Confessions of a Back Catcher

While being the catcher in baseball is far from the most glamorous position, I would propose it to be one of the more interesting.

As ball season gets well on its way again this summer, I’m reminded of how much I enjoy the things that go on at home plate.

First, there is the dynamic built between you and the umpire. Depending on the umpire of course, but a relationship begins to form. A small rapport develops when you stand with the same select few guys throughout the summer. Some of them, as it turns out, also referee the kids I coach through the winter – so it’s a year round thing for me and the umps. In the back of my mind I sometimes wonder if there was a close call to make during a game and the ump had to decide between me and the other team – would he subconsciously choose me because of our loosely based friendship?

Moving on to my favourite part which I call “the Habits of the Hitters”. I feel like a psych major could do a thesis on the athletic behaviour I see. I love watching all the different rituals people have when they get up to bat. Most players have a series of things that occur before they hit the ball. Starting with their feet; most are diggers. They level the dirt on the ground until it is nice and even then dig dig dig intensely down with their toes, creating little feet havens molded only for them. If they aren’t the digging type, I then like to watch where they stand. Way back? Close to the front? Far to the left? Far to the right? The ones who don’t dig, tend to be what I call “Dancers” – meaning they’ll do three jazz moves and a step-ball-change to reach for any pitch. Whereas diggers tend to wait for the perfect pitch.

After the feet, comes the bat moves. This usually involves tapping of some sort. Line up the feet, then take the tip of the bat and tap the plate somehow. Tap all the corners? Tap the middle? Just the far corner? This is always followed by a practice swing. Or three. Maybe exactly three – if that’s part of the routine. Granted – I’d say 99% of all ball players end the routine with a practice swing, myself included. The few that don’t are generally girls who don’t know how to hold the bat and don’t care how they swing anyway.

Once the routine is finally said and done – the pitcher finally throws a pitch. Now, if the guy swings and misses the ball? Get ready – because for some that means going back to square one. Just like the guys in the Majors, he’s got to walk away and shake it off. Just shake it off. And back to the digging we go. Dancers however, don’t do the ‘walk around’. They’re always ready to go.

I also love the ‘surprise guy’. Surprise Guy walks up to the plate looking nonchalant. He’s not dressed like a ball player, and may even be in jeans. He doesn’t hold the bat in any way that would indicate he is ready to hit. He stands there like he is thinking “let’s get this over with”. But as the ball approaches the plate he suddenly turns into Harry Potter with some wizard like move and turns into A-Rod. No one is ever ready for the Surprise Guy and I love it. Surprise Guy can also be a girl, by the way. Actually, Surprise Girl is way more of a surprise…therefore more fun.

As the innings go by I play games in my head. Each player that goes up again, I see if I can remember their ritual. I also try to remember where they hit the last time. I challenge myself and it is fun. I try to evaluate how their batting habits reflect who they are as people in their every day life.

In the game I played on Tuesday night this guy went up to the plate and struck out. Not even fouled out – just plain ol’ struck out. It’s quite rare for that to happen – for a guy to swing three times and actually miss the ball. This was a big, athletic looking ball player and it threw him for a loop. His team, of course, razzed him. That’s expected and required. But man, was this guy rattled! The next few times he was up, his anxiety was just radiating off of him. He was starting to actually make me nervous. I was playing against him, but secretly rooting for him to get a good solid hit. Which he did, but don’t worry…my team still won.

I may never be the person making the double play, or catching the ball on the fence to prevent a home run, but I can safely say I'm okay with playing Dr Phil at home plate. And hey - I still make some good plays back there too. Lets be honest, the outs at home are the best kind.


Favourite of the Day: Met up with Jayme tonight for dinner. The girl who showed up on my doorstep in 1989. I had just moved into a new house and didn't have any friends to play with. Our friendship started with "Wanna ride bikes?" And here we still are....

It was just a phase...

I'm over it. I loved it, I obsessed with it and now I'm done.

Farewell Twilight, it was fun while it lasted.

When I first read the Twilight series I fell hard. Stephanie Meyers hooked me in - along with millions of others, apparently. There was a craze in the air. The stores were running out of books and everyone I know was reading and talking about them. I had my fictional crush on Edward, which later turned to Jacob, then back to Edward again. I anticipated the release of the movie and I was not disappointed. Which was strange because being a reader, it's quite rare, if ever, that I've liked the movie as much as the book.

