In the Cards #1: Jeff Biegas

Now that the numbers are coming in, styles of play becoming known, and the varied personalities are starting to shine through, it is about time to start highlighting the players who deserve it. In the Cards will focus primarily on lower profile players who may fly under the radar and have not had their names and high praises tossed around in the preseason "Top ___" lists and the Team Tuesday columns. At least at first; until those big names make it impossible to not talk about them. These will not be all about on-field numbers, some may even be entirely devoted to a player's antics, how just their personality and presence change the game and bring something totally different to this league. This is the fun part, and with that babbling intro out of the way... onto our first In the Cards piece!

In the Cards #1: Jeff Biegas
Jason Mattseals

Jeff Biegas is the perfect player to lead off this In the Cards column. On one hand he is carefree and just having fun out there, even on a team that is 0-10 to start the year. On the other hand he is absolutely raking right now, ripping the ball around the field, and running around making plays in the outfield giving it all he has got. Jeff does not make a lot of noise, in that he is not a shit-talker or going to talk up his own accomplishments; he is far too laid-back for that. He will, however, be Johnny on the spot with a good non-sequitor, clever remark, or joke while kicking back and enjoying a cigarette in the dug-out or peanut gallery.

Biegas has a good athletic background, so the on-field benefits he brings to the team should not be a surprise. He is big into tennis, so that explains his quick reactions and speed. Plus a racket is kind of like a wiffle bat in concept, so that is an added benefit. Jeff played defense in soccer in high school, so there is more of that "speed" thing in his pedigree along with heads-up awareness. Also in high school he had a brief stint in black ops and sabotage, which earned him an additional 45 days of retraining. This man has all the bases covered. More recently Mr. Biegas and teammate Imran Kakli undertook an intensive 10 months of dart training, honing their accuracy and concentration, in which the main focus, surprisingly, actually was on throwing darts and not drinking beers and shots! Above all, you have to admire his dedication. Jeff works the overnight shift at a hotel, checking in guests and handling wake up calls, and yet he still manages to make weekend afternoon and evening games.

Now, what really put his face on this first card is that, more importantly than making his team's games, Jeff has hit safely in each of the first ten games of the season. What can you say? He quickly turns around from checking in guests at his job to reserving a nice corner room for himself 45' down the first-base line. His ten game hitting streak is the longest in the league, and easily puts him the running for a WSEM "iron man" award if he can keep it up. His hitting streak is huge for the Mattseals, too, as it gives some positive news in their clubhouse and brings excitement to their games: will Biegas keep it going? is becoming a common question the day or two before the Mattseals play. The two greatest things about Biegas' streak are that interest in brings to the team, and Jeff's attitude towards it. When he first heard about it he had a shocked look on his face, like we were joking with him. Then, when he saw we were for real, a full ear-to-ear smile and a little nonchalant shrug with a cool-as-a-seal's-belly comment that anyone who knows Jeff should expect: [laughing] really? I just go up there and try to hit the ball... and then run. [paraphrased]

Jeff's 2011 stats (as of May 24th) to complete the card treatment:

Player	PA	AB	H	BB	HR	RS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RBI
Jeff Biegas	60	55	20	5	1	5	.364	.417	.418	7