WOOD Brings Home A Championship!

 

 

Baseball.

Baseball has its ways. Ways of making you believe that you’ll never have a chance, then all of a sudden making you believe you’ve got no chance for failure. And it’s usually a constant wave between those two emotions.

Season after season of Superstar despair – six or seven solid innings and two bad ones per game is a perfect recipe for seasons worth forgetting, save for those memorable moments after the game at the bar.

In 2010, the call came for a re-branding. How about the Redwoods? “How about just… WOOD” said the most interesting man of WOOD. And thus began WOOD Baseball.

Flash forward to today, and after two seasons of early round playoff exits, the WOOD had pulled together quite an exceptional regular season. A 16-4 regular season record, highlighted by numerous memorable victories: a comeback 9^th inning win against the Heroes, a hitting display against a very tough Phitans team, a shutdown pitching performance against the Sea Lions, a one-Web show against the Blue Claws, and a double-header sweep of the Dons that saw Chente Lopez make his one hit of the season a memorable one.   

But the playoff road that lay ahead was certain to be a tough one. Entering as the #2 seed in the Bay Conference, WOOD would need to outlast a number of teams that had beaten them in the regular season to reach the title. But with the Gamecocks upset in Round 1, WOOD knocked off the Aces, and then toppled Bay Conference #1 seed BaySox to reach the championship round. 

That set up this weekend’s three game series with the Tsunami, who had undergone a transformation of their own to become one of the league’s powerhouse teams.

Game 1

Post-Game Priorities: Ice, and Beer

A masterful pitching performance by Lopez kept the Tsunami off balance all night, only yielding one run in eight innings of work. It says a lot to win a championship series game when you don’t have your best stuff going. Defensive highlights included Frank Bauch’s snare of a 100-mph line drive to first base, stellar defense by Dave Aubuchon at the hot corner and continued mastery up the middle by Matt Moyer and Pat Whelly.

On offense, Whelly laid down a perfect drag bunt, and two key opposite field hits by Sean Bachleder played a role in both scoring innings. Sean’s first hit brought a runner to third, and even though he got picked off, the baseball gods redeemed WOOD with a run scored on Cam Weissensee’s broken bat groundball to the pitcher that was overthrown. That’s baseball for you. Sean’s 2^nd hit was followed by a 2 RBI single from Will Tong that drove in the eventual winning runs.

(Side note: these RBI’s got a “Like” on Facebook from former WOOD player Cayetano, who Coach Sides once described as a right handed Ted Williams before arm troubles brought him down.)

Final: WOOD 3, Tsunami 1.

Game 2

“Let’s win this one for Steve.” Ironically, the day that crafty righty Steve McDevitt tied the knot in Tahoe would also be the day he likely would have pitched for WOOD. That is, had he not torn up his ACL and meniscus in the aforementioned comeback win against the Heroes in April. Pitching depth didn’t prove to be an issue however, as Bachelder had proved to be a solid addition to the rotation for WOOD. However, the tribute to Steve’s big day was interrupted by the hot hitting Tsunami, who torched the WOOD for six runs through four innings to open up a lead.

In came Brandon “Hmm… Would I Rather Go to Tahoe for Steve’s Wedding or Pitch One Inning Then Pace around Aimlessly through the Dugout All Weekend? I Can See an Argument for Both” Sides to take on the brunt of the damage, and by the time he left, the Tsunami had opened up a sizable lead. Solid pitching by Grant Bledsoe and a few two-out knocks late in the game made the score more respectable, but all eyes were already pointing towards game 3. Final: Tsunami 11, WOOD 4.

Game 3 –

“Everybody Relax!” inculcated Sides in the Game 2 postgame speech. All year, his attitude had not wavered – a constant belief that WOOD baseball would win it all. WOOD was one win away from making it a reality. Aiding the cause was the return of Ryan Tovani and the Moyers from weddings that caused them to miss game 2. 

 

On the morning of the game, Sides would lighten the mood by asking WOOD “How many of you have won a championship?” Most of WOOD slowly raised their hands, unsure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, the point is well taken Coach– it’s not often that you win the whole damn thing.  

 

He allowed runners to reach base, just to see how it feels

Game time, and here comes the Most Interesting Man of Wood. Coach even gave him an AB on Saturday night to keep him locked in for Sunday’s morning’s start. The AB, coupled with a pre-game pump up speech from his lady means there’s little doubt he’ll be on his game today.  

