On the End of the Line: The Sea Kitten Story

In anticipation of the Harmony Sea Kittens’ 9^th – but certainly not final- life, On the End of the Line is preparing a retrospective of the Sea Kittens’ first 8 seasons, from the team’s nothing-if-not-enthusiastic beginning, through its 2012 championship, The Schneid, and into its prospects for the 2018 season. Manager Joe Hennessy, founder Erin O’Brien, Sea Kitten legend Tommy Tom Tom Seahorse Cichosz, Heidibadger Nelson and many others recently sat down with OETL recently and reminisced about the team’s origins and their Sea kitten experiences.*

The Hatching of a Fry-dea

Softball From: e.o’brien                      To: Joe Hennessy 03/02/10 at 8:48 PM  Hi there, Here’s what I’ve learned about registering for softball: Coed slow-pitch leagues run M,W,F nights (I vote for Wednesday!) Leagues play at Elver, Goodman, Bowman, Warner and Olbrich Parks (I vote for Olbrich or Goodman!) Coed slow pitch will cost a minimum of $408 ($180/team + $19/player with a 12 player minimum). This is only $34 per person (plus whatever we ask people to kick in to get a couple of good bats). Registration for coed leagues is March 25th-26th. A flyer with all of these details that we can share with others is available at: http://mscr2.senscia.com/my_files/2010%20Softball%20mgrflyer.pdf I’ve e-mailed the mscr office to ask them to mail me a registration packet. e

That 113-word e-mail- the follow up on a February conversation about summer fun during bowling season at Dream Lanes- was the genesis of Sea Kitten softball. The exact details are lost to time, and the nicknames all came later, but commitments from Erin “Mama Cat” O’Brien, Joe Hennessy, Tommy Tom Tom Seahorse Shabidu Cichosz, Jr, Michelle “Zoom Zoom” Szomi, and Jonny Jon Jon Shabidu, Jr & Gretchen G-bomb Hansen formed the original core. The first roster commitment after those founding six was Disco Nick Legler, at the time the new kid in the office who overheard conversations about the nascent team.</He brought in Beth Monaco. On March 10th, Kristin Johnson, Kiersten Iovinella, and Christie Balch signed. Doc Kornis followed on March 15, after reluctantly declining the offer because of concern over missed games. Hansen-Shabidu brought in Smokin’ Joe Litchfield, and March 22 Katherine GR Curtis and Guitar Dan Kennedy signed. Finally came commitments from Kyle… and Kelly… Magyera, and the original 17-player Sea Kitten roster was complete. Virtually none of the Sea Kittens had played organized ball within the past 10 years, and a large number had never played before, but the squad was rarin’ to go.

Sea Kittens Softball- Activate! From: Joe Hennessy 03/25/10 at 11:15 AM oh, wrong sport for that cheer. Erin and I battled the bat-wielding mobs this morning and got us registered for MSCR softball.  Actually, the line was quite orderly.  We are registered as the “Sea Kittens;”  we can change if there is a groundswell of support for something different but in short, “Sea Kittens” are a PETA campaign that tries to get kids to view fish as “kittens that live in the water.” And “stop hunting (sea) kittens!” It’s pretty twisted, but you can design your own: http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/game.asp It lends itself to great cheers, like “way to grab that grounder, flounder!” or “knock it out, brown trout!” You can read more at peta, or get a delightfully unbiased take here: http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Sea_Kittens#The_Darker_Side_Of_Sea_Kittens Here’s the scoop: Games are Wednesdays, starting May 10 6, 7, 8, or 9 PM.  There is a 1-hour cap Olbrich Park, Field #2 or 3 We will be in the lowest-rated league. we have 7.5 women on the roster, 7 guys, 5/5 take the field at a time Cost- $31/each, payable to me. Don’t know about you, but we are totally fired up about it!  Anyone up for some happy hour softball after work tomorrow?  Sunny and 50’s…  we can knock a ball around, boot grounders, throw into the dirt, and make our shoulders sore!  Really, if anyone’s up for it, we could gather at Olbrich sometime 5:30-ish.  I have a cheap bat, a couple of balls, and a “soft” softball (for any Sea Kitten who wants to work thorough childhood traumas of hot grounders or high flies…) Speaking of bats, that’s the one other team purchase… it’s mind-numbing, but here’s the scoop:  while one can buy a slow-pitch softball bat for $25, it won’t make you happy.  the cheap ones are generally thick aluminum with very little “spring.”  They’ll frustrate good and bad hitters alike.  The range of quality and engineering is wide, and there is a lengthy list of bats banned from ASA league play…  basically, a bat won’t make us better hitters, but it can give improved results when we make good contact, and that’s satisfying. In general, bats range from ~$120- $300.  At our skills, a $300 bat isn’t going to be worth it.  I’ve done some shopping around at MC Sports and online, and I’ve also got a note out to a guy on craigslist who’s “getting too old to play.”   I think we could find a fine bat for $130-$150-   ($10/ each).    Slowpitch bats are almost exclusively 34″ long (once in a while you’ll find a 33″ bat), and weigh 26, 28, or 30 oz.- they’re long and light.  The cheapie I have is a 34/28; if people swing it and the vast majority think a 28oz bat will suffice, then we’ll look for our “good” bat in that size, and maybe we’ll find a deal on a closeout. BTW- if you’re quick and need a glove, there are some gloves for sale on craigslist.  You are unlikely to find one at a thrift store (I’ve been to 3 or 4 without seeing one). let me know if you’re up for a little happy hour softball tomorrow! Let’s go sea-kittening! Joe

