Windy City Wiffle Ball

A farewell to a field of many memories

8-12-10: Payton Park has been around since 2000. It has many memories that many will take with them. Some are good memories, some bad. We witnessed Cesar Hernandez hit a roof top shot off of Dave Kale. We also watched Kale dive for a ball on the concrete warning track gashing his knee open. We will do a special on Payton Park over the winter when our offices have settled in our new location and our files are organized. What we do have handy are the last two games ever played at the park. A two game series between the Backyard Bulldogs and the Ft. Phinbone Apaches.

The field was freshly cut. The batter’s box, home plate, singles line and pitcher’s rubber were all neatly drawn with chalk. Just below the left hander’s batter’s box Payton Park’s owner, Jimmy “Chitwood” Galvan drew an inning by inning box score complete with the date. The air was thick in humidity and the temperature was in the low 90’s with constant sunshine. Galvan pulled the grill around from the backyard to the walkway leading to the front door, just as he has done in the past.

Squaring off against each other were the two oldest teams in the league: the Bulldogs and the Apaches. “It’s only right that the two oldest teams play the final game at Payton Park” said Dirty Beaver Captain Eric “Mr. Clutch” King the week prior to the showdown. The Dogs scored first in Game 1 when Keith “L-Train” Matusek walked Cesar “Squeeze” Hernandez with the bases loaded, an inning in which Mike “Keyboard Bully” Arias hit a double in. In the bottom of the first, the Apaches’ Jimmy “Chitwood” Galvan hit a grand slam HR, the 27th of his career. The Dogs scored another run the same way they did in the first, a bases loaded walk by Matusek. The Apaches then went on the attack and scored 9 runs on 8 hits with Matusek hitting his 10th HR of his career. The Dogs were able to squeeze 1 more run in the third, however it was not enough for the game to continue as the apaches easily defeated them 13-3.

Game 2 was a different story than Game 1. The game was kicked off by John Galvan, Chitwood’s 71 year old Dad, as he threw out the first pitch. The Apaches scored first scoring 4 runs on 3 hits. Hernandez then hit a solo HR off of Matusek in the bottom of the 1st to make the score 4-1 Apaches. Hernandez held the Apaches scoreless in the 2nd and then scored 6 runs on only 3 hits with Arias getting a 3 run triple. After two fly outs to left Galvan hit his 2nd HR of the day. The Dogs were held in their half of the 3rd by Matusek and in the 4th the Tribe score 3 runs to make the score Apaches 8, Dogs 7. Neither team scored until the top of the 6th when Galvan went yard for the second time in the game, a 2 run shot to center. The dogs got their revenge off of Galvan in the bottom of the 6th when Hernandez hit a 2 run HR off of him to bring the Dogs within 1 run. Arias shut the Apaches down in the top of the 7th then scored a run in the bottom of the 7th with a Hernandez lead-off HR. Galvan then copied Hernandez’s feat as he led off the top of the 8th with a solo HR to put the apaches ahead 11-10. After giving up two hits in the bottom of the 8th, Matusek was able to keep the Dogs scoreless striking out Arias for the last out. The Dogs dropped to 0-9 while the Apaches improved to 11-2. At the end of the games, the players, along with John Galvan, poured a sip of beer on to the field to remember those who have come and gone in the league and to say goodbye to Payton Park.

In the 1st inning of Game 2 on August 12, 2010, Apache Keith Matusek recorded his 300th career thrown K. The victim was Mike Arias who called Matusek a “cancer” to the league. Keith’s 1st career K happened on April 14, 2007. Congratulations Keith Matusek!

Also in Game 2 of the series between the Dogs and Apaches on August 12, 2010, the Dogs’ Mike Arias recorded his 200th career thrown K. Ironically, the victim was Keith Matusek. 1st career thrown K happened on April 3, 2004Congratulations Mike Arias!

John Galvan’s ceremonial 1st pitch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM1kPzanNiM&feature=channel

Keith Matusek’s 10th Career HR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTvKPJWsFYo&feature=channel