After work last night, we played softball. My shop reserved the field, so we showed up first to claim it and do all the paperwork nonsense. It took a while before the rest of the crowd arrived, so the three of us took batting and fielding practice, which was very useful, as I have no experience at this sort of sport.

Seriously. I never played Little League. I think in middle school gym we did baseball for about a week, but I didn't like it and didn't do very well.

But with some practice, I discovered that I am actually a pretty good fielder. Being a soccer player taught be to judge where a ball is coming down, and soccer goalies of course catch balls all the time. So I just had to adjust to the smaller sphere. And then there's this glove thing, which seemed like cheating, because it made it so much easier. I think Football : Rugby :: Baseball : Cricket.

Eventually everyone arrived, and we played a game against another unit that had been using the other field. They were serious competitors, while we were (a) drinking, (b) exhausted from a 65 hour workweek. So we lost 17-7.

When I mentioned I discovered I had some softball skills, I should make it more clear. I can hit, sort of, but without much power. And I can't throw very far at all. So I elected myself first baseman, where the key skill is just to catch the ball consistently. I did well there, getting quite a few outs, with no errors. Although my soccer skills did leave me astray. A goalie always jumps for a ball, because if it's too high overhead to reach, then it's over the top of the goal and thus not a problem. So when someone threw a ball too high, I jumped for it. The correct play would have been to immediately run for the fence that the ball was going to hit; I could pick up the ball and hold them to the single, as if they ran for second I'd be in a position to throw. But jumping and then landing delayed me for about three crucial seconds, which they used to good effect.

My hitting was also unimpressive. I didn't strike out, but I also batted .000. I had three infield grounders into outs; the only time I reached was a fielder's choice. (Which is when the guy that got the ball could have got me out, but he decided to get the guy at second out instead.)

So, a fun time. But my feet really hurt today. My cleats are kind of tight when we PT in the morning. As you may know, one's feet tend to swell during the day. So playing in the evening, they really were a size to small, and crushed my feet in a most unpleasant fashion.

Posted by: Boviate at 08:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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