As the Director of Softball

Not much to say today about poker.

I have almost finished stage one of the action plan that I feel in needed to move the softball part of the organization in the right direction. One of the first things I did was lo make a list of things that are solid with the program as it sits. I then looked at the areas that need help and made a list called Things We Know.

Things that we know:

We have a transition league that seems to be successful.
We have a minor league that seems to be successful.
We have a major league that seems to be successful.
We have a junior travel league that struggles to put a competitive team on the field.
We have a 12U travel team.
We had 5 area girls try out for a proposed 14U travel team.
There are about 22 area girls playing 14U travel for surrounding area teams.
We had no 10U travel team last year and have none planned for 2008.

From this point I looked at other established programs to see what they had done in the past, both good and bad, to see if I could speed up the learning process for the administrator of our league. I found some great information on the web and realized that many of these solid organizations have had the same issues that we are seeing and thus we can try and learn from their experiences.

I have also come up with a plan to field semi-travel teams that are made up of in-house all-stars for each age group that doesn't already have a travel team. They would play in one or two tourneys only but it will give them a chance to experience some of the benefits of playing travel ball. Additionally, it will give some of the parents a chance to see what playing ball is really like and to give hopefully a nudge to one of these parents to become a coach for the next batch of young ladies who want to play travel ball.

I have also looked at how we coach the kids and hope to create a guide book for coaches to follow. We already have a book that shows drills for all aspects of the game but I think giving the volunteer coaches a structured method of coaching these kids will help focus the group as a whole. My experience has shown that if you structure the practices so that that kids know what is coming next, they are better prepared to maintain focus and thus will improve more efficiently. In the end, what we want is to give the girls a chance to improve their skills and to have fun.

As a coach for both travel ball and in-house teams, I only look for three things to happen. Number one is that the kids have fun. This really goes without saying because we are not trying to develope world class players. That is for the private club teams to do. Number two is putting in the effort. All I can ask from the kids is to play hard and stay focused. They don't have to be slaves to the game but their parents have paid money for them to play so I think they should put in the effort. The last thing I look for is improvement. I don't think I've had one player that didn't improve while I coached them. This isn't that amazing but I think I get more out of having a player who had no clue at the beginning of the year turn into some what of a player than a good player who just got a little better. It is really fun watching the kids gain confidence during the season.

I Can Win Sometimes

I played almost 4 hours of donkey poker last night and all I got for it was an MTT win. That’s right, I won a tourney. I even have proof.

I was sitting around watching some stupid movie last night and jumped on to see what was starting and saw Omaha hl. I’ve done ok with the game so I pulled it up and waited for the start time to arrive. The I realized it was NL Omaha hl. I realized this with time to spare but I figured I’d donk it up and got waffles to play it with me. He lasted for a while but could handle the donk plays that came from every direction. My strategy was to stay on the sidelines unless I had a strong hand and then play it super aggressive. It worked as I maintain a smallish stack for much of the tourney. I took a big hit when I pushed with a double flush draw and the nut low draw but can up empty. I had 800 chips left with average at 5600 and came back strong. I pushed a few hands in a row and got lucky to get me out of danger. I stayed low and maintained my stack as the bubble approached and hit a couple of big hands to move into the top ten. When I hit the final table I was in 6th and waited for a few to bust. The I attacked the medium stacks and built up until someone finally played back at me. This time I had a hand and moved into 2nd. IWhen I got into a hand I bet in such a way to show I was committed to the pot and the weakness of my opponents came out. I eventually took the chip lead with about 160K to 80K and 70K. I didn’t let anyone limp and I re-raised half of their stack over and over again. When I knocked out the 3rd place guy I held 4-1 lead and eventually took him out when he got tired of me pushing him around.

It was a nice score and long overdue.

I was going to recap my midnight madness run but this win over shadowed it so I’m done with that.

Softball E had her first practice with her new team on Sunday. They are going to kick some butt…mark my word. They best part is that SE is no longer the star on the team. There are a couple of girls, including her, that can fill that role on the team and that is a good thing. It should help her bring up her game. During batting practice she hit one to the fence that would have been out is she had lifted the ball a little. Anyway, the skill level on this team is much higher than her old team. And the team speed is much higher.

