The Veins Are A-Bulgin'

So this was a couple of nights ago:

My 12U is playing only second game of season, rainout and a dumb coach (from another town) put me behind. Playing a semi-local team. To put in perspective, they mercied us as an 11U squad last summer.

Anyway, we go down 2-0, come back to tie, go up 4-2. In the 5th, my youngest player is on the mound and with 2 outs and bases juiced, we make an error or two on the same batted ball and now it's 6-4 before you know it.

We come back with some good base-running including a steal of home to tie it up. get out of trouble in the field a couple of times. Get the winning run to 3B in the bottom of the 7th, but the bottom of my order comes up pretty small. Happens.

We give up the go-ahead run top 8. OK, now we need to score 2. With top of my order coming up I feel pretty good.

Leadoff hitter grounds out for 1st out. My #2 goes the other way with a double. #3 hitter (aka OSSS) is up. Fouls off 2 pitches, but he's on it. Pitch 3 comes in, well outside and high - so much so that the opposing catcher has to lunge up and out to grab it to keep it from going to fence and the ump calls STRIKE 3!!!

"WHAT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME BLUE! HE HAD TO JUMP TO CATCH THAT BALL. NOT A STRIKE. YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT IN MY LIFE. YOU ARE TERRIBLE!"

My clean-up grounds out for out 3. Game over, we lose 7-6 in extras. So as I walk in to shake hands with the other team (who deserved it) I did something I have never done:

"THAT WAS SOME CALL BLUE! YOU OUGHTA BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! HORSE-SHIT, THAT IS WHAT THAT CALL WAS! YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE!"

The head ump who was doing the bases tried to give me an explanation, to which I responded "the fact that you two have to explain the call means it was wrong. The only two people who think that was a strike are you two!"

SoulSlam was livid. And I never argue balls and strikes, part of the game. I was still angry when I woke up Tuesday.