Summer officially starts Monday when Raging Storm plays their first games of the season. We've got a double header as we test the waters in the Comp division.

I've been playing on this slo-pitch team for years, and since we won the highest intermediate division last year, we've been bumped up to the most competitive division in the RSPA. It might be time for a reality check.

We'll see how we do with a couple of games against Down & Dirty on Monday night. It's time to play ball.

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My slo-pitch team Raging Storm just got word that one of our players can't commit this season because of a 12-8 shift he can't shake. That means we need to fill a roster spot asap.

We play in the RSPA, which means diamonds in Mississauga or Etobicoke, and we play once a week, usually on a Monday or Tuesday night. The guy we're replacing was one of our bats, so if you can hit for a little power and don't mind playing the outfield, we need you.

Contact me if you're interested. $118 will cover you for the entire season plus a tournament and you'll get to part of a passionate slo-pitch team.

Who wants to play for Raging Storm this summer?

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That was ridiculous. Whose idea was it to hold a slo-pitch tournament outdoors on March 22?

I've just returned from a day of slo-pitch at Diamond Beach at Centennial Park. They called this a sno-pitch tourney, but they should have named it the ice bowl. The diamonds were covered by a sheet of ice making it rather difficult to get any traction. As I said, it was ridiculous, and I'm just happy I escaped unscathed.

And no, we didn't win the tournament, either. We were eked out in the playoffs by a single run. I'm putting the glove away until the temp hits positive figures.

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We've been warned. With 7° temps Thursday and Friday, all this snow is going to melt and that could mean flooding in the streets of Toronto.

I need this big melt. Raging Storm, my champion slo-pitch team, has registered to play a tournament on March 22nd. That gives Mother Nature 11 days to clear this white crap off of the field. A little warmth to thaw the ground might be nice too.

Of course, with the strong possibility Diamond Beach could be one massive pool of water, I might be better off with the snow.

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SkyDome was not kind to Boonie's Angels. The fact I'm home writing this tells you we didn't qualify for the playoffs. It was fun and I'm glad we gave it a shot, but we weren't particularly good.

Here's a collection of thoughts...

• At 4:15am, it took me 8 minutes to get to SkyDome.
• At 4:15am, it's impossible not to speed. The speed limit on South Kingsway is 50km/h but just try going less than 70 at that time of day.
• At 4:15am, 102.1 played House of Pain's "Jump Around" and Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain" back-to-back. Perfect.
• Hankering for breakfast at 6am on a Sunday, we walked the streets until we found a 24 hour Golden Griddle.
• The teams in this tournament were true teams. They clearly play together all summer long. Our team was a mishmash of players, most of whom don't play together. It took us three games to gel and by then it was too late.
• The dome is cavernous but while playing you totally forget where you are and find yourself totally focused on the game.
• Michelle and James came out for yesterday's game and had a blast.
• It's 10am and I've already been up for six hours! I feel like the host of a morning show.

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Tonight, I made my highly anticipated SkyDome debut. I had a perfect day at the plate, going three for three with two runs scored in a 5-4 loss.

I can honestly say that my regular slo-pitch team Raging Storm would have won easily, but this new hybrid struggled at the plate and in the field. I actually thought I scored the tying run and was rather shocked when I saw the ump calling Andge out at first to end the game. That f-bomb heard echoing through the dome belonged to me.

It was a lot of fun playing on the turf under the roof where my Jays play. I was wearing the retro logo in their honour and took some pics. Check out my photoset to see how they stage this thing.

If we want to advance to the playoffs, we have to win tomorrow. Cito's confident we can turn this around. Boonie's Angels ain't dead yet.

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As you know, my slo-pitch team is participating in the 2008 'Round the Clock Tournament taking place at SkyDome this weekend. We couldn't get enough members of Raging Storm to commit, so this team includes a handful of players I've never even met. We're entered under the name Boonie's Angels.

Our first game is tomorrow night at 9. Another game is taking place Saturday afternoon at 1pm and one is scheduled for 5:00 am Sunday morning. I guess that's the "round the clock" component of this tourney. It's free admission for anyone who wants to crash SkyDome and watch us do our thing.

Fellow members of Boonie's Angels, I've posted the positions and lineups for our first three games over at http://www.torontomike.com/softball.html. If you've got a beef, let Cito know asap.

It might be January, but that doesn't mean we can't play a little baseball.

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No sooner did I write about not being able to stay up for an entire Leafs game on the west coast than did our 2008 Round the Clock Slo-Pitch schedule get posted. One of our games is at 5am.

That's right, our third game is scheduled at the diamond formerly known as SkyDome for 5am on Sunday morning. I don't know if that means I'll be up really late or waking up really early. With the Leafs playing at 10pm, things might work out nicely. I can watch the game, pretend I'm ten years younger and hit the clubs and then play ball at 5. Then, I can stumble home and hit the hay.

Unless we make the playoffs. That could ruin everything.

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The 2008 'Round the Clock Coed Slo-Pitch Tournament takes place at SkyDome in January. For those only born in the past few years, the SkyDome is that ball park downtown officially named the Rogers Centre. Call it whatever you want, I'm just psyched about playing there.

That's right, my championship winning slo-pitch team, Raging Storm, has been entered to compete. I don't believe I've ever played ball in January, so this should be fun. I know I've never played ball at SkyDome, and that will be very cool.

Another member of the team filled out the registration papers and he didn't enter us under our usual moniker. For this tournament, we'll be Boonie's Angels. Another dream come true...

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Last night, I attended our slo-pitch league's annual banquet. My team, Raging Storm, plays in the RSPA and I joined five teammates in representing the division one champs.

Here's a little recap of the event, which included lots of music, drink, dinner and awards at the Westwood Banquet Hall in good 'ol Rexdale.

A Brief History Lesson
The RSPA is an Etobicoke / Mississauga slo-pitch league with several divisions for recreational ball and intermediate ball, and one division for the best of the best they call Competitive. The teams are placed in divisions according to their on-field ability. In Intermediate, for example, there are several divisions, with Int-1 being the best of the teams not in Comp and then there's Int-2, Int-3, etc. We just won Int-1, making us the best team not in the single Competitive division.

The RSPA has gotten so big, there are now two nights for this annual banquet. The weaker divisions were supposed to attend last night and the higher divisions were to attend next Saturday. We got an exception and attended last night with the less talented teams.

