chatter from the Library Monkey

I was riding my bike over the weekend and there was a hat in the road. I like finding things. I washed it and am letting it dry.

I’ve decided to take the summer off and work on a novel. Of course that means I have to think up a novel to write. I also plan on taking a road trip to El Paso to help a friend move…and lots of road trips to buff of low.

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Detroit Tigers, buff of low, road trip, hat

May 28, 2006 I did the manly chores yesterday: mowed the grass, fixed the toliet and replaced the brake light on my truck. This is where I need a companion to admire my job. AND to say, "Okay, you unpluged a burnt out light and replaced it. It's hardly the the Mona Lisa."

Looks like it will finally be sunny today, I will go for a bike ride. I am temped to put on the water heater.

====== May 27, 2006
The unscheduled weekend.

It is so nice to do nothing, or little that takes forever. I finally fixed the toliet at my house in SL. I mowed the pasture — well the mini pasture. I have a postage stamp yard, about 50 feet by 25 feet. It was about 10 inches tall.

So the toliet and the yard has take a bit, I woke up at 7:36 a.m.; ate pizza for breakfast; went to the post office (twice); and to the library (to check my e-mail). Around noon I started to fix the toliet and then mowed the yard twice. It's is 4:16 p.m.

It was suppose to be sunny, but I was not so lucky. I am ready for a nap. The locally programmed radio station keeps predicting the sunny weather, but we have not seen that.

The school year seems to not be over for me, though it is pretty close to the end. I guess it is fourteen days.

Momma Mia, what a great end. Momma Mia is what I called the Girls Modified game against the moms and PTSO. I guess I was a little surprised at how the moms played. I had expected better, not that they played bad. The score was 12-2 victory for the girls, but I had expected the score to be reversed. The good news is the moms were okay with their daughters doing well. Not embarrased or wanting revenge, but happy that their daughters were better than they are, and I think they hope that ability growsTechnorati Tags: blog, family, librarian, small school, softball

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we lost 23-10 and it would have been much worse if there wasn't the 5-run rule. The rule says you can't get any more than x amount of runs in an inning, but allows for unlimited scoring in the last inning. Most games the other coach and I agree on five runs. In Monday's game the other team got five the run limit in each of the first three innings.

I had told all the pitchers that at the end of the year they would get a shot at a full game. Monday's picture didn't make it all the way and the pitcher who was suppose to pitch in Friday's game came on. The second picture did well in one inning, but not so good in the others. The real reason we lost is none of our hitters were hitting.

Tonight was different.

We win tonight 9-6. Though the score seemed close, there wasn't much doubt. It was kind of key when the girl — who had not pitched for us before — shut them down 1, 2, 3. We followed with the five run limit in our half of the fifth.

I think the other coach had to wonder where we came from to be such a night and day kind of team from the game the night before. Like I suspect he thought that I might not be playing the same kids from the night before. I think I started the game with a stronger line-up, but ultimately everyone played, except for two girls out with injuries and sickness. Those two were better players, so it isn't like that helped ups.

as in:

POSITIVE SUBTRACTION
The art of improving a team by trading or releasing a poor player. The term was coined by baseball executive Branch Rickey.

Got that from: http://turntwo.mlblogs.com/.

I think the key was the hitting. They had good pitching, but weak fielding — something we didn't exploit on Monday. After our first inning, there was no doubt what we could do to their pitching and fielding. It's interesting to see that players can control a game emotionally — even if the girls are ages 12-14. Once they realize they could win, they played like they could win.

For us, it was a good way to end the season. For them, it was a cold long night.

Now if the Tigers can come back and beat Kansas City, my night will be complete!

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Not the last week after all. We have two more games added to our schedule plus Momma Mia.

Momma Mia is a game that I am organizing with the PTSO and all the mothers of the team for next week. This will be a game where the girls take on their mothers. It will be the last game of the season, because it has to be. Once we play a non-modified team we can't play anyone else. Actually the rule is more, 'until the season is over you can only play…' Regardless, I want it to be the end.

I am ready for the end.

It seems if it isn't one thing, it is another.

Sometimes it is the obvious that you never expected. Like the girl who has played 90 percent of the innings, yet has no problem mocking the coach. We had a break in the game yesterday when there was thunder.

Thunder= 30 minute break
Lightning=game over

First the girl didn't go with the team to the gym to where we played a couple games. But second… when we came back on the field — in ear-shot she says: "did he give you a little pep talk." As if she was getting out of that by not hanging with the team.

Also, two girls quit this week, though they didn't tell me about it. Two girls that have quit the team too many times already so they shouldn't be on the team. It's those people you give chance for that aren't respectful enough to let you know they are gone.

We have won three games this week, last night we kind of stole the victory. We had the lead after the last full inning, but had lost it in the top half of the next inning. Then there was lightning.

I think we might have won anyways, but who can predict what might have been, we only know what is….

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girls, small school, softball