Summer Softball - Week Two: Looks Like It Might Be A Building Year.

But look at that batting stance. I've still got it!

Another super-fun game, and another Sunday afternoon well-spent. The rain looked like it was going to cancel our plans for hitting the diamond, but after a torrential downpour hit us hard and then passed by right at gametime, we were good to go the full seven innings.

Here's our weak spot so far: one bad inning on defense does us in. I think it was the second inning this time around. The opposition took us for nine runs with only two outs, forcing the ump to call the always-embarrassing "mercy rule" into effect, thus ending the inning and sparing us the humiliation of having anyone watch us get pummeled any farther. It doesn't feel good.

We ended up losing 21-9, and if you take out that one inning, we would have had ourselves a ball game. Instead, it wasn't really close. Though we did manage to get nine across, which is a great thing in my book. We're scoring runs, we're just giving up more than we get. It's a common problem.

On a personal (and self-serving) note, I had my best game of the season, going 4-4 with two triples, a double, and a single. (You can't see me, but I'm patting myself on the back as I type this with one hand.)

We're in the cellar, folks, and it's going to be a rough climb out. We've got a doubleheader this weekend, which I see as a perfect opportunity for some redemption. Or at least some sun and exercise. Did I mention how much I missed chewing sunflower seeds and spitting them everywhere? It's about as primal-dude as I get.

Con we.

Con us.

Con now.

Standings are here. We are the Boilerplates.

Also: this has all got me thinking about Wrecking Crew, a tremendous book I read a few months back about a real-life baseball team full o' hooligans. If you want to read it, I'll lend it to you. Just ask me.