Softball: A Modest Tale of Courage in the Pragmatic Skill Sets
Dear People,
As I write this, Chris Fure is probably in his tiny little Porsche, scampering up I-5 at about 180 MPH, and to add salt to the wound, every climatological scholar from Milpitas to Vallejo is thinking that the contemptible and incessant drizzle he left behind is going to continue through next week. Given all this, there may be a temptation to think that perhaps our beloved game is now facing a grave deconstructionalist crisis that requires a transitional period of extended non-aerobic recovery—at least until it’s a little more toasty outside. I understand this, but frankly, that’s not what this community is all about, and that’s simply not going to happen.
Allow me to use a recent story from my own life to inspire the commitaphilic adversity-be-damned core that resides within all of you. After last week’s delightfully bittersweet Triple Rock gathering, Frank agreed to join me at Home Depot to ever-so-gingerly help me buy my very first ever sump-pump, so that I could efficiently suck dry the plastic-covered mud-moat that currently surrounds my house as it waits for its imminent rendez-vous with fresh stamped-concrete. Well, as some of you may know, I’m actually not the most practical guy when it comes to certain things like carpentry, plumbing, home ownership or any electrical device with a switch.
The point is that Frank challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, which for me personally is totally uncomfortable, just so that I would buy the aforementioned pump, connect it to a hose, connect that hose to a longer hose, unkink all the hoseage, connect the pump to a manly 3-pronged electrical extension cord, waterproof that last connection with duct tape, place the device in question at the lowest possible point in my backyard swamp, and then let raw magical technology spare me 300 hours of filth-laden bucketing.
Listen, I know its gray, cold and drizzly and Chris is now darting North in his tiny little Porsche, but the inspiring reality is that in the last 24 hours, I have successfully lost my sump-pump virginity, my yard is dry (sort of), and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let fear defeat us as a people. And therefore there will be a game this Sunday at 11 at Codornices or Kleeberger or whatever, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning….Raymond
1/7/05
Softball: The Fragility of Plan B
Dear People,
With a little luck, there will be a game this Sunday at 11AM at either Codornices or more likely at Kleeberger, and as of now, there are still two slots left. I am reasonably optimistic since Frank has already agreed to seize our alternative Astroturf homeland at 9:55AM, and If by chance Cal Lacrosse is already back for the New Year, he has my permission to use whatever tear gas is necessary.
Hope for sun/Check email Sunday morning at 10ish….Raymond
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Softball: Sunday 10AM: Plastics!!
Codornices is both closed and a lake, but Frank is at Kleeberger and has seized the field! Yes, it’s gray and cold and bitter, but there is SUN breaking through the clouds, and if that isn’t softball weather, then I don’t know what.
Life is risk/Two slots still left/See ya at Kleeberger at 11:00, preferably earlier to help stave off the inevitable softball-hating scoundrels that plague us as a people…Raymond 845-7552
PS: Kleeberger, which is now offically called Maxwell, is the glorious Astrotruf field on Gayley, across from the Business School. Take Hearst all the way up to Gayley, turn right, and it's about 1/4 mile up on the left, just past the Greek theatre. The parking lot is now $1 an hour, enforced even Sunday mornings, but there is also some free parking on Gayley and plenty available on University, a two-minute walk away.
Softball: Sunday 10:14AM: Hosed ;-(….
Frank just called to tell me that 50+ rugby players are in the process of taking over all of Codornices as I write. Sorry, if you got this too late.
Until next week…Raymond