True Foes vs. Highliners, 4/7/09

It was certainly a shivery, soggy start to the ’09 softball season! We were the first to arrive at our old stomping grounds at Commodore Barry Park in the Navy Yard, and after surveying both dugouts we realized that they were both more or less underwater so we threw our stuff down by the fence on the side of the field and wasted no time in starting our first and much-needed practice!

A half-hour or so of catch and batting practice did help, but when we finished and waited for the game to start, the thin film of sweat that had managed to develop only served to chill us all the more when that cold wind blew on the backs of our necks. The infield was littered with puddles, and before the game could start the ump directed players to take the flat rubber bases and literally scoop dirt from the dirt mound by third base to try and fill in the swamps at the pitcher’s mound and home plate. The outfield was pitted, bumpy, and shaggy, as usual, with the added complication of a damp and dirty softball that wanted to jump and slip from every glove and grip.

The Highliners were a new team last year, and this was our first time playing them. There’s no knowing what kind of company they work for, but they all traveled together in an official-looking company van, so maybe they do deliveries? Well, they definitely failed to deliver an impressive performance last night—they just got lucky!

The True Foes were up to bat first and started quite well—at the bottom of the first inning we were ahead, and although the Highliners scored more runs later on we did hold our own for the most part, though sadly not enough to finish in the lead when the game was truncated early. Honestly, if we had played the full seven innings I think we would have won the game, but it got so dark after just five innings that both team managers agreed to call the game and we ended up losing by two runs: 9-7.

There were a lot of things working against us last night: wintry weather, a wet ball, and some debatable judgment calls by the ump, but we must admit that we did make an unfortunate amount of errors in some innings. The umpire had a washcloth just to wipe off the water and mud—but he would have served us better if he had paid as much attention to the pitches as he did to the cleanliness of the ball. I’m not saying that every True Foes pitch was perfect, but there were definitely a lot more of them in the strike zone than what he called.

The Highliners, for their part, were loving it. Someone really needed to say to them, “Hey, guys—you know that metal stick you hold in your hands while you stand by home plate? It’s called a bat, and you’re supposed to swing it at the ball once in a while.” They definitely had a penchant for walking to first base, but Jason sucked it up and whenever we took the field he continued lobbing what seemed like hundreds of pitches until we managed to make three outs.

Some shout-outs are definitely in order: to Jason, for not only pitching some long innings in less-than-desirable weather, but also for going to the field in the morning before work to gauge the likelihood of a cancellation, and some really terrific line drives. Willy hauled all the equipment to and from in the Bresemobile and kept score for us—and he also recruited Julie when we needed another player, and thanks to her we had ten on the field and she made a great catch as our rover! Shortstop Brian bravely donned a glove even though he broke his catching hand five weeks ago, and had great at-bats followed by his usual daredevil base-running. Softball Dave hit great and also rocked on third, and even had to tag some dudes out, which is not that easy. Mad props to Ryan Hullings for making one of those catches where everyone is going “oh my god-will he catch it or not?-oh my god” and then he did! Issa was invaluable on first, at bat, and also as a third-base coach for us less-savvy base-runners. Glenn Baken didn’t really have an opportunity to shine in center field (the Highliners were not heavy hitters) but he took his usual big swings and helped up our score. We were happy to have Steve Griffin return for his second season on the Foes, and I’d wager that before long he’ll feel as natural on the field as he does when he’s elbow-deep in computer guts. A very heartfelt thank-you is owed to Kim and Mabilon who came to cheer, which was actually a much colder task than playing, and to Alex’s friend Michael who had a fantastic hit and also proved she’s worth her salt on second.

Beers and way too many fistfuls of those shoestring fries were consumed at Superfine after the game. It was warm and crowded and so wonderful to catch up with old teammates and welcome new ones! Yes, it was ridiculously cold and dark on the field, and yes, we had that gritty softball mud all over our clothes and hands, and yes, we did technically lose our first game of the season. But we had a good turnout, spirits are up, and I think everyone is ready to bring the heat (oh please let there be heat) next Tuesday for a glorious, victorious, full-length game against the Dot Bombers!

GTF