a nice game, and Three Rocks fare was a bit celtic tiger in today’s environment.
So after a weekend of mussel crepes and beer in Ostende with the Suspects playing the Belgian national team it was Cora’s turn to be the hostess with the mostest last night chez Flyers. The lines were painted but the grass hadn’t been cut in a week. And the weather was not so good: light drizzle and a very heavy feel in the air. Appetisers were served from the very first pitch, a sprout to SS Jimmy for an unnecessary and inaccurate throw to 1B after the runner was safe that moved him to 3B. It was out of the frying pan and into the fire when we left leadoff Ebbsie stranded on 2 in the bottom of 1. Eventually we got out of our hell’s kitchen that was the first innings down 0-3 and didn’t really start cooking til bottom of two.
When dinner was served it was an old-school favoutite – basket of victory chips, and in a concession to ourselves extra cocktail sausages. No ketchup, no vinegar, no salt, them’s the rules. It left a bitter taste in ex-Flyer Deano's mouth but we all enjoyed it, even if the Suspects thought the sausages weren’t Mogerly quality. Still hungry after all that prodigal son Tony, who has given up on TagRugby and admitted that softball was still Ireland’s hottest coed sport, opted for chicken curry for his dessert and Mary tucked in to a cheeseburger (5 points) and extra victory chips (minus 6 points).
Finally it was time to declare a winner over the two weeks. A convincing triumph for the Flyers, scoring the maximum 10 to Suspects’ 4. Well done Flyers!
Umpire Paul Peake’s 100 most controversial judgement calls: Even out at 50-50. But this was the first time we’ve won with him umping so alles gut.
Sprouts: Jimmy on the first play. Hazel for missing 2nd base on her way home from 1B. Ebbsie calculated Betty was due 70% of a sprout for his underthrow to 1 that bounces out of play. Mary, Betty and a fatiguée Fan for leaving Ebbsie out there at top of 1.
Golden carrots: HRs for Adrian and GSHR for Tony in their season premieres. They nearly earned sprouts (and a DDM) for the throws from centrefield but Magoo and Betty put their bodies on the line to prevent the balls going foul. One for RF sub Cora covering in a stopping an overthrow going foul. And a bunch of golden carrots for Ebbsie for the final out. Pop up to the left into the gap. In as shortstop Ebbsie turns and runs out. Still running away from the infield he snatches it out of the air! A Michelin star performance. And he even eschews victory chips in the bar in favour of supper at home. What a masterchef!

Week 9.
14 Jul 10. Shutout 7 19 - 9 Flyers
Marlay, 7pm.
What have the Swiss ever given us? Apart from giving us Roman Polanski back, and army knives? And tennis players, and purple cows, secret bank accounts, watches, triangular chocolate, cuckoo clocks, Bettina Meier & Claudia Stierli, a ban on minarets, William Tell, swiss guards, Heidi, cheese with holes in it, Ursula Andress, swiss rolls, McGrath’s SIGG water bottle, and 6 of our 25 points in this year’s Eurovision?
As the excuses for not playing just keep getting better and finding players was like trying to find a piece of straw in a haystack doomsday hour approached. Paul McGrath sent out an international sporting distress signal... It was picked up in UEFA’s headquarters who said "Oh it’s Ireland, let’s help the little pixies". So they picked an average family from Nyon, packed them into a C8 with a humorous reg plate and told them to drive to Marlay Park as quick as they could. And to wear green tops.
There they met a Shutout 7 playing 7&5 starting just-back-from-Prague pair Ireland player Michelle and Ireland 1B coach Adrian. A good start was followed by a couple of quiet innings before they finally sunk the Flyers battleships by picking on 3B and SS whose gloves could well have been made of that same Swiss cheese with holes in it.
Anyway we never really stood a chance, not after learning Paul the German octopus had predicted on Tuesday that the red team would win. And there was further bad news for the Flyers when the octopus gave them 8 thumbs down in their upcoming games v the Kegs, Packers and Oddsox.
Golden Carrots: Ebbsie did make a double play amongst everything else. Magoo caught out a few with his pitching.
Sprouts: Betty for general rubbishness at 3B, in both fielding and basecoaching. And Ebbsie for his "catch" and throw with no ball.
Looked bad: Allison on 3, not forced. Infield grounder. Allison takes off, stops, turns back, screams, falls down holding knee, doesn’t move.
Looked worse: Infielder picks up ball and tags her.
Debutants of the day: 3 Ex-Slammers make their debuts as registered Flyers. Elaine D, Elaine Walsh and Stephen Walsh. Gain 3 players, lose two bats.

