On Saturday I had my normal Saturday round of golf with Rod with our traditional pitcher bet.  Both of us played real well and the bet came down to the last hole.  I put my approach shot on 18 in the sand, then my sand shot got out but not onto the green.  Rod was laying three too but on the green.  I elected to putt and got in to within a couple feet or a bogey.  Rod, who is a very good putter, had a long downhill putt for the win.  He made a rare bad putt and blew it by quite a bit then missed the comebacker which meant he had to buy the pitcher.
After golf I went out to my old buddy Buck's annual wild game feed which is always a lot of fun.  I saw some guys I haven't seen in a while and got to eat some different stuff.  I had the bbq coon, bbq beaver, fried fish, Italian antelope, fried shark, fried deer tenderloin, fried rabbit, rabbit dumplings, duck poppers and pot pie that I don't remember what wild game was in it.  I wanted to try a wide variety of stuff so I didn't have very much of any of it.  They also had fried goose, fried whole squirrel, wild turkey, salmon bellies and some stuff I don't remember.  A really good time but like most of the old guys I took off before the second wave of youngsters took over the party. 

Sunday I played golf with Rod, Ted and Larry in the morning and had my first sub 80 round of the year.  Rod played me close the first nine but then I pulled away and he had to buy the pitcher again. 
In the afternoon me and the Glue decided to get something to eat and after our normal debut we decided on Fat Bottom Bettys for the pizza and wing special.  We both had a tall Schlaflys Pale Ale which didn't hit the spot and shared the pizza and wings.  The pizza was just ok but the wings were real good.
Afterwards we took a little drive around Giant City and down through Cobden and Alto Pass, stopping at Trails End.  I've always enjoyed a beer or two there but this time the draft wasn't very cold so we went with a couple bottles plus they had a dj and it was loud.  It wasn't as much fun as normal.
On Monday Rod got me back as I was 16 strokes worse than Sunday so the pitcher was on me.
After I got home we decided to get something to eat and we decided on Chilis which is unusual for me.  I had tacos on my mind and I thought they had fish tacos but when we got there they had shrimp or chili tacos, neither of which sounded great.  The Glue went with the chili tacos which she liked.  I know better but I went with ribs and brisket combo.  Ribs were barely ok and the brisket wasn't very good but again I should know better.
All in all a nice weekend but nothing special other than the wild game feed.

This weekend is Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff to summer.  For 20+ years we had a pontoon boat out on Kinkaid Lake and this was one of the three big weekends along with 4th of July and Labor Day.  For years our weekends were spent out on the lake along with our kids and friends who came out with us or had boats of their own.  For some reason the beer and food always tasted better and the music sounded better on the lake.
The work plus cost became greater than the fun for me so I don't miss having a boat.  The Glue still misses it on occasion though.  One thing I miss is at the end of long day on the lake is coming in to the Marina with this song playing on our stereo.

Another thing I miss is when most people were off the lake and the sun started dipping behind the trees and hills are the lake.  Some spectacular sunsets.  This is my favorite:

For some reason it's always stood out to me the way the red of the sun combined with the shape of the clouds.  These are just a few more of the sunset pictures I have from out on the lake:

And one more that was taken on the way in to the marina probably with the aforementioned song playing.  Perfect timing as our Packer windsock happened to blow into the picture just as it was taken.

