This is the 15th Anniversary Season for the Goat Scouts who are looking forward to playing this year. The Goats are ready to have fun and win lots of games. The Goat record in 2001 was 11 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie and 2 forfeits by the opponents.

• Sign-Up Lunch
• Practice, Wednesday, April 10 and 17
• Tuesday, April 23, 2002, H2 vs Eclectic Eccentrics (Loss 14-17)
• Wednesday, May 1, 2002, H3 vs L.A. Radars (Win 26-8)
• Tuesday, May 7, 2002, H3 vs Paper Tigers (Win 19-18)
• Thursday, May 16, 2002, H2 vs Deep Space Cadets (Win 22-11)
• Week of May 20, 2002 - bye
• Week of May 27, 2002 - bye
• Wednesday, June 5, 2002, H2 vs Voodoo TOAD Fury (Loss 2-12)
• Tuesday, June 11, 2002, H5 vs Crawdads (Win 37-17)
• Week of June 17, 2002 - bye
• Wednesday, June 26, 2002, H5 vs Encumber This (Loss 11-14)
• Monday, July 1, 2002, H5 vs Bruisers (Win 29-15)
• Tuesday, July 9, 2002, H2 vs Killer Interplanetary Death Squad (Win 27-8)
• Thursday, July 18, 2002, H5 vs Homers (Loss 11-22)
• Wednesday, July 24, 2002, H5 vs Baseline Interference (Win 31-15)
• Thursday, August 1, 2002, H3 vs Cinco Equis (Win Forfeit)
• Tuesday, August 6, 2002, H3 vs Wild Turkeys (Win 15-13)
• Thursday, August 15, 2002, H2 vs Gravity Fielders (Win 25-15)
• Monday, August 19, 2002, H3 vs Homers (Loss 8-17)

2002 Season Record - 9 wins, 5 losses and 1 forfeit

2002 Game Summaries

A sign-up lunch was held at Q's on Wednesday, March 13. I'm only sorry that more of the team didn't make it. The incredible number of people who appeared at the Sign-Up Luncheon was 6! Or is that the number of incredible people who appeared? Those incredible six were Bryan, Miki, Ian, Larry, Keith and Donna.

It was a nice evening for a practice with 11 Goats coming out, including a couple of rookies, Alfred Ramil and Jennifer Law, plus the return of Don Feak. It looks like the Goats are in fine shape this year, with just a few kinks to work on next week, like calling for those fly balls to prevent collisions. Donna also appreciated Bryan's suggestion that she should have a pinch runner!

The skies were gray over JPL, but down at the Rose Bowl it was nothing but blue skies and sunshine as 7 Goats and 3 Family members practiced their hitting and fielding. Another Goat rookie made his appearance, Jose Guzman, who looked good in his first workout even when catching flies in the outfield with a left handers' glove! Jose, you might want to consider making a purchase. Lloyd purchased a new bat and 4 out 4 players using the bat had nothing but good things to say about it. Hopefully there is plenty of hits still left in the bat for the season. Opening day is next Tuesday. Be there, as the Goat Scouts kick-off their 15th season.

It was a great night for softball, not too hot, not too cold, at least until the sun went behind the hills and then it was down right chilly. It was a well matched game, but the Goats struggled in the field as errors prevented them from getting the outs when needed. At the end of the 1st inning, the new Lloyd Keith bat was declared a success as the first three users all got hits including 2 homeruns. Also during that inning Miki was "fined" by Keith for not listening to the base coach, her hubby Bryan, who wanted her to stop at second. She made it safely to 3rd so I don't know what the big deal is! Chris then noted later on that Miki is not use to listening to Bryan, as she nearly did it again a few innings later. The Goats began to gel in the field in the bottom of the sixth inning. If the Goats only had another inning or two, I think they would have pulled off a win. Batting highlights include: homeruns by Bryan, Chris (2), Ron and Lloyd triples by David and Don and a double by Lloyd. Final Score Goat Scouts 14, Eclectic Eccentrics 17.

