Staci playing softball?!?

Staci running, Staci doing aerobics, Staci swimming...all that sounds normal in the same sentence.  Staci playing softball....something just doesn't sound right about that.  I'm more of a fitness athlete.  Fitness activities don't require the hand-eye coordination that sports events require!  Mike is a natural athlete (that's where the boys get it) and when someone at his office asked if we'd play on their co-ed softball team...he started working on me to get me to say yes.  I decided that I need to learn since it looks like we'll spend quite a bit of time over the next 15 years at ball games. 

Our first game was Friday night, so in preparation I took some lessons from Brody.  He took me out in the backyard to teach me how to catch and hit.  Mike had already worked with me some on hitting (we went to the batting cages on Wednesday night and while I may not be hitting them hard...I made contact with 90% of the pitches) so Brody really wanted to work with me on catching the ball.  I was surprised at how hard our 5 year old can throw a ball!  He threw me pop ups, grounders, and just regular throws (not sure what else to call it when he just threw it straight to me?!?)  He gave me pointers on how to hold my glove for each kind of catch.  I also heard lots of comments like, "Keep your eye on the ball." and "Don't be scared of the ball!"  He got a big kick out of the way I was catching when he threw the ball where I had to reach across my body to catch it.  He said I was holding my glove in such an awkward position that I was making it harder rather than easier to catch the ball.  He took a picture of how I was catching it to show me what I looked like....

(Disclaimer: These pictures were taken with my iPhone)

and then had me take a picture of the proper way to catch a ball across your body...

 

He informed me that if the ball is just out of my reach...that I HAVE to dive for it!  I laughed that tip off (knowing that's probably not gonna happen).  I also got a really big laugh when he started coaching me on batting.  We were batting off the tee into a net.  He held his bat and showed me how to line up on the tee saying, "You should line your pee pee up with the point on home plate."  LOL!!!!  I couldn't help but laugh as I said, "Brody....I don't have a pee pee!"  He looked at me and said, "Well...just line your whatever up with the point then."  LOL!

 

The game on Friday night went ok.  Mike played awesome (of course, I didn't expect any different from him)!  I was happy that I made contact with the ball on both of my turns at bat (even if I did get thrown out at first).  They stuck me in right field which meant I didn't have any balls come my way.  In a way I was relieved...and in a way I wish that at least 1 ball had come in my direction so that I would feel more confident in my ability to field the ball.  Maybe next week.

 

I didn't escape the night injury free though.  I actually hurt myself before the game even started!  Mike and I got there early to play catch.  I've spent many more hours playing catch with a football in my life than with a softball.  You use 2 hands to catch a football...and you should only use 1 to catch a softball (the hand with a glove on it).  I learned this the hard way after a hard throw from Mike hit the end of my finger on my non-gloved hand (that I had reached out with my gloved hand in order to catch the ball).  OUCH!  I either fractured the tip of the bone or really bruised it.  The end of my finger is all purple now and is swollen.  Hopefully it'll be better by this week's game.  Sometimes learning a lesson hurts!