Sunday, October 22, 2006

Kickball Update: Defense Wins Championships

On a brisk Autumn night in Austin, the Ball Busters played championship caliber defense, recording a 9-5 victory. With a 9:30 p.m. start, there was some concern of a sloppy start or of a post-happy hour hang-over. These concerns were quickly set aside thanks to a great team effort.

Girls can catch, indeed:
Shannon caught everything in sight at first base. On this night, she was battling more than just a bouncy, elusive red playground ball; she was battling naysayers and critics from her past.

Years ago, she was a pig-tailed grade-schooler playing first base in a kickball game. That's when a chance encounter with a deeply troubled schoolyard bully changed her life forever. Between innings, Tony Cox approached suddenly and slammed her in the stomach. Before walking off laughing, he snarled, "Girls can't catch!"

Years passed, but Shannon never forgot his words. And so, when kickball began she wanted to face the haters and the critics and prove them wrong by playing first base. And prove them wrong she did. On play after play, she was implacable. Her hands infallible. The outs: innumerable.

Other Highlights:
Chris Floyd played another great all-around game with clutch hitting and his trademark kamikaze base-running. He made the catch of the night with a diving snare of a fast-dropping ball at the edge of the infield.

The rest of the defense was solid. We turned several double plays, and we caught virtually every ball kicked into the air. And so, we take our 3-0 record into another tough matchup next Friday. Can you see us now, Tony Cox? Picture us rollin.

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