All About Me

Thought I might do a quick article about me now and whats been happening since March last year and what I've been up too!

Well as some of you may have read, in March I played my first ever finals game in any sport i've ever played! Baseball - which looks like the game for me as I venture to retirement of all sport (You'll see why soon), was giving my my first taste of what Finals is being that every other sport my team had bombed out.

I spent a good portion of my life playing football @ Happy Valley Football Club, back then, The Vikings, had one of the most successful seniors team around, sadly I was in juniors at that time.. All throughout my time in juniors playing Under 15's, 17's and then 18's when they changed the rules around, my team was thoroughlly thrashed at most games, some games even belted by 30 goals...

When I moved to the C grade it was a bit different, we weren't getting the thrashings but were missing finals by one or two wins..

Knee Injury forced me to finish up with Happy Valley as well as moving out north west to be living with my now wife... My final season with the Vikings was the year after my knee went caput but was prob one of my most successful seasons - kicking 10 goals in one game and finishing with approx 50 in the 10 games I played that season...

But that was 12 odd years ago and now my main focus is Baseball, with East Torrens Red Sox! We had a pretty good season, matching it against the top teams and heading into a Semi Final against Adelaide, it was there I suffered not only a broken bone in the nose.. but also a chipped bone in the forehead and a broken thumb.. All in same game and happening at different times in the game.. (Hey we won though but that was season over for me!)

Worst thing was heading off to the Soundwave Festival with no painkillers, a broken thumb, a head that looked like a horn was growing and a purple nose.. Basically looked like I had been in a really bad fight - nope, just me stopping the baseball with my head!

Our team went on to narrowly miss the grand final by 1 run.

Since then i've been studying and also decided on a return to football....

With Studying I've always had an interest in plants and bonsai etc, but never been able to do some things i've wanted to do with them like growing from seed, cultivating etc.

Whilst talking about this at work a collegue mentioned the local government has a skills for all scheme happening where they will fund approx 200 courses for free to better equip people in our state.. Nice!

I wandered on there and found a Certificate II in Horticulture, had a quick look and thought it looked quite interesting so applied! Three subjects in and i've aced each one and getting excellent feedback from the lecturer (Ha, never got that in finance!!)

So, the return to Football, possibly not my finest of ideas but I had it for the right intentions.

The intention was never to be this awesome footballer to come and kick a bag of goals for my local team, it was to fill in whilst they were short on numbers. Broadview Football Club has 4 senior teams, One Division 1 side and its Reserves team, and the other is in Division 7 with a Reserves team.

The Reserves for Division 7 were running low on numbers so I thought i'd whack on a guernsey and see what happens.

Now, I'm alot older since I last played football and definately don't have the fitness levels I had back then... I found first training quite challenging to say the least haha Found alot of the time I was hands on head sucking in as much air as I could.

But with that the players were very welcoming, even the higher grades, always encouraging you to keep at it.

The first few games of the year my team had won so I was looking forward to getting in and kicking some goals from the forward line, sadly the higher grades sustained some injuries so alot of our better players moved up to fill the void, some even had to play 2 games each weekend straight after each other..

With the loss of players came with some of our heaviest defeats, my first game against Flinders Park saw a huge loss, infact my only shot on goal came in the 3rd quarter I think it was when I took a mark about 40metres out and had a shot on goal, looked good initially however didn't allow enough for the wind and it narrowly missed.. Shame, if I nailed it I would have been the leading goal scorer.... Highlight though was standing an ex Adelaide Crows player Sudjai Cook who was lazily standing on the Half Back Line. Wow - he still has speed, he was just standing there rebounding the ball and moving it with great skills - was great to watch.

In the end I played 5 games, the fateful game for me came after a week long Adelaide drenching where the heavens truly opened up giving us a taste of a true old fashioned Adelaide Winter!

The final game was very water logged but also the ground sunk when you walked on it. I was placed at Centre Half Forward which is where I did play alot of Junior Footy, my favourite role is Full Forward.

Half way through the 1st quarter one of our big left footers took a mark on the right hand wing just forward of our goals, I was walking just inside our 50 ready to lead and all I could hear from the bench was Lead Lead!!! so I bolted towards him, for a big guy I do have early speed and got a few steps infront of the defender, 2 players were sitting under the ball which was perfect for a screamer...

As I approached the 2 players I proceeded to ready Launch! But it was at this point my right foot sunk in the mud and got stuck, by that time though all my weight was on the right leg and it buckled at the knee, I felt it pop out as I launched into the pack, still got my hands to the ball but knew I was in big trouble...

One thing I remember was one of our much smaller players, his face cracks me up each time I think about it - As I hit the pack and was on my way down he was at the front looking up as what prob looked to him as a wall of mass coming towards him - his face showed pure terror and fear as I fastly approached, I turned my shoulder and bang. He was flattened - quite hard too, I mean I am a big unit...

I layed there knowing my knee had gone, I had a quick feel around and could instantly feel my Medial was like jelly - my lateral and others felt ok though, massive pain from the bone on my right side but the ligaments felt good on that side.

They carried me off and I sat on the bench icing away. Good thing was I can still put weight on it so was able to hobble to the changerooms, grab my keys and stuff and drive down to the local Sportsmed for a check.

Initial fears were quickly brought to light, Grade 2, possible Grade 3 tear of the Medial Ligament. F it. I also suffered severe bone bruising on the right hand side of my knee..

So began my recoup and soon rehab, I even experienced acupuncture for the first time ever - won't be my last but it also won't be the first thing I run off to go and get if I'm in the mood for pain!

That was approx 8 weeks ago and my leg is much better, it still isn't ready for anything but I am walking ok and now have the knee brace off. Stupidity has set me back a few weeks as I slowly jogged around the oval with my youngest daughter, sadly the weight on my knee really put too much pressure on the right hand side and have aggravated the bone bruising..

So now pain when I walk but it is getting better.

As we speak right now, I am preparing for my sons final football game for the year and he ventures towards starting Baseball for another season. I too will return just not sure if it will be Round 1 (Physio believes it will be) or later in the round like round 4.

My Richmond Tigers are in the finals for the first time since 2001 when we were cruely knocked out of the Prelim Final, we are still 2 games to play but its likely we'll finish 5th and play Port in the first round of the finals. Both Noah and I are extremely looking forward to this!

Earlier in the year we decided we would take the family to the Gold Coast for 10 days, that meant no Melbourne trip for Noah and I unless we made the finals... sure enough they made it! So we're anxiously awaiting to see what day they will be playing so we can fly in and hopefully fly out same day.

So now you know what i've been up too, hope to add more posts over the next few weeks and push my blog to 100 articles!

Round 4 - Richmond v Collingwood (AFL)

Ok I've held off for as long as I could, was very tempted to write this last weekend straight after the game but that would have been full of negative thoughts and no constructive criticism..

By now your reading this knowing the result wasn't what I had expected or hoped, yes my boys lost.

