Softball: A Unique Foray into the Zones Beyond Specialization
Dear People,
In one of those rare games in which complete organizational collapse threatened to destroy the very concept of deregulated athletic release, my team staved off Alan Brill’s, 26-24. The trouble started early with an unfortunate trio of late pre-match cancellations, but after a dozen emergency appeals that morning, one magnificent stalwart volunteered. “Sure,” Siram told me on that fateful call, “10 minutes notice is all I need anyway, and if it means this game will happen, then I’m in for the long haul.” I still get chills just thinking about the spontaneity of the human sprit, although our hero’s left ankle had other plans, and by the bottom of the 2nd, the great Sir Am was out for good.
To make matters worse, more injuries followed, Jeff W. was still recovering from knee surgery, and most precarious of all, we found ourselves with only one seasoned pitcher on the entire field! Needless to say, frustration and chaos began to burgeon, and precisely because our decade-long reputation of smooth aerobic integrity was about to implode, I swiftly accepted Matt’s transformative suggestion to have each team pitch to itself. Yep, my friends, just like they do in socialism.
Now look, I totally agree that resorting to this is both tawdry and unclean, and if left unchecked, it’s an insidious source of deep recreational rot. Yeah, I get it, and yet I had a game to save and a people to calm, so please, I make no apologies for a temporary reversion to the stabilizing succor of legal self-mounding.
Regardless, it turns out that all kinds of people can pitch in a crisis, if by that verb we mean a general ability to get the ball from the hurler’s hands to within 25 feet of the awaiting batter. Of course some were more accurate than others, and thus for example, both Ramona and Pace mastered delightfully sensual throws right up the middle, and even Anthony showed a solid grasp of the stark Euclidean nature of the task at hand. Unfortunately though, he also seemed to confuse the vital conceptual distinctions between ‘pitching’ and ‘bowling,’ which would seem to suggest that his ultimate destiny remains in deep center-right. And therefore there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11AM, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning…Ray
10/24/08
Softball: Left of Center
Dear People,
There will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11AM, and as of now, there are still five slots left. Since I don’t want to be caught short of players again, you’re already welcome to commit any non-community members you know, including the usual cast of distant wacko relatives and embittered ex-lovers. Of course normal people with whom you have a healthy relationship are also welcome.
Please bring $3 for the field, which for this week only includes a deligtful post-game chanterelle mushroom, baked in the wood oven with crème fraîche and thyme…Ray 845-7552
PS: 11 More Days…
1) A message from Allan “Ballet-on-the-Mound” Brill of vital pre-electoral import:
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Dear Champs for Change,
Phoning to key battleground states at a phone party is a fun way to make a real difference in this campaign. I will be hosting an Obama calling party on Saturday, October 25th from 1-5 PM at our house. If you are able to come by during that time, please let me know. Hope to see you...
Allan Brill
4377 Townsend Ave., Oakland 94602
off Park Blvd at Everett Ave.
482-1410
THANKS!
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2) A “Russian” Persepctive on our Possible Veep:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9V_aOCga0
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3) Finally: Some heart-felt words from my friend Ben, who, like me, knows a truly awful proposition when he reads one:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Benjamin Douglas <benjamin_douglas@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 8:58 PM
Subject: RE: Proposition 8 -- Please Vote No
Usually I confine my politicking to one-on-one conversations, but on the issue of Proposition 8 my conscience demands that I speak to my friends with the largest megaphone at my disposal. I urge you to vote NO.
Homosexuality, like heterosexuality, is no more a choice than the color of a person's skin. So, what lives should our society allow, indeed encourage, for our family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers who can entwine their intimate selves only with a same-sex partner? Should we tell them that their love and commitment are less real, less worthy of government protection than those of straight couples? Or, should we welcome them as equal family units, fellow building blocks of a stable society?
What drives the supporters of this proposition, other than fear of accepting homosexuals as equal citizens? Who would benefit in any tangible way from making gays and lesbians second-class citizens in their ability to enjoy the many legal protections of civil marriage? Conversely, how does the existence of same-sex marriage threaten heterosexual marriage? Why the objection to our civil laws treating same-sex love and partnership as equal to that shared by a man and woman?
Why the fear that our children might regard each gay man and woman as a full human being with legitimate aspirations to share their life with another? Do we want them to grow up in a state whose very Constitution enshrines inequality?
More detailed arguments against Proposition 8, including rebuttals of the fear-mongering advertising campaign in favor of the initiative, can be found here: http://www.noonprop8.com/about/fact-vs-fiction.
As you may know, the LDS church is the main force behind Proposition 8, generating more than 75% of the money behind the shamefully misleading advertising campaign. I encourage you to consider the arguments of these brave Mormons -- http://mormonsformarriage.com/, who have broken with their church's hierarchy to stand against discrimination. They explain with logic and eloquence why same-sex marriage is the true conservative and pro-family policy.
If you disagree with my position, so be it; friends can disagree. If you agree, then please, please pass this message on, especially to those who may be on the fence. Please talk to your friends, family and co-workers as your comfort permits and urge them to stand on the right side of this issue. If you are so moved, you can donate to the No on 8 campaign -- https://secure.ga4.org/01/unfair.
The arc of history bends towards justice. Let's show the nation and world which way California wants the arc to bend in 2008.