That’s it for today…have a great day.

My Neteller

I say why worry about .57. I was smart enough to move my money before the money was frozen.

I was asked to evaluate players for one of the local teams. So I'll be helping out and determining who is good enough to play and who isn't. My guess is that they won't have enough players because most players have already been to tryouts. The ones that are left are the ones that are left. I feel bad for the coach because we are friends and she got screwed like I did...You see, she was the coach that I was asked to replace. The world turns in strange ways. This is also the coach that cut SE from the 14U team last year because she was a 12 year old. I don't hold a gruge...well I do but I also forgive.

Three Cheers and a Little Pokery Fun

Well we made it. The waiting is over. We were informed today that she made the team. No more worry and no more tryouts for another year. She got the call today and they are looking at her to be the number one pitcher. Funny how things change when the coach’s daughter isn’t the main influence on pitching time. Now we just have to find some sponsorship so we don’t have to come up with a crap load of money. Anyone wishing to sponsor a team for a few hundred can contact me. They are a non profit organization so you can write it off on your taxes. I can’t believe I’m looking for softball sponsors on my poker blog. Anyway, big ups go to my daughter.

On the poker front, I played the Mookie last night and got a little going early when I turned a flush. I gave some back over time but came out swinging a little later just trying to maintain my stack. Then card deadness set in and with all the action I could hardly get a raise in. I eventually went out when I tried to push someone, I can’t remember who, in their blind while I held J8 sooted. They called with pocket 3s and sent me to the rail in 29th place when my over cards didn’t hit. Congrates goes to surf who took it down vs. hoy in a heads up battle.

The good new is that I played Razz again. I had the best run of starting cards I’ve ever had and if some of them would have caught I could have gone really deep. I did make a nice run and made a final table but I was short stacked and had to make a tough lay down on the final table bubble. I was ahead but with 87652 and with his draw I was at best a coin flip. It may have been a bad fold but I did make the final table.

I played golf today for the first time in 4 years. I played a lot of golf at one time but family got in the way and I had to give something up. So, yesterday I found my clubs, all covered in rust and neglect. I took a few balls into the back yard and checked my chip and lob game and found it was still intact. All in all I was happy with the way I played but I had a few terrible shots today. If it wasn’t for a few flop shots and a couple of chip and runs I would have been about worthless.

That’s it for now…Have a good one.

Waiting...Waiting...Waiting and The Mooooookie

The anticipation of a phone call can drive you insane. I was hoping to get a phone call tonight regarding Softball E’s tryouts over the weekend. I know that she made the team but it’s never official until it’s official. The best will be having her face her old team later this fall. Her new team will be playing a fall schedule and two of the games will be against her old team. The girls are afraid of her and I want her to shove the ball down their throat. I guess I’m still pissed at the friggin coach.

I tried to repeat my Razz success but it can up way short. The hands that held on Friday got chased down tonight. That’s ok because I played well and read my hands well. I made up for it all playing SNGs for a bit and ended up over all.

Tomorrow is Wednesday which means the Mookie on Full Tilt.

Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesday. 9pm CT
Game: NLHE Deepstack
Buyin: $10+1
Password: vegas1

I’m in for Vegas in December. Yes, Mrs. PE and I will be making the trip to the state that brought you the Comstock Load. I’m not sure of any of the arrangements but I will be making the trip. I’m looking at the 6th through the 10th and expect to have a great time.

That’s it for tonight. Have a great Wednesday.

Razz is Still My Friend and a Weekend of Tryouts

It was a crazy weekend in the PE’s world. I’ll try to keep it segregated into sections as well as possible but I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed so give me a little room for error.

Friday night started out like crap. I jumped onto the poker machine around 8:00 and signed up for the $3 turbo to get things started. A short time in, like the first 10 hands, I find KK in the big blind. There are two limpers when the button puts in a nice raise and it is folded to me. I re-pop it to 900 hoping to take it down or get heads up with the button. But one of the limpers pushes and the button calls. I have to call and to my joy the limper holds AK and the button has 77. An ace hits and I get knocked out early.