The wound goes deeper than just the loss, earlier in the day I made my long awaited come back to football, I last pulled on the boots some 12 years ago, back then I played my last season with the Vikings and kicked a nice 50 odd goals in only 10 games, including my never to be forgotten 10 goal haul against Christies Beach (in just 3 quarters of football...).

Knee injury was the reason I stopped playing and also I met my wife to be and moved 20km's away from the footy club, I was spending more time doing other things and sadly football lost. My knee wasn't right though, I spent my last season of football at Happy Valley with a massive knee brace which was awkward to move in and took about 10m off my old 60m kick...

Since then i've moved to a local club, Broadview Football Club (Tigers!!), my son has been playing junior football there for the last 5 years. Talking to one of the members he mentioned their D grade were short of players so I had a few days to think - yep lets do it..

Now, I'm atleast 20kg's heavier than last time I played, no where near as fit and 12 years older... My first training session everything was great, the next few days though - pain, just pain - body wasn't ready for such a training session hahaha. Over the course of the week I then had niggling issues, first the hamstring, then my driver but was still confident of overcoming these and lining up for the Tigers.

That I did, I got my chance to hit the ground midway through the 1st quarter and slotted into the forward pocket - very unfamiliar ground, most of my footy at HV was at Full Forward.. From the time I jumped on though I had nothing but hesitation in my mind, new club, new players, hadn't played for years... I just didn't know my place and what I should do - sadly two leads in the groin went... I hobbled to the bench at quarter time and rested it up. I guess to my credit (and a stern pep talk from my wife) I got back out there midway into 3rd Quarter and it was then I had my first shot on goal as a Broadview Tiger.

Sadly it just went shy of the left post and a point awarded, I finished out the rest of the game getting my hands on the ball a few times but in the end it didn't come down that much as we were soundly beaten by 18 goals... infact, that goal I missed, would have been our first and only goal for the game...

So - missing the 1st half of the Richmond game I sped home, sore and a gutted feeling...

Listening on the way home I heard the Tigers had a great first half matching Collingwood and allowing our midfield to dominate again - sadly the same issues from previous weeks reared their heads again... Missed Scoring Opportunities.

I hope this is a sticking point for Dimma at training and something he is focussing on as at this level the amound of easy shots on goal the Tigers have missed this year is disgusting. Tigers at the moment are content on just doing enough to maintain a lead rather than going for the kill and murdering the hopes and moral of the opposition.

Unfortunately what I saw when I got home and sat and watched the last half was nothing short of poor, this is harsh but I think the 3rd quarter we saw last weekend was by far the worst we've played all year.

Collingwood hit Richmond hard, their midfield dominated the centre and flooded it into their forward line where their million dollar focal point was winning a tough battle in the air against Alex Rance. To Rance's credit he fought hard, unfortunately the arm reach of Travis Cloke is a tough one to defend against, he has great hands, sadly I wish he came across during last trade period!

Rancey was given a spell and Chappy took over the duties on Cloke, sadly by that time the damage had been done, Collingwood piled on the goals and took a 4 goal lead, but by that stage our heads were already down. Chappy was the next casualty of the onslaught taking on some friendly fire to the head in a clash with newby Chris Knights.

Collingwood piled on 8 unanswered goals during that quarter and I watched in amazement as one of our best midfielders, Dustin Martin fell into his 3rd quarter curse and began increasingly quiet as his player Harry O'Brien ran freely and aided Collingwoods demolition.

To the Tigers credit they managed to add 2 goals late in the 3rd quarter to somehow still be a chance.

Even though the quarter was done and dusted, heads in the sand, there was still a feeling we weren't done and early goals would worry Collingwood...

Tigers started fresh and pushed the ball constantly into our forward line but 4... i repeat 4 early chances, some easy shots, were missed. We finally added a few through the two big sticks and crept to within 3 goals but by then the damage had been done, the early misses cost us again as Collingwood regrouped and surged again adding a few and then doing enough to keep Richmond off and securing the 34 point win.

34 Points doesn't really give Collingwood the notion of how dominant they were in the last half, 11 goals to 5 doesn't depict the 3rd quarter fright they gave the rest of the competition after they had 8 unanswered goals and looked unstoppable.

Highlights for me in terms of best players, the ever reliable Cotchin, Lid's tried hard, Grimes and Petterd. Ricky Petterd isn't featuring in the Tigers so called Best players which is a shame, his addition to the team this year has been nothing but positive, he's been getting his hands alot of the sherrin and his disposal has been quite good.

Looking at the Best players below i'm shocked to see Bachar Houli in there, his last half disposal was terrible which is a big shock considering I believe him to be one of the best out there. His first half must have lifted him up there cos sadly my Bachar didn't impress me...

How do we beat Collingwood next time, or even look ahead to Freo, Geelong and Port?

The answer is simple, our shots on goal. 11.13 is a terrible result, I saw 4 points that should have been goals atleast but thats not the only example, look back to the Carlton and St Kilda games... Early in first half we had them both dead and beaten - shocking misses though didn't bury them and kept them within striking distance. Yes the result was we won, but we didn't win convincingly like a Top 4 team like Collingwood, Sydney, Geelong or Hawthorn would do.

If we are to be one of the teams others fear, we urgently need to rectify issues like this, we can't in this our season of change, allow us to have so many close games when really we could have thrashed them.

Well, this week we're out at Freo on Friday night, should be a cracker of a game, I actually think we can win this providing our midfielders maintain for four quarters and we start hitting easy shots and get the goals up!

Players best be on their A game, we have the likes of Aaron Edwards booting 7 in the reserves and we're also expecting the debut of Nick Vlastuin this week... Nathan Foley also had a good hit out, expect him to return in a month's time if all goes well...

 Final Scores:

RICHMOND                    3.3   6.5   8.6  11.13  (79)       
COLLINGWOOD           1.4   5.8   13.12  16.17 (113)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Vickery 2, McGuane 2, King, Edwards, Houli , Maric
Collingwood: Cloke 7, Sidebottom 4, Clarke, O'Brien, Elliott, Swan, Dwyer

BEST
Richmond: Cotchin, Deledio, Grimes, Houli
Collingwood: Cloke, Shaw, Fasolo, O'Brien, Reid, Sidebottom, Swan

INJURIES
Richmond: King (hamstring), Chaplin (head)
Collingwood: Brown (groin)

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Shane Tuck replaced by Brandon Ellis in the third quarter
Collingwood: Josh Thomas replaced by Dale Thomas in the third quarter

CHANGES
Collingwood: Goldsack replaced in selected side by Macaffer

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Meredith, Mollison
Official crowd: 81,950 at the MCG

Footy Flashbacks - Richmond v Adelaide - Round 8 (1998)

 Whilst we anxiously wait for Round 3's Tigers clash against the Bulldogs I want to share with you some of my favourite footy flashbacks.

Growing up in Adelaide I never had the opportunity to build flashbacks of finals, grand finals or the 1st game of young guns whilst sitting at the MCG cheering on, instead I grew up coming from an SANFL background.