Saturday was the 2018 spring tournament.  Roll'em was the #2 seed in their pool of four teams.  With Herbster and Clutch still on vacation Roll'em again turned to my cousin Roberto and long time friend Ted.
In the first game we had the #1 seed in our pool, the Old Rome Rollers.  The game started out close at 1-1 but then it was all the Rollers as they were on fire, especially Maggie who put the ball on or very close to the pallino every time.  Their other rollers were rolling great too and they cruised to a 9-1 shellacking of Roll'em.
In the second game we took on Usual Suspects, another Wednesday night team.  Roll'em started finding our groove and in a reverse of the first game we were the ones on fire as we won going away 9-0.
After two games everyone in our pool was 1-1 so the third game would be win and advance.  Oddly, all the first two games in our pool were either 9-0 or 9-1.
Needing a win to advance we took on Clarks 2.0 in the third game.  The Clarks are several area ex-softball players that both me and Ted played against many times in the past.  Once again we came out ready to play and slowly pulled away from the Clarks and won 9-5 to advance into the single elimination tournament.
In the first round we took on Can't Be Trusted featuring ex-super subs Danny and Jean.  One of their players, Pete, had got called away which they knew could happen so they added Ian who's been a thorn in our side many times.  This had the makings of an exciting game with all the players being interwoven.  Danny and Jean have played with us, Ted has played with them, Ian is on Holy Ballz and Pete also is on the Eclectics.  The game started out close with many really good shots but with the score 6-4 us the Glue and Roberto put a three pointer on them for the win with the third point barely edging out their ball.
In the semifinal we took on Big Muddy Monsters.  The Monsters jumped out to a 3-0 lead but we closed the gap with the score moved to 6-5 Monsters.  Then disaster struck.  Ted had been playing well but his first two throws were unable to get inside their ball and I had my two worst throws since the first game.  With none of our balls very close they had two chances to get the final point but shorted the first to give us hope.  Their second ball however was on the money for a 9-5 win and a disappointing loss for Roll'em.  It's going to take a while to get over those two throws.
The Monsters went on to beat the Ringers in the championship and while congratulations go out to them I can't help but think what would have happened if we hadn't ended with those throws.
A couple week break and it's time for summer league.

Last night was our Wednesday night interpool tournament.  With Herbster and Clutch drinking Mai Tais on Daquiris on a beach somewhere we once again had Ted and Roberto as our subs.  Roll'em was tied for the best record but lost the tie breaker to Holy Ballz.  We still got a first round bye.
In the first game we took on long time rivals 2 Boobs and 2 Girls.  Roll'em got off to a great start, getting two points in each of the first two frames before settling down some.  We upped the lead to 6-0 with a couple of one point frames then upped it to 8-0 with a couple more one point frames.  Then it was 2 Boobs turn to score as they got a two pointer to avoid a shutout.  They didn't stop there though, they turned around and got a three pointer to make it a game.  At this point Roll'em got lucky when they didn't capitalize on a good chance for a four pointer but only got one to make it 8-6.  They had another chance to complete the comeback but once again only got one point.  At this point Roll'em was reeling especially since we were talking about blowing 8-0 leads before.  In the next frame 2 Boobs had the point with us having two balls left and them one.  Our next throw ticked off a ball and got inside of their point and their last throw was close but missed and we walked away with a 9-7 win.
In the second game we played Feeder of the Pack and my old buddy Everett Orange Hands.  They started out on fire, getting two points in each of the first three frames before we could even get on the board.  We managed to scratch out a couple more points while they scored a couple of their own.  Our last chance ended when our ball an inch or so away from the pallino was hit away by Bob and they got the point and a 9-3 elimination loss for Roll'em.  Feeder was on fire, they had several throws that either pushed the pallino or was right on top of it.  They also made some great throws to knock us out or get inside of our ball. 
The way Feeder was playing I expected them to beat Holy Ballz in the championship but Holy Ballz prevailed.  We were both tired so we left before the championship game started.
Oh well, on to the league tournament on Saturday.

Last night was a "toast and roast" for my old softball teammate, manager and most of all friend Tubby.  Tubby was elected to the ASA (Amateur Softball Association) Hall of Fame.  This is the highest honor the ASA hands out and it went to a much deserving individual.  Tubby was a year ahead of me in school and he lived a little ways down the road from me so we go way back. 
The event was held at the Moose Lodge which is a few hundred yards from where I grew up but it was only the second or third time I'd ever been in there.  There was a wide mix of people ranging from the old players like myself down to ones who are my kids age but it was mostly the older ones who showed up.  Several people couldn't make it because of work or distance while the Glue took a rare chance to stay home by herself.
It was a great night seeing some of the guys I played with all those years ago.  Some I see quite often such as our new sub Ted, M and Everett while others I haven't seen in years such as Nelly.  Most I run into a few times a year such as Tubby, Buck, David, JayWhit, Jody and JR.  There were quite a few Natty's, Ultras and Stags knocked down over the course of the evening and of course there were a lot of old stories being retold.  There were a lot of pictures spread out but unfortunately there weren't cell cameras or evening digital cameras back when I played.  Actually I think it's quite lucky we didn't have any of those to incriminate anyone.
Yesterday afternoon I went up into the attic and got a box of old uniforms from back in those days.  I really wanted to find Tubbys first team which was sponsored by Godmothers, a pizza place in carbondale.  I didn't have it but I found all the rest including a team I'd forgot about, the Murdale Raiders which was the first softball team me and Tubby played on together.
All in all a wonderful experience.  Several people mentioned getting together to play pitch which is what we used to do when we weren't playing softball.  Hopefully this will happen and become a regular thing.

