Short Story

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When I was 10 I was the pitcher on our Little League team. Did not throw very hard, but frequently got the ball over the plate. What you might call a crafty lefty.
Our league had a mercy rule. If one team was ahead by 10 runs at the end of an inning, the game was called.
In one game we scored 16 runs in the top of the 1st. I retired the side in the bottom of the 1st on four pitches. No runs, no hits, no errors. A no hitter and a perfect game. Sort of.
 
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I may be in the minority, but I do not remember ever playing baseball or softball when I was a kid. I’ll even add football to that list. Never had the slightest interest in playing team sports through grade school and high school. I believe I shot some hoops, but never played basketball either.
 
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I was a Little League pitcher. I was a good Pitcher for our team but not good enough to ever progress to anything beyond. But I have a life long love of Baseball and can't stand Football or Basketball.
 
I played exactly one season of little league baseball.. was center field because I could throw the farthest.. was a pretty good batter as well... we won the championship and I never played again... I was a kid and hated sitting half the time yelling aay batter batter swing... played soccer after that.. fullback.. could kick pretty far too... oh, practiced football as a kid to.. coach just liked wind sprints and monkey rolls and we never played.. I was a kid... I quit and used my helmet and pads for Halloween after that... coaches need to think like kids more..
 
Speaking of going pro.... A couple of years later we moved to Oklahoma City and I played with a kid named Milton Wilcox. By now I play right field and 1st base cause I'm a lefty. Milt did throw hard. We were about 12 years old and Milt was 6 ft tall.
He won game three of the 1984 World Series to help the Detroit Tigers become World Champs. 16 year Major League career.
 
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I tried soccer in high school, but I wasn't very fast, unwilling to head the ball - it hurt and couldn't keep the ball once I got it! My passing was iffy, at best. I was a willing runner, I'd try to chase down the ball, though.

The only two things I could do halfway decent - corner, and free/penalty kicks.

I realized team sports wasn't for me when I got hemorrhoids from sitting on the bench for every game. (I'm kidding)
 
4 or 5 years of little league ..... as a lefty; Pitcher or 1st base.

8th-12th Grade High School Rifle Team..... season was Sept through March. Overlapped every other sport.

We won WPIAL AAAA my Senior Year and 2nd in the State by X count.

Another 4 years on my College Rifle Team.
 
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I was a Little League pitcher. I was a good Pitcher for our team but not good enough to ever progress to anything beyond. But I have a life long love of Baseball and can't stand Football or Basketball.

I have never before met an American who did not like or follow football. It's like a Kiwi who doesn't worship rugby or the All Blacks (me).

I lack the hand-eye co-ordination for team sports, yet I can shoot a pistol.
 
My first five children was 1-2 years apart with the first being identical boy twins. So at one time all five was in little league. My one daughter was a pitcher and the four boys were a catcher, first baseman, and two outfielders. 12 years after #4 son was born, #5 son was born. He was second baseman.
 
Played baseball in eighth grade. Got my first pair of glasses a week before ninth grade. I hit like a pitcher. My average for the season was .000. I walked or struck out every time. But, I played every game in left field. Mainly because I could hit any of the bases with a direct throw. I often wonder what could have happened if I could have seen the ball while batting.
I remember one game, late in the season and my lack of success at the plate got to the coach and me. After one particularly bad whiff he yelled at me from third base, "If you're gonna swing at the high ones, then damnit, swing high!" I yelled back, "I can't tell if they're high or low! If they look like they're over the plate, I swing at them!" You ever see an opposing pitcher with an ear-to-ear grin?:D
 
I never cared for organized sports when in school.
Played softball (was a pretty good home run hitter) and a little basketball when required for PE class.
When some of the other boys were playing on ball teams I preferred to be making money working, shooting, hunting, fishing, or camping.
I had wonderful grandparents on both sides of the family and often spent time hanging out with them also.
 
Where will it go?

I got one chance to pitch as a kid on our park's sandlot team.

I threw hard and trouble was, no one ever knew where it would go. Sometime it went over the plate, sometimes behind the batter and sometimes into the batter.

Coach pulled me before I got three outs, if I remember correctly. Back to second base where I could do less harm.
 
Speaking of wild.... Reminds me of a story about Texas Ranger pitcher Jim Bibby. Texas was on the road playing a double header. The first game went a little long ending up something like 10-8. Typical Ranger game. Along about the 5th inning in the nightcap, Texas manager Whitey Herzog brings Jim Bibby into the game for his 1st appearance for Texas. It's about one o'clock in the morning. Herzog tells Bibby while warming up he wants him to throw two pitches up on the screen. So it is one in the morning and here is this guy that throws 100 mph and nobody knows where the ball is going to go. Bibby strikes out 8 in 3 2/3 innings and Texas wins the game.
 
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I have never before met an American who did not like or follow football. It's like a Kiwi who doesn't worship rugby or the All Blacks (me).

I lack the hand-eye co-ordination for team sports, yet I can shoot a pistol.

Football is very popular in Indiana because of the Colts. Basketball is very popular also because of the Pacers. College Football is really popular with IU against ND and ticket prices over $500 :eek: So I guess I am in the minority but I can't stand either one, especially Football.
 
I played in little league baseball and football then continued with football through middle school quitting after 10th grade.

I pitched, caught and played shortstop. Had good hands and a decent arm. I wasn't a fast pitcher, but I had good control. I could put the ball where inexperienced batters would swing but couldn't get a solid hit out of it. We had a kid that was tall and lanky who was our heat, but he was wild so he would usually crank out a few innings then I would come in. Ok batter nothing to write home about, but I usually went down swinging.

Played guard in football. Got tired of it by 10th grade. I went to a very large high school, and we had a lot of talent. Got tired of practicing all the time and not getting to play. Wearing the jersey on game day was nice but I liked to hunt, so I quit once I had a DL. Got a P/T job and hunted all fall from there on out.
 
Was a small kid with poor vision. Played LL Baseball up to about age 12, mainly outfield. Played LL football through 10th grade. Mainly defense, outside linebacker. At this point the school ball players outweighed me by a good 20 pounds, so although I loved the game, I was getting creamed a tryouts. Coach said, “all heart, no size, sorry.”
 
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