Week 10.
21 Jul 10. Flyers 6 - 20 Kiely's Kegs
ALSAA, 7pm.
We blame old age.
Holiday time for Ebbsie in Espana means Betty picks the Flyers team. He’s got 4 girls and 06 boys tonight. By 6.58 only six had turned up. Thunder and a bit of lightening at five thirty but none of the rain that hit the rest of County Dublin earlier in the day.
From the Flyers hitting to their fielding we were not Premier Division standard.
In the post-match interview stand-in manager Betty bemoaned a bad fifth innings where we conceded 9 and apart from that, and maybe the first, he thought we had played well. Immediately after sacking Betty the rebel Flyers Players Council’s first decision was to train next week. Come back Ebbsie and talk sense to them.
Sprouts: For everybody, with double and treble helpings for most.
Golden carrots: Magoo mostly pitched well. 1B Cora covered home once. Fan covered first once too. Didn't let the fact than she'll be a mammy tomorrow affect her game. Catcher Betty made a jumping catch from the badminton girl. But that’s scraping the keg.
What's hot to wear: Keggie Kim had a Colby top on. Not seen at a Flyers game since Paige A. struck Betty out in Long Island in 1993.

Week 11.
28 Jul 10. Dublin Bay Packers 9 - 15 Flyers
Wesley, 7pm.

With Betty away Cora writes the script..
In 2007 a crack softball team was sent to the Premier Division for a crime they couldn't believe they committed. This team promptly escaped through a secure play-off system to the Division One underground. Today, still wanted by the ISA, they survive as softballers of fortune. If you have a match, if no one else can play, and if you can find 9 or 10 of them, maybe you can hire the Flyers A-Team...
Straight from the nut house, Howling Mad Devally pulled up at Wesley College and unloaded the black van with softball gear. Getting B. Ebbsie. Baracus onto a plane only took a €2 vino tinto from the local Spanish supermarket. General Monkey H. Stockwell and his crew were a team to be reckoned with, and they came out in force – they had substitutes. Opening the gear bag, B. Ebbsie. Baracus found a portable score card to make up for the one Betty had brought to France. B. Ebbsie next performed a quick haircut on rarely-seen- this-season Face O'Keeffe to keep his hair out of his eyes and dispatched him to right centre field. Breaking another Flyer out of the nut house, B. Ebbsie produced Whining Mad Devally, Howling Mad’s husband, and stuck him on 3rd base...
The first inning saw the Flyers finish with a big Zero on the score board. "I pity the fool who thinks he can beat the Flyers A-Team" grunted B. Ebbsie. Baracus from the side line. Hannibal McGrath turned to the Flyers A-Team, and with a nod said "Nice B. Ebbsie. Now we start playing." A 5 inning batting and fielding frenzy followed that saw the Flyers lead 13-3 heading into the 6th. "Let's just hold them now and not do anything stupid," warned Hannibal McGrath. "Quit your jibbin-jabbin, crazy fool!" said B Ebbsie, drinking down the last of his milk. Too late, as Face O'Keeffe overthrew 3rd base from right field, Cora scrambled to miss an easy grounder and Mary ran under a fly ball in left field giving the Packers six runs. Top of 7 and the Flyers A-Team returned to winning ways and scored 2 more runs and then held the bad guys in the bottom of 7 to take the game.
"I love it when a plan comes together!" chuckled Hannibal McGrath, as he bit off the end of a softball bat, lit it, and strolled off into the sunset.
Vegetable Patch: Golden Carrots to Lee for keeping to his home-run-a-game streak, Magoo and Allison for saving Cora twice from missing easy grounders from the leftie with impeccable backing up, and last but not least, Ebbsie for not one single overthrow the entire game. Sprouts to Shane for a throw that would have been brilliant if only Adrian was 15 ft tall, or if 3rd base was about 70 ft into foul territory.
Supernanny for new softball mothers: Ok Paola and Fan this is how you do it... Spread the nappy in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base (Allison) down to home (Bro) and set the baby on the pitcher's mound (Paul). Put first base (Cora) and third Adrian) together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Repeat for baby #2. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again.

