Ready to play ball again...

It is time to return to baseball.

After a two-week battle with kidney stones, it is time to return to Udall Park and resume play with the old boys of summer. I'm sure the members of the Tucson Oldtimers (TOTS) baseball club have gotten along just fine without me the last few weeks, but I on the other hand, have sure missed throwin' the old cowhide around.

I've missed a lot of action and quite a few games, and believe me being laid up in a hospital bed is no fun...and having the urologist go in (ouch!) to fix the problem...well just thinking about the nightmare makes my eyes water. That darn stone was 7mm long and as hard as a rock...and felt like a baby Louisville Slugger complete with splinters.

And I lost enough blood in the process! I'm slowly getting back to normal. Walked Sabino Canyon yesterday, got on the treadmill the day before and have picked up two pounds (after losing about 12!). Luckily, I felt up to coaching my middle school girls' softball team last Saturday in the playoffs. I spent most of the time either in the third base coaching box, or in the bathroom, which was about six hundred yards from home plate.

The girls did better than I did as they captured the third-place trophy, the school's first hardware for its trophy case. As for me, I headed home with sore ribs from standing all day in the 90-degree heat. But I cooled off after nightfall, drank plenty of water and survived. The season is over for my girls and school ends for them this week.

As for me, I'll start a new season at Udall on Monday. For all my old buddies out there: Listen to me, drink plenty of water.

Let's play ball.