This is not the last post on HBWT. There is still a fair amount of storytelling to be done, a number of little vignettes that I’d like to pass on. However, the fact is, it’s November. The season- and my shortlived career as a professional athlete- is over, and now I have to move on […]
This is not the last post on HBWT. There is still a fair amount of storytelling to be done, a number of little vignettes that I’d like to pass on. However, the fact is, it’s November. The season- and my shortlived career as a professional athlete- is over, and now I have to move on to my dubious future as a grad student.
In the meantime, though, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails about the end of the season: what happened and how, whether we beat La Guerche, and most of all, whether the Woodchucks earned the right to stay in the Elite Division. Now, I could write 10,000 words on the topic, on the flurry of emotions I felt in that last week, how it felt getting on that last plane flight, how it felt to return to the US’ gravitational pull and reflect on how I had spent the past year of my life. But instead, I think it best to give you the deal on the last weekend straight from the source, from Eric, the Canadian former club president who became one of the best friends I’ve ever made in the game of baseball. Of course, it’s all in French, so I’ve run it through Babelfish first.
It is perhaps illustrative to point out that we entered the fourth weekend of the playoffs with a 3-3 record, needing, in all likelihood, to win two more games in order to earn the right to remain in the elite division. That fourth weekend against La Guerche was my final weekend in France, as I had already booked my tickets when the Tres Lettres changed the schedule due to a regular season rainout. In one of the most exciting, improbable, satisfying wins of my lifetime spent mucking around baseball diamonds on two continents, we knocked the great Anthoni Piquet out of the box in the sixth inning of the second game, Matt closed them out, and we won my final game in France 9-6. That set the stage for the final weekend, where the Chucks needed to win at least one game in my absence in order to earn the right to remain. The rest, as they say, is history…
—–Original Message—–
From: Eric
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 1:45 AM
To: meagher@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Ce WeekendBonjouur Evan, sorry not to have answered you but I earlier believed that you had had Aldo on MSN or qqun of other. We divided against Compiegne. 1st match: Vincent vs Cuban 47 years who still launches very well. We manage to make 18 hits and we carried out 15-4 but of the last manche(8ème), I came to assistance of Vince to stop the haemorrhage but as they had already marked 3 points, we did one 9 2nd handle. Final result: 15-7 for BG. On their side, I do not know how this match was scoré, but they made 16 hits! Environment was dreadful with the unfavourable players and especially their Cuban who yelled all the time, disputed all the time, aims at the head of the players (Aldo and me) and seeks the provocation. In spite of the victory, the moral one was not terrible because it was not really an amusing match. For the second match, we had kept Matthew and Quentin and for Compiegne, a left-handed person who never launched a fast ball. We have evil to strike it but we carried out 4-0, then 4-3, then 6-3, then 6-6, then 9-6 at the end of the 9th handle. Arbitration of shit… The referee does not see the interiors of Matthew and he is irritated. One K of wasted, a 2nd, a 3rd. With a runner on base, HBP which causes the exit of the cuban coach which sinks on the monticule towards Matthew which goes down from the monticule and does not go further. The Cuban enters on the ground and it is the referee and 3 players of Compiegne which retains it and that hard 10 minutes… Drive Line field centers, I make back with the ball, turns over me (1st withdrawal) Pop between the field centers and the 2nd goal, I advance (2nd withdrawal) and youjours 9-6. Thereafter, catastrophe! PB, errors (x2) and 2 points mark 9-8 with a runner in 3rd base. Struck ball left field in Texas, Seb moves back, Pierre advances and me too. Nobody calls and thus, I have a chance, I call, I divine, I catch the ball but in contact with the siol, the ball arises! 9-9. Extra inning Matthew must left its place because 9 launched sleeves and Quentin will come. One marks a point in 10th, them too. 10-10 11th handle: Nothing 12th handle, one marks 3 points. 13-10 for BG Compiegne shout, howl, bad environment and our young players crack. Quentin gives BB, HBP, hits and bases full with 13-11. Vincent returns on the monticule with 1 withdrawal. Me, I do not have any more an arm! Ball struck Quentin in 3rd base, play with the marble (2nd withdrawal) and always 13-11 but Matthieu, which catché 20 handles, launches in 1st for the double game but the ball goes to the right field and 2 points mark (13-13) Tabarnak! A runner in 2nd base. Ball struck with the field centers, I C gold die, lance what remains me with the marble, precis, a jump 3 meters in front of the marble, Matthieu does not control the ball, escapes it from the contact and victory from Compiegne 14-13. Which disappointment but in spite of our card of 5-5, we deserved our maintenance in Elite. Thank you Evan and in soon Eric
Couldn’t have said it better myself.