IFL Weekend (Yes,Caps needed) is always the best weekend of the year for me.
Not only does this weekend mean the beginning of the football season,but it means a non-stop 48 hour frenzy of hanging with my buddies and spending time with my oldest friends.
Battlin' Bob,Corey,Greg,Jeff and Ryan have been the core friends of mine for years and even though I've made great friends in the graphing world,you can never get away from the friends that know you best.
Derreck,Brad,Kendall,Bill,Tracy and Mike have all become terrific friends and I have a great time with them,but there is always a special bond with your original friends.
Think about a close knit group of college buddies or childhood friends,they may come and go from your life,but when you see each other,it seems like you are able to seamlessly move right back in form.
It's not that it's always better friends etc,it's just the people that know you longest and have more memories of you than anyone else.
I may spend more time on the graphing circuit in the summer now than with the IFL guys and I'm sure that occasionally they might feel neglected,but they should never feel shifted aside for the other group.
I really wish that I could get the two groups to interact more,but things might be best as they are-with plenty of good friends on both sides.
We finally accomplished the next step in the league this year as we entered year 15 of the history books-the move that I've always wanted- holding the draft in a setting that befits it-a hotel conference room.
Lots of space to spread out, places to go for our smoking members and lobby space to get away for a private trade negotiation-in other words,it has that baseball winter meetings feel that I've always wanted for the league.
It wasn't universally loved by everyone,especially when it meant tossing in more bucks to the league,but once you walked into the room and saw everything,it changed quickly!
I know I enjoyed my league hosting the draft and Corey enjoyed his many years as well,but as the league transitioned into more local owners,the time of having the draft in an owner's home had passed and it was time for a new page in the annuals of the IFL.
I'm not going to bore you with details of who did what and when at the draft.
I've always thought that fantasy sports leagues rank right there with pictures of children/grandchildren and pets as things that are terrific for the people involved,but a terrible bore for everyone else!
What I will say is this-a great time with one's pals and I think this is the way that it will be for quite a while,I'd tell you about it,but I might have to look at a cat picture in return!
The Sunday after the draft is a day for league members and other friends of mine to bring their wives and families to enjoy great food,play some "big ball" (remember this post?) and of course talk IFL.
One trade did get done on this day that usually just sees talk,so that was pretty great and the big ball game was fun despite a 6-5 loss.
I didn't pitch for the first time ever,I messed up my left calf running through a thunderstorm at the Muni last month and it really hasn't healed totally since.
As I am gradually becoming old and infirm,I need to take better care of myself,so I settled for playing first,although the old man still dove and rolled on the ground to make a nice play in the field (lefthanded,mind you),so the mind is still willing even if the body isn't always able to respond in kind.
We also made plans to start back up fantasy sports leagues in the winter-last year was the first year without a basketball or hockey league and I missed the league and camaraderie,so hockey had more support,but I think a basketball league might get started as well,even if the teams are few...
I missed a few of my friends this year that couldn't make it,but my mom and dad most of all.
Mom makes my favorite potato salad in the world,but my dad is in the hospital right now and mom cannot drive yet,so all things considered they sat this one out.
They were missed though and I'm hoping that they will be back next year!
All and all,IFL Weekend is a getting back to basics weekend,where we put things right with our friends,have a great time and act young again for a weekend.
I think Battlin' Bob put it best when he said "We really need to get off our asses and do this more than once or twice a year getting together".
Bob's right and we have already planned to have fun as a group for the opening day of the NFL season!
Thanks again to all the owners,helpers (Corey's mom Chris especially),wives and everyone that help make this weekend as great as it is!
Can't wait for 2015!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment