Losing
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 10:46 am
Sorry, this one isn't too 'uplifting'......
I am an adult softball supervisor in my home town. Our program is nowhere close to what it used to be. We used to have many competitive teams. Now, Mom and Pop teams dominate our softball fields.
Don't tell them that though!
In their minds, when they play, they feel as if everything is on the line.
Although a game could end up 21-19 (mostly because of fielding ineptness, not hitting skills), the losing team will find a reason for losing other than that ineptness.
The umpire made bad calls.
The other team had an illegal player.
A possible illegal bat.
A team can make more than 10 errors in a game and that will not have played a role in the game when re-hashed later at the local pub.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-72.
One of their fans told me that he is still holding out hope for a playoff spot.
He blamed the Pirates year on bad luck.
Injuries surely cut into their Wins. They also seemed to have lost an inordinate amount of close games to other teams.
He said that if the Pirates just had two less injuries and a decent year from Andrew McCutchen, that the Pirates would already have a playoff spot.
The softball team members and this Pirates fan are of the same ilk. Intertwined.
They do not want to lose. And if they do lose, it cannot be themselves that have perpetuated that loss. It has to be an outside source or bad luck.
10 errors by a mediocre softball team is easily forgotten when a close call made by an umpire goes against them.
Just as an injury during a season to Gerritt Cole can change the Pirates fortunes, even though other playoff contenders have lost Kyle Schwarber and Clayton Kershaw.
That team can overlook 10 errors.
Pirate fans can overlook that the Pirates organization has done little to help themselves, even when being in contention.
The same will be said after that team makes 10 errors again the follwing week.
And when the Pirates sign a James Loney type, it will still be bad luck with injuries that made them fade to oblivion.
Blaming ourselves is passe.
It can't be OUR fault.
Losses are for losers and we're not losers!
Even when we lose.
A loss used to make us look at ourselves.
It used to make us look at our teams and see what we can do better.
Now, a loss is more political.
It's finger pointing at something or somebody else.
It makes us feel better.
For some reason.
10 errors and a 69-72 record IS losing.
We used to deal with it.
Now, we don't.
I am an adult softball supervisor in my home town. Our program is nowhere close to what it used to be. We used to have many competitive teams. Now, Mom and Pop teams dominate our softball fields.
Don't tell them that though!
In their minds, when they play, they feel as if everything is on the line.
Although a game could end up 21-19 (mostly because of fielding ineptness, not hitting skills), the losing team will find a reason for losing other than that ineptness.
The umpire made bad calls.
The other team had an illegal player.
A possible illegal bat.
A team can make more than 10 errors in a game and that will not have played a role in the game when re-hashed later at the local pub.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-72.
One of their fans told me that he is still holding out hope for a playoff spot.
He blamed the Pirates year on bad luck.
Injuries surely cut into their Wins. They also seemed to have lost an inordinate amount of close games to other teams.
He said that if the Pirates just had two less injuries and a decent year from Andrew McCutchen, that the Pirates would already have a playoff spot.
The softball team members and this Pirates fan are of the same ilk. Intertwined.
They do not want to lose. And if they do lose, it cannot be themselves that have perpetuated that loss. It has to be an outside source or bad luck.
10 errors by a mediocre softball team is easily forgotten when a close call made by an umpire goes against them.
Just as an injury during a season to Gerritt Cole can change the Pirates fortunes, even though other playoff contenders have lost Kyle Schwarber and Clayton Kershaw.
That team can overlook 10 errors.
Pirate fans can overlook that the Pirates organization has done little to help themselves, even when being in contention.
The same will be said after that team makes 10 errors again the follwing week.
And when the Pirates sign a James Loney type, it will still be bad luck with injuries that made them fade to oblivion.
Blaming ourselves is passe.
It can't be OUR fault.
Losses are for losers and we're not losers!
Even when we lose.
A loss used to make us look at ourselves.
It used to make us look at our teams and see what we can do better.
Now, a loss is more political.
It's finger pointing at something or somebody else.
It makes us feel better.
For some reason.
10 errors and a 69-72 record IS losing.
We used to deal with it.
Now, we don't.
