by Pete

The Beat Vanquishes Mars Again Moody keys Beat offense with Grand Slam & 7 RBIs in 20-11 rout

The Beat and team Cafe Mars are a study in contrasts. Ironic because in 1999, the two teams closely paralleled each other in performance. After a hard-fought 5-3 Beat victory in last year's seminal spring pitching-duel matchup, a rivalry developed complete with a little bit of bad blood at times. The two teams tied for 2nd place in C-7 that season with identical 5-3 records. In the Summer, The Beat ended in a three-way last place tie with Mars and The Other Guys at 3-5. Both teams went home for the Winter wondering how the promise of Spring had been so fleeting and tenuous. Both teams went in different directions.

In 2000 it's a completely different story. While Cafe Mars has regressed to a 0-5-1 last-place record and is in danger of returning to DD, the Beatniks are moving forward at 4-1 and tied for 1st with last Summer's division champs and long-time nemesis the Cool Dudes with whom the season's critical matchup takes place next week.

Donnell "Big Daddy" Moody paced a 20-hit Beat attack with a 3 for 4, 7 RBI day which included a grand slam and 2-run triple. The middle of the lineup--Moody, Jim Colletto, returning hero John "The Bomber" Palmer and rookie-sensation Dave Maxion--went 10 for 15 overall with 3 homers, 12 runs scored and 14 RBIs. Kevin Austin and Dennis O'Brien combined on the mound to keep Mars subdued while the Beatniks romped.

Early on, it looked like Mars would give us a battle. In the top of the first inning, the Martians parlayed a leadoff error into 2 quick runs courtesy of Lillianstein's 2-run homer over Palmer's head in right center. With one-out, the cleanup hitter Fukuda tripled and scored as an errant outfield throw eluded the third baseman Mark St. Georges. But Kevin settled down to retire the next two batters in order.

In 1999, Mars pitcher Dan O'Donnal dueled Austin for 7 innings in the nailbiting Spring contest. Today however, the Beat quick-strike offense would do him in. O'Donnal looked tough in the early going as his defense let him down and allowed lead off hitter BJ Bateman and #3 hitter St. Georges to reach base. Thereupon Big Daddy quickly made it 3-2 with a bases-clearing triple over center. Colletto singled D in to tie the score at 3-3. A fiery-eyed Palmer then tomahawked an O'Donnal pitch over the rightfielder's head for a 2-run homer and a Beat 5-3 lead.

In top of the second, Mars came right back. After back-to-back singles leading off the inning, the elderly Deadhead-looking outfielder Desmond doubled in both runs to tie it at 5-5. A single by the leadoff hitter Riter and double by Lillianstein made it 7-5. Trying to stretch it, Lillianstein was nailed at third base on a throw from Gunnar Rosenquist for the second out and O'Donnal lined out to Kev to end the uprising.

The Beat broke the game open in the bottom of the second. The unheralded bottom of the lineup got it started as Brian Arcuri, who entered the game hitting .600 singled hard to left after a diving catch by the leftfielder Brooks was nullified. Some guy named Peter Wenner chopped a base-hit through vacated 2nd base/1st base hole to move the swift Arcuri over to third. Mark "Eminem" Melin plated Brian with a line single to right-center to make it 7-6. With one out, Kevin Austin singled to load the bases. It was the 20th consecutive game in which K-man has hit safely. MSG reached on a shortstop throwing error as I scored to tie it.

Then Big Daddy wound up and cranked a log fly in the alley over both centerfielders. With the bases still loaded, all runners broke on contact sensing the inevitability of the blast. As St. Jorge huffed and puffed around 3rd toward home, you could see the ponderous Donnell close to running up Mark's ass as adreniline overtook him. D barely beat the tag as he slid into home for an 11-7 lead. After a Palmer flyout, Dave Maxion delivered JC with a booming 2-run blast to left-center to make it 13-7. Like Big Daddy, Maxion was almost tagged out himself as the Martian catcher tried to make a reach-around sweep tag as Dave slid past.

The visitor's half of the third was the turning point in the game. The game could have see-sawed back into a slugfest, but Kevin Austin shut the door striking out the catcher Young to end a bases-loaded threat to keep the score status quo. The Beat scratched out another run to make it 14-7 in the bottom of the third. After a leadoff single by me, 25-year-old Brian came in to take over for my creaking 40+ legs and advanced to second on a flyout to right by Melin. A single by the pitcher Austin scored Brian as the Beatniks successfully manufactured a run.

The Martians made a valiant effort to come back in the top of the fourth as they closed it to 14-9 thanks to some errant Beat outfield throws on singles.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Beat made it 17-9 and put it on cruise control on the strength of a single by the surprising G-Man, he of the .625 average, and a sac fly by Brian.

The ancient warrior and Beat chronicler Dennis O'Brien came on in the top of the fifth to close down the Martians. Bedeviled by Mars last Summer in a walk-off 15-14 Martian victory following a 6-run 7th, OB turned the tables and got the opposition in order.

The Boys in Gray sealed the victory with 3 runs in the fifth on consecutive singles by Austin, MSG, Moody and Colletto, the latter a 2-RBI screamer. OB came on with time waning to get Mars in the top of the sixth, but it wasn't without drama.

With one out and a runner on first, the leadoff swinging Riter launched an O'Brien hanger toward the rightfield corner with Palmer, who had switched places with BJ several innings earlier, in hot pursuit. The ever-courageous and typically over-zealous JP stretched out horizontally in an effort to corral the bullet. John landed hard on his rehabilitated shoulder and proceeded to writhe around as both runners scored. In total shock at the prospect of a tragic Palmer re-injury considering the severity of the auto accident that had put him out of action for three years, I ran out to right hoping we could just get longtime Beat superstar on his feet.

Slowly the now 31-year-old, one-time original Manchild of the Beat rose to his feet and motioned off the manager who sought to remove the stoic Palmer for some kind of triple switch. Almost fittingly, #3 and #4 hitters O'Donnal and Fukuda flew out to John to end it.

The sportsmanlike Martians paid due respect to the winners as game-ending handshakes were exchanged. One of the Mars veterans was heard to say "go all the way, guys" as the victory parade marched toward the 1st base foul line area of Jackson #1 for the postgame party. Any sign of bad blood between the teams was long gone.

The Beat trudged off the field triumphantly in brief sole possession of 1st place as the Cool Dudes and Other Guys took the field. But Slick Vic shut out the aged OGs 12-0 and afterwards the cervezas happily flowed.

The Beat has destiny in its hands once again as the Cool Dudes showdown looms large on May 20.

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