Dust swirls. The flat, dry heat sticks to my skin like tar. The blond boy in his blood red uniform steps to the plate holding the aluminum bat. Bases loaded. One out. Tie game. Bottom of the last inning. Last game of the season.
I step toward home. Half way between first and second. Short follows suit. We call out to each other. Any base. Gotta go home. Just step on the plate, Tim. Our voices dance with the dust, a delicate arrhythmic tango.
The pitcher tosses the scarred white ball towards the plate. The blond boy steps, pivots, sends the ball skipping and spinning towards me. As taught by the old man, I kneel and get the glove down. I am willing to block the ball with any part of my body. Any part.
The ball takes a cosmic bounce. An ill-placed pebble? A teammate’s cleated divot? None can tell. And the gloom I felt in the depth of my soul that moment after it sailed over my shoulder prevented me from investigating the cause of such a jounce.
I walk from the field through a sea of blood red cheers. Wishing I could achieve absolute transparency. My teammates pat me on the back with their dirty, calloused hands. Tell me that there was nothing I could do. Tell me to shake it off. I grimace as the ball replays its flippant hop in my unforgiving imagination.
And there beyond my teammates sits my other team. The team I coach. I cannot help but smile when they erupt. Whistling and clapping engulf me.
The meaning of the game had never been so apparent.
Showing posts with label softball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label softball. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday Scribblings: Hand-Eye Coordination
This week's topic is Sport. I therefore posted on that website my yesterday's post regarding my Sporting Rants and Raves. We'll see how the Sunday Scribblings crew likes those rants and raves.
But today, I have decided to address a topic that never ceases to amaze me, namely hand-eye coordination.
For you to understand the context a bit more, let me contextualize. I coach a team in the Emerald City Softball Association, a gay softball league. It doesn't mean it's exclusively gay but rather it was created so that gay athletes could play in the late 70s and early 80s without being harassed. And at that time, the league literally had only gay athletes with the emphasis on the 'athlete'. In other words the league was for those who could already play.
Then, sometime in the 90s there was a significant push for a division in the league that addressed the fact that many people in the gay community had never actually stepped foot on a diamond. This became the D division. And now, the D division has the most teams in the league, approaching 20 separate teams.
There you have it, a little context. Well, these past two years I have coached the Seattle Buzz, a D division team that contains a wide range of talent. There are those who can hit, catch, and throw well but who want to stay in D - rather than go to C - because of the laid back attitude. Then there are those who have absolutely no idea how to throw a ball.
When I see a person with that lack of ability, I cannot help but be amazed. Here's why... Do I expect that everyone who comes out onto the field will have played baseball or softball before? Absolutely not. Even though it is my opinion that they're missing one of the greatest games ever created, I can imagine a world in which baseball / softball is not a priority.
It becomes a tad bit more difficult for me to imagine a person who has absolutely no tie to sport whatsoever. But it's still feasible. That the person doesn't like baseball, football, basketball, darts, bowling, golf, tennis, cricket, bocce, or any other game that requires hand-eye coordination. Okay, that's fine.
But then, I get into other questions. Do you play video games? There are a lot of people from my generation who have played - and still play - video games. I'm one of them, in fact. I played pong once upon a time. Pitfall for Atari. Super Mario Brothers. Sonic. Zelda. Tecmo Bowl. All of it. No, not every game system, but I've played my share.
Then I come to questions about, say handwriting. And they give me an odd look before they tell me that they have terrible handwriting. That they can barely write a sentence.
Typing? I ask. Two finger typing, they answer.
Piano, trumpet, drums? No music either, they say.
And that's the point at which I realize that the person does not, in fact, have any experience whatsoever with hand-eye coordination. Which means that when the person tries to throw, catch, or hit that person's body looks like it is convulsing rather than actually partaking in the specific activity in which it is supposed to be involved.
Yes, coordination can be learned, but I'll never cease to be amazed that there are those people who have never even come close to being involved in an activity that would require coordination.
But today, I have decided to address a topic that never ceases to amaze me, namely hand-eye coordination.
