| Writer's Block: On Base |
[Oct. 23rd, 2008|09:56 am] |
My first encounter with the sport was in around July last year, when my brother introduced me to this online baseball game. (Though, if you count softball, that will be in early 2004, when I watched the C Div people play on the RI Field. We also learnt to play it during PE at end of Sec 2, though I didn't really know much about the rules then.) Since then, I was fascinated by this sport and promptly went to find out more about the rules of the sport. (In fact, I was actually thinking of joining RJ softball for a year, but decided not to because it clashed with bridge.)
So early this year, I was eager to try swinging some bats and taking to the field, even though I haven't touched a glove or bat since that last PE lesson in Sec 2. (Or rather, Sec 4, when I participated in the Inter-house Softball Competition. It rained at the top of the first, when the 3rd batter came up to plate, during our first match, and my team failed to turn up a few days later to continue the game, so we had to forfeit.)
I watched a few A Div softball matches that RJC played during their softball season this year, and started to love the game even more.
So one fine Sunday in May, Aaron Tan invited me and a few other friends to school for badminton, and found that his parents were participating in some softball carnival on the (revamped) RI field. I ended up spending half the time at the stadium steps watching them play. I talked to Aaron's mom and asked if it's possible for me, a non-softball player to participate. She said sure, we (the ex-Rafflesian softballers) train on the RI field almost every Saturday afternoon, and she invited me to come join them for their games the next time.
But I couldn't go yet, I was to go overseas to UK/France for my MEP trip. But when I came back, I picked up my father's softball glove (I've no idea where he got the glove from) and got down to the RI field to give softball a try. It was a rather wonderful experience, though it wasn't as easy as it looks. I made several mistakes while fielding, and missed the ball several times while swinging the bat. But shouldn't that be the case for a noob like me haha. The people there were really encouraging, giving me several tips on throwing, catching and batting with the proper technique. (Though now, my throw is still rather weak.)
As a fielder, I've experimented with all the positions on the field, and I found that I'm rather fond of the infield positions, especially 2B and SS.
So when I finally played in my first real game (we formed 2 teams within ourselves), I struck out on my first at-bat. But on my second AB, I managed to hit the ball over the third-baseman to score my first base hit. (Though, this was a slo-pitch game, but still.) In terms of fastpitch, I've yet to get my first base hit [I struck out twice in a fastpitch friendly against a team which I've forgotten]. Well then, I'll wait until after the A levels to go back to the softball sessions.
EDIT: As I read the other answers to this Writer's Block, I realized that I've taken this question too literally. The first time I got to first base was in September last year. Go figure.
Till the next time, it's me, woonie, signing off.
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