What was I Thinking?

So after the day I've had, I feel it's only fitting to quote the classic 80's movie "Lethal Weapon". Danny Glover's character Roger Murtaugh to be exact. I volunteered to play in a charity softball event today, and after nearly 9 hours on the field, its only appropriate for me to say "I'm too old for this sh**!" I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, and really how tough could a charity softball event be? Little did I know that I was venturing into a day long commitment with 16 uber-competitive teams.

Our Team

Chris and I representing the "Hutch" family

It was very hard being patient-it was high-arc pitching

My cheering section in their Phillies gear

A few weeks ago my brother mentioned the game was coming up, and the teams need at least one girl to be eligible to play. The event is held to honor the memory of a very close friend of my brother's who died tragically at 26 yrs old in an accident last year. His passing took its toll on our community, and now being a parent myself I can only imagine what his parents and family went through. Brian was an avid baseball player and fan, and a softball tournament in his name was a perfect choice. My brother prepped me that some of the teams were "no joke", and I couldn't help but think as I walked to my old high school's baseball fields "Was I in over my head?" I sadly recognized lots of faces not only from the countless baseball games I attended to watch my three brothers play over the years, but also because I babysat for many of these guys when they were little.

Our first game ended up being against a team made up of many of West's '98 baseball champs, and many of the guys still play on a men's league. Although we knew we were up against stiff competition, I was also confident in the fact that many of the players on our team where all-stars that played varsity baseball at West. To say we were a little rusty at first, would be an understatement. We got creamed 18-0 and the game ended early due to the mercy rule. I was embarrassed by my limited performance, and the entire team was determined to redeem ourselves. Luckily this year it was double elimination. Personally I also wanted to show Jason and Chase that I could hang, and not make a fool of myself. Especially because Jas likes to regularly call me "old".

I haven't thrown a softball in years, and despite a little practice with my brother and mom yesterday, I still couldn't throw to save my life. Luckily I can hit the ball, and I'm a pretty fast runner. So over the course of the next two games(we kept winning:) I think I managed to rack up some nice hits including a double and an RBI. I got a little full of myself and stole third in one of the games; only to see my demise with the very next batter when I was tagged out. Oh well...

Fast forward to our last game, late in the evening. My cheering section of spectators had long gone home, and as a team we were all starting to drag. The last team we played consisted of a majority of players I knew, and it ended up being a good game. Ultimately, I think we were all a little tired, and burnt from being in the sun most of the day. We ended up getting eliminated with our loss, but I gathered that I wasn't the only one secretly hoping we didn't have to return for another set of games tomorrow.

All in all, it was an awesome day for an awesome cause. I know had I been a stronger player they would have been able to make a few more plays. Will I play next year? I told the coach maybe if I only had to bat or if I actually practiced and relearned how to throw the stupid ball.

I'm scared to see how I feel in the morning...after all I celebrated a birthday this week, so I am getting a little to old for 4 back to back softball games!