Crossover game succesful

Storm was facing something they hadn’t in quite a long time - the possibility of elimination on Saturday afternoon. Storm had struggled to hit against Broadway and that trend continued in the top of the first as Storm put up yet another goose egg on the scoresheet. Thankfully, Coulas was held off the board for the first three innings, so Storm’s struggles did not put them behind. In the second inning Storm finally remembered that hitting is more fun and put up three runs. The fourth saw Storm really return to form with four more runs. Unfortunately, it should have been more as there was some serious confusion on a fly ball that led to a double play ending the inning. If there had been no outs, it would have been a triple play because multiple runners left the base on a fly ball with only one out. Storm was still up 7-0, so it didn’t seem like it should hurt too much.

Except after three scoreless innings, Jeff stopped looking like Captain Underpants and started looking a little more like Broadside as he lost the plate walking three batters in the inning, including two with the bases loaded to score runs. Coulas scored four total and all of a sudden it was a game again. Storm was shut out in the bottom half of the inning and with only three frames left, it was 7-4.

In the fifth it looked like the bullpen was going to have to get ready, because Jeff walked the leadoff batter, but then settled in and Coulas was kept off the board in the fifth and sixth innings. Storm got the bats going again in those innings. The 5th started with back to back triples from Joey and Rene who both scored. Storm would add two more in the sixth and head into the seventh with an 11-4 lead. 

Another leadoff walk started the seventh and gave Coulas the hope they needed. Jeff was actually trying to pitch around Pete, and after throwing three balls to start the at bat he intentionally threw one short, hoping it would be a walk or a pop up. It was a pop-up all right. It popped up all the way over the fence and Coulas was suddenly back in the game. There were already two outs, though, and Storm was able to hold on to an 11-7 win.

Storm managed to make it to Sunday and Sunday is a brand new day. While Storm did a great job of run prevention (only 27 runs across three games for an average of 9 runs against per game), the bats will have to wake up if they truly want to contend. They scored only 28 runs in three games. That’s an average of 9.3 runs per game. Their plus minus was a grand total of +1.

Final Score: Storm 11 - Coulas 7 

Hiccup in the plan

It was a tale as old as time as Storm faced off against Broadway. Storm has historically had trouble against Broadway and Broadway actually said they wanted to play Storm and make them take the hard route through the playoffs. Now that they had Storm in their sights, they were not going to miss their shot. 

It was an extremely tight defensive battle. A pitcher's duel that lasted just over an hour. Broadway scored only one in the first and Joey launched a two run shot in the bottom of the first. It felt like a good start, but while Broadway would continue to chip away over the next few innings, Storm's bats were like Brigadoon. They had disappeared, and Storm wouldn't even get through their entire lineup until the 4th inning putting up four consecutive goose eggs and after 6 innings, they trailed 10-3. 

But they dreamed a dream and believed they could still come back. Storm blanked Broadway in the top of the 7th. The problem was they needed 8 runs to win (as a tie would give Broadway the pool). Unfortunately, there was no encore performance for Storm's hitters. They were unable to make a comeback and are now forced to play at 3 to keep in contention.

Final Score: Broadway 10 - Storm 4

Storm’s playoffs started well

Storm’s playoffs started well. The Inglorious batters were ingloriously shut out in the first two innings. Storm was able to put some runs up in each inning. Mills singled and Duran launched a two run homer immediately. Storm added another and was up 3-0 after 1. They put up 5 to stake a relatively strong 8-0 lead.

The Inglorious Batters started to hit ingloriously as a few singles squealed through off the ends of bats and they added a few timely hits to score five runs and load the bases with nobody out. It looked like it would be a mercy inning for sure, but a ground ball to short followed by a pop up to the catcher helped Storm to get out of the inning without giving up a max 5. 

The Inglorious Batters continued to chip away at Storm with one in the fourth and two in the top of the 5th to tie the game at 8. 

Storm remembered that it is important to hit and put up 3 in the bottom of the fifth to quickly regain their lead. They managed to play solid defense and keep the Inglorious Batters from having any big innings, and held kn to win 13-10.

Final Score: Storm 13 - Inglorious Batters 10

Storm Finish Season with a win on retro Jersey Night

Storm sported a cornucopia of colours on Retro jersey night as Storm players wore the oldest version of the Storm jersey they could find (or fit into). This night would be a tribute to the history of Storm as well as the last regular season game for one of Storm’s longest tenured players.

The game started off with Broadside showing where he got the nickname from as he couldn’t find the broadside (or the short side) of the board and walked the first batter. He settled in and only gave up one run in the inning. Storm responded with two and won the inning. The second inning saw Coulas take the lead with a two run second. Storm opened the floodgates in the second as they put up a max six and Duran clubbed his 30th home run of the season. Storm was up 7-3.

Batting Practice took over in the third, and Coulas’s first four batters of the inning acted like it was batting practice until BP found his groove and retired three in a row to escape the inning with only two runs allowed. Storm added two more of their own and were double Coulas after 3. 

