Ciao, for now

Only so much cartilage

to cushion my knees

I only wish they knew

how to grow it on trees.

My joints tell me to stop.

My mind tells me not.

But I’ll know when I’m fifty

I’ll still be able to walk.
(I hope)

I’m getting into biking and

this my knees are liking.

Though, so much was learned

from the beautiful game.

I wished I started earlier,

before my knee got lame.

What fun I had and

what great folks I've met,

I wish you all the very best.

New Player Information

For those of you new to the Lakeside games, welcome.

We have a good time playing soccer here and we like to keep it kind of mellow.

A year or two ago, I sent out a little description of our games and policies which we mostly try to abide.

I figure now's a good time for a refresher and a couple additions.

Comments welcome.



We have nets,
# of players/game ranges from 4 to 18 (rare),
Maximum 9 players per side at all times,
If we have to substitute players, be nice and substitute often,
Men, women, and younger folks all are welcome to play,
No slide tackles,
No cleats (turf shoes or sneaks only please),
One pass is often granted for a person who doesn't know about our cleat rule,
A player who dons cleats a second time, after having been informed, will not play,
Refrain from vocalizing the score,
We have goals, nice goals, with nets,
We tend to avoid hospital balls (the 50/50 situations where you can get really hurt),
If the teams seem uneven, we will change them accordingly,
We don't constantly shout out commands,
If somebody always shouts out commands, don't pass to them,
We try not to take the play too seriously,
We all try to help enforce our rules,
We usually play on Saturday's and Tuesdays (Tuesdays during summer),
Try to pass to a younger player that hasn't had much play,
Don't nail the ball near younger players or me,
We are friendly,
We welcome newcomers,
The sidelines are very wide and are not strictly enforced,
We aren't anal retentive. Well, mostly...
We usually play here (Lakeside park)
After the game we often drink beer and talk about the game,
If we can't play at Lakeside, we try to play at Callahan.
Sounds fun, eh?

Tuesday Footy

I'm showing up today, rain or drizzle.

Lakeside, 5:30 at the latest. Will I be alone?

Lakeside conditions warrant play, says I

The Lakeside field seems to be vibrant, well drained, well vegetated and relatively undisturbed. Therefore, we shall meet at Lakeside on Saturday. If the field has turned to shit in the meantime, don't play on it. It should be fine though. My greater poaceae knowledge tells me so. Let's say 4pm for now, mostly because nobody has said otherwise.

However, I think we should have a discussion about an earlier kick-off, now that spring has officially sprung. 2 o'clock? 3?

Also, Tuesdays? Wanna start about5ish? I could be there by 5:30 on Tuesdays and there are several folks just waiting for the go-ahead. Here it is.

Unfortunately I probably can't make it on Saturday due to Mother's Day plan conflicts. I'm hoping somebody shows up on Tuesday.

Have fun.

Bow down to the sun god...

for she'ith who has takeith for so long, now giveth.

Lakeside park is most likely (95%) too sloppy. Let's play at Callahan.

Saturday, 4pm.

It's going to be a beaut.

Toxin Jerseys

How about getting those jerseys?

For those new to the game, the above logo initiated with Noel Fricke's artistry and surfaced with Der Kirsche Pflucker's savvy graphic artistry skills. (It's backwards cause it's meant to be ironed on)

What do ya think? Gadzooks (whose real name is a Greek God) has showed me some really nice reversable jerseys that were reasonably priced in one of his fancy soccer catalogs. He also has a sketch of his own logo design. Care to share Gadzooks? Maybe we all could vote? I think I can electronically do that.

If the above logo is chosen, I could clean up the image a little and email it to everybody. Then, all you'd need to do is print it out on some iron-on paper, cut it out, iron it on, and bingo, jerseys.

What'cha think?

Soggy Lakeside = Chaos

Good thing it wasn't the Apocalypse or we'd all be dead. Well, me at least.

After a bit of confusion last Saturday, it seems the Lakeside Park Turf Committee (LPTC) decided the pitch unsuitable for play. By the sounds of it, any rustling of the grasses would've left the conditions unsuitable for weeks. And so I received the call. Then another call. Then another. Last I knew, you folks were gaming at Edmund's Elementary field. I showed up (mostly to pursue a full-time goalie position because of the ankle) and the field was empty. Seems I didn't get the memo that the game was really going to be played at Callahan.

Hmm, maybe you were scared? Maybe you wanted a game to yourselves, maybe not so technical, not so professional, not so beautiful as I bring to the game. It's the only logical reason I can think of to deliberately ditch me.

Hopefully I'll see you all this Saturday. Anybody have any good ankle rehab. exercises?