Game 12 Report — Tap Outs 14, Entrup 5

Do you believe in miracles?

As Al Michaels said at the end of the U.S-Russia hockey game in the 1980 Olympics — "YES!!!!"

Going into their Quincy Park District Division V season finale, your diamond heroes needed some divine intervention to come away with the league title. First, they needed to beat an Entrup team that had shocked them just two weeks ago.

Mission No. 1 was accomplished easily enough.

After polishing off the painters and dry wallers — who I must add do excellent work — the Tap Outs needed league-leading JJ's Catering to turd up against Hootey's Bar and Grill. JJ's came into the game with a 9-2 record, while Hootey's came in with a sub-.500 record.

A funny thing happened on the way to JJ's coronation as league champs — the lost 13-12 in the worst possible way. Hootey's took a 13-9 lead thanks to a five-run inning in the top of the seventh.

JJ's came back to make it a 13-12 game and had a runner on first and two outs with one of their best players at the plate. (I don't think the guy at the plate was on their roster, but whatever.) JJ's hired gun wound up lacing a shot to center field that rolled to the wall. He motored around the bases, but there was one problem — the guy who was on first fell down. The hired gun zipped past his fallen teammate while running the bases. As a result, he was called out for the third out of the inning and the end of the game.

As a result, JJ's and the Tap Outs finish the season with identical 9-3 records. According to Quincy Park District rules, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition. JJ's and the Tap Outs split two games this year. The Tap Outs won the first game 9-5, but lost the second 5-1. The second tiebreaker is run differential. Again, the teams are tied.

There was no third tiebreaker listed. From where I sit, JJ's win over the Tap Outs has a huge asterisk since DOB was not in attendance. We've seen that the Tap Outs are susceptible when DOB isn't in the lineup.

Who knows what the park district is going to do with the tiebreaker. We'll keep you posted once team skipper Kriss Kross hears of the decision.

As for the Tap Outs' win on Thursday night at Upper Moorman, it was a fairly easy one. Kriss Kross, playing with a hamstring injury, did fine in the circle, but got some help from his defense. No one was better on defense than Scottie Too Hottie at shortstop. He made a diving catch on a line drive and also dove for a fly ball down the left-field line to help keep Entrup in line.

Offensively, the Tap Outs scored five runs in the first inning and rolled from there. DOB went 1-or 4 and was thrown out at home on the worst base-running play of the season. DOB decided to stop between third base and home on a hit to left field, even though Cory in the house was sending him home. DOB was thrown out by a country mile.

However, Division V's best backstop made up for in in the next inning. He correctly asked for an appeal on a guy who tried to tag up from third. The umps called the guy — who left a good second early — out for the last out of the inning.

It appears the most of the Tap Outs plan to return for the 2011 season. Stay tuned to the blog in the upcoming days for the results of where we finish with the tiebreaker as well as the year-ending team honors.