Sunday, April 03, 2005
Opening Day Shut Down
This winter, we played indoor soccer and volleyball so whenever I saw a ball, I either dug it up with my arms or pummelled it with my feet. Nothing about swatting at it.
So when I saw my first pitch of 2005 today, I took it for a ball. "Easy enough," I thought to myself. I'll wait for a pitch. So I waited for a pitch, and it came... not a perfect strike, but in the zone, hittable. I took a big swing and lined it foul. I'm known in the leagues as a pull hitter, although I was spraying the entire field nicely by the end of the 2004 season. But why make Opening Day complicated... I just wanted to make contact. With a full count on my back, I saw another not-bad pitch and swung hard. And I missed.
This year, spring sort of crept up on us. With the cold clinging on like a car window decal, we never got a chance to play catch or take some B.P. All of a sudden, it was time to play ball. Faux swings in my living room didn't help much.
Because on my next plate appearance, I fouled out. And on the one after that, I fouled out again. And finally, another swinging strikeout.
I was trying too hard and my timing was off, as well as my eyeing of the pitch. Finally, on my fifth plate appearance, I drove a line drive down the third base line. Open for business as usual.
The next game wasn't pretty either -- 0-4, but I actually felt better about that than my 1-5 performance earlier, because I hit the ball hard every time I stepped up. So the contact is back, I just have to figure out how to play the ball better into the field.
On defense, I muffed a few during the first game but caught a mile-high pop-up during the second that I knew that if I missed, would've knocked me out. Just like the mile-high pop-up in secondary three that put out my right eye for a week. I learned very well from that game, I'm all grown up now. (Although I took a laser beam off of my right thigh during fielding practice and on a hard slide into third base, scratched up my left calf. I think I can safely say that the season has begun.)
So, on opening day, I'm 1-9 with one single. Cowboy up!!!
So when I saw my first pitch of 2005 today, I took it for a ball. "Easy enough," I thought to myself. I'll wait for a pitch. So I waited for a pitch, and it came... not a perfect strike, but in the zone, hittable. I took a big swing and lined it foul. I'm known in the leagues as a pull hitter, although I was spraying the entire field nicely by the end of the 2004 season. But why make Opening Day complicated... I just wanted to make contact. With a full count on my back, I saw another not-bad pitch and swung hard. And I missed.
This year, spring sort of crept up on us. With the cold clinging on like a car window decal, we never got a chance to play catch or take some B.P. All of a sudden, it was time to play ball. Faux swings in my living room didn't help much.
Because on my next plate appearance, I fouled out. And on the one after that, I fouled out again. And finally, another swinging strikeout.
I was trying too hard and my timing was off, as well as my eyeing of the pitch. Finally, on my fifth plate appearance, I drove a line drive down the third base line. Open for business as usual.
The next game wasn't pretty either -- 0-4, but I actually felt better about that than my 1-5 performance earlier, because I hit the ball hard every time I stepped up. So the contact is back, I just have to figure out how to play the ball better into the field.
On defense, I muffed a few during the first game but caught a mile-high pop-up during the second that I knew that if I missed, would've knocked me out. Just like the mile-high pop-up in secondary three that put out my right eye for a week. I learned very well from that game, I'm all grown up now. (Although I took a laser beam off of my right thigh during fielding practice and on a hard slide into third base, scratched up my left calf. I think I can safely say that the season has begun.)
So, on opening day, I'm 1-9 with one single. Cowboy up!!!
// posted by Desiree @ 6:36 PM 
