Farewell softball 2013

The last game of the 2013 softball season has finished.  We got beaten even more soundly than usual.  It didn't matter.  

We had some good catches in the outfield, and our infield play ranged from excellent to decent.  We made one double play, and almost made a few others.  We stretched ourselves on offense around the bases, and made it through the batting order at least twice.  We even had a retired player out there in the outfield backing up the other outfielders.  We still lost 27-4.

Losing doesn't ever seem to matter though, at least to us.  What does matter is the players and the relationships between us.  And the laughter.  And the support.  And the beer.  We're an amazing mix of young and not so young, the sporty and not so sporty, the experienced and not so experienced, but together we work.  (Well, ok, we don't work that well on the field, but we sure do have fun . . . )

Sometime in the distant past there was a winning season and maybe even a championship (obscured in the smoky haze of long ago), but lately it has just been losses.  And spectacular losses at that.

But we ignore that.  We rejoice in the positive, the hit, the unexpected catch, the times we rise above and get it so right.  We cheer each other on no matter what.  The missed catch, the ball between the legs, the hit directly at a fielder, the bunt that wasn't supposed to be a bunt.  We've all made those mistakes and we don't really care, because it's a gorgeous summer evening and we're outside and we're playing with our friends.

So farewell softball 2013.  We'll be back next year ready to lose yet win!