Bad beats happen so I take a step back and play a SNG and marvel at guys calling bets with over cards and counter fitting my flopped two pair with runner runner joy. So with my spirits high I made the decision to play the Razz MTT that was just getting ready to go.

Now if you’ve read me in the past you’ll know I’ve had some good luck with Razz because of my donkey like skills so I figured playing with the donkeys would be good. I started out slow and steady by only getting involved with good hands and letting the skilled players pay me off. It worked well and at one point I was the chip leader. Then like every other game I had to work through some card dead times and before I knew it I was back to an average stack. The bubble broke with me sitting back in 6th place and I worked to maintain my position as the final table approached. When we were down to 8 I stayed patient and moved up in spots by letting others bust. I was down to 1800 chips and cards dead when I went on an epic run and within 6 hands I was the chip leader. I kept the pressure on and when we got to heads up I held a 2-1 chip lead. A few hands in I was dealt the A23 and caught a 5 on 5th street. My opponent held a 9 and I made the decision to get as many chips in the middle as possible with a fabulous draw. I then hit 2 queens and a king to give away my chips. Now with even stacks I was card dead and with the levels at 1500/3000 this is not the time to run out of luck. I had to throw away a bunch of hands and made some calls that bricked and then I was behind. The killer was the guy calling me down with a 10 when I had 3 low cards up. They had paired twice but I kept the pressure on and I hit another low number. On the last card I hit my 3rd pair and bet out at his at best made 10 and he called. I was out the next hand.

I’ll take the 2nd place and my 3rd final table of the week and 4th this month.

Saturday was a day of tryouts and driving. Softball E. did well at both tryouts as she attempted to move on to a new team. At the first one she threw very well and hit the ball like crazy. She threw all strikes, including her change ups and she hit line drives into the screen protecting the pitcher. It was a huge success with only one problem. They only had 2 spots and they wanted a catcher and a utility player. If I had to rate her vs. all the other players trying out I’d say she was top 5 but not top 2.

In her other tryout she rocked them and there is no doubt in my mind that she’ll make the team. She hit the guy feeding the pitching machine 4 times with line drives and had another session of throwing strikes.

After getting home I cleaned up and headed to a show featuring a Led Zeppelin tribute band with my wife. We had a great time and strolled in around 2 am.

Sunday we went back to one of the tryouts and started over again. As SE started her workout one of the coaches said to me “I was going to call you and tell you it wasn’t necessary to come back today”. That’s code for we have a spot on our team. We are now very happy. We won’t know for sure until Wednesday but I know it is in the bag.

So it was a great weekend at the house and I even get to play golf on Thursday and get paid for it. What more can I ask for.

Can You Drill it Out

The pain in my head doesn’t seem to want to go away. I just have to remember that it feels better when it stops hurting.

I play a little yesterday but didn’t do well. The one tourney I was doing well was I lost a big chunk of my stack when I raised from the SB with AJ and the BB called. The flop missed and I made a continuation bet and when the turn missed I fired another bullet and he called. The river gave me a jack but I wasn’t happy so I went into check call mode. He bet and I called and paid off his pocket aces. I had no idea he had those by the way he played. I wasn’t on life support but I now had a shortish stack. My nemesis was knocked out a little later and so at least I outlasted him. Anyway, Whe n my M got smaller I ramped up the aggression and chipped up a little. I ended my night when I oushed over a limper while holding AQ. He held JJ but I caught a queen on the flop…he caught a jack and I was done.

It was frustrating all night as players called with over cards and hit or they were given they’re 3 outer to put me in my place. I was even counterfeited twice when I flopped 2 pair. So I guess I made some good plays overall and was rewarded with pain. Maybe I am a masochist.

The big softball tryout weekend is upon us so we will be driving a bit as we look for the golden egg.

