After the Dust Settles… Hitmen Victorious Again

by Ice, July 22, 2010, 11:49 pm

Normally, I use this space to recap a team effort and attempt to capture some of the flavor of the latest Hitmen game. That is all well and good. But, sometimes the performance of a single Hitman is so spectacular, so awesome, and so impressive that it is necessary to dispatch with the normal recipe and spotlight that individual. Ladies and gentlemen… Chainsaw.

In the top of the eighth inning, with the Hitmen holding a comfortable lead over Pews Your Daddy, young Chainsaw took his position in Centerfield. “Centerfield?” you ask, “I thought Chainsaw generally pitched.” Not when John Stamos is managing, apparently. Our favorite woodsman was brimming with confidence as he turned to Left Fielder Ice and said, “Anything between us is yours.” But Chainsaw is a team player and so, he readied for action and attempted to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Looking around, our protagonist saw a fairly normal set of obstacles in the realm of Mall softball. In front of him was the normal patchy grass. To his left was a major tourist attraction — the Smithsonian carousel in this case — and behind him was a wide gravel path well traveled by families and tourists. Pretty standard fare for the CSL but also fairly dangerous if you stopped to think about it, which Chainsaw tried not to.

The inning started innocently enough. There were a couple of hits, probably an error or two. The game was already in the books, so the Hitmen’s concentration was probably not at it’s highest level of the season. And then up stepped one of the Pew’s Your Daddy power hitters. He let a couple pitches go and then unleashed a mighty swing… The ball sailed deep to right center field between Chainsaw and Hurricane.

All eyes turned skyward to admire the blast. But, when the ball began to fall back toward earth, we lost sight of it as, out of nowhere, an incredible dark cloud of dust erupted in Centerfield. As the particles flew about, Hitmen and Daddies alike had trouble discerning what was happening. The world seemed to stop as the cloud advanced over the Mall. This dark advance was accompanied by the grusome sounds of skidding, crashing and grinding. It was all quite alarming, especially when we realized that Chainsaw had gone missing, apparently absorbed — and possibly eaten — by the mysterious dust cloud. Panic abounded, especially in the person of Lennifer who lamented that her camera’s memory card was full and she had been unable to document the phenomenon.

However, as we reached the pits of despair, Chainsaw rose up from the earth like a Phoenix. He was bloodied and bruised and dirty but otherwise okay. And since he had not come within 30 yards of the ball, it was funny as hell.

Inspired Management, Sunflower Seeds Lead Hitmen to Victory

by Ice, July 2, 2010, 12:52 am

Well, as many Hitman and Hitwoman have pointed out, it’s been a long time since the team website was updated. There are reasons for this — some good, some bad — but why dwell on the past? The drought is over… at least for now.

On Thursday, the Hitmen took their undefeated record to the mean streets of Northeast DC for a clash with a familiar CSL adversary, the Baltimore Oracles, on the Oracles’ home field at the Ludlow-Something-Or-Another Elementary School. It promised to be a good matchup… until the Hitmen discovered that no one had brought any beer, at which point interest began to wane significantly. After all, thanks to the generosity of a few select beer gatherers — Murry and Phil chief among them — it has been quite awhile since our squad has played a game without the benefit of liquid courage. By this point, there was legitimate reason to question whether the Hitmen were even capable of playing a came which didn’t involve solo cups.

Faced with this predicament, there was a brief discussion of dispatching someone to go pick up a case — a quest, which would have involved walking all of two blocks while carrying a credit card. However, this idea was universally panned in favor of other favorite Hitmen pastimes: general laziness and complaining. Continuing the trend of apathy, so called “Captain,” Ice, proclaimed his disinterest in fulfilling any of the normal managerial duties for the game, and others wondered aloud if we should just skip the charade altogether and head straight to the bar.

Fortunately for all involved a new leader emerged from the shadows in our darkest moments of despair… Shadow, himself. Rallying the troops with promises of equal playing time, an all-expenses paid Dewey Beach vacation, and a Costco sized sack of sunflower seeds, he won back the hearts and minds of a wayward squad, which was about ready to throw in the towel. It was truly something to behold… Leadership at its finest.

Disregarding all conventional (and legal) methods of game management, Shadow made the Hitmen forget about their sober state and concentrate on the task at hand. Hit after hit, throw after throw, he led them toward softball enlightenment, like some sort of softball Buddha. Through his inspired leadership, the Hitmen discovered that, with minor effort and thoughtful juggling of the lineup, victory could be theirs, with or without a cooler of brews. And so it was… 15-5.

2008 Highlights

by Ice, April 30, 2009, 12:20 am

I figured the best way to get fired up for the new season was to look back at some of the finer moments from last year. Enjoy, Hitmen.

Hitmen Release Summer 2008 Schedule

by Ice, April 12, 2008, 2:22 pm

For immediate release

April 12, 2008

Washington, D.C. — The Hillbilly Hitmen softball club released their 2008 Congressional Softball League schedule, after successfully navigating the mad scramble of email scheduling, which defines the CSL’s commitment to lawlessness. Manager Ice looks forward to a challenging campaign for the team, “There are a lot of good teams on our slate this year, but we’re excited to be back on the diamond [or parched tufts of grass of the Mall and sketchy Anacostia environs] and look forward to another [occasionally] successful campaign in 2008 [until the playoffs when we will probably stick our collective heads in our asses just like every other year].”

This year’s slate features solely Thursday tilts since the Hitmen are getting old and are no longer interested in playing multiple games per week. Familiar foes “Margin of Terror” on July 24, the “Showboats” on July 17 and heated rival (thanks to J.R.) “Minnesota 5 lb. Bass” on June 12, highlight the schedule. The season also features an early showdown with “Jesse and the Rippers”, which is sure to cause some extra motivation for our very own JohnStamos.

