JJ SAYS: Playing for the love of the game

I’ve never been accused of being an athlete and if accused, I would quickly plead not guilty. However, I have played a great deal of softball in my prime.

While in the Army, I played on my company fast pitch team and was a fairly decent hitter, just so long as the opposing pitcher threw at a reasonable speed. In the field, where I played second base to be within range of reaching first base on the fly with my throws, I was somewhere between terrible and a disaster with an uncanny ability to drop pop-ups.

Later, while living on the Oregon coast, I coached a men’s slow pitch team. In Oregon, where they play with fences, the idea is to hit home runs. If there isn’t a sufficient number, they solve the problem by moving the fences in. My ability to punch singles to right field was not appreciated, and I was only allowed to substitute myself into the contest if we were 10 runs ahead, or more likely, 10 runs behind.

Highlight of my softball career came in the Petaluma Parks and Recreation League when I was chosen “Player of the Game,” and received a certificate proving my prowess. My accomplishment - I hit a single and threw a runner out at first base.

I recalled my own checkered softball career last Saturday as I watched a couple of games in the Parks and Rec’s post-season tournament for co-ed teams.

Two things struck me.

The first is that the teams played very good softball. In slow-pitch it is all about defense. Every player hits the ball and the defense has to make the plays. The women were especially impressive. In the short time I was at Prince Park, I couldn’t help but marvel at how well the co-ed players fielded and, even more at the strength of their arms. In parts of two games, I saw three double plays, not an easy accomplishment when bases are only 60 feet apart.

The other obvious impression is that the players are laid back. They want to win, but they are playing the game for fun. There is a lot of joking, banter, and just plain enjoyment in the play.

The only time you see any real hustle is when the game time limit draws near. Then there is a noticeable pick up in the game’s tempo, but even then, it is a short-lived urgency.

Many of the players, both men and women, have played either baseball or softball on a high level in high school or beyond. But those days are over.

Yes, they are playing to win. The competitive fire never really flames out, but they realize what we all come to understand at some point. Sports may teach real life lessons, but they aren’t real life. In real life there are babies to raise, bills to pay and jobs to go to Monday morning.

The players I saw Saturday may have different skill levels, different degrees of competitiveness and different ages, but they had one thing in common - they were all playing for the love of the game.

(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com)