As an arctic freeze blew in to Pasadena, the Goat Scouts tried to keep warm. Wow what a crowd! Thanks to everyone who showed up to play including the rookie debuts of Mark, Jose, Jackie and Chiemi. The managers Miki and Donna really appreciated not having to play! With the weather so cold, the jokes were really coming fast and furious. The defense finally came together in the field with a lot fewer errors than last week. The most runs the L.A. Radars scored in one inning was 3. Larry put on a good show at short snagging two low line drives. Offensively it was a great hitting show. One disappointment was Art "Pinky" Thompson who had some difficulty getting the ball past the pitcher. Keith wasn't having a great game hitting either as even the rookies were ragging on him. On the sidelines, as Kevin hits Bryan in the butt with a bat, Keith comments that "only Miki can do that". As the evening wears on and the closer to the end of the game gets, several players whine about the cold, including Ron who just wants to get in his truck and put the heater on. This prompts Lloyd to call him a whimp. If only Ron had worn long pants instead of shorts! Being up by 13 runs, Kevin is sent in to bat. He makes an out, but is later called upon to run for Bryan. Everyone notes that you can't tell the difference between the two from far away since they are dressed almost exactly alike with their purple sweatshirts and khaki shorts! Batting highlights include: homeruns by Chris, Ron and Jose, a triple by Chris and doubles by Bryan (2) and Lloyd. Final Score Goat Scouts 26, L.A. Radars 8.

It was another chilly evening in Pasadena, but thank goodness the wind wasn't blowing. What a game! The Goats decided to try a little bit different defensive strategy by playing 4 outfielders and keeping the hits in front of them. It worked pretty well as the Paper Tigers are long ball hitters and only managed a couple homeruns, with no one on base, so the damage wasn't as severe. There were a couple of great plays on defense. One in the bottom of the third where Lloyd, Bryan and Ian connected for a double play to end the inning and again in the bottom of the seventh with one out and the Paper Tigers threatening. Bryan caught a line drive and threw to Ian for the force out, catching the runner off the bag to end the game. Both teams thought we ended in a tie, until Donna took a look at the scorebook the next morning and discovered that her run in the 6th was not counted in the tally, because it was on the next page. What a shock for the Tigers who were looking to go undefeated this season. Donna is now sorry for the joke she made to Steve Alfery about not being able to count : ) The Goat Scouts base running was interesting as Ron nearly gets tagged out at 1st for turning and looking at 2nd after making it safely to 1st. Keith slides in to home safely and earns a scrape on his calf for his efforts and notes that Tammy wasn't there to see it. Mark entertains the spectators with his one handed juggling of two softballs while the Goats are in the field. This week Ron changes in to slippers for his toasty ride home. Batting highlights include: a homerun by Keith and doubles by Chris, Ron (2), and Don (2). Final Score Goat Scouts 19, Paper Tigers 18.

Finally a little bit warmer evening in Pasadena, but unfortunately the wind was blowing. It was another great game for the Goats as the defensive strategy from the previous week was repeated. A couple of hits by the Cadets got by our outfielders but not many and the damage wasn't too bad. Other interesting plays by the defense included, Bryan turning another 6-3 double play, after earlier uncorking a throw that reminded us of Steve Sax (5th row, 2nd deck). Lloyd's throw to 1st hit Keith in the chest when Keith lost the ball in the sun. Goat outfielders dropped a couple fly balls hit almost right at them. Dave S. made a good save on a wild throw from the outfield to 3rd. The Rookies are looking sharp as Chiemi earned 2 base hits, Jen and Jackie also hit safely. Dave S. earned the "purple heart" award as Bryan nailed his second Goat with a line drive foul hitting the 3rd base runner in the shin. Jose injured the Cadets center fielder Randy Bartos on a high hit that nailed him in the face. Luckily, Randy's sunglasses took the brunt of the injury. When Randy came up to bat in the top of sixth, his teammates could be heard chanting "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember the Death Star". It was quite entertaining for the Goats not in the field that inning. It should also be noted that many of the Goats did not show up until after the game started. The Managers including the field manager would really appreciate your response to the reminder with Yes, No or at the very least Maybe regarding your attendance. Batting highlights include: a homerun by Bryan, a triple by Chris and doubles by Bryan, Keith, Chris (2), Ron, Lloyd, Jose (2) and Shuichi. Final Score Goat Scouts 22, Deep Space Cadets 11.

HOT! HOT! HOT! A big thank you to Charlie "BITE ME" Kaczinski for starting on time and not forfeiting. The only good thing about this game was the great defense exhibited by both teams. The lone bad inning for the Goats was in the 3rd that allowed the TOADS to score 7 runs. Up until that point both teams had trouble just getting a base hit. Defensive highlights include fly ball catches by Jackie and Cindy and one on the run catch by Shuichi in the 5th inning. It should also be noted that Chris helped the TOADS score 3 runs in the top of the seventh to put us in mercy. The best thing that can be said about this dismal offensive game by the Goats is at least the Lakers won! Batting highlights include: NONE and only two Goats went 2 for 2, Miki and Keizo. Final Score Goat Scouts 2, Voodoo TOAD Fury 12.

