Windsor Tomcats

Wreckx-n-Effect was 28 years too late…imagine the royalties they could have made in 2020 with the explosion of Zoom to bring people together during the pandemic!

Last Friday, the Tomacts held their very first “Virtual Beer on Stage” using Zoom.  it was a great way for friends to connect to have some laughs, and drink a few pops.  What intended to be maybe a 30-40 minute session where a few stories could be told, and a toast or two made, ended up a 3 hour affair for some of the group.  If you missed it, you missed a great time.  Some highlights:

• Bullwinkle earned himself the Director of IT role by his masterful use of Zoom backgrounds…Bullwinkle started off with Rocky and Bullwinkle behind him (the original Saturday morning duo, not the slick duo you see on the Kapusta floor), then used a picture of the Kapusta stage to make it look like he was on the stage.  Upon request, he had Tiger King backgrounds, nudist colony backgrounds, etc.  A+ for effort!
• Tomcats were asked to wear their favourite Tomcat swag…which all seemed to do.  However, Sheepdog turned it up a notch by changing into a new Tomcat shirt just about every 5 minutes.  His wife even made a quick appearance wearing Tomcat swag!  Great job Sheep!
• Stevo has apparently won a role in the forthcoming Broadway rendition of Back to the Future playing the crazy doctor, Doc Lloyd.
• Chico and Soupy continue their bromance by quaranteaming together, sitting well within the 6 feet of social distance spacing used my most heterosexual males.
• The Sea Lion has a bar with enough stock to quarantine until 2049, when the Tomcats will host their 60th anniversary gala.
• Hollywood, always on the spot, had Corona beer for his chosen drink
• Dave Hann, trying to use AOL and a 56k modem, had a very challenging time connecting to Zoom, and getting the camera pointed at his face.  However, he kept trying like a trooper.
• LaBamba is apparently in a witness protection program as he made sure to not reveal his face too much by sitting behind a fire pit.

The Tomcats will look to schedule another one in the coming weeks…this time on a Tuesday, 8:30pm, right around the time the beers are usually cracked on stage.

Enjoy the photos!

The Tomcats are still waiting for word on when the pandemic has slowed enough to begin removing the restrictions have kept us locked down and away from friends and extended family.  “The restrictions continue to impact many traditional events held by the Tomcats,” said president Rocky.  “We still need to host the BoD meeting in-person, but cannot until groups are allowed to gather,” he continued.  Members of the board discussed hosting a virtual meeting this year, but decided to give it more time and see if the in-person meeting can take place, albeit later in the summer than normal.

As well, the Minister of Golf and Pyrotechnics, Snowpants has decided to post-pone or cancel the annual Tomcat open.  “With courses not open yet, and not knowing what rules will be in place once they do open, it is very difficult to arrange a scramble with so many participants,” said Snowpants.  “While they may let us on the course, we may not be able to even congregate as a group at any point before, during or after, and that is the most fun part of the event.”  So the June 13th date is not happening.  Stay tuned for a potential reschedule later in the summer, but for now, it is a no-go 😦

There is Nothing like sharing a cold beverage with the greatest guys in the world

Dear Tomcats,
My favourite player is the Rake, I know he wears number 2, but he is number one in my heart.  I know he did not play this past season, but will he be back next year?

Signed,  The Rake in my Heart Forever, Jimmy Sands, age 12

Dear Jimmy,The Rake has had some injuries and is mending well, you should see the stellar D Man back in the lineup next year.  G.M Finner

Dear Tomcats,
I think Coach Sea Lion is a great coach, but does he play his best players enough?  Should he not be double shifting the best players like Soupy, Sunny, Beep and Tonto?

Concerned Tomcat Fan, Maggie Oistenhower Age 15

Dear Maggie,
Just watch the game and don’t worry about my line up I will play who I want when I want, you spoiled little brat.  Coach Sea Lion

Dear Tomcats,
This letter is for Hollywood, after winning the very prestigious Finner Award two years ago, has it changed you at all?