11 up, 11 down to start the game. Not quite as simple as that though. Takes a few 4-6-3’s. Or 6-4-3’s. The speed at which they are turned makes the order almost irrelevant – well done Moyer and Whelly. Also takes a caught stealing in there somewhere – well done Jevon Mattiassi. Meanwhile, the WOOD bats are on fire, to the tune of 6 runs in the first three innings.

Then comes the point when you think it’s suddenly slipping away. Seven straight base runners. The man who just threw 12 1/3 innings of one-run baseball in the past week suddenly hits the inevitable string of bad luck. You look up again and its 6-5. That supposed D-1 catcher hit a bomb. Motherfucker. Without Ely we’d never have gotten this far, but now he was done.

Don’t fret WOOD – time to turn to the young gun from the outfield. Not to right, where a sore arm prevents last week’s game 1 winner Mike Moyer from seeing the mound at all today, but to Webershapiro from center. Parents in the back row of the stands might whisper to each other that he hasn’t pitched since before Colby and Lucas were born. But even a 4-year-old can recognize a good pickoff move when he sees it. After a groundout ends the 4^th, the young lefty lifts his leg and catches the Tsunami catcher leaning off first base in the 5^th.

6^th inning, tied 6-6. If the set of sixes isn’t ominous enough, the bullpen action for the WOOD might leave the WOOD fans worried about the rest of this game. Chente Lopez, on one day of rest after an 8 inning masterpiece on Friday, is getting loose. As is Jevon Mattiassi, who hasn’t pitched an inning all season.

“I want one run” says Jevon in the dugout. When he speaks, he treads the line between brutal honestly and honest brutality – the team often responds with laughter but takes the message to heart this time.

Rally time commences – Will “The” Tong drives one just short of the wall in left field to give Wood another edge. Just as he had led the charge on Friday night, Will delivered clutch hitting – in a game eventually won by two, he drove in two with one sweet swing.

Webershapiro starts to get hit hard in the 7^th, so here comes Lopez at 8-7. First pitch – bomb. That damn catcher again. 9-8.

Bauch walks to the mound from first during the trot around the bases – what can you say here? We’ve twice had an edge, and twice this guy has changed the game. Luckily, Lopez smiles and shrugs it off – like the rest of the WOOD, he truly believes we’ve still got this one.

As it turns out – he was right. The WOOD kept hitting. Grant Bledsoe continues to hit. Bachelder lays down a perfect bunt. Cam Weissensee drives one in with a groundout. Pinch runner Ryan Tovani scores on a wild pitch with two outs! 10-9 WOOD. In the 9^th, WOOD gets two more off the bat of Alex Webershapiro with a HUGE two out opposite-field poke. 12-9 WOOD.

Bottom 9, a three-run edge. We knew Lopez had a rubber arm, but the fact that he’s still out there is hard to comprehend. WOOD playing to get one out at a time, but the Tsunami never quit. With one down, the Tsunami have cut the lead to 12-10. Grounder to Aubuchon at third, who’s been wicked all year with the glove.

To second for one… and the relay hits the runner in the hand!

WOOD has seen this call before – it’s interference, batter is out, and the game ends with the ball trickling towards the mound. Ump makes the call immediately, and the chaos ensues.

End: Bring it home. Hit the Grooveshark, Dave – this song has been cued up since just before 10 a.m., but really, for those who endured years of Superstar torture, it’s been cued up for years.

 

2012 WOOD SFNABA Champions

 If you are, what you say you are.

A superstar.
Then have no fear.
The crowd is here, and the lights are on.
And they want a show, oh oh oh oh – yeah.  

Congrats to the 2012 SFNABA champions, WOOD! Thanks to all the fans and supporters, and especially the WOODettes for filling the available seats from start to finish – can’t wait to do it again next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woodettes!

Thrilling Finish Vaults Wood Into Finals

Playoff baseball is like going to the prom.  You've waited all year to go.  It's exciting.  So exciting you might be nervous about it.  You may even throw up before you arrive, and ruin your nice new uniform before you have a chance to score. 

The best strategy is to play it cool.  Relax, play your game, and you could end up boning in your hotel room at the end of the night.  Much better than tucking your erection under your belt and ignoring your blue balls, right?

