I walked into work today on a very tender and sore ankle.
When I moved to my current place (is it right to still call it my new place
after a month?) I was really excited about a 30 minute walk to work and a 30 minute
walk home. With 60 minutes of walking 5 or 6 days a week, I feel like if I do
nothing else physically the rest of the day, I’ve done enough. There’s no
battle with laziness after work, no pep talks needed, no late night marches
around the neighborhood. If I simply go to work, I’m good. But when there is
damage to my legs, as you can imagine, the walk is far less enjoyable. My ankle
really started to feel sore last night as I left the bar and the soreness
remained this morning. It’s not a significant limp but I guess you can say I’m
walking gingerly on it.
Now with that in mind, let me get to the point. You’ve
probably heard the expression “nice guys finish last”…so have I. And today’s walk
into work has me feeling like a very nice guy. You see, I did something
honorable and as it turned out I sacrificed myself in order to help someone
else. If I hadn’t done what I did, I probably wouldn’t be hurt today but
someone else very well could have been (and probably worse) and although I
would have been thought of as an ass by some, the rules would have been on my
side, technically I would have been considered a little careless but not
completely at fault. It would have been unfortunate but perhaps our kickball
team could have had a different outcome instead of suffering a tightly
contested playoff loss and the end of our 2012 season. There were 3 components
to this event and I was the only one who did the right thing and for that I am the
only one left hurting… doesn’t seem right.
I’ve seen it plenty of times over the years. You have too.
We see jerks doing well while nice people get stepped on. It’s the basis of our
country’s economy and a paramount reason we are in the dilemma we are as a
nation. People make sacrifices or take the heat, the pain or the blame for
others all the time, often without thanks or reward. They do this simply
because it’s the right thing to do. It’s because they are honorable people. Then
there are those who do not take other people’s feelings or well-being into
account when it comes to their goals or the 3 steps right in front of them. So what
happened yesterday?
It happened in the 5th inning of our kickball
game last night. I was running from first base to third base on an infield
single by one of my teammates. As I rounded second I could see the infielders
were having a great deal of difficulty handling the ball near first base so I
raced for third. Now with my speed and the difficulty in throwing the ball
across the infield on such a windy day I thought I was going to go into 3rd
base standing up and without any problem… well, except for one problem, the
girl playing 3rd base was standing right in front of the base, right
in the base line. That means, to reach 3rd base I either had to go
completely around her or through her.
As I rounded 2nd and sprinted towards 3rd
my head didn’t even turn around to see what was waiting for me at 3rd
base until I was literally a few steps away. Those of you who have seen me run
know that I run very fast for a guy my size and oh yeah that reminds me, I’m a
very large dude. When I am sprinting at my fastest rate of speed I simply
cannot stop on a dime. I need at least a few steps to come to a halt. The
problem was I turned my head and I maybe had 3 steps and a fraction of a second
to react before plowing full steam into this girl who was standing where she
shouldn’t have been. I doubt she knew what was going on gamewise because if she
did she wouldn’t be standing in the way of someone my size running full speed right at her plus it wasn’t even a force play situation so there really wasn’t
any point in playing the base and standing near it anyway. I would have to be
tagged or struck with the ball.
So I take a look and my first thought is to try to slide
head first into 3rd, thinking that my long arms could reach the bag
in spite of where she was standing. But something inside of me decided that if
I tried that I might have slammed my head right into her knees, taking her legs
out from underneath her and subjecting her to serious potential damage to her
leg and even me to a possible concussion. So I hastily tried to jump into a
foot first slide where I sent my left foot towards the far left side of the
base and hopefully not taking her out. I do think there was no chance I wasn’t
going to bump into her a little but I thought brushing along side her was
better than running her completely over or barreling into her legs.
Complicating matters was that earlier in the game one of our
male players had a similar play and ran right into the catcher on a play at home.
The female catcher was tracking an errant throw and came up the base line to
try to get it and jumped right into the runner’s path as he was streaking
towards the plate and wham! She went down pretty good but that would have been
nothing compared to what I could have done to the girl at third.
