IRONIC PUNISHMENT

I'm not really a fan of the TV show "The Simpson's", but last Sunday I couldn't help feeling like Homer Simpson in the classic Simpson Halloween episode where Homer went to HELL and was given the Ironic "Too Much of a Good Thing" Punishmentt of eating an unlimited supply of Donuts ( view the link below or copy it into your browser)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/23459/the-simpsons-donut-hell?c=109



The problem actually started last Friday when I umped 4 games ending at 8:45PM in 90 plus degree weather.

Not fun.



Then the situation got worse on Saturday, when I umped another a doubleheader starting at 9 AM and then played 4 games ending at around 8:30 PM.
The 3rd game was a 90 degree 9 inning marathon on 54th street "Donde Caja La Vaca" - the hottest and worse field in NYC.
My team ,The Sox, lost a heart breaker.
Of Course we lost the nightcap as well.
Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering

As an aside, the extra inning game was played using international rules.
Meaning that each team began their half of an extra frame with a man on 2nd base.
This rule is put in place to try and get the game to come to an end quickly.
This rule is fine in a one day tournament, but does not belong in a regular season game.



Anyway, the Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering reached an exclamation point on Sunday.
I had a quick turn around as I play in a fun 9 AM morning league in Central Park.
Yeah Lot's of fun - we only had 8 guys one of which was a make shift pitcher
Oh man, suffering.
It was 95 degrees and we had to play a 3 man Outfield.
Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering
I was not happy.
Of course some guy hit a shot over my head that I misplayed in the 1st inning and my hitting was pathetic against some pitcher you looked like Red Fox from the classic TV show Sandford and Son









So now I was slumping.
Great.
I thought things couldn't get worse.
I was wrong.
As my game is going on, I see a lot of my Big Apple West teammates showing up to the park and I start thinking man they are here mighty early for a 1pm game.
Turns out our game was at 11 Am.

Fuck.

Oh man now I had to leave these poor guys.
At least we miraculously had a 3 run lead.
Being that Central Park on a Sunday is the forfeit avoiding capital of the world, I picked up a decent guy and I was on my way to the West game.

By now I was suffering total softball burnout and not too mention heat stroke from the weather and running around.

Luckily, The head umpire (not that idiot Mister Magoo - thank god) saw that I was woozy. He had a park's attendant turn on the sprinkler for me so that I could stand underneath it and cool off. Very nice of him. That idiot Mister Magoo wouldn't do that.

OK so now I was alive.

Let's play.

Running on empty I got asked to play Left Center b/c we were also short guys.
Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering
Oh man.

Whatever, things would get worse as we got waxed 10-3.

Ugly.

P.S. My morning team mates came by to tell my the guy I picked up made an error and cost them the game.

Horrible.

Whatever.

The next game was a MUST WIN as we were fighting for our playoff lives.

Our ace pitcher Tom "Shooter" Murphy arrived and we were winning 3-1 into the 6th, that's when things got worse.

The best last place team I have ever seen Excelsior ( I don't mean that as a diss they are truly better than their record) rallied to tie the game on clutch hits and errors on our part.

OK gut check time. At least we were the home team.

We rallied to score 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth and the 7th looked like a lock as they had the bottom of their order up.

Not so fast, IRONIC PUNISHMENT must continue.

Excelsior fought extremely hard to tie the game and nearly won it as their lead off batter almost hit a 3 run homer over my head.

The score was now 5-5.

Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering

Thankfully, I will spare you all the painful details, but the game went 12 long draining innings where both team blew several opportunities to Win

Yes 12 innings of Ironic Softball Punishment - more playing more suffering .

Of course my day long slump continued.
Horrible.
Whatever.
All that matters is that we won the damn game. Finally!!!!!!

This was softball HELL