A Knee-Jerk Reaction

Look out, ice hockey; I'm not finished with you by a damned sight!

I received an e-mail from my brother (Randal Graves) the other day, and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said that since I won't be able to play hockey any time soon, he asked if I would run our Winter League team.

After I got over his burn about my knee injury, I humbly accepted. I'll be organizing the roster, collecting everyone's league fees, attending any meetings at the rink, and sending out the dozens of e-mail reminders to my schedule-challenged teammates.

After a few brainstorms, I came up with a few ideas as well. I can now watch the action from either behind the bench or from the bleachers - thus taking notes on what we do well, and what we need to work on. I can even videotape some of the games for analysis - or comic relief. I can take photos of the games for the blog, and rip the refs when they screw up. And they will. Fish even suggested that I don a suit and coach from behind the bench, but I immediately told them I don't have any coaching experience. (Alas, none of my slow-witted friends noticed that I have been coaching high school lacrosse for 15 years.)

By the way, we're also looking for a sponsor - if for no other reason than to purchase some sorely-needed new jerseys. Maybe I can host a Hockey Pledge Drive here at SYLG? Are there any well-to-do readers out there who want to contribute to the cause? We'll add your blog urls to the jerseys! (By the end, we'll all look like NASCAR drivers.)

Glenn and Vincent Antonelli have run our teams previously, and both agreed it can be a royal pain in the ass. For some reason, I don't see it that way. I see it as an opportunity to keep coming back to my happy place.

It's not the same as playing, but at least it'll get me back to the rink.