Frustrations with Recreational Fastball

This year I am the captain of a team in the Glen Cairn Men’s Fastball League.  We have a mediocre team and it is a lot of work and frustration running the team.

One of the things that I had trouble with was running the team for the league tournament.  There were a few guys who couldn’t make the tournament that weekend.  So for the Friday night game we only had nine players.  We were winning 10-0 in the fifth inning and were up to bat.  Our shortstop struck out looking.  He drew a line on the ground indicating where he thought the pitch had been thrown.  The umpire gave him a warning.  As he was walking to the dugout, the umpire told him that, if he said one word, he would be thrown out the game.  He turned and smiled at the umpire and the umpire threw him out the game.

We tried to continue the game with eight players.  However, the captain of the opposing team said we must default the game because, if we start with nine players, we must end the game with nine players.  The umpires said that this was a gentleman’s league and that rule might not apply.  However, the captain went and got the league president, who came over to the diamond, and said the rule did apply.  So the game was over and we lost 10-0.

I was furious and Barb was fit to be tied when I told her later in the evening.

The next day we were playing a close game.  In the last inning with the score tied, our second baseman fielded a ground ball with a runner on third base and, instead of throwing home, threw to first and let the winning run score.  He said he didn’t know the score at the time.

In our final game of the round robin on Saturday afternoon, both of our pitchers couldn’t make it because they were in a wedding party.  So I started a fellow on the team who said he had pitched as a kid.  He allowed 10 runs in the first inning.  In the second inning, I went in to pitch.  I held the score down but we got mercied 13-0.   

Since we lost all of our round robin games, we didn’t make the playoffs.  If we had not lost the first game by default, we would have qualified for the B playoffs.