Sittin Da Bench
I'm not sure why it is, but I seem to be incapable of hitting a softball for a game.
Tonight was Game 2 of the OU season, and after a miserable showing during Game 1 last week (two strikeouts, two dropped and/or missed balls), I had earned my seat back on the bench. And it's not that I'm complaining, either, because I make a good damn cheerleader.
But since our coach is a really good guy who likes to make sure everyone plays at least an inning or two, by the time the fourth rolled around, I was back on the field.
Truly, it's not the fielding that is my problem. I can catch, and I can throw fairly well. Playing catcher, you aren't involved in many plays anyway, so I wasn't in danger of blowing our lead.
Getting up to the plate, however, is a different story.
For some reason, everytime I'm up I seem to be in some critical position. Either there are already two outs, and I'm under pressure to get on base, or I need to be the tying run, or some other ridiculously pressured situation. It doesn't really matter, because I choke every time.
Forget that in our first practice, I was belting the ball consistently just past the infield area. Or that I could make contact even if the ball was short, high, fat... whatever. None of this matters, because when it DOES matter, I'm the queen of the choke.
Fortunately, my hesitation to swing tonight paid off--the pitcher was throwing them shallow, and she walked me. But the secret I took to first base was that I probably wouldn't have swung no matter where the ball came in.
I don't know how you can get some confidence in the batters box, but I CAN tell you it ain't by watching the pitches go by.
Maybe I should've stuck to ultimate.
Tonight was Game 2 of the OU season, and after a miserable showing during Game 1 last week (two strikeouts, two dropped and/or missed balls), I had earned my seat back on the bench. And it's not that I'm complaining, either, because I make a good damn cheerleader.
But since our coach is a really good guy who likes to make sure everyone plays at least an inning or two, by the time the fourth rolled around, I was back on the field.
Truly, it's not the fielding that is my problem. I can catch, and I can throw fairly well. Playing catcher, you aren't involved in many plays anyway, so I wasn't in danger of blowing our lead.
Getting up to the plate, however, is a different story.
For some reason, everytime I'm up I seem to be in some critical position. Either there are already two outs, and I'm under pressure to get on base, or I need to be the tying run, or some other ridiculously pressured situation. It doesn't really matter, because I choke every time.
Forget that in our first practice, I was belting the ball consistently just past the infield area. Or that I could make contact even if the ball was short, high, fat... whatever. None of this matters, because when it DOES matter, I'm the queen of the choke.
Fortunately, my hesitation to swing tonight paid off--the pitcher was throwing them shallow, and she walked me. But the secret I took to first base was that I probably wouldn't have swung no matter where the ball came in.
I don't know how you can get some confidence in the batters box, but I CAN tell you it ain't by watching the pitches go by.
Maybe I should've stuck to ultimate.
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