In 2001 I decided to return to the softball diamond after a 30+ year hiatus. I played with my employer, Clifford Chance, in the Central Park Lawyers Softball League. Besides Central Park, we played in other locations in Manhattan including the Lower East Side, Chelsea, and Upper Manhattan near CCNY and the Hudson River. We even had a “World Series” in 2004 when the Firm’s New York and Washington DC offices played for all the marbles or bragging rights. See the link here.
When I was laid off in February 2005 I still played for part of the season as an alumnus. However, real employees would get playing priority over an alumnus and I did not play after June 17. My current employer has a team, but it’s at the Boston office and there are no transfers to Beantown in the near future.
Since I go to Church on a regular basis in East Islip, I usually drive past Brookwood Hall in East Islip on Sunday morning and used to see games in progress. One day in July 2005 I stopped by and inquired as to playing. I was told to contact certain individuals as well as the Island Softball Association to advertise my availability. I soon got an e/mail from the coach and started to go to practices at a field in Medford. Eventually we got a team formed (the Warriors) and on April 30 we played our first games of the 2006 season at Tanglewood Park in Coram. Since only 4 players from the other team managed to show up, the Warriors won both games by forfeit. While it would have been better to have actually played, I’ll take a win any way that I can get one.
Please check back often as I plan to give a game by game account after each doubleheader, as well as add pictures.
May 7, 2006: Sybescapes 21 Warriors 1; Sybescapes 21 - Warriors 6. Thank heaven for the mercy rule! I caught both games, and had two K's, a walk, and a ground out. Wait until the 21st!
May 14, 2006: we lost two games to the Wolfpack by forfeit, as the league changed its mind at the last minute and did not cancel the Mothers’ Day games. With only about 15 hours notice, our coach decided not to try and ask the players to change their plans at the last minute.
May 21, 2006: Knights 6 Warriors 2; Knights 14 Warriors 2. The mercy rule was invoked in game 2 during the 6th inning.
May 28, 2006: no games, as it was the Memorial Day Weekend.
June 4, 2006: rained out
June 11, 2006: Mornigwood 15 Warriors 1; Morningwood 14 Warriors 3. They invoked the mercy rule on us in the first game.
June 18, 2006: Sybescapes 16 Warriors 4; Sybescapes 19 Warriors 7. The mercy rule again, both games.
June 25, 2006: rained out again.
July 2, 2006: no games, as it was the 4th of July weekend.
July 9, 2006: Knights 19 Warriors 7; Knights 19 Warriors 2. The mercy rule was invoked both times. I was benched in game 1 but caught 2 innings in game 2.
July 16, 2006: Free Agents 19 - Warriors 2; Free Agents 19 - Warriors 2. The mercy rule again.
July 23, 2006: Morningwood 16 - Warriors 2; Morningwood 17 - Warriors 9. No mercy rule this time.
August 6, 2006: Warriors 1 - Free Agents 0; Warriors 1 - Free Agents 0. We won the doubleheader
because the other team forfeited both games. But a win is a win.
August 13, 2006: Free Agents 14 - Warriors 8; Free Agents 17 - Warriors 5. This time enough Free Agents
showed up.
End of the 2006 Spring/Summer season. We finished with a 4-22 record. I will be re-united with my teammates in September when we play in a lower division of the Island Softball Association. I'll keep you posted on this website.
Here is the long awaited Fall (Snowflake) League. We played our first games at Airport Field, located next to the Brookhaven Airport in Mastic-Shirley.
September 17, 2006: Rocket Fuel 23 - Warriors 3; Rocket Fuel 17 - Warriors 5. The mercy rule was used in both games.
September 24, 2006: we had a bye as a teammate got married.
October 1, 2006: games were postponed due to the muddy infield.
October 8, 2006: Brew Crew 22 - Warriors 17; Brew Crew 16 - Warriors 4. The mercy rule was invoked in the second game
October 15, 2006: Al's Sporting Goods 27 - Warriors 7; Al's Sporting Goods 17 - Warriors 14. The mercy rule was invoked in the first game.
October 15, 2006, makeup games for September 24: Warriors 20 - Bears 9; Warriors 19 - Bears 13. That's right, we won both games!
I did not get to return to the Long Island Softball Association in 2007, since I opted to go to my daughter's soccer sessions with the West Islip Soccer Club, which were also on Sunday Mornings. As for Central Park, my employer at the time did not field a team in New York. However, in December 2007 I would not be at that firm any longer (see the blogs) and the new firm that I joined a few weeks later did filed a team here. It is part of the Yorkville Sports Association, and our division was a co-ed one. That meant a minimum of three ladies of the field. 99% of the time that meant a female catcher, so there went my favorite position. As my skills had eroded even further since 2006, I ended up being mainly an extra hitter or an occasional outfielder. I also kept score on several games. Who cared. I was having fun and had those great feelings of belonging and camaraderie.
My new team is called the Bees, which is the result of a work play on the firm's name. We played most of our games in Central Park's North Meadow, with the balance mainly at DeWitt Clinton Park at 11th Avenue and 53rd Street. After each game, we would go have a little bash at Brother Jimmy's at 3rd Avenue and 92nd Street or else at Whistling Dixie's at 51st Street and 11th Avenue.
Here are the results of the games:
April 17, 2008 at DeWitt Clinton park: Information Builders 2, Bees 1
April 30, 2008 at Central Park: Bees 30, Oxford Blues 8. We were on the RIGHT end of the Mercy Rule!
May 6, 2008 at Central Park: Bees 13, Translate This 9.
May 15, 2008 at DeWitt Clinton Park: Bees 13, CSTV 7
May 30, 2008 at Central Park Coach Leather 11, Bees 10. This game was truncated after the 6th inning so the Bees did not get a chance to possibly go ahead. It was under protest with the league.
June 10, 2008 at Central Park: Bee 14, Societe General 8
June 19, 2008 at Central Park: Bees 13, Scripps 6. After the game we met our coworkers who ran in the Corporate Challenge and celebrated at Dallas BBQ on West 72nd Street.
June 24, 2008 at DeWitt Clinton park: Bees 18, Pirates 2. We were on the RIGHT end of the Mercy Rule!
July 2, 2008 at Central Park: Telerep 13, Bees 8.
July 8, 2008 at DeWitt Clinton Park: Debevoise & Plimpton 6, Bees 1
July 15, 2008 at Central Park: Bees 15, Richmond Events 4
July 18, 2008 at Central Park: Bees 12, Interactive 7 (make up game for one that was rained out in May)
Playoffs:
July 31, 2008 at Morningside Park: Bees 13, Interactive 12. Then it was a party at V&T Restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue.
August 5, 2008 at DeWitt Clinton Park: Bees 12, Societe General 1 - we won the semi finals!
August 5, 2008 (game 2, same field): Debevoise & Plimpton 8, Bees 2. We lost the divisional finals, and ended up in second place. Since there were 12 teams, I think that we did OK. I plan to be back in 2009.
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