Glory Days

My friend Harry Bryans emailed me yesterday commenting on this Jayson Stark column on the amazing play Chase Utley made in the 2008 World Series. This is part of the email I wrote him back, that I am posting here for posterity:

For many years in our 30's, my buddy (since 5th grade) Jim Daly and I used to play in a co-ed softball league. (And we took it a little too seriously sometimes, I'm now willing to admit. Adam Bratis actually saw me provoke a bench-clearing brawl - true story - when I slid too hard in the other team's catcher.) Jim was, and in some respects is still, a very good athlete. Jim played shortstop in the J-Roll way - not many spectacular plays but incredibly dependable - made every throw right on the money. I, on the other hand, was very undependable at third base, but they kind of tried to hide me there, particularly because in co-ed softball, there were so many baserunners, I often only had to touch my base or throw home or to second, which was almost the max distance for my candy arm. But the reason for telling all this, is that to Jim's horror, I was always trying plays like Utley's, like dropping popups and line drives on purpose to try to get double plays or to force a faster runner at a base to allow the slower batter to get on (still drives me crazy when major leaguers don't think of that.) My favorite was when there was a runner on second base who I knew was particularly (like me), aggressive on the bases, I had a play pre-set with our second baseman that if the batter grounded one to me, I would fake a throw to first, knowing the runner on second would take off for third, and our 2B would sneak in behind him and we'd throw behind him to get him out. 

(If you haven't already, you can stop reading here, the rest is as much for my own enjoyment in remembering and telling it as it is intended for you to enjoy it) My favorite story semi-related is that one time I was on first base and Jim grounded a single to centerfield. I saw the CFer taking his time fielding it (we couldn't take leads), so I rounded second and headed for third and slid in safely. Jim, seeing this, rounded first and took off for second where the third baseman threw and where Jim slid in safely. I, seeing this, got up at third and headed home, where I slid in safely...and you know the rest, Jim, seeing this, took off for third where the catcher threw the ball over the third baseman's head and Jim scored standing up. He and I go to at least one game a year together and have recounted the tale as often as we can find reason to fit it in. I think our wives even know the story by heart by now. (Side note - even though Jim and I met as students at Owen J Roberts, his wife Leigh and I first met in Kindergarten at...Downingtown Friends School. She was a cutie even then. :-) )

Thanks for hanging in and giving me a chance to tell that story again!