Misguided in my youth I started following the Crows in their first 2 years joining the AFL, yet I never had a favourite player and didn't get a chance to go to many games.

Towards the start of 1992 I started to follow Richmond closely, still not a full fan but had this feeling of really liking this team. A friend from school was a huge Tiger, he grew up in Melbourne and moved to Adelaide before he got to high school. We became good mates when he moved to my school and I found his passion for the Tigers was growing madly within me.

By the end of 92 I was ready, Begun my move to Tigerland has. (sorry tried to sound like Yoda from Star Wars..)

Anyhow 93 I witnessed the first game of probably the best player I've seen, Matthew Richardson. Enter my full passion, now I was following Richmond but more importantly a player which i'd drop everything to go and watch.


From that point on there was no going back... what had I got myself into... I later learned the history of the club and its depression since 82, sitting here now i've seen my team reach the finals only twice, poor Richo has retired but we are on the verge of our first finals campaign since 2001. Good times ahead.

The path of being a Tiger has never been easy, I witnessed some shockers with us losing by 15+ goals, one here in Adelaide where Modra kicked 10+...

But I've witnessed some real spectacular wins also and close games, the game I'd like to share is one of my favourite games i've ever been too.

Back in 1998 I started working for the SA Law Society, back then I was a fresh 19 year old still looking for work but never went onto Uni like most did. I found it tough as I had no experience, great with computers but noone would hire me as "sorry you don't have experience"... towards the tail end of my applications my response was, yes, until someone gives me a chance how do I get experience!

It was pure luck I found myself at the Law Society as part of an opportunity that came up through Work for the Dole. Somehow they found a small role there for me to start off with which then turned into receiving a contract for my first full time role. A few months into the position I made alot of friends and copped alot of grief from them being a Tiger, proudly displaying my Richmond desk flag for all to see.

May was approaching and I was really keen to go to the Adelaide v Richmond game but as Adelaide was realing in Crows Mania majority of the games were becoming sell outs so near impossible to get there.

By chance someone I worked with (who I still didn't really know) had a friend who was a season ticket holder and yes.... had a spare ticket. I jumped at the chance as I all I wanted to do was watch the Tigers, I had a inkling we would win but not 100% sure...

I met up with the unknown Crows Supporter outside the North Western side of the ground, nice lady she was in her late 30's early 40's and she took me to my seat, western side just off the middle of the centre.

Right from the get go it was a close game but the Crows managed to pull away from us in 3rd quarter, by that stage though the heavens decided to open up on us.

Thousands of Crows supporters, except for those diehard supporters, headed for cover to retreat from the rain. I myself, was going.... nowhere.

All throughout the game the nice lady, whose name I can't recall.. was really cheering for the Crows, each time they would get near there goals she would be nudging me and then a big nudge if they kicked a goal...

By the last quarter the rain was alot harder, this is a moment I'll never ever forget. The rain was the type of downpour only described as really big drops, heavy and straight. The rain fell so vertically we were drenched within seconds.

I looked back at all the supporters, they were cuddled up in their warm rugs and out of the rain sipping on warm drinks....

Momentum shifted, the dominance of the Crows in the 3rd started to shift to the Tigers coming back. I remember our boys handling the ball like it was dry weather, they silkily moved the ball into the forward line and kept pressing until the goal was scored.

We moved to within 2 goals, you could hear the cheer of the Tiger faithful who were still out in the rain, other than that you couldn't hear any Crows supporters. A roar in the background surrounded us as the rain got heavier, the rain hitting the roof was extremely loud.

Suddenly lightning begun to crash close by, big claps of thunder started filling mother natures symphony.

I remember one massive bolt flashing out of the sky and just like that the lights went out. Noone knew what to do and sat frozen in their chairs, I can't remember for sure but I think it was a few minutes before the lights came back on.

All the supporters undercover were shouting for the game to be called off, they were sure they had won.

Umpire blew the whistle and the game recommenced with only minutes to go.

The Tigers pushed, scored two more and we took the lead again in the dying minutes of the game, the look on all the Crows supporters was one to remember, for the Tigers supporters we were shocked, pure shock at the comeback.

With less than a minute to go we slammed on one more goal, surely that was it......

Siren went and the cheer from a thousand sounded more like 10,000!

All I remember from the siren was standing up, both fists held high and turning to the lady who was nudging me every Crows possession and screaming "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"!!

Not being aggressive or anything like that, it was a mutual supporter moment that she knew was all ok.. She grinned and nodded her head - well done she said.

The song came on and I launched onto my cold metal seat, turned around to all of those under cover and proceeded to sing the song the loudest I had ever before. With my right hand I began to point at all of those under cover and gave them the best damn rendition of We're From Tigerland I'd ever performed.

I think had those supporters not all scramble for cover and brave the weather like the rest of us I wouldn't have cared. But they made me angry that night, all ran for cover, just like their team did. So I let them know, I wasn't looking for a fight or anything untoward, I just wanted to let them know they needed to stay in their seats and support their team to the end, rain, hail or shine.

The Tigers stayed on the ground and sang the loudest rendition of our song heard interstate and with bucketing rain. The picture above shows it all, the torrential downpour, the elation and passion of the team as they fought one of their best battles.

I think for me this is one of the best I've ever seen, we didn't make the finals that year, but we did beat the Premiers at their home ground and never weakened until the final siren sounded.

It was a game that helped shape my love for Richmond, a game that sticks in your mind and you share with people and younger generations. It helped build hope that this club can be a great winning club, they just need the confidence to know they can.

Final Scores:

Richmond 14.8 (92)
defeated
Adelaide 11.13 (79)

Round 2 - Richmond v St Kilda (AFL)

Well Round 2 there was increased hype surrounding the Tigers, they finally ended their hoodoo with Round 1 defeats at the hand of Carlton and their cubs showed why they have the most formidable midfield in the competition.

I overheard someone saying Richmond were again staring down the barrel of another record they need to overcome, They hadn't won their first 2 games to start the season in 16 years.

That's a massive amount of time to chalk up 2 wins from 2 games... I was sure that was wrong as there has been seasons where we started really strong then fell over in final 10 or 12 games.. Nope the record books has it correct.

So again the hype surrounding our great club was truly peaking and so were the hopes and ambitions of some 50,000+ members.

St Kilda, after their loss to Gold Coast the week before, was expected to show alot more fight however their fitness was a concern as the conditions up in Queensland were quite humid and hot with a number of players going down with cramp in the final quarter.

Luke McGuane showed real glimpses of being one of our power forwards with two ripper pack marks and snaring a couple of goals whilst Dustin Martin was busy early having the ball sticking to him and racking up 11 possessions.

Richmond again dominated the possession and inside 50, but, like the Carlton game was wasteful and again amassed a 10 points for the half and only finishing with 8.10 (58). Richmond really need to review this, yes some are rushed but easy set shots not taken can really hurt the team as this builds momentum and kills the mindset of the opposition if you pile on the goals... If we had and finished more like 12.6 going into the half i believe we would have finished them off in the 3rd.