Fun at the Mookie and a Little Life Tilt

I went on a bit of life tilt yesterday after Softball E’s coach called and said she didn’t make next years team. He explained that he thought it was in her best interest to find another team to play for that can give her more innings to pitch because he can’t give them to her. He also said that he thinks she had the most ability of the pitchers on last years team. I asked him if there were any other reasons for this decision and he said he didn’t think she would get regular playing time a other positions. So she went from being the short stop and leading hitter on the team to not being good enough to play.?

Like I said, major life tilt insued. But after I thought about it a while I realized that she wasn’t going to play for that team anyway. SE and I had already made up our minds that she was going for the Northern Illinois Thunder and or the Aurora Raiders and would play for either of these teams before her old team. She actually got the news first and I heard her say “yes” when he said she didn’t make the team so I think all will be well. I know she told her former teammates that she was trying out for these other teams an since two of the girls belong to the coaches there was no way the coaches didn’t know. I’m sure they realized that she was moving on and made a preemptive decision in there own best interest.

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Had a solid night last night by cashing in a few sngs and going very deep in the Mookie and cashing in the Dookie. The Mookie was crazy. I threw away QQ after a raise and a re raise happened in front of me. It turned out to be the right decision as one player held KK and the other held AK. A little later I threw away AA post flop after a KKx flop. I smelled over bet for value on the straight push so I folded. This knocked me down to 2100 chips and losing ground fast. I had been playing tight the button a big raise. This player had been playing a loose game so I re-bumped it and he pushed with his big stack. I was getting better then 3-1 to call with only 2 hands dominating me so I called with my AK sooted as he turns over QQ. I hit the donkey flush and moved to 4500 chips.

Later I found JJ in middle position and raised to 800 after 2 limper. One player pushed for 500 more with QJ and hit a queen on the river to take part of my stack. A few hands later the aggressive guy over bets in front of me and I see TT. I push and he calls with AK but my tens hold to put me at over 6K. I lost a few chips back when I raised pre-flop and was called my continuation bet didn’t work and I had to dump my hand. I chipped up a little and hit pay dirt when I found QQ and doubled up.

When we hit the final table I was sitting in 5th play and doing well. Then one of the worst runs of card deadness hit. I tried to maintain my stack but slowly lost ground. I was still sitting with a solid stack when we got to the bubble when I raised from the button with QT. The BB called and the flop hit with a Q so I pushed. But he held a Q and a K and flopped a boat and turned quads.

Still a good game overall and a little unlucky at the end.

I could go into my Dookie cash but being that it was turbo HORSE I won’t. To much luckbox action in that game.

Anyway, I’m over my tilt and ready for anything.

Why do I play the Game and the Cost of Having Kids

Friggin ugly would describe the little bit I played yesterday. I didn’t want to get to involved so I played a few low buy-in sngs on UB and Full Tilt. The moronic skills I employee at times make me wonder why I play the game. Actually, I only made one really bad mistake when I caught top pair on the flop and hit top 2 on the river but got suckered by a guy chasing an open ended straight draw that happened to hit when I got my second pair. I keep forgetting that these lower level players will continue to chase even when they don’t have the odds to do so. It’s probably because guys like me will pay them off when they catch their hand.

Anyway, Considering I didn’t catch anything for cards I think I played well over all. Its funny when a shorty goes all-in and the sb calls, then you push will a pocket 10’s, trying to isolate the short stack and the sb calls with the all might K8 off suit. It’s even funnier when he hits a boat on the flop giving you no chance to win the hand and knocking you out on the bubble. I laughed real hard at that one. Now I could have just called and thrown away my hand after the flop but I didn’t think he was strong and I was right. But those are the breaks.

I’d like to play the Mookie tonight but instead I’ll be watching the free roll from the BBT. It should be fun watching the action as these players battle for the blogger championship and the bragging rights of the invisible friends league.

