The long winter

Keep yourself warm this offseason with some Orators gear designed by "Gentleman Ben" Fortney. Visit his site here.

Also, there have been talks about a 2nd Annual "Keep it Vintage" Benefit to be hosted by the rock group For the Hutch with all proceeds donated to the Orators for purposes of equipment and the like. We'll keep you posted with a date.

So long and thanks for all the huzzah's!

So cranks, the troubled 2008 campaign of the Bridgeport Orators has come to a close. The team managed only three wins the entire season, their second in existence. But it wasn't a total bust either. A lot of core players stepped up and tightened up their defensive game. If the club stays active in the future, there is no doubt they will only be improving.

As we head into winter, Team President Joe Vigorito has told us he plans to make some significant changes in the future. Namely, there will be less games scheduled for the entire season and the list of matches will likely involve more of a localized team rather than the team's practice of branching out of the Fairfield County area. Also, 1880's games will be fewer. The team has lacked the tools and roster to be competitive in these games specifically in the department of catching and pitching.

The Orators have made it their trademark to fall asleep with the bats, but late in the season that trend was turning. With a consistent core and more practices, if the team returns expect the roster to continue focusing on 1860's style hitting and fielding without a glove of course.

No joke: the abysmal final results of 2008

2008 Orators record: 3-28.
SPLITS:
60's rules: 3-23
80's rules: 0-5
Home: 2-11
Away: 1-17

Bridgeport drops two against Brooklyn to close season

10/12/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. Brooklyn Atlantics
--------
GAME 1: LOST
GAME 2: LOST

It was the story that's killed the Orators all season. One bad inning in both games leads to a sweep to end the season.

Another game!

With the high level of cancellations throughout the season, the Park City Nine have scheduled one last doubleheader to close out the season.

Oct. 11 vs. Brooklyn Atlantics. It's a home game to be played at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. The O's opened their season against Brooklyn at Seaside so this final game will be like bookends. Funny - the Orators have won three games all season and somehow they still played later into the year than the Yankees and Mets...

Very late Sept. 28 results

The Orators dropped another two at New London.

I have yet to have the official results forwarded but I understand it was crappy conditions and close games, with the O's falling just short. I will update the results if I ever get them...

Now available: ORATORS MERCH

This winter stay warm while being cool with some Bridgeport Orators gear. Buy Park City approved apparel here.

Season closer cancelled

This weekend's game has been cancelled by the Pioneers. It was to be the Park City's last game of the year.

Brideport's looking to schedule an extra game next weekend to make up for this.

Orators can't stop Atlantics in Hamptons showdown

9/20/08
Bridgeport Orators @ Brooklyn Atlantics
--------
GAME 1, LOST 19-9
GAME 2, LOST 19-7

The Bridgeport Orators took the long trip out to Long Island to face off against their New York counterparts the Brooklyn Atlantics. Playing a scrimmage at a Bridgehampton Historical Society event, the setting was serene and the weather pleasant, though the results left some things to be desired for Bridgeport.

Shaking off early sloppy defense in both games of the 1860's doubleheader, the Orators played seemed to play well overall tightening up on the field and delivering with the bats while trading jabs with the fine gentlemen of the Atlantic club. But, it was no use - the Atlantics bats woke up in the middle of the first game when the Orators were ahead by 4 runs. The barrage of the Atlantics attack didn't stop for the rest of the day, with the team putting up a staggering 38 runs over 18 innings easily stifling any hopes that the O's might stay competitive with the boys from Brooklyn.

Park City can't cash in vs. New London

9/14/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. New London Thames Nine
--------
GAME 1: LOST 8-7
GAME 2: LOST 7-4

At first, it seemed like your typical Orators loss - sloppy defense combined with bad at-bats. In game one at Seaside Park, the Bridgeport side looked overmatched and unprofessional. But, the team turned it around late, tightening up the defense and chipping away, combined with a stunning four run ninth inning to tie Newtown 7-7. Alas, the Thames Nine came back with a run in the top of the 10th to spoil the Park City's comeback. It was the first extra innings game in the history of the Orators.

Game 2 was equally close, but the Orators weren't able to stay consistent late in the game, eventually falling to the Thames Nine side who have continued a streak of dramatic games versus Bridgeport forming a bit of a friendly competitive rivalry. Both sides braved the elements for unbelievably humid conditions for what may have been the worst weather day for baseball of the year.

Coverage of Simsbury games

From the Simsbury site about the schooling of the Orators in the 1880's game and squandering of the lead in the 1860's game.

Read more in pdf form here.

Harbor Yard Event Rained Out

Yet another game cancelled in the troubled 2008 campaign of the Park City Nine.

Tomorrow's game vs. Simsbury at Harbor Yard has been postponed. If there is a makeup date for the Harbor Yard Event, we'll keep you posted.

O's outmatched

8/24/08
Bridgeport Orators @ Simsbury Taverneers
--------
GAME 1, 1880's rules: LOST via a "mercy forfeit"
GAME 2, 1860's rules: LOST 12-4

There was nothing pretty about Bridgeport's Sunday showing at Simsbury. in what might possibly be the worst 1880's rules showing yet, the Orators faced off against the Taverneers for the first time in the Park City Nine's short history. The O's were simply outmatched. After only a few innings of overhand pitching with the Simsbury side posting lopsided tallies, combined with a lack of relief pitching on Bridgeport's roster - the game was forfeited. A mercy killing if there ever was one.

The teams played a full 9 of 1860's underhand rules where Bridgeport topped off the sad Sunday with a 12-4 loss at their newest opponents.

Sunday Preview

This Sunday, the Orators head into Simsbury for 9 innings of 1880's overhand style. It's the O's first matchup with the Taverneers, not just this season but in the short history of the Park City Nine. Check out the Web site of Simsbury here.

Bridgeport has struggled in 1880's rules, especially being inconsistent on offense. The team is hoping to turn it around this weekend with the first 80's rules victory of 2008 and what would be only the second road victory and fourth victory overall.

Up next, the Orators will face off against Simsbury again, this time under the lights for the 2nd Annual Harbor Yard vintage exhibition on Sept 7.

"Scheduling snafu" has weekend matinee cancelled

Continuing an unfortunate trend this season, Sunday's scheduled home game against the Hartford Dark Blues has been cancelled due to a "scheduling snafu" by the boys from up North (I mean the Dark Blues, not Canadians).

Doesn't look a reschedule's going to happen. So I guess take another weekend off from vintage but get some swings in and stay fresh, so that the team can end the season stronger than we started it!

This week

The Orators take an off week and enjoy a rare split from last week.

On Aug. 17 at 10 a.m., the team returns to the friendly confines of Seaside Park for their first home game in a month. But, the impressive Hartford Dark Blues will do all they can to spoil Brideport's homecoming with a vintage battle.

Orators split at Old Bethpage, win first road game of the year

8/3/08
Bethpage 1860's Tournament
--------
GAME 1, LOST to Newtown
GAME 2, WON against Mineola

* scores unavailable, come back later for details.

Shamless Plug

Come see Mark a.k.a. Hutch's band FOR THE HUTCH, this Saturday in Yonkers, NY.



WHO:
For the Hutch
Too Minutes
Princess and the Criminals

WHAT:
The Hutchcapades
An outdoor summer music festival except held indoors and not a festival.

WHERE:
Barney McNabb's
600 Tuckahoe Road
Yonkers, NY 10710

WHEN:
Saturday
Aug. 2, 2008
8 p.m.

WHY:
So Mark will stop bothering you.

Brooklyn's coverage of 7/27 games

Check out the Brooklyn Atlantics recap of this weekend's monsoon bowl here. There is a score discrepancy (they list game one as 16-10 when it was actually 15-10) but other than that it is some fine vintage coverage from the fine vintage lads down in Brooklyn.

Orators outslugged in Brooklyn 'Monsoon Bowl'

7/27/08
Bridgeport Orators at Brooklyn Atlantics
--------
GAME 1, LOST 15-10. 1860's rules
GAME 2, LOST 9-4. 1860's rules

The Orators and Atlantics played through some monsoon-like conditions and actually got in two 9-inning games despite a thunder, lightning and rain-filled Sunday. The Park City Nine showed some life in both games but some Long Island lightning with the lumber created some thundrous offense from Brooklyn that ultimately outdid the O's.

Poll of the Week: The addictive replying all habit

No 'Grays' area: Providence beats O's in double bill

7/10/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. Providence Grays
--------
GAME 1, LOST. 1860's rules
GAME 1, LOST. 1880's rules

Beat handily in game 1, the Orators were in a good position in game 2, but squandered a lead and lost the game on a walk off passed ball or wild pitch.

July 20 Newtown game cancelled

Tomorrow, July 20's game at Newtown Sandy Hooks has been cancelled. No makeup date has been scheduled.

The 10th Inning...with "Pops" Vigorito

Joe "Pops" Vigorito might point out he is the real Joe Vigorito (not to be confused with his son, Team President Junior a.k.a. Vintage Joe). Well, no one would point this out except Pops himself and also this blog, but I digress.

The elder statesman of the Bridgeport Orators, this year Pops has been keeping it vintage behind the dish as the new official team umpire, replacing the Hon. Mike Roer from last year. But, he still has plenty of gas in the tank and despite a nagging shoulder injury he's still ready to suit up when needed - he welds a nasty bat at the striker's line and as an outfielder has been known to make even the most routine play look like a SportsCenter highlight. Yep, Pops is showing how to get it done whether he's competing or warning strikers and hurlers.

But why talk about Pops, when we can talk with him? Here it goes:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: As Vintage Joe's father, tell me what went wrong was it about his upbringing that has made him vintage-obsessed? And also sending out 100 emails to the team a week?

POPS: I tried - Oh, did I try to help him. But, junior became a Met fan and I thought all hope was lost. Then something happened... he went to college, became a History major and learned how to write. The rest is history.

KIV: This season, you've basically become the team's umpire. Tell me is it difficult to call a game fairly and do you really want to just suit up in Orator gray and hit the field again?

P: It’s a good fit for me. Mike retired, I have masochistic tendencies anyway, so why not?
As far as calling the game, it’s tough because I love you guys and you're usually on the bad side of most of the calls. I love suiting up even if I’m just posing.

KIV: During the east coast / west coast rap beef of the 1990's whose side were you on?

P: West coast. I like Snoop.

KIV: Why don't you show those guys how we roll in vintage base ball. I'll beatbox and you rap... GO! (if you don't rap for me, a kitten somewhere dies).

P: Bridgeport has a team and it’s not just any team. We rock and we roll with the best it seems. We have a good club so we shouldn't get drubbed. We show up every week even though we get snubbed. So why am I doing this it’s a mystery to me. Yet I do like playing down by the sea.
OK?

KIV: When you started playing vintage ball how long had it been since you played organize baseball?

P: Early Eighties. I sponsored and played softball in the Fairfield League. I Pitched and played First. I was pretty good; I was a spray hitter and had a good OBP. Ginger is rolling!

KIV: I suggest witchcraft or divine intervention is needed to turn the Orators season around. How do I get supernatural powers to help us? I'm all ears (and all nose depending on what angle you're looking at me from) - tell me how to perform a ceremony.

P: Divine Intervention? Witchcraft? I don’t know… but if you could run as good as you hit maybe that would help!

KIV: Oh snap! I've been sonned West Coast style, but I expect no less from someone named Pops.

THE 10TH INNING is a series of posts where we profile team members and other vintage personalities.

Poll of the Week: MVP (Most Vintage Player)

Bridgeport drops another in 1880's rules

7/13/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. Hartford Senators
--------
GAME 1, LOST. Orators 2 - Senators 14

Giving up fourteen runs, combined with anemic offense - a simple formula for another Orators loss.

Housekeeping from Vintage Joe:

"Just a reminder: due to the holiday weekend, there is no game scheduled for this Sunday.

We pick back up on Sunday 7/13 with an 1886 home game against the Hartford Senators."

CANCELLED!

The June 28 games scheduled vs. Meddowe BBC have been cancelled.

Meddowe have suffered several injuries and are dealing with a depleted roster. Besides, the forecast is looking like rain-rain-rain on Sunday.

According to Orator Team President Vintage Joe Vigorito, the games could potentially be rescheduled later in the year.

It slips away at Seaside: O's blow two leads, swept in doubleheader

6/22/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. Waterbury Connors
--------
GAME 1, LOST: Connors 14 - Orators 5
GAME 2, LOST: Orators 8 - Connors 15

The O's were backed up by solid pitching from Jeff "Bones" Webster and Adam Bellagamba. A sloppy inning in both games saw two leads squandered and two holes dug that the Park City never ended up climbing out of.

The 10th Inning...with Jay "Papi" Ortiz

Whether he's knocking in runs, diving to stop line drives, or faking runners back to the bases by spiking a ball full force into the dirt, Jay "Papi" Ortiz is always "The Guy" for the Orators. The short scoutsman has been a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball. Also his tabloidesque relationship with Gentleman Ben has combined to have the left side of the infield become Bridgeport's answer to Brangelina.

In recent weeks, while the Park City has battled inconsistency, Papi's been out of the lineup. He was placed on the DL with severe case of the love bug - turns out he was recently married and honeymooning. Then came back and actually prioritized his real life job over the team, leaving many pundits to worry if Papi's superstar play is leading to a prima donna nonchalance. So come on Papi, what's the real story?

KEEP IT VINTAGE: I understand you were recently married and didn't show up to play baseball that weekend - what gives? Barkeep showed up on his wedding day... Looks to me like you may not have your vintage priorities in line.
PAPI: Dude My Wife is hot! I am the luckiest man alive this century...err last two centuries? Barkeep set very high vintageness playing on his wedding day. Them Irish boys are great when it comes to drinking and being vintage ballists. Us um...eh...ahhh..."Latino's" are great lovers and slick in the field. To be honest the only reason she married me is for my base ball abilities. Oh and because of my Huge Muscles! I actually did put my Orator Uniform on and was all set to play but this just turned my wife on and... Well, I did get to play in my Orator Uniform. Did I mention my Wife is hot?

KIV: Many felt India was worse off for being controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. But since the Indian National Congress in recent elections won back the Lok Sabha, have you really felt there's been tangible change? And do you think the Rajya Sabha would ever truly cooperate with progressive Lok Sabha legislation anyway?
P: Dude, my wife is hot! We were a little busy so I must have missed that. Rajva Sabha she sounds hot too. I'll have to see if My Wife would be into that!

KIV: ...By the way did it sound like I knew what the hell I was talking about right there?
P: Phewww I was lost and turned on at the same time there. You really sounded intelligent for a minute. I was really surprised.

You should talk to Gentleman Ben. He is very worldly, he's always talking about conquering Mexico and Russia. Maybe he's been in India these last few weeks. Word around town is he hasn't been spotted on the field lately.

KIV: You're known as a pretty fiery guy whose emotions run high on the field. You seem like the type of guy who would cry at the end of Rudy. True?
P: Wow, just because I'm Latino you have to call my fiery? I see where we stand with each other. I definitely run on high octane when I'm on the field but I'm very mellow and laid back off the field.

Maybe it has to do with watching Ben try to play third base or thinking about one of Vintage Joe's million emails. But yeah I cried. You have Notre Dame Football and the dorky kid from the Goonies: I love Notre Dame football and that kid just can't act but his stunt double did get that sack.

KIV: How'd you hear about the vintage game and what made you join the Orators? To try to make this interview more exciting can you add a bank robbery and police chase somewhere in there. Thanks.
P: I'ts actually kind of crazy. I was living a poverish life in Puerto Rico. We simply had no money for gloves but we have such a passion for this game we play anyway. One day we played a game near the port where the cruise ships come in and this beautiful blonde lady kept screaming "go Papi" every time I made a play. I noticed her gringo husband always had a hot dog or pretzel or our native dish Mofongo in his mouth. So I would scream back Viva el Gordo! He looked displeased or maybe it was heartburn.

Anyway after the game I gave the beautiful blonde an autograph and a kiss on the cheek. That's when I saw El Gordo approaching. I thought if he sits on me I may miss the next game so I ran for my life. El Gordo was swifter than he appeared though. I tried to lose him in the market with all the food around. I hid with the cantaloupe thinking he'd never be interested turns out to be his favorite and he caught me. El Gordo was actually our own Vintage Joe and he just needed a shortstop who could play without a glove. He promised me Bridgeport would be just like living in Puerto Rico just a little colder. El Gordo speaks the truth! Plus my wife worked with him when he started the team.

KIV: In high school, you were an outfielder, now you're an infielder. What's the transition been like? Also talk about what it was like to have to stop using a glove.
P: It's kind of funny actually, I played shortstop in Little league until I was about 10. I joined a new team and the coach's son played shortstop so I got moved to third base. One game timeout was called and the kid on third base was tying his cleats off the base. Our catcher decided that he should throw the ball to me anyway and I saw the ball coming at my chest so I put my glove up the ball ricocheted up into my eye and I spent five days in the hospital.

I played with that team until high school and my coach never let me play anywhere but centerfield again. By that time I was pretty well known for my centerfield abilities I was never very pretty but I made more plays than Willie Mays and Joe Dimaggio combined. Vintage ball shows me I always coulda been an infielder/ I throw the ball just as hard as I did in the outfield but the short distance makes it look like I actually have a strong arm (that's our little secret though right?)

Not having a glove makes me look better than I am or maybe it's playing between Ginger and Ben. I just wish I had bigger hands. All my talent is in my knickers!

KIV: Please end this interview doing your best sammy davis jr impression. GO!
P: I knew a man, Bojangles, and he danced for you
in worn out shoes.
With silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants,
the old soft shoe.
He jumped so high, jumped so high, then he lightly touched down.
I met him in a cell in New Orleans, I was
so down and out.
He looked at me to be the eyes of age,
as he spoke right out.
He talked of life, he talked of life. He laughed, clicked heels instead.
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles
Mister Bojangles,
dance!

Take that Barkeep!

Did I mention my wife is hot?

KIV: Aye lad. You did...

The 10th Inning is a series of posts where we profile and interview Bridgeport ballists and other vintage personalities.

Poll of the Week: The Blame Game

Hartford gives Orators the blues

6/14/08
Bridgeport Orators @ Hartford Dark Blues
--------
GAME 1, LOST: Orators 9 - Dark Blues 13
GAME 2, LOST: Orators 14 - Dark Blues 32

(note: scores are "unofficial." -ed.)

Next game

Orators @ Hartford Dark Blues

1861 double header or 1861 and a 7-inning 86 game.
(70's game seems to have been cancelled)

When: Saturday June 14, first pitch 10:30 a.m.

Where: Henry Park, Vernon CT

Directions to Henry Park from south:
I-84 to exit 67.
Turn left off the exit onto Rt. 31.
Turn left onto Rt. 30/Hartford Turnpike
Bear right onto South Street
Entrance to Henry Park will be about 1/2 mi down the road on your right.

Poll of the Week: Some groovy rule changes

(Non) Captain's Corner: 6/8 road trip to Hartford

Each week, we speak with team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello on the game of the week. But Matt wasn't there this weekend and I feared other captains and Team Prez Vigorito wouldn't respond to my interview requests in time for my self-imposed deadline of today. So instead, I interviewed Ginger Kirkpatrick (pictured above). He's not a captain or anything, but I knew he'd respond to my e-mail comparatively quickly.

KEEP IT VINTAGE: I know you're not a captain but I'm interviewing you for the Captain's Corner this week, since Matt wasn't there and the other guys take too long to respond to my e-mails.

Why do I think you will respond more quickly?
GINGER: I don't know because, in truth, I'm actually quite busy. You have to understand, I'm kind of a big deal.

KIV: So what went wrong with the guys the other day?

G: Aside from several missing people, nothing, really. We just played a better team. They could rake. Brian and I kept saying, "Oh, geez" as we watched yet another dart sail deep into the gap. But Kurt braved it out on the mound, and I believe added 3 hits. He's really been hitting some nice line drives, which is what we need in this lineup. Cap filled in at short and then pitched, and Matty "the Conspicuous Canine" Ayotte pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Brian had the hit of the day, when he temporarily felled the leftfielder and possibly threatened his offspring. And Gozer scored something called a "run."

KIV: Do you think the switching between rules has any impact on the team?
G: Nah. Come on, we gotta be able to play '80s ball, too. What do we need, a tee?

KIV: (Well I just meant you need more pitchers and catchers, your pitchers have to be able to work the strike zone more not to mention fielders and hitters have to be adjusted to higher speed of play, but moving on...) Do you think there's any chance Obama chooses me as his runningmate?
G: Well, some say he should pick a woman to help broaden his appeal. So, yes.

KIV: Another rule switch this weekend. How do you think the boys will hold up?
G: I'm not even sure what the '70s game - or as I call it, "Ulysses S. Grant" ball - consists of. Is it like 60s ball, but now freed slaves can play, too? Carpetbaggers get only 2 strikes? Players are subject to random testing for morphine use? (These late 19th-century jokes doing anything for you?)

KIV: Well, no...