Week 12.
11 Aug 10. Oddsox Black 7 - 0 Flyers. default
Limekiln, 7pm.
No Show.
Not enough takers for a game. We tried Marion. Almost registered her. The Walshs couldn't drive over from Switzerland this week. We tried any Flyer from the last two years. Clint, No; Brian Reed, No. We were getting desperate and tried Mark Walsh - No. Ebbsie had Sean O'Shea's number. Big Al? Paola had those twins 2 weeks ago, surely she's able to play now. No-one would ring them. So Magoo went thru the Slammers rolodex - MLong, No. Jamie, Laoioabhsoise (if that's her name), Clare, Danny; no, no, no, no. We tried to register new girl Clare at 4pm. Then she couldn't play. Our Big Red Hope Erin had gone back stateside.
That was it then. We were stuck on 8, with no-one else we could think of. We'll have to return the walkover they gave us earlier in the year. Time to ring the walkover hotline ... Five, five, five... "Hey", someone shouted, "What about Ray O'Connor?" (quickly) seven, zero, seven, zero.
Golden carrots: Cora, Fan, Mary, Ebbsie, Betty, Sichul, Magoo, Tony.
Sprouts: Everybody else.

Week 5 rearranged.
16 Aug 10. Base Devils 10 - 9 Flyers
Kimmage, 7pm.
Match report FAIL.
Cora’s tooth FAIL. Finding 4 girls FAIL. Betty staying calm when Cora suddenly pulls over and stops on M50 FAIL. Pitch availability FAIL. Kids soccer training FAIL. Weather FAIL. Hitting FAIL. Lee jumping catch FAIL. Infield switch FAIL. Ump tells French girl to move base two feet FAIL. 2-out girl walk FAIL. Third-base girl interference FAIL. Umpire FAIL. Darkness FAIL. Comeback FAIL. Kids staying dry FAIL. Win FAIL. Go to pub FAIL.
Golden carrots: FAIL.
Sprouts: FAIL. Can you tell we enjoyed the night?

Week 13.
18 Aug 10. Slammers 0 - 7 Flyers
CANCELLED.

Week 14.
01 Sep 10. Flyers 21 - 9 Base Devils
ALSAA, 7pm.
Just a small town club / Living in a lonely Division 1 world / we took the midnight train going to Cork...

