Last night saw my first return to a softball field in over 5 years. Yes. 5 years. Being married to a baseball-player-and-softball-player meant I tagged along to a gazillion games {most of them double headers}, drove 2 hours one way to be his cheerleader, and brought the teams' first aid kit. About a week ago, I get a Facebook message asking me to play. After about 5 seconds of thinking, I say yes. I was not ready for A to be so enthusiastic about it.
"Do you need any more guys? I'll sub!" No honey, we have a full roster.
"Do you know where your glove is?" No honey, I lost that last year @ Whitney. I need a new one.
At which he proceeds to have me try on MENS 13 inchers...ummm, Hi. My name is Emily and I have quite possibly the stubbiest fingers known to man...other than my mother's.
"You need cleats." No honey, it's not that serious of a league {and I have better things to spend my fun money on}.
"Once you fall, you'll see what I mean! Don't say I didn't warn you." Honey, have you met me? I fall ALL THE TIME. I fall going UP the stairs, trip over toy cars {or imaginary items}, and yes, when I open the car door I have been known, on occasion to actually nail myself in the forehead with said door. I call myself "The Most Graceful Klutz Ever" because usually no one notices and I rarely end up wiped out completely. Put the camera in my hand and I'm Gene Kelly. {Perhaps I should just wear it like a necklace everywhere and see if my movement improves.....}
So, me, knowing two people on the team {two I haven't seen since HS back in '02) leaves 45 minutes early for a 3 mile trip to the Upper Deck. And anxiety hits. What if they ARE serious? What if I don't fit in at all? What if I get hungry and the only "food" has wheat? What if I get beaned right away during warm-ups? How will I know the team I'm on? {Yes, I knew we had T-shirts, but I was EARLY!} So, trying to calm my nerves, I drove the circuit and listened to Marketplace Money on MPR.
After the initial "I'm Emily and you are...?"s to 11 other people, I was much calmer. However I did manage to miss every toss to me in warm ups. Nerves. Let's say it was nerves.
Thankfully, with being on the bench for A's games and often keeping book, I knew how to do that and felt needed. Yes, I could've fielded the first game, but I like to think my awesomeness at bookkeeping won us game one. And I did run one in that game!
Game 2 was an hour after the first, so there was "Team Building" inside Upper Deck. Good times...got caught up, broke some more ice, then went out for the late game. Cold. Windy. Dusty. Hands were freezing; I played out in Left and only missed one play....a grounder nonetheless. No worries. No runs on that one. Game 2 also had me walking at every at bat. Oh, did I forget that for game 1? I guess I'm intimidating; I kept hearing the bench coach telling the pitcher to walk me. Sure, I'm not tiny, but I can sprint like nobody's business. That led me to score 2 in the second game...which we inevitably lost.
Today brings a sore hamstring and other "running muscles", a welt from a line drive to the shin, and a bunch of self-confidence that I can do something better than I thought I could. Now next week, maybe the pitcher will throw something I can hit. {There was 1 strike out of 4 at bats...good eye over here!}
I know I owe some photo love, so I'll attach a bunch later today. Now it's coffee break time.
Have a wonderful weekend {you got your taxes done, right?}
~e
