12/3/03
Softball: Soaked (A Shameful Smattering of Self-Derivatives)
Apologies to all. As most of you know, organizing an email-based softball game in a time of rapidly evolving climatolgical ambiguity is the loneliest job on the face of the earth. I’m not writing this as an "excuse," but rather to put last Sunday’s ghastly display of craven recreational abulia in proper context. Still, the simple reality is that I fucked up, and fucked up badly, specifically because my cancellation letter of 10:15AM was sent out a full 35 minutes after my get-your-asses-out-there missive of 9:40AM.
Indeed, the result of this was that seven oblivious, wet, and bitterly cold community heroes slogged up to 90 minutes through the pouring rain in order to reach Codornices, and all because they stoically accepted what they thought to be their karmic athletic destiny. Sometimes I get teary-eyed thinking about it, and then I think about it some more and all I can say is, what a bunch of lunatics.
In any case, I soon received scattered reports saying that these seven paragons of kineiologic perseverance stuck it out in the icy and intermittent downpour for nearly two hours (!!), playing a hearty match of "Cross the Line." As best as I can tell, this is some sort of weirdo hybrid that blends batting practice, water polo and malaria ball, though to be honest, I don’t know the rules.
I do know, however, that had I not cancelled the game when I did (late, frantic and annoying as it was), the statistical likelihood is that of the 18-20 people who would have shown up, at least 6.5 would have been felled by chills, the flu or tertiary syphilis. That’s simply not a risk I was willing to take, and yet I am fully aware that I must be held responsible for the broken dreams, chaos and cyberclutter that occurred on my watch.
And thus if the people so demand, I am prepared to immediately submit my resignation and return to the rich soils of my beloved childhood watercress farm, deep in the secluded woods of rural Southern Kentucky. In the meantime, though, I have a job to do, and therefore, piss-ant weather permitting, there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11AM, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning….Raymond
12/5/03
Softball: The Nuisance of Weather
Dear People,
There will (probably) be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11AM, and as of now there are still three slots left. Of course, I am well aware that contemptible water-bearing nimbostratus clouds continue to sully our Bay Area skies, and thus you’ll need to check email on Sunday morning if there is substantial rain between now and then.
$2 for the field, assuming it’s a go….Raymond
Softball: Sunday 9:50AM: No Turning Back (This time, really!!)
Yes, the field is a tad soggy and technically "closed," but the sun is out, the day is fresh, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to deny you your aerobic sustenance two weeks in a row. See ya at 11:00…Ray 845-7552
PS: I’m bringing a shovel for the trout pond at home plate; Jeremy, bring your football, just in case…
PPS: If the city boots us, Underhill is unpeopled as of 9:45!!
PPPS: If all fails, it’s the Emeryville IHOP!!!