Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Curt Schilling -- Reborn!
As I mentioned in my last post, I got a pretty nasty blister on my heel from walking my bike and dancing at the wedding in rented shoes. Well, Monday morning, I decided to go for a run. I needed it after the debauchery of the weekend. When I got home, I looked at my sock and realized that my blister (or whatever it actually is) had bled all over my sock. I felt like Curt Schilling in the World Series. Only with a lot less money.
Monday night, I had a softball game. It's 16-inch, which I love. I played 14-inch for a few years and wasn't that fond of it. It's a lot harder to hit. And, not just because it's smaller. For some reason, they pack the 16-inch ball tighter than the 14-inch. So when you hit the 16-inch ball, it GOES. The 14-inch ball just kind of dies. Riveting analysis, I know.
Anywho. So I'm in a league with people at work. For some reason, we're constantly able to field a full team. In fact, we have to ask people to NOT play every week because we've got too many people. Craziness.
I'm clearly the oldest person on the team, but surprisingly, I'm also one of the best. That almost sounds like I've got an ego. But the people on our team are REALLY bad. Like so bad that they can't even make contact with the ball. The thing is 16-freaking-inches! How can you NOT make contact? Of course, I don't think all these people are from the Chicago area. They didn't grow up playing 16-inch softball every spring/fall day in gym class like I did. And, clearly, they can't match the overall phsyical prowess of an accomplished triathlete like me.
Speaking of my physical prowess, I'm now 4 for 4 in my two games played. And not a single one of those balls made it out of the infield. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm actually pretty fast. And I don't hit the ball far. So I'm generally able to run to first base before someone can get to the ball. Yeah, I'm a tower of power. Although I shouldn't complain. One of the guys on our team hit an absolute bomb last night and it was caught. If you hit it on the ground 5 feet in front of home plate, it's not getting caught.
As I was running the bases yesterday, I made a boneheaded move that turned out to be great for the team. I was on second with two outs. There was a man on third. The ball's hit to the shortstop, so I head to third. Except the shortstop threw to third. Crap. I'm sure to be out and end the inning. So I turn around and head back to second, caught in a rundown. Except I know that the second baseman can't catch. So as I'm running back to second, the runner goes home. I avoid the out and now we have a man on first and second with two outs (and one run scored). Fantastic! Except all that running re-opened my blister. So now I'm bleeding on my sock again. But there are worse things than looking like Curt Schilling in front of your softball team. You could look like an old, out-of-shape white dude. (Oh wait, that IS what Curt Schilling looks like.)
Monday night, I had a softball game. It's 16-inch, which I love. I played 14-inch for a few years and wasn't that fond of it. It's a lot harder to hit. And, not just because it's smaller. For some reason, they pack the 16-inch ball tighter than the 14-inch. So when you hit the 16-inch ball, it GOES. The 14-inch ball just kind of dies. Riveting analysis, I know.
Anywho. So I'm in a league with people at work. For some reason, we're constantly able to field a full team. In fact, we have to ask people to NOT play every week because we've got too many people. Craziness.
I'm clearly the oldest person on the team, but surprisingly, I'm also one of the best. That almost sounds like I've got an ego. But the people on our team are REALLY bad. Like so bad that they can't even make contact with the ball. The thing is 16-freaking-inches! How can you NOT make contact? Of course, I don't think all these people are from the Chicago area. They didn't grow up playing 16-inch softball every spring/fall day in gym class like I did. And, clearly, they can't match the overall phsyical prowess of an accomplished triathlete like me.
Speaking of my physical prowess, I'm now 4 for 4 in my two games played. And not a single one of those balls made it out of the infield. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm actually pretty fast. And I don't hit the ball far. So I'm generally able to run to first base before someone can get to the ball. Yeah, I'm a tower of power. Although I shouldn't complain. One of the guys on our team hit an absolute bomb last night and it was caught. If you hit it on the ground 5 feet in front of home plate, it's not getting caught.
As I was running the bases yesterday, I made a boneheaded move that turned out to be great for the team. I was on second with two outs. There was a man on third. The ball's hit to the shortstop, so I head to third. Except the shortstop threw to third. Crap. I'm sure to be out and end the inning. So I turn around and head back to second, caught in a rundown. Except I know that the second baseman can't catch. So as I'm running back to second, the runner goes home. I avoid the out and now we have a man on first and second with two outs (and one run scored). Fantastic! Except all that running re-opened my blister. So now I'm bleeding on my sock again. But there are worse things than looking like Curt Schilling in front of your softball team. You could look like an old, out-of-shape white dude. (Oh wait, that IS what Curt Schilling looks like.)
