Let's Play Two

Lynn, Eugene, and I are playing in the BSSC's Frostbite Softball League with the Fightin' Funbaggers. The core of the team were Lynn's classmates at Northeastern Law. With Big Blue Moxie we played against them this past summer, and now we've joined forces to storm out to an overwhelming 4 - 3 record so far in the eight game season.

In any case, yesterday the Funbaggers had a doubleheader under the lights at Billings Field in West Roxbury. A few thoughts from the games:

• I don't think I'd ever played a doubleheader (or equivalent) in any sport ever before in my life. Two tennis matches back-to-back? Nope. Six bowling games in a row? Nope. Little League? Youth soccer? No way. Eugene suggested mini golf, but I can't recall ever playing 36 holes of "Garden Golf" in a single outing.This is one of those oh-so-important existential questions that I sometimes wish that I could pose to an omniscient oracle. Ah well.
• Due in part to our Murderers' Row-esque lineup and in larger part to the opposing pitcher seemingly being convinced that home plate was two feet closer to the pitcher's mound than it was, we scored a boatload of runs in the first two innings. My contribution to the rallies? In both innings I--batting seventh--was responsible for the first out of the inning by grounding into a fielder's choice.
• After we built a low two-digit-runs lead (say 19 or so), we surrendered eight runs with two outs in the 4th inning and five runs with two outs in the 5th. The bad guys' 5th inning only came to an end when All-Star centerfielder Lee Feigenbaum ranged far to his right, staggered under a mile-high popup, stuck his glove in the air, closed his eyes, said a small prayer to six or seven minor deities, and caught the ball. Phew.
• My batting was vastly improved in the second game when I was responsible for our team's first, um, RBI when my weakly yet cleverly stroked fly ball to centerfield used all of its cunning to convince the fielder's glove that it had no interest whatsoever in catching the softball. Later in the game my true batting abilities finally shone through as I walked and beat out an infield grounder.
• Lynn had a spectacular day punctuated by a triple and a thrilling-but-not-effective bare-legged slide into third base. Ask her to show you her scrapes; she's inordinately proud of them.
• (We won the first game; lost the second.)
• When I was young, my Dad's single biggest critique of my sports (in)abilities was that I had an odd tendency to drop to a knee as I caught a ball hit at me. Relapse: Late in the second game, as I gracefully patrolled the vast terrain of short-centerfield, a line-drive was smoked at me. I didn't have to move an inch to get to it, yet I added a bit of drama to an otherwise dull game by sliding onto my backside as I made the catch. I'm truly a fan favorite.
• This was two games of recreational softball, yet I was tired by the end of the second game. My conclusion? Ernie Banks must've been in much better shape than I am.