The Paradise Island team, looking for some relief from the day to day bashing in the newspapers, almost with a sigh of relief, embarked on their next road trip, to the West Coast. It started well, as they won two of three in San Fransisco. Moving down the coast, they also won two of three in San Diego, and repeated such in Los Angeles, finishing the trip with a surprising six and three record, that threatened to bring them out of the cellar, and, amazingly, put them close to the .500 mark for the season. They returned home on a Sunday night, with, perhaps unrealistic thought, of breaking the slump, and just perhaps, wild card dreams dancing in their heads.
When Mitch returned home that night, he and Naomi made love. She put a positive spin on things, and told him of her feeling that with the Good Guys now being home, they were going to break the long slump, and begin playing the way they were capable of again.
A rather vocal crowd of 20,000 showed up on that Monday night, to see the team open their homestand against Washington. Instead of bashing articles in the newspaper that morning, the sportswriters tried to put a positive spin on the team, for the first time in a long time. That night, when the Good Guys took the field against the Nationals, the crowd was solidly behind them. Kate Hudson showed her appreciation for said support, by pitching six shutout innings. She struck out only five, and left in a scoreless tie, but the Good Guys scored two runs in the seventh, to come away with a 2-0 win that was the team's seventh win, in eleven games. Were things turning around for the Paradise Islanders? Only time would tell.
The next night, Gil Bellows got the ball, and the Good Guys got another lead. On two Mitch home runs, they led 5-2 going to the seventh, and by two runs going to the eighth. In what might have been their last gasp of the season, with the crowd in their corner, one nightmarish inning, perhaps served to be the breaking point in an entire season. Hilary Duff came in for the ninth inning to protect the lead. She gave up a couple of hits, but then, got two outs. With the bases loaded, and two strikes, Hilary served up a Grand Slam home run, that stunned the gathering of 22,000 that night, gave Washington a lead they would never relinquish, and sent the Paradise Islanders to an excruciating loss. The atmosphere wasn't like it had been during the championship years, where they could just shake off such a defeat. Now, after dreams of wild card playoff spots dancing in their heads, they were about to get a serious dose of reality. Charlize Theron got bombed, 5-0, the next night, to lose the series, and things were about to get much worse.
Thursday was a much needed off day. After the painful loss of two nights earlier, no one really knew what to expect next.
Philadelphia came to town on Friday night. Neve Campbell took the mound that night, and gave a very credible effort, three earned runs allowed over seven innings. Unfortunately, she also allowed three unearned runs as well, and the Good Guys were dealt a 6-4 setback. Saturday night was the usual pathtetic effort by the fifth starter, seven runs allowed by the second inning, in an eventual 8-0 defeat. Kate Hudson was on the hill on Sunday afternoon, in front of a better than expected gathering of 36,136. The announced crowd was ironic, in that 1,3, 6 had always been Mitch's lucky numbers, borrowed at age 18 from his parents, and which had served him well at the horses. That day, Kate's linescore had a lot of those numbers in them, and it was not a good omen for the Good Guys. Her line score was three innings pitched, six runs allowed, one Grand Slam homer, three wild pitches, and six walks. Of course, with a line score like that, it wasn't surprising that the Good Guys lost the game, by a 6-3 score, as the Phillies completed the three game sweep, another bad omen with a three in it.
The Reds entered Paradise on Monday night, with the Good Guys in the midst of a five game losing streak. Gil Bellows pitched that night, and, at first, seemed determined to go nine, after Duff's screw up of his game the previous week. He pitched into the ninth inning, allowing only two runs, but the Good Guys could get only one, in a 2-1 setback, their sixth straight defeat. Charlize Theron got the ball on Tuesday, and she too, gave it her all, allowing but one run over six, but the team could only manage one hit, and fell, 1-0. Neve Campbell took the mound on a humid Wednesday, in front of a bit better than expected crowd, due to an adult sports camp gathering. Neve gave a fine performance that day, leaving with a 5-3 lead after six. The team was six outs away from winning, when, in the eighth, the roof caved in on Naomi, and Amanda Bynes, to the tune of six runs. The crowd booed both relievers, and the team, loud and long, as the Good Guys meekly went down in order in the ninth, by a 9-5 score, that was their eighth straight defeat, and capped a miserable one and eight homestand. They had arrived home ten days earlier with Wild Card dreams, and would depart for Washington, now nearly thirty games out of first place, and buried so far in the cellar, that there was now a several game gap, between themselves, and the fourth place team in the division.
