nothing like a Busch latte (light) to start the day. in my experience, nothing good comes from having your first beer at 8am, so i shouldn’t be surprised i pulled my hamstring today. more on this later. it’s Ding-A-Ling weekend. the Ding-A-Ling is a softball tournament in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. unlike most softball leagues, you’re restricted [...]
nothing like a Busch latte (light) to start the day.
in my experience, nothing good comes from having your first beer at 8am, so i shouldn't be surprised i pulled my hamstring today. more on this later.
it's Ding-A-Ling weekend. the Ding-A-Ling is a softball tournament in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. unlike most softball leagues, you're restricted to single-wall bats, which means the ball doesn't travel nearly as far (or as fast). the game is announced as you play. it's an invite-only tournament. there's history — been going on for as long as the Super Bowl. they keep your stats for life. they serve large beers.
i like large beers.
this is the first year my team got the invite.
to get to the field in time, woke up an hour earlier than normal. downed some coffee. hit my CARs, although they didn't feel great. for whatever reason, i felt “crampy,” as if i was gonna break into a cramp during many of the mobilizations. this isn't unheard of, especially if you're new to CARs. i'm not new, so it was strange, but i didn't think much of it. little did i know, it was foreshadowing.
(by the way, morning CARs are essential. they're a general warm-up for the entire day. i won't have to do a goofy general warm-up before my games. i'll throw a ball some. i'll swing a bat some. then i'll be ready to go.)
drove to a friend's house. he lives halfway between my house and the field. crashing at his place for the night.
enter: 8am Busch latte.
started throwing, to loosen up. right shoulder wasn't happy. strange feeling deep in the socket, likely from the weighted sleeper mobilizations i did two days prior. i'm dumb. i shouldn't have done something new, knowing i wanted to be fresh and healthy for this tournament. new things should only be done when you can face the potential consequences of doing new things.
when i took the field, i was worried. thought one throw would dislocate my shoulder. turns out, didn't have to worry about my shoulder at all. second game, second at bat, i pulled my hamstring after rounding second. finished the day 6-7.
hamstring pull felt like a cramp, initially. sort of like the ones you get in your calf in the middle of the night. a harsh contraction you have to ride out, then stretch out. afterward, you're insanely sore.
the worst part about injuring yourself at a softball game is dealing with the mountain of misinformed meatheads giving you injury advice. one guy told me i shouldn't move it at all. another guy grabbed a bat and rolled my hamstring. “oh, it's knotted,” he said. “just gotta make sure that knot doesn't go higher.”
last time i checked, muscles don't tie themselves into knots, let alone knots that are able to climb up and down muscle bellies like Donkey Kong.
beer flowed. i can drink infinite light beer on an empty stomach. i don't know if having an empty stomach helps? Liver King recommends drinking alcohol on an empty stomach because it helps the liver “do its thing.” i don't know if i believe this (because Liver King is nothing more than a mascot), but it's something i think about.
beer throughout the day and night. at least five shots of tequila. wasn't the slightest bit drunk.
only thing i ate today was beef jerky.