WORMS WIN CLASSIC; TAKE BACK TO BACK CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS
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All Worms Current and Retired:
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The Tequila Worms won a thrilling nine inning, two hour game against Mayhem/Goodson Engineering 26-24 Sunday afternoon to capture their second consecutive Dallas City Tournament Championship. The Worms, aided by a favorable draw and a first round bye resulting from their status as the defending Champs, repeated last year's feat of going thru the tournament undefeated despite missing key players throughout the tournament. Tournament MVP Terry Fabian left the Championship Game with a first inning injury and Ken Washington missed Saturday's games -- but not the post game party -- due to a trip to Six Flags.
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The Worms started out hot against Goodson, scoring nine in the top of the first. Goodson came back in the bottom of the first with six runs, scoring two on an inside the park home run by Baby Huey made possible when Worm right fielder Fabian tore a hamstring and was unable to chase the ball. The injury to Fabian seemed to momentarily stun the Worms as they were blanked in the top of the second and gave up eight more in the bottom of the inning. After scoring four in the top of the third to get close, the Worms gave up three in bottom of the third, the last on a solo homer to left center; the third and last of the game for Goodson under city tournament rules. Each subsequent homer would count as an out and this seemed to affect the Goodson hitters as they were shut out for the next two innings before scoring two in the bottom of the sixth to take a one run lead. Jack Zimmerman drove home the tying run with one out in the top of the seventh but an inning ending double play put Goodson in position to win but they were unable to score. In the 8th, the Worms scored 4 runs to seemingly put the game on ice but Goodson countered with 4 runs of their own. The momentum swung back to the Worms with 3 ninth inning runs on run scoring hits by Jimmie Giffen and Bubba Tipton, and a sacrifice fly by David Rohr. Goodson came back again, but this time the Worms held them to a single run. The second out of the 9th was recorded on a diving catch in right field by Jason Wilson, who had come on for the injured Fabian. The final out of the game came on a running snare in right center by juggling Jimmie Giffen, who claimed to juggle the ball on purpose just for show. In the game, Bobby Cecil was 2-3 with 3 walks and a 2 run homer. Bubba Tipton was 5-7 with 5 RBI. Greg Goebel and Bronco were each 5-6, while Randy Cain and Jimmy Giffen were 4-6. The Worms set a team record with 36 hits in the game.
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The Worms Tuesday night league was well represented, as Goodson finished second to the Worms in the Tuesday night Fair Oaks league. The Worms swept Goodson in the regular season.
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Goodson had lost its second game of the tourney but then battled back through the loser's bracket to reach the final and was the only team able to stay close to the Worms in the tourney. Last season the Worms lost to Mayhem/Goodson in the winner's bracket finals of the fanny freezer - a game played in a driving downpour. The worst part of the day for the Worms in last year's fanny freezer was after the final game when they discovered that a bunch of sissy, soccer playing Mexicans had stolen and drank all their beer that had been in the back of Kenny's truck parked by the soccer fields adjacent to the softball field.
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The Worms began the tourney this weekend with a 21-8 ass kicking of HKS that was not as close as the score indicated. The Worms raced to an 18-0 lead thru three and a half innings before an array of substitutions, position changes and walks allowed HKS to score a few runs. The drafters claimed that HKS employee and former Worm Ray Smith gave them false confidence and hope with pre-tourney boasts to his drawing board buddies that he was the best player on the Worms team before he retired, remarks obviously resulting from a foggy memory on Ray's part. Bobby Cecil, Terry Fabian, and Greg Goebel each homered and Bubba Tipton, David Rohr, and Jason Wilson had three hits each against HKS.
