Davis Hospitalized, Wombats Play On
The call was one that Chris DiCesare did not want to take ... ever. It was 6:10 AM. Timmy
Davis, the No. 1 starter for the Wombats' tournament team, was
on the other end. Timmy Davis - who had led the Wombats into the finals of the KISS-FM tournament,
to victory at the Fishkill Tournament, and was the camel on whose back the team rode - had some bad
news. He would not be playing because he hurt his leg and was in the hospital. DiCesare
was not amused. His team had paid the $125.00 entry fee, and Timmy was famous for crying wolf.
He showed up on crutches for the 2003 World Series (as a joke) and then cruised to a victory after
tossing them aside after his first pitch. DiCesare assumed that Timmy was playing yet another
practical joke. He hung up the phone. Timmy called back a second time, repeating his message. It was
only then that DiCesare knew that Davis was serious. Davis had torn his ACL Friday evening,
slipping on a wet rock while fishing. It was a heartbreaking moment for Davis who had looked
forward to the tournament more than anyone.
DiCesare had his eyes set on the $1,000.00 cash prize, and without Davis his almost certain victory
seemed suddenly distant. But he still had Jimmy Moloney - who had been the prize pitcher until
Davis appeared two years ago - and Matt Friedenberg who was an all-round player with plenty
of tournament experience. And after they had cruised through thier first two games 2-0 and
6-1, the prospect of taking home the grand prize didn't seem so far off after all. Moloney was pitching
with great success, Friedenberg was making spectacular play in the field, and DiCesare was doing his job: hitting the ball. After pushing aside the WolfPack and then the Caldwell Bankers 2, the Wombats came face-to-face
with Delancy's, a team of veteran police officers. After struggling through a 0-0 tie
the first three innings, the Wombats erupted for 6 runs in the fourth to win once again. Moloney
threw another shutout.
The fourth round saw them take on Army of Darkness. After four innings the game was called
on account of the score. There was a 10-run mercy rule and the Army was quite glad to walk
off the field before getting pummeled further into the ground. A group of fair-minded, quality
people. They were just too tired to maintain their expected level of play and the Wombats sent them
down 10-1.
Moloney was pitching like Davis. Friedenberg was making diving catches, and DiCesare was driving
the ball into RF with authority. Two more wins, and the prize would rest firmly in their
happy little hands. Then the bottom fell out.
With confidence level high, the Wombats faced Tom's Tavern ... the defending champs. They loaded
the bases in the first, but failed to score. The desire to go for it all led to three
straight outs. Then Moloney's control vanished. The guy who had walked just two batters in the previous 20 innings could not find the strike zone. During one stretch 12 of
13 pitches missed the zone. After giving up two runs, Friedenberg came in. Only to allow a
grand slam homer to make the score 6-0. Matt then settled down and threw brilliantly ...
5 straight shutout innings. But the Wombats offense was shut down.
The tournament was a double elimination one, so the Wombats - if they could beat T.C and Company
(last year's runners up) could still go for it all. it would be a second chance to dethrone
the champs. All the while they were wondering what would have happened if Timmy (who had allowed
just 4 runs over 68 innings pitched in 2005 tournament play) was there.
Now it was dark. The floodlights were turned on and it looked like a scene from the Natural.
DiCesare - usually entitled to one magic moment a game - saw a moment emerging. One more
victory and they play for the $1,000.00 cash prize. Because of the fact it was very
dark, both sides knew that 1 run would win it. DiCesare went for the fence. For another homer. It went high into the night sky, but fell just short of the fence for a double. The team
did not score. The score remained 0-0 through two innings, then three innings
as Friedenberg - red as a tomato from 10 hours in the sun - threw his heart out. He was amazing.
Stepping in for Moloney in the team's time of need.
In the fourth it was just inches again. With a runner on first and one out, a liner off the bat
of a T.C. hitter screamed out towards LF. Moloney - a veteran soccer player - went
for it. Full out. Body in the air. Hands reaching out. The ball was his. But a slight air current, or perhaps the spin of the ball, caused the liner to dip
more than expected. It bounced off Moloney's outstretched hand .. for a double.
A weak single later and the TC's had the run both teams' knew could win the game. 15 tense
moments later a rising fastball blew past the swinging bat of DiCesare to end it for
the Wombats. So close. Again the thought: what if Timmy had been here. But he wasn't. And in
spite of that, against the odds, the Wombats almost did it anyway.
Moloney, Freidenberg and DiCesare gave it their all. They did many things that they could be
proud of. Moloney hit a grand slam, riedenberg got a rare triple and DiCesare - at one
point - drove in three runs with three hits in one inning. All great achievements. Moloney KO'd 16 batters in a game, Freidenberg recorded two saves from the
bullpen and DiCesare launched a homer while talking in mid sentence to the umpire. They
did what they could. Even though they lost.
One thing is for sure. As they drove home on the dark backroads of Orange County, they all agreed
on one thing: next year would be better! And they hoped that Timmy Davis would
be too.
