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| Welcome to Pleasantville May 1, 2009 by Moe Diggity We weren't sure what to expect when the day of the big game finally arrived. It was, after all, the first time we had taken the ice for a team that didn't have "Moe" affixed to its name in twelve years. It was a fresh start and a fresh start may turn out to be just what the doctor ordered... Including the four Moes that made the jump over, the team consists of four guys named Mike and two guys named Joey. It definitely made the introductions and the name-remembering process go a lot smoother. The whole aura in the dressing room was way different than what I had gotten accustomed to with the Moes. Not better or worse. Just different. For example, one player recounted a tournament they recently played in and how they had lost two of the three games but he still came out of with a "Player of the Game" award. My warped mind started to whir. Here it comes, I thought. Someone's gonna say something like "Player of the game? Don't they just hand awards like that to guys that can't skate just so they can boost their confidence?" or "Player of the game? Who'd you have to blow to win that?" There was none of that. Instead, someone offered a "Player of the game? Atta boy, Donnie." Others joined in with a "Yeah, way to go, Don" and a "Good job, Donnie." I realized that I had one raised eyebrow as I looked across the dressing room at Moe Bailey as if to say "What the fu...?" He rolled his eyes as if to say "Okaaaaaaay..." and went back to tieing his skates. I blinked hard and wondered, when I opened my eyes, whether I'd still find myself in a hockey rink dressing room or find myself in a scene from the 1998 movie 'Pleasantville' . The experience on the ice was similar. Lots of motivation and support for each other despite losing by seven or eight goals. I had lost count and I think everyone else, including the timekeeper, did too. But the biggest difference between this team and the last "Moes" team we played for came after the game. For one, someone knew to bring beer and ice to the game. And, to top it off, the guy that brought it came on a motorcycle with his hockey equipment and a case of beer strapped to his back. Now that is dedication. Secondly, the topic of the $70 premium us "individuals" paid to sign up for the summer was brought up. Right away, instead of rubbing their greedy hands together and trying to calculate how much deeper of a discount they would get as a result of it, a couple of guys came up with suggestions on how to help us recoupe some or all of the additional money we had paid. "Welcome to Pleasantville," I thought again. Finally, upstairs at the Thirsty Penguin, all four of the Moes and a couple of our new teammates went up for some food and beverages. A few pounds of chicken wings accompanied by a few pitchers of Keith's White were ordered and, when it was all said and done, we looked for the bill to pitch in our share. No need. "It's all been taken care of" the waitress replied. "What do you mean?" we asked. "Your buddy took care of the bill," she answered. "Yeah," Donnie said. "This one's on the team." I realized that I had one raised eyebrow again and shot the 'WTF' look across the table at Moe Bailey. He did his eye roll and went back to finishing his last chicken wing. We thanked our gracious host and everyone made their way out... well, everyone except for me, Moe Bailey and Moe MYGod who had come by for post-game video golf. We had some time to speak freely and I made the Pleasantville analogy known to the other two Moes. Moe Bailey was a little more cynical. "Just wait. They're just setting us up." "Setting us up? For what?" I asked. "Dude!" Moe Bailey started. "Think about what just happened here. They're super-nice. They paid our monster bill. And the guy told us he is going to Niagara Falls on Friday, not to gamble, but, to see Bobby Freakin-Vinton in concert! They're setting us up to join their cult or to go Bible-thumping with them or whatever," he said. "Just wait and see." I don't know about that, but, for now at least, Pleasantville's population has grown by four new Moes. |
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