Every so often, the events swirling around a sporting event are
so strange and bizarre that they actually overshadow what happens
on the field of play.
Such was the case on May 25, when the El Molino baseballers
traveled to Sir Francis Drake in San Anselmo for their North Coast
Section Division-three playoff opener.
The game was played under a dark cloud of hostility and anger,
most of it emanating from the Drake dug-out.
“It was definitely the most bizarre game I’ve ever been
associated with,” said El Mo skipper Rick Tacla, a veteran coach of
28 years for the Lions. “To our credit, our guys played hard and
didn’t let the events on the field affect their behavior.”
Wood bat controversy boils over
Drake, along with every other team in the Marin County Athletic
League, has employed the use of wood bats since the tragic injury
suffered by Marin Catholic pitcher Gunnar Sandberg in March. The
league voted to ban metal for at least the remainder of the season,
including those MCAL teams participating in the NCS playoffs.
The controversy begins there, and since opposing NCS teams are
not obligated to use wood, several playoff games have pitted wood
batting teams against their metal counterparts.
Last week the issue came to a head when the Lions elected to go
with their usual metal bats against Drake, evoking a protest and
some strange behavior from the Pirates.
When Lion’s first baseman Ricky Franceschi went deep for a solo
homer in the second inning, he was followed and taunted while
rounding the bases by the Drake pitcher. The pitcher was not
reprimanded by Drake coaches or the umpiring crew.
The next inning, an El Mo infielder was coming off the diamond
when he was pushed to the ground by a Drake base coach. Although
seen by spectators and other coaches, the incident went unaddressed
until a Drake official was notified and suspended the coach in the
sixth inning.
After several controversial calls by the base umpires went
against the Lions, Tacla came out to argue, but was told to “sit
down” by a Drake coach.
Meanwhile, Drake surged into the lead with a two-run double in
the fourth, and pushed across another pair in the fifth for a 4-2
lead. The Lions threatened with a run in the seventh and loaded the
bases with one out, but the Pirates would hang on for a 4-3
win.
Fiddler (6 IP, 6 hits, 6 Ks) took the loss, while Paris Selzer
tossed the seventh inning in relief. Leading the hitting corps were
Franceschi (2 for 2, HR), Ben Rhoades (1 for 3, 2B), and Jordan
Nordby (1 for 4, 3B).
The Lions finished the year with a final record of 6-16, with 11
losses coming by one run.
The final chapter in the bizarre event came after the game, when
Drake head coach Adam Farb made several disparaging remarks about
El Molino to a Marin Independent Journal reporter. Farb was later
suspended for one game.