The second half showed much of the same although the Riewoldt battle heated up with both going head to head.

Trent Cotchin in his usual self shook off the tag placed by Clint Jones, only having 9 possession's to half time Trent amassed 22 in the second half to finish a top with 31 possession's for the game.

Richmond showed more poise this week in the latter part of the final quarter, against Carlton last week they looked worried and were nervous when attempting to move the ball out of their backline, this week they looked a little more settled and were able to counteract the Saints push and keep them at least 10 points clear.

The Tigers ended up getting over the line by 17 Points, for me, this was closer than I believe it should have been. The Tigers took over the lead in the 1st Quarter and never gave it back, at times were very wasteful in their shots on goal but also hitting the target.

The biggest worry for me Friday night was the ease in which St Kilda dominated us in marks in our attacking 50. We constantly bombed the ball in long or went towards a pack only for our forwards to be out of position and the tall saint defenders taking the grab.

I don't think this will be an issue against the Bulldogs this week but one to watch out for when we face Collingwood the week after...

Disappointment's: For me there wasn't alot to be disappointed with other than the marking inside our attacking 50 (yes I say this despite the big grabs by Jack, Jake and Luke...)

Jake Bachelor was ok but often looked for the player in contests rather than keeping his eye on the ball, which led to a lot of marks against him and easy shots on goal.

Ty Vickory was not impressive at all, which is a shame as last week against Carlton he found alot of space and took some great marks, maybe he's feeling crowded with both Jack & Luke there?

Positives for me: Well there were alot, Troy Chaplin played well in only his 2nd game since moving from Port. Jake King really impressed and was unlucky to pull down mark of the year. Luke McGuane is making a serious push to be the 2nd key forward to Jack Riewoldt, Grimes was great in his first game back since injury.

They big winners for me though were Ricky Petterd, Reece Conca and Trent Cotchin.

Trent showed why he is one of the favourites to win the Brownlow this year, yes tagged early but a great player knows how to shake off a tag and that he did, massing 31 possession's and being a big influence.

Reece Conca, I'll go down as saying that's the best game he has ever played for the Tigers. Alot of people have always had huge raps on him, me not so much as I think I was always overcome by the likes of Cotchin, Deledio and Martin as being the next youngsters to shine.. But I'll happily say that Reece was in the Top 3 of being best on ground.

Ricky Petterd, alot (critics/supporters) didn't like his invitation to pre-season, I always liked him though and thought Melbourne were stupid for getting rid of him last season. Ricky's presence and foot skills really helped us out and I would also put him in our top 3 best players considering it was only his first game for us too!

So, Tigers are sitting 2 wins and 0 losses which hasn't occurred for 16 years, We shift our sights to the Bulldogs this Sunday and hope to push for 3 straight wins.

If you're not yet on board as a member, get on now. Even if its just an interstate membership which I'm on, costs around $75 each year but your financially apart of the club and more importantly another tally to the clubs push of 60k+ supporters!

Final scores:

Richmond 14.15 (99)

defeat

St Kilda 12.10 (82)

**Photos courtesy of the Richmond website... www.richmondfc.com.au**

Prelim Final - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

I astounded myself early on Prelim Final gameday, I could still pick up the bat and swing hard... The grip I used with the "almost" dinger I tried again and perfectly it swung with no pain in my thumb... hmmm...

But realistically I won't be moving from the bench position... Unless it was the Grand Final and we needed some bat to be subbed in I won't be used at all, I can't even put my mitt on so really only a DH role would work or come in last inning for a hit...

So lets look at the game, sobering mood for me pre-game, still had nerves but different ones... not playing so it was like I was watching my beloved Richmond Tigers or Seattle Mariners, just hoping they'll win.

Our Divvy 5 team travelled down to West Torrens on an extremely hot, dry, humid 36 degree day. Felt more like 40 in that sun, no wind and just that yucky sticky heat.

Team looked good though, Cummo was a welcome addition after battling Glandular Fever and our boys were in high spirits that we could take this game.

Once we hit the field though the team wasn't as full of confidence, almost looked a shade nervous. Didn't use the bat well in first couple of innings and little things weren't going our way...

You could also notice it in the field, Robbo was working hard on the mound but bugger all chat around him...

Gussy made the stop of the day with a beautiful diving save at first, just narrowly missed getting the runner out but showed great courage diving to his right to snare the ball.

Sadly I had to leave early as was due for a family get together in Goolwa, this is a special occasion that we can't miss.

Years ago we pledged that we would make sure we attempt to participate in the annual Mervy every year to honor our nephew Jackson.

Jackson sadly passed away at birth a few years ago.

As I married into a golfing mad family, each year we get together and play a stroke comp for the Mervy Trophy, previously, under the old Calloway system, the winners each year were generally the ones which played regularly.

This year the rules had changed slightly and handicaps formed based on previous cards, this gave all players a much better chance of winning.

Myself, I finished last in the 2nd comp and since then (5 played overall) i've placed about middle of the pack.

With a broken thumb, I didn't think i'd actually be able to participate this year but pledged I would come out to support and try a swing to see how we go, I tee'd off first to officially start the mervy. Not sure who was more suprised, my golfing family or myself as I launched my drive straight and long up the middle of the fairway. I altered my grip so that the thumb was not touching the club and was free of my right hand so no connection or bumps would occur...

Really shocked, not for a minute did I think I could swing a club... I said I'd play 9 and see how we go.

I ended up playing all 18, had an awesome first 9 of 48 but dropped off a bit on the back 9 with 56. But still hit very well for someone with a broken thumb and I even beat the score from last year...

We all finished up and headed back to my brother in laws for a bbq tea, shortly after dinner the scores were announced, My golf mad father in law who plays the most out of everyone came dead last... woohoo! Slowly each name was read out - no Tony as yet...

Three names remained, two players who never really play (myself included) and one who plays regularly...

And there it was, I was named runner up tied for second and the winner, Bec has never won before either and is Jacksons mum. A fitting end to a great day, two unknowns in top 2 and Bec takes the cup for her son.

Overall a great weekend.

Now back to the game (sorry I tend to get sidetracked).

I was relying on my mate Jarrad to supply the scores, I said before I left, I wanted a play by play, pitch by pitch summary... no luck.

As we reached Goolwa the fateful message came in, East Torrens Div 5 team had lost in the final inning by 1 run.

When I left, we were 5-2 down and didn't look like over running them at this stage, it was there but not just yet..

Jarrad later revealed that we staged a massive comeback holding them to the one run over next 3 innings as we took the lead in the top of the seventh inning, leading 7-6 we looked like a history making win.

Sadly West Torrens levelled the score and then a dodgy shot dropped in for them to bring home the win.

Credit to them they were a good side, I still think we're better but, they're in the GF.

