Twelve ounces of justice -- with multiple layers of aerospace grade graphite embedded in a specially designed toughened epoxy resin. Ain’t it pretty? A Louisville Slugger for the 21st century…When I was in elementary school, we had a baseball field (with a basketball court and a lush field) attached to the school and the high school. They taught us the history and rules of baseball and one of the twins -- a little Cy Young in the making from our local Sandy Koufax Little League -- pitched to us.
The boys swore that girls could not play baseball.
I stepped off, glared at the boys and stood at my mark. Coach came back to reposition my hands and I got frustrated. I didn’t have it wrong. He did! So I walked around to the other side, took a swing and connected. I felt it from the tips of my hands to the tips of my toes, it made my head bobble and it made my center ripple with waves of unadulterated power! That thing was airborne and fast. It finally dropped near the fence and rolled until it hit the fence and went off on a tangent.
Girls can’t play baseball my ass; I have Big Show blood running through my brain!
I didn’t say that, I stepped off and handed the coach the bat, very pleased with myself.
Why do I bring this up? No reason. Somebody else was telling a story about hitting a ball, and this one is mine. Plus, I have been alternating between the fantasy of marrying rich or buying a Louisville Slugger. No reason I’m willing to disclose… though it does remind me of one of my favorite rhymes:
Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But a Louisville Slugger
Really gets the job done!
It's Cy, actually.
ReplyDeleteDenton True "Cy" Young. So called because when he threw the ball past his catcher and it hit the fence, it looked like a cyclone had hit it.
But isn't that a great feeling, though-when you crush it, hit it dead on the sweet spot, and you can feel all the force of your swing being transmitted to the ball-that's a great feeling.
Of course, you are right. I fixed the man's nickname because he deserves at least that much -- correct spelling...
ReplyDeleteI was going to do Kali at Bat, but the truth is I hit it on the first try and blew it out of the park. My friend Carlos did not like that. He threw me two wicked curveballs that were unhittable.
But to this day I remember that sensation when I saw it almost slow to the point I could touch it and that ball connected and BAM! And the sound. What an awesome sound!!!
I'm going to disagree with both of you, and as someone who played baseball from age five to eighteen and has played softball almost every year since I have a small amount of expertise on the matter.
ReplyDeleteWhen you truly make solid contact, when you crush a ball on the sweet spot you can't feel a thing. At least I can't. All I feel is the smoothness of the swing and then I see the ball sailing away.
But that's just me.
I actually remember the vibration in my upper arms (not the hands or forearms though). Maybe it was just the excitement. It was the first time I'd done that. And it was the only time I did that. It's entirely possible that all I felt was my muscles loosen up (I was tensely determined to shut them up) as I relaxed and watched that ball run away from all the boys...
ReplyDeleteJeff D is correct of course-when you hit it PERFECTLY, you get no vibration of any kind. But it's the sensation, I guess, of the swing carrying through and the ball taking off...
ReplyDeletePerfect it wasn't. I almost threw myself at it!
ReplyDelete