You're Outta Here!

So last Sunday was the first game of the new season for my softball team - you know, the adult co-ed soft toss 'D' league? Needless to say, we play for fun first and wins if we are lucky.

I play catcher because I don't have much of a throwing arm and I am not a fast runner. It is fun though because I get to interact with the other teams and the home plate umpire.

During one of my at-bats (yes, I am usually like Casey At The Bat and strike out) I hit the ball and ran to first. Likely there was a playing error otherwise I would've been out but this time I got on base. The home plate umpire starts talking to me sternly because I apparently threw the bat when I started running and nearly hit the catcher. I apologized of course. I have never once given conscious thought to my bat because I focus so hard on trying to get to first base.

Cut to my next at-bat: it is the last inning (we were the visiting team) and we were losing...losing enough that we knew we weren't going to have to go back out on the field. I am lead off batter and I once again hit the ball and am so excited start running to first. I am thrown out at first and start to go back to my dogout when the umpire starts yelling at me "I TOLD YOU about your bat and you did it again and hit the catcher. YOU ARE OUT OF THE GAME!"

...

For reals?! I was dumbfounded because a) I don't like getting in trouble b) I have never done anything to get an Ump mad at me much less get thrown out and c) I was already out at first and unlikely to have to go back on the field anyway...oh yeah, and did I mention it is soft toss D league softball?!?!

My coach got mad and yelled at the umpire and got thrown out too! A first for him too. He went to complain about the umpire to the league administrators and found out he had 3 other complaints against him that night!

Luckily the umpire didn't file the ejection with th league because I would've been ineligible to play in this week's game too (they take it really seriously).

Now, I can see where the umpire was coming from - as a catcher I would be upset if someone through a bat at me - it is soft toss so we don't wear any protective gear (not even helmets) but that other catcher didn't really pay close attention so my guess is I didn't have to throw it very hard to hit her. Not like she would jump out of the way. And it is D league so I don't know why the umpire would think I had a ton of control over my bat anyway

It gave me a good story though and some street cred with people who don't know our team or league. I joked with the team playing after us that they better look out for me when we play each other because I am a maniac!