For you to understand the context a bit more, let me contextualize. I coach a team in the Emerald City Softball Association, a gay softball league. It doesn't mean it's exclusively gay but rather it was created so that gay athletes could play in the late 70s and early 80s without being harassed. And at that time, the league literally had only gay athletes with the emphasis on the 'athlete'. In other words the league was for those who could already play.
Then, sometime in the 90s there was a significant push for a division in the league that addressed the fact that many people in the gay community had never actually stepped foot on a diamond. This became the D division. And now, the D division has the most teams in the league, approaching 20 separate teams.
There you have it, a little context. Well, these past two years I have coached the Seattle Buzz, a D division team that contains a wide range of talent. There are those who can hit, catch, and throw well but who want to stay in D - rather than go to C - because of the laid back attitude. Then there are those who have absolutely no idea how to throw a ball.
When I see a person with that lack of ability, I cannot help but be amazed. Here's why... Do I expect that everyone who comes out onto the field will have played baseball or softball before? Absolutely not. Even though it is my opinion that they're missing one of the greatest games ever created, I can imagine a world in which baseball / softball is not a priority.
It becomes a tad bit more difficult for me to imagine a person who has absolutely no tie to sport whatsoever. But it's still feasible. That the person doesn't like baseball, football, basketball, darts, bowling, golf, tennis, cricket, bocce, or any other game that requires hand-eye coordination. Okay, that's fine.
But then, I get into other questions. Do you play video games? There are a lot of people from my generation who have played - and still play - video games. I'm one of them, in fact. I played pong once upon a time. Pitfall for Atari. Super Mario Brothers. Sonic. Zelda. Tecmo Bowl. All of it. No, not every game system, but I've played my share.
Then I come to questions about, say handwriting. And they give me an odd look before they tell me that they have terrible handwriting. That they can barely write a sentence.
Typing? I ask. Two finger typing, they answer.
Piano, trumpet, drums? No music either, they say.
And that's the point at which I realize that the person does not, in fact, have any experience whatsoever with hand-eye coordination. Which means that when the person tries to throw, catch, or hit that person's body looks like it is convulsing rather than actually partaking in the specific activity in which it is supposed to be involved.
Yes, coordination can be learned, but I'll never cease to be amazed that there are those people who have never even come close to being involved in an activity that would require coordination.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sporting Rants and Raves: TD's Official NFL Championship Picks and then some...
Hello sports fans...
Until now, this blog has covered football, namely my weekly picks. And a little baseball. One of the earliest posts was about the trip the old man, my brother, and I took to Yankee Stadium for the last time. Now that I'm trying to put a bit more structure around the blog - as much for my own sake as for yours - I will be covering my take on sports on Saturdays. No, this doesn't mean I'll altogether neglect sports on other days should they need to be discussed at any length. But, the bulk of my sporting opinions will appear on this day of the week.
As for what will be discussed... If it's about sports and it strikes my fancy, it's up for grabs. I can tell you now that I know nothing about cricket, Nascar, rugby, and cheese rolling. You'll most likely not see much about these sports. Basketball, golf, tennis, and hockey. I enjoy watching all of them and I happen to know the rules. But I don't follow them religiously. So, they'll appear from time to time. Football and baseball? Why yes, I will talk about them. Oh, and softball too. As in updates about how my teams - the one for which I play and the one for which I serve as coach - are progressing.
That said, let's begin...
Football
I know. You don't have to say it. I am choosing with a ridiculously bad 33% accuracy in the NFL Playoffs. Egregious. Disgusting. Terrible. Ghastly. Kiss of Death. You can send all other comments and word ideas to:
I_can't_choose_an_NFL_playoff_game_correctly_if_my_life_
depended_on_it@ugh.com.
But that won't stop me from trying again. Because if there's one thing I've learned, when the going gets tough, a 300 lb lineman knocks you into next Tuesday. Learned that in high school football.
