By Mike Campoli

The one run margin of victory made J2K the closest game in JAM history.

"Last year I kept my mouth shut, but this year I'm gloating," said an excited Chris Spellman, the manager of the Patches.

Spellman then immediately proved his point.

"They all had a chance to taste greatness -- to experience what it's like to get a win -- but they turned me down," Spellman said. His comment was a thinly veiled jab at Blasters second baseman Mike Campoli, who repeatedly snubbed Spellman's free agent offers throughout the off-season, only to re-sign with the Blasters for less money.

When told of Spellman's comments, Campoli growled and glared intensely, and said, "That Chris Spellman has been running off at the mouth too much lately. And when I see him, I'm gonna close it."

The Blasters' feelings of bitterness at the defeat were intensified by the fact that J2K was a "Loser Loses His Franchise" game, meaning that Chris Crowley, the eight-time Blaster manager, finds himself without a franchise heading into the long off-season.

"This is a sad day for me personally, and for the sports world as a whole," Crowley said. "It ranks up there with the day the Browns left Cleveland, the Dodgers left Brooklyn, and when the Generals left New Jersey. It's emblematic of how little loyalty means anymore."

When asked what he planned to do for next year, Crowley, aka the Big Man, aka Fresh Cash, aka Bad News, aka Trouble, aka The Sultan's Gold, responded, "I'll import a team from the great Garden State and regain my rightful place on The JAM Cup. I'll probably drink a little bit too."

Chris Blakely also sounded defiant after the loss.

"If we played this game in the Bronx, it woulda been a completely different story," Blakes said.

While the Blasters were despondent, the Patches celebrated.

"I'm too happy to speak," a smiling Mike Fornabaio said after winning the Cup for the second time. "The only way I'd be happier is if Dan Evans showed up."

Fornabaio then made off with The JAM Cup and took it to Connecticut for its first trip outside New York.

"This feeling almost makes me forget about the $100,000 in loans I still have from film school," Geoff Bowler said. "But I would have been happy if the Blasters had won too."

Rob Andrusco was also excited about the proceedings: "Arianna, where'd I put the pump to blow up the raft?"

As is often the case in one-run games, it's the little mistakes that you look back on afterward as making the difference in the outcome, and this game was no exception. While both teams hit well, the Patches simply played a more fundamentally sound defensive game, and that more than anything accounts for their victory. George McShane and Ed McDowell played virtually flawless games on the left side of the infield, Most Valuable JAMmer Joe Lyte sparkled in left field (running down a blast off the bat of Chris Blakley at the left field line), and second baseman Mike Fornabaio turned in a nifty double play when he caught a Vishal Kapoor line drive and tossed to Geoff Bowler at first to nab Sean "The Highlight Film" Blakely.

In addition, Rafaz Hoque almost made a spectacular play in center, when, with his back to the plate and on a dead run, he almost made a Willie Mays basket catch on a ball hit by Campoli. On the other side of the ball, the Blasters defense was not nearly as impeccable as it had been in previous years, possibly reflecting the absence of all-world infielder Adam Meza, who missed The JAM for reasons that must be kept hidden from the authorities.

"We tried to bring our 'A' game, but they also brought their 'A' game, and when our 'A' game met their 'A' game in the game, their 'A' game was a little bit better than our 'A' game," said Campoli, who dubbed himself "The Big Repossessor" prior to J2K due to his intent to retrieve The JAM Cup.

The Blasters took the early lead in the top of the first inning off winning pitcher and 100th JAMmer Mr. Spellman on a triple to center by Campoli (3-for-5, single, double, triple, one RBI, two runs scored), followed by a double by John Lyte. The Patches stormed back to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning and, after the Blasters again went on top with a two-run rally in the top of the third, the Patches put a four spot on the scoreboard in their half of the frame.

The Patches scored again in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-3 lead, and they broke the game open in the next inning. Chris Spellman and speedy leadoff hitter Mr. Spellman hit consecutive singles before Joe Lyte ripped a double to score the younger Spellman. Ed McDowell's infield single loaded the bases for 1998 MVJ George McShane. McShane then teed off on a pitch by Pete Chema (who, at 57, broke his own record for oldest JAMmer), driving it to right-center for a double that scored Mr. Spellman and Lyte, giving the Patches a commanding 10-4 advantage.

For Lyte, his double capped off a superb day, as he captured MVJ honors by going 2-for-4 at the plate, and catching anything hit his way in left field.

"I was supposed to go to work today, but you know what I told my boss?" Lyte asked. "I said 'Fuck it! I don't care if I get fired. I've got more important things to do. I've gotta show up at The JAM.'"

With their backs against the wall, the Blasters would not die. They put together a three-run, two-out rally in the top of the seventh to close the gap to 10-7. In that frame, Brad Sherman and Campoli ripped consecutive doubles, before John Lyte smacked an electrifying home run that left his leg bloody from a slide into third.

"This is no problem," Lyte said as he tended to his wound. "I cut my legs up every week playing softball. What's gonna hurt is the big scrape I got on my ass." (Lyte than proceeded to show the aforementioned ass abrasion to anyone who cared to see it.)

Hope of pulling off the comeback increased for the Blasters as the Patches failed to score for the next two innings. But, despite key hits by Julie Baker-Blakely and Sherman to start the inning, and another double by Lyte that scored two runs, the Patches held on for the one-run win.

"Ahh, the sweet taste of victory," Spellman boasted afterward. "I can't wait to get The Cup home so I can spend another year drinking rum and Coke out of it."

Many questions remain to be answered in the off-season: Who will manage the Blasters next year? Will there even be a Blaster franchise? What will happen to Chris Crowley? Will Spellman be able to keep the Patches intact? What really happened to Meza and Rob this weekend?

We're only a year away.

   BLASTERS        102 001 302-- 9
   PATCHES         204 013 00x--10