Despite the miserable performance of the team, and their vow to retire, Mitch and Naomi were having trouble holding firm to that decision. While it made no sense, to stay with a pathetic last place team, it was almost as if their other teammates decided to stay, that they needed the support of their friends, in spite of how bad things had gotten. Just one year earlier, they had won another championship, and now, they were among the worst teams in baseball.
In the meantime, the team held it's Saturday night tickle party. The featured lee, back on a visit to Paradise, would be former Good Guys pitcher Adrienne, whom, as everyone knew, was Mitch's long time girlfriend during the years he had been seperated from Naomi, and with whom everyone had reached peace with. She was a beautiful and very ticklish woman, who was a former teammate, but yet, an outsider, something the team needed during that horrid season. Adrienne was tied hands and feet to the tickle table in a bra and panties. Second baseman Russell began the tickle on Adrienne's neck with fingers, as her head shifted from side to side, and the giggles began:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! NO! Moving down, third baseman Michael attacked Adrienne on her underarms, down her sides, and in her ribs and belly with fingers, as she thrashed, and more squeals erupted:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AH THATS TICKLISH NOOOO! Left Fielder Dawson was next, tickling Adrienne on her hips, inner thighs, and on the front and back of her knees, as she thrashed and bucked at her bounds. Finally, Naomi got to do something that she had been waiting a long time to do, tickle torture her former nemisis, who had competed for her husband's love at one point. Positioning herself at Adrienne's feet along with Mitch, each took one of Adrienne's feet, and they proceeded to attack each foot with fingers, feathers, ice, and Mitch with his tounge, over Adrienne's soles and toes. This made Adrienne go ballistic! She wiggled her toes every which way, and screamed with laughter, begging for mercy:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHEHE! OMG PLEASE NOT TWO TICKLERS AND THE TOUNGES ON THE FEET! HE KNOWS HOW TICKLISH IAM! I CANT STAND IT! NO PLEASE NOOOO! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! Finally, the tickle stopped, and the exhausted Adrienne was untied.
On Thursday night, a somber, and rather fed up, Good Guy ballclub, gathered at the airport for the flight to Washington. After looking like they might get into the playoff race just ten days earlier, the team at that point departed for Washington, hopelessly behind in the standings. The only solace for Mitch and Naomi was that they had gotten along well during the homestand, with much love and sex. They and the team were having so much trouble on the field, that neither the couple, nor the team, needed any more drama off the field.
So, it was a sorry Good Guy team that took off from Nassau Airport en route to their ten day road trip, the brutal homestand behind them. Would things get any better? Would there be any light? That answer in the next story of the Tickle Team from Paradise Island.
The End
When Mitch returned home that night, he and Naomi made love. She put a positive spin on things, and told him of her feeling that with the Good Guys now being home, they were going to break the long slump, and begin playing the way they were capable of again.
A rather vocal crowd of 20,000 showed up on that Monday night, to see the team open their homestand against Washington. Instead of bashing articles in the newspaper that morning, the sportswriters tried to put a positive spin on the team, for the first time in a long time. That night, when the Good Guys took the field against the Nationals, the crowd was solidly behind them. Kate Hudson showed her appreciation for said support, by pitching six shutout innings. She struck out only five, and left in a scoreless tie, but the Good Guys scored two runs in the seventh, to come away with a 2-0 win that was the team's seventh win, in eleven games. Were things turning around for the Paradise Islanders? Only time would tell.
The next night, Gil Bellows got the ball, and the Good Guys got another lead. On two Mitch home runs, they led 5-2 going to the seventh, and by two runs going to the eighth. In what might have been their last gasp of the season, with the crowd in their corner, one nightmarish inning, perhaps served to be the breaking point in an entire season. Hilary Duff came in for the ninth inning to protect the lead. She gave up a couple of hits, but then, got two outs. With the bases loaded, and two strikes, Hilary served up a Grand Slam home run, that stunned the gathering of 22,000 that night, gave Washington a lead they would never relinquish, and sent the Paradise Islanders to an excruciating loss. The atmosphere wasn't like it had been during the championship years, where they could just shake off such a defeat. Now, after dreams of wild card playoff spots dancing in their heads, they were about to get a serious dose of reality. Charlize Theron got bombed, 5-0, the next night, to lose the series, and things were about to get much worse.
Thursday was a much needed off day. After the painful loss of two nights earlier, no one really knew what to expect next.