Philadelphia @ Arizona
Do you believe in Arizona? Do you? I do. I believe in their defense. I believe in their passing game. I even believe in their running game. I think they deserve to be in this game. Yes, there are those who say that Jake Delhomme lost that game last week more than the Cardinals won it. But Jake's interceptions don't account for the Arizona offense lighting up a good defense. It doesn't account for the likes of James and Fitzgerald, not to mention Mr. Warner. But. A big but. Although I believe in them, I wonder at their ability to play against an Eagles team with momentum. An Eagles team that has one of the top defenses in the league. An Eagles team with Donovan playing like Eli did last year. If the Eagles play like they did last week, I think the Cards don't make the trip to Tampa. But there's that chance that the Eagles of the Eagles-Bengals rancid tie game appears in the desert. An hallucination. Thing is, this whole wild card team marching through the playoffs with momentum thing seems to be all the rage of late. For that reason, TD chooses: Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
No NFL team ever wants to play another NFL team against whom they've won the prior two regular season meetings. See the 2008 post season Giants v. Cowboys game. They're too familiar with each other. And honestly, a point that Peter King made earlier in the week, they're just so similar. Quarterbacks that need to play intelligently, but who don't need to win games (Flacco and Roethlisberger). Running backs that you shouldn't take for granted (Parker and McGahee). Linebacker corps that strike fear into the hearts of any offense (Lewis, Suggs and Farrior, Harrison). Exceptionally strong defensive backs (Polamalu and Reed). Straight up, I don't see a lot of points scored in this one. It's going to be a title bout. But the Steelers have two advantages. 1) Pittsburgh. They're the only team that has made use of home field. 2) Health. The Ravens have a few key players out, like McClain. The Steelers enter the game with no significant injuries. TD chooses: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let the battle of Pennsylvania begin...
Baseball
The question: Does Mark McGwire belong in baseball's Hall of Fame?
I am a Libra. Whether that means anything or not, I believe entirely in balance. So, I'm not going to make a determination based solely on statistics. Oh yes, they're important. They are the foundation of the choosing. Some guy who batted .200 and had an .850 fielding percentage in 2000 games in the major leagues is obviously not deserving of the Hall. But there's more than stats. There's sportsmanship. There's morality. There's importance to the team. And there's the love of the game. They all play a part.
That said, let's do a little statistical comparison to see if he's worthy. (Thanks to baseball-reference.com) First, let's take a look at some statistically similar players.
Stats
Gil Hodges. Didn't make it into the Hall. Had a better batting average but certainly not better on base percentage or slugging percentage. And 200 fewer homeruns.
Okay, so if Hodges was just on the cusp, then McGwire should be in, at least based on his stats, yes? Let's take a look at a few more. Let's try 1 who is in the Hall. Harmon Killebrew. Killebrew with a .256 batting average, .376 on base percentage, and .509 slugging percentage fails to approach McGwire in all categories. Fielding percentage? Same. Killebrew had a .981; McGwire a .992. Homeruns. Killebrew had 573; McGwire had 583. All signs point to Big Mac. Except for the fact the Killebrew played for 22 years as compared to McGwire's 16. And a few other differences I'll cover later.
One more only. I promise. Someone who will most likely never have the opportunity to be considered. A fellow Bash Brother, Jose Canseco. In 17 years, Canseco had more hits and a higher batting average but a lesser on base and slugging percentage. McGwire had more walks and fewer strikeouts but many fewer stolen bases. Fielding? McGwire certainly had the edge. Who doesn't remember the ball that hit Jose on the head only to become a homerun? Still, statistically, they're pretty close.
Then, does McGwire belong statistically? He's on the cusp.
Postseason
McGwire has 1 ring. He has a .217 batting average, .320 on base percentage, and .349 slugging percentage in 10 post season series.
Hodges? 2 rings. A .267 batting average, .349 on base percentage, and .412 slugging percentage. In 7 post season appearances. Hodges takes this one.
Killebrew? No rings. A .250 average, .444 on base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage. Killebrew proves that he can do the deed when the deed needs doing.
Canseco? 2 rings. The second with the Yankees, barely. A .184 average, .315 on base percentage, and .398 slugging. Canseco proves that he's just happy to be there.
McGwire loses in this category
Importance to the Team(s)
What does the player mean to the team? Could the team win if that person weren't playing?
