In celebration of the start of the 28th Chico softball season, we will be posting daily recaps of the greatest games in the Bonders’ long and illustrious history.
Twenty-seven seasons of Chico game recaps, stories, and player profiles are included in a recently published award-winning book entitled SOMETIMES ORANGE IS ALMOST GOLD.
The book won a silver medal in the Non-Fiction Humor category of 2025 Reader Views Literary Awards.
Literary Awards Winners – Reader Views
STARRED Book Review: Sometimes Orange Is Almost Gold by Jim Antonini and Suzanne Reynolds
Book Short Summary: This book captures the colorful and hilarious exploits of a group of orange-clad outcasts on their futile two-decade quest for softball glory. Part softball team. Part social club. Part mythology. But mostly failure. Nobody loses better than the Chico’s Bail Bonds softball team–the forever doormats of adult softball in a college town in the hills of West Virginia.
This book and other titles from Pump Fake Press are available at: Shop – Jim Antonini or on most online book stores.
Greatest Moments in Chico’s History – May 7, 2007
Miscellany from a Miraculous Victory. A rousing victory lifted the spirits of the Orangemen on a beautiful spring day, wisps of clouds overhead and a joyous song in all men’s hearts.
“I knew we would win,” said Antonini after the victory. “Even when they loaded the bases in the last inning, I knew we would win.” Many teammates agree, a newfound confidence animating their deeds on the dust of Whiston Field.
“Even with their bases loaded again in the third, fourth, and sixth innings, I knew we would win,” confirmed Hindal, triumphantly returning to his familiar spot at second after more than three years on sabbatical. His play was emblematic of the excellent defensive work all around, from Meatball’s two successive snags at third to Ravi’s sprawling catch and throw against the fence in left.
The happy victory was not without tragedy. Early in the contest, Porterfield was removed from the lineup after running to first on a grounder and pulling The Muscle. Nelms, team doctor, catcher, and sometimes first baseman, explained Porterfield’s injury. “Anybody who has seen Porterfield in a pair of shorts will know that he has only two muscles in his legs. He pulled both of them. This explains his extreme pain; there is nothing he can do about it.”
It was the right fielder’s first full sprint in at least a decade of almost complete physical inactivity. As he gasped and writhed in pain on the first base line in short right field, his two young daughters comforted him with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. “How cute,” commented passersby, Porterfield moaning in misery.
“Instead of the blanket, they should get a shovel,” March loudly commented, “and jus’ bury him there. He’s done.”
On a more beatific note, the Bonders experienced in the fourth inning what thousands of Christian blogs are already describing as the Immaculate Out. Hit ‘n Run’s catcher was credited with tagging Pintus for the final out as the pinch hitter sprinted home on a close play at the plate. Chico witnesses confirmed that a tag did not appear to take place–the catcher quite clearly missed and Pintus’ leg was not touched by any defenders’ glove, ball, or hand. The umpire explained that he saw the catcher’s glove bend as a result of apparent pressure against Pintus’ leg. A miracle! A holy episode of divine intervention! Right here in Morgantown! Right on Pintus’ left leg! Hundreds of pilgrims from as far away as Maryland and Pennsylvania have already converged on the field, candles lit and hushed in prayer around the backstop. They reverentially remove tokens of dust and stones. A group of Pentecostals tried to steal home plate as a relic of this holy deed.
“This makes teaching critical reasoning extremely difficult,” said philosophy professor Pintus as he walked from the field.
Flowers bloomed in his wake, and the injuries of bystanders suddenly healed. Meatball gagged on his bottled water as it turned to wine.
“I can see!” screamed March, removing his sunglasses as Pintus departed. “Thank God, I can see!” – by D. Foreman
Greatest Moments in Chico’s History – June 30, 2011
The misery continues. Chico’s on life support. Chico’s Bail Bonds drop both ends of a doubleheader in late night softball action – the first a lackluster snoozer, the second an epic BOPARC classic that both thrilled and exhausted the boisterous Chico team members as well as the standing-room only Liberatore crowd. In the opener, the Bonders delivered a lackluster performance, squandering several run-scoring opportunities early in the game. Jeff ‘Nolan’ Ryan pitched effectively in his 2nd outing on the mound, but it was not enough as Chico’s got walloped 13-3. With their season on the brink, the Bondsmen responded in game two with their best performance in years. Playing against the younger and more athletic Colasante’s Pizza team, Chico’s battled like they were playing in the last game of their lives. The aggressive tone was set early by Krovich who scored on a mad wild run from third after tagging up on a short pop-up caught in foul territory. For over sixty minutes, Chico’s bashed out hit after hit and ran the bases like a team possessed. The Bonders banged out a season high 28 hits, highlighted by Clayton Neal’s bases-clearing triple, Meatball’s shots down the third base line, Al Bonner’s well-placed singles to right and left fields, Wells’ beautiful deep drives to center, Porterfield’s slices to right, and Batchelor’s line drives over short. Guiliani and McGinley anchored a busy outfield. Meatball played third base like a hockey goalie, repeatedly taking line shots off his chest, arms, and face, not letting anything get by him. Shortstop Antonini found some new hops, contorting his body and going high in the air to stab liners over his head all game.
But all that STILL was not enough to stop Chico’s 8-game slide. As the clock struck midnight and down 19-18 in the last inning with two outs and two Bonders on, hot-hitting Ethan Wells hit a deep, majestic drive to center field, bringing the roaring Chico followers to their feet. To the Bonders’ dismay, the Colasante left centerfielder dashed out the darkness and fog of the thick, hazy summer night and made a diving, tumbling catch, and ripping the hearts out of the chests of the Chico followers and team members. In disbelief, 1B Leatherman retreated to his car and wept, not about the loss, but about the pride and love he felt for his fellow Bondsmen. For on this night, Chico’s were everything they had not been during this forgettable season- daring, hustling, bold, youthful… Not wanting to go home, six or seven Chico’s milled aimlessly around the closing 123 bar at 3:00 AM. An exhausted and worn down, Vehse stood over the darkened jukebox, its plug pulled and the power long shut off after last call, still trying to make selections, just wanting to hear Peggy Lee sing “Is That All There Is” one more time. – by J. Antonini