Saturday, July 31, 2010

Seasons in the Sun

When I first started playing on the Dogs softball team, Steve Stumpf was the shortstop. Since then, I have seen him play everywhere, except for centerfield and pitcher. I have also seen him 'inside-out' a pitch to right field about 500 times. He is a master at that.
Some say that Steve has lost a step since those days some 17 years ago. I don't think he's lost any speed, primarily because he never had any speed! Still, he is a very good base runner (even if it takes him a while to run them).
Earlier this season, according to the soft pencil in the official scorebook, Steve hit a home run. The fans who were there tell a slightly different story. Steve hit a nice shot (to right field, naturally). For some reason, he attempted to stretch his double into a triple. The throw went wide and Steve "raced" for home.
I don't think Steve even wanted to leave third base though, but he had no choice. Our team was waving him in. Steve chugged around third and 'sprinted' towards home as the third baseman picked up the errant throw and sent it sailing to the catcher. Fortunately for Steve, the throw hit him in the leg and rolled away harmlessly. Steve scored easily (although not effortlessly).
Below is Steve's take on the whole matter. It is also what a man in his mid-40's looks like after just chugging around the bases!

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