The Boys are Back in Town!

For most people, the Labour Day Weekend signifies the end of Summer work hours and leisurely post work drinks on a busy patio. But for Veronica it means a few short weeks before the start of her absolute favorite sport, hockey, and more specifically her boys in blue, The Toronto Maple Leafs!

Yes, they haven’t won a cup since 1967 and haven’t made it the playoffs since the 2003-2004 season. They didn’t make it very far but they still made it. It is embarrassing and a bit sad, but rebuilding takes time. And with a slew of young, new talent, under the helm of Brian Burke, it’s only a matter of time before we return to our former glory. After all, the Leafs are the most valuable team in the NHL, that should count for something!

The boys take to the ice on Monday September 19th against the Ottawa Senators (boooo) at the ACC at 7pm. You can also watch on LeafsTV if you don’t want to spend money on watching a bunch of scrubs play hard for a spot on the roster.

The Streak is Over! Jay’s Win 6-5 after 14 LONG Innings!

For being the passionate sports fan that she is, it’s been a long running joke that Veronica is cursed when it comes to sports. Or at least when it comes to watching sports, for every professional game she attends, the team is almost always destined to lose.

One could argue that it’s not HER, per se, but the talentless hacks she often supports (ahem, the Leafs), but theories aside, when we set out to cheer the Jays as they took on the Seattle Mariners last night at the Skydome (yes, the Skydome!) we weren’t really expecting a big payoff.

We got to the game in good time, grabbed a beer, found our awesome seats... first row of section 210, right along the first base line, just next to the foul pole. The dome was in the process of opening completely and this awful summer heat was somewhat bearable, making for a beautiful night to take in a game!

Our first glasses of beer from the Budweiser booth proved to be quite the challenge. They kept dripping spots of beer onto us; no matter how steady we held the glass or how often we wiped off the condensation. Confused, Veronica inspected the cup, managing to unleash a stream of beer down onto her seat. “Don’t press the bottom of the cup!” she discovered, warning Ashley before she met a similar fate.

Always a sucker to her own curiosity, Ashley ignored the warnings and pressed the bottom of her cup as well, unleashing another stream of beer down onto her own seat. There were holes in the bottom of the cups, covered not so securely by a round stopper on the inside. I understand this is to fill the cups from the bottom, but honestly, WHO PUTS A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF A CUP? Needless to say, we spent the first few innings with wet beer-soaked bottoms.

Things started off a little slow, a couple runs here, a couple runs there, a few painful strike outs from people who should know better (Travis Snider) and then a string of innings with no runs at all, bringing us into the seventh with Seattle up by one. After Bautista hit the tying run home, it was a lot of waiting and booing and suspense as the game went into five extra innings before Ashley’s boy John McDonald hit a sacrifice fly, sending Rajai Davis home to win the game 6-5. Veronica’s curse is over!

Game highlights:
Adam Lind’s early game homerun up into the second deck in right field came incredibly close to being within reach of our beer-filled hands. Close enough, in fact, that during the televised replay, you can see your two favourite City Girls hanging out just at the edge of the scene.

After a much needed trip to the bathroom, we arrive back to the game just in time to see John McDonald make a nice little play, surprising us both with his unexpected presence. Ashley was definitely happy to see him.

Ashley leaving the game in the 11th inning in a fit of frustration, only to miss the exciting end and Johnny Mac’s stellar performance. Figures.

images (c)citygirlscapes

How To Throw A Great Party - Team Opera 2010 Wrap Up - October 6, 2010

It was a bitter sweet end for Team Opera last night. We had our annual team party to wrap up the ball season and of course, to see each other one last time before storing our gear away for the winter.

What’s great about our team and what makes us play so well together is our bond. We spend time each season outside of our regularly scheduled games to catch up. We’ve grown into a bit of a summer family; so naturally, we had to throw ourselves a party to officially say our goodbyes until next Spring.

What makes a party a great party? Other than the people, the atmosphere can make or break a get together. Instead of going to a pub or restaurant where everyone is confined to their seats and conversation is limited to small groups within ear shot, we rented the party room in a teammate’s condo building, enabling easy mingling. The boys gathered around the tiny television to watch the endless loop of highlights showcasing Doc’s no hitter while the girls gathered around the tray of delectable veggies.

And what party is complete without great food? By providing our own food and beverages, we were able to cut costs and save money. We ordered wings from the local bar – the Richmond Rogue - (which turned out to be a great idea as they were delicious!) and pizza from Veronica’s usual pizza joint, Pizzaiolo. With ten pounds of wings, veggie sticks and three party-size pizzas, we had enough to feed our small army and then some. The food was a great hit and was gobbled up within minutes.

How do you make a party more than just a party? The highlight of the night was the presentation of the much anticipated year end plaques. After the traditional MVP-esque awards our first year, we have started trying to appeal to the team on a more entertaining and personal level. This year’s theme was Famous Movie Quotes! Ashley and Veronica had a great time reciting memorable movie quotes and trying to match them to each teammate.

