When I asked Scott if I could be the guest blogger this week, he said sure!....just make sure to cover this material, provide a recap of the games, use this joke and follow The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. So here goes...
When Mia was in preschool a couple years ago, I was the Mystery Reader, which means that I showed up at class to read a book, but before I did, the kids couldn't see me and had to guess my identity by asking me questions, sort of a What's My Line? for the toddler set. So, they ask me all sorts of questions, perhaps not perfectly calibrated to solve the mystery: What color are your shoes? What's your favorite food? Have you ever driven a boat?
Then one of the kids asked "What's your favorite thing to do?" In a couple seconds, I quickly compiled a mental list, and I answered with the first preschool-appropriate item that came to mind: "play softball." Not long after, Mia solved the mystery.
Why did I give that answer? What is it about playing softball that I love so much? Certainly, I love the sport, meaning sixteen-inch softball. Any other variety is a completely different game. I love that the placement of your hit is often more important than your power, that daring on the basepaths is rewarded, that skillful pitchers can throw with as high of an arc as they like, that all you have to pack for a game is a pair of spikes (and some seeds), that old can compete with young, that guile and skill can trump brawn and speed. More than anything, I love the challenge of making plays with your bare hands that would be tough even with a glove. Hitting is fun, but for me, nothing compares to playing the field because there's no better feeling on the diamond than taking away a hit.
That's why I love the sport of sixteen-inch softball, but that captures only a small part of why I answered the way I did. For me, I have always had a strong association between softball and family. When I was a kid growing up in Grand Prairie, Texas, our family spent lots of days and nights at the ball field. Both my Dad and Mom played for teams in church leagues and company leagues, and Julie and I would watch a little of the games and play with the other kids while our parents played or coached. Those are good memories.
It's amazing that things have come full circle, and softball is still a family event. Now, it's my kids watching some softball and playing in the park, while my parents, sister, wife, niece and nephew watch the game.
But what's special is not just how the Cougars bring together my blood relations; Cougar Nation has become a surrogate family of sorts. The way that Scott built the team, it was inevitable that it would turn into a family atmosphere. When he first put together the Cougars in 2008 (or the Dead Cougars as we were known that first season), his criteria was simple: McKenzie dads (Bobis, Lil Rads and me notwithstanding) who were good guys. He didn't hold tryouts and didn't worry about softball ability (or else we never would have had the pleasure of Oxer's company). Predictably, it didn't take long for the guys to click. Postgames quickly became a can't-miss social event. Rainouts turned into impromptu poker games. And wives and children (and in some cases, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins) became fixtures not only at games, but also at postgames. The cooler filled with juice and water was next to the cooler of beer.
The camaraderie among teammates. Postgame parties filled with Cougars, families and our friends from Shack, Tappers and the neighborhood. Those are the things I will miss the most.
All this sentimental stuff, and I almost forgot about one of the directives from Captain Cougar: recap this week's games. So here it is: as always, we played hard, made some great defensive plays, a couple less stellar, had some big hits, daring baserunning, some "getting older" aches and pains; we won and we lost.
You want more? Let's see...
And I can't neglect to mention the old "wheel play." This was the play that our Shack friends were nice enough to make sure we learned the hard way back in 2008. Last night it was the Cougars using it to our advantage when Slaughter had runners on second and third.
Tuesday was a great way to end my career as a regular Cougar: a couple games and an epic postgame party in a backyard jammed with friends, family, beer and chicken. So, yes, "playing softball" has been one of my favorite things to do for the past seven years, and I will miss it, my family and my "family." Go get em boys!
~Diddy
When Mia was in preschool a couple years ago, I was the Mystery Reader, which means that I showed up at class to read a book, but before I did, the kids couldn't see me and had to guess my identity by asking me questions, sort of a What's My Line? for the toddler set. So, they ask me all sorts of questions, perhaps not perfectly calibrated to solve the mystery: What color are your shoes? What's your favorite food? Have you ever driven a boat?
Then one of the kids asked "What's your favorite thing to do?" In a couple seconds, I quickly compiled a mental list, and I answered with the first preschool-appropriate item that came to mind: "play softball." Not long after, Mia solved the mystery.
Why did I give that answer? What is it about playing softball that I love so much? Certainly, I love the sport, meaning sixteen-inch softball. Any other variety is a completely different game. I love that the placement of your hit is often more important than your power, that daring on the basepaths is rewarded, that skillful pitchers can throw with as high of an arc as they like, that all you have to pack for a game is a pair of spikes (and some seeds), that old can compete with young, that guile and skill can trump brawn and speed. More than anything, I love the challenge of making plays with your bare hands that would be tough even with a glove. Hitting is fun, but for me, nothing compares to playing the field because there's no better feeling on the diamond than taking away a hit.
