COVID CHRONICLES

The 28 Editions of Tools Wednesday from 2020

Written by Mark Sarver and published for the far flung Tools Family on each missed softball Wednesday when we were confined to our homes during the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic.  This is a heartfelt remembrance of our teams and the players who made them through every era of our first 39 years. 

 

Edition 1          March 26, 2020  

Tools Family, I hope that you are all hanging in there and doing as much as possible without going anywhere. I am working remotely and haven't gotten bored yet. Since next Wednesday would have been the start of our 40th season playing in Arlington, I figured I'd offer a few illustrious moments from our great history. There's a little something from each Tools era so hopefully most of you can relate to at least one of them. This is part 1. Let's hope that there doesn't have to be too many of these strolls down memory lane. 

The 1980's  

June 15, 1982, Shirley Park 2  Many of you might not remember or have known that I didn't always play for the Tools. After having played with them in the fall of 1981, I returned to the Justice Department team the following summer before rejoining the Tools permanently that fall. But on one memorable evening, I actually played against the Tools. It's the Tools vs. Justice Department: Bill Anhut, Bruce Urban, Chris Girolamo and Terry Hiebert vs. Mark Sarver, Bill Kreykenbohm, Bob Emeritz and Bob Granger. By fall, all of us will be Tools for good. The Tools win 12-11 on a disputed "no call" of a triple play turned by Justice. 

May 3, 1987, Jennie Dean Field 1  A mediocre Tools squad catches fire and advances to the semi-finals of a 48 team Arlington early bird tournament. We bust out to a 7-0 lead against Roughriders, then Scott Bresnahan launches a bases load drive to deep right. Joey Baird, one of the original members of the All Dick Team, uncharacteristically makes an over-the-should catch after turning the wrong way, so we fail to blow the game open. Roughriders comes back to tie us and force extra innings. In the 9th, ex-Redskin Buddy Hardeman singles up the middle to eliminate us 9-8, our toughest loss of the 1980s. 

The 1990's 

October 26, 1991, Utah Field  In our season-ending game, the Tools beat Olympus Gym 14-10, depriving them of the fall league title. A brawl erupts during the hand-shaking, and as a huge opposing player, a two-time All Dick Team qualifier, threatens to pummel Bill Anhut, his wife Dale screams from the stands "pick on someone your own size, you fat porker." 

June 16, 1995, Kenmore Field  Our most embarrassing streak ends -- the Tools actually failed to score in 21 straight innings, notching only 20 hits. We ended the streak as we beat the Warriors 9-8 despite playing with only nine players including one with a hamstring pull. 

The 2000's 

October 16, 2000  Ken Ferebee hits a four-base "error", as his long drive bounces off the left fielder's glove and goes over the fence. But he's called out for passing runner Tony Mason on the bases. Three innings later, both Jay Braun and Ferebee are called out for hitting shots over the fence in violation of the home run limit. Somehow we still won the game. 

July 1, 2002, Virginia Highlands 3  Needing a victory over 2nd place CMC to clinch our first spring league title, the Tools play tight and drop opener 14-7. The battle for the titles comes down to the season's final inning. The Tools trail 17-13 but launch a furious rally. Chris Hamm doubles to tie the game. Rich Menseck, who homered earlier, is walked. Joe Lombardo rips a base hit to left. Hamm and a perfect peg meet at the plate and he's safe on a fall-away slide. The joyous Tools mob him at the plate. 

The 2010's 

June 29, 2011, Virginia Highlands 4  Tools execute five double plays, one in each inning, and short stop Eric Stewart is involved in every one as we whip Spider Monkeys 12-1. Ben Peden and Jay Braun become the first Tools to reach double figures in home runs in the same season, Ben blasting his 9th and 10th and Jay socking his 10th. In the second game Chris Hamm scatters six hits for his first career shutout, a 17-0 win. 

June 22, 2016, Jennie Dean Field 1  Tools clinch 10th league title and third in a row [with Spring and Fall 2015] by winning the first game against Badabing. Pitcher Craig Hughes makes put outs at both home plate and third base in the same inning, an unprecedented defensive feat. 

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed these few moments. Keep fantasizing about softball to come.

Edition 2          April 1, 2020  

It's Tools Wednesday, our virtual 2020 spring season! This is the second installment of highlights and lowlights from each of our storied decades. 

The 1980's  

August 24, 1981  The Beecher Tool and Die softball team takes the field for the first time in Arlington, wearing our green and white jerseys, white pants with a green stripe on the side and green stirrups -- yes, it was a long time ago, stirrups. Our first game was a 2-1 victory against Mario's Pizza but they beat us 17-10 in the second game. Mario's beat us for the pennant by just a half game. Did you know that this Beecher squad had four Bills, two Bobs and a Bruce? Can any of you old timers name these seven players? Let's hear from you. 

September, 1982  Outfielder Mike Simon tries to confuse opposing batters by running in circles between pitches. His teammates are confused. He is soon dropped from the team. April 1, 1989 Thirty one years ago tonight, Scott Bresnahan starts his Tools career with a single in his first time at bat. Bres would be our second baseman through the 1999 season.

April 1, 1989  Thirty one years ago tonight, Scott Bresnahan starts his Tools career with a single in his first at bat.  Bres would be our second basement through the 1999 season.

The 1990's

October 14, 1992  With opposing runners on first and second and nobody out, the bats crushes a line drive that deflects off the glove of first baseman Paul Haugh's glove. The ball caroms on the fly right to second baseman Mark Sarver who is backing up the play. Sarv fires to second where short stop Jim Rohrbach catches it to double off the lead runner. Meanwhile, the runner who left first base didn't realize that Sarv had caught the ball and Rohrbach tags him as he reaches second. The first defensive triple play in Tools history! 

Exact Date Unknown between 1995-1997, Virginia Highlands 3  With opposing runners on first and second and nobody out, the batters lines out to Tools left fielder David Hansen, who fires to second to second to double off the lead runner. The second baseman fires to first to nail the trailing runner. The second defensive triple play in Tools history! 

The 2000's 

Date Unknown, early 2000's, Jennie Dean Field 1  With opposing runners on first and second and nobody out, the batter rips a line drive right at short stop Jeff Franco who fires across the diamond to first to double off the trailing runner. The bold lead runner breaks from second when Franco releases his throw. But first baseman Mark Bultman makes a perfect peg to third base where Mark Sarver applies the tag. The third defensive triple play in Tools history! 

In an ironic twist, Dave Hansen, who participated in our second double play, is visiting from Missouri that night and reminded us of his forgotten triple play. 

September 24, 2007  Tools score 48 runs to skin Dead Rabbits 32-10 and 19-10. In the opener we score 20 runs in the second inning, with Chuck Ford, Brian Hurney and Chris Hamm each getting a record three hits in the same inning. Jeff Fus would have, too, but when his line drive to right fell safely, Jeff Franco forgot to run to second and was forced out. 

The 2010's 

May 2, 2012  Tools reach a record 33 game unbeaten streak with a 17-7 win over Bad News Beers. Our record during the streak was 31-0-2. After getting thrashed 22-10 by the Beers in the second game of that doubleheader, we reeled off another eight wins in a row. So overall we played to a 39-1-2 record during this period. 

October 1, 2014, Virginia Highlands 4  Matt O'Connell blasts the Tools 1,000th regular season home run, a three bagger in the fifth inning of game 1 against Aww Naw. [Our official stats began fall 1983, with nothing from fall 1981 - spring 1983.] Seventy nine Tools players contributed to the 1,000 homers, with Ken Ferebee socking the most with 154.  

See you next week. Sarv

Edition 3          April 15, 2020  

Our Tools Virtual Season continues with our third edition of Tools Wednesday, great and weird moments in Tools history. 

The 1980's  

October 16, 1983  Tools set a team record [at the time] by scoring 42 runs in a double header sweep of Ernst Whinney. Five players alone accounted for 33 hits -- Les Davison 8 for 8, Ken Surprenant 7 for 8, Bill Kreykenbohm 6 for 6, Bob Emeritz 6 for 7 and Mark Sarver 6 for 8.

October 29, 1985, Virginia Highlands 3 [or was it Utah Field?]  The Tools clinch our first league championship for interim coach Mark Sarver by beating Personnel Design 9-6 for a then record 11 game winning streak. The All Bill Rotation of Kreykenbohm and Anhut yields fewer than 10 runs for the 13th straight game. 

The 1990's

April 15, 1992 Eighteen years ago today  Rookie Jim Rohrbach begins his 10 year Tools career by debuting with a three hit game. Jim would star for the Tools at 3rd base, short stop and left center. 

June 3, 1998  The Tools our biggest comeback ever. Trailing Harry's Auto Body 16-0, we rally to win 19-18 on a two-run triple by Matt Doyle. 

The 2000's

April 15, 2000 Twenty years ago today.  Chris Hamm broke a Tools record by slugging his record seventh home run in a single Arlington Early Bird Tournament. Hammer was in only his second season with the Tools but already had proven to be an impact player on a team that would soon be winning championships. 

June 27, 2005  Tools jump out to a 13-0 lead against Pirates of Arlington. The Pirates then scored five runs in the second inning, but with two outs, the All Bills mishandle a flipped toss from 1st baseman to pitcher covering and before we can get that third out the Pirates score another 15 runs. The 20 run inning is the worst ever yielded by the Tools. We did show grit in the second game of the doubleheader by overcoming deficits of 10-2 and 16-5 to edge the Pirates 18-16. 

The 2010's 

May 9, 2012  A torrential downpour with intense winds buffeted Gunston Park but an undaunted umpire named Gerald insisted that the Tools and Charros would play no matter what. Field conditions were deteriorating quickly and getting worse, making it unsafe to play. A heated but very wet argument ensued with both coaches urging a cancellation fruitlessly against this arrogant umpire, who claimed to have supervised games at the state level when the plate was an inch under water. Finally, Sarv pointed his finger in the ump's face and angrily yelled "you're not going to lecture me!" The field rover showed up, looked at the weird scene and yelled "what the f--k are you guys doing on the field?" and ordered everyone out. Sarv had the last word, though, complaining to the league and umpire's associate. Gerald was suspended for one month. 

April 1, 2015  Ringer Bill Anhut pitches his first Tools regular season game in five years and leads us to a 19-2, 18-5 sweep of Jay's Saloon. How the hell does he do this? In the second inning of game 1, Bill singles for his 800th hundred career hit on our official list. It only took five years for him to get that one extra hit. Drew Mitrisin, a more recent vintage player, homered twice in the second game.

Edition 4          April 22, 2020  

The softball fields of Arlington lay silent, devoid of players, umpires, All Dick Team members, homeless fans, canine mascots, even Tools. But, no matter, it's Tools Wednesday, our Fourth Edition of the spring season. 

The 1980's  

September 24, 1984  Within one doubleheader, it's the longest of long shots -- home runs by Terry Hiebert [2 in 17 years] and Bill Kreykenbohm [4 in 25 years]. Chris Girolamo hits his only career home run. Hiebert's home run comes in the last inning, followed by Mark Sarver's, our three run rally wins the game. 

July 28, 1986  The are eliminated from the playoffs in a 8-6 loss to Sports Casuals. The opposing coach, the late Pete Feheley, was also an umpire and Arlington DPR employee. Due to his diligence, our outfielder Gerry Mello was found to be playing on two teams. The league suspends him for five years. Coach Mark Sarver meets with league commissioner Gene Green, accompanied by his attorney, teammate Terry "Human Wicket" Medley. The suspension is reduced to one fall season. 

April 22, 1987  Thirty three years ago tonight the Tools achieved a 3-0 record in Early Bird Tournament play and would go on to finish 4th in this 48 team classic. 

The 1990's 

May 9, 1990  Former minor league infielder Rick Mercer becomes the first Tools to blast three straight home runs in a game, with a walk in between. In game two, the self-professed "Star of the Team", is intentionally walked four times. 

September 20, 1995  Ken Ferebee blasts three home runs in one game and drives in a record 10 runs. He would become our all time home run king with 154 in 16 years of regular season play. 

April 22, 1998  After winning five straight forfeits by the phantom team, Anadac Atttack, the Tools finally got to play them, 22 years ago tonight, and annihilated them 31-4 and 15-5. 

The 2000's

August 21, 2000  Outfielder Steve Sprague, the only player the Tools ever picked up in a bar, races for a fly ball but steps on a chicken bone that penetrates his cleat ... and his foot. He is lost for the season but is immediately nicknamed "The Colonel". 

September 10, 2001  Jay Braun shows up to Virginia Highlands Field ready to play, except he forgot his jersey ... his glove ... and his shoes. But he did remember his dog, Loki, our mascot. After a fun night of softball, the Tools drove home, many of us passing by the Pentagon. The very next morning September 11 became 9/11. 

August 28, 2006  The birth of The Randomizer, Frustrated by our poor play of late, coach Mark Sarver puts together an out-of-the-hat line-up, igniting a 10 game winning streak. The Randomizer continued to be used sparingly over the years, but usually to good effect. 

The 2010's 

May 12, 2010  Mike Gummey races to a record five triples in one doubleheader ... and the team hits 10 that night. Gummey would go on to set a single season record of 12 three baggers. 

September 21, 2011  Tools set a record as we score in 32 straight innings. Will O'Day hits for the cycle with a three run inside-the-park opposite field home run in the right field corner giving him a career high seven RBI. Craig Hughes hits three doubles for five RBI. Outfielder John Revette attempts a diving catch in left center but breaks his hand and is out for the year. 

June 10, 2015  Brad Moehringer becomes the only Tool to blst two grand slam home runs in one game as we crush Badabing 18-3. Brad also had a triple and single, good for nine RBI. 

That's it for now. Keep swinging for the fences ... but don't break any lamps. Sarv

Edition 5          April 29, 2020  

Well, we would not have been rained out tonight, but "we fool them, we no show up" [homage to Chico Marx]. I hope all of you are doing well. I've heard from a bunch of you but would love to get a little bit from everyone. It's Tools Wednesday, Edition 5. And to prove I still have a good self-deprecating sense of humor despite the scourge, please have some laughs at my expense. 

The 1980's  

August 24, 1983  As the fall season gets underway Mark Sarver returns from a knee injury [he got steamrolled by a runner] after missing 14 spring games, but Coach Bruce Urban forgets he's there and leaves his name out of the line-up. When Edsall Road Mobil complains to the umpire, we forfeit the game for an illegal player. Me, an illegal player? 

May 1, 1985, Kenmore Field  Playing third base at the county's most dangerous field, Mark Sarver catches a bad hop against his chin but gets a force-out in game one against Cherrydale Glass. Late in the second game, though, as we protect a narrow lead, Cherrydale's best player Tommy Lee [still playing in Arlington today] rips a one-hop smash that also takes a bad hop and hits Sarv at the base of his throat. He stays in the game but can't field a ground ball for two weeks. 

April 23, 1989, Virginia Highlands 3  Third baseman Mark Sarver is hit in the family jewels by a line drive and though blinded, picks up the ball and throws out the runner at first base. He then walks into the outfield and falls down. [Advice to some stubborn current players: he was saved by wearing a cup.] 

September 6, 1989, Fuddruckers 7-Corners  The funniest moment in Tools history. We had dragged into our sponsor after dropping a twin bill to the despised Presearch. But it's rookie Scott Bresnahan's birthday so the coach tries to cheer everyone by surprising him with a birthday cake. When Sarv walks away to get plates and forks for everyone, a conspiracy is quickly hatched. When he returns to the table Mike Giglio says "this cake smells like shit". Bres agrees with him. "It's a rum cake", says Sarv defensively and bends over to smell it. Mike and Scott grab the back of his head and push Sarv face first into the cake. As players start falling to the floor, dissolving in laughter, Sarv confirms, "yes, it's rum". 

The 1990's 

May 26, 1993, Virginia Highlands 3  As the last out is made on fly ball deep to left center to cap a rousing 18-6 victory, the batter, a broadly built short stop All Dick Team member named Billy, keeps running around the bases and purposely flattens 3rd baseman Mark Sarver. As Sarv lays on the ground expecting the Tools to come to his rescue and punch out the villain, he sees the them lining up to shake hands and is bewildered. 

September 13, 1995, Quincy 3  There is a torrential downpour before the doubleheader, the field is a mess, but the small umpire is intimidated into playing by huge Quarterdeck players and its leader, sometime umpire and Glover Park Softball League villain Jamie Dilla. The Tools are batting and Matt Doyle is the runner on first base. A single reaches the outfield and Sarv, coaching third, raises both arms above his head and yells "hold". But Matt, who is running with his head down, keeps coming around second and eventually arrives at third standing up. After an apparent, possible or fictional collision, the third baseman screams about Matt "I'll deck that mother fucker if he comes near me again". Dilla, who is pitching, joins in and starts calling Matt a mother fucker. Sarv, unable to resist a chance to have a good laugh, screams back "he is not a mother fucker". Dilla responds, "he is a mother fucker." After a couple more identical exchanges, Sarv ends it by screaming "he is not a mother fucker, he's a lousy base runner". [Apologies, Matt, I didn't mean it, but I knew if it got physical Dilla would end me.] 

June 6, 1998, Crystal City Sports Pub  A Saturday doubleheader and it Sarv's birthday. Shooters. Mixed and blue-colored drinks. Whipped cream. Dancing with two women at once without knowing how he got to the dance floor. As the large group of players and fans leave after a lengthy stay, they supposedly perform a sidewalk serenade to their coach, but he has no memory of it. Important Note: The coach, ever responsible, does not drive home but is escorted by the Rohrbachs. At his apartment, when clothing begins to become optional, Stacy says "I'm out of here". 

The 2000's

September 16, 2002  Yom Kippur Massacre I. The coach breaks his holiday fast at his friends' home nearby and shows up in a pin-striped suit to discover that the Tools have just lost 9-6 to the lowly Filthy Capitalists. Knowing his team needs to be energized for the nightcap, the Coach emulates Connie Mack and coaches third base in his pin-striped suit. The inspired Tools get a 15 run inning and win in a romp. Doug Walker hits for the cycle. Richard White get three hits in the second game but it is Blanco's last as he retires. 

October 10, 2003  Yom Kippur Massacre II.  Sarv reprised Connie Mack only a year later when the Tools lost 9-7 to the Hosers, ending our 30 game regular season unbeaten streak. Heading to third base in his suit late in game two after ending his holiday fast, he windmills Tools around the bases as we score five last inning runs for a comeback walk-off win. Bill Kreykenbohm bloops a single into shallow center to win it. The Connie Mack has never failed, including after a funeral in 2018.

October 3, 2005  Now it's a Rosh Hashanah Miracle! Sarv makes the difficult decision to coach the team on the first night of the Jewish New Year but plans to remain seated on the bench. However, several Tools are no-shows at game time and the pissed off coach goes out to play 3rd base, a shanda [scandalously shameful]. We immediately fall behind 10-2 before all of the missing players suspiciously come running up at the same time. [I still have never gotten an explanation on this one, anyone want to fess up now?] Knowing we could not lose this game, the Tools go nuts and score 15 unanswered runs to win 17-10, then sweep the doubleheader. 

April 29, 2009  After a weird decade of playing on Monday, 11 years ago tonight the Tools returned to our traditional home base, Wednesday, and kicked off an era that would result in seven league championships. Five new players debuted for the rebuilt Tools and a new pitching rotation was unveiled, Craig Hughes and Josh O'Donnell. An 11 run third inning wins the season opener. We lose the second game by two runs and it turns out to be the only loss for a 17-1 spring squad. Brian Hurney plays his last game after a nine year career due to back problems. 

The 2010's 

October 2, 2013, probably Gunston Park  During the second game of a doubleheader, Sarver singles home a run but yelps in pain, grabbing his right shoulder. We are short-handed so he stay in the game. On his next at bat, unable to swing he dribbles a ball in front of the plate and pulls his left hamstring trying to beat it out. He still stays in the game. In his final at bat, unable to swing and unable to run, he takes a 3-2 pitch for a walk and then hop skips around the bases station-to-station to score. But mercifully, his season is over. 

April 29, 2015 Five years ago tonight  Drew Mitrisin blasted two home runs for five RBI in a 20-8 victory over Sloppy Joe's. 

November 14, 2017  It took 33 years but for the first time Coach Sarver sends his team to the wrong field for a make-up doubleheader. We're at Jennie Dean but Jay's Saloon and umpire Hank Kopcial are at Utah and both games are forfeited. Sarv drives to Utah to apologize to our opponents and finds them holding batting practice -- on November 14. 

See you next week. Please write when you get a chance. Sarv

Edition 6          May 6, 2020  

The bad news would have been that due to a very hard rainstorm this afternoon the Tools would have been rained out tonight. The good news, we are not rained out. It's possible that some of us would have gone to hang out the Crystal City Sports Pub. 

This brings us to the commercial portion of this email. The Crystal City Sports Pub will take your order and it may be delivered or picked up curbside -- including beer, wine and cocktails. Family style menus are available [but the kids can't have cocktails]. Let's do what we can to keep our sponsor going so that when the Tools get to celebrate an actual doubleheader in-person victory, it will be there us as it has been for 26 years. Thank you. 

And now it's time for Tools Wednesday, Edition 6 ... highlights, lowlights and sidelights from four decades of the rollicking history Beecher Tool and Die. 

Special note to Chris Girolamo. The incident we discussed seems to have happened on September 7, 1983.

Tonight's Theme: Beginnings 

The 1980's  

April, 1982  Mike Giglio and Terry Hiebert join the Tools. Giglio [pronounced Jill-eo] plays second base but not for long, eventually starring for a decade at short stop, left center and right center. He finishes his career (single wall bat days) as our home run king with 33. He also was our wordsmith, taunting opponents with phrases like "if it was a cheeseburger he would have caught it." Hiebert [pronounced Hee-bert] has the misfortune of making an out in his first at bat, leading to a tutoring session by the great Billy Walters. Terry gets a pout on his face that he doesn't lose for 17 years, earning him a cherished spot as The Tools' very own All Dick Team representative. 

April 25, 1984  Gerry Mello passes his interview with Bill Anhut at an accounting firm and joins the Tools. He gets the first of 382 career singles on his first at bat. The speedster was our long-time lead-off hitter who played left center and then short stop. Before every game that Bill Kreykenbohm pitched, Gerry would come to the pitching rubber and touch gloves with Billy K for good luck. Often, we won anyway. 

June 13 or 20, 1987  After a Saturday make-up doubleheader sweep, the Tools are hanging at our first sponsor, the Keyhole Inn. A voice rises from the jukebox and we're in disbelieve that it is Dean Martin crooning "Amore". All instantly love it [Hey, it's Amore.] and we gain our first [and only] theme song. For as long as the Keyhole lasts, we drop coins and sing along with Dino anytime we win. 

June 22, 1988  Richard White singles twice in his debut as a ringer, as the Tools last inning rally beats Little Cafe 8-7. When White homers in the nightcap, he's signed to a contract despite grossly misjudging the first fly ball hit to him. Rich moves to Michigan in 1991 but returns a decade later to rejoin us for a couple more years, earning the nickname "Blanco". 

May 24, 1989  Doug Walker make his Tools debut in left center field. In his second at bat he raps his first career triple on the way to becoming the all time leader and earning the nickname "One Hop Walker". His career continues to this day, with more than 1,000 hits. 

The 1990's 

April 27, 1994  Jim Stensland slaps a single to start a Tools career that would last eight years. Although never a starter at any position, Stens was always in the line-up due to his versatility. He played all four infield positions and pitched, posting a sensational .553 lifetime batting average. He and Sarv enjoyed aping the manager and coach in The Natural by humming tunes to each other on the bench and trying to guess the song. 

September 18, 1996  Joe Lombardo, a referral from legendary Glover Park coach Felix Sambuchina, becomes a Tool and singles in his first at bat. Joe went on to play 12 years and become one of our most clutch hitters. He batted .565 and slugged 51 home runs, 6th all time. But the most important contribution Joey Helmut might have made was bringing merriment and mirth to the Tools dugout with his wry sense of humor.

August 26, 1998  The Tools debuted a new short stop fresh from the Glover Park League as Jeff Franco took the field for the first time. His flashy style of play caught everyone's attention. He pegged a runner out at the plate in the first game and hit a two run inside-the-park homer in the second. Franco was a special talent, unseen before or since. Of course, sometimes he was unseen while still on the team. It was quite common for several players, one by one, to walk by Sarv in the dugout before a game, each repeating the other ... "you know Franco's in Cleveland, right?" The coach was always the last one to know. 

April 12, 1999  Jay Braun becomes a Tool, starting a career still ongoing after 21 years. He bloops a triple in his first at bat and gets six straight hits, five for extra bases. He also bought a new glove, Silverback, and a legend was born. Jay is second all time with 914 hits and 118 home runs. 

May 5, 1999  Mark Bultman makes a heroic Tools debut. he reaches on an error in his first at bat, then hits back-to-back homers, one out of the park. Mark played a great first base and also contributed to the outfield. He set a record in the 2007 early bird tournament by getting 19 straight hits -- plus five walks -- reaching base 24 consecutive times. But he really was known for getting caught in rundowns and escaping. It became a game with him, yet somehow he always forced mistakes and ended up safe. 

August 23, 1999  Chris Hamm passes his interview for the federal government with Bill Kreykenbohm and also is hired by the Tools. He popped up in his first at bat and it took four attempts to get his first single. But Hammer soon demonstrated what an impact player he would be, holding down left field and batting third. In 21 years Chris has amassed 845 hits and 82 home runs. His willingness to move to second base in 2002 to strengthen our infield was the final piece that led to two consecutive spring league championships. He is the only Tool ever to have a field named for him, as Shirley Park was redubbed Hamm Field. 

The 2000's

August, 2004  It's the career launch for Mike Gummey who became a stalwart at third base and a valuable backup at short stop for 12 productive years. Gummey batted .556 for his career and once hit five triples in a doubleheader. He was a line drive specialist who split the gap like no one else and had more hard hit outs than most if not all players. 

April 10, 2008  The Tools are desperate for players for the early bird tourney and pick a guy named Ben Peden from the county free agent list. He shows up the next day and in the second game rips a two run walk-off home over the left field fence to stun Mighty Dukes 7-6. Sarv contemplates, but in the end asks Ben if he wants to play with us. "Juice" becomes the lynch pin to the Tools greatest championship era, blasting mighty homers and running through stop signs, making diving catches and over-throwing cut-off men. Ben boasts our highest lifetime batting average, a mighty .627, and is now third all time in home runs with 115. 

The 2010's 

April 3, 2013  Rookie Matt O'Connell gets his first career hit, a base hit in his third career at bat. Eventually Matt set records by getting hits in 72 straight regular season games and 84 games overall. The latter record still stands. 

September 10, 2014  Drew Mitrisin, a former college pitcher, had never played softball when he debuted with the Tools. On his first night he swung at the first pitch six times and hit six ground balls to first base. But once he decided to take a pitch, he demonstrated an explosive swing that help lead the Tools to four league championships. He would go on to have a spectacular if brief six year career, finishing fifth all time with a .611 batting average and 55 home runs. 

There have been so many auspicious debuts on the Tools and there is only enough room to list but a few. But how many teams could boast of having players with such loyalty and longevity -- two players of more than 30 years, four of more than 20 years, 13 of 10 years or more and 18 of five years or more. WOW!!! It's been a fun ride and I can't wait until we get to finally add to our legacy. Sarv

Edition 7          May 13, 2020  

Greetings, Tools Family. It's a gorgeous evening in the Arlington, VA area. After work, I took a fast-paced 45 minute NPST walk around the Glover Park neighborhood. [NPST = Not Playing Softball Therapy.] It worked only to some degree. So with a deep need, tonight I'm presenting a doubleheader's worth of historic highlights. Hope you enjoy them. 

Tonight's Theme:  Third Time's The Charm

3 homers in a game or in a row 

June 26, 1990  Rick Mercer, three home runs in a row, same game, vs. Ed’s Rhinos. 

September 20, 1995  Ken Ferebee, three home runs in a game, record 10 RBI. 

July 3, 1996  Ken Ferebee, three home runs in a row, fourth attempt hit dead center field fence a few feet from the top, Virginia Highlands 4. 

July 15, 1998  Paul Terres, three home runs in a game, four in the doubleheader vs. Joseph’s. Paul, a co-worker of Jim Rohrbach, was just a ringer there for the night. We had no idea of the kind of player he was and Joseph’s was one of our oldest rivals. Their coach Bob Shannon’s angry glare burned through Sarv, but being a gentleman, he said nothing to get us in trouble. 

November 4, 1998  Ken Ferebee, three home runs in a row, including two in one inning, Virginia Highlands 4. The Tools blasted seven home runs in the second inning and drubbed Josephs 38-6, our highest run total ever, and went on to win these one-time fall playoffs by sweeping three games. 

October 23, 2000  Ken Ferebee, three home runs in a game, Barcroft 3, 27-10 win vs. Pop Ups 

June 6, 2006  Mark Bultman, three consecutive inside-the-park home runs, Jennie Dean 1, 28-5 win vs. Shooter McGee’s 

April 14, 2007  Mark Ford, three home runs in a game, Jennie Dean 1, 21-12 win vs. AMG Triple Threat in early bird tournament 

June 9, 2010, Virginia Highlands 4  Jay Braun, after 11-0-1 Tools suffer first loss of season to Fighting Penguins, ties team record by hitting three straight home runs. He drives in six runs. 

April 27, 2011  Ben Peden, three home runs in a row, Virginia Highlands 4, 18-14 win vs. Fighting Penguins 

September 14, 2011  Ben Peden, three home runs in a game, 7 RBI, Jennie Dean 1, 22-10 win vs. Mackey’s Animals 

May 25, 2016  Brad Moehringer, belts three consecutive home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Update Sundays. He hits a fourth homer in his last at bat, giving him 10 RBI on the night. 

