Bibliotechs 2007 Schedule

Serious Slow Pitch League, Pacific Division (7)

(All games on Thursdays at 5:30, except 7/19 and 7/26 at 6:30)

The 2007 season started with great expectations, under new co-captains Pat Page and Bonnie Parks, with a bracing infusion of young and hungry players, nicely balancing the stubbled veterans of yore and ye olde. Unfortunately the bad-luck Bibs got up on the wrong side of their mojo, and were constrained to undergo a transitional losing season, in order to gain experience, insight, and game-wisdom, and, in one case, a broken collarbone. What doesn't kill you, as they say, or utterly humiliate you like that time at the Cotillion, makes you stronger. 2007 Bibliotechs, and we mean you! Patsy Baudoin, Dan Belich, Beth Brennan, Ronnie Broadfoot, John Delancey, Elissa Derby, Marissa Derry, Mark Diggory, Debbie Douglas, Darcy Duke, Jon Eichman, Charlene Follett, Judith Gallagher, Cate Gallivan, Millicent Gaskell, Steve Gass, Dana Goblaskas, Jeremiah Graves, Ryan Gray, Rachel Grubb, Kathy Hamilton, Stephanie Hartman, Katie Huffman, Neal Johnson, Virginia Johnson, Julia Lanigan,Kendra Lider-Johnson, Angie Locknar, Luc Lucas, Joe Martinez, Ted McSweeney, John Melczer, Jason Michel, Rob Mitchell, Christine Moulen, Tony Moulen, Greg Padilla, Greg's friend Jim, co-captain Pat Page, co-captain Bonnie Parks, Liz Phipps, Walter Powers, Dan Pribble, Greg Raposa, Sam Sadow, Carol Schweigert, Suzanne Sloan, Rick Smokovich, Linda Sobottka, Will Soeiro, Stefan Stasik, Nick Szydlowski, Matt Van Sleet, Jos Wanschers, Bev White, Mat Wilmott, and Rob Wolfe -- we love you! (Photographs courtesy Beth Brennan, Elissa Derby, and Dana Goblaskas.)

• May 24 Zoned Out at Bibliotechs (W, 13-12)
• June 14 Delinquent Jesters at Bibliotechs (L, 11-19)
• June 21 Bibliotechs at Momenta (L, 8-9)
• June 28 Bibliotechs at Dawgs (L, 13-15)
• July 12 Legion of Doom at Bibliotechs (W, 15-3)
• July 19 Bibliotechs at Dead Man Piano Movers (game time 6:30) Rained Out
• July 26 Momenta at Bibliotechs (game time 6:30) (L, 5-8)
• August 2 Straw Dogs at Bibliotechs, Bibliotechs (W, 7-1) at Straw Dogs (double-header) (L, 4-5)
• August 9 Bibliotechs at Delinquent Jesters, (L, 7-8) Bibliotechs at Dead Man Piano Movers (L, 7-14) (double-header)

Here is the field map.

Contact co-captains Pat Page (258-7457, pagep@mit.edu) or Bonnie Parks (253-7137, bonster@mit.edu) who can make all your softball fantasies a reality.