Roll'em entered the last week of the season in 17th place overall and in dire need of two wins to solidify our chances of making the season ending tournament.  With Herbster and Clutch MIA we turned to my cousin Robert and long time buddy Ted to help get us those two wins.
In the first game we played 2 Boobs and 2 Girls who had a couple subs of their own.  The game started in typical Roll'em style as we fell behind 2-0 after the first frame, however this time we answered with a four point frame of our own.  The 4-2 lead stretched to 6-2 and then 7-2 before 2 Boobs got a two pointer to move to 7-4.  Me and Ted knew we needed to make something happen before they gained any momentum.  With us showing one point and them out of balls but with some blockers out front our next throw was awful and was way short.  Our next throw off the wall and around the blockers was almost perfect and we walked away with the first of two crucial games, 9-4.
In the second game we took on #thankusforyourwin.  Once again we got off to a Roll'em start, falling behind 3-0 after the first frame.  Once again we answered and cut the lead to 3-2.  The game was a back and forth game with both sides making good throws and having some throws impacted by the unpredictability of the new court.  The score worked it's way to a 7-5 Roll'em lead but we gave up a two pointer.  With it 7-7 we needed to close it out and get a sweep of the nights games.  Once again Ted had the point and they were out of balls.  Once again our next shot was woefully short but this time it was because it started it's journey down the court by hitting a dead spot in the court.  Our next ball was on target and got well within the needed area for a 9-7 win.
On the best weather night of the year we finally avoided a split and got the much needed sweep to move to 11-5 and most likely a spot in the tournament.

Herbster and Clutch won't be able to play the rest of the spring season due to vacation plans so we've once again turned to my cousin Robert to sub for us the rest of the season.  We've also added long time friend Ted who is brother to new super sub Danny.  Ted has just started playing bocce this season and is starting to get hooked like so many of us have. 
Tomorrow night's games are in the must win category for Roll'em is we are to make the league tournament.  We're currently just outside the cut line at 17th but at least two teams ahead of us aren't playing in the tournament. 
I'm guessing two wins puts us in while two losses probably pushes outside the cut line.  A split would be very iffy as there are thirty teams who could end up 9-7 or better.

Best weather so far in spite of it being windy.  Teams are really bunched up in the race for the season ending tournament and we really needed two wins.
In the first game we played Bocce-licious.  They started off hot, for every good shot we made they made a better one or knocked us out.  Roll'em got down 5-0 before we could get on the scoreboard.  They never let us mount any kind of a rally and we ended up losing 9-3.  We played better than we have but they had an answer for everything.
In the second game we played Bertha's Ball Handlers in a must win game.  Par for the course Roll'em fell behind 3-0 but strong together a few good frames and a 4-3 lead.  The score remained close with the lead changing hands every roll or two.  Again we played much better but on our end the ladies there were on fire.  Finally we got to an 8-6 lead but they came back and tied it 8-8.  Both teams had chances to win but now it was down to the final frame and me and Herbster had to step up.  I got a decent throw in but on their last throw they managed to push me back and get in.  Herbster had two balls left and a fairly easy throw but we haven't been making lately.  His first ball was off the mark so he reloaded and let fly before they had a chance to look at it.  It ended up that his first ball was in and so was his second so Roll'em got a crucial win.
The split moved us to 9-5 on the year and kept our tournament hopes alive.