Weaver makes a one-legged catch.
Silver Spring, Md. | The Express 20 Minutemen cemented their place as one of the most improved teams in the Metropolitan Media Softball League Saturday, pulling off a stunning 9-8 upset of the Gazette in extra innings.
Sparked by Scott McCarthy’s two home runs, Express continued its strong hitting to knock off the Wheaton Forest division champions.
Clinton Yates, Dustin Weaver, Andy Bonior, Christopher Porter, Matt Swenson and Ian Herbert joined McCarthy in having multiple-hit games in what Yates referred to as a “franchise victory.”
The win, only slightly offset by a disappointing 9-8 loss to The Washington Post, meant the Minutemen finished with four victories, one more than a year ago. But player/manager Herbert said the team’s record only begins to tell the story of the drastic improvement.
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Express 9, The Gazette 8
Washington Post 9, Express 8
Another season, another batch of painstakingly edited and uploaded photos. More important than hits, RBIs, whatever OPS is, and averages, is who ended up with the most pictures online. So with much , the winner is:
Clinton Yates, with 28 photos. We hypothesize that this is because he can make even standing around appear to be an unparalleled feat of athleticism.
He’s followed semi-closely by Ian Herbert, with 24. Analysts suggest that his high photo count can be attributed to making amusing faces when he runs.
Chip Porter came in third, with 22, thanks to his positive attitude toward injuries.
Honorable mention goes to Dustin Weaver, for Most Fierce.
The big surprise of the year is Kate Donnelly’s dramatic theft of Most-Photographed Female from fellow newcomer Katie Aberbach, who in turn was poised to rip the torch from the well-manicured hands of Andrea Bonior. Kate’s willingness to throw herself on the ground for the MPF award earned her a total of 17 pictures to Katie’s 13.
It’s been an honor to serve as Photo Slave. I pass the camera to Vance Bonior, who will be your photographer in 2009.
Click picture to see this round of photos.
Click “Continued” for individual game stats.
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Washington Times 15, Express 14
Express 14, City Paper 3
The race for Most-Photographed Team Member is looking tight. Clinton Yates leads with 24 photos, followed by Ian Herbert with 21. Vance Bonior, in a dramatic fall from 2007’s top position, clocks in at 17, a tie with Dan Caccavaro for fourth. (Chip Porter is in third.) Scott McCarthy, last year’s first runner-up, has a mere 12 photos to his name this season.
Newcomer Katie Aberbach is almost certain to steal the Most-Photographed Female title from Andrea Bonior, unless the good doctor can serve up some serious drama on June 28.
Click picture to see this round of photos.
Click “Continued” for individual game stats.
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He Wore a Yellow Belt
Easily the most amusing element in Express’ opener was Clinton Yates’ mocking of the Washington Times’ pitcher’s yellow belt in the fifth inning. After Yates’ joke, Katie Aberbach drilled a two-run single that seemed to — combined with the remark — rattle the Times’ second hurler of the afternoon. Four straight batters then walked for Express, which also got key hits from Matt Swenson, Dustin Weaver and Scott McCarthy in the nine-run rally. “I think the joke was key,” said Aberbach. “It really loosened me up.” Only after a mid-inning pitching change did the Times close out the inning.
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In addition to Scott McCarthy, Dustin Weaver is also angry.
Rockville, Md. | Opponents won’t like Scott McCarthy when he’s angry.
After committing an error in the last inning of Express’ heartbreaking 15-14 loss to the Washington Times Saturday, McCarthy blasted two home runs in the Minutemen’s 14-3 rout over City Paper at Veirs Mill park.
“I was pissed,” McCarthy said. “I got up there and tried to kill it to work out some of my anger.”
McCarthy’s 5 RBI-game was the best in a group of excellent performances by the Minutemen, who snapped a seven-game losing streak in sweeping the City Paper.
Seven players had at least two hits — Dustin Weaver went an impressive 4-4 and scored three runs — and six players scored, with five driving in at least one run. The performances came on the heels of a breakout game for Express, whose offense snapped out of its slump against the Times. In the opener, eight batters had at least one hit and eight had one RBI or more.
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Greetings, 20-Minutemen and -women,
After nearly two years of laying the foundation of Express/Onion softball for eons to come, my work is completed. My vision has been achieved, and there is little else for me to accomplish—and so the time has come to let the 20-Minutemen flourish as its own softball entity. I am simultaneously sad and proud to have been a part of an organization that has brought joy and competitive fire to so many. But now that my dream has been fully realized (and, in news totally unrelated to this decision, nerves in my left hand have been permanently damaged requiring surgery next week), I know it is time to step down. As such, I hereby tender my resignation as both coach of and player on the 20-Minutemen, effective immediately.
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ARLINGTON, VA (AP) - New 20-Minutemen coach Ian Herbert on Thursday received an unexpected gift from his predecessor: A lineup-determining Magic 8 Ball.
After being asked by outgoing manager Chris Mincher to a discreet meeting, Herbert was handed a small, worn cardboard box that contained “the key to Express’ softball success,” Mincher explained with a wink.
Inside the box, Herbert found a scratched Magic 8 Ball. As a confused Herbert removed the toy from the package, Mincher snatched it from his hands, scolding him for not being more gentle in handling the “batting order Oracle.”
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ARLINGTON, VA. (AP) - Express 20-Minutemen player-coach Chris Mincher on Saturday managed to nearly slice his finger off like a complete moron, disabling the dumbass for the rest of the season, the idiot said Wednesday.
“After consulting with doctors, I’ve been informed that I severed a nerve in my thumb like an utter fool,” Mincher said at a press conference. “Surgery on Tuesday to reattach the nerve will end my season, but still not cure my permanent affliction of blockheadedness.”
At a social gathering Saturday, Mincher chose a particularly asinine method for slicing a watermelon, leading to the particularly doltish injury that will leave parts of his finger permanently numb, doctors said.
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AOL 8, Express 5
Discovery 14, Express 8
Click picture to see this round of photos.
Click “Continued” for individual game stats.
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Dan Caccavaro defies AOL’s Jay Mullen at first base.
Silver Spring, Md. | Standing at 6 foot 4 inches tall and sporting big power and intimidating facial hair, Andy Bonior isn’t a typical leadoff hitter. Then again, Express has never been an organization to follow traditional models.
Batting first in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader — a 8-5 defeat to AOL and 14-8 loss vs. the Discovery Channel — at Wheaton Forest Park, Bonior reached base seven of eight at-bats and scored four runs — leading off four separate innings.
“I’m not trying to kill the ball as much,” said Bonior, who said he liked batting first, except “it makes it hard to get RBIs.”
And therein lies the central debate over manager Chris Mincher’s decision to overhaul the Minutemen’s lineup after the second week of the season. Mincher said he likes Bonior at the top of the order and feels the power is there if everything clicks as he hopes.
“I think a lot of people are curious about that,” Mincher said of moving Bonior up to first. “It used to be he was one of the only with home-run potential. We’ve got more people who can do that now.”
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