Sore, Tired and Happy

Summer softball league started this week and I didnt just make it on one team.....not two.....but three teams!!

My goodness I'm beat. Played 3 nights this week and sore is not a strong enough word. But it feels good.

I knew I was playing on Tuesday nights with a non corporate team that a couple of us put together. Its a pretty competative team and we are good. We are talking probably (hopefully) championship good. And my company team is Wednesday nights. I just got called this afternoon to play on another corporate team (Thursdays).

Good stuff and all three teams are good with decent players. That makes me happy 'cause I'm just a little competative. =)

I've also brought a pair of K2 Roller Blades and started doing that instead of walking. 3 months of walking has gotten B.O.R.I.N.G. I havent bladed in over 5 years but apparently its like riding a bike.

When Lauren was around 11 or 12 y/o her and a bunch of neighborhood kids would play roller hocky in the cul-de-sac EVERY afternoon. Another mom and I would play with them. Thats how I learned to skate and I was pretty good. But one of the things learning to skate by playing hockey does is make you dependant on the stick for balance. I have to skate with a hockey stick or I'm not comfortable. Needless to say, I brought a stick when I picked up my blades last week.
These are the K2 blades I got. Aren't they purdy?????

Saturday morning my boss and I met up O'effin bright and early (7:30AM!) and went for a nice 10 mile jaunt. First time out and nothing like going so far I want to puke by the time we were done. We had planned on skating the beach but made the mistake of meeting and parking on the WEST side of the Los Olas bridge. The beach is on the EAST side of said bridge. UGH!

Roller blades + not having skated in 5 years + big ass bridge = OMG, PLEASE DONT LET ME FALL AND BUST MY ASS IN FRONT OF A MILLION PEOPLE.

I did it. lol I was not falling no matter what. Falling hurts!

So thats what I'm doing 4 nights a week. And yes, I even do it on nights I play softball. I go every other night, so if a game falls on a skating night, so be it! I skate to Beach Place and back to my house x's 2 so thats 10 miles for sure. Or I just go from my house to the beach and north for a bit. Either way its good stuff! I missed roller blading and its a good workout! And I'm getting really good at going over the bridge!!

As of last Friday I'm down a total of 37lbs. I'm hoping another 2 - 3lbs when I weigh myself tomorrow. I slacked off for about two weeks right around the time Lauren was in town because I wasnt losing weight and got frustrated. So I decided to just take a break and believe it or not it worked. I actually lost a little weight the weeks I didnt do a whole lot. I still didnt eat that much, but I didn't excercise like I had been. I really think the walking is what was making a huge difference. Anyway, I'm back on track and blading my ass off!

Have a great weekend All!!!!

P.S. Gia and I met and had lunch yesterday down at the Beach!! Then we came back to the compound and she got to meet Jake and Remi!! We hung out by the pool for a bit chit-chatting while the boys swam. I then gave her directions to get to the highway and she was off to spend some time with her daughter and grandkids. It was so cool to hang with her. Love me some Gia!!!

You all know your welcome to stop by or message me if you're ever in Fort Lauderdale. We can meet up and have a bite or a drink and chat about everything! Thats what Gia and I did!!

Just call me Carlton Fisk

I was invited to play a softball game this past Saturday by an old friend that I used to play co-ed with on weeknights. He didnt give me much info, just that the the game was at 3:30pm. Little did I know it would be so much more.

I get there and he knows I just (last august) had my ACL Replacement Surgery and he says, "I have you catching so you dont have to pivot and hurt your knee". WTF???????????? Really?? Squatting is good for my knee? NOT. And I love catching without a mask. NOT. I dont want my teeth anymore. Nope, that or my nose. FUHK. But I want to play, so I politely thank him and I catch.


Now I'd also like to state I'm a flippen grandmother compared to everyone on this team. Well, maybe not that old but I could have been a majority of the players mother. 3 of the girls went to FAU and were only a couple of years ahead of Lauren when she was there...doing the math this makes them ohhhh 23 or 24 years old. Two of the guys were 19!!! Jesus what did I get myself into?? But Coach Dave has faith in me. Plus he was probably desperate and he knows I will sell my soul to play ball.

The game goes well, I went 3 for 4 hitting and handled the bullets that were thrown my way when the play was at the plate. After all I WAS a catcher in my day and I'm not afraid. Note: Not afraid is KEY behind the plate. Even when a 250lb moose is barreling down on you, starts his slide 10 feet from the plate and will destroy your new ACL if he has his way. The throw was late and I lifted my homeplate blocking left leg with its new ACL out of his way just in time. phew.

So the game ends and I go to thank Coach Dave for inviting me to play and he's all, "Noooooo, no, no, where are you going??? We have a minimum 3 games. This is a tournament". Shit. I didnt plan on staying for 6 hours. He didnt say anything about tournament!! Its now 5:15 and the dogs have to be fed and go out. "Ok Coach, let me make a phone call and get the boys taken care of and you got me". Secretly inside I'm doing the fistpump. Yeah!!! 2 more games!! Wet Dream!! I called my dad and he agreed to take care of the boys for me. The price...I have to vacuum the pool this weekend. DEAL!!

