Kickball

Today I played kickball for the first time in years. And, I've never played kickball like this. First of all, we played in Golden Gate Park, which is gorgeous... one of my favorite places in this city for sure. Second, there were about 15 people on each team, as well as about 20 people just there watching. Third, there was a small dog that kept interfering with our game, chasing the pitches as they were sent to the kickers, almost getting kicked quite a few times. Fourth, we were all drinking. Fifth, the drinking was an integral part of the game: you had to have a beer in your hand at all times. Granted, if you finished your beer, or didn't want to drink, that's fine, but you still had to have a can in your hand. This rule led to some fun times. You haven't played kickball until you've seen someone trying to catch a pop fly, only to have it bounce off of his arms/chest, simultaneously causing his beer to explode all over him. Or, seen a girl get pegged by a guy twice her size, getting hit hard enough that she falls down, and her beer explodes all over her, followed by the ref shouting "Oooooo, you are fuckin' OUT!" I got a few grass burns and green stains on my knees. Dropped a couple pop fly's myself. Scored once. Got to second once. Got out once. Some kid and his dad were riding by on their bikes, and stopped to sit in the distance and watch most of the game. Afterwards, I was helping a guy carrying a couple boxes full of beer cans to the trash cans, which we had trouble finding. Luckily, we saw a park ranger, and the guy I was with asked the ranger where the trash was. The ranger didn't look happy, but he didn't bother us either.

The next game is in two weeks.