Softball talk

I did something unpleasant to my left leg last night at softball practice. Not sure if it's just a pull, or a tear, or a strain, or what really the difference is - but I was sprinting from first to second base, as fast as I possibly could run, and it suddenly went OUCH and I couldn't run anymore. A big purple bruise appeared on my knee, it hurts to walk, and the whole thing has been stiff and sore all day. 

In happier news, after many, many really lousy innings at first base, I managed to get two people out! That is, I managed to catch the ball, at first base, before the batter was able to run to first base. TWICE! It's TEAMWORK! And I didn't drop the ball! Yay! 

Nick, of course, is already good at softball. He can hit the ball really far, and he's effective in the outfield AND the infield. It looks like he'll be playing outfield as his assigned position, although personally I think he'd be even better as shortstop. But the team is bound by those bizarre boy/girl rules. There are just (proportionately) too many men on the team, and many of them are really serious players - maybe a little TOO good, some of them: if they throw the ball to me, or the other team ladies, with the speed and force of an accomplished baseball player, we're much less likely to actually catch it - ! Of course, with practice and experience, the girls would be just as good as the boys; but none of us has practice or experience. 

So, one of the weird rules is that there must be five ladies in the batting lineup - and if there are four, then the team gets an out for each time the fifth lady would have batted. If that makes sense (it doesn't). And there's some other rule about having a minimal number of ladies on the field for each game, without whom the game is forfeit - and after two forfeits, our team is out of the league for the rest of the year. So there is a lot of pressure on the ladies to show up and participate. Boo! Boo! Pretty absurd rules, if you ask me (which nobody did). Among other things, it means that the ladies never get to switch out and rest. There are just too few of us! 

But it's all good. Last night after the practice Nick and I stuck around, chatting with some teammates until midnight - !! Under the tropical stars, with geckoes chirping in the darkness, drinking Fat Tire and talking about life on Guam. Doesn't get much better than that!