–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
September 18, 2025 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
Handsome Herb and Pete Manown were walking up the stadium trail before the game. Herb was pensive as he contemplated life. “I been thinkin’ about how things have changed since I was a kid. Almost everything is different and most of it is better. When I started to drive back in the 1950’s it was unusual for a car to last 100,000 miles. Now we expect them to go three times that far. My six volt battery wouldn’t crank the car in cold weather and tires barely lasted 10,000 miles. Our first phone was on the wall in the dining room and was on a party line. Our number was 877. We thought our first TV with a 10” screen was amazing. But technology isn’t all that changed. I been thinkin’ about how our language has changed too. I said heavens to mergatroyd the other day and my grandkids looked at me like I was nuts (notice that spellcheck doesn’t even recognize that word). My 21-year-old grandson didn’t know what a jalopy was. Tech has made some old words and phrases obsolete, like “Don’t touch that dial.”, “carbon copy”; “You sound like a broken record.”; and “Hung out to dry.” Remember when we had lotsa moxie, and we’d straighten up and fly right? Heavens to Betsy, Gee whillakers, jumpin’ jehosaphat, holy moly. We used to be “in like Flynn”, and “livin’ the life of Riley”. People could be knuckleheads or nincompoops. And Kilroy isn’t anywhere anymore. There are lotsa new words being used now by my grandkids and I haveta ask them what they mean. If I think about stuff like that, I start to feel old.”
Pete laughed. “Dude. You are old!”
Blue and Sky Blue played the early game and it was close till the end. Both teams scored 5 in the first inning. Jeff Tyler opened with a home run and Sky Blue fans looked worried. Sid Hilton got a hit and advanced on Cecil Kwong’s out. David Brasfield drove in Sid, Steve Entrekin got a hit and Terry Lewis drove them both in. Then JD Lille drove in Terry. Bobby Watkins and Chuck Killough walked to open Sky Blue’s inning; Larry Enzweiler drove in Bobby and Royce O’Donnell drove in Chuck and Larry. Carlos Davis drove in Royce and Rel Underwood drove in Carlos. Then Sky Blue shut out Blue in the second and Blue held Sky Blue to one run when Bobby drove in Harold Hagler. Sky Blue 6, Blue 5 after two.
Blue scored 5 in the top of the third with a leadoff walk by Rick Erdimer and a string of hits by Jeff, Sid, Cecil, David Brasfield, Steve Entrekin, and Terry, and then they held Sky Blue to one again. Sky Blue turned the tables in the fourth by shutting out Blue and scoring 5 to take a 12 to 10 lead. Mike Richards and Harold Hagler opened up the inning with hits for Sky Blue and Pete Manown drove them both in with a double. Bobby Watkins got a hit and Chuck Killough drove in Pete with a single. Then Larry Enzweiler drove in Bobby and Royce drove in Chuck.
Blue outscored Sky Blue 4 to 1 in the fifth to take the lead back, 14 to 13. Jeff Tyler drove in Rick Erdimer and then Cecil hit a 3-run homer for Blue. But Sky Blue shut out Blue in the sixth and scored 5 to regain the lead, 18 to 14. Harold Hagler led off the Sky Blue sixth with a home run aided and abetted by Blue’s imaginative infield play. Harold’s only comment was that it was a long run and he was happy he didn’t have to do it. Then Pete Manown doubled, Bobby and Chuck singled, Royce drove in Pete and Bobby and Rod Ellis drove in Chuck and Royce. So the game came down to the open seventh inning with Blue behind by 4. Beth Moore doubled, Rick Erdimer walked, Jeff Tyler drove in Beth, Sid Hilton drove in Rick, Cecil walked, David Brasfield drove in Jeff, Steve Entrekin drove in Sid, Terry drove in Cecil and JD drove in Steve and Terry before Sky Blue could get the third out and Blue was back in the driver’s seat, 21 to 18. Rel started out Sky Blue with a single and Harold Hagler drove him in. Pete Manown singled to put the tying run on base, but a fly ball ended the inning and Blue had another come-from-behind win, 21 to 19.