Signed, Big Big Fan of #32 Carrie Bothwell, age 21

Dear Carrie,
No I am still the same fun loving guy as I always have been.  The one thing it did give me was even a great appreciation for the Tomcats and for having such a great set of friends.  To be recognized was wonderful, but to be recognized by great guys like the Tomcats even made it so much better. #32 Hollywood

Dear Tomcats,
Why was Libbs not awarded an assist on the January 14, 2001 goal scored by Left Loskewich, it would have placed him ahead of The Bundura for 149th on the all-time team scoring list.

Signed, Wondering Libbs,

Dear Libbs,
We will be reviewing the game footage and if you are correct, we will have the league make the correction and will move you to 149th on the all-time Tomcat Scoring List.

Some fun for our fans, staff and players:

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE WINDSOR TOMCATS or YOU CAN EMAIL US.

Good morning Tomcat Nation!  Hopefully everyone is still surviving the quarantine and looking forward to seeing things start to open up a bit hopefully soon!

We all know well the Tomcats started 31 years ago way back in 1989…that has been well documented and well established.  Not as well known is when the Tomcats made the leap into the internet age.  Do you know when this Tomcat website/blog came into existence?  In September of this year (when we are all back together and playing ball hockey again), will mark the 10th anniversary of http://www.windsortomcats.com!  Yes, our website has lasted longer than many pick-up hockey clubs…but we all know Tomcats have staying power!

The content of the blog has grown over the years, but to take us all back, here is a replay of the very first blog ever from September 21, 2010:

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Yes, we start off with probably the best fight in all of hockey history:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcllOfwAN54&search=Montreal%20Canadiens

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Yes folks…those are the very first words of wisdom ever typed into the Tomcat blog!  Since then, we have benefited from the words of Harry (primarily), Howie, Yuri, Heywood, and others.  Providing information and entertainment right to your own homes.  We have come a long way, yet we have so much still ahead to look forward to!

Tomcat “Virtual Beer on Stage”
Since we never had our final drink with the boys on stage to end the season at the Kapusta, the Tomcats will be sending out an invite to share a drink and laugh one final time for the 2019-2020 season.  Grab your drink, grab your device, and load up Zoom.  We always embrace technology, so why not get on the Zoom bandwagon.  Look for an email soon with the date and time.  We are all stuck at home, so no reason to not take part.

Until then, Tomcats Forever!

Rocky

by Stevo

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”.  J.R. Tolkein

Most of you know me as Stevo, but at one time, I wanted to change my nick name to Snake Bite, but for some reason it did not take. Other nick names I have had in my lifetime, Yava, Didus, Fatoosh and Dutch. Here is a short story. (I feel nervous, as I have never written a blog before, or have I?  I can’t remember)

I was born in Buffalo New York, at Sister’s of Charity Hospital.  I have two sisters and a brother, Broooosssher as you all know him as Hollywood.

Most of the Windsor Tomcat ball hockey stories have been told, here is one, that I may have told some but not everyone has heard it.  It was September 2018, we were at Windsor Tomcat training camp in Battle Creek Michigan.  If you have never gone, and YOU ARE a golfer, you are missing out.  But any who, it was a beautiful, September day and we, The Big Easy  and Bubbles, also known as the Bubbler, were the first off that day on Gull Lake West, (It was a threesome as Sparky had to leave early to attend some high level union meetings). We were tearing up the course that day and when we got to the 18th (long par five, with an incredibly elevated green, we noticed that we could not see the foursome behind us. They were not on the tee box, nor were they on the 17th green.  At that moment, as Stephen King said in his book, ’The Institute’, Great events turn on small hinges”, with our beer cooler empty we decided to run to our unit to get a drink. (They are not chalets. or townhouses, they are units).

At this moment in the story, everyone should know, that it is customary for the foursomes that go off first to stick around and watch as the next foursome approaches the 18th green and then the next foursome after that and so on.  There are cheers for putts and of course boos as well.  La Bamba is one of the most loved on the course and the other golfers love to cheer for him, Hatchie of course, gets booed.

