A high pop fly that lands ten steps from where a player was positioned will inevitably touch down two steps out of his reach. Ground balls need not traverse between infielders to get through. Though no rule forbids bending over or even putting one s knee to the ground, the air between a fielder s legs regularly accommodates many a softball. The other night, five straight ground balls by the other team found these gaping passageways between our ankles. Men who have played ball for more than half a century transgress against the infield-fly rule.
Throws go to wrong bases.
Pitchers who once backed up bases by instinct now stand stationary on the mound, with either forgetfulness or energy drain the explaining factor. I ve been rooting for zero spectators ever since an emeritated campus colleague spotted me with glove in hand some time ago. My ever-cheery mother once sighed, between dialysis treatments, Son, it s no fun to grow old. Now I ve discovered myself that aging well is hard to do. But somewhere between the ridiculous denial of a senior facelift and the real danger of just giving up on life, old-age softball is perhaps a happy medium.