Labour Day Weekend

I can't believe the last weekend of summer is already approaching! I had a busy summer this year, which resulted in almost no blogging. Back in May, I had already planned almost every summer weekend until September. Surprisingly, not too many conflicts occurred this year, which was probably helped by joining just one softball league this year instead of the two I played in last year.

This weekend I wanted to go down to NYC to watch a Yankees game because the Blue Jays were visiting and this is the last year before they tear down Yankee Stadium. I also considered attending PAX this year as well, but I would have convince some people to go with me (It's in Seattle). Penny Arcade is going to organize an East Coast one in the future and I would love to attend that one. But the trump card was being invited to a wedding. I'm excited to go since a lot of people from out of town are flying in and it'll be good to see them all again.

So instead of going to NYC this weekend, I'm going in the middle of September to try to catch a game. Any advice on getting tickets for a Yankee game? I really hope we will be able to get in. Otherwise, anyone interested in going to PAX with me next year?

Hungover?

First of all, thanks to those that were able to make it my Birthday BBQ. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for bringing food, alchohol and gift, even though gifts were not necessary. I especially like the message on the cake :)

My mom was out of town and usually she helps with the food when I host people at my place. I had a bit of trouble handling the prep work and ended up burning some of the meat :( Next time I'll start prepping earlier. This weekend I went to a Wii party on friday night and then only started prepping at noon on saturday. Oh well, lesson learned.

Drinking games were fun, but unfortunately, we didn't carpool very well and most people drove. We still finished about 40 drinks + 1 bottle of wine. They didn't get me too badly, but I was a bit hungover the next day. I played like shit in my softball game. I made multiple errors and hit two pop ups. My last at bat was especially crappy, because we ended up lossing by one and I represented the winning run. It was totally my bad. So yeah, I'm blaming the drinking on my poor play :)

Thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes!

RFD edition

I went out and bought all the things Jerry suggested. For some reason, HMV had Mario Strikers Charged for $10 less than the typical price of $60. So I went to my local HMV, which is the one by the school and got the last copy they had. It's kinda strange buying from HMV as they just started selling games a few months ago. I picked it up on Tuesday, which is one day before the official release date, but I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. Maybe I'll get some time next week.

Then I went to National Sports and looked for cheap bats. They had one bat that was $10, but it seemed really really bad. I kept looking and eventually found a Worth bat (W2SB, Powercell) that had the price tag ripped off. I had asked for help and when they came back they said it was only $12. So I bought that instead. Edmond tells me that it's a worthless bat, that's good for nothing, but I figure at $12 you can't go wrong. Unless it breaks my hands. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, so I don't know if it was worth it or not.

Even though I have family coming up this weekend, I joined the Formosa Cup. It's a 2 day softball tournament. That means I have something like 7 games this weekend! Good times!

Softball Injuries and Losses

I getting old. I had 3 softball games this weekend and went to the Docks. Docks was full of young people, including my younger cousin, Eric. Getting back home at 4 AM is an activity for younger people.

The next day was a softball game. In MCBC, our team is unfortunatly under .500. I haven't played on an organized softball team with a losing record yet. Perhaps the reason why is because I'm playing shortstop (a first for me, not counting little league hardball) and got voted for the heaviest player. I am neither the best defensive player or the best hitter out there. But I do think we have potential and all that really counts is the tournament.

During the game, I took a grounder off my throwing hand. It hit the ends of my fingers. I made the out after gathering the ball up, but there was blood everywhere. I had some splatter on my shirt and blood on my arm. Anyway, it bled alot and felt numb. I couldn't finish the game. We lost.

The next day, although it hurt a bit, I could throw. I had a double header in CCSA against the "best" team in our division. We lost for the first time this season, blemishing our perfect record. Just like the MCBC game, we got mercied during an early inning and I could only watch. I think we really beat ourselves, making numberous silly errors. Also, I hit into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded. Boo. But I'm looking forward the playoffs. Maybe I'll even get to face Edmond's team.....again!


Anyway, I'm sore and bruised. I need better conditioning and flexibility. I really need to practice my hitting. I don't even own a bat. Anyone know any good deals for bats? Or does anyone know if there are batting cages in Waterloo?

Back is Sore

I have four softball games scheduled for this weekend! I joined two leagues, so that's why I have so many games. I love playing softball, so playing a lot is fun, the only downside is the physical toll on my body.

I'm getting old. I must stretch a lot before playing. Yesterday, my back was aching and I think this affected my play. My lower back is a fairly constant problem area for me. About once every one or two years it gets so bad that I have trouble walking. It seems whenever I put any weight on in the stomach area, my back protests. As a result, I'm forced to lose the weight in the midsection before I can function again. The good thing is that it's keeps my one-pack in check, but my back suffers. I had a horrible hitting day yesterday, but at least my fielding was ok.

I had the first game in MCBC, the one where I joined with my sister. Unfortunately, it's looking more and more like my sister will be moving to NYC for a teaching job. She hasn't been able to find anything in the Toronto area yet. Since girls are in short supply in these co-ed leagues, it would be nice to find a replacement for her. So do you or a girl you know want to join a softball team in the Mississauga league? The skill level isn't very high, so don't worry about not having much experience. Games are almost every weekend (usually sat afternoon) from now until mid August. Please let me know!

Tale of Two (softball) Cities

Last summer, I had a great time playing organized softball. I was on the same team as four of my high school friends, which made it even more fun. After being unable to convince any of my friends to join again this year, I decided to make up for it by joining two different leagues!

I joined a CCSA team with Joanne and a MCBCSL team with my sister and Andrea.

The problem is that one league is in Mississauga and the other is in Scarborough. So far, the schedule seems to work out in my favour in that there are very few (zero?) conflicts. CCSA starts much earlier (mid May), while MCBCSL starts late June. MCBCSL games are usually Saturdays, while my CCSA games in July are usually on Sundays. Looks like I'll be in Toronto every weekend and doing a lot of driving!

Another big difference between the leagues is the level of competition. MCBCSL is open to people of all ages, so I'll be playing against high school students. Our "no practice" team with older players will likely have some advantage. Our "no practice" team last year did well, but came up short in the championship game. That's a whole other blog entry for another time. In CCSA, the players are older and all hardcore...even the girls. As a result, the defence is generally better and also means fewer at -bats. At my first CCSA game last weekend, I only batted twice in an 8 inning game! We also have a large team, so this could have an effect.

The only negative besides the travel is that I won't have as much time for other summer activities. Oh well. Regardless, I'm really, really looking forward to playing softball this summer!