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M8 -Me Caradian CçiSr, Tu.sday Apnil 18,2000in If you can't win, losing is next best thin 1 got to play local sports reporter last week because Steve LeBlanc was on holidys. It's a bit of a slow time at the moment because we're between sports. Hockey ie finished for anotiter year. basebali is just barely gel- ting starling up and it's flot a.iteavy lime for high school sports. 'Me Mercitants are close to announcing a new head coach, but as of Ibis writing, that itadn't been finaiized. In otiter words, it gives me the opportunity 10 biabber on about witatever I feel like. For tome reason that got me titinking about losers and iosing. h y e y P p li d Out in left field -1 5j b î'6rwu ""n believe you're going toget aitit." er itigh scitool softbali team, witicit lost every single game lest 'The first pitcit - strike one. car.'Mie second pitcit - strike two. Worse than that, site piayed on a rep team out.of town titat lost The titird pitcit - she absolutely smacked il. very single game. Il was a line drive way over the sitortstop's itead and mbt left Even woree titan titat, 1 was the coacit. -field. Mind you, thte wboie teain except for two players were ail at tite 1 forgoe ail about the runners coming around Ibird and made oungest of te age level, s0 tey will be mucit hetter this year. sure site landed safely at fit-at base. lus, we lost about six games by one t-tui. Witen site got titere and lte bail was deed, site jumped up and In one gaine, we oniy itad seven players, so we itad t0 forfeit. down wititlber arme in lte air. Veplayed an exitibition contest anyway, and itammered them Kind of made ail lte losing wotiwitile fora momnt. ometiting like 24-3. Figures. Jus( between you and mie, t neyer minded losing witen I played. It wasn'î mucit of a rep tearu anyway, conside-mg everybody And I played on a lot of bed teains. hio tried out made il eo ltaI we would itave enougit players. Wben I was minor midget age, 1 played up a year on a midget One girl in particular was flot very experienced or atletically teamn in thte MrTHL. nclined. But site was a gainer and worked iterd in practice. We lost aimost every geme, but bcd a lot of fun doing il. Her flelding improved tremendously titrougitout lte yeer, but Someîting about losers bonding, I titink. ie got 10 te last gaine of te season and site stili itadn't got a itit. As soon as lte coacit finished yeiling at us afiter eve-y gamne, Before lte gamne, t took iter aside and pitcbed tome balle 10 ber. and left lte room, we'd laugit and make jokes. Nobody was ever Todsy, for sure you're going 10 gel a bit,,, t said lobher. in a bunry 10 leeve. 'Tt's witat you seid 10 me lte lest seven games," site coin- But lte nexî year, 1 sleyed on lte teani and lte minor midgets lained. moved Up. 'Titis lime, I reeily meen il," 1 repiied. We won almost every game, inciuding te MTHL citampi- Her fit-st two limes up ebe struck out. Titen site was lefI witit onsitip. Il wasn't neariy as mucit fun, titougit. kely one final appearance et lte plate. rThere wai a lot of pressure and if we even crecked e sinile afller 1 calied lime witen site stepped mb lithe balter's box and waiked e loss we were up in te stands for the next gaine. own the line from titird base 10 speak lo ber. I alto played on a men's htockey teain taI l every game for "You're going 10 do il now, rigit?" six years streigitt. Site sitrugged. 'TItat's flot good enougit," 1 said. "You bave 10 We itad e couple former pros and some former Junior A hockey clearNET. pcsT Why bang on to your $ home phone when freedom s so aiffordable? 2 5MNHYRATE 2 0 0MINUTES COMMUNICATION ZONE INO. "Your Communications Specialists" Authorized Dealer of Clearnet 393 Main St. East, Suite 1 , Milton 905-875-2352 or (416) 990-9944 players, s0 we sbould bave been decent. Not one pet-son in thaI dressing roomn minded, titougit, beceuse we bed sucit a greal lime. Then one year, we decided 10 go in a toumnament, et lthe top level of men's hockey in Trtonto. We tort of decided as a group ltaI we would play for keepe, since ltere was money ltaI wenl 10 lthe winning teem. Il was amazing. Ail of a sudden we slarted winning. We irrmped titrougt lthe round robin, even beeling leains froin our own league that we itad neyer come close 10 before. 'rThe goallender, wito bad neyer met a puck ltaI couldn'l gel by biru before, ail of a sudden was playing as if ite was Domînik Hasek's tutor. But, as we prepared for lte semi-finals and lten the chaempi- onsitip garie, you couid sec the chtange in te guys. Titere were few jokes, lempers were shtort, and you couid fei lte pressure in lte dressing rooin. Il wasn'l neariy as mucit fun. We ls a bearitreaker in overtime in lte finals. Then we spent lte nexl titree years losing evexy gaine and telk- ing about itow we coul.d probably win if we played like we did in ltaI loumnansent again. I played on some brutal bail teans, too, especielly in my eerly lwenlies. 'rie Beacites in Toronto was te grealest place 10 play fastbail because il was sucit e perfect selting, tucked in among lte park land near lte boardwelk, witb ituge trees ail around. On a summer evening you wouid'gel the breeze off lte lake, lthe stands would fuIl up wilth passersby and we gol our naines announced on lte loudepeaker witen we came up 10 bat, witicb I titougitt was more ltas« cool. & Il was pretly serious baIl, titougit, and 1 was probably lthe only player on lte leain wbo didn't care ltat we ls every gaine for titree yeers straigitt. 'rit bellperk was iteaven as far as I was con- cemed. I'm flot sure lthe point I'in tt-ying 10 make wilth tbese slo-iee. Il would be kind of ridiculous 10 advocete losing, but in my experi- ence losing was a lot of fun. L-el's juet sey thaI if you can'l win, losing is the nexl beet titing.