First Game of the Year

First off, apologies to my loyal readers for not posting anything for quite a while. The last week and a half has been crazy busy.

Today was my first baseball game of the year... umpiring that it is. And boy did it feel great. And boy was it evident that I hadn't seen pitches in months.

Since it was my first game of the year, I really wanted to do the plate. I hate doing the bases in the first place, unless its 100 degrees outside, then I don't mind not wearing all the protective gear. Doing the plate, you have more control of the game. It allows you to establish a rhythm and it keeps you locked in the whole time. Even if its a blowout, you are locked in because the next pitch is just a few seconds away.

The game itself was terrible. It was a high school JV game between a team that can clearly play baseball and a team that doesn't care about playing baseball. After the first inning it was 10-0, 13-0 after 2, and 17-0 after 3. The game ended after 4 1/2 inning because of the 10-run rule. (Thank God...)

But for me it was good to finally strap on the mask and get back behind the plate again. I wasn't as sharp as I'd like to be. My strike zone wasn't as consistent as I had hoped it would be. I rung up a kid on strike three on a pitch that was about 4 inches below his knee. I knew it as soon I called it a strike that I shouldn't have. Other than that I thought I was pretty good, all things considered. Need a few more games behind the plate to get to where I want to be. I was a little jumpy back there with balls in the dirt, partly because I hadn't seen pitches in months and it's hard to trust a JV catcher to protect you.

It was great to get back out on the field again. I have two games tomorrow, two on Saturday, and one more on Monday. Should be a great weekend. I just hope that I have some more competitive games than I did today. Umpiring a close game behind the plate just takes you to a whole other level of focus and intensity. That probably won't happen until the summer but it's certainly something to hope for this weekend.

Needless to say, I wish I didn't have to go back down to school on Tuesday.

I Walk For My Grandmother

Currently, I am at the Catholic University Relay For Life. For weeks, students all around campus have been raising money to help support research aimed at ending the terrible disease known as cancer.. I would say, for the most part, that everyone is walking the relay in honor of someone they know who lost their batter with cancer. As for me, I walk for my grandmother or as I call her, MomMom.

She lost her battle with cancer on December 25th, 2003. Yes, Christmas Day. There is not a worse feeling than waking up, opening presents with your family, and then getting a call around 10:30am from your Aunt with the dreadful news. My grandmother had been battling colon cancer for over a year and it was literally eating away at her both mentally and physically. She spent a great deal of time at my house and just watching her slow deterioration was painful for me. She was a fantastic woman, and it was awful to have her die on what she called "the most holy and sacred day of the year."

I have never participated in Relay For Life in my four years of college until tonight. I really wish I had. It is a fantastic time, there is plenty of fun to be had, and a great deal of my good friends are here. I wish I had raised more money in support of the cause. I walk for my grandmother because she was a fantastic grandmother and I still miss her dearly. I don't want cancer to take another loved one away from me. That is why we all walk in this relay. I walk for my grandmother, who are you walking for?