But now - I'm just plain sick of it. I'm sick of vampires and talk of the new movie, I'm sick of seeing Rob Pattinson. His glowy, sparkly whiteness. More than that - I am sick of the painful expression always on Kristen Stewarts face. She always has the look on her face that someone kicked her in the stomach or ran over her cat. Would it kill her to smile? Or maybe brush her hair? Or, gasp - both? Man. I'm done.

Sorry Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart - I'm sure you're nice people. I'll have to let all the tween girls love you instead. I'm getting older and it's time for me to move on. I wish you all the best. I just hope your 'best' isn't in my face anymore. Good luck.

***Editors Note (& Spoiler Alert)***

Since writing this post, I watched the New Moon trailer on the MTV Movie Awards. When I saw Jacob turn into the wolf I will admit I did get excited. I still hated Rob and Kristen's speeches at the awards show though - that didn't change. And again - Kristen - BRUSH YOUR HAIR.

Favourite of the Day:

I slept in. I love sleeping in.

Roy meets winter

When Roy first moved here he told me he had lived in places where it snowed, but never like it did here and he wasn't sure what to expect for the winter.  I explained to him that our winters are cold and he would need to prepare himself.  I suggested he buy a warm jacket, boots, gloves, etc.  I forgot to tell him that he would need to buy a snow brush for his truck. 

Not long after that conversation, winter kicked in - full force.  One morning when I left for work, he was leaving for school at the same time.  When we got outside we saw it had snowed quite a bit and both of our vehicles were covered in snow.   I took the snow brush out of my car and gave it to him.  I told him I would wait while he cleaned off his truck.   I also told him that it would be a good idea on days like that one, to start his truck early to let it 'warm up' before he went anywhere.   

When he began to brush the snow off he found there was a thick layer of ice underneath.  He looked at me baffled, not knowing how to get it off the windows.  I showed him that the end of the snow brush had a scraper on it and demonstrated how to use it.  

The look on his face when I did this was hilarious.  He was skeptical and looked at me like "Are you kidding me?" 

I asked what was wrong.  He said; 

"No, there has got to be a better way to do this" 

I laughed; "No, this is how you do this.  There is no other way"  

He laughed too and shook his head, as though he was saying "You silly woman" and started to head inside. 

Amused, I asked where he was going.  He told me he was going to 'fix this' and disappeared in the house. 

I then scraped off my car and could have left for work.  But I had to stick around to see what he was up too.   

Minutes went by so I went inside to find him.  He was in the kitchen, just standing there.  I noticed a pot of water on the stove. Beside it, a kettle.  I didn't say a word.  I wanted to watch this transaction take place.  Plus, I enjoyed his rationale that he was smarter than me, simply because he was male and I was female.  

Sure enough, when the water boiled he proceeded outside, shooting the water in different directions all over his windshield.  And sure enough, it re-froze almost immediately.  It was awesome.  He went back inside to get more water.  That's when I decided to leave.  I badly wanted to throw in an "I told you so" and point out that my car was ice-free long before his genius hot water idea was executed.  I held it in.  We never discussed the incident.   However, the next time we both left the house in the morning I had a smile on my face as I scraped my windows.  I listened to the beautiful sound of him scraping of his windows.....

.....with his newly purchased snow brush.  

"The Real World"

I would like to propose a new course be offered in highschool. It could replace some of the many useless ones currently offered now. One of which I recall taking is "Peer Helping" in which I learned absolutely nothing, except for when I was staging debates with a guy in my class so we could 'kill time'. The new course I am proposing would be entitled "The Real World" and it will teach you things you need to know when you get there. This course will cover basic life necessities, as well as the little things you learn that no one would think to ever teach you.

Things that I think should be taught would include some of the following:

(a) How to do your taxes. In addition to that - the basic principles and information about the tax procedures in general. What you can claim, what you can't, ways to benefit on your tax claim, etc.