Hodges? Well, that's a tough question and much of the reason there's so much controversy about him. He was an important part of the Dodgers' dynasty of the 1950s. But, it can't be said that they wouldn't have won without him. He was a first baseman, a good one at that. But still a first baseman. Not a very active position on the whole. Not like catcher or short stop. Then again, there was his batting. A feared hitter. But as feared as the Duke? Not quite. And he did do his batting in the batter friendly 50s. Important, yes. But not critical.
Killebrew? He began with the Senators. If that means nothing to you, please note that the Senators won 1 World Series thanks to some guy named Walter Johnson against the heavily favored New York Giants. Other than that year - 1924 - and a few others - '25, '33 - in their 59 year history in Washington D.C. they were "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." Things haven't changed much in Washington. In any case, back to Harmon. He played first for the Senators and then moved with them to Minnesota. In essence, it was a new team. And he anchored it. He was its captain. Not to mention a good third baseman. A more active position than first. And he could hit. My God, he could hit. Blasts into upper decks. Pitchers did not want to pitch to the guy. See his 1519 walks as compared to McGwire's 1317. And that was in the pitching strong 1960s. For this reason Killebrew deserves his Hall of Fame call.
Canseco? Oakland, Texas, Toronto, NYY, Boston. Was he an important part of any of these teams? Oakland, arguably yes. I'll give it to him. The other 7 years of his career, eh. Not so much. Not altogether significant were his contributions. An outfielder, every Hall of Fame voter would be lying if they didn't think of that guy as the one off of whom the ball bounced for a homerun. I know, I'm beating a dead horse. But, really, that was funny.
McGwire, then. Important? To Oakland, I would argue yes. He always was the more reliable of the Bash Brothers. And he had a certain charisma that Canseco lacked. A feel good quality that made fans cheer for him even if they hated him. To St. Louis? If I'm honest, he was. He was on the front end of the Cardinals' building of a very good team, though I'd give a heck of a lot more credit to La Russa for that.
McGwire certainly wins out over Canseco on this one. And perhaps surpasses Hodges. But he's way short of Killebrew. We'll call this off the cusp.
Importance to Baseball
McGwire is unique in this category as he engaged in one of the most exciting competitions in recent baseball memory. What baseball fan can forget his epic struggle with Sammy Sosa in 1998? It was a battle for the ages to surpass a mark held for 37 years by the famed Roger Maris.
But there's a counterpoint. That is, an older bespectacled McGwire sitting with the likes of Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and Jose Canseco in Washington D.C. testifying about performance enhancing drugs. Rafael said he didn't, but he lied. Sammy said he didn't; we don't know if he lied or not. Jose said he did thus quashing his standing in baseball. Mark? Well, Mark wouldn't comment. "I'm not here to talk about the past," he stated in that chamber.
My take? This is a wash. The first most certainly makes him a Hall of Fame candidate. The second most certainly does not. So, I throw this out.
Conclusion
Statistically during season play, he's a maybe. Postseason statistically, no. Important to his teams, I give him a somewhat. And important to baseball, he's questionable.
Halls of Fame are not for the maybes, thus the reason that I'd say no.
Softball
As crazy as this might sound, next weekend marks the first practice for the Thrusters - the team for which I play - and the first batting practice for the Buzz - the team I coach.
Softball has begun...
Until now, this blog has covered football, namely my weekly picks. And a little baseball. One of the earliest posts was about the trip the old man, my brother, and I took to Yankee Stadium for the last time. Now that I'm trying to put a bit more structure around the blog - as much for my own sake as for yours - I will be covering my take on sports on Saturdays. No, this doesn't mean I'll altogether neglect sports on other days should they need to be discussed at any length. But, the bulk of my sporting opinions will appear on this day of the week.
As for what will be discussed... If it's about sports and it strikes my fancy, it's up for grabs. I can tell you now that I know nothing about cricket, Nascar, rugby, and cheese rolling. You'll most likely not see much about these sports. Basketball, golf, tennis, and hockey. I enjoy watching all of them and I happen to know the rules. But I don't follow them religiously. So, they'll appear from time to time. Football and baseball? Why yes, I will talk about them. Oh, and softball too. As in updates about how my teams - the one for which I play and the one for which I serve as coach - are progressing.
