Not A Pretty Picture

We lost.  Bad.  13-1.

Based on the old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words," here are over 15,000 words (and a video).

The Shack metaphorically bleeds red.  Last night we truly bled red.

The highlight of the night was Lipsey running a primo postgame!

An early morning run helped work off the frustration and calories.

Let's brighten our collective spirits.  Join me on one of my favorite loops highlighted by the homestretch down Kenilworth Avenue.

Enjoy the payoff.  The calming waters of Lake Michigan.

Then it was time to head back and look forward to the homestretch down Spencer Avenue.

Our own field of dreams sits at the end of our superb street...

...and blooming bushes of lilac are our Iowan cornfield gateway to Howard Park.

Next week, home plate will be our homestretch.

Outdoor Education

We got schooled last night.  It was elementary for Miller Time as they chalked up a 5-2 victory.

Here was our report card.

Offense:  D-
Defense B+
Horticulture:  A+

It was a beautiful night to play our opponent  - the undefeated, head-of-the-class champions from last year.

Miller Time has scored 35, 11, and 10 in their first three victories, so as losses go - only giving up 5 runs is not so bad.

The stellar defense was led by Flannery who caught a line shot for a key third out while playing second base.  While playing catcher, he received the throw from the infield with a beefy brawny big boy barreling down on him and made the tag for another important out.

The High Lifers hit some high flyers but our outfielders, Otsuka, Boomgaarden and Lipsey, made every catch. (Heck, like a juggler, Lipsey even made one catch three times!)

On offense, Bobis and Lipinski were the big hitters last night and accounted for our only two runs.

Lipinski notched a double and a single...

...while Bobis had a single and a breathtaking triple; i.e., he ran so fast it took all the breath he had.

We didn't have the answer key but that did not prevent our adoring fans from cheering, nor did it keep them from being adorable.

While were were trying to get a passing grade on the field, these McKenzie kids were playing ball and studying to be the next generation of old man softball players.

After the game, we all lined up in the lunchroom for pizza day courtesy of Boomgaarden who forgot to wear the requisite hairnet.

It was an early night for fourth grade fans because they left for McKenzie's Outdoor Education this morning.

Outdoor Ed is just one of the many events that make McKenzie, well, McKenzie. Variety Shows, Heritage Day, Field Days, 1st & 4th Grade Music Programs, and Fall Frenzy are the among some of the most memorable times. (Admittedly, I might not miss Fall Frenzy next year.  If you're over the age of 12 and have been crammed into the hot, crowded hallways during this annual school carnival, then you know what I mean.)

Our current McK is like the McK that Otsuka, Bobis, and I attended as kids, except ours was McKinley School in South Holland.  Sixth grade was the big year at McKinley, when we went to Camp Timberlee for Outdoor Ed and participated in the Olympics, which was our version of Field Day.

That school year I had my first experience playing organized 16" softball, while captaining Mr. Kavalunas' team to an undefeated record up until we lost the championship to Mr. Zim's team, who had far superior players.  My sixth grade team reminds me of the Cougars because we aren't comprised of superstars, but rather guys with a lot of heart and grit.

Fourth grade and our family's McKenzie experiences are coming to an end (sniff sniff), but our kids are just starting their glory days while watching the Cougars recapture ours each week.

Numbers Game

The Cougars had two adjacent Bernoulli trials last night.  Two possible and equal outcomes.  Would we be on the right side of the coin twice?

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The Tappers were our first equation to solve.

The Cougars came out of the box in the 1st inning with Forter, Danielsen and Martin each touching the pentagon, better known as home plate, courtesy of Lipsey and Otsuka singles.  Up 3-0.

The Tappers circled the bases once in the second inning and twice in the 3rd inning.  Tied 3-3.

In the 4th inning both Danielsen and Martin ran a right angle (well, really a left angle) around the squares thanks to an integral Bobis hit.  Up 5-3.

The Tappers expected value in the 4th and 5th was high, but Bobis and Flannery kept them to an absolute minimum with stellar defense (and kudos to Flannery for taking last week's blog to heart by wearing his Lululemon yoga pants on the field).  The Tappers only added a tally to their total.  Tied 5-5.

Late in the game, the Cougars couldn't hit to solve the quadratic equation.  Brennan's parabolas in the final innings mirrored the St. Louis arch.

In the bottom of the 6th, Yulish, not to be parabollically outdone by his pitcher, hit a rainbow and struck gold.

Yulish counted all 4 bases, which gave the Tappers 6 and that was greater than the Cougars 5.  Ballgame Tappers.

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With another game to play against the Brown Stars.  We took the advice of Joe D and played angry.  Regressed to the mean, if you will.

We had 13 Cougars at the game last night.  We were unlucky in the first game but we were not about to be divided.  It was prime time!

