Wasted Spirit

Yesterday I wrote a blog while I was angry and that was a mistake.

I was angry for a lot of reason - The Mets collapse, my job status, my condo, softball blah, blah.

There is no excuse. I was too harsh and I apologize.

What's done is done, as most lessons are learned the hard way so nothing to do now but move on and Top Ten

Top Ten Reasons You Shouldn't Blog when your mad

10. You say things you really mean, but they don't come out right and you look bad, even though your are 100% right. Sometimes you just got to take the higher road and stay quiet.
9. In the short term you feel better, but in the long term you feel worse .
8. Mad blogs SUCK!!!!!! Most non-mad blogs suck but blogs written when you are upset are generally worse.
7. There not funny. Blogging and softball should be fun, not angry and bitter.
6. Angry Softball Blogs are not witty and insightful. They are childish and goonish. Good writing Provokes Thought and Inspire People.
5. Mad blogs lead to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to pain, pain leads to suffering. Something Yoda said in Star Wars - nerdy but cool
4. Their Ugly!!!!!
3. They are bad for Citysoftball business
2. Angry Blogs are Wasted Spirit - nothing worse in life than wasted spirit

and the #1 Reasons You Shouldn't Blog when your mad

1.Angry blogs don't make you a better player. It doesn't help you hit, field, throw, score runs, or win games. That's why we play softball!!!!! All the other stuff is bullshit

Inwood Fall League Sexy and 17 POWER RANKINGS

My blogs usually end up with a Top Ten , but tonight I just got home from a pathetic Met 13-4 LOSS and I'm feeling like a want to write something extra to unleash some of the pain and cold loneliness that comes with your team slowly blowing away a big lead in their division.

There are 17 Teams in the Inwood Fall League this season so why not A Top 17 Power Ranking.

Inwood Top 17 Power Ranking

17. Legends - Great Guys but have gone multiple seasons without a win. Di dmake playoffs once.
16. Panthers - Dave and his crew are off to a slow start. What do you expect with Inwood legend Youseff on the disabled list. We miss you bro
15. Keenans - so far going to the bar is more fun than going to their games. But this is softball ans anything can happen and a win over Tread Bike shop this week might be what they need
14. Gator Club - great enthusiasm. Hey give these guys credit they are the first team consisting of players that live below 96th street to join our league
13. Bronx Tianos - at some point they have to play the Chelsea Tianos for exclusive naming and licensing privileges.
12. Cajita - Georgie's crew has potential now if they could only wake up on time for the 9am games.
11. Twins - lots of enthusiasm. Was that a Weechie sighting last week?
10. Tiainos - good young ball club with talent that will make noise in the playoffs, but didn't take enough players from 06' champ Knockout to contend quite yet
9. Tread Bike Shop? Who ae these guys? Is this West? Is this Knockout? They don't even know what to chant in the huddle. A lot of toys for John Albert to play with, but will he pick XBOX or will be pick Coleco vision from under the softball X-Mas Tree.
8. Dominican Power - a fucking disorganized mess and a headache. They can hit, and are very loose when the play. Big Upset of perennial Iwood powerhouse Highlanders gives them credibility.
7. Tigers - good team that just picked up ex-Knockout LCF Richie. Mega Hick Stud Roberto is dying to hit a homer on field 3.
6. Bizcocheros - came strong last week to split with the muscle bound Bonao Stars.
5. Bonao Stars - so far the class of the Dominican teams in the league. League will enforce HGH testing on half their roster though. Man these guys are big.
4. Hawksquad - gotta give these guys credit. They almost did not have a team b/c their ace pitcher was banned from the league. Instead of folding they regrouped and came out and flat out whipped Tread Bike Shop last week.
3. Phillies - Bronx Powerhouse got swept and upset by the Criminals last week
2. Highlanders - 5-1 and Dio Jackson hasn't even been there. Impressive. Speaking of Dio he doesn't read my Top Ten's anymore. Smart man.
1. Criminals - last year in the semi's, can the finals be a possibility in 07'? With roster bigger and tougher than the Iraqi army anything is possible!!!!

HOLLER!!!!!!!

Where is the Captain?

Has anyone seen the guy in the middle?

He's Johnny Castillo? The Captain of Knockout.

One of the Greatest and most talented players in all of softball.

But he hasn't been seen in Inwood all season.

Their are many theories as to where he is, but no one really knows.

Here are some rumors floating around.

