John and I were recently in New York for Global Traveler‘s annual wine survey. Unfortunately, we were not part of the judging but were in charge of transporting the wine to the restaurant. We originally planned to assist during the actual tasting, but it turned out our help was not needed until the end of the day. Suddenly, we had about five hours of free time to do whatever we wanted. Since it was such a nice day, we decided to get some lunch and then walk a few miles to The Dakota, the spot where John Lennon was shot. Across the street, in Central Park, was the Strawberry Fields tribute to Lennon. We sat around for a while, enjoying the day and also trying to kill some time. We wandered around a bit and happened upon a competitive league of guys playing fast-pitch softball. There were two games simultaneously being played on separate fields. The players were men from the media and newspaper business. I was envious while watching, thinking to myself how cool it would be to get out on the field and play softball in Central Park. Luck was on my side. On the next play, one of the players pulled a hamstring running out a ground ball. I turned to the umpire and told him I could substitute in for the injured player. To my amazement, he told me to get a glove and get out there. I was now playing for the New York Post; ABC News was our opponent. I was the happiest person on the planet. It kept getting better and better as I made some solid defensive plays and drove in a couple of runs. Sweaty and dirty from playing, but feeling great, I was smiling from ear to ear as I rushed back to the restaurant. As I reflect on the day, I can only think one thing — not a bad day at all! –Lou Atsaves, distribution specialist