The road to the finals This has to be the weirdest set up tournament I've ever been apart of with the worst umpires! I feel like we've played 700 games since Monday! I still can't explain how the this tournament is set up. Yesterday we beat Russian and the other Italian team Legnano. The game against Legnano was a lot of fun because it was two Italian teams squaring off and its always fun beating them on their home field. There was a big crowd too. This morning we beat the Czech Republic team. Unfortunately, we lost tonight to Austria. But its ok we will bounce back tomorrow and beat them in the Championship game when it counts! So me and Ty decided that we need to trade places in the line up. I should hit third and she should hit first. Because she has stolen a base and layed down a drag bunt and beat it out! And I got intentionally walked in our game against Russia! I always think its funny when I get walked because there is a really good chance that I'm going to hit the ball right at the shortstop!
Here is a site with some pretty cool pics from the tournament, our team is in day one and two: http://picasaweb.google.com/www.EuroSftbl.com
A Sho and Ty conversation When my sister came to visit we were on bus coming home from our game in San Marino. She made a comment that me and Ty have some really weird conversations. And we thought she was the weird one and that our conversations make perfect sense. Last night me and Ty were in bed about to go to sleep and we were talking about books. Me and Ty have read 5 books since we have been here. Ty's mom, Mrs. Brenda, is coming back to Italy to watch us play in the European Cup. So she is going to bring us more books to read since we can't get books in English here. We decided that we wanted her to bring a book called the Screw Tape Letters by C.S. Lewis and The Time Travelers wife. Then our convo jumped to the movie coming out the Time Travelers Wife and she asked who was in it. Then I said Racheal McAdams from the notebook. We talked about how much we like her and the movie. Then she said she rented it on Itunes a few days ago. Then we started talking about Noah one of the characters in the Notebook and we spent a good 5 minutes trying to remember the name of Rachael McAdam's character. But before we could figure it out my fan caught on fire!! Once we got the fan off and unplugged and the burnt plastic smell went away, I yelled out Abby! Then Ty said no its Allie, Abby is the name of the bar we went to tonight! Then I noticed that Ty kept making these weird noises. She would say "Noah, aww, ohh, aww." So I was like Ty whats with all the noises!? Then I realized that we started off talking about books and somehow we ended up talking about the weird noise that Ty makes! Good times in Italy.
Bring softball back!! So if you haven't heard they won't be bringing softball back for the 2016 Olympics :( So me and Ty started thinking of other sports we can do to get to the Olympics. My idea is that we make a 2 man bobsledding team and participate in the winter Olympics. Ty would be the driver. Then she said she would throw the shot put. That might be Ty's ticket to the Olympics but I needed another idea since apparently our bobsledding team already broke up! Char and JK suggested that I play Rugby sevens. I didn't know what it was, but they said that you have to be fast to play. I'm fast so I looked it up! Turns out the sport is supposed to make its first appearance in the Olympics in 2016 if the IOC votes it in! I had to do some more research so I went to usarugby.org. Then I found out there is a organization in Columbus, Ohio. I'll be moving to a near by city called Athens when I leave Italy. I found out that if you play rugby you are called a rugger. I could be a rugger!! And the website says rookies welcomed!
European Cup! We are in Milan for the European Cup and we have been here since Monday. We are staying at this really cool golf hotel! I want to got the range and hit some balls but that's probably not the best thing for my softball swing. Next thing I know I'll be popping everything up! So far we have won all of our pool games against Germany, Holland, Austria and Greece. Today we start the playoff part of the tournament and we play Russia and Legnano, the other Italian team in the tournament.
The Fireball shorts Stephanie Ray is one of the players on the team. She is originally from California but she has been living in Italy for the last 5 years. She has so much energy. I doesn't matter what time of the day it is, she is always fired up! When my sister met her she nicknamed her fireball. I started calling her Fireball Ray after that. The other day in the hotel she came down stairs in boxers with softballs and fire coming from the ball. I looked closer and her shorts said fireballs all them! I loved it and laughed so hard because she had no idea they said fireball on them.
