Just another day in paradise...

Gehlen assistant softball coach Tony Gunter borrowed one of the Lady Jays' yellow visors to block some sun Saturday afternoon in Remsen.

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A classic rock hit crackling over the loudspeaker, the crack of the bat ripping a huge hit, the scent of burgers cooking over an open flame and the bright sunshine baking some quality tanlines.

Yes, there is nothing like an all-day softball tournament.

Today was another perfect day for softball. It started out cloudy with a cool breeze and the clouds gave way to a sunny afternoon as a good portion of Plymouth County enjoyed watching a good ol' ball game (or five) at the Remsen tournament.

Something about a weekend tournament just makes me smile. Whether its hearing clips of classic hits and current country favorites over the loudspeaker, mingling with the fans and parents or just basking in the sunshine, I can't think of a better way to spend my weekend.

And even so, the littlest things make these days even better.

1. Squareburgers. I told St. Mary's athletic director Craig Hoffman this morning, "That's the reason I got out of bed this morning - for squareburgers!" That gave Hoffman and the K-P coaches a little laugh.

2. K-P's pink bat. Every time a Lady Panther steps up to the plate with that pink bat in hand, I get a little smile on my face, like someone out there understands that girls and sports DO mix! Add in some pink batting gloves (Erin Klaschen!) and I'm tickled...well...pink.

3. Tony Gunter, during the Lady Jays' game against K-P, grabs one of the girls' yellow visors and straps it on as he heads over to first base in the bottom of the second. Patty Hatting caught me with my hand over my mouth as I tried to contain my laughter. I know the girls got a kick out of it. And you can too, since I've uploaded the picture. (That's for you, Kirk!)

Yes, nothing makes my Saturday better than a bunch of good softball games.

The only suggestion I would make is this: Don't start at 9 a.m.! My sleeping schedule is not fit to put me to bed at midnight for an 8 a.m. wakeup call. Sorry, can't be done! So at the 9 a.m. game I might seem a little out of it, but give me an inning or two and a couple of Diet Cokes and I'm having a ball, enjoying every little minute.

Check out Monday's edition of the Sentinel for full coverage on this and several other tournaments. I heard the Gehlen/RSM baseball game in Granville was quite the slug-fest.

That's it for today, I'll see you back in the ball parks next week.