3 Sponsors That Didn’t Stick With Us 

Keyhole Inn 1986-87, favorite dish Texas Chili Mac, 400 pound owner Richard Reeve stiffed us for $1,000 … so we left. 

Fuddrucker’s Seven Corners 1988-1990, favorite dish World’s Greatest Hamburger, the fourth manager during our tenure not only stopped the sponsorship, but trashed our original trophy won in 1985 and a large team photo, both displayed there … so we left. 

Red, Hot & Blue 1991-1993, favorite dish Pulled Pork, a distasteful experience that began when Mike Giglio got them to agree to sponsor us after Sarv specifically said not to go there because one of the owners was right wing political operative Lee Atwater. Stuck, Sarv accepted the deal, and Giglio grinned and said “I wanted to prove you would take money from anybody.” Ultimately, they stiffed us for the fall 1993 fee … so we left. 

We struck gold with the Crystal City Sports Pub … so in this case the fourth time was the charm. 

3 Coaches 

The Tools have had three coaches, Bruce Urban, Bill Anhut and Mark Sarver. 

3 Triple Plays 

The Tools have executed three defensive triple plays. On October 14, 1992 – Haugh to Sarver to Rohrbach. Between 1995-1997, Hansen to 2nd base to base. Early 2000s, Franco to Bultman to Sarver. 

3 Mascots 

1980s  Fergie, owned by Bill and Dale Anhut 

1990s  Tucker who Sarv thought was Ranger but who called him Scout 

2000s  Loki, owned by Jay and Liz Braun  

Honorable Mention 2010s and beyond … Wrigley, owned by Mike and Courtney Sabol … working his way towards being number four.

The 1980's  

1981, 1986, 1988  The Tools sported three different main colors in the 1980’s. We wore our fabled green as a nonsponsored team for six years. Then we switched to powder blue when the Keyhole Inn became our first sponsor in 1986. We switched to red in 1988 with Fuddruckers, stayed with it with Red Hot & Blue and it became embedded during our 26 with Crystal Sports Pub. But in my heart of hearts, despite 32 years of red, I suspect that Tools still bleed green . 

July 23, 1986, Virginia Highlands 3  Tools win first playoff victory 14-7, as Mark Sarver hits a three run homer to break the game open against E Street Shufflers. 

April 2, 1988  In our Fuddruckers debut, Bill Kreykenbohm yields only three hits (and an uncharacteristic 4 walks) as Tools rip Generals 13-2 in the Umpires Tourney. 

The 1990's 

October 30, 1990, Virginia Highlands 3  It was the third inning that was the charm, as the Tools erupted for 12 runs to crush the Pentagon City Thermos 21-9 for in a sudden death one-game playoff for the league title. 

April 15, 1991 Jim Rohrbach gets three hits in his first Tools game. 

April 24, 1993  After sweeping three early bird tournament bracket games, the wheels fall off. The Tools are beaten when four runs score on an outfield collision by Bruce Turner and Andy Schultheiss that sent both sprawling. Bruce soon left the team, but Andy, a rookie, would be one of our better hitters for the next five years. 

The 2000's

July 1, 2002  Tools overcome last inning 17-13 deficit against CMC, rallying for an exciting walk-off win, Joe Lombardi’s hit scoring Chris Hamm, and the Tools win league title number three.  

2003  Short stop Jeff Franco turns 4-6-3 double plays in three consecutive innings. 

September 24, 2007, Gunston Park  Chuck Ford, Brian Hurney and Chris Hamm each getting a record three hits in the same inning. 

June 17, 2009, Jennie Dean 1  Jay Braun blasted three consecutive triples, in 19-7 win vs. Jay’s Saloon. 

The 2010's 

September 21, 2011, Jennie Dean 1  Will O'Day hits for the cycle, with his last inning three run inside-the-park homer in the right field corner giving him a career high seven RBI. Craig Hughes hits three doubles for five RBI. 

2015-2016  The Tools win three straight league championships, spring ’15 record of 15-3, by 2-1/2 games over Badabing … fall ’15 record of 16-2, by 1-1/2 games over CarPool … spring ’16 record of 14-4, by 2 games over CarPool. 

April 5, 2017, Jennie Dean 1  Drew Mitrisin opens the spring regular season with back-to-back three run homers as we thump Brookland Beefcakes 17-6 

May 29, 2019, Virginia Highlands 4  Trying to capture our 11th league title and having only to win one half of the doubleheader, the Tools are crushed 22-10 in the opener and face humiliation as we fall behind 11-1 in the nightcap. But the tide turned and we blasted a record-tying seven home runs to win 16-13. The turning point came during a ferocious rally when we grabbed the lead on three consecutive mammoth home run blasts by Drew Mitrisin, Terrence Dolan and Ben Peden.

Edition 8          May 20, 2020  

Tools Family, the spring rolls on, not as warm, not as dry [except for the pools that won't open this weekend], not as sweaty as we'd like, but one way or the other, it's Tools Wednesday, 8th Edition.  Enjoy the memories, Sarv.

The 1980's

Spring 1986, 5 Tied in one season  

April 30 Tools tie Little Café 10-10. 

May 7 Tools tie Armadillos 6-6. 

June 11 Tools tie Big Possums 15-15.

June 25 Tools tie Presearch 4-4, despite Sarver's grand slam home run. 

July 12 Tools tie Cates 5-5, for fifth tie, quite likely a record for futility. 

October 31, 1987  Tools split doubleheader at Jennie Dean. It’s Halloween but several of us hang around, sneaking behind the white building across the parking lot to sip a few cold ones. It’s also the night of the 7th game of the World Series, so we stand in a circle looking down at a 4 inch black and white Tummy TV and see the Twins become World champs. Most of us are indifferent, except Terry Hiebert, a lifelong Twins fan who amazingly agreed to play that night. 

Fall, 1989  Bill Anhut and Mike Giglio become the first Tools to finish a season with a .600+ batting average. Billy A. led the team at .652. In 31 seasons starting then, 122 Tools have hit .600 or better. 

The 1990's

September 26, 1990, Old Barcroft 4  The most legendary and, maybe, longest home run in Tools history. Remember a field so massive its dimensions are more akin to baseball than softball. Envision a blanketing nighttime fog enveloping that field. Inhale the smell of cedar emanating from the ever-present pile beyond the center field fence. This was Barcroft 4. Righty Rick Mercer, our rookie third baseman (also a onetime minor league second sacker), takes an impeccably smooth swing, whoosh, the ball soars to left field, over left field. It is still rising as it clears the fence and silently disappears into the fog. Nobody speaks, we watch in awe, ultimately concluding that the ball never lands and to this day is in orbit somewhere in the lower atmosphere. Rick later ends the game with a walk off three run homer to shock Pentagon City Thermos 12-9. “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” (Babe Ruth, The Sandlot) 

April 24, 1996  Ken Ferebee slugs his 34th career homer to become the Home Run King, a title he’s held for nearly a quarter of a century. He ended with 154 in regular season play and a record 33 in playoffs and tournaments. 

April, 1998  "N. D." [full name omitted] was the only person ever to threaten to file a lawsuit against the Tools. A softball allegedly went through Mr. D’s back windshield and after spending five months trying to get the coach’s name and address, asked us to pay his glass bill or face the consequences. Ultimately, there were no consequences. 

The 2000's

October 23, 2000  Bill Anhut gets off to a tough start, shelled for 11 runs in the first inning. Chris Hamm, reflecting the team’s calm demeanor, cries out “bring in the righty”. Even so, Billy A settles down and the Tools launch a sensational comeback to win 14-13. 

Fall 2001  Joe Lombardo, .718, and Ken Ferebee, 706, become the first Tools to finish a season with a .700+ batting average. In 19 seasons starting then, 17 Tools have hit .700 or better, with Jeff Hart holding the record of .778 set in fall 2015. Each of these lofty averages was accomplished with the enhanced bat technology of the double walled era that began in the fall of 1998. 

September 30, 2002  The Tools build up a 14-0 lead despite our playing with only 8 men until the last inning. We almost blow it by surrendering a 14 run inning, but manage to eke out a 16-14 win. The most surprising play was Mark Sarver tripling with the bases loaded and then scooting home on an error as the play continued. In the nightcap, Chris Hamm hits for the cycle. 

September 12, 2005 Joe Lombardo arrives late for the game and has to be inserted in the last spot in the batting order. It’s just the right place to be. He hits a three run walk off homer to beat Mexicali Blues 8-7. 

The 2010's

August 25, 2010  Craig Hughes polishes off Fireworks Pizza, tossing a five hitter in an 11-1 win. He induced 13 ground ball outs in only five innings. 

October 26, 2011  Jesse Johnson hits three home runs in a row … with apologies for missing this on last week’s list. He blasts a grand slam in his final at bat of game one as Tools come from behind to beat Bad News Beers 13-11, then homers in his first two turns in game two. Jesse notched 11 RBI in one doubleheader. *** Tools players have hit three homers in a game or three homers in a row 13 times. Will anyone ever hit four in a row? 

June 17, 2015  It’s a barn burner but the Tools clinch our 8th regular season league title as Mike Sabol rips a last inning walk-off single to beat Bad News Beers 19-18.

Edition 9          May 27, 2020  

Man, this was a gorgeous evening but here I am watching "Grant" on the History Channel, eating red seedless grapes, listening to my dishwasher hum and writing another delightful episode of Tools Wednesday, 9th Edition. 

The 1980's

The 100 Homer Club 

June 13, 2001, Virginia Highlands 3  Ken Ferebee blasts 100th career home run in a 12-10 victory over Big Subpoenas. Ken finished with 154. 

April 3, 2013, Quincy 3  Jay Braun blasts 100th career home run in first game of spring season, a 10-6 victory over The Factory. Jay now as 117. 

May 3, 2017, Virginia Highlands 3  Ben Peden blasts 100th career home run in a 8-8 tie with Salty Seaman. Ben now as 115. 

Nicknames ... have any to add?  

Bob Emeritz – Achilles 

Bill Kreykenbohm – Billy K 

Bill Anhut – Billy A 

Terry Medley – Human Wicket 

Mike Giglio – Tommy Tomato 

John Hampsey – Hamps 

Rich Sweeney – Junior 

Scott Bresnahan – Bres 

Rick Mercer – Star of the Game 

Craig Canfield – Michigan 

Marc Kaplan – Kappy 

Ken Ferebee – Horsehead 

Paul Haugh – The Natural 

Doug Walker – One Hop 

Tony Mason – T 

Steve Sprague – The Colonel 

Jim Stensland – Stens 

Jon Talotta – JT 

Jeff Franco – Jefe 

Joe Lombardo – J Lo 

Richard White – Blanco 

Chris Hamm – Hammer 

Eric Stewart – Stewie 

Ben Peden – Juice 

Chris MacDonald – C-Mac 

The 1980's

May 1, 1984  We’re in trouble, having only eight players. Yet, the Tools shock Arlington Fire 14-7 as Mike Giglio knocks two homers out of the park. 

September 13, 1985  Tools beat Desperado’s 9-8, and move into first place for the first time ever. We’d win the fall league with a then record 11 game winning streak. 

August 31, 1988  Joe Colletta rejoins us after a very long absence. His first stint years earlier caused substantial annoyance to Coach Bruce Urban. But Mike Giglio insists “he’s changed.” For the next two years, Colletta annoys Sarv, using a variety of lame excuses for being late, most famously that “I got a towel in the eye.” In his final game, playing left center field at Virginia Highlands 3, he threw one ball over the third base dugout and later fell near the outfield fence, and without getting up flung the ball to left field. He is gently removed an inning’s end. Spikes are also removed and Joe departs as the game continues, never to return. 

The 1990's

July 18, 1990, Quincy Field 3 Spring Playoffs, Game 2  Down 9-1 to longtime nemesis Presearch, the Tools launch an incredible rally, scoring 20 unanswered runs in two innings to win 21-9. Bruce Turner and Rick Mercer both hit grand slam home runs. Rich White and Scott Bresnahan also go yard. The goes on to win the playoffs for the first time despite having finished the regular season in eighth place. Their coach was overhead before the game telling his team that the Tools “don’t have the heart to win”. But it’s Presearch that disappears from the league after the playoffs. 

July 7, 1993  Tools stagger to a 10th place finish with a 4-12-2 record, dead last for the only time in 39 years in Arlington. Only one Tools team had a worse record, fall 2008, when we were 4-14 and also finished 10th – but it was a 12 team league and there actually were two teams worse than us. 

June 8, 1996, Quincy Field 3  Carnage at Quincy. The Tools outscore Bullets 38-3 in the doubleheader. You might say we knock their teeth out. Well, actually, our infielder Tim Greening does it single handedly. His bouncer smacks the pitcher in the mouth and knocks out two front teeth. Play is halted while players from both teams crawl around the pitching rubber trying to find the choppers with no success. 

The 2000's

June 12, 2000, Shirley Park 1  Bill Kreykenbohm notches his 500th career hit against Bailey Boards. 

September 9, 2002  Chris Hamm’s launches a two run walk off homer to defeat CMC 9-8, saving the day after the Tools screw up the scorebook, missing an earlier run that might’ve won game. 

July 19, 2003, Jennie Dean 1  It’s the spring playoffs and we’re matched up against Harvey’s Wallbangers, which ruined our perfect spring season by gaining a tie in the last inning of the last game. Revenge comes easily, as Bill Kreykenbohm yields only one hit and one walk, facing the minimum number of batters, and pitches a 13-0 to put the Tools in the playoff finals that we’ll win. 

The 2010's

June 23, 2010  Tools clinch spring league title with a narrow 9-7 win against Mustangs, a team with three women. It's our 14th win of season and our sixth league championship. 

July 27, 2011  Tools win spring playoffs with 11-4 win over the surprising Spartans who had upset a disoriented Fighting Penguins. Ben Peden leads the way with a homer, triple and double. Jay Braun gets three hits. 

June 25, 2014 Due to multiple rainouts, Tools are scheduled for a Quadruple Header – four games against four different teams. We win game 1, ten run ruling Bashers 12-2 as Jay Braun scores his 600th career run. Game 2 is forfeited by Bad News Beers. We win game 3, ten run ruling Mister Days 15-5 as Ben Peden gets  400th RBI. Game 4 vs. Mister Days is rained out and not made up. So much for the Quadruple Header.

Edition 10          June 11, 2020  

Tools, I actually planned to resume Tools Wednesday last night but after an exhausting work day I was so tired that I forgot to do it. So with apologies, here is Tools Wednesday, 10th Edition. Tonight's theme, Wacky Weather and Other Weird Phenomena. But first, Very Interesting Team Statistics Cumulative Regular Season Records by Decade

The 1980's  

159-134-15   Eight winning seasons of 19, missing spring 1982, one league title ... we were young brothers who built the Tools Tradition 

The 1990's

164-186-9  Five winning seasons of 20, one league title ... a long rebuild but the chemistry, as good as ever, sets up a tremendous future. 

The 2000's

241-111-6 Sixteen winning seasons of 20, three league titles ... at long last it all comes together with a rollicking and cocky group of young additions energizing a veteran nucleus that includes The AARP Patrol. 

The 2010's 

245-94-14 Eighteen winning seasons of 20, six league titles ... and keeps getting better with squads that play with a steady confidence and never say die attitude. 

Highest Team Batting Averages by Decade 

The 1980's

I didn’t have easy access to the old stat box on top of a closet that would have allowed me to try to figure this decade out, but at the least I am fairly certain that no teams had .500 batting averages. It wasn't because of weak batters, but weaker bats. 

The 1990's

.544 Fall 1999 .537; Spring 1991 .525; Spring 1998 .505; Fall 1994 .504; Fall 1998 

The 2000's

.602 Fall 2001 .595; Spring 2003 .572; Spring 2006 .569; Fall 2002 .568; Fall 2003 .576

The 2010's 

Fall 2013 .561; Spring 2019 .560; Spring 2010 .556; Fall 2018 .555; Fall 2019 

Now, back to our theme, Wacky Weather and Other Weird Phenomena. 

The 1980's

October 11, 1983, Utah Field  During a constant downpour Tools are drenched 20-0 by Cherrydale Glass. Since we only had eight players, soaked Sarver shuttled between second and third base all night depending on the opposing batter, but in the second game goes 5 for 5 leading off. 

May 16, 1984  Again, we have only eight players but there is no rain. However, this time the Tools throw water on the Arlington Fire, beating them 14-7 as Mike Giglio knocks two homers out of the park. 

May 15, 1985, Kenmore Field  Lights blow out with Tools trailing E Street Shufflers 9-4 in the top of 5th. Tools win replayed game 8-7 on June 14. 

The 1990's

July 22, 1991, Quincy Field 3  The Tools are the defending spring playoffs champion. But with the White-Mercer power combo gone – both having just moved away, the Tools are eliminated 4-3 when an umpire who thinks it is all about him ends the game in the 6th due to one very distant streak of lightning. There’s no more lightning, no thunder, no rain, just one huge argument. 

November, 1995  Perhaps our best rivalry of our first 20 years was with Whitey’s. We battled through so many games that were decided by a single run. But one time we were fated not to play at all. Whitey’s forfeits to the Tools after a doubleheader is rained out three times and then snowed out once. 

October 16, 1996  Tools suffer a mechanical breakdown and wish for a downpour. With a 12-3 lead over Thermos in the seventh inning, Sarv remarks on the bench, "Bill K's in control". Six hits and eight Tools errors follow in just the next nine batters, the lead nearly collapsing. It's only 12-10 when left fielder Dave Hansen throws out a runner at second base to end the game at last. 

The 2000's

November 3, 2003  Last doubleheader of the year is forfeited when the league fails to notify Sarver of a rain make-up date. His protests fall on deaf ears. 

August 30, 2004, Jennie Dean Field 1  A light rain falls. Five Tools fail to show up thinking rain out, and instead we forfeit. After several angry phone calls, the chagrined players appear one by one and the Tools actually win the 2nd game. 

July 10, 2006  Despite a month of rain outs, hot Tools bats are still hot and Tools post a 21 run inning to win 26-3. 

October 14, 2009, Gunston Park  It drizzled all night and the temperature was a miserable 49 degrees. Guys were stuck in traffic. We started with eight players, slowly expanding to 10, but were missing several big hitters. It looked like we were in for a pasting. But what started poorly ended with a bang, a home run blast by Tools coach Mark Sarver that 10-run ruled the Bad News Beers for a stunning doubleheader sweep. Chuck Ford hits for the cycle. 

The 2010's 

May 9, 2012, Gunston Park  A torrential downpour with intense winds buffets the players but Gerald, the undaunted umpire, insists the Tools and Charros. Field conditions deteriorate, quickly making it unsafe to play. A heated, wet argument ensues, with the coaches waging the unlikely argument against playing while the umpire described games he’d worked where the plate was an inch under water. Finally, the field supervisor shows up and orders us off the field. The umpire is suspended for a month. 2014 Tools finish one of our wettest year in which we lost three practices, eight double headers and three half double headers to downpours. 

July 15, 2015  The Tools seek to avoid playoff elimination. CarPool builds a 6-2 lead and are batting in the top of the second when rain suspends play, to be resumed where things left off. On July 8 we are postponed again. By the time play finally resumes on July 15, three Tools starters and the coach are away on vacation. CarPool continues to rally and by the third inning leads 11-1. Pitcher Craig Hughes then tosses five shut-out innings as we battle back, tie the game and force extra innings. We lose 13-12 in nine innings. It’s the last game for 12 year veteran Mike Gummey.

Edition 11          June 18, 2020  

I thought a little change was in order so for Tools Wednesday, 11th Edition, we're going to take a brief look at one Tools squad from each of our four decades. Reviewing them brought back a lot of great memories of great teammates and friends. 

1989 Tools  

Youth Baseball Tournament 3 – 3 – 0 

Early Bird Tournament 1 – 4 – 0 

Spring 10 – 8 – 0, 4th Place .427 batting average, 9.4 runs per game  

Playoffs 1 – 2 – 0 Fall 10 – 8 – 0, 5th Place .490 batting average, 10.8 runs per game 

The 1989 Tools may have been our most madcap collection of personalities and characters that made for an incredible amount of fun. This is the team of the “coach’s face in the birthday cake”.  On the team were Terry Hiebert, Mark Sarver, John Buchan, Rich Sweeny, Scott Bresnahan, Bill Anhut, Ken Shoop, Mike Giglio, Gerry Mello, Richard White, Joe Colletta, Doug Walker, John Hampsey and Bill Kreykenbohm. When we took a team photo at Quincy 3, immediately afterwards Anhut suggested “let’s all pile on Sarv” and they did. It’s amazing I survived. 

The ’89 Tools were starting to figure out how to win, inching towards the top of the standings – a year away as the saying goes and it was true. Bats weren’t the same so stats weren’t the same. Still, Richard White led the spring season with a hefty .568 batting average and was joined at .500 or better by Mike Giglio, Gerry Mello and Ken Shoop. Rich also led us with three homers – six others had one each. After starting out with a 2-5 record we steadily improved, winning eight of 11 to finish at 10-8. 

In the fall, we had a horrendous 0-7 start, then caught fire, winning 10 of 11 to again finish at 10-8. Bill Anhut led the way with an extraordinary .652 average. Giglio hit .600, White. 563, Terry Hiebert .566 and Mello .544. Giglio and White each socked three homers and four others hit one each. 

1995 Tools  

Tools Early Bird Tournament 6 – 2 – 0, 3rd place [40 teams] 

Spring 9 – 9 – 0, 6th place .423 batting average, 7.81 runs per game 

Playoffs 0 – 2 – 0 

Fall 9 – 9 – 0, 6th place .431 batting average, 9.4 runs per game 

In 1995 the Tools were deep in a rebuilding era and added a bunch of new players. The team included Tim Greening, Doug Walker, Jim Miles, Andy Schultheiss, Scott Bresnahan, Jim Rohrbach, Jim Stensland, Mark Sarver, Bill Kreykenbohm, Phil Levezzo, Dave Hansen, Chris Thomas, Ken Ferebee, Matt Doyle, Dan Rosenthal and Terry Hiebert. 

With so many new faces to absorb, expectations for the Early Bird Tournament were pretty low, but we swept six games in a row to reach the final four of 40 teams! There were all kinds of heroes. Mark Sarver stymied three rallies in game 1 with his glove at third base in a 9-8 squeaker over F & M Docset. We crushed a big, bruising East Coast Express 25-15, four RBI by Ken Ferebee and six players with three hits. We beat Quarterdeck 9-4, Regulators 10-8 and Joseph’s [formerly Little Café] 16-9. 

In the sixth tournament game against nemesis Roughriders, we desperately clung to a 12-8 lead when an opposing batter blasted a two-out, two run homer over the short right field fence at Virginia Highlands 4. Ferebee, who was catching, stood at the plate casually watching the runners and pointed out to the umpire that the lead runner somehow missed it. The ump agreed, calling the lead runner out to end the inning. It gave us just the cushion we needed for the win. Our two final four opponents brought very different squads out on Sunday than they’d had the day before and beat us soundly. But it was a great tournament. 

Rookie Phil Levezzo led the spring team with a .583 average and Ferebee blasted four homers while batting .511. Andy Schultheiss won the fall batting title at .558 and Ferebee hit .500 with six homers. Chris Thomas socked four long balls. 

2005 Tools  

Spring 13 – 5 – 0, 4th place, 3-1/2 games back .526 batting average, 13.6 runs per game  

Playoffs 4 – 0 – 0, Champions 

Fall 12 – 6 – 0, 4th place, 4 games back .517 batting average, 14.11 runs per game 

The 2005 team was really good, but in a very tough league finished in fourth place twice. But we did have a great post-season playoff run to sweep four games for the title. The team players were Mike Gummey, Mark Bultman, Jon “JT” Talotta, Matt Doyle, Mark Sarver, Bill Anhut, Chris Hamm, Brian Hurney, Doug Walker, Bill Kreykenbohm, Ken Ferebee, Joe Lombardo, Curtis Cleland and Will Connors. 

Ken Ferebee won the spring batting title at .585. Other leaders were Bill Anhut .558, Tony Mason .543, Chris Hamm .527, Mark Bultman .512 and Jay Braun .510. Ferebee also led the way with eight homers, Hamm had five, Braun three and Hurney, Lombardo and Mason 2. 

Ferebee boosted his leading batting average in the fall to .612, with Mike Gummey .606, Josh Bartzen .550, Jon Talotta .543, Brian Hurney .537, Braun .533. Lombardo was tops with seven homers, trailed narrowly by Braun 6, then Ferebee 3, Hamm and Hurney 2 each. 

2014 Tools  

Spring 12 – 5 – 0, 2nd Place, 1/2 game back .529 batting average, 14.69 runs per game 

Playoffs 3 – 2 – 0, 3rd Place 

Fall 12 – 4 – 2, 3rd Place, 1/2 game back, .548 batting average, 16 runs per game 

The 2014 squad was one of near misses, so good yet with a second and third place finish, but in both cases only 1/2 game back. Our players were Doug Walker, Matt O’Connell, Mike Sabol, Brad Moehringer, Jeff Hart, Mark Sarver, Ben Peden, Mike Gummey, Chris Hamm, Will O’Day, Eric Stewart and Craig Hughes. 

Jeff Hart and Matt O’Connell had spectacular spring seasons, batting .721 and .714 respectively. And Ben Peden socked nine home runs and drove in 44 runs. In the fall Brad Moehringer led most offensive categories, with an awesome .738 batting average, with 45 hits, eight home runs, five doubles, .785 on base average, 38 RBI and 44 runs. Peden his .689, O’Connell .609, Hart .547 and Will O’Day .547. Peden hit seven homers, O’Connell five and O’Day and Drew Mitrisin two each. 

Edition 12          June 24, 2020  

The season seems to be flying by and we haven’t even broken a sweat. We refuse to be dethroned as defending spring league champions. Instead, let’s play Tools Wednesday, 12th Edition.

June 24, 1987  Thirty three years ago tonight, the Tools lose to the incredibly hapless Lindsay Cadillac, but win the nightcap 14-1. 

June 24, 1989  Thirty one years ago tonight, Scott Bresnahan’s five RBI and Mike Giglio’s 4 RBI pace Tools to a 17-2 win over Banditos. June 24, 2002 

June 24, 2002  Eighteen years ago tonight, the Tools get six last inning runs to beat the legendary Crystal City Clouts 14-10, vaulting us into 1st place with 2 games to play. The following week we would win our first spring league title. 

The Triple Crown  There is one statistical category that I had not thought about before, believe it or not, and that is which players have had seasons in which they led the team in batting average, home runs and runs batted in – the traditional Triple Crown. 

There have been more Triple Crown seasons than I would have expected. Ben Peden has accomplished this seven times. Ken Ferebee has five times. Here are the overall results by decade. 

Triple Crown Winners 

The 1980's

There were no Triple Crown Winners. Mike Giglio came close in 1984 Spring, leading the team in batting average and home runs, but finishing second in RBI. He did win the RBI title in 1984 Fall. 

The 1990's

1990 Spring Rick Mercer .636, 9 HR, ? RBI 

1991 Spring Rick Mercer .646, 10 HR, 39 RBI 

1993 Fall Ken Ferebee .644, 9 HR, ? RBI 

1996 Spring Chris Thomas .625, 7 HR [tied], 35 RBI 

1998 Spring Ken Ferebee .623, 6 HR, 25 RBI 

The 2000's

2000 Fall Ken Ferebee .658, 8 HR, 35 RBI 

2005 Spring Ken Ferebee .585, 8 HR, 33 RBI 

2006 Spring Ken Ferebee .692, 5 HR, 39 RBI 

2008 Spring Ben Peden .733, 6 HR, 29 RBI 

2009 Spring Ben Peden .696, 4 HR, 27 RBI 

2009 Fall Ben Peden .736, 9 HR, 43 RBI 

The 2010's 

2011 Spring Ben Peden .736, 10 HR [tied], 36 RBI [tied] 

2011 Fall Ben Peden .692, 8 HR, 40 RBI 

2012 Spring Ben Peden .727, 10 HR, 54 RBI 

2014 Fall Brad Moehringer .738, 8 HR, 38 RBI 

2015 Spring Drew Mitrisin .676, 7 HR, 31 RBI 

2016 Fall Ben Peden .578, 3 HR, 28 RBI 

How Did We Find You? 

It’s hard to keep a team going for several years, never mind nearly 40, and we have to be resourceful. So how did we find you? Here’s a representative sample, to the best of my memory. If you've been left out or can add more examples, throw it out there. 

Let's start with an amazing Tools recruitment chain involving 11 players that has carried on for 24 years and counting:  in 1996 Glover Park softball coach Felix Sambuchina recommended Joe Lombardo … in 1998 Joe Lombardo recommended Jeff Franco which also led to Mark Bultman … in 2000 Jeff Franco recommended Tony Mason … in 2001 Mark Bultman recommended Rich Menseck … in 2009 Joe Lombardo recommended Eric Stewart … in 2014 Jeff Franco recommended Drew Mitrisin … in 2019 Eric Stewart recommended Terrence Dolan … in 2019 Drew Mitrisin recommended Tom Herrera. 

Defectors from the Justice Department softball team:  Slogan still applicable today, “there is no Justice” ... Eric Fisher, Chris Girolamo, Mark Sarver, Bill Kreykenbohm, Bob Emeritz, Bob Granger … and the late Craig Crenshaw who played one fall with the Tools but returned permanently to Justice. 

