Spring is arriving

It is almost 4:30pm on the 26th of March, and I have the windows open, the "Glad" Christian Acapella project music blaring, and have been enjoying taking my 13 month old on strolls in the 55 degree plus weather. I think it is safe to say that spring is arriving in Missoula. I had almost forgotten how much I love this time of year. Baseball, green grass, sun, yard work, and Holy Week. I used to rank the Advent (Christmas) time as my favorite--snow, hot chocolate, football, and the celebration of the birth of Christ, but as I have gotten older, I cherish this time more. It starts with the waving of Palms on Palm Sunday; a triumphant and humble entrance by Christ into Jerusalem, where I am sure the irony of a group of people cheering Jesus only to shout "Crucify Him" merely days later did not escape our Servant King. This is followed by: Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and finally the celebration of Easter, of Christ conquering the grave and ascending into heaven. As this time gives me such energy and renewal, I am keenly aware that had I been around during this historical time period, it might have (probably in fact) been me that was cheering Jesus one day only to shout crucify Him the next. It's so easy to be removed from these events...after all, they happened so long ago, but it is precisely why we need to be very aware of what happened. This season is a time of new birth and renewal, and a reminder that we are loved, that we are forgiven and that we ought to, "do this in remembrance of Me."

FPC Midseason report

The season has seen some great excitement and a lot of fun for the Presbies so far! With three games to go before the playoffs, FPC finds itself 2-3, after a two week stretch where the team went 1-1, with a comeback victory and some revenge on FUMC, and almost pulling off another one against Missoula Alliance, in which the last 3 innings saw FPC allow no runs, while turning multiple double plays. Stacy Keogh turned an unassisted double play at 2nd base, which allowed FPC to stay in the game!

On May the 18th, FPC took on FUMC in a rematch after being drubbed just two weeks before. A back and forth battle saw the lead change 5 times, capped off by a FPC 4 run inning in the top of the 6th to take the lead and win the game. Wes Bowman led the charge with 3 hits and 4 rbi's, while the veteran right hander Hendrix picked up his 2nd win of the season to bring his total to 2-1, with a sporty era of ____. Rookie Emily Muir say 22 total pitches, or 4.4 per plate appearance, which tired out the opposing pitcher during that game. FPC also had a season low 5 errors, and in church league softball, the team that has less errors typically wins the game (as a note, FUMC actually had less than FPC during this game).

On June 8th, two days after the anniversary of D-Day, or the invasion of Normandy, First Pres took on the Missoula Alliance Church. Zach Strauch took to the mound for the first time this season, and pitched valiantly, and despite the rain soaking the field, he only gave up 5 runs total. The Presbies were down most of the game (with the score being 9-1 at one point), but charged back in the late innings with several double plays (3), and some key at bats that saw the score reach 9-7 in the bottom of the 7th. With the tying runs on base and two outs, Tobin Shearer "The Professor" battled his way to a 3-2 count. On the 3-2 pitch, Shearer hit a sharp ground ball that was snagged by the first baseman for the final out. Despite this, FPC has played fantastic and fun softball all season long, and the team's late rallies have earned them the name the "comeback kids."

Midseason team leader batting statistical report*

At Bats: 12 (B. Hendrix)
Hits: 7 (B. Hendrix)
Doubles: 3 (B. Hendrix)
RBI's: 9 (R. Thomas)
Runs: 6 tie (B. Hendrix and Z. Shearer)
Base on Balls: 2 (Z. Shearer)

*this report does not include 2 games which were not electronically reported.


When FPC takes the field on the 15th, coach Russ Thomas will be subbing in for coach Bucholtz.

Join us on June 15th as FPC takes to the road to pay team Elevate. First pitch is at 7:30pm, and the game will be played at Fort Missoula Field #3.

The Presbies "rivalry" game against First Lutheran will be Friday June 22, at Fort Missoula Field #1. This is the "Reformation Rumble."

FUMC score early, often

Another cold and rainy night for church ball, and the FPC loyal took the field against team FUMC/Rodda Paint. Rookie Zach Shearer towed the rubber, and was not intimidated by a sponsored team. As FPC would come to know, however, FUMC brought it. They would score runs in every inning, to eventually down the Presbies by a score of 18-9.

This was the first game in which Roman Bucholtz (article author) would insert himself in the line-up, going 3-4 with 3 rbi's. He would also misjudge a deep fly ball, slip, and not be able to recover the catch. The play resulted in a minor back injury, which reminded him of why he is the manager and not a player.

A First on the season, FUMC hit an out of the park homerun against Shearer, bring the total amount of outside the park homeruns hit against FPC to 1 since its inception.

