Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelric
Warning: random reminiscing and not really ever making a point while eventually mentioning bunting... 
Growing up in Boston, playing and adoring baseball through my whole childhood, I routinely made the city traveling All-Star team. I was always my team's best defender. Over the years I played every position except for catcher. Generally, I was either a center fielder or a second baseman. Shortstop usually went to one of two other teammates that had better throwing arms than I did, including the girl I had a wicked crush on....  (I wonder what ever happened to her?), but I'd roam wherever necessary. Managed a triple-play as a centerfielder at one point, as a matter of fact. Diving catch in very shallow center, popped up and tagged second, tossed the ball to first. I suppose I could have had an unassisted if my brain had realized I could have tagged the runner heading to second quick enough. As a pitcher I wasn't overpowering but had a little movement and solid control (most of the time...).
Anyways, at the plate I tried to be a pesky hitter. I'd foul off a lot of pitches, strike out a lot (looking, more often than not... THOSE UMPS WERE BLIND!) and walk a lot. I was a line drive hitter, almost always winning the line drive competitions (in a batting cage, how many pitches in a row can you hit to the back of the cage on the line without popping up or hitting it into the ground) and usually managing to steal a base or two once I got on. I always wanted to crash into the catcher, but that was never allowed. I got kicked out of a game for doing that once, actually. 
One time, as the leadoff hitter for my team in the very first game of the year, I absolutely crushed the ball. I can't recall if it was the first pitch or not, but I doubt it. Either way, I wound up with a homerun. IIRC, it's the only homerun I ever hit. The best part is what one of the parents of some other kid on my team said... "Well, it's all down hill from here." 
Ultimately... offensively my real skills became my bunting ability, speed and batting eye. I could still walk, smoke some liners, steal a base... but I'd wind up bunting once or twice a game as the leadoff hitter for my All-Star teams. The last few years I played for Boston, in some of our games I would look down at the third base coach for signs to NOT bunt. If I didn't see those signs, I'd bunt away. After my first season on the team the coaches had me running bunting clinics for my teammates. The end of some practices would wind up with me standing in front of the bench showing everyone how I bunted. It never really caught on among them, only two or three other guys got good at it. 
I remember getting yelled at throughout my school years in gym class when I would bunt during softball games. Hey, it's baseball and it WORKED - I got on base! I can't help it if you don't like it. Of course, I'd also be the jackass diving for balls on defense during gym when no one else even wanted to jog.
I love baseball.  |
HA, well, my offensive skills were completely limited to drawing walks (I mean crazy amount of walks like 1 out of 3 PAs, course I also struck out 1 every 3 PAs
). And bunting for hits. For some reason I took a liking to watching Brett Butler play at one point and started practicing with my dad.
Course, since you went on random events, mentioning my dad is gonna make me do it, too.
. One time when my dad was pitching a little Bp to me. First pitch he throws after getting warmed up, I hit a hard grounder right at him. Well, he sees that by reacting with raising up his left leg (he was righthanded) to avoid it hitting his outside left ankle..........
.......so the ball smacks right on the inside of his right ankle, right on the bone. He hobbles around like a lame horse. Cussing. It took over 2 years before the imprint of the ball's stitches to disappear from that spot.
I was kind of scared that I had broke his leg.
Dont worry it was just payback for his ill-fated Quisenberry imitation that would have taken out my face if my bat didnt somehow get in the way (I still have no idea how that miracle happened).
Note: Well, I was pretty fast too, but it was more of a first to third speed than basestealing speed.
2nd Note: Yeah I also may have bunted a couple times in gym class too. Oh and as for diving. Well, I have been known to dive or careen into the wall while playing ping pong with friends. And on one dive manage to hit the ball from below table level inches from the ground, somehow pop it over the net, have it somehow curve and clip an edge of the table on his side. Never give up, LOL.