September 19, 2006
Hey Jim,

Chris Brooks writes a monthly newsletter for her
business as well as being published on several websites.  She references
you and our baseball season, thought you might be interested.

Ed Mutti - Athletics

PLAY BALL! Newsletter                         
"I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game.  
It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give    
them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a     
nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to    
us." ~Walt Whitman                                                   
A few weeks ago I sat and watched a friends’ baseball game and       
thought, "wow...this is the life!" The day was warm and perfect, not
a cloud in the sky. It instantly brought me back to a time when I    
was younger and used to play baseball in the corner lot. A time when
playing in the corner lot was not only okay, it was encouraged.      
Back then, things were simple. We divided up our teams, and gloves,  
bats and balls and played. All day. We didn’t know what              
discrimination meant. Back then we all had the same thing. We were   
kids of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds and since we all grew up  
in the same neighborhood, well, none of us were "rich." Even if      
PlayStation, XBox, and cable TV existed (which they didn't), I doubt
we would have been interested. We were too busy being Yaz, Pudge,    
and Butch. We pitched like Eckersley, caught like Fisk, and fielded  
like Rice. Our heroes were real....and back then, if scandals among  
them existed, we were the last to know. We felt the exhilaration of  
hitting the sweet spot, we took the time to breathe in the fragrance
of the fresh cut grass and heard the countless "I got it's!!" that   
usually resulted in the following, "no I don'ts...." We slept with   
our gloves nearby, rubbed down with oil and rubber banded together.  
We dreamed of the next big game, and our only worries were getting   
out of chores the next day so that we could play.                    
Times were easier.                                                   
As I sat at my friends’ game and watched these grown men play, I     
couldn't help but smile. While their competitive spirit may have     
been a little more charged up, they were still boys, in the field,   
on a summer day, dreaming of their childhood heroes. On this day, as
they hit, and fielded, and ran...they were professionals. Their      
grass stained uniforms, sweaty hats, and bloodied knees were proof   
enough that they were the real deal. While their loyal fans,         
complained of the bugs, the heat, the sun, the clouds, and the lack  
of bathrooms (while they sat in comfortable chairs, and rubbed on    
sunscreen) I couldn't help but laugh and think about how times have  
changed.                                                             
Nowadays, most of us come in from outside long before the            
streetlights come on. Most of us don't leave cookies out for Santa   
anymore, and most of us have long forgotten about the first time we  
felt a baseball make contact with that perfect spot on the bat that  
sent the ball farther (much farther) than it should ever go. Most of
us have forgotten about these things for one reason. And one reason  
only: We don't do them. It is not that we don't believe in them, or  
have time, it's that we simply make up excuses for why things can't,
or shouldn't be done. We have swapped the notion of growing up with  
growing old.                                                         
The hardest part about anything is actually doing it. We have all    
procrastinated. We all have dreaded going to the grocery store, the  
bank, the gym, for a walk or even visiting with friends. Things have
become, for lots of us, a chore. Life has become a chore.            
Let me remind you...life is not a chore. Not only is it not a chore,
it is fleeting, and should be enjoyed and cherished. Like I said, we
have all procrastinated and dreaded doing things. This, I think, is  
part of getting older...but it doesn't have to be all encompassing.  
The hardest part in doing things, anything, is just doing them. Once
the lawnmower is fired up, cutting the grass is not a chore. Most    
times, it's a chance to get fresh air, check something off a to-do   
list, visit with neighbors and be proud of an accomplishment. It's   
the initial action that's lacking.                                   
So, with summer fading fast for lots of us...I remind you all to get
out there. Enjoy the last drips of summer, and make them worthwhile.
Take the time to appreciate the green grass, the cool nights and the
local vegetable stands selling off the remainder of their goods.     
With this in mind…. Get out there! Play catch. Go for a walk. Hit a  
baseball. Take the time to remember your first hit, catch and home   
run. These memories are what we should be thinking about before we   
doze off. These are the memories that will bring us smiles when we   
are (much) older. There's still plenty of time for more.....         
Times have changed. Hold on to the ones that have made you who you   
are today, and play ball!                                            
**This newsletter wouldn't be complete without the mention of one    
person….the coach of my friend’s team, Jim. Jim had an idea. It was a
simple one. He wanted to play ball again. He wanted to choose up     
sides, stay out with the fireflies and catch, and run, and hit. So   
he did. He organized an entire league to do just that. So not only   
does he get to do that, about 100 or so men do too. (and it wouldn't
surprise me one bit to find those men with their mitts rubbed with   
oil, nearby where they sleep) Thanks Jim!                            
Put an idea to action. You never know who it might affect.   If you  
need, or would like, suggestions on outdoor activities, food         
combining or Sunrider, please let me know.                           
Until next time,                                                     
Christine                                                            
PS I have accepted a permanent writing position with Riders          
Anonymous.....please visit their on line magazine at                 
www.ridersanonymous.co.nz  My articles will sometimes duplicate the  
newsletter and sometimes focus on other aspects of nutrition,        
surfing and snowboarding.                                            
If you have received this in error, or no longer wish to receive our
mailings, please let me know. hang ten nutrition does not believe in
the selling, or renting of email addresses.                          
Christine Brooks                                                     
hang ten nutrition                                                   
...a better wave of life!                                            
www.hangtennutrition.com                                  
PLAY BALL!
Valley Wheel     
BASEBALL