1880's struggles continue as depleted Orators handled in Hartford scorcher

6/8/08
Bridgeport Orators at Hartford Senators
--------
1880's rules, LOST: Orators 1 - Senators 11

Poll of the Week: Most Vintage, round 2

Orators-Newtown coverage

The Newtown Sandy Hooks' website has posted a recap of our June 1 doubleheader.

As usual with the Hooks site, there's some fantastic photos taken by Ray "Shutta" Shaw. Give yourself a vintage treat and check out the breakdown here.

I particularly like the picture where it looks like I am giving Pops Vigorito grief. I was framed!

Captain's Corner: 6/1 "A Tale of Two Games"

Each week, we will catch up with Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello (pictured above) on his thoughts regarding the game of the week.

On June 1, it was certainly the tale of two games. In the first, the Orators' bats slumbered while sloppy defense left them in a hole they never climbed out of. The team rebounded in the second game of the doubleheader jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. The team scored over 20 runs in what was their best offensive game of the season. They managed to end their 6-game losing streak and get hitting displays from guys like Barkeep Donnelly and Ginger Kirkpatrick.

So let's see what El Capitan says:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: Let's be blunt - Ginger's been hot at the plate. Is he juicing?
HOWITZER: If you're not cheating, you're not trying. We aren't currently testing for steroids since they haven't been invented yet.

I just hope that he would share it with the other players on the team if he was getting some decent stuff.

KIV: The team's beaten Newtown before but this was the first official victory against them. How important is that?
H: It's very important. We have lost a few one run games to them, and I know that our guys really wanted to win and put it behind them. A good way to get that first win is by scoring 20+ runs. We really put game 1 behind us and hit the ball very well in game 2.

KIV: The team is still .500 at home. After just two wins, is it too early to say the team plays better at home?
H: There's no question that we play better at home. Most of the guys get to sleep a little longer, and spend a little less time driving before gametime. That works both ways also. The team that we are playing had to wake up a little earlier and drive a little extra. It messes up your body. No one likes to sit in the car too long.

KIV: After showing some life in game 2, I'm sure building on that momentum is important? What does the team have to work on to have more victories?
H: I hope we can carry it over. It would be nice if we were playing a 1860's game this weekend, we looked pretty sharp in game 2 last week.

This weekend we will be playing 80's rules, so it will come down to pitching. Hopefully, we get a few pitchers to show up on Sunday.

KIV: What's the status with Cap and the other injured guys how they coming along?
H: All our injuries are day to day at this point. We are going to keep a close watch on Paul's hammy. That will be a problem all year, we just have to be smart about it. Ginger always plays through it, and last week we had to remove GentleBen who had problems with both legs. Cap is just about healed, its really up to him when he feels comfortable playing again. Irish is ready to go, and Big Dawg has a cut on his hand but it wont effect his knuckleball.

A Seaside split: O's stomp out losing streak at home

6/1/08
Bridgeport Orators vs. Newtown Sandy Hooks
--------
GAME 1, LOST: Newtown 11 - Orators 3
GAME 2, WON: Orators 23 - Newtown 14

Poll of the Week: Ain't no place like home!

Shameless plug: FOR THE HUTCH

In two weeks, come see Hutch's band, FOR THE HUTCH, the authors of the song "Keep it Vintage" and the self-proclaimed official rock band of the Bridgeport Orators.
WHO:
For the Hutch
with Tied for Last and Protect Your Neck.

WHAT:
An evening of loud pop tunes with a side of booze.

WHERE:
Barney McNabb's
600 Tuckahoe Rd
Yonkers, NY 10710

WHEN:
Saturday
June 7
8 p.m.

WHY:
Cause it's what a good vintage lad would do.

By the way stay tuned, as For the Hutch plans to hold the 2nd Annual "Keep it Vintage" benefit, proceeds to benefit the Orators VBBC. Show will be later this year. Details coming soon...

The 10th Inning...with Brian "Barkeep" Donnelly

Everyone knows him from tending bar at The Field restaurant/bar in Bridgeport. Little do they know, Brian “Barkeep” Donnelly’s vintage “alter-ego” as the boisterous LF for the Bridgeport Orators.

Barkeep, a pesky top of the order hitter, is known by his fellow ballists as a guy who sacrifices life and limb to catch a fly ball. He has a fire in his stomach, not just because he has access to hard liquor from his job as bartender either. The Barkeep is always willing to speak his mind, sparking his teammates and making things happen on the ballfield with his dangerous speed and sometimes supernatural fielding abilities. He does it all while dedicated – rather than hit a cutoff he’s been known to run a ball all the way back to the infield. His banner moment came last year, when he showed up to play a vintage nine even though he was to be married in mere hours.

We took the opportunity to talk with Donnelly this week, and see what makes his vintage mind tick.
KEEP IT VINTAGE: Let's get the obvious out of the way. On the morning of the day of your wedding, you showed up to play some ball. Obviously that is multi-tasking but let me ask you this: did you ever think of rescheduling the wedding to an offday?
BARKEEP: I have my priorities; my wife's my life. Besides how could I say no to a beautiful woman who includes Oktoberfest and Amsterdam in our honeymoon plans?

KIV: You're generally considered one of the faster runners in the vintage game. Are you really fast or is everyone else really, really slow?
B: I'll take the pat on the back, but in all seriousness if the lads didn't support the tobacco peddlers so much we'd be a faster team. But yes, even without the smokes, I'd still out run the lot of them without spilling me beer.

KIV: A lot of people know you as a bartender. Compare mixing it up at the watering hole to mixing it up in the outfield.
B: Curious question...and I really don't think there is an eloquent answer for it. I guess with the off-season acquisition of the very talented Irish, first sack has really started to resemble The Field.

KIV: Tell me a little bit about how you first heard of vintage ball and became an Orator.
B: My great-grandfather shared fields with the Orator himself, so when our founding fathers held their initial meeting at the bar I tend, I was intrigued.

Then I overheard tales of barnstorming across New England and pictured flashy uniforms with hundreds of cranks cheering our efforts and lining up for our autographs. The Yankee blue uniforms sold me.

KIV: What's a better insult for an opposing team fielder who catches a fly ball on the bounce - nancy boy or a fancy lad?
B: I think we need to take a more aggressive approach than that. Those scallywags should to be tarred, feathered and thrown back into the kitchen where they belong. Maybe one of them can fix the run in my stockings.

The "10th inning" is a series of posts where we chew the fat with the Bridgeport Orators team and other vintage personalities.

Poll of the Week: A time to win

Captain's Corner: 4/18 trip to Meddowe

This week, we're catching up with co-captain Kurt 'El Heffe' Wehmann on his thoughts regarding the game of the week (Capt. Howitzer wasn't in attendance this weekend).

On May 19, the Orators played their first games in several weeks and the results were anything but pretty with two crushing defeats in a row. Bridgeport was clobbered in rainy conditions by Meddowe BBC in two straight games. Still, it wasn't all bad according to El Jefe - it was a fun day and Meddowe are premium vintage gentleman. "Vintage Joe" Vigorito had a hot day at the dish, going 6-7. Pete "Junior" Shanazu took catching duties on the overhand game and Skootch (who retired after last season) made a surprise appearance. Louis, the newest Orator made his debut.