So we played another game immediately after the first and I caught again. Now I can honestly say, I'm quite pleased with my knee at this point. Its holding up reaaaaaaaal well with no pain, no stiffness and no swelling at all. My thighs arent screaming which is amazing considering I havent caught in 20 years. I just stopped catching once I left college because my knees just didnt like it anymore and in these leagues, there are no facemasks. It makes you a little gun shy after having all that equipement protecting you for years and years to all of a sudden not have it. And like I mentioned before, I like my teeth.

So since I cant make this long story short anymore, we played the third game and I catch a third game. We had an hour break in between the 2nd game and this one. Oooooooooooof. Ok. Now I'm starting to feel the burn when I go to warm up again. With every warm up throw my shoulder is like, WTF Girl?? My thighs burn as I squat the first couple of times. Yup, I knew I would pay the price dearly for this in a couple of days. But the game must go on, screaming thighs and all. I'm still hitting well and had a good pop up catch behind the plate. In fact is was one of my best pop up catch's ever.

The thing is with that catch, all the old habits came rushing back....from 22 years ago. Pitch comes in, I watch the swing and the ball is popped up and back, I see it going behind the plate, I'm up (not nearly as fast as when I was younger), flipping my hat off (woulda been the mask had I had one), Umpire is in my way, I get around him and find the ball in the air, its coming down near the opposite side of the backstop from where I'm at. I think I can get it and in a split second my brain says, "You got this if you dive". I dont think I thought about it even that long. I took two giant digging steps and I launch. I layed out people, full airborne, both arms out and prolly 3 feet above the ground. I see the ball as it falls into the glove and bam! I hit the ground so flippen hard, fully outstretched that it literally knocked ALL the air out of me. I mean ALL the air.

I layed there for a second and willed myself to take a breath. OMG, my boobs hurt. Are my ribs broke?? My knee! I move it, its ok. =)

Third out baby!

Within seconds the ump is asking if I'm allright and if he can have my autograph lol. He's telling me its the best play he's seen all day. I am ok, I slowly get up, get my hat and I'm immediately surrounded by the guys from my team, the guys from the OTHER team and they were all givin me kudos and slappin my back. Along with asking if I was allright. The fans on both sides were cheering. I heard a lot of "Holy Shits!" It felt good. It must have looked good. lol

Bet this is what I looked like...NOT. I was more horizontal to the ground lol.

It actually makes me sad that in all the years I played ball, I cant find one pic of me playing. I dont think any were taken. =( So I give you my protoge...Bet I look just like this at bat..


Coach Dave actually posted on my FaceBook wall twice about that catch the next day...
I had said something to a friend about "having one good pop up catch". His response:

David Anthony
One good catch, that is an understatement. It was a full airborne extension to make the catch. The fans were cheering the play. Both teams ran to her to give her props. Some said they have never seen a Catcher lay out like that to make a grab. Awesome Catch!!!!
Yesterday at 10:52am

And then he posted this on my wall for the world to see:

David Anthony
Thanks for coming out to play. Great catch with a full extension. Wow, that was the ESPN #1 play of the day!!!! Even the opposing team ran up to you to give you props : )
Yesterday at 10:46am

It did feel good. Made the pain today worth it.

I had my regular Co-ed team game tonight (Monday) and when I was walking to the concession stand I heard, "There goes the Carlton Fisk of slow pitch softball." It didnt sink in right away and then it hit me they were talking about me. lol I swung my head around and it was a couple of guys I played against in that game. They smiled and gave me the thumbs up. On my way back one of the guys got my number and asked if I could pick up some games for him if any of his girls couldnt make a game. I said sure, anytime.

I am a softball whore. I admit it. I still love to play.

(BTW - My thighs hurt so bad today that I groaned outloud every time I sat down AND got up. So worth it though.)

Oh I lost 6lbs last week for the Rock Your Body Contest at work. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Only 7 more weeks to go!

Ahhhhhh, Softball

I'm so psyched! Softball tonight and its a doubleheaderrrrrrrrrrrrr! I've missed it so bad this past month and a half. The last season ended about 2 weeks before I broke my ankle on June 1st. I have a spiffy new brace to wear so I dont break the ankle (again). I'm not sure how well I'm gonna do since I haven't played in over a month. We'll see. I get a few beers in me and shit, I can play like Stacey Neuvman. =) (at least in my own mind).

And I got this pretty new bat to try out!! 34"/24oz
SCHWEEEEEEEEET!!!!



UPDATE: It felt sooooooo good to play. Its totally what I needed. Got my mojo back!! I cranked the ball tonight! love, love, love my new bat. I played first and was good to go. Ankle wasnt too bad. Felt a little tweeked by the end of the second game, but it looks good. Not swollen or anything. The new brace I got is amazing. I look like the bionic woman between the Unloader Knee brace and ankle brace but thats cool! First game was against a new team and I burned them twice with shots up the middle before they smartened up. =) Suckas!!!