Arlington County Free Agent Tryout Camp:  Bruce Turner, Craig Canfield, Dean Wildman, Matt Doyle, Andy Schultheiss, Chris Thomas, Jim Miles, Tim Greening, Dave Hansen, Phil Levezzo, Craig Hughes, Mike Sabol, Brad Moehringer, Kelly Heath 

Arlington County Free Agent List:  Ben Peden, Dylan Kautz, Josh O’Donnell, Matt O’Connell, Sam Wallach, Ben Simon 

Washington Post Weekend Unclassified Ad:  Ken Ferebee, Jon Talotta 

Arlington Journal Unclassified Ad:  Paul Haugh 

DC Examiner Classified Ad:  Curtis Cleland 

Craig's List:  Jess McGraw 

Client-referral of personal trainer:  Jay Braun 

Job Interviews:  Gerry Mello, Chris Hamm 

Picked up hanging out at the Crystal City Sports Pub:  Steve Sprague 

Glover Park Softball League:  Jim Stensland, Mark Kaplan, Larry Moore, Joe Lombardo, Jeff Franco, Mark Bultman, Tony Mason, Josh Bartzen, Mike Gummey, Jim Kernan, Jon Leon, Jeff Hart, Terrence Dolan, Matt Bailey 

Tools Referred by Tools players:  Bob Granger by Mark Sarver … Ken Shoop by Bill Anhut … Richard White by Gerry Mello and Ken Shoop … John Hampsey by Mike Giglio … John Buchan by Mike Giglio … Doug Walker by Joe Colletta … Scott Bresnahan by Doug Walker … Rick Mercer by Doug Walker and Scott Bresnahan … Bill Sommer by Doug Walker … Jim Rohrbach by Bruce Turner … Scott Hill by Ken Ferebee … Jeff Franco by Joe Lombardo … Tony Mason by Jeff Franco … Brian Hurney by Chris Hamm … Rich Menseck by Mark Bultman … Chuck Ford by Josh Bartzen … John Revette by Mike Gummey … Jeff Fus by Mike Gummey … Derrik Forshee by Mike Gummey … Eric Stewart by Joe Lombardo … Will O’Day by Ben Peden … Ashby Daniels by Ben Peden … Jeff Hart by Mike Gummey … Terrence Dolan by Eric Stewart … Drew Mitrisin by Jeff Franco … Chuck Spivey by Matt O’Connell … Chris MacDonald by Ben Peden … Ryan Krepp by Ben Peden 

FAMOUS PITHY QUOTES 

“If it was a cheeseburger he would have caught it.” 

Michael Giglio, multiple times throughout the 1980’s 

Mike was full of many descriptive sayings that poked fun at opposing players and teams. This one might have been uttered when a slightly out-of-shape player was couldn’t handle a flying or bouncing softball. 

“My Name is Ump!" 

Jayne S. [full name not used], October 11, 1989, Jennie Dean Field 

The evening started okay with seemingly friendly umpire Jayne Saunders but things deteriorated quickly as both teams got into multiple fracases with her. Finally she stormed off the field, stunning everyone. The game continued with the players making the calls. Jayne suddenly returned as the second game was about to get underway but still was in bad humor. When Sarv tried to calm her, gently using her first name, she retorted “My name is Ump!” “

Pick on someone your own size, you fat porker.” 

Dale Anhut, October 26, 1991, Utah Field 

In our season-ending game, the Tools beat Olympus Gym 14-10, depriving them of the league title. As the teams shake hands, a brawl erupts when a large two-time All Dick Team member [also on Presearch] threatens to pummel the relatively puny Bill Anhut. Having made a rare appearance, Dale Anhut yells from the first base bleachers, “pick on someone your own size, you fat porker”. It was a historic game that unexpectedly marked the retirements of Gerry Mello, Ken Shoop and Mike Giglio … although Gerry and Mike returned briefly in 1993. 

“You are an Anxious Little Man!” 

Waitress, Crystal City Restaurant, Spring 1994 

When Crystal City Sports Pub became our sponsor, they were months from opening. So that spring we hung out at the owners’ other place, the notorious [not really] Crystal City Restaurant. All of you know that I’ve always gotten along well with our servers. Many have called me Coach, a few have conspired with you to attack me with whip cream, I find out their names, ask questions that make teammates cringe, I’m friendly and patient. But for some reason one server at CCR took an immediate dislike to me for reasons that always will remain a mystery. She gave me dirty looks all night, was rude only to me [cracking up the Tools]. It culminated in her giving me a fierce look and uttering the immortal phrase, “you are an anxious little man”. 

“Bill K’s in control.” 

Mark Sarver, October 16, 1996 

Coach Mark Sarver tempted fate when he offered this too confident remark. After all, the Tools were in the 7th inning with a 12-3 lead against the tough Pentagon City Thermos [Team Joe] and Bill Kreykenbohm was mowing them down. But the words were barely out of Sarv’s mouth when six hits and eight Tools errors followed in just the next nine batters and the lead shrunk to 12-10. Somehow we had one good defensive play left in us as left fielder Dave Hansen threw out a Thermos runner at second base to end the game. 

“I don’t think this is going to be good for my golf game.” 

Bill Anhut, May 20, 1998, Virginia Highlands 3 

The Tools had shocked a fearsome Kelly’s Boys 17-3 in the opener. Things turned sour in the second game, culminating when an opposing player collided with first baseman Bill Anhut and broke Billy A’s wrist. As the shaken Tool took a seat on the bench surrounded by worried teammates, he uttered these immortal words that fortunately did not prove prophetic, “I don’t think this is going to be good for my golf game”. 

"Let's go! These emails don't write themselves." 

Chris Hamm, July 6, 2016, Virginia Highlands 3 

That was the rallying cry from veteran Chris Hamm as the #1 seed Tools came to bat for the last time in a playoff game trailing 13-12 to #5 seed First Down Smashbombs.  He was referring to the coach's colorful postgame emails relating glorious Tools victories. 

Defensive miscues in the two previous innings left us down in the mouth, but Hamm woke us from our doldrums. We rallied to score two runs, Craig Hughes singling up the middle for the walk-off win. 

Near catastrophe had struck in the top of the second when league when league commissioner Ryan Amato entered our dugout and handed Sarv the regular season championship trophy. At that very moment an opposing player blasted a three run homer over the left fence fence. Sarv looked at Ryan in disbelief. The next batter hit a solo shot. In total, six runs crossed the plate within minutes of the trophy hand-off, leaving us behind 9-4. 

Late in the game Sarv wisely moved the trophy to the sidewalk outside the dugout and Smashbombs bats were silenced for the final two innings, enabling Craig’s comeback heroics spurred on by Hamm's rallying cry.

“That was really stupid.” 

Girthworms infielder, May 29, 2019, Virginia Highlands 4 

This exclamation by an opposing player reflected his thinking of us as idiots for having reached the seven home run limit with three straight solo shots. We were locked in a tense, must win final game as we struggled for the league title. Even though we had overcome an 11-1 deficit – the three long balls giving us a late 14-12 lead – Girthworms had homers to burn and were expecting to use them. But in the end we prevailed 16-13 to win our 11th regular season championship. 

Have enjoyed sharing June with you. See you in July. 

Sarv

Edition 13          July 1, 2020  

I’m planning a special edition for next week. If I’ve emailed you this week asking for information, please respond to that email. Thanks.  Now it's time for Tools Wednesday, 13th Edition. 

Tools Playoff Championships 

Playoffs??? I hate that cliché but now it’s out of the way so nobody needs to step up. We have won a lot of regular season titles – 11 – but there have been a bunch of great playoff runs that ended with us on top – six times in all – making for sensational softball. 

Stat from Captain Obvious: When the Tools win our first two playoff games, usually we are unstoppable. In the six playoff title runs our record was 19-2. 

1990 Spring Playoffs -- Tools seeded #8, Record 4-1-1

Our first championship was so unexpected, achieving what no last-seeded team in the county had ever done. The best Tools squad put together up to then underperformed to an 8-10 record but in our final game stunned league champion Thomas Whelan. A loss by E Street Shufflers [still around to this day] enabled us to sneak into the tourney. 

In the first game we again crushed #1 seeded Thomas Whelan, 16-4. Rich White paced us with six RBI and Rick Mercer homered twice for four RBI. Mike Giglio and Bruce Turner also went long. Bill Kreykenbohm pitched one of his greatest games. 

In game two against Presearch, Billy K got hit hard but we overcame a 9-1 deficit, scoring 20 unanswered runs in two innings. Turner and Mercer each hit grand slams and Scott Bresnahan and White homered, too. 

Bill Anhut was due to pitch game three but forgot the start time so Kreykenbohm was on the mound again. He was back in form against Whitey’s but as often occurred with them, we had trouble scoring. The key plays were defensive, right fielder John Buchan throwing a runner out at third and left fielder Bruce Turner nailing the tying run at the plate as we won 6-5 to reach the finals. 

Matched against Whiteys and having to win once, we trailed 8-4 in the top of the seventh and our first two batters made out. After two singles and a walk, White blasted a grand slam homer off the Quincy right field light tower to send it to extra innings. I still can see Rich’s arm raised above his head as he rounded first. But Whitey’s scored in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-8 win, forcing the “if necessary” game. 

We had 13 players available but I decided to go with only 10 – we had to find a way to get to double figures – playing hunches on who was hot and choosing Anhut to pitch. It worked. We carried a 10-3 lead into the last inning and hung on for dear life as Whitey’s rallied for four runs and loaded the bases with two outs, their number four guy up. A weak grounder was gloved by short stop Gerry Mello who tossed to Bresnahan at second for the game-ending force play. We stormed the field with surprised joy. 

1998 Fall Playoffs -- Tools seeded #4, Record 3-0

With our league only having a handful of teams and a shortened regular season we were treated to a special one-time fall playoffs. 

We opened with the greatest offensive onslaught in our history against Joseph’s [formerly Little Café]. They had humiliated us 38-12 in the spring playoffs and if, as they save revenge is best served cold, it must have seemed frosty that night. In the first inning we exploded for 15 runs. Just getting started. In the second inning we scored 16 runs and smashed seven home runs [with a team record eight for the game]. Yes, seven HR in one inning. It got so bad that Joseph’s left fielder was screaming “uncle, uncle”. Final score 38-6. 

In the second game Ken Ferebee pitched superbly to keep Whitey’s big hitters in the park and we won 13-9. Then, on a brisk Saturday morning we were matched against Whitey’s in the finals and started like a house on fire, pounding them for a 21-4 lead through five. Billy K started two 1-6-3 doubles plays to stifle potential rallies. But late in the game Whitey’s exploded and suddenly it was 21-18 as we batted in the top of the seventh. Hot hitter Bruce Turner was due up but announced he was leaving for his daughter’s soccer game. Things got hot in the dugout, as Sarver raged, cajoled and insisted that he stay and bat. Bruce stayed, batted with two men on, and his anger powered a three run homer over the center field fence. He circled the bases, ran into and through the dugout and was gone. It was his last career at bat, but the lead stuck and we won 24-18. 

2003 Spring Playoffs -- Tools seeded #1, Record 4-1

We took a 17-0-1 record into the playoffs. Ken Ferebee pitched a three hitter to beat Mendoza Line 12-1. Behind Bill Kreykenbohm, we crushed a strong new rival, Money, 12-1. Billy K was really on it in game three, yielding only one hit and one walk and inducing a pair of double plays – with supersonic turns by short stop Jeff Franco – to become our only pitcher ever to face the minimum number of batters. We beat second seeded Harvey’s Wallbangers 13-0. 

The finals was played on a stifling, hot and humid July afternoon. Money stunned us for our first loss of the year, 16-9. Worse, our left fielder for the day [ringer] Mike O’Brien then was ejected for wearing illegal metal spikes. Only one player was on the bench, the coach, and Sarv was weakened by an illness that lasted six weeks with an on-going low grade fever. Reluctantly he played. The final game was a dog fight and we led 9-8 as Money batted for the last time. They put the tying and winning runs on with no outs, but we hung tough and kept them off the board.  Interestingly only one Tool had three hits in the game – Sarver – who went home to find that his fever had broken. Nothing like a title to heal the sick. 

2005 Spring Playoffs -- Tools seeded #2 or #3, Record 4-0 

The Tools beat a tough First Draft team 12-5 in the opener. Bill Anhut yielded only nine hits and two runs and Josh Bartzen had three hits as we defeated Big Sticks 12-2. In the third game we built a 10-1 lead over Money, then held on for dear life to win 10-8, advancing to the finals. 

It was so hot at Shirley Park that the Pirates of Arlington erected a tent to shade their dugout. Short stop Jeff Franco was convinced to come out despite feeling sick and it made a difference. We put up nine runs in the top of the third but led only 10-8. We scored two more runs and Anhut yielded only two more behind a strong infield defense to win 12-10. Our opponents were held to single digits in every game. Jay Braun batted .500 with two home runs and six RBI. Jon Talotta had a pair of doubles and both JT and Curtis Cleland batted .500 with five RBI. 

2011 Spring Playoffs -- Tools seeded #2, Record 4-0 

The playoff opener was stupendously historic … almost. Against feckless Spider Monkeys, pitcher Chris Hamm had a 13-0 lead with two outs in the fifth, a perfect game in his grasp. An easy grounder headed towards short and went right through Eric Stewart’s legs. [Sorry, Stewie, who one week earlier was involved in five defensive double plays in one game.] The next batter laced a drive to left center that, despite a valiant dive by Ben Peden, skipped through to also break up the no hitter and shut-out. Final score 13-1. 

We beat Bad News Beers 13-3 in game two with Jeff Fus, who homered, John Revette and Ashby Daniels getting three hits each. Jay Braun homered and had four RBI. Game three was a surprise, with top-seeded Fighting Penguins, likely our most hated nemesis of all time, playing poorly as we coasted to a 12-5 win. Ben Peden had four hits and Chris Hamm and Daniels each had three hits. 

The finals were anti-climactic. We faced eighth seeded Spartans, who had surprised and eliminated the Fighting Penguins. Peden led the way with a homer, triple and double and Braun had three hits. Behind strong pitching by Hamm, we won 11-4. We gave up only 13 runs in the four games. Peden hit .733 with two homers, six RBI and nine runs … Jeff Fus hit .615 with two homers and eight RBI … Will O’Day hit .500 with seven RBI. Daniels hit .615 with four RBI … Braun batted .538 with two homers and seven RBI. 

2018 Spring Playoffs -- Tools seeded #2, Record 4-0 

We grabbed a 9-2 lead after two innings against Jay’s Saloon and coasted to an 11- 5 win. Chris MacDonald scattered nine hits and two walks and Sam Wallach got three hits. Last seeded Warning Track Power led us 8-3 but we tied the game in the fourth. WTP failed to score in the final two innings and Jay Braun sealed the win with a two run homer. 

The Tools dominated The Factory early on, leading 13-5 after three innings then holding on for a 15-11 win. Drew Mitrisin homered and had four RBI. Wallach doubled twice and he and Matt O’Connell had three hits. 

Multiple rainouts pushed the finals off for so long that the coach was away, floating in his father’s pool in Arizona. Our opponent was number one seeded Hopslammers. We grabbed a 6-0 lead but they tied us, then opened a five run lead but they evened it again at 12-12. In our final at bats of regulation play Mitrisin hit a one out double. O’Connell and Braun walked to load the bases. Ben Peden flew out to left center but it was deep enough for Mitrisin to tag and score and the Tools walked-off to a championship. 

The offense was well spread. Drew Mitrisin [.714], Jay Braun [.636], Eric Stewart [.636] and Jeff Hart each drove in five runs. Chris Hamm [.700], Matt O’Connell [.600], Ben Peden [.556] and Chris MacDonald each got four RBI. 

Greatest Lifetime Playoff Hitters 

Batting Average 

.696 Rick Mercer     .672 Drew Mitrisin     .627 Joe Lombardo                .612 Matt O’Connell     .608 Ben Peden     .575 Jeff Hart                      .571 Sam Wallach     .565 Gerry Mello     .561 Jim Stensland                  .551 Ken Ferebee 

Home Runs 

33 Ken Ferebee     25 Joe Lombardo     23 Jay Braun     19 Ben Peden 18 Chris Hamm 

RBI 

150 Chris Hamm     148 Ken Ferebee     131 Jay Braun                      117 Ben Peden     112 Joe Lombardo     99 Doug Walker                      88 Mark Bultman     70 Jeff Franco     64 Bill Kreykenbohm                    59 Jim Rohrbach 

Runs 

166 Jay Braun     153 Ken Ferebee     124 Chris Hamm                    123 Mark Bultman     119 Doug Walker     109 Joe Lombardo              85 Mark Sarver     Ben Peden      83 Jeff Franco                                  72 Bill Kreykenbohm     69 Gerry Mello,     Jim Stensland 

RBI Average [RBI / At Bats] 

.761 Rick Mercer     .629 Ben Peden     .574 Drew Mitrisin                .516 Joe Lombardo     .500 Steve Sprague, Jeff Fus 

Run Production Average [RBI + Runs / At Bats] 

1.109 Rick Mercer     1.086 Ben Peden     1.066 Drew Mitrisin          1.018 Joe Lombardo     .946 Josh Bartzen 

Games Played 

130 Mark Sarver     126 Bill Kreykenbohm     121 Doug Walker               113 Ken Ferebee, Chris Hamm      110 Jay Braun 

Enjoy Independence Day, and remember, America will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave. 

Sarv

Edition 14          July 8, 2020  

Get ready, Tools, for it's none other than Tools Wednesday, 14th Edition.

July 8, 1989  Thirty one years ago tonight, the Tools began an intense rivalry, shocking the undefeated (10-0) Pentagon City Thermos, 15-12. I believe it was at Utah Field. Richard White hit two home runs and drove in eight runs. Scott Bresnahan got five RBI. Barbara Kreykenbohm snapped photos for the first time, unexpectedly becoming our official photographer for the next 16 years and leading to the 1990 debut of the annual musical Tools Show. The Thermos had two traits, an awful lot of them seemed to be named Joe, thereby becoming “Team Joe”, and they all longed to be a “member of the TPS Club”, their bat of choice. 

July 8, 2009 Eleven years ago tonight, Mark Bultman hit three consecutive doubles to set a new single season record of 13. That record stands. 

Short-Timers You May Have Forgotten But Should Remember 

The 1980's 

Greg Fortine  1984-1985  Greg was a bearded, fabulous right handed hitting outfielder who helped lead us to our first league championship in 1985 Fall. In his 63 game career he batted .528 with three homers, 11 triples, 14 doubles, 73 RBI and 58 runs. Despite our winning the league title, he quit the Tools because the team “isn’t rowdy enough”. 

Steve Blechman  1986-1987  The only guy ever to pose for the team photo in a bright printed sport shirt. Steve was a deep guy with a subtle sense of humor who platooned in the infield and played a little outfield. He was good friends with Ken Shoop and Gerry Mello. Appearing in just 31 games, he batted .321 with two extra base hits, 16 RBI and 22 runs. He and wife Marsha left the DC area. 

The 1990's 

Paul Haugh  1992-1994  Paul was in his early twenties, a supreme talent with relatively little experience. He hit the ball very hard, played some first base but was moved to left field because of a superior arm. In his 80 game career, Paul batted .470 with 11 home runs, nine triples, 18 doubles, 98 RBI and 87 runs. Sarv called him “The Natural” and planned to build the 1990s team around him and Ken Ferebee. But a stint in the Marine reserve took him away for several months and during that time he fell in love with a girl named Heather. They moved to North Carolina where they’ve raised their kids. The Natural is now 50 years old but still playing softball. Could have been a 30 year Tool, if only. 

Chris Thomas  1994-1996  Chris was an important player for us during his three years. He led the team in hitting twice, on base average twice, runs scored twice and run production average three times. Chris once hit a team-leading seven home runs and his career total of 20 ties him for 14th all time. A first baseman-outfielder, he was a quiet guy with a pleasant smile who always contributed. Chris ended his career after 63 games, I think to attend graduate school.

The 2000's  

Chuck Ford  2006, 2007, 2009  It’s a shame that Chuck was unable to play regularly with the Tools, only stopping by for three fall seasons and one playoffs. What a hitter he was. In 2006 he set a single season batting mark of .743, a record that held for nine years. In 2007 he led the team with 32 hits and was second with 27 RBI. He hit for the cycle and once got three hits in a single inning. In 42 career games he had a .626 batting average with six home runs, two triples, 12 doubles, 56 RBI and 55 runs. Chris’s final contribution came on the last night of the 2009 season when he told Sarv that he was dropping his back shoulder … on the next pitch, the 58 year old coach rocked a game-ending home run. 

Josh O’Donnell  2009  With the retirement of our longtime pitching mainstays, the Tools were in the uncommon position of looking for hurlers. Happily, we found Craig Hughes and Josh O’Donnell. The two rookies teamed up to pitch us to a stunning 17-1 spring title. Even better, Josh was a photographer with his own website. Using his high speed camera we were able to produce the first Tools Show with moving action. Unfortunately by the time we got to the post-season party to debut his work, Josh and fiancé Shelly had departed for Florida and that was the last we saw of him. 

The 2010's 

Ashby Daniels  2010-2011  Ashby was a slick fielding outfielder who knew how to track a ball perfectly and made a number of memorable catches during his time with us. He hit .541 in his debut spring season and in a brief 46 game career batted .510 with two home runs, 11 triples, 15 doubles, 57 RBI and 64 runs. Ashby and his wife [then for a time made] their home in Pittsburgh where he was a financial advisor. When my best friend died in the synagogue shooting there in October 2018, Ashby was kind enough to take me out for breakfast on the morning I was to return home and given the trauma I had experienced the visit with him truly was a mitzvah [good deed] that I always will cherish. 

Unsung Heroes 

Tonight we start a new feature of Tools Wednesday, Unsung Heroes. Every team has its “stars”, the guys nearly always at or near the top of all the key stats. However, teams that have real staying power, that measure longevity in decades, not years, must have the kind of players whose value is measured not only in ability, but in attitude, selflessness and character. 

In the span of the past 39 years, the Tools have had many such players, those we might call our “Unsung Heroes”. Over the next several weeks we’ll take a look at some of your teammates who modeled that role. Let’s start off with Ken Surprenant and John Revette. 

Ken Surprenant, Unsung Hero, 1981 - 1986

Ken Surprenant was one of the original Tools and was a quiet steady presence in right field for six years. He helped lay the foundation for what the Tools would become. Ken “came to the Tools when my friend Les Davison asked me to join. Les and I had played together in the suburbs of Detroit on a team called High Times. Les shared with me that he would drive by this place back home in Illinois that had a name he wanted to use one day for a softball team, Beecher Tool & Die.” Les left Motown for DC and Ken soon followed to join a group of friends who’d agreed to that pet team name. [Internet searches leave unconfirmed whether Beecher Tool & Die really existed in Beecher, Illinois or if it was a ribald fictional play on words, but either way, Les’ role is undeniable.] 

Teammate Chris Girolamo “loved playing next to Ken in the outfield. He always jogged over to me after the third out and we’d run to the dugout together talking about the just completed inning or perhaps something in the current news. Just a few moments of simple talk. No one I ever played with did that and I remember it distinctly. There was something very relaxing about it. Ken was a good guy to hang out with.” 

Former Tools coach Bruce Urban added that “between Ken and Les Davison we had some of the deepest still waters I’ve ever experienced. The thing I remember about Ken was that he was a natural righty, but taught himself to bat lefty to take advantage of leading with his more powerful right side. He had one of the sweetest left handed swings I’ve ever seen. I remember how tender he was with his young child, a lovely man.” Ken said his sons Marc and Paul “enjoyed coming to practices and games so long as there were playgrounds nearby.” So did his wife, Kathy. They also had daughters Maria and Lauren. 

Always modest, the switch hitter said that “I can’t say that my playing contributed a whole lot to the team but I enjoyed the game and the camaraderie.” He remembers a fun but competitive group. “When the Tools found and added Bill K (Kreykenbohm), Mike G (Giglio) and you (Sarver) it shored up the defense and made everyone else up their game and with good pitching, Bill K and Bill A (Anhut), it seemed we always had a chance to win.  

Although anchored in right field, Ken recalls “a brief and inglorious stint at short and even managed ok at 3 rd until some ringer showed up [Sarver] and locked down the hot corner”. Since our stats from the very early years are incomplete, we don’t have definitive ones for Ken’s career, recording 97 games with three homers, eight triples and seven doubles. Perhaps the best night of his career came on October 16, 1983 when Ken recorded seven hits in eight at bats as the Tools set a team record, for that time, of 42 runs in a sweep of Ernst Whinney. Ken memorably suffered a hairline fracture of his left forearm sliding into home at Kenmore Field – “to add insult to injury, I got sent back to third base when the play was ruled dead.” 

The Surprenants returned in Michigan in 1987, where Ken played softball, soccer and coached. Sadly, Kathy passed away in 2012 after a toxic reaction to chemotherapy. In 2017, after 41 years in federal service with the Department of Defense, Ken retired. He remarried in 2018 and he and wife, Elizabeth, “are fortunate to enjoy the good company of our children and grandchildren – he wonders “if there’s a future Tool among them.” 

John Revette, Unsung Hero, 2007 - 2013 

John Revette remembers that the Tools were “the first organized sports” that he played after moving to the DC area. “Joining the Tools, first as a sub [the old Sarver “try ’em before you buy ‘em” method] and then full time after a season, opened the door to developing good friendships with multiple current and former Tools. The guys became my social network and are still some of my good friends today.” 

One of those friends, former Tool Mike Gummey, laughed about John’s debut. “If I recall correctly, the first game or two he was in right field and literally missed every fly ball that came to him. I had seen him play before and knew he was a good player and couldn’t believe how bad he looked.” Apparently, said Gummey, the very next day John “went to the eye doctor and got glasses and contacts. He was totally fine after that and had no more issues in the field.”

John played hard and gave it everything each game. While he doesn’t particularly recall the specifics there were some indelible moments. John hit three home runs in his rookie season, fall 2007. He led us in hitting with a .617 average in fall 2008, including a pair of four hits games and a six for six night with four RBI against Hit Squad. Sometimes he paid for his hard play with injuries. John missed the entire 2009 season with a broken leg. Upon his return on April 28, 2010 he tripled in his  first at bat and homered with four RBI in the second game. He batted .643 in the playoffs with seven RBI and seven runs in four games. A year later, on September 21, 2011, while attempting a diving catch in left center John broke his hand and was out for the year. In spring 2012 he was second on the team with 32 RBI. On May 2, he homered and had five RBI to beat Bad News Beers, helping us to a record 33 game unbeaten streak, and had eight RBI for the doubleheader. 

In 2013 John and wife Tracie moved back home to New York state, looking for “wide open spaces and a lower cost of living.” They are raising four kids, Oliver 8, Reagan 6, Sawyer 4 and Remington 2. John played and even coached some softball for a few seasons, but his attempt to keep stats like the Tools fell short because he “could never achieve the level of passion” required. He admires that passion that makes the Tools different and that enables us stay together and keep achieving. Of course, it takes committed players who enjoy being part of the group, and, as Gummey said, “John is just a great down to earth guy, great teammate and friend who liked to drink a lot of beer in his younger days when not playing hoops or softball.”

Edition 15          July 15, 2020  

Gosh I miss you, guys, so let's play Tools Wednesday, 15th Edition. 

July 15, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight, ringer Paul Terres slams four homers to anger Joseph’s and embarrass me. Tools get 30 hits in second game to win 27-15. 

July 15, 2009  Eleven years ago tonight, the Tools clinch spring league title with a sweep in a classic battle with Bad News Beers. Pitcher Josh O'Donnell held up through last inning pressure for a 16-13 win in game one. In the second game, pitcher Craig Hughes shut down the Beers batters for a 6-4 win. The turning point came in the fourth as the Tools clung to a 4-1 lead. The Beers big slugger blasted what he thought was a three run homer over the left field fence. Instead the umpire’s screamed "dead ball, batter's out". Stepped out of the box. Third baseman Mike Sabol snared a hard grounder to his left and forced a runner out at the plate. The rally fizzled. 

July 15, 2015  Five years ago tonight a rain-suspended playoff game resumed between the Tools and CarPool. We overcame an 11-1 deficit to force extra innings, but lost 13-12 in nine. 

Tools All Time Winning Streaks 

33 Games Overall Unbeaten, June 22, 2011 - May 2, 2012

Streak began with a 13-6 win against Spartans. We built an 11-0 lead and coasted, with Ben Peden hitting two home runs and driving in six runs. It reached its zenith with a 17-7 win against Bad News Beers as we overcame a 6-2 deficit. Ben Peden, Mike Gummey, John Revette and Jesse Johnson each had three RBI. 

The streak ended with a 22-10 loss to Bad News Beers in the second game of the doubleheader. In the first inning, short stop Eric Stewart was felled by a hard grounder to the right knee which turned purple and swelled. The game stayed close until the last inning, when the Beers blasted us for 12 runs to lead 22-8. As we came to bat for the last time, infielder Bobby Bilicki deadpanned “if anyone can do it, it’s us.” We couldn’t and lost 22-10. 

Highlights of the streak: 

Record 33 games unbeaten 

Record 21 games overall winning streak 31-0-2 record  

17 game regular season winning streak 

Outscored opponents 473-216. 

Spring 2011 playoff champions 

Fall 2011 regular season unbeaten champions 

After finally suffering one loss, we ran off an eight game winning streak for a 39-1-2 record. 

30 Games Regular Season Unbeaten, April 14 - October 3, 2003

Streak began with a sweep of tough new rival, Money. Seventeen game spring winning streak ended when we were tied in the last inning of the last game. 

The streak ended when a short-handed squad suffered a heartbreaking 9-7 loss to the Hosers. 

Highlights of the streak: 

30 games unbeaten 

17 game spring regular season winning streak 

13 game overall winning streak, combined playoffs title game and fall season 

12 game fall regular season winning streak 

Spring regular season champions 

Spring playoffs champions 

18 Game Overall Winning Streak, May 13 - July 29, 2009

This streak began with the team’s 58 year old coach wowing his young teammates with a great performance at 3rd base. 

