Seriously, it was like “The Softball Game at the End of the World.” It looked like we were finally going to luck out, weather-wise, since thunderstorms (and even hail!) had been predicted, but conditions were still dry when we got to the field.
But sure enough, come six o’clock, these immense dark cloud formations started swirling and piling up just like in Ghostbusters 2 when Vigo gathers those supernatural storm clouds around Dana’s upper-west-side high rise.
The ump called for us to start the game right quick, in hopes that we’d be able to squeeze in enough innings for it to count as a ‘real game’. At first the frenzied pace seemed to be working for us, as the True Foes started out batting and quickly scored three runs. Then El D took the plate and scored four. At this point I was thinking two things:
1) “Wow, we seem to be pretty evenly matched. This is going to be a great game!”
2) “I am concerned that the ump has struggled to remember the score and we’re only in the first inning!”
Well, I needn’t have bothered worrying about his scorekeeping ability, since from that point on El D kept scoring runs and we kept on not scoring runs, so…
In the second inning the winds picked up, and this massive dust cloud blew in (I think it was from a construction site somewhere under the BQE) and we had to call a brief time-out until people could see again. The wind continued to gather strength, and then awesome forks of lightning started cracking sideways across the sky. The umpire hurried both teams along at every step, and tension mounted.
It got dark, and rain began to fall, but we kept on playing. We were losing by a lot now. Things were looking and feeling very grim. It seriously felt like the world was going to come to an end, and we’d never get to see our loved ones or eat pizza or listen to “Thriller” EVER AGAIN. All we could do was FINISH THIS GAME and then hold on for dear life when things inevitably started crashing down around us. The ump tried to call the game at one point, drawing protests from both teams: “Look, it’s letting up!”
And indeed it was. The rain petered out, the winds died down, and the lightning continued to flicker until at last it was finished too. And so were we. Mercy rule after a mere five innings.
How did it happen? Well, I could tell you about some bad calls behind the plate (Glen and Ryan were ROBBED, that’s for sure!) and the wind interfering with things, but the plain truth is that they just played better than we did. Too many of El D’s hits touched turf instead of a glove. Too many of our hits were scooped up instead of scrambled after. These things happen.
But in True Foes form, we decided to make the best of things and so we stayed behind on the field for some fun batting practice after the game. The storm was completely over by then, and a golden sunset beamed from beneath the high cloud cover, making the field and the trees and the buildings glow as if lit from within by magical rosy candlelight.
Add a wagon full of beer (thanks, Glenn!), some funky cotton-ball cloud formations, and friends shagging balls in a field of newly-mown grass, and you’ve got yourself a paradise.
Next time, we’re going to come together as a team before the game (which is at 9pm on the East River fields, Thursday July 9) and recreate that calm, glowing vibe before we storm things up on the field. It's a brilliant plan, and you won't want to miss it!
GTF
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