Tuesday, June 4, 2013

And Then There Was Softball

I've written about summertime often before on this blog, because it's my favorite time of year, associated with my best memories. These include, but are not limited to:
- my birthday and the "lower middle-class pool parties" my parents would throw when I was little (a.k.a. a slip-n-slide, two or three two-foot-deep kiddie pools, and a hose)
- celebrating one of the greatest holidays, July 4th, as well as growing up believing that the 4th of July fireworks were in honor of my birthday (which I know for a fact my older brother, whose birthday is in December, is still bitter about)
- trips to the greatest water park in the entire world, Schlitterbahn (the hottest, coolest time in Texas!)
- trips out of the sweltering West Texas heat to Ruidoso, New Mexico, with good family friends
- from my time at Texas A&M, summer meant two words: Fish Camp
- perennially good summer things such as baseball, BBQ, cookouts, beaches, swimming pools, floating the river, "The Sandlot," "Heavyweights," "Dazed and Confused," lightning bugs, thunderstorms, watermelon, ice cold Shiner Bock, Blue Bell ice cream, et cetera

As you can tell, summer is associated with lots of good past times and pastimes for me. And now that I'm on my own in the wide world, it's time for me to make some good memories of the present. Many good times are definitely nigh - this summer's plans include a trip to Portland, OR; a roadtrip to Texas and two good friends' weddings, and a family vacation/wedding in Puerto Rico. And aside from vacations, I've got some great things rolling here in Bloomington, including working on summer projects with fellow staff and our students, cleaning out my Netflix queue, and... softball.

Now, for those of you who know me well, that last word may seem a little... incongruous with your image of me. And you would not be incorrect. Team sports have never been a "thing" that I do. Ever. In fact, I made it from sixth grade through senior year of high school without taking an organized physical education class (still a point of pride for me, although my mother would tend to disagree with you as my lack of P.E. credits almost prevented me from graduating). One time, when I was in fifth grade, my brother tried to teach me to play tennis, and five minutes in I hit him in the face with the tennis racket (accidentally, I promise!). Let's let my history with organized sports boil down to this little gem - a few years ago, I asked my dear father why he and my mom never put me in tee-ball or soccer when I was a little kid; why I grew up taking dance as opposed to being able to catch and throw a ball and have some semblance of "normal" athleticism. His answer: "Well, Cassidy, when you were a baby, we put a ball in front of you, and a dolly. You went for the dolly, so we pretty much just went with it." Thanks, Dad. Thanks a lot.

Now, all of this isn't to say that I'm a nightmare at athletic things; I can (occasionally) catch a football, baseball, and/or softball and have been known to throw with some accuracy (thanks to my brother for the front yard catch sessions!). I can (occasionally) make a basket playing basketball, and can play decent defense (again, thanks to my brother for the driveway guarding lessons). Soccer isn't really a strong point; hand-eye coordination is hard enough so you can kiss feet-eye coordination goodbye. I knew from a young age I'd never be an Olympian, but I'm not completely hopeless at sports in general, and base/softball in particular, thanks (as always) to my brother's sports career/obsession/tutelage. Even so, it should be a surprise to everyone that a) I was approached to be on a summer co-rec softball team (God bless my coworker Megan for having such faith in me), and b) that I agreed to play.

And, in the end, I'm kind of enjoying myself. I'm playing the best position for me: left field. (The league we're in asks the men on the team to bat with their weak hand, so almost all of the batters have to be lefties, which means right field sees a LOT more action than I do... which I have zero problem with.) I'm getting to meet some great other young professionals here in Bloomington (although, in a hilarious twist of fate, I am the youngest person on the team). Our team even had our first win this past Sunday, a sweet, sweet victory that I tried my hardest to contribute to (unfortunately my stats were not quite up to par; I had one really solid hit in the three times I was up to bat, but it went right to the shortstop). I'll grant you, it's sometimes a little hard to muster up the enthusiasm to go out and do something that I'm not really good at, which I'm sure everyone can sympathize with - why play a game where your skills are mediocre (on a good day) when you can stay home and watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"? (which I'm really very good at). But, in the end, I'll admit it - I'm having a lot of fun. And there have been a couple of really beautiful moments - where I make a good catch, or actually throw the ball the distance it needs to go, or make good contact with the ball when I bat, or can make a REALLY awesome "Rookie of the Year" reference in play - that have made some of the less Hall-of-Fame/more bonehead moments worth it.

Overall, I think we have to face facts: in my mid-20s, we're not going to be able to make me into the next Jennie Finch. But if, by the end of the season, I'm able to be a pivotal part of at least one play, and I'm walking away with some good friends, I'll be satisfied. (Our team coaches may have something else to say about those outcomes; I blame their competitiveness on those darned team sports.)

Supposedly, next up for our team is a bowling league for the winter. I managed to bag a passing grade in my bowling-by-correspondence course I took in high school (I really, truly am not joking), so we'll see how this goes. In the meantime, if you happen to find yourself in Bloomington, come cheer for our softball team. We're the ones in the awesome baby-blue jerseys who, hopefully by our next game, have the most awesome walk-out songs on the field (DJ'd, of course, by yours truly - that I can do).

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