(b) Basic Car Care. Here's why - I got my first car when I was 18. It was a lease. When I went to return it three years later I was asked why the tires were in such poor condition. I didn't know. The guy asked me when I last rotated my tires. Rotated my tires? Ya - I had no idea you were supposed to do that. Or, how about which type of oil you want put in during an oil change. I still have no idea. Usually the converstaion goes like this: "So, you want me to put in the XX?XX, like the last time? "Yes" I say with confidence, though not actually knowing what he's talking about. Things like this would be good to know.

(c) All about Credit - This would be a big unit in class as there is a lot to be taught. Basic money management is vitally important. Or perhaps how a lack of money management will affect your life. The role that your credit plays in your plans for your future; What builds good credit, what brings down your credit? How to build up your credit. You know when you go to a store and they ask you to sign up for the store card to save 10% - guess what? This plays a role in your credit too. I recently obtained my credit report and learned ALOT. It was great to see and I am so happy I did that. Things I did years and years ago that I completely forgot about were on there (such as signing up for a card to save 10%). Who would have thought? Not me at 20 years old and careless, thats for sure.

(d) General House Maintenance: After I moved into my house, I just lived my life like I normally would. Who knew there was filter in the furnace that needed to be changed. I also don't know much about lawn care. My neighbour isn't impressed that I don't use the 'whipper snipper' - which I don't even know what the actual word for that thing is. I need to learn about fertilizers and weed killer too.

Would this type of course not be beneficial? It certainly wouldn't hurt. If highschool can teach me about sewing, construction, cooking and parenting....it should teach me about whipper snippers. Priorities, people!


**side note: Highschool did attempt to teach me wood working. But then I got my hand stuck in a lathe. One trip to the ER and a few x-rays later...no broken bones. Lesson learned? I don't want to learn wood working.**

Tribute to a Hero

A few weeks ago I went to a memorial service and watched my friend Dave stand before hundreds of people to talk about his best friend, Scott. It is hard to watch someone have to do this at the young age of 29 years old. But Dave delivered an honourable tribute to his dear friend’s life. He found the perfect mix of light hearted humour, reflections of Scott’s life, his own life long memories and what Scott meant to the world. He did so standing confident and strong. My heart was sad for Dave, having to be in that position, but at the same time I felt proud of him for a job so well done.

On March 20th of this year, Scott was killed in Afghanistan. He died in the line of duty, along with three other soldiers. I had met Scott only a handful of times, through Dave. What little I did know of him, I knew he was a great person and I knew what a great friend he was to Dave. His energy filled a room. He was positive and interesting to talk too. The last time I saw him was a couple years ago. I had given him a ride home. We talked about the life he was building for himself and I asked him many questions about the time he had just spent on his first (or maybe second?) tour in Afghanistan. I didn’t know much and it was interesting for me to learn from someone with his experience.

The night I learned of this tragedy I was visiting family out of town. My mom and I were up late and I was in the kitchen baking a cake. My mom was flipping through the channels when I heard his last name spoken and saw his picture on the screen. I hadn’t yet heard why they said his name as the channel passed by. My heart stopped and sunk to my stomach. I ran to the TV and turned back the channel to find that my worst fear was true. I felt sick.

In the past I saw and heard of soldiers dying on the news. I felt sadness and thought of their friends and families, then eventually moved on. But then I saw a name and a face of someone I knew. And it became real. The reality of the world we live in hit me. I thought of the thousands of men and women that are serving our country, with the mission and goal of building, supporting and strengthening another country. I thought of Scott, who volunteered to go back again for his third mission. I thought of his dedication, devotion and strength. And then I cried.

I cried for many reasons. But mostly I cried for the 7 month old daughter Scott leaves behind. Shortly after the night I drove him home, Scott left town and fell in love. And if Facebook taught me anything it’s that he fell head over heels in love. I cried thinking of his fiancé, who lost the love of her life and the father of her child. I cried thinking Scott won’t get to see his beautiful baby grow up. I thought of his parents, brother, family and friends and the heartache they must be feeling right now.

But then I thought of positive things. I thought of how evidently happy he was. Scott’s fiancé is an amazingly talented photographer and I thought of all the beautiful pictures she must have of him with their baby. I thought of all the amazing stories people will tell their daughter about her dad. I thought of the genes she carries that will show her mother and Scott’s family a piece of him every day.

