It's Baseball season

So July is not a time for hockey, well actually it is. We were in Breezy Point this weekend for a tournament. The Northern Wings, Hockey Girl's AAA team, was in a 10U (this means 10 and under, which really means age 10 as of July 1, 2007 since this is still technically part of last season), so lots of the girls were 11 years old - and many were the size of say 16 year-olds. That is everyone on the *other team. Our team has mostly 9 and 10 year olds. Yes, I am already making excuses for our pitiful 0-6 showing at the tournament. I felt so bad for our girls. They played some darn good hockey. They also played some not-so-good hockey, but they had fun!



We stayed in the dorms at the arena. As our coach repeatedly reminds me, I'm high maintenance (that's Chai Maintenance for all you Jews out there - we're not JAPs for nothin') - so I was not thrilled with the idea of sleeping in a dorm on those lousy mattresses they reserve for camp bunk beds. I was willing to sacrifice so that Hockey Girl could stay with her team (I did not consider for a minute the fact that we were saving $200+ dollars by staying there instead of at the local motel - lesson learned - do not enter hockey tournaments in the Lakes District of Minnesota in the summer). Since she's also CM - she also considered it quite a sacrifice. Dorms weren't awful - yes, the beds were pretty bad. Yes, we had to share a bathroom and showers (the kind where the floors never get a chance to get dry). Yes, there were mice running around the dining area when the first families arrived, but they weren't awful. They did have a nice common area with large TVs (on which the Dads could watch sports and the kids could watch Nick or the Disney Channel - for some reason it was never on TLC, TNT, Lifetime or any other channel the Hockey Moms might enjoy watching). They also had a great outdoor grill area and fire pit - which would have been so much fun, but for the 55 degree temps and the sustained 25 MPH winds. Being hearty northern Minnesotans, we built a fire and made S'mores anyway, but we all got headaches and sore eyes from the smoke. Coach has decided we need to do a winter tournament there and try the dorms in the winter - ummm - I don't *think so. Go ahead, call me Chai Maintenance - Hotel rooms will be a dime a dozen in the winter - no way am I sleeping with the mice who will have moved indoors full time when the weather gets bad.



While Hockey Girl and I were in the dorms, Curling Man was at his annual cabin party in Ely, MN. Since what happens in Ely stays in Ely, I don't really know what all he did. I do know what he didn't do, though. He didn't go to All-Other-Sports Boy(AOSB)'s 1st All-Star baseball game. What kind of Basebal Dad is he anyway? So, without any parental support, the Central Little League All-Star Team lost game one 17-9 (in extra innings). AOSB had a great time he said, but it's never fun to lose. Fortunately for him, it's a double elimination tournament, so they can still go all the way. Monday night they had game 2. Curling Man returned from Ely unscathed, and he went to that game, while I brought Hockey Girl to her regular league baseball game. That game ended in exciting 10-9 win for Central Little League. Last night they played again, and again - they rallied from being behind 5 runs to a 6-5 win. Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Nancy came all the way up from the Twin Cities to watch, and AOSB only played one inning, but what an exciting game! So, tonight is game 4 - GO Central!!!