After the game, the boys decided to sample some of the San Diego nightlife, and no one was disappointed. Jimmy Love’s served as the primer, with yours truly pre-sampling numerous versions of alcohol to ensure that the concoctions were safe for my fellow brethren to imbibe. Mission accomplished.

From there, it was on to a local Disco bar for a return in time to the 70’s. Possum brought out his tye-dye shirt and purple granny glasses and performed a rendition of "the Hustle", much to the astonishment (and chagrin) of those around him. Brain surgery does funny things to people, and is not recommended unless required. Thank goodness for shock collars.

We did have one scare during the postgame festivities, as a panic-stricken Shamu placed an urgent phone call to the Skipper, distraught at the prospect of being ditched by the rest of the league posse and being left behind with Magpie and Possum. Based on the tone of his voice, you would have thought he received a weekend sentence to a jail cell with a couple of horny prisoners named Bubba and Ramrod. Shamu eventually caught up to the rest of the crew, his worst nightmare being avoided.

The night ended without further incident, with a high stakes game of Texas Hold ‘em being held in public view in the hotel lobby bar capping off the evening, or early morning as it was.

Del Mar is a beautiful setting, with a well manicured racetrack, an excellent facility, and prime seating in the front row on a perfect day for the boys from the HSL. This was definitely a very enjoyable diversion as we primed for our second trip to Bark Park.

Once again, limos arrived and we made it to the stadium in good stead, after a short tour of Torrey Pines and a breathtaking look at the Pacific Ocean en route. At the stadium, we indulged ourselves with a pre-game feast on world famous Randy Jones Barbecue as we anticipated that evening’s matchup between World Series hero Josh Beckett and Adam Eaton of the Padres.

Beckett did not disappoint, with a solid pitching outing backed by his own run scoring double, and the Marlins rolled to the win. In an effort to totally discredit the Ryan Klesko Theory that balls just won’t carry out of that park, light hitting Khalil Greene effortlessly launched a homer close to 400 feet for the Pads. Take that, Klecker.

Other significant events of note involved our inclusion as part of the largest crowd in the history of Petco Park, and our witnessing of the Major League debut of pitcher Steve Watkins for the Padres. When he’s inducted in to the HOF twenty years from now, we’ll be able to say "We were there" for his debut.

Saturday evening’s postgame was slightly tamer, with the consensus entertainment decision to gather at a local pub and re-live a few of the highlights of Mouse’s renowned sexual prowess as well as the curious collegiate study habits of the esteemed barristers in our group. The two conclusions I could draw from the conversation include some strong advice that I would offer to my acquaintances:

Sunday was a day of recovery, as the HSL’ers packed up to head back home. I thought perhaps it was Groundhog Day, as I watched Shamu speed through the buffet line in a mesh shirt…didn’t I see him eating in a mesh shirt on Friday…..didn’t I see him eating in a mesh shirt on Saturday….oh well, I must be getting old.

Special recognition once again goes to Mitch and Jim for flexing their corporate muscles and landing us great ballgame tickets, comp’ed limos (that’s free, please don’t argue), a box at Del Mar, and the opportunity to get together and talk baseball with a bunch of good guys.

Let’s start planning next year’s trip and do it all over again.