To Master Corporal Scott Vernelli – though I didn’t know you that well, you’ve taught me a lot. You made me appreciate the value of our lives and the people around us. You opened my eyes to the brave men and women who sacrifice their lives and fight for our country. I took time to read more about the Canadian Forces and the mission in Afghanistan. I have a better understanding of the world outside of my every day life. I will see you in every soldier I see and remember this message. Thank you. You’ve defined for me what a real hero is.

And To Dave – You did a great job and your words were spoken from your heart. You’re a good man and I’m grateful to call you my friend.

Master Corporal Scott Vernelli

1980-2009

My Non-friend Craig

As I've stated in a previous post, I find myself currently addicted to reading the "Best Of" Craig's list.  (http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/) 

This has provided hours of entertainment for me. Which led me to think about Craig. Is he real? Why does he have a list?

Well folks, without further adieu, I introduce you to Craig Newark:

Here are a few random facts:

-Craigslist gets more than 20 billion page views per month

-Craig started this site as a hobby in his living room, in San Franciso in 1995

-It now reaches 570 cities in 50 countries

There. Now you can all sleep better tonight.

You're welcome.

Favourite of the Day: Today, while cleaning out my basement I found letters and notes I saved from Grade 7 through to graduating highschool. What a flashback to go through and read those! What idiodic things we highschoolers deemed important. It made me happy to be such a pack rat to have kept such gems. I can't wait to share the letters and notes with the girls. Well, the girls I'm still friends with - they are going to crack up. I had a great trip down memory lane today.

Full House

So tonight I bought this closet organizer rack thing. It had to be assembled. When I took all the parts out of the box, Pipe 'A' did not fit into Pipe 'B'. I was not happy. I didn't want to put everything back in the box and return it to the store. I tried as hard as I could to jam it in there, but I couldn't do it.

Then I found myself in a sitcom and pulled off a genius move. I covered the ends of both pipes in margarine - and it worked! I was so excited. I didn't think that would work in real life.  

Tonight - I was Danny Tanner. 

  

Time To Say Goodbye

In February I went to Las Vegas and I completely fell in love with the water show at the Bellagio. The lights, the water, the music - it was an experience for me. I really can't explain it, but it touched me. I would have watched it 100 times if I could have. I watched it during the day and at night, but you can't beat it at night with the scenery and lights all around you.

I had no idea I liked this type of music. I've never really listened to it before. Andrea Bocelli makes the hair on my arms stand up. And Sarah Brightman? Ya, that broad's alright I guess. (just kidding) If anyone actually takes the time to watch this video, my favourite part starts at 3:20.

The night I watched it I had just come out of the Bellagio after watching an amazing Cirque du Soleil show. I was with good friends, we were all dressed up and we watched in the rain. I like the rain. 

What a night.

Lucky Charms

I am in the midst of doing some major spring cleaning right now. I am getting rid of clothes I don’t wear and things I never use. This was prompted by Suze Orman. She said something that made me take a step back and look at myself.

She said; “People who respect their things respect their money.” Hmmm. She continued on saying that people who have clutter probably also have debt. “Interesting” I thought, as I peered into the mountain of clothes growing on my closet floor. Then I wandered into my basement full of junk and wondered how on earth I have accumulated this much stuff and wondered why it’s so randomly strewn about. (Though a section of this ‘stuff’ belongs to previous roommates who have left it there. Kiley/Dana. *cough cough*)

I have debt. I worry about money. I know I could be more financially organized. I often wonder if the people in my life worry as much as I do. Is this normal? It’s not exactly something you bring up on a Friday night over beer either. I’m sure worry to an extent is healthy. What is normal, I’ll never know.

But getting rid of crap sure is refreshing and rejuvenating. I get excited when it’s finally done. Sometimes I open my newly organized closet just to look at it, then close the doors again.

I am shedding my snakeskin and hoping my more organized self will be motivated to respect my things and in turn, be a wise rich soul.

Part of me realizes that deep down, I will always be me and Mount Kilimanjaro will soon be the breeding grounds on my closet floor. Until then, I will bask in my superiority over the clutter lurking in the shadows of my basement.

Also, I’ll be wishing to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Using a Leprechaun tactic as Plan B can’t hurt.