Season 3 Recap

[eljefe]

After struggling through a long and arduous second season that spanned 6 different months from August to January, the George Jetsons' third season went by very quickly. In only 7 weeks, the Jetsons won once and lost 7 times to complete the season.

The season began with high expectations. The GJ front office had acquired 3 hot prospects during the offseason in Randy Lillard, Chip McCann, and George Nelson. The rookies lived up to expectations, usually playing great offense and sometimes playing good defense. But overall, the GJ offense and defense sputtered through the season, winning only the single game against the hapless Jetsons team that tried to steal our name.

The George Jetsons were blown out several times. But we played some close games, too, including a 14-13 thriller against Patchy Ground Fog that we lost in “overtime.” If we could have turned these close losses into wins, we easily could have been 4-4 instead of 1-7. There is hope for us yet, and maybe next season will be the one in which we finally get over that hump.

[b]ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD[/b]

Last week, we gathered at Sherlock’s for our traditional “Game 9” celebration. Three awards were presented, starting with the Rookie of the Year Award. All 3 of our GJ rookies played hard and all deserve to be commended. But one rookie’s statistics led him to the front of the pack. The Rookie of the Year Award text reads:

[quote]For an outstanding performance during just his first season as a member of the George Jetsons, including a .682 batting average, a 1.455 slugging percentage, 11 runs scored, 10 runs batted in, and 40 innings played in the field, this Rookie of the Year Award is presented to:

Randy Lillard
Pitcher/Outfielder, George Jetsons, Season 3
[/quote]
[b]DEFENSIVE MVJ AWARD[/b]

Once again, the GJ defense was a comedy of errors, making it hard to select a Defensive Most Valuable Jetson (MVJ). In fact, one player suggested that the MVJ should more-aptly be called the LCJ (Least Crappy Jetson). Every season, one particular player continues to excel, even as the rest of the GJ defense falls apart around him. The Defensive MVJ Award text reads:

[quote]For yet another outstanding season anchoring the George Jetsons defense including 34 innings of spectacular play in left field, this Defensive Most Valuable Jetson Award is presented to:

Darby Vicker
Left Fielder, George Jetsons, Season 3
[/quote]
[b]OFFENSIVE MVJ AWARD[/b]

Much like the Rookie of the Year Award, the Offensive MVJ Award held little suspense. Just look at the numbers in the STATISTICAL LEADERS section below. The Offensive MVJ Award text reads:

[quote]For outstanding offensive contributions as a member of the George Jetsons during their 3rd season, including these awesome statistics, many of which broke single-season GJ records...

.682 Batting Average
1.455 Slugging Percentage
10 Runs Batted In
11 Runs Scored
5 Triples
2 Home Runs
32 Total Bases

...this Offensive Most Valuable Jetson Award is presented to:

Randy Lillard
Pitcher/Outfielder, George Jetsons, Season 3
[/quote]
[b]SCHEDULE RESULTS[/b]

[code]# DATE OPPONENT RESULT AVG SLG OBP OPS
1 Mar 6 vs Rebels II L 24-11 .545 .879 .559 1.438
2 Mar 6 at Baby Brains L 20-8 .600 .920 .577 1.497
3 Mar 13 vs Rastros L 11-9 .552 .931 .552 1.483
4 Mar 20 at Patchy Ground Fog L 14-13 .500 .656 .526 1.183
5 Mar 27 vs L.O.C. L 20-8 .609 .826 .538 1.365
6 Mar 27 vs Jetsons W 9-5 .516 .774 .516 1.290
7 Apr 3 at Base Cadets L 14-3 .300 .500 .300 .800
8 Apr 17 at Space Cowboys L 11-7 .417 .667 .444 1.111
[/code]
The excitement of the first season quickly turned into disappointment after a double-blowout in the doubleheader we played to open the season. The next week, we played an intense rivalry game against the Rastros. The weak-but-experienced Rastros led for most of the game, but the George Jetsons made a late-inning comeback to make it close.

We played our first-ever overtime game against Patchy Ground Fog on March 20. I call it “overtime” as opposed to “extra innings” because the extra inning we played was not at all like a usual inning! The international tiebreaker rule was invoked. Each team started with a runner on second base and we played 1-pitch softball! It was exciting, but the Fog edged us out in the bottom half of the extra frame.

After a loss against L.O.C., we played against the astronaut team that dared to copy our name: the “Jetsons.” We held the Jetsons scoreless for most of the game, once leading 9-0. The Jetsons finally mustered some offense at the end of the game and the George Jetsons claimed their first victory, 9-5.

A forgettable loss against the Base Cadets included one of the worst offensive performances in GJ franchise history. We finally had our first rainout on April 10 and came back on April 17 with a game against the familiar Space Cowboys. It was close and we held the lead for some of the game, but the offense shut down for the final 2 innings and the Space Cowboys stole the game 11-7.

[b]FINAL STANDINGS[/b]

Yes, believe it or not, the Rastros made the playoffs! They joined the Base Cadets, the Baby Brains, and Patchy Ground Fog. The Rastros lost in the first round, but at least they were there! Your George Jetsons finished 1-7, same record as is Season 2. In my standings, I’ve awarded us sole possession of 8th place by virtue of our victory over the impostor Jetsons.

[code]# TEAM W L PCT
1 Base Cadets 7 1 .875
2 Baby Brains 7 1 .875
3 Patchy Ground Fog 5 3 .625
4 Rastros 5 3 .625
5 Space Cowboys 5 3 .625
6 L.O.C. 3 5 .375
7 Rebels II 2 6 .250
8 George Jetsons 1 7 .125
9 Jetsons 1 7 .125
[/code]
[b]STATISTICAL LEADERS[/b]

Here are the George Jetsons’ statistical leaders in the various offensive categories.

[u]BATTING AVERAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Lillard .682
2. Sostaric .650
3. Vicker .619

[u]SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Lillard 1.455
2. Vicker 1.286
3. McCann .952

[u]ON-BASE PERCENTAGE (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Lillard .667
1. Sostaric .667
3. Vicker .619

[u]OPS (OBP + SLG) (17-AB min)[/u]
1. Lillard 2.121
2. Vicker 1.905
3. Sostaric 1.517

[u]HITS[/u]
1. Lillard 15
2. Vicker 13
2. Sostaric 13

[u]DOUBLES[/u]
1. Peternell 5
2. McCann 3
3. Vicker 2
3. Nelson 2

[u]TRIPLES[/u]
1. Lillard 5
2. McCann 3
2. Vicker 3

[u]HOME RUNS[/u]
1. Lillard 2
1. Vicker 2
3. Sostaric 1

[u]RUNS SCORED[/u]
1. Lillard 11
2. McCann 10
2. Kroeger 10

[u]RUNS BATTED IN[/u]
1. Lillard 10
1. McCann 10
3. Hart 8

[u]TOTAL BASES[/u]
1. Lillard 32
2. Vicker 27
3. McCann 20

[b]COMING UP[/b]

That does it for Season 3. Most GJ players are returning for Season 4, which promises to be an exciting one. The softball schedule will now include more games and an end-of-season tournament to decide the winner. Stay tuned...

Thanks to all the players for playing hard and thanks to all the fans for your support. We’ll be back on the field soon for some hot summer softball. See you all in Season 4!