Season over and now West Torrens take on Glenelg in the Grand Final, personally, I hope West Torrens wins it over Glenelg. After our last "heated" game down at Glenelg where sportsmanship and gentleman's code was not even in their vocabulary.

Well thats my Baseball reviews over for the season, I'm off to rest this thumb over the next 6 weeks and look forward to an even bigger and better 2013-2014 Season.

Go RedSox!!!!!

Semi Final - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

Firstly apologies for the week delay getting this out, been a rough week and a half since the Semi Final - most know why but for those that don't all will be revealed shortly.

It was to be a massive day for me, not only was I heading to Soundwave straight after to watch Blink 182 but this was also my first ever real final.. Never played finals in my footy life at Happy Valley nor have I seen finals whilst playing baseball for East Torrens...

To say I was super nervous was an understatement...

Well, the first Semi shaped up to be an absolute cracker and it didn't dissapoint. Adelaide had our number this year winning both games in the regular season, first game they held us to only 1 run, 2nd game they narrowly beat us when we gifted the game to them.

Hot day started us out with Ralphy kicking the day off with a knock, Ralphy is looking more comfortable in the lead off role and Jonesy our regular is having some rest period a few slots back giving him time to mentally rest.

Memory isn't as good as it was before the end of the first inning, I still can't remember all the piecings of this next play but here goes...

I think from memory we had a runner on 1st when the Adelaide batter hit deep out to Jarrad at right field, I ran back to third base ready for the throw. The ball came in but wasn't on the full and was to bounce short about a metre in front.

Now I have let alot of balls through this year, this wasn't going to be one of them. If I missed it, certain run and error. I came off my base and ready to take it as it hit the deck but the bounce kicked it up quite sharply narrowly missing my glove.

But it didn't miss me hitting me squarly in the head, just above my right eye.. Lucky it didn't hit me in the eye...

Umpire called time and the boys checked to see if I had concussion and attended to a small cut above the eye. All good and I insisted I continue - looked like a unicorn though sporting a horn!

Didn't affect me too much though as I was able to secure my only hit in the next inning, hit nicely through short to advance scoop to second.

Jarrad advanced us around and I managed to get to second when I turned and noticed Scoop recorded a geriatrics's moment when he kept walking off third towards home plate, wasn't running though, just walking... pitcher quickly threw ball to 3rd and was tagged out... Chalk this one down to amnesia or something...

Robbo pitched all day and he really did a pearler of a job, hitting the zone nicely and keeping the batters thinking.

Red Sox managed to get up to a nice lead as we moved on to 4-1 however Adelaide pulled back a few and we were leading towards the 5th inning 6-4.

Memory has me, I'm not sure if this happened now in the bottom of the 4th of 5th but here goes..

My second body blow for the game came with the last out of the inning, the adelaide hitter burned a drive to me sitting at 3rd, hit very hard but it dipped at the last second. I moved my glove behind it and got down to the ball.

It hit my glove on the high right hand side and agony began, the ball spilt out but I was able to recover and throw him out at first. I noticed straight away something was wrong, the ball, when it hit the glove, it hit the top of my thumb and the swelling told me something wasn't right...

Being as stubborn as I am I didn't want to come out and wanted to see how it would go for next inning and batting.

Well if batting was something to go by it was fine. With two runners on and two outs I went to the plate, watched my usual first ball just to see how its coming in, then proceeded to launch a ball into the stratosphere... Sadly it was hit with too much height and the wind held it a metre short from being a Home Run.

Next inning I went back out to 3rd but by that time the thumb was very swollen and it hurt to catch the ball, Robbo too noticed this as he threw a ball to me and I hesitated greatly to catch it...

That was me done, we went 3 up 3 down that inning and Robbo and Matty took me out to bring Curtis in - a wise move, I couldn't een touch the thumb then...

Ralphy lead the pack with a stellar batting display, he wasn't the only one though, young Mr Laws connected well twice getting to the gaps in the outfield and overall our batting lifted dramatically with most getting off the bus as Robbo likes to call it...

By the top of the 6th we held a good lead to which we extended out to 14-4 at the end of our bat, 3 more outs would enforce the mercy rule and we would leave early knowing one of the best games would secure us a Prelim!

3 up 3 down, Robbo capped of a fantastic game and the Red Sox ran out winners 14-4, This was a massive team effort and I was beside myself! Man I was sore but the feeling of winning my first ever final drowned it out completely... We just beat the side who was top for most of the year and we hadn't beaten all year - throw in the fact we were playing at their home ground. Yep this will be remembered for a long time!

Ok so the fallout was a cracker, we changed and sped to Soundwave, by that stage I had a massive horn on my head from the first knock and I couldn't move my thumb which now was extremely swollen and turning purple...

Blink 182 was awesome but the event sucked for me as when we reached the blink stage it was near impossible to move, there was nowhere to get through the crowd and a sea of people pushed each other as we moved towards the back - Phone reception was non existent too resembling the TV show Revolution...

Finally after 25 minutes of stressing and sense of being lost I found my wife and we watched the remaining 30 minutes of Blink... Blink were awesome and should have been the final act.

Linkin Park was ok, I got to hear my favourite song What I've Done but other than that it wasn't Blink.

Metallica was so so... Most will disagree with me but I wasn't really impressed, they played 4 songs I knew and to be honest I kept looking at the clock for it to be over....

If Soundwave promoters are reading, make sure if Blink 182 are there next year, give them a 2 hour finale spot - they would kill it far better than Metallica did...

Anyway, by monday morning I was in a heap of pain and wolfing down panadene forte tablets to help stem the pain..

I went to the doctor who, before I could tell him about my thumb, went straight for the lump on my head... He then informed me that I had cracked the bone in my nose, I knew it was red and sore but it didn't bother me as much as the lump on my head...

Bummer...

He then said the thumb did look nasty and immediately arranged X-rays to be taken.

X-rays done and I was starving so we started heading off to the pub when the phone rang, it was the x-ray place... X-rays were ready to be picked up and taken to doctors, I replied but I'm not going back to the doctors today.. Response wasn't encouraging, Umm yes you are...

Hmm that didn't sound good, I headed down to the doctors who started examining the film.. His face was priceless and I knew it wasn't good.

The verdict... Broken Thumb in three places, possibly need surgery to correct and have screws put in to mend...

Thats me season done... expecting 6 weeks out whilst it recovers...

So - Our Divvy 5 team now shapes up against West Torrens away next week with me to warm the bench for them...

Go Red Sox!!!!!!!

Round 18 - ETPBC Div 5

A very hot day was forecasted and it managed to bring what it threatened, a very hot 37 degrees with hardly any cloud cover.

With that came in the reduced game rules, this enforces a maximum of 5 innnings or 90 minutes...

For someone like me who was starting on the bench, that brings in nothing but angst on whether you will be played or not.

Robbo started on the mound and got off to a flyer, zone was good and not many opposition hits through the five innings and really worked hard to keep them at bay - recorded some good strikeouts too!