12 Game Regular Season Unbeaten Streak, April 28 - June 2, 2010

Our 11-0-1 start to the season put us on course to a second consecutive spring league championship with a 14-2-2 record. 

11 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, September - November 2, 1985

When Bill and Dale Anhut went to the United Kingdom for a fall vacation, it ushered in an unexpected transition as Mark Sarver became interim coach. Upon Billy A’s return he told Sarv to keep going. On September 13 the Tools beat Desperado’s 9-8 and moved into the top of the league standings for the first time ever. We ran off an 11 game winning streak to clinch our first regular season championship. Despite a 15-3 league best record, we failed to hit a single home run the entire season. Was that ever done before or since in any adult league? 

11 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, May - July 1, 2002 

After a 3-2 start to the spring season, the Tools win 11 straight games to build a 1-1/2 game lead with two games to go. The streak ends with a loss to second place CMC 14-7. In the second game we trail 17-13 but in our last at bats we make a historic comeback to win 18-17 and capture our first spring league championship. 

10 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, April 23 - June 4, 2001

This was the best start we ever had to a spring season. We finished 13-4-1 in second place and put us on the crest of a championship era. 

10 Game Regular Season Streak, April - June 2004

This spectacular streak to start the spring season saw us outscore our opponents 179-55 during the streak. But after running our record to 13-1 we ran into a buzz saw against Money and First Draft when we were outscored 76-26, losing four straight to fall from first to fourth. 

10 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, April 25 - June 13, 2005

This set us off to a 13-5 season and a tie for second place. 

10 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, August 28 - October 2006

The “Randomizer” line-up ignites a 10 game fall winning streak after we started 0-3. We won 13 of 14 games to finish third with a 13-5 record. 

10 Game Regular Season Winning Streak, September 16 - October 21, 2015

This streak taking us to the end of the fall season gave us a 16-2 record and the title. 

*** 16 Wins in 17 Games, August - October 1990

Not sure if there was a double figure winning streak. We started the fall season at 2- 2, then raced through the schedule to tie for first place with a 15-3 record. Winning a sudden death regular season playoff with Pentagon City Thermos 21-9 gave the league title with a 16-3 record and 16 wins in 17 games. 

Unsung Heroes 

Brian Hurney, Unsung Hero, 2000 - 2008

When Brian Hurney began his Tools career, initially as a fill-in player before being added full-time, he had a typical baseball swing that had to be adjusted for high arc softball. Once he figured it out, there was no stopping him. Brian was one of those rare players who seemed to get better every season of his nine year career. 

He “loved playing to win but having fun doing it. Whether a baking hot tournament day or a cold late fall evening we always had fun.” Brian thinks about “playing competitive sports my whole life, on teams with good chemistry and on teams with bad. The Tools always had great chemistry.” 

Brian’s devotion to the team was demonstrated every week – his job was in Reston and is home was in Gaithersburg, a lot of gas burnt and time spent in the car. “There was a stretch of a couple of years with everything going on in my life – the birth of infant twins, a nagging injury, where I was working and living – I was thinking of excuses not to go to the games.” But he knew he’d be missing out and didn’t want to let down the team. 

“Brian Hurney was the kind of player that coaches love,” said longtime teammate and longer time friend, Chris Hamm, "always doing the small things right – backing up throws, taking pitches, not talking back every time Sarv was trying to say something. Brian’s quiet demeanor was often his hidden strength. He would come up big with a hit when needed and was sneaky fast”. 

He was an alert defensive player, too. Onetime, having scooped up a base hit in left center he fired the ball in and a rundown started. Brian never stopped charging, wound up standing on second base where he took the final throw, tagged the runner, netting an outfield assist and an infield put-out on the same play. He was a versatile enough outfielder to appear at all four spots and a terrific first baseman, but didn’t complain when asked to play catcher or DH.

Brian’s memories are vivid – tearing his labrum as he made a great diving catch, standing alone in left field during the DC Sniper period and feeling “like I had a bullseye on my back”, and legging out an inside the park home run. Sarv remembers that home run. As Brian raced around the bases, the coach grew so excited that as he waved him past third he started running down the line, too. It was at Gunston Park which had raised wooden blocks framing the dugout space. Just as Brian crossed the plate Sarv crossed that raised block, tripped and went flying. 

Brian’s debut was as a ringer, recommended by Hamm, on April 24, 2000, and he started with a RBI single. On June 23, 2003 he hit for the cycle, including his first over-the-fence home run. Later that year he got hits in eight straight at bats. His career high batting average was .675 in spring 2006. On September 24, 2007 he notched three hits in a 20-run inning – along with Chuck Ford and Hamm. He was patient enough to walk four times in a row once. His hottest streak came in the 2008 Early Bird Tournament, when he batted lead-off and hit a stunning .762, going 16 for 21 with three walks, a home run, five RBI and 11 runs. 

His best memories, though, are of the dugout, his teammates busting each other’s chops, laughing and joking about the “The Randomizer” line-up, “the Bills and their jackets”, watching Mark Bultman “getting in rundowns, on purpose!”, Franco stepping on a chicken bone in the outfield [memory lapse, actually is was Steve Sprague], Lombardo, Peden, Gummey, Mason, Ferebee, Walker and all the rest. Brian played his last game on April 29, 2009, withdrawing due to issues with his back and to this day “I still miss the dugout.” 

By the time of his retirement, Brian had quietly made an everlasting mark, 342 hits (13th), .504 batting average (12th), 12 home runs (tied 17th), 37 triples (10th), 49 doubles (12th), 70 walks (8th), .607 on base average (10th), 251 RBI (11th), 310 runs (10th), .310 RBI average (10th), .826 run production average (11th) and 245 games (14th). 

Have a great weekend coming up.  Major league baseball is just a little more than a week away. 

Sarv

Edition 16          July 22, 2020  

The DC area experienced a sizable thunder storm with very heavy rain between 4 pm - 5 pm today and the skies continue to rumble 90 minutes later. But there was no rain out and the yellow paint on 16th Street endured. We’re deep into our vicarious summer, staying in virtual shape. We’re not very tanned, but are rested and ready, so let’s play Tools Wednesday, 16th Edition.

July 22, 1991  Twenty nine years ago tonight, with the White-Mercer power combo having just moved away, the Tools are eliminated from the spring playoffs 4-3 when umpire stops game in 6th due to one distant streak of lightning. There’s no more lightning, no thunder, no rain, one huge argument. Bruce Turner finishes the spring with 17 hits in 18 at bats. 

July 22, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight in our opening playoff game, the Tools led 12-9 until longtime rival Joseph’s pounded us for 32 runs in two innings and won 38-17. In between games, we go to the Sports Pub where a guy named Steve Sprague is hanging out. Despite not wanting to seem desperate, we ask him to join up. Later that evening, ringer Paul Terres breaks a Tools record with 13 hits in a row and it only took him 13 career at bats but we lost again. He’s the one who should have joined up, but he wasn’t interested. We also lose Terry Hiebert who retired after 17 years, singling in his last two at bats. 

July 22, 2006  Fourteen years ago today I was in NJ for my aunt’s funeral and would miss two make-up doubleheaders over three days, as the Tools sought the league title. On this date, a Saturday afternoon, we crushed First Draft 23-5 and 17-4 to extend our winning streak to seven and gain a first place tie with two to play. On Monday night the title would slip away with a poor performance against Vipers, who became the champs. 

July 22, 2009  Eleven years ago tonight, with two wins coming by forfeit, the Tools finish 17-1 and win our fifth league championship and first since 2003. Our winning streak stands at 16.

Amazing Stats!!! 

The official stats of the Beecher Tool and Die softball team extend back to the fall campaign of 1983. [We’re missing fall 1981, spring and fall 1982 and spring 1983.] All you can say looking at the totals accumulated during 37 years and say that this makes for some Amazing Stats!!! 

There have been 43,778 trips to the plate, 40,288 at bats and 19,810 hits produced by 211 players. That’s good for a .492 batting average.

Doug Walker leads the way with 1,013 hits, 5.1% of the total. 

Sixteen players are tied for the fewest hits, 1:  Chris Anhut, Mike Birsic, Jake Cervilla, Todd Epstein, Ray Falcheck, David Fay, Steve Feinberg, Burr Hannon, James JJ Jenkins, Matt Kelly, Scott Koker, Andy McDonald, Mark Nardone, Chris Saxon, Jay Sullivan, and David Waite. How many of these one-hitters can you identify? Who is who?

In 2021, if our luck changes we’ll return to the field of play and one of us will get the 20,000th hit. Give me your prediction on who it will be. 

The Tools have launched 1,189 home runs, 1,553 triples, 2,789 doubles and 14,150 singles.

All time leaders are:

Home Runs, Ken Ferebee, 154, 13% 

Triples, Doug Walker, 140, 9% 

Doubles, Jay Braun, 202, 7.2% 

Singles, Doug Walker, 776, 5.5% 

Players who get on base any way they can have contributed mightily to our success, whether by not being patient and taking pitches – there have been 2,238 walks … by hitting the ball hard and forcing mistakes – 2,080 base on errors, … or by giving oneself up – 1,260 sacrifice flies. The walks and base on errors helped to build a team on base average of .567. 

All time leaders are:

Walks, Mark Sarver, 208, 9.3% 

Base on Errors, Doug Walker, 116, 5.6% 

Sacrifice Flies, Ken Ferebee, 81, 6.4% 

The Tools have scored 15,137 runs, with 13,616 runs batted in. 

All time leaders are: 

RBI, Ken Ferebee, 803, 5.9% 

Runs, Doug Walker, 763, 5% 

*** No stat exists on runs scored during Mark Bultman rundowns. 

Unsung Heroes 

Matt Doyle, Unsung Hero, 1993-1999, 2001-2004 

For 11 years, Matt Doyle was another of those guys who seemed to operate in the background, but whose contributions as a player and a teammate, on a weekly basis year after year, made him an integral part of the Tools spirit. And he enjoyed every minute of it. Matt’s career spanned most of the 1990’s and the early 2000’s. 

“It was the chance to see and laugh with and good-naturedly needle and engage in friendship with some great guys (and couples),” Matt said. He loved “the loud, raucous and competitive banter” of guys who had “a good sense of humor, thick skin and deep down, were just ‘good guys’”. He was glad to receive the weekly “guy time kitchen pass” from wife, Kim. 

Matt was awed by the “joy and passion for the game” of his fellow Tools, expressed “without self-consciousness or apology. I felt comfortable immediately among these guys. Deep down, no matter how much I faked it, I have always been more of a nerd than a jock. So I always had a deep appreciation for guys who were more talented and accomplished and who put up with a ‘pretend jock’ like me hanging around.” 

Former Tool Terry Hiebert agreed that Matt was “another guy who just fit.” He remembered Matt as one of our great gap hitters who used “sneaky power” to pump out triples and doubles. Indeed, Matt was not a home run hitter – it took 615 trips to the plate before his first one for which his teammates autographed the ball for him. “Matt was not as athletic as some,” said Terry, “but came up with key hits at important times. He was good defensively, made all the plays and throws.” Another former teammate, Jim Rohrbach, described the righty batter’s unique “tomahawk swing” that enabled him to hit “pitches way over his head with great success. He probably surprised more than a few opponents.” 

Matt’s commitment to family was emblematic of his character and compassion. Memorably, he and Kim flew to China multiple times to adopt and bring home their three young children, daughters Amelia and Louisa and son James. On one of those very long trips his diabetes kicked in mid-flight and made for a rough time of it, but he was confirmed in seeing it through. The kids soon became a fixture at Tools games and for years we watched them grow. Today, Amelia is 24 years old and employed as a computer modeling/data analyst at Mitre Corporation. Louisa, also 24, works as a software development team project leader at Ernst & Young. James, 18, just graduated from Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington and will be attending NOVA community college. Wow, time does fly. Happily, Matt and Kim also are gainfully occupied, he as a business consultant in a very niche, specialized area of government affairs and regulatory compliance and Kim as an accountant at a small firm. 

Matt debuted as a Tool on April 19, 1993 after making an impression at the Arlington free agent camp. Unbeknownst to me, he already had been playing in the Glover Park Softball League. His coach, Felix Sambuchina, who I knew, showed up at one of our early games, sat on our bench and told me that if I was going to take a player off of his team that I in turn had to play with him. This began a cross pollination that has plentifully seeded the Tools and GPSL with many outstanding players for nearly two decades. And it was Matt who started it all. 

One of Matt’s biggest hits came on June 3, 1998 when he ripped a deciding two run triple to stun Harry’s Auto Body 19-18, capping a comeback after we had trailed 16- 0. On June 2, 1999, he hit that long-awaited first home run. On April 19, 2001, after taking a year off, Matt came back with a vengeance, blasting two home runs and a triple. He followed that up on May 7 with a walk-off double to beat Halteh’s Pizza. Matt was a very steady outfielder, played ably at first and third base and contributed at other positions. One of the weirder moments of his career resulted from a simple base-running mistake that set off the fabled “M-F” screaming match between opposing pitcher Jamie Dilla and the Tools coach. 

Upon his retirement, Matt had quietly reached the upper echelons of Tools career leaders, most notably finishing third with 50 triples. He had 339 hits (11th), .473 batting average (17th), 46 doubles (10th), 44 walks (8th), .583 total bases (11th), .560 on base average (15th), 239 RBI (9th), 296 runs (9th), .333 RBI average (13th), .746 run production average (11th) and 247 games (11th). 

Matt’s presence in the dugout is missed after all these years, his gentle smile and genial nature, sometimes goofy sense of humor and general amiability. 

Thanks. Sarv

Edition 17          July 29, 2020  

With nothing better to do I just returned from a strenuous hilly walk of nearly four miles, so while I barely have the energy I am very willing to engage with you on Tools Wednesday, 17th Edition.

July 29, 2009  Eleven years ago tonight the Tools won the opening two playoff contests to set a record for our longest overall winning streak of 18 games. We scored seven runs in the first inning of a 14-4 victory against The Factory. Jay Braun had a triple and three RBI. Ben Peden drove in three runs. Mark Bultman had two hits including a triple with two RBI.  

Surprisingly we led the Fighting [F-----g] Penguins 12-0 in game two, but faced a late inning onslaught that nearly ended the streak. In the last inning we led 13-6. The Penguins scored six to get within a run but with two men on base, having reached their home run limit, launched a “three run out” over the fence. We escaped to set the winning streak record. Peden homered, had three hits and four RBI. Chris Hamm homered and had three RBI. Jeff Fus triples and drove in two runs. 

Tools Debuts 

There have been many great Tools careers. Let’s look at how some of them began. Anyone I left out probably is because I couldn’t access info on you. 

August, 24, 1981  The Tools play our first game in Arlington, Virginia, losing the first game 2-1 to Mario’s Pizza but winning the nightcap 17-10. Making their debuts in the new league are Bruce Urban, Bill Anhut, Chris Girolamo, Ken Surprenant and Bill Kreykenbohm. 

August 31, 1981  Mark Sarver plays his first game and his RBI single puts the Tools ahead to stay in an 11-2 win. 

April, 1982  Mike Giglio and Terry Hiebert began careers that will last 10 years and 17 years respectively. 

April 25, 1984  Gerry Mello, fresh from his job interview with Bill Anhut that led to a second gig as a Tool, singles in his first at bat. He will hit 382 singles in a career that went to 1991 with a brief return in fall 1993. 

August 29, 1985 Ken Shoop joins our outfield and the Tools come back from a 9-1 deficit to win his first game. He’ll play through 1991. 

June 22, 1988  Richard White, initially a ringer, singles twice in his debut as the Tools mount a last inning rally to beat Little Café 8-7. Although he grossly midjudges the first ball hit to him, Rich homers in the night and is signed to a contract. He plays four years, moves to Michigan, but returns a decade later – catching his first fly ball -- and plays for two more years. 

April 1, 1989  Scott Bresnahan begins his 11 year career as our second baseman with a single in his first at bat in the Early Bird Tournament. 

May 24  1989  Doug Walker starts a career that has spanned three decades, playing left center field and garnering the first of 140 lifetime triples as the Tools stun Presearch 12-3. 

April 18, 1990  Outfielder Bruce Turner, who would help us become a champion in his three year career, hits into a double play in his first at bat. 

May 2, 1990  Rick Mercer becomes the final piece in our journey to title town, singling in his first at bat and later blasting a dramatic homer. 

Aprl 15, 1992  Jim Rohrbach gets three hits in his debut and Ken Ferebee flies out in his first at bat. Jim will play for a decade and Ken for 16 years. 

April 19, 1993  Matt Doyle (tomahawk swing) and Andy Schultheiss (classic sweet lefty swing) begin play. Matt would play from 1993-1999 and 2001-2004 and Andy for five years. 

April 27, 1994  Jim Stensland begins with a single and stays through 2000 and returns for a year in 2002. 

April, 1995  Jim Miles and Tim Greening debut off the Arlington tryout camp. Jim will be remembered for playing a slick short stop, Tim for knocking a pitcher’s teeth out with a batted ball. September 18, 1996 Joe Lombardo singles in the first at bat of a career that will last 12 years. 

August 26, 1998  Short stop Jeff Franco flies to right in his first at bat, gets his first career hit in his third at bat and nails a runner at the plate. In the second game he hits a two run inside-the-park home run. Franco will play for a nearly a decade. 

April 12, 1999  Jay Braun comes on stage in a big way in the Early Bird Tourney, hitting a bloop triple in his first at bat and going four for four – a home run, two triples and a double. He ends up with six straight hits and two decades later is still going strong despite the occasional pop-up. 

May 5, 1999  Mark Bultman has an explosive debut, reaching on an error in his first at bat, then hitting back-to-back homers, one over the fence and one inside-thepark. He will be a terror on the base paths for 11 years. 

August 23, 1999  Chris Hamm pops up to the catcher to start and it takes four at bats to get his first hit, a single. He soon demonstrated what an impact player he was and has completed 21 years and eager for more. 

April 10, 2000  Tony Mason launches a seven years career with a single in his first at bat. 

April 24, 2000  Brian Hurney gets an RBI single in his first at bat, convinces Sarv to keep him and stays through 2008. 

August 23, 2004  Mike Gummey probably debuts on this date, unsure of results, but on September 6 he gets the first four hit game of his 12 year career. 

September 26, 2005  A late year addition, Josh Bartzen goes three for four in his first game in a 25-15 win over First Place Shockers. His explosive bat would be on display until he moved to Chicago in the summer of 2008. 

April 14, 2007 The Tools are playing on Saturday, the double elimination portion of the Early Bird Tournament, and ringer John Revette singles in his first game, a 15- 14 loss to Agility. The Tools then would win five games in six hours to win this tourney for the first time, with John getting nine hits on the day. 

May 7, 2007  Jeff Fus joins us four weeks into the season and has a big night, hitting a double and single with three RBI in his first game. 

April 10, 2008 Brought out at the last minute as a ringer in the Early Bird Tournament, Ben Peden rips a line drive over the left field fence at Barcroft 4 for a two run walk-off homer and a 7-6 win over Mighty Dukes. His official debut is on April 14 in the season opener and he hits a two-run single in his first at bat. 

April 29, 2009  Craig Hughes is part of a new pitching rotation that he anchors through the spring of 2016. Will O’Day makes his regular season debut as an infielder who also will play outfield for seven years. 

August 26, 2009  Eric Stewart begins an 11 year career by going three for four and two for four, good for five RBI, as the Tools crush Balls Deep 22-3 and 18-1. He returns home to tell Katherine that “this team should never lose a game.” 

April 3, 2013  Matt O’Connell gets his first career hit, a single in his third at bat. His stellar career last six years. 

September 4, 2013  Jeff Hart singles in his first career at bat, going one for three in his first game, but in the nightcap hits an inside the park home run.  

April 9, 2014  Brad Moehringer gets a pair of singles in his first doubleheader, not an indication of the hitting monster he would prove to be. 

September 10, 2014  Drew Mitrisin shows up the first time, recommended by Jeff Franco, but unseen by Sarv. He grounds out to the first baseman, six times in row, swinging at all six pitches thrown to him. This was a poor forecast of the explosiveness of what would follow soon enough. 

April 1, 2015  Chuck Spivey gets two hits and a RBI in his first game, then hits a triple, double and single for two RBI in the second half of the twin bill.  

April 6, 2016  Sam Wallach goes zero for two in his first game and gets a single in three at bats with a RBI in the nightcap. 

March 28, 2017  Chris MacDonald takes the mound as our new pitcher in the Early Bird Tournament and scatters 11 hits as we beat Wins Below Replacement 6-2. He goes one for three at the plate. 

Unsung Heroes 

Terry Hiebert, Unsung Hero, 1982-1998

“For 17 years, Terry Hiebert was the beating heart of the Tools.” Those were my words honoring him at our 1998 team party. It was true then and is still true today. 

Terry came to the Tools in spring 1982 after a call to coach Bruce Urban seeking a team. “I was looking for a chance to stay active athletically, meet new people and to keep pushing myself. With the Tools I found more than that, a family of sorts, guys who would have your back but, like brothers, tease and push each other.” One guy he would like to have pushed was Billy Walters, a soon-to-be ex-Tool who dared give hitting advice after Terry made an out in his first career at bat. 

The quintessential role player, Terry went from “part time player to starter to put me anywhere.” He played a lot of second base and catcher, occasionally first or third and eventually pitcher, “all spots that challenged me.” He liked being challenged, like “when you and Billy K said I could be a pitcher.” His debut was a six-hitter, a 10- 1 upset of Baird’s Automotive. 

Terry was a singles hitter. Ken Shoop once described the sound of the ball coming off his bat as “phttt, phttt, phttt”, but I was as confident of him in a clutch situation as any of the “big hitters”. He usually came through. Terry remembered Bill Anhut being intentionally walked to get to him with the game on the line. “The pitcher knew I like to hit up the middle and he took away more hits from me than anyone.” [It probably was “S”, as he was known, from Little Café/Joseph’s.] I lined a single past him to plate the winning run.” 

Mike Giglio, who joined the Tools when Terry did and played with him for a decade, called him “the consummate teammate who may not have had dominating physique, strongest arm, greatest speed or power at the plate [He only hit two career home runs.] but had was the most vital component of any good team – attitude.” He called Terry “my kindred spirit. I may be remembered for intensity but Terry was right there with me, a junkyard dog that never backed down. He came to every game expecting to win and you could see his grit on every play.”

Sometimes that grit didn’t make any friends on opposing teams, as he often would pick their largest guy to engage in arguments. Former teammate Gerry Mello laughed when he remembered that “Terry was PROUD to be our rep on the league’s All Dick Team. He had a temper and was a riot to watch when he got angry. I can see that look on his face.” But Mello agreed that Terry “was the true essence of the Tools. He loved the game and was an absolute pleasure as a teammate” and “highly effective.” 

Giglio said that when Terry was catching “he lived for the bang-bang play at the plate that caused bodies to fly and dust kicked up into the air.” Once, at Utah Field, with an outfield peg flying for home and a runner rounding third, “Terry was in his glory, focused, defending his turf, ready for the tag. He caught the ball and the runner just pummeled him. He held onto it for the out but was on the ground half dead with his glasses buried in the dirt. I thought he was out cold but within seconds was on his feet and in the face of the guy (twice his size) ready to rip his head off.” Terry remembers that play, too, because it separated his shoulder and nearly got him tossed. Why him and not the runner? For the rest of the night “I continuously commented on the ump’s failure to eject the guy.” 

Terry has been my friend for 38 years, a friend for life. I knew he was “good people” right off. From the moment I met his wife Diane and their two little boys at a Tools pool party at Rick Welch’s parents’ house, I could never tell the boys apart until eventually I settled upon calling them “Sean the Elder” and “Chris the Younger”. I still call them that even though they are in their thirties and 6’2” and 6’6”. I attended family high school graduation parties and weddings and most fun, Terry and Diane’s surprise 25th wedding anniversary party for which she nearly didn’t show because she didn’t feel like going out to dinner. Terry’s been there for me in fun times and tough times and I’m grateful. 

Despite having retired 22 years ago, he still ranks high in our all-time statistics. He played 387 regular season games, eighth all time. He had 1,092 trips to the plate and 978 at bats (both 9th), 424 hits (14th) , 406 singles (9th), 98 walks (6th) and 49 base on errors (11th tied). He had 201 RBI (22nd) and 233 runs scored (23rd). He hit .434, entirely in the dead bat era, and had a .531 on base average.  

“I am very proud to have been a part of the Tools for 17 years,” said Terry. “They truly are an institution in Arlington softball.” So was Terry.

-------------------- 

I hope everyone has a great weekend coming up. I'm going to take Friday off to spend the day with the financial advisor I work for who I haven't seen since March 5. He's got a great house on a river near Chesapeake Bay and motor boating will be involved. Man, do I need this. By the way I'm listening to the Yankees game in the first inning against the O's. The O's catcher just got called for catcher's interference for the second time in three batters. No Tool ever did that, not even once. 

Sarv

Edition 18          August 5, 2020  

The hurricane blew through the area quickly and was done by late Tuesday morning. The weather is terrific today and not having to worry about slipping on wet fields, its time for Tools Wednesday, 18th Edition. 

This Week in Tools History 

August 8, 2015  The second-seeded Tools are in the playoffs finals with a 3-0 record vs. number 1 seed, Hopslammers. We had tied for the best record at 12-5-1 but they won the tie breaker. Multiple rain-outs pushed this game off for so long that as it is played Coach Sarver is floating in his father's swimming pool in Arizona. The Tools grab a 6-0 lead but Hopslammers gets six to tie things up. We score two unearned runs to lead 8-6, then get another pair to lead 10-6. Hopslammers attacks in the top of the sixth and scores five times to tie us again at 12-12. After Drew Mitrisin hits a one-out double, two walks load the bases. Ben Peden flies out to left center and Mitrisin tags and scores to give us a walk-off win and our fifth spring post-season playoffs title. 

Unsung Heroes 

Mike Sabol, Unsung Hero, 2009-Present  

Tonight we’ll switch gears a little and feature a current unsung hero, Mike Sabol. He has been an important asset to the Tools for 11 seasons, yet has a distinctive place in our history – Mike was the guy who tried out for the team, then and there was offered a spot … and turned me down. Not being one to take “no” for an answer, I began calling Mike when we were short-handed and he ended up playing four doubleheaders that spring, batting .655 with 19 hits in 29 at bats, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored. Pretty productive for the Reluctant Ringer. He made one post-season playoff appearance, too. Realizing he had no choice, Mike signed up for good that fall and had a great campaign, finishing near the top with a .589 batting average, six triples, seven doubles, 21 RBI and 26 runs scored. 

Sabes has played many roles in contributing to seven league championship teams. Although primarily a left-side infielder, he’s spent the greater percentage of time anchoring us at first base where he has excelled. But on a squad with “deep depth” he’s willingly filled in at every other infield position. Longtime teammate Ben Peden thinks “unselfishness” best describes Mike, saying “anyone willing to play catcher when necessary deserves a bronze star or something.” But regardless of where Mike plays, Ben said “he’s not going to hurt us and usually is one of our better guys which speaks to his utility.” 

“The Tools became a part of my life”, said Mike. “It has been great spending Wednesday evenings out playing and having a break from the daily grind to blow off some steam.” This often has meant bad news for opposing teams, as Mike developed a knack for coming up with the big hit that wins a game. “I enjoy the competitiveness but also love having fun with my teammates. I especially look forward to those occasions when the game is on the line at the end, two outs and men on base and the opportunity to get the game-winning hit. It has happened a few times and it is still a thrill like playing baseball growing up.” 

“From the first time I met Mike I could tell he is a competitor, always ready to do the little things to help us win,” said former Tool Matt O’Connell. “Whenever we were behind in the late innings Mike always found the bat in his hands and he delivered with a hit that moved runners around the bases to keep us in the game.” Ben described Mike at the plate as “always swinging on a flat plane, the ball crossing his eyes, no big loop or hitch in his swing, very concise and usually resulting in a ball hit safely up the middle.” 

“Sabol is very quiet,” said Ben, “so it’s hard to know what’s thinking or feeling.” The giveaway that something is coming is a subtle grin. “He’s usually not the starter of a joke but chimes in and gets in on the fun, a great team guy.” Since he doesn’t tend to talk about himself, some are unaware of things like Mike having played quarterback and been a prolific punter for Johns Hopkins football. 

A great family man and dad, his wife Courtney, son Alex and dog Wrigley are fixtures at our games. Alex, in fact, set a record by first showing up at the age of eight days. They also have a baby daughter. Mike has devoted his career to public safety issues and manages the traffic safety department for the National Sheriffs’ Association. 

“I’ll always have two vivid memories at Virginia Highlands,” said Mike, “Hamm pitching an almost perfect game against an awful team and me getting robbed of a home run by the umpire with the Napoleonic complex [Jim] who kept me on second base with a lousy ground rule double.” 

Mike has created many memories for us … among his walk-off hits were a two run single to beat Badabing 14-13 on April 18, 2012, a bases loaded walk to end a crazy 20-19 victory against CCSP Epstein on September 20, 2017, but his greatest climaxed a tense game when he ripped a line drive single up the middle to beat the Bad News Beers 19-18, clinching our eighth regular season league title on June 17, 2015. 

With more to come, Mike is approaching his 1,000th trip to the plate. He has 445 hits, 13th … 63 doubles, 10th tied … 351 singles, 11th … 31 sacrifice flies, 12th … 56 base on errors, 8th … 633 total bases, 14th … 264 RBI, 13th … 344 runs, 12th … 283 games, 11th , a .492 batting average, 24th … 563 on base average, 25th.

