rabbit season! duck season! softball season!

Sunday morning was a brilliant day for a softball game. Parking in the Marina near Moscone Field on a warm spring Sunday, however: nightmare. The morning lineup of friends' games were three in a row out by the Bay: Storm D, Pups D, and Storm C. It took me only 15 minutes to get out there, but over 30 to park. I would have missed half of the first game if the opposing team had not forfeited. It was nice to coffee klatch with the boys for the first hour.


And the rest of the players got their Prashant patches. It was a good day to remember and celebrate too.


Dew, the marketing mind behind the successful fan-rousing for the Pups and then the Storm, is taking a season off. Glenda remains official score-keeper/manager.


And back from an envious work stint in London and travel across the continent, Sudsy has returned to SF and Pups D.


The Storm D had to split up as they won the SF season last year, and both teams went to the Gay Softball League World Series in Minneapolis last year. Apparently transplanted to SF with his partner, was a Blue (umpire) they had met at the World Series, and over which both teams were droolingly distracted. I must admit: yeah.


The bat check was particularly erotic for the fans, which amused the heck out of me.


It was a ridiculously perfect day for a day of softball in the park.




I've said it before and I'll say it again: Gay softball is just much more fun than straight softball. Niece Ellen was stuck in traffic trying to get from LA to Santa Barbara, and having to detour around the LA Marathon to join the rest of the family on spring break at Alisal. There was much texting. I sent her this pic, which I think sort of sums up why gay softball is awesome. She posted it to her tumblr, and it's been shared and shared again from there.

Just one more reason why gay softball is much more fun:

celebrations round up

May was a generally merry month around here and it's past time to post photos from some of these celebratory events.

First up we say congratulations to Greg Avant on his graduation from law school, his finacé Lance and good friends/neighbors Jason and Lindsay and Jason hosted an absolutely gorgeous garden party. L&J's landlord has the most beautiful garden in Potrero Hill and generously shred his space for the event. The weather could not have been nicer for a celebratory afternoon in the garden. The Avant wine was a cleaver touch.

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That Saturday night was also the 40th birthday celebration for the lovely and talented Bryan Michaels, who hosted the event in his salon Groove which has recently been modified to double as a nightlife event space.

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I particularly got into the artwork on show.

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There were several pieces I really wanted to buy. They are "painted" in wood stain. And while their scale was one thing I really liked about the works, I have no room for a 6' by 5' piece in my apartment.

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But I am still considering it.

And this I just thought was funny. Sort of like an image of cruelty backstage at a beauty pageant.


And finally in town that weekend was Fun Ian in from not so much fun Ohio. Among other things, I took him to a Pups game and as long as we were spending Sunday in the park with sunshine, I went ahead and pulled it out with cucumber sandwiches, nibbly bits and proper mint juleps with pewter julep cups. As the coach said, "Only at gay softball."


Our properness at the Pups game ended immediately thereafter with their bad Puppy leather-themed beer bust at Toad Hall.

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Give those dogs a bone.

While the day was fraught with frivolity, Ian managed to skate by on stealth mode keeping us ignorant of his birthday. This was properly remedied the next night with balloons, gifts and face paint at his favorite SF activity: Testarossa 80's Monday at Trigger.

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Oh, and the balloon hat was all sorts of wrong. Which was perfect for our centering-of-attention of Shy Ian.

Happy birthday!

take me OUT to the ball game

We've become big fans of the Pups (D team, of course) and the SF Gay Softball League.  Gay softball is so much fun—it's just the right amount of competitive but not it doesn't take itself too seriously.  As one furry gay man's t-shirt read: All bears are bad news.

There is a LOT of sass on that field.  And we find ourselves heckling our own team more than the opponents.  And the chatter is almost always both bitchy and hilarious.  And the fans?  Well, we bring it.

And looking at the fans under the hot, blistering sun, you can sort of tell that it's a gay softball game...

Pup'y love

With our friends Eric (Dew) and Matt (Sudsy) playing for the SF Pups' D team, we've started going to their Sunday games to cheer them on. So far, the Pups are the only ones with a cheering section or fans in the stands. And we bring it. I can only see this escalating to the point of actual cheers, calling games with a megaphone and even mascot costumes.

That being said, we are openly fair weather fans. Meaning when the weather is fair, we'll come out and be your fans. We don't care if you're losing. We sort of expect that. Which makes it somehow even more fun. We are defiantly jubilant. And honestly, gay softball can be hilarious. We are faithful to our D-level team. The B stars are all good players and all serious and competitive and shit. Our stars can hit the ball and sashay at a sprint and do a dance at first base if the inspiration strikes. Where else when a player named Beast takes the plate will you hear from the dugout, "Tales as old as time..."?   And the Pups are serious about their costumes uniforms.   And I will say they look good in those tight black pants. All those baseball term double-entendres are worth it.

And I mean it when I say we are fair weather fans, because with fair days like these, how can we resist?


Even if the game was at nine freaking o'clock on a Sunday morning. At least there was parking. And I don't know how many trips to the park it will take (Fan Captain Glen has checked in enough to earn the questionable "Babysitter Badge," which we now call his "NAMBLA Certification") before I stop finding this ironic:


Cause they're the Pups! And No Dogs Allowed! Hahahahahaha. Eh. At least I have the thermos. This morning it was just coffee. When I'm off the wagon we may go back to coffee and Bailey's. Other fans were disappointed that I was coffee-totalling this time.

As they all say: If you cannot be an athlete, be an athletic supporter. And we rock.


Go Pups!

If you feel like a fun Sunday in the park, check the online schedule for the Pups D team and feel free to join us (games only last an hour!).  I'm just waiting for a bunch of hairy and burly gay men to start an actual Bad News Bears team in the gay league.  As one t-shirt at the Lone Star rad: All bears are bad news.