All part of the game
The beating sun glared down without mercy, permeating a thick layer of humidity to beat relentlessly onto the field, blinding anyone foolish enough to look in the general direction of right field. It may have been a dry heat except for the trails of sweat left behind by the rapidly moving fielders and runners. Okay, maybe just moving, forget the adverb. To be fair, any type of movement was acceptable for that type of weather, as long as its final destination was some sort of shade. Again, another perfect evening for baseball. So we played. Or made our usual attempt. Forget that. We played and had a damn fine time doing it. If you didn't, lighten up. You're being way too serious and way too hard on yourself. Leave that to others.
Although there still remains one team undefeated, seemingly running away with it, don't fret, the games still remain close, most too close to call. Still anyone’s game and, if we simply neglect to look at the scoreboard, it appears to be everyone’s game. Teams match skill levels tit for tat and, if it wasn’t for the ever permeating errors jumping in out of nowhere, we would be having a season of tie games. But the errors persist, That is what makes the game more fun, more thrilling, more exciting. He who blinks first may not necessarily lose, but he who blinks the most or in rapid succession, might. However, not always, as that is the nature of the game. One might play a perfect game against one that plays less so and still suffer a loss. Suppose that’s why it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. Although the win always looks good on paper. I would now like to take a moment to be serious…okay, long enough. Moving on. Few more tips.
Heat stroke. Best avoided. Stay hydrated. Alcohol does not count. Umpire’s call. Usually word. Right or wrong, he calls them as he sees them. How you judge right or wrong is dependent on your relative position and can require quite a bit of effort to perceive without bias. Don’t tire yourself out, leave it to him. He’s always willing to accept the blame and quite capable of ignoring it. (Insert innocuous comment about prescription eyeglasses here.) Runner from the fence is not a decoy play. if the batter makes use of a pitch runner, an out cannot be scored by tagging the batter, no matter how spectacular the effort. Even if the opposing team would enjoy it more if you played it that way. Always best to try and tag the runner who is moving. Although any effort made under the hot sun has to be appreciated. Throwing. As always no rush, even if there is (and, most often there is). Take your time and always be wary of the height of your target. Most are under 6 feet, so best to stay under that height while still maintaining a certain distance above ground level. Always tough to do under the circumstances of the game, but always something to keep in mind. Even if it is somewhere in the back of it. For me, it appears to be way far back but, thankfully, out of sight, out of mind.
The long ball. Sometimes the short ones are the ones that get you on base. And, for a game that does not allow the bunt, we do experience a fair amount of short ones. Pitching. As always take what you can get. Any ball can be hit, which is something of which we should be grateful. And, always remember, it’s a game. It’s just a game. Filled with unusual and controversial plays fuelled by our sometimes erratic behaviour, it is a sight to behold, something to be enjoyed and, dammit, just so much fun. Just keep telling yourself that.