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LAST YEAR:  The Tools were the 2019 Spring Regular Season Champions, winners of our 11th league title.

This was the roster:  Terrence Dolan, Kelly Heath, Ben Peden, Chris MacDonald, Sam Wallach. Ben Simon, Mike Sabol, Eric Stewart, Ryan Krepp, Coach Mark Sarver, Jeff Hart, Jay Braun, Drew Mitrisin, Chris Hamm and Doug Walker. We won 10 of our last 11 spring games, overcoming an 11-1 deficit in the final one to clinch the title. In the fall we finished 12-5-1 for a second place finish. As we headed into the fall season Eric Stewart and Drew Mitrisin moved away and Matt Bailey and Tom Herrara joined us. 

THIS YEAR:  A Look at the Current Tools, Our Player Profiles It occurs to me that through the course of these emails I have neglected something and that is to introduce the 2020 Tools, one by one, to our alumni, with info on their performance last season. So here goes.  

Mark Sarver  2  Coach/Infielder 

Coach Mark Sarver was thrilled to guide the Tools to our 11th regular season league championship and seventh since 2009. Sarv assumed the coaching reins in 1985 and has been at the helm for 1,351 games with a 794-520-37 record. However, since 2001 he is 475-210-17 with nine league titles. 

Sarv's 39th year as a player was hampered by his hamstrings. He had only two hits in the spring and six in the fall. But a big moment came in September at Jennie Dean Field when Sarv ripped five hits in seven at bats against Jay's Saloon. When his line drive flew past the right fielder heading for the corner 300 feet away, the dugout erupted with visions of an inside-the-park homer. But as the coach rounded first base, the left hamstring went and he glumly pulled up with a double. 

The long-time third baseman has played 740 regular season games, amassing 988 total bases, 7th all time. He is in the top 10 in hits, triples, singles, RBI and runs. Sarv is tops in walked by far -- 208 in regular season play and 46 in playoffs and tourneys. 

Ben Peden  32  Infielder

It was a bounce-back year for Ben Peden, who has been at the core of the Tools for a dozen years. Ten home runs were his most since 2014. Ben hit .655 in the spring, with a team leading five triples, 27 RBI and 28 runs. He led the team in hits for the 10th time. In the fall he hit .575, with 25 RBI and 19 runs and a .725 on base average. 

Ben had four hit games twice and a half dozen three hit games. He drove in five runs against Jay's Saloon in both the spring and fall and had a four RBI game against Super Feet Sluggers. He was eight for 12 in the playoffs, driving in seven runs and scoring seven times. 

On May 8, Ben's two RBI single against CCSP Epstein was his 700th career hit. He  has the highest lifetime batting average of .627 and is third in home runs with 115. Even as he ranks near the top of most career stats, equally important is Ben's easy going but confident attitude that has shaped a championship era with seven regular season titles. 

Jeff Hart  16  Infielder 

Jeff Hart sparkled throughout the year, never letting up to extend his ongoing regular season hitting streak to a new record of 80 games. The streak started in 2017 and it was on September 25 that he broke the record of 75 games that Sam Wallach established only this spring. 

Jeff had a lofty .686 spring batting average, second on the team, and a third best .651 fall batting average. Jeff enjoyed a pair of four hit games and had three hits 10 times, totaling 63 in regular season play. He had a very productive post-season playoffs, notching seven hits in 11 bats, with two triples and eight RBI and scoring six runs. 

Jeff's speed on the bases and his ability to consistently hit to the opposite field has always been a prime factor in the Tools offense. In 2019 things were no different as he ripped six triples and 11 doubles for the season. He is hitting .622 for his career, second on the all-time charts and his .671 on base average is fourth. On October 2 Jeff crossed the plate to score his 300th career run vs. Badabing. 

Sam Wallach  42  Infielder 

What an exciting year it was for one of our more versatile core players, Sam Wallach, who fielded eight of 10 positions including a couple of effective doubleheaders as a pitcher. Sam took us on a thrilling ride to shatter our all-time regular season hitting streak. His new mark of 75 games only lasted a few months, thanks to Jeff Hart, but his performance was exciting and special to watch. 

Our lead-off man was the team's fall co-leader in an unlikely category - home runs - he hit six! On September 25 at Gunston Park his two run long ball powered us to a 10-run rule win. A week later at Jennie Dean Field he broke a last inning 11-11 tie when he launched a colossal jaw-dropping walk-off grand slam home run. 

Sam had hearty batting averages of .596 in the spring and .660 in the fall. He seemed to be on base constantly, having 14 multi-hit games. That included five games with four hits. He had a four RBI game vs. CCSP Epstein and had three RBI five times. Sam scored the most runs in both seasons and was fall leader in hits, having topped both categories five of the last six times. Sam is number one all time with a career .692 on base average. 

Chris Hamm  20  Infielder  

The 21st year as a Tool could have turned out to be a lost cause for Chris Hamm, but despite serious back surgery that would have stopped most players, the stalwart infielder played in 26 games and never missed an inning due to his ailment. In fact, the veteran posted a solid .500 batting average and a .528 on base average in the spring. 

Hammer had 11 RBI and scored 13 runs, good for a very strong .706 spring run production average. He was a solid performer in the playoffs, too, with a .500 batting average. Chris knocked in four runs and scored three times. 

On May 8, Chris rounded third and headed home for career run number 700, just the third Tool to reach that mark. Chris is in the top five in most of our career offensive categories. He is third with 855 hits, fourth with 82 homers, fifth with 63 triples, third with 160 doubles, fourth with 103 walks, fourth with 1,567 total bases, third with 689 RBI, third with 711 runs and fifth with 543 games played. What an extraordinary accomplishment. 

Jay Braun  1  Outfielder 

It is hard to believe that the kid who joined the Tools right out of college has been with us through 21 seasons. Statistics do not lie, though, and so, on April 10 when Jay Braun hit a double it was his 700th RBI and he finished the year with 729, second all time. On September 18 he tripled for his 900th career hit, and his final total of 914 also is ranked second. 

Age not-withstanding, Jay actually saw a resurgence in his offensive play in 2019. He batted .538 in the spring, clouting three homers and swatting six doubles and sported a .690 on base average. Jay had two home runs in a single spring game against Super Feet Sluggers. His 117 homers ranks second lifetime on the career charts. 

Jay was even better in the fall, batting .618 with a.722 on base average, leading the way in triples for the 12th time with six. He was second on the fall squad in RBI average and run production average. Jay had never before led the team in walks, yet tied for the lead in both spring and fall. 

Mike Sabol  37  Infielder  

Tools trooper Mike Sabol had a very productive year. The multipurpose infielder who has been seen most commonly at 1st base for the last several years also filled in ably at second and third. Although he maintains a quiet presence, Mike always seems to deliver when the chips are down and a big offensive rally is needed. He produced an impressive .640 batting average and .654 on base average in the spring. Mike had a four hit game with two RBI against Badabing and three hit games vs. Jay's Saloon and CCSP Epstein. 

In the fall Mike continued with his consistent play, batting .571 with four doubles, 14 RBI and 14 runs. He was an effective producer, contributing a .400 RBI average and .800 run production average. Mike had a pair of three hit, two RBI games against rivals CCSP Epstein and Ballston Bombers. 

Chris MacDonald  49  Pitcher

Pitcher Chris MacDonald played a central role in the successful spring title drive as the Tools won our first league championship since he joined the team in 2017. C-Mac flourished on the pitching rubber, amassing a 12-4 record while squeezing our opponents' run totals to single digits 10 times. He had an 8-2 record in the fall, pitching a five hitter in a 14-2 win over Jay's Saloon and yielding fewer than 10 hits six times. That is no easy feat in a league as competitive as ours is. 

Throughout the spring run, Chris maintained a potent batting average, hitting .586 while swatting three homers and six doubles. He finished fourth on the team with 22 RBI and boasted a solid .620 on base average. 

C-Mac had nine multi-hit games, collecting three hits against both Brookland Beefcakes and Super Feet Sluggers. He put together a three RBI game vs. Badabing. In the post-season playoffs, Chris was six for 12, good for a .500 batting average. In the fall, he homered twice - in the same inning - against Hopslammers. In that game he had three hits overall and drove in three runs. 

Doug Walker  14  Outfielder 

The 31st season of Doug Walker was hampered by a variety of injuries and he was able to appear in only 10 games. He did his best to make the most of it, though, and put together a seven game hitting streak. In the spring season he had a respectable .533 run production average. 

Doug was the Tools right fielder for more than two decades and held the number two spot in the batting order for nearly 10 years. This has enabled him to become a walking Tools Record Book. He is the team's overall leader with 1,013 hits, 2,353 trips to the plate, 140 triples, 776 singles and 763 runs. Only coach Mark Sarver has played more games than his 710. 

Where he is not the all-time leader Doug is not far behind. He is third with 1,658 total bases and 108 walks, fifth with 665 RBI and eighth with 75 doubles. Doug is a very adept third base coach, although he known to frown occasionally when a Tools runner blows through his stop sign. 

Terrence Dolan  50  Outfielder

Terrence Dolan had an explosive year, tearing apart opposition pitching for 31 extra base hits - 12 homers, a triple and 18 doubles. He hit .642 in the spring, then led the way with a .705 fall batting average. Terrence was our spring leader with seven doubles, 39 RBI and 29 runs. In the fall he topped the charts with 11 doubles, .739 on base average, 30 RBI, .682 RBI average and 1.295 run production average. 

Terrence compiled a pair of significant hitting streaks stretching back to 2018, 36 games overall and 31 in regular season play. He ignited us in the playoffs, going nine for 11 with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs. 

He had a host of huge nights - seven for eight with two doubles and eight RBI vs. Hopslammers; six for six with a grand slam homer, triple, double, 10 RBI and seven runs vs. Jay's Saloon; a two run homer, five RBI vs. Super Feet Sluggers and two homers in the title clinching game when we beat Girthworms. In the fall Terrence had 10 multi-hit games. He smacked seven hits with a pair of homers and eight RBI vs. Ballston Bombers. With his offensive prowess, it is easy to overlook the tremendous role that Terrence plays anchoring our outfield. He tracks down balls in every direction and runners often make the mistake of trying to take an extra base when he is getting ready to throw. His arm is strong and deadly. 

Ben Simon  30  Infielder

A young infielder new to the area, Ben Simon became a Tool shortly after the spring season got underway. He spent most of the year playing third base but filled in ably a couple of times at short stop. Getting off to a hot start in his first career doubleheader against Hopslammers, Ben amassed five hits in six at bats, showing off his speed to leg out a triple and couple of doubles. A week later he had another exciting game, tattooing the Brookland Beefcakes pitcher for four hits including a triple and driving in three runs. 

Ben batted .593 in the spring season with a terrific .636 on base average. His three triples was second on the team. In the post-season playoffs, Ben batted .600 with six hits in 10 at bats. He drove in six runs and scored three runs. He had a .531 on base average in the fall. Ben had 11 multi-hit games. 

Ben's reliability and steadiness helped to leave a mark as he reached safely in every regular season game that he played in his rookie year. He has built and maintained an ongoing 26 game hitting streak. 

Ryan Krepp  35  Infielder/Outfielder 

Every team needs a dependable and versatile role player and speedster Ryan Krepp excelled in that role for the Tools. He played five defensive positions as an infielder and an outfielder, missing only two games the entire year. The Tools were forced to use a courtesy runner more often than in previous years due to a few players being hobbled. Most of the time it was Ryan who was called on to fill the need, and that meant he soon was flying around the bases. 

Ryan had 12 RBI and scored 13 times in the spring season. In the fall he had a .500 on base average and a .576 run production average. 

He compiled 11 multi-hit games on the year. In the spring, Ryan had a pair of hits and three RBI against Hopslammers and in the fall had four hits and two RBI against Jay's Saloon. He had a triple and three RBI vs. Super Feet Sluggers. Facing our last at bats in that game, and with the Tools trailing by a single run, Ryan stepped to the plate. He smacked a single to score the tying run and when the left fielder booted the ball the walk-off winning run scored. Kelly Heath 36 Outfielder 

Kelly Heath  36  Outfielder

Outfielder Kelly Heath only was able to play the spring season with the Tools but made those games count. He had 15 hits, 14 RBI and scored 11 runs in 14 games. He had a .658 run production average. 

Kelly had six two-RBI games. He blasted a two run homer against Brookland Beefcakes.

Kelly's biggest moment of the season presented itself in the final spring game, with the league title at stake. The Tools had battled back from an 11-1 deficit and closed to 11-7. Under great pressure, Kelly batted with the bases loaded and ripped a clutch two RBI double, then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly. Kelly singled and scored a huge insurance run in the next inning to cement our 16-13 victory for the league championship. 

Matt Bailey  23  Outfielder

Outfielder Matt Bailey joined the Tools in the fall after impressing in a couple of spring fill-in appearances. It did not take very long for him to make an impact on the outfield. Displaying speed and a strong throwing arm, Matt ably stepped into the left field spot recently vacated by the departure of Eric Stewart. 

He reached base safely in all 12 games that he played, batting .605, fifth best, with a .632 on base average. He hit his first career home run on August 28 at Gunston Park vs. CCSP Epstein and had three hits in that game. 

Matt also had a three hit game vs. Jay's Saloon and led the team with 19 singles. He knocked in 14 runs and scored 13 times. Matt's .368 RBI average was fifth on the team. 

Tom Herrera  41  Outfielder

Our newest outfielder, Tom Herrera, joined us early in the fall season and did a great job with his steady defensive play. In limited action he posted a sterling .714 batting average, hitting a triple and three doubles.

Tom hit safely in each of the eight games that he played, notching 11 RBI and scoring 10 runs. He had five multi-hit games and four mutli-RBI games. He posted a robust .524 RBI average and 1.000 run production average. Tom singled in his first career at bat, later adding another hit and a RBI against Ballston Bombers. In the second game of the doubleheader he was three for three. Tom had three hits and a pair of RBI against Jay's Saloon. 

We salute Dr. Tom Herrera for his heroic work caring for veterans during the Covid 19 pandemic at Walter Reade Hospital.

Edition 19          August 12, 2020  

I finally escaped my apartment on Monday to enjoy a beautiful day on the water with a colleague, boating in a river and floating in a cove near Chesapeake Bay. It was a much needed outing, and having finally gotten a little tan and imbibed a few Dos Equis, I'm fully ready to play Tools Wednesday, 19th Edition 

This week's unsung hero is former pitcher Craig Hughes.  So as the lead-in to his story, let's enjoy highlights from our many outstanding pitchers thoughout the years.

The 1980's

June 15, 1983   Bill Kreykenbohm tosses a two hit shutout, beating AMS 15-0. 

Fall 1985  The All Bill Rotation of Kreykenbohm and Anhut lead us to our first league title by holding opponents to single digits runs in 13 straight games. 

April 2, 1988  Bill Kreykenbohm yields only three hits, and an uncharacteristic four walks, in a 13-2 victory against Generals in the Umpires Tourney. 

September 14, 1988  Bill Kreykenbohm pitches a four hit shutout of Harvey’s Wallbangers, 3-0. 

The 1990's 

July 25, 1990  Bill Anhut stifles Whitey’s as we build a 10-3 lead in the spring playoffs finals and hangs tough for a 10-7 win. 

May 15, 1991  Bill Kreykenbohm stuns the powerful Pentagon City Thermos with a five hit, two walk 15-0 shutout. 

April 18-22 1995  Jim Stensland’s pitching heroics leads to an upset of the slugging Roughriders and to third place finish in the 40 team Early Bird Tournament. 

April 24, 1996  Terry Hiebert makes his pitching debut and beats Baird Automotive 10-1, yielding only six hits. 

The 2000's

April 27, 2002  Ken Ferebee pitches the Tools to our first Early Bird Tourney title, defeating old time rival Ed’s Rhinos 10-6 in the finals. 

July 14, 2003  Ken Ferebee holds Mendoza Line to three hits in a 12-1 win. 

July 19, 2003  Bill Kreykenbohm yields only one hit and a walk, but induces two double plays to become the only Tools pitcher to face the minimum number of batters in a 13-0 playoff win against Harvey’s Wallbangers. 

October 3, 2003  Bill Anhut sweeps the Bad News Beers, in the first game scattering six hits with 13 of 15 outs coming on ground balls, then pitching a five hitter, striking out four batters. 

July 15, 2009  Rookie Josh O’Donnell holds up through last inning pressure in a slugfest with Bad News Beers to put us in the winning column. 

The 2010's 

August 25, 2010  Craig Hughes pitches a five hitter in a 11-1 win over Fireworks Pizza, getting 13 ground outs in only five innings. 

July 6, 2011  Chris Hamm is only one out away from becoming the first Tools pitcher to pitch both a perfect game and a no-hitter, but an error ruins the perfecto and a hit follows to spoil the no-no. 

June 19, 2013  Bill Anhut, making his first appearance since retiring five years earlier, pitches both ends of a doubleheader and we win the nightcap. 

August 21, 2013  Craig Hughes returns to action after recovering from a broken hand and pitches the Tools to a sweep of BDNB. 

May 30, 2018  Chris MacDonald, after getting beat up early so we trailed 12-1, shuts down Badabing over the next four innings and his teammates roar back for an amazing 18-12 win.  

July 11, 2018  Chris MacDonald scatters nine hits and two walks in our playoff opener, finishing up with three shut-out innings to beat Jay’s Saloon 11-5. 

Unsung Heroes 

Craig Hughes, Unsung Hero, 2009-2016

“For my four years at the Academy and 23 years active duty in the Air Force,” recalled former Tools pitcher Craig Hughes, “I was always in either a fighter or training aircraft squadron, or another tight knit group, with a very special sense of camaraderie and being part of a team. When I retired and transitioned to the ‘real world’ in 2007, things definitely changed. Fortunately, I met Mark at an Arlington County tryout in 2009 and joined the Tools.” 

I remember watching Craig that day, thinking he was a coach helping out as he organized the defense. When we had “the conversation” and I asked his age, his face fell, smile fading. “Forty seven”, he said. I laughed and reassured him that “on the Tools when it comes to pitching, 47 is a youth movement.” 

“Finally,” Craig fondly remembered, “I found that great camaraderie environment again, and it really had a HUGE positive impact on my life. First, I got to meet so many amazing and impressive teammates, and to pick their brains about their lives, which helped me to become a much better dad for our son who was only eight years old at the time. Second, I had that sense of being appreciated for my contributions, which everyone needs to have in life. Third, I gained a great social network, even if for only one night a week, during and after the games. Fourth, it gave me insights into being an adult athlete on the ball field, and that has really benefited me as a baseball umpire, especially when I'm working at the adult league levels.”

Doug Walker, who has observed generations of Tools players, pointed to Craig’s modesty, someone “deferring his own achievements to thank and acknowledge his teammates first. He constantly was supportive if you made a bad play or missed an opportunity while on the flip side applauded all good things.” 

Despite a mild disposition Craig was a tenacious pitcher. “Sometimes I felt so focused that I wouldn’t even look at the face of the batter and rarely remembered what he did the previous at bat, let alone in some previous game. I approached each like I was pitching to him for the first and last time ever.” Short stop Jeff Hart called him “remarkably consistent and a fierce competitor, not afraid to get into a verbal altercation with opposing players if they crossed a line.” Yes, Craig’s temper might flare, “especially when batters seemed to purposely target me with the batted ball. I remember getting hit by a line drive in the torso and the bruise turned so ugly it looked like the inside of a rotten avocado.” 

It was a Tool, Jesse Johnson, who drilled Craig with a batting practice liner, breaking his hand and knocking him out of the 2013 spring season. Matt O’Connell, who as a new player had quickly recognized Craig’s core importance to the team, recalled how we “scrambled to fill his shoes. When he returned he looked different, wearing a protective face mask, but was the same Hughes on the mound dominating teams.” 

Craig was sincerely interested in his teammates who enjoyed talking with him. Jeff, another new player that fall, at first “was taken aback by the mask Craig wore on the mound, but quickly got to know the man behind the mask. He went out of his way to get to know me, always making conversation in the dugout.” Doug “introduced Craig to the world of sea cruises. We loved them as a family and Craig took a few trips with his son, Jack, and thanked me for the bonding experience it provided.” It was fun to watch Jack, then eight or nine years old, with Dad looking on, throw out the first pitch before a Saturday Tools playoff game. 

Craig proved dominant as a pitcher but modest about his record, preferring to give credit to “the amazing defensive accomplishments of my Tools teammates which literally caused my jaw to drop several times a game.” He sometimes asked me “is there anything I should be doing differently?” Usually my answer was “just keep doing what you are doing.” 

He debuted on April 29, 2009 and helped lead the Tools to six league titles in eight years, our greatest championship era. He continually stifled very strong teams, especially Bad News Beers. Craig’s cumulative spring season record was a stunning 64-10-1. He was 10-0-1 for our 2010 spring titlists and 11-1 that fall; 17-1-2 overall in 2011 with our fall team unbeaten; after adding a nifty curve ball that broke away from right handers, he was 11-2 in spring 2012; and 9-2 for our 2016 spring league champs. While pitching on the last night of his regular season career, June 22, 2016, he registered put outs at both home plate and third base – in the same inning! 

On offense, Craig contributed significantly. Doug noted that whatever he may have lacked in “athletic stature or speed he made up for by being clutch so many times when needed and always playing with a level head, never getting too high or too low.” 

On April 28, 2010 he ripped five hits for five RBI in a lopsided 36-5 defeat of then dominant Badabing. On September 21, 2011 he ripped three doubles among four hits, good for five RBI as we beat Booth Review. He had seven extra base hits that fall season. In 2012 he had 11 multi-hit games. After the broken hand in 2013 he feared being unable to grip the bat but returned to hit .500 that fall and posted a third best .694 on base average. Down the stretch as we battled for the league title in spring 2014, Craig was one of our hottest hitters, going 11 for 13 with five walks and a sacrifice fly, notching eight RBI and eight runs. 

His greatest single offensive moment was a base-running play. On October 21, 2015 we were locked in a 6-6 tie with the Commodores. Craig led off the seventh inning with a single, tagged and advanced to second on a fly out to right, then scored on a base hit for a walk off win that clinched the league title. 

Craig played 203 regular season games, 22 nd all time, got 230 hits including seven triples and 28 doubles, 68 walks – 10th all time, 44 base on errors – tied 14th , .541 on base average, 154 RBI and 164 runs. He “always was proud to be high on the list for most walks which reflected that I was trying to be patient at the plate.” 

Elena and Craig Hughes have been married for 25 years. She works in science and technology [S&T] development. Craig used to, also, as Deputy Director/Program Manager for the US Navy. Now he’s a Deputy Director/Program Analyst at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Son Jack is 19 now, a student at Elon University, alma mater of Tools Chris Hamm, Jay Braun and Brian Hurney. He will entertain internship offers. While still active with the Tools, Craig started umpiring baseball – youth leagues to college to senior aged adults – and now has nearly 800 games under his belt and trains youth umpires for Arlington Babe Ruth. “Umpiring has been fun and being on the Tools helped me in many ways to become good at it.”

Craig, who remains close to the Tools Family and still attends our annual team party, expressed his “thanks to all the Tools, past and present, for having such a huge positive impact on my life!” He impacted our lives in equal measure.

Edition 20          August 19, 2020  

Time flies by when you’re not having fun, so tonight begins our Virtual Fall Season. Let’s play two on Tools Wednesday, 20th Edition.

Tonight's Theme:  Five Tool Players

There have been 37 players who have played five years or more. 

The Tools have won five spring playoff titles. 

The Tools have finished the regular season in fifth place five times – fall 1987, fall 1988, fall 1989, spring 1992, fall 2017. 

We have had nine seasons in which we lost five games. 

In five different Early Bird Tourneys, we finished with five victories. 

Sam Wallach has led the team in hits five times, just since he joined us in 2017. 

Mike Giglio, our home run king until 1996, led the team in homers five times. 

Terry Hiebert, Ken Ferebee, Bill Anhut, Brian Hurney, Will O’Day and Craig Hughes each led the team in walks five times. But all-time leader Mark Sarver was the leader in three X five seasons. 

Ben Peden has been our on base average leader five times. 

Chris Hamm and Jay Braun each have led the Tools five times in RBI. 

Sam Wallach has been tops five times in runs scored. 

Matt Doyle wore number 5 for 11 years, his number now retired. 

Mike Giglio and Jay Braun have been our run production average leader five times. [That’s RBI + runs divided by at bats, a telling Sarvstat of long-standing.] 

Fifth all time in regular season play – Jay Braun 1,874 trips to plate, Mark Sarver 1,606 at bats, Ken Ferebee 813 hits, Drew Mitrisin .611 batting average, Drew Mitrisin 55 home runs, Chris Hamm 63 triples, Mark Bultman 117 doubles, Jay Braun 479 singles, Bill Anhut 100 walks, Mark Sarver 46 sacrifice flies, Bill Kreykenbohm 60 base on errors, Ben Peden 1,427 total bases, Drew Mitrisin .664 on base average, Doug Walker 665 RBI, Ben Peden 582 runs, Jay Braun .445 RBI average, Jeff Franco .926 run production average, Chris Hamm 543 games played. 

Fifth all time in playoffs and tournaments – Bill Kreykenbohm 343 trips to the plate, Bill Kreykenbohm 312 at bats, Bill Kreykenbohm 149 hits, Ben Peden .608 batting average, Chris Hamm 18 home runs, Joe Lombardo 12 triples, Ben Peden 25 doubles, Jay Braun 97 singles, Doug Walker 20 walks, Jim Rohrbach and Ben Peden 11 sacrifice flies, Jay Braun 16 base on errors, Mark Bultman 255 total bases, Ken Ferebee .650 on base average, Joe Lombardo 112 RBI, Doug Walker 119 RBI, Jeff Fus and Steve Sprague .500 RBI average, Josh Bartzen .946 run production average, Ken Ferebee and Chris Hamm 113 games played. 

October 16, 1983  Five players account for 33 hits in a sweep of Ernst Whinney.

Spring 1986  Five regular season games end in a tie. 

July 28, 1986  Gerry Mello was suspended for five years, at first, for playing on two teams, illegally … oooohhh.  [Later reduced to just the fall season.] 

April 19, 1997  Joe Lombardi becomes the first Tool to hit five home runs in an Early Bird tournament. 

August 30, 2004  As a light rain falls, five Tools think we’re postponed and don’t show up, until an upset umbrella-toting coach calls them, but we forfeit the first game. 

April 14, 2007  The Tools win five games in six hours to grab the Early Bird Tournament championship. 

April 29, 2009  Five Tools rookies debut, unknowingly beginning an era in which we will win six league titles in eight years. 

April 28, 2010  Chris Hamm and Craig Hughes each get five hits and five RBI, leading the Tools to a 36-5 smashing of Badabing. 

August 25, 2010  Craig Hughes tosses a five hitter, beating Fireworks Pizza 11-1. 

June 29, 2011  Short stop Eric Stewart is involved in our execution of five double plays, one in each inning, as the Spider Monkeys are caught in our web, 12-1.  

September 21, 2011 Craig Hughes lashes three doubles to drive in five runs. 

June 12, 2012  Trailing Bashers 6-5 in the seventh inning, the Tools rally for five runs to win 10-7. 

June 19, 2013  One day after celebrating his 61st birthday, Bill Anhut shows up to pitch – five years after his retirement – and pitches two playoff games that we split. 

September 25, 2013  Ben Peden, with a pair of homers, and Jeff Hart both go five for five in a 25-7 win. 

May 28, 2014  Hitting a pair of triples and a double, Ben Peden gets five RBI although we lose to the evil Fighting Penguins. 

October 29, 2014  Ben Peden homers and drives in five runs. 

November 5, 2014  Matt O’Connell extends his 46 game regular season hitting streak with four hits and five RBI. 

April 1, 2015  Bill Anhut makes his first regular season pitching experience in five years and lead us to a 19-2 and 18-5 sweep of Jay’s Saloon. Even better, he finally gets his 800th career hit. 

October 21, 2015  The Tools clinch our 9th regular season league title, not wilting under the pressure of having to defend a one game lead for five weeks. 

August 29, 2018  Drew Mitrisin hits a long balls that makes if five three run homers that fall and he gets five RBI. 

Five Good Stories 

Story One of Five 

The Sidewalk Plot That Set the Tools Future Course and Proved That There is No Justice

Summer 1982 In August 1981, the Justice Department softball team, after a 5-17 spring, missed out in the fall lottery held annually in Arlington back then. Four players, Mark Sarver, Bill Kreykenbohm, Bob Emeritz and Craig Crenshaw, were invited to play with the Tools. After having a great time, the four dutifully returned to Justice for spring 1982, enduring a 4-18 record. 

After an evening drowning sorrows at Whitey’s, Sarver, Kreykenbohm, Emeritz and a new player, Bob Granger, stood on the sidewalk and Sarver asked “have you been thinking what I’ve been thinking, about going back to the Tools?” Kreykenbohm was all for it. Emeritz and Granger both laughed “wherever you go, Sarv, we’ll go.” The Sidewalk Plot led to a Tools windfall of new players and a nearly lifetime coach and without it, we likely would not still be around 40 years later. 

Story Two of Five  

Rednecks, Formalwear, Japanese Tourists and Twins, A Night at the Keyhole Inn

Spring 1986 It was a beautiful, warm evening after a Tools Wednesday doubleheader as we gathered on the front porch of our sponsor, the Keyhole Inn. No bar I’ve seen enticed such an eclectic collection of patrons – young people in jeans, couples in formalwear, sad sack regulars hunched over the bar, and yes, softball players. Our whole team was there with some female fans, among them two spirited young women, The Twins, Marguerite and Suzanne. A few years later Marguerite would walk down the aisle and become our teammate Ken Shoop’s bride. 

