FTOP had a game at 1PM and ETOH had a game v. the Pine Trees (college kids) at 3PM. FTOP won 7 - 2 so we were going to be playing at least one more game, the final at 6PM. But ETOH got hammered v. the Pine Trees 13 - 3. We played them earlier in the season and they won 10 - 1. Needless to say, we didn't expect to win (and we obviously didn't). Somewhere during the onslaught of goals, I was able to slap, stop, spin and twist--sometimes all at once--to block a few shots on goal keeping the game somewhat respectable. But, the Pine Trees began picking our defense apart and had several three pass, pinball style, plays that basically left me out of position and a striker with an easy tap in. Embarrassing to say the least. Nonetheless, I hung in there. Dylan asked me a couple of times if I wanted to play the field. I declined thinking better of being run around like a pylon on the field when I had at least the Black Division final to play.
It was during that game and continuing after it into the Black Division final that my back had experienced something it decided it didn't really like and started to cease like Jimmy Buffet's margarita blender he's been using since he wrote Margaritaville filled with sand and running on puree mode. The only thing missing was smoke and that smell of electrical stuff catching on fire. We, FTOP, won our 4th championship in 5 years beating Everwarm by a rather handy margin of 8 - 2 (or something). They're the team we've faced in the finals for the last 4 years and the team who beat us only once, last year. Their first goal was a well fought break by Donnie from my right with a pass to the crease that I thought I'd just reach down and pick up. What I didn't see was Jimmy coming in from the front and sticking his foot right in front of the ball such that it shot up over my shoulder and into the top of the net (DAMN). At the end of the half it was 4 -1 so we were sitting pretty already. The second half seemed slower and longer with the exception of a few moments of defensive lapses, rather uneventful. Oh, except that one where Josh came back to keep the ball from going into the net and me calling "KEEPER BALL" and then he turns from facing the net, 180 degrees, and punts the ball off of my chest into the net, OUR NET! Oh well, we won anyway.
But then there's my back. It was sore just like my legs were on Monday and then worse come Tuesday. I played racquetball Tuesday night which was entertaining for others as I moaned with each serve. Wednesday I was undaunted by my lingering pain and rode my bike to work and back. I felt pretty good. My leg soreness went away for the most part but by Thursday morning, my back was not having any of it. Lisa had already made massage appointment for me for Thursday morning and I was looking forward to it. I had a meeting in Blyn that afternoon and all went accordingly. Except for the never ending pain and then the sudden stabbing pain that hit 7-8 on the WTF-O-METER. After the meeting I drove Mike and me back to town. Lisa came home from work and we sat down for a bite to eat. Then it happened again! The WTF-O-Meter went off the chart for about 10-15 seconds and Lisa witnessed the contorted grimace on my face. It scared her and subsequently me and we decided a visit to the ER was in order.
I didn't know what was going on so I got a tad nervous. Carol had severe back pain just a few weeks ago (the Seattle/Portland trip) and that landed her in the hospital for gallbladder removal. It could also have been kidney stones, I hear they're rather painful. It could be a bruised organ or worse, a tumor! I wasn't taking any chances and . . . three classic hours later, after x-rays and whatnot, we find out it's bone spurs on my vertebrae. Whew! Apparently, while I was pirouetting on my head to stop various voracious attacks, I aggravated das spurs und ze muscles und nerves. Just give me drugs and I'll be on my way. Still, what can be done about it and what should be? Stop playing? Surgery? Dunno, but I'll recover and return. That's what I do.
Then, as you might recall, sh!t happens in threes. Friday morning rolls around and Mike leaves the office on a day when I overheard him say he was going to be "office boy" for the day. 'Turns out he was called to assist his wife, at Dry Creek Elementary School. Apparently, she got hit on the head by an errant basketball and it knocked her down. EMTs were called to the scene, she thought she felt her neck vertebrae . . . squish? In any event, they went to the ER as a precaution and spent 4 non-refundable hours there determining that things were okay (from a, you're-not-gonna-be-paralyzed-for-life point of view). She ended up at home recovering and we're all hoping for a speedy, worry-less recovery. So, that's two. Now I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop . . .
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