My Flashback
We all agreed to show up at 8pm, just before dinner. I joked I'd be there at 7:53, and that's exactly when I showed up. A half hour later I was still the only person at the Raging Storm table, nursing my cranberry juice and listening to AC~DC's "Back in Black" blaring out of the speakers. It was just like the high school dances I attended!

The Boos
I gave that little history lesson so you had some perspective. We were by far the best division champion in attendance, so when it was time to acknowledge the champions and distribute the awards, we were called first. Marc and I were actually scoring some pastries when they announced the Int-1 champion Raging Storm, but nobody could miss what happened next. The entire hall booed us. They booed us heavily, even though we had never played a team there.

You may assume, as we did, that every divisional champion would be booed. This didn't happen. All other divisional champs were cheered. Why did they boo us? Did our reputation precede us? Was it because we were announced as champions of the strongest Intermediate division?

The Tower
At one point, with people hitting the dance floor, I decided to build a tower. I got cocky, and introduced a platter to the tower, and the tower fell, knocking a full glass of cranberry juice onto Jordy's lap.

It was perfect.

The Sweater
As predicted, they gave us sweaters. This was our grand prize for winning the division. They're nice sweaters, but they're sweaters.

Oh yeah, they also bumped us up to the esteemed Comp division, which may be more of a curse than a blessing. Still, I'd rather go 0-16 in the toughest division than 16-0 in the 2nd toughest division. It was a great year, and even the cheesy banquet didn't totally suck. Here's the obligatory photoset.

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Shower me with your love. Tonight, we of Raging Storm, RSPA Int-1 division champions, will be recognized for our outstanding achievement at the league banquet. I normally don't attend these things, but this year I'm going. We're champions, dammit!

The award itself will likely be a sweater or something craptacular like that, and the open bar is completely wasted on a teetotaler like me, but I want to be lauded. Who doesn't enjoy a good lauding?

I'll snap a few pictures and report back here tomorrow.

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We did it. We swept the S&M Flyers tonight to win our division and that means we'll be playing comp next season. I've played on this slo-pitch team for the better part of a decade and we've never tasted success like this.

Both games were wickedly close. We eked out a 9-8 win in extra innings in game one and then, in game two, I was at the plate with two on in the bottom of the last inning and down by a run. All I could think about strolling to the plate was Joe Carter and his walk-off homer to win the series in '93. I laced the second pitch I saw into centre field, scoring two and giving us a 14-13 win and the championship.

As boring as this is for everyone not on Raging Storm, I've got to get this all down while the euphoria still wafts in the night air. Everything I've written about this team I've meant. It was a controversial regular season and our worst record in years, but I've played on no finer a ball team. We always came back when it mattered. In game two tonight, we were down by seven and easily could have mailed it in and hoped for better in game three. Instead, our defense shut the Flyers down and our bats chipped away at the stone.

Finally, I want to thank my teammates. I had never played the role of Cito before, and I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the season. This was awesome and I'm damn proud. Kids, you deserve it.

Raging Storm, 2007 Int-1 Divisional Champions:

• Engell
• Jordy
• Alek
• Kic
• Marc
• Patino
• Andge
• Richard
• Matty
• Kelley
• Me

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His name is Laurence Tureaud, but you know him best as Mr. T. The world was first introduced to Mr. T in the guise of James "Clubber" Lang in Rocky III and next as Sgt. "B. A." Baracus on The A Team. Last week, he inspired my slo-pitch team and uttered four words that propelled us to a semi-final victory and a berth in the finals.

Tonight is that final best-of-three as we take on the S&M Flyers in an epic battle for RSPA supremacy. We faced the S&M Flyers three times during the regular season, losing twice and tying them once. As the fourth seed in the division, we're the underdogs, and that's just the way we like it.

You see, Mr. T was an underdog, too. He grew up in the Chicago projects, the youngest boy of thirteen children. Through a killer blend of determination, grit, strength, smarts and a mohawk, Mr. T won our hearts and had us all saying "I pity the fool". If Mr. T could rise like a phoenix to become top dog, so can Raging Storm. Scratch that... so will Raging Storm.

As Mr. T once said:

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Inspired by Mr. T's profound words, we in Raging Storm played one helluva ball game last night. It was do-or-die playoff ball, and we beat RobArts Rage 19-14 to advance to the finals Monday night.

I told you this was the best team we ever fielded. With only the S&M Flyers in our path of destiny, we could... go... all... the... way.

I love winning. It's so much better than losing.

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In about 24 hours I'll be preparing for the third game in our best of three slo-pitch semi-final series against RobArts Rage. This is a season I wish could keep going. I think our 2007 campaign, well documented here, is our most fun season to date.

I've never liked the nickname "Raging Storm". Earlier this year, we agreed to change it and bring in new uniforms. We even held a vote with "In The Face" winning out. As much as I dislike Raging Storm and our boring blue jerseys, it's our name and our brand. We're Raging Storm, for better or for worse, and I can't see this same group coming back next season with any other moniker. I'm even looking forward to coming back to this same crappy league in those same ratty uniforms.

If we win tomorrow night, we extend the season one more week, and that's incentive enough to kick some ass. I'll leave the final word to Mr. T.

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Raging Storm's much hyped semi-final series against RobArts Rage was full of unscripted drama, but not because of fireworks on the field. These fireworks were in the sky.

Before the raging storm, we managed to finish game one. We were down early and clawed our way back before giving it up again. Two 8-run innings did us in and we lost 18-15. By the end of this disappointing loss, the rain was falling and it was falling hard.

It felt like more of a typhoon than a rainfall. The rain was blowing down sideways and felt like hail and the sky was full of lightning. The ump called a rain delay but ordered us to stay at the park. We were going to wait this out.

We anxiously waited soaked and cold and the rain eventually did subside allowing us to play game two. We owned game two. Leading wire to wire, we weren't about to end this season. We won 9-3 to tie the series at one but at a park where the lights automatically turn off at 11pm, there was no time for game three. Game three would have to wait.

It all comes down to this. One game to decide who faces the S&M Flyers in the finals with an opportunity to move up to the comp division. We don't have a date yet, but we know our destiny. We have to finish this.