Well enough of this buildup, let's get right to the interview with Kurt:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: Two convincing losses. What went wrong?
KURT: Yeah, we really took it on the chin in the boxscore. We could have used three or four more regulars. Everyone seemed to hit the ball pretty hard, Meddowe is a excellent fielding team. Our only problem was fielding and the wet-slick conditions didn't help. If you give a team one or two extra outs an inning they are gonna put up some crooked tallies.

Skooch made our highlight play of the day in the 80's game going over the shoulder style like Mr. Mays (Huzzah!). Every time I looked up, Ginger was putting the ball hard by the 2nd sack along with playing a shutdown right garden.

KIV: So tell me about Skooch's return to the vintage game? I hear he put on a fielding display?
K: Skooch was excited to suit up for us again. The catch I mentioned above "made my month" he said. He missed seeing he fellow ballists.

KIV: Louis made his Orator debut. How'd he look out there?
K: Louis looked great in the field and at-bat. He missed a couple of pop-ups, but who hasn't? We correct his form on that and I doubt we see another missed. He hit line drives and stole more that a couple bases. He moves like a puma on the diamond. I nominate "Puma" be Louis' nickname.

KIV: Do you think the long stretch of no games or practice had an effect on the boys?
K: I don't think so. I didn't see anyone dragging it out there. I was surprised how focused everyone was considering the weather conditions.

KIV: How do you think the team will rebound next week?
K: I'm excited to see the Hooks at our field Sunday, June 1. We are always competitive with them. As long as we keep hitting the ball hard and tighten up the fielding, the wins will start piling up!.

Park City spanked!: O's losing streak continues

5/18/08
Bridgeport Orators at Meddowe BBC
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GAME 1 (1860's rules), LOST: Orators 4 - Meddowe 24
GAME 2 (1880's rules), LOST: Orators 5 - Meddowe 15

The 10th Inning...with "Vintage Joe" Vigorito

"Vintage Joe" Vigorito isn't just the team's founder and president, he is very much the face of the Bridgeport Orators. This guy eats vintage, breathes vintage, sleeps vintage, regurgitates vintage and then eats more vintage. His story is one anyone affiliated with the Park City Nine knows - in just months after witnessing his first vintage base ball exhibition, Joe had formed a whole team complete with uni's, sponsors, a homefield, and probably most importantly a roster full of fine young gentleman looking to become amateur ballists.

He might be the brains behind the organization, but Vintage Joe is certainly no slouch on the field or at the strikers line either. He has been seen on the field, holding down catching duties, covering first sack and even patrolling the outfield. He's gritty, enthusiastic, and a good will ambassador to the vintage game. So let's cut the hyperbole and get right to it. We had the chance to sit down with Lord Orator himself and get serious to know what makes a vintage gent tick.

KEEP IT VINTAGE: Some have said, and when i say some I mean me, that you started the modern Orators just so you can add another jersey to your already staggering collection. Care to comment?
JOE V: Actually it's more of knicker fetish for me more than anything else. You just don't see enough mens knee length pants anymore. This was a great opportunity to bring'em back. I do have a jersey addiction and it is a fair observation on your part. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was a motivating factor. I've gone to great lengths to get my hands on a new prized jersey I've fancied. This would be right up there: An opportunity to create my own! Unfortunately my creative license was suspended with my intent to recreate the original Orators Jersey. That said, there has been rumblings of alternates.

KIV: Speaking of any new jerseys in your collection?
JV: Yes, I've recently added an authentic Johan Santana Mets home jersey and my most recent addition is a game worn Bridgeport SoundTigers away Mathew Spiller Jersey I won in an auction. Pretty sweet but I'm swimming in it. Spiller is a 6'6" defensemen. Bad jersey calculation on my part. That's it. For now.

KIV: Obviously the history has a lot to do with Jim O'rourke - the Orator himself. Let's be honest, do you think you and Jim would get along? Or do you think he feels you're kind of riding his coattails as the quintessential vintage Bridgeporter? (what might you guys talk about or do if you met?)
JV: Good question, I struggle with this daily. What does this say about me? I couldn't even come up with my own team. O'Rourke would probably enjoy what I am doing and applaud the effort. However, after all the pleasantries were over, I can see him suing me for copyright infringements etc. He was a talented lawyer you know. Last time I checked, I didn't sign any paper work to use his and his team's name. Guess we'd just have to start form scratch and that means...new jerseys!

KIV: You've said in the past the roots of the team were planted when you looked into joining the Newtown Sandy Hooks last year. Tell us the story, but if you could add gnomes and maybe fairies to it. I like gnomes...
JV: When I was just a young little gnome, a fairy came to me in the middle of the night while I was holidaying in Belize. What the fairy said was not really important. What was important was the the replenthentic Orators jersey she was wearing over her fairy dress and wings. It was at that moment that I realized, I needed to go back to bed and this little gnome may have hit the sauce too hard that night while hitting the streets of Belize!

Years later, after I had grown out of my gnome stage, I was introduced to vintage and the [Newtown] Sandy Hooks. As I was about to join the Hooks, suddenly my memory of that warm Belizean night came back to me. I remembered the jersey the fairy was wearing and suddenly I realized it was my time - time to get vintage in Bridgeport. Hence the Orators came to be.

KIV: You obviously spend a lot of time practicing, playing, organizing games, and of course sending your team a lot of e-mails every day. Let me ask you - what is more important to you - keeping it vintage or your family?
JV: At risk of losing my marriage, I'll keep this short. What is most important to me is keeping my family vintage and my vintage family. My wife and I just bought a home that was built in 1914 - pretty vintage huh?

KIV: As the guy who got this team off the ground and runs things behind the scenes, it's probably pretty gratifying to see the team together, playing, having fun. When did you hit that pinnacle and say all this work is worth it? And be honest did you think you were pretty cool for orchestrating it all?
JV: I think I felt my most gratified when we held our first group team meeting at The Field [restaurant]last year. When people hand over $175 bucks for a uniform and sign up for baseball without gloves - sigh unseen - you feel pretty good. I guess what rivaled that was our first game against the [Hartford] Dark Blues and our game at Harbor Yard last July. I though I was pretty cool before I got vintage, however I think my coolness increased one or two levels on the coolness barometer since I've starting Oratin. I maybe approaching the coolness level of my holiday taking, jet setting gnome days.

The 10th Inning is a series of posts where we'll profile different Orators and other vintage personalities.

Poll of the Week: What comes after one Orator e-mail?

Captain's Corner: Still no Base Ball, 5/10

Each week, we will catch up with Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello (pictured above) on his thoughts regarding the game of the week. Of course, the team hasn't played in about a month, so we don't have much to talk to about that we haven't already covered in previous Captain's Corners. But heck, we'll do our weekly interview anyway whether it's necessary or not.

Last weekend on May 10, the Orators had an off week to spend time with their mommies on Mother's Day. Don't worry it's vintage to care about your mamma. OK then... So now, here is our interview:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: So it's been a while since we played, yet I keep interviewing you every week.
HOWITZER: Yeah, it feels like we haven't played in months. Yet, we have too many games scheduled for this season.