Before the start of the season Paul McShoester looked at the six misfits gathered in the infield and said to himself "It's time to quit". Elaine D, who pines for McShoester, reminded him of his heyday winning national championships and said he couldn't give up on them. But he would need to find new talent, and it would take balls, and bats, to get this club moving in new directions. He got to work begging and blackmailing people to join him in a new look Fleeyer club.
Star athlete Finn Ebbs was an unlikely recruit, risky ridicule from his baking circle as he came on board to lead the team. But for every step forward the Fleeyer club took McShoester's arch nemises Sue Stevewalshster did her best to ruin his chances, even to the point of becoming an ump in the national finals.
The club grew, suffered lots of setbacks, but always held onto their dreams and never stopped believin’. Even some of Stevewalshster’s Slammerios joined. The tennis club stopped throwing eggs at Rachellson and we all wanted her and Finn to make a double play. Ben came out (once or twice). One of them got up the duff. After years of slagging the club even jock Jim Puckilbride joined up. And they sang some Madonna songs once.
Finally it was time for final rehearsals before the IOST regionals. The expanded Fleeyer club met up in ALSAA. Quora couldn’t be there, getting something out that she wasn’t going to keep anyway. Vocal Base Devilans were there in force too, with ex-Fleeyer Derval St Coyne hoping to get one over them again.
We began Faithfully playing 7&5, Mc Shoester batting 12th and hitting Anyway He Wanted It for two HRs. Some Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' plays later we were holding onto a 3 run lead, despite Betty’s Artie impression at the plate. The judges were very impressed by big catches in the outfield from Marycedes and Fan-tana Lopez. For the big finale the Flyeer club produced a through-the-order 9 run show-stopper that had the crowd on their feet, including big hits from Hazhelby and Broina and more Home Runs from Lee Tanaka and male soprano Kurtony Burns. What a performance – well done everybody and thanks for all your commitment during the year that went on and on and on and on / Don't stop believin / Hold on to that feelin' / Streetlight, people...
On to the IOST Regionals and Nationals..
Golden carrots: Everybody.
Sprouts: Ebbsie, who couldn't even play catcher tonight and was subbed. Betty, for swinging, bobbling it back to the pitcher and falling down in the batter's box. And one for Base Devil Sean too for substituting himself on into LF and having more Home Runs hit over his head than the guy he replaced.




Final Standings

2010 ISA Leinster League Division 1
Team W L
Kiely's Kegs 13 1
Shutout 7 Marlay 11 3
Usual Suspects 8 6
FLYERS 8 6
Base Devils 7 7
Dublin Bay Packers 5 9
Oddsox Black 4 10
Slammers 0 14

Although we went 2-0 vs the Suspects we gave a walkover in one game during the season.
Second place team enters Premier/Division 1 Playoff. Second from bottom team enters Division 1/Division 2 Playoff.


Division 1 Playoffs.

Sluggers W - L Shutout 7 Marlay
Renegades Black 7 - 0 Oddsox Black scr.
Kiely's Kegs promoted and will be replaced by Castleknock Bearcats.
Slammers relegated and will be replaced by Beachers.
Shutout 7 Marlay retain Division 1 status for 2010. Renegades Black replace Oddsox Black.
Great - two northside teams come up, one drops down, only 4 trips to the southside next year.




