2/22/06
Softball: A Case Study in Athletic Reasoning
Dear People,
In a searing display of bone-chilling competitive excellence, Ehud’s team staved off my own, 19-18, and while I’m disappointed by the ultimate futility of our wondrous final-inning renaissance, I’m not gonna sit here and speculate as to who among us was to "blame" for the ghastly death of our previously unstoppable momentum. For one thing, that’s just not my style, and regardless, I don’t pretend to understand the complex aerobic dynamics of any given base runner’s decision-making processes.
Having said that, I truly had no clue what Nikki was thinking when she rounded 3rd and scampered toward the plate during that fateful 9th inning rally. And I’m not saying this just because our best hitters were now coming up with just one out and the bases loaded. Nor, for that matter, am I saying this just because classical baseball theory holds that in such a situation, only a tactical bozo would try to steal home.
Actually, my puzzlement lies in the fact that as the Nikkinator ignored all screams to stop and then suddenly bolted down that treacherous left-field line, she seemed to not particularly care that the ball was already in the 3rd basemen’s grubby little glove. In Vegas, this kind of dash is what’s referred to as "ill-advised" or "somewhat risky" or perhaps "a 25,000 to 1 long shot," but what the odds-makers could never see or understand was that face of sheer joyous determination as she carved out her own rendezvous with (delusional team-destroying) destiny.
Oh sure, she could have played it safe, but that’s not what softball is all about, and in any case, when she later told me that she couldn’t stop because "my quads really hurt," who was I to judge? The fact is, I don’t even know what quads are, but I do know that unlike their shamefully scant use in Olympic Curling, they are both vital to our own pastime, and they get really sore if you brake too quickly. As logic goes, that’s totally good enough for me, and therefore there will be a game at Codornices this SATURDAY at 11, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning…Raymond
2/24/06
Softball: The Esoteric Limber Me
Dear People,
There will be a game at Codornices tomorrow (Saturday) at 11AM, and as of now, there are still three slots left.
This week’s field fee is just $3, and that includes a special post-game trip to the Berkeley Iceland Skating Rink, where, for all you cynics, I will simply face down my demons and perform a triple lutz combo with a pinkie-toe axle quad…Raymond 845-7552
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