KIV: Do you think it's messed up that I only prepared two questions rather than the traditional five for today's interview?
H: Yes I do. I used to think you were pretty good at giving interviews. Not anymore though.

KIV: Fine then, I'll extend this interview out. But, forgive me I can't ask anything cool because I'm doing this on the fly. So, ummm how's this weekend looking?
H: I'm not sure to be honest. For a few upcoming games, its seems like we are having trouble fielding a full team. Kind of strange since we have enough players for two teams.

KIV: What else, what else? Yeah, here's something I often question - why do you think people on Joe's email list insist on replying to all?
H: I don't think they fully understand how to use e-mail. We are ballists, not computer techs. And besides, they didn't even have computers or email in 1864.

KIV: Also do you think you or any of the other team is interested in buying someone's used uniform? If they didn't want it, why not just give the uniform up? Isn't it kind of like if I buy it, I'd be donating the old uniform owner money? Let's face it there doesn't seem to be much of a market for used orators uniforms.
H: Yeah, it doesn't seem like anyone is buying them. I would be a little happier to see them at least offer to donate whatever money they make back to the team. I really don't understand this at all.

KIV: Are you as excited as I am for the new Indiana Jones movie?
H: Hell yeah. I don't have a good feeling about it being any good. And after reading some Lucas comments about it, I am almost positive that I wont like it. But i wont let a little thing like "100 percent letdown" get in the way of me having fun.

The 10th Inning...with "Gentleman" Ben Fortney

He is down with the Wu-Tang Clan, is always willing to talk conspiracies and call government officials lizard people, and is a survivor of the mid-90's suburban gang wars and helicopter chases. But hey, he did it all while being "gentlemanly." And that's why Ben Fortney (3B) has become one of the premier ballists in the Orators lineup. A fine defenseman and solid top of the order hitter, "Gentleman" has earned the respect of his teammates on the field. Off the field? Not so much, but it's all because his "vintage spirit" allows him to gentlemanly trade jabs with his fellow athletes.

Despite having a pretty tough commute from Long Island, New York, "Gentleben" signed up for the O's in Bridgeport's inaugural season. He remained a fixture for the team until a shattered ankle had him sidelined... In true vintage spirit, he made a comeback playing in the last game of the 2007 season and is looking to start off 2008 strongly.

We got the chance to speak with the Long Island... umm... Lethal guy? Ok, I couldn't think of a nickname, but without further delay...

KEEP IT VINTAGE: You live in Long Island and take trip to New England every week to Orate. What makes you keep coming back except maybe a masochism thing where you like the long commute and getting beat up on the field?
GENTLEMAN BEN: Y'know, I'm just happy to be here and hope I can help the ballclub. I just want to give it my best shot and good Lord willing, things'll work out. Gotta play 'em one day at a time.

KIV: You famously broke your ankle in a rare Orators win last season but used modern surgery to repair the break. Do you think you betrayed your vintage ethics in doing so?
G: At the time, I contemplated eschewing modern medicine, rubbing some herbs on it and constructing a splint out of elm, but i think that was just the Demerol messing with my head.

KIV: Your nickname is "Gentleman." Am I to believe that having your sleeves rolled down and smoking tobacco is gentlemanly? Maybe it's just because I've known you ten years, but you never struck me as a gentleman...
G: That's not what your sister said...

KIV: Some have noted that you and Jay "Papi" Ortiz have an uncomfortably close onfield relationship. Some have even noted that it's like the show Moonlighting and everyone is questioning will you or won't you? Ok, I am the only person who noted the moonlighting thing. Thoughts?
G: What happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room. Unfortunately they didn't have locker rooms in 1864, so you see it inside the chalk. In actuality, communication is the key to any good marriage... err, team. I try to stay on the same level with my left-side compatriot. We discuss the usual topics, positioning on the striker, covering the sacks on steals, taking cut-offs from the outfield, how buff Jay's gotten since he started working out, what kind of pitches the hurler is throwing... Y'know, base ball stuff.

KIV: This is your opportunity to give me a WWE smackdown talk about the rest of the season. And go!
G: I'll tell you Mean Gene, the squad just needs to keep taking their vitamins, and saying their prayers. We need to hit em where they ain't, score early and score often. Defense wins championships. We've always got to remember that it's a simple game, see the ball - hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains... think about it.

In "The 10th Inning," we will periodically do a Q&A with Orators roster members and other vintage personalities.

Poll of the Week: The best thing about the rainout is...

Captain's Corner: 5/4/2008

Each week, we will catch up with Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello (pictured above) on his thoughts regarding the game of the week.

Last weekend on May 4, the Orators ended up idle when a trip to face the Hartford Dark Blues was cancelled due to rain. With a tough end to April for the Park City Nine, the rain week was a chance to put the first weeks of the season into perspective.

We got the chance to chat with Howitzer today and make sure all is still well on the Bridgeport scene:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: So the first rain out of the season - Is it a good thing or a bad thing to have two weeks off after the sweep at Waterbury?
HOWITZER: I think we all wanted to get back out there and put the three game sweep behind us. We were a little sloppy during the 60's games and it would have been nice to get a little more practice with the underhand game.

KIV: How are the injuries coming along?
H: It looks like only Cap is out at the moment. Everyone else would be clear to play at this point. Paul's hammy is not 100 percent, but we don't have a game this weekend anyway. I am not concerned about it at all.

KIV: Up next is two games of 1880's rules vs, Meddowe. This after the team struggled with several 1860's rules games to open up the season. Do you think the change to overhand pitching is going to be a welcomed change or cause problems?
H: I think we will be OK playing the 80's games. But, that is definitely not going to help us with the 60's. If anything, we will be more sloppy the next time we play the 60's games.

KIV: The overhand game can be offensive friendly if you don't have the pitching to stop hitters. Do you think the Orators have enough pieces to realistically be a competitive 1880's game?
H: We definitely have the pitching to do it. I think there will be a little pressure on Kurt since Cap won't be available. We have Gozer to close out the games, but the middle innings are what worries me. Now that I think about it, I don't know who is going to pitch the second game. I should look into that.

KIV: It's a month since Opening Day soon enough. There's been some up's and downs and even injuries. You said before you expected the team to win some this year. Has your thought process changed? Are you worried about the rest of the season or making any changes based on injuries?
H: My thought process is still the same. Like I said, I wish we played last weekend so that everyone could put last week's performance behind them but we still have a lot of talent. Once the season starts, it's nice to play a bunch of weeks in a row to gain a comfort level. But we cant make excuses, we are professionals (or at least we pretend we are) and we need to rise above it.

A few other things. Did you notice that Mike the ump is still on the e-mail list? You think he put Vintage's email addy into his spam folder? City is on there too. That must be annoying. And you didn't hear it from me, but don't be surprised to see a "Joe Louis like return"* from Khalid at some point this year.

* - Taking big bucks to make a comeback even though he is obviously past his prime.

Hartford doubleheader rained out

Today's scheduled doubleheader with the Hartford Dark Blues was rained out.

According to Orators Team President Vintage Joe Vigorito, he is looking into rescheduling the games for later this season.

