The Good Guys embarked on their next road trip. After winning two of three in Washington, they lost two of three in Philadelphia, and won two of three in Cincinnatti. They returned home, on a Sunday night, to begin a nine game homestand, that would lead to the conclusion of the regular season.
The brief period of tranquility between Mitch and Naomi, that the couple had experienced during the previous homestand, not surprisingly, didn't last. While on the road trip, Mitch, during an instant message conversation with Naomi, expressed dissatisfaction with a situation in his life. Naomi's reaction to Mitch's assessment, was most unsupportive, and, caused him to realize, that, at best, he had serious limitations in his relationship with his wife. He began once again having swirling thoughts of... "Retirement.. And", with the "And", being the idea of life without Naomi. In reality, Mitch wasn't sure if the whole scenario was as serious as he thought, or, simply a situation that was blown out of perportion, due to his fatigue, and the upcoming playoffs.
When Mitch arrived home on Sunday night, he and Naomi made love. As Naomi lied on top of Mitch, his mind wandered. Mitch kept thinking to himself: "Is this as good as it gets?" Of course, few on the planet would feel sorry for Mitch. He was financially secure, was married to one of the most beautiful women in the world, had three children, had lived out his dream to play major league baseball, and, six years after his retirement, would be in the Hall of Fame. Yet, in spite of all his good fortune, Mitch was tired. Tired of the pressure to perform, tired of the ongoing petty battles with Naomi, and uncertain about the future. As Naomi had cruelly said to him years earlier, upon retirement, she could make an easy transition back to the movies, for about $10 milliion a picture. What would come of Mitch? Would the team offer him a pity job in PR? Would he become a broadcaster? Form his own consulting company? Represent athletes? His future was very uncertain. While he still produced on the field at a high level, Mitch probably would have retired years earlier, if his future had not been so uncertain. Baseball was, in a way, a security blanket, a crutch, if you will. Once the security blanket was gone, Mitch would be exposed, and, then, what would be of his life?
Mitch had little time to ponder these petty details, as, the next night, the Good Guys had baseball business to take care of, against the Mets. Kate Hudson was the starter. She pitched a fine game, allowing but one run in eight innings. Paradise, however, could get none, and lost, 1-0. Gil Bellows pitched the next night. The Good Guys scored all of three runs, in the sixth, all on a homer. Bellows, too allowed one run in eight innings of work, and combined with Hilary Duff, for a 3-1 win. On Wednesday, manager Lee Sniderman juggled his lineup a bit, his team having scored only three runs in the last eighteen innings. The lineup changes worked, as Paradise scored five runs. Starter Charlize Theron allowed only two runs in seven strong innings. In the ninth, with the Good Guys leading 5-2, and with Hilary Duff pitching, the roof caved in, as she allowed four runs, on two homers. The Good Guys,. deflated, could not rally in the ninth, and fell, 6-5, for their second loss in three games.
Thursday was an off day. That day, Mitch made his way to counesling with Naomi. As Naomi spoke to the couneslor, about the couple's latest trials and tribulations, Mitch looked at her, and his mind began to wander. He kept thinking to himself :"She's too old, not ticklish enough, has too many callouses on her feet. Her looks will be shot in five years" Then, he got himself back to reality, thinking :" You idiot. She gives you sex much of the time. She lets you tie her up and tickle her. She stands barefoot on ladders for you, and lets you smell her feet, even though she thinks its gross. What better are you going to find? You're liable to not be with her, and find someone who will wont give you any of those things. Plus, you have three grown kids with her, and an obligation to those kids, to give them a family." Mitch, for the first time, truly didn't know if he was unhappy with Naomi, or, if what he was feeling, was just his own problem. To be certain, Naomi and he had many legitimate issues, but, this time, he just wasn't sure if this situation he was currently feeling, was really something she had done, or something he felt inside of him, that she had no responsibility for.
Atlanta came to town on Friday night. The slumping Good Guys wanted to get back on track, and did, as Paradise bashed Braves starter Chuck James for six runs, in a 6-4 win, behind Neve Campbell. Rachel Leigh Cook took a 5-4
loss on Saturday night, before Kate Hudson, and John Smoltz, opposed each other, on a sunny, perfect, 82 degree day, in front of a sellout. Both pitchers had their "A" games working that day. Kate pitched nine shutout innings, striking out thirteen Braves, and Smoltz fired nine scoreless innings, whiffing twelve Good Guys, with no walks. In the tenth, Center Fielder Ed Burns came up, and delievered a home run, off the Atlanta bullpen, to give the Good Guys a 1-0, ten inning victory.
Houston entered Paradise on Monday, for the final series of the homestand. Gil Bellows pitched on Monday night, and allowed only two runs, but Paradise could score none, and lost, 2-0. Charlize Theron took the ball on Tuesday night. After a stellar start in her previous outing, Charlize got hit hard, allowing four runs in six innings. The Astros had a 4-0 lead, and blew all of it, as the Good Guys erupted for five runs in the sixth, and never looked back. Charlize got credit, for a 5-4 win. Neve Campbell took the mound, on a rather warm, but sunny day, in front of a sellout. Neve got lit up, as once again, Houston went out to an early lead. The Astros led 5-1 in the sixth, and all looked lost, when, suddenly, Paradise exploded again, for six runs, on two homers. The bullpen was able to finish off the rest of the game, as Paradise had a 7-5 win, that completed a subpar, wild, five and four homestand. It had been an up and down home stanza, featuring poor pitching at times, and poor hitting at others, but, as the team prepared to head to New York, they had escaped with a winning homestand.
