Day 6 - The Playoffs and Championship

Today was the big day! Game one of the playoffs was at 10am vs. Billy Hatcher's team. They had beat us the first time around so this time we were out for revenge. Our team really came through and played very well and we came out with a 9-3 victory! Timely hitting and good defense. I had a single and a bases loaded double (3 RBI's) and depending on what the official scorer says, I could have another single. We'll see about that tomorrow. That was a big win for the team and sent us on to the championship game in the afternoon vs. Joe Price and Eddie Taubensee's team who upset Joel Youngblood's team in the morning.

Mary was off today and able to drive out to see the games today and have lunch with us. She was able to hang out with some other wives who were there. She even got to meet my new "cousins" from Kentucky! (a Father and 2 sons here at the camp with the last name Hensley). With the name Hensberry, everyone thinks I too am a Hensley!

After lunch we moved onto one of the two main fields for the Reds. It's a beautiful field with the picturesque mountains in the background. The pitcher we were going to throw was warming up with me just prior to the game and developed a sharp pain in his throwing elbow after five or six pitches and could not continue. We had to start one of my "cousins" Chris Hensley who we were saving for the later half of the game, if needed. We started out 2-0 but then eventually went down 3-2. They tacked on another insurance run later and we went into the bottom of the seventh down 4-2. We managed to get 2 guys on second and third with no out but then after 2 punch outs (unfortunately 1 was me) Greg Burkhart nails a double down the right field line. Due to an injury to his leg, I was pinch running for him. With the score now tied and me on second, Brigham McCown came up. Brigham has struggle some but hit the ball perfectly down the left field line. I was able to score the winning run standing up to win 5-4! ...And the celebration began!!! What a game and what a finish! Everyone rushed the field and it was just like we won the World Series! Someone threw a bucket of ice water on Jack Billingham and that's not easy since he is 6'-5''. We had a pretty good crowd watching the game as the others had finished. It couldn't have been a better ending to the game.

We had a BBQ and silent auction afterwards out on the patio. I didn't bid on anything as things got a bit too expensive for me. There was one live auction for a photograph of Johnny Bench getting screwed up on a spitter from Jim Maloney in '68. Bench and Maloney autographed it and it sold for $1900!

Tomorrow we play against the pros at 9am and then can watch the other teams play. We play down at the new 10,000+ seat stadium. I imagine there will be a few empty seats! Later on is the awards dinner and that should be fun having won the championship. I'll have to wait and see what the champions get! I volunteered to catch some of the pros since they needed some help. How many people get to say they caught for some of these guys? I hope they don't kill me!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow as we wrap things up on Friday night. I will get some more pictures later too.