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Everybody's talking about the Kanye West showdown with 50 Cent on September 11. Everybody should be talking about another grudge match that promises to deliver all the drama you can stomach. We in Raging Storm have a semi-final series against RobArts Rage, that same RobArts Rage that went headhunting in late June.

That entry will take you back to that June 18 double header, but in a nutshell here's what transpired. A member of RobArts Rage took exception to Kic's cheers and drilled a ball into Kic's back. Our bench emptied, this RobArts Rage delinquent was kicked out of the game and eventually suspended for a few games, and I've been secretly hoping ever since that we'd run into these guys in the playoffs. On Tuesday night, I get my wish.

We want this one. It's a semi-final series, so we didn't need another reason to get up for these games, but we've got one. What rhymes with bass pickin'?

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This subject is just here to get a chuckle out of the boys and girls from Raging Storm. Can you keep a secret? Between you and I, a slo-pitch manager doesn't really have much to do with the outcome. Sure, I put together the lineup and the defensive positions, but after that we just sorta play ball and hope for the best.

We took out The Misfits two games to none and advance to the divisional semi-finals. As I suspected, we were unbeatable with our pitcher on the mound. Game two was a breeze.

Managers may not have much influence over an outcome, but I'm taking full credit for my first two playoff victories.

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In the past, playoff games in our slo-pitch league have always taken place in September. Tonight's playoff game, on August 20, is by far the earliest date on record. It just seems too early to potentially play our last games, but there's a reason we're already this far in the schedule. There's been no rain.

In a typical season, you're in for two or three rain outs. It's actually not the rain that cancels the game, unless the field is flooded in a torrential downpour, it's the lightning. Aluminum bats and lightning don't mix. This season, for the first time in history, we didn't lose a single game due to rain, thus there was no games to make up at the end of the regular season. The same is true for my other league. Toronto has had a rain-less summer.

A little Googling confirms my suspicions. This summer has been the driest in Toronto in almost 50 years. It's also been exceptionally sunny. Of course, as I type this, light rain is falling.

Damn Murphy.

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It's been a strange season for Raging Storm, the slo-pitch team I play for and manage. The regular season has come to an end, and the Raging Storm page shows our record as 8-7-1, but it's not as simple as that. As with The Transformers, there's more than meets the eye.

On the surface, 8-7-1 is the worst record this team has ever had. We finished fourth in a division we used to dominate. We didn't just lose two of our last three games, but we got killed in both, losing by an average of 14.5 runs. It sounds bad, doesn't it? As I said, there's more than meets the eye...

Pitching Issues
In the RSPL, you can't win without good pitching. If a pitcher shows an inability to throw consistent strikes, teams stop swinging. Every team plays this strategy and it can be awfully successful. Teams will walk themselves to huge innings and if you walk a male batter before facing a female batter, she's automatically offered first base. You can see how control issues will bury you.

We have an effective pitcher who won't give teams an opportunity to play the walking game. When Mofo pitches, teams have to swing away, and our team is blessed with outstanding defense. As a result, we're 8-1-1 when Mofo pitches. That's right, when our regular pitcher plays, we're an unbelievable 8-1-1 and when he doesn't play, we're 0-6. I told you there was more than meets the eye.

I'm not the type of manager who's going to call out a player in this space unless I feel it's necessary, so when I called out Mofo earlier in the year, you can understand why. We need the opposition to swing their bats if we're going to win and we need our pitcher to commit himself to the cause.

The GF Factor
Game 8 in 2006 was the last game GF ever played for this team. He was on our inaugural squad when we were Hooray For Everything and he was our best offensive and defensive player. It wasn't my fight with him that caused him to quit the team, but he did leave and we'd be foolish to think his absence hasn't had some effect on our performance. I know GF's gonna read this and smile large, but we do miss his bat... and I miss his CD collection.

The Best Team Yet
Our record says this is our worst season yet, and we even got mercied for the first time in history, but I'd swear this is the best team we've ever fielded. Sure, it's my first year as team manager, and that guarantees some bias, but look back to that 8-1-1 record with our regular pitcher for proof.

Without a doubt, it's been the most fun season on record. It's a great collection of personalities, and for the first time in this team's history, there's no tension on the diamond. We're out there having fun, and trying to win while we're at it. It's the best team we've ever fielded, regardless of how things go on Monday night.

Raging Storm, I'll see you on the field. I can't wait.

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This entry is for the ladies in the crowd. Guys, you can skip on by. Ladies, I'm talking to you.

I'm actively hunting for female slo-pitch players to play with me next season. You don't have to be awesome, although that helps, you just have to be decent. Ideally, you can pitch, as a female pitcher remains the holy grail of slo-pitch.

We're a good group of people with a great sense of humour and we play in Etobicoke / Mississauga. If you're ready to commit to the cause, please contact me or leave a comment.

Whattyasay, ladies? Interested?

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It was another tidy victory for Raging Storm tonight, but something was missing. For the first time in many seasons, I didn't wear my retro Blue Jays logo cap and wore a Maple Leafs cap instead.

I blame Taryn. Following last Monday's game, I asked her if she'd be able to wash it. She said she would and I haven't seen it since. Tonight, as I prepared for the game, my Jays cap was nowhere to be found. The Leafs cap was an emergency choice.

Samson's strength was tied to his hair and mine is tied to my Jays cap. Now where the hell is it?

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If you're a business owner, entrepreneur or just somebody with a little extra disposable income, I have a unique marketing opportunity you may be interested in.

My slo-pitch team is looking for a new name and new uniforms for next season. If someone was willing to pay our registration fee and buy us new jerseys, that someone could choose our new nickname as well as influence the jersey colours and design.

For example, if you owned a grocery store called "Sam's Grocery", we could be Sam's Grocery with the team name on our jerseys. There would be some value to that exposure in a good sized league, but there's an additional benefit I believe is far more valuable. I would write about Sam's Grocery and their generosity on a regular basis, targeting the appropriate keywords and earning a high rank in Google and the like. The SEO juice will far outweigh the expense.

If you're interested in sponsoring us, I'm interested in speaking with you. The registration fee is approximately $1600 and we'd require about 14 jerseys at $40 a pop. In exchange, you will:

• Name our team
• Choose our jersey colour and design
• Reap search marketing benefits with an enhanced web presence

It's first come, first serve. This note's for you.

