Friday, July 24, 2009

24 Hours = 1440 Min = 86,400 Seconds

Timothy Paul Finkel is going to ride his bicycle for 24 hours tomorrow in the 24 Hour World Championship.  You can tune in at www.24wcs.com to follow him.  He is going up against some of the best mountain bike racers in the world.  If I know Tim he won't stop turning the cranks on his bike for more than a matter of minutes in that 24 hour time frame, and that will be to stop for food and water.  The Question shouldn't be "Why is he doing it?"  Which I'm sure most of you just asked yourself in your head.  The question is "How is he doing it?"  Muscle's can be trained to work for that long, but human will has to tell the brain to keep doing it.  So at 4a.m. after being in the saddle for 16 hours straight with 8 more hours to go it's pitch black out, maybe a little rain has fallen, you've ridden 180 miles already, you've eaten 8 Pop Tarts, your arms and back hurt, your legs are tired, and you smell awful, every instinct you've ever had in your whole life is telling you to stop this then all you have to do is try a little less, just quit a little bit, then it will be easier to quit a little more, then a little more until your out of it and it becomes easy.

It's something pretty special.  Tim rides his bike all the time, so really to me the bike part comes second to the human will.  The Heart.  That special something that it takes to get something like this done.  I have no idea if Vegas runs odd on this race or not, but I would love to be able to put money down on Tim for the race.  I would bet on him to win (but I would also hedge my bet by betting that he would show, I mean that's only smart gambling, if he wins, it's just stacking up the money at that point.)

Good luck Tim, keep the rubber side down, and win the damn thing.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Episode 2 - Dancing to the Max

Well this wouldn't be much of a Saved By the Bell Kickball Blog if I didn't mention what went down last night.  Autum texted me at 1:19am and told me to turn on Fallon, had I known now what I didn't know then, I would have actually woke up and turned it on.  Click on the pic to see what went down.  I've never been interested in the Jimmy Fallon show, but today I found out he is only Kelly and Screech away from a reunion on his show.  I'm going to have to pay a little closer attention.

So this past week we played The Green Valley Team and didn't do so hot.  Long story short, we still have not broken into the "Double U" column, but for the second week in a row we put up a pretty good fight.  Our offense was much improved and we managed to score more than 2 runs.  However, Green Valley had a knack for kicking it to where we were not, and managed to score more than we did.  

During the second game I was in the dugout as Nerissa kicked.  I couldn't see home plate but I saw Nerissa (Kicking out of the Lisa Turtle position) knock the ball back to the pitcher.  They were working the ball over to 1st to get the 3rd out of the inning, but I didn't see Nerissa trying to make it to first.  So I yelled "Don't give up on it!" Because lots of times a team can make a mistake and change the whole game.  Then I looked to see Nerissa laying on the ground, I had not known that she fell.  Sorry Nerissa.  However, the best part was when she went running out to Left Center to play some defense.  She was limping pretty bad, and Tim yelled out "Hey, look at Lisa!  She's doing the Sprain!"  Which was pretty much the perfect thing to say at the time, I did a quick look around to see if Casey Kasem was around, but he wasn't.

I played for the first time this year after sitting out the first game due to an abundance of players.  It felt great, I really didn't think I would miss it as much as I did.  

Kickball really is a fun sport, and I'm glad I play it.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Perspective...


So I know this is suppose to be a Kickball Blog, but I've had a... Day.

Woke up this morning and my legs were a little sore from kickball, but no big deal, I'm 29 now and things don't work the same as they use to.  Leah wanted to go to Eastern Market in downtown Detroit, and I was all for it.  I really enjoy that place.  The people watching is great and it is full of food.  It's only 15 minutes from my front door and on a warm pre-summer day it truly is a great place to spend a Saturday.  So anyway I was buying some fresh blueberry's and Blackberry's  AT THE SAME TIME!!!  So I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet and my loose pocket walking around money.  I paid for my goods and proceeded to the next vendor.  90 seconds later I realized my wallet was not in my pocket, and ran back to the blueberry exhibit.  What I found was....nothing.  So long story short, lost my wallet, 100% my fault.  

Fast forward 2.5 hours.  For some reason, I think Pineapple juice sounds GREAT!  I don't know if you have ever read this blog before or met me, but getting a solid buzz on, sounded even better.  And lucky for me my Friend Leah was kind enough to lend me some money until I get back on my feet.