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Softball E. needed a new softball bat so I did a search on line to find out which weapons were the best and what the relative cost were for each item. After an extensive search I narrowed it down to a few bats based on price and quality and came up with this. I took I picked it up at Sports Authority on the way home and she is good to go. One of the girls on her team had a smaller version of this bat and it had some real pop so she should be good to go. We still have to get her a new gloves because she has been using mine and even thought it is a good glove, I bought it back in 1989 and it is in dire straits. I’ve had it repaired a few times but it is on it’s last leg. All told we will spend around $300 or $400 on ball equipment after the season is over. I don’t think I spent that much money on equipment for me in my life.

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I went down to the ball park last night after my amazing showing on the virtual felt. Some friends were playing and I had not made the trip all season. I watched much of the first game chatting with an old timer about the state of men’s fastpitch in the United States and the player movement over the past two season since I retired from the game. I read a post on a forum posted by a friend of mine who talked about how they predicted the demise of the game 20 years ago. How there would be no place to play and nobody playing the game. His point was that he could play every day of the week if he wanted to by traveling no farther then maybe an hour to do so. He named all the leagues within 40 miles of his house and the days that they played and he was right. The game isn’t dead…it’s just not feeling as good as it could.

Reading some of the reports on teams going to the world tourney, it looks like 8 or 10 teams have a shot at winning the ISC championship this year and that is good. It means the talent has spread some and that the laws of supply and demand have made it easier for the lower budget teams to compete. There are still a few powerhouse teams but they don’t have the same strangle hold on the top like in the past. It would be a good time to be in the game for me but I think most of my time has past.

Anyway, I left the field and picked up the kids at bible school and asked if they wanted to go watch the second game. They did, so we went back to the field and I watched a group of guys I played with get ready to take the field. They needed another guy but I was in jeans and a pull over with my dress shoes. Not really the uniform of choice so I politely turned them down. It would have been fun but I know I’d be hurting today.

I got to talk to a friend who’s daughter is playing for one of the teams SE is trying out for so she has an in with the team. He is a board member of their association and thus has the power to help her get on the team but I told him to let her earn her way… you know, the ethics thing. Anyway, this team would be a good fit for her for the next two years if she makes it.

That’s it for today. Have a great day.

Best in State

It was a weekend to remember in many ways.

I turned 40 on Saturday and though that is not a monumental task, it is a milestone that will not be forgotten. Softball E. had a tournament that happened to be a state tourney as in the winner is the state champ. So we headed out early Saturday morning and her team played her games and the coaches took the players to see a movie after they were done. This meant that all the parents were lucky enough to check into the hotel and hang around the pool while our other kids swam. And while they swam, we drank…and drank…and drank. It was a great time and we were all feeling good about how the girls started the tourney. When the kids got back we ordered some pizza and they surprised me with a cake and singing “Happy Birthday”. I got a call from Okie-Vegas and did a shot over the phone and went to bed kind of early because we had an early game on Sunday.

Of coarse when I went to bed, the room next to our started having a party with kids screaming and swearing. This wouldn’t have bothered me except that it was past midnight and it actually sounded like they were in my room. And when the sounds from the neighboring room is to loud to hear Sports Center then I have an issue. It eventually died down and I woke up with no hangover but maybe a little crabby.

Sunday the girls did what they had to do and ended up winning the tourney and the State championship for their division. The highlight was hearing my daughter’s name called for the all-tournament team. She had a great tourney batting almost .700 with the highlight being the homerun she hit for the game winner in one of her games. It was a great weekend.

When we got home Sunday night I opened some gifts, including a pizza maker that I had talked about a month or two earlier. I never thought I would like one of these but after seeing one in action it became my gift if choice and my family came through with flying colors.

Thanks Mrs. Enthusiast. I love you bunches and even though I can be an idiot sometimes I do appreciate the things you do.

Moving on…

Now that the season is over we have to prepare for next year. SE has one week off before heading to tryouts. There are four teams on the list, including the one she plays for, and basically she will be going like crazy for the next few weeks. She has to go to two tryouts a day on the 11th and 12th and one on the fourth and 5th. Then we will see which teams she makes and make a choice.

Speedy E. is going to tryout for the local 12U travel team in two weeks. She improve a lot this year and she wants to play like her sister. I think she can make the team but it will be tough. They have a solid team and all the girls are returning. We’ll see what happens.