So I tried to adjust and slide slightly around her but in
that split second I didn’t take one thing into account… 3rd base was
uphill! Yep, the entire 3rd base line of our makeshift kickball
field rose several feet over a very short amount of space so chasing foul balls
off of 3rd base or off of the left field line was very difficult
because you were seriously facing an uphill battle! With no moisture on the
ground to aid me, my slide ended before it began, with my front foot hitting
the ground first and then sticking in there like someone jamming a flag into
the ground and my full momentum shot right up on my leg as I tried to resist
flying forward into the female. It probably looked like I was trying to pole
vault except my left leg was the pole! After my foot got stuck in the ground
and my body came flying forward towards it, I then somehow propelled myself
clear of the woman and went flying off to the side. I laid face down on the
ground and I could feel the ball hit me on the back of one of my legs. I was
out. The inning and our rally were over and I felt some pain in my knee.
Trying to be careful not to spring up too quickly I
continued to lay there, face down, while I performed a systems check. I tend to
do this after every crash and/or fall. I have to check and make sure everything
is still functional and also to make certain there are no serious issues I
wasn’t yet aware of. My knee hurt… so did my ankle but it didn’t feel like any
significant damage. I heard people from the other team approaching and asking
if I was alright. I rolled over and got up and assured everyone I was okay as I
hobbled over to the sideline. As I returned to my position at third base the
next inning I looked at the tremendous divot I left behind on the field. It
looked like a bowling ball was dropped there from considerable height! I
whacked at it with my right foot and fixed it as best as I could within the
context of the game. I had the owie but I was able to finish the game
though it hurt sometimes... I’ve fought through much tougher dings and injuries
in the past. The thing I kept thinking after the game and now today is that it
didn’t have to happen. I shouldn’t have had to nearly break or tear something
because people don’t know what they are doing. It’s both the blessing and curse
of adult coed kickball.
Adult coed kickball is fun because, well kickball is always
fun whether you are 8 or 38. It can get a little serious but it never feels
like my football or hockey leagues do, or how my soccer, softball and other
sports leagues felt. The intensity and competitiveness is reduced a few notches
in kickball and its good and bad. I like the change of pace and the child-like
joy of kickball. It’s nice to play a team sport where generally everyone is
chill and the weight of the world doesn’t rest on every play. On the other hand
because it is more laid back and people aren’t as serious many people don’t
know basic rules, or understand the etiquette and safety norms. In softball, usually
before a game, the umpire would warn the infielders not to stand on the bases
or in the base lines during the game and that if they did, he would award the
base to the runners, meaning that the runner would be called safe due to
interference by the infielder.
You know how I talked about 3 components earlier? Well the 3
components are me, the girl playing 3rd on the play and the umpire.
I’m legally advancing to the next base and running down the baseline. The girl
is in an unsafe and unethical position. Does she know this? I doubt it but the
facts are the facts. Now what should have happened is the umpire would have
declared interference on the girl for illegally impeding my path to the base
and I should have been safe despite what happened. Perhaps if I didn’t get hurt
on the play I would jumped up and demanded justice but my mind was more on my
well being. The umpire has got to look out for player safety there and not just
hers, but mine too. I almost messed myself up really good trying to avoid an
obstacle that should not have been there. In the grand scheme of things I could
have just run her over and then acted apologetic while standing safely on third
base and played dumb. I could have said; “Oh my goodness, she just jumped in my
way and I couldn’t stop… I hope you’re okay!” That wouldn’t have been
unreasonable although the other team still would have been pissed I ran her
over and possibly knocked her into next week, especially after one collision
earlier. But as a nice guy I’m not trying to do that to someone. Even in a
playoff game it’s not worth it. So I did the honorable thing and took a spill
in order to keep her from harm. And what do I get for my trouble? The umpire is
oblivious, the girl doesn’t even say thank you for not obliterating her and I
just cost my team a chance to continue the inning in a close playoff game… basically
in the end, bad play Edwin.
