On the End of the Line is a periodic series casting light upon seminal events in Sea Kitten history
In the beginning, carefree Sea Kittens frolicked around the bases with impunity. The team won seven of its first 10 games, and sure, took some lumps against some higher-quality opponents in Fall 2010 but still finished with a 3-3 mark. Summer 2011 brought a sponsor- Harmony Bar & Grill- and some new challenges as the Cats battled through 10 games in the top East-side co-ed Wednesday night league, but still managed to claw out three wins. That experience set the stage for a dynamic 2012 summer season, in which Harmony Sea Kittens emerged as Buffalo League Champions, and even won two of five games in the tougher Pittsburgh League. When Sea Kittens played full-time Pittsburgh League Ball in summer 2013, they rose to the occasion after some early struggles and won five of their final six contests to finish with a 6-4 record, narrowly missing a playoff spot in the East Side’s #2 Wednesday co-ed league.
The Kitty Cats were gritty cats, and while there were plenty of “Sea Kitten” moments and innings, and occasionally games, the team won more than half of the first 58 MSCR league games it played, going 30-28 between 2010 and the end of the Summer 2013 season. With its 2011 sponsorship, Sea Kittens also earned invites to the annual Harmony Tournament. Low seedings and often a patchwork roster made those early Tournament contests tough, and Sea Kittens lost their 2011 and 2012 first-round matchups. Still, even with those in the mix, Sea Kittens were 30-30 as they completed the final page in the team’s first scorebook.
“There is no do or do not. Only try.” -Sea Kitten Motto
As game day for the 2013 Harmony Tournament approached, manager Joe Hennessy traipsed off to MC Sports in search of a replacement. An urban legend contends that Hennessy had a scorebook in hand when he was approached by a man in a white fedora, who tempted him with a shiny scorebook and a promise of unparalleled scoring and statistical accuracy, but it’s untrue. Hennessy just got an off-the-rack scorebook from MC Sports, dutifully filled out his lineup for the 2013 Harmony Tournament opener- and the team dashed onto the field and played ball! As noted, the early Tourney games were tough, so Los Gatitos felt no shame when Harmony Royals- the eventual Tourney Champion- dealt them a 12-8 loss.
Certainly, those 2013 Sea Kittens had no feeling of Impending Doom, nor noted the Chill of the Long Dark Shadow cast over them, nor understood that the Softball Gods had determined the time to test Sea Kittens.
Nor did the Kittens get the Gods’ less-subtle hint when Wilson’s shut out Harmony to open the 2013 Fall Season, chalking it up to a simple Case of the Mondays, being the team’s first-ever game on that night of the week. Mad Batters (part 2) were sent to do the Gods’ bidding the following week, and a string of teams followed, each delivering the same message.
Many of the grim details of the following 15 games were incinerated in The Cleansing, but final scores and Sea Kitten individual stats are all recorded for posterity. Things changed: Man-Aaron Jossart retired (the first time) after the Summer 2013 season; Boomer Boehm retired after the Fall 2013 season; Detroit Josh Ghena returned to the homeland after a cameo in the Summer 2014 campaign; Tommy Tom Tom Seahorse Shabidu finally had his knee surgery midway through the 2014 Summer Season; and Dan Dynam-Oele signed a contract with the Cats when Seahorse hit the DL. The Cats played at a venue other than Olbrich Park for the first time. Perhaps through all the upheaval Sea Kittens as much lost identity as they did games.
“You tried really hard. But the other team was clearly more experienced.” -Alice Cunningham, (Heidibadger Nelson’s mom) after watching a game
The games weren’t close. After the 4-run Harmony Tourney loss to Royals, Sea Kittens didn’t get closer to an opponent than 5 runs during the Fall season, and when Summer 2014 Pittsburgh League began, the beatings intensified. Sea Kittens lost its first three Summer games by a total of 37 runs. It also didn’t rain- no rainouts in Fall, 2013, and none in May, 2014.
Finally, May 28, 2014 things starting coming up Sea Kittens. The Cats thrice rallied from one-run deficits and built an 8-6 lead over Bowl-a-vard Butterballs that they carried to two outs in the top of the 7th. At that moment- with two runners on base- Hennessy made an offhand comment to the batter about “pressure,” and the insolence prompted a savage response from Softball Gods, who not only blessed Bowl-a-vard with a go-ahead 3-run homer in that moment, but also inflicted a “Sea Kitten inning” before Harmony could record the final out of the 7th.
The loss was enough. Ten games into The Schneid, June 6, 2014, MSCR sent Hennessy an email gently relegating the 0-4 Sea Kittens to Buffalo League play for the second half of the 2014 season, in the name of “competitive balance.” It was for Sea Kittens’ own good, and it didn’t help. South Side Badgers, Glove Love, Beaster’s Black Outs, and Pitches Be Crazy all took their kicks at the Cats though June & July, but Harmony continued to scrap through it all.
The sign. And Mama Cat O’Brien.
July 2, 2014
After twelve consecutive losses, Sea Kittens hooked up with AFSCME Ballerz, and took command of the game early. Hennessy threw strikes, the defense sparkled, and Harmony hit just well enough to build a 4-0 advantage heading to the bottom of the 5th. But Lady Luck looked down upon the diamond and smiled upon the Ballerz, who rallied late and eluded the Kittens 5-4. And although Black Outs dealt Harmony a 4-3 loss a week later and Pitches Be Crazy thumped the Cats 11-1 in a Pittsburgh League makeup game July 16, 2014- Harmony’s 15th consecutive loss- there were signs. Or a least there was a sign.
As the Kittens packed up after that July 2 loss in which all fell so favorably for Ballerz in the final innings, a rainbow appeared over the Olbrich diamonds, perhaps a sign from one of the gentler, more merciful Softball Gods- or one who had simply seen enough- signaling the team to keep up its collective whiskers- relief might be in sight.
Many of the grim details of the following 15 games were incinerated in The Cleansing, but final scores and Sea Kitten individual stats are all recorded for posterity. Things changed: Man-Aaron Jossart retired (the first time) after the Summer 2013 season; Boomer Boehm retired after the Fall 2013 season; Detroit Josh Ghena returned to the homeland after a cameo in the Summer 2014 campaign; Tommy Tom Tom Seahorse Shabidu finally had his knee surgery midway through the 2014 Summer Season; and Dan Dynam-Oele signed a contract with the Cats when Seahorse hit the DL. The Cats played at a venue other than Olbrich Park for the first time. Perhaps through all the upheaval Sea Kittens as much lost identity as they did games.
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