Ethics...What Do I Do?!

So what do I do.

I was asked to coach the 14U travel team for YYBS, the governing board for baseball and softball in my town. This is the same group that gave me the chance to run the 12U travel team last year before handing it to a friend of the program for this season. Anyway, the current 14U coach was the only person to put there name into the hat and the board decided they don’t want her running the team next season. So I know become a friend of the program.

When I was first contacted about this opportunity I was excited to have a chance at running a team again. But after reflecting I realize that the reason Softball E. is playing someplace else this year is for the same reason the asked me to coach, in a sense. You see, there is a protocol that should be followed. You need to put in an application and have the board vote on who will run the team. They informed me that I didn’t have to apply and only had to meet with the executive portion of the board to be approved. Now if you remember back a year ago I was running the 12U team bur was circumvented from coaching this year by the coach of the 10U team who went to the board and said none of the girls who moved up would play for anybody but her.

So, what is going to stop this from happening again? I don’t want constraints placed on me and how I am going to coach these children. The whole reason they want to replace the existing manager is because a board members daughter didn’t get to play as much as he would like. Hell, his daughter was one of the players who kept SE from moving up. When he called me about the position, he complained about his daughter only playing right field and pitching. In truth, his daughter isn’t that good and the only reason she pitched and made the team was because he was a board member. It sounds like sour grapes but it is a fact. I’m not willing to compromise my integrity by have daughters of the program make the team even if the are not good enough. Every child is given a chance to play but playing on a travel team should be earned…not given because your father is a board member.

Now it is time to make the decision and I think I have to turn it down. I don’t like people circumventing the system. The system was put into play to avoid these situations and it is being ignored. If they had asked me a month ago to but my name in the hat I may have done it because then I could have filled out an application and gone through the proper steps but now I have to say no.

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I’d like to say congratulations to surf on chopping 1st place in a live tourney down in Tunica. He was on an epic journey with tripjax to the famed Okie-vegas event and met up with DB for a mid trip poker frenzy. Way to go man.

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Tomorrow is my birthday and I will spend it like I have spent the last 20 or so birthdays. I will be at a softball tourney. The only difference is I wont be playing for a change. I will be turning 40 tomorrow and ready for the next 40.

As far as poker goes, I will start again next week after my WoW trial is over. I have come to the realization that I am not addicted to poker but addicted to action. I would have no problem switching time consuming endeavors to a game like this. Is there room in my life for a WoW blog?

Have a great weekend.

WoW, Poker, and Softball

Waffles convinced me to play some World of Warcraft the other day so I went to the website and started the download for the 3+ gig file. After about 3 hours I was ready to play. I knew where he had started so I created a similar character in hopes of meeting up with him. By the time I found him, three days later he was way to high a level and didn’t want to fight the monsters I could beat. We have talked since and we will probably start new characters at the same time and do it all over again.

I haven’t played much poker. A couple of SNGs here and there but no real effort has been spent at the tables. A little break from the game might be good but I know I would have played if not for WoW.

Softball is winding down with this weekend being that last tourney on the schedule. It sounds like there is only going to be a couple of teams in it so hopefully we’ll be done in time for Softball E. to play in an all-star game she was asked to attend. After the season we will sit down and evaluate the season and discuss what we are going to do next year. She has three or four choices so we will go over the pros and cons of each and create the plan of action. More than likely she will try out for four different teams and we will pick the one that is the best fit for her. She would like to stay with the same team as it moves up to the next level but right now I don’t think it is the best choice and here is why.

