Young at heart, but still an old fart.

About a month ago my friend Mike called and asked me if I wanted to play softball, for some ridiculous reason I said yes.  Here's a little background on my softball career, from the time I was 19 until the time I was 42 I played softball every year.  There were years where I played for three teams, playing 3-4 games every week, and pick-up games or tournaments on the weekends.  I played every position, I pitched everything except windmill, and I was a line drive, high average kind of hitter with occasional power, on one memorable Sunday on a field with a fence that nobody else on either team reached, I put three home runs over that fence, drove in 8 runs, pitched and won the game 11-4.  From the age of 42 through 44 I lived in Tennessee and my job involved a ton of travel so I retired from softball.  Then we came back to Jersey and although it took a while, I got a call to join one of my old teams for the 2000 season.  I did my usual warm-up, a Diet Coke and putting on sneakers.  The first game they asked me to come in during the fourth inning to play second base.  I sprinted (that's a slow jog for other people) out to my position ready to make every play.  God has a weird sense of humor, the first batter hit a shot to right center field, I went out to get the relay throw from the outfield.  The centerfielder threw the ball high, I jumped to get the ball reaching the top of my 3 inch vertical leap, I caught the ball and as I came down my right ankle turned into a gopher hole tearing bones, tendons and cartilege from the bottom of my foot to the top of my ankle.  After a metal plate, 6 screws, 3 months of physical therapy and a lot of crap from my wife, I officially retired from softball.  By the way Craig, you still have my glove.

So back to the present, I go out to play and on my first at bat I hit a rocket into left field, my first step out of the batter's box I heard a gunshot, ok maybe a cap pistol, and I felt my hamstring cut my right leg in half.  Yes, I exaggerate, I did pull my hamstring but since speed is not a major part of my game I played through the pain and have been playing for the past four weeks.  Everything still hurts so last week I took a week off and now I'm ready to go back and play like the agile 54 year old that I dream I am.