Out of town fans can track the Hitmen’s season on www.hitmensoftball.org.

2008 Season Nears

by Ice, March 18, 2008, 11:18 pm

Well, I’ve received my annual wintertime inquiry from Kyle asking about the status of Hitmen softball. So, spring must be near….

This year’s note came in the form of a post on my Facebook wall. Last year it was a text message. The year before some spray paint on my car.

Whatever the mode, it always makes me feel good to get these inquiries from Ms. Julian. While her main attraction to Hitmen softball may be the excuse it provides her to work on her tan and read celebrity gossip magazines in the name of saving the field, it’s nice to know that she’s thinking about us, even in the dead of winter.

So, folks, are we going to have a team or what? Let’s get a headcount. As you mull it over, take a look at the 2007 Hitmen Highlight montage (see video player to the upper right). C’mon, you know you want to play…

Tournament brackets and info

by Walt, August 13, 2007, 6:33 pm

The Congressional Softball League leadership cabal has rigged up the brackets for the 2007 CSL tournament. The Hitmen will play at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 18th, on Eakin field #1 in Annandale, Va. Players should be at the field by 10:00 a.m. 9:45 a.m. to meet tournament rules. See CSL directions and maps or customize this Google map.

Thanks to a 12-1 record*, the Hitmen will enter the competition at the second round, playing the winner of the 9-2 Showboats vs. the 1-3-1 Walk Us Caucus. The winner of the Hitmen’s 10:30 a.m. game will be one of 10 teams proceeding to the double-elimination round in September.

During regular season play, the Showboats dropped the infamous Freedom Ticklers 26 to 13.

The Walk Us Caucus’ stellar record includes losses to the COBRAs and Margin of Terror, both of which fell ignominiously to the Hitmen. I.E., we’re way up the food chain. But it doesn’t look like the commish’s softball welfare will do them much good in their matchup against the Showboats anyway.

The CSL tournament actually has rules–like these so-called “balls and strikes”–so be sure to check those out so we don’t suffer another tourney defeat at the hands of an umpire. Also, here are rules about bats and wanted posters of illegal bats. You might recognize one.

*12-1 after adjusting for that whole self-defeat thing.

Funeral for a Friend

by Destro, July 26, 2007, 5:17 pm

Today is indeed a sad day in the life of Destro. My beloved white 1994 Chevrolet Corsica, or H.I.S.S. tank as I called it, was purchased today. Knowing that Pete has already done away with his own model, it disturbs me to know that no one I know will be riding around in the ultimate battle vehicle. It was an indestructible ride owing to is heavy layers of armor. When I ran it into a tree, the car just scoffed and displayed the small scratch it obtained like a notch in its belt. The tree, however, was much worse off. Even when a carefully placed highway mine blew up the oil pan and gas tank threatening to engulf me in flames, the car refused to give in. After repairs, it ran just as good as new. The only solace I can find is the knowledge that it has been sent to a good home. Early this morning, Edmundo Santarana immediately fell in love with the car. He offered me $600 for the car, and I accepted knowing that he would take care of it. I told him that he could have the car as soon as his check cleared. Edmundo wanted the car immediately though and pulled a wad of hundreds out of his pocket. I could see that he was serious, so I brought the title out to sign it over to him. I wanted to go to the bank so it could be notarized, however he said that was not necessary. He informed me that his car insurance had been cancelled, so he did not want his name on the lease. I said, “Fine, then I can put of wife’s name instead.” Edmundo insisted that I leave it blank though. Needing to get on with my busy day of planning world domination, I agreed. Sandra, always thinking, brought up the point that the notary actually needed to see the signature. Edmundo countered with the fact that wife of his boss was a notary and she would take care of it. AVEC VERVE! “Wait,” I thought. Edmundo could use me as a decoy while he was compiling tickets all around town. I knew that turning in the license plate would absolve me of any blame and get the DMV off my back. “Sorry, you will have to drive back home without a license plate.” Edmundo came out on top again by producing his own plate from his wife’s car. Check and Mate. “Well played Edmundo,” I thought as he drove off into the distance. I will miss my beautiful car, but I know that Edmundo will be enjoying as he cavorts around the town.

Hitmen Ready to Play

by Ice, May 5, 2007, 4:48 pm

The off-season was long and arduous but, it’s finally over. In a few short weeks the Hillbilly Hitmen will take the field once again. This season promises to be one of change for the squad. Softball magnet Kirstin has packed up and moved to North Carolina along with her hubby Mr. Pierson leaving us without a pitcher and valuable utility man. Knitts has left behind his infield spot in favor of law school in Georgia. And, of course we’re still trying to get over the loss of the Great BT. Even now–three years after our team patriarch retired–we still miss the steadying force of his Tennessee drawl. We’ll do our best to carry on.

There is some good news, however. Many of the usual suspects return for another year on the diamond. Stamos, KB, Kyle, Walt, Ryan, Raynor, Dave and Ice all return. J.R. will be back too, though he will probably spend most of his time inexplicably rolling around in the dirt in shallow right field. Rumor has it that the golden armed Rutter may resume his shortstop duties as well. This is good news for an offense and defense that struggled at times last season. By the same token, it’s probably bad news for any tourists in our vicinity. (Fortunately, Murry has passed the bar and can provide legal counsel should there by any accidents.)

It promises to be an exciting year. Time to dust off those gloves and ice down the cheap domestic beer. Play ball!