It is a little known but absolutely true fact that in 1970 the R&B singer Marvin Gaye tried out for a position on the Detroit Lions professional football team. He was at that time a popular musician who began his career ten years earlier for Motown records. He was the most popular Motown artist throughout the 1960’s bashing out hits like “How Sweet It is (To Be Loved By You)” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”
Despite his massive success as a singer, Marvin always wanted to play professional football. So steeped in that early 70’s can-do-spirit (read: high-as-a-bat) he set out to do just that. He apparently gained almost fifty pounds in order to make a more compelling case that he should be on the team. Sadly he was cut early in the process.
Marvin took the setback in stride and went off to record What’s Going On, arguably one of the best albums of all times. At the beginning of the song you hear some guys partying-Martin’s friends from the Detroit Lions professional football team. So he didn’t get to play pro-ball, but he did get to party with those guys and change the entire direction of 70’s R&B music. I’m sure he would have preferred to make the team.
Well from the look of the B-Squaders at practice this week, no one was dedicated enough to put on a full fifty pounds. Nor does it seem that anyone came steeped in an early 70’s can-do-spirit. But, it was clear that these boys came with one thing in mind-they want to make hits. Lots of hits.
The desire to hit has never been questioned. It was always the technical execution of the hits that was an issue. To that end, we brought in a real-live coach with actual experience leading successful softball teams. Her name was Dr. Pam Richards and she offered the kind of sage advice that we’ve been long waiting for:
“You should keep your eyes open the entire time you are at bat.”
“You don’t need to dance like that. Try standing still and waiting for the ball.”
“You hold the thin end of the bat. No, the thin end. See? The end with the rubber on it?”
But the amazing thing is that it totally worked. Line drive after line drive, sometimes even where the ball was intended to hit. Batter after batter ended their turn giddy as a newly drafted member of the Detroit Lions.
I went back over the score sheets from last season. As a team we averaged just a little less than 13 hits per game. Our highest hitting game (Parent’s night) was 18 hits. Several games we got just 8 hits. We’ll see if the new-and-improved B-Squad hitters can muster a better effort this season. If practice is any guide, we may have a real hit-making machine on our hands.
Stellar and stunning.
Oh my frakking Gods, do my forearms hurt today!
I think I need Sexual Healing.
Or is that how I got like this?