The Beat vs. Finnegan's. This is truly one of the storied rivalries in the Beat's history. Since the first time the teams played in 'DD' league in the summer of 1992, the teams have played 18 times with Finnegan's leading the series by a very slim margin with a 9-8-1. The Beat struggled through some very close early 'DD' match-ups winning only 1 of 4 with a tie. Finnegan's added to the brutal 'C' League christening of the Beat by handing the boys in grey 3 blowout losses 21-4, 15-1, and 15-5. That would be the last time the teams would meet for four years.

When the teams faced off again in the Spring of 2001, the Beat was rebuilding into a powerhouse and handed Finnegan's a 22-6 bitch-slapping on opening day. These were all against the Finnegan's Wake team. In 2002, the Beat began playing the Finnegan's A&B team who answered the Wake's clobbering by spanking a skeleton crew Beat 23-8. However, since the rebirth of this match-up in 2001, the Beat holds the upper hand with a 7-4 record.

As the boys were warming up on the sidelines, Ronin was trouncing Monte Carlo 25-10 which left the Beat in an excellent position to move into a three-way tie for second place with those two teams. All the boys in grey had to do was put away Finnegan's...a team with a 1-4 record this spring and a team the Beat hammered 13-1 in last summer's season opener. The Beat came in riding a three game offensive freight train in which the team had scored an incredible 70 runs. This game was a gimme...it was in the bag. Damn...don't you know you never think that before the game?

Just as last weeks' incredible victory over the first place La Libertad came with the surprise visit from team founder and first manager Jim Harvey, this game came with a similar surprise; a visit from the second of the Beat founders trifecta, Dennis O'Brien. It would seem all that was left was scoring 20 runs and walking home with the victory. Ah yes, scoring the runs...not always as easy as it seems.

With leadoff man Jacq Wilson—one of the stars of last week's marquee win—absent, the team lead off with standout veteran Mark St.Georges who walked and was replaced on the bases with Gunnar Rosenquist. Kevin Austin, the third of the founding trifecta, lined to the right side but the ball was knocked down by the second baseman and G-man was forced at second. Two quick grounders to short (two of many grounders to short) quickly ended the inning for the Beat, all outs on fielder's choices.

The first two Finnegan's batters quickly singled and doubled through the left side of the infield. With runners at second and third, the big lefty Murai grounded back to the mound. Austin looked back the runner at third then made the out to Big Daddy at first. D, seeing the runner with a big lead off third fired back to Mondo Lopez who got down and dirty and converted the incredible 1-3-5 double play. Finnegan's manager came out to argue the call and was quickly ejected from the game. A grounder to D-Rey at short ended the inning and the threat.

The second brought much of the same for the Beat. Following a leadoff error at short, two pop-outs and an FC was all they could get. Finnegan's answered back with four more hits through the left side scoring two runs. Finnegan's was up 2-0 and it seemed like every one of their grounders found a hole and every one of ours found a glove.

Brian Greenblatt led off the Beat third with a double. Brian tried to advance to third on an infield groundout but was gunned down for a double play. Clear to everyone in the park, Brian was well under the tag, but after the first inning ejection, no one was about to challenge the call. The Beat managed two more base runners in the inning but the lack of clutch hitting sent the team down scoreless again. Finnegan's scored two more after an error at third abated a possible 1-2-3 inning. A three hit rally drove in two before a comebacker ended the inning with Finnegan's up 4-0.

Beat futility at the plate continued; after Mark Briscoe singled to lead off the fourth, Big Daddy forced Briscoe at second then committed cardinal base running error #1 by turning inside the line and was tagged for out number two. Yet another comebacker ended the Beat's fourth scoreless inning, but the Beat responded sending Finnegan's down quickly 1-2-3 to end the fourth.

The Beat started the fifth with a double by Jacque Wilson and though the team had put the leadoff runner on base in each inning of the game, it took five innings to finally convert that to a run. With one out, Mondo singled driving in Q and Brian singled to follow him. Pete grounded up the middle but it was picked off by the shortstop who stepped on the bag and doubled Pete off at first. Sorry Pete...beer bitch honors to you today. Finnegan's 4, the Beat 1. Finnegan's came back in the bottom by dropping a hammer on the Beat with a 5-hit, 5 run inning capped by a single that got through the outfield to clear the bases. Finnegan's went up 9-1 and the Beat had only 6 outs left to recover.

Gunnar led off the sixth with a walk and MSG doubled. Austin sacrificed to deep right scoring Gunnar and advancing MSG. Mark Briscoe then singled in MSG and took second as the throw from the outfield rolled past the pitcher. The blue called time out and sent Mark back to first even though no one in the infield touched the ball. Mark briefly argued to the infield ump but the bench bit their tongues for fear of another instant ejection in the midst of team's best rally of the day. Luckily, with two outs Big Tim Smith finally got hold and drove a liner through the gap in center that wasn't touched until Tim was already rounding third. Finnegan's 9, the Beat 5.

Finnegan's led off with a walk and with one out a dropped force at second extended the threat. But the D-Rey snatched a liner at short and turned it into a quick double play to end yet another Finnegan's threat. One last chance for our heroes but you could tell what little the team had in the tank was draining fast as the inning was started with two quick flies to the outfield. Pete walked and Gunnar singled, but the Beat's ninth fielder's choice ended the game.

It really did seem like everything worked against the Beat in this game. Six innings saw the Beat lead off with a base runner yet only two scored. Finnegan's rarely made a clean play on the infield but managed to knock down enough balls to turn nine fielder's choices and 16 of 21 outs in the infield. Contrastingly, the Beat could not seem to knock down those infield grounders and allowed five runs on errors.

But when it comes down to it, you need look no further than the offense. This same team that hit .565 over the past three games with 70 runs on 67 hits managed only five runs on 11 hits against a very beatable Finnegan's team. Ten base runners were cut down at second or third, seven runners were stranded, four Beat players wore collars, and the team managed only two clutch hits all day. And as quickly as that 70-run freight train tore through town, it left just as quickly with the Beat offense lying dusty in its wake.  

The Beat now sits back at .500 with a week off to contemplate what happened today and how to turn it around; but you have to think that the train will be back rolling soon. In two weeks, on June 2nd, the Beat gets a rematch against this same Finnegan's team. You can bet the boys in grey will be up for that one.