The Pecan Park Eagle

The Houston Babies and the Katy Combine squared off at the Sealy, Texas Spring Quilting Festival on March 31, 2012. The Babies won their only contest of the day, 13-4, over Katy. In a second game, Katy also fell to the Boerne, Texas White Sox by a 5-2 count.

A late 19th century sports writer for the Houston Daily Post might have written it this way:

Following a pleasant spring morning day trip up the road west of town, the Houston Babies Base Ball Club descended upon the quiet village of Sealy, Texas Saturday and immediately seized their eyes upon the sight of boundless festive opportunity. Scrambling quickly and firmly upon the pig of good fortune, and fueled unfailingly by their superior ginger of spirit, the urbane Babies fastly slaughtered and roasted their rural neighbors in base ball, albeit in the civilly prescribed manner put forth by the gods of the game, and then proudly brought home the bacon of victory to all their cranks in the fair City of Houston. By nightfall, the entire colorfully spirits-boosted sporting community of Houston was up and about and lifting their cups of joy to the cherished  memory of General Sam.

By noon Saturday, the aspiring and delightful White Sox of Boerne, Texas also arrived in Sealy to witness the Babies coming back from an early 0-4 deficit due to some muffing fingers a-field, but in time to turn the crank on a hitting display that decidedly vanquished all hope for a Katy club survival. The Hajduk family led the Babies in a glowing blaze of Father-Son Glory. Father Larry Hajduk, the old shuffling Buffalo from Buffalo, New York again pitched a complete game victory in the 2012 season opener for the Babies, giving up only two earned runs on the day. Son Alex Hajduk, known alternately as Beef, or “Son of Kong,”  went three for five with a double and a fences-clearing home run to inspire and direct the bombastically devastating Babies offense.

In the second game, the Boerne White Sox were able to lay a second wounding defeat upon dear Katy with the import help of two “temporary revolvers” named Alex of the Hajduk and Schmelter families and one kiddo named Kyle from the surnamed Burns familial group.

In the ongoing absence of sufficient minimal player numbers for a tourney match game against the same talent-providing Babies in a third championship contest of the day, the Houston Babies exercised their civil spirit and declined to take a forfeit victory over Boerne under the circumstances, but they and all others in attendance  implicitly acknowledged that the Houston Babies, indeed, had won the day and the base ball tourney by both their performance on the field against Katy – and also off the field in conjunction with their Boerne win declination. The Babies’ gracious actions stood tall this afternoon as a straight-from-the-heart Houston-style tribute to good sportsmanship.

Raise your glasses tonight and come see us play the next time out, Houston. The next vintage ball action in these parts is scheduled for May 5, 2012 in Katy, Texas. Stay tuned for further details.

In the meanwhile, here’s the Babies Box Score from today’s action in Sealy and one more photo of the Katy-Boerne clubs.

Houston Babies Box Score Activity, March 31, 2012.

Player                    Nickname           ( AB – R – H)   Extra Base Hits

Kyle Burns            3rd Degree           (5- 3-3)

Phil Holland          Hoover                 (4-1-1)                      2BH

Bob Stevens           Crowbar              (1-0-0)

Alex Hajduk           Beef                     (5-3-3)                     HR, 2BH

Larry Miggins        Longball               (5-1-2)

Bill Hale                Slick Willie            (3-0-2)

Jo Hale                  Red                      (2-1-2)

Robby Martin      Speedy                   (5-1-1)

Mike McCroskey   No  Wheels          (1-0-0)

Larry Hajduk         Buffalo *             (4-1-2)     / 2 Earned Runs

Robert Pina            Slick                  (4-0-0)

Alex Schmelter      Keed                  (4-2-2)

Totals                                           (42-13-16)

Babies Team BA, This Game = .381

Katy                     220 000 0 –  4

Houston            025 600 x – 13

Final Score: Houston Babies 13 – Katy Combine 4.

Field Manager:  “Baseball Bob” Dorrill

General Manager:  Bill “Doc” McCurdy

* Newer nickname suggestions for hurler Larry Hajduk: (1) “Double Duty” and (2) “CG” for Complete Game.

Sportsmanship and Camaraderie are essential to the spirit of vintage base ball, played by 1860 rules. Here are members of the Boerne White Sox and the Katy Combine gathering for a game picture after the 5-2 Boerne win at Sealy, Texas on Saturday. March 31, 2012.

Tags: Houston Babies, Vintage Base Ball

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