That said, let's begin...
Football
I know. You don't have to say it. I am choosing with a ridiculously bad 33% accuracy in the NFL Playoffs. Egregious. Disgusting. Terrible. Ghastly. Kiss of Death. You can send all other comments and word ideas to:
I_can't_choose_an_NFL_playoff_game_correctly_if_my_life_
depended_on_it@ugh.com.
But that won't stop me from trying again. Because if there's one thing I've learned, when the going gets tough, a 300 lb lineman knocks you into next Tuesday. Learned that in high school football.
Philadelphia @ Arizona
Do you believe in Arizona? Do you? I do. I believe in their defense. I believe in their passing game. I even believe in their running game. I think they deserve to be in this game. Yes, there are those who say that Jake Delhomme lost that game last week more than the Cardinals won it. But Jake's interceptions don't account for the Arizona offense lighting up a good defense. It doesn't account for the likes of James and Fitzgerald, not to mention Mr. Warner. But. A big but. Although I believe in them, I wonder at their ability to play against an Eagles team with momentum. An Eagles team that has one of the top defenses in the league. An Eagles team with Donovan playing like Eli did last year. If the Eagles play like they did last week, I think the Cards don't make the trip to Tampa. But there's that chance that the Eagles of the Eagles-Bengals rancid tie game appears in the desert. An hallucination. Thing is, this whole wild card team marching through the playoffs with momentum thing seems to be all the rage of late. For that reason, TD chooses: Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
No NFL team ever wants to play another NFL team against whom they've won the prior two regular season meetings. See the 2008 post season Giants v. Cowboys game. They're too familiar with each other. And honestly, a point that Peter King made earlier in the week, they're just so similar. Quarterbacks that need to play intelligently, but who don't need to win games (Flacco and Roethlisberger). Running backs that you shouldn't take for granted (Parker and McGahee). Linebacker corps that strike fear into the hearts of any offense (Lewis, Suggs and Farrior, Harrison). Exceptionally strong defensive backs (Polamalu and Reed). Straight up, I don't see a lot of points scored in this one. It's going to be a title bout. But the Steelers have two advantages. 1) Pittsburgh. They're the only team that has made use of home field. 2) Health. The Ravens have a few key players out, like McClain. The Steelers enter the game with no significant injuries. TD chooses: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let the battle of Pennsylvania begin...
Baseball
The question: Does Mark McGwire belong in baseball's Hall of Fame?
I am a Libra. Whether that means anything or not, I believe entirely in balance. So, I'm not going to make a determination based solely on statistics. Oh yes, they're important. They are the foundation of the choosing. Some guy who batted .200 and had an .850 fielding percentage in 2000 games in the major leagues is obviously not deserving of the Hall. But there's more than stats. There's sportsmanship. There's morality. There's importance to the team. And there's the love of the game. They all play a part.
That said, let's do a little statistical comparison to see if he's worthy. (Thanks to baseball-reference.com) First, let's take a look at some statistically similar players.
Stats
Gil Hodges. Didn't make it into the Hall. Had a better batting average but certainly not better on base percentage or slugging percentage. And 200 fewer homeruns.
Okay, so if Hodges was just on the cusp, then McGwire should be in, at least based on his stats, yes? Let's take a look at a few more. Let's try 1 who is in the Hall. Harmon Killebrew. Killebrew with a .256 batting average, .376 on base percentage, and .509 slugging percentage fails to approach McGwire in all categories. Fielding percentage? Same. Killebrew had a .981; McGwire a .992. Homeruns. Killebrew had 573; McGwire had 583. All signs point to Big Mac. Except for the fact the Killebrew played for 22 years as compared to McGwire's 16. And a few other differences I'll cover later.
One more only. I promise. Someone who will most likely never have the opportunity to be considered. A fellow Bash Brother, Jose Canseco. In 17 years, Canseco had more hits and a higher batting average but a lesser on base and slugging percentage. McGwire had more walks and fewer strikeouts but many fewer stolen bases. Fielding? McGwire certainly had the edge. Who doesn't remember the ball that hit Jose on the head only to become a homerun? Still, statistically, they're pretty close.
