Summer Catch: Addison Johnson’s Diving Stab
If anyone has videotape of Addison Johnson’s dramatic centerfield catch last night for the Chatham Anglers you should send it immediately to ESPN. It is a guaranteed top web gem. Unfortunately, the only evidence of his spectacular, full-speed leap near the 357-foot mark in Chatham’s centerfield is a deep set of skid marks – gashes really — in the warning track dirt and a simple L-8 in the scorebook to deny Brewster’s Zach Jones of a much needed extra bases hit. “It was to tough to see because the fog is a big deal here in Chatham,” Addison told CodBall after the game. “I knew he hit it pretty good and it was going to be close to the fence so when I started getting close I decided to dive and try to make the catch. I got a...
Read MoreCotuit by sun, Falmouth by fog
A pop-up that vanished into the Falmouth fog last night may have kept the Commodores’ hopes alive in the West. A bewildered Hyannis Mets right fielder peered upward into the clouds and then watched as the ball plop onto the field in front of him. The umpires promptly gathered near the mound and delayed the game. The score, 2-0 Mets, was eventually wiped away and the game will have to resume at some point with a Falmouth player on second in the 5th. Friends visiting from Virginia, my son and I had arrived a few innings earlier after taking in a bright, sunny 5 pm game in Cotuit, where the Ketleers took on the Chatham Anglers. Cotuit prevailed 2-1 in what was probably the best game I’ve seen all season. Craig Fitsch, Navery Moore and Ben Rown pitched...
Read MoreMonday Notes
One thing this weekend made clear is that Brewster is poised to overtake Chatham for a playoff spot. The Whitecaps haven’t been rolling – more like treading water – with a rather mundane 4-5-1 record over their last 10 games, but that has been enough to close the gap on the reeling Anglers who have gone 2-8 in the same span. Chatham has 34 pts., while Brewster is right behind with 32 pts. Brewster has two games in hand. Chatham leads the season series 3-1, and the two teams will conclude the series with games at Veterans Field on Wednesday and Saturday. This isn’t to say that Falmouth (29 pts.), Harwich (28 pts.), or Hyannis (27 pts.) couldn’t get hot in the last week and a half of the season and sneak into the playoffs, but Brewster...
Read MoreThe rivalry that is Falmouth-Cotuit
What is the best rivalry in the Cape League? Is it Chatham v. Y-D? Wareham v. Bourne? Brewster v. Harwich? Orleans v. Y-D? These are all good, and you will add obvious match-ups that I’ve missed. But for me Cotuit v. Falmouth is the one I enjoy the most. It’s close to home. The Cotuit fans show up for road games and it seems their games always matter. Like tonight. After a 4-3 win this evening, Falmouth stays alive in the West with a 14-19 record. Cotuit falls behind .500 with a 15-16 record. The 5:30 game was surprisingly a pitcher’s duel with Falmouth’s Nick Tepesch (Missouri) squaring off against Cotuit’s ace Chad Bell (Walters State). The score remained a 2-2 tie into the 7th. Talking with Falmouth GM Dan Dunn before...
Read MoreA Tale of Two Cape League Ballparks
Brewster and Harwich were the final two ballparks for me to visit. After nearly 20 years of following the Cape League from Woods Hole and every corner of the globe, the home of the White Caps and the home of the Mariners were the only two ballparks prior to tonight I had never visited. I’ve been to several former Cape League ballparks. But isn’t it ironic that a guy from Seattle — home of the Mariners — visits the Harwich Mariners last? In this case, I saved one of the best for last. Cotuit has always been my favorte ballpark and Harwich reminded me of Cotuit. Perhaps it’s the setting — a beautiful baseball field set deep in a Cape Cod woods. Grandstands are on either side of a press box and parking near the entrance is...
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