With time on our side, we zipped to our units and Bubbles and the Big Easy went into theirs and I went into mine.  I decided to take a quick shower, golfing and laughing and drinking beer on a beautiful September day can have a man work up a bit of a sweat.  When I got out of the shower, I decided to mix two rye and cokes, a man can only drink so many beers in one day. I mixed one for me and one for the Big Easy, (Bubbles drinks Vodka)  With the drinks mixed I knocked on the door of Big Easy’s unit. (Notice I said on the door of the unit not on Big Easy’s unit).   I noticed that both the Bubbler and the Big Easy had wet hair, they either 1) had a shower or 2) just had some incredible sweaty sex.  “Hey did you shower”? I asked for prosperity and to keep the mood light, just in case. “Yeah, you too”? They asked, I answered yes, and handed the Big Easy a drink, “Here I made this for you”. The Big Easy smiled that big easy smile of his.

With the door open to Big Easy’s unit, (I am talking about their apartment / living quarters) I could see a Bottle of Wolf’s Head Coffee Rye on the table.  “Who’s is this”? I inquired, The Big Easy answered, “Sparky’s he left it behind as he did not want to take a partially bottle of booze across the border”.  ‘Hmmmmm’, I thought to myself.  There was a bit left and so I uncorked the bottle and poured some into The Big Easy’s travel mug and into my travel mug.  (this is known as a topper).  You top off a bit of booze on top of a drink that already has booze in it. Mr. Clean of Dearborn Michigan taught me that.

I placed the drinks in our drink holders and off we went, back to the 18th green.

I don’t know if it was the warm sun shining on to our stainless steel travel mugs, the splishing and splashing of the drink as we bounced along the path back to the 18th green on Gull Lake West or the showers we had taken making me feel fresh as a daisy, but after we parked facing the 18th I took a sip of my made up drink and boy oh boy, it is a moment I shall never forget.  The taste of the two ryes, the coke, the ice cubes, the cool stainless steel mug and the company I was keeping, the drink was spectacular and on that day, the ‘SPARKY’ was born.

The next week at hockey I explained to Sparky a new love in my life, ’The Sparky’.

On a few occasions, sitting on my terrace, I will mix myself up a Sparky and of course text Sparky, and say, “I’m having a Sparky”.

Hollywood and the Tomcats…the world is upside down!

SOME LINES FROM MY FRIEND BILLY SHURCHUCK

• Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks.    The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
• This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat.   It was obvious she thought her cat understood her.  I came into my house, told my dog…..we laughed a lot.
• So, after this quarantine…..will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I find them?
• My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
• Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

SUMMER OF STEVO
Summer of Stevo will not be cancelled or postponed…in fact it began Friday at 2 pm.  Welcome everyone.

SUGGESTION

If you are interested in watching an interesting show on Netflix, check out ‘Explained’, season two, ’The Next Pandemic”…it was released November 2019. It will open your eyes.

Thanks for reading, I am hoping another Tomcat steps up and writes something….Tomcat Spirit.

“Great events turn on small hinges”  Stephen King (The Institute)

Stay Beautiful and TOMCATS FOREVER.

Stevo

BoD Meeting:
Still waiting for social distancing restrictions to be relaxed before deciding on date for BoD meeting.  There will be a meeting sometime before fall, and any Tomcat is welcome to take part.  Stay tuned for details.

THE BILL BUKSA MEMORIAL KAPUSTA OPEN

A strange new world calls for a New world Man…
He’s a rebel and a runner
He’s a signal turning green
He’s a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine

He’s got a problem with his poisons
But you know he’ll find a cure
He’s cleaning up the systems
To keep his nature pure NP

Did you know???
Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which can cause the common cold or more severe diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and the new coronavirus disease that first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, called COVID-19.  COVID-19 is a contagious disease that causes mild to severe respiratory symptoms with fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

Hopefully all Tomcats are staying safe, staying home and ensuring the health of their families.  A shout out to the Tomcats who work on the front lines (first responders, truck drivers, grocery store personnel, medical professions, etc.).  Also, a shout out to the significant others of Tomcats doing such dangerous yet required work.  They will be the heroes we talk about for years after this virus is behind us.

