All in Baseball and Other Sports

Yes, I'm alive.

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, Friends and Outings, Kayaking

Yes, I'm alive. And now, because of my delay, I know have lots of stuff to post.

First off, some current notes:

1) The sneakers I bought in Tampa are amazingly comfortable. They're bouncy and nicely snug and very quiet, too. Its such a pleasure to walk in them. They're New Balance I think.

2) The GM finished its season with a win, finally. We won 16-6 tonight, making our final record 7-5. We could have done better, but obviously, this is a big improvement from 2-10.

3) I went to the Fordham Young Alumni Happy Hour tonight, which was highlighted by the exposure of huge fake boobs. Some trashy blonde chick just decided to kneel up on the bar and flash everyone, prompting chants of "one more time" from the whole bar when she left. She did not comply however. Do you think people like that realize how little they've made of themselves at some point, or do they just continue bottom dwelling?

Anyway, let's recap on what I need to post about. First off, last Thursday, Brian and I had dinner at Ben Benson's. The feeling about the food was that the appetizer and the desert were excellent, while the steak was above the bar, but not great. If we could have combined the tail ends of the meal with a Del Frisco's steak (and waitress), it would have been perfect. Peter Lugars is kind of a different animal, so that's not really comparable.

We've been making a semi-tradition out of these steak meals, and we agreed to make it more of a regular thing. We should probably make it quarterly or something. $400 of steak a year with Brian is definately worth it. One thing we talked about extensively was the sense that, at this point in our lives, things, specifically people, were coming up short in our view. Its kind of a difficult time, I think, to be 25. There's a book on the "Quarter Life Crisis" out there that focuses more on people who took directionless jobs or jobs for the wrong reasons and now they're realizing the life they created for themselves sucks. I don't think that's really the case with us... I think we're as close to the path we want to be on as we can, but to some extent, that's part of the problem. I think our good fortune to this point has, to some extent, let our expectations get ahead of us. Things that are probably non-issues to other people are now splinters in the back of our minds--other people that can't seem to figure themselves out or who get caught up in the small things become really frustrating, and no longer challenging. We also acknowledged that we need to be better at making time to see each other, too, because its too easy to get caught up in responsibilities. The one thing I do like, though, is that its never taken personally... that there's always this mutual underlying understanding that there's a continuing friendship there no matter what circumstances bring, which is probably why we've been friends for as long as we have. Its solid. The trick is maintaining this stability of quality in our own respective lives on a pace that maintains reasonable growth.

On Saturday, I kayaked down the Bronx River. That was quite an adventure. Victor invited me, and as soon as I figure out how to post pics up, I'll put some of them up. First of all, for 3/4 of the trip, you'd have no idea that you would even be in the Bronx in the first place. We put in at 215th Street, where the river is like 12 feet wide and 2 feet deep. It goes all the way through the Bronx, into the Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo, and empties out later into Hunt's Point, which isn't so nice. In fact, its full of trash at that point, which is a real shame. However, the trip for the most part was beautiful. Trees form a canopy over the river in the early going, and its really kind of surreal. I'll bet you it would make a really spooky night trip.

The other thing I want to mention this week is that I learned something. Time spent does not mean emotional investment. That's one thing I've always done--easily confused the two. If I think back, there have been many times in my life where I've failed to really go out of my way to show someone an effort on my part, even though I may have been putting in time. Maybe its forgetting birthdays or seeing disinterested, or whatever... Its all a matter of focus. Admittedly, there are many things to be focused on during the day, but we should make it a point to focus, even if it might not mean commit time, on someoene else for a few moments a day.

Work, Love, and Softball

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, It's My Life, Random Stuff

I have been so overwhelmed at work, its ridiculous. When you work in an environment where things just need to get done, yet there isn't generally a lot of strict assignment as to who is supposed to get them done, you tend to get the short end of the stick if you are the type of person who won't let balls drop. Some people are fine to walk out before questions are answered, things are taken care of, etc. I'm not one of those people.

I'll tell you one thing, I'm glad to have Jeff the Intern around, that's for sure. Its like having a tree chipper in my office. Stuff comes in that I don't have time for and I just shove it to his side and listen to that immediate "neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrr" sound as he works. Good stuff.

