Matt Keenan's Editorial

Article posted 5/27/03 at 8:08pm by John Bowser, Revere Manager.

"Bowser's Bench"
Respect

RESPECT N 1. A FEELING OR ATTITUDE OF ADMIRATION AND DEFERENCE TOWARD SOME BODY OR SOMETHING. THE MANY YEARS I HAVE PLAYED IN THE FOODMASTER SOFTBALL LEAGUE IT HAS STRUGGLED TO EARN RESPECT. BACK IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE LEAGUE WHEN BEACON ST AND SALEM ST TEAMS DOMINATED THE LEAGUE AND OUTS WHERE CALLED BY EACH TEAMS RESPECTIVE COACHES. MANY FIERCE ARGUMENTS OCCURRED DURING THESE TIMES. THEN OUR LEAGUE EARNED A LITTLE RESPECT WHEN WE DESIGNATED UMPIRES (COACHES FROM OTHER TEAMS NOT PLAYING IN THE GAME) CALLING OUTS AND FOUL BALLS. THEN I TOOK OVER THE COMMISSIONERS ROLE AND BROUGHT ORGANIZATION TO A LEAGUE THAT SERIOUSLY LACKED ANY, EARNING OUR LEAGUE MORE RESPECT. DUE TO A FEW BAD EGGS IN THE BUNCH, AND THE LITTLE FREE TIME I HAVE, I HAD TO RESIGN. BRIAN THEN TOOK BACK THE COMMISSIONER'S JOB AND HIRED AN IMPARTIAL UMPIRE GAINING MORE RESPECT FOR OUR LEAGUE. UNFORTUNATELY WE THEN TOOK A STEP BACKWARDS AND BEHOLD OUR UMPIRES SON PLAYED ON ONE OF THE TEAMS. WHEN LAST SEASON ENDED EVERYONE WAS DEMANDING THAT WE CALL BALLS AND STRIKES. I BEING THE MOST SERIOUS ADVOCATE. THE DECISION WAS MADE AND BALLS AND STRIKES WHERE IMPLEMENTED. MAKING OUR LEAGUE LEGITIMATE. THERE WOULD BE NO MORE PEOPLE STANDING AT THE PLATE TAKING TWENTY GOOD ARC SOFTBALL PITCHES(6-12 FEET ARC, SHOULDER TO KNEE) WAITING FOR THE ONE NON ARCED PITCH. THEN HITTING IT WHERE EVER THEY WANTED TO. THE LEAGUE REJOICED. THEN IT HAPPENED, ON MAY 25,2003 THE ORANGE MAT CAME INTO THE EQUATION, EFFECTIVELY DESTROYING ALL THE YEARS OF GAINING RESPECT.NOW OUR LEAGUE HAS BECOME A JOKE, AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ANY ONE ASSOCIATED WITH IT! THIS MAT HAS BROUGHT OUR LEAGUE TO THE STANDARDS OF LITTLE GIRLS LEARNING HOW TO PLAY THE GAME. WHO VOTED ON THIS ORANGE MAT RULE? WHY ARE WE PAYING AN UMPIRE $35.00, $10.00 MORE THAN LAST YEAR TO DO EVEN LESS THAN BEFORE? THESE OUR JUST SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED BEFORE OUR LEAGUE IS RUINED FOREVER AND ALL RESPECT IS LOST.

IN A GAME MARRED WITH CONTROVERSY AND BEING PLAYED UNDER PROTEST BY BOTH TEAMS REVERE EKED OUT A WIN. THE BOWSER REGIME HAS STARTED AND EVERY MEMBER ON HIS TEAM HAS BEEN REJUVENATED. THE HOME TOWN HEROES HAD A ROUGH START GIVING UP 9 RUNS IN THE SECOND INNING MOSTLY DUE TO WALKS. BUT BATTLING BACK IN THE NEXT FOUR INNINGS WITH KEVIN SHAW LEADING THE WAY WITH 2 SINGLES AND A DOUBLE AND SCORING ALL THREE TIMES BROUGHT US BACK TO WITHIN FOUR(22-18). THE BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH FOUND ADAM(PITCHER) WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTROL PROBLEM(HE COULDN'T'T HIT A LITTLE ORANGE MAT. BUT THAT STORY IS DISCUSSED IN "BOWSERS' BENCH" RESPECT) REVERE LOADED THE BASES WITH WALKS AND WALKED A RUNNER IN. MIKE CROSS FOULED ONE OFF FOR AN OUT AND THE NEXT TWO BATTERS WALKED. WITH BASES STILL LOADED MIKE STAITI CAME TO THE PLATE AND HIT A WEEK DRIBBLER THAT ENDED UP SCORING TWO AND WINNING THE GAME. FINAL SCORE REVERE 23 SALEM 2 22 GAME UNDER PROTEST.