McShane Blast Squashes Patches Comeback

With two runners on and two outs in the top of the ninth inning at the 2006 TaliJAM, and with the Blasters clinging to a 6-4 lead, long-time JAMmer Rob Andrusco stepped to the plate with a chance to end four long years of frustration for the Patches. After leaving his feet to swing and miss at the first pitch, and then fouling off another, Andrusco connected and drove a pitch over the head of Matt "Skinny Guy" Fornabaio to deep left field to plate Tom Dever and Rick Biggs, and knot the game at 6.

The euphoric Patches erupted in joy following the blast, sensing a tidal shift in momentum in the game and in the series overall.

Their excitement came to a crashing end in the bottom half of the inning, when George McShane made sure that Andrusco's heroics would be remembered as a mere footnote to history. Following singles by Rookie of the Year Leah VandeLoo and JAM Commissioner Mike Campoli, the lefty-swinging McShane launched a blast well over the head of Andrusco in right field to score VandeLoo with the winning run and cap the first walk-off victory in JAM history.

With the 7-6 win, the Blasters improved their overall record to 10-4 in the 14 year history of The JAM. The Blasters' fifth consecutive victory tied the record for longest winning streak, set by the 1994-98 Ghettoblasters (the predecessors to the Blasters).

In addition, Matt "Skinny Guy" Fornabaio, the long-time Blaster who played for the Patches in 2001, set a mark for consecutive years with a JAM victory, thus making the trip back to the metropolitan area from Joliet, Ill., even sweeter.

The see-saw nature of the final inning was emblematic of the game as a whole, which many will remember as the most compelling and competitive JAM of all time.

The Patches, looking to resurrect the proud franchise that won three consecutive JAMs from 1999-2001, jumped out to an early lead against McShane and the Blasters. Long-time Patch Ed McDowell and Alex "Nails" Nalencz opened the game with consecutive singles, followed by Dever's run-scoring double.

A series of singles by Sean "Highlight Film" Blakely, Biggs, Andrusco and Joe Rosen pushed the lead to 4-0 before the inning came to a close. The damage could have been worse, but a nice relay from Campoli to RT McShane to George McShane cut down Blakely at the plate following Biggs' hit.

The Blasters started off slowly against Patches starter and trial-lawyer extraordinaire Christopher "The Babe" Spellman, who was effectively wild during his two plus innings of work. Sensing that the elder Spellman needed to return to his still-smoldering cigar on a warm and damp day, Patches captain Chris Spellman relieved the venerable 100th JAMmer in the bottom of the third inning after he allowed consecutive singles to Fornabaio and rookie Joe Uzzi to start off the frame.

"Yet another instance of bad managerial tactics on the part of my son," Mr. Spellman said. "They couldn't do anything against me, and then he gave up the game. I thought I taught him better than that."

Following the pitching change, Blasters Captain Chris Crowley, playing small ball for a change, sacrificed the runners into scoring position, before rookie Rebekah Goodhue flared a single that scored Fornabaio with the Blasters' first run. Mike Varenne then hit into a fielder's choice that scored Uzzi, pulling the Blasters to within 4-2.

The Blasters added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Keith Emmer, who set the record for most wins to start a JAM career with five, led off the inning with a double, and one out later McShane plated him with a double of his own. A pair of singles by RT McShane and Billy Tagliaferri loaded the bases, before Joe E. O'Leary came through with a sacrifice fly to left to score McShane. The game was now knotted at 4-4, and it would stay that way for the next two innings.

The Blasters thought they sealed the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, when an Emmer single, a George McShane triple and an RT McShane sacrifice fly to right-center put the Blasters ahead 6-4.

That all set the stage for the heroics of Andrusco and McShane in the historic ninth inning, when the Patches came tantalizingly close to ending their losing streak, before watching the dream slip away into the misty afternoon air.

McShane's historic blast capped another fantastic day for the long-time JAMmer, who captured his third Most Valuable JAMmer award, tying him with Campoli for most all-time. The MVJ was the second consecutive one for McShane, who shared the award with Dave Swarthout in 2005. Overall, McShane was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs. He also pitched a complete game 20-hitter, utilizing his trademark high-arcing lob to baffle the Patches.

"I like toast," McShane said after the game.

Although McShane was more willing to discuss his choice of breakfast side-dishes after the game than his performance, he was quite vocal about his abilities before the game, even going so far as to change the name of his fantasy baseball team to The Next MVJ.

McShane's only strikeout victim was Brad Sherman, who followed up his 2005 Testa Award performance by fanning to end the Patches third and having the distinction of being the only person not to reach base in the contest. It is also reported that, while playing the outfield, Sherman sent a text-message to JAM rookie and fellow Patch Jag Bath while the latter was sitting on the bench.

As dramatic as the action on the field was, the primary drama surrounding the game was provided by Mother Nature. A stalled frontal system brought torrential downpours Friday night and Saturday morning, threatening to force the first postponement in JAM history.

A fortunate break in the rain provided a window in which the game could be played, and following a little groundskeeping work by Crowley and McShane, Welty Field was in surprisingly good condition.

As has too often been the case, Spellman spent his JAM night searching for answers - and scapegoats. In the past, Spellman's lazy eye has targeted the likes of Jeff Burritt, Vishal Kapoor and John Annese, among many others, to point the blame for his team's failures.

Not surprisingly, none of them attended The TaliJAM. Burritt contracted a mysterious illness on JAM-eve, and Kapoor moved to San Francisco one week prior to The JAM, motivated in part by a desire to avoid further public ridicule. Annese's whereabouts are unknown.

This year, following an unspecified number of Miller Lites and Bacardis, Spellman turned on Biggs, who signed on with the Patches as a free agent in 2005, and for whom Spellman swapped Emmer in a pre-game trade.

Oblivious to Biggs' presence next to him at a table at J.C. Fogarty's Tavern, Spellman openly questioned his center fielder's defensive abilities and throwing arm, despite a fine effort in which he made a nice sliding grab on Campoli's sinking liner in the seventh, and in which he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. After the unprovoked rant, Biggs stormed out of Fogarty's and vowed never to play for the Patches again.

Sensing his team getting away from him, Spellman reacted unusually quickly to fix any bridges that he may have unintentionally burned.

"I like that kid," Spellman said of Biggs. "He's a touch insane, but maybe the most normal of [Campoli's] college buddies."

Spellman even went so far as to praise the efforts of his team, and to predict a swift return to glory.

"We have no regrets about our performance at the yard on Saturday," Spellman said. "We left it all on the field. That side was one of the strongest Patch squads ever assembled. We'd like a rematch. With this level of competition any team can win on any day. My boys will be back on top in 2007. Give the Blasters their due. They pulled out a victory in the greatest JAM ever played."

With that, the two teams retreat back to their respective corners to slug it out again next year. But it will be difficult to top the drama that occurred this time around.

PATCHES      400 000 002--6 20 2
BLASTERS     002 200 201--7 17 0

One out when winning run scored.