There's No Crying In Baseball

One of the reason's I'm so excited about K voluntarily playing t-ball is because I was a softball player and I LOVED it. I was a pretty good player and have many memories of round robin tournaments and trophies long gone now. I've been dying to tell K this story but since it involves blood and pain I decided maybe now isn't the time for her to hear that story, so I'm going to tell you instead.

As an adult, I miss playing softball so when my employer started a co-ed team in 2008 I was one of the first to sign up. It had been years since I played but I was excited and after the first few practices where I showed my stuff, the once dubious boys were happy to have me.

Now is a good time to interrupt and tell you I had then and still have somewhat of a reputation at work for being a hard ass bitch. I don't take shit and I bust ass to get the job done, I have earned much respect from co-workers in my male dominated industry.

One night we were warming up before a game and being short a player Tyson offered to throw with me. What happened next had never happened to me before and I'm still not sure how it happened then. Tyson was throwing the ball a little harder than normal because I had been assigned to play first base for the first time in my life and I wanted to be ready for the fast throws I would have flying at me during the game. Well if you haven't guessed by now I missed one of his throws and it hit me in the face smack between the eyes.

My first thought was, "don't cry all those guys are watching and waiting to see your weakness". I bent forward and took several deep breaths while everyone ran towards me. Then I tipped my head back and with dry eyes and blood streaming down my face I walked off the field. I laid on the bleachers while people looked at my bloody nose and tried to get me to go to the ER. I wouldn't go, in fact, I told them to find a band-aid or something because I was going to play. At first, they weren't going to let me but Tyson finally convinced them I wasn't going to go listen (because after all these years he knows me well). So we taped up my nose with first aid tape and I played the game.

The next day I had two black eyes but I went to work anyway, mostly just so I could hear people tell the story of the little blonde girl who got hit in the face with a softball and didn't cry. I still love that story and it makes me feel like a bad ass.

What's your favorite story that makes you look like a bass ass?