With Perry Roehm Stadium under water on Sunday morning, the PBL re-enacted the tried and true ritual of scrambling to find a field to play on, and remarkably got things started almost on-time over at our reliable fallback Gormley Field. We have the Fun & Frolic League to thank for not playing softball there on Sundays anymore. 3 out of 4 games ain’t that bad.
This week’s action made us all ask the question, “Can you sneak a potato onto a baseball field and pretend it’s a baseball to deceive a baserunner?” According to PBL umpires provided by the Rougarou: yes, yes you can. In a series of events that will forever be remembered as PotatoGate, inspired by the infamous “Potato Caper” of 1987 hatched from the mind of minor league catcher Dave Bresnahan, Crete Street Riot’s Adam Kronenberg purchased a light-colored russet potato the morning of April 11 with a plan the likes of which would boil the blood of more than one S9 player. At a critical moment in the game, while S9 was on a rally, with Adam Ritter occupying third base, CSR catcher Dean dropped the baseball at home plate, and threw the aforementioned potato wildly over the third baseman’s head, giving the appearance of a wild throw. S9 baserunner Adam Ritter seeing a white-ish object fly into left field bolted towards home plate, while catcher Dean picked up the baseball, held it in his mitt, and casually awaited the baserunner on the 3rd base line, making a tag, and revealing a baseball in his mitt afterwards. Upon umpire conference, and with much protest from spectators and players alike, Rougarou Umpire Crew, Dennis Clutter, Matt Morrin, and Doc Melia conferred and both raised their fists in the air indicating the call as “out” (going against precedent set in the 1987 “potato caper”). Where were you the day of PotatoGate?
Oh, and all the games were really good close ones, and two went to extras.
Rou (4) – Blues (4) in 10 innings (TBC???)
CSR (3) – S9 (2)
Par (10) – 5WW (9) in 10 innings
BS – Pels (postponed)
#potatogate
“For the record, I was always against this idea.”– Corey Harris, Jr. (the other CSR catcher)
“I don’t think he ever tagged me out at home.”– Adam Ritter, the baserunner
“Do you know what happened to the potato?”– Adam Kronenberg, CSR Commandante
“This is bullshit!”– Phil Minnissale, S9 Player/Manager
“I’m glad I wasn’t here while it happened.”– Nick Schmidt, PBL Commissioner
“Fun idea. Easily the worst call in the history of the PBL.”– Charlie Fitzgibbon, went to some umpire classes
“The umpires conferred, examined the evidence, including the tuber in left field, determined the runner ran at his own risk, was tagged with an official game baseball that was in play and was not a potato and so was called out.”– Matt Morrin, Umpire
“Anybody have a beer?– The Blues