Tuesday, June 15, 2010

...It Was Kind of Like Cedar Point


Just for future reference for all members of the Bayside Tigers, the games usually start at 6:30, we have 2 games that start at 8:00pm this year, next week being one of them, but start time: 6:30 remember that. Tim showed up at the start of the 2nd inning somewhere around 6:39, but unfortunately he wasn't the only one that showed up late. The rest of the team was very punctual, meaning everyone was there dressed to play, everyone had beer in their hand, we paid the ump, took the field... everything seemed pretty normal. The only problem was, we didn't really "show up" in the first game.

Games one and two of the season we were flying high, game 3 was about as low as it gets, then game 4 was like eating dessert before dinner. So far if the young season was a Excel Spreadsheet it would look like the graph below.
If the young season was an acting career it would be John Travolta right after Pulp Fiction. If the season was a band it would be Aerosmith right after "Walk this Way" with RUN DMC came out. If it was an episode of Saved by the Bell it would be the one where Slater had to retake his history test before he could play in the big game against Valley. If it was an roller coaster it would be one that went up and down a lot and played with your emotions a lot.

The first game was an absolute disaster. We were down 9-0 before I knew it. I don't even remember the final score, all I know is it was over after 5 innings which is only good if you win. I think it was 15 to 5, it could have been more than 15. No one could catch anything, and to top it all off Lisa blew out her quad in her first at kick and is going to be in a lot of pain for a few days. Poor little Lass, it was only her second week. I always feel like a jerk after someone gets hurt, because for some reason whenever the person come up lame, I always think they quit on the play and I yell. So to say the least the first game sucked.

Then the second game started and our defense showed up. They ended up having a strong 7th inning tying it up at 4 to end the regulation. We only play one inning of extra innings and if its still a tie it ends as a Sister-Kisser. So we had to make the 8th inning count, and we did. Got two runs in and got them out pretty quick in the 8th to win the game. It was a big win after getting just crushed in the first game.

Notes: That same field is where Sarah slipped 3 disks in her back about 4 years ago. Our +/- ratio is -3 right now. As we all know the +/- ratio is the best thing we have to predict future wins. Right now our winning percentage is .750, so we are going to have to turn up the offense.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Monday...Funday?

This morning while lying in the dentist chair staring up at a man wearing a mask drilling into my face, as tiny bits of my tooth went flying out of my mouth and landed on the paper bib they strapped around my neck with a telephone cord and two roach clips, I had one thought: “I bet this is just how the Absolute Ballers felt as we ran them up and down the Kickball Field last night. They must have had that same dull aching pain of defeat in their mouth.

It was a good start to the 2010 season, we won both games, but more important we had some nice young blood join the group. In my humble opinion the perfect Kickball team is made up of diehard, battle tested, highly skilled, and knowledgeable veterans, mixed in with some blood thirsty, ravenous, put on this Earth to play Kickball rookies. And that my friends, is just what we had last night.

I’ve been playing for a few years now, and it always amazes me how excited I can get before a game, especially opening day. Once again the games was a great time, the competitive juices where flowing, mixed in with a few good laughs. The line of the night had to of come from a new member on the team Liz. As we took the field for the second inning Liz, who was in right field, said to our first baseman Tim “Why isn’t the other team out on the field too?”. While Liz might not yet grasp all the rules, or subtle nuances of Kickball yet, she along with the other three new team members, Aaron, Kelsey, and Lisa learned a lot last night, a trial by fire if you will. I’m really looking forward to the 2010 season. I signed up not knowing if I would even be able to field a team, but I got a sneaky suspicion this is going to be a pretty good season. Monday’s might have been a good move.