Playing for the cup

Okay, The Cup residing in the manager's office at the Pasadena rink looks like a mixing bowl I have in my kitchen at home mounted on a recycled piece of wood from a shipwreck. But nonetheless, my team has advanced to the lower division league championship game next Sunday, meaning we're playing for The Cup.

Un-effing-real.

This is only our second season together and it's only the second season for a good chunk of the team -- and our team isn't going to win any awards for youth, although our demographic would make Viagra an ideal sponsor for us.

Oh, and we started last season 0-10-1 before winning our first game. This season has gone better.

By the way, if you ever want to do something super duper exciting, be on the ice for a penalty kill and a pulled goalie situation while defending a 3 to 2 lead in the last four minutes of the game and a trip to the title game on the line. To quote Bruce Springsteen yet again, it was like a shot of adrenalin straight to the heart.

As for next week's game, I already have the major yips and it's only Monday at 9:05 a.m. Like, seriously, if I wasn't sitting here at Corner Bakery choking down a chicken sausage panini, I'd probably be throwing up. In fact, when I'm done with the panini, I may actually throw it up and then re-eat it, which seems like a hockey kind of thing to do.

Here's my current dilemma: I haven't shaved since last Thursday and want to avoid shaving until after the game, even if my face looks kind of like a briar patch at the moment. The problem: on Tuesday I have a meeting with the CEO of a multibillioin dollar public agency and then on Friday I have to moderate a panel discussion which includes a prominent elected public official.

Any bright ideas anyone?

--S.H.