March 24th, 2026 By Hops

AO: OCT

Q: Gooney

PAX: Cat, Homeland (Shitbreak), Circuit, Hansel, Popeye, Mountie, Spud (Solo Runner)

Backblast 3/21/26 – “Spring Training: Locked Out & Let Down” ⚾️

Spring is in the air, pollen is attacking lungs, and baseball season is upon us… which meant your Q had a vision. A beautiful, Norman Rockwell-type morning on a pristine little league field at Gibson. Crisp lines. Fresh dirt. Men becoming boys again.

Instead… Gibson Field was locked down tighter than Donald Trumps’s southern border plan. Gates chained. Dreams crushed. Childhood nostalgia denied.

But before that heartbreak…

We launched from OCT and bid farewell to Spud, who set off on a casual 7-mile jaunt like a man training for a half marathon and running from his responsibilities at the same time. Godspeed, sweet prince.

Somewhere en route, Homeland felt the rumble of internal thunder. Without hesitation, he peeled off in search of a porcelain sanctuary, earning (or reinforcing) the name Shitbreak. Leadership is making tough calls. He made one.

Arriving at Gibson Field, Mountie—our resident lawman—refused to hop the fence, citing things like “career,” “pension,” and “basic common sense.” Meanwhile, your Q scouted every possible entry point like we were breaking into Alcatraz. Denied. Denied again. Extra denied.

Plan B activated.

We audibled harder than Peyton Manning at the line and took Kerr St → greenway → past Webb Field (where legend has it Jesse Owen’s once ran… or at least someone fast did).

Landing at the Boys Club parking lot, we did what F3 does best: made something out of nothing. Cones borrowed (stolen) from Catfish, and BOOM—makeshift diamond.

The Thang:

Partner up. One man runs bases while the other suffers.

• 100 Merkins
• 200 Mountain Climbers (IC… because we’re gentlemen)
• 300 Air Squats

Then flapjack and repeat… or at least survive long enough to pretend we meant to only do one round. Entire workout was an audible, but like any good Q, I committed to the bit.

We wrapped and headed back, spotting Homeland re-emerging like a war veteran returning from battle. He rejoined the group, lighter, freer, and possibly 3-5 lbs down.

Back at OCT with 10 minutes to spare—perfect, right?

Wrong.

“Grab a block!”

Not Homeland. He disappeared again. History repeats itself.

Block Work:

• 10 Curls
• 10 Overhead Press
• 10 Tricep Extensions
• 10 Bent Rows

Simple. Effective. Slightly resentful.

Time.

COT + Name-O-Rama.

Prayers lifted for:

• Cat and Deb
• Ma & Pa Hanzlik
• Neverland’s college friend mourning the loss of a spouse
• Pax not present

Takeaway:

You can lock the fields, but you can’t lock the Pax. You can derail the plan, but you can’t stop the work. And you definitely can’t trust Homeland after coffee.

Gooney out.

---