Blue hitters were 27 for 38 with 5 walks for a .710 team batting average and a .744 on-base percentage. Jeff Tyler, Sid Hilton, and Steve Entrekin were all 4 for4; David Brasfield was 3 for 3 with a walk; and Rick Erdimer was 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Sky Blue hitters were 24 for 37 with 5 walks for a .649 team batting average and a .691 on-base percentage. Pete Manown was 4 for 4; Rod Ellis and Harold Hagler were 3 for 3 with a walk; and Rel Underwood was 3 for 3 with a sacrifice fly.
The late game was even closer. Red played Orange and the score was tied at 8 after three innings. Red scored 1 in the first on hits by Dale McWhorter and Rel Underwood, and an RBI single by Mike Richards; 2 in the second when Cecil Kwong and Bob Newton got on base with hits and John Woychak drove them in with a long double.; and 5 in the third on a string of hits by Dale, Rel, Mike Richards, Glenn Little, and RBI walks by Earle Dunn, Cecil, Bob Slanovits, and Bob Newton. Orange scored 4 in the first on hits by Steve Entrekin, Mike Madden, Mark Lilla, and Sid Hilton’s grand slam homer; 1 in the second when Harold Easterwood drove in Harmon Turner; and 3 in the third with hits by Mark Lilla, Sid Hilton, Gary Singleton. Buddy Cannon, Bobby Watkins, and Duffy Vanderford.
Orange shut out Red in the fourth and scored 4 on hits by Steve Entrekin, Tom Wasmer, Harold Easterwood, Mike Madden’s sacrifice fly and Mark Lilla’s two-run double. Sid Hilton hit another ball over the fence in center field but could only advance to first by rule, so Gary Singleton drove in the fourth run with a sacrifice fly. Red scored 2 in the fifth and shut out Orange to get within two runs. A single by Chuck, a double by Little Glenn, and Earle Dunn’s two-RBI hit accounted for Red’s runs and the score was Orange 12, Red 10 after five innings.
Both teams had five-run sixth innings. Red scored on hits by Bob Slanovits, Bob Newton, and John Woychak, Jim Anderson and Dennis Horne’s RBI walks, an RBI fielder’s choice by Wayne Sheets, Dale’s RBI hit, Rel’s third hit of the game, and Chuck’s RBI shot to the fence in right. Orange batted around to get their five runs. Duffy opened with a single down the left field line, Harmon Turner reached on a fielder’s choice, Steve Entrekin got a hit, Tom Wasmer reached on a fielder’s choice, and then Harold Easterwood, Mike Madden, Mark Lilla, Sid Hilton, Gary Singleton, and Scott Wadworth got a string of hits. Bobby Watkins drove in the fifth run. Orange led 17 to 15 going into the open seventh inning.
Red loaded the bases to start the seventh with hits by Mike Richards, Glenn Little and Earle Dunn, and Cecil drove in two runs with a single to tie the game. Bob Slanovits drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Red led by one. Bob Newton walked but John Woychak’s grounder to third forced out Bob Slanovits. Jim Anderson got a hit to load the bases, and Dennis Horne drove in a fourth run for a two-run lead with a walk, but a fly to third ended the inning. It was a nail-biter for fans.
Duffy started Orange’s seventh with a hit, but grounders to Chuck Killough at shortstop forced out Duffy and Harmon Turner at second base and Orange was down to their last out with speedy Steve Entrekin on first. Tom Wasmer drove in Steve with a double and Harold Easterwood came to bat with Orange one run behind and a runner on second. Harold got a sharp hit to center. The runner on second started running with the swing and the third base coach sent him toward home. Cecil charged the ball and made a quick throw to Chuck who turned and fired a throw toward home. It was a race between the ball and the runner who was halfway home by then. Wayne Sheets had his glove up and his foot on the plate. The throw was perfect and beat the runner by two steps and the game was over. Red won 19 to 18.
Red hitters were 27 for 44 with 7 walks for a .614 team batting average and a .667 on-base percentage. Bob Newton was 2 for 2 with 2 walks. Orange hitters were 34 for 51 for a .667 team batting average and on-base percentage. Mark Lilla and Sid Hilton were both 4 for 4, and Gary Singleton was 3 for 3 with a sacrifice fly.
Manager Handsome Herb was happy on his 82nd birthday. “Sex at 82 is terrific, especially the one in the winter.”