Wood baseball club played it cool in its three game series against the defending SFNABA champions Baysox last weekend.  They relaxed, knowing that two wins would earn them a championship birth.  Wood played its own game too, relying on its normal recipe of pitching depth and defense.  The end result?  Wood went all the way.  Wood got laid.  Wood shagged, porked, plowed, nailed, drilled, and screwed.  Not with just anyone either, Wood shattered the prom queen's meat tunnel.....after stealing her from the grips of the quarterback on the football team. 

Wood beat the Baysox after three thrilling games, and is going to the SFNABA Championship against the Tsunami.  Here's the rundown.

Game 1:

Wood 11
Baysox 5


Highlights:

- Wood fans attend the night game in droves.  Family members, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, fiances, and the ever present homeless contingent proudly cheer on WOOD.

- Mike Moyer threw a masterpiece this Friday night.  Moyer hit spots, changed speeds, and thoroughly baffled the Baysox through seven strong innings.

- Brandon "Colby, give me your popsicle so I can lick the" Sides knocks the rust off to close out the last two innings and save WOOD arms.

- Dave Aubuchon, Cameron Weissenssee, and Pat Whelly all have multiple hit games.

- Jevon Mattiassi catches an unbelievable game behind the plate.  Calling pitches, receiving pitches, blocking balls, and throwing out baserunners looked easy for Jevon.

Lowlights:

- Umpiring crew loses the count.....twice.  Beneficiary of lost counts?  Dave Aubuchon, who used an extra strike to single and drive in a run.  Give that guy four strikes and he's deadly.

- Ricky Ballgame, forgets his jersey and uses an inside out Cleveland Browns t-shirt instead.

- Barney Rubble Bledsoe, running to first on a dropped third strike completely oblivious to an overthrow, attempting an advance, and getting thrown out by half a mile.

Game 2:

Baysox 7
Wood 1

Highlights:

- Chente Lopez keeps Wood in another ballgame, but is foiled again by his arch-nemesis Bottenger.

- Ryan Tovani does it all.....at the plate, behind the plate, on the bases.  Man is he sexy.

- Dave Aubuchon continues his strong series with unreal defense at 3B and strong at bats.  While not as sexy as Tovani,  nothing gets by Dave at third.

- Sean Bachelder and Cam Weissenssee stay hot and hit the ball hard off Bottenger.  Both are possibly more sexy than Tovani. Definitely more sexy than Dave.

- Another sell out crowd of WOOD faithful.  Not only the requisite significant others, but children, parents, neighbors, cousins, and acquaintances attend and show their support.

Lowlights:

- Baysox three and four hitters pick apart Wood pitching....again

- Grant Bledsoe plunks two Baysox hitters and walks others in 1 1/3 IP

- Wood struggles to string together baserunners for the second straight game vs. Bottenger

Game 3:

Wood 2
Baysox 1

Highlights:

- Ely Alexander, the most interesting teammate of WOOD, sacks up and pitches his heart out.  8 2/3 IP, 1 ER, and dominant, filthy stuff.

- Alex Webber-Shapiro, RBI double to drive in WOOD's first run, and in doing so strikes fear in the heart of all Baysox.

- Grant Bledsoe singles in the winning run after an IBB to Alex Webber-Shapiro. 

- Ryan Tovani scores both WOOD runs by smoking the ball and working his way on base.

- WOOD team defense plays an airtight game, picking up Ely Alexander whenever he needed it.

- Adam Fong hits the ball hard all day long, and gets robbed on a shot up the middle.

- Jevon Mattiassi has another unbelievable game behind the plate.  He was so confident and optimistic that he even tore back to the dugout after strike three before waiting for the umpire's call.  Jevon was right about the called strike out....but there were only two outs at the time.

Lowlights:

- Absolutely none




There you have it.  WOOD advances to the championship series this weekend versus the Tsunami.  The club looks to capture its first championship, and nail not just the prom queen but her chemistry teacher, volleyball coach, and mother in the process.

Game One: Friday 8/24, 6:30 at San Leandro Ballpark
Game Two: Saturday 8/25, 5pm at San Leandro Ballpark
Game Three (if necessary): Sunday 8/26 10am at San Leandro Ballpark

Come Join WOOD in their championship quest and run at ultimate SFNABA glory.  Great seats still available.

 

Wood Rolls Past Aces

Wood 9
Aces 5

Wood baseball club made a statement on Sunday by dispatching the Aces 9-5 in its first playoff game of 2012.  Offense, defense, and pitching all came together at the right time for Wood, who before Sunday hadn't been able to wrangle all three strengths into a single game.  Maybe it was the playoffs, maybe it was the crowd, maybe it was the brown g-string Ryan Tovani wore under his uniform for good luck.  For whatever reason, Wood put together a damn good game on Sunday.

