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May 20, 2015
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Here's a good one. Right out of a Disney movie.

10U rec league. Championship game.

We have a muslim girl on the team who is sweet as can be, wears the traditional head garb (hijab?) and is very quiet. Didn't really bond with the team but certainly wasn't disliked at all. Just a quiet girl, but obviously more noticeable. Not a lot of talent, seems to enjoy the game (but not love it). Most of the year she's moved from second base to outfield as the rec league makes us ensure all girls play 2 innings infield, 2 in the outfield.

We're playing a good team, up by a run. Bases loaded, 2 outs. Last at bat for the other team and game is over. This girl is in left field. All girls are tense, and quite honestly, looked like they expected to lose given the current situation.

Pitch comes...

Hard hit fly ball to deep left field. We all know the game is over as this will easily score several runs. One of the best hit balls we've seen all year.

Well the girl (on her own) had moved way further back in left field than any 10U coach would put her. Guess they missed that as their focus was on the infield getting the force at home and such.

So the girl runs a few steps and puts up her glove. Kinda knew what she was doing, kind of just trying.

And yes, the ball magically falls right into her glove and she holds on to end the game.

One of those moments none of us will ever forget. The team swarms her out in left field all full of smiles and cheers. I'm sure that little girl will remember it forever.


we had a girl like that in 10u rec (DD#1 is a soph/first year 16u now)......she played in jeans, she was limited in abilities both physical and social, but always had a smile and had fun......she would alternate between 2b and RF mostly, and when she was in the infield it was always a worry, although we can't remember her ever getting hit with the ball

our league did it's best to draft equal teams....everyone got pitchers are catchers assigned, then drafted around that.....but playoffs we took a little seriously, even though we kept to the same rules......she made a catch in left field that ended a potential big inning, glove out in front of her, waist level, on a wing and prayer......both teams erupted in cheers and we went on to score enough runs in the bottom of the inning to win it......still say she was the catalyst for that win


flash forward to last year, and she finds herself on our JV team.......when we hit BP the girls always jump around, and she always finds herself in the infield......this is one of those situations where it is kind of out of our control, balls can (and do) get screamed at her.....but she plugs away, she never gets hit, she always seems to make some sort of awkward flash of the leather to at least save her life, and sometimes makes a play......and she still has that smile!
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
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back when I could still do BP with my girls on a regular basis, i told them they got $20 if they could break my nose (trying to get them to hit line drives. nevere had to pay the $20, but once had a deep dark dimple bruise on my right arm for about 2 weeks.
 
Feb 20, 2020
377
63
Not a whole lot of color to this, but I took a line drive to the cheek at a HS game. Was a solid 50 feet off the third baseline, just a few yards beyond the dugout. Damn thing must have had some spin to it, because igt came off screaming and I never even saw it. just felt it.

Trainers came over, put on ice, i was fine with a bruise for a while. But a couple of inches higher and it's cancel Christmas. So it goes without saying that my daughter wears a mask every time she's on the field, no matter where she's playing.

And now whenever there's a foul ball, all the parents yell "look out Matt!"
 
Jul 2, 2013
381
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Downer story:

Back when I ran the rec program ...

Our local fields are adjacent to the train tracks that run through town. The tracks run on the other side of the parking lot, which is a long narrow lot/alley that runs through the park. Saturday morning games, team pictures ... busy day all around.

Somebody’s dog gets hit by the train and is thrown across the parking lot right next to the playground in the outfield. The poor thing was still alive, but “all over the place”. The local on duty police officer arrives and tries to call county animal control. Animal control said they won’t respond as there is no chance of the dog surviving. So the officer has to put the dog down ...

We tried to clear as much of the park as we could. Even with two games and all the crowd noise, the shot was easily heard.

And that still wasn’t my worst day up there ...

I've got you beat. We were playing a rec league tournament on fields right down the street from a rodeo arena. The participants in the rodeo events were walking their horses in a grassy area across the street. Apparently one of the horses stepped on a wasps nest and was stung. The horse bucked and pulled away from the owner who was holding it's reigns standing next to it. It took off running full speed towards the ball fields. It ran 150 yards, somehow managed to run right between bleachers and the dugout (about a 5 foot wide gap), and run straight into the fence just to the left of the first base dugout. It collapsed to the ground and died a few minutes later. Needless to say everyone was stunned as a bunch of 10U girls were staring through the fence at a dying horse. The owners literally drug it off and play resumed. I'm still amazed no one was hurt.
 
May 20, 2015
1,095
113
we were warming up for a pool game at a tournament way back in 10u

girls were throwing in lines, warming up.....assistant coach had just spoken to them and told them to spread out and pay attention, as girls had a few close calls as a partner wasn't paying attention, etc, as is want to happen on your second pool game on a 90+ degree saturday.......no sooner did they spread out and he turned his attention slightly, a ball ticked off a glove and hammered him on the cheekbone......he had a welt that looked like you cut a softball in half and stuck it on his upper cheek within seconds.....a little ice and he was fine, but he got some weird looks from girls on the other teams when he was coaching 1st the rest of the weekend lol
 
Feb 18, 2014
348
28
Warm ups at a park with limited space, coaches daughter puts a throw in to the new truck of an opposing coach.

Park smarter next time.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
I've got you beat. We were playing a rec league tournament on fields right down the street from a rodeo arena. The participants in the rodeo events were walking their horses in a grassy area across the street. Apparently one of the horses stepped on a wasps nest and was stung. The horse bucked and pulled away from the owner who was holding it's reigns standing next to it. It took off running full speed towards the ball fields. It ran 150 yards, somehow managed to run right between bleachers and the dugout (about a 5 foot wide gap), and run straight into the fence just to the left of the first base dugout. It collapsed to the ground and died a few minutes later. Needless to say everyone was stunned as a bunch of 10U girls were staring through the fence at a dying horse. The owners literally drug it off and play resumed. I'm still amazed no one was hurt.

You’re right — even if I could, I’d just be beating a dead horse (story).

Seriously though ... wow.
 

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