In the meantime, the team held it's Saturday night tickle party, The featured lees would be many of the starting pitchers, who had not performed particularly well on that homestand. Pitcher Neve Campbell was tied hands and feet to the bed, in the middle of the fetish club, in a bra and panties. Center Fielder Ed Burns began the tickle on Neve's neck with fingers, as her head shifted, and the laughter began:HHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHE! Moving down, left fielder Dawson was next, tickling Neve on her underarms, sides, ribs, and belly with fingers, as she thrashed, and squealed:HEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEEE! Working down, third baseman Michael was the next ler, tickling Neve on her hips, inner thighs, and knees with fingers, as she bucked, and cackled:HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEHHEHEEHHEEHEHEH! Finally, Mitch positioned himself at Neve's bare feet. He attacked Neve's feet with his fingers, an electric toothbrush, and several feathers, over her toes and soles. Neve went beserk, wiggling her toes every which way, and squealing with laughter:HEHEHEHHEHEEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHHEHEHE! OMG PLEASE NO MORE! I GIVE UP! NOOOOOOOOOOO! PLEASE UNTIE ME! I CANT STAND IT! HEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHEHEHHEEHHEHEHHEHEHHEEEHHEHEHEE! Finally, the tickle ended, and Neve was untied.
On Thursday night, Naomi drove Mitch to Nassau International, so that he could catch the team plane, to JFK Airport in New York. "You seemed distant this time. It wasnt bad. It just doesnt seem right. I cant put my finger on it" Naomi said. "It might be that this isnt your thing to deal with, Naomi. It's my own. Maybe it's a midlife crisis, and looking at what my life might be like, in a bit, once I dont have "Baseball" as my identity. I think I just have some things to work out" Mitch said. "Okay, well, you do that then, and I'm here to help if you need me. Go off, play well, and I will see you next Sunday night" Naomi said, giving him a simple kiss goodbye.
So, it had been a homestand of deep thoughts, and not particularly bad relations, but not particularly good ones, either. Were the feelings Mitch was having, indicative of a greater need, or just the exhaustion, of a baseball player, at the end of a long season? Those answers to come in the next segment of the Tickle Team From Paradise Island.
The End
The brief period of tranquility between Mitch and Naomi, that the couple had experienced during the previous homestand, not surprisingly, didn't last. While on the road trip, Mitch, during an instant message conversation with Naomi, expressed dissatisfaction with a situation in his life. Naomi's reaction to Mitch's assessment, was most unsupportive, and, caused him to realize, that, at best, he had serious limitations in his relationship with his wife. He began once again having swirling thoughts of... "Retirement.. And", with the "And", being the idea of life without Naomi. In reality, Mitch wasn't sure if the whole scenario was as serious as he thought, or, simply a situation that was blown out of perportion, due to his fatigue, and the upcoming playoffs.
When Mitch arrived home on Sunday night, he and Naomi made love. As Naomi lied on top of Mitch, his mind wandered. Mitch kept thinking to himself: "Is this as good as it gets?" Of course, few on the planet would feel sorry for Mitch. He was financially secure, was married to one of the most beautiful women in the world, had three children, had lived out his dream to play major league baseball, and, six years after his retirement, would be in the Hall of Fame. Yet, in spite of all his good fortune, Mitch was tired. Tired of the pressure to perform, tired of the ongoing petty battles with Naomi, and uncertain about the future. As Naomi had cruelly said to him years earlier, upon retirement, she could make an easy transition back to the movies, for about $10 milliion a picture. What would come of Mitch? Would the team offer him a pity job in PR? Would he become a broadcaster? Form his own consulting company? Represent athletes? His future was very uncertain. While he still produced on the field at a high level, Mitch probably would have retired years earlier, if his future had not been so uncertain. Baseball was, in a way, a security blanket, a crutch, if you will. Once the security blanket was gone, Mitch would be exposed, and, then, what would be of his life?
Mitch had little time to ponder these petty details, as, the next night, the Good Guys had baseball business to take care of, against the Mets. Kate Hudson was the starter. She pitched a fine game, allowing but one run in eight innings. Paradise, however, could get none, and lost, 1-0. Gil Bellows pitched the next night. The Good Guys scored all of three runs, in the sixth, all on a homer. Bellows, too allowed one run in eight innings of work, and combined with Hilary Duff, for a 3-1 win. On Wednesday, manager Lee Sniderman juggled his lineup a bit, his team having scored only three runs in the last eighteen innings. The lineup changes worked, as Paradise scored five runs. Starter Charlize Theron allowed only two runs in seven strong innings. In the ninth, with the Good Guys leading 5-2, and with Hilary Duff pitching, the roof caved in, as she allowed four runs, on two homers. The Good Guys,. deflated, could not rally in the ninth, and fell, 6-5, for their second loss in three games.
