100 Innings of Baseball

I've been taking a break from writing recently. I like these breaks. It makes me feel slightly unproductive in what I consider my career, but that is how it goes sometimes. Every once in a while I feel like the well needs to be refreshed with a sort of fasting. I wish there was some kind of ritual sacrifice (human or animal, either would be fine) that would speed up the process of re-fueling the engine and re-stoking the creative fire that drives the writing process of my brain and fingers. Too bad, but there isn't. So instead, I go out and live instead of write.

I played 100 innings of baseball with three other friends. I was insanely rusty from having exclusively umpired for the past 8 years. A sobering experience to say the least, since I am used to being one of the best players on the field. Slightly embarrassed, which is odd for me since I don't feel that particular emotion very much. But all in all, I loved playing in it. Not only for spending the time with three friends, one of whom I very rarely see anymore, but also for some indispensable moments. One of which concerns my old boss for umpiring who has ALS, the disease that the game is raising funds to fight. It also deals with my old umpiring partner who basically taught me how to take my umpiring skills to the next level, Alberto.

Two years ago, Alberto came in to pitch ion the 100 innings game, which is significant since he was a minor league pitcher before he blew out his rotator cuff. When he came in to pitch, I took the umpiring position behind home plate in a surprise move. We had fun with it, but this time was immeasurably better. My boss used to umpire himself and used to do an immense amount of innings in the 100 inning game, but as his disease has progressed, his time in the game has been reduced every year until he can only do one half-inning at midnight.

This particular year, he came in to umpire as Alberto was pitching and it was only fitting that I would be the third batter to face him. And only fitting that Walter would call strike two after only one pitch. I'll never forget that at bat.