Gussy again proved to be the one pitchers hate the most being walked twice, Cummo was the hitting specialist for the day twice with big bombs into the gaps and also superb speed to reach third twice for back to back triples.

Cummo's first proved to be a spark the team needed, most were telling him to hold off at 2nd but Cummo knew his pace would beat the throw to 3rd.

Hard to determine which highlight was the best on the day, so I think line honors need to go to both Cummo and Jonesy.

Jonesy is now known as the aerial defender, late in the 4th inning with runners in scoring position, a big bomb was hit to deep left field. For all money Jonesy looked beat on this one as it was well hit, from nowhere Jonesy lept back and took a superb catch which recorded the final out of the inning and any chance of Southern coming back to challenge the lead.

Red Sox ended up holding them off in the last to record a 7-1 win over Southern and securing our place in the finals.

I'm super excited, never in history of sport have I reached finals, not unless you count mixed netball which I don't think I will... During my football life at Happy Valley, my junior years were spent being thrashed by teams like Reynella and Morphett Vale, sometimes by 30 goals... During my senior years at the club we won games but never enough to reach finals, often missing out by one or two.

In my baseball career we haven't made it over the 4 years i've played, the year I missed our team won the flag.

This is something to savor and I look very forward to the challenge.

See you all down at Adelaide this weekend to cheer on the Red Sox!

Round 17 - ETPBC Div 5

Big game against Goodwood, not because of the fact previous years they had our number but for the fact every game from here is must win, especially if we want that finals glory...

Goodwood are a changed side compared to last few seasons, one person I spoke to months ago said they had lost alot of players from the club for various reasons - this looks to be what has depleted their Div 5 side, who in previous years has edged us out for the win most of the time.

Temperature wasn't ideal with a quite hot 36 degrees but the ground was looking in great condition.

Well, I can't hide from this... first ball of the game was thrown in by Cummo, from my side it looked straight, maybe a bit inside, the batter connected well with it and straight towards me..

I had an idea of where I thought it was going to go, which turned out to be the complete opposite to where it did go... Embarrisingly the ball went straight through my legs instead of hitting the lip of the 3rd base cut out like I thought it might and ricochet up towards my head...

I hate it when I start off with an error, really plays on my mind and unfortunately you feel completely isolated and hear everyones thoughts without them saying a word....

Cummo was put under pressure early but to his credit worked hard and got out of trouble, yes no runs were scored but my thoughts were in a dark place at that moment...

Bats started off early with Cummo and Gus all getting on base and gaining the early lead, a lead we were able to maintain from the first inning and keep adding to it until the final.

Cummo worked hard through 3 more innings and kept the no score in his pocket, DR took over for final couple and that was it for a pitching point of view - our pitchers threw hard and in the zone, our fielders (despite the first cough up..) did very well and held off any potential score threat that Goodwood threw at us.

For the batters, our team was impressive with the hits, still far from our best but we managed to make good use of our at bats, Cummo, Angus and young Laws hit quite well with Gussy being walked three times I believe.

We ended up running out convincing winners 16-0, defence was strong and offence was great.

Personally yes my 1st play was terrible but I think I bounced back well to minimise any further errors and also had a good hand in one of the slowest Double Plays ever recorded with Scoop..

Batting I'll say I was 50% happy, my first and last at bats were terrible, both hit off the handle of the bat and popped up to the infield. My 2nd and 3rd were good, first one was knocked into the gap between centre left and I pulled up with a double with 2 runs coming in. Beauty was also Goodwoods shortstop overthrew to home plate and I managed to advance to 3rd on the wild throw.

My 3rd at bat I liked but I know personally I swung late and got under it, I hit a deep fly ball to centre field but was straight down the throat of the centre fielder. I'm still relatively happy with the hit, it felt good just a tad late but also managed to score the runner from 3rd.

Overall 1 from 4 but with 3 RBI's thats a good day.

So, final game is this weekend for the regular season, we face Southern Districts @ Home. Southern are currently sitting 5th on the ladder only half a game behind us.

A Win puts us in the finals, the loss, well lets not even consider that.

Get down to the oval and cheer on your Red Sox to get into the finals!

Round 14 - ETPBC Div 5

Spent alot of the long weekend thinking about how the title for this article should read, many ideas came to mind but in the end thought - keep it as usual and let the article describe the game...

So Divvy 5 took the long road north out to Gawler, which I earlier learned is more so Evanston Park now as the club has moved from its previous site to a new oval about 10-15 minutes down the road. Great for us as the usual 40-45 minute drive is now only 25-30 minutes... I went my usual way, up the new Northern Expressway, should be put as one of the best things this state has accomplished, a dual freeway which connects Port Wakefield Road and Main North Road... Simply a delight to drive on, so smooth, it makes driving it pleasurable and you hardly notice the length of the drive.

Previously we used to go up Main North Road through Elizabeth, Munno Para etc... don't really need to describe why I prefer the other way...

So, mix tape was in featuring great's such as Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park and System of a Down (also a hint of Nirvana and Eric Clapton...), rest of the family was either already down at Lady Bay for our big family holiday or at home getting ready to head down...

Arrived at Gawler super early after allowing too much time to get there, Quickly scoped the oval and it looked to be also used as a hockey ground, very square and not very long or shaped like a diamond...

Game time finally arrived and we took first dig at putting some runs on the board, Gus managed to do some very handy base running, stealing two bases and in the end scoring our only run for the first inning.

Matt said early on our team looked flat and this was very evident in the first 3 or 4 innings of the game, the bats we know we have weren't showing early on, fielding we were going ok too but lacked the edge to keep Gawlers mind from thinking they had a chance...

After 4 innings I think we held a lead of about 5 runs, which is good but against one of the bottom teams it was far less than expected.

Cummo was in on the money for most of the game, hitting the zone and sitting them down nicely, we just weren't backing him up with the lead he deserved.

A bit of feeling started to come into the game, coincidentally the same time Robbo went deep out Left Field which for all money looked like a Home Run but was called a Double by the Gawler player. The heat came after the opposition pitcher decided to "chat" a bit more about it and even claim wind assistance in the hit.

Well, the moment all have been waiting for..

The pitcher moved to Short and his new protege stepped to the plate to salvage what was left of the sinking ship, Robbo and Ralph were sitting on 3rd and 2nd and I recall my first thoughts was I wanted to belt the living daylights out of this ball as when I got to the plate the pitcher was mouthing off to Robbo, not good first impressions haha

I left the first ball as I usually do, just to see how fast and how controlled the ball was as it hits the catchers glove. The 2nd ball was perfect for me, inside and high to the inside, this time I put everything behind it.

As I ran to first I watched it sail over the left field line and the left fielder whacked his hands up to show Home Run... The moment I've been yearning for since I last hit my first ever Home Run down at Glenelg.

Now, alot will say I was a tad excited... couldn't be further from the truth hahaha, to hit a Home Run is the best feeling, to think you've hit the ball that far, something we've done a little this year but not heaps so I've joined the group...

