8/15/01
Softball: Drama
Dear People,
Congratz to all on last week’s utterly captivating 13-10 paragon of aerobic infralapsarianism, with it’s majestic yet clearly arbitrary final-inning separation of those chosen to exalt in the light of the Lord from those destined to merely wallow in the fetid pit of a glorious rally denied. As captain of the pit people, I make no excuses, and in fact, I am not ashamed to say that my bosom still swells with unabashed pride.
Allow me to explain; As we came to bat in the top of the 8th, we were still sallow, listless and jejune, and the 13-3 deficit we faced seemed all but insurmountable. But I also knew we had it within us to break out of our torpiositude, and that Mikey’s contingent had not yet faced the true wrath of our abstracted potential. Sure enough, the sheer class and courage with which we exploded for seven runs belied the insidious grumblings that we were somehow inferior "on paper," and thus as the 9th and final inning arrived, I knew that infracaniophiles everywhere were now cheering us on, and that a mere three runs could no longer crush the dream.
Once again, the power of our raw determination worked its magic, and suddenly, there we were, down to our final out, but also with men on second and third, and the tying run now standing at home plate, her bat in hand, her eyes steady, her tanned and svelte gams now the talk of the park. My optimism swelled anew, for I knew Jen had what it took to change everything. Yes, I was certainly aware that she had been crestfallen when I first tore her from her beloved Mikey in a last-second team-balancing trade, and I also sensed that she was slightly out of kilter, almost as if the hormones coursing through her tiny little veins were somehow not being optimally disseminated. Still, I had more faith in this woman than any player I have ever known, and thus as Mick and Jen faced off in perhaps the most fabled pitcher-hitter dual of our entire softball community, I knew that destiny was on our side.
Oh sure, Jen immediately popped up to the catcher, which aside from being the most ignominious failure in all of sport, promptly crushed our rally and ended the game. Yet this is not about assigning "blame," for such unseemly speculation has no place in an essay on the indominability of the human spirit. And regardless, to focus on the final score is to utterly miss the point, which is to say that while we technically loss 13-10, the awesome resolve with which we clawed our way back to respectability is clearly reflective of the greater triumph. If nothing else, I think we can all agree on that.
In any case, and as most of you know, this weekend marks the 2,056th anniversary of the day that Julius Caesar and a bunch of Roman dudes successfully invaded Britain, which we now know put that aloof and pretentious island forever in its place. And therefore, there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 5:00, IF I get enough commits by this Friday noon…..Ray
8/17/01
Softball: Therapy
Dear People,
There will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 5:00, and as of now, there are still four slots left.
Please bring $2 for the field, which for this week only, includes a complimentary basket of Valerian, Evening Primrose and Siberian Stinging Nettle, all lovingly formulated to ease the stark emotional pain of strike-out and other aerobic humiliations….Ray 845-7552
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