Thanks to the Rosebowl, this game ended up being played on H5 instead of H3, which was still under repair, at least the sun was in the batters face rather than the outfielders. This was a long, long game. In the top of the 2nd inning, the Goats put the Crawdads in mercy and never looked back. The offense by the Goats was out of this world as nearly everyone batted each inning. The defense was no slouch either as the Crawdads only big inning came in the 7th when the Goats were up by 27 runs and it was getting dark. It should be noted that Chris hit the cutoff man, for, in his words, "maybe the first time this season!" The funniest play of the game occurred with the bases loaded in the top of the 3rd inning. Shuichi was on third base and rookie Dorice hit a dribbler in front of the plate and the Crawdads catcher kicked the ball as he was trying to pick it up and get the force at home. Shuichi squeaked in for the score. Because the Goats were so far ahead our base runners took it easy on them. More than once Bryan prevented Chris from getting a double. Bryan may have kept Chris's slugging average down, but not his batting average. In the top of the 6th, the desperate Crawdads 3rd baseman tries to push Jackie off the base to get her out, but Jackie just pushed back. Bryan was involved in another player injury, this time it was one of the opponents. He hit a hard line drive that hit the rovers' glove, bounced up and hit her in the jaw. She recovered and went on to bat in the last inning. In the final inning Chiemi was pancaked at home plate from a slide by one of the young Crawdad guys. Batting highlights include: homeruns by Chris and Keith, a triple by Keith and doubles by Bryan (3), Chris, Lloyd, Keith (2) and Keizo (4). Note that Keith hit "for the cycle" which is better than last week's "collar" or "o'fer" performance. Final Score Goat Scouts 37, Crawdads 17.

After a week off again, the Goats were ready to play. Several Goats were on vacation this week and it looked like we would be short some players, especially men. This week saw the best turn out of females ever, with 7 in total including new player, Natacha, Jen's roommate. It was a very close game that saw the lead go back and forth. Defensively Cindy had a very busy 2nd inning. She caught a fly ball and turned a double play with the bases loaded to end the inning. The funniest play of the game occurred when a female Encumber This player couldn't find 2nd base. She went from 1st to 3rd and then realized that she totally missed 2nd where the Goats got her out. She didn't confuse the Goats, just her own teammates! She should have remembered where 2nd base was because she was the one to move it in the bottom of the 1st inning. Batting highlights were few, but include: doubles by Chris (2) and Leslie (a female first, this season). Final Score Goat Scouts 11, Encumber This 14.

It was a hot and muggy evening as the Goats took the field with just enough players to get started. Former Goat Don Johnson was nearly called out of retirement to help us get started. He thanked Larry for showing up just in time. The Bruisers led at the end of the 1st inning, but that was the last time. Everyone batted in the 2nd inning as the Goats scored 8 runs and never looked back. Defensively the right fielder and left-center fielders had to contend with small ponds. Thank goodness no one slipped and fell in. This week Shuichi got a lot of play in left field as opposed to previous games where left was a very quiet position. Offensively Bryan hit for the cycle to improve his slugging average. The only player not to get a hit this week was Donna. Oh well, at least she was able to move the runners during the 2nd inning. Batting highlights include: homeruns by Bryan and Chris, triples by Bryan, Lloyd, Jackie (a female first, this season) and Gary, and doubles by Bryan, Chris, Shuichi, Lloyd, Larry and Gary. Final Score Goat Scouts 29, Bruisers 15.

Earlier in the day, one of the Goat players asked if the game would be postponed due to the heat and the MLB All Star Game. As it turned out the heat wasn't nearly as intense down at the Rose Bowl. There was a nice breeze making for a very comfortable game. The Killer Interplanetary Death Squad, aka KIDS, were a lot of fun. Before the game started they told us that they had never finished a complete game. The Goats thought maybe it was because they scored a lot of runs, but the KIDS told us it was because their opponents did. The game was slow and the score was close through the first 3 innings, but the Goats really poured it on in the 4th and 5th. Defensively the Goats did well as Wayne, formerly known as "the glove", made his 2002 season debut. He was a bit rusty in the field at times, but at least his bat was working. Art's "good" name was slandered early on and he wasn't even there to defend himself! The best offensive play came in the 5th inning when Donna got even with Bryan by running up his back and forcing him to move to the next base. In her defense, Donna thought Bryan was half way there and besides he made it home safely and forced the KIDS to overthrow home allowing Donna to score as well. Batting highlights include: homeruns by Chris (2), Lloyd and Bryan and doubles by Chris and Bryan. Final Score Goat Scouts 27, Killer Interplanetary Death Squad 8.

