I'd be lying if I said the spring was a great time to be a sportswriter in Madison. Basketball is over and football only practices. I bet you couldn't even name all the sports that actually have spring seasons. I know I couldn't.
But that's not to say there aren't games being played and races being run somewhere on campus. So when my editor asked me to cover a UW softball game Tuesday night, I naturally jumped at the opportunity. (Actually, I tried to make up a couple of excuses, none of which worked, but I swear, after that I jumped at the opportunity.)
Once committed to the story, though, I began to recognize the positive factors of heading out to the softball diamond. To a degree, I wanted to do it because I've never covered a softball game before. You know, an 'expand your horizons' situation. But mostly it was because I've always wanted to keep score at a ball game and I figured a better chance wasn't likely to present itself anytime soon.
With my new attitude in tow, I made my way out to Goodman Diamond, which is somewhere between downtown and Estonia. If you're ever going out to a game, don't forget your passport and a change of clothes you'll need them both.
After a bus ride that took me across at least four time zones, I found myself at Goodman Diamond, the home of Badger softball. It's a nice little park, inconspicuously nestled between a swamp and a construction site.
Upon arriving, the first thing that caught my eye was the lack of folks at the ballpark. Judging by the size of the crowd, at first I thought it was an invitation-only game. But I had no trouble getting by the door, so that certainly wasn't it.
I quickly realized that most of the spectators were probably personal relatives of the players. Actually, the crowd was so small you could qualify that even further. By my estimates, if you weren't involved in the birthing of one of the players, you probably weren't at this game.
Luckily, what Goodman Diamond lacked in spectators, it more than made up for with snack food in the press box. We're talking a full size, high school graduation party-style spread, complete with cheese, vegetables, pretzels and two kinds of crackers. You name it, they had it. I almost missed the start of the game because I was so busy building mini Big Macs with cheese and crackers.
I wasn't there for the food though, so once the game started, I made my way back to the bleachers and set about taking notes and keeping score. This was made extra hard by the gale force winds that started blowing just before the game. Surprisingly, the press box was full, so I had no choice. I had to watch the game outside and deal with the elements.
Around the third inning those elements started to make me nervous. From my spot in the bleachers, I could see lightning off to the north and west. For some reason, I was the only person who seemed concerned by this development, which is strange considering Goodman Diamond is built almost entirely out of metal. Fortunately the storm never hit, and I was able to see out my first softball game in its entirety. What's better, the Badgers won 10-3. It almost makes me want to go to their next home game, almost. In the mean time, there's a week until the next home stand, plenty of time to think up some infallible excuses. Just don't tell my editor.
To contact Joe, email him at jphasler@wisc.edu
