Awards Time!

We wrapped up another Division V title, going 9-3 and sharing the crown with JJ's Catering. (By the way, Tap Outs vs. JJ's is the Quincy Park District's answer to Cubs-Cards and Saux-Yanks.)

The judge and jury for the awards — DOB — has cooked these up. Like them? Don't like them? Leave a comment.

Here we go:

Least Valuable Player

If you blinked, you may have missed Jared Bell's time as a member of the Tap Outs. Work forced him to miss some games early on. By the time his slow time at work rolled around, he was nowhere to be found. He wound up leaving Quincy after about six months to head back home, leaving the Tap Outs with a hole on their roster.

We'll have to find someone to replace him on the 2011 roster. It shouldn't be too tough.

Past winners:

2008: Shawny

2007: Diamond Dave (who I still couldn't pick out of a lineup)

2006: Grape Ape

Play of the Year

He's our Kirk Gibson.

A bad back kept Hitman Hart out of the lineup for most of the season. However, we guilted him into coming back for a July 15 game against Hootey's. The game started out ugly as the Tap Outs trailed 14-1 at one point early on.

But your diamond warriors scratched and clawed their way back into the game, eventually forcing extra innings — despite some pretty terrible third-base coaching by DOB. Let's go back to that night, which happended to be Jazzy Jeff's birthday:

With two on and two out, Hitman stepped to the plate. He grabbed at the small of his back as he entered the box. On the first pitch he saw, he laced a shot to straightaway center field. For a second, it appeared the Hootey's center fielder was going to catch it. But as he made a move on the ball, he slipped and the ball sailed over his head to the wall.

Hart, eating up nine feet of dirt with each one of his strides, quickly circled the bases. By the time the Hootey's folks got the ball, he was already near third base. There was no play at the plate this time as the Tap Outs prevailed to improve to 7-1 on the season.

The play was, quite possibly, the highlight of the Hitman's softball career.

Past winners:

2008: Rob Base (for a comedy of errors)

2007: DOB (for picking off a member of the Cooler Boyz at first base)

2006: Ed (for the now infamous self-inflicted wedgie while playing right field)

Rookie of the Year

We'll have more on this year's recipient, Scotty 2 Hotty, later in the program

Past winners:

2008: Bad Brad (Whatever happened to him?)

2007: Jazzy Jeff

2006: Shawny

2005: DOB (only award given after the year)

Ed Sprague Memorial Bonehead Play of the Year

In the season finale, DOB showed why he doesn't score very many runs.

First of all, he has to get on base, which didn't happen as often this year as it has in the past. Secondly, he has to listen to his third base coach when he has a chance to put a run on the board.

The Tap Outs were well on their way to a win, but DOB for some reason failed to looked at Cory in The House in the third base coaches box late in the game. With the left fielder fumbling the ball, Cory decided to send DOB, who decided to stop between third base and home. For some reason, DOB — after stopping for a good two seconds — took off toward home again.

He was out by a mile, drawing the ire and ridicule of his Tap Outs teammates.

Maybe DOB will get better at running the bases next year.

Past winners:

2008: Kriss Kross (for being the victim of the world's first ever 3-1-2-3 putout)

2007: Kriss Kross (for having two E-10s in the same inning, which led to him being replaced by the Weamster)

2006: The Weamster (for breaking his hand after pounding it on the ground during a blowout loss to Snap-On Tools)

Most Improved Player

Don't know that we had a Most Improved Player. All of us did pretty good for being off an entire year. I'll give the nod to one of our most consistent players during our time as Demons/Tap Outs.

Big John Studd quietly goes about his business at first base and hitting in the middle of the lineup. He's a rock from which the franchise's foundation is built around.

Past winners

2008: None (we stunk)

2007: Nick the Quick

2006: DOB

Most Valuable Player

If it wasn't for Scotty 2 Hotty, who knows where the Tap Outs would have finished. He was a pretty good anchor at the top of the lineup, hitting mostly in the No. 2 spot behind Eric B.

Not only did he consistently get on base, but he also made outstanding plays in the field throughout the season. He made a pair of web gems in the season finale that would have been up for Play of the Year had it not been for Hitman Hart's walk-off heroics against Hootey's.

Past winners

2008: Jazzy Jeff

2007: Shawny

2006: Hitman Hart

That does it for this year.

If you're one of the millions of Tap Outs fans, make sure to check back next April when we begin our pursuit of yet another league crown.