Growing up in the town I grew up in we didn’t play baseball. We played fastball. Whip-pitch, windmill ,big ball, softball whatever your name for it it wasn’t baseball, but it’s all we had so I played it.
I was a pitcher and played first base in my teenage pinnacle years. As a pitcher I was mediocre, I was tall which was good for playing first base because I could stretch far but I was never able to use my height to generate enough pitch speed to be intimidating in that regard off of the mound. I was however very erratic with my control and would occasionally throw a pitch and have it wind up somewhere over the backstop. If anything the batter’s were kept on their toes against me.
When I was in grade seven or eight my team was playing out of town and my dad, who was out of the picture f
Anyhow on this day our regular pitcher who was ten times better of a pitcher than me was away somewhere and I was on the hill the whole game.
In the fourth or fifth inning with two outs and a man on first and third I took a line drive off of an aluminium baseball bat in the groin. Before we go any further I have two questions;
A. Do you know how much closer a pitcher is to home in fastball than baseball?
B. Do you know how hard an aluminium baseball bat can propel an object?
Ok I know what your thinking. Some of you are wondering if I was wearing a cup, a jock. Unfortunately no I wasn’t. I had never been hit in the groin like that before plus I was a bit crazy. I was a goalie in hockey and I would sometimes forget my cup at home and play without one. Darwin award considerations.
As it was though I hit the mound faster than Tara Patrick falling to my knees and sitting on my heels.
A crowd encircled me and as I regained my composure the umpire signalled for an out.
The ball was still lodged in my groin do to my body position and had never actually touched the ground , the inning was over and that ladies and gentlemen is my greatest, most painful and attention gathering catch.
After the game my dad stated that he was getting me a cup and jockstrap.
My dad went away again the next day. He never did get me that cup.
Comments
3 responses to “Playing Softball”
Awesome post. Thanks for sharing with us.
Funny post. My 15 year daughter also pitches fast pitch and I have seen many shots hit back at pitchers over her 6 years in the sport. It amazes me more people aren’t hurt more often. A lot of players wear a plastic face guard while they pitch. My daughter; just a mouth guard.
Yes the ol’ line drive to the pitchers groin. It was a playoff game and most of our team was out with the flu. I get hit by the pitch right on my femur bone that sent shivers up and down my spine. Fell right to the ground. My coach comes out there and says “Can you stand in right field the rest of the game?” I hobbled out there and someone in the stands gave me their crutches making me the scarecrow in right. Too funny.