Last night was easily one of the most exciting amateur baseball games I've ever been a part of. In terms of sheer excitment, it's right up there with our Region game against Hampton in Union Hill circa 2007 and last year's 4th of July extravaganza in Elko.  Granted, I absolute hate losing---I might hate losing more than I like winning---but that being said, it was simply an incredible game to be a part of, even though we didn't win.

First of all, the umpires were fantastic. Usually, you only notice them when they blow a call or have a bad zone, but both of those guys were so good all night, they deserve a shout out in the Recap. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to actually have a ball called a ball and a strike called a strike. Thanks gentlemen, I hope we have you again.

If you were in attendance last night, you may have noticed that it was "Randomly Yell Out Your Favorite Noun Night" with the Faribault fans. I'm not sure of the roots of this tradition, but my guess is that it either has something to do with MySpace or the movie Inception. At any rate, having the word "cheeseburger" chanted at you throughout the evening really made me crave a McDouble, so it worked out well that my post-game routine after a loss involves crushing two or three items from the dollar menu. 

Speaking of fans, I love a rowdy crowd, I really do, but I'm really glad that our fans stick to cheering for us to succeed, rather than for the opposing team to get injured.

As far as the game goes, here are a few things you might want to know:

Parker pitched a heck of a game: In the 4th inning he wiggled out of a bases-loaded-nobody-out jam. That was a huge swing of momentum in our favor. He was sharp all night long, and he deserved better than a no-decision.

In the 7th inning, Scotty made one of the best diving catches a shortstop can possible make. Trust me, it was cool.

There were a lot of runners left on base: We left 12 on, the Lakers 10. Twice we had Herber in scoring position with less than two outs, and both times we were unable to get him in; in the 8th, we had him at third with one out and we couldn't capitalize. 

Speaking of Herber, he hit his first homer as a Fish last night: atta kid.

I can't remember the last time we had four sac bunts in one game: two from Scotty, two from Ripp.

So, with last night's loss the Laker's evened up the season series 2-2. I think I speak for the whole squad when I say that we would love another chance to play them. For the second season in a row the Lakers win the Region 3 championship. Honestly, yes, you obviously want to win, but it's no fun not playing a meaningful game for two weeks, which is what happens when you get the #1 seed and a first-round bye. As the second seed, we will play at noon next Sunday (August 23rd) in Cold Spring, opponent TBD.

Thanks to everyone for coming out last night. Hope to see you in Cold Spring next weekend!