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Walk off single

Let me just tell you about my softball game tonight. So first off, I get off the train right across the street from Lettermans studio which is always fun to see. I see the Hello Deli and I smile. And so I walk in front of it and there is a guy dressed as superman on the sidewalk being filmed for something. It’s pretty late, like 8:30, so its not for Dave’s show. At least not for today, as he had already taped. So I figure it must just be coincidence that he’s filming there. But then I see stagehand Pat Farmer standing there watching and so now I’m pretty sure it was for letterman. I’ll be interested to see tomorrows show.

Anyway, so I’m not sure if I’d ever played at this field before but as I’m walking, I walk by the studio where they film the Colbert Report and a Sony Music Studio (with all sorts of black sedans idling out front with drivers reading books behind the wheels) and I do remember walking by these places before, so I have played here. And then I see the field and I remember it. And I remember the game I played there because it was probably the best softball game I’d ever played. I remember going 4-4 at the plate and just having an awesome day in the field. And then I think about the major leagues and how its surprising, when you look at the stats, how some guys just play better in some parks and some guys play worse in some. I’d like to choke that up to coincidence but when you see these stats, you know it can’t be. So I hope I have another good game on this field, so as to keep the trend going.

And I do. Not a spectacular game, but I’m 2-4 at the plate so far and the only ball hit to me in centerfield, of course, I caught. So it’s a good game. We’re tied 6-6 at the end of 7 innings which is the end of regulation. Mind you, we have not yet won a game this season. The rule is to play extra innings only if time permits and as it was already 10:30 and nobody was playing after us, time permitted. So top of 8, we’re in the field, and of course, we give up a run. But its only one. Okay. 7-6 them, going into the bottom of the inning. Now, my hitting has been suspect this season. I’m tending to pop a lot of balls up to the pitcher or short stop. Today was good; my first at bat was a solid line drive single to the outfield. The next at bat was a ground ball that found a hole on the left side of the infield for another hit. My third at bat was one of them pop-ups and I feel it all happening again. I think too much about the swing and just pop it up. My fourth at bat was a ground ball to the shortstop and I was out. That last out I made, by the way, was the third out in the bottom of the 6th inning with a runner on third. If I had gotten him in, who knows, maybe we win in 7. I was pretty pissed at myself. Not to mention my confidence at the plate was low now. Anyway, so bottom of 8, the first person up for us grounds out. One out. The next person, Beth, gets a hit, but she’s a very very slow runner and now she’s on first base as our tying run. Next guy up, Stu, hits a single and if Beth had any speed at all, she’d get to third on his hit, but as it was, she was still only on second. The next girl up flies out to right field, but she advances both the runners. Two outs now, Beth, the tying run, on third, Stu, the winning run, on second and first base is open. Glenn is hitting and I’m on deck. I’m really really really really hoping Glen gets a nice solid hit, drives in two runs, we win the game. My confidence in hitting is so low, not to mention the pressure I’d be under, I really don’t want to be in the situation where its me or we lose.... So don’t you know it. Glenn walks. I’m up. Bases loaded. Bottom of the last inning down by a run, two outs. DAMMIT. Alright. I go up there, take a few practice cuts and step in. Ball one. Alright. I’m thinking, hey, maybe he’ll walk in the tying run and get me out of this situation. But then I realize that Lainie is hitting behind me and I love her to pieces, but she can’t hit. So it’s on me if we want to win. I step back into the box for my next pitch. Called strike. That’s fine. 1-1 count. I step out of the box, take a deep breath and a cut, and step back in. Ball 2. 2-1. I consider my options and my ability to foul off bad pitches and even though I can’t, I decide I’m not going to take the bat off my shoulder unless I have two strikes against me. Very NL pitcher-esque... Step into the box, next pitch, ball 3. 3-1. This one was a close pitch. They judge balls and strikes in this league by where the pitch lands and everybody on the field thought this was a strike except for me, the catcher and the ump because we were the only three who saw where the ball actually landed. Fine. 3-1. I step back in hoping for an obvious ball. Instead, I get what looks like the best pitch I’ve seen all night. Strike 2. Full count. At this point, the pitcher actually starts talking shit to me. “That’s the best pitch you’re gonna get kid. What are you lookin for? You ain’t gonna get nothin like that again, kid.” I’m pretty nervous and now I’ve got two strikes against me, so this is it. I don’t say anything back to the pitcher because the last thing I need right now is to lose focus. Plus, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to strike out swinging, or worse, looking, and I don’t want to be the guy who can’t back his shit up. So. 3-2 count. I knock the dirt off my cleats with my bat, step into the box with my right foot, find my placement by touching the end of the bat about 6 inches behind the plate and 3 inches inside. With my left hand, I pull up the sleeve on my right shoulder a little bit, and finally step in with my left foot. Take a cut with the bat and then put it on my shoulder. I’m ready and so I nod to the pitcher. I’m really really hoping for an obvious ball again. Lets just tie the game, lainie will come up and dribble a ball back to the pitcher and we’ll all go home happy with a tie. But what I get instead is an even better pitch than the last one. Kinda flat (which is against the rules of the league, but much easier to hit, in my opinion) and a little outside, right where I like it. I like ‘em outside because I like to be able to fully extend on my swing. When I get jammed, I get under the ball and pop it up. So somehow, someway, I put a good swing on the pitch (my eyes were closed) and drove the ball to right center field. A perfect line drive single, scoring two runs and winning the game. After I touched first, officially ending the game, I just got down on my knees, completely relieved that I didn’t fuck up.

And then walking back to the train station later on, I realized that maybe there really is something to the idea that some people really do just play better on certain fields.