NUMB AND NUMBER TOURNAMENT BIG SUCCESS;

The results of the tournament is in; and it is unanimous: Numb gives great tourney!

June 7th. The skies were blue and the air warm, moving toward hot, as the 1997 Numb and Number Tournament and BBQ began. Excitement abounded in our team as both host and contestant in this huge, truly huge, "D" league softball contest. The question on our hero's minds was two fold: Which Numb team would show to play and would we lose our shirts by hosting the tournament.

The Numb had put together a mighty team, comprised of returning Numb greats such as Joe 'Wheels' Macrena, Heffe~ 'the-Package' Glazner, Mike 'Hitman (and-the-long-drive-home)' Ritchie, and Steve 'Long-Ball' Lichliter. These returning veterans were to be the backbone of the potential Numb onslaught that was to carry Numb to victory. To CONNIE! ...Then the games started.

The first Numb opponents were the impetus for the tournament: the Humboldt Barnstormers. Road tripping down from the great-wet-north, the 'Barneys' (as they became affectionately know) arrived wearing their dapper, trademark barnstorming red jerseys and baggy baseball trousers. They were quite a picture. Actually, I think we took some. Anyway....

GAME 1
Both teams started off slowly, sizing up their opponent. Second inning hits by JT, Joe, and Chaba-da-Hut resulted in Numb's first score and started the contest rolling. Later, a third inning single by Rad-Brad followed by a walk by Timmah, with ensuing hits from Heffe~, and Steve L, resulted in the Numb taking a 3-0 lead....And then Numb batting went south. Numb batters only recorded two hits, singles by the Hitman and Chaba in the fifth inning, for the rest of the game. To make matters worse, Numb even recorded a 'K' in the batting column. However, while the Numb bats went to sleep, popping up 7 balls in the last four innings, the Barneys offense took flight with multiple well placed hits, that seem to mystify our heroes, much to their chagrin. The Barney played well, but numbness had set into the Numb dugout. Final score: 14-3 Barney.

GAME 2
Numb licked their wounds, then pulled up their collective socks and knee braces for their second game. There wasn't much time for this as Numb played immediately following their first game. This time they took on the Davis J.C.'s., some local boys with whom they are familiar. In the first inning, after the lead off Numb batters both hit long fly outs, Steve L., Big-Dog Mike S, and JT, combined with three singles for a Numb Rally that scored a run! ...And there was much merriment. But this proved to be short lived as Numb errors and mental lapses allowed for the J.C.s to score repeatedly, often on short pop flies that dropped limply between our out and infielders. And once again the sleepy-dust infested the Numb bats. Second inning singles by Joe and the Hitman, were rendered impotent by subsequent pop flies and a ground out. However, Numb's big chance came in the forth inning when JT, Eddy, and Joe started off the inning with singles. Initial thoughts of 'Numb Rally' ran through our boys heads, but once again numbness would dog our lads. The next Numb batter grounded JT into a force at homeplate for the first out. Ditto the next to force the Hitman at second. The last Numby drove a red-hot-afterburner-missile at the mound, only to have the pitcher make a aircraft carrier Mach 1 cable arrest with a swipe of his glove. By the last inning, the Numb knew that they were in trouble. They would need mighty performances in order to hold dignity, let alone win. JT, in his finest batting game of the tournament, lead off with a single, completing a perfect 3 for 3 game at the bat. The next Numby faltered, only to be picked up by the well place single from Joe, the-Mighty-Macarana, who also scored a perfect 3 for 3 game at the stick. Then a single by the Hitman, batting 2 for 3, buoyed our team's hopes. But when the next batter 'K'ed, Steve Hanna, with sunken eyes, primordial crown and who ended batting 2 for 3, came to the plate and and took matters into his own hands by socking a rocket through the third-shortstop gap.....And there was much merriment. And then he ran for first, and ran, and ran, and ran,....and ran and finally made it safely to the bag....And again there was much merriment. But this was short lived as once again the Numb come back was drubbed out by a long, deep pop fly.

And then there was lunch. (YOUR COMPANY NAME AND LOGO HERE FOR FEE)

Returning to the field rested and fed, the Numb were concerned about the possibility of winning their own 'Most Numb' trophy. If they didn't put together some offense, if the bats didn't ring, if the Louisville didn't begin to slug, then they could end up as the perfect tournament hosts.

GAME 3
The last team the Numb would face was Bill Berroo (who initially thought they were Billy Peru, but that is another story). Berroo was the only team to run with the Barney, although eventually succumbing to their bats and really keen, tasteful outfits. The first inning was relatively uneventful, although JT was thrown out while diving back to first after a hard rounding of the base to draw the throw. It worked. However, in the second inning, Numb exploded! Numb exploited withering Berroo pitching as the Hitman took a walk, as did Joe. Then Chaba got on base on a fielder's choice. Then the Numb cooled with a sacrifice fly. It was looking , well, really pretty normal by this point, when suddenly, the bats moved!!! Kippy, playing on his deathbed, punched a single, as did the Secret Senator. Steve L. banged a big sacrifice fly and Timmah preyed on the pitcher for another walk, and the Rad Brad tagged a whopper for a triple, clearing the bases, except for himself. Big Dog tagged a single, to score Brad, and then the next Numby ended the inning, you guessed it, on a long fly ball. The Numb were leading as the Berroo had not answered 5 of their points. ...And there was merriment. Actually Numb seemed to be spurred on by the Barney boys who, like good hosted teams, were cheering their benefactors. It seemed to be working.

Numb didn't post any more runs for the next two innings. Berroo nickeled and dimed their way back into the game. By the start of the fifth inning, they were tied. In the fifth inning, Tim started Numb off with a crisp single to right-center. The unfortunately, the next two batters flied out. JT wisely took the walk when it presented itself and Eddy cracked a sharp single through the shortstop-third gap. that scored Timmah. However, the next Numby 'K'ed to end the drive. The sixth was three up, three down for the Numbsters, leaving a dangerous window of opportunity for the now tied Berroo. In the final inning, Berroo managed to prey upon a wilting JT, who was having control problems on the mound. With two outs, he walked in the go ahead run for Berroo. The last Berroo batter was put out on a force out.

However, Numb, now trailing by one, was able to controll it's own fate. Numb just needed to score one to tie or two to win. The Numbsters talked fire and brimstone in the dugout. Will, determination, and a can-do attitude sparked around the players as they made ready, and prayed to the Ouzo batting gods for strength and a sound eye...

'Dear pen pal,
I'm told where you live,
Is really quite far.
Pleas send directions
on how I can get
where you are.'

        Charles Schultz

        Your're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

The four final Numb batters had one walk between them.

The 'Champ-Numbs' for the 1997 Numb and Number Internet Driven Tournament and BBQ are the Humboldt Barnstormers. They not only clearly won the tournament, but they won over the Numb, as a group of classy, ball playin' guys.. Congratulations to the Barnstormers on a tournament well played.