After almost two full summers of playing 3-pitch, I've come to one very sound conclusion.
I am definitely not an athlete.
I love watching sports, particularly hockey and ball. But I've realized that, when it comes to ball, at least, it's much easier to be a fan and critique from the stands than it is to actually play. (I assume I'd be even worse with the fast pace of hockey - probably why I've never even attempted that sport).
I'm lacking a lot of things as an athlete. For one, I certainly do not have the physique. I'm big and clumsy and I can't run worth a shit. As I've discovered over the past few week, after many failed attempts, that I also can't catch a ball worth a shit. When it comes to hitting, it's sort of luck-of-the-draw. Sometimes I hit well, sometimes I don't, but it's not easy when the whole infield crowds in close, just waiting for you to hit it right to them. And I haven't quite mastered the technique of hitting it over their heads yet. My inability to run fast almost always does me in, even when I do connect bat to ball.
But I think the part that bothers me most is how I don't seem to have that quick reaction instinct that I believe is necessary when playing any sport. Up in the bleachers, it all looks so easy. However, when I'm actually out there, I make more fumbles and mistakes than any one ball player (3-pitch or not!) should make. It baffles me sometimes how stupid I can be out there.
That being said, I know it's all just for fun, and I should probably lighten up a bit. But it was difficult to do last night, especially in the first game we played, when we were losing and I seemed to be the cause of every bad play we made. I was playing catcher, and I couldn't catch a ball at home to save my life. Then I flipped over first base, tore the knee out of my favourite grey joggers, and ended up with scrapes on my knee and hand. Highly embarassing. Especially when I had to walk off on my own to compose myself because I was almost crying.
There's no crying in baseball!!
At the end of the night, we dropped down to third place in the 4-team league, when at the start of the evening, we'd been contending for first. So that was a little disheartening.
Hopefully we'll fare a little better in the playoffs, because we have a good enough team overall that we should be able to contend.
And then, after that, I'll be seriously considering retirement.
While on the topic of ball - congrats to the Quyon Flyers fastball team, who finished off their first-round playoff opponent Manotick last night, in Manotick. I hear it was quite the nailbiter, with the game going to 12 innings before Quyon finally took it 5-4. Maybe next round, I'll actually get out to a game!!
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