Stacy Keogh provided some fine defense at second base, and a late rally almost saw FPC tie the game. It was not to happen, but effort was high all around for the team!


Join us on May 18th at 6:00pm at Fort Missoula Field #1as FPC takes to the road against FUMC/Rodda Paint, and looks to avenge its lose!

Also, mark your calendars for Friday, June the 22nd, as First Pres plays host to First Lutheran at 7:30pm at Fort Missoula Field #1. This game is already being dubbed by the press as the "Reformation Rumble."

Late FPC rally falls just short

FPC Rallies late, falls short in 7.

You would be hard pressed to find someone that would think Friday's softball games would be played if you asked anybody on Thursday the 26th at 3:13pm when a massive rainstorm struck, but less than 26 hours later, First Pres would be on the field for their first away game against the new league team "River of Life". It was a familiar yet slightly depleted line-up for the Presbies. First Pres would go 3 up and 3 down in the top of the first, and would allow 4 runs in the bottom. Righty Bob Hendrix once again pitched strong, striking out 2 over 6 innings, while throwing a season high 78 pitches. He allowed only 3 earned runs whilst retiring the first batter he faced in all but one inning. Hendrix also lead the team in the "acrobatic" category, as many of his fielding attempts were done in motion.

In the top of the 7th inning, FPC would find themselves down 13 to 5, but energy was immediately shot into the team when Left Fielder Carl Miller tripled down the Left Field line to lead off the inning. Stacy Keogh would later single and score Miller, followed by another Rebecca Kress single. Tobin Shearer, or the "professor" as he is known would follow with another single and the bases were loaded. With 2 outs, Russ Thomas would step up to the plate and drill a long line drive triple, and would eventually score on the throwing error, cutting the score difference to 3. The rally would eventually fall short, but it was an amazing comeback!

First Pres did have some fielding issues as they committed a season high 16 errors in the field. Despite this, they were almost able to pull off the victory, but the final score would finish at 13-10. This is the first game of the season that the Presbies have dropped, and they now fall to 1-1. Join us next week (Friday May the 4th) at Fort Missoula Field #3 @7:30pm as First Pres will play host to the FUMC/RODDA paint team.


Game notes:
-B. Hendrix had two doubles on the night, leading the team in that category
-R. Thomas had a team leading 3 rbi's (runner's batted in). His team leading total now stands at 9
-K. Lamp once again led the team in pitches seen per at bat, with 13 total, and an average of 4.3 per at bat
-Rebecca Kress played injured, and despite this, had a perfect fielding percentage for the game
-Zach Strauch and Russ Thomas turned a key double play in the 4th inning that prevented a run from scoring

The Seattle Mariners: My favorite ballclub

It has been two years since I have been to my hometown of Seattle, and many years since I have seen the Mariners play ball, but they hold a special place in my heart. After Phil Humber's perfect game that he recently threw against Seattle, which was amazing, but not wholly unexpected that something like it wouldn't happen to the Mariners, I was prompted to recall my fond and ironic memories of the M's.

When I was a young child, my mother would take my brother and I to a place called the Kingdome, an old and worn down dome stadium where dozens of fans would come out every night to watch the Mariners lose yet another game. I didn't care about the record or the winning or losing, but the joy of eating a hotdog, and seeing a baseball fly into the stands (foul or otherwise). It was these experiences, and the year 1995 that prompted me to both love and play baseball.

In 1995, Major League Baseball had just come out of a strike, in which the 1994 season was not completed. It was hard to tell if fans would come back to baseball, especially to a team like the Mariners, who had only proved that they could lose. Things seemed different in 1995, however. The Mariners had players with the names of: Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Tino Martinez, Mike Blowers, Randy Johnson, an amazing defensive catcher in Dan Wilson, and yes, even Joey Cora. The M's started out hot, but an early season injury to Griffey Jr., or "the kid," had fans thinking that the year might end the same as every other year. Indeed, by the end of August, the Mariners were near 13 games out of first place. What happened that September would change baseball forever in Seattle. Not only would the Mariners come back to tie for the lead in the American League West Division, but they would win a one game playoff with the then California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). The team would go on to quickly lose the first two games of the ALDS (American League Division Series) to the New York Yankees, only to come back to win the final three games dramatically. It was in these games that Edgar Martinez defined himself to me as "Mr. Mariner" and became forever my favorite baseball player-the man whom I would model my own baseball swing after.

The season would sadly end shortly thereafter, as the Cleveland Indians would overpower the Mariners. Still, it was a season that will never be forgotten, and would set in motion the wheels to not only keep the Mariners in Seattle, but to also build a new and beautiful stadium, "Safeco Field" as it is called today. Much has transpired in since 1995, and 17 years later, the Mariner's still find themselves one of only two teams (The Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals) to never reach the World Series.

