We played 5 games on the weekend to make it to the finals. The last game on Sunday night was a grueling 10 innings - dusk was descending on the park as the two teams slugged it out. While we were thrilled to win, we weren't sure if our bodies could take any more punishment.
On Monday we nursed our aching muscles and rested (as much as 12 working moms can rest). Game night Tuesday we started off slow as usual, but managed to win 15-10.
I had a hard time leaving the office early again yesterday for game 2. I expended way too much energy racing down to the train, changing in the car and getting to the park 15 minutes before game time. The second wind I found on Tuesday - with the help of advil and jelly beans - was nowhere to be found last night. My first at bat found me limping to first base on what was a good double. It was very frustrating to be so sore and pokey. Thankfully I played first base and was able to contribute there. By game's end, winning 11-2, it all seemed anticlimactic. All weekend, the crowd of spectators had made it clear that they did not want us to win. Thankfully, the opposing team was gracious in their congratulations as we shook hands at the end of the match.
The after-party helped tie it all together - we celebrated all the good things about our team. We worked hard, threw ourselves in front of the ball, played smart and kept our spirits up if we made a mistake. We gave our coach his 78 minutes of focus every game. We also had a lot of fun. Very few teams were able to do all that this season. Once again, I got way more out of playing ball than just playing ball.
