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Performance Of The Week 5/25 – 5/29
Photo Courtesy of Tim Casey - Florida Athletics
Florida’s Ali Gardiner demonstrated the virtue of perseverance this week.
The Gator senior had struggled through a season that saw her drop in the batting order from third to sixth and finally to seventh.
As she made her way to the batter’s box in the seventh, Gardiner found herself shackled in an 0-9 slump.
Forget all that.
With her team’s season on the line, Gardiner ripped a two-out, walk off grand slam to propel the Gators past the Alabama Crimson Tide 6-5.
Gardiner’s granny was the first of her career.
Who gets your POTW?
11 Responses to “Performance Of The Week 5/25 – 5/29”
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The girls and I were watching … That was an awesome moment for Gardiner and Florida. And how about the performance of Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie? She pitched both games vs Georgia on Sunday, and hit a grand slam in the nightcap to clinch it for the Huskies. Not bad!!!
I’ll give one to the basketball coach at Manhattan. He signed a 6″10″ player to a division I scholarship. The siginificance: he only has one hand. This is amazing for the kid, but the reason I give it to the coach is for his justification. When asked about the risks and criticisms he will take for signing him, the coach reponded with this:
“We take chances on kids who have poor academic histories, who have disciplinary problems both on the court and off the court,” Rohrssen said Tuesday. “We give opportunities to players who don’t appreciate them, who take them for granted. For all the right reasons, Kevin deserves this chance, and he should make the most of this opportunity.”
“Some coaches may say, ‘We need a shooter,’ ” he said. “My feeling was our team needed a stronger work ethic.”
Kudos to this coach. You can see the article here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4207158
Rey
Thanks for pointing out why I still love sports, despite Lebron being such a “competitor”. Gotta love the “stronger work ethic” expectation…
Rey – great call. I read that article earlier in the week. Thanks for picking me up on that one.
I want nominate the Boston College and Texas baseball teams for their monumental 25 inning game that resulted in a 3-2 win for the Texas on Saturday.
Unfortunately, it looks like the loss took the steam out of Boston College,as they were eliminated the next day 4-3 by Army.
Supposedly, the Army hitters were spraying bullets all over the field.
BC was overwhelmed and retreated back to Beantown.
Adding to Smitty’s thought, how about Texas pitcher Austin Wood, who held BC hitless for 12 1/3 innings, and overall pitched 13 scoreless innings…in relief!!!
That game and Wood’s performance brought back thoughts of Harvey Haddix:
On May 12, 1959, Pirate starter Harvey Haddix tied up with Lew Burdette of the then Milwaukee Braves in a monumental pitching duel in what baseball historians argumentatively proclaim was “the greatest game ever pitched in major league history,” perhaps THE greatest game ever played.
Through the innings of the game, the goose-eggs on scoreboard mounted up. After the regulation 9 innings, the score was 0-0. Burdette was pitching well, it was just that Haddix was pitching better. Through 9, Haddix was 27 up, 27 down. Through the 10th, the 11th and the 12th, the goose-eggs continued, for Haddix it was 36 up, 36 down. Burdette also carried a shutout through 13 innings but had given up 12 scattered hits to the Pirates, and was the beneficiary of 3 double-plays to preserve the Pirate goose-eggs.
In the Milwaukee 13th, Felix Mantilla opened by reaching first base on a Pitsburgh error by normally sure-handed 3rd baseman Don Hoak. Then after Haddix issued an intentional walk to Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock followed with a home run to right-center field for an apparent 3-0 win.
But wait, as described by Baseball Library, Aaron does a “Merkle,” (for Frank Merkle of the NY Giants famous for his bonehead play on September 23, 1908) leaving the field as Adcock passed him on the basepaths. As a result, Mantilla scored, both Aaron and Adcock were ruled out, Adcock was awarded a double instead of a home run and the game ended in a Braves 1-0 victory on one hit. Lew Burdette, of course, was the winning pitcher giving up 12 Pirate hits while Harvey Haddix took the loss going the route and giving up but 1 hit, the homer turned double to Joe Adcock.
12 1/3 of hitless ball? Wow! Great call Chas. Somewhere there is a lawyer waiting for the phone call from that parent. Surely, the coach ruined that boy’s future professional career. How can he have any arm left?
Wally – great story!
Nice Harvey Haddix story, Wally. Here are the lyrics to a fairly recent song written about ‘ole Harvey’s historic game (Sorry Wally, you’re off by a couple of weeks with the date):
May 26, 1959 in Milwaukee on the mound
Harvey Haddix of the Pirates was mowing ‘em down
27 up, 27 gone
9 innings in the book and not a man had gotten on
Now, in history only 17 have thrown a perfect game
A most exclusive club, a most exalted fame
But after 9, the Pirates hadn’t scored
A perfect game and still old Harvey had to pitch some more
David Wells, David Cone
Sandy Koufax, Cy Young
Jim Bunning, Tom Browning
Charlie Robertson
Don Larsen in the series in 1956
Why don’t we add old Harvey to that list
10th inning down, 11th inning down, he moved on to the 12th
3 straight outs and the fans were pinching themselves
The best game ever pitched and still a scoreless tie
Poor Harvey had to carry on and give it one more try
13′s never lucky so you can guess the rest
Harv gave up a hit and then he lost the whole contest
I wonder how he slept that night knowing how close he came
To a most exclusive club that should include his name
David Wells, David Cone
Randy Johnson, Addie Joss
Kenny Rogers, Mike Witt
Dennis Martinez
Don Larsen in the series in 1956
Why don’t we add old Harvey to that list
The search for perfection is a funny thing, at least as I’ve been told
It drives you nuts, it makes you curse and eats away at your soul
Sometimes better ain’t better, sometimes justice just ain’t served
Sometimes legend isn’t laid where it’s most deserved
But humanity is flawed as the losers will attest
We’re drawn to tragic stories, the ones that suit us best
But for 12 innings on that fateful day, old Harvey was a God
A perfect game if nothing else because perfection’s always flawed
David Wells, David Cone
Lee Richmond, Monte Ward
Len Barker against the Jays
And Catfish for the A’s
Don Larsen in the series in 1956
Why don’t we add old Harvey to that list
Yeah Wally, an impressive effort with the story – Helmet Sticker!
Chas – thanks for the reminder. I just ordered The Baseball Project.