A full lineup could have been one catalyst for Wood's success.  For possibly the first time all season, manager Brandon "What the hell?  This urinal's not working, I'd better check the in" Sides had a full squad to work with.  The arsenal of Wood hitters ended the day with nearly each starter collecting a hit.  Rookie outfielder and playgirl spokesman Sean Bachelder even had three, and reached base in every at bat.  Dave Aubuchon, Cameron Weissenssee, and Pat Whelly were also pacesetters on the day.

Ely Alexander's menacing fastball grip

 

 

 

 

Wood starting pitcher Chente Lopez didn't have his best stuff Sunday, though he battled, pitched through errors, and persevered enough to last six innings.  Normally, Throwing With Coach recaps the team's pitching efforts by lauding Lopez for throwing strikes, working quickly, and dispatching opposing hitters faster than an Ely Alexander fastball.  Today however the pitching cheers go to Mike Moyer, for overcoming control struggles and shutting the door on the Aces.  The youngster lost the strike zone several times, but came back to quiet the Aces dugout and secure a Wood win.  Kudos go to Mike for winning the battle.

Whelly fields a ground ball in the ninth

Wood's defense made several excellent plays behind Lopez and Moyer, though multiple errors had Sides pacing frenetically in the dugout throughout the game.   Sides wore his cleats thin from his mid game pacing, but the ultimate blow to his nerves was in the ninth.  All-star second baseman Pat Whelly fielded a hard ground ball off of his right temple after a terrible hop, and quickly dropped to the ground.  Sides immediately sprinted to the field to offer Whelly a hand, a shave, and to check up on the fan favorite.  After a few tense moments Whelly proved to be fine, the game resumed, and Mike Moyer slammed and locked the door.  Sides however was still a bit shaken.  He spoke about it at the post game press conference.

 A typical Jevon Mattiassi campfire

Sides:   "Man that was close.  I haven't been that nervous since the last time Jevon cooked me a hot dog.  I mean I was really hungry at the time so I choked it down, but he burns them so badly I can barely taste them.  Oh yea sweet win though.  Did you hear the sound the ball made off Whelly's head?  Gross."

Reporter:    "Uhhh, Brandon?  Can we talk baseball?  How are you preparing for the Baysox?"


Sides:    "You know I thought Whelly's BBQs would have been the weirdest.  He spends weeks just driving up and those fire roads in the Sierras.  I hear that's what that kid from into the wild did before he went off the deep end and started eating berries and twigs.  Then he started "touching" the wildlife.  Good way to get a bear claw up the urethra if you ask me.  But the diet thing?  I could never do that.  Brandon likes his steaks too much.  Big dog's gotta eat.  But Jevon's BBQ.....WAY weirder.  Not only did he cook the hot dogs with his ass, but Rocky..."

Reporter:   "Brandon?"

Sides:    "Huh?  Shut up for a second this is a good story.  You see Rocky..."

Reporter:    "Brandon!!!" 

Sides:    "Oh yeah.  What was I talking about?  Crap I have to catch my flight.  I'll finish the story Friday after the game.  You guys are gonna want your tape recorders for this one."


Shoutouts:

Ryan Tovani, for running in place of non-runner Grant "Barney Rubble" Bledsoe, stealing a bag scoring a run, and getting plunked at every single bag along the way.

Matt Moyer, for struggling through an injury and still helping to anchor the defense at shortstop.

Dave Moyer, for bringing post game beers for both Wood and the Woodettes.

Steve McDevitt, for cheering on Wood during the game, snapping some quality action shots, and for keeping the Woodettes company all game because they had cupcakes and snacks.

Wood looks to carry its momentum from Sunday into the semifinals this weekend versus the Baysox.  The three game series starts with game one Friday night at 7:15 at San Leandro Ballpark.  Games two (and if necessary three) will be played on Sunday at 10am at Redwood High School.  Come out and support your WOOD as they inch closer to SFNABA glory.  Great seats still available.

