Hand Job!

The predicted storms held off until after 10 O'clock last night, and a good loud lightning and thunder based rain maker came through around 2:30 this morning....things have since turned sunny, albeit still muggy, despite the original cooler, dryer, prediction....Weather Channel Gerbils wrong again? I am shocked!



Give me your hand_____please!




Son Sam and I worked the Bellefountaine at Celina ACME game last night. It was my turn to do the plate....I donned the gear, knowing I had been hit in the left hand the past 2 times doing the "Dish"...since I had not been hit in the hand, at least not hard, in 4 or so seasons before that, I figured, "what are the chances"?....ummm...about 100% I say. The second pitch of the game from the hometown hurlers got past the catcher, and bang...for the 3rd time in 21/2 weeks, and the 3rd straight game behind the plate, my left hand was on the receiving end of a hard ball to the flesh.



Now, I've got to say...this is getting surreal...I had went the past 10 years, getting hit on the arms, shoulders, thighs, in the cup, chest, etc...and even a few glancing hits on the hands...but nothing like the 3 straight ones since May 21st. We finished the 8-2 visiting team victory without any further damage...but I knew I needed to do something to change my luck, or at least my left hand and knuckle's luck.


Now, I really don't want to go back to placing my left hand behind my back to protect it...that never felt comfortable or look professional in my mind...it sure was successful however. But I really never liked the feel or look. So I need to come up with another way to protect my "off" hand. Patricia and I went to Bob Evans for breakfast this morning and stopped at the local Wally World after...she went looking for some new clothes for her and Anissa's flight to Milwaukee tomorrow, while I headed to the pharmacy area, then on to sporting goods to look for something to give some protection to my wayward hand. Nothing really seemed to work(other than purchasing a soft cast, which I really didn't want to do)...so I settled on a Gold Gym style weight lifting glove....the same type I use in my work outs, only with a little more padding for the upper hand and knuckle area...Will it work? Who knows, I'm just hopeful that I go another 10 years before I get it that hard again...by that time I will be 70, and my days of umpiring will either be over, or at least I'll be doing the lower levels, where 85 MPH fastballs are replaced by those in the 50 range.


Batching it for a few days____


Tomorrow morning I will be driving Anissa and Patricia to the Dayton Airport at Vandalia, Ohio. There they will board a non-stop flight to Milwaukee, brother-in-law Bill Jr. who lives nearby will pick them up and take the the 40 miles to her dad and Bev's Condo on the lake at Oconomowoc. They will fly back out next Monday for home.


In the meantime, depending on weather, I have at least 10 games scheduled to umpire....6 of those this weekend on Saturday and Sunday....doing a mini-ACME tournament in Celina, and 4 American Legion games at the Annual Ottawa Run Tourney at Columbus Grove....the weather for that looks dry(for now) and not to warm or humid....so perhaps I can survive the extra work load.


Anyway, I should remain busy while the women folk are away.....baseball and hopefully a real start on the painting project. {procrastination alert!}


back later>>>>

Photos-My trice hit, in the past 17 days, swollen left hand, and the Gold Gym Glove I will use for now to try to protect it from further baseball harm.