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With school coming to a close and my move to Cleveland only a few days away, I have been extremely busy lately. Since the beginning of May, a friend of ours, Mike, has said he was going to call me when his co-ed softball team had games so that I could play with them. They have a slight shortage of women. Each week I wait for Mike's text telling me he needs me to play, and each week I am faced with disappointment!

Until, of course, the busiest week of my life. Game, 6 o'clock tonight. Being a person who can never turn down a good game of anything, I decided I needed to fit it into my busy schedule. Ok, so there is no real schedule, just things that need to get done with deadlines. So, I put them off for the softball game with Mike and his District Attorney's office team. 

Yes, a smart team. No, not an athletic team. Oh well, all is fun, even when you lose by the ten run rule. 

When we arrived the team was on the field ready to start the first inning. We were late due to Mike's chronic tardiness. Mike's hitting and fielding prowess was well known before he even stepped foot on the field. It was laid out there nice and clear when the player-manager announced, "Mike, you are batting 10th as the DH." 

Mike and I threw the ball on the side of the field to warm up quickly. While doing so a man on the other team struck out. I laughed thinking that was rather silly. It isn't slow pitch softball, but they aren't throwing rockets at you. I said aloud, "I didn't know it was possible to strike out in these games." 

My first at bat made me eat my words! Not having seen a thrown pitch in quite some time, I let the first strike go by me. I just wanted to see it. Next pitch I swung hard and made contact. It bounced straight down off the ground, foul. Boy, I still had that full swing bunting power I did back in my high school softball days. 

I noticed the pitcher wasn't throwing it as hard as he had to the man before me. That pissed me off. Pissed me off so much that I decided I was going to line this next pitch right up the middle. The pitch game and I swung with all I had. However I forgot the first basic rule of batting, keep your eye on the ball. With that, I whiffed majorly, striking out. Doing exactly what I did not know was possible. 

Oh well, I guess I kind of made up for it later with my RBI single that extended the game one inning further because it cut the opposing team's ten run lead to nine. I was asked to come back and play next week, but sorry, I will be in Cleveland. With Jeff!