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We in Raging Storm showed up tonight, played great defence and beat the Sharks 6-4. You don't see many 6-4 games in slo-pitch, but this game was memorable for another reason. It was memorable for being completely unnoteworthy.

Let's review our last four games, shall we?

• Our pitcher bails at the last minute, we lose as a result and I publicly call him out
• We win huge and get grief for running up the score
• We clash with the Sharks, I mix it up and get hit with the best insult I've ever received
• The infamous headhunter game in which Chris from RobArts Rage guns for Kic's melon

So you see, the past four nights of ball have all included a great deal of controversy. Tonight, however, everyone showed up, we won a tight one and there's nothing noteworthy to report.

It was just a friendly game of ball. Sorry...

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We have a winner in the great re-name the Raging Storm slo-pitch team vote.

Despite my best efforts to sell everyone on "The Zit Remedy", a name I believe would be perfect, the overwhelming favourite amongst my dumb ass teammates is "In The Face".

Let me go on the record in saying "In The Face" is a crappy name, but nobody ever said democracy was flawless. "In The Face" won fair and square.

Maybe I'll just call us The Zit Remedy regardless. Who's going to stop me?

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The other day J.P. Ricciardi publicly called out A.J. Burnett. In a similar fashion, I'm calling out our Raging Storm pitcher, M.F.

Mofo, that's three game day cancellations on your part. When a Patino or a Matty bails, it's no biggie. I shuffle the lineup a little and we don't miss a beat. You, however, are our pitcher. It's no secret we don't have an awesome backup, so when you bail on game day we're left scrambling. In the four games you've missed, we're 0-4, mainly because the competition walks their way to a big inning and buries us.

We're 5-5-1 overall, and that fifth loss was the game you were late for, so in games you show up to on time we're undefeated in six. With a reliable pitcher, we're pretty awesome. Without a reliable pitcher, we're a fairly mediocre bunch.

Mofo, what's the deal? Where's the commitment?

To everyone else, if you play slo-pitch and can pitch in games in the Etobicoke / Mississauga neck of the woods, please contact me. If you're a female who can pitch, I already love you. Drop Cito a line...

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I know we just held this vote for our new slo-pitch team nickname, but some people thought some important names were left off the ballot. This is the final, binding vote for Raging Storm's new name.

Voting is open until the strike stroke of midnight on July 10, 2007. If you don't sign your name, your vote doesn't count. If you voted in the last election, you'll have to re-cast your vote here.

The Baseball Team
The Zit Remedy
Whatever
Teenage Angst
Captain Strikeout and the Foul Balls
The Zack Attack
Foul Balls
S*M*A*S*H
In The Face
The Mikes
Raging Storm

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My ball team, Raging Storm, has never had a sub-.500 season. Going into last night's game, we were stuck at .500 and looking to break out.

We put up 14 runs and shut down the TPS Warriors in the first, giving us a two touchdown lead after one. That's when Kic gave one of his motivational speeches. He didn't want us letting up, thinking we had this in the bag. He wanted us to keep going, to keep hitting, to keep playing hard. Personally, I save my Win One For The Gipper speeches for decisive moments in important games, but Kic wasn't content with the 14-0 lead, he wanted blood.

We kept rolling, and before long we were up by 25. This is when the ump started coming down on us. Naturally, if we gapped a ball we were running for a double. The ump started calling plays quickly, forcing doubles into singles and ensuring nobody took an extra base. There's no mercy rule, but the ump thought we were running up the score, and he let us know he wasn't a happy camper.

From that point on, we all moved along one base at a time. My sixth hit in my sixth at bat was a nice line drive that would easily have me at second base, but I held up at first. Then, when Engell laced one, I held at second, and so on and so on and so on. It wasn't much fun, but for the first time since I can remember, we were too dominant for our own good.

The final score was 32-6, but it easily could have been 52-6. I just hope we saved a few runs for Monday.

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I received a lot of great suggestions as to what we should name our slo-pitch team next season, and now it's time for the big vote.

Please only vote once and vote for your favourite. Sign your name or I'm not counting the vote, and use your real name - I'll know if you're lying. I know all. Voting ends at the strike of midnight June 30, 2007. I'll post the final results on Tuesday.

The Baseball Team
The Zit Remedy
Whatever
Teenage Angst
Captain Strikeout and the Foul Balls
The Zack Attack
Foul Balls
Menudo
The Mikes
Raging Storm

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I played ball tonight with Raging Storm and once again we were down early before clawing back and taking the lead. This time though, we ended up on the losing end of a tight one.

For the second week in a row, tempers flared. Last week there was the incident with Chris from RobArts Rage and tonight I took exception to some bitching and moaning from certain members of the opposition. One guy threatened to beat me like a red headed step child, but when I got in his face and urged him to follow through, another guy shoved me away and mumbled something about me being "Mr. 1984".

I returned the field and stared this chap down, and he came back with the same "Mr. 1984" reference. Suddenly it him me. I only play ball wearing the retro Blue Jays logo I know and love from our glory days. His Mr. 1984 insult was in regards to the fact the logo on my hat was from that era.

Did he think this fact would humiliate me or embarrass me? It was the best thing I heard all day and I was honoured. Every once in a while I'll get hit with an insult that isn't insulting at all. You can carve Mr. 1984 on my tombstone and I won't mind a bit. Well, except for the being dead part. That would suck.

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I'm researching slo-pitch leagues in the Etobicoke / West Toronto / Mississauga area. I play in the RSPA, so I know all about that league, and I'm familiar with the Centennial Slo-Pitch League (CSPL).

Does anyone out there know of any others?

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When Raging Storm plays, sometimes it's just not blog-worthy. Last night we played a late night double header in Mississauga and it was indeed blog-worthy.

We smoked RobArts Rage in the opening game, 14-5. Solid defence, timely hitting, you know the drill. It was otherwise uneventful, but the main event was yet to come.

In the second game, RobArts Rage put up five in the 1st and four in the 2nd and had a commanding lead before we started to claw back. I sincerely like this year's Raging Storm team, it's full of character and talent and we're never out of a ball game. In the sixth inning, we completed the comeback, and as Kic rounded third to score, he shot up an arm in celebration. This is when things turned nasty.