Despite all the negative news being sent to us 24/7, there are many good things occurring during this time of pandemic.  Try to focus on these:

• 178000 people have recovered from the virus (as of March 31st)
• The canals of Venice have cleared dramatically, and dolphins have visited for the first time in many years
• Pollution is down across the globe
• Gas is cheap (yeah, I know, supply-demand thing, but fill up while you can)
• After a severe beating the last couple of weeks, the stock market has recovered from the extreme lows and has stabilized somewhat (meaning smart money is now less concerned about long term effects on the market)
• Families are doing family-things much more, rediscovering the joy of simple things like taking walks, building puzzles, game nights, etc.
• Just remember if you are sitting alone at home, you have a great bunch a friends in the Tomcats just waiting to hang out and have a beer when this is all over.

Stay positive…gatherings like this will be back before you know it!

Remainder of the Season:
At this point, there is very little chance the Tomcats will play again this spring.  Even if we wanted to, the Kapusta will likely not want us there until the curve is flattened.  With lock down orders being extended, the right thing to do is cancel the season, and wait for September.

BoD Meeting:
This will still be held, but the usual timing of two weeks after the last night of hockey could be moved depending on the circumstances.  There is also the possibility of doing this remote on the usual date using technologies such as Zoom.  More to come in April as the situation unfolds.  All Tomcats are free to take part.  It is a great chance to review the Tomcat finances for the year and going into next season, discus rule changes, bring up new ideas, etc.  Have a voice in the future of the Tomcats.  Let Rocky know if you are interested.

All Tomcat related golf activities are currently still a go…see below for those:

THE BILL BUKSA MEMORIAL KAPUSTA OPEN

TOMCAT OPEN
Keep your ear to the rail road for the Snowpants train to give you updates…just keep the date for now, Saturday June 13, 2020, 8:30 am start.

KOBASSA GOLF TOURNAMENT
Stevo is indicating that he now has 8 participants for the Kobassa Open, they are: The Rake, Snowpants, Sheep Dog, Bagz, Soupy, May Day, Bundura and Stevo. “I am very excited to get this inaugural event under way, right now we have 4 solid teams of two and looking for more players, but hell, we got 8 and that is good start with the tournament still being 4 months away,” said Stevo, and added, “You don’t have to pay me right now for the ‘after party’ you just have to let me know you are in and I will hold a spot for you.”

THE DIRTY GROWLER MR. GORDON GOLF LEAGUE
Mayday wants everyone to know that the golf league will be starting up again as soon as the nicer weather gets here.  Monday’s are the day and two to three courses will be selected throughout the year.  Playing in one round qualifies you for the year-end banquet.  Watch for an email from the Commissioner himself.

By Harry Ballsonue

IN NO WAY DO THE TOMCATS WISH TO DOWN PLAY THE COVID-19 BUT THIS ARTICLE IS FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT….

So everyone is self-actualizing or in a self-gratification stage, which I understand, I as well am not going into the St. Felix Offices and I am writing this from my home in Bleinham, Ontario. I live on a 24 acre farm, and have three holes for golf that I made out of some of the farm land, I have  a 432 yard par 4 to start, then I have a 167 yard par 3, then coming back I have a 579 yard par five. and I can do it three times over again from different points on the tee box and play 9, which I hope to do once the warmer weather gets here.  Last week on Friday when it was nice, I set up the pins and have placed the tee off boxes in place, so I am ready to go.  I don’t get a chance to do this too often, with covering the amazing ball hockey club, the Windsor Tomcats.

With most of us at home and not working, the Tomcats included, if they had their own facility and not counting on the Kapusta Kow Palace, they could be playing now, three times a week instead of just once a week.  They should play on Monday, Tuesday and then hold a practice Thursday morning, have lunch, hang out, play ping pong, darts, pool, and then play Thursday night.

Even now, with special permission they could all meet at the Kapusta Kow Palace, park their cars in the parking lot, board a bus, the bus can drive to Leamington, Kingsville, then back to the Kapusta Kow and they can get off the bus and go and play and make it like a road trip game.  Lots can be done, when you have time and you don’t have to be working, rushing your kids to a practice of some sort.  I have to wonder, (and of course if the wife is not telling you social distance instead of using the headache excuse) how many newborns will there be in 9 months.  November December January babies?  Chico comes to hockey in September and says, “hey guess what”? and so does Rocky and Chevy.  My hats off to them boys.