Lately, I've been quite the flake when it comes to these sorts of things. Pursuing stuff, then pulling back. Being indecisive. Rethinking stuff from the past, and contradicting myself as well. One person I'll knock for being too aggressive and someone else I'll knock for their own passiveness. What's going on here? What am I even looking for?

It definitely reinforces the notion that the search for others is really a search for self, because the times in my life where I've been most clear about what I've wanted, are also the times in which I experienced the most personal clarity. In the last six months, personal clarity has been muddied by potential moves, a floundering book, new work responsibility, monitoring programs, family stuff, etc... and thus I've been rather flakey to people personally. Its not an excuse. I'm just pointing out the causal relationship, or what seems to be the cause.

At most issue is what level of commitment, and just really participation I want from someone else. First off, I'm generally not someone who has a lot of free time in general, so its easy to say I just want someone informal, casual, etc. But, to be honest, now I think that sometimes casual stuff takes more time than serious stuff, because casual stuff always seems to imply more than one person. Its a mirage that casual is easier, I think, because that never seems to be the case. Plus, you need to spend that much more time convincing someone you're not just using them, because they are not backstopped by some formal relationship.

Also at issue is how I want the other person reacting to me. On one hand, I think it would be hard for me to deal with the pressure of someone pursuing me hard, asking for all sorts of time. On the other hand, I do feel like I deserve someone who at least asks. Aren't I good enough to create a need in someone else to see me all the time? Who wants someone that acts as if they can take you or leave you? Sure, that's convenient from a life management perspective, because you know you can cancel on them, move them around, etc... but is love the kind of thing you want to be so convenient? I think its a lot like getting median venture capital GPs. If you're going to be in it, you want top quartile, otherwise its not worth it.

Part of it has to do with the idea of chemistry vs. criteria. I'd be interested if people had comments here. Think of it the spectrum as, on one end, you meet someone and before you know it, you're smooching away and lots of things are happening. You're laughing and being cute, and as far as you can tell, you've really hit it off with someone, without really knowing a lot of the details of someone's life. On the other hand, you meet someone and really invest the time to get to know them before anything happens. You learn to appreciate what kind of a person they are, if you share the same values, etc, before you discern whether or not you have a match. Which one is more true? Does chemistry exist, or is it just lust based on perception that may not actually be truth? Or, is getting the details of someone's life a cold, logical way to arrive at something that should be based on gut feeling and emotion? Do you fall for someone with your heart or with your head?

Oh, and I just learned there is a Blog spellcheck. Nice... now you'll all think I'm smaart.

Lastly... here's the last GM Softball news:

Miracle Motors Down, but Not Out, After Skid Reaches Three

After eight games, General Motors was sitting pretty at 6-2, only a game out of first place. After a 2-10 season, the team started looking at the standings, and counting down to the playoffs.
Three heartbreaking losses later, capped off by a 6-4 loss last night to Metro 53, GM should be completely out of the hunt. However, the Northern Division has completely collapsed over the past four weeks, and GM finds itself with a glimmer of hope. Four teams have clinched the six playoff spots, and another six teams are vying for the last two. For GM to get in, the Law Sox need to lose at least two of their last four games, which will be mostly rainout makeups. In addition, two of White Case, Oz Capital, and the Clinchers have to lose their final games.
Of course, for all this to work out GM needs to actually win its final game and stop the second half slump. After scoring a total of seven runs in its last two games, one thing that will have to happen is for the bats to wake up. Mike D'Annunzio scored the team's first run again early on, but the offense would slow to a crawl until late. Ted Feury kept GM in the game, holding Metro to four in five, and John Cross notched a scoreless sixth. Strong defense by third baseman Mark Attanasio and Gold Glove first baseman John Stevens also helped. GM got a step closer when Charlie O'Donnell scored in the fifth on an Alexis Kramer sac fly, making it 4-3. In the sixth, Sam Pollotta launched a huge RBI triple to tie the game up, but that would be the end of the GM scoring. Metro 53 pushed two runs across the board, one on a monster blast to left center, which was that Metro hitter's second time going yard.
In their last at bat, GM failed to replicate its early season last inning heroics, and failed to score. They will attempt to finish the season strong on 8/19, and all they can do in the meantime is hope for the misfortune of others.

OK... so PS, I just went to go post this and it had timed out, and I almost thought I lost the whole thing. I would have been REALLY pissed and probably never blogged again. You guys came really close to losing me.

