Most of you will be familiar with the venerable Cape Cod Baseball League. One of the nation's oldest and most prestigious summer wooden bat leagues, the Cape League was founded in 1885. In 2017, 306 Cape League alumni featured on Major League Baseball rosters, and at least four league alums are in the MLB Hall of Fame (Craig Biggio, Carlton Fisk, Pie Traynor, and Frank Thomas).
You're likely less familiar with a more recent tradition tied to the league's fortunes. My family had a house in Brewster from the late 1930s until two years ago. (Luckily for me, my cousin bought another one as soon as my grandmother sold our family's cottage.) I've been to dozens of Brewster Whitecaps games over the years.
Whitney spent a summer living on the Cape and working in Harwich. As a consequence, he fancies himself a big Harwich Mariners fan. And FOG:TB Coby Beck grew up in Chatham, so he's backed the Chatham Anglers (nee A's) since way back.
Last summer, the three of us put (a very little bit of) our money where our mouths were, agreeing on a friendly wager on the outcome of the 2018 CCBL season. The team that had the best season earned their backer a 12-pack of the winner's choice. Chatham made it to the league championship series, falling to the Wareham Gatemen. The Anglers fell short of summer glory, but they did ensure Mr. Beck Esq. two 12-packs of Golden Anniversary Light. He's not a particularly discerning beer drinker, to be sure.
He's not all that concerned about collecting, either, as neither Whitney nor I have yet paid the bet off. Hopefully we'll see Coby at OBFT XXVI.
Entering this evening's action, the Whitecaps are on a seven-game unbeaten streak, and pace the league with a 6-3-1 mark. Chatham, who host Brewster tonight at historic Veterans Field, are 4-3-1. And Harwich is bringing up the rear of the East Division at 4-5-0. Lotta ball left in the 44-game season. We know you'll be following along.
Go 'Caps!
Friday, June 21, 2019
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22 comments:
I actually spent two summers up there, one in Harwich and then one at Beck Central in Chatham two years later. But you always remember your first Cape League game, so it’s Harwich Mariners for me. Let’s go, M’s.
Going to see The Connells tonight in Norfolk. Last time they were here one of the guys closed the show by telling the crowd, “Sorry. We'll do better next time.”
We’ll see. Pills are no bueno, people.
stoned, cold, yesterday?
Much like Pip’s sage commentary that “you’ll never forget your first Gumby.”
A couple friends and I went to Nashville for a Florida-Vanderbilt football game a few years back. To call the tailgating scene at Vandy underwhelming is being kind. We ended up on frat row (around the corner from the stadium) drinking beers with a bunch of the guys from the Vandy baseball team. Fun guys. I always root for them now during the CWS. And I never root for other SEC teams.
I watched Summer Catch in its entirety. That is one shitty movie.
Vandy’s baseball team will be fun to root for next year, w/ the Leiter kid throwing darts for them.
Being a Vandy baseball player seems like a good gig. You live on frat row. Broadway is a couple miles away. Lots of snobby, rich white girls in town. And then there’s the student population.
Nashville is a cool place to spend a year or two. Good for Leiter’s kid. Gainesville isn’t cooler but it does have legal weed. Just sayin.
Kaapo Kakko!
I almost got ejected from my 11 y/o’s baseball game tonight game. Ump was strictly enforcing the “come to a full stop in the stretch” rule, which was preposterous. No ump had enforced that all year. And then he started telling me where I could stand in my dugout. Some clowns like to think they’re the stars of the show. I was tired and cranky and got into it w/ the guy. I was at wit’s end and was debating how to appropriately curse the guy out to get ejected. I won’t drop an F bomb in front of the kids. I decided I would say “this is a C-league travel game, but you’re an A-league prick.”
But unfortunately, the game got out of hand quickly and he stopped enforcing these things. I am sad I didn’t get to get my diss in.
everyone was pretty gobsmacked by the story of tr working through his demons via little league baseball, i guess. me, i've been wrangling an 8 week-old puppy. she's cute as hell, but dogshit triggers my gag reflex something fierce.
Sushi Nakazawa brings the ruckus.
What kind of dog?
The wife is on a cruise with a bunch of other Moms. I’m home with the kids and a recently diagnosed with allergies bulldog. It seems this allergy medicine makes the dog refuse to use the dog door to shit outside. Quite the side effect.
My neighbors across the street are having a rager of a pool party. Not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous.
Big night on the old Blog.
Rob--your puppy is too cute.
Don't be a scrooge, turn that foster status into a dog-owner title.
yeah, we're going to adopt her
realized i didn't answer mark's question from yesterday. she's a black lab, for sure, but we don't know what else might be in there. she came from mississippi - the rescue group we're fostering/adopting through brings dogs from high-kill shelters there to northern virginia. more demand here than supply, which seems sadly to be the opposite in mississippi.
Labs are great. Good on you.
Dogs are definitely not for everyone. I’m a dog person though. They’re a pain in the ass, messy as hell and lack any real social graces but I love them.
we're headed on two vacations. a lot of planning and packing, and most of it about the dog. we've got a team of people looking after her. cousins, neighbors, kids, pro dog walkers, etc. people living in our house, visiting our house, on emergency call. everyone in town has a key to our place. many pages of dog notes. it's absurd. but nothing is too good for lola.
Mark’s description of living with a dog sounds like my experience living with TR.
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