For those who are following my personal escapades, your heroine was last seen in Vegas the weekend following AU hoping to play some softball with my team.
On the plane, I overheard some male players talking about all the "illegal" teams competing in the tournament. A and B ranked teams had changed their team names and entered to compete in the C and D ranks in order to better their odds of getting a trophy.
Now, I play D league. You really can't play any lower. My team is great when we are evenly matched, and if we hit a ball into the outfield, we're pretty happy.
So, we spent the weekend playing Amazons, women who towered over us, hit the ball as good as any guy, and basically being humiliated. My team took it in good humor...we just like to play. We lost 18-2, 21-1, and 19-3. The fact that we scored at all is a testament to how good we really are.
I was also peeved because Title IX was definitely not in effect. The guys got to play on the nicer fields with the snack bars while those of us who can't pee standing up were relegated to the swamp lands. The tournament folks did set up a table where we could buy tournament shirts and hoodies. All in size XL or bigger. What genius stocks a table at a woman's game and doesn't throw in some smalls and mediums? The guy running the table said he was surprised by all the women who wanted to buy something but couldn't find anything in their size.
On the plus side, we lost quickly and were bounced out of the tournament, leaving plenty of time to see the sights. I had brought my 11 year old son for his first taste of Vegas. He had a fabulous time. He especially liked the Star Trek exhibit at the Hilton. I was struck by how many of the family-oriented attractions are no longer around.
Next year AU will be in Vegas again. I won't be.
