I’m sort of glad to put April in the rear-view mirror. A cold wet month, it afflicted everyone from kids practicing outdoor sports to commuters and early major-league baseball. Some days it felt like the Red Sox were the only hot thing in town and they continue to hold first place in the American League East with a 20 – 7 win-loss record. Go Sox! I check my daily Sox Lunch email for a quick summary of the last game.
The jonquils and daffodils have finally come up but they often seem to be enduring the spring rather than celebrating it. I know how they feel. This April has put me in mind of my years at Somerset High School (now Somerset Berkley Regional High School) when I played on the softball team.
“Played” is a relative term, of course. I practiced with everyone else on a lot of cold, wet days like the ones we have had this spring. And that was before we had fleece.
It’s Cold on the Bench
My sister, Diane, played first base. Pauline, one of my best friends was a starting pitcher and the other, Liz Araujo, was the starting catcher. No one stole second on Liz. I practiced in center field but the one actual game I remember playing, Coach Corcoran put me at third base. I had no experience in that position and just tried to do my best. I don’t remember any specifics but I don’t think it went well.
While I never held a starting position or contributed much to the team’s success, I did learn to play the game and that was a good thing. I claim membership in Red Sox Nation both because of where I grew up and through watching games with my father and two brothers. But I also had a head start from practicing and watching a lot of softball.
What I Learned at Softball Practice
What did I learn on those cold April days when I looked up at the ever-present clouds and prayed for a beam of sunlight? Perseverance, for one. Putting the team first. The importance of backing up the infield and hitting sacrifice flies. The infield fly rule. Never throw behind the runner. Always, always run out the hit because you can never tell what will happen. I wish someone would tell Hanley Ramirez that.
The Somerset High School softball team did well: four consecutive Narragansett League championships. I don’t remember reading a single newspaper article about that achievement.
Roundup of April 2018 Posts
As Susanne said yesterday, we don’t always get what we want but the important thing is to focus on the positive. In the spirit of perseverance and playing whatever position life gives you, here’s the roundup of April 2018 posts.
Boston and History
- Arch Street and the Mystery of the Missing Arch – Aline
- Boston’s Missing: The Kakas Fur Company Polar Bear — Aline
Books and Movies
Business
- The Importance of Benefit Corporations — Susanne
- Confident or Complacent About Sexual Harassment — Aline
- Twitter: The Little Blue Bird That Could — Susanne
Culture
- On My Mind: April 2018 — Susanne
Food and Cooking
Spiritual
- The Donut and the Hole — Susanne
Travel
- The Dominican Republic: Third-World Revisited – Susanne
- Wachusett Meadow: Different After Decades — Aline
The warmth and sunlight are coming—the Weather Channel says so. Let’s hope the good weather hangs around for a while. I want to go to Fenway Park and watch the game when it’s warm.