I have been playing softball regularly since 1993. That means I am finishing my 15th year of softball. That makes me feel old! I was talking with some friends and tried to figure out how many softball games I have played in my life. I only play once per week now, but I used to play more (three times per week plus occasional weekend tournaments).
I broke it down this way:
1993-1995’ish: Roughly 20 games per year with a team of high school friends and a few tournaments each season = 75
1995-current: Roughly 20 games per year with some old work friends in the summer plus a couple of “one day events” = 260
1995-current: Three or four, maybe five years of fall ball with 14 games per season = 56
1994-1996’ish: 20 games per year with some college friends = 60
1998-2001’ish: 20 games per year with a friend’s team and his coworkers (plus a few tournaments) = 60
1998-2002’ish: 20 games per year with some random guys (friends of friends) plus quite a few tournaments = 180
I went with 20 games per year as I end up missing one or two weeks each year because of work or other reasons. Generally the seasons are 22 or 24 games in the summer and 14 games in the fall. That is almost 700 softball games. That seems high, but I don’t remember missing too many games. I could have the years wrong, but even if I’m a year strong on one or two of them, and I’m not sure I am, it is still well over 600. I remember a few years where I was playing double headers Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and tournaments on the weekend.
I guess I am old. If I have played 650 total games in 15 years that would be an average of about 43 games per year. That seems like a lot, but there were a few years where I played three nights per week and played in a handful of tournaments. Even now if I play 24 summer games and 14 fall league games that is 38….maybe the average of 43 games per year is right (or possibly low). Assuming I’ll play all 14 fall league games this year, I will have played 22 summer games, 14 fall league and six in a weekend tournament. That’s 42, and it didn’t seem like I played that much.
I’m starting to think a conservative number is 650 games. Again, that makes me feel old.
There are countless reasons to enjoy softball. Being outdoors, the laughing and joking during and after the games, the chance to be competitive and maybe the greatest thing is hearing the lineup called for each inning. Playing with the same guys for a number of years usually ends up in calling each other by their nickname. A lineup could read: Moose, Hollywood, Pig, Shooter, Flash, Shorty, Deuce…
Based on names from a friend’s squad, their lineup could read: Cozzie, Moore, Moore, Byrnes, Whipple, Uber. Or, it could read: Moore, Cozzie, Uber, Bush, Moore, Whipple, Byrnes… Read that fast like you are calling out a lineup. You can’t make stuff like that up. Just fantastic. If you don’t see the humor in that lineup, well, stick with book club and avoid the softball field.
Good times on the softball field. After 650 or so games, I may love playing softball more now than I did my first year. Softball is FUN!
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