Softball: Some Troublesome Implications for the Jury System
Dear People,
My team sucked and sucked hard for the first eight innings of the game, but ultimately rallied with a magnificent six-run 9th to beat Jeff's shell shocked contingent of frightful power-hitting failures, 18-16. Or at least that's the way I remember it, but since I was fluish and dizzy, all I really remember is standing next to the first base line in the 4th when a series of really close plays at both home and first required me to make the decisive call.
Alas, besot by angst, abulia and A.D.D. to boot, I was unable to do so, much to the cackling consternation of partisans on both sides. And just for the record, I’m not saying that simply because I occasionally like to write florid prose which elicits the varied neuroses of the modern pop-psychology repertoire.
In any case, I think the core problem was that I didn’t really internalize that I was actually functioning as an ump-by-default, but regardless, my inability to make the call brings up a panoply of deep philosophical problems concerning the peril-fraught crossroads of perception, truth and sport. I mean, for example, when Michael Davey came darting past home at the very nano-second that the ball reached Peter’s glove at the plate (give or take a second or two), how the fuck am I supposed to know what happened first?
Oh sure, I was technically in the best position and had the best angle and was in theory “watching,” but the reality is that I was pretty sure that Davey crossed in time, until about.0027 seconds later, when somebody screamed that he was clearly out. And suddenly I was utterly convinced of this, until about .0018 seconds after that, when someone else screamed out that said opinion was the ravings of a certifiably myopic buffoon. And sure enough, I found myself in curious accord. Until…
I guess the point is that if you need to count on your inner aerobic arbiter, it’s probably best to do so when you’re not feverish, or distracted, or indecisive, or trying to monitor the score sheet, or concerned about making sure that your final call is in line with the fervid opinion of others (unless of course, they sound convincing). And therefore there will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at Noon, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning…Ray
11/16/07
Softball: The Debate
Dear People,
There will be a game at Codornices this Sunday at noon, and as of now there are still five slots left.
Please bring $3 for the field, which for this week only includes a special two-minute post-game caucus in which we will gather to discuss whether illegal Iranian immigrants should be allowed to get abortions while driving in Buffalo…Raymond 845-7552