• May 24 - Once again the mighty Bibliotechs gathered for Opening Day under the big sky of Briggs Field, their ranks swollen and brimming with new talent, to take on the MIT Facilities Zoned Out team. It was a see-saw battle, Bibs up, Bibs down, and finally tied at the end of regulation innings. Ultimately, in the 2nd extra inning, the battlin' Biblio-bobbleheads eked out a run to carry the day, 13-12. Notable efforts were a titanic home run by Greg Raposa and inspiring stand-up play in the pivot (and good hitting) from Debbie Douglas. Zounds and yoicks! This could be the year!
• June 14 - The Bibliotechs squared off against the Deliquent Jesters of Tang Hall (whose basketball entity the Libraries' own Barcodes had conquered for the championship this past winter) hoping for a continuation of the princely indefectibility of Game 1, but instead were rewarded with that dead-rodent-in-the-wall feeling you sometimes get. The Bibs came from behind early in the game to take an encouraging lead, but it began slip, slip, slipping away, and soon the Bibs were waving bye-bye. Pitcher Powers, who gave up all 19 runs, surpassing his total runs allowed for the previous 2 years, went immediately on the DL and was unavailable for comment to the news media. One bright spot: an emphatic home run by Nick Szydlowski, which auspicates well for the rematch on August 9.
• June 21 - Amid the clamour of gathering thunderclouds, the Bibliotechs gathered to confront the league-leading Momenta Pharmaceuticals, who demonstrated some thunder of their own in the early innings, going immediately out of the yard and into the tennis courts. The Bibs hung tough, however, aided in spirit by the return of some Bibliotech heroes from the past (including an inspirational reunion of the classic Bib Red Machine infield) and some good hitting up and down the line-up. Although the Bibs lost, the game was perhaps closer than the final 9-8 score would indicate! Next week, back to .500!
• June 28 - In a clash between the 2 of the most enduring (one hates to say "oldest") teams in MIT Community Summer Softball history, the Libraries' Bibliotechs and the Dawgs of Delta Tau Delta, the former, perhaps in a pre-holiday dissociative fugue state, and missing some key personnel, came out flatter than 2 pancakes (despite a lead-off home run by Broadfoot) and stood by as the Dawgs rolled up a big lead. Then, in the final inning, the bag-eyed Bibbles started to blister with a furious rally, drawing within 2 runs with a man on base, before finally being snuffed out. It is somewhat disheartening to go into the 4th of July break with a 1-3 record, but the Bibs have come back from worse. Bibs get hot!
• July 12 - Coming back from the July 4th off week, the Bibliotechs had a sublime summer afternoon on which, and an unfamiliar but congenial opponent, the Broad Institute's Legion of Doom, over whom they hoped to regain a grip on the 2007 season before it got entirely away from them. And so they did! With a huge two-page line-up and countless fans from the Libraries cheering them on, the Bad News Bibs busted out with 8 runs in the first inning, highlighted by a Mat Willmott inside-the-park home run, and never looked back. Even the losing Legion was having so much fun that the 2 teams kept playing after the game was over! The Bibs are back from the dead; everybody do the zombies' Thriller dance!
• July 26 - In their rematch with the league-leading and undefeated (and no doubt human growth hormone-enhanced) pharmaceutical behemoth Momenta, the battling Bibliotechs once again kept their opponents within an attainable margin, but were perhaps undone by their own bungles in the jungle of Field 7. Nor were they helped by some creative situational ground rule interpretation by the umpire. There's no point in regrets; the way forward is clear. Every game now is a must, from here to eternity!.
• August 2 - The hearty, beefy, bloodshot and beaty Bibliotechs mustered a full complement for a twi-night doubleheader against those practitioners of Brain and Cognitive Science, the Straw Dogs. Things were looking good for the Library lads and lassies, with a clatter of runs (key hit by Dan Belich) scored early, and exemplary infield performance typified by a 1-6-3, Gass to Page to Wolfe double-play, in the first game. In the nightcap, however, the Bibliotech bats were somewhat muffled, and the ravening Dogs kept close and finally passed the Bibs in the final inning, to knock the hometown favorites down to a 3-5 record, with only 2 games left in the season. Still we say, Bibliotecae ad fundum!
• August 9 - It was the last good day of the summer, or so it seemed, as the Bibliotechs cowboyed up for the make-or-break double-header against first the Delinquent Jesters, who had whipsawed the Bibs the first time around this season, and then against unknown entity Dead Man Piano Movers. The Bibs kept it close against the Tang Hall Jesters, but victory was snatched away in the final inning of a close game. As Emily Dickinson always says, "Slipping is Crash's law" and as the Bibs' season slipped away from them, they suffered a letdown against the Piano Movers, who dropped a piano of a game on the library legation. Still we say, as we look forward to next season, "Bibliotechs and nothing but!" Pax.

Updated on 080423