Quotes that made the cut:

• "There's No Place Like Home" Dorthy Gale, The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• "Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper" Knute Rockne, Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
• "Go Ahead, Make My Day" Gary Callahan, Sudden Impact (1983)
• "The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of" Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• "Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try" Yoda, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• "I'm The King Of The World!" Jack Dawson, Titanic (1997)
• "Round Up The Usual Suspects" Capt. Louis Renault, Casablanca (1942)
• "I'll Be Back" The Terminator, The Terminator (1984)
• "I feel the need - the need for speed!" Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Top Gun (1986)
• "Say Hello To My Little Friend" Tony Montana, Scarface (1983)
• "Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner" Johnny Castle, Dirty Dancing (1987)
• "I Think This Is The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship" Rick Blaine, Casablanca (1942)
• "I'll Have What She's Having" Customer, When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• "You talkin' to me?" Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver (1976)
• "A martini. Shaken, not stirred" James Bond, Goldfinger (1964)

The plaques and the party were, of course, well received by the entire team, wrapping up yet another exciting ball season. Cheers!

images (c)citygirlscapes

Team Opera Semi-Final Rundown

Last night was our softball league’s semi-final game. It was do or die. Unfortunately, we didn’t do. It makes such a huge difference in our game when we’re missing the key players we depend on for big hits. And really, that’s all we were missing last night. Defensively, we played a solid, solid game.

At the end of the 1st inning, the game was tied at 3 a piece. For 4 innings we held them off, leaving their runners stranded and gaining 2 runs ourselves on a few brilliant plays. We were so close to that big “W” but didn’t let our guard down, not for one second. But alas, at the bottom of the 6th, they managed to load up the bases and send their runners home, scoring 7 runs (which is a mercy in our league). We had no play available to get that one final out to end the inning.

Heading into the 7th inning, we had one final chance at bat to regain the lead. Our first batter got a solid hit well into center field, but it hung up there too long and was caught. Up next was Veronica (dun dun duuuun), who hadn’t hit worth a damn all night long. She did what she thought was best to get on base; a full, unpowered swing to allow the ball to dribble and roll between their catcher and our pitcher. It worked! Veronica got safely onto first base, and with only one out, a comeback was possible. The fates had other plans for Team Opera, however and the next batter also popped out, leaving us one out away from the end of the game.

Of course, it was Ashley’s at bat. Emotions ran high and nerves started to rise. Placing too much pressure on herself to hit well, she swung at the first pitch and sent a poor pathetic pop to their all star short stop, which was easily and painfully caught. We lose. At the end of it all, the entire team second guessed their decisions on every play of the game, but what’s done is done and there is always next year.

In the post game interview with Ashley, she kept saying that she shouldn’t have swung at THAT pitch, but at the time, how was she to know? She was reminded all night that it was not her fault, we all played exceptionally well with the pared down team we had.

Our team has come a long way and getting to this point and not making it to the final once in the last 3 years has been hard on us. Even though this is a beer league and it’s really for fun, we enjoy winning. We enjoy being champions and have now been denied that honour 3 years running. But next year, next year will be our year. Hopefully with an extended season (which we’ve been discussing), we will be able to gain our momentum well before the playoffs. It was rather sad last night when we realized that it was our very last game together for 2010, as we all enjoy the Wednesday night gathering and the easy camaraderie. Of course, we still have our year end party (stay tuned for a post on that once dates are confirmed) but for post game drinks, its game over.

See you on the diamond in 2011.

Team Opera Semi-Final, Take Two

This Wednesday is our second chance to take the diamond and battle it out for a place in the championship game and the chance to once again win the coveted Toronto Arts League Cup. Unfortunately, Veronica's wand is in the shop and she can’t use it to say “Accio Cup!” and alas, we will have to work for it the old fashioned way.

This year, as last year, will be that much harder with the loss of some heavy hitters and reliable fielders on game night. We most certainly have our work cut out for us. The team we’re up against is a pretty solid team infield and outfield. They have solid hitters and their short stop will catch just about anything. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve beaten them before and have beaten them for the championship title, so it’s not insurmountable. Especially with our two newly acquired girls who have provided depth where we didn’t realize we were lacking.

Some people might wonder how such a ragtag group of ball players (or wannabe ball players) could come together and play so well as we do, but when we’re on our A-game, we’re pretty unstoppable. Despite our diversity, the simple fact that we make the effort to bond on and especially off the diamond makes a huge difference. Each year we attend a Jays game together and at the end of the season, we have a team party. What makes for better bonding than getting drunk together?

We must admit that at the beginning of this season, Veronica did not want to play. She wasn’t into it and hated not being able to do anything useful other than being the mandatory 3rd girl so we didn't get an auto out. Though nothing has changed, somehow her enjoyment of the game has been revived and that makes all the difference. (Co-editors note: Ashley finds it necessary to state that Veronica's baseball skills have vastly improved since our initial season and therefore, this previous paragraph is to be taken lightly.)

So come Wednesday night, think of us as we don our team uniform, tighten up our cleats and take to the field ready to win our chance to reclaim our rightful title of Champions. Stay tuned for the triumphant update.

photo credit