TURN OUT THE LIGHTS
THE SEASON'S OVER!

It is always hardest writing an article after a defeat or at the end of a sub-par season. Such is the case as The BEAT's first season in 'C' league comes to a close. The game itself was not one to write home about, but the day is etched in memory for the honors and achievements that it held.

The game was played in honor of our captain and defensive backbone, Frank "Pepe" Green. Now that the season is complete, Pepe is moving back to New York and we will miss him dearly. Pepe became the starting catcher in 1989 and has been the rock of the battery ever since. A fierce competitor with a heart of gold, Pepe was the Brass BEAT award winner in 1994 after pumping up in the offseason and seeing his batting average rise 119 points from the prior season. Pepe was a quiet leader who was prone to sudden outbursts when the team really needed a kick in the ass. Frank will indeed be missed, but like the other core members of The BEAT who have found themselves on brief BEAT sabbaticals such as Jim Harvey and Eric Meyer, there is always a place in the batting order.

So for the last time of 1996, the call went out to "Play Ball!" Unfortunately, The BEAT's final opponent was none other than Connecticut Yankee who put us away handily in the spring. And like before, the game was over almost as soon as it began. There were few brights spots in this 16-1 drubbing by the Yankees. But there was one spot to remember. With two outs in the last inning, Coach Wilfred Spoon played the card that he had been holding all season. In to pinch hit for rookie Matt Vaughan, Chris Young. Chris held the team batting title for three consecutive seasons from 1993 to 1995 and in that span hit at an amazing .652 clip. But 1996 was a different story as Chris spent the entire season on the injured reserve. That is until September 28. Chris stepped to the plate and drove a sharp single past the second baseman for the last of The BEAT's six measly hits on the day. Chris received a standing ovation for his triumphant return and for adding a little sunlight to an otherwise gloomy game.

And when it was over, The BEAT had posted their final loss of the 1996 season finishing the summer at a rather depressing 3-5. After struggling through a difficult spring, they posted a strong 3-1 start in the summer and looked like the champions of 1995. But the blazing bats of '95 gave way to the slumps of '96, and by the end of August there were just no hits left in BEAT bats. The BEAT was held to a pitiful seven runs and 31 hits over the last four games to go from a tie for second place to the door of the cellar.

Following the game came the annual presentation of the Brass BEAT award. This award is presented to the most inspirational player on and off the field and in the eight years of this award has never gone to one player twice. The decision is solely that of the prior winner and in this case it was in the hands of 1995's standout Brass BEAT winner, Jeff "Rocks" Ricketts. The 1996 Brass BEAT was presented to shortstop Kevin Austin who worked hard in the offseason to bring his batting average up 100 points over his career totals and take the team batting title with a .538 average and .674 on base percentage. He also spent many off the field hours compiling stats and putting together this web page which we are happy to boast that, at the time of this writing, has posted a circulation of over 700 since March. Austin went 2-2 with a leadoff double in the game and extended his current hitting streak to 18 games.

Rounding out the batting leaders for 1996, Austin tied for the team lead in runs with Mike Buttafuso and Mark St.Georges at 12 a piece and with Greg Lukoski for the team lead in hits with 21. Lukoski led the team in extra base hits with six and slugging percentage at .750 while finishing a HOT summer season with a .619 average. Power man Donnell Moody led the team with 15 RBI's while rookies Mike Weiss and Matt Vaughan give the team promise for the future hitting .500 and .450 respectively. Honorable mention goes out to Denny O'Brien who posted at .500 average for the summer.

'D', Butts, Pepe and Pete

Coach Wilfred Spoon was given a special honor and presented with a signed copy of the 1996 team photo for all of his hard work and dedication off the field and for the hardest of all tasks, sacrificing his own playing time to get others players in the games. As the post game festivities wound down, 1993 Brass BEAT winner, Peter Wenner, bestowed one last honor on his good friend Frank Green by hosting a team fairwell party for the man Peter had passed the Brass BEAT to just two years earlier. Peter and Maria helped to carry on the great BEAT tradition that, win or lose, no season can end without a party.

So once again, we look ahead to next year with the hopes of another shot at 'C' and a chance to prove that we can hit and that we do belong. Until spring, we still have our memories.

View The BEAT's 1996 Final Batting Statistics

On The BEAT News Archive