-by Dan Flaherty
In the course of history, there have been many tales of revenge and redemption. In the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes was wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years, before escaping and wreaking vengeance on his adversaries. But if only Dantes' would have known the hell of three straight home losses to Lannon in the playoffs, and might have understood the Five-O's.
Great literature has produced stories celebrating the virtue of teamwork in a battle against the larger forces. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck poignantly captured the trials and struggles of a Depression-era family as they struggled against an unjust society. But if only Steinbeck might have thought to weave a tale of a gutty young lefthander battling through the rain against a deep and battle-tested lineup, and he would then have grasped the Five-O's.
Everyone loves a story of the underdog rising up against the odds. For centuries, the Irish peasantry rose up against the British Empire to protest for their freedom. They finally got it. But if only the Irish peasantry would have faced a two-run deficit with two outs and down to their last strike, and they would then have truly walked in the shoes of the Five-O's.
For it was on a drizzly Saturday afternoon at Roosevelt Field, it seemed as though the panaroma of human culture was swept up and coalesced into a single game of baseball, as Lannon and Oconomowoc hooked up in an exquisitely played championship game.
It was a battle of crafty lefthanders, as young Matt Schref squared off with Lannon's ageless Ron Kozlowski. The Stonemen missed some opportunities early, as Schref got key outs. Though the visitors got the game's first run in the third, it could have been more, and it set the tone for an afternoon where both teams would be left with an array of "what might have been's" to look back on.
The O's tied the game in the fourth. The teams traded runs again in the fifth. This it was time for Oconomowoc to say what might have been. In the fourth inning, a single by Steve Rhoads looked to give the O's the lead, but an outstanding pickup and throw cut the runner down at the plate. And with one out in the bottom of the fifth, the bases loaded and Koslowski on the ropes, Mike Mitchell bounced into a 1-2-3 double play. But Mitchell swore his vengeance.
Lannon had an opportunity in the top of the seventh, putting the first two runners aboard. But a double-play ball killed the rally. And with the top of the order coming up, the momentum was on Oconomowoc's side. But Koslowski reached into his considerable stores of courage and guile, and made sure a leadoff baserunner didn't make it home.
In the top of the eight, the Stoneman got the leadoff man aboard with a single and bunted him over. Schref got the second out. Then an error on a routine groundball gave Lannon new life, with runners on first and third. And Five-O's fans began to feel like this was a novel with an ending they'd read before.
The story looked even more frustratingly familiar with the lead run came across on an infield single so weakly struck, it barely made it to the mound. Then a single to left brought in what looked to be an insurance run. But it might have been worse-catcher Josh Fenzl threw out a runner trying to go to third on the throw home. Oconomowoc didn't get a run in the eighth, but the one baserunner the bottom of the lineup produced did ensure an extra at-bat for the big guns at the top of the order.
With one out, Jeff Rhoads pushed a drag bunt past Koslowski and beat it out by a step. It was a brilliant bunt. More amazingly, it was Rhoads' third bunt hit of the game, as he repudiated the notion held by some that bunting is one of the game's lost arts. Tim Schlosser singled, moving Rhoads up to second. This would be the last hitter for Koslowski, as he departed the game having turned in the latest virtuoso performance in a career littered with them. But was it enough?
At first it appeared it would be. On a passed ball, while Rhoads advanced to third, Schlosser was thrown out at second. The Stonemen were one out from forcing a final showdown on Sunday. Luke Nelson was Oconomowoc's last hope.
Nelson drew a walk and the tying run was back on base. And after a wild pitch sent him to second, the fires of hope were again burning bright in the O's dugout. With men on second and third, they were a base hit from tying it up. Lannon reliever Scott Doffek got the first two strikes on Derek Nelson. But #44 hung tough. And just like another #44-Reggie Jackson-he would deliver a big postseason hit A single to center made it 4-4. And when it was misplayed and rolled to the wall, the winning run was now in scoring position. It was a new ballgame.
The ironies now abounded. Nelson would be pinch run for. And this was the moment Mike Eppler had trained for. After a career filled with winning the Heisman Trophy, capturing the Preakness on foot, signing a multi-million dollar contract with the 49ers, and even representing Five-O's Nation at the U.N.'s General Assembly, he now faced his greatest challenge. He went in to run for Nelson, representing the run that could win the West. And the hitter with a chance to be a hero? None other then Mike Mitchell.
It didn't take Mitchell long, as he jumped all over Doffek. The ball was rocketed into the right-centerfield gap. Eppler rounded third. With the fall of the Lannon Kingdom at hand, the peasants came charging out of the dugout to greet their conquering hero at home plate.
The final history of this great rebellion produced heroes aplenty. Mitchell was the man in the hour in Oconomowoc and will surely never have to buy a meal in this town again. Schref earned a place in the history books with his clutch win. Like the other #44, Derek Nelson earned the title of Mr. August. And the man who scored the winning run? Well, Mike Eppler will surely be the source of inspiration for novelists and screenwriters for ages to come.
And that's how the West was won, circa 2007.
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