In the beginning...

It all started in the locker room while enjoying some Ginger Ales. Somebody shouted, "Tell the new guys about our website." On the fly, I responded that we have a webpage -- dickswithsticks.com.

At the next game, somebody replied that the address is invalid. I answered, "Sorry, it is dickswithstick.com and the sticks is not plural." A few days later, I got a phone call. He's asking about the web address and is insistent that he went to those sites and they definitely are not a hockey page!

I try once again. I say that it is "dickwithstick.com" and neither dick nor stick is plural. He relays it to his wife so she can type the updated address while I am on the phone with him. Whoa, still not appropriate! I said, "Well, check our facebook page under that name." Well, that also was an inappropriate page. Laughing too much that he's been trolling gay porn sites, I realize the joke has definitely ran it's course and I start to feel empathy for him. He's spoiling the joke and I start to now think he's conning me. So, I say, "Please stop, we don't have a team site."

I don't know how it ended between the sucker and his wife, though. It must have been an awkward conversation for him to explain what he does leaving the house for a 10:30 pm game to meet up with the guys. Needless to say, she never came to watch any of our hockey games.

A couple weeks later, I announced in the locker room that we got a new sponsor - BlackRubbers.com - that provided hockey pucks, and encouraged each player to visit the new sponsor's website. The sucker said, I'm not going to any site you mention. But he did spend a couple weeks browsing a lot of dick pages to find our team.

Now, every time someone joins our hockey team there is always locker room banter about our website in earshot of the new guy. Without missing a beat, veteran skaters throw the line and try to reel in another sucker.

The next year when we participated in a travel tournament they asked our team name. Immediately thought Dicks with Sticks but that is a bit crude so on the fly the name was tweaked to Pigs with Twigs. It worked. The Pigs name is family friendly with the cartoonish pig. And the Pepto Bismal pink pig jerseys are a fan favorite. But please understand, that it truly is Dicks with Sticks.

Then we started playing the Guns & Hoses tournament that benefits first responders, police, and fire. I hesitated with our team name, Pigs with Twigs, as it may be offensive to the police officers however I knew that the firefighters would love the name and buy us beers. So we always get compliments for our jerseys and occassionally get asked if we have any association with the police.