Baseball and Life Decisions

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, It's My Life

Lots to post about...   Let's recap...

Well, the Mets have gone to shit, and actually, they've been shit all year.  Its just that the Braves have decided they don't want to be shit anymore and now the Muttsies find themselves an insurmountable 4 games back.  Insurmountable in July?  Have you seen them play lately?   

And.. can I spew on John Franco for a moment?   And no, I'm not going to say he's a nice guy.  Well, he's nicer than Carl Everett, but who cares?  I don't wanna see nice guys play--I want winners, and this guy has been the Number One Loser reliever for the last 20 years.  I can't even figure out why he was a closer for so long.  Its like when you play softball with people you don't know and one guy tells you he plays thirdbase.  Yet, when he goes out there, he can't even make the throw across the diamond.  Just because you say you're something doesn't make you squat.  I think over the years the Mets could have had anyone closing for them and they could have been better...   at least in the regular season anyway.  As for big games, who knows, but this guy blew saves left and right... and not tough saves.  He'd just come in with none on in the ninth and make his own mess.  In fact, at times it seemed the only guy he could get out was Barry Bonds.  And now, he makes over a million a year and he's taking up a spot that maybe could be filled by some up and comer in the minors. 

Frankly, I don't understand how he gets anyone out.  He throws two pitches.  A fastball over the plate, and a changeup in the dirt.  If I was facing him, and I saw an offspeed pitch, I just wouldn't swing at it.  He never throws it for a strike.  Wait on the fastball.. that's all you have to do.

When David Cone realized he couldn't pitch anymore, he quit.  Sure, he came back, but he came back when the Mets really didn't have a lot of other options, so realistically, he wasn't keeping anyone back...   oooh Mike Bascik.  Big deal.  John Franco is done and he's been done since... oooh...  1993.  They never should have traded Randy Myers, and the idea that some washed up third tier closer is their Captain is ridiculous.  I don't care if he wears a sewer worker T-shirt under his jersey and his dad got swollowed by an alligator.  You're a bum!   

Ok... best line of the day from Thursday's lunch with the team. 

Marcy was talking about being really sensitive to smell when she was pregnant...   Charles chimes in and says, "Oh yeah, pregnency hightens all of your senses."

Jeff the Intern quickly follows with, "Speaking from experience, Charles?" 

Without hesitation, Charles responds:

"People like you never read anything and the some total of your knowledge of Biology comes from your own experience in the bathroom."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Jeff the Intern.

In other news, I'll be implementing the following changes in my life:

1.  No more random first dates just for the heck of it.  I waste too much time going out with people on dates that go nowhere with people I'm not even that excited about.  I need to focus more on friends, and people who I actually like.

2.  Go to bed earlier.  11:30-midnight will be the new bedtime during the week.  I waste at least a good hour of sleep doing nothing but chatting online, watching TV, or just sitting around.  Its effected my time at the gym and my focus at work.

3.  A few more hours at work.  I have a lot of stuff on my plate and I haven't been executing lately.  More hours and a little more focus wouldn't hurt.

4.  More focused workout routine.  I've been going to the gym, but there hasn't been a theme around my workouts, as opposed to when I was training for baseball.  I need to create a schedule to follow of what I do when. 

5.  More time on the book.   I need to get this book done, and if Mary the Publisher doesn't pan out, I need to hit the ground running on self publishing.   

Alright.. that's all for now...   I have a funny story from going out the other night, but I need to work on #5 for now.

The Rack Pack

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, Friends and Outings

The phrase of the night:  The "Rack Pack".    That's what Samara and her friend Lisa call each other.   Gotta love it.

So tonight was the Fordham Young Alumni Softball Game...    It was a blast. We got great turnout, and a lot of people who don't normally show up to these sorts of things.  Even more importantly, Team GM maybe have signed two new females.  Who knew Alexis Kramer was a softball juggernaut?   The girl has a cannon and she can hit.  Nice late season acquisitions for the stretch playoff run.... very exciting.

I had the most amusing bus driver on the way home from the Gin Mill.  When we hit 2nd Ave, he announced, "Next stop, Atlantic City."    When we hit East End, he announced, "Manhattan Riviera."   Its the little things that keep us going, you know.