Top Ten Reasons as to why Castillo has not shown up in Inwood yet in 2007

10. Lives in Brooklyn and plays co-ed with his girlfriend Palma (see below) - Inwood is too far

















9. Unhappy about the merger with West and that captain C wasn't put on his Jersey
8. Classic Castillo Holdout Strategy - They only miss me when I'm gone
7. Enrolled in Witness Protection Program after losing semi-finals in big apple league - Rosenfishy wants him wacked
6. Retired from softball and now is struggling young artist in Brooklyn painting a Dominican version of the Mona Lisa he hopes to sell to Malecon Restaurant
5. Enrolled in Sunday ESL classes - Beisbol has been berry berry good to me
4. Goes to pickup in Central Park instead so he can torture Jimmy Bitros and his misfit band of insane asylum locos
3. Work on the NFL sidelines as a spy for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
2. Mad at Rick for making fun of him in 2 summer softball blogs

and the #1 Reason why Castillo has not shown up in Inwood yet in 2007

1. No reason necessary. Castillo is just Castillo. but no matter of you love or hate him Inwood is not the same without him.

FURIO

Furio was Tony Sopranos leg breaking money collecting muscle on the Sopranos ( See picture ).

In Inwood I'm Blonde's version of Furio.

I go around collecting league fees from customers.

I can be frequently quoted as saying "I want my fucking $$$"

Over the years I have encountered many delinquent accounts.

Here is my list of people who might end up swimming with the Softball fishes.


Top Ten Worse/Slow League Fee payers in Inwood

10. Dio Jackson - Highlanders, Dio is actually a good payer and a cornerstone franchise in the league. He only makes this list b/c he once handed me a 3rd party check from the EMS softball league that I could not cash until November 18 - after the season. Horrible.
9. Hawksquad - when I ask them for money they look at me like I'm a urologist about to stick mu finger up their ass.
8. Bonao Stars - New team. Loco style. Constant double talk. Can't believe a word they say
7. Bobby the ump from Fat Freddy's league in the Bronx - never had a team but back in 01' we had a tournament and he stiffed us $250. We only recovered half and he has been banned from Inwood ever since.
6. Choco - Reds/Canons. When confronted with late dues told me that he knew the law.
"If he couldn't get evicted from his apartment for 90 days then I couldn't throw him out of the league for 90 days."
5. Eddy from the Dirty Dozen - so freaking cheap. Cheapest owner ever in the league. Collecting from him was like getting a root canal from the dentist without Novocaine.
4. Bruckner Bulldogs - paid me $100 in singles in week 7 one year only after they made the playoffs. Ghetto
3. Knockout - hey that was my team?!?!? Collecting league fees. shirt, and ump money from these knuckleheads was like asking a fine girl to pick me up, pay for dinner, pay for the club, pay for drinks, and then later on that night to swallow. Not going to happen
2. Marquel - Dominican Power - Horrible. Beyond loco style. Has made me wait longer than anyone else. To be fair he has improved lately. Does get league respect for showing up to complete a suspended playoff game even though he trailed by an 8-0 score in the 6th.

and by far the #1 Worse/Slow League Fee payers in Inwood

1. Mitch from Chaos - team thankfully now defunct. Had teh nerve to say that I expolit his team. You name it this guy has done it.
Bounced checks.
Paid late.
Excuses.
Lies
Said he would meet me and then stood me up.
Made me delay/stop games to make him pay.
Constant phone calls.
I had to take timeout of my life on Friday nights to meet up with him in local bars to collect.
The irony is that he is a collection agent in real life.
I'm so happy he no longer has ateam in the league

An Unlikely Road to the Championship

They had to forfeit the last week of the regular season b/c they didn't have enough guys.

They were a 5 seed.

There record was only 14-12.

During the playoffs they had guys missing due to other championships.

During the playoffs they had guys leave during games to go to work.

They lost the 1st game in every series only to win the nest two.

They had heart, experience, and despite to go along with talent.

A true champion.

They beat a valiant Diesel squad in round one in game three in extra innings.

They dealt with the Rosenfishy 3PM start controversy by going out and beating John Brown not once, but twice, and sent the evil empire Choice Parts home for the playoffs.

Inexplicably they got shutout in 9 innings in game one of the championship against Contact starter Matty. A pitcher that had no business shutting them down.

In game two, down 6-1 late in game three against the Borg, I mean Contact, they did indeed show that Resistance is not Futile, and rallied to win. A George Colon homer off of Fishman is still going. They never quit.

In game three, West built a 4-0 lead and softball warrior Murphy gave up only one cheap run forced by a dirty hands up slide by Mike Trenk. Softball gods got back at goonish contact by having having a bad runners interference call go against them. Contact, a truly great champion and dynasty, finally had calls go against them and started playing poorly by make bad decision on the bases and throwing the ball around. All good things must come to an end. At least in 07' anyway.

First year in the league and West is already a legend.

Having lost many a close one to them in Inwood.
I already knew that.
It took a merger of two really strong teams in Inwood to finally upset them in 2005.

Congrats to Billy Martin clone manager of the year John "Magneto" Sheppard and their hard nosed talent & resilient crew.

Well done.