Pretty in Pink

The Pink Panthers', Kay's softball team, season got off to a roaring start tonight. After several weeks of practice, the other coach and I were wondering if we would win a game all season. We scrimmaged another team and won 2-1. After that, we thought, "Hmmm. Maybe we'll win a game or two." Then we practiced again and doubt returned.

They can hit... not hard, but they make contact. But they have trouble throwing and catching, which is a problem if you want to make any outs. Then, almost as if the softball gods smiled on me, they started throwing accurately tonight. During the pregame warm-ups not a single girl threw a ball past me. Some of them did not get it to me in the air, but they all threw it on a line at me. During the game, we made two outs at first with good throws AND catches. Will wonders never cease?

Even with the defense, our hitting was letting us down. This is a machine pitch league. I pitch to my girls and the other coach pitches to their players. Normally throwing a one-hitter would be a good thing, but since I was pitching to my own team, it was not. I was painting the outside corner over and over, racking up 9 strikeouts in three innings. Then at the end of the third inning, I figured the machine out. I proudly announced to the other coach that I knew the secret of getting the ball over the plate. In the next inning, I put my new skill to good use. Pitch after pitch was right down the heart of the plate. Every pitch hittable. Every pitch right in the zone. We scored 5 runs in the 4th inning, held the other team scoreless in the top of the fifth, and won the game 5-1.

One down, nine to go. I am not naive. There will be loses, even a lopsided one or two. But this was an excellent start to the season. No matter how we finish, I already know that it will be a good season!

Oh, you may be wondering about the title. The coaches have jerseys that match the girls'. I pitched and coached in a hot pink t-shirt with number 15 on the back. I rolled up the sleeves so it would look a little more manly. Stop by Friday and you can see me, in pink, pitching up a storm. We play at 6:00 and 7:15 on field 2 at Bill Burke. I'll be the manly, good look one with the goatee and a pink t-shirt...

D