Anyway, there's a story about last weekend waiting to be told, but you know what, I'm over it.  Its not worth harping on... and the best part about it, I've had some really great times with fun people this week, so last weekend is a distant memory.... except of course for the time I spent with my family, which was great.  My mom and Nana went down to Tampa, and I came down for the second time this summer to see my brother and his family.  My nieces are wonderful... such smart kids, maybe a little silly, but they're 6 and 10, so who can blame 'em.  :)    Anyway...  I may have future stories for you...  we'll see how things go.

Softball, peanut butter and apple...

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, It's My Life, Random Stuff

So the last softball game went much better... In fact, it nearly went perfectly. We won 16-1 in a mercy rule shortened five innings, and the only run they scored was on the last play of the game, where the next runner they tried to send home got cut down at the plate by yours truly. :)

Anyway... Its 3AM on July 5th, and I'm eating an apple w/peanut butter. (Skippy Super Chunk) I've been spending more and more time, as I did tonight, with people I've met kayaking. I think what I like about spending time with these people is that it expands your social horizon--challenging you to mesh with people you would otherwise have no social connection to. I mean, when I go to ILPA conferences or Fordham Young Alumni events, there are certain shared sets of circumstances that give you something to work with--social training wheels so to speak. Here, there's nothing of the sort, and the extent to which I know zero of the lives of the people around me overwhelms me (in a good way, I think).

As I was driving home, there was a car in front of me whose license plate said, "Howyedoin".

I think pretty good.

Letter from the Manager

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports

I'll let you surmise how yesterday's GM Softball game went. This is the note I sent to my team afterwards...

"Yesterday's game was an embarrassment, and it will not happen again. I'm not talking about the final score, but in how we acted--both in how we carried ourselves and in how we acted towards each other. Almost to a player, every single one of us made a bad play at some point in the game. Our heads weren't in the game and we tossed the ball around like a bunch of little league kids. The idea that anyone thought their performance yesterday rose above anyone else's, enough to criticize your own teammates, is ridiculous.

Considering the fact that our team counts on outsiders to play with us, we need to be a lot more thoughtful about how we act towards each other. Anne has played with us four games, Kristy Glass for three... and we've counted on other invites from myself or Mike D. before. If I was playing with us for the first time yesterday, I'd never want to come back. We can't afford for our guests to start dropping out on us or we'll start forfeiting games. When I invite my friends to games, I'd like to have them walk away thinking that we've got a great bunch of people playing--not leave with the bad taste in their mouths they had after yesterday.

Cross made a great point after the game yesterday. Think of the teams we've played this season, and for those of you who were around last year, even the teams last season. We are the ONLY team I have ever seen in this league yell at their own players. NO ONE else does that. Its pathetic, and going forward, if it happens again, in any situation, I will just ask those people to leave the game. I don't care who I have to play at what position, I refuse to subject anyone on this team to that kind of treatment. Its completely disrespectful. If we have another complete breakdown of respect like we did yesterday, I'll just ask the commissioner to forfeit the rest of our games and that will be the end of our season.

Next week, we are not just going to win, but we are going to play the right way from the first pitch to the last---supportive of our teammates, cheering every at-bat, shaking off bad plays, and knowing what to do when the ball comes to you. Its important that every individual goes out of their way on every single play next week to make up for this game."

Kayaking, Independent Baseball, and Greenwood Lake

Charlie O'Donnell
Baseball and Other Sports, Friends and Outings, It's My Life, Kayaking

So the foreign girl at the counter at DTUT has a boyfriend...   some greasy looking guy... sort of takes something out of our little exchanges when I get my green tea.  Oh well.

So I've had a really great Memorial Day Weekend so far.  Friday night was a long overdue cleaning of my apartment.  I threw out five big garbage bags of...  just random crap.  I seriously have issues about holding on to stuff.  When I moved out of Fordham, my desk alone produced about three for four garbage bags of stuff, which is difficult to comprehend given the mass of the desk and the known and accepted laws of phyisics.