Brian Walshe Cup 2010

Round 1.
Cinqo de Mayo 2010. Flyers 13 - 11 Deadly Suspects
Flyers win ashes series under eerily quiet ALSAA skies.
Turns out the Deadly Suspects were not the usual suspects from Deadly Suspects, but were the Usual Suspects instead. Time to abandon our play 5&5 idea. Paul McGrath pitches a few innings and, tired of picking the ball off the ground, floats his "banana shoes" idea again..
Welcome to Den of the Macumba Dragons, the programme where softball entrepreneurs pitch their ideas or products to our Dragons hoping they can convince them to invest some of their own cash and business know-how in the firm.
First up is Tony Burns.. "As a recent immigrant to Swords I've noticed everyone else who has moved here in the last few years is catered for: there's a couple of Polish Skleps; there's the Rasputin supermarket; Tollys African wig shop; Lacplesis Latvian shop; a Slovakian food shop called Jednota; also Zavedenie Russian nightclub. What I want to set up is "D for Deli" a foodshop for people who have had to emigrate from the southside and can't get used to the local food. I mean I was starving for a slow cooked beef cassoulet the other night but it simply isn't available anywhere, even the Gourmet Food place, and last week I couldn't even get the right ingredients for a simple wild garlic frittata with St Tola cheese. When I asked the people in the shops they were useless". Conor Lennon had a few questions but ultimately did not invest (but made note to self - set up online store for this to do home delivery with secure payment facility).
Next Betty made a short pitch, but went "aaah" and let the Dragons know to shy away. "'Barefoot - a singles website for socks'. Everyone's sock drawer contains some socks that don't have a matching one, am I right? Somewhere between the washing machine, dryer, clothes horse or clothes line the other sock disappeared. So now you can put a picture of your sock up on my website and if someone else has a single unmatched sock of their own matching yours they get in touch and they can post their sock to you. When you have worn the pair you wash them and send them both back to the other person who wears them, washes them, returns them. Brian Connolly was the first Dragon to opt out "There’s nothing wrong with Oddsox. I’m all for it - I have to drop out."
Then it’s finally Magoo’s turn – "Gentlemen, my idea is banana shoes - for pitchers." "Why would bananas need shoes?" asked Junior. Paul ignored the question and continued "As a pitcher I’ve a sore back from picking up balls that are thrown to me from the catcher or first base coach but are not thrown into my glove. Banana shoes have a built-in curved ramp from the toe to the shin so the ball rolls up it and into the air as high as your waist so you just grab it there without bending. James O’Farrell dived in with the full 50k before any Dragon had even asked a question. "That’s the best idea I never had" he said, and even bought the prototypes there and then.
Last up was Cora with her solution to a first base’s problem with inaccurate throws - Batwing trousers. The Dragons were sure there was something in one of the rulebooks that outlawed them but couldn’t find the exact ruling. There’s a debate raging on a softball forum somewhere on the subject with some consensus that if Officially Softball Approved 2010 was on the tag they might be ok.
Debutant of the Day: Ex-Diamond Dogs Jimmy Kilbride spends his time in the outfield talking to himself giving a running commentary on the game. And Paul McGrath make his debut playing for the Flyers as an official Flyer.
Vegetable patch: Another Golden carrot for Lee (another HR, 2 in 2 games). One also for Betty (two tags at home) and for Jimmy for his HR. Last one goes to Bronagh for taking the cons, hobbling safely to 1st base three times and scoring two runs. Sprouts to Ebbsie for his pitching in the seventh, for Hazel and Ben for their rundown attempts and one also for Suspect Sara, base coaching at one and stopping an overthrow by us. One for Fan who cut her hand and and ruled herself out, and last one for Lee for cutting his finger and being a wuss when Dr Ebbs and nurse Betty applied first aid.

Round 2.
9 June 2010. Flyers 7 - 9 Dublin Bay Packers
Ireland Expects:
Despite the scoreline, and not having played a game since May 12, Flyers were happy with their final pre-World Cup preparation game tonight. If we play this quick over the next month we’ll catch last 5 minutes of the first half for all the 19.30 kick-offs. That’s what coach wanted to see. And with nobody in the team coming from a Wednesday night fixture country this year we’ll have a full squad to pick from. But tonight we missed sicknote Ben, jetlag Sichul, tagrugby Shane and work Ken. McGrath got used to the Jabulani ball while Packers complained it moved around a bit.
Umpire Paul Peake's 100 craziest interpretations of the Infield Fly Rule: Number 101. Runners on 1 and 2, no outs, ball hit high near firstbasewoman. Ump calls "infield fly, batter out". Hazel catches ball. Fast runner on 2 takes off. Hazel throws to three, runner gets there first. Calls "safe, time". Hold on, that’s right. He’s got it, by George he’s got it.
Umpire Paul Peake's 100 craziest interpretations of the Ball Hits Batter/Runner Rule: Number 1. Ebbsie batting, pops one halfway up the first base line. Runs, ball bounces fair, hits off Ebbsie’s leg and into foul territory. "Time". Good. "Strike 2". Oh-oh. Ebbsie goes on to 1B and stands there. Everyone stops and looks at ump. Em, isn’t he out? "I’m judging that accidental contact". Em, isn’t he still out? Only when he pops the next pitch behind him.
Golden Carrots: Jimmy playing SS and nailing throws. Hazel playing 1B and making high catches without the use of her purple high heels.
Sprouts: Ebbsie and Jimmy choke at the plate in last innings with score at 7-9. Mary makes good contact every time but has no luck beating 3B or SS.




Tournaments and Blitzes.

