Tonight, Barkey and I attended the innertube water polo managers meeting. We were both wearing our champions T-shirts from last season, the season we finally won. I can't believe it's already been a year. Damn. Anyway, soon the Genesee County All-Stars will begin the quest to defend our title. We're talking a lot of smack, but in so doing taking a philosophical cue from Mohammed Ali: it ain't braggin' if it's true. So if you think you've got game, bring it. We'll be more than happy to show you how the game is played and embarrass you in front of your girlfriend. Nobody talks like the All-Stars, but nobody games like us, either.

The Genesee County All-Stars is an elite team composed of former members of the Grand Blanc High School Boys' Swimming & Diving Team and the Powers Catholic High School Boys' Swimming & Diving Team, former Bobcats and Chargers, fierce rivals, united to dominate intramural innertube water polo at the University of Michigan. All players are current (or in my case, former) U of M students, and only GBHS and PCHS alumni need apply. Do we take this way too seriously? Yes. Are we aware that we take this far too seriously? Yes. Are we going to stop taking this far too seriously? No. Not on your life, skippy. (It should be noted that in high school I hated Jon Barkey. I mean, I couldn't put a face to the name, but I knew there was a really fast Powers kid named Jon Barkey and in a very real, sports rivalish way, I hated him. Now, I quite like the guy. We're not friends, but teammates, absolutely united in our desire to achieve this singular goal.)

Also, Lindsay can soon look forward to phone messages like this, "Hey, it's me. We won our water polo game tonight! It was sweet and we kicked ass! Just wanted to tell you that.... Um, yeah. Have a good one." I'm retarded on the phone, but just as in the case of being retarded on stage with RCY, I think my genuine enthusiasm generates sufficient amounts of good will and understanding for me to get by.