In reality though, no more than 5 people together, that is actually needed to stop the COVID -19.  Experts can’t really predict anything right now.  Be safe, do the self-isolation and be polite if you do go out, there are a lot of crazy people out there buying toilet paper??????….Gas is selling for 78 cents a litre.  Did YOU ever think you would see that again?

RAKE TO THE RESCUE
The Rake has told me that if anyone needs anything, to contact him, he is willing to help. Tomcat spirit is alive and well.

THE BILL BUKSA MEMORIAL KAPUSTA OPEN

“For what you get, it is an amazing deal”, stated Snowpants, the Minster of Golf and Pyrotechnics for the Windsor Tomcats.  “If you have never played in this tournament, you must, you simply must”, indicated Sheep Dog a one time Champion of this event.

TOMCAT OPEN
Keep your ear to the rail road for the Snowpants train to give you updates…just keep the date for now, Saturday June 13, 2020, 8:30 am start.

KOBASSA GOLF TOURNAMENT
Stevo is indicating that he now has 8 participants for the Kobassa Open, they are: The Rake, Snowpants, Sheep Dog, Bagz, Soupy, May Day, Bundura and Stevo. “I am very excited to get this inaugural event under way, right now we have 4 solid teams of two and looking for more players, but hell, we got 8 and that is good start with the tournament still being 4 months away”. Stevo Said and added,  “You don’t have to pay me right now for the ‘after party’ you just have to let me know you are in and I will hold a spot for you”, stated a beaming Stevo.

THE DIRTY GROWLER MR. GORDON GOLF LEAGUE
Mayday wants everyone to know that the golf league will be starting up again as soon as the nicer weather gets here.  Monday’s are the day and two to three courses will be selected throughout the years play.  Playing in one round qualifies you for the year end banquet.  Watch for an email from the Commissioner himself.

Rocky Magic
Did you know Rocky does magic?  Watch and see:

While you are checking out the cabbage wrapped around the golf ball and thinking to yourself, ‘wow, that’s pretty clever’, do you think I could put my Harry Ballsonue

“Asking the question ‘are we doing enough’ regularly and repeatedly is critical” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead, World Health Organization, infectious disease epidemiologist.

Tomcat management is hoping everyone is doing well and taking care of themselves and their families.

“No hockey for next three weeks as of now, it may be longer depending what the people at the Kapusta Kow Palace tell us” stated Rocky, President of the Windsor Tomcats.

In the mean time, some Tomcats continue to work out, some are just relaxing…

Falcon keeping up the workouts with the kids in the driveway, waiting for the all clear!

Jr Falcon, donning the equipment prepping himself for a call up

Stevo and his brother are taking the time to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona ..” being a botanical enthusiast I was delighted to go and see the incredible display “ stated Hollywood

Some of the Tomcats decided to enjoy themselves during the break before heading into self isolation

TOMCAT GOLF Tomcat Golf Tournament is on Saturday June 13, 2020, please count on being there. 8:30 start, cost and such to be provided by Snowpants once the golf season begins.

KOBASSA OPEN Any and All Tomcats are invited to participate in this inaugural event, being hosted by Stevo on Friday July 17, it does cost $10 to get in, but that includes your food and beverages back at Stevo’s where the awards ceremony will be held.

Covid 19 is a new strain of coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, with scientist believing that the outbreak started at a seafood market in December. Scientists think that the source of the outbreak was an animal and it’s been postulated that the virus could have spread to humans via, bats, snakes or even pangolins, although it’s not yet known for sure which type of animal was the source. In February, the World Health Organization, announced that the disease, previously known as ‘novel coronavirus’ wold be officially be named Covid-19.  The disease is also commonly referred to as simply ‘coronavirus’ because Covid-19 is a new strain belonging to the coronavirus group of viruses. (source: Metro.co.uk (news…but not as you know it) )

While you are wondering what a pangolin is, do you think I could put my Harry Ballsonue

TOMCAT NOTE:  If you are somewhere, near or far and want to share with the Tomcats how you are/ what you are doing during this down time, please send your photos to Stevo.  No nudies please, its a family web site.

