How to know you're getting old

That's no good when you are 24. Gone are the days when I could play five softball games without stretching and not notice it the next day.

But that's exactly what I did Saturday and I learned two things: 1. I'm not as young as I once was and 2. I cannot stay back long enough to hit a slowpitch softball to save my life.

After one triple over the left fielder's head, about 35 popups and the near-destruction of my brand-new Mizuno batting gloves (I was always going to endorse Mizuno when I reached the Major Leagues - just like Chipper Jones) - not to mention four losses, I called my old man. He had always served as my debriefing agent and sounding board during my high school and American Legion days.

He reminded me that I had trouble staying back even when I played baseball, so naturally softball only "exacerbates your lack of patience."

So I had a couple of adult beverages before our fifth and final game (naturally a loss) and while I didn't hit any better, I didn't care quite as much.

I also talked to my buddy Joe who told me I'm still a baseball player at heart and that I shouldn't take it so seriously.

The ironic part about this whole endeavor is that it came one week to the day of my second-place finish in the (2.5 mile) Tom Skram Fun Run.

In light of the fact that I grew up in a state where baseball and track are both held in the spring, maybe I should have run track and avoided all the frustration I seem to dredge up each time I try to play softball.

This whole episode calls to mind a phrase Gehlen baseball coach Marty Kurth used when I was writing my preview: He reminded me that baseball is "an even-keeled sport."

For those of you have not met me in person - or inferred it from my blogs/columns - I am about as even-keeled of a guy as you will ever meet (cue raucous laughter).

When reminiscing about my baseball career, the word that comes to mind (no pun intended) is "head case." And that's why I think I am better at writing about baseball than I was playing it.

Enough of that.

Back to the local sports scene: after nearly squandering a win against South O'Brien in Paullina on Friday, the Akron-Westfield baseball team shocked No. 5 (Class 2A) Maple Valley/Anthon-Oto 4-2 on Saturday morning at the Blackhawk tournament in Hinton.

Freshman Mitch Hedlund pitched six innings of two-run baseball to earn the win for A-W, who seems more and more like they are for real each week.

Remsen St. Mary's was the victim of a perfect game at the hands of Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley's Marcus Heemstra - who also hit a home run. RSM coach Jim Klein didn't want to talk about that one and I don't blame him.

RSM rebounded with a 19-14 slugfest win over Gehlen in their next game.

The Le Mars baseball team dropped a pair of decisions to Cherokee and Spencer at the Carroll Kuemper tournament - or as Le Mars Trent Eckstaine likes to call it, the "Lakes Conference tournament."

Eckstaine bemoaned the fact that the 'Dogs had to open the tournament against a Lakes Conference opponent.

"I don't care if you lose a game and have to play a team from your conference in the consolation round, but don't schedule an opening round game between teams in the same conference," he said on Sunday.

That seemed to be a common theme over the weekend as RSM and Gehlen faced each other at the Spalding tournament.

Hinton and A-W did avoid each other at the Blackhawk tournament.

We are gearing up for what will certainly be another action-packed week as we are just about two weeks away from the start of playoffs.