Philadelphia came to town on Friday night. Neve Campbell took the mound that night, and gave a very credible effort, three earned runs allowed over seven innings. Unfortunately, she also allowed three unearned runs as well, and the Good Guys were dealt a 6-4 setback. Saturday night was the usual pathtetic effort by the fifth starter, seven runs allowed by the second inning, in an eventual 8-0 defeat. Kate Hudson was on the hill on Sunday afternoon, in front of a better than expected gathering of 36,136. The announced crowd was ironic, in that 1,3, 6 had always been Mitch's lucky numbers, borrowed at age 18 from his parents, and which had served him well at the horses. That day, Kate's linescore had a lot of those numbers in them, and it was not a good omen for the Good Guys. Her line score was three innings pitched, six runs allowed, one Grand Slam homer, three wild pitches, and six walks. Of course, with a line score like that, it wasn't surprising that the Good Guys lost the game, by a 6-3 score, as the Phillies completed the three game sweep, another bad omen with a three in it.
The Reds entered Paradise on Monday night, with the Good Guys in the midst of a five game losing streak. Gil Bellows pitched that night, and, at first, seemed determined to go nine, after Duff's screw up of his game the previous week. He pitched into the ninth inning, allowing only two runs, but the Good Guys could get only one, in a 2-1 setback, their sixth straight defeat. Charlize Theron got the ball on Tuesday, and she too, gave it her all, allowing but one run over six, but the team could only manage one hit, and fell, 1-0. Neve Campbell took the mound on a humid Wednesday, in front of a bit better than expected crowd, due to an adult sports camp gathering. Neve gave a fine performance that day, leaving with a 5-3 lead after six. The team was six outs away from winning, when, in the eighth, the roof caved in on Naomi, and Amanda Bynes, to the tune of six runs. The crowd booed both relievers, and the team, loud and long, as the Good Guys meekly went down in order in the ninth, by a 9-5 score, that was their eighth straight defeat, and capped a miserable one and eight homestand. They had arrived home ten days earlier with Wild Card dreams, and would depart for Washington, now nearly thirty games out of first place, and buried so far in the cellar, that there was now a several game gap, between themselves, and the fourth place team in the division.
Despite the miserable performance of the team, and their vow to retire, Mitch and Naomi were having trouble holding firm to that decision. While it made no sense, to stay with a pathetic last place team, it was almost as if their other teammates decided to stay, that they needed the support of their friends, in spite of how bad things had gotten. Just one year earlier, they had won another championship, and now, they were among the worst teams in baseball.
In the meantime, the team held it's Saturday night tickle party. The featured lee, back on a visit to Paradise, would be former Good Guys pitcher Adrienne, whom, as everyone knew, was Mitch's long time girlfriend during the years he had been seperated from Naomi, and with whom everyone had reached peace with. She was a beautiful and very ticklish woman, who was a former teammate, but yet, an outsider, something the team needed during that horrid season. Adrienne was tied hands and feet to the tickle table in a bra and panties. Second baseman Russell began the tickle on Adrienne's neck with fingers, as her head shifted from side to side, and the giggles began:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! NO! Moving down, third baseman Michael attacked Adrienne on her underarms, down her sides, and in her ribs and belly with fingers, as she thrashed, and more squeals erupted:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AH THATS TICKLISH NOOOO! Left Fielder Dawson was next, tickling Adrienne on her hips, inner thighs, and on the front and back of her knees, as she thrashed and bucked at her bounds. Finally, Naomi got to do something that she had been waiting a long time to do, tickle torture her former nemisis, who had competed for her husband's love at one point. Positioning herself at Adrienne's feet along with Mitch, each took one of Adrienne's feet, and they proceeded to attack each foot with fingers, feathers, ice, and Mitch with his tounge, over Adrienne's soles and toes. This made Adrienne go ballistic! She wiggled her toes every which way, and screamed with laughter, begging for mercy:HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHEHE! OMG PLEASE NOT TWO TICKLERS AND THE TOUNGES ON THE FEET! HE KNOWS HOW TICKLISH IAM! I CANT STAND IT! NO PLEASE NOOOO! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! Finally, the tickle stopped, and the exhausted Adrienne was untied.
On Thursday night, a somber, and rather fed up, Good Guy ballclub, gathered at the airport for the flight to Washington. After looking like they might get into the playoff race just ten days earlier, the team at that point departed for Washington, hopelessly behind in the standings. The only solace for Mitch and Naomi was that they had gotten along well during the homestand, with much love and sex. They and the team were having so much trouble on the field, that neither the couple, nor the team, needed any more drama off the field.
So, it was a sorry Good Guy team that took off from Nassau Airport en route to their ten day road trip, the brutal homestand behind them. Would things get any better? Would there be any light? That answer in the next story of the Tickle Team from Paradise Island.
The End
