April 2 – “Trow da bum out”

We had an unusual experience at Cailyn’s softball game the other night.  The umpire was a guy who grew up down the street from our house.  He was younger than me, but a good kid.  I didn’t really even get to know him until I became a Baptist back in my senior year of high school.  His family went to that church. 

Anyway, apparently Cailyn’s coach was having some trouble getting pitches across the plate (Oh, I forgot to mention that it’s a coach-pitch league).  Umpire Greg noticed that we were in the stands watching and made the unusual comment, “I guess you don’t want to use that guy up there as a pitcher.”  Strange, right?  Out of the blue pointing out some old guy in the stands and pointing out that he was not the answer to your pitching woes.  He continued on to tell the guy, “He used to be a pitcher in high, but nobody could hit him back then, so you probably wouldn’t want him in coach pitch where you want the kids to hit.” 

OK.  Let’s set the record straight here.  First off, I did do some pitching.  Not for the high school team, though.  That was in summer ball.  I was a strong-armed shortstop with not-so-great control as a pitcher.  The coach who let me do the pitching read somewhere that a side-arm thrower is usually difficult for a left-handed batter to hit because of the natural sliding motion away from him.  The team we played right after that had a left-hander as a lead-off hitter, so I got the start in an effort to test out the theory.  Sure enough, I got the kid to hit a pop-up to the second baseman … who promptly dropped the ball.  I walked the next three batters and was quickly returned to my comfort zone at shortstop.  I did get to pitch some more after that, and the results were a lot better, but I was by no stretch of the imagination unhittable.  I think he might have been confusing me with another of the old grandpas roaming around the Lassie League complex.  Bo Quiroga was a pitcher in my era who was drafted by the pros.  Nobody could hit him well.  He could even throw a wicked knuckle curve ball.  He eventually hurt his arm and returned home.  He ended up working at a Galveston bank and was even our mayor here for a while. 

Thanks for the vote of confidence (sort of), Greg.  But back to business … Keep yer eye on da ball, ump.  She wuz safe.

Revelation 22:12-13 says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Father, thank you for old friends in new places.  Amen.