We are the Champions of the world (or at least the WMSPL)

 It almost seemed as if it had been planned this way. The number one and two teams met in the championship game. Although that might have been part of the script, the way they each got there was certainly not exactly scripted. 

Storm had played through two tough teams to get there that day. The A’s had just had a scare from the Expos who shocked the league by moving into the quarter finals and proving that you can be a horse’s ass and still find success.

But none of that mattered anymore. The past was in the past. The present was the game between the  A’s, the official first place team in the league, and Storm, the team that finished first in the weekly power rankings, which we all know is the only place that matters.

Things didn’t start well for Storm, though. They managed to score only one run in the top of the first (a selfish solo that in the grand scheme of things might have turned out okay). Storm’s batters seemed to have been surprised they were up already as they had been the home team in every game thus far, and clearly needed some time to warm up. The A’s did not seem to need any time to warm up. They scored the max six in the bottom of the first.

This is a time when many teams would start to get frustrated and down on each other. But Storm knew that they had scored more than six runs in every game this season, and it was far from over. The second inning saw a slight change in fortunes. Storm scored three and held the A’s to a goose egg. They still trailed 6-4, though. In the top of the 3rd they were blanked and the A’s added an additional run to increase their lead to 7-4. 

The turning point of the game came in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Kuasimodo Kraig stepped up to the plate. Trying to shaKe off memories of his previous plate appearance, where he swung and missed so hard at two KonseKutive pitches and strucK out, he now had to pull a Taylor Swift and ShaKe it off. And shake it off he did as he launched a game changing grand slam high into the sky and well over the centre field fence. Storm now had the lead. 

But the lead didn’t last long in this carousel of a game. The A’s scored two more to sneak into the lead once again. In the top of the 5th, the floodgates opened as the Storm poured on five runs. Joey hit a three run blast and Bob tripled. The A’s would try valiantly to come back, but they only put up three and the score was 13-12 at the end of the 5th.

Storm scored one in the top of the sixth, and the A’;s put up a deuce. That meant that with one inning to go, the game was tied. Both teams were starting at the top of their respective orders so it meant that the game would be decided by the best hitters on each team. Who would come out on top? (please forget that the headline spoils all the suspense!)

Duran single handedly took the game into his hands by hitting his second solo home run of the night. While Chewbacca trills could be heard emanating from Storms’ dugouts, this run could end up being important, and Storm had homers to hit. Rene showed the steel in his veins he has developed as a firefighter, and took a walk. Joey singled, and Angry Al showed up to help his own cause. He mashed a two run home run that put Storm up three. But would three be enough? Bob doubled and Kevin got a key single driving Bob home. Storm now had a four run lead. But the A’s have power and had two home runs to hit. Would they use them wisely?

After a leadoff single, Storm recorded two quick outs. There was some discussion of whether or not they should walk Lou, but with a four run lead and the A’s having two home runs to hit, they decided to pitch to him. Lou hit the expected two run homer to cut the lead in half, but that meant the A’s still needed two more runs with one home run left. That’s when Al made the pitch of the game. He served one up to Travis, knowing Travis has trouble keeping it in the park. Travis blasted a long home run pulling the A’s to within one, but also using up their final home run with another home run hitter on deck. Carlo popped up and Count Chocula called the ball so loudly he could be heard in Transylvania. He caught it,  and Storm were the champions!

It was a neck and neck game with leads changing multiple times throughout the game, much like the season standings changed multiple times throughout the season. But unlike the regular season, which had the A’s finish on top (aided by a number of default victories), Storm came out victorious in the final clash of the WMSPL titans. 

Check out the Podcast of the game as reported by;

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	1	3	0	4	5	1	4	18
A's	6	0	1	2	3	2	3	17