So there I was, at the liquor store.  I had some pineapple juice at the house, all I needed was rum.  Now I've been to this liquor store a few dozen times in the past 4 years, but the guy behind the counter and I have never been in the same room together until this moment.  Now in our lives we have all "met this guy" before.  Nice guy, you can tell by looking.  About 22-23 years old, and has dedicated his life to being cool, but not trendy.  Long hair, and a beard.  Large ear phones around his neck, so that when no customers are in the store he can listen to some obscure wonderful music none of us have ever heard before.  Right before this guys takes his 15 minute break, in walks R.W. (Me) with some sort of weird craving that only a pregnant Jamaican alcoholic would have.
R.W. - "I'm looking for some rum."
Cool Guy - "Ok."
R.W. - "I'll take that Parrot Bay" (Boy that didn't sound right coming out of my mouth, I've never drank this before in my life why am I buying it?)
Cool Guy - (Looking at me with my hat turned backwards so he can't see my gray hair or balding head) "Can I see some I.D.?" (while giving me stink eye)
R.W. - "No.  My wallet was stolen this afternoon."
Cool Guy - (Obviously thinking I'm lying and 19, because only an asshole, homosexual, or woman would drink this.) "Uh.... I can't sell you this without some I.D." (Then yelling to the girl I've seen in there a few dozen times) "Hey, this guy doesn't have any I.D."
Girl that works there - "He's Ok."
Cool Guy - "Enjoy your, your Parrot BAY!" (with an extreme emphasis on 'bay' as if to say: "I cannot believe you are buying this, you are a joke")

Easily one of the most embarrassing/funny moment I've had in a long time.

So.....Perspective.  I should be upset.  We lost 2 close kickball games last night.  I lost at least $85 cash, maybe more, and my wallet.  Had to shut down all my card and get new ones.  I had a carving for some booze I've never drank before, and it's the biggest woman drink in the history of liquids.  It was worse than buying rubbers from a relative that works at the local drug store who knows I'm dating a girl she use to babysit for... Just incase you are wondering.

I should be mad, however, I think this is a great day.  I've experienced some inconveniences today that would have spun some people out.  I've come out of the day with a couple great stories that will last a life time.  According to my bank, in 7 to 10 days this will all be behind me.  But that awkward moment I shared with that guy in the liquor store will last forever.

But all I can see is the humor in it.  Perspective... It's a wonderful thing.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Episode 1 - The Fight

It wasn't until Saturday afternoon that I realized that the other team wasn't even drinking.  I'm not saying you have to have 11 beers to have fun playing kickball, in fact it's been a long time since I've had to pull myself out of a game due to alcohol related issues.  However, I would say 9 times out of 10 a few bowls of loud mouth soup are involved whenever I see someone as upset as some of the people on Black Shirted Valley's team that we played last Friday.

I realize that we are a vocal team and that we can come off as aggressive, but when Kelly Kapowski, err Kerri Dhyse gets "lippy" with the other team, and A.C. Wehner gets called out into the parking lot, something is up.  Now if it were Bonsall (pick one), Autum, or me.... I wouldn't even mention it here, because we probably would have done plenty to start it.  But as I was watching this guy from Black Valley scream at us like he was Leon Carosi and we where the charming good looking high school kids he hired to run his Beach Resort for the summer only he was using the F-Bomb very liberally and all I could say was "Easy guy, it's only Kickball." it's got to be out of line right?  

Even though we didn't get a "W" out of the evening, I think we played really well.  The defense was outstanding, our biggest weakness was what it always is, kicking.  Getting runs across the plate was harder than passing a Mr. Dewey Geometry Mid-Term and practicing for an all girl singing group all during the same week.  But I have good news for you.  We can solve this problem the same way the gang solved Jessie's sevier drug problem.  We work together.  Don't put too much pressure on each other, and stay positive.  The runs will come.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

You Know What to Do. Do it.


So I'm watching the training scene from Rocky IV on the eve of the first kickball game of the year.  I've seen it, without exaggeration, at least 45 times.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was higher than that because I think my brothers and I watched the last half of that movie once or twice a day everyday during the summer of 1990.  It would end and we would rewind it and start it over from the middle, as we rocked out from one great Survivor song to another.  No matter how many times I see it I just get sucked in.  In case you haven't seen it, Ivan Drago is training in a gym so advanced it could only exist on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain in Communist Russia, while Rocky is training in what appears to be an insulated barn in the middle of a frozen wasteland.  The classic "advanced" Russian war machine against good old fashioned American blood, sweat, and tears.  

My favorite part is when Rocky decides that he's tired of the KGB following him everywhere and he just kicks it into another gear, then proceeds to not only run away from a car, put then run straight up a mountain as if he were wearing anti-gravity boots.  What always gets me, is that the whole time he is training Adrian is watching him with this "I disapprove, but I'm hear to support you." look, which is just total B.S..  I was so happy that they killed her off in Rocky Balboa.  How could she just flat out yell down the stairs "You Can't Win!!"?  Then 2 seconds before Rocky knocks him out she yells "You're Going to Do It!!".  Way to jump on the bandwagon you heartless witch.

