For those of you who do not read all the stuff that is written in the comments section of our blogs this is for you...
First, let me clarify; I said I am the 2nd fastest guy on the team next to Richiro! Secondly, Allie T. was unavailable for comment and I was disappointed he didn't come out with the guys last night! Hope everything was alright.
Matt Summa is a great guy, but he speaks in hopeful terms; I am stepping down for real!!!! I really enjoyed playing with and watching all you long-time friends interact together during and after games! May I say to Joey that I appreciate you thinking about me whenever you were putting the team together for another season. It is truly touching that you would always remember "the old man" after all these years.
Including this season, I have played softball on Friday nights in New Ro since 1978!!!! Most of you guys weren't even born! Sgobbo, you were already playing t-ball in 1978, right? I also got to meet and enjoy seeing all the women coming out to support their men!! Quite nice, all of them. And of course, I can't forget Anna & Danny Summa missing that one, most important game against the Hospital team that we needed to win for the division title. Never forget that plus the "Friday Night Pants", which presently are torn and tattered in a garbage pail along the 1st base line @ D'Nof.
Retirement is such an ugly word and one can never really enter this stage without taking a step back and making an unemotional decision, but I feel Foster needs to reposition a much younger left fielder on every pitch!! Someone who will catch those dunkers over 3rd base, right Georgey Wood? Someone who can easily score from 2nd on a base hit to center, right RichK?
But alas (did I just use the word alas in a sentence?), I don't throw out the retirement choice so people can say, "Oh Artie, don't retire! We want you back, puuuleeeeeeez!" No, I've thought about this all year and am 99% sure (hear that Clemens) that I am done.
I've played in heartbreaking losses, euphoric victories, made plenty of diving catches, plenty of errors, thrown out armies of runners on the base paths, thrown many balls over the backstop, I've hit tons of home runs (yeah, that's right! I had power when I was younger. You wanna challenge me?), doubles, triples and my share of game winning hits and my share of pop-outs, foul outs, ground outs and even a few strike- outs!!! It's been a great run on Friday nights, that has encompassed about 10 different teams and countless games and teammates. I've always loved coming to the field and I still get excited on game day. I will continue to play over-40 ball, which I feel is the only place for me now.
Foresters was fun to play for, but the smokey environment kept me away on more than a few occasions. Next season, for sure, change over to B & B's!! Much nicer place and they may buy back once in awhile!!
Allie G., you are the best blogger there is! So unique and creative. You should really be a teacher & I was only kidding about being tired of seeing so many Richiro pix!!! They truly entertained and were a revealing source of the true Rich T.
I will miss;
Frankie's sweet lefty stroke (boy, did we miss his bat in the playoff game!!),
hearing Joey say, "Hey Skip, give us a duck fart",
#13 Dave saying all kinds of positive things even though we were having a shitty game,
Mike Sgobbo's gay batting stance but clutch hits,
Foster making all those diving catches even though he hadn't emptied his colon,
the look on the shortstop's face after fielding the ball and looking up to see Richiro three steps from first,
Matt being my only Yankee supporter and his ugly red, pinstriped pants,
Georgey Wood never waiting for the outfielders to get set before pitching the ball (it's all good, #1)
and of course,
I'll always reflect on all of Allie's pre-game, motivational speeches!!!! Priceless!!!!
Best of luck to the two of you and have a wonderful day, Rachel & Joey! God Bless you both!!
4 comments:
Artie, I have known you for over 15 years and played ball with you since I was 16, and you have always played with your heart. If you are realy retiring now, it was great to play ball with you all these years. The team will miss you on and off the field. We do hope you'll come down to the field and watch us and maybe we can even get you to come back to the bar for a few drinks or a beerpong game. Artie, I am still going to give you that call mid winter to see if we can sign you up for 1 more season.
We'll miss you Artie!!!
Artie, It was truly a pleasure to have played with you! I wish you much success in the over 40 league, and hope to see you at the field on Friday Nights.
Skip, it was indeed a pleasure meeting you and playing on the same team. I always look up to fire fighters so you get much respect from me!!!! I will probably automatically go to CIty Park or D'nofrio Field next summer on Friday nights out of habit. If I make it to some games, I wanna see you hit one that can't be classified as a duck fart!!! Would love to watch you get a double or homer (triples are for fast guys like Richiro or Joey or Foster!). Anyway, thanks for the response. Allie T., if you're out there, my email is anyrfan@aol.com, so I expect notification once you Tarantino brothers restructure the blog!! Richiro said you may be re-doing the site.
And, Joey, it sucks that we can't get a team into the Foresters own tournament!! What a sham! I may be recruited by West End Originals for the tournament. I play with four of those guys on my over-40 team so it's a natural fit, even on Friday nights??????? Matt Summa, what's your email address??
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