Bad Gnus Enjoy Their Taste of the Rockies

The Bad Gnus dominated from start to finish in their most recent effort. I just wanted to see what that sentence looks like. It is not often that I can type that after a game against competent competition. The Silver Bullets are always a good challenge for the Gnus. They are a team that we feel we can beat, but they probably beat us in heartbreaking fashion more often than not.



Monday night the Gnus had solid offense up and down the order. That resulted in scoring in just about every inning. Usually the Bad Gnus like to save up all of their scoring aggresion for just one inning. Our Step-Howard, Greg Thomas, played left wonderfully in Daddy Howard's absence. He did hit into an out and I don't usually see that when I'm playing defense against him every week.

The Newcastle Player of the Game goes to Erik Grotte. Everytime Erik continued to get on base with a 4 X 4 night. He made a nice catch in the outfield and selflessly volunteered to play catcher for too many innings during the game. Stuart nearly took the honor this week. He made three excellent stabs on hard hit grounders and first and had two key hits. He came up just short as he did not wear his shirt to the game. My understanding is that we all wear our tye-dye to work on game days like high school football players rock their jerseys to school. Tell me I'm not wrong. I have to put up with so much crap from my co-workers...


Despite the strong showing and the approximately 11-6 victory, only one play actually stands out to me. The Bad Gnus have a deep respect for Scott Pettinato and would love to bring him to the team of peace and love. He has thus far rejected our advances. One of his many softball talents is his cannon arm in the outfield. Kirk tried to test this arm early in the game, before the Gnus pulled away. Scott came up throwing and deposited the ball somewhere near Watt Avenue. If he was trying to impress us with his arm strength at the expense of his softball talent, it was successful. There are some theories of what was actually going on there. Some thought he wrote his phone number on the ball and was tossing it to a jogger on La Sierra. Some thought he was trying to break a window at the Vujovich house. Others thought he just being doing so many 12 ounce curls lately that the ball felt like a marble in his manly arm. Either way, thanks for the making the game more enjoyable for us, Scott.


I appreciate the hat at the top of this post. But I thought the only time Coors Light was bottled it was in a plastic bottle and it was called Alhambra. I don't know if the bottle opener on the hat is actually needed. However, if any beer, and I mean any beer, wants to stock an ice chest for the Bad Gnus every week and cover our dues, I'll be open to listening. I was so spoiled back in the day when we had Sam Adams sponsor us for a year. What Appleton lacked in catching balls thrown to him as a first baseman, he more that made up for with that contribution to Bad Gnus history.


Worst 5 beers that people actually drink. I'm not talking about Old Milwaukee or Natty Light or whatever I bought for the CSUS Rugby keg. I mean stuff that when the barkeep points to the fellas and after I shout out "Newcastle", the next guy might pop this order out of his beer-hole.


5. Coors Light - This used to be much higher (lower?) on this list as it tastes like beer flavored water to me. However, I have learned to appreciate it in two very specific situations: 1. On a hot day when playing golf or softball or 2.When my ice chest is empty and the other team offers up a tasty Silver Bullet.

4. Guinness - I really want to love this beer. It just doesn't taste good to me. Too creamy? I do want to give big extra points to the Fox & Goose downtown. When ordered there, the thick foam has a shamrock in it! not sure how they pull that off and they're not telling me. Sometimes it's just better to believe in magical beer fairies. It is worth ordering just to appease my artistic side. Guinness also goes down smooth in an Irish Car Bomb, as far as I remember. People have told me I enjoyed it.

3. Fosters - Austrailian for Budweiser

2. Budweiser. I actually had Budweiser in London but it was a Czech beer and it tasted very good. Talk about a mind-f. American Bud tastes like ass. Bud Light tastes like a skinny ass. I'm sorry, I have a strong dislike for this beer.

1. Sierra Nevada. I want to like this beer. It's somewhat local. My buddy Kev hooked me up with one of those windbreaker shirts with the Sierra Nevada symbol and everything. I just can't drink it. It is far too hoppy and it just tears up my not-at-all fragile stomach. I'll eat fried jalapeno's dipped in pepper sauce, fish tacos on the streets of Ensenda and burritos from the sketchiest aluminum trucks in the city without problem. While those foods may use the intestinal car pool lane through my system, everyone enjoys the ride. Sierra Nevada makes me question my love of beer. Not to worry, I quickly shake myself back to reality.