Coulas laid an egg in the top of the fourth and Storm added three more taking what should have been a commanding lead at 13-5. However, the top of the fifth saw Storm fall into one of two traps that has dogged their season. After recording two outs with no runs in, Storm started to get a case of the dropsies as at least four high fly balls fell to the ground. Not all of them were cans of corn, but they were all high enough that an in-service film was offered. Had any of them been caught, the inning would have had minimal damage, but with two outs Coulas rallied to score 7 and draw within one of Storm.

Storm didn’t get too discouraged, though, and they were able to bounce back in the bottom half of the inning with four of their own to increase the lead to 5 runs. Storm shut down Coulas in the sixth and added two more to have a comfortable lead in the seventh. Coulas added two in the seventh, but it was too little too late and Storm held on to a 19-14 lead.

Since this was retro jersey night, and players were attempting to wear their oldest jerseys, let’s take a look back and see how retro some of the jerseys (and old some of the players) are!

Shawn - 2025

Tony - 2025 ( we are intentionally ignoring his service time with the A’s!)

Sam - 2023

Ken - 2022

Mills - 2022

Rene - 2019

Brian - 2015 (though he played in the league long before that!)

Duran - 2012

Jeffrey - 2011

Bob - 2006

Joey - 2005

Kevin - 2004

Greg - 2002

Brad -2002

Lance - 2002

Some fun historical notes:

Storm had consecutive killer drafts selecting Joey and Bob in consecutive years. They were two of the league's most dominant players for much of their Storm tenure. 

Some research may need to be done, as Brad made a really big deal going into his last at bat, that this was his first year on the team without a home run. This fact is disputed by the records on statleaders, which claim he had no regular season home runs in 2019, 2021 (covid amended), or 2024. Brad can take this up with the people who enter the stats. 

Kevin has played his final regular season game as a member of the Storm.  His career (as tabulated on statleaders dating back to 2004) has been legendary. 

Career Highs:

AVG - .667 (2016)

OPS: 1.609 (2007)

HR - 9 (2007)

RBI - 55 (2009)

Runs - 64 (2007)

2B - 14 (2006+2007)

Hits - 92 (2007)

Career Totals:

HR - 48

RBI - 684

Runs - 790

2B - 185

3B - 13 

It looks like 2007 was a career year for Kevin, but it was a pleasure having him on the team every year. We know you’re with us in the playoffs, but we thought it was appropriate to honour you after your last regular season game, especially since it was retro jersey night, and nothing screams retro like Kevin, who as we all know has been playing some form of baseball for over 70 years (or something like that!) 

Final Score: Storm 19 - Coulas 14

Storm Jersey’s

2002 - 2002  White

2003 - 2008  Grey

2009 - 2013  Grey Pinstripes

2014 - 2018  Orange

2019 - 2023  Light Grey/Orange

2024 - 2025  Blue/Grey/Orange

Storm strikes back with 11 runs in the 7th to secure third place this season!

Spoiler Alert!

Good day Constant Reader Scoops Jockovitch here, award winning sports journalist and just like Shutter Island, Fight Club and The Usual Suspects, your Storm had a twist ending all set up after what may be the lads in Orange most “emotional “ game in a long time.

Facing the former Washington Nationals in a must win game for both teams the game started in a very boring way both teams dunking donuts in the 1st inning. The scoring started in the top of the second with a towering shot to the Baskervilles by Sherlocks best buddy. Our lads went into the bottom of the second leading 1-0 and that was when the wheels on the blue meth making Winnebago of the Storm started to get wobbly.

Some poorly timed walks by BOTB and some sketchy defence gave the Ex’s both lots of runs and lots of outs. The Po’s were gifted the max for the inning. SCORE 6-1 Montreal. Our boys had no response in the turd inning and the scheduled pitching change was made going into the bottom of the inning.

Once again it was pedestrians, solid hitting and some questionable D that gifted Youppi’s favourite team another max score. End of 3 SCORE 12-1

Emotional clouds were brewing in the Storms clubhouse as frustration from several players came to the forefront. But as a young lad from Tatooine was once told by a bald Muppet, “Passion leads to frustration. frustration leads to anger, anger leads to hitting, now go hit the f’n ball young Skywalker!” It was with this motivation that the Storm “forced” their own max 6 across the plate and brought in the now wily veteran pitcher to keep Youppi’s team down. SCORE 13-7.

Over the next 2 innings the Storm would score 3 while Les Expo would also plate 3. Going into the Top of the 7th the score was 16-10 with our lads coming to the plate.

So as mentioned earlier there a twist ending coming. No, it’s not all in Leo’s head, no its not all in Ed Nortons head and yes Kevin Spacey is Kaiser Soze. But nobody (except for the Expos) expected this.

There is a brief history of comebacks by the Storm on the Expos but surely being up by 6 in the last inning would break that curse. That curse still stands mother fudgers! Your lads would score 12 in the inning and bat around before announcing their 2nd and 3rd outs to be able to get the inning in.

Some great pitching by Batting Practice and a redemptive defence play by the Doctor shut out les Expos for a 22-16 win. My very, very old malignant, crusty ticker can’t handle many more of these games.

This has been Scoops Jockovitch award-winning sports journalist.

Final Score: Storm 22 - Expos 16