The Floating Rhinos are all lawyers who began playing rugby at Hastings Law School and then transitioned to softball. Champions many times over, the team has been around so long that it's hard to tell whether the trophies have more injuries or the players.
"I'm called the new guy because I've only been on the team 12-13 years," one member said.
Stalwarts like Skip Walker still have a lot of pride. But he's not as fast as he used to be.
"It's my reactions are shot; I'm hurting the team, and by the way, I'm not the only one hurting the team," Walker said.
Not long ago, Manager Ace Lipton made a command decision.
"I'm superstitious about playing over 62; it's unlucky," Lipton said.
So, the Floating Rhinos are done. They recently played their last game.
They said all the right things, but in a crowd of lawyers, everyone knows the truth. When you play together, you stay together. When you dissolve, you drift.
"I figure we can still get together for pizza and beer," one player said.
It takes a couple of decades to forge a man from a boy. If that man is lucky when he grows up, the boy part remains.
