Hitting the Batting Cage

I haven't swung a baseball bat in years. I've played a little bit of softball, but not much of that in a long time either - softball is too slow for me.

But for whatever reason I've had this urge to go to a batting cage this summer. I've talked about it a lot, but hadn't made it happen until this past weekend when I finally headed out to a local batting cage.

I purchased just two tokens, in case a) I was quickly worn about by a motion I hadn't done in a long time and b)more importantly, in case I was making a fool out of myself.

I watched other people for a few minutes to ensure that I wouldn't be the only one swinging and missing and then I took the plunge and stepped in. I used to be a pretty good baseball player, but as I mentioned I haven't swung a bat in a long time. I opted for the fastest of the three cages labeled "slow to medium". I was slightly embarrassed by the large sign that stated "pitch height set for little leaguers", but there were a few adults before me that seemed to have some difficulty so I figured I at least wasn't alone.

I was terrified when I put that first token in. I stepped up to the "plate" took a deep breath and kept telling myself "relax your hands, swing easy, and just make contact". Much to my surprise and utter joy I ripped the first pitch and hit what, I am convinced, would have been out of any respectable little league ballpark (hey, it's a good goal). I continued doing rather well, only once getting carried away and swinging too hard only to miss.

On the second token, I moved up to "medium fast" - a bit more of a challenge, and my hits weren't quite as impressive, but still respectable.

So, the moral of the story is -- If you haven't done something in a while, I say go give it a try. Yes, you may have lost the touch, but maybe you've still got it a little. And if not, hey, it's still fun. For batting cages in Arlington, head over to Upton Hill Regional Park. It's only a dollar for 16 balls - which trust me, if you haven't done it in a while can be plenty. You can also choose between baseball and softball, so if you just want to work on that slow pitch softball swing you can do that.

See you at the batting cage ... I think I need to go buy some of my own equipment. I could get in to this :-)