Funniest thing was, as I touched 2nd base on my way to 3rd the Shortstop went out to get the ball from the Left Fielder and was yelling out "Not bad for a wind assisted Home Run"....

There are some who accept things happening to them and there are some who act out when losing, he was the latter unfortunately, I laughed really hard when I heard that then made reference to his mouth being wind assisted...

I'm sorry and this might just be me, but if your languishing on the bottom of the ladder, losing too to a team who is in the Top 4 and also your using the same conditions as this Top 4 team... I don't think you have any ground to stand on to then ark up at the opposition by trying to bring their score down...

So, I hit home plate and the team was there to meet me as we celebrated my bat waking up but also the 3 runs just quickly added to the scoreboard..

Matty went down quickly with a strained calf so Jonesy who was sitting down with a strained neck came back on, Matt's was more so a light strain and more cautious than anything...

Scoop pulled up late in the last inning with a hamstring, not sure how bad at this stage but hopefully just minor...

So our ET Boys ran out winners 14-1, could have been much worse but we were certainly flat both with the bats and in the field in the first half of the game.

This week we're at home against Golden Grove which is going to be tough, but we seek revenge for the last game we played there when I think it is safe to say were nowhere near where we are now...

PS - I'm still grinning from ear to ear, here's hoping I can do it again in the not so distant future!

Sostas Argentinian Kitchen - Restuarant Review

Hi All,

Received some good feedback from my last restuarant review of The Albion so thought I'd share some more restuarants that we've tried recently.

As mentioned before school holidays are some of the fun times for my wife and I as we get to venture out to restuarants whilst our children are holidaying up at their nanna's in the Clare Valley. Don't get me wrong I certainly miss my kids whilst their away but its a chance for us to have some alone time and venture to restuarants we either haven't yet tried or are more adult orientated.

Our 4 year wedding anniversary was last Thursday night, we've been together for over 13 years however finally took the plunge 4 years ago. This was the first year the kids were away on holiday so I decided to look around for a more formal location than a regular place like the Daniel O'Connell or similar where we've been previously.

I stumbled across a place called Sosta's located on Rundle Street in Adelaide, its an Argentinian restuarant famous for its steak.

I looked at the menu online and straight away I could see us tucking into the 600g Rump or T-Bone.

My wife loves her food yet packs it into her tiny frame without showing any weight unlike her more plumpy husband... So this place looked perfect, happy wife when T-Bone on the menu.

I made the booking and arranged for my wife to pick me up from work in time for us to go straight there for a 6pm booking.

Sadly it was a 44 degree day, can't change that but we were hoping for some good airconditioning, which on a 44 degree day in Adelaide its not something that would be easy to come by unless your in the freezer section of Woolworths or Coles...

Unfortunately I think Sosta's airconditioner was working as hard as my house was but struggling.

Anyhow, we jagged a window seat which we were very pleased with. First impressions was it was very nice, pleasing to the eye and the menu wasn't overly expensive.

My wife quickly eyed off the T-Bone and I was tossing up over the Rump and the Mixed Grill. I opted last minute to go Rump but wish I went Mixed Grill as for me Rump is a hard one to master, Medium Rare is always needed for me, if cooked longer and more around Medium it gets very tough and chewy..

We also ordered the Pan Espanola which is crispy toasted Ciabatta bread with tomato, garlic, herbs and spices, this accompanied my wife's Bife de Costilla (T-Bone) and my order of Cuadril (Rump). We added a side of Ensalada Mixta (mixed lettuce, fetta, red onion, tomato, cucumber and kalamata olives).

We both added Hongos to our steaks, their oven roasted field mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, rosemary and beef glaze... sounded awesome so had to add it!

The Steaks were accompanied by crispy fried potatoes.

Our Entree (Pan Espanola) arrived first, impressions were high as to us it was a different version of Bruschetta (My wife's favourite!). It was more so like a pizza version of bruschetta and wow it was tasty! Definately recommend as a good starter.

Our mains came out and again impressions were high, both steaks looked amazing. Both sides of salad and potatoes came out equally looking good.

I quickly dived into the potatoes which were coated in spices, crunchy and super tasty I loaded up my plate with as many as could fit next to the steak.

The steak cut nicely, although wasn't medium rare, was closer to medium. The taste was a different story, just so tasty, not like an Outback Jacks steak, this had a standalone taste of flame grill that I haven't had before.

My wife's T-Bone was exquisite. That description is an injustice, perfectly cooked medium rare and hardly any effort to cut. The taste was second to none, never have I had a tastier T-Bone which the meat just melted in your mouth. The taste was similar to mine of flame grilled but this was truly the best steak we have encountered at a South Australian Restuarant.

The salad was very nice too, a great compliment to the steak, the fetta however was similar to the T-Bone, best we've ever tasted. To me it reminded me of melted tasty cheese in texture, it just melted. The taste buds were diving around in a mad frenzy, sadly there was only about 5 or 6 cubes, we could have easily polished another 10 each...

We both worked hard to finish the meals, they were very big steaks and to finish them along with the sides was a great feat but we managed to just finish.

With no room for dessert we sat patiently as we finished off our beers and sat shaking our heads at what we had just been served.

Sostas Argentinian restuarant rates up there as one of the best restuarants we have been too, The steak is close to the best and entree's and side dishes are amazing.

The atmosphere and friendly service pieced together a fine evening and truly memorable for our 4th year wedding anniversary.

I would truly recommend this restuarant to anyone keen for a great steak but also anyone looking for a more intimate dining experience for you and your loved one.

Had the weather been our friend that night we probably would have stayed longer and tried a dessert or two however the air was muggy and we were keen to retreat home with our bellies full and happy.

If I was to put a rating out of 10, I would give Sostas a 9 out of 10, for me if my rump was medium rare it would have pushed it to another level and the rating would have been a 9.5-9.7 out of 10.

Many thanks to the chef's and service staff at Sostas for making it a great evening for our anniversary!

For anyone keen, Sostas Argentinian Kitchen is located on 291 Rundle Street in Adelaide, website has a copy of their menu and can be found on http://sostaargentiniankitchen.com.au/ and can cater for smaller intimate bookings or large and functions!

Round 13 - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

In happier sorts than last week, nowthat the Seahawks are out of the playoffs I can focus solely on what the Mariners are doing and exactly which player they are going to trade for, rumor has it we are going big for Giancarlo Stanton.

Michael Bourne's name is still out there which could be a handy inclusion to take the pressure off Dustin Ackley, although I wouldn't mind betting now John Jaso was moved on for Michael Morse that the Mariners look for a veteran catcher to fill the shoes, a hitter no less.

Anyhow, we're here to discuss Divvy 5's game against lower ladder Flinders. Last game we played them they were severely depleted from previous seasons and this was no exception. Fielding the bare 9 they had to give up one of their players to use as umpire, rules are home side must provide an umpire.

Game got off to a flyer and our boys were getting the hits and a couple of runs on the board, i went down swinging in the first at bat after the umpire called second strike on me which I thought was way outside the zone, this caught me off guard so I swung at the third strike regardless... not a good idea...

