Sports

Saturday my Men's Nationals team (The Big Table) competed in the New England Regional B tournament.  We came out of pool play tied for 2nd and then made it to the finals!  We lost to a team that is playing BB, so technically, we are the best B team in New England!  That means we get $250 for beer money :)  I was hitting really well all day.  A guy from the winning team even said I was our best hitter and they had to adjust around me.

Sunday I played in a reverse co-ed (women's net) tournament for the RCO B- Champs.  We went 7-1 in pool play to clinch 1st place.  We lost the first game of the semis from being cold and sitting too long.  We made some adjustments and I turned on some defense and hitting, and we won the semis and then won the finals!  We got some nice sweatshirt hoodies.  I have not won a tournament in so long, it felt good!

Well, I got one pair of tickets this year! Michigan was too full for my low donation level, boo

Gate B
SEU
Row 80
Seat 27 & 29
$61.00 each

While playing grass doubles volleyball, my foot slipped-out from underneath me. I let it rest, then it happened again. There is pain behind the heel and in front of the achilles tendon. I went to the doctor with an article in my hand, describing a possible diagnosis; it is right-on. Now I need X-rays and a MRI to confirm the real issue. The bone is the Posterior talar process (lateral tubercle).

Foot Fractures Frequently Misdiagnosed as Ankle Sprains

As it turns-out, I only have a muscle/tendon strain and maybe a slightly bruised bone.  Nothing to worry about.  I just need to rest and take anti-inflammatory drugs.  Ice now and then.

My volleyball rating has just been re-rated from C+ to B-.  This is because I have been improving all-around and entered good teams in Men's B- tournaments and played very well at a Coed/Reverse C+ tournament.  I am happy about all my work to get here.  I hope I can justify it when I play next

I play in the Yankee Men's B- tournament at Bryant University. I still need a middle and Libero!

The Red Sox did it, AGAIN! World Champions!

This weekend was a long one. Saturday night I had to multiplex between the Penn State/Ohio State and Game 3 of the World Series. I took a nap (longer than anticipated) while having both games recorded on my DVR. I sped through the first part of the Sox game before leaving to get my pizza, wings, and beer. Luckily, they were up 5-0 by the time I left! After returning home with food and beverage, I put the Sox game on Gamecast on the laptop while diligently watching all of the Penn State game (the more important one for me). They looked terrible, definitely not giving Ohio State a challenge. I was very disappointed in the team I follow so closely and dump money into. After the final second elapsed, I turned back to the Sox game. It got really close for a little bit (6-5) but then the offense made a couple-a-few insurance runs! At least the Sox won, even though the Nittany Lions struggled.

Sunday was another big day for New England sports teams! The Patriots played the Redskins at 4:15. Corey and I went to The Fours by North Station, ate, and drank a couple beers. This game was a joke. The Redskins had nothing. The final was 52-7, I mean, come on. The NFL has a salary cap, right? Teams should be on a level playing field and all games should be competitive, right??? We got so tired because this was a boring game that Corey did not want to wait around 2 hours for the Sox game at 8:30 (he is more into NFL than MLB).

So, I met Angela in Porter Square at Spirit, which was packed and had nowhere to sit. We went to Newtowne Grille, a really local place with interesting ambiance! We got a refreshing bucket of Miller Lite bottles to fit in with the local crowd. People were playing Keno all around us. One professional guy had a wad of bills and pulled-down $600 and $500 wins within a half-hour of each other. He was serious! Game 4 was intense, Lester pitched a beauty.  Some great offensive and defensive plays by the Sox helped them to squeeze it out.  Papelbon came through in the end to finish them off (of course there had to be a dramatic fly out against the wall by Ellsbury)!  The bar manager opened some champagne and passed it around.  Such an anti-climatic win it seemed.  Porter Square was not nearly as bustling as Fenway Park, where 40 people were arrested!

OK, I am no football genius but why did the offense not spread out their fast receivers and test the Michigan defense?  Why not run some timing patterns to get some medium-range completions and move the chains?  Why couldn't our stellar defense stop Mike Hart?  It was disappointing to lose to Michigan the 9th time in a row.  With that performance, I highly doubt we are capable of a BCS bowl since we play Ohio State and Wisconsin this year.  At least they will be at home.

Last night, Corey and I went to the Patriots opening game against the Chargers.  After 2 1/2 hours of traffic, we met Chris and proceeded to pound 13 beers in 1 1/2 hours and eat 1 1/2 chicken sandwiches!  We went to the Will Call window to pick up our tickets then headed to our seats.  They are good seats in section 216, in Gillette Stadium's southeast corner.  With all of the Belichick videotaping controversy, I was excited to see how they would do, especially since the playoff game last year was so close.

The Pats absolutely dominated the Chargers.  Without a doubt, the new Patriots' offensive weapons are a force to be reckoned with!  Moss looks great, Brady has tons of time, and the defense completely stopped Tomlinson to under 50 yards!