Softball (30MAR06)

It seems winter isn't quite ready to leave us for good which made last night a good night to mercy rule the opponets so we could get out of there quicker. The first was a against the USS Ft. McHenry (LSD 43), a team tht lost many key players form last season and ended up filling them with young guys right out of boot camp. An accumulation of 2 and 3 run innings put us ahead by 10 by the time the 5th inning came around and that was enough for the mercy rule to take effect. One down. The next game was against the much improved Security team. Their bats took with the weather as they couldn't do much but go down 1-2-3 for the first three innings. We continued where we left off jumping out to a 8-0 lead in the first. After a 30 minute injury timeout for a friend of mine (torn ligaments in his knee) the game continued, but only for another inning and a half as we amassed enough to end this game early as well.


Season Record 6-1.

Exciting Softball Action

And just like that softball is back on. We've aready had 5 games before I can find time to write about them. The somewhat all-star team lost a few key players from last year and asked if i could play for them this year. Not having another team to go to I quickly said yes.

The rust was still on from the winter obviously as we couldnt get the bats going in the first game. In one of the lower scoring games I've seen this team play, we dropped the first game and blew the perfect season. Two days later we bounced back and after a very productive practice we lit up the score board in every inning and won the double header by a fairly good margin.

Monday night was our next double header and I almost wasnt able to show up due to the vet being in this week. However by the time I showed up, we were trailing and about the fourth inning I got subbed in and I'm not saying I was the reason but, we came alive and took the lead and managed some insurance runs along the way against a very fundamentally sound Japanese fire department team. The next game we stayed alive and mercy ruled the Seabees (the team I played for last season).

The new guys are getting comfortable in the positions that needed to be filled and the team is already coming together, so let's keep our fingers crossed for a productive season.

Remember MacGyver?

Since television is rarely good over here during the time I get to watch it, complete seasons on DVD are a good buy whenever you get a chance to buy them. To my suprise I was walking through the store the other day and I saw the first season of Macgyver just begging me to take it home. So now every down minute I get (after work, softball and the gym) I can sit down and enjoy one of my favorite shows I watched with my brothers growing up. The funny thing is I actually remember bits and pieces of some of the episodes. The only down side is I can't get that theme song out of my head!!

Why is it Snowing in March?

Snow


It's cold today the temperature dips
Old man winter gives a chuckle
Hugging his hips.
The cars are mad, the drivers sad
The roads go to sleep
Leaving some to weep,
Give me sun they say, give me rain
But don't send another inch of snow again.
The byways crumble with abandoned cars
While guys trade winter tales in crowded bars;
Snow is nice as the flakes rain down
But once it's here it makes us moan,
Ain't complaining, not fussin at all
Just a little sore from yesterday's fall;
Give me sun they say, give me rain
But don't send another inch of snow again.

Euriel C. Simpson





Mr. Simpson wraps up my sentiments very nicely. I usually don't see snow past my birthday as I am already for spring to begin. After having one of the nicer Friday-Saturday combos I look out the clinic window this morning and see flurries effortlessly floating from the sky. Just great. Where was this two months ago?? And to top it all off after the sun went down the wind picked up and the rain got involved giving us one of the more harsh winter storms of the year. But in March? I know we come in like a lion but we are almost midway here shouldn't it be turning into a lamb?

Friendship Softball

The US Forces and the Japanese officials are always putting things together to bring the two countries closer together whether it be BBQ's or sports tournaments. Yesterday the new softball team I am a part of got asked to take part in the first ever semiannual softball tournament. Two Japanese local teams, our team, and a team made up of the naval officers on base competed. Our first game we won 3-2, in what was a suprsingly low score. It's been about 4 months since anyof us have played so this was probably knocking the rust off. The second game was more for play than the score getting kids from both sides involved. After that game we played again and this time hit a little better and won by 6. We took the trophy of the tournament but the mayor of Sasebo (through a translator) promised they would get it next time and then tried to coax some of our players to play for his team!

*side note* my camera's shutter for the picture above didnt open all the way but there was enough to be able to see all they players of the tournament.

Soldier of the Quarter

Competition boards are something soldiers go to to compete against others in the army on their level of knowledge on army subjects. This was something I got into at Walter Reed and the oppurtunity came to go to one here in Japan.

Headquarters is up in Camp Zama by Tokyo so I got to go up there for a couple of days. The board was Wednesday morning and I got up there Tuesday afternoon. It was weird being on an army base again, seeing more cammys and soldiers than utilities and sailors. Since it's such a small unit I was the only one going for the title. Even though there was no competition I still needed to get a certain number of questions right to win **FLASHBACK** The first board I ever went to I was the only one going for it as well. I didnt answer the required 80% right, so even though I was the only one I didnt win ** Everything went well and I answered alot more than the required number and won the board. With that I get a slot to compete for Soldier of the Year for the Japan District Vet Command in September. I'll need to study a little bit more for that but I think I'll be ready, but for now I'll just enjoy the win.......