Buy Me Some Peanuts...

The Indians will not play in the final. For the past 4 or 5 years, I have played for the Surrey Indians baseball team in the LMBA (Lower Mainland Baseball Association). This year I decided not to play in order to free up some weekends and have the opportunity to do some weekend/extended trips I couldn't do in past summers. On Sunday, two days ago, the Indians played the Maple Ridge Jerks in the semis.. Being played in Burnaby, I figured Biscotti and I could go out and take it in.

The Jerks used to be the dominant team in the league by a wide margin. Our games against them would be nothing more then practice for them, and embarrassing for us. That seems to have changed. Helped no doubt by a stronger Indians team than past years. There is an August long weekend tournament every season, and the three times I played in it we won a grand total of zero games. Each year every team gets a minimum of three games. The Indians, with me on the roster, never played more then three. In fact, one year we only played two. "You guys are so brutally bad that we are mercying you to Newton before the game even begins. You stink. Go home." "Hey man, you can call us bad ballplayers, but leave my B.O. out of this." In truth, weather was the cause of our lost game. Anyway, this year, the Indians happened to win the tournament. Super. I'd like to take sole credit for their win by saying I was responsible for removing the weakest link, but, from last year to this year, there were several roster changes besides me. Therefore, it wasn't merely my absence that sent them to the top of the podium, there were other factors involved. That's what I tell myself as I lay awake at night..

Sunday's game was close. There was no score for the first few innings. The Jerks got on the board first with a solo homerun, then went up a couple a couple of innings later. The Indians sure had their chances to tie. One inning, two men on and nobody out, and the inning ends with no runs scored. Shoot-oh. Final score was 5-3. Maybe 5-2. Just as well for them. Last year, when I told them I wouldn't be playing this year, they were warned that if they won it all this year, I would be so insulted that I would never play for them again. Now that I think about it, I suppose it's not just as well for them. It's just as well for me. I want to play next year. Nice try guys. You came very close but fell just short. Next year, I'm playing ball.