Thursday was an off day. That day, Mitch made his way to counesling with Naomi. As Naomi spoke to the couneslor, about the couple's latest trials and tribulations, Mitch looked at her, and his mind began to wander. He kept thinking to himself :"She's too old, not ticklish enough, has too many callouses on her feet. Her looks will be shot in five years" Then, he got himself back to reality, thinking :" You idiot. She gives you sex much of the time. She lets you tie her up and tickle her. She stands barefoot on ladders for you, and lets you smell her feet, even though she thinks its gross. What better are you going to find? You're liable to not be with her, and find someone who will wont give you any of those things. Plus, you have three grown kids with her, and an obligation to those kids, to give them a family." Mitch, for the first time, truly didn't know if he was unhappy with Naomi, or, if what he was feeling, was just his own problem. To be certain, Naomi and he had many legitimate issues, but, this time, he just wasn't sure if this situation he was currently feeling, was really something she had done, or something he felt inside of him, that she had no responsibility for.
Atlanta came to town on Friday night. The slumping Good Guys wanted to get back on track, and did, as Paradise bashed Braves starter Chuck James for six runs, in a 6-4 win, behind Neve Campbell. Rachel Leigh Cook took a 5-4
loss on Saturday night, before Kate Hudson, and John Smoltz, opposed each other, on a sunny, perfect, 82 degree day, in front of a sellout. Both pitchers had their "A" games working that day. Kate pitched nine shutout innings, striking out thirteen Braves, and Smoltz fired nine scoreless innings, whiffing twelve Good Guys, with no walks. In the tenth, Center Fielder Ed Burns came up, and delievered a home run, off the Atlanta bullpen, to give the Good Guys a 1-0, ten inning victory.
Houston entered Paradise on Monday, for the final series of the homestand. Gil Bellows pitched on Monday night, and allowed only two runs, but Paradise could score none, and lost, 2-0. Charlize Theron took the ball on Tuesday night. After a stellar start in her previous outing, Charlize got hit hard, allowing four runs in six innings. The Astros had a 4-0 lead, and blew all of it, as the Good Guys erupted for five runs in the sixth, and never looked back. Charlize got credit, for a 5-4 win. Neve Campbell took the mound, on a rather warm, but sunny day, in front of a sellout. Neve got lit up, as once again, Houston went out to an early lead. The Astros led 5-1 in the sixth, and all looked lost, when, suddenly, Paradise exploded again, for six runs, on two homers. The bullpen was able to finish off the rest of the game, as Paradise had a 7-5 win, that completed a subpar, wild, five and four homestand. It had been an up and down home stanza, featuring poor pitching at times, and poor hitting at others, but, as the team prepared to head to New York, they had escaped with a winning homestand.
In the meantime, the team held it's Saturday night tickle party, The featured lees would be many of the starting pitchers, who had not performed particularly well on that homestand. Pitcher Neve Campbell was tied hands and feet to the bed, in the middle of the fetish club, in a bra and panties. Center Fielder Ed Burns began the tickle on Neve's neck with fingers, as her head shifted, and the laughter began:HHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHE! Moving down, left fielder Dawson was next, tickling Neve on her underarms, sides, ribs, and belly with fingers, as she thrashed, and squealed:HEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEEE! Working down, third baseman Michael was the next ler, tickling Neve on her hips, inner thighs, and knees with fingers, as she bucked, and cackled:HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEHHEHEEHHEEHEHEH! Finally, Mitch positioned himself at Neve's bare feet. He attacked Neve's feet with his fingers, an electric toothbrush, and several feathers, over her toes and soles. Neve went beserk, wiggling her toes every which way, and squealing with laughter:HEHEHEHHEHEEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHHEHEHE! OMG PLEASE NO MORE! I GIVE UP! NOOOOOOOOOOO! PLEASE UNTIE ME! I CANT STAND IT! HEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHEHEHHEEHHEHEHHEHEHHEEEHHEHEHEE! Finally, the tickle ended, and Neve was untied.
On Thursday night, Naomi drove Mitch to Nassau International, so that he could catch the team plane, to JFK Airport in New York. "You seemed distant this time. It wasnt bad. It just doesnt seem right. I cant put my finger on it" Naomi said. "It might be that this isnt your thing to deal with, Naomi. It's my own. Maybe it's a midlife crisis, and looking at what my life might be like, in a bit, once I dont have "Baseball" as my identity. I think I just have some things to work out" Mitch said. "Okay, well, you do that then, and I'm here to help if you need me. Go off, play well, and I will see you next Sunday night" Naomi said, giving him a simple kiss goodbye.
So, it had been a homestand of deep thoughts, and not particularly bad relations, but not particularly good ones, either. Were the feelings Mitch was having, indicative of a greater need, or just the exhaustion, of a baseball player, at the end of a long season? Those answers to come in the next segment of the Tickle Team From Paradise Island.
The End
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