This afternoon, my soccer team, the Concord United Dragons, secured the Division 1 Championship for our over-62 age group, soundly defeating our arch rivals from Everett by a score of 5-0. We have never beaten them so overwhelmingly, and it felt good to do so. Several members of their team play extremely dirty soccer, happy to injure one of us rather than let us score. Last season, when we faced them in the finals, the game ended after 8 minutes when one of their players had a heart attack. He was revived by a doctor who plays for our team, and we agreed to end the game and declare both teams co-champions. You might assume that saving the life of their teammate would have earned some goodwill, but that was not the case. The rehab work I have been doing on my hip has paid off, and I was able to play pain-free for the first time in months. My goal now is to drop some weight so I can return to the pitch in the spring with less baggage to carry around.