Somebody gonna get hurt real bad

Another nice evening for ball and, agreeable as we are, we fully complied. Two more games under the belt, most not decided until the last inning, which makes sense since it is the last inning and anything can go wrong. Some serious ball play occurred intermixed with enough errors to keep it humorous. No worries on the errors. Lots of games to play prior to playoffs to allow you to further hone your skills. Even if you never get it right, you can still come back next season and try it all over again. Eventually, you are bound to get it right (at least once). In the interim, it keeps the game fun, even if it is only for the benefit of others. Your sacrifice is always appreciated and you are sure to be rewarded with loads of fun yourself. Just good karma. Still some new players appearing on the filed. As always, seek them out, make yourself known, make them feel welcome. Try not to scare them (yet). Only five games in and, unbeknownst to me (or perhaps just blissfully unaware), we already have four players on the disabled list, not counting those who play with a natural disability, those making use of pinch runners and extended stays on the sidelines. To be fair, only two injuries occurred on field, while the other two occurred when players were involved in some sort of extracurricular activities off field (some sort of selfish, er, selfless act, presumably). Still, we miss anyone we have to do without.

All involved some sort of bone injury, most to the extremities (foot or hand, toe or finger). The two which occurred while the players were enjoying activities outside of baseball were both as a result of broken bones in the foot, while one of the injuries, occurring on the field, was due to a misjudged catch resulting in damage to the finger bone (no, the other one). The remaining injury occurred while running the bases. One would assume this to be another foot or leg injury, but it was further afield, with damage to a portion of the rib cage. Must have been some serious running. At this rate, we will be down one full team before the playoffs even begin. Difficult to play two games when you can only field three teams. That, combined with our sometimes unexpected attendance rate, it is probably best to try and stem the tide off players going on the DL, stopping them in their tracks, before they take themselves out. Keeping them in, forcibly if necessary. This can probably be handled in a number of ways. • Try not to be a klutz. Difficult, perhaps, but one sure way to avoid injury, especially those that are self-inflicted. Difficult to avoid injury if you keep tripping yourself up. There are always other factors out there trying to take you down. You can easily take yourself out of the equation (or perhaps not). • Supplements. Most injuries that sideline players long term are commonly due to broken bones, as most can still play with some sort of cut, bruise, pull or sprain. Maybe we should look at adding items such as calcium to our regular diet. Milk. It does a body good. • Be aware of your surroundings. There are balls being thrown about and hit around, sometimes in your general direction. Keep your eye on the ball, if just to avoid it. If you have issues remembering where you are, it may already be too late. • Stretches. Damage to muscle and ligament can be prevented by proper stretching, such as leg squats and arm lifts. Arm lifts can be enhanced with the addition of weights, held in the hand, such as, let’s say, a bottle. Depending on the contents of the bottle, these types of weights may need to be replaced at regular intervals. Warning: if you do use these types of weights on game day, they may temporarily prevent pain due to injury, but may not not enhance your ability to avoid them. Temporary numbing effect, at best. • Swing the bat with force. The farther you hit it, the less likely you have to leg it out to first base, allowing you to avoid stretching out muscles that have seldom seen the light of day. A nice hit, far enough into the outfield and away from the fielders, will allow you to take a more leisurely stroll to first base. Unless you like to leg it out, then it doesn’t matter where you hit it, even it does happen to fall short of the pitching screen. However, be sure to adhere to the tip in the paragraph above (stretching…stick to the leg squats).

• Proper gear. Baseball shoes help keep you better rooted to the ground in the upright position, combatting the natural forces of gravity. For those with ‘previous’ injuries, there are a number of medical aids that can be worn to prevent further injury. Else, just be sure to at least put some clothes on. Else, you are just another distraction. • Full body armour. Although your safest bet, not suitable for physical activity such as fielding, hitting and running the bases which, if you haven’t figured out by now, is all we do. Plus, if you do don full body armour, you may as well add a target, because you will most likely become one. • Bionics. You can be rebuilt. We have the technology. Unfortunately, not all of us have the wallets (six million dollars at last count) and, even if you underwent the procedure, you’d probably be too busy handling top secret military projects to play baseball. Plus, with full bionic replacement, television seems to indicate that anytime you exert yourself, you switch to slow motion. Not conducive to running about on the field. If all else fails, perhaps you should just stay off the field, but what is the sense in that? The temptation to play, to join in the fun, to be part of the antics is too great and hard to be avoided. The mental stress alone may cause more permanent injury. Beside, at our advanced years, just sitting about is more likely to lead to atrophied bones, so you are more likely to sustain some sort of injury just laying about. Best to get up off your ass. If you're going to get injured, you may as well do it having fun. Play ball!