Chris, the RobArts Rage third baseman, totally lost his cool and did the unthinkable. He wound up and drilled the ball into Kic's back as he scored. Chris was headhunting, and our bench emptied. I've played in this league for years and I've seen people lose their cool (including yours truly). Sometimes there's a little shoving or a push, but this was the first time I saw someone deliberately intend to injure. The ball could have hit Kic in the head.

Chris was kicked out the game. I think he should be kicked out of the league. We scored a few more after the incident and won the game 19-15, but a pox has been placed on Chris of RobArts Rage.

If there's a rematch later in the season, you might want to get your tickets early. This time, it's personal.

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This story is about eighteen months old now, but I don't think I shared it. I was reminded of it when Degrassi-themed nicknames started popping up in this entry about our slo-pitch team's search for a new moniker.

I'm not the most social guy (although I'm getting better), so I usually took a pass when our ball team would meet up in the off season for drinks, bowling or whatever. When Mike and Jen invited us over to watch a Leafs game and devour pizza, I decided to shock the team and show up.

During Hockey Night in Canada, they aired a CIBC commercial. Patino decided to tell us all that the dude by the ATM was Shane from Degrassi. I simply couldn't stay quiet after that. Toronto Mike knows his Degrassi and Toronto Mike knows Shane. That was not Shane at the ATM but Patino wouldn't hear it. The rest of the evening was spent arguing about whether that was Shane or not.

At first I think we were having fun with it, but it quickly became personal. I'd blame it on the flow of alcohol, but I don't drink. We were in no mood to agree to disagree and we weren't going to let this go. This subject was far too serious, far too important.

Eventually, we were literally in each other's faces. As God is my witness, I was going to hit Patino, and it was a fight I was likely to lose. There was a little shoving, I remember some finger poking thing that was clearly a precursor to blows, then I disappeared.

That's right, I snuck away and went home, remembering why I'm slightly anti-social to begin with and why I typically avoid these things. I was royally pissed, not because Patino was being such an ass, but because the dummy truly believed that was Shane in that CIBC commercial.

I sometimes wonder if Patino pretended to think that was Shane, just to piss me off. It worked, you Machiavellian genius. I'm upset all over again, 18 months later.

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Now that I'm managing my slo-pitch team and in full control, it's time to right a wrong. I wrote about this wrong over a year ago and it continues to haunt me. Our nickname was Hooray For Everything and before the 2004 season it was changed to Raging Storm, a very unfunny, uncool and non-creative name for our slo-pitch team. An evil force named Stella spear-headed this decision and somehow got to then captain Andge. The rest is sad and ugly history.

We'll finish this season as Raging Storm, but I want a new nickname for the 2008 season. I'm also envisioning slick new black uniforms, but first we need to choose a new name.

Please suggest new nicknames in the comments of this entry. I'll start with the first few possibilities.

• Crazy Diamonds
• Ball and Biscuit
• Triple Trouble
• Cubically Contained
• More Distortion
• Teenage Angst

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They bill it as "the largest co-ed SPN qualifier tournament in the west end". Some call it the "16th Annual RSPA/Stripes Slo-Pitch Tournament". I call it "how I spent my entire Saturday".

I checked in at Diamond Beach headquarters at 8am and spent the day playing ball at Max Ward Park and Diamond Beach, which is the fancy name for Centennial Park. We won the opener, lost our second game and won our closer to qualify for the playoffs. Our first round robin playoff game is tomorrow morning.

It really was a perfect day for ball. It was warm, but not too hot. There was a pleasant breeze and lots of sun. Here's hoping tomorrow is just as perfect and the day concludes with a tournament victory for Raging Storm.

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Damn it's a nice day out. I've been out all day, but before my 4pm BBQ I wanted to share the lineup and positions for Raging Storm's Monday night game against the Booty Pirates. This isn't normally entry-worthy, but Cito did have a decision to make.

Cito thought about this long and hard, and after a great deal of deliberation, Cito has made his decision. Visit the Raging Storm home page and, if you disagree with what Cito did, spill it in the comments.

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Cito screwed up. I thought it was an 8pm game tonight for Raging Storm but it was actually a 6:30pm start. I missed the first two innings and by the time I showed up we were down significantly. We actually made a game of it, battling back and loading the bases in the final inning before taking a 15-13 loss.

When I took over this team at the beginning of the season, I stated that anyone who showed up late would have to catch the entire next game. I was prepared to enforce this rule, but I never imagined it would be me who would be messing up the times. Now I have a decision to make.

The honourable thing to do is to put me at catcher on Monday night. That proves I don't play favourites and we're all equal under Cito's law, even Cito. Having said that, I don't want to play catcher on Monday night, and I'm Cito, dammit!

We'll have to wait and see what Cito does.

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We in Raging Storm played a double header tonight and won both games. We killed in the first game and came all the way back from a 13-6 deficit in the second game.

We had one too many players, so I split the second game with Patino. That meant I sat and watched the first three innings in which we surrendered 13 runs. That also meant I played the last four innings in which we surrendered only 1 run while scoring 11. I'm just saying...

It was awesome. I love games like this. Cito is very, very proud tonight.

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Raging Storm, listen up. This is Cito talking.

We pulled more than a few boners last night. The fact we were tied in the bottom of the last inning is rather flattering. We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us.

We're the only team that's going to beat us this year. Last night I saw routine fly balls misplayed, throws to first grossly under thrown and wild, playable ground balls missed, and more than a few mental gaffes. If we eliminate these boners, we won't be beat.

• Be aware of who's where and where you should be
• Stay focused
• Don't be afraid of f*cking up

If our boners go down, we'll be in fine shape. Lineups and positions for Tuesday night's game are on our page. I'll see you on the field.

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Another slo-pitch season is upon us, but this time things are different on Raging Storm. This time, I'm managing the team.

Raging Storm, you know the drill. I'm a Web 2.0 manager. Everything is communicated via email and all pertinent information is shared at http://www.torontomike.com/softball.html. I've made this page easy to find by adding a "Raging Storm" link to the main navigation menu at the top of every page.

Our first exhibition game is this Wednesday night against The Misfits. Kic tells me that former Raging Stormer Greg Fay now plays for The Misfits. Fay was our best player but he quit half way through last season. Our paths, it seems, will cross again. We'll see if FUGF catches on...

