4/8/15

Softball: A Tale of Revival and its Disturbing Implications

Dear People,

In our first truly resurrected game in the 18-year history of this wondrously innovational league, 17 of our most indomitable athletes shook off their post-cancellation fears to spontaneously romp on the eerily moist grasses of our gorgeous homeland, and even better, the 1PM start-time assured a sublime turquoise sky under which Jim's team crushed my own, 19-13. That such callous brutality took place on Easter itself only added to the richly-nuanced ironies of the day, but in the end, we clearly showed that as an aerobic folk of somewhat limited faith, we can still rise from the dead with the best of 'em.

Of course, all of this raises grave concerns as to the viability of my future leadership, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. The fact is that I originally called off the match at 10:21 AM after receiving several reports directly from Codornices that said it was still drizzlin', and drizzlin' hard, yet regardless, I think it's fair to say that my actions showed a disconcerting lack of lamb fries (yeah-google it). Indeed the Doppler readings were ambiguous at best, and it's not like I wasn't also getting robust and widespread moral support for a decisive call to play. Perhaps this is best exemplified by Jay's tender email of 10:22 that morning: “Ray, I know this is a hard decision and I wouldn't want to be in your position, but if you cancel this game, you are the biggest pussy on the face of the earth.”

Fortunately, the J Man was as persistent as he was nurturing, and thus just 57 minutes after the game was called off and 37 seconds after the first rays of sun hit my guilt-ridden optic nerves, I received the following urgent missive: “Ray, I know the game's been officially cancelled, but it's sunny now and if you don't change your mind and make this thing happen, you're going to be remembered as the biggest pussy on the face of the earth.” It was a stark and arguably cheeky plea, yet it was still Easter morning, and with the great JC in my deeply conflicted thoughts, I reversed course and made it happen.

But what if it hadn't been Easter and I hadn't been so inspired, or Jay hadn't been so nurturing, or, even worse, a treacherous volcano had suddenly wiped out all of North Berkeley? Would I have had the courage to make it happen then?! Or more bluntly stated, can this community afford the continuing managerial risks of such utterly craven abulia? I honestly don't know, and therefore there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11 IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning….Raymond

4/10/15

Softball: Subcultures

Dear People,

There will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11, and as of now there are still 3 slots left.

Please bring $4 for the field, which for this week only includes a chilled post-match stein of 1993 Navarro Pinot Noir (which, just for the record, Wine Spectator recently called “easily the most tannic, mellow and complex of the great 90s Pinots”)…Raymond 845-7552

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