The Glover Park Co-Ed Softball League has been a mainstay of fun times, social activity, and athletic prowess for longer than I've been alive. Some of the players on my team might not enjoy that fact since, at the age of 23, I was by far the baby of the team by quite a few years. What started out as the brain child of the Michael "Crash" Crescenzo, quickly solidified itself as the Summer spot in people's lives on Sunday.
I signed up after the season already started up not knowing what I was getting myself into. At the time, I was looking for an excuse to get out of my studio apartment on Sunday and an excuse to get in a little athletic time while I'm at it.
It didn't take long to learn that no matter how competative you are, this league is about one thing -- fun. I assure you, it is more than fun.
The characters I met on the sidelines and in the dugout are a treasured bunch thrown together all looking to make memories based around one of their favorite past-times. Yeah it does suck when your team loses, because nobody really LIKES to lose, but winning and losing isn't the point.
I might sound like a kindergarden teacher trying to moviate kids after a big championship loss, which is pretty close to what happened to my team the Near Misses yesterday, but it's true nontheless.
Baseball -- or softball in this case -- is supposed to be fun. The punch of a loss can be quickly masked by a few cold beers, a round of corn hole with your league-mates, and watching a couple other teams square off on the diamond.
Glover Park Softball is that place and I'm lucky to have just completed my rookie season. Was I skeptical of how I would fit in at first? You bet I was. Like I said, some players on my team have been playing on this team longer than I've been alive. The league started in 1982 and I'm pretty sure that since my team's "owner" started that league that we've been around since then. I was born in 1987. I rest my case.
It wasn't until our season celebratory party a night before the final day of the season that I knew I'd found new summer family, even if we do only see each other once a week. My rookie hazing included singing a song in front of the team and their families. Lucky for me, I can sing. It's been said I sang the best song in Near Misses history, so I'll take the compliment ... since my playing is as you might say a bit not so good? Ha. I was better in high school, but it's of no consequence.
2010 was a great rookie season with a fantastic team of ragtag characters and beyond memorable moments. Here's to next year!
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