Raging Storm, as often as possible, you're going to play the positions you enjoy playing. All I ask is that you show up on time and do your best. If you can't make a game, let me know asap via email. I'll post lineups and positions at least 24 hours in advance on our team page.

See you Wednesday, and please, call me Cito.

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Late last night, as the clock struck 11pm, we in Raging Storm put the squeeze on the final out in an 11-5 victory. It was our final regular season game and we finished with a 10-5-1 record.

It's been an interesting season to say the least. The Great Stats Debate was followed by the end of my Cal Ripkenesque iron man streak when I actually sat out a game with a bad back. Then, my precious declaration following game #5 marked a turn around in my season. Game 8, which I've never written about until now, wasn't only the mid-point of this regular season, but it was a game which will live in infamy.

Game 8 was against Hollywoods, a team we were 1-1 against. We got off to a horrible start, and before you knew it we were double digits in the hole. Without going into too much detail to protect the guilty, another player started chewing me out for no particularly good reason. As this persisted, ignoring it became an exercise in futility and I let this player know he was out of order and required a chill pill. Meanwhile, with this obvious tension in the air, we started to come back.

I was on third base when the game tying homer was hit. At home plate, we exchanged high fives. This player that had been on my back the entire game also scored on the play, and when I put up my hand for a fiver, he pulled his away. That was the last straw. I got in his face and let him have it. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I was ready to dish it out if it came to that. He broke the code and enough was enough. Our blow up earned warnings from the ump, a mini blow up from Andge and a sincere threat on my part to quit this team because I don't play ball to fight, I play for fun.

That game ended in a 16-16 tie and it's the last game this unnamed player played for Raging Storm. He quit, I took over short stop again, and I've never batted better. The description on the RSPA site for that game described it as "a heated affair". I see it as the game that shaped this crazy season. He was our best player, both offensively and defensively, and without him we had to adjust. We were 4-2-1 with him and 5-3 without him. Along the way we won the division, built character, bonded as a team and had a helluvalotta fun.

It's playoff time. Storm, I'll see you on the field.

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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The regular season isn't over yet, but we in Raging Storm have clinched the Int-1 Division of the RSPA. Here's the standings.

1. Raging Storm: 9-3-1
2. Zep (HMV): 6-6
3. Smoke & Mirrors: 4-9-1
4. Grinders: 2-13

We'll get an opening round match up against the Grinders. I'm not sure why our division only has four teams while every other division has at least six. Oh well, you play the cards you're dealt and we'll be dealing with these pesky Grinders soon.

For more on our 2006 season, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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Are you interested in a challenge? Try and go the day without using your left thumb. Late in the second game of our double header sweep last night at Diamond Beach, I jammed the thumb in my catching hand into the shoulder of a charging base runner at second base. I figure it just needs some time, but last night I couldn't unbutton my jersey with the hand and today I couldn't open a zip lock bag. You should have seen me trying to change my daughter's diaper this morning. If there are any medical professionals out there, please advise. Do I just wait it out? Could it be broken? Will I ever have the use of my thumb again?

As for the games, it was a unique double header because we faced two different opponents. In game one, we absolutely dominated. It was 18-2 but we could have won by more. In game two, the first three opposing batters to the plate scored, and we knew we were in for a game. Our defense was awesome and some timely hitting bailed us out. A sweet sweep is worth a sore thumb.

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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Last night we played our first game since my precious declaration. I feared the raw numbers had begun to consume us and the only way I was going to play ball again was if I manually removed the focus on these figures. For what it's worth, I went 3-4 with an RBI triple off the wall in left center field. I was looser at the plate and more focused on the task at hand. I felt good up there, completely liberated. Thus far, I'm quite pleased with my little revolution.

We lost the game 14-11 on a base-running error, which is precisely how we lost last week. We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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I love playing ball. I always have. From the moment I played my first game of tee ball at Lessard Park I was hooked. What I lacked in natural God-given talent I made up for in heart and soul. Baseball has always been my favourite participation sport and I've given 100% in every inning I've played.

I've been playing with Raging Storm for about five years now and we've had quite a bit of success and plenty of good times along the way. We've played in a few different leagues in the GTA, currently climbing the ranks of the RSPA. A few years ago, we started keeping stats.

As a fan of Major League Baseball, I'm obsessed with stats. Ask me who was the first Jay to hit .300, smack 30 homers and drive in 100 RBIs in a season and I have the answers. I can tell you who recorded the first 20 win season, who hit our first all-star game hit and who pitched our first no-hitter, hit for the cycle or won the AL MVP award. Major League Baseball and statistics are a marriage made in heaven. When it comes to your summertime slo-pitch team, I've always been a great deal less sure.

I opened this matter up to debate at the beginning of the year, and the general consensus was that keeping stats was a good thing. Agreeing to satisfy the general will, I've been happily recording our batting statistics on our official page and I'll continue to do so. Following our fifth game of the season, however, I had an epiphany.

We are not professional ball players. In fact, we pay to play in this league. When you pay to play there is only one objective. We're playing to have fun. That's not to say we're not playing to win, we're definitely playing to win as winning enhances the fun, but we're certainly not playing for our stats, or are we? I had myself down as 2-4 in the game but when the official stats came in I was listed as 1-4. The mistake was mine, when I reached base the second time it was recorded as a fielder's choice. Suddenly, the difference between a fielder's choice and a single in a game of slo-pitch on a Monday night meant something more than it ever should. It meant a significant drop in the batting average.

I played Monday in a great deal of pain, playing first for all seven innings because it hurt to move and even calling for a courtesy runner for the first time in my career when I reached base in the last inning. I'm glad I played, because it was a lot of fun, and that's exactly why I play. I play for love of the game. I play to be part of a team, ideally a winning team, and I play because I've loved playing since that first game of tee-ball. I don't play to ensure my batting average stays above .500 and I've removed my stats from our page to ensure I never lose sight of this fact. If other members of Raging Storm wish to follow my lead, I'll gladly remove their stats as well.

It's time to start a revolution. I am not a number. I am a ballplayer.

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It was close, but Smoke & Mirrors came up with two runs in the last half of the last inning to squeak by us 8-7. 4-0 out of the gate, it's good to get this first loss out of the way. How's that for positive thinking?

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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I sat out last night's slo-pitch game with an injury. I pride myself on playing through anything. With the exception of a torn ACL and broken leg I suffered in a game back in 2003, I haven't missed a beat.