This is the 2nd time this has happened this season and in both instances I was struck with the ball and called out because I wasn’t ruthless enough to run over a female player from the other team and chose to make an evasive maneuver to avoid contact and blow my shot of being safe at the base. I made 2 outs but both times if people knew how to play the game and/or if the umpires knew how to call them, it would have been 2 good plays and I would have been easily safe both times. I really wonder sometimes if I am too nice. All I seem to be getting for these acts of honor is my own self-satisfaction for making the right choice. Meanwhile my team is hurt by the outcome, no one appreciates it and the umpires don’t have my back. Maybe I AM too nice. Perhaps there’s something to being a jerk sometimes. Maybe nice guys do finish last. They did yesterday. I think I should acquire a “jerk button”. I could flip it on and be an ass when needed. Now that I think of it, what has being nice ever done for me? I’ve been single FOREVER, I’m not cold and mean enough to advance further in many areas of my life. I back down far too much with my easy going nature and let people walk all over me sometimes to avoid confrontations, even when I am right or justified. You know, I think my kindness is holding me back! Perhaps I should get a professional opinion. I will look to some of the great leaders in human time for inspiration…
This is the 2nd time this has happened this season and in both instances I was struck with the ball and called out because I wasn’t ruthless enough to run over a female player from the other team and chose to make an evasive maneuver to avoid contact and blow my shot of being safe at the base. I made 2 outs but both times if people knew how to play the game and/or if the umpires knew how to call them, it would have been 2 good plays and I would have been easily safe both times. I really wonder sometimes if I am too nice. All I seem to be getting for these acts of honor is my own self-satisfaction for making the right choice. Meanwhile my team is hurt by the outcome, no one appreciates it and the umpires don’t have my back. Maybe I AM too nice. Perhaps there’s something to being a jerk sometimes. Maybe nice guys do finish last. They did yesterday. I think I should acquire a “jerk button”. I could flip it on and be an ass when needed. Now that I think of it, what has being nice ever done for me? I’ve been single FOREVER, I’m not cold and mean enough to advance further in many areas of my life. I back down far too much with my easy going nature and let people walk all over me sometimes to avoid confrontations, even when I am right or justified. You know, I think my kindness is holding me back! Perhaps I should get a professional opinion. I will look to some of the great leaders in human time for inspiration…
Football coaching legend Vince Lombardi: “Winning isn’t
everything, it’s the only thing.”
Comedian Lewis Black: “The good die young but pricks live
forever”
Sensei John Kreese: “Strike hard. Strike fast… no mercy”
Hmm… looks like there may be something to being a jerk after
all. Perhaps prosperity is only an immoral action away. Perhaps this was a wake up call. That does it! The kind,
sweet, thoughtful Ed you know is gone. Now I am the mean, nasty, selfish,
cantankerous Ed. The world will be mine! Suck it! Muhahahahaha!
BUT…
Always right at the moment when I want to shed my morality
and embrace douchehood to receive more shallow satisfaction and rewards in life
I remember the great Michael J Fox. His teachings have often helped me through the
toughest times in my life. Think about it. No really, think about it. Even in
the most challenging of roles he always did the right thing. I remember his
television show; Family Ties. His character Alex P. Keaton was a Reagan and Nixon worshipping, everyone fend for themselves, neo-conservative
but when the moment came, he always did the right thing instead of the “right”
thing. Even the most unfavorable of characters can’t keep this man down! This is
because Michael J. Fox is wise. He’s both a time traveler and a
groovy werewolf. Who else can say that? Now take one of his lesser known films; The Secret of My
Success. Michael J. Fox went from working in the mailroom to becoming the executive
of an important company in a manner of weeks and how did he do it? By being
charming and nice that’s how! Sure he lied and pretended he was something he
was not but in the end the goodness came through and everyone could see he did what
he did to serve the greater good. That’s right, the greater good. So when I
think of abandoning my morals, my honor and my kindness to better serve all of
my needs I think of that man and I salute him. Damn you Michael J. Fox. I guess
I will continue to be a good guy… for now.
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