Rally

Rally - the feat of mustering strength for a renewed effort.

May 18, 2009

Rule #1 - A team can only score a maximum of 6 runs in each of the first 2 innings. After 6 runs, teams change sides regardless of outs. After the first 2 innings, a team can score as many runs as they can.

Rule #2 - Game time is 80 minutes, then finish the inning.

These are the 2 important rules in appreciating our game tonight. To begin with, it was hot. Over 80 degrees, no shade. So our team is the visiting team again (this is determined by a coin flip) so we are first to bat. Our strongest batters are at the top of the line-up, and they struggled tonight. We got a couple of base hits, a couple of walks, and 1 run scored as the inning ended. We got "6 runned" by the other team when they had their first at bat. I don't remember how many (if any) outs there were. It was not looking good. 2nd inning. It was almost 3-up, 3 down. Our batters just couldn't make it happen. Jack did get a base hit, however, in the 2nd inning, but was left on base. The other team only scored 1 run in the 2nd inning, so at the end of 2 innings it was 7-1. Coach Lane gathered the team around, and gave them some sort of pep talk as we went into the 3rd inning. Some kind of pep talk, indeed. We got base hits and walks, and got the bases loaded, another score, then a grand slam as a result of bases overthrown by the other team and suddenly it was 7-6. Jack got up again and had another nice base hit, and he even scored the tying run. The inning just went on and on, and since the 6 run rule no longer applied, we went all the way through our batting order and then some. The inning ended 14-7. We scored 13 runs in a single inning. The boys and the parents were so excited; Coach Lane was nearly in heart failure from so many close calls. Enough time had lapsed that the game clock had expired during our at bat, so the home team got their last ups and it would be over. They did manage to score 3 more runs and our pitcher struck out the last batter and it was over. What a fun game! We have the best players and parents! I'm sure Lane will correct my version of events, but he's not the one writing the blog so that makes my version the correct one!

Tonight I discovered that my bank had apparently stopped sending paper statements at the end of 2008. I don't know why I was so slow to notice this. I printed them off the bank website and had to go back and balance 4 months of statements. I hate doing it at all, so doing 4 months was a real chore. It's done now, and I hate that I'll have to remember to print them off every month. I'll have to call the bank and see if I can request paper statements. I'm just not smart enough to remember it on my own.