by pbdotc aka the Wayward O
After the Mother's Day Massacre I went out looking for some softball. But the turnout stunk. We did have a core of 10 regulars and semi-regulars, including Cey, Kathy & Lex, each of whom showed for I think for the first time this season. I was in a shitty mood because I don't have anything else to do but watch Orioles choke. Well that's not right actually: There is a lot to do in New York. I chose to watch 'em choke. Even worse.
We were still awful damn short on players. So we pulled in two doods from the bocce court, Will and Chris, who were playing catch. They weren't sure they were going to stay the whole while, but they did, and they had fun. We also pulled in a lady named Ruth. She was in dugout area with her pooch, Sadie. She ran home and got her mitt and some shoes. That gave us 13, which meant more or less we pitched & caught for our own team and sported two (2) outfielders per team. We did not close off any fields.
Ruth was nervous at first but it was clear she had played a lot of softball in the past because she immediately contributed on defense, gunning down an advancing runner at second after a bad throw to first. She also had trouble at the plate but worked out some of those issues as the game progressed. Her dog kept chewing her mitt but it would not chew the mitt when I tried to take a video of the dog chewing the mitt.
I have a feeling we'll see the new players again. I think the dog should come back too so I can film it chewing the mitt.
My team played a modified defense which featured the "opposite field middle infielder backing out into short outfield" depending if a lefty or righty was up. That caused us a minor headache at one point. Danny Lee's team appeared to be playing a full-time short fielder, or deep roving infielder. I'm not sure what you'd call it. I think each strategy has its strong points and in the end it appeared to be a wash.
There were A LOT of booted balls and it seemed like the sloppy fielding was contagious. I did fall down again, as I predicted, attempting to field a grounder way to my left at 2nd base. It was a sort-of tough chance but I had no business falling down. I think I was tipsy.
There were one or two controversial calls. The ball beat Kathy to third, but she insisted she was safe despite solid evidence to the contrary. But she has a solid rep so we let her have it.
Handsome Andrew hit a moon shot but it was not called. And Kissel (I think please correct me if I'm wrong) hit what would have been an inning-ending home run except the newly leafy trees out in deep right center knocked the ball back in play. Leigh and Cey, my outfielders at the time, protested the ruling but once I explained the ground rules to them, all was forgiven. There were no called-shot home runs (again please correct me if I'm wrong) although on Andrew's call he came within six inches of his 2nd scoreboard shot on the young season.
The other Dave hit a bases-clearing triple that salvaged the game for my side. And he gave me a cigarette after the game. That was the second (2nd) cigarette I have smoked in 2007 and the 3rd overall since I quite smoking on New Year's eve, 2004/2005.
The game ended in an 11-11 draw. It was a very nice night to be outside, far away from the Blatzmore Schnorioles and their Imbecile Manager.
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