Some of us wondered about the large empty bus on the street out front. Then the Keyhole’s front door opened and out poured a busload of Japanese businessmen. When they saw us in our jerseys and then espied The Twins, they became overwrought with energy and began crying “baseball, baseball”. There began a very long photo session involving nearly every possible mathematical combo of players, Japanese and Twins. It was a great time and later I imagined photos of us hanging in cities in towns all over Japan. 

Story Three of Five 

Stella, A Loyal Fan, Literally at Home at Jennie Dean Field

Mid-2000’s  One night at Jennie Dean Field, an elderly red-haired woman was sitting in the stands on the third base side near the Tools dugout. She watched the game intently and in a somewhat raspy voice playfully ragged on us, often focusing on me as coach. On subsequent visits we found her in the same spot, always rooting for our opponent. 

June 18 was Bill Anhut’s birthday and a cake was supplied. I offered a slice to the woman whose loyalties transferred at once, increasing our fan base by one. Her name was Stella and she was homeless, living at and around Jennie Dean Field. Now one with us, she began offering coaching suggestions and to my delight, I found she knew the game and her ideas actually made sense. 

For a couple of years Stella was our loyal fan. We were sad when eventually she disappeared, possibly intimidated by the increasing number of homeless men in the area. We think she relocated to north Arlington where one of us once saw her. I hope that she’s still around somewhere and safe. 

Story Four of Five 

An Amazing Saturday at the Early Bird 

April 18, 2009  The Tools arrived at Gunston Park on a beautiful Saturday morning for the Early Bird Tournament. We had been terribly mediocre in dropping three of four bracket games so were seeded in the lower “B” level for this double elimination portion. But nothing about that memorable Saturday would be mediocre. 

We were a mixture of Tools old and new – Bultman, Fus, Gummey, Hughes, Kautz, Lombardo, O’Donnell, Peden, Revette and Sarver – and a handful of fill-ins since not everyone could play through the day. There was an air of excitement even if expectations were low. 

Joe Lombardo’s wife Amy was expecting a baby “at any moment” and each time he returned to the bench he anxiously grasped a beeper in one and a pager in the other. 

The Tools offense was unexpectedly explosive that day from start to finish. We thrashed the Big Sticks 17-4 on 25 hits. Bultman had four hits and five players had three. In the second game we put up 17 runs in the second inning alone and crushed Bungalow Exporters 29-9. 

All eyes were focused on Lombardo, who already had five hits on the day, when he stepped to the plate but fate took a hand. Joe took a big swung and launched a long drive that soared over the left field fence for a home run, giving him five RBI in the game. But he heard and felt a pop in his shoulder. Little did we know when he left the field that this would be Joe’s last at bat as a Tool, the injury was serious. 

We had hours off now, and headed to hang out at John and Tracy Revette’s nearby house on S. Arlington Ridge Drive. Plenty of pizza and beer was consumed, needlessly concerning the coach. When we returned to the field the offensive attack resumed as we thrashed AMG Triple Threat 19-5 on 20 hits. Finally, we won the tournament with a 26-7 mashing of Waterproofers, getting 29 more hits. 

The Tools scored in every inning of the four double elimination games and outscored our opponents 91-25. 

Story Five of Five 

Doug Walker’s 1,000th Hit,

April 11, 2018  Doug Walker fulfilled an improbable 30 year journey, becoming the first player in the history of Beecher Tool and Die Softball with 1,000 regular season career hits. We’d been enjoying of The Walker Watch since it began in 2017 when he finished the year five hits short. But there was no stopping him on this spring night at Jennie Dean Field. 

Doug knocked a line drive up the middle and over the head of a Jay's Saloon second baseman that fell safely in the sixth inning of game one of a twin bill. Umpire Hank Kopcial stopped the game, walked to the pitching rubber and called Doug over to present the ball that did the honor of being batted into history, the Tools applauding the incredible feat.

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It's time to watch Barack and Kamala.  Have a great night.

Sarv

Edition 21          August 26, 2020  

DC is moderately warm this week yet filled with hot air. My office that is just a block from the White House – operating with a skeleton crew and where I haven’t been since mid-March – is closing for the next three days to avoid whatever might comes next. Needing a pleasant distraction, inevitably we look to Tools Wednesday, 21st Edition.

This Week in Tools History

August 23, 1995  Twenty five years ago, Bill Anhut ended his first retirement, returning to the Tools after a two year hiatus and shutting out Whitey’s for six of seven innings to win. He did not return his retirement gifts, as I recall the video This is Spinal Tap and a CD of The Clash. [Is that right, Bill and did CDs exist then?] 

August 23, 1999  Twenty one years ago, Chris Hamm, a recent graduate of Elon College had an inauspicious start to his amazing Tools career, popping up to the catcher. It took four at bats to get his first hit, a single. Hammer came to the Tools because during a job interview with a Federal government agency, his interviewer, long-time Tools pitcher Bill Kreykenbohm, asked "do you play softball?" 

August 24, 1983  Thirty seven years ago, Mark Sarver returned from a knee injury in the fall opener, having missed 14 spring league games and the first playoff game in our history. Coach Bruce Urban, out of the habit of seeing his bearded third baseman, forgot to write his name in the line-up, and in a strange interpretation of the rules, the umpire forfeited the game to Edsall Road Mobil. 

August 24, 2011  Nine years ago, the Tools celebrated our 30th anniversary in Arlington by scoring in every inning of a doubleheader sweep. Ben Peden homered, tripled and singled for six RBI in the nightcap. Sarv wore his original uniform, older than many of the current players, yet the pants still fit. 

August 25, 2003  Seventeen years ago, the Tools scored 25 runs while making only 9 outs to beat the Big Sticks. Then, down by six runs in the 6th inning, we launched a 10 run rally to sweep the doubleheader. 

August 25, 2010  Ten years ago, Craig Hughes pitched a five hitter, inducing 13 ground ball outs in five innings, to beat Fireworks Pizza 11-1. August 26, 1992 Twenty eight years ago tonight, Ken Ferebee slugged his first two career home runs in the fall league opener. 

August 26, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight, Jeff Franco made a flashy debut at short stop by gunning out a runner at the plate, showing off the arm that would become very familiar to the league. He flied out to right in his first at bat, singled in his third and in the second game smacked the ball to right center and circled the bases for a two-run inside-the-park homer.

August 26, 2009  Eleven years ago tonight, the Tools set a record regular season winning streak of 19 games in a row, winning 22-3 and 18-1. 

August 26, 2015  Five years ago tonight at Barcroft 4, after dropping the first game 14-9, the Tools stunned CarPool 20-2 with a 25 hit attack that included only three extra base hits, all doubles. Chris Hamm was superb, scattering seven hits. 

August 24, 1981  Thirty nine years ago the Tools took the field in Arlington for the first time in our green and white jerseys with Beecher Tool and Die silk-screened across the front, white pants with a green stripe down each side and green stirrups.  With no sponsor and a tight budget, a few jerseys lacked the imprinted team name. We won our first game 2-1, beating eventual league champions, Mario’s Pizza, but lost the nightcap 17-10. 

Does anyone who played in this historic doubleheader have any recollections? What was that day like in the world? All that happened is revealed below. In certain respects you’ll see that the more things change the more they stay the same. 

It was a Monday. Now that’s a surprise. Maybe we didn’t always play on Wednesdays in the early days. It was a nice hot day, with game time temperature about 87 degrees, 43% humidity with 10 mph winds blowing west-southwest and no gusts. There was no sign of rain, certainly not a predictor of things to come for the Tools. 

Only four current members of the Tools had been born by that night, Mark Sarver, Doug Walker, Chris Hamm and Jay Braun.  What were you doing before playing on August 24, 1981 and where were you doing it?

Sadly and hard to fathom, two members of that team have passed away, Rocco Saracina and Craig Crenshaw. 

I was on vacation in West Dennis, Cape Cod on 8/24/1981. I worked two blocks from the White House for Bank Street College of Education. [Now I work one block from the White House, creeping ever closer to power.] 

The World on August 24, 1981

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that afternoon at 900.11, NASDAQ at 200.76 and the S&P 500 at 125.50. So if you invested $10,000 on that day, what would it be worth today?

International support of Soviet-style Communism was demanded by Moscow in a warning to its Eastern bloc allies that they must strictly maintain orthodoxy to prevent another upheaval similar to Poland’s. 

Civil war resumed in Lebanon. Israel reaffirmed its autonomy plans for the Palestinian Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The autonomy issue would be discussed later that week by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. 

South African troops invaded Angola, an operation to destroy a number of South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) bases. Nelson Mandela, already a longtime political prisoner, would be locked away for another decade. 

In Tokyo, Sony Chairman Akio Morita introduced the Magnetic Video Camera to "make conventional chemical photography and development obsolete". It created an analog image on a videodisk, similar to a freeze-frame on a videotape. The first digital camera would not be introduced until 1991. 

The state of California was battling a fruit fly invasion and lots of criticism was being heaped on Governor Jerry Brown, yes, the same Jerry Brown who was governor again until just a couple of years ago. 

The New York Times said that day that African Americans’ expectations have declined under the Reagan Administration, while many whites are now more optimistic on the nation’s future. 

It was the 167th anniversary of the British sacking of Washington, DC and the burning of the White House. 

“Endless Love”, sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie, was the number 1 hit. 

Charles Chapman became the first African American to swim the English Channel. 

Major General William F. Dean, highest ranking American officer to be taken prisoner in the Korean War, died. He was a POW for three years and was awarded the Medal of Honor. 

Actor Chad Michael Murray was born on this day. Who? He’s been in many films including Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and spent a season on The Gilmore Girls. 

Ian Rosenberger was born in Pennsylvania. In 2005 he would bow out of the final immunity challenge so that Katie Gallagher could have a shot at winning Survivor. 

Ronald Reagan was in the seventh month of his presidency, ushering in a conservative era that has brought the Republican Party to where it is today. He had been wounded by a would-be assassin that year, surviving. There was nothing of note on his schedule that day. 

John Paul II was the pope. He had been wounded that year by a would-be assassin, surviving. 

Anwar Sadat was the prime minister of Egypt who made peace with Israel. He was killed that year by assassins. 

Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 

Baseball was nearly as weird then as now. A players strike had ended recently, and the first half winners and second half winners met in the playoffs, with the Yankees and Dodgers eventually meeting in a forgettable World Series. 

The Bostic Celtics with Larry Bird were the NBA Champions. 

341,880 hours have passed between 8/24/81 and 8/24/20. Time flies when you’re having fun. 

We'll have more fun next week. Sarv 

Edition 22           September 2, 2020  

A heavy rainstorm hit the area right at game time, so we have to stay inside, but luckily its … Tools Wednesday, 22nd Edition.

This Week in Tools History

September 2, 2020  Five years ago tonight, September 2, 2015 the Tools crushed Last Call 21-13 and 20-6 for our largest run production of the year. It started poorly, as Chris Hamm, discombobulated by a strenuous hike down and up the Grand Canyon, faced seven batters and walked six of them. Matt O'Connell stepped in for his first Tools pitching appearance and things stabilized, paving the way for the Tools offensive onslaught that featured two homers and 10 RBI by Drew Mitrisin and a three run homer by Brad Moehringer. Matt earned both victories. 

September 3, 2014  Six years ago the Tools overcame a 16-6 deficit to shock Sloppy Joe's 21-16, surging ahead with 12 run third inning rally. In first game, also won by the Tools, Doug Walker scored 700th career run. 

September 4, 1981  Thirty nine years ago a new third baseman, Mark Sarver, made his Tools debut and earned his first career RBI to put the Tools in the lead to stay in an 11-2 win. 

September 6, 1985  Thirty five years ago Mark Sarver became the Tools interim coach when Bill and Dale Anhut flew to England for a vacation. The Tools were in first place when Bill returned so he told Sarver to keep going. A 10 game winning streak gave us our first league title. After the season Bill rewarded Sarv, giving him the job permanently without the slightest notion of it kicking off a wonderful ride that rolls on thirty nine years later. 

September 6, 1989  We told this story briefly in an early episode of Tools Wednesday, but it’s worth repeating a little more colorfully. Thirty one years ago a down-hearted team moped into Fuddruckers after dropping both games to our rival and nemesis, Presearch. Hoping to cheer up everyone, Coach Mark Sarver surprised rookie second baseman Scott Bresnahan with a birthday cake. He then walked away to gather plates and forks. When he returned the notorious Mike Giglio and the slyly mischievous Bresnahan were both complaining that “this cake smells like shit.” Sarv was perplexed, “what?” They both repeated their assertion. “It’s just a rum cake,” wondered Sarv as he bent over to sniff … yeah, he really did. Immediately hands to the back of his head pushed him down through each layer. As he arose, covered in cake and quite frosted, he confirmed, “rum”. Unquestionably, through four decades no moment ever has come close to topping this one. 

September 7, 1983  Thirty seven years ago at the old Barcroft 4, Chris Girolamo made a hard slide into second base and broke his leg. As Chris tells it, “I was on first and I think Bruce Urban hit a nice crisp grounder to short that I was determined to beat out.” Frustrated that he wasn’t going to make it, he slid hard, too hard. Unlike today’s breakaway bases, the one waiting for Chris had a steel post extending several inches into the ground to keep it in place. There was no give in the base, but plenty in Girolamo’s leg. 

September 7, 1988  Thirty two years ago the Tools smashed Little Café 19-0 as John Buchan, Bill Anhut and Rich White each ripped four hits. 

35 Years as Tools Coach … What’s It Meant to Me? 

Thirty five years ago this week I became Tools coach because the Anhuts needed a vacation. Once Bill offered the role “for good” I’ll admit to being thrilled. At age 34, I loved playing, taking great pride in my defensive skills at third base and occasional sneaky power. Now I hoped to find new ways to contribute and make the experience even more special for everyone. 

Initially I experienced some of the awkwardness that comes from leading a group of which one is a peer. It took a while to get my footing. I had a lot to learn about leadership, demeanor, thinking strategically and making tactical decisions. Still do, probably, but hope that I’ve become better at it. And when things get dicey there’s always “The Randomizer” lineup. It certainly has been loads of fun. 

We had a good nucleus back then and I wanted to expand on our depth and further strengthen comradery. Even as I was feeling my way, I envisioned that we could be more than “just a softball team”, something that would last. 

Getting a sponsor helped. Ken Shoop and Gerry Mello told me about the Keyhole Inn and we went there next chance we could. It seemed like a dive, but maybe it could be our dive. The owner rolled in, literally (Richard Reeve weighed in at about 350-400 pounds) and within a minute I was on the stool next to him talking about the team. He agreed to sponsor us then and there and paid for uniforms and league fees. But he was a poor businessman, in hock for a renovation though he didn’t own the land. By the time gentrification swept the place away we were gone, stiffed for $1,000, but for two seasons had a great place to hang out. 

I organized events to include spouses and girlfriends – trips to the Capital Centre to see the Bullets and the Capitals and a summer picnic. Getting the women to know each other made a difference, so the post-season parties starting in 1990 were a big hit. So was Bill Anhut’s Tools Golf Championship that endured for 20 years. Long lasting friendships developed within the team, and this has been so in each generation. 

The years went by. Sometimes we were good or even very good, sometimes not so much. But the chemistry seemed to get better and better. Even when we did rebuilds as key players retired or moved away we continued to be tight. We went through two more sponsors, Fuddruckers and Red Hot & Blue, before finding a permanent home with the Crystal City Sports Pub in 1994. 

Keeping a team together is immensely challenging. I had to become more resourceful in recruiting, attending the county’s tryouts, placing free unclassified ads in the Washington Post Weekend section and the Arlington Journal, using Craig’s List, fishing for talent in the Glover Park League, scanning the county free agent web page and relying on the judgment of current players and alumni. Keeping current players in town extended to helping with job searches, once even arranging for an information interview with a friend and joining the meeting. 

Lo and behold, this paid off and as we entered our third decade morphed into one of the stronger teams in the country, winning a bunch of titles – regular seasons, playoffs, small tourneys. That’s been great obviously. But sometimes as I watch from the dugout I imagine one of you from another era making the big play or racing around the bases. This was especially true last year as we bid farewell to Jennie Dean Field, which will be relocated and rebuilt in a renovated park. When I think of each group of you, era by era, it’s all so familiar -- even the crap you give me (which I generally don't mind). 

My behind-the-scenes role has evolved over the years and maybe your perception of me. When I took the reins, I was a full-time third baseman and a peer of my teammates, we were like brothers all of roughly a certain age. Then I was an older brother, an uncle, a father-figure and today maybe a grandfather. Most heartening have been the times some of you have confided in me or asked advice about personal aspects of your lives. I appreciate being seen as a listener who is not judgmental. 

Being the leader of the Tools has been one of the proudest accomplishments of my life. Silly, right? Well, it’s been a long time since we stopped being “just a softball team” and became an extended family and this family has deep meaning for me. Any of you who’ve put in your time knows this is so. 

So thanks to everyone who has been part of this experience and helped me do my thing. 

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Tools Wednesday will take a break for the next two to three weeks. I’ve booked a condo in Corolla, NC – the Outer Banks – and will wedge an entire summer into two fun-filled weeks on the beach. Soon to come in early October, the Quadrennial Sarver Presidential Election poll. This poll of the entire Tools family has correctly forecast all but two national elections for the chief office since 1984. Best part, nobody has to vote in person. Meanwhile, stay safe and I’ll talk to you soon.

Sarv

Edition 23           October 7, 2020  

After a month-long break and two fine weeks in the Outer Banks, I’ve rejuvenated so it’s time to return to Tools Wednesday, 23rd Edition.

This Week in Tools History

October 4, 1989  Thirty one years ago, after the worst season start ever, 0-7, the Tools caught fire, winning 10 of 11 and the final eight to finish with a 10-8 record. The comeback locked in a mindset that drove us to two 1990 championships. 

October 4-11, 2004  Sixteen years ago, 53 year old Mark Sarver socked eight RBI in two games. 

October 5, 2016  Four years ago, Bill Anhut, who retired in 2008 and now was 64 years old, answered our cry for pitching help and agreed to stay with us for the rest of the season. He pitched six games and was as graceful and effective as ever. He hit for a.533 batting average, too.  

October 7, 2015  Five years ago tonight, Craig Hughes was in top form as he held Sloppy Joe's to six hits and we won game one 14-2. But in the second game we trailed 12-2, then 15- 5. We fought back, scoring four in the fourth – Brad Moehringer blasting a three run homer – then five more in the sixth to get within a run, although the rally died with the bases loaded. In the sixth we loaded the bases again and this time delivered. Doug Walker singled up the middle to tie the score and Jeff Hart drilled a long base hit over the left fielder's head to win it 16-15. 

October 10, 2003  Seventeen year ago, we experienced Yom Kippur Massacre II. Some of us had departed already for an overseas Tools wedding and a short-handed squad suffered our first regular season loss of the year to Hosers, 9-7. As the Day of Atonement ended, Coach Mark Sarver arrived after breaking his fast and was shocked to learn of the loss. Despite being clad in a suit, tie and dress shoes, he headed to the third base coaching box late in the second game where he rallied the team, fashionably windmilling runners around the bases for five last inning runs and a comeback win. The winning hit was a bloop single to shallow center by Bill Kreykenbohm. Sarv’s “suit and tie” act actually duplicated an identical rally just a year earlier, when we beat Filthy Capitalists in game two of Yom Kippur Massacre I on September 16, 2002. Connie Mack would have been proud. 

October 10, 2018  Two years ago, 20 year veteran Chris Hamm ripped a walk-off single to left to beat Warning Track power 12-11. In the second game Terrence Dolan and Ben Peden socked back-to-back solo home runs. 

The Six Tools Eras 

As the only member of Beecher Tool and Die Softball to be along for the entire ride in Arlington, 39 years and counting, I’ve witnessed our evolution from “just another softball team” into a franchise and then a family. Yet like the Yankees or Celtics dynasties, our history is marked by distinct yet overlapping eras. Many of you played during one or more of these eras, some longer than that, as they blended one into another with a continuity linking all of you together. 

It’s quite remarkable: two of us have played more than three decades, four others for more than 20 years, 13 for a decade or more and 18 others for at least five years. These are the Tools Eras as I define them. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of these eras, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the first era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to supplement my remarks by sharing your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time.

Era 1 - 1981 - 1987  The Formative Years

Building a team from scratch is really hard. We had a typical starter kit – a group of friends, co-workers and guys who’ve played together elsewhere. Pretty soon, though, coaches have to add new “unrelated” players and make decisions that can create friction and bruise egos. The Tools experienced a bit of this. Bruce Urban and then Bill Anhut, our original coaches, deserve great credit for successfully guiding us through this formative period, fostering an atmosphere that made those years wonderful. We had fun and lots of it. 

For a developing team, we nurtured quite a substantial nucleus of players. This core group, aside from Urban and Anhut, included Chris Girolamo, Allen Urban, Les Davison, Ken Surprenant, Bob Emeritz, Jeff McTiernan, Bill Kreykenbohm, Mike Giglio, Terry Hiebert and Mark Sarver. Over time we added Gerry Mello, Rick Welch, Terry Medley and Ken Shoop, with brief contributions from Greg Fortine, Dave Van Wagener and Steve Blechman.

This group liked being together. We all were generally of a certain age, so different from our later squads. We hung out – a barbeque at the Girolamo house, pool parties at the home of Rick Welch’s parents, sneaking beers in the parking lot after games, feasting on broasted chicken at Whitey’s and later on, chili mac at the Keyhole Inn, moving the Anhuts into their new home on N. Cleveland Street [where they remain], several sharing a love of motorcycles. There were plenty of little Tools kids playing in the dirt behind the batting cages and they got along pretty well, too. 

I was the starting third baseman throughout this era, playing nearly every game there until coaching duties led me to platoon some. On game days we were really excited and distracted at work, could not wait to get to the field and exchanged lots of phone calls. 

While we didn’t necessarily win with regularity, we were competitive. In the fall of 1985 we were in a division where playing only single games helped focus us – we won 10 in a row for a stunning and unexpected first league title. We also had an amazing early bird tournament run in 1987, finishing fourth in a 48 team tournament, bowing out in extra innings of a final four game. 

In this first Tools era we played lots of games on unfenced fields where a line drive through a gap would hold up the game as an outfielder chased after a ball. At Kenmore Field, on Carlin Springs Road off of Route 50, you always could count on a few bad hops – I got hit in the base of the neck once – and there was almost no outfield grass so the ball would bounce and roll hundreds of feet. At Shirley Park, which had two softball diamonds, [where Gunston Park is now], women dragging along small kids would stroll through the outfield in the middle of a game as if we weren’t there and soccer players would chase balls around our outfielders. If you needed to use the bathroom while playing at Quincy 2 you had to walk into the Quincy Public Library. We also played a handful of games at mediocre unfenced fields like Bluemont, Tuckahoe and Madison Manor. 

There were two terrific fenced fields, Barcroft 3 and 4, the former pretty small and the latter baseball sized. The infields were well-tended and we loved playing there. About a dozen years ago Barcroft 3 was replaced by a new Barcroft 4, adjacent to a community center with a locker room and a parking garage. The old Barcroft 4 still exists, renamed, but is used exclusively as a baseball field. Jennie Dean Field existed, but I don’t remember ever using it in those days.

Thinking about this time brings forward great memories, the beginnings of friendships that have endured for nearly 40 years and counting. Please share your memories and experiences of this time in a reply all email. 

Don’t forget to vote in the Quadrennial Sarver Presidential Poll. We already have a 43% turnout, so keep the momentum going. See my October 1 email.

Edition 24           October 14, 2020  

It’s mid-October and our virtual season is approaching its end, so lets really enjoy another Tools Wednesday, 24th Edition.

This Week in Tools History

October 12, 1994  Twenty six years ago, the slaughter rule was invoked in our first ever win against the detested Team Spencer, 17-3. 

October 12, 2016  Four years ago, after the Tools had completed an unprecedented three straight league championships, outfielder Brad Moehringer and pitcher Craig Hughes left us and Chris Hamm would play only seven fall games and Jay Braun just two. Partly as a result we got off to the worst start in our history, 1-8-1. We won only two more games on the field but thanks to four victories by forfeit finished 7-10-1. 

October 14, 1992  Twenty eight years ago tonight, there were opposing runners on first and second base with none out. A lefty batter ripped a line drive that headed for the second base hole. The ball deflected off the glove of first baseman Paul Haugh and still on the fly, fell into the glove of second baseman Mark Sarver. The runner on first saw the deflection so kept going towards second. Sarver fired the ball to short stop Jim Rohrbach who was covering second to double off the lead runner. Rohrbach tagged the surprised trailing runner. It was the Tools first ever triple play! 

October 14, 2002  Eighteen years ago tonight, the Tools were coasting with a 10-4 lead in the fifth inning when pitcher Bill Anhut was struck by a line drive and knocked out of game. Jay Braun trotted in from left for a hostile takeover of the pitching rubber. It was walks and errors galore and we fell behind 14-10. However, the never-say-die Tools batted through the final 11 minutes to pull out a 17-14 win. Short stop Jeff Franco was en fuego, capping a streak of 19 for 22 (.864) and 10 straight hits. 

October 15, 1997  Twenty three years ago the Tools blew a 18-5 lead, as hapless HCF Automatic (using one of the first double-wall bats) scored 14 runs in the last inning while making only one out to beat us 19-18. 

October 15, 2007  Thirteen years ago, in a rare pitcher's duel against rival Money, the Tools played fantastic defense for five innings to lead 10-6. Then, we made three errors, opening  the door for Money to tie the score with four runs in the sixth. Jeff Fus saved the day with a single to score Josh Bartzen for a walk-off win. 

October 16, 1983  Thirty seven years ago, the Tools set a team record (at the time), scoring 42 runs to sweep Ernst Whinney. Five players alone accounted for 33 hits – Les Davison 8 for 8, Ken Surprenant 7 for 8, Bill Kreykenbohm 6 for 6, Bob Emeritz 6 for 7 and Mark Sarver 6 for 8. 

October 16, 1996  Twenty four years ago, sitting on a 12-3 lead over the Pentagon City Thermos in the seventh, coach Mark Sarver relaxed, remarking “Bill K’s in control.” Six hits and eight Tools errors followed in just the next nine batters to make it 12-10. Fortunately, left fielder Dave Hansen threw out a runner at second base to end the game. 

October 16, 2013  Seven years ago, the Tools put on a show, scoring a season high 44 runs in the doubleheader to thrash Charge the Mound 25-7 and 19-5. In the second game we scored 15 runs in the second inning. 

October 16, 2020  Twenty years ago, Ken Ferebee thought he’d gotten lucky when he smacked a long line drive that bounced out of the left fielder’s glove and over the fence for a four base error. But as he rounded the bases he was called out for passing Tony Mason. Three innings later, both Jay Braun and Ferebee were called out for hitting drives over the fence in violation of the three home run limit. Somehow, the Tools managed to win the game. 

October 17, 2012  Eight years ago, the Tools trailed 10-9 and were down to our last out with two men on base. Mark Sarver, who had struggled at the plate all night, became the oldest Tool ever to get a walk-off winning hit when he slashed a single to center field to tie the score and when the outfielder couldn't handle the ball, Bobby Bilicki scored the winning run all the way from first base. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of each Tools era, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the second era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time. 

Era 2 - 1988 - 1991  Advancing to a High Level 

As we entered the 1988 season, we were in a significant transition as by then several original core players had retired or moved away – Allen Urban, Chris Girolamo, Jeff McTiernan, Bob Emeritz, Ken Surprenant and Bruce Urban. We carried a new, smaller core into this era – Bill Anhut, Bill Kreykenbohm, Mike Giglio, Terry Hiebert, Gerry Mello, Ken Shoop and Mark Sarver. We made several key additions over the next two or three years – Richard White, Scott Bresnahan, Doug Walker, John Buchan, John Hampsey, Rich Sweeny and finally Bruce Turner and Rick Mercer. We even attempted a controversial return of a short-time Tool from the early years, Joe Colletta.

This squad was more eccentric than any previous or future incarnation of the Tools and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It was the group responsible for pushing the coach’s face in the birthday cake and piling on him after posing for a team photo. Colletta provided unwitting comic relief before a premature forced departure by showing up late with many inventive excuses, most famously, “I got a towel in my eye”. After a night of partying, Junior Sweeny showed up for a Saturday early morning make-up nauseous and lay on the bench like a dead fish. After being told that he would DH a game, Walker provoked his coach’s ire by retrieving the Wall Street Journal from his car and ostentatiously opening it to read on the bench. Mercer introduced himself to waitresses at Red Hot & Blue as “the star of the team” and Bresnahan needed no introduction. Shoop quietly needled his teammates. Hiebert loudly needled his opponents, fruitlessly trying to pick fights with the largest guys. 

The team’s feistiness got us into scraps on occasion if provoked. In the 1990 spring playoffs at Quincy 3, we were locked in a battle with first place Thomas Whelan when little Mike Giglio Jr, probably all of four years old, allegedly threw a bottle and the benches emptied although fisticuffs were headed off. Junior apparently inspired Senior as you will see a little further along. 

In our final game of 1990 at Utah Field, we had just deprived Gold’s Gym of the league title and a big bad opposing player went after Bill Anhut as the teams shook hands. As we scrapped, the immortal words “pick on someone your own size you fat porker” rang from the stands as Dale Anhut stood up for her husband. 

In a 1991 playoff game, probably at Quincy 2, the Tools rallied for three runs in the seventh to win 5-4, possibly against Team Spencer. Bruce Turner scored the walk off winning run as the throw home glanced off of his raised arm. The catcher then threw his glove at Turner and the benches emptied. I decided to protect Giglio, who I knew was going to enjoy this. I placed myself in front of Mike and pushed against him and he swatted me away like a mosquito. I returned and he did it again, then again. I probably saved him from a beating, though. 

