What a day – let me tell you.  There were ups, and there were downs – I went from tired and cranky (on Thursday night), to completely stressed out, to elated, to livid.  I’m sorry, but I have to rant – this is my blog, and I have to get this off my chest.  I’m not even sure a drink will help at this point.

This morning, my older daughter played in the semi-finals for girls little league.  This is the furthest their team has ever gotten in the playoffs, and we (the parents) could not be more proud of them.  Unfortunately this morning my daughter was a magnet for the ball, and got hit all three times she was up at bat.  The good news is she got on base all three times, and one of those times she scored a run.  This was a tough team, with an even tougher coach, that was watching (and commenting) on every little thing – including telling the umpire that he should tell my daughter to move out-of-the-way of the pitches – like she enjoys getting hit in the side of the ribs by the ball???  The thud was painful to listen to.  They had a really tough battle, but they made it through – and came down from a 5 run deficit to win by 1 run.  It was amazing – they were so happy they were jumping up in down in a big huddle – it was one of the proudest moments I have experienced as a parent.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to head down to the neighborhood field to watch the boys championship game, as she had some friends who were playing.  As we were approaching the field, we couldn’t believe all the cars on the street.  My daughter said, “Boy, someone is having a big party!”  That someone was the boys championship game.  There were hundreds of people there – they were selling hot dogs and cotton candy, they had huge speakers to announce all the payers, and 4 umpires in the field.  It was amazing.  She looked at me and said, “Are we going to get all this stuff too?”  Well, the plan was for them to play the championship game at Husky Stadium (at University of Washington), but we learned today that due to some construction, they would not be able to play there.  The girls were so looking forward to that, but the excitement of winning took precedent.

We found out tonight that we will be playing at the field down the street from us – not a special field, just an old regular field – and the game starts at 2:30pm on Monday.  WHAT????  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  Don’t they know that school is not out for the summer yet?  And that school doesn’t get out until 3:30pm?????  What about the parents that have to leave work in order to get to the game, and the meetings they have to reschedule???  Let alone the fact that none of their friends, neighbors, or other fans will be able to make that time work.  THIS IS CRAZY!!!  The sheer lack of disrespect for the girls is outrageous.  What are we in the dark ages?  My daughter was crushed to find out that she would need to be picked up 2 hours early from her field trip on Monday to make it to the game.  I am going to need to leave work at noon, just to drive 45 minutes to get her from the field trip, and then another 45 minutes to the field.  And if we run into traffic, forget it.

Needless to say – not even this delicious drink I found in Bon Appetit will help at this point.  But, please – go ahead and make one for yourself – and say a little toast to the Red Hot Chile Peppers.  They deserve so much better…I just hope that someday girls will be given the respect they deserve on the field – at least we can always dream.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 1/2 ounce  fruity red wine (such as Shiraz or Malbec)

Preparation

Combine 2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey, 1 ounce fresh lemon juice,  and  1 ounce simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill  with ice, cover, and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds.  Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Gently pour 1/2 ounce  fruity red wine over the back of a spoon  held just above the drink’s surface so wine floats on top.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  New York Sour