Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Different but the Same
June 5th vs. Element
They used to be Schnack, but now, they're Element. Different name, same team. Instead of the glaring yellow shirts of yore, they now have obnoxious
green ones. Different season, but they
still have the same great players – Johnny the shortstop who's wicked fast, the
great pitcher who's a little too intense for me and the center fielder with the
old school leggings. Surprisingly, they
only showed up with 8 players, but they still knew how to play every position
and hit where we weren't.
Then,there's B-61. We're the same, but
different. Same name, same logo,
different t-shirts, 1 or 2 new expensive bats that Jamie swears will improve
his batting average. We even have most
of the same die-hard players. On the
surface, everything seems the same, but we have to be honest that something is
different. Sure, we get hits, and we
make some good plays. It's not even that
we fall apart like we used to do. There
isn't the B61 magic, love, heart and dare I say loyalty that we've had in the
past.
I
used to live for softball - couldn't wait for the next game, was willing to
talk about it forever. Tracey never
understood why I would get so passionate over co-ed slow pitch softball. Let's be honest, that's all it is at the end
of the day. Nevertheless, B61 put a fire
in my heart. I would practice pitching
for hours, and I wrote social commentary of almost every game for 3 seasons. It didn't matter that it was hard work, and
nobody seemed to appreciate it. I did it
because I loved the team. Now, I'm
wavering. I might just be grumpy because
Jamie stood me up again, but am I the only one thinking this?
I
suppose I could use my pulpit to describe what I think is wrong or how to fix
it. Everyone already has their theories
and rationales. Change the batting order,
put this person here, make Willy wear gold lame underwear, replace this person,
don't do the 4th inning switch if it's a close game. For all these theories, the results are still
the same if not worse. So, I'm not going
to add to them. I don't care if we win
or lose. At this rate, we might not even
make the playoffs. Let me just say that
out loud for the people who don't want to think about it. I just want everyone to enjoy themselves
playing CO-ED SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL for inflexible people. At the end of the day, we should happy being
a team, even if we don't always win.
The B61 Lineup
pitcher: Matt
catcher: Tamara
and Laura
1st: Jamie
2nd: Laura
and Tamara
ss: Willy
3rd: Henry
left: Steve
center: Capone
and Rob
floater: Sarah
and Alison
right: Jonathan
pinch
hitter: Brendon
Coach: Elvis
Our loyal
fans: Whippit, Alyce, Amy, Tracey, Stef, Aubrey, Piece, Johanna, Stella
The Game
I wish the game were more memorable, but we'll keep it
short. Element took the field with 8 players, leaving a gap in the
infield and out. Base hits by Jon, Jamie and Steve in the surprise
cleanup position set us ahead 1-0. Not a powerhouse start, but we struck
first.
B61 took the field, and it looked like a game of musical chairs. I
haven't seen that many new positions since I bought the Kama Sutra. Jamie
at 1st, Laura at 2nd, Will at SS, Henry at 3rd, Matt pitching, Tam as catcher,
Elvis as coach. Whew. Nonetheless, we were ready to go. Or
were we?
A bobbled ball at 2nd and a walk put Element's first runners on 1st and 2nd,
and they took it from there. A series of shitty hits and some bad
fielding sent Element through their condensed lineup with 6 runs.
Capone's plea, "Can we just get a third out?" voiced what we were all
thinking. Matt finally caught a line drive to end the pain.
We would never bounce back. Despite some good defensive innings, we could
never convert our hits, and Element marched ahead 12-3. In the bottom of
the 7th, we had a brief rally, but it was too little and too late.
Final score: 12-6.
June 5th vs. Element
They used to be Schnack, but now, they're Element. Different name, same team. Instead of the glaring yellow shirts of yore, they now have obnoxious
green ones. Different season, but they
still have the same great players – Johnny the shortstop who's wicked fast, the
great pitcher who's a little too intense for me and the center fielder with the
old school leggings. Surprisingly, they
only showed up with 8 players, but they still knew how to play every position
and hit where we weren't.
Then,there's B-61. We're the same, but
different. Same name, same logo,
different t-shirts, 1 or 2 new expensive bats that Jamie swears will improve
his batting average. We even have most
of the same die-hard players. On the
surface, everything seems the same, but we have to be honest that something is
different. Sure, we get hits, and we
make some good plays. It's not even that
we fall apart like we used to do. There
isn't the B61 magic, love, heart and dare I say loyalty that we've had in the
past.
I
used to live for softball - couldn't wait for the next game, was willing to
talk about it forever. Tracey never
understood why I would get so passionate over co-ed slow pitch softball. Let's be honest, that's all it is at the end
of the day. Nevertheless, B61 put a fire
in my heart. I would practice pitching
for hours, and I wrote social commentary of almost every game for 3 seasons. It didn't matter that it was hard work, and
nobody seemed to appreciate it. I did it
because I loved the team. Now, I'm
wavering. I might just be grumpy because
Jamie stood me up again, but am I the only one thinking this?
I
suppose I could use my pulpit to describe what I think is wrong or how to fix
it. Everyone already has their theories
and rationales. Change the batting order,
put this person here, make Willy wear gold lame underwear, replace this person,
don't do the 4th inning switch if it's a close game. For all these theories, the results are still
the same if not worse. So, I'm not going
to add to them. I don't care if we win
or lose. At this rate, we might not even
make the playoffs. Let me just say that
out loud for the people who don't want to think about it. I just want everyone to enjoy themselves
playing CO-ED SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL for inflexible people. At the end of the day, we should happy being
a team, even if we don't always win.
The B61 Lineup
pitcher: Matt
catcher: Tamara
and Laura
1st: Jamie
2nd: Laura
and Tamara
ss: Willy
3rd: Henry
left: Steve
center: Capone
and Rob
floater: Sarah
and Alison
right: Jonathan
pinch
hitter: Brendon
Coach: Elvis
Our loyal
fans: Whippit, Alyce, Amy, Tracey, Stef, Aubrey, Piece, Johanna, Stella
The Game
I wish the game were more memorable, but we'll keep it
short. Element took the field with 8 players, leaving a gap in the
infield and out. Base hits by Jon, Jamie and Steve in the surprise
cleanup position set us ahead 1-0. Not a powerhouse start, but we struck
first.
B61 took the field, and it looked like a game of musical chairs. I
haven't seen that many new positions since I bought the Kama Sutra. Jamie
at 1st, Laura at 2nd, Will at SS, Henry at 3rd, Matt pitching, Tam as catcher,
Elvis as coach. Whew. Nonetheless, we were ready to go. Or
were we?
A bobbled ball at 2nd and a walk put Element's first runners on 1st and 2nd,
and they took it from there. A series of shitty hits and some bad
fielding sent Element through their condensed lineup with 6 runs.
Capone's plea, "Can we just get a third out?" voiced what we were all
thinking. Matt finally caught a line drive to end the pain.
We would never bounce back. Despite some good defensive innings, we could
never convert our hits, and Element marched ahead 12-3. In the bottom of
the 7th, we had a brief rally, but it was too little and too late.
Final score: 12-6.
Player of the Game
Player of the game is hard. Steve had two great
running catches in the left, but I think it has to go to Matt. He's
unflappable. Pitched cool and calm under pressure, 2 for 4 on the day,
made some key defensive plays and never got his boots dirty. Perhaps we
should all follow his lead and get loaded on Wild Turkey before the next
game. Gobble gobble.