Wood Splintered by Baysox

Baysox 2
Wood 1 

Its been nearly four months since Wood baseball club's ace pitcher/blogger Steve McDevitt went down with a season ending knee injury during a game against the rival Heroes.  After a quick decision to return to second base, McDevitt turned awkwardly and blew out whatever was holding the leg hinge together.  McDevitt was immediately carried off the field and taken to the hospital, but the uneasy feeling he left in the Wood dugout was palpable.  Who would take the ball in big games?  Who else could keep base runners from stealing, while throwing under 74mph?  Who else would scrub Rick Roitenger's back in the bathtub? Many important questions were left unanswered. 

Head coach Brandon "when I watch Olympic gymnastics, I like to pretend I'm competing in pommel horse, prop myself up on the coffee table and swing my legs around the" Sides was shaken enough by the injury to scour the internet for a replacement pitcher/blogger.  After hours of skimming Craigslist, Youtube, match.com, and numerous animal porn sites, Sides succumbed to reality.  No one on the internet could match McDevitt's combination of command, movement, and mound demeanor.  Someone else would need to step up.  And step up someone else did.

Chente Lopez didn't just accept the role of staff ace following McDevitt's injury, he snatched it and ran like hell.  In the regular season Lopez accounted for over 1/3 of all Wood innings pitched.  Lopez took the ball in virtually every big game, and more often than not ended up with a W and at least eight innings pitched. 

Sunday's test against the Baysox was no different.  Lopez took the ball for Wood, and damn near pitched them to the number one seed in the upcoming playoffs.  A stunning seven inning start against the defending league champs was marred only a middle inning two run homer.  A two run homer, I might add, that traveled possibly 310 feet which at most parks would not have reached the outfield wall.  Alas, this band box was not most parks, and alas that was all the Baysox needed.

Wood jumped to an early lead in the top of the first inning after a Frank Bauch base on balls.  Bauch (more specifically his courtesy runner Will the Tong) reached third on a Grant Bledsoe single up the middle, and made it home on a two out stolen base attempt by Mike Moyer (also a courtesy runner).  Wood could not quite figure out the Baysox starter after the the first.  Brandon Sides and Sean Bachelder collected the only other hits of the afternoon.

Sunday's highlights don't all include Chente Lopez though.  Several defensive leaders emerged on Sunday as well.  Mike Moyer and Will the Tong played an excellent game up the middle for Wood, Dave Aubuchon made a killer play at third, and Jevon Mattiasi caught another gem behind the dish for Lopez.  Wood's two head monster of Frank Bauch and Grant Bledsoe at first base also made several key plays.

Wood minor leaguer practicing the "Aubuchon Method"

Alongside their defensive prowess in the field, Dave Aubuchon and Jevon Mattiasi both had memorable plays we can safely classify as bloopers for the highlight reel.  In the middle innings Aubuchon decided to stop a dive up the base line with his face, causing a bloody nose.  The bleeding stopped shortly thereafter, but aftermath looked like Dave just ate lunch with Hannibal Lecter.

Mattiasi's blooper occurred on a double steal.  The Wood veteran saw two baserunners stealing, and for the life of him could not decide which runner to throw out.  Life must be good when your footwork is quick enough to have a choice.  Jevon instead split the difference and threw directly to Matt Moyer at shortstop.....who was standing in the hole on the outfield grass.....and nowhere near either baserunner.  Rube from Major League II would have been proud. 

Lopez's big game focus on the mound isn't the only way he resembles the injured McDevitt either.  The right hander recently proposed to his long time girlfriend Erin and took the first step towards holy matrimony, which McDevitt is entering with Woodette bride Alisa in a few short weeks.  The parallels are uncanny.  Congratulations to the happy couple, we are proud to permanently induct Erin to the Woodette hall of fame and happy to have you.

Steve's serious face

Shoutouts

- Sean Bachelder for starting the 9th with a huge, timely, rally inducing hit

- Dave Aubuchon for bunting Bachelder to second, despite being pretty sure he was about to go yard

- Mike Moyer for tossing a shut down 8th

- The Baysox for arriving at dawn to prep the field, and then being flabbergasted when Wood took a
  proper pregame infield


Wood looks to regroup from the loss, shake the bloopers, and wake the bats this coming Sunday in its first game of the playoffs.  Wood captured the #2 playoff seed with its 16-4 regular season, earning a first round bye this Saturday.  Sunday's game will be against the winner of the Gamecocks and Aces, and played at Redwood High School in Larkspur at 2pm.  Its safe to say Chente Lopez will be taking the ball for Wood. 

Come one, come all, and cheer on your beloved Wood as they battle for an SFNABA title.  Great seats still available.