One afternoon in 1989 Barbara Kreykenbohm showed up to watch Bill pitch against the undefeated Pentagon City Thermos, likely at Utah Field. She had her camera and started snapping photos, unexpectedly becoming our official photographer for the next 16 years and resulting in the creation of The Tools Show, an annual post season production of highlights set to music. 

We burned through one new sponsor and started an ill-fated relationship with another. After having been stiffed for a grand by the owner of the doomed Keyhole Inn, we had moved to Fuddrucker’s Seven Corners but that lasted only three years. With no on-site owner and a different manager every six months I never negotiated twice with the same guy. In year one they paid for much of our league fee, full uniforms and even fan t-shirts. In year two the money was drastically reduced and in year three even further, then in what did not become year four the latest manager trashed our team photo and our first trophy. From there we moved to Red, Hot & Blue, where, as Rich White pointed out last week, they did indeed buy us pitchers and onion loaves on our first team visit, but rarely if ever did that again and we were always made to wait in line even if I called in advance, and in the end they stiffed us, too. 

We continued to battle long-time rivals Presearch, Whitey’s, Little Café, E Street Shufflers and Ed’s Rhinos and engaged in a new and sometimes testy relationship with the Pentagon City Thermos, nicknamed by us Team Joe. 

Our talent in this era may have been deeper than before, but it took a good while for things to fall into place so that we could achieve something special. Our records in 1988 were 10-11-1, seventh place and 9-7-2, fifth place. In 1989 we were 10-8 twice, finishing fourth and fifth. In 1990, two additions provided the final needed pieces – an experienced gamer in left fielder Bruce Turner and a superb slugger in third baseman Rick Mercer. 

Going into that season, I was convinced this was the best team we’d ever put together. We had speed at the top of the order in Mello and Shoop, power that no rival could match in White, Mercer and Giglio, the unrivaled All-Bill pitching rotation of Kreykenbohm and Anhut, the toughness of Turner and Hiebert, veteran depth in Bresnahan, Walker, Buchan and Sarver and solid, smart defense. 

We were mediocre and disappointing all spring, finishing with a record of 8-10 for an eighth place finish in a 10 team league. Yet a spark ignited in our last regular season game when we stunned league champion Thomas Whelan 11-4, with Mercer homering twice. The win enabled us to edge out the E Street Shufflers for the last playoff spot. What happened next was stunning. 

In the first playoff game we again were matched against Thomas Whelan and crushed them 16-4, with White [6 RBI] and Mercer homering twice and Giglio and Turner once each. Kreykenbohm pitched one of his greatest games. In game two we fell behind our nemesis Presearch 9-1 before launching successive rallies for 20 unanswered runs to win 21-9. Turner and Mercer each hit a grand slam home run and White and Bresnahan homered, too. In game three right fielder Buchan threw out a runner at third and left fielder Turner nailed the tying run at the plate to preserve a 6-5 victory. Mercer homered again. 

Now in the finals for game four, we fell behind once-beaten Whitey’s 8-4 and were down to our last out in the seventh inning with the bases empty. After two singles and a walk, White blasted a grand slam homer off the Quincy 3 right field light tower to put the game in extra innings. I can still see Rich rounding first base with his arm raised in the air. We did lose that game 9-8 in eight innings but rebounded in game five. Anhut stifled Whitey’s and we carried a 10-3 lead into the last inning. Whitey’s rallied, scoring four runs and loading the bases with two outs, but their clean-up hitter grounded to short for a force play at second to give us the title. No last-seeded team had ever won the playoffs in Arlington. 

From there we took off, becoming dominant in the fall. With four games to go we were in a second place tie with Little Café. We swept them 22-5 and 14-7 in a Saturday doubleheader despite a stirring pre-game rendition of the national anthem on a bullhorn by the Little Cafe legend, The Sheik. That set up a sudden death one game playoff with Pentagon City Thermos for the regular season league title. Four Thermos had scouted us on Saturday but left when it became apparent we would sweep. They failed to witness Mercer tearing his hamstring muscle in the last inning. 

On October 30, 1990 we met at Virginia Highlands 3. Although Mercer couldn’t walk never mind swing we had him DH and sure enough, the Thermos intentionally walked him three times in a row, which was hilarious. Giglio blasted a three run homer in the top of the first and Rick and Mike literally walked around the bases. The Thermos countered with seven runs in the bottom of the first, largely by hitting balls over the heads of a too-shallow Tools outfield. After we grabbed an 8-7 lead with five in the top of the second, I implored our outfielders to play as deep as possible, counting on the Thermos’ stupidity – as expected they hit three very long but harmless outs and failed to score. In the top of the third we blew them away with 12 runs for a 20-7 lead. Giglio added another homer in the fourth and we won the championship 21-9. It was the high point of an era that would end suddenly the very next season. 

The year 1991 was expected to be great but instead proved fateful. We muddled through a disappointing spring for a 10-7-1 record and a fourth place tie. Just before the playoffs, White moved to Michigan and Mercer moved to Florida and our vaunted power was all but gone. We failed to make the playoff finals. Although we managed to have a credible fall season, finishing third at 11-6-1, our remaining nucleus was diminished further by the post-season departures of Giglio, Mello and Shoop. 

That’s why Era 2 was a momentous but brief four years. In 1992 we would face a massive rebuild … but that’s a story for next week. 

Please vote in the Quadrennial Sarver Presidential Poll. We are nearing 50% turnout but have a way to go. Cast your vote simply by replying to this email and telling me which candidate you support. Thanks, until next week. 

Sarv

Edition 25           October 21, 2020  

The election is nearing so those of you have not voted in the Quadrennial Sarver Presidential Poll need to vote now. We’re close to 60% turnout, still a ways from a record, and it will be disappointing if we don’t get there. Cast your vote before time runs out for Biden or Trump. Reply to this email. Thanks. And now, onto Tools Wednesday, 25th Edition.

Today would have been Yankee great Whitey Ford’s 92nd birthday.

This Week in Tools History

October 19, 1981  Thirty nine years ago, the Tools swept a doubleheader to finish our inaugural season with a record of 13-4-1, losing the pennant by a half game. We celebrated our first season in Arlington at Quincy’s on Columbia Pike. 

October 19, 1994  Twenty six years ago, our fall season ended with a heartbreaking 16-15 loss to Foxhole as a seeing-eye grounder in the second base hole tipped off the gloves of both Bill Anhut and Mark Sarver. It was the owner of the Foxhole, a bar on S. 23rd Street, who gave me a phone tip earlier that year that the owners of the Crystal City Restaurant were opening a sports pub in the hardware store down the block. The new Crystal City Sports Pub became our sponsor and still is to this day. 

October 19, 2001  Nineteen years ago, the Tools handed the two-time defending league champion Hosers their first fall loss in two years, 21-14. We finished in second place. 

October 20, 2003  Seventeen years ago, with several players away in Europe the Tools beat CMC despite Ken Ferebee hitting a “home run” that violated the limit and was ruled an out. In an intense seesaw second game, Brian Hurney also violated the home run limit with an over the fence out that may have hurt a bit more because CMC then hit a two run walk off homer to shock us 18-17. 

October 20, 2008  Twelve years ago, with a double header loss to the Pirates, the Tools completed a 4- 14 fall season, at the time the worst record in our history. Team co-founder Bill Anhut played his last game, retiring for the second and final time, ending for good an illustrious career that began in August 1981. [Billy A. continued to make rare appearances as a ringer, as recently as April 17, 2019, and pitched just as well then.] 

October 21, 1992  Twenty eight years ago tonight, team founder Bill Anhut retired for the first time after 12 seasons. But of course, he shall return. 

October 21, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight, Ken Ferebee hit his 77th career double to break Gerry Mello’s record. 

October 21, 2002  Eighteen years ago tonight, we shattered the Mexicali Blues, sweeping into first place by scoring 52 runs, including a 32-1 trouncing in the night cap. 

October 21, 2009  Eleven years ago tonight, Ben Peden set a new mark [for that time] with 84 total bases. The Tools swept to finish the fall season 14-4, in second place by one game. We went 31-5 in 2009 regular season play, tying our record that still stands for most wins in a year. 

October 22, 1986  Thirty four years ago, in his final at bat of the year, Mark Sarver homered to beat Harvey’s Wallbangers.  

October 22, 2007  Thirteen years ago, despite fielding only nine players, the Tools swept once mighty First Draft 17-14 and 13-11. 

October 23, 1996  Twenty four years ago, having played poorly and dropped a doubleheader at Virginia Highlands 3 [in the Tools-jinxed first base dugout], we dragged ourselves to the Sports Pub to watch the remainder of World Series game 6, the Yankees already trailing 6-0. We watched a stunning rally capped by a game-tying home run by Jim Leyritz and the Yankees won 9-6. 

The only effective Braves pitcher was Mike Bilecki, who I’ve become friendly with in recent years.  He’s twice been my celebrity manager at the Ripken Softball Classic and let one of my players use the monogrammed glove from that Series game. 

October 23, 2000  Twenty years ago, Bill Anhut was shelled for 11 runs in the first inning, leading to Chris Hamm’s loudly crying “bring in the righty”. But Anhut settled down and the Tools launched one of our greatest comebacks to win 14-13. In game 2, Ken Ferebee clouted three homers in a game for the third time. The Tools were tied for second place at 11-4-1 with two games to go, both of which we lost. October 23, 2006 Fourteen years ago, trailing 9-5 in our last at bats, Joe Lombardo crushed a three run game-tying homer and Chris Hamm smacked the next pitch out of the park for a walk-off victory. 

October 23, 2013  Seven years ago, the Tools scored nine in the first, four in the second and nine in the third to grab a 22-6 lead and coast to an easy 22-13 win over a very talented young Cunning Runts team. The second game started the same but didn’t finish that way. We built a 15-0 and going into the bottom of third were up 16-3. The Runts scored 15 runs to lead 18-16. In our last at bat, we put runners on second and third with no outs but scored only once on a sacrifice fly and Jesse Johnson was cut down at the plate on a one out grounder to short. We lost 18-17. The previously undefeated first place team, CarPool Commodores, lost both ends of a doubleheader that night, so our one run loss cost us a share of the league title. 

October 24, 2012  Eight years ago, Mike Gummey singled home two runs and then Jesse Johnson hit a walk-off single as the Tools came from behind for a 12-11 win against BDNB. 

October 24, 2018  Two years ago at new Barcroft 4, we were on the verge of a 7-5 win over CCSP Epstein when a two-out fly ball to left field was dropped and they scored five runs to snatch a 10-7 lead. We staged a two-out rally of our own, getting one run and put the tying runs on base but a hard line out to short ended it. We crushed them 18-3 in game two. In the third inning, Jeff Hart tagged up from third base on a line drive out to short stop and scored!

October 25, 2004  Sixteen years ago, we called in a forfeit of our final doubleheader assuring us of four first losing season in 5 years. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of each Tools era, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the third era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time. 

Era 3 - 1992 - 1998  Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

The off season going into 1992 was perplexing. I felt disoriented by the departure of five core players and wondered how I would rebuild to sustain us. We retained only Bill Anhut, Bill Kreykenbohm, Terry Hiebert, Scott Bresnahan, Doug Walker, Bruce Turner, Bill Sommers and Mark Sarver. 

The first couple of years of Era 3 proved to be the only time that the Tools have faced an existential risk. I used every means to find players – county tryout camp, current player’s friends, newspaper ads, you name it. I gathered a large list of prospects. 

First practice was a football camp – 18 guys, only eight from the team. Simultaneous infield and outfield practices, then batting practice. I watched 10 guys all at once but knew what I wanted to see. I added only two and quietly told them, then had to cut eight guys by phone the next day. I added two at the second practice and one at the third. It was brutal. 

It didn’t work out badly, though. Ken Ferebee [Post ad] played for 16 years and became our home run king. Jim Rohrbach [Bruce Turner’s friend] was a mainstay for a decade. Craig Canfield [tryout camp] and Paul Haugh [Journal ad] played well for three years before the former was shipped to Korea and the latter fell in love and was shipped to North Carolina. The only mistake was a slick-fielding short stop named Robert H. [another Turner friend], who had he not briefly been a Tool would have been on the All Dick Team. At his last appearance only months later in the middle of the spring playoffs he unceremoniously laid his jersey at my feet as a departing gesture. 

We did okay that first spring, a 9-9 record, but lost both playoff games and struggled to a 6-11-1 eighth place finish in the fall. Then Bill Anhut announced his retirement after 12 years. Although he would return eventually to retire again in 2008, at the time it seemed for keeps.

We struggled mightily in 1993, despite a 5-2 early bird tournament run. Two important players were added, Matt Doyle, whose tomahawked line drives would split the gap for 11 years, and Andy Schultheiss, a sweet swinging lefty who restored some power to our line-up for the next five years. But veteran Bruce Turner lost interest and quit early on and new addition Dean Wildman caused dissension before departing after seven games. A demoralized team finished tenth and last in the spring at 4-12-2. 

The key moment that ensured our survival came when I approached our players one by one, committing to rebuild if they would stay. To a man they agreed. That fall we climbed to a .500 record at 9-9. Although we were mediocre for several years, chemistry never again was a problem. In this era our only winning seasons were 10 - 8 records in the springs of 1996 and 1997. We had eight losing campaigns and four at .500. In 1995 we failed to score in 21 consecutive innings. 

Even so, we added one terrific guy after another to strengthen our great chemistry – in 1994 Jim Stensland and Chris Thomas, in 1995 Jim Miles, Tim Greening and Dave Hansen, in 1996 Joe Lombardo and in 1998 Scott Hill, Steve Sprague and Jeff Franco. 

This group had its thrills. We crushed a team coached by Dean W. the year after he quit us in a snit. We turned our first two defensive triple plays. We were the first Tools to hang out at our new sponsor, Crystal City Sports Pub. I remember bringing that first group of red jerseys to Shirley Park. Dan Rosenthal began a tradition of Sarv’s birthday hijinks by purchasing me a shooter at the Sports Pub. Tim Greening smacked a ground ball that knocked out a pitcher’s teeth. 

Ken Ferebee led the team in home runs 12 times between 1992 – 1998 and passed Mike Giglio as our all-time leader. Doug Walker led the team in triples six times on his way to becoming our all-time leader. In 1997 Joe Lombardo hit nine home runs  in a ten game stretch. Jim Stensland set batting records twice and in spring 1998 hit .703, becoming the first of us to surpass .700. 

The fall 1994 squad became the first to carry a +.500 team batting average at .505. In 1995 we won a third place trophy in a 40 team Early Bird Tournament. The 1998 squad posted a record .525 average in the spring and .504 in the fall. 

In a foreshadowing act of things to come, we ended this era with a triumphant three game sweep of a special fall playoffs that included a sound thrashing of Joseph’s [formerly Little Café] 38-6. 

Even Anhut returned in 1995 to play only fall ball for the next seven years before coming on full time for yet another seven years. Finally, we celebrated Terry Hiebert, “the beating heart of the Tools” [and our own representative on the All Dick Team] on his retirement after 17 years. 

Edition 26           October 28, 2020  

The election is upon us. Those of you have not voted in the Quadrennial Sarver Presidential Poll need to vote now please. We’re at 65% having voted but still below record turnout. You must cast your vote by Saturday night, October 31, 11:59 pm. Results will be announced the following night. Vote for Biden or Trump by email reply. Thanks. And now, with only two more editions to follow, have fun with Tools Wednesday, 26th Edition.

This Week in Tools History

October 26, 1991  Twenty nine years ago, well I’ve repeated this story twice already, Dale Anhut issued her immortal line, “pick on someone your own size, you fat porker”. 

October 26, 2011  Nine years ago, Jesse Johnson blasted three home runs in a row. He hit a grand slam in his final at bat of game one as we rallied to beat Bad News Beers 13-11. He homered in his first two at bats of game two to pace a 16-6 win and had 11 RBI on the night. The Tools were in first place to stay with a 12-0 record. 

October 27, 1990  Thirty years ago yesterday, it’s a Saturday morning high stakes doubleheader. The Sheik takes the mound and sings the Star Spangled Banner through and bull horn, then it’s on. The Tools crush Little Café 22-5 and 14-7 to tie for first place. Three days later we smashed Pentagon City Thermos 21-9 in a one-game playoff for the regular season title. 

October 28, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight, Jim Stensland ended the season with a clutch eight straight hits to become the first Tool to bust the .700 batting average barrier, finishing at .703. In his 20th season, Doug “One Hop” Walker finally hit his first out-of-the-park home run dead center field at Jennie Dean Field. 

October 28, 2000  Twenty years ago tonight, the Tools ended our 20th season in Arlington by embarrassingly calling in a double forfeit for the first time ever. 

October 28, 2001  Nineteen years ago tonight, in one of our all-time classic doubleheaders vs. Mexicali Blues, the Tools blew the opener 15-13 when a game-ending line drive was dropped in the outfield. We rebounded to win the second game 16-14 when left fielder Chris Hamm perfectly hit the cut-off man, short stop Jeff Franco, who in turn fired to third base to nail a Blues runner for the final out. 

October 29, 1985  Thirty five years ago tomorrow, the Tools clinched our first league championship by beating Personnel Design Group 9-6 at Virginia Highlands 3. It capped a then team record 11 game winning streak. The All Bill Rotation of Kreykenbohm and Anhut yielded fewer than 10 runs for 13 straight games. 

October 29, 2001  Nineteen years ago tomorrow, the Tools suffered a crushing double defeat by CMC, 16-5 and 23-14, as they clinched the league title and we finished second. Rich Menseck homered and had six RBI and Jay Braun smacked a pair of homers for five RBI. We would gain revenge the following spring. 

October 29, 2007  Thirteen years ago, the Tools took the field with only nine players but swept No Use For A Name 14-13 and 26-6 for a season-ending sweep. Bill Kreykenbohm’s, who only played four games that fall, retired after a sparkling 27 year Tools career. 

October 29, 2014  Six years ago, in the second game of a doubleheader, the Tools scored 25 runs with Brad Moehringer hitting two home runs and a triple for seven RBI. Ben Peden homered, got four hits and drove in five runs. Jeff Hart went five for five. October 30, 1990 Thirty years ago this Friday, the Tools achieved one of our greatest victories, a 21-9 thrashing of Pentagon City Thermos in a one-game playoff for the fall league championship at Virginia Highlands 3. Twelve Tools runs in the third inning sealed the Thermos’ fate. Mike Giglio homered twice. 

October 31, 1987  Thirty three years ago, the Tools split our doubleheader at Jennie Dean. Afterwards, several of us huddled behind the white building near the parking lot sipping cold ones and surrounding a four inch black and white Tummy TV to watch the Twins win game seven of the World Series. Terry Hiebert was thrilled, the rest of us slightly indifferent. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of each Tools era, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the fourth era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time. 

Era 4 - 1999 - 2008  Becoming a Dominant Team

This era marked a turning point in Tools History. For our first two decades, we were competitive, won a few titles, struggled occasionally, often under-achieved and always had a great reputation as good guys who were fun to compete against. Now, for the first time we emerged as a dominant team, combining our inherent chemistry with a level of talent and confidence unseen before. This was the first generation of Tools that took massive advantage of the innovations in bat technology that increased lifetime batting average by 50 points and eventually by 100. 

The other surprising development was our move from Wednesday to Monday. Our league had been falling apart so with regret we switched nights. All of Era 4 would be played on Monday. It is hard to believe that a handful of key players never played on Wednesday – Tony Mason, Brian Hurney, Rich Menseck, Josh Bartzen, Jeff Franco [except for his first fall] 

We experienced a significant widening of our age range that continues to the present, with “kids” in their early to mid-twenties and veterans in their forties and fifties. This disparity happily proved to be a great net positive as the younger players embraced the older ones, who were, in turn, invigorated. I enjoyed being accepted by this new generation, not just as “coach” but as friend. 

This era produced a sterling record of 224-128-6, with two league championships, two playoff titles and two early bird tournament titles. 

The nucleus entering 1999 was solid enough: Ken Ferebee, Doug Walker, Matt Doyle, Jim Rohrbach, Steve Sprague, Jim Stensland, Scott Bresnahan, Scott Hill, Bill Kreykenbohm, Bill Anhut, Joe Lombardo, Mark Sarver and Jeff Franco. However, Bresnahan would play little that year and retire, Rohrbach and Sprague would leave within a couple of years, Lombardo was not fully committed as he later would be and Anhut only played in the fall. 

The key addition in 1998 of the flashy short stop Franco foreshadowed the explosion of talent to come. In spring 1999 we added the aggressive and irreverent first baseman Mark Bultman and the youthful speedy outfielder Jay Braun. That fall, another impact player joined us, outfielder Chris Hamm. While the results that year were uninspiring – 7-11 in both spring and fall – we needed time to gel and add a few more pieces. In 2000 we added outfielders Tony Mason and Brian Hurney. That spring we were 8-8-1. 

The fall of 2000 marked the line of demarcation in our history and things would be very different going forward. We jumped to a fourth place record of 11-6-1. From that point to the present, the Tools have had 34 winning seasons, only four losing ones and one at .500. 

In 2001, Richard White, who had departed for Michigan ten years earlier, returned and rejoined us for a couple of years. That fall, a very smart and adept infielder, Rich Menseck, came aboard and Lombardo returned for good. In twenty years of spring seasons, the Tools had never finished better than a fourth place tie. That spring, though, we were 13-4-1 and finished second, competing for the title to the final week. In the fall we were 14-3-1 and second again. As we entered 2002, Bill Anhut announced he would play both spring and fall for the first time in 10 years, fully reuniting the All Bill Rotation. We were ready to win it all! 

But before we get into that, let’s describe the joie de vivre of this team. They loved hanging together on the field and off, a series of lifelong friendships forming. Half the team enjoyed a week in Italy that included a midnight musical concert by three players in a pitch black olive grove. On the field, Bultman purposely got into rundowns just for the fun of it and nearly always escaped. Franco, known as “Jefe”, would spew vulgarities neatly disguised as encouraging cheers for our pitchers, and, if he saw a runner rounding first wander a little bit too far, would fire behind to nail him. Head first slides were the rage. We turned double plays like never before and one triple play. 

Mason and Franco pulled a great practical joke – as one got a base hit while the other was coaching first, they sneakily switched places and nobody noticed. Braun, the first to wear number 1, on a few occasions drew laughter when, frustrated with his performance, he ripped his jersey in half while still wearing it. If Ferebee erupted in anger at himself, the team playfully executed spontaneous dugout evacuation drills. “The Randomizer” line-up was born. White became “Blanco”. Kreykenbohm, Anhut and Sarver became “The AARP Patrol”. Through it all, everyone pulled for each other and we really wanted to succeed together. 

We did, right from the start. On April 27, 2002 the Tools captured our first Arlington Early Bird Tournament title. Ferebee – our third hurler who would have been a number one elsewhere – pitched us to the title beating Ed’s Rhinos 10-6. 

We had a worrisome start to the spring season, winning only three of our first five games. Then we raced to an 11 game winning streak spurred by an explosive offense and late inning heroics – four runs in the last inning to beat Sponsor Needed 14-11 … seven last inning runs to defeat Halteh’s Pizza 13-8 followed by a 12 run inning to run away with the second game … 14 runs in the fourth inning against Big Subpoenas, overcoming a 6-3 deficit to win 17-12 … 19 runs in our last at bats, overcoming a 13-3 deficit to crush Bushleaguers 22-13 … six last inning runs to beat historic rival Crystal City Clouts 14-10. That last win vaulted us into first place with a 14-2 record and two games to play. 

We carried a 1-1/2 game lead over second place CMC into a head-to-head match-up. Complicating matters was a second team, Hosers, also 1-1/2 behind, so we had to win one. A tie likely would open the doors for Hosers to pass us if they swept. 

The team played really tight in the first game, the pressure eating us, and we lost 14- 7. Worse, we fell behind in the second game and trailed 17-13, needing yet another last inning rally as we batted in the bottom half. We launched a furious attack to get to within a run. With two outs, Chris Hamm doubled to tie the game. Rich Menseck, who homered earlier, was intentionally walked. Joe Lombardo, always clutch, stepped to the plate and ripped a hellacious one hop line drive directly at the left fielder. Hamm raced for third where I was anxiously waving him home. The left fielder made a perfect peg to the plate and it arrived a nanosecond before Hamm. An out would end the game in a potentially disastrous tie. Smart players often make the difference and Hamm executed a neat fall-away slide to the right and the catcher just missed! The Tools surged from the dugout for a mob scene at the plate, spring league champions for the very first time! 

We continued with the last inning heroics in the playoffs. Lombardo blasted a two run walk off homer to beat the Crystal City Clouts 9-7. Franco followed with a three run walk off homer to stun Big Subpoenas 8-5. Bidding to reach the finals, we engaged in an intense struggle with the Marines from Henderson Hall. Tied 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh, we had two outs and two on base. A single would have won it, but karma had us by the cojones and Franco tried to launch one that was caught in center field. The Marines stormed Virginia Highlands 3 with eight runs in the eighth and we suffered a painful elimination, 16-8 … but what a spring campaign we had. 

In the fall we were 13-5, good for fourth place. Hamm had a red hot streak, going 27 for 33 [.818] with a walk and three sacrifice flies. Our 2002 overall record was 37- 11. But the best was yet to come. 

The Tools began 2003 set to defend our spring league title. We began with sweeps of three very tough teams – Money, CMC and Hosers – and erupted for 15 last inning runs to beat Hosers the second time. Rich Menseck hit safely in 11 straight at bats during this streak. In May and June we racked up victories, sweeping Notorious WARD, Mendoza Line, CCSP Sember and Big Subpoenas for a 14-0 record. Brian Hurney hit for the cycle in one of these games. 

Rainouts had us facing four make-up games at Virginia Highlands 3 on Saturday, July 12, seeking our first perfect season. On arrival we learned that the second doubleheader was being forfeited by a weak opponent, Ninos. Now we were 16-0. Still in our way was Harvey’s Wallbangers, once-beaten and in second place. As in 2002, we had to win one for the title, but the chance for 18-0 was even more daunting. 

In the first game, we fell behind 10-2 but rallied with a 10 run inning to grab a two run lead. Harvey’s wouldn’t fold, scoring five times to put us behind 15-12. In the top of the last inning, we were down to our last out with the bases empty. Tony Mason drew a walk, Matt Doyle, Aaron Fray and Jay Braun all singled to tie the game. Doug Walker slashed a line drive double to right center, advancing Braun to third. When the outfield throw sailed over the cut-off man, Braun kept running and scored to put us ahead 16-15. We held off Harvey’s in their half and were jubilant as we won our second straight spring league title. 

Now came one of my greatest regrets as coach. Instead of sharply focusing the team to pounce on a now flat Harvey’s for that all-important final win, I was floating on air like everyone else. We played just as flat as them. By the last inning, we were clinging to an 11-10 lead. Harvey’s put runners on second and third with no outs and the heart of their order due up. We got an easy first out but the next batter smacked the ball deep in the left field corner. Lombardo raced after it to make a brilliant back-handed catch in foul territory for the second out. The runner on third trotted home to tie the score. The next batter flew out to left center. In the dugout Lombardo said “I didn’t know what to do.” I confirmed he was right to catch it, giving them an extra out likely would have cost us the game. Unfortunately, we failed to score in our half and it ended in an 11-11 tie. We were 17-0-1, our first undefeated season, another league title … but not perfect. 

The Tools stayed hot in the playoffs, winning our first three games. Harvey’s was missing key players that Saturday and Bill Kreykenbohm mastered them, pitching a one hit, one walk shut out to become the only Tools pitcher to this day to face the minimum thanks to a pair of double plays. A new rival, Money, stunned us 16-9 in the finals, our first loss of 2003, to force a winner-take-all final game. At the instigation of Money’s coach our left fielder, Mike O’Brien [a ringer], was ejected for wearing for metal spikes. The only player on the bench, me, had been weakened by an ongoing low grade fever for six weeks and it was smoking hot with temps in the 90’s but I was forced to play. We won the championship in a squeaker, 9-8. I was the only Tool to get three hits, then went home to find my fever had broken. Nothing cures like a Tools title. 

We reeled off 12 wins in a row to start the fall, achieving a 30 game regular season unbeaten streak. Then came the second Yom Kippur Massacre, so-named because I showed up in a suit and tie after breaking my fast and was shocked to learn our streak had ended with a 9-7 loss to Hosers and we were trailing in the nightcap. As in YKM 1 and dressed for success, I coached third and this rallied the team to a last inning come-from-behind walk-off victory. We lost another game two weeks later and forfeited the final doubleheader when the commissioner failed to relay the make-up date. We finished 13-5 in third place. Overall record was 37-6-1. 

In 2004 we added an outstanding new player, Josh Bartzen. The season started with 10 straight wins but we were coasting. It showed the next week when we were beaten narrowly by Owls 15-11. We did win our next three games, but got our comeuppance when Money beat us soundly twice and First Draft crushed us twice. We dropped to third at 13-5. In the fall we added infielder Mike Gummey, who would stay with us for 12 years. We began 6-3, then dropped six of eight games for an eighth place finish at 8-9. 

We did well in 2005, finishing the spring in a second place tie at 13-5 and tied for fourth in the fall at 12-6. We shined in the playoffs, beating four tough opponents for the title, First Draft, Big Sticks, Money and Pirates of Arlington. On a day so hot that the Pirates erected a tent over their dugout Anhut held them in check behind strong infield defense and we won the title game 12-8. 

We stayed strong in 2006 but the league was stronger. We competed for the spring title to the last game and though we finished 13-5 in fourth place, we were only one game out of first. We were 13-5 again in the fall, good for third. The first signs of dissolution of this special team were apparent as Tony Mason left after the spring and Jeff Franco kind of stopped after the fall. 

