TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
Freshmen year of college, I decided to try out for the baseball team as a walk on. I was a good pitcher in high school, but I knew I wasn't anything special. After the first practice, the pitching coach pulled all of the pitchers aside and told us that we were all making the team because they had a shortage of pitchers and they didn't want to cut anyone. It was awesome news. Next day, we meet up and walk to the batting cage. Coach tells us that he wants to see us all hit so he can decided whether we'll be DH'd for or if we'll hit. Well, I knew I wouldn't be hitting. I sucked at hitting.
When I was 12, I hurt my arm and took 2 years off of baseball. Turns out those years are when pitchers start to really get good. And I went from a decent hitter to not being able to make contact at all. It was sad. And not sad, like boo hoo sad. Sad like, "Dear God, Joey. Did you see that kid try to swing and hit that ball?" But my pitching ability far exceeded my poor batting skills, so I played all throughout high school.
When the coach called my name, I said, "No reason for me to get in there, coach. I can't hit the ball." He told me they still wanted to evaluate me and I said it wasn't necessary. Turns out, it was indeed necessary. I figured that out while I ran a couple laps around the practice facility for questioning my coach. He wanted to give me time to think about it. Thanks, coach.
So I stepped in the cage and the guy threw about 30 soft pitches to me, all of which I swung at and did nothing more than create breezes. It was the baseball equivalent to the Rope-a-Dope. I was wearing down the pitcher. Finally, the coach said, "OK. You know what. Just bunt 5 pitches and then you're done." Well, my bunting skills were just as bad. Dare I say, worse? I just didn't like being in that batting box. It felt dangerous and my body was telling me to get out. But at least with batting, you're standing sideways to the pitcher. Less area size for him to hit. Not so much with bunting. It was like you were staring down the raging bull while you dangled your muleta over the plate, minus the red cloth.
Anyway, pitcher maybe 4 or 5 pitches and I miss all of them. But on the next pitch, I make contact. I clipped the pitch with the bat just enough to have the ball bounce off my bat and ricochet into my nose. Blood everywhere. As I fall to the ground, I hear coach say, "Ok. We'll DH for you." As he walks up to me sitting on the ground holding my nose with my shirt, he says, "In all my years of baseball, I've never seen anyone bunt a ball off their face. In fact, I didn't even know that was humanly possible."
Well, Coach "Whatever-Your-Name-Was", I guess Max Scherzer and I have something in common. Not too shabby of company, I'd say.
When I was 12, I hurt my arm and took 2 years off of baseball. Turns out those years are when pitchers start to really get good. And I went from a decent hitter to not being able to make contact at all. It was sad. And not sad, like boo hoo sad. Sad like, "Dear God, Joey. Did you see that kid try to swing and hit that ball?" But my pitching ability far exceeded my poor batting skills, so I played all throughout high school.
When the coach called my name, I said, "No reason for me to get in there, coach. I can't hit the ball." He told me they still wanted to evaluate me and I said it wasn't necessary. Turns out, it was indeed necessary. I figured that out while I ran a couple laps around the practice facility for questioning my coach. He wanted to give me time to think about it. Thanks, coach.
So I stepped in the cage and the guy threw about 30 soft pitches to me, all of which I swung at and did nothing more than create breezes. It was the baseball equivalent to the Rope-a-Dope. I was wearing down the pitcher. Finally, the coach said, "OK. You know what. Just bunt 5 pitches and then you're done." Well, my bunting skills were just as bad. Dare I say, worse? I just didn't like being in that batting box. It felt dangerous and my body was telling me to get out. But at least with batting, you're standing sideways to the pitcher. Less area size for him to hit. Not so much with bunting. It was like you were staring down the raging bull while you dangled your muleta over the plate, minus the red cloth.
Anyway, pitcher maybe 4 or 5 pitches and I miss all of them. But on the next pitch, I make contact. I clipped the pitch with the bat just enough to have the ball bounce off my bat and ricochet into my nose. Blood everywhere. As I fall to the ground, I hear coach say, "Ok. We'll DH for you." As he walks up to me sitting on the ground holding my nose with my shirt, he says, "In all my years of baseball, I've never seen anyone bunt a ball off their face. In fact, I didn't even know that was humanly possible."
Well, Coach "Whatever-Your-Name-Was", I guess Max Scherzer and I have something in common. Not too shabby of company, I'd say.