The coaches for her team have created a group that can beat weak teams but not good teams. They insist on using one of the pitchers(coaches daughter) against good teams because she throws strikes. Good team hit the ball all over the place on her and run up the score because everything they hit is hit hard. Another example of stupidity is taking a girl who had never played 3rd base and having her play there in a tourney game. At the same time they took the regular 3rd baseman and had her put her at 2nd base. So you have two girls playing positions that they are not use to playing. The sad part is that they teach the girls well with all the drills and stuff but they have no idea hoe to work a line-up. They took the girl who has lead off every game of the year and has stolen more bases than I can count and put her behind the slowest player on the team. So they took the biggest weapon they had and nullified it. They also have the two best hitters on the team batting 8th and 9th. Both of these girls have the ability to drive the ball through the outfield and each is hitting .500 or better. And finally, the thing that pisses me of is that they quit using my daughter as a pitcher cuz nobody could catch her and that she was had to be used at short stop. The thing they don’t understand is that a good pitcher makes your defense better.

So know that the rant is all but over I’ll put together a list of things that I think they need to improve on as managers so they can actually do their jobs correctly.

I Forgot About Razz

I made a few deep runs over the weekend and the difference was the amount of focus I had. I came up just short of the money in one when I raised to isolate a small stack. I held AK and I knew the shorty would push with almost anything like a weak ace. So I push and a mega stack calls with 68 sooooted and hits a flush to send me to the rail. It was only 10% of his stack as he was getting hit in the face with the deck so I guess I can’t blame him. Anyway, I had another deep run into the top 50 of a different tourney so overall my NL game was solid. I did get lucky at one point when I called a raise and busted AA with my 44 when I hit a straight.

I also jumped back into the Razz tourney I like to play and just missed a final table. I have stayed away from that tourney for the last couple of months but now realize I need to go back to it. I also had a real nice run in Horse to end the evening last night. The only bad tourney I had was a money maker because I split my action with Surflexus and he cash while I floundered with KK seeing ace high flops and none of my pocket pair hitting sets. The best hand of the night may have been T8 sooted when I flopped an OESD and the flush draw. I bet out with all my outs and took it down.


I had an off weekend softball wise for a change. So we went to see a movie Friday night and went to a wedding on Saturday. So with all this time left to our disposal what do you think we did? Yard work…no. Lounge around and do nothing…no. We went to the ball park and watched a friend’s daughter play ball. We did the same thing on Sunday. Our one weekend away from the game and we still had to be around the action. We are softball whores.

A Weekend Trip to Remember With Lots of Breaking News

It was a weekend of craziness as we sat around the softball field.

Friday night was the championship game for Speedy E. and as we entered the 7th inning we were only down a couple of runs and had the top of our line up coming to the plate. The girls came out swinging and hit the ball hard but in the end we came up short. I can’t complain to0 much about 2nd place and I know they girls had fun and they all got better so it was a good season.

Softball E. had a tourney that started on Friday night and they started out with a 16-5 victory. SE had 2 hits and play her steady game at SS.

Saturday morning we headed back to the tourney for an 11:30 game. During the first inning there was a high pop up and SE camped under it. At the last second the ball moved into the sun and she missed catching the ball with her glove but caught it with her nose. As Mrs. PE and I sat behind home plate we waited for her to get up off the ground to confirm that she was ok. Then we saw the blood gushing from her nose and we dashed onto the field to come to the aid of our injured child. We moved he to the bench and saw a little gash on the bridge of her nose and blood was flowing like a water fall from her nostrils. We left our son and dog with parents of the team and rushed her to the emergency room that wa but 4 minutes from the ballpark.

Once inside, she was inspected by the on-call doctor and had a session of x-rays done that showed a small chip had broken off. Nothing more needed to be done with that so it was a matter of a couple of stitches and we were on our way back to the field in under an hour. The doctor said she was lucky that it bled like it did because losing all that blood would keep her eyes from swelling a lot. She didn’t play anymore that day but the girls picked her up by winning that game and tying one later to earn the 2nd seed on Sunday.

Sunday morning came and she was ready to play. No real swelling and both eyes were clear so she wanted to play. The team went 3-0 to win the championship and she played with no ill effects from her injury. The first play she got was a pop-up the she moved under and caught without any issue. Once she got by that we felt a lot better and knew she’d be fine. She even ran into a player knowing that it was interference play and knowing she’d get an extra base. It was a heads-up play made by a gamer.

On the way home from the tourney our van broke down and we had to have it towed. It was a great weekend for all of us.