I wasn’t always a fastpitch softball player. I came from the other bat and ball game which shall remain nameless (but it rhymes with Face-Ball). Being from that sport, (and being at the time about 21 years old), meant that once I had stumbled on to “Softball”, it was obviously my divine right to be awesome at it from the get go. How hard could it be to play a “girls game”? Took me about .5 of an at bat to find out. Watching those first few pitches fizz by me from a bloke standing practically on my shoe tops (well it seemed that way compared to the other game) was a humbling and curious experience. I didn’t know how these other guys hit these little tic tacs that were bulleting past my bat, but I really wanted to find out. That challenge, hitting this bigger ball with this smaller bat, was the FIRST thing that hooked me on this great sport. Luckily, other parts of the game gripped me just as hard, and dragged me further into my adventures as a Bear and a Bruin. It all started, however, as an invitation from a friend! I remember very well my first invitation to play the game. Christine Jacka had seen me plying my trade as a Metro B Baseball “pitcher” (Metro grade is about as low standard as you could play in those days) , liked my jokes (as opposed to my pitching) and asked if I wanted join her club. I also remember VERY well my reply when I heard who else was in the team ….(terrific players one and all)…”Why would you want me?”. Turns out, initially at least, it was for the jokes. It would be a gigantic stretch to say I was of any use to the team in any other way. To make me feel better at my ineptitude as a fledgling fastpitch player, Christine would encourage me with “You know your balls and strikes…..you don’t strike out very much”………… kindly neglecting to mention that I didn’t hit the ball out of the infield much either. Still, it was fortunate for me that “Cracka” (as she was christened years later) was patient enough to stick with me and give me a chance, because experience in the game now tells me that many others wouldn’t have been so accommodating. For the moment my joke average, as opposed to my batting average, was keeping me in the game. The other factor that kept me coming back was the people. I was lucky. I got a chance to meet and play ball with a bunch of people who I admired and whose company I enjoyed. Anyone who can make me laugh has me hooked from the get go. And these people were extra impressive as they were all terrific ball players to boot. I became re-aquainted with my old junior club mate Greg Woodings (to this day THE best first baseman I played with or against and one of the best clutch hitters ever in my opinion) as well as the other awesome Red head, Ray Lane (if you wanted someone to catch a flyball to save your life, Laney is the man) and made new friends with a whole bunch of new guys who were great company. Lindsey Kindness (still pretty much the funniest dude ever) ,Warren Cutts (the tiny ball of aggression and the other guy you would want to make a catch to save your hide) and Terry Newcombe (Sweet swinging Mr Consistency) all became long term friends. I’m proud to have been a team mate and friend to all of them, and I always admired them as players and people. I also got to play with Class Kiwi’s like John Whitefield…….who would be pretty much a guaranteed 4 for 4 in any play off game and still one of the most impressive players I have ever seen. There were others too and I consider myself very lucky to have been able to play alongside so many talented dudes and decent people. I’m glad I had a reason to hang around though, because things slowly but surely got better. Snicks became flyballs and slow rollers became line drives…..eventually. Of course, mixed in between was plenty of strikeouts and errors, but the point is it was too late, I was hooked and now had an emotional investment in the game and in particular, the club. Looooved being a Bear……and a Bruin. Because I wasn’t (and never became) a superstar, I suppose I was never presented with the temptations of other clubs trying to snatch my prodigious talents away. I’d like to think that, even if I had been a better, “in demand” player, I would have always stayed with the club. But, as it’s turned out, it’s all good. As Bears and Bruins, we’ve copped more than our fair share of whoopin’s over the years. We’ve been treated like second class citizens sometimes……..afterthoughts and support acts to the main attractions. But that’s OK……we’ve also won when no one expected us too, behaved consistently like gentleman and held our heads high while the “bush leaguers” and Johnny come lately’s made major league dills of themselves. And I still keep making friends and getting to play with great people. As the years have passed I’ve had the good fortune to play alongside a new generation of guys who I hope will keep wearing the Brown, Orange and White for a long while to come. My great friends Peter Strauss and Richard Devey have not only been the source of some of my favourite hi-jinks year after year, but have also just got better and better as players as the years have passed. Seeing guys like them grow from boys to fine men is an honour, and both of those guys have been first in line to help me now that my transition from dud player into dud coach is in full swing. So anyway, it’s 23 years later and I’m still playing for Bruins. Not as well as I used too, of course, but better than when I started (thankfully).. If only I knew then what I know now (…I’d probably have hit .190 instead of a Buck 85). Anyway, I love it. I love the club and I love the game and I wish you all many years of happiness and success in the great game of Fastpitch Softball. And, if you’ve got no other allegiances in Mens softball and you happen to catch one of our games one day, make sure you cheer for us. We’ll be the guys in Brown and Orange…..the good guys. In closing, I’ll paraphrase ex Yankee Pitcher Jim Bouton, from his awesome book “Ball Four” (read it if you get a chance): “You see, in this game, you spend a great deal of your life gripping the softball, but then eventually you realize it was always really the other way round”

Greg Woodings commented "

"I think he really needs to have a better look as he is a great player whom could lead a horse to water.People and players follow him for his attitude on and off the park and I would say personaly if I was to pick a player to be on my side Purple Dick is first drawn each time. "

Cheers   G P W.

Warren Cutts commented ;