First game of the new season

[catoblue]

One word today: Brutal

Minors div, 11:15 scheduled start. Preceding game runs over (expected) and we start at 11:35 (no new inning after 2 hrs).

Things start off OK, HT F1 was throwing 50/50 balls and strikes, and VT was swinging the bats, so we get to the 5 run limit fairly quickly and had a couple plays for outs in the field, and I'm thinking to my self "this is gonna be a cake walk". uh huh...

VT F1 can't find anything that even resembles a strike. I'm hoping for something that even comes in shin-to chin so I can get a strike, but they bounce across or are launched over my head or are 5 feet inside or outside. Start the merry go round, HT get's their 5 on walks.

HT's starter starts to get tired half way through the 2nd, and loses the plate, we get a sub.

Long story short, we got in 4 in 2:35. (HT was down and got their last ups)

Items of interest with regard to coaches:

I had a kid back off an inside pitch, ball got the knob of the bat, I called foul ball - coach asks "that hit him, right?" "nope it hit the knob of the bat", coach asks batter " where'd that hit", kid says "right on the end of my bat, coach, weird huh?" ... not another peep from him all day.

VT coach needed some rules instruction. Kid leaves early signaled by BU, two come home on a passed ball, they're headed for the bench and I send them back, he wants to know why I didn't stop play right away - ummm it's a delayed dead-ball violation that gets enforced after no more action is possible.

On another play, kid on HT gets a single, gets thrown out at 1B for the first out, meanwhile R3 comes home and R2 rounds third, F3 launches the ball and it goes between F1 and F2 who are standing there looking at each other across the plate - and goes into DBT (VT bench). I call time and award HP to R2 (now R3). VC asks " he has to go back right?" ummm "the ball was thrown out of play, and that's a 2 base award - I only need to give him one since he had already passed 3rd."

Other than that, I did get compliments on my hustle and the VC told me "hey, we pay in our town, in case you don't mind driving 15 minutes away to call a few games", while HC was looking at his schedule to "reserve" me for their next home game. With regard to strike zone, I started out pretty close to regulation, but opened it up after we finished two and it was turning into a walk fest. Was giving a full ball width in and out and pretty close to chin-to-shin (not that it helped). I give it a couple weeks and the pitching should get better - making for me to have more fun calling the games.

Weather - hottest day this spring, was over 80 w/about 80% humidity by the end of the game, and I've learned I need to do a better job keeping hydrated - I'm pooped. I feel bad for the guy who has the plate on the next game - at least it's Majors, so has potential to move along a little quicker.