Then, does McGwire belong statistically? He's on the cusp.
Postseason
McGwire has 1 ring. He has a .217 batting average, .320 on base percentage, and .349 slugging percentage in 10 post season series.
Hodges? 2 rings. A .267 batting average, .349 on base percentage, and .412 slugging percentage. In 7 post season appearances. Hodges takes this one.
Killebrew? No rings. A .250 average, .444 on base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage. Killebrew proves that he can do the deed when the deed needs doing.
Canseco? 2 rings. The second with the Yankees, barely. A .184 average, .315 on base percentage, and .398 slugging. Canseco proves that he's just happy to be there.
McGwire loses in this category
Importance to the Team(s)
What does the player mean to the team? Could the team win if that person weren't playing?
Hodges? Well, that's a tough question and much of the reason there's so much controversy about him. He was an important part of the Dodgers' dynasty of the 1950s. But, it can't be said that they wouldn't have won without him. He was a first baseman, a good one at that. But still a first baseman. Not a very active position on the whole. Not like catcher or short stop. Then again, there was his batting. A feared hitter. But as feared as the Duke? Not quite. And he did do his batting in the batter friendly 50s. Important, yes. But not critical.
Killebrew? He began with the Senators. If that means nothing to you, please note that the Senators won 1 World Series thanks to some guy named Walter Johnson against the heavily favored New York Giants. Other than that year - 1924 - and a few others - '25, '33 - in their 59 year history in Washington D.C. they were "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." Things haven't changed much in Washington. In any case, back to Harmon. He played first for the Senators and then moved with them to Minnesota. In essence, it was a new team. And he anchored it. He was its captain. Not to mention a good third baseman. A more active position than first. And he could hit. My God, he could hit. Blasts into upper decks. Pitchers did not want to pitch to the guy. See his 1519 walks as compared to McGwire's 1317. And that was in the pitching strong 1960s. For this reason Killebrew deserves his Hall of Fame call.
Canseco? Oakland, Texas, Toronto, NYY, Boston. Was he an important part of any of these teams? Oakland, arguably yes. I'll give it to him. The other 7 years of his career, eh. Not so much. Not altogether significant were his contributions. An outfielder, every Hall of Fame voter would be lying if they didn't think of that guy as the one off of whom the ball bounced for a homerun. I know, I'm beating a dead horse. But, really, that was funny.
McGwire, then. Important? To Oakland, I would argue yes. He always was the more reliable of the Bash Brothers. And he had a certain charisma that Canseco lacked. A feel good quality that made fans cheer for him even if they hated him. To St. Louis? If I'm honest, he was. He was on the front end of the Cardinals' building of a very good team, though I'd give a heck of a lot more credit to La Russa for that.
McGwire certainly wins out over Canseco on this one. And perhaps surpasses Hodges. But he's way short of Killebrew. We'll call this off the cusp.
Importance to Baseball
McGwire is unique in this category as he engaged in one of the most exciting competitions in recent baseball memory. What baseball fan can forget his epic struggle with Sammy Sosa in 1998? It was a battle for the ages to surpass a mark held for 37 years by the famed Roger Maris.
But there's a counterpoint. That is, an older bespectacled McGwire sitting with the likes of Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and Jose Canseco in Washington D.C. testifying about performance enhancing drugs. Rafael said he didn't, but he lied. Sammy said he didn't; we don't know if he lied or not. Jose said he did thus quashing his standing in baseball. Mark? Well, Mark wouldn't comment. "I'm not here to talk about the past," he stated in that chamber.
My take? This is a wash. The first most certainly makes him a Hall of Fame candidate. The second most certainly does not. So, I throw this out.
Conclusion
Statistically during season play, he's a maybe. Postseason statistically, no. Important to his teams, I give him a somewhat. And important to baseball, he's questionable.
Halls of Fame are not for the maybes, thus the reason that I'd say no.
Softball
As crazy as this might sound, next weekend marks the first practice for the Thrusters - the team for which I play - and the first batting practice for the Buzz - the team I coach.