On Saturday, I was back at the Boathouse.  The water was choppy and the wind was whipping up pretty good, but a handful of brave souls still came to kayak.  One girl took a nice flop into the water by the dock, and I pulled her out by her lifejacket like I was one of those shipping cargo cranes... up, over, and down.  Mary came down...  I don't think I mentioned Mary and Andy.   Mary is this english woman who came down last weekend for the first time.  We started talking and it turns out she works for a publishing company.  She's going to take a look at my book and everything... how do you like that for dumb luck.  Kayaking:  fun AND productive.  Anyway... she gave me her e-mail address and number.  Then, later on, another woman comes down and tells me her friend just called her and told her how much fun she had, so she had to go.  It turns out that it was Mary, and so this girl Andy and I started chatting it up.  She was incredibly cool, and after she kayaked, she actually hung out to volunteer almost the whole day.  I think she's be a lot of fun to hang out with, but I'll wait until Mary looks at my book before I make any move that might be perceived as sketchy.  You never know and can't be too careful.

Anyway, from kayaking, I went to the Big East Baseball Finals in Bridgewater, NJ.  Brian and Rich met me at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, and I drove out to Jersey.  They had the game in an Atlantic League ballpark, which is one of those Independent minor league teams.  I'll tell you.. it was such an enjoyable experience--$8 tickets, $2 for parking.  I'd easily go back again.  Brian's brother Jimmy was there with his wife.  I swear, Jimmy makes me laugh more than any other person I've ever met.  Something about the dryness and deadpan delivery I just find endlessly amusing.  His wife asks him where the bathrooms are... and its a dinky little stadium where everything is like two feet away, and he goes, "Its on the Concourse Level."   Hysterical.

Anyway, after the game, I hung out with Anna...   everyone else pretty much left for the weekend, so Anna and I were left to chill Saturday night and Sunday.  Saturday night we... painted.  It was bizzare.   She doesn't have any brushes or canvas, so she just paints on cardboard.  She can be so weird sometimes, but I guess it was cool.  We had nice conversation and it was just good company.  I left and came back the next morning for a random roadtrip.  We just decided we were going to go on a driving adventure, and somehow, that turned out to be a search for my grandmother's old country house in Greenwood Lake.  I drove up 17, and somehow I found it.  It was really strange being up there, because everything seemed so much smaller than I remember it--meaning I was obviously pretty small the last time I was up there.  Two different people had occupied the house since we sold it about ten years ago, but it was kept up very well.  When I got up there, I called my grandmother to tell her were I was and she got a little choked up.  Still, she was really glad to hear that the house had been kept in such good condition.

What was really disappointing, though, was when we walked down to the beach on the lake.  There was this little pier that they built about 20 years ago when I was younger and they put in sand behind it.  It was small but cute.  As we walked down the stairs to get there, it was obvious that they hadn't been kept up, but I wasn't prepared for how bad the beach was.  It was in total disrepair, like it hadn't been touched in that long.  The deck and pier is collapsing into the water, and all the sand is gone, with weeds overgrowing the concrete.  It was really sad to see...   makes me wonder what happened.  The raft we used to swim out to was gone, and it looked like part of it was sunken on the far side of the deck.  Anna took some pictures, but I don't think I'll be showing them to my grandmother.  I'm curious to figure out what happened and when.

Anyway, before we hit the house, we stopped at a marina.  Turns out that a pontoon boat rental is only like $150 for three hours...   The whole time we were there, we were thinking that it would be cool to come up here for a few days with a group of people, and it wouldn't cost that much money. 

After the Lake, we headed out towards Warwick, but on our way, we passed Wawayanda, which is this state park that has a beach.  I went with my grandparents a few times and I have pretty vivid memories of it.  We ate lunch at the beach and then we rented a rowboat.  I don't know if she just timed the current wrong or what, but Anna had quite a struggle with the rowing.  :)   

From Wawayanda, we went to a Farmer's Market in Warwick.  They had good icecream, and we stopped to watch the farm animals they had in their corral.  They had a goat and some sheep, and some baby goats as well.  I think that might have been the highlight of our trip.  Anna's got some good pictures, but I don't know how to post them.  If I figure it out, I'll put them up. 

Anyway, after we headed home at about 3...  but made a stop off at the Cross County Mall.  I went 4 for 4 on things I had to buy...  swim shorts, nice sandles, work shoes, and those wet sock things that you wear in the water. When I got home, I went for a run and to the gym... putzed around...   and now, I'm at DTUT, procrastinating on writing up some more material for my Tuesday lunch with Mary the publishing woman.