In 1997, the Mariners, with one of the most prolific offensive line-ups in history, would reach the playoffs, but while hitting might get you there, pitching and defense wins championships. The Mariners were shut down in 1997 by a Baltimore Oriole team that would feature: Mike Mussia, Mike Bordick, and the great Cal Ripken Jr. The Mariners would subsequently trade Ken Griffey Jr. away to Cincinnati and Randy Johnson to the Houston Astros. Enter Ichiro Suzuki. In 2000, and 2001, the Mariners would reach the playoffs yet again, with 2001 being the year where the Mariners would host the All-star game, send 8 players to that game, and win 116 baseball games, tied for most in history. During both years, the Mariners would win in the first round of the playoffs (2000 was a sweep of Chicago and 2001 was a victory over Cleveland), only to lose both years to the Yankees. The Mariners have not been back to the playoffs since 2001, and since Lou Piniella was the Mariners manager, and have lost more than 100 games twice in the last 5 years. The Mariners also lost their voice: Dave Niehaus, whom I grew up listening to. It was an amazing experience listening to Niehaus no matter what the outcome of the game was, and while the announcers of today's Mariners are very good, there is nobody who will ever replace him. I grew up with his voice on the television or the radio. Dave Niehaus was Mariner's baseball.

We are now in the year 2012. It is very early in the season, and the Mariners have great young talent. Hope is very high, and I expect great things to come from this team in the next few years. As of now, the Mariners sit in 3rd place in the American League West Division, with a record of 8-10, which puts them 6 games out of 1st. Last night, they beat the Detroit Tigers by a score of 7-4. We are still early in the season. Anything can happen....even for Seattle.

First Pres off to a soaring start!

Home openers are always exciting! Every team starts with a fresh record, and it was no different on Friday night for First Presbyterian's opening night 18-7 victory over team Refuge. The team soared out of the gates, with veteran righty Hendrix and the softball team putting up two strait zero's, and scoring their limit of 5 runs in both the first and the second inning. A First Presbyterian first, Refuge did not record an out on FPC until the 2nd inning. Momentum is so important in church league ball, and with a small hiccup in the top of the 5th inning, where Refuge rallied for 6 runs, FPC was able to establish the momentum early, and regain it in the bottom of the 5th with another 5 runs.

During the top of the 5th inning, errors were an issue, as 3 of FPC's 6 errors came in that inning, but the most important thing to remember is that both teams will make errors (Refuge had 11), and a great strength of the FPC players was the recovery from those errors.

Player of the game awards go out to Bob Hendrix, who went 6 strong innings, and only gave up 1 earned run, which throwing 64 pitches (50 strikes), and Russ Thomas, who was 4 for 4, with 6 rbi's. Newcomer second base player Jaci Wolff also had a stellar first game, as she picked up 3 hits and 2 rbi's, and made several fine defensive plays in the field. Tune in next week as First Pres goes for its second win "on the road" against team "River of Life" at 6:00pm at Fort Missoula Field #5.

Games notes:

*Stat correction: Russ Thomas actually went 4 for 4. Stat tracker has him at 5-5
*Stat correction: Bob Hendrix last week was listed at 6'6'. He is actually 6'2'
*Bob Hendrix retired the first batter he faced in every inning of the game
*Katie Lamp saw 6 pitches in her at bat, which was the most pitches seen of any FPC player during one at bat
*Russ Thomas had 6 putouts (the most by the team) and 0 errors in the field
*The athletic Stacy Keogh was the 1st recorded out for First Presbyterian this season, which occurred in the 2nd inning.

This Week in History: Wyatt Earp not rehired in Wichita!

Born in 1848, and one of five brothers, Wyatt Earp was not rehired by the Wichita, Kansas Police Department on this day (April 19th) in 1876. 1876, incidentally is the same year that Lt. Colonel George A. Custer led the 7th Cavalry in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, in which Custer was famously overconfident, and he and 263 of his men were killed in action fighting Lakota and Cheyenne warriors (Source: http://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm)

Earp was not rehired because he allegedly beat up a candidate for the office of county sheriff. Earp would soon move to the town of Dodge City, where he would make a name for himself too. In 1881, Earp would once again move, this time to the now famous Tombstone, Arizona, where he and his brothers would engage in the famous "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral." The fight, in fact, did not happen at a corral.

Earp would later have to leave Tombstone, Arizona, and would eventually settle and pass away in Los Angeles, California in 1929.

Facts about Wyatt Earp:

“Wyatt Earp dropped from Wichita police force.” 2012. The History Channel website. Apr 19 2012, 1:27 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wyatt-earp-dropped-from-wichita-police-force.