FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Yesterday, I went to my baseball game, as confident as ever. My team was undefeated, and nobody could touch us.

We were unstoppable. I was unstopabble.

So far that year, over our first  three games, I had been 11 for 13 with 13 stolen bases. 10 runs. On the mound I was 3-0. My team had won by 6, 10, and 10. Today looked like another routine game. Even though the other team was undefeated, a kid on their team, their pitcher, said we were going to kill them.

He was scared of another kid on my team, my best friend on the team, and he should have been. This kid had already hit 2 ground rule doubles off two of the best pitchers, after him, who was at first. He had faced 10 batters, and struck out 9 of them. He was untouchable.

We were untouchable.

We had, on average, stolen about 15 bases per game. Nobody could throw us out. We were the best team that a-lot of the other coaches said they had seen since 2002, when a team beat every they faced by at least 10.

My coach told me that I was starting on the mound today. I was looking for my best stuff, because my girlfriend was in the stands. I had my best stuff in warm-ups, looking better than ever.

We batted first, and I was lead-off. I came up, ripped one to third on an 0-2 count, and got a single. My coach told me to go on the first pitch. I did, an jetted down to second. The ball was over thrown, I popped out of my slide, and headed toeards third. My coach sent me home, so I went. They had no shot at me. I made it standing up. The catcher looked pretty steamed.

We scored 4 runs that inning, and were looking at the  peak of our game. I got on the mound, and faced my girlfriends little brother. I got him down 0-2, but then I tried to impress my girl a little, and put a little extra heat on it. The ball rocketed toward the plate. The batter look suprised at the pitch, but he adjusted and hit it down the third base line.

I walked the next guy on 5 pitches, and by then the lead-off man had stolen third. The guy was walked ran on the first pitch, a ball. No throw from our catcher. Runners on secondand third, no outs. The next two pitches were balls, but I took a little of my next pitch, and he bounced it highup the middle. It seemed like it was going over my head, but I jumped and stretched for the ball, nad caught it. But I fell on my back. The run scored, but I was able to get the guy out at first.

The next guy was their clen-up guy, about two times bigger than me. I got him down 0-2 by blowing it by him. My catcher put one finger down and patted his left inside leg. Inside four seam fastball. I hit the spot perfectly, but the boy fought it off and popped it up to the outfield. My centerfielder dropped the ball. Triple.

The very next pitch was a passed ball, and the guy came hustling home. My catcher flipped the ball to me, and I got ready for a collison. Then, I noticed that the guy running home was their catcher. He was mad, head down, running straight at me with full velocity. I was scared. I put my glove up, ready to get hurt. But, then, down he slid. But with his cleat aimed at my already sore shoulder.

Then it came. The biggest collison of my life. CRACK! I heard my shoulder. I went down, and hard. my glove flew out of my hand. My shoulder felt like a huge hammer had just been slammed down on it. There was no way it couldn't be broken, I thought. Safe! The ump yelled. The other team's coach, also mine, was astonished at that call. I was crying and screaming like crazy. My arm had went numb. I couldn't feel it. My coach came running out. He had known me since I was 4, and he hadn't heard or seen me like this.

Our assistant coach, also a firefighter, said he felt one of my bones moving around in my shoulder. He walked me to my car. I was taken to the ER, took X-Rays, and waited. It took two hours of me waiting in the room for them(watching The Office, 30 Rock, and something else)until I got results. Good news! Nothing was broken! They sad the worst it could be would be a fracture, probably just a pull.

Practically my whole team came to visit, but the only one who had anything significant to say was the person I told you about earlier. He took over, and struck out everyone he faced. 17 strikeouts. Crazy. Then, he told me that he hit one over the fence. Just the second guy so far this year.

For me, he said.

We won, 9-3.

For me, they said.

And I also got the official win on the mound.

And they won.

And they killed.

For me.