Softball has begun...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Happy Wedding
We rolled out of bed at 10 a.m. A bit groggy from the night before. We considered our options. We could decide not to attend the wedding ceremony of our friends Marcus and Amy. Or we could get our tired selves together, buck up, and drive out to Snoqualmie. Thankfully, we chose the latter. One small problem: the wedding was at 11 a.m. and we were 45 minutes away.
Before I tell you about our trip east, let me tell you a bit about the now newlyweds. Joseph and I met Marcus three years ago on the softball field. Fall Ball 2005. We, the green team, took it to the other three teams that autumn. Marcus played first. His brother, Chris, played short. Joseph and I played the outfield. It was on the green team (money, money, money, mo... ney) that Joseph gave Marcus his nickname - MoTown - and Marcus gave me mine - D-Train.
When the regular season came around, Marcus, Joseph, and I joined the Dragons. We weren't good - we won only one game that year - but we had a lot of fun. And we grew close to Marcus and his brother Chris. Very cool people. Good people.
Marcus - for various reasons - did not return that second year to the Dragons. And to be honest, Joseph and I should have declined as well. We fell out of touch with Marcus, himself, keeping up to date with his comings and goings through his brother. But, that changed mid-softball season (2007) when MoTown appeared one Sunday looking to play for another team. Slimmed down and single - he had been dating one girl seriously the year before - MoTown approached Joseph and me with the intention of renewing our friendship. We didn't have to think twice.
Since then, we met his then girlfriend Amy as well as his parents and many of his friends. A good man who surrounds himself with good people.
Back to today...
We rushed to ready ourselves for the wedding. Dressy clothes, of course. I wiped the dust from my nice shoes and dug out the nice pants. I don't wear that stuff any more, at least not since we went to a casual workplace.
We jumped into the car and made our way to I-5. Made it all the way to Safeco and Qwest where we got caught in traffic. Multi car crash - not bad - smack dab in the middle of the freeway. Great. It was 10:45 by that time. Late.
I hate being late.
We still had a quick stop to make. Joseph had forgotten his wallet at a friend's house the night before. He never takes his full wallet for whatever reason. Just his ID and debit card. Except that he didn't take his debit card. Blah blah. In any case, we had a pit stop to make on Cap Hill. And then on to I-90. 11 on the dot. Sheesh.
We traveled into the east. Joseph commented to me, 'I forget how nice Washington is, at times.' Stuck in Seattle proper, we do forget. We pledged to step outside the city every so often. It was a beautiful trip. All 45 minutes of it. Tack on another 10 minutes because Google's directions were wrong and we arrived at noon.
Just in time to hear the pastor declare them husband and wife. We watched them kiss. And felt bad. Little did we know that we didn't need to feel bad. We were hardly the last to arrive.
Pictures, conversation, and the banquet itself followed. All wonderful. Always wonderful to see people celebrating the love they share for one another. And Joseph and I felt especially honored that we were invited, given that 90% of the attendees were Amy's family. They all lived in Washington. MoTown and his family were from Las Vegas by way of Detroit (thus MoTown). And many of his friends and family couldn't make it.
We ate good food.
I texted back and forth with my friend Sam who kept me updated regarding the Giants' win. And the Bears' loss. Sam's a Bears fan...
I ventured out to Chris's car for a quick Cape Codder. The banquet hall had only champagne.
We listened as the Maid of Honor and Best Man toasted - and roasted - the bride and groom.
We ate cake with rich fondant.
And finally, we watched as Marcus and Amy had their first dance. A sight to see, I might add. They began dancing to a Luther Vandross song. I forget which. In the middle of the song, it sounded like the CD was skipping. But no, it was planned. Brick House started playing; Marcus and Amy proceeded to treat us to a choreographed duet on the dance floor. There was another pause when they finished, and the Luther song started playing again. But that wasn't the end. The CD began skipping yet again, much to Amy's surprise. Marcus's brother Chris - a dancer - and three other guys approached the dance floor and did a Janet Jackson-esque dance routine. They then pulled Marcus onto the dance floor, who joined in. All of it obviously planned. And all of it just perfect.