They sure didn't need me. We romped Zep 13-3. Kic apparently went ballistic, probably venting pent up rage from this. He hit a grand salami and a three-run blast to lead the charge. I'm hoping to play next week.

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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It was a strange night from the get-go. First there was the tornado warning and ever-threatening rain and lightning. Again, I was shocked (not literally, but almost) we got a full game in with a sky as dark as this and this. It rained a little and there were flashes of lightning in the distance, but we played seven innings and improved our record to 3-0.

Playing first one inning, I corralled a tough throw to record the force out only to see the runner at third charging home. With little time to spare, I threw hard to Andge who was catching. Unfortunately, my throw was short and the bounce up from the ground clipped Andge hard under her left eye. There was that scary moment when she dropped to the ground but luckily it looks like the only damage will be a pretty cool looking shiner for a few days. Sorry Andge!

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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Tonight we played an effiicent game with solid defense and timely hitting to improve to 2-0 on the season. An unnamed player on our team brilliantly pulled a Canseco, running to the warning track to make a catch only to have the ball bounce out of his glove and over the fence.

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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On the heels of The Great Female Walk Debate comes The Great Stats Debate. In previous Raging Storm seasons, we've kept offensive statistics. Here's the 2005 page and the 2004 page as examples.

This season, we're debating whether to continue this practice. Some believe it puts too much pressure on the batter while others think it creates a fun competitive atmosphere. Personally, I'm on the fence. For starters, it's extra work for me to maintain the stats. As for benefits, I'm not sure there are any except that those with the bigger stats can back up their arrogance with metrics. Stats don't measure intangibles like heart, effort and camaraderie. They're just cold numbers in an all too cold world.

The stats were emailed to me this morning but I haven't posted them on our page. This debate is incomplete!

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At 4:00 pm, it didn't look good for tonight's game. It was pouring, there was lightning in the air and the weather forecast wasn't promising. As I approached the ball park near Derry Road and Goreway it was as if the clouds parted for us. The rain was gone, there was no lightning in the air and we had our first ball game of the season to play.

It was a solid win against a strong opponent. Things were tied up in the bottom of the seventh when Greg Fay hit his second home run of the game to secure the victory. The perfect season continues...

For more on Raging Storm, visit http://www.mikeboon.com/softball.html.

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Anyone is welcome to submit a Guest Blog Entry to MikeBoon.com. I received the following entry earlier today.

I CANNOT beleive what I just read. Females walking after a Male's hit. That rule sucks. Some females are better than male players (much as I disagree) but SOME are.

That is not ball, be it baseball of softball. You agree with letting females walk intentionally after a male hits -what is the reason to have a strong male come up & knock them all home? A FIXED LEAGUE with CRAP rules. Do your male players have gloves in the field or just the females?

Do the batters hit off TEES? Probably. I cannot beleive you agree with this rule. If I was any female I would not play in YOUR league. It's for WIMPS (YOU included - Mike).

DUBYA must make the rules for your league (with your input) - total BULL$%!+.

Have fun this year. Is Madonna your coach? Probably not as she is female & would get to 1st base everytime.

      dale

Methinks you're misunderstanding the rule and the reason for the rule. The female can choose to walk or hit only if the batter immediately before her was male and walked. Thanks to the wonders of the Interweb, you can read the official RSPA Slo-Pitch rules. The rule in question is 5-13.

I wouldn't say I agree with the rule, I just understand why it's there. The official slo-pitch rules followed by the Slo-Pitch National has a rule I far prefer and suggested to the RSPA commissioner. They give the male second base and force the female to hit.

This discussion has struck a nerve, so please leave your comments on this original entry. And please, don't call me a wimp. It's not nice.

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In our slo-pitch league, there is a rule regarding female batters which has caused quite a bit of controversy. The rule is applied when a female batter bats after a male batter is walked. The female batter in this instance would have to choose between batting and taking an automatic walk.

I've always believed our female batters should take the walk if it's offerred to them. Swinging away gives you a 30% chance of reaching first but taking the walk gives you a 100% chance of reaching first. To me, it's a no brainer. Take the base, advance the guy ahead of you and help your team accumulate runs. That's the objective, right?

An unnamed member of Raging Storm, my slo-pitch team in this league, took the offer of a walk as a slight against her gender. Game after game I'd watch the opposition take the walk each and every time, yet when I encouraged our women to do the same, an unnamed teammate would snarl at me and accuse me of being a he-man woman hater. This became such a sticky subject that a league-wide vote was recently cast to determine whether the rule should be scrapped. The results showed the majority wanted to keep the rule so we'll have it again this season. Personally, I think it's a necessary evil. In a big game, who would pitch to a larger, stronger male batter when they can walk him and look for a double-play grounder from the female batting next?

If you're wondering what my unnamed teammate thought of the vote results, it doesn't matter. She quit the team this winter. She's gone, but the great female walk debate will most likely continue.

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Two years ago today I was part of a decision that haunts me to this day. We in Raging Storm voted to change our name from Hooray For Everything.

Hooray For Everything was not only a fantastic name for a slo-pitch team, but it was a successful one. We won three championships in four seasons. I previously discussed the origin of the name, a handle given to a group of "well-groomed young go-getters" on "The Simpsons". It was a good name, a solid name, an ironic name, and two years ago today we voted to change it to the soulless Raging Storm.

Not a day goes by that I don't regret that decision. Hooray For Everything, you're deeply missed.

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Have you ever wondered what a champion wears? Wonder no more. During last night's league banquet, which I was far too cool to attend, members of Raging Storm were presented with 2005 championship shirts.

• Photo 1
• Photo 2

You're jealous, aren't you?

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Everything came together last night culminating in a tidy sweep as we in Raging Storm won the RSPA Division Championship. Last year, we lost in the finals but this season we redeemed ourselves.

Good hitting and great defense is a deadly combination in slo-pitch. I don't have the exact scores at this time, but neither game was close. Next season, we move up to a more competitive division.

Awesome work dudes and dudettes. The core and dependable Raging Storm team members that shared sips of champagne last night were Greg, Kic, Engell, Neil, Jordy, Andge, Alex and Marc. Lets do this again in 2006!

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Tonight, we in Raging Storm leave it all on the field. There is no tomorrow. It all comes down to this.