The 10th Inning...with "Ginger" Kirkpatrick

Cranks and teammates alike know "Ginger" as one of the original Orators - a ballist who plays hard, produces steady results, and is always at the game. Let's not forget, when needed, he is never afraid to break a finger or two or three. He mostly patrols second sack, though he doesn't seem ready to let anyone forget he's had a couple of memorable games as a substitute outfielder. Though he admits to being a stranger in a strange land in "the garden" (a.k.a. outfield), it's a testament to Ging's character -he is willing to do whatever the team needs him to.

Kirkpatrick became an Orator almost by accident. At an open meeting of Newtown Sandy Hooks prior to last season, Ginger met Joe Vigorito. Though Ging was looking into becoming one of the Hooks, Vintage Joe mentioned the possibility of getting a new team going in the Park City...the rest is history. We at Keep it Vintage took the opportunity to chat a bit with the Red-headed Wonder this week and get to know the man behind the myth:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: You hold the Orators game attendance record. What's the secret there, Mr. "Iron Horse?"
GINGER: Do I? God, that's sad. I need to fake an injury or something.

KIV: They call you ginger. Is that because of your hair color or just because you have a little "zing" on the field or something?
G: I liked "Ginger" because of the shout-out to my hair. South Park did a recent episode on bigotry toward "ginger people"; it was a very important South Park. But "ginger" also means playing with hustle or spirit, which I try to do. It was also the most manly name I could think of.

As a point of interest: Ginger Beaumont, a turn of the century centerfielder, got his nickname from his Titian locks, as well. So he and I have two things in common because, as anyone on the team will tell you, I'm a natural centerfielder.

(Does using the word Titian make me gay?)

KIV: Some on the team have a bet going on how old you really are. Some of the more popular votes say 17, 23, 39, and one as high as 81. Care to share the real age or is it ungentlemanly for me to ask that?
G: Who said 81? What's his address?

KIV: You have a special ability to jam or break a finger or fingers on command. I say this is a superhero waiting to happen. Tell me your superhero name and how you got this superhuman ability. Also do you have advice for others on how they can hurt their fingers at any given moment?
G: Heck...fingers? I've had surgery on three of my four limbs. That leaves only my right arm, which - as anyone on the team will tell you - is a cannon.

If I were a superhero - and I'm not saying I'm not - my name would be known only to a select few, such as a trusted female reporter, or a young male ward whom I keep in a cave.

KIV: What made you choose to keep it vintage as opposed to say keep it softballage?
G: I played softball for, like, 10 years - the last few in coed leagues. I missed baseball, and jumped at the chance to play with the Newtown Sandy Hooks, er, I mean, the Bridgeport Orators. It's been a lot of fun, and my teammates are cool. The only thing that coed softball had over Vintage is that there was always the chance of hooking up with someone on your team. With the exception of BenJay, guys on the Park City squad don't fraternize in such a way.

KIV: Anything to add?
G: Okay, you beat it out of me....I am a superhero, and my name is White Lightning.

This is the first in a series of articles called The 10th Inning, where we will profile members of the team and other vintage lads.

Poll of the Week: Most Vintage, round 1

Captain's Corner: 4/27/2008

Each week, we will catch up with Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello (pictured above) on his thoughts regarding the game of the week.

Last weekend on April 27, the Park City Pow-wow's a.k.a. the Gray Guns a.k.a. the Seaside Slammers a.k.a. the just plain ol' Orators had their first road trip. Things didn't go well, with the Bport Boomboys losing three games in a row and being outscored by double digits for the day.

We got the chance to chat with Howitzer today and go over the tough weekend and look ahead to the team's pending trip to Hartford where they'll square off with the Dark Blues:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: Tough losses this weekend. What went wrong?
HOWITZER: We didn't play good team defense and we didn't hit. It's as simple as that. We put ourselves in a big hole in two of the three games, and in the other game a huge inning is what killed us.

KIV: What positives can you take away from it?
H: We got some of the new guys more experience in actual game action. It's not the same as practice, there is a little more pressure during the real thing. Plays happen faster, everything speeds up.

It was fun to see Cap out there also. I think that everyone can learn something from him. I asked him to pitch, play second base, center field, and right field. He was punched in the face and he hit a home run. He did it all while having fun out there. Shame he broke his face though, we hope he has a speedy recovery.

Honorable mention goes out to Mike "Whit" who pitched very well for Newtown and kept us off balance all day.

KIV: What's the area - defense, offense, etc - that the team has to work on the most?
H: Defense, defense, defense. If you play solid defense, everything else falls into place.

Another area we have to work on is having fun. If you can't have fun playing this game, there is something wrong with you and you shouldn't even show up. Once we went down by a few runs, everyone tried to be a hero and bring the team back to life. Three singles is what scores a run in this game. An error here, a swinging bunt there. That's all it takes to get it going.

I am not too concerned about the hitting though. No, we didn't hit particularly well, but it was just one day. We will come back from that. Everyone needs to relax and let their talent take over. You see the ball, you hit the ball. You may see that right field is open and try to hit the ball between first and second. That sounds good in theory, but the pitcher doesn't allow you to go to right field. You have to hit the ball where it's pitched. If you try to hit it to right or left field and the ball is not pitched there, you can pop it up just as easily as if you are trying to hit a 10-run homer. Sometimes, you have to take what they are giving you. The biggest hole in the infield is always up the middle.

KIV: You and Paul are banged up and it's only the second week. Are injuries a big concern?
H: Well, I am going to be playing this weekend. It's not that big of a deal that I sat out three games last weekend. A lot of people complained to me that I wasn't playing them enough last year, so hopefully I got everyone into the games. I would rather take playing time away from myself, because I won't get too mad at me.

Paul, hopefully, will be back in two weeks. That's all part of the game. Ginger usually plays with one or more broken fingers at a time. Irish banged up his hand a little bit. We will work through it. We have enough guys to make it happen every week. We had a lot of injuries last year also.

KIV: Looking ahead, the team's heading back to Hartford for the first time since the very first game last season. What are you looking forward to?
H: They beat us up that first week. We were a scared bunch of rookies. We didn't know what we were supposed to do or how to do it. I am looking forward to it. It's been 12 months since we went out to that field, and we can really see how far we have come. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I want to keep those games competitive after giving up 30+ runs last time. It was a blowout of biblical proportions. It's a long drive out there, I am sure the people that make the trip we will ready to play.

KIV: You think the O's can take the Blues?
H: We can beat anyone. We can also lose to anyone. We have a few different faces right now. We are still a very young team and we lack consistency to be a real force in this league. We need to avoid the big inning and when we are in a jam we need to try to limit the damage. "Damage control" is what i am always saying to the boys. If you load the bases with no outs, don't try to turn a triple play. Limit the team to one or two runs by getting the sure out, making the smart play, and not giving up by letting frustration take over. We have a tendency to lose focus and become unable to stop the bleeding. Then it snowballs on us. There have been a lot of games that we lost by having one bad inning.