Due to the spread of coronavirus, the Tomcats have decided to do our part and cancel hockey for the next 3 weeks (minimum). The BoD will monitor the situation and decide we come back for the final 2 weeks of the season or just hold off until the fall of 2020.

Stay safe

Stay beautiful

Tomcats forever!

And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us…NP

Due to continued escalation of the coronavirus outbreak, and in conjunction with other major professional sport leagues (NHL, NBA, MLS, etc.), the Windsor Tomcats took the extreme measure of barring fans from attending Tuesday night’s game.  It is the first time in Tomcat History that a game was played without a single soul in the stands.  “Very odd atmosphere I must say…to walk out to the playing surface and not have legions of fans chanting my name was quite weird and a little eerie,” said a disappointed Snowpants.  “We feel bad for the fans, but it is the right call to make given the current situation that is grappling the world,” added Bullwinkle.  Coach Sealion noted, “It was a shame for the Tomcat fans to miss out watching Bullwinkle notch a 4-goal evening.”

The Teams:
Soupy’s Smallpox – Soupy, Terror, Killer, Bulldog, Bullwinkle, Shack, Rocky and Jingles
LaBamba’s Leprosy – LaBamba, Falcon, Kamikaze, Snowpants, Sparky, Chevy, Cribzie, Chico and Muffins

New guy, who started the night as Mittens, and finished as Muffins, made his Tomcat debut, and proved to be Tomcat worthy, despite his selection of shorts, socks and shirt.  “Muffins showed quickness and good feel for the flow of the game, but will take some time to learn the nuances of Tomcat hockey and the Kapusta playing surface,” indicated Chico.

The first Google image when Searching Mittens and Muffins

Overall, good hockey and evenly matched teams.  However, at the end of both games, the Leprosy were victorious by the scores of 10-8 and 6-5 respectively.

Next Week:
So next week is March Break, and Tuesday is St. Patrick’s day.  Already, 7 Tomcats are out and 2 more 50/50.  Please let Rocky know ASAP if you plan to be out next week.  If too many more drop, we may have to cancel hockey next week.  An email will be sent out reminding of this.  Rocky will not be playing and the book is with Sparky, who will.

Golf, Golf and more Golf…
Kapusta Open:
See poster below and let the Turk know if you are interested in playing May 30th and Ambassador Golf Club:

Kobassa Open – July 17th
Stevo is organizing a new tournament this year.  A two man scramble, called the Kobassa Open…not the Keilbassa Open.  Cost is $10 to enter, plus the golf cost.  $10 will get you dinner and drinks after golf at Stevo’s place.  There will also be first place prizes for the winners.  If interested, get $10 to Stevo for your spot.  The tournament needs an even amount of guys to make it a go (2-man scramble, if you understand the concept).  I should be a fun day, it’s a Friday in the summer so why not join?

Tomcat Golf Tourny – June 13th
Snowpants, the Minister of Golf and Pyrotechnics has nothing further for us at this time, but keep the date open.  It will be at Sutton Creek and will also be a 2-Man Scramble.

Last Week of Hockey:
Our final Tuesday will be April 14th.  Tomcats are thinking maybe making that night Potluck.  Bullwinkle will bring some of his homemade sausage.  Looking for others to volunteer to bring something so we can drink up the rest of the beer and end 2019-2020 on a high note.

Board of Directors:
Per usual, the BoD meeting will occur two weeks after the last night at Casa de Rocky.  That is April 28th this year.  6:30pm, just like hockey.  Any Tomcat can take part, not just the official BoD members (Rocky, Hollywood, Sparky, Sunny, Doc, Soupy, Kamikaze, Jingles, Snowpants).  Bullwinkle has already showed interest.  If you have ideas, and want to be part of the future, then take part and help make decisions.  Let Rocky know if you are interested.