The highlight of 2007 came early with an Early Bird Tournament championship thanks to an 8-1 record. But we were slipping – 10-7-1, third place, and 10-8, fourth place. Ken Ferebee retired after the spring playoffs – 154 home runs in 16 years. Bill Kreykenbohm retired at year-end after 27 years, my teammate for 30, predating the Tools. 

We made a promising addition during the early bird tournament to start 2008, a guy named Ben Peden, but his story is part of the next two eras. We fell further, though, finishing the spring in seventh place at 9-9. The fall was a disaster – we took the field several times with fewer than 10 players and had to forfeit a doubleheader – and landed in last place in a 10 team league with a horrendous 4-14 record. Bill Anhut announced his second and final retirement after 26 years. 

What had been as special an era as the Tools ever experienced ended with a whimper. Ever the optimist, at our post-season team party I ended The Tools Show with a breezy rendition of The Best Is Yet To Come by Ella Fitzgerald. I was sure that before long we would rebuild and achieve great things together again. I would not have to wait long. Era 5, next week’s edition, would be even more amazing. 

Edition 27           November 4, 2020  

I can’t believe it. It’s November. We’ve changed our clocks backwards. The election has actually taken place … at least in a technical sense. And we’re down to the last two editions of our virtual season. I’m feeling wistful already. But put on your sun screen, fasten your seat beats because it’s time for … Tools Wednesday, 27th Edition.

This Week in Tools History

November 2, 1985  Thirty five years ago, the Tools had won our first league title that week but had a Saturday make-up to finish the season. Several players wanted instead to watch Wrestlemania and Sarv okayed it, enabling second place Comsat to end our 13 game winning streak. The Tools finished with a 15-3 record and likely achieved something unique, an 18 game championship season without hitting even one home run. Interim coach Sarver was so excited by our success that he decided to get rid of his beat up Matador in favor of a Honda Accord. 

November 2, 2002  Eighteen years ago, Mark Sarver became the first Tool officially to play in 500 games, although he actually had appeared in 39 more during the 1981-1983 seasons when our stats were not kept as you know them. 

November 2, 2011  Nine years ago, history repeated itself as the Tools carried a 12-0 record into a twin bill vs. Bashers and they ended our hopes for a perfect fall season with a 11-11 tie [same score as the 2003 Harvey’s Wallbangers game when we finished 17-0-1]. We were on the ropes again in the second game, trailing 13-10 going into our last at bats. Jay Braun led off with a triple. With one out, Doug Walker singled in Braun. Jesse Johnson tripled to score Walker. Chris Hamm singled to left to tie the game. Chris Bailey, not known for his power, tripled to right and Hamm scores the walk-off run. We were now 13-0-1 and finished 15-0-1. 

November 3, 2003  Our last doubleheader was forfeited because the league never notified us the rain make-up date. Sarv protested but it fell on deaf ears. 

November 4, 1998  Twenty two years ago tonight, the Tools scored 38 runs in one game and hit seven home runs in one inning, records that still stand. We crushed Joseph’s [formerly Little Café] in the one-time fall playoffs 38-6. We had 37 hits, scored 15 runs in the first inning and blasted all those home runs a 16 runs second. Joseph’s left fielder actually loudly cried “uncle, uncle”. Win by record 38-6. The Tools then beat Whitey’s 13-9 to reach the finals. 

November 4, 2002  Eighteen years ago tonight, the Tools made a bid for its first three title season. We had won the early bird tournament and the spring league. But it eluded as we fell twice to Hosers, 11-10 and 10-6. 

November 5, 2001  Nineteen years ago, Joe Lombardo set a team batting mark with a .718 average. Ken Ferebee was right behind him at .706. The Tools ended the season with seven straight wins, good for a second place trophy. We set new team records: .602 batting average, 17.17 runs per game, 33 home runs. 

November 5, 2014  Six years ago, the Tools finished the year by scoring 39 runs in a sweep of Goon Squad, 19-9 and 20-11. Matt O’Connell had four hits and five RBI in game two, extending his regular season hitting streak to 46 games. We finished a wet year in which rain outs included three practices, eight double headers and three half double headers. November 6, 1996 Twenty four years ago, at the still unfenced Shirley Park 1, Ken Ferebee hit a mammoth drive that bounced all the way to the community center … and the umpire ruled it a ground rule double. 

November 7, 1998  Twenty two years ago, bidding for the fall playoffs title on a crisp Saturday afternoon, the Tools built a 19-4 lead against old rival Whitey’s but had to withstand a withering assault that shrunk the lead to three runs, 21-18. In left field was Bruce Turner, who had returned to play that fall after nearly a six year absence. Due to bat in the sixth inning, he announced that he was leaving to take his daughter to a soccer game. He had to withstand a withering assault [from Sarver]. Convinced to stay, Turner channeled his anger and crushed a three run homer to put the game on ice. He ran around the bases, through the dugout and out to the parking lot, never to return, but the Tools won the championship. 

November 7, 2005  Fifteen years ago, the Tools needed to sweep the league leaders, Money, to gain a tie for the fall league title. Trailing 9-4 in the opener, we scored 11 runs in our last two at bats to lead 15-9. In their last at bats, Money scored seven runs, including five with two outs, to win 16-15 and eliminate us. It was a dramatic end to our Silver Anniversary Season in Arlington. November 8, 1999 Twenty one years ago, Ken Ferebee hit his record 11th home run of the fall season. The record would stand for 16 years until broken by Drew Mitirsin who clubbed 12 in fall 2015 and 14 in spring 2019. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of each Tools era, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the fifth era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time. 

Era 5 - 2009 - 2016  A Championship Era

The year 2009 was one of change, expected to be just the start of a substantial rebuild after a crushing 4-14 fall 2008 season. Instead it was the sudden and amazing birth of the greatest era in Tools history in which we were one of the dominant teams in Arlington County, winning six league titles and finishing second five times, one spring playoffs title and an early bird tournament title. Our regular season record was incredible, 209-67-9, a 73% winning percentage. 

It started with logistics – after a decade of Monday night games, we returned to our comfy old home, Wednesday. The Monday league increasingly had become a home run haven and this put undue pressure on a nucleus weakened by departures. It didn’t hurt that we disliked Monday. 

We retained only Jay Braun, Mark Bultman, Jeff Fus, Mike Gummey, Chris Hamm, Ben Peden, Doug Walker and Mark Sarver. We were supposed to have John Revette, Brian Hurney and Joe Lombardo, but John broke his leg in the off season, Brian had to retire due to back issues after only two games and Lombardo sustained a severe injury in the early bird tournament. Peden had joined us the year before and he would become the dominant player of the era. 

We came up with five solid prospects, pitchers Craig Hughes and Josh O’Donnell, outfielder Dylan Kautz and infielders Will O’Day and Mike Sabol. All proved impressive and I invited them to join us. Four accepted, but Sabol turned me down, which was a first. 

The first test for our newly meshed roster was the Arlington Early Bird Tournament, although we drew on a lot of help with 21 players taking part. We lost three of the four weekday bracket games so expectations were low heading into double elimination. What followed was shocking – we scored 91 runs in four games, throttling Big Sticks 17-4, Bungalow Exporters 29-9, AMG Triple Threat 19-5 and Waterproofers 26-7 – and won the championship. The day was costly, though. Joe Lombardo, all excited with his first baby due any day, homered but felt his shoulder go. Surgery followed and J Lo never returned, ending a great Tools career that began in 1996. 

We began the spring season with a split with Whitlows on Wilson, dropping game two. From that point on there was no stopping us. We won 16 games in a row to win the league title with a 17-1 record. 

We might have won the playoffs after starting 2-0 but too many players prioritized the Glover Park Tournament and we lost badly twice for a quick Saturday elimination. We lost two of our rookies, Dylan Kautz before the fall season and Josh O’Donnell afterwards, both of them moving. We did make two solid additions – the previously hesitant Mike Sabol and Eric Stewart, both of whom would have lengthy Tools careers. We finished 14-4 in second place. 

While our new division was surprisingly weak that year, it did not account for the tremendous performance of this team. The league would get increasingly tougher year after year but our performance remained at an elite level. One factor was the emergence of Craig Hughes as a dominant pitcher in the long Tools tradition. 

The 2010 Tools will be remembered best for a wire-to-wire championship run to our sixth league title and for achieving back-to-back spring titles for the second time in franchise history. The squad raced to an 11-0-1 record but had to fight through the first game of our final doubleheader to clinch. 

Our offense was in high gear and we had added smooth fielding outfielder Ashby Daniels. When we bashed Badabing, we scored 36 runs in the first game and 56 in the doubleheader, both the second highest totals ever. Mike Gummey shattered the season record for triples and won both spring and fall batting titles, a rare feat. We finished 14-2-2 and that made us 31-3-2 in those back-to-back springs combined. 

The fall season will be remembered best for the mandated use of yellow balls. The Tools didn’t do well but to our credit, not a man blamed those yellow balls – neither when the offense stalled nor when the defense collapsed. Injuries, weddings, babies, new jobs and other matters cost a lot of player time and we were too short-handed to compete to our normal level. We dipped to 6-10-2 but still had some fun. It marked the end of the 11 year career of Mark Bultman, although he played a handful of games the following spring. 

In 2011, veteran Chris Hamm joined with Craig Hughes as our pitching tandem. We won our first five spring games, then lost three of five before going 7-0-1 down the stretch to finish in second place with a 14-3-1 record.  We won the spring playoffs sweeping four games, highlighted by Chris Hamm’s missing a perfect game with one out to go. 

Then we won our first fall league championship since 1990 and completed our second unbeaten season ever, going 15-0-1. The fall league title was a very unlikely one. Here's why. As the spring season ended, left center fielder Ashby Daniels moved to Pittsburgh. Third baseman Mike Gummey required pinky surgery and missed the entire fall. A few weeks in, outfielder John Revette broke his hand trying to make a diving catch. Two other part time players became no time players. In short, we were down to 10 guys. 

But we cobbled together line-ups, players stepped up and "taxi squad" add-ons made significant contributions as we grabbed first place early on and never relinquished the lead. There were close calls near the end. Game 13 was an 11-11 tie, the same score that blemished our 17-0-1 2003 spring season. In games 14 and 15 we staged last inning come-from-behind rallies to win. But our final game was an exclamation point as we scored 28 runs. 

We started 2012 with five wins in a row which set a record 33 game unbeaten streak during which we were 31-0-2. We had a fantastic spring season, finishing with a 15- 3 record and when the final standings were posted initially we were in first place. It turned out that due to an unusual number of teams, our rivals Badabing played two more games than everyone else and one of their doubleheaders were not counted – a twin bill sweep by the Tools. They leaped ahead of us in the standings with a 16-2 record and we were robbed of a fourth straight year with a league title. 

The fall season began disastrously as we lost six of our first eight game due to an anemic offense. Things turned around when we scored 17 runs in the last inning to complete a sweep of PJ Clarke’s and we went on to win 10 straight. We had a respectable 12-6 record. We didn’t win any titles from 2012-2014 although we were 15-3 in fall 2013 for a second place finish. John Revette departed after the spring 2013 season. 

Over the next couple of years we made four key additions that would make our offense explosive and set us on a course to win three league titles in a row. In spring 2013, Matt O’Connell joined us – he would go onto to set consecutive game hitting streaks – 84 games overall and 72 in regular season play. That fall short stop Jeff Hart came aboard and became our catalyst in the lead-off spot – in 2019 he set a regular season game hitting streak of 80 games in a row that is still going. In spring 2014 we recruited Brad Moehringer, a great hitter who would prove to be the best defensive outfielder in Tools history. In the fall came Drew Mitrisin, who would post a career .611 batting average with 55 home runs including 14 in his final spring campaign in 2019. The final piece was outstanding outfielder Chuck Spivey, a spring 2015 addition. 

The Tools won the spring 2015 league title with a 15-3 record. In the fall we were atop the league again with a 16-2 mark. In spring 2016, we three-peated, winning the title with a 14-4 record. That’s an overall record of 49-9. We tied our franchise record of 31 straight wins. That spring 2015 title was a test of character. In our 13th game we were within one out of 12-8 win when a dropped line drive opened the flood gates to a stunning 16-12 loss. We dropped back into a first place tie with four games to go. We faced the prospect of having to win those games missing Peden, who was injured, and Hart. O’Connell and Gummey would miss the first two. We swept Badabing, took the first game against Bad News Beers and won the title with a dramatic 19-18 walk off victory. 

The fall 2015 season came down to the final week as the first place Tools faced off against CarPool Commodores while second place CarPool was matched against Bases Broded. The battle for the title began inauspiciously as three Tools were late and we were forced to take the field as the home team with only eight players. After two innings we trailed 5-1. Craig Hughes shut off the Commodores offense for the next four innings but we had trouble getting untracked. We took a 6-5 lead in the fourth. The Commodores nicked Hughes for a tying run in the top of the seventh. Hughes took care of business in the bottom half, leading off with a single, tagging up and advancing to second as the second out was made and scoring on Hart’s opposite field single. At another field CarPool only managed a win and a tie, so as Hughes crossed the plate we became champions. Since we didn’t know that we played the second game like our lives depended on it and we crushed the Commodores 25-7. 

In the spring of 2016, the Tools did not set the house on fire or break records and put up respectable numbers -- .507 batting average, 13.5 runs per game and 20 home runs. But three Tools played every game and six others missed only two. That included rookie Sam Wallach, who would become an important player in the very near future. Our consistency both at bat and on defense throughout the spring brought us 14 wins against only four losses and we won our 10th league title, third in a row, by a full two games. 

All good things must come to an end or so I’m told. As we headed into the fall, inevitable change occurred. Craig Hughes retired. He had a great eight year career pitching for us – 64-10-1 in spring seasons. Brad Moehringer moved far enough away to make playing impractical. In just three years he had a .620 lifetime batting average and tied for 10th all time with 26 home runs. We also were impacted by several players having to miss a bunch of games. We dropped suddenly to sixth place at 7-10-1, quite a comedown. A new era of transition, the present one, would begin in 2017. 

To recap this extraordinary time in our history: 

Record 209-67-9, six league titles, five second place finishes, one early bird tournament title and one spring playoffs title

Double figure wins 13 of 15 seasons 

Two top 10 team batting averages: 3rd, Fall 2013, .576; 8th, Spring 2010, .560 

Four top 10 most runs per game: 1st, Fall 2009, 18.00; 4th, Spring 2014, 17.17; 9th, Spring 2011, 15.75; 10th, Spring 2015, 15.5

Four top 10 most home runs: 3rd, Spring 2012, 30; 6th, Spring 2011, 26; 7th [tied], Spring 2014, Fall 2014; 10th [tied] Fall 2011, Fall 2015, 24 

Players batted .700 or better eight times.  

Jeff Hart set our all time top batting average of .778, Fall 2015; also .721, Spring 2014 

Brad Moehringer previously set the record of .738, Fall 2014 

Matt O’Connell batted .714, Spring 2014 

Dominant player of the era was Ben Peden with 7 batting titles, 9 home run titles, 11 RBI titles, hit better than .700 four times: .736, Fall 2009; .735, Spring 2011; .727, Spring 2012; .722, Fall 2009. 

Record for most hits was broken twice:  first Peden, 48, Spring 2012, then Hart 49, Fall 2015

Drew Mitrisin twice set single season home run record: 12, Fall 2015, then 14, Spring 2019] 

Total bases record broken 6 times, now held by Mitrisin, 97 

Next week will be our final Tools Wednesday, like I said, all good things come to an end. But I’m looking forward to doing it one more time. 

Sarv

Edition 28           November 11, 2020  

This is the 28th and final Tools Wednesday of 2020. It has been an enormous pleasure to bring these weekly remembrances of nearly 40 years of Beecher Tool and Die Softball. The Coronavirus pandemic has ravaged our nation. The spring season was cancelled. When play resumed in the fall, after careful consideration we decided not to take the field to protect our health and that of our families. 

We rarely get a chance in life to look backwards. The last seven months of reflection have provided us with that opportunity to recall all that being part of this team, this franchise, has meant to us – comradery, fun, competitiveness, friendship, triumph, hijinks and commitment. Our lives have been impacted in ways never imagined by being Tools. 

Sharing stories and resurrecting moments from the misty past has led many of you to openly offer, maybe for the first time, unabashed expressions of affection and respect for teammates. 

The six Tools Eras have been irrevocably blended – you are teammates, one and all, whether you took the field together or not or knew each other or not. 

I will never forget this experience. I love the Tools and all of you. And so, with mixed emotions, one more time, it’s Tools Wednesday, 28th Edition.

November 11, 2020 It’s Veterans Day so thank you to the many of you who have served our country. 

I thought I’d start by telling you about Arlington softball this fall. There were six leagues with 52 teams [40 men’s and 12 coed], considerably fewer than normal. Our division had only six teams – Super Feet Sluggers [which will win the title], Badabing, Hopslammers, Jay’s Saloon, The Rainmakers and U.S. Exporters, the latter two new entries. Along with us, CCSP Epstein and Girthworms opted not to play. The anti-field activists convinced Amazon, which is building a vast complex nearby, to fund a “temporary” dog park at Virginia Highlands Park – one proposal had it in the outfield of field 3, the other beyond the outfield fences – and have staged events on the softball fields to demonstrate how well the spaces are being used in the absence of softball. [Fall softball was played at Virginia Highlands.] My understanding is that DPR will not support a dog park in our outfield, but the fight to preserve those fields continues and I’m (not) looking forward to helping to lead it. 

This Week in Tools History

November 9, 2011  Nine years ago, the Tools trailed 8-7 in our final at bats against Silverbacks [having nothing to do with Jay Braun’s glove]. Mike Sabol, Craig Hughes and Doug Walker singled to tie the game. Chris Hamm made a dugout declaration, "the left center fielder is about to get burned" and proceeded to blast a drive over that guy's head for a walk-off double. The Tools scored in every inning of the second game to build 28-6 lead and won 28-17. 

November 9, 2016  Four years ago, on the last night of the season, the Tools showed up but nobody from Badabing did and we won our second doubleheader in a row by forfeit to finish with a 7-10-1 record. Then we rushed home for a historic Game 7 of the World Series – the Chicago Cubs won their first championship in 108 years. 

November 14, 2017  Three years ago … in his 33 years as coach Mark Sarver never had sent the Tools to the wrong field … but he did on this night. It was a make-up doubleheader and he didn’t catch the field switch. We showed up at Jennie Dean and Jay’s Saloon and umpire Hank Kopcial were waiting at Utah Field, a place where we had not played in 25 years. We forfeited both games. 

November 15, 2017  Three years ago, on the latest date the Tools have ever played, we had another doubleheader against Jay’s Saloon. Happily, this time when we showed up at Jennie Dean they were there, too. After building an 11-3 lead we suffered a disappointing 14-13 loss. In game two we built a big lead again, 10-2, but this time held on for a 14-7 win. 

November 16, 2011  Nine years ago, with Thanksgiving approaching our final doubleheader against Badabing was rained out and there was no time for a rescheduling. The Tools achieved our first unbeaten fall season with a 15-0-1 record and our first fall league championship in 21 years. 

Tools Eras 

1981 - 1987    The Formative Years

1988 - 1991    Advancing to a High Level

1992 - 1998    Staying the Course, A Continual Rebuild

1999 - 2008    Becoming a Dominant Team

2009 - 2016    A Championship Era

2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

As I share some memories of each Tools era, bear in mind it’s hard to compress four decades of happenings into one mind. Each of you have your own memories based on shorter time frames and I have no doubt you will recall events that I won’t. 

Tonight I’ll talk about the sixth era. I’m inviting those of you who played in this era to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone about this special time. 

Era 6 - 2017 - 2020+  A Strong Transition with Continuity

The sixth and current era of the Tools began in the same manner as the previous one, with a triumphant performance to capture our fourth Arlington Early Bird Tournament title. In the title game we mounted a 24 hit attack and exploded for 10 runs in the third to beat Waterproofers 20-12. Ben Peden, our standard bearer of the previous era, led the way by crunching two home runs and a double, good for six RBI. 

Although we went into the season looking pretty much as we did the previous fall, we made two additions, pitcher Chris MacDonald, known as C-Mac, and outfielder Kelly Heath. The addition of MacDonald was especially significant because we do not change pitchers very often. 

Despite the toughest strength of schedule in many years that spring, we yielded fewer than eight runs per game and might have grabbed a third straight spring title but our talented offense sputtered. We finished 11-6-1 in fourth place and lost five of six times against the three top teams, Hopslammers, Sluggers and CCSP Epstein. We won three post-season playoff games but were edged twice by Hopslammers. 

In the fall, without Drew Mitrisin who had enrolled in grad school and mostly without Chuck Spivey whose US Naval duties took him away, we had a power outage, hitting only eight home runs. The league standings were tightly packed – we struggled to a fifth place tie with a 9-8-1 record but were only two games off the lead. Although it seemed insignificant at the time, our late season make-up double forfeit to Jay’s Saloon when I sent the team to the wrong field did not help. Given the way we were playing, a sweep could not be assumed even against Jay’s – we barely managed to split another twin bill against them the very next night. 

The year’s most exciting doubleheader was played against a new rival that we would come to dislike, fall league champion Super Feet Sluggers. In game one we overcame a 6-0 deficit to lead 10-9 before falling 11-10. In the second game, despite the Tools getting 27 hits and scoring in every inning, there eight lead changes as the teams pounded each other. Yet it ended meekly when the Sluggers issued two intentional walks, loading the bases to get to Mike Sabol. Sabes then took a walk – a walk-off walk – and we won 20-19. 

Expectations were modest as we headed into 2018 and a 0-3-1 start to the spring season seemed in keeping with those. We may have under-estimated our ability to find ways to win under all kinds of circumstances. We showed great tenacity and with just a little bit of luck might have been historically great. 

After that slow start we won 12 of our final 14 games to finish in a tie for first place but were deprived of the league title based on tie-breaking rules. In the post-season playoffs we were solid if unspectacular but swept four games for a playoffs championship. 

In the fall we added a terrific outfielder and right-handed hitter, Terrence Dolan. We rolled to a 10-3-1 record but our last four games, schedule for November, were cancelled due to record rainfall. We finished in second place just one game out, but the team ahead of us ended their season with four wins all forfeited by two of the league’s best teams. We finished the year 26-8-1 overall. 

There were great individual achievements – Chris Hamm’s 800th hit and 1,500 th total base, Mike Sabol’s 400th hit, Ben Peden’s record 9 th batting title and 600th RBI and Jay Braun’s record 1,761 total bases and 700th run. 

But the greatest milestone belonged to Doug Walker. It took 30 years and 700 games, but on April 11 Doug hit a single up the middle in the sixth inning of a game against Jay’s Saloon at Jennie Dean, his 1,000 th career hit. Umpire Hank Kopcial stopped the game and summoned Doug to the pitching rubber to present him with the historic ball as the Tools applauded. In the early 1990’s when Doug pulled out that Wall Street Journal to show his displeasure with being told to DH the odds were very long indeed that he would be around for this achievement. 

The Tools had title hopes for 2019 but also were in a moving state of transition. Matt O’Connell, one of our most productive hitters, moved back to New England before we could get underway. Drew Mitrisin rejoined us but only temporarily, he would move to Kansas during the summer. Eleven year veteran Eric Stewart also was moving during the summer, to Florida. Stewart would have severe leg injuries that would limit him to seven games. 

We had a shaky start, being swept on opening day by Super Feet Sluggers and losing four of our first seven games. Then our offense kicked into high gear, averaging more than 16 runs over the next nine games and we won them all to vault into first place. 

We needed to win one of two against mighty Girthworms. Playing at small Virginia Highlands 4, the coaches agreed to waive the three home run limit in favor of seven although I had misgivings given the eagerness of my counterpart. We were embarrassed in the first game 22-10, then fell behind 11-1 in the nightcap. We were in disbelief, having such faith in each other. That faith was rewarded. 

We scored nine runs in the third inning and seized the lead when Drew Mitrisin, Terrence Dolan and Ben Peden, batting 3-4-5, crashed enormous solo home runs in succession. That put us at the home run limit with innings to go, causing an opposing player to utter “that was stupid”. Instead, it was the Tools making a statement – you are not going to beat us. We held them off, with Dolan completing a game-ending and title winning double play by catching a long fly ball against the left center field fence and nailing a runner at third base who uselessly tried to advance despite being three runs down – that actually was the “stupid” move. 

After winning our first two playoff games we were badly beaten by Super Feet Sluggers. In an elimination game Girthworms pounded us early again, seizing a 14- 2 lead. Once again we valiantly fought back to tie the game 18-18 but lost a heartbreaker 22-21. 

Our 13-5 record meant that we had reached double figure wins in spring play 11 years in a row and 18 of the last 19 – the entire 21st century. Mitrisin had put together a great spring season, batting .725, setting a single season record of 14 home runs (in only 12 games!), amassing a .800 on base average, driving in 33 runs and scoring 26. 

In the fall, with the departure of Mitrisin, Stewart and also Kelly Heath, we added two outfielders, Matt Bailey and Tom Herrera. We started poorly, dropping four of our first five contests. Rejuvenation came as usual, and we went 11-1-1 the rest of the way to finish a distant second. 

This was the year of the great hitting streaks. Sam Wallach reached a record 75 straight regular season games in the spring, bypassing Matt O’Connell’s mark of 72. Sam did not get to enjoy the record for long. In the fall, Jeff Hart passed him, having hit in 80 straight regular season games – needless to say the streak did not end in 2020 so Hart will carry it into 2021. Mitrisin departed with an ongoing 48 game streak … if only. Do all of you realize how hard it is to be this consistent week after week, sometimes for years? How extraordinary. Kudos to each of you for withstanding the pressure as you neared the record. 

In 2019 we played for the very first time on artificial turf at the beautifully rebuilt Gunston Park [formerly Shirley Park]. The field is gorgeous, designed for multi-use, the hops are true but there are enough bases painted on the surface that it is easy to throw to the wrong one. They even put high netting along the first base line so cars parked on the street are no longer being struck We played a lot of great games at the old Gunston/Shirley Park, building a record of 142-63-5. 

We said farewell to fabled Jennie Dean Field, where we amassed a 344-194-14 record. This legendary place had been threatened by neighborhood activists but the adult softball community, men’s and coed, came together led by a certain diminutive coach and instead got a beautiful state of the art design as part of a planned redo of the entire park. The work is very slowly underway and I expect it should be available no later than 2022. 

The Crystal City Sports Pub, our sponsor since 1994, celebrated its 25th anniversary in August 2019 with a big party. I hung out there for hours with the owners and we expressed mutual gratitude for a great relationship. We did not know that a pandemic was looming on the horizon and we hope that this vital community business will survive it. 

Here are some amazing Tools Team Statistics going back to fall 1983:  

11 League Championships

6 Playoffs Championships [5 spring, 1 fall] 

4 Early Bird Championships 

Won - Loss Record [Fall 1981 – Fall 2019, missing only Spring 1982]: 

     Regular season 808-526-44  

     Playoffs 69-57-0

     Tournaments 82-60-2 

Team batting average, .492

19,810 hits

40,288 at bats 

43,778 at bats 

1,189 home runs

1,553 triples 

2,789 doubles 

14,149 singles 

2,238 walks 

2,080 sacrifice flies 

2,080 base on errors 

33,460 total bases 

13,616 RBI

15,127 runs 

Finally, I wish to express my heartfelt thank you to each of the Tools who has played any kind of substantial role in the unfolding Tools saga:  Bill Anhut, Matt Bailey, Josh Bartzen, Bobby Bilicki, Steve Blechman, Jay Braun, Scott Bresnahan, John Buchan, Mark Bultman, Craig Canfield, Joe Colletta, Ashby Daniels, Les Davison, Terrence Dolan, Matt Doyle, Robert Emeritz, Ken Ferebee, Rick Fisher, Chuck Ford, Derrik Forshee, Greg Fortine, Jeff Franco, Jeff Fus, Mike Giglio, Chris Girolamo, Bob Granger, Tim Greening, Mike Gummey, Chris Hamm, John Hampsey, Dave Hansen, Jeff Hart, Paul Haugh, Kelly Heath, Tom Herrera, Terry Hiebert, Scott Hill, Craig Hughes, Brian Hurney, Jesse Johnson, Marc Kaplan, Jim Kernan, Ryan Krepp, Barbara Kreykenbohm, Bill Kreykenbohm, Jon Leon, Joe Lombardo, Chris MacDonald, Tony Mason, Jeff McTiernan, Terry Medley, Gerry Mello, Rich Menseck, Rick Mercer, Jim Miles, Drew Mitrisin, Brad Moehringer, Matt O’Connell, Will O’Day, Josh O’Donnell, Ben Peden, John Revette, Jim Rohrbach, Mike Sabol, Rocco Saracina, Mark Sarver, Andy Schultheiss, Ken Shoop, Ben Simon, Chuck Spivey, Steve Sprague, Jim Stensland, Eric Stewart, Bill Summers, Ken Surprenant, Rich Sweeny, Jon Talotta, Chris Thomas, Bruce Turner, Allen Urban, Bruce Urban, Dave VanWagener, Doug Walker, Sam Wallach, Rick Welch, Richard White. We’ve also been helped by Super Subs like Todd Anderson, Asher Best, Ryan Katz, Tom Vitlo. We remember two onetime Tools who have passed away, Rocco Saracina and Craig Crenshaw. And of course, our honorary lifetime Tool, the late Joe Anderson. 

So there you have it, The Covid Chronicles, 39 years of Beecher Tool and Die Softball.  I am so very anxious to get back to playing softball and hope that all of us will be together busting each other's chops very soon.  Stay safe in the meantime.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and off-season and remember, we are all in this together, if separately.

Love,

Sarv