The Broken People report

Two weeks in and the walking wounded are already piling up! This isn't even mentioning Pops and Barkeep's shoulder problems:

Paul, hamstring hamstrung, 2 weeks
Ginger - multiple finger(s) strains, breaks, etc. - day to day
Howitzer - ankle, day to day
Cap - broken face, 4 weeks
Irish - hand, day to day

Striker to the Line: Yet another motivational speech

from Mark "Hutch" Lungariello

You hear some crazy and empty words of encouragement “at the dish.” Last Sunday, in the middle of what turned out to be a three game sweep, I dug in at at the striker's line. The Orators bench, discouraged from our cold bats, remained quiet. That is, except for Jay “Papi” Ortiz.

“Come on Mark, nice knees,” he said. “Nice knees.”

Every ballist has weird things going through their head while at the plate. And every one of them knows that thinking is the worst thing for an at-bat. The stranger the things swimming around in your noggin, the stranger that at-bat could be and the more important it is to clear your mind. I was thinking about how my knees looked .

Why is Papi telling me I have nice knees? A weird thing to say anyway, much less when I’m trying to get on base. Were they sexy? Should I tell him “thanks” or is that weird to carry on while I’m waiting for a pitch to be delivered by the hurler?

Or maybe Papi was being sarcastic - maybe my knees are deformed, too sharp, too small, too large, too bony. Had I put on enough weight since last season that my knees were showing extra pounds? Were my knees looking morbidly obese? Nice knees. Nice knees. Nice knees.

“Don’t think, that only does damage,” I told myself. And I was right. Last time I spent any time thinking about something was Friday and by 5 a.m. Saturday morning I found myself down 80 bucks and driving back from Foxwoods casino. Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello suggests singing a song to clear your head while hitting, so i tried that. I cut myself off after a few bars of INXS's "I Kneed you Tonight." Ok, maybe I am trying too hard with that one but speaking of...

I realized Papi wasn’t telling me I had nice knees, he was saying “nice and easy.” You know as in “don’t try to do too much” “don’t try to crush it” – those kind of cliché things we tend to yell at batters especially in a game where you’re offense is sinking face. Well that made sense. But, it was too late, I had already hit an “on the bound” out to Newtown’s shortstop. On the sad jog back to the bench, I checked how my knees looked anyway.

-----

Sunday was one of those days for the Orators I guess. One of those confused and awkward “nice knees” days as I will call them from now on.

There was a time last year, our first year as a team, where we had a lot of nice knees days. But with a year of the vintage game behind us and some new guys on the squad we all hoped for the most part we had left that perennial losers thing behind. So, it was a disappointing result for some. By the end, people were calling for a do-over, their thoughts turning to other things like the score of the modern games going on. (I must digress as I just remembered the vintage joke of the day - CRANK: Do you know the score of the Yankees game? BALLIST: And just who are these Yankees?) Moving on…

I don’t look at this weekend as all bad. Sure we’re 1-4 to start off 2008, but come on we’re already one game better than we were last year. We also had some highlights. Remember, Cap hit the team's first homerun of the season. Mike Bielawa hurled his lil' heart out to a complete game victory... of course he did that while hurling for Newtown and against us, but let's not overthink that either. Thinking only gets in the way of fun. This is why kids generally don't like studying.

And besides:

A) By losing three games in the second week of the season we’ve gotten the first losing streak of the year out of the way.

B) We don’t have the added stress of trying to go undefeated on the year.

C) We’ve set up Act I of a good underdog story for the season.

A team down in the dumps, turns around and surprises everyone. These things always turn out to have a happy Hollywood ending. I’m sure some Orator will get the girl (or dude – note the vintage league don’t ask don’t tell policy), we’ll win the championship and somehow learn a valuable lesson about friendship, honesty and integrity. If we’re sober enough to remember the moral is a different story.

I even have a good last line for the film - just think of it, “Gentleman” Ben Fortney, fresh off his 2007 ankle injury is walking again and without crutches. I can hear him now. “God bless us, everyone!”

O's drop three straight at Waterbury tourney

4/27/08
Waterbury 1861 tournament f/Waterbury Connors, Meddowe BBC, Bridgeport Orators and Newtown Sandy Hooks
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GAME 1, LOST: Orators 2 - Waterbury 10
GAME 2, LOST: Orators 4 - Newtown 7
GAME 3, LOST: Meddowe 9 - Orators 1

Poll of the Week: We need some vintage sounding ballists

NPR coverage of Vintage Ball

NPR.org today posted an article about Vintage Base Ball. The clip features some photos of the O's from the home opener vs. Brooklyn, as well as a quote from Bridgeport's Own "Cap" Caparosa. Check it out here.

Captain's Corner: Offweek and getting practicing on 4/20

Each week, we will catch up with Team Captain Matt "Howitzer" Lungariello (pictured above) on his thoughts regarding the game of the week.

Last weekend on April 9, the Park City Nine had the week off and so gathered for some practice at Seaside Park. On the agenda? Gearing up for a big round robin tournament up in Waterbury. The opponents - Waterbury Connors, Meddowe BBC, and Newtown Sandy Hook.

We got the chance to chat with Howitzer today and go over practice and look to the big tourney for April 27:

KEEP IT VINTAGE: So, the turnout for practice was pretty weak?
HOWITZER: It is very important to notify Vintage Joe when you can't make it to practice. I know he sends about 14 e-mails a day, but sometimes he has some important info in them... SOMETIMES.

Last week's practice could have been cancelled or moved to a much warmer indoor batting cage. Joe and I factor in attendance to help us decide playing time.

KIV: It was frigid and you guys had field issues?
H: It was cold and it looked like rain all morning. I think 21 fields were all being used when we got there, so we had to practice on a field we have never seen before. But the guys who were there were real troopers and roughed it. There is nothing quite as vintage as hypothermia.

KIV: Big weekend, first road game, multiple team tournament. You hoping to announce the team's improved presence this season?
H: In some ways, yes. Really, I am looking forward to the Newtown game. I thought we matched up pretty well against them last year, but we were never able to beat them. I can specifically remember blowing a three run lead in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off homer by Pops. Heartbreaker.

We actually did beat them one Sunday but I think three of their starting nine were Orators filling in, due to the Hooks being short a few guys. Last season, we took any win we could get, but I don't really count that particular game. But any time we played each other, it was very competitive and a lot of fun.

KIV: What team are you most looking forward to seeing get vintage this weekend?
H: Like I said, it has to be Newtown, though I am excited for every matchup that comes our way. We are linked to Newtown like Siamese Twins. Very good looking Siamese Twins I might add. Those guys were at our field at our very first practice, teaching us the rules of the game, mentoring us. We always look out for each other in an emergency - if we're short a guy, the Hooks are always ready to gear up in the gray and blue. Same for us - a lot us O's have filled in when Newtown needed us.

KIV: Do you consider Newtown a rival?
H: Based on location, I would. We want to win every game we play, but because we are so close them distance wise and as vintage gentleman, I think you always want to have bragging rights.

KIV: It's an 1861 tourney this weekend. What do you think Bridgeport's forte is in terms of which rules?
H: I think that the '61 game is the easiest for us to play at the moment. So I would say we have the best chance in those rules as far as the underhand games go.

But if Cap, Kurt, and Goz are rested, we have shown we can be a great 80's team as well.