And that was it.  The Cats were in.  The Sea Kitten name hadn’t been discussed much on e-mail, but conversations among many of the team’s early members led to its choice.  The almost-final decision came in a car ride on Monona Drive. There were even Sea Kitten names- names that delighted, but never quite stuck- and a handful of examples of personal Sea Kitten mascots persist.

Let the Games Begin!

Happy Hour Softball

Indeed, as was suggested the Cats held their first practice on a sublime March afternoon on Olbrich Field 3, the day after registering the team.  Three days later, they did happy hour softball again, and Mama Cat O’Brien officially became the first Sea Kitten to be hit in the head, by an errant Doc Kornis throw, whilst tying her shoes behind first base, in retrospect determined to be a terrible place to tie one’s shoes. That initial Sea Kittens squad put in several pre-season practices, delighting in this new hobby.  It was a spark that Sea Kitten management still wistfully tries to recreate each spring.

Sea Kittens Take the Field (unofficially)

With many Kittens still feeling a little wet behind the ears, the team scheduled a pre-season scrimmage against Echo Tap Mighty Oaks, and on May 2, 2010, Los Gatitos took the field for its first-ever organized game. And while the statistics aren’t part of the official annals, Mama Cat O’Brien led off Sea Kitten history with a hit.  Hennessy pitched, and the Cats won a well-played 3-2 decision.  It would be six weeks before the team would learn about “Sea Kitten Innings.”

Seamour Sea Kitten, b. May 7, 2010

From: Scheidegger, Karl J Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 10:24 AM Subject: SKHere’s my idea for your sea kitten logo (complete with protective dome – wouldn’t want to have anything bad happen to those sea kittens) I designed it more for the left chest location. I outlined the text in black to go with your black sleeves.

We ordered shirts and had them printed. Sure they arrived “a little thinner” than anticipated, and some shrunk and bared midriffs, but dang, the Sea Kittens had uniforms!

La llueve From: Joe Hennessy [mailto:riverfish72@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 8:47 AM Subject: sea kittens opener tomorrow! heyo! While there is a chance of rain tomorrow, there’s a 70% chance it’ll be dry and we’ll take the field!  Expect to play unless you hear from me otherwise. I suspect it’ll be an “umpire’s decision” when we arrive.  The game will start at 9; please arrive early (say, 8:40) to warm up and so I can get our lineup and roster to the umpires.  I know Kristen and Claire are out for this one, and that Nick may not be around.  Anyone else expect to be absent? We’re on Olbrich Field #4- it’s the one closest to Atwood near Starkweather Creek (use the parking lot off Atwood). I ordered shirts yesterday-  they won’t be here for tomorrow, so let’s wear dark colors- black/ dark blue.  It’ll be cool, but not too bad- 50*.  Wet & cool? Sea Kittens will be in their element!  let’s play ball!  Joe

It rained, and it was cold… 45*, 10-15 MPH winds from the east with gusts to 30 at 8:15 PM.   It didn’t stop the early games from playing, butt when the wussies who were scheduled to play at 8 PM didn’t show, so the ump called off the 9 PM games.   Hennessy recently spoke with On the End of the Line about that night.

I couldn’t believe it, and I can still remember the visceral disappointment of pulling into an empty parking lot and staring at a sad, muddy, empty diamond. I can picture it. I had no way of knowing then what a part rain would play in the Sea Kitten story- I just knew that this moment for which we were so excited was now just a sopping wet mess. I can look back now with some perspective- no way we were ready for Packer Inn that night, or for playing in clammy cold snot. It was a blessing we got some games under our belts and were ready for the epic games against Packer Inn later that year. We ultimately played our opener in bright sunshine, but man, on the other hand, that first rainout still makes me sad. –Player-manager Joe Hennessy

*-this is a lie. But OETL intends to interview these people and more!

Next: The Inaugural Season