We said our goodbyes after that first dance. Both exhausted and with chores to do - Costco and car cleaning followed - Joseph and I took our leave and wondered if we should consider such an occasion for ourselves...
Before I tell you about our trip east, let me tell you a bit about the now newlyweds. Joseph and I met Marcus three years ago on the softball field. Fall Ball 2005. We, the green team, took it to the other three teams that autumn. Marcus played first. His brother, Chris, played short. Joseph and I played the outfield. It was on the green team (money, money, money, mo... ney) that Joseph gave Marcus his nickname - MoTown - and Marcus gave me mine - D-Train.
When the regular season came around, Marcus, Joseph, and I joined the Dragons. We weren't good - we won only one game that year - but we had a lot of fun. And we grew close to Marcus and his brother Chris. Very cool people. Good people.
Marcus - for various reasons - did not return that second year to the Dragons. And to be honest, Joseph and I should have declined as well. We fell out of touch with Marcus, himself, keeping up to date with his comings and goings through his brother. But, that changed mid-softball season (2007) when MoTown appeared one Sunday looking to play for another team. Slimmed down and single - he had been dating one girl seriously the year before - MoTown approached Joseph and me with the intention of renewing our friendship. We didn't have to think twice.
Since then, we met his then girlfriend Amy as well as his parents and many of his friends. A good man who surrounds himself with good people.
Back to today...
We rushed to ready ourselves for the wedding. Dressy clothes, of course. I wiped the dust from my nice shoes and dug out the nice pants. I don't wear that stuff any more, at least not since we went to a casual workplace.
We jumped into the car and made our way to I-5. Made it all the way to Safeco and Qwest where we got caught in traffic. Multi car crash - not bad - smack dab in the middle of the freeway. Great. It was 10:45 by that time. Late.
I hate being late.
We still had a quick stop to make. Joseph had forgotten his wallet at a friend's house the night before. He never takes his full wallet for whatever reason. Just his ID and debit card. Except that he didn't take his debit card. Blah blah. In any case, we had a pit stop to make on Cap Hill. And then on to I-90. 11 on the dot. Sheesh.
We traveled into the east. Joseph commented to me, 'I forget how nice Washington is, at times.' Stuck in Seattle proper, we do forget. We pledged to step outside the city every so often. It was a beautiful trip. All 45 minutes of it. Tack on another 10 minutes because Google's directions were wrong and we arrived at noon.
Just in time to hear the pastor declare them husband and wife. We watched them kiss. And felt bad. Little did we know that we didn't need to feel bad. We were hardly the last to arrive.
Pictures, conversation, and the banquet itself followed. All wonderful. Always wonderful to see people celebrating the love they share for one another. And Joseph and I felt especially honored that we were invited, given that 90% of the attendees were Amy's family. They all lived in Washington. MoTown and his family were from Las Vegas by way of Detroit (thus MoTown). And many of his friends and family couldn't make it.
We ate good food.
I texted back and forth with my friend Sam who kept me updated regarding the Giants' win. And the Bears' loss. Sam's a Bears fan...
I ventured out to Chris's car for a quick Cape Codder. The banquet hall had only champagne.
We listened as the Maid of Honor and Best Man toasted - and roasted - the bride and groom.
We ate cake with rich fondant.
And finally, we watched as Marcus and Amy had their first dance. A sight to see, I might add. They began dancing to a Luther Vandross song. I forget which. In the middle of the song, it sounded like the CD was skipping. But no, it was planned. Brick House started playing; Marcus and Amy proceeded to treat us to a choreographed duet on the dance floor. There was another pause when they finished, and the Luther song started playing again. But that wasn't the end. The CD began skipping yet again, much to Amy's surprise. Marcus's brother Chris - a dancer - and three other guys approached the dance floor and did a Janet Jackson-esque dance routine. They then pulled Marcus onto the dance floor, who joined in. All of it obviously planned. And all of it just perfect.
We said our goodbyes after that first dance. Both exhausted and with chores to do - Costco and car cleaning followed - Joseph and I took our leave and wondered if we should consider such an occasion for ourselves...
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