The Goats had a tough time fielding a team for this game. It looked iffy right up until game time. Turns out there was just enough to play, 6 guys, 4 gals. Donna caught a surprise hot line drive, snow cone style, in the top of the 2nd that counted for an unassisted double play (the next batter was a phantom female). Lloyd was also involved with catching 3 hot line drives up the middle during the game. Jackie made a nice diving/sliding stop in right center complete with leg abrasions! Tom at short, had a tough time catching grounders that seemed to take bad hops and end up as homeruns. Chris dropped what looked like an easy fly, but was hit so hard, it broke his glove. In the top of the 5th, Lloyd only threw 2 pitches and recorded 3 outs. Keith complained about the glove he borrowed from Richard as "defective", because he dropped almost everything. The best play was in the top of 7th where Tom snagged a flyball for an unassisted triple play (phantom female and mercy rule). On offense the Goats struggled in a couple innings with 3 up 3 down. One highlight was the safe collison at home plate by Keith after the catcher dropped the ball on a force. Mark was robbed twice by the shortstop on good hits. Then there was Kevin running for Donna (you couldn't tell them apart), who reached safely on an infield hit. The Homers put on their best and finally beat the Goats for the first time since 1998. There was talk of a rematch later in the season. Batting highlights were few but include: a homerun by Chris and doubles by Keith, Lloyd and Shuichi. Final Score Goat Scouts 11, Homers 22.

It was hot! hot! hot! Thank you to Dave Herman for coming out to play this week. It was another effort to get 10 Goats to play this week. Good thing Shuichi and Chiemi showed up in the middle of the 2nd, because Chris and Jackie needed to leave at 7. There were some great defensive plays this week including Larry making two solo outs at first, Jackie getting a two person "wave" for a nice back handed grab on the 3rd base line and getting the out at 1st, and Miki getting all the feeds from Keith in the 5th. Unlike Bryan, Keith shares! Offensively Keizo hit for the cycle that included a Grand Slam homerun in the bottom of the 5th. Other batting highlights include: homeruns by Chris (2) and Dave H. (2), triples by Keith and Keizo, and doubles by Chris, Keith (2), Lloyd, Dave H., Larry (2) and Keizo. Final Score Goat Scouts 31, Baseline Interference 15.

At 3pm, Miki and Donna received a message from the manager of Cinco Equis that unfortunately they would be unable to field a team this evening. Goat Scouts win by forfeit!

The return to H3 occurred this evening. Everyone on both teams were asking themselves what changed! There were baracades still up, but the Wild Turkeys set up on H3 anyway. The Goats fielded 6 guys and 6 gals for the game. After Don left in the 3rd inning the infield consisted of women at 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Offensively Lloyd snatched a couple of hot line drives at pitcher and Keizo was heard to say "I taught Lloyd everything he knows". Keizo always seems to take credit for all the good plays made by others! In the bottom of the 6th inning, the sprinklers kicked on and drenched the Goats' belongings and their children who loved it! Batting highlights include: homeruns by Bryan (2), a triple by Lloyd and doubles by Bryan and Lloyd (2). Final Score Goat Scouts 15, Wild Turkeys 13.

What a fun, but long game! The Goats got off to a quick start in the first inning, scoring 9 runs and essentially never looked back. The Gravity Fielders made things interesting, but just ran out of innings. In the top of the 4th inning, Bryan earned the nickname "the new DJ" in reference to his homerun hit that only got a triple, because he wasn't running full out. Former Goat, Don Johnson, did this all the time, except Don did run his hardest. There were some interesting defensive plays. The best occurred in the bottom of the 6th inning when a fly ball hits the top of Donna's shoe, pops up and Leslie catches it for the out, but just to be sure, she throws it to first for the out as well. Most players did not realize that the ball never touched the ground! Batting highlights include: homeruns by Lloyd and Keizo (a grand slam in the top of the 7th), a triple by Bryan and doubles by Bryan (2), Chris and Keith (2). Final Score Goat Scouts 25, Gravity Fielders 15.

Why did we have to play the Homers again? This must have been a cruel joke by Charlie Kaczinski! An email was sent to Charlie where the Goats specifically requested not to play the Homers. Oh well, it was a fun game once you got past the 15 runs scored by the Homers in the bottom of the first inning. If you throw out that inning and only score innings 2 through 7 then the Goats won! In fact the Goat defense showed some confusion during the bottom of third when the Homers did not score any runs. Miki took one in the jaw for the team at 2nd base. She kept the ball from going through the infield and she stayed in the game! On offense the Goat bats just weren't working too well. Everywhere the ball was hit, someone caught it, except in the top of the 4th when Chris got a gift on a fly ball that was dropped by the outfielder, a rare event! Batting highlights include: homeruns by Keith, Chris and Keizo and doubles by Bryan and Chris. Final Score Goat Scouts 8, Homers 17.