Last night was my final softball game of the winter season. At least so I thought. I thought I was going out on a bang. I had the absolute best game of the season last night. It must have been the Clayton Kershaw jersey shirt I was wearing. Funny that he is a pitcher, while I did well with the bat. Hitting softball pitches seems really easy at first glance. It actually is pretty easy to hit, it's the hitting it good part that's hard. I shouldn't say that, because I think I managed to strike out about three times throughout the season. So I guess it is hard to hit sometimes. The problem is being anxious and not waiting on the pitch. I just want to swing away. I think I only had one walk out of the ten game season. I think it was ten games. That walk was my first at bat. I was too scared of striking out the first time up. So, after a season of being over aggressive at the plate and tipping the ball to an infielder half the time, it all came together last night, or I got pretty lucky. My first at bat, I come up with bases loaded. First pitch, I am swinging. It was the longest ball hit for the season. I actually came close to clearing the fence. I don't know exactly how it happened. I am thinking I closed my eyes and got lucky, hitting the ball on the fat part of the bat. Maybe a little bit wind aided too. I couldn't believe it. It just kept carrying and carrying and landed behind the center fielder. I only made it to second base though, because the girl on first hesitated, thinking the ball might have gotten caught. Either way, I drove in all men on base. I felt pretty good after that one. Then, the hits just kept on coming. I got at least a base hit every time up to bat. I kept thinking how this was a great way to end the season. Everything was going my way it seemed. Until God decided to step in and let my ego deflate a little bit. I should have known everything was going too well.
Playing the outfield is harder then it looks. I have a really hard time judging where the ball is going to land. So I back up and then run forward, then have to back up again because I ran in too much. Then the ball usually lands somewhere behind me. It happened last night. I must look pretty silly out there trying to position myself for the catch I didn't have a chance at catching. Yup, I blew our shutout. By not catching the ball, I allowed the other team to score for the first time of the night. I kept telling the guys that they are going to get one or the other out of me. You can't get both defense and offense out of me. That would be too good to be true. Then you expect me to know the rules on top of all that. You are asking way too much. Yup, I almost made a vital mistake at the end of the game. I guess I didn't pay attention when running home to score and missed stepping on home plate. Everyone thought I did, but the umpire wasn't calling it. Which led to a little confusion until one of my teammates started telling me to run and step on home plate. So, before anyone but the umpire realized, I walked over nonchalantly to home plate and touched my foot to the plate. Then the umpire finally called "Game!". I almost blew that one.
So, back to the whole "thinking it is the last game" thing. After the game, we found out we actually made the playoffs and we have to make up some game that we missed. I don't remember missing a game, but they told us we had a make up game next week. So, one more game and then playoffs with our "Bad News Bears" ragtag team. Just like some of the World Series Champions out there, we are playing our best ball at the right time of the season. Who knows what might happen. Guess I better hit the batting cages up.
This Day In History: 1876
A Wichita, Kansas, commission votes not to rehire policeman and legendary gunslinger Wyatt Earp after he beats up a candidate for county sheriff.
Born This Day: 1903
Eliot Ness - American FBI agent whose " Untouchables" investigated Prohibition era gangland activities in Chicago.
"The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it."
-Dudley Moore
Some pictures of an almost perfect night of softball. Dang fly balls.
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| Moving so fast the camera only catches a blur. |
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