Will I be sharing a song of victory tomorrow or the anthem of losers?

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I've just returned from our thrilling two game sweep over Hollywoods. We in Raging Storm played perfect playoff ball, playing tight D, carrying big sticks and overcoming Greg Fay's strike out.

The finals are next week against the Booty Pirates. You may recall we lost in the finals last year. It's redemption time.

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Finally, after a lengthy delay and first round bye, Raging Storm has a playoff series to play tonight.

It's been a while, and I'm not sure if the layoff is a good thing or a bad thing. I've been playing on Thursday nights so I'm not that rusty, but we've got a possible trifecta of games tonight and anything less than a victory won't be acceptable.

It's on.

Update @ 21:13: It's off. Their permit trumped our permit.

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An 11-5 season has earned us in Raging Storm a first round bye in the playoffs, and now we play the waiting game. We'll face the winner of the game between Hollywoods and the Misfits. We didn't get a crack at the Misfits this season, but we pounded Hollywoods 12-2 earlier in the year.

If I were able to grow a half decent beard, I'd be growing one right now. It's playoff time and a Raging Storm is brewin'!

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Shhhhhh! You'll wake our bats. They're enjoying a lengthy nap right now and I fear if you awake them they'll be awfully cranky.

Sweet dreams batty-bat-bats. Daddy loves you.

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There was much drama at Fleetwood Park tonight. Down by four in the bottom half of the last inning, we clawed our way to an awesome come-from-behind victory. I hit the game tying triple and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly. There's nothing like winning a good game of baseball, even when it's slo-pitch.

It was one of those games. Shaky defense put us in an early hole and it appeared we would implode. There was in-fighting, finger pointing, and finally, a call to arms. As quickly as it let us down, the defense bailed us out, but it's the bats that get credit for this win. Good times...

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When I lead off the game with a homer, it's always a good omen. I did just that last night and we managed to score 15 runs in the first inning in a game that was called after four on a account of the mercy rule. Me like winning.

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It was one of those nights at the ballpark tonight. Nothing went our way and we lost a couple of tough ones. Both were close, in fact, we had the lead in game two going into the last inning only to cough it up. I don't want to talk about it.

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A five hour drive to our late-night double header tonight was worth it as we swept, ending our two game slide. More tomorrow.... goodnight!

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Tonight, we lost our second game in a row. Our bats have gone silent after a torrid start. Oh wait, I just realized we have a great excuse. Both losses have come against teams in a higher division. Phew!

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It was the bottom of the last inning, Raging Storm in the field and Smoke & Mirrors at bat. We're holding on to a three run lead but Smoke & Mirrors has managed to load the bases. At the plate is one of the ringers they brought in after their humiliating defeat last week. Grand slam. Game over. Raging Storm lose...Raging Storm lose...Raging Storm lose...

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It was our best all-around game of the season and the mercy rule had to be enforced to end it. In this league, if a team is up by 15 after a full inning, it's game over. I scored the 19th run with a solo shot, the only homer of the ballgame.

We in Raging Storm are now 6-0.

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I play in two different slo-pitch leagues. In one, the one I maintain a page for, we're 4-0. In the other, after a thrilling come from behind victory tonight, we're 3-0.

I can't lose. I've yet to taste defeat. If you include the exhibition games I'm 9-0 this season. Tonight, we were down by a run heading into the top of the ninth. I got to the plate with the bases loaded and lined a two-run double into the gap. We held on for a sweet, sweet victory.

The drives of 2005 continue. Everything's coming up Milhouse!

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With tornado warnings about, it's probably a good time to explain the lack of updates to the Official Raging Storm Web Page.

The game was scheduled for last night in Mississauga. During a serious down pour, I fought traffic and managed to make it to the diamond just in time. The rain had whimpered out and the thunderstorm had passed. Unfortunately, this particular diamond is literally in a valley and the rain had pooled, flooding us out.

It took a raging storm to stop the Raging Storm.

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It wasn't quite the convincing win over the Sharks we had last week, but a win is a win. We in Raging Storm have kicked off the 2005 season by going 5-0 out of the gate.

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We in the Raging Storm continue to roll as we once again won easily. Four games, four tidy victories for the good guys.

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Tonight, we in Raging Storm won easily with solid defense and early offense. We're off to a tidy 3-0 start to the season and there's not much to complain about.

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On Monday night, we in Raging Storm played a double header to open the regular season. We swept, winning by scores of 13-10 and 19-8.

You can follow the action all season long on The Official Raging Storm Home Page.

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With a couple of exhibition games already under our belt, it's time for the Raging Storm slo-pitch team to begin the 2005 regular season.

The official home page of the Raging Storm has been refreshed to include 2005 information and the results and statistics from 2004 have been permanently archived.

It all starts with a double-header next week. Lets do this thang!

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At some point in early December, I realized I was done with Raging Storm. I announced my retirement from the slo-pitch team I had played with the past few years and prepared to fill the void with other physical activities.

I love playing ball, but a little voice inside my head was telling me to move on. The Raging Storm chapter of my life needed to be closed before it grew stale. Now in my thirties, it was becoming harder and harder to relate to my much younger team mates and with two kids and lots of work to do, a competitive league didn't seem to fit into my routine. I sent Andge my "I quit" email and didn't look back.

Last week, Marc sent me an email asking me to reconsider my retirement. My spot hadn't been filled and it wasn't too late to register. At this point I decided to un-retire and return to Raging Storm with a new mentality. This year, I'm going to play to have fun. If I boot a ball at shortstop, I'm not going to care. If I fly out leaving the bases loaded, who gives a rat's ass. They don't pay me enough to do anything but enjoy and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'll be maintaining the official Raging Storm page so drop by for an update if you're curious. As it turns out, I really suck at retiring.

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Fellow members of Raging Storm are probably wondering how to get to our home page now that the permanent link has been removed from the top of this page. Rest assured, the official Raging Storm home page is still being maintained and can be found here. You can permanently book mark the page at http://mikeboon.com/softball.html.

Until I run in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, on Sunday, October 3, 2004, I'm keeping a pink ribbon on the top of this page to the right of the MikeBoon.com logo. Clicking this pink ribbon will take you to my donation page. You can sponsor my run until the end of the month by clicking that link. Donations from $1 to $100 and beyond are most appreciated.

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