But right before they start training, his trainer, Duke looks at Rocky and says "You're going to have to go through hell, worse than any nightmare you've ever dreamed.  But when it's over, I know you'll be the one standing.  You know what you have to do.  Do it."  You see Rocky was a veteran fighter.  Duke didn't have to give him the big long pep talk.  "You know what you have to do.  Do it."  We are a veteran kickball team.  As the suns morning light kisses the dew of the 2009 season tomorrow, remember that.  We've been there.  We know what to do.  Now lets go out there and do it.

Good luck tomorrow and lets not get hurt.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Begin with the Beginning


Stephen Covey teaches to "Begin with the end in Mind", what an idiot.  Everyone knows things should always begin at the beginning.  Today was the "unofficial" beginning of the 2009 Kickball season.  Just hours ago I was in the "Kickball Meeting" going over all the rules and picking up my kickball with all of the other team captains.  The smell of competition coming out of that room was so thick I could literally taste it while I was driving down Oak Park Blvd.

When it comes right down to it, going to the Kickball Meeting is really uneventful.  I walk in pick up the rules and my new set of balls, and that's about it.  But I have to tell you, my heart was racing looking everyone in the eye, knowing the next time we see each other it will be under much different circumstances.  It's kind of like going into a slaughter house and looking the milk fed veil calves in their big brown Obama inspired hope-filled eyes right before they are shoved through the meat grinder of life.

So as the opening credits of the 2009 season roll and Episode 1 of Season 1 of the Bayside Tigers Kickball Team approaches the May 29th opening day, I become more an more filled with breathless anticipation of the season to come.  We are not much different than those kids at the top of this page.  Just look at them.  Max thinks he will be on the show forever, Screech and Richard Belding have no idea they will be on the show for another 15 years with no other chance of working again.  Zack has no idea that Kelly will rip out his heart and throw it on the floor time and time again.  Jessy would have never guess that her big move from Farmington Hills to an NBC Saturday Morning show would someday get her the lead roll in the biggest Cinemax Late Night movie ever Showgirls.  Slater has no idea that when he gets to College he will learn that he is Mexican.  Lisa... Oh lets face it, Lisa will continue being "Daddy's Little" girl and spending money without consequence for the rest of her life, she was the least developed character on the show.  And finally Kelly.  I had Kelly built up so high in my youth, to witness the shenanigans she pulls on the show through the eyes of an "adult" turns my stomach. 

The Team T-Shirts are in and they look great.  I hope everyones off season training was up to snuff, so we don't get 4 pulled hamstrings on the 29th. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2009


So I haven't posted anything in Months.  Since before Thanksgiving.....I didn't do the math yet but are we closer to Thanksgiving 2009 than we are Thanksgiving 2008?  Is it possible for memory's that haven't happened yet to be clearer than ones that happened a few months ago?  Ok, that was an Irish Car Bomb talking, I'm not sorry because it's St. Patty's Day.

I wrote 2 other blog entires since then but didn't post them.  One was about the Christmas Cruise, which was... Well we lost a lot of good people out there.  Then I wrote one about how depressing winter was.  It was right at the end of January when it had been below 32 degrees for the entire month, save 15 hours (I wish that was a made up number, but if you remember 2009 started out like the movie The Day After Tomorrow ended).

I figured today was a good day to get things going again.  Not only is it a religious holiday, it was also a beautiful day outside today.  Just as the sap has started running in the trees the blood in my veins is starting to unthaw and heat up my competitive juices.  So to my players, I say it's time to limber up.  I really only care if we win one game this season.... It's a specific game and I will get more into that later, but it will be a day that is circled on my calendar this year for sure.  It's going to take a lot of solid play to get there, but I think the Bayside Tigers can accomplish anything they set their minds to.  (The movie Unfaithful just started on TBS, Diane Lane is easy on the eyes huh?)

And just like the daffodil's are starting to bud, a young kickball season is starting to grow.

I'm pretty sure I lost a lot of my readers over the many many months of absenteeism, but recently I suddenly lost probably my most loyal reader, and without a question this Kickball Teams biggest supporter.  I can't help but think about Don Finkel Jr. when I write this first post in many months, I know there will be many kickball oriented things that will remind me of Don over the next several weeks, months, and years.  He told me a few weeks ago that he checked my blog all the time hoping I would update it.  Well, this is the first post.