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The Worms next pounded error proned Troy Suggs Funeral Home 25-5, burying the grave diggers with a 10 run 4th inning. Terry Fabian lead the barrage, going 4-4 with 3 homers and 6 RBI. Randy Cain also went 4-4 with 3 RBI. Reports that Worm fans threw hats onto the field, ala hockey drunks, to celebrate Terry's hat trick of home runs were untrue. This game wrapped up competition for day one of the tourney and it was on to Terry Fabian's house for the post tourney party. Worm sponsor-to-be Mike Pierce showed up for the Mortician game to meet the Worm players and talked of paying for entry fees, jerseys, and hats. Mike was presented with a League Championship Trophy and t-shirt, with promise of a City Championship Trophy and t-shirt the next day.
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Terry Fabian hosted a team party at his bachelor pad in Rockwall Saturday night with plenty of hamburgers, beer, jello shots, and whiskey. Angie Hester entertained the crowd spinning cd's, but is still looking for Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." The party broke up shortly after midnight due to the fact that the tourney was set to resume the next morning. Unconcerned about curfew, Mike Wortham and Jack Zimmerman headed to a dice game at the home of notorious Dallas gambler Jim "JB" Sanders, a move that led to Zimmerman being placed on "verbal probation" by Worm prosecutor Bubba Tipton. The pair arrived at JB's house at close to 2 a.m. despite JB's protests that he was about to "shut down" to find JB up $1500 on birthday boy Scott "Rap Daddy" Miller. JB and Rap Daddy were concentrating so intently on the dice game that they refused to talk to their visitors, despite being quizzed on such subjects as JB's purchase of a motorcycle that day; the whiskey spilled on JB's floor during a poker game several years ago and whether the whiskey stain was cleaned up with resolve or water (JB said Dalworth Carpet Cleaners got it up for $40); whether JB had Aerosmith's "Live Bootleg" album (he appears on the inside sleeve of the album, a photo that was taken at the inaugural Texxas Jam in 1977); why JB and rap daddy did not have a cd playing; and other equally interesting subjects. The end came when Zimmerman, who had been wearing JB's new motorcycle helmet and watching the dice game, decided to go outside for a smoke. The fear of smoke on the helmet, coupled with Rap Daddy's $800 comeback, was too much for JB to bear and he ran the pair of Worm vets out of his house.
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Sunday morning the Worms beat the trash-talking Dallas Padres 21-10 in the finals of the winner's bracket to gain a spot in the Championship Game. Terry Fabian again lead the way, going 3-4 with 2 homers and 4 RBI. Bubba Tipton and Larry Wortham added 4 hits each. The Padres seemed to be a combination of the Padres and Indians, two teams the Worms have consistently beaten in tournament play over the years. No matter how bad a beating they take, the Padres and Indians continue to "habla sheet" all game long. Earl "The King" Jones was not to be outtalked and had the Padres riled up with his taunting comments. The Padres' first baseman was obviously intimidated when Earl gave Randy Cain the command to "run him over and flatten his ass." Earl also told the Padre left fielder that he "sucked" and ordered all Worm base runners to "run because the left fielder has his finger in his nose." Needless to say, the Padres were not as amused by these comments as the Worms. They were heard to be saying something in Earl's direction, but nobody could make out what it was they were saying.
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For winning the tournament, the Worms received a team championship trophy, individual championship t-shirts, entry fee into the Texas State Championship Tournament, and $200 cash. The $200 will be used as beer money once the Summer League season starts up - it will cover the first week anway. The victory celebration was anything but Worm-like, as 7 of the team's players had to be in Garland for a controversial 4pm game in the Garland league. The Magnificent Seven would have been better served staying in Dallas and drinking beer, as they were routed in Garland. In addition, Mike Wortham had an afternoon soccer game to attend and left the celebration early. Tim Elder and Larry Wortham were the last remaining drinkers at Fair Oaks.
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Worm dirt -- the Worms were visitors every game in the tourney . . . the state playoffs are in Beaumont june 22-24 . . . former Worm Mike McKee is considering ending his second Worm retirement ... Worms Mike Wortham and Bubba Tipton were also at the jam when JB's picture was taken during Aerosmith's abysmal set...
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