[StLee]

Our league had a bye week this past weekend, so we are still sitting at one game played.

I mentioned in my last post that there was some controversy in my last game. Now, I will attempt to explain the situation, though in the end it made no big difference.

In my first game as a rookie captain, I had a set lineup for offense and defense. We have 13 players per team, but a few rule stipulations. If a girl is out, then one of the girls must bat twice. The Bus Drivers had a girl out for the game, so they batted one of their players twice. I had a guy out, so I played with a 12-person batting lineup.

Another rule that came into play was the defensive substitution rule. There are no limits to the number of substitutions I can make. I must play two females at all times. Also, every player must play at least four innings. Here is where my controversy set in: one of my players did NOT play four defensive innings. In fact, he only played one. Why? Well, he benched himself, claiming his arm was hurting too much to play in the field. I said OK and moved on, not thinking I was doing anything wrong because of the “spirit” of the rule. I did not bench him, but he benched himself.

We played the game and won, as I posted last time. That night I received a call from Bolg. He sweet talked me and gave me the “Listen, I have a question. How many innings did McMillan play on defense?” The set up. I answered and got the barrage: “You knew the rules but you sat him anyway. You have to forfeit the game.”

In the end, I said no, but I did agree to allow the other captains to decide. The coaches, to Bolg’s dismay, allowed us to keep the win, but penalized us 10 runs on the tiebreaker and forfeiture of home field in the rematch.

Bolg was livid, demanding that the other captains reconsider their decision. Their final rule was that they couldn’t assume that the final results would have been different.

The issue has caused a lot of anger and resentment among the captains. I wish I could re-do the game. I wish that the situation would never have occurred, but I regret one thing more than anything else.

I never realized just how much winning and losing really mean, even in beer leagues. I am not the type who lets losses ruin my week, be it for the teams I root for or play for, but I am possibly alone. The loss ruined Bolg’s week and possibly more. Without going into too many details, he and I can never have a relationship beyond the “How’s it going?” variety because I no longer respect him as a man based on his reaction to the situation.

Yes, I messed up. But more than my error in judgment, I messed up by not realizing just how competitive some people truly are. It has dampened my enthusiasm for the softball season, but I hope to recover when playing on Sundays.

On a side note, I strained (I hope only that) my rotator cuff on my throwing shoulder on Sunday, and more than a week later it still hurts, though my range of motion is much better than it was a couple of days after the game. Any of you have or have had rotator cuff problems? Is it just going to get worse for me, or do some daily exercises help to keep it in check and I just need to be careful when throwing?