It was 477 days ago that the Cougars officially came into existence. I truly find it amazing how much we have accomplished as a team on the field.
We had some unbelievable moments this year: Plays at the plate. Relays and cutoffs. Game winning hits. Sweet swings. Double plays. Acrobatic catches. Doubleheader sweep. Clothing infractions.
Here are a few statistics.
2008: Slaughtered 11 of 14 games
2009: Slaughtered 4 of 14 games
2008: Allowed 175 runs
2009: Allowed 139 runs
2008: Scored total 43 runs
2009: Scored total 76 runs
2008: Won 2 games
2009: Won 4 games
Wow, we were truly green last year! By these measures, the Cougars have demonstrated considerable progress.
It is essential to have these numeric benchmarks so that we may sharpen our skills to meet the weekly summer challenge. Every Tuesday we exercise our bodies and exorcise our competitiveness.
However, at this juncture of our lives, we should not measure our success or sense of worth by this or any data. (Yup, you guessed it, here it comes, more end of year sappy words).
Our friendships and our camaraderie are incalculable. Every Tuesday we all create memories for ourselves and our children.
Moreover, Tuesdays with Cougars will lower your stress, prevent sickness, and help you live longer. As it says in this New York Times article, “The consistent message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”
As stated in our first blog entry ever, the main goal with this team was to get a night out, be relatively competitive and quaff a few cold ones after the games. Since that time, the Cougars turned into a fraternity which spawned a sorority as well as a kids’ social organization.
Anyone can be a member of Cougar Nation. We welcome everyone and membership is free. The requirements are simple: root for us (unless, of course, we are playing your team) and celebrate with us.
Last night was a gathering to remember. Although the adults may have some memory lapses because we drank like prohibition was going into effect today.
Here are a few images to help you recall the night.
Here are our bag champions of the night.
If you can believe it, I think we are missing a half dozen kids from this picture.
Nope, it does not stop there. Yes, the adults had fun but the kids had a funner time than us. Watch the videos and see for yourself.
The kids danced…
…and the role models consumed snacks.
Beer, wine, margaritas and juice boxes were the drinks of choice last night. The pulled pork and sliced brisket were bigger hits than any we had in the actual game (by the way, we lost 10-0).
Smoque is the place to go. Do yourself a favor and relive your gastronomic experience.
Day 478 will be tough for all of us. Softball is over and summer is winding down (if it ever got here). Soon, the Cougars will be on to other offseason activities. Fortunately, many of these pursuits will be done together. In our offseason, we have many things to look forward to so we will not suffer from Cougar withdrawal: poker, tennis, hoops, paddle, yoga, running, biking, sailing, and the McK Variety Show (and, hmmm, did I hear Vegas discussed last night?).
The blog is putting up the Gone Fishin’ sign until next season. We will see all of you on the streets of Wilmette.
Thanks to everyone for making this another superb season!
