BBBD1969
Bigger than the game.
I have a neighbor--he's an older guy--who used to play a lot of competitive softball, although mostly fast pitch. Anyway he heard I was playing softball again, we were both outside working on our yards Tuesday, and he came over and asked me how the team was going.
I told him that we'd only played 2 games and lost both, one a heartbreaker and one a blowout. He asked how I was doing. I tried to be humble enough and told him I was doing OK, only had 8 ABs but was hitting the ball well, hadn't made an official "out" yet (had a couple reached on errors and a walk) and knock on wood hopefully I can continue hitting well.
We then talked about umpiring a bit and I told him I try not to get caught up in "bad" calls as its been my experience that 1) you ain't gonna change the ump's mind and 2) over the course of a season (or tourney) you get calls go for you and against you and they all pretty much even out.
Cue the games Tuesday night. I hit pretty badly, only a few decent shots (and two were right at dudes for outs) and of course my team seemed to have EVERY call go against us. Oh, and we lost both, one a blowout and one a heartbreaker.
Just seemed funny to me that exactly what I talked about is exactly what happened. Sure seemed to try my patience and no, I didn't argue any of the bad calls. It happens I guess. They were the types of games that had they happened 15 or so years ago or in a tourney or something they woulda stuck with me for awhile.
I told him that we'd only played 2 games and lost both, one a heartbreaker and one a blowout. He asked how I was doing. I tried to be humble enough and told him I was doing OK, only had 8 ABs but was hitting the ball well, hadn't made an official "out" yet (had a couple reached on errors and a walk) and knock on wood hopefully I can continue hitting well.
We then talked about umpiring a bit and I told him I try not to get caught up in "bad" calls as its been my experience that 1) you ain't gonna change the ump's mind and 2) over the course of a season (or tourney) you get calls go for you and against you and they all pretty much even out.
Cue the games Tuesday night. I hit pretty badly, only a few decent shots (and two were right at dudes for outs) and of course my team seemed to have EVERY call go against us. Oh, and we lost both, one a blowout and one a heartbreaker.
Just seemed funny to me that exactly what I talked about is exactly what happened. Sure seemed to try my patience and no, I didn't argue any of the bad calls. It happens I guess. They were the types of games that had they happened 15 or so years ago or in a tourney or something they woulda stuck with me for awhile.
