The Next Dynasty

Roman Empire 27 BC - 395 AD

Ottoman Empire 1299-1923

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

Hofbrau Softball 2004-

Team Hofbrau has done it again, winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Quincy Merchant League title with, you guessed it, another comeback. Hoffy capped a 30-1* season with Bill Wysocki's 2-run single in the bottom of the seventh to beat arch-rival Malachy's 8-7 and take the series 4-1.

The full game report and stats will follow, along with pictures from the championship. I just want to take a second an reflect on this team and the season.

Hoffy went into the season truly feeling like the Evil Empire. We had scouts at our games to make sure our players had enough games played to qualify for the playoffs (an issue we have never complained about). Our bats were checked. You name it. But Hoffy persevered with, as The Game says, "believe it or not, maturity" (hey, we are the oldest team in the league, even with the Bosse youth movement).

Taking a closer look at the team:

Pitching: This is truly what sets Hofbrau apart. Most teams are lucky to have one solid pitcher. Hoffy boasts arguably the most formidable 1-2 combo the league has ever seen with fireballing Steve Lannan and knuckleball specialist Greg Harper. Gutsy performances throughout the season from these two. Stevie ordered new parts for his shoulder and elbow in the off season, which apparently came just in time. Word spread throughout the league of a surgical clean up of Steve's shoulder. Everyone nearly shit a brick when Stevie showed up in week 1 throwing his usual gas.

Harper pitched a complete game key victory in mid-season despite having an abcessed tooth that had him doubled over in pain (gotta chew those Doritos carefully) and was dominant throughout the year.

And this just in from The Rich Get Richer Department: newcomer Nick Escoto can pitch too! In addition to finally getting a pair of cleats, Escoto stepped up big time and gave Hoffy a key win in a shorthanded situation. He is still the only undefeated Hoffy pitcher (1-0).

Defense: Another area of distinction. While there are a lot of talented defensive players in the league (Mal, Nick, Charlie, Earler and Billy Mac from Malachy's, the shortstop from Paddy Barry's, etc), no team has the complete package that Hoffy does. Led by Nelly and T-Frat in the outfield and The Game (playing with a surgically repaired shoulder), Ramon, JD and Bill Wysocki in the infield, Hoffy featured the kind of defense that killed rallies and always gave them a chance to win. Just hearing opposing batters yell "fuck!" when they saw the ball they hit go anywhere near center field warms my heart to this day. Another entry from The Rich Get Richer Department: Glenny can play second base too!

Hitting: Anyone who has seen this team play knows there is not a single easy out in the entire lineup. From Nelly and Harper leading off, to .700+ hitters like Jimmy D and Steve and Mike Yocco, to sluggers like The Game, Glenny, Ramon and Wysocki, to the table-setters at the bottom of the lineup, Dave Brolin, Joe Bosse, Jon Bosse and Keith, Hoffy was a threat to put up runs every inning of every game.

Depth: Hoffy has a distinct advantage of having a great farm system in the Houghs Neck league. Having proven ball players like Kyle, Neil Plante, Kano and McNeice available is a luxury almost too good to be true.

Chemistry: Depsite replacing seven starters from the 2006 championship team, Hoffy always plays like a champion and (most of the time) has fun doing it. A lot of guys on the team have been playing on the same teams or in the same leagues for over 20 years and been friends for that long as well. It says a lot that we have guys who would rather be a DH, backup or role player on this team than start and/or bat higher in the lineup on another team.

All in all, this was an incredible season that this league will never forget. I'm already looking forward to next year when, you heard it here first, I WILL HIT A HOME RUN.

* The one loss came in game 3 of the championship series where Hoffy was forced to play with 9 guys (missing six starters) and only two guys playing their normal positions.