Ugh.

I feel like crap.

My weekly ritual of playing softball on Wednesday nights in the freezing cold and whipping wind has taken its toll. I'm sick, yet again, as a direct result of a chilly, blustery night outside.

What was the league thinking ? Undoubtedly they wanted to make more money during the winter season, when nobody really wants to play. So they extended the "fall" season, which used to end in December, to February.

Sure, they got their business. Sure, they got their money. But it's killing us.

This is the third time I've fallen sick the day after a particularly cold game. My teammates are constantly pulling muscles and getting hurt. And almost every week, one or more of them tell me they cannot make it, necessitating a scramble to find subs.

We can't do this again. I can't do this again.

The league simply won't get our money for the entire fall/winter if they choose to stick with this stupid "extended" schedule. Their loss. It's not worth our health.

I hope I won't have to go to the ER with another asthma attack this time around.

When I visited the doctor today, for my umpteenth antibiotic prescription this year, she wagged her finger at me with a stern look on her face. "No more softball in the cold," she said. My asthma is being triggered by the close-to-freezing temperatures. My immune system is compromised. If I keep this up, I'll never truly recover.

Of course I'll still play the last two weeks of our playoffs. But after that, I'm done.

This week's game shows rain in the forecast.

I hope it pours. I need a week off.