That's why I love the sport of sixteen-inch softball, but that captures only a small part of why I answered the way I did. For me, I have always had a strong association between softball and family. When I was a kid growing up in Grand Prairie, Texas, our family spent lots of days and nights at the ball field. Both my Dad and Mom played for teams in church leagues and company leagues, and Julie and I would watch a little of the games and play with the other kids while our parents played or coached. Those are good memories.
It's amazing that things have come full circle, and softball is still a family event. Now, it's my kids watching some softball and playing in the park, while my parents, sister, wife, niece and nephew watch the game.
But what's special is not just how the Cougars bring together my blood relations; Cougar Nation has become a surrogate family of sorts. The way that Scott built the team, it was inevitable that it would turn into a family atmosphere. When he first put together the Cougars in 2008 (or the Dead Cougars as we were known that first season), his criteria was simple: McKenzie dads (Bobis, Lil Rads and me notwithstanding) who were good guys. He didn't hold tryouts and didn't worry about softball ability (or else we never would have had the pleasure of Oxer's company). Predictably, it didn't take long for the guys to click. Postgames quickly became a can't-miss social event. Rainouts turned into impromptu poker games. And wives and children (and in some cases, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins) became fixtures not only at games, but also at postgames. The cooler filled with juice and water was next to the cooler of beer.
The camaraderie among teammates. Postgame parties filled with Cougars, families and our friends from Shack, Tappers and the neighborhood. Those are the things I will miss the most.
All this sentimental stuff, and I almost forgot about one of the directives from Captain Cougar: recap this week's games. So here it is: as always, we played hard, made some great defensive plays, a couple less stellar, had some big hits, daring baserunning, some "getting older" aches and pains; we won and we lost.
You want more? Let's see...
- Bobis crushed a triple over the left fielder's head, as he has done many times over the years.
- Joker yanked an RBI single down the left field line, which is one of specialties, along with rearing back and uncorking a bullet from the outfield.
- Boom safely slid into home, and when Boom slides, he travels about ten feet. Watching him run the bases is fun.
- JD cranked a homer (in our book). Watching him run the bases is fun as well, but for different reasons, namely his patented "don't stop running even if they make a play on you" move.
- Lip perfected his own "forward dive/throw to first" move, which he adds to his repertoire that includes the "barrel around the bases looking like you could maim anyone who gets in your path" maneuver, which he might have picked up from Oxer.
- Philthy continued his impressive year at the plate. Dr. Phil, Philthy McNasty, The Mayor of Howard Park, whatever you call him, he has yet to see a pitch he couldn't hit with that effortless swing or a bystander he couldn't chat up.
- Pastor Ted was as sure-handed as ever at the hot corner, and his two-strike chop hits are a thing of beauty.
- Lil Rads as always used his strong hands to play a solid 1B and hit the ball hard. His presence always livens up the postgame.
- Flandog flashed his notorious mean streak by running over Miller's 2B. My favorite image of Flannery is him making the quick pivot at second to turn two.
- Diamond Dave made his return to the mound by pitching flawlessly. Whether it's offering a calming word on the bench, battling back from injury, tomahawking a liner down the line or grilling up some eats, Dave always brings something to the table.
- Presch returned to Howard Park as well with solid hits and great hands. He and his green polo are always a welcome sight.
- Rads made great plays at short and on the mound look easy. His combination of line drive hitting, speed on the bases, sure hands in the field and a rocket for an arm has been a key part of the Cougars' success.
- Unfortunately, we were missing two of our main men, Fort and Martini. So we didn't get to see Fort's signature over-the-shoulder catches or hear him ask "Permission to go over the left fielder's head?" Or Martini's wizardry on the mound, smooth opposite field stroke and uncanny ability to get under the skin of every player not wearing green.
Tuesday was a great way to end my career as a regular Cougar: a couple games and an epic postgame party in a backyard jammed with friends, family, beer and chicken. So, yes, "playing softball" has been one of my favorite things to do for the past seven years, and I will miss it, my family and my "family." Go get em boys!
~Diddy
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| In case you were wondering, I couldn't work in Scott's joke, so I'll leave it to him to use in a future blog. Spoiler: it makes him laugh. |
