Rest In Peace, Post Entitled Rest In Peace, Manute Bol (And Other Ephemera You Probably Don't Care About)

In 2010, I noted the passing of Manute Bol. I published a post about his death, and I said some nice things about him. For some reason, that post keeps getting boatloads of hits every day. I'm not sure why. I'd like to think it's because the people clicking onto it enjoy reading about Manute Bol (nice person that he was) but the number of hits it gets, and the short duration of stay for most, leads me to believe that there is something else happening. I haven't the slightest idea what that something else could be, though.

In any case, I have decided to pull the post. Anyone who needed to be made aware of Mr. Bol's passing has certainly found out about it by this late date and, while I don't like to delete stuff, especially a tribute to someone I admired, if I can't figure out why it gets hundreds of page views a day, then maybe I don't want to be party to whatever in hell is going on. So, the post is now gone.

 (If somebody is really interested in seeing it, feel free to e-mail me. I'll send a copy.)

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 Next on today's list of things nobody asked me about, the M Street Softball League begins its 43rd season of play on Monday. My new team, Quencher Tavern, plays in the opener. It's a step up in class for me. Quencher played in the "A" division last year. My previous squad, which I managed and played for the past two seasons, was a "C" team. In baseball terms, it's like going from a double-A minor league team to the majors. I've played on "A" squads before, but I was younger then. Come Monday, we'll begin to see if my 55-year-old ass is up to the task. The mitigating factor is that I'm going to be the backup catcher on this squad, not the starter. And that's fine by me. The returning starter, Nate Spada, is a good one; a better hitter than I am at my advanced age, for sure. So, I'm more than happy to be Bob Montgomery to his Carlton Fisk.

 (My numbers for the past two seasons look good enough compared to his, but he was facing mostly top-flight pitching and, for the most part, I wasn't.)

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Meanwhile, The Bombers will not begin actual league play until May 20th. It's no fault of the guy who serves as our commissioner - he's a nice guy, does a good job, and has to deal with the restrictions placed upon him by the city of Boston and its parks department permits - but I think that start date sucks.

I would dearly love to see the league begin in April, and end later in September or October, getting at least four or five more doubleheaders in. I love getting out on Sunday mornings in the summer when much of the rest of the world is quiet and drowsy. I'm a Christian, but I feel no guilt about missing church on these Sundays. I really do thank God from deep in my heart when I'm on that field. It's much more of a real religious experience for me than if I were sitting inside somewhere and wishing in my heart of hearts that I was somewhere else, playing ball. Anyway, we at least have a pre-season scrimmage this Sunday, so I get a chance to knock some more rust off before the Monday evening opener at M Street. Here's hoping I don't cripple myself before either season truly begins.

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Finally, today I ate a Krispy Kreme donut that had a sardine, some tuna, hot sauce, an anchovy, and a hunk of salami on it as toppings.

Yes, I did. If any of you doubt the veracity of this claim, I will post video, on Monday, of me accomplishing that gustatory feat. All I'll say for now was that I did it of my own accord and it was delicious. Yup. It's not easy getting in shape for the season, but I'm giving it my best shot.

Soon, with more better stuff.

P.S. The new Blogger interface SUCKS. I've ended up posting this four times before it came out how I wanted it to look, approximately. SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS. Thanks for listening, and have a nice weekend!