ISA Start of Season Blitz. Sunday 11 April 2010, ALSAA.
Sunday Mornin comin down.
Well I woke up Sunday morning, With no way to throw a ball that didn't hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, So I had one more for dessert. I’d been fumblin’ through my closet for my cleats, And found my cleanest dirty Flyers shirt. An' I packed my bag, and put on my cap, An' stumbled down to ALSAA to meet the day.
Joined by Darcy and some Sinners, and ex-Dogs Ken and Hazel, to beat Blazzers first off, lose to Castleknock and then have 2 games off. And then lunch. Tied with Belfast Softball and finally on a long hot sunny day we lost to the Homers.
Sprouts are only for people who should know better so Sinner Mark who didn't run after he hit v Castleknock and the new ump in the Belfast game don;t get one. DDM for Adrian who hit a Grand Slam HR for Castleknock against us.

Flyers Blitz XXI - 16 May 2010, ALSAA.
First up at 10am were the Blazzers; we borrowed Ruth and Justin from Galway to get started. Donghon and Park turned up for their Flyers debuts. Ebbsie had some religious duty to attend to and couldn't do the morning so when Betty had to go sort out the issue with Sporting Fingal and the pitches we conceded 12 runs. Game off then cos Oddsox had gone home. Then we played Galway and all the things you dont want to happen in a game happened. Cora caught one on the arm and we borrowed Marta who helped us come from 6-3 down in the bottom of last to win. Lunchtime saw Adrian, Bronagh, Mary, Sichul and Ken leave to be replaced by Ebbsie, Jimmy, Hazel, Fan, and Ben, and Adrian came back again. In the battle of the skies a fine start against the Belfast Aviators was undone quickly and Jimmy had to step in to pitch. We got one kill when SS Ben's throw hit their fastpitch pitcher on the leg and she let him know it hurt. 13-5 to them. Last group game was against Marlay mixed-ups who went on to get a fair spanking by BatPak/DBPackers in the final.
Thanks to our guests for stepping in. Marlay pulled out all the stops and sent three teams, Castleknock and Oddsox sent two half teams and were gome by 11.

Usual Suspects Blitz - 19 Jun 2010, St. Marys RFC.
Hazel, Cora, Ebbsie, Betty, and ex-Slammer ElaineD team up with the All Sinners & Finn for the pink Blitz. Ebbsie was indeed the Fairest of Them All. By fairest I mean sickest. Even the feds couldn’t bring him and his Snow White pyjamas with sequined cap in on public decency charges because they felt unwell. Loss v Marlay, loss to the Kegs with a mouthy 2B also in PJs and girl pitcher. Draw with Suspects in the backward game after a score miscount. And defeat to Oddsox after lunch means we are finished by 3. Darcy & Elaine are our winning reps for blindfold jenga and the conveyor belt. Darcy wins the sportsman award after being BBQ chef. Claire & Emer have a bidding war for the Munster poster that ends with the charities being 310 better off. Skin is pinker than our teeshirts and leg warmers by the end of the day.

European Slowpitch Championships - 7/10 Jul 2010, Prague - SaBat Club.
Ireland third, but Cora gets inducted as first ever member of the ECSCh Supporters Hall of Fame.

Castleknock Blitz - 17 Jul 2010, Castleknock College.
Once Flyers knew they couldn’t get 10 we went to contact our newest blitz buddies the Sinners. Who had already contacted the Aviators (by mistake obviously) and joined up with them. So thanks from Stephen Walsh to Dodder, Adrian to the Suspects and Paul and Betty to the hosts for giving us games. Worst rain ever in a blitz for games 2 and 3. Then after a chicken curry lunch the sun game out and dried our clothes during the afternoon. We couldn’t hang around for the afters in Myos on account of a big 4-0 bithday in town...

Niall Mellon Fund Charity Blitz - 14 Aug 2010, Castleknock.

IOST - 28/29 Aug 2010, Cork - UCC.
Some Flyers plus a Sinner or two plus a lot of Greystones equals... THE FLINSTONES.

Belfast Aviators Blitz - 11 Sept 2010, Belfast.





And the rest..

July 17. in town. Cocktails with Cora. For no reason at all...