A Great Season

We lost our last game of the season. The consolation is that every team but one loses their last game of the season.

Once again the beer, food, bags and company at the postgame were exceptional. Rumor has it that we played like the Black Sox to get there as soon as possible. Fact has it that we did not want the night to end and a few Cougars brought the party into the next day. You don't need to attend B school to know that the graph of Cougar productivity on Wednesday has an inverse relationship to the Cougar postgame party on Tuesday.

Our postgames have come a long way from that first night. That night there were no snacks, bags, chairs, wives, or kids. Nope, we were just shivering on my front lawn in 40 degree weather drinking ice cold beer analyzing what exactly we signed up for in this league. It was about midseason when the snacks, families, friends and Joe D. showed up, which is about the time we made a Spinal Tap move and turned our dial to 11. I appreciate everyone coming through and making Tuesdays into highly attended events for all. It was so great that our fan base grew steadily throughout the year. Our fans spin the Howard Park turnstiles as much as any other team.

It was truly a great season. Like I have said a few times, I put this team together primarily for social reasons and had hoped to be somewhat competitive. I never envisioned what we actually accomplished as a team on and off the field. Friendships were forged and strengthened and, oh, by the way, we won 3 games along the way. We also lost enough games to teach our youngsters to count past their 10 fingers. We did not fail though. As Clarence wrote to George in It's A Wonderful Life, "Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

Right now you are saying, "All right already, enough of the sappiness, just tell me when the next party is." Ok, ok. The Cougar Awards Banquet will be held after Labor Day on a weekend night at Pinstripes for some Cougar competition and camaraderie. All Cougars are invited and the team is invited too. Details and date to follow soon.

Also, there has been talk of a Cougar bag tourney, a Cougar poker game and a Cougar Vegas trip. Sold! I am all-in. In the meantime, if you are having softball withdrawals, you can always relive the season on the web. http://deadcougars.blogspot.com/

The entire Radtke family is sporting the new Cougars hats today. Thanks so very much for the thoughtful gift.

It was a perfect ending to have all 15 of us out there yesterday. Enjoy the team picture. Congratulations to all for such a great season.