Another One Down.

Yet again, the Red Robin team are the biggest losers! Although, we did have a better performance last night with a 20-10 loss to Citi Bank.

The night started off great. We found out early in the day that we would be short a girl, so I called around and found one. Perfect, we found a girl to play so we wouldn't have to take an out in every inning. Yet, coming closer to game time, she was MIA. Big surprise there! So, of course, I got to endure the wrath from the team about having my girl be a no call/no show, AND, we had to take an out every inning. Of course that doesn't help us, when we starting the game in the whole. To make matters worse, our infield couldn't knock down a ball to save their lives. Never have I ever played on a team, where a soft ground ball hit to the short stop wasn't a guaranteed out, until now.

I have always been one that plays pretty competitively, so being on this team really does wonders for my sportsmanship. I have never been a good loser. Competition is something I thrive on, well until now that is. I pitch, I watch the team up to bat, just pound the balls into the outfield, majority of the time it is hit in the holes, but on the odd occasion it is hit right to our outfielders and they still don't catch it. At one point yesterday a ball was hit between right and right center. The right fielder with one hand on her hip literally stood still and watched the ball in the air fall between her and the right fielder. She didn't even move a muscle, well besides ones in her neck as she watched the ball from the time it came off the bat to the time it hit the ground. After it hit the ground she STILL didn't move. When asked about it by the right center fielder, in the middle of the inning, she responded with "I wasn't paying attention until it was too late, and then for some reason I just froze." We all laughed. That is all you can do on my team, is laugh. That and crack open an ice cold Coors Light. Another benefit to playing at night in Colorado, you don't need a cooler, because the beers stay the same temperature as the air about 40 degrees. :)

We had three balls go through the infielder's legs. One at short stop and two at third. It really is comical, when I get voted the MVP, because it one inning I made all three of our outs. I caught a line drive at the pitchers mound, caught a foul ball on the first base side, and then a pop-up between the pitchers mound and the second baseman. The 3rd out, definitely should have been the second baseman's ball, but I called so she let me have it. When we got into the dug out, she thanked me for catching it so she wouldn't have to touch the ball. That is the kind of team, I play on. That is why I love and hate the team. I thoroughly enjoy the work out from running around the bases, the fun lightheartedness that the team has, and of course, the people on the team. Not that I need to boost my self-steem anymore, but being 1 of the better players on the team is kinda nice, especially since I am a girl. I would like to win a game sooner or later.

We finally did get our bats going in the 4th inning, a little late, but at least it was something. I went 2-2, with two balls that dropped over the short-stop's head. "Nicely placed" my team tells me, but it wasn't as if I tried to do that, I just swing and pray it goes somewhere other then in the glove. Funny how it works out that way.

After the game, I was walking out to my car and I think a guy from the apposing tried to pick me up. I have a University of Florida Alumni frame around my license plate. He walks up to my car as I am putting stuff in the back seat and says "hey, did you go to UF?" I wanted to respond with something like, "no, I just put it on there so people think I went to college," but I didn't. I kind of laughed, and we made small talk about the gators, his love for the irish and what it was like to go to a big school. After a few minutes, I told him I had to meet up with the team for drinks and then parted ways. He ended the conversation with, "I'll see you next week, maybe we can go grab a drink together." I am sure that conversation will be lovely. Maybe I'll wear a tennessee shirt and really throw him off!

We always go to the same bar after the game, the Platte River, get the same beer, same appetizers and have the same chat about how wonderful our team could be. I just kind of smile my way through the conversation, because I know deep down we will never be as good as they want us to be. Although, this week, there was a twist. Apparently, a bunch of my teammates saw me talking to the guy from the apposing team, and asked if I threw the game because I wanted to impress the guy. I enlightened them on his wonderful pick up line and they quickly dropped the idea that I would throw a game for him. Our team really does have a good time together, so much so that I agreed to play with them for the summer league. As terrible as we are, it really is fun.