2/25/15

Softball: Finally (Tacit Relief on the Patience of Yak)

Dear People,

There was a mighty wind a blowin' last Sunday morn', and while Michael Davey will no doubt blame it for his side's soul-battering 17-15 defeat, the simple reality is that my team just played with a crisper execution of squall-resistant hardihood. Perhaps this was best exemplified by the staggering community debut of Mo---a perfectly innocent OB-GYN extraordinaire who had merely come to watch. Yet she graciously agreed to give us some estrogenic je-ne-sais-quoi in the wake of a rare and calamitous no-show, and I for one will never regret having asked her to repurpose her day.

The fact is that Mo had never played softball before, and yet she batted away as if she viewed every pitched orb as a metaphorically vital new-born who yearned for nothing less than to be blasted into the verdant grasses of life's rich pageant. Oh sure, she may not have technically gotten a “hit,” but she made it to 1st on an awesome 8-foot 6th-inning sacrifice-force (yeah, my coinage), and when she came darting home later that inning, she was the go-ahead run that kept us ahead for the rest of the match! Yeah, from Kaiser to Bushrod, the MoMeister delivers.

Sadly, Mike could find no equivalent source of galvanizing mojo within his own posse, although in fairness, Paul Horsepool's 6th-inning encounter with a soaring 2-out 1-on pop-up to 3rd was one of the most inspiring displays of rank athletic failure that I think I've ever seen. In brief, Anthony unleashed a 130-foot skyball that Paulie seemed poised to trap with his laser-like upward focus, but then, and for reasons I don't pretend to understand, he suddenly began to buckle backward like a felled crimson birch. His collapsing corpus and the plummeting sphere were now merged as one, and as his descent continued, Paulie still made four gallant attempts to catch the orb as it brutally ricocheted off his shoulder, arms and ego. In the end, though, it fell pointlessly to the ground, and so no, not everyone can deliver, and I think good ol' Horsiehead now understands this.

The point is that Bushrod is a noble yet objectively wretched locale, so it's clearly time for us to get back to where we once belong (And I'm not saying that just so that I can throw in another hip cultural reference to Jojo or Mojo or Mo or even Moe, though ironically, Frank's newly shorn noggin does give him a certain Curlyesque physique). Yes, my friends, it's been four long months of exile, and in that time we've shown resilience and pluck beyond our years. But now we're heading home, and home for good, or at least until the dumbass city kicks us off again. And therefore there will be a game at CODORNICES this Sunday at 11, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning…Raymond




2/25/15

Softball: Quickly from Boalt! (The Compelling Draw of Home)

Dear People,

There will be a game at CODORNICES this Sunday 11, and as of now it is already full. As always, please let me know ASAP if you committed and need to cancel, and if you still want in, feel free to get on the wait list or contact me later for news of reopened slots (Again, that's not just boiler plate-churn happens).

Please bring $4 for the field, which, in theory, will be greener, smoother and more outright glorious than ever before…Raymond 845-7552

PS: The Nanci-auto-wait-list rule remains in effect; I mention this now so that no one will take it personally if they're slammed by its cruelty in the weeks to come.


PPS: Do you care about the kind of education your kids are getting? Of course you do, and it just so happens that Ali was much involved in the making of the film described below, playing for free next week at the New Parkway Theater….

The film is called Defies Measurement. Super synopsis: As high-stakes standardized testing season approaches, this film aims to strengthen the discussion about public education in America. It features nationally recognized experts, along with an intimate story of local interest. Directed by Shannon Puckett, Berkeley mom, former teacher & public education advocate.

Film Premiere:

Thurs, March 5th, 7-9p

The Parkway Theater, Oakland

(free admission)

rsvp: https://attending.io/events/documentary-film-screening?utm_campaign=invite&utm_source=email

For more info about Defies Measurement:

www.defiesmeasurement.com

BACK