Probably should have been a 7-0 inning as the pitcher wasn't throwing much, our bats seem to guide it straight to the fielders for easy outs...

Next few innings it remained within reach for Flinders but I don't think we were any real chance of losing control of the game, our hitting just wasn't working and we weren't making the most of at bats especially with 2 out..

Matt opened up the Home Run column with a big blast to left field in the 3rd inning, this proved to be the turning point with Ralphy putting one out in the same spot while 2 runners were on, then the pitcher awoke the sleeping giant when Fish returned the favour and put one out of centre field, also with 2 runners on.

By then the game was all but over and we ran out clear victors 19-4. Good to see a one J Laws starting to connect with the ball alot better, hit two safely into the outfield.

A look at my own game, hitting I was happy, although the strike out was poor I got good contact on my second at bat which was caught deep in right and my 3rd at bat produced a nice contact single out to centre so all up I was happy with the contact and to come away with a hit.

Fielding, was another story, for some reason I have lost a hell of a lot of confidence sence midway through season, I'm not doubting myself and doubting everyones thoughts on me playing that role. I need to regain my confidence soon or I will sit most of the rest of the season, including finals if we make it, on the pine as I don't feel the coaches have the confidence in me to play 3rd at the moment.

I am determined to regain the confidence, after all it is my position at 3rd - two errors cost me last weekend, I need to make sure I don't do any out at Gawler this weekend or I may as well bring a cushion and get comfortable on the pine...

Ok so with that out the way training this week to iron out some issues with my footwork while batting and will look to get extra fielding to help get the confidence back.

We're away to Gawler this weekend, 12.30 game which is good as I'm expected at Lady Bay ASAP after the game so lets get in, get the kill and head home early!

Round 12 - ETPBC Div 5

Ok All, this ones tough to write, probably more so as i've been up snce 4.30am heartbreakingly watching my beloved Seattle Seahawks...

To paint the picture, we've been renowned for our defence and also Lynch with his awesome running and our Rookie sensation QB Russell Wilson. First half there was none of the above, no defence, run from lynch or Wilson to help us - 20 - 0 at half time.

3rd Qtr you could see the fight in the hawks, but at 3qtr time we were still 27-7 down. Then, just like out of a movie/fairy tale, with 40 seconds to go, Seattle takes the lead and we're up 28-27.

Already running late I thought best to make a dash for the bus whilst glaring at twitter feeds the whole walk, what was a 2 minute walk lasted an eternity as I hear 2 passes from Atlanta brought them within Field Goal distance and just like that Atlanta stole the game....

So, you can now see why I am in one heck of a downer right now...

First game back ETPBC were up against Adelaide, who for most of the year has remained on top only losing 3 games, and we were at their home ground...

One thing identified by Matt & Robbo was the need for our team to get early runs, when up early our team is hard to beat! And thats exactly what we did, early runs were ploughed on the board with the help of Jonesy's replacement lead off hitter Ralph, with some great base stealing too he helped us get the momentum early and maintain a healthy lead.

Unfortunately we couldn't hold the lead and Adelaide, pulling a swifty, untied Ralphy's shoes and he tripped over which brought in 2 runs - from there Adelaide had the momentum and took control of the game.

Not being outdone however, ET pulled back the lead with some great hitting, especially from one J Laws going deep to bring in the runner - might have to work on his sliding though....

Sadly Adelaide were too strong and we fell short 11-10.

Now a look at my game, fielding I was happy until two players pointed out I'm not doing my job... news to me and now I need to get out and learn my 3rd base role again.. Didn't realise my role was the cutoff for left field, something I haven't done all year - but, now I know I can work on that for rest of season...

Batting, terrible, the previous game I went 4 from 4, this week, didn't look like getting on. Struck out in the first at bat (although still think last two were out of the box...) and flied out in my 2nd bat... was benched just over halfway through and actually glad I was, head wasn't in it and I tell you as a fielder it can be a very lonely place when the heat is on you, especially if your doing the wrong thing...

So, from here - yep i'm filthy, we're 6 games from finals and I'm a very massive chance of losing my 3rd base role and playing alot more bench time - something I don't want to happen. Need to get out wednesday, work on my hitting/fielding and hit it hard from there. If someone wants my position you better come hard cos Bo Gas is gonna come harder...

Flinders this week, time to hit these Uni students and show them what the Red Sox are made of!!!!!

Round 11 - ETPBC Div 5

Boasting a big line up with only a few missing, East Torrens travelled out to Woodvilles temporary ground (Seaton High School). I likened Seaton to my favourite Seattle Mariners ground which is currently being renovated - Home Run fence is being brought in and this is what the Seaton ground resembled.

Certainly a plus but a distraction... I certainly eyed the fence as something I wanted to surpass.

Last time we played Woodville we started very slow and they got the jump on us early, we kicked into gear around halfway through and never looked back comfortably winning.

With that in mind we expected another good game for our hitters and we were treated to that early with bases loaded in the 1st. From memory we only ended up bringing two runs through however ET dominated the game from early on, Robbo threw well on the mound with Matty at home plate in General status as he controlled and motivated the troops at every opportunity.

The biggest hit came from probably our smallest player on the field, with bases loaded and yours truly parked at 3rd DR (or Runt as the others like to call him) watched the first pitch and never let go on the second, launching a bomb to centre left. Clearing the fence and bringing home a grand slam to absolutely throw ET in the clear and dominate the game.

I think from then on all eyes and wishful batters were looking to the fence for their next at bat, I know I was.

Our fielding was much better this week however still a couple of bloopers, I watched DR bobble a ball in the 1st and not to be outdone I did the same a few balls later... Unfortunately stuff like that puts pressure on Robbo and Matty also.

Personally I was happy with my game, from my count I went 4 from 4, two just dropped in but two were clearly in and one nearly reaching the fence... dammit.. Fielding, well I bobbled one and missed a flyball catch losing it in the sun but overall not too bad.

The game wasn't without fireworks, late in the game Scoop stole 2nd maybe unaware we were up by 10 runs, this seemed to enrage the 3rd baseman for Woodville who proceeded with a rant at Scoop, Scoop casually shrugged it off. Wasn't until last inning that the two players would be clashing again with the 3rd baseman running to 2nd, Scoop caught the ball and hopped off the base to throw for the double play at 1st.

It was here things went ugly, the Woodville runner slid into 2nd with his cleats up and rammed them into Scoops leg. Scoop hit the deck and we missed the double play however alot of our players, understandably, were not too pleased with the actions of the Woodville player. With his back hairs already up he continued to cause issues on the field until finally ordered off by the umpire. Whack this down to a brain snap I think.

In the end ET ran out clear winners 15-2, could have been far worse however we put the brakes on.

As I write this we're on a three week break which I think some of the older bodies are enjoying.

Well hope you all had a great Xmas and have a fantastic New Year and we'll see you first round after the break.