Softball in the Heat of August

Bert Clegern, the coach of the Charlestown retirement community ‘Sluggers’ resident softball team, reflects on The Great American Pastime and its enduring appeal among people of all ages:

“O somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light ”

With full deference to Thayers’ famous 1888 poem about Casey, it must be said that yes, the sun was shining, but no, neither Casey nor the band were at Charlestown last Saturday. However, Charlestown’s staff softball team was there, and they made a fine showing. In the heat of August from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, they played multiple games with the teams from sister Erickson Living communities Riderwood and Oak Crest. When the dust settled (and there was a lot of it), Charlestown and Riderwood shared the tournament championship.

Yes, it was a bladder-bursting full day of softball, essentially a triple double-header fortified by numerous cold drinks. The spectators got to sit in the blessed shade, but the players endured the sun all day on the field. There was a nice breeze most of the time, but it carried the dust from the field up into the viewers, who thus got the full flavor of the game as a little special garnish on their hot dogs.

Spectacular plays on the field were intermixed with frustrating errors, as is always the case. Of special note is one of the game rules, which makes the batter out if he or she hits the ball back at the pitcher. The rule, of course, is intended to reduce the number of such hits and thus injuries to pitchers, but it didn’t have that effect on tournament day.

While the other teams changed their pitchers freely, Vinson Bankoski tossed most of the games for Charlestown. The opposing batters seemed to choose him for target practice, forcing him to make several nice catches, but also to dance, spin, and pirouette at times to dodge the oncoming line drives. The large goose egg on his left shin indicates that not all of his moves were successful.

Now the boys (and girls) of summer are off for another year. They’ll rub on some liniment, nurse the sunburn, forget the bad plays and remember the good ones.

BJ