A deceased close friend of mine wrote this years ago and I thought it was something that would be welcomed by the Senior Softball community. On behalf of my close friend & teammate #12 Phil "the Lizard" Smith (R.I.P.), I know he would be honored to know his little ditty to the game is still active.
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I Still Believe in Softball
I believe in competition & camaraderie. I believe in brackets, bubble gum and bang-bang plays. I believe that attendance and preparation win games. I believe there is more to being a good batter than just being a good hitter. I believe in being relaxed on defense until the batter lifts his front foot. I believe it's ok to use defensive shifts to play the odds & head games. I believe in taking my turn to coach the base across the field from our dugout. I believe in checking on the condition of injured opponents. I believe players should applaud opponents after they make great defensive plays. I believe players get better with age. I am thankful & privileged to still be able to play at my age. I believe that softball has helped me as a person, I feel so lucky to be able to play.
I believe 40-pound curls are better than 12-ounce ones. I believe taking winter BP with a cheap bat helps to hit summer homers with an expensive bat. I believe in running out routine grounders and lazy fly balls, no matter how frustrated I am. I believe it is better to be a smart base runner than a fast one. I believe in scoring from 3rd base on a double-play grounder or from 2nd on a very deep fly. I believe in the nervous anticipation of a play at the plate. I believe in the quiet buzz in a dugout when the defense is underestimating a batter's power. I believe in the magical moment of recognition after contact on a "no-doubter" home run. I believe in catchers who talk junk & pitchers who throw it. I believe in infielders who think getting dirty is part of the job description.
I believe in fast outfielders who do not hug the lines or play too deep. I believe rattling bats can wake them up and uncrossing them can avoid bad luck. I believe in wiping the morning dew off a ball and squinting into a sunset. I believe I'll see a 3-6-1 double play again someday. I believe in saving an equipment catalog until the next issue replaces it. I believe photos, autographed balls and score-book pages can be better than trophies & t-shirts. I believe there is no off-season, just a longer wait until the next game. I believe in the butterflies of opening day and the long drive home after the final game. I believe in a small child in an over-sized jersey retrieving daddy's bat. I believe in showing appreciation to your family and friends who came to watch you play. I believe in thanking the umpires when the game is over, regardless of the score. I believe the final score is part of the overall experience. I believe in enjoying games in the twilight and respecting careers in theirs.
Sparky.1. Nice tribute to your old friend : )
I thank God for all the elements of this great game we get to play! Most thankful for friends like Sparky I’ve been bless to call my Braddah! Much mahalo for sharing n God’s blessings to all! Aloha, Fabe
Wow, so well stated. This should inspire everyone.
Did some research on who wrote this. Found several sources it was written by a guy named Jim Ramsey.
If this is true, my apologies Dbax and to everyone.....Phil told me he penned it......Still a great piece of work!
No matter who wrote it, it’s great!
GREAT post Sparky, RIP to your friend. Sadly we LOVE still playing this game at our age but that means we are close to losing teammates, sometimes way too early.
Dbax - Jim Ramsey is the director of the Softball Magazine Camps (I've been to a few, Open in March and Senior in Nov), real nice guy!
Have a GREAT season everyone and stay safe! :-)
Bottomline, this really hits to the heart of the game we all love!
A splendid tribute to the game.....thanks so much for sharing!
Came across this which takes me back to the great old days of slo-pitch softball.
New to senior softball and this is a wonderful stroll down memory lane. Really looking forward to the upcoming season!
Thank you so much for the awesome review of this post and best wishes to everyone for a successful 2021 season!
For all of you who knew Sparky.1, I just want you to know that he, my brother, died this week. He's been struggling with several conditions for many years. Though I miss him and his humor, I'm glad that his year of disconfort have ended.
So sorry to hear this. RIP Sparky. A great representative for softball!
Wow… shocked! Total respect n honored to call him a Braddah! If anyone gets information concerning his services please pass it! I will miss his humor, but even more his friendship! Much Aloha n God bless.. Fabe