Attempting some symmetry from the first game, we scored 3 in the 1st inning with hits by Boomgaarden, Radtke, Martin and Lipsey. Up 3-0.

We let up one in the bottom of the frame.  Up 3-1.

In the 2nd inning McDonnell and Lipinski both singled and Hoglund knocked them in with a key hit.  Up 5-1.

We would not let them bisect our defense in the 2nd and 3rd innings.  Fortier went up and caught a wicked line shot.  Lipsey got down and caught a fly ball at his toes.  Bobis placed himself in front of every ball on the left side of the field.  Still 5-1.

We picked up two more in the 3rd with hits from Boomgaarden, Fortier and Danielsen.  Up 7-1.

We went scoreless in the 4th while our opponent gained one in the bottom of the inning.  Up 7-2.

The 5th inning had 3 more plate crossings with hits by Flannery, Hoglund, Boomgaarden, Radtke, Fortier and Martin.  Up 10-2.

In the 6th we picked up our final run because of hits by Otsuka, Lipinski and Flannery.  Up 11-2

The Drab Pentagrams scored 3 times in the 6th and 7th.  But 3 plus 2 only equals 5 which is less than 11.  Ballgame Cougars.

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The team then made a straight line over to the Melchiorre front porch for some pizza pie.  We each had 3.14 pieces.

Dave and Barb always put on a party that exponentially increases our happiness.

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Win or lose (or both), the Cougars always have an infinite amount of fun!

Stress-free, Loss-free

This week's blog was a collaboration with my guest writer wife, Julie, who has helped me learn to relax a bit more, which sometimes means letting tasks go when I don't have time.  I could get used to this...

Over the weekend, I whisked Captain Cougar west to Miraval Spa in Tucson, part of the beautiful Sonoran Desert.  Miraval is a very Zen experience, as their website hints,

"Mindfulness is the core of the Miraval philosophy. In everything we do, we encourage our guests to live in the present moment, conscious of the unique intersection of mind, body, and spirit."

Tuesday night the Cougars were mindful only of the diamond in front of them.  Emails, phone calls, spreadsheets, documents, bills, and other stresses were left behind as they focused on re-energizing their bodies and spirits on the gem we call Howard Park.

The Cougars left the Slaughter House 9 in need of their own spa vacation after a 5-inning romp that must have felt worse than falling into a bed of prickly pear cactus.

Boom led off the game with a double and my well-rested husband added a single.  JD, Martini, Thejokewriter, and Diddy all added shots, letting us chant "Om" all the way home for a 5-0 lead in the first.

Slaughter House 9 would not be easily entranced by our team's skills and answered with 3 hits and 1 run in the bottom of the first.

In the second inning, Diamond Dave, Boom, Captain Cougar, Fort, and Martini found an oasis at home plate for a 10-1 lead.

In the bottom of the second, our opponents experienced a scoring drought.

After two quick outs in the third inning, Hogs and Diamond Dave singled but were left meditating on the bags.

Not willing to lay down in child's pose, our rivals scored two more in the third making it 10-3.

Warriors I, II, and III (Rads, Fort, and Jokewriter) collaborated to add a tally in the top of the fourth, making it 11-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, we effectively told SH9 to take a hike and sent them back to their dugout in order.

Like a resounding gong, the bats chimed in the fifth as Philthy and Ski hit back-to-back singles. Boom drove those horses home, earning two RBIs and making the score 13-3.

We held our opponent scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, which meant we were up by 10 runs after 5 innings, so we sent a slaughtered Slaughter House 9 home early to contemplate the meaning of the universe.

The Cougars are not only stress-free but loss-free with a 2-0 record, which feels almost as good as having our tight muscles kneaded during duet massages or almost as nice as warm towels wrapped around our visages during evening facials; but we digress.

After the game, fans and teammates headed down a peaceful path, a.k.a. Spencer Avenue, to our first backyard post-game of the year.

Well, we weren't exactly in the backyard.  The Blackhawks were playing, so the Cougars stuck by the TV and transmitted their positive energy through the Comcast cable lines to the ice rink, making all the difference in the Hawks' victory.

With 250-calorie spa dinners a distant memory, Captain Cougar decimated his diet by dining on Diddy's delectable dishes.

On Tuesday nights, the Cougars' camaraderie must get first mention in our gratitude journal entries. Win or lose, in the immortal words of that sage Carly Rae Jepsen, it's always a good time.

Special mention must go to Cheryl & Steve, a.k.a. Grammy & Grandpa, who have a perfect attendance record in the 2013 Cougar season despite living over an hour away from the fields.  Because they held down a somewhat chaotic Radtke fort last weekend, the universe was returned to balance as we made our Zen journey to the desert.

Until next week, NAMASTE.