Retirement

For the past three or so years, my Sundays were busy with softball.  I have skipped games because of birthdays, anniversaries, vacations and other reasons but for the majority of the last three years, you could find me on Sunday afternoons pitching slow pitch co-ed softball.

I have enjoyed my time playing immensely but I am retiring soon.  Part of the reason is the drive out there to play.  Part of the reason is to spend more time with The Wife.  Part of the reason is there is a sketch writing class I am eager to sign up for.  But the main reason is simply because I haven't had that many free Sundays.

I found myself enjoying the Sundays without games.  The ones where I got to enjoy a birthday gathering, or a trip to a museum.

So, this Spring season is winding down and we have a chance to make it into the championship game.  We've made it to the championship game twice in my tenure but come up short both times.  Winning this one would be a fantastic way to end it.  I may eventually end up playing one off games here or there when they're short on guys but for the most part, I think I'm ready to move on from my Sunday softball obligations.

Super Bowl

I saw quite a few of my friends on Facebook comment that they are not looking forward to the Patriots/Giants rematch coming up in the Super Bowl.  Some even said the first game between the two of them was boring or that they don't like to see teams re-matched in the big game.

My memory may be little hazy with details but I thought their first go around in the Super Bowl was a good game.  Sure, it wasn't high scoring but what a dramatic finish to that game.  The game ended with a Giants victory which ended the Patriots run at a perfect 19-0 undefeated season.  It was the perfect David and Goliath story in 2008 since the Giants limped in on a wild card, and no one gave them a chance at all to beat the Pats.

And the best part about this year's Super Bowl?  It's the same two coaches from the 2008 game.  The same two quarterbacks from the 2008 game.  You don't think the Patriots want a chance at revenge?  You don't think Eli Manning wants to prove he's one of the best quarterbacks and win one more ring than his older brother?  Plus there's the whole New York / Boston rivalry!  Come on, these are perfect storylines heading into the game!

I'm super excited for this game.  Of course, I'd be more excited if my beloved Saints were in it, but still.  Let's go Super Bowl - get it on!

Flyby

Know what I hate? (No you don't, so let me enlighten you.) I hate flybys. Namely, flybys in association to sporting events.  You know, like when those fighter jets fly over some event that you're at. Here's why I hate them.

No one remembers them. Have you ever seen a Dodger game and thought the highlight was when some F-18 flew over Chavez Ravine? "Hey man, that catch by Ethier in the outfield was pretty sweet." "Quiet, dude - I'm still full of civic pride from that flyby earlier."  They last mere seconds. Here, watch this video. How long did that flyby last?  10 seconds? You're lucky if you can whip your head around fast enough to catch 3 seconds at most sporting events.

It's also a waste of money and fuel in an already tight economy. This article on Yahoo! sports estimates that the flyby at Super Bowl XLV may have cost $450,000.  Oh yeah - and the fucking game was played in a dome stadium so NO ONE in attendance could see the jets fly over. The article goes on to assert that the Air Force paid for the flyby out of its own budget, uses the flight hours as training and is somehow a marketing tool.  The first two points are valid but the third is absurd. Right because, 3 seconds of a flyby is far more effective than athletes running around in Nike shoes for over an hour.

It's no surprise that nearly every NASCAR race features a flyby, so it can combine my least favorite sport with my least favorite "patriotic" activity.  If I was President, the first thing I would do is outlaw  flybys over sporting events.

I'm Chris and I need your vote. Thank you.

Softball Not Success

Unfortunately, we lost to our arch enemies, the Pink Unicorns, at softball the other night. But! We have nothing to complain about considering we finished the season 7-3 and finished up in second place!!! I don't really know what happened but I'm very proud that we all got better and we're functioning better as a team.

Softball Success?

I've been playing coed softball in Burbank for the last 3 years or so. Typically, our team is not that good. Up 'till now, we have never finished a season with more than 2 wins. This season, we are 7-2 which is nothing short of astonishing. I think our biggest improvement is making less mistakes. Everyone is playing very smart defense - hitting the cutoff throws, and most importantly, not overthrowing the ball trying to do too much. And not to brag too much about my own performance, but I've pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings...which actually has more to do with our defense than with my pitching. :)

If we win this coming Sunday's game against the Pink Unicorns (the team we despise the most), we make it to the championship game. Or the playoffs. I'm not really sure how the post season is structured since we've never been close before.

Needless to say, it's a very exciting time for our little softball team that could. Our last regular game of the season is this Sunday at 6pm. Email me for the exact location, and then come on out and watch us slay some Unicorns! We're going out for drinks after the game, win or lose!

He Shoots, He Scores!

Considering how much the Kings suck, I wouldn't mind moving to Florida and becoming a Panthers fan if I get to hear this guy call games:

Hulkamania

I recently finished reading the autobiography of Hulk Hogan. There was no one bigger than Hulk Hogan to my brother and I when we were youngsters. Sadly, Hulk left this important story out of his book -

In 1991, my brother and I were in the car with our Mom and Grandma, driving down Valley Circle Blvd. when Hulk Hogan drove past us on his motorcycle. Mom instantly recognized him but my brother and I weren't paying attention and didn't see him. A few yellow lights and miles later, we caught up to him at a gas station. Our Mom gave us a piece of paper for him to sign and we approached our hero to ask for his autograph. I was so nervous that I barely knew what to say. My brother was much cooler, of course, and asked if he was ready for his tag team match at Summerslam. He said he was confident he and The Ultimate Warrior would win (they did) and signed our paper, which my bro still has. I still think it's cool that Mom drove kinda crazy so we could catch up to him.

It was quite the moment for a pair of lifelong wrestling fans and Hulkamaniacs. This was the man that bodyslammed Andre the Giant! This was the man that give such thrilling interviews you believed every word when he shared the three commandments of Hulkamania: 1) train, 2) say your prayers and 3) take your vitamins.

His book is fairly entertaining, even if it glosses over quite a bit. It turns out my childhood hero had one major fear in his life, though - helicopters. So just keep that in mind, kids - even the Immortal Hulk Hogan is scared of something. Check out this great pre-match interview from Wrestlemania 4 where he tangled with Andre the Giant.

Olympics

There's a little more than a week left of Olympic action, so I better get these two thoughts out.

1. Beach volleyball is sooooooooooooo frickin' boring. Why is it on during prime time?

I think this second thought was actually my friend Rick's idea, but I fully support it.

2. They should have average people compete in every event for comparison's sake. When you have several people finishing within hundredths of seconds of one another, I think it loses a little something. Let's see how fast Joe Blow from Chatsworth can run the 400m hurdles. Then it'd be even more impressive.