We met the RISSE soccer team around 1:30 at the Sportsplex in Half Moon, N.Y., where they planed in the Presidents Day Tournament. They look sharp in their new soccer team uniforms and their new Nike equipment bags, each one with their names stenciled on the bag.

The bags were a hit, so were the indoor/outdoor soccer shoes that Todd Van Epp of WickedSmartApparel donated as a gift.  More about Todd later. He is a very good and generous man.

The team played in the tournament on and off from 2 p.m. to 6:30. They won one game, tied one game, and lost one game. Ali was thrilled. They played well and worked hard.

The two games Maria and I saw were intense and sometimes rough. The other teams were strong and experienced. The RISSE kids played hard and well.

They had a celebratory feast after the Tournament at a Chinese restaurant in Schenectady, New York.

Maria and I had to get home to feed the animals and had burgers at the Bog.  I admit my cold is still weighing down on me, and I was running out of gas.My doctor said I was not infectious, but he urged me to rest, this new breed of colds, he said, hangs on for days. I got some nasal pray and anti-cough medication.

We had a great time with these kids, they work so hard and are so gentle and polite. They adore Ali and want to win for him, but he said was thrilled with their play, they are improving every day.

They have a beautiful ethic of support for one another, we stand or die together, they say often. I suggested standing is more productive.

Some of the kids reported being taunted at school and Ali and I told them this was a great country, and there were many people eager to support them and stick with them. About a dozen kids came up and hugged me, which brought me nearly to tears and caught me by surprise.

Maria can’t take too much of sports, but she hung in their valiantly, peppering everyone around about the game and how it works.

Thanks to the Army Of Good for the uniforms, Keven Smith of Sportsplex for time and space to practice, Todd Van Epps of WickedSmartApparel. for the stenciling and the new sneakers. I almost forget, Ali loves his megaphone, although the kids scared him out of his wits when they figured out how to use it and suddenly turned the siren on.

Friday, the soccer team comes to my town, Cambridge, N.Y., to have lunch with me and the Mansion residents and make some hot fudge sundaes. Afterwards, they’re coming to Bedlam Farm to see the donkeys and their mascot, Red, herd the sheep. This is a side of Red most of them have not seen.

I am eager to see these two worlds meet. They will mix with one another at lunch. My cold ( and the Scotch I had at the Bog)  is urging me to rest, more in the morning.