5/20/09
Softball: The Inherent Risk of Replacement Parts (Again)
Dear People,
Jeff W’s team rallied from an ominous eight-run deficit with vim, vigor and courage, and thus by the time it was all over, my side collapsed under the hubris of our own delusions, 21-16. As you know, it’s never easy to pinpoint when the amorphous momentum of aerobic zeitgeist suddenly shifts, except of course, when it’s really easy. In this last game, our fate was sealed at 12:53PM, just before we took the field in the bottom of the 7th. If you’d be so kind, allow me to explain:
Joe “litigator legs” Costella had made his community debut with a masterful six-inning performance as pitcher, giving up just six runs on a walk, five hits and 24 errors. Frankly, I was nearly giddy with pride, but there was still some innings to go and a broiling sun to contend with, so I accepted Chris Fure’s analysis when he came up to me and stoically declared that “The kid looks parched out there. I’d take him off the mound and let me finish things up.”
In retrospect, putting in the Furinator may not have been my wisest executive decision, though in fairness, I can’t say with certainty that his quickly giving up 15 runs on a walk, 34 hits and no errors was the actual and proximate “cause” of our troubles. Regardless, it was in fact extremely warm and for what it’s worth, Chris still seemed cool, confident and delightfully well-hydrated. Yeah, I happen to think that when a winning team suddenly goes down in flames, it’s all the more important that their battered closer still looks gorgeous and hale. And therefore there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11 IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning. . .Ray
PS: Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to see the subtle path of an improvement not taken. I mention this because Joe suggested that expanding the strike zone to include both the green carpet and home plate would reduce the number of walks, speed up the game and help strengthen the annoyingly anemic credit markets. If you have an opinion on this potentially transformative proposal, feel free to let me know.
5/22/09
Softball: Another Breakthrough in Local Paleontology
Dear People,
There will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at 11 and as of now there are still four slots left.
Please bring $4 for the field, which for this week only includes my special post-game report on ‘Mitta,’ the adorable 40 million year old primate fossil that I found last week on the sloped tundra beyond center-left field; While I am hesitant to be so declarative, I now believe her miniscule brainage, opposable thumb and mitt-like glovings clearly reveal her as the missing homoaerobicas that links us as a people to the hairy athletic salamanders of San Pablo Bay…Raymond 845-7552
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