Perhaps the spartan effort it took to play 18 innings last night was just one act as part of a larger play.
After all, yesterday seemed to be a day for records. The professional record for games in a tennis match was set at the all-tennis club at Wimbledon. The United States soccer team advanced as champions of their pool in the 2010 World Cup for the first time since 1930. I suppose I shouln'td be surprised our game seems so epic; in fact, it seems rather apropos this morning.
Those who recall this blog's humble beginnings know I rarely discuss a game in the first person within this forum, because I've learned that can be suicidal for a working umpire. Therefore, I'm going to omit the who, where and what in terms of the teams, place and league, except to say the game was played within the confines of Cal Ripken's Ironbird baseball complex in Aberdeen, Maryland. The facility includes four fields tailored to Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Camden Yards, plus Ironbird Stadium, where a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles play.
I have great respect for the players in collegiate and professional baseball. The game is incredibly easy, until you put your spikes in the dirt, at which point it becomes incredibly difficult, and these players were simply amazing last night.
It took five hours to play 18 innings, but sprinted through the first eight in 1:45. We watched 106 outs get recorded consecutively before the walk-off shot won it.
We watched the visitors get their first hit...in the 10th inning. We went almost 15 frames without an error.
We watched 12 double plays get turned, including a 3-2-3 and 10 combinations of 4-6-3 or 6-4-3. The last twin kill went 7-6, with the runner caught off the base after the catch.
One of our umpires called 27 outs at second base alone. 11 from double plays, another eight caught stealing and eight more putouts by fielder's choice. We nominated him for the Armado Galarraga Award at the end of the contest, for calling baseball's second perfect game while knowing he'll never be credited for it.
Simply an amazing day of sports globally, nationally...and locally, too.
Regards...
T.C. Cameron is a writer, umpire and referee living and working in the Chesapeake Bay portion of Delmarva peninsula. He authored two books for Arcadia Publishing on the rich history of Detroit's prep sports scene.
