Run Home Jacks: Opening Day

I don't know why I was nervous, but I was. I had butterflies well before our first softball game. We are the cleverly named, and hopefully talented, Run Home Jacks. I had played softball before, but was regulated to the catcher position, i.e. I am a liability. It was safer there for me and the team. I wouldn't make an errors... hopefully. This year is different. I have been going to practice (yes, practice) with some of my friends during the week to prepare and enhance my skills. Taking grounders, pop flies, batting practice, the whole bit. It has been eye opening and painful. The season started almost as quickly as we decided to form a team and I suddenly didn't feel prepared. I was starting at second base and didn't own a cup, let alone when I was supposed to cover the base.

We created the team as an excuse to get our group of friends together once a week. Life gets busy and we aren't all into dungeons and dragons (anymore at least.. not since Andy decided to cast a wicked spell on me), so it can be challenging to see everyone often. And who doesn't want their own custom baseball jersey?

not the actual line up... this was an early lineup

After deciding, hey, lets make a team! we had to decide what league to be in. We also wanted to be in a competitive division because -  how fun is it to beat up on terrible competition? Not much. And we felt confident that the Upper Rec League would be suitable for our group of friends. It wasn't the "Skilled" league or the normal "Rec" league.

We did look sharp in our uniforms. I quickly compared ourselves to the competition. Their average age had to have been close to 40, with only three youngsters bringing it down. I thought we would kill them. As the home team we took our defensive positions. Whack, whack, whack. They were up 4 runs and we somehow got out of the inning. I would be batting third, which would be an epic mistake. I took two balls and then struck out - looking. My first at bat was a backwards K. That would be a foreshadow of things to come.

We couldn't hit. There was some bright spots, but compared to the old men, who could rake, we couldn't get it out of the infield. It was rough. I think we lost by more than 7 runs. That was opening day. Luckily I ate plenty of oranges my wife sliced for the team in the dugout. That was fun...